All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us you’ve reached the internet’s home for all things masonry join on the level podcast as we Plum the depths of our ancient craft and try to unlock the Mysteries dispel the fallacies and
Utilize the teachings of Freemasonry to unlock the greatness within each of us I have you now yeah okay welcome back to onth level podcast hope you’re enjoying our new intro as much as I am probably not uh we have with us for this episode worshipful and if I get this wrong you
Correct me brother worshipful Dwayne Marshall who is the uh owner and proprietor of the Facebook group you may have seen is it a page or a group I don’t know we’ll find out called the past Master’s thoughts welcome to the podcast brother oh thank you brother I appreciate it excellent so you you’re
Probably most well known outside of your local area for the a Past Masters Facebook is that a page or is that a group no it’s just a page just a page okay yeah just just a page so like if you wouldn’t mind in this podcast broadcasts all over the world so
Um a lot of people aren’t going to know who you are if you wouldn’t mind just giving us you a quick rundown in your Masonic background um I’m a pmas of active Lodge uh 158 out of aeson Kansas Uh current member of Overland Park where I was raised in uh uh
2011 uh that’s Overland Park 43 six uh currently getting ready for my third term as a uh District Deputy in the grand jurisdiction of Kansas uh I’m the associate Patron with my Eastern Star chapter in Lenexa uh just found out yesterday I’m the director of masonic relations for Kansas
Deay and a mations oh thank you yeah it’s it’s nice to find that out online it’s it’s great and uh a member of the Free Runners Masonic order Free Runners Masonic order uh it’s a uh motorcycle group and it’s a worldwide um worldwide organization oh okay similar to the
Widow Sons similar to the Widow Sons okay and um third time District Deputy to me that sounds strange in in the jurisdiction of Florida I don’t know that they recycle District deputies very often is that something that is common in your jurisdiction we do have it uh in our
Jurisdiction where guys will serve more than one term they um they like it when uh when Brothers will serve uh two a lot of times it’s one um I really enjoy it you you get to go out and visit the other lodges and and work with the brothers and and I
Love sitting in in The Lodges and seeing what they do so it’s it’s really a good uh good thing for me uh and now the reason I know you is because I’m actually very active on Facebook you’re very active on Facebook and you created this past Masters thoughts page and you share your
Thoughts about the fraternity uh is tell tell me a little bit about how that started or why that started if you would oh absolutely I uh I was elected as master of of my Lodge in aeson and realized which and I can get in later how I how I ended up in
Aters um but they they elected me as master and I realized that there were a lot of chairs that I hadn’t set in uh a lot of knowledge that I didn’t have uh as I progressed and had questions not just questions about the fraternity questions about life in general and how masonry
Impacts us and and that kind of thing yeah and I decided that if I have those questions so do other people so let’s start a page um and let’s just ask them the the entire focus and the only reason for that page is just to get people to think and
Converse we have a number of podcasts your yourself uh when came you winding stairs Round Table historical life any number of them yeah that that touch on history and the esoteric side and yeah okay let’s discuss day-to-day how how does this impact you and and uh there’ll
Be times that that Brothers ask how I come up with things I have brothers send different different thoughts uh and say hey this would this would go great on your page what do you think about this none of none of those articles really come to mind until I’m sitting on
My front porch with three fingers of of libation and a stick and I just start writing it’s all spur the moment stuff really okay yeah you don’t have like a long process where you’re self-editing stuff and coming back to it the next day you just kind of go for it and post it
Uh a lot of those are uh are written on my cell phone which would explain the number of typos that Brothers see when they read those I’ve never published anything that wasn’t replete with typos oh man I’m telling you my wife will get a hold of me when I’m done and says you
Might want to jump on the laptop and edit that because that was a mess yeah but that’s that’s how that all happens it’s all just spur the moment what happens right then kind of like a daily meditation yeah so pretty much the things you’re writing about are things going on in your
Life a lot Sonic life well and and personal a lot of it there there are some topics that I might need to back up on a little bit uh I went back and read some of them and over the last week or so uh religion has kind of been a Forefront
So like that’s a that’s a touchy top topic you feel like people don’t want to really go down that rabbit hole you know and and I was thinking about that earlier and you you post something about religion and and I come from a very eclectic background and and I tend to to
Make a lot of jokes about it and and that sort of thing I was born in the 70s and really grew up in the 80s when uh and I and I mean no offense to anybody if this is whatever but in a time when Jesus wasn’t the Son of God it was Jimmy
Swagger yeah and the mega churches you know in in the mega church thing and and I grew up in a very Evangelical background and I I teas that uh you know the difference between the church that I was raised in and Appalachian snake handlers was we didn’t handle
Snakes and and you know brothers look at me and they go you’re not laughing and I’m like it’s because I’m not kidding um but I I came from that and I studied in uh in some uh conservative churches and and some liberal ideas and uh and
Was initiated into a uh into a neopagan group uh involved with wiah and that’s so a very eclectic thing and I understand that within Lodge we say that we don’t discuss religion and politics is a gentlemanly thing but there are times in in really calling out the craft and and again I
Was talking with you earlier about listening to some of the past episodes that that folks get upset I have to ask are we really mature enough to have those conversations without someone getting upset I think that in a format like we’re having right now one man to one
Man it’s a lot easier to have those conversations sure um when you’re on the internet like Facebook for example it gets really difficult to have those conversations um for a variety of reasons I think oh absolutely absolutely so I could see that you have a I could see you having a
Tough time with like a Facebook page and the comments and and the conversation oh we have a we have a mystery guest who just joined us oh um this is the man that uh uh introduced me to you uh his name is brother sha Cooney who’s the current Junior Warden of the mighty
Sarasota Lodge 147 welcome to on the level podcast Sean my brother you look at that man’s getting cheered welcome welcome thank you for coming yeah of course I I told Sean we were recording in five and he thought I said at five so that’s my fault that’s my fault I I
Got fat fingers when I text I can’t do it properly how we doing right worship no not bad how you doing Sean not so bad good to hear you again good to hear and see you we were like we we covered his uh Masonic history and we were just talking about
Kind of what he does on Facebook and kind of got into a conversation about one of the only things he has to check himself with is conversations about religion and uh so we were talking about how like this this format now we have three guys even this kind of a
Situation is a hell of a lot easier than going on Facebook and try to talk online about religion that’s a whole another world of hurt you’re opening up because you know people act different when they’re not in front of your face oh most first of all and uh second of all
You get a lot of people that you didn’t even want in the conversation the chime it and people are easily offended about their beliefs too you know and I think that’s one of the most important things about Freemason and one of the things that I value so much about Freemasonry
Is it we’re it doesn’t matter what religion you you choose you know what I mean we’re still Brothers you know what I mean and we all believe in the thing that’s right and we believe in you know the all of these good books they all have such great beautiful things in them
You know and if you live your life by those books I mean most likely you’re doing all right you know yeah I mean um it’s something that we have if you’ve ever listened to the podcast over the last several years it’s an issue that comes up all the time and um you know
Our my personal belief is a Mason who’s been active in masonry and had a lot of experience in it is the intention is to keep the lodge business and State Communications clean and pure we act very different in a stated or call communication than we do in the dining
Hall and we act different there than we do at the fire pit around my house drinking Bourbon and having cigars right there’s like levels to this stuff and and what we do in a business meeting or call communication is absolutely off limits in my mind and rightfully so to
Discussions about religion and politics for the purposes of debate I think an education that involves a religion no one’s complaining about that in Lodge I’ve seen it many times uh however the conversations that we’re g we might be having like right now uh are going to be
A whole another thing and I don’t think that there’s ever been an intention to prohibit masons from talking about religion or Politics as people right this is really just limited to the stated and call Communications in the lodge agreed so I would I would I would
Agree with that to a to uh to a point um no you have to wholeheartedly agree to it damn it oh well no i’ I’ve walked into I’ve walked into a into a meeting and and a brother made the comment that if you’re not of this Faith or this
Flavor of Faith then you can’t be a Mason and I’m like then it’s time for me to to walk down the street because I don’t meet that I I one of the most beautiful things and it’s actually part of what drew me to masonry um in the first place because I
Was seeing a lot of a lot of different organizations and a lot of different groups that that claimed the very thing that that masonry professes right we love everybody we’re on the level we’re we’re this we’re that and in the 11 12 years that I’ve been a
Mason this is in all honesty one of the only places that I’ve ever really found it yeah um and wholeheartedly believe in it I I’m I’m very passionate about it uh that’s why I write about it a lot uh and well you have a perspective that is in the minority in the fraternity
Okay and being in the minority I I was talking to somebody about this uh a friend of mine a business associate and uh he was talking about protesters and how horrible protesting was and I was trying to explain to him that when you’re in the minority you have to try
To make yourself heard a lot harder and so that’s why you’re seeing protest from any minority group or that’s why they’re talking about something that involves them specifically because they have to raise awareness to the issues they’re dealing with so the majority can have a an ear H towards their issue and maybe
Start to change their thinking about that issue if they don’t talk about it it’s never going to change so conversation has to happen clearly the brother you’re talking about doesn’t okay for those that aren’t Masons and for those that are long Masons the guy you just described is not knowledgeable
About masonry we can all agree on that right he had no business saying that if you’re not a specific religion you shouldn’t join because uh that is not part of the tenants of our fraternity it’s quite the opposite of the tenants of our fraternity yeah it’s it’s freedom
Of religion that’s why why we have that as a a right in our constitution you know and it’s very prevalent in Freemasonry and it should be that’s why we can put different books on our altars you know whenever you want to take your obligation you just have to believe in
That higher power and you have to have some kind of Faith so we can tie up oh yeah most certainly and and one of the things that I really enjoy and and I’ve sat in Lodge uh with Muslim Brothers one of one of my really good
Friends is a Jewish brother they have so much to teach me to step outside of of my comfort zone and what really makes that individual tick and I I talked pretty regular about uh and I was chaplain of my Lodge at one point and I would always end uh my
Closing prayer with please allow us to take the light of masonry into a darkened world I truly believe and at absolutely believe that it’s the one thing that will save it yeah and if we don’t take masonry out of the lodge room masonry will die and that’s just it so
Here’s but I want to go and and and visit different and while we’re still on the on the on the spirituality side of things but visit a Muslim Mosque a sik temple a Hindu what makes the people in my community tick and it’s really your heart and your
Faith and so how can I better take masonry into the outside world in a way that you’ll understand and you’ll relate and be on the level not just with my brothers in the lodge but with everyone I come in contact with well I’ve said this many times on
The podcast that and and and I think about things weirdly I know but I really see the lodge and the way that they’re telling us to behave as training wheels for the real world uh it it it’s like training wheels it’s like gives you support structure this is look you’re
Doing it you’re walking the straight line now you’re you’re riding that bike and then when you go out in the world you got to take the training wheels off man you gotta you got to be that way now in the street the same way you are in
The lodge I’ve met men that have been elevated to positions of great power that one way in the lodge and are completely different outside the lodge you would think they’re two different people uh and they are two different people you’re getting two different versions of that person that isn’t
Masonry masonry is to be that way all the time so you’d hope that that brother is working on that and trying to do that uh but that that’s the goal for all of us as Masons is to try to bring the light of frame masonry into the world
And you have to it has to be part of who you are if you’re going to do that it can’t be something you play at twice a month absolutely and the the tolerance for religion is definitely part of that I say tolerance because you can’t expect you know it’s like my uh my
Wife’s father’s from another country he’s from a different era and trying to get him to understand what nonbinary uh trans cisgender is is never going to happen I got to get him to understand that there are gay people in the world like there you have to take
Steps you can’t go from A to Z you’ve got to go through the process of learning and educating yourself right and U masonry really helps you take those steps of learning about yourself your biases the things that you do that hurt people and looking internalizing it and learning how to change those
Behaviors to be the most positive contributing member of any relationship you’re in whether it’s your work family right your church whatever the situation is to be a positive contributing factor to that Community that’s and that’s absolutely true and because masonry uh you know we say it’s a fraternity it’s a philosophy it’s and
It’s all these things but you’re absolutely right it is a relationship not just with your brothers in Lodge with the people in your community but it it’s a relationship with yourself and you’re really learning who who you are um yeah man it was a lodge uh Massachusetts I believe that that did
The Ben Franklin videos yeah uh and they were talking about the measure of a man and masonry measuring who you are it’s it’s discovering yourself and discovering you yeah yeah and you know the thing about the um it’s like if you are uh only F if you’re
Only subjected to the same thing over and over again you never grow there’s no opportunity for growth there like you said you want to visit a Muslim Mosque you want to visit a seek Temple because not because you want to convert your faith right it’s because you want to understand people better absolutely
Where are they thinking the way they think where are they coming from what are their hopes and dreams and fears and you get that from looking at their faith you can understand a person better it doesn’t mean that you’re going to try to convert yourself uh just to look at a
Thing it’s like sports if uh if you’re on a sports team and you only practice with your teammates and never play another team how good is that team going to be in a playoff where they finally play another team that’s been playing other teams all season that’s not going
To go so well for that team like you have to you have to test yourself you have to test your beliefs and and uh be open to having conversations with people about things that you don’t understand and uh you find that most of them there’s so many similar points of view
Just told in a different story but they all are saying the same basic principles you know and it’s just like there’s so much beautiful symbolism and and just like in Freemasonry how we have all of these symbols and illustrations you know they’re just all of these beautiful
Lessons that are just taught in a different way you know what I mean the difference want to argue about it and then kill each other over it you know for us like maie I think wrote it he said Mason’s uh we understand alliteration and we understand allegory
And and taking moral lessons from things and into a Mason you don’t care if that’s Christianity or Egyptian mythology or shck you know stories from middle ages the point is you’re looking for the moral lesson to take from it and try to learn from it and the second you
As a Mason start trying to prove that H Biff was a real man and when he lived and what he ate for lunch you’re losing the point of it all you look crazy right and like you said you don’t have to shift your beliefs like no one’s asking
Anyone to change their beliefs at all like I want everybody to believe hard in what they believe and I think that’s good I you know I really do and if you are a super religious person and whatever that may be I think that could be really good for you it’s just to be
Open and to be able to pick apart those things and find those beautiful aspects and lessons and and and whether it’s Egyptian or or what you know to be able to find those pretty lessons and apply them to your life I think is really valuable and that’s what we do in
Masonry all the time pretty much yeah and so what uh if you don’t mind me asking Dwayne uh it sounds like you’re in a minority religion what religion would you prescribe to these days if you’re willing to share no no no no absolutely and and like I said I’ve I’ve
Looked at another or at a at a number of uh different face I’ve I found that I’m not and and much like Sean was saying I’m not really a a fan or subscribe necessarily to an organized religion right uh but try and see the spirituality in all of them
Right I I think that there’s uh if I was if I was to practice daily spiritual ritual is probably more Wiccan uh and and earth-based flavor uh than than anything else that’s a that’s a really hard one to knock you know when you have a religion that
Worships like the sun it’s hard to Discount that the sun’s real and exists and is worthy of worship like that’s a tough one to really kind of isn’t it most certainly it is uh and it’s really interesting uh with the southern Liberal Arts and Sciences how that tends to tie
In a bit yeah you know um I have a I had a a candidate that I brought into the fraternity and he went through his first degree he’s a pagan um and so I was excited because they do a lot of ritual and stuff and he is spiritual so he met
All the requirements to be a Mason um and he got his intered Apprentice degree and he called me that night and he said what the hell was that all I saw was Christian this Christian that Christian everything and I’m like listen man open your eyes think deeper okay look at the
Look at the symbol that they explained to you in the Ed Apprentice degree the circle with the lines okay take away take away the images on the surface and what you’re seeing are ancient hermetic principles yes right this is your belief system and it is their belief system
It’s all in there it’s not like one thing is wrong and the other one’s right you know it’s just flavors like you said labels and I imagine it’d be kind of kind of hard to be o and it shouldn’t be you know in in Mason we should just
Be open but I imagine there’s a lot of push back from people that don’t necessarily understand what that is you know what I mean to be a pagan or to a Wiccan or anything like that because what they believe is against that you know what I mean but it also says in the
Same books that you shouldn’t judge that other person and you should do nothing but love that other person so you know I I I think that we that’s what our duty should be you know is to love your neighbor as yourself that’s a a Christian one right you know what I’m
Saying but it’s a good one it’s a good one you know it is don’t kill that’s another Christian one I think we can all agree it’s probably a good one fact you needed that one is amazing to me well you know what I’m saying it we just got to be
Careful not to to judge each other you know for what we believe in and judge The Man by his character you know what I mean not not his beliefs you know that’s worthy of judgment the way a person acts is worthy of judgment uh yeah yeah it
Was really funny when I did my first degree a number of years ago I went through and did the first section and I’m going back out of the out of the lodge room and and I’m chuckling and laughing a little bit and one of the guys looks
At me and he goes I I don’t what’s what’s funny I don’t understand I just looked at him and he goes wait a minute or and I I tell him I’m going that isn’t new I’ve done that and he and he looked at me and he goes goes wait a minute
You’re Wiccan aren’t you and I go uhhuh yeah I I I am that’s that’s not new but I a couple actually I have a couple wiced friends in the fraternity like between two lodges I have three friends that are wicked I got a bunch of Buddhist friends and Hindu friends yeah
Buddhist and there’s a lot of majority is mostly Christian but then you have you know you have plenty of the Jewish faith as well like we had one of the members of our lodge straight up convert tow ISM which was pretty cool and interesting you
Know I say Live and Let Live you know it really irritates me I’m not goingon to lie it irritates me a little bit when people are you know pushing on each other to believe something that you know I mean because in all reality we’re just on this planet traveling to our deaths
And nobody for certain knows anything and I know a lot of people that’ll rub people the wrong way too because you know if you believe hard enough you consider it to be a fact but there’s nothing that is there’s no certainty in life and certainty is madness if you are so certain about
Anything at all you’re you’re a Madman you have to be because nobody really knows these things until you’re there you can believe but nobody really knows so yeah try just try not to suck live life and try not to suck try not to suck that’s aw but and and you’re right and
And if you’re so certain you’re so closed in that you don’t open to new thoughts and new ideas and we’re supposed to be free thinkers and open to that I mean yeah you know everyone has something to teach through life experiences so well it closes you off to love really you
Know what I’m saying and I think that’s like the biggest aspect in all religion it’s such a huge part about being alive is love and when you close yourself off to it it’s I don’t know it makes me sad a little you know cuz that’s really what
It is it’s like no I can’t be friends with that guy cuz you know what I mean or you know you’re you’re casting judgment he wears a different hat than I like to wear to church so I can’t be with that guy you know you’re you’re
Just closing yourself off to love and I think it’s so important we lose sight of that and in the world today is just loving each other yeah I think that is definitely 100% the Masonic the essence of masonry is learning how to love your fellow man
Even if you don’t understand him or age with you for sure absolutely very very true those are the training wheels that we get in the lodge room that we’re supposed to carry out into the rest of the world and uh not everybody makes it and not everybody cares to try and uh
That’s okay you know people come to masonry for different things and they get different things out of it I understand that but for me personally I like am all about masonry and I like to surround myself with the real deal talking about guys that are looking to
Take a journey in life uh of self-improvement and self-discovery those are the people I like to surround myself with as a Mason um and you know I think that’s what I tell people I get a lot of calls from through the podcast of people complaining about their situation
In their Lodge they that it’s not right and things that aren’t good about the people that are in their lodges and what I the the counsel I give them is go to another Lodge and start seeking people that are good Mason and only associate with them and you’re
About to have a completely different Masonic experience than what you just have been going through for the last year two years or however long it’s been don’t try to change those people just go just go find another place where you can find people that are more like where
You’re at in your Masonic journey and I and and I I agree with you as well uh as I was listening to some of the back episodes today there was some discussion about taking a new brother and going and visiting a lodge and and working with uh
With Grand Lodge I get emails every once in a while of people interested and wanting to join the fraternity and I’ll send those emails we have nine lodes within my area that’s not too terribly far here in here in the Kansas City area and I will send that
Email to each one of those lodges and then get a hold of that brother and say let me take you and let’s go visit some of these well yeah but Lodge ABC is three blocks from my house well okay that’s great but their focus may not be right what best suits
You or you know you may feel more comfortable at a lodge maybe 10 blocks down the road you know whatever but but let’s go visit those lodges and find the one one that really works for you not just hey there’s a lodge next door I think that that’s wise and more
People need to do that um and you know I think the fraternity in general has gotten itself into many of The Lodges have gotten themselves to places where they’re desperate for membership and uh they just want to get some people in the door and the conversation about is this the best best
Lodge for you isn’t happening all the time as often as it should and sometimes there are lodges that are better fit for certain people I mean I I talk about that all the time I am not a member of the lodge I started and I found a lodge
That was a better fit for me and the lodge that I’m in now I often refer people to the lodge I came from because I think that Lodge might be actually a better fit for them based on their situation you got to you know you got to
Match up the person with the lodge because all it’s amazing how different the cultures are at different lodges yeah definitely different Dynamics uh did did I lose you Cooney are you still here oh I’m here okay cool yeah I’m here definitely different Dynamics and different no matter where
You go coming in and out and I just notic yeah H your video’s going in and out I just noticed it that happened sometimes when to press the button like this there it is depending on where you go I mean it really it does change from Lodge to Lodge even District there’s different
Leadership in control there’s different you know levels of motivation but one thing that should all be Universal is our tenants and our our beliefs we and we should really you know be um I don’t know I want to use the word aggressive you know what I mean to
Up hold to that you know you know we should all regardless of who’s there in the dynamic that one thing shouldn’t change from Lodge to Lodge to Lodge and that’s Freemasonry and its own yeah we all share the same tenants and beliefs in the digest of masonic law at least within our
Jurisdictions and and all of them should be living that at least and that’s one thing like when I was the master of a lodge if you went to my installation on day one that was my speech we’re going to try to be good Masons um all year I
Tried to be an example of a good Mason at the end the last thing I said was I hope this was good for the the lodge and I hope that we were I hope that at the end the best compliment you can you can
Give me or any of my officers is you you are a good Mason like that should be the highest honor for us is to get that praise like that means that you learned and you’re trying to do better and that that that is hard Improvement is hard to do you you’re you’re talking
About the reason that people cling to things and that they’re so sure is because it’s easy to do that you don’t have to consider other people’s opinions ideas you don’t have to question your own ideas or or accepted truths it’s easy to live that way it’s much harder
To open yourself to the fact that you don’t know everything and you’re most likely never going to know everything that’s not an easy way to live this like well I uh oh go ahead Sean no absolutely go ahead brother I uh brother brother’s great brother’s
Great um I uh it was it was interesting because at my installation I uh when I talked to the lodge um I told him that there that I’d only found one perfect Mason in in my entire life and and all the time that I was involved and before and all that I I’ve
Only found a single perfect Mason and I reached behind the podium and pulled up a jar and set it on the podium and it said you know perfect Mason and it was this mason jar and I go that’s it you’re you are going to fill that with your
Experiences and we end up we we took donations out of the year and whatever and filled the jar and adopted a family for Christmas that year out of what we raised out of that jar um I I’ve asked people from time to time who the most important person was in the
Lodge and it’s the the friend that you’ve just placed in the northeast corner that he he’s your foundation and I I would really throw it out that we never really ever leave that chair we’re always in a state of learning in a state of Discovery and masonry is a lifelong
Journey and it takes your whole life to figure it out really and absolutely you know we’re we’re learning about ourselves and the fraternity and we never really leave that spot I always say like I don’t know why they gave me so many working tools I’m still just working on my first one they
Gave me you know what I mean like constantly working that that common gavel out you know never going to be for sure a lifelong you ever have you ever talked about the thing um our brother Cliff brunetti um brought this up when he was um doing an education I believe but um
The perfect stone is not smooth and and shiny if it was completely smooth and completely perfect it wouldn’t hold mortar you know it would just slide off it would be no adherence so it it takes those extra pits in there and a little bit of imperfection in order for it to
Be fit for a builder to use it you know what I mean I thought that was a a cool thing I said that is I like that and it’s like it’s true and I there we did an episode about this I like to surround myself I said with good Masons but also
Broken people because they understand the value of everything in life they understand the value of Love they understand the value of like being respected and uh they aren’t going to take those things for granted and so you know someone that’s come out of some crap in their background and dealt with
Some really bad in their life is somebody that’s usually really interesting first of all uh but not boring people and and they don’t take anything especially your relationship for granted so I love being around people like that because I’m a person like that I guess Lord knows I am like
When I first joined I was like y’all Really Gonna Let Me Be Like You know I’m a hood right well and and it’s is it’s those imperfections that like you were saying that make us unique yeah and and give us the opportunity to to show ourselves to other people
Because uh and and we’re kind of dancing around around the word a little bit but it makes us vulnerable and we have to be vulnerable to our brothers because that makes us open and raw and honest which you know some of the stuff that uh that
I write and I post it’s that’s that’s very raw that is that is how I am and being open and uh being honest to everybody and and those those articles have gone around the world I’ve had guys from from England and wherever go hey man can I
Use this in Masonic education and it’s wow you guys are really hurting for Masonic Ed but okay yeah sure you know feel free no man you never know what other people are going through and how much help it is for you just to say things out loud that other people are
Thinking and aren’t saying well and I’m definitely a fanboy I’m definitely a fanboy I always love your your posts they always give me something to chew on you know what I mean there’s always something there you know something to think about if nothing else just you
Know what I mean a man you know he’s at it again you know well and and I appreciate that and that was part of of why I started writing those because of I thought it somebody else is thinking about it let’s discuss it and if you
Disagree with me great I love it when people you know I go up and I get the pat on the back going good Lord right worship man great that man that’s awesome that’s wonderful okay thank you but I also love it more when you know I didn’t
Completely agree with you and here’s why yeah now you’re having a conversation which is what you let’s be open about it okay now we talked about religion you said I could ask you anything still feel good about that I can ask you anything feel okay roll the dice let’s see what you got
Okay three two one fight okay here here’s the deal you are not in a traditional relationship are you sir I love you Chris thank you brother no I am not is this something you’re comfortable talking about uh sure we can we can talk about
It okay so we in my Lodge in Sarasota we have pretty much everything under the sun I think uh represented in our brothers yes now the one thing we don’t have have uh but we do actually have an uh I know I’m not going to call out the
Lodge or the brother but there is somebody in our district that is in a polyamor Amorous relationship we don’t have it in my Lodge that’s probably the one thing we don’t have as far as I know but uh I do believe that you may be in that situation yeah I’ve heard rumors yeah
Yeah so you got you got two ladies ye yes yes I do I’m need to know how that happened please and I would like a Playbook that we can uh go by ourselves to make that happen in our lives um I had I got my hand one yeah I
Got my actually it was really kind of funny I had a a past Grandmaster ask me the same question and every time we talk in private he’s like hey man how does that work and I’m going well you it’s not for everybody yeah um I met uh Jennifer at first off me and
My wife my Legal Wife we have been married now what 13 years wonderful Rock Solid um I met Jennifer actually uh doing some work between my motorcycle group and uh deay uh there was a radio station here in Kansas City that was doing a uh a
Thing for veterans and I we went and collected uh uh hygiene products socks that kind of stuff to take to the local VA and I picked them up and uh met her where she wor excuse me met her where she worked and you know you’re you’re kind of cute
That’s you know and went on and kind of left it and a few years later I’d had bariatric surgery and and all that and uh we showed up at a demolay event me and Jenner for like to tease that we started dating over a dead brother and
It was a day of Remembrance in honor of Frank L founder aday who’s buried here in Kansas city so we went to the memorial service and she was there and we started dating after that and things just took off now we’re we’ve been together about three years everybody everybody’s happy
Everybody’s cool the the thing that really revolves around this and by the way I am not a preacher for polyamory it works for some and it doesn’t for others right and uh it takes a lot of effort a lot of work and a lot of open communication and
A lot of being honest with yourself yeah I would imagine because even with two people communication’s difficult I can imagine with three how much more difficult it would be if you’re not not being open and communicating oh yeah we as we as a a family unit have had to sit down and
We’ve had some very very rough conversations um but we’ve grown from them uh because much like in life and and masonry and for the love of God I’m not really trying to tie poam and masonry together because there are some Brothers now pulling their hair out and
Chris you’re going to get phone calls and all of this um but it it does it requires being open and honest being on the level being upright being Square it speaking your truth of who you are and trying to understand where that other person’s coming from so um yeah it it
Can be incredibly interesting um I caught a lot of flack for it from uh some brothers in the fraternity basically because Jennifer is a Brother’s daughter there there are some folks that question obligations in Kansas and and whatnot over that but did you have a conversation with the brother yes I most
Certainly did and that brother is I go to his birthday and go to his house regularly so but and and there’s nothing wrong with that so as long as you’ve spoken to the Mason and he’s agreed with you that this is uh okay what’s the problem well and and and
It comes down to again communication and respect and if that brother even though we’re all legal adults I mean I’m 53 and everybody’s in their 30s and all that if he would have said you know I’m really you just skipped over something you got two ladies in their 30s and you’re in your
50s oh did I say that what what okay congratulations oh well you know thank you but no if that brother would have said hey I’m I’m not super comfortable with that then that would have been in the story okay we’re we’re done we’ll go grab a beer and some pizza and and at
The end of the day I’m going home so it but yes you you are you are accurate in that and that’s you know that’s not anything I’ve ever really been shy about but yeah there there are some brothers that are comfortable with that and some that aren’t yeah well you know Live and
Let Live brother it’s not like you’re asking you’re not asking them to join your relationship you’re just asking them to accept you as a brother that shouldn’t be right no that would be a little that would be a little weird I I I think think our uh my uh Nikki my my
Wife uses the term polysaturated she goes we’re we’re polysaturated no more we can’t do no more polysaturated sounds gross polyamorous sounds romantic well right no but living Let Live I can tell you what I’m not gonna do though I’m not gonna I’m not gonna go after
That like I said I got my hands full with one lady no you are a monster to be able to do that just a beastly back and take all of the burden on in the world God bless you women are burdens but Lord oh I
Think I think they take care of me more often than not and that’s that’s a wonderful thing I’m I’m very blessed that’s awesome that really is cool yeah I I mean I U never been in a polyam I only learned that this was a thing a couple years ago when when I met
Somebody that was in one and I had to Google it because I really didn’t understand what was going on yeah I like Mormons or something you know what I mean do that right like mornings Mormons oh Mormons yeah yeah yeah I thought that’s what that was they used to for
Sure but if you look in history you know what I’m saying it was common forever think Solomon had like three or 600 wives something like that yeah something like that I mean so it’s not it’s not crazy at all and lookie there and Solomon was credited as being the wisest man in the
World so yes maybe he has more to teach us uh I don’t know you have two you think you can handle another 498 no I have a hard time with two I got a hard time with one no she’s great she’s great well I believe he was also
One of the richest men men to ever live so maybe that maybe you got to have a lot of money to handle that many women you know I yes so uh you when you post your past Master thoughts as you you alluded to earlier you’re usually sitting on your
Porch having a libation and smoking a cigar now what is your favorite libation in these pictures that I see um I am a fan of now if I can if I have been a really really good Mason I will grab me a bottle of bini I love my bini
Scotch however I have found that um like uh Jack Daniels or Jim Beam Honey is really good sprinkle a little bit of sea salt in it and that’s good good stuff no that’s that’s very good stuff um I’ll also get one and uh I have a
Cocktail smoker I’ll put in on top and I’ll smoke one that’s that’s really pretty decent now that I would do I would do the smoked honey but say little the I will say that uh my cigars because I’m a brother that supports brothers so I I smoke Sonic
Cigars and I am there’s there’s a specific band I’m really really really trying to get in the Kansas City area and have a pass a few around what would that and uh if if if we might maybe be able to uh if we might ran cigars the three ran
Cigars I’m going to matter of fact I’m sitting at uh my cigar lounge right now and I’m going to talk with them and uh I gave them some and I’m GNA see what they thought and have them reach out to y’all I’ve been trying to certainly appreciate it brother I certainly appreciate I’ll
Make sure we uh send another little care package out to you that would be tragic th th those might end up in a in another article or few oh well I mean but don’t threaten me with a good time buddy the viewers know that I’m the the
The sales rep three roughan so now you guys know and the guys come to this guy they are a very good stick uh they’re a very good stick and I’ve done my best to send some brothers your way when they ask well we certainly do appreciate it we definitely do and
It’s it’s real cool to see that you know what I mean because like I said I’m already a I’m a fanboy I love the the past Master slots anyway but every once in a while I’ll scroll and I’ll see one of ours on there and I’m like that’s a three roughan it’s fun
When you see it in the wild like that it’s like what it oh my goodness it is very cool it it’s been a fun experience and I’m really looking forward to the future moving forward I think it’s we got nothing but good things coming so R cigars with all in all fairness is
A sponsor of the podcast so thank you for being on and thank you for your contributions to keep us going of course it does cost money to do this and we don’t make money so sponsorship is greatly appreciated it is a pleasure but you know that that
That’s a you know people don’t like to mix business and Freemasonry I’ve heard it um I’ve gotten ridiculed for being associated with it um but here’s the thing uh if you enjoy a thing you kind of want to play with that thing and this
Is uh this isn’t a I don’t think this is an Endeavor to become multi-millionaires because of Freemasonry I think this is a group of people that really enjoy quality stuff and want to raise money for uh I think you give a percentage of all the proceeds to Masonic body right yeah to
The shrine absolutely yeah we definitely uh we we donate a percentage I believe it’s like 10% of everything we sell goes to the ason international and then also we just did a raffle for our brothers over at Liberty Lodge and they ended up making I believe it was $860 profit for
Their Lodge and their benefit which is awesome because we love Liberty Liberty has Sarasota 147’s back all the time every single thing that we do they they’re showing out for and we try and give them as much love in return I mean it’s our district in general is really
Really tight and we’re really really lucky I don’t think a lot of people realize how lucky we are in our district but so Liberty yeah we’re always trying to we’re always trying to help that we’re definitely not trying to make a million bucks this is just something
That is ours and it’s Masonic and the idea behind it too you know some of us are a little bit more Rough Around the Edges me in particular you know and we relate to the guys that do have a bourbon and a or a scotch and a cigar
And we can talk about things and it’s a little bit more comfortable for some than others and that’s just what we promote I think you know definitely not trying to get rich we’re I mean we show you the financial statements we’re definitely not getting rich
Dude it’s just a a fun journey and we like the camaraderie of The Craft and it’s just it’s just a a fun thing to do speak you know Sean and and it’s and it’s fun that you bring that up um some of the best Masonic education that I’ve
Ever received has never been in a lodge room absolutely and I mean you know you you have your meeting and you have your your time set aside for Masonic education and and it’s great and there’s Brothers there and and it’s this way with other organizations that that I’ve
Been a part of the Masonic education really starts when folks go home you you close the lodge and folks are hey I’m not going to make it I’m not going to whatever and a lot of times there’s been a couple lodges that I’ve been at uh during ddgm visits or just
Visiting in general whatever uh they’ll have what they call the Junior Deacon hour well they’ll go down and they’ll pour three fingers and have a cigar and sit down and have discussions like we’re having now where I don’t want to say the gloves come off but it’s a little bit
More open it’s okay what do you want to know let’s let’s talk and that’s really some of the best Masonic education I’ve had has always been after a lodge meeting I agree wholeheartedly I think that’s where true Freemasonry happens I mean it’s where we learn in the lodge
And we experience in the lodge but where true Freemasonry happens I believe is outside of the lodge and our brother um John schaer who’s also partner of mine for three rians he has a you know a monthly little game that we play and during that time we have more deep
Conversations about real things and we get into esoterics and talking about like the true thing that we’re trying to do more often than not and you know I probably rub some people the wrong way but I I tell a lot of the EA when they show you know what I’m saying like this
Is where it happens you know what I mean like this is where the real masonry happens I mean it definitely everything that we do for a stated meeting is necessity and it’s important and it it it’s it’s what makes us us but the the real work happens when you leave that
LOD room you know yeah you get to hang out with your buddies and and really get into stuff and you know it’s not for everybody I’m not promoting drinking and and smoking either you know I mean that’s not for everybody I mean everybody gets what they need from different places but for
Me personally more often than not over a good a good bourbon and a a good cigar I’ve really found some introspective things to work on you know what I love about the the fun part of that is you you uh you Dwayne you smoke uh Sol ham
And Solomon cigars also yes and ham and Solomon are the two kings that are the heroes of our stories and you you juxtapose that with the three Ruffians now who are the three bad guys in our stories to kind of embrace those uh superfluities and vices so you’ve got
This cool ju Theos of the heroes and the uh the bad guys who are both Masonic cigar Brands I think that’s fun I think it is too it’s cool that was clever certain whoever came up with that idea Cleaver so um you know we’re coming up
On about an hour which is what I asked you for and I do appreciate you giving us that much time uh you know this isn’t the format I think Dwayne you said this was the first time you’ve ever been on a podcast it it is this this is a format
That uh uh I’m getting comfortable with uh I’m not a huge public speaker although um there there’s an event coming up in July that uh it the the speakers haven’t been announced but I have a feeling my name is uh is going to show up for masonicon Kansas
Um we’ll we’ll see what uh what what the uh masonicon Team wants to do with that but uh yeah this is this has been a fun experience how about you Sean been on a podcast before been on a video log anything like that huh have you ever been on a podcast
Sean oh God no absolutely not first for you too okay yeah definitely but I hope to hear from Dwayne more often man he’s always got like a really awesome perspective on things you know what I mean and I I just love I love talking to him I really do no I appreciate that
Yeah we’ll have to take like one of your more like uh uh con conversation starter topics and like talk about that topic on the podcast with you that’d be fun oh most certainly we’ll do that and I’ll play around and see if I can get the camera on my laptop for whatever reason
It’s it’s failed on me that’d be super cool to have like a little past Masters thoughts every once in a while you know yes yes so we’ll we’ll we can live you know we can get people that actually comment on your page to come in live and actually engage with us while we’re
Recording that’s the next level coming out here soon we’re going to be live streaming on Facebook and YouTube while we’re recording that you’ll get access to the pre-edited content which is always way more juicy than the edited stuff you see coming out so I hope I get to see you on uh
What was it July 27th yeah July 27th well we’re working on a little bit of a a trip it just so happens to be July 27th and I believe the destination is Kansas so maybe we’ll get to have a a drink and a smoke in person well I’ll tell you first first
Rounds on me right I’ll hold you to it so Dwayne you got an opportunity to speak to the entire world all Masons listening anywhere in the world what would you like to leave them with on the way out man I really put you on the spot
There didn’t I well you did and that’s okay if we can find a way and and I’m gonna and I’m going to leave this just just like I do my my closing prayers always always look for a way to shine the light of masonry into a darkened world but remember you’re that
Light it’s you you make the difference in your not just for yourself but for someone else I love it I love it thank you now Sean Cooney got a minute to think what would you like to leave the listeners with on our way out he wasn’t thinking he was
Having a snack maybe a sip a a little spirit I would like to encourage our brothers to keep that open mind and that open heart and to just really lean on love and compassion because I think it’s missing in the world right now and I
Think we could use more of it and I just want to really draw that into people and have people think about that a little bit more than they do tolerance and love in our hearts and then when you go out into the world remember you’re representing the whole
Of Freemasonry to these people you might be the only Mason they’re ever going to meet and you’re the light in the darkness thank you Brothers for being with us today and I can’t can’t wait to do it all again and thank you for listening to onth level podcast
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