In this episode, we continue exploring the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences by turning our attention to Rhetoric—not merely as persuasive speech, but as a subtle force that shapes perception, evokes emotion, and reveals unconscious bias.

Through symbolic reflection and modern examples, we investigate rhetoric as a performative function that coexists with grammar and logic. Whether in lodge, online, or in daily life, rhetoric becomes a way to both influence and uncover the internal frameworks that guide our actions and beliefs.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Rhetoric is always operating. Even silence or images can be persuasive communication.
• Bias filters perception. We often respond only to the language that fits our worldview.
• Emotional framing matters. Much of rhetoric’s power lies in its ability to stir feeling, not just convey logic.

💬 Featured Quotes

🔗 Explore Related Episodes

🎧 Ep. 53 – Mastery Continued: Agency through Language and Social Skills
Explores vocabulary, framing, and social interaction as key tools in shaping influence and reducing misunderstanding.

🎧 Ep. 35 – Reclaiming Emotional Sovereignty
Focuses on emotional self-awareness and the subtle cues that shape our decisions—closely tied to rhetoric’s emotional layer.

🎧 Ep. 54 – The Trowel: When Is Care Appropriate?
Considers the ethics and timing of expression, asking when persuasive or caring speech is symbolically appropriate.

Creators & Guests

In this episode, we begin a new series focused on the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences, starting with Grammar—not just as rules for writing or speaking, but as a foundational structure for how we think, frame problems, and communicate meaningfully.

Grammar is presented here not as a relic of school instruction, but as a living mechanic of how Masons express clarity, reduce conflict, and align internal thoughts with external speech.

🔑 Key Takeaways 

• Grammar shapes thought. Its structure influences how we form and communicate ideas—often more than we realize.
• Precision reduces conflict. Using the right language can prevent misunderstandings and lower emotional temperature in sensitive conversations.
• Framing is everything. How a challenge is described may be the key to unlocking its solution.

💬 Featured Quotes

• “The grammar perspective is really functional… Is the problem I’m facing a direct result of how I’m even framing the conversation, because I don’t have the right language for it?”
   — [00:03:34]
• “Using emotionally charged or incorrect language… will inherently start the fight before you've even had a chance to get to the second sentence.”
   — [00:04:01]
• “Grammar is one of those things that a lot of folks think about strictly in terms of their mother tongue… But it’s a very important mechanic in how we communicate—and also how we think.”
   — [00:00:41]
• “The structure of language itself oftentimes dictates a lot more of what you're saying than you think.”
   — [00:02:18]

🔗 Explore Related Episodes

• 🎧 Ep. 53 – Mastery Continued: Agency through Language and Social Skills
  This episode delves into the transformative power of an expansive vocabulary and adept social skills, aligning closely with Episode 69's focus on grammar and effective communication.​

• 🎧 Ep. 48 – Mastering Difficult Conversations on the Masonic Journey
  This episode explores strategies for navigating tough discussions, aligning intentions, and maintaining focus amidst confrontation, which complements the themes of structured and intentional communication discussed in Episode 69.​

• 🎧 Ep. 45 – Journaling Your Way to Clarity and Insight
  This episode discusses journaling techniques enhanced with Masonic symbolism, offering a fresh perspective on problem-solving and self-reflection, which ties into the themes of language structure and clarity from Episode 69.​

Creators & Guests

Interestingly, Ancient freemasonry has a fresh perspective on impostor syndrome. This episode delves into the ancient fraternal order's insights on overcoming self-doubt and the historical tale of Hiram Abiff as a powerful metaphor for personal triumph. Get ready to defeat your inner impostor with age-old wisdom!

Key Points
• Impostor syndrome in Freemasonry
• Hiram Abiff's tale as a metaphor
• Defeating the impostor within
• Ignoring mental doubts as noise
• Hard work as the answer to fear

Best Quotes
00:16 - 00:27
• "So imposter syndrome is the sense that people get, this is typically common amongst folks that tend to be in their head a lot."

03:19 - 03:26
• "But what I, what I can say is that the answer to imposter syndrome is to continue working."

04:22 - 04:28
• "Everyone great has always has felt that at some point in their, their journey and you are no different."

04:30 - 04:39
• "The answer to this is to, in some ways that sounds trivial, is to ignore it and just keep working."

04:51 - 04:58
• "The other thing is that might be a productive way to reflect on this, is that you earn it every day."

Creators & Guests

Let's wield the common gavel of life to shatter vices and superfluities. Discover how your guilty pleasures and the trivial pursuits can be edited for a life that truly matters. It's a philosophy of knowing when to hold on and when to let go, all packaged in a witty and wisdom-filled episode.

Key Points
• Understanding vices and self-medication
• Superfluities vs. essentials in life
• Using the Masonic gavel metaphor
• Strategies to prioritize what's important
• Eliminating distractions effectively

Best Quotes
00:01 - 00:10
• "The common gavel reminds us to divest our hearts and consciousness of all the vices and superfluities of life."

00:55 - 01:05
• "Vices are, in many ways, you can compare them to the idea of self-medicating."

04:41 - 04:52
• "Use the, the level of time to help you figure out is the thing that you're stressing out over or worrying about, worth worrying about."

05:05 - 05:20
• "If you're arguing with your spouse, one of the things you can do very quickly in that conversation is determine if it's on a scale of one to 10, a 10 for her or him, and a one for you."

05:34 - 05:46
• "So the, the, the sort of core understanding of the common gavel here is get rid of the things don't matter, and stop doing the things that are distracting you from the things that matter."

Creators & Guests

Discover the qualifications for entry not purchasable by riches, and reflect on what truly allows one to ascend to Masonic ideals. Join us, share your thoughts, and uncover the essence of Masonic admission beyond the bank account.

Key Points
• Money: Just Currency, Location-bound.
• Wealth includes intellectual assets.
• Masonic entry not bought by wealth.
• Moral behavior vs. Masonic qualifications.
• Seeking listeners' reflections.

Best Quotes
00:01 - 00:10
• "I wanna go back today a little bit to talk about some more preparing room concepts, largely because that's the preparing room's, the gift that keeps on giving in a lot of ways."

00:15 - 00:25
• "And for those of you financial advisors or folks that are already in the business, I'd like you to listen to this episode with a kind heart."

00:59 - 01:09
• "Money is, is, is that it's the currency and the what that represents in the, you know, location that you are."

01:28 - 01:37
• "And wealth is not only the physical assets, the accumulative physical assets that are capable of delivering value."

03:26 - 03:38
• "So as you're sitting there figuring out what the necessary qualifications are, and, and you may spend an entire lifetime trying to figure out what that is."

03:49 - 03:55
• "There is, and, and then could anyone fail that test starts to become a meaningful question, right?"

Creators & Guests

Ever find yourself upgrading light bulbs to dodge a work task? This episode digs into the psychology of avoidance, offering hands-on strategies to conquer procrastination. We'll explore micro-stepping, labeling avoidance, and utilizing cognitive tools for deeper work. Tune in to transform your 'productively unproductive' moments into real progress!

Key Points
• Discussing analysis as action's surrogate
• Breaking work into micro steps
• Identifying procrastination vs. analysis
• Labeling avoidant behaviors effectively
• Using cognitive tools for deep work

Best Quotes
00:14 - 00:21
• "It's difficult at times to tell when you are analyzing as a surrogate for action."

01:47 - 01:51
• "The easiest way is to be honest, is to just start the work."

02:33 - 02:44
• "That kind of microstepping is more productive in many cases than the reflective analysis work."

03:21 - 03:32
• "The litmus test, the way to figure that out at this point is to try and start the task at hand with the smallest possible sort of action that you can take."

03:58 - 04:11
• "Hey, I think I'm avoiding doing this, or, Hey, I think I am going and having this snack instead of working because I know I like snacks and I know I don't want to do this work."

04:32 - 04:38
• "And then again, cultivate that awareness of when you're avoiding versus when you are productively unproductive or vice versa."

Creators & Guests

The tools of the craft aren't just symbolic, but practical for planning, cognitive transformation, and action. Discover insights on utilitarian columns, duality concepts, and the power of sensory inputs through a lens that connects ancient craft to modern self-betterment.

Key Points
• Tools for planning and reflection
• Principles of architecture in life
• Cognitive tools for positive change
• Duality concepts in Freemasonry
• Sensory inputs and action tools

Best Quotes
00:21 - 00:27
• "The 24 inch gauge, which we've talked about last episode, is really good at helping you plan."

02:11 - 02:18
• "The five principle orders of architecture are, are common in pretty much every degree work on the planet."

02:42 - 02:47
• "The Tuscan is largely a utilitarian, it was the easiest column to make."

05:16 - 05:30
• "So when you're sort of hammering out like how these tools work and how they fit together, it's important to sit down and think about, you know, as you reflect on a tool, does this tool lend itself to direct action?"

Creators & Guests

Dive into Masonry's novel take on time management as we discuss the profound life lessons behind the level and 24-inch gauge. Learn to balance daily activities, assess long-term prospects, and navigate life's emotional rollercoasters with timeless guidance.

Key Points
• Masonry's tools for time assessment
• Balancing life with the 24-inch gauge
• Using the level for life reflection
• Contextualizing life's moments
• Handling emotional responses wisely

Best Quotes
00:01 - 00:06
• "Masonry has a couple of tools specifically devoted to the concept of time."

00:54 - 01:04
• "With the 24 inch gauge, you really are taught that your time is proportional and it should be invested specifically in certain ways."

02:07 - 02:17
• "The level is really more of an a, a, a sanity check, like a plum or, or something like that, like, you know, the other tools in the craft."

03:49 - 03:58
• "Is the situation going to be different in a day? If I don't take action, or if I do take action, is it gonna be different in a week?"

05:03 - 05:35
• "The, you will often make decisions that are calamitous. So as you're looking to use the level appropriately and to essentially better separate its function from the 24 inch gauge, ask those questions to yourself when you're in those moments of sort of emotional turmoil and help you, it'll, it should help you contextualize against the entirety of your life, the specific response that you're experiencing."

Creators & Guests

Unlock the symbolic world of Masonic roles and their parallels to mental processes in this thought-provoking episode. We dive into the Senior Master of Ceremonies' role, exploring how it mirrors the art of filtering ideas and knowledge for self-improvement. Tune in for a unique perspective on mental discipline, akin to guarding the doors of a Masonic Lodge!

Key Points
• Senior Master as mental gatekeeper
• Testing ideas for life's purpose
• Fostering mental protocols
• Analogs to Masonic processes
• Filtering for lodge harmony

Best Quotes
00:02 - 00:10
• "In our exploration of the Masonic roles in the lodge and how they represent analogs for essentially the interior functions."

00:39 - 00:55
• "The examining room door is a lodge, a room in the lodge where anyone that needs to be tested to determine if they're a mason has to go through and they go through that door."

02:35 - 02:45
• "That examination function essentially is designed to help validate external data for fit, for purposeness, for the lodge."

03:00 - 03:13
• "So do I let, do I let this new understanding about the way the world works relative to my life's work, do I allow it to inform my decisions or not?"

03:42 - 03:51
• "The senior master so's responsibility in the lodge is a function that a lot of us have not cultivated well in our mental sort of analog lodge."

04:01 - 04:09
• "You might need to develop your own set of tests for, do I let this information in what, you know, what are the criteria for allowing it to inform my behaviors and my decisions."

04:27 - 04:36
• "You might want to create your own protocols for managing that moving forward so you can activate your own internal senior master ceremonies."

Creators & Guests

Explore the enigmatic role of the Worshipful Master in the lodge, and see how its principles can guide your personal growth. Tap into the craft of freemasonry as a metaphor for orchestrating your life's higher purpose, and discover the gravitational pull of your true calling. Join us in mastering the tools for life-changing results.

Key Points
• Unveil your life's higher purpose
• Harness the lodge's roles in life
• Crafting your inner temple
• Aligning mind with life's work
• Utilizing freemasonry's symbols

Best Quotes
00:31 - 00:42
• "The role of worshipful master in the lodge is essentially to lead the lodge in the pursuit of the higher purpose, whatever that higher purpose might be."

00:55 - 01:03
• "The worship of Maslow's Master's responsibility is to help that happen, help birth that from concept to reality."

01:40 - 01:45
• "If I don't really know what my higher purpose is, how can I activate the worshipful master?"

02:12 - 02:20
• "When you sit down to do this, you're gonna need to call on the rest of the, sort of, the rest of the craft contextually there."

02:44 - 02:48
• "Your higher calling tends to energize and innervate you as opposed to deplete you."

03:31 - 03:40
• "It will tend to have its own sort of gravity that pulls all of your other sort of functions together to help you achieve that."

Creators & Guests