Masonic Books - Jacob's Ladder

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"And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up
on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven:
and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it."

Gen. 28:12

In the Entered Apprentice Degree, the candidate sees and hears Freemasonry's lesson symbolized by the star-decked heavens, or clouded canopy which covers the material earth. This symbolism is of such significance that many European and domestic lodges continue to reinforce its lessons by painting the ceilings with stars, planets and other heavenly luminaries. Concealed within that symbolism is the additional veil to certain wise and serious truths known as "Jacob's Ladder."

We read in the book of Genesis that a man named Jacob fell asleep one night out in the open during his travels from Beersheba to the land of Haran. In his dreams he saw a great ladder with one end set on earth and the top reaching far into the heavens above. Jacob seemed to see the "angels of God" ascending and descending the ladder. As he looks higher up, he also seemed to see God Himself standing above it and heard Him promise that Jacob and his descendants would inherit the land where Jacob slept. Upon awakening, Jacob declared the ground sacred, arranged the stones he used for a pillow into a pillar and named the spot Bethel, which means house of God. (Genesis 28:10-19).

Like so many other stories in the Old Testament, for those who do not insist upon a literal interpretation, the legend of Jacob's Ladder conveys a deep concern and belief that is actually centered in a very old culture. A careful reading of the book of Genesis reveals to the discerning eye that the entire book, when read as a whole, appears to be disjointed, difficult to read as one continuum and seemingly missing some very essential background information. Recent academic research has concluded a reason for this fact that tends to more fully explain why Egypt was so important to our Masonic ancestors.

Jacob's vision was but a fragment of a richer living tradition; an ancient teaching about the link between the earthly and divine worlds. This tradition is further emphasized in Masonic ritual by the explanation given concerning the pillars named Boaz and Jachin, discussed in an earlier chapter. In this tradition we are told that the link between the two worlds has been broken. Angels with flaming swords block the entrance to the Garden of Eden and, as we read further in the story about Jacob's Ladder, Jacob is admonished against climbing that ladder to heaven. For many who read this story, it is a significant event in describing the Fall of man to sin and his need for divine redemption. Yet, the ancient tradition behind that story is much more enlightening.

The ancient Egyptians absorbed much of the earlier cultural and religious practices of Mesopotamia, from which the legends of Gilgamesh arose. Within that legend is a startling tale about men who walked the earth seemingly having come from nowhere known to mankind. They were on earth to learn what the earthly existence had to teach and once those lessons were learned, they left earth to travel to heaven to enrich that divine environment with earthly influences. (The book of Genesis actually contains a piece of this legend in the story about the "Watchers," or "Giants.") This legend later became a benchmark for Hermes Trismegestis whose philosophy known as Hermeticism emphasis the divine slogan "as it is above, so shall it be below."

According to the ancient tradition, the story about Jacob's Ladder is both instructional and insightful. Owing to the location of the sacred ground where Jacob slept, it is believed that it together with other similar sacred locations serve as the perfect conduits between the earthly and divine worlds. In other words, the ancients believed, as many believe today, that there are more sacred places to worship God than others. In part, this legend tends to shed more light on the earthly significance of Jerusalem to our Jewish brethren, as well as our Christian and Muslim brethren.

For Freemasons there is yet another lesson to be learned from Jacob's vision. While certain dogmas and doctrines assert the lone entitlement to bridging the gap between heaven and earth, God and man, those dogmas and doctrines are but paths one may select to complete our divine journey. There are other equally valid paths, which fact reminds us that embracing diversity is essential to establishing true freedom. More importantly, Masons are encouraged to think for themselves, pray to God on their own and develop a relationship with the Divine that is not wholly dependent about the intermediary of a specific dogma or doctrine. God created man in His image. He did not create dogma and doctrine in His image - those were created by man.

In that latter regard, the ancient writer Philo affirmed that the Therapeutae practiced what Freemasonry now preaches about the acquisition of divine knowledge. Stories from the Old Testament and elsewhere should be read for their symbolic messages, not for their literal recitation about factual history. The Therapeutae read the Holy Scriptures and sought wisdom from their ancestral philosophy by taking it as an allegory, since they also thought that the words of the text were symbols of something whose hidden nature is revealed by studying the underlying meaning.

Masonic Books teach that by the use of symbols and in so doing encourages its members to understand that God's most enduring lessons are yet to be recovered from the mists of the past. Prophets and seers have told us that mankind has merely scratched the surface of all that is to be learned. Where man once walked on foot to get from one place to the other, he may now fly. While ancient civilizations could not communicate one with another, today's nations are in instant communication. Mankind is drawing ever closer together, hundreds of thousands of people are living in urban environments and men on one end of the globe are nourishing the needs of men at the other end. Man's relationship with God, direct and unfettered by outside dogma or doctrine, is essential for men to absorb the concept of brotherly love - not as a mere concept, but as a way of life.

Such are some of the lessons learned from the Masonic symbolism of Jacob's Ladder. Can you find others?

John Heisner is the author of several masonic books about symbolism in Freemasons History [http://masonicbooks.heisner.info/masonic-book-store/masonic-books/]. He has been a Master Mason since 1968; served as Chaplain, Senior Deacon, Junior Warden, Senior Warden and Worshipful Master of Amity Lodge No. 442 in San Diego, California, and serves presently as an Inspector for Division IX of the Grand Lodge of California. He has written two Masonic Symbolism Books [http://masonicbooks.heisner.info/masonic-book-store/masonic-books/].; is a member of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in San Diego, where he currently serves as an officer in the Lodge of Perfection and has thrice been awarded the Albert Pike trophy for excellence in the performance of Scottish Rite ritual; a member of Al Bahr Shrine since 1976; a member of the York Rite Bodies, Knights Templar, Allied Masonic Degrees, York Rite College and the Knights of the Red Cross of Constantine. Mr. Heisner is also a member of the Societas Rosicruciana in Civitibus Foederatis.

Mr. Heisner has also been a practicing attorney in the State of California since 1973 and is currently a partner and trial specialist in a San Diego law firm where he emphasizes complex business litigation, trade secret litigation, real estate and probate litigation. He formerly served as an Assistant District Attorney, Deputy District Attorney and Special Assistant United States Attorney. As a criminal prosecutor, Mr. Heisner investigated and prosecuted organized crime, public official corruption and major fraud matters.

In his professional capacity, Mr. Heisner has also chaired several committees for the San Diego County Bar Association and been a member of various criminal justice committees.

Within his community, Mr. Heisner has served as president and director of his homeowner's association, participated in the immigrant nationalization process as a member of Kiwanis. He is married, father to four adult children and grandfather of five young children.

"The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War" Written By Andrew Roberts

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Anyone who lived through any war, but especially WWII, needs to read this greatly detailed and informative book that gives details, stories, actions, and facts many of which were never published. The author writes in a way that draws you to each page because, while the book is fact, it never gets boring. From the very beginning of the book where, in April 1934, Hitler met with the German minister of Defence to make a secret pact where the army would support Adolph Hitler upon the death of Paul von Hindenburg (then leader of Germany). Most of us have in our minds that the war started in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland but the plans for Hitler's demonic plans to control the world had started with the plans for his leadership years earlier.

Several things I advise to all readers of this complete book; remember to refer to the maps at the front of the book as campaigns in different areas occur, and do not think you will skip through a page because the book is extremely long. If you skip you will miss some important and interesting tidbit. I had forgotten the maps and now I wish I had remembered them to allow me to know exactly where certain battles occurred. I also tried to read by skipping and I found out it doesn't work. How Andrew Roberts garnered all the information and wove it into a terrific resourceful book I will never know. There is no way a review could ever do this book justice. I will hit a few highlights but you must physically read it to gain the knowledge it contains.

Hitler had been a corporal in the German army in WW I so he had felt war first hand and was twenty-nine years of age when that war ended in 1918. Hitler had a huge war machine in place. Two major factions were the OKH and the OKW, both strategic in running the military. Many leaders changed throughout the book. Hitler would have high expectations for various campaigns and when the result was not to his liking he took no remorse in immediately changing generals. Hitler controlled all the many units of might such as the Wehrmacht, the SS, the Luftwaffe (air), the Panzers (tanks), and a naval branch that, had Hitler allow it to develop fully, could have made the war much longer and given Germany a huge advantage. The German Generals, some of whom were Field Marshall's, were many; Jodl, Keitel, Himmler, von Runstedt, von Manctein, Goebbels, Rommel, and, in general were very brilliant men but too many times Hitler forced them to do his method, not theirs.

One section of the book that was about a subject I thought I did know but the author gave some details that blew my mind of how humans could treat other humans as they did. Excerpts of the authors words; "After they were rounded up in their local communities from all across German-occupied Europe, Jews were transported by train to Auschwitz or one of the other five extermination camps in Eastern Europe." "Once the transports arrived at the siding at Birkenau, there would be the first selection, where SS officials would choose the able-bodied men and women - numbering roughly 15% - who would be taken to the camp barracks to join work details, leaving the old, the weak, the infirm, the children, and the mothers of children, who would be immediately walked to the gas chambers and exterminated." This is only a small part of the inhumane things the Germans carried out in order to "cleanse" the world of Jews.

The inhumane actions of war do not lie just with the Germans. Their allies, as well as the allies of the United States, Great Britain, France, and many other nations, performed many actions that killed many innocent civilians. In many cases the Germans surrounded their factories with these civilians making the bombing of the weapon producing buildings also kill those civilians. This, along with civilians being in the wrong place at the wrong time, caused many more killings. Military casualties for all the nations involved were immense. Some of the numbers are unbelievable but also undeniable.

The many battles of WW II were brutal and lasted far too long. So many new recruits were rushed to the front and into battle before they knew what they were getting into. This occurred with all nations involved, not just the Germans. The details of the Russian war involvement are quite extensive. At first they didn't know whom to fight with, allies or axis, but eventually chose the allies because they, like Germany, wanted to control the world, especially all of Europe. Because Russia is so huge with a large population, they suffered many casualties and had so many more to fill in for those killed.

This review is too large now so I must put a halt to it and tell you to read the book. If you have no interest in war, especially WW II, don't start it. If you have any like of the subject you must read "The Storm of War" from front to end.

Reader review by Cy Hilterman of a book supplied by The Amazon Vine Program

George Washington's Great Gamble by James L Nelson

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This book about the American Revolution relates happenings that helped to end the war. It encompasses land battles and sea battles. Disappointments and victories of both sides. Actions and thoughts of the main characters involved in the action. Well written and easy to read. It covers the last year, 1781, of the war and clearly tells how an American Victory, with French assistance came to be.

The Author places the leading characters involved, in this last year of the war, in their places like a chess board. Washington's poorly equipped army keeping watch over the larger British Forces in New York City. Benedict Arnold having gone over to the British Side was sent to the Virginia Area, by the British, to destroy positions and interfere with the attempts of the Northern Colonies to send supplies and men to the deep south. Lafayette becomes an American General sent to capture Arnold. The British plans to subdue the Southern Colonies and then to move north to subdue the rest. He tells how Cornwallis fought against Greene in the South.

The importance of the lack of good communication during the war is shown. Washington had to rely on messengers on land while the British had the use of the Sea for faster communications and for movement of men and equipment.

Washington needed a Navy to contest the British rule of the sea. When the French came into the picture, declaring war on the British, and promised help to the Americans he hoped he had found a Navy. Could he count on the French to do what they had promised? Spain declared war on England soon after causing more problems for the British.

The Author puts everyone's problems and actions together, including the mistakes made, by both sides, to clearly show how the end came about. The Sea Battle that follows is shown as to tactics, weather, and luck as how it helped to influence the ending. A good description of how sea battles were fought in those days.

George Washington's Gamble is a well written, interesting and entertaining description of the actual happenings of the Revolutionary War. You will be surprised the animosity and differences between the British leaders in the Americas.

I would recommend it to History Buffs as well as the General Public.

Alex Kamas was retired after over 30 years as a Real Estate Broker Married to Carol for 55 years they have four grown Children and eleven Grandchildren. He lives with his wife Carol in Parker, Colorado.

Unbelievable Adventures of a WWII German War Bride Written By Ingeborg M Johnston

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There are several "unbelievable" characteristics of Ingeborg and her story. First, the fact that she grew up in Nazi controlled Germany; second that she loved good people and did all she could for them, even to this day; and third that she took on so many things in her life that she ended up loving almost all of them. The first part of the book tells of her growing up as Germany went to war. "Inge" ran through bombing raids to assist injured in the hospital or clinics that were not destroyed. She had no regard for her life when she could help others. The early parts of the book also tell of her schooling in Berlin, her family's activities as the Nazi Party grew and took over Germany, and her family. As the war started looking bad for Germany, the residents had to find safe places to be away form the gung-ho Nazi's as well as the hard charging Russians as they tried to reach Berlin first so they could control it.

Inge tells of her family, their villages and cities, the composition of the large family, and the struggles to exist in a bombed out city where every victorious nation wanted a part of it, but was eventually divided up into East and West Berlin with the Communists controlling East Berlin. Anyone living in East Berlin was stuck there without the ability to visit anyone out of that area. The ones living in West Berlin could come and go into East Berlin but the Berlin Wall kept the division very tight.

Inge love swimming and teaching it to anyone interested. She became a champion swimmer. She married Jerry. She and Jerry eventually moved to the United States through New York, then to Philadelphia. They had two daughters, Eileen and Jacqueline, who were also great swimmers from a very young age. Inge entered the Mrs. America Contest and won, but when it was learned that she was not a United States citizen, she was disqualified. Not a happy moment but the satisfaction that she could win such a contest made the family happy. Sometime, not disclosed in the book, Inge obtained a divorce from Jerry. She eventually met and married her present love, Jim Johnston. They have had a fantastic life. They moved to Colorado, Florida, and back to Colorado. They loved boats and had much fun with them as well as some problems that made life very interesting. In Fort Lauderdale, Florida they belonged to the Navy League, once again showing their love for boating and fellow humans.

The entire book is loaded with fantastic tales from her life and her family. Their love for each other is very evident as is their love for others with their "Acts of Kindness" organization and the way they helped so many all their lives. Inge and Jim are still happily married and very active as this book was released. I can only pray that they can continue that way for many years to come. An excellent read.

Reader review by Cy Hilterman of a book supplied by the author

Book Review - Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission

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Most war stories would be listed as a historical account. There are few war stories that should be listed as inspirational and even an invaluable life lesson. The book,"Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission" is one of those war stories. This book was even made into a movie, "The Great Raid", back in 2005.

To understand the urgency of rescuing those prisoners who have been prisoners for several years, you will appreciate the timing of the rescue. More than likely, the prisoners would have been killed soon. It was a pattern that was happening around the Philippines during the inevitable re-taking of the Philippines by the Allied forces. Many POWs were massacred in the Southern part of the Philippines since it was a burden for the Japanese Imperial Army to keep these prisoners.

Many of us may not experience the atrocities of a Death March or the tribulations of a prison camp. We can learn lessons of perseverance, team work, commitment, and inspiration from the soldiers who took part in this rescue. We can learn lessons of endurance, patience, comradeship, and triumph from the prisoners at Cabanatuan.

The men involved in the rescue mission came from differing background and had different perspectives and personalities. This rescue mission is a testament on how team work and team building can succeed. Failure was not (and cannot be) an option. This is a story of a precise rescue plan with a timely execution and what it takes to succeed at it. The "why" was more important than "how".

On a personal note, my father-in-law survived the Death March but my uncle did not survive. The story of those who endured and those who perished is one that is inspiring and humbling. There have been several movies and books that discusses this triumphant tragedy in history. Prior to reading this book, I did not realize there was such a daring mission to rescue some of the survivors of the Death March who were imprisoned in Cabanatuan. America is one of a few countries where they would risk lives to rescue lives. It is important to leave no one behind- whether you bring them back alive or even dead. There is value for the soldier and their life. There are many rescue missions done by various military armies. A majority of them have been done by the American army. This says a lot about the importance of the G.I. (the American soldier) and how they are valued by their country.

As an author, Pascasio Felisilda recently published the book "Nanay: Lessons from a Mother". This is a very inspiring book. Its simplicity empowers the message and story about a legacy that is worth living. The book is available through http://www.ebookstand.com/book_details/Nanay_Lessons_from_a_Mother_PAPERBACK_VERSION or through

http://www.amazon.com/Nanay-Lessons-Mother-Felisilda-Pascasio/dp/1589096673/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291229112&sr=1-1

Evolution Without Darwin? America Without Lincoln? A Review of "The Unbelievers"

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"The Unbelievers: The Evolution of Modern Atheism" by S. J. Joshi (Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY, 2011), contains chapters on fourteen contributors to the evolution of atheism. The fourteen characters profiled are Thomas Henry Huxley, Leslie Stephen, John Stuart Mill, Friedrich Nietzsche, Mark Twain, Clarence Darrow, H.L. Mencken, H.P. Lovecraft, Bertrand Russell, Madalyn Murray O'Hare, Gore Vidal, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens.

On what basis did Joshi make these selections, omitting so many? No coherent explanation is offered. In fact, the author acknowledges an absence of objective criteria in his choices that span 150 years of dissent from orthodoxy. However, the introduction does contain this surprising statement: "I will confess that in some instances I have chosen some thinkers and rejected others chiefly because I do or do not share an intellectual sympathy with them."

That lame remark is Joshi's excuse for the stunning omission of Robert Green Ingersoll. This seems odd, given that he acknowledges that Ingersoll was "probably the most celebrated American freethinker of the 19th century." I suspect few free-thought scholars would list a few of those Joshi does include, particularly H.P. Lovecraft, Leslie Stephen and Thomas Henry Huxley. Little in the chapters about their lives and contributions to atheism give the impression that these three warrant inclusion on such a short list, nor does it seem appropriate to mix four living writers with those who lived in earlier times. The contemporary authors might better have been described in a single chapter. A possible explanation for including Lovecraft can be sensed from the author's Wikipedia page: "S. T. Joshi is an award-winning Indian American literary critic, novelist and a leading figure in the study of Howard Phillips Lovecraft and other authors of weird and fantastic fiction." That must be it-he favored Lovecraft because he knew so much about him and maybe slighted others, particularly Ingersoll, owing to an inadequate appreciation of his astonishing career.

Joshi does admit that he "does not share an intellectual sympathy with him" (Ingersoll). Maybe he should have put that aside. Imagine a historian on American history omitting Lincoln due to not sharing something about Lincoln's intellectual contributions. This omission undermines the book's value. It's quite appalling, actually, and colors all else. The fact of the matter, in my view and I think most others familiar with Ingersoll's life and work would agree, is that the combined impact of the 14 described skeptics might very well be less consequential to America's progress against the harm of religion than that of greatest orator of the 19th century. (At the time of this writing, four of the 14 still live, though two-Gore and Hitchens, are barely hanging on.)

A few of the chapter profiles contain new and interesting information. And the slim introduction describing the history of atheism offers useful perspectives. A few of note include the following:

* It is rare to find any thinker of note since the 17th century "who does not harbor some doubts about many phases of religious orthodoxy."

* Repelled by centuries of religious warfare, dozens of philosophers in the 17th and 18th centuries made "fervent pleas for religious toleration-pleas that ultimately prevailed in the West."

* By the 19th century, tools brought to bear by a diverse array of thinkers to challenge religion included not merely "logical analysis, scientific discovery and careful scrutiny of religious texts but also...weapons of satire, mockery and ridicule."

* In the West, with the exception of America, "the battle is over-atheism has won" (i.e., over religion). The reason America remains firmly wedded and controlled by a religious mindset is the poor state of public education that "has created an unfortunate cleavage between the tiny band of intellectual elites and the vast mass of the ignorant and ill educated."

Readers unfamiliar with the 14 worthy figures might benefit from and enjoy this book.

However, anyone who knows anything about the impact of Colonel Ingersoll, orator extraordinaire and noted lawyer, political king-maker, champion of liberty and intellectual giant who left behind a prodigious library of profound eloquence, will be off-put in the extreme at his omission.

Publisher of the ARDELL WELLNESS REPORT (AWR) - a weekly electronic newsletter devoted to commentaries on current issues that affect personal and social well being from a quality of life perspective. The emphasis is on REAL wellness, which is also the topic of Don's latest book. Read about it here - https://www.createspace.com/3478226 - The "REAL" acronym reflects key issues embraced and advanced in Don's philosophy, namely, Reason, Exuberance, Athleticism and Liberty. Sample copy of Don's latest edition by request. If you like it, you can sign up - the price is right - free. Contact Don at awr.realwellness@gmail.com

Essential Reading for Every American

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Let's get the complaints out of the way up front: At a suggested retail price of $15.95 (Amazon = $12.44), and at 4-1/2 x 6-3/8 inches hardbound, this is not exactly the back-pocket carry-along that Wayne LaPierre intends it to be. I'd suggest a true softcover chapbook format and price, and perhaps even a low-cost ebook version to make sure the word gets out to everyone who needs to know the truth about the Second Amendment to the US Constitution. And that audience amounts to every citizen of the United States.

I am a middle-aged Caucasian male who has never owned a gun, hasn't fired one in ages, and who, until recently, lived in a suburb of Baltimore where our doors were only locked a handful of times in 23 years. My teenaged son and a friend were accosted at gunpoint several years back, and though nobody got physically hurt, he was pretty well traumatized. The teenaged - admitted - assailant got off, due to police incompetence, and having to face him in school was bad for my son.

Other than that, when I thought about guns at all, it was in the form of platitudes. There were too many of them; too much gun violence; too many domestic assaults; too much suicide; and an arms industry that was out of control. I saw "Columbine," and think Charlton Heston was a colossal jerk.

I say this as preamble to a glowing review of Wayne LaPierre's The Essential Second Amendment Guide. It is a little gem. It belongs on your bookshelf, and in your local public library.

The Guide is not about guns. It is about The US Constitution: how it reads; its history; its writers and interpreters. It is about the meaning of personal liberty, individual rights, and what is required to preserve them.

LaPierre has written a short, highly readable, and extensively sourced guide to the most controversial of the first ten amendments to our Constitution, also known as the Bill of Rights. The Second Amendment, guaranteeing our right to keep and bear arms, is subject to constant attack. Yet, "it is the one freedom that gives common men and women uncommon power to defend all freedoms."

Simply put, when guns are outlawed, only the government [and outlaws] will have guns. That's not freedom, and it is as intolerable today as it was in 1776. LaPierre, of the National Rifle Association, makes a very strong, well-supported case for our Second Amendment rights.

He has hit what he was aiming at in writing a book everyone should read and keep close at hand. Please buy an extra copy for your local library; read it; read the suggested readings; above all, read, discuss, and defend our Constitution.

In addition to reviewing books, Rick Ostrander writes about 21st Century homesteading on the Santa Fe Trail, and building resilient communities in post-Peak Oil America. You're invited to visit his new blog, http://taylorsprings.blogspot.com/.