From The East
Alberto T. Jacinto, P.M.

Three seems to be a sacred number in life, in many religions, cultures and societies.
In religion, most faiths teach fealty to God, your neighbor and yourself.
In politics, the US Constitution established 3 branches of government:
legislative, executive, judicial.
In life, there are countless natural divisions of threes:
yesterday, today, tomorrow; the sun, moon, stars; father, mother and child;
birth, life and death; duty, honor and country; thought, word and deed,
adjectives are inflected into good, better and best; and the list goes on and on and on.
In Freemasonry, there is also a predominance of triads, or groups of 3 ideas or objects.
According to Albert G. Mackey, "In Freemasonry, the ternary is the most sacred of all the mystical numbers.
In fact, "everywhere among the ancients, the number three was deemed as the most sacred of numbers."

Let us now take a look at a few examples of threes in Freemasonry.
3 Distinct Knocks at the Door
3 Degrees (Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, Master Mason)
3 Principal Tenets (Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth)
3 Cardinal Virtues (Faith, Hope and Charity)
3 Masters' Wages (Corn, Wine and Oil)
3 Principal Officers (Worshipful Master, Senior and Junior Wardens)
3 Movable Jewels of the Lodge (Rough Ashlar, Perfect Ashlar, Trestle board)
3 Immovable Jewels of the Lodge (Square, Level and the Plumb)
3 Orders of Architecture (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian)
3 Great Pillars (Wisdom, Strength and Beauty)
3 Great Lights (Volume of the Sacred Law, Square and Compass)

So, what are we being taught in the Lodge by the number 3?
This is something that all Masons should contemplate . . . at least 3 times.
If you study further the deeper meanings of the triads used in our framework, rituals and lectures, you will discover that these impart very valuable sets of teachings and lessons in life.
Let us then try to understand the nature and role of each of these sets of triads and see how we can incorporate them in our task of character building and thereby make ourselves really better human beings.

Sincerely and Fraternally,
Alberto T. Jacinto

From The South
Jim Ritter

Changing:

Fall is fast approaching; I can feel it in the air. This is my favorite time of year. I grew up in the Mid-West on a farm and always marveled at the ripening crops and the changing leaves. It always seemed a very busy time, but defiantly a time of change. As a boy I had to change to the next grade and that was both exciting and scary. During this time I went off to college and that was a big change in both life and location. As I have grown older I have considered this time a good time to reflect on what I need to do to change either in myself or in my actions.

As Masons we need to be open to change, especially within ourselves. Masonry is all about change. Whether we are changing to a new degree or changing our priorities or changing the way we think and act, Masonry is about changing. Let us each look to this time to think about what we most need to change in ourselves to be better men and better Masons. Don’t be scared of the change embrace it and know that it is for the good of ourselves and our craft.

As brothers Franklin and Bacon said:

“When you're finished changing, you're finished.”
- Benjamin Franklin

“Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly.”
- Francis Bacon

And author Herbert said

“Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken.”
- Frank Herbert

It is a time to change and only each brother can say what that means to him.

Events:

After the each stated meeting in September, October, November and December the ladies and families of the Brethren are invited to stay and participate in a discussion group based on the book “The Craft and it’s Symbols” by Roberts. Discussions will begin immediately after each stated meeting. The book costs $36 if you would like your own copy, some one will order these for you in the discussions, the book is NOT required to attend the discussions. This is a great opportunity for our wives and families to learn more about what we do a masons.

September is also the month for the Masons for Mitts game at AT&T park. We will be going as a group from the lodge on September 12^th, and taking the train from San Mateo , so no parking worries. The group will meet at 4:00pm on the 12^th and take the train to AT&T Park . There will be a celebration in the outfield plaza for all Masons and their guests that starts at 5:30pm.

*** San Mateo Lodge’s Annual Outdoor 3^rd Degree ***

Please keep the 2^nd Saturday in September open for our annual outdoor 3^rd degree. It will be held in Half Moon Bay on the Brother David Cresson ranch (same place as last year). The York Rite will be giving a complementary Mark Master degree just prior to the 3^rd degree; so if you would like to start your York Rite Masonic path please see a Companion in the York Rite for an application. We will need volunteers for several items to get both the site and the meal ready, so watch for announcements on Yahoo Groups and please volunteer to help in some way. Please contact Johnny Sanchez our Senior Warden for details and to volunteer.

The Grand Lodge Annual Communication will be this September the 23^rd to the 25^th. This year the Saturday night banquet will be a casual affair as they will recreate the atmosphere of a state fair. See the Grand Lodge website for details and packages.

In the future we are planning a wine tasting and tour of the San Mateo Museum and a trip to the Columbia Lodge to support Francis Drake Lodge in October with their annual degree there.

As you can see Yahoo Groups is a very important part of our communications if you are not on Yahoo Groups and want to be, please send me an email to spfdeast30041@yahoo.com and I will send you an invitation to join.

Fraternally,
Jim Ritter, JW