Sunday, November 3, 2013

Building Cement - Uncommonly Concrete Masonic Education - Volume 7 - Pre-orders

Good Day My Fellow Travelers,

I have more Good News! There's a new guy in town and he's got a lot of LOVE to share! 
 
The next Volume in the Building Better Builders Series of Uncommon Masonic Education books is now ready to be pre-ordered! It is scheduled to ship within two weeks (before Friday, November 15, 2013).

The name of this next book is "Building Cement- Uncommonly Concrete Uncommon Masonic Education - Volume 7" and it takes a wonderful warm turn in Masonic Instruction. Building Cement spreads Uncommon Light upon Masonic Cement, otherwise known as, "Brotherly Love and Affection". It covers both the operative manufacturing of cement and the speculative use of it as applied toward Cultivating Masonic Cement within one's self and Brothers. Building Cement also provides in depth insights into Working Materials present within Ritual but seldom expanded upon to Instruct Brothers how to use them toward creating Better Bonds between Brothers. In addition, the materials in this book continuously folds back upon the Work pointed toward by the first two Degrees to show how Masonic Work continuously Cultivates Love of all Good Things.

I believe that you shall find this book very insightful, encouraging and useful toward Working upon yourself and Working with Brothers.

You can find ...

1) a Book Overview here: http://www.coach.net/BuildingCement.htm
2) a Table of Contents here: http://www.coach.net/PR_BC_TC.htm

I ask one favor please. If you know of others who would be interested in this next volume, please let them know as you can and when you can.

Fraternally and Sincerely,

Bro. John S. Nagy
Building Better Builders Series Author

Sunday, October 20, 2013

The Coaches Coach: Traveling Men - The Purposes Behind Memorizations



Traveling Man

So many Experience it; so few Understand the Experience.  Further Light facilitates Further Travel.

“Proficiency”, also known to most Brothers who have gone through them as “Catechism”, is a requirement in which many Brothers must participate to progress through the Blue Lodge Degrees, at least, within the majority of the Jurisdictions in the USA.  The Proficiency requirement does a multitude of things for both the Candidate and the Lodge.  Over the years, the Proficiency requirements exist within fewer and fewer Jurisdictions due to a host of reasons.  It is most unfortunate that those Jurisdictions eliminating it are not training these Brothers in one of the most important aspects of Masonic Travel. 
-------------------
Freemasonic Purposes
Given opportunity to explain, the average Brother would say that Proficiencies have important purposes for the Fraternity.  The most obvious response some Brothers provide is that it reveals how serious a Candidate is to participate in the Organization.  Another response you’ll readily receive is that it helps Brothers remember what they went through during the degree. 
Those Brothers who are savvy to the needs of the Lodge and the Organization as a whole shall immediately share that it installs a script within each Brother.  Such installation makes it easier for each of them to participate in Degree work when new Candidates come through to be Initiated, Passed or Raised. 
All are purposes that serve well the Organization of Freemasons.

Masonic Purposes
The purposes for Proficiencies are far more than what may seem to be obvious to Organizational support upon first glance.  One purpose that I have been sharing for years is that Proficiencies are in themselves Road Maps that Candidates can and follow to Better themselves.  These Road Maps, once recognized as such, contain specific directions and tasks that aid toward Making Good Men Better, when followed through upon. 
When Candidates Recognize them in this form, for what they truly are, and seek to Understand what these Road Maps direct them toward, they can then journey forth using them as guides toward Betterment.  It’s truly a shame that too few Proficiency Instructors do not point this out to Candidates before, during and after the Proficiencies are engaged in by them.  Candidates would benefit much more by Understanding the basis behind this effort and perhaps have more incentive to engage in them knowing the purposes that lay behind them.
Another underlying purpose has nothing to do with the Catechisms themselves.  It has to do with men getting to know one another.  In this sense, the Catechisms are there for Instructors to use as a tool and vehicle for Brotherly bonding.  The catechisms become a catalyst for each man to become familiar with and to learn about the other, by focusing upon a task that lessens the awkwardness sometimes experienced by men initially unfamiliar with each other.  
I’ve seen a lot of very good opportunities missed, deliberately skipped over and even lost because the activity focus was so strongly upon the Catechism that the men involved faded into the background. 
Doing Proficiencies provide ample time to get to know one another. This especially in a day and age where the mobility of people is almost certainly going to interfere with knowing each other much better, and certainly before having these Brothers Passed and Raised. 
 Should you be in the position of Instructing Candidates through these Proficiencies, you might want to step back and look at it as an opportunity to get to know the Candidates, and for them to get to know you and other members as well.  Other members?  Sure!  Use other members to explain things that come up during Proficiencies, especially when those other members know the topic well and might make for great friendships long term.  The more people a candidate gets to know and bond with during this time, the more likely he will have connectedness to Lodge members long term.

Ancient Purposes
There is an ancient purpose that is not often known that should be Understood by both Instructors and Candidates alike before they engage in these activities.  That ancient purpose has been described in a whole host of different sources over the years.  That purpose was to develop the Candidates’ ability to remember using an ancient technique referred to repeatedly by both Plato and his student Aristotle, among many others.   It is currently known by many names:  “Method of Loci[i]”, “The Roman Room” and “The Memory Palace”, are just a few. 
The Technique is truly simple.  It requires that you memorize the layout of a room, home, or even a well-traveled path.  Colors, shapes, sizes, textures and anything that is best suited to the individual’s method of experience[ii] should be taken into consideration.  Once you have created a location or path within your mind with which you are familiar, you can then Travel through it. 
You might say, “So what? What does that do for me?”   What it does for you is Establish a path that you can Build upon.  In other words, the cultivation of this technique within one’s mind brings about a structure for recall.  Doing so remaps the Parietal Lobes of the brain and interconnects it with the other lobes as well[iii].  Should you research this Further, you’ll find that the ancients knew a lot about using the brain more effectively than we might give them credit for today.
Once this internal path is Established, you then create specific stop points or loci along the way that you shall remember without fail.  As you Travel through this imaginary path at anytime thereafter, these stopping points shall allow you to place images that shall remind you of what it is that you want to recall.  
When I first heard this method explained, I thought to myself, “Yikes! That’s an awful lot of work to memorize something!  First I have to memorize a path, and then I have to memorize images that will trigger memories of what I want to remember!  There’s got to be an easier way.”  I reluctantly tried to use it but gave up because it seemed to not work quickly enough for me.  I resolved in those moments that I would not pursue it any further, no matter how great it might have worked for those who perfected it. 

Along the Road
I held that opinion for many years.  And there was nothing that seemed to budge me from it.  Even though I knew that it was a technique that was recommended for over 2400 years, I resisted Cultivating it.  My conclusion and choice kept me from Traveling down that Path. 
Then something changed for me.  I went through my first Degree as a Freemason and was told immediately afterward that I was required to memorize about six single spaced sheets of responses to question and requests from a proficiency Instructor before I was allowed to advance to the next Degree.  I had no idea how I was going to accomplish that task.  I was encouraged by my Instructors.  I was told that I was not the only one faced with this overwhelming task and that many others faced it too and succeeded.   With the help of my Instructor I stepped up and started to memorize what was asked of me.
As you know from my status as a Master Mason, I was successful in memorizing what was required of me.  I did this three times over and was supported by my Brothers in doing so.  It wasn’t till years later that I became aware of what actually occurred for me through those memorization efforts.   

Locus Focus
I had a question put to me by a Brother.  The question was simple. 
What does memorizing all these Proficiencies do for a man?
 It was a bit too simple a question and I should have expected there would be another not so easy question fired at me very quickly after the first one was put forth.  And I was right.  That second question was not so simple. 
Wouldn’t a man be better off understanding what he went through rather than simply memorizing all those provided responses not knowing what they meant?
Over the years, I’ve responded to the second question with an unshakably energetic and confident, “Absolutely!”  That response went unchecked for a very long time.  That is, until I Recognized the underlying reason for the memorization.   Once I realized that the basis behind these memorizations was to install a Freemasonic version of a “Roman Room” in the form of a Masonic Lodge, it all clicked!
Yes!  It was very important to Understand what was being memorized.  And to get to the point where you can Understand what you are memorizing, you have to be able to recall it and do so without wasting a lot of time trying to remember it! 
This led to the following connection: The underlying purpose behind doing Proficiency is to both honor and engage in an ancient practice involving teaching Candidates how to remember using the “Method of Loci” used by humankind since time immemorial.
To be a “Traveling Man”, one must be capable of Traveling Masterfully within one’s mind, not only through “natural” occurring memory, but through what the Greeksreferred to as “artificial” memory[iv].    Proficiencies help us toward this end, should we participate in doing them.  When you never have opportunity to Cultivate this important technique within yourself, your Travel shall be muted by many moments caused by memory roadblocks and stumbling points.  Those Jurisdictions that still require Mnemonic Cultivation are providing an invaluable supportive service that Builds Better Travelers, one mind at a time! 

Points to Perpend

1)  Does your Jurisdiction require “Method of Loci” training in the form of Proficiencies?

2)  Have you used this Training to remember
3)  How do you see such Training affecting your Travels?


[i] plural of Latin locus for place or location
 
[ii] Depending upon a person’s internal “wiring” they might be tactile, visual, or auditory; smell and taste should not be left out since they are also modes of sensory input that some people are more sensitive to than others.

[iii] The parietal lobe integrates sensory information from different modalities, particularly determining spatial sense and navigation. For example, it comprises somato-sensory cortex and the dorsal stream of the visual system. This enables regions of the parietal cortex to map objects perceived visually into body coordinate positions. Several portions of the parietal lobe are important in language processing. Just posterior to the central sulcus lies the postcentral gyrus. This area of the cortex is responsible for somatosensation. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parietal_lobe]
[iv] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mnemonic

For more information related to this and other works, please visit my website.
 

Thursday, August 1, 2013

The Lost Master’s Word Acid Test


Good Day My Fellow Travelers,

Here's an article published in August 2013 that might be of interest to you. 

Fraternally and Sincerely,

Bro. John S. Nagy
 
 
-----------------------------------


The Lost Master’s Word Acid Test[i]

 

“An acid test is any qualitative chemical or metallurgical assay which uses acid; most commonly, and historically, the use of a strong acid to distinguish gold from base metals. Figuratively, acid test is any definitive test for some attribute, e.g. of a person's character, or of the performance of some product.”[ii]
 
-----------------
 
I admit it.  I had no clue that some special “Master’s Word[iii]” existed until after I got hit by the Third Degree.  Prior to that moment, you could have talked circles around me on the subject and I would not have had any idea what you were talking about.  It simply was not on my radar and furthermore, I had no interest in such things.  Or, so I thought.

After my Third Degree “experience”, I was left with an irritating reminder that something vital was missing from my life and that no Substitute for the real thing would suffice.

As you might already know, just like countless others before me, I have our dear Brothers to thank for implanting this nagging memento in both my head and my heart.  I’ve not sought any revenge upon them for their questionable deed, even though their actions have caused me to consume far too much of my time seeking it.

That being said, I can say that vengeance is sometimes taken in unsuspected benevolent ways.  My quest for The Word has lead me to create an Acid Test, much like those used in days of old, to determine if I have the real thing, or some inferior Substitute.   My vengeance perhaps is putting back upon my Brothers’ shoulders this Acid Test so that they can determine whether they have found what was Lost too.

Falling back upon an old tried and true method for learning, I have opted to create this Acid test in an easy to understand Catechism form.  If you earnestly and truly Believe that you have found “The Lost Master’s Word”, a.k.a. “The Word”, try applying this Acid Test for yourself.  Use it to Perpend and come to your own conclusions.  I know I have!
 
-------------------------


 I: Does The Word exist or is it merely a metaphor for an unattainable but approachable ideal that should be strived for?
R: It does in deed exist and It is something that anyone who seeks Mastery should strive for, even when it is believed that such Mastery is unattainable, but only when you want Better.

EFFABLE

 I: Is The Word that you are offered effable?
R: Effable means “that something can be described using words”.  If you say, “Yes”, to this question, then what you have is not The Word.   Without any doubt whatsoever, The Word is indeed ineffable.  Anyone telling you otherwise, should be cautiously backed away from. 


 I: What does Ineffable mean?
R: The word, “ineffable” is an adjective.  Adjectives modify nouns.  In the case of The Word, ineffable is used to describe this specific word.  Ironically, the very description of The Word, denotes that it cannot be described.  It is too great or extreme to be expressed, uttered or described in words.  It is unspeakable, unwritable, inexpressible through words, unutterable and nameless.


I:  Is The Word unspeakable, unwritable or inexpressible because of an agreed upon promise not to do so?
R:  No.  This is a common mistake that many Word seekers come to as a result of misunderstanding It.  Ineffable doesn’t mean you won’t speak or write It because of a choice not to; it means you can’t express, speak or write It using words because it’s impossible to do so.

PRESENCE
 
 I: What must be Present for The Word to Manifest?
R: The most common response to this question is: The Three.

 
 I: What’s another word for “Manifest” when discussing The Word?
R: Another word for “Manifest” when discussing The Word is “found”.

 
 I: Can The Word be revealed without the presence of The Three?
R: It cannot. 

 
 I: Can you name those Three?
R: Yes.  Furthermore, any Masterful Mason can.

 
 I: Are The Three specific people?
R: No.  The Three are definitely not specific people.

 
 I:  What then are The Three?
R:  They are Represented Symbolically as the Three Principle Supports of the Symbolic Blue Lodge.

AGREEMENT
 
 I:  Why must The Three Agree?
R: Because The Word is based upon their Agreement, of which It cannot exist otherwise.

 
 I:  If The Three must be Present and all Three must Agree, how is it that any one person can know what It is and reveal It?
R:  When The Three are present within that person and The Three are in Agreement, The Word exists in everything that person is and does.
 
EMPOWERMENT

 I:  How does The Word Empower someone to Travel, Work, Earn and Contribute Masterfully?
R:  Empowerment occurs when people can take action.  The Word Empowers individuals to take actions which others cannot take.  Furthermore, The Word brings forth superior choices, actions and behavior which in turn produces superior outcomes, results and consequences.  The Word exemplifies Mastery and hence is Masterful.
 

 I:  Does the Empowerment The Word provides to Travel, Work, Earn and Contribute Masterfully have to do with other Brothers, or Masterful Skills?
R:  The Empowerment The Word provides to Travel, Work, Earn and Contribute Masterfully is independent of other Brothers.  It is solely dependent upon Masterful Skills and the ability to employ those skills Masterfully.

DEVELOPED
 
 I:  Can The Word be handed over to other people so that they may use The Word or must The Word be developed within those people for The Word to be Rendered by them?
R:  The Word exists not as any article that can be handed over from one person to another.  It exists solely as specific Masterfully developed skills that temper one’s abilities to see, to say and to do – Masterfully.

 
 I:  When The Word is Revealed, can others Recognize It, even when they are not Brothers?
R:  Yes.  The Word is the Embodiment of Mastery and hence all who recognize Mastery, whether Brother or Profane, recognize The Word.

 
 I:  How do the Orders of Architecture Reveal The Word’s development and ultimate Use?
R:  They show the path to Mastery for those who know how to configure them as a map of Masonic Progression.

REVELATION
 
 I:  What Proscriptions exist against Revealing The Word?
R:  There exists no Proscription against revealing The Word whatsoever. If anything, it is hoped by Masters that more people would develop The Word within themselves so that the world would become a Bettered place.

 
 I:  What must any person Be to Reveal The Word?
R:  The person must Be Truth Incarnate. 

 Points to Perpend:


1)  What actions have you taken to find The Word for yourself?

2)  How successful have you been, so far?

3)  What must you do further?
4)  What must you Be further?






[i] Inspired by “The Lost Word” fromBuilding Hiram – Volume 1 and
“The Master’s Word” from Building Janus – Volume 4 by Dr. John S. Nagy
[ii] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_test_(gold)
[iii] “The MASTER'S WORD * * * is the reward of study and devotion, and has never been obtained on any other terms. It has never been conferred in the ritualistic degrees of the Lodge, and never will or can be. It is the establishment of understanding in the Soul of man between that higher self in him, and the MORE and Beyond Self from which he draws his life, and from which his intuitions spring. This is the Real Initiation: At-One-Ment.” (Mystic Masonry; J. Buck.)