Lectures at the Lodge
Past Events
May 21, 2024 at 6:00PM
Interactive Sacred Geometry Workshop
With Brother Ernest Chapman, 33°
Recommended contribution: $10 (includes dinner)Open to the public, this interactive Sacred Geometry workshop will take you through the rich archetypal symbolism of “Philosophical” Number - but you won’t just look at cool pictures, you will draw them yourself.
In less than 90 minutes, you’ll have started sketching on paper what the Ancients sketched in stone - the patterns of nature, a reflection of the Hermetic principle “As Above, So Below”.
You’ll learn the basic rules of construction that make it possible to hold Universal Harmony in your hand - tracing the “ideal forms” that tie together music, planetary movements, sacred architecture, DNA, and familiar symbolism - with nothing more than a compass and a ruler.
For the best experience, bring the following supplies: compass, ruler, notebook.
You could call him an out of the box thinker, but there is no box. A natural guide through the creative gauntlet, Ernest leads the conversation with fresh ideas and a catchy sense of humor. His story starts with a childhood surrounded by world-class musicians and hit songwriters. With a major in music and a minor in Alchemy, he started studying and teaching Sacred Geometry in 2002. A member of West Nashville Phoenix lodge, Doric Lodge, and a 33º Scottish Rite Mason, he also serves as the Organist for the Scottish Rite Valley of Nashville.
Lecturer Biography
March 19, 2024 at 6:00PM
Images of Jesus
With Joe Allen
From Pagan Precursors to Postmodern Projections
History has seen the appearance of many images of Jesus. These are sometimes used as evidence that Jesus himself is a mere social construct. In this lecture, Allen will argue that these many images of Jesus do not discredit or diminish the spiritual depth of Christ, but rather, that raising awareness of these many faces only add to that depth.
Many scholars have pointed to the ancient "dying and rising gods" — Adonis, Osiris, Dionysus — as precursors to the crucifixion and resurrection. Hercules and Plato were believed to have come into the world through miraculous births. Roman emperors were called "saviors." In the far east, Krishna, Buddha, and even Lao Tzu were said to be incarnations of divine beings.
The four canonical gospels, for all their coherence, each present a subtly different image of Jesus. The Gnostic gospels reveal a dramatically different face.
For the next two millennia, wherever the Gospel was carried, each culture saw Jesus through its own lens — Christ as the king, Christ on the cross, Christ as tribal chieftain, as medieval lord, as physician, as revolutionary, as political liberator, and on down to the bizarre images of a technological or even extraterrestrial Christ.
Allen traces these many images, not to discredit or disparage the reality of Christ, but rather to stimulate a conversation about who Jesus really is, and who he is not.
Joe Allen is the author of DARK ÆON: Transhumanism and the War Against Humanity. He has written for Chronicles, The Federalist, Human Events, The National Pulse, Parabola, Salvo, and Protocol: The Journal of the Entertainment Technology Industry. Allen holds a master’s degree from Boston University, where he studied cognitive science and human evolution as they pertain to religion.
Lecturer Biography
February 20, 2024 at 6:00PM
A Short Journey into the Mysteries of
Mozart, Music and Masonic Symbolism
With Brother Ernest Chapman, 33°
In 1996, lost Mozart works were rediscovered - proving that Mozart was part of a team of writers who composed a largely forgotten Opera called “The Philosopher’s Stone”.
Named after the symbolic goal of spiritual Alchemy, it was a co-write - something familiar to any Nashville songwriter. And those same writers - including three Freemasons - worked together the following year to put on The Magic Flute, which was a massive hit.
But the monarchy was not impressed.
Four years after the Magic Flute was premiered, Freemasonry was banned in Austria for 100 years.
Were these two things connected? Had they unleashed something, or were they just tuning in to the spirit of the age?
In this illuminating exploration, Brother Ernest Chapman, 33º, will take you on a journey of provocative questions, exploring the overlapping themes of Alchemy, allegory, symbolism, and the intersection of Art and Power that weave through Mozart’s Masonic Music - causing tremendous tension in the hearts of tyrants, even today.
You could call him an out of the box thinker, but there is no box. A natural guide through the creative gauntlet, Ernest leads the conversation with fresh ideas and a catchy sense of humor. His story starts with a childhood surrounded by world-class musicians and hit songwriters. With a major in music and a minor in Alchemy, he started studying and teaching Sacred Geometry in 2002. A member of West Nashville Phoenix lodge, Doric Lodge, and a 33º Scottish Rite Mason, he also serves as the Organist for the Scottish Rite Valley of Nashville.