My Station and Places: Scribe

In a Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, the Scribe sits as 3rd in command following the King and High Priest. The Scribe represents the Prophet Haggai who, during the exaltation of the Royal Arch degree is dressed in a purple robe and turban. The jewel of the Scribe is the plumb surmounted by a turban which is an emblem of rectitude and vigilance. From what we learn in the Blue Lodge, the plumb reminds us to guard against intemperance and excess not only for ourselves, but our Companions as well.

Haggai was a Prophet during the building of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, which is a central legend of Royal Arch Masonry, and the author of the Book of Haggai. Haggai is the Hebrew language that translates to "my holiday". Of his personal life, little is known except that he was in a Levite, but according to Albert Mackey, Haggai was born during the Babylonian captivity and was a young man at the time of liberation by Cyrus though Ray Denslow differs in that Haggai was old by the time the rebuilding of the Temple had started. According to the 6th Chapter of the Book of Ezrah, Haggai was instrumental in invigorating the Jewish people into rebuilding the Temple.

In Canada and England, Royal Arch Masons use the term "Third Principle" rather than "Scribe", but the American use of Scribe hails back to Haggai who would have served as the scribe, or secretary, of the Grand Council charged with rebuilding the Temple. The very etymology of scribe is rooted in the Latin word "scriba" meaning "keeper of accounts, secretary, writer" which is applicable to the duties of Haggai. Historically, scribes have also been used as notaries, copyists, interpreters of law (lawyers or judges), accountants, ministers, and journalists. Much of ancient history was recorded by a scribe, by one name or another. In some instances, scribes were considered a part of the royal court, performing the previously described duties for monarchs, as would have been the case for Haggai.

References

1. Haggai. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggai

2. Haggai. (n.d.). Retrieved from Masonic Dictionary: http://www.masonicdictionary.com/haggai.html

3. Jeshua, Zerubbabel and Haggai. (2010, December 21). Retrieved from The Golden State Chapter of Research of the Holy Royal Arch: http://www.goldenstatechapter.org/pdf/Jeshua,%20Zerubbabel%20and%20Haggai.pdf 

4. Royal Arch Terms & Definitions. (n.d.). Retrieved from The Golden State Chapter of Research of the Holy Royal Arch: http://www.goldenstatechapter.org/pdf/RA%20terms%20and%20definitions.pdf 

5. Scribe. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wiktionary: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scribe 

6. Scribe (n). (n.d.). Retrieved from Etymology Online: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=scribe&allowed_in_frame=0

The Emblems of the Craft

By Rob Morris

Who wears the Square upon his breast

Does in the face of God attest,--

And in the face of man,--

That all his actions will compare

With the divine, the unerring Square,

That squares great virtue′s plan.

And he erects his edifice

By this design, and this, and this.

Who wears the Level says that pride

Does not within his soul abide,

Nor foolish vanity

That man has but a common doom,

And from the cradle to the tomb

An equal destiny.

And he erects his edifice

By this design, and this, and this.

Who wears the Plumb, behold how true 

His words and walk! and could we view 

The chambers of his soul, 

Each hidden thought, so pure and good, 

By the stern line of rectitude 

Points up to Heaven′s goal; 

And he erects his edifice 

By this design, and this, and this.

Who wears the G,--that mark divine,-- 

Whose very sight should banish sin, 

Has faith in God alone 

His Father, Maker, Friend, he knows; 

He vows and pays to God his vows 

Before the eternal throne 

And he erects his edifice 

By this design, and this, and this.

Thus life and beauty come to view 

In each design our fathers drew, 

So glorious and sublime 

Each breathes an odor from the bloom 

Of gardens bright beyond the tomb, 

Beyond the flight of time 

And bids us ever build on this, 

The walls of God′s own edifice

Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day, where we honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of this country. Originally it was known as Decoration Day, but as to the birthplace of Memorial Day, we cannot say for sure as there are many cities/towns that lay claim to this holiday. It's likely that there were many separate beginnings that came about after the Civil War.

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5th, 1868, by General John A. Logan who was National Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic which was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, Marines, and Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War. This day was first observed on May 30th, 1868, when flowers were placed on graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. On this day people traditionally wear the poppy to signify their remembrance and honor of the fallen. The origin of the use of the poppy comes from the poem "In Flanders Field" by LTC John McCrae: 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow 

Between the crosses, row on row 

That mark our place; and in the sky 

The larks, still bravely singing, fly 

Scarce heard amid the guns below. 

We are the Dead. Short days ago 

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, 

Loved and were loved, and now we lie 

In Flanders fields 

Take up our quarrel with the foe: 

To you from failing hands we throw 

The torch; be yours to hold it high. 

If ye break faith with us who die 

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow 

In Flanders fields

In honor of the fallen, I am linking a video that will play Taps. Taps is a bugle call that is used to remember the dead and is used to conclude funerary services. Taps were created during the Civil War when in July of 1862, Brigadier General Daniel Butterfield, Commander of the 1st Division in the V Army Corps of the Army of the Potomac, and assistance from his bugler, Private Oliver Wilcox Norton, composed the notes to be played. Prior to Taps, "Extinguished Lights" was used as a bugle call, but Butterfield found it "colorless" and did not render the proper memorial of those fallen. It spread in use and in 1874 it was officially recognized as a bugle call by the United States Army.

"To our honored dead!"

Consecration of Intermountain Chapel No. 27

Intermountain Chapel No.27 of the Commemorative Order of St. Thomas of Acon of the United States of America was consecrated today in Boise, ID. This Chapel is one of three new Chapels consecrated under the new Grand Master's Council that formed back in January of 2015.

Last summer plans were finally set in motion and I put together a draft set of by-laws and in August we held a Founder's Meeting. At Masonic Week I sat down with the current Most Worthy Grand Master and junior Past Grand Master to hammer out some of the details. With the assistance of several knights from Washington, we had a plan set in place. On April 17, 2016, we initiated 7 new knights into the order who filled up the rest of the officer positions. All that was left was the consecration.

I spent Friday afternoon hanging out with the Brother who would serve as Primus Master (the first Worthy Master of the Chapel) then met up with the Grand Master, Grand Prior, and Grand Marshal for dinner. It was a good night of fellowship.

Saturday started off with some rehearsals before moving into the consecration where the Most Worthy Grand Master appointed the consecrating officers that would assist him in establishing this Chapel. Doing all things required, he consecrated our Chapel and installed our Primus Master, the Treasurer, and the appointed officers. I have the pleasure of serving as the Founding Secretary. Afterward, we proceeded to enjoy a Festive Board and fellowship.

It's a great relief that it is all done. I'd like to thank all of the Grand Officers and guests who attended, the Grand Secretary for his patience, the Worthy Master and Prior for their assistance, and all of the Sir Knights who helped with the formation of this new Chapel.

Lord of Light

From "Rosaecrucian Hymns", The American Rosae Crucis, March 1916:

Lord of all being, throned afar,
Thy glory flames from sun and star;
Center and soul of every sphere,
Yet to each loving heart how near! 

Sun of our life, thy quickening ray
Sheds on our path the glow of day:
Star of our hope, thy softened light
Cheers the long watcher of the night. 

Lord of all life, below, above,
Whose LIGHT IS TRUTH, whose Fire is Love,
Before thy ever-blazing throne
WE ask no lustre of our own. 

Grant us thy Truth to make us free,
And kindling hearts that burn for thee
Till all thy living altars claim
The Holy Light--the Heavenly Flame.

Is Freemasonry a Cult?

In debates with anti-Masons, I've seen and heard the accusation tossed around that Freemasonry is a cult. Here is my somewhat biased look at what a cult is and a comparison to Freemasonry.

Cults have historically been associated with religious or social groups whose practices are considered deviant, and because the word carries with it a derogatory connotation some have used the word to label groups they do not approve of, whether that group meets the criteria of a cult or not. However, since what is considered radical or truly deviant are relative terms it is problematic to pin down a precise definition of the word 'cult'.

Cult comes to us from the Latin word "cultus" meaning "worship, devotion, or reverence". Looking at several dictionaries I see "cult" defined in the following:

noun

1. a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies. 

2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult. 

3. the object of such devotion. 

4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc. 

5. Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols. 

6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader. 

7. the members of such a religion or sect.

I will say that Freemasonry doesn't fit the definitions because Masonic Lodges are not places of worship. Freemasonry is religious, but far from being a religion or a religious institution (ie church, synagogue, mosque, etc). We also do not force our members to live outside of "conventional society" nor do we have a singular "charismatic leader". We do have rites, rituals, ceremonies, but that is far from making an organization a cult.

Definitions alone do not accurately depict something on its own. I could define "human" as a "bipedal mammal", with that definition I could then say an ostrich is considered human. One must take into consideration the characteristics along with the definition otherwise you lose context and accuracy.

Here are some characteristics of a cult:

Leadership: A cult will have a living leader who is self-appointed, has absolute authoritarian/totalitarian control, is accountable to no one, and is often messianic with a special mission or cause. 

Truth: The leader, and sometimes the group, are in possession of a credible "truth". Often this surrounds some notion of salvation which can only be attained from affiliation with that particular cult. Only knowledge from the group is credible and often critical thinking is prohibited. 

Devotion: The members must submit to all orders of the leader without question or inquiry. Promote dependency of the members upon the group. 

Finances: Members are often required to turn over most if not all of their assets to help fund operations and the cause of the leader. Again, with the "no question" policy, there is no transparency in regards to where the assets are stored, used, or spent.

Profane world: There is instilled an illogical fear of the outside world. Members are often cut off or isolated from their pre-cult friends, families, and society. They have the polarized "us versus them" mentality. Members of cults move into communes and not in their previous residents.

Recruiting: Use deceptive methods in recruiting such as crisis creation, deepening a confessed guilt or fear, or state that they have all the answers. 

Leaving: There is no legitimate reason to leave the cult. Members who do leave are criticized and seen as evil.

You can find more here: http://www.prem-rawat-talk.org/forum/uploads/CultCharacteristics.htm

Our leaders/officers are elected or appointed by an elected officer, not self appointed. Least of all, do we have to do as bidden without question. Masonry don't claim to possess some hidden secret that will give us salvation from God's Judgment. There is no dependency or entitlement syndrome placed upon Freemasons. The finances are, or should be, tracked and, at least in my Lodge/Grand Lodge, audited annually; the Grand Lodge audit done by an independent auditor when a new Grand Secretary or Grand Treasurer is elected. Freemasons are not cut off from the world or family/friends that we knew previous to joining Freemasonry nor are we required to live in communes or residence established by the cult. Freemasonry doesn't recruit, but even to prospective members, we don't lie nor do we use deceptive means to bring them into our fold. Lastly, Freemasons leave the group all the time. Some leave for poor reasons while others leave for personal or financial reasons. It just depends on the man.

Having looked at all the information, I'd have to say NO, Freemasonry is not a cult. To be blunt, people who say we are a cult are ignorant of what both, cults and Freemasonry, are. It's not surprising though that those who know so little will defame and slander others without knowledge of the facts. I would point out though that many of these characteristics fit the description of some of the anti-Masons I have met. I have found that using their loose definition of what a cult is, you could label just about any assembly of people a cult. Anti-Masons have overused and abused the use of the word "cult" that its use is becoming meaningless and trivial.

Summer School

Today starts the summer sessions for Boise State University and my last class as a Graduate student. This class will be dedicated to finishing, editing, and revising my Master's Thesis. From a meeting I had two weeks ago, things have been pushed up a bit and I will now be doing my Thesis Defense in mid-June and the countdown begins...

Kappa Sigma Bio: Stephen Alonzo Jackson

Next to the Five Friends & Brothers, Stephen Alonzo Jackson is regarded as one of the most important men in the history of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. It was by his efforts that a local chapter at the University of Virginia would expand to the strong international organization it is today, and it was because of his devotion that he was given the nickname "the Golden-Hearted Virginian." Stephen Alonzo Jackson was born on September 22, 1851, in Glenville, VA, the son of Minter Jackson and Mary Katherin Jackson. While still in his infancy, Jackson's mother died and he was raised by his grandmother.

Jackson was initiated into the Kappa Sigma fraternity in the Fall of 1872 while at the University of Virginia where he studied Latin, Greek, and Mathematics. Through the dedication of Jackson, the fraternity spread to Trinity College (now Duke University), the University of Maryland, and to Washington & Lee University. Jackson would go on to serve as Grand Master of Zeta Chapter, revise the ritual of Kappa Sigma, create the first Supreme Executive Committee (the governing body of the fraternity), establish a Constitution of the order, and the idea of a regular meeting of a national convention. He would go on to serve as the first Worthy Grand Master.

At the second Grand Conclave on November 1, 1878, at the Exchange Hotel in Richmond, VA, Jackson was re-elected as Worthy Grand Master and during his speech gave what is known as the "Apples of Gold" speech wherein he expressed his goals of an enduring brotherhood:

"Why not, my Brothers, since we of today live and cherish the principles of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, throw such a halo around those principles that they may be handed down as a precious heirloom to ages yet unborn? Why not put our apples of gold in pictures of silver? May we not rest contentedly until the Star and Crescent is the pride of every college and university in the land!"

Stephen Alonzo Jackson passed away on March 4, 1892, in Washington County, VA, leaving behind his widow, Mary Cloyd Davidson. His legacy is unprecedented as it was through his efforts that the first southern fraternity expanded to the north and the establishment of a Greek fraternity Grand Conclave. Kappa Sigma has continued to grow with more than 200,000 living members (including over 20,000 undergraduate members) and 320 chapters and colonies throughout the United States of America and Canada.

References

1. About Us. (n.d.). Retrieved from Nu Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity: http://wmpeople.wm.edu/site/page/kappasigma/aboutus

2. Docet Kappa Sigma. (n.d.). Retrieved from Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/21517822/docet-kappa-sigma-flash-cards/

3. Hickin, P. (2016, February 9). Stephen Alonzo Jackson. Retrieved from WikiTree: http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Jackson-14882

4. History. (n.d.). Retrieved from Kappa Sigma: http://kappasigma.org/about/history/

5. Kappa Sigma. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kappa_Sigma

Pacific Northwest York Rite Festival

The last few days I've spent in Wenatchee, WA, attending the Pacific Northwest York Rite Festival. At one point we had over 50 candidates for the degrees and orders of the York Rite. One of the candidates was Bro. Don Munks, Most Worshipful Grand Master of Masons in Washington.

I had the pleasure of serving as Illustrious Master and conferring both of the Cryptic degrees on 52 Companions. After the degrees, we had a nice dinner and then ended the night with some scotch and brotherhood. For the last two Chivalric Orders, I served as Knight in the West for the Order of Malta and then for the Order of the Temple I got to sit on the sidelines and watch some excellent ritual work.

The Order of Malta was conferred by a Brother who has been a Mason for 75-years. The Order of the Temple was conferred by Sir Knight Michael Johnson, Right Eminent Grand Generalissimo of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the USA and Most Worshipful Grand Master of Masons in Wyoming. It was a historical moment as a sitting Grand Master dubbed and created another sitting Grand Master a Knight of the Valiant and Magnanimous Order of the Temple.

It was great to see so many Companions and Sir Knights assembled together and meet so many new ones. I'd like to thank Companion Richard Kovak, Most Excellent Grand High Priest of Washington, and Companion Michael Holland, Most Illustrious Grand Master of Washington, for asking me to help out at this festival.

2016 Grand York Rite Sessions of Idaho

Well, it's been a busy week. Tuesday I visited another Lodge in Boise and gave the Third Degree Lecture. After class on Wednesday, I traveled to Idaho Falls (Eastern Idaho) to attend the 2016 Grand York Rite of Idaho. I had a great time and it was good to see all of the Companions and Sir Knights from all over Idaho and the northwest.

Thursday serves as the day for the honorary and chair degrees to be conferred upon worthy Companions and Sir Knights. First thing in the morning I served as Most Excellent President of the Order of the High Priesthood and initiated 2 new Excellent Companions into the order. Next came the Order of the Silver Trowel where I did my usual part. In the afternoon was the Order of the Knights Preceptor where I was appointed Sentinel of the Idaho Chapter. Next was the annual meeting of the Knights of the York Cross of Honor where I assisted in the conferral upon 4 new knights. I served as Herald and then gave the Chapter (Royal Arch) Lecture. I was then appointed, by the newly elected Eminent Prior, as Orator of Idaho Priory No. 13 of the KYCH for the next year.

With Friday morning came the Joint Meeting of the Grand York Rite with the Grand Commandery presiding. While I was not a Grand Commandery officer I was in charge of introducing all of the Distinguished Guests present. In the afternoon the Grand Commandery convened and I was appointed as Eminent Grand Warder of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Idaho. After the Holy Land Pilgrimage Dinner, Tri-Valley College No.178 met for their annual meeting where I was elected as Chancellor (3rd-in-line) for the ensuing year. The night didn't end though as I had plenty of homework to complete.

The Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of Idaho met Saturday morning and I was appointed Illustrious Grand Conductor of the Council of the Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of Idaho. In the afternoon, the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Idaho met and I was elected as Right Excellent Grand Scribe of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Idaho. I am humbled and honored by my Companions. I was expecting to be appointed to Grand Captain of the Host, but the Companion ahead of me in the appointed line stepped out of the Grand Officer line and did not want to be elected. The Grand Banquet was Saturday evening and it was filled with awards, some drinking, and brotherhood.

While not a part of the Grand York Rite Sessions, Knights from Tahoma Chapel No.3 came down from Washington to conduct a Cavalry Charge. We initiated 7 new Knights into the Commemorative Order of St. Thomas of Acon. We're one step closer to the formation of Intermountain Chapel in Idaho and all of these new knights will be charter members of Intermountain Chapel. After a 4.5-hour drive, I made it home and now it's time to decompress.