Masonic Muscle

Can concentration save a lodge? In this episode of Masonic Muscle , I read an article from Bill Hinbern’s Super Strength Training website called “Concentration” and connect it directly to Freemasonry, lodge leadership, officer development, and the work every aspiring officer must learn to do. Concentration matters in the gym. It also matters in the lodge. A man who cannot focus under the bar will...

What is the Masonic Path , and how can the Trivium help Masons understand the words they use every day? In this episode of Masonic Muscle , Brother John S. Nagy joins the show to bring more light to the Craft. Brother Nagy is a Masonic author, researcher, creator of the Building Better Builders series, and a regular contributor to The Craftsmen Online Podcast . We discuss his work on the Trivium ,...

Should alcohol be prohibited in Masonic lodges? In this episode of Masonic Muscle , I return after being away for about a month, and we have a lot to catch up on over the next few episodes. First, we get into the origins of the burpee . Where did burpees come from? Who invented them? Why are they still used as a brutal test of conditioning, discipline, and effort? Then Brother Garrett talks about...

Is Freemasonry dying — or is it refining? In this episode of Masonic Muscle , I continue breaking down Brother Robert H. Johnson’s article: “Freemasonry Isn’t Dying, It’s Refining.” Brother Johnson, creator of the Whence Came You? podcast, makes strong observations about the state of the Craft, Masonic decline, lodge health, and what must be done if Freemasonry is going to remain meaningful. This...

What are the secrets of exercise? In this episode of Masonic Muscle , I read part of an article on the Secrets of Exercise and discuss what real training looks like when a man is trying to strengthen his body, mind, and discipline. Then I talk about my interview with Keepers of the Word and Mike Quintal . We had a great conversation, learned more about each other, and I even turned the tables for...

Is Freemasonry dying — or is it refining? In this episode of Masonic Muscle , I continue breaking down Brother Robert H. Johnson’s article: “Freemasonry Isn’t Dying, It’s Refining” from The Midnight Freemasons . This is Part 2 of the discussion, and the question gets sharper: Are Masons being negative when they talk honestly about membership decline, weak participation, and the state of the Craft?...

Is Freemasonry dying — or is it refining? In this episode of Masonic Muscle , I read and discuss an article by Robert H. Johnson , Past Master, creator of the Whence Came You? Podcast , and Managing Editor of The Midnight Freemasons blog. The article is titled: “Freemasonry Isn’t Dying, It’s Refining.” Brother Johnson looks at statistics, articles, and observations about the decline of Freemasonry...

What happens when Masons stop treating Freemasonry like a social club and start asking deeper questions? In this episode of Masonic Muscle, we discuss North Carolina Masonic Con, esoteric Freemasonry, Masonic education, and the need for Brothers to go deeper into the symbols, history, ritual, and philosophy of the Craft. This episode solves one Masonic problem: how can modern Masons move beyond su...

Could Benedictine monks have played a role in the early development of Masonry in Britain? In this episode, I read and discuss Brother Jack Nichols Mogas’ article from The Philalethes Masonic Journal, originally presented to A. Douglas Smith Jr. Lodge of Research. The article raises a serious question: did Benedict Biscop and early monastic building programs help bring skilled stone masons, archit...

What should Masons expect at Masonic Con ? In this episode of Masonic Muscle , I preview Masonic Con , taking place July 22–24, and talk about what Brothers can expect from one of the most interesting Masonic education events of the year. Masonic Con brings together Masonic authors, researchers, speakers, podcasters, and Brothers from across the country to discuss Freemasonry, history, symbolism,...

Why does the Trivium Discussion Group work? In this episode of Masonic Muscle , we examine why the Trivium Discussion Group has become such a valuable, effective, and profound tool for Masonic education, lodge culture, and serious conversation. The Trivium — grammar, logic, and rhetoric — is not just an old educational model. Properly practiced, it teaches men how to define terms, organize thought...

What does the Fourth of July really mean? In MM EP 70 of Masonic Muscle , we go deeper into July 4th, sovereignty, self-reliance, founding documents, Freemasonry, money, war, and the possibility that George Washington may have used the Masonic lodge system as a network to pass information. We also talk about the oldest whiskey distillery in the United States, because apparently this episode needed...

What does independence really mean to a Mason? In this episode of Masonic Muscle , I talk about Masonic Con at South Pasadena Lodge No. 290 , where Masonic authors, writers, scholars, researchers, and film producers gather to present their work on Freemasonry. I was chosen to sit on one of the Sunday panels, and I talk about why events like this matter for Brothers who want more light, better educ...

What can Masons learn from the Fraternal Review 2021 Annual ? In MM EP 69 of Masonic Muscle , I open a package in the mail and review the Southern California Research Lodge Fraternal Review 2021 Annual . This publication has been a serious light in Masonry for years. The Fraternal Review continues to bring in strong Masonic authors, researchers, writers, and thinkers from around the world, giving...

Is Freemasonry connected to the Summer Solstice and Holy Saint John the Baptist ? In EP 68 of Masonic Muscle , I review our Summer Solstice observance held on June 21st from 6–11 pm , where we gathered to discuss the Summer Solstice, Holy Saint John the Baptist Day, and their possible connections to Freemasonry. The gathering was high energy, intense, and deeply engaging. The original plan was to...

Why does Saint John the Baptist Day matter in Freemasonry? In this short talk from our June 2022 stated meeting, I point out some correlations between Saint John the Baptist Day , the summer solstice , Masonic symbolism, light, time, and the rhythm of the Craft. Saint John the Baptist Day falls very close to the summer solstice, and that should make a Mason stop and think. Freemasonry is full of s...

Do you know the origin story of your own Masonic lodge? In this episode of Masonic Muscle , I read and discuss the early history of Palm Springs Lodge No. 693 , including the local men, places, events, and conditions that helped form the lodge. Every Masonic lodge has a story. The problem is that too many Brothers never learn it. A lodge is not just a building. It is not just a charter on the wall...

Did Catholic monks help preserve the building craft that later influenced Freemasonry? In this episode of Masonic Muscle , I read and discuss an article from The Philalethes Magazine titled “Another Thought About the Origins of Freemasonry,” published in 2003. The article continues a theme I have been exploring: the possibility that Catholic monks, monasteries, builders, architects, and stone cons...

Why must Masons define their terms before having serious conversations? In this episode of Masonic Muscle , we continue Part 2 of our discussion with Shane Arch and Brother Matt Jackson on the Trivium as practiced at Palm Springs Lodge No. 693 . We begin with Sister Miriam Joseph’s book, The Trivium and the first discipline of serious discussion: defining terms. Before men can argue, agree, disagr...

How can the Trivium transform Masonic education? In this episode of Masonic Muscle , we introduce the Trivium as practiced at Palm Springs Lodge No. 693 and explain how grammar, logic, and rhetoric can help Masons, prospects, and community members think more clearly, speak more carefully, and search for truth together. We begin by talking with a prospect who recently received an application at Pal...

Is Freemasonry mystical and esoteric, or is it just a social club? In this episode of Masonic Muscle , I read and discuss another article from the respected Philalethes Magazine , published in December 1993. The article explores one of the biggest arguments inside the Craft: whether Freemasonry contains a real mystical and esoteric dimension, or whether it should be understood mainly as a social f...

How should Masons face death? In this episode of Masonic Muscle , I talk with Juan Ascencio , creator of the L.E.O. Method — Life Energization Optimization , about fear, death, Memento Mori, Freemasonry, inner energy, and the hard reality that human beings have been wrestling with mortality from the beginning. Death appears throughout scripture, ancient texts, myth, philosophy, ritual, and human m...

How do healthy habits, hard lifting, gratitude, and Freemasonry help build a better man? In EP 59 of Masonic Muscle , I continue my conversation with my best friend David Perez , also known as Darkness , about healthy living, commitment, discipline, positive thinking, hard training, family, gratitude, and the parallels between Freemasonry and working out. David and I talk about what it takes to bu...

What does esoteric actually mean in Freemasonry? In this episode of Masonic Muscle , I read and discuss an article by Brother Shawn Eyer on esoterism from a Masonic perspective . This is one of those hot-button topics in the Craft. Some Brothers hear the word “esoteric” and immediately think nonsense, fantasy, or conspiracy. Others use the word so loosely that it loses all meaning. Brother Eyer he...

What is one of the most important books for serious Masonic ritual research ? In this episode of Masonic Muscle , I briefly talk about Masonic Con 2022 at South Pasadena Lodge No. 290 , then turn to a book every serious Masonic researcher should know: The Early Masonic Catechisms by Douglas Knoop, G. P. Jones, and Douglas Hamer . Originally published in 1943 and later reprinted in 1963 with import...