GL New York's Jurisprudence Committee Weighs In

by Christopher Hodapp

The Grand Lodge of New York's Jurisprudence Committee has weighed in on the permissibility of Grand Master William Sardone's rescheduling of their annual meeting for 2021 due to statewide pandemic restrictions on large group meetings. 

Click the image above to enlarge.

Because the state of New York is permitting only small groups to assemble at this time, GM Sardone's announcement over the weekend detailed a plan to open their Annual Communication on May 3rd and officially receive all committee reports without action. The GM will then call the meeting from labor to refreshment until the state permits larger group meetings, hopefully later in the year. Whenever that occurs, the meeting will then be called up from refreshment back to labor for votes to approve reports and elect officers. Jurisprudence approves of his decision.

This is not dissimilar to the way many jurisdictions permit lodges to open a Lodge of Sorrow at the beginning of each year for the purpose of conducting funeral services for fallen Masons. A Lodge of Sorrow is opened and called to refreshment, and remains in that suspended circumstance for the entire year, instead of requiring a lodge to meet, open, go to a funeral home, conduct a service, go back to the lodge, and close. Then the minutes of that Lodge of Sorrow at the end of the year list all of the deceased brethren who passed away while it remained open.

Their committee did address the constitutionality of electronic Zoom-style technology being used for a tyled grand lodge session:

"There is much interest in implementing teleconferencing technology for our Annual Communication. The Jurisprudence Committee supports the adoption of such technology recognizing that this kind of application is a particularly useful tool. However, there is no provision in the current Constitutions permitting its use in a Tiled Grand Lodge Annual Communication. The Grand Master has charged Right Worshipful Richard J. Kessler, Deputy grand Master, to come up with proposed changes to amend the Constitutions permitting its use in emergency situations."

For lots of Masons, this is all sort of like watching sausage being made. But it comes on the heels of the situation in South Carolina over virtual meetings, as well as being an example for other grand lodges as 2021 unfolds with continuing pandemic restrictions imposed by state and local governments.

 

UPDATED: Irony At Its Most Ironic-est

by Christopher Hodapp

NOTE: This story has been updated.

Like so many other groups all over the world, the annual Conference of Grand Masters of Masons in North America has been forced to drop its in-person meeting this year because of the COVID pandemic. I'm sure the brethren in Seattle, Washington who had been preparing to host this event for several years are greatly disappointed. But the event will go on. 

This year's COGMMNA will be an online event. So is the concurrent Conference of Grand Secretaries.

A video conference.

Live streamed. 

Over the Internet.

I just looked at the list of officers for this year's Conference. When what to my wondering eyes did appear, but the name of the Vice-Chairman (the second in command). 

None other than South Carolina Grand Master Walter C. Disher II.

Would it be unnecessarily churlish to ask if he's not going to participate in the conference, since it violates his own edict against electronic Masonic gatherings for which a PGM was just expelled? Or might he consider expelling himself?

It's a conundrum.

Russian Brethren and the Electronic Chain of Union

by Christopher Hodapp

Throughout the duration of the COVID-19 Wuhan virus shutdown, Masons all over the world have been doing what they can to continue to strengthen the fraternal bonds through electronic means. Most of these have been informal online gatherings, some have been bare bones business meetings, and there have been lots of educational talks, speeches and presentations. The United Grand Lodge of England continues the global observance of the Nine O'Clock Toast to Absent Brethren (#TimeToToast) each night, and Masons all over the world participate in that tradition, or establish their own to better suit their local time zones. 

But here's one I haven't seen before now.

Not every Masonic lodge in the world closes their meetings by forming a 'Chain of Union' and singing together, but a vast number do. The song we commonly sing is Brother Robert Burns' Auld Lang Syne, and we actually pride ourselves in knowing the words instead of mangling it like the average tipsy New Year's Eve reveler. For those who've never seen the practice in a lodge, the brethren stand in a circle (generally around the altar), cross their arms and link hands as a symbol of the unbroken chain that binds us all together into one common band of brothers. And even if you've traveled far from home to a foreign land, the lyrics are still usually sung in Burns' distinctive Scots gaelic 'auld tongue.' 

Even in Russia.

Grand Master Andrey Bogdanov of the Grand Lodge of Russia (Великая Ложа России) posted a video on Facebook this morning of their brethren linking hands electronically and carrying on this fine tradition from their homes. It was accompanied by the following message:

Brethren,
The pandemic may have forced us to close our temples, putting our brotherly ties and everyone else around the world under pressure...
Let us remember that 75 years ago, we’ [were] under pressure, but our courageous people together, defeated Nazis once and for all.
Together, we shall overcome this pandemic, we will conquer our fears...
Let your hand Join our brotherly chain, let your voice join our choir...

If you have a Facebook account, you can watch the video HERE. 

GL of Ohio Officially Authorizes Virtual Stated Meetings

by Christopher Hodapp

As the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown enters its second month in many states, grand lodges everywhere are scrambling to find ways to permit basic lodge business to go on without holding in-person group meetings. Some are permitting executive meetings of lodge officers by phone or teleconference in order to authorize bill payments and other basic housekeeping business. But others have the sticky problem that their state constitutions have few or no options to skip or postpone their regular monthly business meetings. Extraordinary times sometimes demand unusual solutions.

MW Keith Newton, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ohio has issued a Dispensation to all Ohio Masonic Lodges to hold Virtual Stated Meetings using alternative methods available on the internet or conference calling. Such virtual meetings are not required by his dispensation, but it gives Worshipful Masters the permission to hold them. The GL of Ohio is currently recommending the Zoom conferencing platform.

This is not a minor problem. Ohio has one of the largest Masonic memberships of any state in the country, with more than 70,000 Masons and 450 lodges. Moreover, the state of Ohio enacted some of the earliest and most far-reaching restrictions on meetings in the nation.

The basic requirements of Ohio's Virtual Meetings are:

• A password protected secure tool for members to utilize for accessing a virtual Lodge Stated meeting (e.g. Zoom, GoToMeeting, WebEx, etc).
• An email to the lodge members sent from our Grand View membership program and posted on the lodges Grand View dashboard.
• The Worshipful Master or Warden in charge will proclaim the meeting open: “This Stated Meeting is symbolically opened in the Entered Apprentice Degree.”
• Conduct business of the lodge.
• Fellowship with our brethren.
• Education programs.
• The Worshipful Master or Warden in charge will proclaim the meeting closed: “This Stated Meeting is symbolically closed in the Entered Apprentice Degree."
• Ritual work of any type or nature, candidate examinations, and candidate balloting are not permitted.

Note that the GL is essentially permitting Worshipful Masters to open and close in an extremely truncated version of what is called in some jurisdictions 'ample form.' Reduced verbiage for openings and closings is usually only reserved for Grand Masters and Past Grand Masters under normal circumstances, but this dispensation is designed to prevent the use of actual Masonic ritual online by having the Master simply declare the meeting open and closed. 

The Grand Lodge accompanied the dispensation with detailed instructions on using Zoom, paying close attention to its password settings and its 'virtual waiting room' feature that can be used as the online equivalent of the Tyler's door before letting in a participant. 

(To enlarge the images of the dispensation, click the photos below.)

A note of caution: If you are new to the use of Zoom or similar platforms and have no experience as an online host, be sure you try a trial run or two with some friends to be certain you fully understand the password and waiting room controls and functions. Recent overblown articles in the media have made wild claims about hacking and 'zoombombing' meetings by online miscreants who drop in and invade meetings. In truth, these are not really the result of 'hacking' or some failure of encryption, but actually simple failure by the online host or moderator to adequately understand and use the password features.

The same goes for other grand lodges considering issuing similar guidelines. Contact your resident geek squad and get a Mason who is conversant with Zoom or other platforms to write a lodge-specific set of instructions to send out with your missives. Zoom is especially simple and free for less than 100 participants and meetings under 40 minutes (frankly EVERY Masonic business meeting should end in 40 minutes or less, inside of a lodge room or not), so it makes sense to recommend this widely-adopted platform at this time. 

Manitoba's Castle Island Virtual Lodge Hosts Open Meeting 3/25

by Christopher Hodapp

Until the last few weeks, most Masons gave the idea of an online "virtual" tyled lodge meeting little more than the hairy eyeball. The notion of "social distancing" is about as far away from the philosophy and practice of Freemasonry as it's possible to get. But now that we're all being isolated to one extent or another by the Coronavirus pandemic restrictions that prevent us meeting in person, desperate times call for desperate measures.

As we used to say in advertising, "Where do good ideas come from? Somebody else!" Fortunately, someone else has spent several years perfecting the actual practice of holding a tyled Masonic lodge meeting using Internet teleconferencing software. And if you're looking for a 'proof of concept' example to show to your grand master in order to suggest a similar approach right now, there's one coming up this week.

Castle Island Virtual Lodge 190 (CIVL for short) is a regular, recognized Masonic lodge chartered in Canada by the Grand Lodge of Manitoba. They have met online almost exclusively since the day it was chartered, so this social distancing and Internet meeting concept is nothing new for them. The lodge normally holds its stated meetings in any month that has a "fifth Wednesday." But since March is not such a month, they are hosting something special this week.

Castle Island Virtual Lodge will be hosting an Open Meeting and Education Night on Wednesday night, March 25th, at 8PM, EST (7PM CST). The Grand Master of Manitoba has granted the lodge's request that it be permitted to continue meeting, unlike the rest of the physical lodges in their jurisdiction. NOTE: This will not be a tyled lodge meeting, but an open education night. All Masons may 'attend' (but please, no non-Masonic visitors, cowans or eavesdroppers). 

In order to participate, FIRST please contact the Lodge Secretary at: civLodge190@gmail.com

Castle Island uses Zoom conferencing software to hold its meetings (photo above from their officer's installation in 2018), and it can be "attended" with a smartphone, tablet, desktop or laptop computer equipped with headphone, a webcam, and a microphone. Even though visitors' microphones will be muted, please situate yourself in a private, quiet room.

For more information about CIVL, visit their website at: https://civlodge190.ca
By the way, Masons are not the only group suddenly interested in virtual meetings these days. Not by a long shot. Seven out of the top 50 most downloaded free Apple iOS apps this week are communications apps: Zoom is No. 1, followed by Google's Hangouts Meet (No. 9), Microsoft Teams (No. 12), Google Hangouts (No. 29), Messenger (No. 30) Google Duo (No. 36) and WhatsApp (No. 38).

PLEASE NOTE THIS IMPORTANT BUZZKILL: If you're relatively new to Freemasonry but you're suddenly all hot to start holding meetings online, you cannot just leap online and fire up a virtual Masonic lodge meeting. Castle Island Virtual Lodge is unique in its ability to hold regular tyled meetings online, and I can promise without even looking that your own grand lodge likely forbids such things. 

The only other regular, recognized online lodge I am aware of is Endeavor Virtual Lodge 944 in Victoria, Australia, chartered in 2018 by the Grand Lodge of Victoria.

Some lodges of research have worked out the ability to hold their meetings and present papers and speakers online, but that is NOT the same as a tyled Masonic lodge business meeting or degree conferral.

CIVL jumped through enormous hoops to get to do what they do several years ago, and there are few grand masters in the world who will suddenly decide they're all in for approving online stated meetings, much less degree nights. Do NOT attempt to do this without going through proper channels and securing proper permission within your own jurisdiction. If your grand lodge has a technology committee, I'd strongly suggest getting them involved right up front. 

With all of those qualifiers aside, before you set forth on any exploration of this, I urge you to start by seeing how Castle Island does it first.

Wait... Wut? Scotland Social Media Is Back Up Already

Two days after the Grand Lodge of Scotland made the newspapers and lit up the Intertubz for shutting down its social media accounts comes word that it was all just a misunderstanding, and all is right again in the Masonic æther.

After all of yesterday's sturm und drang, J. Euen Edment, the Grand Secretary of the GL of Scotland, issued the following message on their Facebook page:

Brethren, it has been reported that the Grand Lodge of Scotland social media platforms had been shut down.

This was due to a misunderstanding and as soon as it was noticed the situation was rectified.

I am delighted to confirm that both our Facebook and Twitter sites are again operating normally and I hope any inconvenience has been minimal.

J. Euan EdmentGrand Secretary

Whether this was a reaction to an outpouring of yawps from their members, embarrassment over the Times article, the natural conclusion of their previously announced "reassessment" of their social media presence from three weeks ago, or just shock over the global reaction to the story among the Facebook-addicted, no one can say.

If the brief episode did nothing else, it certainly sparked a huge online discussion of the pros and cons of electronic Masonry on social media, online behavior of members, social media policies, and more. But as is so often the case with online controversies, imbroglios and hullaballoos,  the "crisis" has now passed, and the global Masonic electronic equilibrium has been restored to its natural order. 

Masons everywhere can heave a sigh of relief at the momentary disruption, and go back to not attending lodge and just staring into their screens once more.

GL of Scotland Shuts Down Its Social Media

"You shall be cautious in your Words and Carriage, that the most penetrating Stranger shall not be able to discover or find out what is not proper to be intimated, and sometimes you shall divert a Discourse, and manage it prudently for the Honour of the worshipful Fraternity." 

- James Anderson's Constitutions, 1723

What is it about anti-social media that compels some Masons to take good leave of their senses?

A couple of years ago, the Grand Lodge of Scotland went all in on social media platforms Facebook and Twitter, in addition to its extensive website, with frequent posts about news of the Craft, announcements, general interest articles, photos and more. Those were public pages and posts that were open for all to see. The hope was that this public campaign would help attract new members, along with engaging existing ones online.

Unfortunately, it seems that plenty of Masons couldn't make the distinction between public versus private pages, and how they were supposed to behave in public when it came to private information and their own language and behavior. Over time there was an increase in posts about what should have remained just between the walls of the lodge room, or public language and behavior that had no business being identified with Freemasons, who should know better.

So, what started as a genial attempt to have an open, public face of the fraternity has now been officially shut down by the powers that be in Edinburgh. 

The Grand Lodge of Scotland has just pulled the plug on its social media pages and accounts - although their website still is online. And the story actually made The Times yesterday. 

From Grand Lodge logs off social media after freemasons overshare secrets (it's hidden behind the Times' paywall, so this is an excerpt):

Robert Cooper, the curator of the lodge’s library and museum, who also edits its Twitter and Facebook pages, confirmed that the pages had been put on hold pending an internal review. 

“As with any organisation there are internal private discussions that shouldn’t be aired in public,” he said. “Unfortunately, some of our members are doing that. Naively, they are putting up messages on Facebook saying, ‘What do you think about what the Grand Lodge are proposing?’ Issues being discussed are not public but then, all of sudden, they are in the public domain.” 

Mr Cooper, an author and historian, said that there had been instances in which individuals had been revealed as members without their consent. “There are some people who work in sensitive occupations that don’t want their membership to be known,” he said. There also have been cases where online disputes between brothers became less than fraternal.

“People are putting things on the likes of Twitter and Facebook that are simply not appropriate,” he said. “Certainly things you would never say face to face to people. That’s causing all sorts of internal disciplinary problems.” 

Mr Cooper hoped that the pages, which made announcements, highlighted items of masonic history and addressed popular misconceptions about the organisation, could return. “We have got 25,000 people from around the world who read the posts regularly,” he said. “We have had lots of queries as to why we have stopped.” 

The article goes on to quote a couple of members about the development:

Gordon Paton, a member of the lodge, whose initiates refer to the organization as "the craft," called for the sites to be reactivated. He said: "Social media isn’t going to go away. To ignore it would be extremely introverted whereas we should be outward looking and communicating positively about the craft." 

Ian Hunter, another member, added: "I am all for making the craft more accessible to the public as most lodges are seeking to bring in new members as our numbers are dwindling. "We could have a closed group where anything goes for masons only or a public group where only the secrets and rituals are kept off." 

Many grand lodges have done just that on Facebook - created private pages to discuss matters the public doesn't need to see. In the ancient days of the early 2000s B.Z. (before Zuckerberg), private online forums hidden behind password protected sites with verified member identification accomplished all of this. It's probably rank nostalgia to pine for those halcyon days of yesteryear, but Facebook and Twitter have not been the best development for the fraternity. Only one of the laziest and most insidious, since it's everywhere.

In addition, more and more jurisdictions are establishing social media policies and guidelines for their members in a possibly forlorn effort to bring back the forgotten skills of common sense, decorum and manners to their members. Possibly because of their New England scold tradition and having way too many Harvard lawyers on hand, I know that Massachusetts has a truly enormous one they developed in an effort to think of every possible transgression. Maine, Virginia, Florida, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Minnesota, Hawaii, Texas, Illinois all have them, and I'm sure many more do, as well. Prince Hall jurisdictions have them. My own jurisdiction in Indiana is hammering one out right now, and we might actually be among the last to do so. More and more grand lodges outside of the U.S. are creating them, as well. 

What is it about the bizarre anonymity of online interaction that sends our whole notion of subduing our passions right out the 10th-story window? Far too many Masons proudly display a square and compass on their profiles, or even profile pictures and avatars, and then go right on unleashing rude, crude and reprehensible public posts and comments that would have gotten them bounced from the fraternity even a short decade ago. Political diatribes, religious rants and insults, personal arguments deliberately guaranteed to elicit rage, and regular strings of F-words, D-words, C-words, N-words, S-words, and ABEGHIJLMOPQRTUVWXYZ-words all pour out online next to a shining avatar of the fraternity. The problem is frankly worldwide, but U.S. Masons seem especially uncircumspect in their online discussions and behavior while displaying public badges of Masonry. So, in a world that has lost all manners and common sense, rules and regulations must now replace what used to be those things you "just don't do." 

The problem is that non-Masons regard every single Mason as a freestanding example of the fraternity. In other words, to echo the hairy old bromide, "You are someone's idea of Freemasonry." That's triply true among anti-Masons, or just those who are on the fence about us. In a culture that questions and sneers at nearly all religious and non-activist organizations, and declares hypocrisy to be the most egregious transgression on the planet, Masons who don't publicly live up to our own standards and expectations do us more harm than any anti-Masonic fanatic ever could.

So Scotland has just decided to solve their situation by closing down their social media altogether, at least for now. Hopefully they will come back with private pages, because Bob Cooper was posting fascinating and informative stories online for several years. 

Unfortunately, Times reporter Marc Horne loses ten points from his fair reporting scorecard for his concluding paragraph that resorts to the requisite (you guessed it) 'handshake and trouser leg'  reference:

Last year Scotland’s freemasons allowed cameras into their lodges for the first time for a BBC documentary, Secrets of the Masons. The lodge refused, however, to reveal the details of its handshakes — or grips — or to allow its initiation ceremonies, which are said to involve blindfolds and raised trouser legs, to be filmed.

I'm now convinced that all reporters in the UK have a keyboard shortcut that just inserts this same reference into every single news story by hitting Cmd+33. Odd that they wouldn't dare insist inserting a reference to Catholics 'genuflecting and bead jiggling,' or Muslims 'banging their foreheads on the floor,' or Jews 'wearing their funny little skullcaps' whenever their traditions are reported upon. Because I guess that would be rude and insensitive.

Whereas we Freemasons must just be silly old farts of no real consequence, unworthy of any respect, but always worthy of a parting sneer.


H/T to R. J. Johnson

Was It Something I Said?

Photo: David Icke. Yeah, I went there.

If you think the current national and international imbroglios over speech codes, "hate crime" speech laws, trigger warnings, and the awesome, unassailable, sheer naked power of Google and Facebook is overblown, you might reconsider that.

At about 1 PM Wednesday, I logged on to post a new story here, only to discover that I had been locked out from my blog account by the nameless, faceless, multi-tentacled Leviathan known as Google. The blog was still online and could be viewed by everyone, but I was prevented from accessing the administrative features because my Google+ profile had been "suspended." And if I remained "suspended" for 90 days, the blog would subsequently be taken down entirely.

Of course, Goggle's robotic speech police force never sent me an email or any other explanatory message to inform me of this. No warnings beforehand. No message telling just WHY I had been suspended. Just BOOM, no access.

Here's how I found out when I tried to access the blog yesterday:

Had I offended someone? Had someone else posted something inappropriate in a comment? Had someone hacked my account? Was there malicious html code lurking in my site's formatting? Had someone slipped in a virus disguised as a photograph? Did anyone complain about something? Had some crazed anti-Mason or former high school girlfriend just lied to Google and claimed I had broken some rule, or was advocating revolution, or drowning kittens online? Do Freemasons just seem to be too 'conservative' for Google's staff?

I STILL don't know what happened. And I probably never will.

This blog has been up and running for over a dozen years now. To date, I've had 9.4 million views of my nearly 3,000 articles, and tens of thousands of comments have been posted here (in addition to the thousands on Facebook, where these articles also appear). Whatever you might think of my content, it's not what much of anyone anywhere would regard as controversial, adversarial, alienating, or even irksome, unless you really, really dislike or distrust Freemasons. I stick to Google's rules, since they own the platform and provide the Blogger feature free of charge and without advertising, and no one has ever accused me of violating their service terms or community standards. If I use a photo or excerpt an article from elsewhere, I always try to link back to the source or give credit. In the less than five cases over the years that someone has objected to my use of their proprietary material, I have always acceded to their wishes by removing it or giving proper attribution. (In a twist of irony, I'm sure notorious anti-Mason David Icke will be irked that I've cribbed his All Seeing Eye of Google image above. He's worried about us FREEMASONS?)

Moreover, this site is HEAVILY moderated by me. You won't find profanity here, or ad hominem attacks, or even good old fashioned flame wars of yesteryear. It is one of the least contentious sites on the web simply because I run it like an autocrat (or a Worshipful Master), since I can read online fights anywhere and everywhere else I look these days. I just don't want it in here.

What was most troubling about Google shutting down my access yesterday was the total silence from their staff. Nobody contacted me before, during or after the shut down. And if you find yourself suspended by Google, I can tell you from this experience that there is NO WAY to get in touch with Google's support team or speech police. I was told to log in and post a question on their discussion board, yet I had to have a valid, NON-SUSPENDED Google+ profile to do it! So, I have no idea why I was padlocked out of my own site.

Photo: Calibre Computer Solutions

My best guess is that this was deliberate sabotage by someone who was bored, or who just wanted to vandalize a positive site about the Freemasons. Or it was a spammer who was livid that I keep deleting their comments inviting everyone to "Join the Illuminati!" I get dozens of those idiotic comments every day (and I suspect the mention of it here will result in another flood of spam). So I am left to infer that one of these miscreant basement dwellers possibly decided to falsely report this site for some sort of violation of Google's terms of service, which resulted in my access being denied for twelve hours until a human could actually investigate it.

My account was finally restored in the early hours this morning, so I hope this is the end of it. However, I am finally taking steps to get off of Google's platform, and I'm sure all of you web wizards out there who hate the antique way this site looks are heaving a sigh of relief. I'm slowly building the new blog site, so don't have a conniption when it goes live unexpectedly in the coming days or weeks. My goal is to preserve ALL of the prior posts here, along with their graphics AND comments.

I fully expect this to happen again as Google keeps trying to pull off the impracticable with its new censorship and quixotic war against 'fake news.' They announce daily developments as they attempt to make politicians, parents, professors, propagandists, protest groups, pornographers, social justice warriors, free speech advocates, free speech monitors, free speech deniers, nattering nabobs of negativity, the Turks and the Chinese all happy, simultaneously. Sadly, once they got into the content removal business, they crossed into a dangerous minefield, and they can't seem to navigate their way back out again. Once Google and Facebook decided they were NOT the phone company, and not a publisher either, they screwed themselves into being 'responsible' for pulling off the impossible. And it's going to get worse before it gets better.

So if you have a blog or website hosted by Google, run, do not walk, to the nearest exits and get your account off of Google's platforms. Neither myself nor anyone posting on my blog said or did anything to deserve shutting down, albeit briefly. But that doesn't seem to matter anymore. This situation is going to keep happening with greater frequency from now forward because all it takes is a vengeful or devious teenager with a keyboard or a smartphone to shut you and your site, your business, your communications with friends and relatives, down by squealing to the REAL All-Seeing Eye that is Google. And both Google and Facebook are now working hand in hand with governments all over the world to craft ever more intrusive laws, rules, regulations, codes, and punishments for speech, equating words with actual physical violence. How did we get here?

It's a shame that society can't seem to get along with itself anymore, and that social media has become nothing but anti-social media instead. Such a waste of a precious resource like freedom of speech and expression. Speech codes, safe spaces, hate speech laws — that is how the People un-learn Liberty. But then, that's what happens when society can't be civil to itself anymore, shares nothing in common anymore, and has no cohesive agreement on what decent behavior is. Instead, we pass laws and enact regulations to do what common sense, decency and manners used to accomplish.

Brother Winston Churchill said a great many things throughout his lifetime (and even more is attributed to him than he actually said). But in 1938 in a radio address to the United States he said:

(Winston Churchill photo: Lodge of Hope)

"They are afraid of words and thoughts; words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home--all the more powerful because forbidden--terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic. They make frantic efforts to bar our thoughts and words; they are afraid of the workings of the human mind. Cannons, airplanes, they can manufacture in large quantities; but how are they to quell the natural promptings of human nature, which after all these centuries of trial and progress has inherited a whole armoury of potent and indestructible knowledge?... [A] state of society where men may not speak their minds, where children denounce their parents to the police, where a business man or small shopkeeper ruins his competitor by telling tales about his private opinions; such a state of society cannot long endure if brought into contact with the healthy outside world."

A healthy outside world. 

Heck, I'd be content if everyone just got along as well as Freemasons in a lodge...

"I'm Fed Up With My Grand Lodge!" - UGLE's Internet No. 9659 and Other Options

Several U.S. Masons have asked me online and backchannel if there is any regular, recognized alternative to belonging to the Grand Lodge in their state. As far as I know (and feel free to correct me, anybody who may have different information), in most cases, you cannot join a jurisdiction outside of your home state unless you actually live in another one, and generally for a year. Dual memberships are common, in situations when you move to another state and become a resident there, but still want to retain membership in your Mother Lodge. However, there are jurisdictions that do NOT allow dual memberships in different jurisdictions at all  (and I know it is not allowed by virtually every Prince Hall Affiliated grand lodge, who generally don''t even allow dual lodge memberships within their OWN jurisdictions).

INTERNET LODGE 9659 (UGLE)

The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) constituted Internet Lodge No. 9659 in 1998. It is a regular, recognized lodge that is open to any existing member of the UGLE, or any other Grand Lodge that is in amity with the UGLE (see the list here). They hold a physical meeting in an approved English Masonic lodge three times a year, moving around the UGLE's territory with each meeting. The password-protected members only part of the site deals with the minutes and day to day business of the lodge (they do NOT actually meet over the Internet). They have members from all around the world who are real, authentic, regular, recognized Freemasons, and each meeting is followed by a traditional Festive Board for attendees. The catch is that its members must first be initiated, passed and raised in their own lodge before they can petition to join Internet Lodge. And each member must agree to pay all regular UGLE annual fees, along with their lodge membership. 

What I do not know is if you can demit from your Mother lodge, become an unaffiliated Mason, and then still be allowed to join Internet Lodge. I know you must technically be a Mason in your home jurisdiction when you join, but I don't know if you actually are required to maintain a lodge membership in your home jurisdiction. I suggest you contact both Internet Lodge's Assistant Secretary, as well as your own Grand Secretary to make sure the proper rules are followed.

(Since I first posted this, I have received messages from some US brethren who say they no longer belong to any US lodge or grand lodge, and ONLY have membership in Internet Lodge, making them solely a UGLE Mason.)

IRELAND LODGE 2000 (GL of Ireland)

Similar to Internet Lodge is Ireland Lodge No. 2000, a regular, recognized lodge chartered in 2000 by the Grand Lodge of Ireland AF&AM. Like Internet Lodge, members must be Master Masons in good standing of a jurisdiction in amity with the GL of Ireland, and its rolls are comprised of an international group. They meet four times a year, at different locations throughout Ireland. The June meeting is always held in Dublin, and is traditionally the one with the most foreign visitors. They also have a secure, online chat room and hold monthly gatherings (except in December) via the web. Degrees are not conferred by the lodge, and Masons wishing to affiliate with them must be initiated, passed, and raised in another lodge first.

CASTLE ISLAND VIRTUAL LODGE 190 (GL of Manitoba)

Finally, the Grand Lodge of Manitoba (Canada) chartered Castle Island Virtual Lodge No. 190 in 2012, and to my knowledge, it is the only truly Internet-based lodge in the world working under a charter from a regular, recognized grand lodge. (It's also the only lodge on Earth where you can be home 10 seconds after the last gavel falls!) The lodge meets online on the 5th Wednesday of those months that HAVE 5 Wednesdays, at 7:00PM Central Time. Visitors are welcome, but must first contact the Lodge Education Officer at Leo.civl.190@gmail.com or the Secretary at craehw@gmail.com to be given access. They must be from a jurisdiction that is in amity with the GL of Manitoba, and send a photograph of their current dues card along with a brief biography to the LEO to be "admitted" to meetings and the secure portion of the website. 

For the meeting itself, visitors must have a computer equipped with a microphone and camera, and they use Webex technology as a secure online conferencing method (originally, the lodge was designed as part of the "Second Life" virtual 3-D community, but a more secure meeting system was desired).  Ritual used is the Canadian Work (a variation of Britain's Emulation ritual), and visitors are expected to tyle their own computer's location during online meetings. 

If you are resolved to give up membership in your home lodge and grand lodge, you may first join Castle Island as a dual member, pay dues to the lodge and the Grand Lodge of Manitoba, and then demit from your home jurisdiction. You will have to be investigated and voted on, as with any other regular affiliation. For details on doing that, contact the Secretary. (It can and has been done before, but not often - their current Tyler just did this from his original lodge in Italy.)

AMERICAN JURISDICTIONS PERMITTING OUT OF STATE MEMBERSHIP

I have received a message that claimed the GL of the District of Columbia allows Masons to join their lodges without actually being a resident of the District or the immediate surrounding regions in Maryland and Virginia. But because DC has suspended fraternal relations with both TN and GA, this complicates the issue. Under the current circumstances, I don't know if DC is willing to act as a safe haven for disaffected Masons from those two states. Please contact them directly to clarify this. 

Also, the Grand Lodge of North Carolina and the Grand Lodge of Alabama have no residency requirements, and allow multiple dual-memberships. There are undoubtedly others of which I am unaware, and with recent events, more jurisdictions neighboring troubled states may very well be making changes to these developments as I type this. It is probably best to simply contact the Grand Secretary in your neighboring state and simply ask if you might be permitted to affiliate or join outright if your permanent residence is outside of their territorial borders. 

TAKE NOTE: In certain cases, discretion may be vital when doing this. You may wish not to disclose your identity when making your initial contact out of state in case your own home grand lodge is vigorously attempting to prevent their own members from defecting. Do your research and find out all procedures required to transfer out by both grand lodges before you reveal yourself. There are generally territorial rules that have been enacted specifically to prevent what you are attempting, which is why the above alternatives are most dependable.

Also, be aware of the timing involved when it comes demitting in your state. Different grand lodges demand very different paperwork, such as letters of good standing. If at all possible, retain your current paid-up membership in your home jurisdiction, at least until you have a dues card or other official notice that you are a full member in your new out of state lodge. Only then can you safely pull the plug on your old one. And always be aware that an 'honorary' membership is not the same as a full fledged, dues paying, card-carrying membership in another lodge. Honorary memberships carry zero weight when it comes to Masonic jurisprudence.


UPDATE

A message specifically from a Tennessee Mason this afternoon about that particular grand lodge's process:

You must write to the Secretary of the GL of Tennessee and ask for a Certificate of Good Standing. This is NOT the same as a demit. Do not demit. This certification allows you to remain a member in good standing while you seek membership elsewhere, in another jurisdiction. You will need to get a new Certificate every year until you find a new home. If you are a just and upright man and Mason and want to join a regular lodge of Masons, you are not required to remain a member of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee in order to enjoy the fellowship and fraternity of the oldest organization in the world. Please be calm and do not demit your membership until you find an alternative.

Brad Cofield and the 1613 Nation Fraud

The trouble with the internet is that any 13 year old nerd with computer savvy can build a website that looks authentic, or feels like something far bigger and more important than it really is. One bored basement dweller with nothing but time on his hands can create endless online personas  bestow lavish honorifics on himself and his imaginary sock puppet associates, and make boundless claims of knowing the "real" truth and holding the keys to Life, the Universe and Everything. And with a group like Freemasonry that has a reputation for being secretive, the problem gets even larger. Who's legit, and who is just a con artist, proclaiming himself as the Most Frabjous and Worshipful Supreme Magus of the 12th Quadrant, with his pet cat Snowball as his assistant Hierophant? And how much harm can such pranks really cause?

The answer is, they do enough harm to be worthy of a warning now and then.

Over the last few years, I have steered clear of mentioning this subject because I didn't want such miscreants to get any more publicity than they create for themselves. But one in particular has recently crossed some appalling lines, and has caused international furors and misunderstandings - enough that it's worth warning folks who stumble across him and his hijinks.

I refer to Mr. Brad Cofield and his most recent online flimflam, "1613 Nation." Think of it as being analogous to a Nigerian e-mail scam for unsuspecting non-Masons.

Brother Ed King at www.masonicinfo.com has done a good job in detailing Cofield's online antics since he first appeared on the online scene in 2006. Most regular North American Masons have driven him off of online message boards and banned him from their blog comment areas (this one included). His style is pretty easy to spot, even with his endless phalanx of aliases. And even recent irregular and unrecognized breakaway groups like the Grand Orient of the USA have been so pestered by him that they have tried to keep him off of their websites. But his most recent tapestry of deceit is now raising tempers in Europe, as well.

I'll refer you to Ed King's above mentioned article for the bulk of Brad's story. Cofield was initiated and passed in a regular California lodge, but was never raised to the degree of Master Mason. His FC degree was conferred in 2006 when his lodge traveled to the annual "Eblen's Cave Degree," in Kingston, Tennessee, and the experience there was apparently less than positive. Cofield was confronted with blatant racism by regular Masons there, and was rightfully disgusted by it. On his return to California, for whatever reasons, his mother lodge did not choose to advance him, and he left.

Material exists on the web that alleges Cofield had a prior history of internet stalking on a message board about dog breeding, and one lady apparently swore out a police complaint against him in February 2006. If this is indeed the same guy, he clearly has a history of not playing well with others. He will undoubtedly not react well to this posting. He brands most of those who out him for his tactics as "haters."

On the Chequered Pavement discussion forum, he has made the claim, "I was Raised in an Italian lodge, in Italian." Over the years, he has invented his own imaginary Masonic tree forts, and admitted on the same forum that he has "created" his own Rite. When the aforementioned Grand Orient of the USA was formed in Georgia in 2008, he immediately claimed he was a California member. He next created a web page for an imaginary lodge, Temple Sobek-Ra, under a group of co-Masonic "operative Egyptian Masons" called the Masoneria Egipcia del Antiguo Primitivo Rito de Memphis Misraim (M.E.A.R.P.M.M.), offering up 99 (count 'em!) degrees. To give his new lodge that little extra feel of authenticity, he appropriated for his "Magus Masonica" blog site a photo of the lavish and very real Egyptian room at the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania's building in downtown Philadelphia.

Cofield appears as the "National Head" of Memphis Misraim for Washington (state) on the MEARPMM website, which names Frank G. Ripel of Italy as the 99º Grand Hierophante of the order. (If he exists at all, Ripel is a self-proclaimed esoteric genius who has founded a busload of bogus groups, including the "Brotherhood of the Vampires." Really. Somebody get me a zombie.) The site also describes a connection between MEARPMM and the Ordo Templi Orientalis (O.T.O.), which is itself a story much too convoluted to go into here. And as the icing on the cake, the MEARPMM site also takes a moment to sing the praises of Licio Gelli. If you aren't nodding off by now, you may recall Gelli as being the Venerable Master of Italy's notorious, neo-fascist Propaganda Due (P2) lodge. Brad apparently doesn't seem to care whose company he keeps.

On July 9th of this year, Brad made this announcement:

WGH Frank G. Ripel has bestowed on me the 97º of Memphis-Misraim and the office of International Substitute Head for the English Language (Deputy International Grand Master) for the M.E.A.P.R.M.M. This is a huge responsibility and I am deeply honored.

Of course, all of this presupposes that "Frank G. Ripel" and the MEARPMM website aren't more of Brad's inventions, as well.

A little over a year ago, Cofield stepped up his activities, inventing a new pseudonym, Raum Sariel, and a new "lodge": Lodge Napoleon Bonaparte (perfectly named, both for the image of the vainglorious emperor himself, as well as the stereotypical psychotics who populate cartoons imagining themselves to be Napoleon).


Cofield's branding catch phrase for his new style of Masonry is "Post-Modern Freemasonry." According to his Lodge Napoleon website,

So, we had a few strong and dedicated Freemasons who all shared a common love, the Rite of Misraim. We all seemed to on [sic] opposite sides of the country, and even the globe. Email can only get you so far. Then a [sic] epiphany. Why not take on the approach of Fortune 500 companies with large virtual workforces?

Virtual. As in "not real."

It goes on to say,

"You will have access to the most powerful membership web portal that has ever been in the Masonic world. This is no simple calender with email and a Php message board. This includes a full dashboard, access to hundreds of in depth educational files, case studies, power point educational presentations, recorded and streamed precise alchemical and magickal operations. Not to mention you'll never be alone."

No, you sure won't, with all of Brad's alter-egos and imaginary friends to keep you company.

The Lodge Napoleon FAQ states:

A: Do I have to believe in God in order to join?

Q: No. Once again we understand that someone does not have to be a believer in any dogma or institution in order to be able to receive the light of Freemasonry. In fact your belief or lack of is considered strictly your own. We don't even ask.

Q: What Rituals do you use?

A. We work in the original speculative Rite of Misraim and the operative Egyptian Rite.

Q: In operative do you mean working with stone.

A: No, those would be operative Stonemasons. We are operative Freemasons. What this means is we work in the operative magic Masonic arts. These include the physical alchemy of the Egyptian Rite.

Q: What Grand Lodge do you belong to?

A: None. As a Post-Modern lodge we do not see value in the Grand Lodge system. We do not recognize the authority of any Grand Lodge and thus we are not recognized by them.

The 1613 Nation "Manifesto" explains,

The 1613 Nation is not a grand lodge or orient. There is no grand master nor supreme council. The 1613 Nation is a co operational community guided by principle and held together by mutual benefit and respect.

Then it goes on to explain that the rest of the pesky mainstream Masonic world is not practicing Freemasonry properly, and that his group has the true answer: "There is no greater lodge than the lodge of self. "

Sorta says it all.

His dozens of pretty websites that propagate like bunnies in a hutch all over the web are designed to look like he has scores of members and converts around the world to his "Post Modern Freemasonry," which he doesn't. He claims to have formed at least 18 lodges so far. He has simply snookered people in who don't know any better. With new interest in Freemasonry growing every day, and unsuspecting or unknowledgeable people stumbling onto his stuff, Cofield casts a growing net and convinces people that what he has is the real, authentic Freemasonry that the rest of us unsophisticated boobs in the Masonic world have callously discarded. In fact, Memphis Misraim Masonry has been a notorious degree peddling scheme since its beginnings in Europe. He has even gotten help, briefly, from talented people who have helped him create this tissue of deceit, who discover the truth after a while and walk away.

The most recent development has to do with a purported 1613 Nation lodge allegedly formed in Belgium. Blog Maçonnique, an excellent and informative blog in French, authored by Grand Orient of Belgium Mason Jiri Pragman, reported in a posting A false "Loge Liberté Chérie" and other pseudo-Loges:

The true Loge Liberté Chérie ["Beloved Liberty Lodge"] is particularly dear to the heart of the Belgian Freemasons Lodge since it symbolizes resistance against oppression. It was founded in 1943 by seven Belgian Freemasons deported as dissidents to a concentration camp, Emslandlager Esterwegen VII. It ceased work in 1944. Six of its seven founders died before [allied] liberation.

But a visitor to the Blog Maçonnique now tells us the existence of a pseudo- Loge Liberté Chérie (www.liberte1613.tk) on the web (with a contact address in Olne, [misspelled] as "Olen"). It uses the seal of the original Lodge, adding various symbols (including Solomon's seal) and the reference 1613 Nation. The site is in very bad French.

Brad has especially appealed to women who want to join Masonic lodges, but also men seeking a mixed, co-Mason experience. This is undoubtedly due to the relatively few feminine lodges quietly at work in the U.S. Women outside of Los Angeles, New York and Washington D.C. find it almost impossible to find feminine lodges in their areas. Brad's lofty promises and the appearance of a large and growing organization behind him make it seem like an ideal way to establish lodges outside of the biggest urban areas. Too late, they are discovering the truth behind his tall tales. And now they seem to be spreading the word.

A talented gentleman named Darren Young helped to set up and design many of the 1613 Nation websites. Suddenly, this past Tuesday, a letter from Young, W:.M:. of "Sanctum Sanctorum Lodge" (in Scotland, if I am not mistaken) was posted on Facebook by June Lennon, W:.M:. of Lodge Circumspect, in New York City. Both were "1613 Nation" lodges. Mr. Young has requested that I remove the actual text of his posting from this blog, but in it he details his decision to sever his lodge's affiliation with Cofield and 1613 Nation, "in order to save the names and reputations of the members of Lodge Sanctum Sanctorum." He reaffirms Cofield's sock puppet creations "Raum Sariel" and "PD Black", calling him a "charlatan." Young also states that the supposed WM of the new Belgian 1613 Nation "Lodge Libertie Cherie", Jose Magnee, has denied publicly that he has had anything to do with the whole enterprise. Further claims that Magnee is establishing a "1613 Museum" in honor of the original Loge Libertie Cherie are also false.

June Lennon (who was originally initiated, passed and raised in a lodge under the legitimately known Grande Loge Feminine de Belgique) actually traveled to Belgium to investigate Cofield's claims about Lodge Libertie Cherie, and was less than thrilled to discover it was a complete hoax. She and the members of her Lodge Circumspect have also fled Cofield's group, and have formed an independent lodge of women Freemasons. Of course, Cofield immediately claimed that Circumspect was repopulated almost overnight with eager new members. Further discussions of the topic have been heated on the San Diego Freemason blog, written by a member of Lodge New Isis #8 of the George Washington Union of Freemasons of North America, an actual co-Masonic lodge chartered in California by the Grand Orient of France.

All of this is a tiny back alley in the world of regular, recognized Freemasonry. On the one hand, if someone finds that these irregular lodges offer them a different path that they prefer over what the overwhelming mainstream or Prince Hall lodges in the U.S. provide, God love 'em, and more power to them. They aren't welcome in my lodge, but they know in their hearts whether they are Freemasons or not. But the concern is that with literally millions of people now discovering Freemasonry for the first time, snake oil peddlers like Cofield sing a siren song and get them involved in an elaborate sham and practical joke. What started out as clearly an attempt to lash out at the Masons who gave him a poor experience in his first lodge (or who he just couldn't get along with, whatever the reason), has turned into an obsessive practical joke for him, with dozens of webpages, blog sites, and even foreign language pages. Mainstream and Prince Hall grand lodges need to know what he's up to in our back yards. And non-Masons hunting for more information about the fraternity need to be aware of his activities, as well.

If you are looking to join the Freemasonry that is recognized the world over as regular and the legitimate heir to the traditions of the lodges that formed the first Grand Lodge in London in 1717, click here to find the grand lodge for your state or region. It also includes links to the historically African-American grand lodges of Prince Hall Freemasonry.

If you are female and are looking for information about feminine Freemasonry, click here. The organizations listed have a long history and tradition, and are not fly by night internet inventions.

And to read the very real story of the heroic Masons who founded Lodge Libertie Cherie behind the wire at Esterwegen concentration camp, see the English language translation on Wikipedia here. Cofield's attempts to steal that heritage from those men is beneath contempt.

---

There are certain folks who believe their own brand of Masonry is the only authentic variety in the world and everybody else is wrong, even if it is just seven deluded members marching around in their socks in somebody's living room. Cofield has duped a small number of people with his practical joke, but all lodges having anything to do with the "1613 Nation" should be considered bogus—if they exist at all. These include:

Lodge Morganrote -
Dortmund , Germany (Rectified Rite of Misraim)

Lodge Human Stone -
Tel Aviv, Israel (Rite of Schroeder)

Lodge Ptah -
Conyers, Georgia (Rite of Memphis)

Lodge Via Hermeticae -
Mexico City, D.F. (Memphis-Misraim & French Modern Rite)

Lodge Corazon- Mexico City, D.F. (National Mexican Rite)

Lodge Ojo de Horus -
Quinto, Ecuador (Memphis-Misraim)

Lodge Helios -
Johannesberg, South Africa (Memphis)

Lodge Hera-Pleasanton -
CA (Hellenic Rite)

Lodge Artemis -
Charlotte, NC (Hellenic Rite)

Lodge Demeter- Rogers -
AR (Hellenic Rite)

Lodge Star of Minerva's Dawn -
Quinto, Ecuador (Hellenic Rite)

Lodge of Nine Tears -
Miami, FL (Misraim)

Lodge Napoleon Bonaparte -
(Rite of Misraim)

Lodge John Yarker -
London, England (in formation) (Memphis-Misraim)

Lodge of the White Rose -
Washington D.C. (in formation) (Memphis Misraim)

----------------------
UPDATE

In October, Brad announced even more brand spankin' new, imaginary lodges, in ever farther-flung corners of the globe, proving he has enough gall to be divided into three parts:

Lodge of the Standing Skull (!)
Santa Cruz, Boliva

Lodge Even Hahamim
Jerusalem, Israel

Lodge Proletarius
Chicago, IL USA

Lodge Lux et Veritas
Phoenix , AZ USA

Lodge Romanov
Moscow, Russia

===============================
UPDATE

Updated known aliases of Brad Cofield on Facebook and other Masonic forums:

Raum Sariel
Frater Pyrrho
Soror Rose
Soror Agape
Frater Atrum Sapientiae
Sekhet Bast Ra
Ville Valo
Abd Class
Frater Ardor
Frater Oz
Frater Xavior
P. D. Black
Michelle Walker
Joshua Walker, aka "Hyperion"
Asmoday Remliel

In January 2011 he was finally tossed off of the "Masonic Forum of Light" for threatening to sexually assault a Freemason's wife. Not only was Cofield banned from that board which is open to even the fringiest of "Masonic" groups, but so was anyone else—real or invented—claiming to have any connection with the 1613 Nation.