WHEN IS A MAN A MASON?

When is a Man a Mason?

When he can look out over the rivers, the hills, and the far horizon with a profound sense of his own littleness in the vast scheme of things, and yet have faith, hope, and courage which is the root of every virtue.
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When he knows that down in his heart every man is as noble, as vile, as divine, as diabolic, and as lonely as himself, and seeks to know, to forgive, and to love his fellow man.
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When he knows how to sympathize with men in their sorrows, yea, even in their sins knowing that each man fights a hard fight against many odds.









When he has learned how to make friends and to keep them, and above all how to keep friends with himself.
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When he loves flowers, can hunt birds without a gun, and feels the thrill of an old forgotten joy when he hears the laugh of a little child.
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When he can be happy and high-minded amid the meaner drudgeries of life.








When star-crowned trees and the glint of sunlight on flowing waters, subdue him like the thought of one much loved and long dead.
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When no voice of distress reaches his ears in vain, and no hand seeks his aid without response.
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When he finds good in every faith that helps any man to lay hold of divine things and sees majestic meanings in life, whatever the name of that faith may be.
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When he can look into a wayside puddle and see something beyond mud, and into the face of the most forlorn fellow mortal and see something beyond sin.
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When he knows how to pray, how to love, how to hope.
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When he has kept faith with himself, with his fellow man, and with his God; in his hand a sword for evil, in his heart a bit of a song — glad to live, but not afraid to die!
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Such a man has found the only real secret of Masonry, and the one which it is trying to give to all the world.






Diana by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia


Diana is 13 feet/4 meters tall, and is made of hollow copper, covered with 180 square feet/16.7 square meters of gold leaf.

P.S ~ I see so much more, when I look at Her.


___________


Walk the path of righteousness in Knowing Thyself or be doomed to suffer the regret of not shining as bright as the star you were born to be. 



“One does not walk into the forest and accuse the trees of being off-center, Nor do they visit the shore and call the waves imperfect. 

So why do we look at ourselves this way?”ㅤ



– Lao Tzu

We are fractal beings of nature. 



We have five extremities, each having five fingers or five toes. Our heads have five openings, two nostrils, two ears, and one mouth. The essence of five creates (phi)ve. The Fibonacci Sequence. The Golden Mean, Divine Proportion, 1.618….

Ubiquitous in nature, this ratio is the seed of life and the key to understanding how nature operates. With an understanding of how the Universe manifests itself into form, we can come to terms with our own innate divinity. 


Man is born of the stars. With the 5 extremities from his torso and his 5 material senses, he is a living representation of the geometric symbol of the star, the pentagram.


Every man and every woman is a star.

You and I are not merely separated from the stars by unimaginable immensities of space; We are literally made from stars. We are their descendants. The only difference between us and stars is time. All matter is made of atoms that were created in the center of stars, thus when stargazing our eyes are actually looking back in time at the very things that created them.



In Birkenhead:  A beautiful rustic-looking Master’s chair that belongs to Mersey Lodge No. 477 (founded in 1841), covered in hand painted and hand carved Masonic symbols. 

Words & Prayers: Attributed to St. Patrick

 

I bind unto myself today




I bind unto myself today

the strong Name of the Trinity,

by invocation of the same,

the Three in One, and One in Three.



I bind this day to me for ever,

by power of faith, Christ's Incarnation;

his baptism in Jordan river;

his death on cross for my salvation;

his bursting from the spicèd tomb;

his riding up the heavenly way;

his coming at the day of doom:

I bind unto myself today.


I bind unto myself the power

of the great love of cherubim;

the sweet "Well done" in judgment hour;

the service of the seraphim;

confessors' faith, apostles' word,

the patriarchs' prayers, the prophets' scrolls;

all good deeds done unto the Lord,

and purity of virgin souls.


I bind unto myself today 

the virtues of the starlit heaven

the glorious sun's life-giving ray,

the whiteness of the moon at even,

the flashing of the lightning free,

the whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,

the stable earth, the deep salt sea,

around the old eternal rocks.


I bind unto myself today

the power of God to hold and lead,

his eye to watch, his might to stay,

his ear to hearken, to my need;

the wisdom of my God to teach,

his hand to guide, his shield to ward;

the word of God to give me speech,

his heavenly host to be my guard.


Christ be with me, 

Christ within me,

Christ behind me,

Christ before me,

Christ beside me,

Christ to win me,

Christ to comfort 

and restore me.

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ in quiet,

Christ in danger,

Christ in hearts of

all that love me,

Christ in mouth of 

friend and stranger.




I bind unto myself today


the strong Name of the Trinity,


by invocation of the same,

the Three in One, and One in Three.

Of whom all nature hath creation,

eternal Father, Spirit, Word:

praise to the Lord of my salvation,

salvation is of Christ the Lord.



Words: attributed to St. Patrick (372-466);

trans. Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895), 1889




Prayer for the Faithful by Saint Patrick




 May the Strength of God guide us.

May the Power of God preserve us.

May the Wisdom of God instruct us.

May the Hand of God protect us.

May the Way of God direct us.

May the Shield of God defend us.

May the Angels of God guard us.

- Against the snares of the evil one. 


May Christ be with us!

May Christ be before us!

May Christ be in us,

Christ be over all! 


May Thy Grace, Lord,

Always be ours,

This day, O Lord, and forevermore.


Amen.



May our Saint be like a lamp, dispelling the darkness of ignorance. 

& May the Light of the Lord always guide you ...now & forever......


I wish You All Blessings of Love, Light & Peace this St. Patrick's Day

~Jai Krishna Ponnappan