A Seattle Masonic Ghost Story? Reader, You Decide.

Submitted for your consideration… – Rod Serling, creator of The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery.

     As any electrician can tell you, when a circuit is closed, the current flows. Switch a light on, and you close a circuit, making electrical current flow and power on the light bulb. Switch it off and you open the circuit, breaking the flow of electricity.
     The following story is true, in so far as the events it relates really did occur. All of the witnesses are young and healthy. Two of them are in their 20s, the oldest is 55, two of them hold Ph.D.s. and, like much of Seattle’s population, two of them are, high-tech experts and who understand circuitry quite well. You get the idea… We all have given due consideration to the event we witnessed, yet remain open minded to reasonable skepticism. You, our reader, may or may not agree with our interpretation: but if you don’t, mere skepticism is insufficient to justify dismissing the testimony of the eye witnesses out-of-hand.
     By way of introduction, just as you must believe that Jacob Marley was dead in order to appreciate Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, you must understand this basic fact about electricity in order to appreciate what five witnesses regard as a possible instance of paranormal activity at 1608 Fourth Avenue West – the location of Queen Anne Masonic Lodge, founded in 1921. The witnesses’ story emerges as much from the facts about the event we are about to relate as it depends upon the value and relevance of such biographical information as remains about our Charter Members.
     Queen Anne Masonic Lodge #242 was chartered in the twilight years of the Edwardian era, between the two Great Wars and before the Great Depression, when Seattle was still riding the wave of prosperity of the Alaskan Gold Rush and was more important and prosperous than Los Angeles.

      One of the Charter Members of Queen Anne Masonic Lodge #242 was Bro. George R. Milstead, who met with the other Charter Members in the Queen Anne Branch of the Seattle Public Library early in the year 1921 to draft our bylaws and begin the process of forming the lodge. Our Charter was granted in June of 1921, amid much public ceremony recorded in the Queen Anne News.

     Judging from his photograph, Bro. George R. Milstead had appeared to be a robust, bald young man with calm, yet penetrating blue eyes. He would be the first Junior Warden, but no one could have known that he would not live to serve his term as W:.M:. when his photograph as W:.M:. was taken. Bro. George R. Milstead passed away before his installation. He would live only long enough to be pleased at his election and to have a photograph taken in September of 1923 to record that he was about to fill that distinguished and honored office for the 1923-1924 year Thus, for the previous year, in sure anticipation of assuming the chair of honor in the East, Bro. Milstead had served as our Senior Warden. As all Masons know, this is a position whose chair is in the West of the lodge room. In the case of Queen Anne Masonic Lodge, this also is the place in which the lighting for the entire room is controlled from a console at the Senior Warden’s podium.
     Now our story – or perhaps Bro. Milstead’s own – can be told. If it is Bro. Milstead’s story, may it give him rest. You decide.
     On the night of Wednesday, February 16, 2011 (A:.L:.6011), five Master Masons, including the current Worshipful Master (in his second term in the East), another twice Past Master, and three other Master Masons, were in the Lodge Room rehearsing Masonic ritual, in preparation for the following night, when another worthy man would be initiated in our Mysteries. During this rehearsal, an odd event occurred – yet not without some precedent, as you’ll soon discover.
     A sixth Master Mason was downstairs and did not witness the event. His role also is significant, as you’ll appreciate presently.
     At one particularly challenging point in the rehearsal, while all five of the Master Masons present in the Lodge Room were standing at least five paces from the station of the Senior Warden in the West, from which all the lights in the Lodge Room are controlled, the current Worshipful Master finished a line – and all the lights in the Lodge Room were extinguished immediately after the W:.M:.’s line: so that it seemed as though the outage had occured on cue.
     The elder Past Master ran to the door of the Lodge Room and bounded down the stairs to ask the sixth Master Mason, an expert building maintenance man, to investigate the source of the outage. He was in the kitchen on the phone with his young son at the time of the incident and throughout most of the aftermath. This brother had been far from the fuse box during the event, and well-away from the instrument which our Past Master had gone down to inspect. Hearing this, the Past Master went back upstairs only to find the lights back on. But how?
     The current Worshipful Master informed the returning twice-Past Master (with all present as witnesses) that after he had run downstairs, the W:.M:. had, to prevent himself from stumbling on the steps at the Senior Warden’s station, inched his own way through near-darkness to the lighting console. Mysteriously, when his hand was still inches from the console and before he could so much as touch the switch – and without any other brother upstairs or downstairs near any electrical controls – the lights suddenly came back on. Still more mysteriously, once the lights had come back on, he could see that the switch had been in the on-position the whole time: an inexplicable contradiction of how electric circuitry works.
     The rehearsal resumed uneventfully and culminated in an excellent initiation the following night. Nothing like this has ever happened at 1608 Fourth Avenue West, to our knowledge. As for precedent, various socially unrelated individuals, Masons and non-Masons alike, none of whom knew of Bro. Milstead, have reported to the twice-Past Master that when they stood near at or near Bro. Milstead’s last Station in the Lodge, his Station in the West as Senior Warden, they felt an odd chill within a certain radius of that station. These individuals revealed their impressions in an off-the-cuff manner, independently and without prompting. They all reported the sensation that they were being watched or watched-over.
     The most severe critics of Freemasonry who also believe in a personal, post-mortem conscious existence, and who would seriously entertain the idea that Bro. Milstead was present, will undoubtedly be inclined to suggest that our deceased Bro. Milstead (or some other spiritual entity righteous in their eyes) had been manifesting his disapproval of Freemasonry by shutting out “Masonic light” during our rehearsal. Yet the following night, no such “disapproving” interruption took place. On the contrary; it was a night of ritual virtually devoid of errors and well performed by all.
     It would appear that if it was our Bro. Milstead who disrupted affairs the night before, he did so to manifest his role as member of a very special category of sideliners to our degree work. We welcome, nay, we would solicit Bro. Milstead’s continued assistance and invite our readers to decide whether what happened was an inexplicable event in electrical circuitry or an unverifiable visit, as the late Rod Serling would have concluded… from The Twilight Zone.

Three Great Books About the Crusades

Before reviewing any of these books, I wish to stress that this blog posting is not intended to imply that I believe that the Knights Templar of the Crusade period were the origin of Freemasonry. This posting is explicitly about three very responsible books, written by non-Masons, so far as I know, who treat the subject of the Crusades or the Knights Templar quite responsibly. The fourth book is a great read, but, as I explain below, not reliable from a scholarly point of view.

To all interested in the subject of the Templars, particularly if they come at the topic with some ideas about the Templars and Freemasonry, I recommend they read the books in this blog posting in the order in which I review them.


The first book I recommend is The Dream and the Tomb: A History of the Crusades, by Robert Payne. It does not treat the Knights Templar as a separate subject; instead, it examines the whole period of the Crusades, all eight of them (or nine, depending on how one counts them). The Crusades were an important era in European history during which Europeans came into long and close contact with cultures of the Middle East. It lasted from roughly 1100-1300 A.D. Payne's book is well written enough for scholarly research, yet very readable for a generally literate audience. He includes good maps and offers fascinating "cross-cultural" insights that often are eerily relevant to the conflicts in the region we see and hear about today. I read it as the US invaded Iraq and was struck by many similarities -- and dismayed that our leaders were so uninformed about many tactical aspects of warfare in the region that could be had for the reading!

Anyone interested in the Knights Templar are advised to read Payne's book first. It is essential to understand the entire period and its conflicts and various players before focusing on any particular aspect of them.


The second book to read is The Templars, by Piers Paul Read. It is a rigorously historical and scholarly treatment of the history of the Knights Templar. It is heavier going than Payne's book, but this is to be expected when one narrows the focus. It has interesting photos of artifacts, maps and other items to bring the subject to life. This book is the first place to go before dealing with any of the cultural sequela following the official disolution of the Order in 1312.


The third book to read is The Knights Templar and Their Myth. It too is a great read and one that is historical in focus, and it finally takes the curious reader beyond the period of the Knights Templar into the following centuries -- to examine responsibly the power of the myth of the Templars. Here is where you will find at least a primer into the oft-told story that the Freemasons are derived from the Templars, a myth that the Chevalier Ramsey made famous in the mid 1700s.


Finally, Born in Blood, by John Robinson. This book is not very good from a scholarly perspective. The evidence he cites is tenuous -- the connections he draws across time, connecting people and events are forced, yet convincing to those who have not taken the time to learn more about the Templars from reliable scholarly sources. To the uninitiated (pun intended), there seems to be some smoke but, to abuse the metaphor, Mr. Robinson is fanning a bed of fast cooling embers. The trail he purports to reveal as one that connects the two organizations has too many gaps -- and other possible explanations.

Despite my disagreement with his conclusions, he does offer a wealth of well documented information and he writes very well and with passion.

Enjoy them all! 

Freemasonry

The word conjures up as many images and opinions as there are people of whom you might inquire. Some of these images and opinions are positive; some are quite negative. Some are comical, whether innocent or malicious. Regardless of the source or tone of the information available about Freemasonry, it can be reliable or unreliable, even if provided by a Freemason, also known as a Mason. To say that even a Freemason could be unreliable in his information or opinions about the organization he is a member of may seem surprising or even evasive, as if Freemasonry had something to hide, or worse, that some terrible truth is being hidden from the majority of its members. However, this is not the case. It may help to know that since June 24, 1717, it is estimated that over sixteen thousand articles, books, pamphlets, movies, tracts and other items have been published or promulgated of every quality and motivation imaginable about this loose-knit, world-wide society. This partially explains the diversity and varying reliability of opinions. Changing attitudes and motives among the membership, in accord with the various cultures of the world in which Freemasonry found a home also have contributed to the many views that Freemasons have had and have about themselves as well as the views that outsiders have had and still have about Freemasonry.

It is important to know that no one, Freemason or not, regardless even of his academic qualifications, can speak with absolute authority and certainty about the unquestionably remote origins of Freemasonry or even, surprisingly, the meaning of the rituals and interpretation of the symbolism employed in making a man a Freemason. There are differences in ritual in the U.S. and elsewhere, but everywhere in the world where they are found, there are fundamental commonalities that allow one to be recognized and accepted as a brother.

Much is known, however, about the development of the Craft, as it is often called, since St. John’s Day, June 24, 1717 when four lodges in London joined together to create the first Grand Lodge. This Grand Lodge eventually exerted influence and authority over lodges in England and, eventually, many areas of the world. In the 18th century, other Grand Lodges were formed, according to certain protocols that had been agreed upon, and became independent Grand Lodges with the right to create other lodges under their own jurisdictions. While this is a cursory account of the origins of the historical phase, or of modern Freemasonry, it does not satisfy the intellectually curious. As they delve into its symbolism, even the more conservative historians of the Craft, Freemason or not, soon conclude that despite the differences to be encountered from place to place, it has been around almost in its present forms for over three hundred years. David Stevenson, a Scottish scholar, has explored the origins of Freemasonry in Scotland that predate the English lodges, in his book The Origins of Freemasonry: Scotland’s Century.

There is no single leader of the Freemasons either, a fact that would stop conspiracy mongers in their tracks if they were disposed to listen and think. Each lodge has its Worshipful Master — a merely honorific term inherited from 18th century England. In most jurisdictions, he serves for a year, by consent of the other members of the lodge. Likewise, each Grand Lodge has its Grand Master, who in most jurisdictions serves for a year by consent of the voting members in the jurisdiction. The authority of the Worshipful Master is absolute only in terms of the governance of the lodge, most conspicuous during the ritualistic aspects of lodge meetings, but also exercised in the day-to-day operations involving the same humdrum details as other organizations (budget, buildings and grounds, supplies, food and so on). Even in the performance of his duties, however, no Worshipful Master is successful without the goodwill and consent of his other and equal brothers of the lodge. Men who are obsessed with controlling others quickly fail in Freemasonry.

Some may view the Freemasons as tending toward the eccentric or antiquarian. Certainly, being a Freemason requires an individual to be tolerant of the constructive and positive idiosyncrasies of others.

Collectively, when men meet as respectful equals, individual differences can be an asset to the health of a group so long as they are not neurotic obsessions. In any case, the continuity of the Craft and its rituals attest to one characteristic: Freemasons are quite conservative on issues having to do with the ancient usages, traditions and customs of the fraternity. However, it must be quickly pointed out that this conservatism does not necessarily reflect any conservative political or religious views held by them as a group or individually. Certainly, no Freemason is required to believe in, or even consent to any particular political view or religious creed.

In fact, religion and politics are forbidden subjects while a lodge is in session. No Freemason will ever ask a man who is interested in becoming a Freemason any questions about his political views, nor any question about religion, except to find out if he genuinely believes in one God and an afterlife. A man’s specific opinions on these subjects are his own private business. This is not to say that Freemasons are indifferent to politics or religion. On the contrary; the masonic attitude toward freedom of opinion and expression has made it a champion of liberty, education, tolerance and human rights all over the world for over three centuries.

Liberty Equality Fraternity

These words are familiar to anyone acquainted with the French Revolution of 1789. While they are quintessentially masonic, despite movies, such as National Treasure or pulp fiction writers such as Dan Brown in his book The Lost Symbol, or other items tending to the sensationalist in other media, the Freemasons did not cause the French or the American Revolutions so much as they were conspicuous participants in, and, to some extent influenced events due to their contacts across political and national boundaries. Rather than as a causative agent of the Revolutions of the Age of Enlightenment (and beyond), Freemasonry is more properly understood when it is seen as a vehicle for the diffusion of ideas, as

Margaret C. Jacobs has shown quite responsibly in her scholarly book Living the Enlightenment.

Freemasons, and Freemasonry, then and now, adhere to, promulgate, and are dedicated to the underlying principles of universal human dignity that led to the liberation movements of the 18th and 19th centuries. However, neither Freemasons —nor Freemasonry, as some fantasize it, constitute a unified and international body—, orchestrate revolutions to overthrow oppressive governments and neutralize the forces of religious bigotry. Given what Freemasonry stands for, it might seem sometimes that the world would be better off if there were an international, masonic conspiracy, but there is not. It stands for Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. When any society or government abandons its allegiance to these principles, it will sooner or later be replaced, with or without Freemasons.

Other freedoms which Freemasons had been practicing in private for generations by the time these revolutions occurred included, among others, freedom of expression, voting, paying taxes (in the form of dues), established by common consent, and constitutional, representative government. It was only natural that having been skilled in the exercise of these God-given rights of man that Freemasons, at the end of the American Revolution, should be so visible in codifying them in the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Citizens of Washington and Oregon may be proud of a chapter in their earliest recorded history that is tied closely to Freemasonry. Lewis & Clark were both Freemasons. When one first notes this fact, this may seem unimportant, like affiliation with an ordinary professional guild, something Freemasonry is often thought to be, due to its own legendary history. Documentaries have neglected to mention Lewis’ and Clark’s affiliation with Freemasonry out of ignorance of its influence on the way this pair of explorers conducted the affairs of their group when they reached the Pacific coast and faced hard times before returning east. They called for a vote from all members of the party, which included an African-American slave and a native-American woman, anticipating voting rights for members of these groups by over a century. This has been pointed out correctly as a testament to the American spirit of liberty, but documentary makers have not known that while the ideas about freedom were spread internationally, before, during, and after the Enlightenment and up to our times, Freemasonry was one of the most important vehicles in the Western world for disseminating the ideas and ideals that gave birth to the modern, representative democracies, whose ever-precarious existence renders their comfortable familiarity deceptive.

Consider, for instance, Benjamin Franklin’s deep and international involvement with the Craft throughout his life. His masonic career and the ways his masonic life intersected with other important figures who were also Freemasons is not mentioned once on the voluminous web pages devoted to preserving and honoring his memory. He was once Grand Master of Pennsylvania and was member of lodges on both sides of the Atlantic. Freemasons were to be found among the leaders of most of the 18th and 19th century movements for independence in the New World and enlightened, progressive thinking everywhere.

From pole to pole, the countries of the Americas owe a debt of gratitude to Freemasonry deeper than any Freemasonry owes to the Americas. When politicians try to sell their ideas to the American people by wrapping themselves or their ideas in the flag, people would be advised to consider whether they or their ideas are consonant with the values of Freemasonry or whether they are merely paying lip service to them, while inwardly abusing or betraying those values.

Freemasonry has had and still has many enemies. One of its greatest is ignorance of its benevolent presence.

Not being a religion, it has been and still is accused of being one, worse still, of being a satanic one — by religious despots, charlatans and opportunists who fear Freemasonry’s dedication to freedom of conscience in all matters religious and political. The Catholic Church and a few Protestant denominations have been the perpetrators of the condemnation and persecution of Freemasons. The irony is that Freemasonry has no ill will toward any religion — quite to the contrary, Freemasons are encouraged to be involved with their respective faiths, even when that faith’s leaders may be inimical to Freemasonry, as John Robinson's book A Pilgrim's Path well documents.

Whether out of ignorance, superstition, fanatic zeal, or driven by personal motives, some religious leaders expend a lot of energy attacking Freemasonry.

Not being a political party, it has had many political enemies as well. The kinds of political enemies it has had serves to classify its religious detractors as well. They are numbered among humanities’ hall of villainy. Entire regimes have wielded their might against the Craft, imprisoning, torturing and killing many Freemasons over the centuries. Being not Right wing, it has been accused of being Left wing — by Hitler and Mussolini. Being not Left wing, it has been accused of being Right wing — by Stalin. Being non-Muslim, it has been accused of being a Zionist, American puppet — by the Imam Khomeini. Being regarded as a secret organization (it is more proper to consider it an organization with proprietary, fraternal secrets for modes of recognition), it has been variously accused even in England, the cradle of modern Freemasonry, of granting favors to members or covering up crimes. The Jack the Ripper story recurs from time to time in this context. Quite conveniently and conspicuously, favoritism, as it certainly manifests itself sometimes among, for instance, some Anglicans, Methodists, Mormons, and as is blatantly exerted by political parties, never occurs to Freemasonry’s detractors. Usually, Freemasonry’s position has been to remain silent in the face of accusers, because, as the Salem Witch trials amply proved, once accused by a fanatic, there is no appeal to reason.

By joining the Craft, a man aligns himself spiritually with many men, past and present, from all religions, language groups, races, cultures, socio-economic classes and professions who are dedicated to the universal brotherhood of man, to the proposition that man can be better, individually and collectively. You meet them all, the living or, figuratively if you wish, even Freemasonry’s illustrious dead, as equals before their one, common Creator. These include such figures as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, George Washington, various signers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, various members of the English royal family throughout the centuries, the famous English architect Christopher Wren, some of the founding members of the Royal Society, Voltaire, Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin, Mark Twain, Goethe, Lessing, Garibaldi, José Rizal, Simón Bolívar, several U.S. presidents, the Mayo brothers who founded the Mayo clinics, Sam Houston and Santa Anna, Benito Juárez (who proclaimed that respect for others’ rights is peace), John Wayne, Neil Armstrong, maybe the man who lives next door, and thousands more from all walks of life.

By becoming a member of the Royal Art, as it is also called, a man makes a statement, mostly to himself (and his new brothers), that there is more to life than eating, sleeping, and working. Work, noble as it is in support of oneself, one’s family and to assist those in need, is not the sole end of man. Why should it be important to institutionalize or otherwise formally make a statement about these truths? Religions and philosophies provide man with transcendent meaning, but they are frequently divisive, or easily exploited by opportunists and fanatics. History, especially recent history in our own country, demonstrates this.

Men who might not have ever met, or who, if they had, might have been mortal enemies, may instead meet as Freemasons and transcend the limits of their various cultural backgrounds, becoming what Socrates called “citizens of the world”. Freemasonry attracts men who are enticed by this idea.

Masonic history abounds in examples of the power of this fraternal bond. Rightly sensing and fearing this power as a threat to established hierarchies created and maintained by exploitation, injustice and hereditary privilege, one edict of the Church of Rome against Freemasonry in the 18th century (among many still in force) objected to Freemasonry on the grounds that soldiers on opposite sides of a battlefield who recognize each other as Freemasons might be inclined to not kill one another when ordered to do so by their generals. Certainly worse things could happen to mankind than soldiers refusing to kill each other. Instead of determining to assert their divine birthright of being lords of themselves, responsible to the Great Architect of the Universe, their peers and history, they could continue to follow dictators and other egomaniacs like sheep, remaining slaves, body and soul to despotic kings, priests and other self-anointed leaders or usurpers of the rights of government that emanate from the governed by their direct and unequivocal consent.

Among the reasons for a man to become a Freemason, none may be greater than because he seeks truth, since his understanding of the nature of things will determine his actions in all spheres of life. He should be a seeker of truths about his own existence and identity, about the proper relations of things in the cosmos, about how things actually are, as opposed to how he is told to see them or as they appear to be, including what Freemasonry means to him. Remember, no one tells a man how he should receive Freemasonry into his soul, or how he should experience it.

A candidate for the mysteries of Freemasonry should be a decent man of legal age, a believer in one God and a future life, and have an open, inquisitive mind, neither a simpleton nor too headstrong to learn by modes of instruction unfamiliar in the modern, Western world, but which were more readily grasped in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. He should view life, even existence itself, as a quest for more and more knowledge, or light that is only attainable by discipline driven by an orderly mind.

He should not wait to be invited. He may rest assured that he will not be. If, after serious consideration, he is interested in joining, he should “stand at the door and knock”, in humility and desirous for the step by step process of self improvement and discovery, taught in three degrees which are allegorical of man’s lifetime journey of learning and struggle, groping through the darkness, confronting and combating evil and error, within himself and in the world.

The three degrees of Freemasonry, Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason, are obtained by participating in relatively short, ritualistic dramas, usually accomplished one per month over three or four months. As he goes through them the candidate is acquainted with the mysteries or esoteric teachings of the Craft. He may say, after going through the degree work, “Is this all there is to it?” If so, that should not be a sign that there was nothing in the degree work but a few simple fraternal secrets of a predictable nature, or equally unfortunate, that there might have been anything wrong with him. It should also be remembered that while anyone can read about the rituals, but they must be experienced to be a real and vital force in a man’s life. If this seems odd, consider reading a play as opposed to being the main character in it. Then imagine being the main character in a series of plays you have never read and yet which you perform well. That would be suspenseful to say the least. To read such a play first would also ruin the experience, which is another motivation for all the “secrecy” for which Freemasonry is famous — or infamous.

The symbolism of the degree work, it must be remembered, has kept many people, even seasoned scholars, busy for centuries unraveling its many layers of meaning — or possible meanings. One of the features of symbolism is that it is so capable of multiple, non-exclusive interpretations, making emblematic and symbolic modes of instruction very powerful vehicles that speak deeper than words and can outlast the ages. Freemasonry has survived and will continue to survive to be a vital force within society, but ever vigilant to work its mysteries out of public view.

If you are interested in learning more about Freemasonry, contact me. Ironically, Freemasonry is a most open secret. We are found in most local phone books in the U.S. I can help you locate a lodge near you. Any active Freemason can direct you to reliable sources of information about Freemasonry from a variety of perspectives.

By becoming a genuine, active Freemason, a man does his part to ensure that this noble fraternity will continue to exert its gentle but unrelenting hand in human affairs through men in all walks of life for another generation.

With unprejudiced, kind regard for all good men everywhere.