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At a certain point in the Royal Arch, we celebrate the release of the capties from Babylon, by the proclamation of Cyrus, King of Persia. Now, someone has gone and dug up a copy of that actual proclamation (maybe), and it's coming here to the States for a visit ...

Here is a very nice little handbook and tutorial that I found on Amazon this past weekend... I borrowed this on the AMazon Prime thing, read the first few chapters, then went right back and bought it. I find it to be an excellent guide for new Masons, as well as those who are starting to get...

The first time I sat in lodge as a master mason, about three weeks after being raised, they had me filling in as Senior Deacon for an absent brother. About two months later I was appointed as junior deacon when the incumbent had not shown back up for nearly 5 months, and I have started up the...

It depends who has memorized the ritual and floor work to confer the degree and present the various sections thereof. It's a different set of memory work from the business of opening and closing the lodge.

Re: Are blue lodges only AF&AM? It's South Carolina... As Brother Petigru said 152 years ago last month (December, 1860), it's too small to be an independent nation, and too large to be an insane asylum. They've hovered between the two extremes for over 200 years ;-)

I like THulse's repsonse, but for general guidance and the instruction of new Brother's, here's sort of a simple checklist that I came up with... "Not proper to be written": * Modes of recognition (grips, signs, and words/passwords) * Any parts of the ritual and proficiency lectures that...

From my (formerly) Louisiana lady friend: Darcia's King Cake Hopefully you have a bread machine. If you do, set it to manual, andthen load it in this order: 1 package quick rise yeast 3 1/4 C. flour (I use a combination of whole wheat and bread flour) 1 t. salt (I use lite salt) 1/4 c. sugar...

It's an inspiring degree... Our chapter (Union #2) is co-located in the Grand Lodge & Scottish Rite temple in Little Rock, and has borrowed some of the theatrical stuff to make this really impressive, with the robes, candlelight, and even fire coming down from the heavens... and you ought to...

Great stuff, Brother... I recently joined the kitchen staff at the Scottish Rite temple, and will be taking a turn in the South next year... There are some big shoes (and expectant brethren) to fill, so we're always looking to improve on the cuisine ;-) Besides, it's fun!

I've done (and seen) some of both... and strongly recommend taking your degrees one at a time in your local chapter, council, and commandery. That lets you focus on the lessons in each degree, and absorb them before moving to the next degree. Plus, having some skin in the game (actually...

The Buffington business is long over, and Floyd is gone... He can re-petition to be restored to good status in about 30 years. There are still a couple dozen folks who put the Shrine over their standing as a master Mason, and have continued run attend and participate with the Shrine. The...

You can still send text messages without a plan, but it will cost you a lot more. The plans offered typically cover unlimited or a large amount of texting without additional charges, but if you don't have such a plan (I don't, since left to my own devices I don't text anyone, that's what I have...

Here in Arkansas, the only parts "proper to be written" is the paragraph or two describing the working tools, and the new candidate is given a small brochure containing that, as well as a few other topics. Everything else is "mouth to ear." Proficiency exams are conducted in open lodge, at a...

There is some precedent in other jurisdictions. About 5 years ago, the GL of Arkansas "de-petitioned" a candidate who professed himself as an ordained Wiccan, (http://masonicleaks.com/tag/ordained-wiccan/). The reasoning behind this is a number of edicts incorporated into the Arkansas Masonic...

Re: Running Towards Morals & Dogma I got a copy of de Hoyo's new annotated edition of M&D, and a copy of "A Bridge to Light" once I completed our reunion last month... The Monitor is $75, ordered from the Supreme Council, but you can get it for $35 if you enroll in the Master Craftsman...

It looks like it comes from one of the appendices to the 14th degree in de Hoyos' The Scottish Rite Ritual: Monitor and Guide, that you get with the Master Craftsman program... I just ran across that while studying this weekend. It's showing me that the Scottish Rite is even deeper than I...

The Iowa argument was moot. Mr. Buffington lives, works, and was attending lodge & the Shrine here in Arkansas, inside the jurisdiction of the GLoAR. If I were to come down to Texas, I would still be obligated to abide by the laws of the GLoTX, no matter how we do things back hime in Arkansas...

From the talk around various lodges and other gatherings, it's unlikely to happen any time soon. The Shrine in Arkansas is effectively gone, and no one is sure if there's anyone who can really put it back together. Over at Scimitar, the guys who started this in the first place are pretty much...

Got my copy of the letter in the mail yesterday... There's a second page attached with the proposed settlement between the GL and Imperial, which the Illustrious Potentate was apparently agreeable to, but the full Imperial line wouldn't let him sign. So here we are...

The potentate of Scimitar Shrine was suspended in 2011 for unmasonic conduct. Under the Grand Lodge rules, that severs you from all rights and benefits of Masonry, right there and then. Imperial Shrine implemented a rule several years ago which under the Shrine's jurisdiction, allows for a...