Texas Freemason Magazine

  By BRO. N. W. J. HAYDON, Associate Editor, Canada Sourced By Martin Solis, Staff Writer There are altogether ten pillars in Masonic usage, outside the temple or lodge room, three within it and five in its symbolic content.  The first five are present at all times; the second five are employed for but one special purpose.  As might be supposed, most of our interest and discussion gathers the first two, the famous brazen pillars that marked the chief entrance to the Temple of King Solomon, the position and significance of which have caused unlimited argument. There two descriptions in the V.S.L. of the temple and its components, one in I Kings, chap. 7, and the other in II Chronicles, chap. 4, which, while appearing to disagree with each other, are said to give the inner and outer dimensions of this building and its several parts, so that without either of them it would be impossible to get a correct image of what that famous building might have been when completed. The n...

By Bill Crow, Associate Editor Do you recall what happened in 1685 in England, that had a significant impact on what we as Masons know about our American Masonic History? I was perusing a volume of the Freemasons Monthly Magazine compiled by Charles W. Moore, Corresponding Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, Volume XXX(30), printed in Boston Massachusetts, by Aurther W. Locke & Company in 1871. It was a fascinating read, having articles written, published, and often presented verbally at Massachusetts Grand Communications, circa., September 1,1870 through March 1,1872. As we are aware in Masonry, Texas Masonry in particular, we often find and hold on to differing opinions in our lodges. Some good, some not so good, and topics of discussion that cause significant debate among Brother Masons. We tend to think some or many of those differing views are new and are part of a current progressive or conservative plan for change in Masonry. To my amazement, as someone once...

  By James C. “Chris” Williams IV, Staff Writer -  Profound Pontifications of Brother John Deacon The truth is that I wasn’t feeling very well…..my head felt foggy, and I hadn’t had much sleep in the last two nights.   Pam and I had celebrated our son’s birthday and then attended the local college’s football game with friends on successive days, and the combination of dinners, refreshments, and late nights was screaming something in my ear that sounded like nah nah nah nah nahhhh nah. Yup, I was thinking and moving slowly.   So you can imagine my mood when I looked up from my work and saw a rather bizarre sight.   Pulling into the first space in front of the shop was a big black F350 which, considering this is an auto repair shop is, in and of itself, not unusual.   This truck however, had a huge Christmas wreath complete with ornaments and evergreen…which covered the front grill area.   It was also wrapped with Christmas lights that twinkled off a...

From The Builder Magazine – January 1926 (Sourced by Martin Solis, Staff Writer) By BRO. R. J. Meekren To begin with it is necessary to state very plainly that practically nothing is known about the private, or as it might be termed, the esoteric symbolism of the Medieval Masons.  It has been shown in the two preceding articles that so far as their abilities went our Operative predecessors might have had a system of symbols of any degree of complexity they desired.  They recorded in carved stone, not once nor twice, but hundreds and thousands of times their possession of constructive imagination, of spiritual insight and perhaps even the mystical temper that fully qualified them as a group to work out a system of philosophy, veiled or clothed in allegory and set out by emblems and symbols. Those who are inclined to dismiss this possibility by speaking of them as mere ignorant workmen have not fully appreciated the realities of the situation.  As has been intimated, the or...