Communicator May-June 2019

Volume 66, No. 03

May-June 2019

Masons Knights of Charity - pg 6

Scott T. Rite 32°

ELS&L

Why the HSJ?

pg 2

pg 5

pg 8

2 Seattle Scottish Rite

Scottish Rite Communicator Valley of Seattle

www.seattle-scottishrite.org

SCOTTISH RITE OFFICERS Ill. Ronald A. Seale, 33° Sovereign Grand Commander Ill. Alvin W. Jorgensen, 33° S:.G:.I:.G:, Orient of Washington Ill. Sat Tashiro, 33° Personal Rep. of S:.G:.I:.G:. pr@seattle-scottishrite.org Daniel Southerland, 32° General Secretary Communicator Editor secretary@seattle-scottishrite.org Gene Ulrich, 32° KCCH Treasurer Ill. Tom Lamb, 33° Almoner PRESIDING OFFICERS Gale Kenney 32. KCCH° Master of Kadosh, Consistory Adam Creighton 32° Commander, Council of Kadosh Bob Dearborn 32° KCCH Wise Master, Chapter of Rose Croix Bryan Reagan, 32° Venerable Master, Lodge of Perfection Seattle Scottish Rite Center 1207 N 152nd St. Seattle, WA 98133-6213 206 324-3330 voice 206 324-3332 fax

The Communicator (USPS 485-660) is published by the Valley of Seattle, A&A Scottish Rite, 1207 N 152nd St., Seattle, WA 98133-6213, for the benefit of its members, bimonthly and is mailed as a non-profit publication to all members of the Valley of Seattle and to specified other interested parties. $2.00 per member is assessed for the publication of The Communicator. Periodicals postage paid at Seattle, Washington and at additional mailing offices.

The material contained within this publication is intended for the education and enjoyment of the members of the Masonic Fraternity and all material published becomes the property of Seattle Valley of Scottish Rite. Postmaster: Send address changes to — The Communicator at 1207 N 152nd St., Seattle, WA 98133-6213.

Scott T. Rite 32° Visitation to seattle valley

Seattle Scottish Rite 3

News from the Personal Representative

Spring has finally arrived. Our class of 2019 has begun their journey towards Masters of the Royal Secret as they start their terminal degrees.

This year we will be focusing our attention on the involvement of our black hats into the activities of the valley. The chieftain for the Knights of St. Andrew (KSA) will continue to be Brother Bob Guild. He will be contacting the black hats from the past several years and re-developing the program with assistance of the past KSA members to support the activities of the Seattle Valley. These activities will include assisting and participating in the degrees as well and the social events of the valley, wardrobe room, receiving visitors and in the educational process. We are looking forward to the involvement of our new Masters of the Royal Secret with us in the activities of the Seattle Valley meetings and degrees.

Our class of 2019 topped off at 13. As in past years, it is an outstanding class, with Masons from throughout the Greater Seattle area. We want to express our appreciation to all members who helped us achieve these numbers for this year.

Our March meeting was the annual Remembrance and Renewal. The Rose Croix officers did an excellent job, as we remembered those departed this past year and rededicated ourselves to the tenets and principles of our Scottish Rite.

The 4° and 14° degrees were held on 6 April to the class of 2019, in addition to three from neighboring valleys.

The two non-terminal degrees, 6° and 7° were performed by the Lodge of Perfection as a part of the April stated meeting. We are currently starting year two of our four year cycle to perform all 29 Scottish Rite degrees. We are also planning on annually presenting the Knights of St. Andrew degree. 29°, with an all-black hat cast.

Events scheduled for the period covered by this Communicator will be the stated meeting in May 21. Ladies are cordially invited to attend with their spouses, as Brother Bob Guild will present his experiences on his travel to Scotland. In addition we will be having our 15° and 18° degree presented by the Rose Croix on 11 May starting with a social time at 9 AM and the degrees starting at 10 AM. The DVD Club of the Seattle Valley is currently meeting monthly in the Members’ Lounge. The purpose is to present DVD’s on Masonic subjects with follow up discussion. Contact Bob Guild for further information. It is currently scheduled for the 2nd Wednesday starting at 7 PM. Our two Scottish Rite clubs, sponsored by the Valley of Seattle, will be having their meetings in the coming weeks. The West Seattle Scottish Rite Club (WSSRC) will be having its second 2019 meeting at Southgate Masonic Center in Burien on 1 June starting at 9 AM. The first 2019 Meeting was highlighted by a paper on the ‘Evolution -Blue Lodge Degrees to the Scottish Rite Degrees’, and was attended by six brothers. The topic for the June meeting will be the ’The Lost Word’.. Further information can be obtained by contacting Brother Richard Syson at nosys@comcast.net.

The Eastside Scottish Rite Club has been meeting approximately 4 years, organized by Brian Thomas 33˚ and administered by Dean Markley 32˚, secretary. The ESRC was originally dedicated to Scottish Rite Education but has evolved to general Masonic philosophical and esoteric subjects. Some members have proposed the beginning of the Master Craftsman Program. Dean Markley has been exploring such a program and remains in work.

Brian Thomas will continue the philosophical/esoteric discussions on the 5th Wednesday of every month that has a 5th Wednesday. Those meetings will be at Myrtle Lodge No. 108 in Issaquah at 7 p.m. Any Master Mason is welcome. We will be discussing why the Knights Templar Order is important to Masonry and other subjects that may come up. The next meeting will be Wednesday, May 29.

Feel free to contact Brian Thomas, 425-226-0463, bjt19@comcast.net if you are interested in the philosophical/ esoteric discussion and Dean Markley, wdeanM@gmail.com if you are interested in the Master Craftsman program.

You are reminded that meetings time can change to conflicts, etc. Please contact the office or visit our web page for changes which may occur.

Fraternally,

Sat Tashiro 33° Personal Representative of the S:.G:.I:.G:.

4 Seattle Scottish Rite

Greetings All, A huge thank you to all who came out and supported our Early Life Speech & Language Beerfest this year. Thanks to all of you it was a huge success along with being the biggest year so far. Now I say we get to making next year even better. It was so great to be the premier sponsor of such a fun event this year, it just shows you we are doing the right thing as a fraternity.

We have a great new class of Brothers this year that will be a great asset to our valley so come in and get to know them all as I know they are looking forward to being involved with all we are doing to build and grow our fraternity. Along with our new members we are looking to bring back members who have not been here in awhile. If you know of or are a brother we have not seen lately let us know. If you are unable to attend due to transportation issues let us know so we can try to help. We value all our members and look forward to seeing you all.

As usual we will be dark in June, July, & August but are looking to do some activities during this time, does anyone have some great ideas or things you would like to do? We want you all to join in. Is it a family activity? A fellowship night? Let me know.

I know there is a lot of talk around our Valley lately about Early Life Speech & Language and their needs. We sure have stepped up lately and continue to do so as their ”Give Big” campaign comes up on May 8th. Also they have their new campaign “ Children’s Champions” . This one enables you to do monthly payments and get great swag at the same time. I am wondering how many of us will be sporting the tie they have made just for this occasion.

We are in our second year of our four year plan to complete all our degrees and it has been allot of fun seeing them and being involved. This is such a great undertaking that takes a bunch of effort so we are always looking for brothers to help in a variety of ways wether it be a talking part or behind the scenes, we want you all to be involved so just let us know.

Just keep in mind it is not to early to be asking brothers about joining the Seattle Valley in the next class. We have a large group of great brothers joining now and are continuing to see big numbers come in every year so why would you wait to let them see what you enjoy within the Scottish Rite and all it has to offer. We are growing and seeing such great things happen as we do so lets continue to be a leader in the University of Freemasonry.

Fraternally, Dan Southerland, 32° General Secretary

Seattle Scottish Rite 5

DON’T MISS OUT ON DOUBLING YOUR DONATION! May 8th is fast approaching and it is THE DAY to GIVE BIG! GiveBig has always been a wonderful giving opportunity for King County and there was a hint of it going away…instead it came back in an ENORMOUS way! This year is different…MASSIVELY different! Are you ready for it? It’s now STATEWIDE! What does that mean for us? More people will hear about this HUGE giving opportunity and the money raised can go to your own community.

Becoming a STATEWIDE giving opportunity is not the only BIG NEWS we have! This is MAMMOTH! Are you ready? Seattle Scottish Rite has provided a match up to $10,000 all donations! What does this mean? Your gift on May 8th through GiveBig could go even further! $50 donations become $100 $250 donations become $500 $500 donations become $1,000 And more!

How can you participate in this HUMONGOUS opportunity?

GiveBig is on May 8th. One day only! However, you can set up your donations NOW! Early donations encourage others to give. GiveBig always announces prize money for things like giving early so the more you and others give early, the more likely it is that we could win additional prize money for our participation.

Visit https://www.givebig2019.org/ to set up your account and choose Early Life Speech & Language as your non-profit of choice. Follow the prompts and make your donation.

Having trouble? Call us and we can walk you through it. 206.324.6293 or info@earlylifespeech.org.

All donations, no matter the size, are greatly appreciated and will be put to immediate use in the community that suits the donors wishes. This means, if you are a part of a community outside of Seattle, your donation will stay there to support the families in your very own community.

Will you GIVE BIG?

6 Seattle Scottish Rite

Masons Knights of Charity Politics, religion and secrecy these are three subjects never discussed within any legitimate Masonic lodge or during any event of Masonic sponsorship. Our Craft is non-political in that it transcends narrow partisanship to exalt freedom and the full development of every person's human potential. The prohibition of sectarian concern is central to Freemasonry's acceptance of all men who express belief in a Supreme Being and who have dedicated them-selves to His service. Most of all, Freemasonry is not a secret organization, but one that publicly announces its meetings and openly works for all types of civic, philanthropic and patriotic causes.

Given the multitude of beneficial activities and worthwhile projects going on at any given Lodge, there is no time even if it were premeditate waste on such unproductive matters as politics, sects, or secrecy.

The "secret" purpose of Freemasonry is public knowledge the enlightenment of society and the improvement of mankind.

Far from being a "secret society," Masons in America proudly wear their pins and cordially invite nonMasons to public meetings sponsored by Masons. Notices indicating the time and place of meetings are widely printed and in many places advertisements in the news-papers inform of such meetings. Although Masons seek no public approbation for their benevolence, the actual supportive facts are that the sum of $1.3 million is made available every single day by the Masons in this Country for such benevolence. The figure of $1.3 million per day is not a typographical error, but rather a conservative estimate

by The Masonic Service Association that Masonic Bodies and affiliated organizations expend more than $480 million per year in benevolent activities. About 60 per-cent of this sum is made available for public assistance, and 40 percent is oriented toward support of Masonic Homes for the young and the elderly completely provided for by Masons without public assistance. No organization in the history of mankind has ever accomplished such a massive and high purpose on a continuing basis. Crippled children's bones are healed. Many persons c,hence given up for dead are now returned to society because the Shrine became a catalyst in the treatment of second and third degree burns. The great Masonic Centers in Chicago, New York and elsewhere about the Country testify in the work of the Masons.

The Aphasia Program the Scottish Rite sparked has been for more than 20 years returning speechless children to society in lieu of incarceration in State institutions. Other charitable agencies are now taking on the work, but it was the Scottish Rite that initiated interest. Today thousands of youngsters live normal lives because the Masons of the Scottish Rite gave of their efforts and their substance.

More than 10 years ago at a Los Angeles Bodies Scottish Rite meeting, I concluded my remarks by referring to the great work of the Aphasia Program of the Mother Jurisdiction. Thereafter, a fine, clean-cut young man of about 18 years came up to greet me and said, "Mr. MacPhee, when you see the Masons of California thank them for me." I asked, "What did the Masons do for you?" He re-plied, "When I was six years old I could not speak had never spoken a word. No one seemed able to help me. A friend suggested we try the Scottish Rite Aphasia Program which had been established at Stanford University.

That program did the job for me. I graduated from high school last month as captain of the Debating Society. So please thank the Masons for me. " It was one of the greatest experiences I have ever had as a Mason. I think I stood twelve feet tall as I listened to that young man.

Seattle Scottish Rite 7

Millions of persons have been assisted by the Masons of the Knights Templar Eye Foundation in their expenditures for research, treatment, correction of diseases and problems of the eyes. The Knights Templar continue to make substantial grants to the Departments of Ophthalmology at many universities through-out the United States. An unsolicited letter ad-dressed to the Knights Templar of Phoenix, Arizona, some time ago tells the story better than any words of mine. The letter read: "One month ago I did not know of the existence of the Knights Templar Eye Foundation. Your making possible the corneal trans-plant precipitated decisions of Lasting consequences. Nine days after the transplant in the hospital room, I heard these words, 'Mother, I see you, I see your eyes. I can see your lips moving, Mother, I see you. ' Gentlemen, what can a grateful mother and father say but thank you for making possible the return of our son's vision, for giving him eyes that he may see." Thousands of such letters over the years testify to this great work.

It is well within the mark to say that hundreds of millions of dollars are made available annually for deserving scholarships and leader-ship training programs for boys and girls and young adults of all races, colors and creeds by the Scottish Rite, York Rite, Masonic Foundations, Hi-Twelve Clubs and other Masonic affiliated organizations.

Today in this Country there are numerous laboratories where research is supported by the men of Masonry all working to find the answer to cancer, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, leukemia, arteriosclerosis, schizophrenia and a host of other medical problems. Then we have the great work of The Masonic Service Association in providing funds and the manpower to continue each year the tremendous Hospital Visitation Program.

And there is more! Space is not available to do justice to all Freemasonry has accomplished and is accomplishing.

Masons in the early days of the guilds, before the Lodges were formed, recognized the importance of charity for the less fortunate, and on each Patron Saint's day they regularly provided funds for that purpose. For each Mason learns in the First Degree, "Charity ex-tends beyond the grave, through the boundless ages of eternity."

Accordingly, we Masons recognize there must be a greater charity than that of giving of our substance.

And there is. It is the gift that no one else but you can give. It is the giving of our ourselves the giving of time and talents in a thousand different ways to our churches, synagogues, our schools, our Lodges, hospitals, Little Leagues, Boy and Girls Scouts, Boys' Clubs, DeMolays, Rainbows, Jobs' Daughters and others. Through these acts we personally help the weak, the poor, the needy, the sick and those requiring our care and love.

Think for a moment of the giving of your-self by extending the charity of compassion to those with whom you may not agree. Or consider how Masons are the first to extend our hands in friendship to those who would despite-fully use us. I once wrote, "The individual who would truly exemplify Brotherly Love comes closest to Heaven on Earth." I believe it!

It has been said that Masonic charity is the greatest of all virtues, for such charity is indeed the law of balance.

And it is entirely conceivable that the guidance of the so-called Patron Saints of the medieval Masons indoctrinated a concern for others, a responsibility to the guild and subsequent Lodge members.

Thus down through the ages came the importance to the men of Masonry in the giving of charity or relief in its many forms including financial help and relief for the distressed in body, mind and spirit.

How proud these early Masons would be to see the great philanthropic work of their counterparts today providing extensive humanitarian service to all mankind in the giving of themselves and their substance in a manner unparalleled in the history of the world.

Masons do indeed have substantial cause to be proud of their heritage and their efforts to-day on behalf of all mankind.

8 Seattle Scottish Rite

Why The Holy Saints’ John?

W.B. Jon Patrick Sage

Authors Note: Although Masonry in no way claims one particular creed or theology, it is widely accepted that the Christian Faith, and by proxy- The Holy Bible- form the majority and the basis for many of our allegorical and figurative symbolisms. As it follows, if these symbolisms are rooted in those Scriptures, then many explanations for these symbolisms must also be found in those same Scriptures; which are also, as a whole, symbolic and would be better defined simply as a Volume of Sacred Law (V.S.L.). For this reason, the author references Christian writings and The Holy Bible in these explanations and arguments.

From the esoteric “…”, in the Masonic Monitor, we know why ancient Lodges were dedicated to King Solomon, and from the basis of the several degrees, traced to that early date, this makes sense. But, in modern times, Lodges are said to be dedicated to the Holy Saints’ John, namely St. John the Baptist, and St. John the Evangelist. How then, was the leap made, of some 1000 and some odd years [1], between Solomon and the latter Saint John the Evangelist [2]? We learn through the Biblical text and timelines that Solomon the King assumed the throne of David when he was 29 years old, at or around 490 B.C. Solomon was allowed to build the Temple at Jerusalem, and so establishes the basis for the operative legend and Masonic timeline. The Biblical accounts play no small part in the establishment of her numerous Saints, of which there were many more than only the few that we hear about today!

However these two Saints John came into the general usages of the Fraternity, and we will discuss this in greater detail, make no mistake that they were not the first, or only choices. As a shining example, and if we are simply speaking in terms of Solomon’s temple and/or Jerusalem, then it is possible, and argued by some scholars, that one or both of the Sts. Johns were simply confused with the St. John of Jerusalem. Indeed, this has always been my feeling, and there is some reference to it, that the St. John of Jerusalem, in the Byzantine capacity, might have been the actual St. being sought after here. But- for whatever reason, the focus was at some point shifted to St. John the Evangelist, and then, according to an account related by John the Evangelist, St. John the Baptist.

If in terms of a professional capacity, St. Thomas, carrying the symbol of the square or builders rule, would have provided an already present example of the Patron Saint of masons and architects. As was the case in those days (the Medieval Period), it was customary for all Church’s, trades, cities, towns, and even most peoples and/or families, to have their own “personal” Saints of Patronage and/or protection, safekeeping. Other Early Saints, connected by chance or circumstance with early masonic guilds were St. George, and the famed Four Crowned Martyrs, or The Quatuor Coronati, the legend of which is an endlessly fascinating one.

It is interesting to note, that there always being a “certain point within a circle” associated with the two Sts. Johns, is a peculiar notion indeed. In a world of right angles and horizontals, and with the exception of the circumferences of the compass, we find a circle. Even though the circle is ultimately comprised of right angles, connected by the arc of a compass, the stand alone model used in the description of the Saints’ John has always been an intriguing idea. The circle, symbolically and in many cases, alludes to influences outside of the traditional Church and Masonic Order. By ancient lore, the circle, and in particular a flaming circle, was designated as a symbol of the sun, and hence- the celebration of, and representation of, the Zodiac, symbolisms with decidedly pagan origins.

As was the case in those days, a festival with pagan origins often was adopted by the Church, and might then become the festival of that whole community. If these two occasions having to do with St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, were popular and accepted Religious and even secular dates on the ancient calendar, and furthermore; if they had (and they did), astrological significances, which would further ingratiate them with an Order concerned in speculative/philosophic happenings, then it is wholly understandable, along with the convenience of the names, and the places occupied by those figures, that the Masonic Order would choose both, or at least one of these, as her Patron Saint.

Seattle Scottish Rite 9

It is then perhaps purely though an economical study of history, that we find ourselves inexorably and undeniably connected with June 24 (St. John the Baptist Day), and December 27 (St. John the Evangelist Day). These dates have long been connected with pagan festivals. In short, and related to the Zodiac, June 21, was the Summer Solstice, which long preceded any hint of Christianity/Masonry, and is closely in line with June 24. Likewise, December 22, the Winter Solstice, is close enough to December 27 to warrant a strong connection. Presumably, according to early Church calendars, the dates chosen for the Sts. John fell by happenstance close to the aforementioned Solstice celebrations [3].

In addition to the already known and accepted Solstice celebrations, one of which occurring on or close to the day associated with St. John the Evangelist, it is then prudent to ask; how and why was St. John the Evangelist, in and of himself, chosen as a Patron Saint of Freemasonry? The answer, apart from an analogy and comparison of The Three Lesser Lights, i.e. John the Baptist, Jesus, and St. John the Evangelist, is found in the Biblical descriptions and writings of John the Evangelist. In large part, these descriptions reside in the earliest parts of the degree of the Entered Apprentice, and then also in the Tenets of a Masons profession.

To learn to “subdue our Passions” is a foregone conclusion on WHY we want to become Masons. The word “passions”, is historically identified as human emotions such as anger, rage, strong feelings, etc.

[4]. Thus to subdue these often uncontrollable and ill-directed emotions is to calm and positively focus our energies. St. John the Evangelist represented this, as evidenced by his changing, with age, from aggressive and reckless, to kind, thoughtful, and acting with purpose. Also, John is directly concerned with the first Tenet of a Mason’s profession, that being Brotherly Love, and which when practiced, easily gives way to the others- Relief and Truth. In I John Chapter 4, we find numerous and very wellarticulated examples of the notion of Brotherly Love, and how that beautiful attribute figures into an agreeable model for life in general, but certainly, for the existence, and persistence of the Ancient Institution known as our Masonic Order [1].

The question now remains, how was St. John the Baptist entered into our lexicon of Masonic terms as a Patron Saint? If Masonry requires right angles horizontals, and parallels, then it would come as no accident to insist that one Patron be weighed against another; much as the Three Lesser Lights weigh and balance themselves; i.e., the Sun, Moon, and Master of the Lodge, and are regular and constant. In that vein of thought, and if John the Evangelist outlived and evangelized for Jesus (The Middle/Master of the Three Lights), it is natural to conclude that there must be a counter which would precede the Master, as it were. This, in no small way, comes in the way of St. John the Baptist. Although mentioned in prophesy as far back and even farther than Isiah, St. John the Baptist was the proclaimer and welcoming force for many concerning Jesus. In John 1:27 John the Baptist, answering questions as to whether he is the Christ, replied that “He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, but whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose” [1].

Thus, it has always been a common theme in the text(s) that John the Baptist was in many ways, a means of preparation and introduction of Jesus and the principles of the Gospel to the World. And so, by genealogically timed events and logic, John the Baptist is a natural beginning for the Work of John the Evangelist.

As an addendum to this conclusion, let us visit a story which persisted throughout the examination of these questions. St. John the Evangelist, after having been initiated into Masonry at an earlier date, was then found at an age upwards of ninety, having been asked by members of the early Craft to become Grand Master. John allegedly accepted this Office, but then shared the honors somewhat, and because of the zeal begun by St. John the Baptist, “drew a line parallel, ever since Free Mason’s Lodges have been dedicated both to St. John the Baptist, and to St. John the Evangelist” [2]. Although this story, taken from the dusty pages of The Freemasons Guide and Compendium, by B.E. Jones, is as interesting as it is peculiar. The account, although it is published, is apparently without much substantiation; even still, it could be one of the best clues we have today as to why one, or both, of these Saints Johns’ were selected by the Fraternity. Perhaps, it is an unlikely sequence of events of how the Saints’ John selected the Fraternity, and became her Patron Saints.

In any event, and however the course of events may have come to pass, the lectures in our degrees provide more than sufficient evidence to justify the choices of our Saints. Through the moral code of the Saints, demonstrated in their lives and recorded on the pages of the Holy Scriptures, we may find bits of Divinity, able to be liberally spread amongst the crumbs of our humble lives while on this planet, and beyond.

10 S e a t t l e S c o t t i s h R i t e

Messages Happy Birthday!

Congratulations from all your Scottish Rite Brethren To our members over 90 who have reached a very important birthday!

May

Martin Grossmann 5/24/1923 Harry Reynolds 5/28/1923 John Kraft 5/03/1925 Donald Bartholomew 5/26/1926 Rudy Pastori 5/28/1926 Louis Sackett 5/16/1927 John Cohn 5/29/1927 Leo Smyth 5/14/1928

June

Raymond Barclay 6/23/1915 Roger Miller 6/07/1918 Donald Manion 6/08/1920 Douglas Edlich 6/18/1923 John Swafford 33° 6/17/1924 Alfred Bartol 6/19/1924 Arthur Phelps 6/03/1925 David Campbell 6/01/1926 Seth Wilson 6/08/1928 James Cook 6/15/1929

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New Lower Price $20.00

S e a t t l e S c o t t i s h R i t e 11

www.seattle-scottishrite.org

MONTH TIME

EVENT

May 4, 9:00AM: Excom Meeting May 11, 10:30 Rose Croix Degrees 15°-18° May 21st 7:30 PM Stated Meeting with Dinner at 6:30 June, July, & August Dark.

We may plan some fun get together, So stay tunes and follow us on Face book.

* All events subject to change.

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Scottish Rite of Freemasonry 1207 N 152nd St. Shoreline, WA 98133-6247

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