Whence Came You? - 0716 - The Alchemist's Mirror and The Tree of Life

This week on episode 0718, we dive deep into the archives of 1937 and 1938 to explore two powerful Masonic articles: Dr. Ernest Crutcher's controversial challenge to our fear of mortality in Death: A Resting Place Between Lives, and Rabbi H. Griffan's rallying cry against the rise of totalitarianism in Masons as Watchmen. Plus, we uncover the dark, forgotten history of a 1930s domestic hate group known as the Black Legion, and we have an important update regarding the 2026 John Skeene Conference. All this and more! Links: The New SUBSTACK! http://www.wcypodcast.substack.com The Secretary Box Teaser: wcypodcast.com/secretary-box Skull and Crown Ltd.: www.skullandcrownltd.com Craftsman+ FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftsmanplus/ WCY Podcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/WhenceCameYou Our Patreon: www.patreon.com/wcypodcast Support the show! : https://wcypodcast.com/support-the-show Get some swag! https://wcypodcast.com/the-shop Get the book! http://a.co/5rtYr2r  

This week, we explore the ripple effects of our words and thoughts through "Guard Well the Portals of the Mind," discussing Albert Pike's concept of everlasting vibrations and William James's theory of "idea-motor action" as a sobering reminder to actively banish pessimistic thoughts and invite in the Great Architect. Next, we challenge the notion of Freemasonry as a mere social club with George H. Steinmetz's "The Worthy and Well-Qualified," which argues that Masonic allegories are actually designed to conceal the secret doctrine from the multitude and that the Craft requires genuine intellectual pursuit as a "progressive science". Finally, we share an exciting announcement for the 3rd John Skene Memorial Conference happening August 28th to 30th, 2026, in Burlington, New Jersey; for just $100, Masons and non-Masons alike can enjoy a weekend of fellowship, scholarship, and entertainment honoring America's first Freemason—a highly recommended experience that RJ has personally presented at in the past. Show Links: Register for the 2026 John Skene Masonic Conference: https://forms.gle/HgWtegYx1q2hY8JZA The New SUBSTACK! http://www.wcypodcast.substack.com The Secretary Box Teaser: wcypodcast.com/secretary-box Skull and Crown Ltd.: www.skullandcrownltd.com Craftsman+ FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftsmanplus/ WCY Podcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/WhenceCameYou Our Patreon: www.patreon.com/wcypodcast Support the show! : https://wcypodcast.com/support-the-show Get some swag! https://wcypodcast.com/the-shop Get the book! http://a.co/5rtYr2r

This week on Whence Came You?, we crack open a rare 1936 Masonic journal to uncover the tragic tale of a 13th-century alchemist who sacrificed everything to brew the elixir of physical immortality , only to discover the terrifying truth hidden inside his mirror. Then, we decipher the hidden codes of the Kabbalah to reveal how your local Masonic lodge is secretly laid out like the divine Tree of Life. Links: The New SUBSTACK! http://www.wcypodcast.substack.com The Secretary Box Teaser wcypodcast.com/secretary-box Skull and Crown Ltd. www.skullandcrownltd.com Craftsman+ FB Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftsmanplus/ WCY Podcast YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/WhenceCameYou Our Patreon www.patreon.com/wcypodcast Support the show on PayPal https://wcypodcast.com/support-the-show Get some swag! https://wcypodcast.com/the-shop Get the book! http://a.co/5rtYr2r  

This week, we are unlocking the archives of the nineteen thirties to expose a thin line between self-mastery and absolute tyranny. First, we dive into a striking 1938 piece titled Superman, written right as the shadow of totalitarianism was taking over Europe. We're looking at how a misunderstood philosophy was weaponized by dictators, and why true Freemasonry serves as the ultimate shield against the tyrant. Then we look at the purpose of Freemasonry, tracing how man, born completely helpless, utilizes the blueprint of the craft to step into his highest potential. It's an episode about breaking free from mundane conformity, mastering your passions, and mapping the future of human progress. Links: The New SUBSTACK! http://www.wcypodcast.substack.com The Secretary Box Teaser wcypodcast.com/secretary-box Skull and Crown Ltd. www.skullandcrownltd.com Craftsman+ FB Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftsmanplus/ WCY Podcast YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/WhenceCameYou Our Patreon www.patreon.com/wcypodcast Support the show on PayPal https://wcypodcast.com/support-the-show Get some swag! https://wcypodcast.com/the-shop Get the book! http://a.co/5rtYr2r

This week on the show, we are traveling back to the late 1930s to unlock the archives.  First, we're tackling a blunt operational reality from August of 1937 that hits just as close to home today: a Master speaking plainly about lodge apathy, and why the membership is just as much to blame as the leadership when a lodge loses its spark. Then, we're shifting gears to look at a massive historical transformation from March 1938. We'll trace the rapid progress of education in England, the impact of the printing press, and how a loosely organized group of illiterate operative stone-carvers evolved into a Speculative system designed to build the inner temples of our minds. It's a journey from practical stone-quarrying to moral philosophy—all about money, myth, and the power of discernment. Stay tuned! Links: The New SUBSTACK! http://www.wcypodcast.substack.com The Secretary Box Teaser wcypodcast.com/secretary-box Skull and Crown Ltd. www.skullandcrownltd.com Craftsman+ FB Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftsmanplus/ WCY Podcast YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/WhenceCameYou Our Patreon www.patreon.com/wcypodcast Support the show on PayPal https://wcypodcast.com/support-the-show Get some swag! https://wcypodcast.com/the-shop Get the book! http://a.co/5rtYr2r

This week, we are unlocking the late 1930s archives of the Square and Compass journal. First, we dive into a May 1938 piece titled Freemasonry and Peace , which pulls in a famous debate between Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud to ask if humanity is hardwired for destruction, or if the Craft can train us for peace. Then, we look at an August 1937 article titled Helpful Suggestions for Every Day —a masterclass in daily resilience, written during a brutal economic recession . Stay tuned! Links: The Secretary Box Teaser wcypodcast.com/secretary-box Skull and Crown Ltd. www.skullandcrownltd.com Craftsman+ FB Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftsmanplus/ WCY Podcast YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/WhenceCameYou Our Patreon www.patreon.com/wcypodcast Support the show on PayPal https://wcypodcast.com/support-the-show Get some swag! https://wcypodcast.com/the-shop Get the book! http://a.co/5rtYr2r

This week, we're opening with a look at delinquent dues payers in the nineteen thirties, a topic that may sound dry at first, but really tells us a lot about hardship, brotherhood, and how lodges tried to survive through economic times. Then we'll shift from practical concerns to ancient philosophy with Pythagoras and his disciples, where we have to sort through what's historically solid, what's probably embellished, and what survives because it still speaks to us symbolically. It's all about discernment, fact, fiction, and the deeper truth that sometimes lives somewhere in between all this and more. Stay tuned. Links: The Secretary Box Teaser wcypodcast.com/secretary-box Skull and Crown Ltd. www.skullandcrownltd.com Craftsman+ FB Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftsmanplus/ WCY Podcast YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/WhenceCameYou Our Patreon www.patreon.com/wcypodcast Support the show on PayPal https://wcypodcast.com/support-the-show Get some swag! https://wcypodcast.com/the-shop Get the book! http://a.co/5rtYr2r

This week, we're looking at two really interesting articles from Square and Compass Magazine. First up, we'll be reading Anachronisms and Inconsistencies in Masonic Ritual. Have you ever thought in ritual, "Hey, that doesn't make sense?" Well, many have, and we'll explore a few of them. Then, we'll turn to A New Hope for Masonic Education. If Grand Lodges can't provide education in 1937, what can be done to fix this? One answer - Nationalize it! All this and more, stay tuned.  Links: The Secretary Box Teaser wcypodcast.com/secretary-box Skull and Crown Ltd. www.skullandcrownltd.com Craftsman+ FB Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftsmanplus/ WCY Podcast YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/WhenceCameYou Our Patreon www.patreon.com/wcypodcast Support the show on PayPal https://wcypodcast.com/support-the-show Get some swag! https://wcypodcast.com/the-shop Get the book! http://a.co/5rtYr2r

Join us this week as we read a piece on Napoleon and how he became a mythic figure larger than the facts themselves! I may be a little under the weather, but Masonry doesn't stop, so here we go! Stay tuned! Links: The Secretary Box Teaser wcypodcast.com/secretary-box Skull and Crown Ltd. www.skullandcrownltd.com Craftsman+ FB Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftsmanplus/ WCY Podcast YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/WhenceCameYou Ancient Modern Initiation: Special Edition http://www.wcypodcast.com/the-Shop The Master's Word- A Short Treatise on the Word, the Light, and the Self - Autographed https://wcypodcast.com/the-shop Get the new book! How to Charter a Lodge: https://wcypodcast.com/the-shop Truth Quantum https://truthquantum.com Our Patreon www.patreon.com/wcypodcast Support the show on PayPal https://wcypodcast.com/support-the-show Get some swag! https://wcypodcast.com/the-shop Get the book! http://a.co/5rtYr2r

*:first-child]:mt-0 [&_>*:last-child]:mb-0"> Join us this week for a thoughtful conversation on practical Masonry and the inner meaning of the Craft, as we explore how service, symbolism, and interpretation come together to make Masonry real in daily life. The Secretary Box Teaser wcypodcast.com/secretary-box Skull and Crown Ltd. www.skullandcrownltd.com Craftsman+ FB Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftsmanplus/ WCY Podcast YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/WhenceCameYou Ancient Modern Initiation: Special Edition http://www.wcypodcast.com/the-Shop The Master's Word- A Short Treatise on the Word, the Light, and the Self - Autographed https://wcypodcast.com/the-shop Get the new book! How to Charter a Lodge: https://wcypodcast.com/the-shop Truth Quantum https://truthquantum.com Our Patreon www.patreon.com/wcypodcast Support the show on PayPal https://wcypodcast.com/support-the-show Get some swag! https://wcypodcast.com/the-shop Get the book! http://a.co/5rtYr2r