Good morning brothers.

It’s been a little while since I’ve made an entry into this blog. I don’t want to waste time, so I’m going to get straight to the point.

Unofficial Meetings for the purposes of Freemasonry and it’s members.

Over this past weekend I had the honor and privilege of meeting with some of the best minds in Ohio Freemasonry. And even some great minds outside the state of Ohio. I attended an annual event called “Camp Masonry”. This two day event is setup for the sole purpose of spreading light, having open discussions among master Masons, watching some of the best degree work in the state, and seeing guest speakers come from all over to present various subjects on our craft.

One such situation that has stood out, was an open discussion using Mackey’s encyclopedia of Freemasonry. About six of us opened the books, chose a word, read the definition aloud, and discussed potential applications of the word. This was a rather fruitful discussion and the conversation that followed the readings were not only enjoyable from a fellowship perspective, but also from a fraternal perspective.

Another few things that were eye opening, were the various presentations about the craft. Brother Robert Johnson from the Masonic round table, and whence came you podcast, gave an amazing two part presentation titled “Esoterics 101”. He discussed the ineffable name, kabala, Egyptian theological ties, as well as other key factors that are very compelling. Even to those who may not have ventured into esoterica, his presentation will no doubt leave you wondering how deep that rabbit hole can go. If you get an opportunity to be present for it, I highly recommend that you see his presentation.

Another notable presentation was given by Bro Dan Hrinko. He discussed how Arts and Science lodge #792 was formed, how they go through potential candidates, how they meet, and how they maintain almost a 100% active lodge membership attendance.

Why am I writing this? It’s quite simple. This was a two day event that was absolutely packed with education, fellowship, and Freemasonry. There were no distractions, no minutes to read, lots of open discussions about Freemasonry, and the opportunity to spread cement among brothers. Events like these are too few in my opinion. We need to have more of these across the country and even the world. So much focus is out on philanthropic endeavors for others, which is an amazing thing. But how many times a year do we have the opportunity to meet in an unofficial capacity, with no real distractions or time limits, or subjective limitations on subjects or application? How many events are held for the sole purpose of spreading light and information within the craft. This is far beyond just a barbeque. This goes well past a parade, or day event. This event was open to Master Masons for the sole purpose of fraternal expansion, education, and fellowship.

What I personally pulled from this experience is simple. The fraternity has so long been focused on community service (which should never stop) without any in depth service to it’s members. Very few unofficial events take place that are not open to the public, for the purposes of the craft and it’s applications. I highly recommend that if you have an opportunity to plan an event such as this, or attend camp masonry specifically, do it. It was the highlight of my year. It has brought me out of a fraternal funk and has inspired me to press on, because the fraternity makes good men better, as long as we openly discuss ways in which we can do this.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to share.

Fraternally, Dave Bacon.

Special Thanks to Camp Masonry, Bro. Jason Shamy, and all it’s event coordinators who made this experience possible for all who attended.