April 13, 2013

Freemasonry: a matter of opinion

There are a few facts within freemasonry: mostly historical. The landmarks are subject to opinion. Yes, I know, there are books about Mackey's 25, but let's be honest: landmarks in freemasonry existed before Mackey. Moreso, there are many Grand Lodges all over the world that do not follow all of the 25 landmarks.

Each mason has their opinion on masonic matters: some wronger than others. However, in my opinion, this craft prospers on the variety of its opinions.

We all have varying opinions on everything from the concept of monotheism in our craft to choices in refreshments. What makes us click is our ability to apply the lessons we feel we have learned within our craft to be open and receptive to each other's opinions. We have learned how to use the three tenets of our fraternity to allow our free thoughts flow in harmony:

Brotherly Love: Because at the end of the day, we are brothers. We may have different views, but we have a bind that holds us together like cement that holds ashlars together.

Relief: Because when a worthy brother or person is in distress, we are trained to act first and ask questions later regardless of our opinion on the situation.

Truth: Because we are good men, and each good man holds on and applies his strongest convictions and believes those convictions to the depths of his heart to be true. We can not question another man's truth.

Princes, Priests and Potentates


I have been asked many times from people outside of the fraternity what "degree" of mason am I? "The third" I usually reply. "Oh...you're not even that high. My grandfather was a 32nd" they usually reply. Typically less-informed and dressup masons usually say or think the same way i.e "I'm a 32nd(or 33rd) degree mason ergo I am higher than you"

That is a popular misconception that anyone who has been properly initiated into freemasonry will note how wrong it is. The title (and the attached picture) aptly come to mind and also brings memories of the apron charge every mason has heard before.

There is no degree, no honor in freemasonry  higher than being a master mason. At that degree you have earned the full rights and benefits of a mason, you have shown proficiency in all previous degrees, you have show that you properly understand the foundation and essence of our craft and our fraternity.

By staying as an active master mason, you are entitled to certain unalienable rights that are extended to you till (and even after) death. These rights I would not bother dissecting, but they are the basis and reason why one no longer works as an apprentice and attains that sublime degree of master mason.

Now, back to where I was, the misconception. You see, brothers tend to get lost in their years sojourning as travellers. I have seen too many who feel they can pull rank not only because of the positions they attain as master masons, but the fact that they are in these different "higher houses" and have positions in them give them some impetus of authority or superiority over the craft lodge brothers.

Let them get suspended by their Worshipful or Grand Masters and watch how their masonic edifices crash and tumble to the ground. Whereas a 33rd degree mason who is expelled from the Scottish rite has nothing to heal through except a bruised ego.

This misconception about high degrees is further popularized and spread by some wrong charts/images of the structure of freemasonry. It shows a large square and compass followed by the representation of the Entered Appentice at the bottom of the square and ends with Shriners (or 33rds & KT's) at the top of the compass i.e the screw.

I think that's a very wrong representation. If I had to represent the structure of freemasonry, it'd be a T-structure. You truly do go higher from 1st to 2nd to 3rd, but everything else is on a level along with that 3rd level. Whether you move left or right through each rite (Scottish Rite or York Rite) you get further into albeit deeper and more detailed into each rite...but at the end of it all, you're still on the level as a master mason.

April 3, 2013

Freethinkers Anonymous

Our fraternity is composed of free-thinkers...allegedly.

Why I say allegedly is because it has hard to make out if a group of people are free-thinkers if they think and act the same way. For example, you see a few so-called freemasons from a lodge/jurisdiction that think and act a certain way. When they are asked certain questions, they respond in a similar fashion almost saying the same words verbatim. It gets funnier with bogus/clandestine masons who would always want to throw out "what of if we were on the side of the road" as their defense when challenged about their organizations bogusness.

On further observation, you see that these brothers were trained and taught the same way. During meetings and conventions, they are trained to be quiet as their leaders stand up and make moves on their behalf without them saying a word. Some are convinced that their voices don't matter until they reach a certain unattainable and immeasurable status within the craft. Also you have the bigger fools: the ones who are told by the grand fools to teach the smaller fools. They do everything and anything it takes to do to earn a title or a position. They are trained to suppress whatever free-mind is left within the so-called lower members of the order.

The ability to have free-thinkers within our craft is what makes our fraternity different. The concept of people from different backgrounds and cultures existing within a space were disagreements were possible, but a sense of respect and tolerance in the name of progressing humanity and improving ourselves is the slogan of our fraternity's cause. However, we are not exactly in an age of enlightenment anymore and the concept of one thinking his own thoughts based on facts, research and humanistic morals is out the window since we have so many instruments of control not only by mass media, but our governments. Freemasonry used to be a threat to most governments because of just the very idea of men thinking on their own, but now, governments welcome freemasonry as harmless fancy dressers.

I wish I could say there was a solution to the problem. This would involve already existing free-thinkers to take action, but typically such free-thinkers are silenced. It would involve men to teach their candidates what they should think about now how they should think about it. It would involve candidates with an advanced state of intellectual capacity to deduce, rationalize, analyse, interpret and then apply. That seems to be asking too much of this current generation we live in.

Are there real free-thinkers out there?