Hello welcome back to the Masonic Round Table a weekly program where masons from around the world get together to talk about Masonic news and opinions in a friendly and social manner as a reminder the thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely the opinions of the participants and not represent any gr L
St or positions make sure you keep your conversations open for the public and on the level to interact with us we love seeing you live every Thursday night over on Facebook or YouTube chats are always fun a lot of good things a lot of things we can’t get to so our apologies
Because there’s just so much good content there but um remember if we do pick your chat it might show up on the show so check yourself um what else oh and if you can’t catch us live always check the replay or listen to us in your favorite podcasting app so you know me
My name is John ruark I’m a pmas of the Patriot lodge number 1957 in Fairfax Virginia I’m going to save one guy for last and he knows who he is so for now I’m gonna switch over to Robert Johnson how you doing Robert I’m doing great excellent Robert
Johnson here host of the went came podcast and secretary at walk Keegan Lodge 78 in new le installed Master at space Noom 1183 worshipful master yet again yeah it’s only my second time ever so um I’m not like one of those guys who saves every Lodge existence by continuing to
Be the master I know a couple of those guys they’re Saints contiguous right exactly Saints no one wants to be elected Master like two years in a row Jason Richards how you doing tonight oh hello hello just admiring this lovely cheeseball it’s a festive cheeseball uh I mean I guess Jason Richards past
Master vacation lodge number 16 in Clifton Virginia member of a couple other lodges as well glad to be here awesome glad to have you last but not least the one the only and it is my huge honor to introduce that has been past master of manasa LOD number number 182 number
1957 is me oh my God yeah it sounds very weird hello pass master hello it happened Universe actually it happened he showed up he got installed he was elected all those things happened wow Joe Martinez pmas of Manassa l number 182 um yeah it’s been fun um yeah but it
Ended on Saturday so yeah damn glad to be here as always nice well congratulations thank you super happy for you all right before we uh get into other things let’s brother Mo says we need to nominate you for another two years starting in 2025 yeah we’ll we’ll talk
About that in person tomorrow my friend yes all right that sounds like a threat all right let’s go to uh supporting the show if you’re a patron you guys are awesome you know who you are head over to patreon.com theem Masonic Roundtable ship in a few bucks go to our private
Facebook Chat go see some pictures of Joe it’s lots of fun so it’s it’s like oie fans but cooler only fans with a lot less nudity only Bros only Bros I need to register that URL I’ll be right back no thanks you’re muted Joe only bros before wait what’s the other one I
Am damn sure that only bros.com and.org are taken H yeah I think I might own them already [Laughter] uh because you couldn’t you couldn’t get to grinder fast enough only O’s like only OES it’s a real site I’m not gonna recommend that people go there okay all
Right well yes my apologies in advance if you went to that URL but surf surf the web uh yeah uh at your own risk on your own recognizes I too like to live dangerously yes oh okay well party.org no no no no um Jason what’s the short URL on on the
Screen ah this short URL is for our fourth annual TMR Masonic Secret Santa giftgiving party we are super excited we’ve got close to 30 people signed up whoa so yeah go ahead and head over to tinyurl.com TMR gift the TMR is is all in caps gift G is
Lowercase and let’s see um you have cost you nothing to join cost you nothing to join you have to sign up by Monday Monday the 11th because on Tuesday the 12th the matches are going to be made and so what you do is you will you will
Get a a match a brother you probably don’t know and uh you get to give them the spirit of giving and Christmas and take a perusal through their Masonic wish list or their yes their awesome wish list like yeah you you don’t have to have just Masonic stuff on there
Either you know that’s what’s kind of wild you know we’ve we’ve we’ve participated in these a few times now I think this is the fourth one and uh every time we do this uh I think I only got I got Masonic stuff twice but like last year I got some
Leather making stuff and it was it was really cool and I I don’t know it was really neat to kind of think about it and then sometimes you just never even know who your Secret Santa was it’s kind of wild yeah I think the first year we did
This uh I ended up drawing Brad Drew and I got him the book bad taxidermy oh yeah isn’t that the gift that keeps on giving it’s oh it’s Infamous at this point but uh all right add it to your wish list guys yep there
You go you may very well get it so yeah you do not have to be a Mason to participate you need to be in the US because international shipping sucks um but uh this is also on the honor system and so we are not accountable if the person who drew you
Sucks and doesn’t come through with uh with giving you a gift we haven’t had that happen yet has not happened in the three years that we’ve done it so don’t ruin a good thing yeah yeah remember remember your oats right and but uh no it’s it’s a ton of fun
It’s a good way to uh to meet a you know at least virtually you know making acquaintance of some some new brothers and you figure out some interesting things about nice awesome expand your world expand your world guys and gals what better way to expand your world than talking about the
Tarot card of the week ter the week ter of the week hey in honor of the holiday season tonight we’re going to take a look at the Yol tide Tarot and so I’ve got the the deck here unfortunately Ye Old tarot cam has decided log not that I have a log or
Anything you like to try my spicy meat log all right and tonight’s tarot card of the week is the nine of gifts nine of gifts also known as the nine of Pentacles oo all right so you you have an older woman by the fire with gifts under the Ule
Tree yeah I get it I get it so we’re talking luxury self-sufficiency success right nine is like next to completion where like you’re admiring the fruits of your labor yep you’re you’re content like John the day before finds out he’s having another baby no no no no
No yeah almost it’s it’s like John nine months before he has another baby things are going great no problems at all yeah nine of nine of presents and Di it’s ironic given that n John has nine children I think it’s I think it’s cool right like feels like it in particular with that
Card if you’re one of those parents who like shops all year and then is able to refrain from giving your family any of the gifts that you bought like right away so that you then you probably have a personality disorder no man it’s the only way no but
Like looking at this right saving money there’s security um and even like uh conservation of energies and things so so maybe she’s all like hanging out admiring all those presents like yeah I Sav so much money by buying these gifts all year long in February I have a fiduciary
Responsibility nice I if I save gifts that long I forget they exist that’s true oh they’re in the closet somewhere what was that’s a scene in that this will be the second reference to National Lampoons tonight uh the scene where Clark is in the attic and he like pulls
Out the thing he blows blows the dust off like Year anyway ah good stuff I’m trying to find the the Krampus card again because that’s like Robert’s thing ever you have to have a German accent when you say that grumpus little roll of the RS it’s literally gonna be like the last
Card a fascinating show dead air is amazing Jason oh it’s not okay you know what I’ll give you I’ll give you the uh the tan of canes arguably one of the worst cards in the entire deck you did that poor snowman yep that poor snowman he’s played you know it’s like
Sid from Toy Story who played with him let’s actually have a show tonight that would be fun all right let’s talk about Masonic feasts so we’re at that special time of year ah Jason fa it just the crompus card attention span of a gnat yes indeed all right I just want to
Make robbert happy tonight we’re going to talk about Masonic feasts what are they how do they work why are they special how are they different than other dining rituals that you may have experienc ritual what are dining rituals dining rituals don’t we all have a dining ritual yeah mine usually involves like
Cold Pizza in front of a TV in my bed like at 2 a.m. in your boxers no one sock on one sock maybe W not no nothing okay this let’s keep this PG all right um so we’ve had actually some different episodes about fesa boards we’ve had
Episodes about like Agape boards and I I really think this is fascinating because yet there is another category of mas eating called like specifically Masonic feasts so um in preparation for the show right I wanted to think about what’s like what’s different than how how we’ve talked about these other types of things
Because you have table lodges for example right table lodges in most jurisdictions have a prescribed ritual sometimes off opened on like the EA degree right where you can actually do Masonic business but do it in a a a table for format where you actually have
Food and maybe some wine and and have a little bit more a little bit more fun where you can add some toast thrown in Joe yeah um you you you Peak my curiosity I’ve never been and and definitely pulling the room here I’ve never been to a table Lodge where business actually happened
Like well it is a tiled it is til yes because there ritual yes right so we’re not listening to the short talk bulletin during the table Lodge and they’re not reading the minutes either have you not not reading the minutes yeah well I see that YouTube need to go to more table
Lodges because not only have I seen education presented I’ve actually seen the minutes being uh dispensed with oh we’ve had yeah but have you seen the minutes been read at table lodges but they’ve been dispensed with which means they were part of theenda no I don’t
Care yeah that I’m going to be pedantic about this so you’re technically correct but objectively wrong that’s the best kind of correct is being objectively wrong is the best kind of correct okay hey yeah where’s that Krampus card I’ll show you where you could put it the next one is
Right you have Agape boards right where you have a nice meal after Lodge right and it’s completely separate but it is there to promote the Fraternal aspect the social aspect the let’s just enjoy each other’s company and presence and just have fun together let’s eat let’s drink and be merry and
Yet Masonic feasts seem to be something a little bit different so what did I do when I did some research for the show I went back to the source and by the source I mean macky’s encyclopedia the wet blanket of Freemasonry because you know Mackey’s
Never wrong and I went went back to that and he had an interesting excerpt when you looked under the category of masonic feasts so allow me to read read a section here which will help set the stage for what is specifically a masonic Feast according to brother
Mackey so as he writes here he says the convocation of The Craft together at an annual Feast for the laudable purpose of promoting social feelings and cementing the bronze of brother Brotherly Love by The Interchange of Cur courtesies is a time honored custom which unfortunately is growing into dis
So even back in his day what year was that written I’m going to have to phone a friend on that one to see when when he wrote the at least published the um encyclopedia Freemasonry but at that point even then he says that it was
Growing in disuse and so he calls it the even the assembly and feast in air quotes are words constantly conjoined in the book of constitutions and at this meeting no no business of any kind except the installation of officers was transacted and the day was passed an innocent festivity right so there’s a
Focus only on the social aspect the election of officers always took place at a previous meeting in obedience to a reg regulation adopted by the Grand Lodge of England in 1720 as follows quote it was agreed in order to avoid disputes on the annual feast day that the new Grandmaster for
The future shall be named and proposed to the Grand Lodge sometime before the feast so no politics during your your feasting it’s that’s decided we’re here to have fun and well you don’t want to nominate people while you’re boozing up you know what I mean that that would
Make for long debates verman Supreme for president yeah so I found this to be fascinating right well for a couple reasons one he says it’s already in disuse as a separate uh um Masonic function that is no businesses conducted maybe for um installation of officers but not election of
Officers and it’s just there to really you know provide that social lubricant to enjoy each other’s Company yeah I mean uh space Noom adopted uh St Andrew is the patron St of the lodge so we have the Feast of St Andrew every year whether regardless of of when it falls it’s always on November 30th so we don’t care if it’s a Saturday a Friday doesn’t
Matter so we all know the date we’re all there and that’s when our installation of officers happens as well so it typically involves a very nice meal no Masonic business we usually have a speaker we’ve got good Fellowship uh and then after all is said
And done um you know there may be wives or only Brothers present or mixed company doesn’t really matter we move forward with the uh installation of officers and uh yeah there’s no like governance in Illinois of the installation of officers uh the way it’s to be done I mean there’s a prescribed
Type of ritual but it just kind of happens and um we have a lot of fun with it and and the feast is a great time to do this uh it is uh you can go back and look even at uh the history in general of Feasts um
Going back to things like Guild use of Feasts and there’s nothing crazy about it you know we a lot of times we talk about some neat practice that hearkens back to some maybe esoteric or symbolic thing but really the feast is a celebration of humanity I mean it’s it’s
It’s it’s culture right it’s the culture of those medieval guilds uh like it’s a yeah it’s a celebration of humanity but it’s also a celebration of like a job well done and work accomplished right absolutely like it’s huge yeah you Masonic wages right there in speaking of wages it typically cost a
Full day’s wage for your meal at to to go to the the feast that’s how much cost an actual person yeah can you imagine um somebody today on average giving up a days pay to go to uh your Feast I think a lot of Masons might throw a fit about that well
Especially if they’re serving like spaghetti and green beans you know dollar menu at McDonald’s right right yeah yeah which doesn’t exist anymore that’s right it’s gone but yeah no I think that to to your point one of the early going back to masonry one of the earliest things we have we’ve got
Anderson’s constitutions right and the very first thing it says is we’re forming a Grand Lodge so that we can get together and feast and we’ll do other stuff too but the whole purpose is to get together we need a reason to eat yes eat and be married that’s really hilarious uh
Because they had fallen out of practice right yeah didn’t they wasn’t that like appended to that reason yeah yeah uh what they forgot to eat it it was it’s really interesting you’ve got a couple authors uh HL Haywood uh he had a quote um I pulled it
Up here it says it was clear that no one had to be reminded or even encouraged to go to Lodge for that was a Haven of Rest relaxation learning enjoyment and refreshment in in reference to having a monthly Feast you know where each month uh a lodge would have its its its Feast
Um our lodge does it once a month um but I think that it speaks to something that is kind of interesting in that if nothing else you’re going for the meal and I’ve got a treat for you later when we talk about that well I saw this from n and it
Sounds funny to say but that is what feasts were like a couple hundred years ago it wasn’t just a short Buffet line and people throw a couple green on there and stuff like no you had spreads and corn cop is filled with food and um just
For a day’s wages it better be good yeah yeah just ample amounts of of things to nibble on um and be with your Bros so you know it’s a very accurate image yeah the the continuation of that quote I read earlier was it said what business has any Lodge to be nothing but
A machine for grinding out the work so they’re talking about making Masons M uh was not called into existence in order to have the minutes read even a Mystic tie will snap under the strain of cheerlessness repetition monotony dullness a lodge needs to fire a light
Uh needs a fire lighted in it and the only way to have that warmth was to restore the lodge Feast because when restored good fellowship and Brotherly Love Will Follow and where good Fellowship is members will fill up an empty room not only with themselves but also with their
Gifts was this written like last year or uh HL Haywood so okay a little while back it’s a little bit while back yeah and I see some people commenting on I’m reading the comments today green beans no I saw I’ve seen many green beans no I saw somebody
Posted something about oh uh Na he mentioned something about the thing is a lot of brothers don’t have much money so how do we we make this happen raise D well I mean it’s you know it’s it’s a realistic comment but again and I know we’ve said this on the show before you
Know what is it that you get with your masonry is your masonry worth your money um you know we we can sit here and calculate well you know you spend 15 cents a day on your masonry but you have zero issues getting a venty frappa tocino three times a day from Starbucks
You know what I mean so yes but what value are you getting on a daily basis out of your Masonic membership right right there’s there’s room here though to explore this right I’ve been to a number of festive boards uh where I’ve purchased a ticket and upon purchasing that ticket there’s
Another line it says buy another brother a meal that’s cool and so you can donate extra or buy a second plate on your ticket just to cover those brothers who might not have the cash to go and I think like personally I love that because I’ll tell
You what probably 10 years ago I would have needed that free ticket you know and so that’s one thing n like you know we can we can start looking at using some of the Practical elements of our fraternity like the inner charity to uh to help Brotherly Love relief maybe
Yeah that’s what it should be all about right so yeah I love I love what brother Mo said uh you know if I think if a brother can extend a hand he should do in cognito right and I I love that the the anonymous piece of that uh there’s no
There’s no glory and in helping that it’s just the right thing to do I want to be in in in line and and saying hey Jason I’m paying for your meal cuz you’re you’re poor I mean suck it up wouldn’t want to say that but no that’s a that’s a great
Point brother Mo right it’s right we’re a fraternity we’re help we’re helping each other out we’re all in this together and we should be raising each other’s Spirits right this way so no one should feel awkward that they can’t you know contribute uh to you know the the social part as well yep
Uh but there are other Masonic feasts as well I know that uh brother Joe thoroughly enjoys going to his Scottish right Feast of tishri oh I do say more about that brother Joe I do I do so um pmas Joe yes hello thank you uh Joe um I
Should be napping in the corner with my head Point that’s not the way we did it in my year but yes so um for those who are not Scottish rasons the Feast of tishri is um a feast based on the Jewish holiday of tishri which celebrates the freedom that the Israelites won
Um you know within the confines of Providence that was given to them by God right despite being Shackled in Egypt and having their butts whooped by the Philistines um so the Scot Shri does celebrate this Fe East um I personally love it because at my Scottish ride Valley it’s always a big Thanksgiving
Dinner and it’s nowhere near Thanksgiving it’s usually um September sometimes in October um you know it changes with the with the Jewish calendar but um yeah super good time the feast is really good there’s always an amazing program and it usually has something to do with you know Jewish
History and how it relates to Freemasonry and you know you get into conversations about the temple uh there’s toasts that go on as well um there’s an explanation the the couple times I’ve been there’s an explanation of what is found in the holy of holies um so super Masonic and very interesting
And like I said really great spread and everybody’s there just to have a really good time so um I’ve been to Scottish wri meetings where again it’s your your business your minutes your I’m gonna read all this stuff that’s sitting on Robert’s desk because he’s gonna be
Secretary forever and um not this year not this year but yeah it’s it’s a really good event and it’s again it’s if you’re a Scottish W Mason um you can participate also an obligatory observance that they that they must perform to it by the ground Council what about uh so
In the Scottish right up here um like I’ve been to the Feast of tshir like at Southern jurisdiction valleys uh up here in the north there’s also we have a feast of the Pascal lamb do you guys also do that I’ve heard of it I can’t say so
Essentially what it is uh the Feast of the pasal Lamb is in a sense it’s almost a degree that’s performed on stage um there’s a table rent in the cross uh roses at the thing at the the the different stations and there’s a little bit of ritual that goes along with it um
We usually serve the meal beforehand everybody moves into the theater we watch the Feast of the Pascal lamb and as that’s happening they read uh the eulogy of all of the Scottish wri me members that had passed in the last year oh wow it’s kind of like a remembrance
Night but it’s got Hebrew ties as well right because the Feast of the Pascal lamb is the that’s the lamb you Slaughter before the Passover yeah so um and I was actually looking it looks like it’s only on the nmj website it looks like it’s in the Rose qua
Chapter yeah um but yeah I haven’t been to one down here in the southern jurisdiction road trip let’s do it not for me let’s go shut up yet shut up yeah yet yet you can just join up here Jason they got road to the right you watch it
Online I mean look all things being equal I do really like Johnny Royal true so another thing that comes to mind that I think that I wish we did more of is to solidify the actual Saints John because uh we do have you know these patron saints of masonry John the
Uh Baptist and John the Evangelist and I I’ll never forget who who I don’t forget how it was introduced to me and I’ve never forgot it since which is which one is which right John the Baptist you don’t want to get baptized in the winter you want to get baptized in the summer
So it’s cold so get baptized where it’s warm so John the Baptist is in June and John the Evangelist is celebrated in December and so we have these two Pat you can evangelize in any weather really yes see it’s yeah even if it’s cold all
Day long and all night strong so we have these that actually come from you know religious observant these are patron saints uh they were sainted before masonry came around so we kind of you know culturally appropriated those Saints and they already had feast days
Right so we do yeah I love that Mike EXA Mike the intern also doubling down on the uh baptizing the summer so so we have these patron saints we have culturally observed feast days already associated with them so like I wish we had more of an observance to those dates as well
Right so in the Grand Lodge of Virginia we are you we always have like an edict that comes out like in June and in December that says hey by the way we’re Masons we should be you know celebrating our patron saints but we encourage you to celebrate it however you wish in
Whatever observance that you would traditionally well observe yes but I think it’s there’s also a recommendation thank you yes and there’s also a recommendation that you attend a place of worship indeed but don’t do itally that’s the thing it’s like hey right we’re going to we’re going to culturally appropriate these patron
Saints but yet just celebrate it in your own way Joe well actually no if if I remember because I’ve had to read some of these edicts unfortunately um when you get the one for you know you should go out and celebrate the you know St John’s day um you’re actually told to go
To your place of worship in regalia yeah it’s uh oh that’s true that’s true yeah which I don’t think is done as often as it used to be you know say 20 30 40 years ago you know Bunch black suits there have been some interesting Renditions of this tradition uh I’ve
Seen in and around our jurisdiction where uh for instance uh pick a St John’s day and uh they’ll have a special dinner at the lodge with programming which counts as kind of that quote unquote observance um yeah and that’s what I would like to see more of right like
What if roll with me here right that we actually treated one or both of the Saints John as feast days like Masonic feasts anyone anyone at all I think all of you yes hello hi anyone other than Joe past Master here um I know all the things immediate fmas I’m so smart I
Know everything you’re like a you’re like a second Lieutenant oh butter bar boo um no I’m not I actually work for a living but uh no so uh we were we were blessed I think all you guys had had been um we did table Lodges at both the
Feast days both in June and December uh to John’s Point looks like a lot of lodges only do one a year but we celebrated both for at least two or three years um a gold star on the feast days um and we made it a point to actually talk about Saints John during
Those feasts you know exactly I mean it’s such an easy lift right because again we’re not inventing these these were already around premon and so it should be an easy lift to actually treat it as a a celebration of feast day rather than just other Masonic duties as
Assigned yeah does anyone know the answer to uh Mike the intern’s question here didn’t some past GR Grand Master get expelled for wearing his apron to church at one of the Saints John’s St I think you’re I think he’s talking about Prest yeah that’s our buddy Preston old Billy
Preston that’s right you can’t you can’t uh walk across the street wearing an apron without getting expelled so I dude no no kidding uh where we do our uh Feast each month uh we left Lodge and we were just walking uh um like through our parking lot across like two streets and
Then we’re there short walk and I literally get to the restaurant when I think Spencer some of you guys know Spencer Hamman he goes hey you still got your apron on and I was like oh whoops and I just had like a white cloth one on
Or you know just a plain one on and I just kind of like you know folded it up put in my pocket but yeah I mean dude got expelled from masonry could have got expelled for that Robert could have gotten Billy yeah I know but somehow I think we look
Right look left in this podcast and yeah two of us will be expelled within the next 10 years Billy Preston though when he gets expelled for doing this you know at a at a feast event uh he is expelled for a number of years and eventually gets called back because quote unquote somewhere
Paraphrasing the grand bodies were like hey we don’t have anybody to do all this administrative teach the work stuff right and then they invite him back and I think that’s probably the only time in allt the only time in Masonic history where a Grand Lodge was like oh we maybe we were
Wrong maybe thought we were wrong we were Mist we were wrong yeah so go figure right but what if they mandated it what if just like um Grand lodges ask us to hold an installation of officers as a ceremony what if they said something like like your you know our
Jurisdiction will have a feast of St John’s you know twice a year or like to lighten the load maybe say pick one yeah I I will take it over a one- day class 100% right but like like in Massachusetts for instance uh or maybe it’s maybe it’s Pennsylvania one of the
Two they like mandated that lodges open up to the public one day a year and like this is the thing they have to do so I don’t see I see that is way over the line and I think you know mandating a feast is way more there’s something in
My mind that’s way more Masonic it’s fair I like it and really it because it sticks to what we’re all about right it is directly tied it int it introduces the educational and the Fraternal aspect together intertwined like it’s you can’t deny that is wholly Masonic in
What in what it would be so it’s not like oh we don’t know what education is because no one can Define Masonic education like no it’s Saints John like there it is in black and white so everyone gets Wendy’s cheesy baked potato oh do they still have those they
Do they’re so good you know what they don’t have green beans H and and yet uh um the founder of Wendy’s was a Mason and didn’t include GRE Dave Thomas yes Davey Thomas yeah he has crafted lemonades you guys come On I’m getting hungry and it’s late it is just drink more beer noted all right so uh so what would you do to ensure that um a feast tradition were were kept separate and whole aside from these other types of masonic eating rituals like Agape boards table lodges and all
That do you think that there’s something that you could do to preserve it keep it separate do you think they should be separate do you think that it doesn’t matter because we’re all just eating as Bros or something else well what would you I’m trying to trying to think about your
Question here I’m I mean I think the it gets too intent right like so let’s let’s do the opposite let’s talk about the opposite of feasting the traditional dinner before Lodge right it’s usually depressing um usually like damn I really I’m gonna I’ll grab something put it on
My plate just because I have to because I’m here um versus it’s exact opposite like I am super looking forward to to going to a feast and celebrating and having merryment with my brothers right so it’s it’s intent more than anything else I think if you’re going to be
Intentful with the purpose of why you’re holding a masonic Feast then I think you can put a lot of importance around it and spur some interest out it’s the director of the whole thing right like whoever’s planning it gets to set that precedence well and I I think too like
When you’re when you’re talking about a dedicated feast and Remembrance right I’m going I’m going to bring up the ew um Kevin homan’s going to like jump for joy when he listens to this tomorrow like when you’re doing a feast of remembrance you’re really building your Lodge egregor ‘s what’s egregor Jason so
Egregor is you know that Jen sequa Spirit of the lodge it can be that that feeling of you know coming home when you yes when you walk into a room with all your brothers but yes it is a group Consciousness a a group energy that you all share I it’s not
It’s not a Jenna sequa you can actually say quiet you know I can’t really describe Zen squala that EAS as you wish Joe As You Wish gentle I love when people Define things with it’s Jena okay say this is a this is a little poem written I think by a guy named
Brother Richard kurts and it goes like this I want I want your uh I need oh where did Joe go I need Joe’s reaction to this I need to revoke Jason’s here you go admin permission admin privileges listen I do not attend the meetings for I’ve have not the time to
Spare but every time they have have a feast you will surely find me there I cannot help with the degrees for I do not know the work but I can applaud the speakers and handle a knife and fork I’m so Rusty in the ritual it seems Greek to
Me but practice has made me perfect in the knife and fork degree that bro has diabetes okay and that’s a GI work and Fork don’t rhyme do better that dude is has definitely comorbidities going on so but I got why can’t you do both why can’t you do both why can’t you be
Awesome at ritual and awesome at initiating people and have a damn good lovely time right at a feast and that’s what it’s about right because we of course we’re all lovers of masonic education it’s not everybody’s jam and yet that’s the beauty of Freemasonry is that it’s many things to many people
Unfortunately in my opinion but because of that you need need to balance it out and if we can balance out the Fraternal the social the enlightened the educational the ritual and just make sure that we are keeping all things in check all things in Balance we can have great
Experiences especially when we’re not heavy-handed in any of those if we’re too heavy-handed in the reading of the minutes right you’re G to you’re going to lose guys to non-payment right if you’re too heavy-handed in education you might be you know thought of is that weird Lodge that
Talks about weird stuff that really is it’s kind of hard to trace back to masonry right so we need to find that balance I think you did a good job of that Joe I’m Gonna Give You Kudos right because you attended to all those things
And whilea was a ton of work and long meeting nights uh you did you did it very well so I want to just give you a special shout out for that because I don’t I don’t know if that’s been explicitly called out but I want to make
Sure that um your efforts were not unnoticed well thank you that means L everyone felt welcome everyone they got something out of LOD I mean not not to get off on a tangent but I mean that’s that’s something you’re gonna do it anyway but I will but I won’t but it’s something
You got to realize you know it’s some people you know now that I’m so wise because I’m a past master I could say this but umore your wisdom Joe yes people think that you know your your your March to the east to become Master is all about the the crap that you’re
Going to do that year right like this is my year and this is what I’m going to do and this is all the stuff no it’s it’s you know if you guys haven’t noticed this is a voluntary I don’t need to be their organization I’m there because I
Choose to be and the you know whether it’s 8 to 10 people or 30 to 40 people on an evening they’re choosing to be there so if you’re not catering to those 30 or 40 people you’re doing it wrong you know and you know it can’t be about
All the little cool little crap that you want to do it’s what your brethren want and if you can show them a new thing or two along the way then everybody’s successful right and I think a lot of people miss that you know and and you
Hear them and we’ve all we all know people that say it it’s like well in my year this dude it wasn’t your year it was the Lodge’s year you know you just got the keys to the parking spot that’s it you know and and but people don’t
People don’t understand that and I think that’s where we suffer a lot you were the chief steward or the servant leader of the lodge for that year that’s the way it should be not always the way it is no and we we’ve talked about serving leadership but for for for a buyin
Voluntary organization there’s no there’s no other recipe for Success right you can’t be agre you can’t be the general you can’t be the guy leading from the rear and making other people do stuff it doesn’t work that way you know it can’t be taken down past the real
Question is should should worful Masters eat last yes yeah I’d be okay with that damn right lots of head nods yeah Simon syny would agree with you yes he would I’m not I’m not a big Simon syck fan but me are okay off the cuff is a little cringy
Yeah so if he’s got an editor is that what you’re saying yeah he’s great when he’s being edited yes yeah thank you love you feasts are great indeed what would you say Robert what do you what do you have queued up here I’m calling you out cuz I’m so
Scared I’m watching the magic happen in the background no no he he pulled it it was a meme it was uh dodgeball and Underdog Story when uh Ben Stiller’s character is like oh you caught me I like to break a mental sweat too and the cap was Masons when there’s edu at the
Feast but like that’s that’s legit like I think there’s there’s something that can be said for when Joe said I think there’s room to like set to to uh get both types of you know Masons involved and looking forward to the feast um you can schedule a speaker over the feast
And have great food and still like you know you could satisfy both things and I think what’s interesting is you I heard um a smart Mason want say something like uh yeah the meal fills me up but the the content of the education like feeds the soul or
Something along those lines and I always thought that was like like that’s really neat this idea that I’m coming to this meeting to this feast day and I’m doing both I’m leaving full you know Mind Body Spirit kind of thing and that’s something that like the mind with the
Education uh perhaps the the body with the the nutrient food and the spirit due to the camaraderie or as Jason was talking about the egregor in the room um the kind of feelg goods that you have you know how many times you like leave a feast or a great meeting where
Everybody’s really jiving and you you you say to yourself oh man I I should buy that guy something like you know we’re like yeah like help that guy out somehow or you know you you go home and you’re thinking and you’re like oh you know what he’s getting all my Christmas card
List you know it’s those kind of things that that form those connections and I don’t know I think pretty good Christmas cards yes he does he does it’s like the like the meat sweats and the Brain sweats you got it John wow yeah I gotta that’s when you got to
Put your like forehead on the on the porcelain yep it’s that good of a meal dig those Nails into your thighs it’s meat sweat time oh this was such a great show I need I need a masonic Feast at like Fogo toow oh God can you imagine us the next
Day sweaty and not even going near each other right right before like you know and srcf morning meeting on the other side of the state coming for a hug yeah you’re all slimy see that’s why at my srcf meetings we just do boxed lunches super cheat yeah I’m I’m getting
Hungry too I am too I I was told this would be Taco Bell’s open I I had it for dinner o nachos bille Grande plus guacamole Nacho fries nacho fries back in the house limited time only squirrel I love it I’m boycotting they got rid of chicken roll
Tacos those were good too let’s bring it home let’s breakfast burritos are fantastic though let’s go to the question of the week question of the week is um if you were responsible you’re part of the committee to form the Masonic Feast coming up uh what was what is at least one thing
That you would want to make sure is included in order to spread the cement of Brotherly Love so I’ll repeat the question you are in charge of the you’re responsible for the committee on the next Masonic Feast what is at least one thing you would do to spread the cerement of Brotherly
Love and I’ll save our immediate past Master for last just because get some mileage out of that all right Jason go ahead so I could be like I could be trit and say education like have have you know education on what the feast is about uh but I won’t say that because everybody
Expects me to say that um this this would probably go very poorly but um right before the uh right before the opening prayer I would instruct everyone to get up and like switch places with their neighbor or or you know pair off and move to a different seat so that
Depending on the size you would guaranteed to be sitting next to someone you didn’t know or didn’t know well oo no Clicks in masonry yes I like that yeah that’s a good one so it’s an opportunity to get to know and get to expand that aggregor with another
Brother oh said the magic word twice I know good one good one to copyright that TMR Bingo all right Robert Johnson let’s say you I really like Jason’s idea uh I’ve been to some yeah I’ve been to some festive boards where um or feasts if you
Will where we were instructed like to we were given three and a half by five cards and a pen and like you kind of gave three bullets about the person next to you and then after that was done the Master said Okay I want everybody to introduce the person that you
Interviewed and so they went around and did that and it was so uh it was such a good idea to do and yeah it took time but let’s be honest uh the people who care about the time are not usually at these things anyway um but I like Jason’s idea I
Would almost double down on that and just to be different I would say that perhaps uh I would ensure that we have a set of toasts written uh by the members that are not the prescribed toasts that were told to do it seems Joe with you we’re back into
That grind again right where RJ goes first the same damn thing sucker Oh Hey Joe what did you say well you can ask Robert because he knows no I um yeah I I was uh I was thinking of the uh non-standard toast that was gonna be my first answer where people just
Speak from the heart and and do things but what I think um and I’ve seen it done at a couple of feast type events is whether you’re doing it singing Old Lang sign or if you’re just coming together in a chain of Union having some sort of gathering together in a circle
Right like some jurisdictions do nothing of the sort you know we in Virginia we lucky right because we we get to do the charge around the altar in a circle kind of thing and you know a lot of people seem to dig that but coming around for
The purpose of masonry in a circle whether you’re holding hands or not um having a communal moment during those feasts so it’s not just you’re sitting at a table and eating and talking to your little click of friends um but getting around communally and whether it’s singing a song or gathering together in
Prayer or doing something together where you’re communal and you’re you’re with each other um I think can make a feast a bit more meaningful and and spiritual and dare I say you know use Jason’s word you know enhance the the egregor of of the room you know enhance enhance
Enhance awesome love it love it so the uh the only thing I would add to what you guys said is make it an experience right if you’re going to take time away from your family to like be part of this Masonic Feast make it an experience think about like what Disney
Would do right you want to make sure that it’s good food so and appeals to all the senses right maybe have some music playing in the background maybe dim the lights a little bit maybe make sure that we’re all um enjoying the sights and smells that go with with this
Meal right so it’s not rushed it’s good food right it’s not Taco Bell night and just treat it as a separate event right treat it as you know a a moment in time that you can enjoy together to to tie everything that uh the other the other brothers
Here have said and so because time is valuable and if we’re here to promote the Fraternal aspects of this great Brotherhood that we’re in then we should be enjoying other’s company uh with intention with respect to enhance the segreg we want to make sure we are um
Having a good time and just just making it something that’s memorable that when you go home you go not only did I get full physically but I got full spiritually I got full fraternally and that I I want to do it again that I want
To now I just want to throw up yeah that’s right get the bucket and so on that note I want to thank you all mint it’s just a waer thin mint on that note we we almost ended on a high note let’s uh back money python
Is a high note let’s thank you all very much for watching we’ll see you next week and keep searching for more light have a good Night wow
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