Thank you for downloading this episode of our podcast. just, Hi
and welcome to the podcast for Solomon staircase.
Masonic lodge, number 357, where we talk about all things related
with Freemasonry including hermetic teachings.
Philosophy reason spirituality and much more we're located in
Buena Park. Southern California, tuned in as
we continue to update our podcast with informative talks
and articles for Mason's worldwide.
And those who would like to inquire within The following
articles will all be from the september/october 2020,
California, Freemason magazine and the theme of this issue is
the Noir issue. Light is the first and most
important symbol of masonic. Teaching the journey from
Darkness to light and mirrors the candidate search for meaning
for wisdom, light, represents the divine truth, the essence of
goodness, of course you can't have the light without the
darkness. It's in that darkness that state
of ignorance and unknowing and imperfection that the Seeker
begins his journey. It's the place of sin and vice
and avarice and confusion, it's where the Mystery Begins.
This month we're creeping back into the shadows.
For the first-ever and war-- issue of California.
Freemason, a Roundup of crime, secrecy and moral turpitude, all
with the Masonic twist. It's our Peak into the
hard-boiled, the enigmatic in the cryptic, all inspired by our
favorite dime-store novels, and black and white films.
Because where's the fun in spreading the light if you never
stop to appreciate the dark, The Mystery House, how a San
Francisco Mason solved a real estate mystery and a literary
Secret by Lindsey J Smith. William Arnie's life took a
turn, the day. He bought his gray Fedora.
It was November 1981. The purchase was in celebration
of his big move to San Francisco.
The cool gray City three months earlier.
He'd arrived on a one-way ticket from Illinois with nothing more
than his two, suitcases in a job.
Interview lined up, turns out the Fedora was a Savvy.
Move that winter was a wet one Arnie paired.
The hat with a great trench coat.
Cutting such a striking figure around town that a friend
suggested, he start reading Dashiell hammett's.
Hard-boiled, Detective. The tip resonated with Ernie,
who plunged himself into the classic?
San Francisco, writers crime, dramas including the
Continental, op the Thin Man, and red Harvest Rd now, a member
of Marin lodge number 191 and California.
Number one was hooked a year later, he signed up for a
Hammett themed walking tour of downtown San Francisco visiting
the real-life sites described in the novelist's.
Most famous Stories, the tour stopped outside the unassuming
building at 891 Post Street Where the writer lived from 1926
to 1929. And wrote his first three novels
including the most celebrated, the Maltese Falcon, he didn't
think much of it. But the memory of the building
stayed with Arnie for more than a decade until one night in
1993, when he passed by the corner and a taxi and noticed a
for rent, sign in the window talk about foreshadowing are any
already, something of a Hammett been attic was buzzing, but he
needed to know if the available unit was actually the great
writers Hammonds letters from the time, bear, the return
address of 891 Street. But never listed a specific
apartment number. So, like a gumshoe from the
Continental, op detective agency Arnie started digging for Clues.
First, he turned to his wealth and copy of the Maltese Falcon
in which the protagonist detective, Sam, Spade lives in
an apartment widely, believed to be modeled on ham its own Arnie.
An Architect by trade sketched, a layout of Spades flat based on
descriptions from the book mostly in three key scenes.
Then he compared those with a blueprint of the 1917 building,
the plans he found weren't very detailed, but they did contain
the original design of the bathroom.
The Maltese Falcon ends with an iconic scene which Spade
searches the Femme Fatale Brigid O'Shaughnessy for a key piece of
evidence in the bathroom of his apartment.
And the quote from the book, he sat on the side of the bathtub
watching her and the open door, no sound came from the living
room. He put his pistols on the toilet
seat and facing, the door went down a 1D.
He did not find the thousand-dollar bill when he had
finished, he stood up holding her close out in his hands.
Thanks. He said now I know to Arnie that
was crucial Intel. The room was shaped such that
Spade could sit on the edge of the tub Within Reach of the
toilet seat and still leave enough room for O'Shaughnessy to
stand between him and the door. Just with those criteria.
I was able to eliminate almost every apartment in the building.
He says, except one apartment 401, the very unit of for rent,
in the building's northwest corner fit the bill, it had
other Telltale quarks to like a 90 degree Bend in the hallway.
Earlier in the novel, all told the apartment was a minuscule
300 square feet, no matter Arnie moved in the closer.
He looked the more Arnie found clues about the apartments
literary past Weeks after signing the lease Arnie flaked a
bit of paint from a door jamb underneath was the flats
original varnished wood detailing which proved easy to
strip, our any began to meticulously restored the
apartment to its original, he refinished the flooring
installing a vintage glass and wood door.
He found in the basement, purchased a Murphy bed and
furnished. The unit with other Circa 1920,
s pieces. He even created a secret
compartment in the floor under the desk.
It would have been a great place for a gun or for an unfinished.
Manuscript Arnie says As the apartment got closer to
resembling hammett's Arnie delighted in rereading.
The Maltese Falcon, you can pretty much put yourself in the
story Arnie says, watching headlights, move across the wall
at night. I got the creepiest feeling
looking up at the ceiling and thinking this has got to be just
about exactly what Hammett saw every night when he went to bed.
He says are any invited the ham at walking tour to make the
apartment of regular. Stop before long.
He'd become part of the inner circle of Hammett fandom, he
went to the unveiling of the Maltese.
Falcon statuette from the 1941, John Huston and Humphrey.
Bogart film at John's Grill. Another locally famous Hammett
haunt. He met hammett's daughter and
granddaughter. And in 2005 when Group of
friends of libraries, USA installed a plaque on the
building to commemorate it as a literary Landmark aren't he met
and befriended Eddie molar, the founder of the film Noir
Foundation who asked our need to serve as an announcer at the
popular San Francisco. Film Noir festival for 16 years
already lived in apartment 401 but unlike the bachelor Sam
Spade 300 square feet didn't cut it once already got married
still, he kept the apartment for two more years.
After tying, the not even following a move to San Rafael
fearing that if he gave, Get up a new tenant would undo.
His hard work salvation came as in so many mystery, thrillers
from a shadowy stranger. In this case, a billionaire with
a literary. Inclination Arnie won't name
names, but the silent Parker partner took over the lease and
agreed to preserve the apartment today.
The unit remains much as it was in 1929, unoccupied but cared
for, as if awaiting. Sam Spades return from dinner at
John's Grill. At any alarm clock and a copy of
Drake, celebrated, criminal cases of America, a spade stand.
Rest on the desk, a leather rocking chair sits in a corner
at night. Lights from Cars streaming down
post and high Drake across the walls and ceiling like roving
eye searching for Clues. The next article is called the
all seen private eye. A masonic sleuth for hire keeps
digging for the truth by Ian, a Stewart.
I'm a fact-finder begins. John Hudson, a Modesto based
private eye. If the facts look bad for your
client tough, while hodgson's practice is more about social
media searches in records requests than overnight
stakeouts. The ex-police officer isn't
above indulging in a bit of his inner, Philip Marlowe.
We caught up with the Master Mason and private dick for the
skinny on life as hip. Professional sleuth, California
Freemason, how is your work as a private investigator different
than what people expect from the movies, John?
Is gumshoes, whatever you call them.
Generally have a seedy reputation looking through
Windows filming sexual misconduct stuff like that.
Certainly we do a lot of background checks and we follow
people and done surveillance but in California, you know, you
can't climb over someones fence to spy on them everything we do,
it has to be out in the open, California.
Freemason do you have a favorite case, John one sticks in my
mind, an individual had shown up in court, 23 times for a single
charge of assault with a deadly weapon, it had been going on for
two years. I was hired by the defense
attorney to investigate and with three days not only had I given
this man an alibi, I'd also located the weapon and got the
name of the guy who really was involved.
California. Freemason you have a background
as a police officer as well. Is that how you got into this
line of work? John in 1977, I became an
officer in East Yorkshire. England, I deal with everything
from poaching. Animals to fights, robberies
assaults, you name it for three years, I was with the riot Squad
and then I worked as a detective, I came to the United
States in 1991 and did all kinds of jobs until I got my
citizenship and became a Modesto Police Officer.
I did that for 16 years until I retired in 2011 and started my
business as a I California. Freemason and your wife is your
partner John. Yes, I started Hodgson and
Hodson with my wife. Alyssa.
She's excellent on social media, doing background and searching
that. And the other data banks, we get
information from she's helped, find missing heiress to fortunes
things like that. We deal with anything from a
missing dog to a homicide. California, Freemason.
You've got a very distinctive Northern English accent.
Does that help in your line of work?
John actually, yes, it helped me when I was with the police, I'd
go to a dispute where people were getting aggressive and I'd
say, oh, you doing and they'd freeze and look at me like wow,
what's that accent? And the friction was gone.
So people knew me they remembered me and the accent
helped. California.
Freemason where you first round Freemasonry in England?
John no actually one of the attorneys I work with here was a
mason. In fact, he'd been with Scottish
Rite, the York Rite, and the shrine.
And we started discussing it one day and I told them I'd been
interested and he said, look, that's the first step.
He invited me to a cigar night and now I've been a Mason for
five years. The next article is called the
code breakers for hundreds of years.
Freemasons have cloaked secret messages in cryptic ciphers for
some that's just where the Mystery Begins by Ian a Stewart.
Brent more is eagerly studied the figures rows and rows of
neatly arranged entirely indecipherable markings like
hieroglyphs or Chinese hansie only written in Greek or Latin
or Hebrew in the center. A pyramid made of 14 rows of
blocks in case the letter s with a horizontal line above it
elsewhere on the page, which was taken from an obscure 19th
century. Text appeared other
illustrations in one corner and open book adorned by strange
lettering in another a scroll surrounded by a skull.
In a crescent moon. Other people had puzzled over
the page before reproduced in a volume titled.
A history of Royal Arch, Masonry.
And yet to Morris, it wasn't bewilderment, or frustration
that seized him when he looked over the mysterious passage in
the late 70s. It was exhilaration.
No wonder by day Morris worked as mathematical cryptologist for
the National Security Agency. Studying developing a breaking
codes for secret government Communications in his free time.
Maurice was and Still Remains an active Freemason.
A 33rd degree at the Scottish Rite and editor of the Scottish
Rite Journal, a former Master of the Quattro, our coronary
research Lodge, and an affiliate of dozens of lodges and
concordant bodies. So, the case of the Masonic
Cipher spoke to both sides of his brain, of course, it wasn't
the first time Morris had encountered secret Masonic
writings for hundreds of years. And across many countries Masons
have used codes to mass communications of various kinds.
According to Masonic lore, the first such Cipher was cut with a
mallet and chisel Used by Hiram, the king of Tyre Hiram Abiff and
King Solomon, the king of Israel, by the 17th century
references. A bounded to the Masonic word
known only to members by the 1700s.
This Arcane knowledge was part of the Mystique of the Masons
Morrison's Morris says, French masons in the 18th century
further popularized. This sort of clandestine
writing, including use of the pigpen Cipher, which came to be
known as the Masonic Cipher, and Drew characters based on a
tic-tac-toe or x-shaped grid these simple substitution codes
in which a new figure or character, replaces each letter
of the alphabet are crude and easy to break.
Morse explains yet they provide just enough of a barrier to the
non initiate to safeguard a message at least for a while.
It's somewhat useful in that it To preserve secret information
but more important. It becomes a symbol of secrecy.
Maura says, it's like when you get the key to a city, it
doesn't really unlock anything. Such substitution.
Ciphers proliferated through various Grand, lodges in the
19th and 20th, centuries and keys.
Too many were even sold in guidebooks by Masonic Publishers
today, the use of, masonic codes remains common.
Although in place of formal ciphers ritual training manuals
are often written in a sort of shorthand, or what more is
describes as an aide memoir. It provides a sort of casual
security. He says, so if you left it on a
coffee table or an airplane, say anyone who picked it up we go,
huh, what's this? Morris explains?
Their used this way? Think about the lock on a door
sometimes. It's not that strong, but all
you need is something to keep the dog in the house.
Decipher Morse encountered in a history of Royal Arch.
Masonry part of a manuscript belonging to a doctor.
Robert Folger of New York dated 1827 was altogether different
where other Masonic Cipher is used.
Simple monoalphabetic substitution 's the Folger
manuscript was far more complex each figure or hieroglyphs seem
to be composed of several characters nestled into groups
Morris puzzled over the Enigma using his usual code-breaking
techniques but without luck He referenced the Folger Cipher in
an article on fraternal cryptography.
He would wrote for the summer 1978 issue of the nsa's internal
Journal crypto log and at the same time, shared it with a
fellow Crypt analyst named Donald Bennett.
Cracking the code, been attacked the cipher with Zeal and a lot
of patience. He started out by scanning the
document for Clues related to frequency for instance, among
characters group together inside a box 42% included, a horizontal
line or the top surmising that the Box did for the first letter
of the word and the lion for the second Bennett hypothesized that
the line stood for the letter E, the most common letter in
English. And the letter most frequently
appearing is the second letter of a word.
Then he searched for repeating digraphs or pairs of Strokes
appearing together an English. A common example is Q, you that
turned up a distinctive pairing in the text a crescent moon
shape, followed by a backward gamma.
Figuring it couldn't be Q you. However, because in several
instances, it appeared at what Bennett determined must be the
end of a word. There are no English words that
end with q-- u but it did suggest another common pairing
th By focusing on figures containing the likely.
Th diagraph Bennett was able to zero in on what he believed was
a four-letter word, that red, th blank T, the only possible word,
it could be with that armed with this knowledge.
He now knew the symbol for the letter, A a single dot, having
shaken loose, the letters th A&E, he was able to hunt for
longer words here. Bennett relied on Morris for
additional hints in any text. There's a coated element hiding
in plain sight. The language itself, their
specialized terminology and just about everything.
More says, for instance, in an academic setting correspondence
is likely to contain references to semesters adjunct symposia or
Dean's. All familiar enough English
words but rarely used outside a Collegiate environment for
anyone who's read through an uncoded Masonic writing.
The experience of feeling overwhelmed by the Lexicon is
all too familiar words like Brethren ashlar and coward
occur, far more frequently with in Freemasonry than outside of
it. armed with a list of common Masonic terms, Bennett inferred,
that, for example, the frequently occurring figure, he
interpreted, as t blank blank, th was more likely to be truth
than say 10th, From there more coded items could be pried open.
Bennett hunted for Tupac to letter possibilities like to.
And or then three letter words like our where, within his grasp
next, he searched for double letters as an effort on and on,
he went picking apart each graphic for Clues cautiously
making assumptions, testing them and swap it in letters as they
were revealed before long. He had 15 characters deciphered,
then 20, finally he'd recovered the entire alphabet along with
several figures. Is that represented common words
like and his and they and relatively short order Bennett
produced. A rough translation of the
manuscript which read like a homily on the importance of the
Bible as a guidebook for living. Possibly a speech to be
delivered to initiates. While the excerpt was not
familiar Morris is being from a regular Masonic degree.
It seemed clearly related to the craft.
In fact, the word masonry appeared on line. 3 in the
phrase, newly enrolled initiate was used several times
throughout, Reviewing it. Maurice.
Determined that the lecture must come from a Master Mason degree
in a french-style lodge. A strange possession for a 19th
century. American Mason in New York.
Even with the text decipher the mystery felt unsolved.
The what of the cipher have been cracked?
The why remained a mystery wrapped in an enigma?
So Morris took up the case. Again trying to piece together
information about the text purpose and its author.
He knew that the manuscript had been recovered from a journal
kept by a Robert Benjamin. I New York position and
Freemason on the title page. The journal reads, it, it should
be bequeathed to a brother dr. Hans be G.
And then if he is unable to take possession of it, it should pass
to a mr. Ferdinand, Halsey to preserve
the substance in his mind while he committed the manuscript to
the Flames. Morris began to research.
The mysterious doctor Folger combing through Masonic records
and meeting minutes. The picture, the materials
painted was one of them, the authority a stick.
If somewhat freewheeling, Freemason Bulger was born in
1803 and Hudson New York and moved to New York City in 1817
or he apprenticed to become an apothecary in 1824.
He was initiated at fireman's lodge number 368, and he set out
on a dizzying campaign of masonic Endeavors, two years
after his first initiation, he joined the Jerusalem chapter of
the Royal Arch was received in a council of the royal and select
Masters and was dubbed, a knight Templar in Colombia encampment
number one soon after he helped launch a new and short-lived
chapter of the Arch receive the 4th through, the 32nd degrees of
the Scottish Rite, and join the Lafayette chapter of the Rose.
Kroy at the time, he wrote his Cipher Folger was senior Warden
of the newly chartered Zahra Babble.
Lodge. Number 242 from therefore Rose
and fell rapidly through the various pendant bodies, partly.
That was a result of his almost boundless Zeal for Freemasonry
and partly it. Owed to the fractured nature of
the craft in the middle of the 19th century.
Folger personally, lived through, at least six different
Grand lodges in New York and 14 Supreme councils of the Scottish
Rite. He was twice suspended for non
Masonic conduct, or writings and was highly involved in a briefly
active and in retrospect illegitimate branch of the
Scottish Rite known. As Sarah new easy, mm, arrival
to the Supreme councils later. He joined and participated in a
Revival of the separatists St. John's Grand Lodge of New York
at every turn. He it seems he picked the losing
side of internecine. Fights.
It's possible in entirely likely that Folgers coded manuscript
was intended as part of a breakaway Masonic body Folger
intended to found, but never did the frequent.
Clashes with Grand Lodge. Didn't necessarily indicate
Folger was a malcontent, however, rather Morris
determined, he was a product of a chaotic time for Freemasonry
throughout. All of this Morris, labor wrote
Folger was seldom in idle bystander.
I was actively involved in many of the controversies.
He is today viewed as a schismatic, a troublemaker His
Masonic career is perhaps his checkered as the ground floor of
King Solomon's. Temple one cannot study his life
without feeling that he was a remarkable Freemason.
In the scheme of things, the enigmatic folder Cipher didn't
contain much in the way of groundbreaking Secrets, but its
existence pointed to a long and profound history of secrecy and
Mystique within the fraternity Folger was by no means.
The only 18th or 19th century Mason to develop his own code
and the Masons weren't the only fraternity to use him.
In fact, the period was practically overflowing with
fraternal bodies at aim to communicate covertly or at least
appear to in 2011 and international team decoded, the
so-called Kopi All Cipher, another highly irregular code
shrouded, the initiation ritual of a Mason like group of a
cultist who borrowed heavily from the language of Optometry
to perform a symbolic ritualised surgery on initiate size today
in an era of super Computing, and digital encryption such
Cipher seem like a relic from a distant and exotic past.
But timorous, even if they're not exactly cutting-edge
security, they still serve a purpose.
It's like a lot of other things about Freemasonry.
He says it's only a secret from someone who's Not smart enough
to do a Google search. The code is really a mark of
Acceptance. In the society, he continues,
we're not just an evolved trade. Guild, we have those Secrets
going back, 400 years and that's kind of cool.
The Perfect Crime. Masonic mystery Maven, James
Lincoln. Warren on a perfect hard-boiled,
Story by Ian, a Stewart Mason's share a fondness for unraveling.
Life's great Mysteries. James Lincoln Warren loves
putting them together. Warren of Santa Monica
Palisades. Lodge number 307 is an expert of
the tightly wound. Detective story, he is a
frequent contributor to the long-running Ellery.
Queens, mystery magazine and Alfred Hitchcock's, mystery
magazine and Past president of the Southern California, chapter
of the mystery writers of America, he's behind to
celebrated mystery series. The true visco of Lloyd stories
about the exploits of an 18th Century Insurance Investigator
and the Cal Ops detective agency series about a multiracial pi
outfit probing contemporary Beverly Hills, a master of both
his crafts. Warren was given the Black
Orchid novello award in 2011 by the Nero Wolfe society.
And in 2019, he received the Hiram award for This to his
Lodge California. Freemason caught up with the
prolific, writer to talk about parallels, between masonry and
mystery writing, and the enduring appeal of Pulp Fiction,
California. Freemason, how did you get
started? As a crime writer James Warren.
I started writing a great school.
I had my first published story at 19, but it took me 20 more
years to get another story published at that time.
I was writing mostly science fiction, but it wasn't really
cutting-edge science. Fiction is the literature of
ideas. Mystery is the Richard's
Behavior temperamentally mystery was a better fit for me,
California. Freemason, you differentiate
between hard-boiled crime, fiction and Noir, what's the
difference? James, hard-boiled is about
tough guys, who win the war is about tough guys, who lose.
So for instance, the Maltese Falcon is hard-boiled, but
Double Indemnity is worn generally.
There's very little humor in war, it's about desperation,
some sort of obsession California, Freemason, what are
the essential elements, Elements of the genre.
James. Writing hard-boiled.
Stories is I do you have three characteristics first, rather
than being a fair play puzzle. Like, in, Hercule Poirot.
They're usually travelogues. There's a lot of shoe leather.
You discover the clues as the detective does and you arrive at
the solution at the same time as the detective, then you have a
mix of convention and invention. The convention is the thing.
You expect to see to be satisfied, the knight in Rusty
armor as someone called it. The detective with his own code
of ethics. The Invention is how you
differentiate it often through the use of setting.
The setting is almost a character in itself, California,
Freemason, why do you prefer to work in short stories rather
than novels James in terms of choosing it as a form?
It's a matter of temperament. I remember, I was on a
conference panel and the moderator, a novelist who is a
friend of mine introduced me by saying Jim does something I
don't do. I build clocks, he makes watches
And I thought that was a perfect analogy of the novel versus the
short story. Everything has to fit exactly
with every other piece. All tightly packed California,
Freemason. Why do you think crime drama
remains so popular as a genre in literature and film James?
You know, I used to work in a bookstore and if someone came in
and said, I don't like Mysteries, I'd say, I'm sure I
can find a mystery alike, mystery encompasses.
Everything from madcap humor to serial killer stories.
Most mystery readers are above average intelligence so that the
Process of putting together, the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle
appeals to them. California.
Freemason, do you see any similarities between Freemasonry
and crime? Fiction, both deal with
Mysteries and secrets? Of course James, the primary
thing that connects Freemasonry to Crime fiction is ethics and
Morality In the final analysis. Every crime, fiction story winds
up being a morality play the difference between right and
wrong, the symbols of Freemasonry almost uniformly,
have to do with becoming a better person.
The three big metaphors of light or knowledge travel, as in the
journey, through life and geometry, or the building of all
things, they all apply to Crime fiction to California.
Freemason, have you ever made references to masonry in your
stories? James?
The, first year I was a Master Mason.
I was appointed chaplain of our lodge by arum a Lyon and his
senior Warden, David Ferrara, our secretary at the time could
never pronounce their names correctly.
He'd called them Malone and Ferrari.
I thought Ferrari and Malone sounds like a buddy cop Movie
and from that Aaron thought, came Custer Malone and Carmine
Ferrari the two principal detectives in the towel up
stories and while the multi racial makeup of the agency was
categorically reflective of masonic ideals.
The stories themselves owe more to Rex Stout and the late San
Francisco crime writer. Joe Gore's is d.k. a file
stories, but the lodge enjoy the gag.
The lodge that wasn't there by Antone, Peru Chi and the 1950s.
When the famous touring magician Lee Grable pulled into a new
town to perform his Broadway, Magical Mystery Extravaganza.
The Illusionist always sought out a local musician to help
with his most famous act. The floating piano, most of the
time while miraculously levitating in the air and
tapping the keys to a Ferrari has Applause.
The guest performer, would simply relish the attention on
one occasion though, the young woman Grable had chosen
completely froze up. Just as the acclaimed world's
greatest Illusionist started the pianos barrel roll.
Threatening to spoil the whole routine.
Don't stop playing gravel shot at.
That's what's keeping you up Jr, night.
Laughs as he recalls the story night, heard the story directly
from the rate late, Grable a longtime member of Alamo lodge
number 122, more than 20 years ago.
Shortly after night, joined him in the invisible Lodge
International or ili a worldwide group of Master Masons, who
double as Master magicians today night of Southwest Hackett
number 57, For is the president of what is very likely.
The most mysterious Affinity launched in the known or unknown
World, founded by Sir, Felix Quorum in 1953, The Invisible
Lodge has attracted such luminaries as Harry Blackstone
Aikido, and Jack Quinn. And if those names don't ring a
bell, the tricks they made famous, should the floating
lady? The flying carpet and sawing a
woman in half. What started out as a small
Cadre of Freemason magicians has transformed over the years into
an organization spanning half a dozen countries and including
not only magicians but also practitioners of the Allied Arts
such as ventriloquist's fire-eaters clowns and
hypnotists a Motley mix of amateurs and professionals Drawn
Together by their twin passions for masonry and Magic.
The two go hand-in-hand says Ralph Shelton, a professional
magician, a member of Orange, Grove lodge number to 93 and the
ili coordinator for southern The two craft Shelton explains both
share a reverence for mystery symbolism and secrecy.
Perhaps it's no surprise that some of the most celebrated
magicians in history have been Freemasons, most famously,
Harry, Houdini, Howard Thurston and Dante the magician.
With no Central Lodge members of the ili, mostly gather at Magic
conventions, and trade shows in California.
These often take place at the Magic Castle.
The famous private club and magic training academy in
Hollywood, needless to say, ili Gatherings can get weird fast in
a wonderful Vegas, matinee sort of way, we exchange tips and try
out new bits and they're sometimes an ad hoc performance
Shelton says and recent years and initiation ritual was
created for new members, which can be performed in a tile
meeting as an The lodge, the ili is more Club than a proper Lodge
as a result. Most grand lodges.
Don't formally recognize it no one knows for sure.
Just how long the membership rolls are for the group.
Though, that doesn't necessarily 0 to its members and usual
profession, rather, the Past Masters were just terrible.
Scribes night says, with the left, you can't make heads or
tails of their writing. And since we only offer lifetime
memberships, if someone wasn't recorded, when they got their
card, we have no idea. They exist, perhaps a fitting
situation, all things considered Careless record.
Keeping aside the ili offers its members all the trappings of
Freemasonry science and symbols officer positions and an
initiation ceremony Tuxedos and top hats.
But with a performer's flare thus magic wands, replace
Masonic rods and instead of a sword, the Tyler carries a mace
and shovel as he guards, the entrance to meetings.
Why after walking the cow and what are you supposed to do with
him? Shelton offers the group even
has a Lifetime Achievement Award, akin to the Hiram award
called the Harvey award named after the Miss Jimmy Stewart.
Movie about a man whose best friend is a six-foot-tall
invisible rabbit. The award is a beautiful
crystalline glass case Shelton says.
And inside the case nothing he says it's empty.
And with that, we will close out this episode where we featured,
California, Freemason Magazine, from, September, October, 20,
20. And as always, thanks for
listening. Thank you for listening.
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