The Tao of Masonry

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later.

I’ve spent two years as a District Grand Lecturer, traveling to the different lodges in my district, helping out whenever asked, tactfully making suggestions, always stepping in when a body was needed. Two years of certifying those who would sit in the East, often at only a few days notice. Two years of going to meetings, of discussing issues with Grand Lodge, of offering my helpful suggestions whenever asked.

At the Grand Lodge Annual Session, I was stripped of my title.

Did I have some controversial blog post? Have an argument with my Grand Lodge superiors? Shoot my mouth off after imbibing at a social function?

No.

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Oh, I’m still the District Grand Lecturer, of course; it’s just that Connecticut is doing away with the honorific “Very Worshipful.”

I’m so not the drama, remember ?

Sheesh!

Anyway, it was great to go to the Grand Lodge session again. That is, it was great to go to the socials on the night beforehand. To me, this is the best part of Grand lodge; you get to see people from around the state that you rarely or never get to see otherwise. Even thought Connecticut is a small state, it still sometimes seems impossible for me to get to the odd corners of the state, especially when I spend so much time looking after the lodges in my district. But even if I did get out to the lodges in, say, our New York or Rhode Island districts, there’s still too much lodge business to be conducted to be able to spend any good length of time just talking, getting caught up, passing along gossip, fixing the problems of the fraternity, and admiring the new high tech toys that we love to show off.

I have to admit that I felt a little bit like a rock star for part of the evening, as several people introduced themselves to me and mentioned that they were readers of this blog, bringing my total of Connecticut readers up to, oh, 27 or 28, I think. I got the usual comments about how I look like my Simpsonized Blogger profile picture, some nice compliments on my writing for both this blog and our state publication, and even our new Grand Senior Steward admitted that perhaps I might have a few readers who were of the UGLE persuasion. Lofty praise, indeed!

Adding to the rock star aura was a Past Master from Universal Fraternity 149, who had been to Washington D.C. and met with one of the real rock stars of Masonry, Dr. S. Brent Morris, the noted Masonic scholar, and author of a Dummies book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Freemasonry (I’m told that he has written other things as well, but I can’t imagine they are as good). WB Daniel passed along a greeting to me from Bro. Morris, the honor of which was marred only slightly by my needing to explain to those around us who Bro. Morris is. Apparently the orange books aren’t quite as widely known as the yellow ones.

I especially appreciate Bro. Nick (raised less than two weeks previously) telling anybody that passed him on the way to the bar that The Tao of Masonry was one of the things that convinced him that he should join the fraternity. As the drinks were free, I have to suppose that he really meant it, too.

Speaking of free drinks, a lot of brothers were disappointed in the lack of lodge-sponsored “hospitality rooms” this year. As far as we’ve been able to determine, only Friendship 33 had an open room for the mingling of fellow travelers. There was the regular suite run by the Grotto, and some people crashed the Grand Lodge (quasi) private reception area, but the handful of lodges that typically sponsor such rooms were markedly absent.

I think that Friendship 33 deserves some kind of recognition, don’t you?

And speaking of recognition, I ran into a long-lost friend. Well, actually, he searched me out, and ran into some guys from the Fifth District who grudgingly admitted to knowing me. He found me having dinner in the hotel saloon, and the first thing he said was something to the effect of my hair not being as gray when he’d first met me.

The next day I made sure to scratch the side of his car with my walker.

I’d “met” brother Steve on a Masonic discussion board back in 2000 before I joined the fraternity. The board had a variety of Masons from jurisdictions all over the world, and he was they only one from Connecticut. He was a fairly new Masons himself back then, and it was good to read his perspectives on his own journeys. He wrote an amusing anecdote about his interview which prepared me for the one that I would undergo a year or so later.

One of the nicest things, though, was he came up to see my EA degree, a good hour’s drive (he’s from our New York district). I was a new guy at Friendship, and while I had met a few people, I had only really known one guy well, so Steve was the only other person at my degree with whom I was somewhat familiar. It made the experience a little more friendly for me. Thanks, bro! He had taken a few years off – a respite – and last year threw himself back into the labors. It was good to reconnect, and I’m planning a visit to his lodge next month.

Naturally a bunch of us spent some time fixing the fraternity – or at least, explaining how we would fix things, given the opportunity. It’s a lot like when people fix the government, but harder because Masonry is much more entrenched. While naturally such discussions are fueled in part by spirits, the great thing is that they, in turn, fuel the spirits of those who are committed to the improvement of the Craft. In other words, while some people see this as carping or complaining about the fraternity, I tend to see it as expressions of concern; those without a sincere desire for the welfare and growth of the organization do not bother to put much thought into either the kinds of things that they would like to see changed or improved, or the means to which those changes might happen.

Items on the repair list included more ritual seminars, more use of teh intertubez for communication and organizing, more time socializing, and less time reading the minutes. Of course, this sounded a lot like last year’s list, but little by little some things are improving. For example, in Connecticut, we’ve had about 400 new members join in the last year; 90 of them made contact directly through our web site. In other words, fully a quarter of the new members did not come in through friends or relatives. Would they have made any contact if our Grand Lodge site did not exist?

And speaking of new members, I was pleased to see a lot of new – as in, newly joined – Masons over the last couple of days, and I think that it’s a great thing for new members to get involved with the actually workings of the organization itself. I sincerely hope that they can keep up the energy and drive, and I hope to see them – and meet many new brothers – next year.
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The Grand Lodge in Connecticut has been pushing the idea of a state-wide “open house” for the public. Not for them to visit the Grand Lodge itself, which, until this week was still under construction (that’s right – Connecticut did not have a Grand Lodge building, meeting instead in one of the several large Masonic temples around the state, or in a hotel conference center). The open house is supposed to take place this Saturday, October 27th. Almost two dozen lodges have committed to opening and having tour guides or something of interest to the public, including Friendship Lodge, and my affiliate lodge, Sequin-Level No. 140. One of the committees, I think it’s Masonry in Action (I’m sure I’ll be corrected on the name) managed to contact a reporter for one of the “alternative” newspapers, who agreed to write up a little article to help promote this.

Accordingly, last week I exchanged a few emails with Adam Bulger of the Hartford Advocate, who called and chatted with me for a good half hour about Freemasonry. Unfortunately, Mr. Bulgar’s views may have been colored by first reading this blog. Yes, our big chance to make a good first impression, and of all things for him to research he reads random posts on The Tao of Masonry. While the article is not about me, of course, there’s no mistaking the author’s perspective when he writes:

“In addition to being the District Grand Lecturer for the Hartford-area district, [Tom] Accuosti writes the blog The Tao of Masonry.

Accuosti’s blog is written in a lighthearted, jokey manner — he calls himself the “Exalted Keeper of the Secrets of Freemasonarianism” and “Crop Circle Planning & Zoning Commissioner.” Other Connecticut Mason blogs, including Movable Jewel, written by an officer in Middletown and New Haven Mason Charles Tirrell’s Masonic Renaissance, take the order more seriously. (emphasis mine)

My first reaction was “Lighthearted and jokey? Where the hell would he get that idea?”

Then I remembered the email I sent off to him, which said, in part:

“Masons having some innate love for assigning fancy titles, I now answer to “Very Worshipful,” which entitles me to as much respect as, say, an ‘assistant to the editor.’”

and

“[...] unfortunately, there are still a number of people who are under the impression that we are actually sitting on the Temple of King Solomon or hiding the Treasure of the Templars, or acting as advance scouts for the Illuminati (or the CFR, Bilderbergs, Zeta-Reticulans, etc.)”

Oh.

*ahem*

Yes, well, anyway, the online article features a nice shot of WB Dave Edman, PM of Friendship, and one of the brothers spearheading this publicity event; flanked by WB Jim VanderEyk (currently Chaplain at Friendship) and Ed Lawson, the Chaplain at Fredrick-Franklin No. 14 in Plainville. All were on hand to answer questions for the Advocate photographer.

Most impressive to me, though, was that the reporter was actually deferential in asking questions, and clearly was hesitant to ask something that might be overly personal or inappropriate about the Craft. I think I helped to set his mind at ease by explaining that the “secrets” of Masonry are not the ones written in the books – or as the case may be, all over various web sites.

I have no idea how helpful this article will be in terms of getting people to the lodges on a nice Saturday afternoon. But I certainly hope that it presents a new perspective for people who either have never thought about the Freemasons, or who only know us because their grandfather might have been a member.

Anyone who has not picked up a copy of the free weekly arts & entertainment journal can read the online article. And remember to leave a comment telling Mr. Bulger how pleased you are with his writing.

Tao of Masonry | Freemasonry | Masonry

Back in July of 2006 I wrote about a website with a collection of pictures of tattoos with a Masonic theme; generally some versions of the traditional Square & Compasses, but many we very elaborate examples of well-designed skin art. That site, Masonic Ink, now has dozens of pages of such artwork, and hundreds of pictures of various tattoos sent in by readers ranging from young, new Masons up to Grand Masters of the craft. In the last six or eight months it’s become one of the most popular pages on this blog, judging by the Google and other search engine hits. Obviously, the desire to display one’s Masonic affiliation has, for many of us, gone far beyond deciding what kind of ring or pin to buy.

That is why I was surprised and admittedly, a little irritated to read this recent anonymous comment on that post:

An “oxymoron” is a thing which is characterized by inherently incongruous or contradictory elements. For instance, a “smart fool,” a “salty candy,” a “soggy desert,” etc.

A Masonic tattoo is what many would consider an oxymoron because the wearer has chosen to do something that demonstrates a certain lack of the kind of prudence, restraint, moderation and temperance that is taught in Masonic degrees.

Of the three great duties that you, as a Mason, are taught to inculcate, the third charges you to avoid “all irregularity and intemperance, which may … debase the dignity of your profession.” We are assured that “a zealous attachment to these duties will insure public and private esteem.”

But, a Masonic tattoo says to the casual observer, “I’m enthusiastic about being a Mason, even to the point that I am willing to do something incredibly tasteless and intemperate to display my membership, therefore also demonstrating that I have learned nothing of Masonry’s lessons.”

Other examples of this kind of misplaced enthusiasm would include a minister who is so enthusiastic about being a minister that he would would wear his collar anywhere he went, including wearing it into a house of ill repute; or an Eagle Scout who is so proud of being an Eagle Scout that he wears his uniform all the time, even when he is doing something that he should not.

Would you want to be a member of a fraternity whose members do not frown upon, say, eyebrow rings with the fraternity logo? I wouldn’t.

Wow.

I have to admit that my first thought after reading this was “Who died and left you in charge of what is acceptable and tasteful around here?” After a few moments, however, I managed to subdue my passions and read it again. What struck me was how this person – who I’m assuming is a brother – ascribed a “wrongness” to tattooing, without explaining his reasoning behind it. The central theme of his opinion, that a tattoo is “incredibly tasteless” and proves that one has learned “nothing of Masonry’s lessons,” is, I’m sure, based upon some kind of previously held perspective on morality; and truth be told, most of us have some kinds of prejudices and biases based on nothing more than our constant exposure to stereotypical attitudes in our local culture. Further thinking on this led me to wonder what it is about tattooing and other body modification that – supposedly – belies one’s Masonic prudence.

Indeed, it made me wonder about the entire concept of Masonic morality. After all, we purport to teach moral lessons through metaphor, allegory, and symbolism. But what, exactly, is the basis of that morality? And what, exactly, are those ethical principles? And how do we manage to go from general principles of morality to those things that belong within the realm of the individual – tattoos, clothing, piercings, hair length?

In the US, the charge to a Fellowcraft – the second degree of Masonry – one learns that it is “the internal, and not the external qualifications of a man that Masonry regards.” One can’t get much more “external” than a tattoo or an eyebrow piercing. Indeed, I’m reminded of one of those old Carl Claudy-esque tales in which a young, long-haired, scruffily dressed Mason shows up at a crowded lodge meeting, and finding no seat sits on the floor. An older, respected Past Master sees this and walks (slowly, because of of his age, of course) down the aisle. Everybody in the room expects that the PM is going to give the scruffy youngster a stern talking-to, but they are surprised when he – carefully – sits down on the floor next to the young man and introduces himself, and welcomes him to the lodge. Apocryphal as this story most likely is, it demonstrates that some of our members actually do that that part of the charge to heart. Masonry has everything to do with being a good man and true, and little or nothing to do with what amount to individual preferences or tastes.

Coincidentally, there is a recent post over at Beacon of Masonic Light about homosexual lodge members, and personally I’m astounded that this topic even warrants any discussion. Again, as with tattoos or piercings or hair length, where in any of our obligations, allegories or any other part of our teachings does a person’s sexuality have any bearing on their being good, honest, and upright men? Judging from the comments left there, however, it apparently does make a difference to some members. Bro. Dunn’s excellent response to a comment sums up my own perspective on Masonic morality rather succinctly:

Its not about me changing them, its about ME changing ME.

We need to keep this in mind in lodge. Morality is not about what people do with consenting adults in private, its what we do to and for society that shows our morality.

Indeed. Those of us with ashlars needing to be perfected would do well to remember this.

Tao of Masonry | Freemasonry | Masonry

Some of my 19 or so readers use the blogroll – the links on my sidebar – to jump to other blogs. A few weeks ago I added a link to Moveable Jewel, failing to mention that the author is also a brother from Connecticut. He and I have communicated via email, and he is young and idealistic about the fraternity… unlike yours truly, who is old and cynical middle-aged and pragmatic.

I am pleased to see that he is a member of the Philosophic Lodge of Research, one of Connecticut’s two research lodges. The purpose of a research lodge is to study aspects of the fraternity, and the members will write – and present – papers on various topics ranging from the historical to political to esoteric. Members will also come to speak at a lodge, which is a great idea for an educational program.

But I am pointing out his blog now because he’s written a great piece for the Philosophic Lodge of Research. Of particular note was this passage:

“I myself have been the object of Masonic Relief on more occasions than I care to count. I have arrived at Lodge careworn after a miserable day in a job that payed the bills, but did not feed my soul. At Lodge I received the warm smiles and firm handshakes of men that I truly respect. Their humor, and the camaraderie that I enjoyed with them lifted my spirits and gave me the stamina to improve my lot.”

There have been any number of times after a particularly bad day at work that I’ve been tired, frustrated, angry, and want to curl up on the sofa with a glass of wine and a book and ignore the rest of society; yet I throw on a change of clothes and head down to the lodge… and realize that by the time the Secretary has finished reading the minutes, I’m relaxed and feeling more human.
Thanks for reminding me of that.

Now, the other 18 of you – go check it out.

Tao of Masonry | Freemasonry | Masonry

The disco balls were conspicuously absent, as were the leisure suits and pouffy hair, but the members and friends of Friendship Lodge had a great time in spite of (or maybe because of) this at the Old Mill Restaurant, just days before Halloween.

Tainters Ladies Night

The occasion was ostensibly a get-together of the Tainter’s Tavern; a group of Masons that gather purely for social interest. Once in a while, the “men only” evenings take a back seat so that some of the long-suffering and very understanding wives and partners of the brothers can have an evening out, socializing and enjoying a fine dinner.

The Tainter’s Tavern group, named in honor of the pub in which they originally met, was started 22 years ago by half a dozen young Masons, new officers all, who would cross paths at various functions. They decided to get together on an infrequent basis to just talk about what they were doing in the fraternity, problems, fixes, and engage in some all-important gossip. The original members started inviting new people, who invited more new people, who, in turn…

It’s a big event.

The nice thing is that at a Tainter’s function, there are no “rules”. A new Junior Steward might be sitting at the same table as a Grand Master, or a couple of Past Grand Masters, or various other Grand Lodge types; yet titles and positions are not observed. The guy next to you is simply “Bro. Chip” or “Bro. Art.” We gossip, trade jokes and swap stories, and generally let off some steam.

This year, as in many previous years, the Tainter’s meeting was organized by partymeister Bob, who thought that it would be a great idea to bring our wives, girlfriends, mistresses, and/or other significants, and turn it into a Ladies’ Night. I think that we had about 80 people, essentially taking over the restaurant for the evening.

It was certainly nice to see everybody having such a great time. Maybe we should Bob in charge of doing this every year.

Tao of Masonry | Freemasonry | Masonry

The second weekend of the 38th annual Apple Harvest Festival finally drew to a close, and although the numbers are still out, it appears that Friendship Lodge had its best year in a long time, with over $5,000 in profit generated from the sale of Philly steak sandwiches and our now-famous fried apple wedgies. With the exception of a downpour on the morning of the first Sunday, we had two weekends of good weather – not too hot, not too cold, and just right for fair-goers to walk around and build up an appetite.

Apple Harvest 2006 – Week 2

I’m pleased to see that the Apple Wedgies are becoming more well-known. For the last few years we’ve typically bought 6 cases (600 apples), often ending up with at least one case left over. This year we bought 10 cases! We peeled, wedged, and fried 9 of them over the two weekends and sold them right up until 7 p.m. on Sunday. What a fantastic increase! And I’m sure that it had very little to do with a certain officer who hooked the apple peeler up to a power drill to speed up the production… We also ran out of the steak sandwiches early Sunday afternoon, not long after the parade ended – a sure sign that the crowds were in a buying mood.

Events like this do not run themselves, and we appreciate everyone who came down to help in whatever capacity they could lend themselves to, whether it be running errands, moving the food from the lodge to the tent, moving empty containers from the tent back to the lodge, working the counters, or helping with the clean-up. While every bit of help was important, several people deserve a special mention. First, the event would not have been half as successful without the unflagging efforts of Gerry and his wonderful wife Rhonda. They helped to set up, they prepped and cooked, they helped to dismantle the booth, and Gerry even provided the all-important and nutritious egg sandwiches on weekend mornings. I am going to strongly recommend to everybody that they find out what kind of vitamins these two take.

Some other highlights worth mentioning: Kyle worked until his back gave out, and we’re hoping for a speedy recovery. Jim did an admirable job coordinating, something that I would have hated to do myself. And it was certainly worth the price of admission to see not just one, but two Dougs (H & L) doing actual labor. Special thanks to Chuck and Ken for manning the hot grill with their usual calm demeanor while under fire. Kevin, Ryan and Eric are also to be commended for their help while watching over the DeMolay tent; and certainly thanks to those DeMolays who pitched in to help their lodge by carrying things back and forth when needed. I understand that the Marcus Holcocmb DeMolay Chapter made over $800 from their popcorn and cotton candy sales; great job, guys!

I also need to specially thank Charley R and Larry B, both of whom stepped down from the East in their respective lodges to help out at Friendship. In fact, between the Apple Harvest and DeMolay, Charley has become so frequent a visitor at Friendship that we should make him an honorary member.

And I think that we should all take an opportunity to thank our wives or Significant Others, who either came to help out, lend moral support, or at least gave us the time off to come down to work the booth.

I know that I missed some people on this list, and I apologize for that because it took the efforts of every single one of you to make this the most successful Apple Harvest in recent memory. It’s events like this that make me especially proud to be a member of Friendship Lodge.

Tao of Masonry | Freemasonry | Masonry

The first week of the Southington Apple Harvest Festival was a rousing success. A few of us had been down there for the initial set-up on Wednesday night, and again on Thursday to set up the equipment. Both nights saw us working until midnight, so it was probably a relief that on Friday – the night it opened – we ran out of prepared beef by 8 p.m. I had to take a few hours to attend a district meeting, and when I got back at 10, the cleanup was finished and everyone had gone home.

Apple Harvest 2006

Oct 3, 2006 – 36 Photos

Friday night saw some traffic, mostly town folk looking to beat the Saturday crowds. Saturday in Connecticut was a beautiful day, and despite the several town fairs competing for attention, the Southington town green was mobbed with people.

Sunday morning saw some torrential downpours, and at 9:30 a.m. the annual parade was rescheduled for the next week. But the rain let up after 11:00, and by noon people were starting to mill around the various booths. By 2:00 p.m. the area was dry and the people started arriving, drawn, no doubt, by the aroma of our delicious over-stuffed sandwiches and our tasty apple treats.

Corporate types like to send their managers and Veeps off to white-water rafting, rock-climbing, and other team-building exercises, but that sometimes misses the point: most people enjoy doing things for a good cause, and when they work together in close quarters in tasks that actually mean something it adds a dimension that is not available in other venues. You may have some personal conflicts with Tom, Dick or Harry, but few things help to smooth those rough spots like having them lift that refrigerator off your back, or carry 400 pounds of beef over to your work area. Likewise, these events also provide an opportunity for people to showcase some previously unknown talent; the quiet guy in the corner may show a flair for organizing the kitchen, or for coming up with a different idea for doing something that you’ve done the same way for the last ten years.

And on top of that, certainly there’s nothing that brings people closer together than knowing which ones will stay around for the all-important clean-up duty… except, possibly, the hour after the clean-up is finished and you just hang around, gossiping and venting over a beer or a coffee, and basking in the glow of a job well done.

On Monday I sent this out to our brothers:

The Apple Harvest Festival is only half over, but I wanted to take the opportunity to thank each and every one of you that helped to make this into what is turning out to be another successful year.

Some of you came down for an afternoon or an evening. Some of us have been down there every night since Wednesday, setting up the tent floor, cleaning the grills, moving the equipment, peeling apples, mixing and cooking the beef for the sandwiches, manning the booth, grilling and stuffing the sandwiches, and just as importantly, helping with the cleanup each night. I want to say that I’m proud of each and every one of you.

According to the preliminary reports, we’re already past the break-even point, and next week should be all profit for us. The parade was rained out and rescheduled for next Sunday. Since next week is the big Craft Fair weekend, that means we can expect large crowds on both days. It’s critical that we have the manpower to keep the apple wedgies and Philly steak sandwiches flowing to the hungry mobs. I urge anyone who has the time to come down Friday night, Saturday and Sunday. Sunday evening will be important, too, because that’s when we will need help to dismantle the tent and put the equipment away.

The success of the festival, and indeed, of the lodge itself depends on all of us pulling together. This is the only real fundraiser that we have, so I can’t over-stress the importance of your participation. And for those of you who aren’t able to cook or clean, there’s always the moral support for those of us who are stuck in the booth or in the kitchen. Come on down, anyway, if only to say “hello” to brothers you haven’t seen in a while.

Over the last couple of years I’ve visited a good handful of lodges, and based on those visits I made a point to tell all of my brothers how fortunate I felt to be a member of Friendship Lodge. I hope that they come to realize for themselves how fortunate we all are.

Tao of Masonry | Freemasonry | Masonry

Town and county fairs are a New England tradition, and Southington – a town in the Quinnipiac River Valley and known for its orchards and farms – holds a town event called the Apple Harvest Festival . It’s grown to a two-weekend event, and hosts the usual assortment of crafters, souvenir hawkers, baby-kissing politicians, and of course, an assortment of foods. Times being what they are, we seem to see fewer apple-related treats and more of the “chicken-on-a-stick” genre. We don’t mind, though, because it’s all delicious. Diets take a back seat to deep-fried donuts, fritters, and of course, to the Friendship Lodge “Apple Wedgies.”

For almost 40 years, Southington has held a festival of some sort, but it was only about 20 years ago that it became a large and widely known affair. As the Festival is held on the town green, right across from the lodge, Friendship Lodge has used the opportunity to set up a booth to sell “Philly”steak’n'cheese sandwiches. Oh sure, anyone living between Trenton and Baltimore may turn up their noses, but few others north of the Passaic can resist a generous helping of freshly cooked seasoned shaved steak, smothered withsauteed onions and red peppers, surrounded by a delicious sandwich roll.They totally rock! I can eat those things every day for a week.

Anyway, a few years ago Friendship Lodge needed to augment the sandwich sales with something else. We tried various apple-y things, finally coming up with the idea to take a peeled and cored apple, cut into wedges, dipped in a batter and then quickly deep-fried, and then covered with cinnamon. Delicious! Each wedge is like biting into a teeny apple pie. We’ve been selling them for the last six or seven years, and have become a local hit.

The Festival is really the only fund-raiser that Friendship does, and we try to work at making it a success, although some years bad weather keeps the fair-goers home. A few years back, downpours on both weekends spelled disaster for many craft and food vendors, but fortunately that’s a rarity. But every year we’re optimistic, and that’s why you can find anywhere from four to a dozen of us inside a 20′ x 20′ nylon tent with a couple of 120 lb “portable ” grills, some crock pots, and a deep fryer.

But perhaps just as important as the fund-raising is something that we don’t think about as much: the brotherhood-raising. Friendship is a lot like many other lodges: There are a certain number of brothers who are active, another group that show up once in a while, and others that show up rarely or never. But the Festival will draw the brothers down, and even the men that haven’t been to lodge in ten or twenty years will stop by the booth. Some will just stop to say “Hi” and to see who they remember. Others will stop to say “Hi,” have a sandwich… and then say “What the hell,” and pitch in to help. Sometimes just the camaraderie stays with them for a few weeks, and we see them stop back at lodge again. Sometimes not. More importantly, though, is that they’ve renewed their connections with Friendship and with Masonry.

Just as important as those renewing their connections are those who are developing it in the first place. Five years ago, I was a new EA, and didn’t know anybody at the lodge. I was initiated just a week or two before the festival, so naturally I came down to help. It was the best thing I could have done to get to know my lodge brothers – instead of sitting quietly during a meeting, I got to talk and mingle, all the while getting some work done. There is a section in our Charge to an EA that explains in order to improve in Masonic knowledge, we must take the opportunity to converse with our more well-informed brethren. On breaks in the activity, we would an opportunity for a beer or a coffee (depending upon the hour), and I’d get an opportunity to learn more about the various activities, and who these men were, and what attracted them to Masonry. Some of the men seemed to go out of their way to make sure that I was comfortable, and that I knew where everything was, and to talk to me a bit – something I appreciated at the time.

I was reminiscing about that first Apple Harvest as a new Mason, and the thing that sticks in my head was this: A few of the brothers, knowing that I didn’t know anybody, in several separate incidents took me aside to let me know that we had some members who might be “a little rough around the edges” or who could “rub someone the wrong way,” and that I should not take anything personally. How interesting to discover that these brothers were actually among the several who made a point to make me feel welcome.

Every year the suggestion comes up that we have a “sign up sheet” for people to work the booth, do the prep work, cook the meat, etc. It never works. People stop in, help for an hour or two, leave, come back, wash some pans, have coffee, visit the other booths… the expression “herding cats” comes to mind. It’s never been a problem, though; things always get done, and sometimes the best part is at the end of the day after the cleaning up is done, when we sit back and have a coffee or a beer, and just let of some steam. We just spent the last two nights getting prepped: set up the tent, install and level the floor, carry out the grills, run the wiring, etc.

This year, as it happens several of the “old timers” aren’t around to help. One of them was called to the Celestial Lodge a couple of years ago. Two others are in the hospital for various ailments, one is tending to the arrangements of his daughter’s wedding, and a few others are absent this weekend for one reason or another. It was strange for me setting up without them around.

The frightening part is that for the last two nights of setup, I was the old timer. How did that happen?

Fortunately, we have some younger members who are active, dedicated, and more importantly, don’t mind rolling up their sleeves and pitching in. They’ve done a yeoman’s work, and I’mgoing to make a point to tell them how much I appreciate what they’ve done for the lodge. In fact, as I write this, the only thing left to do is for me to pick up some cases of apples at the local orchard (I live right near an orchard; how cool is that?) and some ingredients for the batter mix.

I’d write more, but somebody has got to get there early to do the taste testing!

Tao of Masonry | Freemasonry | Masonry | Apples | Harvest | Festival

Every year thousands of men get up early in the morning and head out to a ritual event in which they pit themselves in a show of machismo, testing their mettle against friends and neighbors, and challenging their physical stamina in a trial of bravery against the vagaries of nature.

I’m not talking about the running of the bulls at Pamplona – I’m talking about charity golf tournaments.

Yes, men who easily ignore the clanging of the holiday Salvation Army bells, men who brusquely dismiss the office request for five dollars to aid the pregnant mail clerk, men who complain about the price of a single box of Girl Scout cookies, will unhesitatingly write a check for an amount from a hundred to two hundred fifty dollars, call in to use a sick day at work, and spend six to eight hours in close quarters; half of it in trying to direct a 1-1/2″ ball with an oversized bent spoon toward a 4″ hole some 300 yards away – several balls, actually, because the leafy and poison ivy-filled woods and the muddy streams will collect a certain number of them – and the other half of the day drinking cheap beer, smoking mid-priced cigars, and eating high-cholesterol banquet food for the opportunity to let a small fraction of that money go to A Worthy and Noble Cause.

I played on Friday.

Anyway, this golf tournament was run by a local businessman who decided that the Noble and Worthy Cause he wanted to support would be the Shriner’s Hospitals. Interestingly, perhaps significantly, Jim is not a Shriner, nor in fact, is he even a Mason. But he is aware of the wonderful work that the hospitals do, and felt strongly enough about this to want to undertake the thankless task of organizing a golf tournament.

In that respect, Jim is a Mason who hasn’t taken his degrees.

Anyone who has helped run a tournament for their lodge or business knows that this could easily become a full-time job: dozens of phone calls to sweet-talk local shops into donating raffle prizes, calls to the local course or country club to set up dates and times, calls to caterers to coordinate the food and beer, calls to friends who never manage to turn in the entry fees on time, calls to sponsors who forget to send in their contributions, more calls to explain to the course that not as many people are going to show up as anticipated, and the last minute discussion with the course when six foursomes show up who forgot to buy advance tickets.

I give Jim full credit for the time and energy that he put in, and kudos for a well-run event, no less so it being his first time. And that makes it all the more curious that I found myself standing with him and the Most Worshipful Chip (former Grand Master of Connecticut) in front of four dozen guys and holding a check that should have been presented to a member of the Shrine.

You see, like Jim, I’m not a Shriner, either.

The story goes back a few months ago when Dave – the best Senior Warden on the East Coast – announced Jim’s tournament in lodge one night. Since Jim was not a Mason, I suspect that some of the lodge members didn’t take it seriously. Also, it was being held in the same week as another, larger golf tournament that is more heavily supported by lodges in my district. Dave and I, though, decided that we wanted to support a local effort, and indeed, between the two of us we supplied about one fourth of the players.

At some point early in the process, Jim emailed the local Shrine and asked if he needed permission to hold a tournament using the Burn Hospital as a charity recipient, and asked for any other pertinent information. They never replied, and in all the rest of the planning, he had forgotten all about this. A week before the event, he was talking with Dave, and mentioned that he was surprised not to have heard from them. Dave (not a Shriner, either), called me to get some information. He figured that as the Master of the lodge, I’d know what was going on.

Boy, is he going to be surprised next year.

I didn’t have any info, but I had the numbers of a few Grand Lodge officers who were probably members, so he called them. He spent the next two or three days trying to get some kind of response from the local Shrine; he believed that it would have been courteous for a representative on hand to receive the donation, or certainly, at least a phone call to say “Thank you for your efforts, here’s where to send the check.” Dave managed to get Most Worshipful Chip down on Friday morning to play; Chip brought several small boxes of Shrine brochures, chatted with Jim and the other players, and at the end of the tournament, accepted a check for over $2,000 on behalf of the Shrine (of which he is a member, although not an officer). I’m still not sure why I was there, but I did take the opportunity to let people know about the great things that the hospitals do for children and burn victims. Chip augmented my statement with some facts, we posed for a few pictures, and sat down. Jim was happy, the players were happy, and I managed not to have to borrow a sleeve of balls to finish the game, so I was happy.

Now, I’m not writing this to bash the Shrine. I sincerely believe that the hospitals are a wonderful thing, and they are a worthy cause to support. A few years ago the Shrine dropped the requirement that members be York Rite or Scottish Rite, and I’ve met quite a few Masons who joined simply to make sure that their dues went to supporting the hospitals. I know that the Shrine is having some financial distress at the moment, so you’d think that they’d welcome any donations, and would follow up on news of golf tournaments; and you’d think especially that ones run by non-Masons would be a curious enough thing for them to take notice. We don’t know what to make of this yet, except that apparently there is a Masonic group that’s even less organized than I am. Any of you that believe the Masons are behind the New World Order, please take note.

McCabe Golf Tourney

My score, in case you’re interested, was -9. Oh, I don’t bother with all that counting of strokes and stuff, that’s for people who know what they’re doing. I count up the balls at the end of the day, and see how many have left. I lost some in the woods, a few in the ponds, and two on – I swear – black holes in the wide-open fairways. But I managed to pull up a few from one of the streams, so my score wasn’t as bad as it could have been. My party finished 20 minutes behind the previous group, and I suspect it was because I wasn’t the only one who spent more time looking for balls than in actually playing.

Freemasonry | Shriner | Tournament | Golf | Charity | Tao of Masonry