Most Worshipful Brother Rein, was the guest speaker at the 20th^th Reunion Banquet on Saturday April 21^st. The text of his speech follows:

THE MASONIC COMPASS ROSE

Tonight, I’d like to spend a few minutes conversing on the significance of a peculiar symbol that I have grown fond of and have become intimately familiar with over the last year or so.  It is the Masonic Compass Rose, which is the product of uniting a conventional compass rose, one that might be found on any number of maps and nautical charts, with the familiar Masonic Square and Compasses.

Now, I am sensitive to the fact that our youngest Masters of the Royal Secret have been exposed to a number of Masonic symbols of antiquity and deep significance over the last couple of days; symbols that have most assuredly inspired them to further pursue their quest for knowledge, wisdom and understanding.  The Masonic Compass Rose is certainly not a symbol of antiquity and whether it will survive the test of time is open to debate, but it does have a certain importance to me and I would like to share with you some of my thoughts and observations.  This is meant to be more of an enjoyable and inspirational exercise rather than an esoteric analysis for your Masonic repository.  None of this discourse should be in conflict with our Masonic teachings; in fact, it is intended to simply reinforce them.

To give you a brief history of the development of the Masonic Compass Rose, it wasn’t until about two years ago that I had paid much attention to compass roses, per se.  I had seen them surrounding the perimeter of magnetic compasses and drawn on maps and charts all of my life, but it wasn’t until my dad purchased a boat and named it the Compass Rose did my curiosity begin to mount.  The name really intrigued me and, increasingly, I noticed the multitude of compass roses around me.  They seemed to be everywhere I turned.  It was a rather interesting phenomenon which ultimately triggered in my mind the concept of using a compass rose in conjunction with the Masonic Square and Compasses.

Now, my artistic ability is virtually nonexistent, not to mention the fact that I’m also color bind.  So, with the assistance of my wife Edie, who happens to have some artistic expertise, we put to paper a rough sketch of what I had envisioned.  I then asked my best friend Matt Thomas, who is quite an accomplished metal artist, to review the sketch to see if he could create a Masonic Compass Rose from metal to hang in my office.  With a tweak here and a modification there, we arrived at what you see tonight.  The colors are taken from the red rock and desert sands of Utah’s Dixie, where I call home.   I knew that the Masonic Compass Rose was destined to be the symbol of my term as Grand Master, but I needed a theme to accompany it.  In what can only be described as some kind of epiphany, it struck me:  Freemasonry:  the right course for life’s journey.

On the surface, the Masonic Compass Rose is simple in form and concept, yet I believe it conveys thoughtful and inspiring messages when we study in more depth its emblematical significance.   This is a familiar exercise for Freemasons.  While engaged in the practice of our profession, we encounter many opportunities to examine a variety of symbols relevant to our Craft.  We are encouraged to thoroughly contemplate and understand their meanings, which often results in the formulation of thoughts, beliefs and opinions that favorably influence our lives and those around us.

When examining the Masonic Compass Rose, we might conclude that it illustrates Freemasonry’s pervasiveness and that her influence is far reaching and is felt in every corner of the earth.  The points radiate in all directions and when united with the Square and Compasses, it reinforces the notion that Freemasonry truly touches society wheresoever dispersed.   The traditional compass rose indicates direction and we use it to help guide us and to stay on a given course.  When considered with the Square and Compasses, the Masonic Compass Rose symbolically denotes that while Freemasons are guided by the tenets and precepts of our Order, we will remain on the right course for life’s journey.  That is to say, we will live our lives well until that day arrives when we must to travel from our earthly bounds to that mysterious realm, unscathed and unashamed.

As a reminder to stay on the moral path of life, we observe that four points of the Masonic Compass Rose are established using the moral working tools of our profession, the square.  These moral points of direction radiate from the sacred name of Deity in the center, from whom we all receive moral direction.

As Freemasons, we are taught to use the compasses to circumscribe our desires and to keep our passions within due bounds.   As citizens of this great planet, this application should not restrict our God-given right of free will—the caveat is that we ought not abuse or pervert the privilege.  Freedom is an inherited gift from God.  It is our fondest right, though some occasionally misjudge the consequences of its use.  The points of the Masonic Compass Rose symbolically extend in every conceivable direction and represent our freedom to choose.  We are free to choose any path in life that we desire and if we are true to our Masonic teachings, our course will be true and our journey fulfilling.  During our travels, we strive to materially participate in good works and dealings vital to the betterment of society, and we hope to influence the lives of those in whom we come into contact.  This principle is represented by the four cardinal points of the Masonic Compass Rose, which are formed from the blades of trowels, the implements used by speculative Masons to spread the cement of brotherly love and affection.

The points also represent our freedom to think and reason, freedom to contemplate the nature of things.  As Freemasons, we have an insatiable desire for knowledge, to appreciate and comprehend our surroundings and to attain true wisdom.  We have the capacity to understand God’s purpose and intent.  He did, after all, invest us with that inestimable gift to conceive Him and has implanted in us the need to comprehend the significance of His presence as well as our own.  We are blessed with the freedom to pursue the answers to those all-important questions posed by our very consciousness.  This practice elevates our belief in God, and our capacity to attain true wisdom from Him is refined.  The four cardinal points of the Masonic Compass Rose represent God imparting his wisdom for us to consider.  When properly applied, we are better enabled to conduct ourselves as respectable, decent human beings.  We strive to emulate all that is good and to become the very essence of compassion and caring.

By exercising our freedom to think, we inevitably become more intimate with our Creator.  Through this closeness, we have conceived one of the greatest and most comforting beliefs of humanity:  the hope of an everlasting life and the immortality of the soul.  This is metaphorically signified by the infinitely-extending points of the Masonic Compass Rose emanating from the ineffable name of Deity in the center.

The Masonic Compass Rose emphasizes the belief that while we are guided by the teachings of Freemasonry, our course or direction in life will remain steadfast and true.  This is supported by the theme, Freemasonry: the right course for life’s journey.  With a play on words, it can also be interpreted to mean that Freemasonry is the right course, that is to say, the right training or the right curriculum for life’s journey.  We ought to regard Freemasonry not only as the world’s greatest fraternity, but as a remarkable institution of higher learning as well.  We are not only students at this magnificent university; we are also the teachers.  It is our duty as mentors to share our thoughts and conclusions with the students of Freemasonry to inspire and perpetuate our never-ending desire to understand.

We have ample opportunities to attain knowledge and develop true wisdom during our tenure at this institution.   Our minds are occupied for an entire lifetime in this noble pursuit.  Therefore, the course in which we are enrolled never ends.  There is only one way to graduate with the highest honors:  to learn to live our lives well that we may die well.  It is our hope that we will be favorable remembered beyond the grave and that our influences shall inspire those students who remain on this earthly campus called Freemasonry.

At the beginning of my term as Grand Master, I recommended that our Brethren study the Masonic Compass Rose to reveal some of its symbolic meanings.  I hope that by sharing just a few of my interpretations, I have spawned an interest within you to contemplate them for yourselves.  It is my earnest hope and belief that you will be inspired by this undertaking, be desirous of continuing your pursuit of true wisdom and understanding, and remain on the right course for life’s journey.