Comments on: My First Lodge Meeting http://www.gettingolderandwiser.com/freemasonry/my-first-lodge-meeting.html Sharing what we've learned in life Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:44:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: James http://www.gettingolderandwiser.com/freemasonry/my-first-lodge-meeting.html/comment-page-1#comment-103 James Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:33:11 +0000 http://www.gettingolderandwiser.com/?p=57#comment-103 I have enjoyed your blog brother. I have had a similar experience both with the workings of my lodge and my frustration over the casualness the of the craft. My lodge has your cable tow meet with you once to go over the cipher, then they send you to a lodge of instruction and by the next month your taking your next degree without proving your proficiency. To me I feel that my lodge is more focused on the quantity of Mason it can produce and gives little thought to the quality of education or readiness its gives to members. I will be making my 3rd on the 21st of this month. In truth I am in no way ready. Much like you I will read on the subject only to have to stop for fear of cheating myself out of the experience. I would like very much to continue correspondence with you. In my experience the first steps in changing or improving on a system is to build a team. Plus it would be nice to have a wingman to bounce ideas off. Even though I am making my 3rd degree soon, I have not really studied pass the 1st. I have made so many improvements in my life from reflecting on these values and it is my belief I have yet scratched the surface of being an Entered Apprentice. I would like to share something quickly with you for I think it might help. I had an expectation of what I thought the craft would be. I believed it to be steeped in formal tradition and housed by scholarly brothers that dedicated years to the study of its symbols. Imagine my disappointment when Master Masons could not even help me with the 1st degree cipher. when my question were met with “your reading to much in to this, there are really no great mysteries here” or my favorite I get a voice mail saying that I missed degree night when it was never communicated to me. Much like you flags started to pop up and I thought about switching lodges after my 3rd. Something happened to me as I was reflecting on being an EA. A third of the day should be spent bettering myself, my family and my brothers. In the last months I have updated my moral compass and laid a strong corner stone that I am proud to build on. I have roughly framed out the man, husband and father I wish to be. Daily I commit to growing and maintaining a relationship with my wife and son. I have always loved my wife but I find myself in love with her now. My four year old son has stopped being that noise maker that can destroy a house and my sanity in a matter of seconds to a little man that is learning to express himself in a very new and big world. The best part is that I get to walk with and protect him as he discovers it. I understand now that leaving the lodge for another is not the answer. I have taken an oath and have a responsibility to my brothers. I will for fill that promise I made before God and do some long need maintenance to my home lodge. I will start small and use some ideas I pirated from your blog. Better communication with emails, follow up phone calls and brainstorming groups. I know that every Masons journey is his own and what he decides to invest into it is his own business. I would never push but a minimum knowledge base must be established so when people ask about Masonry they will represent our craft well. Plus I will keep my eye out for like minded people and help them avoid some of the pitfalls I fell in. Again I am happy that I stumbled on to your blog hope that we can keep in touch. Good health brother, James I have enjoyed your blog brother. I have had a similar experience both with the workings of my lodge and my frustration over the casualness the of the craft. My lodge has your cable tow meet with you once to go over the cipher, then they send you to a lodge of instruction and by the next month your taking your next degree without proving your proficiency. To me I feel that my lodge is more focused on the quantity of Mason it can produce and gives little thought to the quality of education or readiness its gives to members. I will be making my 3rd on the 21st of this month. In truth I am in no way ready. Much like you I will read on the subject only to have to stop for fear of cheating myself out of the experience. I would like very much to continue correspondence with you. In my experience the first steps in changing or improving on a system is to build a team. Plus it would be nice to have a wingman to bounce ideas off.

Even though I am making my 3rd degree soon, I have not really studied pass the 1st. I have made so many improvements in my life from reflecting on these values and it is my belief I have yet scratched the surface of being an Entered Apprentice. I would like to share something quickly with you for I think it might help.

I had an expectation of what I thought the craft would be. I believed it to be steeped in formal tradition and housed by scholarly brothers that dedicated years to the study of its symbols. Imagine my disappointment when Master Masons could not even help me with the 1st degree cipher. when my question were met with “your reading to much in to this, there are really no great mysteries here” or my favorite I get a voice mail saying that I missed degree night when it was never communicated to me. Much like you flags started to pop up and I thought about switching lodges after my 3rd.

Something happened to me as I was reflecting on being an EA. A third of the day should be spent bettering myself, my family and my brothers. In the last months I have updated my moral compass and laid a strong corner stone that I am proud to build on. I have roughly framed out the man, husband and father I wish to be. Daily I commit to growing and maintaining a relationship with my wife and son. I have always loved my wife but I find myself in love with her now. My four year old son has stopped being that noise maker that can destroy a house and my sanity in a matter of seconds to a little man that is learning to express himself in a very new and big world. The best part is that I get to walk with and protect him as he discovers it. I understand now that leaving the lodge for another is not the answer. I have taken an oath and have a responsibility to my brothers. I will for fill that promise I made before God and do some long need maintenance to my home lodge. I will start small and use some ideas I pirated from your blog. Better communication with emails, follow up phone calls and brainstorming groups. I know that every Masons journey is his own and what he decides to invest into it is his own business. I would never push but a minimum knowledge base must be established so when people ask about Masonry they will represent our craft well. Plus I will keep my eye out for like minded people and help them avoid some of the pitfalls I fell in.

Again I am happy that I stumbled on to your blog hope that we can keep in touch.
Good health brother,
James

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