Kjole & Sort er flyttet

Alright, this was the last Masonic event for me in California (for now): Br. Chris Hodapp had been invited to the Grand Lodge of California (they are having their Annual Communication this weekend) to speak in relation to the Initiated Eye exhibition.

Br. Hodapp touced on the founding fathers and Masonic architecture in Washington, DC, subjects of both the exhibition and Hodapp's book, Solomon's Builders. It was a very enjoyable (and well-attended) hour. Hodapp is an entertaining and experienced speaker, basing his points on thorough research and pragmatism, rather than going for the cheap thrills and urban legends of the Craft. Br. Adam Kendall, curator of the museum, picked up on Hodapp's myth-busting, pointing out that we as masons are ourselves keeping myths alive – through ignorance and romanticism. An important issue to remember as we interact with our Brethren.

I got a few autographs for some Danish Brethren, and Hodapp revealed that there was a Danish translation of Freemasonry for Dummies underway. It was also an opportunity to meet the Mission candidate (blogging as 'Sarastro') again and had a brief chat, as well as Br. Drew, who is the artist behind The Master's Jewel and the webmaster of Masonic Ink. It was all good.

On Wednesday we are flying over to Dublin, and a new chapter begins. I'll try to summarise some of the experiences of the last three months in a few posts over the next weeks (but we'll see how hard the jetlag hits, and what else may come up in our new home, but fingers crossed there should be Internet in the apartment).

Our time in California is running out, so we are doing a last, few touristy things. Today we had planned to walk across Golden Gate Bridge, but decided to go to Mountain View cemetary instead, as that was closer. And wow – so glad we did: It is a huge plot of land off Piedmont Avenue, hilly and green, with tombs, markers, monuments, headstones and statues in all shapes and sizes, a great view of Oakland and San Francisco in the distance, beautifully maintained (although there should be a part that is kept decrepit and gothic), tranquil and very special.

A fair number of masons are buried there (as well as odd fellows, eastern stars etc.) – here are a few samples:

The official website has more information and some beautiful pictures.

I had the opportunity to see the traveling exhibition, The Initated Eye, at the Grand Lodge of California.

Journey into Light, one of Waddell's paintingsIt is a series of paintings by Peter Waddell, done in the fifties, chronicling Masonic influence on the architecture of the nation's capital. Some of the characters are a little stiff, but many of the paintings have very vivid lighting, the perspectives are good, and the pictures include minute details that will interest masons and history buffs. The exhibition is well presented, and we were shown around by curator Adam Kendall, which enriched the whole experience. The hall also exhibits some relevant effects from California's own museum.

The exhibition also exists as an online gallery, but as always the actual oil on canvas is a completely different thing from a digital reproduction.

Inks(Well, I missed the planned second part of this series, but I'll get around to that one sooner or later.)

Yesterday I had the tatoo done, and it was a good experience. I had emailed with the artist, Gordon, but I hadn't actually seen any artwork, so that was pretty exciting. When I saw the illustration I had no reservations (other that his Roman numeral for 10 was V (rather than X), but that was easily fixed). The work took three hours, and I wasn't overly bothered by the pain – less than I had expected actually; the last twenty minutes were a little more intense though, as the skin got raw from working over the same area. The final artwork is for me alone, but what you see in this post is the actual black outline; the colour work is totally awesome, and Gordon was very pleased with how it turned out as well.

So how is this Masonic? Well, it's a balance: Upon Initiation there is an Obligation not to reveal the rituals or symbols, and I haven't, so it's mostly a matter of how I read the image to represent certain lessons within freemasonry. And that's a lesson in itself: Freemasonry is an personal journey. That is not to say that you can take it to mean what ever you want – there would be no point to it then. But the teachings are tempered by individual experience, and these symbols and their artistic representation are part of mine.

The quarterly publication California Freemason, spring 2007 has an article called To Preserve and cherish, by Adam Kendall, and it profiles the lodge Western Star No. 2. It has a curious Danish connection that I can't help mentioning:

Peter Lassen“As the oldest lodge chartered in this jurisdiction, Western Star Lodge No. 2 is an integral link in the historical chain of Freemasonry in California. It was chartered by the Grand Lodge of A. F. & A. M. of Missouri on May 10, 1848 as a result of of the efforts of the Danish immigrant and pioneer Peter Lassen (of Mount Lassen fame). Lassen and the nascent lodge's first Master, Saschel Woods, carried the charter overland back to what is presently Vina, California in Tehama County. Lassen had intended to found a town there using the Mexican land grant, the Rancho Bosquejo, awarded to him during his first sojourn to Alta California in 1840. The lodge was eventually situated in the town of Benton. From thereon, Western Star was one of the four original lodges that together formed the Grand Lodge of F. & A. M. of California. In 1851, just a year after California became the 31st state, Western Star No. 2 relocated to the mining town of Shasta City.

The original Missouri charter transported by Lassen and Woods is proudly displayed in Western Star's vault and owes it perpetuation to the fact that original had been returned by the Grand Lodge prior to the 1906 earthquake. Legend has it that the folds in the original charter are due to its haveing been carried in Lassen's (or Wood's) boot during their expedition back to California from Missouri.

Funny to think that I am actually traveling West in the footsteps of another Danish mason, 150 years later. Read more about Peter Lassen at Wikipedia, and download complete issue and article here.

Two visits to the Grand Lodge of California in San Francisco within a few days warrents a post. NB: I had assumed that lodges meet there, but no. The building is used solely for public events in the auditorium, as well as exhibitions, or administrative purposes. (Although the Grand Lodge convenes in the auditorium and a lodge is set up on the stage.) The sun and moon motives are from the impressive glass panes in the hall.

First, there was the Rufus Wainwright concert last Friday. A Fine Frenzy and Sean Lennon were opening acts, and Sean, who has a really dry sense of humour, not unlike his old man, commented that being in the Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium was like being interrogated by God! (because of how it is designed). He also made a crack about it being Masonic, saying "Welcome to our secret meeting!" Rufus commented on the design by saying it felt like he was standing before the UN, giving testimony about some horrible war crime ... "in song!", as he added coyly. From my perspective, on the balcony, it was more like a sports arena -- with the stage brought out into the room, and a lot of room between the seating sections, which meant that people could easily come and go (and they did). From that point of view the concert experience was better in the Opera back in Copenhagen a month before, but the sound was okay, Rufus was on form, and at the end of the show, Sean got back on and joined Rufus on 'Across the Universe', so there was a bit of a moment there. Plus it was fun just experiencing the hall being used for a (profane) cultural event.

Then, yesterday I visited the Sacking the Temple-exhibition. I have previously linked to two other reviews (by Br. Erik and Masonic Traveler) and I don't have that much to add. I liked the care that had been taken in bringing out some choice effects and explaining what was on display, so that it could be appreciated by Masons and "civilians" alike, rather than just having endless cases of aprons or China lined up. (There is a large exhibition area below ground level, but it is being used for commercial purposes nowadays.) In addition to the current exhibition there were also some other items, and I particularly liked the charred working tools from the San Francisco Fire in 1906 – very moving!  I think the entry hall at Freemasons Hall in Copenhagen could easily be used for the same purpose: A few glass cabinets displaying a specific aspect of freemasonry to the general public. And Copenhagen has even more effects to choose from: 11,500 pieces makes it one of the most serious Masonic museums in the world (no offense to California!).

I will definitely be back: A new, traveling exhibition, The Initiated Eye, opens next week on the Masonic influence on architecture in Washington, DC.

DVD-cover for Waking LifeLast night I had my first experience with lucid dreaming, something that I had been wanting to try since watching Richard Linklaters groovy animated feature, Waking Life. I tried the "scientific" approach last spring, following Stephen LaBerge's book, Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming, but lost control over my sleeping hours when our baby boy was born. But once you start thinking about the subject, you are already opening yourself to the experince, and according to others it is likely to happen sooner or later of its own accord, as it did. From Wikipedia:

“A lucid dream is a dream in which the person is aware that he or she is dreaming while the dream is in progress. During lucid dreams, it is often possible to exert conscious control over the dream characters and environment, as well as to perform otherwise physically impossible feats.

Briefly, I was standing on a ledge, afraid to jump as I was supposed to, but I argued to myself that it was just a stunt, and not really dangerous, and anyway it was just a dream … waitaminute, just a dream? And that was it! I stepped off and decided to fly instead of falling. I had a little trouble controlling the flight and ended up in a stairwell with little room to maneuver, but by the end, I went to the outer atmosphere (or whatever the outer layers are called) and hovered for a second, re-entering in a completely new location above the earth (because the earth had rotated fast below me; I got this idea from a comic book :-). And that was it – I woke up feeling exhilerated and ready to go again.

Very interesting.