X-Oriente (Ex Oriente) means "From the East." X-Oriente is a half-hour Podcast (MP3) dedicated to those Freemasons who are young (and young at heart). X-Oriente seeks to inform, inspire, entertain and challenge you. Each issue will be packed with news, discussion, ideas, tools and interviews with Freemasons who are making a difference. We welcome your comments, ideas and submissions at xoriente@gmail.com
One of the most important tasks of any lodge is to communicate effectively with their members. The web offers tons of great tools to help Masons do just that. Many of these tools are cheap or even free of charge (usually if you put up with some advertising). In this, the first of several episodes we'll do from time to time, we review some tools to help your Lodge keep a calendar, manage email lists and start a trestleboard-style blog.
I made a blog in an hour that incorporated a lot of the technologies I review in this episode. You can check out my handiwork here
I am pleased to bring you the Second Annual Christmas Music Special filled with the best holiday music the net has to offer. I hope 2006 has been good to you and I look forward to a 2007 filled with light and brotherhood. All the music heard today can be found at the Podsafe Music Network, except our Hanukkah song, which can be ordered on iTunes and found at the LeeVees own web site. Check out the new video for "How Do You Spell Channukkkah?" on YouTube, and buy the album. Even if you're not Jewish, it still tastes great. Kind of like a fresh bagel.
Also the MP3 file is a little larger than normal...I ripped it in stereo so you can enjoy the music with slightly more quality.
Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward All! See you in 2007!
P.S. There is still time to win the Ultimate Masonic Playlist Challenge!!! Enter today! You may very well win!
So where the hell have I been all this time? Well, this is the Autumn of my Discontent. First...my lodge has to move. We've been doing a relentless schedule of degrees before we lost our building, both in our Blue Lodge and in the York Rite Bodies (I am EHP this year). So rehearsals, degrees, rehearsals, degrees...you get the picture. Then a protracted bout with larangytis, then a colossal hard drive failure (thank the GAOTU for backups)...it's just one thing after another. A bunch of religious holidays...finally another cold. I'm tired and I'm cranky. So with your indulgence brothers, I will go on a gentle rant:
[RANT] So this episode I need to get some things that are bugging me off my chest. The Scottish Rite in Chicago sold their building and abandoned the Second City, leaving it without a downtown Masonic presence for the first time since 1844. Not only is it going to hurt Chicago Masonry in the short term, I think it will hurt my Scottish Rite Valley in the long term.
The recent press stories around Masonry and racism are making me see red. It's not just the South and their failures at integration and recognition of Prince Hall GLs, but the spectre of a disgruntled group of expelled masons who seem to be helping the press coverage along. Bottom line: 1) Racism is wrong. If you are a lodge discriminating based on the color of a person's skin, cut it out. You are hurting on ly yourselves and the Craft. 2) Even if you are a clandestine mason, you are still bound by your Obligation. If you are a clandestine Mason helping to place press stories that are damaging to Masonry, cut it out. If you need some help, listen to episode 013, or go to your Kabbalah dictionary and look up "Lashon Hara" [/RANT]
I mean really you'd think episode 013 would have been unlucky, but 014 has been cursed from the start...just as I began recording, I realized I had caught another cold. But I decided, let's just soldier on, and so you'll hear me sounding a little more nasal than usual, a little coughing, etc.
But I am happy to say that we are now (fingers and toes crossed) back on track. I am gearing up for a few shows before the end of the year, including the second annual Christmas Music Show. If you would like to add a holiday greeting to your brothers, call the X-Oriente Skype-in line and leave your message, or better yet, record some audio and send it to me.
Speaking of music, Howie Damron a Brother from Ohio recently sent me a couple of really good albums. Howie is a singer-songwriter who sings a really pleasing blend of country and folk...on him album called Family Ties, he sings duets with his lovely daughter Karisa. Check out his song "The Masonic Ring." is very inspiring!!!
Thanks for being there for me, thanks for your emails, IM's and calls...this is the best Fraternity in the world and our lives are better for being a part of it.
Fiat Vox!
Notes:
00:00 Intro
00:50 Catching up
01:45 Rant about the loss of the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Chicago
10:40 Masonic Media Desk: Misconceptions on both sides of the Pond (both USA and the UK)
15:57 Troubles in the South: Alabama, racism and the press
22:42 The Grand Lodge of...what? Clandestine GL stirs up trouble in the South: Let's make it all stop. Now.
25:44 The Contest: The Masonic Playlist Challenge!
Note: This rant is my own opinion, based on what I have read and the conclusions I have drawn. I am open to constructive rebuttal and if you are an interested party and you'd like the opportunity to rebut anything I've said, send me your audio or written rebuttal within the next 30 days and I will post it. I reserve the right to edit for clarity and content appropriateness. Fair is fair.
Have you heard the latest Gossip? Do you really want to? Why? In this episode we explore gossip: why it is harmful and why it can threaten the harmony of the lodge. Gossip is bad for the gossiper, the gossipee, the person hearing it, the person passing it on, and the Fraternity as a whole. It goes against our values as Masons and our Obligations. So why do we do it?
Special guest: Bro. (and Reverend) Timothy Bonney
Notes:
00:00 Intro
01:05 Catching up
02:04 Shout-out to Jimmy Coleman of Honolulu Lodge! Congrats on your raising!
02:18 Shout-out to the guys of Missouri, and the article on X-Oriente in The Missouri Freemason magazine!
03:35 Welcome new listeners!
04:38 Intro to gossip
05:44 What is gossip?
06:37 Bro. Tim Bonney
07:50 Why gossip is a bad idea
12:00 The litmus test: how to tell when you are gossiping
13:36 A cautionary folktale--gossip is like a fired bullet
16:23 A Christian minister's perspective
18:00 The Jewish/Kabbalistic perspective
19:52 The Karmic burden of gossip
21:42 What does Masonry have to say about the subject?
22:25 The Masonic antidote to gossip: VIDE AUDE TACE (Know, Dare, Keep Silent)
25:49 Discretion is obligitory--confidence should always be our default setting
Recently, a special task force from the Masonic Information Center (MIC), part of the Masonic Service Association published a paper called "It's About Time! Moving Masonry into the 21st Century" This paper is different and important. It's the first paper I've read in a long time that takes a truly critical look at the problems of our fraternity without a partisan position. It dovetails nicely with the goals here at X-Oriente, so we're going to take an in-depth look at the paper in its entirety. This is part 3 of a 3-part series. AND IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!
Notes:
00:00 Intro (segment from Secrets of the Freemasons)
01:33 Shoutout to the Brothers of Loyal Chapter No. 237 in Franklin Park, Illinois
02:03 Preparations for York Rite Grand Conclave
03:45 The X-Oriente Photo Gallery? How about a Frappr Map?
05:20 Part 3 of It's About Time!
42:13 Wrap-up: we need to continue the conversation
Recently, a special task force from the Masonic Information Center (MIC), part of the Masonic Service Association published a paper called "It's About Time! Moving Masonry into the 21st Century" This paper is different and important. It's the first paper I've read in a long time that takes a truly critical look at the problems of our fraternity without a partisan position. It dovetails nicely with the goals here at X-Oriente, so we're going to take an in-depth look at the paper in its entirety. This is part 2 of a 3-part series.
Notes:
00:00 Intro (segment from Secrets of the Freemasons)
01:43 Shoutout to Bro. Jerry Torres of Isarog Lodge #33, of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines F&AM
02:30 Did you see the DaVinci Code? Did you like it?
03:30 Visiting the Brothers of Independent Royal Arch No. 2 In New York
09:00 My good friend and Brother Howard Crawford is moving to Puerto Rico, and we'll miss him. A tribute.
Recently, a special task force from the Masonic Information Center (MIC), part of the Masonic Service Association published a paper called "It's About Time! Moving Masonry into the 21st Century" This paper is different and important. It's the first paper I've read in a long time that takes a truly critical look at the problems of our fraternity without a partisan position. It dovetails nicely with the goals here at X-Oriente, so we're going to take an in-depth look at the paper in its entirety. This will probably be a 3-part series. Also did you miss the Secrets of the Freemasons that aired this week on the National Geographic Channel? Well you didn't miss much. More on that too.
Notes:
00:00 Intro (segment from Secrets of the Freemasons)
01:10 Why Secrets of the Freemasons kinda sucked. There were a few bright spots though!
05:35 Shoutout to Naval Lodge No. 4 in Washington, DC and Frontier Lodge in Stillwater, Oklahoma
This past week Freemasonry figured prominently on Good Morning America. How did we do? We'll explore what GMA had to say and our answers to their questions. Also we'll conclude our interview with Bro. Michael Toth. He is the Writer/Director of The Freemasons: The Mystery Myth and Legend.
In the next show we will take a look at a very important paper. Published by a special task force of the Masonic Information Center Steering Committee, this paper address the problem of public awareness and Freemasonry and what we must do to succeed. I believe this is a great opportunity for us to take a look at some very useful and important ideas. You can download a PDF of the paper at The Masonic Information Center page. Look on the right hand side for the download link. I recommend you read it before you listen to the next episode as we will be looking at this paper in depth. Think of it as your first X-Oriente homework assignment! ;-)
Show Notes:
00:00 Intro: help us spread the word!
01:10 Good Morning, America! Masonic Skullduggery?
03:30 Richard Fletcher's comments on GMA
06:00 Brent Morris on why Freemasonry's numbers are declining
07:50 My take on the GMA segment
08:23 A homework assignment and shout out to Pythagoras Lodge No. 1464 in Athens, Greece (errata: I said in the show that Pythagoras was No.1461 not 1464. I regret the error. Sorry Pythagoras!)
10:11 Geek out! The hardware and software I use to create X-Oriente
14:19 Continuing the interview with Michael Toth
16:30 The impact that film has had
18:50 Technical aspects of making the film
24:05 Challenges in making the film
28:00 Freemasonry in the US. and in other countries
33.12: Taking Masonry Seriously
34:40 Portraying Masonic ritual in the film
35:35 The documentary style
41:00 Dreaming of a Masonic feature film
44:15 How to get the film
46:00 Wrap up
46:55 Outro (enhanced)
If you would like to order a copy of The Freemasons, The Mystery Myth and Truth you can get it on DVD (All regions NTSC) for $24.95 + $4 shipping at their web site. (Note: International shipping may be more...contact masondvd@freemasonsfilm.com for more info)
There are plenty of History Channel documentaries out there that proport to tell the story of Freemasonry. But one tells the story from the inside. In 1991 W. Bro. I. Michael Toth in cooperation with other brethren and the Grand Lodge of Illinois produced an hour-long film entitled Unseen Journey. Shot on film (not video), the production featured the late John Robinson, author of Born in Blood.
Now that 1991 film has been recut by the director and given a new title, The Freemasons: The Mystery Myth and Legend. This episode is Part I of an interview with Bro Toth.
Also your host gets up on his high horse to rant for a few minutes about the Brown vs. Baigent and Lee trial which recently wrapped up in London last week. For background on the story see:
00:48 The DaVinci Code vs. Holy Blood Holy Grail. Holy copyright infringement suit, Batman!
07:00 Interview with Michael Toth: Background
08:12 Clip from film : Jerry Marsengill
09:55 Michael Toth, intro and his Masonic background
18:31 How Toth started in filmmaking
23:10 The genesis of Unseen Journey
28:10 Clip: John Robinson on Masonic persecution
29:19 Working with John Robinson
33:40 Balancing Marsengill and Robinson
34:32 Wrap up and shout out to the brothers of Helena Lodge No. 410 in Helena, Alabama
34:55 Outro
If you would like to order a copy of The Freemasons, The Mystery Myth and Truth you can get it on DVD (All regions NTSC) for $24.95 + $4 shipping at their web site. (Note: International shipping may be more...contact masondvd@freemasonsfilm.com for more info)
In Part 2, We take a look at a Masonic Fundamentalist group that has split off from the mainstream of Freemasonry. Also, a recap of Masonic Week and the Mortar & Pestle Degree!
00:00 Intro
01:10 Masonic Week; Shoutout to Old No. 2!
02:29 The Mortar & Pestle Degree (Guest: Paul Scheeler)
10:07 Fundamentalism Part 2: Review
13:36 The "Brotherhood of the Red Star"--An example of when Masonry goes "Fundie"
23:32 The beginnings of Fundamentalism begin with us
Note: If you are interested in the Mortar & Pestle degree to exemplify as a Fundraising or Masonic educational event, or just want more information contact Paul Scheeler (scheeler33@msn.com). You can also find the degree and a paper about its history published in the most recent edition of Heredom, The Journal of the Scottish Rite Research Society. If you are not a member of the SRRS, you're crazy! Seriously though, the SRRS is one of the best deals going in Masonic scholarship. For $30 a year you get the excellent Heredom and a bonus book. And it is all top-notch, well-researched stuff.
The opinions expressed in this show are strictly those of X-Oriente and its editorial staff, and do not reflect those of any Lodge, Grand Lodge or appendant body. X-Oriente is an independent publishing project and no one person or body speaks for all Masonry.
