PODCAST · society
X-Oriente
by Eric Diamond
X-Oriente (Ex Oriente) means "From the East." X-Oriente is a podcast (MP3) dedicated to those Freemasons who are young (and young at heart). In each episode we will explore the ideas, the practice and the future of the Craft
Episodes
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144: Changing Our Minds
In the world of politics and the permanence of the Internet, many in society believe the phrase "a leopard doesn't change its spots." we often regard changing our minds as a sign of weakness, of waffling or flip-flopping. But the truth is, changing our minds is ESSENTIAL to personal growth and...
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142: Cult or Craft?
Jason was watching The Vow...the documentary about the NXIVM cult, and started wondering if Freemasonry could be considered a cult. So we pulled out our instruments and did the math. What constitutes a cult anyway?
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141: The Wright Stuff
Masonic writing and Masonic Research are different things: in this episode, Eric and Jason talk about Masonic writing, why it's important, and how to get started. October is Masonic Writing Month, so let's all get started!
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140: The Q-Fecta
Back in July, we began (or re-began) some very uncomfortable conversations about race in America. Freemasonry's own story in the United States is woven from the threads of race relations among our people. In this episode, we talk with the Reverend Professor Quadricos Driskell, who among his many...
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138: COGMINA!
Each year, the Grand Masters of all the Grand Lodges in North America get together to discuss issues of importance to all regular Freemasons in their jurisdictions, and build consensus. Jason, because of his day job, was privileged to attend the conference. In this episode, Eric and Jason discuss...
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137: Dinner with the Illuminati
Back in February, before all this pandemic nonsense, Eric and Jason sat down with Bro. Josef Wages to break some bread and talk about all things Illuminati, and the ritual that Joe helped locate, translate and edit, The Secret School of Wisdom: The Authentic Rituals and Doctrines of the…
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136: Not Just a Man
The Scottish Rite Northern Masonic Jurisdiction has been creating advertising media for free use by Grand Lodges, Lodges and individual Masons to help spread awareness of Freemasonry to a generation of men who barely know what it is. Is this a good thing? Eric and Jason explore and debate the...
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135: Sympathy for the Devil II
Associations with the infernal have always plagued Freemasonry, even from its earliest days. But what is exactly "The Devil" anyway? Is Lucifer, Beelzulbub, Satan, Mephistopheles and Baphomet all the same thing? Does it matter what religion you are? What is Hell anyway? And why does Freemasonry...
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134a: Sympathy for the Devil I
Associations with the infernal have always plagued Freemasonry, even from its earliest days. But what is exactly "The Devil" anyway? Is Lucifer, Beelzulbub, Satan, Mephistopheles and Baphomet all the same thing? Does it matter what religion you are? What is Hell anyway? And why does Freemasonry...
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133: A Masonic Dialogue (Part 2)
Every once in a while we find something in our past that electrifies the present. Lessing's Ernst & Falk, Dialogues for Freemasons is just such an essay. Written by Gotthold Lessing, a German Freemason in 1776-1777, the Dialogues get at the heart of the true purpose of Freemasonry—well, one...
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132: A Masonic Dialogue (part 1)
Every once in a while we find something in our past that electrifies the present. Lessing's Ernst & Falk, Dialogues for Freemasons is just such an essay. Written by Gotthold Lessing, a German Freemason in 1776-1777, the Dialogues get at the heart of the true purpose of Freemasonry—well, one...
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131: The Curse of Nostalgia
Freemasonry has a rich and storied past. But is living in the glories of the past holding us back from the future? Eric and Jason discuss.
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130: Do Clothes Maketh the Mason?
Eric and Jason are joined by our good friend, Nicky Sampogna, who is arguably one of the best-dressed Masons around, and punchy from jet-lag. It's a spirted discussion on Masonic dress codes you won't want to miss. Wear a tie. Or at least some pants.
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129: Conspiracy Theories and Safety
Public mass shootings are all too common in our society. Conspiracy theories have become the gasoline on the fire of mass violence toward Jews, racial and ethnic minorities and yes, even Freemasons. Eric and Jason are joined by preparedness expert Bro. Adam Tager to talk about how to keep lodges...
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128: Light Summer Reading
Eric and Jason review their book recommendations for Freemasons: The Queen's Conjurer: The Science and Magic of Dr. John Dee, Advisor to Queen Elizabeth I by Benjamin Wooley The Masonic Magician: The Life and Death of Count Cagliostro and His Egyptian Rite, by Philippa Faulks and Robert L.D.…
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127: Esprit d'Escalier
"Esprit d'Escalier" literally means "The Spirit of the Stairwell" and refers to that feeling when you realize what you should have said after the fact. Eric and Jason discuss an article that appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, called "What It's Like to Join the Freemasons," and discuss what was…
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126: Damn Kids!
Chris Hodapp, (the AP Wire service of Freemasonry) wrote an opinion piece in his blog linking the decline of Freemasonry to the discontinuation of the McGuffey Reader. We're joined by guest host Jason Richards (of the Masonic Roundtable) to talk Eric off a ledge. Here is the link to Bro. Hodapp's...
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125: Marketing and Masonry
We are joined by our special guest, Nicky Sampogna, a brother who runs social media marketing for a large entertainment brand. In this episode, we discuss marketing, brands and how younger men might be relating to freemasonry through the brands that they adopt.
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124: Appendant Bodies: Too Much, or Not Enough?
Appendant Bodies are the groups one can join once a man is raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason. And there are a lot to choose from, each with distinctive rituals, hats, activities and bling. But is so many groups that compete for Masonic attention good for the Craft? Eric and Jason…
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123: Breaking the Manbox
The "Manbox" has recently been identified by sociologists and social psychologists as a set of social expectations surrounding masculinity. These attitudes and resulting behaviors are at the roots of toxic masculine behavior and make it more difficult for men to cope with a society that is...
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122: The Right to an Opinion
Do people have a right to an opinion, or do they just have them? Eric And Jason discuss the semantics of rights opinions and critical thinking as they relate to Masonry and reasoned debate. This is a good toolbox for keeping discussions relevant and civil, especially online.
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121: Masonic Light
We talk about Masonic Light, but what does it actually mean? Jason and Eric explore the notion of Masonic Light from a practical as well as an esoteric standpoint.
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120: Morality and Relevancy
Special Guest, W.'. Bro. Robert H. Johnson. Religion and Politics are the two things we don't talk about in lodge as Freemasons. But we do discuss philosophy and morality. And often the ideas in both are informed by religion and bleed into politics. In his excellent article, "The Problem With...
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119: Balancing Masonic Work and Play
Masonry creates real and lasting friendships--if it doesn't you're doing it wrong. We enjoy fellowship and the social aspects of Masonry. On the other hand if that were all we were, we'd be merely a social club--and we go to lodge to work. All work and no play, however, makes Jack—and his lodge—a...
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118: 5 Things Every New Mason Should Know
In this episode, Eric and Jason discuss the five things every new Mason should know, but they don't tell you.
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117: Avoiding Masonic Burnout
Too much of a good thing isn't good. That includes the Craft too. In this episode, Eric and Jason discuss Masonic burnout: how to recognize it, how to avoid it, and what to do about it if you find yourself experiencing burnout.
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116: The Best a Man Can Get
King Gillette, the inventor of the safety razor was a Freemason. Today, the company that bears his name, has released a 60 second commercial about toxic masculinity that is sparking some debate and controversy. In this episode, Eric and Jason explore the commercial, the whys and wherefores, and...
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115: We're back and dying again!
X-Oriente is back after its unintentional technical hiatus! In this episode, we discuss a couple of well-written and well-intentioned Masonic essays. Lance Kennedy wrote a two part series "The Decline of Freemasonry: A Data Analysis" and "Two Trajectories For American Freemasonry: Consolidation…
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113: On the Level
Are academic and affinity lodges a good way to reach out to specific communities, or are they a way to highlight inequality in the craft? Eric and Jason discuss the pros and cons of specialty lodges.
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112: The Gentleman
Eric and Special Guest Host Mike "The Intern" Hambrecht of The Masonic Roundtable discuss the idea of the gentleman and how it informs ideas in the Craft.
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111: Visiting Lodge 49
If you haven't seen it yet, Lodge 49 is AMC's newest show that features a fraternal organization that is something between the Freemasons, The Odd Fellows and the Elks. In this episode Jason and Eric use the venerable PARDES method to critique the show. If you like TV, and you like esoteric...
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110: Are You a Traveling Man?
Eric and Jason discuss the benefits of traveling as a Freemason. How to do it right, the benefits, and what to expect.
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109: Unmasonic
We are back from our technical difficulties (knock wood!) In this episode, Eric and Jason discuss the new show Lodge 49, the decision by UGLE to allow Transgender women to remain masons and the concept and meaning of the term "unmasonic."
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108: Grandmaster For a Day
Eric and Jason imagine what they would do if they could be Grandmaster of American Freemasonry. Who is more hard-core? Jason or Eric? Who will be the first to withdraw recognition from the other? The Grand Lodge of Diamond, or the Grand Lodge of Van Dyke? Listen and see! It is an action-packed...
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107: The Table Proceeding
Jason and Eric are joined by special guest, M.: W.: Joe Crociata, Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Washington, D.C. and Masonic scholar to talk about Table Proceedings, aka The Festive Board. They talk about the background of these proceedings, The Seven Toasts, why they are important and...
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106: Winners and Losers
Jason and Eric discuss the idea that there are winners and losers in Freemasonry and how that might help and hurt the Craft as a whole.
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105: Mindfulness
One way to lessen the effect of ego and improve well-being is through meditation and the practice of Mindfulness. Visit the show notes at www.xoriente.com to access a bunch of useful tools and resources to help you get started or get better.
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104: Ego
Jason said, "Masonry's biggest problem is Ego." Eric wanted to know more. In this episode we talk about how ego can get in the way of the Craft.
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103: How to Change
We talk about the need to change all the time, but HOW should we innovate in Freemasonry? What is permissible to innovate? Eric and Jason discuss ways to framing the problems and an approach to iterative innovation that preserves what is essential about the Craft. This episode was damaged when…
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102: Symbolism 101
"The map is not the terrain, we are told." In this episode, Jason and Eric (and our Live audience) explore the importance of symbols, how symbols work, and finally banish the word "symbology" from the lexicon.
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101: The Crisis of Men
In this episode Jason and Eric are joined by Chris Hodapp to discuss his recent blog entry The Decline of Men, and what Freemasons Need to Do About It. We had some technical issues with Chris' audio, we apologize for the difficulty. We think it is worth the listen.
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100: Practical Freemasonry
While Jason is still completing his invasion of the European continent, Eric is joined by special guest host Juan Sepulveda. In addition to being one of the hosts of The Masonic Roundtable and host of The Winding Stairs podcasts, Bro. Sepulveda is an accomplished artist, and creator of a unique...
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099: Masonic Entitlement
Join special guest host Jason Richards from the Masonic Roundtable and Eric Diamond as they discuss that we as Freemasons should expect but don't get, and what we shouldn't feel entitled to.
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098: Enlightenment For the 21st Century
Eric and Jason discuss the elements of Enlightenment thinking and what we need to do to get better at it.
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097: Two Lights
Jason and Eric discuss two paths in Freemasonry: The path of Enlightenment philosophy and the path of Esoteric philosophy and why both are critical to Freemasonry's survival. We reference Antoine Faivre's excellent paper "The Two Lights: Thoughts On Two Constituative Lights of Masonic History"...
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096: Why We Believe
Why is it so important that a Freemason believe in a Supreme Being? In this episode, Jason and Eric take the First of the Old Charges apart using PARDES to see why this requirement is so important and so misunderstood.
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095: Resolutions
This was supposed to be episode 93, but we had a bit of a snafu with the show numbering. So while it says 93 on the title, it is really No. 95. You'll get over it. In this episode, recorded back in January, Eric and Jason reflect on their Masonic New Years resolutions.
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094: Lunch--with Bro. Normand
During Masonic Week, Eric and Jason met up on Friday for a cookout lunch at the Grand Lodge of DC, where we were joined by Pete Normand. We thought it would be fun to do an episode about "Masonic Pet Peeves," and while we started with those intentions, the conversation went much deeper. If you...
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093: Breakfast
In this episode, Eric has breakfast at Masonic Week with several podcasters including Mike "The Intern" Hambrecht, Jon "Big Data" Ruark, and Jason "The Mason" Richards of The Masonic Roundtable, and Frater O of Whence Came You? We talk about Masonic media in general, learn about how we approach...
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092: Knock Knock?
Jason & Eric discuss an interesting post by Bro. Greg Starr, courtesy of Chris Hodapp's excellent Freemasons for Dummies blog. They also wish their listeners a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year, and a Rockin' Kwanzaa!
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
X-Oriente (Ex Oriente) means "From the East." X-Oriente is a podcast (MP3) dedicated to those Freemasons who are young (and young at heart). In each episode we will explore the ideas, the practice and the future of the Craft
HOSTED BY
Eric Diamond
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does X-Oriente have?
X-Oriente currently has 135 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is X-Oriente about?
X-Oriente (Ex Oriente) means "From the East." X-Oriente is a podcast (MP3) dedicated to those Freemasons who are young (and young at heart). In each episode we will explore the ideas, the practice and the future of the Craft
How often does X-Oriente release new episodes?
X-Oriente publishes regularly with 135 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to X-Oriente?
You can listen to X-Oriente on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts X-Oriente?
X-Oriente is created and hosted by Eric Diamond.
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