I became fascinated with guilds when I moved to Germany. Being an avid reader of all medieval history I could get my hands on, I was well aware of the Hansa (slang […]
Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master: The Medieval Guild
Politics, Be Darned!
Freemasons. Politics. To hear some Freemasons speak of this, you would think the end of the world is nigh if the two are spoken together in the same breath. It has long […]
Is Freemasonry a Spiritual Practice?
In keeping with the discussion surrounding soul and spirit, I wanted to complete the examination in a part 2, looking at Freemasonry as, to use the “new age” term, a spiritual practice. […]
Masonic Soul Food
“What is a Soul? What is Spirit? What is Energy?” We begin to engage in conversations about such esoteric terms as soul, energy, and spirit without being cognizant that we are not […]
The Key of Solomon
Many people have heard of the Key of Solomon, and indeed, Dan Brown’s book The Lost Symbol emphasized some of its mysterious ideas and brought them to the fore of modern culture. The Key […]
Silence: A Way to Wisdom
What happens in silence? Many argue that silence can invite reflection, contemplation, and discipline. In other words, silence — along with inquiry — engages learning. It makes you wise. The significance of […]
A Little Light Reading: The Arts and Freemasonry
I have been asked often: “what are good books for people who are interested in Freemasonry?” Personally, I feel that any reading is good reading: it strengthens the mind, opens you up […]
Why Beauty? The Splendor of Truth
Is beauty important? Why does it even exist in the first place? Everyone has a definition of beauty, and they are all different: A beautiful body, a beautiful painting, a beautiful sunset. […]
Doubt on the Path: Lessons from the Buddha
Big doubt, big enlightenment; small doubt, small enlightenment; no doubt, no enlightenment. That’s what the saying is in the Buddhist Lonji tradition of Chan. The spiritual life has always been a quest […]
Eritque Craticula Usque ad Tenebras
The precipice of Winter. The hollow wind of Autumn. We humans are always on the edge of something. In this case, we are on the edge of seasonal change. As we slip […]
MASONIC PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY 