Greetings from the South:

Greetings Brethren, this is “Carlos from the South” again.

Well…what shall we talk about this month? I know… what is the most difficult thing about Freemasonry? I know what it is for me. Actually applying it to normal everyday life! In the first degree lecture we hear about the cardinal virtue 'temperance', and how it is that "due restraint upon the affections and passions which render the body tame and governable". We also learn about the compass and how it teaches us to "circumscribe our desires and keep our passions within due bounds toward all mankind". This is easy to listen to, and maybe to memorize as well, but did you ever try to practice it out of the lodge? In the closing prayer it states that we are to "practice out of the lodge those great moral duties which are inculcated in it".

I am constantly trying to practice these lessons whenever a *)@*&-/!% cuts me off on the freeway, or when somebody just cuts in the line that I have been patiently waiting in for last 30 minutes. Or even when my dog decides to do her business on my new carpet right in front of me! Life is full of events that are just constantly trying your patience, and stress is becoming a common factor in our well being, like catching a cold or getting a headache. Freemasonry is actually teaching us to live a healthier life by not sweating the small stuff! It tells us all to take a step back and collect our thoughts and passions before we make a mistake and do something stupid. It teaches us to calm down and use our intelligence in order to act more civilized towards each other. I am a passionate man; this is really tough for me to do on a daily basis! But every time I hear that 1st degree ritual, I am reminded once again that I still have a chance to learn it all over again and try once more. When I leave the lodge, I symbolically carry that compass with me just to remind me that I should "practice out of the lodge those great moral duties which are inculcated in it, and with reverence, study and obey the laws which God has given us".

I hope that you try and do the same, for your well being as well as for the well being of others! So when that rude person out there really pushes your buttons, just pull out your symbolic compass from your pocket and take a deep breath and calm down. It feels good when you do it right!

Until next time brethren, this is “Carlos from the South” signing off!

Carlos Castro, J .W.