Master's Message Fall 2025

For this year, I have chosen the Middle Chamber as our theme of study and reflection. Today I want to discuss the 7 Liberal Arts These ancient disciplines; Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, and Astronomy form the traditional foundation of knowledge upon which Masonry rests. They are not simply historical curiosities. They represent a framework for thinking, communicating, and growing, both as individuals and as a fraternity.

Each of us first encountered these Arts in the Middle Chamber lecture. They were presented as more than academic subjects, they were pathways to self-improvement, tools to shape the mind, and stepping stones leading us closer to wisdom. A Lodge of Research, in many ways, is the Middle Chamber made real. It is where we pause on our Masonic journey to consider, to question, to share, and to refine what we are learning.

With that in mind, I invite you to join us at our next meeting Sept. 13 at Mineral Point Lodge in Mineral Point WI. I encourage you not only to attend but to bring your curiosity with you. Do not feel you must come with a finished essay or polished presentation. Some of our most rewarding conversations happen when a Brother shares something still in progress: a question that needs direction, a fragment of research that could use more context, or even an idea that has yet to take shape.

Let us remember that the Liberal Arts themselves were never meant to be mastered all at once. They are studied in progression, step by step, each one opening new doors of understanding. So too should be our work in this Lodge. Perfection is not required; only the willingness to learn together.

This Lodge thrives not on completed works, but on the spirit of inquiry. Whether you bring a finished piece or a single page of notes, you are contributing to the living pursuit of Masonic light. Come share in the conversation and let us ascend together in both knowledge and brotherhood.

I look forward to seeing you in Mineral Point, and to hearing your thoughts, questions, and discoveries, however formed they may be.

Fraternally and faithfully,

Chris Luedke

Worshipful Master

Silas H. Shepherd Lodge of Research #1843