The Palladian Rite - Revisit

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro James E. Frey 32°

The Palladian Rite, according to conspiracy theorists it is the very top of the Illuminati pyramid. Conspiracy theorists point to the Palladian Rite as being the secret overlord of all Masonic Rites uniting all masonry together in a dark agenda to propitiate three world wars to bring about the New World Order Government led by shape shifting reptiles from outer space. Oh if only it were all that interesting. No my Brethren, this article will not focus on ufos, aliens, or government plots for world domination. This article will focus on the mysterious and perhaps real Palladian rite that has caused such a stir in the Masonic soup to make it the famed “Top of the Satanic Pyramid”.

I have heard various times on a variety of websites how the Palladian Rite is the secret Satanic cult that rules the whole of masonry from the shadows with an iron fist. But to understand the myth of a

Palladian Rite we must understand the connection of Masonry and Satanism. Rumors of Secret Satanic Rites within the Masonic fraternity can be traced to Leo Taxil’s nefarious work “The Devil in the Nineteenth Century”. As we know the “Taxil Hoax” attempted to connect the degrees of Masonry to animal sacrifice, homosexual rites, giant goat statues and all kinds of weird and groovy things. Sadly the population of France at the time did not know how to tell factious reporting from journalism with integrity, so this mythos began to evolve itself into the general consciousness, which is why the book is still often quoted today in anti-masonic resources. 

From this environment the notorious Palladian Rite began to gain its own mythos and develop into the puppet master archetype it is known as today. Taxil was a major influence on Paul Rosen who wrote “The Brethren of the Three Points” in 1885, which was another expose revealing the “dark” nature of Freemasonry. This book focused on Albert Pike as the leader of all American masonry and his establishment of the Palladian Rite with his connection in the Italian underworld to unify masonry with the steams of fascism which would come to power over the next 60 years. The term “satanic” is not used but replaced with “Luciferian”. There is a huge difference between Satanic and Luciferian. Satanic being the adoration of Satan and the acceptance of the left hand path, Luciferianism widely can be generalized as seeing the Old Testament Yahweh as a tyrant God who attempts to keep man ignorant of the knowledge of Good and Evil, so Lucifer, the light bearer, betrays Yahweh bringing the light of Wisdom to man through the eating of the forbidden fruit liberating man from servitude to Yahweh’s ego. This is a reinterpretation of the Greek myth concerning Prometheus who steals the fire of the Gods and delivers it to mortal man. Like Prometheus, Lucifer is cast to the underworld where he is to be punished for all eternity. Whether Taxil or Rosen knew the different between these two philosophical perceptions is limited, but it can be safe to estimate that they were ignorant of the differences labeling them both as “Devil Worship”.

In 1890 eminent Masonic scholar, Arthur Edward Waite attempted a academic approach to the material and rumors of Satanic cults in his work “Devil Worship in France” where he addresses the understanding of the Luciferian Palladian Rite as being a worked up version of a real secret society that once did exist. The Palladian Rite, was a fabricated version of the Reformed Palladium Rite which existed in France for a short increment of time. According to Kenneth Mackenzie in his “Royal Masonic Cyclopedia” the Order of Palladium first appeared in Paris in 1737 being derived from Douai with rituals being written about 1637. This group contained heavily Greek oriented degrees, two for men under the titles of “Adelph” and “Companion of Ulysses” while female members were admitted to the degree of “Sister of Penelope”. With a Greek influence on symbolism we can see the Lucifer aspect as being similar to Albert Pike’s misinterpretation in “Morals and Dogma”, for the Planet Venus. Lucifer is Latin for the Light bearer and is representative for Venus because Venus is the planet that continuously rises each morning just before the break of dawn, so Venus brings the light to the world which is why so many myths of solar deities have mothers who are representative of Venus.

Venus is also the planetary embodiment of love which is representative of the motto of the order “je sais aimer” or “I know how to love”. The seal of the Order of Palladium was a heart crowned with flowers upon an altar ornamented with palm and laurel leaves. This places the Palladium Rite in a much different light dedicated to spiritual enlightenment of the sacred feminine, not Satanism as rumored by Taxil and Rosen. The Palladium Rite was dissolved by police after a short while at the order of the Catholic state at the time and vanished into obscurity until misinterpreted by anti-masons and made the exact opposite of what it represented in the greater human consciousness. Over all it is a shame that Neo-Pagan groups of that era were not allowed to practice their beliefs in peace, their only goal being to advance the spiritual and moral aspirations of their soul. Today all that is left is a dark shadow where light once was.

~JEF

James E Frey 32° classifies himself as a gentleman of the old world, which means he is known to stand in the great forests reciting poetry to fair-haired damsels while wrestling bears for sport. He is a District Education Officer for the Grand Lodge of Illinois, a Past Sovereign Prince of the of Danville AASR, member of the Oak Lawn York Rite, Medinah Shriners, Royal Order of Scotland, Quram Council Allied Masonic Degrees and initiate of the Golden Dawn Collegium Spiritu Sancti. He is also a guest lecturer on Occultism and Esoteric studies in masonry for the R.E.B.I.S Research Society.

Guarding Our Own West Gates and Self-Tyling

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

C. R. Dunning, Jr.

Recently I had the privilege of being involved with the Leadership Academy of the Grand Lodge of Kansas. In one of the many wonderful conversations of the weekend, Right Worshipful Brother Derik Hockett and I spoke briefly about guarding the west gate and tyling not only as practices for a lodge but also as practices for individual Masons in their own lives. I have continued to ruminate on this parallel, and I want to share with you some of the meaning I have found in it.

Guarding Our Personal West Gates

We typically use this phrase, “guarding the west gate,” to reference the responsibility we each have for ensuring that nobody is made a member of the lodge who is not sufficiently prepared to do the work of Masonry, who is not ready, willing, and able to keep our obligations and make good use of the lessons and charges in our rituals and monitors. This practice protects both the lodge and the individual in question, but our present focus is on the lodge. Guarding the west gate helps us preserve and even enhance the peace, harmony, and unity of the lodge in pursuing the sacred purposes described by our rituals.

Now, let us consider that the lodge is, among other things, symbolic of the self. The self, like a lodge, is an assembly of things brought together according to certain patterns and principles. In Freemasonry, we represent those patterns and principles with symbolic images and allegories taken from operative masonry and especially as it relates to the building of King Solomon’s Temple. We traditionally translate those images and allegories and the patterns and principles they represent into ideas about being virtuous human beings, living our lives in ways that are more conducive to the well-being of ourselves and everyone else. Thus, the different elements of the lodge necessarily relate to different parts of our being – they  form a blueprint of the whole self with all its physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and social aspects working together in peace, harmony, and unity.

Taking the lodge as a trestleboard of the self, “guarding the west gate” can be understood as exercising good judgment about what we allow to become parts of our lives. Just as with prospective candidates for the lodge, we have a responsibility to carefully examine things, to consider who is recommending them and why, to take note of how they relate to other things, and to discern the effects they generally have on others. We are looking for a favorable report, a reputation for contributing to the good. In more direct terms, when considering a new possibility for ourselves, we carefully consider its potential to help us become wiser, stronger, and more beautiful human beings. If it lacks sufficient potential, then we regard it as an unworthy and unqualified prospect, no matter how pleasing it might otherwise seem, and we say no to it as we continue to welcome and embrace those things that pass the test.

This process can be challenging. In some cases, what is good for others may not be good for oneself, and what is bad for others may indeed have significant positive potentials for oneself. For example, wine contributes to the beauty and joy of life for many people, but to others, it is psychologically and spiritually poisonous. So, it is not enough to simply rely on the experience and opinions of others, we must also deeply know and be very honest with ourselves. Another challenge is that there are some things that seem harmless, even very pleasing in some way, and yet they do little to enhance the quality of our lives but instead squander the time, energy, and other resources that could be better invested. Many things marketed to us in popular culture fall into this category, often made to seem as if they are essential to “the good life,” when in fact they are the psychospiritual equivalent of junk food. These things are among the superfluities referenced in the lesson of the Common Gavel; guarding the west gate of ourselves keeps them from being added to all the stuff we need to chip away.

Tyling Ourselves

In the work of our lodges, tyling is meant to protect our sacred space from the intrusion of the “profane,” those in the world around us who have not passed the tests of the west gate and are not duly initiated into our tradition. It also prevents members of lower degrees from admission into meetings, rituals, or ceremonies for which they are not qualified. Referring to the lodge as an analogy for the self, the implications include not only those we have already seen with guarding the west gate, but also recognizing that some things we might recognize as generally worthy parts of our lives are not always fitting to admit within the boundary of specific moments of conscious attention.

The Tyler’s instrument is the sword, which we naturally associate with protection and defense against threats. At a more symbolic level, the sword is often said to represent the power of reason, which can cut through illusions, divide one thing from another, and penetrate toward deeper understandings. There are meaningful connections here with the lesson of the 24-inch Gauge. That instrument teaches us about the need to equitably divide our time – and  thus our attention, energy, and other resources – among our usual vocations, the service of God and others, and our own rest and refreshment. In both cases, we are talking about the power of discernment and how it can be used to focus our minds and efforts, and the importance of such focus on being able to make intentional differences in our lives and the lives of others.

Exercising this discernment in the act of self-tyling involves the recognition that certain attitudes and actions are not appropriate during some Masonic activities that would be entirely fitting during other kinds of fellowship. For a specific example, recall that all our proceedings should be free from political and religious debate, even though such discussions can be very meaningful among brethren outside the lodge. The compasses should also come to mind here, for they represent the ability to circumscribe our desires and keep our passions within due bounds. As another example, consider that when we are sitting in lodge, profane thoughts include distracting ourselves with matters outside the lodge, such as our jobs and hobbies. So, we self-tyle by setting such thoughts aside and attending as fully as possible to the work for which the lodge has assembled. As a final case, note that the fun and banter that we may enjoy during a festive board is not conducive to the solemn purposes of a degree ritual. Self-tyling in this context includes not only being aware of one’s own thoughts and feelings, such as temptations to get a laugh with a wisecrack or a comedic act, but also internally saying no to such potentials and refocusing oneself in the proper mood and mentality for the work at hand.  

Finally, I want to discuss self-tyling in the context of contemplation, those practices of stilling and focusing the mind that our ritual repeatedly recommends in our search for more light. Such practices can include centering consciousness on the image of a Masonic symbol, pondering a part of our ritual, meditating on the challenges of embodying one of our traditional virtues, internally chanting one of our sacred words, or sitting in reverent silent openness to the presence of the Divine. Whatever the case may be, self-tyling in these situations begins with one’s awareness of things that distract from the intention of the moment. Most often, such distractions include sensory perceptions, leftover emotions from a previous experience, or the wandering of our thoughts from one tangent to another. In such cases, self-tyling is the act of recognizing these internal “cowans and eavesdroppers” and then simply letting them go or turning attention away from them to refocus on the intended practice. Despite the symbolic relevance of the sword to this process, it should not be a hostile or violent act, for negativity only makes things worse. Rather, this self-tyling is best accomplished with patience and understanding, and the commitment to gently realign our attention with our intention as often as necessary. It is metaphorically bringing our focus back to the chosen point within the circle of our awareness. In fact, that process of self-redirection is itself a very good practice that over time enhances the other forms of self-tyling and guarding our own west gates, and facilitates the development of more wisdom, strength, and beauty not only internally, but in how we behave with others.

Whether doing the work of Masonry within the physical lodge of our fraternity or the psychospiritual lodge of the self, what happens there is meant to prepare us to be more effective instruments of light, and we should govern ourselves accordingly. 

~CRD

Brother Chuck Dunning

is an advocate, facilitator, trainer, and consultant in contemplative practice, with more than 30 years in the professional fields of higher education and mental health, as well as in Masonry and other currents in the Western esoteric traditions. He has authored Contemplative Masonry: Basic Applications of Mindfulness, Meditation, and Imagery for the Craft (2016), and The Contemplative Lodge: A Manual for Masons Doing Inner Work Together (coming in 2020), and was a contributing author in The Art and Science of Initiation (2019). Chuck has articles published in several Masonic journals and websites, is a nationally recognized speaker and trainer on the Masonic Educational circuit, and has been interviewed for numerous periodicals and podcasts. In 2019, the College of Freemasonry in Rochester, New York presented him with the Thomas W. Jackson Masonic Education Award for Fraternal Leadership in Masonic Research and Esoteric Study. In 2018, the Southern California Research Lodge recognized him as being among the Top Ten Esoteric Masonic Authors. Chuck is the founding Superintendent of the Academy of Reflection, which is a chartered organization for Scottish Rite Masons wanting to integrate contemplative practice with their Masonic experience. He is also a Full Member of the Texas Lodge of Research. You can contact Chuck via his webpage: https://chuckdunning.com/.

From the Archives: The 50 Year Member: Part Two - What Come You Here To Do?

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Bill Hosler, PM

The 50 year member was sitting in his seat in the lodge room waiting for lodge to open. He had a nice dinner and conversation with his Brethren and was in a good mood as the younger guys sat the room up so they could open lodge. 

As the 50 year member was sitting there Pudge walked into the room and sat next to him. Pudge was quiet also but he had a worried look on his face.

“How’s it going Pudge?” the 50 year member asked. “It looks like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders.” Pudge smiles and says “It isn’t that bad. I just have to make a decision to make and I am not sure which way to go.” The 50 year member felt for the young man. Recently Pudge had been coming to his house and helping him learn the computer and access the internet. He and Pudge had very little in common except Masonry. There was a difference of 50 years in their ages and their world views was so far apart but with even with all the differences between them there was a friendship that had began to build between them with all the time they were spending together.

“The night I was raised a few months ago I was presented with several petitions for other Masonic organizations.” Pudge said “I keep telling the Brothers I’m thinking about it but I’m not sure if I am ready to join anything else.” The old man smiled. He could remember the same thing happening to him when he joined so many years ago. Back then it was common to join other Masonic organizations after becoming a Master Mason. Lodges were so busy back then sometimes you couldn’t become an officer of the lodge for several years after joining because there was a line of men waiting to go through the chairs. Heck, sometimes there was a last minute scramble to find enough chairs to accommodate all the Brethren who wanted to attend degree work!  Over the years The 50 year member had sit in the East of several bodies and was an officer of the local Scottish Rite valley before he was able to take his turn in the Oriental chair of the lodge.

All that changed in the late 70’s as some of the older members passed away. The numbers attending meetings got smaller and it became normal for men to go through the chairs two or three times. Our sons weren’t interested in Masonry because of their counter culture and never joined so all of the Brethren got older and every year the numbers attending meetings continued to dwindle. 

Not only did the number of members in lodge get smaller but they also did in the other Masonic bodies. Since then each new member became fodder to keep their bodies alive.

One of the younger men he knew was an dais officer in all three York Rite bodies and an officer of his lodge. This Brother was constantly trying to learn multiple pieces of ritual at the same time while trying to work and spend time with his family. Several times he had heard this younger Brother talking about this issue. He wanted to step down from several positions but hesitated because if he quit there was a chance that the bodies wouldn’t be able to open because they wouldn’t have enough members to open.

“Let me ask you a question Pudge.” The 50 year member said “When you came into lodge you were asked What come you here to do.” “What did you want to get out of Masonry?” “Well, I wanted to belong to something bigger than myself. I wanted to help other people and become a better person.” Pudge said “Do you think you can achieve that by joining these other groups?” The 50 year member asked. “Each one of these groups has a charity and each one helps a lot of people.” Pudge replied “But if I get wrapped up in all these charities I will feel good helping people but I’m not sure I would be helping myself.” “That is true Brother” The 50 year member replied. “Helping people is a virtue and is truly laudable but as they say charity begins at home. If you aren’t working on your own ashlar first you won’t be able to give your full potential to these other endeavors.”

“Let me ask you a question Pudge.” The 50 year member said “What do you think is Freemasonry’s greatest charity?” Pudge started thinking “We have so many great charities. The CHIP program, scholarships for kids, we clean up highways.  It’s hard to pick just one.” The old man smiled “You are right Brother. Each one of these things are beneficial to the public and shows the outside world that we are great men and encourages other great men to join us, but you are missing our greatest charity.” Pudge looked perplexed “I know we have more but I don’t know which you are thinking about”.  The 50 year member replied “Masonic charity my Brother, is our greatest charity but sadly no one thinks about it these days. I’m afraid helping out a Brother doesn’t get us headlines in the newspaper.”

The 50 year member continued “Masonic charity has been a pillar in our fraternity since time in memorial. There are countless stories on how a man would risk his life to help a Brother who was in harm’s way. It knows no boundaries of state or country. 

It also extends to our widows and orphans. We play lip service to them in our opening and closings but what do we really do to help them? Back in the days before we had a Masonic retirement home we would make sure these poor souls had plenty of food and fuel to keep them warm.  These days we have a dinner for them once a year, what about the other 364 days? Maybe they would just like to have a visit and let them know we are thinking about them.”

Pudge got silent. By the look on his face you could see he was taken aback. “I never thought about taking care of our own as a charity.” Pudge said “I guess I have a lot to learn about Freemasonry.” The old man smiled “Brother we never stop learning. Even an old codger like me will never know everything about our Craft that I should know. But this should answer your question. How can you be of service to the other bodies if you haven’t learned as much about the Blue lodge as you can first?” The old man continued “I suggest you spend at least one year learning about your lodge, learn the ritual, maybe take an office read as much as you can about your fraternity. Bring in new members and help them on their journey and make your lodge stronger THEN consider joining another body. Not only will the lodge be better off but you will be better prepared for the groups you will be joining. Just remember Masonry is a journey, not a footrace. You have until you meet the Grand Architect of the Universe to accomplish all these things.”

Pudge smiled “Thank you Brother. You really took a load off my shoulders. This really helps me with my decision.” “You’re welcome” the 50 year member said. “You knew the right answer all along but sometimes it helps to hear someone else tell you what you already know.”

~BH

Bill Hosler was raised in 2002 in Three Rivers lodge #733 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He served as master of the lodge in 2007 and was a member of the Internet committee for the Grand Lodge of Indiana F&AM. Bill is currently a member of Roff lodge #169 in Roff, Oklahoma and Lebanon lodge #837 in Frisco, Texas he is also a 32° Scottish Rite Mason within the Fort Wayne, Indiana Valley AASR NMJ. Bill has also served as High priest of Fort Wayne Chapter #19 Royal Arch masons and Commander of Fort Wayne Commandery #4 Knights Templar and the Webmaster and magazine editor for Mizpah Shrine in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Success In Teamwork

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Randy Sanders

I happened across an advertisement for a backyard-sized commercial smoker, used, for just over half of the retail price.  Of course, you know I purchased it.  Uh oh, now I have to move this beast that weighs well over 300 pounds across half the state of Missouri.  I reached out to a few friends and Brothers, and within hours I had a crew of Andrew, Jason, and Elieser confirmed to make a 6-hour excursion to retrieve and install a rather large charcoal smoker.  A huge shout out of thanks to Brother Glenn who let me borrow his trailer. 

The crew came together from several different parts of my life, and they hadn’t previously met.  This was surprising to me as I don’t consider my life to be compartmentalized, but it just happened that way.  The crew was introduced, we drove through a Mcdonald's for an early breakfast on the road, and the crew got to know each other over the miles as we drove to pick up the smoker.  This turned out to be less of a chore than expected, as the smoker was well designed with oversized wheels and easy handles to use for maneuvering.  We strapped it down to the trailer so well it would make a loadmaster proud, and the conversation on the way back was even better than the initial meet-n-greet. 

I am blessed to have such friends and Brothers, and these gentlemen displayed teamwork and applied their experience in many ways.  They assessed the situation, observed obstacles to be overcome, removed or remedied the obstacles, created a plan to move forward, and executed the plan with only one minor adjustment made on the fly.  I couldn’t be prouder to showcase such dedication and teamwork in relating to this event, and I believe it applies to our everyday Masonic objectives. 

 We Masons meet with a bonding of fraternal ties.  We work together within this fraternity, doing together what we as individuals may struggle to accomplish.  We make something greater than the sum of the parts of our individuality.  There showcases the lesson.

 Just as my Brothers and friends came together to assist me in a task, we took away something greater than the task itself.  We took away an experience, a moment in time, where we met, found commonality and friendship, and worked together to accomplish a goal.  I see the need in Freemasonry to approach membership in committees in the same light.  I see the need to partner with our Grand Officers, Masters, and Wardens in the same light.  I see the need to partner with our external outreach to charity and other functions in that same light of teamwork and joy. 

The other message of “just show up” also came to me.  We four came together on a cool, crisp morning to work together in teamwork helping accomplish something that one, me, would have struggled to accomplish alone.  Whether it be manning the booth at a county fair, helping cook spaghetti or pancakes, or sitting at a table to hand out promotional materials, it matters not.  Our gift is the fraternity of working with each other to be part of the greater good.

The smoker’s first firing was excellent.  As I work to master the design, the venting, and the baffles, I also make the plans to invite Andrew, Jason, and Eli over to sample the tasty results of their efforts.  I believe we should rethink how committees and groups are meeting in this busy world.  We should consider meeting over dinner or at least meeting socially while focusing on the goal of the meeting.  The rewards of the efforts, while in the fraternity of the task, should always be recognized and celebrated too, right?

~RS

Randy and his wife Elyana live near St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Randy earned a bachelor's 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 of 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, a 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.