Lectures & Symposia
What is the ground plan of Masonry?
Instruction.
Why is instruction the ground plan?
Because no man living is too wise to learn.
What will a wise man do?
He will diligently seek knowledge.
What will a Mason do?
He will do more, he will travel to find it.
Entered Apprentice Lecture
William Preston's version, 1772
Here are listed all of the lectures presented in our Lodge over the last two years, excluding only some talks given by candidates in fulfillment of their Grand Lodge proficiencies. Under our Library section it is possible to read some of the presentations listed.
For the Year 2010
3 original papers (so far).
Lodge of Instruction on the 1° - May
W∴ Bro∴ Shawn Eyer presented an original paper entitled The Elements of Consecration.
Lodge of Instruction on the 1° - April (Grand Master's Banquet)
At a special communication of the Lodge called in honor of M∴W∴ Bro∴ Kenneth G. Nagel, Grand Master of Masons in California, W∴Bro∴ Shawn Eyer presented an original paper entitled A Certain Point within a Circle: The Symbolism of the Center in Craft Freemasonry. At the Agape following, the brethren enjoyed fraternal conviviality with M∴W∴ Bro∴ Nagel and many other members of the Grand Lodge officer line.
Lodge of Instruction on the 2° — January
Bro∴ Lloyd Wagner presented an original paper entitled The Symbols and the Teaching of Liberal Arts in the Second Degree. At the Agape following, the brethren enjoyed conversation about the topic.
For the Year 2009
15 original papers, 4 other recitations
Feast of St. John the Evangelist
On the occasion of this annual solemnity, hosted by Oakland Durant Rockridge Lodge № 188, W∴Bro∴ Shawn Eyer presented an original paper entitled Freemasonry's Quest for Truth.
Lodge of Instruction on the 3° — December
Bro∴ Brian Hodges presented an original paper entitled Tubal Cain: Masks of the Artificer.
Lodge of Instruction on the 1° - November
Academia Lodge held a special Communication hosting members of the Masonic Library and Museum Association. W∴ Bro∴ Shawn Eyer presented an original paper entitled Jacob's Ladder and the Initiatic Quest in the Masonic Tradition.
Lodge of Instruction on the 2° - October
W∴ Bro∴ Shawn Eyer presented an original paper entitled The Contemplative Mason and the Mystery of the Middle Chamber. The evening was concluded with an Agape meal and a stimulating general conversation of the paper.
Lodge of Instruction on the 1° - September
Academia Lodge hosted W∴ Bro∴ John Wade, the United Grand Lodge of England's Prestonian Lecturer for 2009, for a presentation of his seminal research, entitled 'Go Thou and Do Likewise': English Masonic Processions from the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Centuries. At the Agape following, the Lodge discussed aspects of the presentation, benefitting greatly from Dr. Wade additional comments.
Lodge of Instruction on the 1° - August
W∴ Bro∴ Adam Kendall presented his paper entitled Pillars of Beauty: Freemasonry as an Aesthetic Tradition. Bro∴ John Hernandez was then called upon to present his original paper, The Middle Chamber. At the Agape following, both papers were engagingly discussed.
Lodge of Instruction on the 1° - July
W∴ Bro∴ Shawn Eyer then presented an original paper entitled The Multiple Dimensions of Silence in Freemasonry.
Lodge of Instruction on the 1° - May (Grand Master's Banquet)
At a special communication of the Lodge called in honor of M∴W∴ Bro∴ Larry Adamson, Grand Master of Masons in California, Bro∴ Duncan Allard presented a shortened version of his 2005 paper entitled Rites of Initiation, as well as a poem by W∴Bro∴ Robert G. Davis of Guthrie, Oklahoma. W∴Bro∴ Shawn Eyer then presented an original paper entitled More Thoughts on Overcoming Prejudice, which was the Lodge's response to the 2009 Sarasto paper (see February 2009). At the Agape following, the brethren enjoyed fraternal conviviality with M∴W∴ Bro∴ Adamson and many other members of the Grand Lodge line.
Lodge of Instruction on the 1° - March
Bro∴ Peter Smith presented a new paper entitled A Reflection on Masonic Secrecy. W∴Bro∴ Shawn Eyer then presented a response paper, The Masonic Concepts of Secrecy: Historical and Traditionalist Perspectives. At the Agape following, the brethren further explored the themes of Masonic secrecy along various lines, from the social to the philosophical dimensions.
Stated Communication - February
Bro∴ Peter Smith presented a new paper entitled Contemplation.
Lodge of Instruction on the 1° - February
Bro∴ Peter Smith presented a new paper entitled Dionysius the Areopagite. Bro∴ Sebastian Ilka then presented this year's Sarastro Paper, written by Bro∴ Ulrich Winter and entitled Prejudice (Das Vorurteil). At the Agape following, both papers were engagingly discussed.
Stated Communication - January
Bro∴ Peter Smith presented a new paper entitled The Third Degree: A Personal Journey Down to Death.
Lodge of Instruction on the 3° - January
Bro∴ Brian Hodges presented a new paper entitled The Acacia. This was followed by W∴ Bro∴ Shawn Eyer's original essay, Darkness Visible: A Meditation on the Third Degree. At the Agape following, a special presentation was made to celebrate the work of Bro∴ Robert Burns. W∴ Bro∴ Arthur Porter in honor of retiring Master S. Blair Dryden, consisting of an essay on the classic Scottish song, Auld Lang Syne.
For the Year 2008
13 original papers, 3 other recitations.
Lodge of Instruction on the 2° - December
Bro∴ Paul Adams presented an original paper entitled Limning the Liminal. At the dinner following, a presentation was made by W∴ Bro∴ Arthur Porter in honor of retiring Master S. Blair Dryden, consisting of an essay on the classic Scottish song, Auld Lang Syne.
Lodge of Instruction on the 1° - November
Bro∴ Lloyd Wagner presented a new paper entitled Initiation. A profitable discussion followed at the Agape.
Agora (Open Lecture) - October
Bros∴ Kenneth Ramirez Duran and Sebastian Ilka addressed a group of brethren and special guests about their Masonic experiences in Academia Lodge. W∴ Bro∴ Shawn Eyer presented a new paper entitled Traditional Symbolism and Human Dignity, which emphasized the civilizing potential of symbolic instruction within the context of the Masonic tradition. These were followed by a fine meal and healthy discussion at the Agape.
Lodge of Instruction on the 1° - September
W∴ Bro∴ Shawn Eyer presented a new paper entitled Defining Esotericism from a Masonic Perspective. This was followed by W∴ Bro∴ Gregory Rapp's reading of Joseph Fort Newton's essay, The Geometry of Character, a particularly excellent piece which explores the moral dimensions of Geometry.
Lodge of Instruction on the 1° - August
Worshipful Master S. Blair Dryden presented an updated version of his paper on the Arts & Sciences in Masonry. W∴ Bro∴ Adam G. Kendall read excerpts from Initiation Two Hundred Years Ago by J.M. Harvey (AQC vol. 75, p. 212). Discussion at the dinner following explored the comparison of Platonic and Aristotelean philosophy, and the evolution of certain Masonic practices over time.
Lodge of Instruction on the 1° - April
Worshipful Master S. Blair Dryden, Brothers Brian Hodges and Duncan Allard exemplified an abbreviated Prestonian Lecture of the Apprentice degree, edited from the work of J.R. James and C.F.W. Dyer. Prior to the agape, W∴ Bro∴ Shawn Eyer presented Holy Symbols, Infinite Wisdom: Freemasonry's Mystical Ground Plan in Prestonian Thought. This paper described Preston's life and career and demonstrated the powerfully spiritual themes found in his original lectures of Craft Masonry. The discussion during the agape explored how the California work derives from Preston's via his American interpreter, Thomas Smith Webb.
Lodge of Instruction on the 1° - February
Brother John Hernandez, E∴A∴, offered a paper on Masonic initiation considered in light of alchemical tradition and Jungian psychology. Following, W∴ Bro∴ Shawn Eyer presented Anthropos Tetragonos: The Four Square Man in the Early Lectures At the dinner following, discussion centered around the application of psychological models of personal development from a Masonic perspective.
Lodge of Instruction on the 1° - January
Brother John Zacharakis delivered his paper entitled, Transcendence, Immanence and the Place of the Heart, which addressed certain passages in Masonic ritual which seem to denote a separation between the created world and the presence of the Divine; other passages indicate that the Divine presence permeates everything, including all creation. Masonic symbolism consistently suggests that the two outlooks can and should be integrated in the Heart of each Mason. Afterward, W∴ Bro∴ Shawn Eyer presented The Queen of Sheba and the Wisdom of Solomon in the Masonic Tradition. This talk focused on the well-known Masonic oratorio by James Eyre Weekes and James Broadway that was first published in 1753. The oratorio depicts the inception and completion of Solomon's Temple as a setting for the friendship between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. It also explored ways in which the oratorio impacted certain ceremonies such as the English ritual of the Installed Master. The two papers were discussed profitably at the agape after lodge was closed.
For the Year 2007
9 original papers, 1 other recitation.
Lodge of Instruction on the 1° - December
Bro∴ Howard Silsdorf kindly addressed the brethren on Descartes' Quest for Certainty. Then, Bro∴ Paul Adams performed a piano solo, Claire Delune by Claude Debussy. Afterward, W∴ Bro∴ Shawn Eyer presented The Beginning of Wisdom: Masonic Formation & The Individual. At the agape following, the brethen engaged Bro. Silsdorf with further questions about Descartes and his philosophy.
Agora - October
Brother Peter Smith, F∴C∴ presented a paper about the influence of Freemasonry in society. W∴ Bro∴ Shawn Eyer presented The Call of Initiation in the Masonic Tradition. These talks were followed by a lively question and answer period.
Lodge of Instruction on the 2° - September
W∴ Bro∴ Shawn Eyer presented The Mystery of the Ears of Corn Suspended. This talk was an extended meditation upon the symbolism of the Jordan river and grain in the Fellow Craft degree. At the agape following, our lodge's Constitutional Observance was celebrated by a reading from the Grand Oration of Thomas Starr King.
Lodge of Instruction on the 1° - August (Grand Master's Banquet)
W∴ Bro∴ Shawn Eyer presented his short paper entitled Unfolding the Mysteries. Following, W∴ Bro∴ John Shattuck delivered an address about various trends in American Freemasonry.
Fellow Craft Degree - May
At the dinner following the conferral of the second degree of Masonry upon a candidate, Bro. John Zacharakis presented Meaning of Agape. The true meaning of "Charity" in the 2° Ritual is Love. The Greek word in the scriptural passage is "Agape." This brief treatment examines the literary history of the word, its spiritual implications and why the Festive Board is named by it.
Lodge of Instruction on the 1° - February
W∴ Bro∴ Shawn Eyer presented The Mystery of the Mosaic Pavement, a meditation on the meaning of the black and white tiles which form the symbolic form of the lodge.
Lodge of Instruction - January
Bro. Shawn Eyer read short excerpts from the First Degree lecture of the Emulation Rite, which is widely practiced in England, Canada and Australia. The purpose was to familiarize the brethren with the Masonic teachings of our brethren afar as well as to help prepare them for the study of Masonic authors who focus mainly on Emulation workings such as J.T. Lawrence, W.L. Wilmshurst, Bernard Jones, Kirk MacNulty and Colin Dyer.