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So, back in college, I was in a fraternity. Despite their normal role in a student's life, my favorite parts of my time as a collegiate member were the times spent reflecting on self improvement, discussing matters in formal chapter sessions and partaking in a variety of rituals and ceremonies. Sometimes I wonder if Masonry would be as fulfilling. Unfortunately, I don't know any Masons, and all of the information I know about Masonry comes from the OP of this thread. Not really sure what I'm asking in this post any more, but I guess I'm wondering what options there are for a curious man.
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Aug 2, 2014 00:08
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inkmoth posted:So, back in college, I was in a fraternity. Despite their normal role in a student's life, my favorite parts of my time as a collegiate member were the times spent reflecting on self improvement, discussing matters in formal chapter sessions and partaking in a variety of rituals and ceremonies. The first question to ask yourself is 'Do I agree with the requirements outlined in the OP' because without those, you may need to consider something other than Masonry.
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Aug 2, 2014 00:12
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Paramemetic posted:If a man wishes to become a Freemason, he must: 1 - check, I'm a dude, and I'm able to vote and buy alcohol, so I'm old enough no matter what the age requirement is. 2 - check, I am over 21, but was born after 1865. 3 - Well, I am a goon, so that might count against me. Otherwise, I think I am of sound moral character. Not really sure how to be vouched for though - what does that entail? 4 - While not the most adherent to all tenets of my faith, I do believe in a God. No problem there.
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Aug 2, 2014 00:57
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inkmoth posted:1 - check, I'm a dude, and I'm able to vote and buy alcohol, so I'm old enough no matter what the age requirement is. Excellent. Being vouched for generally entails that a number of the guys from your local lodge will want to meet you. For me, one came to my house and I had a chat with him. I then met another and we talked about my motivations, etc. Bear in mind, this was Scotland. In the US, I think I've seen it be quite common to get invited along to some kind of open event (BBQ, breakfast, something like that) and meet the guys, to sorta get to know you, to see what you're like. This of course varies upon your local lodge(s) and if you're happy to mention where you are (general area etc) then a MasonGoon might be able to give you pointers in the right direction.
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Aug 2, 2014 01:02
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Here, the vouching must be by two Freemasons who've known you for at least one year. However, this is not prohibitive. I knew no masons when I joined (well, I did - my best friend joined shortly before me, but as he was not yet a master mason during my vetting he couldn't speak for me) so they were happy to have non-Masonic references and to meet me once at a dinner and then once for an interview with our District Grand Inspector and the Lodge's membership officer. If your references are good and check out - do not lie on them. This is not a job interview. If you lie on them, you will not be made a mason and chances are, that Lodge will never be happy to make you one. - and they like you in the interview, that's enough. I suspect it will be the same where you are. If you express a real desire, no one has heard anything wrong of you, and your references speak of you honestly, there should be no obstacle to you becoming a Freemason. The vouching is primarily to ensure we don't induct people known to be of an unsuitable moral character.
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Aug 2, 2014 12:24
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Loomer posted:Here, the vouching must be by two Freemasons who've known you for at least one year. I guess my question would be why would someone lie. And what would there be to lie about? Also: both my dad and grandad were in the lodge, and I've considered petitioning, but I've generally put it off because I'm starting a business and getting settled into a new home in a new town. I want to be comfortable in terms of time I have to give, and financially sound to boot. Am I right in chilling out for a while, or should I just go ahead and petition? Also, is anyone a member of a Vermont lodge, and if so would they be willing to talk via pm?
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Aug 3, 2014 04:59
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You certainly won't be judged for being too old. It couldn't hurt, if you're interested, to get in contact with a local lodge and see if you can visit. Getting to know some Brothers even if you don't join ASAP can be a great experience, just ask 7thBattalion!
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Aug 3, 2014 05:08
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Weltlich posted:I guess my question would be why would someone lie. And what would there be to lie about? You're absolutely right to wait. Though there's no reason to not check out the lodges in your area and enjoy dinner and a good conversation. In fact, have dinner at every Lodge in your area. Maybe multiple times if you like the members. Find one you're comfortable with. Not every Lodge is perfect for you, and odds are you'll meet quite a few people that could even vouch for you once you're ready. Take your time, do a lot of listening, and don't be afraid to ask questions. Just...watch out for the goat. They bite. Mr. Maltose posted:You certainly won't be judged for being too old. It couldn't hurt, if you're interested, to get in contact with a local lodge and see if you can visit. Getting to know some Brothers even if you don't join ASAP can be a great experience, just ask 7thBattalion! Sup? I'm still an EA. My memory is going to poo poo, so the posting lecture is getting really difficult. But you know what? I need to remain an EA. At least for a little bit. The WM, SS, and JD are having too much fun tormenting me at initiations. (Oh! I broke one of the main rules. I crossed the great lights. I haven't heard the end of that one...) Kilo147 fucked around with this message at 05:24 on Aug 3, 2014 |
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Aug 3, 2014 05:20
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Weltlich posted:I guess my question would be why would someone lie. And what would there be to lie about? I joined knowing full well I didnt have the time to give because its a sound way of life to live. My lodge understands and they still intertwine in my life enough that I keep in touch and I know when I'm ready to put in more my foot is already in the door.
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Aug 3, 2014 08:39
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7thBatallion posted:You're absolutely right to wait. Though there's no reason to not check out the lodges in your area and enjoy dinner and a good conversation. The old guy in our lodge explained it that the WM receives his light from the altar, and so blocking him from his light is blocking the light he provides the lodge. I liked that explanation.
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Aug 4, 2014 19:47
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SylvainMustach posted:Either the Amaranth Degree or the White Shrines of Jerusalem (I can't remember which) were supposed to be higher degrees of OES but the grand chapters at the time opted not to have 'high degrees'. I'd have to check on that, but I suppose it's a rough equivalent. I'll look into that! And by feminine lodge, are you referring to co-masonry?
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Aug 5, 2014 07:38
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Thanks to folks in the thread who have given good advice! I'm going to take 7thbattalion's direction and make some contacts and go to some local lodges for dinner. 
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Aug 6, 2014 02:42
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Weltlich posted:Thanks to folks in the thread who have given good advice! I'm going to take 7thbattalion's direction and make some contacts and go to some local lodges for dinner. Woohoo! I was useful! Now a lot of the non-Masons in this thread have probably heard the "making you a better man" line. It's pretty cheesy, but I'll be damned if it is t true. Just for the sake of it, I'm gonna paraphrase a few things from the Standard Work of Washington State F&AM. It's in plain text, so it's all good. There are three great tenents of a Mason's profession, these being Brotherly Love, Relief of the Distressed, and Truth. Brotherly Love extends far beyond the boundaries of the lodge. We are taught from the beginning to to think of the whole of humanity as one brotherhood. The rich, the poor, of all races and religions. In a Lodge, those of all sects, creeds, countries and opinions join as one, and set a conduct for us in the world. Relief of the Distressed is a duty that all mankind must serve, though more importantly Masons. As they say, we are linked by "an indissoluble chain of affection" that guides us to soothe the unhappy, compassionate their miseries, and restore peace to the troubled minds of all we come across, within our means and ability, of course. Truth is divine. It's the foundation of every virtue. We are taught from the beginning to be a good man and be true, both to ourselves and others. Truth's dictates teach us to regulate our conduct and join in promoting each others welfare. We contemplate on Truth, and while influenced by it, know not deceit or hypocrisy. This is what being a Mason is to me. Becoming a better person by way of Brotherly Love, Relief of the Distressed, and Truth. I'm still an Entered Apprentice, so I have much to learn. Regardless, there's not much else I can be told that tops this. Kilo147 fucked around with this message at 05:45 on Aug 6, 2014 |
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Aug 6, 2014 05:38
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In addition to 7th's post there, we have lectures on various symbolic tools that we can then utilize in our lives in the furtherance of bettering ourselves, our communities and our works, whatever those might be. I won't go into detail on them, since it'd probably bore the pants off anyone and, while it's 'plaintext' here as well, I feel it'd violate my obligation to name what they are or exactly what and how they are interpreted and utilized.
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Aug 6, 2014 08:07
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Loomer posted:In addition to 7th's post there, we have lectures on various symbolic tools that we can then utilize in our lives in the furtherance of bettering ourselves, our communities and our works, whatever those might be. I won't go into detail on them, since it'd probably bore the pants off anyone and, while it's 'plaintext' here as well, I feel it'd violate my obligation to name what they are or exactly what and how they are interpreted and utilized. The tools are pretty cool, but they do need the context behind them. As does most, if not all of the Master's Lecture. Even the Cardinal Virtues need the initiation ceremony to make sense. But Brotherly Love? Relief of the Distressed? Truth? Those are universal. You don't have to be a Mason to practice those. The only difference is that for us it is our duty.* *I suppose it's also the duty of anyone in public service, for social workers, any other fraternal organizations, volunteers at food banks, public health employees, anyone in the medical field as per the hippocratic oath, pretty much everyone that works with mental health, EMTs, charities, and so on. Kilo147 fucked around with this message at 09:15 on Aug 6, 2014 |
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Aug 6, 2014 09:02
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7thBatallion posted:I checked with a Brother Master Mason, and former Junior Deacon before posting. Although he said it was perfectly fine to quote the Master's Lecture, and it was in no way privileged information, that I should put it in my own words rather than doing a copy/paste, if only to make it more personal. Oh, yeah, no. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't passing judgement on you and I think disclosing the virtues is fine. I'd just personally be uncomfortable doing the Working Tools to anyone not regularly initiated.
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Aug 6, 2014 11:33
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A friend of mine mentioned that his lodge is working with a deaf awareness group this year, and it put a question in my mind. Say a blind or deaf man, who meets the requirements, wants to join. The deaf guy only does ASL and doesn't lip-read. Clearly a non-Mason translator wouldn't work, so are there Mason interpreters available? For the blind guy, are there Braille or audio versions of the ritual work available? I asked my friend, but I'd like to hear a wider response from you guys.
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Aug 9, 2014 02:45
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I'm not sure the ritual would work if one were Deaf, but there are plenty of Masons in the world, I'm sure some of them know sign language (I used to be pretty fluent). Actually, even being blind, there are things that need to be observed in the ritual. I guess we hate women AND the handicapped. 
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Aug 9, 2014 11:39
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We have a brother in NSW who has no legs and only one arm. I honestly don't even know how that can possibly work with the ritual. EDIT: vortmax posted:A friend of mine mentioned that his lodge is working with a deaf awareness group this year, and it put a question in my mind. Say a blind or deaf man, who meets the requirements, wants to join. The deaf guy only does ASL and doesn't lip-read. Clearly a non-Mason translator wouldn't work, so are there Mason interpreters available? For the blind guy, are there Braille or audio versions of the ritual work available? I asked my friend, but I'd like to hear a wider response from you guys. I know of no organized program to train Freemasons in ASL to act as interpreters, or for any other language in general. If such a man wanted to join our lodge, we'd shop around for a brother from the region who might know ASL and, failing that, we would like for such a man first within our jurisdiction and then contact other grand lodges for their assistance. The size of Masonry means there is a good chance that somewhere among the brethren in your state or at the very least, your country, someone will be about who is either deaf himself (be it due to birth, age, or misadventure) or who works with or has deaf friends or family and thus may know some ASL. Barring that being possible, I think we might need to actually delay their joining until someone at the lodge could learn enough to translate for them. At our lodge, that'd probably be me or one of the Stewards since we're still young fellows. As for the blind, to my knowledge the ritual is not available in Braille here in Australia. However, the English do have a lodge composed entirely of blind men and as such they have a number of resources for the blind, including braille ritual works (which might even spell everything out without our usual resort of leaving passages blank for secrecy, for all I know). There is also no obstacle other than time in getting someone to provide an audio version, which would be best delivered face to face. Loomer fucked around with this message at 13:17 on Aug 9, 2014 |
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Aug 9, 2014 13:09
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Regarding the blind I would think you would simply revert to our old way of teaching by ear. It wasn't so long ago that one had to memorize the rituals purely from listening. As to the deaf I don't know how, but I know my lodge would at least try to find a way.
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Aug 11, 2014 18:55
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Loomer posted:Oh, yeah, no. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't passing judgement on you and I think disclosing the virtues is fine. I'd just personally be uncomfortable doing the Working Tools to anyone not regularly initiated. Oh, I wasn't saying you were, I just like covering my rear end.
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Aug 11, 2014 19:32
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So sort of simaller to the above poster, my father died when I was 16 and my grandfater a few years later. They were bith masons and I have always been interested in joining for a bunch of reasons but one of the big ones would be since it stretches back as far as abybody can remember on my dads side of the family and I think it would be a great way to connect to a family I dont know so well due to death/them all living in scottland except for my dad who was born in PA. I live in the DC area now but I dont PERSONALLY know any masons. How would I go about talking with some to see if its really for me?
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Aug 13, 2014 23:44
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A couple of us in this thread are in the DC area. Shoot me a PM.
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Aug 14, 2014 00:24
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Noctis Horrendae posted:Fair enough. I like trying to make connections that aren't really there http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_Recovery_and_Interior_Laboratory draw your own conclusions
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Aug 14, 2014 00:48
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Is there anyone here involved in PA Masonry, specifically the Norristown/Philadelphia area? I'm somewhat on the fence about joining the Masons (my father, and grandfather are/were both Masons) but I don't live near where my father is a Mason so I'm not sure how useful he'd be at telling me what it's like in this area. Mostly I'm wondering how conservative it is, what the general age is in this area and such!
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Aug 15, 2014 22:29
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Steampunk Hitler posted:Is there anyone here involved in PA Masonry, specifically the Norristown/Philadelphia area? I'm somewhat on the fence about joining the Masons (my father, and grandfather are/were both Masons) but I don't live near where my father is a Mason so I'm not sure how useful he'd be at telling me what it's like in this area. Mostly I'm wondering how conservative it is, what the general age is in this area and such! Politics doesn't matter. It's forbidden to speak of such things during Lodge meetings, harmony being the strength of all institutions, more especially this of ours. I know that two of the Brothers in my Lodge are die hard Republicans, like the full on Fox News worshiping type. In Lodge, none of that matters. As far as age? Call or email the Secretary, ask if you can come down and meet everyone. You'll get a hell of a dinner, meet most of the lodge, and get to ask questions. Repeat this as many times as you want until you find a Lodge that suits you. We don't take it personally, we'd rather you shop around than join a Lodge you won't enjoy. I'd recommend visiting each Lodge twice at the minimum. Not in succession, though. We usually meet once a month, of you have enough lodges in your area you can theoretically hit up four to ten in a month, depending on how far you're willing to travel. Bring a notepad. Ask questions, lots of questions. Get contact information for the Worshipful Master and Secretary. Take notes on what you like and dislike about a particular Lodge. Most importantly, enjoy a nice meal and good company. Just don't wander around too much. The goats do bite.
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Aug 15, 2014 22:43
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AcidRonin posted:So sort of simaller to the above poster, my father died when I was 16 and my grandfater a few years later. They were bith masons and I have always been interested in joining for a bunch of reasons but one of the big ones would be since it stretches back as far as abybody can remember on my dads side of the family and I think it would be a great way to connect to a family I dont know so well due to death/them all living in scottland except for my dad who was born in PA. I live in the DC area now but I dont PERSONALLY know any masons. How would I go about talking with some to see if its really for me? I found my lodge from a comment on a boingboing post. You could always see which lodges in your area have websites/email.
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Aug 15, 2014 22:55
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Steampunk Hitler posted:Is there anyone here involved in PA Masonry, specifically the Norristown/Philadelphia area? I'm somewhat on the fence about joining the Masons (my father, and grandfather are/were both Masons) but I don't live near where my father is a Mason so I'm not sure how useful he'd be at telling me what it's like in this area. Mostly I'm wondering how conservative it is, what the general age is in this area and such! It depends on the specific Lodge. You're in a large city so you'll have several, so feel free to meet more than one. However, I will say this. It has been my experience that, no matter how old and conservative the Lodge (mine is an average age of some 60 or 70 years and quite conservative), inside the Lodge this disappears and outside of it, the same men you might otherwise disagree with on many things remain excellent company. In any gathering of men joined to better themselves through a common moral framework, united by rituals of brotherhood and a shared myth, you will find members who might disagree with on many things - but at the same time, it is one of the few places where it is very easy and actually expected of us to let those differences go, at least for a night or two a month. It broadens your horizons in the doing. And, for further reference, even some very conservative Lodges can surprise you. For instance, I'm a long-haired bearded hippy leftist sort and, other than a couple of the brother's wives taking a little while to adjust, it's never been an issue at all. Since we don't talk politics in the Lodge, you get to know the real men beneath the surface issues of conservatism and liberalism. Once a Lodge has initiated you and taken you through the Degrees, all they will see is a Brother - and vice versa.
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Aug 16, 2014 02:55
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Any Ontario masons in this thread? Preferablly Durham Region or Kawartha lakes area? Shot in the dark I know. Thinking about joining up but have some questions.
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Aug 16, 2014 04:26
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7thBatallion posted:Politics doesn't matter. It's forbidden to speak of such things during Lodge meetings, harmony being the strength of all institutions, more especially this of ours. I know that two of the Brothers in my Lodge are die hard Republicans, like the full on Fox News worshiping type. In Lodge, none of that matters. Loomer posted:It depends on the specific Lodge. You're in a large city so you'll have several, so feel free to meet more than one. However, I will say this. It has been my experience that, no matter how old and conservative the Lodge (mine is an average age of some 60 or 70 years and quite conservative), inside the Lodge this disappears and outside of it, the same men you might otherwise disagree with on many things remain excellent company. In any gathering of men joined to better themselves through a common moral framework, united by rituals of brotherhood and a shared myth, you will find members who might disagree with on many things - but at the same time, it is one of the few places where it is very easy and actually expected of us to let those differences go, at least for a night or two a month. It broadens your horizons in the doing. Awesome, thanks! It wasn't politically conservative I meant, just in general how welcoming they are to people different than themselves I guess. I know in general it can vary by lodge what the general atmosphere is like, so mostly I was wondering if anyone was in the area had a suggestion I know the lodge my father attends and like all the members (I was the kid who got hauled there to setup projectors and other tech things than kicked out to hang out in the dinner hall while they brought out the goat), but that's like ~4 hours away from me and I don't think I'll be able to do that every month. I shot him an email earlier to talk about it all, but he's not familiar with this area either so couldn't give recommendations on if there's a good one to try out first or whatever. I'm still not sure how the vouching thing works, if I need to get people in the area to vouch for me or if the folks I know back home can do it remotely, but he's supposed to be talking with me tomorrow or so about all of that.
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Aug 16, 2014 04:45
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zapplez posted:Any Ontario masons in this thread? Preferablly Durham Region or Kawartha lakes area? Shot in the dark I know. Thinking about joining up but have some questions. No, but I've hung out at the Grand Lodge of Ontario and have some sense of their organization?
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Aug 16, 2014 07:53
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Gave back my Fellow Craft catechism last night 
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Aug 23, 2014 01:03
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Went for a quick class tonight because I'm only going to have a few weeks before I give back the FC catechism too and then my instructor started talking about the goat 
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Aug 23, 2014 01:04
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This is probably going to be a controversial question. Blacks aren't allowed to join regular, run-of-the-mill lodges, correct? I saw a picture of a gathering at my local lodge with, well, several African-Americans. Is this a rule that most lodges just pretend to never have heard of/ignore altogether when considering petitions?
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Aug 25, 2014 22:48
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Noctis Horrendae posted:This is probably going to be a controversial question. Not really. Noctis Horrendae posted:Blacks aren't allowed to join regular, run-of-the-mill lodges, correct? Incorrect.
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Aug 25, 2014 22:58
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Blacks can absolutely join any lodge, at least per the rules.
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Aug 25, 2014 22:59
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Noctis Horrendae posted:This is probably going to be a controversial question. In short, no, you're not correct. There is/was some controversy among some grand lodges regarding the legitimacy of Prince Hall, but that's a separate issue.
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Aug 25, 2014 23:01
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What's the history of Jews like with Freemasonry? It seemed to be a primarily a Protestant thing at the beginning.
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Aug 25, 2014 23:03
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Huh. I COMPLETELY misinterpreted the OP, then. I thought lodges were segregated and Prince Hall lodges were the only lodges that blacks were allowed to join.
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Aug 25, 2014 23:06
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PrinceRandom posted:What's the history of Jews like with Freemasonry? It seemed to be a primarily a Protestant thing at the beginning. Jews are cool, and a lot of Lodges have a solid Jewish representation, sometimes more than Christian, depending on the region, because some Christians get weird about it. We have Jewish members on this very forum. Noctis Horrendae posted:This is probably going to be a controversial question. As was already addressed, Blacks can join any lodge. They often tend to join Prince Hall lodges, because they are predominantly Black and have a history dating back to the Revolutionary War, where most African-Americans were not "free born" in the 1700s and so the acceptance of African-Americans into the lodges would have been trickier. There are lodges where minorities are functionally barred from joining, but this is because of the racism of the members, not the organizations.
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Aug 25, 2014 23:09
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