Northern Lights District Luminaries Newsletter Summer 2014

The Northern Lights Luminaries 1 Summer 2014

In this Issue… Article: My Thoughts Event: Ross Cawley Masonic Family BBQ Notice: District Information Article: “The Seven Deadly Sins of Freemasonry” Notice: Masonic Speakers’ Bureau Article: Festive Board Puns Article: “How Common IS The Gavel?” Events: District & Perpetual Calendar Notice: Lodge Directory Notice: Northern Lights District online

West Edmonton #101 and Mystic Tie #188 join forces

Northern Lights District

Grand Lodge of Alberta

Vol. 5 - Issue 4 Summer 2014

Mystic West Lodge #101Mystic West Lodge #101Mystic West Lodge #101

T he lodge was opened to the 3rd degree by W. Bro. Jared Vanoni. M. W. Bro. John

Cameron was then asked to come to the East to assume the gavel and start the process for Amal-gamation of Mystic Tie Lodge No. 188 and West Edmonton Lodge No. 101. After the completion of the Amalgamation M.W. Bro. John Cameron asked the Director of Ceremonies, R.W. Bro. Charles Burns to come to the East, assume the gavel, and proceed with the installation of the officers of the new lodge, Mystic West Lodge No. 101. There were 52 brothers in attendance for this momentous occasion.

—R. W. Bro. Charles Burns (PDDGM)


My Thoughts Outgoing DDGM’s Message

M y Brothers of Northern Lights District,

the 2013-2014 Masonic year is coming to

a close. My duties as your District Deputy

Grand Master ended on Saturday June 14th at the

Grand Lodge Communication. I will at that time

leave the district in the capable hands of W. Bro.

Martin Brown, DDGM-Elect and a Past Master of

Ivanhoe Lodge #142.

The support, words of encouragement and good

wishes of the brethren in Northern Lights have made

my year very enjoyable, personally. I have learned

some valuable lessons that will follow my Masonic

journey for the rest of my life.

My hope in taking this position was that I could give

every lodge in our district a positive outlook and di-

rection. Negativity leads to failure and that is some-

thing that Northern Lights will not accept. Even with

the amalgamation of lodges there is a future that

burns bright in the brethren of those lodges, we are

stronger together as one. This may be the future of

Alberta Freemasonry, there is a need in my view to

consolidate, even to the idea that there is really a

strain in Edmonton with keeping three Masonic

Lodge halls open. It may not come with much sup-

port at this time, but we as Masons are spreading

ourselves thin, in building support, charitable sup-

port of outside community activities and concordant

bodies. There is only so much Masonic monies to

spread around. Our numbers continue to decline

and Brethren are asked at all lodges to support too

many activities. Benevolence, should be centred in

the Lodge itself that is what we are charged to ad-

dress.

We will be stronger going forward if we concentrate

on our individual lodges having our Past Masters and

long time members encouraged to attend as well as

bringing our new brothers into social gatherings. I

feel that our younger members should be encour-

aged to begin their own social programs focused

towards gatherings within the district. The River

Queen Edmonton night was a huge success, but it

did not get our younger brethren involved—maybe

it takes a canoe trip with a night of Masonic camping

on the North Saskatchewan River to entice them to

participate. Whatever it is the younger members

must address this themselves. The Masters, War-

dens and Deacons Association (MWD) of Edmonton

are forming a social club and beginning with The

Ross Cawley Summer BBQ on August 23rd in Rundle

Park with lots of fun activities. What a wonderful

way for a young couple with children to meet like

minded couples who have the Masonic light within

their circle.

I have no idea what the future holds for me, but I

can assure all in the Northern Lights District that my

caring and concern for our Brothers will not fade

and I will be there to assist when needed and asked.

Thank You.

Fraternally and Sincerely, RWBro. Kenn Culbertson DDGM Northern Lights District 2013/2014


Thank you for your input! We thank all brethren for their submissions this month. It is just that type of input we are looking for which make this very publication informative, thought-provoking and interesting.

In order to make this a continued success and valu-able to the lodges in the district we need your help. If you have any articles of interest, Masonic trivia, jokes, pictures, cartoons, stories, pictures or just want to promote an up-coming or past event please make your submission to the editor at [email protected] they will be thankfully received and faithfully applied.

The deadline for submissions for the next issue is August 15, 2014.

EDITORS NOTE: The Editors of the Northern Lights District Luminaries reserve the right to modify or edit articles for content, space and harmony. The views and opinions expressed in this publication do not reflect the views and opinions of the Grand Lodge of Alberta, Northern Lights District, Lodges or individual members.

District Committee 2013-2014

R. W. Bro. Kenn Culbertson (166) District Deputy Grand Master 780-914-3952 [email protected]

W. Bro. Wayne Barker (166) District Secretary, Masonic Foundation Coordinator 780-475-1500 [email protected]

W. Bro. Michael Bayrak (142) Masonic Education Coordinator, Newsletter Editor 780-982-5985 [email protected]

W. Bro. Aaron Batty (92) Masonic Higher Education Bursary Coordinator 780-995-5117 [email protected]

R. W. Bro. Angus Stewart (166) District Nomination Committee Chairman [email protected]

About The District

Founded as District 12 on 30 May 1917, the Northern Lights District is constituted under the Grand Lodge of Alberta, AF&AM and holds jurisdiction over 11 lodges: 7 in Edmonton that meet at various times in Freemasons’ Hall downtown, as well as country lodges that meet in Onoway, Whitecourt, and Yellowknife, NWT. All the lodges practice the Canadian Rite working. The geo-graphical area covered by the District constitutes one of the largest in the history of Freemasonry.

The District Deputy Grand Master

The district is headed by the District Deputy Grand Mas-

ter (DDGM), who is titled “Right Worshipful Brother”,

and who represents the Grand Lodge on his official and

fraternal visits to the lodges. A new DDGM is elected at

the annual district meeting in October with his term be-

ginning at the official installation of the Grand Lodge

officers at the Communication in June. To be nominat-

ed, the brother must have served as Worshipful Master

of a regularly constituted lodge.

Official Visits

The DDGM is required to visit all lodges in the district (with exception) and receive standard report returns from the lodge secretaries. The DDGM inspects the lodge to ensure it adheres to proper Masonic regulari-ty. The DDGM is received “in form” by the lodge after the opening of the lodge.



The The The

Seven Seven Seven

Deadly Deadly Deadly

Sins Sins Sins

Of Of Of

FreeFreeFree---

masonrymasonrymasonry

ARTICLE BY

Bro. John McDermid

Whitecourt Lodge #153

I was inspired to put this paper together after reading “Seven

Deadly Career Sins” from my local news paper in the careers

section. It hit me; wait a minute, there is a question out there

asking if Freemasonry is relevant to the modern society.

Today more than ever we are finding a sense of entitlement in soci-

ety; this horrible ego stroking trend has driven the world mad, if I

didn’t know better I would think a massive flood was on its way.

While sitting in Lodge, listening to Brothers, some of which I aspire

to emulate. But I also discovered something else; the negative side,

that’s the side where others are just seeking glory, titles, and de-

grees to, feed that fragile ego sense of self worth.

We have all done it, we are all guilty, but there is a difference be-

tween filling the well of fortitude with supporting your brother in

all his lawful undertakings, disposing your hart to soothe their afflic-

tions and boosting ones ego.

Yes it may in the short term it feeds that sense of self, but it’s like

eating fast food; it fills the gap but doesn’t fix the true hunger and

is extremely toxic to the body if it’s done on a regular basis.

Attending Lodge is not an enriching experience if one spends most

of the meeting of “friendship and brotherly love” prattling on and

on about honorary titles, and arguing semantics. Aren’t we all

Brothers that meet and leave on the level?

In my opinion Freemasonry is almost at a tipping point of change.

(Continued on page 6)


The Craft is moving away from the status quote and the “don’t rock

the boat” mentality. To more of a “wait a minute you mean we

have a paddle on this boat to get us away from this storm!” The

time for self depravation and self denial is coming to an end.

Wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony – they're the vic-

es that would see any repeat offender struggling to scale the wind-

ing staircase, according to early holy texts & teachings.

Here are a few of the most deadly career sins, which I converted

into the seven sins for Freemasonry:

1. Arrogance: Think you know it all. Arrogance is not quite

the same thing as pride; arrogance is partly a sin of

omission. In this case, forgetting to listen to the point or

points of view of your Brothers, no matter what chair

you occupy or what title you have “honourably” ob-

tained, assuming you always know best in every situa-

tion isn’t necessarily always true. More often than not,

you don’t!

“The best people in business know that you can learn

something from everyone,” executive coach and Sparks

Elite founder Andrew Sparks says.

2. Resistance to Change: Yes I’ve said it- CHANGE. Change

is NOT the sin it’s the resistance to which is the sin. This

sin is liable to show up in every Lodge, in every district,

on the face of the earth. Sure, some members like

change for the sake of, change and I agree it’s a pain.

Like one Brother said rearranging the deck chairs on the

Titanic isn’t going to stop the ship from sinking-I agree!

But if you want to be taken seriously; when an

"innovation" is a truly bad idea, you can't afford to get a

reputation for pooh-poohing every change. Seriously

consider it, if the suggestion requires adjustment, help

out to support it don’t criticise it. We all start with a

rough draft or ashlars but we can work it together until

it’s smooth and square, if the idea has merit.


“An arrogant person consid-ers himself perfect. This is the chief harm of igno-rance. It interferes with a person’ main task in life—becoming a better person.”

- Leo Tolstoy

"Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change." - Confucius


3. Laggardness: Like doing things this way because that's the way

you've always done them? Present as a stick-in-the-mud at your

peril, the Lodge changes constantly and so should the Brothers

in them. People, who are successful in their career embrace

change to some it might mean conflict or a disruption in routine

which is often mistaken for harmony, only the dead experience

peace, the living are at a constant change. It doesn't mean you

have to like everything, but don't be someone who's set in your

ways, which is common when people have been in Freemasonry

for awhile. To understand their opposition are this way for fear

they may become irrelevant.

I can’t stress this enough, never, I mean never in a million years

are the Brothers that have gone before irrelevant! However

neither are the younger Brother(s) who are the ones who have

the zeal and excitement to roll up their sleeves and pitch in.

Work with it, not against it.

If you want to go a step further and become someone who sug-

gests changes or improvements, then if necessary be ready to

be that Manson who leads from the front and follows though.

Remember Brothers there are no spectators in creating change.

Lead by example...or as the Heavens above so the earth below.

Thinking of better ways to do things and following through,

shows you're actively involved in the Lodge. Isn’t that what we

are seeking from our Brothers however small the charity?

4. Spinelessness: Are you first to endorse whatever suggestion

someone more senior puts on the table, however lame or im-

practical? Praising the bosses' pet projects to the skies may help

you curry favour in the short term but it won't position you as

leadership material in the long term, career coach Sally-Anne

Blanshard cautions. “We have all worked with one of these

[people], who appear to approve of everything and anything...”


“Enthusiasm is that kin-dling spark which marks the difference between the leaders in every activi-ty and the laggards who put in just enough to get by.”

- Unknown


Blanshard says. “Sometimes you have to learn to say no. You may be

challenging a senior executive such as a Grand Lodge Officer, a process,

or even dare I say it a “Tradition”. Using the Titanic reference I said

earlier; let me ask you this question: What is the tradition of a boat?

What is its soul purpose? The tradition or purpose of a boat is to float,

not sink. So if rearranging the deck chairs seems like a good idea while

you’re sinking maybe one should look at that tradition and ask, is this a

productive exercise?

By saying “Hold on...when all about you are loosing their heads” as Bro.

Kipling suggests in his poem “IF”; and doing so with good reason and

evidence, that’s courageous, that’s fortitude, that’s integrity.

5. Selfishness: There's no "I" in "team," (but if you look close there actual-

ly is, it’s placed firmly in the “A” hole.) but you wouldn't prove it by the

selfish worker. This man is never around when it's time to roll up the

sleeves and work, pitching in and helping out makes for light work. Yes

we are all here for “self” improvement but self doesn’t mean selfish-

ness, it means HELP out in what ever way you can. Speaking of this I

often wonder why the ones working the hardest eat last. I’m going to

challenge a “tradition” right now. I have been to countless Lodges

were the EA the workers in the quarry, often eat last. But yet we won-

der why we have problems with attendance. By our actions of making

these hard working Brothers eat last we are actually displaying to them

our example of how they are to be treated. I would never let my child

eat last because he was new to the family; why on this earth do we

stand for and accept our leaders eating first? The act of eating and the

order of which is such a primal act, it a show of Dominance, but we are

not animals. We are men, we are Brothers, and those who work hard-

est eat first.



6. Ruthlessness: Think being a winner in the Craft means making los-

ers of your Brothers? It will only get you so far. If you have to climb

on others to get to where you want to be, it can work for a limited

time, but if that's the main strategy you'll alienate too many people

along the way – you will alienate those who you're trying to lead.

It's counter-productive. Positive Leadership executive coach Barba-

ra Heilemann suggests. “Those who don't help others will end up

without allies down the track.” she warns. “You might get the job,

but no one likes you,” she says. It’s not very Masonic and on the

level, if you can’t be honest with yourself then you can’t be honest

with others. Undermining efforts especially your Brothers goes

against everything that Masonry professes. You can’t build a castle

and cathedrals that stand the test of time while others are taking

the ground from underneath; this is in fact where the term

“undermining” came from.

7. Incompetence: Are we really Masters of our craft? “How you do

anything is how you do everything.” Faking it until you make it will

only go so far, and if you're in the habit of talking a bigger game

than you can deliver, break it now! Spend time boning up on the

skills you need to succeed, leave the bragging for people who are

already guilty of No. 1. If you need to start small, make promises

you can only deliver on. Practice the 90-10 rule; learn how to ac-

tively listen, instead of talking. Leave the games for the jokers and

jesters.

Works Cited: Pennington, S. (2013, 11 06). The seven deadly career sins. Retrieved from The Sydney

Morning Herald: http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/management/the-seven-deadly-career-sins-20131020-2vvb0.html

“One of the chief features of incompetence was an inability to see it in one-self.”

- Kim Stanley Robinson


TheThe

Edmonton Masonic Speakers’ BureauEdmonton Masonic Speakers’ Bureau

W. Bro. Doug Bewick (142) [email protected]

“The Lady of the Lodge” A 15 minute talk regarding the fe-male aspects of Freemasonry. Con-tains some controversial but histori-cal aspects as well as some nice eso-teric notions to get your mind racing. This talk is suita-ble for all Masons.

“Scottish Freemasonry (of its own Freewill and Ac-cord)” Investigating the structure of the Scottish craft, its uniqueness and why it is important to unravelling the roots of speculative Masonry (45 minutes). Suitable for EA’s.

“Rosslyn College” Investigating the relevance of the Collegiate Church of St. Matthew to modern Freemasonry (30 minutes). Suit-able for the General Public.

“From Hall to Temple (a Countdown to Renewal)” Restoring the solemnity of our rituals (25 minutes). Suitable for EA’s.

“The Rituals and Ceremonies of the Operative Craft” Exploring the work of the operative craft lodges and the development of the modern three degrees (30 minutes). Suitable for Master Masons.

W. Bro. Mike Bayrak (142) [email protected]

“How Common IS the Gavel?”

Of the nine working tools, we look at just one of them and its importance in our daily lives and in our lodg-es. This 12 minute inspirational talk bridges the gap between our Masonic ritual, science, and human nature and might just ignite you and your lodge into action to accomplish great things. Already well received at Evergreen and Whitecourt lodges.

“Alchemy In Our Masonry” A 15 minute talk on the basics of Alchemy and where it is found in our Masonic ritual. Suitable for MMs, but can be revised for EAs.

"e-Masonry" A 30-minute PowerPoint presentation on the history of the Internet, the progression of Internet Masonry (aka "e-Masonry"), how the Internet has affected Freema-sonry (with graphs), my own experience, and Internet tools your lodge can easily use to communicate effec-tively with members and the public. Suitable for any-one, including the public. Presented at the Masonic Spring Workshop 2011.

"n-Dimensional Masonry" A 30-minute PowerPoint presentation on Masonic met-aphysical geometry and the dimensional progression of the working tools.

L odges in Edmonton have been seeing more and more Masonic educational presentations as part of regular meetings and festive boards.

While the Grand Lodge website has a Speakers Bureau list, a group of Edmonton brethren have decided to offer local lodges their services in giving interesting and interactive presentations regarding various topic on Freemasonry. This listing is but a mere sampling of each brother’s library of presentations. If your lodge is interested in hosting any of the brethren listed below, feel free to contact them directly and the presentation visits are not just limited to lodges in Edmonton.


W. Bro. John Hayes (168) [email protected]

"The Poetry of Freemasonry" How to understand and improve ritu-al through an understanding of what poetry and language provides - 30 minutes, power point, music. Plus discussion. EA and up.

“The Fundamentals of Lodge Operation” The offices, how a lodge meeting works, how to move around and speak in a lodge - 20 minutes. Plus discus-sion. EA and up.

“The Mythic Spirit” An approach to spirituality and closer fraternity through Dine teachings and story - 35 minutes. Plus discussion. MM only.

“Labours of Love” How Freemasons can grow through Masonic work with-in the lodge and in outreach within the Craft - 30 minutes. Plus discussion. Presupposes knowledge of Laudable Pursuit, Internet. MM generally, although nothing that an EA can't see. Includes PowerPoint presentation.

W. Bro. Chris MacKenzie (142) [email protected]

“Lifting The Veil”

An exploration of esoteric ideas. In this presentation, I discuss the con-cept of the Veil from our own ritual work, and Jungian concepts of Archetypes and Individua-tion. It is a 20 min presentation with an extra time re-quirement for questions and answers. There is a small part of this presentation which refers to some details from the 3rd degree, but it is easily omitted in a lodge where not all Brethren are MMs. Includes PowerPoint presentation.

W. Bro. John McDermid (146) [email protected]

“Ancient Free & Absent Masons” Attendance in lodge—What is the truth behind our absent brethren, whom we miss. Should we be wor-ried about it? Should we be guilting our brethren to attend and effectively taking away the freewill? Are the numbers the only thing we are wor-ried about?

“The 7 deadly sins of the Modern Mason and Change” Based off of “Seven Deadly Career Sins” from Sylvia Pen-nington of the Sydney Morning Herald. Do you often hear we are doing this because it’s tradition? Ask is it really or is it habit? Are we actually doing something wrong and never thought to correct it? How far back does the "tradition go?" I have morphed The Seven Deadly Career sins into 7 Deadly Masonic sins. Think about it. What does our work actually say?

“Unseen Dimensions—Part 1” It is a 3-dimensional presentation. PowerPoint, lecture, and active participation. Required: a screen, projector, laptop, and the willingness to discover. What this presentation talks about is the secret and sacred sym-bols in our Lodge and how to read the ground. I chal-lenge the audience with the first and hardest question: "What does Freemasonry do? In short we talk about the administration of our lodge, that's it, no more no less...or is it?" This presentation can be viewed by all degrees. It is designed to be presented while tyled, 15-20 minutes.

Edmonton Masonic Speakers’ Bureau cont’d...


Festive Board—Puns for Educated Minds How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it....

Venison for dinner again? Oh deer!

A cartoonist was found dead in his home. Details are sketchy.

I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest.

Haunted French pancakes give me the crepes.

England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool.

I tried to catch some fog, but I mist.

They told me I had type-A blood, but it was a TypO.

I changed my iPod's name to Titanic. It's syncing now.

Jokes about German sausages are the wurst.

I know a guy who's addicted to brake fluid, but he says he can stop any time.

I stayed up all night to see where the sun went, and then it dawned on me.

This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I'd never met herbivore.

When chemists die, apparently they barium.

I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. I just can't put it down.

I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words.

I didn't like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.

Did you hear about the cross-eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn't control her pupils?

When you get a bladder infection you know urine trouble.

Broken pencils are pretty much pointless.

What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary? A

thesaurus.

I dropped out of the Communism class because of lousy Marx.

All the toilets in New York 's police stations have been stolen.

As of now, it appears the police have nothing to go on.

I got a job at a bakery because I kneaded dough.

Velcro - what a rip off!


How Common IS The Gavel?

TERM PRESENTATION AND ARTICLE

W. Bro. Mike Bayrak, Ivanhoe Lodge No. 142, GRA, AF&AM

Northern Lights District – Education Chairman


O ver a decade ago, a strange box entered the doors of

my lodge and was presented to our Worshipful Master.

He opened it and inside was a beautifully constructed

and intricate smooth large wooden gavel. I think it was made of

spruce. It rested peacefully on a cradle of the same wood. The in-

side of the box was made of soft red felt. A small brass plaque was

on the base of the cradle that said “Australian World Travelling

Gavel”.

How many here have seen or received one of these Travelling Gav-

els? Well, there’s 12 of them, all slightly different in design, and

they’ve all been constructed and sent out to the Masonic world by

a brother from Australia, V.W.Bro. Rick Howes (left).

They’ve travelled to lodges and Grand Lodges all over the face of

the earth, from South Africa, to London, Scotland, Ireland, New

Zealand, many U.S. lodges, Canadian lodges, and obviously back

home to Australia. The gavel box had specific instructions to the

lodge masters to record its journey, so those receiving it would

know where it has been.

As a five year Mason at that point, I was quite awe-struck by this

gavel. So I contacted Bro. Rick via email and he put me on his mail-

ing list to which he sent out regular emails with terribly formatted

Word documents for each gavel trying to track where they have

been. Rick told me he’s had a difficult time tracking these things as

the brethren aren’t communicating with him as the instructions

say. So he’d go months and months without having any idea where

his precious gavels were and gaps appeared in the gavel record.

So I offered to help. I offered to build him a website where breth-

ren, or anyone really, could go and see where the gavels were. Rick

was so pleased. I then asked him why he was doing all this if it

caused him grief and worry. He said (and I’m paraphrasing), “I see

Masonry on the decline. I felt I had the need to do something to

bring this fraternity together—to bring the brethren together and

encourage visiting, not just locally, but globally. You see, Mike, I

lost my son recently and suddenly, and the pain was so great, I also

felt I needed to do something to keep my mind off of it. Thank you

for helping me with this endeavour, brother. What is your mailing

address?” So, I gave it to him.


How Common IS The Gavel?


Weeks later, I get a notice to go to the post office to pick up a pack-

age. I went there, picked it up, took it home and opened it. And in-

side, was a brand spanking new travelling gavel with a holder and a

brass plaque on the base. “To W. Bro. Mike Bayrak from V.W. Bro.

Rick Howes”.

Well I was awe-struck. What a nice man. I emailed him and thanked

him profusely. Since then, that gavel has played a very important part

of my life. It sits among my Masonic library at home as a reminder of

the kindness and generosity of a brother from the complete opposite

side of the world and the universality of our great brotherhood, but

more importantly, as a powerful inspiration for to me to “get busy

livin’ or get busy dyin’” – that great quote from the movie the

Shawshank Redemption.

But why? Why the gavel? I mean, I’m not really a handyman. I’m the

king of procrastination if anything. The only times recently where I’ve

used a hammer is when I’m hanging pictures. I’m a computer guy. A

mouse would be more suited to my profession than anything. Click…

done! Clickity click click. Done done done! Tough physical work, I

know. My finger gets really sore at about the 1 millionth click. So

where the heck in my life does the gavel really apply? Come on...

How Common IS the gavel?

Well, in our Masonic ritual, we know from the Working Tools of an Entered Apprentice that…

“The 24 inch gauge is the first implement put into the hands of the workman, to

enable him to ascertain the amount of work in which he is about to engage and to

compute the time and labour it may cost.”

Oh, sure, so the 24 inch gauge is the first implement put into the hands

of the workman! Ascertain you say? Ok. I can do that. I’ll just think

about it for a while then. That fits nicely with my penchant for procras-

tination and utter laziness. Pass the potato chips please!

So, measure all you want. Compute and plan all you want. Spend your

days, weeks, months and years planning and planning. Think think

think to no end. Heck, rethink, change your plans, remeasure, rede-

sign, redraw, and perhaps you should always second-guess yourself.

Don’t go with your gut. Wait for the right moment.

My brethren, if we all acted like that, nothing--and I mean NOTHING

would get done. What’s next?



“The Common Gavel is an important instrument of la-

bour and highly esteemed as an implement of art. Alt-

hough recognized by various artists under different ap-

pellations, it is yet admitted by them all that no work of

manual skill can be completed without it.”

Oh! So what your saying is without the gavel, no work actually gets done! I

see now. But what work exactly?

There you are on Sunday afternoon watching NFL football. It’s the 4th quarter

and the Packers are down by 6 with 30 seconds left on the Patriots 12 yard

line. The snap and Aaron Rogers throws the ball into the end zone and you

hear this voice coming from 20 miles away around 5 corners though 6 walls in

the kitchen…

“Honey, I need you to take out the garbage and clean the evestroughs! Oh

and while you’re at it, fix the gate! Are you listening to me!?”

Oh, yes, my brother, you could THINK and PLAN about doing all those things.

But how far is THAT going to get you with your wife? It’s not until you get

your butt off the couch and DO SOMETHING and execute that anything really

matters. Whatever motivates you! And if that motivation is the simple fear

that your wife will nag you until the cows come home, then so be it.

At your place of employment, we are given jobs and tasks by management

and ownership to deliver upon in a timely fashion. Those of you who are self-

employed call upon yourselves to get things done for you, your employees and

your customers and bring in money because your livelihoods depend upon it.

For the single guy at a party or at the bar who sees a pretty lady he wants to

talk to and get to know. Watch her from across the room all you want. Watch

other men hit on her and fail. From my experience, in this situation, it’s im-

portant to know HOW to execute without even thinking about it. Take the

gavel and respect the stone upon which you are about to strike. Strike too

hard and you’ll strike out. Strike too gently, and you won’t even strike up a

conversation. Do it just right, with your own honest intentions, and sparks

may strike between you. Maybe you’ll get to build something from there.

You see a person that needs help. Do you just let him stew it over on his own?

“Ah, he’ll figure it out.” Or do you actually help? “Would you give if it were in

your POWER?” The gavel is the power, strike it, exert power, and do some-

thing.



The sad state of the Edmonton sports teams—the Eskimos and Oilers. How

many times do you hear the coach and players say to the media after another

loss, “We just didn’t execute. We just didn’t get it done”? QUITE A LOT LATE-

LY, RIGHT?

There’s obviously lots of examples.

But finally, let’s look at our own lodges…

Officers and members are tasked with many things to do that benefit the

lodge and ourselves… memory work, setting up the lodge, picking up a senior

brother to take to lodge, taking an Entered Apprentice out for a drink or

coffee to get to know him, or planning and pulling off a ladies’ night dinner

and dance.

But when one brother, tasked with something, fails to execute, another

brother needs to grab his gavel and pick up the slack to fill the void, some-

times on top of the work he’s already doing. It is perhaps assumed that the

other brother will return the favour, and in our Masonic Karma, with double

the effort.

For the new Master, the gavel is given to him at Installation. Without it, he

exerts no power, and he can’t call up his Wardens and they in turn, cannot

answer and obey him. He cannot even open the lodge!

Without the gavel, we can’t officially meet and practice Masonry.

Without the gavel, Masonry, operative and speculative,

would literally not exist.

In fact, think about all the other working tools.

The 24 inch gauge.. we’ve already talked about that.

The chisel? It’s useless without the gavel.

We can’t even begin to use the square, the level, and the

plumb rule because we have not worked upon a stone to

measure our work against.

The skirret, pencil, and compasses? Draw draw draw!

Circles and lines and nice designs. Still, nothing actually is

built yet.

The gavel is the ONLY symbol we Masons can use truly to

motivate us.

It is OUR symbol of execution and follow through.



Motivate us to do what though? Hit someone on the head?

We’ll get to that in a minute.

Last year, my educational topic and theme for the District was “Alchemy

In Our Masonry?” Alchemy is not a subject widely studied by brethren

although its everywhere in our ritual as it instills and explains aspects of

human nature through symbol and metaphor.

So with that, as our ritual commands us to do, let’s take a moment “to

extend our researches into the hidden mysteries of nature and science”

shall we? Let’s quickly examine the process of decision making and tak-

ing action from a biochemical perspective.

We observe and receive external signals through our senses, and our

brains decipher them into information that our brain uses to make deci-

sions. These decisions are influenced in two ways, 1) by us agreeing to

the logic presented or we create the logic with the parameters given, and

2) we’re influenced by the chemicals released when we think about the

potential answers, courses of action and resulting outcomes and effects

upon others around us and ourselves and selfish egos.

These chemicals that are released, specifically one called Oxytocin, are

also highly addicting. Oxytocin gives you a somewhat euphoric feeling

but it lasts for only up to 3 ½ minutes. It’s what makes women attracted

to us—not by how we look, how much money we have, or even how nice

we are in giving them compliments. They’re attracted by how they feel,

and by teasing them, making them laugh, and being in the moment with

them shows them you don’t have a desperate ego that needs attention,

nourishment, and energy from them, but that you offer them some fun

and a constant dose of Oxytocin “feel good” chemistry.

Sometimes though, it’s what makes us think we’re in love, when we’re

really in a state of lust and desire. Love, as we know, is a much, much

deeper and honest emotion than that.

But I digress. Back to our brain and answering the question—what moti-

vates us?

When that final decision happens, the brain sends signals through neu-

rons attached to muscles in our body to tell them to move a certain way

and to spring into action.

This whole process I’ve talked about, can take minutes or seconds to de-

cide, or even a nanosecond – a moment, if you will. (Continued on page 19)


And those moments where time seems to slow down and it seems like we’re

reacting without thinking, where we’re on autopilot and we can only do right

and everything comes together, where the gavel in our hands is moving so

fast and accurate, it’s a total blur. It’s in those moments when we’re truly

connected to The Divine, The One, The All, “whence all goodness emanates”.

And that Divinity, that power of good of the Great Architect is within the

hearts and minds of all of us. By picking up the gavel, you take the good with-

in you, and because of an honest desire to express it into action into your dai-

ly life, you are able to do good things, “not for ourselves, but for the cause of

good.”

And so, you can design yourself to be good or bad, and believe and think

you’re a good person all you want, but it’s not until the actions speak louder

than words, that anything really matters.

“From the common gavel we learn that skill without exer-

tion is of little avail, that labour is the lot of man; for the

heart may conceive, and the head may devise in vain, if

the hand be not prompt to execute the design.”

“If the hand be not prompt to execute the design.” That’s probably the

most important phrase in all our ritual.

And perhaps this is also why we call it FREEmasonry, because we have the

FREEwill and we are FREE to decide and choose how we practice and “apply

these tools to our morals.”

Brethren, I submit to you that that gavel is called the common gavel because it

plays the most important and most relevant part in our daily lives, at every

moment. It is the essence of our Craft, why it is a noble one, and the only real

link and symbol in our toolbox that takes us from our metaphysical world to

the physical one.

Brethren, I challenge you that whenever you see the gavel being used in your

lodge, remember what it stands for, and let it be a constant motivator for you

in your life to get the good things done.

Just like what our brother did from Australia who took a sad situation in his

life, dug deep down, and decided he wanted to do something good for all

Freemasons all over the Earth. And he couldn’t have picked a better symbol

to remind us all one simple thing… brethren… enough sitting around…

Let’s get to work.

______________________________________________________________________

On the next page you will find the list of Grand Lodges and lodges that this particular

Australian Travelling Gavel travelled to.


Australian Travelling Gavel Collection—Grand Lodge Gavel

This travelling Gavel was to be presented into every Grand Lodge In America and Canada.

1998:

1. GRAND LODGE OF FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Grand Master; M: W: Stewart C. McCloud, Assistant Grand Secretary; RW. Richard W. Bateman, GP, GR

2. THE MOST WORSHIPFUL GRAND LODGE Of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of The Commonwealth of VIRGINIA Grand Master; Most Worshipful George H. Chapin, Grand Secretary; Allan W. Adkins

3. GRAND LODGE of the DISTRICT of COLUMBIA Free and Accepted Masons Grand Master; M:W: Eldon J. Brown, Grand Secre-tary; Stewart W. Miner

4. THE MOST WORSHIPFUL GRAND LODGE Of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons of the Commonwealth of MASSACHUSETTS Grand Master; M:W: Fred Kirby Bauer, Grand Secre-tary; Rt.Wor. Paul W. Rolston

5. THE MOST WORSHIPFUL GRAND LODGE of CON-NECTICUT Grand Master; W:M: Roger W. Read

6. MOST WORSHIPFUL GRAND LODGE of NEW HAMP-SHIRE Grand Secretary; Jack Marden

7. MOST WORSHIPFUL GRAND LODGE of RHODE IS-LAND: F. & A.M. Grand Secretary; John M. Faulhaber

8. GRAND LODGE of VERMONT Grand Master; M:W: Earl Washburn, Grand Secre-tary; Cedric Smith

July 1999

9. GRAND LODGE A.F & A.M. of CANADA In the Prov-ince of ONTARIO Grand Master; M.W.Bro. Robert McKibbon. Grand Secretary; M:W: Bro. Robert E. Davies

November 1999

10. GRAND LODGE of NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR Grand Master; M. W. Bro. Neil M. Chaplin

This Gavel presentation was given by the Oldest Grand Lodge in Canada, consecrated in 1855 to the Young-est Grand Lodge in Canada Consecrated in 1997

May 2000

12. THE GRAND LODGE of NEW BRUNSWICK, A. & A. M. Grand Master; M. W. Bro. James A. Pike, Grand Sec-retary; J. Ralph Andrews P.G.M.

13. GRAND LODGE of NOVA SCOTIA Grand Master; M. W. Bro. Lloyd Blagdon, Grand Sec-retary; Robert H. Northup

14. GRAND LODGE of PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND Grand master; M. W. Bro. Donald Judson, Grand Sec-retary; Rt. W. Bro. Errol C. Monkley

October 2000

15. GRAND LODGE of ALBERTA Grand master; Gerald T. Webber

From here it was presented into private Lodges

16. Britannia Lodge No 18, Ponoka

17. Eastgate Lodge No. 192, Edmonton

18. Edmonton Lodge No. 7, Edmonton

19. Strathcona Lodge No. 77, Edmonton

20. Balmoral Lodge No. 185, St. Albert (5th Oct 2002)

21. Ivanhoe Lodge No. 142, Edmonton

22. Far North Lodge No. 199, Inuvik, NWT

GRAND LODGE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA AND YUKON

23. Yukon Lodge No. 45, Dawson City (10th July 2004)

24. Atlinto Lodge No. 42 (7th Sept. 2004)

25. Whitehorse Lodge No. 46 (20th Sept. 2004)

As of June 2003, this Gavel has been presented into 22 Lodges & Grand Lodges


Lodge Officers Training! Dates and Regional Contacts

As part of the Grand Lodge long-term vision, six brethren have stepped up to the plate to help organize and run training for lodge officers from Steward to Wor-shipful Master with related breakout sessions. Those who have attended the sessions in the past couple of years have found these sessions to be very valua-ble with a great benefit to themselves and to their lodge.

Often, lodges tend to appoint very new members into officer roles, which they are not prepared for, or have an understanding of the expectations and duties.

If a date is not provided for your region yet, feel free to contact the brethren below and help out, perhaps with hosting in your lodge room.

Region Contact Email Dates

North West Joe LaJoie [email protected] September 8, 2014

March 7, 2015

North East Gordon Harris [email protected]

Edmonton Bob Kennaway [email protected] February 8, 2015

March 8, 2015

April 5, 2015

Central Dick Cameron [email protected] June 22, 2014 Red Deer

November 30, 2014

May 2015

Calgary Allan Long [email protected] September 20, 2014 Okotoks Tentative

November 15, 2014 Didsbury

South East Bert McFadyen [email protected]

Lego Lodge No. 357

http://imgur.com/a/8S9VG


Year Month Visiting Lodge Hosting Lodge

2014 February Mystic Tie #188 Patricia #91

March Jasper #14 Onoway #138

April Evergreen #166 Saskatchewan #92

May West Edmonton #101 Whitecourt #153

September Patricia #91 Mayerthorpe #148

October Ivanhoe #142 Jasper #14

November Saskatchewan #92 Mystic Tie #188

2015 February Onoway #138 Mystic West #101

March Mayerthorpe #148 Evergreen #166

April Whitecourt #153 Ivanhoe #142

May Mystic Tie #188 Saskatchewan #92

September Jasper #14 Ivanhoe #142

October Evergreen #166 Mayerthorpe #148

November Mystic West #101 Onoway #138

2016 February Patricia #91 Mystic Tie #188

March Ivanhoe #142 Whitecourt #153

April Saskatchewan #92 Evergreen #166

May Onoway #138 Jasper #14

September Mayerthorpe #148 Patricia #91

October Whitecourt #153 Mystic West #101

November Mystic Tie #188 Onoway #138

2017 February Jasper #14 Patricia #91

March Evergreen #166 Whitecourt #153

April Mystic West #101 Saskatchewan #92

May Patricia #91 Jasper #14

September Ivanhoe #142 Mayerthorpe #148

October Saskatchewan #92 Mystic West #101

November Onoway #138 Mystic Tie #188

2018 February Mayerthorpe #148 Ivanhoe #142

March Whitecourt #153 Evergreen #166

April Mystic Tie #188 Mayerthorpe #148

May Jasper #14 Mystic West #101

District Perpetual Education Calendar

As introduced by R. W. Bro. Charles Burns, DDGM, Northern Lights District 2002/2003.

This is a program of lodge visitation featuring education research.

Each lodge will visit another lodge each year and present a paper and receive a return visit plus paper from each lodge in the District.

Objectives

To sponsor visitation To encourage education research

The visiting lodge is to come as a group, not

just one Mason!

It is the responsibility of the visiting lodge to contact the Master of

the host lodge con-firming attendance

and educational topic well in advance.

Please note that with the amalgamation of West Edmonton #101 and Mystic Tie #188 Lodges into Mystic West #101, perpetual calendar visits for this lodge will default to #101’s previous sched-ule. Stay tuned to this newsletter for future up-dates!


Jasper #14

5th Sat, Freemasons Hall, Edmonton, 2:30 pm

Worshipful Master Secretary

W. Bro. Jason Stewart W. Bro. Reg Reid

780-232-0369 780-721-7528

[email protected] [email protected]

Patricia #91

2nd Tues, Freemasons Hall, Edmonton, 7:30 pm


W. Bro. Chris Uchman R.W. Bro. Al Vickery

(as of June 11, 2013) 780-469-7259


Saskatchewan #92

2nd Thur, Freemasons Hall, Edmonton, 7:30 pm

www.saskatchewan92.org


W. Bro. Chris Burchell R. W. Bro. Ken Cheel

403-241-8950 780-387-4779


Mystic West #101

2st Wed, Freemasons Hall, Edmonton, 7:30 pm


W. Bro. Jared Vanoni W. Bro. Travers Roy

780-965-3845 780-901-2701


Onoway #138

4th Wed, Legion Hall, Onoway, 7:30 pm


W Bro. Kevin Baker R. W. Bro. Bob Bell

780-801-0882 780-967-5133


Ivanhoe #142

1st Thur, Freemasons Hall, Edmonton, 7:30 pm

www.ivanhoe142.org


W. Bro. David Owens W. Bro. David Wright

780-235-4556 780-466-2285 [email protected] [email protected]

Yellowknife #162

1st Mon, Masonic Hall, Yellowknife, 7:30 pm

www.ykmasons.ca Worshipful Master Secretary

W. Bro. Thom Jarvis W. Bro. Don Finnamore

867-445-9342 867-873-6897

[email protected] [email protected] Evergreen #166

2nd Mon, Freemasons Hall, Edmonton, 7:30 pm

www.evergreenfreemasons.net Worshipful Master Secretary

W. Bro. Phil Fitch

780-458-2015

[email protected]

District Lodge Directory

Freemasons Hall 10318 – 100th Avenue, Edmonton, AB

Empire #63 1st Mon 7:30 pm

Norwood #90 1st Tues 7:30 pm

Eastgate # 192 + 1st Tues 7:30 pm

Exemplar #175 1st Thur 7:30 pm

Edmonton #7 + 2nd Tues 7:30 pm

Dominion #117 2nd Wed 7:30 pm

Commercial #81 3rd Sat 1:00 pm

Highlands Masonic Hall 56th St. 118th Avenue, Edmonton, AB

Redwood #193 1st Wed 7:30 pm

Temple Centennial #167 + 1st Thurs 7:30 pm

Sherwood #183 2nd Mon 7:30 pm

Highlands Unity # 168 2nd Tues 7:30 pm

Acacia Masonic Hall 10433 – 83rd Avenue, Edmonton, AB

Avon Glen #170 1st Wed 7:30 pm

Acacia #11 2nd Thur 7:30 pm

Strathcona #77 + 2nd Fri 7:30 pm

Ye Olde Craft #196 2nd Sat 7:30 pm

Greisbach #191 3rd Mon 7:30 pm

Corner Stone Hall 6 Tache Street, St Albert, AB

Balmoral #185 1st Wed 7:30 pm

Whitecourt #153

1st Thur, Forest Interpretive Centre, Whitecourt, 8:00 pm www.whitecourtmasoniclodge.ca


W. Bro. John Baxter W. Bro. Doug Ling

780-778-6632 780-778-2086

[email protected] secretary@ white-courtmasoniclodge.ca

Edmonton Lodge Directory

+ York Rite Lodges

If you visit just one lodge a month you would have ten more opportunities to gain more light in Masonry, build friendships and enhance the Ma-

sonic experience.

mailto:[email protected]




http://www.saskatchewan92.org/




http://ivanhoe142.org/



http://www.ykmasons.ca/



http://www.evergreenfreemasons.net/




Northern Lights online!

Not only do we have this newsletter that we make available, but the District is now online with our own web-site containing a District lodge map, calendar, and a place to view all the past issues of the Luminaries. And to get the word out about what’s going on with the District and her lodges, we also have a Facebook page and Twitter account. The accounts are as follows:

Website: www.northernlightsdistrict.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/NLDistrict

Twitter: www.twitter.com/NLDistrict

Email: [email protected]

www.northernlightsdistrict.org

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Northern Lights District Luminaries Newsletter Summer 2014

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