This evening was the Bishop Wilkins College SRIA meeting.

We had a full evening planned, including electing our next Celebrant, a double Grade II° ceremony, and our current Celebrant was going to finally give his paper from going into the chair. What could go wrong?

Well in the run up to cut off for booking a meal, more and more people sent their apologies, some for valid reasons, but the majority were going to visit a craft lodge to see an installation. Personally I am of the belief that your own meeting should always come first, especially if you are in office. But, nether the less we had enough people to do the evening since we had spare people who could fill in roles so all was well.

Then the night before the meeting, our treasurer happened to message some people about the meeting only to be told they were not attending. This included the Celebrant who was doing the ceremony and the talk. But never fear we had the exact number of people (thanks to a visitor) to do the ceremony for the one candidate still coming. And I decided to write a paper on the day of the meeting for “just in case”. We were OK.

Then the day of the meeting came, and as the treasurer checked if a member needed a lift to the meeting, he was informed that he was going to the same installation as the others and not attending the college meeting. We were now officially one person short.

Luckily Bishop Wilkins College has both the Chief Adept, and the Provincial Secretary in it, and they managed to sort it out so we could do the Grade II° for the candidate who turned up, and we had time for two papers, one from myself and another from our Visitor who was also a past member of the college. In the festive board after as we were all chatting away, everyone was saying how enjoyable the evening ended up being. 

So while up to the start of the meeting everything was going wrong, the end result was a great night for all. So let this be a lesson to you all, never give up when things are going wrong because sometimes what comes after is worth it!

The new season has rolled in once more, and as ever it opened with Clwyd College SRIA up on the coast at Mostyn, that familiar stretch of shoreline where the wind always seems to carry a hint of ceremony. Oddly enough, my second meeting of the season is also in Mostyn, this time Rhodri Fawr Rose Croix on Saturday. I cannot remember the last time my first two meetings of the year were in the same place, let alone the same coastal village. Two trips to the edge of the sea in four days feels like the universe is trying to lure me into becoming a part‑time beach dweller.

Today’s gathering was a blend of Grade IV and Grade I, a pleasant mix of depth and initiation. Time slipped away from us faster than expected, so the paper planned for the evening has been nudged forward to the next meeting. The Candidate was mine, so I gave him a lift, and it made a refreshing change to have company on the road. The drive to Mostyn is always beautiful, but it is even better when there is someone beside you to share the small jokes, the quiet anticipation, and the inevitable post‑meeting debrief.

So here we are, the new season upon us once again. I may no longer be a Busy Mason in the old sense, but September has decided to ignore that entirely. It is shaping up to be a whirlwind month, full of meetings, rehearsals, and the gentle chaos that seems to follow me around the Masonic world. A quieter life may be the goal, but clearly the calendar has other ideas.

The Saturday sun was already blazing when I abandoned my precious lie in and pointed the car back toward England. Everything seems sunny at the moment, sunny and far too hot, as though the weather itself has joined some grand cosmic conspiracy. This time the road carried me to Shrewsbury, glowing in the morning light like a town carved from warm gold.

It was the final SRIA meeting of the season, so I made my way to Charles Darwin College, that familiar little haven of esoteric curiosity. I dropped off a bundle of certificates for their secretary, then settled in to enjoy a beautifully worked second grade ceremony. I found myself standing in as the Second Ancient, which added a pleasant touch of theatre to the morning. Afterwards we were treated to two papers, both thoughtful, both delivered with that gentle Rosicrucian charm.

Somewhere along the way I realised the number two had taken over the entire day. Second grade. Two candidates. Two papers. Second Ancient. It was as though the universe had decided to tap me on the shoulder and whisper a message in numerical form. I have no idea what the message is, but I am fairly sure it involves the number two, and I am equally sure it will make sense eventually.

A warm day, a sunny town, a final meeting, and a quiet nudge from the cosmos. Not a bad Saturday at all.

This evening carried that familiar blend of quiet anticipation and gentle chaos that seems to follow me around the Rosicrucian world. I made my way to Clwyd College at Mostyn for what turned out to be my fourth Rosicrucian gathering this month, a detail that suggests either admirable dedication or a worrying lack of hobbies. It was our Installation meeting, always a moment of ceremony and transition, and despite the hurdles it unfolded with surprising grace.

The College Secretary had recently stepped away from all things Masonic, which meant several parts of the evening had been assembled at speed. A few chairs were empty, a few roles redistributed, and the new celebrant had not prepared the traditional celebrant’s paper that should accompany his ascent into the chair. In the SRIA this is not a small omission. The talk is part of the rhythm of the Order, a moment where scholarship meets symbolism and the new celebrant sets the tone for his year.

I had suspected this might happen. There is a particular silence that descends when someone has not prepared a lecture, and I could hear that silence forming long before the meeting. So earlier that morning I gathered a few notes from some research I had been doing and shaped them into a short talk. Nothing too heavy, nothing too academic, just a playful little quest for the Holy Grail with enough humour to keep the room awake and enough Monty Python references to ensure the brethren were smiling rather than bracing themselves for a dissertation.

It went down well. The room laughed in the right places, nodded in the thoughtful ones, and for a few minutes we all wandered together through myth, mystery, and the gentle absurdity that makes our Order so endearing.

Sometimes you simply need a back up plan.

Today was nothing short of fantastic. One of those rare days when the world seems to lean in your direction and give you a wink. The sun, that elusive mythical creature that has spent the better part of three decades hiding behind the mountains of North Wales, finally decided to step out and shine with the confidence of a bard who has just remembered all the words to his own song.

When the sun appears in this part of the world, it is not simply weather. It is a sign. A blessing. A celestial nudge that says, Go on lad, make something of this. So I did what any sensible Welshman would do when the heavens open in approval. I quietly slipped across the border into England for the Province of Western Counties and North Wales SRIA Vault of Adepts meeting.

Three ceremonies awaited us, each one rich, resonant, and beautifully worked. The kind of ritual that settles into the bones and reminds you why we do any of this in the first place. There is a particular stillness in a well delivered ceremony, a sense that the room itself is listening, that the very air is holding its breath. Today had that in abundance.

And then came the meal. A simple thing on the surface, but as every Adept knows, fellowship is the true heart of our Order. Good company, good conversation, and that warm sense of belonging that lingers long after the plates are cleared. There is a magic in shared bread and shared laughter that no ritual book can fully capture. It is the quiet alchemy of companionship, the kind that turns strangers into brothers and brothers into friends.

If there was a downside, it is only this. Now the countdown begins. A whole year until the next one. Twelve long months before we gather again in that same spirit of learning, fellowship, and gentle mischief.

But what a day to carry with us until then. A day lit by the sun, shaped by ceremony, and sealed with fellowship. A reminder that even in a world that often feels uncertain, there are still moments that shine with purpose.

I have returned from the SRIA High Council meeting with my mind humming like a golden hive in midsummer, every cell alive with ideas, symbols, and the soft crackle of revelation. There is something wonderfully absurd about it. Every year I think, surely this is the summit, surely they cannot climb any higher without sprouting wings. And every year they simply smile, adjust their robes, and ascend another invisible staircase into yet another chamber of wonder.

The talks were not merely lectures. They were a procession, a pilgrimage, a slow drifting through the great cathedral of human thought. We wandered through the living landscape of Tarot, where archetypes breathe and whisper. We stepped into the deep forest of Shamanism, where the world is stitched together by spirit and story. Then, with a sudden turn worthy of a Greek chorus, we found ourselves contemplating Artificial Intelligence, that strange new creature humanity has called into being, half mirror and half mystery.

From there we drifted into Alchemy, that ancient art of turning both metals and minds into something brighter. We touched on History, Greek philosophy, Qabbala, and a dozen other winding paths that twist through the labyrinth of human understanding. It felt less like attending a conference and more like being handed a library card for the universe, stamped and approved by the custodians of hidden knowledge.

What astonishes me most is how the gathering keeps improving. Year after year they manage to summon the right people, the right subjects, and the right spirit of curiosity. It is as if the entire event is guided by an invisible compass that always points toward inspiration, no matter how the world outside may wobble or wander.

So here is to the speakers, the organisers, the seekers, and the quietly brilliant minds who make the SRIA High Council meeting such a joy. Long may it continue to grow, evolve, and surprise us. And long may we return home with our heads buzzing, our hearts lifted, and our spirits nudged a little closer to whatever truth waits just beyond the next veil.

I can now relax!

Today was the Province of Western Counties and North Wales’ Provincial Convocation. This is our annual meeting where we all gather together, see how all the colleges in the Province are doing, what is new, and Invest the Provincial officers for the next year. We also announce the winner of the best paper in the province, and listen to it.

It is a big event in the year, and this year for the first time ever, I was the one organising it all because I am the new Provincial Secretary.

So for the last few weeks i have been dealing with organising the officers, the bookings, the colleges for their reports, the Director of Studies for his report and the winning paper, trying to sort out the provincial jewels, and 101 other things. All for the first time.

To make it all easier, a bunch of VIPs decided they wanted to attend, you know just the Senior Substitute Magus, the junior Substitute Magus (England & Wales), Members of High Council, etc. I can tell you, the whiskey I poured myself when I got home was well earned. 

Overall it was a very enjoyable day, and next year will be even better since I now have an idea of what to do.

Junior Substitute Magus – Suffragan – Chief Adept – Senior Substitute Magus

Provincial Officers for 2026
(Or those that stayed for the photo)

Today was my first Christmas Dinner of the year!

It was an odd occasion since I was the one who picked the meals. But Checking my calendar for December, I noticed this year I would only be having the one Christmas Dinner. Now while I am ok with that, I figured after the last few years of multiple dinners, to the point of keeping track I really should have more than one.

So for Bishop Wilkins meeting, I picked Christmas Dinner. I did add to the summons that if anyone objected we could change it. I am not evil. Ok I am not totally evil!.

The meeting itself went great, we had a ceremony, and then an Installation. And it was a rare installation since the Frater going into the chair had never been in any chair of any order before. So we got to see him mind blown. 

This evening was the meeting of Bishop Wilkins College.

I am the Secretary (and Director of Studies)  of Bishop Wilkins, and due to the Celebrant not being able to make the meeting I also stood in for him.  This did lead to some comedy gold where I (wearing Celebrants hat) would ask me (wearing Secretary’s hat) things such as minutes, etc.

Being in this strange double roll did have one unexpected treat. We had a load of certificates to hand out, so I requested the Chief Adept to present them, and I read out their names so they could go and receive their certificates. After the last one was being taken back to his seat, I sat down and the Chief Adept sat down. I then acted surprised, and stood back up “ooops. Sorry I missed one!” I then looked at the DC and asked could he collect…. And I named the Chief Adept. Who on hearing his own name looked extremely shocked and confused. 

I then had the pleasure of presenting the Chief Adepts Certificate to the Chief Adept at his mother college.

Pictured below is the Chief Adept along with members of the Third Order who were present at the meeting.

We also had an enjoyable rest of the meeting with a Grade IVº ceremony, and the candidate afterwards presented his first paper which was interesting and led to many questions.

I will not mention that the top table got extra pie’s with their meals due to a couple of no shows. So overall it was a great evening.

This evening was the start of the new Masonic Year.

So for the first time in a while, I suited up and headed off to the coast, well sunny Mostyn for the meeting of Clwyd College SRIA.

It was a very enjoyable evening, the new officers did a great job doing both a Grade IIIº, and a Grade IVº. We did have a couple of missing members so I stood in as 4th Ancient. (Yes the mad fools trusted me with fire.)

As usual with the Mostyn Hall, the food was amazing. So overall it was a great start to the new season, Good meeting, Good food, Good Beer, and Great company.

Well!

Not everything was great. Traveling home I fond that not only were the slip-roads onto the A55 closed, but the A55 itself was closed. So while I traveled along old streets to get home, the massive amounts of traffic redirected off the main East-West road that were trying to use backroads did make the whole thing “Interesting”

I was shocked that it only added 20 minutes to my journey, it felt like a lot longer.