CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF PANSOPHIC FREEMASONS

 

 

PHILOSOPHICAL MISSION:

The basic mission of this new mixed Masonic obedience is to preserve, study, improve, develop, practice, and perpetuate esoteric spiritual and initiatic degrees and schools associated with Pansophic Freemasonry and other spiritual traditions, such as the Eastern schools, as part of the general Masonic practice of social and self-improvement, and to revive the universal and spiritual traditions of Freemasonry as they were originally practiced by speculative or philosophical Masons within the context of Rosicrucian, Templar, Kabbalistic, Gnostic, and other esoteric European schools.

 

GENERAL PURPOSE:

Our purpose is to establish and maintain a new obedience of esoteric Pansophic Freemasonry which:

admits qualified mature men or women of all races, religions, and ethnicgroups, providing that they adhere to traditional Masonic principles of moral character, social service, and spiritual orientation;

overcomes the limitations of time and space in our culture by intelligently employing contemporary means of electronic communications such as e-mail and the internet to facilitate fruitful interaction and spiritual-intellectual growth of all qualified members in virtual lodge meetings;

studies, preserves, develops, and works the initiations, advancements, and practices of the Pansophic Rites of Freemasonry, which are:

MASONIC: Ancient and Primitive Rite; Rites of Memphis and Mizraim (Egyptian Rite); Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite; Swedenborgian Rite; the United Templar Lodge.

ULTRA-MASONIC: Order of the Illuminati (Fratres Lucis); Order of the Martiniste; Order of the Rose Croix of Hiredom; Order of the True Rosy Cross; Order of the Ecclesiae Rosicrucianae Catholicae; Order of the Holy Royal Arch of Enoch; The Hidden Church of the Holy Grail.

studies, preserves, develops, and works the initiations, advancements, and practices of all other appropriate Eastern and Western mystery schools which may have been, or will be, chartered or otherwise legitimately warranted for members of this obedience, including (but not limited to) Hermetic, Kabbalistic, Pythagorean, Magical, Theurgical, Alchemical, Tantric, Shamanistic, Theosophical, and New Age traditions.

 

ORGANIZATION:

 

1. Admission by Election

Every person desiring admission to the Pansophic Rites will petition the geographically proximate Lodge or Master Mason of the Grand Lodge in the name of a sponsoring Pansophic Mason of any degree using forms prepared by the Grand Lodge. If the person is not known to members of the proximate lodge, any Pansophic Mason of any degree may sponsor the petition. The proximate Lodge or Master will investigate the person’s character, livelihood, education, and three personal references. In a virtual Lodge meeting, or through electronic communication, a minimum of three Masters will vote upon accepting the new member (if already a Mason of any degree), or accepting the petitioner as a candidate for initiation. This will be an open vote with discussion. If anyone argues to reject the candidate, he or she must give at least one clear and specific reason. There must be a minimal two-thirds majority vote to accept a new member or pass any other issue to be decided upon by vote in a Lodge.

2. Initiation of Apprentices: Lodge Initiation or Private Initiation.

Candidates for Entered Apprentice will await the next physical Lodge meetings (which will be scheduled during the seasons of Fall and Spring Equinoxes), when they will convene at stated times and places for initiation, or will make arrangement with a sponsoring Master Mason of the Grand Lodge for a private initiation. The final vote to accept a Candidate for Entered Apprentice in a Lodge initiation will take place as a ratification of the decision to admit during the Apprentice rites after seclusion in the Chamber of Reflection. For a private initiation, this procedure will be omitted, as the sponsoring Master will be well and personally acquainted with the candidate's qualifications. Private initiations and advancements will adapt lodge rituals for operation by one to six Masters, as appropriate.

3. Elections and Lodge Queues

Members of every Lodge will advance on a queue based upon seniority by date of first membership in that Lodge. Members in good standing will advance through the Offices according to this queue, with the Venerable Master becoming a Past Venerable Master, the Senior Warden becoming Venerable Master, etc. The Venerable Master may hold office for two consecutive years if ratified by vote, thus keeping the queue at status quo for another year. If an officer drops out of the queue, a Past Venerable Master will take the position so that every member will continue to be able to pass through each lodge office.

Each of the floor positions, from Tyler to Venerable Master, carries the subtle energies and forces of one Sephira of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. An important aspect of advancement in the Blue Lodge of the Pansophic Rites is that each member be able to experience, hold, and emanate each of these forces in Fall and Spring equinoctial Masonic rites.

Major Lodge Offices consist of Venerable Master, Senior Warden, and Junior Warden. If a Brother or Sister has not advanced to the degree of Master Mason but moves in the queue to the first major office of Junior Warden, he or she must trade queue positions with the Master Mason most proximate below him or her in the queue.

4. GRAND LODGE OFFICERS:

Founding Grand Master

As transmitter of the Pansophic warrants and charters, and as Grand Master of Respectable Lodge #1, St. Germain, Bro. Lewis Keizer is authorized to serve as founding Grand Master for the Grand Lodge of the new Masonic obedience hereby designated as the Pansophic Rites of Freemasonry. He may run for election to another term in September, 1999, or may move ahead to assume the position of Past Grand Master in the normal Lodge queue. (Note: He chose to become a Past Grand Master so that Bro. Eugene Whitworth could rotate into the Position of Grand Master.)

Founding Grand Lodge Officers

All other officers of St. Germain Lodge will continue to serve in their current roles as Grand Lodge officers through September of 1999, when new elections will be held to ratify the advancement of the Lodge queue. (Note: In September of 1999 officers rotated, and the current positions will remain until the next rotation is declared.)

Development of New Lodges

Initially, all members of the Pansophic Rites of Freemasonry will be members of St. Germain Lodge. When there are seven members living within a reasonable geographical proximity, of whom at least three are Master Masons, they may petition the Grand Lodge to establish a separate numbered Lodge for their area that will operate as a separate virtual and physical Lodge.

New Lodge Officers

New Lodge officers will be established by their queue positions in St. Germain, which they are free to interchange by mutual agreement.

New Lodge Rites

Each Lodge will be sovereign with respect to its development of higher degrees, but must use versions of the Blue Lodge rites approved by the Grand Lodge.

The Grand Lodge Archives

Each lodge will send files of its meetings, lectures, presentations, and studies to the Grand Lodge archives, to be made available to all other Pansophic Freemasons.

Grand Lodge Officers Virtual Convention

Once each year all officers of all Pansophic Lodges will convene in an electronic Internet virtual meeting to democratically discuss and decide issues concerning the operations of the entire obedience.

New Grand Lodge Regulations

When membership in St. Germain, and therefore the entire Pansophic obedience, reaches queue number 100, or when seven separate Lodges have been established (whichever comes first), all members will be invited to propose new constitutional regulations concerning election of a new Grand Lodge separate from St. Germain, with Grand Master and officers elected from all Lodges at the annual Grand Lodge Virtual Convention.

 

MEETINGS:

Frequency

Lodges will use all electronic and technological means of communication available to facilitate "virtual" lodge meetings, such as e-mail, internet, conferencing, and other technologies not yet developed, so that physical distance will not hinder communication and progress. These meetings will be scheduled at the discretion of members. The Lodges will hold physical meetings in specified geographical locations whenever possible to initiate and advance membership.

Content and Format for Virtual Lodge Meetings

Virtual meetings will be hosted by a Lodge officer in a specified, password-protected electronic chat room at a given time and on a given network. The Presenter of the Day will offer a lecture or other materials for consideration, study, and discussion that may be sent out to participants in advance by e-mail or FTP. The Recorder will select, save, and transmit the entire contents of the meeting, including the material studied or presented, as a file compatible with Grand Lodge archival standards to the designated Grand Lodge Archivist, who will catalogue the file and list it on the Pansophic web site for retrieval by other Pansophic Masons.

Physical meetings to initiate and advance candidates will be recorded by the Lodge Secretary for its own archives.

Conventicles: Informal Meetings Without Secretary and Minutes

In locations where the there are not yet seven Masters, a Master may convene informal meetings for study and practice of Lodge rituals and presentations, rituals, or operations connected with Pansophic degrees.

 

MASONIC SECRECY:

 

1. Secrecy of Membership

The Pansophic Rites of Freemasonry will not operate as a clandestine organization, but will educate the general public about Freemasonry, maintain a conspicuous web page, and work to advance its social and spiritual ideals. However, in order to protect members from harassment or misguided accusations of breaking their anti-co-masonic vows in other male Masonic obediences—which oaths are binding only for their specific obediences--it will keep the identity of its membership absolutely and inviolably secret.

2. Masonic Secrecy

Masonic secrecy refers to the signs, tokens, grips, words, and other initiatic secrets that Freemasons have obligated themselves never to reveal except to other Freemasons under specific circumstances. Even though people can purchase books that reveal Masonic secrets, the initiate is bound by Oath never to discuss them or communicate about them to non-initiates. This secrecy is a test of the initiate and his / her Obligation, and it must be meticulously respected. One might ask why these secrets cannot be discussed publicly, even though they might be published and available to anyone as a result of oath-breaking in the past. It is a matter of individual honor and integrity. One does not publicly discuss the details of one’s intimacies with a lover, or the internal issues of family or friends. By the same token, Masonic secrecy is sworn to seal the intimate spiritual unions that connect all initiates, and regardless of what may or may not be publicly claimed, it is the obligation of the initiate to remain silent at all times.

 

MEMBERSHIP AND DUES:

 

1. Confidential Lodge Records

After each meeting to initiate or advance, the Lodge will send an updated electronic file of its membership to the Grand Lodge Secretary, who will integrate it into the Grand Lodge Membership Files.

2. Dues and Other Expenses

Individual Lodges may levy reasonable dues to support the cost of physical meetings, initiations, and advancements. The Grand Lodge may levy reasonable annual dues for each member to support costs of web pages, electronic archives, and other obedience-wide expenses. Additionally, each new Lodge must pay the travel expenses of a Grand Lodge delegate to "light up" or ritually activate the new physical Lodge.

 

LODGE OFFICERS AND STRUCTURE

Offices: 

The Lodge Offices reflect the cosmic and spiritual energies of the Kabbalistic Sephiroth as follows:

Past Venerable Master = Kether

Venerable Master = Kether

Senior Warden = Hokmah

Junior Warden = Binah

Grand Orator = Hesed

Grand Expert = Geburah

Ceremonial Master = Tiphareth

Secretary = Netzach

Treasurer = Hod

Tyler = Yesod

General Members and Appointed Offices (Musician, etc.) = Malkuth

Blue Lodge Rituals

The official Blue Lodge rituals are adapted from the French alchemical Rites Moderne, requiring the Chamber of Reflection, at least five swords, white gloves, and specific music tape for use with rites.

Chartering and Lighting Up a New Lodge

Each new Lodge must be established by at least one officer of the Grand Lodge delegated by the Grand Master, who will travel to the new site at the expense of the new Lodge to oversee the installation ritual and convey the Charter, which will be signed by the Grand Master. He or she will also train and drill the new Lodge officers in the details of conducting the three degree rituals.

Blue Lodges Open in Apprentice Degree

Blue Lodges will always open in the Entered Apprentice Degree so that all Lodge meetings will be open to all members.

Esoteric Degree Work

        All Pansophic Entered Apprentices must choose at least TWO PATHS of esoteric study to advance to Fellow Craft and Master. The following esoteric studies are required as part of the Blue Lodge studies. E.A.'s are encouraged to work in more than two lineages. Contacts and Guides for the studies are accessed through Masters of the Grand Lodge who themselves are Grand Masters of these lineages.

APPRENTICE Undertakes:

First Two Degrees of Martiniste +OMCC+ (English and Spanish)

First Two Degrees of Elus Cohen )English and Spanish)

First Degree of Memphis-Mizraim (advanced degree study materials in English only)

Rosicrucian R+C Studies A (adapted from FRA and Ordo Fratres Lucis materials in English and Spanish)

Probationary Studies for T:.H:.G:. Leading to Wesak Initiation into T:.H:.G:. First Order and Completion of Exorcist, Root Chakra 1, and Long Life Empowerments (English and Spanish)

Core Studies A for Great Western Brotherhood (English only)

FELLOWCRAFT Undertakes:

Master Degree studies for +OMCC+ qualifying for SI::III

Master Degree studies Elus Cohen qualifying for M:.E:.C:.

Master Degree studies Memphis-Mizraim qualifying for Raising as a Master

Second Year of Rosicrucian FRA and/or OFL Studies

T:.H:.G:. First Order Empowerments Leading to Completion of the Antahkarana Building or Fifth Empowerment

Core Studies B for Great Western Brotherhood

MASTER:

Successful Candidates will be Raised and Dubbed as Knight Master or Dame Master, and will be advanced into the appropriate degree of their Paths of Study:

Third Degree of Martiniste SI::III Superior Inconnu; may pursue advanced studies.

Master Elus Cohen M:.E:.C:.

Third (Master) Degree of Memphis-Mizraim

Rosicrucian R+C Master

T:.H:.G:. May pursue advanced studies. To complete T:.H:.G:. First Order (not required for Raising as a Pansophic Master Mason), Initiates must be Ordained in the Home Temple or other valid Apostolic Priesthood for the Theurgical work of the Grail Priesthood, which includes the Liturgist Empowerment and Root Chakra 2. This qualifies them for advancement through Portal studies into the Second Order Christ-Melchizedek Tantra.

Completion of Great Western Brotherhood Core Studies and recognition as a GWB Initiate. May pursue advanced studies.

            ROYAL ARCH:

Grand Masters, Lodge Masters, and Past Masters qualify for the Royal Arch Degree, which will be conferred upon them during or after Installation.

Higher Degrees

The Masonic and Ultra-Masonic degrees requiring Master Mason status may be developed and offered, or may be made available through mutual agreements with organizations that already offer them.

Acceptance of Masonic Credentials from Other Masonic Obediences

The Pansophic Rites of Freemasonry will accept credentials and degree-work from all Masonic and Co-Masonic obediences that offer traditional Masonic initiation. In addition to the traditional male Masonic obediences, these include both branches of Co-Masonry; all members of the French Grande Orient such as Memphis-Mizraim, all forms of the Prince Hall Lodges and their Co-Masonic Egyptian and other break-away organizations, and exclusively female Masonic organizations. However, the first three Martinist and Elus Cohen degrees must be evaluated for their Masonic content on an individual basis, as they are sometimes conferred as "paper degrees" without training, or without proper Masonic Lodge ritual.

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