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Conundrum 104 – Rudyard Kipling The answer to Conundrum 104 was of course Brother Rudyard Kipling.  Those who answered correctly were WB Jerry Johnson (Accacia Lodge #51). Born in British India, Kipling was a British author who penned such greats as the Jungle Book, The Man Who Would Be King and several famous poems including […]

Order from Chaos It is said that Einstein once said something along the lines of, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”  It is a concept worth reflecting on – especially in these uncertain times, and an idea that helps us take the hardest and most important step: the first one.  In what seems to

    Conundrum #103:  Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle A Friendship Affected by Spiritualism When I was little, I remember going to the Cedar Rapids public library with my mom and dad to escape summers’ rain.  One of my first memories there was checking out a kid’s book called, “Spooky Tricks”.  Even at

    What If …? As a child, I remember watching WWF with my dad on the USA network. It was during the era of Hulk Hogan, Macho Man, Andre the Giant, and Jake the Snake among others. There was also controversy about professional wrestling being fake. Regardless, it provided entertainment and involved significant physical

    Reflections of Honey Bradley Phelps, Grand Lodge Education Officer Many of us face challenges balancing our interests and needs with the demands of everyday life. In response to this struggle, I revisited the book, Atomic Habits by James Clear. Available in both print and audio formats, I highly recommend it for its valuable

 In Retrospect …  I can no longer believe in coincidence. Strengthsfinder tells me that I have a propensity for connectedness, and I’ll admit that I may biased because of that. None the less, I think it is safe to say that this is a bias shared by many in our fraternity. Throughout our teachings, we

It’s that time of year when new officers are being installed in lodges across the state. I’ve had the privilege of attending numerous lodge installations, and it’s always a refreshing experience. Participating in these ceremonies serves as a reminder of the significant responsibilities that lodge officers willingly assume. I understand firsthand that, amidst the nervousness

A Time for Reflection Summer has passed us by at a rate that seems like it is approaching 299,792,458 meters/second.  If it went much faster, perhaps I could go back in time and re-live it; something that I’m sure the Einstein fans in the audience would agree would be quite something.  All that said, I find myself

The Ku Klux Klan and Freemasonry in 1920s America, by Miguel Hernandez The Ku Klux Klan originated after the Civil War during Reconstruction to intimidate formerly enslaved persons.  It became inactive but was chartered as a new fraternity in 1915.[1]  Three novels in the early 1900s, as well as the rise of the myth of

Bradley Phelps, Grand Lodge Education Officer When I was young, I thought it would be neat to be an astronaut.  The trouble is, I didn’t have the discipline or grades to pursue that dream. I was inspired by the Apollo missions containing Brothers John Glenn, Buzz Aldren, Gordon Cooper, Donn Eisele, Gus Grissom, Jim Irwin,