Hidden Meanings: Esotericism and Masonic Connections
The 2021 International Conference on Freemasonry
Freemasonry offers everyone a pathway to self-improvement, fellowship, and community. For the committed few, it holds the promise of even more.
For more than 300 years, Masonic teachings and symbolism have attracted those in search of deeper, secret meanings about the natural and even supernatural world. These esoteric pursuits, shrouded in mystery and mysticism, have endured through the centuries and even today continue to fascinate seekers around the world.
On April 10, experts and scholars on Freemasonry will meet online to discuss the eternal quest for esoteric knowledge and its broader relationship to the craft. The ninth annual International Conference on Freemasonry is a rare chance for Masons and non-Masons to dive deep on metaphysics, antiquity, and the occult.
Conference Schedule
9:30 AM – Welcome and Introduction | Susan Mitchell Sommers
9:40 AM – Introductory Remarks | Arthur H. Weiss, Grand Master
10:00 AM – Hidden Meanings Overview: The Golden Thread |
Susan Mitchell Sommers
10:30 AM – Freemasonry and the Esoteric: Elitism, Insecurity, and Unenlightened Self-Interest | Ric Berman
11:15 AM – Freemasonry and Neoplatonism | Jan Snoek
12:15 PM – Lunch
1:30 PM – Stephen Freeman of Antigua and London: A Respectable Rosicrucian | Susan Mitchell Sommers
2:15 PM – Hidden and Visible: Mormon Garments in Community | Nancy Ross
3:00 PM – The Esotericism of the Esoteric School of Masonic Research |
Henrik Bogdan
3:45 PM – Concluding roundtable: The Seen and the Unseen: Discussing the Undiscussable | John L. Cooper III, Past Grand Master, Susan Mitchell Sommers, Nancy Ross, Adam Kendall, William Moore and Shawn Eyre
The UCLA International Conference is sponsored by the California Masonic Foundation and the Grand Lodge of California.
