Freemasonry at Tong Tong Fair 2016

Tong Tong Fair is a famous, annual Asian festival, which takes place in The Hague, The Netherlands, from 28th May until 5th June 2016 This year, freemasonry and its historical lodge buildings are amongst the themes explored in the festival's exhibition, lecture and actvitities program. For more information, follow this link: tongtongfair.nl/vrijmetselarij/.

Building of Lodge De Vriendschap, Surabaya, founded in 1808.
Photo: CMC Prince Frederik, The Hague.

Groningen University Master Program

The Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies of the Groningen University will launch a new Master program Concealed Knowledge: Gnosticism, Esotericism, and Mysticism (60 ECTS, entirely taught in the English language) as of the academic year 2012-2013.
The one-year program consist of 3 modules, 1 tutorial/ internship/ additional module, and a master thesis. The modules are: Knowledge, Secrecy, and Revelation in Antiquity; Medieval Mysticism, Kabbalah, and Contemporary Culture; Modern Esotericism between East and West. All modules are characterized by an approach that is well-established in Groningen: an awareness of (a) the historical dimension that reaches back to antiquity; (b) the fact that religion in the West is pluralistic (including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but also pagan and other religious options); and (c) that the notion of 'Western' must be critically engaged in terms of postcolonial debate and processes of globalization.
It is also possible to combine this program with a two-years Research Master. For details of the program, please see the University website.

New lecture series at the Leiden University

The University of Leiden will be offering a new lecture series on the history of freemasonry from 15 September 2011 onwards. Following the illness and passing of prof. Malcolm Davies, the Leiden chair for Freemasonry as an Intellectual Current and Socio-cultural Phenomenon has been inactive for two years. A successor for prof. Davies has not (yet?) been named. Prof. Ab de Jong took the initiative to organize another lecture series, inviting scholars from academic and masonic circles as guest speakers. More information is available (in Dutch) at: https://studiegids.leidenuniv.nl/courses/show/29516/geschiedenis-van-de-vrijmetselarij.

Leiden University lectures postponed

De lecture series on freemasonry, which was to take place at the Leiden University from september onwards, has been postponed.
For more information, please contact the Faculty of Humanities, Mrs. Dr. J.G. Mooi, j.g.mooi@let.leidenuniv.nl, + 31 (0)71 5272570.

Lecture series on freemasonry at the Leiden University

[Update 5-9-2009: Please note that this lecture series has been postponed.]

The chair for the History of Freemasonry as an Intellectual Current and Socio-cultural Phenomenon at the Leiden University will offer a lecture series after the summer: Freemasonry: Its History of Ideas and Cultural Heritage . The lectures are presented by prof. dr. Malcolm Davies and will this time be offered in the English language in order to allow international students can participate. The program is as follows:

- 11 September: Introduction: What is freemasonry? A short history;
- 18 September: Symbols in freemasonry; an explanation of the most well-known symbols;
- 25 September: The rituals of freemasonry, origin, form and content;
- 2 October: Music and freemasonry; the music of Naumann, Nicolaï, Sibelius, Pijper and others;
- 9 October: The poetry of freemasonry, songs and short poems for lodge use. The longer (celebratory) poems and cantatas;
- 16 October: Plays with freemasonry as a topic; actors and musicians;
- 23 October: Freemasonry in literature, from Telemachus via the ‘Bildungsroman’ to Dutch literature in the 20th century;
- 30 October: Freemasonry and esotericism in art. The tableau. The exhibitions of the ‘Ordre de la Rose-Croix Catholique, de Temple et du Gral’;
- 6 November: Freemasonry and the esoteric in architecture;
- 13 November: Mozart and freemasonry, his cantatas, funeral music and opera;
- 20 November: The history of ideas in freemasonry (1);
- 27 November: The history of ideas in freemasonry (2).

This lecture series is open to both regular students and listeners. On completion students are aware of the structure, symbolism and cultural heritage of freemasonry as an important social phenomenon. They will be aware of the role of freemasonry and related esoteric currents in European society. They have investigated the forms of ritual, writings, music, drama and art of freemasonry from primary sources. In the case of ritual and drama the investigation will include an element of re-creation. Students will gain a knowledge of the most important secondary sources. For assessment students will have the choice of a written examination or a research paper.

Registration is obligatory, participation costs are (for non-students) € 175, -. For further information or to apply please contact the Institute of Religious Studies, Faculty of Humanities: Mrs. Dr. J.G. Mooi, by email j.g.mooi@let.leidenuniv.nl, or by phone: + 31 71 5272570.

Lodge collection management

Although the central collections of masonic orders are usually cared for by the national Grand Lodge, many individual lodges also house historical collections. These private collections are vulnerable and require professional care, which can pose both a practical and financial problem to their owners. Lodges of other fraternal and esoteric organizations experience the same problems, and have the same wish to preserve their heritage and make it accessible to members and students. But within their own organizations, the necessary practical know-how and financial means are often lacking.
This is why the OVN organized a practical course on preventive conservation, collection management and heritage subsidies for lodges on 12 December 2008. It was attended by 21 participants from both masculine and mixed masonic Orders in the Netherlands, and the Dutch association of Spiritualists, Harmonia. Having established that there is a need for this kind of information, the OVN intends to publish a brochure with practical information for lodges on how to care for their archives, libraries and object collections, including do's and dont's, addresses of suppliers of conservation materials, and information on relevant subsidies. In 2009, a practical course will be organized on the theme of heritage subsidies, offering practical assitance with the application process in order for individual lodges to secure funding for the conservation of their collections.