USPS 485-660Periodicals postage paid

volUme 61, No. 01206-324-3330 Jan / Feb 2014

School of the Ancient Rite

pg. 9

Ancient Stonepg 6

Governor Ferrypg 11

Jakob Böhmepg 12

Scottish Rite Communicator

valley of Seattle

The Communicator (USPS 485-660) is published by the Seattle Valley of Scottish Rite, 1207 N 152nd St., Seattle, WA 98133-6213, for the benefit of its members, bi-monthly and is mailed as a non-profit publication to all members of the Seattle Valley and to specified other interested parties. $2.00 per member is assessed for the publication of The Communica-tor. Periodicals postage paid at Seattle, Washington and at additional mailing offices. The material contained within this publication is intended for the education and enjoyment of the members of the Masonic Fraternity and all material published becomes the property of Seattle Valley of Scottish Rite. Permission to reproduce material from this publication for Masonic publications is hereby granted. Postmaster: Send address changes to — The Communicator at 1207 N 152nd St., Seattle, WA 98133-6213.

Page 2

www.seattle-scottishrite.org

SCoTTISH RITe oFFICeRS

Ill. Ronald A. Seale, 33°Sovereign Grand Commander

Ill. Alvin W. Jorgensen, 33°S:.G:.I:.G:., Orient of Washington

Ill. Sat Tashiro, 33°Personal Rep. of S:.G:.I:.G:.

stashiro@comcast.net

Ill. Gregory J. Goodrich, 33° General Secretary

Communicator Editorsecretary@seattle-scottishrite.org

Ill. Norman miller, 33°Treasurer

Ill. George A. lofthus, 33°Almoner

PReSIDING oFFICeRS

Jeff Craig, 32° K:.C:.C:.H:.Venerable Master, Lodge of Perfection

Brian Thomas, 32° K:.C:.C:.H:.Wise Master, Chapter of Rose Croix

Gale Kenney, 32° K:.C:.C:.H:.Commander, of Kadosh

Jack Stewart, 32°Master, Seattle Consistory

Scottish Rite masonic Center1207 N 152nd St

Seattle, WA 98133-6213206 324-3330 voice206 324-3332 fax

Brian lortonBuilding Manager

brian@seattle-scottishrite.org

lorna SchackAdministrative Assistant

lorna@seattle-scottishrite.org

leave a legacy that will make a difference!

Members can leave gifts and bequests to deserving activities within your Valley, i.e. - Almoner’s Fund, RiteCare Seattle Clinic, or the

Valley of Seattle activities in general. You can specify where you want your legacy to make the most difference. All legacy and bequest gifts – large or small– will make a significant difference to ensure the future of the Valley of Seattle and its ongoing support for our charities.

Please contact the Valley office for further information and to include your Planned Giving with the Seattle Scottish Rite.

Lodge of Perfection

VM: Jeff CraigSW: Ian HydeJW: Steve Dazey

Kadosh

Comm: Gale Kenney1st Lt.: Glen Huff2nd Lt: Bryan Bechler

Rose Croix

WM: Brian ThomasSW: Thomas LambJW: Dantes Lahens

Consistory

Mas: Jack StewartPri: Harold FederowPrec: Scott Young

2014 Valley Officers

News from thePersonal Representative

Page 3

A new Scottish Rite year has begun for the Valley of Seattle. The election of the 2014 officers being held at our November stated meeting we will proceed to install them

at our first stated meeting on January 21.

Our goals will be many. We will be attempting, to provide to our membership, a year filled with meaningful meetings, Masonic education, speakers, in addition to our tradi-tional degrees. We will be focusing our efforts on being the University of Freemasonry and our body officers are looking forward to a great year.

Our detailed schedule of activities will be forthcoming on our web page, www.seattle-scottishrite.org, and you are reminded to check on any future events, in the event that they have been cancelled or moved.

We enter the New Year with the holiday celebrations of recent months, i.e., Christmas, Thanksgiving, only a pleasant memory. Our new class will begin in the coming weeks. We still remain in need of brothers who have the time to support us in the many activities of the valley.

The 32nd degree was held in early November, and the cast did an excellent job on our 9 candidates, who received their black hats at its conclusion. They included Scott Wilme, Mark Wells, Jamal Anglin, Nessy Borge, Kyle Graftstrom, Chris Nordstrom, Todd Pike, Bill Reynar, and David Harper. Congratulations to all who completed the last of the degrees and we hope that we will see them all in the near future.

We need all of your support to remind your Masonic friends of our work for the Rite Care philanthropy, and our continuing efforts to bring further light in Masonry.

We continue to make continuing improvement to our Scottish Rite building, and we invite all of our members to come for a personal tour by the office staff. Changes are being made in the lobby area, the dining room and other areas to operate our building in an energy efficient manner.

As we improve the building, we are looking forward to its increased use by our community, and our Masonic families.

Fraternally,

Sat Tashiro, 33°Personal Representative of the SGIG

Page 4

Brethren, we have an exciting year ahead of us in the Valley of Seattle. We have excellent speakers planned and great events that you won’t want to miss out on. On February 8th

we will be starting up the School of the Ancient Rite with Director Dantes LaHens, 32° leading. This is sure to be a forum you will not want to miss out on. Throughout the year we have several speakers that are scheduled so keep an eye on future issues for announcements of dates and times.

On March 14-15 the Supreme Council, 33° will be hosting a multi-day workshop in Port-land, Oregon. Our SGIG is encouraging as many members as possible to attend. If you are

interested, please contact me and I can provide you with further information about registration costs and hotel deals. I have had the pleasure of attending several of these conferences and I can guarantee that you will enjoy the fellowship and opportunity to meet Scottish Rite masons from around the country. The conference is held biannually and rarely comes to the Pacific Northwest.

At our stated meeting in January we have a special guest speaker, Dr. George A. Harshbarger, 32°, giving a talk on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his Masonic music. This will be a great

presentation and we encourage all members to attend and bring along Master Masons from your lodge. Dr. Harshbarger will specifically talk about the Master Mason degree and its correlation to pieces of Mozart’s work.

Lastly, if you would like to have an article published in the Communicator that you have written, please submit a copy to the office for consideration for future publication. Quality

articles are always welcomed.

Fraternally,

Greg Goodrich, 33°General Secretary

Page 5

Valley of SeattleClass of 2013

Congratulations to our newest members that have worked hard over the last year to obtain the 32nd degree. Please take a moment to congratulate them at our next meeting.

New Masters of the Royal Secret: Scott Wilme, Mark Wells, Jamal Anglin, Nessy Borge, Kyle Graftstrom, Chris Nordstrom, Todd Pike, Bill Reynar, and David Harper.

From Friday, November 1st through Sunday, the 3rd participants of the Rose Croix Retreat experienced an unforgettable weekend! The weather was sunny during our drive over to beautiful St. Andrew’s Lodge on

Hood Canal overlooking the majestic Olympics. Ill. Mark Conlee, along with Brothers Jeff Craig, John Hanna-man, Glen Huff, Grover Partee, Brian Thomas and me, made the trek. We also had Brothers Bryan Bechler, Wise Master, Chapter of Rose Croix and Robert Dearborn from Everett Valley join us for the first time. After a deli-cious salmon dinner prepared by Nora, we listened to our keynote speaker Ill. Mark Conlee give a presentation on the historical context in which speculative Masonry developed in England and Scotland during the 17th Century.

Saturday morning three of us drove back to Southworth for a blustery and rainy ferry ride to attend Ill. Kenneth S. Rob-

inson’s funeral. With the winds gusting to 60 mph on the open channel, Ill. Mark had to escort both Br. John Hannaman and me back to the car. Because of the inclement weather, the other brothers stayed at St. Andrews and discussed a number of top-ics, Masonic and otherwise. We arrived back at St. Andrews in time to discuss the possibility of the marriage between Je-sus Christ and Mary Magdalene and the impact on the Knights Templar. Then we had a social hour followed by a delicious prime beef dinner. After dinner we sat around and discussed the 47th Problem of Euclid presented by Br. Brian Thomas.

Sunday morning was breathtakingly beautiful with fog shrouding Hood Canal and the summits of the Olympic Mountains coated with fresh snow. I have always brought my camera, but never in our 7 years at St. An-

drews have I been able to capture the majestic view I’m sharing with you! We decided to return next year for the weekend of October 31 to November 2nd. We’re planning on increasing the rate to $225, with 6 meals and linens included. After September 30th the rate increases to $250. Lorna Tashiro would graciously accept monthly pay-ments. If you’ve never experienced a Retreat, Ill. Mark Conlee had written the following last year: “The Rose Croix is not about Seattle Valley, it is about brothers getting together to learn, to share fellowship and to discuss topics of common interest be they esoteric or every day.”

George Lofthus, 33°

Rose Croix Retreat - 2013 Report

Page 6

On February 22, 1881, a giant stone was stood on end in Central Park, New York in a largely forgotten event. This huge stone had just arrived on a ship from Egypt igniting a buzz of excitement over the city. The monu-

ment was a 69ft, 200 ton obelisk carved over 3500 years ago under the direction of a man named Thutmosis III. This obelisk had been given the nick-name of “Cleopatra’s needle” centuries before after it was moved along with its twin counterpart, from its original location in Heliopolis, Egypt to Alexandria, Egypt under orders of Julius Caesar. For geographical reference, Heliopolis is near modern day Cairo so it originally travelled 80mi sometime during the years of 50BC-40BC of Julius Caesar.

While in Alexandria the two “needles” stood until one was given away as a thank you to London in 1820 for aid-ing the Egyptian government in ousting Napoleon’s army. By the time London finally raised their obelisk (also called Cleopatra’s needle) on the banks of the Thames River in 1878, the other obelisk still standing in Alexandria was being eyed by two Americans by the names of William T. Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant. To get a taste of the ‘Egyptomania’ or the Western obsession with Egypt of the late 1800s, this excerpt from the New York Herald in 1881 says it all, “It would be absurd for the people of any great city to hope to be happy with-out an Egyptian Obelisk. Rome has had them this great while and so has Constantinople. Paris has one. London has one. If New York was without one, all those great sites might point the finger of scorn at us and intimate that we could never rise to any real moral grandeur until we had our obelisk.”

By 1880, the remaining obelisk in Alexandria was the first and last impression travelers had when they arrived in Egypt via the bustling port which remains there today. Unfortunately the obelisk was being crowded out

by modern construction and its antiquity was largely ignored. Finally, in 1879, in a conglomeration of American and Egyptian interests, impressive engineering and perfect political timing, the obelisk was officially given away to America. Now, how to get a 220 ton piece of stone off of its pedestal, on to a ship and sailed across 2000 miles of rough seas?

Moving the first obelisk to Lon-don required engineers to design a ship specifically for carrying it due to its immense size and weight. Moving the second obelisk across the Atlantic to New York would re-quire much more planning. First, it had to be removed from its ped-estal created in Augustus Caesar’s day nearly 1500 years earlier, then meticulously maneuvered through the streets of Alexandria, and fi-nally positioned onto a ship to be carried across the rough seas of the Atlantic.

The Ancient Stone of New Yorkby: Kyle Grafstrom, 32°

kylegrafstrom@yahoo.comPart 1 of 2

Page 7

After the 200 ton obelisk was carefully laid down and taken off its pedestal, it began its slow move to the port at the rate of 3 feet a day all at the hands of Arab laborers. Waiting at the port in Alexandria was the Dessour,

a vessel purchased from the Egyptian government to move the obelisk. The Dessour had a custom hull designed to insert the obelisk in it like a cigarette into a pack of Marlboros.

Once across the Atlantic, the obelisk was slipped out of the ship at Staten Island and rolled across cannon balls and timber onto a train car. William Henry Vanderbilt, a wealthy railroad tycoon and freemason who had bankrolled the entire project, utilized his many resources to move the great stone to New York City.

On October 9, 1880 a grand procession of over 9,000 freema-sons marched up 5th avenue towards Graywacke Knoll at

Central Park to lay the cornerstone upon which the obelisk would be placed. On October 10, Most Worshipful Grand Master of New York, Jesse B Anthony, set the corner stone that the origi-nal cube of stone now sits on. There were an estimated 30,000 people in attendance from the general public in addition to an estimated 9,000 Freemasons (Gorringe, p. 34, 1885).

Among the Freemasons involved in the project were:

Financier: William Henry Vanderbilt, who provided over $100,000 of his own money to transport the obelisk (Adjusted for inflation this would be over 2.3 million dollars today).

engineer, captain, Navy Commander:Henry Honychurch Gorringe

lietenant and assistant to Gorringe: Seaton Schroeder

mayor of New York City: William Russel Grace

Page 8

The obelisk moved, “as easily and delicatedly as if it were the minute hand of a lady’s watch. 219 tons of stone, distributed in a length of 69 feet, are not turned in mid air every day. As the heel of the great stone, pulled

upon through reeves and blocks by half a dozen sturdy workmen, began to descend, the spectators, who crowded one another in the winter snow, and stood many rows deep behind the marines and sailor-boys, sent up cheer after cheer.” –Harpers weekly, February 12, 1881

I

It had taken over 15 months to complete the move from Alexandria, but the obelisk survived its second move at the hands of foreign admirers since it was originally raised over 3500 years ago. And as if perfectly timed, the

mummy remains of Thutmosis III were discovered only a few months later in a remote cave in Egypt. The great king can rest assured that his monument still stands tall, proud and in a place of honor in the East.

References: Gorringe, Henry (1885). Egyptian Obelisks. London: John C. Nimmo.

Page 9

School of the Ancient Rite

Many herald the Age of Aquarius as the greatest time for expansiveness of consciousness and humanitarian efforts. A time when great changes will manifest from lightning insights and

epiphanies as never witnessed before on earth. There is no better time to launch the School of the Ancient Rite than under the sign of Aquarius.

On Saturday, February 8th at 10:00 am, the Seattle Scottish Rite will proudly host the School of the Ancient Rite (SOTAR). Inspired by the profound Scottish Rite Degrees, SOTAR is an open forum designed specifically for seekers of more light by providing an environment to explore the depths of esoteric thoughts and philosophies of antiquity as well as contemporary periods.

In ancient times, mystery schools were established for a select few to protect the secret teach-ings from likely misinterpretations and prevent the ultimate deterioration of the deeper mean-

ings. The personal danger of uttering certain thoughts or practicing certain beliefs was at times a very real threat throughout the ancient worlds. The School of the Ancient Rite encourages and fosters each Frater to stretch beyond the limits of the mind and to dive deep into the soul.

Our journey will begin with “The Mysteries of Mithras”. A popular mystery religion among ancient Romans, Mithraism has origins to an ancient Persian God that has found a dedicated fol-lowing through the ages. We will explore multiple facets of history and beliefs in an environment equally dedicated to learning. For more information or to sign up for next session, please visit the Seattle Valley’s website or email Dantes LaHens directly at dlahens@outlook.com.

SOTAR. Thousands of years of wisdom within your reach…

Page 10

Master Craftsman IIINow Available

The Scottish Rite Master Craftsman: Symbolic Lodge course will famil-iarize students with aspects of the development of Blue Lodge Mason-

ry and explore some of its developing symbolism. This will reveal that the “High Degrees” began to develop soon after formation of the Premier Grand Lodge (1717).

Albert Pike`s book, Esoterika: The Symbolism of the Blue Degrees of Freemasonry, along with Arturo de Hoyos`s Scottish Rite Ritual Moni-

tor & Guide will be used to demonstrate a rational and philosophical inter-pretation for much of what is found in Craft Masonry.

As with the other courses in the Master Craftsman Education Series, this course is a by-mail correspondence course that can be taken individu-

ally or with others in a group setting. The course consists of 7 quizzes, after completion of which the participant will receive a certificate and a lapel pin.

The Valley office has a few copies on hand for those who are interested. You may also purchase the program and book (Pike’s Esoterika is required) from the Supreme Council’s web store.

Scottish Rite Research SocietyFreemasonry speaks to us through symbols and allegories, the meanings of which are often unclear and am-

biguous. At first, as entered apprentices, we marvel at the promise of wisdom, the Light that we sense behind these symbols, but as time passes and we become familiar with our Lodges and embroiled in the politics of Lodge those symbols and their messages be- come part of the background. We walk across the black and white tile, taking no notice. We see the officer’s jewels and pay no mind. We speak the passwords without a thought. In short the Lodge becomes as familiar and un-noticed as our living rooms. Once the magic of Lodge fades we begin to behave in Lodge as we might anywhere, forgetting that the Ma- sonic Lodge is a temple and the birthplace of the modern world. If this has happened to you it’s a wake up call to re-enter as apprentices, re-awaken your curiosity, to re-invest in the Craft, in your Craft!

Brethren I encourage you to give yourself the gift of continued initiation, to nurture your mind and soul with the mysteries our Brotherhood offers. Turn off the TV and turn a few pages in the books that hold the answers

to the questions you originally brought to the Craft. You are entitled to the answers to those questions, by benefit of the pass. As the Orient’s Chairman for the Scottish Rite Research Society I encourage you to join us in the quest for Light, and how especially appropriate, now at the darkest time of year, to turn toward the Light of eternal renewal? Make this spring the season of your Masonic rebirth.

If you wish to join those of us on this quest, please consider joining the research society. You participation and support will help to bring Light to our fraternity, and by extension to a world in dire need of more Light.

Thank you!Mike Priddy, 32°http://www.scottishriteresearch.com

Page 11

Most Worshipful Brother elisha Peyre Ferry, 32° (August 9, 1825 - October 14, 1895) was the Grand Master of Washington in 1878 and a member of the Valley of Seattle. However, there are a few more things that are

of interest for this Most Worshipful Brother that is unique amongst past members of our Valley. MW Bro. Ferry was the first Governor of the State of Washington and also served as the tenth Governor for the Territory of Wash-ington. During the Civil War, Ferry joined the Union Army and helped to organize the Illinois regiment while also making friends with Ulysses S. Grant and Abraham Lincoln. In 1869 President Grant appointed Ferry to the position of Surveyor General of the rapidly developing Washington Territory, and Ferry and his family moved to Olympia, Washington. In 1872 Grant appointed him as Territorial Governor and after the end of his four-year term, reappointed him to the same position both as Surveyor and Governor.

Brother Ferry was also closely involved with the building of the Northern Pacific Railway, and took a personal hand in planning the rail extension from Tacoma to Olympia. As Governor, Brother Ferry was successful in

putting Washington Territory on a sound financial footing, and was also able to leave his successor a Territory that was almost debt-free. He also regulated the rail fares and centralized the penal system on to a state rather than a county basis.

After a break from politics and a few years working as a Seattle attorney and banker, Ferry was nominated as the Republican candidate for State Governor when Washington was finally granted statehood on November 11, 1889.

Most Worshipful Brother Perry’s Scottish Rite Patent is currently being restored and framed (It is also signed by Albert Pike and Albert Mackey). We should have it hanging in the Valley sometime in January. Next time

you are in the Temple, take some time to admire this historic document.

Greg Goodrich, 33°General Secretary

Historical Spotlight

M:.W:. Brother Elisha P. Ferry Scottish Rite Patent of Elisha P. Ferry, 32°

Page 12

The whole World would not contain the Books that would be written of Christ, if all that he did and spoke should be written of him, flowing from the fountain of Wisdom which dwelt in him; What then can be ex-

pected in a short Introduction, but some few Observations of the Foot-Steps and Paths of Wisdom?

Many have been her Scholars, in the Way which Nature has inclined them to, or God in them, that have kindled the divine Nature, and have been made partakers of it in their Souls: We may perceive their Excellence by what has been left on Record by them.

This Author, Jacob Behmen, esteems not merely his own outward Reason, but acknowledges to have received a higher Gift from God, freely bestowed upon him, and left in Writing, for the Good of those that should live after him. And in his Writings he has discovered such a Ground, and such Principles as reach into the deepest Mysteries of Nature, and lead to the attaining of the highest powerful natural Wisdom, such as was among the Philosophers Hermes Trismegistus, Zoroaster, Pythagoras, Plato, and other deep Men, both ancient and modern, conversant in the Mysteries of Nature.

These Principles lead to the attaining such Wisdom as was taught in Egypt, in all which Learning Moses had Skill, to the Wisdom which was taught in Babylon among the Caldeans, Astrologians, and Wisemen or Magi, among whom Daniel was educated, and to that Wisdom of the East, from whence came the Magi, who saw the Star that led them to Jerusalem, and to Bethlehem, where they saw the Child Jesus and worshipped, and so re-turned; whom God himself was pleased to warn, and direct them what to do.

The Ground and Principles in his Writings lead to the attaining the Wisdom of the East, which Solomon had, and wrote in the Proverbs, and in a Book (which has not yet been extant with us, but was reported to have

been in the East) wherein he wrote all Plants, from the Cedar to the Moss that grows upon the Wall, and of all living Creatures.

His Ground discovers the Way to attain, not only the deepest Mysteries of Nature, but Divine Wisdom, Theoso-phy, the Wisdom of Faith, which is the Substance of Things hoped for, and the Evidence of Things not seen with the outward Eyes: This Wisdom brings our inward Eyes to see such Things as Moses saw in the Mount, when his Face shone like the Sun that it could not be beheld; such Things as Gehazi saw, when his Master Elisha had prayed that his Eyes might be opened, his inward Eyes, for his outward were as open before, if not more, than any of ours, seeing he was Servant to so great a Prophet, so they were opened, and he saw Angels fighting for Israel; such Things as Stephen saw, who saw Jesus sitting at the Right-Hand of God, and his Face shone like the Face of an Angel at his Stoning; and Paul, who saw Things unutterable in Paradise, when his outward Eyes were struck blind: Such Wisdom as this sees and knows all Mysteries, speaks all Tongues of Men and Angels, that tongue which Adam named all the Creatures by in Paradise, it can also do all Miracles; for the Enjoyment of which Men would give all their Goods to the Poor, so desirable a Thing it is to enjoy it in this Life: But whilst Corruption sticks to the Soul, it must have Charity, or else this Seed of Faith will not bear the Fruit of eternal Life in Paradise for ever, where there is nothing but an eternal Miracle, of which all Miracles on Earth are but in Part; but when

An Address to the Earnest Lovers of Wisdom

1 7 6 4

Page 13that which is perfect is come, then that which is imperfect shall be done away. This is the Wisdom by which Moses wrought his Wonders above Nature, and all the Prophets from the first to Christ; and it is that which our Saviour Jesus Christ himself taught his Apostles and Disciples, and which the Comforter continually teaches the holy Servants of God ever since.

By the Study of these Writings, Men may come to know (every one according to his Condition, Property, and Inclination) how all the real Differences of Opinions of all Sorts, may be reconciled; even the nicest

Differences in all Ages. That which seems different in the Writings of the profound magical, mystical, chemic Philosophers, from that which we find in others, may be reconciled, by considering what this Author teaches, that the Names which were given to the seven Planets, signify the seven Properties of the eternal Nature, and are the Cause of all those Things, which are by Men conversant in Experiments in Nature frequently accounted the first and deepest Causes of all.

Thereby also the Differences in Religion may be so reconciled, that the Minds and Consciences of all doubting Persons may be satisfied about the most difficult Points relating to Creation, Corruption, Salvation, and Restora-tion, so clearly, that all will love one another, and that hard Lesson, to love our Enemies, will be readily learnt; and Men will quickly contribute to the studying that one necessary Thing, that Treasure hid in the Field, that Gold of the Kingdom of Heaven, that precious Pearl, that all in all, Faith and Love, Christ and God, when they shall perceive that all this lies hid in every Soul, in one Measure or other, and may be found, and the Way set down so plain, that every Soul may find it.

Thereby the Writings of all Men will be understood, and the very darkest Mysteries contained in the Writings of the Prophets and Apostles will be made plain and easy to the most simple thirsty Soul; and when that appears which is now hidden, when that excellent Glory shall discover itself to Men, they will not only see it, but walk in the Way of it, and so attain it in the highest Degree of every one’s Capacity.

Read these Writings diligently and seriously, till you apprehend the Meaning but of some Part of the Way this Author describes, which may well be done, and you will be satisfied the Things are true, and that the Way

he shows is true, and be able to walk in it, and also be very earnest to prosecute that Way more and more, till you attain your whole Desire; and then you will keep them as an inestimable Jewel, a memorial of all Mysteries.

But let All read them themselves, the greatest King that sits upon a Throne, or the meanest Slave, or let them hear them read, if they propose and desire to partake of this so high a Gift from the most High, or else, by Prejudice and Perversion of others, the Devil may easily deprive them of it.

Jakob Böhme (1575 – 1624)

Page 14

On Saturday the 16th of November, The Valley of Seattle hosted a Cigar Night at a private Cigar club in downtown Seattle. Master Masons from surrounding Seattle area lodges were

invited to learn about Scottish Rite membership while enjoying cigars and beverages with mem-bers of the Valley.

In addition Bro. Gwydion Stone, 32° (pictured on left), owner and Dis-tiller of Gnostalgic Spirits Distillery poured his world famous Marteau

Absinthe (Yes, Absinthe is legal) and we learned a little about the history and production of this classic drink.

Midway through the evening we presented several short videos on the Scottish Rite and spoke about our degree system, Master

Craftsman program, and speaker programs. Several of the brethren in attendance requested petitions to join that night (with which we

happily complied). Many others voiced that they will be petitioning soon. The event was well attended and a great success. The Valley looks forward to hosting other mem-bership nights in the future and views events like this as an exciting way to introduce Master Masons to the Scot-tish Rite.

Scottish RiteWine & Cigar Night

On Tuesday, January 21st, Dr. George Harshbarger will speak on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s life as a com-poser and Freemason. The first section will be a general survey of Mozart’s life with particular emphasis

on his Masonic affiliations and friendships. The second section will analyze a particular piece from the Mozart’s Masonic music catalog and break it down as an allegory of a section of the Master Mason Degree Ritual.

Dr. George A. Harshbarger, DMA, is approaching his 50th year as a Mason, having petitioned his father’s lodge (Hesperian No. 264, Santa Maria, CA) at the age of 21. While teaching and earning his Doctorate in Seattle, he affiliated with the Valley of Seattle and with Oriental Chapter of the Royal Arch and still maintains these member-ships. He has held professorships at University of Hawaii in Hilo and at Pacific University in Forrest Grove, OR where he retired recently as Professor Emeritus.

Because of the subject matter, only Master Masons will be allowed to attend this presentation. Reservations are required and can be made by calling the Scottish Rite office at 206-324-3330.

The Music of Mozart andhis connections to Masonry

our brethren lie before us, overtaken by that relentless fate which, sooner or later, is to overtake us all..

Happy Birthday!Congratulations from all your Scottish Rite brethren

to our members who have reached a very important birthday!

Virtus Junxit Mors Non Separabit

Page 15

lodge of Sorrow

Valley Messages

Charlie Barnard 07/06/2013 Malcolm Barnes 10/07/2013 Kenneth Robinson 10/23/2013 Timothy Gross 10/31/2013 Charles R. Hart 10/12/2013 Leonidas Jordan 11/06/2013 Fred Moser 11/11/2013

JanuaryJack Rowe 1/5/1921Roy Brown 1/14/1921Thomas Turner 1/14/1917John Hennessey 1/14/1923Harvey Scott 1/15/1923William Kowalyk 1/18/1920Charles German 1/20/1918Gene Seals 1/30/1922

FebruaryGust Doces 2/5/1918Kenneth Kessler 2/12/1922Robert Purvis 2/13/1918John Moe 2/13/1922Willard Smith 2/28/1922

Scottish Rite of Freemasonry1207 N 152nd StreetSeattle, WA 98133

Periodicals Postage Paid

USPS 485-660

Schedule of events

Page 16

www.seattlescottishrite.orgJanuary 2014 Saturday January 4th 9:00 am Executive Council Tuesday Jan 21st 6:30 pm Stated Meeting (Mozart presentation & Installation of officers)

February 2014

Saturday February 1st 9:00 am Executive Council

Saturday February 8th 10:00 am School of the Ancient Rite (Members Lounge)

Tuesday February 18th 6:30 pm Stated Meeting (Mardi Gras celebration)

As you are reading this, your new PERMANENT dues card should be in your possession. There are a few things to remember about the new cards.

• They are permanent and will not be replaced every year.

• Every year you will get a new sticker to be placed on front of the card indicating that you have paid dues for that year.

• Life Members will not receive any stickers as your card will say “life member” and will also be a different color than others.

• Be sure to sign the back of the card once you receive it and place it in your wallet.

• Come to the stated meetings and enjoy the fellowship!

New Dues Card 2014Happy

New Year!