Freemasonry

[zanshin]

Hey Kat,

I was just reading your sig file: "Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend."

Nice.  I like it.  Seriously.  Very deep.

Now I've got to go pee for some reason...

;D

 

[Kat Stevens]

Can't take the credit, I'm afraid.  The Venerable Bruce was an underrated philiosopher in my book.  Hope everything comes out okay in the end.

 

[pronto]

Zanshin:
Well done!!! You are no longer a "guest"... Either three would have been good... Lord, I remember memorising that lecture with Jacob's ladder in it!... It was my first. I was so nervous

Pronto

 

[zanshin]

Yep, I was a keen new Master Mason and asked "OK, what can I do know?  How can I help?"  The Master at the time patted me on the head and said "Go learn the 1st Degree Lecture" and then he chuckled and carried on telling big fish stories to whomever he was regaling.

So, I did.  ;D

(It's still my best one.)

 

[the 48th regulator]

I always get picked for the  Apron charge in the first degree, and I always have to prepare, no matter how many times I have done it.

I am going on my first group of home visitations this week!  Three in all, frig with my luck the wives will make them quit before they join!

dileas

tess

 

[zanshin]

Pronto,

It would be interesting to compare notes sometime and see exactly how close the wording is of that lecture between our Grand Jurisdictions.  I know from my travels over to Maine that while their's is similar, it does have some interesting differences.  For your reference, our ritual is based on the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire.  A couple of years ago, I learned from a masonic scholar that there are 5 main types of ritual.  New Hampshire is one, but I didn't learn the rest.  I'll contact him to see if I can get a reference for that tidbit...

 

[pronto]

Zanshin:
Love to! we're Jurisdiction of Ontario... The differences would be cool..

Pronto

 

[zanshin]

Oopsy 

That's what a mere year will do to your memory.  It's not New Hampshire, it's Massachusetts.  I just got a reply back from the DGM of the GLNB.
"In the proceedings of the 1st annual communication of the Grand Lodge of New Brunswick, (1868) the GM (in his annual address) speaks of the Grand Lecturer of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts coming to NB once a year for a week to teach the ritual. During this time, the GS, William Bunting made hand written notes which is presently kept at the GS office and referred to as the “jewel”. In a paper delivered by Dale Steeves, GM of the day, in 1982 to the All Canada Conference, it mentions the same thing again.
Massachusetts apparently took the work of Thomas Webb who wrote the ritual used by many jurisdictions in the US based on Preston’s work in England."

There ya go, Pronto.  I'll issue a challange to ya.  Go find out where Ontario's ritual came from and report back (with sources of course  ;D )

Mark

 

[zanshin]

Hey Dragoon19,
While we're at it... How about you bring in the origin of the GL of Alberta's ritual?  ;D

 

[pronto]

It's a deal... I seem to remember a copy of "whence we come" somewhere in the house with that very information.... Now to search it out.

wait, out.

Pronto

 

[Dragoon19]

We have two in Alberta,
Canadian and York. The Canadian is near as dam it to Emulation as practised in the UK and the York is sometimes called the American rite !!!

 

[the 48th regulator]

We have two in Alberta,
Canadian and York. The Canadian is near as dam it to Emulation as practised in the UK and the York is sometimes called the American rite !!!

Uhm,

I don't think so, I am part of York Rite and when the Bretheren arrive from our sister lodge in Cleveland, they do their work and signs completely different.

dileas

tess

 

[pronto]

Still searching.. (Isn't that what masonry is all about?)...

However, a snippet... Our lodge has a history back to a military lodge which came over with the Duke of Richmond in the very early 1800s. As a consequence, much of our ritual and intonations have a very old-world (UGLE) feel to them....

 

[pronto]

For Zanshin:

Okee, Dokee... From "whence come we" pp198... (Ontario)

"Grand Lodge in 1859 adopted the English ritual with slight modifications"

Interesting notes on Musical Ritual too! Although St.John's No. 20 and 209a in London Ontario, were granted dispensation to use "Irish Ritual" Sounds really cool!

Pronto

 

[the 48th regulator]

For Zanshin:

Okee, Dokee... From "whence come we" pp198... (Ontario)

"Grand Lodge in 1859 adopted the English ritual with slight modifications"

Interesting notes on Musical Ritual too! Although St.John's No. 20 and 209a in London Ontario, were granted dispensation to use "Irish Ritual" Sounds really cool!

Pronto

page 198?  I can't find that...

dileas


tess

 

[zanshin]

Actually... apparently... Ontario boasts (or suffers through - depending how you look at it) 5 different "officially OK'd" rituals.  I'll go check on that and report back.  Well, actually I'll go watch Battlestar and then check on it...

 

[pronto]

For 48th Regulator:
I am looking at the "Whence Come We" copyright 1980 (Hamilton) Version.

Chapter 12, Canadian Ritual. Page 198 has a sub-chapter called "promulgation of the Ritual by Grand Lodge" You may have a differing version?

Pronto

 

[the 48th regulator]

I only have the black book from the Grand Lodge, titled "The Work".

dileas

tess

 

[pronto]

Right, I understand. The Work is the black book with the ritual in it. "Whence come we" is a blue hard cover from the Grand Lodge. You can get it from the library (off the website).

Believe it or not, I bought a copy from someone who had picked up a bunch of copies at Grand Lodge for us.

Pronto

 

[FredDaHead]

Ok, here's a question... I know one has to be over 21 to join, but how hard is it for a youngin' to join? I'm not even 21 yet (3 more days!) and I don't know how much more of my free time I can allocate to new activities, but Freemasonry sounds like something... "good"? (I can't figure out how to put it.)