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Masons can't "create their own lodge" as such. They have to go through a regular and recognized Grand Lodge. It may sound the same on the surface but the distinction is important. Every regular lodge must have a clearly documented lineage to the founding lodges. Any other lineage is...

Speak it out loud while you are in a place none will hear you like your commute to/from work. Speaking aloud and reading engage different parts of the mind so they trigger memory differently. Consider an extreme case - Reading about bicycles versus riding a bicycle. Riding generates muscle...

Re: Question regarding "ongoing" fundraising and m There was a joke printed in Temple Topics which I receive monthly from one of my lodges. The DDGM arrived as scheduled to give a talk. The room was almost empty. He asked the WM if he had published word of the talk. "No, but I guess the...

Re: Question regarding "ongoing" fundraising and m Raffles are gambling but some people consider them a lesser problem than other forms of gambling. As a result some jurisdictions make an exception for raffles. One of my jurisdictions, Illinois, keeps rejecting proposals to allow them. My...

How many times have you been told a secret with going through the mumble mumble mumble before receiving that secret? No brother so far has ever asked me to do that. Then again how many brothers mention offhand that they committed crimes? I don't know that I can remember that happening either.

Re: Membership and participation in Freemasonry to There are separate issues that need to be treated as such - 1) There was a golden age of fraternities that ended around 1960s. During peak large facilities were constructed on the assumption the peak would never end. It did end. Membership...

Some states list murder, treason and felony. Some states don't list it being at our option. Reasonable variations.

I've already reported a number of his posts as trolls. This ends my responses to him. When someone is clearly insane what is important is to recognize that and pray for his healing not to respond to his rantings.

Statistics for California in the Proceedings for year 2012. Membership 2011 was 57250 Membership 2012 was 55112 Initiated 1775, Passed 1324, Raised 1254 Number of chartered lodges 338 So the average in California for 2012 was five and a quarter candidates per year per lodge. The idea of an...

Re: Question regarding "ongoing" fundraising and m That would break the rules in many jurisdictions that do not allow gambling of any sort. A group in Illinois has been trying to pass an annual fundraiser lottery and it keeps failing. They resubmit every other year and have done so with...

I'm a guy. I can tell one shade of color from another in fine detail when side by side and often from memory. What I can't do is care about the difference between one shade of color from another in fine detail. Teal green is blue. Autumn sonata is something listed on the program for the...

Welcome again to the family. Now you start over from scratch. As you say "Wow. Just, wow".

I just looked at my wrist watch to see what time it is. The time right now is still October. So the vote on the floor at MWPHAGLofTX is still a few weeks out. Patience may be one of the first lessons we are taught at the door of lodge but yikes it's a lesson that sinks into my thick skull...

If you want more accurate information be prepared for a shock. Go to the companies listed for each plan offered and look up the public price listing. If you are like us it will be at least twice what we are paying now. As I expected. My wife was furious and all I could say was I had...

I'm glad there is not. It's an example of Freemasonry living up to our religious freedom and of the landmark to not bring up sectarian religion in lodge. We ask a question on the petition if you believe in the existence of a supreme being. In the investigation process we ask your recommenders...

So insanity and misery have a similarity then. They both love company. Yeah, it seems like it at times. There's a big push against rationality in society that I don't understand or sympathize with but it's no surprise that as a large number move the wrong way many will go well past the line.

Less than that in my case. Being a conspiracy theorist is the express lane to insanity as far as I'm concerned.

Trying to remember from 20 years ago with as much accuracy as I can dredge up ... I decided it was time to have some civic activity and since I didn't want to become politically active that meant a fraternity or service club. I carried a sheet and wrote names as I thought of them for several...

Kabbalic mysticism has been very deliberately included in our rituals. If you think our rituals are only a few centuries old then you'll think that our rituals are entwined with Kabbalah. If you think our rituals date back to King Solomon then you'll think that our rituals and the Kabbalah are...

They were just beginning to drive total costs down when Obamacare was passed. They were not given the time needed for the process to run to stable lower prices. With HSAs folks saw the price of every medical decision and the initial prices came out of their pocket, pretax if they signed up for...