Author name: D. B. Smith

D. B. Smith is an independent historian, ritualist, and comparative religion scholar specializing in the intersections of Western esotericism, Freemasonry, and Eastern contemplative traditions. He formerly served as Librarian and Curator at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, overseeing historically significant artifacts and manuscripts, including those connected to George Washington’s personal life. __________________________________ Initiated into The Lodge of the Nine Muses No. 1776, a philosophically focused lodge in Washington, D.C., Smith studied under influential figures in the Anglo-American Masonic tradition. His work has been featured in national and international Masonic publications, and his efforts have helped inform exhibits, lectures, and televised documentaries on the history and symbolism of Freemasonry. _________________________________________________ Smith’s parallel study and practice of Soto Zen Buddhism—including ordination as a lay practitioner in the Katagiri-Winecoff lineage—has led him to investigate convergences between ritual, mindfulness, symbolic systems, and the evolving role of spiritual practice in secular societies. He is the founder of Science Abbey, a platform for interdisciplinary inquiry across religion, philosophy, science, and cultural history.

Cosmos & Consciousness, Ethics & Society, Freemasonry & Fraternalism, Humanism, Philosophy, Religion, Spirituality, Western Mystery Tradition

Morals and Dogma Revisited: A Scientific Humanist Interpretation of Albert Pike’s Great Work

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Pike’s influential Masonic masterpiece through modern scholarship, separating enduring insights on morality, symbolism, education, and human development from outdated theories while exploring its relevance for Freemasonry and civilization in the twenty-first century.

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