|
Lovable Luciferian posted:Now that you've been impregnated with the reptilian eggs you will soon begin to hear psychic echos and all your questions will be answered. And of course: Welcome, Brother.
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 06:22
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 17, 2024 20:24 |
|
|
Welcome, Brother! Just take care of the goat and keep your ears open, Masonry has had a bit of time to get the process of familiarity down.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 07:25
|
|
|
Welcome, new brothers! Tonight I was honored to take part in the presentation of a 50 year veteran award that had literally traveled halfway around the globe to be here tonight. Talk about a powerful sight for both the young guys and old to see. We have a little backlog of 50 year pins to award but we're hoping to present them all before March or so. Going to be a whirlwind of great stories and memories. I'm off to the CA Grand Lodge Annual Communication tomorrow as WM of my Lodge. Any other brothers headed to SF this weekend?
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 11:56
|
|
|
Colton posted:
Congratulations....welcome to the world of learning...more learning....yet more learning, a lot of hard work, and more hard work...and a ton of other hard work you didn't expect. And....it's all worth it.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 15:02
|
|
|
Thank you all for the greetings, brothers. I have so many questions. Any masons want to chat over pm who don't mind newbie questions?
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 16:44
|
|
|
Colton posted:Thank you all for the greetings, brothers. I have so many questions. Any masons want to chat over pm who don't mind newbie questions? I have no problem answering basic questions, keeping in mind the O.B. Also, I'm a scottish mason so there may be slight regional variations.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 16:57
|
|
|
Colton posted:Thank you all for the greetings, brothers. I have so many questions. Any masons want to chat over pm who don't mind newbie questions? I on the other hand am an American Mason and love talking about Masonry, so feel free to ask questions and I... can't promise I won't write a novel-length response.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 17:04
|
|
|
I was given a voucher for a free kid's ticket to the Shrine Circus. The name was so odd that I Googled it to see what was up. Now that I know it's not some weird death cult, it looks like it could be kind of fun. Since the whole event seems pretty charitable, are there going to be any donation boxes? I don't want to be a jerk and miss the chance to toss some cash at a childrens hospital. Just asking here since it seemed like the best place to do it. Blast of Confetti fucked around with this message at 17:33 on Oct 4, 2013 |
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 17:31
|
|
|
Speaking of shriners, i was tossing around the idea of one day joining them, but i have a crippling fear of clowns. I guess it would be a bad idea then?
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 17:43
|
|
|
Do you have a burning desire to join the world's oldest frat (by average age of member)? Because it's not just clowns, oh no. And the clown thing is sort of tangential. Most people think of Shriners as tiny hats and tiny cars.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 17:49
|
|
|
Mr. Maltose posted:Do you have a burning desire to join the world's oldest frat (by average age of member)? Because it's not just clowns, oh no. And the clown thing is sort of tangential. Most people think of Shriners as tiny hats and tiny cars. I just don't want to see clowns, dress like one or get molested by one
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 17:51
|
|
|
Mr. Maltose posted:Do you have a burning desire to join the world's oldest frat (by average age of member)? Because it's not just clowns, oh no. And the clown thing is sort of tangential. Most people think of Shriners as tiny hats and tiny cars. Honestly, I thought Shriners (didn't know the name, knew about the hats) were the Masons until I read the OP. I was kind of surprised to figure out the whole thing is about charity, which is why I was asking about it.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 18:01
|
|
|
Innerguard posted:I have no problem answering basic questions, keeping in mind the O.B. Also, I'm a scottish mason so there may be slight regional variations. Quite a few variations actually. I had the pleasure of seeing the EA at Lodge St. James Newton-Upon-Ayr No. 125 last year, and there's a significant bit more to yours than ours in the States. I must confess I much prefer the Scottish variation, as the material it contains is all excellent and quite meaningful for a new Mason.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 18:03
|
|
|
Don't go to the Shrine circus, I'm pretty sure the Shriner clowns don't show up to regular meetings in paint. Maybe, by befriending these men, you can overcome this clownfear.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 18:03
|
|
|
Mr. Maltose posted:Don't go to the Shrine circus, I'm pretty sure the Shriner clowns don't show up to regular meetings in paint. Get to know the man behind the . . . nose, as it were.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 18:04
|
|
|
I'm really just eager to add "Help you get over your fear of mimes and other entertainers" to my list of Things Masonry Can Do For You.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 18:07
|
|
|
Congratulations and welcome to the new Brothers in the thread. I'll make the same pitch I make to new Brothers in person - take a couple of years after your 3rd degree to savor, appreciate and participate in your Blue Lodge before you join any of the appendant bodies. The Lodge is the foundation of Masonry and without its health the other bodies cannot survive as Masonic organizations. Moreover, the while different elements of the lessons presented in the blue lodge are refined, amplified and expounded on in the degrees of the appendant bodies, they are never replaced, and a firm grasp of them must be acquired for further learning to be meaningful and useful. On a practical note; having a meeting to go to every night of the week is for
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 18:29
|
|
|
Glorified Scrivener posted:On a practical note; having a meeting to go to every night of the week is for Hell my fiancee gives me a hard enough time with 3/4 nights a month of Masonic stuff! (Okay more like 5/6 with events and stuff) But GS's advice is solid. You could spend your whole live studying the teachings/history/symbolism/etc. of the Blue Lodge, without ever stepping foot in an appendant body.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 18:56
|
|
|
Colton posted:Thank you all for the greetings, brothers. I have so many questions. Any masons want to chat over pm who don't mind newbie questions? Why PM? This is an open forum, but many of your questions should be askable and answerable here. This is a bit self serving on mt part though. There are some very insightful and knowledgeable masons on this thread. We all learn from them. Glorified Scrivener posted:I'll make the same pitch I make to new Brothers in person - take a couple of years after your 3rd degree to savor, appreciate and participate in your Blue Lodge before you join any of the appendant bodies. I'm in complete agreement with Mssr. Scrivener. If you join the shrine in a few years you will be surrounded by guys who have been friends and brothers for years. It will be a much better way to go. They'll even compete for the privilege of blah blah sands blah blah. It's been my plan for... decades. wow
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 20:38
|
|
|
I'm surprised this hasn't been posted, but the Lodge in Quincy MA burned to the ground earlier this week. Completely unrecoverable. From what I understand it is now a set of walls, with basically nothing holding them up. 200+ years of masonic history, up in smoke. Multiple lodges met in the building and they are now in search of new homes. Sadly, this building was actually up for sale by GL because of lowered membership/etc. And from what I understand in some disrepair. http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/201...0OnO/story.html http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/quincy/2013/10/front_of_quincy_masonic_lodge_spared_as_remainder_of_buildin.html
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 20:56
|
|
|
oh god, that's tragic.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 21:20
|
|
|
patentmagus posted:Why PM? This is an open forum, but many of your questions should be askable and answerable here. This is a bit self serving on mt part though. There are some very insightful and knowledgeable masons on this thread. We all learn from them. Well, in the interest of public knowledge, I'll share the question he asked me (well, the one question that I can write publicly) and the answer I gave him. "Ok, so how much can i tell my wife? I'm sure she'll be curious about it. ===[question about the penal signs omitted]===" The "Secrets of Masonry" are something that I've written a lot about, and talked a lot about, and it's something that I love telling newly-made brethren because it almost always elicits an "...ohhh, wow, that's true." The thing is, in my opinion, a lot of what we do in the rituals is in connection with the ancient basis for Freemasonry, which is the "initiatic tradition" or the ancient "mystery schools" (mystery just being a word for something hidden beneath something else). You see, a wiser man that I once said (and I can't remember who it was right now), that once an idea is converted into words, it stops being the pure original idea. I somewhat agree with this. Have you ever tried to make a point in an argument or something and afterwards thought, "wow, that sounded a lot better in my head"? Same principal, sort of. Anyways, in ancient times, there were "exoteric" teachings, i.e. what we would think of as classes, reading, things you learn with your 5 senses. And then there were "esoteric" teachings, which you could only learn inside yourself. So, when an initiate would be brought to one of these "mystery schools," they would be shown a lot of things, put through certain rituals, and then told to meditate and think about them, and thereby they would gain knowledge. It was their believe that certain symbols triggered certain thoughts, and this was a way to gain true knowledge, as opposed to the tainted knowledge of speech or writing. But I digress. Here is my point: (don't do this but,) you could tell your wife the passwords, you could show your friends the grips, the due guards, the signs... you could talk about the ritual at your work, whatever... you could do any of these things, but they wouldn't understand. It wouldn't mean anything to them. The way you felt that night, the emotions you experienced, the experience itself, and all the self-truth that it kicked into motion (even if you don't realize it yet)... THOSE things... those things can't be communicated to anybody. Those are the true secrets of Masonry. That is the true beauty of our fraternity. To give you an actual answer - don't reveal any of the words of the ritual, don't reveal any of the obligation, don't reveal the passwords/grips/signs/due guards... and that's mostly it. You can tell her that you had dinner, then were prepared in a certain way and went through an initiation. You can tell her we wear silly aprons, and that you pretty much just had to promise to keep the secrets. It's more open than most initiates think, but just use your own judgement. ===[question about the penal signs omitted]=== You'll have to forgive me, I'm very keenly interested in the wayyy out-there esoteric (kabbalistic/gnostic/hermetic/etc.) influences in Freemasonry, so I tend to ramble about it. I'm working on a paper that talks about the "initiatic tradition" in Freemasonry, and a lot of the things I've talked about in this message. I'll pass it along when you're ready. (Well, more like when I'm done, ha) lord1234 posted:I'm surprised this hasn't been posted, but the Lodge in Quincy MA burned to the ground earlier this week. Completely unrecoverable. From what I understand it is now a set of walls, with basically nothing holding them up. 200+ years of masonic history, up in smoke. Multiple lodges met in the building and they are now in search of new homes. poo poo 
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 21:39
|
|
|
I saw that referenced either on the main Freemason Facebook page or the CAGL one; a sincere tragedy
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2013 21:43
|
|
|
Out of curiosity, is there some kind of appellate court within the Masons? I was reading about the trials in Florida and it seems like the Grand Master will flat out deny or kick out people who don't align with his view of what God must be. Are the men who were removed or denied entry allowed to join once he's not calling the shots anymore? e:Also it turns out one of my old school teachers, a really awesome one, is a Mason. Explains why he always had the ring, I suppose. Blast of Confetti fucked around with this message at 05:01 on Oct 5, 2013 |
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2013 04:05
|
|
|
Every jurisdiction is different but it's a very structured and involved process to have a member brought up on Masonic charges. Triply so for sitting Worshipful Masters. In many jurisdictions it is all but impossible to do so against a sitting Grand Master -- in short, their word is law for the time they are in office. Similarly, unless a decision all but explicitly goes against the state Masonic legal code, it is enforced until it is overturned. In California at least, the Grand Lodge meeting comes together, made up of representatives from every Lodge in the state, and vote on not only Masonic Law change proposals but also the more major decisions made by the Grand Master over the past year. If they're voted down, the decision is overturned. Note however that the Grand Lodge meets on the last weekend before they install the next Grand Master, so something happening as with Florida can have ramifications for almost an entire year unless he changes his mind. Typically the Grand Lodge has a neigh-inordinate amount of committees, including jurisprudence, who help weigh in on facts of the law; less "should I do this" and more "is it legal for me to do this under our rules?" Many Past Grand Masters sit on or chair these committees to offer guidance and suggestions to the sitting GM.
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2013 08:16
|
|
|
I finally sat in my first official lodge meeting (stated communication?) And it was awesome to finally be present for the overarching and world changing decisions made among Freemasons. Like whether we should get the lock on the front door fixed, reading a thank you note from the school district and who is in charge of getting doughnuts after the meeting. Tremble in fear, america! Freemasons are buying doughnuts!
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2013 22:30
|
|
|
Colton posted:I finally sat in my first official lodge meeting (stated communication?) And it was awesome to finally be present for the overarching and world changing decisions made among Freemasons. You got to sit in on a meeting as an Entered Apprentice? In North Carolina, all meetings are opened on the 3rd degree, unless giving the EA/FC degrees. Actually there was a proposed amendment at the Grand Lodge this year, that would force all lodges to open on the 1st degree. The theory was that it would encourage newly-made Masons to keep going with the degrees, since they would be immediately able to interact with the brethren. But, the counter argument was that if an EA was allowed to go to meetings and share all the privileges that a MM would have, why would he progress through the degrees? In the end, it didn't pass, and lodges will still open on the 3rd.
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2013 22:40
|
|
|
QPZIL posted:You got to sit in on a meeting as an Entered Apprentice? I have always supported EAs being able to sit in meetings. When I was going through the degrees, it was a bummer and made me feel less welcome when I would come to a meeting, sit down in the social hall alone for 20 minutes, get called in, give back my work, get voted to promote, and then get banished to the social hall again for another hour or two. That kinda sucked. I certainly think some things need to be done in MM (voting new members, some other kinds of business) but for the rote and general thing, there's no reason not to do it as an EA. The solution to the "share all the privileges of an MM" is to simply not allow that. An EA represents as an EA, the lodge can be opened in EA, and then whenever a vote is cast, call for the votes of MMs, just like when a visiting MM is sitting in lodge during a vote. They simply don't vote. In MD, I believe the Lodge has to be opened in the third, and progress accordingly, but I don't know for certain. I know there's been a lot of votes on the issue lately.
|
|
#
?
Oct 6, 2013 01:14
|
|
|
Yeah, my lodge opens on the EA degree and we don't get to vote. I still want to progress so i can sit in the more comfortable chairs
|
|
#
?
Oct 6, 2013 02:43
|
|
|
California switched over to having our Stated Meetings in the first degree one year ago. There has been a fair bit of organization and legislation trying to provide for these new faces in our meetings as well as balance out what their responsibilities and privileges are. Currently they can attend, but cannot vote or make/second motions. At today's Grand Communication legislative session there was a fair bit of discussion regarding their ability to walk in the funeral ritual procession, how to receive a grand officer in an EA or FC Lodge, and whether EAs can travel like Masters can (meaning without being vouched for). It was a very big change and even after a year it's still odd opening our monthly meeting in the First Degree, but it is great to see these young men active and attentive at Lodge.
|
|
#
?
Oct 6, 2013 03:31
|
|
|
Yeah, that was another argument is that switching over would mean having to re-write all the bylaws and code books and everything. That'd be a nuisance since I'm studying for the Certified Lecturer test!
|
|
#
?
Oct 6, 2013 03:34
|
|
|
For what it's worth, I think unvouched traveling papers are not a good idea. Traveling with another master from your mother lodge, however, is an awesome experience for a newly entered apprentice which I highly recommend. I think a challenge test or Tyler's test is an important part of visiting a lodge, but a lot of the American lodges from what I can tell are getting away from it as a result of the "one day classes", which is a shame. Ah, well. Incidentally I'm happy to talk about all things Masonic via PM or AIM. Hit me up if you'd like.
|
|
#
?
Oct 6, 2013 06:31
|
|
|
Paramemetic posted:For what it's worth, I think unvouched traveling papers are not a good idea. Traveling with another master from your mother lodge, however, is an awesome experience for a newly entered apprentice which I highly recommend.  In all seriousness though I am very interested to see what the results of this year's vote are and how those change Masonry in California for the future. With any luck I'll find out on Monday.
|
|
#
?
Oct 6, 2013 09:22
|
|
|
My lodge opens on the first degree, except for ritual work for higher degrees (e.g., one of our fellows just made 3rd degree and they had me go outside for that part, for obvious reasons.) Knowing what our budget goes to, hearing petitions for entry (on which, oddly, they actually ask the opinions of the EA and FC brethren though we aren't allowed to cast ballot. Part of that though is that we're all young men and they're all above fifty, and they seem to want to include us early and often so we won't lapse in membership), and so on, is all quite nice. Hearing grand lodge communications is also neat, and hearing if a brother is sick is something I'm glad to be able to. While I haven't needed to do so yet, I'd much rather know if a brother is sick that night (and how much so) so I can call them in hospital and see if they need anything (or if they could just do with a bit of company and a chat) than hear about it weeks later in the minutes. I may not be a MM, but even an EA should care for his brothers when they're sick or in trouble - and share in the knowledge of who may need that care. The caring officer can only do so much solo, especially with a rapidly aging lodge base (the average age at our lodges is now 60-something, and before the three of us joined (myself, a friend, and another fellow, all mid 20s) it was in the 70s.)) EDIT: Oh, add me to being against the one-day classes. I'm not even sure I've adequately learned the lessons of the EA (though I can remember the bulk of it) enough to really be ready to pass to FC, and I've been an EA for four months. A one-day class seems like it would rush everything and prevent proper absorption. Loomer fucked around with this message at 13:27 on Oct 6, 2013 |
|
#
?
Oct 6, 2013 13:24
|
|
|
We typically open on the first and I think it adds a lot for new masons. I don't know how interested I would have been if I got made a Mason and then had to sit outside for the next 8 months while I tried to advance to MM. I have not traveled yet even after making MM but I know there is a strong western Washington Goon Mason contingent that I will indeed try to visit this year. As for 1 day classes, I think they are absurd and take the meaning out of the degrees. I wouldn't have the respect or knowledge I do now if I was rushed through. I'm also bad enough at remembering this poo poo after studying it for a year that I can't imagine trying to pass a Tyler after only one day of practice
|
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2013 17:56
|
|
|
It's funny -- we actually had a lecture presentation on this whole "do we open on the 1st or 3rd" thing. Turns out it's part of the lingering effects of the Anti-Masonic Party movement in the 1800s. For a while, people specifically tried to join the Masons to try to disrupt, spy on, or otherwise negatively influence proceedings. Accordingly, in states who were actually formed at the time and had large, susceptible Masonic populations (mainly eastern seaboard), the requirements for attending business were raised to the 3rd degree -- the idea being that it would allow the existing Masons more time to get to know the prospective brother and figure out if he was a wolf in sheep's clothing. Seems like the paranoia never fully died in some areas, which is why those jurisdictions still open on the 3rd degree, while others who did not experience that troublesome time are more comfortable opening on 1st or 2nd. FWIW, I was made to wait until MM before I was allowed in -- but I took it as an opportunity to 1) chat up the tyler, 2) practice my catechisms, and 3) help out by cleaning up after dinner. It would have been nice to have been able to attend in the lower ranks, but I think I wouldn't have valued it as much.
|
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2013 18:32
|
|
|
KweezNArt posted:It's funny -- we actually had a lecture presentation on this whole "do we open on the 1st or 3rd" thing. Turns out it's part of the lingering effects of the Anti-Masonic Party movement in the 1800s. That's pretty interesting. We open at MM and then prop open the door so the tyler can join in - unless there is a fellowcraft or EA outside. If there is, we open, reconvene on the appropriate level, and then prop open the door. We check if anything has to be handled at MM level before reconvening. For example, deciding who has what role in raising the candidate who happens to be outside.
|
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2013 21:46
|
|
|
Loomer posted:Hearing grand lodge communications is also neat Please teach me your ways! Grand Lodge communication is one of the worst parts of our meetings. 30 minutes of "next month's meeting menu is going to be steak, chicken, green beans, potatos, red potatos and then for dessert we are going to have..." Makes me want stick pencils in my ears after a while haha
|
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2013 22:10
|
|
|
So my lodge's worshipful master is teaching me my first degree work. I'm already panicking about memorizing all of it. But our lodge is mostly 70 year old men. If they can memorize it, i should be able to
|
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2013 01:55
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 17, 2024 20:24 |
|
|
Colton posted:So my lodge's worshipful master is teaching me my first degree work. I'm already panicking about memorizing all of it. That's basically the same argument I tell all the new candidates. "Every single man in this room has learned it... you'll be fine "
|
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2013 01:59
|
|