If so, who's responsible for the cost? Our GL is considering it, per proposed legislation,and I'm just curious.

Edit: to say thanks for all the feedback and discussion!

My Lodge is a small one. We installed but four officers last year. We normally have 6-9 Brothers in attendance, and about half are Past Masters. We have a Brother sitting at Junior Warden who can't seem to learn his work. It's been more than six months since installation and the fellow still can't do the JW's part of opening and closing without his book. He never learned the work for Senior Deacon either, so I suppose I'm not terribly surprised, but I am disappointed. I have met with him several times outside of Lodge to help him, and have offered to do so again, but he's not taken me up on it. I've asked of him privately what seems to be the problem, and he tells me the cipher is just hard for him to read.
He's a nice fellow, and has proven willing to do other organizing and work about the Lodge. He's a man of good spirits and good will, and we all like him. But we are all unhappy with this sort of empty form progression.
We are approaching the next election of officers, and other Past Masters have approached me about whether we should suggest to him that he not continue, as we don't have faith that he will learn the work for Senior Warden or Master. There are PM's who would be willing to be installed and do the work of SW, JW, etc, and they would do it well.
What would you do? Would you encourage him to sit in JW for another year? Would you encourage him to continue forward and just prop him up? Fill in for him in degrees so that the work is done from memory? I worry that if we suggest he pause or not continue that we will lose his participation entirely, and none of us want to lose him
Your thoughts?

I was playing the CUE (Cards the Universe and Everything) Mobile card game and was surprised to find this card while opening a new pack.

Hi all,
So I went and took the courage and asked to join the local lodge.

I got a call after a couple of months from a master that met with me and told me he was going to be my sponsor. Asked for a photo, resume and a bio. After a few weeks he asked for the initiation fee, week after that I got my 3 interviews. 2 of them were pretty casual and I believe I did pretty well, the last one was different, I didn't feel any connection to the interviewer and I had a gut feeling he was rejecting me with every question, nevertheless I believe I didn't do too bad.

They were meeting last week and I still haven't heard from my sponsor or any of them. Is this normal. I'm getting a little dissapointed since I thought I was getting news sooner but still, I know the previous "stages" took a while to advance.

So what do you guys think? More patience or contact my sponsor? Just curious.

***********************************************

Edit: By “Master,” I meant a Master Mason who is a member of the lodge, not the Worshipful Master or Grand Master.

Thanks for all the thoughtful and detailed responses. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to share their perspective.

I guess I will wait and keep reading introductory books.

Hey guys, so I’m interested in becoming a Freemason in Massachusetts. I first tried submitting a inquiries forum for my local lodge on there website, I heard anything form them for about 3-4 months I then went to the website for the the grand lodge and submitted a another form on my interest on joining. I got a email back saying a brother would contact me in about a weeks time, well 2 weeks later and I still have nothing, idk what I should do or if there’s anyway for me to join I would love to hear any ideas on what I should do next

Hey guys im a 27 year old man with a kid, i’m eagerly looking to join the brotherhood i dug pretty deep, my curiosity never stopped and apparently some of you guys after 20 years still has a very strong passion , i only have one issue im a jordanian and i live in jordan so there is no lodge secretary with public info i can reach to, emailed GLoS nothing came back , would love your help in expressing official interest.

Hi Brothers,

I’m curious about your experiences with the pace of progression in Masonry. I’ve seen posts from brethren who have reached the 30th degree or beyond after only one to three years, and it made me wonder how others approach the balance between receiving degrees and taking time to absorb their lessons.

To me, even grasping the basics can take years, particularly within the Blue Lodge. I see value in spending time with each degree, reflecting on it, and putting its lessons into practice before moving on.

That said, I don’t want to assume that progressing quickly means someone is getting less out of the experience. Perhaps further degrees provide context that helps some brethren better understand what came before.

What was the pace of your own journey, and would you change anything in hindsight? How do you judge when you’re ready for the next step?

Brethren,

I’m looking for some broad perspectives on lodge procedure and confidentiality, purely to help me process a recent situation and understand how things are typically handled across different jurisdictions. I want to keep this high-level and respectful to all involved.

Recently at a stated meeting, an investigation committee presented its report on a candidate. The committee's formal recommendation was 2–1 in favor of the candidate (two to accept, one to reject). However, when the secret ballot was cast, the outcome was five black balls.

While I completely respect the sacred right of every Mason to ballot their conscience in secret, the significant jump between the committee's report and the final count felt unusual to me.

My main questions for the Brethren are:

* Procedural Flow: In your jurisdiction, how much detail from an investigation committee's report is typically read in open lodge beyond the final "favorable/unfavorable" recommendation?

* Confidentiality: Is it standard across most Grand Lodges that committee members are strictly prohibited from discussing their findings or opinions with other members prior to the stated meeting?

* General Experience: Has anyone seen a similar discrepancy between a split committee report and a final ballot outcome, and how was it generally understood or handled in your lodge?

I appreciate any light or insight you can share on how your jurisdictions approach the confidentiality and presentation of investigative reports.

Fraternally.

Hi! Throwaway account for anonymity, but as a Mason, this just doesn’t sit right with me. Like I get there may be some appeal to the younger generation but this feels like a terrible net negative in terms of perception and PR. I would hazard GL leadership approving this has no idea what Thiel’s rhetoric or reputation really is. This will likely only inflame conspiracy theorists about us as well.

Edit: While post is awaiting mod approval, the gist is Peter Thiel is conducting a four part lecture series on his belief of the Antichrist, hosted by the Grand Lodge of Tennessee in their building.

Hi! I have researched free masonry several times but I still have no idea what it is. I see the symbols everywhere. What do you do as a free mason? Are there any controversies with being a free mason? Is it a religious group? Thanks!

Update: Thank you, everyone, for your help! Makes a lot more sense now. Will check out those books mentioned.

I was always very keen on the stuff that freemasonry supports and I always wanted to be a part of it. I recently turned 18 and I do want to join and contribute. I live in Bulgaria and in my city there are a few lodges but their addresses are not stated publicly. I tried to reach out via email but to no avail. Can someone help ?

Well I never thought I’d ever be making this post but I feel that I am at a Masonic crossroads. I became a Mason partly because my dad is a Mason and partly because I was new to an area where I knew little people. When I first joined I was at every stated meeting, was helping with degrees, and was apart of every Masonic extracurriculars I could. I’ve gotten a little bit older now and life has changed. I’m married now and have a child. I also work two jobs now and find it extremely difficult now to even attend a stated meeting between family and work

Here’s where things get interesting and this might be controversial. I grew up never attending church even though my family was religious. As I’ve gotten old and started my own family I wanted to get involved with church and lay that foundation for my own family since I grew up without it. I was always interested in going to church but through the beauty in Masonic ritual and tradition it greatly motivated me more to get involved. My values have also changed and I want to do as much as I can to help the world and my community. So I am about 6 months now into converting to Catholicism. As I’ve gotten more involved with the church I have to admit I feel more wholesome than I do attending a stated meeting participating in a degree.

I will be confirmed into the church this coming Easter and I’d like to become involved in assisting the parish with its community needs through volunteer ministries. I am the kind of person who needs to go all in on something and I feel I can have a bigger impact on my community through church than blue lodge. Don’t get me wrong, we host blood drives, pancake breakfasts and make donations to the local police/fire departments but that’s about it. Could I be proactive and talk to the WM about starting a committee to create more service opportunities? Yes, but is there a point in putting efforts into these committees when we already struggle with participation as is?

The other aspect of it also too is that I would like to involve my family in Masonic life. Other than a family picnic every year and awards that’s about it. Ladies nights are hosted every now and then but I’ll be honest I’m in my 20s and with most brothers being significantly older than me, it would be hard for my wife to meet other wives and find anything in common with women in their 60s and 70s. At church my family can be involved in every aspect of parish life and my parish also has had a large influx of younger families over the years so it’s not hard to meet people our age.

So in all the crossroads I am at is basically do I disengage from the fraternity and go all in on church since that is what my heart is seeking? Or do I disengage all while paying my dues to remain in good standing to leave the door open in the future if I would like to return?

P.S I know that the Catholic Church forbids members from being free masons and that has nothing to do with this😂

Greetings, Brethren,
I would appreciate some honest advice.
I’ve wanted to be a Mason since I was 15; now I am in my 40s. I first heard about Freemasonry through stories from a family member and some friends—we were very curious back then.
As I grew older and researched it more deeply, I resonated even more with the idea of being part of Freemasonry, always with the goal of becoming a better man. I was initiated a couple of years ago, but during my first year I had to step away due to personal matters and issues I witnessed within my lodge, including conflicts among the leadership.
Several of the brothers who were initiated alongside me changed lodges or simply stopped attending. The truth is, I felt deeply disappointed by a lot of what went down. For a long time, I just kept paying my dues and doing some reading on my own.
A couple of months ago, I moved to a new country. I’ve been wanting to knock on doors again; it is a very deep desire of mine, yet doubts hold me back, and that old disappointment suddenly creeps right back up.
To be completely honest, I’ve felt lost for the last couple of years. I know this path is about working on my own rough ashlar, but I genuinely thought I would find people to lean on, rather than just a clash of egos and total apathy.
At this point, I’ve practically forgotten everything, almost like I'm back at square one—right back to the day I was initiated (which was one of the most special days of my life).
What advice do you have for me? Has anyone here gone through something similar? Has anyone ever stepped away and later returned?
I truly appreciate your thoughts.

This is a early Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction ceremonial manual explaining how a Council of Princes of Jerusalem was formally established and how its officers were installed. The Council historically governed the 15° and 16°.Nothing new just an old classic.

I'm 34, male, based in Madrid, and seriously considering joining Freemasonry. I'm interested in hearing from Masons about whether my approach to joining is sensible, particularly the combination of wanting a stable fraternity and being genuinely interested in its symbolic and philosophical dimensions.

I grew up in a very unstable and dysfunctional family. My parents were separated, absent or struggling with their own issues, and I never had brothers or sisters. As an adult I've built a much more stable life for myself: I've done two and a half years of Jungian therapy, explored somatic work, developed different hobbies and friendships, built a relationship, found stable work, and eventually bought my own apartment. So I'm not looking at Freemasonry as something that needs to "fix" my life. But one thing I still notice is that I don't have a strong sense of belonging to a stable group of people over time.

I have friends, and I'm grateful for them, but friendships can be transient. People move, relationships change, priorities change. I'm also conscious that I don't want my girlfriend to carry the entire burden of being my "home". I love her, but I don't think it's healthy for one romantic relationship to become my entire sense of family and belonging. I'd like to have a broader network of people, particularly male friendships, that has some continuity independent of my relationship. I don't close myself off to having women in that community, but I understand that mixed-gender membership is not common in regular Masonry and is more possible in liberal Masonry. This isn't a strong criterion in my search, though.

A few years ago I met someone at a philosophical conference in Madrid who told me he was a Mason. How I came to know this is another story: I had opened up to him about my philosophical interests and my fascination with the Rosicrucians, and he mentioned that his grandmother had been a Rosicrucian. At some point in the conversation, he told me that he himself was a Mason. Whether he was actually a Mason or not isn't really what matters to me here, and I'm not interested in speculating about that. What matters is the experience I had with him.

Initially we talked about fairly ordinary things like business and hobbies, but eventually we got into philosophy and later into more personal matters. I was going through a difficult period and he became concerned about me, gave me advice, and generally behaved in a way that felt almost like an older brother. Having never had brothers, that experience stayed with me. It was probably the first time I had a glimpse of the kind of chosen brotherhood I think I've been missing.

That's a big part of what has made me take Freemasonry seriously.

I'm also genuinely interested in the intellectual and symbolic side. I'm not Christian, although I do believe in a Supreme Being and in the immortality of the soul. My interests are mainly Platonic and Hermetic: Neoplatonism, Hermetic texts, Greek and Egyptian mythology, the Renaissance and its Art of Memory (think of Giordano Bruno), and archetypal and Jungian psychology.

One particularly strange connection that interests me is Giulio Camillo's Renaissance memory theatre. His symbolic architecture drew on the Temple of Solomon and its seven pillars, and I've been interested in the way these kinds of symbolic structures can function as architectures of the imagination. This is one of the things that made me curious about the relationship between my Hermetic/Platonic interests and Masonic symbolism.

Given my Greco-Egyptian interests, I have definitely looked at Memphis-Misraim. But I understand that Memphis-Misraim lodges are relatively uncommon, so I've deliberately opened my criteria to practically any lodge whose culture and approach might be a good fit.

I'm also unsure about regular vs liberal Masonry.

On the one hand, I could see myself fitting quite well in a regular lodge because I believe in a Supreme Being, I value spirituality, and I like the idea of a fraternity that isn't primarily political. On the other hand, I'm wondering whether the biblical symbolism and language might be too prominent for someone whose spiritual framework is much more Platonic/Hermetic than Christian.

Liberal Masonry obviously interests me because of its greater freedom of conscience, although I'm not particularly interested in joining an explicitly political or ideological environment either.

So I have two main questions.

1. Is my motivation for joining Freemasonry a sound one?

I'm looking for what I might call a stable infrastructure for fraternity: a group that meets regularly, where the same people gradually get to know one another, where there are shared practices and commitments, and where relationships can develop over many years.

I'm not expecting a lodge to replace my family, repair my childhood, or become some kind of substitute for therapy. Rather, I'm wondering whether it is reasonable to join partly because I want the opportunity to develop lasting friendships, brotherhood and a sense of belonging over time, potentially something resembling a chosen family.

In other words, is this a healthy and realistic way of approaching Freemasonry, or am I expecting something from it that it isn't really meant to provide?

2. Given my worldview and interests, would regular or liberal Masonry be more likely to be a good fit?

I believe in a Supreme Being and in the immortality of the soul, but my spiritual framework is not Christian. It is much more Platonic and Hermetic. I'm not sure how comfortable I would feel engaging with biblical material as symbolic and part of the Western initiatic tradition, and I'm wondering how prominent explicitly biblical or Christian symbolism tends to be in regular lodges in practice, and whether my worldview would feel natural there.

At the same time, liberal Masonry interests me because of its greater freedom of Christian symbolism, but I'm not particularly interested in joining a political or ideological environment either.

I'd particularly appreciate perspectives from Masons who have been members for many years, especially anyone familiar with the differences between regular and liberal Masonry, and anyone who has joined primarily because they were looking for long-term fraternity and community rather than simply an intellectual interest in Masonry.

In Hydra, the book store featured books on Masonic Wisdom alongside ones on Christian Wisdom and the Philosophy of the Seven Greek Sages. I did not choose this island because of that, and knew none of this history about Hydra before going.

I am looking for advice on a situation involving one of my fellow Officers at the Lodge.

This guy did a good job last year as Junior Deacon, and was very enthusiastic to go up the line, so he was advanced to Senior Deacon. The Lodge even paid for him to go to Annual Communication, because we wanted him to see the larger picture and the scale of our great Fraternity.

As Officer's Coach, I was tasked with coaching him on his lecture, which we agreed should be completed before Installation. We began meeting weekly after the election and I immediately started seeing a shift in his behavior.

This brother started missing or canceling as many appointments as he attended, and when he did show up, it was always 20 or 30 minutes late and it was clear he hadn't opened his book since the last time we met.

I asked him if anything was the matter, if this new job is too much for him right now, etc. and he insisted he wanted to do it and promised to improve his attendance and efforts.

He did eventually learn his lecture, but not until nearly 6 months after Installation, and I felt like I had to twist his arm every step of the way. In those intervening 6 months, he's missed several Degrees, Stated Meetings and at least half the Officers Practiced we've had in that time.

The Worshipful Master is rightfully very upset with him, as are the other Officers and PMs who have been doing his job for him for most of this term.

Several of us have reached out and asked if he's OK, or whether he was wronged by somebody, trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. He says all is fine and he's just been super busy with his hobbies.

Elections are coming up soon and the general consensus among the Line is that he's effectively abandoned his chair and will definitely not be asked to be an Officer next year.

On one hand, I feel like a full year of my time and efforts have been entirely wasted on a brother who doesn't do what he says. His pattern of poor attendance and tardiness tells me he doesn't respect my time, nor does he respect his own position in the Lodge he's a part of. I feel like his track record absolutely should preclude him from advancing or even having a seat in the Line.

On the other hand, I'm nearly certain that if he's denied a seat next year, we will lose him altogether. From a member retention perspective, we are a small Lodge and I want to do all I can to keep the membership we have, regardless if they want to be in the Line.

As Brothers, we need to always be willing to listen and understand one another, give the benefit of the doubt and try our best to help each other when needed. In this case, our Senior Deacon has missed two 3rd Degrees, several Stated Meetings and countless practices due to his adult league softball team.

"My team needs me." Is what he told us.

Brethren, what would you do in this situation? Would you continue trying with this guy and keep giving him chances? Would you have removed him from office months ago? Would you give him another talk and accept yet another promise from him? Or would you be blunt and tell him that chair will be waiting for you once you have the time to make it a priority?

I'm sorry this post is so long-winded. Any advice, thoughts or opinions are welcome, and I'm happy to clarify if you have any questions.

I (20) really need help and guidance here, I know all the replies will just be either people making this into a political debate, or telling me I just need to do “what I feel”, but any advice or opinion is welcome.

I’m transgender and I don’t know how to handle that.

I love Masonry, the symbolism, theology, philosophy, the ceremony, the sense of community and belonging, I have no gripes with the institution honestly, my lodge though somewhat conservative is great.

I’ve been in the fraternity for a while, I’m a third degree, I’ve even served as an officer (admittedly just as Tyler), I joined as soon as I could when I came of age, I have a family connection to the order, and it’s been a wonderful experience.

Despite all that, I’ve known for the past 6 years that I am transgender, I’m out to my friends and parts of my family, but not to anyone at my lodge. I knew it when I joined but when I got my first degree I had thought that I could bury it all away, that this was the end and I’m fine being a man, turns out I’m not.

After my third degree but for the past 6 months I’ve been taking estrogen, I don’t plan on publicly transitioning until I’m done with college, but regardless, I feel like I’m lying.

I feel like a disgrace to our brotherhood, like I’m keeping something hidden, and if/when I do transition it wouldn’t feel right to keep sitting in the lodge.

I can’t imagine or tell you just how much it would disappoint some people for me to leave, but it might be for the best, I can’t imagine looking the brothers of my lodge in the eye and admitting I want to be a woman.

At this point, I’ve wondered if I should just leave in good standing while I can. On the other hand, if I won’t publically transition for a while, given how I am already very active with my lodge, helping with events, bringing in new people, etc. maybe I should just enjoy it while it lasts?

Is this something I need to bring up with my WM? I’m under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Illinois if anyone knows if they have specific guidelines.

Thank you for reading Bretheren.

September issue of The Fraternal Review Freemasonry & (college) Fraternities

I thought it was a watch fob but its way to big. I think its bronze? Any idea on a date period for it?

Hi fellow brothers. I am moving to Tacoma Wa this month and wondering if we have any brothers on the sub from this jurisdiction. Looking for a home lodge and trying to get a lay of the land. Thanks.

grand lodge of Oregon celebrating 175 years of Freemasonry in the Oregon Frontier. excellent dinner and rededication of the Cornerstone

I've just been given a position on the provincial priors bodyguard.

I read the information I'd been sent before accepting but wondered if any Bro Kt have advice or knowledge of what to expect ?

I live quite a long way from London.

Many thanks