The Midnight Freemasons

Ronald Reagan: Great Quote From Great American

Ronald Reagon
40th President of the United States

"We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions."

~Ronald Reagan

Famous American Freemasons: Nook and Kindle Editions

Famous American Freemasons, both Volumes I and II, are available in the Kindle Store on Amazon.com and the Nook Store on Barnes & Noble (bn.com) for the amazing bargain price of $7.99 American. I know what you're thinking--but I live in England, how am I going to get it? Well, for the first time, the Famous American Freemasons series is available on Amazon UK. They would have been available sooner in the UK, but it was a painstaking process translating them into English.

I appreciate your patience, I know I announced the e-book editions were on the way over a month ago, but there were . . . issues. As it turns out, it wasn't nearly as easy as I thought it was going to be.

On This Day In History: January 9

Mermaid? Or Manatee?

On this day in 1493, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, sailing near the Dominican Republic, sees three mermaids, which he described later as "not half as beautiful as they are painted." In fact, they weren't mermaids at all--they were manatees. Mermaids are breathtakingly beautiful, mythical creatures that according to legend can take on mortal shape and marry human men. Manatees are marine plant eating mammals that weight between 800 and 1,200 pounds.

Now judge not, lest we be judged. Haven't we all made that same mistake at some point? I wonder what they were serving on the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria?

TEC

Novel Release! Thanks To All Involved

One Last Shot

My new novel One Last Shot is now available on Amazon! It's also available for download to your Kindle. There isn't much product information up yet, that usually takes a few days to catch up, but you'll find all those details here.

Moon & Son Publishing Logo

It's the first book published by Moon & Son Publishing, and it turned out beautifully. I had a lot of help. My wife Valerie most of all. She's almost a co-author of this book. I'd have never gotten the plot worked out if it weren't for her. And my mom, Jane Creason, has edited all my books so far, and this one was the most challenging of all. I couldn't do these books without her keen eye. Thanks again, mom!

I actually had several editors this time around that read it at various states of finish. Billie Scales, Judy Gordon, Jack Hall, Brion Sausser, and Lesley Millar all read it and offered excellent suggestions and encouragement. Ray Gordon designed the colophon for Moon & Son Publishing. I needed something that would reproduce well very, very small--like on the spine of a book, and on the title page. I'd sent him a scan of a little moon I wanted to use from a 200 year old Masonic woodcut, and he said he'd clean it up and sharpen it for me. You can't believe how surprised I was when I got it back and saw he'd replaced the original moon's face with mine! Of course my nose isn't that straight. With my big mouth, it's been broken a few times. Thanks for fixing that for me, Ray. It's way easier than plastic surgery.

Buy my Daddy's book so I can
go to college one day!

And of course, the cover is absolutely stunning thanks to the remarkable design talents of my new friend Brion Sausser. I ran across Book Creatives on the internet one evening, and contacted him, and it's the best decision I made. Brion will be designing all the covers for Moon & Son Publishing going forward. Brion doesn't just design covers, but offers a range of services to authors, including interior design, websites, etc. And he's great to work with.

Moon & Son Publishing will be releasing two more projects this month as well. The first two volumes of the Famous American Freemasons series will be available for download to your Kindle within a few days, and a for Nook users, it should be available at Barnes & Noble for download within a couple weeks. The third and final volume of the Famous American Freemasons series is well under way, and I expect that to be released in 2012. There's a great little promo video for the final volume on my website toddcreason.org

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Freemasonry is the oldest and the largest fraternal order in the world. It is a universal brotherhood of men dedicated to serving God, family, mankind and country. The focus of The Midnight Freemasons is primarily on subjects relating to Freemasons and Freemasonry.

However, any opinion expressed are those of the contributor alone, and are not meant to reflect in any way, shape, or form, implied or otherwise, the opinions or beliefs of the fraternity of Freemasonry as a whole.

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Thank you,
The Midnight Freemasons

WB Darin A. Lahners

WB Darin A. Lahners is our Managing Editor. He is a host and producer of the "Meet, Act and Part" podcast as well as a co-host of an all-things-paranormal podcast, "Beyond the 4th Veil." He is currently serving the Grand Lodge of Illinois Ancient Free and Accepted Masons as a member of the Committee on Masonic Education He is a Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No.970 in St. Joseph. He is also a plural member of Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL), where he is also a Past Master. He’s also a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, a charter member of Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter No. 282, Salt Fork Shrine Club under the Ansar Shrine, and a grade one (Zelator) in the S.C.R.I.F. Prairieland College in Illinois. He is also a Fellow of the Illinois Lodge of Research. He was presented with the Torok Award from the Illinois Lodge of Research in 2021.

RWB Robert H. Johnson

RWB Johnson is an Emeritus managing Editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Freemason out of the 2nd N.E. District of Illinois. He currently serves as the Secretary of Spes Novum Lodge No. 1183. He is a Past Master of Waukegan Lodge 78 and a Past District Deputy Grand Master for the 1st N.E. District of Illinois. He is the current V:. Sovereign Grand Inspector for AMD in IL. Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts weekly Podcasts (internet radio programs) Whence Came You? & Masonic Radio Theatre which focuses on topics relating to Freemasonry. He is also a co-host of The Masonic Roundtable, a Masonic talk show. He is a husband and father of four, works full time in the executive medical industry. He is the co-author of "It's Business Time - Adapting a Corporate Path for Freemasonry", “The Master’s Word: A Short Treatise on the Word, the Light, and the Self – Annotated Edition” and author of "How to Charter a Lodge: A No-Nonsense, Unsanctioned Guide. More books are on the way

Todd E. Creason, 33°

Todd E. Creason, 33° is the Founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog, and an award-winning author of several books and novels, including the Famous American Freemasons series. Todd started the Midnight Freemason blog in 2006, and in 2012 he opened it up as a contributor blog The Midnight Freemasons (plural). Todd has written more than 1,000 pieces for the blog since it began. He is a Past Master of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL) where he currently serves as Secretary. He is a Past Sovereign Master of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. He is a Fellow at the Missouri Lodge of Research (FMLR). He is a charter member of Admiration Chapter No. 282 and is a Past EHP. You can contact him at webmaster@toddcreason.org

Gregory J. Knott, 33°

Greg is a founding member and Senior Contributor of the Midnight Freemasons. He is a Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 in St. Joseph (IL) and Past Master and member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL) and Naval Lodge No. 4 in Washington, DC. He’s a member of the Valley of Danville Scottish Rite, a charter member of Admiration Chapter No. 282, Eastern Star and GAO Grotto. He is also a President of the Salt Fork Shrine Club of ANSAR Shrine (IL), serves as Secretary of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees and a grade one (Zelator) in the S.C.R.I.F. Greg serves as a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society and The Philathes Society. Greg is very involved in Boy Scouts—an Eagle Scout himself, he is a member of the National Association of Masonic Scouters.

Bro. Randy Sanders

Randy and his wife Elyana live near St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Randy earned a Bachelors Degree in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biochemistry, and he works in Telecom IT management. He volunteers as a professional and personal mentor, NRA certified Chief Range Safety Officer and enjoys competitive tactical pistol, rifle, and shotgun. He has 30 plus years teaching Wing Chun Kung Fu, Chi Kung, and healing arts. Randy served as a Logistics Section Chief on two different United States federal Disaster Medical Assistance Teams over a 12 year span. Randy is a 32nd degree KCCH and Knight Templar. His Masonic bio includes past Lodge Education Officer for two symbolic lodges, Founder of the Wentzville Lodge Book Club, member of the Grand Lodge of Missouri Education Committee, Sovereign Master of the E. F. Coonrod AMD Council No. 493, Co-Librarian of the Scottish Rite Valley of St. Louis, Clerk for the Academy of Reflection through the Valley of Guthrie, and a Facilitator for the Masonic Legacy Society. Randy is a founding administrator for Refracted Light, full contributor to Midnight Freemasons, and an international presenter on esoteric topics. Randy hosts an open ongoing weekly Masonic virtual Happy Hour on Friday evenings. Randy is an accomplished home chef, a certified barbecue judge, raises Great Pyrenees dogs, and enjoys travel and philosophy.

Ken JP Stuczynski

Bro. Ken JP Stuczynski is a member of West Seneca Lodge No.1111 and Master of the Western New York Lodge of Research No.9007. Hew currently serves his district as Assistant Grand Lecturer. As webmaster for NYMasons.Org, he is on the Communications and Technology Committees for the Grand Lodge of the State of New York. He is also a Past High Priest in Royal Arch Masonry, Past Sovereign Prince of the Scottish Rite, and a Cryptic Mason. He and his wife are serving again as Patron and Matron of Pond Chapter No.853 Order of the Eastern Star and considers himself a “Masonic Feminist”. As a masonic speaker throughout New York State, he primarily speaks regarding the use of technology in the Craft. Some of his numerous Empire State Mason articles have been republished in Arizona and New Jersey. To aid in his outreach on these topics, he authored “Webmastering the Craft: Fraternity in a Digital World”, available worldwide in softcover and eBook. He also regularly gives his "Astronomical Tour of the Lodge" at various Lodges. Having lifelong interests in world religions, science, and other fields, his degree is in Philosophy with a concentration in Ethics and a minor In Psychology. He has written articles and essays on the topics of science and religion, culture and politics, business and economics, technology and futurism, as well as various aspects of social psychology. Usually, with interdisciplinary contexts, many of these focus on the ideals of intellectual honesty and tolerance in all forms. Having edited and contributed to Books of Transactions as a member of the Western New York Lodge of Research, he is writing a book on Masonic research bodies. Slowly transitioning to writing and publishing, he continues working on his primary business, Kentropolis Web Development, and Design. He works from home, living in Buffalo, New York with his wife and numerous pets. In addition to various community service projects, he is also an independent interfaith minister with hospital chaplain credentials which aid him in visiting Brethren at health facilities. He also enjoys carpentry, martial arts, and beekeeping.

Patrick Dey

Patrick M. Dey is a Past Master of Nevada Lodge No. 4 in the ghost town of Nevadaville, Colorado, and currently serves as their Secretary, and is also a Past Master of Research Lodge of Colorado. He is a Past High Priest of Keystone Chapter No. 8, Past Illustrious Master of Hiram Council No. 7, Past Commander of Flatirons Commandery No. 7. He currently serves as the Exponent (Suffragan) of Colorado College, SRICF of which he is VIII Grade (Magister). He is the Editor of the Rocky Mountain Mason magazine, serves on the Board of Directors of the Grand Lodge of Colorado’s Library and Museum Association, and is the Deputy Grand Bartender of the Grand Lodge of Colorado (an ad hoc, joke position he is very proud to hold). He holds a Masters of Architecture degree from the University of Colorado, Denver, and works in the field of architecture in Denver, where he resides with wife and son.

Phillip Welshans

Phillip Welshans is Senior Warden of Palestine Lodge #189 in Catonsville, MD under the Grand Lodge of Maryland A.F. & A.M. He is also a member of the Maryland Masonic Lodge of Research #239, and the Hiram Guild of the Maryland Masonic Academy. As a member of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, S.J. in the Valley of Baltimore, he has completed the Master Craftsman programs and is a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society. His interests are primarily in Masonic education, particularly the history of the Craft, esotericism, and the philosophy of Masonry.

Erik M. Geehern

Bro. Erik M. Geehern is currently Master of Goshen Masonic Lodge #365 in Goshen, NY under the Grand Lodge of New York. He was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason in October of 2019 and since then has served in various progressive chairs along the road to the east. He writes and curates a newsletter for his Lodge quarterly which disseminates education, history, and esoterics. He is also a member of the Grand College of Rites, the American Lodge of Research and the Kansas Lodge of Research. He works in restaurant operations; consulting, and when not engaged in his usual vocation, or laboring in the Craft, he loves spending time with his wife and two children.

Pages

Ronald Reagan: Great Quote From Great American

Famous American Freemasons: Nook and Kindle Editions

On This Day In History: January 9

Novel Release! Thanks To All Involved