The newest book by Robert Lomas has just landed on my doorstep, delivered with all the solemn ceremony the postman could muster, and that means my holiday reading is officially sorted. There is something wonderful about that moment when a long awaited book arrives (especially when it is a free book). It feels like a small blessing, a quiet invitation to step out of the noise of the world and into a space shaped by ideas, stories, and the steady voice of someone who has spent a lifetime exploring the mysteries that fascinate us.

This volume is a collection of the lectures Robert has given at the Daniel Owens Festival, a gathering that has become a kind of spiritual home for those of us who love the dance between history, and the living tradition of learning. To see those lectures gathered together feels like holding a lantern made from many flames, each one illuminating a different aspect of Daniel’s Life.

I was honoured to write the foreword for this collection. Truly honoured. Writing that foreword felt like standing at the threshold of a great hall, opening the door, and inviting readers to step inside. It was a chance to speak about the festival, about the legacy of Daniel Owens, and about the way Robert’s lectures weave together insight, humour, and the kind of wisdom that arrives only after years of patient study.

So yes, the holiday is sorted. A good book, a quiet corner, a fresh coffee, and the chance to revisit the festival through the words of a man who has been one of Daniel Owen’s brightest voices. I could not ask for better company.

Coronation Lodge No. 2927 has a quarterly Masonic Publication associated with it called Coronatio Quadrans, or CQ for short.

One part of the publication is “Question from the Master” This is where the Lodge’s Worshipful Master asks a esoteric or masonic question to the Lodge Mentor who will answer it in an article in the next edition. After the Mentor answers the question, the “Question” is thrown open to all, and anyone can try and answer it themselves anonymously. The CQ Editors will read all the submissions and pick the best which gets published in CQ.

The Question in CQ Vol 9 was “Choosing one or more points I would like you to consider the history, and significance of the use of Tracing Boards in Freemasonry; the symbolism contained within regarding their associated degrees, how they convey the meaning of the respective ritual; the evolution of the symbolism, the style of imagery presented across the centuries and evolving culture, and what, if anything you would include or omit to make them more useful vehicles for conveying their intended meaning?“

This time the question was more like a series of questions, or such an open ended question you could almost write about anything and still manage to get it to fit into the range covered by the question. I decided to write something about how tracing boards used to be special and taught a lot, while now they are mass produced and some of the teachings have been lost.

So, I won.

“What did you win?” you ask, (yes I heard you. I have explained in an old blog post, I can hear you when you speak out loud while reading this site).

Well my prize is that I get to write an article on any topic of my choice, and it will get published in the next edition of CQ.

ANYTHING!

So now I need to think of what I would like to write about.

The latest edition of Coronatio Quadrans has officially landed, and this time, it’s not just another quarterly release. It’s their very first Special Edition, and it’s blooming just in time for the Vernal Equinox.

This quarter, the editorial team has gathered a series of thought-provoking papers exploring one of the most elusive and evocative ideas in all of philosophy, theology, and symbolic tradition:The Nature of the Supreme Being AKA The Great Architect of the Universes.

You’ll find reflections from mathematicians, physicists, historians, mystics, and mischief-makers, each offering their own lens on the ineffable. Among them is my own humble contribution:

“The Ever-Shifting Face of the Divine. Or Why Humanity Keeps Rebooting the Supreme Being in Its Own Image.”

And yes, before you ask, all the usual delights are still here: reviews, competitions, commentary, and the occasional eyebrow-raising footnote.

So if you’re feeling cosmically curious, ceremonially inclined, or just in need of a good Equinoctial read, grab yourself a copy. You might just find the Architect staring back at you… with a wink.

I received an email today informing me that my LiveJournal account, yes, that ancient digital relic, has officially turned 21.

Twenty-one. As in, legally allowed to drink in every jurisdiction that still pretends LiveJournal is a thing.

I had genuinely forgotten I even had one. It’s been lurking in the shadowy corners of the internet like a time capsule filled with questionable poetry, dramatic status updates, and the occasional pixelated GIF of emotional turmoil.

But now that it’s reached the age of majority, I suppose I owe it a celebratory pint. Maybe two. Maybe a full round of shots and a long, cathartic conversation about how we’ve both changed.

So tonight, I raise a glass to my LiveJournal, my moody, melodramatic, HTML‑decorated companion from the early 2000s. May it drink responsibly, avoid posting while tipsy, and never remind me what I wrote in 2005.

For those who may be new around here, my blog has gone through four iterations, with LiveJournal being the second incarnation.

• Version 1: Hand-coded posts on my original website back in the early ’90s — before the word blog even existed. Just raw HTML, questionable colour choices, and the burning need to overshare.
• Version 2: Migrated to LiveJournal, where angst met animated GIFs and every post felt like a diary entry written by candlelight.
• Version 3: Took up residence on the Three-Ninjas site, because clearly what my thoughts needed was a dojo.
• Version 4: (And hopefully final version) is right here — on this very page. Still rambling. Still oversharing. Just with better fonts and fewer sparkly backgrounds.

I’ve been haunting the digital wilds since about ’94, back when the web crackled, hummed, and occasionally threatened to set your modem on fire just for looking at it funny. A personal website here, a blog there, sometimes both held together with duct tape, HTML guesswork, and sheer optimism. Realising that I’ve been online for more than three decades is… equal parts impressive and mildly horrifying. At this point I’m basically qualified for a seat on the Internet Druids’ Council.

So yes, by the ancient laws of cyberspace, I am fully authorised to shake my metaphorical walking stick at the TikTok generation. All you hyper‑edited, dance‑looping, algorithm‑summoned sprites may kindly vacate my virtual lawn with your chaotic jingles masquerading as music. I was here when “You’ve Got Mail” was a cultural event, when websites proudly displayed hit counters, when we all wanted to FREE KEVIN, and when animated GIFs were considered the height of sophistication. (That last bit is, of course, a filthy lie. Animated GIFs have never been acceptable. And it’s Gif, not Jif. Do not make me fetch my stick.)

And yet here I remain, still typing, still tinkering, still refusing to log off, and now deeply amused to discover that the Internet Archive has been quietly preserving my online ramblings since the late ’90s. Which means there are, quite literally, thousands upon thousands of historical documents chronicling the last thirty‑ish years of my life, preserved for all eternity. Or at least until World War Three wipes out all technology.

I always assumed I was hysterical. I never expected to be historical.

The latest issue of Coronatio Quadrans (Issue #8 – Winter Solstice 2025) just hit the news-stand (And by the news-strand, I of course mean my inbox), so why not do and try and get yourself a copy for some interesting Christmas time reading.

Once again, I have an article in this edition “The Persecution of French Freemasons In The Second World War”. I picked out the topic around about November 11th, thinking it was a relevant topic for the time of year.

Who would have thought that just a few short weeks later it would be even more relevant from the recent announcements from the Met Police, regarding the need for Freemasons to register themselves. What is next, being forced to wear red triangles?

Als die Nazis die Kommunisten holten,
habe ich geschwiegen; ich war ja kein Kommunist.

Coronation Lodge No. 2927 has a quarterly Masonic Publication associated with it called Coronatio Quadrans, or CQ for short.

One part of the publication is “Question from the Master” This is where the Lodge’s Worshipful Master asks a esoteric or masonic question to the Lodge Mentor who will answer it in an article in the next edition. After the Mentor answers the question, the “Question” is thrown open to all, and anyone can try and answer it themselves anonymously. The CQ Editors will read all the submissions and pick the best which gets published in CQ.

The Question in the last edition of CQ was “To what extent are Masonic rituals Theurgic Rites?” The question intrigued me, so I decided to enter the competition again. I won, and my prize again was to write a paper on a topic of my own choosing.

The topic I selected was “Ye Sons of the Widow” which is my attempt to answer the question “why do Freemasons get called the Sons of the Widow or Widows sons”

I first asked myself this question when I needed to wrote a short paper as part of the LOLS paper writing challenge during Lockdown.

Today has been a day all about Coronatio Quadrans. This was a pure coincidence, and not planned.

Whilst talking to an old friend this morning, I was reminded that I owed CQ an article for their next publication and that I had not sent one in. This led to me re-writing an old paper on “Ye Sons of the Widow” that I had done possibly over Lockdown (or just before) for the old OpenLodge writing challenge. I was able to get the paper into a sensible and (I hope) entertaining format and posted it off to the editors before they could start shouting at me. Which is how it has gone in the past.

After sorting that, and grabbing some food it was time to log into the Coronatio Quadrans associates talk, where a Canadian was booked to give a talk on Cosmic Consciousness from an engineering/scientific aspect. 

The associate talks have been on the generalised topic of Cosmic Consciousness but from different perspectives, such as spiritual, historical, scientific, and practical.  once the topic is over, it will make a fantastic and educational special edition of the CQ magazine. 

Coronation Lodge No. 2927 has a quarterly Masonic Publication associated with it called Coronatio Quadrans, or CQ for short.

One part of the publication is “Question from the Master” This is where the Lodge’s Worshipful Master asks a esoteric or masonic question to the Lodge Mentor who will answer it in an article in the next edition. After the Mentor answers the question, the “Question” is thrown open to all, and anyone can try and answer it themselves anonymously. The CQ Editors will read all the submissions and pick the best which gets published in CQ.

The Question in CQ Vol 6 was “To what extent are Masonic rituals Theurgic Rites?“. Just before the Magazine was due to be released the Editors mentioned to me that there had been no entries for this edditions question. So to make sure thay had at least one paper to publish, I knocked up a response to the question.

It turns out they had a few last minute entries, I guess the Editors moaning no one had responded, encouraged multiple people to actually submit something.

So, I won.

“What did you win?” you ask, (yes I heard you. I have explained in an old blog post, I can hear you when you speak out loud while reading this site).

Well my prize is that I get to write an article on any topic of my choice, and it will get published in the next edition of CQ.

ANYTHING!

So now I need to think of what I would like to write about.