National Advertising

In an earlier blog entry, speaking on Do We Need a National Grand Lodge, I offered:

5. Standardizing our message to the world is the one area where I think a national governing authority would be useful. For instance, the Shrine decided some time back that their reputation needed polishing. They undertook a national ad campaign, in magazines, newspapers, on radio and television, on bill boards, on trucks… everywhere, showing the iconic image of a Shriner carrying a girl on his shoulders with her crutches in his other hand. Thirty years later, the image of the Shrine is of a bunch of men in little cars, wearing silly hats and supporting hospitals for children. They could do this because THEY have a national governing authority, and can mold and direct their message. Blue Lodges could do that now, through the Committee of Grand Masters which meets every year now to discuss issues of interest to all the Grand Lodges. In a sense, we already have a national authority… only its not an authority and certainly not a governing one. Regardless, this national committee hasn’t even tried to undertake such a project for many good reasons, too many to go into in this article. However, that being the case, and they having never taken advantage of the opportunity, it again does not seem to necessitate a National Governing Authority.

After reading that post, Mark asked:

Could you please go into this in another article?

That is what I will undertake today. First of all, I must state that I am NOT a member of, nor have I participated in any way with the Conference of Grand Masters of Masons in North America. The following are my opinions only and do not represent any Grand Lodge or Grand Officer's opinion. That written, lets begin:

Alluding to too many reasons to go into, the following are some of the reasons that I think account for a lack of movement on this concept.

1. Not every jurisdiction allows advertising. There is a strange tradition in freemasonry that does not allow us to ASK a good man to join. This has translated in some many jurisdictions to an aversion to advertising in any form. Some jurisdictions allow, some allow to a degree, and some deny it altogether.
2. Local Message. Another issue relating to advertising nationally would be the message. The Shrine, my exemplar in this article, crafted a very simple message. Their message was designed, in the beginning, to promote the image of the Shrine from a bunch of old skirt chasing clowns to a national charity dedicated to the health and well being of children. Crafting a national message that would appeal to all grand lodges would be a difficult task.
3. Interest. One of the greatest obstacles to overcome is inertia. "Thats not the way we did it... every before" is going to be hard to overcome, and not just in Grand Lodge Officers.
4. Operation. In my mind, the final objection that would be the most difficult to overcome is the manner of operation, and this alone could be the nail that seals the deal from every being considered. The other issues can be addressed.
   
5. And last, but certainly not the least is that each grand lodge is sovereign, and therefore this coordinated advertising campaign would need to be organized across 50 (or more) independent grand lodges. Very difficult.
   

For instance, allowing or not allowing advertising can be addressed by changing the perspective. "We're not advertising for members, we are simply telling people that we exist so they can make up their own minds" is one method of addressing the concerns that I have heard used. This objection can be overcome with just a bit of sophistry and discussion.

The "Local Message" objection can be overcome in the same manner as the Shrine did. The message is crafted so it doesn't address any local issue, it is more like a Public Service Announcement: Freemasonry, serving society since 1563 or some such equally generic message. It will be difficult to design, but this is simply a matter for brainstorming. Another solution would be to create a number of messages and then rotate their usage.

The "Well, we've never done it that way before" objection is one we hear all the time, and not just in craft masonry. As a professional teacher and business manager, I hear this darn near five or six times a DAY. This is one objection that we can deal with through basic change management techniques. Difficult, but because we are all brothers, its doable. The question will be: Can we get the Grand Officers to SEE the benefit of the change.

Grand Officers tend, by and large, to be very conservative men. Their job is not massive change, but to conserve the craft for future generations intact. More, Grand Officers represent the craft they are called to lead. If the brothers they lead do not support advertising, then neither will the Grand Master.

The killer will be operation. The functional details will be the most difficult. WHO will design the ads, who will place the ads, how will the benefit from the ads be tracked, who will pay how much? This last is a difficult one all by itself. Will the benefit be allocated by the size of the membership of each grand lodge, or simply allocated based on the number of grand lodges participating? How much will be allocated to this project, and where will the ads run all need to be addressed.

An issue that recently came up in California regarding an advertising campaign was results. I speak here only from what the ad manager told me, so its just one man's opinion. I was told that we included a toll free number for people with questions to call. This required someone to answer the calls, then allocate the interest calls to the various lodges to follow up on.

Let me share two examples with you of the problem of allocating "leads" to lodges. When I first joined freemasonry, I moved after being initiated. When I settled in a new city, the first call I made after my telephone was unpacked, was to the lodge in that city. I got an answering machine and left a message... and did so five times over the next two weeks. I never got an answer, so I called a lodge a little further away, the master there drove to my house and put a petition in my hands.

My brother recently expressed interest in joining a lodge... fortunately, there was a masonic lodge two blocks from his house. I gave him the number, and he called the lodge... and called the lodge... and called the lodge. I called the lodge. They never called him or me, and he joined the Lion's Club and became active as a Boy Scout leader. He may join a lodge someday, but they did not bother to call him back.

I offer these two apocryphal tales as exemplars of what the Grand Lodge's know exist in the real world. Lodges don't always follow up on leads, no less on the calls from men who state they want to join. How would we deal with hundreds of good men applying to join, once they knew how to join? If we are going to spend money on crafting a message and getting the message out, we need to be able to follow up with the result.

More even than this, there is no point in starting on such an enterprise if we are not willing to commit to the long term. An "advertising" campaign such as this must be planned in terms of tens of years, and must be run across a number of markets, magazines, newspapers, bill boards, radio, television, internet and other mediums. The message must be simple, clear, and their must be a clear action to take.

The Shrine hired an advertising agency and committed a budget to carry it forward. They can do so, since they have an "Imperial" governing body, that can commit funds from all sources every year. Freemasonry, blue lodge, does not have the same type of central organization. The Conference of Grand Masters of Masons in North America does not have that type of purvue or brief for its operation.

First of all, the Conference is a totally volunteer group, and at that, is an advisory group only. It has no authority to undertake such a program, though it is a good venue for proposing such a program and how it might work. However, every grand master that agrees would have to bring it back to HIS grand lodge to get the brethren's support.

This brings into play the last issue, grand lodge sovereignty. There would be no central organizing authority, so the project would be pulled 50 (or more) directions from the inception, and even an advertising agency cannot serve two (no less fifty or more) masters.

Personally, I would like to see it worked out, because the benefit to the craft would be immeasurable, but the damage to the craft, if we had fifty (or more) messages could be just as bad, or worse, than no message at all.

May the blessing of heaven rest upon us and all regular masons. May brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue, cement us.

Antimasonic Harrassment

Antimasonry is an interesting subset of the conspiracy kook... by and large, the anti mason claims to be Christian, usually of the fundamentalist (think Jim Jones and David Koresh) subset. While claiming Christ's mantle, they are hateful, spiteful, mean, nasty, and generally folks you would not tip your hat to on the street, no less speak to at any length.

Many, like the man who claims to be a reincarnation of Jesus, none other than the lizard shape shifting tin foil hat brigade general himself, David Icke (we think its pronounced: ickie) try to make a living at defaming good and honorable men. It has been ickie's life's mission, ever since he realized he was really g-d, and not really a third rate soccer color announcer, to slam Freemasonry with every silly, half baked slander that popped into his fevered brain. Of course, it sells books, tapes and DVD's, which seems to make him a pretty lucrative living among the brain cell challenged segment of the population.

Among the "Christian" antimasons, some aren't satisfied with defaming and lying about Freemasonry with every breath, they also advocate ambush "proselytizing", and taking superior numbers, as if to browbeat someone, before speaking to a mason. They advocate isolating the mason, almost as if they are holding an intervention rather than a spiritual discussion. See the Ephesians 5:11 website if you want to see but one version of this nonsense... and no, I won't provide the URL to that hate site. Do a Google search if you really want to waste brain cells on their claptrap.

Some even claim to be Catholics, with the goal of Stopping Freemasonry. As if. Many Popes have tried, half heartedly, to stop Freemasonry and all they have done is increase its numbers. The problem, you see, is that Freemasonry speaks to freedom of thought, freedom of religion, freedom to chose your leaders by election, freedom to to speak, freedom to assemble, freedom to, well chose in all things.

Its a strange situation we have here. Freemasonry does not care about Catholicism, any more than any other religion. We leave that to the brother. As far as Freemasonry is concerned, a Catholic can be a Freemason just like any other intelligent, honorable, upright and moral man. It is Catholicism that has the problem with Freemasonry, and the rhetoric employed seems to be one more of philosophical opposition rather than religiosity.

The Roman Catholic Church objects to our stand on freedoms, not for our stand on religious issues. We stand for freedom, the church stands for repression and parking your brains and will at the door. Of course they would object to us... and not all Catholics do object. Many are members of lodges around the world. Its the leadership, and not all of them that oject.
Can't have that in a fundy world... freedom is anathema to them, because, well, you might not chose what they want you to chose, and can't have that. As for that free thinking thing, well, these fundys want you to think what they want you to think, and no other thoughts... they are dangerous, those free, unguided thoughts.

This came up because of the last post, Membership "Decline" where I noted that Freemasonry's numbers are no longer declining, but are, in fact, turning around... especially in California. This forum received a number of... hateful, spiteful comments from someone claiming to be a Catholic Christian, claiming that Freemasonry, and this blog, had it in for Catholics, and among other things, that we were damned... by him, in particular. Several times, in fact. Good thing g-d is more open minded and loving than his self appointed ground crew!

The author of this blog, in fact, was stalked by a certain ex con (who was sent to prison for stealing from his clients at a jewelry store he owned) for almost two years. This from a "man" who claimed to be a Roman Catholic fundamentalist (he thought Ratzinger was too liberal), and seemed to feel that stalking someone was a Christly type behavior... go figure.

This raised an interesting point... several in fact. We know the fundy's hate Freemasons. So much so that it is rare we have not been exposed to one (or more) or these pinheads at one time or another. Its almost a rite of passage as a Mason to have some pinhead walk up to us and tell us we are damned, or devil worshipers or some such nonsense.

The good news is that the antimasonic hysteria is actually dying down! Six years ago, if you looked on the internet to find out about Freemasonry, you found pretty much nothing but hate sites. Today, searching on Freemasonry a man can find THOUSANDS of masonic sites, and a smattering of antimasonic sites. Our message is getting out, and the public, g-d bless them, are hearing the truth as opposed to the twisted lies and deceits of the nutters.

The REALLY good news for Modern Man is that the public, thanks to movies, books, magazines, newspapers, radio and a Masonic Presence in the community, has come to a better opinion of the craft. Our members are recognized these days as the good and honorable men they are, and of course, this translates to more men petitioning the lodges for membership.

Looking at one of the worst antimasonic hate sites, FW, using their chat/discussion area as a measure, we can see that there have been less than 4 posts in the last 4 months! This used to be a hotbed of antimasonic plotting and conspiracies, stalking and attacks. Today, it is a hulk of its former self, and the hit generator they are using develop the only hits they are getting. G-d IS great and merciful! (As if there were any doubt)

We have turned a corner, metaphorically speaking, and its about time. A tip of the hat to all the brothers that have worked so hard to speak out about Freemasonry.

May the blessing of heaven rest upon us and all regular masons. May brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue, cement us.

Just Three Things

Three things in life that, once gone, never come back -

1. Time
2. Words
3. Opportunity

Three things in life that can destroy a person -

1. Anger
2. Pride
3. Unforgiveness

Three things in life that you should never lose-

1. Integrity
2. Peace
3. Honesty

Three things in life that are most valuable -

1. Love
2. Family & Friends
3.Kindness

Three things in life that are never certain -

1. Fortune
2. Success
3. Dreams

Three things that make a person -

1. Commitment
2. Sincerity
3. Hard work

Three Rungs of Jacobs Ladder

1. Faith
2. Hope
3. Charity

Three Great Supports of Freemasonry -

1. Wisdom
2. Strength
3. Beauty

Three principle tenets of freemasonry -

1. Brotherly Love
2. Relief
3. Truth

The power of three, in life and in Freemasonry.

May the blessing of heaven rest upon us and all regular masons, may brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue, cement us.

What is Whispering Good Counsel

In the third degree, the candidate is taught that:

...you might whisper good counsel in his ear, gently admonishing of his errors, and in a most friendly manner, seek to bring about a reformation.

What does that mean to us as masons? It seems to mean that if you see a brother failing to live up to the moral standards, rules, regulations, traditions, constitution and edicts of Freemasonry that you should whisper good counsel to the brother.

Seems pretty straightforward, doesn't it? What then is a brother to do when his whispered counsel is not well received. What do you do with a brother, that instead, chastises a brother for daring to correct what he sees as an error, when he is raked over the coals and held up to public ridicule?

As brothers, we are called to correct, aid and assist our brethren. Before we do so, we should ask ourselves four things:

1. Is the counsel correct, and more, is it going to be useful? In some Grand Jurisdictions, it is against the masonic code to sell alcohol, or be a part of a business that distributes alcohol. Would it be useful to tell a brother in another jurisdiction where it is NOT against the code that it is unmasonic to do so?
2. What is the purpose of the counsel? Are you trying to truly help a brother by pointing out something he may have missed, or are you trying to show moral superiority by doing so. Masonic charity is not just giving money and time to the lodge and the brethren, it is about an attitude of BEING charitable. If the purpose of whispering good counsel is to aggrandize yourself, remain silent. Whispering good counsel is supposed to be a friendly act, not an assault.
3. Will the counsel be received? If you know that whispering good counsel will not be received by the brother, if you recognize from his past deportment that he not only KNOWS his actions are not in keeping with masonic law and custom and that he is deliberately carrying out the act, prudence dictates you follow the lesson of the first degree and maintain silence with that brother.
4. Last, will the counsel be helpful? This seems pretty straightforward, but it can be a serious consideration. In California, the obligation specifically requires a brother to give due and timely notice of approaching danger, but if the approaching danger is something the brother cannot avoid, then whispering counsel to him would be a waste of time. Only the brother can make that judgment, and it should be seriously reviewed.
5. The counsel should be private, just between the two brothers, otherwise it is not whispering.
   

There was a situation years ago that a Junior Warden faced. He had been given information "on the square" to be held in the faithful repository of a faithful breast. It did not concern murder or treason, or even at that time, felonious conduct, but he was given this information as due and timely notice of approaching danger. In California, the Junior Warden of a lodge is the one that receives masonic complaints/charges and then investigates and if necessary, prefers the charges through the lodge.

Was he obligated to warn the brother who was the subject of the information or keep the information as a secret given to him in trust? Was he required to whisper good counsel to the brother in question? Did he have an obligation to the lodge that superseded his obligation to the brother?

These were serious questions. The Junior Warden kept the secrets that had been entrusted to him, and did not warn the brother at the center of the issue, for in doing so, he would have violated the trust. The Junior Warden did not warn the lodge, since that too would have violated his obligation to keep the secrets entrusted to him.

Events unfolded over the fullness of time, and it all worked out it should according to masonic tradition and rules.

The internet is an interesting animal all on its own, and present challenges to our obligations as well. For some reason, people on the internet like to try to hide behind online aliases, some just like them but sign their real names and affiliations along with the nicknames. This is mentioned not as a criticism, implied or explicit, but as a manner of noting that because of the nicknames, some brothers say and do things on the internet they would never do in person.

How does this apply to whispering good counsel? A PhD brother recently noted, correctly, that 93% of communication is non verbal, that is, intonation, body language, facial expressions and so on. As a result, we are reduced to the medium of simple words here, the remaining 7%. Due to this, the opportunities for miscommunication abound. As an example, remove 93 out of every 100 letters in this article, and you will see that you are left with little.

Couple the opportunity for miscommunication endemic in written only communication with the relative anonymity of the internet, and it becomes very difficult to "read" a brother, to understand him. Internet interactions therefore, are very challenging, and if you couple THAT problem with personal issues that some brothers may carry with them, and the tenets of freemasonry can become pretty darn tenuous.

No one single tenet of freemasonry informs our lives as masons, it is the totality of the craft. We cannot be prudent if we do not temper our words with justice and fortitude. We cannot aid and assist a brother unless we properly understand the meaning of faith, hope and charity. We cannot keep the secrets of a brother as our own unless we have fortitude and prudence, the ability to maintain and prudential silence while reprehending with justice and a faith in the divine in all men.

Moreover, before whispering good counsel, we should practice charity, to give our brother the benefit of the doubt, to always consider that there is more than one side to any story, and that your opponent is rarely a villain in his own eyes. Not that any brother is a villain, but as a means of considering that the way you see it is not always the way it is... there are always facts, interpretations, and viewpoints other than our own.

We ARE called to whisper good counsel. It is our duty, but we must temper that obligation with the rest of what Freemasonry teaches us. Moreover, whispered counsel should be... well, whispered. On the internet, that means using private email, not posting on blogs, forums, or other public areas. In person, it means just between the two brothers. If a third brother is needed, then the advice, which is really what whispered counsel is, may not be well received.

I personally learned these lessons recently. I thought I was whispering good counsel, and posted a comment on a comments section of a blog. Of course it blew up into MUCH more than it was, and the situation cycled WAAAY out of proportion to the actual and real situation at hand. Darn near every one of the five rules posted above were violated in the two sentence note: It was not well received, it was not private, and it's offer was more seen as bullying than whispered counsel.

Yhe point was not made in private, the receiver was embarrassed, which resulted in the normal, human reaction of striking back, which lead to me being embarrassed which lead to a whole series of incredibly stupid, inconsiderate, and conduct unbecoming masons on both sides. Really stupid because one brother did not stop and consider before acting... and that is another problem created by the internet... it creates an instant method of acting that, in normal situations, would be put off until a "better more appropos" time.

The good news is this lesson (unfortunately in retrospect) has been learned. The bad news is there is no way to repair the damage... perhaps a tincture of time and a hefty dose of freemasonry will allow the situation to be repaired. Either way, the lesson can be shared...

Here is another thought though, and related to the first: Every coin has two sides.

The OTHER side of whispering good counsel is receiving it! Implicit in our obligation to OFFER good counsel is our obligation to a brother to hear him out and carefully consider his words when offered good counsel. Charity means that we apply the most charitable ear possible to the words being offered, that the brothering offering it to us has taken time to think about it, has wrestled with his conscience, has carefully considered, and is offering you a precious gift.

Especially if you do not agree, it is our obligation to hear him out, to carefully examine what he is saying, to thank him for taking the time and effort to offer it. Even if you do not agree with him, masonic charity all but demands that you at least thank the brother for coming to you. Masonic Justice also all but demands that you give him the courtesy of thinking about what he brought to you. We are all blind to some things.

Its all about Freemasonry.

May the blessings of heaven rest upon us and all regular masons. May brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue, cement us.

Do We Need a National Grand Lodge?

The question that has been raised is: Do We Need a National Grand Lodge?

No.

Well, that ends that, doesn’t it?

Ok, that’s hardly worth reading, so lets look at the issue seriously for a moment… but just a moment.

Periodically, the issue of a National Grand Lodge comes up, with brothers taking one side or another, and of course, a few in the middle. The issue of a National Grand Lodge first came up after the American Civil war (the one we call the Revolutionary War), when, at the instigation of American Union Lodge he was suggested for the office of Grand Master of a National Grand Lodge -- a non-existent body. The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania and some others agreed, but too many others disagreed with the concept of a National Grand Lodge and the idea was dropped.

The issue is raised by brothers who, seeing the plethora of rules (and sometimes conflicting rule) under which the almost 100 regular Grand Lodges in the United States operate, desire to establish a single, unified, overarching authority. Their purpose, while laudable, seems contradictory to the traditions of Freemasonry that have been established over the previous 300 years.

We all know that there exists the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), but, what exactly does it Unite? The Grand Lodge of Scotland (GLoS) and the Grand Lodge of Ireland (GLoI) are independent Grand bodies, in amity with the UGLE, and those august bodies are both members of the same United Kingdom. This is very little different from the relationship that the various regular Grand Lodges enjoy with each other, and, frankly, with the UGLE, GLoS, and GLoI.

So, what does the UGLE unite? The answer is, it unites the Moderns and the Antients into one Grand Lodge. Time is too short here to address that whole issue, suffice it to say that was an early schism in the Grand Lodge of England, the one that was formed in 1717. The "Antients" wanted to “preserve” the mystic elements of freemasonry and the "Moderns" wanted to create a more progressive Freemasonry, one of enlightenment through morality, science, contemplation and natural philosophy. In 1813, the "Antients" won the conflict which had started in 1751 and the Masonry we have today is a result of that victory.

They united themselves, the Antients and the Moderns, so the United Grand Lodge of England is more accurately, the Grand Lodge of England, they are still the Premiere Grand Lodge from which all Regular Grand Lodges descend. They are the fount of today’s modern Freemasonry, for even the Grand Orient d’France, the primary “other” Freemasonry in the world was originally chartered by the UGLE.

The question then is: Why a National Grand Lodge of America? Well, one already exists for the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodges. It fell apart in 1877 (an issue that is still in dispute), and still exists to this day. There also used to be a United Grand Lodge of America, a pretender to Masonry that existed mainly in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, and has recently changed its name to the Grand Orient of the United States.

However, there is no Mainstream, Regular Grand Lodge of the United States. The purpose of this article then, is to examine why we should, or should not establish such an organization.

Why:

1. To standardize issues of regularity.

2. To standardize rules and regulations.

3. To standardize ritual.

4. To standardize the way Grand Lodges operate.

5. To standardize our message to the world.

6. To eliminate racism in the little pockets where it still exists.

Why not:

1. Regularity, while it is handled in a variety of ways across the world, pretty much follows the recommendations of the Commission on Regularity, a committee of the Grand Masters in all the grand lodges in the United States. As an example of this, the Grand Lodges in the United States all recognize as regular, the Grande Oriente d’Italia, while the UGLE recognizes the Regolare Grande Loggia d’Italia.

The point here is that the Grand Lodges in the United States are already working together on this issue, and with very rare exceptions, are all on the same page. This issue is does not seem sufficient to justify a national authority.

2. Rules and Regulations are fairly standard, and where they are not standard, it is due to local conditions. One issue that is mentioned most often in this regard is that a few of the Southern Grand Lodges hold that selling or dealing in alcohol will prevent a man from being considered for membership, and will subject a brother to a Masonic trial and possible expulsion.

Another issue is Grand Lodges that retain the ability of the Grand Master to expel masons at sight, as well as make masons at sight. While most grand lodges do not seem to allow this authority to the Grand Master, it is quintessentially Masonic to consider that a man who rises to the Grand Oriental Chair is of such character that he will not abuse the authority. Once more, these are relatively minor issues, differences in law and process and do not seem sufficient to justify a national authority.

3. Ritual should be an issue for the individual lodges, and should probably not even be an issue for a grand lodge to decide upon. The idea that a national body could provide guidance to local lodges just does not seem appropriate, and therefore does not seem sufficient to justify a national authority.

4. Operations of a Grand Lodge are in large part, dependent upon local conditions. The operation of the Grand Lodge of California will be different than the operations of the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island. The needs will be different due to the difference in members, the difference in local laws and so on. These differences are also, to a large extent, better determined by the local lodge/Grand Lodge than a body entirely removed.

To be sure, there are differences. For instance, the Grand Lodge of California’s constitution requires all decisions and edicts issued by the Grand Master between sessions of the Grand Communication to be ratified by the voting members. The voting members are the elected Junior and Senior Warden, the Master, and a single past masters vote, coupled with the votes of all the Past Grand Masters, the District Deputy Grand Masters, and the elected Grand Officers, the Grand Master, the Deputy Grand Master, the Senior Grand Warden, the Junior Grand Warden, the Grand Secretary, the Grand Lecturer and Grand Treasurer.

Legislation can also be proposed by the brethren, with the signature of three master masons. This legislation is voted on at the Grand Communication, and if it receives the 5/6ths super majority, it will pass. If it only receives a majority, it is carried forward to the next Grand Communication, and if it receives 60% plus one vote, the legislation passes.

It is not always the case that the Grand Master and Grand Lodge has such a rein by the brethren, and while it is true that a certain degree of standardization can be useful, it does not seem that the need for this comes anywhere near to rising to the level that would justify a national governing authority.

5. Standardizing our message to the world is the one area where I think a national governing authority would be useful. For instance, the Shrine decided some time back that their reputation needed polishing. They undertook a national ad campaign, in magazines, newspapers, on radio and television, on bill boards, on trucks… everywhere, showing the iconic image of a Shriner carrying a girl on his shoulders with her crutches in his other hand.

Thirty years later, the image of the Shrine is of a bunch of men in little cars, wearing silly hats and supporting hospitals for children. They could do this because THEY have a national governing authority, and can mold and direct their message. Blue Lodges could do that now, through the Committee of Grand Masters which meets every year now to discuss issues of interest to all the Grand Lodges. In a sense, we already have a national authority… only its not an authority and certainly not a governing one.

Regardless, this national committee hasn’t even tried to undertake such a project for many good reasons, too many to go into in this article. However, that being the case, and they having never taken advantage of the opportunity, it again does not seem to necessitate a National Governing Authority.

6. Racism is ugly, and it is certainly not a Masonic virtue. Quite the opposite. The problem it, if that was a stated goal of the National Governing Authority, there are 12 Grand Lodges extent that would never go along with it. As a result, we would end up with a national body that 12 out of a hundred would not recognize or be recognized, and regularity would be compromised.

While it is anathema to Masonry that racism is allowed to even exist, at this point there is little the regular Grand Lodges can do other than withdraw recognition from those 12 Grand Lodges, wait a time with patience until they join the 21^st century, or continue what is being done… whispering good counsel to seek to bring about a reformation.

This issue alone, if addressed, would mean the death of the idea of a National Governing Authority, and if this issue is NOT addressed, a National Governing Authority would have no moral authority under which to operate. It would be hamstrung on its first day. Therefore, if for no other reason than this one, there should be no National Governing Authority.

One last consideration is that we already have almost a hundred Regular Grand Lodges in the United States, each with a Grand Line of Officers, a Grand Lodge building, a Grand Charity of one kind or another and so on. Many would argue that the Grand Lodges are already bureaucratic and overly intrusive into the operations of their lodges.

Adding an additional layer of bureaucracy would seem, therefore, to be contraindicated. It’s a nice thought, on an emotional level, to have one single overarching National Grand Authority, but on reflection, it just does not seem to be a practical idea, on many levels, and is one that is just not needed.

May the blessing of heaven rest upon us and all regular masons. May brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue, cement us.

The Five Faces of Freemasonry

Freemasonry has stood the test of time, and as we move toward the end of the first decade, admittedly two years off, things are getting better for our ancient and honorable craft. The decline in numbers is slowing or turning into growth, Masonic Education is again being implemented in lodge, and changes are being implemented in most jurisdictions to keep Masonry fresh and relevant to today’s masons.

So today, I wanted to take a look at the five faces of Freemasonry and what they mean to our craft.

The First Face of Freemasonry: Younger Masons

More than ever before in the history of the craft, the fraternity is appealing to younger men, so the first, and most hopeful of the faces is the “youthening” of the craft. Movies, books, educational specials, newspapers, magazines, and word of mouth have raised the visibility of the craft. Couple that with the social vacuity, the internet, increased work and family demands, and you have a population of men seeking… more.

Young men today are seeking more value, more real and sincere fellowship, more social relevance, a sense of belonging to something more important than themselves. Politics is vacuous and worse, its backbiting, self aggrandizing politics of personal destruction, with no side seeming to offer anything of great value but more bloviation, and the work environment isn’t much better.

Job security is non existent, and friendships and connections made through work are tenuous and fluid. Men want and need something stable in their lives, something with meaning, something unchanging, timeless and yes, spiritual All of these factors, and many more have young men are flocking to the craft seeking the meaning and the sense of belonging that is missing in today’s increasingly isolated “society”.

The Grand Lodge of California noted at a recent Junior Warden’s Retreat that since the formation of the Grand Lodge of California in 1850, the average age at which a man joins a lodge has been 47. This was unchanged for 155 years. However, in 2005, the Masonic code was changed to allow men of at least 18 years to join, and since then, the average age has dropped to 37.

Freemasonry recognizes that change and is making adjustments which are overdue, to address the needs of these, in most cases, well educated members. These are men which have researched the craft before joining, have often read books about it, and made an informed decision and are truly seeking to better themselves and society through freemasonry.

These men want the education, philosophy, history, and in many cases, the esotericism which Freemasonry holds out and lays claim to providing. They want more than their father’s and grandfather’s social and moral club, they want it all. Morality, belonging, brotherhood, spirituality, personal growth, social value, and philosophy… which brings us to Masonic Education.

The Second Face of Freemasonry: The Esoterics and Education

Freemasonry in the 17^th century was a philosophical/social/moral support society. Freethinkers of the day gathered to discuss the issues of the day, to share their successes and failures, and to aid and support each other. There have been esoterics in Freemasonry from the beginning, though in recent decades, they have taken a much smaller seat in the lodge in favor of simple brotherhood.

To a certain extent, the current “flavor” of freemasonry is more exoteric than esoteric, to the point where the esoterically oriented mason can find himself alone in lodge in his search for more light. We all search for light in different ways, and for some brothers, exoteric Masonry, fellowship, morality fulfills all their needs. This type of Masonry is often referred to derogatorily as “Fish Fry” Masonry, which is unfair to our exoteric brothers.

Freemasonry is about balance in all things. Too much esoteric or too much exoteric and the purpose of Freemasonry is lost. Regardless, Freemasonry teaches us tolerance, and of late, esotericism in Freemasonry is once more growing and receiving the respect that it is due as a vital part of the craft.

A part of education is ritual, tradition, contemplation, majesty… in a word stateliness. We learn in a number of different ways, reading, watching, listening, and participation. There are few teaching methodologies that reach a man on all four levels, that reaches right into his psyche like ritual. Some lodges treat ritual as a time for play, some for letter-of-the-law, and some for an approach that is at once serious and overwhelming in its grandeur.

The experience by the candidate in his degrees is a matter of how the ritual is enacted, the mien that the officers and brethren bring to the lodge, how the candidate is prepared, the education process after the degree, how the candidate is treated by the brethren. It is the gestalt of the degrees and education afterward.

In part, a response to this growing interest in esoteric and more “traditional” style Masonry are the European Style Lodges being formed across the United States. Though these European Style Lodges are not exclusively esoteric in nature, they are given over to the philosophical contemplation, study and discussions of issues Masonic.

This type of lodge is also called Traditional Observance Lodges. Whatever they are called, these lodges are a growing phenomena, spreading across the United States like a grass fire. More Grand Lodges not only allow, but encourage it with each passing year. Currently, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Arizona, Louisiana, Virginia, Washington D.C., Maine, New York, and California have a growing population of these European Style/Traditional Observance lodges.

Parallel to these European Style Lodges are many grand lodges re-engineering Masonic Formation, that is, holistic Masonic formation programs. They are gathering together existing materials, expanding on them, creating program and methodologies that lodges can use. Masonic Formation is a resource to the lodges, providing materials, ideas, and resources to assist them in educating and forming masons.

Yet, in all good, there is an admixture of bad. As young men are joining freemasonry to receive the benefits and responsibilities of our ancient and honorable craft, we have a few, vocal, internet savvy brothers who may not have clearly understood the lessons they received in the first degree.

The Third Face of Freemasonry: Masonic Impatience

Freemasonry teaches us that Time, Patience and Perseverance will accomplish all things, and that as masons we should act with justice and temper our actions with prudent judgment. There is a small problem however, and in large part, I suspect this is due to the internet.

Some few men, and its really a small number, have lost track of the lessons of Freemasonry… a less just opinion would be that they did not learn the lesson in the first place… and set themselves up as judge, jury and executioner of the fraternity they claim as their own. Instead of working within the system, they decide that their obligations do not obtain except where they decide.

Of course, these men are not always wrong. There are serious issues that need to be addressed by the brethren. There are cases where, for example, a grand master summarily ejects brothers from Freemasonry entirely, without a trial, and a case recently where a grand master set aside the legal vote of the brethren at the grand communication, and then ejects brethren for objecting to that action.

We all know Freemasons aren’t saints… we are men, good men for the most part, working hard for the benefit of the craft. If you are reading these words, its likely you have an internet connection, and have followed the antics of certain brethren who have decided that they know better what is good for Freemasonry.

These are brothers who violate Masonic tradition by agitating for political candidates as masons, who defame every grand lodge officer at every turn, who defame any mason who likes, admires and enjoys his Freemasonry. Every group has them, malcontents and agitators who do not work for the best interests of the group, but only for their own selfish wants and needs.

These men do nothing to help, and are content to do nothing but complain. They most often do this complaining from behind shadowy aliases, then scream like scalded cats when a brother dares to draw back the sable curtain they hide behind, claiming the protection of the obligation they revile at every turn.

The good news is this face of Freemasonry is only internet based… and their words are read by less than 1,000 men WORLDWIDE. They do no damage to Freemasonry, and for the most part, are harmless brothers with delusions of grandeur and power that is, fortunately, well out of their reach.

The Fourth Face of Freemasonry: Non-Regular Masons

There are some who would argue that non regular Masonic obediences AREN’T Masonry at all. The reality is that, as the saying goes, “if it acts like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, chances are, it’s a duck.

The problem is, because these other obediences are not regular, that is, part of the Grand Lodges in Amity with each other, it is difficult to for the average mason to separate the wheat from the chaff. Also, frankly, there is little interest by most regular masons TO take the time to separate the wheat from the chaff. Most regular masons, and that is the majority by far of all masons in the world, are satisfied to leave the whole issue to their respective Grand Lodges.

Most regular masons “know” who the non regular masons are. First of all, they are referred to officially by all regular Grand Lodges as “Clandestine” and “Irregular”. Primarily, they are the female only lodges, co-ed lodges, and other “Grand Lodges”, like the Grand Orient of the United States, the United Grand Lodge of America, and the American Masonic Federation.

Yet, these non regular masons are ALSO a face of Freemasonry. The state of California alone has over 50 organizations that style themselves as Masonic, though only two, the Grand Lodge of California F&AM and the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of California, Inc are considered regular. The others vary in their practice from regular, other than that they admit women, to wildly non Masonic.

This is not, however, a new phenomena. Breakaway lodges without a warrant or charter and self forming “Grand Lodges” open, and often as not, as quickly close, and have done so ever since June 1717 when the first regular grand lodge was formed at the Goose and Gridiron by four extent lodges.

Regardless of the official position of any grand lodge, and here is a good time to remind my readers that I am NOT an official spokesman for any grand lodge, I speak only for myself, there are non-regular (clandestine to use the correct masonic word for it) women only, male and female joint lodges, and of course male only lodges. Most of these lodges can be found only in very large cities.

The numbers I have indicate there are about 100,000 women masons worldwide, and perhaps that many again that belong to co-ed Masonic lodges. Throughout the world, there are about 3.5 million regular masons, and perhaps another 1 million total masons from the various other male only orients and non regular grand lodges around the world. This means there are about 5 million masons of all kinds, who can be found in every country in the world.

The Fifth Face of Freemasonry: Men who are Happy the way Masonry Is Today

Lest we forget, the last face of freemasonry is the brothers who, for the most part, make up freemasonry today. These are the brothers who make up the lodges in great part, and are the backbone and support of the craft.

These are the men who more often than not are the officers in your lodge, they are the Lodge Secretaries, the Tylers, the committee members, they are the men who have kept freemasonry alive. More often than not, they are veterans, and they are happy with the craft as it is today. They have attitudes and ideas from years gone by, but those are ideas that have, for the most part, worked for them.

We should ever remember and honor them. I mention this as there is a tendency among some younger masons to push the older men out of the way, to shunt them aside. Not all that is new is good, and not all that is old is bad. They are, after all, our brothers.

Conclusion

Masonry is a wide and varied initiatic society that, far from declining, is actually restoring itself, as it always has done. Time, patience and perseverance are the watchwords of our ancient and honorable fraternity. Like any mature organization that is spread all over the world, Freemasonry presents a number of faces, all of which reflect a part of the whole.

It’s an awesome time to be a mason!

May the blessing of heaven rest upon us and all regular masons. May brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue, cement us.

Late Night at the Lodge

Thursday night at Moreno Valley Lodge, we had the positive pleasure of initiating 4 brothers. Two were born in Lebanon, one in Syria, and one from the United States. I noted that it was a late night because in California, the first section of all degrees is conferred individually, a process that takes 15 minutes (usually), with about 10 minutes between each degree to reset and catch your breath.

We opened as usual at 6pm Moreno Valley Time (this is anywhere between 6pm and about 6:30pm) and started on the first conferral at 7pm, completing the first section of the four degrees by 10:15pm, which was pretty good time. We were very fortunate in having a Past Master from Henry the Navigator Lodge 9360 in Vilamoura, Portugal and a Past Master from Menifee Valley Lodge #289 in Sun City and 24 other sideliners in addition to the officers.

In California lodges, the Junior Warden usually sits as the master when conferring the first degree, and on this night, one of the first degrees were conferred by the Junior Warden, Wr. Pat, and another by the Senior Warden, Br. Ron, another by the Master, Wr. John, and the fourth, by Wr. Tim, the officer's coach. Everyone did a good job, of course.

I was Junior Deacon, which is a pretty easy chair in California lodges... The Senior Deacon does 90% of the floorwork and conducts the candidate in all the degrees. He must have gotten about a two mile walk out the degrees, but never broke a sweat and did an awesome job, as did all the officers that night.

Altogether, a wonderful night of brotherhood and good work.

May the blessings of heaven rest upon us and all regular masons. May brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue, cement us.

Its all about balance

Freemasonry teaches us, when speaking of the 24" gauge:

The Rule — directs the undeviating discharge of all our duties; that we should press forward in the straight path of right and truth without inclining to the one hand or the other; in all our doings having Eternity in view.

We are also directed to daily employ the compasses in our daily lives, circumscribing our desires and keeping our passions within due bounds toward all mankind, particularly our brethren in freemasonry. Of course, we are also taught to use the square to square our actions by the square of virtue. Balance. My credo for freemasonry as I see it was brought out by a realization about the purpose of freemasonry, one that is illustrated by the following short story posted on the Lodgeroom US by Br. At Peterson:

It was an exciting time at the building of King Solomon's temple for two fellows of the craft. Jethro and Saul, brothers from the land of Tyre had been selected to prove their proficiency to advance to the degree of Master Mason!

The task laid out to them was simple enough. ***** ***** presented them each with a rough ashlar, the tools of the craft, and a tresle board with the design they were to make. They were each given 6 days to complete their ashlar.

The brothers set to the task each toiling the best their skill would allow. On the third day Saul had made great progress. Jethro however, had made minimal. Saul with the best of intentions, insisted that Jethro allow him to assist. Jethro refused insisting that he was doing just fine in his labors.

On the fifth day Saul was close to being complete with his ashlar. Jethro was still far off, but working diligently.

That night Saul hardly slept. He wanted his brother to advance with him, but he would not accept any assistance. Saul had to find away to help his brother.

On the sixth and final day Saul quickly checked his ashlar and, finding it complete sped away to try one more time to assist his brother.

He found Jethro slowly chipping away at his ashlar and begged him to let him assist. Jethro staunchly refused yet again. Saul walked away vowing in his mind to help his brother whether he liked it or not.

That night as Jethro slept, Saul slipped away to the quarry and finished Jethros ashlar.

The seventh day ***** went to the quarry to judge the brothers work.

The first ashlar he judged was Jethro's. ***** was quite impressed with work. It was finished exactly to the specifications laid out on the trestle board. The Masters eye was keen though, and he noticed something was amiss. Some of the chisel marks were different in character than the majority. He said nothing and went to Saul's ashlar.

Sauls ashlar was perfect in virtually every respects. There was one crucial flaw that should not have been missed by a Master Mason who did a thorough inspection of his work. ***** also noticed something that made both works make sense. The odd chisel marks on Jethro's ashlar were the same as the one's found on Saul's

***** summoned the brothers to the lodge to hear his judgment.

Jethro, ***** said, your work indicates that you understand the fundamentals of Masonry, yet you have trouble applying them to our work efficiently.

Saul, your work indicates that you have much skill as a mason. Yet your focus on the imperfections of others work, causes you to miss the flaws in your own.

I therefore order you both to the quarry for another years time as fellows of the craft. Take with you the lessons of this trial, and perhaps you will indeed become Master Masons.

Jethro was more interested in making his brother succeed when he was not ready than in focusing on his own work, and therefore missed the point, and was sent back to think about it for another year. Its about balance, and its about self improvement. You cannot force a man to be something he is not, though you can share with him things that can help him along the way... you cannot do the work FOR him.

Freemasonry states that its goal is to take good men and make them better men. This is good, because these good men live in society, and by the very act of improving them, society improves. This is the balance that freemasonry teaches. Its not about me changing them, its about me changing ME. At first blush, this sounds rather arrogant and self focused, but it seems to be the core of freemasonry. No one can change another fundamentally.

Oh, you can pass laws, and like pointing a gun at someone's head, you can force them to ACT like they are something they are not, but the core remains the same. Freemasonry teaches, to each according to his willingness and ability, and of course, that is the beauty and glory of the craft. It is A Peculiar System of Morality, taught by allegory, illustrated by symbols. As freemasons, we inculcate the teachings of the craft in our private life, and then implement them in our public life.

We are Freemasons always, and that is how we should live our lives, never doing or saying anything that would cast a negative light on our ancient and honorable fraternity. The Peculiar System of Morality that the craft teaches us is freedom, circumscribed by the boundary of what it right. With great freedom comes greater responsibility.

The responsibility for our actions is truly on our shoulders, for their is no one to blame but ourselves for the manner in which we employ our freedom. Never loose sight of the use of that valuable instrument by which we are taught to circumscribe our desires and keep our passions within due bounds toward all mankind, particularly our brethren in Freemasonry. Its all about balance.

May the blessing of heaven rest upon us and all regular masons. May brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue, cement us.

Freemasonry has no role outside Freemasonry

There have been suggestions that the Basic Principles should be capable of redefinition from generation to generation, although those making those suggestions seem reluctant to reveal which of the Basic Principles they wish to redefine. I would suspect that one area they would like to redefine is the prohibition of the discussion of religion and politics at Masonic meetings, and the bar on Grand Lodges or individual Freemasons making public comment on matters of religious, political or state policy when acting in their Masonic capacities.

In that context, I was rather surprised that some of you had been discussing the role of Freemasonry in a changing Europe and how Freemasonry can influence, for the common good, the social and moral development of the new Europe. The Home Grand Lodges – England, Ireland and Scotland – would respond that Freemasonry has no role outside Freemasonry and that the only influence it should be seeking is over itself and its members. We firmly believe that it is not Freemasonry but the individual who can have a positive influence on society. We see Freemasonry as an intensely personal journey of self-discovery, knowledge and personal development. We hope that the individual, during his journey, will absorb the principles and tenets of Freemasonry, so that they become a part of his nature. In that way he will make a contribution for the good of society. If the individual, imbued with the principles of Freemasonry, does not work for the good of society we should then question whether Freemasonry has fulfilled its purpose.

( SNIP )

...Freemasonry is not, and should never be allowed to develop into being, a lobby group – no matter how universal and noble the cause.

Lord Northampton
MW The Pro Grand Master
The Most Hon. the Marquess of Northampton, DL
at the European Grand Master's Meeting on 5th & 6th November 2007
Full Speech Here

Freemasonry: Its not about me changing them, its about me changing me.
Theron Dunn

There is a temptation in freemasonry, based on the lecture we receive in the third degree: to whisper good counsel to our brothers, in a most friendly manner, and thereby to seek a reformation, to try to enforce or MAKE a change in a brother. I know, I have been accused of falling to that temptation.

My masonic credo has been, and remains: its not about me changing them, its about me changing me. Not only can I NOT change a brother, I should not even try. So the whole "whispering good counsel" thing is very problematic. Personal views are what they are, very personal.

Here we have Lord Northampton reiterating my credo on a larger scale. Freemasonry has no role OUTSIDE freemasonry. It is to the individual brother, as a subject or citizen to execute the tenets of freemasonry in his life as best he can, using the experiences, faith, and knowledge he possesses to guide him. It is not the place of the fraternity to guide society, but the IS the place of the brethren, so influenced by the pure principles of the fraternity to do so.

It isn't about me changing them:

Freemasonry isn't about us telling each other how to polish that ashlar, but about each of us, on our own, polishing that ashlar using the tools we have been handed by the fraternity. Not that good counsel has not place, but before we offer counsel to our brothers, we should first examine WHY we are offering it, and of course, whether our brother is interested in good counsel.

If he is not interested after whispering once, then we should stand aside, keep our peace, and continue on our own work. Otherwise, it is not whispering any longer, but an attempt at pushing or thrusting our own opinions onto another, which is itself intolerant and anathema to the gentle teachings of the craft.

Conversely, it is our duty as masons, to listen to the whispering of our brethren, to consider their words in a most charitable manner. We should weigh them, then act as our conscience dictates, but never purport evil intentions to our brethren for whispering to us.

Lord Northampton here makes a very good point. There are some who would see the craft, as whole, push politics in one direction or another, for the craft to take public positions on issues of the day. He rightly points out that freemasonry is about the internal, not the external.

Its about me, changing me:

We should carefully guard ourselves against the insidious allure of teaching others how to live their lives, the temptation of power is very subtle, even when that power is, after all, wielded for the "best interests" of society. Freemasonry teaches us use the tools of an Entered Apprentice to chip away at the superfluities of life, thereby fitting ourselves, as living stones, for that spiritual house, that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Its a daily struggle, which we all fight, weighing this against that, seeking what is best, not necessarily for us, but for our families, our brethren, our communities, our country... and ourself. Sometimes in that order. I cannot change your ashlar, only you can do that, nor can you change mine, only I can do that.

We can HELP each other, with kind words, encouragement, guidance, but only a brother can perfect his own ashlar... his own spirit. I am forever grateful to all my brothers, for their aid, assistance and support. Thank you all every day and in every way.

May the blessings of heaven rest upon us and all regular masons. May brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue, cement us.