(20230610) HTI Update June 10, 2023

High Twelve International
June Up-Date

June 10, 2023

Greetings,

Last the few months Lisa and I have been busy traveling to several State Associations, Grand Lodge Annual Meetings and presenting charters to new clubs. Thank you to everyone for your gracious hospitality and wonder fellowship.

We began our latest travels in Algona, Iowa for the North Central Association for Twelve for their 76th Annual Convention.  The meeting was very productive and with a lot of enthusiasm from the newly elected and appointed officers.

It was my honor to have as a guest RWB David Greenberg (recently moved from Highland Park, IL.)  Please welcome Brother Greenberg as one of our newest members.

We stayed in west to visit Kansas for their State Association meeting.  Special thanks to Becky & Mike Haxton, PIP for their making arrangements for my travel to and from the airport.  I had the pleasure of attending Wyandotte Lodge No. 3. A bit of history: Wyandotte Lodge No. 3, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons, a fraternal organization, dedicated to community charity and to promoting Brotherly Love, was first organized in Wyandotte County, Kansas in 1854 and chartered by the Grand Lodge of Missouri. Wyandotte was proudly the first Masonic Lodge in the Kansas territory and was then known as Grove Lodge. When the Grand Lodge of Kansas was organized in 1856, Grove Lodge became the third Lodge chartered by them and was renamed Wyandotte Lodge No. 3.

The following day we gathered at a local restaurant as the Kansas State High Twelve Association.  The Officers where elected and duly installed.

We headed southeast to Florida for their Grand Lodge Annual Meeting. Like all the places we were privileged to visit, the hospitality and fellowship was wonderful.  Thank you to the Florida State Association for the wonderful display for your Association.  Special thank you to RW Grand Senior Warden Taleb T. Atala for your gracious welcome and hospitality from many of the DDGM’s I had the pleasure to meet. Most Worshipful Glen W. Bishop congratulations being on elected Grand Master of Florida. We wish you all the best.

On April 25th at their regular meeting the SMC Club #483 was pleased to host cane maker Brother Woody Combs, a 65 year Mason of the 32 degree, and member of the Antioch Shrine car club. Making his first formal presentation on the subject of his hobby, he regaled the audience with tales of the origins of the 14 beautiful canes and walking sticks he has made. As an inveterate craftsman he had polished each cane before the meeting and passed them around for the audience to heft and examine.

The intricate designs capitalized on the beautiful original materials, such as pool cues, in some cases. But just as many were original designs from the bottom up, some in large sizes and some smaller for female users.

Everyone got a chuckle when he mentioned that he had used some 50mm shell casings to provide brass details and added strength on a few canes.

Woody answered questions from the audience and received a hearty round of applause from the enthusiastic crowd.

Dan Shirk, President and Joe Stewart, Sec./Treas.
SMC Club #483, Springfield, OH

Shazam! Comic Books Make Big Impact
by Bruce A. Rick

The speaker at a recent meeting of High Twelve Club #2 of Oakland California let the attendees touch and read some of his most sought after comic books that he didn’t include in his just-completed comic book auction. 

High Twelve Scottish Rite Valley of Oakland member James “Jim” Strehlow shared how the comic books he enjoyed as a kid stayed with him throughout his adult life.

From the time Jim was six years old, when his mother asked him to, “…please store the comic books you have been buying, in this one area of your closet.” Whether this was foresight on collectibles or simply neatness was never explained but ensured that his future collection would be well cared for. He even made shelving for his growing collection in his 8th grade Woodshop Class.

Early on in his comic book purchasing decisions, Jim decided to focus on Marvel Comics as his primary source. Jim said, “I was most impressed by the stories by writer Stan Lee and the color quality in the Marvel publications.” In addition, he knew that he could easily purchase No. 1 editions at a fair price. This was supported by his regular use of comic book catalogs. In the attached picture, Jim holds his most cherished comic, Marvel Tales Issue #1 published in 1964. Jim said, “Why was I so interested in that particular comic book?  That issue included the “origins” of The Amazing Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Giant-Man and the Wonderful Wasp, The Mighty Thor, Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos, and The Power of Iron Man.”

Having decided it was time to reduce his full collection, he selected his most valuable comic books and sent them off to be independently rated before deciding on an auction site. Each comic book received a quality rating and bid value. He then contacted a brick and mortar auction house and set a date. After the bidding war was held, his collection went for over $40,000.00!

As the wrap up to his talk, Jim let the audience pass around three of his less valuable comic books with an apology of, “only $300.00-400.00 apiece” and said the next auction “won’t be for another year or two”. We look forward to his hearing about his next auction results!

Speaker Jim Strehlow holding Marvel Tales # 1 (1964)

Greetings Brothers, Fellow Twelvians and Twelvettes!

CHI-ILL High Twelve Club #791 has a long standing passion of working with community groups and special causes. So for the second time CHI-ILL High 12 Club is working with Special Olympics to help fund raise with The Chicago Ducky Derby! The Chicago Ducky Derby takes place on Thu Aug 10th, 2023 and sees countless Rubber Ducks dumped into The Chicago River for a one of a kind attraction!. CHI-ILL High Twelve Club will be selling Ducks to enter the race! While there will only be some winners, everyone that participates is a winner for having helped the amazing cause that is the Special Olympics!

If you want to find out more please visit The CHI-ILL High Twelve Ducky Derby team page at https://www.duckrace.com/Chicago/teams/12137

Marty Kwilosz, Secretary

Just wanted to update you on how the club is making a comeback after 2 years on hiatus. With that said, we had are First meeting on May 28, 2023 at 1:00 PM we met at King George Inn, 102 Radcliff street, Bristol, PA. It was a Great Day of Fellowship. We had four new members join. Our next meeting will be June 25, 2023. At this meeting, we will have two new members join. Also, our program for that day will be Philadelphia Rainbow Assembly, Presented by. Mrs. Taralyn Shinn. The Pa State Officers installed the new-elected officers of the Club . Brother Daniel A. O’Rourke, President, Brother Norman Branyan Representative to Blue Lodge, Brother Kenneth Shinn 1St VP and Brother Daniel O’Rourke installed the 3 new members afterwards. The presence of our State Officers was very much welcomed and appreciated. Our immediate Past State President Jared Kichline attended and gave his support and remarks as well!

Great day for High Twelve International, High Twelve Pennsylvania, and for Freemasonry overall! 

Sincerely & Fraternally,
Daniel A. O’Rourke, President
Liberty Club #780

As an ancient symbol:

The Point Within a Circle symbol, along with many other “Masonic” symbols predates the establishment of the Grand Lodge of England and also the stonemasons of the Middle Ages, from whom we have documentation of their Old Charges, Old Constitutions, and Old Charters. The circumpunct is an age-old symbol that signifies God, the origin of creation, and everlasting existence. To astrologers and astronomers, it embodies the sun, while alchemists perceive it as symbolic of alchemical gold, and Kabbalists refer to it as Keter. The dot at the center of the circle is representative of the universe’s divine essence, with the circle encompassing it symbolizing the world or cosmos that we inhabit. Some masonic scholars like Albert Mackey see this symbol also as the modification of the sun-worship into the worship of the Phallus, but more precisely in the union of the male (point) and female (circle), that represent the prolific powers of nature.

Masonic interpretation:

For Freemasonry this symbol represents Saint John the Baptist with his feast on 24th of June (which is also known as “Eniyovden” in Bulgaria) and Saint John the Evangelist with his feast on 27th of December.  Both of them are Patron Saints of the Craft. Even though most of out Brethren celebrate these feasts, few of them know the exact reason behind this. During ancient times, celebrations took place on these two specific days because they were considered to be symbolic of the Summer and Winter Solstices. These solstices were significant as they represented the recurring cycles of life. Today, our Summer Solstice is June 21st and our Winter Solstice is December 21st (celebrated by the old Bulgarian tradition as “Egnazhden”). The two festivals were observed to honor the initial fruits of Spring and the Autumn harvests. These festivals also marked the zenith and nadir points that the sun reached in its movement. They were symbolic of a period of rejoicing in the abundance of the harvest that grew from the Earth’s seeds. In our speculative Craft, the two festivals signify the joy of receiving the rewards of one’s hard work.

Although there is no historical proof of the affiliation of either of the Saints John with the stonemason craft, they have been chosen as the two patron saints of Masonry due to their virtuous lives and strong personalities.

The meaning behind the point within a circle symbol can be interpreted as follows: the point represents the individual Brother, and the circle represents the limits of his responsibilities to God and his fellow man. It is vital that a person does not permit their biases, desires, or vested interests to lead them beyond these boundaries.

Gnostic interpretation:

Manly P. Hall, a respected Masonic scholar, believes that the circumpunct symbolizes the gateway to all knowledge, which is encompassed within the dot, line, and circle. The concept behind the symbol is that the dot represents universal consciousness, the line represents universal intelligence, and the circle represents universal force. By visualizing one’s soul as the dot within the world, the symbol helps to realize this truth. The supreme and primary symbols are the dot, line, and circle, with the dot representing the spirit, the line representing the means, and the circle representing the end. As light rays travel farther from their source, they weaken, and similarly, motion away from self, results in a decrease in consciousness and power, while motion toward self leads to a corresponding increase in consciousness and power. To find order, one must first look within and find true order by silencing the chaotic world outside by meditating and finding the center of space within each individual. 33rd degree of Freemasonry has the motto ORDO AB CHAO, which means “Order out of Chaos” in Latin and if we want to find order in our lives, we need to first look within ourselves. We can’t find true order by looking outside, even in books. The ultimate goal of introspection is to connect with our true self and our soul, which requires us to “KNOW THYSELF.” To achieve this, we must turn inward and explore our inner selves.

Bro. S.Rakovsky
05.05.2023

I am proud to be President this year. We meet every Friday at a local restaurant. We have an average of 14 every meeting. We met every Friday through Covid. During that time we had our Faithful 4 .

We have supported several worthy projects and supply food to local Food Pantries.  

We have taken in 5 new members so far this year. Some of the wives join us also.

Fraternally,
Don Henderson
President 2023-24

On Saturday May 6th, Brethren of High Twelve in the UK were proud to witness the Coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey in London, as our new sovereign, together with Queen Camilla. Our new King follows the remarkable reign of his Mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, who gave 70 wonderful years of service to the United Kingdom, and to the Commonwealth of Nations across the globe.

Westminster Abbey has been the venue for the Coronation of English and British monarchs since 1066. Beneath the Coronation Throne, lay the Stone of Scone, or the Stone of Destiny. This ancient stone now resides in Edinburgh Castle. It is the traditional stone on which the Kings of Scotland sat during their Crowning, at Scone Palace near Perth, the ancient capital of Scotland before Edinburgh. It is now sent to London on the occasion of the Coronation of British monarchs. In legend, the stone is said to be that on which Jacob rested his head when he experienced his vision of the ‘Masonic’ ladder, with its 72 rungs reaching from earth to heaven.

Besides all the pomp and ceremony at the Abbey, which many of our members across the world will have seen on television, this was very much a family and community occasion, with street parties and events of all shapes and sizes taking place across the country. In these days of war, financial difficulty, and bad news across the world, it was wonderful to have something positive to lift our spirits, and to share in a truly historic event.

High Twelve Brethren wish His Majesty a long and happy reign. By the Grace of God, may he lead us with wisdom and sound judgement in the years ahead.

GOD SAVE THE KING

Fraternally,
Bro. Vaughan C Mason III
1st Vice President

Freeport High 12 #43 continues to meet every Thursday for lunch.  The first Thursday of the month is our business meeting.

At our last meeting we decided to help the Salvation Army once again.  This time we decided to do something different.  We will purchase items that they need.  It was voted to spend $100.  An inquiry was made what their needs are right now and the items needed are combs and brushes, non-perishable food and summer clothing.  We will spend $30 on combs and brushes, $70 on food items, and members can bring clothing items.

Attached are pictures of the initiation and the presentation of the dues card and certificate of our newest member, Ken Howard.  Pictured with Ken is President Gene Olmstead and Treasurer Calvin Barklow.

Our attendance has been around 14-15 for our meetings, including members and guests.  As always we invite visitors to join us at Logan’s in Freeport, IL, on S. West Ave.  Until next time – stay safe.

Roger A. Carson. Secretary

Installing Officers (l to r) Timothy Breslin 2nd VP; Curt Keyes 1st VP, President Gordon Comrie, Sr.;  Bob Morton, Treasurer, Ed Petersohn, Secretary.

Greetings from Cochise Masonic High Twelve Club #703 Sierra Vista, AZ.

This year’s Memorial Day ceremonies were exceptional for many of our Members and Guest. Many are veterans of the military services. The Club had representatives at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery on Fort Huachuca and visited that portion of the cemetery where the Unknown Soldier grave markers are. The Cochise High Twevle Club initially donated to the unknown soldier’s area when constructed. 

At the May 2023 Club meeting, President Kenn presented to Lady Peggy Escapule her HTI Widows Pin. We have several Masonic Widows in attendance at our club meetings, and we make a special effort to recognize them. We hold a special drawing for one of the special ladies to win a free meal at our next club meeting. 

Travel safely!

President – Kenn Barrett
1st VP, WM – Ranyna Stanley
Secretary – Andrew Anderson

Merchandise Ordering: Online Merchandise Order From