Touching on the Four Cardinal Virtues

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Touching on the Four Cardinal Virtues

Introduction

The Four Cardinal Virtues are not inherently Masonic.  Masons are introduced to the virtues in their initiation.  The lecture of the first degree attempts to link the lessons of the Cardinal Virtues to the ritual and obligation of the first degree.  In this short presentation I will touch on some aspects of the Four Cardinal Virtues in historical writing, religion, and art. This review, as in most things Masonic, is only scratching the surface regarding the topic.

What are the Four Cardinal Virtues?

    The Four Cardinal Virtues are Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence and Justice.  Enciphered in the first degree lecture the newly initiated candidate is referred to the virtues and their definitions.  The four cardinal virtues are given to the candidate as guidelines for his interaction within the society in general and within the lodge in particular.  

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Masonic View of Time

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Masonic View of Time – Stated Meeting Short Talk Alan Gatlin, Orator Novus Veteris Lodge, #864 June 9, 2018 The concept of how man views the passage of time has changed through the millennia. Over the course of history we have seen the evolution of the concept of time and its relationship to history from … Read more

Stated Meeting – March 2018

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Brothers, Our Stated meeting for the Month of March will be on Saturday March 17th 2018 at 9:00am at John D. Spreckles lodge. Yes, you have read that correct, Novus will be holding our stated meeting at a new location. Come and take part in this new tradition! Address: 3858 Front St, San Diego, CA, … Read more

Freemasonry As a Life’s Journey – Part 1

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Freemasonry As a Life’s Journey – Part 1 The EA Candidate Enters the Lodge Room
Presentation to Novus Veretis Lodge, #864 January 20, 2018
Alan Gatlin

I appreciate the opportunity to again share with you some ideas about our Fraternity and its application to our daily life. In an earlier presentation we discussed the possibility of how our lives and the external world are interrelated. I understand that some may be skeptical of these associations and rightfully so. Each man here has a responsibility to weigh the information and evaluate for themselves the truth that is or is not present based on their life’s experiences. The “life” of our group is this process of determination of how we will or will not apply what we hear into our personal practice. A quote from Stephen Hoeller in the “The Gnostic Jung”  frames this well when he says “The danger of all systems is that they tend to mistake the words which serve as pointers for the realities at which they point!”  I view Masonry as a system to which guides the practice of my life and hold myself accountable to each day. Some days I meet the mark and others I do not. The Volume of the Sacred Law says it best” Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”  I would like us to consider the 3 Degrees of Masonry as a life path that takes us from birth in this plane of existence to our passage into the next. A further theme is that we do not “avoid” life but pass through and persevere with greater strength and triumph in this process. Again, from the Volume of the Sacred Law, “…even though I pass through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil” This does NOT say we will or can avoid hardship or life in general, but that that we walk into & through our life, with all of its positive and negative aspects. The precepts of Masonry are for me, the roadmap to life.  In this process we can find happiness and contentment knowing that we are on a sacred journey that is ours to live, move, and have our being.

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What is Freemasonry?

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What is Freemasonry?
W.˙. Mark Doubleday
Historian
Novus Veteris Lodge No. 864
Short Talk – 12/16/2017

 

Freemasonry has been described as “a system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.”

When I first heard freemasonry described in this fashion I was really confused and frustrated. Firstly, because it further obscured the lessons and the message that the degrees of masonry conceal, and secondly it sounded like a dodge and obfuscation to avoid answering the question about what freemasonry is.

My initial response to this rhetorical answer was, “What in the world does that mean?”

That answer is more confusing than helpful, yet we have all probably heard it more than once. So, let’s take this answer apart and try to figure it out.

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Convergence of Forces

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Convergence of Forces Novis Veteris Lodge, #864 Alan Gatlin, Orator November 18, 2017 Short-Short Talk   We have had a periodic association of gravitational and electromagnetic energy focus this week with the Moon entering Sagittarius this morning at 3:42 am and the Sun entering that same sign at 7:05 pm on Tuesday November 21. While … Read more

Apron Comparisons

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Apron Comparisons
Brother Joel Baker
Masonic Formation
Novus Veteris Lodge No. 864
October 21, 2017

Introduction

The ritual of the First Degree specifies the Lamb-skin apron in the following manner (from 2005 publication of the California Cypher);

LAMB-SKIN APRON

“It is an emblem of innocence and the badge of a mason; more ancient than the Golden Fleece or the Roman Eagle; more honorable than the Star or Garter, or any distinction that can be conferred upon you, at this or any future period, by King, Price, Potentate, or any other person, and which it is hoped that you will wear with pleasure to yourself and honor to the Fraternity.”

Masonic ritual lists how revered the Apron should be to the first degree initiate.  The symbols of the Golden Fleece and Roman Eagle, and honorable orders of the Star and/or Garter are listed as being secondary in their value relative to the Mason’s apron.  In my review of the apron there are several discussions regarding the “true” origin of the apron, from historical, religious, to conspiratorial.  Instead of reviewing the apron and “what it really means,” I will review the four symbols and organizations to which the apron is compared in the 1st degree ritual.

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A Masonic Hierarchy

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A Short Talk
“A Masonic Hierarchy”
Presented at Novus Veteris Lodge, #864
By Alan Gatlin
October 21, 2017

 

Worshipful Inspector Handell made a presentation to the Scottish Rite at the October 2017 Stated Meeting regarding the effect on our world with both the absence of Masonry and if the precepts of Freemasonry were Universally adopted by mankind.  The practice of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth is a powerful element of change in both an individual’s life and that of the Society he is a part of.  The absence of these virtues throws the individual, or the society, further into selfishness, greed, and lies and some would say that this represents where we find too many members of our world and its leadership at today. This delicate balance between virtue and evil has always been present but if one watches the evening newscasts, podcasts, or other media as a percentage of the time taken, the dark elements seem to have sway at this stage in this cycle of our history.  How can we then, as Masons make “good men better” and practice what we agree upon is our obligation that of planting the seeds of individual and our society’s change?

This presentation is a look at how we can both challenge and examine ourselves against a standard that is consistent with whom we say we are as Masons and provide a path for continued improvement.  Much as the butterfly effect, as we change so does the world around us change in meaningful ways! The symbol used to reflect this process  or hierarchy of change will be based on a geometric form you are all familiar with from school, an isosceles triangle which can also could be viewed as a two dimensional pyramid. It is interesting that when discussing hierarchies that this from is most often used; a triangle with 2 sides of equal length coming to a point. If we subdivide this form with parallel lines we can view the lowest level as a foundation with subsequent layers being dependent on the lower for support and strength. Let us then divide this from into three sections that represent our Masonic journey. Starting with the top layer we have our “Secrets”. The second layer our “Mysteries” and the third layer and base would be our “Life’s Journey.”

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