Random Building Thoughts - 2023-11-12

 

  -------------- ALLEGORY! ---------------  

 

For Further Light:  

Why Allegory?

  -------------- MASONIC EDUCATION --------------- 

 

   -------------- HUMOR ---------------

 

For Further Light:
GOAT!

  -------------- DO THE WORK! ---------------

 

For Further Light:

Work! 

 

  -------------- TEASER --------------- 

 

 
Chapter XIII - The First Freemason
 
Found here: http://www.coach.net/TCU.htm    

 

 -------------- ORDER! ---------------

 

 

 

-------------- JUST DO IT! ---------------  

 

 

  -------------- DIRECTION ---------------

For Further Light:
https://buildinghiram.blogspot.com/2015/12/a-brother-asks-masonry-vs-freemasonry.html

  -------------- INSIGHT ---------------

Without laying a strong heart foundation,
studying the 7 liberal arts and sciences
will  only bring you knowledge;
it will not bring you wisdom

  -------------- THOUGHT FOR THE DAY ---------------            

“Guilt is the most useless of all erroneous behaviors.
It is by far the greatest waste of emotional energy.

Why?

Because, by definition, you are feeling immobilized in the present
over something that has already taken place,
and no amount of guilt can ever change history.”
--Dr. Wayne Dyer

---------------------------------

This is where the good Dr. (God rest his soul) and I part ways.

Guilt was never about changing history. It was always about helping us recognize when we are called to change our ways into the future if we are to honor what we know to be past wrongful behavior.

Guilt is an emotion that tells us that we have transgressed a value we hold dear which was a past action that requires present amends and it keeps us focused upon that past action's correction. This means it is a message to us sent bu us in the form of a specific pattern in our energy and that makes it very useful when we use it to make corrections.

Guilt doesn't immobilize anyone. If anything, it tells us that we must mobilize our energy and direct that energy toward corrective behavior.

There is a down side to guilt though. When a guilt trip is put upon us, we are being coerced by someone else's values to suffer unnecessarily for a transgression that someone else believes is important and we take that on as our own OR the other person is holding us to account for an action that they will never allow us to make amends for. In either case, these are toxic situations that require use to examine what we truly value in that relationship, because it is truly no longer about the transgression. It is about the leverage we give to the other person. Either way, it's no longer about the guilt itself, but how the guilt can be used to make us suffer rather than make amends. 

Once recognized for what a guilt trip actually is, we must be the ones who change regardless of resistance. The manipulators want things to continue unchanged for they have the advantage if all things remain the same. 

It's our refusal to change that keeps us stuck!

 

For Further Light: Found Here!

  -------------- BOOK #16 RELEASED! -------------- 

JUST IN CASE YOU 

DIDN'T HEAR THE GOOD NEWS!
 

MY 16th BOOK 

IS PRINTED 

& BEING SHIPPED!

The Craft Mastered! 

is available.

PLEASE put your orders in now 

if you would like to reserve a copy

 for your collections.

You can order it here:

http://www.coach.net/TCM.htm

Also, please share the link 

if you want to inform others

of its availability.

Thank you in advance!

Coach Nagy

 

Are you all caught up 

on your reading?

 

  -------------- END --------------

 Be Well and Travel Light!
-- Coach Nagy ;-)

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A Brother Asks: How do you KEEP members coming back?

 

 
A Brother Asks: I’m curious if anyone you've talked with has tried to manifest members.

Coach: Far too many to recall here.

Brother: I keep hearing about our numbers dwindling, but so far, every time I’ve tried to manifest members they have come.  Upwards of 50 in a year multiple times... 16 regularly... In multiple lodges, as well as a DeMolay chapter…. 

 

Coach: What attracts candidates is not the problem.  You're descriptions are typical and par for most Freemasonic courses, most especially in the USA where most all Lodge activities are Making Members Centric.

 

Brother:  Exactly! The problem truly isn’t in getting good men to join, most all lodges have that process ingrained.  The problem is keeping them!

Coach: That's a great observation, my Brother.  However, the problem is not keeping them!  That's the challenge!  The problem is not knowing how!

Brother: Yes!

Coach: trouble is, once candidates' interest are satiated, you lose them. 

Brother:  Precisely!

Coach: And you'd like to know how to keep them interest enough to continue attending?

Brother: Yes!

Coach:  I can't offer you any "How To:" on this.  

Brother: Well, why not?

Coach: Because each Lodge is a gathering of men with similar interest...

Brother: ... and because each gathering of men have selectively different interests that bring them together, there is no patent "How To:" that can be offered that can be applied to every situation.

Coach: I'm glad you took the ball and ran with it here.

Brother: It was easy once you set it up for me.  

Coach: Thanks!

Brother: So, Coach.  What Light can you offer that can more favorably position these "gatherings of men with common interests" to keep the group cohesive, supportive, and nurturing to the point where member want to come back for more?

Coach: Ah!  That's the question to ask!  Here are some thoughts and a list of things to consider should you desire to attract new members and keep them coming back:

THOUGHT:  

To have any group manifest and be cohesive, supportive, and nurturing to the point where member want to attend for more, you must...

ALWAYS ADDRESS THIS:  

Once satiated, interest wanes. 

What attracts members is... ???

To Address this question properly, you MUST Manifest PASSION in your Lodge activities at all times:

The Passionate Top Ten!

• 10 - Know the difference between Desire & Passion!

1. Desire is what a person seeks because they want it.
   
2. Passion is what a person actively engages in seeking and willingly suffers to get because they must have it.
   

• 9 - Find their Passion!

1. When members know what is driving their interest, they are in control of directing their future actions.
2. When all members know each member's Passion, they favorably position themselves to support their future efforts to assist each member.
   

• 8 - Ask them about their Passion! 

1. The more members know about what drives any one member, the better they can support him in having him pursue it.

•  7 - Encourage them to Pursue their Passion!

1. When members continually and gently remind other members of their Passions, they better assist in keeping each member mindful of what he truly wants.
2. Genuine encouragement is seen as supportive and everyone wants sincere support.
   

• 6 - Educate them in their Passion!

1. Educated seekers make much better choices in their pursuits.
2. Better choices make for more successful results
   

• 5 - Support their Passion!

1. When each member realizes that the support he receives from their Lodge involvement for his pursuits is superior to any other support system, or at the least complementary to it, he will seek more involvement.
   

• 4 - Make meetings about there Passion!

1. No one likes coming to meaningless meetings.
2. Meaningless meetings drive members away.
   
3. When meetings have great meaning to members pursuits, attendance becomes a necessity.
   

• 3 - Make meetings satiating to a point where there's hope for more!

1. Where there's hope, there's life (and attendance!)
   
2. When support for a member's Passion is provided and more is provided each time, each member is internally driven to attend.
3. Always end with the hope for more of the same for what a member originally came for.
4. Members come for something; never leave any member hopeless in what they came for!
   

• 2 - Don't assume your Passion is theirs! 

1. Everyone has their own Passions.
2. Sometimes we find others who have the same or similar Passions.
3. It is crucial to the harmony of any relationship that you know your Passions and how they differ from those of other members.
   

• 1 - Don't let any one's Passion pain others, ever!

1. When we revisit what Passions are, we come to understand that no other person should suffer for what another must have.  This is the entire basis behind out circumscription and subduing.
2. When you pursue your Passion, assure nothing you pursue makes others suffer as well, and visa versa.
3. When any Lodge narrowly focuses its Passion support, only those with that Passion will attend. Every other member will pursue his Passions elsewhere.
   

 -----------------

The Most Important Questions to Consider
before you Pursue Improving Attendance:

How well does your Lodge address these Passionate Issues?

Your Lodge attendance lets you know.

How well do you know your Brothers' Passions? 

When you don't know,
you're sending a strong message
of disinterest to your Brothers!

What does not knowing your Brothers' Passions
tell them about your interest in their interests? 

You will not begin to improve Lodge attendance
when you have not paid attention
to your Brothers' interests.

 

A Brother Asks: Is Divestiture a Life-Long Process?

 

 

A Brother Ask: Figuring out Vices and Superfluities and rising above them is the first wave of activities that Apprentices take in their journeys as Masons.  Isn't this a life-long endeavor though?

Coach: Yes. It IS a lifelong endeavor!  However, there's a huge difference between that life-long endeavor and the initial PROCESS that all Apprentices must engage in to internalize specific disciplines that ultimately lead to strengthening each of them.

That process MUST be ingrained into their very being for them to prepare to do their FC Work.

Although that process will be engaged in throughout a lifetime, it is the Apprentice Work that installs that process so that it can be engaged in when necessary.

So, when you hear that Divestiture of Vices & Superfluities is a lifelong endeavor, keep in mind that The Process of Divestiture is INTERNALIZED during the Apprentice period of one's Masonic career. 

In other words, it is DURING Apprenticeship that the PROCESS of Divestiture is Learned, Perfected, & Internalized for future APPLICATION.

This means a great many Vices & Superfluities are effectively dealt with INITIALLY, when the Apprentice does the Work that the Degree asks them to do.

Additionally, it is the internalizing of this process that literally CREATES and INTERNALIZES your Square of Virtue!

Brother: What?!?!?

Coach:  Yes!  You cannot Divest any one of these Vices or Superfluities without the Investment of at least one or more Virtues.  The more you Divest your Vices and Superfluities, the more Virtue you Internalize.  And THAT is the process that you will ultimately rely upon throughout your lifetime when new Vices or Superfluities come into your life.

Brother: Wait?!?! New?!?!

Coach: Yes New!  Living any life will bring forth new Vices and Superfluities and it is your Apprentice training that enables you to identify each of them and put them to rest quickly.  

Brother: You mean I can expect more Vices and Superfluities into my future?

Coach: Absolutely!  And when you internalized the Divestiture Process, literally Investing yourself with Virtues, you're less likely to develop any Vice or Superfluity; that's one of the very reasons for Investing yourself with Virtues!  

However, when Vices and Superfluities do occur, which is simply part of life, you're a Master of the Divestment Process! And when you know this process, you'll also be compelled to Divest these Vices and Superfluities by engaging this process without a second thought!

A Brother Asks: Have You been Transformed by Your Masonic Journey Experience?

 

A Brother Asks: Have you experienced any transformation in your Masonic Journey?

Coach: I have absolutely transformed as a result of doing the Masonic Work pointed out by the first two Freemasonic Degrees!

Brother: What did that Masonic Journey look like for you?

Coach: The EA Degree pointed out and affirmed specific Work that I already did over a 7 year period of my pre-Freemasonic life where I worked upon myself.

Brother: What was that work that you did?

Coach: Here is some of the Work that I did during that time:

1) Getting my priorities right, (Plumb, VoSL)
2) Learning how to say "no" appropriately, (Cable Tow)
3) Established standards for myself (Plumb)
4) Establishing boundaries for others, (Compasses)
5) Investing in building inner strengths, (Square of Virtue)
6) Removing distractions, unnecessary, unrewarding things, thoughts, pursuits, activities, & people from my life, (Common Gavel)
7) Expressing my emotions appropriately, (Compasses)
8) Obligating myself to be a better man, (The Flanked Circumpunct)
9) Scheduling and using my available time for life enriching and sustaining activities, and (24 Inch Gauge, Trestle-board, Pencil)
10) Being fair to myself and others (Level)

Among many other things!  I hope you realize these are all Work activities pointed out by the First Degree Ritual.

Brother: I do! What was the result of your doing all of this work?

Coach: I had transformed my heart and brought order to its chaos.

Brother:  Was there more work that you did to transform?

Coach: Yes. The FC Degree pointed out and affirmed the Work that I did over a decade of my prior pre-Freemasonic life where I Worked upon myself to earn two college degrees that required me to know the 7 liberal arts & sciences well-enough to make a living masterfully.  It was encouraging to know that I had already learned what this Degree said that I should learn.

Brother: What was the result?

Coach: I had transformed my mind and brought order to its chaos.

Brother: What else?

Coach: I also learned how to read God’s Great Books.

Brother: What are they?

Coach: Scripture, which is God's revealed Word & Nature, which is God's Word made real.

Brother: How?

Coach: By learning the Trivium and Quadrivium.

Brother: Was there anything else about your Masonic Journey that you want to share?

Coach: Yes! The MM Degree was greatly affirming as well.

Brother: How so?

Coach:  It pointed out to me that I had done the Work of the previous two degrees well-enough to realize the entire 3rd Degree Drama was both a test to see if I had done the Masonic Work pointed toward by the first two degrees and a wonderful celebration of the fact that I had actually done it!

It also showed me that I had already completed my temple and had already erected a basic spiritual building which I am continuing to expand upon it daily!

All this occurred because Freemasonic Ritual showed me that I had already done the Masonic Work pointed out by Ritual prior to joining Freemasonry!

A Brother Asks: Beauty's Role in Freemasonic teachings?

 

A Brother Asks: Does the concept of beauty play a role in the teachings of Freemasonry?

Coach: Absolutely!

Brother: How so?

Coach: Beauty is a crucial part of a Freemasonic triad.  This trinity is the very foundation of Freemasonic teachings.

Brother: Please explain.

Coach: The foundation is built upon a healthy blend of Strength, Wisdom, and Beauty.   All must be present and all must be in agreement with each other for this foundation to exist.

Brother: Ah!  Please expand on this.

Coach: Sure. All of Freemasonic teachings start off by conveying the need for Strength.  Strength is resource that is stored in some form that can be pulled from as needed.  This could be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual in nature.  It doesn’t matter what form it takes as long as it is recognized as necessary by the user for his purposes.  This Strength is personified in the Senior Warden, who represents the King of Tyre who provide to King Solomon the necessary resources required to build his temple.  Ritual conveys this quite poetically, but in essence, it’s saying that a body of wisdom cannot be built without a strong foundation.  Unfortunately, you cannot grasp this until you actually do the Work that builds that foundation. 

Brother: Is this why the Ruffians failed in their efforts to deal with Beauty?

Coach: Right you are!  They tried to beat Beauty into submission, and when they failed to deal with Beauty effectively, they killed it and hid their efforts in Rubbish.

Brother: Wow!  That makes so much sense!  What about Wisdom?

Coach: As with Strength, all of Freemasonic teachings continue by conveying the need for Wisdom. Wisdom is yet another resource that is stored within both a man’s mind and heart.  The heart portion of Wisdom is cultivated by doing the Work that is pointed out in the Apprentice Ritual. The mind portion of wisdom is cultivated by doing the Work that is pointed out in the Fellow Craft Ritual.  You cannot have Wisdom as a resource if you do not do the Work of both of these degrees.

Brother: Why?

Coach: Because cultivating a mind of a man without disciplining his heart creates intellect without discipline; the heart of Wisdom! In effect, one creates an intelligent monster who is ruled by his passions, rather than one who rules over his heart.  And cultivating just the heart without the mind creates flaccid compassion; one who is mentally powerless over what he cares about most.

Brother: I can see the need for both.

Coach: Indeed.

Brother: You covered two of the three.  What about Beauty?

Coach: Freemasonic teachings culminate through conveying Beauty and having it both recognized and understood by those who it is purposed for – it’s students. Beauty is yet another resource that is drawn upon and used by its appliers.  It is stored up and within a man’s spirit who Works upon its pursuit.

Brother: How is that done?

Coach: Great question! Beauty is built up upon a man’s very ability to perceive recognizable patterns in all that is wisely put forth by the prudent application of resources.  Wisdom recognizes that it’s not enough for one to just prudently apply resources.  One must employ cunning craftsmanship in what is prudently put forth.  Cunning craftsmanship adds a unique quality to what is rendered that is quickly and easily recognized by others as something that has more value as a result of this cunning craftsmanship, a.k.a. “beauty”, than had it been put forth without it.  This cunning craftsmanship is cultivated through experience that internalizing specific disciplines that create things, situations, and events that have great value to all touched by these creations.

Brother: Then how does Beauty contribute to our overall understanding of our Craft?

Coach: Without it, our Craft is either not understood, or far worse, it’s misunderstood.

Brother: Why?

Coach: Because when the Craft puts forth anything without Beauty, our Craft produces Rubbish. Furthermore, The Beauty the Craft espouses cannot be obtained without completing one’s temple.

Brother: What does that mean?

Coach: Without completing the cultivation of one’s heart and head, and this order, one will never develop Wisdom.  And without Wisdom, there cannot be any cunning craftsmanship.

Brother: Why?

Coach: To cultivate Beauty, one must draw upon one’s Wisdom.  And one’s Wisdom comes from a strong foundation of experience, discipline, and training. 

Brother: So, without this so called Triad, one truly doesn’t experience what Freemasonry has to offer.

Coach: I’ll go one step further. Without this Triad being present and in agreement with each other and in all that we do, the entire point of Freemasonry is buried in Rubbish, lost to all who try to obtain what Freemasonry directs us to pursue. In effect, our Craft’s Beauty is buried in Rubbish, and left for future generations to discover and eventually employ.

Brother: But this raises the question: What is it that Freemasonry directs us to pursue?

Coach: Great Question!  If you paid attention to the first degree ritual, you would already know this.  Here are some notes that might help you better understand how crucial Beauty is to our purpose:

1) EA Degree Work - (Build Strength!)

         

    Bring Order to the Chaos of one's Heart

 

2) FC Degree Work - (Build Wisdom!)

     

    Bring Order to the Chaos of one's Mind 

 

By doing the Work of Both of these first two degrees, one Cultivates and Brings Order to the Chaos of one's Soul - This activity and this activity alone Completes one's Temple. And one cannot understand Beauty if one has yet to cComplete one's Temple! (This is why our FC Ruffians couldn't understand what H.A. was saying!)

 

3) MM Degree Work - (Build Beauty!)

 

    Bring Order to the Chaos of one's Spirit

 

By Completing one's Temple (Bringing order to the Chaos of one's Soul), one can comprehend The Master's Word, and thus can then go about Erecting one's Spiritual Building. 

 

It is important to understand that one cannot understand The Master's Word when one's Temple remains incomplete; it is an impossible task!  

 

And when you cannot understand TMW, you cannot comprehend God's Rules & Designs. 

 

And without comprehending and applying God's Rules and Designs, any attempt to erect a spiritual building will fail.

 

And failing this effort, one's Craft purpose cannot be fulfilled. 

 

-----------------------

 

For Further Light:

 

The Building Series of Masonic Education Books