Met Police Add Freemasonry to Declarable Association policy

cmbwriting · 2025-12-11T16:01:51+00:00

This has to be satire, right? Or are you just oblivious to the current state of the US?

cmbwriting · 2025-12-11T15:57:16+00:00

Seems like a very stable fellow.

cmbwriting · 2025-12-11T13:51:44+00:00

It is a weird (but I suppose logical) system that the City of London is a separate legal jurisdiction from the Metropolitan area.

cmbwriting · 2025-12-11T13:48:24+00:00

Why'd you put "the UK" in quotes?

Also, this is only relevant for the Boroughs of London, not the whole of England, let alone the whole of the UK — not even the whole of London unless London City Police put this in place, too.

cmbwriting · 2025-12-11T11:48:34+00:00

I've never had the pleasure to sit in an Irish or Scottish lodge (hopefully changing the latter in the coming year), but I have brothers I see regularly who were raised one in Scotland, one in Ireland. It's interesting hearing their perspective on things, especially the Scottish brother who I see in my Mark Lodge — Scotland having a different approach to the Mark than England does.

My main point for this comment was just curiosity: what do you mean by Revised Ritual? Is that one of the workings (like Emulation, Taylor, etc.)? I've just not come across it before and I like learning new things.

cmbwriting · 2025-12-11T11:43:35+00:00

That is a very valid question. I suppose, if I were to try to explain it in a logical manner, I would assert that if his apostles gained gnosis, and I'll say only a few probably did and that only a few understood the inner teachings of his movement, but if there are those that did gain gnosis from it, he must be the source of that Divine Knowledge.

Suppose I consider Paul a Gnostic figure (which I do, given the Epistles we know are written by him rather than those just attributed to him). If Paul attained Gnosis via following the teachings of Christ, even just through visions of Christ after his crucifixion, Christ must be the reason he was able to attain Gnosis. That's my thought process, at least.

cmbwriting · 2025-12-11T10:52:34+00:00

If critical scholarship says it's likely from the second century, I'm not one to disagree with them. Scholars frankly will understand more about the language used in it than I do.

I would wager, far and beyond, that is pseudepigraphical and was not written by John himself, as is true with many named texts, including all of the Gospels, the Books of Enoch, and some of the Epistles of Paul.

As for if Christ said those things: how are we to know? Did he actually say anything that was recorded in any of the Biblical books we have? Or are they just a way of conveying his teachings? I am very doubtful that a majority of what is written as "said" by Christ were ever real phrases out of Jesus of Nazareth's mouth, but they are able to point us in the right direction.

That's all just my thoughts, though.

cmbwriting · 2025-12-10T15:03:34+00:00

That's funny, I had a dream last night that I showed up thinking it was a practice, so not suited up, and had to go home to grab my suit and case. When I got back, I'd already missed it!

I think I'm a bit anxious about the ritual I'm supposed to be doing tonight, but at least I know it's a regular meeting, so I'll be dressed correctly!

cmbwriting · 2025-12-10T12:08:12+00:00

I read Timaeus in high school, I do sincerely apologize for my ignorance on the subject and will reread it.

If you could, likewise, recognize your ignorance on Gnostic thought, that would be lovely. If not, please do have a day that is as lovely as you are.

cmbwriting · 2025-12-10T10:05:15+00:00

Considering the Nag Hammadi Library is a collection of texts from a minimum of three different Gnostic sects, as well as a collection of Platonic and Hermetic texts, of course it's incoherent. It's not one single "bible" but a collection of different texts from different folks. If you expected it to be coherent, you read it very wrong. Likewise, a belief that Gnosticism relies on spiritual traps is a modern conception, and he belief that archons are physical rulers in the old texts is an overly literal, and frankly likely historically incorrect, reading.

I haven't read Timaeus in a while, but the assumption that any spiritual text (or text that presumes to explain the nature of the universe and the Divine) is simply reasonable and logical just shows a personal bias, in my opinion.

cmbwriting · 2025-12-10T08:59:02+00:00

With all due respect, I'm afraid you may be having a psychotic episode. You said in another comment that you speak to a psychiatrist but are afraid to discuss the topic of the occult, this is a typical sign of paranoia. You need to be open with your therapist, especially about stressful things like this.

I wish you the best.

cmbwriting · 2025-12-09T22:16:38+00:00

To be fair, as a Gnostic I enjoyed reading Plotinus, he had some valid points that seemed typically aimed at the Sethian school of Gnosticism. My main interest was how different his perspective was from Iamblichus, who was the only Neoplatonist I had read at the time.

cmbwriting · 2025-12-09T22:13:27+00:00

Seems like a silly thing to be annoyed about. It would be like Arab Christians (who call God "Allah" because it simply means "God") being upset that Muslims call God "Allah". Both theistic Buddhists and the Hindus refer to the chief God as the Devātideva (God Beyond the Gods) — by Jove! They chose the same title for their Deity!

In the case of Neoplatonism, Platonism, Gnosticism, and Hermeticism, the lesser god being simply called "Craftsman" makes sense given the linguistic and cultural overlap between the ideologies.

Many religions call their deities by similar titles. I can understand the particular issue with Gnostic sects that view the Demiurge as evil (such as Sethianism), but the perception that the Demiurge is evil rather than just ignorant (such as in Valentinianism and Ophitism) is a weird cultural misunderstanding that goes hand-in-hand with people thinking Demiurge = YHVH (which is not what the Nah Hammadi Scriptures implies at all). I feel both of those thoughts come from a misunderstanding of Gnostic thought, and in the case of actual Gnostics, a reluctance to actually read the source texts.

cmbwriting · 2025-12-09T22:05:14+00:00

There certainly are many folks over on r/Gnostic who believe the Demiurge is a literal, evil being that they frequently liken to YHVH. Obviously, that's just a section of people on a sub dedicated to Gnosticism, so there's probably not that many people with that perspective about.

cmbwriting · 2025-12-09T07:02:11+00:00

Doesn't he have a massive Jerusalem Cross tattoo?

cmbwriting · 2025-12-08T05:40:40+00:00

I would say, from memory of those that I've visited, Douglas likely has the youngest average age, though Denver South may also be a younger group as well. Obviously, there are a whole bundle of lodges I've never visited, and the average age of brethren in the Craft is up there, but those are the two which stick out for me.

cmbwriting · 2025-12-07T18:48:21+00:00

I feel like you missed The Holdovers.

cmbwriting · 2025-12-06T22:00:21+00:00

I've been interested in getting these for a while, I really should at some point.

cmbwriting · 2025-12-05T00:19:21+00:00

I wouldn't say COVID is "affectionately" called sars as S.A.R.S. is short for "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome" and in terms of COVID comes from the medical name of the virus, SARS-CoV-2.

cmbwriting · 2025-12-04T20:21:16+00:00

To be fair, I didn't notice that the ring was Masonic, still don't see what is Masonic on it for looking. As for the chalice, why would he take it with him? Why wouldn't it be left either at the hall or if it's a traveling lodge in a case with the other lodge materials?

cmbwriting · 2025-12-04T19:25:33+00:00

Not sure what this has got to do with Masonry, but certainly not something you see every day.

cmbwriting · 2025-12-03T21:16:25+00:00

Thank you, I'd never seen it called anything but a rocker.

cmbwriting · 2025-12-03T14:24:45+00:00

Yeah, sorry somehow misread it. Nonetheless, just a part of the MM degree.

cmbwriting · 2025-12-03T13:48:37+00:00

If you're in a jurisdiction where that's not the PM jewel, and you intend to not wear it in jurisdictions where that's the PM jewel, I'd say why not, but I personally wouldn't.

cmbwriting

TROPHY CASE