or, all the world is a stage

As you pointed out to me, mnemonics(with an em, not a pee) is the important/controlling feature of Masonic ritual. I consider myself rudely & appropriately chastised.
Once, in college, read a scholarly attempt to instruct proper interpretation of scripture. In order to fully understand scripture, the author, in a well written & extremely detailed full-length essay, points out three distinct levels, each very different from the others, and all dependent on one another, for a full understanding of the “author’s” intent & meaning.
As I was laboring with his lengthy explanations, it became utterly apparent to me that this author’s intent was to emphasize the extreme importance of, and without which any other sort of interpretation would be essentially meaningless(read:wrong), the fourth and ultimate level of interpretation. One which he never alludes to, and, indeed, proscribes with the entirety of his thesis. That all-important fourth level would obviously be a “dramatic” interpretation; one which he was well-acquainted with, but had been foresworn to secrecy by his brothers in that drama.
When dramatized, on a stage, the Kings, their peers and their subjects, all drawn from biblical lore, appear live, onstage, replete w/facial expressions, spatial relationships visually represented and other aspects of their ability to communicate amongst themselves(read:subtle “signs”). Thus, the “true” meaning of the biblical passage is passed to the next generation(in the audience); hence, the mnemonic function of the stage.
First, bear in mind the intimate relationship between Masonic ritual & American jurisprudence.
Now, all stories in the Old Testament(none from the New are used; obvious reason is the ancient[BC] nature of the encoded traditions) are not used; to identify the ones that are, look for the ones that illustrate the nature of power(political & other potent forms) itself, & the relationships between the “characters” that have it and the ones affected by that potency(first & second Kings is chock full of perfect examples).
Just as stagehands know DL as a specific place, as well as a direction of movement; so the dramatic presentation of certain scriptural passages provide a real world schematic placement of the many trivialities which must also be “perfectly” committed to memory, a kick-ass mnemonic device of the first order.

a note on pathways

When I was still at university, I happened across a Manly P. Hall treasure; one of those exposes of Masonic symbolism so popular among the lunatic fringe. In an article enlightening his readers on the Bacon controversy, Manly provided a translucent page, that allowed for the comparison of William Shakespeare’s portrait with one of the exact same dimensions as a Bacon portrait/engraving he included. My verdict, at the time was:NO MATCH! Because that book was borrowed(from a biker/warlock who’d threatened me with certain death should it not be returned in good shape, …and very quickly, as well), I found myself scrambling among the pictorial resources at the college library, for material to make other comparisons. These type engraved portraits are remarkably uniform in size, and when reproduced 1:1, can be easily placed under Mr. Hall’s translucent sheet. The one that I located, of a John Dee, made a remarkable match to the WS visage. Eureka!
Neal Stephenson’s character(ENOCH) from his Baroque Cycle, and also the previous “Cryptonomicon,” becomes a provocative emblem for the three ‘witnesses,’ who’d been promised to never taste death, somewhere in the Book of Mormon. While members of this elite group have, not surprisingly, been sited traveling incognito in various Utah locations, I’ve often wondered myself, just what sorts of activities might occupy such special individuals throughout the succeeding millennia. Would their wanderings be confined to the ‘new world’ exclusively?
In addition to this John Dee character(magus), I’ve identified another half-dozen strangely familiar faces:a character named Neon, who figured prominently in a mid-second century build-up in Sagalassos(southeastern Turkey), a nameless general who led the 17-year resistance to Inca conquest from atop a truncated earthen pyramid at Puntiachil(near Cayambe, just northeast of Quito, Ecuador) and the real discoverer/owner of the ancient city of Troy, a ‘British expatriate’ named Frank Calvert, who beat Schliemann to the punch(1859-ish) and has been extensively photographed are three that come immediately to mind. There are others.
Perhaps many books, which have been written by authors that no one has ever seen, or are considered by scholars to be unattributable, are the result of some of their labors. Would such an immortal witness lower himself that far? Something that I read in one of Orson Scott Card’s Alvin Maker books made a lot of sense to me(I’m not implying that the Maker series is the produce of an immortal); I think it was book four, and Alvin, who’d been hounded since his birth(seventh son of a seventh son), was lamenting the recent loss of that surety in his life. Quoting Card:”Once he(Alvin Maker) had been so formidable that he was surrounded by enemies. Now even his enemies had lost interest in him. What clearer sign of failure could you find than that?”
Going back to John Dee, there was an instance when he was a young man, still at Trinity College in fact, when he’d been clapped in the tower for practicing witchcraft. The ‘magic trick’ that landed him in gaol(Elizabethan London) was the demonstration, in public, of a contraption he’d devised for the deus ex machina ending for the play he produced. It convincingly allowed several of the players to ascend into the heavens at the end. Fear instantly gripped all those in the audience who’d seen it. Queen Elizabeth, herself, intervened in his behalf, for it was this bright ‘young(no drawings have ever been found of a young John Dee)’ man’s cartography that allowed Raliegh & Drake to make all those successful voyages to the New World. I wrote a fine paper on Magick, when I was an anthropology student, using this occurrence as the basic thesis. I’m sure that the lady professor, who gave me a D because I had sited no standard ‘anthropological’ references, took the paper and published on the subject, in order to further her lack-luster career(her all-important field work had been on the effect of installing flushable toilets, someplace in Costa Rica, had had on the culture she was studying there).
In addition to the requisite enemies/resistance to his ideas, John Dee also possessed an immense library; one that was meticulously catalogued. His one great book, that we know he was the sole author of, was published in Latin; there’s no translation of it that I can find. But other evidence suggests that he stuck around London long enough(too long?), to have been the prime mover behind the wonderous early translation popularly credited to King James(as well as being my choice for the man behind the awesome works attributed to Shakespeare). The true significance of these two great bodies of English literature are that early on, they provided a scholarly foundation for the spoken form to make the instantaneous transition to a lasting written one, that has gone on to dominate the entire modern world. Certainly this sort of literary pastime would be considered a worthy one to distract an immortal long enough to accomplish it.
I’ve spent many an hour pondering on what it must have been like/felt like, for the young Joseph Smith(the obvious ‘inspiration’ for Alvin Maker) to have been chosen; to have been visited by an angel, and given access to those golden plates. And further, given a defined mission with regard to what he was expected to do with all that knowledge. I’m sure that his detractors, if put in the same spot, would have acted quite differently; and the results of my many ponderings have been only to wonder and doubt, with regard to how I may have acted. Joseph Smith certainly garnered for himself, all the requisite enemies/resistance to ‘his’ ideas. I feel that the 1830’s Hatrack Village, created by Orson Scott Card, on his official website, has gone a long, long way toward establishing the atmosphere that prevailed then, in a virtual reality that exists in the here and now. Due to my writing activities there(I’m shrimperdude), and the kinds of historical research required to give my language and plotting some sort of authenticity, I have come to a greater understanding of the strong religious winds that were blowing, in the young America, and in the ancient parent(England, Scotland, Ireland and etc.), and the resulting political factions whose strivings were responsible for such unfathomable(today) phenomena, like witch trials that led to public hangings and worse.
It doesn’t take much more than a simple idea, to produce the enemies and the resistance I speak of here, if one openly expresses it. I’m sure that many of my readers have experienced this sort of thing many, many times, even if on a much reduced scale. Joseph Smith encountered much, and was even killed(martyred?), along with his brother. There are many interesting(and strange) stories that relate what happened to the perpetrators of this deed, and also what happened to some of Smith’s contemporary and particularly vile detractors; even some that detail strange occurrences with regard to the remains of the two brothers. I prefer to leave such things to be examined in another telling; to focus more on some other individuals who have tried only to DO NO HARM!
When disaster struck in New York City, on September 11th, in 2001, the world we live in was forever changed. I believe that when over 2000 souls were taken at once, to their Maker, along with their bodies, that the event triggered some staggering changes in the controlling forces that drive the engine that is our world(our reality). Everyone knows that the media can no longer be relied upon, in this country, at least, to give us all the facts, or even the smallest helping of the truth, unless those that effectively control it see some potential for financial gain for themselves in it! While there are virtually thousands of Americans who have witnessed things, during the lengthy clean-up period at ‘ground zero,’ we, the discerning public, have been unable to get much of it, and prevented from putting any of it together(like 2+2). There was never any body count after the first invasion of Iraq, by U.S. forces who’d gone there to liberate Kuwait. Body counts used to be wildly inflated by the government and the media puppets(Vietnam Era; an Era of Protests); now they seem to be so unimportant as to get no coverage at all(media blackout)! And, it’s for sure a given, that Homeland Security has not improved our information impoverished situation. But, let’s remain focused here.
Wouldn’t those men, who seek only to spread the truth, have many, and powerful enemies? And, there must be a few(well, …at least one), who know that truth, and while probably a little too savy to buck the blackout trend(probably because it would accomplish little), are indeed taking well considered actions based on their having that closely guarded truth, and trying with all their might to effect change in many areas that have already suffered some pretty dire consequences devolving from that most successful terrorist attack, and also as a result of the sea change I’ve alluded to above, that was brought about by the near simultaneous deaths of so many.
Wise up, people! Take a new measuring stick and go forth. Pay attention. When the significant events occur in the future, as they most certainly will, the media will be there with their cameras rolling. Of course they’ll not be able to figure any of it out for you. And if they did, would they be allowed to tell it? Those individuals that are the most hated(the most feared) are, in all probability, your only(last) hope. If you can find no way to help them, then you might at least listen carefully to what it is they have to say. You might even formulate, for yourself, one of those all-important ideas, that comes complete, as if in a kit, with numerous enemies, stiff resistance and repeated attempts to assassinate your character.
With regard to the Book of Mormon, in addition to its being touted as another testament to Jesus Christ(which it most certainly is; but has left even the Bishops of the great Church undecided on the issue of whether, or not, Mormons are Christians, or maybe something different[better]), it’s also been regarded as specifically given as a warning to the Saints, in the last days. Scattered, on many pages, and generally attributed to a number of distinct authors, throughout their(Saint’s) Holy Scripture, are repeated references to things like ‘secret combinations,’ and something denominated the Whore of Churches. The Church’s approved literature is remarkably silent on this important warning, and what it means. I suspect they are not quite sure, and desire to remain as completely consistent as they are able. There are other similar instances in which their reticence would bare out my theory here. Or, perhaps, this teaching is only given to the ‘temple worthy,’ and only those who’ve been sealed in the Temple have received any such instruction(I find this possibility to be unlikely in the extreme, for such a volatile doctrine would likely leak out, at least to the bretheren who are active, but still working on their worthiness issues). At any rate, the BOM attributes, as the one true source, all this sort of very dangerous stuff, directly to the Evil One. As there are, right now, today, many Christian people, with many pastors, preachers and civic leaders among them, who teach that the Book of Mormon is clearly a work of Satan, I now direct those, and also the faithful, to take a look at what I consider to be an important work, published in Scotland, in June of 1824, by one James Hogg, amidst much controversy, and at a time when to admit his authorship could have led to a publicly fought duel, and ultimately to his premature death at the hands of one of his detractors. Hogg has to say, the following, with regard to how God may, most easily, subvert the best efforts made by the Evil One:

“But the ways of heaven are altogether inscrutable, and soar as far above and beyond the works and the comprehensions of man, as the sun, flaming in majesty, is above the tiny boy’s evening rocket. It is the controller of Nature alone, that can bring light out of darkness, and order out of confusion. Who is he that causeth the mole, from his secret path of darkness, to throw up the gem, the gold, and the precious ore? The same, that from the mouths of babes and sucklings can extract the perfection of praise, and who can make the most abject of his creatures instrumental in bringing the most hidden truths to light.”

Now, Hogg having said this, even if the BOM is the produce of Satan, might we not find in it, where Satan has beguiled himself, and given us true knowledge of his own evil nature, that the discerning reader might discover there, knowledge that is particularly effective in diminishing his power, and might offer some real protection against his onslaughts?

When that strangely symbolic cross, girders joined together by American Steelworkers, when they constructed the metal skeleton, flawed by its very design, of the beautiful twin towers, that lorded over the Manhattan skyline for many years, suddenly fell, from on high, and landed, like providential punctuation, amidst a number of rescue workers, from all over New York, and many other far-flung American destinations, that still awaited the imminent return of their normal air traffic, it gave the true believers, yet another sign, and the last they would receive, that the creator of this earth, had once again returned, as he had promised.
Prophecies had foretold what this scene would be like, and descending in a cloud adequately describes that scene, for me, at least. It had been three days, since the terrorists first attack, and the volunteers searching the ruins for survivors, found little evidence to support the fact, that they all knew to be sadly true, that thousands had died, right there where a thorough search was conducted, at a point we have all grown to denote as "ground zero." Satellite photos had already been posted all over the internet, that showed that the plume of smoke that had been rising from that point for three days already, clearly visible from space, eerily resembled the column of fiery smoke spoken of as the "cloud" in which our Lord would return.
Many speak of a life that has forever changed, even now, some three years since the day they are all referring to, but few have changed their behavior very much, or taken any notice of some very real changes, in the consequences their actions now bring, that have been evident to those believers that have truly been changed by these strange events. Prophecies also provide some guidance here, with regard to the true nature of these changes, when they refer to Satan being chained for a thousand years. And still, few are those who take note.

Thanks,
Ben

in 1993, do you remember standing on the street in downtown Eastman, middle of the night,
wondering where all the gendarmes were?

I have photos of you operating some hand trucks; several weeks later I was being released
from GA Regional & you accompanied me to a regulatory agency to force them guys to
accept some evidence they didn't want nothing to do with

time(heavily researched concept; & by some real thinkers, too) travels through the macro-
cosm in a huge spiral that resembles a coiled spring(might know that time, too, is twisted)

what this means is that where ever you are on the time travel road, you are "physically" closer
to events that occurred approx. 10 years ago(10 years from now, too), than you are to events
5 years up or down that same road(they'd be located directly across the diameter of the "spring"
from where you reside in the present)

the human mind can easily negotiate that physical distance, & forward no more difficult than back

in an opium-induced dream once, I found myself in a physical environment that was too foriegn to
any previous experience to properly evaluate, ...at the time!

10 years later, I was standing in the Columbia River Gorge, in the exact same spot that I
had experienced in my dream(what do you think the odds are?)

while dreaming, I lay beside a woman(there's always one of those in there, somewhere)

it was the same woman I had flown to Portland, OR to accompany on the long drive back
to GA; having parked overnight in said gorge, I awoke to two flat tires(spare flat too)

had to hitch-hike to the "nearest" town to get some serviceable rubber; gorge that morning
was stunning, and a totally unique physical environment when compared to any other
I had known, or any experienced since

I spent most of the next two days connecting the dots, & pondering the wonder and
significance of the two experiences, and the true relationship that existed between
the two, which occurred approximately 10 years apart

personal energy levels apparently fluctuate from the maximum, at some point while
travelling the "coil," then recedes until, approx. 5 years down the road, you are at
a personal low, and the energy level begins, once again, to increase

I am at the same "manic" high point now, that I was experiencing in 1993, when you
and I saw the devil himself(Dick Varani), kicking the shit out of the brotherhood, &
the IA made good on a vendetta sworn on Atlanta by former President Walter Diehl

I don't have an opinion as to whether the forces that create the energy high affect others
similarly simultaneously, or each has his own high & low points(what does grasshopper
think?)

when I came to Vegas(1:00AM, September 15, 1998), I only had a plan to check out the
work scene here; and I had a contingency plan($10,000.00 inheritance) that would
bring me safely back to GA, should things here not be working out well

I was sleeping(dreaming) in a house that once belonged to Nels Hansen; after 9/11(I was
by then, living across the street), Nels ghost became agitated, & many times visited me
across the street(always leaving the front door ajar when he entered)

he was a founding father to the awesome Pension Plan that some Local 720 members
benefit from; Nels thought I was the man for the job(destroy those who would destroy
what he, & others, had put in place to protect those, & their families, who had given
the best part of their lives, to facilitate the entertainment industry in Las Vegas)

while there have been times(since 9/11) when this spirit once again seemed at rest;
he is now back with a vengance

Billy & I now have a chance - one chance only - to save the whole ball of wax(for all these
ignorant sheep), by putting together an awesome political campaign, getting 13 like-
minded individuals elected to 720's E-Board & providing the leadership that could put
our local back on the map

if we fail, and enough WMD have already been unleashed(in an attempt to weaken &
discourage the opposition) to guarantee their swift action, the Federal Government
will be forced to intervene(they ran a Teamster local in NJ that was mob controlled for
20 ****in' years; we certainly don't want that to be the outcome_

problem is, there are two strong opposing factions(one is T.Short/IA), & the Federal
Government has its agenda, and is manipulating some aspects of the struggle
underway that are under their control

the tightrope that Billy & I must lead the other 11 across, to prevent any of the other
three players from melting all the wax, is stretched across a chasm full of the
scariest flesh-eating characters you'll ever see

if we blindfold them, they may not see all the danger, but relying on their instinctive
natural balance to keep them up there on the rope, seems a very poor wager to
make, with so much at stake, and only one chance to get them across

of course, only a clear majority is absolutely necessary to steer the big ship; and
the flesh-eaters below might be a handy way to quickly dispose of any dissenters

behind all three opponents is the un-GODly revenues flowing through the slot
machines and into the pockets of the real guardians of the prize we seek

they own everything out here, from the Governor & a couple of high-powered
Senators, all the way down to the fire inspectors & Metro Police

without the support from the "spirit world," and some real handy experience
I garnered from my travails in GA back in 1993, we'd all be taking a
dirt-nap out in the desert somewhere right now

NECROMANCER:think of the names of the 720 members who were the original
TRUSTEES when the Pension Trust was created;
now, think of the ones who have since left us;
now, take those names with you down to the
Clark County Courthouse and research the land records
on file;
see if you can discover any unexplained "coincidences"

LETTERMAN:I was the only person at my highschool to EVER "Letter"
in Varsity Football 5 years in a row

SHRIMPER:St.Andrews Sound, located at the southern end of Jekyll
Island(coastal Georgia), is where I learned how to use
a beach seine, & also where I had my first intelligent
conversation(with a porpoise)

JOURNEYMAN ELECTRICIAN:I have a certificate from the B.A.T.(fed-
eral Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training)
stating that I have successfully completed
a 4-year educational program & successfully
demonstrated my proficiency in all aspects
of the proper installation of electrical
equipment & its wiring

PRESSMAN:during a 7-month long lockout, when many Local 41 members
could find no work at all, I was working at a sign shop
where I was trained on a hand-operated printing press, &
began printing those little booth signs that are often
hung from the drapes in the back of a trade show booth
space; I learned to set the type and became very good at
spelling the names of many commercially important small
American towns while looking at the letters in reverse

PICKETLINE CAPTAIN:I ran the city-wide picketline action we took
against employers like GES & Freeman Co.'s,
when we went on strike in Atlanta in 1984, from
my location, at the main gate, at the Georgia World
Congress Center; I did such a good job that, when
the union grew tired of the "expense" of manning
a picketline, the ONLY way they could make the
damn thing go away, was to FIRE me from my
volunteer position at that main gate

ARTIST:I am an amateur painter and prefer watercolors; there's a
framed painting of two shrimpers hanging in my hallway that
I painted from a photograph I took @St.Andrews Sound

COLLECTOR:I am a slot-card collector & have over 100 of them; one
commemorates the Lido Show @Stardust

If you'd care to take a look at this different style of writing, I'll send you to some of it.

Go to AOL's homepage; find their HOMETOWN.

Once at HOMETOWN; use its search engine to locate the 'romantic' documents.

type in, exactly as you see it here:
Phillip & Pv

no longer on that hill in dallas

very soon I shall take the uniform of
an 'S.S. man'

Julienne, who I am sweet on, took my hands, on that occasion, into hers and made me to get out of my seat and dance with them. She was not meaning to allow me to miss out. I told her, as we joined the circling dancers, that she would really have her hands full with teaching a 'white boy' to dance. To them, I am le blanc. Most are West Africans, and their worship is en francais. Some portions are being translated into English. I can’t help but wonder how much deep meaning would be necessarily lost if I were to sing, 'I cain't dance, but I'm willin' to learn[Ricochet/Nashville]', and it was translated into French for them.

As we circled together, arm-in-arm, as in a square dance, I kept my head down, and concentrated on doing the same, with my two left feet, as I observed hers were effortlessly doing. Every now and then, she would change up her step, though there was no tempo change that demanded this. With my left arm across the small of her back, I was aware of her movements above the knee, but could not integrate so much into my 'first dance.' I also tired before the rest decided to finish their dance.

Prior to my dancing with sweet Julienne[ she was 'enrolled' on the second day of October], their preacher[Georges Nana] had identified a particular scripture; one he had been 'holding onto' for some months. I fall far short as a scriptorian, so you’ll have to find this for yourself. They were translating and I was able to read along in the NIV that Pastor Aby's wife had loaned to me for that purpose.

The scripture, which was a short one, was recommending the reduction of oneself, to complement the magnification of the Master's Spirit, so that it may begin to rule. At one point, Pastor Aby suggested EGO as a better translation to clarify a point Nana was making, in his high-spirited French.

Contemplating this scripture, along with what I'd been able to learn while dancing with Julienne, before I had to report upstairs for a 1:30 meeting, a bright lightbulb must have appeared somewhere just above my head; I suddenly got it. So now I understand the purpose of the ancient dance; one that developed over 200,000 years ago.

The same 'fellows' who left behind hundreds of detailed drawings on the walls of caves that their families lived in, which can be found in a number of places in France, and also common in the Neander Valley[West Germany], also danced. Concentrating on the rhythm, whatever its source might be, and moving the body along the ground in time with it, can be an effective technique for shrinking the EGO. Thought processes, during such a dance, could be attuned to some activity, that would normally be impeded by that small voice which is obliterated by the rhythm, and thus greatly amplified or facilitated.

On the 30th of this month, a time[New Moon] which is traditionally[in some Churches] set aside for 'high' festivals, we will combine the African Ministry's worship service with ours[Indian-International Ministry], and hold a combined meeting in the big sanctuary. This will allow the use of the projection capabilities, in conjunction with the Power Point. I'm sure there may be a few rough spots that we have not had time enough to get smoothed out, but all logistical problems aside, the combination of so many and various talents will bring down a very special blessing onto all those fortunate enough to be in attendance.

I'm very excited to have taken some small part in having this one-time combined program lead to a permanent merging of these two separate Ministries. For one thing, it will put me ever so much closer to Julienne. There may be, as a result of any merger, less reliance on French, and more opportunity for me to interact with the Africans in English. And then, there is the traditional African cooking to consider. Mmmmm!

哲o, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord・( Rom 8:37-39)

的n him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory・(Eph 1:11-12)

Nature wouds not wait; nature would not relent; nature wold not compensate, nature would not be kind - natura non facit saltum. All the sooners and squaters and trapers and gold diggers could ask for in return for their sacrifice in opening up the occident was ora pro nobis.

The struggle fought, the winners won; all was not lost to them; sartor resartus. The qualities they won on their way - tenacity, perseverance, gaul, and a lack of humility brought them from the plebs they were to the kingly tychoons they became. Sauve qui peut, as they did; as they said, up by thier own bootstraps. Thus rose the new frontier - the haves and the have-nots; a new barren plain for the hearty; and distasteful it was, fraught with greed, suspicion, avarice, and malice of forethought for the "haves". For the have-nots - O! tempora! O! mores!

Let this be enough. Varbum sat sapienti -