From the Venerable Master (November 2024)
My Brethren,
I will start by saying Hi, and hope that I find everyone in good health. Our October stated meeting had a good attendance, meal was good and everyone had a good time. On October 4th and 5th we had the start of our Scottish Rite Fall Reunion. On the 4th we started with the 4th degree and ended with the 6th degree. On Saturday we started Bright and Early, with Brunch at 8:30 AM. We picked up with the 7th degree and throughout the day we conferred or communicated all the degrees up to the 17th. A good 2 days had by all. We will finish the remaining degrees on October 18th and 19th.
At our October Stated Meeting we had a zoom meeting with our Grand Commander, James Cole. Very informative meet- ing with good questions and answers. Attendance at dinner was good and everyone had a good time. Worshipful Rick Giffin received his 50 year Blue Hat for the Scottish Rite. Congratulations Rick.
The cigar lounge is progressing nicely. Adding to last month's article, all the tile has been set. It's been grouted, sealed and waxed. Next up, finishing the lighting and installing the paneling. It's going to look great. Kudos's to Ill. Gregg Hall and Hon. Brandon Duenas on all the hard work on the tile setting.
This Month's Rite Word, I will be writing on the Knights Templar. It was taken from an article by the National Geo- graphic dated 1-28-24.
In all, eight major crusades, and a number of lesser ones, would be launched between 1095 and 1291, but only the first crusade achieved tangible gains. Led by such high ranking figures as Duke Godfrey of Bouillon; King Philip 1 of France; and Robert Curthouse, the brother of King William 11 of England, the crusaders took Jerusalem in 1099. Hundreds of Jewish and Muslin inhabitants were massacred.
Four separate crusader states were established, including a "Kingdom of Jerusalem, ruled by Godfrey of Bouillon. At the same time, the crusader movement inspired the foundation OF SEVERAL MILITARY RELIGIOUS ORDERS, with which the Knights planned tom hold and defend the Holy Land. The most famous, the Knights Templar, was formed circa 1119 when Baldwin 11, then King of Jerusalem, sanctioned a group of Knights to protect all christian pilgrims to the Holy Land. The church of the Holy Sepulchre, which had been destroyed in 614 and again in 1009, was being restored, and Baldwin knew that this would prompt an influx of christians from regions throughout Europe, it therefore fell upon these Knights to tend to their needs.
The new order was established in a palace in Jerusalem that was believed to be built on the legendary Temple of Solo- mon. Thus, the order became known as the Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, or "Knights Templar" for short.
Readily recognizable for their white robes marked with a red cross, the Templars developed a particular expertise in finance and soon became one of the most powerful Knightly organizations. They were good with the military finance, and charity. But the dealings of the order were always shrouded in secrecy. Though it was officially disbanded in 1312, the legend of the Templars lives on. Historians decry the distortion of a much more nuanced cause, and the Knights Templar legacy is still being contested
May you always have love to Share, Health to Spare, and Friends who care. May you be blessed.
San Jose Lodge of Perfection Art Pasquinelli, 32° KCCH 2024 Venerable Master
From the Wise Master
(November 2024)
In this month’s issue of the Scottish Rite Journal, there are several interesting articles. One is about how to write articles. It is well written and very informative, as one would think it should be. Somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy and perhaps an example of self-reference, (Think – I think, therefore I am)
It is our ability as humans that make us special, to think about what we say and do, what we Think. To have some self-perspective, to ask our- selves, ‘Is this me? Is this what I think’.
I have long thought that our opinions are the sum of our education and experiences. This ability has never been more important than now. While discourse and discussion with our peers is important, it has never been more important to consider what we think personally, and how we can contribute to our society.
Ancient societies were totally depended on each other in the forms of food, protection, communication and helping each other. In our country today, while these original connections are still important, our right, duty and provide to the whole of society, is to vote. In this small way, each of us reaffirms our contribution to the structure of our Great Society. This simple task has never been more important than in these times of unrest and confusion. Just after you get this Rite Word, you will have the opportunity to do this. Do this with thoughts what is best for of the future of our country and its people. What will bring people together to help each other and continue our great experiment in Democracy. Just after that, hopefully you will be rewarded with going to your email box and seeing more emails actually sent to you personally and a whole lot less of those asking for money!
In another article in the Journal, Under the Dome, there is a discussion on how buildings and architecture are the outward expression of a society and government. From the days of Egypt, Greece and Rome, when many different peoples were traveling throughout the world, combining, growing, helping each other and creating a new world, buildings have been the outward expression of the philosophies and ideals of new societies & governments are established. No where is this more true that with our own brief society.
In Washington DC, at most government buildings, the art and architecture takes its cue from the past. Building materials, columns, pediments, domes and grand staircases are all on display as examples of our new republic. This is most evident that at the Capitol of the United States. A glorious building build over several decades in the mid to late 19th century, it is full of references of the past set as illustrations of our new republic. One interesting example of this is the Corinthian columns, the
Acanthus leaves are replaced with corn leaves as a nod to our society and it’s agriculture.
There is a deep lesson in this, in that our buildings in our society as well as Masonry, are a reflection of who we are and who we strive to be. Look at any Lodge and you can easily see how well it runs by just looking at its building. To that end, our Scottish Rite Temple has in the last few years has become perfect example of who we were, are and are becoming.
I wish you a happy Thanksgiving and a good rest from the unrest of this last year.
San Jose Chapter of Rose Croix Mark Burger, 32° KCCH 2024 Wise Master
From the Commander of Kadosh (November 2024)
The 28th degree, Knight Commander of the Temple, is, according to A Bridge to Light, the first of the truly Chivalric degrees. Ill. Bro. Rex Hutchens, the book’s late author, makes the point that though other degrees style the candidate as a ‘Knight’ this is the first degree that speaks directly to the chivalric duty associated with that title. As the drama of the degree unfolds, the central character is charged to stand guard at his post through the night. Confronted with a number of worldly temptations, he vigilantly upholds his commitment. However, when, at last, the city is attacked by ruthless enemies, he can no longer keep himself from action. He joins with his comrades and they turn back the invaders.
Controversy ensues when it is discovered that the hero is missing from his appointed station. Not knowing the true reason for his absence, his superiors assume that he simply abandoned his responsibilities and is therefore not worthy of the honor he seeks. However when another of the knights recognizes him from the battle, the error is realized and corrected. The Master admits his own mistake and the candidate is acknowledged as a ‘knight’ alongside his brethren.
The lessons of this degree center around the quality of selfless- ness, which is a requisite of both humility and brotherly love. At first, the fledgling knight is threatened with the loss of his love and personal property, both of which he is willing to sacrifice to maintain his honor. Next he is absolved of his duty to others, and encouraged to retreat to a monastic life, a relief which he abjectly refuses, citing the value of service in the eyes of the Great Architect. However, when at last, it is not his own security at risk but that of his neighbors and fellow citizens, he can no longer stand aside. His personal convictions become secondary to the welfare of the larger group and he is compelled to act.
The lecture of the degree contains the following admonition to be a person of action; “A mason is not only a moralist and philosopher, but a soldier…times change, and circumstances; but Virtue and Duty remain the same. The Evils to be warred against but take another shape, and are developed in a different form.” Today, Masons are soldiers only in a metaphorical sense but the enemies we face are no less real or dangerous. The Evils of selfishness and self-interest, vices which divide and make enemies, lurk today as they have in all ages. For those who have sworn themselves to be defenders of charity, brotherly love, and relief, these are the enemies which must be met and faced-down.
Until Next,
San Jose Council of Kadosh Peter Cardilla, 32° 2024 Commander of Kadosh
From the Master of Kadosh (November 2024)
Due to too many scheduling conflicts (York Rite Commandery Orders, etc.) and other odd factors (important people absent), the Consistory BBQ originally scheduled for October 12th got cancelled at the last moment. There are no plans at this time to reschedule.
We will have several new 32º Brothers getting their Scottish Rite caps at the Capping Ceremony at the November Stated Dinner. Please plan to attend (RSVP with the Office, see information elsewhere in this Rite Word).
This month will be the last excerpt from the book “Sacred Geometry – Deciphering the Code”, by Stephen Skinner, © 2006 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, paperback by Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., ISBN 978-1-4027-6582-7. The book is fun, enlightening, and highly recommended.
We diverge slightly from Geometry into the realm of pure arithmetic. Although the ancients absolutely adored whole numbers, the concept of fractions was not unknown, as shown in the text below.
From Sacred Geometry, pages 24 and 25 (paperback edition):
<excerpt>
The value of fractions
In the past people used to count in 12s or 60s and divide these numbers by 2, 3, 4 or another number in their head. It was easier to work with 12 or 60 because they can be divided evenly by many other numbers. Ten cannot be so divided. The whole essence of counting boils down to calculating fractions of a whole and the proportions of its parts.
Ten is divisible only by 2 and 5 and so is not very flexible. Twelve, however, is divisible by 2, 3, 4, and 6. Sixty is much better as it can be subdivided by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, and 30. You get the idea. So instead of the absolutely infinite range of decimals you can instead break things down quite finely using a much smaller set of fractions, such as 1/60, 2/60, 3/60 and so on.
A hundred years ago it would be natural to think of seven eggs in a box holding a dozen eggs as 7/12 of the contents of the box. Modern mathematics demands a decimal answer of 0.5833333. No ancient civilization would have dreamed of using 0.5833333 for such a simple thing – they would have used simple fractions. Many frac- tions or relationships can be neatly represented by one whole num- ber divided by another such as 7/12 or 2/3 (rather than 0.6666666). Such a system can also express fractions as ratios. So 7/12 is the same as 7:12 and 2/3 is the same as 2:3. Fractions are more memo- rable, easier to deal with and more often the exact value that needs to be expressed.
Choosing the best divisor
The choice of the divisor (or denominator, the lower part of the fraction) is of great importance, so we need to dis- cover what divisors were used by any particular group of architects, builders or civilization. Once we have estab- lished that, we can translate all of the modern precise measurements made in meters, yards, feet and inches into the system used by the original builders. Once those whole numbers are available, then the picture becomes much clearer and we can set about examining the symbol- ism, the meaning and the use of the buildings.
Let’s use a very simple and fictional example. If you found a building that measured 666 units in length (never mind what the units are for the moment) rather than 1,811.5367 feet (522.1563 m), then you might reasonably deduce that the building had something to do with the Sun (666 is a solar symbolic number) or even with the Beast of Revelations. If it measured 1,811.5367 feet (522.1563 m) you would make no such deduction. I have used a symbol- ic number that most readers should recognize just to make the point. [ The author notes that in his book, he gives the reader both the modern measure and, where possible, the ancient unit figures as well. ] The logic of such measure- ments will enable us to say a lot more about the sacred geometry of the building.
When we are working out conversion factors between modern and ancient measures it soon becomes apparent that different peoples, places and civilizations of the an- cient world shared the same specific units. It also be- comes clear that there were definite connections between measures of apparently disparate things, such as length, weight, volume and even time. This unity seems to cor- roborate the presence of real and meaningful ancient measures.
The Ninths
One significant set of decimals is expressed much more easily as ninths, which are particularly important in Greek measurements (10/9 is the conversion factor between the standard Greek foot and the antique one):
0.111 … = 1/9
0.222 … = 2/9
0.333 … = 3/9 = 1/3
And the pattern keeps repeating even beyond 1:
1.111 … = 10/9
1.222 … = 11/9
1.333 … = 12/9
</excerpt>
See you at the meeting and dinner!
San Jose Consistory Helmuth Litfin, 32° 2024 Venerable Master of Kadosh
The Knights of Saint Andrew 2024 Officers
First Knight | Bro. Chris Boyes 32º |
Chief Knight | Bro. Mike Lammer 32º |
Knight of the Watch | Bro. Alan Porjesz 32º |
Secretary | Bro. Tim Lynch 32º |
Monk Knight | Bro. Adrian Otero 32º |
Sentinel | Bro. Angelo Encarnacion 32º |