September 22, 2025 • 26 mins
Journey with us to the ancient lands of Lebanon as we sit down with Most Worshipful Raffy Timonian, Founding Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Lebanon. Now serving as Grand Chancellor, MWB Timonian shares insights into the rich history, unique traditions, and vibrant present of Freemasonry in a region steeped in symbolism and heritage. Discover how the Grand Lodge of Lebanon navigates the complexities of modern society while upholding the timeless principles of brotherhood and charity, fostering a unique Masonic experience.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Commons. Opinions and views shared during this program are
of those individual Freemasons and do not reflect the official
position of a Grand Lodge, concordant Body, a Pendant Body,
a Masonic authority, or Craftsman Online dot com.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Welcome back to the Craftsman Online Podcast, the only Masonic
podcast endorsed by the Grand Lodge of New York. I'm
your host right worship for Brother Michael Arsa, and you've
joined us for an episode on the seeds of brotherhood
as we unveil the Grand Lodge of Lebanon. Before we
get to our show and our guest couple housekeeping notes
for you. We do have a Patreon push for trying
to get twenty new subscribers this fall, and I want
(00:48):
to want to thank one of our latest subscribers, Stephen Brown,
who became a five dollars member. Thank you, Stephen for
helping support this show and our mission to connect men
who have an interest in freemasonry with our ancient and
gentle craft. What us Steven get were the same things
you would get for a five dollars Patreon subscription, ad
free episodes, early access, and of course you get all
(01:08):
of our back episodes and you get the good feeling
of knowing that you're helping out our podcasts, and we
thank you so much for that. Also a reminder to
email your questions into our first Listener Questions and Answers
episode coming this October. You can email any question you
have about freemasonry our podcast, even a personal question. Take
a crack at that my email addressed podcast at Craftsman
(01:31):
online dot com. Make sure you send it to the
right craftsmen. Craftsman is a different kind of tool podcast
at Craftsmen online dot com, and we will get your
questions answered to the best of our abilities during our
special episode next month. I'm really excited for this episode
this week, not only to share the story of the
(01:53):
Grand Lodge of Lebanon, but also to share this time
with our guest. I've had the pleasure of chatting with
him at several of the Grand Lodge of New York
annual sessions in New York City. He has proudly been
representing both of our jurisdictions as the Grand Chancellor, and
this week we're going to get into a discussion on
the Grand Lodge of Lebanon. Learn a little bit about
the history, the culture, some of the complexities it's happening
(02:15):
with free masonry and a modern society. What inspired Rafi
to become a Mason, and what his outlook is for
a very bright and positive future for Freemasonry, not just
in the Middle East, but all around the world. Please
join me in welcoming our very special guest, Most Worshipful Raffi, Timmyonian,
founding Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Lebanon. Welcome
(02:37):
to the Craftsman Online podcast by Brother Thank you quessures
to be here just right up the bat. Your title
is so fun. You're the first Grand Chancellor I've ever met,
and your reply was, really, you've never met another one
of us, So kind of explain to our listener how
that works.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
It's usually held by a past glan Master and it
is mostly dedicated to establish and cheap and n the
relationship that the Grand Lodge you are representing has with
the other Grand Lodgers.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
As I mentioned, very accessible. I would encourage any New
York brother that's attending our next Grand Lodge session walk
right up say hi to this guy. He's super friendly
and wants to tell you all of the wonderful things
about the Grand Lodge of Lebanon, because I think this
may come as a surprise. There's a lot of brothers,
and I would count myself as one of them. I
didn't know about the Grand Lodge of Lebanon until I
(03:28):
went to our Grand Lodge session and saw the delegation
that was there and started hearing about this story. So
let's talk about this the roots.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Eighteen ninety one the Grand Orience of Egypt. Believe it
or not, there was a Grand Audience in Egypt, which
itself was chartered by the ugl Nita Drantlage of England.
They chartered a large called Phoenicia Lodge, which was then
shut down due to pressure by the automatiorities. Remember in
those days, we were on the top call area in
(03:59):
the ninety hundred Grand Looge of Scotland, who had largest
in the Levant already they had largest in Jordan, in
Palestine elsewhere. So they charted their first lodge called Dislodge
number nine hundred and eight in Lebanon in the year
nineteen hundred. In the year nineteen twenty four, the Grand
Lodge of New York established their first two largest Now
(04:21):
why Lebanon hosts one of the oldest universities American universities
outside the Continental USA, which is called the American University
of PUS. That was designed for boys, AUB that's what
we call it. And then they established another one for women.
It was called BCW bea Ruth College for women. Okay,
(04:44):
now naturally their names changed. AUB still is AUB. Now
it's not no longer boys only. It attracts people from
from the whole Mediterranean BASM. It's one of the most
competitive and the most the highest respected universities in the
whole Mediterranean Mason including Europe, and BCW recently became LAU
(05:09):
Lebanese American University. Same thing. They have a lot of
common professors, common programs come so people who were already Masons,
who were either the dean or professors who were at
the AUB. Those are the people who started the first touch.
The first large was under New York. Mind you, in
(05:31):
nineteen twenty four the charter was signed, so which means
that these people started their work way before that. There
was no facts, no email, right, so everything had to
be done by a letter that was carried to from
Lebanon all the way to New York in a boat
and God knows how long that took. So back and
forth for that or to be approved, back and forth
(05:54):
to be to be under under the dispensation, back and
forth to be a charter. The charter was signed in
nineteen twenty Syria American Lodge speaks in English. They created
another one called New York Lodge nineteen oh two that
operated in Arab right. So that's the history of the
New York lodges. That's how far they got. In nineteen
(06:16):
fifty two, in an effort to govern its large affairs,
the Grand Lage of Scotland created two superintendent positions, one
governing their largest in Jordan and Palestine and another governing
their lodgest in Syria and leven In nineteen fifty five,
and this is very important, nineteen fifty five, the New
York had enough lodges in Lebanon that they actually needed
(06:37):
a body to govern those lodgers to make decisions that
pertain to the area a bit quicker than waiting for
a letter that would take months to go back and forth.
The District Grand Lage of Syria Lebroon that was chartered
in nineteen fifty five, So twenty ten, the Grandloge of
the District of Columbia Washington, d C created its first lodge.
(06:59):
It was called Phoenix one thousand and one. Later, and
after the creation of the Drenology of Debanon, the Drnanologue
of DC proceeded in chartering at Moost Lodge one thousand
two in December of twenty eighteen and Steadus Large one
thousand and three in December of twenty twenty one. In
(07:19):
twenty thirteen, the Grand Lage of Scotland established a District Planele.
So the scott sent from nineteen fifty two all the
way to twenty thirteen had a superintendent, one gentleman, one
brother who was overseeing the everyday matters that pertain to
the largest Okay. So in twenty thirteen they created a
(07:42):
District Grandolage of Debanon under Scotland, with the District grand
Master that actually was in charge of the locals, just
like New York did. Only New York vidit in nineteen five,
Scotland did in two thousand and thirty thirteen. So under
twenty fourth of October two thousan eighteen, with no other
Grand Lodge as a Grand Lodge being presented in Lebanon,
(08:05):
we created the Grand Lodge of Levan. We took three
largers from the district Grand Lodge of Syria Lebron three
New York Lodgers. Chapter was signed under twenty fourth of
October two thousand eight. The Grand Lodge of Lebanon being created,
did not ask, or nor will it ask, the regular
(08:26):
Grand Lodgers that have presentation in Lebanon to their largest.
For example, New York Lodge keep New York Grand Lodge
kept its largest under its district. Okay, Scotland kept its
largest under its district. So did DC. So we have
we have an understanding. There is no one castling the other.
(08:48):
All of us, i'd like to call Freemasons of Lebanon.
Each have a jurisdiction that they belong to. They have
to abide by its large ruse regulations, but each each
group has its own flavor, like a bouquet.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
It's amazing to hear that masonry was in that part
of the world and the eighteen hundreds, and that some
of the lodges that are part of our Grand Lodge
of New York through the Grand Lodge of Lebanon are
almost one hundred years old. I can hear our listeners'
heads just exploding all over New York that did not
know the history of this. The other thing that I
find so fascinating is that your situation is very similar
(09:25):
to here in the United States, where each Grand jurisdiction
has different ritual. It's the same but it's presented differently.
And so when you visit and travel around the United
States and you've seen this, but you get different versions
of the same thing, it's interesting to know that that's going
to exist in Lebanon as well.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Oh it does so, for example, the Grand Lodge of Lebanon,
because we are original in New York missions like, for example,
I am still a New York Mason and I actually
serve the Grand Master of New York as history as
on officer in Lebanon. So Scotland its own, it's a
little bit different. France has its own. They dc uses
(10:06):
emulation in some of their largest it's kind of cool
as richness, even the Grand Loge of Lebanon. So we
are free and accepted. So we're pretty much your right oriented.
We have one of our lodgest adama that actually operates
in the old Scottish rit ritual because the constitution of
the Grand Lage of Lebanon allows the lodgers, with the
(10:29):
permission of the grand master. It allows the lodgers to
use well respected and well accepted rituals that come from
regular grand logists.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Yes, the diversity. It's the same idea, but a story
that's presented in different ways. And you know, the final
product is all still the same thing, which is making
good men better. But it's just interesting the different paths
they'll take to get there. I'm sure the one thing
that our listener who's a New York mason right now
is sitting here going wait, he just said, they do
New York ritual and Lebanon. So if I was to
(11:01):
go visit your lodge, it would be set up presented
very similar to what I would see at my home
lodge in upstate New York.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Oh I should, I wouldn't say very similar. It is exact.
If you had a translating machine in your ear, you know,
like the new gadgets right now, you would notice that
if you are in any lodge that operates in Armenia,
or you are in I don't know, let's say ad
Onice lodge that operates in Arabic, or you are in
(11:29):
Lebanon number one lodge that operates in English, you will
hear the same.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Words, it seems to me. And that's one of the
(12:02):
things that like if you live in the city of
New York and your Freemason go to New York City,
you get that metropolitan feel where you have lodges that
are practicing our ritual in different languages, or brothers as
a very wide and diverse spectrum of life that you
will meet in a Masonic lodge. Same thing. I live
here in Northern Virginia, so I'm also in the Grand
Lodge of DC. We have that same in a larger scale,
(12:24):
a little bit more of an international flavor, and it
does so much to expand the perspective. I would say
as an Americans who has been there, it's the difference
between seeing a picture of the Grand Canyon and actually
getting to go stand on the rim and go, wow,
this thing is big, or for you in California, it's
like getting a postcard of the beach in San Diego
(12:46):
versus getting to go to Catalina and seeing just how
amazing that creation is. What are some things that you
have learned from these brothers and these men from other
walks of life that now have kind of made their
way into your day practice.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
They call it a melt fight, right, meaning different cultures
come and they melt into this one culture that hybrid.
But one culture we don't have that. Our cultures don't
don't meth Our cultures are live, well alive, and that
(13:22):
adds to the beauty and to the richness. It also
comes with its difficulties, right, because culture cultures fight. I'm right,
your wrong kind of stuff. But at the end of
the day, it adds richness. So we bring that to
our largest But the cool thing about the lodge is
when you walk in, you leave the negative side. Now
you're bringing only the good side, and I'm only seeing
(13:45):
the good side. You and I are working on the
good side. So we can make the lodge better. And
by making the large better, our small community, which is
the house, the family better from there, your town, your city,
and the com So it all starts. It's all starts
with something that I've been promoting in the last few years.
(14:07):
To me, most people say freemasonry is dicremation. No no, no, no,
Freemasonry is building me as a person. I also give
example the airlines. What do they tell you when they
dropped off? They tell you what your oxygen first before
helping your natural instinct. Mostly if the person sitting next
(14:30):
to you is your two year old son or daughter.
What I'm like to say is what we are working
on in our largest in Lebanon is strengthening the me,
not the ego, the me, the strong me, whereby I
can radiate energy, positive energy. I can radiate everything that
(14:56):
freemasonry teaches me. I can acceptance, tolerance, prudence, relieve health.
All that in me. It has to radiate, so my
brother can take it. He needs to radiate as well,
so we can take to the That's what we're working
on right now. The misconception in Lebanon was that Freemasons
(15:18):
are there to rule. Premasons are there to help each other.
It's natural for you to help your brother or anybody
else because freemasony teaches us that we are children of God.
If you are a child of God, regardless of what
other child of God is in his mind, if you
see that person needs help, it's your moral beauty as
(15:41):
a human being under the fatherhood of God to help
that person. So it's not your masonry that is doing that,
it's you, and you are a Freemason.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
This is leading right up to the next question that
I had. So thank you for outlining it that way,
because we we're both new at one point, and you
put in a few years and then you start to
become one of the quote unquote old guys, right. You
become you serve your lodge is maybe the master. You're
tapped on by the Grand Master to be on a
committee or in a district, or get involved with the leadership,
and you really start investing it into freemasonry, and you
(16:17):
get to this really unique thing and it doesn't matter
if you're a Freemason or just in any kind of
community or group. You start to get passionate about that
project and you wonder, what's the future of this going
to look like? What do you think the future growth
is going to look like for the Grand Lodge of Lebanon.
(16:37):
What do you see future men and Masons being like?
From your jurisdiction, there's a lot of potential.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
A lot of what was restricting, so to speak, out
potential for a long time was the status of the
government and the different passions that were one way or
another hindering the progress country. We have a new leadership elected,
a new president was elected in this past January January
(17:07):
twenty twenty five. We have a prime minister who served
as the highest judge in It was the I think
in the highest in the world. Okay now, Salam, doctor
Awah Salam. He actually had to pull himself, had to
resign from that position to become the promise of the town.
(17:27):
We have a group of ministers who are very energetic.
So if the country comes out of that is that
is that is in right now and opens up. We
have a lot of potentials and we have a lot
of our members right now that had to leave Lebanon
(17:48):
for economical purposes because there's not a lot of work.
That's the reason why I spend more time in San
Diego than I spend time in Tabanon, because there's not
much going on in double right now. One of the
I'm not gonna say name is but one of the
leading engineering uh uh institutions in Lebanon. Hundreds of engineers.
(18:10):
They are present everywhere including Naomi in Saudi in the Akaba,
in Jordan, and the Emirates and you name it. They
have engineers working on some projects all around the world.
They have applications with the United States companies big Ah.
We have at least ten of our members from from there,
(18:33):
from their from their team. So these people are actually
bringing Freemasonry into into their their their work through them
being freemason right, and it's they're radiating that. So potentially
we're going to have a lot more from them. I'm
just giving a small example of what we do attract
because Lebanon, because Lebanon needs Freemasons, because we are a
(18:59):
group of people aple who do not differentiate between sex, sections,
between sects, between ethnic or religious backgrounds. We don't care.
We want to take you the person who already understands
the relationship between the human being and God, and the
human being and the fellow human being. We don't take premiasure.
(19:23):
It doesn't take. It doesn't say we take men and
make them good. It says we take good men, good
men and make them better. So we have a lot
of good men in Lebanon. Just to waiting to knock
an outdoor.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
What I have found in my travels, and it's interesting,
I was picking up on some of the keywords you
mentioned young new Masons. I'm going to come back to that.
What I'm finding at this point, which is really exciting
to me, is that the craft is transforming. We're getting
these new guys that are coming into our lodges who
are intellectually curious, so they don't think they have life
(20:28):
all figured out. They're asking the same questions that the
rest of us in the room are. Therefore, they want
to be around people different than themselves. They are purposely
putting themselves out there to expand their social circle, which
is awesome. And the other key thing, however they're doing it,
whether it's through sharing what they've learned with others, improving
(20:50):
themselves personally, or the old fashioned getting out in the
community and doing something. They're answering this call to serve.
They want to make a difference. They're all coming in
and going, what's my purpose? How can I do that?
And I find that so special about especially here in
the States and even in Lebanon. You have extremists on
(21:11):
both sides of issues. It's it's a very tense and
difficult world at times, but yet you have the small
band of men who all want to come together and
be together and make a difference together. Can you talk
a little bit about that when why we are so
excited when we have young or men who are older
but are new to the craft come and join us.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
So we have access to this huge pool of people
of all ages, so all the largest Every single meeting
there is a lecture, a lecture by a young guy,
who relatively young Mason, who brings them some new topic,
something he discovered, something he discussed the master whatever it is,
(21:53):
some Masonic delated and then they bring an older gentleman
who represents the history of Premason in Lebanon, who has
a lot more miles to speak on him. Right, we
are a representation of our society. And our society is
not just young people. We are attracting young people, yes,
(22:14):
but young people are sometimes too fast in what they want.
And these days, because of the computer technology, because of
everything has to be in a split second, they have
to answer and see a result. They need to learn
that life is not life is not a hit an
uh enter and see the results. Like for example, I
(22:38):
have a I have a gentleman who I believe he
is in his third or sixty fourth year as a
New York mass He joined Grand Lodge of Lebanon as well.
So when I was the Grandmaster and the first or
something like that, I had the guys bring the wife
and I took the life much on another recess, I
(23:03):
brought the wife then, because what at the end of
the day, the family is involved in your involvement. Right,
If the family is not involved in your involvement, you're failing.
The first difference that you're going to make other than
you is the people around you, your children, your wife,
your father, and your mother, your immediate facts. So it
(23:23):
is important for those people to understand that we not
only appreciate the husband who is the mason, we also
appreciate the opportunity that was given to the husband through
the family.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
I appreciate you sharing that and I'm right there with
you on the same mindset. When I was master of
my lodge, I also had wives and partners stand up
and you know, had everybody applaud them because of them
being so generous by letting us have the time of
that important man in their life and wondering where's he
going this Friday night or why is he blocking out
this whole day on his calendar to go to some
(23:56):
part of this town that we live in that I've
never heard of before. And he's going to go help
people and folks will never meet in life. And yeah,
to your point, it is a community and we're builders
and we're making a difference and I love it. We
started out as a podcast that was really kind of
a New York centric podcast, and with technology we are
now getting listeners all over the world, and thanks to you,
(24:18):
we're going to have some in Lebanon. What do you
want people to know about freemasonry, not just in Lebanon,
but as a fraternity.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
I consider myself the richest man in the world, not
because I have money, because I have the house in
almost every town or empticity in the world. Who can
do that other than a Freemason? Deal with me. So
(24:50):
I want all the Freemasons of the world to understand
the richness of this what we call values and principles
of reason, because it is truly the essence of what
if we actually live it and practice it. It is
what makes us human beings. It is what makes us
(25:12):
better things. So we can make a difference in our society,
not because we're wearing a ring, not because we're going
to a meeting. I don't care if you go to
a meeting or not. I want you to live as
a premasion. Remember that your freemason. Every time you shake
somebody's hand. Remember that your premasion. Every time you hug somebody,
remember your premation every time beside the contract, every time
(25:33):
you travel. Don't talk to God when you are in trouble.
Keep God in your heart and make a regular make
a conversation between you and God a regular thing in
your life. Regular thing. It doesn't need to be in
the form of a prayer. Every time you talk to
God is a prayer, and God is crebationally taught us
(25:56):
about fatherhood of God. So keep that in mind. Apply
your values, and you're going to notice that you are
the most important person in this whole world because you
can make a positive.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Hey, if you've enjoyed this episode with most worshipful Raffy Timmyonian,
yeah we'll get some bonus time with him this Thursday morning.
If you are on Patreon, you get it. Get the
link to start your seven day free trial and see
if you want to step up and support Craftsmen online
on Patreon. I'm right worship for brother Michael ars big.
Thanks for supporting and listening to this show. I'm already
(26:33):
looking forward to our time again together. You get all
of those links in the show notes for this episode. Yeah,
just open it up. On your browser, your player, whatever
you're watching. For episode description, bang, you'll see it right there.
I'm right worship for brother Michael Arsa. Thank you so
much for starting the week with me. Like peace and
harmony prevail
The Commons. Opinions and views shared during this program are
of those individual Freemasons and do not reflect the official
position of a Grand Lodge, concordant Body, a Pendant Body,
a Masonic authority, or Craftsman Online dot com.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Welcome back to the Craftsman Online Podcast, the only Masonic
podcast endorsed by the Grand Lodge of New York. I'm
your host right worship for Brother Michael Arsa, and you've
joined us for an episode on the seeds of brotherhood
as we unveil the Grand Lodge of Lebanon. Before we
get to our show and our guest couple housekeeping notes
for you. We do have a Patreon push for trying
to get twenty new subscribers this fall, and I want
(00:48):
to want to thank one of our latest subscribers, Stephen Brown,
who became a five dollars member. Thank you, Stephen for
helping support this show and our mission to connect men
who have an interest in freemasonry with our ancient and
gentle craft. What us Steven get were the same things
you would get for a five dollars Patreon subscription, ad
free episodes, early access, and of course you get all
(01:08):
of our back episodes and you get the good feeling
of knowing that you're helping out our podcasts, and we
thank you so much for that. Also a reminder to
email your questions into our first Listener Questions and Answers
episode coming this October. You can email any question you
have about freemasonry our podcast, even a personal question. Take
a crack at that my email addressed podcast at Craftsman
(01:31):
online dot com. Make sure you send it to the
right craftsmen. Craftsman is a different kind of tool podcast
at Craftsmen online dot com, and we will get your
questions answered to the best of our abilities during our
special episode next month. I'm really excited for this episode
this week, not only to share the story of the
(01:53):
Grand Lodge of Lebanon, but also to share this time
with our guest. I've had the pleasure of chatting with
him at several of the Grand Lodge of New York
annual sessions in New York City. He has proudly been
representing both of our jurisdictions as the Grand Chancellor, and
this week we're going to get into a discussion on
the Grand Lodge of Lebanon. Learn a little bit about
the history, the culture, some of the complexities it's happening
(02:15):
with free masonry and a modern society. What inspired Rafi
to become a Mason, and what his outlook is for
a very bright and positive future for Freemasonry, not just
in the Middle East, but all around the world. Please
join me in welcoming our very special guest, Most Worshipful Raffi, Timmyonian,
founding Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Lebanon. Welcome
(02:37):
to the Craftsman Online podcast by Brother Thank you quessures
to be here just right up the bat. Your title
is so fun. You're the first Grand Chancellor I've ever met,
and your reply was, really, you've never met another one
of us, So kind of explain to our listener how
that works.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
It's usually held by a past glan Master and it
is mostly dedicated to establish and cheap and n the
relationship that the Grand Lodge you are representing has with
the other Grand Lodgers.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
As I mentioned, very accessible. I would encourage any New
York brother that's attending our next Grand Lodge session walk
right up say hi to this guy. He's super friendly
and wants to tell you all of the wonderful things
about the Grand Lodge of Lebanon, because I think this
may come as a surprise. There's a lot of brothers,
and I would count myself as one of them. I
didn't know about the Grand Lodge of Lebanon until I
(03:28):
went to our Grand Lodge session and saw the delegation
that was there and started hearing about this story. So
let's talk about this the roots.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Eighteen ninety one the Grand Orience of Egypt. Believe it
or not, there was a Grand Audience in Egypt, which
itself was chartered by the ugl Nita Drantlage of England.
They chartered a large called Phoenicia Lodge, which was then
shut down due to pressure by the automatiorities. Remember in
those days, we were on the top call area in
(03:59):
the ninety hundred Grand Looge of Scotland, who had largest
in the Levant already they had largest in Jordan, in
Palestine elsewhere. So they charted their first lodge called Dislodge
number nine hundred and eight in Lebanon in the year
nineteen hundred. In the year nineteen twenty four, the Grand
Lodge of New York established their first two largest Now
(04:21):
why Lebanon hosts one of the oldest universities American universities
outside the Continental USA, which is called the American University
of PUS. That was designed for boys, AUB that's what
we call it. And then they established another one for women.
It was called BCW bea Ruth College for women. Okay,
(04:44):
now naturally their names changed. AUB still is AUB. Now
it's not no longer boys only. It attracts people from
from the whole Mediterranean BASM. It's one of the most
competitive and the most the highest respected universities in the
whole Mediterranean Mason including Europe, and BCW recently became LAU
(05:09):
Lebanese American University. Same thing. They have a lot of
common professors, common programs come so people who were already Masons,
who were either the dean or professors who were at
the AUB. Those are the people who started the first touch.
The first large was under New York. Mind you, in
(05:31):
nineteen twenty four the charter was signed, so which means
that these people started their work way before that. There
was no facts, no email, right, so everything had to
be done by a letter that was carried to from
Lebanon all the way to New York in a boat
and God knows how long that took. So back and
forth for that or to be approved, back and forth
(05:54):
to be to be under under the dispensation, back and
forth to be a charter. The charter was signed in
nineteen twenty Syria American Lodge speaks in English. They created
another one called New York Lodge nineteen oh two that
operated in Arab right. So that's the history of the
New York lodges. That's how far they got. In nineteen
(06:16):
fifty two, in an effort to govern its large affairs,
the Grand Lage of Scotland created two superintendent positions, one
governing their largest in Jordan and Palestine and another governing
their lodgest in Syria and leven In nineteen fifty five,
and this is very important, nineteen fifty five, the New
York had enough lodges in Lebanon that they actually needed
(06:37):
a body to govern those lodgers to make decisions that
pertain to the area a bit quicker than waiting for
a letter that would take months to go back and forth.
The District Grand Lage of Syria Lebroon that was chartered
in nineteen fifty five, So twenty ten, the Grandloge of
the District of Columbia Washington, d C created its first lodge.
(06:59):
It was called Phoenix one thousand and one. Later, and
after the creation of the Drenology of Debanon, the Drnanologue
of DC proceeded in chartering at Moost Lodge one thousand
two in December of twenty eighteen and Steadus Large one
thousand and three in December of twenty twenty one. In
(07:19):
twenty thirteen, the Grand Lage of Scotland established a District Planele.
So the scott sent from nineteen fifty two all the
way to twenty thirteen had a superintendent, one gentleman, one
brother who was overseeing the everyday matters that pertain to
the largest Okay. So in twenty thirteen they created a
(07:42):
District Grandolage of Debanon under Scotland, with the District grand
Master that actually was in charge of the locals, just
like New York did. Only New York vidit in nineteen five,
Scotland did in two thousand and thirty thirteen. So under
twenty fourth of October two thousan eighteen, with no other
Grand Lodge as a Grand Lodge being presented in Lebanon,
(08:05):
we created the Grand Lodge of Levan. We took three
largers from the district Grand Lodge of Syria Lebron three
New York Lodgers. Chapter was signed under twenty fourth of
October two thousand eight. The Grand Lodge of Lebanon being created,
did not ask, or nor will it ask, the regular
(08:26):
Grand Lodgers that have presentation in Lebanon to their largest.
For example, New York Lodge keep New York Grand Lodge
kept its largest under its district. Okay, Scotland kept its
largest under its district. So did DC. So we have
we have an understanding. There is no one castling the other.
(08:48):
All of us, i'd like to call Freemasons of Lebanon.
Each have a jurisdiction that they belong to. They have
to abide by its large ruse regulations, but each each
group has its own flavor, like a bouquet.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
It's amazing to hear that masonry was in that part
of the world and the eighteen hundreds, and that some
of the lodges that are part of our Grand Lodge
of New York through the Grand Lodge of Lebanon are
almost one hundred years old. I can hear our listeners'
heads just exploding all over New York that did not
know the history of this. The other thing that I
find so fascinating is that your situation is very similar
(09:25):
to here in the United States, where each Grand jurisdiction
has different ritual. It's the same but it's presented differently.
And so when you visit and travel around the United
States and you've seen this, but you get different versions
of the same thing, it's interesting to know that that's going
to exist in Lebanon as well.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Oh it does so, for example, the Grand Lodge of Lebanon,
because we are original in New York missions like, for example,
I am still a New York Mason and I actually
serve the Grand Master of New York as history as
on officer in Lebanon. So Scotland its own, it's a
little bit different. France has its own. They dc uses
(10:06):
emulation in some of their largest it's kind of cool
as richness, even the Grand Loge of Lebanon. So we
are free and accepted. So we're pretty much your right oriented.
We have one of our lodgest adama that actually operates
in the old Scottish rit ritual because the constitution of
the Grand Lage of Lebanon allows the lodgers, with the
(10:29):
permission of the grand master. It allows the lodgers to
use well respected and well accepted rituals that come from
regular grand logists.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Yes, the diversity. It's the same idea, but a story
that's presented in different ways. And you know, the final
product is all still the same thing, which is making
good men better. But it's just interesting the different paths
they'll take to get there. I'm sure the one thing
that our listener who's a New York mason right now
is sitting here going wait, he just said, they do
New York ritual and Lebanon. So if I was to
(11:01):
go visit your lodge, it would be set up presented
very similar to what I would see at my home
lodge in upstate New York.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Oh I should, I wouldn't say very similar. It is exact.
If you had a translating machine in your ear, you know,
like the new gadgets right now, you would notice that
if you are in any lodge that operates in Armenia,
or you are in I don't know, let's say ad
Onice lodge that operates in Arabic, or you are in
(11:29):
Lebanon number one lodge that operates in English, you will
hear the same.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Words, it seems to me. And that's one of the
(12:02):
things that like if you live in the city of
New York and your Freemason go to New York City,
you get that metropolitan feel where you have lodges that
are practicing our ritual in different languages, or brothers as
a very wide and diverse spectrum of life that you
will meet in a Masonic lodge. Same thing. I live
here in Northern Virginia, so I'm also in the Grand
Lodge of DC. We have that same in a larger scale,
(12:24):
a little bit more of an international flavor, and it
does so much to expand the perspective. I would say
as an Americans who has been there, it's the difference
between seeing a picture of the Grand Canyon and actually
getting to go stand on the rim and go, wow,
this thing is big, or for you in California, it's
like getting a postcard of the beach in San Diego
(12:46):
versus getting to go to Catalina and seeing just how
amazing that creation is. What are some things that you
have learned from these brothers and these men from other
walks of life that now have kind of made their
way into your day practice.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
They call it a melt fight, right, meaning different cultures
come and they melt into this one culture that hybrid.
But one culture we don't have that. Our cultures don't
don't meth Our cultures are live, well alive, and that
(13:22):
adds to the beauty and to the richness. It also
comes with its difficulties, right, because culture cultures fight. I'm right,
your wrong kind of stuff. But at the end of
the day, it adds richness. So we bring that to
our largest But the cool thing about the lodge is
when you walk in, you leave the negative side. Now
you're bringing only the good side, and I'm only seeing
(13:45):
the good side. You and I are working on the
good side. So we can make the lodge better. And
by making the large better, our small community, which is
the house, the family better from there, your town, your city,
and the com So it all starts. It's all starts
with something that I've been promoting in the last few years.
(14:07):
To me, most people say freemasonry is dicremation. No no, no, no,
Freemasonry is building me as a person. I also give
example the airlines. What do they tell you when they
dropped off? They tell you what your oxygen first before
helping your natural instinct. Mostly if the person sitting next
(14:30):
to you is your two year old son or daughter.
What I'm like to say is what we are working
on in our largest in Lebanon is strengthening the me,
not the ego, the me, the strong me, whereby I
can radiate energy, positive energy. I can radiate everything that
(14:56):
freemasonry teaches me. I can acceptance, tolerance, prudence, relieve health.
All that in me. It has to radiate, so my
brother can take it. He needs to radiate as well,
so we can take to the That's what we're working
on right now. The misconception in Lebanon was that Freemasons
(15:18):
are there to rule. Premasons are there to help each other.
It's natural for you to help your brother or anybody
else because freemasony teaches us that we are children of God.
If you are a child of God, regardless of what
other child of God is in his mind, if you
see that person needs help, it's your moral beauty as
(15:41):
a human being under the fatherhood of God to help
that person. So it's not your masonry that is doing that,
it's you, and you are a Freemason.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
This is leading right up to the next question that
I had. So thank you for outlining it that way,
because we we're both new at one point, and you
put in a few years and then you start to
become one of the quote unquote old guys, right. You
become you serve your lodge is maybe the master. You're
tapped on by the Grand Master to be on a
committee or in a district, or get involved with the leadership,
and you really start investing it into freemasonry, and you
(16:17):
get to this really unique thing and it doesn't matter
if you're a Freemason or just in any kind of
community or group. You start to get passionate about that
project and you wonder, what's the future of this going
to look like? What do you think the future growth
is going to look like for the Grand Lodge of Lebanon.
(16:37):
What do you see future men and Masons being like?
From your jurisdiction, there's a lot of potential.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
A lot of what was restricting, so to speak, out
potential for a long time was the status of the
government and the different passions that were one way or
another hindering the progress country. We have a new leadership elected,
a new president was elected in this past January January
(17:07):
twenty twenty five. We have a prime minister who served
as the highest judge in It was the I think
in the highest in the world. Okay now, Salam, doctor
Awah Salam. He actually had to pull himself, had to
resign from that position to become the promise of the town.
(17:27):
We have a group of ministers who are very energetic.
So if the country comes out of that is that
is that is in right now and opens up. We
have a lot of potentials and we have a lot
of our members right now that had to leave Lebanon
(17:48):
for economical purposes because there's not a lot of work.
That's the reason why I spend more time in San
Diego than I spend time in Tabanon, because there's not
much going on in double right now. One of the
I'm not gonna say name is but one of the
leading engineering uh uh institutions in Lebanon. Hundreds of engineers.
(18:10):
They are present everywhere including Naomi in Saudi in the Akaba,
in Jordan, and the Emirates and you name it. They
have engineers working on some projects all around the world.
They have applications with the United States companies big Ah.
We have at least ten of our members from from there,
(18:33):
from their from their team. So these people are actually
bringing Freemasonry into into their their their work through them
being freemason right, and it's they're radiating that. So potentially
we're going to have a lot more from them. I'm
just giving a small example of what we do attract
because Lebanon, because Lebanon needs Freemasons, because we are a
(18:59):
group of people aple who do not differentiate between sex, sections,
between sects, between ethnic or religious backgrounds. We don't care.
We want to take you the person who already understands
the relationship between the human being and God, and the
human being and the fellow human being. We don't take premiasure.
(19:23):
It doesn't take. It doesn't say we take men and
make them good. It says we take good men, good
men and make them better. So we have a lot
of good men in Lebanon. Just to waiting to knock
an outdoor.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
What I have found in my travels, and it's interesting,
I was picking up on some of the keywords you
mentioned young new Masons. I'm going to come back to that.
What I'm finding at this point, which is really exciting
to me, is that the craft is transforming. We're getting
these new guys that are coming into our lodges who
are intellectually curious, so they don't think they have life
(20:28):
all figured out. They're asking the same questions that the
rest of us in the room are. Therefore, they want
to be around people different than themselves. They are purposely
putting themselves out there to expand their social circle, which
is awesome. And the other key thing, however they're doing it,
whether it's through sharing what they've learned with others, improving
(20:50):
themselves personally, or the old fashioned getting out in the
community and doing something. They're answering this call to serve.
They want to make a difference. They're all coming in
and going, what's my purpose? How can I do that?
And I find that so special about especially here in
the States and even in Lebanon. You have extremists on
(21:11):
both sides of issues. It's it's a very tense and
difficult world at times, but yet you have the small
band of men who all want to come together and
be together and make a difference together. Can you talk
a little bit about that when why we are so
excited when we have young or men who are older
but are new to the craft come and join us.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
So we have access to this huge pool of people
of all ages, so all the largest Every single meeting
there is a lecture, a lecture by a young guy,
who relatively young Mason, who brings them some new topic,
something he discovered, something he discussed the master whatever it is,
(21:53):
some Masonic delated and then they bring an older gentleman
who represents the history of Premason in Lebanon, who has
a lot more miles to speak on him. Right, we
are a representation of our society. And our society is
not just young people. We are attracting young people, yes,
(22:14):
but young people are sometimes too fast in what they want.
And these days, because of the computer technology, because of
everything has to be in a split second, they have
to answer and see a result. They need to learn
that life is not life is not a hit an
uh enter and see the results. Like for example, I
(22:38):
have a I have a gentleman who I believe he
is in his third or sixty fourth year as a
New York mass He joined Grand Lodge of Lebanon as well.
So when I was the Grandmaster and the first or
something like that, I had the guys bring the wife
and I took the life much on another recess, I
(23:03):
brought the wife then, because what at the end of
the day, the family is involved in your involvement. Right,
If the family is not involved in your involvement, you're failing.
The first difference that you're going to make other than
you is the people around you, your children, your wife,
your father, and your mother, your immediate facts. So it
(23:23):
is important for those people to understand that we not
only appreciate the husband who is the mason, we also
appreciate the opportunity that was given to the husband through
the family.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
I appreciate you sharing that and I'm right there with
you on the same mindset. When I was master of
my lodge, I also had wives and partners stand up
and you know, had everybody applaud them because of them
being so generous by letting us have the time of
that important man in their life and wondering where's he
going this Friday night or why is he blocking out
this whole day on his calendar to go to some
(23:56):
part of this town that we live in that I've
never heard of before. And he's going to go help
people and folks will never meet in life. And yeah,
to your point, it is a community and we're builders
and we're making a difference and I love it. We
started out as a podcast that was really kind of
a New York centric podcast, and with technology we are
now getting listeners all over the world, and thanks to you,
(24:18):
we're going to have some in Lebanon. What do you
want people to know about freemasonry, not just in Lebanon,
but as a fraternity.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
I consider myself the richest man in the world, not
because I have money, because I have the house in
almost every town or empticity in the world. Who can
do that other than a Freemason? Deal with me. So
(24:50):
I want all the Freemasons of the world to understand
the richness of this what we call values and principles
of reason, because it is truly the essence of what
if we actually live it and practice it. It is
what makes us human beings. It is what makes us
(25:12):
better things. So we can make a difference in our society,
not because we're wearing a ring, not because we're going
to a meeting. I don't care if you go to
a meeting or not. I want you to live as
a premasion. Remember that your freemason. Every time you shake
somebody's hand. Remember that your premasion. Every time you hug somebody,
remember your premation every time beside the contract, every time
(25:33):
you travel. Don't talk to God when you are in trouble.
Keep God in your heart and make a regular make
a conversation between you and God a regular thing in
your life. Regular thing. It doesn't need to be in
the form of a prayer. Every time you talk to
God is a prayer, and God is crebationally taught us
(25:56):
about fatherhood of God. So keep that in mind. Apply
your values, and you're going to notice that you are
the most important person in this whole world because you
can make a positive.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Hey, if you've enjoyed this episode with most worshipful Raffy Timmyonian,
yeah we'll get some bonus time with him this Thursday morning.
If you are on Patreon, you get it. Get the
link to start your seven day free trial and see
if you want to step up and support Craftsmen online
on Patreon. I'm right worship for brother Michael ars big.
Thanks for supporting and listening to this show. I'm already
(26:33):
looking forward to our time again together. You get all
of those links in the show notes for this episode. Yeah,
just open it up. On your browser, your player, whatever
you're watching. For episode description, bang, you'll see it right there.
I'm right worship for brother Michael Arsa. Thank you so
much for starting the week with me. Like peace and
harmony prevail
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