Masonic blog roundup

Work, family, new friends, and a laid-back and lethargic laziness have kept me from posting on The Taper lately.

I must admit... last month some of you spoiled me by sending in your "This is Who I Am" essays, which gave me a chance to keep the blog fresh and current without me having to write anything.

I want to say a sincere "thank you veddy much" to all who participated in the "We All Shine On" get-to-know-you project last month. It's great learning more about Burning Taper readers.

The "This is Who I Am" project is ongoing — submissions are always welcome.

While I've been experiencing my writer's block, Chuckles the Clown's little rhyme has been running through my head, and it wouldn't stop until I posted it.

As Masons, we often do things in threes, consciously and subconsciously, and sometimes, perhaps, semi-consciously. "In Memory Of Chuckles the Clown" was the third in the short series of "In Memory Of..." articles. The first two were "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "In Memory of Eli Stafford."

Not having read any other blogs for the past week or so, I found today that three well-known Masonic bloggers had also featured clowns in their writings this week, thus confirming the pattern of Masonic threes, as well as giving further credence to the belief that all things are inter-connected. Bros. Tom Accuosti, Greg Stewart, and Chris Hodapp wrote about a new study that showed that clowns are universally hated and/or feared by children.

Now, perhaps, we can surmise the real truth behind the death of Chuckles.

There have been some exceptionally good and interesting posts recently on many Masonic blogs.

• Aude Vide Tace wonders how Shrine Clubs in his state get around the Grand Lodge of Kansas' ban on alcohol at all Masonic or Masonic-related functions.


• At Bailey's Buddies blog, they're getting up early to go out and worship Sun Gods, er, I mean, Sun Dogs.


• At Binyan Habayis, Bro. Isaac has noted how Freemasonry has unexpectedly helped many of us by providing opportunities to hone our skills in, and get over our fears of, public speaking. I know having served as Director of Masonic Education in my lodge, as well as reciting rituals, certainly helped me overcome any reticence I may have had about speaking in public.


• Bro. A.C. at Examined Life examines life by musing about his own spiritual faith and how he's moved from a God-with-a-long-white-beard view of the Universe to something more cosmically pantheistic.


• The Existential Cowboy takes a good look at Bro. J. Edgar Hoover's plans to abolish habeus corpus in America during his reign as head of the FBI, and poses some excellent questions about the disappearing right to habeus corpus in today's America.


• Bro. Hodapp at Freemasons for Dummies wrote about Syed Haris Ahmed, the Pakistani-born former Georgia Tech student who videotaped physical targets for al-Queda terrorists. The targets included the Masonic Temple in Washington, DC. Ahmed said that Freemasons are "like the devil."


• From Darkness to Light shines some light on Iranian Freemasonry.


• Bro. Brian of Grail Seekers tells you everything you want to know about Grail chalices from all over the world.


• Our friends at Homegrown Revolution tell us how to catch and eat a rat. I pray that's something none of us will ever have a need to do, but hey, it can't hurt to increase your survival skill set. Bon appetit!


• Bro. John pokes a stick at the press, asking why they investigate and report all sorts of odd things about presidential candidates, but refuse to report on their more irrational, i.e., religious beliefs.


• Bro. Osiris at the Kingdom of Conscience takes a bold look at black magick, gematria, King Solomon, and Freemasonry. Good to see him posting again after a prolonged absence.


• Masonic Crusade's Masonic crusade is maturing. The blog will soon begin a point-by-point discussion of the changes that were inspired by former Grand Master of West Virginia Haas and approved by the brethren of West Virginia, before they were overruled by later grand masters, one of whom expelled Bro. Haas from Masonry. Stay tuned.


• Masonic Minute has posted some great material lately. My favorite was the three-video series about astrotheology, a topic of great interest to me.


• Bro. Silence Dogood of The Middle Chamber gives us a glimpse inside his heart with "Why We Come to Lodge."


• British Bro. Ben of Middlesex-Fire explores the differences in the way Entered Apprentices wear their aprons and the differences between U.K. and U.S. Masonic funerals.


• Our brother at Movable Jewel tells us of the joys and the stresses of being installed as Junior Warden of his lodge and as Senior Warden of Connecticut's Philosophic Lodge of Research within a few days of each other.


• Reporter Sandy Frost tells of how she herself has been drawn into a 2006 lawsuit by the Shriners Hospitals for Children and The Imperial Council of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine of North America (aka the Shriners) in an attempt to silence her.


• Waking the Midnight Sun continues to bemuse and baffle me with tales of a day-glo chain-letter Jesus and pharmaceutical nightmares.


• The new blog Wisdom, Strength and a Beauty continues to impress me. Video of the Brazilian Capoeira — a fight, a dance, a game, a ritual — is stunning and mesmerizing.

The Masonic blogosphere is in good hands with these (and other) bloggers and writers.

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