Jim Tresner, Grand Cross

It’s the tradition to view the month of January as a month of promise and excitement—a new year dawns and, with it, new hope for a better world and a more noble life.

All true, no doubt. But to be honest, I find January days are hard to get through. The weather, at least in Oklahoma, is generally abominable; the days are short and the light feeble. Depression seems a perfectly appropriate mood. Because of that, I plan ahead to have some joy in January—some things to read or watch or listen to, which I know will give my spirits a lift. Here, in case you have a similar need, are some things guaranteed to lift your spirits and put joy in your January.

Joseph von Geczy, 32° [aka G. O. Freemason], “Victory” compact disc recording, Trestle Board Records, 2003. $15.00 + $2.50 S&H. To order, send check or money order for $17.50 payable to Trestle Board Records, P.O. Box 10598, Canoga Park, CA 91309

If you read the article in this issue by Bro. David D. Johnson, 32°, you know that Bro. von Geczy has not only led a remarkable life but is also an outstanding musician. Here’s the proof. Bro. von Geczy is Grand Organist, Grand Lodge of California, but this is not a recording of organ music. He performs on a synthesizer; the music is modern and upbeat—even toe-tapping. It’s also very powerful and with a subtle humor. Many of the 17 tracks are adaptations of music by great composers with links to Masonic themes: “Ode to Hiram, King of Tyre,” “The Three Lesser Lights,” “Fellowcrafts at Work,” to give only three examples. This is a highly original recording. It brings joy to my January, and I’d bet it would to yours, too.

John K. Young, Ph.D. Sacred Sites of the Knights Templar: Ancient Astronomers and Freemasons at Stonehenge, Rennes-le-Chateau, and Santiago de Compostela. Gloucester, MA: Fair Winds Press, 2003, 236 pages, hardbound, color photographs and numerous maps and charts. ISBN 1-59233-017-7, cover price $24.95, available on the Internet for $16.97

Dr. Young is a professor of histology and cell biology at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Why then, one might wonder, would he choose to write about sacred sites, Templars, and Freemasonry? The obvious answer is that he is interested in many things, and it is also obvious from the book that he can make many things interesting. I enjoyed this book. Absolute proof isn’t available about the Knights Templar, so one must make do with reasonable speculation. In a letter which accompanied an advance copy I received, Dr. Young mentioned that he was not, himself, a Mason. That’s rather a pity, because I think he would enjoy the Fraternity, but member or not, he has devoted some careful thought and speculation about the relationship of Masonic symbols to older traditions. I spotted only one obvious error in the book: a photograph of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial is identified as a Masonic Temple. You could make that case, especially as there are Lodge Rooms in the Memorial, but we don’t usually classify it as a Temple. That’s a minor cavil, however. I relished reading this book, and it could add some joy to your January as well.

James O. Wolfe, A Yellowstone Savage from Fishing Bridge: Adventures of a fishing guide on Yellowstone Lake. Bloomington, IN: 1stBooks, 2003, softbound, 158 pages, several photographs and drawings, ISBN 1-4107-8426-6 available on the Internet (new) $13.34 (used) from $10.97

Brother James O. Wolfe, KCCH, Scottish Rite Bodies of Omaha, Nebraska, has produced a most interesting book. I can see two types of audiences. There are those serious devotees of the rod and fly who will enjoy the book for obvious reasons. And then there are those of us who are serious students of “Murphy’s Law” and who are fascinated by the way in which unmerciful disaster follows fast and follows faster, to paraphrase Poe’s The Raven. We all know that anything which can go wrong will, but we don’t always realize how utterly true that can be. That’s just to say that there is a lot of delight in this book and a great deal of humor. These memoirs of a “Savage,” i.e., a Yellowstone concession employee during the heady 1960s, offer unique and significant insights combined with many amusing anecdotes and beautiful life-moments. But there is also that sense that if things are working like clockwork, it’s probably the clockwork of a time bomb. I had a lot of fun with this book.

Jim Tresner, Valley of Guthrie, Okla., is the Director of the Masonic Leadership Institute; Editor of The Oklahoma Mason, Member of the Steering Committee, Masonic Information Center; Director of Work in Guthrie; and author, among other books, of Albert Pike: The Man Beyond the Monument and Vested in Glory: The Regalia of the Scottish Rite. Contacts: Grand Lodge of Oklahoma, P.O. Box 1019, Guthrie OK 73044; Tel. 405-282-3212; Fax 405-282-3244; okmasonmag@hotmail.com