Just a brief entry this time. I mentioned printing Masonic business cards and having them on hand in a previous blog entry. One of my Lodge brothers passed away last week and I represented the Lodge by attending the viewing. It was such a class act to be able to pass out to the family members my Masonic "business" card, I can't begin to tell you. It was so much better than trying to write down my name and phone number on a scrap of paper or on the back of the program(!).

You don't even have to have expensive card made. I downloaded a free Microsoft Word™ resume template, inputted my information, put in a suitable Square and Compasses logo, and printed to card stock. Easy.

This reminds me of what we called in the Army the Six "P"s - Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance. Having those Masonic cards on hand before I needed them was the way to go.

I was lucky enough yesterday to attend a university-level Masonic seminar that the Grand Master of Masons of Virginia arranged. It was held at the Alexandria Scottish Rite Temple, with about 50 Masons attending.

We were treated to three world-class living legend Masonic speakers: Worshipful Christopher Hodapp, Worshipful W. Kirk MacNulty, and Worshipful S. Brent Morris.

Worshipful Brother Hodapp spoke to us first. As quoted in the Virginia Masonic Herald, “he is the editor of the Journal of the Masonic Society and the author of Freemasonry for Dummies, Solomon’s Builders, and other works.” Bro. Christopher gave a wonderful, and at times funny, lecture titled, “Freemasonry’s Laudable Pursuit: Current Challenges and Opportunities.” He put into perspective some of the problems the Craft is facing, such as why our numbers will never be as high as in the 1950’s and how to attract good men to our Fraternity.

The second speaker was W. Kirk MacNulty, who “is the author of several books and articles on Freemasonry, most notably Freemasonry: A Journey Through Ritual and Symbol and most recently, Freemasonry: Symbols, Secrets, Significance. Brother MacNulty was recently elected to London’s famed Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, widely regarded as the greatest research Lodge in the world.” He gave a fascinating presentation on Freemasonry’s Hermetic and Kabbalistic undercurrents, leading to a look at the mystical side of Freemasonry. He concludes that Freemasonry uses a Kabbala-like approach in its teachings.

The last, but not least, speaker for the day was Worshipful S. Brent Morris. He “is the editor of The Scottish Rite Journal and Heredom, and is the author of many books and articles on Freemasonry which includes The Idiots Guide to Freemasonry.” His presentation was on a subject I previously knew nothing about: “Itinerant American Masonic Lecturers.” We learned about some of the Masonic of the characters who attempted to make a living by being a catechism coach, one-man degree team, and degree imparter.

Having such an opportunity to hear such dynamic speakers talk on esoteric topics is one of the main reasons why I joined Freemasonry and I was not disappointed by these three learned brothers!

If you ever have a chance to hear any of these brothers speak, rush, don’t walk to the seminar!!

An important, but not often discussed, part of being the Master of a Lodge is that of making everyone feel welcome. Call it schmoozing, gladhanding, making chit chat, or mingling – it’s all the same thing, making everyone feel welcome.

As Master, it is your job to circulate among the brothers and guests at all your meetings, regardless if you are an introvert or extrovert. Believe me, I realize the toll of being in charge – everyone wants a piece of you and asking for direction or wanting you to make some command decision or three. These things too are important. You don’t have to attend to everyone’s needs and comforts right then and there, that’s what deacons and stewards are for. But it is incumbent that as the brother in charge, you chat with everyone, if only for a few moments.

Not only do you make everyone feel welcome by circulating the room, but you get a chance to ask how a brother’s wife or children are doing, how his job search is going, etc. This is what truly matters in Freemasonry – brotherly relief and friendship.