“There is nothing in the world like a persuasive speech to fuddle the mental apparatus and upset the convictions and debauch the emotions of an audience not practiced in the tricks and delusions of oratory.” – Brother Mark Twain, The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg and Other Short Works

Rhetoric is the art of persuasion; or the “application of language in order to instruct…” (Wikipedia, 2020)  It is one of the three arts of discourse (the other two being grammar and logic).  These three items combined form what is referred to as “the trivium.”  Rhetoric can, invariably be broken into three appeals:

Ethos – “ethos” is the Greek term for ethics.  In this context however, it is used to represent the credibility of the speaker.  The goal for the speaker is to establish ethos; that the listener(s) can trust what is being said.  This can be done in a variety of ways including the speaker’s status, awareness, professionalism, celebrity, research, etc.  In other words, we trust what this person says because of their experience or exposure to the issue. 

Logos – “logos” is the Greek term for logic but in this context has been made to represent the facts, research, and other components of the message or speech which provide support, proof, or evidence that what is being said is true.

Pathos – “pathos” is the Greek term for emotion but in this context has been made to represent how the audience feels or experiences a message.  Pathos has as much to do with what one is saying, as how it is being said.  This is typically the component of rhetoric which calls a listener to action.

Music, for many, is an outlet.  It helps to start the day, unwind from a long one, or simply helps makes it go by faster.  Whether you play an instrument, sing, or just like to turn it up and listen, music has the ability to change the way people think and feel.  From a Masonic perspective, music used to play a much more substantial role in all of our activities.  During the enlightenment (and for some great time thereafter) Brothers would write custom songs for meetings, degrees, dinners, and other Lodge activities.  This was done simply to make the activity that much more special.  It manifests in everything from lyrics, rhythms, album artwork, and more.  Interestingly, some very recognizable songs have Masonic references, roots Freemasonry or Masonic symbolism, or were written by a Brother.  Here are some examples of those well-known songs:

“Auld Lang Syne,” Bro. Robert Burns – This song, now commonly heard at the stoke of midnight on New Years Eve, was actually a poem.  While there are many interpretations as to his intended message, it is pretty clear this song is about making friends/connections among strangers, celebrating life, and cheerfully mourning those friends who have passed.

“The Magic Flute,” Bro. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – This is a special one and it isn’t a single song; rather, it is an entire opera.  Unlike several of these examples, too, it makes no direct reference to Freemasonry, being a Mason, or anything of the sort.  Rather, the link to Masonry exists in the score itself.  HINT: it’s more than just the continuous repetition of the number three.

“Call Me Up Some Rainy Afternoon,” Bro. Irving Berlin – Written in 1910, the same year Bro. Berlin was initiated, this song actually makes direct reference to “Be[ing] a Mason,” and keeping a conversation between two prospective lovers in confidence.

“Jump Around,” House of Pain – This is a really odd one, mainly because it can be interpreted in a few different ways.  The authors, not known to be Masons, included two phrases in the song, “ Do you know about the Masons, about their nation?” and, “ To the 33^rd degree, you know that’s me.” In context, they could either be references to the ridiculous conspiracy theories dogging our craft, or, it could be a reference to our craft’s ideals of a peaceful and harmonious world.

Grammar is the skill of knowing language.  Grammar is the “who, what, when, where, and how” of understanding and knowledge.  It is how we combine the elements of language; subject and verb tense, punctuation, spelling, and other linguistic mechanics.  Grammar lays the groundwork for effective communication.  It is for this reason that libraries are full of texts expounding the importance of the study of this science.  These texts even use clever titles to illustrate the importance to the subject, such as, “Eats, Shoots & Leaves,” by Lynne Truss, which features panda bears arranging punctuation marks.  The alternative, without the comma, results in a completely different interpretation – eats shoots and leaves – which explains the presence of the pandas. But, why is it important for Freemasons to study this?

Our eminent Brother Albert Mackey said, “God created man the participant of reason and as he willed him to be a social being he bestowed upon him the gift of language in the perfecting of which there are three aids: the first is Grammar, which rejects from language all solecisms and barbarous expressions; the second is Logic, which is occupied with the truthfulness of language; and the third is Rhetoric, which seeks only the adornment of language.”  Simply put, Masons are prompted to study grammar because it helps us to express our thoughts and feelings more effectively, thus making ourselves better men.

“In order to communicate his own interpretation of the symbolism of any topic of organized learning, as well as what he learns from the natural world around him, the study of grammar, regardless of the age of the individual, is pivotal” (The Masonic Philosophical Society, 2017).  Grammar therefor, as a tool, is intended to assist us in conveying ideas and bringing consensus, not division.  To teach and to understand differences, an enlightened person concerns himself with the study of communication.  This, fundamentally, is the study of the grammar of language.

In his 360 B.C. dialog, Timaeus, Plato wrote about the concept of what is now referred to as Platonic Solids (later named for Plato).  These were likely discovered well before Plato, despite his getting all of the credit.  Also known as regular solids, or regular polyhedra, they are convex polyhedra with equivalent faces composed of congruent convex regular polygons.  There are exactly five: the cube, dodecahedron, icosahedron, octahedron, and tetrahedron.  Some of the more geeky Brethren would probably recognize many of these shapes in dice commonly used in role-playing board games, like Dungeons and Dragons, or puzzles, like the Rubik’s Cube (which comes in each of these shapes, consequently).

The shapes are important, not only for helping decide the fate of one’s High Elf Fighter but, were anciently believed to have had a fundamental role in the cosmos.  In 1596, Johannes Kepler published the book, Mysterium Cosmographicum, in which he theorized that positions of the known planets and their respective orbits corresponded to the Platonic Solids inscribed within one another (see image 1).  That theory has been disproven, but the shapes still fascinate mathematicians, philosophers, and architects alike.  Interestingly, the further scholars have gotten from theories about these shapes, the more often they saw them.  For example, the tetrahedron, cube, and octahedron, all occur naturally in crystal structures.  Certain chemical compounds include discrete icosahedra within their crystal structures.  Many viruses have the shape of regular icosahedron and it has been discovered that this special shape allows the virus replicate more easily and save space in its genome (see image 2).  Even in modern meteorology and climatology, global numerical models now increasingly employ geodesic grids based on an icosahedron, rather than the more commonly used longitude/latitude grid, because of the increased resolution these models provide.

The Beehive is an ancient symbol used by Romans, Egyptians, Greeks, and countless other civilizations and organizations since early human history.  It has been used by our fraternity from time immemorial but has progressively fallen out of use since “the Union,” in 1813, which created the United Grand Lodge of England.  In a Masonic context, it is typically depicted in its early form: a conical-shaped structure placed on a stand or box, with seven bees flying around it.  Seven bees, because that is the number of Brothers required to open a “perfect” lodge of Entered Apprentice Masons.

The Beehive serves to remind us that, “… we are born into the world [as] rational and intelligent beings, so ought we also be industrious ones, and not stand idly by or gaze with listless indifference on even the meanest of our fellow creatures in a state of distress if it is in our power to help them without detriment to ourselves or our connections…” (according to the ritual of Royal Cumberland Lodge; 18^th century).  It is symbolic of industry, order, and duty – to ourselves, our Brothers, the Fraternity, and society.  The implication is that if bees are born into this world with inherent knowledge of their responsibility to contribute to the collective good, there is an expectation that we would recognize a similar responsibility to our own “hive,” or our lodge.

Each year since the early 17^th century, millions of people in Ireland and beyond take a day to remember Maewyn Succat, foremost patron saint of Ireland, otherwise known as “Saint Patrick.”  According to record (such as it is), Succat, born in Britain sometime during the middle-fifth century, was captured in his early youth and taken to Ireland where he became a slave.  He converted to Christianity, eventually escaped to mainland Europe, and found refuge at Marmoutier Abbey in France, where he committed himself to the Christian conversion of Irish pagans.   After a long life proselytizing the faith in Ireland, he eventually passed on March 17^th, 461 A.D.  Interestingly, he was “venerated” but was never actually “canonized” (made a true “Saint”) by a recognized religion, despite his works being celebrated in the Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Almost 1300 years later, during the French and Indian War, a young Colonel took note of the low morale among his predominantly Irish troops and decided to give them some much-needed rest.  Given so many of his troops were Irish, he declared March 17^th a general holiday.  Nearly twenty years later, this Colonel, now a General in the Continental Army, observed the same condition among his men and made a similar declaration – it was their first day off in over two years.

Perhaps the Irish diaspora can thank St. Patrick for their salvation, but we can thank our Brother, General George Washington, for providing Americans the opportunity to enjoy green beer!

Anno Lucis

As we have just begun a new year, it seems appropriate to call attention to a special system of dating, used by Masons for hundreds of years.  If one spends enough time seeking further light in Masonry, they invariably see articles, procedures, and certainly cornerstones, which refer to “Anno Lucis” or “A.L.”  What does it mean? Where does it come from? To understand it, let us start with some basics:

B.C. – “Before Christ,” previously, “a.C.n.,” or “Ante Christum Natum,” meaning before the birth of Christ.”  There is no consensus as to when the shift to B.C. occurred.  Other, non-secular versions are also used, such as B.C.E. and C.E., which are translated “Before the Common Era,” “Common Era,” or “Current Era.”  Regardless of phrasing, all of these notations refer to the same era and the Gregorian and Julian calendars.

AD (anno Domini) – Medieval Latin, meaning “In the Year of the Lord.” This was abbreviated at some point from the original “anno Domini nostri Jesu Christi.”  The term Vulgaris Aerae, or “Vulgar Era” is also used to describe the same period after the supposed birth of Christ.  This calendar began with year 1, in the transition from the use of B.C. to A.D., there was no year 0.

AM – (anno Mundi) – Medieval Latin, meaning “in the year of the world.” This calendar system is based, primarily, upon accounts (Old Testament) of the creation of the world and the events which followed.  It is still used within Jewish communities for religious and other purposes.  This era is calculated to have begun on October 7, 3761 B.C. when translated into the Gregorian calendar.  At sunset, on September 9, this calendar began year 5779.

AL (anno Lucis) – Medieval Latin, meaning “in the Year of Light.” This calendar system, invented in the 1700s, was intended to be a simplification of the anno Mundi system.  The system adds 4,000 years to dates in the Gregorian calendar, making the year 2019, 6019.

Okay, now that we have covered that…

Anno Mundi was created in 1658, by Irish Anglican Bishop James Ussher, who believed he had calculated the exact date of God’s creation of the world.  He derived this date by correlating biblical accounts with those in Hebrew genealogy, Middle Eastern history, and other events.  His theory advanced Sunday, October 23, 4004 B.C. (in the Gregorian calendar) as the date the world was created.  The theory became widely accepted and, by 1701, new editions of the King James Bible were being produced, proudly proclaiming that, while not part of scripture, this was the date true Christians should accept.

It should be no surprise, then, that when the United Grand Lodge of England was formed, just sixteen years after Anno Mundi began to be referenced in Bibles, that Masons began using it to date documents using 4004 B.C. as the first year.  However, even in 1717, brethren elected to create a short form and modified the Mundi system to correspond to the Gregorian calendar, making 1717, 5717, and thus Anno Lucis was born.