Saturday, December 25, 2021
A Rare Text in the History of the French Rite
Sunday, July 25, 2021
Kelly Ranasinghe: On Masonic Diversity
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
2nd Anniversary of the Letter of Porto
JUNE 23, 2021
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Angels in Vermilion
Once considered the "Holy Grail" of hallucinogens, over the last quarter century, DMT has entered the public mind like never before. No longer a taboo topic to be discussed in the hushed tones among an esoteric elite, P.D. Newman's Angels In Vermilion traces the secret lineage of transmission, beginning with Elizabethan alchemists, Dr. John Dee and Sir Edward Kelley, winding through the Royal Society and Masonic fraternity, and leading all the way up to the nineteenth-century occult revival - and beyond. Fathoming Hell and soaring angelic, Newman leaves no stone unturned in his quest to uncover the hidden, hallucinatory history of the "Spirit Molecule," DMT.
As the publisher's site notes, "In Angels in Vermilion, Newman uncovers the story of the fabled red power known as the philosophers’ stone, while revealing a history of sorcerers, Freemason’s, con-men and alchemists. He makes a compelling argument for where the hallucinogenic powder might have come from as well as why it was such a jealously guarded secret."
More to follow!
Monday, January 25, 2021
A New Cerneau
Apuntes sobre Joseph Cerneau y su Supremo Consejo del Rito Escocés Antiguo y Aceptado: El otro legado de Étienne Morin
A fascinating new book on a major figure in Masonic history has just been released. Joseph Cerneau has long deserved a fair deal. He has, for millions in the United States, been unjustly positioned as a villain as a result of power struggles which took place after he no longer was a part of North American Masonry.
Yet, for most of Latin America, he remains a major figure and highly regarded. Through this work, Joaquim Villalta brings us closer to the image of this determining and prominent Freemason of the 19th century, restoring his image to the place it deserves within Masonic History, initially in the Rite of Perfection and in its legitimate evolution as the other line of what would come to called the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, derived from the Morin - Francken - Hays affiliation. It should be noted the closeness and permanent collaboration of Cerneau with the Grand Consistories of Rites of the Grand Orient of France, whose Supreme Council was chaired by his friend Germain Hacquet since its foundation.
Saturday, June 20, 2020
Albert Pike has died for your sins!
So much for keeping discussions of politics out of the lodge. The pidgeons have come home to roost. Now, I have dear friends who will be having an emotional moment, so I am far from insensitive about the matter. I will state that I am sorry for the distress that I am certain they are feeling at this moment.
That being said, American Masons have been largely disingenuous when it comes to dealing with this symbolic matter, just as they have been with the entrenched racism within North American Freemasonry. It's time to get honest, brothers.
We need to use this moment to deal with the skeletons in our closets, and there are many. Let's get real.
Friday, June 5, 2020
A Persistant Fiction: The A-Political Freemason!
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John Wesley Dobbs |
There is this persistant myth in the US that Freemasons are a-political. Nothing could be further from the truth. Again and again over the past centuries masons in numerous countries have acted as masons rather than as private citizens to change the course of history.
Freemasons in Ireland consistantly supported uprisings against the English occupation as late as the 19th century. Indeed, it was such activity and those very masons whose nickname is enshrined in the name of this blog.
There were masons in the US War of Inbependence, and as masons, they helped arrange and carry out the Boston Tea Party, under the name of "Th Sons of Liberty."
Masons were also actively involved in the Haitian Revolution, and subsequently the Bolivarian Revolution which freed Latin America. Masons were active in the Mexican Revolution.
Many masons are proud of these past political activities, until the subject of contemporary civil discord comes up. Teen they all deny it.
In relation to Civil Rights, a particular American Mason stands out. John Wesley Dobbs used the power of African American Freemasons to fight for human dignity. Read his amazing story by following the link below, and be inspired to actually walk the walk like he did!
https://blackartblog.blackartdepot.com/organizations/freemasonry-organizations/john-wesley-dobbs-using-the-power-of-freemasonry-in-the-struggle-for-civil-rights.html