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Post by windtimber on May 5, 2006 15:30:43 GMT
Somebody said that the great secret of Freemasonry is that we don't have any secrets. I like to change that a bit - we don't have any INSTITUTIONAL secrets. Our rituals and organization are freely available to any even marginally diligent researcher. Anybody can read the words and walk through the work. The truly GREAT SECRET is what an initiate makes of it all, and makes of himself [or herself] in conjunction with the lessons offered up in the work.
That all said, I wholly concur that while Masonry should be visible and explained, candidates should be required to ask rather than be asked. As Masonry is a personal, internal journey I simply don't know how someone can benefit from our work if we request them to "join." The candidate needs to consider what we do, how we identify ourselves, and determine for himself or herself if Freemasonry is something that meets their personal need or interest. Of course, without accurate public commentary on what we are and what we do, realizing there is a wealth of inaccurate and goofy information out there, a searching, potential candidate will not have the tools to even make the decision to ask.
So, I'm in favor of taking the light out from under the bushel basket. Show the world who we are and what we do and demonstrate the strength of our convictions by the quality of our lives. Those who are truly interested then will then bring their enquiries to us.
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Post by windtimber on Dec 23, 2006 13:54:27 GMT
The umpteenth annual Community Christmas Dinner at the Mitchell Masonic Temple sponsored by Resurgam Lodge #31 and the Corn Palace Shrine Club will be Monday, December 25, 2006 from around 11 am to 2 pm, give or take.
Lodge members and friends prepare and serve dinner, free of charge, to anyone who stops by. Local grocers and restauranteurs donate foodstuffs, a nearby Hutterite Colony provides turkeys, and Brothers, their families, and friends provide labor, serving, and clean up. Between 300 and 400 people who would otherwise have been alone on Christmas join us each year.
MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone!
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Post by windtimber on Jun 5, 2006 16:58:03 GMT
Anybody going to be in the north central USA next month?
If so, try and make it to Mitchell by high noon, Saturday, July 15 for the Corn Palace Stampede Rodeo Parade. Hundreds of Masons come to town to participate with Shrine Parade units of all kinds. After the parade every Shriner and Freemason, and their families, are invited to the Mitchell Masonic Temple for food, refreshment, and fellowship. About 8,000 to 10,000 people line up on Main and Lawler Streets to watch the Rodeo Parade - plenty of horses, commercial entries, and Shrine units. Not a bad turn out for a town of about 15,000, eh?
If you don't know where we are, and why should you anyway, Mitchell is about 335 miles [540 km] west of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota; about 430 miles [690 km] north of Kansas City, Kansas; about 475 miles [765 km] south of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Mount Rushmore and Deadwood are about 300 miles [483 km] further west. Yellowstone Park is about another 400 miles [644 km] past that.
Oh, come and stay for the rodeo! It's PRCA sanctioned, has plenty of added money to attract first class cowboys, and runs July 13 through 16 - that's Thursday through Sunday nights.
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Post by windtimber on May 8, 2006 19:13:47 GMT
Interesting that there are different time frames for progression through the ceremonies both as a minimum and in practice. I wonder who feels more involved with Freemasonry in it's true sense rather than simply belonging to a club. Or does it make a difference? Perhaps it is purely an individual perception. Good question - we discuss it endlessly around here! We have "one-day" Masons who are every bit [or perhaps more so] involved, insightful, and introspective as traditionalists who took months between degrees memorizing long catechisms. And we've got "traditional" Masons who apparently haven't had anything much more than a social fraternal conception for years, if ever. I think it is completely an individual matter. Thank the GAOU that our tent is large enough to encompass many different types and styles of Masonry! And to Bettendorf - CONGRATULATIONS! Your journey has just begun...
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Post by windtimber on Feb 1, 2006 15:47:34 GMT
Considering the broad geographic spread of forumites this notice may be a little silly, but, here it is anyway:
Resurgam Lodge #31, Mitchell, South Dakota, USA, is having its Annual George Washington Masonic Festival on February 18. The three degrees will be conferred in full form, all candidates participating "live," commencing at 8:30 a.m. CST. The day will conclude with a festive "Ladies at the Table Lodge" celebrating our newly made brothers and commemorating the birth of Freemason and First U.S. President George Washington. All Masons are welcome for all or part of the day.
For our distant brothers we're about 335 miles [540 km] west of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota; about 430 miles [690 km] north of Kansas City, Kansas; or about 475 miles [765 km] south of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
See you there on Saturday the 18th!
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Post by windtimber on May 25, 2007 4:12:02 GMT
Welcome to the forum Hawkeye66. Loved Hawkeye in Mash, who did explain the significance of the name once but I have forgotten it.. can you enlighten me? Looking forward to seeing you post. Cheers Maat Iowa is "The Hawkeye State." Hawkeye was the scout in James Fenimore Cooper's Last of the Mohicans. Greetings to you, Hawkeye66, from your neighbor to the northwest - "The Mt. Rushmore State" a/k/a "The Land of Infinite Variety" a/k/a "The Sunshine State" a/k/a "The Coyote State."
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Post by windtimber on May 27, 2007 11:47:31 GMT
Welcome, Brother! Had some business in Memphis not terribly long ago. You've got some great folks there - we could agree to disagree on certain matters, still get along, and finally get our difficulties resolved.
Windtimber
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Post by windtimber on Nov 14, 2006 19:25:35 GMT
Hey, welcome! Nice to see somebody else from this part of the world. I'm just up north of you in SD.
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Post by windtimber on Mar 5, 2006 2:00:20 GMT
Hello Joe! Nice to see somebody else from the USA.
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Post by windtimber on Nov 7, 2005 19:49:22 GMT
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Post by windtimber on Nov 8, 2005 18:42:09 GMT
Bod - thanks for the compliments! We've been around since the founding of Dakota Territory - but that's not all that old. As Guy pointed out there are a number of much older lodges dating back to early colonial days on the Atlantic coast. Remember that this part of the U.S. was purchased from France in 1803. Freemasons Merriweather Lewis and William Clark commanded the "Corps of Discovery" that followed the Missouri River to its source in the Rocky Mountains and then took the Columbia on to the Pacific and then back to Missouri over the course of the next 3 years. When our lodge was chartered this was still Dakota Territory, the railroads hadn't come through yet [But were expected!] and it was wide open cattle and bonanza wheat ranching country.
Again, thanks for the compliments!
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Post by windtimber on Nov 7, 2005 19:53:19 GMT
Brothers - Greetings from the South Dakota prairie and Resurgam Lodge #31. We're about a block from the World's Only Corn Palace and invite you to (1) look at our website - www.hiram.net/webs/MASONIC/windtimer/index.html and (2) stop by and visit if you're ever passing through. We're right on I-90 in the east central part of the state!
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Post by windtimber on Feb 15, 2008 15:29:48 GMT
Maat - Thanks! Here's a nice review - www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/SDMITcorn.html. Of course the "official" place to look is www.cornpalace.org/ and be sure to take a gander at the webcam. Another view of the place, over on the left hiding behind our Masonic Temple, is at resurgam.org/. Now don't take me to task on the last website. It's kind of screwy, I'm no "web designer," and my machine holding all the Resurgam Lodge website stuff crashed a few months ago and I have to get it to a technician!
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Post by windtimber on Feb 13, 2008 18:03:22 GMT
We had a heck of a debate over this one in lodge a couple years ago - until somebody pointed out the dialectic differences! So, to clarify things, for non-USA posters, I'm from the home of the World's Only Maize Palace.
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Post by windtimber on Jun 26, 2007 0:06:46 GMT
During the normal course of routine work the WM wears a hat. No one else. During portions of ritual work on the 3rd Degree certain other officers are attired in headgear.
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Post by windtimber on Jun 1, 2007 1:05:24 GMT
Yes. And a host of other things as well.
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Post by windtimber on Apr 4, 2007 1:08:13 GMT
And we also know that c..n = wheat. How do we know that c..n = wheat? Remember, by the way, where I come from....LOL.
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Post by windtimber on Dec 28, 2006 16:28:46 GMT
I choose the third hypothesis. Initiation gives the initiate the necessary tools to walk the inner path, so to join the One and to restore the primitive Oneness, but it's up to him to stand up and to walk. I don't often comment on the "esoteric" board - largely because I completely concur with giovanni. The lodge provides the tools. It is up to the craftsman to complete the work. It is all intensely personal and varies with the individual.
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Post by windtimber on Jul 5, 2006 19:02:41 GMT
Nothing appropo to the subject of this thread, but perhaps an interesting story. Then again maybe it is properly related...as in the name means very little, at least when there is only one lodge within a number of miles.
Resurgam. Simple Latin, right? And fundamentally correct for a Masonic Lodge. Courtesy of a liberal arts education and my mother's years as a Latin instructor I knew what it meant. Interestingly, it appeared when I was raised that nobody else in the lodge did - and no one really seemed to care! There's a line of dairy milking equipment sold under the tradename of "Surge." One brother thought "Resurgam" had something to do with that!
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Post by windtimber on Jun 30, 2006 23:57:48 GMT
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