After 10-years I'm making some cosmetic changes to the Traveling Templar. I will also be going back through every article to fix any broken images and/or hyperlinks as well as any grammatical errors I missed.
Until I finish going through all of the articles, I will not be publishing any new educational articles.
Today marks 15-years since I was Raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason. I am honored to be a part of this ancient and honorable fraternity. While COVID restrictions hindered the physical meeting of most Masonic bodies for several months, the year was still memorable. I advanced in the local officer lines within the Commemorative Order of St. Thomas of Acon, Knight Masons, and the Red Cross of Constantine; I was re-elected as Sovereign Master for my AMD Council; and I was appointed as a Deputy General Grand High Priest for the General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons International.
April was a big month as I presided over the Order of the Silver Trowel, a Priory of Knights of the York Cross of Honor, and the Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of Idaho. I was honored to have received the Ephraim A. Kirby Award and Order of the Secret Vault. The Grand York Rite of Idaho was the first time I got to attend, in-person, as Deputy General Grand High Priest. Following the Grand York Rite of Idaho came two weekends of Rosicrucianism (one in Idaho and one in Wyoming).
I wish I was home and attending Lodge around my anniversary, but I'm in California for work. Some great things are going to happen this year and I look forward to my future journeys through Freemasonry.
To all the Fathers out there, Happy Father's Day! This day is a hard day for me because of my own father's passing. I miss him and would give anything to hear his voice, but I cherish the memories and know that he lives through his family.
Today is also the Estival Solstice and the first day of Summer!
I had the pleasure of being a guest host for the Masonic Roundtable tonight. I spoke about Templar Symbols which included the Beauceant, Crosses, and several common symbols found within the medieval Templar order. Thank you Brother Jon for extending this invitation.
Related articles:
When looking at Freemasonry around the world, most Grand Lodges cover a geographic jurisdiction of an entire nation or several, in some cases. Within the United States, however, each of the States has its own Grand Lodge. Early American Freemasonry came through merchants and military lodges from England, Ireland, and Scotland. Lodges received charters from both the Antient Grand Lodge and Modern Grand Lodge. Some Lodges formed their own Grand Lodges within a State while some Provincial Grand Lodges were formed first then would later establish themselves as their own Grand Lodge, each with their own rituals. As the US expanded westward, Masonic pioneers and degree peddlers expanded as well. Without a centralized national governing body, there was a wide variety of rituals within and among Grand Lodges.
One Brother named Thomas Smith-Webb had written a Freemason's Monitor or Illustrations of Masonry in 1797 which standardized much of the ritual, but was accepted by a few jurisdictions. This book was a compendium of William Preston's work as well as his own alterations and additions. Attempts would be made over the years to standardize the Masonic ritual among the US Grand Lodges, but nothing significant would happen until 1843. The first quarter of the 19th century saw rapid growth and expansion, and even a failed attempt to establish a national Grand Lodge, but then the Morgan Affair occurred and a tsunami of anti-Masonry hit the United States.
On March 13th, 1826, William Morgan, a supposed Mason, living in Batavia, NY, signed a contract for a book that was to expose the secrets of Freemasonry; some believe it was out of resentment for his Masonic affiliation being questioned by the Batavian Masons. Prone to drunkenness Morgan bragged about his book and soon everything came to a head in September of that year. He was arrested for theft, but upon making bail was rearrested for failure to pay a debt of $2.68 and upon his release from jail he disappeared by means which were never agreed upon by the "eyewitnesses". Anti-Masons push that he was kidnapped and killed by a band of Masons. Several Masons were arrested and convicted of kidnapping, but there was never any proof that he was killed. All of these circumstances culminated in an uproar of public outrage towards Freemasonry. Regardless of reality, ALL Freemasons were seen as guilty of the murder of William Morgan. Soon anti-Masonic propaganda spread into all avenues of society to include churches and politics which led Thurlow Weed, a NY politician, to form an anti-Masonic movement in February of 1828, gathering discontented opponents of President Andrew Jackson, known to be a Mason, into the Anti-Masonic political party.
Some methods of the anti-Masons were to demonstrate the rituals, passwords, signs, and grips of all degrees in all of their variations so it became difficult for Lodges to tell who was a Mason and who was a cowan. Some anti-Mason degree peddlers went so far as to confer these degrees upon disreputable people so as to cause further havoc. This exacerbated an already difficult issue as communication between States and Grand Lodges was limited and dues cards were not yet a policy employed.
As a result of the Morgan Affair, many Lodges would surrender their charters or would just go dormant (NY, for example, went from 227 Lodges to 41). Freemasonry would resume labor in the late 1830s, but ran into a serious issue: many Freemasons had demitted out of fear of being harassed, died during dormancy, or had forgotten the ritualistic work which caused new Masons to be poorly instructed. When the Grand Lodge of Alabama met in 1839 the members present voted to request all Grand Lodges to send a delegate to Washington DC for a meeting in March 1842. Ten Grand Lodges were represented, but it decided that more representation was needed and the delegates needed to be one learned in the rituals of all Three Degrees. On May 8, 1843, 16 delegates assembled at the Saint Paul Street Masonic Hall in Baltimore, and all expenses were assumed by the Grand Lodge of Maryland. Of the 23 Grand Lodges that existed at the time, the following Grand Lodges were represented:
The convention met for 9-days (with exception of Sunday). After setting the agenda of the convention, they divided the delegates into four committees:
It recommended unity throughout the Grand Lodges as it saw the lack of communication and conformity as an evil that had magnified the fallout from the Morgan Affair. There were two ways in which this recommendation could be accomplished: through a national grand lodge or through a regular convention of the Grand Lodges. The Baltimore Convention decided with the latter. The Representative system was established after this thus ensuring some communication was kept between Grand Lodges.
Other recommendations from this convention concerned the issuance of certificates of good standing by the Grand Lodges or what we now know as the Dues Card, suspending Masons for non-payment of dues, and that Lodges transact all business only on the Master Mason degree except in conferring the 1° and 2°. They also recommended that sojourner Masons should be required to pay a portion of the dues of the Lodge they live near which I found to be particularly interesting.
At the conclusion, letters were sent out to all the Grand Lodges with the recommendations and a call for the Freemasons to unite in love, friendship and brotherhood. Generally, the extant Grand Lodges adopted many of the recommendations, but they also modified those suggestions so there is still variations among jurisdictions thought they are superficial in their differences.
As recommended, they attempted to hold another convention in Winchester, VA, in 1846, but only 8 delegates attended so they postponed it until 1847. This failed as well as only 7 delegates were present.
This convention clearly had a profound impact on American Freemasonry as many of the recommendations were adopted and, with one such recommendation, it wasn't until recently that Grand Lodges allowed for business meetings to be conducted in the Entered Apprentice Degree. While the attempts to hold further conventions failed, I see the spirit of the Baltimore Convention in the Conference of Grand Masters of North America which was established in 1928.
I recommend the Masonic Roundtable who did an episode about the Baltimore Convention:
References
1. Atkinson, S. T. (n.d.). Masonic Ritual In Virginia. Retrieved from PhoenixMasonry: http://phoenixmasonry.org/historical_foundations_of_the_masonic_ritual.htm
2. Chiles, H. C. (n.d.). Baltimore Convention, 1843. Retrieved from The Masonic Trowel: http://www.themasonictrowel.com/masonic_talk/stb/stbs/36-01.htm
3. Jensen, B. J. (1996, December 2). The Baltimore Convention of 1843. Retrieved from York Rite Research Institute: http://www.thephylaxis.org/pdf/Guardian04ed.pdf
4. Sigmon, M. (2011, April 9). The Convention that Changed Freemasonry. Retrieved from Wilkerson College Lodge No. 760: http://www.wcl760.com/docs/library/Baltimore%20Convention.pdf
5. The Baltimore Convention. (n.d.). Retrieved from The Masonic Dictionary: http://www.masonicdictionary.com/baltimore.html
The basic organizational unit is known as a Teocalli. "Teocalli" is defined as a God-house or temple that surmounted a terraced pyramid commonly found in Mesoamerica, which is where the legend of this order stems from. Local Teocallis fall under the governance of the Supreme Teocalli, but the Teocallis are given a lot of autonomy. There are Teocalli in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Panama. Members of this order are known as "Artisans." There are two degrees conferred by this order: Artisan and Master Artisan.
A Teocalli is led by the following officers:
Camaxtli (presiding officer)
Chimalma (similar to a VP)
Huemac (similar to a VP)
Titlauacan (similar to a VP)
Tlacuilo (Secretary)
Calpixque (Treasurer)
Cuatemoc (Inner Guard and Guide)
Netzahualcoyotl (Outer Guard)
High Priest or Teopixqui (Chaplain)
Teocallis can come together and form regional associations which are presided over by a Chief.
If Nobles are interested in forming a new Teocalli, they need at least 15 Shriners that reside in the same jurisdiction as their Shriners Temple, are in good standing, and a Teocallis doesn't already exist in that jurisdiction. Then they would contact the Supreme Teocalli and petition for dispensation.
The Order of Quetzalcoatl was founded on March 14, 1945, by Arthur J. Elian in Mexico City. He was a scholar of ancient Mesoamerican history and of Mexican lore. He was also a very involved Mason having been elected as Grand Master of the Muy Respectable Gran Logia Valle de Mexico as well as being recognized as Emeritus Registrar and 33° of the Scottish Rite of Mexico, and Recorder Emeritus of Anezah Temple. Not much is known of the formative years of the order, but the order spread after Shriners from Arizona and California had made trips to Mexico City and were initiated into it. They carried it back to the US where it spread over the years and eventually led to the formation of the Supreme Teocalli.
This order takes its name from an ancient Mesoamerican god by the same name. Quetzalcoatl is known as the Plumed Serpent and his name comes from the Nahuatl words "quetzalli" meaning "precious feather" and "coatl" meaning "serpent". Quetzalcoatl was a storm god who was considered the creator of the world and mankind, and is often associated with the rain god, Tláloc. He was considered the patron and god of learning, science, agriculture, crafts, and the arts. In Aztec mythology, he was the brother of Tezcatlipoca (god of night and sorcery), Huitzilopochtli (god of war, the sun, and human sacrifice), and Xipe Totec (god of spring and vegetation). Other legends state that he was a prophet and leader of a group of men known as the Toltecs (craftsman or builders) who was then deified after he had attained such enlightenment that merited his ascension.
Once a Noble accepts an invitation into the order, he is obligated as a Coate or tribesman. Within one year of that happening, he must receive the Artisan degree. Within two years of becoming an Artisan, one must obtain the Master Artisan degree during the Feast of Fire (their annual business meeting). It also seems like one can attain Master Artisan by going on a pilgrimage to the Temple of Quetzalcoatl at Teotihuacan (north of Mexico City) or Chichen Itza (Cancun).
References
Brief History of the Name Quetzalcoatl and the Toltec Ancestry of the Order. (n.d.). Retrieved from Supreme Q: https://www.supremeq.com/menu_bar/history.pdf
Cartwright, M. (n.d.). Quetzalcoatl. Retrieved from Mukilteo Teocalli Number 111: http://teocalli111.org/page6.htm
Order of Quetzalcoatl. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Quetzalcoatl
Another long weekend in the books: Along with Jeremy, I made my 542-mile trek to central Wyoming to attend some meetings. We attended Equality College No.92 of the York Rite Sovereign College and watched them put on the Knight of York. Later, we attended the annual collation dinner of Wyoming College SRICF and then proceeded back to the Lodge where we conferred the V°.
Sunday morning, Wyoming College conferred the I°, II°, and III°. The College then held its annual election of officers, and they were duly installed by the Chief Adept of Wyoming. Congratulations to all the new Fratres and the newly installed officers of the College. I just got home after 9+ hours of driving.
It's been over a year since Idaho College SRICF was able to meet and it felt great to be back amongst my Fratres. Friday night I was hosted by the Secretary and the fellowship was great as usual. Saturday morning, we conferred the II° and IV° on worthy Fratres as well as balloted on some proposals for membership. Rosicrucianism is alive and well in Idaho.
Saturday afternoon I presided over Star Garnet Council No.560 of the Allied Masonic Degrees. We initiated one candidate, the Senior Warden gave an educational presentation to the Council, and we presented the Red Branch of Eri to those we elected to it last year. In our next meeting, we are planning to confer the grade of Ostiartii or Doorkeeper of the Royal Order of the Masonic Knights of the Scarlet Cord.
While I felt a bit rusty, it was good to get back into the swing of things.
Thursday started with the Order of the Silver Trowel over which I presided. Normally the Deputy Grand Master presides over the Council, but due to his health he couldn't attend and I stepped in since I didn't preside last year as we met virtually. Following that was the annual meeting of Syringa Order No.121 of the Order of the Sword of Bunker Hill where I was appointed Honorable Grand Adjutant for the ensuing year. After lunch, the Idaho Chapter of the Sovereign Order of Knights Preceptor met where I was elected as Prelate for the next year. Then it was time to preside over Idaho Priory No.13 of Knights of the York Cross of Honor. I had the pleasure of dubbing 4 new Knights before passing off the reigns to my successor. I ended Thursday with the Knight Commander of the Temple Dinner where this honor was conferred upon a very deserving Sir Knight.
Friday morning started with the Joint Session of the Grand York Rite of Idaho which is presided over by the three heads. We introduced several guests including the Most Puissant General Grand Master of the General Grand Council of Cryptic Masons International, the Most Worthy Grand Master of Ye Commemorative Order of St. Thomas of Acon, the Most Eminent Grand Preceptor of the Grand College of America for the Holy Royal Arch Knights Templar Priests, and the Most Worshipful Grand Master of Masons in Idaho. During this session, several awards were presented: I was awarded both the Ephraim A. Kirby Award from the General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons International and the Order of the Secret Vault from the General Grand Council of Cryptic Masons International. With Friday afternoon came the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Idaho and I got to perform my official duties as Deputy General Grand High Priest for the Northwest Region. One of the best men and Masons I know was elected as Most Excellent Grand High Priest and I was honored to serve as the Installing Grand Captain of the Host (similar to the Marshal's station). The rest of the night was dedicated to remembering our fallen Companions and Sir Knights, hosting a dinner to raise funds for the Holy Land Pilgrimage, and then the annual meeting for Tri-Valley College No.178 of the York Rite Sovereign College of North America.
Saturday began with the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Idaho where I was elected as the Eminent Grand Captain General. With the afternoon, came the time for me to preside over the 88th Annual Assembly of the Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of Idaho. It was a smooth meeting and I had the pleasure of making the Most Worshipful Grand Master of Masons in Idaho a Cryptic Mason at sight; the acting-Grand High Priest had made him a Royal Arch Mason after he had turned in a petition to join the York Rite. We finished the day with the Grand Banquet where we announced the recipients of the various awards given out by the York Rite.
