Marking Time

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Randy Sanders

When in High School, I was part of the competition marching band.  We did pretty well, and I learned many of my lessons in discipline and perseverance while practicing very early and during very long hours.  I gave up my summers while dedicating it to marching practice and playing the music until perfect.  This period also marks my initiation and activity in the local DeMolay chapter, although by my Junior and Senior years I had already found my attention and focus had drifted toward band practice and the competitions.

The discipline and perseverance paid off, although admittedly I could have benefited from some lessons in patience.  We won the competitions, traveled, won more competitions, and suddenly the season was over.  No more Friday football games, no more 6:15am Mellophone sectionals, nada.  It left a void in me until the next marching season was upon us.  I enjoyed sleeping in a couple of hours later each morning before classes started, but there was something important missing in me.  That void was tangible in that I missed working together with my classmates trying to perfect a move or emphasize some piece of music.  I feel the same in lodge as we go dark for a couple of months in the summer or get into the Holidays.

I previously wrote about the need to refresh ourselves and recharge our Masonic batteries, and that still applies.  I’m happy and a bit relieved that my Blue Lodges and most other bodies are rather quiet during the heat of our summer as I need the break.  Yet, here I am with the void again.  I’m looking at my calendar wondering where I can go sit with Brothers this evening or next?  Who opted not to go dark, so maybe I can help out with some degree work or just show up showing support?

I know I’m not alone with these feelings of simply marking time, and returning to degree work after COVID was a blessing for us all.  I encourage you to reach out to your lodge brothers that you haven’t seen in a while.  Pick 5 or 10, and simply send them a text.  Pick up the phone and call a few of the older generations that may not be as comfortable with texting.  They may be a bit nervous about returning to lodge, and maybe that friendly voice, mouth-to-ear, is something they need to hear.  I know it helps me when I hear from Brothers.

~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.

Freemasonry and Fatherhood

by Midnight Freemason Contributor 

WB Adam Thayer

I have a two year old daughter… I should probably start by telling you that, or the rest of this article will seem entirely like conjecture. If you have a child too, I hope yours came with better instructions than mine, because so far the only real advice I’ve received is “Try not to kill her, and you’ll figure the rest out as you go.” The fact that this was given to me by a total stranger (a nurse at the hospital), told me that I was in for a real challenge.

Freemasonry has a lot that it can teach us when it comes to raising our children. For instance, sitting through the reading of the minutes can teach us about patience, which is an invaluable skill when it comes to your two year old arguing with you about watching Finding Nemo for the twentieth time this week. And haven’t we all seen a grumpy Past Master throwing a temper tantrum that could rival a child?

Now, I’ve never really been what you would call an overly emotional person. Sure, I cried tears of joy when the Cubs won the World Series (didn’t we all?), but never at weddings or a funeral, or even at the beginning of Up (which, I’m told, is incredibly sad for most people). I’ve noticed, however, that since Quinn has been born, there are many emotions that I hadn’t considered before. Seeing her try things for the first time, or solve a problem for herself, or even just the times that she wants to cuddle on the couch and watch cartoons (currently, her favorite is the 80’s run of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), has put a near perpetual lump in my throat.

Freemasonry teaches us that our emotions are a normal part of our existence, and that (when handled properly) can make us more well rounded people. In addition to teaching us to keep our passions circumscribed, it teaches us that while traversing that circle we can and should experience the whole range of emotions, instead of staying safely at the center point.

I’ve also found myself contemplating my own mortality more than ever before. Being a bit morbid, I’ve always had a fascination with my own demise, however death has generally existed more as something that happens to other, weaker people, people who weren’t strong enough to keep fighting for their existence. Of course, on an intellectual level, I knew that I, myself, would also die one day, however I never truly accepted the reality of the situation until having a child.

You see, children force us to think about the future, and in the future lies a time beyond our existence. For all of us, that day creeps closer and closer, so we start to make plans, and backup plans, contingency plans, worst case scenario plans, and even “if everything goes just perfectly, this could work” plans, to prepare our children to be able to live without us.

While having a child has made me focus on the future, it has also helped me to gain a greater respect for the past. I’ve been lucky in my Masonic career to meet men from so many different generations, and each has taught me something valuable when it comes to raising a child. Watching everything going on in the world, I definitely appreciate a simpler time with less things to worry about; I know my parents never had to worry about what I was watching on a tablet...

Children are, Masonically speaking, rather expensive. Money that was once going to our Masonic habit is suddenly being redirected to things like clothing, diapers, food, and whatever the heck an aspirator is. So far, my experience has been that as they age they become more expensive, and I see no reason to expect this trend to change until the time comes that I’m entirely destitute.

Of course, money is only part of the expense, while the larger and more important expense is time. Time is the currency that Masons use to best improve the world around us, and children require a LOT of time. The paradox, from what I’m seeing, is that the more time I invest into my daughter, the more she will go on to improve the world, thereby accomplishing our goals.

Finally, I’ve found that having a child makes it very difficult to ever get around to finishing anything that I start. This article, for instance, was started nearly five months ago, and no amount of editing has made it read any better than it did when I first started writing it. The ending, which tied it all together both intelligently and eloquently, was unfortunately overwritten by the Troll Holiday special (no, I have no idea how that’s possible, let’s just go with it, or this will sit on my computer for another five months before being revisited).

~AT

WB. Bro. Adam Thayer is the Senior Warden of Lancaster Lodge No. 54 in Lincoln (NE) and a past master of Oliver Lodge No. 38 in Seward (NE). He’s an active member in the Knights of Saint Andrew, and on occasion remembers to visit the Scottish and York Rites as well. He continues to be reappointed to the Grand Lodge of Nebraska Education Committee, and serves with fervency and zeal. He is a sub-host on The Whence Came You podcast, and may be reached at adam@wcypodcast.com. He will not help you get your whites whiter or your brights brighter, but he does enjoy conversing with brothers from around the world!

The 24 Inch Gauge – Size Does Matter

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

WB Robert E. Jackson

I was on a business trip, first one I've taken in a long time. Taking advantage of the 'free' time I had, I decided to catch up on some reading. There was a specific article that needed to be shared with my wife….an article entitled "It's not Masonry, he's just an (expletive)-hole." Her immediate response was "Is this for you or me?" I thought that was a good question, and I was thankful to this article for helping initiate a very difficult conversation…was I risking too much? How out of whack was my 24" gauge? As happens from time to time, my wife helped me view my situation from a different angle.

Throughout the discussion, I was trying to explain that I was trying to balance my responsibilities, but I felt that as Master, I needed to support each event on our calendar. Most frustrating was the fact that only a very few Brothers really stepped forward to help with the various endeavors. When they don't show up, my internal demons start theorizing…do they care? Is the latest episode of 'Dance Moms' really more important to them than our Lodge? What I didn't see, without her help, is that it is entirely possible that those men are active in their own way…being coaches, colleagues, fathers, husbands. Could it simply be possible that these men have a better handle of their 24 inch gauge?

I still joke, on occasion, about that working tool in our repertoire. Yes, we know of the even 24 divisions, but any further divisions aren't claimed to be divided evenly! As a self diagnosed workaholic, this lesson really resonated with me, and resurfaces every time I work late or find myself wasting time. Much like our political persuasions, or spiritual beliefs, a major strength of our Fraternity is our diversity. This includes the diversification of our priorities. For many of our Brothers, their family does come first. For others, their jobs come first. It isn't our position to judge, but it is our position to learn. The management of our time is a life skill, one that we must continue to hone each and every day. Unless, of course, your name is Brother Alessandro Cagliostro.

~REJ

Robert Edward Jackson is a Past and presiding Master of Montgomery Lodge located in Milford, MA. His Masonic lineage includes his Father (Robert Maitland), Grandfather (Maitland Garrecht), and Great Grandfather (Edward Henry Jackson), a founding member of Scarsdale Lodge #1094 in Scarsdale, NY. When not studying ritual, he's busy being a father to his three kids, a husband, Boy Scout Leader, and a network engineer to pay for it all. He can be reached at info@montgomerylodge.org

Craft Saturation and Acceleration

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Dan Gentry

What a weird day and age to be in the craft, don’t you think? A lot of saturation of lodges within a relatively small area. No more following the path with only a few lamps and the light of the full moon as you work your wagon to get to the lodge a long distance away, now we have motor vehicles and at least 3 lodges within 30 min drives from our houses (in many areas). In some area’s you have 2 or even three lodges that meet at the same building just different days. Would that not just blow the mind of the brothers that were in lodge in 1776. Populate the state with so many lodges, each with 100 to 250 members, but cannot get 7 to open, stretching their coffers as thin as they can all the while saying they cannot raise dues because it will stop brothers from coming out to lodge, or god forbid cut their per diem. We often talk about things like which light bulbs to buy and how to pay the bills if raising dues should happen, and then there are other "logistical" issues sometimes discussed likeif someone’s religious beliefs make them a brother or not.

I remember when I petitioned a lodge for degrees, I had no idea what I was doing. “Hi I’m Daniel,” I said as I came into the lodge, man I think I signed a petition for degrees that night, and I think that two out of the three men that signed my petition knew me for a very long time, I mean years so I had that going for me. I was in lodge as-soon-as-can-be, learning verbiage and lines, memorizing catechisms and not really understanding a damn thing of what was going on. Whew! Before I knew it I was a Master Mason, and it was during my third degree that I realized I had missed a lot during my first and second degree. "Man, I wish I could go back and really learn what… wait what? You want me to sit in a chair with a title and special what nots? Ok sure but what about… ok yeah got it, burnt out past masters, ok yes doing it every other time between two guys, right but I need to learn… oh he almost lost his wife because of how much he was doing here, huh... I mean could we just go over… I mean yeah I could be the Intender but what about, you know what never mind." And here we are now, I have moved WAY out of my jurisdiction, and I am taking my time finding a new lodge here in the great State of Washington, why? Because I am done with the go fast do fast get home fast attitude. Now that I am a more seasoned Master Mason I can go to these lodges here and feel no pressure as long as I am paying my dues at my old lodge. Great part is, they don’t know me, I get to just sit on the sidelines and take it in, because apparently so far, the Midnight Freemasons is not such a big thing here in the Seattle, Washington area.

If you get anything out of this, I beg each and everyone of you, slow down. Take your time and if anyone says they need time, give them time. Be patient, and more importantly, if you are burnt out, the answer is not burning out the new guy coming in, very few three year Master Masons can be successful Past Masters. Also, get out and travel as Master Masons, it amazes me as I travelled to Indiana and Wisconsin lodges when I lived in Illinois to find out that more Master Masons do not get out of their own districts let alone their own lodges, what else did you become a Master Mason for if you do not travel?

~Doc

Brother Daniel "Doc" Gentry is a Brother Master Mason under the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Mason's of the State of Illinois, in the 1st Northeast district. His sign is Leo, and has been known to enjoy long walks in blizzards. He is stubborn and has no plans of joining the York or Scottish Rite anytime soon. Also in his spare time, he is a great DM for D&D games. Sacred Geometery! You can reach him by email at doc@midnightfreemasons.org

We Must Find Time in Masonry

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Rob Walk Jr. 

I should sit down while inspiration strikes hot.

It’s been a while since you’ve heard from the Newly Made Master Mason.  I have moved back to my hometown in Central Pennsylvania, with my wife and two cats.  I settled back down into my Grandfather’s old home, two bedrooms, and an open loft.  Beautiful place out in the country.

When we moved back, I went back to my old dialysis clinic in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania and applied for employment as a dialysis technician.  By this time, I had already been in this particular career for four years.  All of the poking people with giant pencil needles you could ever desire.  It wore me out, and very quickly at that.   I came home from my 16 hour days, plopped on my recliner, said a few words to my wife, and fell asleep without a wink.

Needless to say, this became very old, very quickly.  So, I decided to search around for a new career.  I had thought about going back to school for nursing, journalism, entrepreneurialism, hotel management, all of the usual stuff people go to college for.  I even took a single class in computer programming, which kicked my butt to the curb, and I fell hard on my rear end.

Then I came across an idea, proposed by W:.B:. Lance Kates.  He said, “why not go to barber college?”  For whatever reason, the idea hit me just right at the time.  I took a week and visited a few barbershops, got my hair cut, and a couple of face shaves.  Did it ever ring my bell.  This was it.  I absolutely had to do this.  I googled barber schools around the mid-state, and came upon Barber Styling Institute, which is in the very same town my dialysis clinic is located.  Perfect timing, perfect location, perfect sign.

I decided to call.  My anticipation strong, and my heart sure, Matt Schwalm, the owner, picked up the phone, and I asked him about the program.  “Why don’t you come on in, and check out the school?”  It was literally one half hour after I googled the school that I was there, anxiously looking around at all of the students cutting like professionals already.  “Hi, I’m looking for Matt.”

“Oh, I’m Matt!”  I looked the man up and down.  He’s surely not what you’d expect out of an instructor of any sort.  Urban style boots, barber jacket, and a crazy hairdo like I had never seen in my life.  You could describe it as sort of…globe shaped.  “Here, let me show you around.”  We walked past a few of the students, I looked left and right, and up and down, absolutely scared to death that I was being judged deeply by these people.  “Everybody, this is Rob.”

“Hey, Rob!”  These people seemed so kind and accepting, but my animal instincts were kicking in and I was feeling rather shy.  To make a very long story short, I walked out of his office with a start date of two days later.  I would be cutting hair…you guessed it…due to this very Brotherhood.

Now, the real point of this story is about time.  Aren’t we taught about this in the very first degree?  We must, as Masons, learn to divide our time equally.  Please think about this with me for a moment.  If you were to work 16 hours a day, three days a week, what does that bring you to?  48 hours.  On top of this time, I must also be at the clinic on my off days at 03:00 to disinfect the water loop.  This generally takes 3.5 hours.  So we’re really adding on 7 hours on top of that…that’s 2 days per week.  Total, I find myself 55 hours a week at dialysis.

So, I started at the barber school, and eventually worked out a regular schedule.  I would come in on my off days, stay all day, and go to work the very next day.  25 hours a week at school is really not very much.  To complete the program in one year, that’s what I would have to accomplish.

Needless to say, this Mason has some real trouble dividing his time equally.  Even on Sundays I cut hair, at my home, for free while I’m a student.  My solution to this problem was not a simple one, but something that we should all indeed keep in mind.  Freemasonry is one thing.  Masonry is another entirely.  Are we not charged with bringing Masonry into every aspect of our lives?  I will tell you that every morning I step into that barbershop my gut drops, my shoulders lower, and my deep-seated headache will all fall away.  This is my place of relief, of rest and relaxation.

Bro. Rob Walk doing the good work!

Just as well, this is my time to work for Deity.  Performing the great work that has already been laid bare before us to assume, live and be creative.  This is my new church.  Making gentlemen, and a few ladies, look good enough to go out into the world and feel good about themselves.  Positive outlooks create positive lives.

And work?  Soon, this will be my work.  It is a Great Work.  Please do not think that I mean THE Great Work here.  That is something to be discovered by the individual Mason, and not something that can simply be imparted by the ritual we perform in the Lodge Hall.  There is no doubt in my mind that I will be cutting hair until I’m laid to rest, and return to the Celestial Lodge above.  This is my life, my passion and my contribution to this world.

To have found the resolve to continue with my study in barbering and Masonry was no little task.  I’m never home, with my wife, my family.  However, within everything in life there is Masonry for the dutiful Speculative Mason.

Stay strong, work hard, and make time for that which is needed, my Brothers.  I will see you all back in Lodge in exactly 6 months and 5 days.  At that time, I will strive to be able to “take the chair,” and make proud my Brethren who have had my back through these tough months.

~RW

 

Bro. Rob Walk Jr.  is a member of Jephthah Lodge No. 222, A.F.&A.M. in Essex, Maryland.  Currently living in Central Pennsylvania, he is seeking membership with a lodge there.  He spends his time listening to music, sampling craft beer, climbing and drumming.  Barbering being his main work, he currently cuts at his home, and will soon be cutting under the managership of Drew Matos at Southpaw Barbershop in Lemoyne, PA.

Making Time

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Aaron Gardner 32°

Life can be pretty hectic. Even that true sentence is a huge understatement. Life isn’t just hectic, it can feel like it is virtually impossible to accomplish all the tasks that are needed to be done. Even if you are retired there are a plethora of tasks that need to be accomplished. We all have jobs, families, school and friends among many other things that we have to pay attention to. To add to it all Freemasonry can feel like a second full time job. It is expected of you to show up and sit in a chair, conduct Masonic business and maybe even hold an office. If you hold an office you have even more responsibility, duties and tasks that your office must accomplish. It really is a second job to some.

Then, you have the Freemasons that seem to have nothing but time to dedicate to the Craft. They are the ones who are writing articles for various magazines, blogs, producing radio shows and creating new projects that involve Freemasonry. Brethren, these “Super Masons” are not super after all. They go through all the same issues that any other brother must. Family obligations, work, school, personal relationships outside the Craft, Lodge meetings and they somehow still find time to sit behind a computer and jam out a 500-1000 word article. It is not the super powered ring they wear that allows it. It is their love and dedication to the Craft. When you love something as much as some of these individuals you will find… No, make time to see that you can fully enjoy your passions.

There will come a time that every brother must make a decision. A lot of the time it is shortly after they make commitments to other branches of Freemasonry, rather it be York or Scottish Rite, or the Shrine. That decision can be very difficult at times. What can a brother move around or delete in his already busy and hectic schedule to encompass his passion of Freemasonry? Some of the writers of this blog, may say their jobs, so they can focus more energy on writing. Other brothers may say something else. What ever they want to move around or delete from their schedule is mute. There is no way a Masonic writer can stop working, he has to pay the bills somehow. There is, however, a various nice tool that all Freemasons should come to understand. It helps measure your time into three equal parts. Those who seem to have nothing but time for Freemasonry still divide their day using this tool, but, just a little differently.

Work will always require you to work at least 8 hours per day. There is no changing that unless you are working over time. So mentally, take out your 24-inch gauge and mark that time off in shades of pencil. We will get back to this later.

Now, as the favorite motivational speech given by Arnold Schwarzenegger says: “ I’ve always figured out that there 24 hours a day. You sleep six hours and have 18 hours left. Now, I know there are some of you out there that say well, wait a minute, I sleep eight hours or nine hours. Well, then, just sleep faster, I would recommend.” He has a great point. Mentally, mark that time off in shades of black Sharpie. That is time you will not use for other activities, intentionally that is. You may wake in the middle of the night with a great idea. Keep a note book by your bedside to write this down quickly and return back to your dream. A good writer keeps a notebook handy to take quick notes at all times. Even if you aren't interested in writing, you should still keep something handy to record thoughts as they occur.

Good, we have 6 hours of sleep shaded off on the gauge and at least 8 hours shaded off for work. That is a total of 14 hours of your day already occupied with something else. Now, how you divide the rest of the time is solely up to you. But first, let’s remember the pencil shaded area of work. Use the mental pencil, flip it around to the eraser and erase the time you use for lunch or breaks. If you get a 30 minute lunch with two 10 minute breaks that is almost an entire hour that you can dedicate to something else. You can dedicate it toward your rest and refreshment or toward the remainder of the gauge we have not covered. You can divide that time even more by dedicating a portion to rest and another portion to your own personal growth. Take the ten minute breaks and use them to read a Masonic article, talk to your family or read ahead in your school books. Either way you use it, don’t waste it. You’ll never get that time back.

Now, with a mental ink pen write in the pencil shaded area of something you did or could do that isn’t directly related to work. If you pray while working, congratulations you just dedicated time to the Great Architect. If you thought about what you want to do for dinner with your wife, you are already dedicating time to your family. It is said that our minds cannot multitask. Well, neither can computers. The actions of computers just happened so quickly it appears to be multitasking. That is how your mind works too. As long as you are awake you are constantly thinking, or doing something other than what that allotted time was set for. Mark all that into your mental gauge, with the ink pen. It is not a “super Masonic power” that only the Past Masters have, or those who dedicate their time to the Craft have. It isn't a Masonic secret that is kept stored away until you reach the 33° of the Scottish Rite. It is simply a different way of using that very tool you learned about the first time that the hood wink was lifted. It’s not about finding more time to dedicate to the different things in life, its about rearranging them and making that time happen. Like single mothers who amaze people with their work ethic, school grades and their devotion to their children; when you love something you’ll make the time for it.

~AG

Bro. Aaron Gardner, an American Soldier who just recently transitioned into the Reserves after 8 years serving the Active Duty Army. He dedicates the majority of his free time to Freemasonry with his constant studies, writing and traveling from lodge to lodge to learn as much as he can regarding Freemasonry. He likes to relate his everyday life to the Craft and anything he finds he wants to spread to the world. It is his passion to study people, religion, history and Freemasonry. When he isn't working as a Soldier he is dedicating his time to the amazing and supportive Emily, writing about Freemasonry and writing his very own novel. His blog page is Celestial Brotherhood.