WHAT HAVE WE (young masons) ALSO PUT INTO MASONRY?

Young Masons in Ghana and their old brothers are playing a funny blame game. And it appears to me, as it may to many young Masons that the old men are fast losing it, because of the truth in the accusals been laid against them. I am also playing the game and I am much aware that am right in front of the goal posts, but until today, I have never paused to think in my thinking that all should be blamed on the Old folks.
It is a plebeian veracity that, the recent issue of membership declivity should be blamed on the inability of the old Masons to sustain the interest of new made brothers, and also that they have allowed brotherly love, which was sometime ago, one of the pillars on which the order was founded, to die with the nippy demise of the nation's economy. Oh I have just been reminded that brotherly love is still among the three founding pillars of the order. Okay, thank you, I only thought it collapsed in today Masonry in Ghana.

A lot of young Masons have their own stories to tell in relation to uncongenial encounters with the craft and old Brethren. I have mine too. They are many but one should suffice the moment. I was added in a whatsapp group of experienced Masons by a middle aged Brother who was cock-a-hoop about his ten years experience in the craft as compared to my two years. One afternoon,  when I thought the group had been quiet for long, I posted a question which was suppose to spark a fruitful debate. I asked; 'Should smoking be encouraged among Masons, especially when we are employed in the building of moral self?'. Then, the reply came from a senior member whom I have so much respect for; "That is rubbish, is a rubbish question, you don't have any right to question another's habit". Instantly I realized where I was and where I stood as a young mason. In my mind, it was only a question which demanded a constructive response, but to go to the extent of attacking me, I thought, was way too far. And the Worshipful brother who had added me to the group worsened the situation, he called me on phone and spoke angrily at length while I listened attentively in utmost appallingness , after which he removed me from the group and blocked me. Such an unjust and a bully. I was not given the slightest opportunity to justify my stand. I felt very bad that whole week. I felt Masonry in Ghana wasn't worth my time. Oh Yes, I said it, MY TIME. And it didn't end there, the hostile bumps, thereafter, occurred almost everywhere with most brothers. But, in as much as I would love to quit, so do I,love to be a part of the process of the eventual flip-flop to the good old days of Masonry in Ghana, which we can now only read about.

But this afternoon, just when I was chatting with a much older brother but newly initiated about the situation, I had a shift of paradigm. I decided to, for the first time, put on the suits of the old men, and analyzed the situation. I had never thought of how hard they might have struggled to keep the craft and the other orders alive up to now. Unattractive as it may be, they have still sacrificed a lot to uphold the art for us to enjoy today. They have kept on to hoist the flags of Masonry and sailed the  craft through tumultuous  waves to a peaceful one. Through the regime of Rawlings, where we learned that Masonry was strongly frowned upon in the country and temples were being burnt. They deserve a pat on their shoulders for once. They cannot be entirely blamed for the membership dwindling away. I asked myself that, what have I also done to better the situation?

Though I have proposed and initiated a quite a number of newly made brothers to the craft, I am still challenged above all things about how am I sustaining their interests in the craft? Have I also been a mentor in my own small way? Or because the mentor of the lodge is not doing his work, I also feel relaxed? I dare you, young Masons, to better the situation of membership now while we are young. We can join in the recruitment of members. They say a candidate must come of his own free will and accord, but it doesn't mean we cannot talk about our freemasonry with non-masons, we can. Let us do it more often and leave the decision to join to their own volition. That way, we are still making the candidate come to light out of his free will and accord.

The least said about brotherly love, the better. This is where the old Masons are losing the points. Old brothers, let me tell you something you probably don't know or have refused to know; young masons are not a group of hungry guys that are waiting to feast on your hard earned food, No. We are not that parasitic. However, we are too anxious a people. Yes, some of us are unemployed and may be searching for jobs, if it is in your connections or positions to help, please do. But that is not how we defined brotherly love after all.
And young masons, what love have we shown the craft and the old folks, that warrants us to expect same from them? I believe the world is not round but I know for certain that what goes round definitely comes round. It is GIGO.

I was privileged to travel with one of the assistant district grand masters as his personal assistant to a lodge meeting. And on our journey we discussed a whole lot about the craft. He asked me why some young masons are no longer active, to which I answered; "Master, some of them have lost interest because there seems to be nothing going on in the lodges. Perhaps the lodge have been narrowed to our ceremonies alone, no activities or initiatives. Lodge life may have seemed boring. But the majority of the inactive young men, have been abeyant because they can no longer keep up with the financial obligations expected of them. They are unemployed and are struggling to manage a living, and don't want to be a burden to their lodges."
Then he replied in a humble tone, -he sounded more sorry- "that is unfortunate. But the lodge is not only about money Cliff. And we can't all be rich at a time, so while some should be ready at all times to pay, others have to be also ready to sacrifice their time for the craft. Two resources are most needed in the running of a lodge; time and money. And some may have both, while others may have one. Whichever way, bringing your quota is what is important. You, Cliff, you are unemployed and don't have money right?" - there and then, I realized I had agitated too much about my worries and perhaps, those of other young masons- "Yes Master" I replied. "Have you paid your dues for the year?" He further asked me. "No Master" again I replied while avoiding his eyes. "But why are you still active?, You see, that's what I mean by service. Once you make time to volunteer to the service of a cause, you automatically find joy and all other benefit of it come later."
So the questions now come back to us, what have we sacrificed for Masonry? Are we a little patient in Life? Have we forgotten that we are virtuous men with a heart characterized by many virtues such as patience and selflessness?

Let me end here by giving you fellow young masons a testimony. I had been visiting my lodge secretary when I was in Ghana. He is an old man. I figured out that he might need my company more often, so I visited him more frequent than any other young mason in my lodge did. Now, that is brotherly love. And in return, he gave me more than relief. He had a guest house, and he had apportioned a particular room to me alone. He went further to ensure that I didn't need anything, needless to mention the monies he gave to me. So, I ask you, young Masons that, when was the last time you thought about visiting an older member of your lodge. Do we care at all, as we wished they cared about us.
Another, was the willingness of the Assistant District Grand Master to pay my air ticket to Russia. And it was not his first time doing this gesture, he also partly financed my travel to South Africa. Why?, just because to him, I was rendering myself more extensively serviceable to the craft in general. I was devoting my time to the ritual and was reading more.
I had enjoyed far too many as a Mason. In sight of medical care, a senior Mason who happens to be a Doctor and has his own Clinic, has been giving me free medical care. And the list is endless in truth.

So guys, I think we should all focus our attention on how best we can be to the well being of our noble craft and put every emotions behind us. Which of the resources we can offer; time or money or both. When some one wrong you, take it as a human error and that he must be forgiven immediately. We have no much time to fight, and yet we can't waste our youthful time in Masonry complaining. We must assume offices now, and act now. The old men also need love from us. And the good health, I have learned, is the richest. Let us communicate happiness, for we are but happy people.

So Mote It Be.

Brother Oppong Clifford Benjamin
Excelsior Lodge No. 7670 EC
Ghana.

GHANAIAN YOUNG MASONS ARE UNIQUE.

GHANAIAN YOUNG MASONS ARE UNIQUE. You need to know.

Freemasonry is undoubtedly a very expensive fraternity. It costs its members a lot of cash, time and noetic employments. It has therefore attracted the elite in society and the glorious men of the arts and sciences. In a society so widely remarked for its nobility and affluence, it cannot be denied that, among the thousands who range under its banners, there are many members of rank and opulence. Neither can it be concealed that, there are some who, perhaps from circumstances of unavoidable calamity and misfortune, are reduced to the lowest ebb of poverty and distress. However, on behalf of distressed members, it has been a usual practice among Masons to provide relief in forms of charity, so far as it disturbs not their comfort.

In this part of the world (Africa), everything is just not right. The economy. The job availability. The youth. Well, lets also agree its a glabal malady and that cure will one day come. Young Africans however, have not redefined their fate yet, they still believe there is light at the end of the tunnel, even though we see no rays at half way the tunnel. We have big faith, African youth.
So, a young man growing from the armpit of Ghana, is not intimidated by the crotch hair. Right from infancy, he knows that nothing comes easy, he knows as an African youth, he fights for everything including air. Like K'naan said in his 'Waving flag', we are fighting to live, fighting to eat and we struggle. Let me just add to this observation that, we fight to belong too.

Just when we became men and our community started expecting from us, we got frightened by our fate, we wondered whether the weather will be bright, we started searching for avenues to live up to expectations coming from family, community and schools. The growing Ghanaian young man identifies the essence of networking, he comes to accept that, down here, like we say, (kokofu ball bo, wonua enka ho y3n passi wo), the game is for the connected. He, therefore, no longer sees necessity to be the mother of invention but the father of relationship. It became necessary he associated with the respected and affluent in society. That is if only he saw it a duty to live up to expectations,if only he wanted to be acknowledged by community and if only he had a particular interest in influencing lives. If none of the above characterized his heart, he continued to live by the rise and fall of the sun and eventually die unnoticed.
Freemasonry being the household name in esotericism, the young Ghanaian man with huge ambitions, big faith and fate, a positive inclination for knowledge and willingness to succeed, ends up reading and probing further about the order.
Having battled curiosity, fear and confusion, he finally knocked the doors of Freemasonry and gently but inarticulately said, "I have come to see for myself if Freemasonry is evil, I have come to make myself superior in society, I have come to join the elites, I have come so society could label me responsible and I have come to become rich". Though, most masons would lie to disagree with me, I still will go on with my essay.
It is protocol that a man who sought admission into Freemasonry be interviewed, so the young Ghanaian man, went through it and he truly exhibited the qualities in his heart. It became apparent that, he came in with a mission to envision his future in the lodge. After all, he can't be blamed, this is how we have been mentally schooled by the pictures of the day.

When he was eventually employed into the craft, he saw it to be an eye opener, he started to speak like a mason, he attended meetings,paid his dues by the pull of the hair in his nose which caused nasal twang each time he spoke with the Secretary. This is why I don't want to ever be a lodge Secretary, few brethren think good of him, you become the lodge soul, you doze and the lodge sleeps.
There are no jobs for these young masons, most of them sweat in their heads, first to even purchase their first suits, their regalia, the ritual, the banquet levies and even their transportation to meetings. Yet they never let go their zeal. The fortunate older members are mostly retired giants and are not in their best times to assist the young masons financially. Freemasonry Ghana therefore, is mostly consistuted by many old pensioners, very few privileged working men, who by the grace of the global disease are unable to take care of themselves, and many more young masons, who are unemployed graduates, students and kpa kpa kpa movement men. This has resulted in the financial leprosy in the hands of most lodges. They too, like the African youth, have not redelineated their hope for a better tomorrow. As Africans, what do we do better than hoping and praying for the best while expecting the worst.

Young Masons in Ghana don't rest and won't rest.They will attend in their numbers this Saturday's big meeting in Kumasi, wine and dine with big masons, take pictures with the elites and go back home on sunday, to say to themselves its well, they don't complain much, some of them will even borrow monies from their fellows to get home but again, these guys enjoy masonry, if not for anything, the privilege to befriend great men of the nation. If not for anything, they are happy to be seen by the popular world as rich while we know for sure that, no pesewa is earned. I never have come across such sceptered millitant gangs marching a long journey to an unknown tomorrow. The process is hard but there is certainty in our progress. Ain't young masons in Ghana unique at the end?
Bro. Oppong Clifford Benjamin
Excelsior Lodge No. 7670 EC
Founder- Sustain The Craft (STC).

Peculiar Parallels which meet

Peculiar Parallels which meet (St. John the Evangelist and St, John the Baptist, the Saint Patrons of Freemasonry since time immemorial, whose lives are the parallel tangents touching opposite sides of the circumference of the circle also called life.)

At first glance in the Scriptures, they seem like strange people
to hold up as examples. John the Baptist's diet consisted of
wild honey and locusts. Honey certainly is appealing, but the
locust! A study of Middle Eastern customs indicate that they
could be eaten fried, boiled, dried or raw. Certainly not a
person you'd want to invite to your lodge' s next potluck.
He dressed in camel hair clothing and his hair and beard had
a wild look about it. And he didn't have a lot of tact, he told
you the truth straight to your face. He called the Pharisees a
"brood of vipers" and was fond of telling every-one to repent.
In our "politically correct" era, he would certainly not be riding
high in the polls.

St. John the Evangelist was also a different sort. He was a
rich kid (Scripture tells us that his father owned at least one
fishing boat on the Galilee and they had servants) and at the
beginning of the Gospel of John he was looking to find
himself. He first attached himself to John the Baptist until
called by Christ.
He was hot tempered, so much so that Jesus called John and
his brother James "boanerges" meaning "sons of thunder." He
lived up to that name when the villagers in a small town in
Samaria refused to welcome Jesus and the disciples, so he
asked Jesus if he (John) could rain fire and brimstone down
upon them (Luke 9:51-55). Fortunately for the village, Jesus
rebuked him.
John was also self-seeking, asking with his brother James for
thrones on the right and left of Christ when Jesus set up his
early kingdom, thus placing himself above the other disciples.
But when one goes beyond their faults, the Sts. John have
some strong qualities that every Mason should exhibit.
When looking at John the Baptist, one must look at him
through an Eastern light. John was a Nazirite from birth,
literally set aside for service to God. He let his hair and beard
grow wild, because like Sampson, he could not cut his hair,
which was forbidden by Mosaic law. His appearance brought
to mind, to the people who heard him, the stories of Elijah the
prophet who had dressed in similar manner. His clothing was
of camel hair, because that was what poor people wore. It
was plentiful when the camels shed their coats. It was cheap,
warm, and although scratchy, quite waterproof.
John taught "change of character." He pointed fearlessly to
the truth, even at the cost of his life. It was better to die for
truth than to live a lie, because he knew that the Great Light
upon the Altar, the holy scriptures, pointed to a better way, a
life with God.
St. John the Evangelist teaches us to subdue our passions,
one of the first things every Mason is taught in lodge.
When we follow the Gospels and the Book of Acts in the New
Testament, we see a major transformation of young John. He
goes from being the hot-tempered young man to one who
exhibits peace in his old age. He goes from being intolerant of
others, to working with others in sharing his theology of a
better way of life.
John is loyal. He was the only disciple to attend the trial of
Jesus as well as to be at the foot of the cross for the
crucifixion. And when he heard about the empty tomb on
Sunday morning, he was the first of the disciples to arrive.
He also took care of the widows taking Mary, the mother of
Jesus, into his home until she died.
A study of John's writings shows that he teaches truth with
love. He didn't waiver from his convictions, but he knew the
power of truth and love in a person's life.
Applying The Sts. John To Our Lives
If they form the two parallels, then a Mason traveling the
circle must touch both of the Sts. John and learn from each
of them.

He must learn to subdue his passions. Learning to subdue our passions is a lifelong process. Zeal not tempered by love becomes extremism and leads to misuse of power.
While subduing one's passions is good, a Mason must always
stand for truth. Truth, even when it is unpopular, is still better
than the alternative. Truth will always reign. Even when some
dictator tries to re-write it, the real truth will always emerge.
Like St. John the Evangelist, a Mason must help the widow
and orphan. In our lodges today, are we doing enough?
Recently, I received a call from a new widow who's husband
had unexpectedly died, and she was about to lose her house
due to the loss of income with his death. "If anything ever
happens to me, call the Masons" he would always tell her.
But she wondered what they could do. And I wondered, what
would her husband's lodge do? It's up to every Mason to look
after the widows and orphans.
Every Mason must practice brotherly love, which is the unique
characteristic of our fraternity. St. John writes about the true
meaning of brotherly love when he says: "This is how we
know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And
we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has
material possessions and sees his brother in need, but has no
pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" I John
3:16-17.
A Mason is called to practice charity. We must hear the cries
of a needy brother, but we must also be aware of each other
to see when we are in need. Masons must care, which we
learn from traveling the circle.
Where Parallel Lines Meet
If one travels the circle, he quickly finds that the two parallel
lines meet at the point where the circle touches upon the
Volume of Sacred Law.
In Masonry, the Bible is called the Great Light and is placed in
an open position in the center of the lodge. A brother is
admonished to open it and learn from its wisdom in all the
three degrees of Masonry.
Indeed, the Sts. John were well versed in Scripture, and held it
in high esteem. They looked with reverence to its knowledge,
because they knew the answers of life were contained within
its pages. They were not afraid to quote it, to trust it, to read
it, and to apply it to their lives.
Masons must likewise emulate the Sts. John in their
application of this Holy Light in their lives. Only by its
constant attention and application can a Mason improve his
own life.
Each time we touch the Scriptures or the Sts. John,
something should rub off on each of us, just as brushing
against chalk will leave its mark, no matter how light the
touch.

Values like truth, subduing passions, brotherly love, care of
widows and orphans and practicing charity never go out of
style. They are timeless values, and no matter how often
attacked, always rise victorious in the end.
The Sts. John are timeless examples for each of us. Their
foibles simply show their humanness. It is in their humanness
that we can relate to them, and see that if we apply Scripture
and our Masonic teachings, we too can become better men!

Corn, Wine and Oil

Corn, Wine and Oil

by Bro. Oppong Clifford Benjamin

The entered apprentice or first degree of craft masonry has,in some reasons,been labeled the material degree or the gains. It was in this level of the industry that workers were paid a weekly allowance of corn, wine and oil.
Moreover, the priceless word which designates all Entered Apprentice Freemasons across the universe has also some allusions to wealth. The word, I dare say,you recollect is B**z.

When we read through the book of Ruth,we appreciate how the man noticed Ruth in his field,how generous he allowed her to harvest and dine with him. And when Ruth returned home to Naomi(her mother in-law), this is what Naomi had to say“That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian redeemers.”
The Hebrew word for guardian-redeemer is a legal term for one who has the obligation to redeem a relative in serious difficulty (see Lev. 25:25-55). Thus,it is also obligatory for an EA to provide relief.
Charity is much emphasized also during our initiation. The WM through out the initiation ceremony dilates on the excellences of charity. He awakens the charitable claims on every new made brother and impresses upon him to embrace the honourable duty of providing relief. Though charity is not only for the EA, it is
only in this degree that it is much mentioned.

Perhaps because the EA is symbolically a rich owner of large grains farm with thousands of slaves or harvesters,as he is ceremonially joined to a lineage of a rich man.
From the Revised Encyclopedia of Freemasonry by Albert Mackey, Vol. 1, page 244 , 1929
"Corn, wine and oil are the Masonic elements of consecration. The
adoption of these symbols is supported by the highest antiquity.
Corn, wine and oil were the most important productions of Eastern countries; they constituted the
wealth of the people, and were esteemed as the supports of life and
the means of refreshment.
David enumerates them among the greatest blessings that we enjoy, and speaks of them as: Psalm 104: 15: "wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart "
Therefore an Entered Apprentice being thus a rich man in his gains is reminded to ;
give a portion of his bread to feed the hungry, send a cup of his wine to cheer the sorrowful, and to pour the healing oil of your
consolation into the wounds which sickness had made in the bodies, or affliction rent in the heart, of your fellow-travellers.

But as we are not operative masons but rather free and accepted or speculative, we apply the symbolic meanings of these items.
Corn...The Staff of Life: In processions, the corn alone is carried in a golden pitcher, the wine and oil are placed in silver vessels, and this is to remind us that the first, as of necessity and the "staff of life" is of more importance and more
worthy of honor than the others, which are but comforts.
Wine: ...as a symbol of the inward refreshment of a good conscience is intended, under the name of the
Wine of Refreshment , to remind us of the eternal refreshments which the good are to receive in the future
life for the faithful performance of duty in the present.
Oil: The Hebrews anointed their Kings, Prophets and High Priests with oil mingled with the richest spices. They also anointed themselves with oil on all festive occasions, whence the expression in Psalm 14: 7"God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness "
...And, thus, your unspotted white lambskin Masonic apron is a symbol
reminding you of the necessity of the purity of heart, and uprightness of conduct in order to earn the
Masonic wages which are due you.

Your final wages will be earned when you leave this world and
travel to: "that House not made with hands",
where you will receive your Masonic wages for a life well spent
in the "coin" of that realm.
The working tool of the EA includes the 24 inch gauge which also teaches the act of helping a friend or brother in the times of distress and talks also about refreshment after labour,thus in correspondence with the wages.

And this is what The Great Architect of the Universe has to say to all Masons who never forgot that they were once initiated and were taught peculiar duties in their initiation,those who to their first degree obligation keep,their EA working tools use and their charge obey, this is what GAOTU sayeth unto thee;
King James Version
Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I
will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will
no more make you a reproach among the heathen.
I tell you my brothers,that by our initiation alone we are blessed beyond reproach,we are blessed beyond financial constraints,we are blessed to give to our fellow men and to influence positively on society,we are made whole and never half. By our initiation we are made billionaires in morality,personality and all aspects of a noble man.
Thank you for reading. IGYW.

Reference:
1. The Volume of Sacred Law (KJV)
2.Albert Mackey dissertation on
Wine, our Masonic Wages.
3. the Revised Encyclopedia of
Freemasonry by Albert Mackey,

The Myth of the Middle Chamber and its Allusion.

The Myth of the Middle Chamber and its Allusion.
By Bro. Oppong Clifford Benjamin

It was mentioned in some part of our history that , at the building of the Temple at Jerusalem, EAs and FCs were employed. The EAs received a weekly salary of corn, oil and wine, and the FCs went into the middle chamber to acquired their species. Now the question that seems to germinate is, could there have been a middle Chamber in a structure they were yet to build or were building? Sir Charles Warren while a Master of Quatuor Coronati Lodge of research gave an expression to the best opinions of masonic scholars in saying that "there was never a middle Chamber in the temple " . Fellow crafts were only employed at the construction field, given a set of tools to work with. Let us give the benefit to the doubt,even if this chamber existed, they would not have been allowed to desecrate it by use as a pay office.

Albert Mackey, a conservative masonic writer, in his book symbolism of Freemasonry, points to us the same fashion I am drawing, he said and I quote "the whole legend is, in fact, a historical myth, in which the mystic number of the steps,the process of passing into the chamber, and the wages there received, are inventions added to or ingrafted on the fundamental history contained in the sixth book of Kings, to inculcate important symbolic instructions relative to the principles of the order".
The story was told of the winding staircase, which led to the middle Chamber,consisting of three, five and seven or more steps and peculiar manner of their ascension into the middle Chamber. We are made aware of their allusions to our history but not so much of the symbolic teachings they have or might have in our lives.
A myth has been defined as a philosophy in the making. And just like the ancient Egyptian priest or prophets, and like any other lesson Freemasonry teaches, it conceals the truth in so beautiful a ceremony such that, the normal man would be lost in its fantasy and romance. It takes the telegnostic to decrypt the hidden knowledge. Therefore making Freemasonry uncommon to the common man and tasteful to the tongue that searches amidst the many pleasures it bring may.

The passage from the Outer Porch to the Middle Chamber represents a definite step in the journey to enlightenment. The wages received in the Middle Chamber come as a result of achieving this distinction. Remember that the candidate had to first ascend the Winding Staircase in order to gain admission. The Fellowcraft must become proficient in the Seven Liberal Arts. A regular study of the subjects is demanded to gain admission to the outer doors leading to this Middle Chamber. It is when the initiate begins to perceive the synthetic vision of this Masonic education and a special intuition begins to dawn within his mind and conscience that he knows the inner doors are opening to that Chamber within. Outside, the candidate was shown a symbol of plenty, but here it has been established in fact.
The narrow sense of it is that, it represents the benefits derived from education, of mental culture, as learning is the peculiar work of a FC. Learning stores the mind (your mc) with facts and preserves one from bigotry and superstition, it is the possession of these riches that the winding staircase of the seven liberal arts and sciences bring you at last.

It is when we have painstakingly laboured,thus, study hard, that we can take our wages without scruple or diffidence. Without scruple , well knowing we are justly entitled to them, and without diffidence, from the great reliance we place on the integrity of our employers. Which is hereby, to say, education makes us confident and demand its corresponding wages. It prepares us for elevations in life and make it possible to influence others.
Brethren, lets study more, especially such of the liberal arts and sciences, as may lie within the compass of our attainment, without neglecting the ordinary duties of our station. Education in each is essential qualification, it makes us fit members of a regularly organized society.
Dare to be an educated mason, dare to enjoy the wages in your middle chamber (your mind).IGYW and wish you happy Easter.

References: Albert Mackey, Symbolism of Freemasonry

BITE A CAKE, TAKE A BEER AND MOVE ON.

BITE A CAKE, TAKE A BEER AND MOVE ON.

There comes a moment in every craftman's life,when you get carewore about the trade you have artistically built over years or months.
That period when you wish you could put the pencil down at last and suspire. It is the minute of your doom and you literally or metaphorically implode.

It is easier saying you are tired and need some rest,and it is another story making your respite become your day of reckoning. Every artist has something unique inside him that seems to conflagrate his muse or passion,it is only that some times,the hour produces some sort of otiosity.
However,I give it to you all in strong terms of recommendation,to bite a cake,take a beer if you do drink and move on,for the temple was not built half way. Until you throw the canopy or network over the pillars,you just cannot rest.
The times will be hard,in fact no one promised us a smooth run,hurdles are placed in our paths,to make the journey interesting and a memorable one, that when we are eventually labeled masters of the craft,it must be that we served the world in good faith,it must be that we ran a good race,it must be that we helped shape society.

Financial constraints,health breakdown and employment conundrum cannot impede on our order,for every man to himself a temple build,and at the end he shall be judged by the exquisite design and workmanship on the pillars he erected,our words and actions make the world dance in a style.
This I say to awaken the spirits of all the tired Masons,of which,I am one big victim. Forward to all haggard Masons to resuscitate their interest.
Bro. Oppong Clifford Benjamin
Excelsior Lodge No. 7670 EC.

Man Is a Builder and Artist.

Man Is a Builder and Artist.

He who finds the desire in either drawing, writing or building, has found the purpose of his existence and his soul will forever be at peace with nature.
Man has been always considered a builder and artist, and nowhere has he shown himself more significantly than the building he has erected or the words he has written or the gallery he has painted. When we stand before them - whether it be a mud house, a mansion, a pyramid, a pantheon, a poem, a short story, a painting or a picture - we seem to read into their soul. 

The builder or artist may have long gone, perhaps ages before, but here he has left something of himself, his hopes, his fears, his ideas, his dreams, his tears, his joy, his life and his death. Even in the remote recesses of the Andes, amidst the riot of nature, and where man is now a mere savage, we come upon the remains of vast, vanished civilizations, where art and science and religion reached unknown heights.
Wherever humanity has lived, and wrought, we find the crumbling ruins of towers, temples, tombs, and scrolls of vellum or parchment, and monuments of its industry and its aspiration. Also, whatever else man may have been -cruel, tyrannical, vindictive-his building or words always have reference to religion.
They bespeak a vivid sense of the unseen and his awareness of his relations to it. Of a truth, the story of the Tower of Babel is more than a myth. Man has ever been trying to build to heaven, and the story of the codex gigas, is proven beyond all possible incertitude, to be true, that man has ever written the biggest book, embodying his prayer and his dreams in brick and stone and the ink.

For there are two set of realities-material and spiritual-but they are so interwoven that all practical laws are exponents of moral law. These laws are found to be sacrifices, truth, Power, beauty, life, memory and , as the crowning grace of all that principle to which polity owes its stability, life its happiness, faith its acceptance, and creation its continuance-obedience. These laws are as applicable to the building of a character as to the construction of a cathedral, they are as relevant to humanity as the writing of our heart.
Therefore, my brother it is important that we build a superstructure perfect in all parts to the builder, the laws of nature and to the Great Architect of the Universe(God).
We are afraid of losing what we have, whether its our life or possession and property, But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life story and history of the world was written by the same hand.

Oppong Clifford Benjamin
(Modified words of Joseph Fort Newton and Additions)

An Interview With A Prospective Candidate

A conversation between Bro. Oppong Clifford Benjamin and an uninitiated Poet. People often would find it very difficult to ask certain questions about their doubts before joining a lodge. Eventually when they are initiated, they seem to blame their curiosity and fight their intuition. This poet took the time to understand what lies in masonry for him and this interview is not only helpful to the interested candidate but also to some brethren.

Poet : hello Mr. Oppong. How are you doing Sir?
Bro Cliff: Am mighty fine by the grace of God. You?

Poet: Am also good Sir.
Poet: The last time we met on Facebook, you spoke of morality and respect, what else should a wannabe need to have before joining Freemasonry?
Bro Cliff:Wow, did I mention those? well you will need all of them. Time and some money to spare. But above all commitment. But the basic requirements are a belief in a supreme being and you need to be free man of matured age of 21years.

Poet: oh OK, noted. People have the idea that,you become rich when you join the fraternity.how true is that?
Bro Cliff: Well, that is a truthful lie.
So to say you may be rich or poor depending on individual's industry and his commitment to the strict principles of Masonry in cooking a better self and will.

Poet: So it all comes back to how commitment you will be.
What about links ?
Bro Cliff: By links I don't know what you mean.

Poet: Meeting people who operate in your area of career or talent.
Bro Cliff: That is a bonus. But again much will be required of your human relations skills. No body goes to a lodge and discuss business opportunities or network, in fact no body will even ask you of your profession but a man who is skilled may easily strike a business conversation with any man what so ever.
And let me quickly put across that the wealthiest man is in the lodge and it is the same corner you will find the poorest man.

Poet: But why will a poor man be in the lodge with all these wealthy people? I thought the fraternity deals with helping each other?
Bro Cliff: That is a question nature can only have an answer to.
But suffice it to say, that charity characterizes every one of Mason's heart,and it is our usual custom to awaken the feelings of Masons to the wailings of a brother in distress. However, as the Chinese wise men will say,if you give a man fish you have fed him for a day,but if you teach a man how to fish,you have given him a reason to be satisfied.
Brothers who may be in distress and are ready to accept something for only the moment are sure to labour with hunger for a long time and those who are ready to learn how to solve their problems are sure to catch up.

Poet: I see. so its better to give a man a job than to feed him. Is the primary reason of joinin the fraternity for protection?
Bro Cliff: Protection against what?
Why am I asking as if there is some protection of a sort.

Poet: Against spiritual attacks , at least that's what we were taught while growing up.
Bro Cliff: No. That can't be guaranteed. Our only recourse is in our creator.

Poet: How many times do you meet in a month?
Bro Cliff: Once or none per lodge. However, if your mother lodge is not meeting, you can join other lodges as visitor. There is some sweet nectar in visiting, you just cannot wait to 'pollinate'.

Poet: Hahaha, interesting. Am learning a lot.
Bro Cliff: And am enjoying a lot. Your company.
Poet: Deep Grey on facebook was my junior at senior high school?
Bro Cliff: oh I see. Bro Grey, of which school?
Poet:Swedru Senior high school
I admire him for his business mindedness, he got ideas.
Bro Cliff: I see, didn't know that of him. Anyway I didn't only ask.
Poet: What will you say to people who claim you must kill a family member to join the freemasonry?
Bro Cliff: Ignorance. People,especially Africans, are afraid of knowledge. They readily would talk about science and nature when sitting in a class but talk about it in a sequestered place and you are titled all sort of evil.
A devoted mason will decipher the hidden mysteries of science and nature and eventually build a superstructure of moral self.

Poet: wow
Bro Cliff:sorry to flummox you but do I make some sense to the popular world?
If not, man has been in it integrality likened unto a builder, no process apart from construction best tells the story of growth.
So Masonry been a progressive building science and a system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols, is not only by chance or by bamboozling the ideologies and philosophies of life.
But it makes a man unleash a better self through graded lessons or principles. When best applied would yield a happy and successful life. Maybe that's why we have many members of opulence and influential in our societies.

Poet: oh ok it makes sense, meaning there are principles to follow to be successful.
Bro Cliff: Of course yes. And these are basic lessons you can lay hands on even at the market place. But unlike the uninitiated man,a mason is taught these principles in a drama and it indelibly imprint on his mind lessons, never forgotten.

Poet: I see. The first time i saw a pic of Lawyer Addison and my junior Deep Grey,i said wow. The only thing i said was that,deep grey has gone far because he is very successful.
Bro Cliff: Oh yes, the fraternizing with great men is one of the bonuses. In our circles,there is a famous statement 'on the level', which means that we are brothers and we meet without our positions or social status. Hence you will see an old man of about 65yrs freely mingling with young men.

Poet: I see.that's why i keep saying it will be weird to see a young Freemason who isn't successful in life.
Bro Cliff: Hahaha. Is it weird to see a young Christian unsuccessful in life?

Poet: Yes. With all the heap of wisdom and principles.
Bro Cliff: So you want to say every one in the church is successful?
Anyway how do you measure success in a life?

Poet: You must be self fulfilled.
Do you know Christians are the most poorest today. Sometimes i believe Africans have twist the principles of Christianity. We have people who say material things are not necessary because you wont carry it along when you die.
Bro Cliff: Yes. I agree with them.

Poet: But Cliff you and i know that,when you not happy or you are not financially stable, you cant serve God. How do you pay your tithe,bills,etc.
Bro Cliff: No,I don't know that truth yet.
I think it is our churches which are twisting Christianity, so I ask most Christians what they attend church for?

Poet: You can never have a position in your family or church if you are not financially stable.
Bro Cliff: Positions, they form part of vanity.

Poet: The difference between the mason and the ordinary man on the street is knowledge?
Bro Cliff: You may say so.Ancient knowledge valuable than gifts of gold. Know thy self and passions and know nature and you are a complete man. But these are not only privy to masons alone.

Poet: That's why i have always wanted to join the freemasonry. So i read a lot about it on Wikipedia n realized everything that i was told was wrong.
Bro Cliff: And what is that you were told?

Poet: About human sacrifice and its an occult group
Bro Cliff: Those are some wild conspiracy theories, which I don't know where it emanated from. Perhaps the Nigerian occult movies.

Poet: Hahahahaha. So can Christians be part of the fraternity?
Bro Cliff: Oh yes. Why not? 
In fact before you can be initiated you must express a belief in a supreme being(God) and all our secrets and teachings come out of the Bible dear.

Poet:ok. That it means there are secrets in which you will only get access to unless you re a mason?
Bro Cliff: Yes. And those secrets are in the Bible.

Poet: Seven books of Moses?
Bro Cliff: Don't know of that. Is it in the Bible?

Poet: No but people claim they were books by Moses.
What was your primary reason for joining the fraternity?

Bro Cliff: Anyway for me, I just needed to belong and feel the belonging, now that answers you and makes me keep my reason to my chest.

Poet:my last question.what are the punishments when a member unveils the secrets of the fraternity?
Bro Cliff: Will be branded a willfully perjured individual, void of all moral wealth and unfit to be accepted into a warranted and worthy lodge of free and accepted masons.
To clear your mind of confusion, he won't be accepted in our midst,that's all.

Poet: Thats great. Thank you for your time Sir Cliff. Check on you again soon.
Bro Cliff: Thank you too, even if you don't check on me, I know where to find you. Hahahahaha

This is it. I learned something from this.

Are Freemasons getting the Value for their Monies?

Are Freemasons getting the Value for their Monies?

So I'm coming from the house of my lodge Secretary and this thought of money for value crossed my shaking mind. It shakes, just like the trotro(public transport) I board from Atinga junction to Atonsu. Money. Value. I asked myself if at all members are getting the value of Freemasonry, a society of which they have paid so much money to belong. And just at somewhere the mate (conductor) jounces on my shoulder for his money, again, I thought about whether I have received a service worth the Ghc1.20p claim he was legally demanding of me. I don't know. Maybe not when I have not reached Atonsu yet or maybe yes.
I will pay you later when we have reached Atonsu, I said politely in Twi(the local dialect of Ashantis) and unusual of trotro mates, this one had patience. And neither the driver nor the mate bothered me. Or I was too busy typing this piece to pay any mind to what might seem a tincture.

I had gone to the secretary's house with a candidate for initiation, purposely to pay the required amount of money expected of every candidate for Freemasonry. He had in a white envelope the cedi equivalent of the pounds sterling component. That money goes to the United Grand Lodge of England, so it should have been changed into its sterling equivalent, the secretary humbly said. But a quick flash of the thoughts whisked by and I saw a duty in myself as a proposer. I asked myself simple questions yet complex ones. Is this man going to get out of Freemasonry the value for his money? Is he going to be patient to appreciate that, indeed, Masonry is expensive but worth it? After his initiation the only time he will enjoy his membership is to be here on whatsapp with brethren, but again, you ask yourself that, who pays so much just to end up in a whatsapp group? We might be the most expensive whatsapp group then.
 Who will talk about Freemasonry with him? Who will explain to him the initiation ceremony he will just in days pass through? Is he also going to be disappointed like I was after my passing? Like me, will he take exhilaration in doing his personal research about the craft? So many of these questions kept exciting my confused mind. You see, like any other man I have initiated, about fifteen of them, I will add him to Sustain the Craft Whatsapp group, hoping to entertain him while we do our very best to educate him, making him feel belonged and above all, sustaining his interest in the Fraternity, but again, who pays so much for just for a WhatSapp group? Though I might recite a portion of the charge after initiation to him come Saturday, I can only say for certain that it will make no sense to him. The part which says.....From the very commendable attention(no attention is paid, we know) you appear to have given to this charge, I am led to hope you will duly appreciate the value of Freemasonry and indelibly imprint on your heart the sacred dictates of truth, of honour, and of virtue. You see, no one appreciates this when said to him for the first time. We have learned to know. At least for the most.
I pray every new made brother to be patient, calm and remember his obligation keep. As humans, and worse as Africans, we find it very difficult to grow. We don't grow. Yet we write about growth. That is why it is not startling to see a Ghanaian man struggling to operate his new TV set while the instructions booklet stays in its wrapper undisturbed. Such is our nature. And we seem to like it that way. What point am I proving? Freemasonry, I have grown to appreciate it as a gentle man's club, more reading is required of its members. More thinking and more contemplation are needed. Patience. Industry. Your corporeal and mental faculties in their fullest energy will be employed most, thereby enabling you to exert those talents wherewith God has blessed you, as well to his glory as the welfare of your fellow creatures.

I am ashamed to mention that mentor-ship in the lodge as been so much downplayed that, even when the candidate's mind has been prepared for reading, there is no such a resource, at least, at this side of our masonic world. I am not the first to mention this and certainly won't be the last. Until you are raised you are not suppose to know anything about Freemasonry? I think that was a question right. To who? Please reader don't find trouble for me, I beg.

Else where mentorship is piquant in nature, at least I can commend the District Grand lodge of East Africa, and of South Africa. They have a printed booklet for the candidate on each ceremony he experiences. Thus for the initiation, passing and raising ceremonies. And they assign to each candidate at his initiation, a senior and experienced Mason, who happily will embrace the honourable duty of mentorship. He will rather walk to the new made brother and request for his telephone contact and his residential address. Obviously, the shy poor man who finds himself in the midst of odd faces, will feel loved and welcomed. So he won't hesitate to exchange details with his mentor.

This is a simple exercise we as Ghanaian masons are not doing hence endangering our fraternity. Right here, rumour has it that, the moment you are nearing a senior Mason, it is because you need a job or favour from him. So bad a thought of them. But hold on for a second, what would you ask if you are jobless and suffering? Certainly not for wisdom and peace, the senior Mason ain't God. You will surely ask for help from him or his connections. Is that too bad of young masons? (Rhetorical question)
Please dear new made brother, I pray you, zeal, passion, research, humility, trust, patience and industry to mention but few, I hope you will discover the value for your monies.
And the mate hinted me when we got to Atonsu, hopeful that I paid his money.Which I did pay. I think it was a good drive with so much traffic snarl up. But with patience and industry, I am finally here and have enjoyed the value of my money. I hope it makes some sense to the new brother.
Thank you.
Bro Oppong Clifford Benjamin
Excelsior Lodge No. 7670 EC