Hermes Said What? Oh My Goodness!

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

WB. Sam L. Land

Hermes Trismegistus (Thrice Great) gave a very interesting statement on God and Creation: 

Atum creates the Cosmic Mind

The Cosmic Mind creates the Cosmos,

The Cosmos creates Time,

Time creates change.

Change creates Life.

Hermes believed that God (Atum) was the original source of everything; His essence filled everything; and that He controlled everything in perfection. His thought of Creation was the force that caused the Cosmic Mind (Consciousness) to exist and it was complete and perfect. The Cosmic Consciousness is the source of all knowledge and the force which makes physical Creation happen. This is done by the creation of the Cosmos.

The Cosmos is the entity that is composed of the stars and planets which turn and move in their respective perfect orbits and who always return to their starting point only to begin again in endless perfect repetition. The Cosmos is the place where all matter is created into its individual forms. The Cosmos is the creator of time.

Time is created by the perfect and continual revolutions of the bodies in the Cosmos. Since they all have a beginning and ending point of each revolution, the concept of before, now, and tomorrow are created. Because if their spin while in orbit we are provided with the concept of day and night. Those planets that have both a sun and moon provided their planet with the concepts of solar days and lunar days. This action also creates change.

Change is created because of the ability to measure things in time. We can count our years of existence because we use the anniversary of our birth. This separation of things into past, present, and future gives us the sense of time and movement through time. This change is the parent of life as we know it.

Life is made possible because the ability to change over time allows us to learn, grow, and increase. Each generation of creation is more advanced (physically, mentally, or spiritually) than the last one and more capable of knowing and understanding the principles of Nature and Creation.

Hermes goes on to say that it is the job of mankind to nurture and respect the creation process and that it is also our job to nurture and preserve our planet.

This process described by Hermes is very similar to the explanation of the Creation to be found in the Mystical Traditions of the Hebrew religion. It truly seems that the more different religious creation beliefs are studied, the more that they are seen as the same and tend toward the idea the religious thought and belief was once in total unity and divided into groups of individuals who thought and believed alike. These differences still divide us today but they need not. We may enhance the rejoining process of mankind into one unity by discarding our small differences and strongly emphasizing our many similarities.

~SL

WB Sam L. Land is the Worshipful Master of Linn Lodge No. 326 A.F. & A.M. in Linn, Missouri. He also holds membership in both York and Scottish Rite, including Knight Templar. He is a life member of the Missouri Lodge of Research,  a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society, and the Southern California Research Lodge. His articles appear regularly in The Missouri Freemason Magazine and he has been published by The Working Tools Magazine. He has also presented research work to the AMD.  He is currently enrolled a student of the Guthrie College of the Consistory and has received the been awarded the Past Venerable Master and Past Wise Master Orders. 

The Quarry Project

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Bro. James Dillman

President of The Masonic Society

Before I delve into the main topic of this column, I’d like to express a few thoughts about “The Midnight Freemasons” blog and the brethren who write for it. I’ve been a regular reader from the very beginning and was immediately impressed by the quality of the writing. It is no secret why this blog has become so popular among Freemasons. It is an excellent mix of history, philosophy, symbolism, lodge development, editorial comment, and the personal experiences of the various writers. I am fortunate to know several of these brethren personally and I can assure you that each of these men not only talk the talk, they walk the walk of a Freemason. I am very grateful to have been afforded the opportunity to write a guest column about an event that I believe will be of value on some level to every Freemason.

The Masonic Society, the Masonic Library and Museum Association, and the Masonic Information Center, a branch of the Masonic Service Association, will present The Quarry Project II on September 18-20 at the Hilton Indianapolis Hotel and Suites in downtown Indianapolis, IN. 

The Quarry Project is a continuing effort designed to promote Masonic research and preservation by providing instruction and guidance to both new and experienced Masonic writers, researchers, and editors, both within and without the fraternity, and to Masonic librarians and museum curators on the display, preservation, and cataloging of Masonic archives. Phase II will feature a third track on Masonic public relations sponsored by the Masonic Information Center. The public relations track will feature presentations on the use of social media and other topics designed to improve communication between Masonic organizations, their members, and the public at large. 

The research, writing, and editing track is sponsored by The Masonic Society. Topics to be addressed in the breakout sessions include how to obtain original source materials, how to use an academic library, communicating your research, Masonic blogging, on-demand printing, and publishing options. One session will be devoted to the recently released Quarry Project Style Guide, a project that was initiated at the first TQP in 2013. The first edition of the style guide has been released and is published on the TQP website. Several prominent Masonic publishers have already agreed to adopt the style guide. 

The library/museum track is sponsored by the Masonic Library and Museum Association. Breakout session presentations will include library collection development, cataloging your library collection, using your museum collection in exhibitions, photographing and numbering your collection, connecting your audience to your collection, collection policies, and a case study on building a museum from the ground up. A round table discussion regarding procurement and use of college interns will also be part of this track. 

The public relations track is sponsored by the Masonic Information Center. The breakout session topics include use of social media, awareness via Masonic philanthropy, public relations and marketing, advertising and media campaigns, history of the MIC, and a look at Masonic public relations from outside the fraternity. 

In addition to the presentations, there is ample time to network with the presenters and other attendees. The opportunity to share experiences, address specific problems, and establish connections with experts in your particular area of interest often turns out to be as valuable as the presentations themselves.

You don’t have to be a published writer, author, or editor of a publication with a large circulation to benefit greatly from this conference. Neither do you have to be a grand lodge librarian or museum curator. The Quarry Project will benefit local lodges of research as well as anyone interested in conducting Masonic research. It also provides brethren who maintain the local lodge library and artifacts with information and instruction that is not readily available elsewhere.

The public relations track will prove very useful not to only grand lodge officers, but to current and future officers of local lodges. Every Masonic organization has to communicate and many of the problems that plague our groups tend to be associated with poor and ineffective communication. This will be an opportunity to hear from several grand lodges, as well as those in the private sector, who have successfully managed their communication, both internal and external.

You can visit The Quarry Project website at www.thequarryproject.com to view the complete list of topics and our distinguished group of presenters. You will also find all of the particulars on registration and accommodations. Questions can be e-mailed to info@thequarryproject.com . Once again, I wish to thank The Midnight Freemasons for this opportunity and I look forward to seeing many of you at The Quarry Project in Indianapolis.

Bro. James R. Dillman is a native of Royal Center, IN and was raised as a Master Mason in Royal Center Lodge 575 in Royal Center, IN on March 4, 2000. After relocating to Indianapolis in 2002, he affiliated with Logan Lodge 575 in Indianapolis and served as Worshipful Master in 2005. He also affiliated with Lodge Vitruvian 767 in Indianapolis and served as Worshipful Master in 2011. He is a member of the Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research. 

Additionally he is a member of the Valley of Indianapolis Scottish Rite, currently serving as Thrice Potent Master of the Adoniram Lodge of Perfection.  He is also a member of the York Rite, AMD and York Rite College.

He currently serves as President of The Masonic Society, where he is a founding member and fellow. He has written for the Indiana Freemason Magazine, the Scottish Rite Valley of Indianapolis Double Eagle, The Journal of the Masonic Society, and The Art of Manliness e-magazine. He is a frequent guest speaker at Masonic lodges and related organizations.

Island City Lodge - A Farewell

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

RWB Michael H. Shirley

My family’s annual two-week sojourn north has come and gone, where. I usually manage to get to a stated meeting and a breakfast at my lodge there, Island City No. 330, F & A.M., but the first Wednesday of June fell on the first this year, and we arrived the Saturday after, so I was only able to go to breakfast each week. Both times it was a pleasant way to catch up with Brethren I don’t see otherwise, and whose fellowship I value. 

On my first visit there a few years ago, Worshipful Brother Bill Hughes was in the East. I didn’t get much of a chance to know Bill, but over the years it became clear to me that he was a committed member of the Lodge, always doing what was he was asked, and filling whatever need he could. This year, he was Senior Warden. If I recall correctly, he wasn’t at the first breakfast this year, but was certainly at the second one. I didn’t have much of a chance to talk with him, but we were able to exchange greetings. I didn't manage to say goodbye to him when I left, but I wish I had, because he died, suddenly and unexpectedly, two weeks later. I found out when I received my monthly email lodge bulletin. It contained his obituary:

FAREWELL TO A BELOVED BROTHER 

We mourn the loss of Brother Bill Hughes, who was called from labor by the Great Architect on Saturday June 27th. He now dwells in the Lodge Eternal with those who have gone before. 

He was Raised an Entered Apprentice on February 1st, 1970, Passed to Fellowcraft on February 21st, 1970, and raised to the Sublime Level of Master Mason on April 18^th, 1970, in Valley Station, Kentucky. 

Bill was a Past Master and Trustee of the lodge. This year he sat in the West as Senior Warden. Brother Bill was devoted member of the lodge, and cheerfully made himself available for the numerous lodge projects that required him. We will carry with us fond memories of his soft Kentucky accent, and cheerful sense of humor. 

Bill is survived by his wife Marge, two sons, Mike and Travis, daughter-in-law Jenny, and two grandchildren, Riley and Bryson. 

There’s not much I can add to that, save this: Brother Bill Hughes reminds me, and should remind all of us, that the messenger of death comes when least expected; that nothing we do on this earth is matters, save those things that work toward the growth and perfection of individual character, which necessarily means loving our fellow creatures and working toward their betterment. This he did. We remember Brethren like Bill with affection and admiration because those departed Brethren are exemplars of what Masonry is. As the Illinois Masonic funeral ritual reminds us, “while our eyes may be dim with tears as we think of our departed brother, we may also, in the sincerity of our hearts, accord to his memory the commendation of having lived a useful and exemplary life, and as a just and upright Mason.” So may we all be remembered.  

~MHS

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois, A.F. & A.M, as Leadership Development Chairman and Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master of the Eastern Area. A Certified Lodge Instructor, he is a Past Master and Life Member of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and a plural member of Island City Lodge No. 330, F & AM, in Minocqua, Wisconsin. A Scottish Rite Mason, he is past Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chapter of Rose Croix in the Valley of Danville, AASR-NMJ; he is also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the York Rite, Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Eastern Star, Illini High Twelve, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon.The author of several articles on British history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.You can contact him at: m.h.shirley@gmail.com

Freemasonry Is...

Survey Says? Part II

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB. Robert. H. Johnson

Not long ago, I published the first in a series of articles I planned on writing involving Masonic data. I asked a simple question about the Scottish Rite and you can read about it and see the crazy results of that survey here.

This time around, I wanted to gauge whether or not we as a fraternity really understand what and who we are, that is--Do we know that we are a fraternity of men who are a total mix of different religions and whats more, that we are not tied to any one faith?

We had over 300 responses to the initial open-ended question:

So without bias, and for your edification, here are the results.

67.9% said there was no particular background.

13% said that Masonry is a Christian fraternity who accepts others.

19.1% said that Masonry was a Deist order who accepts others. 

The results are what I expected. An overwhelming number of respondents believe what I do, and that is we are indeed, "The Brotherhood of man, under the Fatherhood of God." The other results are somewhat concerning to me. nearly 33% feel that there is some kind of religious category we fit into. 

I'll leave you all with these results and to do with them as you will. Perhaps this is an opportunity for us to make those changes or to whisper some council in an erring brother's ear. Overwhelmingly, this boils down to a tolerance issue. And as far as tolerance is concerned, if you look it up in a dictionary, there should be a picture of the Square and Compasses. 

~RHJ

Bro. Robert Johnson, 32° is the Managing Editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Freemason out of the First North-East District of Illinois. He is the Master of Waukegan Lodge No. 78 and Education officer for the 1st N.E. District of Illinois. He is also a member of the York Rite bodies Royal Arch, Cryptic Council, Knights Templar, AMD, The Illinois Lodge of Research and a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago as well as a charter member of the Society of King Solomon, a charity organization run by the Grand Lodge of Illinois. Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts weekly Podcasts (internet radio programs) Whence Came You? & Masonic Radio Theatre which focus on topics relating to Freemasonry. In addition, he produces video shorts focusing on driving interest in the Fraternity and writes original Masonic papers from time to time. He is also a cohost of The Masonic Roundtable, a Masonic talk show. He is a husband and father of three. He works full time in the safety industry and is also a photographer on the side as well as an avid home brewer. He is currently working on a book of Masonic essays.