Project AWE: Art and Æsthetics in the Western Esoteric Traditions

 Project for Aesthetics of Western Esotericism: exploring lost connections between Hermetic-Cabalist traditions and the cultural icons of Western European heritage.  Conceived, Founded and Directed by Zhenya Gershman and John Slifko

Project AWE is a new endeavor initiated by Zhenya Gershman and John Slifko to explore the artistic and aesthetic implications of the Hermetic and Cabalist visions in Western society over the centuries. It is being launched using two internet modalities. The first is a web based format called Scoop-it, which allows the creation of a journal like website creating articles and drawing on the work of others as well as the authors themselves. Scoop-it is currently the engine that is providing the content of the project. A Facebook Community has also been set up to promote the information provided through the Scoop-it site. The Facebook Community page affords you as an individual to participate in the discussion and the project directly. The intent is not only to expand awareness of the aesthetic history of these traditions but also to encourage a greater and active discussion of the topics among members of interested communities and organizations, including artists, freemasons, and other esotericists.



This is how the founders describe what they seek to accomplish and share with this new electronic project:

project for AESTHETICS OF WESTERN ESOTERICISM (AWE)

ART+MAGIC=AWE

tracing the esoteric chain between the art of Renaissance, Baroque, and Enlightenment

Mission

Exploring forgotten connections between Hermetic-Cabalist traditions and ART history

Description

Through the esoteric lens, we provide new dimensions to understanding and experiencing the cultural icons of Western European heritage.

General information

We invite you to examine visual evidence which demonstrates the reflection and dissemination of esoteric ideas across time through painting, sculpture, music, architecture, publishing houses, and literature from Leonardo Da Vinci to Caspar David Friedrich.


http://www.scoop.it/t/the-aesthetics-of-the-western-esoteric-tradition

https://www.facebook.com/AWEtradition

Another look at Freemasonry in Cuba

Cuban Freemasonry is unique in the world for operating openly in a communist nation. What can explain that, given that in most other communist nations Freemasonry has been condemned? For that answer, it is necessary to look at the role that Freemasonry played in the original Cuban Revolution or as some people speculate. the affiliation of the Castro brothers themselves?

Cuba is the only country under the administration of a Marxist government that tolerates throughout its territory an important secret society with an esoteric background: Freemasonry. Today, in the beautiful and economically challenged island of Martí and Maceo, no less than 318 Masonic lodges flourish, openly attended by about 30,000 registered members. Such numbers are high for a country with as small a population as that of Cuba. Various Afro-Cuban religions, Palo Congo, Yoruban Ocha, Abakua, and Haitian Vodú among the population of Haitian descent mostly in Eastern Cuba, religions often mistakenly dubbed "santería" - the Cuban first cousins of Brazilian Candomblé and Umbanda also exist in Cuba, the only other power system capable of competing with esoteric Freemasonry in terms of being reasonably free and unrestricted. 

In a Masonic Lodge in Cuba, the rite of the chain of union or force, represented by the crossed hands and arms crossed of the brethren, is symbolic of the evident unity and power of Masonry. The Brotherhood is hoping to play an important role in the future of the country. 

Several unsupported stories, amounting to legends are common on the island, both in the media and in popular currency, even among some Masons, to explain this freedom. Some say that Fidel and Raul are Masons, more likely the latter. Others claim that it is the duty of gratitude and that during the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro had taken refuge in a Masonic lodge, where he found shelter and protection. So he never closed even a single Masonic temple nor persecuted its members. Such stories cannot be corroborated and since similar stories exist relating to the relative tolerance shown to Afro-Cuban religion, we must remain skeptical until something more than simple assertion can be offered as evidence. The fact is that, today, the Grand Lodge of Cuba - the epicenter of the organization's activities in the country - is entirely regular and recognized by most major Masonic obediences around the world.

What is an indisputable fact, and which may have more to do with this tolerance, is that the very independence of Cuba was achieved with assistance from Cuban Freemasons. Freemasonry first emerged in Cuba in 1763, from English and Irish military lodges during the brief occupation of the island nation by Britain. When the British left, the French arrived by the thousands fleeing the revolution in Haiti in 1791. The first lodge was actually Cuban Theological Virtue Temple, founded in Havana in 1804 by the Grand Lodge of Louisiana and the famous French-Haitian Freemason Joseph Cerneau, honored throughout Hispanic, Franco-, and Luso-America by mainstream and cosmopolitan or liberal Freemasons alike.

What makes the presence of Freemasonry in Cuba uniquely respected is the role it played during the three decades of struggle for independence from Spanish rule between 1868 and 1895. The three great revolutionary leaders - José Martí, Antonio Maceo and the "father of the nation" Carlos Manuel de Céspedes were all Masons. Historians say today that it was the communist revolutionaries recognized and honored the Masonic affiliation of these three national heroes. But the truth is that little or no effort was made to repress Freemasonry. The vast majority of Cuban presidents, starting with Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, were Masons.

There are other curious features in the behavior of Freemasonry within Cuban society. Very little intervention or limitations  have been imposed on Freemasonry. This comfortable state of affairs may be due to the general support Cuban Masonic leaders have demonstrated for the government's policies. Yet, all Cubans are welcome regardless of their politics. A few lodges, outside the Grand Lodge, have begun admitting women to their ranks, which is welcomed generally in a society which formally eschews bias and discrimination.

After the breakup of the Soviet Union - which was the largest trading partner of Cuba - The Cuban government has further facilitated things for masonry, permitting it to participate in public ceremonies and open new lodges. However, the smooth functioning of all the Masonic lodges is still subject to permission from the authorities, and the publication of books and pamphlets is quite limited for Masonic groups due as much or more to financial limitation as government regulation.

The Grand Lodge of Cuba, popularly known as the Masonic Building, was built around 1955 for the functions of the temple and headquarters of the Masonic bodies of Cuba and came to the University Masonic lodge. It is an imposing building, included among the most significant architectural works in the city of Havana. It lies in the current Avenida Salvador Allende in central Havana. Without forgetting that the Chilean Salvador Allende, friend and ally of the Cuban Revolution, was a committed Mason.

A small lodge in the Sierra Maestras is credited as having hidden Fidel Castro in 1958 after his landing on Cuban shores in the ship named Granma.  A building in a remote village in the Sierra Maestra, the door Masonic symbols of the square and compass where it is said that in 1956 hid Fidel Castro who had just landed in the ship Granma. 

It was precisely within this old mountain lodge that future Maximum Leader has created the 26th of July Movement that in a few years would sweep away the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, inspired by the teachings of Jose Marti, the hero of the Cuban father independence movement on the island. 

Of course, many stories are told in Havana, including that the tolerance of Fidel toward Freemasonry is due to his affection for his teacher who was a Mason. That Father Angel, famous landowner, was affiliated with Freemsonry. It is a gesture of respect to his friend Salvador Allende, also a Mason. Even some right-wing theories, of which the Internet has unfortunately more than its share claim that Fidel or at least his brother Raul are initiates. This of course, is also said of them in relation to almost all of the Afro-Cuban religions as well as Haitian Vodú.

Today, on the island, there are officially 318 "regular" lodges frequented by over thirty thousand members. The number increased after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Officially, the government praises Freemasonry for being associated with the noblest moments of Cuban history. Everyone hopes that in the future, Freemasonry will have an important role in the reconciliation process of the various factions of the country.

Not all lodges are in good condition. Many, especially those far from the capital, lie nearly in ruins. But all masons point to the Grand National Masonic Temple, the eleven storey building crowned by the Square and Compass, located at number 508 Avenida Salvador Allende in Havana as a source of pride. 

When it first opened in 1955, was one of the most modern buidings in Cuba. And it remains the best maintained, as witnessed today the small blue leather couches or columns topped by luminous globes. Here's where collective rites occur. It is here, within these walls, with its medals and swords, that the Grand Master and Grand Secretary retain their offices. There is also a museum, a library open to the public and an asylum that houses elderly Masons and administers donations - especially drugs - provided by American and European lodges.

Underground lies the dark "chamber of reflection" on it, along with skeletons and other symbols of vanitas (vanity) human, the aspirant begins to start their learning, "dies" and then is reborn to a new life within the community. A symbolic ritual that, in the country of African diasporic religious traditions, the syncretic traditions that unite African and Christian elements, was enriched with even more macabre passages.

But it may have been precisely this factor that prompted the mix, and subsequently, toleration. The Cuban government has always tolerated the symbols of Afro-Cuban tradition more than previous governments did. As happened in 1959 - a week after the flight of Batista - when during a rally, two white doves - symbols of Obatala, and Tiembla Tierra associated in Afro-Cuban traditions with Christ - land on Fidel's shoulders.

Afro-Cuban faith and Freemasonry, in short, both played a role in consensus building in Cuba after the Revolution. The first was useful to gain support from the largely Afro-cuban population  of the island who remain poorly represented in the government. The second ensured the sympathy of the Latin American left; the sickle and hammer on one side, and on the other the square and compass.

Thanks to Paulo Antonio de F. Lobo and João Carlos del Bianco, brethren from Brazil.

A Masonic Monastery In France

WARNING: If you believe that Freemasonry is just a men's social club, read no further. You will find the contents of this blog post disturbing in the extreme!

One hears mention of swingers clubs, fraternities, several types of Mopses, and fraternal Arc lodges, all of which are mentioned in his books by Pierre Yves Beaurepaire... of Toland and his libation and toast society, and we mustn't forget either Crowley or his Wharton Abbey Thelema; all of which had different purposes, but who has ever written or proposed an idea as unique as this: a masonic monastery.

We know of Obediences and structures very close to the mystical practices, and very inclined to all kinds of eternal contemplation with a mix of esotericism, Rosicrucians, and many other mystical mixes, but then to propose the establishment of a Masonic Monastery, there is silence.

And this is the idea that Alain Subrebost, author of Petit Manuel d'eveil et de pratique maçonnique broaches, and he proposes the following:

The first Masonic monastery

Many brothers and sisters are looking for a place to rest, relax, a place where silence and tranquility reign, these numerous masons who may thirst for a unique path, a unique practice such as meditation or to stay for a while in a communal fraternal space, are heading mostly to places and practices that usually fall into the streams of traditional religions (Christian monasteries, Buddhist retreats, therapeutic groups and others ...) while Freemasonry itself contains all the tools that we are tempted to look for elsewhere and often in more dogmatic structures.

The first observation that must be made is that for many, Masonic practice seems insufficient for their spiritual needs to an extent that some feel obliged to turn to a variety of religious institutions and systems to find meaning in their existence or to reach a serenity that can not be acquired at the lodge. If we look at results we must acknowledge this as evidence of a flaw in our practice and in our system.

The second point to make is that there ought to be a Masonic space to fill this gap, a place where all Masons can meet regularly and practice the art of transmutation and brotherhood that is all their own. How can we not be dismayed by the realization that there is no such place?.

Masonic practice is a way of life and a form of personal awakening that has survived for centuries. This practice is based on reception, visibility, reflection and action, and are all parameters that govern monastic life.

The Apprentice is under the sign of perception through meditation practice, the partner in the action directed by the Master. The Master knows that those two poles are both active and passive combining serenity, meditation and action. Although the action of the Masonic body is effective over the long term, it seems logical to think that a consistent and daily immersion in a Masonic practice in its different phases may induce a significant change in personal and spiritual development of the practitioner. Recall that the Freemason is primarily a practitioner and that this practice should be used regularly to symbolically transmuting lead into gold, or make us a better version of ourselves, the best version of what essentially are and with full freedom.

We know that the Masonic tool is used only a few hours a month and is not a substitute for total immersion with the idea of  a Masonic monastery that would be the site for daily practice, a practice that could be pragmatic and not as is the usual case, a mere intellectual exercise. The monastery would be an integral meeting point , recreating itself in direct contact with community as a social institution. Certainly, back to my earlier assessment, this practice leads to a perceptible unity of thought and action.

Everything in our Lodges, as in the monasteries of the world and of all religious persuasions, should have a rule in the etymological sense of the term, that is, a mesh, framework, skeleton, or base on which the practitioner can build. Note that a lattice is a guardian,, a support. It is only a stable base on which to grow plants of their own volition. The plant tends to develop in the direction imposed by the gardener...but in the Masonic spirit, no dogmatic gardener exists. The garden will be constructed and will be as free as the sum of the individual buildings.

The Masonic monastery would have to be adaptable to any approach and should only suggest ways of doctrine and practiceof  traditional symbolism. The rule is a practical implementation, physical and socialized (even if the social structure is the dimension of the monastery), according to the first three stages of initiation we know. What is the essence of home practice will become the essence of monastic practice, but lived and intensified daily. This is the message that is contained in its new Facebook page THE FIRST MASONIC MONASTERY.

But who is Alain Subrebost? He is a 45-year Master Mason, a member of the Grand Lodge of France who develop his work in a lodge of the Perigord Noir France. He is moreover an excellent writer on esoterism and spirituality, as well as a musician and composer.

And through their works published by Editions Dervy proposes a pedagogical approach to the transmission of useful and everyday transdisciplinary way for the reader while allowing Masonic knowledge through such diverse and useful ways such as meditation, alchemy, esotericism, psychology or using tarot . The basis of the proposal contained in one of his books, which is the master, and as he says in task of "sowing the scarlet", has so far created an association " Institute for the Study of Masonic Awakening "(IEEM) with intent to federate all the ideas and projects around the goal of articulating the said monastery, and starts as it exposes us visiting Masonic structures and financial ...

Other Videos : https://www.youtube.com/user/kodoprod


Gracias a Victor Guerra. MM.'. Rito Moderno o Francés

A few words from Julian Rees.

I don't usually simply repost a blog from elsewhere. However, a blog by as significant a figure in the contemporary English Language Freemasonry as Julian Rees cannot be overlooked, especially when it speaks so clearly and so pointedly about the major crisis which Freemasonry is struggling with at this time. Nobody can say it better, or speak more directly to North American Mainstream Masons as Julian Rees, and nobody can demonstrate more precisely as to what should be done about it and he offers his own decision as the ultimate example.

Last year we all read, and I hope more greeted the pronouncement made by the UGLE in it's PR statement on Freemasonry in the 21st Century with dismay than resignation, the one in which it declared that Freemasonry had nothing to do with spirituality. The Craft, the UGLE now insists, is nothing more than a boy's club.

Well, I am sad to say, although not surprised, that the US mainstream community made no public statements at all. A little nervous chatter followed, swiftly supplanted by the usual silence.

Thankfully someone has spoken, and someone who has not only the requisite male glands and the stature to be heard and taken seriously by the audience which needs to attend to this message. Julian Rees was initiated into Kirby Lodge No. 2818 in London, made Master in 1976 and again at the centenary of the Lodge in 1999, and and also of the German-speaking Pilgrim Lodge No. 238 in 1978. He was a regular contributor to the quarterly magazine Freemasonry Today. He is the author of several books on Freemasonry and has been the focus of several videos.

My advise to Mainstream masons is to follow his example and do as he has done. There is no time like the present.

My hat's off to Julian Rees. Read on!

Here's the link to Julian Rees' excellent post:



It's Time to Put the Record Straight - Julian Rees


Thanks to Mark Elliot.

The Creative Power of Dreams

International Association for
the Study of Dreams
New England, Regional Conference 

"The Creative Power of Dreams"

Saturday, January 12, 2013* Snow date: January 26, 20139:30 a.m - 4:30 p.m.
Regis College
Weston, Massachusetts
Contact: Curtiss Hoffman

For millennia, creative people in all cultures have relied upon their dreams for inspiration.  Come and celebrate the creative power of dreams at this one-day IASD regional conference!   Keynote speakers are Deirdre Barrett, the author of The Committee of Sleep, and Ernest Hartmann, the author of The Nature and Functions of Dreaming.  In addition, there will be a performance of excerpts from Curtiss Hoffman's Gilgamesh Cantata, based on dream texts from C.G. Jung's Red Book and using musical themes derived from his own dreams.  Additional speakers will present papers on various aspects of dreaming and creativity.

Regis College is located in Weston, Massachusetts, near the intersection of Routes I-90 (Massachusetts Turnpike) and I-95 (Route 128).  It is accessible by bus from the Riverside Green Line T station.  Buses run about every half hour to and from Riverside. 

Early Bird Registration before December 15th, 2012
Regular $68; Student/limited income $38
(After Dec. 15th - regular $78; student/limited income $38)

Registration includes morning hospitality (coffee/tea/pastries) and a buffet luncheon. We regret that we cannot guarantee lunches for registrations received after January 1, 2013. A more complete listing of speakers and topics & transportation information to reach Regis College will be made available in late October 2012.

All USA mail-in registrations must be postmarked by January 2th, 2013 Download and mail in your registration form and send a check made out toIASD-New England Regional for the full amount in USD to the:

IASD Office1672 University Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94703.
or pay online using our secure PayPal system.

Keynote Speakers:
Ernest Hartmann:  The Nature and Functions of Dreaming:   The Dream is the Beginning of a Work or Art.
Deirdre Barrett:   Dreams and Creative Problem Solving

Papers:
Jeffrey Armano:  Shamanic Dreams: The Power to Regenerate
Linda Yael Schiller:  Creativity, Kabbalah, and Dreams
Lesley Zaret: Dreams and the Body
Tzivia Gover:  Dreaming on the Page: The Intersections between Dreams and Writing
Laura Atkinson:  Focus on the Dream: Photographic Techniques to Connect with a Dream
Ryan Hurd:  It's Daemonic! Reclaiming Access to the Daemon-Muse in Sleep Paralysis Visions and Lucid Dreams
Beth Scanzani: Dreaming on Purpose:  Discovering a Path to Joy and Fulfillment...While You Sleep
Gloria Sturzenacker:  Tiuken, Jorbor, Beseta: A Long-Term Search for the Meaning of Three Unknown Dream Words

Special Presentations:
Curtiss Hoffman: The Gilgamesh Cantata:  A Dream-Based Creative Process
Beth Scanzani and Lesley Zaret:  Stories from the Night Shift (dream group)

For additional information, please contact Curtiss Hoffman

Here's the webpage where you can find the active links and the registration form:http://www.asdreams.org/regionals/2013newengland/

The Buried Secrets of Freemasonry: Acacia

Warning: If you are in agreement with those who would present the Craft as some sort of boys club, and with a straight face no less, then read no further.  You will either not like or will reject what you read. If however, you are aware that reality is far more complex and far less fixed, measurable, or even concrete than we try to convince ourselves it is, and that secrets and spirits hide in even the most innocent of shadows, and that those who claim to speak the truth seldom know it, then read on. But, you've been warned.

There are reasons why every symbol and every legend should be held to be of import. If, as many would have us believe, the craft is based upon spiritual teaching from the earliest days of human civilization, then we should not be surprised if it continues to unfold to the curious student, secrets far deeper than those written of in any of our histories or catechisms.  Before I proceed, I will note that sometimes the deepest truths are far from what we expect them to be. The preservers of knowledge are often ignorant of what they preserve. We can argue endlessly whether Freemasonry contains an esoteric system of teaching or whether it is a purely intellectual and moral enterprise. As far as I am concerned, the two are not mutually exclusive. Where ever you fall on the line from mystic to rationalist to disbeliever, it cannot be denied that the institution of Freemasonry contains teachings which can be unquestionably linked to the most esoteric of human studies and knowledge. Do with it what you will, but I offer it  for consideration and, with perhaps just a little more glee than is proper, for the consternation of those starched shirts who believe in nothing more than they can ascertain through their myopic vision. And so we begin, with a radically different set of data about the Acacia.

The Hedgemason does not recommend or encourage anyone to experiment with potentially fatal or dangerous substances, natural or otherwise. The Hedgemason will not be liable for any harm or injury resulting from the use of any substance mentioned on this blog. We advised you not to use it. We provide this information solely for educational purposes, and do not recommend the use of this or any other psychotropic or potentially psychotropic plants.

Why is the Acacia so central to the Masonic Legend? Given that Freemasonry describes itself as 'a peculiar system of morality, veiled in allegory, and illustrated by symbols,’ it would be surprising to think that the choice of the Acacia stopped merely with the fact that it was a tree commonly associated with burial customs. Let us ask why? One answer, and it is in keeping with ancient spiritual teachings is because it is a plant that grants access, for those who know its secrets, to the realm of spiritual vision.

It will come as no surprise to modern ethnobotanists and those who examine the history of Entheogenics, that a plant which has hallucinogenic properties would be prominent in a system of ethics, morals, and metaphysics which is foundational to much of the Western Esoteric system. With that fact noted, let us look at the botanical information available concerning the Acacia, and most specifically, it’s role as an entheogen, or plant providing humanity access to spiritual experiences. One speculative hypothesis suggests the ancient Israelite religion was associated with the use of entheogens (mind-altering plants used in sacramental contexts). The hypothesis is based on a new look at texts of the Old Testament pertaining to the life of Moses. The  ideas entertained by this thesis were primarily based on the fact  that in the arid areas of the Sinai peninsula and Southern Israel there grow two plants containing the same psychoactive molecules found in the plants from which the powerful Amazonian hallucinogenic brew Ayahuasca  is prepared. The two plants are species of Acacia tree and  the bush Peganum harmala. The hypothesis is corroborated  by comparative experiential-phenomenological observations, linguistic considerations, exegesis of old Jewish texts and other ancient Mideastern traditions, anthropological lore, and ethnobotanical data.

“In his book Poisons sacrés, ivresses divines (which, to my knowledge, has not been translated into English), Philippe de Félice (1970 [1936]) reviews various cultures throughout the world and notes the use of psychotropic substances in them. The use of such substances, most of which fall in our contemporary Western culture under the label “drug,” has in many traditions been considered sacred. Indeed, de Félice points out that in many religions, both in the old world and in the new, the use of

such substances was (and often still is) central. The substances, or the plants from which they were produced, were deemed holy and at times even divine. De Félice  puts forward the hypothesis that the use of psychotropic substances is deeply embedded in human culture and intrinsically intertwined with what he characterizes as the most basic human instinct—the search for transcendence. Thus, he proposes, the use of psychotropic substances is at the root of  perhaps all religions” — Benny Shanon

FAMILY: Leguminosae

GENUS: Acacia

SPECIES: Angustifolia, Baileyana, Catechu, Coringera, Maidenii, etc.

COMMON NAMES: Pulque Tree, Timbre, Catechu Tree, Horned Acacia, Acacia, Maiden’s Wattle, Wattle, Druce

The genus Acacia encompasses from 130 to 800 species, found all over the world.  Most Acacia trees are medium sized, with pinnate leaves and clustered flowers.  They produce pod-like fruits.  The flowers are very fragrant and are often made in to an essential oil that is used in aromatherapy (Ratsch 1998, 28).

TRADITIONAL USES: Numerous acacia species have been used for medicine and as entheogens, as well as for making incense.  Many species of acacia, particularly contain DMT and other tryptamines

It has been suggested that the burning bush witnessed by Moses in the Old Testament was an A. senegal tree.  This tree is still held sacred in the Middle East, and it is said that anyone who breaks off a twig will die in a year.  It has even been suggested by scholar Benny Shanon,  Professor of psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel), whose main foci of research  are the phenomenology of human consciousness and the

philosophy of psychology,(His publications include The Representational and the Presentational (1993) and The Antipodes of the Mind (2002);  At present, he is working on a book devoted to a general psychological theory of human consciousness) that Moses composed an ayahuasca analog from acacia resin and syrian rue, an MAOI, and that this allowed him to see his visions of Yahweh, the burning bush, and so forth.  The wood of this tree was also used to build the Jewish tabernacle (Wahba Khalil & Elkheir 1975).

TRADITIONAL PREPARATION: Various types of acacia root, leaf and bark may be used as ingredients in ayahuasca analogues, in cases where they contain DMT. Many species of acacia are also used in combination with other herbs in ritual psychoactive alcoholic beverages, such as pulque. The Masai, who use A. ataxacantha to stimulate themselves for battle or hunting prepare the plant by making a water infusion of the bark and roots and then consume meat that has been cooked with an extract of the same plant. Milk is not to be consumed at the same time as this combination, in order to avoid illness.  The Masai also occasionally chew the bark to produce stimulation and courage (Voogelbreinder 2009, 65-66).

Much care should be taken with the preparation and consumption of unknown species of acacia, as many contain poisonous cyanogenic glycosides and have been known to poison livestock.  Closely related species also often interbreed, which may make identification of the alkaloids present in the plant very challenging.  Therefore, it is not recommended that one consume any part of an acacia plant until the species is confirmed (Voogelbreinder 2009, 65-66).

MEDICINAL USE:  In Africa, A. ataxacantha root is combined with other herbs and used to treat wounds.  The leaf is an analgesic.  A. nilotica has been used in Sudan to treat a variety of different inflammatory disorders.  The Masai use a decoction of the stem bark and root to acquire courage and as a stimulant (Voogelbreinder 2009, 65-66).

TRADITIONAL EFFECTS: Many African species of acacia are said to have very stimulating and energizing effects, although some individuals are also said to go mad from chewing the bark, and even to fall comatose in rare cases.  The bark is said to cause a “furious and imbalanced state of mind” and is therefore often consumed before battle. Many species of African acacia are said to be stimulating aphrodisiacs, and are still used as such by indigenous tribes in the regions in which they grow (Voogelbreinder 2009, 65-66).

 INCENSE:

ACACIA: Burned with sandelwood to stimulate the psychic powers.

(Acacia senegal) Also known as gum arabic, gum senegal and gum acacia; produced by a tree that grows in North Africa. The species of acacia that produces gum arabic and gum acacia are so closely related that one can be used for the other.

Parts Used - flowers, leaves, stems, root, bark, resin, seeds, and essential oil

Magical Uses - (Herb and Oil) Burn for altar offerings or purification; aids psychic powers, meditation, platonic love, psychic awareness; purification; inspiration; wisdom; visions; anointing; protection; prophetic dreams; spirituality; money. A sprig place over the bed wards off evil.

Ritual Uses - In India, the wood is used as fuel in scared fires, and also in building temples. Acacia is an excellent choice to build a small chest or sacred box. It should be handmade and used only to store your ritual tools.. If unable to obtain enough to build the box, the powdered herbe may be used to consecrate the containers you use for sacred items.

Other Uses - The dried gum can be burned as incense, the leaves and wood can be infused to create sacred water for aspurging. This gum is water soluble and when dissolved in boiling water, clarifies and makes a very good adhesive that is used, among other things, to make scented beads and pomanders.

Acacia can be used for blessing any sacred space.

Gum Arabic

Acacia senegal

Also known as gum hashab, this resin is associated with the Sun because of its light warmth and the fact that the plant loves to grow in warm, dry, sunny places, but it also has some associations with Air (its lightness) and Mars (it comes from a prickly plant). This gum has literally thousands of uses--changing the texture of food, in adhesives, in medicine, and of course, in incense, where it makes a good binder for other ingredients--it is water soluble. It has its own very light, typically resinous scent. This gum arabic comes from Kenya, where farming of acacia is being substituted for herding cattle. Overgrazing is destroying the environment there, and farming acacia is a viable alternative that gives people an income and provides them with a source of firewood. I have high-grade nuggets ground into a convenient, fine powder.

The acacia tree has been associated with the sacred since the proverbial time immemorial, from the myth of Osiris to the Ark of the Covenant. Burn it as incense to stimulate and enhance psychic ability as well as to provide contact with the sacred.

Basic Acacia Incense:

Burn dried powered acacia and allow the fragrance to permeate the area.

Osiris Incense:

Blend Acacia, frankincense, cypress, and cedarwood and burn wafting the fragrance as desired.

Sacred Wood Incense:

Blend dried powdered acacia, sandalwood, and frankincense. Burn the powder to enhance and develop psychic power and vision.

It is food for thought, and material for visions. Of course.


The Hedgemason does not recommend or encourage anyone to experiment with potentially fatal or dangerous substances, natural or otherwise. The Hedgemason will not be liable for any harm or injury resulting from the use of any substance mentioned on this blog. We advised you not to use it. We provide this information solely for educational purposes, and do not recommend the use of this or any other psychotropic or potentially psychotropic plants.

REFERENCES

"Acacia Spp. – Acacia Tree." Acacia Spp. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Aug. 2012. <http://entheology.com/plants/acacia-spp-acacia-tree/>.

Hofmann, A., Ratsch, C., Schultes, R., Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers.  Rochester: Healing Arts Press, 1992.

Ratsch, Christian., The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and its Applications. Rochester: Park Street Press, 1998.

Shanon, Benny. Biblical Entheogens: a Speculative Hypothesis in Time and Mind:  The Journal of Archaeology Consciousness and CultureVolume I-Issue IMarch 2008 pp. 51-74

Voogelbreinder, Snu, Garden of Eden: The Shamanic Use of Psychoactive Flora and Fauna, and the Study of Consciousness. Snu Voogelbreinder, 2009. 

Wahba Khalil, S.K., and Y. M. Elkheir. "Dimethyltryptamine from the Leaves of Certain Acacia Species of Northern Sufan." Lloydia 28, no. 2 (1975): 176-177.

Freemasonry and Higher Education

Liberal Arts Lodge, LA California

The contemporary  interaction between Freemasonry and Higher Education is bearing fruit.

Unlike today, it was once evident to others in society that Freemasonry had something to contribute to Civil Society. Mainstream Freemasonry may still hold onto that assumption, but whether it be correct or not, convincing modern society to share that belief becomes every day more difficult.  Is there any truth to our assumption?

As the writer of this blog, it is safe to make some assumptions concerning my view. Looking back in time, one clear piece of evidence that Freemasonry was considered valuable are the number of legacy lodges with names such as University Lodge.

University of Pennsylvania Regalia

Until at least the last half of the 20th Century, many universities, including the Ivy Leagues, had active lodges, not merely in their neighborhoods or near their campuses, but quite often on them, and made up almost entirely of current students and alumni. A very few of these have survived, such as Liberal Arts Lodge in Los Angeles ( http://liberalarts677.com/ ). Others remain as vestiges of their former selves, having been folded into other lodges through merger or even multiple mergers as the presence of Freemasonry has diminished over the years. An example of such a lodge was University Lodge formerly associated with my alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania. By the time I attended Penn, I doubt anyone on campus had heard of University Lodge, and it was no longer meeting on campus.  I note that Rutgers University in New Jersey has a Masonic Alumni Association, which is apparently still active and even has an online presence (http://rumasonic.blogspot.com/2009/01/academia-freemasonry.html).

In Europe, at least in England and Scotland, Masonic Lodges may be found on a number of University Campuses, and generally Masonic efforts at outreach to university students there is less half-hearted than it is in the US.

However, there is another way in which Freemasonry is associated with Higher Education and in this case, it is beginning to advance rather than retreat.  I am referring to Freemasonry as the subject of academic study.

When academics look at Freemasonry as an institution, and at its history, what passes for historic fact among some segments of both regular and liberal  may not stand up to their objective scrutiny.  "Regular" Masonic definitions of what constitutes Freemasonry will only be viewed as applying to "Regular" Masonry, and that will not be privileged over other forms of Freemasonry and vise versa. That is the objectivity of academia.  Such views will inevitably impact the discussion and the literature on Freemasonry, and ultimately, however uncomfortable such "revelations" may be to some, they will aid in creating a more accurate and complete understanding of the institution.

What will be gained by the growth of academic scrutiny will be a more accurate understanding of the factual history of the Craft, and greater serious attention to its role, both historic and contemporary, in the development of civil society and social institutions.  It is important to emphasize that this academic interest and scrutiny is already happening.

There are a number of Academic programs already in place or in development that deal either solely with Freemasonry or place it in the context of larger social or philosophical systems. Some of these will be noted here.

UCLA

One of the earliest was The Center for Research into Freemasonry at the University of Sheffield, which launched back in 2000.  While this program was lamentably suspended in 2010, the work begun in this program continues elsewhere.

One such place is at UCLA in the United States. UCLA under the excellent guidance of Dr. Margarite Jacobs, is providing a home for the study of Freemasonry in Civil Socirty and the opportunity for doctoral candidates to produce and offer courses related to this research (http://www.freemasonryandcivilsociety.ucla.edu/ ).  Further, the Roosevelt Center, also in Los Angeles, and in close communication with UCLA, is developing avenues for further research and is soon to include publishing among its concerns (http://www.scoop.it/t/john-slifko-roosevelt-center , http://www.therooseveltcenter.org/)

Under the umbrella of another advancing field in academic study, the School of Humanities at the University of Exeter, in England, offers a  MPhil/PhD Western Esotericism and  MA in Western Esotericism, under the auspices of their Exeter Center for the Study of Esotericism (EXESECO) (http://centres.exeter.ac.uk/exeseso/)  For those unfamiliar with the structure of such disciplines, the following text taken from the Exeter Center's site should make it clear that such programs are not devoted to the practice of esotericism, although students may or may not persue such concerns personally, but rather are committed to examining the development and distribution of such systems in human society and their impact upon everything from religion, popular culture and politics.

Exeter

The purpose of the Exeter Centre for the Study of Esotericism (EXESESO) is to foster advanced research into historical and comparative aspects of the esoteric traditions from the Hellenistic period in late antiquity through the Renaissance and early modern period to the present. Staff members in the departments of History (with interests in religion, culture, science and medicine), Sociology and Philosophy, Theology, Classics and Ancient History, and the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, collaborate in seminars, research and publications. Literary and philosophical traditions are also examined by colleagues in the Schools of English and Modern Languages (departments of French, German, Italian, Hispanic Studies, and Russian).
Postgraduate and postdoctoral members of EXESESO will be able to pursue research projects with the support of the Centre's panel of distinguished scholars across a number of departments and disciplines.
There are three main objectives:
to document and analyse new subjects (figures, groups and movements) in the history of esotericism, thereby making an original contribution to scholarly knowledge.
to gain insight into the social, religious and philosophical changes, which are conducive to esotericism and to assess its influence on culture, politics and society.
to develop an understanding of the fundamental characteristics which define esoteric spirituality, which often manifests as a form of religious experience, while offering a perspective upon the individual soul in the context of nature and the universe.  (http://centres.exeter.ac.uk/exeseso/)

Not to be outdone, such endeavors are not occurring only in Anglophone institutions of Higher Learning. The Spanish University UNED, through its Department of History of Law and Institutions, provides the following information about its programs:

Master in History of Freemasonry in Spain (60 credits)
Specialist College in History of Fraternal Philanthropic Orders, Corporations, Schools and Societies (40 credits)
University Expert in the History of Freemasonry in Spain and Latin America (25 credits)

This program provides a grant of 20% over the official price of tuition to all students enrolled during the academic year 2012-2013.

This modular program provides a rigorous and methodical knowledge of the history of Masonic associations in its various forms, orders, corporations, academies and scientific societies, cultural, philanthropic, fraternal, charitable, philosophical and developments. Particular reference is made to fraternal and philanthropic movements and utopian thought and modern and contemporary perennialism,  studying its culture, both spiritual and ideological.
(http://www.fundacion.uned.es/)

Gracias a Victor Guerra / Thanks to John Slifko.