Brethren –
July was a great month for Herndon lodge. It is quite an accomplishment but managed to confer both Fellowcraft as well as Master Mason degree on a brother form Arizona for whom we did courtesy work. The Master Mason degree was great with brethren form our lodge doing great ritual and some of them heavily involved into multi-tasking (Thank you brother Bennett) and it was great to have a visitor from Arizona in person of our candidate’s father. I think we proudly represented all that Herndon Lodge 264 is all about.
As Master of our Lodge for the past eight months, I am increasingly humbled by the true magnificence of Masonry. When first starting out in Masonry, I think many of us appreciated the benefits of belonging to the finest fraternity in the world. The work required to pass through the three degrees gives a sense of satisfaction in their achievement. While the work is tedious and exacting, we probably looked upon the lessons in awe of their formality, but also accepted them as just necessary steps in the rite of passage. Since being raised to the third degree, however, every time we conduct a Master Mason degree, I have a feeling that participation provides us with opportunity to further study the wisdom and knowledge contained within masonry. With each successive degree I participated in, I discovered meaning that I had not realized before. Upon introspection and applying those lessons to the context of my own life, I realized their importance to who and what I am or, more importantly, of who and what I should be as a human being and as a mason.
Ben Franklin said “Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.” Temperance could be argued as the most importance of all the virtues. Temperance of a Mason is taught in the Entered Apprentice Degree. Without Temperance a Mason simply cannot assimilate the other virtues and will ultimately fail in his pursuit of enlightenment. The development of temperance will give a Mason the self-discipline necessary to adhere to the other virtues. Temperance calls for a man to avoid overindulgences such as food, drink, and other vices. By conquering your primal urges you will have the confidence to start making improvements in other areas of your life. Masons should not seek to numb themselves in the pursuit of a good time. For surely there is something to be said about being fully present in every moment. You will find at the heart of Masonic allegory is belief in personal responsibility. Gaining the self-discipline to moderate your indulgence in mane of life’s vices both legal and illegal will give you the confidence to start making other improvements in your life.
For the end I will leave you with two quotes that inspired me when thinking about my individual pride of being a mason. I hope you will find them as motivational:
“I watched them tearing a building down, a gang of men in a busy town; with a ho-heave-ho and a lusty yell, they swung a beam and the sides fell. I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled and the kind you would hire, if you had to build?” and he gave me a laugh and said, “No indeed, just common labor is all I need. I can easily wreck in a day or two what other builders have taken a year to do.” And I thought to myself as I went my way,” Which of these roles have I tried to play? Am I a builder that works with care, measuring life by the rule and square? Am I shaping my deeds to a wellmade plan, patiently doing the best I can? Or am I a wrecker who walks the town, content with the labor of tearing down?”
“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
~ Anonymous
Sincerely and Fraternally,
Adi Karisik, WM
Link to PDF version of this month’s Trestle Board: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B1Bfpq2wDwgYMHVpendjWDh6VDg
