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Monthly Archives

March 2017

Mar 05
0
men shaking hands

From the East – February 2017

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Brothers! I am happy to report our non-investment banking accounts are now fully transferred to Oregon’s locally owned Umpqua Bank. Our accounts with Wells Fargo Bank are closed. The “online warrant system” described in my article last month has been implemented. Our Treasurer and Secretary have been trained to use it, and both report success with this new approach. Our banking is now more readily accessible than ever, yet secure as it has always been. Further, debit cards are now in use by the Secretary and Junior Warden, significantly reducing the paperwork burden of our regular monthly dinner, mailing, and similar expenses. Read More

Mar 05
0
Hand Shake

From the West – February 2017

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“Meeting on the Level” was a recurring them in February. It took center stage in our meeting as we were reminded of the landmarks of Freemasonry, following Lodge it turned out to be prevalent throughout our conversations, and my own life for many days more. Last month’s discussion of the teachability of virtue brought several interesting questions out of the library. From Bro. Blake Presswood’s incisive reconstruction of Aquinas’ Principle of Double Effect to the Worshipful Master’s recounting of the story of Moses and Al- Khadir; the evening ultimately focused everyone on the problem of intent and its paradoxical alliance with effect. I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who participated – this second effort to drill down and unpack the notion of virtue expanded all our experience of the mysteries of our fraternity. And I am personally grateful that it gave me greater knowledge of the Level – knowledge which turned out to be quite useful this past week. Read More

Mar 05
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News from Bethel #4

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Can you believe it ~ we are into March already! The daughters were busy in February with installation on Feb 6 ~ thanks you to the Masons that attended ~ it meant a lot to the girls. Also attended the reception for the State Master Councilor of DeMolay, attended the Alumni Tea put on by the grand Guardian council for the benefit of the American Heart Association and attended a Leadership Dance for DeMolay in Tacoma. Read More

Mar 04
0
temperate man

The Temperate Man

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A visit to the Northwest Masonic Discussion page on Facebook is highly recommended to those with the luxury of time, some familiarity of the format, and the right machinery. For those who have none of the above, let this stand for a substitute! Recent conversations there, between Brothers from across our region, have covered the following topics: Whether UGLE is right to have participated in a documentary showing Blue Lodge degree work start to finish; whether one-day classes for Blue Lodge degrees in Ohio are a good idea; a call for papers from the Quator Coronati Conference; whether the use of technology (specifically, video-chatting over the internet) to practice degree work is a violation of secrecy; identifying vintage sterling Masonic calling-card cases as such; a brief history of anti-Masonry; and last, but not least, an open discussion of the meaning of “Temperance.” It is this last subject that inspired what follows here – a very brief look at Temperance as a Masonic Virtue. Read More