Visit to the Lodge of Living Stones 4957

Yesterday I was privileged to visit the Lodge of Living Stones 4957 (http://www.lodge-of-living-stones.org.uk/). The ceremony was 'The book of the perfect Lodge'. Based on the works of W.L. Wilmshurt any Mason that is esoterically inclined needs to visit the Lodge of Living Stones at some time for an exploration of the deeper side of Freemasonry.

Tributes paid to founding chairman of Queenscourt Hospice chairman Raymond Oliver Jeffs of Southport

I think the doubters of Freemasonry need to read some of the obituaries of Freemasons:

http://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/southport-news/southport-southport-news/2012/03/15/tributes-paid-to-founding-chairman-of-queenscourt-hospice-chairman-raymond-oliver-jeffs-of-southport-101022-30534860/

To "live respected and die regretted" is a phrase taken from the installation ceremony and is something all Freemasons aspire to. Clearly this Brother excelled in every respect: what a fantastic legacy to leave. Rest in Peace.

Freemasons: Your questions answered

Gosh - this is the first time I have seen this, a Q&A session facilitated by the BBC where people outside of Freemasonry can ask any questions they want of a (senior) Freemason.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17357150

I have to say it is refreshing not to have an article filled with judgmental journalistic cliches. Well done BBC!

Would you want to be a Freemason?

The BBC seems to have shifted away from craftaphobia, as this recent article demonstrates:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17272611

It is fairly balanced in the sense that it offers both sides of the argument. However some craftaphobic cliches do persist. In the first instance is our dear old friend Martin Short, still getting column inches out of a 1989 publication. Excuse me, that was a generation ago. I tried reading his book once, unfortunately I could have written a book ten times bigger pointing out the inaccuracies, so I had to abandon the project after ten pages. Indeed, if jumping to conclusions was an Olympic event, Mr Short would have no problems at London 2012. In fact I would award him the Gold Medal.

I enjoyed Nick Cohen's comments about Freemasonry being the 'whipping boys' of conspiracy theorists. This is because myths are more compelling than reality. When it comes to belief systems people prefer to reinforce their prejudices and world view rather than 'assimilate and accommodate' different perspectives. Thus:

Elvis faked his death: tgr.ph/vmelvis
Marilyn Monroe was murdered: bit.ly/celebtheories
Jay-Z is part of the Illuminati: slate.me/vmjayz (Jay-Z is too cool to do anything than be Jay-Z)

The work by James McConnachie are new to me. Author of "A Rough Guide to Conspiracy Theories" James informs the readers that Freemasonry offers a progression to a higher level of knowledge (eh?) . As an afterthought he concludes it is alluring and cultish. I offer two observations:

1. Doesn't anybody else find it strange that people outside the organisation seem to know more about what goes on than those inside the organisation?
2. Any cultural group will seem 'unusual' from the outside.

I am currently reading The Ritual Process by Victor Turner. It is a classical anthropological study of the Ndembu of northwestern Zambia.  Victor Turner is a legend in this field, and it is a fascinating read.   Ndembu  customs, tradition and culture are completely alien to me a westerner. I haven't even been to Africa.

However, in the same sense Freemasonry is alien to non-masons, we do need to point out that to 250,000 of us in England and Wales and 6 million Freemasons around the world it is not strange or cultish. It is part of our everyday lives. As someone who writes Rough Guides from around the world, I would have thought Mr McConnachie might appreciate this comparison :-)

‘I get such a lot out of being a freemason’

An excellent article that reflects an organisation of which I am proud to be a member:

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/lifestyle/i-get-such-a-lot-out-of-being-a-freemason-1-3617207#

Given last week's comments about that certain Telegraph article that couldn't resist sarcasm, it is refreshing to read an article in the press that is both informative and accurate. Portsmouth 1 Telegraph 0.

Visit to Mirfield Lodge 1102

Yesterday evening I was delighted to attend Mirfield Lodge 1102 where the ceremony was a raising. Mirfield Lodge were excellent hosts and the standard of the ceremony was up to their usual standard, nothing less than superb. Thank you for a most convivial evening brethren.

Handshakes and trouser legs – secrets of the Freemasons

I remember reading a number of years ago about how (only) journalists have access to the media. Their power and influence over every day thought was immense. It was also said that you don't argue with people who buy ink in barrels, an expression that still evokes a chuckle in me. I have been tracking the media's attitude to Freemasonry for over 20 years now. So I was fascinated at today's article from The Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/9124269/Handshakes-and-trouser-legs-secrets-of-the-Freemasons.html#disqus_thread

Journalists have been writing with a rather dull regularity about the "secrets" of Freemasonry. The handshake, the trouser leg rolled up and the 'strange' symbolism. It may be new to them, but it isn't to over 250,000 of us. There is less emphasis on the secrecy these days (so-called 'investigative' journalism): instead journalists are focusing on the theme of eccentricity.

Define eccentric? How can 250,000 people be eccentric? This is roughly the equivalent number of people who work for Tesco's. Are they eccentric? The population of Iceland, that well known group of eccentrics, all of them? Or the population of Northumbria? Sorry Northumbria, but you're eccentric as well according to the logic of Neil Tweedie.

Or it could just be that Freemasonry is a culture that is different to what most people have encountered? This is an example of 'asymetric information' - being a Freemason is knowledge of 'felt acquaintance'. That is to say to be one is to understand Freemasonry. Masonic culture outside of Freemasonry is as strange as youth culture is to me today (in my late forties), innit.

Thus, what has improved is Freemasonry's ability to articulate its unique culture to a cynical world outside. Journalists seem far less suspicious of the 'dark side' of social capital that endured through the 70s. In addressing craftaphobia UGLE has one hand tied behind its back. By constitution it is a non-political and non-religious organisation, therefore cannot conceive of itself as a lobby group, which is what most other organisations would seek to do in contemporary society.

Thus in addressing the boundary that exists between 'mason' and 'non-mason' it appears the next stage is to build a public understanding of Freemasonry, exactly in the same way that science seeks to explain an understanding to a general public who are not familiar with an esoteric and complex system of expertise. This is, of course, what UGLE has done in commissioning this report, and I for one can't wait to read it.

Lodge of Connaught & Truth No. 521

On Friday we had an initiation ceremony at the Lodge of Connaught & Truth No. 521 (http://www.truth521.org.uk). We were also delighted  make our former liaison officer into an honorary member. At present we have 3 Entered Apprentices and 2 Fellowcraft and just under 40 members. That number of Entered Apprentices and Fellowcrafts is not in living memory, in fact you may need to go back as far as 1859 for a comparable number.