On the afternoon of March 17, 2019, as Grand Master accompanied by members of the Grand Lodge and with three other Grand Masters in attendance, I joined the Tall Cedars of Lebanon and laid a wreath at the tomb of our late brother George Washington, the father of our beloved country, first president of the United States, and a great light in Masonry.  I noticed there at Mount Vernon a cedar of Lebanon which shades the sacred grave area where we were standing.  The tall, sturdy cedar under which we gathered that day testifies to the strong resolution and firm determination for our Masonic fraternity to exist and remain standing tall and proud from age to age. The cedar tree reminds us of the valuable principles transmitted throughout history to practice our Masonic values and preserve the most sacred Landmarks of our order.

Bearing in mind the strength and beauty of the cedar trees of Lebanon, it is little wonder that King Solomon, our ancient Grand Master, in constructing the Temple around which all Masonic Ritual revolves, asked that Hiram, King of Tyre, “hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon” (1 Kings 5: 6).  We know from the biblical text that Hiram responded by “[giving] Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire” (1 Kings 5: 10) and that the trees were felled and prepared in the forests of Lebanon, carried by sea in floats to Joppa, and from thence by land to Jerusalem, in order to build and adorn the Temple.  When the building was completed, of course, it bore resemblance to the handy workmanship of the Supreme Architect of the Universe.

Such is the importance of the cedar trees of Lebanon in Scripture and in our Ritual, relative to the building of King Solomon’s Temple.  Even though “trees that are [hewn] for building by art are made to differ from those which abide in the wood[s],“ as John Bunyan writes in describing Solomon’s Temple Spiritualized, the cedar trees of Lebanon in their natural state have a beauty which is awe-inspiring and reflective of the majesty of God. I would like to take this opportunity to extend an invitation to everyone desirous to visit the actual cedars in Lebanon, some of which date back thousands of years. Reflecting upon the cedars of Lebanon and that one tree which stood high above us that March day providing shade at Mount Vernon, I can do no better than close with the following short poem written by a Masonic Brother:

The architecture of Freemasonry is altogether related to the construction of public edifices, and principally sacred or religious ones -- such as temples, cathedrals, churches -- and of these, masonically (sic), the temple of Solomon is the archetype.
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                                                                                                                      - Albert Mackey, The Symbolism of Freemasonry (1892)​

​King Solomon’s Temple is indeed the building around which Freemasonry and all its allegories revolve. Yet for many, the awe of the building craft is first experienced while visiting one of the great medieval cathedrals of Europe, or the National Cathedral here in Washington, D.C.  “One has only to stand in the great cathedrals of Europe and gaze up at their vaulted ceilings or to behold the sky-piercing spires, ever pointed upward to the one true God, to be overwhelmed with the idea that the men who constructed these marvelous edifices possessed an intellectuality, a culture, and a knowledge of the building art, far in advance of the times in which they lived,” writes Delmar Duane Darrah in his History and Evolution of Freemasonry. 

such as Notre Dame which took several centuries to build can possibly be fully restored in five years.  However, we should nonetheless take great inspiration from the resilience of operative Masons and the French people who are so determined to rebuild Notre Dame.

In the same way, we as speculative Masons also must not expect to build the Temple of Humanity overnight. While a great deal of progress may be made in a five-year period, smoothing out the rough ashlar into the more perfect ashlar is the work of a lifetime.  Sometimes the work proceeds rapidly and sometimes slowly, and there can be setbacks. Indeed, it is a task and an ideal which may never be realized fully in this world, but rather in the world which is to come. Nevertheless, that which was lost may be found.  Let us take this as an inspiration to continue to work on our own rough ashlars, building our own private temples within, and constructing the Temple of Humanity to create a better world for all.

​Remarks on the “Three E’s” which lie at the heart of Masonry were made by Charbel T. Fahed, Grand Master of Masons of the District of Columbia, at his Grand Visitation to Arminius Lodge No. 25 on 18 March 2019.  He expands upon this speech here:

Freemasonry is ultimately about a thirst for knowledge. There are different types of knowledge, and Masonic knowledge may be explained three-fold as the “Triple E” of  Education, Ethics, and Empathy. We must urge ourselves to work for years to come in furthering and promoting these principles.
 
The mind is like a diamond in the raw. It is rude and unpolished, but using a chisel, we bring out its beauty with great dedication through Education. As the Masonic scholar Albert Mackey phrases it in his Symbolism of Freemasonry: 
 
"The rough and unpolished stone is a symbol of man's natural state -- ignorant, uncultivated, and, as the Roman historian [Sallust] expresses it, ‘groveling to the earth, like the beasts of the field, and obedient to every sordid appetite;’ but when education has exerted its salutary influences in expanding his intellect, in restraining his hitherto unruly passions, and purifying his life, he is then represented by the perfect ashlar, or finished stone, which, under the skilful hands of the workman, has been smoothed, and squared, and fitted for its appropriate place in the building." (Italics for emphasis mine.)
 
One way in which Education has a benevolent influence is by bringing Light -- intellectual and moral -- to educate those who have not had a chance to learn Empathy. We must ever “walk the extra mile” and do our duty as Masons in order to encourage Empathy in our sphere and world.   Empathy is charity -- not in the sense of mere money, but rather in the exercise of brotherly love. Sometimes it is just a smile towards a person who is depressed or ill.  The practice of Empathy is enshrined everywhere in our Ritual.  The Masonic philosopher Albert Pike, writing in Morals and Dogma, notes that a nexus between empathy and compassion extends back to time immemorial: “Sensibility, above all, and compassion for the misfortunes of others,” Pike writes, “were precious virtues, which initiation strove to encourage.”  What better source is there from both Ritual and Masonic experience is there than the Initiation, in which we are reminded to look out for the welfare of a distressed worthy Brother? 
 
Empathy, of course, is closely intertwined with ethics.  Indeed, we walk as upright by following a code of ethics. While many see ethics as restrictions on conduct, the philosopher Baruch Spinoza reminds us ethics is "a way leading to freedom." Spinoza writes this in his Ethica Ordine Geometrico Demonstrata, a title which translates appropriately for us as Masons interested in Geometry as “Ethics, Demonstrated in Geometrical Order.”
 
Like Empathy, we receive our ethical education and its concomitant “way of leading to freedom” via Ritual. This underscores the importance of memorizing ritual! Memorizing Ritual makes it and the ethical lessons it teaches a part of us, rather like prayer itself.

Masonry is an ever-progressing ascent into higher spiritual and intellectual knowledge and Light.  We know this, for instance, in the second degree, as we progress up the three, five, and seven steps to enter the Middle Chamber. 
Let us focus for a moment, however, not on the steps but on the symbolic Ladder of Masonry.  Dr. Albert Mackey writes in his classic work The Symbolism of Freemasonry:

The lodge, as a representative of the world, is of course supposed to have no other roof than the heavens  . . .  another symbol—the theological ladder—is so intimately connected with it . . .  Now, this mystic ladder, which connects the ground floor of the lodge with its roof or covering, is another important and interesting link, which binds, with one common chain, the symbolism and ceremonies of Freemasonry, and the symbolism and rites of the ancient initiations. This mystical ladder, which in Masonry is referred to "the theological ladder, which Jacob in his vision saw, reaching from earth to heaven," was widely dispersed among the religions of antiquity, where it was always supposed to consist of seven rounds or steps.

“Jacob’s Ladder” is a painting by the British poet, mystic, and visual artist William Blake which combines the ladder imagery with the step imagery both so much at home in Freemasonry.  In the fluid lines and pastel colors for which he is noted, Blake presents Jacob’s Ladder as a “flight of winding stairs,” with angels ascending from earth past the stars and to the sun (see illustration below).

Returning to Masonic tradition proper, the Ladder is presented in Scottish Rite Masonry as a unique Emblem, and represents in its most direct sense the Ladder or staircase on which the Patriarch Jacob saw “the angels of God were ascending and descending” (Genesis 28: 12) as Jacob was told the destiny of the people of Israel.  Masonic scholar Albert Pike, in a discussion in Morals and Dogma, implies that as it forms a triangle, Jacob’s Ladder can be likened in a shape to the mystical pyramids of Egypt. (P. 234, classic edition)  Based on Talmudic and Kabbalistic traditions, Jewish Tales and Legends (Mendel G. Glenn, New York, 1929) suggests a more somber interpretation:  “Four angels bearing the visage of humans began to ascend the ladder” – four angels representing the nations which would come to rule over the Israelites:  Babylon, Media, Greece, and Rome. (P. 124)  
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In Christian tradition, the Ladder is Emblematical of Saint Paul’s list of greatest virtues:  Faith, Hope, and Charity (1 Corinthians 13: 13).  Attending our Lodges and other Masonic bodies regularly reminds us of such striking incidents and Symbols of morality within the Degrees and the diversity of interpretations for the reflective Mason to consider.

One of the common complaints I often hear is about the drop of membership in our Fraternity. I hear this comment year in and year out, and it appears to me that we complain but ignore the main reason why we have such a decline in some jurisdictions.
 
At a certain high school, a professor asked students in a social science class to identify the reason why there is so much divorce in our society. One student replied that the reason for divorce was marriage.  We could apply this same joke to our Masonic Fraternity: The reason why many brothers were dropped for NPD or dropped themselves out by submitting a demit was because they were Masons.
 
A decent portion of many prospective Brothers knocking at our door have no idea as to what to expect upon joining our great Fraternity. We indeed ask those candidates lingering in the darkness such questions as, “What came you here to do?” More often than not, we prompt them to give the right answer that they use in the same way a parrot back without conceiving or penetrating any depth of the actual meaning. And once these newly-minted Masons are within our portals, many beat about in the darkness seeking little instruction or guidance, and they begin to wonder why they are here in the first place. Eventually, without direction and suffering from the heavy weight of boredom, these men consequently give up on Masonry.
 
No less than Albert Pike, writing in Morals and Dogma, reminds us that “the Degree of Apprentice raises a corner of the veil” (p. 219, classic edition), and we should find it highly troubling that candidates are unaffected or have a blasé attitude as they begin to see revealed behind the veil the beauty and mysteries of Freemasonry, though only partially.  All this should whet the appetites of our candidates for more Light in Masonry.
 
In order to rectify the situation whereby members join only to lose interest, it is imperative that we leave off worrying about numbers, and instead be seriously concerned about the quality of people we select whom we would be proud to call “Brother.”  As many worry about the decrease in membership among the Craft, I worry rather about the increase. I would prefer to mingle with a few Brothers and students of our Royal Art than a multitude of those who do not comprehend, internalize, and reflect what we claim to be. If gold existed in as much abundance as copper or iron, then it would not be costly or unique in value.  In fact, it would cease to be a precious metal.
 
My strong recommendation is to undertake a diligent search about those who are knocking at the West Gate, and if we find them worthy and of kindred spirit, then we should pay our utmost attention to them. We must explore their motives for becoming Masons. Let us assign them the task of telling us, in their own words, what Masonry is about, rather than our telling them who we are. Let us get a serious and concrete commitment from them about how they can contribute to the Fraternity. Let us ensure that they are truly open to receiving rather than having forced upon them the precious gift of Masonic knowledge, that they may ingest it and become part of our living Temple.
 
Brethren, it is incumbent upon us to maintain the high standards of our institution. Please safeguard the high qualities of our magnificent Brotherhood, sponsor discerning candidates, and impress upon our petitioners the importance of Education, Ethics, and Empathy in order that we may define who we are and where we stand.

​One of the more interesting artifacts found in the archives of the Grand Lodge of D.C. is the Book of the Lodge, by Robert Macoy. The tome was donated the Grand Lodge in 1856 by Past Grand Master Benjamin B. French, whose life has been covered in earlier articles of the voice blog. While many items are donated regularly to the Grand Lodge library and museum, this donation was even noted in the proceedings:

The Book of the Lodge was an early publication of what is now the Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Company, one of the largest Masonic supply companies in the world. The company was founded by Irish immigrant Robert Macoy, who was introduced into the Craft at Lebanon Lodge No. 191 in New York City on January 20, 1848. Eight years later, he was elected the Deputy Grand Master of New York and served in several other notable positions including Grand Secretary of New York. Macoy was an early promotor of the Order of the Eastern Star and published the organization’s first rituals and regulations. He also founded the New York Order of the Amaranth, a sister appendant body similar to O.E.S.
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Macoy published the Book of the Lodge in 1855 as a helpful guide to those organizing or conferring the Degrees of Freemasonry. The book contains a set of full-page lithographs, which are intricately adorned with the masonic symbols found in any Masonic hall or during the conferral of a Masonic degree. Macoy includes a brief description of each lithograph and helps guide the reader, whether they are a Freemason or not, into a better understanding of the ritual. Additionally, supporting lithographs are included with depictions of officer’s jewels, a template membership certificate, and sheet music for events such as opening and closing a lodge, laying a cornerstone, or dedicating a masonic hall.  

The book’s fly-leaf includes an inscription from MW Bro. French:
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“Presented to the M. Worshipful Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia by M.W.P.G. Master B. B. French, December 27, 1856.”

While flipping through this impressive tome, it’s easy to understand why the book was a coveted item in the mid-19th century: it provided many of the practical tools necessary to conduct a degree or lodge meeting. It also ensures, through the medium of pictures, that any Mason could pick up the book and be able to understand what is presented. The Book of the Lodge was likely used as a practice guide for lecturers, or to advise newly made Masons. And for the non-initiated, it gives a tantalizing glimpse into the Craft, without divulging too many of its closely-held secrets.
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Macoy even adds his own style and commentary into several of the lithographs, with subtle nods to ancient civilizations and historical figures.  In his first lithograph, titled “Universality, Fraternity, and Equality,” George Washington presides in the East of the Great Hall of Masonry. His Senior and Junior Wardens, the Marquee de Lafayette and Dr. Benjamin Franklin respectively, engage in discourse among notable leaders from Greece, Rome, China, the Ottoman Empire, Russia, sub-Saharan Africa, and North and South America. 

​In the book’s title page, the Genius of Masonry, personified as an Egyptian Priestess, guides a novitiate toward the Temple of Science. Above the arch, sit the female personifications of Operative and Royal Arch Masons, on the left and right respectively. (As well as their coat of arms resting above the two pillars.)

​Here are some more excerpts from the Book of the Lodge:

​In February, members of our Grand Lodge attended the annual Conference of Grand Masters of Masons in North America (COGMMNA). This year, the conference was held in chilly Rapid City, South Dakota.  And although not exactly a garden spot this time of the year, the South Dakota Masons were well organized and did a wonderful job as conference hosts.

The COGMMNA is targeted to all Grand Masters, Grand Secretaries, Deputy Grand Masters, and Senior and Junior Wardens throughout North America.  There were seats around the table for US, Canadian, and Mexican Grand Masters - all of whom are the only voting members of the Conference.  The primary purpose of the three-day event is to share best practices, exchange ideas, discuss the many challenges facing Freemasonry, and to develop contacts throughout the world that enable our Grand Jurisdiction in Washington, DC to be better positioned to serve our Lodges.

There is also much business conducted, and the Grand Secretaries conduct their own separate, simultaneous conference.  The business of the conference includes a Commission on Recognition that receives information from international Grand Lodges who seek recognition.  This committee reviews the required information and then offers guidance on whether the requesting Grand Lodge meets the standards for Recognition.  Whether or not individual Grand Jurisdictions decide to act on offering recognition is up to the respective Grand Lodges, and the Commission acts in an advisory capacity only. 

There are also national meetings for the Masonic Renewal Committee, the National Sojourners, Scottish Rite (Northern and Southern Jurisdictions) Masonic Chip International, the George Washington National Masonic Memorial, and the National Masonic Foundation for Children (NMFC). There are also separate programs for the Ladies and Significant Others that deal with the challenges of providing leadership and support during their time as part of the Grand Lodge.  Additionally, they had their own Keynote Speaker at a luncheon.

There are numerous separate break-out sessions that group the officers by position.  The Deputy Grand Masters, for example, had multiple sessions on leadership topics.  The Wardens did the same thing, but with different topics.  Each year, the Conference planners respond to surveys from the previous year's conference, and set up the sessions accordingly.  Recent topics include:

- Leadership challenges for Deputy Grand Masters
- Prepare for the East NOW (for Wardens)
- Retention challenges for Masonic Lodges
- Physical security of Lodge buildings
- "Guarding the West Gate" best practices
- The development and practices of Traditional Observance Lodges
- Best practices for dealing with transgender issues
- Training and mentoring ideas for new Freemasons
- How do deal with real estate and building issues
- Charitable foundations and best practices

There is also a Keynote Speaker.  This year it was Sergeant First Class (retired) and Brother Sammy L. Davis, 33d Degree, who received two Purple Hearts, the Silver Star, and the Medal of Honor for his service in Vietnam. His testimony and video were very moving, and his comparison about the love which binds both military service and Freemasonry was particularly riveting.

As part of the experience, the Masons of South Dakota arranged a bus tour on the day before the start of the conference.  For those who arrived early, they took us to Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument.  They did an excellent job.  On the Birthday of George Washington, they also hosted a dinner at the base of Mount Rushmore.  Even though it was -3 (!!!) degrees outside, the company and speaker (General Washington himself) was very warm.  

Our delegation to the 2019 COGMMNA included PGMs Leonard Proden, Akram Elias, and Richard Bautista, who were there for some of the business and committee meetings.  

The 2020 COGMMNA will be held in Louisville, KY next February.

​Beyond the Five Senses of Human Nature, there is what some call that Sixth Sense, which is beyond explanation or concrete evidence in real life experience.   A vast horizon of spiritual activities may be laid open to the inquisitive mind and to those who are seeking self-improvement in order to satisfy their thirst for knowledge in the Liberal Arts and Sciences.  Here these seekers may quench their thirst from a well of infinite and voluptuous ecstasy.  Here, perhaps, is the dwelling place, indeed the Ursprung, or origin, of music.   

In Freemasonry, we are familiar with music as one of the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences.  Pythagoras, our ancient Friend and Brother, is known for the “Music of the Spheres.”  The Masonic philosopher Albert Pike, writing in Morals and Dogma, notes in his mystical way that in “the Kabala [sic], the last Seven Sephiroth constituted ATIK YOMIN, the Ancient of Days; and these . . .  correspond with . . . the Seven notes of the musical octave.”  (Lecture on the “Knight of the Sun” Degree, p. 727, classic edition)

There is a nexus between music and mathematics, and -- as a mathematician -- I know that the human ear responds logarithmically to sound in general. Yet music can resonate better in sublayers of sound and integrate more smoothly with the components that relate these signals to the body. Music motivates the dormant strings of the brain to bring forth energy to the entire system of the universe, as well as to the individual soul.

Perhaps for this reason, music is used in diverse applications in life as a balsamic treatment.  It improves the health the patient and speeds his recovery in the hospital. It brings sleeps to those with insomnia and quiets the nerves from tension. It helps infants into a pleasant sleep and nice dreams. It spreads joy to the listener and relieves the burdened heart. It disseminates happiness and eliminates tension.

Music is one of the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences that Masons are encouraged to use in order to develop their faculties and enhance their knowledge in practical life. Accordingly, music is highly encouraged to be played in Lodges and major ceremonial events in order to make them more successful and render their performances more solemn. Would one notice the difference between a march or procession with and then without music? Would one feel that its treble is pounding on one’s heart and hugging one’s spirit? It is perhaps no accident that some of the world’s greatest composers – Haydn, Mozart, Liszt, Sibelius, and Sousa – were attracted to join the fraternity and -- in many cases -- write music for ceremonial Masonic purposes.

Yet even the greatest music in the world – like our Gentle Craft itself – is but a gateway into the Eternal, a sublime intimation of that “house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Corinthians 5:1)

​In 1957, Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, made their inaugural state visit to the United States. The four-day visit included an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, meetings with President Eisenhower and Vice-President Nixon in Washington, a visit to the British settlement in Jamestown, Virginia, and a college football game in Maryland (vs. North Carolina). And as the whirlwind tour drew to a close, the Queen accepted an invitation to assist in the laying of a cornerstone for the British embassy’s new extension. That singular event was a remarkable moment in the history of the District, and especially for DC Freemasons, as for a brief moment in time, the Queen of England laid a cornerstone using the same masonic implements first employed by President George Washington.

It all started on October 18, 1957, when Ray Baker Harris, the Grand Master of Masons of D.C., received a phone call from the British Embassy requesting the use of the George Washington Gavel for a cornerstone event scheduled the following afternoon. The Gavel was first used by its namesake in 1793 to lay the cornerstone of the United States Capitol. Washington gifted the implements used during the cornerstone ceremony to the Masters of participating lodges. The gavel, in particular, was given to Valentine Reintzel, who served as Master of Potomac (then working under their Maryland charter as Lodge No. 9). When Reintzel died in 1817, the gavel returned to Potomac and was subsequently passed down to each Master. Over the following years, it has participated in several notable cornerstone ceremonies for important DC buildings, including the Smithsonian Institution, Washington Monument, and the National Cathedral.

​Harris, being a Past Master of Potomac, knew that the Gavel could only be removed from its place of deposit by vote and consent of the Lodge. He contacted their then Master, R. Lawrence Tilley, and requested to convene a special communication for the purpose of voting on the Queen’s request. The Lodge convened one hour later and appointed Tilley, the Senior Warden Evart Warren, and Past Grand Master Renah F. Camalier to the escort committee.
 
The following day, the members of the committee escorted the historic relic to the British embassy. It was placed on display with other ceremonial implements including a silver trowel shipped from England for the purpose of laying the stone. After a brief prayer and remarks from Reverend Angus Dun, the Bishop of Washington, the British Ambassador to the United States, Harold Caccia, inspected the stone and set it into position. The Queen then took possession of the Gavel and proceeded to tap the four corners of the foundation stone to formally set the stone in place. (The Queen took great interest in the Gavel, inspecting it briefly and taking a moment to read the inscription placed on the gold cap, before returning it to its case.) 

​While the ceremony lasted a mere twenty minutes, it was a remarkable moment in the history of Freemasonry and the District of Columbia. In 1793, George Washington served as the fledgling nation’s first President after a long struggle against monarchical rule. One hundred and sixty-four years later, a descendant of King George III’s wielded Washington’s masonic implement to perform a cornerstone ceremony of her own and help build an edifice dedicated to the mutual cooperation of both countries, once bitter enemies and now the closest of allies.