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http://go.masonicconnections.com/SiteFiles/GrandLodgeIllinois/docs/public/downloads/Freemasonry%20Magazine/2014/IllinoisFreemasonry2014_2_web.pdf On the cover of this quarter's Illinois Freemasonry is a photo of both GMs and both grand lines doing a cornerstone ceremony for a new building at...

Chortle. I've been to a few lodges where I've delivered the Test Oath. I end up giving a mash of a couple of versions I have learned. Sometimes they notice the difference sometimes they don't. Memorizing the Test Oath is a part of the third degree proficiency in California.

Masonry makes good men better. It happens many different subtle ways. One way is to help a brother become more comfortable in social situations - To become more confident without needing to alter where you are on the introvert/extrovert spectrum. Don't change being shy rather learn to work...

If you have a chance take a tour of a distillery some time. It's fascinating chemistry. Doing distillation the primary method to remove the acetone and methanol is the "headings" and "tailings". The first and last results of the boil are discarded. Somewhere in the region of 5-10% on each...

Lions Club is a service organization. We are not. It is natural for the two organizations to cooperate and to have some shared members. It is common for lodges to have a box for donated glasses to be given to a nearby Lions Club.

On numbers and numeral systems - Until the introduction of the Hindu-Arabic numbering system there was no uniform system for specifying numbers. The building of KST and other stories in our degrees predate the introduction of the Hindu-Arabic numbering system by millennia. That's a very long...

Based on your typing I figure you mean your cohort was banned not branded. I do typos like that all the time and also word substitutions. You will need to approach a nearby lodge and tell them your history. Ask them if they are able and willing to help you complete your degrees "by courtesy"...

In the jurisdictions I know the memorization is all that is required. He'd pass. The brothers in attendance might have no idea he does not understand what he just parroted. As long as they are willing to continue working. I've seen guys who didn't expect to have to work much to earn their...

My mother jurisdiction doesn't ask on the petition what religion you're a member of, doesn't ask in the investigation and doesn't record if you decide to mention it. There's the standard "Do you believe in the existence of a supreme being?" and the committee goes over the question phrasing it...

Doing it the right way can be a VERY tough sell. A building that becomes a source of stability int he district costs ten times as much as a building that eventually becomes an albatross for its lodge. But that's a huge difference in funds and very many brothers want a building, any building...

If we're going good old fashioned US whiskey are we going all the way back to before Kentucky was settled to mean rye whiskey? Songs that mention it "Rye whiskey, rye whiskey I sing with a sigh. Rye whiskey, rye whiskey I'll drink 'till I die". And Mandy - "She serves them whiskey and rye".

Why would adhering to our founding practices be considered a last resort? Grand lodge Masonry was founde din taverns. As to the membership curve, try looking at the trend across multiple centuries. There's nothing new under the Sun - We have seen multiple generation long resurgences of the...

Meeting in taverns the traditional way has the advantage that we can be more dispersed. We can cover more territory that way. Now there's pressure to move into the remaining large structures. I've seen lodges lose their ability to recruit because of the need to move into the remaining large...

Power is knowledge applied. Wisdom is knowledge applied PROPERLY. I suggest that the difference has to do with the "civic virtue" that we teach at lodge but find so hard to define.

For their citizens but not for ex-pats. It's a situation that happens in some countries that have lodges of ex-pats in various eras and cities.

The movie Up the dog is named Doug. They got my character just right except for the tail and number of legs.

Our symbols are explained as a part of our degrees. While they are not secrets I suggest that you should learn them by taking your degrees not by reading before your degrees. Do you know anyone who searched for the Christmas presents when they were a kid and the lack of surprise spoiled the...

As a short guy I was hoping the sing that song "Short people ..." but then I looked up the word and it's only the face. One problem with the concept is someone with light sensitive eyes will squint a lot and that involves the same facial muscles as a person who habitually scowls.

In some jurisdictions there exist long and short forms of the lectures. Maybe it's that. In this case I suspect it's a variation in the amount of floor work conducted during the degree. Come to an Illinois third degree some time to see how much extra detail can get added to the floor work.

In my jurisdictions the protocol exists for outgoing travelers in that it is available because it is needed to visit some other jurisdictions. In my jurisdictions the protocol is not required for incoming travelers. Different jurisdiction, different rules but since some jurisdictions use the...