louisiana scottish rite trestleboard 2009.pdffor the conference is the rythm & blues of speech...

OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2009 ORIENT OF LOUISIANA Volume 11 Issue 5

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Louisiana

Scottish Rite Trestleboard

Scottish Rite FULFILL-BUILD-PROVIDE

Ion Lazar, 32° KCCHPart III: Pentagons and Pentagrams

The Symbolic Camp of the 32°Mysteries of Sacred Geometry and Masonic Astronomy

by

continued on page 10

Have you ever interrupted a speaker in the middle of a tech-nical presentation by objecting loudly "I was told there wouldbe no Math…"? Do you have a strong preference for the "el-evator pitch"? Are you, perhaps, reading this article whileworking out on the treadmill? Listen, I know your time is pre-cious. But I hope you'll agree that in order to achieve an in-depth understanding of Freemasonry and to penetrate the veiledmeaning of its exquisite Truths, we must face patiently thesheer volume of pertinent literature as well as the complexityof its connections with virtually every field of academic study.Can you imagine trying to condense thousands of years of Phi-losophy, or of Mathematics, into some "executive summary"?When it comes to serious Masonic Research, let us never settlefor any "elevator pitch". For one thing, you wouldn't be ridingan elevator -- you'd be riding a Rolls Royce like a tricycle.

Let's continue our exploration of the 32nd Degree Camp byanalyzing the Pentagon with its five Great Standards. In the32nd Degree ritual, the connection between the Degrees from19º to 29º is explored as the Candidate is symbolically con-ducted around the Pentagon. We then learn that the mysteri-ous symbols on the five Standards are somehow connected tothe vernal equinox and with succeeding currents of religiousthought throughout history. There's even a strange referenceto Biblical images in Ezekiel and in the Book of Revelation.It's all fascinating, to say the least, especially as a Candidatelistens to it all at the tail end of a long Reunion, but what inthe world does it all mean?

Remember that a Pentagon in esoteric symbolism is, firstand foremost, a symbol for the number five, which in turnequates to the four elements of Alchemy and of Astrology -Earth, Air, Water, and Fire - plus a fifth, sometimes deemedthe "quintessence". It gets deeper. Four of the five Standardsdepict symbolically the Man, the Lion, the Bull, and the Eagle,which form the Zodiacal Cross - and here's where the ritual'srepeated reference to the "vernal equinox" comes in. (Inciden-tally, the same four Banners and identical symbolism is em-ployed in the Royal Arch Degree of the York Rite). Let us ex-plain this key point.

The Sun is most directly overhead during the summermonths. But in the Northern hemisphere, the Sun moves slowlytowards the South and each day is a bit shorter than the onebefore, while each night is longer. The arc of the Sun's pathacross the sky becomes increasingly shorter from the high pointof summer until we reach the winter solstice which occursabout December 22. At this point the night is the longest of theyear, while the hours of light are the shortest. There, the Sunseems to hover for three days before it begins its perceptiblemove to the North, a march that takes six months, culminatingin the summer solstice around June 21 when the day is thelongest and night the shortest. Can you guess what the twoSaints John depicted on the "sides" of a circle with a point inthe center in Masonic Monitors might represent? Could it bethe two solstices along the circular orbit? Three months intothis journey day conquers night, that is, light conquers dark,when the hours of daylight begin to exceed those of night. Theprocess is reversed in the autumn and at those two points wehave the two equinoxes -- equal light, equal dark.

Louisiana Scottish Rite TrestleboardPublished bimonthly by the

Louisiana Scottish Rite FoundationP. O. Box 64 Shreveport, LA 71161

EditorSteve Pence

105 Bay Hills DriveBenton, LA 71006

Tel: H: 318-965-9977

E-mail: [email protected]

Louisiana Scottish Rite Trestleboard is published bi-monthly by the Louisiana Scottish Rite Foundation. Anyarticle or views expressed in this publication are thoseonly of the writer and do not reflect the official positionof the Louisiana Scottish Rite. The editorial policy ofthis publication grants free reign to the Editor, within thelines of Masonic principles and teachings. Articles andpictures submitted become the property of this publica-tion.

Permission is granted to use contents of this Trestle-board for Masonic purposes, as long as credit is given tothe source.

Editorial StaffEditor:

Steven A. Pence, 33°Valley of Baton Rouge:

Albert J. Meek, 32°Valley of New Orleans:

Marc H. Conrad, 32° KCCHValley of Shreveport:

John F. Ayer, 32° KStAValley of Lake Charles:

John C. Butterick, 32°Valley of Monroe:

Beryl C. Franklin, Ph.D., 33°

AllegianceThe bodies of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite

of Freemasonry, sitting in the Orient of Louisiana, ac-knowledge and yield allegiance to the Supreme Councilof the Thirty-third degree for the Southern Jurisdictionof the United States of America (Mother Supreme Coun-cil of the World) whose See is at Charleston in the Stateof South Carolina, and House of the Temple, Washing-ton, D.C., of which

Ill. Ronald A. Seale, 33°Sovereign Grand Commander

and

Ill. William J. Mollere, 33°,

Sovereign Grand Inspector General

Orient of Louisiana

Ill. Charles L. McCarty, 33°Personal Representative for Valley of New Orleans

Ill. Ballard Smith, 33°, PGMPersonal Representative for Valley of Shreveport

Ill. Richard B. Smith, 33°Personal Representative for Valley of Lake Charles

Ill. Robert J. Hutchinson, 33°Personal Representative for Valley of Baton Rouge

Ill. Woody D. Bilyeu, 33°, DGMPersonal Representative for Valley of Monroe

M: W: J. F. “Jeff” Webb, 33°and Grand Master of Masons in Louisiana


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Calendar of Events

Supreme

Orient of LouisianaConference of the OrientShreveport November 13Honors DayShreveport November 14

ReunionsNew Orleans Update

4th & 14th Wednesday Oct 7th18th & 30th Sunday, Oct 11th32nd Wednesday, Nov 4th

October 4-6 Supreme CouncilWashington DC

Master Craftsman Program

Billy Graham

Your silence gives consent.Plato

When wealth is lost, nothing is lost;when health is lost, something is lost; whencharacter is lost, all is lost.

Baton RougeRobert A. Delatte

Ernest S Easterly, IIIRichard A. Harris

William E. Womack

Lake CharlesCharles C. Heath, Jr

Jules F. Webb

MonroeH. Levern Defee

New OrleansGarland M. Gisclair

James W. MarchbanksElmo J. Pitre, IIIAnthony RadostiJames W. Vann

ShreveportThomas P. BrownHarris E. Durham

William R. RichardsStanley Ray Williams

We have approximately 56 memberscurrently enrolled in the Course. Theirprogress ranges anywhere from just be-ginning to awaiting for theacknowledgement from Washington ontheir completion.

The Master Craftsman Course II willdebut at the Supreme Council’s Session.It is planned for a 9-10 lesson coursecovering approximately two-four Degreesper Lesson. There will be nine or tenmultiple choice questions per Degree. Anessay will be at the end of the quiz with aselection from three choices to write abrief response.

The following members have recentlycompleted the course and have receivedor should shortly recieve their certificatesand lapel pins.

StuffThe recent Scottish Rite Journal has

an article by Dean Alban, 33°-Directorof Membership Services explaining theoutreach program called Brother toBrother. Personal contact with membersis the basis of the program to address theissue of demits and suspensions for non-payment of dues.

Our SGIG has asked the Valleys toincorporate the program in their indi-vidual business plans and the Valleys thathave embraced the program are report-ing sucess. During Bill Mollere’s visitto Shreveport, he mentioned how BroAlban selects a member (active, NPD orDemitted) at random and makes thephone call.

If the Director of Membership Ser-vices is able to devote a period of time tomaking ‘cold calls’ and having +270,000members then we should be able to dothe same for our respective Valleys. Con-tact your Membership Chairman and vol-unteer 20-30 minutes of your time tomake personal contact with a member youhaven’t seen at the Valley meetings. Youmay establish a new bond of friendshipor renew an old. After all, the bond offriendship and fellowship is what at-tracted us to the Fraternity.

I’ll leave you with a question. Sinceit has been said that dogs are man’s bestfriends, I ask you, what kind of best friendwould remove your testicles?

The Louisiana Scottish Rite Foundation

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In Memory of Frank M BoydDr. and Mrs. Beryl Franklin

In Memory of Ruth Keen, PWGMDr. and Mrs. Beryl Franklin

In Memory of Donald BrooksPatson C Houston

Louisiana Scottish Rite Foundation

Scholarship Awards

Contributions

The Foundation is so very blessed bythe continued financial support fromwithin the Fraternity as well as from thosefrom outside.

It is only fitting that these supportersbe recognized.

The Louisiana Scottish Rite Founda-tion is proud to announce that the fol-lowing Scholarships have been awarded:

LSU Baton RougeMolly Kay Dart

Kathryn F. Mullis

John Wooten

Foundation Officers 2009-2010S. Bruce Easterly PresidentWilliam V. King Vice PresidentE. Louis McGee TreasurerRobert C. Joyner SecretaryWilliam J. Mollere ChairmanJohn L. Atkinson Executive DirectorHarry E. Moseley Board MemberWilliam H. Brown Board MemberI. C. Turnley, Jr. Board MemberNeal R. Crane Board Member

University of Louisiana-LafayetteNicole Langlinais

Katie Clark

University of Louisiana-HammondVictoria Rodrigue

Leslie Miller McKenzie

LSU ShreveportAmber NealKelli Millet

University of Louisiana-MonroeJana WoodwardCody Culbreath

Tomecia Jackson

The Louisiana Scottish Rite Founda-tion is proud to host the 2010 Rite CareConference, in New Orleans. The themefor the conference is The Rythm & Bluesof Speech Language and Literacy. TheConference Director is Sandra L. Hayes,SLP-D, Associate Professor of ClinicalCommunication Disorders LSU HealthScience Center-Shreveport Specialty Lan-guage Pathology Program.

All of the 177 centers, clinics, andprograms share in one mission: To helpchildren Communicate to their fullest po-tential.

The following individuals will be at-tending the Conference from Louisiana:

Center DirectorsSandra L. Hayes, SLPD

Dr. Alisa Mendosa, SLPDHolly L. Damico, M.S. CCC/SLPAimee Q. Adams, M.S. CCC/SLPSarah L. Hayes, M.S., CCC/SLP

Board MembersWilliam J. Mollere, 33° S.G.I.G..

John L. Atkinson, 33°G.C, Exe Director

Foundation News

“Be more concerned with your char-acter than your reputation, because yourcharacter is what you really are, while yourreputation is merely what others think youare.”

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Sibbolethreprented by permission from the Grand Lodge of Minnesota AF & AM

Eggs and oaths are easily broken - Danish Proverb

The allegories of Freemasonry, just as the stories and parablesin the Great Light of Masonry, contain so much to study; the deeperthe Masonic Student goes in study the more one finds to learn.

I would suspect that every Freemason remembers the story asit is told in the 2°, and in the book of Judges, about how Jephthahand his army defeated the Ammonites, and then how it came to bethat he found it necessary to do battle with the Ephraimites, anddefeated them too. This story is also significant to members of theOrder of the Eastern Star.

The story of Jephthah (pronounced Jef-thuh) can be found inthe Great Light of Masonry in Judges 11 & 12: It is an interestingstory, with some important lessons to be learned from the story:Verse 11:1 says that Jephthah was a ‘mighty warrior,’ but the com-

mentary from the NJPS trans-lation tells us that Jephthah isremembered, because of hisvow, in a negative light. Thegiving of an oath referring toone coming out of his housesuggests a human rather than ananimal sacrif ice. Vows, evenhastily and ill thought out vows,were taken very seriously in bib-lical times; Jephthah and hisdaughter understood this, andthat is why it is understood thatJephthah could not retract whathe said. However, some Bible

Scholars maintain that Jephthah’s daughter was not actually killed.The battle with the Ephraimites was a battle Jephthah waged

against his own people and the difference between the pronuncia-tions between sibboleth instead of shibboleth reflected a differenceof dialect within the same language spoken by both sides in thebattle.

The number ‘forty and two thousand and its meaning is widelydiscussed. Freemasons will talk of that number meaning either42,000 or 2,040, but the translations newer than the AuthorizedVersion [King James] says 42,000 insteadof forty and two thousand. In talking withsome clergy I got some interesting infor-mation; they all tended to agree that thenumber isn’t all that important for the fol-lowing reasons: In wars it isn’t alwaysthat easy to determine the actual numberof warriors killed, and this was even more the case in Old Testa-ment times: The number forty they agreed had a metaphysicalmeaning of completeness, and one of them offered that 42,000involves multiples of 4 and also of 7; Seven has a metaphysicalmeaning of fullness, so his interpretation of the 42,000 is that theMasonic or Bible Student wouldn’t need to think of that numberas literal, but as meaning that it represents a fully complete vic-tory, with nothing more to do.

In modern times the word ‘shibboleth’ is used to indicate a

password or other safety devise; it’s used as part of the Englishlanguage as such. Sometimes a Mason will hear it used and won-der if the speaker is a Masonic or Bible student, but using the wordin a speech only means that the word has become a part of theEnglish language. Author Jonathan Kirsh, in one of his books,recounts a story about World War II in which Dutch ResistanceFighters were able to cull out Nazi infiltrators who couldn’t pro-nounce a particular Dutch Name. The Dutch may have used twonames to detect Nazi infiltrators; one name is spelled“Scheveningen,” the other is spelled “ ‘S-Gravenhage,” which is

the Dutch name andpronunciation of atown in the Nether-lands, which is knownas “The Hague.” Inany event the Dutchhad one pronuncia-tion and the Germans

another, so this word [s] was used as a ‘shibboleth’ to detect theenemy in modern warfare. This, it seems to me, is a good exampleof how two different peoples inherently pronounced a word differ-ently so as to divulge their identity.

From the Great Light of Masonry: “On seeing her, he renthis clothes and said, ‘Alas my daughter! You have brought melow; you have become my troubler! For I have uttered a vow to theLord and I cannot retract.” Judges 1`:35 NJPS

“When a man takes an oath, Meg, he’s holding his own self inhis own hands, like water: If he opens his fingers then he needn’thope to find himself again.” Robert Bolt

Seek to mentor a Brother Mason: It’s good for him, it’s goodfor you, and it’s good for Freemasonry

I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gatherstrength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ’Tis thebusiness of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, andwhose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his prin-ciples unto death.

Thomas Paine

Valley of New Orleans NewsThe Oldest Scottish Rite Valley in the World - Chartered April 7, 1811

Albert Pike was Grand Commander of Grand Consistory of LouisianaFrom April 1857-January 1859

Meets on the first Wednesday of every month

New Orleans Scottish Rite Temple619-621 Carondelet Street

New Orleans, LA 70130-3503Secretary: Lloyd A. Hebert, 33°

Tel: 504-522-3789 Fax: 504-527-5982Email: [email protected]

WebSite: www.nolascottishrite.com

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Calendar of EventsStated Communications 7:30 PMAdvisory Conference 5:00 PM

Wednesday, October 7thFifty Year Member CelebrationWednesday, November 3rdThanksgiving Dinner103rd Anniversary of our BuildingWednesday, December 2ndChristmas Program

In Memoriam

2009 Membership Fees are dueby December 31, 2008

Recent Valley News

Alvin Warren Bosch, 32°Wilton Welber Brock, 32°

Adrast Ducote, Jr., 32°Larry W Jacobson, 32°

Charles Aristide Monteverde, 32°Bobbie Davis Selman, 32°Billy Duane Tennyson, 32°

On July 12 the New Orleans Valleyheld one of its most successful familyevents in recent memory. With an atten-dance of over 195 people, including ourmembers, their families and children, andmany visitors, and featuring an impres-sive, full-service buffet, awesome livemusic, and even a world-class HypnosisShow, this was truly a memorable 4th ofJuly celebration.

Our Valley owes a tremendous debt ofgratitude to the valiant, tireless, and ever-present Knights of St. Andrew who spear-headed the massive volunteer effort thatmade this family event such a great suc-cess. The members of this ancient andhonorable Order of Knights of St. Andreware 32nd Degree members who have aburning passion and enthusiasm for Scot-tish Rite and who selflessly volunteer tohelp with Valley projects ranging frompublic events to Reunions to membershipdevelopment. Any member is eligible forthis distinguished group - even KCCHand 33° Brothers can serve as emeriti orliaison members. This year's VenerableMaster of St. Andrew is Bro. JoeLoyacano 32°, who as we all know is aliving example of dedication, service, andfraternal good will.

The day's festivities opened with amoving prayer by our Valley Chaplainand esteemed Brother Sidney Agnelly 32°KCCH, a Past DDGM and the firstGraduate of the immensely popular Mas-ter Craftsman educational course. Afterbrief welcome remarks by Bro. Loyacano,everyone enjoyed the abundant offeringsof our multi-station buffet line, includ-ing delicious hot dogs, great chili, bakedbeans, freshly-made cole slaw, potatochips, fresh popcorn, cold beverages, andmany dessert choices plus ice cream.Truly a feast to remember. The food ser-vice was overseen by our Valley's Vener-able Master, Anthony Radosti 32° KCCH- who served the hundreds of hot dogshimself - and was assisted by many

Knight-volunteers including Brothers JoeLoyacano, Guy Wilson, Ion Lazar, Cleve-land Bruce, Ralph Rabelais, Lee Roberts,Eric Zollinger, Donald Freeze, and many,many others. Our Grand Junior Warden,Ill. Bro. Frank DuTreil 33° was also, asalways, in five places at once as he helpedout. All we can say is: if you were there,you probably wanted (and got) secondhelpings. Our General Secretary, Ill. Bro.Lloyd Hebert 33°, personally made surethat all went smooth and that everyonehad a great time.

Everyone enjoyed the thoughtful andvery well-performed musical selectionsplayed live by the Shrine Band - theydon't miss a beat! We were treated to pa-triotic music as well as a great collectionof timeless favorites. To top it all off, theofficial anthem of each branch of Mili-tary Service was played as our proud Vet-erans stood, and cheered, and saluted.The celebration continued with a world-class Hypnosis Show by Bro. LeonardJohnson 32° -- sometimes known as "Dr.Z" in his many Shrine activities - whowas assisted by his son. The show in-cluded live demonstrations of variousHypnosis techniques and enlisted the helpof many stage volunteers including sev-eral of the children present, Bro. RalphRabelais 32°, and our Valley's VenerableMaster's wife, Mrs. Julia Radosti.

Venerable Master Radosti addressedthe large assembly and thanked theKnights of St. Andrew for the impressiveplanning and execution of this wonder-ful celebration. The Valley of New Or-leans has done it yet again!

Fraternally,

Ion Lazar, 32ºKCCH

Our Wagon Master-Charles L. McCartyinvites you to climb aboard the Wagon forthe 2009 Branson Extravaganza. DepartsNew Orleans on Thursday November 5thand returns on Monday November 9th. Tenmeals: (Three dinners and four continentalbreakfasts). Seven Christmas Shows:Miracle of Christmas, Shoji Tabuchi, BrettFamily, Daniel O’Donnell, Clay Cooper,Twelve Irish Tenors &Dixie Stamped, plus“Salute to the Veterans Week”. All for theamazing cost of: Single $880.00, Double$732.00, Triple $682.00 and Quad $657.00.For information, call Charles McCarty(504) 394 2617, Bonnie Wall (504) 3623671 or cell (504) 439 1650 or Lloyd Hebert(504) 522 3789 or cell (504) 650 7710.

Branson Extravaganza

Valley of Shreveport News Chartered October 26, 1913

Meets on the second Tuesday of every month

Shreveport Scottish Rite Temple725 Cotton Street

Shreveport, LA 71101-9713Secretary: John L. Atkinson, 33° G.C.


Web: www.shreveportscottishrite.com

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IN MEMORIAM

CALENDAR OF EVENTS


Give a Living Legacy! Donate tothe Shreveport Scottish Rite

Foundation

2009 OfficersShreveport Lodge of Perfection:Venerable Master: Richard L Hollier, 33°Senior Warden: Larry B Ledbetter, Sr., 33ºJunior Warden: H Edward Durham, 33º

Shreveport Chapter Rose Croix:Wise Master: Stanford L Jensen, 33°Senior Warden: Gary L Gribble, 33ºJunior Warden: Roy B Tuck, Jr., 33°

Shreveport Council of Kadosh:Commander: Gary L Gribble., 33°1st Lt. Commander: Charles F Jackson, 33º2nd Lt. Commander: Larry B Ledbetter,Sr., 33°

Shreveport Consistory:Master of Kadosh: Richard L Hollier, 33°Prior: Larry B Ledbetter, Sr., 33ºPreceptor: B Keith Tindell, 32º KCCH

Treasurer All Bodies:Louis E McGee, 33°

Secretary All Bodies:John L Atkinson, 33° GC

Knights of St. Andrew

Knight Commander: Carey C AllisonKnight Warden: Joseph E MooreKnight Captain: Robert M ClarkKnight Steward: John F Ayer, 32°

2009 Officers

God is Great

Tuesday, October 13thRegular Meeting 6:30 PM

Tuesday, November 10thOpen Meeting 6:30 PMThanksgiving with Special Program

Tuesday, December 8thRegular Meeting 6:30 PMElection & Installation of OfficersNote: Advisory Conference meets at 5:00 pm

before each meeting.

Shreveport Foundation

KCCH Club

FraternallyPat Houston, President KCCH Club

The KCCH Club has been very active.We are participating more and more inthe activities of the Scottish Rite, and aremanaging a practice schedule for thePlay, "A Rose Upon the Altar" at leastonce each week, and hope to have the castup and ready to start performing againshortly. If you are looking to get activelyinvolved with the KCCH, please give PatHouston a call at (318) 560-2882 or bye-mail at [email protected]

Recently, we upgraded the air condi-tioning system at the Temple. The workwas completed just in time before the heatset in. Last month, the lights on the 2ndfloor went out and had to be repaired. Weask our members if able, to make a dona-tion to offset the costs that had to be madeto facilitate these repairs. Send your tax-deductible contributions to: ShreveportScottish Rite Foundation, Inc. (SSRFI)P. O. Box 64 Shreveport, LA 71161. Re-member: Charity is the foundation prin-cipal upon which all other Masonic teach-ing must rest in order to obtain the full-est application or meaning.

Sincerely,H. Edward Durham, 33°

President.

The Chapter elected Sir Knight CareyAllison as it's Knight Commander for thenext two years. Additionally elected andinstalled were, Sir Knight Joseph Mooreas the Knight Warden, Sir Knight Rob-ert Clark as the Knight Captain, and SirKnight John Ayer as the Secretary/Stew-ard. On September the 8th, the Knightsput on the Feast of Tishri to the guests atthe Temple. Sir Knight AndrewStevenson served as the Director. Illus-trious William J. Mollere, SGIG spoke onthe history of the Feast, its origin, mean-ing and how it was celebrated beginningin 1986. He thanked and commended theKnights on their efforts in presenting theplay and all those in attendance on theimportance of the meaning of the Feast.The Chapter of the Shreveport Valley ofthe Knights of St. Andrew celebrates it's5th year as a chapter since being Char-tered on 15 October, 2004.

Dr. Carey Allison and Bill Mollere, SGIG

Valley of Lake Charles News Chartered October 16, 1923

Meets on the third Wednesday of every month

Lake Charles Masonic Temple717 Hodges Street

Lake Charles, LA 70601Secretary: Charles G. Callahan, 33°


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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Wednesday, October 21stFeast of TishriWednesday, November 18thRecognition of Masonic CharitiesWednesday, December 4thPot Luck Covered LunchWednesday, December 16thElection of Officers


IN MEMORIAM

2009Membership fees were dueDecember 31, 2008

Personally Speaking

David A Chozen, 32°Daniel J Hogan, 32°Hebert C Gregg, 32°

2009 OfficersLake Charles Lodge of Perfection:Venerable Master:C Clifford Heath, Jr. 32° KCCHSenior Warden: Daryl G Johnson, 32º KCCHJunior Warden: Nolan R Gamble, 32º, KCCH

Lake Charles Chapter Rose Croix:Wise Master: Allen R Fruge’, 33°Senior Warden: Harry C Northrop III, 32º KCCHJunior Warden: Ricky A Venable, 32° KCCH

Lake Charles Council of Kadosh:Commander: Jimmy H Leger, 32° KCCH1st Lt. Commander: William B Powell, 32° KCCH2nd Lt. Commander: James M Kilpatrick, 33º

Lake Charles Consistory:Master of Kadosh: Donald R Verret, 32° KCCHPrior: Murray C “Bo” House, 33ºPrreceptor: Herrin J Ducote, 33º

Treasurer All Bodies:Clarence L Callihan, 32° KCCH

Secretary All Bodies:Charles G Callahan, 33°

Director of WorkGregory L Bruce, 32° KCCH

Back Door Lunch: Last Friday of everymonth.(Except November & December)

Fraternally ,Richard B Smith33°

Personal Representative

"To every thing there is a season, anda time to every purpose under theheaven:" Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)

It was seven years ago that IllustriousBrother William E. "Tommy" Thompson,33°, passed away suddenly from cancer.This left the office of General Secretaryfor the Valley of Lake Charles vacant. Wewere at a great loss as to who would fillthat position. After much prayer and de-liberation, we called Illustrious BrotherCharles G. Callahan, 33° and asked himto take the position for 90 days, until suchtime as we could find a permanent re-placement. Bro. Callahan made it quiteclear and we agreed that it was only go-ing to be temporary appointment until wecould find a brother that would take theposition on a permanent basis.

Brother Callahan did an excellent jobas interim Valley General Secretary andthe brethren came to rely on his knowl-edge, skills, and abilities. It soon becameapparent that the brethren did not see theneed to look for anyone else to serve inthat position. Likewise, Bro. Callahangrew to love his position and gave tire-lessly to the success of the Valley of LakeCharles. So, what started out as a 90 daytemporary duty job grew to a remarkableseven years of service, dedication andbrotherly love. He is credited for estab-lishing and/or improving many activitiesin the Valley such as: the Back DoorLunch, Family Days, August Bus Trips,Reunion Receptions, Reunion Booklets,and many more programs and services.

Those appointed by the SovereignGrand Inspector General (SGIG) serve fora term of two years concurrent with theSupreme Council calendar. IllustriousBrother Charles Gene Callahan, 33° willretire as the General Secretary of the Val-ley of Lake Charles at the end of this bi-ennial period, on December 31, 2009. Hewill continue to serve on the advisoryconference as a senior advisor, as hebrings an inestimable wealth of knowl-edge and experience to the table. He willalso help in the transition to assist his

replacement in understanding the manyfacets of the position.

We are truly grateful for the dedicatedbrotherly love and service that Illustri-ous Brother Callahan, 33° has sharedwith the Valley of Lake Charles, and welook forward to having his wise counselfor many years to come.

Valley of Baton Rouge NewsChartered October 20, 1955

Meets on the second Monday of every month

Baton Rouge Scottish Rite Temple14598 Florida BoulevardBaton Rouge, LA 70819

Secretary: Beverly J. Guillot, 33° GSWTel: 225-275-0668 Fax: 225-273-0750

Email: [email protected]

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Dinner 6:30 Meeting 7:30Fall Reunion October 17-18Monday, October 12thDanny Smith presents 8th DegreeMonday, November 9thM:W: Jeff Webb, GM visitMonday, December 14thElection of OfficersIll. William J Mollere, SGIG to be receivedNote: The Advisory Conference meets at5:30 prior to regular meetings.


In Memoriam

2009 MEMBERSHIP FEES ARENOW DUE

Personal Representative Notes

continued next column

Greetings from the Baton Rouge Val-ley. On October 17th we will hold the FallReunion of the Baton Rouge ScottishRite. At this time we only have about 5petitions and we surely need more as weneed to keep members coming into thefraternity. At the end of this year, we mustremove from the rolls those members whohave not paid their dues for the currentyear. At this time we have over 90 mem-bers who have not paid their dues andare subject to be dropped. We have nointention of dropping any member whowants to stay in the Scottish Rite but can-not afford to pay the dues, but we alsodon't want to force anyone to stay in.

With the above said, I have some-thing I need to get off my chest. I recentlyhad the pleasure of conferring the EnteredApprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Ma-son degrees on my 18 year old grandson.I also coached him through his esotericcatechism of the EA & FC and will coachhim through the MM work when he isnot studying at LSU. In the process ofpracticing, coaching and saying thewords of the obligations over and overand over, I started listening to what I wassaying and started explaining to myGrandson the meaning of the wordsrather than the words themselves. I amnot sure if my Grandson understood whatwas being said, but I believe after 43years, I do understand and I have cometo the conclusion we are missing the boat.We kneel before the altar and swear BE-FORE GOD that we will support ourBrothers in all situations and yet, for afew coins, we bid them goodbye regard-less of their time of service or age. Wepropound the virtues of charity in allphases of the fraternity and I know thatin the "Welcome Address" or "Addresson Charity" in the Master Mason Degreewe state that "if but a cup of cool waterwe lift to some famished mortals lips,then so far have we exemplified the di-

vine teachings of Freemasonry and so farhave we done as our Father commanded".Don't you think this is hypocritical and Iam as guilty as all for I have given theWelcome Address on many occasions?However, I am not a believer in suspend-ing men for Non Payment of Dues whenthey can not afford to pay. If a memberjust wants to get out, that is different asit is his choice. I know we have to havemoney to operate Blue Lodges and Scot-tish Rite Valleys but for every Brotherwho can't pay, there are 20 who can helphim pay if they will just stretch forth thehand of charity. We just forget we sworewe would. What got me so upset? I flewto Nebraska a couple weeks ago to buryan old friend and conduct his MasonicService and when I arrived and talked tothe family they told me that we would nothave the Masonic Service as my friendwas suspended for NPD a couple yearsago. His wife advised they were in suchpoor shape financially they could not paythe dues and my friend was too proud tocall me. After 35 years of service to thefraternity, he was dropped. What a waste!

I am getting old as are many of ourmembers. I was taught at a very early ageto respect your elders and I have also beentold to listen to your elders, for the knowl-edge they have gained through years ofstudy and service and is worth much morethan you can learn from any book. How-ever, we are told today that what we didyears ago is not relevant today and to stopbringing up past days or past achieve-ments as they will never return. That be-ing said, I ask you, what have we, thisolder generation, got to give if we can'tgive back what we have learned. We aretold today to assign a new member a men-

continued page 12

Thomas Lee LewisLeon Coats Hendry

Connel Lee SullivanDavid Ibberson PerkinsLarry Wirth Jacobson

Valley of Monroe NewsChartered November 13, 1971

Meets on the first Thursday of every month

Monroe Scottish Rite Temple205 University Avenue

Monroe, LA 71203-3701Secretary: Robert C. Joyner, 33°


9

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Thursday, October 1stDinner with Ladies 6:00 PMProgram 7:00 PMFeast of TishriThursday, November 5thDinner with Ladies 6:00 PMProgram 7:00 PMHonor 25 & 50 Year MembersSaturday November 7thDinner with Ladies 6:00 PMHonoring Veterans


2009 Membership fees are due byDecember 31, 2008

IN MEMORIAMFrank McCalla Boyd, 32°James Kenneth Baker, 32°

2009 OfficersMonroe Lodge of Perfection

Venerable Master: Gregory L Wrenn, 32° KCCHSenior Warden: Joseph H Baker, 33ºJunior Warden: Ralph H Owens, 33º

Monroe Chapter Rose CroixWise Master: Michael A Watts, 32°Senior Warden: Randall S Hollis, 32º KCCHJunior Warden: Clifton Hall, Jr., 32°

Monroe Council of KadoshCommander: Earl D Killingsworth, 32° KCCH1st Lt. Commander: Elzy L Roberson, 32° KCCH2nd Lt. Commander: Louis A Franks, 32º

Monroe ConsistoryMaster of Kadosh: H Levern Defee, 32°Prior: Guy S Williams, 32º KCCHPreceptor: Jimmie Dale Yates, 32º KCCH

Treasurer All Bodies:Carl T Fatheree, 33°

Secretary All Bodies:Robert C Joyner, 33°

November Meeting

continued page 10

Thursday, December 3rdDinner with Ladies 6:00 PMProgram 7:00 PMAnnual Christmas ProgramElection & Installation of Officers

On November 5th the Monroe Scot-tish Rite Bodies will have a very inter-esting meeting! Do your best to be thereand help the Bodies honor those "Mas-ters of the Royal Secret" who have beenable to hear this title for 25 and 50 years.This will be a time of gratitude for theBodies as well as those honored. Meet-ings such as this point up the valuablelessons we learn in Scottish Rite Ma-sonry. These lessons are tenets, we ap-preciate deeply, have helped us as Scot-tish Rite Masons to be loyal to our spo-ken vows, loyal to our Neighbor, toler-ant of others who may differ from us,politically, socially, religiously, as wellas in other ways. At this time of yearthose lessons have, most assuredly, in-stilled a greater love for Country but haveespecially made us realize we are moregrateful for those who have served in theArmed Forces in the defense of the prin-ciples of Freedom we hold so dear. Pleasedon't be shy about honoring our Flag,Please don't hesitate to acknowledge theGreat Architect of the Universe underwhose guidance, our Founding Fatherslaid the Foundation for this Great Na-tion of Ours.

As we see others leaning away fromthe Moral lessons we have been taught

to honor, let this make your resolve to bebetter help strengthen your own preceptsof "right" and "wrong". Let your heartguide you to a better understanding, helpyou to be tolerant and not succumb to theeasier and less moral way of life. Be proudof what you have learned and live yourlife in an upright way that others will say,"he is a good man, a good Mason".

In November, we, as a Nation haveset aside a special day on which we givethanks. It is quite a day of celebration. Aday when Families can get together, pos-sibly at Grandma's House, renew friend-ships and get well fed and while we gorgeourselves we give Thanks to our SupremeBeing for his Bounty!

We did re-enact an historical time ofThanksgiving when we had our obliga-tory Feast of Tishri. All of these are sepa-rate moments of Thanksgiving! For anumber of years now, the Bodies haveheld a Banquet or Dinner, complete witha Speaker in honor of the Veterans of thisarea of the State. The various serviceclubs of Northeast Louisiana are con-tacted and a head-count is secured so thatour famed Kitchen Crew can prepare forthem. This has been very successful aswell as greatly appreciated by the veter-ans of the area. This year it will be heldon Saturday, November 7th at 6:00 P.M.at the Monroe Scottish Rite Temple.

Are you Truly Grateful?

A Salute to VeteransOn November 7th the Monroe Scot-

tish Rite Bodies will continue a tradition,of a number of years now, whereby theVeterans of our area (3rd, 4th, 5th, 7thMasonic Districts) are shown our appre-ciation! The event to be held at the Mon-roe Scottish Rite Temple at 205 Univer-sity Avenue, Monroe, LA. One of the les-sons inculcated in the Scottish Rite de-

10

Scottish Rite FULFILL-BUILD-PROVIDEcontinued from Front PageThe Symbolic Camp:

To accurately mark the passage of the sun and record itsturning points, the method employed was to erect a pillar ofstone positioned by a plumb line. Any Junior Wardens readingthis? At the rising and setting of the sun at each solstice, stoneswere placed to mark the location, most likely by using theshadow. This is the true interpretation of why the Deacons carryRods or Staffs (in York Rite Lodges) - they used them to findthe East-West axis for the Tabernacles in the desert. See whatyou might find out when you forego the "elevator pitch"? Nowthe movement of the stars is also an arc across the heavens aswitnessed from earth, and twelve of these constellations wereselected to coincide with the number of phases of the moonand thus the Zodiac was created. Simply put, the Zodiac is abelt-shaped region in the heavens on either side to the ecliptic,divided into 12 constellations or signs for astrological purposes.Think of it as a pie-chart.

Believe it or not, the symbolism in most Masonic Degreesis "keyed" to Astronomy and to the Zodiac. I bet you want anexample. Okay, take a closer look at the four Banners: the Lionrepresents the sign Leo, the Bull represents Taurus, the Eagleis the classic symbol for Scorpio, and the Man traditionallydepicts Aquarius. Why is that important? (Drum roll…) Asyou can see in the diagram, by drawing a straight line fromsolstice to solstice, and connecting the two equinoxes in thesame way, the four Standards unite to form the Great ZodiacalCross! Now we see why, since time immemorial, the Cross hasbeen the ultimate representation of the Divine. Of course, thesymbols as well as the Latin mottoes on each of these Stan-dards would easily take multiple pages to explain in detail.But their relation to each other is of overriding importancehere. And yes, for those who might remember, the inscriptionon the Pentagon's purple Banner -- "Laus Deo" ("Praise toGOD") - is identical with that inscribed on the aluminum plateat the top of the Washington Monument; the inscription wasbanned in November 2007 and later reinstated after severalprotests.

There's yet another layer of symbolism connecting the Stan-dards on the Pentagon. The Fifth Banner now comes into play- the Ark between two lighted torches and two palm trees. Re-member we discussed the date palms as symbols of duality whenwe unlocked the secrets of the Phoenix in Part II? Well, thefive Banners taken together form a sequence representing theprogression of religious/philosophical thought in the worldacross the centuries. This is clearly explained by the Preceptorin the 32nd Degree Ritual in the lecture following the threemystic verses, but if you missed it there, you can find the sameidea expounded in Degrees 25° and 26°.

This doctrine introduces the esoteric idea of Great Cycles,which in turn is based on the Astronomical concept of the Pre-cession of the Equinoxes. The reason this Precession occurs isthat the Earth not only rotates on its axis, it also "wobbles", aphenomenon caused by forces exerted by the Sun on the "bulges"of the Earth at the Equator. Think of it as a spinning top. Thisslightly alters the direction of the Polar Axis as it completesone revolution roughly every 25,920 years - Plato referred to itas the Great Year. So why is this Precession relevant to us here?

Because it causes the Sun to apparently move "backwards"through each sign of the Zodiac in a cyclical fashion, and theancients considered the entry into each such cycle to be thedawning of a New Age, a new philosophy, a new outlook onlife, politics, religion, etc. The German Romanticists coinedthe term "Zeitgeist" (you'll find it in Hegel's philosophy as well)to refer to "the spirit of the Age". It is this sequence of Agesthat is represented by the Standards on the Pentagon when takentogether as a whole symbol. Follow along from the top: fromthe Age of Paganism and Solar worship (remember when wesaid in part I that the Lion's mane is a symbol for the Sun?), tothe Age of Moses and the Hebrew Lawgivers (Ark and PalmTrees), to the Age when Matriarchal forms of worship prevailedin the Indus Valley and Mesopotamia (Calf or Bull as symbolsof fertility), to the more Patriarchal Age of Rome and Greecehinted at by the Eagle of Jupiter, and on to the Age of Man, orthe Age of Aquarius. Thus endeth the Pentagon…

Doubtless to the sheer horror of those students who mayhave long imbibed their Masonic knowledge in a comfortinglull of 2-minute sound-bites, I'll tell you that all of the abovewas just for openers. The really tricky part is still ahead. Anypentagon contains within it (obtained by connecting the "di-agonals") a Pentagram, or Five-pointed Star, the symbol of aMaster Mason, and importantly, the esoteric symbol of the hu-man Soul. Incidentally, the Candidate himself symbolizes theSoul of Man in most, if not all, Scottish Rite rituals - a keydiscovery, often overlooked by students.

Now this Five-pointed Star is not just any Pentagram. Thereare, as we shall see, many (more) reasons why it is one of themost important symbols in esoteric philosophy. To the Persians,it represented Ahura and the four male emanations (there willbe more on this when we analyze the heptagon in Part IV); tothe Babylonians it was a symbol for the Goddess Ishtar, orAstarte, or Venus (this reference to Venus will become cruciallater on); depictions of Venus as the five-pointed star by theMayans have also been found at Teotihuacan in Mexico; theEgyptians knew her as Isis, the Widow, whose son Horus playsa rather important allegorical role in the Master Mason De-gree; we also have the Biblical Morning Star to consider inthis connection. But here's a little secret: while all the aboveinterpretations of the Pentagram are valid and admittedly fas-cinating as well as time-consuming to fully unravel, none ofthem come closer to revealing the true relevance of the Penta-gram to the Scottish Rite than the following: (1) the Math-ematical interpretation concerning the Golden Ratio and (2)the Astronomical interpretation involving Venus and its or-bital motion. We shall proceed to examine each of these inter-pretations in depth.

First defined in Euclid's Elements, the Golden Ratio is an"irrational number" denoted by the Greek letter Phi and equalto 1.61803399(…); l ike the irrational number Pi(3.14159265…) and like Euler's number e (2.71828183), theGolden Ratio was considered sacred by the Pythagoreans. Asyou can see above, the Golden Ratio divides a line at a pointsuch that the smaller segment (C) relates to the larger segment(B) in the same ratio that the larger relates to the whole line (B+ C). In other words, the ratio of the lengths of the two seg-ments is equal to the ratio of the longer segment to the sum of

continued page 11

11

Scottish Rite FULFILL-BUILD-PROVIDEcontinued from page 10The Symbolic Camp:

the two segments. So why is this tongue-twisting arithmeticrelevant? Well, take a look at the Pentagram above. All thelittle segments (a to f) that naturally form in the constructionof a Pentagram relate to each other through the Golden Mean!For instance, a/b = b/ (a+b) = (a+b) / (a+2b) and so on. Butwait, there's more:

It turns out that this Golden Ratio has profound theologi-cal and philosophical implications, hence its prominence in32nd Degree symbolism and in Freemasonry in general. Sincethe publishing of "Divina Proportione" by Luca Paciola inVenice in 1509, scientists and philosophers alike have observedthat many patterns in nature - ranging from fish scales to spi-ral galaxies - exhibit a tendency to approximate the GoldenMean. Thus we're talking about a coded blueprint for life onEarth which mirrors the Geometry of the heavens! Rememberthe Hermetic Axiom "As Above, So Below"? I guess it's notjust a Camp after all… The mystery of the sacred Pentagramonly deepens once we observe that the Golden Ratio also formsthe foundation for the Fibonacci Series (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21,34, 55,…, etc.) where each number is formed by adding to-gether the previous two numbers. As the sequence progresses,the ratio of two successive Fibonacci numbers approaches theGolden Mean, a fact discovered by the famous astronomerJohannes Kepler. Guess what? The Fibonacci sequence appearseverywhere in nature as a prevalent tendency - the rows ofscales on a pineapple, the florets in sunflowers, and, of allplaces, in the numerical pattern of ancestry for the commonbees. Yes, bees. Please remember to look up the beehive sym-bol in your Blue Lodge Monitor…We'll close here this alge-braic rhapsody with a challenge to the aspiring Adept to ex-amine Leonardo DaVinci's veiled use of the Golden Ratio inhis famous drawing of the Vitruvian Man to effectively "squarethe circle" - a task which has long symbolized the Quest ofevery true Mason.

Before we close, we promised to show the key to the rela-tion between Venus and the Pentagram. I hope you'll f ind yourpatience rewarded, as this shall give you the key to the inter-pretation of many Masonic Degrees. Simply put, the Penta-gram represents Venus (also the Morning Star, Isis, and thefemale creative principle) because the planet Venus traces analmost-perfect Five-pointed Star in its orbit around the Sun asviewed from the Earth as the point of reference. I'll illustratebriefly. Because it is a little closer to the Sun than Earth is,

Venus's orbit is shorter. Although the speed of both Venus andEarth through space is similar, from any starting point, Venus"gains" on the Earth, like an athlete on the inside track at abend. If both start from the same position on the zodiac, Venusreaches a point when, seen from Earth, it is on the far side ofthe Sun, directly in line with it. That is called a "Superior Con-junction". Venus then gets back to the starting point before theEarth, starts on the second orbit and lines up between the Earthand Sun (this is the "Inferior Conjunction") and then contin-ues its orbit, getting further ahead of Earth until the next "Su-perior Conjunction" occurs. In the 8 years it takes Venus andEarth to arrive back at the initial point, Venus has 5 inferiorand 5 superior conjunctions. The result is shattering: each ofthese sets of conjunctions traces a beautiful, Five-pointed Star,our Pentagram! In our Universe, as Plato said, "GOD geom-etrizes continually". Enough said.

Our next exploratory incursion into the 32dn Degree Campwill continue with an analysis of the mysterious Hexagramknown as the Seal of Solomon, a key symbol in the ScottishRite; we will show how it relates (in more ways than one) tothe Pentagram and identify its many connections to a wide rangeof systems of philosophy. We will also venture outward fromthe Hexagram to the curiously-empty Heptagon of the Campand attempt to lift more than a corner of the veil around itsinner meaning as we explore the connections with Persian,Hindu, Khabballistic, and early Christian esoteric currents. Ourstudy time will be rewarded with a better understanding of thesacred treasures at the very core of the Fraternity we love somuch.

Salve Frater!

Ion Lazar, 32ºKCCH

12

Scottish Rite FULFILL-BUILD-PROVIDEcontinued from page 8Baton Rouge Valley-Personal Representative:

continued from previous columnBaton Rouge Valley News-Director of Work:

tor, to enlighten him, to expand his knowledge, so why notassign him an old Mason and let them form a middle ground.You might want to assign a new member two or three old Ma-sons, as we have plenty of them, and most have a little time tospare. Don't throw us away as we still have value. I am one ofthose old Masons and I am also one of the old secretaries whocomplain when a member does not send an address change,but I won't complain anymore because it is usually one of myfellow Geritol Brothers who fails to send the change. I havetaken enough space. If you care, send me your reaction, pro orcon, I think I am old enough to take it.

I appreciate all you do for the Scottish Rite and Masonryand always support your Blue Lodge. Take care and God Bless.

May God continue to bless you for your service,Robert J Hutchinson, 33°


From the Secretary’s DeskBrethren we have been having a lot of fun times here at the

Baton Rouge Scottish Rite meetings and especially at the re-cent "Widows Night" Program. If you haven't been attendingour meetings and functions lately, well we missed you and youmissed some good times. Why don't you plan to attend some ofour meetings very soon.

Brethren, time is flying by and I urge you to go out andenjoy yourself every chance you get. Go have coffee with afriend or maybe lunch with a Masonic brother. Go fishing ormaybe take in a round of golf with some of your old golfingbuddies. Maybe try your hand at painting or maybe build thatbookcase you always wanted or whatever you have been put-ting off doing. Maybe you always wanted to work in a degreein your Lodge or the Scottish Rite. Do it and you will feel bet-ter about yourself.

I hope this brief note finds you in good health and you arehappy and enjoying life.For those brethren who are not doingwell, I pray for your speedy recovery.

Fraternally ,B J Guillot,33° General Secretary

The Valley will hold its Fall Reunion on October 17th begin-ning at 8:00 am. This fall we are pleased to present the 4th, 14th,15th, 17th, 18th, 27th, 30th and 32nd degrees in a one day Reunion.Many thanks go to Bro. Bobby Hutchinson who has worked tire-lessly in his traditional role as Valley Rep. as well as assembling astand-in 4th Degree team and a new 30th Degree. Additionally, theValley of New Orleans is providing the 15th Degree team under theDirection of Bro. John Williamson. We hope to have a well at-tended Reunion, and invite visitors from other Valleys to comeand enjoy the fellowship of Baton Rouge.

With the coming of the Fall Reunion, we also see the end of theyear and the Holiday Season. Additionally, the leadership of our

A Message from the Director of Work

respective Masonic Organizations change bringing with them newterm plans and schedules. For Degree Directors and their supportstaff, we review the needs of our teams and plan practices to pre-pare for our moment on the stage. How well we perform and teachthe lessons of our respective degrees should be our primary con-cern. To say that we could not have had a successful Reunion with-out you is a vast understatement.

For those who are not active in a degree, please keep in mindwhen asked to take a part, Degree Directors and other Brothers areasking you to play a vital role in educating your Brothers. To giveback to the Valley and those who taught you. As much as I lookforward to the day when all 29 degrees have a functioning teamand are well performed, I also look forward to the day when I amnot the Director of Work. When Bro. Bobby asked me to take thisposition it is was for up to 5 years max, and we are about half waythrough time period now. With nearly 1000 members in our Val-ley, I will always believe that a Brother will step forward and takehis turn at the yoke. It is a regular occurrence for me to be turneddown three times or more before a Brother agrees to serve in a castposition. Others who are helping me say that have been turneddown by Brothers flatly without any consideration. Brethren, wemust be mutually supportive of each other, otherwise everyone fromcast member to the Director of Work will become burned out inpositions. Please consider helping in a degree, the kitchen or stagecrews, serving at the registration desk as a greeter to Brethrenattending the Reunion. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Fraternally,Nick Auck, 32° KCCH

Director of Work

13


Spring Class Receives Patents

continued from page 9Monroe Valley News-A Salute to Veterans:

grees is that of Patriotism. We are taught to be loyal to ourGreat Country and, naturally, this includes recognition andgratitude! What better way to show our appreciation and grati-tude for what they have done to enable us to continue living ina place where our Freedoms are such that every other Countryin the World would change places with us!

This year, Brother Warren Smiley, 32°, is arranging thedetails of the fine dinner, prepared by our "top-of-the Ladder"Kitchen crew to show our appreciation to all of our Veterans.Brother Smiley is contacting the Various Service Organiza-tions, American Legion, VFW, DAV, Purple Heart in our areato get a head count from each club or chapter so we will knowapproximately the number attending. He will need to know atleast by November 1st (earlier if possible) how many will beattending. If you belong to one of these organizations, you couldhelp Brother Warren by giving him the number from your group.His phone number is 318-387-2646 or, you may call the Mon-roe Scottish Rite Bodies office at 318-343-6388 between 8:00A.M. and 11:30 A.M. Monday through Friday or, simply leavethe message on the answering machine.

The above Members of the Spring Class received their pat-ents from Venerable Master, Gregory Wrenn, 32°, KCCH andIll: Brother Roy McDuff. 33°, PGM at the August 6th ScottishRite Meeting. The entire class, some of whom could not bepresent included: Charles Marcus Bailey; Lucas Colin Guy;Felix Donald Harrison; Charles Ray Johnson; John WilliamLoynes; Jonathan Lee McElwee; Brandon Carol Pace; ThomasDaren Rousseau; David Colen Ruffin; Travis Lee Ruffin; JamesPaul Smith; Bryon Evan Thornton; and Francis Leo Young, Jr.

Fraternally submittedDr. Beryl C. Franklin, PhD 33°

LODGE of the NINE MUSES #9, F&AMBATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA

ANNUAL TABLE LODGEFRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2009

CAMELOT CLUBDOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE

TOP OF THE CHASE BANK BUILDINGSECURE UNDERGROUND PARKING

HOSPITALITY BEGINS AT 6:00 PMDINNER BEGINS AT 7:00 PM

LIMITED SEATINGRESERVATIONS REQUIRED

ASSIGNED SEATING (request seating together if groups)THREE MEAL SELECTIONS

$75.00 PER PERSON

SPEAKER FOR THE EVENING:Hon. & Ill. W. Henson Moore, III, 33º, G. C.Former U S Congressman, 6th DistrictFormer Deputy Chief of Staff to President George H W BushFormer Deputy Secretary, U S Department of EnergyCEO of the American Forest & Paper Association, RetiredPerpetual Member, Trinity Union Lodge #372, Baton Rouge

CONTACT: W. Ricks M. Bowles, WM6238 Riverbend Lakes Drive

Baton Rouge, LA 70820225/757-9369 (H)

CHECKS MADE TO: LODGE OF THE NINE MUSES #9DRESS: LODGE MEMBERS, TUX & GLOVES; MEN, TUX ORDARK SUIT; LADIES, COCKTAIL DRESS Complimentary Wine for souvenir Firing Glass includedwith meal.

14


Fiat Lux!Charles L McCarty, 33’


continued from page 5New Orleans Valley News:

For those of us who seek a deeper understanding of Freema-sonry, the New Orleans Scottish Rite and the Southern Jurisdic-tion of the Research Society has much to offer. Programs that pro-vide a deeper understanding of Freemasonry as well as programsthat develop LEADERSHIP. Our Craft needs well educated andwilling Brethren in Leadership roles for the survival of our Ma-sonic Fraternities. We must in a traditional manner excite ourmembership in the esotericism of Freemasonry whether it’s in ourBlue Lodges or our beloved Scottish Rite. We must strive to changeour fraternity by being innovative, offering workshops that exciteour membership in programs that strive to meet the needs of thosemembers left at the way side after becoming members. Masonryprovides many opportunities such as Leadership skills, personaldevelopment, etc. that translates into ones daily actions and makeseach of us a better person. Join us each first Wednesday, after ourScottish Rite meeting and become a Master Craftsman along withus. We would love to have you. Contact the Office (504) 522-3789for more information.

Personally Speaking

The fall Reunion for the New Orleans Valley has been changeddue to ongoing renovations. The 4th & 14th Degrees will be con-ferred on Wednesday October 7, 2009 at 7:30 PM, the 18th & 30thDegrees on Sunday October 11, 2009 (Sunday) beginning at 1:00PM and the 32nd Degree on Wednesday November 4, 2009 at7:30 PM.

NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE!!!

On Aug. 29, at the meeting of Tranquility Lodge #2000, heldat Alexandria Lodge #398 M: W: J. F. “Jeff ” Webb, G.M. and R:W: Woody D. Bilyeu, DGM took time for a moment of levity andpresented M:W: W. David Counts, Jr., G.M. of The Grand Lodgeof Texas, with a L.S.U. Baseball Homeplate incribed: To Dave,Geaux Tigers and signed by head Coach Paul Maineriri.

M: W: Counts stated that: “The best team did not win, butunfortunately the National Championship was determained by thefinal score”.

Grand Master’s Presentations

L:R - R: W: Woody D Bilyeu, DGM, M: W: J F Jeff Webb, Grand Master andM: W: W. David Counts, Jr., Grand Master of Texas AF & AM

Tie of black and lodge-suit, shoes are polished brightCheck regalia in the case; see everything is right.Just a final run-through of words you have to say;

We’ll have another Mason ere the closing of this dayAnd hope that he enjoys it, becomes one of us,

Also that he realizes, we once were treated thus!

We, having seen such ceremonies many times before,Will witness his first entrance, nervous through the door,

As keenly as when seeing those first steps we took,We too listening to the words (Not always as per book!)

For all our Brother Masons are fallible like me;Few can be word-perfect throughout each degree.

We shall watch him when he’s crafted, later at his Third,His progress to the Master’s Chair, to gain the Master’s word.

Initiating others, in that year so swiftly gone!Becoming a Postmaster, and so relied upon.

Then other years are passing, he’s in dark blue, and baldBut willingly will take a job, whenever he is called.

He’s still at every meeting, at L.O.I. he’s thereFor well-being of the Lodge he’s always time to spare.He’s reaped no advantages through being in the craft

As spoken by our critics, the jealous and the deft!Except that great advantage, which we Masons are aware

That wondrous ‘Magic’ something of being On The Square.

Progress In The Craft

My New-Cut ashlar takes the lightWhere crimson-blank the windows flare.

By my own work before the night,Great Overseer, I make my prayer.

If there be good in that I wroughtThy Hand compelled it, Master, Thine—Where I have failed to meet Thy Thought

I know, through Thee, the blame was mine.

The depth and dream of my desire,The bitter paths wherein I stray—

Thou knowest Who hast made the Fire,Thou knowest Who hast made the Clay.

Who, lest all thought of Eden fade,Bring’st Eden to the craftsman’s brain—

Godlike to muse o’er his own TradeAnd manlike stand with God again!

One stone the more swings into placeIn that dread Temple of Thy worth.

It is enough that, through Thy Grace,I saw nought common on Thy Earth.

Take not that vision from my ken—Oh whatsoe’er may spoil or speed.Help me to need no aid from men

That I may help such men as need!

My New Cut Ashlar

15


Ill. William J. Mollere, 33°Sovereign Grand Inspector General

THE FINALWORD

“Big Happenings”

Bill Mollere, 33° S.G.I.G.

continued next column

About the time that you receive this copy of yourTRESTLEBOARD, many of Louisiana's Scottish Rite Leader-ship Team will be journeying to Washington, DC - it is thattime of the "Biennium" when we gather at the House of theTemple for the meeting of the Ancient and Accepted ScottishRite of Freemasonry, the Supreme Council of the Southern Ju-risdiction of the United States of America - all of that means isthat every two years, we have the equivalent of the ScottishRite's "Grand Lodge Session", and many of Louisiana's Scot-tish Rite leaders attend the week long meeting. It is also a finegathering of the leaders of Scottish Rite from all over the world- our own Southern Jurisdiction (45 States, Territories and coun-tries), and Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, and the otherNorth American Scottish Rite groups - a splendid Masonicevent. Grand Masters from all of the Grand Lodges in ourSouthern Jurisdiction are invited, and most attend. Our ownGrand Master and First Lady, M. W. Jules F. "Jeff" Webb andLady Anita, will be the Louisiana delegation's special guests.Our own Ronnie Seale and Lady Sunny, our Sovereign GrandCommander and First Lady, will headline the SupremeCouncil's activities as our Supreme Council's leaders - howproud we all are of these two wonderful Louisiana ex-pats. (Wehave "loaned" them to Washington, DC for several years.) TheCommittees meet and transact business, there are receptions,banquets, concerts held - all done with formal attire, long robes,chains of office, swords of state, the big organ playing - quitean event for the uninitiated. But in Masonry, we do know howto put on a fine ritualistic show! There is a lot of serious busi-ness, and many meetings of old friends and colleagues - it isthe Grand "Reunion" of Scottish Rite.

One of the more important things that takes place while wegather every other year is the selection and election of HonorMen - the Knights Commander of the Court of Honour (KCCH)and the Inspectors General Honorary (33 ) - those men whohave distinguished themselves in our five Louisiana Valleysand are honored for their efforts in their community, church,occupation, family and in Masonry. We never get enough nomi-nations to honor all who are worthy of being honored. The

system is based on a formula of membership in each Valley,and on new initiates in each Valley over a two-year period. Ifa Valley grows in membership by adding more new members,more nominations are allowed - likewise, if a Valley loses mem-bers through deaths, demits and suspensions from non-pay-ment, then few, if any, nominations are allowed. There havebeen good workers who have given hours of devoted service toScottish Rite who have never been honored because their homeValley did a poor job managing its membership. The sad partis that the system has to be based on membership "numbers".But the other side is the joy of being able to notify good menand true who are devoted Scottish Rite brethren and tell themthat their Supreme Council has found a special way of honor-ing their work in Masonry.

I remember very well a telephone call from Washington inOctober 1977 notifying me that I had been elected to be in-vested with the KCCH; and then again, in October 1991 re-ceiving a telephone call notifying me that I had been elected tobe coroneted a 33 - there is no way to tell you how those twotelephone calls felt - surprising, humbling, numbing, unbe-lievable excitement - all of the above. I did not deserve eitherand still do not - but someone, somewhere, somehow slippedthrough nominations that got approved. I will spend the restof my life attempting to repay those who nominated me, work-ing to justify their confidence in me, hoping to do good worksthat somehow qualifies me for the Honors. November 1977 inMonroe, and November 1991 in Shreveport - the two placeswhere my Honors were conferred - again, both vivid memo-ries. We all have memories in our Masonic lives - my Coach,Bro. Walter Pilcher; my Raising in June 1967; my Installationas Master with Ill. Claude Bonnecarrere presiding in Decem-ber 1979 - all vivid memories - all important - and then mytwo Scottish Rite Honors! WOW!

At some point in early October, a few very dedicated Scot-tish Rite workers in Louisiana will receive a telephone callfrom Washington, DC notifying them that the Supreme Coun-cil has just elected them to be honored - and then on November14, 2009 in Shreveport, we will all gather to cheer those whowill become new Knights Commander of the Court of Honour,and new Inspectors General Honorary of our Supreme Council- WOW, what memories those Brothers will have. Not enoughmay be honored this biennium, but those who will be honoredwill have some vivid memories.

May Scottish Rite offer you many vivid WOW memories -thank you for continuing to be a devoted member of ScottishRite.

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Louisiana Scottish Rite FoundationLouisiana Scottish Rite Trestleboard

Post Office Box 64Shreveport, LA 71161

Tel: 318-221-9713

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PaidBaton Rouge, LAPermit No. 2408

October-November 2009 Issue09-05

Scottish Rite FULFILL-BUILD-PROVIDEBaton Rouge Scottish Rite ChildhoodLearning CenterP.O. Box 15766Baton Rouge, LA 70895-5766Telephone: (225) 275-0668Admiral E. A. Barham, 33° ScottishRite Childhood Learning Center205 University AvenueMonroe, LA 71203-3701Telephone: (318) 343-6388Southeastern Louisiana RegionalScottish Rite Childhood LearningCenterSoutheastern Louisiana UniversityScottish Rite Temple619 Carondelet StreetNew Orleans, LA 70130Telephone: (504) 522-3789Shreveport Scottish Rite ChildhoodLearning CenterScottish Rite Temple725 Cotton StreetShreveport, LA 71101Telephone: (318) 221-9713Southwestern LouisianaRegionalScottish Rite Childhood LearningCenterUniversity of Louisiana-LafayetteLake Charles Masonic Temple717 Hodges StreetLake Charles, LA 70601

Did You Know? It is the mission of the Scottish RiteofFreemasonry, SJ, to improve its membersand enhance the communities in whichthey live by teaching and emulating theprinciples of Brotherly Love, Tolerance,Charity, and Truth while actively embrac-ing high social, moral, and spiritual val-ues including fellowship, compassion,and dedication to God, family and coun-try.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES← Fulfill the promise of additional Ma-sonic knowledge through education andtraining.← Build a Positive Public Image of Free-masonry and the Scottish Rite.← Support and expand our philanthropicactivities.← Provide a framework for effective lead-ership to ensure the stability and long-term success of the Fraternity.← Provide a financial process to ensurethe stability and long-term success of theFraternity.

Mission Statement

Article IV, Section 2—Honorary Mem-bers, Number of Nominations Based onExisting Membership.

The number of such nominations forInspectors General Honorary for each Ori-ent in the United States shall be TWELVEfor its first 2,500 (or fewer) Masters of theRoyal Secret as of the prior December 31,and FOUR for each additional 2,500. Frac-tions left over are to be carried forward ascredits. The smaller territorial and foreignOrients may each have FOUR nominationsfor Inspectors General Honorary, exceptwhen in the judgment of the SovereignGrand Commander a larger number isneeded in a particular jurisdiction. Thenominations set forth in this numbered para-graph may be a lesser number at the optionof the Sovereign Grand Inspector Generalor Deputy of each Orient.

louisiana scottish rite trestleboard 2009.pdffor the conference is the rythm & blues of speech...

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