Saturday, December 9, 2023

Ancient Mysteries and Modern Masonry. Collected Writings of Jewel P Lightfoot. Billy J Hamilton

Ancient Mysteries and Modern Masonry. Collected Writings of Jewel P Lightfoot. Billy J Hamilton
Ancient Mysteries and Modern Masonry. Collected Writings of Jewel P Lightfoot. Billy J Hamilton

"Ancient Mysteries and Modern Masonry: The Collected Writings of Jewel P. Lightfoot" (Edited by Billy J. Hamilton) is one of the best Masonic books I've read in recent years.



Jewel P. Lightfoot. Former Attorney General of the State of Texas. Past Grand Master of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Texas. From humble beginnings in rural Arkansas, he worked to become an educated man who excelled in law and Freemasonry. He was a gentleman of his time, well-known as a scholar, public speaker, and Masonic philosopher.

This book contains Brother Lightfoot’s recently discovered speeches, essays, and personal notes. In these pages, he walks us through a journey of Masonic symbolism and customs originating in ancient Brahman practices, which were transmitted through the Chaldeans, Egyptians, Hebrews, and into Renaissance Europe. Brother Lightfoot touches upon common themes in mythology, shared words in multiple cultures, and the origin of measurements used in the Western world. Here we find what was in the early 20th century cutting-edge ideas in religion, sociology, linguistics, physics, and metaphysics. Lightfoot made these connections through a lifetime of study and connected the dots to create a linear narrative of a possible Masonic origin.

Billy Hamilton was initiated into Masonry in 1996 at Triangle Masonic Lodge No. 548 in Lawton, Oklahoma. He is the Worshipful Master of Texas Lodge of Research (2023-2024) and a Past Master of Fort Worth Masonic Lodge No. 148 in Fort Worth, Texas. A data analyst, he resides with his wife, Bette, in Fort Worth, Texas. Brother Hamilton has written articles for the Knights Templar Magazine, Fraternal Review, Journal of the Masonic Society, and other periodicals. He is a co-host of the Fort Worth Masonic Podcast and one of the organizers of Texas MasoniCon, an annual Masonic education and history conference.