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Famous Masons
having
Hope in all that they do, and Charity toward
others. Rainbow is an active
organization throughout the United States
and in Aruba, Queensland and New South Wales
in Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada,
Germany, Italy, Japan, and the Philippines.
Job's
Daughters: With thousands of members
across the United States, Canada, Australia,
the Philippines, and Brazil, Job's Daughters
is an organization of young women between
the ages of 10 and 20 which requires only
that members have a belief in God. The group
takes its name from the Book of Job, and in
particular to a reference in the 42nd
Chapter that
says, "And in all the land were no women
found so fair as the Daughters of Job."
Meetings follow a long tradition of order.
The Officers wear traditional Grecian robes,
symbols of democracy and equality.
in stone, and in
timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine
linen and in crimson, also to grave any
manner of graving, and to find out any
device which shall be put to him."
engaged. A portion of these ceremonial
usages and of this discipline he would
naturally be inclined to introduce among the
workmen at Jerusalem.
Jacques_de_Molay which
includes
Philippe IV
of France,
responsible for J. de
Molay's execution.
Pope Clement V,
instrumental in the
destruction of the Knights
Templar.
Pope Boniface VIII, Pope
which J. de Molay had a
close relationship.
Thomas Bérard, Grand
Master of the Order of the
Temple during J. de Molay's
early days in the order
Guillaume de Beaujeu,
Grand Master of the Order of
the Temple prior to de Molay
afterwards and
Thibaud Gaudin, the
Grand Master before J. de
Molay from 1291 - 1292. The
Knights_Hospitaller,
were the other Christian
military order, established
in Jeruselum, that the Pope
and King Phillippe wished to
merge into one force with
himself as the leader.
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Mozart  |
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The 17th and 18th
Centuries can be described as the Age of
Enlightenment. It was a fertile period in the
growth of Masonic philosophy and ritual, and the
period when Mozart composed his famous Masonic
masterpieces. In the introduction to his book
Mozart and Masonry Paul Nettl writes, ". . . there is a Masonic secret, a mystery, an experience that cannot be taught or explained because it lies, like every mystic experience, beyond the realm of controlled consciousness. At its deepest level it is identical with intense feeling and empathy. The secret of Freemasonry is the secret of experiencing true love for all mankind, a positive attitude towards man and life, and broad affirmation of God. It is the realization that beyond the dark and material world there is a realm of light towards which all men must strive." |
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| Some esoteric historians (Hall, 1951; Case, 1935) cite that of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, at least 50 were Freemasons. Whether this is a fact or not cannot be presently corroborated, but substantial information supports that many of the offcers and enlisted men in the American military were Freemasons and many practiced the craft in the miliury lodges. According to General Lafayette (a Freemason himself), Washington "never willingly gave independent command to officers who were not Freemasons. Nearly all the members of his official family, as well as most other officers who shared his inmost confidence, were his brethren of the mystic tie" (Morse, 1924, ix). | ||||||||||
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| Principles of Freemasonry -- Love, Relief and Truth | ||||||||||
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Why Join |
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Dig deep in the
site and you will find it is published from the
San Francisco Mission District in California USA
where the Mission Masonic Lodge is enjoying
growth not seen for many decades. Here a 2005
apprentice mason describes his feelings about
his initiation experience to a sfgate.com
reporter
Finding My Religion "The initiation is essentially a drama that begins to reveal and explain the symbolism and ritual of Masonry. It was a little strange in that it was very old and completely foreign to me." ---Dustin Erwin The official web site of the SF Mission lodge |
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TEMPLE
DYNAMICS |
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These
organizations are both hierarchical and
independent, interdependent and self sustaining.
In other words, it is a cell-like structure,
organized around a belief system much the way
guerilla groups have adopted to operate secretly
today. This is esoteric structure was first
created by the Temple priests of Egypt and its
strength sustained the Egyptian dynasties
longer than any other before or since.
"They seek to positively impact and alter, in a transformational way, the entire structure and direction of society. Their impetus is to interject into day-to-day living a transcendent awareness and communion with the spiritual element of life, to give a spiritual orientation and focus to the material activities of day-to-day living --to, in effect, spiritualize the material. The reason for this direction is to correctly align man with the necessary spiritual path to fulfill his spiritual destiny. Their motives are highly altruistic, despite the wildly imaginative suspicions and innuendoes of many writers and even some church leaders. ---Robert Richardson a chapter in |
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Shriners:
The Shrine
is best- known
for its colorful parades, its distinctive red
fez, and its official philanthropy, Shriners
Hospitals for Children, which is often called
"the heart and soul of the Shrine."
Shriners are distinguished by an
enjoyment of life in the interest of
philanthropy. Their buoyant philosophy has been
described as "pleasure without intemperance,
hospitality without rudeness and jollity without
coarseness." The red fez with a black tassel, the Shrine's most distinctive symbol, has been handed down through the ages. It derives its name from the place where it was first manufactured - the holy city of Fez, Morocco. The fez was chosen as part of the Shrine's Arabic (Near East) theme, around which the color and pageantry of the Shrine are developed.  Every Shriner is first a Mason; however, in many parts of North America, Masonry does not solicit members. In these areas, no one is asked to join. A man must seek admission of his own free will. A man is a fully accepted "Blue Lodge" Mason after he has received the first three degrees, known as Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason. |
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The
Great
Seal |
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| The Great Seal on the American dollar bill has helped make it the world's best known banknote | ||
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NOVUS ORDO
SECLORUM. the phrase is Latin for "a new order
of the ages." The year on the pyramid is 1776,
which is the date of the signing of the
Declaration of Independence. The phrase
ANNUIT COEPTIS means "it has favored our
undertakings." Charles Thomson, Secretary of Congress submitted his design [Philadelphian William Barton is also credited] on June 20, 1782, stating about the reverse, " The Eye over (the pyramid) & the Motto allude to the many signal interpositions of providence in favour of the American cause. The date underneath is that of the Declaration of Independence and the words under it signify the beginning of the new American Era which commences from that date."
A die for the reverse of the seal was not cut until 1935, 153 years after adoption of the design. Henry A. Wallace ( vice president 1940--44 and prominent Freemason) gets credit suggesting the seal be put to use to his President who was promoting the New Deal. He liked the Latin phrase "Novus Ordo Seclorum" as meaning the New Deal of the Ages. President Franklin D. Roosevelt [ also a Freemason] liked the idea so much he had it put on on the dollar bill. The eye in Freemasonry represents the Great Architect of the Universe |
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The first
President of the Philippine
Republic Emilio
Aguinaldo in one of his speeches delivered after
the Revolution, said; "The successful Revolution
of 1896 was masonically inspired, masonically
led, and masonically executed. And I venture to
say that the first Philippine Republic of which
I was its humble president, was an achievement
we owe, largely, to masonry and the freemasons."The loftiest and most sublime symbol of masonry in the days of the Revolution was the equilateral triangle. The masonic ritual called it the most perfect figure that could be drawn with lines and regarded it as an appropriate emblem of perfection or divinity. The triangle was the first masonic object shown to a candidate for the admission into the mysteries of the craft. Prior to initiation he was brought to a chamber of reflections by the "Terrible" and placed in front of a table upon which was laid a triangle. |
Freemasonry is a secret or esoteric society as well
as a fraternal association.
Historically esoteric groups all have initiation in
common. Masons give numerous reasons for their
secret nature, which has caused them considerable
grief over the years. Perhaps the primary one is
that Freemasonry uses an initiatory system of
degrees to explore ethical and philosophical issues,
and that the system is less effective if the
observer knows beforehand what will happen.
Few Masonic members appreciate their early link to
the Dionysian
mysteries and many believe the link with the
Knights Templars
is not proven although Demolay youth do use the
story of the last Templar, Jacques de Molay as an
example of loyalty and fidelity.
Society in the last century
has failed at its peril, to support ceremonies
marking acceptance into society by youth. While
membership has declined significantly during the
rise of multimedia,
Masons still maintain the most successful and
largest organizations providing mythical or
archetypal initiations for youth. These are Demolay
[age 12 - 21 for boys]
and two groups for young ladies, Rainbow girls and
Job's daughters. The female wing of Masonry is
called Eastern Star [open to women 18 years of age
or older] It gets much more complicated
quickly, begin with the wiki links
below for more on that aspect and the growing
masonic web presence. As for these pages we want to
promote the non religious, non denominational,
multi-national, multi-cultural aspect of a group
whose noble history based on the power of myth,
ritually experienced, holds an important future for
one world and one love.
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Masonic
Youth Groups |
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DeMolay:
Basing its approach on timeless principles
and practical, hands-on experience, DeMolay
opens doors for young men aged 13 to
21 by developing the civic awareness,
personal responsibility and leadership
skills so vitally needed in
society today. DeMolay combines this serious mission with a fun approach that builds important bonds of friendship among members in more than 1,000 chapters worldwide. Jacques de Molay (1244- 18 March 1314)served as the 23rd, and officially last, Grand Master of the Knights Templar. He had resisted calls for merger with the Hospiltars or Knights of Malta http://www.demolay.org Rainbow
for Girls, Constellation, and
Triangle whose members are ages 11
through 21. Rainbow is a non-profit,
service-oriented organization that teaches
girls three basic virtues: Faith in a
Supreme Being and other people,
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The legend of Hiram
AbifF & the Dionysian Mysteries |
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HIRAM ABIFF, the architect of Solomon's
Temple and the principal character of the
myth used for the Master Mason degree and
initiation. In this excert from his book
published in 1882, the great scholar of
Masonic history
Albert Mackey M.D
explains the origin of the fraternal order
as centered in ancient Israel and the
outgrowth of a successful attempt to create
brotherly love between two very different
belief systems based upon the Dionysian
mystery initiation.
"Of
all the pagan Mysteries instituted by the
ancients none were more extensively diffused
than those of the Grecian god Dionysus. They
were established in Greece, Rome, Syria, and
all Asia Minor. Among the Greeks, and still
more among the Romans, the rites celebrated
on the Dionysiac
An
undertaking between the King of the Jews and
Tyre's Dionysiacs: "When Solomon,
king of Israel, was about to build, in
accordance with the purposes of his father,
David, "a house unto the name of Jehovah,
his God," he made his intention known to
Hiram, king of Tyre, his friend and
ally; and because he was well aware of the
architectural skill of the Tyrian Dionysiacs,
he besought that monarch's assistance to
enable him to carry his pious design into
execution.
"This Hiram, as a Tyrian and an artificer,
must have been connected with the Dionysiac
fraternity; nor could he have been a very
humble or inconspicuous member, if we may
judge of his rank in the society, from the
amount of talent which he is said to have
possessed, and from the elevated position
that he held in the affections, and at the
court, of thle king of Tyre. He must,
therefore, have been well acquainted with
all the ceremonial usages of the Dionysiac
artificers, and must have enjoyed a long
experience of the advantages of the
government and discipline which they
practiced in the erection of the many sacred
edifices in which they were
"In the pagan Mysteries, I have already said that these lessons were allegorically taught by means of a legend. Now, in the Mysteries of Dionysus, the legend was that of the death and subsequent resuscitation of the god Dionysus. But it would have been utterly impossible to introduce such a legend as the basis of any instructions to be communicated to Jewish candidates. Any allusion to the mythological fables of their Gentile neighbors, any celebration of the myths of pagan theology, would have been equally offensive to the taste and repugnant to the religious prejudices of a nation educated, from generation to generation, in the worship of a divine being jealous of his prerogatives, and who had made himself known to his people as the JEHOVAH, the God of time present, past, and future. How this obstacle would have been surmounted by the Israelite founder of the order I am unable to say: a substitute would, no doubt, have been invented, which would have met all the symbolic requirements of the legend.
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LINKS |
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Crusade The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II to regain control of the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Christian Holy Land from Muslims. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon's_Temple the basis for much of the legend and lore of Freemasonry, which uses the construction of the Temple through the knowledge of sacred geometry as a backdrop and metaphor for moral instruction. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyre ancient Phoenician city in modern Lebanon on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea enlisted by King Soloman to build the first Jewish Temple in Jerusalem wiki/DeMolay and the central myth about
http://www.ben-ali-shriners.org/Masonicfaq.htm
www.rotten.com/library/ occult/sacred-geometry/ quick survey of ancient sacred geometry alive in the present http://www.thedeclarationofindependence.org Perhaps the greatest Masonic achievement was the foundation upon which the United States of America was built. Its constitution with three branches of government and a Bill of Rights all are in tune with Masonic principles
http://www.newwartimes.com/seal.html
http://www.sricf-ca.org/paper1.htm |