Another Article and blogging on Freemasonry

Another newsletter done, another article…..

I’m up too late; again, with my mind racing full bore, again. I labeled and mailed the November issue of the Lee County Shrine Club newsletter today. One of the main reasons for this blog is for me to share my articles on a somewhat wider scale. The following article was influenced by two items, one is the huge book I am attempting to digest, “The Secret Teachings of ALL AGES” by Manley P. Hall and the television special with Dan Brown, author of “The Lost Symbol” and Matt Lauer.

I don’t intend to preach in my articles but rather invoke the various readers to think. We constantly are discussing ways to get members of our Masonic Lodges and Shrine Clubs to get involved, take an interest, attend our meetings and participate. This article was inspired by the early lesson “Seek and ye shall find.” This primary tenet of Freemasonry and life in general is, in my opinion, often overlooked. Freemasons have to seek out the wisdom and enlightenment which Freemasonry has to offer.

Have modern Freemasons forgotten the teachings of our Masonic forefathers? How many Masons today believe that only memorizing degree work is Masonry? How many Freemasons today know about Masonic scholars like Mitchell, Mackey, Pike, Allen, McCoy, Waite, and Coil? On October 1, 1988 in the preface to the Diamond Jubilee Edition of “The Secret Teachings of ALL AGES” Manley P. Hall, after he became a Freemason, wrote, “We were told that the twentieth century was the most progressive that the world has ever known, but unfortunately the progression was in the direction of self-destruction.” He could be talking about society or just the Masonic Lodge, this statement fits both. A brother Mason with considerable Masonic experience, who is long gone now, once told me that Freemasonry goes in circles, it decreases and then increases years later and this is how Masonry has been for centuries. Hopefully he was right. Hopefully the newer generation will find a way to rid us present day internal politics and desire for rank. Hopefully they can take the basic tenets of the craft and return the lodge to the fraternity it once was and can always be again. I wish the leaders of the present would look up from their own pedestals and ask why Freemasonry is getting more recognition from a novel than the actual fraternity.

The events locally of the past week have been extra troubling. I have a friend, someone I trust and strongly respect, do something without logic or reason. It was like watching him walk off a cliff without warning or reason. This is someone I would stand on my toenails and defend until blood shot out of my eyeballs, but he allowed me nothing to defend. He didn’t consult me beforehand and didn’t discuss it with me afterwards. When he was called on it, he displayed anger and even arrogance. This incidence has disturbed me to point I have been physically ill over it. I have no way to logically defend or justify his actions. I don’t think he intended to do harm, but his actions resulted in negative consequences. I know he is angry at me. His anger also has no rhyme or reason because I had nothing to do with his actions and I didn’t encourage the outcome. I am at a loss for a solution.

This incident of the past week, which came about after the following article was written and before it was sent out, made me think about the duality of Freemasonry. The Masonic Lodge has a very major group dynamic. The body of the craft coming together, meeting in tiled lodges is a landmark of Freemasonry. Masonic teachings and enlightenment depends on a group of obligated brothers seeking a single goal. Masons once accepted into the Masonic Lodge and especially after obtaining the third degree or Master Masons degree will see their lives changed. Since my entrance into the lodge in 1987, not a day has gone by without some form of Masonic relationship. My primary life now includes Masonic relationships. My closest friends are Masons. Freemasonry is not for everybody, but for those it does reach it will make a difference.

The singular sector of a Masonic life is that individual effort a Mason will make to seek more light. To be a Master Mason in good standing a man has to do nothing more than pay his annual dues. You don’t have to attend or learn anything more than what it would take to progress from first, to second then third degree. You can do nothing more than belong and you will be as much a Mason as any man. Some never become more than a “Card Carrying Mason” and some will seek more.

The ones that do seek more, looking for more answers and enlightenment are the ones that keep Freemasonry alive. Those studying, researching, asking, and seeking Masonic knowledge, history and philosophy are the masons that grow the craft. To me it’s not enough to know the ritual work but to know the “why” of the rituals. I truly admire the Masons that know the degree work and various lectures. I think it is extremely important to keep this vital portion of the Lodge intact. I think the men that have the skill to learn this work should be encouraged and supported by all lodges. The only thing that distresses me about “memorized” rituals is the men that believe that this all there is to it. Don’t just memorize the words but also “learn” the words. Discover what the rituals are teaching, where they came from, and why the ritual is important. Seek. Ponder on the true lessons of the working tools. Look at what is basic and why, learn and assimilate the basics of the Masonic tenets. Then you can find the more complicated and esoteric messages woven into the whole of the craft. There is no true rank in Freemasonry other than the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. Any Mason believing he is more important or above another Mason has missed the point.

Like the common stop signs we see on our streets. No question you learned at an early age that this octagon shape means stop. We know this, we abide by it daily and we take it for granted that everyone driving a car also understands the meaning of this sign. This is the group dynamic. Some will go forever never thinking about it further than applying the brakes. Some will be necessary to teach new drivers the meaning of this road sign and other signs as well. There will be a few that will ask why. Who decided on the shape? When did it become a standard? How worldwide is this sign? This is the singular dynamic. The ones that believe that the stop sign doesn’t apply to them are the ones that cause the destruction.

Freemasonry needs all of us. Freemasonry needs the students, the ritualists, the teachers, historians, record keepers, philosophers and the harmony preservers. The man teaching a candidate is equally important as the man in the kitchen cooking or the man keeping the records. They all formulate a successful lodge. Harmony is a group dynamic supported by many singular efforts. The one Masonic dynamic that we cannot control is the human factor. Freemasons are human and therefore fallible. There is such a thing as a bad Mason.

Freemasonry is too important to the world to allow it to be taken for granted. Freemasonry is not a step ladder to materialistic increase. Freemasonry is a way of life within the internal temple of man. Learn something new about Freemasonry and bring it to your lodge so your brothers can likewise benefit. I hope you enjoy the following article.

Seek & You Might Find Something…
By Melvin Ford


Last week I watched the TV special with Dan Brown, author of The Lost Symbol and The DaVinci Code. In my opinion, this special basically had the underlying purpose of selling books, both the most recent and the next novel he alluded to in the interview. Freemasonry is featured in the interview and this could very well generate an interest in the craft to non-masons. His novel The Lost Symbol has a background of Freemasonry in it. Even though I found some basic errors in his book as well as the interview, I don’t believe either one to show Freemasonry in a negative light. I was very pleased to see the TV special mention the 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children and even show Shriners on parade.

I noted that one person in this special stated that if you like bake sales then you will like the Masonic Lodge. I guess we aren’t as dangerous as some conspiracy theorists might believe. We truly aren’t the dynamic social and political force that the Freemasons of our nation’s past once knew. Both Masonic and Shriners membership has fallen to dangerous levels. The average age of Lodge members and Shiners alike is now up above 70 years of age. Some of it is normal changes in the social and economic times and some is totally our fault for not seeing the obvious signs before us.

If a Mason desires to learn our rituals, it is easy for him to find someone to teach him. We have schools and special gatherings all the time for the learning of our various degrees. What if you, as a Mason desired to learn the history, symbolism and philosophy of that same ritualistic presentation? Who would you ask? There are several Masonic authors but in the most recent decades the authors that have brought positive attention to Freemasonry were not masons. I remember in my early years as a Mason I attended a Grand Lodge Congressional School. I was bold enough to ask the question, “Why do we do that?” I got told because we always have done that. I think Congressional schools are great and I encourage you to attend, but I was not satisfied with that answer. So in the spirit of not being a lemming, I sought the answer to my question on my own and actually found the answer. A lesson I have long remembered because of the incident.

I will be the first to admit that I am not a ritualistic scholar, but I truly desire to learn all I can absorb about Freemasonry and its teachings, symbols and history. The Masonic ritual is extremely important to our Lodges and I encourage all Masons to learn everything they can. Even now after several years of Lodge membership and once again serving as Master of a Lodge; when I recite the opening or closing my mind shifts into thoughts of why, origin and definition of the words. So I get lost. I applaud those members that can recite the various paragraphs of ritual work in a way that is very impressive. Each year I become even more impressed with the wisdom of our Masonic forefathers. I believe if you really want to obtain more light you have to make the effort to seek it and keep an open mind about the origins of Freemasonry, its rituals and any religious parallels.

One thing I did gain from the Dan Brown special was the mention of a book which I am presently reading. It’s not light reading but I am discovering some interesting knowledge. The book is The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manley P. Hall published in 1928. I guess in spite of any errors I found in the mentions of Freemasons in Brown’s book and the TV special, I was inspired to seek out more information and history concerning our craft. While doing a little on-line research into Manly P. Hall, 33º I found this excerpt from his book The Lost Keys of Freemasonry.

The true Master Mason recognizes the value of seeking for truth wherever he can find it. It makes no difference if it be in the enemy’s camp; if it be truth, he will go there gladly to secure it. The Masonic Lodge is universal; therefore all true Masons will seek through the extremities of creation for their Light. The true brother of the Craft knows and applies one great paradox. He must search for the high things in lowly places and find the lowly things in high places. The Mason who feels holier than his fellow man has raised a barrier around himself through which no light can pass, for the one who in truth is the greatest is the servant of all. Many brethren make a great mistake in building a wall around their secrets, for they succeed only in shutting out their own light. Their divine opportunity is at hand. The time has come when the world needs the Ancient Wisdom as never before. Let the Mason stand forth and by living the doctrines which he preaches show to his brother man the glory of his work. He holds the keys to truth; let him unlock the door, and with his life and not his words preach the doctrine which he has so long professed.


This passage hits home in so many ways. Timely for this time of year when we as a Shrine Club are going to elect officers for next year. When Masonic Lodges in Mississippi are looking to elect officers for their next year and when Hamasa has its whole unwritten future ahead of us. Don’t sit by and wait. Either you desire to be involved or not. You know what you truly want to be involved with and I surely hope you aren’t waiting for someone else to make the first move. Neither youth nor age is a deterrent; find your niche in your fraternity. From a Shrine Club standpoint, gather your spouse or significant other and come to our meetings. We are long overdue for a good old fashioned party anyway. You never know you might have a good time and even help out a child. Seek what you desire in your fraternity.

More blogging about books….

Since my last blog about books and mentioning “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown I have read two other novels and started a third.

The next book I read after Dan’s latest offering was “A Spy By Nature” by Charles Cumming. He is a British author that I discovered from Facebook. Charles Cumming sent me a friend request and not knowing who he was I looked him up. He is a fellow Daniel Silva Facebook friend from London. So I figured what the heck, any fan of Daniel has got to be ok. I accepted his friend request and the next time I was at Barnes & Noble I ordered one of his books. “A Spy By Nature” published in 2001 was the only Charles Cumming’s novel they had in stock in the warehouse. I have to say, I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more by him. I found the British viewpoint interesting and entertaining, being an American. One thing I noticed was that it was very realistic and believable. I was very pleased towards the end when he doesn’t skirt around it and allowed the truth to jump out. I am not a literary expert; I am just a reader so I guess the fact that I will be purchasing more of Charles Cumming’s work says enough.

I had such a good time reading the Cumming novel I went ahead and dove into “The Dark of The Sun” by Wilbur Smith. I first read Wilbur Smith in the seventies starting with his Egyptian novels, “River God” and “The Seventh Scroll.” I had always read for pleasure all during high school. When I spent six months flat of my back either in traction or a body cast, I read several books. I think what attracted me to these novels of ancient Egypt was that I was looking for something deeper. These first two books I read made me a Wilbur Smith fan. When I read his recent Egyptian novel “The Quest” I got to wondering if he had become darker in his writing. After finishing his last offering “Assegai” my curiosity increased about his work. Had his writing become darker more mystical and even more sensual in nature? So I picked up a paperback copy of “The Dark of The Sun” in an effort to see for myself. This is his second novel published in 1965.

Did I find a difference in his 1965 work versus his present day offerings? Yes, but not the difference I expected. I thoroughly enjoyed “The Dark of The Sun” and the African mercenary tale. What I saw was that his more recent writings are smoother and more visual in nature. His story line flows better and the action sequences grip the reader more. One example was the big game hunting portions that were featured in “Assegai” as easily compared to the shooting of water buffalo for food in “The Dark of The Sun” novel. “Assegai” will excite any hunter with the descriptions of the hunt and kill. The 1965 version was still enjoyable but I could see the author’s improvement in skill. The dark human element was there as well as the sensual aspect, I guess his writing style has improved to the degree these elements became more prominent to the reader. So after thirty-two published novels in several languages since 1964, Wilbur Smith hasn’t allowed his work to degrade. It is no secret why he is considered one of the best, if not the best, historical novelist. Personally I am more impressed with the content of his books over the mass marketing campaigns I see of others.

The book I am presently reading is a novel I found on a bargain sale. I think I only paid a couple of bucks for it. Being a bibliophile I like looking over the bargain tables. I have found some interesting books some of which that are an author’s first novel. Finding novels like “The Man Who Ate the 747” by Ben Sherwood and Adriana Trigiani is the reward for looking over bargain tables. I basically have more books than bookshelves but refuse to discard any of them.

The present bargain book I am reading is “The Law of Gravity” by Dennis Morgan Cottrell published in 1995. This is his first novel and from what I have found on the Internet, so far his only novel. What induced me to spend a couple of bucks on this novel was his opening line, “I suspect that most everybody living below the Mason-Dixon Line has heard of me,” How Southern is that?

I guess every author stresses over the first line. It is only human nature to want your own “Call me Ishmael”, “All this happened, more or less” or “Who is John Galt?” Those first key words sometimes sell the book. I am not a novelist but I do write articles for my Shrine Club newsletter, so I also want to grab the reader in the first paragraph so they will want to read more. I can only imagine what a writer goes through in deciding on the elements which make up the marketing of his work. Title, cover art and the synopsis all must take up considerable time and effort. I know if you include a knife on the cover art; I am going to pick it up and look the book over. I also noticed once I owned several red colored books, go figure. There is a lot less stress in buying bargain books; if the novel sucks you can always use it to prop up a couch with a broken leg. I have found more good ones than bad ones though; something to read while you are waiting for your favorite authors to crank out a new one.

I am still in the early stages of “The Law of Gravity” but so far I have found it enjoyable and different from novels I usually gravitate towards. (Pun intended) The author is doing a beautiful job of telling the tale from the perspective of a dirt poor thirteen year old boy. I will finish it while Daniel is locked in a room with Gabriel and until I can get to the north side of town to pick up Charles Cumming’s latest releases. I have no idea what Wilbur is up to but maybe number 33 is in his head.

On a personal note: My father-in-law bought me a new scope for my rifle, so hopefully I will get to have my own hunting sequence this year. Maybe I can bloody up one of the “several” custom made knives I own. I donated one that I have owned for several years and never used to my lodge last night. We are going to raffle it off to raise a little money for the lodge. So I’m in a pretty good mood.

Burned out & droopy fez

I get Google Alerts on any news story using the word “Shriners.” It goes in handy being an active Shriner, writing a monthly newsletter and personally believing so deeply in the work of the Shriners and the Shriners Hospitals for Children. Some of the links don’t really reach anything pertinent about Shriners and some are obituaries. I do see several interesting articles related to our Fez-head fraternity and the 22 children’s hospitals.

I saw an article this morning from the Poughkeepsie Journal about a 12 year girl selling her artwork to raise money for the Springfield, MA hospital. Her family had received a letter stating that this hospital was in danger of closing. The young lady raised $300.00 with her efforts.

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20091008/LIFE/910080307/1005/Your-positive-achievements

Nice normal positive feature story for a local newspaper and $300.00 doesn’t sound like much, but it is a whole heck of a lot more raised than a majority of card carrying Shriners. I applaud her efforts and grateful her local newspaper featured her in their publication.

Those that know me best know that I have been extremely active in Hamasa Shriners for the past several years, especially since 2003. I have been probably too active and too involved because when the crash came it came hard. I knew going into the first of this year I needed to slow down and back off some of my involvement because I was feeling burned out. A majority of phone calls I received involved Hamasa or the Lee County Shrine Club. I was heavily involved in every activity and fundraiser. Several friends told me I needed to learn how to say, “No.” I felt obligated and I started to feel like it was someone else’s turn.

Mix my burn-out with a Potentate (The head guy) that has been totally ineffective, narcissistic, and just plain wrong and I had to come to a screeching halt. Screeching is what I did too. We tried to help him. We tried to warn him, but he has consistently refused to listen. It’s not just the internal politics of Hamasa; it’s the basic mistakes that anyone can see. Besides having the main Potentate’s Ball on Easter weekend, he now has scheduled the Fall Ceremonial on the same day as a Mississippi State home football game. We tried having regional meetings to increase participation due to the fact that Meridian is too far to travel on a Tuesday night. Especially for the Northern have of the Hamasa Territory. We had two this year and it was starting to work and we were getting more members involved, but he killed that too. I wrote a few years back in one of my newsletter articles, that “in the absence of good leadership, bad leadership will come forth.” I guess I was right, especially when it come to Hamasa. I sent a nasty e-mail a couple of months ago to the Potentate and Divan (Divan is like the officers) that I regret and feel bad about. I told them I have lost faith in the Hamasa leadership and I have. I have also lost faith in the Hamasa membership. The Potentate has not responded and I really didn’t expect him to respond. The Recorder and Treasurer both sent me replies demanding an apology. I guess I should apologize but like I told the Recorder on the phone, I don’t see other people in Hamasa apologizing. I think what my nasty e-mail really was all about was me trying to commit Fraternal-Suicide, so I could justify not being involved anymore.

A Couple of Days Later…….

I was in the middle of scripting this blog and my phone started ringing, so I never got the opportunity to actually finish my thoughts. My phone rings a lot concerning the Shriners. I ended up attending another Shrine Club meeting in the next county with a member from my Shrine Club. We took the two petitions over there so they could participate in the process. There is a petition to change the location of Hamasa Shriners from Meridian to Starkville and a second one to change the name of Hamasa Shriners to “Magnolia” Shriners. Seems like some people mistake “Hamasa” for “Hamas” and we are confused with the terrorist group. If each petition gets 100 member signatures, then a notice will have to be sent out and then a vote. Then it will take two-thirds vote to pass and after that approval at the Imperial Session next July. I do not expect the name changing petition to get the required 100 signatures to even call for a vote. It might, but I would be real surprised.

Changing the location of the temple to Starkville will centralize it and allow more members from the Northern half to attend meetings. It could even mean a new beginning for Hamasa. Don’t get your hopes up. There are enough members in the South that do NOT have to drive three hours or more to a meeting that will show up and vote it down. Just so they won’t have to drive. Hamasa will become even more divided, more will drop out and we will eventually wither up and die. If more boys from the South would have been active in Hamasa, this petition would have never seen the light of day.

The ironic thing is “IF” our elected leadership had done their jobs and kept their obligations, a petition never would have been written. We had District meetings but our present leadership mucked that all up. If he had been a true leader, this petition to move Hamasa would have never appeared. I claim neither credit or blame for either of these petitions. I have only one vote, period. If the Hamasa membership is truly interested in making a change, they will do something about it. I stand neutral, not willing to argue the subject one way or the other. I have one vote. The subject of moving Hamasa is a long drawn out complicated matter. It seems like people are more interested in obtaining titles for themselves rather than the responsibility and service of office. They prefer to lead by demand and not inspire or enlighten. They forget that even though they think they are a king the servants are not truly bound and simply can stay at home. I prefer peace over turmoil and have declared not to spend six hours in a vehicle to attend a Hamasa meeting consisting of empty meaningless nonsense. I guess we will see……

I am really sleepy so I am going to post this. I have more to blog about, but I think I will go back to bed; maybe I will sleep this time…..Later….