| Los Altos Lodge No. 712: | Last Updated on July 24, 2004 |
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I recently came across a Masonic reference in a biography. It has been my experience that most biographers do not like to mention Masonic relationships of their subject. In this biography the subject was not a mason, the reference was about Masonic influence during that period in history (1760-1790). The place was the court of the Tsarina Catherine the Great the biography was of Potemkin.
To quote the author “The age of Reason had undermined Religions, but there was a natural yearning for spirituality to fill the void. This was one reason for the fashion for Freemasonry, manifested in both rationalist and occult varieties. The latter spread rapidly in all its esoteric diversity – hypnotism, necromancy, alchemy, Kabbalism, preached in cults such as Martinsim, Illuminism, Rosicrucianism and Swedenborgism. These ideas were propagated through Masonic lodges and by a remarkable series of healers and charlatans.”
It goes on to mention some good healers and major charlatans of the period. What most struck me was that one major charlatan eventually died in the Popes prison in 1792. Evidently the rational branch of Masonry and the Catholic coexisted harmoniously during this time. It was not until the unification of Italy that the Catholic church found fault with Masonry.
This July 31st is the Lodge picnic. Please plan on being there. It is being held at Shoup Park in Los Altos from approximately 10 AM to 2 PM. As in the past, the lodge will supply the meat and drinks. The Order of Eastern Star is cosponsoring the event. Bring a dish or just come, I’m sure no one will go home hungry.
Mr. John H. Barnet has been elected to receive his degrees in Masonry in our Lodge. The first degree conferral is scheduled for August 9th. The traditional Entered Apprentice dinner is planned for 6 PM at the Beausejour French Restaurant at 170 State Street in Los Altos (across from the back of the Lodge building). All brethren wishing to join us at the restaurant are welcome as is usual it is a Dutch treat except for our honored guest.
On August 28th we have a third degree at Paradise Park for Bro. Jason Marolda. The degree is scheduled to start in the morning at 10 AM. There will be a picnic provided for all who attend.
I hope to have a lodge visitation to the Masonic Home later this year. Those that are interested in making this visitation please contact me. Once I have an idea of how many want to make this visit, I will schedule a date and make plans to provide transportation. It would be a day trip leaving in the morning and returning to Los Altos in the afternoon. Plan on having lunch either at the home or at a local restaurant in Union City.
Our current period in history shall go down as one of constant communication bombardment. The news media is after your ears. We have become so accustomed to shock news that most people hear but few listen. We Masons should attempt to get people to listen. Our message should be passed in a quiet sensible soft tone, like a good melody. Something that lets the flavor linger on.
Have a wonderful rest of the summer.
Fraternally,
Ernest Casilo
Master
My Brothers,
Well it’s August already and we’re almost 2/3rds of the year through. Where does the time go?
As you may have read in last month’s Trestleboard, I have chosen not to progress in the line next year. So, as a ‘Lame Duck’ officer, I’ll leave the review of upcoming events to Ernie and Lou. But I do want to continue to express my thoughts on the areas we need to improve Masonry in order to survive in the future. As a fourth generation mason, I was raised according to the Sublime Principles and hold the tenants of Freemasonry near and dear to my heart. The masons with whom I have established friendships shall remain as close ties, but the disharmony that I find running through the fraternity I strain to disassociate myself from. It is for that reason that I feel it inappropriate for me to seek further advancement in the officer’s line. As a side-liner, I can more freely avoid involvement with ‘Hot Topics’ and thus not add fuel to the conflict. Officers do not have that option as they are charged with mediating over disputes. As I feel that the lodge must heal and regain its harmony, it was easy to conclude that my head-on approach would probably not help in that effort. And you’re all also right in assuming that from a personal perspective, that the stress is something I don’t wish to deal with either.
This brings me right to my third topic of: Disharmony within the lodge.
One meeting in lodge demonstrates that there is indeed discord among us. Overly lengthy debate, slow progression in the agenda, and constant verifications for accuracy make even the shortest meetings a strain. My questions to each brother are these: Why should it be so? Why do we as masons, challenge each others every move? Are we not a fraternity based on the highest standards? If we are who we say we are, and words like Brotherly Love, Temperance, Prudence and Justice have not become words without meaning, then we should not be experiencing the problems we now face.
As an example I offer this. In May I attended the Grand Lodge Junior Warden’s Retreat. During one session we were instructed that as upcoming Masters and presiding officers, that we would encounter four types of members: Advocates, Supporters, Challengers and Advisories. When addressing issues the first two types, Advocates & Supporters, are easy, they’re supporting your actions. The third, Challengers, will debate from a different viewpoint, but if faced with a majority opinion to support you, will fall in line for a greater cause.
The fourth, Advisories, will work behind your back and sabotage your efforts. WHAT? I took instant issue with the fact that ANY MASON would act underhandedly to slay another brother’s efforts. But it is so. There are advisories out there. And to me it goes against all the moral values that Freemasonry stands for.
My answer is two-fold.
First, that each of us must think before we act, and always ensure that our cause is forthright and just. Ensure that we keep our passions within due bounds at all times. Check that the Sublime Principles are not violated by our actions and that we walk and act as just and upright masons. We must constantly remember that debate and opinion are some of the God given blessings of freedom, but that deceit and cowardice must remain unknown among us.
Secondly, that as a whole that we show the world and each other that our lack of trust and over zealous desire to have it our way are no more than personal crosses we bare, but that the fraternity cannot condone or support poor behavior. When we see it, we should admonish it with candor.
Perhaps by returning to our roots, the basic teachings Freemasonry gives us all, that we can return our fraternity to the glorious standard on which it was based.
Have a great and wonderful summer.
Fraternally,
Jim Gable,
Junior Warden
History and the Louisiana Purchase
By Patrick Bailey, PM
The article about the Louisiana Purchase in the June Trestleboard was very interesting; thanks Luis! As Masons, we are admonished to seek out the Truth in all things. I am interested in the Truth that lies in history, especially the history of America from 1776 to date. You have heard the slogan: “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” credited to George Santayana. I am hoping that we want to learn…
I noted from Luis’s article, and his map, that the Louisiana Purchase does not extend all the way into North Dakota up to Canada. In fact, parts of North Dakota were never made part of the formal United States. Even today, some areas of North Dakota are recognized by Canada and other some corporate entities as an independent nation. This was interesting to me, so I investigated to find out the Truth.
I found out that the “Red Lake and Pembina bands of Chippewa Indians” have a formal signed “Treaty” with the American Government, signed by Abraham Lincoln, and his Secretary of State, dated May 5, 1864. The written terms state that the duration “shall be perpetual.”…(I have an official copy, no. 327, of that Treaty from the National Archives of the United States, with their seal, dated May 5, 2003. Both on May 5! And there is also Cinco de Mayo…Coincidence?)
The point to notice here is that this is a formal treaty between sovereign nations, and is not an agreement, such as the ones that other Indian Nations have made with the US Government. Those agreements established reservations, the rights of those Indians to live on those reservations, and the “one-quarter Indian blood requirement” for individuals to be legally identified as belonging to a specific American Indian group, such as the Sioux. I then wondered: well, what rights do these Pembina Indians have that the other Indians do not? Or, that I do not?
It turns put that there has been a long and on-going , legal battle for the Pembina band to establish just what their rights are. The battle seems to be over what the written Treaty and subsequent legal documents say, and what elected or appointed officials with the US Government think those rights should be. So, like any good lawyers, the lawyers for the Pembina band have painstakingly conducted many court cases and have compiled several volumes of legal documentation and judgments supporting the claims of this Indian band. The situation becomes even more complex in that other bands of Indians have been involved in these and other legal proceedings, such as the Turtle Mt. Band of Chippewa Indians, and the court decisions affecting one group have or have not affected the other group, based upon previous Treaties and agreements. This all seems like an elaborate chess game, with rather interesting high stakes.
The important legal point-to-note is that Canada and certain other agencies recognize this particular Indian band, the “Little Shell Pembina Indian Band,” as being a sovereign nation – like France. This means that the members of that nation are. The battle seems to be over what the written Treaty and subsequent legal documents say, and what elected or appointed officials with the US Government think those rights should be. So, like any good lawyers, the lawyers for the Pembina band have painstakingly conducted many court cases and have compiled several volumes of legal documentation and judgments supporting the claims of this Indian band. The situation becomes even more complex in that other bands of Indians have been involved in these and other legal proceedings, such as the Turtle Mt. Band of Chippewa Indians, and the court decisions affecting one group have or have not affected the other group, based upon previous Treaties and agreements. This all seems like an elaborate chess game, with rather interesting high stakes.
The important legal point-to-note is that Canada and certain other agencies recognize this particular Indian band, the “Little Shell Pembina Indian Band,” as being a sovereign nation – like France. This means that the members of that nation Anyway, this Pembina Indian band is now recognized as being a Sovereign nation, formally acknowledged by Canada, existing within North Dakota, and they have the power under their Treaty and legal documents to appoint whomever they choose to belong to their band – without concern to race or blood line. They do have a few requirements for admission, one of which is to agree to their “Creed”, which reads line-for-line very much the first Ten Commandments, as listed in the Old Testament of the King James version of the Holy Bible. I am intrigued about the rights of these Sovereigns in comparison to the rights of US citizens, so I am investigating these issues in depth. I have already applied for, and have been formally accepted into their band, and I am now awaiting further developments. As we Masons are interested in the Truth regarding these matters, I will plan in future to keep you informed of what I learn. (fin)
WOMAN SEES RING AS SIGNAL FROM DAD
Taken from “The Journal News” Friday Feb. 4, 2000
Los Angeles - It was one of those private pacts a daughter makes with her dad. The one who died first would send a signal to the other that all was well in the hereafter. Two days after her mother and father plunged to their death in Alaska AirlineFlight 261, Tracy Knizek believes she got that message.
A commercial fisherman who helped scoop debris from the crash site found the red-and-gold Mason’s ring worn by her father, Bob Williams.
Until she was told of the rings recovery, the Suquamish Wash. woman had struggled to accept her parents death.
“Maybe this is God’s way of telling us this is really happening and that every thing is going to be OK, and that hopefully I will hear from him again,” she said yesterday in a telephone interview from her parents’ home in neighboring Poulsbo.
“Ever since I was a little girl, my dad and I had a deal. Who ever died first the other would come back and tell them what it’s like,” she said. “It was just to let the other person know it it’s OK, like we think it’s going to be.”
That the ring was recovered at all seems as miraculous as the crash was tragic.
Oxnard fisherman Scott Jarvis’ boat Meridian was part of a flotilla of commercial fishing boats that helped illuminate the crash scene Monday night while rescuers searched for survivors.
Jarvis, 37, and his nephew, 21-year-old Kevin Marquiss pulled enough seat cushions, insulation and other debris from the water to cover the back deck of the 32-foot boat.
Later, as they cleaned jet fuel off the decks, they discovered the ring nestled in a deck hatch. Studded with three ruby-colored jewels, it had a large capital G in the center -- that Jarvis later learned stood for “Grand Master Mason.”
“It’s like he sent if from heaven and just set it on the boat,” Jarvis said.
Bob Williams, 65, and his wife, Patty, 63, were returning home to the Puget Sound after spending two weeks in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, with friends Robert and Lorna Thorgrimson, who also died aboard Flight 261.
The couple traveled often after Williams retired as an Air Force colonel 20 years ago, visiting Panama and cruising to Alaska in the past year, Knzek said. “They were my best friends in the whole world,” Knizek, 39, said of her parents.
When that ring came around, I thought, ‘Wow.’ It’s just to tell us, ‘This is really happening, Tracy, this is real, and you’re going to be OK and your brothers are going to be OK
The Elevator Fund status and activity are as follows. The fund has approximately $120,000 and we expect more to be donated as we progress.
LAMTA is in the process of generating certificates to send to each donor along with fund regulations.
LAMTA has put together a draft Request For Proposal (RFP) to Architects to submit proposed drawings and cost estimates for building the elevator. These are expected to be distributed to Architects interested in doing the work within the next month.
Hopefully by the end of September we will be in a position to select an architect and start the bidding process for construction.
Financing requirements have been addressed and will pose no problem.
We are saddened to hear of the death of Nathalie Westbrook. Also we were informed that Bro. Oleg Volhontseff passed away last March.
Tommy Thomason suffered a heart attack and underwent surgery on July 19th. His daughter Gayle is keeping us informed of his progress, FLASH all seems to me going well and he is expected be home in a day or two.
Sterling Bailey called to inform us that Virginia had suffered a mild stroke. He said she was in the hospital and that the prognoses for here full recovery were very good.
Lou Orozco is progressing well. He is currently undergoing a series of chemotherapies.
Since going to press, we have been informed that Ed Chappelle died on July 20th.
I have been informed that the Lake family will soon be relocating to Texas. Good Luck Bob, Becky & Andrew.
Friendship Lodge No. 210 is sponsoring a trip to Silver Legacy on August 21 & 22. Leave 7 AM on the 21 and return 9 PM on the 22. Cost per couple is $200 ($180 for single person) reservation to be made with Joe Alarcan (408-281-0480 or Jim Grove (408-223-6025). A $100 deposit is required with remainder in by August 5th. Money not refundable unless trip is canceled.
Our Lodge is participating in the Constitution Observance Dinner and Program being held on September 3 at the San Jose Masonic Center. Tickets are $15 per person. For your purchase of tickets contact Ernie Castillo (408-564-7045) or any officer of the lodge.
1st Annual Masonic Chilli Cookout
On October 2nd, 2004 LIBERTY LODGE NO. 299
Will host a CHILLI COOKOUT WHERE: Santa Clara Central Park 11 AM to 4 PM
Adults and children 12 or over: $6 Jo-Ra-De and Children between 6 - 11: $3
Children under 5 and Blue Lodge Widows -FREE
Contact Jack Harris at 408-275-6326 for contestant entry forms and advance ticket sales.
ALL PROFITS WILL BE DONATED TO THE MASONIC HOMEPLEASE JOIN US IN OUR ANNUAL REMEMBRANCE OF OUR CONSTITUTION.
LOS ALTOS & ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR ANNUAL BBQ
JOIN US AT SHOUP PARK; SATURDAY JULY 31
FROM 10 AM TO 2 PM
BRING A DISH AND JOIN
THE FESTIVITIES.
THE LODGE WILL PROVIDE REFRESHMENTS AND MEAT DISHES
MAKE YOUR RESERVATION
AT ANY OF THE FOLLOWING NUMBERS OR
EMAIL IT TO : titocastillo@[snip]
DAVID ANDERSON: - (408) 248-8876
ERNIE CASTILLO: - (408) 564-7045
LODGE RESERVATION LINE: - (650) 569-6276
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