The Compasses & Square

The Compasses & Square The original version of this poem was written in 2003 or a little earlier. After years of it being misplaced, I recently stumbled upon it. I’ve made a few improvements to the meter and rhyme, but it is very much the same poem as before. All the imagery and themes remain, […]

This Man Was A Mason

  This Man Was A Mason Originally written in memory of Bro. Joseph Gordon Ervin, August 3, 1940 – December 8, 2018, of Walker, Louisiana, at the request of his son, Kenneth Ervin, by C.R. Dunning, Jr. This man was a Mason,He took up the toolsOf reverence and compassionAnd virtuous rules. When he was admitted,His […]

The Sword and Trowel

The Sword and Trowel I thought I would offer a little background on this poem. I wrote it many years ago when I was fascinated with the Knights Templar and how they might have been related to some of the esoteric movements in the Christian world, including Masonry. I had been meditating on this matter […]

The Abyss of the Mysteries

The Abyss of the Mysteries We stand upon the islands of what we think we know,and the abyss of the Mysteries, vast and deep,stretches out from these shifting sandsand well beyond the hazy horizonof sensation, emotion, image, and word. And so we learn the limits of the mindthrough observing the death of our thoughts,their drowning […]

Initiation

Initiation I wrote the following poem in February of 2003. It’s full of classic symbolism representing aspects of traditional initiatic experience, and most particularly of the mystical sort. So it might be helpful to keep in mind that everything in this poem actually refers to the internal and not the external. Awakening in the night’s […]

Chanting AUM in the Great Architect’s Presence

Chanting AUM in the Great Architect’s Presence Please note that the following poem emerged from my own contemplative practice. To my knowledge, the chanting of AUM or any other words is not part of any lodge ritual in the mainstream fraternity. Near the fallen body of our hallowed icon of Masonic perfection,Tradition has left a […]