A Contemplative Winter Retreat

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Randy Sanders

The last 50 miles were brutal.  Not because of the 8-hour drive, but because I was giddy with anticipation.  I hadn’t seen my Brothers for too long, and the excitement continued to build all week leading up to the retreat.  I stopped in Tulsa for an overdue lunch with my brother, and we feasted on some of the best Oklahoma-style hamburgers to be found outside your own backyard grill.  It was an excellent visit, but it was time to hit the road again for that last 100-mile stretch to Guthrie.

And there it was.  I rounded the familiar corners in Guthrie to see the magnificent view of the Guthrie Scottish Rite Temple.  I wasn’t the first to arrive, and it took a few minutes to connect and coordinate with those who arrived before me.  After some room setup and kitchen logistics, most of us gathered at a local restaurant for an excellent feast of food, fellowship, and joy.  Afterward, the last of the arrivals were settled without incident into the apartments, or sleeping rooms, onsite in the Temple, and we made our way to the absolutely gorgeous Assyrian Room which we used as our primary gathering place for the weekend.

We were just under a dozen, and it was a good number.  A Brother from Canada became our first international attendee, and we all bonded in a manner difficult to describe but obvious in experience.  Brother instructors Chuck and Doug described the weekend, the process, and the meditations.  As Clerk, my duties included rolling through the logistics and site operations.  I always feel I talk too much, and then the follow-up Q&A tells me I should have detailed another couple of minutes.  Excellent questions, hopefully, I did them justice with my answers.

As the session ended Friday night, we took our weekend vows of silence knowing it wouldn’t be lifted for almost 36 hours except for one break.  We made previous arrangements to call my cell phone for any emergencies, and all but my cell phone were turned off for the weekend.  Yeah, it was scary for many, and for me too.  My own personal vow was to only check the phone for inbound calls so I disconnected too.  It was time to focus inwardly and begin contemplating, well everything, until lights out at midnight.  The next morning, I awakened everyone by the ringing of the bell (a beautiful singing bowl) and began our first of several challenges.  First was the gathering for breakfast, which seems easy enough until you remember to try to stay silent and avoid most eye contact.  One of the weekend’s several lessons included a quiet focus on meals.  That is, eating slowly, in silence, considering everything you can about your meal.  When I first attended the retreat, I was initially put off by the process as we didn’t begin with a prayer.  As Freemasons, don’t we begin everything with an invocation of blessing by Deity?  It took me a couple of meals to realize I was already in communion with Deity, constantly, and someone else saying a group prayer was nice but unnecessary so long as I maintained my own prayers.  That lesson I continue today.  It was my lesson in focus, maintaining simplicity, and focusing on just quietly tuning into, or listening, for Deity.

A Brother experienced the annoyance of being locked out of the apartment he chose.  The locks are meant to be taped-over thereby disabled, but Oklahoma’s Grand Lodge recently held session in the building, and ladies had been using the apartments to change clothes.  Some door tape had been removed and unfortunately caught us off guard.  Although we tried as best we could to gain entrance, we determined we could not without causing damage to the door or frame.  The locked-out Brother adapted and used the experience as a different kind of contemplative exercise.  Saturday morning I (yes, I had to break silence) contacted the Temple staff who dispatched a Brother who does Temple maintenance.  It happened in such a manner that I don’t know if anyone witnessed it but myself, which is a happy dance because we didn’t disturb the attendees or instructors who were in an early morning quiet time of self-contemplation.  The lock was opened, and the situation was rectified.

We meditated.  We did group sessions.  We did private sessions with instructors.  We made good use of the time spent.  Can I describe it?  Maybe in 100 pages, but no, not really.  Would I recommend it?  Let’s just say I’ve already cleared next year’s retreat with my wife, even if the 16 hours of driving time was a bit brutal for one weekend.  I found some answers to some questions that had been bugging me, and I found a few more questions for which I don’t yet have answers.  I realized a lesson in simplicity that had been at the periphery of my mind for a couple of years, and I refocused on my own coursework within the Academy.  What surprised me was the new and deeper respect I found for our instructors.  Don’t get me wrong, I already thought they were all fantastic, but this weekend deepened that view and gave insight into the work and sacrifice Brother instructors Chuck, Doug, Bob, and Tom make for us.

Our short dozen barely spoke to each other for the vast majority of the weekend, yet we bonded in friendship and fellowship in the deepest of ways.  As we cleaned the Temple behind us, packed the cars, and said our goodbyes, the emotions were deep.  This year too, I spent the majority of my drive home in silence, simply thinking of what had happened and already looking forward to the Academy Of Reflection’s next meetings and the Summer Social.

~RS

Randy and his wife Elyana live near St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Randy earned a Bachelors Degree in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biochemistry, and he works in Telecom IT management. He volunteers as a professional and personal mentor, NRA certified Chief Range Safety Officer and enjoys competitive tactical pistol, rifle, and shotgun. He has 30 plus years teaching Wing Chun Kung Fu, Chi Kung, and healing arts. Randy served as a Logistics Section Chief on two different United States federal Disaster Medical Assistance Teams over a 12 year span. Randy is a 32nd degree KCCH and Knight Templar. His Masonic bio includes past Lodge Education Officer for two symbolic lodges, Founder of the Wentzville Lodge Book Club, member of the Grand Lodge of Missouri Education Committee, Sovereign Master of the E. F. Coonrod AMD Council No. 493, Co-Librarian of the Scottish Rite Valley of St. Louis, Clerk for the Academy of Reflection through the Valley of Guthrie, and a Facilitator for the Masonic Legacy Society. Randy is a founding administrator for Refracted Light, full contributor to Midnight Freemasons, and an international presenter on esoteric topics. Randy hosts an open ongoing weekly Masonic virtual Happy Hour on Friday evenings. Randy is an accomplished home chef, a certified barbecue judge, raises Great Pyrenees dogs, and enjoys travel and philosophy.

Yesterday

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bill Hosler, PM

As one travels down the level of life you will encounter many dates in your life in which the anniversary will make you stop and pause every year. Many of these will be good days. The days your children were born, the Graduations, the day you were married or the day you bought your first home. Most of the time when you realize what day it is you will stop and reflect. Often you will smile thinking of the events of that day and think to yourself “Was it really that long ago?” The older you get the more years will pile on behind that memory and it will make you realize how much life you have lived. You will also encounter anniversaries which are not fond to remember and place you in a somber mood, such as a passing of a friend or a Brother. Yesterday for me was one of those days.

As I write this the date is July 13th. Yesterday, three years ago on July 12th, 2018, Masonry lost a great scholar, and I lost a great friend.

For many years I have been a fan of the writing of Brother James Tresner. Jim while being a very brilliant man and great academic scholar, Jim never lost his humility. Despite all the accolades and honors bestowed upon him during his lifetime Jim remained on the level. He stayed the humble boy from Oklahoma. I must admire that.

Needless to say, Jim was and is one of my all-time favorite Masonic writers. He had a way of explaining Masonry in a way a lunkhead like me could understand. He is like Chris Hodapp in that way. In order for me to learn I need hand puppets and coloring books so I might grasp the meaning printed on the page. These men have the ability to reach me and help me actually learn. I will always be grateful for that.

I also like the way Jim would write a piece and many times when he was trying to get his point across he would use irony and sarcasm. If you know me in real life that is pretty much how I have lived my life, much to the regret of friends and relatives around me. Needless to say, Jim influenced my writing style.

I never actually met Brother Tresner in person. I would see him at the Guthrie valley of the Scottish Rite and I wanted to go up and shake his hand, maybe even have my photo taken with him. But for some silly reason, I was so star-struck I could never make myself do it. I know it was silly and I regret it now because now I will never have the opportunity.

My closest friend in Oklahoma, Lance Kats, knew of my fanboy obsession with Tresner. He used to kid me about it. He used to ask me if I still Had Jim’s poster on my bedroom wall like a lovesick teenage girl. We would exchange good-natured insults and laugh.

One day I was talking to Lance, and he told me about some Brethren from the Scottish Rite in Guthrie thought he and Jim would have a lot in common, both had a love of books and Masonry and many other things and set up a “play date” for the two. Needless to say, I was jealous and demanded to know every detail. I had no way of knowing it but I had a feeling at the time the Brethren seen something in Lance. I think something he never saw in himself.

I thought in the back of my mind the Brethren knew Tresner was having health problems and I think they hope the two would become close and Jim would be a mentor for Lance, and maybe just maybe he could help with the education at Guthrie once Jim laid down his working tools. Lance was brilliant. I know in my heart he would have excelled at the job. I dare not say he would have made a great replacement for Brother Jim. The closest I believe to that would be Most Worshipful Brother Bob Davis. But I think Lance would have been amazing. (This is just speculation on my part. I could have been completely wrong)

The night of their play date Lance went up to Guthrie, Oklahoma where Jim lived. The two had dinner at the Stables restaurant (If you are ever in Guthrie you got to go there. I suggest the steak). I guess they made small talk at dinner and once they finished they went to Jim’s house.

Lance said it was a nice house. There were books stacked everywhere. Little was said between the two he said. I guess the Brethren at the Rite never really thought about the fact that when you put two introverts together in the same space they really will not say much to each other. Both spent some time watching Jim’s cat play, saying something occasionally, and after a while, Lance said goodnight and went home. I was surprised because I would have thought two Brothers who had so much in common would have a lot to talk about. Maybe the fact that they had so much in common meant they did not need to say much to each other, both understood what was being said without words.

Not long afterward Masons in Oklahoma was saying Jim’s health was declining. So it wasn’t too surprising that day three years ago when I got an email with the news of Jim’s passing. I got that sadness in the pit of my stomach everyone knows when they learn about the death of someone they care about. I sent a text to Lance telling him a link to the announcement. I assumed he was still asleep since it was his day off.

Later that afternoon I got a call from the Senior Warden in Lance’s lodge in El Reno, Oklahoma. He asked if I was sitting down. I was sitting at my desk, so I assured him I was. I figured it was about Tresner. He quietly said, “Bill, Lance is Dead.”

I do not think my mind really grasp it. I mean he was 39 years old. After a little while, over the next couple of days, I finally began to accept it. I began to help El Reno #50 with the announcements and the Masonic service. I was honored to be one asked to speak at his service.

I truly believe that day was a great loss for Oklahoma Freemasonry and Freemasonry in general. Jim was a brilliant writer and I believe he will inspire Masons like me for decades to come. His words will stand the t4est of time. I also believe in my heart that Oklahoma Masonry had lost a future star of Masonic education with Lance’s passing.

Lance, I think would have been a brilliant asset to the future writing of Freemasonry. He was brilliant and just beginning his Masonic career. Because of the Christian fundamentalist college, he attended he could not put his writings in his own name. If he had he would have been expelled so he wrote under the Nom de plum “Brother Tech”. He posted a few things on his own Facebook page under that name which I now administer, and he posted the first chapter of a book he was going to publish in serial form on amazon entitled “A Christian's Perspective on Masonic Symbols: The Square and Compasses” It’s funny. I just went to Amazon to look up the proper name of his book and I couldn't believe all the four and five-star ratings it has received and comments saying “I can’t wait for the next installment”. It is sad they will never come.)

I’ve often thought about how weird it was that both of these men passed on the same day. Several of us have joked how they were both probably riding the escalator to Heaven discussing the pros and cons of cigars versus pipes. Or maybe they both were just riding in silence anticipating the chat they were about to have with another Masonic Brother whose last name was Pike.

~BH

WB Bill Hosler was made a Master Mason in 2002 in Three Rivers Lodge #733 in Indiana. He served as Worshipful Master in 2007 and became a member of the internet committee for Indiana's Grand Lodge. Bill is currently a member of Roff Lodge No. 169 in Roff Oklahoma and Lebanon Lodge No. 837 in Frisco, Texas. Bill is also a member of the Valley of Fort Wayne Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in Indiana. A typical active Freemason, Bill also served as the High Priest of Fort Wayne's Chapter of the York Rite No. 19 and was commander of the Fort Wayne Commandery No. 4 of the Knight Templar. During all this, he also served as the webmaster and magazine editor for the Mizpah Shrine in Fort Wayne Indiana.