Masonic Education
1st Manhattan District -
Book of the Month Reading Club - Suggestions
Book selection has been chosen by
R:.W:. Bro. Jeffery Sealy, Grand Sword Bearer/Staff Officer, First Manhattan District, Grand Lodge State of New York
September 2022
“Shibboleth: A Primer on the Middle Chamber” for this Masonic Book of the Month edition. By Bro. Charles John Matulewicz IV.
This book emphasizes the challenges a brother experiences as he moves through the degrees of Masonry. The words, phrases, and cultural and religious references of Masonic degrees were once part of the shared liberal arts education. This book also alludes to the components of the degree and acts as a starting point for a lifetime of reflection.
July 2022
This book examines the practical effects of Freemasonry on the soldiers on both sides of the Civil War. It is believed that members of Masonic lodges would give aid and comfort to wounded or captured enemy Masons, often at great personal sacrifice and danger. Specifically, Confederate Lewis A. Armistead made the Masonic sign of distress as he lay dying at the high-water mark of Pickett’s charge at Gettysburg. The book also provides an overview of 19th-century American freemasonry in general and Masonry in both North and South armies by describing how the Masonic brotherhood worked in practice.
June 2022
The Secret Science of Masonic Initiation” for this Masonic Book of Month edition. By Bro. Robert Lomas.
Freemasonry has a profound purpose that can be overlooked in the rush of the modern world. Its ritual says it is a serious subject, and Freemasonry aims to help its members become initiates in the science of life.
May 2022
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“Contemplative Masonry: Basic Applications of Mindfulness, Meditation, and Imagery for the Craft” for this Masonic Book of Month edition. By Bro. C.R. Dunning.
This book illustrates how to utilize Masonic symbolism through self-knowledge and transformation. Contemplative or thoughtful practices in the book offer valuable insight into esoteric traditions.
April 2022
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“Know Thyself: Using the Symbols of Freemasonry to Improve Your Life” for this Masonic Book of Month edition. By Bro. Michael Schiavello
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This book illustrates a thorough understanding of Masonic symbolism. It will help you expand your mind, achieve self-mastery, learn about success, master your emotions, and take control of your life. This book will challenge your cognitive and Masonic interpretation abilities.
March 2022
This book illustrates a different viewpoint of learning and interpreting rituals. The ability to use memorization, emotion, and enthusiasm in a ritual creates a great experience for the candidate/brother and improves performance for the ritualist. Conveying a message of Masonic tradition allows the brothers to have a deeper understanding and connection within the lodge. Skill development is significant in Masonry.
February 2022
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American Freemasons reveal Freemasonry’s origins in seventeenth-century Scotland and England before delving into its integral role in American history, including its involvement in the Revolution, labor, and civil rights movements, and into the modern-day. The book poses an exceptional introduction to understanding how Freemasonry played a considerable role in shaping American society.
January 2022
The author explores the most influential and misunderstood secret brotherhoods in modern society. Freemasonry has proved so addictive and has spread across the globe. Masonic influence became pervasive by creating networks in the British Empire, a tool of authoritarianism in France, and influenced the origins of the Mormon Church and the Sicilian mafia. The book also discusses the misconceptions of the Freemasonry and propaganda spread by the Catholic Church and famous historic dictators while illuminating the prominence of its famous members.
December 2021
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This novel follows significant figures in modern history, including the Founding Fathers of the United States, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Paul Revere, who were Freemasons. Also, Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Italian freedom fighter, was also one, as were the composers Franz Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and writers François Marie Arouet de Voltaire and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The Meaning of Masonry explores the order's beliefs, cryptic rites, and symbols and uncovers its ultimate purpose.
November 2021
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he Craft Driven Lodge is sure to give you some inspiration for making your lodge successful. It empowers Masons to reflect on their interests and resources and then use that self-reflection to determine how to operate a lodge that provides fulfilling experiences for members. The book also emphasizes fundamental principles that are essential to the long-term health and well-being of Masonic Lodges.
October 2021
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“Making Good Men Better” is an accessible and brief devotional for Freemasons and those curious about the Craft. The author invites the reader to explore a new symbolic lesson taken directly from the teachings of masonic ritual through down-to-earth explanations, anecdotes, and reflections.
September 2021
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Among the fascinating social and cultural insights offered by the history of Freemasonry and fraternal organizations, one of the most remarkable and most compelling stories are the role of African Americans in Freemasonry, particularly Prince Hall Freemasonry, established in Boston. In this engaging and accessible study, Professor Cécile Révauger provides an introduction to the history of blacks within Freemasonry, analyzing the racism and other obstacles they confronted. The story told is heroic, unsettling, and thought-provoking.
June 2021
Pythagorean teachings affected the development of speculative Masonry. The use of mathematics and geometry to explain the world is as fundamental to Freemasonry as it was to the Pythagoreans. The book is a small collection of three pieces, exploring the impact and legacy Pythagoras has left on Freemasonry and modern, esoteric, and philosophical thought.
May 2021
In this book, the author examines the ethical training required of a Freemason and the character traits a Mason must "build" within himself. Freemasonry of the Ancient Egyptians explores the roots of Freemasonry in the initiatory temple rites of Pharaonic Egypt. Masonic Orders chronicle the reemergence of Freemasonry in Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
April 2021
Bro. Mackey is an accomplished Masonic historian and has an extensive collection of Masonic books. From our Annual Grand Lecturers Convention last month's topic on the Masonic Funeral Service, I felt that the sprig of acacia would be appropriate to learn about at this time. The sprig of acacia presents itself to the Mason as a symbol of the immortality of the soul, reminding him by its ever-green and unchanging nature of that better and spiritual part within us.
March 2021
The updated version of the book depicts Masonry's excellence, the three degrees, ancient ceremonies, and the history of Masonry from England traced through the period of introspection. The author Bro. William Preston is known as an exceptional lecturer who traveled to many lodges to spread his knowledge to the brothers.
January 2021
At the heart of those lessons taught today is a fictional character referred to as Grand Master Hiram Abif. The master-builder of the edifice known as King Solomon's Temple, Grand Master Hiram symbolizes order, beauty, virtue, and morality. He holds within his breast the long-guarded secrets of life passed down by such men as Zoroaster, Pythagoras, and Hermes Trismegistus. Revealed in three distinct parts, Grand Master Hiram's lessons about Freemasonry are for everyone - not just Masons and their families. Everyone benefits by learning how to build stronger families, arousing community awareness, reforming governments, and assisting those in need. Voices from the past speak to us through the legends and mysteries and impart wise and serious truths about how men should embrace tolerance, freedom, and love.
December 2020
Freemasonry is entirely built around traditions. From time immemorial, those who have belonged to the world's oldest and largest fraternal order have metaphorically passed between the pillars of Solomon's Temple to nurture within themselves a harmonious bond between tradition and modernity. This is the story of the Masonic ritual, the language and ceremonial forms that have evolved into the present structure of American Freemasonry, defined its lodge space, and offered its members the same stabilizing influence of instruction that has prevailed on every continent for nearly 400 years.
Grand Lodge Libraries for Research
The Chancellor Robert R Livingston Masonic Library -
Grand Lodge of New York
The Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge
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Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania
Still under Construction, more to come