VOLUME 207, APRIL ISSUE April Festive Boardplanomasoniclodge.org/files/trestleboard/tb201204.pdf ·...

Brother Schlaudroff was raised in and is a past master of Dallas Lodge No. 760, is currently a

32o KCCH of the Scottish Rite and Generalissimo in Dallas Commandery No. 6, Knights Tem-

plar, and is a member of the Texas Lodge of Research and the Scottish Rite Research Society.

He received his B.A. in philosophy and theology in 1974 from Austin College in Sherman,

Texas. He holds four masters degrees. He studied theology and church history for two

years at Harvard, medieval history for six years at Columbia in New York City (where he also

taught in Columbias prestigious Contemporary Civilization program), and ancient and me-

dieval philosophy at Fordham. He received his fourth masters degree in library science

from Texas Womans University in 2000. In addition, he holds graduate certificates in library

science and archival administration from the Universities of North Texas and Texas at Arling-

ton, respectively, and has done extensive coursework in American, Texas, and military histo-

ry at the University of North Texas.

The North Texas Masonic Museum and Library and Worshipful Master Clay Smith invite brother Masons to attend a $50 per plate Festive Board Honoring the 700th Anniversary of the dis-banding of the Knights Templar by Pope Clement V in 1312. The event will be held on Friday, April 13, 2012 in the Library. Yep, Friday the 13th. Guest speaker: Brother Richard England Schlaudroff .

Dinner will consist of fine red wine, slow roasted Prime Rib, fresh steamed green bean almandine, Idaho garlic mashed potatoes and gravy, house salad, fresh baked dinner rolls and for dessert, Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake, flavor to be determined topped with fresh fruit .

Dinner will be prepared by Senior Steward James Harbor assisted by Jr. Steward Brian Cook and Barry Parrish.

There is only room for 24 so reserve early....email JJ at [email protected] to reserve.

April Festive Board

Corner Stone Ceremony

Brethren, please be at lodge at 8:00 AM May

19th to open a representation of Grand

Lodge for a Masonic Cornerstone Ceremo-

ny.

Worshipful Master Clay Smith will install an-

other Masonic Cornerstone at Fire Station 4,

6000 Roundrock Trail, Plano, TX ( South East

corner of W. Spring Creek @ Roundrock

Trail) beginning at 10:00 AM.

VOLUME 207, APRIL ISSUE

Inside this issue:

Family Picnic 2

Opus Dei 3

Ordo Templi Orientis 3

Knights Templar 4

Beati Paoli 6

Who was Solomon 7

Majestic-12 7

Freemasons 8

Thule Society 10

Order of the Illuminati 10

The Bilderburg Group 12

Calendar 13

Making Men Better 14

Spider Webs 14

We are having our Masonic family picnic on Saturday May 19th at the North Pavilion of Bob

Woodruff Park in Plano. The picnic will be come and go from 10 to 4. We will have games,

music and fellowship. The event is open to all friends, family and guests.

Date: Saturday, May 19th

Time: 10 am 4 pm (or later)

Location: Bob Woodruff Park in Plano (off of Park Blvd), North Pavilion.

Food: Grill food provided

Drink: Bring you own

We are trying to get an idea of the amount of food we need to buy. Please let

Clay Smith ([email protected]) know if you plan on attending, so we can

estimate how much food to buy.

Plano Lodge 768 Summer Family Picnic

Page 2

2011/2012 Senior Officers

Worshipful Master Clay Smith 214-616-0930 [email protected]

Senior Warden Kevin Main 214-796-9054 [email protected]

Junior Warden Bill Goodell 214-288-1838 [email protected]

Treasurer Kevin Campbell 561-306-0257 [email protected]

Secretary H. David Moore 972-380-5610 [email protected]

2011/2012 Junior Officers

Chaplin Larry Lane 972-335-3711 [email protected]

Senior Deacon Brian Chaput 469-831-3993 [email protected]

Junior Deacon Barry Parrish 214-876-6819 [email protected]

Senior Steward Jim Harbor 469-744-6028 [email protected]

Junior Steward Brian Cook 214-923-4260 [email protected]

Marshal Trey Odem 972-245-5030 [email protected]

Master of Ceremonies Reza Khyabani 469-371-6679 [email protected]

Tiler Tony Marbello 214-916-6696 [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) (Order of the Temple of the East, or the Order of Oriental Templars) is an international

fraternal and religious organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century. English author and occultist

Aleister Crowley has become the most well-known member of the order.

Originally it was intended to be modeled after and associated with Freemasonry, but under the leadership of Aleister

Crowley, O.T.O. was reorganized around the Law of Thelema as its central religious principle. This Lawexpressed

as Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" and "Love is the law, love under willwas promulgated in 1904

with the writing of The Book of the Law.

Similar to many secret societies, O.T.O. membership is based on an initiatory system with a series of degree ceremo-

nies that use ritual drama to establish fraternal bonds and impart spiritual and philosophical teachings.

O.T.O. also includes the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (EGC) or Gnostic Catholic Church, which is the ecclesiastical

arm of the Order. Its central rite, which is public, is called Liber XV, or the Gnostic Mass.

See page 4...

Top 10 Secret Organizations, according to the Internet

9. Ordo Templi Orientis

10. Opus Dei

Opus Dei, formally known as The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei (Latin: Prela-

tura Sanctae Crucis et Operis Dei), is an organization of the Catholic Church that teaches

that everyone is called to holiness and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. The majority

of its membership are lay people, with secular priests under the governance of a prelate

(bishop) elected by specific members and appointed by the Pope.Opus Dei is Latin for

Work of God; hence the organization is often referred to by members and supporters as

the Work.

Founded in Spain in 1928 by the Catholic priest St. Josemara Escriv, Opus Dei was giv-

en final approval in 1950 by Pope Pius XII. In 1982, by decision of Pope John Paul II, the

Catholic Church made it into a personal prelaturethat is, the jurisdiction of its own

bishop covers the persons in Opus Dei wherever they are, rather than geographical dio-

ceses.

How big are they? As of 2010, members of the Prelature numbered 90,260. Lay persons,

men and women, numbered 88,245, while there were 2015 priests. These figures do not

include the diocesan priest members of Opus Dei's Priestly Society of the Holy Cross,

estimated to number 2000 in the year 2005.[8] Members are in more than 90 countries.

About 70% of Opus Dei members live in their private homes, leading traditional Catholic

family lives with secular careers, while the other 30% are celibate, of whom the majority

live in Opus Dei centers. Opus Dei organizes training in Catholic spirituality applied to

daily life. Aside from personal charity and social work, Opus Dei members are involved

in running universities, university residences, schools, publishing houses, and technical

and agricultural training centers.

You will notice

through

reading, a lot of

the

organizations

discussed

include the

terms:

Freemason,

Catholic or

Jesuit.

Page 3


Opus Dei Cross

The degrees also serve an organizational function in that certain degrees must be attained

before taking on various forms of service in the Order (e.g. taking the degree of K.E.W. is a

requirement for ordination as a priest or priestess in Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica).

There are thirteen numbered degrees and twelve un-numbered degrees which are divid-

ed into three grades or "triads"the Hermit, the Lover, and the Man of Earth.

Admittance to each degree of O.T.O. involves an initiation and the swearing of an oath

which O.T.O claims is similar to those used in Freemasonry.

Advancement through the Man of Earth triad requires sponsorship from ranking members.

Advancement into the degree of the Knight of the East and West and beyond requires one

to be invited by ranking members.

The ultimate goal of initiation in O.T.O. is "to instruct the individual by allegory and symbol

in the profound mysteries of Nature, and thereby to assist each to discover his or her own

true Identity."

8. Knights Templar

The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Latin: Pauperes com-

militones Christi Templique Solomonici), commonly known as the Knights Templar, the

Order of the Temple (French: Ordre du Temple or Templiers) or simply as Templars,

were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders. The organization

existed for nearly two centuries during the Middle Ages.

Officially endorsed by the Catholic Church around 1129, the Order became a favored

charity throughout Christendom, and grew rapidly in membership and power. Templar

knights, in their distinctive white mantles with a red cross, were among the most skilled

fighting units of the Crusades. Non-combatant members of the Order managed a large

economic infrastructure throughout Christendom, innovating financial techniques that

were an early form of banking, and building fortifications across Europe and the Holy

Land.

The Templars' existence was tied closely to the Crusades; when the Holy Land was lost,

support for the Order faded. Rumors about the Templars' secret initiation ceremony cre-

ated mistrust, and King Philip IV of France, deeply in debt to the Order, took advantage

of the situation. In 1307, many of the Order's members in France were arrested, tortured

into giving false confessions, and then burned at the stake. Under pressure from King

Philip, Pope Clement V disbanded the Order in 1312. The abrupt disappearance of a

major part of the European infrastructure gave rise to speculation and legends, which

have kept the "Templar" name alive into the modern day.

On Friday, October 13, 1307 (a date sometimes spuriously linked with the origin of the

Friday the 13th superstition) Philip ordered de Molay and scores of other French Tem-

plars to be simultaneously arrested. The arrest warrant started with the phrase: "God is

not pleased. We have enemies of the faith in the kingdom". The Templars were charged

with numerous offences (including apostasy, idolatry, heresy, obscene rituals and homo-

sexuality, financial corruption and fraud, and secrecy). Many of the accused confessed to

these charges under torture, and these confessions, even though obtained under duress,

caused a scandal in Paris. All interrogations were recorded on a thirty metre long parch-

ment, kept at the "Archives nationales" in Paris. The prisoners were coerced to confess

that they had spat on the Cross: "I, Raymond de La Fre, 21 years old, admit that I have

spat three times on the Cross, but only from my mouth and not from my heart". The Tem-

plars were accused of idolatry.

See page 5...

The popes took

them under

their immediate

protection,

exempting

them from all

other

jurisdiction,

episcopal or

secular.

Page 4

Lamen Ordo

Templi Orientis

After more bullying from Philip, Pope Clement then issued the papal bull Pastoralis Praeeminentiae on November 22,

1307, which instructed all Christian monarchs in Europe to arrest all Templars and seize their assets.

Pope Clement called for papal hearings to determine the Templars' guilt or innocence, and once freed of the Inquisi-

tors' torture, many Templars recanted their confessions. Some had sufficient legal experience to defend themselves

in the trials, but in 1310 Philip blocked this attempt, using the previously forced confessions to have dozens of Tem-

plars burned at the stake in Paris.

Convent of Christ in Castle Tomar, Portugal. Built in 1160 was a stronghold for the Knights Templar, it became the

headquarters of the renamed Order of Christ. In 1983, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site

With Philip threatening military action unless the pope complied with his wishes, Pope Clement finally agreed to dis-

band the Order, citing the public scandal that had been generated by the confessions. At the Council of Vienne in

1312, he issued a series of papal bulls, including Vox in excelso, which officially dissolved the Order, and Ad provid-

am, which turned over most Templar assets to the Hospitallers. (We discussed them and their origin last month).

As for the leaders of the Order, the elderly Grand Master Jacques de Molay, who had confessed under torture, re-

tracted his statement. His associate Geoffroi de Charney, Preceptor of Normandy, followed de Molay's example and

insisted on his innocence. Both men were declared guilty of being relapsed heretics, and they were sentenced to

burn alive at the stake in Paris on March 18, 1314. De Molay reportedly remained defiant to the end, asking to be tied

in such a way that he could face the Notre Dame Cathedral and hold his hands together in prayer. According to leg-

end, he called out from the flames that both Pope Clement and King Philip would soon meet him before God. His ac-

tual words were recorded on the parchment as follows: "God knows who is wrong and has sinned. Soon a calamity

will occur to those who have condemned us to death"). Pope Clement died only a month later, and King Philip died

in a hunting accident before the end of the year.

With the last of the Order's leaders gone, the remaining Templars around Europe were arrested and tried under the

Papal investigation (with virtually none convicted), absorbed into other military orders such as the Knights Hospital-

ler, or pensioned and allowed to live out their days peacefully. By papal decree, the property of the Templars was

transferred to the Order of Hospitallers, which also absorbed many of the Templars' members. In effect, the dissolu-

tion of the Templars could be seen as the merger of the two rival orders. Some may have fled to other territories out-

side Papal control, such as excommunicated Scotland or to Switzerland. Templar organizations in Portugal simply

changed their name, from Knights Templar to Knights of Christ.

Please attend the Festive Board April, 13, 2012 See page 6.

Checking for Nerve Damage: Skin with damaged nerves does not wrinkle in warm water.

-Scott Parker, Beaumont, TX

Firing a Salute: Repeating If I wasnt a gunner, I wouldnt be here will give you the 2 se-

cond interval between rifle salutes.

-John Fountain, Riverside, Connecticut

Following Worms: On rainy nights, 90 % of the worms crossing a highway will be facing the

same direction. (Bring a magnifying glass)

-Emery Nemethy, Catawissa, PA

Lunching with your friend's: You have to have lunch with your friends a least once a month

in order to keep them caring about you.

-Laura Holmbery, Attorney, Ithica, NY

Rules of Thumb, by Tom Parker

Page 5


Brother Thumb

Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and pre-

sent far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as

white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically expressed through terrorism. Since the

mid-20th century, the KKK has also been anti-communist. The current manifestation is splintered into several

chapters with no connections between each other; it is classified as a hate group. It is estimated to have between

3,000 and 5,000 members as of 2012.

The first Klan flourished in the South in the late 1860s, and then died out by the early 1870s. Members adopted

white costumes: robes, masks, and conical hats, designed to be outlandish and terrifying, and to hide their iden-

tities. The second KKK flourished nationwide in the early and mid-1920s, and adopted the same costumes and

code words as the first Klan, while introducing cross burnings. The third KKK emerged after World War II and

was associated with opposing the Civil Rights Movement and progress among minorities. The second and third

incarnations of the Ku Klux Klan made frequent reference to the USA's "Anglo-Saxon" and "Celtic" blood, harking

back to 19th-century nativism and claiming descent from the original 18th-century British colonial revolutionar-

ies. The first and third incarnations of the Klan have well-established records of engaging in terrorism and politi-

cal violence, though historians debate whether or not the tactic was supported by the second KKK.

7. KKK

6. Beati Paoli

Beati Paoli is the name of a secretive sect thought to have existed in medieval Sicily. The

sect, as described by the author Luigi Natoli in his historic novel I Beati Paoli (written as a

series under the pseudonym William Galt in 1909, then re-published as books in 1921 and

1949), resembles an order of knights fighting for the poor and the commoners. Whereas the

novel is fictitious, Sicily's history bears some evidence that the Beati Paoli actually existed.

In 1071 feudalism was introduced in Sicily by its conqueror, the Norman lord Roger II de

Hauteville. As the nobles started to exploit their feudal rights in the centuries to come, the

Inquisition also got a foothold in Sicily. Any action by the commoners that could be interpret-

ed by the state or the church as acts of treason or heresy was punishable by death. Such ac-

tions could be unauthorized assemblies or formation of societies with goals other than sup-

porting the current state/church regime. In this environment, several orders and sects rose

to existence - albeit a secret one. The Beati Paoli was allegedly formed to oppose both the

church and the state, defending the commoners from infringements posed by the regime.

They wore black hooded coats and operated at night from their refuge in the remains of the

catacombs and underground channels of Palermo. It is not known when the Beati Paoli was

established, but the novel by Luigi Natoli sets the scene in 17th century in the town of Paoli.

The origin of the name is also unknown, although some tie it to Saint Francis of Paola, or

Beato Paola.

Today you will find traces of the Beati Paoli in the Capo district of Palermo, where a square, a

street and even a restaurant bear their name.

In Sicily the Beati Paoli came to be seen both in the popular imagination and in the ideolo-

gy of mafia groups as a proto-manifestation of the Mafia. Sicilian Mafiosi, it is said, love to

portray themselves as the successors of the Beati Paoli, and Cosa Nostra likes to trace its

origin to the sect. The novel is still alive in todays Mafia culture and its main characters are

models of the ideal-typical sets of attitudes and behaviour of a mafioso. In one of their first

confrontations in court, the Mafia boss of bosses Tot Riina and the turncoat (pentito) Gas-

pare Mutolo confronted each other referring to the characters of the novel. Another pentito,

Antonio Calderone, said he was told when he was initiated in Cosa Nostra that a mafioso

should "follow the example of the Beati Paoli." See page 7...

The Beati Paoli

have the same

connotation to

many Sicilians

as Robin Hood

has to

Northern

Europeans .

Page 6

He was the son of David under whom Israel reached its greatest prosperity and glory. Signifi-

cantly enough, his name comes from shalom, a Hebrew word meaning peace. His mother

was Bathsheba, the woman whom King David fell in love with and married after her husband,

Uriah, died on the field of battle. In the closing days of Davids life, an older son, Adonijah,

unsuccessfully attempted to gain recognition as his successor on the throne. But David had

Solomon anointed as king in his place, and Adonijah had to flee for refuge.

When Solomon felt secure upon his throne, he set out to accomplish the great task his father

had not been allowed to perform, that of building the Temple of Jehovah. He went about this

undertaking with a spirit of genuine reverence, desiring to set up a worthy sanctuary for the

one true God. He wanted it to surpass in glory the idolatrous temples of the heathen. In the

4th year of his reign, about 966 BC, Solomon began building the Temple (I Kings 6:1). He

finished it in 7 to 8 years, and used gold and silver worth as much as $4,000,000,000 in build-

ing it.

The greatest day in Solomons life was the day of the service of worship when his magnificent

temple was dedicated to the Lord (1 Kings 8). Solomon, it is said, stood on a great platform

before the altar of the Lord, and led his people in a long and eloquent prayer of dedication,

beseeching God to meet with mercy and blessings all who should come to worship and pre-

sent sacrifice there. It is said the Lord sent fire down to light the sacrifice on the altar and, by

forming a brilliant glory cloud, which signified His presence ( II Chronicles 7:1).

As with any new ruler, Solomon began his reign with the most favorable circumstances and

the noblest of intentions. Soon after becoming king and before the work on the temple be-

gan, he went up to the existing sanctuary at Gibeon to pray. When the Lord appeared to him

in a dream and asked him to name whatever blessing he most desired, Solomon modestly, it

is said, requested one thing: wisdom to know how best to govern his people and encourage

them to lead a godly life, in obedience to the Law of Moses. God, it is said, bestowed upon

him not only the wisdom he desired, but also great wealth, power and victory over his ene-

mies. (If you can believe it)

His unlimited power led to unlimited pride and self-indulgence. He fell into image worship

which lead to idolatry and infected the Hebrew nation. Economic hardship became wide

spread and a revolt insured due to high taxes and a system of forced labor. When he died,

his son, Rehoboem, could not hold the empire together. The Ten Tribes broke away and set-

up the Northern Kingdom of Ephraim, or Israel.

Solomon composed works on natural history and practical philosophy. He wrote the Song of

Solomon, the Book of Ecclesiastes as well as a large part of Proverbs, note to Masons...

Majestic 12 (or MJ-12) is the code name of an alleged secret committee of scientists, mili-

tary leaders, and government officials, formed in 1947 by an executive order by U.S. Presi-

dent Harry S. Truman. The purpose of the committee would be to investigate the recovery

of a UFO north of Roswell, New Mexico during July 1947.

UFO conspiracy theories sometimes incorporate Majestic 12. The FBI has declared docu-

ments which are associated with the Majestic 12 committee to be "completely bogus".

The primary evidence for the existence of a group named Majestic 12 is a collection of doc-

uments that first emerged in 1984. The original MJ-12 documents state that:

See Page 8...

Who Was King Solomon

5. Majestic-12

Page 7


http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=king+soloman&view=detail&id=4DF49AED7BF061F9820A92BA8C8D9908E367DF91&first=0&FORM=IDFRIRhttp://childrensbread.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/king-solomon.jpg

The Majestic 12 group... was (supposedly) established by order of President Truman on

24 September, 1947, upon recommendation by Dr. Vannevar Bush and Secretary of De-

fense James Forrestal.

The FBI investigated the documents, and concluded they were forgeries, based primarily

on an opinion rendered by the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Errors in

formatting and chronology have also divided UFO researchers over their authenticity.

In 1985, another document mentioning MJ-12 and dating to 1954 was found in a search at

the National Archives. Its authenticity is also highly controversial. The documents in

question are rather widely available on the Internet, for example on the FBI website,

where it is concluded they are fraudulent.

Since the first MJ-12 documents, thousands of pages of other supposedly leaked govern-

ment documents mentioning MJ-12 and a government cover-up of UFO reality have also

appeared, sometimes collectively referred to as the "Majestic Documents." All of them

are controversial, with many disputing their authenticity. A few have been proven to be

unquestionably fraudulent, usually retyped rewrites of unrelated government docu-

ments. The primary new MJ-12 document is a lengthy, Linotype-set manual allegedly

dating from 1954, called the MJ-12 "Special Operations Manual (SOM)". It deals primarily

with the handling of crash debris and alien bodies. Objections to its authenticity usually

center on questions of style and some historical anachronisms.

The documents date from 1942 to 1997 and have been hotly debated in the UFO commu-

nity. The documents include such matters as the conduct to be used when meeting an

alien, diagrams and records of tests on UFOs, memos on measures to prevent leakage of

information, and descriptions of the President's statements about UFO-related issues. The

documents contain supposed signatures of important people such as Albert Einstein and

Ronald Reagan, creating a major debate in the conspiracy and UFO communities. No

more documents have been leaked or released since 1997. Their authenticity remains

uncertain, and some claim them to be entirely fake.

However, before the appearance of the various dubious MJ-12 documents, Canadian doc-

uments dating from 1950 and 1951 were uncovered in 1978. These documents mention

the existence of a similar, highly classified UFO study group operating within the Pen-

tagon's Research & Development Board (RDB) and headed by Dr. Vannevar Bush. Alt-

hough the name of the group is not given, proponents argue that these documents remain

the most compelling evidence that such a group did exist. There is also some testimony

from a few government scientists involved with this project confirming its existence.

MJ-12 is sometimes associated in recent UFO conspiracy literature with the more histori-

cally verifiable but also deeply secretive NSC 5412/2 Special Group, created by Presi-

dent Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954. Although the Special Group was not specifically con-

cerned with UFOs, and post-dates the alleged creation of MJ-12 in 1947, the commonality

of the number '12' in the names of the two groups is cited as intriguing, as is the first

chairman, Gordon Gray, being one of the alleged MJ-12 members. As the highest body of

central intelligence experts in the early Cold War era (according to the documents, the

group included the President but not the Vice President), the Special Group certainly

would have had both clearance and interest in all matters of national security, including

UFO sightings if they were considered a real threat.

Another government group recently associated with MJ-12 was the CIA's Office of Nation-

al Estimates or ONE, a forerunner of the current National Intelligence Council (NIC). ONE

was created in 1950 by CIA director Gen. Walter Bedell Smith, alleged to have replaced

Secretary of Defense James Forrestal on MJ-12 after his death. A history of the NIC states

that ONE was a type of super branch of the CIA "whose sole task was to produce coordi-

nated 'National Intelligence Estimates.'" Besides Smith, it apparently consisted of 11 other

members. A recent article on the history of the CIA's involvement in UFO investigations

states that ONE received a UFO intelligence briefing on January 30, 1953, immediately

Majestic-12, continued

Page 8

after the end of the CIA's UFO debunking study known as the Robertson Panel. Members of ONE at that time includ-

ed FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, William Bundy, President Eisenhower's chief of staff Admiral B. Bieri, and William

Langer, a Harvard historian, who was chairman. Referring to ONE as "super think tank" within the CIA, the article

states, "ONE is as close as we get to a documented version of the rumored Majestic-12 group.

4. Freemasons

The Plough was

the first

constellation of

the "Way of

Enlil", i.e.

northernmost

quarter of the

Sun's path,

corresponding to

the 45 days on

either side of

summer solstice.

Page 9


Like I am going to tell something you do not already know

Triangulum is a small constellation in the northern sky. Its name is Latin for triangle, and

it should not be confused with Triangulum Australe in the southern sky. Its name derives

from its three brightest stars, of third and fourth magnitude, which form a nearly isosce-

les long and narrow triangle. Triangulum was one of the 48 constellations listed by the

2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations.

Triangulum has no stars of the first magnitude. Its brightest star is the white giant star Trianguli (3.00m) with a close, dimmer companion. Its second-brightest star, the yellow-

white subgiant star Trianguli (3.41m) with a close dimmer companion, is also known as Caput Trianguli, and is at the apex of the triangle. 6 Trianguli, (known in some older

sources as ), is an "attractive double star with a noticeable color contrast" that can be split by medium-sized telescopes into a strong yellow and a pale blue star. Both compo-

nents are themselves close binaries.

In the Babylonian star catalogues, Triangulum together with And formed the constella-tion known as "The Plough". It is notable as the first constellation listed in the pair of tab-

lets containing the canonical star lists compiled around 1000 BC, which are thus known

as the MUL.APIN by their incipit.

An early name of the constellation was Sicilia, because Ceres, patron goddess of Sicily,

was claimed to have begged Jupiter that the island be placed in the heavens.

The Greeks called Triangulum , as the constellation resembled an upper-case Greek letter delta () to the earlier Greeks. It was transliterated into Deltoton by Roman writers. Later, it became Latin form, Deltotum. Greek astronomers called it as . And later, it became Trigonum.

Babylonian

astronomy

collated earlier

observations and

divinations into

sets of Babylonian

star catalogues,

during and after

the Kassite rule

1,500 BC, over

Babylonia. These

star catalogues,

written in

cuneiform script,

contained lists of

constellations,

individual stars,

and planets

either side of

summer solstice.

The Thule Society (German: Thule-Gesellschaft), originally the "Study Group for Germanic

Antiquity", was a German occultist and vlkisch group in Munich, named after a mythical

northern country from Greek legend. The Society is notable chiefly as the organization that

sponsored the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (DAP), which was later reorganized by Adolf Hitler

into the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party). According to Hitler biog-

rapher Ian Kershaw, the organization's "membership list...reads like a Who's Who of early

Nazi sympathizers and leading figures in Munich", including Rudolf Hess, Alfred Rosen-

berg, Hans Frank, Julius Lehmann, Gottfried Feder, Dietrich Eckart and Karl Harrer. How-

ever, Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, an expert on the Thule Society, finds that while Hans

Frank and Rudolf Hess had been Thule members, other leading Nazis had only been guests

of the Thule or entirely unconnected with it. There is no evidence that Hitler ever attended

the Thule Society.

The Thule Society was originally a "German study group" headed by Walter Nauhaus, a

wounded World War I veteran turned art student from Berlin who had become a keeper of

pedigrees for the Germanenorden (or "Order of Teutons"), a secret society founded in

1911 and formally named in the following year. In 1917 Nauhaus moved to Munich; his Thu-

le-Gesellschaft was to be a cover-name for the Munich branch of the Germanenorden, but

events developed differently as a result of a schism in the Order. In 1918, Nauhaus was con-

tacted in Munich by Rudolf von Sebottendorf (or von Sebottendorff), an occultist and newly

elected head of the Bavarian province of the schismatic offshoot, known as the Germane-

norden Walvater of the Holy Grail. The two men became associates in a recruitment cam-

paign, and Sebottendorff adopted Nauhaus's Thule Society as a cover-name for his Munich

lodge of the Germanenorden Walvater at its formal dedication on 18 August 1918.

Rudolf von Sebottendorff had withdrawn from the Thule Society in 1919, but in 1933 he re-

turned to Germany in the hope of reviving it. In that year he published a book entitled

Bevor Hitler kam ((German): Before Hitler Came), in which he claimed that the Thule Socie-

ty had paved the way for the Fhrer: "Thulers were the ones to whom Hitler first came, and

Thulers were the first to unite themselves with Hitler." This claim was not favorably re-

ceived by the Nazi authorities: after 1933, esoteric organizations (including vlkisch oc-

cultists) were suppressed, many closed down by anti-Masonic legislation in 1935. Sebot-

tendorff's book was prohibited and he himself was arrested and imprisoned for a short pe-

riod in 1934, afterwards departing into exile in Turkey.

Nonetheless, it has been argued that some Thule members and their ideas were incorpo-

rated into the Third Reich. Some of the Thule Society's teachings were expressed in the

books of Alfred Rosenberg. Many occult ideas found favor with Heinrich Himmler who,

unlike Hitler, had a great interest in mysticism, but the Schutzstaffel (SS) under Himmler

emulated the structure of Ignatius Loyola's Jesuit order rather than the Thule Society.

The Illuminati (plural of Latin illuminatus, "enlightened") is a name given to several

groups, both real (historical) and fictitious. Historically the name refers to the Bavarian

Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on May 1, 1776. In more mod-

ern contexts the name refers to a purported conspiratorial organization which is alleged

to mastermind events and control world affairs through governments and corporations

to establish a New World Order. In this context the Illuminati are usually represented as

a modern version or continuation of the Bavarian Illuminati.

The movement was founded on May 1, 1776, in Ingolstadt (Upper Bavaria) as the Order

of the Illuminati, with an initial membership of five, by Jesuit-taught Adam Weishaupt

(d. 1830), who was the first lay professor of canon law at the University of Ingolstadt. It

was made up of freethinkers as an offshoot of the Enlightenment and seems to have

See Page 11.

3. Thule Society

2. Order of the Illuminati

Early in 1920 Karl

Harrer was forced

out of the DAP as

Hitler moved to

sever the party's

link with the Thule

Society, which

subsequently fell

into decline and

was dissolved about

five years later, well

before Hitler came

to power.

Page 10

been modeled on the Freemasons. The Illuminati's members took a vow of secrecy and pledged obedience to their supe-

riors. Members were divided into three main classes, each with several degrees, and many Illuminati chapters drew

membership from existing Masonic lodges.

Originally Weishaupt had planned the order to be named the "Perfectibilists". The group has also been called the Bavari-

an Illuminati and its ideology has been called "Illuminism". Many influential intellectuals and progressive politicians

counted themselves as members, including Ferdinand of Brunswick and the diplomat Xavier von Zwack, the second-in-

command of the order.The order had branches in most European countries: it reportedly had around 2,000 members

over the span of ten years. It attracted literary men such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Johann Gottfried Herder

and the reigning dukes of Gotha and Weimar.

In 1777 Karl Theodor became ruler of Bavaria. He was a proponent of Enlightened Despotism and his government

banned all secret societies including the Illuminati. Internal rupture and panic over succession preceded its downfall,

which was affected by the Secular Edict made by the Bavarian government. The March 2, 1785 edict "seems to have been

deathblow to the Illuminati in Bavaria." Weishaupt had fled and documents and internal correspondences, seized in 1786

and 1787, were subsequently published by the government in 1787. Von Zwack's home was searched to disclose much of

the group's literature.

Reorganization took place in 1780 after the Lower Saxon noble Adolph Freiherr Knigge joined the Illuminati. In 1782 he

gave a structure similar to the Freemason lodges to the order that had until that point, as Weishaupt himself conceded,

not actually existed anywhere but in Weishaupt's head. Leadership of the order was given to a so-called Areopagus that

consisted of Weishaupt, Knigge and others.

This new organization allowed the Illuminati to recruit numerous Freemasons and infiltrate entire lodges against the

backdrop of a crisis that the higher grades of the German Freemasonry were going through after the collapse of the Or-

der of Strict Observance in 1776. This relatively apolitical and romanticizing movement claimed succession from the

Knights Templars and had enabled Karl Gotthelf von Hund to get the German lodges under his leadership. For years he

had been claiming to be in contact with "Unknown Superiors" who had let him in on the deepest secret of Freemasonry.

However, after no such "Secret Superiors" contacted the lodges after Hund's death in 1776, the lodge members were per-

plexed. At the great Freemasons' Convent of the Strict Observance that was held in Wilhelmsbad from July 16 to Septem-

ber 1, 1782, Knigge and Franz Dietrich von Ditfurth, the second Illuminati representative and a most radical proponent of

the Enlightenment, could claim the opinion leadership for their order. The Templar system was given up and the Order

of the Golden and Rosy Cross, itself trying to succeed the Order of Strict Observance, remained in the minority. The two

Illuminati even succeeded in winning over Johann Christoph Bode, one of the leading representatives of the Strict Ob-

servance.

As a result, the disagreement between Weishaupt and Knigge intensified so much that it threatened to break the Order

apart. Therefore an arbitral tribunal called a Congress "was convened in Weimar in February 1784. It came as a sur-

prise for Knigge that the "Congress", in which among others Goethe, Johann Gottfried Herder and Duke Ernst of Saxe-

Gotha participated, judged that a completely new Areopagus should be created. Both heads of the Order were supposed

to resign from their positions of power. This seemed to be an acceptable compromise. It meant an obvious defeat for

Knigge, as the founder of the order would probably still have the same influence even without the formal chairmanship of

the Aeropagus. Silence and the return of all papers was agreed upon and Knigge left the Illuminati on the first of July

1784. From this point on he turned away from the "fashionable foolishness" of trying to improve the world with secret

societies. Weishaupt for his part handed over the leadership of the Order to Johann Martin Count of Stolberg-Rola.

While members of societies were quarrelling amongst themselves, secret societies had attracted the attention of the Ba-

varian authorities. They deemed the objectives of progressive-minded secret societies suspicious because they concen-

trated on changing the traditional order and on establishing a "rational state" by infiltrating public offices. On June 22,

1784, the Bavarian electoral Prince Charles Theodore consequently prohibited any "communities, societies and associa-

tions", which had been founded without his approval as a sovereign ruler. With the insistence of Father Frank, the chan-

cellor Baron of Krettmayr, the Rosicrucian Baron of Trring and other people at court, another edict was released on

March 2, 1785, which explicitly mentioned the names Illuminati and Freemason. It banned them for reason of treason and

heresy. During house searches various documents of the order that showed further circumstantial evidence for their radi-

cal objectives were confiscated. Documents which were found with a deceased courier gave away information about

See Page 12

Page 11


names of several members. In two letters to the bishop of Freising, sent within the same year (June 18 and Novem-

ber 12), Pope Pius VI declared membership of the order to be incompatible with the Catholic faith.

In addition to the supposed shadowy and secret organization, several modern fraternal groups claim to be the

"heirs" of the Bavarian Illuminati and have openly used the name "Illuminati" in founding their own rites. Some, such

as the multiple groups that call themselves by some variation on "The Illuminati Order", use the name directly in the

name of their organization, while others, such as the Ordo Templi Orientis, use the name as a grade of initiation

within their organization.

1. The Bilderburg Group

The Bilderberg Group, Bilderberg conference, or Bilderberg Club is an annual, unofficial, invitation-only conference

of approximately 120 to 140 guests from North America and Western Europe, most of whom are people of influence.

About one-third is from government and politics, and two-thirds from finance, industry, labor, education and commu-

nications. Meetings are closed to the public.

The original conference was held at the Hotel de Bilderberg, near Arnhem in the Netherlands, from 29 May to 31 May

1954. It was initiated by several people, including Polish politician Jzef Retinger, concerned about the growth of anti-

Americanism in Western Europe, who proposed an international conference at which leaders from European coun-

tries and the United States would be brought together with the aim of promoting Atlanticism better understanding

between the cultures of the United States and Western Europe to foster cooperation on political, economic, and de-

fense issues. Retinger approached Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands who agreed to promote the idea, together with

former Belgian Prime Minister Paul Van Zeeland, and the head of Unilever at that time, Dutchman Paul Rijkens. Bern-

hard in turn contacted Walter Bedell Smith, then head of the CIA, who asked Eisenhower adviser Charles Douglas

Jackson to deal with the suggestion. The guest list was to be drawn up by inviting two attendees from each nation, one

of each to represent conservative and liberal points of view. Fifty delegates from 11 countries in Western Europe at-

tended the first conference, along with 11 Americans.

The success of the meeting led the organizers to arrange an annual conference. A permanent Steering Committee was

established, with Retinger appointed as permanent secretary. As well as organizing the conference, the steering com-

mittee also maintained a register of attendee names and contact details, with the aim of creating an informal network

of individuals who could call upon one another in a private capacity.[citation needed] Conferences were held in

France, Germany, and Denmark over the following three years. In 1957, the first US conference was held in St. Si-

mons, Georgia, with $30,000 from the Ford Foundation. The foundation supplied further funding for the 1959 and 1963

conferences.

Meetings are organized by a steering committee with two members from each of approximately 18 nations. Official

posts, in addition to a chairman, include an Honorary Secretary General. There is no such category in the group's

rules as a "member of the group". The only category that exists is "member of the Steering Committee". In addition to

the committee, there also exists a separate advisory group, though membership overlaps.

Dutch economist Ernst van der Beugel became permanent secretary in 1960, upon Retinger's death. Prince Bernhard

continued to serve as the meeting's chairman until 1976, the year of his involvement in the Lockheed affair. The posi-

tion of Honorary American Secretary General has been held successively by Joseph E. Johnson of the Carnegie En-

dowment, William Bundy of Princeton, Theodore L. Eliot, Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, and Casimir A.

Yost of Georgetown's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy.

A 2008 press release from the 'American Friends of Bilderberg' stated that "Bilderberg's only activity is its annual

Conference. At the meetings, no resolutions are proposed, no votes taken, and no policy statements issued" and not-

ed that the names of attendees were available to the press. The Bilderberg group's unofficial headquarters is the Uni-

versity of Leiden in the Netherlands.

According to the 'American Friends of Bilderberg', the 2008 agenda dealt "mainly with a nuclear free world, cyber

terrorism, Africa, Russia, finance, protectionism, US-EU relations, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Islam and Iran".

Although Freemasonry does not rank number one in Secret societies, it seems our brethren run deep in other secret

organizations. It also seems Freemasonry and the Catholic Church for some time have been intertwined as bed fel-

lows in these organizations to the extent the Church is always, in the end, cutting off the relationship and censuring

the existence of the very organizations they deemed worthy.

Page 12

April 2012 Page 13


Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2

3

East Fork # 650

St. Johns # 51

Lebanon # 837

4 5

Plano Stated Mtg

Meal:

Braised Lamb

Shanks

6

7

Applebees

F u n d

R a i s e r

F o r

D a v i d

M o o r e

8 9

Blue Ridge #

490

Celina # 919

10

Allen # 1435

11 12

Plano Called Mtg

Meal:

Ball Park Hotdogs

Empire #586

Lee # 435

Melissa # 569

13

Library

Festive

Board

6 PM

14

15 16

Taxes Due

Scottish

Rite

17

Farmersville #

214

18

MSWA

East Fork

6PM

19

Plano Called Mtg

Meal:

Swedish Meat-

balls, Asparagus

Shrine Std Mtg

20

21

22 23

24

Princeton #

1436

25

26

Plano Called Mtg

Meal: Jr.

Steward

Trestle Board

27 28

29 30

1414 J Avenue

Plano, TX 75074

Phone: 972-290-1357

There are a number of ways we measure a persons worth or our own worth. Per-

haps none other evokes as much emotion as keeping your word.

A friend or colleague who continually lets you down when they promise to do

something, or be somewhere, soon looses your trust and respect. Conversely,

most of us feel bad if we let somebody down because we realize some trust and

respect for us, from that person, has been eroded.

As Masons we swear in full view of the Lodge that we will always keep our word

more especially to each other, no matter what outside demands pressure. It is an

important building block in trust, not a political chip to be cashed in at a latter

date.

Not keeping your word with others simply translates into not keeping your word

to yourself. Why distrust yourself ?

Others have convinced you, you dont respect and consider yourself as im-

portant as others. You ARE as important as others. Its not about becoming so self

-important you abandon all others its about balance. Its about believing in

you and clawing your way out of dis-respecting yourself.

Promises may fit the friends, but non-performance will turn them into enemies.

~Benjamin Franklin, Brother Mason

PLANO MASONIC LODGE # 768 A.F. & A. M.

There 1st consist a number of triangles, some are right an-

gles, with a central connection point. Next, # 2, the Fibonacci

sequence in nature forms a connection to each strand.

In the Fibonacci sequence of numbers, each number is the

sum of the previous two numbers, starting with 0 and 1. This

sequence begins 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233,

377, 610, 987 ...

The higher up in the sequence, the closer two consecutive

"Fibonacci numbers" of the sequence divided by each other

will approach the golden ratio (approximately 1 : 1.618 or

0.618 : 1).

Each spider, according to its size, forms a golden ratio

sized web. In numbers 3 and 4 the outer patterns are formed

as the web not only takes shape, but becomes structural.

According to Science Daily (Oct. 29, 2007) A 50-million-

year-old fossilized spider has been brought back to life in

stunning 3D by a scientist at The University of Manchester.

The Fibonacci sequence is at least 50,000,000 years old, if not

older as noted on Earth, what about the Solar System...

How do Spiders Build a Web ?

Making Good Men, Better...

W WW .P LANOM ASONICL ODGE . ORG

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