Many exciting things have been going on in the lodge so far this year. Our new Worshipful Master, Steve Travis, has been keeping us very busy. In March, my wife and I put on a Masonic open house program. We invited brethren from all of the lodges and asked them to bring visitors, and each of us gave a short presentation. Valkyrie did a much better job than I, and got tons of praise. Our lodge secretary asked her to type up her speech so we could send it to the Grand Lodge for inclusion in their newsletter. Once she does this, I'll make sure to post it here so others can read it. It was very moving!

I'm even more excited about our next event. Bro. Scott Carter and I have been working very hard to get Bro. Jay Kinney up to our lodge to give a lecture. He's the former publisher and editor of GNOSIS Magazine and the co-author of Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions. He will be in Ashland on Saturday, May 18th, and will be giving a lecture titled "Is Freemasonry Afraid of Its Own Shadow?" at 5:00 PM at the Ashland Masonic Center. If you're interested in attending, please contact me at erik@aarg.net for more information. Both Masons and non-Masons are invited to attend, and there will be a suggested donation of $6.00.

Earlier this month, a group of Royal Arch Masons from local chapters (well, mostly from Siskiyou Chapter No. 21) accompanied a candidate down to Red Bluff, California. All four of the Chapter degrees were conferred. It was a great experience, and I wanted to thank all of the Red Bluff Masons for their hard work and great hospitality. If any of you are reading this, thanks, guys!