Whither Directing My Course

A very successful evening.

2008-11-12T12:52:00.000-08:00

Just a very quick post to say that the installation of Tetragon Lodge went very well, and we have officially been invited to join the University Scheme in the capacity of a receptor lodge. This will mean that we will be suggested as a lodge to visit for those members of the University Scheme who are moving to London.

This is, in my opinion, fantastic news and I wait with baited breath for the discussion we will have in the lodge to decide whether or not to proceed with this.

In other news I was privileged enough to occupy the chair of KS for the first time on Saturday at Tetragon's LOI and conduct a first degree ceremony. This went very well and apart from needing to slow down I think that I made maybe two or three mistakes all told.

All the best

Matthew

The Culmination of a a lot of hard work.

2008-11-09T14:07:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow (19 and 1/2th hours to be exact) marks the culmination of a lot of hard work, and the end result of an idea that I had about 18 months ago.

While walking through London during summer last year the idea of starting a young Freemasons lodge occurred to me and as soon as I returned home I e-mailed everyone who was a member of the Young Freemasons of England group on Facebook asking if anyone was interested.

The replies, and subsequent meetings, have led to the installation meeting we will be having tomorrow. Although it became clear we would not be able to found a lodge we were able to find a lodge to save and tomorrow sees the beginning of what will hopefully be a very successful project.

I would like to thank the people that have helped in this process and shared my enthusiasm in making this idea a reality. I will of course post about the evening as soon as possible afterwards. The toast is "Tetragon Lodge 6302 and the future".

Bowers Lodge and the University Scheme

2008-09-09T04:29:00.000-07:00

The University Scheme has arrived in Norwich and Bowers Lodge has been chosen to accommodate those members of the University of East Anglia that wish to become Freemasons.

Being at UEA myself I have made contact with the secretary of Bowers Lodge and will be their contact on campus. Although I am not in Norwich long enough now to make it possible to join Bowers Lodge, I hope that I will be able to set up good links between UEA and Bowers Lodge and really help this new addition to the scheme flourish.

JSM Ward: An introduction to the esoteric and true secrets that lie within.

2008-08-15T04:18:00.000-07:00

I bought this and the other books in the series immediately after going through each of the degrees with which each book deals. In the beginning they were, although interesting, a little hard to understand. This was for two reasons:

They use abbreviations for parts of the ceremony which cannot be revealed, which for the newly initiated can be confusing and hard to decipher;

There is a lot of reference throughout the books which refer to the next degree, which if you have only just been initiated will make no sense to you at all.

The first problem is quickly dealt with after the reader has viewed the ritual a few more times, and has attended a number of LOI's. The second is also rectified when the candidate has passed through all three degrees. However, this second problem is also one of the key parts of this series of books, and helps us to view the system as a whole as opposed to separate parts.

JSM Ward is able in this series of small books to begin to lead the reader down the path to the discovery of the true secrets of Freemasonry, those secrets which cannot be found purely by learning the ritual or the words and signs. By using his obvious in depth knowledge of various belief systems and ritual, he is able to point to how our masonic ritual conveys ancient mystic knowledge through the dramatic representation of building the temple in Jerusalem.

So how does plugging this series of books fit into the general theme of this blog, namely Freemasonry and young men? Well firstly, as stated above they are an excellent introduction to the esoteric nature of craft. This aspect of Freemasonry is one which I have noticed to be of growing importance in many young men's minds. The young men who are joining Freemasonry now are wanting to look beyond the words of the ceremonies and really understand the meaning. This leads on to the second reason. Freemasonry, as I have said before, is relevant to young men in the 21st century because it provides a system of spirituality free from dogma. To provide this we who are already in the craft must be able to explain and guide our new brethren along this path. For any mentor looking to gain a better grasp of the esoteric side I would strongly recommend these books.

My apologies for not posting for a while I have been on holiday (again) and was without Internet.

What is Freemasonry about?

2008-07-31T17:43:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have read over on the Chequered Carpet Ben's post concerning what is Freemasonry about. This is a really interesting subject on which Brothers can wax lyrical about for ages. So here is my two pennies worth on, what in my opinion, Freemasonry is about.

First out I think that the question needs a little clarification. When we say what is Freemasonry about, we need to decide whether we are talking subjectively or objectively. Subjectively what Freemasonry is about, as pointed out by Ben, can give many different answers. For the individual Brother it can be charity, or fellowship, or the historical study that can be carried out. Objectively speaking however I personally believe that the ritual is exactly what Freemasonry is about. Ritual is the bedrock upon which all of the other elements of Freemasonry rests.

The feeling of fellowship which is felt so strongly by Freemasons comes from the sense of shared experience that we all have from all participating in the same ritual. This also extends to watching the ritual on lodge evenings, it is a shared experience, with every brother in the room mentally working towards a common goal.

It is the ritual which teaches us in the first degree that charity is an important part of a Freemasons life, although I agree with Ant that there is too strong an emphasis on charity in some lodges. Charity is an element of Freemasonry of which we should feel justly proud, but to place it above the ritual reduces us to no more than the Rotary or the Lions.

Although some would disagree, or claim that it is impossible, I think that a little time spent navel gazing and rediscovering our meaning is an essential part of the continuance of Freemasonry, especially in determining what it is we have to offer for men who already have such large demands on their time. Strip everything else away and just leave the ritual, and we would still be Freemasons, although I think that the other elements such as the fellowship and dining would happen anyway, it just wouldn't be organised. Remove the ritual and we just become another dining club which gives money to charity.

It is fantastic that Freemasonry is so much to so many people, and I do not believe that those who do not wish to partake in the ritual or progress should be considered any less of a brother. You will generally find that it these brothers who do so much of the charity and support work which keeps a lodge running, and are worth their weight in gold. However if we are asking objectively "What is Freemasonry about?" then in my opinion it is definitely the ritual.

Us to them or them to us?

2008-07-29T06:46:00.000-07:00

As those readers who are masons will know, a mason should not approach someone and ask them to join Freemasonry. The potential initiate must come forward of their own volition and seek acceptance. In practice this rule is flouted quite regularly, but what of the middle ground of talking about Freemasonry to a friend who you think would be interested? Could this, or should this be extended to small presentations on Freemasonry with an invitation at the end for those who wish to find out more to contact the mason giving the presentation?

I am planning to give a brief talk on the history of Freemasonry and what it is at my university in September. I hope to make it informative, entertaining, and should hopefully raise a few giggles when dispelling some of the myths that surround the craft (goats, Vaseline, etc.). I will also include some information on the University Scheme, and finish by offering to speak to anyone who wishes to find out more.

The problem is, is this a bit too much like recruiting? Or is it, as I would suggest, merely presenting the information which the person can use as they wish? It was once said to me that the seeking out information and acceptance is part of the journey the initiate must take. It must be something felt by them that they need in their life and Freemasonry is the answer to that need.

I agree that indeed this is an important part, but how are you to fully decide which path to take when you do not know all of the available paths that are open to you? Does a religious leader not provide you with the information you need to make the journey, but it is then up to you to choose to take that path? How many men are there that would benefit immensely from Freemasonry, but have not even considered it as a possibility because of misunderstanding or lack of awareness?

This is a thorny subject and I am sure people will have their views which I welcome with open arms. Until next time,

Matthew

Tetragon Lodge

2008-07-28T07:04:00.000-07:00

As you may have seen from my list on the right I am a member of Tetragon Lodge. I first visited Tetragon Lodge at the beginning of the year with a number of friends with the intention of discussing the possibility of saving the lodge. The reason for this coming about stems from a crazy idea I had last summer.

In September of 2006 I joined Facebook and found that there was not a group specifically for young English Freemasons. This was rectified by myself and we were soon under way with members joining when they discovered the group. During the summer of 2007 I was working in London when I started to think about what a great idea it would be to start up a lodge which would become a Young Freemasons lodge and that it would tie in with the University Scheme as a destination lodge for University masons to attend if they moved to London after graduation.

After a number of meetings with those from the group who were interested it became clear that we would be unable to start a lodge of our own in London so we decided to find a lodge to rescue instead. Luckily Tetragon Lodge at this time were looking for brothers to possibly save them and this was made known to Bro Ant Williams, and as I have already mentioned a group of us attended a meeting, which proved very successful. We are all now looking forward to the installation in November where the rescue team will be taking office for 2008-2009.

The question that probably springs to mind is how are we going to save a failing lodge. I think that the problems which faced Tetragon Lodge are indicative of how Freemasonry needs to change if it is to be attractive to younger men.

Time and Day of the Meeting
Tetragon currently meets on a Monday afternoon starting at around four o'clock. For young working men this is completely impractical. There is a place for lodges which meet early in the week (my mother lodge does), but this works better when you have a membership which is either near retirement, business owners, or those that live and work in a small town in which the lodge is based.

Publicity
Tetragon Lodge did not have a website before the rescue team joined. We are now developing a website to correct this. There is a growing number of men coming to Freemasonry through the Internet (I am one of them), and a presence on the Internet is a must.

Regular LOI's
I think that this is one of the most important factors in retaining membership. LOI is not just about turning up and running through the ritual so that it will look good on the day, it should be a social event, a chance to meet up with friends, and very importantly a chance to talk about the ritual and what it means. I think that young men are some of the most inquisitive and thoughtful masons and are eager to delve deeper into the hidden meaning of the teachings of the craft and this thirst for knowledge is another element which will keep members coming back.

As you can see all of my suggestions (which you are more than welcome to discuss on the comments page) are purely to do with administrative elements of Freemasonry. I do not believe that either the ritual, or the festive board, or the formalities involved, should be changed in anyway. Nor do I think that this is what young men want. I think that Bro Ant makes an excellent point that progression in Freemasonry is something that you have to work at, and does not come quickly. This is completely different to everyday experience where almost everything is available at the touch of a button. This is another aspect which makes Freemasonry so unique and attractive to younger men, and why we do not want any changes such as getting rid of the toasts in the festive board, or one day ceremonies through all three degrees as is performed in some jurisdictions in the United States of America.

I hope that this post is of interest and I look forward to any discussion. The ideas I have expressed here are purely my opinion and I do not claim to think that they are unquestionable and the one correct answer to the issues facing Freemasonry.

Explanation

2008-07-28T07:01:00.000-07:00

Just a very quick explanation about why this blog has moved. Well it's basically because I managed to put a typo in the original address for the blog (oooppps) so I have changed it to the correct spelling of Whither.

Why?

2008-07-28T06:35:00.000-07:00

This simple three letter word is one which regularly crops up in conversation with anyone who I tell for the first time I am a Freemason. In keeping with the theme of this blog I thought that my first proper post would be a good place to discuss why I joined and why I think it is relevant for younger men.

The first part of this post, namely why I joined, is going to be almost embarrassingly devoid of any lofty ideas of seeking spirituality, or a long family history and tradition of membership. The reason why I joined boils down to pure and simple, unadulterated curiosity. The whole idea of a secret society to which only those that were deemed worthy were accepted fascinated me, and I took the opportunity to discuss this with anyone who had a vague idea about what Freemasonry was.

This lead me at the age of 21 to do a bit of searching on the Internet, and I eventually stumbled upon the website for Essex provincial grand lodge. I contacted the masonic center in Colchester, where I was living at the time, and was put in touch with the secretary of Comrades Lodge. The rest as they say is history.

Why I think Freemasonry is relevant for younger men today is very much linked in with the fast paced life that we now lead. In a world that is constantly changing, with 24 hour news and constant connection to the Internet, I personally find it comforting to once a month (or maybe more if I am lucky) put on a suit, meet some friends, and take part in a ritual which has largely not changed for centuries. It is this connection with the past and a sense of stability that is so appealing in these unsettling times. It also gives an arena for men to practice the virtues of a more civil and gentile time in a world which seems to have lost a lot of its sense of honour, politeness, and respect towards our fellow creatures.

I also think the way that Freemasonry allows an individual to be spiritual and have a relationship with their supreme being without demanding adherence to a certain dogma is an important part of why it is relevant to men in a modern society. It gives a moral code which is universal to all faiths to live your life by, and gives a system of allegory and symbolism by which the initiate is able to measure themselves against and "follow that most interesting course of study, the study of ones self". This in the current religious climate is worth its weight in gold.Any comments are welcome, and sorry for such a long gap between my first post and this.

Introductory Post

2008-07-28T06:34:00.000-07:00

This is a very quick introduction, as I am currently knee deep in revision for my law exams. I have been a mason for about three and a half years now, having joined at the age of 22.I have no family history of freemasonry, nor did I have any friends that were Freemasons before I joined, but it was always something that I was fascinated about. Therefore shortly after my 21st birthday I contacted the local masonic center and the rest as they say is history. I will blog about this at greater length in the near future.Freemasonry is a real passion in my life which due to my current financial situation (being a student) I am not able to indulge in as much as would like. I am also a little geographically challenged at the moment being out in Norwich and my lodges being in London, but I am going to make more of an effort to visit lodges in Norwich next year (academic year that is).I am also involved in a lodge rescue which has been successful so far, which has as its goal the aim to become a young Freemasons lodge in London. Again, more on this later.I hope you will join me again soon when I start to post on this blog properly, and that it will be both enjoyable and interesting to read.S&F Matthew Davison