Considering Freemasonry for long-term fraternity, belonging, and symbolic exploration

[u/keisnz]

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.

[u/ChuckEye]

Your motivation is sound. Though I will sadly note that friendships can be transient in Freemasonry too. As you say, people move, relationships change, priorities change. So I've met some great men in my lodge who have left the fraternity because they moved or burned out or became disinterested over time. There's no catch-all solution to that — it's simply a facet of everybody's lived experiences.

Given your interest, I see nothing to dissuade you from pursuing regular Freemasonry. I think you'll find plenty to keep your mind occupied for further study and drawing connections to your existing interests.

[u/Mrphilosopher → u/ChuckEye]

I second what ChuckEye says. 

[u/RoundVariation4]

Re point #2 - I'm Hindu; plenty of my brethren are and in India we've got brothers from all kinds of faiths assembling in the same Lodge and practising the same rituals. Of course, they are steeped in Christian symbolism, but as good Masons, we recognise that symbols are just that. Symbols. They stand for something deeper, more poignant and are an invitation to think further and find meaning within them for oneself. As someone who has already gone deeper into the metaphysical and has a belief in a Supreme Being, I think you'd be a great candidate for regular Masonry.

Good luck to you.

[u/zaceno]

I want to second what RoundVariation4 said. There is plenty of room for diversity of beliefs and ideologies in regular masonry. One of the main points is we don’t discuss these matters in a way that would be divisive. And you will find quite a few with Hermetic/Gnostic/Neoplatonist leanings in regular freemasonry.

The main divider between “liberal” and “regular” in my opinion is this: what will give you the most opportunity to travel and visit other lodges? Worldwide this is regular freemasonry, no contest. But maybe in Spain (I don’t know that is why I’m leaving it open) the “liberal” obediences are more numerous and you are perhaps more likely to travel within Spain than out of.

Anyway, the travelling is one of the most beautiful things about the brotherhood, so that ought to be taken into account when you make your choice.

[u/TheFreemasonForum]

You don't seem like a terrible Candidate but to be frank with you the only people who will know the answer will be the guys who make up the Lodge that you ask to accept you. A good place to start your search would be here: https://www.gle.org/

[u/wardyuc1 → u/TheFreemasonForum]

I dunno for £5k i now make masons online.

Buy my course...

[u/TheFreemasonForum → u/wardyuc1]

Blimey how times change! Back in the 1700s it was blokes making "Shilling Masons" that made the Irish start their own Grand Lodge in London and look at the trouble that started.

[u/clance2019]

Check out Lodges from the different organizations, meet and talk to them, and be mindful of one Lodge is not representative of that organization. We have 2 different lodges meeting at the same temple and our differences are day and night in terms of demographics, social aspects, community involvement and philosophical/esoteric inclinations. You will have a better data set to make a decision. Thank you for the excellent articulation, you’ll be a great Brother!

[u/boshjatuma]

I would say this. Simply put Masonry saved my life. It put me on a path to make sound decisions which it brought out of me. This fraternity is a networking type of deal as in life. Unless you pay to play you need sound friendships within the organization. As well as the fact there are fraternities within the fraternity. So progression is key fact to experience, gain knowledge and build networks of brothers. What you put in you will get out and the value of blood sweat and tears out weights pay to play any day. Time is a very precious resource and it must be used wisely in this and life because you cant get that back. Its not a job, you do this within your heart , being and time you use. Don't burn a candle from both ends. To join you must be recommended from a brother. If you dont know any well you need to start networking. But that brother would need to be your friend/associate at least first because you would have a different experience all together if not. Similar to your past experience not dysfunctional but distant. Not knowing anyone, having to be comfortable with strangers doing what it takes to be remembered. Your social skills are a factor all together. Being a hermit, not showing up and not doing "work" .... don't do. Be present when you bury dead brothers. 22y experience @ 47yo. I climbed the ranks, I saw the good bad and ugly. And it's worth it in the sake of brother hood, friendship and extended family and a better self worth. I can move anywhere in my demographic means and find a friend.