Dust off those gloves and get ready to knock one out of the park for your team: The 2018 Masons4Mitts season is now underway!
California Masons are once again stepping up to the plate in support of local kids. Every $20 gift puts a high-quality leather baseball mitt – embossed with the Masons of California logo – into the hands of a child in need.
Welcoming Angels Baseball
The California Masonic Foundation is excited to welcome our newest Masons4Mitts partner team: Angels Baseball. Through a special partnership with the Angels Baseball Foundation, children in the greater Anaheim region can now count on California Masons for a chance to play ball and lead healthier lives.
Mark Your Calendar for Masons Nights!
As in previous years, the team from each region that raises the greatest number of mitts will present their check publicly, along with Grand Master Galloway, at Masons Night in each stadium! All Masons are encouraged to attend these fun-filled evenings of baseball and fellowship to show our support of local communities and kids. There’s never been a more fun opportunity to see yourself and your brothers on the Jumbotron!
Anaheim – New!
August 28, 2018 at 7:07 p.m.
Angels Baseball vs. Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles
September 17, 2018 at 7:10 p.m.
Los Angels Dodgers vs. Colorado Rockies
San Diego
September 18, 2018 at 7:10 p.m.
San Diego Padres vs. San Francisco Giants
San Francisco
September 25 at 7:15 p.m.
San Francisco Giants vs. San Diego Padres
Share the fun! Spread the word about Masons4Mitts to your brothers, family, friends and community: masons4mitts.org.
California Freemason is launching a new hashtag campaign – #MasonicDad – to correspond with our July/August issue, which will focus on the theme of “Freemasonry and Fatherhood.”
To participate, show us what Masonic fatherhood means to you! Share a photo of yourself with:
Your father, stepfather, or another childhood role model (Masonic or non) who helped shape you as the Mason you are today
A Mason who has been a role model for you
Someone for whom you feel fraternal affection (your own child, a child or Masonic youth you’ve mentored, or a Mason you’ve mentored)
These photos can be casual or formal, from any stage of life. Please share something that makes you smile! Be sure to include a caption explaining who is pictured.
Once you’ve chosen a photo, please share it with us in one of three ways:
Option 1: Post on Instagram
Post your picture on your public Instagram, tag @masonsofca and use the hashtag #masonicdad
Option 2: Post on Facebook
Post a public picture on Facebook, tag Masons of California, and include the hashtag #masonicdad
Option 3: Email us
Email your photo to communications@freemason.org along with your name, lodge name, and caption.
Thank you for helping us share the stories of California Masonry!
The California Masonic Symposium has been a tradition of our Grand Lodge since 2001, when more than 100 members and ladies attended the inaugural conference – making it one of the largest Masonic education events in recent history. After just one year, attendance rose by 50 percent, and by 2009, registration had grown to 350 participants. The Symposium’s location rotated between Northern and Southern California until 2012, when it was held for the first time in both San Francisco and Pasadena.
Today, the California Masonic Symposium enjoys a prestigious reputation amongst scholars of Freemasonry worldwide. Each year, it presents a topic of historical and philosophical relevance to California Masons.
California’s Masonic Pioneers
The 2018 Symposium – taking place June 9 in San Francisco and June 10 in Long Beach – will explore the fraternity’s whirlwind arrival in California, and the daring brothers who led the way.
Esteemed scholars of California Masonry will explore this fascinating period in our state’s history.
Past Grand Master John L. Cooper III, Ph.D.
Past Grand Master R. Stephen Doan, J.D.
Adam Kendall, past president of the Masonic Library and Museum Association
Brian Bezner, M.A., Masonic Education Committee chairman
Registration is just $20 for this all-day event. For an additional $15, add a catered lunch.
Share this story with your lodge! All freemason.org articles may be repurposed by any Masonic publication with credit to the Grand Lodge of California and the author. Print this article and post it at lodge; include it in your Trestleboard or website; email it to members; or use the buttons at the top of this page to share it on Facebook or Twitter.
The term “sacred geometry” can be somewhat intimidating: How might geometry be sacred, one might wonder. And, how does Masonry fit in?
The core concept of sacred geometry is that geometric order (shapes, curves, and constructs) precedes all physical existence – that geometry was invented by the Great Architect of the Universe as a structure through which to order all of creation. Under this tradition, its symbols take on metaphysical and symbolic meanings. “Geometry, or Masonry, originally synonymous terms, is of a divine and moral nature,” wrote William Preston, a seminal figure in 18th century British Freemasonry. “The contemplation of this science in a moral and comprehensive view, fills the mind with rapture…[and] proves the existence of a first cause.”
For some, all of geometry is sacred. At the other extreme, sacred geometry may be regarded as a system of fixed symbols and their relationships. As a coherent system, the origins of sacred geometry in Western civilization can be traced to the sixth century BCE philosophical school of Pythagoras. The historical Pythagoras is essentially a cipher, as there are no contemporary accounts of his philosophy. His extensive legend, however, along with the writings of Plato, Aristotle, and his other followers, was transmitted through the centuries and had a direct influence on the development of speculative Freemasonry.
“By Geometry we may curiously trace nature through her various windings to her most concealed recesses. By it we discover the power, wisdom and goodness of the Great Artificer of the Universe …”
Like Freemasonry, sacred geometry appeals to both the rational and creative mind. While geometric proof is relentlessly logical, the truths it conveys and patterns it reveals within the natural world urge its scholars to contemplate their place in God’s cosmos.
Many sacred geometric applications and symbols are familiar to Masons. First is the circumpoint, the point within a circle: In Masonry, the point represents an individual, and the circle, the limits of his behavior. In sacred geometry, this symbol is called the monad, which represented divinity and the unity of the universe to Pythagoras.
The standalone circle, being without end, symbolizes divinity and heaven. It is created using a compass and defined by three points. These points can be interpreted as the three principal tenets of Freemasonry – brotherly love, relief, and truth (the last of which is often described as “a divine attribute”). As a divine symbol, these points can also be interpreted to correspond with St. Paul’s theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. These virtues are said to originate in God, and they are evoked in the celestial first-degree description of the covering of a lodge as heaven itself.
The circle’s complement is the square. Bound by four finite sides, it represents the limits of the physical world and our mortal existence. In Masonry, the square represents the perfect ashlar – a perfectly shaped square block without faults that is strong and steadfast, capable of supporting the blocks around it. Masons work to emulate this square; to be men of good character who are honest and reliable members of our communities. The square is reflected in the shape of the lodge room. The room’s sides correspond to the four cardinal points of the compass, and thus to a map of the Earth. It contains the four cardinal virtues adapted from Plato’s “Republic” which originate in man – temperance, fortitude, prudence, and justice.
A slightly more complex symbol is the Pythagorean tetractys, an equilateral triangle formed by 10 dots, which has a prominent role in the Scottish Rite:
This has many symbolic meanings, but an important one is perfection, or completeness, derived from the symbolic significance of the number 10.
The 3: 4: 5 right triangle, which displays the 47th Problem of Euclid as explained in the third degree, “teaches Masons to be general lovers of the arts and sciences.” Operative masons used a length of rope divided into 12 equal segments (three plus four plus five) to make this triangle. It provided them with a swift and accurate method of creating a right angle, to be used as a template for the Mason’s square.
Sacred geometric symbolism, which can be very complex, is only touched on lightly in the three degrees. Its most prominent place is in the second degree, where the candidate is urged to study the liberal arts and sciences, “especially of the noble science of Geometry.” As with all profound Masonic lessons, the instruction conveyed in the ritual is the beginning of wisdom to be discovered on this subject, not its culmination: There are profound depths ready to be plumbed.
The study of sacred geometry is a means by which “to view with reverence and admiration the glorious works of the Creation,” and to inspire a Mason “with the most exalted ideas of the perfections of his Divine Creator.” Although one understanding of sacred geometry is that its forms are divine manifestations in the natural world, one must take time to scrutinize the natural world in order to deduce them and marvel at their presence.
Preston wrote with lyrical awe on the beautiful geometry in nature, from the most elegant seashell and flower to the vastness of space. As he professed, in words forever enshrined in Masonry,
“By Geometry we may curiously trace nature through her various windings to her most concealed recesses. By it we discover the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Great Artificer of the Universe… A survey of nature, and the observation of her beautiful proportions, first determined man to imitate the Divine plan, and to study symmetry and order.”
This is the true objective of sacred geometry and its symbols: Finding further light within Masonry.
Masonic Sacred Geometry: Hidden Mysteries in the Ordinary World
In Masonic philosophy, sacred geometry reveals ephemeral spiritual realities and personal truths through tangible architectural forms. From its roots in classical philosophy to contemporary applications, sacred geometry’s contemplation oftentimes leads to revelation.
Tell us what you think! Share your options on this issue, and let us know what types of content you like best, by completing our five-minute magazine survey!
Executive Message
Deputy Grand Master Stuart A. Wright shares how geometry and the working tools of architecture provide a lens through which to view our lives.
Of a Divine and Moral Nature Sacred geometry imbues the human experience with evidence of the divine. Geometric symbolism reveals its mysteries.
An Analytical Mind
A lifelong passion for knowledge, learning, and exploring the unknown has inspired one brother to give back.
Soul of the Temple
Sacred geometry has been an important element of sacred architecture for centuries. Explore awe-inspiring examples from around the world.
Solomon’s Sacred Geometry
Solomon’s Temple is a premier example of Masonic iconography. Researchers have long theorized that sacred geometry may have been referenced by its layout and design.
The Freemason’s Gambit
Two longtime Masons have found that a lifelong passion for chess provides an enduring sense of challenge, accomplishment, and thrill.
Envisioning Harmony
Twinned interests in Masonic sacred geometry and architecture have brought great meaning and a deep sense of connection to one brother’s life and Masonic experience.
This personal account of my Masonic education is my way of sharing with you some of the reasons that motivated me to become a Freemason, and the difference it has made since I first knocked at the door of a Masonic lodge on May 28, 1964.
By John L. Cooper III, Past Grand Master
A Formative Mentor
The journey to becoming a Mason sometimes begins much earlier than we may think, and that journey may well begin, as it did for me, in the Order of DeMolay. My life within Masonry began when a respected elder in the First Christian Church at Fullerton asked me one day, “Have you ever heard about the Order of DeMolay?” I didn’t know anything about DeMolay, much less about Freemasonry or other Masonic organizations. (Although my paternal grandfather had been a Mason, he died when I was six years old.) Freemasonry has a rule against asking anyone to become a Mason, but that does not apply to talking to young men about DeMolay or inviting them to consider joining. As a 15-year-old young man, I was intrigued by DeMolay as an organization and the promise it presented to me.
If that elder had never asked me about the young men’s fraternity, I likely would never have discovered DeMolay, and probably would never have become a Freemason. And, despite how greatly I valued my experience in DeMolay, DeMolay membership itself probably would not have inspired me to seek to become a Mason, had it not been for the Masons who made up our chapter advisory council and the examples they set for me. Beyond being great advisors for our chapter, they were men whose lives reflected the principles I valued. They were the kind of men that I wished to become as an adult. Today, so many years later, they have continued to influence my life. And because of them, at the age of 21 – then the minimum age to ask to become a Mason – I petitioned a lodge for the degrees of Masonry.
My journey in Freemasonry has been enabled and empowered by Masons who seemed to genuinely understand what Freemasonry is all about. They pointed me toward resources where I could learn more about this amazing and ancient organization, and they encouraged me to study its teachings and its history. I soon found that the more I learned, the more that there was to learn, and early on I formed a habit – which I still have – to try to learn and understand something new every day. Freemasonry became for me a journey into gaining knowledge of myself beyond just learning more about Freemasonry itself. The more I came to understand the impact of the teachings of Freemasonry on my life, the more I was empowered to be successful in the chosen endeavors of my life. The rough and perfect ashlars became more than Masonic symbols: They became an ideal of personal progress; a way of understanding that we can be better tomorrow than we are today. It is the idea of growth that these two symbols represent, and growth in knowledge and understanding became a passion for me.
The teachings of Freemasonry also shaped my understanding of the world of knowledge outside of the craft. Never satisfied with what I already knew, learning new things became a driving force for me in all aspects of my life. I found that a university education was not an end in itself, but the door to a lifelong commitment to learning more and more every year. Along the way I met Masons who share a similar passion, and many of these brothers are still the ones from whom I learn about Freemasonry in general, and about life itself. They truly became “friends and brothers, among whom no contention should ever exist, except that noble contention, or rather emulation, of best can work and best agree.” The Masonic ideal is one in which we respect one another for our attainments, but without the destructive behavior so often seen outside the fraternity, where competition can undermine friendship.
In the end, Freemasonry has shaped my life in ways that I could never have imagined in 1958 when someone asked me if I knew anything about the Order of DeMolay. My life would have been far different if C. Stanley Chapman had never sought out a 15-year-old boy at church, and asked that question. Because of this, I have tried to live a life that is worthy of his having asked that question so many long years ago.
One of the most interesting – and sometimes confusing – aspects of Freemasonry is its varied rituals and rites. To study them is to understand the fraternity’s wild creative streak and its ability to adapt to diverse social and cultural trends.
Defining “Acceptability”
Grand lodges around the world recognize hundreds of rites and rituals, yet in every jurisdiction, some traditions are perceived to strain the bonds of acceptable Masonic practice. Some shunned practices imitate, or are derived from, Masonic ritual but practiced primarily by non-Masonic or quasi-Masonic organizations. Other practices may be dissuaded based on personal biases on from those responsible for determining what is “Masonic” enough. Although Freemasonry is a global organization, many Masons are rooted in a perception of the fraternity that directly correlates with their personal experience and worldview. When they learn of unfamiliar practices, they may inadvertently perceive these rites and rituals as inferior, or as deviations to what they consider to be “true” Masonry. But a hazard of dismissing practices that are unfamiliar is that when one Mason learns of a diverse practice through the lens of another’s negative perception, misinformation and falsehoods can spread, leading the unfamiliar practice to be negatively branded, even when such perceptions are without merit.
Standardization and Variety
For the most part, Masonic ritual in the United States derives from a common source and follows a state-based ritual (in California’s case, we are governed by the California Masonic Code). This differs from the experience of British Masons; although lodges under their jurisdiction follow establish guidelines, there is no official ritual and lodges practice several different varieties. This is also true in Scotland, where lodges often adapt historic ceremonies to local traditions. In these countries, no two lodges’ ritual experiences are the same. Regalia is also highly personalized for local fraternal identity. Other countries’ grand lodges sometimes allow for a multitude of craft rituals, some of which belong to rites with degrees extending beyond the Master Mason, such as the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, the Modern Rite, or the Rectified Scottish Rite. These differences in flexibility at the jurisdictional level lead to an interesting difference in Masonic experience as we further investigate the various rites’ intersection.
Worldwide Masonic Rites
The York or American Rite
The York or American Rite consists of the three craft degrees – Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason; the Royal Arch, including several qualifying degrees leading to it; Royal and Select Masters (omitted in some jurisdictions); and the Orders of the Knights Templar. These degrees and orders originated from Great Britain and form the body of the Anglo-American Masonic experience. In the United States, they are governed independently, but each successive degree requires membership in the previous. This system has nothing to do with York, England, or the United Grand Lodge of England; therefore, it is appropriate to describe it as the American Rite. Its practice was written and compiled by American Mason Thomas Smith Webb, who adapted William Preston’s lectures. Apart from Pennsylvania, the vast majority of American lodges practice some variant of Webb’s ritual.
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite is widely practiced in the Masonic community. It originates from high-degree French Masonic systems, which gained popularity during the second half of the 18th century, spread to the West Indies and the United States, and achieved its modern form in the early 19th century. Most Anglo-American Masons who join the Scottish Rite do so at the fourth degree. The candidate receives the following degrees through ritual drama, written conferral, special invitation, and so forth. Nevertheless, the rite is a full system of degrees – first to 33rd. It is a common practice throughout the world that the grand lodges have ultimate authority over the craft degrees. Thus, craft lodges, under dispensation from their grand lodges, will confer the degrees written for the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. Because of the rite’s history in France, its third degree does not resemble that of Anglo-American lodges. It continues into the fourth degree, with each thereafter following in succession until the final 33rd degree. Fitting with the character of the era in which they were written, the degrees are deeply philosophical and openly extol a Hermetic doctrine. The Scottish Rite degrees exemplify how Freemasonry can be interpreted as a school with progressive degrees that accommodate expanding intellect and wisdom. The Scottish Rite’s high grades are governed by what is known as a supreme council.
The Rite of Memphis, the Rite of Misraïm, and the Rite of Memphis and Misraïm
The Rite of Memphis, Rite of Misraïm, and Rite of Memphis and Misraïm are high-degree systems evolving from an overt desire to link Freemasonry to the supposed mystery schools of Ancient Egypt. They originated during the early to mid 19th century and reflect a robust contemporary fascination with all things Egyptian, known as “Egyptomania.” Interestingly, although these degrees never flourished in the United States or England (except through irregular and quasi-Masonic orders), the craft degrees of the Rite of Memphis and Misraïm are still practiced by regular Masonic lodges in Italy and Romania, with the higher degrees administered by separate governing councils. Most Masons can identify the Rite of Memphis by its astonishing 98-degree structure.
The Rectified Scottish Rite (Le Rite Écossais Rectifié, or R.E.R.)
This highly mystical rite is based in mid-18th century French-Christian esotericism, Écossais (Scottish) Freemasonry – the same tradition that birthed the Scottish Rite, but having little to do with the craft worked in Scotland – and Franco-German neo-Templarism. Created in 1768 in Lyon, France, by Jean-Baptiste Willermoz, it combined the Rite of Strict Observance, with the mystical doctrine espoused by Martinez de Pasqually and his Order of Knight Masons of the Elect Cohens of the Universe. The rite consists of six official degrees, beginning with Entered Apprentice and culminating in Chevalier Bienfaisant de la Cité Sainte. Its fourth degree is Scottish Knight of Saint Andrew – an 18th century Masonic degree that is found in the Scottish Rite and several others. It bridges the Old Testament and New Testament, as the candidate is guided into the Christian mysteries of the New Law, which forms the basis of spiritual chivalry. This rite’s craft degrees are practiced in regular lodges in France and Switzerland, while respective bodies confer the high grades. Governing bodies are known as great priories, and are found in Europe, Australia, and North America.
The Swedish Rite
Practiced primarily in Scandinavia, with a small presence amongst ethnic Swedes in Finland and a variant in northern Germany, this high-degree system of 11 grades originated in the mid-18th century. Unlike Anglo-American Freemasonry’s side-degrees and organizations, the Swedish Rite is practiced in full, with the chief goal of each candidate passing on to each successive degree over the course of several years and even decades. The lodge master is elected for several years and there is no guarantee that his wardens will ever ascend to the Oriental Chair. The rituals of the rite have not been subjected to exposure; its members take seriously the discretion required of them. It also demands a profession of the Christian faith, which is not terribly controversial if one considers the religious history of Freemasonry as well as that of Scandinavia. For these latter reasons, the rite is sometimes misunderstood by other Masons, particularly within the United States, where the expression of Masonic mysteries is often confined to one rite within a fixed locale. The Swedish Rite is, in fact, one of serious depth and mysticism.
Although there are many more fascinating rites that are worthy of study – including the Adoniram, French, Schroeder, and Baldwin, to name a few – this summary is intended to briefly illustrate the historical variety of the Masonic community, which often moves far beyond the first three degrees. Freemasonry is an organization that delights in its ancient and mysterious charm. Highly dramatic and elaborate ceremonies inspired by these historical romanticisms produced, some of the most meaningful and philosophically rich rituals that the fraternal community has to offer. They call to all Masonic scholars to deeply consider their own traditions – as well as the possibilities in store for those who seek more knowledge about its craft.
Adam G. Kendall is a past master of Phoenix Lodge No. 144 and Northern California Research Lodge in San Francisco. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Scottish Rite Research Society and previously served as collections manager of the Henry W. Coil Library & Museum of Freemasonry
To kick off a celebration of Mozart’s music at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Brian Lauritzen of Classical KUSC radio station in Los Angeles interviewed Past Grand Master R. Stephen Doan to learn more about the Masonic themes in Mozart’s famous opera, “The Magic Flute.”
Watch the video here to learn more about this Masonic masterpiece from one of our fraternity’s great scholars.
On October 31, the United Grand Lodge of England hosted the tercentenary celebration of organized speculative Masonry. The celebration was one for the ages, with more than 4,000 Masons from around the world, representing 135 grand lodges. The theatrical performance included a custom score performed by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.
Learn more about this once-in-a-lifetime celebration at freemasonrytoday.com or register here to stream the pre-recorded event in full now.
Photo courtesy of Chris Allerton Photography / UGLE
Feature Article: The Men Who Might Be Masons Gone are the days when California lodges strived for sheer numbers. The emphasis is now on quality: The traits and experiences that make a member worthy. How do lodges identify these traits? How can they encourage the right experiences? And, what does it feel like to be one of the men seeking answers in today’s fraternity?
Read about members throughout California whose Masonic experience brought them exactly what they were seeking: brotherhood, friendship, and the path to a more meaningful life.
Executive Message: Welcoming Our New Brothers
Grand Master Bruce R. Galloway offers guidance for welcoming new brothers who are also great friends.
What Good Men Seek
What draws prospective members to Freemasonry? Here, brothers share what they were looking for in the fraternity.
Why I Became a Mason Past Grand Master John L. Cooper III reflects upon his personal journey in Masonry — how he came to the fraternity and what he’s learned thus far.
It Feels Like Home
One Los Angeles-area lodge proves that intimate member experiences and deep friendships are the backbone of a thriving brotherhood.
To Do My Part
David Johnson has never met a stranger — a talent he puts to good use for California Masonry. Over the years, he’s struck up lifelong friendships and drawn lost brothers back into the fold.
Tradition and Evolution
Lodges at the Masonic Homes in Union City and Covina demonstrate that when it comes to relationships between brothers, age is just a number — and an opportunity to increase one’s understanding of the world.
