I love my grandpa, but I have to admit that he’s hard to shop for. Every time his birthday comes around, I start feeling a sinking feeling in my stomach because I know I won’t be able to find anything for him. But this year I wanted to avoid the anxiety and get him a gift he would be sure to love. Here’s a fact everyone should know about grandpa: he worships the United States Army.
Thinking about grandpa’s love for the military brought something to mind — I would get him some sort of gift to reflect his interest in the army! When I started shopping, I came across some armed forces jewelry that would be perfect. There were so many choices, making a decision was difficult, but I finally settled on one of their Army rings. I am so happy I found a solution to the grandpa gift question.
Without prevarication my favorite novel is War and Peace. While many people assume that I like the book simply because it is in the canon of great literature and is a bullet-stopping tome, I appreciate the in-depth characters development and historical context of Tolstoy’s magnum opus. There are dozens of memorable characters, but Pierre stands out among the rest.
Many have suggested that Pierre is a personification of Tolstoy himself, as he struggles with religious, ethical and emotional dilemmas throughout the novel. In the middle stages of the book, Pierre joins the Freemasons and piously adopts their ideology. This serves to be just one stop on his journey of personal growth, and Pierre quickly abandons his Masonic jewelry in favor of other pursuits.
For four generations my family has been proud to serve in the US military. We see it as our duty to protect our country’s freedoms and spread the word of democracy throughout the world. Admittedly it has been difficult, especially when my three boys informed us that they would all be serving tours of duty overseas during the current conflicts.
We realize, however, that this is what we signed up for. Everyone in the family has made a commitment to support one another and do everything that we can to make life easier while they are away. Not only do we show our support through our actions, but we also let the public see our allegiances through our military rings, bumper sticks and the American flag that waves in front of our home.
The Freemasons have dozens of organizations throughout the world that are fraternal groups sharing similar moral and metaphysical ideals. One of the offshoots of this larger organization is the Royal Order of Jesters. The group was originally founded by the Shriners nearly 100 years ago.
Membership in this organization is quite exclusive and is available by invitation only. According to its members, the Order is committed to having fun and has no serious intent, as is evidenced by their motto, “Mirth is King.” Their whimsical nature is also apparent in their Royal Order of Jesters rings, many of which the joyful-looking Scottish Rite emblem.
After dating my girlfriend for four years, I’ve finally decided that it is time to pop the question. My friends and family have been hounding me for months to give in, but, like many men, I am deathly afraid of commitment. Now that I have conceded the fact that I will take the plunge, I realize that it is necessary to invest in an engagement ring.
Due to my scant salary, purchasing an authentic diamond ring is out of the question, and I don’t want to settle for the typical cubic zirconia. My mother suggested that I look in a moissanite ring; she told me that moissanite jewelry is relatively inexpensive and imitates the look and hardness of diamonds.
As the largest fraternal organization in the world that admits both men and women, the Order of the Eastern Star is recognized the world over. Founded in 1850, the society has its foundations in the Bible and possesses roughly 10,000 chapters in twenty countries. Due to its close affiliation with the Free Masons, in order to become a member, men must be Master Masons and women must have a distinct relationship with Masons.
The logo for the Order is a five pointed star that features five different colors. Each of the points represents part of the core beliefs of the Order that are derived from the Bible. In the Chapter room, the white point of the star always points to the west. The Eastern Star is utilized in a variety of the fraternity’s paraphernalia, including Eastern Star rings.
Originally founded by Henri Moissan at the turn of the 20th century, moissanite is a rare mineral with the chemical formula SiC. The mineral is extremely scarce and is only found in the remnants of meteorites. Once the compound was researched, scientists were able to reconstruct the mineral synthetically, as it is simply silicon carbide. Since the mineral is incredibly rare, virtually all of the moissanite used today is synthesized.
Today the mineral is most commonly utilized in its crystal form for jewelry. Ranking in with a 9.5 on the Mohs scale, moissanite jewelry is extremely hard and resembles diamonds. The mineral is often used as a substitute for diamonds in moissanite rings and pendants.
When I was young, my opinion of the Shriners was positive but vague. They were easy enough to recognize, usually decked out in their trademark red fez. It seemed that they were always funding and helping to run charity fundraisers. I remember that when the Shriners circus came to town it was one of the highlights of my childhood. Of course I was more interested in the exotic animals and acrobatic feats than the charity aspect.
As I got older, I recognized that members of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine were more than just friendly guys who drove around in miniature cars during parades. They have a dedication to community service work that is practically unmatched in other fraternal orders. Shrine rings give members a sense of identity and belonging. In order to join, a person must be a Mason.
What do the Fourteenth Degree rings mean?
Dan Brown, author of the best-selling book The Da Vinci Code, has written a new book that features the noetic sciences prominently: The Lost Symbol.
Dr. Katherine Solomon, the female protagonist, is described as a “noetic scientist” and appears to be based on a composite of many of the leading figures in the real-life noetic sciences.
The real-life Institute of Noetic Sciences is mentioned several times in the book, as are many of the actual experiments conducted by our researchers and their colleagues.
The word “noetic” comes from the Greek word nous. There is no exact equivalent in English. Noetic refers to “inner knowing” or a kind of intuitive consciousness—direct and immediate access to knowledge beyond what is available to our normal senses and power of reason. As defined by psychologist-philosopher William James, noetic refers to “states of insight into depths of truth unplumbed by the discursive intellect. They are illuminations, revelations, full of significance and importance, all inarticulate though they remain; and as a rule they carry with them a curious sense of authority…”
Noetic sciences use scientific methods to explore the “inner cosmos” of the mind (consciousness, soul, spirit) and how it relates to the “outer cosmos” of the physical world. They study how people come to know things or affect things through experiences or capacities (intuitions, synchronicities, psi, “after-death” communication, energy healing, etc.) that have no apparent rational explanation, and what this says about the nature of human consciousness.