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BACK NEXT Summer 2008 Issue 45 Letter from the Editor Grand Lodge News News and Views On The Level International News Beyond the Craft Perambulating the Lodge Masonic Dining and Celebration Interview: The Grand Chancellor The Orator Walking the Way of Saint James Abd el-Kader: Algerian Nationalist and Freemason Province of Cambridgeshire Library & Museum Brother Lightfoote's Journal Review: Committed to the Flames Review: The Mythology of Secret Societies Review: The Dawn of Astrology Letters to the Editor Internet Library & Museum of Freemasonry Grand Lodge Quarterly Communication Convocation of Supreme Grand Chapter RMBI Masonic Samaritan Fund Grand Charity RMTGB Canon Richard Tydeman: Looking unto the Rock Copyright 1997-2008 Grand Lodge Publications Ltd Designed and Maintained by: Cyberpoint Limited

FREEMASONRY TODAY Editorials Letter from the Editor I should like to hope that all Freemasons are registered organ donors. Charity is one of the three great principles upon which Freemasonry is founded but charity is not solely giving our time or money to help others; what charitable donation to our fellows could be greater than the gift, literally, of life? Anyone who has heard the harrowing stories of those whose kidneys have failed and whose lives are thereafter dominated by hours of dialysis every few days cannot fail to be moved. Many patients wait for years, their lives virtually on hold, until a donor kidney becomes available. A failed liver will mean a painful death unless a donor liver can become available. Even so ... Letter from the Editor We can be forgiven, I think, for assuming that we live in a world where what passes for normal behaviour encourages lying, cheating, and deceiving as a matter of course. Why, even our leaders seem to indulge in it from time to time as though it comes with the job. It might: part of some unspoken job-description passed from office-holder to office-holder like a chromosome abnormality; but common practice does not make it right. I find myself reminded of the Louisiana politician who had been elected on extravagant promises of building more bridges allowing easier access for farmers to their lands. Of course, none of them were built. When the frustration of farmers spilled ... Letter from the Editor Whenever I open my newspaper or turn on my television I seem to find myself bombarded with selfrighteous discussions of truth, with words such as transparency and honesty bandied about as though they actually meant something to the user. Too often I feel asked to forgive, justify or ignore a host of squalid misdemeanours as ‘honest’ mistakes. In fact, looking at this spectacle, I feel more and more that I have been drawn into the company of low rent bottom-feeders for whom a pathetic excuse that all can see through is called ‘a robust defence’ and supposed to be taken seriously as a mark of probity. It is all rather gladiatorial, but played out in the dusty arena of some corrupt ... Letter from the Editor We are embarking upon an exciting new era. As many of you will now know Freemasonry Today has combined with MQ to create a new quarterly magazine while retaining the breadth of coverage we pioneered. We have come a long way in the last ten years. A decade ago Freemasonry was suffering from an inward looking and defensive stance, too ready to give up the high ground to its vociferous but illinformed opponents, some of whom were elected members of Parliament. But Freemasonry has seen this all before - and worse - from Mussolini (who first tried to join a lodge in Lausanne, and then Milan); Franco (who is said to have tried to join a lodge in Melilla and whose ... Letter from the Editor There is a curious mood afoot, a kind of cynical weariness; one no longer easily dispelled by promises of the ‘New’, or of ‘initiatives’ or of the almost intangible results of ‘Blue sky thinking,’ - whatever that really is. While the black arts of spin are still with us, most have long ago seen through it. Even its name reflects the spin: it used to be called ‘propaganda’ which very correctly warned people to be cautious of its claims. But as a culture we seem to have lost both caution and discrimination; faced with the emptiness of the shiny words which bombard us daily we seem to have almost abandoned all hope that we can have a fulfilling society. Ideology and social ... Letter from the Deputy Editor One of the joys of being involved in editing a magazine such as Freemasonry Today is the enormous spectrum, the wide breadth of subjects, interests, threads, topics and debate with which we come in contact and which, taken together, make the rich tapestry which is Freemasonry. In this issue, we report on education – the annual Festival of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement, scholarships in Massachusetts as well as another programme of masonic education being run by the Province of Berkshire. We report on Prince Hall Masonry, a branch of worldwide Freemasonry based in the United States, with its own fiercely proud tradition. The links of the Hindu faith to Freemasonry ... Letter from the Editor One of the most fascinating conferences I have attended was held recently at the Canonbury Masonic Research Centre. The subject was the approach to spiritual matters based on knowledge rather than faith or belief, an approach termed ‘Gnostic’ from the Greek word gnosis, ‘knowledge;’ a report appears in this issue. In the late second century A.D. certain Christian theologians decided that the Gnostics were heretics. From their perspective the Gnostics were, but due to the rich and diverse tradition of Christianity which found expression during this century the terms heresy ... Letter from the Editor - Michael Baigent As Freemasons we should help our local community but while doing so, we also need to raise our eyes to a more distant horizon. When, having been initiated, we are placed in the north-east corner of the lodge, symbolising the cornerstone of that great temple which is Freemasonry, we are contributing not just to the lodge we have joined, and to the Craft, but - let’s be truly idealistic - to all humanity. For every person, by his actions, contributes to the good of the whole. In early Freemasonry this was depicted by the beehive, the symbol of industry and charity. Freemasonry has had a strong tradition of charity, since ‘time immemorial’. Concern for others is ... Letter from the Editor - Michael Baigent Again our media confronts us with dark images: sad photographs of grieving parents, children with eyes hollowed by hopelessness, landscapes revealing destruction. Some derive from natural disasters but others, stem from the consequences of ruthless ambition, greed, or the brutal fear of anything different. We can certainly complain at what seems an obsession with misery in the media but while it is guilty of exploitation - it is more part of the entertainment industry than the information - it has an important role in helping us to witness the ills which need addressing. Happy people don’t need help; miserable people do, and it seems to me right that the media should attempt to encourage aid. But the wider context ... Letter from the Deputy Editor - Julian Rees In Freemasonry Today issue 34 of autumn 2005, we talked about how different people can live together in harmony. In the pages of this magazine, we have often focused on the part harmony plays, at different levels. We have published speculative articles from numerous writers emphasising the part played by harmony in our proper conduct of masonic life and principles. Perhaps more importantly, we have brought to the attention of our readers concrete examples of how harmony works at the top level, so to speak, namely in society and in everyday life. We published an interview with David Webb, whose life has been virtually defined by his work ... Letter from the Editor - Michael Baigent It has been fascinating for me, as editor of Freemasonry Today, to travel with Yasha Beresiner to the masonic libraries and museums. I have seen exquisite works of art created for the Craft and collections of daily objects with the Craft’s symbols skilfully introduced to form an integral part of their design. But in the midst of these treasures displayed up and down the country, two considerations remain ever-present. Firstly, with very few exceptions, these important collections are struggling for funds, are so short of money that many have given up expecting to be able to purchase new items for display and remain grateful for a pittance ... Letter from the Editor - Michael Baigent There is much debate in the United Kingdom and elsewhere about how different people can live together in harmony. There are those who think that they should, there are those who think that they shouldn’t, and there are those who think that everyone should believe as they do whether this brings harmony or not. In this issue of Freemasonry Today we have an interview with former Police Superintendent, David Webb, who was in charge of the ethnically disparate and explosive Handsworth District of Birmingham during the worst of the troubles there in the 1980s. One very interesting act he performed, as a Freemason, was to help found a masonic lodge ... Michael Baigent - Letter from the Editor Many Freemasons remain concerned about the viability of the Craft. They point to the continued drop in numbers, the demise of lodges and the financial pressure that many Masonic Centres are facing as evidence of a continued deep malaise. It seems to me that we need to put this matter into some kind of perspective in order to identify the core of the problem; only then can we consider initiatives and actions. Looking firstly at the context, it is clear that Freemasonry is not alone in being an organisation facing declining support; associations like Rotary and the Lions’ Clubs have seen a big drop in membership; the Church of England is struggling to maintain its position ... Michael Baigent - Letter from the Editor As a member of a lodge committee whose object was to recommend lodge members for promotion I was taken aback to find that certain members of the lodge came and quietly lobbied for a higher rank than they might perhaps have expected. I have been thinking about this since receiving two letters which are published in the letters page of this issue. One suggests that a lack of promotion is the cause of Brethren leaving the Craft; the other is suggesting that too much is spent on regalia, that a more modest approach to distinctive garments might better serve the cause of masonic charity ... Michael Baigent - Letter from the Editor In the review pages of this edition of Freemasonry Today there is a report of Toby Churton's biography of that enigmatic early Freemason, Elias Ashmole. Ashmole had a life-long interest in alchemy and in 1652 published a compilation of alchemical texts entitled Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum. Despite his scholarship, his interest was not just intellectual, he knew the secret of the Art. He knew that it involved an experience; one that would change a life. In his introduction to his book he revealed that any true lover of wisdom ... Michael Baigent - Letter from the Editor Children are not combatants. Every child has a right to life, to love, to a future which allows them to choose their path. Seeing the images of the traumatised children and parents of Beslan desperately escaping from that wrecked school gymnasium brought tears to my eyes. In a daily diet of media revelations exposing the pitiless inhumanity of humanity this reached yet another level of horror. Sadly, we have seen it all before: in the Balkans, Rwanda, the indiscriminate horrors of Northern Ireland, Israel, Iraq, and who knows what is happening in southern Sudan? ... Michael Baigent - Letter from the Editor Talk of freedom is much in the air these days but somehow it rings with a false tone. Rather than evoking something precious to be cherished it carries an odd note of desperation, a sense of thrusting words into deep fissures, raising for me, at least, an image of old rags being used to caulk the leaking timbers of a ship. I feel bound to ask: what indeed is this freedom? And does it serve us or should we serve it? Perhaps the symbolism of Freemasonry will clarify the matter: is it right that the foundation stone of a great temple should be free to crumble away, to abdicate its responsibility for sharing the common burden and thus cause the whole structure to fall? Clearly not ... Michael Baigent - Letter from the Editor What does it mean to walk into a sacred space? There is no simple answer but it resides in a blend of heart and mind and place. A sacred space is one where the sky touches the earth; where the clamour of daily life is stilled by a lightness from above. But do we find it, or does it find us? One special symbol of a sacred space is that of Jacob’s Ladder, resting on the earth where its first rung is but a step away and its highest rungs lost in the divine brightness above. It is depicted on the tracing board exhibited in every lodge when opened in the First Degree. The basic form depicts a ladder reaching from earth to heaven. Its secret is revealed in the Biblical story ... Michael Baigent - Letter from the Editor There is a tendency for Freemasonry to be left behind at the Lodge door; for its precepts to be intellectually appreciated but not lived in the manner that they require. That is, should you wish to continue your journey on the chequered path which leads from the rough ashlar to the smooth. Remaining true to the path requires constant attention and that is one of the uses of our symbolism: not only to communicate a wealth of ideas and insights, but also to remind us of that great aspiration which we share. Great? Certainly. For we all aspire to become better men. And that is about as great as aspiration comes ... Michael Baigent - Letter from the Editor Who can forget his initiation? The trepidation outside the door of the Lodge room, the strange journey in darkness, the sudden restoration of vision, the charge and the feeling of brotherhood? To be amongst friends who all understood the moment and could share it with compassion and support. Then to find oneself placed in the north-east corner of the room. ‘It is customary’ we were told, ‘at the erection of all stately and superb edifices, to lay the first or foundation stone at the North East corner of the building. You, being newly admitted into Masonry, are placed at the North East part of the Lodge figuratively to represent that stone, and from the foundation laid this evening ...' Michael Baigent - Letter from the Editor A rather senior mason offered me some advice not so long ago: that I should not go on about spirituality so often in Freemasonry Today since Freemasonry was not a religion. Now, I agreed with the last part of his statement. Certainly we need to keep some clear water between Freemasonry and religion. This is enshrined in our Constitutions and has been since 1723. Two hundred and eighty years ago Freemasons were enjoined to be ‘Men of Honour and Honesty, by whatever Denominations or Persuasions they may be distinguish’d; whereby Masonry becomes the Center of Union and the Means of conciliating true Friendship among Persons ...' Michael Baigent - Letter from the Editor Our civilisation is precious. We need to appreciate it, nurture it, protect it. Our civilisation is vulnerable, forming but a thin veneer over the chaos which waits unsleeping and unblinking beneath. The ancients knew this well. Perhaps because they lacked a concept of linear progress they felt nearer to their origins which they saw all about them. For those cultures, chaos was ever present and had to be constantly combated. The ancient Babylonians re-enacted the defeat of chaos each year during their great Spring Festival. This reminded every citizen of what had been necessary to build civilisation. The ancient Egyptians saw chaos as the realm of Seth; civilisation ... Michael Baigent - Letter from the Editor Ignorance is a curse. And the more so, since it never seems to have the wit to hide its faulty light under a decently opaque bushel. Sadly, ignorance about Freemasonry still emerges. Our "Week of Action" in the Summer helped change a number of faulty perceptions of the Craft. But ignorance will out: during November the new Archbishop of Canterbury revealed his antipathy to Freemasonry: he questioned its compatibility with Christianity, and revealed his refusal to promote known Freemasons to senior posts in the Church. Furthermore, a spokesman for him, in an aside, even introduced the fear of "some" that masonic ritual might be satanically inspired. How far this reflects the view of his master, the Archbishop, is not clear. You can read the report on page 6 of this issue ... Michael Baigent - Letter from the Editor The heart and soul of Freemasonry resides in our ritual. It is that which takes us on the journey towards that Centre from which a Master Mason cannot err: that point of stillness about which all revolves, where one can indeed hear that Voice of Nature to which the Third Degree Charge so powerfully alludes. Participating directly in the ritual is an important part of being a Freemason. Without the ritual, Freemasonry would be a vicarious entertainment rather than a life-affirming experience. There are two reasons for my dwelling upon this: the first is that in this Issue of Freemasonry Today there are several items which, as it were, revolve about the Centre ... Michael Baigent - Letter from the Editor It is no masonic secret: our Freemasonry in the Community, "Week of Action", has been a resounding success. All involved – and so many gave up so much of their time planning and running the fifteen hundred or more events – deserve our congratulations and our gratitude. They have helped thousands of men, women and children; they have changed, for the better, the public perception of Freemasonry; and they have allowed many Freemasons to have great fun in the process. Charitable work is so much better with a smile or a laugh since it’s not just the money which helps the needy – it’s knowing that others care ... Michael Baigent - Letter from the Editor Modern physics has provided us with a further concept by which we might understand our reality. There is a well known adage, used to explain Chaos Theory, that a butterfly flapping its wings over the Amazon might, by a series of cascading effects, cause a storm over New York. Now, there are a great number of butterflies in Brazil and not so many storms in New York, but the point is clear. Big effects can come from small beginnings. This brings me to the Pro Grand Master’s tie competition. You may ask in bemusement: what can sartorial variation have to do with anything? Certainly, meeting with friends dressed as though I am attending a funeral has always seemed odd to me ... Michael Baigent - Letter from the Editor When a candidate is presented for initiation, the first question he is asked by the Master is, "are you a free man". Unless the Master and Brethren are satisfied on this point the initiation cannot proceed. What then is this freedom? It plainly requires that the candidate is not in thrall to any authority which might limit his actions. And it means more: in the context of the masonic degrees it refers to that freedom which allows him to progress on his own journey from darkness to light. But in the world beyond the Temple doors, what constitutes freedom? The appalling events of September 11th have, I believe, changed our world. We have seen, live on television, in tragic immediacy, proof ... Michael Baigent - Letter From the Editor Differences should be encouraged; they truly add spice to the flavour of life. In Freemasonry, many Lodges have variations of procedure, of floor-work and alternative renderings of parts of the ritual, yet all Freemasons work under the guidance of the Great Architect and are dedicated to Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth. Differences bring alternative perspectives, bring insight and understanding; and understanding lies upon the path to Truth. The path to which we, as Freemasons, are devoted; hence, differences enrich us all. Differences though can be put into the dangerous service of sectarianism. When one group, lauding their particular type of difference ... Michael Baigent - Letter from the Editor At the beginning of April I began my new post as editor of Freemasonry Today. Building upon the impressive work of my predecessors, Tobias Churton and John Jackson, I hope to further their aim of expanding our readership amongst all Freemasons. But I wish to move beyond this: my plan is to broaden the appeal of our magazine; to make it required reading, not only for all Freemasons, but also for non-masons who are interested in what Freemasonry is, and what it means. And along the way, I hope to introduce Freemasons to intriguing, curious or inspiring events and ideas from beyond the boundaries of the Craft, such as Robert Temple’s discovery of hundreds of ancient optical lenses ... John Jackson - Editor's Comment What a sad story we publish this issue (page 6) about the Essex police. Local masons had offered to provide four defribillators – life-saving heart machines – at a cost of £10,000 for their emergency response vehicles. But the local Bill would have none of it. They said the gift could not be accepted "in the current public and parliamentary concern about freemasonry." There is constant talk about the "perception" of freemasonry. Here is a classic example of why that perception exists – wimpish, limp-wristed police chiefs making sure such "concern" continues to hang like a shadow over law abiding and community-conscious masons ... John Jackson - Editor's Comment There is the story of the sales manager who told his team: don’t tell me how good you are at selling – show me! Similarly, there is a golden opportunity for Freemasons in 2002 not only to talk about what good Masons they are – but actually prove it. There is to be a National Week of action from 26 June to 2 July 2002 on the subject of Freemasonry in the Community (details on page 7). A briefing has gone out to Provinces from Grand Lodge setting out the details in general on how to proceed. Basically, each Province will set up a committee to co-ordinate local action ... John Jackson - Editor's Comment “It’s the Freemasons – they’re trying to kill me!” This typically juicy line is one of many contained in an episode in the Inspector Morse television detective series, enticingly called “Masonic Mysteries” which recently had a repeat on UK screens. Such a disgraceful slur on freemasons was only one of many in which the programme depicted Masons as deeply involved in all kinds of criminal acts. The final outcome, not surprisingly, was that masonry was not involved at all. Thanks a lot ... Geoffrey Baber - Letter from a Director This will be the last issue of Freemasonry Today to be published under Tobias Churton’s admirable editorialship. Having nursed the magazine through its critical first three years, Toby wishes to divert his energies to new projects and in this we wish him well. In his place we welcome as our new editor John Jackson. John spent more than 20 years in Fleet Street and since the 70s has been editor of a number of magazines. He is an equally experienced Mason. For many years he was on the parliamentary staff of a national newspaper, and in this issue he contributes ... Tobias Churton - Letter from the Editor A letter arrived towards the end of February from Donald Davinson, Deputy Provincial Grand Master for the Province of Yorkshire North and East Ridings. He writes: “I am thoroughly enjoying Freemasonry Today. What bemuses is that I have been waving it at the assembled throng on all my official occasions and telling them that here is an answer to many of the questions and unpleasantnesses flung at us by the outside world. The result? Someone sidles up to me afterwards and asks me what it was I had waved, claiming that they had never heard of it before ... Tobias Churton - Letter from the Editor Well, the sky has not fallen, and we can all see that the greater part of the media-generated millennial fervour was as empty and baseless as most New-year resolutions. However, Masonry does have something to say on the subject - hardly surprising, since good men have espoused our principles for many thousands of years and, we trust, will do so for many thousands to come. Masonry stands both in time and eternity. Using the turn-over to another century as blinding background, our present government seems very keen to impose its ideas of ‘modernisation’ ... Tobias Churton - Editor's Comment One thing an editor is never short of is advice - and he gets the pick of the crop: the wisdom and complacency of age, the seasoned caution and intolerance of middle-age, the enthusiasm and impatience of youth. There’s insight, vision, vexation, criticism and creativity - and it all comes tumbling into my in-tray and into my mind. What am I to make of it - apart, that is, from the Letters pages? One thing at least is clear to me. Masonry is alive and kicking: the energy and will for future growth and expansion are there. Indeed, I am convinced that there is far more energy and will for growth ... Tobias Churton - Editor's Comment A rather interesting jazz-fusion instrumental recorded 30 years ago took the optimistic title Nine to the Universe*. Well, this is Issue Nine and if we can't offer you the universe entire, we hope to offer some glimpses of it. And should anyone say that FMT is a ‘specialist’ magazine, let us recall that the masonic universe is concerned with the universe as it is, not a version of it! An early masonic catechism, in answer to the question How high is the lodge? declared that the lodge was as high as the heavens: open to the universe. That is why many lodges have stars on their ceilings ... Tobias Churton - Editor's Letter There is a revolution going on in Freemasonry. All over the country, in lodge forums and in intimate conversation, the focus of discussion is shifting from internal obsession with rank and entrenched and stultifying attitudes, towards a simple question, expressed in many different ways: What are we doing being Freemasons? What does the Craft mean today? What have we to offer the 21st century? How can we grow? ... Tobias Churton - Letter from the Editor The forms have gone out. Magistrates, probation officers, judges and all those who make up the English and Welsh judiciary are being asked to record their response to the question: Are you a Freemason? The list will be available to the public in October. The right to privacy has been violated; Free and Accepted Masonry is less free than it was a year ago: a black month for liberty in these islands. The message is clear: anti-masonic propaganda pays off. Already the effects begin. I have this week seen an East African news report (see The Eye) whose barrage of propaganda against Masonry includes the information that the British Government takes such a dim view of the Craft ... Tobias Churton - Letter from the Editor Just what does Chris Mullin MP think he’s doing with the Home Affairs Select Committee? If you want to know what he thinks he’s doing, then read our interview with him. What are we to make of it? As we reported in last year’s summer edition, the committee as chaired by Ivan Laurence MP (he lost his seat in the election) exonerated the Craft from the slur that justice is compromised by members of the judiciary or police force being Freemasons. So why the new demands for disclosure by the judiciary and law-enforcement agencies? According to Mullin, it’s because there’s a public suspicion, and if we had nothing to hide then we wouldn’t mind disclosure. But suspicion alone ... Tobias Churton - Editor's Letter Welcome to the Winter/New Year Issue of Freemasonry Today: a bright spot in a cold hemisphere. In the darkness of winter, the fire enlightens us. The alchemists of old who sought a living, spiritual fire, hidden within all things, knew that nothing is brought to light which has not first passed through the blackened night. Likewise, beneath the cold skin of winter, the seed lives: the Craft is alive. The theme of emergence is strong in this issue. Our lead article on the mystery of the Royston Cave asks us to consider symbols long hidden in a cave beneath a busy market-place. We go inside Mark Masons' Hall in order to bring to light its littleknown work. Julian Rees gets into the heart ... Tobias Churton - Editor's Letter In a world of media mass-think (or no-think) we are proud to be part of an organisation wherein we learn by degrees to think and act for ourselves, to judge a thing to be straight because it is straight, by the square of enlightened discrimination and the plumbline of spiritual, ethical and practical experience. This issue contains an account of what happened in European societies when individual freedom of thought was greeted with a jackboot at the door and a bullet to the head. The story of the persecution of Freemasonry by fascist powers is a story we need to know. It may come as a surprise to those who strive to oppose our progress that their stance may put them ... Tobias Churton - Editor This is Freemasonry Today : the independent magazine for everyone with an interest in Freemasonry. We take the whole of Freemasonry for our province : its past, present and future - a kaleidoscopic tradition of quality, intelligence, generosity, mystery, wit and purpose. It was William Blake who, while gazing admiringly at the vision of a thriving new city arising from the furnace of love in his epic poem Jerusalem, asked the question : “What are those Golden Builders doing?” As Freemasonry Today unfolds, we shall discover : who has built, who is building; what has been made, who is making. While the edifice of the contemporary Craft is formed of moral ...   Editorials © Grand Lodge Publications Ltd 1997-2008