Do Masons Move Quickly or Slowly?

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Randy Sanders

My morning meditations recently led me to a fork in the road into which I asked one of my mentors for insight. Do I continue at the same pace, do I speed up, or do I slow down? In our charity, our outreach, and our Masonic work we often find demands on our time that conflict with our commitments to family, work, and our focus on Deity. Should I speed up my personal practices, keep on track, or slow down?

The options intrigued me and may be fuel for additional meditations, but in the interim, I wanted to share my personal thoughts as to why I asked for insight from my own mentors. I recently misread some instructions in an Academy Of Reflection course with a form of discursive meditation. That is briefly, a meditation upon a phrase or symbol, or in this case, it focuses on a series of phrases. I missed the series part and focused only on the first phrase for several weeks. This mistake slowed down my progress, or did it? Focusing on that first phrase gave me insight that I journaled, and that insight didn’t occur until the last week of my exercise. By then if I had stuck to the schedule, I would have already passed that initial phase while moving on to two others. I might well have missed this insight had I stuck to the schedule and only allotted x number of meditations on that first phrase before proceeding to the next.

The insight revolves around preparing a proper attitude and atmosphere when meeting with others to meditate in a group, and my insight involved my own actions and responsibility. The phrase “If it is to be, it is up to me…” may be the best summation of my thoughts, but it is true at every level. If we prepare for a lodge meeting, a work presentation, a night out with my wife, or any number of personal tasks, the responsibility lies only with ourselves.

We rely on our spouses, family, friends, and yes, Masonic Brothers to complete their responsibilities just as we take on our own duties and responsibilities. We serve others out of this duty and responsibility, yet how often do we not take time to stop and smell the roses? If I hadn’t taken the extended time to focus on the one portion of that meditation, would I have missed the insight? I don’t know, but I do know that by my mistake of giving myself more time for that portion, I gained and grew from it.

There are advantages to working through things quickly. Bruce Lee is famously quoted from an old Wing Chun (and other martial arts) philosophy: Absorb that which is useful, reflect or reject that which is not. This nugget of wisdom applies universally to any education in that we should absorb what we can but not worry too much about what we may have missed at that time. We may not have been ready to receive all of the instructions. In many cases within Freemasonry, the lesson has depth meant to reach each person at the level they are ready to receive, and I often experience profound concepts revealed through reviewing past lessons. Yes, that means I missed some or many good points the first time, and at that time I absorbed and learned that which I was ready to receive. The same applies to traditional martial arts. Repetition provides insight. Bruce is often credited with another old paraphrased saying: Don’t fear the martial artist who knows one thousand kicks. Fear the martial artist who practiced one kick a thousand times.

That may seem the opposite of what I said about the advantages of working things through quickly and moving on to the next lesson. My point is to know a thousand things, then go back and repeat them a thousand times each. When we slow down, we learn our lessons deeply. When we move quickly we learn what we’re immediately ready to learn, then later our deeper lessons connect over time with additional reflection. When we slow down we find ways to connect that lesson to other lessons. When we move quickly that lesson may be connected to a dozen others with another flash of insight. See there are advantages to doing both, and that’s what happens with Masonic education for example. We read a book and absorb the authors’ thoughts typically in a quick manner as we probably do not meditate or reflect deeply on what that author wrote. Later, we sit in lodge and something that the author wrote pops into our minds. We now have a choice as to further reflection or simply letting that connection happen and then moving on. We have the choice to slow down and contemplate deeper meanings, or we might acknowledge the connection and move along until the next connection happens. Both have advantages, and both should be a part of our routine.

Do we move quickly or slowly?

~RS

Randy and his wife Elyana live near St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Randy earned a bachelor's 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 of 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, a 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.

Contemplate in different environments - Quiet Spaces

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Randy Sanders

This Masonic contemplation series focuses on simple exercises we can incorporate to make use of our time in different circumstances, in different environments, to further strengthen our minds and sharpen our focus.  Mindfulness and reaching an altered state of consciousness are different concepts, but both are useful and can be combined during a meditative session.  Let’s explore a scenario and put some context around it.

Mindfulness exercises can be as simple as setting a timer and focusing on some activity, or simply focusing on one single activity through completion.  Accessing the altered state of consciousness is more difficult at first, but becomes easier with practice.  Advanced practitioners reach a point where it becomes easy to tune into the body (body awareness) and find that deeper relaxation through even a few breaths or moments of concentration.  As Masons, you learned the most valuable lesson is Prayer, and applying that lesson now is suggested.

Quiet Spaces

As we look at different environments for contemplative practice, the most obvious of course is your own sacred space or any good quiet space.  Whether we create these spaces or happen across them in our lives, a good quiet space becomes a retreat maybe hidden in plain sight from the physical world of interruptions.

As a mindfulness exercise, let's sit silently and let our attention come to the feeling of simply sitting silently.  What does the air feel like against your skin?  If there’s a breeze, how does that wave of air interact with you?  I don’t have much hair on my head, but you may.  How does your hair feel interacting with the wind?  In my case, how different is the feeling from moment to moment as the wind blows across my brow?  What are my thoughts?  Why are those thoughts important, or are they?

As a contemplative exercise, either close your eyes or focus on one thing directly in front of you such as a tree or street sign, and take 4 long, deep breaths.  The first breath is to allow you to better focus on the next three breaths.  Contemplative work is often done while in a sitting or relaxed pose, but any sitting position can work so long as you are comfortable.  Imagine white light flowing into your lungs with each inhalation, and dark clouds of stress and tension leaving your body through your exhalations.

A couple of minutes each day can make a difference, so why not incorporate quick, simple exercises into your daily routines?

~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.

Contemplate in different environments - Very Noisy Environments

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Randy Sanders

This Masonic contemplation series focuses on simple exercises we can incorporate to make use of our time in different circumstances, in different environments, to further strengthen our minds and sharpen our focus.  Mindfulness and reaching an altered state of consciousness are different concepts, but both are useful and can be combined during a meditative session.  Let’s explore a scenario and put some context around it.

Mindfulness exercises can be as simple as setting a timer and focusing on some activity, or simply focusing on one single activity through completion.  Accessing the altered state of consciousness is more difficult at first, but becomes easier with practice.  Advanced practitioners reach a point where it becomes easy to tune into the body (body awareness) and find that deeper relaxation through even a few breaths or moments of concentration.  As Masons, you learned the most valuable lesson is Prayer, and applying that lesson now is suggested.

Very noisy environments

As we look at different environments for contemplative practice, we can practice our concentration skills by focusing inwardly in noisy environments.  I tend to caution against construction zones as jack hammers and heavy equipment often have a jarring effect unless you are around construction often.  I do recommend auto repair shops, street cafes, and so many other options open to you.  

As a mindfulness exercise, lets sit silently and let our attention come to the feeling of simply sitting silently in the midst of all the noise.  What does your skin feel with the weight of the clothes you’re wearing?  Please don’t tell me if you aren’t wearing any clothes in a public or noisy environment.  What other sensations do you experience through your senses?  What is happening around you in that exact moment?

As a contemplative exercise, either close your eyes or focus on one thing directly in front of you such as a tree or street sign, and take 4 long, deep breaths.  The first breath is to allow you to better focus on the next three breaths.  Contemplative work is often done while in a sitting or relaxed pose, but any sitting position can work so long as it is marginally comfortable.  People who sit in a zazen pose will argue with me, as zazen is never fully comfortable, but I argue back that’s the point of zazen is to get past that discomfort.  For the contemplative exercise, focus on gravity pulling you into your chair with each breath.  Feel the effect on your bones as they feel heavy inside your body.  When you feel the heaviness and connect with the deeper consciousness, continue focusing on tuning out what’s around you and redirect your inner attention back to the relaxation and deeper consciousness for 9 to 27 more breaths.

A couple of minutes each day can make a difference, so why not incorporate quick, simple exercises into your daily routines?

~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.

Contemplate in different environments - Outdoors

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Randy Sanders

This Masonic contemplation series focuses on simple exercises we can incorporate to make use of our time in different circumstances, in different environments, to further strengthen our minds and sharpen our focus.  Mindfulness and reaching an altered state of consciousness are different concepts, but both are useful and can be combined during a meditative session.  Let’s explore a scenario and put some context around it.

Mindfulness exercises can be as simple as setting a timer and focusing on some activity, or simply focusing on one single activity through completion.  Accessing the altered state of consciousness is more difficult at first, but becomes easier with practice.  Advanced practitioners reach a point where it becomes easy to tune into the body (body awareness) and find that deeper relaxation through even a few breaths or moments of concentration.  As Masons, you learned the most valuable lesson is Prayer, and applying that lesson now is suggested.

Outdoors

As we look at different environments for contemplative practice, how can we not look at the outdoors, or a park like setting, for both mindfulness and accessing the altered consciousness.  Any nature walk, visit to a botanical garden, zoo, park, trail, or even your own backyard gives access to a simple connection with nature.  

As a mindfulness exercise, lets walk with purpose and attention.  Slow your pace, slow it more.  Now feel the bottoms of your feet as they walk, heel-to-toe.  What does the sock feel like against your skin?  Or maybe we are barefoot, and we can feel the grass against the soles of our feet and toes?  What do the muscles feel like in the ankle, the lower leg, the knee, and the upper legs?

As a contemplative exercise, either close your eyes or focus on one thing directly in front of you such as a tree, and take 4 long, deep breaths.  The first breath is to allow you to better focus on the next three breaths.  Contemplative work is often done while in a sitting or relaxed pose.  When you consider Chi Kung, Tai Chi or other martial arts, or even some Yoga practices, standing and walking also become a contemplative practice method.  Taking the mindfulness exercise above, we build upon that exercise and focus on any object ahead of you on the trail as you walk.  If you are standing or sitting, do the same but with a tree or bush in front of you.  Stretch the breaths to 60 or maybe 90, and let the relaxation of the breathing take you into a deep relaxed state.

A couple of minutes each day can make a difference, so why not incorporate quick, simple exercises into your daily routines?

~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.

Contemplate in different environments - Work

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Randy Sanders

This Masonic contemplation series focuses on simple exercises we can incorporate to make use of our time in different circumstances, in different environments, to further strengthen our minds and sharpen our focus.  Mindfulness and reaching an altered state of consciousness are different concepts, but both are useful and can be combined during a meditative session.  Let’s explore a scenario and put some context around it.

Mindfulness exercises can be as simple as setting a timer and focusing on some activity, or simply focusing on one single activity through completion.  Accessing the altered state of consciousness is more difficult at first, but becomes easier with practice.  Advanced practitioners reach a point where it becomes easy to tune into the body (body awareness) and find that deeper relaxation through even a few breaths or moments of concentration.  As Masons, you learned the most valuable lesson is Prayer, and applying that lesson now is suggested.

Work/Office

As we look at different environments for contemplative practice, I highly recommend work, or the office, for both mindfulness and accessing the altered consciousness.  We spend 40+ hours each week in the office or work, and why not use it for our own personal growth and benefit?

As a mindfulness exercise set a timer for a couple of minutes, or possibly set your phone alarm for 2-3 minutes in the future.  We tend to focus on what we’re typing, or what we’re doing onscreen.  For the 2-3 minutes exercise, let’s just focus on the feeling of our fingers moving across the keyboard or the arm and hand as we transition to the mouse.  What does the hand feel like as it rests at the base of the keyboard?  What do the tips of the fingers feel as they touch the keys?  Which thumb do you preferentially use when hitting the space bar?  What does the rest of your body feel like while sitting there typing?

As a contemplative exercise, either close your eyes or focus on one thing directly in front of you, and take 4 long, deep breaths.  The first breath is to allow you to better focus on the next three breaths.  I like to use this exercise to clear negativity and stress, so as you breathe in, let us focus on bringing in good, clean air, and as we exhale imagine a little cloud of dark negativity and stress being kicked out of the body and mind.  In with the good air, out with the bad, right?

A couple of minutes each day can make a difference, so why not incorporate quick, simple exercises into your daily routines?

~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.

Marching to the Drums

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Randy Sanders

My nephew Ryan and the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma HS for the first time decided to compete in the indoor percussion national competition in Dayton, OH.  Many indoor percussion groups go, few get past the first round, much less past the semi-finals.  The Pride of Broken Arrow High School is the current national champion marching band, and their indoor percussion team is now ranked number 8 in the nation.  Having never taken their percussion team to the national indoor competition, there were a lot of unknowns, a lot of questions, and a lot of faith in the directors to help guide them along the way.  Their first time competing, they made it through prelims, and semi-finals, and continued to improve their score each time through finals.  To color the story a bit, because Broken Arrow won marching band nationals and other competitions, they were immediately placed in “open” which is the toughest competition class.  They didn’t receive any advantage of starting in a lower competitive class and working up, rather the percussion team entered the head-to-head competition with the best of the best.  Pretty cool, and congratulations Ryan. 

If this connects with you on a different level, it is meant to do so.  Let me change the story a bit.  A good person, a champion of character who has proven himself year after year with good, hard work, makes a decision to push himself.  He decides to stretch himself into an unknown journey, or adventure.  He makes a decision to petition a lodge of Master Masons. 

Comparatively to trying out for the marching or sports competition, this person is investigated, or tested, against the principles and foundation of the Lodge by an investigating committee.  The problem of not investigating thoroughly, or testing thoroughly, is a discussion for a different time.  Back to the comparison:  This person may well have been through other initiatic experiences in a college fraternity, maybe the Boy Scouts’ Order of the Arrow, or possibly a different initiatic experience.  Maybe this person has never experienced anything of the kind.  He soon learns the Masonic degrees are different, more expansive, cover a lot more ground with symbolism and depth, and they deeply connect you with the lodge brethren.  

The competitions become personal.  The new Brother learns that practice, and very hard practice at that, is the only way to accomplish the goals of the material world by circumscribing passions and connecting with moral living.  As the Brother progresses, the competitions become more intense as that morality is tested and judged.  Often the Brother misses his own judgment until interactions with family, friends, and coworkers make the results obvious through hindsight and contemplation.  Like the band directors and athletic coaches, the Masonic mentors help shape and guide a new Brother into the fraternity by explaining the ritual, explaining customs, and helping focus the new Brother toward his best personal growth by showing him how to practice morality and circumscription. 

Each of us already became champions simply by following the path, striving to be better every day, practicing, to put in the time to make ourselves better in every respect.  It takes practice time, just like a marching band or sporting team, to improve as a Lodge and as an individual.  Sometimes the team effort requires assisting with the Lodge activities, and we find support within our Lodge or with other Brothers.  Much of our work remains internal, contemplative, and solo practice prevails.  Yet, practice always remains the key.  Consistent practice raises the level of performance, and we obtain the keys to contemplate, to practice, to work in the virtual quarries as Masons to find ourselves and strengthen the internal competition.  Keep on marching, and keep practicing that music!

~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.

The Simplest of Things

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Randy Sanders

A few evenings ago I asked my wife how she might like her dinner prepared.  I purchased a few fillets of a nice white ocean fish, which although good didn’t have much flavor.  She suggested garlic, salt, and pepper marinade, which over a 4 hour period was absolutely perfect for those fillets then paired with rice and mixed vegetables.  Over the past year, I moved away from my expensive pellet grill back to an old heavy steel charcoal barrel-style grill.  The very basic charcoal along with a simple rub produces results just not attainable with pellet or gas grills.  I’m not giving up on a good complex sauce to accompany a perfectly cooked pasta or changing up my often gourmet seasonings for different cultural nuances.  Rather, I rediscovered an experience.  In and of itself, the changes seem innocuous enough, but I see it as a trend in my life as I rethink the complexities of not just cooking but everything, even Freemasonry. 

Part of this stems from an exercise performed in the Winter of 2020 and again recently in Winter 2022 at the Scottish Rite’s Academy Of Reflection Winter Contemplative Retreat.  One of the exercises in the retreat is to eat in silence, slowly, and going back to simplicity by focusing on the food, process of eating, and what that means to you.  I found it to be stimulating as I considered the flavors and textures of the basic meals we enjoyed together in silence.  

The lesson was partially lost on me for a time as we entered the COVID pandemic years, and I rediscovered the beauty of the exercise in the 2022 retreat.  Then came the realization of how simplicity extends to all facets of my life.  My realization of this came with the additional realization that I had already begun doing this exercise in other areas of my life.  Unknowingly, I returned to basic cooking techniques.  At work, I returned to questioning everything, asking why processes existed, and cutting out meetings, and with Freemasonry, I must admit to the same.

Cutting out meetings?  But, your obligations!

Brothers, I continue to promote a healthy Masonic fraternity.  I respect my blue lodge and appendant bodies, and I am committed to helping them in every way possible.  Did I mention convenient?  No?  I do mean any way possible.  My cable-tow doesn’t end just because some meeting is inconvenient. However, let’s strip away the superfluities, the processes, the pageantry.  When we get down to it, what am I contributing, except dues, to any one organization?  

If the answer is “nothing”, then it’s time to think about what you can offer.  What value can you bring to the table?  There is always an answer of yes.  There’s always value you bring.  The craft needs you, but you may not realize your own worth so keep it simple.  Contribute in small ways then worry later about contributing in larger ways.  Find the things you love and bring those things you love to the craft rather than trying to be something you aren’t.  We meditate for a deeper meaning to “who am I” and “why am I here” when the question may be as simple as “I’m good at landscaping, so maybe I can help the lodge building look better?” or, “if I attend this meeting I considered skipping, can I find a means to contribute while enjoying the fellowship of Brethren?”  And my favorite: “I may not be the best at ritual, but I can do a silent part when needed.”

It's the simplest of things.

~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.

The Virtue and Vices of Trust

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Ken JP Stuczynski

Allegory of Virtue and Vice - Lorenzo Lotto

We long for the times when a handshake and a person's word meant something. But even in those olden days, we couldn't always wear rose-colored glasses and survive unscathed. Part of the reason we became Masons is to be around people who really trust each other -- and live up to deserving that trust. And yet there is still occasional impropriety, and embezzlement is no stranger to the Craft in spite of our oaths and admonitions.

I know this isn't the most exciting topic, but I'm going to talk about one of the best ways to maintain trust within an organization, and it's not what you think. Instead of thinking of trust as not needing accountability and oversight, why not use such things to solidify trust?

First of all, let's examine if trust is transferable. We treat it that way in Masonry in many ways. We vouch for those entering our ranks such that if a Brother trusts someone to become a Brother, we assume we can trust them as well. (We can argue over how often this is or is not true, but we pride ourselves in being able to ask for and give help based on a lapel pin.) If a member of our jurisdiction is expelled, we expect that no other jurisdiction will ignore that. In fact, my own jurisdiction is still working out recognition with another Grand Lodge over just that.

But there are limits. A Right Worshipful I know gave a petition to someone at a party who had never previously met anyone (except his girlfriend, the Eastern Star Sister he came with). Not the worst offense, but then he proceeded to ask other Brothers to be his character references. When asked what he was thinking, he defended the idea that if one Brother signs, the other Brothers should trust his judgment and be willing to follow suit. So then why bother with three references at all?

First, such trust would be misplaced. He doesn't see it this way, but he was asking them to lie -- accepting yourself to be used as a reference implies you know their character, not merely shaking their hand at a party and trying to remember their name. But he was also expecting them to defer their judgment and trust him.

There's another limit built into our officer's duties. No one person handles the money. The secretary receives it and the treasurer uses it. It passes through two hands. Their records can be checked against each other. And in many jurisdictions, the Master's signature is required, and even only then after a due vote of the Lodge (or within a voted-upon budget). Some bank accounts (and even vouchers/warrants in some jurisdictions) require two signatures.

We could say this is because of legal requirements and tax codes. After all, the Benevolent Laws of New York State were formed specifically to harmonize state law with Masonic Laws that existed even before the state was incorporated. (Eventually, these laws were applied to all fraternal organizations.) Most of it deals with Trustees but it sets an example of financial transparency for membership and even the public. And it is more honest to state that the profane followed the Masonic precedents than the other way around.

But why go to all the trouble? We trust our Secretary. We trust our Treasure. We trust our Trustees, hence the very name. It's why we elected them. I'll tell you why. It's so people who don't know them don't have to go by someone else's trust. It goes too far. Second-hand trust is a precious commodity between individuals but breaks down like a game of telephone the larger the group. It's like telling someone a secret, believing they will not tell another person, but then they tell someone they "trust" not to tell anyone else. It all goes round-robin until everyone knows and the only anger is over blaming the next person who violated secrecy exactly the way they did themselves.

That's why these safeguards are in place. If people are held strictly to certain administrative processes and are regularly audited for errors and other issues, there is no question of trust because there is no question. You cannot trust every other person's personal judgment, but you can trust the proof within a process. And this isn't just about members -- even if we could infallibly trust our officers to not only be honest but error-free in their records, that isn't good enough for the public or the State. We need to be able to prove we are impeccably trustworthy and impeccably competent. The only way to do that is impeccable accountability.

We see what happens when we have trust without accountability. It could be priests or politicians or officers of the law. Some of these we are taught since childhood to explicitly trust on sight. The problem isn't that we can't trust any particular one. It may be reasonable to extend some level of trust to anyone with a collar or office or badge. Even when trust is broken by one or more human beings in those roles, we (or rather most of us) don't easily condemn all of them. But what if there aren't safeguards against misconduct, and instead there are policies, indemnity laws, or even unions that shield them from a level of accountability expected of other important professions like doctors and teachers? In other words, what level of trust can we expect of society for a profession, no matter how noble, when it is even perceived that wrongs go too often unaddressed or are buried? It's hard not to see where this leads, and those in the professions themselves, regardless of any individual virtue and blamelessness, can fall under wholesale persecution.

Heck, it happened to us. In 1826, a printing house in Upstate New York that was going to publish a Masonic exposé was burned down. The author, William Morgan, was harassed with questionable civil suit charges and incarcerated for them. Bail was paid by Masons, who took him away by force and basically made him disappear. There was no body. Even today, some believe he was taken to Canada as some sort of extrajudicial exile. The county sheriff lost his job for his involvement, and even a postmaster was involved, whose descendant, a Mason that I know personally, brags about his ancestor being the boatman that took Morgan across the Niagara River (at least partway).

This was the spark that ignited a powderkeg of anti-Masonic sentiment that had been growing for at least a generation. Masons occupied prominent political and civic posts and it is reasonable to assume from the aforementioned incidents that a "good-ole-boy" network was in force. As in the United Kindom today, there was a public fear that Masons can get away with anything because their members fill the ranks of bobbies and judges. Masonic privilege, however real or imagined, created the sentiment of oligarchy with non-Masons as second-class citizens. In due course, the Anti-Masonic Party was founded and became the largest political third-party in American History. After that subsided and paused during the Civil War, Evangelical elements took over, and Morgan was metaphorically their patron saint and martyr. There's even a monument to him.

But it was much worse.

Masons were killed. Temples were burned. Lodges closed or stopped their work for decades, and on a vast scale. In my area, not far from where the Morgan Affair took place, not a single Lodge survived and it wasn't until 1854 that another Lodge was chartered.

So what does this have to do with trust? Distrust grows in the soil of opacity. The profane world interprets our secrecy as a sociopolitical tactic rather than a moral discipline. And they can only see how we act in the World. Even in living memory, there have been businesses and municipal departments and so forth that de fact required membership in the fraternity. I suggest we ought to consciously avoid exercising this human trait of fraternal nepotism. We ought to have our books externally audited, and use non-Mason building inspectors to make sure we aren't endangering anyone. Doing so is NOT about mistrusting ourselves, but making it crystal clear to anyone within or without that we are above board without question.

In our personal practice, we may do deals with a handshake. But sometimes we may want to consider contracts, not with the expectation we will need them for accountability, but for clarity of each party's responsibilities. Consider the Old Charges which established (among other things) the relationship between masters and apprentices. It could be referred to at any time. It was likely committed to memory. And they were placed on a pedestal in front of the Master's station before we later resorted to a Volume of Sacred Law on an Altar. Would a simple handshake have sufficed? Or does a rule and guide help keep harmony?

Perhaps we should care enough about our promises to write them down and hand them to someone -- and expect them to do the same. This isn't distrust. It's a covenant that removes fear of distrust. That is the whole point. But we are wrongheaded about it. We shy from formal agreements because having them feels like an accusation that without one, our word will not be kept. It's more natural to breed distrust rather than trust, even if subconsciously, from insistence you don't need one.

But nothing is more important in applying this principle than guarding the West Gate. We must wonder how fewer Masonic charges would be thrown around (both frivolous and egregious) far less if we had more properly investigated candidates instead of trusting the judgment of their beloved Past Master relative, or their devoted first-line signer. Many a scandal could have been avoided.

And what of background checks? It is not legal to require it of some candidates and not others, but one of the objections for requiring them at all is because some Brothers feel offended their own grandson has to go through ANY process of examination. They feel it is owed to their progeny. However, there are too many instances, Masonic or otherwise, where genetics do not determine character. Likewise, personal feelings do not correlate with trustworthiness.

You see, when you make a decision that impacts others, you are deciding for them. You are expecting them to accept your own judgment, which is why there ought to be at least three on any investigative committee and you still require a vote of the Lodge. It's why we blackball. It's why we can stop a degree with a single objection. We ought to trust as we may, but trust for ourselves, not for the whole Fraternity.

And when we can say all our members undergo a background check and are held accountable if they grievously err, the World cannot question what it otherwise could not directly know. THAT builds trust, rather than an unverified and unrealistic belief that we are all beyond sin.

A virtue is a mean between extremes. If trust is a virtue, then what are the extremes? Surely we should not be untrusting in general, nor live such that we cannot be trusted. But surely we should not demand people to trust us unreasonably without safeguards, nor eschew requiring accountability in the duties and obligations of others toward you or the Craft. All this comes down to a seemingly contradictory axiom -- blind trust jeopardizes trust. In contrapositive fashion, safeguards and proofs establish it.

The larger lesson? Accountability is the collective practice of responsibility. Let's not use trust as an excuse to forget this in how we deal with our Brethren and how we run our quarries.

~JP

Bro. Ken JP Stuczynski is a member of West Seneca Lodge No.1111 and recently served as Master of Ken-Ton Lodge No.1186. As webmaster for NYMasons.Org he is on the Communications and Technology Committees for the Grand Lodge of the State of New York. He is also a Royal Arch Mason and 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason, serving his second term as Sovereign Prince of Palmoni Council in the Valley of Buffalo, NMJ. He also coordinates a Downtown Square Club monthly lunch in Buffalo, NY. He and his wife served as Patron and Matron of Pond Chapter No.853 Order of the Eastern Star and considered himself a “Masonic Feminist”. 

Coming to Gratitude

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Randy Sanders

With apologies to The Eagles.... 

Well I'm a-runnin' down the road
Tryin' to loosen my load
I've got seven LODGES on my mind
Four that wanna own me
Two that wanna stone me
One says she's a friend of mine

The other day I was listening to The Eagles while driving.  While this isn’t unusual, the accompanying thoughts on recent esoteric education I delivered became amusing.  Several lodges, chapters, councils, etc. in my region are in various stages of merger talks, and I delivered my Lodge Anatomy lecture.  Thinking back, I probably hit on a few sore spots with some attendees of that onsite district meeting, because we discussed the need for more deep thought and consideration during any decision-making process.  I like to say play chess, not checkers.  Consider the consequences two or three moves down the road for every individual.  Better yet, directly engage the individuals for their opinions and reactions.  I regret any irritation I might have caused by any attendee thinking I was singling them out.  Quite the opposite!  I always point back to myself as the rough ashlar in need of some work. 

Over the next week, my amusement turned inward to contemplate where I fit into this bigger picture, and I often wonder about how we as individual Masons might help other lodges or Brothers in need more effectively.  I later realized I took the contemplation toward chess and checkers on myself, and I needed it.  Sometimes like the Eagles song, we just need to loosen our mental load and take things easy on ourselves.  Sometimes we just need to release our emotions and let someone give us a hand, even if it’s not a girl in a flatbed Ford.  

This contemplation continued over a few days finally shifting toward gratitude toward my fellow Masons for allowing me to assist even in small ways.  Then, after all the back and forth, I realized it was all about gratitude.  Deep down we seem to be drawn toward those who demonstrate gratitude.  Maybe not in the most overt ways, and there are plenty of arguments against the current climate of virtue signaling.  What I’m talking about is the inner sense when you just know that someone demonstrates gratitude in what they say and do.  Their actions demonstrate kindness and humility.  They work without worrying about credit and rewards.  They quietly demonstrate their leadership even without being in a leadership role.  They got the message on how to get from emotional circumscription to quiet contemplation to gratitude all via humility.  I’m still on my journey, and here is my gratitude to the many of you who demonstrate these qualities along with those of us still working on our ashlars. 

When we put our true selves out there for others to see, which lodges are going to want to own you, stone you, or claim you as a friend?  What does that mean to you?

~Bro. Randy

Bro. Randy and his wife Elyana live in O'Fallon, MO just outside of St. Louis. Randy earned a Bachelors in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biochemistry, and he works in telecom IT. He volunteers his time as a professional and personal mentor, is an NRA certified Chief Range Safety Officer, and enjoys competitive tactical pistol. He has a 30+ year background teaching Wing Chun Kung Fu, Chi Kung, and healing arts. Randy's Masonic bio includes lodge education officer of two blue lodges, running the Wentzville Lodge Book Club, active in York Rite AMD, Scottish Rite Valley of St. Louis co-librarian, Clerk of the Academy Of Reflection through the Valley of Guthrie, a trained facilitator for the Masonic Legacy Society. As a pre-COVID-19 pioneer in Masonic virtual education, Randy is an administrator of Refracted Light and an international presenter on esoteric topics. Randy enjoys facilitating and presenting Masonic esoteric education, and he hosts an open, weekly Masonic virtual Friday Happy Hour. Randy is an accomplished home chef, a certified barbecue judge, raises Great Pyrenees dogs, and enjoys travel and philosophy.

Contemplative Cornerstones: Trees

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Erik Marks

The tall cedars of Lebanon, The Acacia in its many forms, the Kabalistic tree of life connecting the ten sephirot sometimes thought of as archetypes, Yggdrasil the everlasting green Ash reaching to the nine realms: trees convert CO2 to oxygen, filter water, provide sustenance of wide varieties, offer the weary traveler shade and a place to lean—backpacking, I hang my shelter, a hammock and tarp between two. 

Symbolically, spiritually, they serve as links between sky or Heaven and Earth; Esoterically, as emblematic metaphors embodying the same in the human experience. Trees are captivating, majestic, sturdy, useful, necessary in our world. Crosscut its trunk, tree has many concentric circles around a center point. The fruit of the apple tree severed in a like manner displays the physical manifestation of its symbolic nature: the pentagram, evidence of the knowledge imparted by one of the two pillar trees in The Garden.

For many, using visualizations can help bring and keep the mind present in the moment, in the here and now. When feeling adrift emotionally, psychologically, practically, a meditation embodying aspects of trees can help calm and center the mind and body.

Sit in a chair, near the front of the seat. Don’t lean back, sit with body erect. Place your hands, palms down on your thighs. Take three long, slow, deep, breaths, or more if you wish. Bring your mind to the image of a tall tree. Hold the image for a few moments. Then imagine yourself as that tree. Your legs its roots, your trunk, its trunk, your arms and head its branches and leaves. Feel your feet firmly planted on the floor. As you focus on self as tree, imagine your roots growing down through the floor. If you are on a floor higher than ground level, imagine your roots growing down through the structural elements of the building, reinforcing, being the strength as well as lending to it, solidly. Imagine your roots breaking through the earth below. Growing downward through gravel, rock, finding your way around boulders and through fissures. Deeper you grow through nourishing earth filled with nitrogen rich loam, peat, centuries of sediment until your roots contact a pure and cool underground aquifer. Drawing up the quenching water, cooling and calming, hydrating and adding to your ability to remain flexible and emotionally grounded in every way.

Imagine your trunk extending towards heaven. Your branches growing upward and outward, seeking the sun and the solar radiation even if seemingly obscured by clouds. You could imagine growing tall like redwoods or tallest cedars. You can grow up through clouds and stand in the full beauty of the sun at noon. The suns power transformed through the chlorophyll your leaves into fuel, food. Healing and health drawn in, from below, from above. Through your vital body, you unify heaven and earth, bringing the elements of air, fire/sun, water, and earth into balance and harmony within you. Stay in this image, reaching below and above simultaneously; try to feel all the functions happening at once as you breathe. Taking in and transforming the world, absorbing and utilizing sun, drinking up and in water, grounded in the earth absorbing all you need to grown and be at ease in your terrestrial home.

Alterations: Those so inclined could substitute a favorite tree, imagine Ratatoskr traveling the tree connecting the nine realms, or with greater focus and concentration along with knowledge or study of Kabbalah move through the ten Sefirot from Malkhut to Keter; Earth to Crown, draw back down and then return to crown in the order: Malkhut, Yesod, Hod, Netzach, Tiferet, Gevurah, Chesed, Binah, Chochmah, Keter. Finding the Tetragrammaton and also form the Adam Kadmon, (See MacNulty: The Way of the Craftsman and Kaplan’s Meditation and Kabbalah).

When working with strong emotion, imagine the earth taking back from you the emotion you wish to relinquish—to be clear, this is not denying or avoiding the emotion, its is an invitation to your non or pre-verbal self, your personal and collective unconscious, that you are willing to let this emotion move along. Or, that you feel strengthened enough to tolerate it longer. The earth can absorb the energy, the sun can transform it as fire transforms anything it touches.

~EAM

Brother Erik Marks is a clinical social worker whose usual vocation has been in the field of human services in a wide range of settings since 1990. He was raised in 2017 by his biologically younger Brother and then Worshipful Master in Alpha Lodge in Framingham, MA. You may contact brother Marks by email: erik@StrongGrip.org

Contemplative Cornerstones

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Erik Marks

When I was thirteen, my mother gave me a book containing Eugene Herrigel's works Zen and the art of Archery and The Method of Zen. The price on the back was $3.95, what a bargain. That was the start. I don't know her intentions, we never discussed them; and if she gave any reason, I don't recall. It was a formative move on her part. Since then, to varying degree, meditation has been part of my life.  A day doesn't go by when I sit a little, encourage someone else to sit still, or incorporate mindfulness into what I experience. 

A foundational idea for me is training the mind to return to neutral. Having experience to come back to the moment can be a reset or relief. Like in Masonry, we can and do get caught up in accomplishments and accolades with meditative exploits. It misses the point. I whole heartedly encourage building up to longer and more complex meditative practices, esoteric meditative or trance states, get a teacher or several. I think longer and more complex practice has many benefits. We get more comfortable with our inner workings and ultimately become less flustered by them as well. And, we have to start at the beginning. Mostly, I encourage you to add to your daily routine, if it is not already there, some form of mindful grounding technique or meditative practice(s). Every now and again I'll return to the cornerstone and offer an idea for practice:

Diaphragmatic Breathing
The diaphragm controls our breathing. It is fully automated as evidenced by the fact that you have been breathing the entire time you were reading this. You didn't have to tell your brainstem: "Hey you, keep that diaphragm moving so the brain and cells get air." However, a unique property of the diaphragm is that it allows for conscious control. When you intentionally take a deep breath, you take control and tell the diaphragm to pull down more and get more air. With this idea, now try to breath into your intestines. Yes, it is a metaphor. You can't actually do it, but by telling your mind to breathe as far into your intestines as possible you tell the diaphragm to push down really hard and obtain as much air as possible.

Now, to make things a little more complicated and fun: back breathing. First sit or stand and place a hand on each part of your back where your kidneys reside. Next, tighten your abdominal muscles as hard as you can and then"breathe into" your kidneys. You'll feel the space where the kidneys are push out slightly. There, air to the kidneys...well, not really, but you did give them a little internal massage.

Longest Breath
When meditating and feeling like you need to escape the practice or just hanging around with too much on the mind, try this. Exhale fully, totally empty. Then take the slowest, longest, deepest, breath possible. Breathe in for as long and as slowly as you can--count. Hold that breath for as long as you possibly can stand it. Then, breathe out as slowly and for as long as you can. If you are using this exercise as a countermeasure to a sudden stop to meditation, you just reprogrammed your amygdala a little bit.

Why do these? Well, what were you thinking about while trying to do these experiments? Oh, only the experiment? (Or maybe "where the heavens is he going with this?..."just as good).Bingo. You brought your mind to the here and now and that reduced your stress just a little bit; plus, getting more air is good too. If these ideas do something positive for you then we've both benefitted from that early gift. "Tak Mor", (that's “thanks Mom,” in Danish.

~EM

Brother Erik Marks is a clinical social worker whose usual vocation has been in the field of human services in a wide range of settings since 1990. He was raised in 2017 by his biologically younger Brother and then Worshipful Master in Alpha Lodge in Framingham, MA. You may contact brother Marks by email: erik@StrongGrip.org

Contemplating the Level

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Brian L. Pettice, 33°

Last month Brother R J Budler, posted a Masonic Challenge on the Grand Lodge of Illinois Facebook group page. He challenged all to pick a specific working tool to ponder the meaning of and attempt to apply to our lives for one month and then share our thoughts and results. The Worshipful Master of Olive Branch Lodge No. 38, after learning of this challenge, charged each of us lodge members to do this exercise and report back to the lodge. I chose the level. Here are my reflections on the symbolism of the level and how I attempted to apply it to my life.

When the level is introduced to us a working tool, in the second degree, we are told that it is an instrument used by operative masons to prove horizontals and that it reminds us as speculative masons that, “We are traveling upon the level of time, to that undiscovered country, from whose bourn no traveler returns.” This is not the first we have heard of it though. If we were paying attention at the close of the first degree we learned that masons should, “meet on the level.” I think the symbolisms of the level in these two instances hints that the level has something significant to teach us about both life and death.

First, anyone familiar with the works of William Shakespeare recognizes the phrase, “that undiscovered country, from whose bourn no traveler returns” from Hamlet where one of its interpretations is that it means death. From this we are reminded that we all are going to die. We all have the same destination. We are equal in this regard. Texts from ritual we use in our public ceremonies further bear this out. In our Funeral ritual we are charged to learn, “from the level, equality.” We also meditate on this passage, “What are all the externals of human dignity, the power of wealth, or the charms of beauty when nature has paid her just debt? View life stripped of its ornaments, and exposed in its natural weakness, and we see the vanity of all earthly things save those which go to the growth and perfection of individual character.

In the grave all fallacies are detected, all ranks are leveled, all distinctions are done away. Here the scepter of the prince and the of the beggar lie side by side.” We also learn when the Senior Warden is invested with the level as the jewel of his office at installation that, “a time will come—and the wisest knows not how soon—when all distinction but that of goodness shall cease, and Death, the grand leveler of human greatness, reduce us to the same state.” We are all, indeed, equal in Death.

But what does the level teach us about life? Again from the Senior Warden’s installation ritual, “The level demonstrates that we are descended from the same stock, partake of the same nature, and share the same hope; and though distinctions among men are necessary to preserve subordination, yet no eminence of station should make us forget that we are brethren; for he who is placed on the lowest spoke of Fortune’s wheel may entitled to our regard.” Recognizing that we are all equal in Death, we should also recognize that we are equal in Life. This recognition should change the way we live. It should change how we treat each other. 

It is intimately connected with Justice, not in the sense of retribution for a wrong done, but in treating each other with that, “just due without distinction.” We are to love each other. We are to serve each other. We are to treat each other better than we deserve—everyone, not just the person you like, not just the person you agree with, not just the person who treats you well, but everyone. For as we are equal in death, we are equal in life. We all are endued with that divine spark; with a soul; with that, “immortal part which survives the grave and bears the nearest affinity to that Supreme Intelligence which pervades and animates all nature, and which can never, no never, die.”

I am reminded of a scene in lecture in the upcoming Feast of the Paschal Lamb portrayed by the Scottish Rite. On the evening of the Last Supper, Christ’s disciples argued about which among them was the greatest. Just as we often are-- as I often am—they were concerned with matters of ego and of passions that have no importance. Jesus responded by giving them a lesson in sacrifice and humility as he washed their feet. It is that kind of humility, that kind of sacrifice, that kind of selflessness that the level challenges us to strive for. These are the things I thought of as I contemplated the level this month. These are the things I tried to remember and apply to my interactions with my fellow human beings.

~BLP

Brian L. Pettice, 33° is a Past Master of Anchor Lodge No. 980 and plural member of Olive Branch Lodge No. 38 in Danville, IL and an Honorary Member of a couple of others. He is also an active member of both the York and Scottish Rites. He cherishes the Brothers that have become Friends over the years and is thankful for the opportunities Freemasonry gives and has given him to examine and improve himself, to meet people he might not otherwise have had chance to meet, and to do things he might not otherwise have had chance to do. He is employed as an electrician at the University of Illinois and lives near Alvin, IL with his wife Janet and their son Aidan. He looks forward to sharing the joy the fraternity brings him with others. His email address is aasrmason@gmail.com.