Way of the Hermit

S2E1: A Path to Providence - Part 1 of 2

• Dr. David Brown & Gene Lawson • Season 2 • Episode 1

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In this first episode of the second season of the “Way of the Hermit” podcast we are “tying up loose ends” left over from last season. In this first part of our two-part season opener, we are looking at the book “A Path to Providence: The Creation of the Middle Chamber Program.”

The Way of the Hermit Podcast: https://www.wayofthehermit.com

In "A Path to Providence", authors Shaun Bradshaw and Ben Wallace address the problems within modern Freemasonry and the Scottish Rite, offering solutions to revive the esoteric core of the craft. The book tells the story of the founding of the first "Traditional Observance" Lodge in North Carolina and the creation of an esoteric Masonic study program called "The Middle Chamber". It explains how the deeper meanings behind Masonic symbols were lost or forgotten in the post-World War II era, when membership swelled but understanding of the esoteric side diluted. Freemasonry today still largely reflects this era, with a focus on charities and business meetings rather than the profound truths of the ritual. Seekers of Masonic enlightenment often feel they are in the wrong place and drift away from the fraternity.

Traditional Observance Masonry, a movement that began in the 1990s, aims to revive traditional Masonic practices, rituals, and symbolism to provide a more contemplative experience focused on esoteric and allegorical meanings. Andrew Hammer's book "Observing the Craft" is considered a manifesto of the movement, emphasizing the importance of taking time to observe and understand the wisdom within the symbols. In 2013, Sophia Lodge No. 767 was created as the first Traditional Observance Lodge in North Carolina, openly dedicated to the pursuit of esoteric knowledge. The book "A Path to Providence" shows how Brothers Bradshaw and Wallace addressed the problems of Freemasonry from the inside, making it official and sustainable through years of concerted effort. It also lays out a program of study that fills in much of the esoteric knowledge that is lacking in modern Masonic education. And they make a case that the time is ripe for a Masonic esoteric renaissance.

Chapters:

  • 01:15 Introduction
  • 05:49 A Path To Providence
  • 08:50 Your Grandfather’s Freemasonry
  • 11:07 The Esoteric Closet
  • 15:21 Traditional Observance
  • 17:45 Sophia Lodge
  • 20:59 The Middle Chamber Program
  • 24:49 The Inner Chamber Experience
  • 27:59 The Key to the Mysteries
  • 30:12 Summary & Outreach
  • 32:08 Conclusions

Resources:

01:15 Introduction

Gene: Hello Dave.

David: Hello Gene. It’s been awhile.

Gene: It has indeed.

David: And I would like to welcome everyone to the second season of the “Way of the Hermit” podcast. As always, I’m David.

Gene: And, I’m Gene.

David: And, I’d like to start off, by reminding everyone that Show Notes, Chapter Markers and Transcripts of all of our episodes, are available on our website - WayOfTheHermit.com. In the last episode of the first season, I think we said that we would be back at Halloween.

Gene: We did, but we’re back at Beltane instead.

David: Yes, we are. In our first season, Gene and I discussed each of the degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, including their rituals, symbols and lectures. If you went on that journey with us, then you know that we used “Morals and Dogma: The Annotated Edition” as our main textbook.

Gene: And also “A Bridge To Light”, which is an overview or summary of the degrees, and the “Scottish Rite Ritual Monitor & Guide”, which has most of the rituals and other great material.

David: Right. Those were the books that we used last season. And, having gone through the degrees independently like we did, we felt that we came to an understanding of the Scottish Rite as a wonderful esoteric and philosophical system, and one that preserves a core truth of the Ancient Mystery Tradition. But, we also talked about several problems with the system as it stands today.

Gene: And we felt that those problems were some “unfinished business” for us, that we needed to address before moving on to anything new.

David: That’s right. In this season, we intend to look at Gnosticism and the Nag Hammadi Scrolls. But, our first two episodes are dedicated to talking about the problems that we brought up last season, but didn’t have any answers for at the time.

Gene: But, as they say, some new stuff has come to light!

David: It has indeed! Gene, do you want to start off talking about the problems we discussed with Freemasonry and the Scottish Rite systems last time.

Gene: Well, we talked about the fact that, if you don’t do your own independent study of the degrees, then all those fancy sounding titles really don’t mean anything. And, I think we’ve talked about the different ways that you can hold a degree - on paper, in your head, you know, intellectually through study, or in your heart, meaning that you’re really living what the degree merely symbolizes.

David: And we discussed how many people in Masonry and in the Scottish Rite, seem to not even care to know what the symbols of the degrees mean.

Gene: Well, that’s because you’re rushed through the degrees, and it’s like “Wait… what… huh? What’s… what’s going on?” and before you know it, you’re a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason. But then, what does that even mean? I mean, when you put so little time into it, then you’re never encouraged to look back at it at all. It’s just strange how most people, at least the ones we’ve been exposed to on the inside, see it. It’s just like a kind of social club… that also does some good charity work, like the Elks or the Rotary Club… not that there’s anything wrong with those things.

David: No, but clearly you’re promised more in the buildup to becoming a Master Mason, or a Master of the Royal Secret. I mean, my feeling was, after going through the degrees, then you attend your first few meetings and you’re like, um… wait a minute. What’s going on? Where’s the discussion of the symbols and the deep meanings and answers to life’s questions that you’re promised?

Gene: Yeah, I remember thinking… “I swore blood oaths for this?!”

David: I thought that, too!

Gene: And after a while, it’s like come on, there's only so many cheap baloney sandwiches and business meetings a man can take!

David: You said it! But we digress. The main point I wanted to make is that we pointed out problems with the current system, but we didn’t offer any viable solutions. The problems really seemed to us, at the time, intractable. I mean, I didn’t see any way to solve those.

Gene: From our point of view, as what you might call “outsiders”, and I’m saying that because, neither of us really got our esoteric knowledge from Masonry, it was from our studies with Leslie and his Kabbalah classes.

David: Yeah.

Gene: So, from our point of view, it just seemed that, as beautiful as Freemasonry may be as a philosophical system, that’s not really what our experience has been in practice. As evidenced by the last Reunion we attended.

05:49 A Path To Providence

David: That’s very true. But, as luck, or “divine providence” would have it, after our low point of the Spring Reunion here, we were contacted by Shaun Bradshaw and Ben Wallace, the authors of the book “A Path to Providence: The Creation of the Middle Chamber Program”. They had been listening to our podcast and invited us to visit them in Greensboro, North Carolina to speak at their lodge.

Gene: And that is one of the reasons we created the podcast in the first place. To hopefully make contact with others who share our esoteric interests.

David: That’s right. I ended up going down there and speaking as part of what they call their “Speaker’s Bureau”, that brings in speakers from around the world, to speak at their Lodges. And I’ll have to say that I’m glad that I didn’t research them before going, because I would have been intimidated.

Gene: And David is saying that because Brother Shaun and Brother Ben are, as it turns out, true “Masonic insiders”, for real. Both are Past Masters of multiple lodges, and Most Worshipful Brother Shaun Bradshaw is a past Grand Master of North Carolina.

David: And, as it turns out, they’ve addressed the problems we talked about head-on, and from within the Masonic system in North Carolina. And that’s what we’re going to talk about in this episode, their book “A Path to Providence”, which shows how they addressed the problems that we brought up, but didn’t know how to address.

Gene: And their book also lays out a program of study that fills in much of the knowledge that you and I lack because our status as quote-unquote “outsiders”.

David: One of the things that I realized, was that I was unaware of many of the books and authors who have written about the esoteric side of Freemasonry.

Gene: The books that they listed as using in their program make a great Masonic reading list. They are “Observing the Craft” by Andrew Hammer, “The Way of the Craftsman” by Kirk McNulty, “Contemplative Masonry” by Chuck Dunning, “The Meaning of Masonry” by Walter Wilmshurst, “Free Masonry: It's Hidden Meaning” by George Steinmetz and Rob Herd’s ”The Initiatic Experience.”

David: Those were the original texts, but they’ve since replaced those last two books, with “The Rough and Rugged Road” by Tony Hornsby and “In Search of Light” by Bob Davis. But I’ve linked to all of these books in the Show Notes.

Gene: I had heard of some of those authors and books, and I think we may have even mentioned a couple of them last year as we went through the degrees, but I think we both had our heads down and were both intent on going through the material ourselves. You really didn’t want to know what other people said about the degrees, did you?

David: No. I wanted us to go through it and see what we saw in it. To really do it, you know?

Gene: Yeah. And it was good to do it that way. That way you know what you get, you got yourself. It isn’t just you repeating somebody else’s realization.

08:50 Your Grandfather’s Freemasonry

David: That’s right. So Gene, why don’t you give a summary of the book and then we’ll go through the chapters.

Gene: Alright. The book is “A Path to Providence: The Creation of the Middle Chamber Program”. It tells about the founding of the first so-called “Traditional Observance” Lodge in North Carolina, and the parallel creation of an esoteric Masonic program of study called “The Middle Chamber”. As well as a capstone experience they call “The Inner Chamber”. And they make a call to action to other states to start similar esoteric programs, either based on their curriculum, or not.

David: And the book starts off by explaining how things got this way, how the meanings behind the symbols were lost or forgotten. They point to the heyday of Freemasonry, following World War II, when the rolls swelled to over 4 million members in the United States, which they say caused a dilution of understanding of the esoteric side of Masonry, and also some unrealistic ideas about money.

Gene: Yeah, they said that dues back then used to be about the equivalent of two to three weeks wages. But, that was the high-water mark, and since then, there’s been a steady decline in numbers, and dues have not kept pace with inflation. So, it becomes a numbers game. If you intend to keep the dues low, you have to kept initiating people - you know, quantity over quality.

David: A related quote on page 5 says that "… the men flooding into the fraternity during these glory years of ever increasing numbers, joined primarily for fraternal reasons. Few, if any, held interest in the esoteric nature of the craft, instead choosing to create opportunities to socialize with each other."

Gene: And then the punchline, on the top of that page -"In many ways, we still live our grandfather’s Freemasonry, predominantly manifested as a form of the Craft focused, almost exclusively on charities and public fundraisers necessary to maintain solvency. Members parrot ritual without a deeper understanding of the spoken words, attend business meetings, aimed at keeping the lights on, instead of spreading fraternal light, and maintaining social bonds that lean more toward cultural exclusion, versus tolerance and inclusion."

11:07 The Esoteric Closet

David: Which brings us to a central question - what is the purpose of Freemasonry? You know the clique answer that everybody gives to that question.

Gene: Yes - “Making good men better.”

David: Right, but my question has always been - “But how?”

Gene: Yeah.

David: How is that supposed to work? I’ve got a few audio clips from one of the co-authors of the book, Brother Ben Wallace, from an interview he gave on “Phoenix Masonry”, where he addresses that question. Here is the first of those clips:

Ben Wallace: One of my least favorite phrases in Masonry is that we make good men better. Well, how? Just by hanging out with us, by hanging out with a really cool guy like me and you. I mean, does that make them better? Well, yeah, maybe a little bit, but we're so we're teaching them, you know, really cool things. Really?

Gene: You know, the only thing that’s strange about that statement is to hear anyone actually say it out loud. I know I’ve thought that.

David: I have, too. But to me, it’s always seemed pretty arrogant to even think that that is what it’s all about. You’re promised much more than that.

Gene: Yeah.

David: You’re told many times that the teachings are “veiled and allegory and illustrated by symbols,” but no one seems interested in finding out what those teachings are behind the symbols… at all.

Gene: I have a quote marked that says "The reality is that Craft Masonry has largely lost this aspect of itself, and the brethren who understand at a deep level learn to interpret many of those lessons from another place… The culture of lodges tilted away from the deeper truths and meanings of the degrees, the adepts withdrew to the fringes with their knowledge and wisdom… Only in small circles and by individual study did a few brethren hold on to the profound truths of the ritual. We have come to call these men “Knowers”, but lodges rarely welcome their opinions, so their teachings and understandings largely remain undiscovered."

David: And it says that - "Worse, yet, many considered anything esoteric, to be antithetical to their fraternities core, and not only avoided these topics, but actively opposed them. The human ego drove lodge leaders to tell young seekers, 'we don't talk about that stuff here,' or 'you'll learn those lessons when you're ready.’”

Gene: But that time never comes.

David: No. It goes on to say that “For several generations, men, looking for true enlightenment through Masonic philosophy, discovered they were in the wrong place. Some remained card carrying members, but did not attend meetings. Others drifted away.”

Gene: But, as we know, a Masonic principle is that when things swing to one extreme, the pendulum is just about to swing back.

David: And that’s a good lead in to my next clip of Ben Wallace from his interview. He talks about how the time is ripe for a change.

Ben Wallace: You know there's never any birth or rebirth without first to death, right? So I think the death of the esoteric aspect of Freemasonry is about complete. It's about as dead as you could get. When I came in, everybody that was an esoteric Mason was in the esoteric closet. And if they dared stick their nose out, then some grumpy old past master would say, well they don't need none of that stuff here, right? And not blaming it on the old guys, it's just that they had outnumbered the esoteric guys so much that when one came poked his nose out of the closet, they didn't understand what he was talking about. They didn't want to know what he was talking about.

They didn't think there was any place in Masonry and they would kind of shout him down and he would either go back into the closet or just go away altogether. But now the time is just ripe. The esoteric part being almost completely dead, holding on by his fingernails for all those years by a few guys that were willing to hang on and usually do it in some other venue and just also happen to be Masons kicking around, you know, in the corners. I know that there's a resurgence in that aspect of the craft coming. I know there is in North Carolina because we put together this program and it was wildly successful last year and I got a feeling it's going to be bigger this year than we can handle.

15:21 Traditional Observance

David: And the book “A Path To Providence” is about how they set up that program, which is a Grand Lodge sanctioned esoteric education system, that grew out of the classes they developed to support the first Traditional Observance Lodge in North Carolina, Sophia Lodge.

Gene: Do you want to talk about what a “Traditional Observance Lodge” is?

David: Sure. Go ahead.

Gene: OK. The “Traditional Observance” movement began in the 1990’s and the “Masonic Restoration Foundation” was formed in 2001 to support lodges that sought to revive traditional Masonic practices, rituals and symbolism, in order to provide a more contemplative experience. The main idea is to become more aware and observant of the esoteric and allegorical meanings behind Masonic rituals and symbols, rather than just performing the ceremonies by rote, and repeating the words you’re told to say, without thinking about what they actually mean.

David: I had heard of Traditional Observance Lodges. I knew that they dressed up and were very formal about things, but I did not understand that it was an esoteric movement within Freemasonry.

Gene: I didn’t either. But, to be clear, not all Lodges that designate themselves as Traditional Observance Lodges, are focused on esotericism. But generally, T.O. (meaning Traditional Observance) lodges seek a return to the original form and intent of Freemasonry, as an initiatic society and mystery school. They stress that external charitable and social aspects, while important, are secondary to this esoteric core. Traditional Observance lodges try to create an atmosphere of sacredness and solemnity in their meetings through practices like formal attire, dim lighting, incense, music, etc. The aim is to put members in the right frame of mind, in order to allow them, to be able to actually absorb the spiritual teachings.

David: And I believe that Andrew Hammer's book "Observing the Craft: The Pursuit of Excellence in Masonic Labour and Observance" is widely considered to be the manifesto of the Traditional Observance movement. Brother Andrew Hammer, is a former Past Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22 which aims to exemplify the principles of the Traditional Observance movement.

17:45 Sophia Lodge

Gene: And I think that even though he wrote the book “Traditional Observance”, he prefers to refer to Lodges dedicated to the study of the esoteric, as just “Observance”. Because he says that the traditions may vary, but the idea is to take the time to observe, in order to provide yourself with an opportunity to see the wisdom behind and within the symbols.

David: Right. And it was after a visit and speech by Andrew Hammer, that they resolved to create the first Traditional Observance Lodge in North Carolina, which, as I mentioned earlier, is Sophia Lodge No. 767 in Salisbury, which was created in 2013. When I visited with them, and heard about what they’d done, I guess my first thought, was just… you can do that? I mean, you can actually set up a Masonic Lodge, that is openly dedicated to the pursuit of esoteric knowledge? You can really do that?

Gene: Yeah, I know. I had that same thought, which was followed by thinking that I wish there had been something like that available to me when I was younger, because I would have eaten that up.

David: Yeah, me, too.

Gene: But, when you think about it, it’s again, from the quote-unquote “outside”, doing something like that seems impossible. I mean, here, the climate just doesn’t yet allow for that kind of thing.

David: No, but to make that happen from the “inside,” to make it official and sustainable, that takes years of concerted effort. But, by doing it the way they did it, I mean, creating the first openly esoteric Lodge in the state… that is a huge deal.

Gene: Yeah, it’s like a seed. And from what they’re saying about the response to their programs, there is a pent-up demand for it. They believe, and I do too really, that there are people who are willing to pay more in dues, in order to have a high-quality experience, and also to really to get back to what Masonry is, its roots, or its real traditions.

David: Hence, the term “Traditional Observance”. Did you have anything else here before we talk about the Middle Chamber Program?

Gene: Yeah, one more thing. Festive Boards.

David: What’s that?

Gene: Oh man, it’s a part of “Traditional Observance”. Let’s just say that about as far from cheap bologna sandwiches, ‘tater chips and stale coffee, as a man can get!

David: OK. So when is it held?

Gene: So, it’s held after the ritual, which we’ve already said, is intended to exemplify excellence, and to resonate with all of your senses. But, the “Festive Board” is a feast, with toasts, speeches, songs and sometimes educational programs. It usually includes a catered meal, some sort of Masonic education program, and traditional elements like the Loving Cup ceremony. It actually sounds like a blast!

David: Yeah.

Gene: And now that I understand what they are, I’d give my left pinky toe to attend one of these shindigs!

David: Well, fortunately that isn’t necessary. We’ve been invited to Sophia Lodge.

Gene: Yeah, I need to get a tux.

David: Me, too.

Gene: And maybe clean up a bit.

David: Maybe?

Gene: Hey come on! I’m a true Hermit, what do you expect?

20:59 The Middle Chamber Program

David: True that. Anyway, Sophia Lodge was a seed, and at the time of this recording, they now have three Traditional Observance Lodges in North Carolina. The main part of the book “A Path to Providence” is about the educational initiative that emerged from their efforts to build a quality esoteric education program at Sophia Lodge.

Gene: Yes, and it’s called the “Middle Chamber Program”. It started as a series of in-person lectures and classes across North Carolina, but they developed it into a full-blown educational program that is now available to any Master Mason.

David: And, a big selling point is that it is sanctioned by the Grand Lodge of North Carolina, who also takes care of all the exchange of money.

Gene: That’s right. It’s currently $150. There is a free Introductory class, where they lay out the curriculum. But, it’s also to let everyone know what they’re getting into if you take the full course, because, unlike what you may have seen so far in Freemasonry, in this course you’re actually required to work to get your degree.

David: Yeah, I’ve got another clip from Ben talking about that.

Gene: Play it.

David: OK. Again, this is Brother Ben Wallace from his interview on “Phoenix Masonry”.

Ben Wallace: When I came along, I kept waiting for somebody to give me the answer, right? I wanted that aha, the clouds part and the angels sing and there it is, there's the mystery of the universe. I can go home now and watch football. And I came to learn it's not going to happen like that. And what I'm going to have to do is dedicate myself to trying to learn it. And it’s work. And it's work on the initiates part. The student, the onus is on them to do the work. We can provide this really cool program. Go watch all the degrees, go read all the books, but you've got to do it. We're not going to call and check on your homework. If you want to approach this as a true initiatic work, not just becoming a card carrying member, you have got to “buckle up Buttercup” and do the hard work. It's your duty to do so.

Gene: Yeah, “buckle up Buttercup” because if you’re doing it right, they’ll be some bumps in the road.

David: And this cuts to the heart of what the work actually amounts to, which is deep psychological work. A deep assessment of who you truly are.

Gene: And the Masonic system is supposed to be a map to help guide you, because esoterically, the Lodge, and all the officers, and everything else… it’s all you.

David: And I’ve got a quote here from the top of page 49 that talks about two of the major symbols of Freemasonry - the Lodge and the Temple. It says - “As the degrees progress the Lodge slowly yields to the grander idea of the Temple, similar to the initiate giving in to a grander manifestation of himself. Both the lodge and the temple are you. With this realization, the meanings behind initiatic teachings are seen through new eyes. Every explanation, every storyline, every officer, all the furniture, every working tool, action, every symbol in the Lodge or Temple illuminates some aspect of the initiate about themselves… The lodge and the temple are metaphors for the consciousness of the initiate."

Gene: Boom. That’s the backbone of their program. The classes require students to take a detailed look at the Blue Lodge Degrees, the rituals and all the symbolism - to be truly observant of them and what they mean esoterically, within themselves. And the lessons are rooted in Kabbalistic principles, like the “Four Worlds” and the “Tree of Life”. Which again are some of the core things we’ve talked about as being important to understand Masonry’s symbolism.

24:49 The Inner Chamber Experience

David: True that. So, throughout the Middle Chamber program, the students come to understand the esoteric reality of the the Lodge and the Temple, and have studied and contemplated what the officers mean, in terms of their own psyche.

Gene: And it’s cool that after you’ve studied how all the rituals and symbolism relates to your own inner life, they offer a capstone program where you sort of step into that inner world.

David: Yes. In fact, the genius of how they’ve organized the curriculum in the “Middle Chamber Program” becomes clear when you see what the capstone exercise is.

Gene: Yeah. The book says that the capstone program, called the “Inner Chamber”, is a once a year program for select initiates, but it is open to all Masons around the world. It consists of a weekend retreat where participants enter a Lodge room that has been transformed into a representation of the psyche, just like they discussed in the “Middle Chamber Program”. And then through a guided exercise they make contact with and commune with the “inner officers” of their mind.

David: That is so interesting. They said that this exercise is out of the book “The Way of the Craftsman”, but they actually built the thing.

Gene: “If you build it, they will come.”

David: In this case, they did. Here’s a quote about that exercise - "The Lodge room was empty yet they were met by the inner officers of the mind which they've been told to expect. In this higher state of awareness they received answers ordinarily out of reach. The answers were always there but only seen through a glass darkly. But in this different state of consciousness made possible through preparation, the answers came easily… the experience without a doubt was one of the different constitution than normal thought.”

Gene: Man, the plot thickens.

David: Yeah, it does.

Gene: Here’s a quote I had marked - “The experience was mystical for many and profound for all. If we weren't such pragmatists we'd say magic returned to Masonry that day. Students reported extraordinarily profound experiences previously unimaginable to them. They stood at the altar as true initiates."

David: Hmm. And they’re talking there about the original Inner Chamber retreat that was in Oxford, North Carolina.

Gene: Yes. They do, however, stress that this type of advanced work is not for new initiates, and that the “Middle Chamber” classes are supposed to have prepared initiates mentally and spiritually. But they also say that “Every brother holds the keys to this type work because it's presented in our ritual. When properly understood our ritual provides the same tools of that fateful weekend in Oxford North Carolina.”

David: There were several very interesting statements in that last section of the book.

Gene: There were indeed.

David: You know, the “Inner Chamber” program sounds like their way of reviving the Ancient Mysteries from within Freemasonry.

Gene: Which is amazing really, but - enough said.

David: Yeah.

Gene: God love ‘em! They’re doing good work.

27:59 The Key to the Mysteries

David: Yes, they are. This isn’t mentioned in the book, but they also started a program called “The Key to the Mysteries” that is an online program that goes through all of the degrees of the Scottish Rite.

Gene: It looks fantastic! It has slides for each of the degrees and a video discussion of the ritual and symbols of the degrees by Brother Ben and Brother Shaun, the authors of the book.

David: They did those several years ago, but it’s interesting how much of their discussion sounds like ours from last year.

Gene: Yeah, even down to the things that they complain about. Like not advancing to the next degree until you’ve digested the previous material - until you are truly prepared.

David: Yeah, there’s a quote on page 25 that says, “While ensuring a brother can repeat a catechism from memory is one way to gauge his true interest in the lessons of the degree. It remains some distance from ensuring he has truly learned and applied the lessons of those degrees.”

Gene: One part I thought was very interesting, was where they said - “To ensure this didn't happen (meaning the candidate being advanced before they were ready) the ritual itself requires the lodge officers asking the candidate over and over… if he is ready, worthy, prepared, and vouched for. We believe if the system were being utilized as designed, the candidate would only advance at the proper time. This being after he had put into practice the lessons taught in the respective degrees rather than being rushed through… so the lodge could collect his dues and issue him a card.”

David: And it is interesting how often those questions are asked in the rituals, and how little thought people give to what is actually being asked. Are you really prepared? Do you vouch for the fact that they are prepared?

Gene: And people automatically say “he is”, because the ritual says to say that… but it doesn’t mean anything, except that they’ve memorized the material. But are they “duly and truly prepared”, the book asks a good question - "prepared for what?"

David: Prepared to change. Prepared to see the world in a very different way.

Gene: Yeah.

30:12 Summary & Outreach

David: So, that’s what our Masonic Brethren in North Carolina have been up to. They’ve established Lodges openly dedicated to the study of the esoteric Freemasonry, and created esoteric educational programs for the Blue Lodge and for the Scottish Rite.

Gene: And they also encourage other Grand Lodges to introduce similar esoteric programs. A quote on page 79 says - "The confluence of dwindling membership and rise in interest of the arcane knowledge in the ritual provides Grand Lodges with a challenge and an opportunity. Little doubt exists the fraternity is experiencing profound change. The emerging Masonic experience will be different than before and will be shaped by many competing factors. Grand Lodges proactive to these changes will guide the course of their destinies more than reactive ones who will struggle to control the evolving fraternity.”

David: I have one more quote before we wrap up. It says - "To those who want to be a part of this new movement, rise up. The time is upon us. The time has arrived to rediscover what has been lost. For the good of Freemasonry and your fellow men, begin to work within your jurisdictions to cultivate a new emphasis on the esoteric and philosophical aspects of our ritualistic work… Together we will change the face of Freemasonry.”

Gene: And I have one, too. It says - “The essence of Freemasonry cannot remain hidden forever. The ritual which conceals and reveals has masterfully hidden its lessons within its allegories and symbols, but as always, to those who seek the keys, the ritual will unlock its secrets. And those who rediscover them have a duty to share with those worthy to receive them. This is a call to action. Be the solution."

32:08 Conclusions

David: And, that’s what we’re trying to do - be part of the solution. Which is why we didn’t just jump into something new, which we are going to do this season.

Gene: Right, but not without sharing the potential solutions to the problems we brought up at the end of last season. I mean, we didn’t know about any of this before.

David: No.

Gene: As I mentioned earlier, we were both at pretty low points, when Ben and Shaun contacted us. But like Michael Corleone says in Godfather III - "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!"

David: Yeah. I feel the same way. There’s no way to walk away from this.

Gene: No, you can’t.

David: There is something special going on in Freemasonry, and they are right at the heart of it.

Gene: They are. And David and I have been talking to them while working on this podcast, and I’m excited to announce that Worshipful Brother Ben Wallace and Most Worshipful Brother Shaun Bradshaw will be with us on the show next time.

David: That’s right. They’ll be with us to talk about their outreach program, and of course, other things. But, as we mentioned earlier, they hope that other states will either adopt their programs, or similar programs of esoteric instruction. And they’re already working with several states. They joking called their headquarters there in Troy the “Center of the Masonic Universe.”

Gene: You know, from all the nationally and internationally quote-unquote “Masonic famous” people who’ve made pilgrimages there, and all the things they’ve got going, I tend to believe that it is a Masonic “power spot”.

David: It’s funny you say that, but I felt different after I visited there. The place has a real feel to it. A real egregore.

Gene: I’m sure it does, because of all the work they do there. I’m looking forward to picking their brains. I really feel like they’re trying to bring MEANING back into Masonry.

David: They are indeed. Do you have anything else before we close for today?

Gene: I’ve got one more quote that I’d like to read from their book.

David: OK.

Gene: “Masonic historians will look back on Brother Bradshaw's legacy as well as the other brethren involved in the formation of the Middle Chamber program and count it as a demarcation point in the renaissance we are seeing in the craft today.”

David: I think that sounds pretty bold, but after meeting them and reading their book, I think what they are doing is pretty revolutionary.

Gene: So… “you say you want a revolution?”

David: Well, you know, “we’re all just doing the best we can.” Anything else?

Gene: No, I’m done.

David: Alright. Join us next time for the second part of this discussion of the “Traditional Observance Movement” and the work of Worshipful Brother Ben Wallace and Most Worshipful Brother Shaun Bradshaw.

Gene: As we walk, the “Way of the Hermit.”

People on this episode

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Dr. David Brown

Co-host
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Gene Lawson

Co-host