The Authors

Akram R. Elias, 33º is Past Grand Master of Washington, D.C. (2008) and has 35 years of professional experience in the fields of Public Diplomacy and Cultural Intelligence. MW Elias is a global speaker on the subject of America: The Great Experiment. In 2001, he co-produced with Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss the documentary Mr. Dreyfuss Goes to Washington and has since been featured in documentaries on The History Channel, Discovery, and PBS, as well as on British, Canadian, and German networks. On 12 May 2018, Brother Elias was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. This award is officially recognized by both Houses of Congress as one of the nation’s most prestigious awards and is annually memorialized in the Congressional Record. Brother Elias is world renown for his active engagement on behalf of Freemasonry Universal and has received nationwide recognition for his commitment to excellence in Masonic Education and Leadership Development.

Brother Chuck Dunning is an advocate, facilitator, trainer, and consultant in contemplative practice, with more than 30 years in the professional fields of higher education and mental health, as well as in Masonry and other currents in the Western esoteric traditions. He has authored Contemplative Masonry: Basic Applications of Mindfulness, Meditation, and Imagery for the Craft (2016), and The Contemplative Lodge: A Manual for Masons Doing Inner Work Together (coming in 2020), and was a contributing author in The Art and Science of Initiation (2019). Chuck has articles published in several Masonic journals and websites, is a nationally recognized speaker and trainer on the Masonic Educational circuit, and has been interviewed for numerous periodicals and podcasts. In 2019, the College of Freemasonry in Rochester, New York presented him with the Thomas W. Jackson Masonic Education Award for Fraternal Leadership in Masonic Research and Esoteric Study. In 2018, the Southern California Research Lodge recognized him as being among the Top Ten Esoteric Masonic Authors. Chuck is the founding Superintendent of the Academy of Reflection, which is a chartered organization for Scottish Rite Masons wanting to integrate contemplative practice with their Masonic experience. He is also a Full Member of the Texas Lodge of Research.

Right Worshipful Robert Johnson is a published author, blogger, and podcast host. Philosophy is at the core of what Robert is after. Having grown up in Italy and being exposed to the culture and much of the renaissance art and literature, Freemasonry became a natural place for him to gravitate toward. Robert is an avid musician and writer and written for several print magazines and blogs on subjects ranging from Firearms and Medical Ethics to Theology and Comparative Religions. Robert’s primary studies are in philosophy and mathematics and holds an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Philosophy in Religion from Universal Life Church of Modesto CA. Currently Robert works as an executive in the medical industry. He received his degrees from Waukegan Lodge No. 78, becoming Worshipful Master in 2014. He has since served as both a District Education Officer and a District Deputy Grand Master. He is currently serving on the Grand Lodge of Illinois Education Committee and is Secretary of Spes Novum No. 1183—the premier Education Lodge in Illinois. 

Worshipful Dago Rodriguez is the current Master of the Southern California Research Lodge (SCRL) which produces the award winning Fraternal Review Magazine. Brother Dago also serves as Managing Editor—a position he has held for five years. Brother Rodriguez is twice Past Master of South Pasadena Masonic Lodge, No. 290 F&AM situated in Los Angeles, California and heads the Lodge’s Candidate Educational Program. Additionally, he serves as co-chairman of the Illumination Lecture Series and sits on two committees for the Grand Lodge of California: California Freemason Magazine and Masonic Branding.  In 2017, the Brethren of his Lodge voted him Mason of the Year. He is also a two time recipient of the Hiram Award.  In 2019, Brother Dago spearheaded the reinvention of the first West Coast Masonic Con weekend at his Lodge in South Pasadena, California.

Right Worshipful Michael Jarzabek is a member of several Massachusetts Lodges—including Brigham, Ezekiel Bates, and The Meadows. Brother Jarzabek is a Past Junior Grand Warden of The Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts and is currently serving as the Chairman of the Lodges of Instruction Committee for the same. He is a member of the Scottish Rite, York Rite, and Societas Rosicrucian In Civitatibus Foederatis. He also serves as the current Thrice Potent Master of Evening Star Lodge of Perfection in Holyoke, Massachusetts. He has been published by several Masonic publications, including; The Southern California Research Lodge’s Fraternal Review, Living Stones Magazine, The Midnight Freemasons and the Trowel Magazine. He is a host along with Bryan Simmons and Ryan Flynn of the Arts, Parts, and Points Podcast and has been a guest on several others, including; Whence Came You and The Masonic Roundtable. He has also delivered presentations at several Masonic conventions throughout the country.

Worshipful Baruti KMT-Sisouvong along with his wife, Mina, serves as Director of the Transcendental Meditation® Program (TM) for Cambridge and the larger Metropolitan area of Boston, MA. Brother Baruti holds degrees in History, Sociology, and Vedic Science i.e., Consciousness Studies and is currently completing his Doctoral dissertation on Mystical Experiences Among Freemasons and Rosicrucians. He holds Masonic memberships and affiliations within the Jurisdictions of Iowa and Massachusetts as well as the Scottish Rite (SJ) as a 32° Brother and York Rite as Past High Priest. He is also a Past Master of Richard C. Maclaurin Lodge (2016). Additionally, Brother Baruti currently serves as District Deputy Grand Marshal for DDGM Right Worshipful Paul J. Malagrifa of the Second Masonic District within the Jurisdiction of Massachusetts and was recently appointed by the Grand Master to serve as part of the three-member Team for Lodge of Instruction (LOI) in the position responsible for Candidate Instruction. Brother Baruti Is also Host of Connecting the Dots!, the former radio show turned Podcast, that “explores the connections between Spirituality, Science, and World Affairs and regularly writes and gives talks on Meditation, Consciousness, Cognition, and Creativity yet most enjoys the privilege of aiding people in experiencing and operating from the deep well of silence present within each for the betterment of their personal and professional lives in service to their communities.

Rev. Terry L. Tilton is Past Grand Master of Masons of Minnesota (2002-2003) and its first Grand Lodge Education Officer. Appointed in 1991, MW Tilton served in the position for 5 years. Brother Tilton is also a past President of Philalethes Society (2009-2013)—the oldest international Masonic Education and research society in North America. He was named the 200th Fellow of the Society in 2007 and currently serves as its Secretary.  Having spoken at numerous Masonic education events across the nation, Brother Tilton continues to be active in Masonic research and study. 

Worshipful Kevin Townley has been a student and teacher of the Western Mysteries and Ageless Wisdom for nearly 40 years. His areas of discipline and study include Masonry, the Rosicrucians, Theosophy, Tarot, Astrology, Alchemy, Qabalah, Sufism, and Buddhism. Kevin was a co-founder of the Hermetic School, The Philosophers of Nature. He has served four times as Master of his Masonic Lodge. He holds Certificates of Proficiency in all areas of the Blue Lodge Ritual. He is currently serving his fifth year as Grand Lecturer with the Grand Lodge of Masons in Colorado. He is the author of The Cube of Space and Meditations on the Cube of Space and has published several articles on various aspects of the craft. He re-published Henry Pelham Bromwell’s seminal work, The Restorations of Masonic Geometry and Symbolry, and is currently completing a work on Masonry entitled, A Divide Brotherhood: The Fall and Rise of Masonry in the 21st Century. 

Right Worshipful David I. Bindel, District Deputy Grand Master, is the Secretary and a Past Master of Jewel P. Lightfoot Lodge No. 1283 in Dallas, Texas. He is an active participant in several appendant orders and regularly speaks about practicing Masonry more meaningfully and intentionally. He has traveled the world in an effort to discover the potentials of the Craft and inspire its future. Brother Bindel has spoken at several conferences including Texas MasoniCon and the Lodge Ad Lucem Symposium on Esoteric Masonry in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as well as a number of lodges and other Masonic groups around Texas, the U.S.A., and the globe. Outside of Masonry, he is a consultant in business, software architecture, and financial modeling. He is a Eugene McDermott Scholar and holds two M.S. degrees in Software Engineering and Applied Cognition & Neuroscience from The University of Texas at Dallas.  

Worshipful Stephen "The Yeti" Berryman currently serves as Worshipful Master at Hillcrest Lodge #1318 in Dallas Texas—his Mother Lodge. Since his Raising in 2012, Brother Berryman has been an active Mason within Texas. Professionally, he is an Implementation Project Manager for LexisNexis—beginning his tenure with the company in 2006. Additionally, Brother Berryman is the Owner and Creative Visionary behind Yeti's Gorgeous Grains Woodworking—an endeavor he began in 2017 to rave reviews and interest from clients both near and far. In his spare time, Brother Berryman enjoys off-roading and maneuvering his personally modified vehicle through difficult terrain. Yet another passion of Brother Berryman is that of preparing BBQ meals for family and friends. Given his growing reputation in local culinary circles, be not surprised should Brother Berryman and his smokers surface at a venue in the Great State of Texas. Bon Appétit!