September 2022 MW September 5, 2023 has been named Jim Baker day in the Town of Florence. Gila Valley Lodge will celebrate this occasion with a reception at the American Legion at 441 N Main St. Drinks and light food will be available from 3 6 pm. Following the event will be the Stated meeting of Gila Valley Lodge No. 9. We hope that you will all come and celebrate the this special day with your Brother’s and friends. There will be a women’s program for those remaining at the Legion during the Meeting!
l. A term of contempt; applied to one who does the work of a mason, but has not been regularly 2.bred.Also used to denote one who builds dry walls, otherwise denominated a dry diker.
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3. One unacquainted with the secrets of Freema~Mackeysonry.
This is a purely Masonic term, and signifies in its technical meaning an intruder, whence it is always coupled with the word eavesdropper. It is not found in any of the old manuscripts of the English Freemasons anterior to the eighteenth century, unless we suppose that Lowen, met with in many of them, is a clerical error of the copyists. It occurs in the Schaw Manuscript, a Scotch record which bears the date of 1598, in the following passage: "That no Master or Fellow of Craft receive any cowans to work in his society or company, nor send none of his servants to work with cowans." In the second edition of Anderson's Constitutions, published in 1738 (page 146), we find the word in use among the English Freemasons, thus : ''But Free and Accepted Masons shall not allow cowans to work with them; nor shall they be employed by cowans without an urgent necessity; and even in that case they must not reach cowans, but must have a separate communication." There can be but little doubt that the word, as a Masonic term, comes to us from Scotland, and it is therefore in the Scotch language that we must look for its signification. Now, Jamieson, in his Scottish Dictionary, gives us the following meanings of the word: Cowans.
The Town of SeptemberinglamationsignedFlorenceaproc-mak-Monday 5th, 2022 “Jim Baker Day”. Yes our Jim Baker!!! That is ingwithtoandawesomeithappenscoincideourmeet-datethismonth.
Congratulations MWB Jim!!
Another thing that just happened is that I was asked by our very own MWGM Jim Baker, and have accepted this great honor to serve the craft as Grand Tyler for the 2022 2023 year. I. It still shocks me that I was even thought of for this honor, and will do my best to fill the shoes of those who have gone before me in this position. Thank you MWB Jim for this honor! This summer has been extremely active in the world of Masonry on many different levels and in many different aspects for so many brothers. Let’s continue working to make even more happen and finish 2022 with a bang!!
Fraternally, Eric Smith 2022 Master Gila Valley Lodge No. 9
Ourinformation.dinners
Greetings Brethren! I hope this last summer and “dark season” was great for all of you. As for me this summer was an eventful one in my life. I have started a new job with my present company and now get to enjoy the evenings at home with my awesome wife instead of being at work. This also gives me greater flexibility for other aspects of life as well, besides feeling like a human again.
Memento Mori Widows Sons Masonic Riders Association has also grown over the summer to over 20 members. We are riding almost every weekend raising money for charities, doing presentations at lodges, and just riding to ride for the fellowship. Our chapter has been all over the state of Arizona, California, Colorado, and also Mexico for their Gathering. Next year also promises to be epic with the riders. Our chapter was also able to procure a grant from Grand Lodge for our charity (Hope Women’s Center) this summer. We are looking for more brothers to ride with, so if any brother rides and is interested please feel free to contact me for before lodge will start again with the September stated meeting. These dinners are proving to be more than what I was hoping for. They are promoting fellowship and also give potential new candidates a better understanding of what we do through conversations over dinner. It shows them that we do other things besides meet once a month for a meeting. Many of you have been working very hard on the next step of your journey through the lodge, and have made great strides in doing so. Keep up the great work!
MASONIC CONVERSATION, FELLOWSHIP, and EDUCATION For Information
Jefferson
CALIENTE COFFEE CLUB
SINCE First third Tuesday at 9:00 aM Caliente Club House, Florence Arizona call Dewey at 520-576-2329
The Taxil Hoax was an 1890s hoax of exposure by Léo Taxil intended to mock not only Freemasonry but also the Catholic Church's opposition to it. Léo Taxil was the pen name of Marie Joseph Gabriel Antoine Jogand Pagès. On April 19, 1897, Léo Taxil called a press conference at which he announced that his revelations about the Freemasons were fictitious. He thanked the Catholic clergy for their assistance in giving publicity to his wild Taxil'sclaims.confession was printed, in its entirety, in the Parisian newspaper Le Frondeur, on April 25, 1897, titled: Twelve Years Under the Banner of the Church, The Prank of Palladism. Miss Diana Vaughan The Devil and the Freemasons, a Conference held by M. Léo Taxil, at the Hall of the Geographic Society in Paris. The hoax material is still cited to this day. The Chick Publications tract, The Curse of Baphomet, and Randy Noblitt's book, Cult and Ritual Abuse, both cite Taxil's fictitious claims.
1985
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John Woode 2022 Senior Warden Gila Valley Lodge No. 9
This month I wanted to take the time to talk about something we all feel at some point in our lives. That is Stress. We feel stress when working at our job. We feel stress when planning a big event. We feel stress when we think no one else is watching and we don’t know why. So how or why do we tend to let stress take us on trips we don’t want to have? In the past 5 years there have been many times where I have felt the stress of work. The first year of teaching, all it is, is managing stress and hoping to stay afloat for the year. The years after it was memorizing the Questions and answers for Lodge to be able to move on to the next degree or the next chair. Or in my life and many of yours we had to deal with a stress no one saw coming and that was the stress of covid. So how do we manage it? Some go to the bottle others to different forms of self medications; it could be Legal or illegal but either way we use it as a means to get out of the stress we feel. But as masons we are taught to circumscribe our desires and keep our passions in due bounds. This includes our stressors and ways we show how we cope with the stress. Because these are our desires and passions that tend to lead to our stress. So, when we ask ourselves why we are feeling overwhelmed at any point and time in our lives we need to sit back and ask am I trying to do too much to quickly or am I just doing too much right now? You will be surprised by the amount of stress that will leave if you allow yourself to take time every day to just look at what you are doing. When you take that time, you can then better evaluate what is important and what is just adding to your stress. After we take that time to look inside ourselves, we will find a happy person and a more just and upright individual who was just being weighed down by their own Fraternally,passions.
The Saguaro Chapter and soon to be CG Rainbow worked together this morning on a deep clean of the inside of the building and also tackled weeds and trash on the exterior. Getting the building ready to resume business on September 1, 2022. Great job by all, many hands do make light work.
Well, that was the high light of my summer, I hope your summer was good also and are ready to get back in Lodge. Do your proficiencies as elections are not far away. See ya in Lodge.
Good day Brethren, Wow September is already here, and fall is just around the corner. In fact, it’s September 22, 2022. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some cool weather.Well, the Lodges I belong to, White Mountain #3 and Gila Valley #9 are starting back to work, and it will be good to get back in Lodge with Brothers. In last month Trestle Board, I said my wife Dana and I along with our daughter Denise and son n law Barry Winters were going to San Antonio, Texas for my granddaughter’s graduation from Air Force boot camp. Wow what proud moment that was. Hundreds of pictures were taken, and many tears of joy were shed. All went well. After graduation, all she wanted was a steak, some ice cream, and chill out with us. So, we made it happen, along with a river walk boat ride and some other attractions. It was great fun. While there, Barry, my son n law, who is an EA at Oriental #20, and I took advantage of setting in a Lodge meeting with Texas #8 in downtown San Antonio. Of course, we went with courtesy letters and lodge pins from Arizona. It was a very interesting night, as would be expected, they do things a little different than we do. All in all, it was good fellowship and brotherhood, and Masonic. We were received and treated well and had fun. I encourage Lodges, it’s good to meet brothers from other areas. After all we belong to the same Fraternity, don’t we?
Fraternally, Dewey Jefferson Junior Warden Valley Lodge No. 9
2022
Gila
The image of the snake eating its own tail, commonly referred to as an ouroboros, appeared for centuries before the Freemasonry official formation. It is one of humanity’s earliest representations of the universal balance found in the Eternal Circle, and is sometimes represented in the shape of the Infinity. While this image may seem to hold destructive connotations, an understanding of the ouroboros must be approached in the context of pre medieval human belief. In the mythology of many early cultures, snakes were viewed as symbols of constant self improvement. This is a reference to a snake’s ability to shed its skin and emerge as the same creature in a newer and better form.
The Pinal County Animal Care and Control is once again full of dogs and needs our help again. Please bring in your old blankets and dog toys for us to donate for our next Stated Meeting!! There will be a box for collection of the donated items! Other items that are needed: Cleaning supplies Blankets and towels Peanut butter (xylitol free) Pet Food Medicine Office supplies Grooming tools The GRAND MASTER SILVER COMMEMORATIVE COINS ARE NOW AVAILABLE. .999 Silver coins commemorating MW Jim Baker's year as Grand Master and the 100th Anniversary of the laying of the Cornerstone at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial! The first run is limited to 100 coins numbered 1-100! Only $100 each Order your coins now before they are gone! https://bit.ly/GWM_Coin
The Ouroboros is a common symbol used in some Masonic systems, depicting a serpent eating it's own tail. The word is derived from the greek "oura," meaning tail, and "bora," meaning food. The symbol first appeared in ancient Egypt, but was later adopted by the Greeks, eventually finding its way into to Western Mystery Schools. The symbol has been interpreted in many different ways, but most often refers to the eternal unity of all things, the cycle of birth and death, and the soul of the world. It shows the path of physical mortality the inescapable truth that all life starts with nothing and ends in the same place that it began. All humans are born from the dust, and to the dust they shall return. Source: Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry.
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Grand Care (GCARE) is designed to support Arizonans by funding one time medical care payments or by reimbursing co payments for Arizona citizens who receive medical care because they suffer from a "chronic disease" constituting a chronic health condition. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control defines "chronic diseases" as those conditions that exist for at least, but no less than, one calendar year and require ongoing medical attention or limited activities of daily living or both, including, but not limited to, Alzheimer's Disease, Arthritis, Asthma, Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Diabetes, and Stroke. We are committed to helping those with chronic illness deal with the high cost of medical care, prescriptions and co pays. We understand hardships are caused for basic living needs when one is living with a chronic illness. Our organization is committed to operating with excellence while providing ser-
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11 WB Dewey visited Lodge in Texas with his son in Law Or order your Coins with this QC Code Order them now before we run out again! FREE SHIPPING! https://form.jotform.com/221827689235163 Order your own silver coin! Numbered 1-100! FREE SHIPPING! https://bit.ly/GWM_Coin Or order your Coins with this CodeQC
Your Memorial Society dues benefit our annual fund, and are put to use to support the daily operations of the Memorial. To support the restoration work, consider an additional contribution to the Landmark Century Campaign.
The emblem of the Society is a special version of the official crest of The George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association. An image of the Memorial building in the center of the emblem serves as an important reminder of the commitment that each member of the George Washington Memorial Society has made. Please note that GWMS membership is for individuals only. Lodges are encouraged to consider the Society of Washington Lodges, and other opportunities for support are available for lodges and other organizations as well.
Charter Membership is conferred for contributions of $1,000 or more to the Memorial with the membership application, and $250 or more per year thereafter.
The George Washington Memorial Society comprises a select group of members who are dedicated to supporting the Memorial and its Mission. The purpose of the Society is to raise support for the George Washington Masonic National Memorial’s operations and to increase awareness of the Memorial’s mission among Freemasons and the wider community.
'Old Dundee' received many such Brethren as visitors, and from 1748 to 177O at least 162 [six per year] signed our Minute Book ...." When the Antient Grand Lodge was formed in 1751 it described itself as founded according to the Ancient Institutions of York. Its members often called themselves, and were called by others, York Masons. When the Antient Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada was formed in 1792 at Montreal (and Canadian Masonry influenced New England and New York Masonry in many ways) it became known AS the York Body and its members called themselves York Masons. The many Antient chartered Lodges which were warranted during or prior to the Revolution in the Colonies also called themselves York Masons. The term "York" was therefore introduced into America by Canadian and British Lodges and Brethren, and hence did not originate here. In his introduction to Memorials of the Mason* Union, William James Hughan animadverts on the American use of "York," which he took to be an American made myth. (This Introduction, famous in 1874, is now Elsewhereobsolete.)heaccuses
Owing to the large circulation of his books in America this term came into general use (it is obsolete now); Oliver's St. John's Masons had no connection in thought or theory with the St. Johns' Masons familiar to Eighteenth Century Lodges. One of the many proofs of the numerousness of St. Johns' Masons is given by the records of Old Dundee Lodge, No. 18 (probably older than Grand Lodge). On page 168 of his history of that Lodge Arthur Heiron writes: "In olden days there were certain Lodges who were never regularly constituted, [by Grand Lodge] but merely recognized St. John as their leader. They were looked upon as 'Unattached' or 'Independent Lodges,' but their members w ere allowed to visit the regular [on Grand Lodge Rolls] Lodges on terms of equality, signing themselves as 'St. Johns' Men'; paying generally an extra fee.
In England, Scotland, and Ireland at the beginning of the first Grand Lodge in 1717 there was an unknown but comparatively large number of Lodges and Masons called generally St. Johns'. St. Johns' Lodges prior to 1717 may have been Lodges without any copy of the Old Charges, were therefore self constituted as the meaning of that term would have obtained in that time; also, there were a number of Masons not in any Lodge, and apparently in some instances "one Mason not in any Lodge would make another. After the new Grand Lodge system was established a number of the St. Johns' Lodges (one may believe a larger number than existing records account for) continued to work (and not as Operative Lodges) but never joined the Grand Lodge. Yet during the first half of the Eighteenth Century these were accepted as genuine Lodges, and their members often Visited regular (on the Roll of Grand Lodge) Lodges. The Rev. George Oliver had a muddled theory that Free masonry had been revived and reformed by St. John the Evangelist and for that reason he called Craft Masonry "St. John's Masonry."
American Masons of "boasting" of being "York Masons." Bro. Hughan was in his own generation second to none as a cautious, accurate, historical scholar, but he had the misfortune to be in some degree in error, and oftentimes w holly in error, in his statements of fact about American Masonry. His attribution of the York myth and boasting to us is one of his mistakes. We created no myth about York, for as said above the term came straight from Britain and Canada; we never boasted about it. Today the word "York;" has lost any meaning it was ever supposed to have, and when used, if ever it still is used, functions as a mere label to distinguish the Craft and Chapter Rites from Templarism and the Scottish Rite. ~ Mackey
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On July 16, 2022 Gila Valley Lodge No. 9 our Lodge welcomed the newest Brother to the Fraternity. A dedicated group our Lodge Members and a small group of visitors from nearby Lodges raised a very worthy Man into our Pleaseprivileges.welcome Brother Hugo next time you run into him at Lodge.
Sept 1, Pinal Lodge No. 30 7:00pmStatedMeeting Sept 5, Gila Valley Lodge No. 9 5:00pm DinneratLodge 9:007:00pmStatedMeetingpmPostmeetingdiscussionatMountAthos Sept 8, Apache Lodge No. 69 7:30pmStatedMeeting Sept 10, White Mountain No. 3 10:00amStatedMeeting Sept 10, Globe Chapter No. 7 R.A.M 2:00pmStatedMeeting Sept 13, Ocotillo Chapter No. 21 OES Callfortime Sept 15, Eloy Lodge No. 46 7:00pmStatedMeeting Sept 17, Memento Mori Widow Sons Location TBD: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WSMMChapter 11:00amStatedMeeting Sept 5, MW Jim Baker Day Florence Town Coucle American Legion 441 N Main 3:00pmFoodandDrinks Sept 5 Gila Valley Lodge No. 9 5:30pmTrusteeMeeting Sept 10, Jr. Parada Fundraiser Coolidge Florence Elks Club 2241 S Attaway Coolidge 5:00pmEvent Sept 12, Sabbar Shrine 7:00pmStatedMeeting Sept 12, Gila Valley Lodge No. 9 BookClub5:30pmMeeting
Great Men wear a Fez! We're counting on you… Who do you know that would make a good Mason and Shriner? A friend? A family member? A coworker? Commit to making a difference! The future of our fraternity relies on your commitment. identityTheindividualyoureferwillreceiveaseriesofcommunications,thefirstofwhichwillyouasthereferralsource. CLICK HERE
The “Capitular” or Chapter Degrees of Freemasonry refers the four degrees of the York Rite system that follow the “blue lodge” or “Craft” degrees. The Holy Royal Arch is the final degree and the culmination of the Chapter experience for a candidate. The Chapter is the second body of the York Rite of Freemasonry (following the Symbolic or 'Blue' Lodge), though in some Jurisdictions it is considered the completion of the initial three degrees and is part of the regular Craft experience. All Master Masons are eligible for membership. Contact RW Jim Baker, or WB Paul Dore at pauldoresr@cox.net for more information Do you have a son 12 21 years Old? Saguaro Order of the DeMolay is the premier youth leadership organization building young men of character and dedicated to making young men better people and leaders and sponsored by Gila Valley Lodge 9, Pinal Lodge No. 30, and Eloy Lodge No. Meetings46 are held twice monthly on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month starting at 6:00 pm. All parents are welcome and are encouraged to attend and get involved in this great organization. They meet at Pinal Lodge #30 located at 1140 E. Florence Blvd., Casa Grande, Arizona 85122. TO REFER A GOOD MAN
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The Scottish Rite is a Masonic organization that continues a Master Mason's education of the first three degrees. The Scottish Rite is one of several appendant groups of the worldwide fraternity known as Freemasonry. Each Valley has up to four Scottish Rite bodies, and each body confers a set of degrees. In the Southern Jurisdiction these are the Lodge of Perfection (4° 14°). Chapter Rose Croix (15° 18°), Council of Knights Kadosh (19° 30°), and the Consistory (31° 32°). The 33rd Degree is an honorary degree awarded for exceptional service. Have a question? Ask a Personal Rep!
www.azmasoniclibrary.org
The Widows Sons, Masonic Riders Association is a group of Master Masons who have gathered together to promote Freemasonry within the motorcycling community and help introduce motorcycling to our non riding Masonic brethren. As Freemasons we are committed to "Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth" tenets of our lives, as Widows Sons we are devoted to supporting Widows and Orphans of our Masonic brethren. We hold events and rides as fundraisers for this noble cause, and other charitable causes. The chapters in Arizona are very diverse with members from various areas, lodges, and a variety of motorcycles.
The goal of the Ladies’ Oriental Shrine, as set forth at the organizational meeting in 1903, is to promote sociability, good fellowship and the betterment of all Ladies connected with the organization. Our Ladies participate in parades, mini-clinics, Shrine Circuses, and much more. Ladies may choose to be active in a variety of special interest Units within each local Court such as Oriental Bands, Patrols, Clown or Dance Units. Our Ladies are always ready to display their pageantry and glamour in order to show the public how much they enjoy their activities.
Today, LOSNA has nearly 8,000 members in 64 Courts across North America and even members in Japan and Taiwan. High Twelve is an association of Master Masons who desire an hour of Masonic fellowship independent of the formal ritual of Lodge but dedicated to the service to the fraternity. High Twelve was founded by E. C. Wolcott in Sioux City, Iowa on May 17, We1921.practice the great lessons of Freemasonry and encourage members to attend and participate in their Blue Lodge activities. High Twelve unifies Master Masons from many Lodges in an association where fellowship grows into lasting friendships. As High Twelve Masons, we support the Public School System and encourage participation in constructive community activities. There are over 300 active High Twelve Clubs with 25,000 members in the United States, Canada and Foreign Countries.
Jim MWGMFrankReidMusilRexHutchens WB John O’Hara PM WB Delbert Lewis PM WB Ray Osbourn PM Wilbur (Bill) Dean Lawrence Baby Rylee Ringer Baby Miguel Martinez Baby Angeliya Celeste Holt MW Grand Master of Arizona First Responders The Armed Forces Our Veterans Our dearly departed Brethren Brethren Gila Valley Lodge No. 9 Town of Florence Government United States Government Daryl Neil 9/4 Carroll Michael Jr. 9/8 James Jameson 9/9 Nicholas Hayduke 9/15 Richard Platt 9/19 Michael Henry 9/27 Don Richard 9/13/1962 Rudolph Anderson 9/29/1966 Eric Smith 9/26/2015
RogerFraternally,Biede III Secretary, Masonic Charities of Arizona www.masoniccharitiesaz.comrcbthree@hotmail.com
Brethren, Friends, and Family, This year the Masonic Charities of Arizona approved 33 grants totaling $70,000 to worthy organizations throughout Arizona. These 501c3 charitable organizations provide much needed services to their communities all over Arizona Those services include Veteran assistance, Domestic abuse shelters, child learning disabilities, training and assistance for people with special needs, support for soldiers abroad, Adult literacy programs and Personal hygiene kits for the working poor and homeless. We are able to award these Grants from the income of our investment fund, Lodge and Personal donations and support from Grand Lodge. In order to keep up with the desire to expand our Grant distribution to more organizations and communities around the State we ask for your help. We have registered with the Amazon Smile Foundation. Amazon Smile will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization selected by their customers. For Amazon customers to select the Masonic Charities of Arizona to receive these donations go to http://smile.amazon.com/ch/94 2746389 to automatically select us. Or you can go to www.smile.amazon.com and you will be prompted to select a charity. Now you are ready to shop and support the Masonic Charities of Arizona. The Board of Directors of the Masonic Charities of Arizona extends our appreciation to all of you for your support.
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Chairman: WB Eric Smith Email: jiminys@yahoo.com Chairman: John Woode Email: jwoode591@gmail.com Chairman: WB Dewey Jefferson Email: djndjedderson48@yahoo.com Chairman: WB Roger Biede III PM Email: roger.biede@gmail.com Chairman: Brian Gay Email: bg1973@hotmail.com Chairman: WB Roger Biede III Email: roger.biede@gmail.com Chairman: John Woode Email: RobertRogerjwoode591@gmail.comBiedeIIIPMChairmanMolloyPM,JohnWoode Email: jiminys@yahoo.com Bro. Email: jwoode591@gmail.com Dewey Jefferson Email: djndjedderson48@yahoo.com Bro. John Bryon Singer Email: jbyronsinger@aol.com Bro. Lee Apger Email: lkapger@gmail.com WB Robert Malloy Email: robert_molloy@cox.net Bro. Steve Murphy Email: santanman7921@gmail.com Bro. Spencer Sego Email: spencersego@gmail.com WB Anthony Raimondi Email: raimondi_57@msn.com 2022 23 Grand Master F. & A.M of Arizona
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Gila Valley Lodge No. 9 continues to follow this tradition and is honored to be still one of the remaining “Moon Lodges” in the United States. Our Stated Meetings are the Monday On or Before the Full Moon of the Month, The Lodge also goes “Dark” during the summer months of July and August, where no Stated Meetings are held.
The first mention of Moon Lodges can be found in the Cooke Manuscript of 1410, one of the oldest documents belonging to the Masonic Craft. In the U.S., Moon Lodges were first noted in colonial times around 1717 to be operating in Philadelphia, Boston and Tennessee
There appears to have been approximately 3000 moon lodges in the U.S. at the turn of the last century but by the 1950’s that number had decreased to 500. Today, by last count, there are roughly 129 moon lodges in the portationtionAU.S.moonlodgewasbornoutofnecessityduetothelackofnaturalorartificialillumina-bywhichonecouldtraveltoandfrommeetings.Duringthe18thcentury,trans-waslimitedtohorseback,horse&buggy,walkingandeveninsomecircumstances by boat. There were no paved roads and very few gravel but merely two dirt ruts that would meander through bush and fields rarely in a straight line. With only a candle or coal oil lamp to light the way, a full moon provided welcome companionship for a long and lonely trek. Individuals would travel 8 10 miles or more and were unable to make the long trip home at night and would be supplied lodging by a fellow brother, leaving after breakfast to return home the next morning.
