The Alleged Michael Brea Sword Murder

Michael Brea (pictured) is a 31-year-old bit-part actor from New York City who has been seen on the television series Ugly Betty. Reports say that Mr. Brea early this morning murdered his mother, Ms. Yannick Brea, at her Brooklyn apartment with a sword. Mr. Brea lived with Ms. Brea, and has been apprehended and taken to Kings County Hospital for psychiatric evaluation.

Reports differ on a couple of issues. Some reports, such as that of Perez Hilton, state that Mr. Brea used a "Freemason ceremonial sword" to kill his mother, and that as he pursued her, he shouted out the names of religious figures, such as the "architect of the universe." Of course, Freemasons ceremonially refer to the Supreme Being as "the Grand Architect of the Universe."

Other reports, such as that of the New York Daily News, state that police found Mr. Brea wielding a samurai sword. The Daily News report quoted neighbors saying that Brea shouted "Repent, repent, sinner, sinner," and "You never accepted Jesus."

The New York Post reports that a samurai sword was used in the attack, and quoted a neighbor stating that Mr. Brea shouted about the "architect of the universe." The Post also reported that Mr. Brea's twin brother Marcel, a martial arts instructor, also lived with Ms. Brea.

I would point out a couple of things that might not be common knowledge among people who are not Freemasons:

• To the best of my knowledge, neither Michael Brea nor Marcel Brea has ever been a Freemason. However, there are many, many Freemasons in New York City, and I certainly do not know more than a fraction of them. If I obtain information to the contrary, I shall post it here.
• It is very common for martial arts instructors in certain disciplines to possess swords of various types. My belief is that Michael Brea appropriated a samurai-style sword belonging to his twin brother, Marcel Brea, who is reportedly a martial arts instructor. Samurai swords (lightly curved and square-ended) are easily distinguished from either the European-style swords (straight and triangular-ended) used in most Masonic ceremonies, or the scimitars (heavily curved and pointy-ended) used in some Shriner activities.
• Yes, swords are commonly used in Freemasonry. They play a minor role in regular, or Blue Lodge, Freemasonry, where every lodge has an officer, the Tyler, who guards the door of a lodge in session, with a sword. Swords are used by every participant in Knights Templar commanderies. Other branches of Freemasonry make occasional use of ceremonial swords in their ceremonial dramas, called degree work. However, these swords are used only for ceremonial purposes--processions, dramatic enactments, and the like. Swords are never used within Freemasonry as actual instruments of aggression.
• Masonic swords are easy to obtain from fraternal supply houses and dealers in martial arts regalia. Such suppliers do not require Masonic membership to obtain such a sword. Thus, even if the sword used in the attack was a "Masonic" sword, that does not mean that a Mason ever owned it.
• The phrase "Great Architect of the Universe" is easy to find in many books about Freemasonry, including many well-selling books available in large chain bookstores such as Barnes and Noble and Borders Books and Music. These books include Brother Christopher Hodapp's Freemasons for Dummies and Brother Brent Morris's The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry, each of which sells very well. It is my belief that Michael Brea learned the phrase from some popular press book such as these.
• The psychology staff at Kings County Hospital, when I knew them as a prospective intern in the 1990s, were top notch. They shall give Mr. Brea a thorough examination, and I will not second-guess them here. Certainly a psychotic or drug-related incident is at least plausible. The age of 31 is a bit old for a first psychotic break, but not so old as to be all that unlikely. It is also certainly the case that psychotic individuals often have prominent religious delusions and fixations.

In brief, this is not some kind of "Masonic murder." My sympathy, condolences, and prayers are with Marcel Brea and the other survivors of the late Ms. Yannick Brea.

Now Available for Pre-order from Amazon: Freemasonry: An Introduction (Tarcher/Penguin Books edition)

Some readers of this blog may recall that I published a book, Freemasonry: An Introduction, three years ago through LVX Publications. Now, Tarcher, an imprint of Penguin Books, is releasing their edition, with about 75% more content, and updated. Although the book will be released on January 20, 2011, it is available now for pre-order through Amazon; just use the link in the sidebar to the right. The Amazon price is $8.60 for over 200 pages, which I think is a great deal. This is a very economical way to introduce someone to Freemasonry, authoritative yet accessible. (Update, Dec. 20, 2010: I received my author's copy today, and the book looks terrific.)

The product description from Amazon follows:

An experienced Freemason and award-winning psychologist provides a precise and engaging exploration of the core meaning and practices of Freemasonry for the new generation of people interested in joining the order, and those who are simply curious in the wake of recent media coverage.

Entertaining books and movies often depict Freemasonry as a shadowy, mysterious, and possibly sinister organization, and the TV and magazine specials on Freemasonry that inevitably follow often leave us with more questions than answers.

Mark E. Koltko-Rivera, a practicing thirty-second-degree Mason, has created a simple, authoritative, and easy-to-understand introduction to the history, rites, and meaning of Freemasonry. It may be the single most reliable short guide to Masonry, written by a widely recognized psychologist and scholar of esoteric history.

Koltko-Rivera's trustworthy handbook explores all the basic issues around Masonry, like:

*What is Freemasonry, and what is its history?
*How does one become a Freemason?
*What are some of the most important Masonic symbols?
*What do Masons get from their involvement in Freemasonry? What changes does it make in their inner and outer lives?
*What is it like to participate in the initiatory rituals of Freemasonry?
*What are some of the great historical controversies and myths surrounding Freemasonry?
*How is Masonry relevant today?

About the Author

Mark E. Koltko-Rivera, Ph.D., is a thirty-second-degree Freemason as well as a doctor of psychology. He has written extensively on Freemasonry for publications that serve as Masonic audience, and has also written, and has also written award-winning scholarly works in the fields of clinical and counseling psychology.


 
If you plan to order this through your local bookstore, or if you ask them to stock the book, please note that the ISBN for this edition is ISBN-13: 978-1585428533.
 
It is a great pleasure to see this book reach a large public through a major publisher. Enjoy.

Happy 200th Birthday to Albert Pike!

Just had to break out of my year-end rush to send out happy 200th birthday greetings for Albert Pike (1809-1891), formerly the seventh Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite in the Southern Jurisdiction.

Yes, I know he looks a bit scary. The fellow had more than a slightly rough life, upon the details of which I shall not dwell here. However, looking beyond his stern appearance, I am in awe of his sheer scholarly output, a great deal of which is worth our while today. A few cases in point:

• His revision of the Scottish Rite rituals. Sure, the rituals have been revised a bit here and there since his time, but by far most of what one sees in the Scottish Rite rituals in the Southern Jurisdiction today is Pike's work--and it is magnificent. (For a taste of it in print, take a look at Rex R. Hutchens' A Bridge to Light: The Revised Standard Pike Ritual (3rd ed., 2006, ed. by Arturo de Hoyos).
• His major commentary on that ritual, Morals and Dogma. Yes, the language is a bit outdated. However, if you take it in bite-sized chunks, you'll find that there are depths of interesting thinking here. I don't agree with everything Commander Pike had to say, but I'm grateful for him raising the issues he raised. (I look forward to the forthcoming new edition of Morals and Dogma, also edited by Arturo de Hoyos, which I hope will be out in the new year.)
• His other commentary on that ritual, which can be found in the Scottish Rite Ritual Monitor and Guide (second edition, 2009, also edited by Arturo de Hoyos). Where else does a modern man make intelligent remarks on Pythagoras, the Kabbalah, and the meaning of Freemasonry?
• His thoughts on the symbolism of the Blue Lodge, found in Albert Pike's Esoterika (2nd ed., 2008, edited by the indefatigable Arturo de Hoyos). When some leading intellectuals in the United Grand Lodge of England got a hold of a manuscript copy, they declared this the most profound work they'd seen on the Blue Lodge degrees.

Beyond all of the scholarship, I have a great deal of respect for the values that Albert Pike espoused. Among those that he made a point of emphasizing in the Scottish Rite ritual:

• Tolerance of different religions, and championing of the cause of religious freedom, and respect for religious diversity.
• Commitment to ongoing learning.
• Championing the cause of those not in power. Commitment to fight political repression.
• Commitment to seeing the truth and value that is there to be found in philosophies and religions from across the many cultures of humanity, throughout the ages.

He was not a flawless man by any means, but I have a great deal of respect for much of his thought. I was pleased to discover his condemnation of slavery (not what one expects from a former Confederate general). I also am in awe of his efforts on behalf of Freemasonry--for the Scottish Rite, to be sure, but also for many other aspects of the Fraternity. In my opinion, American Masonry might not have emerged from the Anti-Masonic Period half so well without his efforts.

So happy birthday to you, Commander Pike--with thanks for a job well done.

Mark Koltko-Rivera on Masonic Central--Tonight!--Talking About His Dan Brown Book

Mark Koltko-Rivera will be on the Masonic Central podcast this evening, Sunday, December 13, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time. (You can link to the podcast here.) Mark will be discussing his book, Discovering The Lost Symbol: Freemasons, Magic, Mystery Religions, Noetic Science, and the Idea that We Can Become Gods.

American Lodge of Research Meeting Report (Oct. 29, 2009)

Last week, I had the great pleasure of attending my first meeting at the American Lodge of Research (ARL), held at Masonic Hall in New York City. ARL is the oldest research lodge in the United States, and its venerable traditions were in full evidence in the meeting on Thursday, October 29, when we were regaled by a presentation by W. Bro. Gilbert Ferrer regarding logical errors that are frequently found in anti-Masonic rhetoric.

I would be honored to give you a full accounting of this meeting. However, the fact of the matter is that Bro. Jay Hochberg has already done that on his blog, "The Magpie Mason" (read the post here); Bro. Hochberg's professional background is in journalism, and he has written a superior report, upon which I could not hope to improve. I recommend his report to the readers of this blog. (Incidentally, I suggest you take a look at "The Magpie Mason"; I highly recommend that blog, as well.)

Kudos to the leaders of the American Lodge of Research for upholding the finest traditions of Masonic scholarship. May your tribe increase.

[The image of a multivolume Latin dictionary is a photo taken by Dr. Marcus Gossler at the University of Graz in 2005. It was obtained from Wikipedia and appears here under the GNU Free Documentation License.]

257th Anniversary of George Washington's Initiation as a Freemason

On November 4th, 1752, a twenty-year-old young man named George Washington became an Entered Apprentice at the Lodge of Fredericksburg, in the British colony of Virginia. (This lodge still exists today as Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4 in the Grand Lodge of Virginia AF&AM.) My friend and our Brother Christopher Hodapp has a fascinating description of George Washington's initiation in Chapter 1 of his 2007 book, Solomon's Builders (Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press), which I highly recommend.

Let's think for a few moments about the Freemasonry that George Washington entered, back in 1752.

At this time, Virginia was an intensely agricultural area with its population scattered throughout the colony. We have almost no Masonic records from this era in Virginia. As Coil puts it, summarizing the little that we know:

The first lodge in Virginia of which there is a reliable account is the lodge at Fredericksburg, in which George Washington was made a Mason, Nov. 4, 1752, and was passed and raised the following year. This lodge is also famous by reason of the fact that its minutes for Dec. 22, 1753 contain the earliest extant entry [that is, anywhere in the world] recording the working of the Royal Arch Degree. The lodge evidently worked under immemorial right prior to the time it received its warrant from Scotland, July, 21, 1758. (Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia, rev. ed., 1995, pp. 666-667)

Lodge records indicate that George Washington was Entered on November 4, 1752, Passed on March 3, 1753, and Raised on August 4, 1753 (Coil's, p. 677). From these few facts, we can observe the following about the Freemasonry that George Washington entered:

• Washington's initiation occurred a mere 35 years after the formation of the first Grand Lodge, in London in 1717. (There would have been men still alive who had been involved at that event in London, although it is doubtful that Washington would have met any of them; other than a single trip to Barbados, Washington never left North America.) The Hiramic legend and the legends of the Craft degrees gave a mythic antiquity to Masonry, but there was little or nothing in the way of real-life protocol, precedent, or direction from Grand Lodge for the Brethren to fall back on. They had to figure things out as they came up. Given that the Fredericksburg Lodge has lasted for over two and a half centuries, I'd say that they've done pretty well for themselves. 
• A fair amount of time passed between Washington's degrees, 4 months between the EA and the FC, and 5 months between the FC and the MM degrees. The amount of time required didn't seem to hurt him any.
• There was an interest, even at this very early date, in the 'high degrees' that go beyond the Craft degrees.
• There was little or nothing in the way of "famous Masons" at the time. Somehow, men were attracted to the Fraternity itself, rather than to its glorious history--a history that was just beginning at this time.

Washington himself was really something of a nobody at the time of his initiation: the oldest surviving son of a landowning family, yes, but poorly educated. He was just beginning his military career. He would gain notice the very year he was Raised during a dangerous mission as a messenger to an important Native American chief in the run-up to the French and Indian War; during that conflict, he distinguished himself on several occasions. (The photo shows a 1772 painting of Washington as a British officer--a bit of a jarring image, I know.)

Biographers have lined the shelves with works on Washington (for example, Joseph J. Ellis' His Excellency: George Washington, New York: Knopf, 2008). They are in agreement that Washington was an excellent leader in difficult circumstances, beginning with that early dangerous mission, continuing through the brutal French & Indian War, then the hard slog of the Revolutionary War, then the establishment of a stable American government and useful Constitution.

Can Masonry take any credit for that? Certainly nothing can be established at this late date. Ellis' biography, for all its merits, shares the typical fault of historians who silently pass over Washington's Masonic association and activities. However, I find it highly suggestive that when Washington did comment upon Freemasonry, he was unfailingly positive about the Fraternity. In addition, when it came time to lay the foundation of the United States Capitol--the symbol and landmark of American democracy, for which he had risked his life and limb and fortune for many years--Washington did so in Masonic regalia, and with Masonic ceremony. Surely this was not a casual choice.

So, this great American leader was a Mason. His Masonry involved months between receiving his degrees. The Masonry of his era required lodges to be resourceful in solving their own problems and challenges. Even then, there was an interest in the high degrees of Masonry. The attraction to the Fraternity was its principles, precepts, and ritual--in a word, its secrets--not its famous members or actual history; there was precious little of either of those latter items.

Food for thought, brethren--food for thought.

Last Chance! "Hunting The Lost Symbol" on Discovery Channel, Today

The documentary "Hunting The Lost Symbol" will be broadcast today, Sunday, November 1, on Discovery Channel, from 4 pm to 6 pm (Eastern time; check your local listings).


Of course, this documentary focuses on Dan Brown's new novel, The Lost Symbol. There are prominent segments about George Washington, the missing cornerstone to the U.S. Capitol building, Freemasonry, noetic science, Aleister Crowley (mentioned in the novel as an inspiration for the villain), and other topics related to the novel.

Prominent Masons were interviewed for this program, including Brothers Christopher Hodapp (author of Freemasons For Dummies and other books on the Templars and secret societies), S. Brent Morris (author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry and other books on the Fraternity), and Mark A. Tabbert (author of American Freemasons, and a prominent figure at the George Washington Masonic Memorial). One very obscure Mason was also interviewed; that would be me.

One thing I feel I should emphasize to this audience. This was my first experience as an interview subject on a documentary. I have learned much through this experience, including the fact that the interviewee does not necessarily know what will be shown visually over the sound of his voice. Sometimes what is shown will be something of which one might approve; sometimes it will not. For the record, I was not informed that a re-enactment of ritual would be shown over my voice; I did not suggest this, I did not assist in presenting this re-enactment in any way, and I did not approve it.

Aside from that particular brief portion of the show, Masons should find much to like in this documentary. Enjoy.