I had the pleasure of attending an Entered Apprentice degree at Flint Lodge #23 last evening. The evening started off with the usual fine food by Battiste. There were many brothers in attendance to witness the initiating of a young man very close to WB Billy Gordon, secretary of Flint Lodge #23.
WB Billy took the east and did a wonderful job. WB Billy also asked me to fill in as secretary. In all of my years in the craft, this was the first time I had ever propounded the constitutional questions to a candidate. It seems like such a small insignificant part until one has the opportunity to actually do it. It became instantly clear that this is a vital and very important part of any candidate's entry into Masonry.
Writing this blog and sharing my insights has opened my eyes and ears and prompts me to watch and listen more intently than ever. While we like to have fun and enjoy ourselves, the Entered Apprentice degree is a wonderful experience in the journey of a man's Masonic travels. The EA degree should prompt every brother to re-examine not only his Masonic life but his life in general.
A short time ago I bumped into a brother at Grand Blanc's fish dinner, this brother is a good friend who I had lost touch with. So, we had a great dinner and conversation that evening, I told him that I would be calling him to let him know of some upcoming degrees. Yesterday seemed like a good time to call....so I did....and invited him to come down and experience some good Masonic fellowship. Well what do you know, he showed up and had a great time and became reacquainted with some brothers from his lodge and others and made some new friends as well. He did comment that he was a little taken back by some of the brothers wearing jeans, this brother probably hasn't sat in lodge for twenty years......but that is how it was back in the old days if you can call twenty years ago, the old days.
The apron was magnificently presented by Grand Chaplain Emeritus WB Joel Florida, the lectures were very well done as well as the closing charge. After comments from the floor, WB John Arnould gave a short talk on BOAZ. WB Larry Wright closed in the long form.....hats off to WB Larry for doing the right thing.
Just a wonderful night in Masonry......in.....Ancient District 20......
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Tidings from and for the Sublime
Had the pleasure of attending a Master Mason degree in Otisville, Saturday morning. Saturday degrees are a real treat for me because most of my Saturdays are spent working.
While witnessing the Master Mason degree a couple of words were used frequently and they are words that I have heard always in a Masonic setting.
Sublime......raised to the sublime degree......also in Scottish Rite the word sublime is used in the ultimate degree of Scottish Rite Masonry. Here is what was found regarding sublime.
In aesthetics, the sublime (from the Latin sublīmis) is the quality of greatness, whether physical, moral, intellectual, metaphysical, aesthetic, spiritual or artistic. The term especially refers to a greatness beyond all possibility of calculation, measurement or imitation.(wikipedia on-line)
[French sublimer, from Latin sublimare] a (1) : to elevate or exalt especially in dignity or honor (2) : to render finer (as in purity or excellence) b : to convert (something inferior) into something of higher worth(merriam-webster on-line)
While witnessing the Master Mason degree a couple of words were used frequently and they are words that I have heard always in a Masonic setting.
Sublime......raised to the sublime degree......also in Scottish Rite the word sublime is used in the ultimate degree of Scottish Rite Masonry. Here is what was found regarding sublime.
In aesthetics, the sublime (from the Latin sublīmis) is the quality of greatness, whether physical, moral, intellectual, metaphysical, aesthetic, spiritual or artistic. The term especially refers to a greatness beyond all possibility of calculation, measurement or imitation.(wikipedia on-line)
[French sublimer, from Latin sublimare] a (1) : to elevate or exalt especially in dignity or honor (2) : to render finer (as in purity or excellence) b : to convert (something inferior) into something of higher worth(merriam-webster on-line)
sub·lime
adj.
1. Characterized by nobility; majestic.
2.
a. Of high spiritual, moral, or intellectual worth.
b. Not to be excelled; supreme.
3. Inspiring awe; impressive.
4. Archaic Raised aloft; set high.
5. Obsolete Of lofty appearance or bearing; haughty: "not terrible,/That I should fear . . . /But solemn and sublime" (John Milton). (free on-line dictionary)
So, this term sublime that gets batted around in Masonry has some very significant meaning behind it. Also, we are taught that there is no higher degree than that of Master Mason. All too often this term and the significance of the degree gets lost in the shuffle.
I think you will agree that the Master Mason degree is majestic and awe inspiring.
The innocent little word tidings means; news, information, or intelligence. So when the party that traveled near the port of Joppa returned news, information and intelligence in regards to the three ruffians. It's amazing that this innocent little word carries such a deep and profound meaning.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Is that odd?
Had the pleasure of being with the Right Worshipful Senior Grand Warden for the State of Michigan, Ray Lemons one evening this week, and he shared some interesting thoughts with us.
In the 19th century The Odd-Fellows, a very old fraternal organization, membership outnumbered the Masons by quite a large number. Today there are 1,000 Odd-Fellows state wide. Through study of these faltering fraternities it was found that they all had reduced their standards.
This really speaks to our most recent post. Many of the new "younger members" want a return to a more
strict and traditional form of the craft.
Too often when a candidate receives his EA degree we hear congratulations from the officers in attendance and they always mostly without exception tell the newly made brother that he will get out what he puts in to the fraternity. All too often these same officers are the ones who are studying their ritual while the candidate is being escorted on his journey around the lodge.
It is neither the time nor place to study one's part in the midst of the degree.....remember you get out what you put in......this is just a shining example of the relaxing of standards. WB Ray also mentioned that too often one or more of the principle officers leave the lodge room during the lectures.....again relaxing of standards.....apparently they are unable to give any of the lectures which allows them to leave.....they should be there watching and listening attentively along with the new brother. By vacating the lodge room during the lectures it demonstrates to the candidate that the lecture is not that important or you've heard it so many times that it's not worth listening to again.........again relaxing our standards......and I've done this......sometimes to get ready to do some of the lecture or take a break......we need to be aware of our conduct and it's consequences.....not only for the government of our conduct while in the lodge.......we all remember that part of the lecture I'm sure.
Change is inevitable......we have to change to keep up with the times.....in my opinion we also need to change our acceptance of relaxed standards.....we need to "change back" to higher standards across the fraternity....remember my brothers.......perception is reality
In the 19th century The Odd-Fellows, a very old fraternal organization, membership outnumbered the Masons by quite a large number. Today there are 1,000 Odd-Fellows state wide. Through study of these faltering fraternities it was found that they all had reduced their standards.
- Standards to become a member.
- Standards to stay a member.
- Standards to become a leader.
- Standards to train the leaders.
This really speaks to our most recent post. Many of the new "younger members" want a return to a more
strict and traditional form of the craft.
Too often when a candidate receives his EA degree we hear congratulations from the officers in attendance and they always mostly without exception tell the newly made brother that he will get out what he puts in to the fraternity. All too often these same officers are the ones who are studying their ritual while the candidate is being escorted on his journey around the lodge.
It is neither the time nor place to study one's part in the midst of the degree.....remember you get out what you put in......this is just a shining example of the relaxing of standards. WB Ray also mentioned that too often one or more of the principle officers leave the lodge room during the lectures.....again relaxing of standards.....apparently they are unable to give any of the lectures which allows them to leave.....they should be there watching and listening attentively along with the new brother. By vacating the lodge room during the lectures it demonstrates to the candidate that the lecture is not that important or you've heard it so many times that it's not worth listening to again.........again relaxing our standards......and I've done this......sometimes to get ready to do some of the lecture or take a break......we need to be aware of our conduct and it's consequences.....not only for the government of our conduct while in the lodge.......we all remember that part of the lecture I'm sure.
Change is inevitable......we have to change to keep up with the times.....in my opinion we also need to change our acceptance of relaxed standards.....we need to "change back" to higher standards across the fraternity....remember my brothers.......perception is reality
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Back to the Future???
With the influx of "younger" new Masons, I'm always curious how and why they wound up petitioning the lodge. The majority of the time the answer is the same, their grandfather was a Mason and their curiosity lead them on a search. At the end of the search they concluded that Masonry is a worthwhile endeavor and they sought membership to take part in what their grandfathers took part in.
A couple of things jump out right away. What happened to their fathers? How did they satisfy their curiosity?
The answers to the above questions are very similar in most of these situations. Their fathers didn't want to have anything to do with what their fathers were doing and the candidates satisfied their curiosity by researching the craft through the internet and the history channel.
So with that background, how are we as a fraternity satisfying the needs of these "younger" new Masons. We've made a huge deal out of down-playing the whole secrecy thing. One wonders if we have gone to far in that regard; granted there really are not many "secrets".....but do we have to shout that from the mountaintops....maybe a certain degree of "secrecy" is part of the attraction.
Have we made it too easy to enter the fraternity? Is it too easy to progress from one degree to the next?
There is a fine line between making it accessible and making it too easy. With the proficiency being eased it has allowed for some to become brothers that simply could not have made it through the old style proficiency, or could they have made it with their dedication and hard-work along with dedication and hard-work of the brother teaching him the lesson. I can remember my dad studying his butt off, he made it with his 10th grade education, hard-work, sheer determination and a couple of great mentors who he adored and became great friends with.
Recently there has been a lot of discussion concerning a partial return to the "old style" proficiency. With all the talk I drug out an old copy of the ritual and looked over the "lesson" from the old days. After looking at it and dusting off some brain cells I was actually able to read most of it. Once again I was proud of my dad and some other things jumped out at me.
First and foremost there is a wealth of knowledge in the lesson and it required one heck of a commitment on the part of the candidate and the mentor/teacher. In the lesson there are several things taught: the preparation and why, the floor-work, the signs and how and why they are used, and the working tools.....the working tools?,,,,,yes the working tools.
Something I realized was that at the completion of the lesson a candidate could do the obligation, know how the floor-work went, the questions from the wardens and the answers, know how to prepare a candidate and why, and do the working tools. Now that's a lesson, and giving that from memory represents a true education.
At times I use a rather brash term, I call it "the dumbing down of the fraternity"....I realize that dumbing is not an actual word but at times it seems to fit. Not only does this happen in the Blue Lodge but I've also noticed it at Scottish Rite as well.
As many others have questioned before me; have we sacrificed quality for quantity and have we really achieved the quantity we were hoping for. Have we sacrificed a valuable part of our institution, that of mentoring, teaching and forming a bond with the new brother for the sake of percieved good numbers?
A couple of things jump out right away. What happened to their fathers? How did they satisfy their curiosity?
The answers to the above questions are very similar in most of these situations. Their fathers didn't want to have anything to do with what their fathers were doing and the candidates satisfied their curiosity by researching the craft through the internet and the history channel.
So with that background, how are we as a fraternity satisfying the needs of these "younger" new Masons. We've made a huge deal out of down-playing the whole secrecy thing. One wonders if we have gone to far in that regard; granted there really are not many "secrets".....but do we have to shout that from the mountaintops....maybe a certain degree of "secrecy" is part of the attraction.
Have we made it too easy to enter the fraternity? Is it too easy to progress from one degree to the next?
There is a fine line between making it accessible and making it too easy. With the proficiency being eased it has allowed for some to become brothers that simply could not have made it through the old style proficiency, or could they have made it with their dedication and hard-work along with dedication and hard-work of the brother teaching him the lesson. I can remember my dad studying his butt off, he made it with his 10th grade education, hard-work, sheer determination and a couple of great mentors who he adored and became great friends with.
Recently there has been a lot of discussion concerning a partial return to the "old style" proficiency. With all the talk I drug out an old copy of the ritual and looked over the "lesson" from the old days. After looking at it and dusting off some brain cells I was actually able to read most of it. Once again I was proud of my dad and some other things jumped out at me.
First and foremost there is a wealth of knowledge in the lesson and it required one heck of a commitment on the part of the candidate and the mentor/teacher. In the lesson there are several things taught: the preparation and why, the floor-work, the signs and how and why they are used, and the working tools.....the working tools?,,,,,yes the working tools.
Something I realized was that at the completion of the lesson a candidate could do the obligation, know how the floor-work went, the questions from the wardens and the answers, know how to prepare a candidate and why, and do the working tools. Now that's a lesson, and giving that from memory represents a true education.
At times I use a rather brash term, I call it "the dumbing down of the fraternity"....I realize that dumbing is not an actual word but at times it seems to fit. Not only does this happen in the Blue Lodge but I've also noticed it at Scottish Rite as well.
As many others have questioned before me; have we sacrificed quality for quantity and have we really achieved the quantity we were hoping for. Have we sacrificed a valuable part of our institution, that of mentoring, teaching and forming a bond with the new brother for the sake of percieved good numbers?
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Nay more......
Nay more, with light added to the coming light.......
This simple two word phrase crops up in numerous Masonic writings. I've heard it over and over again, not only in the Blue Lodge but also in Scottish Rite. It's one of those archaic phrases which doesn't get it's just due.
The questions which one can pose about this little phrase consist of the obvious; what? why? how come?
It seems that this phrase like many others in our ritual is considered archaic or old-style English.
We are well acquainted with nay....he voted nay.....the nays have it.
Also more means in addition to....Johnny wants more ice cream.....we seek more light in Masonry.
In Masonic writings and rituals when nay more is used, it's an indication that what follows is more important than what has already been written or spoken. In today's English the word moreover is used in the place of our old friend; nay more.
One definition I discovered is;
nay adverb ( EVEN MORE )
This simple two word phrase crops up in numerous Masonic writings. I've heard it over and over again, not only in the Blue Lodge but also in Scottish Rite. It's one of those archaic phrases which doesn't get it's just due.
The questions which one can pose about this little phrase consist of the obvious; what? why? how come?
It seems that this phrase like many others in our ritual is considered archaic or old-style English.
We are well acquainted with nay....he voted nay.....the nays have it.
Also more means in addition to....Johnny wants more ice cream.....we seek more light in Masonry.
In Masonic writings and rituals when nay more is used, it's an indication that what follows is more important than what has already been written or spoken. In today's English the word moreover is used in the place of our old friend; nay more.
One definition I discovered is;
nay adverb ( EVEN MORE )
Definition
formal used to introduce a second and more extreme phrase in a sentence when the first phrase was not strong enough
It is my pleasure, nay (my) privilege, to introduce tonight's guest speaker.
(Definition of nay adverb (EVEN MORE) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)
Take note of the word formal, I would say that the apron presentation is probably one of the most formal parts of the Entered Apprentice degree. So when the phrase is used....nay more with light added to the coming light your ambitious feet.....the next part dealing with the brother's future Masonic endeavors is definitely the more extreme phrase of that thought and teaching.
Brothers at times I wonder what to write about but then I get out and travel a little and listen closely; nay more, I listen seeking to learn and to be enlightened and some phrase, action, or word jumps out to the forefront. When a candidate takes his degree we always hear from a brother who says " You get out of Masonry what you put into it." My philosophy is that you get out much more than you put in. I am constantly surprised by the number of brothers who actually read my ramblings and discussions of words and phrases; nay more, I get back much more than I put in.
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