A Mason's Journey - The Books
Here, for your viewing convenience, is my catalog of books. Some are non-fiction, addressing the matters of the lodge and the craft as a whole, while the others are complete fiction and I wrote them to stimulate thought among masons about our principle tenets and attributes. The Noah series (which includes “Noah’s Quest” and “Noah’s Legacy”) began as a simple short story and blossomed into the five “Noah Books”. They are intended to put some of our ritual, esoterica, and practices into a context that readers might apply to their own experiences. They are not intended to “teach” masonry or declare what masonry is or is not, they merely tell a story of a man and describe the effects of masonry on his life. His story begins with “Noah’s Quest: Trial at the Gate” and continues all the way through “Noah’s Legacy: Rude Awakening” and I would recommend reading them in order – the storyline builds, one upon the other.
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I have linked each book to their Amazon sales page and you can click on the book cover or the book title to purchase them.
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NOTE: All proceeds from every book sale go directly to Valley-Hi Masonic Lodge No. 1407 AF & AM in the form of a donation. This is true for royalties generated through sales on Amazon and for direct purchases from me (I generally keep a few copies around for direct sales).
Noah's Quest Volume I: Trial at the Gate (2nd Edition)
Noah Lewis is a mild mannered mason who unexpectedly finds himself on a quest where he must face his masonic values and the way he applied them as he lived his life. The quest challenges his breadth of knowledge and depth of understanding of masonry at its structural core. “Trial at the Gate” sets wheels in motion that will turn for generations and cause ripples of unpredictable and incalculable effects impacting masons for hundreds of years, unfortunately Noah’s friend Gary might be the one that had to absorb and carry those effects.
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Surprisingly (especially to me), this book and was an accident. I began a paper on the allegory presented by the candidate for the mysteries of freemasonry and waiting in the ante room, but things went somewhat off the tracks after I started writing. I saw in that early draft an opportunity to provide my thoughts through more than just a dry, sterile “paper” and instead create a story that gave life (of sorts) to the entire scenario. Once I started the short story, some ideas began to spill out into my work from some of my other papers and articles and the tale of Noah began to take shape. I continued developing my original story line and incorporating those other elements that seemed relevant and then the problem became the length. At some point I passed the point of no return for a short story, but I had not hit a length I believed was appropriate for a book. After a brief consultation with my publisher we decided to go forward with a book and that I would begin work on a sequel.
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The second edition “revision” of “Trial at the Gate” is now available on Amazon. Click HERE to order through Amazon
Noah's Quest Volume II: Eternal Awakening
Noah Lewis, our mild mannered mason continues his quest which has become a search for the truth about masonry and answers to his questions as to whether he ever fully grasped the ancient landmarks and the system of masonry itself. This volume continues a series of lessons intended to instruct Noah on some of the more abstract qualities of the mysteries and ways of his beloved craft. He also discovers that his quest will require him to travel the plain of time itself in his search for answers and meaning. As While Noah embarks on the next leg of his quest, his good friend and brother mason Gary is ready to take the generational handoff from Noah and get to work leading his lodge and the craft into the future while building his own masonic edifice.
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By the time I finished “Eternal Awakening”, I knew there was a longer story to be told. In both “Trial at the Gate” and “Eternal Awakening” I was able to animate the ideas from several of my papers and articles and demonstrate them through the lessons Noah and Gary received. Noah’s quest became quite the opportunity to share my own masonic ideals and interpretations. Many of the papers that I used to construct the journeys of Noah and Gary are now published in “Guard Well Our Craft” and “In and About the Lodge Room” (both available on Amazon) and are also available individually on my website in my “Library” and “Papers” sections.
Noah's Quest Volume III: Faithful Craftsman
In “Faithful Craftsman”, Noah finds his quest has taken him to a new level of understanding of how masonry and its timeless principles fit within the bounds of life, time, and eternity. Noah begins to sense the larger importance of the ancient landmarks and meaning for them that reach far beyond the walls of the lodge room.
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By the time I began work on “Faithful Craftsman”, I knew that it was time to address my own more esoteric views and opinions and Noah’s quest was the logical vehicle. More and more of my own masonic journey and my search for value and meaning emerged through Noah and Gary’s experiences and they seemed only too happy to help as my “sojourn of the soul” took shape.
Noah's Quest Volume IV: Masonic Mementos
Noah arrives at the end of his quest where he comes face-to-face with the criticality of time, the immortality of the soul, and the importance of our duty to each other and to the craft as we promise in our masonic obligations and express through our actions towards each other. Noah is given a glimpse of the meaning, the relevance, and the importance of time itself and examines the meaning of “as above, so below”.
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Noah and Gary kept me busy on this one! I had two protagonists with two stories that I had to wrap up, but fortunately, after some deep self-introspection, I knew what I needed to do to with each of their quests. I had examined almost every way that masonry touches my life while I also tested myself to see if I truly understand the relationship between man and his maker. Noah and Gary were great sports who indulged my whims and theories and we all arrived at some interesting conclusions about masonry and its purpose. “Masonic Mementos” was intended to be the end of the story for Noah, Gary, and Noah’s quest…. well, that was the original intention…..
Noah's Legacy: Rude Awakening
RELEASED: June 27, 2024
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“Noah’s Legacy” is an excursion based on the “Noah’s Quest” series. While it may not be absolutely necessary to read the Quest series before you read “Rude Awakening”, it will definitely help a reader understand the backstory and the history of two of the key players in the story line. In “Noah’s Legacy: Rude Awakening” we learn more about what happened with Noah once his quest was finished and how he applied the knowledge and experience he gained through his several trials. And we watch as Noah and Gary confront a catastrophic disruption in the passage of time – are they up to the challenge? Or will they require the help of others to find, decipher, and follow the clues?
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Noah's Prism: Memoir of "A Mason's Journey"
Expected Release Date: 2025
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“Noah’s Prism: Memoir of “A Mason’s Journey” (working title) is my opportunity to examine my own life through the lens of Noah’s lessons and experiences gathered in his various trials and challenges; it is my autobiography. I wrote the series of Noah books as something of an examination of some of my own “lived experiences” and the lessons they’ve provided that have ultimately informed my journey. Noah, Gary, and Waylon each constitute one strand of my personal threefold cord with the strands representing my own youth, manhood, and (old) age. Waylon is my “youth” strand, exploring the world around him and trying to figure out the answers to the big questions of love, life, and why things work the way they do. Gary would be my “manhood” strand, working in the quarries of the day. And Noah represents my “(old) age” strand, reflecting on a life well-lived and sharing lessons and experiences gathered along the way.
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Work on “Prism” has begun, but this will be a lengthy effort. I’ve already started over at least three times as better and more effective forms replaced early drafts. This one will not be easy and I am not positive I will make my 2025 target date for release.
A Mason's Journey: In and About the Lodge
“In and About the Lodge” is a collection of papers and articles with hints and suggestions on many of the daily functions and duties around our lodges. I address mentoring, trend analysis, lodge committees, and the value of stated (business) meetings. The capstone article in this book is the first article called “A System Called Masonry” and it examines the structure of our craft with an eye toward improving how we discuss the fraternity with prospective candidates and other non-masons.
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As with “Guard Well Our Craft”, many of these papers informed Noah in “Noah’s Quest” and “Noah’s Legacy”.
A Mason's Journey: Guard Well Our Craft
“Guard Well Our Craft” is a collection of papers that examine the threats and dangers that lie ahead for our craft with an eye toward how we operate today and things we do that might inadvertently change the course and meaning of our craft forever. This is a book about the warning signs and some blinking lights that may be signal approaching danger for the craft. The capstone article in this book is the final paper titled: “Freemasonry in a Changing Culture” which is a lengthy examination of the influences of the chaos in our society on masonry – this includes new membership and the effects of reduced growth on our craft.
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The themes and ideas from many of the papers in “Guard Well Our Craft” informed Noah, “Noah’s Quest”, and “Noah’s Legacy”.
A hat tip to Perfect Ashlar Publishing for their assistance and guidance and much appreciation for introducing Noah Lewis to the world! Are you a curious mason? Would you like to get a copy for your library? Simply click the link below to order yours now!
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All proceeds and royalties from the sales of "Noah's Quest" books and merchandise go to Valley-Hi Lodge No. 1407, AF & AM, San Antonio, Texas