The Theater of Freemasonry

Bring up the lights... knock,knock,knock ... ACTION!  
Recently I had the absolute pleasure of watching one of my guys, mine because I was the top line signer on his petition, deliver the mother of all Masonic lectures the second degree's Middle Chamber, to a couple of deserving Brothers with such style and passion I could not stop thinking about it for a couple of days. For those of you who do not know what I am talking about, or for those from Masonic jurisdictions who do not give the Middle Chamber in the Fellowcraft degree, it is about twenty pages long and describes and explains everything from the orders of architecture to the liberal arts and sciences in a dramatic way. When it is done wrong it is a guaranteed cure for sleeplessness for everyone involved but when done right, like it was done the other night, it captures and captivates and feeds the fire of learning of our order.
So much of Masonic ritual can be enhanced and made to come to life when done with a little dramatic flair. Imagine you read about some amazing play at some fantastically decorated old theater, you spend some time imagining how it is staged and performed and your anticipation builds. You finally scrape together the money to get a ticket to see it and you spend the whole drive to the playhouse anticipating the evening. When you enter the old auditorium you are amazed at the architecture and details of the room. The lights go down and you hardly can believe you are finally there, then the lights come up and the cast comes on stage in immaculate costumes and....the lead begins to drone in a monotone a long soliloquy that you can barely stay awake for, then you catch some of the ensemble peaking at a script while they mutter through their lines with no inflection or meaning and every now and then there is a long pause as someone tries to remember their line. You bear with all of your patience through the first act and you run as fast as you can to your car during the intermission.
At least you can walk out of a bad play, yet most men who come across bad ritual at their lodge quietly endure and if they make it through two more "encores" get their dues card and never come back. Who wants to go see a bad performance over and over again? Even the best written script can be a painful experience when delivered wrong. That is why me must add something to the ritual. Even if you can deliver it word for word and understand every part that you recite, if you can not deliver it with passion and a little dramatic flair chances are you will loose the audience, our candidates, eventually.
Now I know that not every Mason has the ability to perform like Sir Lawrence Olivier but even if we can sprinkle in a few Bill Murrays (it was just Groundhog Day) our fraternity would be the better for it. Maybe even Grand Lodges could do some workshops on acting as much as they have ritual seminars to raise the level of performance in our Lodges, cause when you see a Middle Chamber done by a young excited Freemason you connect to the words a lot better and want more.

Return of the Masonic Bling Fever

Every illness when it strikes a second time hits harder and lasts longer and can have debilitating effects on its recipient. It took long hours in therapy and a hard rehabilitation to get over my first case of Masonic Bling Fever (MBF) but eventually I was able to pass over ebay from my bookmarks without getting the shakes. My curio cabinet and my bank account healed and I was a normal member of society again....then I became a Past Master!
Since I no longer had a major part in a recent degree at lodge and do not have to study ritual any more I found my self nonchalantly searching for a Past Masters ring on ebay, amazon, google. Like my first case of MBF it innocently starts with a ring search then I realized I needed a new emblem on my truck, a new lapel pin, formal wear, trailer hitch, you name it since I was now entitled to wear a new kind of symbol I needed to put it on everything. It is crazy. The only difference between this bout of MBF and my last bout of it was that I was gainfully employed and had only one child with my first infection, this time I don't have a job and have three kids, so the ease at which I can confirm a bid or complete a purchase is greatly diminished if not in fact stopped right in its tracks.
Another problem with a re-infection of MBF is that the Past Master stuff is way more expensive than the regular square and compasses stuff, but the hunger remains.
Luckily I was given an Amazon gift card for Christmas so I was able to relieve the symptoms with a new book, The Beauty and Glory of the Day: A Masonic Devotional. A very good Brother of mine has been toting a well worn and dog eared copy of this very good book along with him for a while so since it was within my means I got myself a copy. It is a very short and sweet book and totally focuses the reader on daily spiritual reminders and prayers of the working tools of Freemasonry. Unlike the multitude of other Masonic books in my library that exploded in my last bout of MBF this is not a history or exploration but a practice book and fits right in to my new role as Chaplain and PM.
I must get by every day just browsing until the fever ends by running its course or until I win the lottery and buy the ring above which would kill the infection much faster!

Past Master....a Bitter Sweet Title

On Thursday night this week my reign of terror term will end and the oriental chair of "Old St. Johns" will be occupied by another and I will officially don the title and mantle of a Past Master. I can now join the succession of men who can sit on the side lines and complain about how it was back in my time.
Oh they were the good ol' days.
In the days leading up to the election of the lodge I had been asked by a number of Brothers both senior and junior if I would remain in the East for another year and I told them all, if I were elected again I would certainly serve, although I would not put myself out as a candidate because of the amount of time it has taken away from my family. In the end it turned out to be quite an interesting night because for the first time in a long time no one knew who the three principal officers were to be. The progressive line was not in order and when the dust settled my Senior Warden was elected to lead the craft for the ensuing year (much to even his dismay as he wanted me to remain also) by a narrow margin.
So..... at our next stated communication he (my SW)will be installed and I will be uninstall-ed so to say and I pass on to history.
My year saw many popular changes and many things that may have been endured only because of my force of will. I believe I adhered to the utmost the landmarks of our order and used my time as Worshipful Master to lead my lodge and not sit in a chair until the next man would endure it. At times I know there were a few who did not want a Master that led, they really liked the ones who went through the motions, did some degrees, and generally did not stir the pot. There were also those that loved every minute of my term and were very, very sad to see it end.
I felt as if a weight had been taken off my shoulders and pinned to my chest instead. I poured my heart and soul into the lodge as I had been doing since I first joined it, but for one year it was mine and it shined like the top of the Chrysler Building! I can only hope that some of the things I fought for and all of the things that I introduced will remain but there is no certainty in things. I will do my best to mentor my successor and I hope with all hopes that he can continue the success we have all worked so hard for.
It will be a bitter sweet night on Thursday and it will be tough donning the mantle and title of a Past Master.

Jeez......  I'm complaining already!

Let There Be Light

Nothing
Empty
Dark
I cant imagine a universe without light.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and the earth was without form and void...
Isn't it amazing that so long ago humans had an idea of the universe and its creation without any scientific knowledge or proof? The earth was without form and void, the vast vacuum of space or nothingness was empty there was no matter or being just a void and a void needs to be filled...
And God said let there be light... and there was light.

Big Bang.
Creation.
From nothing, something.
Energy.
From that creative energy came everything and we are that energy.
Stars form, mass creates gravity, gravity congeals matter, cosmic clouds become spherical rocks where tiny fragments of that energy can exist in a myriad of forms.
Why is it so hard for some to believe in the creative force.
In the beginning my computer screen was blank...
All of this must have just randomly appeared....

Freemasonry Makes Men...Period

In our world where it seems that an adult male comes of age and maturity at about 16 years and maintains that peak for the rest of his life, we need Freemasonry. I say this from the perspective of someone who was at one time a 28 year old man child. My world at one time revolved around watching sitcoms, playing video games, and partying every chance I got. My best outfit was a fancy 1950's bowling type shirt and some blue jeans and that was my formal wear! T-shirts were what I usually wore and no matter what shirt I had on, it was never tucked in.....NEVER! And I can say in hindsight that my mentality was that of a 16 year old, young and dumb, and I was proud of that. Conversations revolved around Simpsons episodes and Metal Gear Solid and thats about it.
Now, its not that I did not know about philosophy or history or science, these were always passions of mine but modern American society never demanded that I be able to discuss such matters in public. The modern man is supposed to watch sports, swill beer, and ogle women or at least that is what has become the acceptable norm. In some circles any discussion above how "hot" so and so is or did you see the Yankees game were frowned upon and usually brought down epithets like nerd or loser.
Marriage was certainly a cure for many things. My wife got me my first button down shirt without short sleeves and pair of khakis that did not have big pockets down the side. She even had me pluck out my many earrings that I had collected over the years. She suggested things and I tried them and eventually agreed with her but even after my first child I was prone to coming home and turning on the PS2 and killing or flying something with a baby in my arms.
Then I became a Freemason.
Respect for the institution and ritual made me dress myself better for lodge and as I started to dress better for lodge, I found myself liking the way I looked and dressing better all the time. I still wear T-shirts at home and to the beach but I cant imagine wearing a T-shirt out to dinner like I used to. I take that request of the Worshipful Master when I first stood a just and upright mason that I should ever look and act as such, seriously and am glad of it.
As I learned my proficiency and started doing the lecture work I realized that I was a good speaker and found that I could speak to new people with a much higher level of confidence than I had ever before. It even lead me to do theater, something I had not done since junior high school. The more lectures I learned the more I realized that I was capable of learning things and expressing what they meant to me with great clarity to someone else.
As I progressed in the officers line and took on more and more responsibility and started to help plan and organize things, I realized that my opinion mattered and my contribution to something actually resulted in something.
Most of all, as Brothers who meet upon the level I realized that I am just as much as a man as the next guy no matter what he does or is titled and that profound insight is the most powerful. I will always respect anyone I do not know but I will never give them reverence that is not due.
Of course all of these traits can be acquired without knocking on the West Gate and may just come with getting older and having more responsibilities in life and many fine Brothers of mine can easily transition into the Macho Man character on a moments notice but I think that our order can guide a man child into manhood with quite amazing results. I even tuck in my shirts now and think it looks sloppy otherwise!!!

Do We Meet Too Much?

As my year in the east progresses towards its conclusion I have started to retrospectively think about my term and it's results. I have raised the level of Masonic thought and education, improved the camaraderie, and always gone out of my way to make every brother feel welcome. The ritual has been excellent, the candidates many, and yet the turnout ( although higher than any year I have been a member) never gets past the regular officers who have always shown up and a handful of guys on the sideline. It varies meeting to meeting but if I averaged it out it would be around 17 or 18 a meeting.This fact puzzles me.
I have done all of the things laid out in various Masonic papers to increase participation yet no matter what awesome night I have planned I get about the same amount of Brothers. Now you may say it has something to do with the caliber of men who belong to my lodge but I can honestly say that on those nights, the revolving handful of Brothers of the sideline is never the same and the cast of that ever different bunch all are good Masons and I believe in my heart they would all be at every meeting if they could, so where is the problem?
Recently my lodge has been blessed with the addition of a couple of Brothers who originally hail from the mother Grand Lodge of England and at our last meeting, after I successfully got my Lodge to let me try doing some aspects of a Traditional Observance lodge at our next degree, one of my English Brothers showed me a summons for his mother lodge in England. It was a gorgeous printed document the likes of which my lodge has not produced in ages and the thing that struck me was they only meet 4 times a year! Quarterly as they say! Thats when it hit me, maybe we meet too much. 
Perhaps if we were to cut down on the amount of nights that we need to break away from our families and routines we might get more fannies in the seats. Now, this goes against about everything I have always thought about how a lodge should be run because even at my lodges current meeting schedule, twice a month and not during the summer, a Brother needs only to dedicate about .006% of his time per year to his lodge( and that is with three hour meetings!). Even at this tiny amount of dedication I can count on more than a few calls or emails before a meeting with "Oh I am so bogged down with work I cant make it tonight" or " I am just too busy to make it tonight" or the classic "I totally forgot we had a meeting tonight". So is this the solution? Make the Brothers dedicate .002% of their time or four five hour meetings per year? (Including a festive board at every meeting) I don't know, even with three kids, a working wife, and a job I have only missed a handful of meetings and even then I tried to show up at some point in the night. I am in no way knocking my Brothers who do not attend every meeting just trying to figure out a better way to improve attendance.
Its not that they don't know about our meetings. Along with clearly stating to every new Brother, or even candidate, that we meet on the first and third Thursday of every month except for July and August, I send out a Trestleboard with our upcoming events on it, send out an email before the meetings, and have a Facebook page for the lodge and send out event notices from there. Yet we never get all of the active brothers together on a regular meeting night. I personally look forward to every meeting and my family knows that twice a month Daddy has lodge. So do we meet too much?
In a lodge that only meets four times a year you obviously limit the amount of candidates that can join and can only go through three degrees once a year. Can this schedule result in the amount of sincere camaraderie and knowledge of your Brothers that seeing some of them at least once a month produces? I think that quarterly meetings would indeed increase the importance of a meeting because if you miss one you missed a fourth of the year but many of the Brothers already miss a fourth of the meetings. Quarterly meetings would definitely allow for better preparation and maybe produce a higher quality meeting. I think a festive board after the meeting is just a wonderful thing and anytime I have been a part of one, either formally or informally, it has been a memorable experience, but think that one or two every month would break the bank of most of the Brothers which bodes well with a quarterly schedule.
There are some lodges who get together all of the time with clubs, movie nights, and other social events. These lodges seem to have an abundant amount of extra time for each other. There are also some lodges with many members who can not even fill the officers chairs for a Stated Communication. My lodge falls in between. I just wonder if there is a better way.
What do you think?
Are two Stated Communications a month too many?
Is a Quarterly schedule better?

We Are One

It all started on Saturday, usually a busy day anyway doing all of the things you cant do during the week, but this one was extra busy with errands and the shuttling duties that accompany a medium sized family. I received a voice mail from the daughter of a Lodge Brother stating that he had passed away and the family were wondering if it were possible if we, his lodge,  could perform a Masonic funeral service.....on Sunday.
Now, I received this message at around 11:00AM and knew I could not return the call for a couple of hours so I started to think about how I could perform this last duty and possibly wrangle up a few Brothers to help in a 24 hour period. It takes a couple of weeks to put together a decent Entered Apprentice degree so I worried about how this very important service would come together.
Even before I got the chance to act I received a call from my Secretary checking to see if I got the message. I told him I had and was just about to try to put something together and asked all of the questions a young Worshipful Master asks of his wise old Secretary. I had attended every memorial service that I could since I joined the lodge, so I knew how they went, but this would be my first one as WM.
The Masonic Funeral or Memorial service is probably the most important public event that we as Masons do because not only is it our last tribute to our fallen Brother, it is one of the most moving pieces of ritual we do in front of non-Masons. It is a chance to show the family of the deceased why it is their man was a Mason and what it means to be one and it is a chance for his friends and family to have a glimpse into our fraternity. I can not stress enough of its importance for I have seen amazing ones, as in my Chance Inspiration (probably my best post ever) and bad ones as in my How Do You Tell a Past Master He Is Wrong so I felt the pressure to deliver something good for an over Fifty year member of the lodge.
I started making the calls to my officers and received an overwhelmingly positive response. I then sent out a general email to the Brethren and received a few more affirmatives. I went to the Lodge building and grabbed the accoutrement needed and brought it home for cleaning and polishing. The next day I received some regrets but also some unexpected responses for help and went about preparing for the service. I had the Brothers come to my house an hour before hand to practice and my street filled with cars with Masonic emblems. When the time came we all loaded up into cars and headed for the graveyard.
As a man who was raised Catholic, has Buddhist tendencies and now goes to an Episcopal church I had experienced many types of burials but this was my first Jewish one. My fallen Brother was a Navy vet also, so there were a couple of sailors there who performed their service first with the ever moving Taps and folding of the American Flag then it was our turn. After we were finished I stayed with a Past Master of my lodge and watched the burial service of our Brothers faith and was quite moved.
Freemasonry is perhaps the only vehicle where men of all faiths can sit together and profess faith without infringing on another's and come away better. We all believe in something better and can actually experience, if we truly live up to our credo, each others faith and cement faith itself. As different as the words and ritual of my Brothers religion were, they were familiar to me because at a time of loss it is faith that keeps us moving forward with love.
We are all one.