Companions,
In my last message, I spoke about the “unseen work”—the necessary, often tedious labor of strengthening our Council’s administrative and financial foundations. I am grateful for the steady progress we have made in that “secret vault.” However, we must remember that the vault was not built simply to be a sturdy structure; it was built to house the Light.
Now that we have brought more order to our outward affairs, I want to challenge us to turn our attention inward, toward the intellectual and philosophical labor of our Rite.
In the Cryptic degrees, we are often reminded of the “Circle of Perfection.” In Masonry, perfection is rarely about the absence of flaws; it is about the completion of a journey. The Council degrees provide the “missing links” of the Masonic system, but those links are only found by those who are willing to look for them through reading and intentional study.
The ritual we confer is a beautiful map, but it is not the territory itself. To truly understand why we labor in the silence of the night or why we are so concerned with the preservation of the Word, we must be willing to be students of our history and our philosophy.
I encourage each of you this month to set aside time for “Masonic Labor” that doesn’t involve a gavel or a spreadsheet:
• Read: Re-examine the monitors or pick up a history of the Cryptic Rite.
• Reflect: Consider the lessons of the Royal Master—the transition from labor to rest—and how that applies to our own lives outside the Lodge.
• Research: Look into the lives of the Companions who founded our Council or the historical context of the Babylonian captivity that sets the stage for our work.
A Council that is administratively sound is a body that is healthy; but a Council that is intellectually engaged is a body that is alive. Our goal is to ensure that when a new Companion is greeted within our ranks, he finds not just a well-managed organization, but a group of thinkers and seekers who can help him navigate the complexities of our sublime degrees.
My hope is that the work we have diligently labored on this year for our stewardship of the Council and its administration- will allow future members and Thrice Illustrious Master’s the freedom for education and development of our Council.
Let us continue to do the work—both the work of the hands and the work of the mind.
Fraternally,
James A. Clark
Thrice Illustrious Master
Vernon I. Bartlett Council No. 183