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Quark, Strangeness and Charm

Freemasons: The silent destroyers - deist religious cult based on the Knights Templar

Have a good look round inside Bristol Freemason's Hall

" ...these people can poison every part of a person's life." Christian ex-masonic judge, 'Christopher', speaks out

Below - My 2011 TV debate with Cardiff Freemason Jim Bevan -|-|-|- Freemasonry and Witchcraft initiation rites compared

"The great strength of our Order lies in its concealment; let it never appear in any place in its own name, but always covered by another name, and another occupation. None is better than the three lower degrees of Free Masonry; the public is accustomed to it, expects little from it, and therefore takes little notice of it. Next to this, the form of a learned or literary society is best suited to our purpose, and had Free Masonry not existed, this cover would have been employed; and it may be much more than a cover, it may be a powerful engine in our hands. By establishing reading societies, and subscription libraries, and taking these under our direction, and supplying them through our labours, we may turn the public mind which way we will." - Adam Weishaupt, founder of the Illuminati in John Robison's Proofs of a Conspiracy, 1793.

Books, films and ex-Freemason exposees

Without doubt the most useful and accurate information on the Freemasons comes from ex memers of 'the craft'.

Conservative MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke Jack Lopresti outed as a Freemason

The Light Behind Masonry - Bill Schnoebelen (2h:25m - 2006)

Bill Schnoebelen exposes the truth behind the secret club known as Freemasonry. A large percentage of Masons are kept in the dark on purpose so the real agenda can be carried out. Bill exposes the intentions behind the images put forth by the Masons and Shriners. http://www.prophecyclub.com ... See also Exposing The Illuminati From Within

Anything To Declare? - BBC Southern Eye Freemasonry & Vested Interests (30m. - 2000)

BBC present clear proof of masonic corruption in planning decisions and on planning committees. Do we need a register of freemasons or are freemasons being unfairly singled out?Secret Society with secret ceremonies, protect and promote fellow members.Guilds disappeared but the secret symbols. Quarrying areas are densely masonic. On Portland there are 6 masonic lodges and 500 members. Nationally about 1 in 70 men are freemasons, in Portland it is 1 in 8 ... See also http://www.wittysparks.com/video/3125187310/

Rites And Wrongs - ITV West Freemasonry documentary, West Eye View (30m.- 1999)

This fascinating documentary goes behind the bricked-up windows of the Masonic temples to reveal the secrets of the craft. "Why does anybody need to throw a rope around your neck and present you with a sharp blade to reinforce their obligations? The masons say that Freemasonry is not and never has been a secret society. The Masonic province of Gloucestershire, is based at Wotton-under-Edge. Richard Gillett, a retired bank official, administers an organisation of 4,500 members - grouped in 78 branches, or lodges, across the county.

Riddles In Stone - Secret Architecture of Washington, D.C. (2h:55m - 2008)

America. Why was this nation founded? How was the precise location of Washington, D.C., determined? What is the meaning of the seemingly countless occult images in our nation's capitol? Volume II zeroes in on the Masonic & Rosicrucian influence so prevalent amongst our Founding Fathers as they planned, and began to implement, the layout of America's Capitol.

Please also see the following books too but be careful as many books purporting to expose freemasonry are either badly researched or deliberate disinformation. The best four I have come across, in order of their publication, are:

Proofs Of A Conspiracy Against All The Religions And Governments Of Europe - by Prof. John Robison (1793) - alternate link

Code of the Illuminati: Part III of Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism by Abbé Augustin Barruel (1798)

Darkness Visible, A Christian Appraisal Of Freemasonry - by Walton Hannah (1951)

The Brotherhood, The Secret World Of The Freemasons - by Stephen Knight (1984)

Inside The Brotherhood, Further Secrets Of Freemasonry - by Martin Short (1989)

My page on the Skull and Bones, the occultist secret society at Yale University

Bristol's masonic Royal Arch synagogue of satan in pictures

Masonic province of Bristol, byelaws from Provincial Yearbook 1987

When a freemason is being initiated into the third degree he is nearly as possible struck on the forehead in the dark, being then pushed back either into a coffin or onto a coffin shape design on the floor. His fellow masons then lift him up and when he opens his eyes he is confronted with a human skull and crossed bones. Under this death threat, and other death threats he swears, as initiated, into each new degree. How then, can any freemason of third degree or higher be trusted, particularly in public office? He is hoodwinked literally and metaphorically, voluntarily placing himself in a cult... and under a curse.

Secret control of planning committees, how knowledge of the masonic cult is suppressed: Two local TV documentaries never shown on UK national television or elsewhere....

G reat Architect of the Universe?

Important note: Not all masons are aware that freemasonry is used as a cover for evil! Many initiates disapprove of self-seeking criminality and persecution that goes on, particularly at the higher degrees. These higher degrees are controlled by a 'higher' order calling itself 'Illuminated' Masonry.

French and continental 'Grand Orient' Freemasonry is largely separate from 'Anglo-Saxon' Freemasonry, as exemplified by the grand lodges of England, Ireland, Scotland and the USA. Traditionally they have been 'at war'. Anglo-Saxon Freemasonry believes in the 'Great Architect of the Universe' - GAOTU - and its rituals are ostensibly monotheistic (if Luciferian) - whereas Grand Orient Freemasonry is godless.

1. Help for the victims of freemasonry http://www.reachouttrust.org/

2. Since 1973, the SCP has been a frontline ministry confronting the occult and explaining why they are making an impact on our society. http://www.scp-inc.org/

Book extracts:

United Grand Lodge

Complete texts of masonic rituals - three craft degrees and royal arch

The following rituals are copied directly from the small black (craft) and red (royal arch) books of masonic ritual given to candidates. In these books many expressions are represented only by their initial letter or, in the case of passwords and similar words simply by a blank underscore line. These have all been completed by an ex-royal arch freemason for publication here on the web.

Links to the full texts of initiation rituals

1st Degree Entered Apprentice

2nd Degree Fellow Craft

3rd Degree Master Mason

Royal Arch (Knights Templar) Ceremony

Note on substitution of 'penalties'

These small Masonic ritual books include an alternative form or 'substituted text' introduced by masonic officials as a response to criticism of the ritual 'penalties' where the candidate willingly places him or herself under various gruesome threats of death if masonic secrets are revealed. When freemasons are accused of using death threats in their initiation rites they often attempt to rebuke such criticism by saying that these have now been substituted for a tamer form of words. This substitution is optional in the original book text.

The modern, alternative form of the penalty is 'ever bearing in mind the traditional penalty' rather than the older form which is 'under no less a penalty'. The original 'no lesser penalty' is used here.

The three craft rituals have been extracted from the following masonic publication:

EMULATION RITUAL

as demonstrated in the

EMULATION LODGE OF IMPROVEMENT

Compiled by and published with the approval of the Committee of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement

A LEWIS (Masonic Publishers) Ltd.

Terminal House, Shepperton, Middlesex, TW17 8AS

ISBN 085318 006 7

Masonic province of Bristol, byelaws from Provincial Yearbook 1987

Extracted from Bristol Freemasons' Provincial Yearbook 1987

THE PROVINCE OF BRISTOL

Events of the past year have followed the usual pattern for the Province. There have appeared in local newspapers some anti--Masonic reports and the Provincial Office has received requests for Masonic information. Invitations to talk on T.V. and a request to bring T. V. cameras into the building to interview members have been made. All these impudent requests were politely turned down. We must all understand that a refusal to answer questions must be maintained under such circumstances. Silence must be our policy. The letters from the Grand Secretary are most informative and he has given us guidelines for dealing with the media. Brethren who have encountered difficulties from outside should inform our Provincial Secretary who keeps a record of all such occurrences.

The Annual Meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge was held on Saturday, 9th May 1987 in the Conference Room of the Council House. A very good attendance was recorded. We were pleased to welcome several Provincial Grand Masters and their officers and' it was a most happy meeting. V.W. Bro. Jack Smallcombe was re-appointed as Deputy Provincial Grand Master. W. Bro. P.M. Stevens (5052) was invested as Provincial Senior Grand Warden and W. Bro. E.J. Higgs (7401) was invested as Provincial Junior Grand Warden. I must thank our two retiring Wardens, W. Bro. A. G. Hopton (4503) and W. Bro. RS. Smith (4701) for their splendid work throughout the year. They well supported the Masters and did much to raise monies for the organ fund.

As every member must know the organ in No. 1 Lodge Room has given trouble for a long time. It has now been restored to its former glory. Unforeseen difficulties were encountered which prevented the organ builders from completing the repairs in time for our first meetings in September. It is now finished and sounds a different instrument and our organists are happy with it. A celebration organ recital together with a buffet took place on 24th October, Bro. F.J.C. Bray (5052), Bro Ivan Fowler (1404) and Bro. C.J.C. Hart (3663) played, with Bro. Michael Taylor (1404) Baritone as Soloist. Families were invited and it was an enjoyable occasion.

Demonstrations of our unique working have been given in other Provinces and requests have been received taking us up to 1989.

We have entertained several visitors from overseas including the Grand Historian of the Grand Lodge of Oregon, W. Bro. Martin Nickelsen and a party of German bretl1ren who were guests of Royal Clarence Lodge.

Parts of the building have undergone repairs and new equipment has been fitted in the kitchen which will greatly assist our catering staff and in turn benefit us on the receiving end. The dining rooms, vestibule and lower floor have been decorated and a more cheerful atmosphere now exists. Our Board Member W. Bro. B.R Woodward has to be thanked for supervising al1 this work. Appropriate table place indicator badges for use at Provincial Grand Lodge visits have been made by W. Bro. D.A. Knights-Branch (Provincial Grand Treasurer) and wands in Nos. 1 and 3 Lodge Rooms have been refurbished by W. Bro. R. S. Smith. We are indebted to these brethren for so kindly thinking of these improvements.

A new portrait of the Grand Master, Bro. His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent now adorns the Vestibule.

At the Annual Investiture in London our Deputy Provincial Grand Master was promoted to Past Grand Sword Bearer and W. Bro. D.H. Fox (7401) was appointed to the rank of Past Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies and on the following day he received the rank of Past Grand Standard Bearer in Supreme Grand Chapter. Hearty congratulations are due to both these brethren on these well earned honours.

The Annual Carol Service at St. Mary Redcliffe Church was again well attended. The willingness of the church authorities in granting us the great privilege of using their beautiful edifice is fully appreciated by the Province.

The Royal Arch Chapters of the Province have enjoyed an interesting year and a number of visitors were recorded. The ceremonies have been very well presented and I congratulate the Principals for their zeal and enthusiasm. I commend all Master Masons who are not Royal Arch Masons seriously to consider joining one of our Chapters.

The Annual Convocation of Provincial Grand Royal Arch Chapter took place at Park Street on 22nd May. E. Companion Jack Smallcombe was re-appointed as Second Provincial Grand Principal and E. Companion B.R Woodward (3145) was appointed, obligated and installed as Third Provincial Grand Principal. E. Companion

A.G. Hopton (6673) was invested as Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies on the retirement of E. Companion A.M. Graves (686) who has for twelve years served the Province with dignity and distinction. We thank him and wish him a long and happy retirement.

Now that the Grand Charity appeal is completed and our Organ Fund finished a "Bristol Masonic Charitable Trust" is in process of being formed. This will be a permanent fund with wider objects than the Bristol Masonic Benevolent Institution and it will have power to give support to worthy non-Masonic Charities in our own area. More news will be forthcoming shortly.

Our Librarian and Archivist and his willing assistants have found more treasures hidden in the Library. Brethren should visit this fascinating room on our top floor to see the interesting books and Masonic items there. Brethren with anything of interest. even old menus and summonses should show them to W. Bro. Haugh who will be pleased to display them.

In June Bro. Peter Dibb (4561) retired from his duties as Hall Keeper. We thank him for his good services during the past five years and wish him and Mrs. Dibb a long and happy retirement

Bro. W. Holman (2943) has been appointed Hall Keeper and he and Mrs. Holman are now in residence in the flat at the top of our building.

Membership has fallen slightly due to deaths and brethren moving out of the district. Younger members are needed to fill offices in the lodges and chapters. There are pamphlets available from the Secretary's office which explain Freemasonry and its objects and are suitable for handing to non-Masonic friends who may show an interest in joining our Order.

Let us look forward to another happy year in 1988. I offer good wishes and fraternal greetings to every member of the Province.

A.G.J. Mickleburgh,

Provincial Grand Master,

Grand Superintendent in and over the Province of Bristol. December, 1987

FREEMASONS' HALL, PARK STREET, BRISTOL, OS1 5NH.

HALL KEEPER Brother William A. Holman

The Hall is NOT open to Members nor to Visiting Brethren until 5.30 p.m., Monday to Friday evenings Ground Floor and Basement ONLY (Service lighting); Saturdays 4.0 p.m. There is no access to the First or Second Floors (Monday to Friday evenings) for Meet-ings or Rehearsals until 6.0 p.m. The service entrance in Hill Street is never available to Members nor to Visiting Brethren.

Passenger Lift is NOT available until 6.0 p.m.

After-Meetings to terminate at 10.30 p.m. prompt whereby Treasurers, Stewards and Brethren are clear of the premises before Final Closing Time - 11.15 p.m.

Arrangements for emergency Meetings as well as additional Rehearsals and/or Committee Meetings - other than Regular Meet-ings, etc., listed on pages 11 to 21- to be made with the Hall Manager.

Rentals to be remitted to the Provincial Office.

Telephone Call Box (Kiosk) situated on right of swing doors to Basement Cloak Rooms at foot of main staircase. Usual Telephone Call Box charges.

All Smoking is prohibited above the Ground Floor (except in Committee Rooms on second floor)

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF BRISTOL

BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I

In accordance with the Book of Constitutions (Rule 65) a Provincial Grand Lodge consists of the Provincial Grand Master, the present and past Provincial Grand officers, the Provincial Grand Stewards for the year, the Master, Past Masters and Wardens of all Lodges in the Province, and Past Masters of any Lodge under the English Constitution, if members of Grand Lodge; but no Brother can be a member of a Provincial Grand Lodge unless he is a subscribing member of a Lodge within such Province.

II.

A Provincial Grand Lodge shall be held once at least in every year, on the Second Friday in February, at half-past seven o'clock in the evening, or on such other day or at such other time as the Provincial Grand Master may appoint. At least seven days previous to each Meeting a Summons shall be sent by the Provincial Grand Secretary to the actual Provincial Grand Officers, and also to all other Brethren entitled to attend the Provincial Grand Lodge and whose names shall have been returned pursuant to Article XV.

III.

At every Meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge it shall be the especial duty of the Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies and his Assistant, and of the Provincial Grand Pursuivant and his Assistant, to guard against the admission of any but those entitled to attend or who are duly invited under the authority of the Provincial Grand Master or his Deputy; and to see that all are properly clothed and wearing the Jewel of their present or past Office.

IV.

The Provincial Grand Registrar shall have the custody of the Seal of the Provincial Grand Lodge, and shall affix, or authorise the Provincial Grand Secretary to affix, the same to all Documents issued by the authority of the Provincial Grand Lodge, to which the Provincial Grand Lodge shall direct the Seal to be affixed. He shall take care that all Documents to-which the Seal is affixed are in due form.

V.

The Provincial Grand Secretary shall keep a Register, in which shall be inserted the names of the present and past Officers of the Provincial Grand Lodge. He shall also record, or cause to be recorded, the names of the members present at each Meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge.

NOTE- Correct minutes of the proceedings of the Provincial Grand Lodge or of ally Board or Committee thereof, shall be properly kept in suitable books for the purpose, which shall be produced by the Provincial Grand Master for the inspection of the Grand Master or the Grand Lodge, whenever required. - Vide Constitutions, "Provincial and District Grand Lodges, .. Rule 82.

VI.

The Provincial Grand Lodge being opened, the minutes of the last regular Provincial Grand Lodge and of any intervening Especial Provincial Grand Lodge, are to be read and put for confirmation, and all other business then regularly proceeded with.

VII.

It being very desirable that all matters of business to be brought under the consideration of Provincial Grand Lodge, shall, so far as practicable, be previously made known to the Members. Any Member of the Provincial Grand Lodge intending to move any resolution, or to submit any matter for its consideration and decision, shall state in writing, the substance of his intended motion or business, and transmit the same to the Provincial Grand Master or his Deputy, through the Provincial Grand Secretary, at least twenty-eight days before the meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge at which the same is to be considered and decided on. The substance of such intended motion or business shall be inserted in the Summonses for such meeting, and no motion or other matter shall be brought into discussion in the Provincial Grand Lodge, until such communication shall have been first made, unless the permission of the Provincial Grand Master, or his Deputy, shall have been first obtained. This regulation does not extend to the Provincial Grand Master, or his Deputy, who may, without any previous notice, at all times introduce, or permit to be introduced, any matter for the consideration and decision of the Provincial Grand Lodge as occasion may require.

VIII.

At the meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge to be held in the month of February annually, the Provincial Grand Officers shall be nominated, installed and invested by the Provincial Grand Master, or his Deputy, and at the same time a Treasurer shall be elected, who is thereby authorised to receive all monies belonging or payable to the Provincial Grand Lodge, and discharge all accounts due therefrom.

NOTE- The Treasurer is required to keep a regular account of his. receipts. and payments, and to produce such, Accounts at every Provincial Grand Lodge; and the same are to be audited once in each year, and a copy thereof transmitted to the Lodges within the Province. - Vide Constitutions, "Provincial and District Grand Lodges," Rule 85.

IX.

The Furniture, Jewels, and all other Property 'belonging to the Provincial Grand Lodge, shall be under the care of the Provincial Grand Treasurer, who shall be responsible for the same. An Inventory thereof shall be made and kept, and on every change in the Office of Treasurer, the newly-elected Treasurer shall ascertain by examination that all the Furniture, Jewels, and other Property comprised in such Inventory are forthcoming, and sign a memorandum to that effect, but, in case he shall find any article missing, he shall make a special note thereof, and forthwith report the same to the Provincial Grand Master, or his Deputy.

X.

The Treasurer's Accounts shall be audited by two Masters, or Past Masters of Lodges, to be appointed by the Provincial Grand Master, or his Deputy, previously to the Annual Meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge. At such Meeting such Audited Accounts shaH be read, and a copy thereof forthwith transmitted by the Provincial Grand Secretary to the Lodges within the Province.

XI.

In order to establish a Local Fund, to be appropriated to Charitable and other Masonic purposes, each Lodge in the Province shall pay to the Provincial Grand Lodge 60p per annum for every contributing Member, and £1.00 for every Brother who has been initiated. Fee for registering a new Lodge £2.10.

XII.

Every Brother on his first appointment to anyone of the following offices, shall pay to the Provincial Grand Lodge the following Fees of Office, viz:-

The Deputy Provincial Grand Master. . . . . . .. £5.00

Provincial Grand Wardens, each. . . . . . . ... .. £10.00

Provincial Grand Chaplains, each. . .. . . . .. .. £10.00

Provincial Grand Treasurer. . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. £10.00

Provincial Grand Registrar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. £10.00

Provincial Grand Secretary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. nil

Provincial Grand Deacons, each. . . . . . . . . . .. £10.00

All other Officers (except Provincial Grand Stewards) ,... . . . . . . . . . . . .. £10.00

Provincial Grand Stewards, each. . . . . . . . . . . .. £5.00

Any Brother appointed to Past Provincial Grand Rank (in accordance with Rule 69, Book of Constitutions) shall pay the Fee appropriate to his Office.

XIII.

The Fees specified in Article XII, shall not be payable on the re-appointment of any Past Provincial Grand Officer to the same office, nor on the appointment of any Past Provincial Grand Officer to an office inferior in rank to that which he has before held, and in respect of which he has paid an appointment fee. And any Brother who may be promoted from an inferior to a superior office in the Provincial Grand Lodge shall pay one-half only of the fee payable in respect of the office to which he is advanced.

XIV.

No Brother shall be allowed to rank as a Past Provincial Grand Officer unless he has paid his appointment fee and served in his office for one term, or has been appointed to Past Provincial Grand Rank in accordance with Rule 69, Book of Constitutions.

XV.

The Master of each Lodge in the Province shall annually, on or after the 31 st day of December, but in no case later than the 21 st day of January next following, cause a correct Return up to December 31 st of its Members, and the Brethren initiated or admitted therein during the preceding twelve months, with the dates of the joining, initiation, passing and raising of each Brother, to be made out in the prescribed form, and signed by him, and delivered to the Provincial Grand Secretary, and shall at the same time pay the sums of money due or payable to the Provincial Grand Lodge by virtue of Article XI. At the same time such Master shall cause a Return, signed by him, to be made to the Provincial Grand Secretary, of each Member of his Lodge claiming to be entitled to attend the Provincial Grand Lodge.

XVI.

Should any Lodge neglect for one whole year to make its Returns and Payments agreeably to Article» XI. and XV.. the Master, Wardens and Past Masters of such Lodge shall not. without the especial permission of the Provincial Grand Master. or his Deputy, be allowed to attend any Meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge until such Returns and Payments shall have been made. And in case of continued neglect after admonition. such Lodge shall be reported to the Grand Lodge of England, and such measures adopted as are warranted by the Laws and Constitutions of the Order.

XVII.

If at any time it shall hereafter be deemed advisable to repeal all, any, or either of these By-Laws, and to substitute any other By- Law or By- Laws, such proposed amendment shall, before the same is proposed in Provincial Grand Lodge, be reduced into writing, and submitted to the Provincial Grand Master or his Deputy, and if found not to contain anything contrary to the Constitutions or the Ancient Landmarks of the Order. then such amendment may be proposed in Provincial Grand Lodge (subject to the regulations contained in Article VII.). and. if the proposition be seconded. the question shall be put thereon for the opinion of the Provincial Grand Lodge. If approved by a majority of the Members, then present, such amended By-Laws shall be forwarded to the Grand Master for his approval, and, on this being obtained, shall become the By- Laws of the Provincial Grand Lodge.

XVIII.

These By-Laws, Rules and Regulations shall be binding on all the Lodges within the Province, unless and until the same shall be legally repealed or altered in pursuance of Article XVII., and the same shall be forthwith printed for use of the Provincial Grand Lodge Officers and the Lodges of the Province.

We have perused the afore going By-laws, and find they do not contain anything contrary to the Constitutions or the Ancient Landmarks of the Order.

GEORGE ABRAHAM GIBBS,

Provincial Grand Master

ERNEST HENRY COOK,

Deputy Provincial Grand Master

JOHN GARD,

Provincial Grand Secretary,

BRISTOL, January 31st, 1913

Approved by the M.W. GRAND MASTER,

E. LETCHWORTH, G.S.

18th February, 1913

By-Law XI amended and approved 25th March, 1929; 20th June 1952; 14th July, 1978 and 12th May, 1984.

Addition to By-Law III - last sentence - approved 20th August, 1964.

By-Law XII amended and approved 12th May, 1984.

By-Law XIII amended and approved 12th May, 1984.

By-Law XI amended and approved 11 th May, 1985.

By-Law XII amended and approved 11th May, 1985.

By-Law XII amended and approved 10th May, 1986.

SUMMARY OF THE MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING OF PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF BRISTOL

The Annual Meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge of Bristol was held in the Conference Room of the Council House, College Green, Bristol, on Saturday, the 9th day of May 1987 (in accordance with the terms of Provincial Grand Lodge of Bristol By-Law No.2).

The Provincial Grand Master for Bristol, The Right Worshipful Brother Alfred George John Mickleburgh, presided and was supported by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Bristol, the Very Worshipful Brother Jack Smallcombe, P.G,.Swd.B.

The Provincial Attendance Register was signed by 126 qualified Brethren, and the Lodge Attendance Sheets by 28 Masters of Lodges in the Province, 31 Wardens, 71 Installed Masters and 46 Master Masons. Total attendance 302.

Provincial Grand Lodge was opened at 2.45 p.m. followed by the Opening Hymn.

The Roll of Officers of the Provincial Grand Lodge was called. All Officers or their deputies were reported in attendance.

The Provincial Grand Secretary announced that apologies for absence, coupled with fraternal greetings and good wishes, had been received from several Provincial Grand Masters, Deputy Provincial Grand Masters and Provincial Grand Secretaries. From the Province, six Grand Officers, one Provincial Grand Officer, seventeen Past Provincial Grand Officers, one Warden of Lodge and one Installed Master.

The Roll of Lodges in the Province was called and each of the 33 Lodges was represented.

It was proposed that the Minutes of the last Annual Meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Bristol, held in the Council House, Bristol, on Saturday the 10th day of May, 1986 (a Summary of which appears on pages 35 to 42 of the 1987 Provincial Year Book to be taken as read by the Provincial Grand Secretary W. Brother R.W.M. Howes, seconded by the Provincial Junior Grand Warden, W. Brother R.S. Smith. This was unanimously confirmed and signed by the Provincial Grand Master.

The Provincial Grand Master, the Deputy Provincial Grand Master; the Provincial Grand Masters for Monmouthshire, Stafford-shire, Herefordshire, Devonshire and Gloucestershire; the Deputy Provincial Grand Masters of Hampshire & Isle of Wight, Dorset, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, Devonshire, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire; the Assistant Provincial Grand Master of Somerset; the Provincial Grand Secretaries of Gloucestershire, Warwick-shire, Monmouthshire, Dorset and Devonshire and the Grand Officers of the Province were honoured with the salutes due to their respective ranks.

Preparatory to the reading of IN MEMORIAM the Provincial Grand Master said that death had taken a sad toll of the Brethren of Provincial Grand Lodge, all of whom had rendered loyal and valued service. At his request, the Brethren rose and stood in Solemn Silence as a tribute of regard and a token of remembrance during the reading of their names:-

W. Br. A. S. Brooks

W. Br. W.G.C. Brooke

W. Br. C.W. Childs

W. Br. A.F. Cotterell

W. Br. K.R.D. Durie

W. Br. R.G. Gell

W. Br. A.W.E. Hutchings

The audited Accounts of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Bristol, for the year 1986 were submitted by W. Brother D.A. Knights- Branch, and showed a balance in hand at 31st December 1986 of £1,610.94. The adoption of the Accounts as presented by the Provincial Grand Treasurer was proposed by the Provincial Senior Grand Warden, W. Brother A.G. Hopton, seconded by the Provincial Junior Grand Deacon, W. Brother T.J. Smith and

W. Br. E.R. Jackson W. Br. W.C. Long W. Br. J. Macrae W. Br. S.J. Parfitt W. Br. C.H. Savage W. Br. A.C. Sly unanimously approved by the members of Provincial Grand Lodge, coupled with their thanks to the Provincial Grand Treasurer for the assiduous discharge of his duties.

The Provincial Grand Treasurer reported that the Inventory of the Provincial Grand Lodge was in order at date.

The Provincial Grand Treasurer proposed the following grants to be authorised for payment from the funds of Provincial Grand Lodge.

(1) a grant of £52.50 to the Bristol Masonic Benevolent Institution.

(2) a grant of £52.50 to the Provincial Grand Secretary.

The proposal was seconded by the Provincial Grand Registrar W. Brother A.B. Lavelle and carried unanimously.

The Provincial Grand Chaplain, W. Brother H.D. Scott proposed and the Provincial Senior Grand Deacon, W. Brother L.B. Whyatt seconded that W. Brothers R.A. Chermside and A.B. Jenkins be appointed to audit the Provincial Accounts for the ensuing year.

The Provincial Grand Master then declared all Offices vacant, and thanked the outgoing Officers for their excellent work and loyalty throughout the past year. He then directed the Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies with his Deputy, to collect all Provincial Grand Jewels and Insignia of the several Offices.

The Deputy Provincial Grand Master V.W. Brother J. Small-combe proposed and the Provincial Grand Secretary W. Brother R.W.M. Howes seconded that W. Brother D.A. Knights-Branch, P.Pr.J.G.W. be elected as Pr.G. Treasurer for the ensuing year. There being no further nomination, the Provincial Grand Master declared W. Brother Knights-Branch duly elected.

The Provincial Grand Master appointed and invested his Provincial Grand Officers for the ensuing year. The Provincial Grand Treasurer, previously elected, was also invested, Past Ranks were conferred on seven Installed Masters, and fifteen Promotions made. See pages 46/47.

The report of The Provincial Grand Librarian and Archivist to the Province, W. Brother L. Haugh, P.Provincial G.Std.B., was presented to the Provincial Grand Master.

The Deputy Provincial Grand Master announced that he had selected the following Brethren whose photographs would appear in the Provincial Photograph Album.

W. Brother R.S. Smith, P.Pr.J.G.W. W. Brother A.A.C. Heron, P.Pr.Std.B.

The report of the Bristol Masonic Benevolent Institution for 1986 was presented (see page 163).

Addressing the Brethren the Provincial Grand Master said:- "Brethren, Welcome to our Annual Meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Bristol. We are particularly honoured today by the presence of our several important visitors.

To those brethren who have been invested today we all offer our congratulations. This is a very special occasion for them. They have waited 8 or 9 years for their first collar - a matter over which I have no control, but I assure everyone that by patience and industry the highest honours are to be obtained and your future progress will be followed with interest. Take every opportunity to serve your lodge and the Province and you will find your Masonic life will become ever more interesting.

The recent promotion of our D.P.G.M. to the office of Past Grand Sword Bearer and the appointment of W. Bro. D.H. Fox to the rank of Past Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies have brought further honours to them and to our Province. We congratulate them most heartily, our Deputy is now a Very Worshipful Brother - Directors of Ceremony please note!

I must now thank all those brethren who have finished their year of office today, in particular I praise our Wardens. Not only have they fulfilled their duties by many visits to all our lodges but they had a great deal to do with fund raising for the Grand Charity and also with the organising of our Centenary festivities and the Cathedral Thanksgiving Service, of which more later.

We must also thank our D.C. and his willing helpers for the hard work they have put in arranging this meeting and of course they will be scene shifting again when we have closed. Our catering staff, cleaners, tylers and those who assist in the office and in other duties voluntarily and otherwise - all have earned our warm thanks for their dedication to the Province and its well-being.

Br. Peter DIBB, our hall keeper and who also manages the Bar is retiring this Summer and we thank him for performing his tasks so cheerfully and ably and wish both him and Mrs. Dibb many happy years of retirement.

Requests for demonstrations of our unique Bristol ceremonies are often received by our Secretary. I must emphasize that sanction of these requests can only be given on my authority and no lodge or brother in this Province is permitted to suggest to anyone that a demonstration of even a part of a ceremony, can be arranged by him.

If we are to retain our ancient and unique ritual it must be safely guarded by us. Every lodge should ensure that brethren who take office, know their duties and those who do not attend rehearsals and lodges of instruction should be warned that absenteeism may exclude them from promotion.

Last year marked our Bi-centenary as a Province and it was quite an eventful year. At our annual meeting in May we were honoured to have as our guests from GRAND LODGE The Asst. Grand Master, Rt.W.Br. The Rt. Hon. Lord Farnham; Grand Secretary, V.W.Br. Commander Michael B.S. Higham, RN. and The Grand Director of Ceremonies, V.W.Br. P.A. Mann.

Our Festival for The Grand Charity was held in June at The Connaught Rooms, London and the Grand Master honoured us with his presence. It was a memorable occasion and I again thank all those brethren who worked so very hard, and some over

many years, to ensure its success. This year a further donation of £1,000 was sent to St. Peters Hospice from the Grand Charity.

In October a Thanksgiving Service was held at the Cathedral. W.Br. the Rev. H.L. Franklin, P.A.Gr.Chap; and Sub Dean of Wells, gave a superb address of which a copy is f1!ed in our archives. The Masonic Singers contribution to the service was much enjoyed. Afterwards there followed a luncheon at The Council House, with a musical programme. I must also mention the magnificent Masonic cake which was made by the wife of one of our Past Masters. It was a very happy day for us all.

In January a most enjoyable social evening was held in our Hall when many of us had the pleasure of conducting our wives and families around the lodge rooms. This event was a sell out and so another similar function has been arranged for next month. I strongly advise brethren to obtain tickets soon as they are being snapped up already.

Brethren, as you know the Organ in No.1 Lodge Room is to be renovated. It is many years since this instrument underwent major repairs. It has given trouble and caused embarrassment at ceremonies. Those undertaking the restoration work assure me that it will be restored to its former glory.

We are very fortunate to possess such a grand organ and to have amongst our members some talented musicians to enhance our ceremonies with their music. The cost is being met by contributions from all our lodges and I sincerely hope that every brother will contribute to the appeal very soon if he has not already done so. £800 per lodge is asked for and I am pleased to tell you that some lodges have already sent this amount to the Appeal Fund.

Our Masonic Society is arranging the annual Carol Service at St. Mary Redcliffe Church this December. I am sure it will receive your full support as usual.

The Secretary of the Provincial Bowling Association has arranged a most attractive programme for this summer.

Brethren interested in this ancient and fascinating game should contact W.Br. Marke of The Colston Lodge.

Some of our lodges have made fraternal visits outside the province and in turn we have enjoyed entertaining brethren from many parts of the country besides overseas. These contacts are not only interesting but they help prove our Masonic teaching that wherever we may find ourselves, a Masonic door will be open to receive us with a fraternal welcome.

The Deputy Provincial Grand Master, the Provincial Grand Secretary and I have received invitations to the Annual Meetings of several neighbouring Provinces and they are most enjoyable. Unfortunately now and then some dates clash and we cannot accept.

I hope all our visitors have enjoyed their sojourn amongst us today. and will go home feeling that the journey was worth-while.

Brethren, I thank you one and all for your support and wish you well.

After Prayer had been offered by the Provincial Grand Chaplain, W. Brother R.M. Davidson, the Provincial Grand Lodge was closed in due form at 4.50 p.m., following by the singing of the National Anthem.

The collection taken during the singing of the closing hymn amounted to £193.31.

R.W.M. HOWES Provincial Grand Secretary

SUMMARY OF ATTENDANCE

Provincial Grand Officers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 26

Grand Officers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 23

Past Provincial Grand Officers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 77

Masters of Lodges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 28

Wardens of Lodges. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . ... 31

Installed Masters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 71

Master Masons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 46

Glossary of the Occult - definitions

Templars

Knights Templar. A religious, military and banking order (Knights of the Temple of Solomon) founded by Crusaders in Jerusalem to defend the Holy Sepulchure and Christian pilgrims; a kind of Foreign Legion. Founded by Hugues de Payns with nine followers in 1118. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux drew up the Templars rule, 72 articles, in 1128. Invented the checking account. The world's first multinational. After Jerusalem was lost finally in 1244 the order's prestige and credibility fell. Abuses of landed and financial poer increased. King Philip the Fair of France ordered the arrest for of all French Templars in a suprise raid on Friday 13th October 1307. The French Treasury was located in the Temple in Paris, outside the King's control. Some captive Templars confessed they worshiped Baphomet and the devil in the form of a cat. French Templar leaders, Templar preceptor of Normandy Geoffroy de Charnay and Grand Master Jacques de Molay were burnt at the stake for in 1312. The Templars were disbanded in the 14th century and most of their estates were given to the Knights Hospitallers.

Illuminati

A masonic sect founded by Adam Wieshaupt (the 'first man of the higher wisdom') in Bavaria in 1778 claiming that the illuminating grace of Christ resided in it alone.

Rosicrucian Society

A society professing esoteric religious doctrines, venerating the emblems of the rose and the cross as symbols of Christ's resurrection and redemption, and claiming various occult powers. The order believed an association was needed in Europe that would guide rulers along the paths of wisdom and good [C17: from Latin Rosae Crucis, Rose of the Cross, translation of the German name Christian Rosenkreutz (b.1378 d.1484), supposed founder of the society]

Occult

Of or characteristic of magical, mystical, or supernatural arts, phenomena, or influences. [C16: from Latin occultus, past principle of occulere, from ob over, up + culãre, related to celare to conceal]

Freemasons

A widespread occult order, of Free and Accepted Masons, swearing oaths to secrecy and mutual aid. Claims to have been founded in London in 1717. Development of medieval Craft Masons, retaining secret signs and passwords by which itinerant workers in the guild recognised each other.

Order of the Garter

The highest order of British Knighthood. It consists of the sovereign, 31 knight companions and extra members created by statute.

Theosophical Society

Founded by Elena Petrovna Blavatsky, author of Isis Unveiled (1877), in 1875. Claims intuitive insight into the divine nature, but denies the existance of a personal God. Claims to be derived from the sacred writings of Brahmanism and Buddhism.

Knights of Malta

Military order of Knights who, by tradition, have been allowed to assassinate anyone with impunity guaranteed by all the royal families in Europe.

More definitions:

The reception of a mason into the 33rd degree

from defunked website - www.theunbrokencircle.com

Alchemy: The Science of decomposing and recomposing things, as well as of changing their essnetial nature and raising it higher--transmuting them into each other. While chemistry deals with lifeless matter, alchemy employs life as a factor, and deals with higher forces of nature and the conditions of matter under which they operate. In its lowest aspect, it deals with physical substances, but in its highest aspect it teaches the regeneration of the spiritual man, the purification of mind, will and thought, and the ennobling of all the faculties of the human soul.

Bilderberg Group: a powerful global elite,Group together with their 'sister' organisations-the Trilateral Commission (known also as the "Child of Bilderberg") and the Council on Foreign Relations plot the subversion and silent takeover of constitutional governments and world economy

Craft: the Craft is a term used to refer Wicca and Witchcraft.

Demon: (derived from "daemon") an artificial elemental created by a neurotic complex of energies and emotions, whether of one person or many, hence contraproductive or harmful in influence and effect.

Evocation: Calling elements or Gods/Goddesses to be present in ritual.

Earth Magic: The energy that exists within stones, herbs, flames, wind, earth,grass,water, and other such natural objects not listed here .

Folklore: Traditional sayings, cures, faerie tales,knowledge and folk wisdom of a particular locale which is separate from their mythology.

Gnosticism: the practice of several early and pre-Christian cults who believe that spiritual emancipation could only be achieved by the attainment of knowledge of the self. This idea of 'gnosis' through self knowledge and self love almost converges with satanic philosophies. The Catholic Church still regards the Gnostic gospels as heretical.

Golden Dawn Society: The Golden Dawn, founded in 1887, was an offshoot of the English Rosicrucian Society created twenty years earlier by Robert Wentworth Little, and consisted largely of leading Freemasons.The Golden Dawn, with a smaller membership, was formed for the practice of ceremonial magic and the acquisition of initiatory knowledge .

Higher Self: that part of us which connects our corporeal minds to the Collective Unconscious and with the divine knowledge of the universe.

Horned God: one of the most prevalent God-images in Paganism.

Illuminati: Illuminati is a Greek word meaning Illumination a name given to those who submitted to a Christian baptism. The Order of the Illuminati was established with some unspecified ties to the Masonic lodges of Germany orgin ; as a secret society within a secret society.

Jew-itch: name coined by some Pagans of Jewish origin who are actively seeking out the pagan roots of their birth religion.

Kabbala: mystical teaching from the Jewish-Gnostic tradition. Ceremonial Magick and the Alexandrian traditions are based in these teachings.

Lesser Magic: the art and ability bend people to your will through subtle management of your appearance and/or actions. This can be achieved through observations of body-language and character traits.

Lucifer: (Latin for "light-bearer"), name for the planet Venus when it appears as the morning star; Vulgate translation of the Hebrew expression for "bright one." The Hebrew prophet Isaiah used the term in a satirical allusion to the king of Babylon, describing the frustrated ambition of the morning star to rise higher than all the other stars: "How art thou fallen from heaven,O Lucifer, son of the morning" (quote from bible passage Isaiah 14:12).

Majestic 12: a top secret goverment created group to handle the supposed 1947 recovery and evaluation of a crashed alien space-craft in new mexico .

New World Order: an economic occult elite comprising less than 1% of the population. Their immense wealth and power enable them to exercise control over the governmental process, they effectively operate the country as a Feudal oligarchy.

New Age: the mixing of metaphysical practices with structured religion.

Occult: ("hidden, concealed") secret, esoteric; term used for magick and other esoteric arts and sciences, such as astrology or alchemy

Pagan: From the Latin word Paganus,meaning a "country dweller" the Church uses it as a derogatorily to describe any person who is not Christian, Jew or Moslem. A follower of a polytheistic religion

Qaballa: mystical teaching from the Jewish-Gnostic tradition.

Rosicrucian:The first mention of Rosicrucian is a 1614 German document that purports to recount the life of a legendary medieval knight, Christian Rosenkreuz, who traveled to Morocco and the Near East to acquire secret wisdom and the "elixir of life." The Rosicrucians, thereby, developed as a secret order of men and women who claim to possess wisdom that has been handed down from ancient times.

Shamanism: the practice of shamans which is usually ritualistic or magickal in nature, sometimes can be religious.

Skull And Bones: The Skull & Bones is a Society It is a Senior year society which exists only at Yale.Members are chosen in their Junior year and spend only 1 year on campus, the Senior year, with the group

Temple of set: originally formed in 1975 by disaffected members of the Churchof Satan led by Michael Aquino. The ToS has developed in a more Crowleyan direction, basing its belief on Set the Egyptian god of evil.

Teutonic Knights: German military religious order founded dueing the time (119091) during the siege of Acre in the Third Crusade. It was originally known as the Order of the Knights of the Hospital of St. Mary of the Teutons in Jerusalem. The order was one of nobles, and the knights took the monastic vows of poverty , chastity , and obedience.

Uncasting: uncasting is opening a circle at the end of a completed ritual.

Voodoo: polytheistic religion derived from worship of gods in African and the beliefs of Catholicism. Practiced mainly by the West Indians.

Wicca: an ancient religion based on the religion of the aboriginal Europeans involving the worship of the old Gods/Goddesses and the practice of magic.

Yggdrasil: one of the best known Tree of Life symbols. It unites all existence from the Underworld, to that of the Physical world.

Zodiac: The stars in the heavens divided into twelve main groups. Imaginary patterns are imposed upon various star patterns as an aid to remember the stars.In Astrology, the Zodiac signs signify personality types for the people born under them

nb. There are many other occult systems including Wicca, Satanism, Golden Dawn etc. etc.

"The very word 'secrecy' is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it."

President John F. Kennedy - address to newspaper publishers, April 27, 1961

Masonic News

The reception of a mason into the 18th degree - a Scottish rite ceremony

For the freemasons' own news see Freemasonry Today - in-house masonic publication

16Apr00 - Sunday Telegraph - Masonic disclosure blocked to protect police 'credibility'

01May08 - Illuminati in a Nutshell

Printable word document

Illuminati in a nutshell

AIMS

(1) Abolition of ALL ordered national governments

(2) Abolition of inheritance

(3) Abolition of private property

(4) Abolition of patriotism

(5) Abolition of the family as the cell from which all civilisations have stemmed.

(6) Abolitions of all religions so that the Luciferian ideology of a totalitarian elite may be imposed on mankind.

STRATEGIES

(1) USE TEMPTATION TO ENTRAP

To use monetary and sex bribery to obtain control of people already occupying positions in high places in ALL governments and other fields of human endevour. Once fallen they were to be held in bondage by application of political and other forms of blackmail and threats of financial ruin, public exposure, and physical harm.

(2) GET THEM WHILE THEY'RE YOUNG

Illuminati on the faculties of colleges and universities were to recommend students belonging to well-bred families for special training in internationalism. They were to be at first persuaded and then convinced that men of special ability and brains had the RIGHT to rule those less gifted. Three special Illuminati schools are located at Gordonstoun in Scotland; Salem in Germany; and Anavryta in Greece.

(3) TERMINATOR AGENTS

Blackmailed Illuminati puppets and Illuminati educated students were to be used as agents and placed behind the scenes of ALL governments as 'experts' and 'specialists' so they could advise the top executives to adopt policies which would bring about the ultimate destruction of the religions they werre elected or appointed to serve.

(4) TO OWN PUBLIC DISCOURSE

The Illuminati were to obtain control of the press and all other agencies which distribute information to the public. News was to be slanted so that the public would get behind Illuminati puppets and come to believe in a One World Government as the only solution to the world's problems.

DEGREES

0. Preparation

1. Novice

2. Minerval

3. Illuminatus Minor

4. Illuminatus Major (Scotch Novice)

5. Illuminatus Dirigens (Scotch Knight)

6. Presbyter (Priest)

7. Principatus Illuminatus (Prince)

8. Magus (Master)

9. Rex (Man-God)

08Dec06 - unsourced - Lord Cavendish slept in a coffin

This photo might be of interest. I took it last Summer (2005) at Holker Hall Garden Festival and it shows clearly the Cavendish logo of the snake with a crown on its head!!

This serpent logo is everywhere on the estate and in the house. It is built into decorative mosaics in the garden and is printed on every piece of stationary in the shop etc. etc.

Rumour has it that Lord Cavendish slept in a coffin and that must relate to high level Free Masonic rituals or something like that. A friend who is very aware of these things looked at the house and spotted the copper roofed turret room that is central to the huge building and he said that he wouldn't be surprised if rituals were conducted there. He also said that he suspected there would be a large underground area and this has been confirmed. A friend knows someone who works at the hall and she said that the area underneath the hall is big enough for all the Royal family to shelter in case of an emergency!!

If anyone else knows anything re Cavendish family and Illuminati connections, let me know. James Casbolt's and David Icke's descriptions of the occult rituals are so difficult to accept and understand, as they are total anathema to anyone who has a good heart and who is gentle, peaceful and compassionate as we are.

The only way I cope is to imagine whole families who have been brought up to accept the rituals as 'normal.' They also have a different DNA and can't experience emotions as we do. If we practice 'sending' them love and compassion then I am sure the positive effects will be felt deep within them.....

In peace from Pen xx

Contact: "Penny" <peacepals1(at)tesco.net>

Ritualistic site noted as place of interest by local deputies

By: Matthew Chew

Posted by editor Tue Nov 14, 2006

http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/ViewPost/16562

Kern County Sheriff's Deputies located a site in the Old Towne area last week they are categorizing as a "meeting place" or "site of interest" because of several unusual items located there.

Neighbors reported seeing suspicious activity by teenagers dressed in black or "gothic" attire. The teens were seen entering and leaving private property in a rural area of Old Towne through a barbed wire fence.

The Sheriff's department contacted the property owner to verify if the activity was authorized, which the property owner denied.

Sheriff's deputy Roy Scott said that the sight, "is definitely something of interest."

Aside from the issue of trespassing on private property, a great deal of work has been done on the land, for what appears to be some form of ritualistic gathering.

There is a large pit, with a fire ring at the bottom and some sort of stadium seating carved into the sides of the pit. It resembles an ancient amphitheater.

Across from the pit is a stone fire ring in the shape of a pentagram. Although associated with Satanic worship, a pentagram has been used by different cultures and religions throughout history.

There are also several animal skulls and bones on the site and a tree carved with a pentagram and an inverted cross. Sharks teeth are embedded at each tip of the pentagram. A beheaded skunk was found near one of the fire pits and a meat cleaver laying nearby the mutilated creature was confiscated by deputies.

Scott said, "It took a lot of effort and work."

The sheriffs are making routine checks of the site but have not yet encountered anyone on the property.

Scott said evidence found in the area does indicate recent activity, but currently the Sheriff's Department classifies the location only as a gathering place, or "place of interest."

http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/ViewPost/16562

Letter to the editor: Freemasonry not satanic

By: Geoffrey Braslow

I read the article in the Nov. 8 Tehachapi News regarding sheriff's deputies investigating a site in Old Towne that had allegedly been used as a site for satanic ritual. The reporter then goes on to describe the pentagram as a symbol used by other cultures or religions such as Freemasonry. That touched a nerve.

First of all, Freemasonry is neither a religion nor a culture. Freemasons ask only that its members believe in a supreme being. Admittedly, the reporter did not say that Masons are evil, but he links them in the same article that reports on satanic ritual. In fact, Freemasonry in and of itself does not use the pentagram as one of its symbols. The inverted star, however, is used as the symbol of Order of Eastern Star, a group of charitable ladies who are sponsored by Masons. The photograph of the Masonic square and compass surrounded by the letter "G" is identified as having five points. But if the author looks carefully, he will see six and another point.

His reporting on the crime may be accurate, but had he done better research before writing this article, he would have known that the pentagram has been used as a representation of good things longer than it has symbolized Satanism. He is only sensationalizing. There are fifty pentagrams that adorn our own flag of the United States. The American Medal of Honor uses the pentagram. The pentagon is a pentagram. The pentagram is an ancient pagan symbol that represented nature and life and man's connection with the gods and goddesses. Freemasonry supports charities and education. To use it as an example in an article was irresponsible.

Secrets in the stone

First part of the initiation into the third degree

CLAIRE SMITH - The Scotsman - 28th October 2006

http://living.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1594402006

ON THE south wall of Rosslyn Chapel, alongside the entrance historically used by women, is a very curious carving. It shows a blindfolded figure, kneeling between two pillars and holding a Bible, with a noose lying loosely around his neck.

To anyone familiar with the rites of Freemasonry, this carving bears a remarkable similarity to a Masonic initiation ceremony. But if Alan Butler and John Ritchie, the authors of Rosslyn Revealed, are correct, the resemblance is anything but coincidental.

Rosslyn has long been associated with Freemasonry, a worldwide secret society thought to have originated among the guilds of medieval craftsmen. But Butler and Ritchie believe the connection between Rosslyn and Freemasonry is more dramatic than anyone previously suspected - arguing that the beliefs of Freemasonry were first formulated by the stonemasons who built Rosslyn. They believe the chapel was not simply a reflection of the philosophy of Freemasonry, but its original inspiration.

In Rosslyn Revealed, they claim the beliefs of Freemasonry are rooted in the Ebionite philosophy of Sir William Sinclair and Gilbert Haye, creators of Rosslyn Chapel. Ebionites denied the divinity of Jesus Christ and exalted John the Baptist.

Ritchie says: "Ebionites did not believe in a hierarchical church. They believed every individual was unique and had their own relationship with God. They believed in the betterment of mankind and in man the artist. Freemasons also believe in the betterment of mankind, in education and the individual - we believe Rosslyn was the origin of that philosophy."

The authors believe that Haye, a polymath and former chancellor at the French court, came to Scotland because it had a reputation for independent thinking. The book argues that the master masons who came to Midlothian from across Europe to build the chapel between 1456 and 1496 became, in effect, the first Freemasons. The secretive nature of the craft, they say, was forged at Rosslyn, through rituals and ceremonies devised by Haye and Sinclair - linked closely to the beliefs of the Ebionites.

The carvings of Rosslyn are unlike those of a normal church because they reflect Ebionite symbolism rather than the more mainstream Christian tradition.

Ebionism had its origins in a pre-Christian mystery tradition and incorporated beliefs and symbols from Judaism, Islam and Egyptian and Persian traditions. Butler and Ritchie believe Sinclair and Haye enshrined these beliefs and symbols in the very fabric of Rosslyn - to ensure they were understood by future generations.

Many believe some of the leading figures of the Renaissance may have been Ebionites. But the sect, with its emphasis on individuality, was a threat to the hierarchical beliefs of the established church.

When Sinclair and Haye gathered the finest stonemasons in Europe to build Rosslyn, they paid them well. To ensure they kept quiet about the role of Ebionism and the mystical symbolism incorporated into the design of the chapel, Ritchie and Butler believe they swore their workers to secrecy by forming them into a society - binding them together with oaths, ceremonies and terrifying threats; the very roots of Freemasonry.

Ritchie says: "As it turns out, Rosslyn is far more important to Freemasonry than we thought. In fact, Freemasonry owes its very existence to the chapel."

In Rosslyn Revealed, the authors say: "The earl was faced with a problem. How would it be possible to pass on knowledge of the timeless truths carved into the walls of the chapel without divulging its secrets to the world at large and thereby bringing retribution down on his own head and that of his children [because Ebionites were viewed as heretics]? The creation of Freemasonry was his response."

Ironically, when the authors first embarked on their research almost ten years ago, they were sceptical about the chapel's supposed links with Freemasonry. Many of the carvings inside the chapel with supposed Masonic links were actually added in 1871, when the chapel was extensively restored - and Butler and Ritchie are convinced that the carving which visitors to the chapel are told is of the apprentice who built the so-called Apprentice Pillar, linked to a well-known Masonic legend, is actually the defaced image of an apostle.

However, they admit they were wrong. Ritchie says: "This is something which is so typical of Rosslyn. Every time you think you have worked things out, it throws up something which completely takes you by surprise."

While it might seems incredible to associate a tiny chapel in Midlothian with the very creation of a secret brotherhood which spread worldwide and played an important role in the creation of the American constitution, the link between Freemasonry with the Sinclair family is clear.

The earliest known Freemason lodge, Lodge 0, was recorded at Kilwinning in Ayrshire in 1598 and was associated with a Tironesian Abbey on Sinclair land. The oldest written records of Freemasonry are found in Scotland and the Sinclairs of Roslin were hereditary Grand Masters of Scottish Freemasonry.

The authors found a compelling piece of evidence in the "first degree tracing board" of Freemasonry, which shows three pillars, just like those at the front of the nave in Rosslyn Chapel. The pillar on the right, which is the most ornate, represents beauty and stands in the same place as the Apprentice Pillar - which has long been associated with Masonic legend.

Much of the metaphor found in theoretical Freemasonry, which was to become so powerful and widespread around the world, is based on different styles of architecture and stone craft.

And one of the most curious facts about Rosslyn Chapel is that it contains examples of many different styles of architecture. Ritchie says: "It has examples of every kind of arch and window that were available at the time. It is like a guide book, an instruction book for the guild."

Astronomy, in particular the planet Venus, has an important role in Masonic ritual and Ritchie and Butler believe Rosslyn was used as an observatory from which to chart the movements of Venus.

While the beliefs of Freemasonry have changed and been embellished over the years, the authors believe they have their core origins in the Ebionite belief systems incorporated into the design of Rosslyn. They write: "At the heart of Freemasonry we still find imperatives critically important to William Sinclair and Gilbert Haye. These include a deep reverence for John the Baptist, an enduring belief in justice, equality and fraternity, a reverence for the Noahide Laws of ancient Judaism and a recognition for that all-important part of the year around the autumn equinox.

"The same heady cocktail of Old Testament legend, Ebionite Christianity, mystery rite religion and a reverence for the human sprit that was personified by the 15th-century Sinclairs was passed directly to Freemasonry and in part survives with the craft to this day."

While the Masonic angels inside the chapel are undoubtedly a piece of Victorian fancy, the Masonic initiate on the outside of the building may well have been the first of his kind.

Once again, the facts about Rosslyn Chapel may well prove to be even more extraordinary than the fiction. In the book, Butler and Ritchie write: "Long after interest in The Da Vinci Code has waned, Freemasons from around the world will still be making their way to Rosslyn Chapel. And that is how it should be, because without this extraordinary building Freemasonry would never have existed. Rosslyn Chapel is without any doubt the oldest and most important of all Freemasonic temples."

 Find out more about the authors' investigations at www.rosslynrevealed.com

Apprentice Pillar: nothing is as it appears

Second part of the initiation into the third degree

VISITORS to Rosslyn Chapel have always been fascinated by the so-called Apprentice Pillar, the mediaeval masterpiece at the right of the altar. At the foot of the pillar are the dragons of Yggdrasil and twined around the column is an everlasting vine which links all the ornate carvings in the chapel.

The legend told to visitors is that this pillar was carved by an apprentice in his master's absence - and that when the master saw its beauty, he murdered its creator.

Many have doubted the story. Early accounts speak of the Prince's Pillar, and the carving said to be the head of the apprentice shows signs of being roughly modified to make it seem like a young man.

Butler and Ritchie believe the pillar represents the tree of life, the mystical symbol found in the Jewish text known as the Kabbalah, which shows the connection of Heaven and Earth.

But they also found a strong link between the design of the pillar and the tale of St Matthew's staff. In the biblical story, Matthew, right, doubts Jesus and is told to plant his staff in the ground.

In the Bible story, the staff grows into a great tree, with "a vine twisted around it and honey coming from above" - and from the base of the tree springs a source of water and "creatures that creep and crawl".

Like everything at Rosslyn Chapel, this is not as it seems. The authors believe the association with St Matthew's staff was a cover story, to distract attention from the profusion of strange and rather un-Christian carvings covering the chapel walls.

And, while the story of St Matthew's staff is a conventional Bible story, it is also a link to a surviving Hebrew gospel, in which John the Baptist is exalted as a prophet.

Nothing is as it appears at Rosslyn. When investigations were carried out around the chapel in the 1980s, it was discovered that foundations for a much bigger building had been laid. Even today, Rosslyn looks curiously unfinished from the outside but, in the authors' view, this was done deliberately to keep the prying eyes of the bishops away from the interior of the church.

As they say, there is still much to be discovered and "what rites and secret services once took place in the chapel at night when the shutters were safely barred may remain forever a mystery to all of us".

But the miraculously preserved carvings reveal a world which encompassed Judaism, Eastern mysticism, and images clearly from China - and even possibly from America. "We can be certain that no single overriding religious belief dominates in this sacred spot," they write. "There is something for every believer here, in what was clearly intended to be a compendium of religious and philosophical thought."

FREEMASONRY FACTS

Doors of the Masonic Temple at Covent Garden in London

1 You don't have to be a Christian to be a Freemason. However, Masons do believe in a "supreme being". Masonic rituals refer to the creator of the world as the "divine architect".

2 The fraternity of Freemasonry uses the metaphor of a stonemason's tools and crafts to describe an esoteric system of morality.

3 The square and compass is the key symbol of Freemasonry. Some believe it is a metaphor for the need for moral responsibility balanced by reason.

4 There are three degrees of Freemasonry, each of which is accompanied by ritual around which there is great secrecy. Freemasons begin as Apprentice, and progress to Master then Grand Master.

5 Freemasons are sworn to secrecy when they become a member of a lodge, but identify themselves to each other using special handshakes, signs and code words.

6 Freemasons and the Catholic Church have never had an easy relationship. The current Pope, above, issued a decree saying the craft was "irreconcilable with the doctrine of the church".

7 The secrecy and oaths of loyalty of Freemasonry have brought it under suspicion from conspiracy theorists. In an episode of The Simpsons, Mr Burns hallucinates and sees talking flies saying: "Freemasons rule the world."

8 Around 200,000 Freemasons were exterminated in Nazi Germany.

9 John the Baptist, left, is the patron saint of Freemasons. His Saint's Day falls on 24 June - the summer solstice.

10 Scotland has the earliest recorded Freemason lodge in the world and also the lodge with the earliest written records. Robert Burns was a dedicated mason and made useful contacts at lodges in Edinburgh.

Seeing the light

The 'meditation room' where a candidate for freemasonry is left alone before being conducted to the 'Lodge' in order to be initiated into the first degree. Just before he 'recieves the light' the candidate, who is regarded of being still 'profane' must draw up his philosophical and moral testament - language on the skeleton's apron is French

http://living.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1587572006

CLAIRE SMITH - The Scotsman - 27th October 2006

WHEN he caught sight of the bright red pentagon glowing above the great rose window of Rosslyn Chapel, Alan Butler almost let out a scream. At that point, he knew beyond doubt that Rosslyn was far more than just another medieval church.

By rediscovering the lightbox, forgotten for hundreds of years, Butler and John Ritchie, co-author of Rosslyn Revealed, moved closer to illuminating their theory that the truth about the chapel is even stranger than the fiction made world-famous by Dan Brown.

"It was a real Indiana Jones moment," recalls Ritchie. "Older inhabitants of Roslin village had told the story of a mysterious light which appeared in the chapel on St Matthew's Day [21 September]. But the story had been ignored by successive histories of the chapel."

While some eagle-eyed guides in the chapel had spotted the tiny window at the top of the east wall, few bothered to point it out to visitors. The tale of how Ritchie and Butler rediscovered the hidden lightbox and why it was key to understanding the chapel's secrets is told in Rosslyn Revealed, out today.

It all began when Ritchie, a resident of Roslin who has had a lifelong fascination with the chapel, discovered an old Victorian print of Rosslyn by Hill and Adamson. Taken in 1844, it shows the East wall before the Rose window was built. When he showed it to Nancy Bruce, a guide in the chapel and his second cousin, she pointed out the aperture above the window and said: "That must be where the light comes through on St Matthew's Day."

Ritchie, a former Reuters cameraman, trained a telephoto lens on the tiny opening and discovered it was in the shape of a pentagon and appeared to be lined with some sort of highly reflective material. He explains: "I thought 'we have got to test this' and went to buy a power torch." Thanks to the scaffolding currently built around the chapel to dry it out after disastrous renovation work, he was able to climb up and shine the torch through the aperture, while Butler stood in the centre aisle to see the effect. In the book, the authors describe what happened next: "At most, we expected a small glimmer of white light from the lamp to show above the East window in the comparative gloom of the chapel's interior, but we couldn't have been more wrong. Instead of the faint glimmer we had expected to appear in the lightbox, what met our eyes was a perfect orb of steady, strong, blood-red light."

Butler struggled to conceal his excitement from other visitors in the chapel, which included a Chinese film crew. "We were absolutely stunned. I made such a loud exclamation that my wife Kate, who was with me, had to shut me up. We knew at that moment that it had been deliberately created to do this and that the people who built this church were not Christians in the accepted sense of the word." The discovery delayed publication of the book until the authors had explored the implications of the mysterious lightbox. Without erecting scaffolding inside the chapel, it was not possible to get close enough to the window to find out exactly what the box was made of. Ritchie believes the red light may come from a precious gem and that the reflective sides of the pentagon are made from highly reflective mica. The shape is significant; the pentagon or its close friend, the pentagram, or five-pointed star, is a common feature in ancient civilisations - and an important symbol in Freemasonry. Many associate it with magic or satanic rituals, but it was once widely used as a symbol of Christianity, with the five corners representing the five wounds of Christ. By recreating a scale model using Perspex and mirrors, the authors managed to demonstrate that the pentagonal lightbox creates a red doughnut of light, which at a certain angle refines itself into a beam of pure white light. On 21 September, the book was at the printers, but Ritchie and Butler returned to the chapel to see if St Matthew's Light still shone in the chapel.

The pair and a few guides gathered at the back of the chapel in the early morning to see if the lightbox was still functioning. Even on a dim Autumn day, the group of witnesses saw the pentagon glowing with a strong red light. "I was absolutely stunned," says Butler. "I had to pinch myself; I thought I was having a dream. People don't find these sorts of things."

The discovery shed new light on another unusual feature of the chapel. While most medieval churches were built facing east, the precise direction was determined by the day the sun rose on the relevant saint's day [the saint to which the church was dedicated]. Rosslyn was built facing due east, although it was completed before the existence of accurate compasses.

And there was more. The position of the secret window meant the light shone through on just two days of the year - 21 March, the first day of spring, and 21 September, the autumn equinox, or beginning of winter. Ritchie says: "It is so exact that if it had been an inch either way, this phenomenon would not have happened on the day it does. That shows exactly how Rosslyn was built."

Ritchie believes the lightbox was partly obscured by the rose window created in 1871 but that before this it would have created a light which illuminated a certain point on the chapel floor. A similar phenomenon can be found at St Sulpice in Paris [also featured in The Da Vinci Code], where a light reflects along the Paris meridian at midsummer, and Chartres Cathedral. The mysterious church of Rennes le Château, source of the Templar controversy, has dancing blue lights, which appear in January.

Ritchie also believes the light also has a correlation with the chapel's founder William Sinclair, whose name translates as Holy Light.

For Butler, an expert on stone circles, megalithic structures and astro-archeology, the discovery of the lightbox is confirmation the chapel's roots are in beliefs which predated Christianity by thousands of years. Both authors believe the rediscovery of the lightbox is a key to unlocking the true meaning of Rosslyn Chapel. Butler says: "In a way, this goes back to pre-Christian beliefs, to sun worship. It shows Rosslyn is unlike any other church in the world - in effect it is a medieval stone circle."

The full significance of the way Rosslyn was aligned on a true east-west axis before the existence of accurate compasses has still to be explored - but it fits with Ritchie and Butler's belief that Gilbert Haye and William Sinclair, who built the chapel, were masters of astrology. Unlike any other church, the inside of Rosslyn Chapel was once fitted with shutters, suggesting it may have been used as a secret observatory.

The authors also believe the foundation stone for the chapel was laid on the day of a rare conjunction between Venus and the Sun which is associated with the Shekinah, the female aspect of God. The hidden window may have been used as a way of measuring the movements of the planets, particularly of Venus. And, if the authors' experiments are correct, the light the secret window projected on to the back of the chapel casts a shape remarkably similar to the Eye of Horus, the all-seeing symbol of Freemasonry.

Even a person looking at Rosslyn Chapel with an untrained eye can see aspects unusual for a Christian church. The roof is sprinkled with roses and stars, and there are more Green Men - symbols of paganism - than any other church in the world. Carvings in the chapel encompass symbols of Judaism, Hinduism, Islam - and encompass the nature and sun worship of the earliest human religions.

The authors are certain there is much more to discover about the secrets of chapel. After almost a decade of research for the book, Ritchie says: "We feel as if we have only written the introduction."

 Rosslyn Revealed by Alan Butler and John Ritchie is published by O Books at £19.95.

Ebionites who harboured a Pope's son

The Masonic 'meditation room' in Orleans, France

THE conventional story of Rosslyn Chapel says Earl William Sinclair created it in the woods to thank God for a long and prosperous life. But John Ritchie and Alan Butler believe Gilbert Hay, listed in histories as "tutor to the Sinclair children," was key to the creation of the chapel.

The authors believe Sinclair and Hay were Ebionites, followers of a pre-Christian mystery tradition which had survived since biblical times.

Previously, Hay had been an adviser at the French court, personally knighted by the King of France and a confidant of French duke Rene D'Anjou. Hay was one of the most educated men in Europe and, while at Rosslyn, assembled one of the world's great libraries.

Ritchie and Butler believe Hay's real motive in settling at Rosslyn was to supervise the building of the chapel, which, far from being a conventional Christian church, enshrined the beliefs of the Ebionite sect. The Ebionites, who denied the divinity of Jesus and exalted John the Baptist, were persecuted and outlawed under the Inquisition. But they still had powerful friends, including Pope Pius II, below, who before becoming pontiff travelled on a secret mission to Scotland.

As a diplomat, the future pope fathered an illegitimate child, which, according to expert historians, he left with Sinclair to raise as his own.

Having friends in high places was just one of the reasons Sinclair and Hay were left alone to fill their chapel with symbolism wildly different from that of the orthodox Christian Church.

As Ebionites, their beliefs were a fusion of Pantheism, Persian dualism and Judaism. The feminine principle was acknowledged alongside the masculine and the individual was encouraged to have his or her own experience of God.

Look around Rosslyn Chapel and the evidence is there, in the carvings of feminine symbols of roses, in the portrayals of the Veil of Veronica, the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene.

In Rosslyn Revealed, Ritchie and Butler argue the Sinclair family, who are often taken to have been Knights Templar, were, in fact, Ebionites.

They ask: "Could it be possible Earl William Sinclair was a member of a family that had maintained its Ebionite, Jewish roots across 1,400 years of history?"

The evidence presented by Rosslyn Chapel seemed to indicate this could indeed be the case.

Factfile

'Whenever a Templar was received into the Order he denied Christ; he was forced to spit on a crucifix and often even to trample it underfoot' - Michelet

 Rosslyn Chapel was built between 1456 and 1496. Master masons came from all over the world to build it.

 The chapel has attracted some illustrious visitors over the years, including Sir Walter Scott, Dorothy Wordsworth, Queen Victoria, Robert Burns, Samuel Johnson, JMW Turner and Mary Queen of Scots. More recently, Michael Bentine, one of the original Goons, was a great enthusiast. He was a keen dowser and convinced Rosslyn was the centre of an unusually strong energy field. Rosslyn Revealed is dedicated to Bentine, below, while another unlikely expert is Rat Scabies, drummer with punk band The Damned. He wrote Rat Scabies and the Holy Grail with a journalist friend.

 In the 1560s a mob fuelled by John Knox and hatred of idolatry marched on the chapel to destroy it, but it was saved by local man Thomas Cochrane, who diverted the mob to Rosslyn Castle and its cellars of fine wine.

 The restoration in 1871 by the 4th Earl of Rosslyn was inspired by Queen Victoria. She was seduced by the chapel and appalled by its state of disrepair.

 The chapel is covered by a canopy and scaffolding, a result of disastrous repair work in the 50s. The inside of the chapel was coated in cement and became waterlogged. Rosslyn Chapel Trust, chaired by the current Earl, has applied for £11m of public money to restore the chapel.

 Some claim to have counted 110 green men in the chapel, as well as one highly unusual green woman. The men of the woods, with foliage emerging from the corners of their mouths, are an ancient symbol of man's interdependence with the natural world, and are also found in Hinduism.

 In The Lay of the Last Minstrel, Sir Walter Scott told the legend of the glowing red light which is said to emanate from the chapel when one of the Sinclairs is close to death. "O'er Roslin all that dreary night, a wondrous blaze was seen to gleam; 'twas broader than the watch-fire's light, And redder than the bright moonbeam."

Masons under anti-terror surveillance after UDA infiltrates Scottish lodges

Another freemasonic 'Meditation Room'

By Neil Mackay = Sunday Herald - 02 July 2006

MASONIC halls throughout Scotland are under covert surveillance by anti-terror police after the outlawed loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) successfully infiltrated the controversial secret society.

David Begg, the grand secretary of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, told the Sunday Herald that Freemasons have been advised by police that lodges throughout the country  particularly in the west of Scotland  are under surveillance by officers targeting the UDA. One Fife lodge has been penetrated by loyalist terrorists who used the premises for fund-raising and operational planning. For more than 18 months, UDA member Steven Moffat used the St Kenneth Lodge in Kennoway as a cover for loyalist paramilitary activity.

The UDA is one of Ulsters most brutal paramilitary organisations. Using the cover-name the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) it waged a campaign of sectarian assassination against Northern Irelands Catholics. One of its most notorious brigadiers, Johnny Mad Dog Adair, fled to Ayrshire after his expulsion from Belfast following an internecine loyalist feud.

Moffat is serving five years in jail after being imprisoned by the High Court in Edinburgh earlier this month under the Terrorism Act 2000 for membership of a proscribed organisation and possession of firearms.

He was found with a Browning 9mm automatic pistol and ammunition at his home. Police also discovered flags, balaclavas and other paramilitary regalia, including documents detailing the UDAs initiation ceremonies.

Police and prosecutors believed the items were for the preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism. Moffat joined the UDA in Belfast at least three years ago.

The Masons Fife and Kinross provincial grand master, David Wishart, said Moffat had used the Masonic Lodge in Kennoway for UDA meetings for at least 18 months. A member of the lodge who was also in the Orange Order had arranged for Moffat and his loyalist associates to hold meetings in the Kennoway lodge. Wishart insisted that no other members knew the true nature of Moffats activities.

Once Moffats actions were discovered, the Mason and Orange Order member who assisted him resigned after being threatened with expulsion from the Masons.

I was horrified to find out that this had been going on, said Wishart.

Moffat, who was not a Freemason but often drank in the St Kenneth Lodges bar, used the Kennoway Masonic Hall for two types of meetings. Firstly, regular private strategy meetings with Moffat and 10 other men occurred over 18 months. The UDA members discussed their plans in a closed room while lodge members drank at the Masons bar in the same building.

The second type of meeting was fund-raising events for loyalist causes in Northern Ireland. Up to 70 people attended three fundraisers held at the Masonic Hall over an 18-month period.

Wishart said: The UDA infiltrated and used us for their illegal purposes. These people are very clever. We were trusting; they gained our confidence and then we were manipulated.

Kennoway Masonic Hall was closed for eight weeks for an internal Masonic inquiry following police raids in the area in connection with Moffats activities.

At the time of his arrest, Moffat was planning to hold an initiation ceremony for Scottish UDA recruits at the Masonic hall. Wishart has since altered hall letting procedures and leasing now has to be cleared by a committee and a lodge member must vouch for those letting the premises.

The Orange Order has been banned from using the Kennoway lodges premises. Previously, Orangemen regularly hired out the hall.

Due to rogue members of the lodge linked to the Orange Order and the UDA we took the decision to no longer allow them the use of the premises, said Wishart.

Senior police officers told Wishart that they were mounting similar surveillance operations in the west of Scotland against Masonic lodges which might have been infiltrated by loyalist terrorists.

I cant say if there is or isnt a risk elsewhere, said Wishart, pointing out that members of some of the 49 Fife lodges under his command were also in the Orange Order. One other lodge in Fife also allows the Orange Order to rent its premises for functions.

David Begg, the grand master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, said if any lodges were involved in supporting the UDA they would be closed. He has warned Scotlands 32 provincial masters to be extra vigilant but cannot compel lodges to introduce committee-led hall letting procedures similar to those adopted by Kennoway.

We cant tell lodges what to do. It is up to the trustees of each lodge but we will be producing general guidance in the near future, he said.

Hertford, home of the Holy Grail

http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,2763,1382899,00.html

An ancient secret society; a demand for a papal apology; and a network of hidden tunnels. Strange things have been stirring in Hertfordshire recently. Oliver Burkeman goes in search of the Knights Templar and, perhaps, the cup of Christ

Tuesday January 4, 2005

The Guardian

One of the problems with secret societies - especially the kind whose members exert a shadowy influence on the course of world events - is that they can be a bit difficult to track down. Never was this more true than of the Knights Templar, the ancient Catholic order rumoured, among other things, to know the whereabouts of the Holy Grail. Officially, the Templars don't exist, having been driven underground by the pope more than 600 years ago; in The Da Vinci Code, they are described as inhabiting "a precarious world where fact, lore and misinformation had become so intertwined that extracting a pristine truth was almost impossible". Nobody even seems to agree on what the Holy Grail is: some say it is the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper; others that it was used to collect his blood at the crucifixion. Needless to say, the Templars haven't been too eager to clarify any of this publicly.

Then, late last year, the group apparently made an unprecedented communication with the outside world. It emerged that the Templars were demanding an official apology from the Vatican, for having persecuted them in the 14th century - and that the Vatican was giving "serious consideration" to the matter. The demand came in a letter, signed on behalf of the grand master of the Templars. And for the conspiracy theorists who have pursued the knights for centuries, it was accompanied by a tantalising clue: an address. In Hertford.

If there is something implausible in the idea that huge stretches of world history have been secretly coordinated from a market town just north of the M25 - well, maybe that's what they want you to think. The local newspaper, the Hertfordshire Mercury, certainly seems convinced: over the past few months it has published several intriguing stories quoting local Templars, who told its reporter of a secret network of tunnels under the town that was still in use by the order. "It reaches beyond well known central Hertford locations," one Templar said, "including the tourist office, the castle, Monsoon, Threshers, the post office, Bayley Hall, and the council offices." Treasures of "immense importance" were hidden there, it was claimed. Was the quest for the Holy Grail finally about to come to an end? More surprisingly still, was it about to come to an end underneath Monsoon on Market Place?

The man who has persuaded the Vatican to consider apologising, Tim Acheson, meets the Guardian in icy morning fog in Hertford, wearing smart pinstriped trousers and a thick winter overcoat. His midnight-blue sports car is parked nearby. "As you might expect," he says, setting the tone for the day, "there are going to be some things that I'm not able to discuss."

Acheson claims to trace his ancestry to a renowned Scottish Templar family of the same name, though he won't confirm his own role in the group. Might he just be a practical joker who managed to fool the Vatican? "That could well be, couldn't it?" he says, as we order coffee in a Hertford establishment closely modelled on All Bar One. "I can't tell you anything to prove that I'm not. I think that would be a perfectly reasonable theory."

There is, however, sound historical footing for the idea that a Vatican apology might be warranted. The Templars were victims of their own success: they had been granted the right to operate, during the era of the Crusades, with unprecedented freedom, levying taxes and growing rich by establishing some of Europe's first banks. (According to legend, they also invented the biscuit.) Envy and hostility ran high, until, on Friday, October 13 1307 - the original unlucky Friday the 13th - hundreds of Templars were arrested in France. They stood accused of homosexuality, of devil worship, of crimes "horrible to contemplate, terrible to hear of", in the words of King Philip of France, who ordered the arrests. They were tortured, by the Inquisition, into admitting heresy, including their scandalous belief that Jesus had had children with Mary Magdalene. Their grand master, Jacques de Molay, was burned at the stake a few years later, and the Templars were officially disbanded by the Pope.

But only officially. "The vast majority of Templars either escaped, or didn't escape, but survived," Acheson says. So how did they end up in Hertford? History records that a number of them were imprisoned in Hertford Castle, but how did Hertford become a centre of operations? "I can't really tell you that. All I can tell you - it's going to be quite vague - is that they flourished in western Europe." He explains that there is a stained-glass window in St Andrew's Church, just down the street, that contains a clear metaphorical allusion to the Holy Grail, and a cryptic hint that it might be hidden in Hertford. In the picture, Acheson adds, Jesus and Mary Magdalene are looking at each other "in a very meaningful way". (Later, I find the window, interrupting local parishioners who are decorating the church for Christmas. I think I can see what Acheson means about Jesus's expression, although mainly he just looks a bit depressed.)

Among the many things that don't quite add up about the Templars' request for an apology is: why now? Why break the silence, drawing all manner of unwanted curiosity from Grail hunters and Da Vinci Code tourists? Public accountability is a laudable goal, but it's hardly something you expect from the secret rulers of the universe. Indeed, when a group of amateur archaeologists recently announced their intention to investigate Hertford's tunnel network, someone posted a message on a local website warning that anyone who tried would be "dealt with". The message read: "Anybody intending to find out more, let alone discover hidden areas of the labyrinth, should check their life insurance policy very carefully indeed."

Acheson simply says he thinks it would be fitting for the Vatican to issue their apology in time for 2007, the 700th anniversary of the start of the Templar suppression. "Among my peers, there are people like me who believe that these issues deserve further attention ... There's a new generation coming through that strongly believes it's time to be a bit more open. I'm part of that generation." Besides, he says ominously, "Things are about to happen that will deserve attention."

The notion that "things are about to happen" recurs throughout the Templar conspiracy theories that clog up the internet. Seemingly, 2000 had been awaited as a watershed, the moment the Templars' secret knowledge would cascade into the public domain. It didn't happen, of course.

So what sort of "things" is Acheson talking about?

"I can't tell you."

OK. But could you maybe give me a rough idea of the timescale? Are these things going to happen this year? This decade? Next century? "I honestly can't tell you. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I can't tell you."

Acheson takes me on a walking tour of Hertford, and proves a knowledgeable guide, but a frustratingly cryptic one, too. So I decide to take matters into my own hands and head for Monsoon. Gemma, the manager, responds far more patiently to Grail-related inquiries than might arguably be her prerogative. There's no tunnel beneath the shop, she insists, "just the store room" - but it's "definitely haunted. When we have sales meetings there you can hear someone walking over our heads, or doing the vacuuming. But upstairs, the shop's closed and empty."

Has she ever found anything unexpected down there? Like maybe a cup, or something? "No," she says. "But there is ... the Accessorize cupboard." She leads the way through the store to the adjoining branch of Accessorize, pushing past a display stand of silky hats towards a corner cupboard. Opening it, she points to a square piece of metal resembling a manhole cover, sunk into the floor. "We don't know what's under there. But there's a strange smell." She enlists a colleague, Jo, who has worked there longer. "Have they ever looked underneath there?" Gemma asks.

"Yes," Jo replies. It would be atmospheric to be able to report, at this point, that her eyes open wide with terror, that she starts to tremble. But she doesn't. "It smelt a lot," is all she can remember.

Generally, in fact, the people of Hertford seem rather reticent on the subject of the Grail. Do they know something they're not telling? Eventually there seems nothing for it but to abandon any attempt at subtlety and ask Acheson directly.

"Tim," I say, as we walk through the fog back to his car, "do you know where the Holy Grail is?"

We stop at the kerbside to let an articulated lorry pull out. Then we cross the road, past a Mazda dealership, towards the car park.

"No," Acheson says after a while, with a thoughtful expression. "No, I'm afraid I don't."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,2763,1382899,00.html

Freemasons the reason police are still racist

by Shirin Aguiar 14/12/2004

A FORMER top cop has blamed the influence of freemasons within the police for continuing racism in the force. The comments come as a new report found Black and Asian cops are over-disciplined.

http://www.blink.org.uk/pdescription.asp?key=5198&grp=55&cat=163

Black officers face a double- whammy of discrimination Former Flying Squad commander John O'Connor claimed today that freemasons still wield massive power within high ranks and that black people, who do not join the secretive groups, lose out in the power struggle.

Scotland Yard insider O'Connor was speaking after the launch of an inquiry report led by retired union boss Sir Bill Morris, into Met police racism.

O'Conner told BBC London that white people who did not join the masons were also at a disadvantage. He also criticised the Morris Inquiry, saying it's recommendations were not hard-hitting enough to bring about lasting change.

The Morris Inquiry has confirmed the worst suspicions of the Met's black and ethnic minority officers that they are treated far harsher than white colleagues by their managers purely on race grounds.

damage

Ethnic minority officers face glass ceilings because the reluctance of managers to pull them up on minor matters means a lack of constructive criticism and support, which "will ultimately damage career progression."

Erring on the side of caution: Sir Bill Morris The report also found that minority ethnic officers are more quickly subject to formal processes where white officers would not be so subject or they are deprived of management support vital to develop as a police officer.

The inquiry has asked Commission for Racial Equality, led by Trevor Phillips, and the Independent Police Complaints Commission to launch further investigations into discrimination.

The force has come under fire in the report from the 11-month Morris Inquiry, which surveyed its 43,000 employees. The probe by Sir Bill was launched following several investigations into allegations against officers from ethnic minorities.

grievances

Commissioned by the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), it examined whether ethnic minority officers were more likely to face disciplinary investigation, and whether their grievances were less likely to be dealt with than those of white colleagues.

The inquiry heard from black and Asian staff that they were disproportionately more likely to have formal complaints made against them.

The inquiry also found that the MPS has not complied with the recommendations of the Gurpal Virdi report of 2001, an embarrassment for incoming Met Comm