Masonically Inspired Essays

The Jewish people is a patriarchal society; so for readers who are too lazy to get a dictionary and get the precise meaning of the word patriarchal (this word is not found in the dictionary available in the Internet) it means that if the male rules the house, then it is patriarchal; on the other hand, if a lion tamer exists with a menacing whip on her hand- then it is matriarchal. But let us get back to the topic before the snoring lady in bed awakens and find out what this article is all about.. Readers of the Holy Writings will attest that only the masculine gender are given prominence in the Holy Bible; Adam Noah, Moses, David, Solomon, even Jesus Christ. Of course the female counterparts are also mentioned, like Eve, Mary, and Mary Magdalene. But these names were recognized mainly to exhort male chauvinistic traits, or to chronicle unpleasant events that the matriarchal society never wants. . Take the case of Eve, for instance. She was mentioned because she goaded Adam to eat th...

Spoon-feeding is oftentimes not nice. And so for this transmission, what the reader will get is a quotation from the King James Version of the Holy Bible (1 Kings 17: 17-23) but will not tell them what the lion is hinting at as it is being sent in the form of a teaser to arouse your curiousity. “And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick: and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, o thou man of God, art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him up on his own bed. And he cried unto the Lord and said, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn by slaying her son? And he stretch himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord and said; O Lord my God, I pray the...

Who says religion cannot be discussed within the confines of the Craft? Then why is it being asked in the petition form to what religion the petitioner belongs? Now, don’t answer that. The aging lion will answer it for you. The reason is because atheists are barred from joining and therefore it is a mandatory requirement that a prospective brother should have a particular religion; but what it is, is no longer the concern of the Fraternity. The implied prohibition therefore, is that discussion of a particular religion is taboo, like the ones always hotly being debated upon by Eli Soriano of “Ang Dating Daan” and Pete Buluran (probably of the Iglesia ni Cristo) at the airwaves. But religion, per se, is not at all prohibited. If you doubt it, then take a refresher of the 18th degree lecture assuming you are already a Scottish Rite Mason, or if not better enlist at Quezon City Bodies (how’s that for advertisement?!) or the other Bodies in the Philippine jurisdiction and there you will l...

` One of the most enduring lessons taught in Freemasonry is the elocution on the lambskin apron where it says and the lion quotes “it is an emblem of innocence and the peculiar badge of a mason, more ancient than the Golden Fleece, or the Roman Eagle, more honorable than the Star and Garter, etc., etc.” But what does this phrase really mean? Golden Fleece, as most literary buffs will readily say, is easily identified with Greek mythology, specifically with Jason and the Argonauts. The Roman Eagle, on the other hand, can be rewound to the glorious days of the Roman Empire where its centurions proudly emblazon their soldier’s armors with the eagle, the symbol of power. Which but confirm their roots to antiquity as these emblems were already in use even before the time of Jesus Christ.. But what about the Star and Garter? How did these originate? On this question, here is what Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh on their book “The Temple and the Lodge” on page 92 had to say which is bei...

Remember the article “In Search of the Grand Master Hiram Abif?” where the lion rebutted the claim of Christopher Knight & Robert Lomas, authors of Hiram Key, that Grand Master Hiram Abif did not exist? Well, here’s an interesting update un the issue. In their recent book titled “The Book of Hiram” that was first published in the United Kingdom in 2003, it said in page 17.: “When we first heard this assumption (about Hiram Abif- GVG) we found it strange, and in the Hiram Key we said that the character of Hiram Abif does not seem to exist outside the rituals of Freemasonry. This observation caused a number of people to write us to tell us that we were mistaken, so let us here look more closely at what evidence there is in the Old Testament about the architect of Solomon’s Temple. First we are told that the Phoenician king of Tyre named Hiram supplied the design, workers and many materials for Solomon’s building works. This king’s name is variously spelled as Hiram, Hirom and Hur...

Here is a bit of interesting news; the lodge that presently shelters the now-aging lion in this scenic island of Bohol is getting a distinct facelift on two distinctive fronts. Consider these. Through the very bold initiative of WM Eugene “Jack” Galbreath, incumbent master of the lodge, it decided to sell the lot where the old temple that was built in 1928 using the proceeds on the sale and the hard lumber that were retrieved from the demolished building. The hard lumber were recovered came from the timbers that were felled from the forests of Anda and Sierra Bullones some eighty years ago; and as the town of Anda is situated about a hundred kilometers away from Tagbilaran City and is at the opposite end of the island, one can well guess that these may have been towed via the open sea and should easily remind the reading brethren how the timbers were felled in Lebanon and brought on floats to Mount Moriah in Jerusalem where King Solomon’s Temple was erected. This new lodge was erected...

(Lecture delivered at the Dagohoy Lodge No. 84 brethren during the October 8, 2005 stated meeting.) $: Worshipful Master and brethren. All of us are familiar with the name of the book that is atop our sacred altar. It is called the King James Version of the Holy Bible. Masonically, it is also called the Volume of the Sacred Law and so the question therefore is why it is identified by that peculiar phrase. Let me now tell you this short story. Bro. Milind G. Dravid, a fraternal brother from the Lodge of Golden Orange No. 304 at Nagpur in India and to whom this writer regularly corresponds with Masonically via e-mail, told this writer that out there in their lodge, five (repeat five) different books of the Holy Writings are laid upon their altar and explained why this is so. According to Bro. Milind, his mother lodge is one of the oldest lodges in India and was founded by a select group of British brethren who were members of the British Expeditionary forces, and some employees of the E...

As the three steps pertain to the symbolism of the three pillars of the Lodge, the five steps represent the five orders of architecture- the Tuscan, the Doric, the Ionic, the Corinthian and the Composite. But save for the architects who are expected to know these architectural orders, one may ask: “what do those words represent?” We are told that “the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian were invented by the Greeks, and that from there, the Romans added two- the Tuscan, which they made plainer than the Doric, and the Composite which was more ornamental and more beautiful than the Corinthian.” Of course the monitor also said that “the Tuscan is the Doric in its earliest state, and that the Composite is the Corinthian enriched with the Ionic”. Beyond these impressive statements, however, nothing else has been said to describe these orders, and so here is a briefing designed for the non-architects and the uninitiated. THE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE AS TRACED TO THE PAGES OF MERRIAM WEBSTER DICTIONARY ...

In the second degree lecture, the first group of steps in the winding stairs lecture represent “Wisdom, Strength and Beauty” and are exemplified by the three elected officers of the lodge, namely, the Worshipful Master and the Senior and Junior Wardens. That will now be the subject of this article. As backgrounder, these three pillars were first mentioned not in the second degree lecture but in the conferral of the first degree. Portion of the first-degree lecture aptly reads: “A lodge is metaphorically said to be supported by three great pillars, denominated by Wisdom, Strength and Beauty, it being necessary that there should be Wisdom to contrive, Strength to support, and Beauty to adorn all great and important undertakings. These pillars are represented in the Lodge by the Worshipful Master, and the Senior and Junior Wardens.” From the foregoing paragraph, it is evident that this symbolic phrase can be interpreted two ways: 1. On the operative standpoint, and 2. On symbol...

One book that has recently attracted the interest of Freemasons and non-Masons alike who are curious about the Fraternity is a book titled "Hiram Key". The brief biographical sketches of the two co-authors say they are Freemasons, the first was allegedly raised in 1976 and the second ten years later, but they did not say where. They even named in the acknowledgement of their book a certain Reverend pastor (?), allegedly a past master of the Craft who, they claim, had been very supportive of their efforts in making their opus translated to reality. On the whole, the book can be considered worthwhile reading, this despite the several questionable assertions, which, if not commented upon, can waylay the gullible and the unsuspecting who only read, but does not bother to "digest and discriminate." For the record, let this writer cite a few inconsistencies that the book has expounded- among them: 1. That the pillars Boaz and Jachin are explained in the first ...

Of the lectures of the three different degrees of Blue Masonry, the most beautiful and the most succinct can be found in the 2nd degree monitor. It tells us of the winding stairs consisting of three, five and seven steps, and also gives us a glimpse of how both the Operative and Speculative masons form the core of the membership of Fraternity. This article will not touch on the coded portions of the second-degree lecture of the Craft but will only delve on the teachings that are decoded and which can readily be understood even by the cowans and eavesdroppers and the new members of the Fraternity. And while the coded portions will be copied verbatim to preserve its mystic, the explanations will, in so far as practicable, be laid out in pure and simple form. Take for instance, “Shiboleth”, that word that was subjected to a previous article. This article will still probe the second-degree lecture but will also touch topics that hardly ever merited serious attention- the various pillars...

Talk about the lecture of the fellowcraft degree and you are instantly reminded of the winding stairs consisting of three, five and seven steps. Those who have had the opportunity of performing the role of the Senior Deacon in the second section of the conferral of this degree will readily say it is one of the most beautiful teachings of the Craft. In it the three pillars consisting of Wisdom, Strength and Beauty are succinctly explained as are the five orders of Architecture comprising the Tuscan, the Doric, the Ionic, the Corinthian and the Composite. So are the seven liberal arts and sciences which, although no longer explained in detail, are actually grouped into the trivium which is composed of Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic; and the quadrivium- that comprise the analytical fields of Arithmetic, Geometry, Music and Astronomy. Browsing back at the opening paragraphs before the winding stairs were recited, the candidate is told that our ancient brethren already knew that the world is r...

The first object that greeted the lion’s view upon reaching their residence on the evening of April 22, Friday, was his dirty-white 1989 Nissan Sentra that was parked outside of their garage. While still at his den in Guindulman, his youngest cub informed him that last December, he decided to push it outside of the garage since his best friend entrusted to him the latter’s late-modeled car prior to vacationing at the States, and fearful that it might be car-napped if parked outside the gate, decided to have his friend’s car parked inside and the immobilized Sentra parked outside instead. The lion’s heart sunk. His now-dilapidated car, bought for P200,000 in 1992, the biggest single cash purchase he and his tamer bought in their entire lifetime, was now a sorry sight. Left to the elements, it is now rusty and the once regal car that the lion meticulously maintained in tip-top condition for ten whole years prior to their transfer to Bohol was now headed for the junkyard, He earlier le...

The circus has now begun. What started as an earth-shaking bombshell has just converted itself either into a soap opera or a comic strip, depending on whether the reader is a romanticist or a philosopher. Consider these. 1. Imagine news in the Philippines are being emailed by brothers based in Haiti (WB Bong Fajardo), Hawaii (Bro. Angel Abellada) and at the American Samoa (WB Dave Dacanay) chronicling the news as shown in Item 2 below. 2. The national paper “Philippine Star” dated June 16 and written by Jaime Laude and Non Alquitran has an article titled “Ong kicked out of Seminary for being a Mason?”. It added that Bishop Bacani (yeah, the bishop accused of sexual harassment earlier) was quoted he was not ready to give up Ong and asked Gen. Art Lomibao of Ong’s safety should the Church decide to hand him over to the police. Lomibao allegedly assured Bacani of Ong’s safety and that the latter will be accorded due process. The apparent twist here is that the Church apparently lost inter...