What is Freemasonry?
Freemasonry is a post collegiate male fraternity dedicated to the spiritual development of the initiate into a broader sense of the self, and the initiates as he relates to the divine and their relative place in the world. It conveys this message through a series of progressive degrees initiating the candidate into a deeper level of membership. Ultimately, the raised Master Mason is given the metaphorical tools to further work on and develop their Masonic intuition.
How old is Freemasonry?
The history of modern freemasonry is fairly understood, but once you get beyond the 1700’s things get lost to the sands of time.
One of the beauties of Freemasonry is that it allows the member to stretch his mind to think about a variety of topics not typically explored in mainstream history. Some Masonic historians attempt to explain and look at the connections or possibilities in history that are often overlooked, especially to the recent past and into the not so recent historical world. Freemasonry today has been fairly unchanged in the last 300 years, and is modeled in a system that was likely little changed for the 150 years prior to that. It is believed that the working aspects of Freemasonry, the form and function of the lodge, comes from guilds of the Renaissance and middle ages, and over time attracted a wider audience of non practicing “masons”.
This is the period that the present day fraternity shifted from an “operative” guild to a “speculative” one. These changes have evolved to shape the look and feel of modern lodge operation today.
What is a Lodge
The word “lodge” means both a group of Masons meeting in some place and the room or building in which they meet. Masonic buildings are also sometimes called “temples” because much of the symbolism Masonry uses to teach its lessons comes from the building of King Solomon’ s Temple in the Holy Land. The term “lodge” itself comes from the structures which the stonemasons built against the sides of the cathedrals during construction. In winter, when building had to stop, they lived in these lodges and worked at carving stone.
While there is some variation in detail from state to state and country to country.
If you’ve ever watched C-SPAN’ s coverage of the House of Commons in London, you’ll notice that the layout is about the same. Since Masonry came to America from England, we still use the English floor plan and English titles for the officers. The Worshipful Master of the Lodge sits in the East. “Worshipful” is an English term of respect which means the same thing as “Honorable.” He is called the Master of the lodge for the same reason that the leader of an orchestra is called the “Concert Master.” It is simply an older term for “Leader.” In other organizations, he would be called “President.” The Senior and Junior Wardens are the First and Second Vice-Presidents. The Deacons are messengers, and the Stewards have charge of refreshments.
Every lodge has an altar holding a “Volume of the Sacred Law.” In the United States and Canada, that is almost always a Bible.
Why are Freemasons so secretive?
Many masons will not answer questions about the fraternity as they believe it is supposed to be a “secret”. In the end that is a loss for the fraternity as any time someone asks a question about Masonry it’s a great opportunity to talk openly about it. An often retort to this idea is that it is a Society with Secrets, rather than a secret society, but this is equally confusing. There are aspects to Freemasonry that are kept and taught to only those who go through the initiations and ceremonies so as to keep them in a proper perspective and context of meaning. These aspects are not “secrets” but instead knowledge that is best communicated in a specific and concise manner.
It really is not “secretive,” although it sometimes has that reputation. Masons certainly do not make a secret of the fact that they are members of the fraternity. We wear rings, lapel pins, and tie clasps with Masonic emblems like the Square and Compasses, the best known of Masonic signs which, logically, recall the fraternity’ s early symbolic roots in stonemasonry. Masonic buildings are clearly marked, and are usually listed in the phone book. Lodge activities are not secret — picnics and other events are even listed in the newspapers, especially in smaller towns. Many lodges have answering machines which give the upcoming lodge activities. But there are some Masonic secrets, and they fall into two categories.
The first are the ways in which a man can identify himself as a Mason — grips and passwords. We keep those private for obvious reasons. It is not at all unknown for unscrupulous people to try to pass themselves off as Masons in order to get assistance under false pretenses.
The second group is harder to describe, but they are the ones Masons usually mean if we talk about “Masonic secrets.” They are secrets because they literally can not be talked about, can not be put into words. They are the changes that happen to a man when he really accepts responsibility for his own life and, at the same time, truly decides that his real happiness is in helping others.
It is a wonderful feeling, but it is something you simply can not explain to another person. That is why we sometimes say that Masonic secrets cannot (rather than “may not”) be told. Try telling someone exactly what you feel when you see a beautiful sunset, or when you hear music, like the national anthem, which suddenly stirs old memories, and you will understand what we mean.
“Secret societies” became very popular in America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. There were literally hundreds of them, and most people belonged to two or three. Many of them were modeled on Masonry, and made a great point of having many “secrets.” Freemasonry got ranked with them. But if Masonry is a secret society, it is the worst-kept secret in the world.
Is Masonry a religion?
The answer to that question is simple: NO
We do use ritual in meetings, and because there is always an altar or table with the Volume of the Sacred Law open if a lodge is meeting, some people have confused Masonry with a religion, but it is not. That does not mean that religion plays no part in Masonry — it plays a very important part. A person who wants to become a Mason must have a belief in God. No atheist can ever become a Mason. Meetings open with prayer, and a Mason is taught, as one of the first lessons of Masonry, that one should pray for divine counsel and guidance before starting an important undertaking. But that does not make Masonry a “religion.”
Sometimes people confuse Masonry with a religion because we call some Masonic buildings “temples.” But we use the word in the same sense that Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes called the Supreme Court a “Temple of Justice” and because a Masonic lodge is a symbol of the Temple of Solomon. Neither Masonry nor the Supreme Court is a religion just because its members meet in a “temple.”
In some ways, the relationship between Masonry and religion is like the relationship between the Parent-Teacher Association (the P.T.A.) and education. Members of the P.T.A. believe in the importance of education. They support it. They assert that no man or woman can be a complete and whole individual or live up to his or her full potential without education. They encourage students to stay in school and parents to be involved with the education of their children. They may give scholarships. They encourage their members to get involved with and to support their individual schools.
But there are some things P.T.A.s do not do. They do not teach. They do not tell people which school to attend. They do not try to tell people what they should study or what their major should be.
In much the same way, Masons believe in the importance of religion. Masonry encourages every Mason to be active in the religion and church of his own choice. Masonry teaches that without religion a man is alone and lost, and that without religion, he can never reach his full potential.
But Freemasonry does not tell a person which religion he should practice or how he should practice it. That is between the individual and God. That is the function of his house of worship, not his fraternity, and Masonry is a fraternity, not a religion.
Why does Masonry use symbols?
Everyone uses symbols every day, just as we do ritual. We use them because they communicate quickly. When you see a stop sign , you know what it means, even if you can not read the word “stop.” The circle and line mean “do not” or “not allowed.” In fact, using symbols is probably the oldest way of communication and the oldest way of teaching.
Masonry uses symbols for the same reason. Some form of the “Square and Compasses” is the most widely used and known symbol of Masonry. In one way, this symbol is a kind of trademark for the fraternity, as the “golden arches” are for McDonald’ s. When you see the Square and Compasses on a building, you know that Masons meet there.
And like all symbols, they have a meaning.
The reasons that the Lodges have been termed “Blue Lodges” is because blue is emblematic of friendship, a peculiar characteristic of ancient craft masonry. The color for borders of aprons, collars and other regalia of the symbolic lodge is blue.
So, is Masonry education?
Yes. In a very real sense, education is at the center of Masonry. We have stressed its importance for a very long time. Back in the Middle Ages, schools were held in the lodges of stonemasons. You have to know a lot to build a cathedral — geometry, and structural engineering, and mathematics, just for a start. And that education was not very widely available. All the formal schools and colleges trained people for careers in the church, or in law or medicine. And you had to be a member of the social upper classes to go to those schools. Stonemasons did not come from the aristocracy. And so the lodges had to teach the necessary skills and information. Freemasonry’ s dedication to education started there.
It has continued. Masons started some of the first public schools in both Europe and America. We supported legislation to make education universal. In the 1800’s Masons as a group lobbied for the establishment of state-supported education and federal land-grant colleges. Today we give millions of dollars in scholarships each year. We encourage our members to give volunteer time to their local schools, buy classroom supplies for teachers, help with literacy programs, and do everything they can to help assure that each person, adult or child, has the best educational opportunities possible.
And Masonry supports continuing education and intellectual growth for its members, insisting that learning more about many things is important for anyone who wants to keep mentally alert and young.
Masonry teaches some important principles. There is nothing very surprising in the list. Masonry teaches that:
- Since God is the Creator, all men and women are the children of God. Because of that, all men and women are brothers and sisters, entitled to dignity, respect for their opinions, and consideration of their feelings.
- Each person must take responsibility for his/her own life and actions. Neither wealth nor poverty, education nor ignorance, health nor sickness excuses any person from doing the best he or she can do or being the best person possible under the circumstances.
- No one has the right to tell another person what he or she must think or believe. Each man and woman has an absolute right to intellectual, spiritual, economic, and political freedom. This is a right given by God, not by man. All tyranny, in every form, is illegitimate.
- Each person must learn and practice self-control. Each person must make sure his spiritual nature triumphs over his animal nature. Another way to say the same thing is that even when we are tempted to anger, we must not be violent. Even when we are tempted to selfishness, we must be charitable. Even when we want to “write someone off,” we must remember that he or she is a human and entitled to our respect. Even when we want to give up, we must go on. Even when we are hated, we must return love, or, at a minimum, we must not hate back. It is not easy!
- Faith must be in the center of our lives. We find that faith in our houses of worship, not in Freemasonry, but Masonry constantly teaches that a persons faith, whatever it may be, is central to a good life.
- Each person has a responsibly to be a good citizen, obeying the law. That does not mean we can not try to change things, but change must take place in legal ways.
- It is important to work to make this world better for all who live in it. Masonry teaches the importance of doing good, not because it assures a persons entrance into heaven — that is a question for a religion, not a fraternity — but because we have a duty to all other men and women to make their lives as fulfilling as they can be.
- Honor and integrity are essential to life. Life without honor and integrity is without meaning.
Is Freemasonry a patriotic body?
Yes and no. The aims of Freemasonry are not specifically to embolden patriotism. It does however; promote a strong affinity towards a passionate interest in the nation in which the Freemason resides. It encourages more than a passive interest in the development of civil society and our roles as citizens in it. The patriotism that is displayed is the result of that interest in the well being of society itself. The fraternity does strongly encourage the adherence and following of the principals and laws of the country in which the man lives.
Why does Freemasonry say it is a “ritual” practice?
The use of the word ritual is in describing the rhythmic practice of the same ceremony at each occasion. Often there is a connotation of something sinister or counter to popular practice, but to the contrary, it is meant to imply that the degrees are an established or prescribed procedure to convey the knowledge of the Fraternity in a in a repetition.
What this means is that the same ceremony is practiced with each aspirant into the fraternal fold so that each man undergoes the same experience creating a unifying shared experience.
Why is “Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth” so important in Freemasonry?
These three virtues are the foundations upon which Freemasonry is built. Brotherly love, as directed towards all mankind, especially to other Masons. Relief, in that every Mason is obligated to relieve the suffering of any Master Mason they encounter who is in dire need and if in their power to do so, to the best of their ability, also to act charitably towards society, giving of ourselves economically, physically, and mentally. And truth, which is represented by the divine, in its multiplicity and diversity as understood by all men. These three ideas represent the core of what Freemasonry represents in its ultimate distillation.
Why does Freemasonry have such odd symbolism like the skull?
The skull and bones, or specifically the skull (or deaths head) is actually a symbol to remind us of death, as it is the ultimate equalizer of man as none can avoid its eventuality. This is more a means to remind us that no matter our station in life, rich or poor, we are all subject to the same fate, and that our goal should be to make this world better for everyone. The course of that meaning is that all Masons should always strive for our noble endeavors, namely brotherly love, relief, and truth.
Is Masonry Practical?
The question of practicality is entirely a self answer question. Only if something is applied can it be practical so it definitely becomes something the initiated has to answer. It is a self achieving process whereby the individual definitely gets what they put into it.
Does Freemasonry promote drinking?
Temperance is virtue promoted within Freemasonry. When, why, or who made that its social mandate is lost to the sand of time. Masonry does not frown on the consumption of alcohol, but many lodges are essentially dry. It is an odd paradox that a Fraternity founded in taverns is dry today but for now it is predominantly a temperate society. But, like all men, Masons still meet for drinks and imbibe together and at certain special occasions serve beverages in lodge. It may be more of a past social stigma playing out rather than a symbolic one. Also, lodges in Europe and elsewhere do not seem so stringently afflicted.
Why do so many Masonic Lodge buildings look old?
The issue of the older Masonic buildings is a paradox from the 1950’s when Freemasonry was in a boom era of incredible growth. At its height, Freemasonry had upwards of 4 million members and consequently lots of member money. With its growth of membership so to did its infrastructure expand. One of the consequences of having these expensive buildings that were built in the 1950’s and 60’s is that they eventually ultimately fell under needed to be updated to modern building codes which became very expensive. The consequence of this is that the buildings became less and less available for public and commercial use as they fell out of code. This with a declination in membership led to fewer and fewer funds to refurbish them. Today, there is an abundance of inventory of lodges, with a decreasing volume of membership.
What are the first steps to petitioning?
The process begins first by getting to know the lodge you wish to join. This is really the first step in becoming a member, and starts with introducing yourself to a lodge at a dinner and getting to know
the membership before the lodge opens.
How do I find the most suitable lodge?
In most major cities heir may be several lodges near you. The local White Pages or Yellow Pages will have a listing for those in your community.
With several lodges near you (relatively speaking) the best thing to do is contact all of the ones close to you for your comfort, and set up a time to go down and meet with them. Lodges “typically” meet on the first Thursday of the month and serve a dinner prior to the regular meeting. This would probably be the best time to go in and meet the membership, even if informally. The way to go about this would be to contact the lodges (via email or phone) and let them know you are interested and would like to come in and meet them. Additionally, check the state Grand Lodge Website for a complete listing of lodges in your state.
Is every Lodge different?
Lodges do have personalities and should be evaluated as such. The dynamic, however, can change so what may seem one way may be something else another time, but you can often get a general feel for the
lodge on a visit. The best things to look for are a vibrant membership with diverse
age groups, and members.
What are Masonic Lodge Hours?
Most “should” have their hours posted for visitors on the outside of the building for when someone will be there.
Hinesville Lodge in Hinesville, Georgia meets the first and third Thursdays of each month. Dinner starts at6:30pm immediately followed by the lodge meeting. Families are welcome to attend the dinner.
What are their requirements of becoming a Mason?
There are some self study requirements to learn certain aspects of the fraternity, and then a degree of expectation that you will further your knowledge about the Freemasonry which will eventually become
second nature. To join, it is expected that the individual be of good reputation, have a good moral disposition, and a personal desire to become a Freemason.
How long does it take to become a Freemason?
It can take 3 months to 18, depending on your interest, ability, and time. It could theoretically be faster or longer, depending on how one applies themselves.
How much does it cost?
Costs are separated into two categories, joining fees and annual dues. The cost of Dues can vary, but are typically no more than one hundred dollars for an annual membership.
As with any organized body, the dues go to the operation and management of the lodge to which they are paid, as it forms the basis of a fraternal home to the membership.
Does Freemasonry offer family activities?
Yes, frequently, there are dinners or other functions that invite family and friends to attend and share in the festivities of the lodge and fraternity. Specific lodge meetings are open only to Master Masons, as are only key events in the year. Most lodges encourage and welcome spouses to the pre-monthly meeting dinner offering some entertainment for the group, as this enhances the overall experience.
What is the lodge experience like?
The month to month experience varies from mason to mason. Depending on how active they choose to be will vary the degree to which they are engaged. As the old adage goes, you get out of it what you put into it.
So the more active you are, the broader the experience. Activities vary, as there is a wide range of things to do. It is not like a church service or board of directors meeting, in that those in attendance actively participate.
A typical month can have as few as 1 meeting a month or more than 5 or 6.
What goes on in a Lodge?
The Lodge is the center of activities for masons. Masonry teaches that each person has a responsibility to make things better in the world. Most individuals will not be the ones to find a cure for cancer, or eliminate poverty, or help create world peace, but every man and woman and child can do something to help others and to make things a little better. Masonry is deeply involved with helping people — it spends more than $1.4 million dollars every day in the United States, just to make life a little easier and the great majority of that help goes to people who are not Masons. Some of these charities are vast projects, like the Crippled Children’ s Hospitals and Burns Institutes built by the Shriner’ s. Also, Scottish Rite Masons maintain a nationwide network of over 100 Childhood Language Disorders Clinics, Centers, and Programs. Each helps children afflicted by such conditions as aphasia, dyslexia, stuttering, and related learning or speech disorders.
Some services are less noticeable, like helping a widow pay her electric bill or buying coats and shoes for disadvantaged children. And there is just about anything you can think of in-between, but with projects large or small, the Masons of a lodge try to help make the world a better place. The lodge gives them a way to combine with others to do even more good.
Masonry does things “inside” the individual Mason. “Grow or die” is a great law of all nature. Most people feel a need for continued growth as individuals. They feel they are not as honest or as charitable or as compassionate or as loving or as trusting or as well-informed as they ought to be. Masonry reminds its members over and over again of the importance of these qualities and education. It lets men associate with other men of honor and integrity who believe that things like honesty, compassion, love, trust, and knowledge are important. In some ways, Masonry is a support group for men who are trying to make the right decisions. It is easier to practice these virtues when you know that those around you think they are important, too, and will not laugh at you. That is a major reason that Masons enjoy being together.
Masons enjoy each others company. It is good to spend time with people you can trust completely, and most Masons find that in their lodge. While much of lodge activity is spent in works of charity or in lessons in self-development, much is also spent in fellowship. Lodges have picnics, camping trips, and many events for the whole family. Simply put, a lodge is a place to spend time with friends.
For members only, two basic kinds of meetings take place in a lodge. The most common is a simple business meeting. To open and close the meeting, there is a ceremony whose purpose is to remind us of the virtues by which we are supposed to live. Then there is a reading of the minutes; voting on petitions (applications of men who want to join the fraternity); planning for charitable functions, family events, and other lodge activities; and sharing information about members (called “Brothers,” as in most fraternities) who are ill or have some sort of need. The other kind of meeting is one in which people join the fraternity — one at which the “degrees” are performed.
But every lodge serves more than its own members. Frequently, there are meetings open to the public. Examples are Ladies Nights, “Brother Bring a Friend Nights,” public installations of officers, cornerstone laying ceremonies, and other special meetings supporting community events and dealing with topics of local interest.
Are meetings mandatory?
No. None of the meetings are “mandatory”. Once a candidate has been raised to the 3rd degree, participation is completely voluntary and at the individuals will and pleasure. Further, a Mason is not obligated to go only to his lodge once all 3 degrees have been obtained and a certain degree of proficiency has been achieved. Once full membership is achieved, the Mason can go to any lodge or Masonic function.
There are certain protocols when visiting distant lodges.
What is expected/hoped for new members?
Ideally, once you go through the degrees it is hoped that the new member will desire to attend the regular meetings and contribute to the organization as their time permits.
What does “making good men better” mean?
Making good men better is a distillation of the purpose of the Masonic experience. The ritual and ceremony serve to convey these tenants and teach certain moral lessons and elevate the individual response to a position higher than themselves. The lessons are things you have likely already heard or have learned in church or moral society. What makes them unique to Freemasonry is that they are presented in a specific format and context.
How does it make you better?
The process to make individuals better is achieved by teaching and applying the Masonic lessons to ones life and existence. These lessons are not necessarily anything one has not ever learned before, as they are things you may have forgotten, or don’t do for a variety reasons.
The whole of Freemasonry is based on allegory and symbol, and it is in the study of this, that one starts to discover what its meanings and correlations are. The parts of Freemasonry lead to a whole and it is what that sum equates to that makes it truly applicable. In the end, it could make bad men better, but like participation, philosophically you get what you put into it. Ultimately, the philosophy is about making good men better, but it is still up to the man to apply it.
Masonry in many ways is what the individual makes of it. You can have a large role, or a small one, it is incumbent on you and your interest and time. If the philosophy resonates well with an individual, then it will be a great experience in which you are inspired to learn from it.
In its most simplest of personal reaction to it will cause the participant to reflect on something different than what they have experienced before. What it makes better is their dedication to family, duty to country, and an understanding of the divine and how to understand our relation to it.
Are their any subjects not discussed in a lodge?
The two cardinal rules not to talk about in lodge are religion and politics, as Freemasonry is concerned specifically with neither.
This is an odd paradox in that fundamentally it promotes the individual connection to the divine, but it admonishes us to not promote one belief system over another. Other topics such as work, family, business or other interests are openly talked about and should be amongst brothers as it builds our fraternal bonds. There “should be” no safer place to discuss these things, our triumphs and the tragedy as it is always amongst brothers with whom you build these bonds. You can, if you have specific leanings, find others of a like mind and engage in interesting discussions building friendships that will last lifetimes. Like any organization of people, you will find a wide variety of interests and ideas all within
one lodge.
It does seem like there is a paradox there, but in reality, that is the harmonious balance. The reason for not allowing politics or religion to be discussed is the ideal, does it happen? Absolutely. Should it? No. The practice of Freemasonry does promote and teach a sort of ecumenical philosophy of tolerance, which is the over arching idea. It does not imply one system of politics or religion is right or wrong.
Are there other functions or clubs?
Yes, Scottish or York Rite, or the Shrine as well as others. These clubs also have monthly meetings, some with several informal get-togethers.
My Father, Grandfather, Great Grandfather, was a Freemason, how do I find out more information about him?
The best place to start would be the Grand Lodge of the state in which he was a Mason. Some Grand Lodges keep records of past members and may be able to research back to determine what lodge they were a part of and any notable achievements or awards they may have had with the lodge, or ancillary bodies, they belonged to. Other than the Grand Lodge, the next step would be the local lodge to which they may of belonged. They “may” have some of their individual information that they can research.
Additionally, if they were a Scottish, York Rite, or Shrine Mason the National offices of these bodies of these groups may be able to supply some information or do some research into their history.
Unfortunately, no global list of all Masons exists on this site, or on any other.
What is Esoteric Masonry?
Esoteric Masonry is the personal exploration to some of the less mainstream areas of the fraternal society. Some of these aspects include personal development, spiritualism, mysticism, and so on. It can include aspects of its history not commonly looked at by mainstream historians or participants. Also, it investigates lines of religious thought that exists on the fringes of mainstream doctrine. Investigation does not mean they work to prove (or disprove) one aspect or another, to the contrary, the esoteric side of masonry seeks find additional sources of wisdom and understanding.
Interest in Esoteric masonry is starting to make a come back. Not that its pursuits ever disappeared, certainly aspects have shifted in focus. It looks at aspects of personal resonance with the symbols of Freemasonry and helps develop our own faith. It can be very rewarding and fulfilling.
But this is not strictly what masonry is, but one aspect of it.
Can you leave the Masons once you become one?
Yes, however the knowledge gained will forever live on for the rest of the individual’s life. Nothing beyond the fraternal bond of Brotherhood makes any requirement to remaining a Freemason.