The Grand Orient of the United States: Facts & Fictions

The Grand Orient of the United States: Facts & Fictions by Bro. Jeff Peace

There are many facts and fictions floating around the Internet regarding the new Grand Orient of the United States. Unfortunately, some brothers are simply striking out in fear against the new Masonic body because of what they read somewhere on the Internet. Others are simply speculating and drawing wild conclusions based on bits and pieces of information. I thought it would be helpful to provide some factual answers to the many questions being asked.

The Grand Orient of the United States is a part of the Traditional Cosmopolitan Masonic movement that began in Europe in the eighteenth century. It shares many things in common with Anglo-American Freemasonry but there are also significant differences between the two. Both forms of Freemasonry evolved out of the speculative Masonic movement that began in London, England in 1717.

Many Masons want to argue over which system mostly closely represents the original Freemasonry established in 1717. The answer to this question has eluded historians for almost two centuries because there is so little evidence available. Good arguments can be made for both sides but neither possesses enough evidence to convince modern university historians.

Others want to argue about whose Masonry is best. I think a better question to ask might be “which Masonry is best for whom?” It’s a similar case with Democrats and Republicans; people tend to side with the party that bests reflects their own ideas of what’s best. Unfortunately, American Masons haven’t had an alternative masculine Masonic obedience up until now.

The primary differences between Traditional Cosmopolitan and Anglo-American Freemasonry can best be summed-up in their perspective of the institution of Freemasonry itself. The Anglo-American Masons view Freemasonry as a religiously oriented fraternity dedicated to brotherly love, relief and truth. The Anglo-American Mason Albert Pike once stated that it was “the handmaid of religion.” The Traditional Cosmopolitan Masons perceive Freemasonry as a secular but spiritual fraternity dedicated to the Enlightenment principles of human liberty and equality resulting in the universal brotherhood of all mankind. This is expressed in their motto: “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.”

The oaths and obligation of the two groups are quite different as well. The Anglo-American tradition is to swear allegiance to the Grand Lodge and agree to its various rules. The Traditional Cosmopolitans are obligated to preserve human liberty and equality while striving for the universal brotherhood of mankind.

There are organizational differences between the two groups as well. The Anglo-American system is based on the election of a benevolent dictator (the Grand Master) who oversees the Craft for a specific term. The Lodges are represented at the annual meeting of the Grand Lodge and pass laws for the benefit of the Craft.

The Traditional Cosmopolitan system is governed by an Executive Board consisting of the Grand Officers. The Grand Master is the Chairman of the Board but cannot act without consensus of the Board. The Executive Board is elected by the Lodges to serve for specific terms (usually 1 or 2 years). The Lodges convene once a year to pass laws for the benefit of the Craft. There is also a “Supreme Court” in the Traditional Cosmopolitan system that has the power to pass judgments on Constitutional issues and to hear appeals related to Masonic trials.

Ritual-wise the Anglo-American system in America primarily utilizes various forms of the Preston-Webb ritual with a small number of lodges (less than 20) that utilize various forms of the Scottish Rite. The Traditional Cosmopolitan system practices a wide variety of rituals including the Modern Rite, Scottish Rite, and Emulation, just to name a few. All are held to together by an agreed upon universal recognition system.

The Anglo-American Masonic system is engaged in various charities and community projects. The Traditional Cosmopolitan system is engaged in human rights, environmental sustainability, scientific advancement, and issues that relate to freedom of speech and the press.

In regards to Masonic education the Anglo-American system utilizes a system of Research Lodges and their publications. In the Traditional Cosmopolitan system each lodge is a “research lodge” and all members are required to write both proficiency and research papers as a condition of membership.

The Anglo-American system does not recognize women as legitimate Freemasons. The Traditional Cosmopolitan system recognizes women as legitimate Freemasons and is divided into three distinct groupings: Masculine, Mixed-Gender, and Feminine. Each group is represented by its own Grand body and all are recognized and in amity with one another.

Thus far I have tried to cover the differences between the two systems to foster a better understanding of the differences between the two systems. Now, I would like to focus specifically on the Grand Orient of the United States.

The Grand Orient of the United States was started by progressive Anglo-American Masons that had many ideological and moral objections to the Anglo-American Masonic institution. They found themselves more ideologically and philosophically aligned with the Traditional Cosmopolitan system of the Grand Orient of France. After forming a new Grand Orient they approached the Grand Orient of France for recognition and a treaty of amity. This was granted on June 27, 2008, and the Grand Orient of France gave them Patents for the various Rites and degrees of Traditional Cosmopolitan Freemasonry.

The Grand Orients of France and the United States are masculine Masonic obediences that initiate men into Freemasonry, but their lodges are open to both men and women from both mixed-gender and feminine lodges. This is a reflection not only of their progressive nature, but of their commitment to equality among all human beings. It also recognizes the need for people to be able to form groups (lodges) based on their own social needs.

The Grand Orient of the United States is still in its infancy and is a small organization when compared with its Anglo-American counterparts, but it is becoming actively engaged in the community and the world. Its members are discovering ways by which they can contribute to the betterment of humanity around the globe. Some examples of this include participating in the BOINC computer sharing project sponsored by the university at Berkeley and the National Science Foundation, along with support for NOVA, Amnesty International, the Nature Conservancy, and LinkTV. These organizations reflect the ideology and philosophy of the Grand Orient, and were selected by its lodges.

Obviously the new organization won’t be contributing a million dollars to any of these organizations this year, but these organizations need the help and support of people who believe in what they are trying to accomplish. By helping them the Grand Orient furthers the cause of Universal Masonry.

Some have accused the Grand Orient of being overly secular or atheistic. This simply isn’t true. While every member is afforded absolute freedom of conscience as it relates to religious and spiritual matters, this is not indicative of the promotion of atheism. The Grand Orient is open to men regardless of their beliefs about god and religion so long as they are good moral men. It focuses on the character of the man, not his personal beliefs. The vast majority of Grand Orient Masons are religious men but they exercise tolerance in not judging the beliefs of others.

In conclusion, American Masons now have the ability to choose a form of Freemasonry that most closely indentifies with their own personal values. Both systems were born out of the same speculative Freemasonry than began in 1717, and both seek to better the individual as well as society. Neither system is perfect nor will it ever be, but both strive for perfection. The future of American Masonry will be built through diversity, tolerance and understanding. It is much like America itself with a growing diversity of cultures and people all working together to form one great union.

— Jeff Peace

Masons | Masonic Trial | Grand Orient of the United States of America | Freemasonry | Jeff Peace | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

A brotherhood without boundaries

A Brotherhood without Boundaries by Bro. Jeff Peace

I had the distinct honor and pleasure of sitting with the brothers of Lafayette Lodge No. 89 [in Bethesda, Maryland] of the Grand Orient of France this past weekend, and meeting with many brothers and sisters from around globe. There were a number of different obediences in attendance, all wearing the respective regalia of their orders. I couldn’t help but think about Free-Masonry in much broader terms than I had in the past. In this lodge Free-Masonry existed without any boundaries; all were accepted and equal. The warm spirit of fraternal camaraderie was everywhere apparent.

The Grand Orient of France’s perspective of Free-Masonry is very different from that of the American Grand Lodges to which I was accustomed. They try to be a unifying force within the fraternity by bringing diverse groups of Masons together for the benefit of all Free-Masonry.

In the past I had always felt there was something wrong with labeling other people as “irregular” or “clandestine”, but at the time this concept was purely philosophical and theoretical to me. When you say that someone is “irregular” it is akin to claiming that they are illegitimate or a bastard. “Clandestine” implies that they are working to accomplish something nefarious in secret. There is simply no way to morally justify the use of these egregious and alienating terms when it comes to brothers and sisters of the greater Craft throughout the world. Anyone using these terms to define or describe good and honorable Masons is not themselves worthy of being called a Mason.

It is now clear to me that there is no such thing as the “mainstream” Craft. The idea that the Craft is divided is an illusion created by those who wish to separate and divide Masonry into opposing factions. These are not the actions of people who understand the meaning of tolerance or fraternity, but of those who wish to replace brotherly love with fear and misunderstanding.

There are many groups of Free-Masons throughout the world who share the same goals but have spent years struggling over the nature of the “Landmarks” of the Craft. My brothers and sisters THERE ARE NO SUCH THINGS AS ANCIENT LANDMARKS. Bro. Anderson mentions the existence of “Ancient Landmarks” in his Constitutions of 1723, but he never said what they were. Fighting among ourselves over what some believe to be Ancient Landmarks is a waste of both time and energy. We need to get past this kind of thinking and begin working together for the common good of the Craft and humanity.

I am appealing to all Masons (brothers and sisters alike), and to their respective Grand Lodges, to begin the process of thinking outside the box that we have created around ourselves, and to seek amelioration among all Masons. We must find a way for all Masons to work together while allowing them the freedom to continue with their unique obediences. There is a real need for male lodges, female lodges and mixed gender lodges. People need to have the freedom to work in the ways in which they are most comfortable and confident. One size or shape does not fit all, nor will it ever.

The present path of mutually assured destruction is not in the best interest of Free-Masonry or Free-Masons. It doesn’t have to be this way because we can choose a more positive path of mutual cooperation and assistance that will lead to a new era of Masonic leadership in our communities and the world. We need to have a vision of a brother/sisterhood without boundaries; one where all Masons work together in peace and harmony.

— Bro. Jeff Peace

The Burning Taper welcomes articles of interest from all Freemasons. You may submit your articles for publication to us via email.

Masons | Masonic Brotherhood | Jeff Peace | Freemasonry | Lafayette Lodge No. 89 | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

We all shine on: Jeff Peace

Longtime Freemason Bro. Jeff Peace tells us about himself in this our 16th glimpse into the lives of our readers in the series "This is Who I Am." Thanks for writing, Bro. Peace.

I was entered into the brotherhood of Free-Masons on August 3rd of 1987 after having Petitioned my father and grandfather’s lodge on my 21st birthday three months earlier. The Masonic Temple was a rather stately old building with a limestone façade. It was a little worse for the wear but still quite serviceable. To me it was a magical placed filled with all sorts of secrets awaiting discovery. It had trap doors in the floor and a large walk-in vault filled with books, files and papers.

I memorized the first catechism after sitting with the Master of the lodge three or four times and was then passed to the degree of Fellow-Craft. In March of the following year I was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason and was immediately put in the position of Senior Deacon. Sadly, my mother lodge’s membership had declined to the point that only Past Masters filled the chairs. Within a few months I was promoted to Junior Warden and performed the first degree on a new candidate.

At the next reunion of the Scottish Rite I received my 32nd degree. It was a unique and confusing experience. The day began around 7 A.M. and lasted until 8 P.M.. I had expected the degrees to be similar to what I had witnessed in my lodge but they were very different. I remember the darkness of the fourth degree coming as quite a shock. This experience left me filled with curiosity.

I was attending the university when I became a Mason and started searching through the library for books about Free-Masonry. Unfortunately, the university had few books on the subject. I then discovered that the Scottish Rite had a large Masonic library, and I began borrowing large quantities of books. The books left me asking even more questions to which no one seemed to have any answers.

My senior term paper was about the history of Free-Masonry. Looking back at this paper today I realize how weak my understanding of the subject had been.

Upon graduating from school I took a job with a company in Texas and moved away from my mother lodge. I joined a lodge in Texas but never attended. I spent most of my time reading and researching. Eventually I moved to Georgia and became active in a local lodge serving as Secretary. As I visited other lodges I began to realize that membership in the fraternity was declining rapidly. There had been about ninety brothers at my Scottish Rite reunion but Atlanta was lucky to get thirty.

I began thinking more seriously about the problem and started speaking with other younger brothers about it. We all felt the same: lodge meetings were boring, Scottish Rite meetings were even more boring, and the Knights Templar was similar to attending a funeral. Making changes to anything within the system was difficult and usually resulted in someone saying “we’ve always done it this way!”

The lodge I had been attending was very old-fashioned so I moved my membership closer to the city and a more progressive lodge. Sandy Springs Lodge was a truly inspirational Masonic experience. It gave me hope in the future of the Craft in Georgia. Here was a group of older brothers who saw the need for change and were willing to work with the younger members to make Masonry enjoyable for all.

At this time I was also a member of the Scottish Rite Membership Committee and was traveling around to all of the Districts with Grand Master Simmons giving talks and PowerPoint presentations about membership and lodge management. The Grand Master has asked me if I would give these talks in hopes that some of the lodges would see the wisdom in what I had to say about the different wants and needs of older and younger brothers. I felt these were quite productive because afterwards I would spend hours talking to the lodge Masters that had attended. It was clear that they were equally concerned but didn’t know how to help resolve the problems.

As a result of these presentations I was invited to a couple of lodges that were in serious financial trouble. I remember the lodge down at Griffin, GA specifically because of how many brothers showed up for the meeting. We didn’t even meet in the lodge room but the dining hall. It was a mixed group of older and younger brothers who truly wanted to save their lodge but had trouble agreeing on the proper course of action. After a few hours of discussing the issues and getting everyone to open-up and reveal their thoughts, they all realized the same thing: they would have to raise the dues and make changes in the way they ran the lodge. I spoke with the Past Master who had invited me to the lodge a few years later and he was very happy with the progress they had made. They were no longer going out of business but growing.

I met with the Scottish Rite Membership Committee weekly but we never really accomplished anything. Everything we presented to the Personal Representative of the S.G.I.G. was dismissed out of hand but we continued to meet anyways. Eventually, I grew frustrated with this and suggested that we write a detailed report showing the impact of membership decline on the finances of the Valley, along with a detailed plan of renewal. This took several weeks of hard work. We began by getting a list of all the members who had been suspended for non=payment of dues over the past ten years. Each of the were contacted by letter. Roughly 1/3 of the letters were returned as non-deliverable so I started searching through the phone records at AT&T. In the end I was able to contact about 80% of them. Next we gathered the statistical data and created pie charts and graphs predicting the impact of continued decline on the finances of the valley. In the end we came up with a “magic” number; when the membership dropped to this level a death spiral would begin. The magic number indicated the point at which dues would rise to over $100 per year in order to balance the budget.

This lengthy document met with no better results. Unfortunately, the predictions it contained have come true.

Back at Sandy Springs things were progressing rapidly. The lodge building was being renovated by the brothers and we installed a new JBL sound system along with a digital projector as a part of the effort. After much debate it was decided to put in a black and white tiled marble floor in the lodge room. Pride in the lodge and Free-Masonry was beginning to blossom.

For all of my efforts I was offered membership in the Royal Order of Scotland. I felt honored by this but not truly worthy. While I had worked very hard there was so little to show for it. It was like running up a sand dune; one step forward, tow steps back.

While all this was going on I was working with brothers across the country on a radical new idea. This has been discussed with the Grand Master who felt that the idea could work. We would create a new appendant body that was designed to help get and retain Generation-X Masons. It would be a lodge-oriented body that would help local lodges. After two years of research we created the Rite of the Rose Cross of Gold (RRCG) and began testing it at Sandy Springs. Within a few months we had doubled the number of young Masons at the lodge and I showed the results to the Grand Master.

The following year Bro. Brian Roper was elected as the leader of the Rite and he petitioned the Grand Lodge of Georgia for official recognition. Unfortunately, this was met with obfuscation and ultimately resulted in all of us being expelled without charges or even a trial.

While this was not the most positive thing that could have happened, it was not the worst either. This provided me with the opportunity to explore other forms of Free-Masonry around the globe. It was then that I discovered Grand Orient of France. They were far more progressive and open to new ideas than the American Grand Lodges. I began serious discussions with them about the possibility of the creating a new Grand Orient in the United States and eventually we began working on the Grand Orient of the United States.

Creating a new Grand Orient has kept my occupied for the last couple of years but the results have been very rewarding. I don’t know what the future holds for me in Free-Masonry but I’m sure that it will be equally exciting as the past.

— Bro. Jeff Peace

You are invited to tell the Masonic world about yourself. To submit your own "This is Who I Am" essay, please read this.

Masons | Jeff Peace | This is Who I Am | Freemasonry | We All Shine On | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Guest editorial: Who made who?

Who Made Who? by Bro. Jeff Peace

When was your lodge charted by the Grand Lodge of your jurisdiction? It may have been relatively recently or it could have been hundreds of years ago. Masons petition a Grand Lodge to form and charter new lodges, and that’s the way it's always been — or is it?

In the days of the operatives lodges were formed in the towns and cities for the purpose of managing the trade guild and negotiating wages. In a sense lodges were similar to the present day union hall. Sometimes lodges would be established at large construction sites such as cathedrals and forts for similar purposes. Their "union card" was the secret modes of recognition.

Lodges were self-creating business entities that represented the craftsman and were charted by state and/or local officials.

Grand Lodges were not things or places but events called by the monarch to bring all the Masters of the Craft together for the purpose of discussion and negotiation.

By the late seventeenth century the Masonic guild was in decline and they began accepting "gentleman Masons" into their lodges. The gentleman Masons were not craftsman but middle class businessmen and scholars.

In 1717 a unique event occurred when three of these lodges decided to form a Grand Lodge without consent of the monarch for the purpose of meeting and holding an annual feast. This is of interest because the lodges were entirely independent and sovereign. They created the Grand Lodge, and not the other way around.

They invited other independent and sovereign lodges to join their new Grand Lodge. Some did while others did not become a part of it. The Sts' Johns Masons flatly declined and the Masons at York decided to establish their own Grand Lodge.

Independent lodges continued to exist apart from the Grand Lodges until late in the eighteenth century.

As Freemasonry moved from being a practical trade guild into a benevolent speculative fraternity a method was established for the creation of new lodges whereby the Grand Lodges became the issuers of charters and not the government. It was in this way that Grand Lodge became the creator and lost sight of the fact that it was in fact a creation of the lodges.

The present monolithic system of Masonic government is the exact opposite of what the original founding lodges had intended. If we are to reform Freemasonry in the 21st century we need to begin by recognizing that the lodges are sovereign, and that the Grand Lodge serves the lodges. The Grand Master is not a benevolent dictator, but a servant of the Craft.

Masons still have the right to form independent lodges. These lodges are not clandestine or irregular. The whole concept of being clandestine and/or irregular was invented during the dispute between the Moderns and the Antients in England. It was a childish name-calling game then as much as it is now.

We need more independent lodges offering new and unique insights into Freemasonry. They may choose to form new Grand Lodges based on their ideas. This is the same as it was in 1717. The most important thing is not the survival of the present Grand Lodges, but the continuation of the Craft.

— Bro. Jeff Peace

Masons | Masonic History | Grand Lodges | Freemasonry | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Bro. Jeff Peace responds to Bro. Theron Dunn's 'Masonic Malcontents?' article

"Nobody got anywhere in the world by simply being content." — Louis L'Amour

Bro. Theron Dunn recently posted to his blog a piece called Masonic Malcontents?.

Below is Bro. Jeff Peace's response to Bro. Dunn's article.

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Masonic Malcontents: Another Perspective

Bro. Theron Dunn has such a wonderful way of bending both reality and the truth to meet his own needs. After reading his essay Masonic Malcontents? I felt compelled to respond with a more realistic perspective.

Let's take a look at what he says in light of reality and the facts. Theron begins by saying "These brothers seem to feel that if only freemasonry would change, lock, stock and barrel to THEIR vision, that everything would be cool beans and freemasonry would grow."

I have to question this statement in relationship to the reality unfolding in American Freemasonry. The "malcontents" have not asked for any changes. They simply quit American Freemasonry to pursue their own interests. Based on the actual events that have taken place they would appear to have little, if any, concern with the old system. The argument that they are demanding change is simply without merit.

In his second paragraph he states: "The Problem is, their 'suggestions' for change
involve throwing away pretty much everything that makes Freemasonry, well, Masonic. This includes the Grand Lodge system, the lodges, the ritual, the tenets, how we meet, who we recognize... if all their plans were implemented, we would be something else, but not freemasonry."

While many of the "malcontents" have complained about the heavy handedness of the grand lodges, nowhere have I seen them call for an overall change to Freemasonry. Since each jurisdiction has its own unique rituals, and they change these from time to time (many were drastically changed in the 1920's and the Scottish Rite just re-wrote all of its rituals), the idea that the "malcontents" are calling for changes to the rituals is ridiculous. Nowhere have they said anything about changing the "tenets," or how lodges meet. They have, however, openly complained about the use of recognition to further racism in the southern United States. I feel this is justifiable on moral grounds, and that most of the modern world would agree with the "malcontents" on this issue.

They go on constantly about Grand Lodges being "monolithic" and "unresponsive." One of these brothers even recently wrote: "Monolithic systems such as Grand Lodges are well suited for mass production operations where everything is the same, but poorly suited to address individual needs. This, I believe, is the true nature of the problem. It's not about the needs of the ego but the spirit of the human being."

The problem is, this is incorrect, a sand foundation for all proceeding arguments, and in itself an ego driven position. These few brothers, and by few I mean less than a hundred (though they are quite vocal) out of, what, 4 million plus Freemasons worldwide, seem to hold the position that they are not bound by their obligation to Freemasonry, that they do not have to work within the system to effect change.

Theron shames himself in the above paragraphs by not revealing the whole truth, and only the part he wants his reader to believe. He claims that it's just a few brothers when he has no idea how many have been alienated by the existing system. He also twists the numerical statistics to meet the needs of his straw argument. The present situation is isolated to American Masonry and not the global fraternity of four million. Therefore, we are speaking of about two million Masons. Of these two million American Masons about 98% have not set foot in a lodge in the past twenty years and have no idea what's taking place in their lodges or Grand Lodge. To claim that two million American Masons agree that the present status quo represents their views is a rhetorical fabrication. Of the forty thousand that are actively involved in the fraternity about 30% of those are unsatisfied with the present system. This represents about twelve thousand dissatisfied active Masons.

Ego is the prime cause of this problem, and others like it. In masonic ritual, we are taught that we were first PREPARED to be made a mason in our hearts, then taught to circumscribe our desires, and "wait a time with patience." A lack of patience, and an over riding ego are the prime cause of these types of actions.

Is "ego" the real driving force in these events? Yes, but not in the way Theron would have us believe. When a Grand Master issues an edict or demand is it by its very nature unquestionable. Is it unreasonable for those affected by such edicts and demands to ask for the reasons and justifications behind them? Should Freemasons, as enlightened men, blindly follow the dictates of one man without reasonable justification? Past precedence has shown that asking for reasonable justifications is met with a heavy handedness by Grand Masters that includes threats and actions of suspension, expulsion, etc. designed to compel a blind submission to his whims and desires. So whose ego is truly driving the problem: that of the common blue lodge Mason or the Grand Master?

Theron even agrees on this point when he says: "If one cannot convince the majority of the correctness of his belief, then it strikes me as the height of chutzpah, ego and hubris...." The same applies to the actions of the Grand Master in regards to lodges and individual brothers. In the case of the Grand Masters they don’t even bother to try and convince anyone of the rightness of their actions or demands. They offer no reasonable justification at all, just "do what I say or else!" Again, I have to ask where is the real source of the ego problem: the Grand Master or the common brother?

With the RARE exceptions noted above, the universal experience has been one of friendship, support, study, contemplation, charity and brotherhood.

I would have to disagree with this statement based on the statistical data. If American Freemasonry were truly dedicated to "Friendship, support, study, contemplation, charity, and brotherhood." its lodges would be filled to overflowing at each meeting. Since 98% of the brethren haven’t attended in over twenty years it follows that it must not be the Utopia Theron would have us believe.

While Theron focuses on arguments of ego and malcontents American Freemasonry
continues its downward spiral into oblivion. Perhaps men like Theron could accomplish more if they focused on solving the problems that breed malcontent such as the egos of Grand Masters and other Masonic leaders.

— Jeff Peace

Masons | Jeff Peace | Theron Dunn | Freemasonry | Masonic Malcontents | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Guest editorial: 'Halcyon Lodge: Moving Freemasonry Forward'

The Burning Taper welcomes guest editorials, essays and papers from Masons and non-Masons. If you have a paper or editorial you'd like to see published here, please send it to us either as a simple text message in email or as a Word document attachment. Please send only your own work, not someone else's. By submitting it you are granting us the right to publish it. If we use it, it will be published as is, in its entirety, though we reserve the right to edit it for spelling, punctuation, clarity and/or grammar. Your only renumeration will be our thanks.

Halcyon Lodge: Moving Freemasonry Forward by Bro. Jeff Peace

It's September and, after being dark for the summer, Halcyon Lodge No. 498 had its first meeting of the season last night where Wor. Bro. Ken Miller laid out our vision of the future. His talk was the culmination of years of planning and strategizing what is today Halcyon Lodge No. 498. Our new web site and discussion forums were brought online to coordinate with this event to reveal to the Masonic world our vision of the future of American Freemasonry.

Halcyon Lodge No. 498 is not your ordinary Masonic lodge composed of local Masons. It is the result of the combined efforts of brothers from across the United States that have worked quietly together over the past several years to turn our dreams into reality. It is my pleasure to share with our brothers from around the world the results of our labors.

Our new web site is now online and provides a look at our lodge and the events that take place there. Here you will discover photographs of our temple building, online Masonic education, and information about our charity that aids inner city youth.

We are firmly committed to continuing Masonic education and have also developed our own online Masonic discussion forums that are open to Masons and non-Masons alike. We have also purchased a large Masonic library from a private collector, and will be making this available to our members and researchers.

The degree mill pace that we believe plagues the Craft today has come to an end at Halcyon. Our candidates will receive the degrees in a slow progression over time, and be required to write papers in demonstration of their knowledge of Freemasonry. The West Gate will now be closed to all except those truly found worthy of becoming a part of our ancient brotherhood.

We are reducing the number of business meetings to a minimum in favor of educational and convivial activities for our members. Moving forward we will be focusing on building the true spirit of brotherhood among Masons and engaging in activities that promote this.

Membership in appendant bodies should be openly discouraged. For years these groups have acted like leeches sucking away our leaders and energy. Starting today Freemasonry is returning to the Blue Lodge where it belongs. Any further light they may have been able to provide will now be available through our library and lodge education.

We feel these changes and others are necessary for the future viability of Halcyon, and that they may benefit other lodges as well. It's time Freemasons quit chasing their tails and begin charting a course into the future. Halcyon has begun this process and looks forward to working with other lodges to help them achieve their goals as well.

If you or your lodge would like to work with Halcyon we can be contacted through the form on our web site, or you can join our online discussion forums.

Let today be the day that we begin to build the future of Freemasonry in the United States and a revival of the true brotherhood of Freemasons everywhere.

— Jeff Peace, Halcyon Lodge No. 498, Cleveland

Masons | Halcyon Lodge No. 498 | Jeff Peace | Freemasonry | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Guest editorial: Rebuilding lodges

Rebuilding Lodges by Bro. Jeff Peace

American Freemasonry began to decline back in 1963. Since that time the number of Masons in America has dropped to less than fifty percent of what it once was.

The number of brothers is not the only thing that has declined over time so have the lodge buildings. Most Masonic lodges in the United States have seen little if any maintenance or renovation since the 1960’s. Freemasons are supposedly builders and architects, and our buildings are our face to the community. What does it say about us as a fraternity when our buildings are in such a state of disrepair?

Maybe the buildings are just a symptom of deeper problems — problems that go right to the core of our fraternity. Maybe our buildings are a reflection of the true state of our brotherhood.

Have we forgotten what Freemasonry is all about — what it really means? Today we have books like Freemasons for Dummies by Chris Hodapp and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Freemasonry by Brent Morris. Who is buying these books? Freemasons. Are we so ignorant of our fraternity that we need a guide for dummies and idiots to teach us what we are already supposed to know?

When a young man joins one of our lodges he expects that Master Masons are "Masters" of their Craft and can take him from being an apprentice to a master through education and participation. If he sees us thumbing through books for dummies and idiots what kind of impression do you think he will have of Freemasonry? He paid his initiation fee to a lodge and expected to learn something about the Craft from its supposed Masters.

What exactly is a "Traditional Observance Lodge"? Isn’t Freemasonry a tradition that's over 400 years old? Why do we need Traditional Observance Lodges when supposedly every Masonic lodge is a part of that 400 year tradition? There is nothing special about these lodges! They are merely doing what every other lodge has forgotten how to do. We have lost so much of our Masonic heritage that we have a special name for lodges that do what was common place a hundred years ago.

Then there is the poor state of our brotherhood. We are no longer held together as brothers by such things as honor, trust, and mutual respect. We have replaced these things with thousands of rules written in Masonic Code books. The rules are so complex that we have been forced to create jurisprudence committees to maintain and interpret them for us. Ours is no longer an enlightened brotherhood of free-thinkers such as Benjamin Franklin and Voltaire, but a group of automatons blindly conforming to rules regardless of their moral consequences. We are not taught to think as individuals working towards a greater good, but that conformity in some magical way accomplishes this without any effort on our part.

Is it really any wonder why the public and the community have lost their faith in our fraternity? Is it a mystery to anyone why we are declining?

We need to start rebuilding our lodges today. It needs to begin with a true spirit of brotherhood and cooperation. We need to realize that rules do not make us brothers and that honor, trust, and mutual respect are the things that bind us together. We need to learn our Craft and once again become true Masters of the Royal Art so that we can pass on our age-old traditions to future generations. Grand Lodges cannot mandate by edict that we be brothers and it have any real substance or meaning. It must begin in each and every individual lodge across America. If Freemasonry dies it is our fault for not taking responsibility for our own lodge and expecting our Grand Lodge to solve all our problems for us.

— Bro. Jeff Peace

Masons | Traditional Observance | Jeff Peace | Freemasonry | Masonic Lodge | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

The Ghosts of Halcyon Lodge No. 498

In what can only be called a moment of synchronicity, just as I hitting SAVE on the previous story about Masonic funerals and death, Bro. Jeff Peace was clicking SEND to email me this Masonic ghost story.

— W.S.

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The Ghosts of Halcyon Lodge No. 498 by Bro. Jeff Peace

I’ve been thinking about what happened to me for some time now and only recently did I summon up the courage to ask some questions of the other members of the lodge. Anyone who knows me will tell you I tend to be a scientific material reductionist and put little stock in wild and mysterious tales. A ghost story is just that — a story. Tales of ghosts and phantasms are the stuff of childhood imagination and not the product of reason or science. Right?

Bro. Brian and I arrived at Halcyon Lodge around 11:30 PM on a Friday night after driving all day from Atlanta. Several brothers were still hanging around the lodge and they wanted to give us a tour. We all stood outside the building and chatted for awhile. It was a warm spring evening in Cleveland and the weather was perfect. Eventually we made our way into the building and the first thing I noticed was a sudden drop in temperature. I’m not talking about a few degrees but maybe twenty or so. The temperature outside was around seventy but the temperature inside couldn’t have been more than fifty degrees. Even with my leather motorcycle jacket on it was too cold to be comfortable.

Halcyon is an imposing building that resembles a Greek temple. It has high ceilings and the passages from one area to the next are tiled and the echo of footsteps are everywhere at once. We walked around inside the building for about an hour and were duly impressed by the grandeur of the building. Then we headed off to the hotel to get some sleep.

The next morning we met everyone for breakfast at a local restaurant, and then headed back to the lodge to prepare for the talk I would be giving a few hours later. Once we got everything setup it was still early and I had about an hour to wander around before people would start arriving for the lecture.

I walked down one of the corridors that ended with two doors and opened one of them. It led into a room filled with storage lockers. Across the tops of the lockers were Knight Templar hats in a perfect line, as if waiting for their long lost owners to return. I popped open one of the lockers and there inside was a uniform, covered with dust, and next to it a sword. I was beginning to see that Halcyon was like a time capsule, where time stood still. Looking across the room I saw a copy of the Ark of the Covenant and went over to inspect it more closely. It was then that I heard a loud bang just above my head. I looked up and there on the shelves was a wooden box with a door that opened towards the front of the shelves. The door had apparently fallen open due to my movement in the room. I peered inside the box and saw a smaller box inside of it. I reached out and picked up the box. It was very ornate with beautiful carvings and inlaid mother of pearl. I opened the box and inside was a set of the most elegant working tools I had ever seen.

I reached around and opened one of the lockers and pulled out an old shirt and began cleaning the dust from the box and tools. It was then that I heard someone say “brother.” I yelled back, “I’m in the locker room” but no one replied. I sat the tool box down and walked out in the hallway but there was no one there. So I headed down to the TV room and saw everyone engrossed in a game on TV. I asked if they were looking for me and everyone just shook their heads and kept watching the game.

I then went back upstairs to retrieve the working tools but they were gone. I looked up on the shelf and the big box was closed. I reached up and opened it and there was the box of working tools!

I didn’t mention my experience to anyone because I thought there must be a logical explanation for what had happened. Then about a month ago I was talking on the phone with Bro. Tom and I asked him if anything weird ever happened around the lodge. He laughed and said “you mean creepy?” He then begin to tell me about how almost everyone had experienced strange things while in the building: voices, footsteps, things moving from one place to another, etc.

I had begun doing some research on the building and the lodge for a presentation I am giving later this year on the history of Halcyon. This lodge has a truly fascinating history and the present building was not the original building used by the lodge. The original building had stood a few blocks away and had been destroyed by a tornado in the 1920’s. Oddly enough the new building wasn’t completed until 1931, yet it was apparent that money had never been an issue for this lodge. The present building is palatial.

I discovered that the present building sat on real estate that had been owned by the Masons since the founding of Cleveland. Up until the time Halcyon built its new building, an apartment building had stood on the site. I pulled up a map of Cleveland to look at the streets and here is what I saw:



Image: Halcyon Lodge No. 498, Ohio City (Cleveland), Ohio

Masons | Masonic History | Halcyon Lodge No. 498 | Freemasonry | Ghosts | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

The Ancient Landmarks revisited, part 2: How Freemasonry lost its way

The Ancient Landmarks Revisited, part 2: How Freemasonry Lost Its Way, by Bro. Jeff Peace

In Part 1 of this paper I asserted that the Ancient Landmarks were based around the common definitions of Freemasonry from the early eighteenth century.

1. Freemasonry is a peculiar system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.
2. Freemasonry is dedicated to the brotherhood of man under the All-Seeing Eye of Deity.
3. Freemasonry is a progressive science.
4. Freemasonry is a natural philosophy, or system of natural philosophy.

If there ever was a document listing the Ancient Landmarks it is now lost, but we do have the old definitions, and when put together with historical events, I believe we can still come to an understanding of the guiding principles of the original Speculative Freemasons.

We know from existing historical documents the nature of the men who called themselves “Freemasons” and what they were doing both inside and outside the Craft. Since it is human nature to join together with men like your self we can safely assume that some common thread of interests must run through all of these people. I believe that common thread of interest is both spelled-out and veiled by the definitions above.

History would suggest that these men were bonded together by a peculiar or unique system of guiding moral principles that were distinct from those of the common people of the eighteenth century. And, that these moral principles were conducive to joining all people together in peace and harmony into one great brotherhood. Since religion and divine revelation were the framework of morality at the time it is clear that such an ideology would have met stiff resistance from both church and state; thus, the need for absolute secrecy in lodges. In light of this the grisly oaths and obligations begin to make perfect sense.

This new morality is evolving at a time when the Catholic Church in Europe had been weakened by both political and philosophical changes within society, and advancements in science and understanding. During the Middle Ages the church had become tyrannical, and questioning its authority or ideology was a death sentence to those courageous enough to do so. Galileo Galilei and Giordano Bruno are examples of this behavior. Modern free-thinkers had finally come to realize that divinely revealed systems of morality were incompatible with the advancement of humanity, and that too many people had needlessly died defending one religion from another during the Crusades. Thus, the unique system of morality proposed by the early Freemasons was entirely devoid of religion and instead based on Natural Philosophy. Unlike religious morality the new system would be adaptable to advancements in human understanding and open to a progressive science, thus ensuring that the Galileos of the future would not be silenced for their ideas. This is the dawning of what will become known as "The Age of Enlightenment" and it will be driven by the Light given to mankind by Freemasons.

What were these early brothers really like? What did they do in lodge? Were they really a society of mystics searching for some lost inner truth, or were they a product of the changing times in Europe? By gaining an understanding of this we can better comprehend the true nature of Speculative Freemasonry.

The earliest Speculative Freemasons came from a wide variety of backgrounds. Most were protestants, some devout and others barely religious. There were Pantheists, Atheists, Gnostics, Jews; men of every religious and non-religious persuasion joined the Craft. Most were from the growing middle class, and some were a part of the old aristocracy.

From the minutes of old lodge meetings we learn that Bro. John T. Desaguliers was teaching Newton’s Calculus and the Laws of Motion at their meetings. A brother who was a doctor brought a corpse to lodge and dissected it showing the brothers how the human body worked. From the periodicals of the time we learn that the early Freemasons were the ultimate party club of the eighteenth century. They were notorious for staying up to all hours of the morning drinking and singing. Tavern owners began to hate them for breaking all the glasses. Eventually super thick and difficult to break glasses were created just for the Freemasons. These were known as "firing glasses." On one noted occasion the Freemasons of Savannah, after a night of drinking, commandeered one of the king’s gun boats and took it for a cruise around the harbor. The idea of them being humble introspective mystics just doesn’t seem to fit with the history. If anything they appear to be rebelling against the rigid customs of society and enjoying the freedom of the human spirit.

The early Freemasons were also prolific underground printers circulating various heretical and revolutionary tracts throughout Europe like the "Treatise of the Three Impostures." In a sense they were the first political activists who spawned many of the revolutionary ideas that would help to form both modern Europe and America.

Within sixty years of the founding of the Grand Lodge of London in 1717 Masonic ideology will have pervaded most of Europe and crossed the Atlantic to America. On July 4, 1776 it will move from a “Speculative Art” to an Operative one.

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them...." — The Declaration of Independence

In the very opening words of the American Declaration of Independence we see traces of Masonic ideology. It does not make an appeal to any religious God, but to "the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God." The new world and its laws will not be based on the divinely inspired decrees of pontiffs and priests, but upon the principles of Natural Philosophy. Masonic lodges were democratic in operation as would be the new nation. The Masonic idea of tolerance as the cement of brotherhood will be applied in the American government which protects the freedom of religion.

If you step back and look objectively at the Freemasonry in America today does it resemble that of the past? Were George Washington and Benjamin Franklin humble introspective mystics? Was Freemasonry about self-discovery or the advancement of all of humanity? Perhaps it was a little of both?

— Bro. Jeff Peace
June 7, 2007, Atlanta, Georgia

Masons | Masonic Education | Jeff Peace | Freemasonry | Ancient Landmarks | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Widow's Son responds to the Drama King

Bro. Ed King has made an online career the past eight or nine years of debunking anti-Masons and "fake" Masons. Once upon a time I considered Bro. Ed King's MasonicInfo.com a credible source of Masonic history and information. I recall it being one of the first Masonic sites I came across years ago when I became interested in Freemasonry.

Bro. King has created a large database of information, not only on Masonic heroes and Masonic history, but also anti-Masonic fundamentalists, evangelicals, and conspiracy kooks. His site is a great source of information.

But if you think that I sometimes color news and Masonic goings-on with my personal opinions, you ain't seen nothing. Lately, in almost everything he writes, Bro. Ed's anger and hostility seethes, especially at those he considers "fake Masons."

I had to laugh when I read the latest posts on his "what's new" page. He's found a new target to hate: me.

I've never met Bro. King, nor corresponded with him in any manner. As far as I know, he's never posted any comments on the Burning Taper, at least not under his name.

Several months after the fact, he has attacked me for my articles about the NASCAR-Scottish Rite deal and subsequent falling-out with promoter Frank Cicci and driver Bro. Brian Conz.

Bro. King calls me a "xenophobic racist." I don't understand the racist part at all. I'm as much a Southern white boy as any NASCAR fan. Maybe whiter, and maybe more southern.

Being called xenophobic I understand even less. Xenophobic means "an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange." I have many Masonic friends outside the United States, so I'm cool with foreigners, and if you've read any of my posts about Eris, Robert Anton Wilson or Ron Bonds, you know I'm on a first-name basis with Strange. Need more proof? I've been friends with Grouchogandhi for over 20 years, and I've even met this guy two or three times. I've got Strange covered.

Apparently Bro. King has had a personal problem with Bro. Jeff Peace for quite a few years, resenting Bro. Jeff's Masonic activism. Because I've posted many of Bro. Jeff's articles, as well as my own articles expressing support of his and other brothers' right to have formed the RRCG and the United Grand Lodge of America, Bro. Ed feels justified in describing me as a "pretend-Mason," someone "who claims to be a 'Master Mason' but is, in reality, tied with the fake Masonry of the United Grand Lodge of America."

I assure you, Bro. Ed, I have a valid, paid-up dues card from a recognized grand lodge in my wallet, and will continue to have one unless my grand lodge chases me down with a bottle of Wite-Out®. I'm as legit and official as you are.

In a weird leap of non-logic, he goes from saying how wonderful it is that Betty Crocker and the U.S. Army advertise on racing cars to attacking my patriotism. I guess in his mind not being a NASCAR fan means I'm a communist or something.

Even more curious, halfway through his rant his writing takes on a tone as if he is an official spokesman for the Scottish Rite.

I don't get it. I don't understand his anger. Not at "fake" Masons, not at Bro. Jeff, and not at me. And it's not just at us. His "contact us" page (titled "policies") is a long diatribe with flashing red text, insinuating that anyone who wants to comment on his website is a "fool" to be "suffered."

Disagree with me all you want, Bro. Ed. No problem. Shake things up. Participate in this blog. Show me where I'm wrong about things. Differences of opinion are good for the soul, and for the Brotherhood. Nothing ever gets accomplished unless someone disagrees with the status quo and changes things, hopefully for the better.

But — and take this from someone who's had his own anger issues regarding Freemasonry the past couple of years, and who has now let them go — you gotta get past the anger, brother. It sounds like it's eating you up inside.

(Yeah, I hear you. That's okay. Denial is the first step to getting past it.)

While calling me "Blogger Boy" is cute, it's hardly respectful of a fellow Mason. We're instructed to refer to each other as brother, brother.

Oh, and thanks for the link.

UPDATE June 19, 2007: Bro. King has recently changed his "what's new" page in response to this article, relegating mention of the Burning Taper to a mere footnote and deleting the link to the Taper. His new page shows no sign of his having accepted the olive branch of peace I offered with my article; instead, he seems to have just become more bitter, saying that the above article "castigated" him. A mirror of his original May 2007 page referred to in the above article can be found here.

Image: The working tools of a Master Mason

Masons | Masonic Misunderstandings | Ed King | Freemasonry | MasonicInfo.com | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

The truth about the Rite of the Rose Cross of Gold and the erasure of 15 Master Masons

If you've followed the Burning Taper with any regularity, you've read many of Bro. Jeff Peace's articles, and you probably know that he along with 14 other Master Masons were erased, without trial or due process, from mainstream Georgia Freemasonry in 2005.

There are many articles on the Taper about the RRCG. Just use the search box on the top left next to the Blogger symbol to find them. Be sure to read "Renounce the Rose Cross of Gold or face banishment, says the Grand Lodge of Georgia," dated March 4, 2006.

In a recent issue of the official magazine of the Philalathes Society, a Masonic publication, Bro. R.S. Sagar made reference to Bro. Jeff and the Rite of the Rose Cross of Gold, repeating half-truths and distortions that he'd probably heard third-hand.

Bro. Jeff wrote to the editor of the magazine to set the record straight about the beginnings of the RRCG, about how they worked with the Grand Master to make the group an official Masonic club, about the Georgia Grand Master's surprise edict against it, and about the subsequent erasure of Bro. Jeff and over a dozen other Georgia Masons.

Here is his letter, which appeared as a two-page spread in the April 2007 issue.

— W.S.

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February 23, 2007

Bro. Samuel B Walker, President
The Philalethes Society
204 Bushy Hill Road
Deep River, CT 06417

Dear Bro. Walker:

I wish to reply to the letter from Bro. R. S. Sagar, published in the October 2006 Philalethes Magazine regarding the expulsions of brother Master Masons by the Grand Lodge of Georgia. While Bro. Sagar may believe the information he sent to you was factual, many of his comments can only be based on hearsay evidence, as he was not present at the events about which he writes. As a principal member of the expelled group, I was there, and I would like to add my account to the record about what happened in Georgia.

Since the expelled brothers were never offered an opportunity to defend themselves and their actions before a jury of their brothers, it has become necessary to seek justice in the court of Masonic opinion nationally. The Philalethes Society allowed Bro. Sagar to publish the perspectives of the Grand Lodge of Georgia. I ask the same for a group of young Masons whose only crime was that they cared passionately about Freemasonry, and endeavored to try something new based on that shared passion.

In his letter, Bro. Sagar stated that: “The true facts of the situation are as follows. In recent years several members of the Grand Lodge of Georgia had, despite all accepted Masonic tradition and custom, tried to promote the so-called “Rite of the Red Cross of Gold”; the long discredited and debarred “Rite of Memphis”; and (I Believe) the desirability of allowing females in their lodges. There was evidence also of a desire to affiliate with an upstart so-called Grand Lodge in England. One of the group stated to me personally, the United Grand Lodge of England was false and the new group was the “Real Grand Lodge of England”.

Ignoring the pejorative language, the above statement is only partially true. In 1999 I, along with a small group of dedicated young Master Masons, tried to create a new Masonic club based loosely around the old Rite of Memphis. This was done because we saw a need for something new and exciting in Freemasonry that would keep and attract young Masons. At the time I knew little about the old Rite, other than it was dead, and wrongly assumed that no one would care if someone picked it up and did something with it. Subsequently we discovered that the Scottish Rite (SMJ) viewed the older Rite of Memphis with disdain and suspicion, and upon that discovery we immediately abandoned this concept.

We then began thinking about the possibility of creating something entirely new that was based in the traditions of the past, but offered them in a new and exciting format. After much thought we formed a new organization which we named the “Rite of the Rose Cross of Gold” (RRCG) based on an old legend I read about in a book. It was in no way connected with the Rite of Memphis. Bro. Sagar wrongly and inaccurately connects the two.

Bro. Sagar then suggests that the RRCG desired to allow women into our lodge. This is patently false. The RRCG was a Masonic club that met in a regular lodge. You had to be a Master Mason in good standing of a regular Masonic lodge recognized by the Grand Lodge of Georgia in order to join the club. By its own rules the RRCG clearly barred women from membership. As I can find no reason to think that Bro. Sagar would purposefully misrepresent this fact, I can only assume that he has been misinformed.

Bro. Sagar’s final statement regarding the Regular Grand Lodge of England is a complete mystery to me. If the RRCG had desired to work with a new Grand Lodge in England, then why did we spend so much time meeting with the Grand Master of Georgia trying to become a recognized body? Clearly, from the very beginning, our only desire was to form a new Masonic club that worked within the bounds of mainstream Freemasonry, and to do so in a legal manner.

Bro. Sagar then states that: “Attempts were made by high present and past officers of the Grand Lodge to rectify the situation without satisfaction. Eventually there was no recourse but to deal with it in Grand Lodge in accordance with established Masonic custom.” As far as I am aware it is the “established Masonic custom” to formally charge a brother in his lodge if you believe him to be guilty of a Masonic offense. He is then given the opportunity to defend himself before his peers. No charges were ever filed against any of the expelled brothers, nor were they permitted to offer anything in their defense before the Grand Lodge of Georgia. They were guilty simply because the Grand Master said they were guilty.

Next Bro. Sagar states: “Known Brethren who had been a part of “The Red Cross of Gold” were given 30 days to renounce their membership therein or be “excluded” from the Grand Lodge. All but two of those individuals did so renounce their memberships.” The first part of his statement distorts the facts of the Grand Lodge’s action while the second is simply false. The brothers were sent letters compelling them not only to renounce their membership in the RRCG, but also to sign pre-written confessions of their guilt upon the threat of being expelled if they refused. In reading the pre-written confessions it became clear that should anyone have signed them, they would then have been expelled for confessing their supposed guilt. In other words, whether they signed the confession or not, they were to be expelled if the Grand Master’s whim so desired.

And Bro. Sagar has it backwards when it comes to the number of brothers who signed the confessions. One signed the confession. One signed the confession but appended to it a statement of his innocence and that all of the members of the RRCG were equally as innocent of any Masonic offense. A third brother refused to sign it but wrote them a letter stating that he had resigned, but felt that the Grand Master had acted un-Masonically towards the RRCG and the younger brothers. The remaining fifteen members refused to sign it.

Clearly, Bro. Sagar’s perspective on the RRCG is nothing more than creative propaganda produced by the Grand Lodge of Georgia in an attempt to defend its own improper conduct towards brother Master Masons. Having been present at all of the critical events regarding the RRCG, I would like to provide my reckoning of the facts, facts that can be supported through the testimony of multiple brothers who were also present. Some were members of the RRCG, but not all.

In March of 2005 Brian Roper approached Grand Master Albert Garner, Jr., about officially recognizing the RRCG as a Masonic organization in Georgia. The Grand Master told him that he would need submit legislation before the Grand Lodge of Georgia to change the Constitutions, and that this process would take two years. Approximately a week later the Grand Master informed Bro. Roper that he was wrong about the need to change the Constitutions and that he would form a committee and setup a meeting with the other Grand officers to allow Bro. Roper to present the RRCG and its By-Laws so that it could be reviewed. The committee was composed of Past Grand Masters and leaders of some of the other Masonic bodies in Georgia. We were delighted by this opportunity to make our case for our new club, and several members of the RRCG attended the meeting as well as the Worshipful Master of Sandy Springs Lodge, No. 124.

The committee members asked everyone questions about the RRCG and the By-Laws were turned over to them. The Grand Master asked only one question: “What has lead to all of the confusion over this organization?” to which I replied, “A lack of good communication.” Everyone agreed that good communications was essential to the success of our endeavor, and I agreed to setup an email list consisting of all the brothers present to foster better communications.

It was then that Gary Lemmons, PGM, rose to the floor and discussed how that each year the Past Grand Masters discuss the decline in membership and how to keep and retain younger Masons. He said that the young Masons are here telling us what they want, and I recommend that we give them an opportunity to try this new organization. Everyone seemed to agree with him. We were told that there would be another meeting after the committee had an opportunity to review the By-Laws and make any recommendations. We left this meeting feeling hopeful and energized about the apparent support for our new club.

Two days after the meeting the new email list was setup and tested. Several members of the committee responded to the initial email, but after that the list fell silent. I contacted Bro. Ed Tante (a member of the committee) to see if he was receiving any messages from the list. He said that he was but that the Grand Master had instructed all of the committee members not to communicate with the RRCG members. He also told me that he already had a list of recommendations for the RRCG but that he wasn’t allowed to give them to me. This was a complete turn-around from what had been discussed at the committee meeting about the need for better communication.

The next meeting of the committee didn’t take place until July, and the members of the RRCG were barred from attending. We were told that the results of the meeting would be communicated to us by the Grand Master. Weeks went by without a word from the Grand Master. Then I received an email in August from a brother in my lodge pointing me to the Grand Lodge’s web site. Here was posted a new edict declaring all un-recognized groups to be clandestine. I then called the Secretary of my lodge asking if he had received a copy of the edict. He said that he had not. After some research I discovered that the edict had not been sent to any of the lodges in Georgia. In the past all edicts of the Grand Master had been sent out to all of the lodges.

I called the Grand Master and requested a meeting and he agreed to meet with me and the other brothers. He cancelled the meeting and several attempts to reschedule the meeting were postponed.

I received an email from Past Grand Master Gary Lemmons in which he told me that the RRCG had done everything that could be expected of them, and that he could not understand how anyone could claim we refused to work with the Grand Master and Grand Lodge.

The Grand Lodge of Georgia met in late October and then in early November we received the letters that presented us with a Hobson’s choice to either sign a pre-written confession which would result in our expulsion, or refuse to sign and be expelled anyway. Then in late December, we were sent notifications of our erasure from Freemasonry.

I think it is more than clear from the events that took place that the brothers who were expelled were the victims of a political coup, and not guilty of any Masonic offense. We worked with the Grand Master and Grand Lodge in good faith to have our club recognized by them, but were not treated with the openness and fairness expected of Masons, more especially Grand officers. We were and still are good Masons, and hope that by making known what happened to us in Georgia, other good brothers do not suffer the same fate just for trying to make their lodge and Freemasonry a better place for all.

At the end of the day, our only crime was that we were passionate about Freemasonry and wanted to start a new Masonic club. Our biggest error was in naively trusting our Grand Lodge officers deal with us on the square, coupled with our utter failure to appreciate that our club would be viewed as an intolerable threat by the Scottish Rite (SMJ) that must be stopped by any means necessary. We did not realize the extent to which the influence of SMJ reached into our Grand Lodge. We never saw it coming, and we never had a chance.

In conclusion, we only want what any Mason wants: the opportunity to meet and work with his brother in peace, love, and harmony. So mote it be!

Sincerely & Fraternally



Bro. Jeffrey Peace
Formerly of Sandy Springs Lodge, No. 124
Erased by order of MWB Albert F. Garner, Jr. on December 8, 2006

Jeff Peace | RRCG | Rite of the Rose Cross of Gold |Masons | Masonic Erasure | Philalethes Society | Freemasonry | Grand Lodge of Georgia | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Why are you still a Mason?

Why are You Still a Mason? by Jeff Peace

Has anyone ever asked you “why did you become a Mason?”

It’s a common question but I think there may be one that is even more important but never really asked: “Why are you still a Mason?”

For me the answer is because I believe in what an idea can become if people believe in it enough. Freemasonry is an “idea” or series of ideas put together into a peculiar system of morality (a philosophy?). To me that series of ideas works together to promote the brother/sisterhood of all humanity under God. I am a Mason because I believe in this idea and the many ideas of how it can be accomplished. I guess that makes me an idealist whose ideal is one and the same with that of Freemasonry.

The simple and basic concept of an organization dedicated to the brother/sisterhood of all humanity under God can also be a rule or guide by which moral judgments can be made. If something promotes the brother/sisterhood of all of humanity then it is deemed moral, if not, then immoral. It’s just that simple.

When you look at the present state of affairs in Freemasonry and judge it against this basic rule then what do you see?

Did God, in His infinite wisdom, desire that we should create things to divide us, or did He hope that we would put our minds to some higher purpose?

While I know that there are many who will criticize me for saying this I must say it anyways. I think we have become so focused on all the details that make-up Freemasonry that we have lost sight of the higher purpose for which it was intended. Our rules and Constitutions were meant to serve us and the higher good; not for us to serve them. Grand Lodges were created to unite Masons; not divide them into separate groups. Freemasonry is not about political unions but harmonious relationships.

Masons | Jeff Peace | Masonic Thought | Philosophy | Freemasonry | Morality | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Freemasonry: A conflict of interests

Freemasonry: A Conflict of Interests by Bro. Jeff Peace

In the beginning of speculative Freemasonry a type of mission statement was put forth by the founders. It appears in a couple of different wordings but they all focus on the same thing.

1. Freemasonry is an ancient order dedicated to the brotherhood of all mankind under the All-Seeing Eye of God (Deity).

2. The brotherhood of man under God.

If the “mission” of Freemasonry was the brotherhood of all mankind under God, then how much more important was the brotherhood of Freemasons? I can only speculate that it was essential to the accomplishment of the broader overall mission of the Craft. I think this carries with it certain implications of how Freemasonry was meant to operate, and contains the core ideology of the peculiar system of morality that is, by definition, Freemasonry.

The mission of Freemasonry is very idealistic indeed and was most likely developed with the assumption that the brotherhood itself would never become divided. Unfortunately, thirty-six years later the fraternity was torn apart by a schism. Over the past three hundred years there have been many schisms and countless new Masonic bodies created. One of the results of these schisms is the growing division among Freemasons today.

This creates more than just Masonic political issues, it questions the very core of Masonic philosophy: our system of morality that was designed to forge a brotherhood of all mankind. If we, as Freemasons, cannot reconcile our own petty differences then of what real value to humanity is our system of morality and supposed brotherhood? This creates a major credibility issue for us and Masonic philosophy overall. At best the public must think our claims of brotherly love and tolerance are just so much sophistry, if not a complete fabrication. It seems we can talk the talk but are incapable of walking the walk.

Today we have countless Grand Lodges. Some are labeled “regular,” others “clandestine” and yet others “irregular.” We have Grand Masters expelling, suspending and erasing brothers without charges, trials or justifiable cause. We have female Freemasons, esoteric groups, party groups, and countless others who seem to be in a perpetual state of conflict. All of these issues are building up yet no one seems to be willing to address them in a constructive manner. Instead we just put on blinders and pretend they don’t exist in hopes they will just magically go away.

My brethren, I think we have a bitter pill to swallow. The problems Freemasonry faces today are of our own making. Somewhere, somehow, we lost sight of what Freemasonry is really about and replaced the lofty ideal of a brotherhood of man with a political hierarchy dedicated to self-aggrandizement and title-chasing. The Craft has become a hollow shell of what it once was and every day we continue down this path the fragile walls of that shell crack a little more. It is only a matter of time before we reach a critical juncture brought about by form and substance. We still have the form but lack any real substance.

I can already hear the howls of how perfect this or that lodge is and how good things are in my jurisdiction. While things may be rosy in isolated lodges here and there, the overall state of Freemasonry in America is deplorable. We have lost sight of our mission and replaced moral substance with politics. Unless we begin to turn things around very soon it may be too late to take the corrective actions that are already long over-due.

We need to restore our own brotherhood and cement it with virtue, tolerance and universal morality. It must start with each individual brother and then progress through the lodges until finally it forces its way through the Grand Lodges. Only then can we begin to address the many real issues that face us as a brotherhood and resolve the differences between all Masons throughout the world. Once we have done this then we will once again be looked up to by people around the world as a guiding light into a better future for all mankind.

— Bro. Jeff Peace

Masons | Masonic History | Jeff Peace | Freemasonry | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

The Ancient Landmarks revisited

The Ancient Landmarks Revisited by Bro. Jeff Peace, PGM, Exalted High Priest of the Ancient & Honorable Order of the Thorn in the Ass, and other awe inspiring titles too numerous to mention.

Distant Sun Lodge, No. OU812

Grand Lodge of the Universe, est. 0 hours, 0 Minutes, 0 Years

(The oldest continuously operating Grand Lodge in the Cosmos operating under the authority of God — and nothing trumps that.)

Copyright © 2007 by Jeff Peace. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced, republished, or mirrored by any means without prior permission in writing from the copyright holder.

Most Freemasons have heard mention of “The Ancient Landmarks” at one time or another in their Masonic journey. Most simply assume it is a list of the most fundamental aspects of Freemasonry that were written down long ago when the organization first came into being. Some believe it is the “Landmarks” as written down by Bro. Albert G. Mackey, Bro. Albert Pike or something their Grand Lodge printed in its Code or monitor. While all of these could be “The Ancient Landmarks” none of them can assert that claim with absolute certainty. The problem with “The Ancient Landmarks” arises out of a statement in Anderson’s Constitutions of 1723: "Every Annual Grand Lodge has an inherent power and Authority to make new Regulations or to alter these, for the real benefits of this Ancient Fraternity; provided always that the old Land-Marks be carefully preserved." Unfortunately, brother Anderson doesn’t bother to provide us with a list of the “Land-Marks” to which he is referring. This problem has plagued Masonic scholars for years.

As a historian with no particular interest in Masonic Jurisprudence I never spent any time in search of the Landmarks because there wasn’t a single document to support a valid argument regarding them. Other scholars had already speculated about them and adding to their speculations wouldn’t help to clarify the matter.

Every week I receive emails asking questions about the history of Freemasonry and its symbolism from brothers around the globe, and usually I am able to provide them with a quick answer or point them to other resources that can provide an answer. Then one day I received the grand daddy of all questions. It seemed like such a simple question at the time but it took two years for me to reply to the email with a twenty-five page essay.

The brother pointed to the definition of Freemasonry which says that “Freemasonry is a peculiar system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols” and asked what was “so peculiar or unique about the morals discussed in the degrees?” After thinking about it for a moment I realized there was nothing particularly peculiar or unique about them. The morality taught in the degrees is the same as one would learn from their parents or at Sunday School. Then an idea occurred to me; could the definition of Freemasonry actually be a Landmark? After all, wouldn’t the definition of Freemasonry be something that should be “carefully preserved” as Anderson had said? If it was a Landmark then what were the others? Did the founders have more than one definition of “Freemasonry”? I was soon to discover that indeed the founders left several “Landmark” definitions of the Craft.

Anderson’s Constitutions of 1723 are ninety-one pages long. They include the regulations of the Grand Lodge, constitutions of the fraternity, a lengthy mythical history, the charges of a Freemason, an approbation, and several songs. It would have taken Bro. Anderson a long time to compile this document and write everything out by hand, so it seems very strange that he would leave out something so fundamental as a list of Landmarks. Was it an oversight? If it were then he could easily have corrected it when he published a revised version of the Constitutions in 1734, but again the Landmarks are strangely absent from these as well.

I would put forth that there are only two possible reasons for this behavior by Anderson:

1. “The Ancient Landmarks” were secret.
2. “The Ancient Landmarks” were universally known by all Fellows and Masters of the Craft.

If they were a secret then he could not publish them without violating his oath and obligation, and if they were already well known by Masons then there was no reason to put them into print.

If they were a secret then the original Masons must have taken it to their graves. Why?

In 1753 there was a Masonic schism. A rival Grand Lodge appeared known today as the ‘Antients.’ The new Grand Lodge adopted the Royal Arch degree as an explanation for the supposed lost word of a Master Mason. The original Grand Lodge (est.1717) claimed that both the ‘Antients’ and their new degree was clandestine and irregular. They further stated that the “word” was not lost. Many modern readers will find this statement incredible because they have been told the word was lost and that they have its replacement.

There are some fragments from a Masonic catechism attributed to Bros. Anderson and Desauguliers written about 1720 that seem to verify this claim.

Q: What are you going to do there?

A: To seek for that which was lost and is now found.

Q: What is that which was lost and is now found?

A: THE MASTER MASONS WORD.

Since virtually all modern era Grand Lodges are derived from the Grand Lodge of the ‘Antients’ it makes sense that we are not in possession of “The Ancient Landmarks,” because they were the creation of the ‘Moderns’ of the Grand Lodge of London (est. 1717).

If “The Ancient Landmarks” were lost during the schism then might we be able to recover some part of them? While we can’t know for certain their exact wording I do believe we can at the very least come to a basic understanding of them. All we need to do is look at the definitions of Freemasonry handed down to us.

1. Freemasonry is a peculiar system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.
2. Freemasonry is dedicated to the brotherhood of man under the All-Seeing Eye of Deity.
3. Freemasonry is a progressive science.
4. Freemasonry is a natural philosophy, or system of natural philosophy.

From the first definition a few things can be concluded. The original speculative Freemasonry offered a peculiar or unique system of morality from that which was accepted in the early eighteenth century. That this peculiar morality was hidden in an allegory, and that specific symbols were used to illustrate or reveal it to the initiates. Thus, having the right set of symbols is essential to understanding the peculiar system of morality, which is, in and of itself, Freemasonry.

From the second definition we learn the object of Freemasonry, or the peculiar system of morality; the brotherhood of man under God. Unfortunately, we do not know how this was to be accomplished. That would have been an aspect of the Landmarks that can only be speculated upon.

In the third definition we learn that Freemasonry was a progressive science. Science, as we know it today, was in its infancy at the time. One of the Landmarks must have promoted the need for a progressive science as a means to furthering the cause of the peculiar system of morality and the brotherhood of man.

Finally, in the fourth definition we discover that Freemasonry was a system of natural philosophy as opposed to a religion. It, like all natural philosophy, attempts to interpret the universe and our reality through the laws of nature. This definition is closely associated with the third definition (Freemasonry is a progressive science) because natural philosophy relies on a progressive science to further our understanding of the cosmos.

As Freemasons we may never know all of the details of the original “Ancient Landmarks” but now I believe we have a place to start our search. What we’re searching for isn’t obvious or easily uncovered. It will take time and perseverance, but in the end we may discover that which we have been seeking all along: the truth.

— Bro. Jeff Peace

Masons | Masonic History | Ancient Landmarks | Freemasonry | Jeff Peace | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com