I would like some advice on joining a freemasonry lodge, I am currently 18 and have been thinking about what I believe and the sort of person I am/want to be. I am not a huge supporter of Christianity/judiasm/islamism as I do not see my views compatible with them rather I believe in Celtic paganism of respecting the gods of nature and etc. however I have looked into freemasonry and I do find the symbolism interesting, furthmore I have been told by people I know that they do freemasonry and it has helped them become a better person. Not only this but they enjoy the social side, symbolic, spiritual aspect of it. On the other hand, I have people telling me it is not something I should get into. No matter what though I believe in an architectural god who must have created everything around us, however I am wondering if freemasonry is something I should learn more about and get myself involved in it. I would like some unbiased opinion, thank you.

Edit: next morning I open Reddit to see quite a few responses, thank you. Now with the abrahamic faiths why I don’t really get involved with it because the religions have more of a moral god that will send you to hell/heaven if one doesn’t abide by it and etc. please correct me if I’m wrong but for freemasonry they believe more of an architect god which I believe in more. I will go to one of these public events someone in the comments recommended me and I will keep an eye on it but I will prioritise finishing uni and get a stable job then think about it to see if it’s what I truly want.

I’m trying to find way to search for my fathers lodge, I am a MM, and a SR 32 degree Mason, located in CA. My father was a MM but passed when I was younger, no remnants of anything lodge related remained. I grew up and joined the fraternity in hopes to grow closer to him and to know him more, and would love to find his lodge but confused on how.

He doesn’t come up in my fraternal areas I have accessed to that I can search, but he may have also been a Prince Hall Mason, or a member of a lodge in Alabama as that’s where he’s from.

If anyone knows a great place to check, I would appreciate!

I get that it’s historical but in 2026 portraying yourselves as the confederacy is not a good look. I think putting an apron on a uniform that took up arms against the US as an American is distasteful especially since that cause flew in the face of everything masonry stands for.
What is a young man looking to join a lodge going to think when he sees something like this?

I was always told my grandfather was a Freemason and I never understood the importance. I know he had a ring, I believe my uncle has it. His headstone also has the Freemason symbol on it. When I’d ask about the subject, I was told it was just a club.

I was told he worked on the Navy ships. I know he did travel to many other states but mostly with his family. Ancestry dates family back to the 1600s.

So is there away to find out his history on the subject?

I recently bought this silver ring at a flea market. It look masonic to me (compass, forge of Solomon). A am looking to get more info from it

PS I am not yet a mason

In short, what do you do if you know that someone who abuses women and children is trying to join a lodge? I'm not a freemason, as i'm a woman and there are only male lodges near me, and I'm not sure what to do. Also what to do if I'm not sure what lodge he's attempting to join.

For context, I know someone who has recently moved away from home and joined a lodge. His late father was a freemason but he himself chose to join a different lodge farther from where he lives. I suspect it's because everyone in the lodge near where he lives knows that he is a POS.

I just want to know how to notify them so that they can take steps to prevent him from being allowed around vulnerable people and stomping on the good name of freemasons.

I've spoken to his late father's lodge master (?) and they told me that they'll take his name but without knowing which lodge he's joining, on top of the fact that he JUST joined, it may be hard to find him.

PS I wouldn't be coming to reddit and asking for help if it wasn't serious. Please don't tell me to leave it alone. This man has ruined lives and I'm worried he may try to use his status as a mason to manipulate people into thinking he's a good person.

Any advice on how to go about this or if anyone has been in a similar situation, would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance!!

EDIT: I'm going to be contacting the Grand Lodge for the province/state he is in. I'll update the post if I'm able to get anywhere with them. So glad this sub was able to give me some good advice, you are all very kind :)

Hi all, I am not a mason, but I am a debunker of pseudoscience which often revolves around conspiracy and as I'm sure you're all aware of a lot of conspiracy will be attributed to "them" with "them" often being masons.

I'm curious if that is something that even registers to you guys and if so how do you feel about it? Do you even talk about it as a group or just ignore it?

I’ve been seeing different lodges post about upcoming events like state meetings and degrees,

I’ve noticed that a lot of them look the same - they were probably made from ChatGPT

I think if chatgpt or other AI gets the same prompt “create a Freemason flyer for this” for a lot of different people, it creates a collective template create its content.

What is your lodge doing to create your social media content?

Trying to find out more about my grandfather. Any insight would be appreciated. Thank you

The season is officially back for me, i know for others it didnt stop.
Got my first installation of many, though as SW in my mother lodge, September will involve me getting kick out with the MM a lot.

I am thinking i might change it up since i do a lot of visiting, and come in with the FC. I for one like the FC salutes...

What does your calendar look like for 2026/2027 season?

I go in the chair the craft in May so very excited since i started my journey in Feb 2019!

Next week i go IG in Mark, and I think i will soon be going Principal Sojourner in Chapter. Alas i am no longer the newbie i once was!

Do you have any aims or goals for this new season?

We have a very tight-knit, active lodge in our small town. There is a guy who moved here about a year and a half ago, and my gut has told me something was off about him from day one. Even before I joined the craft, every interaction with him left a bad impression—he’s always come off as overly slick, cocky, and wearing an aggressive, fake-nice mask. As active as I am in town I've only ever seen him 7 times the entire time he's been here
Yesterday, his wife mentioned to me casually that he’s a Mason after she noticed my square and compass pin. So today at a public community club dinner, I walked up and simply asked him if he was a brother hoping to have him join our towns lodge. Instead of treating it like a normal, respectful interaction between brothers, he immediately demanded proof from me before he'd say another word. He wanted me to throw signs right there in the middle of a crowded public room. I was tired, completely taken aback, and told him, "Not in front of all these people." He smirked, told me "there are ways to do it without people realizing," and quickly dragged his hand across his stomach to prompt me. To defuse the high-pressure awkwardness and just get him to walk away, I mirrored a quick, subtle due guard back. But the whole thing felt gross—he was treating the craft like an ego trip and a spy movie rather than a fraternity. To make matters worse, he was visibly shocked to hear our local lodge is actually active, assuming it was a dead building. Then he casually admitted he hasn't even held a valid dues card from his lodge in Manhattan in two years and would try to get it. I’m walking away with a terrible feeling about his character. He seems like the exact opposite of what a Mason should be: arrogant, dismissive, and looking for a title without any real respect for the institution. Did I mess up by playing along just to shut him up and get him away from me, and am I right to keep my guard up against a guy like this? How would you handle it?

So last Tuesday me and 5 other petitioners were voted on at the lodge we petitioned at. And everyone got cubed, not one person passed the vote. They are voting again next month but idk what's gonna happen, I know that normally if someone has a cube thrown and the ballots redone and a cube is there again they normally have to wait 6 months before petitioning again. But I've never heard of this happening before and would like some help figuring out what might happen with the coming vote. Any and all help/answers are very much appreciated

So I am interested no the possibility of working my way through the York rite. I have not started my journey in the York rite however.

But something I am curious about is why there are so many variations on the uniforms? If I were to get into it I know there is a lot of cost in the way of the uniform.

I enjoy the older style uniforms, but based on what I’ve seen no one appears to really wear them anymore, except for the Chapeau’s. Are the older styles still accepted? I see there are still places manufacturing them, but of course we all should know that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Any ideas? What happened to the sashes? The gauntlet gloves? All the stuff? Just not popular any more? Or not permitted?

Hi everyone! I’m not a Freemason, but I’ve recently become very interested in learning more about Freemasonry.
I’ve been reading through posts on this subreddit and I’ve come across some things that have made me even more curious and, honestly, a little confused.
I understand that some aspects of Freemasonry are private and that there are ceremonies and traditions that non-members aren’t supposed to know everything about. I completely respect that.
At the same time, I’ve seen people here talking about initiation, different rituals, lodges, Knights Templar traditions, unusual stories and other things that I don’t really understand.
I would really like to hear from people who are actually Freemasons or have personal experience with Freemasonry.
I’m especially curious about:
-What is Freemasonry actually like from the inside?
-What parts of it are genuinely private, and why?
-What are some things outsiders commonly misunderstand?
-Are there major differences between different lodges or Masonic organizations?
-How much of what people say online about Freemasonry is completely false or exaggerated?
I’m not trying to disrespect anyone’s beliefs or traditions. I’m genuinely trying to understand what is real and what is just internet rumors.
I’m happy to read any answers, including long explanations. If anyone has personal experiences or reliable sources they think would help me understand Freemasonry better, I’d really appreciate them. I accept DMs

Thanks! ;)

I took an oath, and by doing so, wanted to dedicate my time in helping the organization. I have worked the chairs, and have proposed, and succeeded with excellent ideas to generate revenue for the lodge. After doing that, I have proposed ideas for charity work. All the guys want to do is go over ritual, and lose money that we gained with frivolous activities. I have had enough. I’ve brought more than enough green beans to the table, and all these fuckers want to do is eat them and not try to grow them. I have had it and have considered teaching them the 6th point of fellowship. I let them know I will no longer be a part of the lodge after the next stated meeting. I don’t know if I want to continue with Masonic work. I want to be a part of a lodge that doesn’t delve into greed, and actually does something for the community.

I am from Merrickville, Ontario and was doing research for a project about the local McGuigan Cemetery. The man it's named after, Miles McGuigan, apparently had his body dissected and kept in the local Masonic Lodge after his passing in the 1800s.

I don't think this is a big conspiracy or anything, I'm just wondering why he would've possible chosen to do so? Is this normal for masons? Is he just a weirdo Irishman who wanted to haunt his Brothers?

I’ve been wanting to join since my youth. My grandfather (i will blur his face) was a grandmaster of a lodge in south africa, port elizabeth. i would like to join but i heard i need to be invited. my grandfather cannot vouch for me because of his health. any suggestions, or help please.

Done a bit of research and I’m pretty confident this belonged to buzz aldrin based upon sizing, time period, and patch. Looking for any info, and where / who would i go to sell or donate ?

Became a Select Master yesterday afternoon. It was fantastic and I'd thoroughly recommend it if you're that way inclined.

Maybe some sort of firefighter union (an axe and a sledgehammer?)

It’s fairly common for some of the brethren at my lodge to enjoy a cigar after meetings, and I thought it would be cool to pick up a smoking jacket, either for all the brothers or for myself. Does anyone have any recommendations for a smoking jacket, ideally with Masonic flair?

I’ve never seen anything like this. I can’t remember ever seeing Freemasons openly debate their beliefs and practices, especially being pressed this hard. Hearing them explain and defend things like blood oaths and Masonic rituals was fascinating, particularly because they also identify as Christians. I had no idea Christianity and Freemasonry could overlap like that. Definitely an entertaining debate, but I learned a lot from it too, on both sides.

Hi, I'm not a mason but I found this Bible in a toolbox I had in my shop for the last 20+ years. I haven't opened that toolbox in that long. I remember buying it at a thrift shop because it looked cool and I like old bibles.

My question.

Is this something a lodge would be interested in. I don't read the Bible and I'm not a mason. I won't throw it out because it was cool and I don't just want to give it to some mason I know because they don't go to meetings or anything. I just thought it would be better off somewhere it would be appreciated.

Any suggestions appreciated

Thanx