Customized Contemplative Workshops

Chuck works with both Masonic and non-Masonic groups interested in learning and refining contemplative practice. Contact him to discuss workshops tailored for the needs of your group and suited to timeframes as small as 30 minutes or as extensive as a multiple day retreat. Basic categories of contemplative practice include the following:

  • Mindfulness & Meditation
  • Imagery & Active Imagination
  • Breath Work & Energy Work
  • Chanting & Mantra Meditation
  • Contemplative Dialogue

Presentations

Any of Chuck’s presentations can be augmented with one or more contemplative exercises, but doing so is especially recommended for those marked with asterisks. Many of these presentations include slideshows that highlight traditional images important to their themes.

Craft Masonry

These presentations are among the most popular of Chuck’s offerings for more light in the first three degrees. Many can be adjusted to accommodate audiences that include members of different degrees and non-Masons as well. You are also welcome to ask about other topics relevant to Craft Masonry.

The Psychology of Freemasonry (60-90 minutes)

All the social and moral virtues of the ideal Mason can only manifest through a properly prepared instrument, and that instrument is his psyche. The well-being and improvement of the psyche is therefore not only a matter of concern, it is the core issue within Masonry. This presentation is a detailed examination of content in the first chapter of Contemplative Masonry. It illustrates the inherent psychology of Masonry by showing how our tradition understands and works with the structure and dynamics of the psyche, our psychological health, growth, and maturation, and our relationships with others. (Adaptable for non-Masons.)

Engaging the Four Cardinal and Three Theological Virtues (60-90 minutes)

The Virtues are traditionally represented in our lecture slides and on tracing boards as feminine beings. So, what if we related to them as living things? What if there was a way of interacting with them and learning more about their work in our lives? How can we experience the Virtues as present in the lodgeroom itself? This presentation takes up such questions, offering a deeper and more vital exploration of an aspect of Masonry that is central to who and what we are, yet often only given passing attention.

Masonry’s Contemplative Path Toward Wholeness (30-60 minutes)

Each of us naturally gravitates toward being more a man of action, of feeling, of thinking, or of spirit. In this presentation we review how Masonic ritual engages us in all four of these dimensions, and how our tradition encourages us to actualize and harmonize all four in our lives. (Adaptable for non-Masons.)

The Penetration of the Mysteries and Masonic Intercourse (60-90 minutes)

This mildly risqué presentation posits that for men to attain mature masculinity, our ritual hints we must integrate qualities of being that society stereotypically assigns to the feminine. Consider the images of the Four Cardinal, Three Theological Virtues, and the Weeping Virgin. Furthermore, the Widow and the Blazing Star are strong clues that we revere not only the aspects of Deity commonly associated with the masculine, but also those usually regarded as feminine. This presentation has been found particularly suitable for Festive Boards. (May not be suitable for EAs or FCs.)

The Supreme Virtue (30-60 minutes)

The Principle Tenets, the Top Rung of the EA’s Ladder, the Five Points of Fellowship and the Trowel illustrate that love is both the means and the end, both the journey and the goal, of all our Masonic labors. This presentation includes a philosophical consideration of love as more than a feeling or a way of behaving, asserting that it transcends any duality and ultimately subsumes and informs all aspects of our being. (May not be suitable for EAs or FCs.)

Introduction to Contemplative Masonry (30-60 minutes)

Our ritual repeatedly urges contemplation and the careful development of the psyche. This presentation reviews how the book, Contemplative Masonry, came to be written, and highlights why and how contemplative practice offers us a more challenging and rewarding experience of the Craft. (Adaptable for non-Masons.)

Hiram Must Die! (30-60 minutes)

We often regard the death of Hiram Abif as an instance of injustice, inhumanity, and evil. But what if there is another way to understand this myth which is central to our Masonic journey? What if it contains clues about the secret workings of the psyche that ensure we have plenty of opportunities for liberation and renewal? This presentation offers such a perspective, and challenges its audience to see the story of Hiram Abif continually playing itself out within themselves. (May not be suitable for EAs or FCs.)

Keys to the Lost Word (30-60 minutes)

Within the Master Mason’s degree we are charged to recover the Lost Word, and we are ritually presented with a symbolic key to that word. However, that symbol is not the only key to the Lost Word, and in fact a number of Masonic scholars have found another key hidden within the ritual, if we only have ears to hear. This presentation addresses both of those keys, with special attention given to how we can use the hidden one to reveal the Lost Word. (May not be suitable for EAs or FCs.)

So Mote it Be: The Plea and Affirmation of Amen (30-60 minutes)

The phrase, So Mote it Be, is so familiar to Masons that we can easily overlook its deeper significance's. This presentation traces the origin of the phrase back to its root in the Hebrew amen, and also considers possible connections with similar words of other languages. The attitudes expressed by So Mote it Be and amen are then examined in the light of a contemplative approach to Masonry. (Adaptable for non-Masons.)

Scottish Rite

The following presentations are designed exclusively for Scottish Rite Masons, and typically require about 60 minutes each. Please contact Chuck for more information about content, or to inquire about other subjects of interest in the Scottish Rite.

Discovering the Silent Witness in the Temple

6⁰

Shekinah, the Blazing Star, and the Intendants of the Building

8⁰

Kabbalah

Introduction for Scottish Rite Masons

Elu of the Twelve, Craftsman of Society

11⁰

Descent, Ascension, and Revelation in Masonic Labors

13⁰ & 14⁰

The Alchemical Mystery of the Rose Croix

18⁰

Clavis ad Mysterium: Grasping the Key to the Mysteries

4⁰

General Philosophy, Spirituality, and Esotericism

Chuck offers insight and instruction relevant to a wide variety of wisdom traditions. These examples usually run 60 to 90 minutes. Feel free to ask for more detail or about other topics.

Be Still and Know That I Am God

Silence as Mystical Practice

E-Motion

The Forces that Move Us, Parts 1 & 2

Going Deeper Through Dialogue

Love and Non-Dualism

Esoteric Mentoring

Parts 1 & 2

Rosicrucianism

As a Mythopoetic Movement

From the Cubic Stone to the Mystic Rose

Interpreting Symbolism in Myth and Ritual

Kabbalah, Cabala, Qabalah: An Introduction for Western Esotericists