Masonic Muscle

What are Masons supposed to speculate on?

In this episode of Masonic Muscle, Brother Steve writes in, and we explore what it actually means to be Speculative Masons.

Are we supposed to speculate on symbols?
Morality?
Conduct?
Architecture?
The origins of Freemasonry?
The working tools?
The builders who came before us?
The age of the Craft?

We also ask the hard historical question:

How old is Freemasonry, and do we have proof that it goes back further than 1717?

This episode solves one Masonic Muscle problem:

How can Masons speculate responsibly without drifting into fantasy, weak history, or lazy thinking?

We discuss:

• what Speculative Masonry means
• Brother Steve’s listener email
• the age of Freemasonry
• whether Freemasonry can be proven before 1717
• symbols, builders, ethics, and conduct
• the Square, Plumb, and Level
• Masonic ornaments and working tools
• moral code and personal discipline
• time, patience, and perseverance
• Bill Hinbern on aches, pains, and recovery
• overtraining, balance, and training smarter

Then we bring it back to the body.

I read another article from Bill Hinbern about pain, recovery, and exercise. Because if a man trains long enough, he will deal with aches, pains, setbacks, and the need to recover intelligently.

That applies to Masonry too.

A lodge does not get strong overnight.
A Mason does not become better overnight.
A body does not get rebuilt overnight.

Time, patience, and perseverance will accomplish all things.

Have an origin theory, Masonic question, old document, book recommendation, lodge problem, fitness transformation story, or research lead?

Write to me at:
[email protected]

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@masonicmuscle

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Share this episode with one Brother who needs to think harder and train smarter.

What freedoms should Freemasons and American citizens defend?

In this episode of Masonic Muscle, I read another email from a Brother back east, then turn to a 1948 article by Charles G. Reigner, M.P.S., written in May of that year. Even though the article was written decades ago, its message still hits hard today.

Reigner wrote about the essential freedoms that matter to Americans: liberty, free speech, religious freedom, equality, fraternity, and the responsibility citizens have to understand what freedom actually requires.

This episode solves one Masonic Muscle problem:

How can Masons talk about freedom, citizenship, and responsibility without reducing them to slogans?

We discuss:

• essential freedoms of Freemasons and American citizens
• liberty, equality, and fraternity
• free speech and religious freedom
• democracy, communism, and political pressure
• why old Masonic articles still matter
• what freedom meant in 1948
• why those same questions still matter today
• the responsibility of Masons as citizens
• a listener email from a Brother back east
• Brooks Kubik on music while exercising
• focus, training, and discipline in the gym

Then we shift to the iron and read from the original Dino himself, Brooks Kubik, on the question:

Music or no music when you exercise?

That may sound like a small question, but it is really about focus.

Can you train without distraction?
Can you think without being programmed?
Can you stand for freedom without being lazy?
Can you govern yourself before demanding better government from others?

A Mason should not just talk about liberty.

He should become the kind of man who can handle liberty.

Have an origin theory, Masonic question, old document, book recommendation, lodge problem, fitness transformation story, or research lead?

Write to me at:
[email protected]

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@masonicmuscle

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Share this episode with one Brother who still believes freedom requires discipline.

What can Masonic history teach us?

In this episode of Masonic Muscle, I read an email from a Fellow Craft Mason at Wendell Lodge No. 565 in North Carolina, who shares part of his health journey and some Masonic connections.

Then we move into Masonic history.

I read from an article written in 1948 by Dr. Ross Hepburn, M.P.S., of Christchurch, New Zealand, titled “Notes on Masonic History.” We also connect the discussion to Knoop and Jones’ Short History of Freemasonry to 1730 and Brother Lionel Vibert’s paper “Vestiges of Early Dams,” published in the Transactions of the Manchester Association for Masonic Research, Volume 16.

Then we bring it back to the iron.

I read about the origin of the dumbbell — and you may be surprised how old this piece of exercise equipment really is.

This episode solves one Masonic Muscle problem:

How can Masons connect serious historical study with real physical self-improvement instead of treating education and fitness like separate lives?

We discuss:

• a listener email from a Fellow Craft Mason
• Wendell Lodge No. 565 in North Carolina
• health, balance, and personal improvement
• Dr. Ross Hepburn’s “Notes on Masonic History”
• Knoop and Jones’ Short History of Freemasonry to 1730
• Brother Lionel Vibert and early Masonic research
• early Freemasonry before 1730
• legends, tracing boards, ritual, and historical development
• Egyptian mysteries, Rosicrucians, Kabbalah, Gothic influences, and Hermeticists
• the origin of the dumbbell
• physical culture and Masonic Muscle

Masonic history is not just a pile of dates.

It is a discipline.

And fitness is not just moving weight.

It is also discipline.

The serious Mason should strengthen both: his knowledge of the Craft and his body. Read the old documents. Study the historians. Listen to the Brothers. Then get out there and train.

Because a weak body and a lazy mind are both working against you.

Have an origin theory, Masonic question, old document, book recommendation, lodge problem, fitness transformation story, or research lead?

Write to me at:
[email protected]

Follow Masonic Muscle on Instagram:
@masonicmuscle

Follow Masonic Muscle on Facebook.

Subscribe and follow Masonic Muscle on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Share this episode with one Brother who needs to read more and train harder.

How do the 24-Inch Gauge and Common Gavel apply to daily discipline?

In this episode of Masonic Muscle, I use my little lizard brain and work through how two of the most familiar Masonic working tools can be applied to a workout, daily structure, self-mastery, and the work of becoming a better man.

I also look at what W. L. Wilmshurst had to say about these two working tools and their deeper meaning.

This episode solves one Masonic Muscle problem:

How can a Mason move beyond memorizing the working tools and actually apply them to his body, mind, time, habits, and daily life?

We discuss:

• the 24-Inch Gauge
• the Common Gavel
• Masonic working tools
• daily discipline
• time management
• cutting away bad habits
• applying Masonic tools to a workout
• W. L. Wilmshurst’s interpretation
• fitness, nutrition, and consistency
• the body-mind connection
• self-knowledge and self-mastery
• how Freemasonry can become practical instead of decorative

The 24-Inch Gauge teaches a Mason to measure and divide his time.

The Common Gavel teaches him to break off the rough and unnecessary parts of himself.

That applies directly to training.

If you do not measure your time, your day owns you.
If you do not break off bad habits, your appetites own you.
If you do not train consistently, your body declines.
If you do not discipline your mind, every distraction becomes your master.

A Mason should not only know what the tools mean.

He should use them.

In the lodge.
In the gym.
At work.
At home.

nside his own head.

That is how Masonic knowledge becomes Masonic Muscle.

Have an origin theory, Masonic question, old document, book recommendation, lodge problem, fitness transformation story, or research lead?

Write to me at:
[email protected]

Follow Masonic Muscle on Instagram:
@masonicmuscle

Follow Masonic Muscle on Facebook.

Subscribe and follow Masonic Muscle on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Share this episode with one Brother who needs to stop admiring the tools and start using them.

Did Benedictine monks influence Masonic ritual, symbolism, and lodge customs?

In this episode of Masonic Muscle, we dig into the possible Benedictine connection to Freemasonry, including Jacob’s Ladder, monastic discipline, sacred symbols, and Alberto Moreno Moreno’s work on The Rule of Saint Benedict and Masonic Ritual.

This episode solves one Masonic problem: how can Masons study possible monastic influence without overstating the evidence?

Have an origin theory, monastic source, old manuscript, or Masonic research lead?
Write to me at [email protected].

Did the Rule of St. Benedict influence Masonic philosophy?

In EP 39 of Masonic Muscle, I read and discuss an article from Philalethes Magazine written by Millard Lane Fretland, M.P.S., titled:

“Parallels Between the Rule of St. Benedict and the Philosophy of Masonry.”

This article lays out several striking similarities between the Benedictine Rule of Order and Masonic philosophy. The question is whether these parallels are coincidence, shared moral tradition, cultural inheritance, or possible evidence of deeper influence on the development of Freemasonry.

This episode solves one Masonic Muscle problem:

How can Masons examine possible monastic influences on Freemasonry without jumping too quickly into either blind belief or lazy dismissal?

We discuss:

• the Rule of St. Benedict
• Benedictine discipline and order
• Masonic philosophy
• Philalethes Magazine
• Millard Lane Fretland, M.P.S.
• possible parallels between monastic life and Masonry
• morality, discipline, obedience, humility, labor, and order
• whether these similarities matter to the origin question
• what this may mean for the mysterious origins of Freemasonry
• why Masons must judge the evidence for themselves

The point is not to force the conclusion.

The point is to look.

Could the similarities between Benedictine order and Masonic philosophy be coincidence?

Maybe.

Could they reflect a shared Christian moral inheritance?

Possible.

Could they be part of a deeper monastic influence on the development of Masonic usages, customs, and ritual?

That is the question worth investigating.

A Mason should not be afraid to compare sources.

He should be afraid of refusing to look because the question makes him uncomfortable.

This is another step in our journey toward more light in Masonry — while still strengthening the body, mind, and soul.

We give you more light — but no light weights.

This is the Way.

Have an origin theory, Masonic question, old document, book recommendation, lodge problem, fitness transformation story, or research lead?

Write to me at:

[email protected]

Follow Masonic Muscle on Instagram:

@masonicmuscle

Follow Masonic Muscle on Facebook.

Subscribe and follow Masonic Muscle on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Are the Knights Templar connected to Freemasonry?

In EP 38 of Masonic Muscle, Worshipful Jeriel Smith, Past Master, returns to talk about one of his passions: Knights Templar history.

We discuss the rise and fall of the Templars, the mysteries surrounding them, accusations made against them, their role in early international banking, and why the Templar question continues to attract Masons, historians, researchers, and conspiracy-minded people alike.

This episode solves one Masonic Muscle problem:

How can Masons explore possible Templar connections to Freemasonry without confusing history, myth, symbolism, and speculation?

We discuss:

• Knights Templar history
• the rise and fall of the Templars
• accusations against the Order
• Templars and early international banking
• possible connections to Freemasonry
• why the Templar theory remains powerful
• guarding the West Gate
• candidate quality and lodge standards
• symbolism, mystery, and Masonic education
• how Masons should separate evidence from romance

The Templar story has everything.

Power.
Faith.

War.
Money.
Secrecy.
Accusation.
Destruction.
Survival rumors.
And possible echoes in later Masonic imagination.

But that does not mean we accept every claim.

A Mason should be curious, but not gullible.

He should be willing to investigate, but not desperate to believe.

And when we bring this back to guarding the West Gate, the lesson becomes practical:

A lodge must know who it lets in.

Because once a man crosses that threshold, he affects the culture, standards, reputation, and future of the lodge.

Masonic Muscle is dedicated to exploring the mysterious origins, history, traditions, and symbols of the Craft while encouraging Brethren to increase their level of fitness one degree at a time — becoming pillars of strength inside the lodge and outside in the world.

We give you more light — but no light weights.

This is the Way.

Have an origin theory, Masonic question, old document, book recommendation, lodge problem, fitness transformation story, or research lead?

Write to me at:

[email protected]

Follow Masonic Muscle on Instagram:

@masonicmuscle

Follow Masonic Muscle on Facebook.

Subscribe and follow Masonic Muscle on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Did some of Freemasonry’s spiritual teachings come from China?

In this episode of Masonic Muscle, I talk with Brother Christopher Earnshaw, author of The Spiritual Freemasonry Series, about his research into the possible Chinese and Daoist influences behind Freemasonry’s spiritual teachings, symbolism, and ritual structure.

We ask some serious questions:

Where did the symbolic use of the Square, Level, and Plumb come from?
Were these working tools already being used symbolically in Freemasonry by 1717?
Where did the idea of the Third Degree come from?
Is the Lost Word connected to Egyptian, Chinese, or other ancient traditions?
And where is the spiritual teaching in Freemasonry today?

This episode solves one Masonic Muscle problem:

How can Masons explore bold origin theories without turning speculation into fantasy or dismissing uncomfortable parallels too quickly?

We discuss:

• Christopher Earnshaw’s Spiritual Freemasonry work
• Chinese Daoist origins theory
• the Square, Level, and Plumb
• symbolic working tools
• the Third Degree
• the Lost Word
• Egyptian and Chinese parallels
• Benedictine, Cistercian, and Chinese comparisons
• ritual, allegory, steganography, and hidden teaching
• the Trivium and Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences
• spiritual education inside Freemasonry
• what Freemasonry can be when Masons take the symbols seriously

This is not about blindly accepting every bold theory.

It is about having the only conversation worth having:

What is Freemasonry trying to teach a man beneath the surface?

If the Craft is only dinners, minutes, business, titles, and dues, then we have missed the point.

But if the symbols, tools, degrees, stories, and allegories are pointing toward inner development, spiritual formation, disciplined thought, and the building of a better man, then Masons need to stop sleeping through the work.

A Mason should not be afraid of difficult questions.

He should be afraid of shallow answers.

You can reach Brother Christopher Earnshaw at:

[email protected]

Website:

chris-earnshaw.com

Facebook:

facebook.com/spiritualfreemasonry

Twitter/X:

@AuthorEarnshaw

Mentioned:

Masonry in 7 Minutes Podcast

Have an origin theory, Masonic question, old document, book recommendation, lodge problem, fitness transformation story, or research lead?

Write to me at:

[email protected]

Follow Masonic Muscle on Instagram:

@masonicmuscle

Follow Masonic Muscle on Facebook.

Subscribe and follow Masonic Muscle on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Why don’t Masons get directed to better books?

In this episode of Masonic Muscle, I read from a 1946 article in Philalethes Magazine that promoted a little-known Masonic book with a limited printing of only 500 copies.

That raises a serious question:

When a man enters the Craft, why is he not guided toward books that help him understand how our ceremonies, rituals, symbols, and traditions evolved?

This episode solves one Masonic problem:

How can Masons grow in real Masonic knowledge if the best books are rare, forgotten, expensive, hidden, or sitting untouched in private libraries?

We discuss:

• Philalethes Magazine
• rare Masonic books
• limited-print Masonic works
• books with only 500 copies printed
• Masonic ritual history
• how ceremonies may have evolved
• why new Masons need better reading guidance
• personal libraries and hidden collections
• whether important Masonic material is being neglected
• why lodge libraries matter
• how Masons can build a stronger research culture

This is not about claiming there is some magical secret library controlling everything.

That is lazy.

The better question is more practical and more dangerous:

How much valuable Masonic knowledge is simply unavailable because nobody is preserving it, reading it, recommending it, or putting it into the hands of serious Brothers?

A book does not need to be “suppressed” to disappear.

It can disappear because nobody reprints it.
Nobody teaches it.
Nobody catalogs it.
Nobody talks about it.
Nobody tells the new Brother it even exists.

That is a problem.

If Freemasonry wants better Masons, then lodges need better reading lists, better libraries, better education, and better guidance.

Have an origin theory, Masonic question, old document, rare book, lodge problem, fitness transformation story, or research lead?

Write to me at:
[email protected]

Follow Masonic Muscle on Instagram:
@masonicmuscle

Follow Masonic Muscle on Facebook.

Subscribe and follow Masonic Muscle on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Share this episode with one Brother who still believes serious Masons should read serious books.

How did Masonic variants spread?

In this episode of Masonic Muscle, we continue the thread of the Masonic Variant coming out of England and ask how Masons, Grand Masters, and lodges tried to protect the Craft from dangerous variations in ritual, practice, doctrine, and organization.

We ask:

Did these Masonic variants reach America?
Did they influence colonial Masonry?
How did Grand Masters try to “inoculate” their members against confusion?
And what happens when a fraternity develops different versions of the work?

This episode solves one Masonic Muscle problem:

How can Masons understand variation in the Craft without confusing healthy development with dangerous distortion?

We discuss:

• Masonic variants coming out of England
• Grand Masters and ritual protection
• how Masons tried to preserve the Craft
• whether these variants reached America
• colonial Masonry and Masonic influence
• ritual variation and institutional response
• protecting members from confusion
• the difference between adaptation and infection
• weightlifting variants and old-school training
• Joseph Curtis Hise
• Peary Rader
• breathing squats
• high-effort routines and physical transformation
• discipline, experimentation, and results

Then we bring it back to the iron.

In the weightlifting world, men like Joseph Curtis Hise and Peary Rader experimented with brutal breathing squat routines that produced tremendous results. These men were pioneers because they were willing to test ideas, suffer under the bar, and apply discipline to the pursuit of physical development.

That is the lesson.

Variation is not automatically bad.

A new method can build strength — or it can create confusion.

A Mason must learn the difference.

The same is true in the gym, in lodge, and inside your own head.

Have an origin theory, Masonic question, old document, book recommendation, lodge problem, fitness transformation story, or research lead?

Write to me at:
[email protected]

Follow Masonic Muscle on Instagram:
@masonicmuscle

Follow Masonic Muscle on Facebook.

Subscribe and follow Masonic Muscle on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Share this episode with one Brother who needs to think harder and train harder.