Nooksack Valley #105 or The NW Masonic Museum!

Officers and the newest member of Freemasonry!

Candidates first view of the Lodge!

Those old theatre seats are damn comfy!

3 aprons that are at least 100 years old!

Reception Room!

Foyer greets you with antiquity!

Last night I had the pleasure of witnessing an Entered Apprentice degree put on by the gentlemen of Nooksack Valley Lodge. What a show! The work was flawless, and the Lodge itself is amazing! The ceremony was done in full costume, and must have taken an incredible amount of effort and time to get it to that level. As the pictures show the Lodge is a museum of Masonic history of this little slice of the Valley. From the foyer to the Lodge room the whole building has a great feeling of comfort, warmth, and welcoming.

Ever have one of those days?

Well it started off great following a stellar degree presentation at Nooksack #105 last night(story and pics to follow) and quickly began running down hill at light speed, engine light came on in the car on the way to work, short two guys and all hell was breaking loose at the counter.......then he came in. I saw him perusing some chrome stacks, some bling for the dash....then I saw it. The pendant dangling off his gold chain..the S&C! Thinking back to another encounter with a buckle wearing impostor I scanned this fellow for even more clues, and spotted the ring and a watch!!!!! Boom, gotcha! 'Are you a travelling man' I asked. 'What' he said, I work with truckers all day so I know it can be a bit of a loaded question, but I knew he heard me and I repeated the question anyway, to which an answer in the affirmative was given. 'Mt.Zion #120', I said. 'Saskatchewan #92' he replied. We exchanged tokens. BSed about the pros and cons of modern day diesels vs their more aged counter parts while he waited for his ride. It was one of the coolest experiences I have had since joining, and one I have really looked forward to. Meeting an otherwise perfect stranger only to realize the brotherly bond of Masonry and dwell peacefully within it! The rest of the day was a cake walk, couldn't even remember how much of a crapfest it was to start off. Hope to see you again real soon Brother Heinz! Come back anytime!

http://www.saskatchewan92.org/component/content/article/40-articles/46-first-masonic-lodge-outside-the-boundaries-of-manitoba

Having a great time!

We just had our final meeting for the year and I just wanted to say what a great time I am having so far. So far every meeting I have been to I meet someone new, and true to form they are all great guys! And....I've been found out! One of my Brothers came up to me tonight and commented on my blog and how much he liked it! I wondered when someone would catch on to my musings! I guess it was just a matter of time. Some of my favorite moments to date have been the time after Lodge is closed tyle when we as Brothers can sit around a table and speak of how we try and make Masonry more than just a few hours every couple of weeks. How these men truly try and apply the principals of Brotherly Love, Truth, and Relief every day! In my everyday life I am usually the boisterous clown, quick with a line, or sarcastic quip. But within the walls of my Lodge and the company of my Brothers, I keep quiet and just absorb everything I can. I love to hear the stories of how Lodge was back in the day, and listening to members laying out their hopes and plans as they contemplate holding senior positions. I always come from Lodge feeling recharged and peaceful.

Memory work is going great, FC obligation down solid, just working on the QA now! A little tougher for this degree. Feel a bit guilty about moving so quickly through the degrees but I think doing the memorization certainly helps me to understand the work so much better. As I did the EA work it was amazing as I worked on it line by line, how the meaning and the weight of the statements make themselves clear and sensible even though the language can be a bit awkward. The FC work has been a bit different because of the slight historical twist that has proven at times a bit difficult for your author to research it to his own satisfaction. But I shall press on!!

Have a great day Brothers!
J-P aka Lightseeker!

Say hello to your new FellowCraft!

Proud to say I went though my proficiency tonight with flying colors! What made me feel the best about what happened tonite, was that I was able show my respect and admiration for the brothers in my Lodge by giving the best possible demonstration of my work! Looking forward to learning my new work and presenting it as best I can!

My EA Proficiency!

This morning we had our practice and a testing of my proficiency of the Entered Apprentice degree. I am proud to say I had it all down word for word. One of the three candidates who I was initiated with, was not able to attend and is not able prove up. The other candidate, I really felt bad for. He had the majority of the ceremony memorized but had not been able to get the obligation down and will not be able to be passed either. During my own recital of the obligation I started shaking uncontrollably. I can't figure out why, I know the work and I wasn't especially nervous about reciting it in front of a crowd but just couldn't stop shaking. I could feel the power of the words as I spoke them and believe wholeheartedly in what I am saying, why then do I start shaking like a damn leaf in the wind? Maybe it was just worrying about getting it all right, and now that I know everything is indeed locked in my head Tuesday night will be a cake walk and I can be a bit more relaxed! All in all it has been an exciting and fantastic start to my journey in Freemasonry, and I am very much looking forward to being passed to FellowCraft on Tuesday evening!

Wow, there's still more room in there!

Well I thought I had taken up all available room in my brain with anniversary dates, useless trivia and even more useless part numbers. But no, I have actually managed to memorize my obligation. Actually I had it down solid by the middle of last week and now have moved on to the Q&A sections, which to me seem to be a little more difficult. Since it will be a back and forth exercise, it has been a little tougher for me to get square in my head. Although with two weeks to go I'm feeling pretty confident I'll have it all down pat.

On another note, about a week and half ago I had the opportunity to take advantage of our privilege as Freemasons, and that is visiting others Lodges. I was invited to witness the EA degree only 3 days after my own had been conferred, at Southern Cross #44! It was a great honor to represent my own Lodge for the first time and meet more great men! Also seeing the degree presented so soon after my own allowed me to witness how the Brethren work together to bring new men in, and how sincere and solemn these men are in their extension of Brotherly Love. I was even invited to take part in the ceremony at pivotal point for the new candidates! We were also lucky enough to have the acting WM give us a lecture on the Officer's chairs and our responsibility to educate ourselves in preparation of being seated in those chairs in the following years. I did unfortunatley have to leave at the end of the meeting that night and was not able to stay for the festive board, but like another Mason has said before me 'I came through and I shall return!' Thanks again to the Brothers of Southern Cross for a wonderful evening!

Brother Trudeau, Mt. Zion #120

What a great night! It was incredibly moving and surreal! I was the first of 3 candidates to arrive last night and after meeting the few brothers that had arrived early, I had the opportunity to stand back and watch other men arrive, greeting each other with eyes full of respect and true friendship!

There is so much I could put here about my experience last last night, but at the risk of sounding like a big sappy baby, or revealling info which may be better left as a mystery to those seeking to petition. I'll keep it short and sweet. I am looking forward to getting to know the men of Mt.Zion #120, learning about the craft and my position in it!

Now to get my Obligation memorized!