Meet Act And Part

Greg, Roger, and Darin welcome James Buckhorn, current president of the MCME, and Chad Kopenski, a past president of the MCME, to discuss this year's conference. https://www.mcme1949.org/ Submit blog articles for publication on our blog here: secil970afam@gmail.com

Greg and Darin interview Steve Harrison regarding his new book: An Imperfect Storm (https://tinyurl.com/Morgan-Book). Steve breaks down the Morgan affair and details how his new book is part Masonic Book, part true crime story.

Russ Charvonia, Past Grandmaster of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of California, joins Greg, Roger, and Darin to discuss his efforts to promote civility. Buy Russ's book here: https://civilityambassadors.org/product/the-civility-mosaic-how-anyone-can-use-the-principles-of-freemasonry-to-repair-our-world/ Buy Russ's children's book here: https://civilityambassadors.org/product/ayisha-for-president/ Civility links from the show: https://civilityambassadors.org/civility-ambassadors/ https://civilityambassadors.org/masonic-civility/ https://civilitycouncil.org/ https://certifiedcivil.org/

Greg, Darin, and Roger discuss our friend and brother, Bill Hosler's Masonic Legacy, as well as hear from Bill himself through the use of audio from previous episodes.

Roger VanGorden joins Bill, Darin and Greg as a regular host on Meet, Act, and Part. We discuss the current initiatives of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, NMJ and what the future might hold.

Greg and Darin catch up with MWB Roger VanGorden to discuss his role with the Masonic Renewal Committee and the latest Conference of Grand Masters of Masons in North America.

Greg, Bill, and Darin discuss the impact of Social Media on Freemasonry, along with its benefits and drawbacks.

Greg and Darin discuss the relationship of Magick and Freemasonry, and if Freemasonry is a magickal system.

Greg, Bill, and Darin discuss dressing for your lodge events and if it matters what you wear. Chock filled with references to a bygone era of Television, mild profanity, and lots of humor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_shot_J.R.%3F https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanford_and_Son

Bill and Darin discuss the Grotto with Special Guests, Prophets Marty Kwilosz and Vance Martin. Marty is a Charter member and Past Monarch of CHI-ILL Grotto. He also serves as an appointed officer in El Jaala and Aliabad Grottoes. Within the realm of Grotto, Prophet Kwilosz is also the Secretary of the Illinois State Grotto Association and International Secretary for Mokanna's Cigar Aficionados. Vance is a charter member of and the charter/current Monarch of Illini Grotto, out of Mahomet Illinois. https://scgrotto.org/

WB Jon D. Hinthorne (Joined Masonry in 2015 & Past Master Delta Lodge 2019-2022) and WB Toby Reed (Joined Masonry in 1981 & Past Master of Palestine Lodge (Now Wm. Sutton Lodge) 1990, 2003, 2004.) from the Grand Jurisdiction of Massachusetts join Greg, Bill and Darin to discuss Project Delta. Project Delta has an objective of providing comfort kits (small bags containing stuffed animals) to first responders to give to children who may be dealing with trauma stemming from the crisis situation to which the first responders are responding to. All too often Police, Fire, and EMS respond to calls where children are in the middle of an unpleasant situation. The program can allow these first responders to comfort the child or children involved in the incident and help to redirect their attention away from what they are going through at that moment by giving them a stuffed animal. If you are interested in helping to bring Project Delta to your lodge or jurisdiction, you can reach out to WB Jon Hinthorne at Jhinthorne@deltalodgeafam.org or Projectdelta@deltalodgeafam.org.

Bill, Greg, and Darin discuss why they've been on hiatus for a few months.

Greg, Bill, and Darin welcome Dave Kelm, Oriental Guide, and Membership Chair for ANSAR Shriners in Springfield Illinois to the program. We discuss the Shrine and membership issues facing it and other Masonic bodies, Bill shares a very heartwarming story, Darin asks a forbidden question, and much more!

Greg, Bill, and Darin discuss ideas about how to retain and grow membership for your lodge or appendant bodies that are struggling.

Greg and Darin review their Masonic Year of 2022 and some of the challenges ahead for them in 2023.

Greg, Bill, and Darin talk to MPC Monty Glover, Grandmaster of the General Grand Council of Cryptic Masons International about Cryptic Masonry (https://www.crypticmasons.org/), the Cryptic Masons Medical Research Foundation (https://www.cmmrf.org/), growing up in Central Illinois, Hawaiian Freemasonry and other topics.

Greg, Bill, and Darin talk to Derik Hockett, the Junior Grand Warden of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Kansas, about Freemasonry in Kansas, Kansas Masonic-con, Strategic Planning at the Grand Lodge Level, and much more.

Greg, Bill, and Darin talk about the state of Freemasonry with Mark. St. Cyr, Freemason and guest Contributor to the Midnight Freemasons blog.

Greg, Bill, and Darin talk with the Membership Committee Chairman of the Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Wisconsin, Bro. Mike Burnham and one of the District Membership Representatives for District Six of the Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Wisconsin, Bro.Victor Magus, about their role in bringing in new membership into their Grand Lodge as well as much more.

Bill and Darin discuss Masonic Legends. Are legends like the story of the Forget Me Not and the Friend to Friend Memorial at Gettysburg harmful to the Craft? Find out what we think and more.

Greg, Bill, and Darin discuss Public Relations and Marketing for your lodge.

MWB Roger VanGorden joins Darin and Bill to discuss a presentation he recently gave to the Conference of Grand Masters of Masons in North America that argues that Freemasonry is about to see an upswing in membership.

Greg and Darin talk about the Core Values of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite (NMJ) and how they are the core values of Mature Masculine Men, the difficulties of Mature Male Friendship, and how to make a difference by becoming a Mentor.

Greg, Bill, and Darin interview Brother Christopher Earnshaw. Chris is the author of The Spiritual Freemasonry series https://www.amazon.com/Christopher-J.-Earnshaw/e/B07W4VFMV5%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share) as well as the host of the Spiritual Freemasonry Youtube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/spiritualfreemasonry), and the Freemasonry in Seven Minutes or Less podcast (Found on your favorite Podcast site). Christopher discusses his belief that Speculative Freemasonry is based on Daoist philosophies and much more.

Greg, Bill, and Darin discuss 2021 and make their Masonic resolutions for the coming year. Link to RWB Thomas W. Jackson's article: https://thecraftsman.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/DONE-The-State-of-Contemporary-American-Freemasonry-Tom-Jackson.pdf Link to Scottish Rite Live: https://scottishrite.live/

Greg, Bill, and Darin discuss Bill's new book: "Meditations of a Flawed Ashlar", Darin's upcoming appearance at Double Eagle Con in Chicago, Darin's many years of being Greg's Intern, and much more.

The current Grandmaster of The Most Worship Grand Lodge Idaho AF&AM, MWB Russ Smith, joins Greg, Bill, and Darin to discuss topics ranging from the history of Idaho Freemasonry, Anti-Masonic groups, the relationship between Scouting and Freemasonry, and much more.

Greg, Bill, and Darin review The Grand Lodge of Illinois proceedings, Bill's trip to Alaska, Darin discusses his reasons for joining The Shrine which leads Bill to tell a very emotional story about his involvement in helping a young burn victim get care at a Shriner's hospital.

Greg and Darin discuss their separate vacations and the Masonic adventures and fellowship that took place on them.

Bill and Darin discuss Bill's latest Midnight Freemason Blog article about the idea of a Call To Service and how to apply it to your own Masonic Lodge. http://www.midnightfreemasons.org/2021/08/call-to-service.html

Greg, Darin, and Bill talk with Joe Martinez about Esotericon, Masonic-Cons, and Masonic Education.

Bill and Darin talk to Ken "JP" Stuczynski about the integration of technology and Freemasonry and it's importance to the Craft.

Greg and Darin discuss the cardinal virtue of Justice.

Greg and Darin discuss the cardinal virtue of Temperance. Darin links the four cardinal virtues to Tarot.

Darin and Greg discuss the Cardinal Virtue of Prudence.

Greg and Darin discuss the Cardinal Virtue of Fortitude and its importance.

Greg and Darin discuss Civics and how Freemasonry encourages you to be civic-minded. They also discuss social media and how it has had a negative impact on the practice of civics. They discuss Bro. Chuck Dunning's essay entitled: "A Masonic Response to Media Manipulation" (https://chuckdunning.com/writings/a-masonic-response-to-media-manipulation/) as a guide to help Masons combat some of the issues that Media (especially social media) is causing.

Michael Arce, an emeritus contributor to the Midnight Freemasons and creator of Craftsman Online, stops by to discuss Lodge culture with Greg, Bill, and Darin.

Greg, Todd, Bill, and Darin talk about the concept of Knowing Thyself and how it relates to Freemasonry.

Greg, Bill, and Darin discuss the episodes of 2020 and some of the challenges that Freemasonry faced.

Greg, Bill, and Darin discuss their experiences as Worshipful Master and give some advice to those who are new to the East.

The newest regular contributor to The Midnight Freemasons Blog, Chris Hathaway, joins Greg and Darin to discuss Leadership vs. Management in Freemasonry. WB Christopher J. Hathaway was raised in Catlin Masonic Lodge #285 and is the current Worshipful Master of Bloomington Masonic Lodge #43. He belongs to the Valley of Danville, AASR where he is the Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chapter of Rose Croix and Membership Chairman. Other appendant bodies include the Gao Grotto, Mohammed Shiners, and the Illinois Lodge of Research. Outside of the lodge, he enjoys spending time with his wife Taylor and cheering on the Fighting Illini and Chicago Cubs.

Greg, Darin, and Bill are joined by two special guests, Robert Johnson and Lisa Goodpaster to discuss Darin's recent article on the Midnight Freemason's blog: http://www.midnightfreemasons.org/2020/10/does-freemasonry-develop-talent.html RW. Robert Johnson is the Managing Editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Freemason out of the 1st N.E. District of Illinois. He currently serves as the Secretary of Waukegan Lodge No. 78 where he is a Past Master. He is also a Past District Deputy Grand Master for the 1st N.E. District of Illinois. Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts weekly Podcasts (internet radio programs) Whence Came You? & Masonic Radio Theatre which focuses on topics relating to Freemasonry. He is also a co-host of The Masonic Roundtable, a Masonic talk show. He is a husband and father of four, works full time in the executive medical industry and is also an avid home brewer. He is the co-author of "It's Business Time",https://www.amazon.com/Its-Business-Time-Corporate-Freemasonry/dp/1980830126, a book on adapting corporate strategies for the Craft and is currently working on a book of Masonic essays and one on Occult Anatomy to be released soon. He can be reached at wcypodcast@gmail.com. Lisa Goodpaster is the Associate Director of Project Management with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's nascent Carle Illinois College of Medicine. Lisa's talent development experience spans training and development, management, coaching, consulting, and project and program management over the last 22 years. She has been in and around the healthcare sector for almost 30 years. Lisa has also been certified and trained with the Red Cross, American Heart Association, and the Bayer Institute. She has presented and been an adviser to her organization's leadership development institute and currently serves as a mentor at the Illinois Leadership Center. Lisa earned a bachelor's degree in community health education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and earned master's degrees from the University of St. Francis in Health Services Administration and Training and Development. She has also completed doctorate level courses in organizational development and behavior. Lisa has been a member of Association for Talent Development (ATD), formerly ASTD, for over 15 years. She served on the board for the Heart of Central Illinois Chapter and as President in 2016. She also served nationally as a member of the Chapter Recognition Committee from 2016-2017 and as Chair in 2018. She has been a National Advisor for Chapters since 2018. Beginning January 2021, she will serve as Chair for the National Advisor for Chapters and serve on the ATD Board of Directors for a two-year term.

John Paul Gomez of Fraternal Ties (https://www.fraternalties.com/) stops by and talks with Greg, Bill, and Darin. Topics include: Why he started his company, differences between Freemasonry in Canada and the United States, His experiences immigrating to Canada from the Philippines, and how Freemasonry influenced the Philippine revolution against the Spanish.

MWPGM of the Grand Lodge of California, Russ Charvonia, talks with Greg, Bill, and Darin about Civility and his involvement with the Masonic Family Civility Project. We also discuss mentoring and its relationship to civility. You can find out more about the Masonic Family Civility Project at https://www.masoniccivility.org/. To access the toolkit that Russ discusses, visit: http://www.civilityresources.com/Civility-Resources.html/

Dago Rodriguez talks with Greg, Bill, and Darin about The Southern California Research Lodge, the latest issue of Fraternal Review which is focused on Masonic Style, a preview of his presentation this weekend at Chicago Masonic-con, and much much more.

Our good friend, Sotiris Sakellarios, joins Greg, Bill, and Darin in this episode to discuss Freemasonry in Greece among other topics.

Greg and Darin discuss the charges to the Master from the Grand Lodge of Illinois A.F. & A.M. Book of Ceremonials for the Installation of Officers, which are given during the installation of the Worshipful Master.

T.S. Akers drops by to talk with Bill, Greg and Darin about the history of the Five Tribes and Freemasonry in Oklahoma, A former Grandmaster of The Grand Lodge of Oklahoma who was impeached as Governor because of Yoga, Union Jack Socks, The Spanish Flu, and Comparisons to the Covid-19 pandemic and much more.

Brother Robert W. Sullivan IV joins Greg, Bill and Darin this episode to discuss the Royal Arch of Enoch, Oak Island, Cinema Symbolism and much more! You can support Robert by purchasing his books here: https://robertwsullivaniv.com/buy-the-book/

Bro. Matthew Christmas stops by to discuss the differences between English and American Craft Masonry, as well as the differences between the appendant bodies, and the English attitude towards Women and Freemasonry. Matthew was initiated in the Apollo University Lodge No. 357 on 25th February 1989 (aged 21) and raised on 3rd June 1989. Apollo is the lodge for those at the University of Oxford and he joined in his final year.He is also a Past Master of the Lodge of Honor & Generosity No. 165 in London. He is a past Principal of his Holy Royal Chapter, Apollo University Chapter No. 357, he is a PM and is Secretary of the University Lodge of Mark Masters No. 55 and is a Past Provincial Grand Senior Warden of the Province of Oxfordshire. He is a Past Commander Noah and is Scribe of the Oxford University Lodge of Royal Ark Mariners No.55 and a holder of RAM Provincial Grand Rank. He is a Past Thrice Illustrious Master of the Royal and Select Masters (Cryptic Rite). He is a Past Provincial Junior Grand Warden in the Royal Order of Scotland. He is a Past Preceptor of the Preceptory (formerly Encampment) of Coeur de Lion No. 29 in the Knights Templar and a Past Provincial Herald, as well as being a Knight of Malta. He wrote its 150th anniversary history. He is a Past Most Wise Sovereign of the Grand Metropolitan Chapter of Princes Rose Croix of Heredom, Ancient & Accepted Rite (He wrote its 150th anniversary history also) and he is First General of the Oxford and Cambridge University Chapter No. 45. He is 30th Degree. (There are big differences in how 30-32 degrees are awarded in England which we discuss). He is the current Most Puissant Sovereign of the University Conclave of the Red Cross of Constantine. He is also a member of the Order of the Secret Monitor, Operatives, SRIA, Knight Templar Priests, the Allied Masonic Degrees and the Commemorative Order of St Thomas of Acon. He is a member of a Display Team working the KTP Appendant Degrees. He is a former Writer of the University Board of Corks and a founder of a Fleet Board of Corks in London. He has written articles on ritual and degrees for Freemasonry Today and has lectured on rites and ritual connections around the country. He is a former Trustee and Governor of the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys. He is a former teacher and Headmaster. He is now Head of Stakeholder Engagement at a leading educational charity. He has an MA from the University of Oxford and is a former Major in the Territorial Army within the Royal Regiment of Artillery. He also is a former member of the British Debating Team and has toured the USA debating three times (He has been to 34 states).