Conference of Grand Masters

On October 1, 2018 I had stopped in at the Grand Lodge Offices for a cup of coffee with the Most Worshipful Grand Master of Minnesota Ed Halpaus, and Most Worshipful Grand Master of Prince Hall Masons of Minnesota Joe Gonzalez.
We have known each other for a couple of decades, so we have many shared passions to talk about. The majority of the conversation was about Masonic Education, books, foreign jurisdictions running the gambit from the Congo to France, and of course membership.

We don't have a chance to get together often, but the time spent is precious. The coffee was pretty good too.

Masonic Education-Scottish Rite Style

On Thursday September 20, 2018 I received (photo above) a diploma and medal for completing Program III, Scottish Rite Philosophy. I described the program this way. " When I started Morals and Dogma, Albert Pike and I entered into a ten month relationship. As the days together whizzed by I fell in love. Somewhere during the 6th month, I had a major disagreement with him and I walked out. Three months latter, I was able to return with a new perspective, and complete the program."

All kidding aside, I can truly say that studying Morals and Dogma provided a rich and valuable insight into the Scottish Rite, that I had never would have been able to receive by the dramas alone.

Now, this is not a course for the faint of heart.Don't think you're going to finish it in a couple of evenings or a week end. This course is a marathon, but anyone who has the desire to learn and some discipline can do it. For, with much toil, there are great rewards.

I used to be a runner until an injury stopped ended that for me. When I was running, I often found myself looking out the window at work, anxiously waiting to get off work, to go for a five to seven mile run. After a few weeks with Albert Pike, I found myself with almost the same feeling. intensely, anxiously waiting to crack open the cover and look at the questions, to see what I would discover, or the problems to ponder.

I had already completed the Scottish Rite Program I, The Symbolic Lodge, and Program II, Scottish Rite Historical and Ritual. Those courses were informative and enjoyable.

I have now completed the trifecta, as I call it, but with the Minnesota winter coming I'm not sure how I will spend those long Winter nights. I'm debating between learning Latin or returning to snowshoeing.

The Handwriting on the Wall

The Handwriting on the Wall

By Tom Hendrickson-P.G.M.

Have you ever heard the old saying “The Handwriting on the wall”? It’s a metaphor we generally use to describe a vague feeling of pending doom or a feeling that something bad is going to happen.

The saying comes from Belshazzar’s Feast which is mentioned in the Royal Arch Degree. It is a story that has many important lessons for all of us to consider. To understand the rest of the story I will explore the source which is in the Old Testament Book of Daniel Chapters Four and Five.

The scene is in Babylon about the Sixth Century before our era (or B.C.) and King Nebuchadnezzar’s Armies had conquered Jerusalem. A sizable portion of the Jewish population of Judah including all the Nobel’s and scholars had been captured and deported back to Babylon. The Temple was sacked of all of its sacred treasures and taken to Babylon as well. Among the stolen plunder were many sacred cups made of gold and silver.

King Nebuchadnezzar ordered his officials to conduct a talent search among the prisoners to find the best and the brightest to learn the local language and literature to serve within the Kings Palace. The most impressive among the group of talented young Jews was Daniel. Daniel had a very special gift as he could interpret the Kings dreams and reveal their mysteries.

In time Daniel became a trusted servant to the King, and Nebuchadnezzar did relinquish his pagan gods and acknowledged Daniel’s God, the God of the people of Israel.  Nebuchadnezzar’s son Belshazzar eventually become King and he is a different story all together.

Now before we move on to the main thrust of the story. I highly recommend you go on line and Google a painting by Rembrandt called Belshazzar’s Feast. The painting depicts beautifully the story you are about to read.

Daniel 5 Living Bible (TLB)

5 Belshazzar the king invited a thousand of his officers to a great feast where the wine flowed freely. ^2-4 While Belshazzar was drinking, he was reminded of the gold and silver cups taken long before from the Temple in Jerusalem during Nebuchadnezzar’s reign and brought to Babylon. Belshazzar ordered that these sacred cups be brought in to the feast, and when they arrived, he and his princes, wives, and concubines drank toasts from them to their idols made of gold and silver, brass and iron, wood and stone.

⁵ Suddenly, as they were drinking from these cups, they saw the fingers of a man’s hand writing on the plaster of the wall opposite the lampstand. The king himself saw the fingers as they wrote. ⁶ His face blanched with fear, and such terror gripped him that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way beneath him.

⁷ “Bring the magicians and astrologers!” he screamed. “Bring the Chaldeans! Whoever reads that writing on the wall and tells me what it means will be dressed in purple robes of royal honor, with a gold chain around his neck, and he will become the third ruler in the kingdom!”^[a]

⁸ But when they came, none of them could understand the writing or tell him what it meant.

⁹ The king grew more and more hysterical; his face reflected the terror he felt, and his officers too were shaken. 

So the Queen-Mother heard the ruckus and ran into the banquet hall and told the King to calm down. She told him to call Daniel for he could interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems and he would know what the writing on the wall means.

So Daniel is summoned and rushes in…..

²² “And you, his successor, O Belshazzar—you knew all this, yet you have not been humble. ²³ For you have defied the Lord of Heaven and brought here these cups from his Temple; and you and your officers and wives and concubines have been drinking wine from them while praising gods of silver, gold, brass, iron, wood, and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor know anything at all. But you have not praised the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny! ^24-25 And so God sent those fingers to write this message: ‘Mene,’ ‘Mene,’ ‘Tekel,’ ‘Parsin.’

²⁶ “This is what it means:

“Mene means ‘numbered’—God has numbered the days of your reign, and they are ended.

²⁷ “Tekel means ‘weighed’—you have been weighed in God’s balances and have failed the test.

²⁸ “Parsin means ‘divided’—your kingdom will be divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

²⁹ Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was robed in purple, a gold chain was hung around his neck, and he was proclaimed third ruler in the kingdom.

And that very night King Belshazzar was killed, and Babylon was conquered.

Quite a story.  If you googled the picture as suggested, the story comes to life within the painting.  The morale of the story is clear: remember that our days on this earth are numbered and the time we spend here will be weighed and judged. So, live each day to the fullest, do good works and appreciate every day for it may be your last.

Remember -”The Hand Writing is on the wall”.

My...How Times Have Changed

MY… How Times Have Changed

Tom Hendrickson P.G.M.

Arch Chapter Minneapolis

Many years ago I wanted to discuss the meanings and messages hidden within the symbols used in our ritual.  My request for more information was often met by a blank stare.  I was informed, that the point of ritual was to memorize it, regurgitate it for the degree work, and then hope to become a monitor or a custodian someday.  I was highly encouraged to follow that path when I began and I started with the lectures.  I would often ask my partner what a certain item or phrase meant and they usually responded to me with “Tom, I don’t know, I just memorize the stuff”.

I knew though that there was much more to Freemasonry than chicken dinners after a Third Degree, the once a year barbeque, the debates over whether or not to put ceiling fans in the dining room and should we offer orange juice at the next annual pancake breakfast.

Today, times have changed and we must change with them.  We now find many young men standing at our doorstep, knocking at our door, that are seeking education, enlightenment, spiritual growth and meaningful experiences.  These new men come to us better informed about the craft than some of our current members.  They have accessed the World Wide Web and mined the vast information available there.  They have watched the History Channel and seen the countless television shows about Freemasonry.  They have read the books written by Dan Brown and “Freemasons for Dummies”.  These men come to us well versed in information, some of it accurate, some not so accurate.

Never the less, they come with a hunger to seek further light.  We must be ready for the challenge to help lead them to what they are seeking.  If we wish to attract and retain these men we must have more to offer them than a once a year weenie roast, poorly read ritual work, a boring business meeting and another dues card to put in their wallet. But the Royal Arch – Our Craft and our ritual are the perfect means to satisfy their hunger.

Our ritual is important.  It offers lessons so a companion can lead a life that is rich and fulfilling.  The ritual is the vehicle that our principles can ride into the hearts of men.  However, the words of the ritual are not enough.  It is the meaning of those words that will lead men to live our teachings.  Studying the rich history and symbolism of the ritual is essential to the understanding behind the words.

Our ritual contains beautiful poetry along with words of wisdom to live by.  It is filled with history and religion.  It is a treasure trove of symbols and analogies that are worthy of introspection and meditation.  Finally, the words contain profound truths and a unique perspective on life for those who are willing to make the conscious effort to uncover them.

Over the next several months I will be offering various articles or papers on various subjects in our ritual.  Don’t worry, I am not revealing the secrets.  The information I will be sharing is already in print or may be found by doing a Google search on the internet.  Feel free to use these articles in your Chapter Convocation or for Chapter education.  Feel free to make copies of them and talk about them.  Use parts of them in your newsletters or if you wish, use them to start a campfire.

The information that will be shared is just an example of what can be done by any willing companion who is willing to take some time to read and re-read the ritual.  I encourage all of you to try your hand at it.

Every man becomes a Mason for their own reasons.  Some seek light while others seek friendships.  Some may seek wisdom or direction. Others may seek all of these. The Royal Arch – Our Craft and our ritual can meet all of these needs if we step up and gain a better understanding or our rituals.  In order to teach our craft, and pass that knowledge on to the next generation, we need to understand its lesson ourselves.

Lastly, there are secrets hidden in plain sight awaiting your discovery.  My wish for you is that you discover them all.

The PA Academy of Masonic Knowledge

The symposium will be live streamed on YouTube the day of and a recording will be available very soon after the event. No need to miss out!

Its that time of the year again for one of the great Masonic learning opportunities. The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania is hosting its annual Academy of Masonic Knowledge. Its a great opportunity to hear great Speakers and have many meaningful discussions and of course meet many great Brothers.

I have begun research on "The Sun at the Meridian Height, I wish I could hear this years speech.

If you have a Masonic Bucket list this is one to put on it. Gee I wish we could do something like this?

And if you get a chance go see their Grand Lodge Building it is the best in the World!

More Light

 

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The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania is just a Powerhouse when it comes to providing "an environment that encourages Masons to seek greater understanding  of the nature and purpose of Freemasonry in all its many aspects-past, present and future"............

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