The Working Tools Masonic Magazine And The Midnight Freemasons

by Midnight Freemasons Founder

Todd E. Creason

If you want to read a really good magazine written by Freemasons for Freemasons, you should check out The Working Tools Masonic Magazine.  I've been enjoying that magazine for some time, and it's surprising sometimes just how great the content is.  This month's issue features 14 contributors, including best-selling author Robert Cooper, author of Cracking the Freemasons Code and several other terrific books.  The magazine has gone from an e-magazine format, to also being available by subscription in a printed version.  You can even get it through the Apple Store now, too.  Visit the website for subscription information. 

Every issue has a little something for everyone.  I published a piece in the magazine about a year ago, and Michael Shirley and I published our first joint piece The Craft in Thirty Seconds in this month's (September 2012) issue.  If you missed it--that was a shameless plug.  But it's a terrific piece, and the only place you can read our article, is in this month's magazine.

There's an interesting connection between  the Working Tools Masonic Magazine and our humble blog, the Midnight Freemasons.  Not only have Michael and I published in the magazine, but one of the frequent guest contributors to the Midnight Fremasons, Bro. Steve Harrison, has a regular column in the Working Tools Masonic Magazine based on his popular blog the One Minute Mason. You'll find Steve's posts here.  And the editor of that fine magazine, Bro. Cory Sigler, has also published a piece on the Midnight Freemasons--and I'm hoping he'll do that again soon.  You'll find Cory's contribution here.  And my understanding from Bro. Sigler is, that soon, another Midnight Freemason, Bro. Greg Knott, is going to publish a piece in Working Tools.  You'll find Greg's contributions here.  I always look forward to Greg's posts, because they always include a sampling of his photographic skills. 

One of the things I've really enjoyed in turning this blog into a contributor site is working with a lot of talented people--each with their own insights and areas of expertise.

Judy Gordon gives us a perspective into Freemasonry through the eyes of a woman who grew up in the fraternity, is married to a Freemason, and is very involved with Job's Daughters.  I met her and her husband Ray in Pekin, Illinois, not long after I published my first book.  One of my first speaking gigs.  I'm not that good at it--one of the few places that invited me back!  And I brought George Washington with me!  The Gordons and the Creasons have become great friends--sadly Reggie and Roxanne (our canine children) have yet to meet.  Ray and Judy and been with me from the beginning of my writing career.  I always tell people that Judy has sold more of my books than Amazon.com.  And when I decided to form my own publishing company, Ray, a graphic artist, designed the Moon & Son Publishing logo that's on the spine of my books and the title page.  My lodge is sponsoring a 5K charity trail run next week--Ray and Judy are coming to join us.  And, of course, Ray designed the t-shirts. 

3 x 33-taken minutes after the ceremony.
Brandenburg, Niccum, and Creason. 
Three hands, three rings, two
Midnight Freemasons.

The Illustrious Scott Niccum, 33, can always be depended on for offering up pieces with great humor and huge heart--and that's a perfect description of Scott.  We met after I joined the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville (IL) and last year, shared an "Illustrious" experience together in Chicago neither of us is likely to ever forget.  He has been a great mentor of mine since I joined the Scottish Rite, but I'm careful about taking the advice he gives--he's often the guy that suggests things you definitely shouldn't do.  So we're very much alike. 

James E. Frey, I don't know very well, but he impressed me early on.  We're members of the same Scottish Rite Valley.  We've crossed paths a few times, and I must admit, our few conversations together I have always enjoyed--he's a much deeper thinker than I am.  I'm always the Dr. Watson to his Sherlock Holmes.  He has a great appreciation for history and Freemasonry, and is a person that has gained a far deeper understanding of some aspects of Freemasonry that I haven't even begun to get into.  Last fall after our Scottish Rite reunion, we had a conversation, and I was already thinking about turning the Midnight Freemason into a contributor blog, and realized, he might be somebody that might have something unique to share.  When I decided to do this--I called him.  And he's offered up some very impressive, and well researched pieces.  I particularly enjoyed his two-part piece on The Masonic Philosophy of George Washington--which he researched and wrote at my request.   
Robert Johnson was the first person I invited to join the Midnight Freemasons.  I got to know him when he read one of my pieces on his Whence Came You? podcast. We've yet to meet face-to-face.  But his podcasts have become one of my favorite things.  He's got a great voice, and he always finds material for his broadcasts that I enjoy.  There's a link on the right-hand column of The Midnight Freemasons to the Whence Came You? podcast.  You can listen to it right here as you read through the posts.  You should check it out.   He sent me the perfect gift a few weeks ago, for a Freemason that never knows when to go to bed (which is where the title of this blog came from).  He made me a clock, and hand painted a square and compass on it.  It hangs on the wall right over where I work--a constant reminder of the 24-inch gauge. 

Old friends and Midnight Freemasons
Creason (left) and Knott (right). 
The look says it all--What is wrong
with you, Todd? I get that a lot.

Greg Knott I've known the longest (more than twenty years) and we're members of the same lodge, went through about the same time, and have traveled together in this journey into Freemasonry.  Our most recent project was chartering a new High Twelve in Champaign-Urbana (IL).  The Illini High Twelve No. 768--a rousing success as the largest newly chartered High Twelve Club in the United States in the last decade.  He's the Charter Secretary, and I'm the Charter President of that club.  His travelogues are amongst my favorites--he travels, and he takes us along for the ride through his stories and photographs. 

Then there's my good friend and writing partner Michael Shirley, who I was introduced to by the Grand Master of Illinois at the time, Richard Swaney.  He and I share a love of history, Freemasonry, writing, and Chinese cuisine.  We're each good writers, but together on a single topic, we seem to compliment each others strengths and weaknesses.  It's a rare thing to find a writing partnership like that.  You'll be hearing a lot more from us.  Article two is nearly finished, and the topic for article three is already planned. 

These are the contributors so far, but we're in our infancy as a blog.  Our readership is growing.  If you have something to offer, I encourage you--contact me.  We've got some great voices early on, and I want to continue to build on it.  Become part of the conversation.  Join us. 

~TEC
Todd E. Creason, 33° was the original Midnight Freemason. He's the author of several books and novels, including his popular Famous American Freemasons series.  In 2012, Todd expanded his popular blog The Midnight Freemason into a collaborative effort Midnight Freemasons. Todd is the Past Master of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and a member of both the Scottish Rite, and York Rite. He's also a member of the Ansar Shrine (IL) and Charter President of the Illini High Twelve in Champaign-Urbana (IL).  He is also the author of the blog From Labor To Refreshment . . .

Manners on Facebook

by Midnight Freemasons Guest Contributor

Cory Sigler
Editor of The Working Tools Masonic Magazine

I am on Facebook almost all day long checking the status of my family and friends , seeing what is going on in the Masonic world and interacting with The Working Tools readers. You can say I’m a Facebook power user.

Overall, I am connected online 24/7. My iPhone is, for all intents and purposes, surgically attached to my body.  You email me and I get back to you right away, I think that is the most polite thing to do. I try to watch my manners and present myself as well as possible to all people at all times.

Increasingly, I have seen behavior that makes me shake my head in disbelief. I understand that we all have lives outside of the Lodge but we represent the Craft all day long, 365 days a year (yes even when we go dark for the summer months).   

Allow me to give you a real life example:

You have the Square and Compasses license plate on your automobile, on the back windshield are emblems for Scottish Rite, York Rite, Shriners,etc. You’re driving way too fast and are cutting people off.  The first thing the other drivers are thinking are “The Freemasons are real Jerks." Trust me – they called you worse names but I cleaned it up to keep it nice. I know I’ve thought that myself when I see a bumper sticker for an organization and the driver is all over the road.

Now let’s look at this type of reckless behavior online.

You have a profile picture of the Square and Compasses. You often post when you are at a Lodge meeting or appendant body event. You talk about all the good Freemasonry does raising money for sick children and how proud you are for that.

Separately, in another post you are openly cursing,  talking about about how you hate so and so. You post a picture of a half naked girl or a explicit video clip with content not suitable for all . All these messages are posted on all your friends walls and when they respond to you it then gets shown on their wall. Now you have the probability of hundreds or thousands of people seeing what you wrote.

Why does this matter besides tarnishing our reputation? What if one of those people who saw your post was thinking about joining a Lodge? What kind of message are you sending out to him?  You now potentially ruined the chance of a great member from asking for a petition. That first impression is something you can never get back.

I’m not a saint, I’ve posted some out there messages but I’m working on being very conscious of my actions and thinking about what I wrote before hitting the send button. It’s a practice I think we can all afford to adopt.

Try to imagine if this is something you would say in an open Lodge meeting. Would you be embarrassed to stand up and say what you wrote on your wall for the world to see? If the answer is “yes” you need to square your actions and act appropriately.


(Stepping off my soapbox now)

 ~CS

Cory Sigler is a Past Master of Hawthorne Fortitude No. 200 in Ramsey NJ. He is the Editor in Chief of The New Jersey Freemason Grand Lodge publication and The Working Tools Masonic Magazine, one of the largest independent Masonic publications (www.twtmag.com). He is also a proud member of The Scottish Rite and York Rite.

Review: Three Great Freemasonry Websites

For a secret society, we sure don't do a very good job at the secret part, do we?  A lot of lodges have websites or blogs now, most Grand Lodge do, too, as well as Scottish Rite Valleys and York Rite Chapters.

But there's a few out there I enjoy in particular, because they not only inform, but they entertain as well--and that's what I try to do.  So I thought I'd point you to three I really enjoy on a regular basis.

The One Minute Mason

Bro. Steve Harrison

One of my favorites!  I check it every day.  My friend and brother, Steve Harrison, never fails to entertain me.  His posts are short, they are fun to read, and provide me with a great deal of fodder, which I often wind up using here, too.  So check it out.  I'd like to thank him for posting my video this week on the One Minute Mason, too. I think one of my favorite posts in the last few weeks was a story he told about Harry Houdini--Harry escaped from all sorts of things, but there was one trap that got him.  Be sure and read The Trap That Houdini Could Not Escape.  On Thursday, I posted a quote from Benjamin Franklin here.  I wonder if it gave Steve pause.  I kind of thought I'd hear from him.  I borrowed that quote from him--not from his blog, but from his editorial remarks in The Missouri Freemason magazine which is circulated amongst all the Freemasons in Missouri.  He probably thought there was no way I could have seen it, since I'm from Illinois.  He must have just written it off as a heck of a coincidence that I'd selected one of the same quotes he'd used for my blog.  Guess what?  It wasn't.  It was a great quote!

Whence Came You?

This is a neat thing, too.  Sir Knight Robert Johnson has a great thing going.  He posts a regular podcast that I really enjoy.  Now I didn't know what a podcast was until I ran across Whence Came You?   They are short radio programs you can listen to on your computer, and wireless devices, etc. Don't worry, if you're not hi-tech, there's a little tool right on his site you can listen to his podcasts on (that's I listen to them).  His broadcasts are excellent, in fact, that's how I came to know him.  He shared one of the pieces I'd written on The Midnight Freemason with his listeners--Freemasons and Beer.  His podcasts offer a little something for everyone.  Usually a piece on Freemasonry, nearly always he features a piece about a famous Freemason--always full of content, and always gives me something to think about.  He's been posting more blog entries lately, which are fun to read, too, and I was most impressed with a video he produced.  In fact, that's why I decided I'd give the whole video thing a try.  Watch it--he's way better at it than I am.



 Be sure and check out Whence Came You?  According to his Facebook page, he's got a new podcast coming out today!

The Working Tools Masonic Magazine

Now this is a great magazine! Editor Cory Sigler has done a great job putting together a magazine that features a lot of unique content, a lot of guest contributors (including me), and some regular features that I look forward to each month.  The March 2012 issue is out, and it's a hallmark--the 50th edition!  No small accomplishment--this isn't a newsletter by any means, it runs, on average, about fifty pages.  The newest edition features articles by eight Masonic authors, and recaps some of the fun editor Cory Sigler had a Masonic Week in Virginia.  And if you took my advice earlier, and visited the One Minute Mason, you'll be pleased to know he's a regular contributor to the magazine as well.

Now I'll be honest, I picked these three for a reason, as you've probably figured out.  Our paths cross from time to time.  You'll find their stuff on here, and you'll find my stuff on their blogs, magazines, websites, and podcasts from time to time.  We all do the same thing, each in our own unique way--we share our love of the fraternity hopefully in way that educates and entertains.  We all seem to share a genuine disdain for the bland and boring.

There's a few other blogs and websites I enjoy--you'll find those in the links section off to the right side of the blog.  There's a lot of great stuff out there if you know where to look--obviously you do, you're here aren't you?  :-)

~TEC

Masonic Verse: Let's Go To Lodge Tonight!

The beautiful Lodge Room of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 A. F. & A. M. (Illinois, USA)

Let's Go To Lodge Tonight!

Say, Son, let's go to Lodge tonight;
We haven't been for years.
Let's don our little apron white
And sit among the peers.
I feel a kind of longing, Boy,
to climb up those old stairs;
I know we'd get a thrill of joy
and lay aside the care.
I'd like to get out on the floor--
Come on, let's get in the line;
I'd like to face the East once more
And give the same old sign.
I want to hear the gavel ring,
To hear the organ play;
I want to hear the Craftsmen sing
I think the Tyler'd let us in,
That old familiar lay.
Although he'd hesitate,
And then we'd see that same old grin.
Come on, or we'll be late.
Pass up your bridge or picture show,
Your wrestling bout or fight;
Switch off that darned old TV set--
Let's go to Lodge tonight.

~Author Unknown

WM Greg Knott
St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 (IL)

I got this piece from WM Greg Knott's Eastern Illinois Freemasonry blog.  I thought it would give me a chance to thank Greg for the contributions he's made over the years to The Midnight Freemason. He's an excellent photographer, and I've used his photos many times over the years, and I'd like to thank him for allowing me to tap his vast collection.  He travels quite a bit, and visits a lot of historic lodges and places of Masonic interest, in fact, I often get ideas for posts after looking at photographs he's taken on his trips.  


Greg is the Master of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 (IL) and is a dual member with Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL) and Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL).  He is also Master of Ceremonies in the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville (IL) Lodge of Perfection (and editor of the Valley newsletter), and is the Secretary of the newly formed Illini High Twelve. Then there's the York Rite, Shrine, etc.  A former Eagle Scout, Greg is also a Scout Master, and very involved with the Boy Scouts of America.  He serves Our Grand Lodge of Illinois as their representative to the National Association of Masonic Scouters. One of these days, I'm going to get him to guest contribute a piece on here about Freemasonry and scouting--if Cory Sigler from The Working Tools Masonic Magazine doesn't beat me to it.

Of course, I also wanted to show off the photo of St. Joseph's lodge room above.  The members of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 have done a lot of work on their building over the last few years, including the new carpet and tile in their lodge room.  In fact, they've helped to inspire another local lodge to do much the same thing.  Looking at the photo, it's hard to believe that lodge is over a hundred years old--isn't it?  Of course, those old buildings are built like a brick. . . well, suffice it to say they're very solid.

UPDATE:  I failed to mention before that St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 recently won the Mark Twain Award from the Masonic Services Association--the first lodge in Illinois to have ever won the award.  A very impressive honor.  You can read more about that here. 

~TEC

More Masonic Ink!



WB Cory Sigler's Ink
Hawthorne Fortitude Lodge No. 200, NJ

 A few days ago, I posted a blog Masonic Ink.  Apparently this is a topic many of you are interested in--the hit count went right through the ceiling.  I got a lot of emails about it as well, and another photo to share.

I'd like to thank WB Cory Sigler for sharing this photo of his tattoo. He's a Past Master of Hawthorne Fortitude Lodge No. 200, NJ and he's also the editor of The Working Tools Masonic Magazine which is how we got to know each other (Working Tools just published one of my pieces).  So go check that out if you haven't yet.

Anybody else want to share a photo of their Masonic ink? Scottish Rite? York Rite? Shriners?  Send your photos to me via email webmaster@toddcreason.org and be sure an tell me where you're from, and which lodge you belong to, etc. 

~TEC

Article Published: Working Tools Masonic Magazine



January 2012 Issue

 

I've mentioned the Working Tools Masonic Magazine before, and have given it glowing reviews--I like it because it's well produced, and offers a little something for everyone.  The magazine has been around since 2006, and has published 48 issues to date.  Cory Sigler, the editor of Working Tools Magazine contacted me a couple months ago, and asked if I'd be interested in providing a piece for the magazine.  I was, and I did--they published my piece Rocket Man in their first issue (January) of 2012.

Cory called me last week to tell me that the January edition of Working Tools Magazine had broken all previous records for hit count in the first week after it was released.  So check out the magazine--you'll enjoy it.  Working Tools Magazine also has a Facebook page here. 

~TEC

Author Review: The Working Tools Masonic Magazine

I meet a lot of interesting people through my books, and as a result of The Midnight Freemason blog--most of these friends I've never actually met face to face. 

I made a new friend from New Jersey this week--WB Cory Sigler.  I actually met him on Twitter (just about the time I was beginning to think everyone on there was nuts) and wound up talking to him on the phone the other day.

WB Sigler is the editor of The Working Tools Masonic Magazine which publishes monthly.  Take a few minutes and have a look--you can view all the past issues online at the link above.  He offers a great mix a materials.  He's done an excellent job at offering a little something for everyone.

I've really been enjoying it--it's not a newsletter, it's a magazine, and I'd estimate the monthly average is about sixty pages.  I'm slowly working my way through the past issues.  He does interviews, he has guest writers, profiles famous Freemasons (maybe that's something I ought to look into doing one day), and the magazine even reviews books and highlights interesting websites on the topic of Freemasonry.  Whether you're looking for deep meaning, or light reading, you'll find something that appeals to you in every issue. 

And if you enjoy it, you'll have plenty to read for a long time--I believe he's published forty-eight issues thus far. 

And of course there's a reason we were talking. Cory has asked me to submit an article to The Working Tools Masonic Magazine.  I'm really looking forward to it, and it will give me something to work on over the holidays for my new friend and Brother in New Jersey. 

And don't worry, there will be no possible way I'll let you miss it when it comes out.  For that matter, I don't think there's any way Cory will let you miss it either . . . he's everywhere!

~TEC