Chugging Along

Well, it seems that things are going okay. This past Tuesday was a long meeting. There were multiple awards to hand out, all the initial business of the first meeting of the year, and so on. We didn't get out until 9 PM, which is really something we need to try and avoid. Life would be a lot easier if we didn't have the Chapter/Council meetings back-to-back.

Some of the proposals I made seemed to be met with a lot of skepticism - but quiet skepticism. I am remaining optimistic. One thing that I'm proud of is that with the exception of one part where I skipped a short section, I have got the ritualistic opening/closing down really well.

I'm excited to see what kind of change I can help affect here, and how I can help my Chapter & Council grow.

Waco or Bust

I'm a member of AMD now!

I attended TAMDA Day, which is a Friday/Saturday weekend get-together hosted by the Texas Allied Masonic Degrees Association. Things got started off on Friday night with being initiated into the Order of the Scarlet Cord ("elected to the First Grade"). This was pretty interesting stuff, but I was also a little lost at first - since AMD is a collection of several different Rites & degree systems, you can take them out of order. For the OSC, you "need" to have gone through the Order of the Secret Monitor first! I had a good time, anyway.

In the morning, I was "admitted" a Grand Tiler of Solomon. This was a pretty neat degree to witness. This degree, the Select Master degree in the Cryptic Council, and the Intimate Secretary degree (the 6°) in the A&ASR-SJ Lodge of Perfection, are all descended from the same degree, the Elu des Vingt-Sept, or the Select of the 27. It's very similar to both, but also very different. I liked it a lot.

I was also inducted into the First Grade of the Order of the Secret Monitor as the exemplar candidate. This was put on by Holy Stone Council #274, which is filled with guys from Jewel P. Lightfoot Lodge #1283. This was a cool degree. The Companions who put on the degree knew their parts really well, and made it a very immersive experience. The lecture was unusual - far more practical than most lectures that I've heard. I really liked the apron, and I'd like to see if I can find or make a replica of it.

We got to see the Architect and Superintendent degrees, but not the Grand Architect. That's the one in the middle. The Architect degree was put on by Robert Bruce Bannon Council, and it was pretty good - also immersive. Perhaps slightly gross. 

In the afternoon, we were "elevated" to the degree of Royal Ark Mariner. Man, that regalia is so pretty. Unfortunately, I don't remember a whole lot of it! One of the things about doing festivals and reunions is that you blast through degrees and end up retaining very little.

After TAMDA Day concluded, some of us went and got "dubbed" as Knights of the Masonic Order of the Bath. This degree was hilarious. I can't say more, but I can say that I may have been knighted using a stolen butterknife. 

AMD was dope. 10/10 would recommend.

Lighting Test for the Select Master's Degree

This is a lighting test that I am working on with a "JUNOLUX" light bulb. The bulb is about $30, and is comprised of about 100 individual LEDs that turn on and off in order to simulate a flickering flame. The bulb looks kind of odd without a lampshade or cover, but once covered, or hidden behind an object, it looks fairly realistic.

There should be mystery in Masonry, and the degrees should be a wild, intense experience. One of the things that we can do to help achieve that is to set the mood with a well-thought-out ambiance. Without giving too much away, the Select Master degree is supposed to take place in a very dark, very secluded area. I talked with a member of the Grand Chapter & Council Committee on Work (the committee which writes our ritual and figures out how degrees should be performed) who explained that the degree should, ideally, be done in almost total darkness.

However, doing it in the dark can be pretty impractical. Nobody can see, there’s an increased fall risk, etc. How do we address this issue? My answer is that we should look at the idea of targeted low-lighting that is "lore friendly." What kind of lighting would have been used in King Solomon’s time? Workers on the Temple would most likely have used torches, candles, or braziers of coal. Those are all pretty cool - but none of them are really okay in regards to my Masonic temple’s policy regarding flammable materials in the carpeted rooms. We have to look at special effects instead, in the form of LED bulbs.

These are the next few questions that I am going to try to find the answers to:

• Where is the best light placement in the room to increase lighting without using too many bulbs, running too many cords, etc?
• How much light is too much light?
• Will props used in the degree be an issue for lighting?
• If more bulbs are needed, are the cheaper versions as reliable?
• What is the most practical and lore-friendly way to house the light (lamp stand, fake firepit, prop torch, etc)?

Needless to say, I have some experimenting to do.

The Quest for Judas Maccabeus

The Quest for Judas Maccabeus

A New Obsession

Founder of the Order of Judas Maccabeus, Brother Herman Sarachan:

My latest obsession is one that I've touched on before in the article I shared by R∴W∴ Raymond Beardsley. For those of you that have not yet heard of the Order of Judas Maccabeus, it was an order founded in New York State by a group of brothers seeking a non-Christian alternative to Commandery. The founding of the Order did involve Masons from many aspects of the Craft, including representatives and leaders from the NYS grand bodies of Chapter, Council, and Commandery.

One of my goals has been to reach out to brothers that were involved in the Order. This has proved to be very difficult. Many of the men involved in OoJM have passed away, or don't have an online presence, which makes reaching out a lot more difficult! When I first read the article by Brother Beardsley, I figured that I should try and see if I could contact him. That is when I found out that he had passed away about two weeks before I had found the article. No luck there, unfortunately, and may Brother Beardsley rest easy in the arms of the Creator.

Initially, I thought I had reached a dead end. However, having read the article, I had a jumping-off point: the home Chapter and home Council of the OoJM founder, Brother Herman Sarachan. I sent out emails to the recorder of Doric Council #19 and to the recorder of Hiram Chapter #62. My email to Hiram Chapter was a little bit of a Hail Mary, because I wasn't sure if this was a reformation of Hamilton Chapter, or if it was a different entity entirely. As of yet, I still have to hear back from their recorder, so my assumption is that it is a different Chapter entirely.

However, I was able to hear back from Brother John Dudley, the Recorder of Doric Council (also the Secretary of Northfield Lodge #426). He informed me that he had been a member of the Order and had watched it slowly die. At the time of his joining, he was the 71st member of the Genesee Valley Assemblage #1, which is is shown on the scan of his last dues card for the Order, which he sent to me:

Brother Dudley then put me in contact with (R∴W∴) Brother John Gallant, who was not a member of the Order, but had been in contact with Brother Beardsley. I emailed Brother Gallant to talk to him and see what I could learn, and ended up with an incredible surprise. Not only did Brother Gallant inform me that there was an Assemblage operating in Texas, he sent me a copy of the Texas ritual! I don't feel comfortable posting/sharing the ritual in such an accessible format, so I will try to describe the document. The "Standard Work" was written by Brother Sarachan in 1974 in New York State, and the Texas ritual's latest revision, according to the document, was in August 2007, by the late Brother Cliff Cameron. Brother Cameron was a Knight of the York Cross of Honor, and the 2007 Grand Historian of the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of Texas.

The Order conferred two degrees, the Order of David and the Order of Judas Maccabeus. There would have been a third order, the Order of the Temple, but Brother Sarachan died before he could finish it. From what I have been told, my understanding is that there were/are some efforts to finish the Order of the Temple, but I cannot verify this.

The Order of David teaches the lessons of love and devotion through the story of Jonathan and David planning David's escape from King Saul's grasp. The degree opens the Volume of Sacred Law (VSL) to Samuel 1 18:1. The officers of the Order of David are:

• Sovereign Master
• Companion Senior Warden
• Companion Junior Warden
• Companion Captain of the Guard
• Companion Marshall
• Companion Warder
• Companion Sentinel

After the candidate is made a Companion of the Order of David and has observed the drama, the new Companion retires without the Assemblage's room, and the Assemblage resumes labor in the Order of Judas Maccabeus, due to having called down to the Order of David for the purpose of conferral, and the Companion is made a Valiant Prince. The Order of Judas Maccabeus teaches the lessons of fidelity and devotion (to faith) through the story of the Maccabean revolt against the Hellenistic regime of Antiochus IV. The degree opens the VSL to either Psalm 23 or Ecclesiastes 12. The officers of the Order of Judas Maccabeus are:

• Sovereign Prince Commander
• Valiant Prince Chancellor
• Valiant Prince Orator
• Valiant Prince Cohen
• Valiant Prince Treasurer
• Valiant Prince Recorder
• Valiant Prince Captain of the Guard
• Valiant Prince Marshall
• Valiant Prince Warder
• Valiant Prince Sentinel

They are seated in the Assemblage room as such:

There, dear readers, is where I had to go from. My next step was to find out how to contact Brother Cameron, so I reached out to the Grand Recorder of the Grand Council of Texas. I was informed that he had passed away, but that there was a Grand Chapter/Council History and Preservation Committee. I have yet to hear back from either of the emails that I sent to the committee members, unfortunately. I also reached out to the Grand College of Rites, as I am a member ("Fellow"). No dice there, either. Radio silence.

At this point, I think I stalled out for a two weeks, because I was pretty stumped about what to do next. I talked about it with my brothers in lodge, and online, on Reddit, etc, etc, etc. It was then that someone suggested that I email Brother Arturo de Hoyos, who is an expert historian on most anything and everything Masonic. Brother de Hoyos was very friendly and informed me that this was actually an avenue of investigation that one of his associates was pursuing! The running theory is that the group is totally defunct. If so, the rituals will be printed as Collectanea for the Grand College of Rites. I emailed him what I had in terms of general materials, contact information, and so forth. Hopefully something will turn up soon!

In the meanwhile, I am continuing my search. I'm not sure where this will lead me. Honestly, I am really hoping that there's still an active Assemblage somewhere in Texas. All you would need is to to grab five companions of the Royal Arch, and then have them inducted into the Order. That being the required number of Valiant Princes for an Assemblage to form and meet, perhaps there is hope for the future of Judas Maccabeus?

"...but he needs knowledge of the TRUE secrets of Freemasonry."

"...but he needs knowledge of the TRUE secrets of Freemasonry."

Today, in "My Brothers in [Non-Specified Appendant Body] are Driving Me Up the Wall..."

I attended a function recently as the guest of one of my Brothers, along with a MM from one of my sister lodges. Was not able to attend the meeting itself, obviously, but was allowed to join in for a hearty dinner and listen to a pretty good talk on the book of Ecclesiastes. Fascinating stuff. Shook a lot of hands, met a lot of new people.

Anyway, I had two exchanges, one short and one long/frustrating, with Brothers I already know. The short one feels like it played into the longer one.

After the dinner, I talked to a Brother I knew, commenting on how well we had been received. "Oh, absolutely, I had no doubt that you'd love it. [NSAB] is the best, friendliest body in all the Fraternity. You just can't compare." I brushed this one off because we had very definitely been greeted with open arms. I didn't even think about this until I was meditating on the other exchange.

The other exchange was with a Brother who I know even better. He's a very influential brother in our Temple. We'd been talking about different opportunities in the appendant bodies after my raising. He's very keen on seeing people join [NSAB], which is great, and I plan to join it eventually, but I also want to take some time and "soak" in Blue Lodge. We talked about our line officers and I mentioned how outstanding I think our JW has been.

This is when things started to get more frustrating. This line got busted out (paraphrased from memory): "Well, he's a very innate leader, and I'm very proud of him, but he doesn't know the true secrets of Freemasonry. If he's going to be an effective leader, he needs to ask more questions about what happened in his Master's Degree, and have them answered, and he can only do that in [NSAB]. That's where he'll gain leadership skills, too. Ninety percent of what you hear in the Blue Lodge is bullshit unless you follow up on it elsewhere. We have the answers. You can't be a good Officer without having learned from [NSAB], and when you sit in the chairs, I want you have done that first. You'll gain a lot of leadership skills that you need if you do that before getting in the chairs." This is a sentiment I have heard before from a lot of older Brothers in [NSAB].

I was pretty frustrated by that. Right now, none of our line officers have been through any of the appendant bodies, including some that have been in Lodge for a while now, and the vast majority of them have been doing an incredible job. We have some BLO guys, but we also have some that are considering joining up with the appendant bodies when it's the right time. I feel like it's very dismissive from my Brothers in the appendant bodies to place so much emphasis on things outside of Blue Lodge in specific relation to the running of the Blue Lodge.

I'm neither really hear nor there on the appendant bodies, because I'm really interested, but I want to wait for a while, and I have no plans or machinations set on getting into the Chairs because it is waaaaaaay too early for me to have that kind of discussion. I just feel like this a really common sort of sentiment among guys in appendant bodies, and that it's incredibly dismissive/disrespectful of Craft Lodge in general.

Am I out of line in feeling a little miffed about this? I don't know for sure, but I am.