When I petitioned York Rite years ago, I petitioned too early in my Masonic path. It wasn’t that I needed more time to learn my Blue Lodge lessons, it was that there existed too few learned companions that could teach the deep lessons. The same remains today, meaning in most cases I had to learn the lessons on my own and without any mentoring, just like in Blue Lodge. Fast forward to receiving my Orders in Knights Templar, and I was stunned at the words I heard, the amazing allegory, the beautiful charges to be a better man. And I held deep hope in my heart when I attended my first and second Commandry meetings which also turned out to be my last.

Why would they be my last? After all, I experienced sheer beauty and powerful imagery in receiving the orders. How can I make a case for Templarism if I myself became disillusioned over stale coffee and dragging business meetings? You know, the same stale coffee and dragging business meetings we endure in Blue Lodge? I experienced even worse in the Asylum. I listened to adult men argue over the placement of a ribbon or pants length on a uniform of no significance, argue over foot placement during extremely basic marching and maneuvering drills, and watched them wear funny hats in the name of a 150-ish-year-old tradition. A tradition supposedly connected to a centuries-old religious military order that quite possibly obtained and applied the spiritual teachings of the East.

Doesn’t sound like much reason yet, right? The meaning is lost on those focused on the outer trappings. That is partly my definition of outer trappings: physicality that inhibits passage into the inner workings of anything. Remember the lessons of the Entered Apprentice to not get caught up in the outside world, to subdue your passions so that you might shed the physical and thereby get on with the important stuff. Today’s Templars with a few exceptions lost their way, and we can bring life back into an organization with such beautiful lessons. We must be the ones who teach those lessons because those adept at teaching the lessons within the organization become scarce. There’s egotistical infighting at the leadership levels as recently exposed at the national level, there’s devolution into the unimportant worries of whether a uniform is worn correctly, or the hat has enough feathers, or the foot is lifted high enough while marching. It’s all allegory. It isn’t important except to those who never understood the allegory.

Knights Templar and Templarism is indeed worth saving, and we should make the effort. Templarism allegory demonstrates the 24-inch gauge by teaching us to work toward preparation and to balance our time. It teaches personal ritual by demonstrating preparing the uniform as an allegory of cleansing and preparing yourself to meditate or do inner work (see an excellent article or catch the YouTube reading of Personal Ritual by Brother Chuck Dunning). Templarism teaches the allegory of the righteous battle as a means toward working hard to find your higher self, and finally, Templarism parallels the journey toward enlightenment by the finding of the Lost Word. What? No lost word? Templarism calls it the Holy Grail.

Midnight Freemasons Contributor

Joe Covell

For those familiar with my work with Midnight Freemasons, this subject matter may seem completely off-brand compared to what has been previously published. One might ask why such a stark departure from the usual trestleboards of mysticism, esotericism, spiritualism, and the like. In addition to this blog, I’ve expanded my ideas into new spaces under the persona “Arcanum in the Brainum,” a nod to the classic Cypress Hill song, “Insane in the Brain.” Arcanum in the Brainum brings together a mix of in-person and virtual study groups, engaging social media channels, and multimedia content enhanced by AI tools like Pictory, Leonardo, ChatGPT, and VSub. This includes visually rich images and videos inspired by my previous articles, as well as audio clips from recorded study group sessions and other sources.

To me, the ideal lodge is one that offers a mix of thought-provoking programs that inspire attendees to dive deeper, along with those that are lighthearted and entertaining, in other words, something for everyone. The work we do as Masons carries a deeper meaning beyond what meets the eye, but there’s still a strong need for disciplined ritual instruction, focused work, and well-organized, synchronized administration. Within the world of Freemasonry, there’s a role for every member, one that complements their strengths, interests, and passions.

Having become a Mason in 2022, my progression through the appendant bodies has been incredibly fast, including all three York Rite Bodies, Scottish Rite, Shrine, Tall Cedars, Allied Masonic Degrees, and more. I can say with complete confidence that no one forced me into anything I wasn’t ready for. I spent a good five years exploring Freemasonry before joining and knew exactly what I wanted to pursue, actively seeking membership. Not only did I join these various organizations, but I currently hold officer roles in four of them. To say “desperate times call for desperate measures” would be a complete understatement, but I have not taken on any role that I am not capable of fulfilling.

If you are a grumpy past master reading this, I have a fairly good idea of your thoughts on the matter. Here in Pennsylvania, I have heard discussions about requiring newly made Masons to wait a mandatory one year before joining any other bodies. I understand the reasoning behind this, but from my experience, I personally feel this would be a huge detriment. My justification for doing so much so soon was that I wanted to join everything I was interested in and start from the ground floor to better determine which directions I wanted to pursue. I received my Royal Arch in November 2022 and was asked to be Scribe of the Chapter that January. I put it off until January 2024, jumping straight to King (out of necessity), and now I am serving my year Most Excellent High Priest in 2025.

In my mother lodge, Quakertown Lodge No. 512, I served as Junior Master of Ceremonies and often stepped in as Pursuivant on evenings when attendance was sparse. For those unfamiliar with Pennsylvania Masonry, this might sound a bit unusual, as Pennsylvania often does things differently. The Junior and Senior Masters of Ceremonies, for instance, are comparable to Stewards in most other jurisdictions, positioned near the Senior Warden. The Pursuivant, on the other hand, sits between the Junior and Senior Masters of Ceremonies and is responsible for tiling the lodge. In Pennsylvania, all three officers, along with the Tyler, carry swords as part of their duties. 

In 2024, I chose to become a plural member of Shiloh-MacCalla Lodge No. 558, and by 2025, I find myself honored to serve as Junior Warden. Shiloh-MacCalla Lodge is more than just a Blue Lodge; it is also home to Lansdale Royal Arch Chapter No. 301, Damascus Commandery No. 95, and Akhawiyah Council No. 185 (Allied Masonic Degrees), all of which I am proud to be a member of.

Before committing to being King in 2024, I had firmly held to the idea that I must first go through Blue Lodge before taking on any leadership role in any of the bodies. As 2023 progressed and I saw the dire need for fresh legs in these other bodies, I realized that going through the Chapter line would better prepare me to be a stronger leader in the Blue Lodge line. The appendant bodies tend to have a much more laid-back atmosphere compared to the Blue Lodge. This is not to suggest that they should be taken any less seriously, only that regular stated meetings tend to be far less attended than those of the Blue Lodge, and the requirements are also not as stringent.

Currently, in Pennsylvania, in order to be Junior Warden, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania requires that a brother must be certified in the Business of the Lodge. To be Senior Warden, he must be certified in the First Degree, and to be Worshipful Master, he needs to be certified in either the First and Second Degrees or the Third Degree. Some districts require certification in all three degrees, mainly to ensure there are enough qualified brothers who can confer all three degrees when needed.

The Grand Holy Royal Arch Chapter of Pennsylvania, at the time of writing, requires that in order to be considered a Past High Priest, a Companion (not referred to as brothers in the Royal Arch Chapter) must be proficient in either a degree or in the role of Principal Sojourner or Captain of the Host in the Royal Arch Degree. The Captain of the Host dialogue has a similar word count to reciting the Lord’s Prayer twice. To be recognized as a Past High Priest, the Companion must meet this requirement. However, this proficiency is not necessary to become the Most Excellent High Priest of the Chapter. If a Companion chooses not to meet the requirement, he does not receive the honor of being designated as a Past High Priest.

Similar to the requirements in the Royal Arch, the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Pennsylvania requires a Sir Knight to be proficient in the Fifth Libation to become Eminent Commander of the subordinate Commandery. This does not require anywhere near the amount of memory work that the Blue Lodge demands. Is the point here to suggest that the appendant bodies don’t require as much memory or ritual work? While that may appear to be the argument, the agenda being presented, that the appendant bodies can help prepare Blue Lodge officers, can be supported by the idea that there is much less pressure on the officers of the appendant bodies compared to those of the Blue Lodge.

For many brothers, the memory work required to progress through the Blue Lodge line can be extremely intimidating. I see the Royal Arch Chapter (as well as other bodies) as the perfect incubator for newer brothers to gain experience and build their confidence. It’s no secret that only a small percentage of Master Masons ever seek further light by joining appendant bodies. What if these bodies were marketed not only as offering more of the story to be unfolded but also as a Blue Lodge officer training program? Once a member goes through the line of an appendant body, he gains confidence in his ability to lead a meeting, organize, and oversee (with the help of the Secretary, Treasurer, or equivalent roles) the Chapter’s business. He will then possess the skills needed to lead the Blue Lodge.

After the brother recognizes that he possesses the necessary qualifications to be a leader, he may become more motivated to learn the work well enough to meet any requirement, and perhaps even well enough to confer it on new candidates. There will always be those who excel at administration and those who excel at Ritual, though it is rare for a brother to excel at both.

Are there bound to be hiccups in this proposed model? Of course. I would classify myself as someone who does well with memory work (once I put in the effort to learn), but I often confuse terms like Brother with Companion or Lodge with Chapter. Another observation: the dialogues of the Senior Warden in the Blue Lodge and the King in the Royal Arch Chapter are similar, but just different enough to cause confusion. I often wonder why the creators of these rituals couldn’t have standardized the lines, simply substituting the appropriate officer’s title. That question is a research topic on its own, one I am not yet prepared to tackle.

This model doesn’t just benefit the Blue Lodge; it also encourages more brothers to become active in the Appendant bodies, strengthening the fraternity as a whole.

~JC

Joe Covell is new to Masonry, having been raised in March of 2022 at Quakertown Lodge No. 512 in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. He is a student of Esoteric Philosophy since 2016 and loves to discuss it with like-minded brethren. He is involved in The Valley of Allentown AASR where he helps administer the Valley’s social media accounts. He is a member of Lansdale Royal Arch Chapter No. 301, Doylestown Cryptic Council No. 51, Damascus Commandery No. 95, and a Noble of LuLu Shrine. He has plans to highlight Masonic Education by facilitating study groups on various topics at his Blue Lodge. He is currently going through the chairs at Quakertown Lodge No. 512, as well as the other bodies of which he is a member. 

by Midnight Freemasons Contributor

Jim Stapleton

The US National Archives recently asked an interesting question – is reading cursive your superpower? The Citizen Archivist program is looking for assistance with transcribing documents, especially with ones that are written in cursive. “Many of the documents at the National Archives are handwritten records such as letters, memos, and reports, many of the words within those documents are not picked up by a search in our Catalog.”1 Through this program, volunteers can sign up for an account and then after receiving instructions and training, they can get started contributing to the effort. 

Transcribing governmental records is important in order to make information available in digital form. According to the Royal Historical Society, digitizing historical records is necessary “to make collections accessible to remote audiences; to enable text searching, and to allow for new types of research.”2 What makes the need to digitize documents even more crucial now is that older documents are often written in cursive because they were created by hand. However, in the United States there are younger generations that are no longer being taught penmanship in schools. This is mainly due to the US Government removing cursive requirements in 2010 from Common Core Standards for K-12 Education.3In addition to not being able to write in cursive, younger generations are also not able to read cursive. This could lead to a significant problem when future citizens want to conduct research of original historical texts. 

What does this have to do with Freemasonry? Our Fraternity also has many handwritten records dating back hundreds of years. Many Lodges have boxes full of documents sitting in their attics. We have Lodge Register books where members sign in to indicate their attendance at meetings and events. What will happen when future generations of Masons eventually look through these 

materials and they cannot decipher any of them? Do we need our own version of the Citizen Archivist program to transcribe Masonic documents so that they can be researchable in the years to come? Will we need to teach younger Masons how to read and write in cursive? 

If we truly want to encourage Masonic research and education, we will need to take into account this potential educational deficit that will soon impact us. Freemasonry has a rich and storied history that we should work to preserve. Otherwise, our Fraternity will be no different than any number of social clubs. 

1. https://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist/faqs 

2. https://blog.royalhistsoc.org/2023/01/17/historical-research-in-the-digital-age-part-3-why archivists-digitise-and-why-it-matters/ 

3. https://www.npr.org/2022/12/03/1140610714/what-students-lost-since-cursive-writing-wa s-cut-from-the-common-core-standards