The Sun is Always at its Meridian

OK, I admit it. I purloined an idea from Tom A., whose last name I still can’t spell half the time. On his site, he has a little map showing where people are who are reading his blog.

The idea of someone paying attention to anything I have to say is still a little hard to fathom. When I was in DeMolay, the guys used to groan when I started to speak (especially when I was Advisory Council Chairman). In Lodge, no one pays attention when I mention dates and times for ritual practices and I am always asked about things which are outlined in the monthly summons I send that they don’t read.

So, seeing Tom with his little map inspired me to add one, too, out of curiosity of Where The Boys Readers Are (sorry, I was channelling Connie Francis for a minute).

All but two of the provinces in Canada are represented. Not surprisingly, perhaps, the bulk of readers are in the central and eastern part of the United States. American Masons are among the most hospitable I’ve encountered; they’re willing to do anything to help a visitor in town. Out west, someone has popped by from San Francisco, where I had the pleasure of sitting in several Lodges in the old Scottish Rite building on Van Ness. And Seattle is here, too; one of my Lodges has exchanged visits with a Lodge in the Emerald City for well over 70 years.

One reader is in Barbados. A number of the members of the local Barbadan (is that a word?) community are members of the Prince Hall Lodge here.

Iceland is represented. A Bro. from Iceland was a member of my Royal Arch Chapter when I joined; he was a student at UBC and went back home some years ago.

There are lurkers in three cities in Denmark. The IPM of one of my Lodges affiliated with us from a Danish Lodge. Someone has dropped in from Serbia; there are quite a number of men from various Balkan countries in several of the local Lodges and they all have a great interest in Masonic philosophy. And there is someone from the Phillipines, which has provided Freemasons to quite a few Lodges here; they have their own Filipino-Mason association which meets annually. The family of the newest F.C. in one of my Lodges came from Luzon, I believe.

And I note a couple of readers from Australia. One of my Lodges was formed by ex-patriot Australians 100-plus years ago and uses the New South Wales ritual (or a good portion of the words, at least). It has no Australians in it, but another of my Lodges does. He was raised by his father in Victoria state in 1953.

This little map reminds us of something that candidates learn in their First Degree examination—Freemasonry is spread over the whole habitable globe. As the Bristol Working succinctly puts it (and something that many petitioners say attracts them to the fraternity):

You will in every nation find a Brother, and in every clime a home.

And that’s a nice thing, if you ask me. But you don’t have to ask. Just look at the map.

Now, if only Tom could get one of the celestial world to point out Masonry Universal.