MasonicMinute.com
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Posted at: 3:45 pm You may hear often either from a potential candidate or a man who is already a Mason and would like to expand his Masonic knowledge ask for suggestions as to what books they should read. AEdifico and I were at our lodge and a man who is pulling his 6 month introductory stint asked if there were any Masonic books that we would recommend. AEdifico said that he would not recommend any Masonic books right now, but will gladly lend him some titles once he was raised. This was to prevent the candidate from tainting his experience of the degrees, etc. I could see where AEdifico was coming from, but I thought that a cursory reading list of non-Masonic books would greatly benifit potential candidates as well as active members. So, here is my suggested reading list of non-Masonic books that I believe benifits a Mason in his capacity to think critically as well as his ability to appreciate literature (in no particular order) 1. The Greek Myths by Robert Graves or Bulfinch’s Mythlology 2. The Declaration of Independence and The U.S. Constitution 3. The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri 4. Candide by Voltaire 5. Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman 6. The Illiad and The Odyssey by Homer 7. The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell 8. Psychology and Alchemy by Carl Jung 9. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 10. The Rights of Man by Thomas Paine 11. The Social Contract and Other Discourses by Jean-Jacques Rousseau 12. Ramueau’s Nephew and D’Alembert’s Dream by Denis Diderot 13. Common Sense by Thomas Paine 14. The Complete Works of Josephus by Josephus 15. The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli 16. Animal Farm by George Orwell 17. Republic by Plato 18. Poetics and Rhetoric by Aristotle 19. Paradise Lost by John Milton 20. Alchemy and Mysticism by Alenxander Roob These books cover a wide range of topics, but I feel that they have benifited my Masonic education in some way. I purposfully left out The Bible, Torah, Koran, Analects, etc because I wanted to focus more on books that didn’t have an entire religion as its product, but this list will get your brain working. I also kept the list at 20 because there would be no point to list my entire library. So please comment with other suggestions because I am always looking for a good book to read! |
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December 18, 2007
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Posted at: 6:38 pm For too long, the academic snobs in our Craft have taken great pains to dispell the Masonic Myth. This myth - that our order is directly descended from the Knights Templar - is one that has never and will never be proven. At the same time, nobody is ever going to prove that Zeus was whacked by Hermes, that King Arthur pulled a sword out of a rock or that pizza was created by Italians. But nobody is ever going to dis-prove these things either. That’s why we call them myths. One must wonder, then, why so many Masonic scholars (including Arizona’s Past Grand Master himself!) would be so strong in their advocacy against the idea of a direct Templar-Mason tie? Is it the arrogance of the intelligencia? Is it their “I’m smarter than you and your silly-little fantasies” superiority complex? It is probably neither. Most Masonic scholars are dedicated to the search for Light. They are constantly applying the scientific tools of their trade to deduct the truth from the muddled history that extends into the mists of time. They are on their own “Grail Quest” for the Truth regarding our past, and we appreciate them for continuing to try to clarify this great question. That notwithstanding, there remains no concrete proof in either direction. We may never be able to know with any certainty whether or how Mason did or did not descend from the Knights Templar. Here is where you, dear reader, must pick-up a copy of Joseph Campbell’s Hero With a Thousand Faces and read it. After finishing this book, you may proceed with the rest of this Blog. If you are not willing to take the time and effort to read that book before going-on, you may still generally understand the main point, but you won’t understand it very well. If you have already read the book, you already know where I’m going. Campbell writes: “Throughout the inhabited world, in all time and under every circumstance, the myths of man have flourished; and they have been the living inspiration of whatever else may have appeared out of the activities of the human body and mind. It would not be too much to say that myth is the secret opening through which the inexhaustible energies of the cosmos pour into human cultural manifestation. Religions, pholosophies, arts, the social forms of primitive and historic man, prime discoveries in science and technology, the very dreams that blister sleep, boil up from the basic, magic ring of myth.” We know the value of myth to the Human Species. Myth binds and unites men under rules and understandings. Myth gives us a common history and herritage, and helps set the shining example for us to follow. Myths set-forth the life lessons that we are to learn from. Myth allows us to avoid possibly horrible experiences from the lessons taught by the mythical characters playing-out their parts in these timeless dramas. In short, myths have value to societies. And while we can see the value in a thing that only WE possess - the Masonic Myth of Templar Origin - one must wonder what value there is in debunking that myth? What do we gain by destroying that connection…by de-mystifying our past, by forsaking a noble and hallowed history? This is an argument for mystery. It is an argument, not against the “Truth” spoken-to above, but a plea to the Masonic scholars who seek it. Don’t strip our Craft of it’s traditions and stories. Don’t blow-out the Light of the campfire in favor of the Light of a flourescent bulb. Please refrain from absolutist claims that there is no grand connection under any circumstances. Our Craft is at the beginning of a great Masonic renaissance. We thirst for and thrive from the power of the myths that bind us. Ours is the reniassance of the new Mason. He is a Man who, more synical than past generations, needs more than ever to be able to hang onto someting bigger than himself. He needs ideas and connections to a time and a place that he cannot own, but must work to own. We must give him, through our myth, the motivation to “fail in his quest for perfection.” It is only through this “hero’s journey” that the Mason can attain the spiritual connection he seeks, to his Brothers, to his Lodge and to the Supreme Architect. Long live the myth! |
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Posted at: 9:18 pm I had an interesting experience today. My daughter caught me reading. I was not watching ESPN, or surfing the internet or anything like that…I was reading. She came up to me (she’s almost three years old) and sat in my lap and we looked at all the pictures in the book I had been paying attention to. We talked about colors and letters and numbers…you know…three year old kid stuff. She got tired of looking at pictures of guys standing or sitting while wearing funny clothes and drawings of old buildings, so she grabbed one of her books and sat next to me on the floor and started reading something about a Wombat and his little friends having a sleep-over. I must confess, I only feigned interest. But I realized that I was doing her a favor. I was teaching her a lesson that too many of our brothers don’t teach their kids…I was reading with the TV turned off. Now, this little incident is not isolated. Many an evening will end for my little princess with her droopy little head walking out to the living room and giving me a kiss good-night. The thing is, I usually have to put down my book in order to give her a big hug and kiss. Daddy reads. I am no better than any other Man. I will never claim such a thing. But the lesson I learned today filled me with such an awesome sense of accomplishment that I had to share it with the Blog. My Masonry was improving my family. My practice of this Craft was taking this little girl into the world of the written word…which will eventually (I hope) lead her into literature and knowledge far beyond the perception of her peers. This is a gift that my Masonic curiosity has given to my family. So who do you represent to your children? What does your family see you do on those lazy weekends when it’s too hot to mow the lawn and the budget doesn’t allow for a movie or a trip to the mall? Are you taking your time to be a Mason? I let my Craft invade and permeate every aspect of my life. Masonry is who I am, not just what I do. This, my brothers, is what we need to remember. Our Craft is a noble pursuit, it is Arthur’s ”Quest for the Grail”, it is Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey”, it is a way of living. When all of us live the life of a Mason while being who we are…we will all be better and our Craft will at last have in it the men it deserves. I try. Do you? |
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Posted at: 1:19 am Communication is at the heart of all societies, especially of ours. It is the way we understand each other that binds us more tightly, or drives us apart. At this point in Masonic history, there is a struggle between the generations. This is a good thing. We are learners and builders. We should learn from each other and build better relationships. Our internal struggles should be seen as an opportunity for growth, not a painful waiting game to see who dies first. Let me relay a short personal story to illuistrate my point. Many years ago, I was at a protest at my undergraduate college (they had free dinner for the protesters…and I was a starving student…and there were hot chicks). Anyway, I sat there in one of the many groups, ours consisted of a dozen or so. We got bored, and started singing songs from old sit-coms that we had all grown-up watching on TV…Gilligan’s Island, Andy Griffith…stuff like that. The point is that we had common experiences in the stories (or myths) that we grew-up with. We all knew Opie and Aunt Whats-her-name. We all thought the Professor was a tool…you know…we knew the same stuff and could relate to each other better. This was true even though nobody in this little group had ever met prior to this one event. What would you say the chances are that a dozen college kids today could come-up with as their own common ‘myth’? Would they all know the words to the same songs? Would they all have simmilar perceptions about certain characters? Would they even know the same characters? Unlikely…why? Today’s kids have six billion TV stations where we had 3 or4. Today’s kids don’t remember a time prior to cell-phones or the internet. There is less of a common bond than ever. This is why Masonry is so valuable. This is what we must begin to understand. If you took the same litmus test and applied it to our loveable ‘old guys’ in the Lodge…well they almost all lived the same life! WWII, Korea, Kennedy, Green Stamps, Howdy-Doody, Superman…you get the picture? They all had much more in common because there was less to choose from (insofar as media/entertainment is concerned). Their ‘myths’ usually include some singing-cowboy or a famously mysterious radio voice. The thing is…they shared much more than we did, and we share much more than those coming after us. We are all so different, yet we strive for the comfort of familiarity. The attraction of Freemasonry - the Freemasonry of esoterica and education - is what unites us. Younger men and older men alike can pick-up a copy of Morals and Dogma and be equally confused and bored (apologies to His Rexcellency who so adores Ill.Bro. Pike). Our brothers from multiple generations can cull Masonic meaning in great books (which I highly recommend) like Euclid’s Window by Leonard Mlodinow, or How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill. A ‘Great Light’ of our Fraternity can shine with equal brightness for all brothers who wish to read and consider it’s worth…for “Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” (psalms 12:1). You see, this War Within our Fraternity is an opportunity. We modern Masons can learn from our ancient brethren. They can teach us much…and we can give them the respect they deserve, and listen. But at the same time, my ancient masters…don’t talk to me about your prescriptions! Your health is a concern…but your hearing-aide woes are not bringing me closer to my spiritual development. The War Within us is a misunderstanding. We do not “get” each other because we come from different communication traditions. We have different ‘myths’ in our lives. But we share a common Craft. Understanding more about the other guy and why it is that he acts and thinks the way he does is one great way to Love him. Brothers must show Love by trying to understand each other. This is how we continue fulfilling our obligation. Yes, we share a common Craft, a Masonic Myth…and that, my brother, is enough! (more to come on the Common ‘Myth’ of Masonry) |
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