How America's Most Notorious Traitor Nearly Was One Of Its Greatest Heroes

By Steven L. Harrison, PM, FMLR

Benedict Arnold

     The name Benedict Arnold (1741-1801) has become synonymous with the word "traitor."  Arnold was an active member of Hiram Lodge 1, New Haven, Connecticut and is known to have visited other lodges as well. Having been a commander in the American Revolution Arnold became disgruntled when, in 1777, the military promoted several lower ranking officers ahead of him.  During the next few years, Arnold fell on hard times financially, and came to need a substantial amount of money to pay debts he had incurred.  Although finally promoted and given command of West Point, the American fort on New York's Hudson River (and also the future site of the Armed Forces military academy), Arnold's resentment and debts continued to grow.

     Now in charge of West Point, Arnold contacted the British with an offer to surrender the fort in exchange for the enormous sum of £20,000 and a significant position in the British military.  He sealed the pact with British Major John Andre but the plot was foiled when Andre was captured and executed.  This turn of events exposed Arnold, who fled to the British side, where he commanded a few battles, and then returned to England.  In return for his actions, the British made Arnold a Brigadier General, gave him a pension and an additional sum of  £6,315 (They did not pay the full amount since the plot failed).  He died in relative obscurity some twenty years later.

     After the West Point incident Arnold became a despised figure among colonists and remains known today as a vile traitor to his country.  Even his own Masonic Lodge and other Lodges he had visited had his name stricken from the records.

     Prior to the events leading to his act of sedition, however, Benedict Arnold had been an inspiring soldier.  At the very outset of the war, he helped Ethan Allen capture Fort Ticonderoga.  He then led an unsuccessful campaign to capture Quebec but rebounded and commanded troops that stopped another British invasion.  He also stopped the British in the Mohawk Valley, and forced British General John Burgoyne's surrender.

     Arnold was severely wounded in his effort to seize Quebec and again at the Battle of Saratoga.  His left leg was shattered in both instances.  He was wounded a third time in the same leg at the second battle of Saratoga in October, 1777.  The third wound was so severe it  nearly killed him, Arnold himself saying it would have been better if he had been hit in the chest.  After the third injury Arnold refused to have his leg amputated and the crude repairs to his wound left the leg two inches shorter than the other.  Seven months later in May, 1778, Arnold went back to service at Valley Forge and made a heroic entrance to the wild cheers of the troops who had served under him at Saratoga.

Comic Book "Benedict Arnold,
American Hero & Traitor"

     It was only after Benedict Arnold's battlefield successes, heroic actions and severe wounds at Saratoga that his financial and military troubles started.  Without question, had that final leg wound he received at Saratoga been fatal, he would today be remembered as one of America’s greatest revolutionary heroes instead of its most notorious traitor.

~SLH

Steve Harrison, 32° KCCH, is a Past Master of Liberty Lodge #31, Liberty, Missouri.  He is the editor of the Missouri Freemason magazine, author of the book Freemasonry Crosses the Mississippi, a Fellow of the Missouri Lodge of Research and also its Senior Warden.  He is a dual member of Kearney Lodge #311, St. Joseph Missouri Valley of the Scottish Rite, Liberty York Rite, Moila Shrine and is a member of the DeMolay Legion of Honor.

In Search Of The Lost Word: Part III

by Midnight Freemasons Contributor

 James E Frey, 32°

 

Part 3 of 3: The Word Revealed

In a Secret Vault, deep beneath the ruins of the Temple there is a treasure. This treasure is not of gold, nor embedded with jewels, it is a word that no mortal tongue can speak, spoken only in silence and flame. It is a treasure of knowledge, the true name of God. This truth was hidden away from those unworthy to know it. For this word belongs to the master, which had fallen, this word hidden from those who have been taken into captivity.

After King Cyrus, founder of the Persian Empire, conquered Babylon and by means of a mysterious dreams he frees the captives to return back and rebuild their temple. This was achieved through the actions of a Prince Mason known as Zerubabel, who would lead his people back to the Promised Land. The Knight Masons, York, and Scottish Rites have degrees, which deal with the period in time in which Zerubabel led his people back to the Promised Land and the rebuilding the Temple. During the rebuilding the Samaritans kept attacking the builders causing them to labor with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other. It was not until Zerubabel traveled to Persia to gain favor with King Darius, the new King of Persia after Cyrus, to send an order out to protect and aid in the building of the Temple. Zerubabel is challenged to a contest of philosophy in which he outwitted the wisest satraps from the furthest reaches of the empire winning favor with the King gaining his support for the construction efforts. (Ezra 6: 3-13)

It is soon after this time Zerubabel leads an excavation effort to rebuild the temple and upon clearing the ruins of the old Temple then discover a secret vault. Upon digging deeper they discover the lost word and revere its glory. In Royal Arch Masonry the Name is composed of the Hebrew Letters Yod Heh Vau Heh within a triangle encased by a secret codex to preserve its secrets from the uninitiated. 

          To seek the name of Divinity is to understand the ineffable. As Masons we strive as men of different religions, races, social statuses, to unite in the search for what unites us, our inner divinity. Upon receiving the word in this Pinnacle point of Masonic teaching, the seeker must pass through the veils of space and time itself. The Passing of the veils was first adopted in Scottish Royal Arch Masonry but was soon spread as a strong experience for the Royal Arch Mason who must pass through the veils of the temple. It is pointed as the way the Tabernacle in the wilderness was situated with different compartments. But this is rather symbolic of the nature of High Priesthood. The High Priest would have to purify himself with ritualistic ceremony before beholding the Ark of the Covenant in the Sanctum Sanctorum. These ceremonies involved the Priest passing through the various furniture of the temple. 

The First veil is engraved with an Ox, which is representative of the Table of Shrew Bread, which the Priest would partake of. This is also representative of the element of Earth as found in part of the Cherubim found in Ezekiel’s vision. (Ezekiel 1) This also has a astrological correspondence with Taurus the bull.  The Second Veil that of a man, which represented the Laver of Brass where the priest would ceremonially bath and purify himself. This represents the water element within the Cherubim, and has a strong astrological correspondence with Aquarius the water barer. The Third Veil is the Eagle and is associated with the Altar of incense the Priest would make a sacrifice on and burn the remains to smoke that would rise to the heavens. This is related to the Air element within the Cherubim and is associated with Scorpio the risen Eagle.  The Forth veil bears the Lion representative of the Twelve Branch Candle Stick the Priest would meditate upon. This veil is associated with the Fire element of the Cherubim and is associated astrologically with Leo the Lion. 

          Each emblem is also representative of a dominant tribe of Israel, such as the Tweleve Branch Candle stick represents the Twelve Tribes of Israel. But astrologically this can be interpreted as the four astrological seasons and the twelve zodiacs. It is interesting to note that the what appeared on Mizram’s tablet taken from the ruin’s of Enoch’s Stone Pillar is the rule “As Above, So Below” which means that the material world is a reflection of the heavens primarily the astrological alignments to express an ancient connection to the divine. This spiritual journey of the Priest was to show his spiritual advancement to be worthy and balanced enough to behold the presence of God to pray for the sins of his people.

“But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.” (Hebrews 9:7)

Now the Priest stood before the Sanctum Sanctorum, to view with all connection to God the ineffable name and the Ark of the Covenant in its fullest glory. This process was used as a metaphor to show the divine connection we have through Jesus death this is representative to the spiritual purity of the Christ to die for our sins just as the High Priest would purify himself and pray for the sins of his people. “the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.” (Hebrews 6:19-20)

To behold the name of God in the climax of the Royal Arch is to follow in the steps of Christ, to balance one’s true self between heaven and earth, the material elements and the spiritual elements. As Christ is both man and God so must the Seeker of the word recognize his inner divinity is a connect to God.

“For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place” (Hebrews 9:24-26)

The unity the Seeker discovers is represented by the cherubim atop the Ark of the Covenant no long segmented into an ox, man, eagle, and Lion but unified and represented as one angelic being which represents spiritual ether. The Cherubim guard the Ark and the Word just as the Cherubim first guarded the entrance to the Garden of Eden the Pathway to the Tree of Life, which has a strong connection to Kabalistic principals. This unity of the spiritual and the material is a great awakening within the Seeker of the word, clearly he now he recognizes the unity of nature with God, now he sees the beauty of the living arch stretching from the earth to the heavens. 

James E Frey, 32° is a Past Sovereign Prince and current librarian of Valley of Danville AASR. Founder of the R.E.B.I.S Research Society he sits on two Blue Lodge Education committees as well as a guest lecturer on Occultism and Esoteric studies in masonry. He is also a Member of the Oak Lawn York Rite, Medinah Shriners, and Golden Dawn Collegium Spiritu Sancti. He also works as a counselor with emotionally and behaviorally challenged children.

Freemason Wisdom: Harry S. Truman On Becoming A Politician

by Midnight Freemasons Contributor

R. W. B. Michael H. Shirley

In July1954, little over a year after he ceased being President, Harry Truman wrote a memorandum in which he set out his understanding of the requirements to be a great politician. A young man who chooses to take up politics as a profession should, he wrote, study the lives of great leaders throughout history, including their ethics and their motives. He should study state and local history from its beginnings, and should know thoroughly his county and city governments and their workings. He should prepare constantly and thoroughly, because to be a successful politician required great knowledge and sacrifice, for great politicians do not seek greatness for themselves, but for others:

A great politician is known for the service he renders. He doesn’t have to become President or Governor or the head of his city or county to be a great politician. There are mayors of villages, county attorneys, county commissioners or supervisors who render just as great service locally as do the heads of the government.
No young man should go into politics if he wants to get rich or if he expects an adequate reward for his services. An honest public servant can’t become rich in politics. He can only attain greatness and satisfaction by service.

As a farmer, a soldier, a politician, a husband and father, above all as a man, Harry Truman gave his life to service. It would be tempting to say his innate honesty and commitment to public service derived from being a Freemason, but it would be wrong. It was the other way around. Harry Truman was prepared to be a Freemason in his heart long before he petitioned Belton Lodge No. 450 in 1909. When he died in 1972, after sixty-three years as a Mason and a lifetime of service, both public and private, he hadn’t become rich, but he had attained greatness and satisfaction.

~MHS

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley is the Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master for the Eastern Area for the Grand Lodge of Illinois A.F. & A.M. He is the Past Master of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and Leadership Development Chairman for the Grand Lodge of Illinois. He's also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Eastern Star, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon. He's also a member of the newly-chartered, Illini High Twelve No. 768 in Urbana-Champaign. The author of several articles on British history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.

The National Society for the Sons of the American Revolution

by Midnight Freemasons Contributor

  Bro. R. Johnson

Recently I lost my father, and going through his things; pictures, documents, items and the like, I became curious about my lineage. So I did what I think most people do, they sign up for ancestry.com. It was amazing, in five hours I had traced my line back to 1508 in Radnorshire and Wales England. Now, I'm not saying its this easy for everyone, I just had one of those trees I guess.  Captain James Powell, my thirteenth great grandfather his wife Jane Jones and their son John Powell, my 12th great grandfather settled in first Jamestown and then on the way to Virginia Captain James Powell, died by an attack from a group of Native Americans.  I found that I had two uncles and a grandfather who served in the Revolutionary War, three more uncles and a grandfather who served in the War of 1812, and as they settled in the states eventually moving south, found their way to Arkansas, where they served in the Confederacy.

 Through my research, I found an interesting organization, The National Society for the Sons of the American Revolution. This is a special society which members must trace their lineage directly to men who served in the Revolutionary War. There is also The Daughters of the American Revolution as well. From Their (NSSAR) website it reads “The Sons of the American Revolution is the leading male lineage society that perpetuates the ideals of the war for independence. As a historical, educational, and patriotic, non-profit corporation organized under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, we seek to maintain and expand the meaning of patriotism, respect for our national symbols, the value of American citizenship, and the unifying force of "e pluribus unum" that was created from the people of many nations -- one nation and one people.”

I of course jumped at the chance to join. I am still in the process actually. It is a process which involves many records as you can imagine. Of course we all know the legends of Freemasonry in regards to its association with the American Revolution, so of course I though “Is there a Masonic Body of this organization?” And the answer was yes and no. There is a group and they are on Facebook and further, they are called the Mason Sons of the American Revolution. But they are not an official group. Just a bunch of us that are in fact Freemasons as well.

If your family has been here a while, it might be worth checking out. There are several ancestry websites which are far less expensive than the one I used, and from what I understand, just as good. Happy hunting everyone!

~RHJ

Sir Knight Robert Johnson, 32° is the editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog.  He is a Freemason out of the First North-East District of Illinois. He belongs to Waukegan Lodge No. 78. He is also a member of the York Rite bodies Royal Arch, Cryptic Council and Knights Templar, and a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago.  Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts a weekly Podcast (internet radio program) Whence Came You? which focuses on topics relating to Freemasonry. In addition, he produces video shorts focusing on driving interest in the Fraternity and writes original Masonic papers from time to time. He is a husband and father of three. He works full time in the safety industry and is also a photographer on the side as well as an avid home brewer. He is also working on two books, one is of a Masonic nature.

In Search Of The Lost Word: Part II

by Midnight Freemasons Contributor

James E Frey, 32°

Part Two of Three: The Builders

Illustration from the Select Master Degree

That Ineffable Name, meaning the Self-Existent Being who is infinite without Beginning, or End. This Ineffable word having been hidden by the patriarch Enoch faded from memory until it was revealed to Moses in the burning bush. Following the Exodus, Moses had the Name engraved upon a plate of gold and placed it in the Ark of the Covenant which was constructed to hold the remains of the Ten Commandments, and there it remained until the time of Joshua and the Judges who ruled after him. Moses was forbidden to utter the true pronunciation to the people, just as modern Jews are afraid to do to this day, he communicated it to Aaron and to Joshua; and it was afterwards made known to the Chief Priests alone who revered it in sacred ritual. 

The Ineffable Word remained in the Ark until the time of Othniel, the younger brother of Caleb (Judges 3:8-10) in a battle against King of Syria. The Syrians ambushed a group of Levites, the keepers of the Ark, carrying the ark and the ark fell upon the ground the keepers of it slain by the Syrians. The Syrians never had time to plunder the Ark due to Lion who had guarded it. The Lion was holding the golden key to the Ark in his mouth. It was only upon the approach of the High priest or the keeper’s of the Ark, the lion would with draw to the forest laying down the key. This celebrated in the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction upon the golden key worn by the Grand Treasurer, you see the initials of these words: In Ore Leonis Verbum Inveni which means “In the Lion’s mouth I found the Word.”

In the time of Samuel (1 Sam. 4) the word was lost yet again due to the Philistines capturing the Ark. The Philistines killed Ophni and Phineas, the sons of Eli, then took the Golden Plate from the Ark with the Word inscribed on it and melted it into the image of their fertility and fishing God Dagon causing the Ineffable Name to be lost again. 

Time passed, as the word was lost again until the time of Solomon. Upon laying the foundation for the great Temple of Solomon upon the base of Mount Moriah the builders Adonhiram, Joabert and Stolkin stuck a compartment buried deep in the earth, they had discovered a Secret Vault. They reported to King Solomon, and him fearing of it being an ancient Pagan temple ordered the builders to excavate it. Upon which upon excavation the Builders discovered a vault, which lead down through eight other vaults leading deeper into the darkness. They then found a long and narrow passageway, which led to the ninth vault, which was under the space, which would become the Holy of Holies of the Temple. 

Discovering the lost word

They had discovered the cube of Foundation and the Mysterious Name, and delivered it to King Solomon. The two Kings, after much deliberation, determined what to do with this discovery. They decided to deposit the Word in a secret vault to be constructed under the Sanctum Sanctorum. The stone of foundation was so deposited as the cornerstone of the temple, so that the Temple of Solomon may be the physical manifestation of God on Earth. 

At this first cornerstone laying ceremony it is said the workmen came forth and gave of their wages of corn, wine, and oil then they all knelt and returned thanks to God. Then the correct pronunciation of the Sacred Name was permitted to three masters Adonhiram, Joabert, and Stolkin within the secret vault.

In Cryptic Masonry King Solomon had constructed a narrow passageway that lead from his palace to the ninth vault was in that apartment King Solomon held his private conferences with King Hiram of Tyre and Hiram Abiff where the long lost Ineffable Word was revealed to them. After the Death of Hiram Abiff the two kings abandoned the secret vault never again to return until they found a suitable replacement for the fallen master.

Both Cryptic Masonry and the Ineffable Degrees have similar lore which differ slightly after Solomon’s abandonment of the Sacred Vault, he assigned guards stationed guarding the approaches to the Sacred Vault, the oldest being stationed at the entrance to that Vault, and the others respectively at the entrances of the other eight, or in the Cryptic Rite there is but one Guard at the front entrance, Zabud a dear friend to King Solomon.

Hiram Abiff constructed the private entrance to the Secret Vault with the aid of Phoenician Architects who were initiates of the Mysteries sworn to secrecy as to its existence. No one knew of it except the two Kings and those three Masters. To none others was the Ineffable Name communicated, it was lost to all those of an inferior degree. Those who were not worthy to know the word were given only the substitute, adopted at the death of Hiram Abiff, as the Master Mason’s Word. 

 The Ineffable Name remained in the Secret Vault hidden from prying eyes and faded into memory. When Nebaconezzer, King of Babylon invaded with his armies he burned the temple to the ground and plundered Israel taking the Jews into captivity back to Babylon. But the Sacred Vault remained unspoiled and unnoticed by the foreign invaders. So the word was lost again.

~JEF

James E Frey, 32° is a Past Sovereign Prince and current librarian of Valley of Danville AASR. Founder of the R.E.B.I.S Research Society he sits on two Blue Lodge Education committees as well as a guest lecturer on Occultism and Esoteric studies in masonry. He is also a Member of the Oak Lawn York Rite, Medinah Shriners, and Golden Dawn Collegium Spiritu Sancti. He also works as a counselor with emotionally and behaviorally challenged children. 

Martin Luther King: Freemason Or Not?

by Midnight Freemason contributor

Todd E. Creason

(extensively updated from original posted 4/9/12)

Martin Luther King Jr. is universally recognized as one of the principal leaders of the civil rights movement in the United States and a prominent advocate of nonviolent protest. King's challenges to segregation and racial discrimination helped convince many to support the cause of civil rights in the United States.

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, he was ordained as a Baptist minister at age 18. He graduated from Morehouse College in 1948 and from Crozer Theological Seminary in 1951. In 1955 he earned a doctoral degree in systematic theology from Boston University. While in Boston, King met Coretta Scott, whom he married in 1953.  He's also been identified many times over as being a Freemason.

The question is, was Martin Luther King, Jr. a Freemason?  It's a little more complicated than you might think.

It was widely reported in 1999, that the Most Worshipful Brother Benjamin P. Barksdale, Grand Master of Prince Hall Freemasonry in Georgia, posthumously made Dr. Martin Luther King a Mason at sight.

That story has created a huge controversy.  If true, it is one of the few instances (if not the only one) when a man was declared a Master Master after his death. Dr. King's widow, Coretta Scott King, accepted the honor on behalf of her late husband.

However, some dispute that Martin Luther King was made a Mason at sight--I've received a lot of emails on this post since I originally published it, and articles, etc. that refute those reports.  They say that what Coretta Scott King accepted was actually an honorary membership from Prince Hall Freemasonry for her late husband.

However, what is clear, is that it does seem to have been Dr. King's intention to become a Mason.  Both his father and his grandfather were Prince Hall Masons, and Prince Hall documents indicate that Grand Master X. L. Neal had arranged for Dr. King to become a Freemason upon his return from Atlanta in 1968.  Unfortunately, his assassination in Memphis on April 4th, 1968 prevented that from happening.

So was Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. a Freemason?  

No--Martin Luther King Jr. was never raised a Master Mason.  But without question, Dr. King would have made a fine Mason.  He was, after all, a builder, and his legacy has forever changed the world.

~TEC

Todd E. Creason, 33° is the founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog, and author of several books and novels, including the Famous American Freemasons series.  He is member of Homer Lodge No. 199, and a Past Master of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL).  He is a member the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, the York Rite Bodies of Champaign/Urbana (IL), the Ansar Shrine (IL), Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, and Charter President of the Illini High Twelve in Champaign-Urbana (IL).  He is also the author of the blog From Labor To Refreshment . . .
 

Three Encounters Of The Close Kind

by Midnight Freemasons Contributor

Steven L. Harrison, PM, FMLR

My seemingly never-ending quest into Masonic research has taken a strange turn lately.  I blame Google; promising links gone bad.  We all know there is some off-the-wall stuff out there about Freemasons, but lately I just seem to be hitting an abundance of space/alien/Masonic connections.  It's not always a direct link, but I've found mysteries with multiple theories where the author spirals into a shotgun approach that ends up with, "If you can't blame the Freemasons, blame it on aliens."  The treasure buried on Oak Island is a perfect example: "If the Freemasons didn't put it there, ET did."  Then there is my personal favorite — Freemasons get mystic powers from the hexagon on Saturn.  Really, I wish these creative conspiracy theorists were right.  I could use a few mystic powers.

In our Masonic Lodges we are not to discuss politics or religion.  I think we should add UFO discussions to that.  I have learned differences in opinion about the nature of UFOs can lead to big trouble between two people who are otherwise friends.  Suffice it to say, I'm a skeptic.  That's all you get.  I don't want any big trouble.

Having said that, hitting a bonanza of links about Masons and aliens lately has given me reflections about my three UFO experiences.  That's right, I've had three encounters of the close kind.  All three happened when I was in college.  I should add, none of those experiences were enhanced by any recreational chemicals so prevalent on campuses then... and now.

Encounter One: Strange Lights  I personally never saw the strange lights hovering over the campus, but I knew people who did.  For a few days talk of the lights was all the rage. They were rumored to appear just after dark.  I made a couple of rooftop excursions with friends.  We didn't see any UFOs, but at least it was a diversion from studying... which was good enough for me.  Apparently, the lights just hovered in the sky.  Some saw one light, some saw a group of lights.  It remained a mystery until one of the lights "crashed."  Turned out to be a prankster or group of pranksters who fashioned miniature hot-air balloons out of garbage bags, and launched them in the same manner as Japanese sky lanterns.  The flame at the bottom created the mysterious light and kept the contraption airborne.  As I heard it, their first effort was an experiment with one balloon, but the fact that it attracted attention inspired the perpetrators to expand their efforts. Mystery solved.

Encounter Two: A Cover-Up  My roommate during my sophomore year was a level-headed guy.  He was, in fact, the president of our dormitory's student government group (I understand it's debatable any politician could be level-headed, but let's move on anyway).  One night he raced into our room and announced he had just seen a UFO.  Mr. Levelhead went into great detail describing the thing, and said he was convinced it was the real deal.  According to him it had a flashing light, moved in three dimensions, turned at right angles and changed direction rapidly.  He finally decided it should be reported, so he called the Campus Police (not exactly the FBI, but again I digress).  He gave them a description in great detail.  When pressed further about the object's appearance he said, "I guess you could say it looked kind of like a helicopter with a strobe light."  The next day, much to our initial delight, the story appeared in the campus newspaper (never in danger of winning a Pulitzer).  The writers there checked the campus police logs daily and got the story from my roommate's report.  It pretty much followed his description of the object and the way it moved, but we were a bit surprised when we read the last line: "Authorities determined the object was a helicopter with a strobe light."  If that's not proof of a cover-up, I don't know what is.

Encounter Three: Contact!  Then there was the night my friend Carl (That's his real name.  This is, after all, non-fiction) came running down the hall banging on doors yelling that he had seen a flying saucer.  Carl was not a levelheaded guy.  It seems he and his girlfriend had been out in a remote area... uh... collecting plant samples for biology class... nocturnal plants.  "We saw it land," he assured us.  Well, it was either keep studying or save the world from space aliens, a no brainer.  So a few of us grabbed cameras and headed for the hinterlands.  We soon found ourselves on farmland a few miles outside of town.  It was a moonless night and pitch black.  Good thing we remembered cameras.  Too bad we forgot flashlights.  We spread out to search the area.  I headed for a dim light which turned out to be some kind of outbuilding.  I stumbled up to the side of it, felt my way along to a corner, rounded it and... There wasn't enough light to see how big the spaceship actually was.  I could see it was made of metal and had rounded edges.  Even though it was completely dark, the thing almost gleamed in front of me.  I froze.  I couldn't hear any of my friends who were out there somewhere hunting the amazing thing I had found.  It was just me and the space aliens.  I didn't know what to do, so I just stood and stared.  As I did my eyes became more accustomed to the dark.  Gradually I could see more of it until I saw its entire shape.  No space alien was going to get me.  Boldly I walked up to it and smacked it with my open palm.  It made the metallic ping I had expected.  Suddenly I heard one of my buddies yell and ask if I had found anything.  I smacked it again.  "Naw," I said, "just this propane tank."  Can't fool me, no sir.

So that's where my Masonic research has taken me lately: to sites linking us with space aliens —  and fuzzy memories of encounters long past.  I think I'll resolve to sticking to the first few hits on Google searches.  You never really find much worthwhile on page 27.  But I am happy to know about the hexagon on Saturn, which is, in fact, very real.  That's cool.

~SH

Steve Harrison, 32° KCCH, is a Past Master of Liberty Lodge #31, Liberty, Missouri.  He is the editor of the Missouri Freemason magazine, author of the book Freemasonry Crosses the Mississippi, a Fellow of the Missouri Lodge of Research and also its Senior Warden.  He is a dual member of Kearney Lodge #311, St. Joseph Missouri Valley of the Scottish Rite, Liberty York Rite, Moila Shrine and is a member of the DeMolay Legion of Honor.