Welcome to the May issue of The Square
As you know, The Square is a magazine for ALL Freemasons worldwide, and our mission is to spread the wealth of Masonic knowledge as far as we can.
So, when I received a lovely email from a French Freemason I was delighted that she has found the magazine to be such a good resource.
Did you notice I said ‘she’? Because most people, and many Freemasons included, still tend to think of Masonry as being a male pursuit, which is totally understandable if you are from one of the Anglo-Saxon countries used to ‘regular’ Freemasonry.
But modern Freemasonry is not something to continue ‘the way it has always been done’.
In Europe and other countries, Independent Freemasonry is nothing new – women and men respectively, and men and women together, have been creating, joining, and enjoying the Craft for hundreds of years in various permutations.
Think Lodges of Adoption, Le Droit Humain, and the various women’s Orders of Freemasons.
So, when I received this email, it made me realise that women are still too much on the side-lines, even in The Square.
I know people are going to say ‘well, the Editor of The Square is a woman, what more do you want?’
I’ll tell you what I want, I want more women to share their experiences, to tell their Masonic stories, to give us their wisdom – so this is a call out to women Freemasons worldwide – we need you!
Please write in, send us your thoughts, your hopes, and your unique perspectives on Masonry.
My aim is for The Square to have other female feature writers, or a columnist dedicated to the female perspective of Freemasonry – let’s blaze a trail!
We could even do an all-female edition…ok, maybe that’s taking it a bit far but it’s a good target to aim for.
This month, we have some fantastic articles for you:
Grant Wood’s ‘First Three Degrees of Freemasonry’ – if you’ve never discovered this iconic American artist, now’s your chance.
The Eight Schools of Freemasonry is our new series looking at eight systems or schools of Masonic Philosophy – Part 1 kicks off with ‘Knowledge’ and the teachings of 18th century Masonic educator William Preston, and the critical eye of Roscoe Pound.
Gerald Reilly continues his advocacy of Pure Ancient Masonry – P4 A Companion in Rule, Building a better world. The four parts of Pure Antient Masonry comprise the ‘body’ Masonic; they are the building blocks of the vital relevance, through enhanced citizenship, wherein the soul of Freemasonry abides.
The White House Foundation Stones – Further to the articles in our series on the history of the stone masons, we have a rather intriguing addition. During the 1950s renovation of the White House, President Truman retrieved more than 100 stone blocks with stonemasons marks, which he them distributed amongst the state Grand Lodges.
Kenneth Jack’s regular column profiling historical Freemasons focuses this month on Bulldog Irvine. Little known as a Freemason, Bro Dr Robert ‘The Bulldog’ Irvine remains a Scottish rugby legend; his feat of appearing in 10 consecutive international matches against England has only been surpassed once in 140 years by Sandy Carmichael.
Who are FAMAF? Read on…the American Federation of Feminine Freemasonry (FAMAF) is an organization that brings together Grand Lodges, Grand Orients and Confederations of Feminine Masonic Grand Lodges from the American continent.
Citizen Step 2 – To be a Better Citizen of the World. Nicholas Broadway offers a value proposition for Pure Ancient Masonry as defined in terms of Citizenship; the allegories, symbolism and lessons are a blueprint for all Freemasons to be a better citizen of the world.
Wayne’s ‘Masonic’ World – Wayne Devlin, a prominent Freemason, journalist, and singer, shares wisdom from his Masonic World in this new regular column.
A Mason’s Work in the First Degree – journalist and author Draško Miletić kindly shares the valuable insight into his First Degree – a unique experience for all Masons.
Bitcoin for Freemasons – two often misunderstood subjects myth-busted in one article. Nicholas Broadway shares his well-researched wisdom on both. A must read!
As always, we also have the usual features of old books, new books, reviews of books, and a whole host of Masonic knowledge to keep you busy with your ‘daily advancement’.
We hope you enjoy this month’s issue. If you do – or if you don’t – drop me a line at editor@thesquaremagazine.com
Until next time, stay safe and well.
Article by: Philippa Lee. Editor
Philippa Lee (writes as Philippa Faulks) is the author of eight books, an editor and researcher.
Philippa was initiated into the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons (HFAF) in 2014.
Her specialism is ancient Egypt, Freemasonry, comparative religions and social history. She has several books in progress on the subject of ancient and modern Egypt. Selection of Books Online at Amazon
Books by Philippa
