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”.

Be the Light

Yogi Bhajan

The Knife and Fork Degree

                                                                    Author Unknown

The Knife & Fork Degree

 I do not attend the meetings,

 For I've not the time to spare,

 But every time they have a feast,

You will surely find me there.

 I cannot help with the degrees,

 For I do not know the work,

 But I can applaud the speakers,

 And handle a knife and fork

.

 I'm so rusty in the ritual,

 That it seems like Greek to me,

 But practice has made me perfect,

 In the Knife and Fork degree.


I do say in fun and jest. For I do enjoy a good meal at lodge and I do cook a few of those means as well. But I do the work after.

Mark Master Quiz

                                                                               

Royal Arch Quiz Night

Mark Master

P.G.M. Tom Hendrickson

1.    How Did the Craftsman carry their work?

a)    On their left shoulder

b)    Between the thumb and fingers of the right hand

c)    In front of them in both hands

d)    In the right hand

2.    What tool did the Overseers use to test the work?

a)    24-inch gage

b)    Plumb line

c)    A Square

d)    Compasses

3.    How did the Overseers dispose of the rejected stone?

a)    Threw it to the ground at the Candidates feet

b)    Over their left shoulder

c)    Over their right shoulder

d)    Into the air

4.    When did the Craftsman receive their wages?

a)    The first hour of the first day of the week

b)    The third hour of the third day of the week

c)    The fifth hour of the fifth day of the week

d)    The sixth hour of the sixth day of the week

5.    What are the working Tools in the Mark Master Degree?

a)    Engravers Chisel and Mallet

b)    Wedge and Mallet

c)    Compass and Chalk

d)    Trowel and Sword

6.    What is the name of the rejected stone?

a)    Cornerstone

b)    Capstone

c)    Perfect Ashlar

d)    Keystone

7.    How many letters are upon the Keystone?

a)    Five

b)    Seven

c)    Eight

d)    None of the Above

8.    What are the letters that are upon the Keystone?

a)    H  T  M  L  A  T  K  S

b)    H  T  W  S  S  T  K  S

c)    H  T  B  S  K S  T  P

d)    H  T  T  F N  B  R  O

9.    To whom is the Lodge Mark Masters erected and dedicated to?

a)    God and the Holy St John

b)    God and King Solomon

c)    God and Hiram Abiff

d)    God and Zerubbabel

Royal Arch Education

I have had the wonderful opportunity this Summer to sit and study the Degrees in the Royal Arch.
During this time of study I thought of a way to share it in a easy format and can be fun to learn.

Its a five part learning that takes the form of a Trivia Test...I don't like the word Trivia but I think you'd better understand the concept. There are five parts Introduction-covers general Royal Arch Trivia to get you started, Mark Master, Past Master Virtual, Most Excellent, Royal Arch.

I meant it to be used in your Chapter Meeting as a form of Educational instruction. It should take about 15 to 25 minutes depending how spirited the conversation gets. You can break up into teams, appoint  a Quizmaster and keep score. Or you can have someone give the question and everyone shout out the answer. Id encourage having your Ritual handy and look up the ones you don't know.

Its a very good way for the new Companion to learn in a friendly environment, and for the older Sages a good way to stay sharp.

I plan on placing the Quiz on my blog at the start of the month. The answers will appear at the end of the Month. This way if you are wanting to do this at home or your office you can do your own research and wait to see how you did.

Now...I have not reveled anything that we consider the secrets. I used publish materials, and I checked my Minnesota Ritual which is in compliance to the Grand Chapter. Believe me as a lover of the Craft I believe and live my Obligation.

The quiz has a different number of questions on each quiz. Anywhere from five to nine. Some you may find easy others you may have to look up. This is not a PH.D or the Companion Adept or even the Master Craftsman, its a simple  way for you to  learn more about the Royal Arch without buying an expensive book and spending hours of your time.

I hope you enjoy it and Good Luck...Oh by the way tell me how you did!

The Cross and Crown

     

        

                                                                         

A couple of weeks ago I was in Cincinnati Ohio for the American Legion National Convention. It was during the Parade of States that I walked past the Cincinnati Masonic Temple. So two days later when I had a little free time I went back to the Temple and met my old friend Past Grand Master Mike Himes of the Grand Lodge of Ohio.

Mike gave me a tour of their 8 floors, 350,000 square foot Masonic Building. It is a beautiful building that has beautiful Blue Lodge Rooms, Royal Arch Chapter Rooms, Commandery Rooms, Easter Star Rooms, and the Scottish Rite Theater that holds 850 people. 

The image above in inlayed in the floor as all the Masonic bodies emblems as you get off the elevator on each of the floors.

This is the Cross and the Crown which is the Commandery Symbol. It is commonly interpreted as a reminder that death is not final but we will continue on victorious after death.

The words Hoc Signo Vinces were used by Constantine meaning By this sign thou shall conquer.

 

Past Grand Master 2004  Michael Himes

Mark Master Degree - The Operative to Speculative Connection

Mark Master Tracing Board

Mark Master Degree

The Operative to Speculative Connection

Tom Hendrickson P.G.M.

The Mark Master degree is the first degree in the Royal Arch Chapter.  It is an extension of the Fellowcraft degree.

The Fellowcraft degree contains a great amount of wisdom and knowledge.  Its symbols and lessons can take a lifetime to learn.  Though the degree itself may stand on its own merits, the candidate can be left with many unanswered questions.  The Mark Master degree compliments and illustrates, in a practical manner, many of those questions.

The Mark Master degree takes the candidate to a time immediately before the death of Hiram Abif at a setting within a working stone quarry near King Solomon’s Temple.  The candidate is now a workman as a Fellowcraft laboring in the quarries and presenting his work for inspection. 

The Mark Master degree is explicitly related to working and building with stone.  It takes its name from the medieval term Masons Mark. The Mark Master degree explains the moral and ethical lessons of life such as the values of integrity, honesty, charity, taking pride in your own work and individual responsibility.  The working tools of the mallet and chisel are introduced along with the wages being paid by coin. 

When the Operative Mason became a Fellowcraft, he selected a distinctive symbol known as the Masons “Mark”.  This mark would serve as his signature, logo or trademark.  This unique mark would be recorded and registered in the lodges “Book of Marks” and this mark would be used for his lifetime.  It was and remains common that a father would pass their mark onto their son.

In a historical context, the Masons Mark had many practical purposes.  The Mason’s employment was effectively piecework.  He was given credit for the work completed and paid based upon his marked stones.  He was also held accountable for the quality of this work as each Mason’s stones were marked

.

Without exception Freemasonry has always been associated with stone masons.  It has borrowed much from the medieval operative stone masons such as the symbolism of the working tools, gauges and the use of marks.

In the ancient records of operative masonry, dating back over three centuries, there is mention of the Masons Mark.  As early as 1598, the Lodge of St Mary’s Chapel Scotland speaks of a Masons Mark and of the Mark Degree.

By reviewing old Scottish records it is clear that the speculative masons selected their marks just as the operative masons chose marks.  In the Mark book of the Masonic Lodge of Aberdeen dated 1670 it shows forty nine marks and the members names opposite the marks.

And finally, the Mark Master degree uses symbols, scriptures, links to other degrees, lectures, rituals and some drama to communicate a very powerful message that the Brother experiencing the Capitular Degree is going to be transformed from a Master Builder to a Spiritual Builder.  The Mark Master degree is his first step towards the revelations of the Holy Royal Arch Degree.

The Mark Master degree is another valuable piece of the puzzle you need to become a complete Freemason.  You have already started your journey in the pure and ancient craft by joining your lodge and advancing through the degrees.

If you are interested in learning more, and completing you journey, you may want to consider talking to a member of the Royal Arch for more information.

Salsa-Licious was Delicious!

   

Red Wing Masonic Lodge #8 has taken a leadership role in sponsoring,organizing, and executing a fundraiser to assist 20 non-profit organizations that serve the Red Wing community.

Four years ago an idea of a Salsa competition to raise money and create an awareness of the Non-profits and Community Service Organizations of Red Wing has become a great community event. Here are just a few of the organizations..Boy Scouts, Youth Soccer, Lutheran Social Services, Red Wing Environmental Center, Youth Out Reach, Sheldon Theater of Performing Arts, Goodhue Historical Society.

Each of the organizations would provide a table with decorations, a display about their mission in the community and their best salsa, in either a red or green tomato, bean or fruit based. Each group would also assist in selling of tickets to the event within the community. The profits are split among the organizations. Last year over $20,000 was raised.

This year the event was held at Sargents Nursery in one of their Green Houses. It was a very nice place that was filled with light and was warm on a cold Minnesota March Day.They also provided a coupon for $5 off all purchases at the nursery. (I am now the proud owner of a an $80 plant stand in the shape of a Red bicycle that has a rechargeable headlight on the handle bars so I can see it at night.)

The lodge had a very nice set of professional signs,cards and brochures about Freemasonry and about our lodge. The Lodge Brothers were very busy helping organizing, selling tickets, and getting the Judges started on the Judging of who had the Best salsa. The Brothers left their table thinking a Past Grand Master could handle any questions or important issues. 

I will let you in on a secret.....it's not good for the Sponsor to win the competition. Our lodge has many professional Chefs and Restaurant owners as members. They have provided, in past years, a couple of gallons of salsa they thought that people would like and our lodge won the competition twice. So this year it was determined we needed to provide a salsa, but not something good enough to win.We provided a tomato salsa that came from a large plastic jug and sprinkled some cilantro on top. I placed it in little cups for the attendees to sample.  I'm a whiz at this by the way and no spills on my shirt, a miracle.  When asked what kind of salsa it was I described it as "a tomato based salsa, made from blended tomatoes, with chunks of savory onions, hand picked jalapeno peppers, with a medium heat that is appreciated in San Antonio, but not New York City. We got a lotta votes....and people came back for more.  I'm so happy we did not win.

There were 305 people that came to throughout the day. It was a very steady stream, but enough time to talk and get to make new friends and renew old friendships.There was alot of excellent salsa served by hard working volunteers and professionals who are committed  on making Red Wing a better place to live.

The Brothers were counting the ticket sales when I left and it is believed that we will exceed last year total... Some of us believe that Freemasonry is not something that just happens in a lodge room for the world is our Lodge.

You know you’re a Freemason if….

See if you can relate to all 22 of these Masonic traits. Take the test and see how many you may identify with.

1.  When you look at your vacation pictures, you realize that every day you are wearing a different Masonic tee shirt.

2.  Your neighbors think you are a waiter working at a fine restaurant because they see you wearing a tuxedo most evenings.

3.  You can keep a secret.

4.  When stopped by a police officer you hand him your dues card instead of your license.

5.  When you see an older building you scrutinize it for Masonic symbols and cornerstones.

6.  When you’re driving down the street  and you see a car ahead of you with a square and compass emblem, you race a head and pull alongside to see if you recognize the driver.

7.  When you open your desk top drawer or dresser you see your dues card collection.

8.  If you see a man wearing a ring or a lapel pin, you look to see if it is a Masonic ring or pin.

9.  The only home cooking you get is at lodge.

10.  When you are in church you say SMIB at the conclusion of a prayer when the rest of the congregation says Amen.

11.  You drive through parking lots looking for Masonic bumper stickers.

12.  Your favorite chair at home faces east.

13.  When you stop at a crosswalk and after you look to see if it is safe to walk you knowingly stop off as a Entered Apprentice.

14.  You have a love hate relationship with canned green beans.

15.  You Google historical figures or people currently in the news to see if they are Freemasons.

16.  When you knock on someone’s door you expect them to knock back.

17.  When you see your doctor for pain in your elbow, and he asks if you have been playing tennis, you say no, been flipping pancakes.

18.  If you start most sentences with the phrase, “when I was a Master…”.

19.  Your wife informs you she is expecting and you secretly (for a fleeting moment) wish to name the child (if it is a boy) Hiram or Mason.

20.  After coffee in the morning you look at your Masonic ring and say to yourself, compass points in or out today?

21.  You think real men wear aprons.

22.  You don’t like to walk counter clockwise.

"PULL OVER SHOW ME YOUR DUES CARD"!

Last week the Los Angeles Police Department conducted Search Warrants and arrested three members of the so-called "Masonic Fraternal Police Department" The individuals arrested maintained their legitmacy by claiming that they were descendants of the Knights Templar and their police agency had been in existance for over 3,000 years. They also claimed that the Masonic Faterrnal Police Department had jurisdiction in 33 states and in Mexico.

Gee Wiz this must of been another one of those Masonic Secrets I missed in Grand Master School.

Click on the links below for a great read.......................


/http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/05/05/group-claiming-to-be-descendants-of-knights-templar-arrested-for-impersonating-police-officers/

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-aide-harris-accused-rogue-police-force-20150505-story.html

http://masonicfraternalpolicedepartment.org/

National Treasure #3

Attention National Treasure fans! I have good news. It was announced earlier this week that the Disney Corporation is planning for the third installment of National Treasure and the film is in the making and speeding ahead.

The film will have a very established production staff. The Director is Jon Turtelbaub and the screen writers are Carlo Bernard and Doug Miro. They have just finsihed up the Disney movie with Nicolas Cage in "The Sorcers Apprentice"

It is my understanding that Nicolas Cage will return to play the adventurous archaelogist and historian Benjamin Gates. Actors Justin Bartha, Dian Krugerand, Jon Voight are also expected to return.

The movie is expected to be released sometime in 2011.

I am going to go out on a limb very early even before the movie is even written and predict the plot of National Treasure Three. My prediction is based on a clue that was given to us in "National Treasure Book of Secrets."

If you recall from the plot line of the movie, there was a book kept by the President of the United States for the eyes only of the Presidents following him. This book was passed from President to President. This book contained all the answers to the biggest secrets in American History.

In the movie, Benjamin Gates (Nicolas Cage) convinced the President to tell him where the book was kept, and the President told him that the book was in the Library of Congress. The President then directed Ben Gates to read Page 47.

At the end of the movie the President asks Ben about what he read on Page 47 of the Book of Secrets, Ben replied, "It's life altering, sir." Of course we dont know what that information is, but that might be the starting point to the new movie.

I am anxious to learn more about National Treasure #3. I hope that film director Jerry Bruckheimer and actor Nicolas Cage will bring incredible surprises from Page 47 of the Book of Secrets. Whatever it is I'm sure it's going to be another cliffhanger.

PS at this stage there has been no mentions of Freemasons in the Movie. But its very early to tell.

The Lost Symbol to be release September 15,2009

Dan Brown's newest novel since "The Da Vinci Code" -- "The Lost Symbol" -- is expected to be released by Doubleday Publishing on September 15, 2009.

Many have waited to hear from the author about the book's plot, but little has been said. The publisher has been releasing cryptic teasers on Facebook and Twitter.

There has been much buzz and speculation among my Brothers of the Craft of the book's possible plotlines.

To help you wade through the hype and confusion, and to help you gain better insight of the new book's plot line, I have provided a link below to an excellent article published in the electronic version of the Washingtonian.com. Just click here.

Even if you're not as interested in the book as I am, you will enjoy the article about the Freemasons and the city of Washington D.C.

The photo that you see to your right is the cover that will be released in Germany. I thought it was a nice photo of the Double Headed Eagle......hmmmm.

Personally, I have no intent to purchase "The Lost Symbol". Maybe I'll pick it up at the library or when it hits the thrift stores. But then again, maybe not.