The Voice of Freemasonry | Vol. 39 No. 3

The Voice of Freemasonry is an official publication of the Grand Lodge of Free And Accepted Masons (F.A.A.M.) of the District of Columbia. Unless otherwise noted, articles appearing in this publication express only the private opinion or assertions of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Grand Lodge. The jurisdiction speaks only through the Grand Master, and when attested to as official, in writing, by the Grand Secretary.

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THE GRAND MASTER’S MESSAGE

Daniel A. Huertas, Grand Master

was enjoyed by all who attended. We saw new faces, and we had a good time!

At the Installation of Officers in December 2021, I stated that as Grand Master, I had the obligation to focus my work and energy on three areas of endeavor:

ƒ Masonic education; ƒ Design and implement programs that highlight the importance of Freemasonry in our nation’s capital; and ƒ Good governance in our Craft.

My Brethren, I believe that together we have made great progress and success in achieving these goals. Yet, while we have accomplished a great deal thus far, there is still much to be done, and I have faith that the good work will continue for many years to come.

I am grateful to our Grand Lodge officers, and to our jurisdiction as a whole for your continued support, and for your devotion to our Craft. Thank you, my brothers!

MY BRETHREN,

As our year draws to a close, I thought it important that we reflect on our successes as a Grand Lodge. While we have labored unceasingly to restore our Grand Lodge so that we may exemplify the principles of our Masonic morality and good governance, we have also had a great deal of fun as well!

We have accomplished a great deal of work over the past few months. Our group Grand Visitations were a resounding success, and allowed brothers from across the jurisdiction to break bread with their fellows who they otherwise may not have met. My focus during the Grand Visitations was to create the opportunity for our brethren to connect with one another in a different setting and enjoy the richness

of diversity that we have in our Grand Jurisdiction. During our Grand Visitations we were able to strike the balance between the value of bringing everyone together followed by a Masonic Festive Board to share great conversation and a nice meal.

We also had the opportunity to share a fun and unique evening with our spouses at our Masquerade Ball, and were able to enjoy time with our children at the Grand Lodge Picnic.

Our inaugural Masquerade Ball was different! No speeches, no specific agenda other than having a fantastic time. From what I was told, we accomplished our goal. During the next few weeks, I will continue to gather feedback and have something for our progressive line of officers to think about for future activities for years to come. Our picnic too was different this year, and

Sincerely & Fraternally, Daniel A. Huertas Grand Master

MWB Daniel A. Huertas, Grand Master

Grand Master Huertas’s pin.

SHARED CONNECTIONS & MEDIEVAL ORIGINS: THE LIVERYMAN, THE FREEMAN, AND THE FREEMASON

Jacob M. Bressman Senior Grand Warden RWB Jacob M. Bressman

As with many things, the exact origin of Freemasonry may have been lost to the sands of time. We do not know with any type of certainty when, or how, the Masonic fraternity was formed. We do however have many theories, and legends, to help guide us in our search. One widely accepted theory among Masonic scholars is that Freemasonry arose from the medieval stonemasons’ guilds responsible for building the great cathedrals of Europe. Likewise, there is some evidence that the language and symbols used in Masonic rituals come from this time period. In fact, the oldest agreed-upon Masonic document referencing the Freemason is the Regius Poem, of which the earliest known copy is dated 1390, and which is believed to be a copy of an earlier work. We also know that

in 1717, four Masonic Lodges gathered together in London at the Goose and Gridiron Tavern (originally the Mitre) to form the first Grand Lodge of England. It was therefore in 1717 that modern day Freemasonry was born. But what then of the time period leading up to 1717, and where did these original four Lodges come from?

The medieval trade guilds of London, which are referred to as Livery Companies, may offer an interesting possible answer to this question. Although likely of even older origin, we know that the Worshipful Company of Mercers is the premier, or first, Livery Company of the City of London, having been incorporated under a Royal Charter in 1394. Similarly, we know that the first historical record of the conferral of the Freedom of the City of London dates back to 1237. Curiously too, there is also a Livery Company known as the Worshipful Company of Masons, which was granted Arms in 1472 during the reign of King Edward IV. As with the mythology of the Freemasons, the Worshipful Company of Masons is stated to have played an exceedingly important role in regulating the stonemasons craft during the medieval period in London, and elsewhere within the region. While not formally established until the 15th century, there is evidence that a “craft of masons” existed beforehand.

We find our first written evidence of the existence of an organized guild of Masons

from the records of the elections to the Common Council in 1376. But before even then, it must be noted that the Corporation of London’s own records show that this Company existed in some form since 1356, for that is when the rules for its guidance were framed. By 1389, there was also written evidence of a fraternity of masons in London. It is here where we begin to see some level of alignment in the alleged shared history between the Freemasons and the Worshipful Company of Masons. In fact, one historian of the aforementioned Worshipful Company, Mr. Edward Conder, Jr., who served as the Company’s Master in 1894, claimed in his book, “The Hole Crafte and Fellowship of Masons,” that the Worshipful Company may have in fact been the missing link which proved that modern day Masonry was lineally descended from the ancient fraternity of masons which formed the Worshipful Company. In his explanation, Conder also notes that modern day Freemasonry owes its origin to the Worshipful Company, as it was responsible for having preserved the moral teachings and fellowship of the stonemasons guilds of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries until the establishment of the first Grand Lodge in 1717. While these claims may ring true, they are however quite difficult to

prove. Existing documents from the early history of the Worshipful Company are scarce, and the earliest preserved written record dates back to only 1620. We know that earlier records must have existed, as the Worshipful Company was officially founded nearly 150 years earlier, but such records have regrettably been lost, having likely been destroyed in the Great Fire of London. Nevertheless, it is possible to trace this history of the Worshipful Company through other records.

In John Stow’s “A Survey of London,” published in 1633, it is written that “The Company of masons, being otherwise called freemasons, of ancient standing and good reckoning, by means of affable and kind meetings at divers times, and as a loving brotherhood should use to do, did frequent this mutual assembly in the time of King Henry the Fourth, in the twelfth year of his most gracious reign.” We are thus informed that Freemasons met as a “loving Brotherhood,” in 1410, and that they were identified with the London Company of

Masons. This depiction, alongside other writings of the period, such as that of R. Seymour, Esq., and J. Marchant, Gent., titled “History and Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster, Being an improvement of Mr. Stow’s and other Historic Writers,” published in 1754, help to shed further light on this question, where they explain that “This Company (of Masons) were incorporated about the year 1410, having been called the Free Masons, a fraternity of great Account, who have been honour’d by several Kings and very many of the Nobility and Gentry, being of this Society.” In continuation of this explanation, Seymour and Marchant comment that the Masons of the Company were “once called Freemasons, but that denomination appears now to belong to another Fraternity.”

But when was the Worshipful Company of Masons actually formed then? Through this journey, we have seen that the Company received its grant of Arms in 1472, but that its By-Laws were apparently granted

in 1356. These By-Laws curiously enough show that the members of the Company were divided into two categories: those who hewed rough stone, and those who worked in free-stone. These articles also note two special provisions, stating that “(1) No one should take work in gross without tendering proper security for its completion; and (2) that all apprentices should work in the presence of their masters, till they perfectly learned their calling.” In the Returns of 1376 of the Company, it is further written that the number of members returnable by the Guilds to the Common Council be set forth so that the masons would be entitled to four representatives, and that the Freemasons to two representatives, thereby adding further distinction between these two categories of membership, perhaps thus setting the basis for the eventual split of these two categories of members.

It is also worth noting that in addition to that of the London Company, and those associated with it, there also existed a very old institution of a brotherhood between

members of the stonemasons craft, both within England, and abroad. This ancient brotherhood existed much in the same way as did the London Company, regulating the trade by setting standards of work, governing the members, and providing a level of organization using the framework of the medieval guild system. As with their modern day counterparts, these Freemasons had Lodges and Chapters, and met in secrecy. Likewise, these Freemasons of old too had the freedom of travel, trade, and own land, and shared many of the same privileges as those granted to the Freemen who had received the Freedom of the City of London. But then is there a connection in spite of all of these similarities between the modern day Freemasons and the London Company?

In truth, we may never know the exact nature of this connection, or whether in fact there is any actual connection in reality. What we do know however is that there is certainly a shared history of terminology, and that there are many shared customs between the Livery Companies, and the modern day Freemasons, some of which we note as follows:

membership to only those who have received the Freedom of the City of London.

ƒ There is also a Masonic Lodge for Masters of Masonic Lodges who are either Freemen, Liverymen, or employees/officers of the City of London Corporation.

ƒ There are several Masonic Lodges which meet in the Livery Company Halls, and one even meets in the Crypt of Guildhall.

ƒ There is a large overlap in membership amongst the Livery Companies and the Freemasons.

ƒ The structure of Masonic Lodges is similar to that of the Livery Companies.

ƒ The Coat of Arms used by the United Grand Lodge of England is based in part upon those of the Worshipful Company of Masons.

ƒ There is a similarity in the regalia worn by officers of the Liveries and of Masonic Lodges, and also in the grades of membership and the levels of progression.

ƒ The Lodge in which a Freemason is made a Mason is called his “Mother Lodge,” similarly as to how the first Livery Company in which a Freeman is admitted

there are also many differences, and it would be a mistake to believe that they are one and the same. In essence, through this examination of the early history of Freemasonry, and of the Liveries, we can see that both organizations enjoy a rich history and heritage from times of old, and that while the Craft of Freemasonry may hold some uncanny resemblance to the Liveries, most especially with the Worshipful Company of Masons, it must be noted and understood that two are in fact very different entities, and if they did spring from the same well, they have since diverged and are both unique and wholly separate entities within the colorful history of the City of London.

Thus, at first glance, it is easy to misunderstand the connection, and shared history, held between the Livery Companies and the Freedom of the City with the ancient fraternity that is Freemasonry. While the three share many similar traditions, verbiage, and history, they are not the same organization. It would therefore be erroneous to presume that the Livery Companies of the City of London, or that the Freemen of the City of London,

BY MERIT ALONE: THE BASIS OF MASONIC ADVANCEMENT

Andrew U. Hammer, Deputy Grand Lecturer and Grand Historian

occupied the previous one, has become so commonplace throughout the Craft that one would assume that it is the prescribed method of operation. One even hears brothers say things such as “we use the progressive line”, as if it is a working tool of the fraternity. Nothing could be further from the truth. The use of this practice as a general principle, while it may seem sensible, or even “fair” to some, has arguably done more harm than good to the Craft, because as is so common in human nature, the focus is placed on the expected outcome rather than everything else that is expected from the brother in order to achieve it.

in 1723. In the Charges of a Free-Mason, Section IV addresses the manner of advancement, and is unambiguous:

All preferment among Masons is grounded upon real Worth and personal Merit only; that so the Lords may be well served, the Brethren not put to Shame, nor the Royal Craft despis’d: Therefore no Master or Warden is chosen by Seniority, but for his Merit. It is impossible to describe these things in Writing, and every Brother must attend in his Place, and learn them in a Way peculiar to this Fraternity.

The approaching end of a Masonic year always directs the minds of brethren to consider the expected changes in leadership that take place in a lodge. The question of “moving up through the chairs” is wellknown to us all; every lodge informs its brethren of the requirements to become Master, and occasionally, jovial references are made to how and when a brother will fulfill those requirements. However, what we do not often ask ourselves is what Masonry itself teaches us about the qualities and expectations of those who are elected to hold office in a lodge. Here we are not talking only about the code of any one grand lodge, but about what Freemasonry has taught—for at least 300 years—about the nature of being advanced through the offices of a lodge.

The acceptance of a so-called “progressive line”, where a brother simply moves up each year to the next position because he

Lodges become assembly lines, with men moving through the chairs without understanding the significance of any of the offices they occupy, merely focusing on becoming Master of the lodge, without ever having understood what responsibilities fall upon such an office, and how to carry them out. Before the reader prepares to argue with such an assessment, please understand that it also paraphrases William Preston’s comments on the same subject, from 250 years ago. The issue has been with us from the beginning.

What becomes lost in a lodge that constructs a conveyor belt towards the Oriental Chair is the question of merit. Has each officer done what he needs to do to merit being elected to the next position in the lodge? It may surprise some brothers to learn that this question is not openended, but rather at the very core of speculative Freemasonry. It is explicitly stated in the Constitutions of the Free-Masons, more commonly referred to as Anderson’s Constitutions, published

There is no room for interpretation here. Seniority, or one’s present place in the line, means nothing in the matter of advancement. Merit is the only deciding factor. Further, this is not the only place in the historical writings of the Craft where this principle is stated. The primacy of merit is abundantly expressed; space simply does not permit a comprehensive account to be given here.

Naturally, when one puts forth the idea that lodges should always conform to this standard of selection, there will be others who say, well, what about the brother who is jumped over, or held back? Fortunately, Masonry comes to the rescue again, and gives us instructions on exactly how to deal with that. We would not have such instructions unless the situation was expected to occur. And each of us hears those instructions every year, at the installation ceremony in every lodge.

The following familiar words, from the Charge to the Brethren, date back to the 18th century:

WB Andrew U. Hammer

Such is the nature of our Constitution that as some must, of necessity, rule and teach, so others must submit and obey. Humility, in both, is an essential duty. The officers who are appointed to govern your Lodge are sufficiently conversant with the rules of propriety, and the laws of the institution, to avoid exceeding the powers with which they are entrusted; and you are of too generous dispositions to envy their preferment. I, therefore, trust that you will have but one aim, to please each other, and unite in the grand design of being happy and communicating happiness.

The earliest version of this language is found in a charge given in 1765 by Right Worshipful Brother John Whitmash, in Taunton, England, and has a different, but significant ending to the opening sentences:

“…humility therefore in both, becomes an essential duty, for pride and ambition, like a worm at the root of a tree, will prey on the vitals of our peace, harmony, and brotherly-love.”

Any brother who wishes to be elected to an office in Masonry, in any capacity, must take this to heart. The goal of Freemasonry is not to assure that all of us will become officers or Masters of lodges, but to put the concerns of the Craft first, and focus on what is best for the lodge and its health. An ill-prepared officer being advanced just to avoid conflict can never be justified in serving that aim.

One may well respond that the health of the lodge is also not served by disrupting the harmony of it, by having contentious elections for office. But this is putting the cart before the horse; every brother should know what is expected of him if he seeks to serve the lodge. The harmony of a lodge will never be served by allowing brothers to gain preferments that they have not merited, be it for reasons of perceived seniority, cliquish friendships, or other profane concerns.

Lawrence Dermott’s Ahiman Rezon, another seminal document of the Craft published in 1756 (as well as a guidepost for the foundation of most American grand lodges), gives a firm opinion on this kind of timid, meritless “harmony”:

Here I cannot forbear saying, that I have known Men whose Intentions were very honest, and without any evil design commit great Errors, and sometimes been the Destruction of good Lodges; and this occasioned by their Brethren hurrying them indiscreetly into Offices, wherein their slender Knowledge of Masonry rendered them incapable of executing the Business committed to their Charge, to the great Detriment of the Craft and their own Dishonour.

Harmony in the Masonic sense is not an acceptance of poor performance, and in the end it cannot be preserved by mediocrity. Eventually, as Dermott says, the lodge will be destroyed, even if the remaining brethren do not realize that it is destroyed. If Master after Master arrives in the office without being put to the test beforehand, and without having the confidence in himself as well as from his brothers that he can do the job, then the lodge becomes the proverbial frog in a pot, and will not understand that it is dying until it is too late to jump out.

Ahiman Rezon (1756)

You will have a generation of men just moving through chairs and becoming Masters because they are ‘next’, never learning what they are supposed to learn, or knowing what kind of good and wholesome instruction they are obligated to provide, and then, within just that one generation, the lodge will have lost everything that made it useful to the Craft.

True harmony is achieved when brethren embrace and enjoy the labor that is required to gain preferment in a lodge, reward each other based upon that labor, and fully understand what we mean when we say that there should be no contention among us other than our time-honored contention of who can best work and best agree.

In saying this, one does not mean to suggest that there should always be contested elections for every office in the lodge. Nor does it mean that it is impossible to have an orderly arrangement of officers that moves along from year to year.

Rather, it means that when every man pulls his own weight as he should, and performs the duties of the office with aplomb, then the desired progression towards the East can occur naturally, and correctly, with each brother receiving the wages he is due, advancing by merit alone.

REQUIREMENTS TO BE INSTALLED AS MASTER:

1. Having been elected, installed, and served for one year as a Warden of a D.C. Lodge.

2. Proficiency exam: Ideally done while you are Junior Warden; no later than June of your year in the West as Senior Warden.

3. Code test: The earlier the better for both you and your lodge, as you can benefit your lodge with your increased knowledge.

4. Leadership test: Same as with the Code test.

5. Past Master’s Degree: Obtained through a Royal Arch Chapter, by special conferral through a Lodge using a Board of Installed Masters or a Lodge of Actual Past Masters, or at a special conferral convened at the direction of the Grand Lecturer.

A CALL TO ACTION:

SERVANT LEADERSHIP IN THE QUARRIES OF FREEMASONRY

Eric B. Kuchner, PM Potomac Lodge No. 5

better educator and communicator while serving on the Grand Lodge Masonic Education Committee, from interviewing auditing firms as part of the Grand Lodge Accounts and Audit Committee to integrating diverse multi—generational perspectives on the Grand Lodge Strategic Resource Allocation Committee—I have come to believe that it is the Masonic Committee that forms the building blocks for Masonic action and where servant leadership is taught and refined.

For our newly raised Brethren glowing with excitement and energy to get involved, the committees are where you start to test drive the new values and tools that you have been freshly taught but have not yet internalized—where with awe and amazement you can witness more experienced Brethren patiently teaching mouth to ear and demonstrating the principles of the Craft through its practical application to solve a shared problem Masonically.

As I sat down in the folding chairs, the familiar smells of the lodge refectory filled my mind with memories, as the chime of the doorbell rang out—1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Brethren filled the room. With warm embraces and a quick catch up on our families, spouses, work, holidays… the committee got to work.

The warmth of camaraderie flowed among the Brethren returning from two years of less than ideal virtual meetings to our first in person committee meeting without masks—revealing the genuine, palpable, and familiar expressions of brotherly love, relief, truth, and fellowship that we all crave.

Through my experience travelling the winding roads of fifteen years of servant leadership on committees serving our Craft in many different roles, ranging from years of deep philosophical debates on the Grand Lodge Jurisprudence Committee to learning from other Brethren how to be a

Our Masonic committees are builders and movers of stone in the quarries of Freemasonry, and as such they form the learning grounds and crucible for internalizing the values and spirit of our Craft. It is our “Ethos of Giving” in action where cross—generational teams having diverse experiences, expertise, and perspectives are bound together by shared Masonic obligations, history, traditions, rituals, values, tools, outlooks, and landmarks that together form our intellectual, emotional, and physical safe space—the foundation and scaffolding for our living temple. Through our committees we build that living temple in action—as we come together to accomplish a mutual goal on behalf of others and in greater service to the Craft.

Arriving at wonderful events such as the Universal Brotherhood Celebration, the Leadership Conference, or a Lodge holiday party we often forget that behind every program is a team of Brethren. Reflecting back on my own experiences, some of the most indelible marks and deepest fraternal bonds of fellowship have grown out of coming together to solve difficult and complex problems Masonically, and from shared experiences soaking in sweat painting the refectory or hauling a truck load of Lodge furniture setting up for a Master Mason’s Degree in the pitch black of Teddy Roosevelt Island.

This is a place where we grow together as Brethren, where we practice and perfect the practical application of our Craft, and where fellowship through shared experiences forms tight and lasting bonds. It is the Masonic Committee that is the crucible for this growth, maturation, and refinement—that also helps us to shape our ability to build our lives, our families, and our communities.

I challenge all of us to become servant leaders and to get involved in our Committees, to share in the growth, fellowship, and brotherly love where our “Ethos of Giving” shines. Whether we are giving of our time, knowledge, patience, empathy, understanding, creativity, ideas, or sweat, this is a place where we grow as servant leaders and as Masons.

WB Kuchner

FREEMASONRY 2026: CIVICS AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Akram R. Elias Past Grand Master

The Grand Master, Most Worshipful Brother Daniel A. Huertas, in his first address to the Freemasons of Washington, D.C. on December 16, 2021, listed the Grand Lodge’s priorities for the coming year, one of them being “to launch a five-year plan to prepare for the celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the United States and Freemasonry’s contribution to this Great Experiment.”

SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL OF AMERICA

In 2026, the United States will commemorate the 250th Anniversary of its founding as the Great Experiment in human governance. Our nation’s Semiquincentennial is a moment for celebration, reflection, and repositioning.

Given the deep divisions in our country today, the daunting health and climate-related challenges worldwide, and the global rise once again of the forces of totalitarian darkness, how can we prepare to celebrate our greatest milestone ever? What are our obligations as Freemasons and how do we fulfill them at this point in time?

For the celebration to be meaningful and the repositioning successful, we Americans must pause and find common ground by reconnecting with the spirit of the Great Experiment.

Earlier this year, on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated: “We do know the only compass that can guide us through the storms ahead; it is our core values and principles enshrined in our Constitution.” He then went on to say: “It is our job to defend the Great Experiment that is America, to protect this exceptional Republic, body and soul, even when it is hard; especially when it is hard.”

WHAT IS SO HARD AND WHY?

Today, there are voices across the country that question the very concept of America as being a Great Experiment in human governance. They ask: how could an experiment claim to be rooted in liberty while preserving the institution of slavery? How could liberty and slavery be squared? The answer to such questions is hard because many Americans perceive a direct link between the institution of slavery from the start, the legally-sanctioned racial segregation following the civil war in several parts of the country for an extended period of ninety-nine years, and the continued form of “systemic” racism in the United States.

Furthermore, there are also voices that question the value of preserving a 245-year-old system of governance in today’s America. They ask: is federalism a viable system of government? Is our attachment to “ancient” documents such as the U.S. Constitution as valuable today? The answers to such questions are equally hard given that America today is so different from the colonies of the 18th century.

As we approach the 250th Anniversary of America, We the People need to find the right answers to such important questions.

But how do we go about debating these questions and finding the right answers in today’s polarized environment filled with such acrimonious discourse? On the one hand, an open and truthful debate cannot take place if our freedom of expression is artificially constrained by “political correctness.” On the other hand, labeling one another as fascists or communists, demeaning and demonizing the other because we disagree with them, are destructive behaviors that further divide us and impede any effort to help us find common ground as Americans. (While there are Americans who definitely embrace either fascism or communism, I truly believe that the overwhelming majority of Americans neither embrace nor submit to such ideologies). This environment makes it also hard because many of us feel helpless or complacent, while others who feel so

MWB Akram R. Elias, PGM

strongly about their version of America on either extreme end of the spectrum may believe that only through total victory— crushing the other side—America would prevail.

However, no matter how hard it is, we must engage with one another as Americans, and we must rebuild the common ground that connects us to the true essence of the Great Experiment as we move forward toward 2026.

WHAT IS THE GREAT EXPERIMENT?

THE PROMISE OF 1776

The Declaration of Independence of 1776 stated the “promise” of a new experiment in human governance rooted in Liberty.

“…We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

By 1783, British troops had surrendered and the United States of America had gained its independence.

A FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION

The independence of a loosely connected confederation of states is one thing, and the sustainability of a union of states with a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, is quite another.

To fulfill the promise of 1776, the Founding Fathers had to address a most fundamental and highly complex question.

Can people who in the “old world” were enemies:

ƒ

Be truly free, learn to work together, and govern themselves by themselves and for themselves;

ƒ Under a rule of law that has their consent;

ƒ Without needing a sovereign to rule over them and keep them from destroying one another?

History has shown that such an experiment, having been tried on a very few occasions, had never been sustained.

A STARK REALITY

Without liberty, this new great experiment in human governance could not be launched or sustained. Yet, the very idea of liberty posed incredible challenges to the Founding Fathers.

How would freedom be enjoyed in the newly independent country wherein blacks were enslaved, natives killed, women excluded, and Jews and Catholics vilified? How can an American be truly free if old traditional community-based social constructs such as place of birth, religion, race, cultural tradition, ethnic roots were to remain the parameters defining the new American identity? How could the newly independent states, having each their own official or sanctioned religion, avoid into the future the religious sectarian wars of the past? And last, but not least, how can diverse immigrant Americans, who came from an “old world” burdened by a history of hate and warfare, learn in the new world to come together to address their issues, think through remedies, and solve their common problems? After all, let us not forget that historically, the English, Irish, and Scotts, though all British, held deep seeded hatred toward one another; the British could not stand the Dutch who despised the Prussians, etc.

How could such a dark reality square with the bright promise of the Declaration of Independence?

A FUNDAMENTAL CHOICE

Faced with such a complex reality, the Founding Fathers had to make a difficult choice.

Should they harness their energies and resources to take on the challenges of the day in an attempt to improve the human condition of the people at the time?

OR

Should they focus their efforts, not on solving the problems of the day, but on designing a sustainable and resilient system of governance that the people and future generations of Americans could use to constantly improve their human condition?

They chose the latter.

The Founding Fathers were neither gods nor angels, but complex, flawed, prejudiced, and yet visionary men, who, at the risk of losing their lives and possessions, dared to launch an extraordinary experiment in human governance, despite their own limitations and those of the people they were about to empower. They also knew that they had to act expeditiously because windows of opportunity to launch such an experiment rarely came in history and quickly closed.

In making their decision, they considered the limitations at hand, the threat posed by European colonial powers, and the odds for success of a full-fledged and fully inclusive Great Experiment. What did they do?

Instead of establishing government as an entity whose purpose is to solve the people’s problems as was constantly attempted in the past, they designed the government as a system engineering machine that enables the people to address their own challenges and engineer their own solutions and innovations to the problems of an ever-changing world. The goal behind the design of the machine was to ensure the sustainability and resiliency of the new form of governance in safeguarding the sovereignty of the people. Therefore, the emphasis in the design of the machine was placed on the separation of powers with checks and balances.

DEMOCRACY VERSUS MOBOCRACY

Having the people, not the government, at the core of governance made America, the Great Experiment, truly exceptional and uniquely vulnerable. Because ignorance, extremism and tyranny present constant threats to the sustainability and progress of the Great Experiment, We the People (Democracy) can easily be undermined over time by the We the Mobs (Mobocracy). America, therefore, always needs enlightened free and engaged citizens who assume the responsibility to labor together and solve their problems irrespective of their diverse backgrounds—E Pluribus Unum (Out of Many, One) meaning Diversity within Unity.

CIVICS AND CIVIC CULTURE

How do we build and grow such citizenry without civics, civic culture, and civic engagement? How would today’s school children be tomorrow’s free and responsible citizens, if they are not taught in their classrooms:

a. The raison d’être of government in this Great Experiment of ours?

b. The structure of our government as a system engineering machine for us to use to advance our own human condition?

c. The art of self-governance through civil society engagement and public-private partnerships?

d. The rights and responsibilities incumbent on every free citizen?

e. The skills of leadership and those of critical thinking to address the problems and challenges in our communities?

f. The art and skill of building common ground among free people with divergent opinions and perspectives?

g. Civility—not political correctness—to nurture a social and political environment that are conducive for citizen engagement?

As Brother Richard Dreyfuss put it: “It is an obvious and blatant stupidity beyond my ability to articulate how dumb it is for us not to teach our children how to run the government.”

THE TRUE LEGACY OF FREEMASONRY

Historically, Masonic Lodges in the United States descending from the lines of George Washington and Prince Hall alike were the incubators where men learned through the sacred art of ritual how to build themselves as free and enlightened citizens. Furthermore, Lodges became the laboratory wherein men of different backgrounds, believing in different religions, at different stations of life, and of different political persuasion, learned the art of self-governance under a rule of law.

Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, Alexander Hamilton, John Marshall, Patrick Henry, George Mason, James Madison

America’s journey as a Great Experiment has its checkered past; but as our nation went through its darkest moments at various periods of its history, in each and every instance, light triumphed over darkness, and the Great Experiment persevered, grew in richness, and gained more vigor.

It took, for example, generations of engaged and enlightened Americans to adopt the 19th Amendment granting universal suffrage to women in 1920. It also took generations of enlightened Americans and a bloody civil war to abolish slavery, a cancer that was destroying the Great Experiment from within. The cancer metastasized taking the form of racial segregation in several parts

of the country, thereby requiring the sustained and enlightened engagement of civil rights activists to bring about the Civil Rights Act of 1964. I could go on and on with a multitude of examples from American history.

Whether it was the abolitionists, the suffragists, civil libertarians, civil rights activists, human rights activists, or concerned citizens, they all worked with the systems engineering machine, designed by the Founding Fathers, amended, and improved with time, to help advance the Great Experiment.

FREEMASONRY AND THE SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL CHALLENGE

Every generation falls prey to the ever-morphing dark forces of ignorance, extremism, and tyranny that attempt to enslave the human spirit. These forces are contagious and quite deceptive. In today’s world, the destructive effects of these forces are greatly boosted through a highly sophisticated web of disinformation and misinformation that is accelerating the spread of ignorance, intolerance, and tyranny at an exponential rate.

Now consider the Lodge as the sacred space wherein brothers equip themselves through the teachings of Freemasonry with the tools and implements that help them counter more effectively those dark forces. As a simple illustration, let us consider the compasses, an instrument that teaches a Mason to keep his passions within due bounds and control his desires. Why? Because if one’s passions were left unchecked, one could more readily fall prey to the forces of extremism and intolerance. Furthermore, if desires go unchecked, one would erode his true freedom—welcome to the veiled meaning of Relief!

The more initiated beings and awakened Master Masons there are, the more resistant and resilient humanity becomes to those dark forces, and the more successful our nation and the world become at preserving the freedom of the human spirit.

True Mystery of Masonic Governance

Freemasonry promises that by a s trict adherence to its precepts and teachings its members can transform themselves into Free Masons (Free Builders). This process of internal (not external) transformation is nurtured within the confines of the Masonic Lodge, that sacred space where Brethren gather to engage in their Masonic labor. Therefore, governance in our institution was designed to safeguard the integrity of that sacred space within which a Freemason may work with rigor and discipline at his internal transformation. The safeguarding of the sacred space also explains the insistence in our institution on Masonic protocol and etiquette.

ƒ Masonic protocol, according to which a brother is to govern his conduct within the Lodge and his behavior towards a patron or ruler in the Craft

U.S. Rep. and Prince Hall Brother John Robert Lewis recognized for his unique and extraordinary contribution to civil rights by the Grand Lodge of Washington, D.C. on May 22, 2008.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin

and decipher the symbols at the core of the rituals of Freemasonry which were designed to assist him on his Initiatic journey towards enlightened freedom.

External Trestle Boards: Celebrating Freemasonry

Lodges and Grand Lodges alike can begin making plans to celebrate the positive historical impact that Freemasonry has had in their respective localities and states. The Semiquincentennial presents a great opportunity for Masonic institutions across the country to raise awareness about Freemasonry through effective community-based partnerships.

In the case of our Grand Lodge, we need to draw designs at three levels, locally, nationally and internationally. We have a locally-focused obligation towards the people of the District of Columbia; a nationally-focused obligation for being located in the Nation’s Capital where our national institutions of governance are headquartered; and, an internationally-focused obligation given the unique position of Washington as the capital of the free world.

Individual Masons’ Trestle Boards

Most importantly, awakened Freemasons need to draw their individual and collective Trestle Boards to improve conditions in their respective communities.

Ask yourselves the following questions:

How might I contribute to building bridges of understanding within my divided community?

ƒ

Masonic etiquette, according to which a brother is to govern his conduct and behavior towards another brother with Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. ƒ

It is the strict nature of governance of our institution that enables its desirous and willing members to transform themselves internally so that they in turn can conduct themselves externally as enlightened, and engaged citizens capable of governing themselves more wisely.

FREEMASONRY’S TRESTLE BOARDS

The question before us today is whether Freemasonry will rise to meet the Semiquincentennial Challenge and help build and inspire the future evolution of the Great Experiment. To do so, we need to draw new designs on the Trestle Boards of Freemasonry.

Internal Trestle Boards: A Sacred Space for Enlightenment Lodges across the country need to return to being the sacred spaces wherein members can safely learn to grow themselves into free and enlightened citizens. Therefore, Masonic Education is central to Lodge labors. While fellowship, social activities, and charitable endeavors add richness to a Mason’s lodge experience, only Masonic education can help the initiate unveil the allegories

How might I act, guided by Beauty, Strength and Wisdom to effectively dispel ignorance, prejudice, and bigotry around me?

How might we, as George Washington and Prince Hall Masons, work together on joint projects that exemplify the spirit of Masonic Brotherhood while improving conditions in our communities?

How might I, with the assistance of other Brothers, bring together civic groups, businesses and public officials in my local community to plan for the 250th Anniversary of America?

This generation of Freemasons has a rendezvous with Destiny; we will either squander the rich legacy of our forefathers to which we have been entrusted, or we will be true to that legacy and become the architect builders of the next stage of advancement of the Great Experiment. History will be our judge.

Visit www.mls2026.com

Third-Degree Masonic Tracing Board, Illustration by Gregory B. Stewart

THE GRAND MASTER’S HOMECOMING

George S. Nicol Junior Grand Steward

On October 13, 2022, the Grand Master visited his Mother Lodge. Albert Pike Lodge No. 33 was delighted to have MW Bro. Daniel Huertas visit his Mother Lodge, since that was where he was initiated, passed, and raised to the sublime Degree of Masonry. Most of the members saw him when he was new to the craft and watched him as he eventually rose to highest pinnacle in Masonry, becoming the Grand Master of Masons of the District of Columbia. It was therefore fitting for us to celebrate one we hold very dear and special not only to Albert Pike, but also to the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia.

The event was well attended not only by members of his Lodge, but we were also privileged of having five Past Grand Masters at the Homecoming (Most Wor. Bros. Leonard Proden, Robert Heyatt, Richard Bautista, Charbel T. Fayed and Nadar Heyatt of National Grand Lodge of Azerbaijan). Instead of roasting our Grand Master, brethren were given the opportunity to say few words about our Grand Master––comment on his leadership. Most of the members spoke highly of his accomplishment as Grand Master this year, his leadership qualities and what he has done for the Grand Lodge this year.

The Deputy Grand Master of Masons, Rt. Worshipful Bro. Annas Fadlu Deen Kamara spoke of his tenacity and courage to handle the most difficult issues facing our Grand Lodge and also his resolve to make sure that things are being done according to the code. The Most Worshipful Grand Master was very pleased with the kind sentiments expressed on his behalf for the evening and thanked the brethren in attendance for a spectacular evening.

At the conclusion of the evening the brethren retired downstairs at the refectory for a small banquet with lively toasts and speeches to serenade our Grand Master.

RWB George S. Nicol

The Past Grand Masters are introduced.

The Grand Master thanks the Brethren for their support and for attending his homecoming. The Worshipful Master, RWB Nicol, preparing to present the Grand Master with the gavel to the Lodge.

The Brethren attend the Grand Master’s homecoming.

RWB Annas F. Kamara and MWB Len Proden at the Grand Master’s homecoming.

The Grand Master returning the gavel.

The Grand Master receives a presentation from the Worshipful Master of Albert Pike Lodge No. 33.

The Deputy Grand Master welcomes Brethren to the Grand Master’s homecoming.

AL-SHARQ, A BRIDGE TO LIGHT!

Amid Kasamani, PM Grand Sword Bearer Amid Kasamani, PM

TO THE PROSPERITY OF ALSHARQ LODGE,” was the final obligatory toast that echoed loudly in the Grand Masonic Hall at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial on the evening of October 8, 2022. A night to remember where Lodge Brethren, the Grand Master, several Grand Lodge Officers, some Past Grand Masters, visiting Brethren, and other interested guests congregated in fellowship at Al-Sharq Lodge’s Inaugural Festive Board.

This festive occasion was delayed due to COVID but finally took place with full excitement over fine dining, lots of wine, celebratory toasts, and great company. The significance of this event lies in its traditional and inaugural nature, but more importantly, it was a celebration of what this young Lodge stands for.

Al-Sharq Lodge No. 2020 was consecrated on December 9, 2019, as a bilingual Lodge under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge

of the District of Columbia with the year 2020 as its first Masonic year, hence the Lodge number. The word “Al Sharq” is an Arabic translation for “The East.” The word has dual relevance. Its Masonic reference is obvious, but it also represents a geographic reference to where the Arabic language originates from.

Al-Sharq Lodge is committed first and foremost to promoting the values, principles, inclusiveness, universality, and overall growth of Freemasonry in our grand jurisdiction. Through this vision, the Lodge strives to: 1) promote diversity in DC Freemasonry by making the DC ritual accessible through the Arabic language, and 2) be the exemplar bridge to light from the West to the East! What does that mean? Let’s dive a little deeper into the second point…

It is not known where, how, or when Freemasonry began. There are many theories for the origins of Freemasonry. One theory states that Freemasonry has

roots that go back to the Middle Ages (7th–13th Centuries). During these dark ages of medieval Europe, the golden age of Islam had begun in the East with incredible social, scientific, and technological advances throughout the Muslim world.

Geniuses in Baghdad, Cairo, Damascus, and Cordoba took on the scholarly works of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, Greece, India, and China, developing innovations that drove what we would call “modern” arts & sciences. New disciplines emerged— algebra, trigonometry, and chemistry as well as major advances in medicine, astronomy,

engineering, music, and agriculture—in addition to other inventions that shaped the modern world.

Arabic texts replaced Greek as the founts of wisdom, helping to shape the scientific revolution of the Renaissance. What the medieval scientists of the Muslim world articulated so brilliantly is that math, science, and music are universal, the common language of the human race.

In 1118, nine French chevaliers led by Hughes de Payen went to Jerusalem and took quarters at the Temple Mount, near

the Western wall, a sacred site for Jewish prayer, less than half a mile from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, marked by some Christians as the site of Jesus’ tomb, adjacent to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, built in the 7th century on top of where the Temple of Solomon once stood. These nights were later known as Les Chevaliers du Temple (Knights Templar). The Templars during that time had a dual mission: war and gnosis. Wars took many forms including protecting the pilgrims, fighting in the crusades, safeguarding Jerusalem, and re-

establishing Christendom in the Mare Nostrum region (Mediterranean). At the same time, the Templars were transitioning gnosis (knowledge of spiritual mysteries) from the East (Al-Sharq) to the West (AlGharb). Such knowledge was both exoteric (science, finance, technology, architecture, etc.) and esoteric (Order of the Assassins, Jewish mystics, Sufism, Druze, etc.) in nature.

By early 14th Century, Europe was in a much better place. The process of translating the Islamic heritage into Latin, which began in the 11th century and continued unabated enabled the transfer of knowledge in the sciences of medicine, pharmacy, agriculture, veterinary medicine or zoology, botany, chemistry, astronomy, mathematics, geography, maritime science, and navigation. Furthermore, the Greek heritage translated by the Arabs and augmented by their advances and experimental approaches, which exceeded the scope of Aristotelian measurement, further revolutionized knowledge in Europe.

With the arrest of leadership of the Templar on Friday, October 13, 1307, and the burning at the stake of their Grand Master Jacques DeMolay in 1314, the Order went underground. The prevailing theory states that, the Knights Templar, using the knowledge and skills they acquired from the East (Al-Sharq), infiltrated Operative

Stone Masons guilds in the West (AlGharb) to travel in foreign countries, spread knowledge outside the controls of the absolutist Church, and influence the organization of Speculative Lodges. The Renaissance, which came to be through the transfer of knowledge from Al-Sharq to Al-Gharb, caused the birth of modern Freemasonry and paved the way for the Age of Enlightenment. During the 18th & 19th Centuries, we saw the gradual ascendance of Al-Gharb and the gradual demise of Al-Sharq as the center of Gnosis. Al-Gharb became dominant in the areas of Governance, quest for knowledge, and scientific discovery.

Today, an eastern version of the Renaissance and Enlightenment is under high demand. The principal tenets and fundamental teachings of Freemasonry

embody that immortal knowledge that enables the transformation from Darkness to Light. Al-Sharq Lodge No. 2020 is ideally positioned to be a bridge to light by playing an active role in facilitating the transfer of Gnosis from Al-Gharb to AlSharq for the betterment of the human condition universally.

Congratulations to Al-Sharq Lodge on its first successful Festive Board! Congratulations to all the fine men in our jurisdiction who came together in forming a Lodge with such a great vision! And, of course, congratulations to the Grand Jurisdiction in general, and to the current and past Grand Masters in particular, for continuously supporting such diversity in our Craft.

CELEBRATING ITALIA’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY

Marco Fiorante, Master

Giancarlo Oderda, PM

Carmelo Orazio Cicala, PM

Seeing Italia Lodge No. 2001 celebrate its twentieth birthday gives us great joy and a sense of pride. Proud to see how good the work that our Lodge has been doing since it raised the Columns.

The end of the First Decennial of the Foundation coincided with the years of the guidance of MV Giancarlo Oderda (2010, 2011), preceded by MV Michael Asch (2009), MV Andrea Sylos Labini (2008), MV Clark Misul (2007), MV Maximilian G. Ullmann (2006), MV Francesco Legaluppi (2005), MV Franco Bernazzani

(2004), MV Oscar Bartoli (2003) and MV Riccardo Bellucci (2002).

The lodge’s activities continued under the stewardship the MV Melo Cicala (2012, 2013, 2019, 2020), followed by the workers of MV Sean Goliardi (2014), MV Enzo Letico (2015, 2016, 2017), MV Stefano Costanzi (2017), MV Alessandro Pescini (2021) and MV Marco Fiorante (2022), who has been elected to continue in the path established by his predecessors.

The link between the Grand Masters of the Grand Orient of Italy (GOI) and the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia has created a Masonic bridge between Washington and Italy, a bridge which over time has increasingly strengthened. as highlighted by the various “twinnings” with several GOI lodges.

This distance between brothers separated by the great waters of the Atlantic Ocean has been shortened as witnessed by our brothers who whenever returning to Italy meet countless Brothers who in turn, when visiting the States have found in Italia Lodge a home away from home, as inspired by the true spirit of masonic fraternity.

They are Brothers who—for many years— have opened their hearts, and this has allowed us to know each other more deeply, to share joys and worries, to exchange ideas and impressions, to share doubts and hopes. desirous to continue to do so.

Thank you, Italia Lodge No. 2001, for offering the possibility to find what the Institution calls “Universal Brotherhood” best experienced as “Fraternal Friendship.”

WB

WB

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The Deputy Grand Master delivers his remarks at Italia Lodge’s anniversary.

The Brethren of Italia Lodge with visitors from the Grand Lodge and our constituent Lodges.

The Grand Master returns the gavel to the Master of the Lodge.

The Grand Master presents WB Oscar Bartoli, PM with his certificate naming him Grand Representative Emeritus.

The Grand Master and the Master of Italia Lodge.

The Grand Master presents WB Marco Fiorante with his certificate naming him the Grand Lodge’s Representative to the Grand Orient of Italy.

The Grand Master, Deputy Grand Master, and Master of Italia enjoying fellowship following the Lodge’s meeting.

The Grand Master, Deputy Grand Master, and Senior Grand Warden.

THE CRAFT TRANSFORMS OUR PERSPECTIVES

Shawn Eyer The Lodge of the Nine Muses No. 1776

effective it can be at opening our minds to new ways of self-improvement.

The method of Masonic instruction, as we all know, is symbolic ritual. Ceremonies, placed one after the other, framed in beautiful language and brought further to life by careful performance and striking visual images, are the way our Order moves the world, one mind at a time. And it really is the mind we seek to transform.

As H.L. Haywood put it, “the power of symbolism,” is how it sticks with us, and continues to affect us over time. “Its method,” he said, “is to set before the candidate a symbol, and then to leave it to him to think out afterwards what that symbol represents—and it is something the candidate can keep on thinking out for the rest of his days.”1

are put forward that ask us to reevaluate commonplace values. One way to describe this process is transvaluation.

Transvaluation takes place when we “evaluate by a new standard or principle, especially by one that varies from conventional standards.”2 Many of the lessons found in our degrees direct us t¬oward improving and refining our concepts of virtue. Here, we will consider just one of those lessons: one that may be basic, but nevertheless one that we struggle to hear, understand and live by.

OVERCOMING MATERIALISM

W.B. Shawn Eyer, PM

Secrecy. To many people, both inside and outside of our Fraternity, this word is one of the primary associations with what Masonry is about. Masons take solemn oaths to protect the secrets of the Craft and the entrusted secrets of their worthy brothers. Try as we might to pretend there are no secrets in Masonry—and some have really bent over backwards trying to make that sound true—really, the Craft is an institution that recognizes that there are mysteries in life. There are some things that are hard to understand: things that, even once you know something about them, take time to grasp. Our world is not simplistic, and few things are truly cut and dry. Masonry acknowledges that by framing its teachings in sacred privacy and encouraging due reflection upon them.

One of Masonry’s very best secrets—which is not a secret at all, but just something that we rarely seem to acknowledge—is how

For a generation, Masons have tended to share the rather circular description that our Craft “makes good men better.” That certainly can be and ought to be true. But what makes it work is all of the valuable tools that Masonry can draw upon. And it still takes the new Mason himself to take up those symbolic tools and actually do the work.

Part of the explicit aims of Masonic initiation is to take a man—who is already a good and proper man by normal standards— and give him tools that will help him to further improve himself. Fundamental to any pursuit of Freemasonry is the establishment of a Masonic perspective on life. The Craft’s admission process is intended to assure that a candidate is moral according to the common understanding. But Freemasonry aims to elevate the moral perspective of man beyond the merely worldly values that we take for granted. In the ethical sphere, this is accomplished in part by the intensification of values. The feeling of charity or sympathy one has for others, for example, is intensified into a positive duty to aid and assist a distressed worthy brother. In other cases, ideals

In our basic makeup, men are little different today than when the fraternity started. We value excellence and hard work, and the competition and excitement that comes from pursuing these things. But the first degree highlights a few lessons that the profane world can encourage men to neglect. The most basic of these is our teaching of human equality; or, more specifically, that whatever real nobility exists is based not on wealth or power, but the exercise of virtue.

This is not a lesson that comes easily to us today. Men are encouraged to be dedicated to, if not obsessed with, the attainment of status. Our tradition confronts this problem immediately by teaching the Apprentice that “Masonry regards no man on account of his worldly wealth or honors; and that it looks not to his outward clothing, but to his internal qualifications.”3

This attitude is important for two reasons. First, recognizing that the Lodge represents the Temple of Solomon, a place considered holy ground, means that we ought to transcend worldly concerns within it. As Mackey teaches us:

In the divestiture of metals as a preliminary to initiation, we are symbolically taught that Masonry regards no man on account

of his wealth. The Talmudical treatise ‘Beracoth,’ with a like spirit of symbolism, directs in the Temple service that no man shall go into the mountain of the house, that is, into the Holy Temple, “with money tied up in his purse.”4

While only the candidate is made to literally participate in the Rite of Divestiture,

symbolically all brethren are intended to maintain that spirit in the Lodge perpetually. It is not the literal coin that matters. Indeed, money is necessary in order for the Lodge to function. But it is the materialistic attitude that Freemasonry works to counteract.

Second, observance of the tenet of brotherly love requires something more from us

than what profane culture expects. This is closely connected to Freemasonry’s critique of social class, considerations of which are to be completely set aside within the boundaries of the Lodge. As we are taught:

“By the exercise of brotherly love, we are taught to regard the whole human species as one family, the high and low, the rich

and poor; who, as created by one Almighty Parent, and inhabitants of the same planet, are to aid, support and protect each other. On this principle, Masonry unites men of every country, sect and opinion, and conciliates true friendship among those who might otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance.”5

These are words that we hear so often that perhaps they lose their impact. They were radical two hundred fifty years ago, and they remain radical today. William Preston’s lecture holds that Masons rank as “brothers to kings, fellows to princes, regardless of situations or circumstances.”6

“[ . . . A] king, when present, is reminded that, although the crown may adorn the head, and the sceptre the hand, the blood in the veins is derived from the common parent of mankind; and is no better than the blood, which circulates in the veins of the meanest subject. The most polished statesman, the most distinguished orator, and the most skilful artist, are in the Lodge reminded, that, equally with others less favoured by Providence, they are exposed to similar dangers and misfortunes, that an unforeseen accident or a disordered frame may impair their faculties, and level them with the most abject of their species: this therefore checks pride, and softens austerity of manners.”7

The weighing of a man’s value according to accident of birth, worldly wealth, or external honors of political or social favor are here swept away and replaced within the sacred space of the Masonic Lodge by an aristocracy of the heart and a simple badge of honor earned and maintained by character alone. This transvaluation is very difficult to integrate into our thinking. When fully absorbed, it makes us inwardly different from many of those around us in society.

Few are the Brethren who have truly taken this lesson to heart, but we must strive to be among them. If we miss it, we will continue to be blinded by a delusion that is not worthy of a mature being: that the collection of material objects is the purpose of life, and that human status is and should

continue to be based upon one’s wealth or the material situation of one’s family. It is important to see that this perspective can both infantilize us and dehumanize us.

It is ultimately unworthy of a thinking man. Masonry confronts it like no other institution outside of the great faith traditions of our world. And it reminds us of this lesson every time we meet and part.

SEEING VIRTUE AS THE TRUE NOBILITY

Brotherly love allows us to see beyond the superficial categories of worldly status. But Freemasonry does not stop with this transvaluation. Recognizing that men are competitive by nature, it embraces that fact and directs us toward a new form of competition—one concerned with the lasting and eternal rather than the empty and ephemeral. As Preston’s lectures teach us:

“Virtue is true nobility, and wisdom is the channel by which virtue is conveyed and directed. Virtue is then the prize at which we grasp; each rank vies to excel, and he who is wisest and most virtuous in his station, will ever be entitled to eminence and distinction among us.”8

One form of status is exchanged for another form. While a worldly man competes for material status, the Freemason is to vie for distinction in the pursuit of virtue. But this competition is friendly and convivial. One who excels another in virtue is likely— because he has virtue—to assist rather than disdain the other.

This attitude leads to the kind of strength that every Lodge desires and needs. Such a bond of union is not easily broken. United in the quest for virtue, rather than vainglorious illusions, the competitive instinct in man is tuned to its highest ideal. The light of virtue is compared, in Prestonian Freemasonry, to the brilliance of the noon-day sun:

“Union is cemented by sincere attachment; hypocrisy and deceit are unknown; and pleasure is reciprocally communicated by the chearful observance of every obliging office. Such is the nature of our venerable institution. Virtue, the grand object in view, luminous as the meridian sun, shines refulgent on the

mind, enlivens the heart, and converts cool approbation into warm sympathy and cordial attention.”9

The most visible symbol of this status is the Apron, presented to every initiate. For centuries, our brotherhood has taught that the Apron is a badge “which yields preference to no honour or order in the universe.”10 As an indication of status it is “more honourable than ever was devised by kings,” and that to it “the Roman Eagle, with all the orders of knighthood, are much inferior.”11 This is clearly expressed in our ritual even today.

Those who question Freemasonry’s contemporary relevance need look no further than the transvaluation of status in the first degree. It is as radical now as then, and perhaps needed more than ever before in today’s culture. Ours is a progressive science. Only after the Apprentice degree’s lessons are truly assimilated can we really become capable of understanding the teachings of the second degree, or of grasping the profound lessons of the third. It is a prerequisite of progress in the Masonic mysteries that we adjust our priorities to the things that really matter, and join together in the lifelong quest of the virtues.

NOTES

1. H. L. Haywood, The Great Teachings of Freemasonry (Kingsport, Tn.: Southern Publishers, 1923), 170.

2. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006), 1835.

3. Albert G. Mackey, An Encyclopædia of Freemasonry and Its Kindred Sciences (Philadelphia: Moss & Company, 1879), 893.

4. Mackey, Encyclopaedia, 499. The reference is to Talmud Bavli, Berakhot 62b.

5. Thomas Smith Webb, The Freemason’s Monitor, or Illustrations of Masonry in Two Parts (Salem, Mass.: Cushing & Appleton, 1818), 39.

6. Colin Dyer, William Preston and His Work (Shepperton, UK: Lewis Masonic, 1987), 204.

7. Dyer, William Preston, 205.

8. Ibid.

9. William Preston, Illustrations of Masonry, 1st ed. (London: J. Wilkie, 1772), 15–16.

10. Wellins Calcott, A Candid Disquisition (London: James Dixwell, 1769), 155.

11. William Hutchinson, The Spirit of Masonry, 1st ed. (London: J. Wilkie, 1775), 123.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT! – RECENT EVENTS AT OUR GRAND LODGE

THE MASQUERADE BALL

The Masquerade Ball was the signature event of the year and was a great success! With excellent attendance, complete with mystery, intrigue, magic, music, live performances, a play casino for fun, and much more, all enjoyed who were able to attend. The ball included live performances by Ocho de Bastos, Candescent, and Eric Henning, and featured great food, drink, and entertainment!

The Masquerade Ball was held on Friday, October 28, 2022, at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial with all proceeds benefiting The Masonic Foundation.

Under the leadership and vision of our Grand Master, Most Worshipful Brother Daniel A. Huertas, the Grand Lodge of Washington, D.C., F.A.A.M. has held several successful events in the recent months. In case you missed them, we are pleased to share some of our Grand Lodge’s successes here with you!

Entertainers from the 2022 Masquerade Ball.

The Grand Master and MWB Proden and their ladies.

MWB Bautista and his lady, Ivon, pose in front of a performer.

Brethren enjoying casino games.

Brethren and their ladies enjoying the Ball.

Group photo of Brethren and their ladies at the Masquerade Ball.

THE GRAND LODGE PICNIC

The Grand Lodge’s family event of the year too was a great success! This year’s Grand Lodge Picnic was completely revamped and remade in line with the Grand Master’s vision of holding a fun and unique event for all of our Masonic families. The Grand Lodge Picnic had a strong showing and was held on Sunday, October 30, 2022 at Cox Farms. Complete with a Halloween costume contest for the kids, great food, and hay rides, fine fellowship was enjoyed by all!

The Grand Master and Brethren at the Picnic.

The Grand Lodge Pavilion at Cox Farms.

Brethren and their families enjoying the Picnic.

The Grand Master, MWB Proden, and MWB Bautista welcome brethren to the Picnic.

The costume contest.

Preparing for the costume contest.

THE MASONIC DAY OF THANKSGIVING

This year’s Masonic Day of Thanksgiving was held in conjunction with the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge on Saturday, November 19, 2022 and featured an excellent presentation on the precepts of Freemasonry, faith, and Thanksgiving, by our Grand Chaplain, the Reverend and Worshipful Brother Daniel P. Darko. Complete with a Thanksgivinginspired meal during the lunch break, this year’s Masonic Day of Thanksgiving was a great success, and was enjoyed by all Brethren in attendance.

The Grand Master thanks all of the Brethren for their support in attending these various events, and is grateful to the committees and volunteers who put together these incredible events for our Grand Lodge!

The Grand Chaplain, Worshipful and Rev. Bro. Daniel Darko leads the brethren in reflection.

THE VOICE OF FREEMASONRY

Grand Lodge, F.A.A.M. of DC 5428 MacArthur Blvd., N.W. Washington, DC 20016-2524

Now in its 61st year, the Masonic Foundation of the District of Columbia is a 501(c) 3 registered nonprofit organization which operates as the charitable arm of the Grand Lodge, F.A.A.M. of the District of Columbia. The Foundation’s continuing mission is to expand Masonic Philanthropy in the fields of charitable, educational, and scientific programs.

In order to fulfill that mission and provide much-needed services and support in our community, the Foundation relies entirely on the voluntary gifts and endowments from District of Columbia Masons, their families, and friends. Additionally, at this time, no portion of the dues of any Masonic body go towards the Foundation.

Donations to the Foundation by Lodges and individual Brothers directly benefit the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area by being completely distributed to charitable organizations. This empowers us as D.C. Freemasons to change lives through charity, securing the Masonic legacy of giving for generations to come.

As you contemplate making a charitable gift this year, please consider making a tax-deductible gift to support the Masonic Foundation of the District of Columbia by visiting DCMasonicFoundation.org and clicking the donate button at the bottom of the page, or by sending your check payable to The Masonic Foundation of DC to 5428 MacArthur Blvd., NW, Washington, DC 20016.

Your partnership and generous contribution will provide direct benefits to the community we serve.

GRAND LODGE OF FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DANIEL A. HUERTAS, GRAND MASTER | JEFFREY D. RUSSELL, PGM, GRAND SECRETARY