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Michael Baigent and Bob Cooper To Speak at Masonic Society Symposium

London Friday 28th and Saturday 29th May 2010

To celebrate the 350th anniversary of the Royal Society in 2010, The Masonic Society, in conjunction with Library and Museum of Freemasonry, will hold their 1st Annual Uk –Ireland Symposium in London on Friday and Saturday 28th/29th May.

On November 28th 1660, just months after the restoration of King Charles II, a select group of eminent scientist met to form ‘The Royal Society’. Their intention was to remove such limitations as language barriers in the scientific community and awaken the world to a new form of forward thinking science. This was meant to encourage the young men of the time to search for answers to many questions they had previously been afraid to ask.

Now, nearly 350 years later, another group of men met to form an organisation with the aim of researching Freemasonry: The Masonic Society

The name, deliberately chosen, alludes to the Royal Society and the visionary men, many of whom were Freemasons, who were at the forefront of the Age of Enlightenment. The Masonic Society has plans to be at the forefront of a new age of Freemasonry.

This first Symposium being held in England will have as its theme ‘The Royal Society’. The two selected speakers are well known historians:

Michael Baigent (The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception ) will present ‘Aspects of the Royal Society’ followed by questions and answers and a complimentary lunch. The second speaker Robert L D Cooper (The Masonic Magician: The Life and Death of Count Cagliostro and His Egyptian Rite , The Rosslyn Hoax ) will talk on ‘A Scottish View of the Foundation of the Royal Society’. The afternoon will end with a second session of questions and answers.

The whole day symposium will be preceded on the Friday by a private guided tour of their exhibition ‘Freemasons and the Royal Society’ (meet in the first floor lounge Freemasons Hall 4:00pm). This will be the last date of the exhibition which is being held between January 11th and May 28th 2010. The evening will end with an informal dinner and drinks at the popular Prince of Wales tavern on the corner of Great Queen Street.

The following day the symposium will move to the

Kensal Community Centre (177 Kensal Road London W10 5BJ)

where our talks for the day will be presented, each session followed by questions and answers. Delegates will be invited to a complimentary lunch. The total registration cost for the Saturday event is £ 10.00 inclusive of lunch.

The organising committee consists of Yasha Beresiner (Chairman) David Naughton-Shires (Secretary) and Martyn Greene (Treasurer)

A place at the symposium can be booked by downloading the application form at UK SymposiumWeb site

Does he ever stop?

With a hectic life as a photographer, author, speaker, and editor to name but a few of the aspects of this man it amazes me how he continues to find the time and energy to steam ahead with new projects.

With his summer publication of 'Morgan: The Scandal That Shook Freemasonry' still forming the talking point in many Lodges across the world with it's alternative (and in my opinion correct) view of the Morgan Affair and the upcoming release of an in depth investigation into the formation and history Knights Hospitilar early in 2010 Stephen Dafoe has announced his next project that is sure to cause many heated conversation both within the craft and in the public realm as a whole.

How Freemasonry Saved The World And How It Can Do So Again

The text below is taken directly from the books Facebook page (which I advise joining for up to date information on what is going to be a much anticipate release.

With a pedigree and history that can be variously traced back to the medieval Templars and Hospitallers, the Egyptians, Greeks and many pre-Christian societies that cultivated and passed on arcane knowledge, Freemasonry has, in its various forms, risen time and again when the world needed it most. A tonic of reason to cure the ills of intolerance, ignorance, despotism and fanaticism, Freemasonry has - over the centuries - often been the only glimmer of light amid extended periods of darkness.

In How Freemasonry Saved the World and How It Can Do So Again, author, journalist and historian Stephen Dafoe takes the reader through Freemasonry’s rich tapestry of greatness - both recorded and unrecorded - to show how the Craft has subtly appeared time and again to save humanity from itself and to champion the oppressed. Dafoe shows that whether openly promoting democracy, education and knowledge or subconsciously transferring esoteric concepts only to be appreciated and understood by a few; Freemasonry has been the guardian and the carrier of the greatest parts of humanity from generation to generation, while staunchly opposing and fighting its worst parts.

At a time when the world is once again struggling, perhaps the most important message in Dafoe’s book is how and why Freemasonry can and must save the world yet again.

I know as soon as this book become available for pre-order the nice men and women at Amazon will be getting some (more) money from a certain man here in Ireland.

Holiday Issue is fast approching

As the Holiday season approches so does the publication date for the next issue of the Masonic Art Exchange Newsletter.

The upcoming issue has some wonderful content with an article on 18th Century Masonic Ephemera by Yasha Beresiner and an article by author of Genesis of Freemasonry David Harrison on 'The Masonic Rebellion in Liverpool'we are hoping for a Dec 15th publication date. There is just a short amount of time if you would like to submit a contribution via email for this issue

subs@masonic-ae.com