Last night was a wonderful evening. A friend of mine was also taking his first degree last night, so we met and drove over to the lodge together. We were greeted by several Brothers that we had met at prior lodge events that were open to non members. We felt quite natural and had no awkward feelings at all.
We headed inside the lodge where the tables were set and several very large six foot long party sandwiches and other food awaited. We loaded up our plates and took a seat.
At the table were several masons that I Continue reading ‘First Degree Completed – Welcome Brother!’
By this time next week, I’ll have joined the Brotherhood of Freemasonry having taken the first degree and become an Entered Apprentice. I’m excited but at the same time a bit nervous as I’m not completely sure of what will be involved. I do have a general idea from seeing Freemasonry specials on Discovery Channel and the likes but not enough to feel secure that I won’t embarrass myself.
This is the first masonic book that I’ve read. Upon deciding to join the fraternity, a good friend of mine who also recently joined brought me over to his house and pulled out his newly acquired masonic library. We are a lot alike in that respect. When we get involved in something new, we want to know as much as possible about it and to understand it as completely as possible. Now, with Freemasonry, you have to think before diving in as I do NOT want to know about the details of the rituals or secrets of The Craft. Instead, I want to know about its history, where it came from, where it is, where it’s going. 
I’ve known that the masons exist for years. Unfortunately, that’s about all I’ve known. I knew that they were secretive and that they had the odd looking symbol with the G in the middle but didn’t know what it meant. The few times I spoke to people that were masons and I would ask them about it, they would often say jokingly, “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you”. I assumed that since I had asked about it and they told me little despite my interest, that it must be an invitation only organization and I left it at that. Well, you know what they say about assuming things… 
