The Wild Woofoo Returns (again)

My friend Johnny Waitt started back up his web log today. His old one (located here) has been dead for quite some time. It's great to have Johnny blogging again!

Finally, thanks for the comments on my last post about 'The Widow's Son'. I'm actually reading the series out of sequence, I haven't read the first volume yet but, obviously, I will!

John, thanks for you comment and concern. Sure, I'm probably a little stressed, but I always feel stress. I'm just embarassed I'm not communicating well lately. But, hey, at least I'm saying something. I hope I can wrangle a business trip to Seattle this summer so we can spend some time together. I bet I can get my company to send me to the next Meltdown, I'll have to see when that is.

To Mary (and the Widow's Son), thanks for your comment as well. I still think it is interesting how many modern Freemasons are also into RAW. I do have some thoughts about your not finding what you were looking for, or perhaps expecting, in Freemasonry. I tend to feel like anything esoteric (if there even 'is' anything esoteric) in Freemasonry is embedded in the ritual itself and, really, yourself. I agree with a comment someone made on this blog. If you are searching for something openly esoteric within the lodge meeting you are probably searching for the wrong thing. Any openly esoteric element within a lodge meeting is more or less getting into the territory of personal religion. You can find it within yourself, and you can discuss it to your hearts content outside of the lodge, but inside the lodge room is about as appropriate as closing a prayer with "In the name of our lord and savior Jesus Christ " instead of 'So Mote it Be'.

GrouchoGhandi, thanks for the comment. I love your blog, it is a source of great entertainment in my life; keep the weirdness coming. I was suprised when reading 'The Widow's Son' to find that it goes into such detail about Freemasons and Freemason ritual. In other books by RAW he only mentioned Freemasons in passing, so this was an eye opener. Reading his novel makes the (fictional) history come alive about the great movement of free-thought that was inspired by Freemason revolutionaries of that era.

It does make you wonder, what are we accomplishing today? I'm really not certain, but I still believe the institution (and most especially the ritual) is worth keeping alive.

Another thought on my mind is this. I didn't intend for this to be a Freemason blog. It's just my personal blog and, since I happen to have joined this club and it is part of my personal life, I talk about it. But now, over time, I am hyperlinked to a bunch of other Freemason blogs. Eventually the Internet takes hold and now the average person typing in any Freemason related search into Google is likely to stumble across this site. Lastly, I wonder if anyone from my lodges (or Grand Lodge) were to read my content here. How would they react? Would it come back to haunt me? Heck, I post messages about UFOs on here. I also speak openly about my personal religious beliefs (something I absolutely do not do inside of lodge). I have not been publically critical of Freemasonry on this blog. I'm not certain I would, should, or could. I swore an oath that I would behave in a number of specific ways in regards to the institution. Is posting on a blog a violation of that oath? Well, I suppose it would have to be up to what I posted.

I am a huge supporter of Freedom of Speech and I am proud that Freemason revolutionaries helped buy me that freedom. However, does that affect my ability to post my personal views on this site? Then, I remember that Mark Twain was a Freemason, as was Voltaire, and Benjamin Franklin, and I figure I'm on pretty safe ground.

I do hear of some nasty politics and difficulties on other blogs in other jurisdictions. What this reminds me of is that I won't, can't, or shouldn't be fanatical about this institution. If some case were to occur where I posted something and it created such a political firestorm I were kicked out of Freemasonry, that would be no big deal. I can think of several dozen other clubs (esoteric or otherwise) that I could join the next day. So long as I have a positive experience with the Fraternity I see no problem in belonging and supporting it. Those who have experiences otherwise have my sympathies.

Finally, I have this other thought. I want to embark on a public discussion about what 'esoteric' means in context to Freemasonry. I also want to have a public dialouge about what 'ritual' means, and what purpose it serves.

I get extremely, extremely, annoyed when people who are discussing these topics refuse to speak in plain language. Very annoyed. I get even more annoyed when they say the topic cannot be expressed in words. That's bullshit. You can express lots of things in words, even if you have to make up some news ones. In my future posts I will express my own experiences, views, and feelings in words. And, when I do, you will know what I am talking about. I have read books by Robert Anton Wilson (and others) who have spoken about very amorphous topics that you could still 'grok'.

Let me start with one simple question. Who or what do you believe 'The Widow's Son' to be? Who, or what, do you believe the 'Lost Word' means?. I'm not asking for some universal explanation. I know it means something different to different people. Just verbalize it in plain language. Its not that hard.

The reason I am going to embark on this dialouge, openly, is because I'm damned curious. I may not have any psychic abilities. It might be that I could sit in a room where five people are tripping out of their minds and I'm sober as a stone. Nevertheless, I would expect the tripping people to at least attempt to verablize it to me. I know it is difficult, I know it is a challenge, but don't say you 'can't' do it, because you can.

I had questions about ritual when I joined Freemasonry and I have questions today. Feel free to participate in my upcoming commentary but I warn, no secret codes, evasive answers, or nebulous evasions. If you think it would violate your obligation, then lets set up a phone call and speak in private. I'm seeking light, no so much in terms of some great psychic advancement, but in knowledge.

More later...