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  • "Astrology in the Western Esoteric Traditions" Bro. Jaime Paul Lamb at EFC2022

    "Astrology in the Western Esoteric Traditions" Bro. Jaime Paul Lamb at EFC2022
    2026/07/10
    Recorded at the Esotericism in Freemasonry Conference 2022, this throwback episode features Br. Jaime Paul Lamb, professional astrologer and author. Recently uncovered from an archive of conference recordings, this presentation is titled Astrology in the Western Esoteric Traditions. Please forgive any audio irregularities, as this was captured live at the event. Slides are available to follow along on our YouTube channel.Br. Lamb opens with a personal story: two weeks after being raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason, he came across Robert Hewitt Brown's Stellar Theology and Masonic Astronomy, a book he describes as producing a kind of Sixth Sense moment, where the symbolic architecture of the Craft suddenly resolved into something far larger. That book remains a touchstone for everything that follows.The presentation offers a definition of astrology as the study of the mirroring of celestial events on the terrestrial sphere, the sympathetic resonant relationship between microcosm and macrocosm. Lamb draws a structural analogy: astrology is to astronomy as alchemy is to chemistry, as magic is to technology. What separates the pairs, he argues, is the quality of enchantment, the qualitative dimension that the Enlightenment stripped from the quantitative sciences and which he identifies as a genuine cultural loss.Lamb traces the history of astrology beginning in the Mesopotamian cultures of Sumer, Akkadia, Assyria, and Babylon, where a proto-astrology of celestial omens developed into electional astrology, astrological magic, and the first recorded articulation of the as-above-so-below axiom, found in the Babylonian diviners' manuals centuries before the Tabula Smaragdina formalized it. He follows this transmission through Homer and Porphyry's interpretation of the Cave of the Nymphs, Plato's Myth of Er, and into Hellenistic astrology proper, which he defines precisely: planets in signs in houses and how they are aspected. Those four components, he argues, are what distinguish astrology from related but distinct celestial traditions.The cosmological model underlying all of this is Ptolemaic: the sublunary sphere of the four elements surrounded concentrically by the seven etheric planetary spheres, the sphere of the fixed stars and zodiac beyond that, and the primum mobile or unmoved mover at the outermost limit. Lamb calls mastery of this model the ring-not-pass of understanding everything else in the tradition. Without it, the rest won't hold.He develops the Platonic-Hermetic account of the soul's descent through the planetary spheres accompanied by its daimon, taking on character qualities at each sphere, and connects this to the predictive logic of natal astrology: Heraclitus' ethos anthropos daimon, character is destiny. The natal chart, on this reading, is a schematic of that descent, a map of the character the native carries into embodied life.Porphyry receives particular attention as Lamb's preferred Neoplatonist, distinguished from Plotinus and Iamblichus by his technicianlike insistence on understanding the mechanics of the ascent rather than simply contemplating union with the One. His commentary on the Cave of the Nymphs and his introduction to Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos are recommended as entry points.The presentation continues through Gnosticism (which Lamb engages with reluctantly, finding its cosmology inelegant but noting the relevance of the demiurge concept for Freemasons thinking about the Grand Architect), Mithraism (its planetary grades, the Anabasis through the spheres, and the tauroctony as a star map showing Perseus atop Taurus with Scorpio, Canis Major, and Hydra below), and the Perso-Arabic transmission through Baghdad and Harran, where the Sabians preserved and developed the tradition, producing the Picatrix and forming the basis of the Solomonic grimoire tradition in Europe.The Sefer Yetzirah is addressed as proto-Kabbalistic rather than Kabbalistic proper: its three mother letters corresponding to three of the four elements, its seven double letters explicitly planetary, and its twelve single letters explicitly zodiacal. This is not interpretation, Lamb notes. It is in the text.Marsilio Ficino and the Renaissance reception of the Hermetic corpus receive dedicated attention. Ficino learned to play a seven-stringed modal lyre specifically to draw down planetary influences by matching musical modes to planetary spheres, an act Lamb identifies as practical Hermetic magic in the Neoplatonic sense.The single slide devoted to Freemasonry proper covers the circumambulation of the lodge as primary motion mirroring the sun's path, the Senior Deacon as a Hermetic psychopomp archetype corresponding to Mercury, and the tetramorph, the lion, ox, eagle, and man of Royal Arch heraldry, as the four fixed signs of the zodiac traced from the Babylonian lamassus through Ezekiel's vision in captivity and into Revelation.Lamb closes with a brief critique of Theosophical astrology, sun-sign pop ...
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    1 時間 3 分
  • Freemasonry in Academic Studies of Western Esotericism with Bro. Doug Russel | EFC 2022

    Freemasonry in Academic Studies of Western Esotericism with Bro. Doug Russel | EFC 2022
    2026/07/02

    In this throwback episode recorded to support Esotericism in Freemasonry Conference 2022, Bro. Doug Russell sits down to explore how Freemasonry fits into the growing academic field of Western Esotericism. A past editor of the Fraternal Review and an officer of the Academy of Reflection, Bro. Russel brings a unique perspective that bridges scholarly research and lived Masonic practice.

    The conversation digs into why academics are only now beginning to take Freemasonry seriously as a subject of study, how the craft intersects with broader currents in Western Esoteric thought, and what it means for brethren when scholars start examining the traditions from the outside looking in.

    Bro. Doug Russell returns to the Esotericism in Freemasonry Conference 2026 this September, where he will be leading the Friday night meditation session and presenting his upcoming book. Tickets are available at esotericmasonry.com.

    Links and resources

    • Esotericism in Freemasonry Conference: masonicconferences.com
    • RSVP for the upcoming conference: esotericmasonry@gmail.com
    • Mystic Tye website and event calendar: mystictye.com
    • Patreon (early episodes, extended cuts, artwork, extras): patreon.com/mystictye


    Support the show

    If this episode resonated with you, the most helpful thing you can do is leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. We are also building a directory of Freemasonic events and publications. If you know of something coming up, send Troy an email at troy@mystictye.com.

    Graphics and web hosting by Art Szabo Creative. Theme music by Organist.

    Happy to meet, sorry to part, happy to meet again.
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    1 時間 1 分
  • “Elias Ashmole, Initiation, and Freemasonry” w/ Bro. Richard Harris Throwback Episode

    “Elias Ashmole, Initiation, and Freemasonry” w/ Bro. Richard Harris Throwback Episode
    2026/06/25

    "Elias Ashmole, Initiation, and Freemasonry" with Bro. Richard Harris (Throwback Episode)

    Recorded in support of the Esotericism in Freemasonry Conference 2022, this throwback episode features Grand Lodge of Washington State brother Richard Harris in conversation with Troy about his conference presentation on Elias Ashmole, initiation, alchemy, and Freemasonry.

    Please forgive the minor audio issues and edits. Enjoy.

    Bro. Richard Harris is a member of Esoterica Lodge No. 316 in Seattle, a serious student of alchemical and Hermetic history, a licensed therapist, and an avid collector of ancient coins. He studied at the Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture in Wales, focusing on cultural astronomy, archaeoastronomy, and the history of astrology.

    In this episode, Richard and Troy explore:

    • Who Elias Ashmole actually was, and why Richard calls him "Superman"
    • Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum and its place as the most important English-language alchemical anthology
    • The relationship between alchemy, Rosicrucianism, and early operative and speculative Masonry
    • How Ashmole's royalism, legal career, and obsessive collecting all tied together
    • Isaac Newton's debt to Ashmole and the Theatrum, and what Newton was really obsessing over
    • The cross-currents between the alchemists, poets, and spy networks of 16th- and 17th-century England
    • John Dee, Edward Kelley, and the Enochian system that Ashmole helped preserve
    • The checkerboard floor and why Richard believes it is one of the most misunderstood symbols in Masonic and Western history
    • Tobias Churton's biography Magus of Freemasonry as an entry point to Ashmole
    • Richard's personal journey from Roman Catholicism to evangelical theology, Jungian psychology, Chinese medicine, and finally Masonry
    • Troy's own path into the Craft, from teenage conspiracy theory rabbit holes and the Satanic Panic through Israel Regardie and Aleister Crowley to Thelema

    Books and figures mentioned in this episode:

    • Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum by Elias Ashmole
    • The Order of the Garter by Elias Ashmole
    • Magus of Freemasonry by Tobias Churton
    • Israel Regardie, The Garden of Pomegranates and The Golden Dawn
    • Aleister Crowley, The Book of Lies
    • John Dee and Edward Kelley (Enochian system)
    • Francis Bacon, The New Atlantis
    • Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, Christopher Marlowe, John Milton
    • Nick Campion, Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture
    • John Belanger (bookseller and Masonic contact)
    • Bro. John Gerardi (Masonic scholar and research partner)
    • William Kissel's Esoteric Book Conference

    Happy to meet, sorry to part, happy to meet again.

    Links and resources

    • Esotericism in Freemasonry Conference: masonicconferences.com
    • RSVP for the upcoming conference: esotericmasonry@gmail.com
    • Mystic Tye website and event calendar: mystictye.com
    • Patreon (early episodes, extended cuts, artwork, extras): patreon.com/mystictye


    Support the show

    If this episode resonated with you, the most helpful thing you can do is leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. We are also building a directory of Freemasonic events and publications. If you know of something coming up, send Troy an email at troy@mystictye.com.

    Graphics and web hosting by Art Szabo Creative. Theme music by Organist.

    Happy to meet, sorry to part, happy to meet again.
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    58 分
  • “Four Freemasonic Leaders, One Epic Panel” Grand Masonic Day 2026 w Wages, de Hoyos, McCune and Regan

    “Four Freemasonic Leaders, One Epic Panel” Grand Masonic Day 2026 w Wages, de Hoyos, McCune and Regan
    2026/06/19

    The final recording from Grand Masonic Day 2026 brings together four distinguished brothers for a panel discussion moderated by Bro. Wes Regan. Joining the conversation are Bro. Josef Wages, Bro. Arturo de Hoyos and Bro. Zane McCune

    The panel opens with the state of Masonic research. Bro. de Hoyos recounts his twenty-year quest to reverse-engineer Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma, tracing its unattributed sources across libraries throughout the United States. Bro. Wages describes their joint archival photography expeditions across Europe, capturing tens of thousands of images from collections that even local archivists had never fully explored. Both scholars reflect on their mentor-mentee relationship and the chronic underutilization of Masonic libraries and archives worldwide.

    The conversation shifts to ritual. Bro. de Hoyos compares Freemasonry to an onion, each layer a product of time, culture, and the brethren who practiced it. The panel examines how degree systems evolved, why the York Rite and Scottish Rite survived while hundreds of other systems were consigned to archives, and whether there is room for new ritual innovation in the craft today.

    Technology and artificial intelligence in the lodge draw spirited responses from every panelist. Virtual degree conferrals, AI-generated ritual set to music, and the merits of memorization versus reading from a cipher all come under scrutiny. The panel lands firmly on the value of in-person, sensory, participatory experience, while leaving room for technology as a tool for education and outreach.

    Audience members contribute questions on lodge culture, seeker processes, the use of Zoom and conferencing tools for brethren who can no longer attend in person, and whether memorization is essential or merely one path among many.

    Please forgive the occasional audio issues and edits as this was recorded at a live event.

    Links and resources

    • Esotericism in Freemasonry Conference: masonicconferences.com
    • RSVP for the upcoming conference: esotericmasonry@gmail.com
    • Mystic Tye website and event calendar: mystictye.com
    • Patreon (early episodes, extended cuts, artwork, extras): patreon.com/mystictye


    Support the show

    If this episode resonated with you, the most helpful thing you can do is leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. We are also building a directory of Freemasonic events and publications. If you know of something coming up, send Troy an email at troy@mystictye.com.

    Graphics and web hosting by Art Szabo Creative. Theme music by Organist.

    Happy to meet, sorry to part, happy to meet again.
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    1 時間 2 分
  • "Discovering Secrets Of The Unlawful Societies Act" with Dr. Paul Calderwood

    "Discovering Secrets Of The Unlawful Societies Act" with Dr. Paul Calderwood
    2026/06/11
    Episode 39 · Discovering Secrets of the Unlawful Societies ActFeaturing V.W. Bro. Dr. Paul CalderwoodEvery March, for the better part of two centuries, lodge secretaries across England and Wales sat down and did something we almost never think about today. They wrote out a full list of their members, names, addresses, occupations, and sent it to the clerk of the peace, sworn before a magistrate as a legal document. They had to. Under the Unlawful Societies Act of 1799, it was the price of staying lawful while other clubs and societies were being driven underground.Most of those returns were filed, shelved, and forgotten. In this episode I sit down with V.W. Bro. Dr. Paul Calderwood to talk about what happened when somebody finally went looking for them.Paul went into his research expecting maybe 450 surviving documents in Wales. He found more than 2,000. Every one of them photographed, transcribed, and dropped into a searchable database that now records the names, addresses, and trades of lodge members year by year, going back to the very first returns. It is one of the richest and least explored sources in all of Masonic history, and it tells us who our brethren actually were, not the legends, the real men.We get into what the returns reveal: how Freemasonry gave men stability and continuity as the rest of their lives changed around them, how the networking ran deeper than anyone assumed, and the small surprising details, like the fact that across all those Welsh lodges, only 44 venues outside of Masonic premises ever showed up. It is social history, family history, and Craft history all at once, and Paul makes a strong case that what he found in Wales is waiting to be found everywhere else too.What we coverThe Unlawful Societies Act of 1799 and why Freemasonry survived it when other societies did notThe annual return: a sworn, signed legal snapshot of an entire lodge, filed every MarchWhy the law ran all the way to its 1967 repeal, and why some secretaries kept filing for five years afterBuilding a searchable database of more than 2,000 documents, names, addresses, occupations, year by yearWhat the records reveal about Masonry as a source of stability, continuity, and networking across a lifetimeFreemasonry as a rich and largely untapped source for social and family historiansWhy this Welsh study is really a template for similar work in English regions and beyondGuestV.W. Bro. Dr. Paul Richard Calderwood, PGSwdB, is a specialist in this period of Masonic history. He was awarded a PhD by Goldsmiths, University of London for his thesis on the history of Freemasonry in the twentieth century. He has been active in the Craft since his initiation in 1974, is a member of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, and was appointed Prestonian Lecturer in 2013.His book, Discovering Secrets of the Unlawful Societies Act, is published by Lewis Masonic. Our thanks to Martin Faulks and the team at Lewis Masonic for the introduction.Where to see Paul Calderwood speak2026June 16 | North Devon Installed Masters Lodge | Tiverton, DevonJune 19 | Albert Edward Court Lodge of Research | Porthcawl, South WalesJuly 29 | Lord Swansea Mark Lodge | Bridgend, South WalesSeptember 21 | Dean Leigh Installed Masters Lodge | Hereford, HerefordshireNovember 4 | Llangeinor Lodge | Bridgend, South WalesNovember 30 | Senatores Chapter of Installed First Principals | Blackpool, West LancashireNovember (date to confirm) | Lodge of Advancement | Neath, South Wales2027January 20 | Ymlaen Lodge | Cardiff, South WalesJanuary 28 | Hendre Lodge | Cardiff, South WalesJanuary 29 | East Surrey Installed Masters | Croydon, SurreyFebruary 19 | Bucks Masters | Beaconsfield, BuckinghamshireFebruary 25 | Charles Lyne Installed Masters Lodge | Risca, MonmouthshireMarch 18 | Leeds Installed Masters Lodge | Leeds, West YorkshireMarch 25 | Cambria Meridian Lodge | Rhyl, North WalesJune 24 | North Notts Installed Masters Lodge | Worksop, NottinghamshireJuly 7 | Durham Lodge of Installed Masters | DurhamMost of these are Installed Masters lodges, so attendance is generally restricted to qualified brethren.Referenced in this episodeDiscovering Secrets of the Unlawful Societies Act by Paul Calderwood (Lewis Masonic)The Square and the Tower, on history and networksThe National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth, where the complete database has been deposited and is going onlineThe Library and Museum of Freemasonry in London, where copies have also been placedEsotericism in Freemasonry Conference 2026Save the date. The Esotericism in Freemasonry Conference takes place Saturday, September 19th. Our keynote speaker is Lon Milo DuQuette, author of The Tarot Architect, with Bro. Ike Baker and Bro. Doug Russell also in attendance. Reserve your tickets in advance by RSVP to esotericmasonry@gmail.com.We are also building a directory of Masonic events and publications. If you know of something coming up, email me. In the meantime, have a look at the Masonic Conferences ...
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    1 時間 21 分
  • Ecossais Masonry and the "Higher" degrees w/Bro. Josef Wages and Bro. Arturo de Hoyos

    Ecossais Masonry and the "Higher" degrees w/Bro. Josef Wages and Bro. Arturo de Hoyos
    2026/06/05

    Ecossais Masonry and the "Higher" Degrees with Bro. Josef Wages and Bro. Arturo de Hoyos

    This is a recording of the opening presentation from Grand Masonic Day 2026, featuring Bro. Josef Wages and Bro. Arturo de Hoyos. These respected Masonic historians ran through an impressive number of slides in record time. We join RWBro. Wes Regan for his introduction.

    Bro. Wages is especially well regarded for his work publishing The Secret School of Wisdom, the authentic rituals and doctrines of the Illuminati. He is currently preparing forthcoming volumes on Écossais masonry, documenting the transformation of speculative Freemasonry into a philosophical tradition. He is a member of Plano Lodge 768 and the Scottish Rite Valley of Dallas in the Southern Masonic Jurisdiction, a member of the Society of Blue Friars, a fellow of the Philalethes Society, and a board member of the Scottish Rite Research Society.

    Bro. Arturo de Hoyos is Grand Archivist and Grand Historian of the Supreme Council, 33° Southern Jurisdiction, and an executive officer at the House of the Temple in Washington, D.C. He is the author, editor, and translator of more than fifty books and articles, and is considered America's foremost scholar on the history, rituals, and symbolism of Scottish Rite Freemasonry.

    In this presentation, Wages and de Hoyos trace the origins of the Élu Parfait degree system from its roots in the Irish wine trade in Bordeaux through the Atlantic networks of ships' captains and merchants who carried French high degrees to the Caribbean and North America. They examine how Stephen Morin's capture at sea in 1744 led to an unlikely chain of Masonic authority, how the original Scots Master degree forked into what became the Royal Arch, and how Laurence Dermott strategically appropriated French high degree material to build the Ancients Grand Lodge system that ultimately won the day in the Union of 1813.

    Please forgive the occasional audio issues and edits, as this was recorded at a live event.

    Links and resources

    • Esotericism in Freemasonry Conference: masonicconferences.com
    • RSVP for the upcoming conference: esotericmasonry@gmail.com
    • Mystic Tye website and event calendar: mystictye.com
    • Patreon (early episodes, extended cuts, artwork, extras): patreon.com/mystictye


    Support the show

    If this episode resonated with you, the most helpful thing you can do is leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. We are also building a directory of Freemasonic events and publications. If you know of something coming up, send Troy an email at troy@mystictye.com.

    Graphics and web hosting by Art Szabo Creative. Theme music by Organist.

    Happy to meet, sorry to part, happy to meet again.
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    1 時間 7 分
  • The Writing of the Secret School of Wisdom with Bro Josef Wages

    The Writing of the Secret School of Wisdom with Bro Josef Wages
    2026/05/28

    Troy welcomes back Brother Joseph Wages for the story behind one of the most important Masonic source books of the last decade, The Secret School of Wisdom: The Authentic Rituals and Doctrines of the Illuminati.

    This is not another Illuminati conspiracy episode. It is the opposite. Wages traces the five year project that carried him from a skeptical teenager reading of John Robison's Proofs of a Conspiracy to assembling, alongside translator Jeva Singh-Anand and co-editor Reinhard Markner, the order's actual ritual system in the words of the men who wrote it. Along the way, buying rare 18th century German books a hundred dollars at a time before Google Books existed, learning to read Kurrent cursive off microfilm, chasing the Urtext through thousands of pages of archival material, and decoding ciphers where even partial fidelity is enough to recover the meaning.

    You will get the real architecture of the order, Knigge writing the rituals and Weishaupt writing the lectures, the Congress of Wilhelmsbad, and why the whole story makes far more sense as a Masonic phenomenon than a political one. Wages puts it plainly. These were men after a rationalist society with freedom of conscience, not a shadow world government, and the modern alarmism says more about us than about them.

    The conversation closes on something quieter, the loss of Jeva Singh-Anand, and the decision to carry his translation work forward in his memory. If you are carrying something heavy, please reach out to someone you trust.

    Looking ahead, Wages teases new work on the Bode reform and a remarkable retranslation of the early rituals of free people of color in Saint-Domingue.

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    Links and resources

    • Esotericism in Freemasonry Conference: masonicconferences.com
    • RSVP for the upcoming conference: esotericmasonry@gmail.com
    • Mystic Tye website and event calendar: mystictye.com
    • Patreon (early episodes, extended cuts, artwork, extras): patreon.com/mystictye


    Support the show

    If this episode resonated with you, the most helpful thing you can do is leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. We are also building a directory of Freemasonic events and publications. If you know of something coming up, send Troy an email at troy@mystictye.com.

    Graphics and web hosting by Art Szabo Creative. Theme music by Organist.

    Happy to meet, sorry to part, happy to meet again.
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    1 時間 10 分
  • “Early Scots Masonry, The Blue Lodge, and the Higher Degrees” by Bro. Arturo DeHoyos GMD2026

    “Early Scots Masonry, The Blue Lodge, and the Higher Degrees” by Bro. Arturo DeHoyos GMD2026
    2026/05/21

    "Early Scots Masonry, The Blue Lodge, and the Higher Degrees" by Bro. Arturo de Hoyos

    Grand Masonic Day 2026 took place several weeks ago. We were pleased to welcome Arturo de Hoyos to the podium on his own, after a first joint presentation with Josef Wages.

    Arturo de Hoyos is Grand Archivist and Grand Historian of the Supreme Council, 33rd Degree, Southern Jurisdiction, and an executive officer at the Scottish Rite's headquarters, The House of the Temple, in Washington, D.C.

    He is the author, editor, and translator of more than 50 books and articles, and is considered America's foremost scholar on the history, rituals, and symbolism of Scottish Rite Freemasonry and most other Masonic orders, rites, and systems.

    We join the event where Arturo de Hoyos presents "Early Scots Masonry, The Blue Lodge, and the Higher Degrees." Slides are available on our YouTube channel.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arturo_de_Hoyos

    You can find us online at mystictye.com.

    Support the show on Patreon.

    Email feedback, guest suggestions and any other questions to troy@mystictye.com.

    Thanks for listening today. You can support the show by liking, sharing and subscribing on your favourite podcast syndicator. Even more helpful, leave us a review.

    We are looking to create a directory of Freemasonic events and publications. If you are aware of something coming up, please let me know by email. In the meantime, check out the Masonic Conferences website at masonicconferences.com.

    The Esotericism in Freemasonry Conference will be held on Saturday, September 19th. Our keynote speaker will be Lon Milo DuQuette, author of The Tarot Architect. Get your tickets in advance by RSVP to esotericmasonry@gmail.com.

    For other events, check out our calendar at mystictye.com and don't forget to sign up for our newsletter while you are there.

    Links and resources

    • Esotericism in Freemasonry Conference: masonicconferences.com
    • RSVP for the upcoming conference: esotericmasonry@gmail.com
    • Mystic Tye website and event calendar: mystictye.com
    • Patreon (early episodes, extended cuts, artwork, extras): patreon.com/mystictye


    Support the show

    If this episode resonated with you, the most helpful thing you can do is leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. We are also building a directory of Freemasonic events and publications. If you know of something coming up, send Troy an email at troy@mystictye.com.

    Graphics and web hosting by Art Szabo Creative. Theme music by Organist.

    Happy to meet, sorry to part, happy to meet again.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    55 分