May This coming day bring you Joy and Hope Everlasting for you and
yours. May It Arrive as a Clear Song in your Heart and a Warm Smile on
your Lips. May Its Embers Radiate through your Every Glance and Resonate
like Thunder in your Every Action. May It Influence your Fellows so
that all of you Glow with Its Light long Afterward. May you Enjoy It!
May It Enjoy you!
-------------- MY GOAL!--------------
-------------- WELL WISHES!--------------
With Solstice past, And Christmas near, May Enjoyment last, Throughout your year!
-------------- MASKED AGENDA --------------
FILED UNDER:
Religion under a Freemasonic Mask. This meme uses
words that are not properly attributed to their author; sources say that
they come from Joel Osteen. The first two sentences are contrary to
Blue Lodge Charges. The last is not stated anywhere within Blue Lodge
writing, lore or ritual. Placed upon it is a Freemasonic Symbol.
If
you look seriously at what "Apprenticeship" is all about, you come to
realize that it is an Active Engagement in Studying and Practicing to
"Become." Until that Study and Practice is Completed, an Apprentice
should never claim to be anything other than an aspirant, also known as,
a "want to be."
Aye!
Ye holiday Festivus has swooped down up me ship and laid out countless
aired grievances upon my bounty.
Me crew rebelled and lashed me upon me
pole and commenced to pin me bonnet upon ye poop-deck. It took me near
all early morn long and great feats of strength to wrestle back me
honored position and ye crew has joyfully settled down to imbibe in vast
quantities of wassail and song.
May ye holidays be merry and bright for
all of ye so inclined.
YAAARRRRR!!!!!!!
-------------- PLAYING THE ROLE --------------
When you're going to call yourself a Mason, don't disappoint your audience by playing the part poorly.
-------------- MASONIC EDUCATION --------------
The Coaches Coach:
Drawing Distinctions – Freemasonry and Masonry
As with the word “Cowan”,
which has changed in its application within the Craft
far from its original meaning,
“Masonry” and “Freemasonry”
are defined within the Craft
with decidedly specific meanings
that simply do not reveal the entire semantic picture
to those with closed eyes.
There is no doubt whatsoever
that the two words are used interchangeably
by many Brothers
and even by those who are held to be Craft Scholars.
And just as with the word, “Cowan”,
one must not suckle solely from the Freemasonic teat
Don't ever assume that you know how to apply Cement just because someone unknowingly entrusted you with a neat looking Trowel.
-------------- RESISTANCE --------------
A Man's Resistance to Light may be a Clear Indication that he may not want to Accept its Consequences.
-------------- THREE GRAND MASTERS --------------
Honestly
now...
by a show of hands...
Who here truly didn't realize that the
first three Grand Masters were of three entirely different non-Christian
Faiths?
Anyone?
A
quick follow up question to consider:
How is it possible that they all
got along so well and didn't indignantly kick each other out of their
little circle?
What could possibly be underlying their unbelievably Strong Brotherly Bonds?
-------------- CREATE! --------------
With what and whom do YOU surround and nurture yourself?
-------------- BLINDED --------------
No Access to any Library of Light shall make a man smarter or wiser when his Heart is Blinded by Superfluities.
-------------- NOT JUST SCIENTISTS --------------
Not just Scientists!
-------------- CIRCUMSCRIPTION --------------
Circumscription 101 When you're required to Establish Boundaries with someone who really Should Know Better, you had better be darn ready to Maintain them from that moment on.
-------------- LITERAL TRUTH --------------
Does a Literal Truth need to be written down to be valid?
-------------- TRULY APPRECIATED --------------
Sometimes a man has to Pass, be Buried and Rot in his grave before his Work is Discovered, Understood and Truly Appreciated.
-------------- GOT WORK? --------------
What Work Have you Done Upon Your Spiritual Temple?
-------------- HAPPINESS --------------
The One and ONLY Happiness Rule (that WORKS!):
Choose to be content no matter how you perceive life existed for you in the past,
exists for you now or how you imagine life to exist for you into the future,
while completely accepting that Life, in all Its infinite Wisdom,
will continually provide you with ample opportunities to change that choice instantly.
-------------- COACH'S CHALLENGE --------------
Who is a Mason?
This is a great question for a member of the Craft to answer.
However, to respond to this question with any credibility, you must first answer the question, "What is a Mason" to lay out the foundation of this word.
Second, while you are at it, you must also then define, "What is a Freemason?" for to assume the foundation has been laid out for this word is to assume the house you build upon it will be constructed upon solid grounding.
Finally, you must additionally define,
"What differentiates one from the other",
so that you do not confuse the two or anyone else trying to understand who is a Mason.
I'll share this: A man can be one and not the other. One is not necessarily a subset of the other. Being one is not necessarily being the other.
This is not understood by some. Masons do understand this all too well.
If you come across a person claiming to be a Mason who doesn't understand this all too well, be assured that they are most likely not what they claim to be.
Know what Territory you Seek to Travel before you Accept Guides who only want to Sell you their Maps.
-------------- IMPROVE --------------
When
you truly want to Improve the Organization, you must start by making
sure the membership wants to Improve.
Past Performance is a very good
indicator of future Works.
You can start by installing a Requirement for
Petitioners to show how they have already worked upon themselves to
Improve prior to Entry and reject any Rough Ashlar that doesn't have a
solid track-record reflecting a personal effort toward that end.
Of
course, if you truly want Organizational Improvement, you must assess
the current membership in the same manner.
Be forewarned, you might not
like the Changes in past membership wrought from these Improvements.
You'll love the future ones though.
-------------- HUMOR --------------
THE INTERVIEW When the Investigation Committee has Already Reached a Foregone Conclusion
Now playing at a Lodge near you
(What was your interview like?)
-------------- FIVE STAGES --------------
The Five Stages of Freemasonry
Denial: I can't believe that about the Craft
Anger: I won't believe that about the Craft
Bargaining: I shall only believe a little bit about the Craft
Depression: I don't want to believe that about the Craft
Acceptance: The Craft is what it is.
-------------- ADVICE --------------
<sigh> I find some holiday responses troubling. To wish others a very joyous and happy holiday season and have them respond with bitter anger is disheartening. They behave as if my well-intended wish is not good enough or as if it somehow disrespects their faith. They mindlessly react to my heart-felt wish with a lot of baggage that has nothing to do with me or my intention.
This last angry person spouted a diatribe that demanded respect while being disrespectful. It was clear that he was angry that this season was also filled with other very special holidays; each as important to others for their own personal reasons as his was for him. He was not a positive reflection of his professed Faith and his rage blinded him.
My well-wishes shall continue to be inclusive, regardless of those who feel the need to keep them narrow, dismissive and angry.
-------------- MYTH --------------
“One
cannot predict the next mythology any more than one can predict
tonight’s dream; for a mythology is not an ideology. It is not something
projected from the brain, but something experienced from the heart.”
- Joseph Campbell
The Inner Reaches of Outer Space
Image: Psyche Opening the Golden Box
by John William Waterhouse, 1903.
-------------- FANTASY --------------
When
the Map is Worshiped and the Legend is misread then the Territory it
Represents becomes unReal and Travel becomes a Fantasy.
-------------- WORD ROOTS --------------
Apocalypse
(n.) -- late 14c., "revelation, disclosure," from Church Latin
apocalypsis "revelation," from Greek apokalyptein "uncover, disclose,
reveal," from apo- "from" (see apo-) + kalyptein "to cover, conceal"
(see Calypso).
The Christian end-of-the-world story is part of the
revelation in John of Patmos' book "Apokalypsis" (a title rendered into
English as "Apocalypse" c.1230 and "Revelations" by Wyclif c.1380).
Its
general sense in Middle English was "insight, vision; hallucination;"
meaning "a cataclysmic event" is modern.
As agent nouns, apocalypst
(1829), apocalypt (1834), and apocalyptist (1835) have been tried.
-------------- REVIEW --------------
“Absolutely
brilliant! Coach Nagy did an awesome job masking Masonic themes and
interweaving their symbols into his work. To the uninitiated, this book
is an entertaining tale with many adventures and challenges.
Those
initiated will follow a spiritual experience leading in many
directions. Practiced tenets greatly influence outcomes and men Raised
through experience will recognize this within this story.
When
you read this book through the eyes of the lecturer, you will
experience an invaluable read. Furthermore, answering all the
exploration questions in the back of the book will give readers greater
insight as to their personal journey.”
