MasonicAdventure

New site Launch! Done

2010-04-08T03:38:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
WikiMasonica is now making it easier for masons to connect accross the world!

We have created a Web hosting service for masonic lodges and masons. This way we now have a resource for us all to establish a web presence in strength so that Masonry stands fast forever!

Visit http://wikimasonica.com

Fraternally
Jonathan Teychenne

Watch out for the new Launch!

2010-03-26T03:58:00.001-07:00

Well this new project is going to be great! We are just in the final stages now and should be launching the site very very soon. Its taken literally hundreds of man hours.

Here is what we've done so far -
http://wikimasonica.org (The Wiki)
http://youngfreemasons.org (Social Networking Site)
http://masonitube.com (media sharing)

We are working on some iPhone apps, web hosting, web design etc But we are always looking for new ideas!

If you guys would like to contribute to the cause we would love your help! If there are any designers, developers etc who would like to give us a hand, post it here :)

Donations are welcome http://tiny.cc/Ag4E5

The WikiMasonica Project is self funded by the founder. Any contribution would be of great help!

Fraternally
Jonathan Teychenne
Founder - The WikiMasonica Project

Shriners Australasia - Brisbane and Melbourne Ceremonial!

2010-03-05T02:27:00.000-08:00

The time has come, details are being finalised for the next Shriners of Australia ceremonial to be held in Brisbane and Melbourne. The dates have been finalised, and has been pencilled in for Brisbane on the 13th of June, and Melbourne on the 20th of June.

Shriners Australasia will be sending a team to conduct the ceremony which will include the Chairman, President, the executive committee and a Delegation from the United States - Shriners International.

For those that don’t know, the Shrine fraternity run 22 children hospitals across North America & the pacific, with patients being admitted from all over the world for high quality, specialised medical care which is totally free of charge.

Shriners International has over 350,000 members around the world, an operating budget in excess of 1 billion AUD, has treated more than 1,000,000 patients, & figures have shown brand recognition of the Shriners is over 75% of the community aged 18 years & above, Freemasonry is a little over 30%! Note: Philippines & Europe are just about to open there own branches!

In addition to that over 20% of all mason that join in the US & Canada join on the basis of becoming a Shriner because of all the positive work they do. This is an appendant body to freemasonry that’s focus is based around 2 things, fun and helping our most important commodity, children.

Due to the success the Sydney Ceremonial in November we already have in excess of 40 founding members. Requirements to become a Shriner is simple, you must hold the degree of master mason!

If you require further information about becoming a Shriner please email mark@shriners.org.au or adam@shriners.org.au

I will finish with this, I have had the privilege to visit 4 of the Shriners Hospitals and can say it was just about the most heart warming experience of my life, The amount of respect shown from patients and their families towards members of the Shriners is simply overwhelming.

Adam Murphy
Chairman Shriners Australasia

The WikiMasonica Project

2008-11-06T07:48:00.000-08:00

What we are after for the site that we are setting out to achieve, is to connect all Freemasons and Masonic Lodges across the planet. So we want every Lodge in every District, on every continent on earth, to put up their Lodges information, history, contact details, meeting times, geographical location, and anything else they want to add, so that any Mason wherever they are in the world can find and visit a lodge, and know who to contact.

It all started late 2007 early 2008 when two young Masons from a small corner of the world came up with an idea to re connect young Masons. After a lengthy chat and a few ideas being thrown around, we quickly realized the monumental task at hand. So many lodges, so many Masons, so much information! We eventually came up with the idea of creating an online Wiki. A wiki is an online collaborative tool which enables anyone from around the world to add pages and, add and edit content. Which means any Lodge or Mason everywhere anytime add and edit their information. They can add as much or as little information as they wish.

The first stage of development and testing has been completed, only within a few months we have over 50 contributers from all over the world. In the beginning we thought we would just test the site out and see what the universe threw back at us. We didn’t want to put too much time in something that wasn’t going to take off or last, if it got a good response then we would see what we would do. Its now coming up to the first year anniversary and its going strong!

This brings us to stage two. We now are sending out a call to all the Masons we can, to get involved in this world wide project. And that again, can only be done as a mass collaborative effort on all our parts. That means all of us working together to promote our own Lodges, Districts, Grand Lodges and any affiliated projects, through our Wiki.

From talking to some of the elders of my lodge and district, I had some very constructive criticism. Freemasonry is about ALL Masons working together, not just the young, or the affluent, or the experienced. The older men said that they want to help too, but it being called ‘Young Freemasons’ they felt as if they weren’t welcome to contribute. And I tend to agree with their sentiments. They want to build a strong Fraternity just as much as us younger guys, AND, they have been dedicated to the task for far longer than we have.

This created an opportunity that I had not expected. What a better way to connect the older Masons with the younger guys than having us work together on this project! Young and old working as one! Isn’t that what Freemasonry is all about? Us younger guys have the technology and the means to gather and promote the wealth of information of those who have seen the craft reach where it is today.

We had to figure out what to do about the exclusivity of the name. We came up with a few ideas, ‘New Era Freemasonry’ ‘New Masons’ ‘Future Masons’ etc but none of them really stuck. We needed a name that described what it was and what we were doing, so after much deliberation we decided on a new name. Taking inspiration from Wikipedia, we came up with WikiMasonica! We loved it, it just seemed to fit.

So we are now re launching and re branding YoungFreemasons.org in 2009 as ‘The WikiMasonica Project’. Everything will remain the same but the new Wiki URL will be http://wikimasonica.org

There are two parts to stage two of the WikiMasonica Project. Firstly is promotion. We need to get out there and inform as many Masons as possible about the WikiMasonica Project. This means utilizing all communication lines as possible available to us. The Wikimasonica Project isn’t just an internet site, the WikiMasonica Project transcends throughout the Masonic community, connecting old and young, connecting lodges and districts, connecting Masons across the world!

Secondly is content. It is not enough just to get people to ‘look’ at the site. The WikiMasonica Project is about getting involved within the Masonic community. Its talking to Masons about their Masonic experience, gathering information, documenting the history of your Lodge and those in it. We want Masons to come together not just on the web, but in the real world, to be able to find a lodge anywhere they go. The WikiMasonica Project aims to have the essential information a Mason needs to be able to seek his brothers.

What this means for you, my brother, is the opportunity to do your part in connecting Freemasons across the world. There are a number of ways that you personally get involved.

Add content. List your Lodge on http://wikimasonica.org Add content on anything you like, you are totally free to add and edit almost any page on the Wiki. An example of a lodge page can be found at http://wikimasonica.org/Example

Edit Content. You may not have anything to add, but you still can edit the pages of someone else if you feel you can tidy up the look and feel of the page, or improve its functionality.

Gather information and Lodge/District history and post it to the WikiMasonica Site.

Talk about The WikiMasonica Project. Simply tell another Mason about the site and what WikiMasonica is doing for Freemasonry.

Donate. The WikiMasonica Project is currently 100% self funded by its creators. Any donations to the Project will help The WikiMasonica Project achieve its ultimate goal of connecting Freemasons across the world. You can donate by clicking on the ‘Donate’ button on the main page of http://wikimasonica.org

Promote! Post a link to WikiMasonica on your Masonic related website!

Masonic World Tours Fund

2008-04-26T07:01:00.001-07:00

(Continued discussion from Facebook)

Ok. So this is what I've put in action.

The initial discussion has been posted to my Masonic Adventure Blog.

http://masonicadventure.blogspot.com/2008/04/masonic-world-tours.html

On the top right corner you will see a PayPal 'Donate' button. This is for the funding of the research and development of 'Masonic World Tours'.

The moneys raised will go towards all the administration costs (registration, insurance, name, phone calls, etc) involved with the set up of the organization and to be able to organize the events overseas.

Currently we have 117 members across Australia. If each of us donate at least $20 towards the cause we will be well on our way to seeing 'Masonic World Tours' becoming a reality! And if you or your lodge want to donate a little more thats ok too! the more funds we can raise the better quality experience can be had by all.

Payments can be made by your PayPal account or my credit card.

I will be posting the progress we make on this group and also on my MasonicAdventure Blog. So keep watching.

Masonic World Tours

2008-04-26T06:31:00.001-07:00

Brethern All,

Am searching for interested parties, who would be interested in travelling to the States next year as a part of a trip to meet and greet with fellow brethern (of similar age) from different Jurisdiction(s) in the States. The Tour/Conference would probably be held in Washington DC (hopefully @ the GL of Washington DC) and would included Guest Speakers from Different Consititutions and Organisations (i.e York Rite, Scottish Rite, Prince Hall and OES) talking on the History and Background of Freemasonry in the United States. Anywho, If any brethern would be interested, please either reply here or email me, along with ideas as to what you'd like to do and/or see and as well as discussion ideas for our guest speakers.

Travel Light.

Nathaniel.

email: nathaniel.slater (at) discoverymacro.net

-----------

Good work, if you need any help organizing all this I would be more than willing to help.

I think it would be a good idea to get in contact with the GL's from each state and find out what support they are able to offer.

Also one can approach their own lodge (or even speak to your DGIW) and see about some sort of sponsorship or fund raising to see you on your way. When we get back we can give talks on the experience and discuss what we have learned and how we can improve our own workings.

In fact, I am now in the right mind to set a 'world tours' company to help facilitate this endeavor. Hmmm, yes I think that is a good idea. Maybe 'Masonic World Tours'. That way the flights and accommodation and insurance can all be organized together to take advantage of discounts. I'll get right on to it.

We could set it up so that we can have this trip and others like it on say an annual basis. Young masons can be nominated and selected from each state and districts to attend these events. We could make it as a self organizing, in that those who have taken the trip volunteer to help organize the following years.

Jon

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Update 2008

2008-01-15T21:14:00.000-08:00

Happy new year to all! I hope everyone enjoyed the festive season and had a well deserved break, I know I did. I recently got back to Armidale where until today we were having the best weather we have had in months, a contrast to the rest of the state.

While I was gone I managed to visit a few lodges in Sydney and although my timing was out when I visited Tamworth I was still able to get a tour of the Masonic building. I've got lots of pics that I will post shortly. I was also able to get to the Grand Lodge of NSW and visit the museum and get a few photos of that as well.

I will be putting up a blog about the whole journey at http://masonicadventure.blogspot.com/

Another thing I was going to talk about was the eBook that I am working on. Its aptly named 'How to become a Freemason'. I only started recently compiling it because when I got back from Sydney I had a whole bunch of emails from young men all over Australia wanting information on how they can become involved with the craft. As is the usual course I have directed them in the proper direction and some of you may even end up initiating them some day.

One thing I need to finish the product is a personal touch. I think that young men seeking become Freemasons would like to hear personal stories from people who have actually been through the whole experience. I am going to write a detailed story of my journey from why I joined, what sparked my interest, what I had to go through to become a member, how nervous I was at my initiation, what friends thought of me doing it, the stories I was told about chasing a goat... etc.

So what I want to offer you guys is a chance to get your personal story published in the eBook so new candidates can get a real life experience of the whole process and how rewarding it is to become a Freemason. All you will have to do is write your story and I will sort out the rest, edit it, put it together, and as a reward you will receive the first copies for free when it is completed.

I would like to get at least one story from each state/territory in Australia as from what I have heard that the experience can differ from state to state. You can mention your lodge and even provide contact details as this is an eBook and will have links and can be updated at any time.

I urge you to get involved and write your story as I'm sure that this will be a rewarding experience for all involved. You may also want to mention the idea in your lodge and see what response you get, some of the older guys may also want to tell their stories!

Look after yourselves brethren,

Jon

Busy month

2008-01-13T05:46:00.000-08:00

I've just got back from traveling to Sydney visiting lodges and friends. I have so much to write about and will get on to it over the next week or so. I managed to get a whole bunch of photos from the grand lodge of NSW and the museum there, and also some from some of the lodges I visited, so i will post all of that as well.

This is only a small entry just to keep in touch and test out a few things. To fund my travelling as a mason I am looking for ways to raise funds, I would love some feedback if anyone has any ideas. For now though I am going to be experimenting with offering ebooks for sale on freemasonry. I get a commission from each one sold, so we will see if that takes off.

Talk soon,

Jon

click on eBook

Sibley, W., G. - The Story of Freemasonry

click on eBook

Mackey, Albert G. - Washington as a Freemason

click on eBook

Mackey, Albert G. - Traveling Freemasons Of The Middle Ages

Fine tuning

2007-12-07T20:06:00.000-08:00

I've gotten some advice from you guys and it has been great! I'm still fine tuning the whole thing but it seems to be finally becoming a reality!

I still would love to get some feedback about any ideas for my Ebooks. I'm thinking of taking my recording equipment around with me while visiting Lodges around Australia and interview the older guys about their experience as a freemason over the years. I will be asking some questions of my own but if there is anything specific you would like to know from someone who has been involved as a mason for a long time. The theme will be travelling as a Freemason and their stories.

So send me an email with any questions you are interested in that you would like to hear from an older Freemason.

Once I have interviewed as many as I can' I'm going to come up with some way to put it all together and make it available.

Jon

Masonic Adventure begins

2007-12-06T07:48:00.000-08:00

Well not long now for the big adventure!

Some of you are new so I'll recap what is going on next year. My goal is to go on a Masonic Adventure and visit as many lodges as I can and meet Masons across Australia.

I just moved to a small country town in NSW called Armidale. I'm originally from Sydney (well for the past 7 years) and I am from Lodge Horace Thopmson Ryde 134. I still make lodge once a month in Sydney and will also try for other Sydney Lodges while I visit.

So I start in Sydney and then who knows...

I have started a blog that will keep everyone updated. I am still only new to the world of blogging and whatever so bare with me. My intention is to get a bit of a crowd of readers to follow my blogs so I can give a realistic view of what we are all about. It will just be my experiences of visiting and travelling as a mason. So when one of your friends ask 'So what are these secret meetings all about?' or 'What do Freemasons do?' you can say, 'well i know this great guy that tells his experiences as one... check out such and such blog...'

I just want to show that we are normal, genuine and down to earth people, out to do good things.

I am a bit of a writer. Over my time travelling in the next few years I am going to write a few eBooks. The two (for Freemasonry) I have in mind are on 'How to travel the world as a mason' and 'How to resurrect the craft'.

This way I can do what I love in life - Travel, writing, and Freemasonry. I consider the next few years kind of research and development and would greatly appreciate any assistance. If any of you have any hints and tips or an idea of what you would like to see in these books then let me know! They will be written for you guys so I want to make them as relevant as possible.

If you (or someone you know) has experience in traveling as a mason then I would love to hear your story so I can include it in the book. I may make each chapter different stories of the travels of masons or something like that, I am still thinking of ideas :)

Also any ideas on resurrection of the craft. I wrote something in the discussions section and I don't entirely agree with what I was saying. I have heard more stories and done my research and now I see that there is a strong need to move into the future of Freemasonry.

I have an idea of interviewing Masons also and creating a podcast. This is also in the development stages so I will keep you posted on that here and on my blog.

The blog address is - http://masonicadventure.blogspot.com/
I only just created it so bare with me on that, I will figure how to get some sort of subscription system happening and work out all the bugs over the next few weeks. I'll post the link somewhere in the group page. Anyone who is familiar with blogging and has any advice, I'd love to hear from you.

So thats it so far.

Jon

Resurrecting the craft?

2007-12-06T07:13:00.000-08:00

I see it as the Craft is always as it has been, and will stay how it is and needs not any such resurrection. Freemasonry is a system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols. Founded on Brotherly love, Relief and Truth.

It is and was never intended to be a numbers game.

We have no desire to be rewarded for the principals that we base our lives and actions on. We have no need to gain recognition or public support. We are not a political Group that needs votes, or a Religion that wants to convert or offer salvation.

I surmise that "back to where it was" is referring to the period of time where the numbers of Brethren were high and lodge was the highlight of the month. Lots of fundraising, ladies nights, outings etc. I have also heard these stories from the older members of the craft and that 'freemasonry is not the same as it used to be'. I also hear stories every now and then, of people who used to be members and are not anymore. I see alot of anti-freemasonry propaganda, and hear stories from non masons telling of there uncle who, being an ex mason, was disappointed by the whole thing and slandering the craft.

I personally think that the craft is at its peak right at this moment. The men that are still remaining are the exact people that are fit and proper to be Masons. Just, upright and free men of mature age, sound judgment, and strict morals.

Is person who is guilty of slander, in any area of their life, fit and proper to be made a mason?

Before we look at the reasons of dwindling numbers, death, resignation and few new candidates, Let us first look at the reasons for such high numbers in previous generations. I will only base my assumptions on things that i have discussed and not on the theories i have in my own head. Firstly, freemasonry was a huge social outlet in the times where tv, movies, sporting groups were virtually non existent. The decision making process was, my mates are doing it, so why not. Secondly, after the war, first and second, our soldiers came back with a heightened sense of fraternity, and did what they could to stay close to and help out the friends/brothers they had made. So they joined a fraternal organization that offered a chance to help out their fellow man.

That generation is now getting older and making a huge impact on the numbers of brethren still remaining active with the craft.

Resignation is and always will be a fact of life. If Freemasonry is not for them, then it is not for them.

Now the topic of few new candidates. A candidate must be a Just, upright, and free man of mature age, sound judgment and strict morals. I personally believe that those who are fit and proper persons to be made masons, will, as i did, seek out Masonry and all it has to offer. If Freemasonry does not find them, they, by default will serve the community to the best of their ability anyway.

I absolutely believe our foundations, our principles of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth ARE being adhered to. Show me a Mason who doesn't adhere to these principals and ill show you a man who is not a Mason.

My Adventure

2007-12-06T07:12:00.000-08:00

When I started this group i had no idea where it would go. Now after many months of carefully selecting members I can see things getting exciting.

I had looked for a Masonic group all over Facebook and Myspace, but found none that actually fitted my needs. Most of them were global and out of touch with our Great Southern Land. If you search the net for Freemasonry, you either get the same information over and over, American lodges, or alot of anti-Freemasonry material.

So my aim was simple. Connect us young guys (young in Freemasonry terms being under 60) in Australia and get an opportunity to visit other lodges and discuss our plans for the future.

Also I just wanted to know if there were actually other young masons out there who cared about Freemasonry as much as I did. I was the youngest member of my lodge and the next regularly attending brother up from me was like forty years to my senior! Now though we have a good handful of new and keen Entered Apprentices and Fellowcrafts raring and ready to go.

Now that I am aware that the spirit of Freemasonry is alive and kicking I feel that it is time that we do something about prospering the craft. In todays society it is rare to get a group of genuine, hard working, honest and trustworthy men together who have the best interests of the greater community in their hearts. But that is exactly what we have brethren!

Although we are few and far between.

I have been looking at the geographic locations of the members of this group to formulate a plan of attack, and I have found that most of us are from different lodges and are spread from Perth to Northern QLD to Adelaide and Melbourne.

In light of that, I have an idea. In 2008 my plan is to visit as many lodges as I can so as to grasp the task that we have at hand. We are the future of Freemasonry in Australia and at some point we have to take up the reins and take control of the Craft. My vocation for the next few years (apart from learning all the rituals) is to become an authority on how to run a lodge efficiently and effectively, and learn the best possible way to get new membership and promote the craft.

To do this requires that I meet as many Masons, visit as many Lodges, and have as many conversations as I possibly can and then share what I have learned with the elders and fellow brethren of our craft. Freemasonry is a passion of mine and for me this task will be a fun and an exciting journey. Along the way I will be keeping you all informed on where I'm at, the Lodges that I've visited and all the people I meet.

I will ask for help though. As I travel I will need places to stay and a way to travel from one side of Australia to the other. I will need to travel light so it may not be feasible to lug a dinner suit around the place, so if you guys have a spare or maybe some of the older brothers have an old one they can lend when I visit it would be much appreciated (I'm an extra large).

Also, to plan my trip I will need dates, times and addresses of lodge meetings, ie; "Lodge Horace Thompson Ryde 134, held at the Masonic center, 142 Blaxland Rd Ryde NSW, on the second Tuesday of the month" That way I can plot out on a map the general direction I will have to travel next year. (I would have asked for a copy of your notice papers but I'm the worst at paperwork and I may not be in one location for very long).

As I'm a bit of a history buff, I would love to gather bits and pieces of memorabilia and snippets of history about your lodge so i can write a bit about you guys and publish it on the net. So Whatever info you can get by the time I arrive would be fantastic.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for joining this group, your comments and feedback have been most enjoyable and helpful.

Please do not hesitate to let me know what you think of this idea and any hints and tips would be appreciated. All offers of assistance will be taken seriously and any invitations to your lodge will be accepted (although it may take a while to get there).

Yours Fraternally,

Jonathan Teychenne' MM

The experiment

2007-12-06T07:09:00.000-08:00

If you're a young Freemason, you are probably (like I am) in a lodge surrounded by guys almost three times your age. This is a experiment to connect the younger members of the craft and continue to build a strong fraternity.

This is for all Masons to contribute (not just the young ones) so I encourage you to get involved!

There seems to be an increasing need for the younger members of our community to get active in their approach to Masonry. This site is in the development stages and I would love some feedback.

If you have any ideas on how we can raise membership numbers and also how we, as the young members of our craft, can build a strong fraternity, please contact me (Jonathan Teychenne MM - Lodge Horace Thompson Ryde 134) by email; youngmasons@gmail.com