Why learn the ritual

Why learn the ritual.

This is not entirely my whole view on the subject but is meant to start discussions on the learning by rote of ritual.

Everyone has different perceptions on this subject has been discussed many times but is always an interesting subject.

It might almost be said to be a Landmark of the Order to learn the ritual, but why should that be the case? Who benefits if the ritual is learnt by rote and delivered by memory? Certainly not the candidate, for what the candidate expects is that the degree will be an experience and he will appreciate good and meaningful delivery. He certainly will not appreciate stumbling or endlessly prompted charges.

Learning by rote was a skill that was used in schools 20+ years ago. Today there are not many of us blessed with a photographic memory or the ability to deliver perfectly from memory.

In today’s society, with so many technological distractions that were not around back then and having less time for learning because of partners being out all day working and wanting to spend time together in the evenings.

Also some Past Masters if they are honest find it hard to get the word back into memory even if for years they have been demanding it from the junior members. How many Lodges have lost members because of the pressures put on them having struggling times trying to learn the ritual to memory?

Who actually speaks from memory these days? News readers, politicians and even clergy use books for their Marriage ceremonies and they do it every week. Why should Masonry be different!

We should be expected to learn the openings and closings of a Lodge and the work done on the floor from memory and anything that is delivered with self prompting (from books or paper) is delivered smoothly and with meaning. There can be no excuse from failing to properly familiarise yourself with the work in hand and just reading from the book without practising it, just does not come across convincingly.

We have to remember that we do not just deliver the degree ceremonies for the glorification of the officers but for the benefit of the candidate who it must leave a deep and lasting impression.

Don’t get me wrong, I actually love my Freemasonry and enjoy learning the ritual to memory as I personally see it as a challenge for me, I have actually turned down offices in some orders because I would not have the time to learn the ritual and feel I would not do the role justice if read from a book but that’s my preference but should we demand this of all members who have not the ability or time to learn to memory the ritual. Some good Masons are seen as unworthy because they can not complete long pieces of ritual that is demanded of them to hold that office. So as said before, learning the ritual by rote does not always make you a better Mason but by being unable to learn it rote neither makes you less of a man or a Mason.

Peter Dowling – 30/12/07

Membership Numbers

Membership Numbers

This article is not based on membership numbers in any particular juristiction.

The talk of Lodge Membership numbers dropping has been an issue for many discussions over the last few years. Members are leaving, Lodges are becoming less attended and meetings are becoming boring (my next article!).

This is what is being said about Freemasonry in general.

What can we do, we keep saying?

I think we have to be radical, bold and open our eyes!

I agree Lodges membership has been growing since the early 1900s (and declining now) but before that they were stable, entertaining and served their purpose.

With the influx of more people joining Masonry, more Lodges have been created to keep up with the demand. This kept increasing until what we have today.

We have Lodges every year being formed which is diluting our ever decreasing numbers further and diluting even more the ability for individual Lodges to thrive.

Do we really need 30 Craft Lodges in a small Masonic hall or rural town with only 12 or 15 members struggling to keep the old traditions of the Lodge alive? I think not, as this is not doing the Craft or its members a lot of good at all.

Let us think this through. Why don’t we, for the next 20 years, not allow any more Lodges to be formed. Wouldn’t that assist us?

Any new recruits could be directed towards smaller Lodges that need the members, especially the older Lodges from the 1800s as these are our history. Failing Lodges should also direct their members to the older lodges. This way I think the membership would continue at the same size as it is but the size of lodges would be inclined to grow.

With the extra members, the Lodges will function adequately, become sharper and more active, ultimately stronger.

Think of the buzz that would give with 50-100 members at each meeting.

I have been told “what about progression”. Not every member wishes to progress to the chair but there is nothing wrong with knife and fork Masons. We could build a team of charity Stewards and Almoners. Members could still learn parts of the ritual which can be used at meetings and done alternately between them. We have all discussed how quickly members get to sit in the East now, and hear the older Brethren say “In my day it took eons of years before you got on the ladder”. Is this not traditional Masonry as it used to be, 7 years an EA?

Also people have said it is not the size of the Lodge but the quality that counts. This is true but what quality is there in 10 men meeting each Lodge night!

Peter Dowling- 27 Dec 2007.

NOTE: The opinions expressed in this essay are my own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of any Grand Masonic jurisdiction or any other Masonic related body.

Senior Brothers experience

I was speaking to a senior Brother the other day about the experiences he has had and heard in the years he has been in Freemasonry.

He told me the story of a friend of his (Robert) who was a Mason but has now passed away.

Robert was married with 3 daughters and a son with the son being the youngest.

Robert’s children were very keen on Drama and acting at school and were always asking dad to practise roles with them for upcoming auditions, which he was pleased to do as Mum was always busy and this way he spent time with his children.

One day one of the girls asked, Dad where are you going again tonight with your case and suit. He thought for a while and then said “to rehearsals”. Can we come she said. No I will explain later when I get home.

Well he did not know how to explain it to the children without going into detail. He did not want to lie to them or tell them the truth or it would be all over town and in those days it was not as open as it was today.

He thought for a while and the children kept pestering him to tell them what play he was in. It was then that he decided to teach them the stories of the rituals.

He thought, what harm could it do. As long as he did not break his obligations of signs, tokens and passwords etc, he could teach them history, morale lessons in life etc and to grow up being good honest adults.

He set up an old barn as a temple, had bales of hay for pedestals, drew the chequered squares on the floor and old pews for benches and seats.

He explained the play would be set around KS temple (which could be found in the bible) explained the characters and who was who in the scripts.

He said he would be director and to help with memorising skills nothing was to be written down.

They all took part in learning different roles in different acts and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it all.

This was great for Robert as he was SW in his Lodge so needed practise for the following year.

This went on for 6 years at every opportunity and was even carried out by the 4 children when Robert was at work during the school holidays. Dad would come home from work and one of the children would say, can we practise the 3^rd lecture tonight dad as we just get stuck on a few words.

Finally the children grew up and one by one left home. The girls got married and hardly ever mentioned the plays they re enacted with their father.

The son was the last to leave home and got a job at his fathers company.

One day he over heard his father talking about the Lodge meeting on Monday evening to a fellow colleague of his. Over the next few weeks he heard several mentions of this Lodge business on Mon evenings so decided to ask a friend of his at lunch one day.

His friend (who was also a Mason) explained that it was a Freemasons Lodge and briefly explained about it and said he was surprised that his Father had not told him about it.

That evening he asked his father if he could join the Freemasons at his Lodge.

Over the years Robert had managed to keep it from his son but now was the time to explain. He said he would talk to some people at Lodge at let him know.

Robert met up with His WM and explained that his son wanted to join the Lodge. This was great news to the WM who said about time, I wondered when you were going to ask him.

He then explained the plays they used re-enact in the barn when the children were young.

He said secret words that could not be used were substituted, made up with the names of disciples, other names from the bible or objects in the barn, so no secrets were given away from his obligations. The WM looked a bit astonished at first but said he would put it to the committee and get back to him.

At the next Lodge meeting Robert was told that his son would be most welcome to join the Lodge. He was proposed by His father, seconded by the WM and Initiated 3 days after his 21^st Birthday.

Although the son knew the ceremonies he thoroughly enjoyed all 3 of them (although allegedly prompted the Deacons when they forgot where they were) and was Raised to the Sublime degree of Master Mason 2 years later.

It was quite a surprise to the brethren during the early days of the son joining the Lodge. At rehearsals of the EA degrees when there was not many Brethren present he could fill any office that was vacant because he was word perfect in all offices. The same happened in the FC degree.

He eventually reached the East and was exemplary as WM as this was his favourite role in the earlier years in the barn at home.

I think this is an absolutely great story.

Do you think Robert was correct in teaching his children the rituals?

What are your thoughts on this as a Mason?

Would you teach your sons this way?

Do you think the son would teach his sons this way knowing what he knows?

Written by Peter Dowling.

Info for new Candidates

Bringing new candidates into Freemasonry.

The ancient traditions and tenants of Freemasonry have remained the same for over 500 years but society and culture in the way we live today has progressed.

The application to join Freemasonry has basically stayed the same since speculative Masonry began but the prospective candidate today has different work and family commitments and financial pressures in life.

When we interview a candidate today for acceptance into our Lodges, the standard questions are asked by the General Purpose Committee, do you believe in Supreme Being, are you over 21, have you been convicted of a criminal offence etc..

The candidate attending an interview in front of so many people, is a daunting time for anyone and there are usually 2 types of candidate.

Those who come with a little knowledge that they have picked up from information they have searched for on the internet and from the basic questions they have asked their Proposers.

Then there are those who have not done any research into what they are joining but have been told that they would like it, make many acquaintances and the Festive Board after the meetings was great.

Both these types of candidate are curious of an organisation that has been so secretive

and selective of its prospective candidates.

After the basic questions have been asked, the candidate then gets a chance to ask any questions if he has any.

What questions would he have! He knows nothing of the organisation, what it does, or it´s principles. Most candidates, if you think about it, will not have any questions, I certainly never did at my interview! I was too scared in case I said the wrong thing.

We ask candidates why they want to join. Curiosity, want of a social life and helping charity if they are honest, because this is all they know and have been told.

With the decline in membership numbers today, we are bringing in people in desperation to keep Lodges going. A lot of lodges try to get candidates for the wrong reasons, i.e. financial, boost membership numbers, something to do at the next meeting etc. without thinking of the candidates future expectations. We then wonder why they leave or never turn up for meetings.

I personally think there should be an information pack which goes into more detail of what is expected from the candidate once he has joined. I am not talking about the details of the rituals or ceremonies as this would spoil it for them.

This pack or information could be given to the candidate prior to the main interview by the GP Meeting. This would then give the candidate more information on the organisation he is applying for, also, the time, commitment and dedication he would have to give and the expenditures that would be required of him.

Surely this would benefit the Lodge in general from wasting time and effort into Initiating someone just out of their curiosity and then never seeing them again.

I have looked into the application process of other Lodges and have also asked Brethren on their thoughts and experiences on the issue.

I have also spoken to Brethren who have left the Craft because it was either, not what they had expected, had been mis-informed or not informed at all.

The following information should be given to all candidates to peruse at their leisure before applying for an interview. If after reading the article they wish to continue with the application, they should re-approach their proposer for an interview.

Information for candidates wishing to join Freemasonry.

Freemasonry is one of the world's oldest fraternal societies and is a society of men concerned with moral and spiritual values.

Its members are taught its precepts by a series of ritual dramas, which follow ancient forms, and use stonemasons' customs and tools as allegorical guides.

The essential qualification for admission into and continuing membership is a belief in a Supreme Being. Membership is open to men aged Twenty-one years or over, of any race or religion who can fulfil this essential qualification and who are of good repute.

Freemasonry is not a religion or a substitute for religion. Its essential qualification opens it to men of many religions and it expects them to continue to follow their own faith. Freemasonry is also non-political so the discussion of religion and politics is not allowed in Lodge meetings.

From its earliest days, Freemasonry has been concerned with the care of orphans, the sick and the aged. This work continues today. In addition, large sums are given to national and local charities.

Freemasonry demands from its members a respect for the law of the country in which a man works and lives. Its principles do not in any way conflict with its members' duties as citizens, but should strengthen them in fulfilling their public and private responsibilities. The use by a Freemason of his membership to promote his own or anyone else's business, professional or personal interests is condemned, and is contrary to the conditions on which he sought admission to Freemasonry.
His duty as a citizen must always prevail over any obligation to other Freemasons, and any attempt to shield a Freemason who has acted dishonourably or unlawfully is contrary to this prime duty.

Freemasonry is not a secret society, since all members are free to acknowledge their membership and will do so in response to enquiries for respectable reasons. There is no secret about its aims and principles. In ordinary conversation there is very little about Freemasonry that may not be discussed.
The secrets of Freemasonry are concerned with its traditional modes of recognition. Its ceremonies are private. Like many other societies, it regards some of its internal affairs as private matters for its members. On enquiry for acceptable reasons, Freemasons are free and will be proud to acknowledge their own membership.

What happens at lodge meetings?
A Lodge is where the Meetings and ceremonies take place. What goes on in lodges is partly the formal business that any association has to do, such as the consideration of minutes of the previous meeting, and dealing with propositions for membership, accounts of general and charitable funds, subscriptions, donations, and the like. Once a year a new Master is elected and at the next meeting he is installed and appoints and invests his officers (i.e. the active players in the ceremonies which the lodge prepares for those becoming Freemasons). However, the real core of Freemasonry is the ceremonies which involve admitting new masons and teaching them Freemasonry's moral message.

The moral message is not peculiar to Freemasonry, but is common to many systems – (natural equality, dependence on others, benevolence, intellectual truth, inevitable death, fidelity) - all under a Supreme Being. The method of teaching is Freemasonry's own, a series of ritual dramas, based on ancient mythology and stonemasons' customs and tools, in which the members of the lodge work together to get the message across to each new member.

Despite popular myths, Masonic ceremonies are not at all secret and printed copies are freely available (its history is incidentally fascinating). The quality of its language is readily apparent and the actions are not hard to imagine. However, merely reading the printed word does not explain, that the ceremonies are delivered from memory, nor how everyone in a lodge (and not just the officers directly concerned) concentrates on familiar words and actions which are new to the candidate or how effectively the ceremony makes an impression on the candidate.

Of the various officers of the lodge, some are obligatory while others are optional. Those that lodges have to have are a Master, a Senior Warden, a Junior Warden, a Treasurer, a Secretary, an Almoner, a Charity Steward, a Senior Deacon, a Junior Deacon, and Inner Guard and a Tyler. The optional officers are a Chaplain, a Director of Ceremonies, an Assistant Director of Ceremonies, an Organist, an Assistant Secretary and a Steward or Stewards.

Lodge meetings are held once a month and normally from October to March. The meetings start at 5.00pm with dining (festive board) afterwards and finish approx 10.00pm. A printed summons will be sent to every member of the Lodge with details of the day of the meeting and the start time.

Although joining a Freemasons Lodge can be very enlightening and enjoyable, it has commitments that have to be taken seriously.

Financial;

There is the initial joining fee expense which you will be informed of before joining and then an annual subscription fee there after.

Your formal attire and regalia will have to be purchased as you progress.

The cost of the dining fee at the festive board, raffle tickets and an Alms collection at every Lodge Meeting has to be taken into consideration.

There are social charity events that take place throughout the year that you are expected to attend to help raise monies for charity.

Commitment to time;

You will be expected to attend the Meetings once a month.

There is also a Lodge of Rehearsal which is held once a week between meetings as to practise the ceremony for the next meeting.

There are words you have to learn by memory to progress through your 3 degrees.

Once you have achieved your three degrees and wish to progress through the offices, you will have to learn your lines by memory for the dramas that are re-enacted for the ceremonies. There are 3 ceremonies for the candidates and you progress to a different role (office) every year where the lines are different and usually longer.

These are all things to be taken into consideration before joining. You should discuss them with your family and ensure they have no objections to you joining.

Fundamentally the Lodge and Freemasonry in general is made up from men of mature age, sound judgement, and strict morals who are inclined towards good works in the community, friendliness towards their fellow man, and a generous nature. If this describes you, then we are interested in considering you as a candidate for membership.

Peter Dowling- 23 Dec 2007.

NOTE: The opinions expressed in this essay are my own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of any Grand Masonic jurisdiction or any other Masonic related body.

Freemasonry in General

Freemasonry in General

By Peter Dowling. written Nov 2005.

I was Initiated into Freemasonry in the Lodge of Unity No 98, under the Grand Lodge of Spain in November 2004. I Passed to the Fellowcraft Degree in March 2005 and was raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason in November 2005.

When I first petitioned to join Freemasonry, I did not know a lot about the organisation except that it did things for charity and made you a better man.

I did no research or background history on Freemasonry. I know this seems silly to join something you know nothing about but something felt right about it and my instincts said “go for it!”

So I did, I jumped right in both feet first and it is the best thing I have ever done. The only regret I have is that I didn’t join earlier.

I love Freemasonry and try to attend all the Lodge of Instruction and Lodge of Rehearsal and very rarely miss a Lodge Meeting. I also try to study or read books on Freemasonry at least 1 hour a day.

The Internet has been a great tool to find out information on any subject on Freemasonry. I am a member of a few discussion forums where we discuss on a daily basis topics from “What can be done to improve Freemasonry” to “Book and film reviews” along with “General interest and discussion forums” to “Hands across the sea” where Masons from all over the Globe can discuss topics and relate experiences from their homeland. I have used the experience and sometimes the words from members of these forums to help me compose this article.

I have been told on many occasion to, “be careful when using Internet forums because you may give away information to the wrong people”, and “we were taught to be cautious”. All I can say is,

I take my oaths in Freemasonry very seriously and would never reveal any of the secrets entrusted to me! The Brethren on these sites have the same attitude to this issue and it has been a topic for discussion on many occasions.

The following is an extract from the MQ magazine issue 15, these are the words of the Marques of Northampton, the Pro Grand Master. He notes that the views expressed here are his own and not necessarily those of Grand Lodge.

“It is now generally acknowledged that the ‘secrets’ of Masonry are only the modes of recognition without which you cannot witness our ceremonies – the grips, tokens and words of the three Degrees. They have been exposed on numerous occasions, but all Masons promise not to reveal them to the uninitiated, in part to keep cowans and intruders out of our ceremonies, but also to show that we can be trusted to keep a promise.
The ‘mysteries’, which we also promise not to disclose, are something completely different. Any member of the public can buy a copy of the Emulation ritual book and tens of thousands of lady Masons have done so over many years. The vast majority of the ceremonies are there in full for all to read, the main exception being those words which relate to the modes of recognition and the preparation of the candidate. So, if anyone wants to know what we get up to in our ceremonies, why not suggest they buy the ritual book and read it for themselves.
Before anyone accuses me of betraying the brotherhood, let me stress that you cannot discover the mysteries of Freemasonry by reading the ritual book. You have to go through the process of initiation to realise and unlock the mystery, because it is a felt experience. You can not understand it in any other way than by doing it – just as you cannot learn to swim by reading a manual of how to do it.”

As I mentioned previously, the Internet is a great tool for gathering information but it is only a tool, not the salvation of Freemasonry or a replacement for everything that is being done. It can not replace the experience, tradition and knowledge you gain from attending Lodge meetings. The internet is a powerful tool and can be utilised to do great things for mankind and Freemasonry in general. Some people are afraid of change and new technology but the world is changing fast and we should use the technological advancement to our advantage. Consider this, do the quarry workers today still cut and move stone in the same manner as the Fellow Craft under Hiram Abiff? Absolutely not.

We should use the most modern tools to help us shape the spiritual buildings.

When first looking for information on Freemasonry you should use the search engines to find specific regulated Freemason web sites and not just type in “Freemasonry”, or you might as well ask a thousand members of the public to write what they know about Freemasonry on a piece of paper, put them in a hat and then draw one out, it would be like a lucky dip. Most Grand Lodges including the Grand Lodge of England have Official websites which contain everything from research material to online book information. There are many Masonic Forums which can lead you to many recommended websites. Also there are Freemason magazines that are printed several times a year and have further research topics and can point you in the right direction. Many Freemasons also have their own web sites with links to several others.

Masons today are keen to learn, some carry out additional study, some follow the path through Masonry picking up information on the way. Whichever way they choose is the choice of each individual as long as we endeavour to make a daily advancement in Masonic knowledge.

Lodge of Instruction is a must for all Masons, as we all still have something to learn and are seeking the Truth, although Lodge of Instruction is rarely attended by Entered Apprentices or Fellowcrafts.

While we are all keen to learn, in general, there are only a few who are willing to teach. The W.M. informs the initiate that there are several degrees, with peculiar secrets restricted to each, which are not communicated indiscriminately but conferred according to merit and ability. Why then are some candidates passed and raised without reference to merit and ability?

There have been times when candidates that have not attended Lodge from one degree to another, arrive in Lodge for their following degree and do not know the answers to a few set questions and then have to be prompted in their replies. Also where some of the answers are somewhat obscure, requiring at the least, a certain amount of explanation, nobody ever bothers to explain what those answers mean, so that the candidates (unless they are really eager and inquisitive ) has just memorised a meaningless sentence of words. It should be Obligatory for the candidate to attend at least one rehearsal of the questions and answers at lodge of Instruction.

Personally, I think if a Lodge of Instruction is actually a Lodge of Rehearsal, then one or more of the senior Brethren should share his wealth of experience and knowledge in working on a “one to one” basis with the Entered Apprentice or Fellowcraft (who has had to retire from the Lodge) in answering general questions, rehearsing the questions and answers for his next degree and explaining those questions and answers.

There seems to be an importance in bringing in new members into Freemasonry to bump up numbers. Whilst numbers are important, we do not want more members, we want more Freemasons. This is why I say that we should encourage all Entered Apprentices and Fellowcrafts to attend Lodge on a regular basis and not just for meetings. Most Lodges inform Brethren below the rank of Master Mason not to turn up because they will have to retire for most of the time. The most amusing thing is, many of the people we hear bemoaning the state of Freemasonry can often be seen telling prospective candidates and new initiates "you only get out of Freemasonry what you put in".

What is Freemasonry? Freemasonry is a traditional initiatic order. While it has taken its Speculative form, its traditions, symbols and lessons reach back to operative Masonry many centuries ago. Being part of the initiatic tradition is what distinguishes Freemasonry from purely charitable or social organisations. The initiatic work and purpose of Freemasonry, put simply, is to provide an environment where good men can unite together to assist one another in self improvement and realization of their true potential. One of main principles of this initiatic tradition is the belief that if only one individual becomes a better person the whole world benefits by it.

When at the beginning of our Masonic journey, upon our first experience in a lodge at our Initiation we pledge ourselves to further our knowledge in Freemasonry and use that knowledge to help others. Freemasonry's singular purpose is to make good men better and its bonds of friendship, compassion and brotherly love have survived even the most troublesome political, military and religious conflicts through the centuries.

As Freemasons we take on the Principles of Brotherly love, relief and truth. These Grand principles have been used in Freemasonry for many generations. They adhere to give fraternal love and help to the needy in communities around the world and the journey in search of the truth.

These are basic principles that are not hard to follow or use in everyday life, 24 hours a day, whether at home, at work or out in the public. As Freemasons we should seek to use these principles to the best of our abilities.

Freemasonry stretches out to all nations of the Globe and Freemasons are everywhere.

Freemasons are of all different races and religions. Freemasons are politicians and judges, lawyers and solicitors, policemen and fireman, army and navy, carpenters, plumbers and electricians, factory workers, shop floor workers, blue and white collar workers, employed, unemployed and retired to name but a few.

In fact, (and I will end on this thought) one of the most fascinating aspects of Freemasonry (and an obvious source of irritation for those who thrive on the seeds of discontent) has always been: how so many men, from so many different walks of life, can meet together in peace, ignoring political or religious debates, to conduct their affairs in harmony and friendship and to call each other "Brother!”

22 Novemberer 2005