The Progress Is Palpable

With a full notices comes a busy meeting and our stated meeting this month certainly lived up to that. It was a long night, both the meeting itself and the conversations after, but there was a heck of a lot accomplished during the night. It actually made me wish that I had been in attendance last month as there is a palpable difference in the way that the meeting flowed from beginning to end. This year is certainly a welcomed change and I am looking forward to many of the issues that we faced in the past to completely evaporate.

The evening was also full of information of which I was previously unaware. I knew about many of the items discussed but there are always details that are absent from discussions that happen outside of the meetings. Actually, I am not really used to this being the case. Many times, I am the one with the details which usually leads to the dozens of brief conversations before and after the sound of the gavel.

It was obvious that there are things that we still need to work on with regard to the memorization and actual mechanics but there was a huge amount of progress that was on display for both the other members of the lodge as well as a roster of guests in attendance. It is a testament to the work and outright effort that has been put forth by many of the officers between the meetings and I am looking forward to seeing and experiencing the progression of ritual throughout the year.

For the first time in a while, I found myself interested again in learning more about the lodge and some of the other offices… I can only sit as Secretary for so long before I want to start progressing through the chairs and I might as well be prepared for when the time comes because I don’t want to have to cram in order to move throughout the lodge room. And I also know that my memory is not my strength so it might take a while to get everything down cold or at least good enough to pass. But, for now, I have a job to do.

For a while I was filling in some of the holes in the East and, honestly, it really tired me out. The last couple of months have remained hectic but in a completely different way as there have been brethren removing the weight on my shoulders and bags from my eyes. If anything, the way we have started the year has served us well as it immediately brought us together to square everything back to level. There is still work to be done but we are all pulling in the same direction and we are slowly gaining ground.

Why Are Visitors Examined?

Major John Andre, a British spy, was put on trial after being betrayed by, ironically, Benedict Arnold.   

I have only sat at a few lodges in my short time as a Mason but I have enjoyed every single one of those visits as they offered an opportunity to meet more brothers as well as see the rituals performed by a different group of officers. It is like watching a remake of a movie. You know the story line but the performances are always slightly different. Same script but the way that they are delivered give you a little bit of the personality both of the individual Mason and the lodge itself.

This was the topic of discussion during lodge this evening. While I recall having reviewed this once before I can’t say that I am familiar with the process of examining a visitor. Every time I have visited a lodge, there has always been someone there who can vouch for me as a Mason and so the examination was never needed. While this process is unfamiliar at this point, it is something that I need to know not just for when we have visitors to our stated meetings but for when I inevitably visit other lodges where I am a brother but still a complete stranger.

The process is simple and anyone who is a Master Mason knows the answers to all the questions and the corresponding signs that need to be known. It is more a matter of memory and preparation than anything else. Obviously, I cannot divulge many of the details but it can be said that we take our fraternity seriously and such an examination is a perfect example of the dedication we all have to the craft and to one another. Being examined is a small price to pay to ensure that only those who have demonstrated the desire to improve themselves and have taken the oath and obligation are present.

This is not a matter of secrecy as many would like you to believe. Ensuring that all present are Master Masons is to reassure the brethren that the lodge is a safe place to be themselves and to present motions to the brethren to be voted upon. Each many has made a journey which led them to Freemasonry. It is something that we all share and it is part of what bands us together as brothers. Lodge is a place when we are all on equal footing where all men have been created equal. We are all Masons at the end of the day, regardless of race, specific religion, occupation, political views, the kind of car we drive, the money we have in the bank, where we live, and so on. We are all on the level.

It is our common purpose and our bond as brothers which we desire to protect. When a non-Mason tries to attend a meeting of Master Masons, they are putting themselves above the rules and therefore they see themselves as better than every Master Mason who has made the commitment to one another and the fraternity as a whole. Those imposters are by no means, in any way, and will most likely never be on the level. So, if you visit another lodge, expect to be examined and thank your brothers for ensuring the integrity of the lodge.