Elvis Presley. Freemason

I had a random thought this morning.

If Elvis Presley was alive, and, an Australian resident, and, living in the Orange district, he would be a member of Lodge Canoblas Lewis!

Elvis - Freemason!

That makes you glad to be a Freemason!

So Mote it Be!

By the way; we are lying - we ALL KNOW that Elvis Lives!
Come along to Lodge Canoblas Lewis on a Monday night & you might just meet him!

July's Meeting

So the July Regular meeting was a quick affair; largely just the investment of the lodge officers that missed the installation... AND discussion of some "other" business that will make exciting news when it materialises! (You will have to watch this space for that stuff)

The South was equaly as good; with a Lecture by Ivan McMaster of Bentley Zeus Pty Ltd - an Orange based retirement planning company; & the subject was the Aged Care Facilities. It was a very informative session, with Ivan answering some of the common questions as well as outlining some of the confronting issues associated with aged care.

A quick summary of his lecture is as follows:

Freemasons in NSW play an integral part in the aged care sector of Australia through the Royal Freemasons Benevolent Institution (RFBI) & the Whiddon Group (who used to be called Frank Whiddon Masonic Homes).

As our lodge supports the RFBI & Whiddon Group, we were very happy to see that Both these suppliers are regarded as top level providers in this sector.

As for what he does, Ivan recommended (loosely) that you follow these 6 steps:

1. Planning
2. Assessing Options
3. Service Search
4. Understanding Costs
5. AND how to cover the Costs
6. Estate Planning

Ivan closed up saying that with good preparation & doing the work properly removes some much of the guilt that is associated with placing a loved one into care.

It was a really great information session & many of the Brethren left with a better understanding of these issues - even for those of us that will not be needing Ivan's services for some time!

So Mote it Be!

Bentley Zeus Pty Ltd are contactable on 02 6369 1578

Disclaimer: The advice above is general in nature & should not be taken as personal advice; please see a practitioner about your own circumstances!

How do I Join a Masonic Lodge?

So, How do you Join Lodge Canoblas Lewis?

The Simple rule is: That you must first Ask to join!

That is all!

You must make an application to the Lodge; the members will then vote on your application.

It gets slightly more complicated in the details, but the process is not that bad, we (Lodge Canblas Lewis) will start the ball rolling with the applications & such

In order to assist the process, There is a simple question that you have to answer: Are you a Mason already?

If Yes:
Come along & Apply to join our Lodge; However, you will need to contact your Mother Lodge to "Call Off" your membership if you do not want to pay both Lodges membership fees.

If you are an Unattached Mason (that is having a Lapsed Membership, or, not currently belonging to a lodge) you should come to a regular meeting & then make it Known that you wish to join Lodge Canoblas Lewis. You will need to have finalised your financials with your former Lodge (or Lodges)

If No:
Is Your Father a Mason? If Yes, please have them sponsor you; as the Son of a Mason you have the privilege of being made a Mason before all others!

Do you Know Any Masons? If Yes, please have them Sponsor you on your application - they will be glad to see a friend join the craft.

If Not; No Worries! A few years ago, Grand Lodge came up with the Masonic Assistance Scheme (MAS). This allows good men to join a lodge without knowing any Masons.
Lodge Canoblas Lewis has frequently used the MAS where appropriate for its membership applications; to be honest, most of the members that have joined Lodge Canoblas Lewis through the MAS have really been glad they did!

If you are interested in this application to Join us Using The Masonic Assistance Scheme, please contact the Lodge Secretary by e-mail or use the links through Google+ or Facebook or through this Blog.

Here is the United Grand Lodge Link on How to Become a Freemason: Click Here! It will give you some additional information about Freemasonry in general.

We look forward to meeting you at a meeting

So Mote it Be!

Why the Dinner Suit?

We are often asked: Why do Freemasons attend meetings in a Dinner Suit?

Lodge is a formal occasion; thus Masons everywhere dress in a respectful manner when attending their lodges, the most realistic respectful manner is the Dinner suit.

Black Tie.
Rather than Goth & Emo total black, jeans Tee Shirt & boots, we like the look of the Black tie and the dinner suit, in single OR double breasted cut (we don't mind which style of dinner jacket is worn to lodge...)
 
Meaning: A Tux if you are North American. Being Black Tie (bow tie), Black Jacket, Black Waistcoat, Black Pants, White Shirt

Otherwise known as: A Bag o' Fruit, Monkey Suit, or (my Favourite) The Penguin Suit

Black Tie... on a contrasting yellow background to show the blackness of the tie!

A piccie can be stolen from here if you need to see a Dinner Suit...

But, Specifically, we (Canoblas Lewis) are asked; How come you have a Dinner Suit requirement, when others do not? If you look at the internet, many lodges have differing dress standards, some lodges are in the "Business Casual" dress category, others are in Near Bikie level of dress...

BUT not Canoblas Lewis!

We are kind of formal; meaning we wear a black dinner suit. Which leads us to the original question about why do we wear a dinner suit to a meeting?

Well, I am glad you asked:

Because it makes life easy!
That is you have a uniform. on a lodge night, put on your Dinner Suit, grab your apron & go! In the past, a dinner suit was the one piece of formal clothing that everyone had; thus a Dinner Suit was a formal piece of attire, but it was an inclusive piece of attire. Today, the dinner suit is relegated to school formals & such, but, by having a nice suit, Lodge is still recognized as a formal occasion.

Because it looks good!
How many times have you heard the ladies say: "Gee, you look nice in that suit"? How good does it feel to wear a suit, in a room full of blokes that are wearing the same style

And , Importantly, because James Bond wears one!
Hey, No matter which James Bond actor you prefer, they all looked great in a dinner suit & therefore we think we do too. No matter how badly it fits, not matter how expensive or cheap it was, we all are James Bond Cool in ours! Just we don't have the Martini's to match.

Mainly Because it is traditional!
As many lodges were formed in a time when things were far more formal times, Lodge Canoblas Lewis likes the way that we are upholding a tradition that would otherwise be fading away.

So that is the flippant reply; but, as with all good stories, their is a bit more to it.

The Grand Lodge of NSW & ACT's guidelines, suggest that evening lodges wear dinner suits, whereas day lodges should wear Lounge suits. As Canoblas Lewis is an Evening Lodge, the Dinner Suit guideline applies; but be aware, we take the guideline as just that, a guideline!

There are other rules that apply, but let's not go there at the moment, as it is just a little too boring for us to re-print!

So Mote It Be!

Book review - Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol"

A recent talk in the South was a book review by one of the newer members of Lodge Canoblas Lewis.

The Book in Question...

 

Brother Meagher had recently picked up a copy of the Hit Novel "the Lost Symbol" at the Orange Public School Book Fair; this is a fund raising event for the Orange Public School, where various second hand & donated books are offered up for sale to the general public, with all funds raised going to the school. It is a really good value event with books sold @ $1/2.5 cm of spine width. It is a good event as it supports reading & the pleasure of holding a book.

So, onto the review:

The Lost Symbol is quite simply a rollicking read. It is in the tradition of the early pulp paperbacks of old, or the block buster reads of the current generations (or, is very similar in style to Brown’s other Block Buster “the Da Vinci Code”), in that the fast paced story in fact takes place in a single 24 hour period with the protagonists Good v Evil, performing tasks & stunts that would push the ordinary man to the outer limits; as well as having plots twists & turns that defy the reader to lose attention! It has it all, love interests, family issues, world issues, trauma, devotion beyond the ordinary persons understandings... you name it, it is there.

One of the very Masonic themes is on the gaining of wisdom by practice & the consequences of power without the wisdom to manage it's responsibility; A young man that has it all, but has a hollow life & should have looked at his Masonic oaths as a mantra to live by, rather than a means to gain power ... Just like Spiderman said: Great Power requires great responsibility. Maybe Spiderman is a Freemason too? 

In a lot of ways, the Masons look a bit like Ye Olde Tyme Jedi Knights... Except we ware rather spiffy dinner suits in Lodge Canoblas Lewis & the rules of the fraternity specify that you do not bring weapons into a Lodge!

Whilst the story is great & exciting,  we found the ending rather anticlimactic & a bit of a let down really... to be honest the ending was weird & in the opinion of those that read it, it didn't fit with the rest of the book. Despite this, as a whole, Canoblas Lewis is of the opinion that the ending did endorse the masonic practice of acceptance of differing religions in lodge... we would have preferred the secret to be really cool, like, Captain America  and Spiderman actually got their super powers through Freemasonry or, that a Masonic Temple can take you to Mars (the planet,  not the confectionery).

We think it would have sounded far cooler! I suppose it is just as well that Canoblas Lewis didn't write the book; who knows where we would have taken the plot!

From a Masonic perspective a lot of the masonic images mentioned in the book are very true. It shows that he has certainly done his homework; however, he does have a few misleading pieces in the book that to us were out-dated; although, in his defence, this could be the difference in practice of the Washington DC lodges when compared against NSW lodge practices; this is one of the cool aspects of freemasonry - being that different areas all have different "takes" on what Masonry is.

 

The fun aspect of a lodge is very present in the book. The importance of guarding tradition is present too. The feel of the rituals (being ancient) is present as well; this gives the reader the sense that Freemasonry is Fun & Rewarding - which is very true.

At this point, despite Dan's depiction of masons in overall positive ways, we should point out that Masons can not levitate.  Or talk telepathically.  Or start fires by mind power. Nor can we breath under water. Well at least not in a Lodge of Master Masons... Maybe the 33° degree Brethren of the Scottish Rite lodges can!

As Canoblas Lewis is a craft lodge for Apprentices, Fellow-crafts & Master Masons, the mysteries of the  33° Scottish Rite are not known to us, however our resident 33° member said they were "kind of" accurate in "some parts" of the Book - He DID have a twinkle in his eye when he said this...

It may surprise the lay person but, there are many different varieties of Freemasonry. Thus, even though the higher degrees meet at the Orange Masonic Center, Canoblas Lewis is none the wiser to what happens in those meetings than any layperson AND long may it stay that way!

Anyway, we (The Brethren of Lodge Canoblas Lewis # 806) heartily recommend this book as a good read to anyone; BUT, to those out there that wish to see what actually goes on in a lodge, feel free to Come Along & perhaps Join Lodge Canoblas Lewis # 806 to see the realities

We are sure that you would love it as much as we do

So Mote It Be!

 

Regular Meetings

Lodge Canoblas Lewis # 806 Meets on the Second Monday of the month.

The Members will be at the Hall from around 7:00 PM; with the Lodge Tyling at 7:30

We welcome all fellow Freemasons to our meetings.

Dress Standards
As an Evening Lodge, The Brethren  generally wear a Dinner Suit, however, Visiting brothers should wear the attire of their own lodge; Thus, Daylight lodge Members are welcome to wear a Lounge suit, Members of other types of Lodges may wear the standard uniform of their lodge (for example, Motorcycling Lodges may wear their lodges Vests, or Leather Jackets when appropriate). Unattached or Called Off Masons may wear Lounge Suit or Dinner Suit.

The Apron: an Essential piece of a Freemasons Uniform

The Evening:
We like the Masonic Traditions, as these centuries old rituals unite Masonry & give a real purpose to the Evening

Lodge Canoblas Lewis takes pride in the Standard of our Masonic Work & we do our work properly & with all due reverence; however, Our prime Focus within the Lodge is in the Sincerity of the Work

As a Lodge, we accept that we are all on our own Masonic journey , thus we do not interrupt or compromise the work of others of the evening as we like to see that work is completed in a timely manner!

Our Lodge is formally closed with the Singing of Advance Australia Fair.

The South
With the formal part of the evening over, we retire to the buildings South for a light supper.

During Supper, there will usually be short speech, typically by a Lodge Member (for 5 or so minutes) on a topic that the Brethren will find interesting, however, we frequently have guest speakers doing more in-depth talks.

The Junior Warden will hold a Raffle for the evening, the price of the tickets is $5, proceeds go to the Lodges Charity Account

Food is predominately Finger Food (this varies from month to month).

In addition to Beer & Wine, Tea & Coffee are served, as are a selection of soft drinks; which include diet soft drinks.

We try to link the Supper & the Work of the evening to ensure that the entire evening is a positive one.

Closing:
We Close the evening formally by the singing of the Junior Wardens Toast, Followed Immediately by Auld Lang Sine (as we like the Scotch language of Robbie Burns!).

After the formal closing, members & visitors can stay on & enjoy each others company whilst the South is cleaned up by the Stewards.

So Mote it Be!

Practice Nights

Lodge Canoblas Lewis has 2 practice nights each month

These nights are optional attendances for members, & they are aimed at social interaction as well as practicing the Masonic Rituals of the formal lodge. We also plan future Lodge events, Visits Social gatherings & Lodge Management at these nights

We hold the Practice nights on the two Mondays prior to a regular meeting; meaning the last Monday of the month & the First Monday of the Month

Practice starts at 7:30

Dress for the evening is casual (please be clean!)

We usually finish the night with a casual conversation & a Port in the South

So Mote it Be!