On Leave

Well, I am back to where it all started. My life as a human being, as a man, as a Soldier, and of course as a Freemason. It feels good to be back home. I had a lot of plans for this tour of Flushing, Michigan but it appears a lot of those plans have fallen through. Certain people no longer want to talk to me, certain people do not know how to contact me. Things like that. I guess that is all just a part of the life. I have been doing this for 7 years now and this tour of leave has been by far the loneliness block leave of my time. For the most part I sat at home with my grandparents. Other than that things should be good here. My cousin Josh is going be raised this week coming up on the 25th in Flushing Lodge 223. I am excited about that and one of the reasons why I chose to come back to Michigan.

I recently started talking to an old girlfriend from High School and I think things are beginning to rekindle there. Things are looking up as I am getting ready to embark on a journey that many veterans have traveled before. The journey to the "real world". I am starting the process to get out of the Army, I have one more deployment to go and when I come back from this deployment I will be coming home to Michigan for good.

Ok... So I said back to Michigan for good... That isn't necessarily true. I am actually planning on attending University of Michigan to finish my degree in Criminal Justice. From there we will see where I settle down, the truth is I have my heart set on Nashville, Tennessee. There are many reasons why:

1.) its warmer than in Michigan.
2.) a Friend that has always been there for me is there with her husband
3.) Its warmer than in Michigan.
4.) The Police Department is a great department
5.) Home of Country Music
6.) Not too far from Memphis, home of the Blues.


Did I mention it is warmer than it is in Michigan? On a serious note Nashville has been a great place every time I have been through the area I absolutely love it. It is definitely a place to set my goals on and maybe eventually I will settle down there. I am hoping what ever I do this old high school flame decides to go along with it. If she doesn't I understand. If there are any brethren who read this blog and will be in the Nashville area please contact me. Any police officers in the area please contact me so I can get a better idea of what I need to do in order to become a police officer in the outstanding city of Nashville...

On another note. I am going to be deployed here soon. I will be taking a notebook with me to help write my blog entries. If you notice that I may post 6 articles in one day but for the next couple weeks I haven't posted anything that is because I am deployed and haven't had the opportunity to post things but every now and then.  I am currently reading Albert Pike's "Morals and Dogmas" and will reach out to all my brethren about the book and post what I got out of it.  I will also begin the Scottish Rite path in the beginning of April. I am extremely excited and ready to move my quest further within the light.

Until we meet again,
Bro. A. Gardner
Master Mason
Triangle Lodge No 548
Lawton, Oklahoma

Civil Rights and Freemasonry

As Freemasons we have a very rich history of supporting human rights. All the way to starting our own nation. However, we didnt fully stand by what we preached. That all brothers are brothers. For the longest time we refused to allow African-Americans into the lodge as a brother. Well that of course is history but we helped pave the way for African-Americans to be more socially accepted in the nation of people for the people. We have a civic duty as Freemasons to stand up for civil rights and protect the people of this nation and the people of this world against tyranny.

Right now, we have an oppurtunity to help pave that road of equal rights for everyone once again. Politically we do not accept homosexuals and deny their right to marry. Why do we insist as a nation to deny people their God given rights. The Land of the Free because of the Brave denys human rights. Well, you may say " Brother Aaron, It is biblically illegal for homosexuals to get married therefore it isnt a God given right." Fair enough. Youre right brother. In fact, the same book that defined that law is so right we should go back to it and read it all over again and understand what you and I are doing which is illegal  according to the Bible... That book incase you dont know and you are just following the rest of the crowd is Leviticus. Or the Book of Laws.

Fellow military brothers you'll love this one. Go ahead and tell your commander that you can't shave. It is against your religion according to Leviticus 19:27 "You are not to cut off the hair at the sides of your head or mar the edge of your beard."

For all you who love this current Season ( I am one too). We can not practice pagan practices. Guess what Christmas is, The Tree, the ceremonies, everything revolves around Winter Solstice. Dont even think about Easter either. The Easter bunny is a representation of the god Eastre and so is the holiday falling around when pagans celebrated the turning of a new leaf in the world... In fact, all the holidays that we celebrate as Christians are pagan related. Lev. 18:3 "Do not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, or follow the practices of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. You must not follow their customs."

Oh and dont you dare think about cooking that ham for Christmas dinner. Lev. 11:7-8 "And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. You shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you."

Of course Ill bring up the law against homosexuality. Lev. 20:13 states: "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them." and Lev. 18:22 says: "You shall not lie with a male as a with a woman; it is an abomination."

I am glad we had this talk brother... I now realize that I should be put to death because I celebrate pagan holidays and eat pork... I also shave my face and cut my hair on the sides to a conservative look. I am with sin. But I have good news brethren... I don't have to be put to death for any of these sins according to the same Holy Book that we just were reciting we as human beings are not bound by law. Romans 6:14 "For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."

What about this one? Romans 8:1-2 "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."

You see, the Bible does not condemn homosexuals for their "abomination". Yet again religion changes in order to better represent the people who follow that religion. It is a right to love who you want to love. As a Freemason I stand by civil rights, as a Soldier I stand by civil rights, as a Christian I stand by civil rights ... If Adam wants to be with Steve and Mary wants to be with Josephine who are we to stand in their way? This is America, the land of the free  and the home of the brave. We must stand up for what is right regardless of what others may think that is bravery. With that being said I would like to leave you with a Masonic quote that I found on one of my favorite blogs Midnight Freemasons be sure to check them out along with the podcast by brother Robert Johnson titled Whence Came You?. 

Thank you brethren, 
Bro. Aaron R. Gardner 
Flushing Lodge 223, Flushing, MI

Thank you brethren,

Bro. Aaron R. Gardner

Flushing Lodge 223, Flushing, Michigan

“Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you are scared.”

~Eddie Rickenbacker
Kilwinning Lodge No. 297, Michigan

Science Vs. Christianity

Ok, For those who don't know I am constantly reading the Bible. I am not trying to disprove anything written in the Good Book nor am I trying to prove anything written the Bible. I feel that every time I touch a subject involving religion I must reassert my faith in Christianity and inform everyone that I am a Christian however I have a different view on the idea of religion. I have a logical look at things and I believe that Religion changes as we human beings need it to in order to fit our social, economical, and political need. Today I point out the reasons why we can not take the Bible word for word. I already know I am going to take a lot of slack for this from many people in my life on my stance of the Bible. However, I must stand firm on this and hopefully you and they will understand what I am referring to.

First, Creationist stand by the idea that Mankind as well all know it today never evolved. Rather you want to think of Evolution in a physical, emotional, mental, spiritual or scientific aspect we all have to accept the true definition of evolution. According to my favorite website Dictionary.com Evolution is a noun which most accurately describes:

1. "Any process of formation or growth; development: "The evolution of a language, The evolution of the Airplane."
2. A Product of such development; something evolved: "The Exploration of Space is the evolution of decades of research."'
3. Biology- Change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by such processess as mutation, natural selection and genetic drift.
4. A Process of gradual, peaceful, progressive change or development, as in social or economic stucture or institutions.
5. A motion incomplete in itself, but combining with coordinated motions to produce a single action, as in a machine."

Now to go on from that we have to acknowledge we have evolved someway or another. Socially our tongues have changed. Some speak languages that are derived from Latin, Nordic, Anglo and so forth. In fact today's American English is more of derivative from all languages of the world. Which means that Languages have evolved enough to come together to create a completely different language. We Americans think we speak English, but we have to think about that and realize sometimes we have no idea what a traditional Englishman or woman is saying to us. They have the same issue with us and Australians. We all speak an individual language that evolved from English. 

If that doesn't prove to you that we evolve allow me to point out the structures and institutions that our society have. Democracy didn't just come out of thin air. The idea of voting is older than going to the polls and punching a button for the candidate you want to become president. The idea of democracy started in modern day Greece in year 510 BC. The term democracy comes from two terms; Demo which means people and Kratos which means power. So in a literal aspect of the word it means Powered by the People. the ideology is evolving as we speak all over the world changing the definition of democracy to even more specific terms than just "People-Power".

Now, You all probably agree with me that we evolve in those aspects. Our knowledge base is growing making us evolve mentally, and socially. Lets talk about the one that is in the forefront of the battle between Creationist and Evolutionist. Biological. "How dare you brother Aaron you know what the Bible says about the creation of Adam. How can you think we evolved from monkeys?" If you dare tell me that you think thats what evolution is on the biological platform, then you may want to recheck your sources again. Lets make it One-hundred percent clear in bold letters you will see my stance on this statement. 

"WE DID NOT EVOLVE FROM MONKEYS!!!"

You're absolutely right I do know what the Bible says about the creation of Man. But that isn't the verse I want everyone to look at. I want everyone to read Gen. 1:11. It doesn't matter what version you read in the English language (Ill get to that later). I am reading from KJV. "And God Said, 'Let earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth': and it was so"

Here the Bible just stated what Science proves that algae (a plant) is the first living organism on Earth. In the next verse Grass grows and fruits all reproduce. God then saw it was good and closed the light and opened the darkness for the third time. For the fourth time God opens the light and dedicates the sun as ruler of the day and the moon of the night. This establishes how we as humans understand the 24 hours in a day. 12 hours of light, 12 hours of darkness. This is important because as we humans evolve educationally we learn that the 24 hours actually refers to the time it takes the earth to rotate on its axis. 

In verse 20 God brings creatures into the seas and animals into the skies. He then says to multiply and so forth. Creating what we now know as Birds, Fish, and the mammals of the Ocean. On the sixth day He creates all the animals that roam the earth and then creates man of "our" image. 

Now, The changing of Earth is an evolution in itself. The Heating and cooling of the planet etc. Which is Biblically backed up so my creationist friends can not attack a geologist and say he/she is wrong about the heating and cooling of the Earth. However, we are not debating the creation of the Earth. We are talking about how the creatures came about on earth. If you have ever read any studies on evolution you will know it starts with one seed. From there it branches out and creates other organisms. Plants were first, God created them first before any other creature, science stands by that Biblical fact. Then this is where people start to get a little confused. God creates animals to fly in the skies and swim in the seas. So where ever Algae came from came another branch which formed animals to swim and fly. Finally, there are animals roaming the land. No man yet. God Creates the animals to roam to first. After he does this he creates man to rule the animals of the world. Nowhere does it say that monkeys even existed at this moment. but the root that branched off into Monkeys branched off in multiple directions and created OUR ancestors. So yet again let me put this in bold letters WE DID NOT EVOLVE FROM MONKEYS, MONKEYS EVOLVED FROM A CREATURE THAT EVOLVED FROM THE SAME CREATURE THAT EVOLVED INTO MULTIPLE BRANCHES INCLUDING THE BRANCH HUMAN BEINGS BELONG TO.

A Diagram to explain a little Graphically:

SB1      SB2         SB3                                                  SB4       SB5        SB6

                                 BH1                                                        BH2

                                                         ROOT 

Ok SB1 SB2 and SB3 are all related. The all evolved from BH1... BH2 and BH1 are related. They evolved from Root. Which means through some genetic distance SB6 and SB1 are related but did not evolve from each other. So if SB1 represented Monkeys and SB6 represented Human Beings we did not evolve from Monkeys. 

We can not take the Bible word for word and think it will explain everything. Yes it was written by the Prophets through the presence of the Holy Spirit. It doesn't mean that it is literal. As we were talking about how we defined the day and night. That could mean something completely different to God. As we all know Day and Night is just the spinning of the Earth on her axis... Other planets spin on their axis faster or slower. So, one 24 hour period on Earth actually is roughly 24 and a half hours on Mars. What Im trying to get to is that one day for our minds could actually be an entire century or millennium to God. We interpret the Bible to the best we can relate to at the time. As science, technology, and our knowledge base grows we can better understand our faith on a logical level. 

Many creationist fight the science of geology when it says that Earth is actually 4,500,000,056 years old. Thats roughly 4.5 billion years old. Creationist tend to believe that God started creating Earth and then Man came right after that. Which would mean that Earth was only roughly 6000 years old plus the 6 days of creating everything. But it doesn't say exactly when God created the Heavens and the Earth. It just says in the beginning.That could be 4,499,000,909 rotations around the Gas ball we call the sun. It is God's time not Humans time. We have to narrow everything down to the easiest way to understand it for us. That is all the Bible is. An interpretation of what was going on for us to better understand it. 

Yet again there are even more interpretations of the Bible than there are languages we speak in the world. The Original Language of the Bible is a mixture of Hebrew, Latin, Greek and more. It was translated multiple times to reach the rest of the world. In translations words lose meaning or gain a completely different meaning. Then on top of it we break the Bible up even more and retranslate it to versions like KJV, HCSB and many more. This just proves that the Bible is an interpretation that best represents what we need based on how we evolved over the time. 

Now, we have religion fighting science and science fighting religion. There has been a huge debate about this so called "god particle" Christians are afraid it disproves the Bible, and Scientists are trying to prove that evolution exists. Yet, what if the missing link is actually the link that is separating these two parties? What if God told us already from the very get go, we just didn't understand it. What if during all the chaos that was going on through out space a little spark happened and caused all of this evolution. This "God particle".... It does say in verse Gen 26 "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:"... What if that is the true meaning of that statement God put through Moses mind? That we are evolved from Him. He is the Root and we are his sub branch. So I ask again, What if that missing link that Science is trying to find to prove evolution.... is actually the Book that we have all be holding onto for so long. Sometimes you're already holding the key but you just dont know what door it opens until the right time.

Thank you brethren for reading this. I greatly appreciate it and I appreciate your comments even more. Thank you.

Bro. Aaron R. Gardner

Flushing Lodge, 223, Flushing, MI 

Apologies

Brethren, I apologize for this blog and the mirror blog for being dark for so long. In case you didn't know, I have been pretty busy with other arrangements getting settled in with my new assignment here in Oklahoma. I just moved all my stuff into a house and am now just getting it all set up. Meanwhile still doing my normal job every day. I will get back to this blog as soon as possible I have plenty to write about and I hope you all enjoy it when the time comes. I hope everyones Thanksgiving has been glorious and if I dont get to write here before Christmas I hope that it is blessed in everyones lives.

Bro. Aaron R. Gardner

Knights Templar

Well, after listening to a fellow brothers podcast I have decided that I want to go towards getting my Knights Templar Degree. I am not going to tell you everything that Brother Robert mentioned in his podcast, you can go listen to it yourself at: Whence Came You. But the episode from the 14th of October definitely made me decide that Knights Templar is the next step I would like to get into. So please brethren, if there are any Knights Templar who can help a Soldier who is never in one place very long get his degree work done, ideas on how it can be done, the time frame I should be looking at in order to get all the degree work complete. Etc. I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you all..

Travel Lightly,

Bro. Aaron R. Gardner
Flushing Lodge 223, Flushing Michigan

Mustaches and Freemasonry

I was browsing the web late last night when I probably should have been in bed asleep. Yet, I always manage to find things that keep my interest more than sleep. I really should find a healthier hobby than browsing the web when I can't sleep. But, that's a story for another day.

Today's story is about an event that will be going on this November. I found an article on another blog that I encourage you to read. You can find it at The Millennial Freemason. It is a great article about our brethren in Australia who are starting a campaign against a disease that takes lives all time. It affects all parts of our body and some people don't even realize they have it. Cancer.

Now, for those of you who have no idea anything about my life I have been through a personal experience of cancer. I myself did not have it, and I will truly be blessed if I am never diagnosed with cancer. I did have a cousin who fought with cancer. Her fight with Leukemia was a terrible fight and unfortunately she didn't make it. My cousin Emily passed away at the age of 4 to this deadly disease. Women all over the world suffer from Breast cancer, but did you know men suffer from it too? Cancer doesn't affect just one race, or gender. It affects everyone and it affects everyone around the person diagnosed. We can fight this problem together and through the "Movember Movement" sprouting out of Australian Freemason Lodges we can come together as an entire global institution of brethren.

You can get involved by going to the website: Movember. From there you can donate and register to participate in the Mustache November activity. The site tells you all about the movement with some inspiring stories from brothers who have suffered and fought Cancer and some that are still fighting this horrific disease. Even though I do not grow the best mustache in the world any everyone knows it.. I will most definitely be participating in every way I can. Please join me hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder to combat cancer.

This song makes me sing this song by Brandon Heath asking the Great Architect for something that we all need in our lives..."Give me your love for humanity Give me your arms for the broken hearted Ones that are far beyond my reach. Give me your heart for the ones forgotten Give me your eyes so I can see"

Travel Lightly,

Bro. Aaron R. Gardner
Flushing Lodge 223, Flushing Michigan

Freemasonry and Politics

It is no secret that within a constituted lodge we Free and Accepted Masons do not talk about the city, state or national politics while the lodge is opened for business. There are reasons for this. One, it helps keep us on track for work instead of bickering about "should've, could've, would've's". Next, politics has the capability to tear families apart based on their differences. What could it do to a lodge of brothers?

I am not going to declare my political party here in this blog. One, as a Soldier I can not legally tell you one way or the other how I believe. I have every right to vote and have every right to talk about politics just as any one person, as long as I do not declare myself as a Soldier. Well, that has been declared in the About The Author page and post. I WILL tell you that I stand by the Constitution with all my heart and soul. I believe that our nation should be ran based off these beliefs of the Constitution. As should any American. But most specifically any Freemason should believe in the Constitution and should be against anyone or thing against it.

The Nation was founded upon Masonic Values. Many tend to believe that the nation was founded upon Christian values, however if you really look into the history of the Revolution it was all about Freemasonry. The idea of brotherly love, religious tolerance, equality. It speaks of things we do within the lodge and have been since the beginning of Freemasonry. I would even say that our nation was originally suppose to not have political parties. President and Brother George Washington stated in his farewell his strong resentment towards political parties. He believed that political parties though can accomplish things for groups it weakens the government by distracting the leaders duties and responsibilities by the lust of power. I am afraid to say that our nation has fallen away from our original masonic beliefs and Brother Washington was right about political factions. Our nation started falling apart when a non-mason was elected as president under the political affiliation of the "Federalists". Our nation began to divide amongst different political beliefs literally right after our first president. It was between the Federalist's and the Democratic-Republicans. Now its between the Democrats and the Republicans.
Why not vote based on what we were founded upon? A Republic of equality, and Religious Freedom. More importantly, lets set aside all of our differences as a nation meet at the level part at the square and be a nation of Americans; not Republicans, Democrats, Gays or Straights. Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, or Native Americans. Christians, Jews, Buddhists or Muslims.
We are all men. We are all brothers. We are all Americans and what happens on Capitol Hill affects all of us equally. Don't vote for the lesser evil. Vote for what you believe in. I believe in the United States of America, The land of the free and the home of the brave. God Bless This Country.

Fraternally,
Bro. Aaron R. Gardner
Flushing Lodge 223, Flushing Michigan

Is Your Lodge Missing Something?

This idea I have been pondering about this for awhile. However, a brother from the lodge I have been attending has inspired me to actually write on this. What is causing so many Masons to not attend the regular lodge meetings?

Lets look at some things we can do in order to improve our attendance. So many Masons are not getting what they want out of the lodge. We pride ourselves on our slogan of "Making Good Men Better". Yet, it appears that we do not do much of anything in order to do so. We attend the minutes twice a month and vote on certain items within the lodge. Then in between our normal lodge minutes we meet and we go through the ceremonies. Which is great, I love the ceremonies of bringing a man into the fraternity, or raising him to the sublime degree of Master Mason. But what about the times when we aren't going through the ceremonies? We open, we talk about old business, new business, and close. For a lot of younger Masons, or even Older Masons, if we wanted to do that we would go to town hall meetings. What we want as Master Masons is to be better men. We joined the fraternity we are accepted amongst our brothers and now we want to help ourselves become better.

I was reading an article the other day on a program that the Missouri Grand Lodge is putting in effect. It involves classes every normal meeting that a lodge has they go through a class. Or they have a certain subject they are going to address and talk about. Many of us Mason's in today's lodges do not learn anything from the lodge itself. We learn from other Masons from other lodges, from other states, countries, etc. We learn from books we find on the Internet or in bookstores and quite frankly we learn from fellow Master Masons by what they write. I wrote an article for Freemason Network that involved being a gentleman. I am considering posting it on this blog as well. The over all basis of the article is how we should act as Men, Lovers, and Fathers. How we are all of them in one and the head of the household. Taking care of what is ours, and being a good role model. This would be a great subject to talk about in the lodge.

If it isn't the subject of being a gentleman, it should be the basic principles of man, or how about the basic studies of Freemasonry? We have so many symbols and meanings behind them that not all of the are talked about within the ceremonies. We could help newly made Masons really learn what they are suppose to know within our regular meetings. If we just didn't go there to solely socialize in the basements eating and rushing out of there as soon as the Lodge is called to closing.

I highly suggest that we talk to the officers in our lodge and tell them what we need as Master Masons. We need Masonic Education how we go about doing it depends on us as individual lodges or even Grand Lodges to determine how we do it, but we need to do it either way. It will break up the monotony of just going every meeting to hear old business, new business and close. For the better of Masonry.

Travel Lightly Brethren,

Bro. Aaron R. Gardner
Flushing Lodge 223, Flushing Michigan

About Me

I have come to realize that there is nothing on this blog about who I am. There is on the other blog titled Cornerstone Central on Freemason Network. If you would like to check out that site please do I post more information about Freemasonry on that site than any other. In order to sign up for the website know your own personal Masonic Information. It will take a little bit of a process in order to sign up. As for this site, you do not have to be a Freemason in order to view hence why there is going to be less on this site than the other. With that said more about me:

I was born as Aaron Robert Gardner on the 23rd day of the 3rd month in 1989. That means I am 23 years old and represent a younger generation within the lodge. I am a Soldier in the United States Army and have been for 6 years. I have been all over the United States, Europe, Africa and parts of the Middle East. I am a huge history buff and love to learn World history as well as American history from every era. I thrive off social interaction and just love to meet people from every aspect of life. I like to read and learn everything I can. If I do not know something that someone asks about I will research it until I feel pretty comfortable with the material. 

I would like to get to know you a little more as my readers and viewers. It will help determine exactly what I should be posting on this blog to better accommodate what my audience wants to and likes to read. If you have questions about who I am or anything in general rather it be about my personal experiences or Freemasonry please feel free to email me. I am always open to meet new people, talk with them, and share each others experiences.

Fraternally,

              Bro. Aaron R. Gardner

Welcome to Look 2 the East!
 This is the blog that I have decided to spin off Freemasonnetwork.org. Unfortunately, I could not keep the same name of Cornerstone Central. I had to find something that hasn't been used yet on Blogger.com. This blog will basically mirror the blog on Cornerstone Central however, it will not divulge any Masonic Secrets. If you have anything you would like for me to write about please feel free to send me an email at the email I set up specifically for Blogger.com Freemason0323@gmail.com.

Have a good day.

Bro. Aaron Robert Gardner
Flushing Lodge 223, Flushing MI