Mason's - 6 Degrees of Separation
by Eileen
(Sacramento, CA)
My husband's father - who died March, 2009 at 90yrs of age, was a Mason. His father before him was a Mason, as was his Great Grandfather (an Architect and Cornell University graduate).
My father-in-law was consummate hoarder, and kept every scrap of paper, receipt, historical record and documents you could imagine. As my husband and I were his Dad's caretakers (he died intestate, had no money or assets and we took care of him and paid his bills); being a bit of an history buff, I put all his paperwork, memorabilia, etc., into boxes and put them in our closet.
I knew my father-in-law had a bit of a pedigree...Paternal side born in Prussia, emigrating to the US in the mid 1800's, Maternal side from Vermont, lots of connections to important people etc., and ancestors who fought in the American Civil War, etc.
So I just finished reading Dan Brown's two latest books, the last one Angel's and Demons. I don't read fiction, I like economics, biographies and history - but I was totally fascinated by Brown's stories of the Illuminati, symbology, etc.
In Brown's last two books he kept referring to the Mason's 33rd Level. Didn't give much thought to it at the time, (even though we have discussed the 33 number on Levi's blogs) but a day after finishing Angel's & Demons, something made me go into our closet and pull out my father-in-laws boxes of memorabilia.
What did I find?
Well just my husband's, grandfather's huge parchment Mason's certificate about him being indoctrinated into the Ordo ab Chad, Supreme Council, of S.G. Inspectors General 33 of the A.A. Scottish Rite for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction(Ohio, USA) - dated August 20th, 1913. The receipt for his dues actually said "Knights Templar"!!!!!
But the most extraordinary thing was that there were a number of signatures on the front page and a long list of them on the back page...all handwritten in beautiful script, every one of them 33rd degree Masons. Upon turning the page over and reading down the list of signatures on the back...what did I find?
Someone who had signed the document WHO HAD THE SAME LAST NAME (Maiden name) AS MINE, and with the exact same spelling)--- I was gobsmacked...I thought there had to be some psychic significance to it. My husband couldn't believe it, since he has so little interest in history, he had never bothered to go through any of his Dad's memorabilia. Also, if you knew the story of how I met my present (American) husband in Scotland after he and I had been divorced from our American spouses years before --- it gets even weirder.
Okay Levi --- what's the scoop?
Oh and My God -- you cannot believe the log-in name!!!
Web Guy Note:
Brrrrrrrrrr!
