WM Justin Duffy

alchemical symbols in the Chamber

The Chamber of Reflection - presentation by Worshipful Brother Justin Duffy, sitting Master of Wyllys-Sts.John # 4 in West Hartford. On September 16 th, WB Justin examined the history and ancient usage of this solemn set of symbols and the dark Chamber that helped our Brothers confront and conquer the basic fears we all face. But beyond the symbols and philosophical lessons they teach, WB Justin explored the sociological pressures that led to it's gradual withdrawal, as a window into the expansion and contraction of the Craft over the centuries. Citing such contrasting examples as Colonial times, the Anti-Masonic party, Civil War, Occult revival of the 1920a, WWI and the return of American servicemen exposed to French Freemasonry, WWII and the great swelling of our ranks as the soldiers returned, counter-culture 60s, to the slow growth today. He argues persuasively that the new candidates, primed by exposes on The History and Discovery Channels, movies and Dan Brown novels, are looking for many of the same things the Craft de-emphasized in the 1940s to more quickly initiate the swelling demand of retuning soldiers desirous of recapturing the male bonding and team work that won the war. Perhaps it is time for a slower pace, for...reflection.