Anaheim Masonic Lodge No. 207

Which is older - The Masonic sign or the military salute?

For certain, both are rendered as a matter of respect and both should be rendered properly.

The Military Salute

While the origin of the Hand Salute is uncertain, one theory is it began in the late Roman times when assassinations were common. It was required that citizens who approached a public official had to raise his right hand to show he did not hold a weapon. Knights in armor were required to raise their visor with their right hand when approaching a comrade.

Our Masonic tradition tells us that our Craft had three original Grand Masters. The first of these, Solomon the King of Israel, figures prominently in our Masonic story and is still known as a great personage thirty centuries after his time. The third of this trio is the center and source of our deepest teaching and to him all Masons are bound by a unique tie. But the second of our Grand Masters has only a passing reference in our Ritual and outside of a Masonic Lodge is known only to a few specialists in history. Hiram of Tyre was a monarch who ruled over a powerful kingdom at the peak of its greatness. He and his people deserve to be known better by the Masonic fraternity.

The kingdom of Tyre, or Phoenicia, as it was more generally known, was located on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean north of Palestine. Its principal city was the seaport of Tyre, which because of its geographical location became a converging point on the great trade routes. Tyre became one of the foremost commercial centers of the ancient world and grew rich and powerful.  Phoenicia has two just claims to high achievement.

by Shawn Bell, Senior Deacon

In October of 1789 the United States had only emerged from the Revolutionary War by a scant few years. We had newly elected our first President, George Washington (raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason in the Lodge at Fredericksburg on August 4th, 1753), and the Congress was busy delivering the fresh-off-the-presses Bill of Rights that had been adopted as the first ten amendments to the new Constitution to the state capitols of the new United States. The Judiciary act of 1789 formed the entire federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court.

However, even in these hectic times of nation building, our first President, Brother George Washington, took the time to remember and acknowledge the debt we as Americans all owe to the Divine in the first Thanksgiving Proclamation:

A belief that is implicit in Freemasonry is in what Freemasons called the 'Volume of the Sacred Law'. In the majority of English speaking Lodges this is the 'Authorized' or 'King James' version of the Bible. The 'Basic Principles for Grand Lodge Recognition' makes clear:

"All initiates shall take their Obligation on or in full view of the open Volume of the Sacred Law, by which is meant the revelation from above which is binding on the conscience of the particular individual being initiated "

Hence, the Sacred Volume is the Koran to a Muslim, the Vedas to a Hindu, and so on.

Brethren,

Every September we, as American Freemasons, take a moment to reflect and celebrate one of the greatest founding documents of our country: the United States Constitution.  This year, September 17, 2011 was the observance of Constitution Day.

As citizens we should recognize the single document that has carried the ideals that founded this country, and pause to remember all of the great men and women who have stood for, defended, and fought to maintain those ideals in their truest form.  As Freemasons, we should be especially mindful of the tenets included in the Constitution, as many of them are reflected in our great fraternity, and are etched in the hearts and minds of Freemasons worldwide.  We should be ever respectful and reverent of those that put pen to paper, and who brought this great nation to life with a single, simple document that outlined how the United States of America should be.

Recently, it was asked "who wrote this?"

Considerable confusion may be avoided by keeping clearly in mind the fourfold use which Masonry makes of the metaphor of architecture.

1. The universe is viewed as one vast structure, which owes its existence to the Supreme Architect.

2. Man, too, is a builder. He is engaged in the construction of personal character. For this sublime task he is supplied with abundant materials, worthy patterns and explicit instructions.

3. Man is also commissioned to build an ideal social structure. The nature of the social order depends on the quality of the individuals composing it. Masons must, therefore, qualify as "living stones" of society to contribute to its betterment.

Question:

When we are exhorted, in the Third Degree, to 'lift our eyes to that bright morning star, whose rising brings peace and salvation . . .' are we referring to a particular star, or is this pure symbolism?

Answer:

The various aspects of this problem may be best envisaged, perhaps, from the following quotations, beginning with some extracts from Miscellanea Latomorum (Series ii) Vol. 31, pp. 1-4:

It is argued that this reference to 'that bright Morning Star' is an allusion to the Founder of Christianity, and as such should never have been included in, or retained in, the ritual of an Association professing entire freedom from denominational creed or dogma, outside of the simple basic belief in the existence of a Supreme Being. This attitude has unfortunately been bolstered up by a frequent misquotation of the wording, the phrase 'whose rising brings peace and tranquillity' being often rendered as 'peace and salvation', which is erroneous and decidedly mischievous. [N.B. Emulation, Stability and Logic use the word 'salvation'; Exeter says 'tranquillity'.]

Masonic Geocaching

Geocaching is a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game. Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices and then share their experiences online. (from www.geocaching.com)

Dr. S. Brent Morris has stated that Masons were, arguably, the world's first Geocachers.  When Enoch and Mathuselah buried the triangular golden plate etched with the eneffable name of God upon it deep below the foundation of the Temple, they created the first geocache.  There's even a Masonic Geocaching Society that participates on Facebook and through the Scottish Rite.

Question:

Should the letter G be 'readable' from the East or West?

Answer:

I hold that in those Lodges where the G is displayed it should be one of the most prominent items viewed on entering the Lodge, and it should therefore be readable from the West.

The oldest references to its position all suggest that it was 'in the centre'. In the early 1700s it was usually on the floor in the middle of a Tracing Board, either drawn in chalk or laid out in templates. In such cases it would certainly have been laid on the floor so as to be readable from the West.

I had a big, long article all written up about the Stewards Rods, their meaning, and their history for this month, but I decided that a better topic might be one about our Steak Fry this year.

Even though there were plenty of people at the event, a recap for those of you who weren't there might be just the thing to entice you to come on out to our NEXT great event!  You don't want to miss the festivities your Lodge has planned!

This year, Anaheim Lodge No. 207 put on a Steak Fry to raise funds for the Lodge and help build back the camaraderie and fellowship that our HUGE Lodge is famous for throughout the state of California (remember: whenever the Grand Lodge family comes through Southern California, they always stop by Anaheim Lodge!  We've got a great kitchen, a nice venue and a fantastic line of officers this year!).