FROM THE PILLAR OF WISDOM

Brethren  & Ladies:

The July 16th spelling bee at Sequoia Elementary School for grades 4 – 6, sponsored by your lodge, was attended by Bob Smith, PM and Bonnie, John Gamache, PM and Susie, Steve Laurvick, JW, Jim Achenbach, PM and daughter, myself and Judy.  Our chairman for Public Schools Jim Achenbach, PM addressed the assemblage on behalf of our lodge and John Gamache, PM, Secretary was kept busy writing checks for the winners, perhaps having the most fun with some delighted youngsters.

We conferred the EA degree on Bro. Robert L. Salini July 21st., with Bro. Dennis Stahr our Senior Deacon opening and obligating in the First Degree for his first time in a very excellent manner.

Speaking of excellence I would ask those of you with computer access to take a look at our web site www.calodges.org/no574/), maintained by Bro. Stahr.  It has been expanded with pictures, trivia, updates with current Trestleboards and links to various San Diego area Masonic events and web sites, etc.  Bro. Stahr is doing a great job and service for your lodge, and is interested in receiving lodge history , pictures and miscellaneous info you may want to share.  Dennis can be reached at: masonic574@earthlink.net.

As is our custom we were dark in August except for our business meeting and the lodge picnic at Santee Lakes, which was very well attended by lodge members, families and friends. The weather was a bit humid but a nice breeze and a large shade tree lakeside mitigated the discomfort.  No fish were caught but the youngsters had a good time in the water spray area.  

As a reminder please make sure you get your reservation in for the Mason of the Year and Grand Masters visitation on September 26^th.  Make your check for $30. each to Amity Lodge 442 and note “MOY  574  x attendees” on the check.  You may give the check to our Bro. Secretary or mail direct to Amity Lodge 442 at the Scottish Rite address.  Dinner, dancing and entertainment will be on tap. Your lodge is honoring our own PM Bob Smith.

Sincerely and Fraternally,
Clinton R. Black, PM, WM

FROM THE PILLAR OF STRENGTH

Brethren,

FROM THE PILLAR OF BEAUTY

Brethren,

Leonardo DaVinci, Master Mason?

Popular culture has revived the mythical figure of Leonardo DaVinci somewhat at the expense of the actual and monumental works of the real man.  All are familiar with books and movies speculating about fictional “grand masters” guarding secrets the Church of Rome has covered up.  These are fanciful and entertaining, but here is a case of fact being much more interesting and enlightening than fiction.

A cursory search for the origins of modern ballet will turn up a time frame of the early renaissance period, but not the name of its originator or the methodology and meaning of the art.  In fact it was a form of exercise developed by Leonardo DaVinci to keep the soldiers of Sforza’s army in shape while wintering (Sforza was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan).  The movements of this exercise regime that would become ballet are based upon geological and cosmic principles.  “According to Leonardo, the systematic use of them could achieve certain perfect proportions of the human body, as illustrated in his famous drawing The Proportions of Man” , says Edmond Bordeaux Szekely, “though the story of the exercises was known, the exercises themselves were not, probably because not many scholars have the patience to read Leonardo’s backward mirror script in his original notebooks, which are not easy to obtain.  But I had been doing research on Leonardo DaVinci’s writings for many years, and to one who has pored for hours , days, weeks and months at a time over dusty and faded parchments in the Vatican Archives, Leonardo’s backward script was not difficult at all.”

Szekely’s work reveals the Trestleboard of a true Master, “And what I found was well worth the effort.  He described a series of movements which draw in space certain geometrical figures in order to transform the muscles into more perfect geometrical forms.  These movements were based on the Point, the Line and the Circle.  The Point he saw as symbolizing the stars, the Line, when vertical, as representing trees --- the horizontal Line, water.  The Circle stood for the movement of the earth on its axis.  With these as a basis, the possibility of movements in different positions – standing, lying, with the arms, with the legs, with the torso, etc., are infinite.”

DaVinci later developed his rhythmic exercises into an art form which he “offered as a token of gratitude to King Francois I (king of France from 1515 – 1547) for the ladies of the court.  It is said that these movements constitute the basis of what we know today as ballet.”

Sincerely and Fraternally,
Steven Laurvick, Jr. Warden

LADIES CORNER

Hi Ladies;