Masonic Central

Join us on Masonic Central this Sunday as we meet and talk to Brother John Nagy who is the author of the new book “Building Boaz – Uncommon Catechism for Uncommon Masonic Education“. Once you start something, what do you do next? You take the next step of course but as with any journey into the unknown (or the unexplained) the question is where that next step should land. "Building Boaz" is the exactly where the next step in becoming a Mason should take you. In his New book Br. John Nagy sets out to help the reader find the means to answer A few of the touch points in this paths first step is the idea of Threshing to masonry, the flanked circle, the Broached Ladder, and the Chamber of reflection.

Where does National Treasure meet The Lost Symbol? Wound together into a Crown of Serpents. Masonic fiction is an infrequent thing, especially when written by a brother. The Lost Symbol is a good example of the fraternity in a modern fiction, in the same way that National Treasure brought the fraternity to the cinema. This Sunday, we have the opportunity to talk about the latest edition of Masonic fiction from author Michael Karpovage, who has just released his new book Crown of Serpents. From the books website the Crown of Serpents is a mystery thriller set in the former heartland of the Iroquois Empire and takes its hero, Jake Tununda, on a fast-paced hunt to find and protect the elusive crown. In the story he teams up with Rae Hart, who is an alluring state police investigator, and together they snake their way across a politically turbulent landscape marked with murder, lies, and deceit, deciphering codes, digging up war loot, and fending off a ruthless casino magnate. Their survival skills are put to the test when the clues to the crown ultimately lead them deep within sacred Indian caves hidden under the abandoned Seneca Army Depot where the magnitude of the crown’s power is revealed. The Crown of Serpents is every bit as exciting as its synopsis suggests, and its weaving in of the fraternity of Freemasonry makes the mystery thriller all the more exciting. Join us as we talk to author Michael Karpovage about his book, Masonic fiction, and the real life history of Freemasonry that swirls around his new novel, in this hour long program on Masonic Central Sunday, October 18th starting at 6pm PDT / 9pm EST. We encourage your questions and comments to the show by calling (347) 677-0936 during the program. The show goes live promptly at the hour.

The Masonic world has been quiet this last week, noses deep in the release of the new book The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown. So now, its time to catch up, talk about the book, give away some spoilers, and look at the impact of the text on the fraternity today, and how (or if) it will in the future. We'll have a couple of mystery guests on to talk get into the details.

This show dedicated to talking about the fraternity of Freemasonry, what it is and what it represents. It is an open line program for your questions, comments, ideas, and theories. The goal is to talk about the various aspects of the fraternity and what it means to be a member. Please join us with tonight at 6pm PST / 9pm EST for this hour long program.

Join us tonight for Masonic Central tonight as we host another edition of our Table talk and catch up on the events and goings on of the fraternity in the last few weeks of Freemasonry. This is also an opportunity to ask the hosts any questions that you may have about the fraternity, the show, or just call in with your questions and comments. We always love to hear from everyone out there listening, and tonight is the night to call in! Some of the topics in the air is a follow up to the social media discussion from last week, the upcoming Dan Brown book "The Lost Symbol", and an exciting symposium coming together in 2010 in Kansas.

Social Media has surpassed the expectations of those who declared it a passing trend and it has become a vital component of any individual or business that wants to build their brand and broadcast their message to an ever increasing audience. This is more than Mafia Wars, Bejeweled, or "what famous actor are you" test. This is the creation and delivery of a messages and content that readers will grow to trust, will grow to rely upon, and will look to for opinion. Social Media is not going away and that both For Profits and Non Profits need to understand the important role it plays in communicating their unique brand message. Why is participating in Social media important? By participating, organizations are able to project their own message and content and have conversations with other people about it. Joining us this week on Masonic Central are two guests who are experts in the field of Social Media and Marketing Communication: Br. Giles Crouch who has nearly 20 years of marketing communications experience, is co-founded of MediaBadger, a Social Media & Web PR firm. He is an active Mason for 10 years, and is presently Worshipful Master of Ad Astra Lodge in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Br. Glen Gilmore, better known in social media circles as "Trend Tracker.". Glen is a social media consultant who is currently listed in the "Top 100 Twitter Elite" as established by TwitterGrader. He is one of the most followed people on Twitter focusing on the subject of social media. He serves as the Social Media Director for the New Jersey Hall of Fame. Glen has been a Mason for over 20 years and is also a member of the Scottish Rite. Brothers Giles and Glen will compare notes with Dean and Greg on the growing role of Social Media's message and brand building power and why it is a vital component to every non-profits strategy to connect with the world.

After a long summer hiatus, Masonic Central is back and to recommit ourselves to our second year, this weeks show is highly appropriate. Coming on the program is Brother Cliff Porter to talk with us about his new book “Masonic Baptism – A Post Modern Ritual for an Ancient Craft“. For some background, Mackey says of the ritual that it is “… simply a lustration or purification by water, a ceremony which was common to all the ancient initiations”. In the present day, the ceremony and ritual are designed to be performed in lodges wishing to baptize children of Masonic families. The ceremony is not a religious function, nor does it compete with the baptisms of the different religions of the world. Rather it is a solemn act of fidelity and a pledge to the children of Freemasons to signify that they are now a part of a broader community and that they will never be alone. Br. Porter’s work has brought the ritual back into a modern parlance and reintroduces us to this past practice in a modern era. Reconnect with Dean and Greg, and travel with them through their summer adventures and this appropriate topic of the Masonic Baptism on this special hour and a half long program on Masonic Central this Sunday, August 16th starting at 6pm PDT/9pm EDT. For your questions and comments to the guest live on the air call: (347) 677-0936 during the program. Listen to the program live from our home at Masonic Central on Blog Talk Radio and join in with our live program chat, or from our player widget on our website at Freemason Information. Its good to be back!

Join Masonic Central this Sunday, July 5th at 6pm PDT / 9pm EDT as we meet and talk to Br. Mark Tabbert, who is the Director of Collections at the George Washington Memorial in Alexandria Virginia. As we reflect on the celebration of our nations independence this weekend, where better to turn than the symbol of that founding than to the figure that is at once brother, General, and President in our founding father George Washington. With that in mind, the topic of the program this week is The George Washington Memorial, the symbol and testament of its creation, and its place in the heritage of this nation. This is a special hour long program on Masonic Central is on Sunday July 5th starting at 6pm PDT/9pm EDT. For your questions and comments to the guest live on the air call: (347) 677-0936 during the program. You can listen to the program live from our home at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Masonic-Central and join in with our live program chat, or from our player widget on our website at http://www.Freemasoninformation.com

Haunted Chambers, the lives of early women Freemasons. Join Masonic Central this Sunday, June 28th at 6pm PDT / 9pm EDT as we meet and talk to Br. Karen Kidd, the author of the new book Haunted Chambers, the lives of early women Freemasons. The topic of the program is a haughtily debated one, and certain not to be decided in the time we spend in the program. But we will discuss the book, some of the notable history of Feminine Freemasonry, and perhaps explore what that means today. From the site: These women aren't supposed to have existed. But they did. "Haunted Chambers", for the first time ever, presents not only the most complete list of early women Freemasons but also as much detail about their lives as can still be found. Here are their stories, long suppressed, ignored and marginalized. They include medieval women stone cutters; so-called "adoptive" women Freemasons; an aristocrat; a countess; an early New Brunswick settler; a war hero; a writer of women's rights; an immigrant Irish girl; the famed sculptress of Abraham Lincoln's statue in the US Capitol Rotunda and many whose names are now lost. Some will find this book a challenge. Some would rather it never had been written, let alone published. "Haunted Chambers" is highly recommended to anyone who wants the actual history of these early women Freemasons and aren't afraid to read it. This is a special hour and a half long program on Masonic Central on Sunday June 28th starting at 6pm PDT/9pm EDT to explore the dark and mysterious Haunted Halls of history and its impact on Freemasonry today. In the last half hour we will open a segment for your questions and comments to the author live on the air. To ask your questions call: (347) 677-0936 during the program.

American history is intricately tied to the history of Freemasonry. One such crossroad was the Anti-Masonic Party that dominated early American politics between 1827 and 1838. But where did the Anti-Masonic party find its inspiration? When you dig into the shadows and rumors of the past the answers start to take shape in a jig-saw puzzle of post colonial American life. And in those hidden recesses, the real story starts to emerge. Important to say is this early political party did not form out of a passing distrust of Freemasonry, but rather from a tragedy that is today known as The Morgan Affair. And at the center, William Morgan, was a man of many trades with a reputation that preceded him, and it is from that reputation that the door of Masonry was darkened. What led up to the Morgan Affair necessitates us to answer the question: “Was William Morgan Murdered by Masons?” The question is an important one, as in the years following his death American Masonry plummeted nearly to extinction because of his mysterious disappearance. A disappearance that is still today made reference to in conspiracy circles around the world. Join us this Sunday as we talk with Stephen Dafoe, the author of the new book Morgan: The Scandal That Shook Freemasonry as we explore the Masonic cold case murder of William Morgan and explore the “who, what, and why” of this tragic (and momentous) event that became a fire brand to the fraternity and the rally cry to the Anti Masonic Party. This is a special hour and a half long program on Masonic Central on Sunday June 14th at 6pm PST/9pm EST to explore the depths of this dark day in Masonic history and its effects on the American political landscape in the fledgling Democracy. In the last half hour we will open a segment for your questions and comments to the author live on the air. To ask your questions call: (347) 677-0936 during the program. The program starts at 6pm PST/9pm EST Sunday June 14th.

Freemasonry and the Qabbalah have a tacit relationship. In many deep philosophical discussions, the two often come up as being interrelated but just as often leave the conversation without a clear connection defined. As a Mason, we can start to study where the Jewish Mysticism has been woven in, but without a deep degree of study and practice, the two still seem as distant as night and day. This week on Masonic Central, our guest Timothy Hogan will join us to talk about this mysticism and help us join some of the loose threads the three degrees with the various paths and points on the Tree of Life. Hogan is the author of the new book “The 32 Secret Paths of Solomon – a New Examination of the Qabbalah in Freemasonry” which is a new examination of Qabbalah and its interconnectivity with Freemasonry. In it, he demonstrates how there are different interpretations of Freemasonry that can be found in the Sephirot and Paths, exploring Gematria and Masonic ritual. It stands to be an interesting exploration and one sure to enlighten as much as it leaves us wanting to know more.

Timothy Bonney, PM, PHP Br. Tim Bonney on the European Concept Lodge vs. The Traditional Observance Lodge concept. Br. Tim is the author of the owner and editor of the website Freemasonry Resource http://freemasonryresources.com/

The "truth" on Conspiracies with Chris Hodapp, author of Freemasons for Dummies, and Conspiracy Theories And Secret Societies For Dummies. Join us as we host Chris Hodapp of Freemasons for Dummies as we talk about the pervasive conspiracy theories that surround the fraternity of Freemasonry. The Freemasons, the Illuminati, Skull and Bones, Trilateral Commission, The Bilderberg Group, and so on... We want to take these ideas head on with the release of the recent film based on Dan Brown's book "Angel's and Demons". We want to ask if there are really any conspiracies out there that are seriously bent on control of the world? Find out in this special hour and a half program on Masonic Central with Chris Hodapp, starting at 6pm PST/9pm EST!

Brother Knowles is the author of three books of Masonic fiction in the vein of police procedural murder mysteries. The books "Murder in Georgetown Lodge"(print), "Murder in Sugarbush Lodge", and "Murder in Martha's Vineyard Lodge" are available on Amazon as Kindle editions. The stories are without a doubt Masonic fiction, but every bit intrigue and "who done it". What makes this series so interesting is that it explores the realm of Masonic fiction and the possibilities of what brotherhood could be called to task for. And, as most of these editions are books in Amazon Kindle editions, it gives us a unique chance to talk about publishing for the new millennium in e-editions. Join us at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Masonic-Central

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Join is for an in depth discussion with Frater Hrumachis, who is the Public Information Officer for the U.S. Grand Lodge of the Ordo Templi Orientis. We plan to discuss the Order's history including its early Masonic roots in European Freemasonry as well as the Order's modern operations of philosophy and its path of esoterica and fraternity under the teachings of Thelema. Most importantly, we want to explore what the Thelemic practice is, what it isn't, and why its relevant to the OTO and how it applies to each of us. This subject came to mind as I had the unique opportunity recently to attend a Gnostic Mass with LVX Lodge of the O.T.O. a short time back. The mass is presented as an open ceremony that is the public face to the orders otherwise private activities. For those unfamiliar with the O.T.O., it is a separate philosophical system from Freemasonry whose origins are tied to some late 19th century founder, Karl Kellner, who had feet firmly planted in Freemasonry. In Kellner’s original formulation, the O.T.O. was to serve as a Masonic Academy of sorts that would enable all Freemasons to become familiar with all of the Masonic degrees. In lieu of a broader exploration, essentially the Ordo Templi Orientis (Order of Oriental Templars) was an esoteric order founded on the idea of re-instilling the esoteric ideas of magik (self development, not hocus pocus) and mysticism into a system that at that time had essentially excised out most of its esoteric leanings. Essentially, it formed and took shape in the absence of these things in the preeminent system of the age, especially as Aleister Crowley took over after his introduction to it in 1910. It seems to me that in its original context this system was it adopted as a similar practice of the craft and only later did it evolve into their present participatory rites. I think we may be surprised how many similarities we share and the few diffe