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There are people I wish weren't members of my religion. If wishes were horses all the world would ride. My wishing it does not make it so. So while I agree with you neither of us gets to make that call.

In general there are never any invitations to become a Mason. In many states invitations are forbidden. Find a local lodge. See the schedule on the door or online. Every month start showing up an hour before the monthly meeting. get to know the brothers and ask for a petition. Expect it to...

The idea that there are no bad foods is incorrect and very harmful to the growing population of obese people. There are types of food that are only eaten by humans for economic or historical reasons that are not beneficial to us. Dairy is harmful to many humans. Lactose tolerance has only...

Arkansas's mess was caused by an illegal actions of more than one Grand Master. Mostly expulsions by edict without trial. I do not know if these actions have been voted on at annual communication but if they have that set a precedent that in Arkansas the GM has de facto authority to expel men...

Ono of the features of a civic passport is it gets stamped when you visit countries. This feature has been adopted by some jurisdictions. They offer Masonic passports that can be stamped by each lodge you visit. It's fun to collect a lot of stamps. I have no idea if they have any sort of...

I tried to find a bowler or derby. Fedoras in all sorts of department stores but I would have to make a special trip to downtown in a big city to find a gentlemen's shop that carried bowler or derby. Hard to find - If you have a source go for it I say!

I have ones from Southern and Northern jurisdictions. They remind me more of my shot card than my passport!

I am inconsistent about low carbing. I started Atkins in 1999 and it cured me of indigestion, migraines, you name it. I am no longer consistent about staying low carb so I've gained the loss back but I stay careful enough that the only time I get indigestion is when I chose to do it on...

The big dog in the recognition discussion are states that don't have recognition yet. As I'm not a member of any of them what I can do is pray that Masonry prevails in the hearts of the representatives in that state any time it comes up for a vote. There two smaller dogs ready for discussion...

This is an important point. On the one hand most Masons want to encourage masonry across the world. On the other hand not at the expense of making brothers criminals. One approach has been to recognize grand lodges "in exile". New York does this a lot. California does this a little. Expat...

Some brothers are slow to acknowledge masonry. Other brothers go out of their way to connect. I'll see a certain number of headlight flashes in my mirror or a certain wave and end up stopping to have a coffee with a brother. I'll see a ring or my ring will be seen and we'll hang out for a...

Say high to the several Ron's and Greg's for me! Enjoy the process. Being in Texas it's unlikely I will be able to attend any of your degrees.

Bro Mark, Regularity comes in several levels and forms. It's a gray scale or floating point. In comparison recognition is yes/no digital. Being not recognized does *not* automatically mean being clandestine. This description makes PHO sound regular in almost every way but a decision on how...

Smib!

My wife got me Texas Masonic plates for Fathers Day this year. I've previous had Masonic plates in IL, WA and NC so most years since 2001.

I think the usual term is "partisan politics" that's technically banned. We do tend to expand that to resist as much politics as we can but as you point out humans are group beings who discuss all levels of group. I figure we should be able to discuss principles as long as we stay non-partisan...

My first time through the east was in a lodge where the local tradition was a top hat so I wore one of them. I have a fedora because that was a local tradition in my lodge the next time I went through the east. I finally found a three-corner hat as seen in movies about the American Revolution...

When I moved to Texas I located the nearby lodges using the MWSA web pages. Whether the groups meet or not the web pages have value. Last night I asked the outgoing WM how many MWSA meetings he had attended as he progressed through the line. He said he'd been to one meeting the entire time.

We're an order with tradition. No newfangled LED lights. Use those bulbs the way it's been done as far back as anyone can remember! Chuckle. Candles are very nice and give an aura to a degree, but they are a fire hazard. Most jurisdictions now have the lesser lights on a single pedestal yet...

Brother Bryant, Your previous posts were in a thread about giving up on Masonry so I'm not sure what you mean here. The formal definition of "esoteric" is usually just the words of the ritual that are not open to the public. Any one brother can add to his personal usage as much mystical and...