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Charity in Freemasonry

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In this final installment of the Faith Hope and Charity series, we consider the symbolism of charity, or perhaps better called love. It is this attribute that allows the fraternity to “find in every clime a brother, and in every land a home,” the subtext of which Mackey defines in his text from his Encyclopedia of Freemasonry.

Charity in Freemasonry

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.” (1 Corinth. xiii. 1, 2.)

Such was the language of an eminent apostle of the Christian church, and such is the sentiment that constitutes the cementing bond of Freemasonry.

The apostle in comparing it with faith and hope calls it the greatest of the three, and hence in Masonry, it is made the top most round of its mystic ladder. We must not fall into the too common error that charity is only that sentiment of commiseration which leads us to assist the poor with pecuniary donations. Its Masonic, as well as its Christian application, is more noble and more extensive. The word used by the apostle is, in the original, αγάπη (agápi – agapi) or love — a word denoting that kindly state of mind which renders a person full of goodwill and affectionate regard toward others. John Wesley expressed his regret that the Greek had not been correctly translated as love instead of charity, so that the apostolic triad of virtues would have been, not “faith, hope, and charity,” but “Faith, Hope and Love.” Then would we have understood the comparison made by St. Paul, when he said,

“Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing.”

Guided by this sentiment, the true Mason will “suffer long and be kind.” He will be slow to anger and easy to forgive. He will stay his falling brother by gentle admonition, and warn him with kindness of approaching danger. He will not open his ear to his slanderers, and will close his lips against all reproach. His faults and his follies will be locked in his breast, and the prayer for mercy will ascend to Jehovah for his brother’s sins. Nor will these sentiments of benevolence be confined to those who are bound to him by ties of kindred or worldly friendship alone, but, extending them throughout the globe, he will love and cherish all who sit beneath the broad canopy of our universal Lodge. For it is the boast of our Institution, that a Mason, destitute and worthy, may find in every clime a brother, and in every land a home.

Hope in Freemasonry

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In this installment of the Symbols and Symbolism of Freemasonry, we examine the text of Albert Mackey’s Encyclopedia of Freemasonry on the symbolism of Hope.

Much derided, today, hope is one of those indispensable utilities that carries many of us over the final miles of a trying journey through life. In a masonic context, the symbol is simplified (almost overly) to represent a moment by which the individual may enter into the bliss of eternity.

In the video component, we explore the more broadly understanding of Hope and its origins from a small box out of the mists of antiquity.

Hope in Freemasonry

The second round in the theological and Masonic ladder, and symbolic of a hope in immortality. It is appropriately placed there, for, having attained the first, or faith in God, we are led by a belief in His wisdom and goodness to the hope of immortality. This is but a reasonable expectation; without it, virtue would lose its necessary stimulus and vice its salutary fear; life would be devoid of joy, and the grave but a scene of desolation. The ancients represented Hope by a nymph or maiden holding in her hand a bouquet of opening flowers, indicative of the coming fruit; but in modern and Masonic iconology, the science of Craft illustrations and likenesses, it is represented by a virgin leaning on an anchor, the anchor itself being a symbol of hope.

More on Masonic Symbols.

Bait & Switch, I Quit

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Below you will find the story of Brother Steven McAfoose, Senior Warden of Lux Lodge No 846, Grand Lodge of California. McAfoose’s story is similar to that of recently published Brother Salman Sheika’s. You might call this “Why I Left Freemasonry Part 2.” But this story has a happy ending. McAfoose quit and returned. This is not sour grapes and a back stab at the Craft as he slams the door on the way out but rather an honest look into what could be better.

But McAfoose did not encounter any discrimination. His bone to pick with the Masonic World was unrealized expectations. McAfoose complains that we over hype and over sell what Freemasonry is and can do which leads to a drastic letdown when fantasy meets reality.

Also, he points out that many Lodges spend a lot of time and effort into doing little. Once again, we hear about boring business meetings and overworked Brothers who are drafted into an Army of fund raisers and work projects. This mirrors a video interview I did of Brother Justin Jones of the Grand Lodge of Texas on Phoenixmasonry Live – https://youtu.be/jhYOc6YXh-Y.  Brother Jones said that his expectation of Freemasonry took him from the marvelous to the mundane.

McAfoose makes some other points too but we will let you read them for yourself.

This, however, gives me a chance to pontificate on where Freemasonry misses the boat.

Let’s group these problems under two headings

  1. Lack of money
  2. Overworking the Brethren

If you refuse to charge realistic dues to be able to provide a great Masonic experience, then you will have no money to provide any meaningful programs and opportunities of fellowship. Realistic Lodge dues should be in the neighborhood of $500 per year. Perhaps your old run-down Masonic building is taking all your Lodge money.

The answer is not fund raisers. Fund raisers are an excuse to keep Lodge dues artificially low for elderly brothers and those who are on the rolls but never come to Lodge. Freemasonry is not a Service Club. If you are bankrupting yourself and providing an inferior Masonic experience in order to accomplish charitable works and community action for the outside world you have your priorities askew. You must first make your Lodge financially viable before you consider helping the world, for if you go under everybody loses.

Lastly you cannot place an undue burden of time and effort on the small percentage of Lodge Brothers who come regularly. Most Brothers have family, job and worship time that must be shared with Freemasonry. If you ask the few to carry the load for everybody you are abusing your Brethren and you may find some who will drop out further increasing the burden on those who are left.

Raise your dues, sell your building and rent or sign up other tenants who will help pay for the costs of running a building and stop trying to save the world while your Lodge goes to pot. Put your Lodge money into Masonic education, esoteric study, post Third Degree mentoring and great fellowship and run your Communications accordingly and you won’t have the result that Brother McAfoose describes.

freemason, Steven McAfoose
Bro. Steven McAfoose

…”the number of men who have quit in their hearts is unknown, but I don’t think any of us would say that it is low.”

Why I Quit

By Bro. Steven McAfoose

It might come as a surprise to many who know me that shortly after becoming a Master Mason and even serving as an officer of my lodge, I left Freemasonry.  And to be clear, I didn’t become less active, and it wasn’t a matter of being busy and not attending, I flat out quit. I decided that this wasn’t what I wanted and I did not anticipate ever returning. This discussion could be about why I came back, and focus on what Freemasonry can do to bring brothers back who have been absent from lodge for a time, but instead, I want to focus on why brothers leave in the first place and I’m going to do so by looking at the root cause rather than the symptoms that many others who have tackled this subject before me have done.

Statistics for brothers who have left Freemasonry are difficult to gather. While there are statistics that show gains and losses over the years, this really doesn’t give us the information we’re after. A member who joins and then quits the same year shows a net 0 number. Likewise, a man who joins, but simply becomes inactive, yet continues to pay dues makes it appear that our fraternity is growing. The fact of the matter is, the number of men who have quit in their hearts is unknown, but I don’t think any of us would say that it is low.

While I can’t say that everyone quits for the same reasons I did, I’d be willing to bet most of them leave for the same root cause; disappointment. To understand this, let’s go back and talk about what I was thinking and feeling during my first steps on this journey. Like most men who are interested in Freemasonry, the majority of what I knew was gleaned from the internet, Hollywood, and my interactions with Masons. What was this organization? What did they stand for? What do they do?  What can I expect? And is this something I want to be a part of?

…our aging lodges with stained carpets and peeling paint are a long way off from the mahogany and marble clad temples seen in the movies.

How does Freemasonry present itself, or how is it presented by others, to the outside world?  We are a brotherhood of deep ties and fraternal relations. We offer mutual beneficial support to protect each other in difficult times.  We are an ancient, prestigious institution of the elite. We have networking and connections that allow for special treatment professionally and in other aspects of life.  We are a charitable organization giving millions of dollars a year to our communities and doing social works projects in our free time.  We make good men better, focusing on self-improvement and creating a cadre of morally superior men. We delve into the ancient mysteries and lay bare esoteric knowledge and secrets that unlock the universe.

Sound familiar? Sound exciting? It certainly did to me. And I’m sure it sounds very exciting to thousands of other men who wish to join our ranks. But, the real question is, is it true?

Are we a brotherhood of deep ties and fraternal relations?  How many of us have had any contact with each other not related to lodge business? That’s not to say it doesn’t happen. One of my groomsmen at my wedding was the Worshipful Master who initiated me. But, the fact of the matter is, my college fraternity was a hundred times closer than this fraternity is.

Do we offer mutual beneficial support to protect each other in difficult times? Yes, we have committees that can offer a brother some help financially. We also have Masonic Homes for our more senior brothers and their families. But I don’t think any of us have ceased to have concerns over what would happen if we lost our job tomorrow based on the support available through Freemasonry.

Are we an ancient, prestigious institution of the elite?  Well, ancient is up for debate since the first Grand Lodge was formed only 300 years ago. Prestigious? I suppose that depends on your definition, but our aging lodges with stained carpets and peeling paint are a long way off from the mahogany and marble clad temples seen in the movies. As for elite, that certainly isn’t a label I’d use for myself, and I doubt many other brothers would either as we come from all walks of life.

Do our associations give us special treatment in the workplace or life in general?  I’ve certainly never received any benefit.  In fact, quite the opposite based on a few people with negative views of our fraternity finding out I am a member.  I think we’d all love to get out of a speeding ticket or get a promotion at work via a secret handshake, but I’ve not once heard of it happening.

Are we a charitable organization that donates millions and volunteers in the community?  In some cases, yes. Freemasonry as a whole does donate significant amounts of money each year. But as lodges continue to shrink, the funds available for this kind of thing dry up. My mother lodge spent all year putting on pancake breakfasts that required me in my early 20’s to show up at the lodge at 4am to raise money for a scholarship. That scholarship was around $5k each year. I have no doubt that the winner appreciated it, but we were hardly changing the world. As for community outreach, some lodges do more than others, but it tends to be more along the lines of a few guys from the lodge doing it rather than a true lodge effort.

Do we make good men better? I would argue no. What do we do to make good men better? We hold meetings, pay bills, practice memorizing ritual. How does that make anyone morally superior? However, there is some truth to this which I will get to later.

Do we hold the keys to secret esoteric knowledge that bring us closer to God? Like the previous question, I would say that there is some truth to this, but not in any way, shape, or form like we portray. And for roughly 95% of Masons, I’d say it just isn’t true.

So, we, Hollywood, public perception, whatever, set this expectation of what to expect. This is how our fraternity is advertised.  A man joins, and what is he met with? Meetings about paying bills. Having to memorize pages of ritual that basically sounds like a goofy play. Giving up his free time to perpetuate these things, and without any of the things that were advertised to him at the beginning. Bait and switch might be a harsh term, but it wouldn’t be completely wrong.

But I’m not condemning Freemasonry for this. Half of this is how the rest of the world portrays us. Another 25% is us wanting to agree with the positive assumptions and so perhaps not correcting them as strongly as we should. The last quarter of these portrayals are true, but perhaps not to the extent that the ambitious candidate expects.

This was the state that I found myself in years ago; disenfranchised with the reality of the situation. I had done my part, I thought.  I had memorized the ritual, and I had put in the time, I had paid my dues, I had rushed from work straight to meetings to give up my free time to listen to retired brothers argue for hours about whether $50 per month to pay for a company to mow the grass was reasonable of if we should form a committee to investigate alternatives. And what did I receive in return?  …nothing. I had become a mentor in my lodge and had initiated new men, mentored them, helped them progress so that they could then do the same for future generations of Masons. But for what? So that we could continue to argue about bills and form committees?  Is this all that Freemasonry had to offer? And so, I quit.  And no doubt, there were discussions about it after I did so.  Probably with the same tired grumblings of the old guys in the back that we typically hear.

“These younger kids don’t want to put in the work.  He’s lazy. He said he could spare the time, but then he backed out.”  We make up these excuses for the brothers who leave, never bothering to ask them. We look for solutions to these false reasons. One day raisings. Short form proficiencies. More casual lodge conditions.

Let me make this abundantly clear; a man who is told what his expectations are, and agrees, and then later backs out probably didn’t do so because it was too much effort. He knew what he was getting himself into. What he found, is that it was too much effort for what he got in return. And that’s the problem. It’s the bait and switch. We failed to hold up our end of the bargain, so why should he hold up his end? I decided not to. I quit.

And yet…here I sit. So what brought me back? The requirements on my time and energy didn’t change. The fraternity didn’t change.  So what shift was there in the dynamic? It was simply a more honest look at the relationship I had with Freemasonry. I took a step back and I looked at it with open eyes.

This brotherhood wasn’t like the one in my college fraternity, but it made available to me men who held similar interests and values as I did. But it was up to me to make those connections.

The support of Freemasonry might not keep me from worrying about losing my job, but it does offer additional resources that I wouldn’t otherwise have if life takes a turn for the worse.

We might not be an ancient institution, but we carry on the legacy and perpetuate teachings that reach back to antiquity. Our prestige has waned over the years, but it is not the external qualifications that our fraternity ought to be judged by, but our internal qualities. And it is up to me as a representative of our great moral institution to demonstrate to the world by my example just how elite we are.

Our membership does not bring special favors, and I know that now. But with the teachings I have learned from Freemasonry, I am glad for it, because if it did, I would not be able to learn the valuable lessons of humility and equality.

Whether we are a charitable organization could be debated from lodge to lodge. I know there are some lodges that focus heavily on charity and volunteer work, and if that was my primary concern, I would belong to those lodges and take advantage of their active involvement. But again, that is a decision that I am responsible for. But aside from that, Freemasonry has instilled in me a more charitable nature. My giving isn’t always in front of a podium with an oversized check with a square and compass on it. It is to the hungry man on the corner, to the children selling candy bars for a school trip, to Toys for Tots, to the Salvation Army, to the local food bank. My charity might not be organized, but that doesn’t make it any less helpful. And again, that is my decision.

And that brings us to making good men better. I believe that Freemasonry’s oft used adage of ‘We make good men better’ is a misnomer. I think instead, we ought to say ‘we provide the tools to allow good men to make themselves better.’ We need to change the belief that we do something to others. It is not a passive improvement on the part of our candidates. Rather, we give them the means by which they can improve themselves.

And this is done by way of the teachings contained in our rituals. Lessons that go back thousands of years.  But, like any other lesson, they are useless unless the student is willing to spend the time and effort to understand them and put them into practice. When I realized this, I realized that the fraternity did not fail me. I failed me. I was given what I needed to improve myself, and then I sat there statically, upset that nothing was happening. I viewed the meetings as a waste of time, not understanding that the meetings are what allowed us to continue to pass on the tools to new brothers, so that each of us could improve ourselves.

It was this shift in my perspective that lead me to realize that Freemasonry still had a great deal to offer, but only if I was willing to seize it. I was fortunate in the fact that I came to this realization on my own. I fear that few brothers in my shoes will do the same. Therefore, it is up to us to ensure that it never gets to that point in the first place. So how do we do that?

Simple; we set realistic expectations. We tell the candidate what it is really like.  Not the pretty, shiny image we put on brochures, but the reality of day to day life as a Freemason. We tell him about the long, boring meetings. We tell him about the work he’ll have to do memorizing ritual, including the time it will take to drive to meet his instructors. We tell him that not all lodges are equal; that some focus on charity, that some focus on research, that some focus on fellowship. We encourage him to visit many different lodges and explain that they all have their pros and cons and tell him that it is important to find the one that truly offers whatever it is he’s looking for. We bluntly explain that while we will provide his working tools to improve himself, he is the one who must labor in the quarries. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, we explain that during his labors, when he finds that he wants help, that he must proactively seek us out, and in turn, we must make a commitment to support him.

It is natural to assume that by removing some of the gilding from Masonry that we may hear fewer knocks at our door. But if we provide a fair and honest assessment of what can be found within our temples, we will lay a solid foundation of understanding among our new brothers that will result in a stronger edifice.

Masonic Traveler, The Book

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Masonic Traveler - the book by Greg Stewart
Masonic Traveler – the book by Greg Stewart

A book  review by Frederic L. Milliken

Masonic Traveler, the book, was something I looked at often on the site I am part of, Freemason Information, and said to myself I have to order that book. Next month I reminded myself, order that book but I didn’t. Next month I reminded myself again but I didn’t. Next month…and so it went until the day I met Greg Stewart in person for the first time and he gave me a copy as a gift. And I am so glad he did because this is a book that fills in a lot of blanks, those parts of Freemasonry that were never questioned and never answered.

Masonic Traveler is a book that will bring many Freemasons into the esoteric part of Freemasonry that a Mason never gets in Lodge. It is a journey, the journey of Greg Stewart who is a Masonic Traveler.

Brother Tim Bryce, no stranger to either one of us or Freemason Information, wrote the introduction to the book in which he said,

Bro. Greg Stewart is a Renaissance Mason with a ravenous curiosity for all things Masonic.

The content of the book comes from a number of essays, some of which have been reworked, on Stewart’s Masonic Traveler blog from 2005-2008. Stewart is the type of individual that always has questions, always wants to know why, always wants the story behind the story and the philosophical underpinnings behind the answers if there are any. He tells us,

Of all the conclusions I have come to the most prominent to me is that the system of Freemasonry today is not merely one of a weekly social hour or ‘fish fry’ as is so often the accusation, but instead a rich philosophical society with fingers both in the ‘third way’ of faith and in the ‘new age’ idea of a metaphysical spiritual development.

So Stewart takes us on his journey. We are on board with him and as the train leaves the station we are introduced to some simple concepts such as The Beehive and Anno Lucis, then proceeding to the slightly heavier subjects of esoterica, education and the place of religion in Freemasonry, from there on to the really heavy topics of symbolism, King Solomon’s Temple, Hermetic tradition and its intertwining with Freemasonry, and the same for the Kybalion, the First Degree Tracing Board finally to Faith ,Hope and Charity.

On this journey we feel a real need to spread the light of some really good Stewartisms.

Chapter  One titled “What Is A Freemason” starts us off with a simple basic explanation.

“A Freemason,” Stewart writes,

is a man who in searching for life’s ineffable questions, finds his way into the company of fellow seekers. Comprised of men from every nation, races, social and economic level, all hold similar ideals and beliefs. The uniting idea is a faith in the divine founded in the certitude in an afterlife. This ‘belief’ is grounded by certain landmark tenants and virtues which ultimately lead in exploration of those invisible questions, leading ultimately to the betterment of all mankind.

Later on he says, “Freemasonry strives in its membership to bring like minded men together to explore the four cardinal virtues in hopes to glimpse the divine transcendence of God.”

Next we do some basic “Digging” into esoterica before we later are treated to the real heavy stuff.

Stewart explains,

What I have come to see is that at some point early in the 1600s, Freemason and Rosicrucian thought crossed paths and likely merged for a time together to form a large degree of esoteric (occult) and organizational knowledge.

He goes on to say,

These ideas came from the alchemists and proto scientists who brought an air of this Hermetic Magick born anew in the coalesced ideas of the Rosicrucian movement, to manifest in the writing of texts such as the Fama Fraternitas.

Expounding on this theme further in Chapter Five, Stewarts writes, “Some writers such as Anderson, Mackey, and later Hall, have made great strides in linking allegorical meanings and symbolic teachings to a broader history with an ethereal connection to the past.”

From the Ziggurats of Ur to the Egyptian mysteries, the breadth of Hinduism and the creation of the Torah, the school of Pythagoras, the Hermetic traditions, the Evolution of Christianity and later Islam the Kabbalah traditions to the Christian mysticism and unfoldment of the self in the new age and in modern psychology, each of these ideas evolving through time to later merge and meld with a Rosicrucian alchemy whose roots go back to the Roman empire and passed from one seeker to another, one esoteric group to another, to eventually be taken in by the societies sub rosas and emerge in the hands of the Free-stone masons and practiced in Lodge.

Many Masons reject this connection of esotericism and see only an institute that caters to the community aspect, basing the fraternity on their own personal faiths and choosing not to see its associations with other seekers.

But I believe that the true nature of Freemasonry at its core exists in both realms, a balance of fraternity and ceremonial initiation of letter and law whose value is in the creation of its shared experience. From it we can delve into this esoteric past from whence we came and explore the ideas of our generations and shape them in our time for how the future will study them.

When we turn to Masonic education Stewart even is philosophical here:

Perhaps it is that Freemasonry is not really a ‘thing’ as such, but instead the essence, ethereal and intangible. It is not necessarily a cause of an action but a contributor, the unseen impetus of our existence.

Directly I see Masonic light coming from within. We carry the light, learning from its reflection on the things we illuminate with our wisdom.

The illumination we seek is an internal understanding of our relationship to the divine and I would argue that all light leads to the same divinity though known by different names in different lands. Freemasonry is but one path to that end. It not being a faith, it is rather a way to conceive the divine, a way to conceive God.

Moving on to Oaths in chapter seven Stewart writes:

That the idea of God does not just exist in one conception; it instead resides in all of us and in all of our myriad faiths and faith teachings. With that in mind and our own individual beliefs at bay, is any one faith greater than the other? Remember there is a divine spark in man that bears a close resemblance to the supreme intelligence of the universe. In a situation where men meet upon the level and in a faith neutral environment, should one text be held above another? How could we not see the value in all faiths?

Next comes my personal favorite chapter in the book – “Freemasonry, The Religion Of Not Being A Religion,” not only because it is a subject I have written about, researched and taken to heart myself but also because of the outstanding job Stewart does with the subject.

Ready for some more Stewartisms?

Masonry is the universal morality which is suitable to the inhabitants of every clime, to the man of every creed. It has taught no doctrines, except those truths that tend directly to the well- being of man; and those who have attempted to direct it toward useless vengeance, political ends, and Jesuitism, have merely perverted it to purposes foreign to its pure spirit and real nature.

With these quotes in mind is Freemasonry a faith? No, not at all. Is Freemasonry a Religion? Perhaps in its practice, yes, as it carries forward a tradition from the past to be taught to generations in the future, but not a dogmatic belief system with specifics to salvation. Is Freemasonry tolerant of all faiths? Yes. Does that frighten, distance and otherwise disenfranchise all fundamental ideologues? Yes, it does which is why every organized dogmatically proscribed faith denounces Freemasonry.

Freemasonry is the religion of not being a religion, the faith of all faiths. It says that no one faith is right, and no one faith is wrong, which is diametrically opposed to what any fundamentalist body wants to tell you is right.

One of the aspects I have found in Freemasonry is that it is like a religion, but not a faith. The practice is liturgical and the catechism is universally teaching a message, but the message is not on divinity, or on faith. It is, the religion of not being a religion. It is a difficult concept, as there is nothing else to compare it to, as no other system promotes faith without saying in who that faith resides, which is how we come to the idea of the Great Architect. In this embodiment, we can collect all ideas of the divine as the creation of the universe, the Monad, or point of creation.

It is in this lack of a dominating opinion of how the practice should be conducted where we find the most infuriating issue. Because of the open stance of the Fraternity and the willingness that it has as being an ecumenical and non sectarian practice, it puts all faiths on an equal footing, not allowing any one faith to leverage power or authority over another.

Stewart goes on to bemoan the loss of study and meaning in the symbols of Freemasonry.

Our symbols today speak to an era long gone by and have become lost to the uninitiated on their meaning, purpose, and importance which has been drowned by an overload of icons. The studies of these internal symbols are quickly becoming relegated to a modern history that is forgetting its near past, by ignoring its archaic origins, and decrying its ideals. Ironically, they are the very ideas that are in even more need today.

The book then segways right into the deeper philosophical contributions of Hermeticism and the Kybalion.

Today this tradition may seem antiquated and even superfluous, but it is the model of our origin and a shining example of the progress towards the city upon the hill. History may consider the secret societies as below the sight of the mainstream, but it was not the membership that passed itself on through the ages, but rather the ancient communication of the development of the self, the vestige of Thoth and the Thrice great Hermes, as the message brought forward to us today. It is that message of self discovery that is transferred to us, as we become the inheritors of its memory to be re-communicated to the future.

It is to Hermes that all western esoteric teaching is said to have originated, in that through this philosophy, Hermes planted the ‘great seed of truth’ instead of founding a teaching school as many other great philosophers of his age did. It was by mouth to ear communication that this wisdom was passed through the ages. But also it was cautioned that it is not for everyone in that the lips (words or wisdom) are closed, except to those with the ears of understanding. To preserve the wisdom, the ancient teachers warned against allowing the secret doctrine to become crystallized into a creed which would allow it to become dogmatic and inflexible.

Much of this history is fanciful and well imagined, but the Hermetic teachings have been linked to a late period of Egypt, and like most ancient or religious in nature texts their true origin and history is in shadow. It is from this tradition that it is supposed that Freemasonry originated. As a continuation of the Egyptian mystery schools, the method of teaching, and the philosophy taught was promulgated forward. Perhaps of significance is the point of preventing the philosophy from becoming dogmatic or crystallized into a specific creed. But even faced with that question, the philosophy has at various points been studied and adopted as an aspect of their faiths, including Christianity and Judaism. And it is in this connection that we can draw parallels to Gnosticism, which was in a sense a middle way between them.

From there the book goes into the seven applied Hermetic principals from the Kybalion.

  • THE PRINCIPLE OF MENTALISM
  • THE PRINCIPLE OF CORRESPONDENCE
  • THE PRINCIPLE OF VIBRATION
  • THE PRINCIPLE OF POLARITY
  • THE PRINCIPLE OF RHYTHM
  • THE PRINCIPLE OF CAUSE AND EFFECT
  • THE PRINCIPLE OF GENDER

By understanding these principles and the Kybalion, we can better attune their operation and function in our daily lives. By doing this, we can embark on a path to Mastery and unfold that inner lotus of knowing. By knowing, we take on the word of creation ‘I am” and become creators and shapers ourselves. It is here that we find the lost word in the lessons of the Kybalion which is the key to our Mastery as a Mason.

On the chapter on King Solomon’s Temple Stewart has this to say:

The presence of King Solomon’s Temple in ancient thought, from the  earliest Old Testament writings to the pinnacle of renaissance occult philosophy has preserved it as an iconographic representation of the path of the divine. Solomon’s temple is not a solitary place in history, used as a simple metaphor in which to base an allegorical play.  Instead, it is a link in early Christian Cabala and Hermetic thought, which is just as vital today, as it was then, to the tradition of Freemasonry, to define and create a construct to relate our movement through its several chambers . Just as it represented the pinnacle of holy practice, so too can it be equated to our own spiritual development by progressive degrees. It is still a metaphor worthy of deeper reflection and thought.

Further chapters deal with St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist and the many symbols and their meaning of a First Degree Tracing Board . What is noteworthy here is Stewart’s excellent treatment of The Point Within A Circle.

Then it is on to Faith, Hope and Charity and we are done.  Stewart does a commendable job of intertwining Charity with love and on Faith he has this to say:

By seeking Sophia, that wisdom and knowledge, those things to which we hold our faith inviolate can only then be understood. Through wisdom, we can coalesce our ideas of divine revelation into tangibles that we can then attribute as a part of our faith.

L- Greg Stewart and R- Frederic L. Milliken
Greg Stewart (left) and Frederic L. Milliken (right) in 2015.

Masonic Traveler is a book that should be a part of every Mason’s library.

Normally I am not enthralled by a collection of essays merged into a book because the message seems to get so splintered. But Stewart does a great job in creating a flow where one topic naturally flows into the next, with one exception. A chapter we didn’t mention “So What” which is a dissertation on the decline of Freemasonry accompanied by statistics that show the trouble that Freemasonry is in, seemed to be just artificially inserted into the middle of some deep philosophical thought in chapters surrounding it. It stuck out like a sore thumb as being out of place and might have fit better as a lead off first chapter.

But withstanding that criticism there is nothing else to say that would put this book in a less than a stellar light. The great thing about it is that in reading Masonic Traveler it will open and expand your mind and you will be taken on an adventure of possibilities and insights that you might not yet have come across. For that reason, among many, I highly recommend this book.

You can find Masonic Traveler on Amazon.

If You Truly Want To Walk On Water, You Have To Get Out Of The Boat

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“If you run with wolves, you will learn how to howl. But, if you associate with eagles, you will learn how to soar to great heights.”

I was watching a video by Dennis Prager on happiness recently when it suddenly came to me that this had much significance for my Freemasonry and what the Craft meant to me. Now you might not see any Masonic connection with the video included here. One of the reasons is that we all join Freemasonry for different reasons and we all participate in the aspect of Freemasonry that speaks loudest to us.

Some of us use Freemasonry to network. The connections you make within the Fraternity can do wonders for your business.

Some of us enjoy the camaraderie of Freemasonry and that is what we get out of the Craft. Being close to a circle of buddies is important to human beings who are by nature social animals. It is especially important to those who do not make friends in their other walks of life.

Some of us want to give back to society, to leave something behind that contributed to the well being of humankind. We take part in some of the many charitable works of Freemasonry and the institutions Freemasonry has set up to make life better.

Some of us are seekers of a moral way of life outside of organized religion. The virtues of Freemasonry fill a need for those of us who seek to lead a noble life, to lift our spirits into the next realm and who want to do it here, right now.

Some of us are intrigued by the esoteric side of Freemasonry and desire to pursue Hermetic and Gnostic study. We see a connection from the ancient mysteries of Egypt, Israel, Greece and Rome right up into our present time. This knowledge, we believe, will show us a path to a greater way of life.

Many of us pursue more than one of these sides of Freemasonry; many of us only one. It is true that Freemasonry is a way of life, but that way of life may be different to different Freemasons. The overriding factor that ties all these factors together is our desire to take control of our lives and make a difference – to other people but even more so to ourselves.

That’s what Dennis Prager is trying to do. He is purposefully trying to change his behavior for the better. He sees a moral obligation to be the best person he can be. Does that not sound like Freemasonry? Do we as Masons not see a moral obligation to be a better person? Is it not possible that many who have joined Freemasonry have made a conscious step to be a better person by joining with others who have the same goals? This becomes not a mutual admiration society but a mutual self improvement society. Dennis Prager is doing it all by himself but we as Freemasons are doing it together in a group.

So let me pause here to add two rules of thumb that have guided me in this quest to take control of my life and point it in the right direction.

1) We all need a cheering section in our lives, a group of people who will shore us up in our time of need and encourage us to be the best we can be. We do not need people who bring us down.

Gregory Scott Reid put it this way:

“A few years back, I looked around and noticed that all I did was hang around with other salespeople such as myself. Realizing that I wanted more from my life than to simply sit around talking about the great deal or the money I’d made that day, I sought out a new group of people to associate myself with—people who could help me on my new journey to become an author and motivational speaker. I ran ads on the Internet and in the newspaper seeking new people to associate with and “soak up the success” with, so to speak.”

“When I couldn’t find such a club, I decided to create one of my own. I called it the Influential Men’s Group. We met once a month and discussed our ideas and plans to make them become realities. Most important, we supported and held one other accountable to see those dreams come true.”

“As I write this now, I think to myself how grateful I am for all the wonderful people who’ve come into my life this past year. Due to this great group of people, I’ve gone from a business owner/salesman, to a number one best-selling author.”

“We are the company we keep. Choose your company wisely.”

Freemasonry is not only a way of life it is a family and as one big family there are always family members there to help you through the rough times and to bolster your spirit.

That’s why:

2) We are who we associate with

When you run with the wrong group you start to pick up their ways. When you run with the right group their righteousness rubs off on you.

Colin Powell offers these words of advice:

“The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity. An important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting people. As you grow, your associates will change. Some of your friends will not want you to go on. They will want you to stay where they are. Friends that don’t help you climb will want you to crawl. Your friends will stretch your vision or choke your dream. Those that don’t increase you will eventually decrease you.”

Consider this:

“Never receive counsel from unproductive people. Never discuss your problems with someone incapable of contributing to the solution, because those who never succeed themselves are always first to tell you how. Not everyone has a right to speak into your life. You are certain to get the worst of the bargain when you exchange ideas with the wrong person. Don’t follow anyone who’s not going anywhere.”

“With some people you spend an evening: with others you invest it. Be careful where you stop to inquire for directions along the road of life. Wise is the person who fortifies his life with the right friendships. If you run with wolves, you will learn how to howl. But, if you associate with eagles, you will learn how to soar to great heights. ‘A mirror reflects a man’s face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses.’”

“The simple but true fact of life is that you become like those with whom you closely associate – for the good and the bad.”

So I, as a Freemason, consciously sought out the Masonic Fraternity to help me with the ups and downs of life and to bond with others who are on the same path, knowing that I have surrounded myself with people of good will and a genuine interest in my well being. For me that was a good enough reason to join the Craft. And my life has been the better for it, because like Dennis Prager I have tried to modify my behavior for the better, only I am not doing it alone. I am doing it with my Brothers and Sisters who are my family and who love me as if I was blood.

We leave the last word to Steven Conn:

“Often times I look at people and see so much potential. I see the people they surround them selves with and look at what they do with their spare time and am saddened by the reality of the potential waiting to burst out, but yet will never come.”

“Who we are now is based on past experiences and decisions that we have made and the influence we have received from others, but we can’t dwell on the past if we want to accomplish great things. Sometimes we need to make tough choices and make some changes in the friendships we have. At least we have to rethink who we are getting advice from.”

“If we are going to make a change in our life, it requires effort and surrounding ourselves with new people of influence. Find someone that has changed for the positive in any area and they will tell you that someone helped them through it all, that without that person they would have failed miserably. Look around at the people you associate with. Are they constantly learning and researching new ideas, expanding their minds and keeping up with new technology. Are they looking to have a positive impact on the people around them or are they filled with unending sarcasm and belittling of anyone that tries to change or make a difference.”

“Are you hanging around with people that think change is too hard and things will never get better, or are you surrounding yourself with people that have eyes of a child and think anything is possible.”

“It takes faith to believe in what we cannot see. Have faith and seek out people that are looking to make a difference and you will be amazed at how you too, will accomplish what you want.”

“I believe that if you truly want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat.”

 

MEGA Brands partners with Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada

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Exceptional Care OdysseyMEGA Brands has pledged to donate $500,000 for new Shriners hospital while launching a limited edition Mega Bloks® Fundraising Toy.

Montreal – June 6, 2014 – MEGA Brands Inc., a member of the Mattel family of companies (NASDAQ: MAT), announced the start of a new partnership with Shriners Hospitals for Children® – Canada. The toy maker has pledged $500,000 to the hospital’s Exceptional Care for Exceptional Kids campaign and will launch a custom-made and limited edition Mega Bloks™ First Builders Block Buddy fundraising toy at today’s International Shriners Day celebration in Ottawa.

Additionally, MEGA Brands will provide Mega Bloks toys and decorations for the new hospital’s Child Life playroom. Located in Montreal, construction of the new Shriners Hospital for Children began in spring of 2013, and is expected to be complete in 2015.

In order to help drive donations to the Exceptional Care for Kids campaign, MEGA Brands has designed a Shriners-inspired Block Buddy to add to the Mega Bloks First Builders line. Called “Loveable Lucas,” the Limited Edition Block Buddy can be purchased at select Shriners Temples, at Shriners Hospitals for Children — Canada in Montreal or online at http://exceptionalcare4kids.com.

“Shriners Hospitals for Children -Canada does a remarkable job of providing exceptional care and services to children and their loved ones in communities across Canada,” said Bisma Ansari, vice president of marketing, MEGA Brands Inc. “Our team was thrilled to bring to life a brand-new Shriners-inspired toy, and we can’t wait to help create the hospital’s Child Life playroom. MEGA Brands could not be happier to join forces with this outstanding institution.”

To commemorate International Shriners Day, Loveable Lucas will make his debut, and be available for purchase, at the Shriners celebration in Ottawa. Today’s event will be held at Ottawa City Hall, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and hosted by Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and members of the Tunis Shrine Temple. The Tunis Klowns, Keystone Kops, Mini Bikes and Tunis Air Force Units will also add to the fun. Please visit for more information on the Exceptional Care Odyssey.

American Academy of Ophthalmology to Develop Knights Templar Eye Foundation Pediatric Ophthalmology Education Center

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First-of-its-kind online medical resource to provide ophthalmologists globally with the latest clinical information for treating children’s eye diseases and disorders

Knights Templar Eye Foundation - A Masonic Charity
Knights Templar Eye Foundation
A Masonic Charity

The American Academy of Ophthalmology today announced a new partnership with the Knights Templar Eye Foundation (KTEF) to establish the first online medical resource center dedicated to children’s eye care. Made possible through a generous grant from KTEF, the virtual skills transfer center will provide ophthalmologists globally with the latest clinical information for treating children’s eye diseases and disorders.

The creation of the Knights Templar Eye Foundation Pediatric Ophthalmology Education Center (KTEF Education Center) is an important step toward addressing a large and growing burden of vision loss. An estimated 19 million children worldwide under the age of 15 are visually impaired, 1.4 million of whom are blind. [1] Many cases of childhood blindness could be avoided with interventions using existing knowledge.[2]

The KTEF Education Center aims to help prevent pediatric blindness by supporting the lifelong learning needs of pediatric ophthalmologists and the on-demand learning needs of comprehensive ophthalmologists. Regardless of location and formal training, it will allow ophthalmologists to have access to the most current surgical and clinical guidance and instruction. The KTEF Education Center’s content will address the needs of residents and fellows, mid-career practitioners as well as physicians training in less-developed countries. Resources will include:

  • Urgent diagnostic and treatment guides – Reference quick guides on diagnostic and treatment criteria for children in critical and emergency situations.
  • Video guides – Watch demonstrations on surgical techniques, symptomology and diagnostic approaches particular to childhood eye disorders.
  • Expert clinical advice from peers – Share and find expert clinical advice on certain cases or general clinical challenges.
  • Latest developments and standards of care – Review the latest in evolving standards in diagnosis and treatment, both medical and surgical, and access evidence-based preferred practice patterns based on peer-reviewed literature.
  • Guidance for pediatric practice management – Learn how to understand and navigate the changing health care environment as it pertains to childhood eye care.

The KTEF Pediatric Ophthalmology Education Center is expected to launch in 2015. The executive editor will be Faruk Örge, M.D., director of the Center for Pediatric Ophthalmology at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland and vice chair of clinical affairs at the University Hospitals Eye Institute, Case Medical Center. The deputy executive editor will be K. David Epley, M.D., a past president of the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.

The center will be housed within The Ophthalmic News & Education Network®. The Academy’s ONE® Network is the world’s largest online source of peer-reviewed, high-quality news and education for ophthalmologists. Funded by the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (FAAO), the ONE Network provides more than 50 interactive cases and courses, full-text access to nine leading journals, self-assessment questions, practice guidelines, and thousands of videos and clinical images. It also provides summaries of the Academy’s practice guidelines in eight languages and is used by ophthalmologists in more than 140 countries.

“The Knights Templar Eye Foundation is a tremendous partner for ophthalmologists and our patients, and this grant is an extraordinary gift for the profession,” said David W. Parke II, M.D., CEO of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “The KTEF Pediatric Ophthalmology Education Center will ensure a strong educational foundation for current and future generations of ophthalmologists. It will speed the adoption of new knowledge, technology and treatments, and will eliminate a lack of ophthalmic education as a contributor to global blindness. No such resource currently exists.”

“We are proud to expand our relationship with the Academy and contribute to the advancement of ophthalmic education through this innovative new resource,” said KTEF President David D. Goodwin, who also serves on the FAAO Advisory Board. “The KTEF Pediatric Ophthalmology Center will provide a real opportunity to make a difference and improve the outcomes in eye care for children worldwide.”

Incorporated in 1956, KTEF is a charity sponsored by the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar, a Masonic fraternal organization. Their mission is “to improve vision through research, education, and supporting access to care.” For the last 19 years, the KTEF has been a key supporter of the FAAO’s public service program EyeCare America, which provides sight-saving services to the medically underserved across the United States.

About the Knights Templar Eye Foundation
The Knights Templar Eye Foundation, incorporated in 1956, is a charity sponsored by the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar. The Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees comprised of the six elected officers of the Grand Encampment, all Past Grand Masters of the Grand Encampment, and six trustees-at-large elected from and by the membership for a term of nine years. It is exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501 (c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code and contributions made to the Foundation are deductible by donors.

The original mission of the Foundation was “to provide assistance to those who face loss of sight due to the need for surgical treatment without regard to race, color, creed, age, sex or national origin provided they are unable to pay or receive adequate assistance from current government agencies or similar sources and to provide funds for research in curing diseases of the eye.”

About the American Academy of Ophthalmology
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY LOGOThe American Academy of Ophthalmology, headquartered in San Francisco, is the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons — Eye M.D.s — with more than 32,000 members worldwide. Eye health care is provided by the three “O’s” – ophthalmologists, optometrists, and opticians. It is the ophthalmologist, or Eye M.D., who has the education and training to treat it all: eye diseases, infections and injuries, and perform eye surgery. For more information, visit www.aao.org.

The Academy’s EyeSmart® program educates the public about the importance of eye health and empowers them to preserve healthy vision. EyeSmart provides the most trusted and medically accurate information about eye diseases, conditions and injuries. OjosSanos™ is the Spanish-language version of the program. Visit www.geteyesmart.org or www.ojossanos.org to learn more.

About the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology
Established in 1980, the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology raises financial support and implements programs that advance ophthalmic education resulting in the best possible eye care for the public. Funds raised by the Academy Foundation are used to develop new Academy educational products and services and to preserve the history of ophthalmology and that of the Academy. Since its inception, the Foundation has worked to advance ophthalmic education and provide better care for the public. More information can be found at www.faao.org.

[1] http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/
[2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC214052/

 

Increasing Membership The Right Way

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Once again the cries of a “membership crisis” resound across the Masonic landscape. The question is will Freemasonry double down on what has failed its ability to add new members? Will it continue to try to market the Craft in order to bring in new members? Will it continue to corrupt Masonic charity by making it a tool of Masonic awareness and publicity?

Freemasonry is a personal journey. Yes there is brotherhood bonding and yes there are family gatherings under the square and compass. But the Lodge is not a men’s social club dedicated to curing the ills and failings of society. Freemasonry is a personal journey to better a man’s life.

When Freemasonry either uses the community for cheap publicity or parades itself about in the public eye for the purpose of hyping membership, it not only cheapens itself but it takes away from the practice of Freemasonry itself. Spending an inordinate time and money on marketing the Craft makes for a diminished and cheapened product, the product you are trying to sell being Freemasonry.

When Freemasonry is practiced poorly you end up with a retention problem. You can bring candidates in by the ton but unrealized expectations won’t convince them to stay.

The answer is not to try to market Freemasonry but instead improve the product, the practice of Freemasonry, to the point where it sells itself. Don’t put the cart before the horse. You can’t talk about how great Freemasonry is until you do a good job of practicing it. Don’t spend all your time and money trying to market a poor product, spend your time and money on making the product better. With a superior product, something they cannot find elsewhere, people will beat down your doors to get in.

So put on great degrees, insure good mentoring, provide extensive Masonic education, see to it that there is great fellowship and perform some meaningful community service or individual aid without expecting anything in return.

Even then Freemasonry may not sell itself. The path to success in building membership is to be pro active as an individual, one on one with those whom you come in contact with that are worthy. Don’t try to mass sell Freemasonry! Sell it one on one and by example.

How often have you heard a man say that when he was young he looked up to leaders in the community who had an aura of goodness and kindness and humility? And then he found out that what formed their lives to be such honorable men was Freemasonry. Such men were Ambassadors for Freemasonry.

So consciously work at building your membership individually. Keep Freemasonry a personal journey to be shared with others who are worthy who wish to improve their personal journey. Make your Lodge the greatest expression of Freemasonry that you can. Then and only then invite others to join you that they may see the light also.

How do you actually go about this? We turn to some suggestions from RW Bro. Hugh Goldie whose paper appeared on Canadian Brother Wayne Anderson’s Weekly Newsletter. Once again to get on Brother Anderson’s mailing list get in touch with him at wda_572@sympatico.ca

R.W.Bro Hugh Goldie, DDGM, Frontenac District, Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario, speaking at his Official Visit to Prince of Wales Lodge No. 157, Napanee, Ontario, 07 November 2012

 

At your meeting back in September I was happy to hear that you had started a Membership initiative and I would be happy to tell you tonight that I have all the answers you need to increase your membership. I wish I did, however I would like to share with you some research and reading I have done on this matter.

Having participated in membership drives I can tell you it is a thankless job when your efforts just seem to be futile.

I have done some reading of Scott Geinsberg who is known as the name tag guy and great brain candy you can download his books free they are thought provoking and inspirational. He has tried to analyze how to be successful in membership drives.

Number one fact you can’t force people to join your organization.

What you can do is increase the probability that people will join – simply by making yourself, your people and your organization more joinable.

That means new approaches are required. And if you want to reach the people who matter, consider this counter-intuitive suggestion:

Instead of getting people to join you – try joining them first.

Lets explore some ways to join people first:

Figure out why people are.

It doesn’t matter what people do for a living – it only matters why they do it. That’s what defines people. That’s what drives them to contribute.

And if you want people to join first, I suggest you touch the center of their why. Even if it’s as simple as asking them, “Why do you do what you do?”

You’d be amazed how telling this question is. And the cool part is, once you have their answer, you can connect their why to the organization you represent.

Involvement isn’t something you can force upon people. People always make time for what’s important to them. Which means, if they aren’t joining your organization, it might not be your fault. It might have nothing to do with you.

Maybe Wednesday night is a terrible time for them to attend lodge functions because their kids have soccer practice.

Or, maybe they’re just out of college and can’t commit to monthly meetings because they’d rather go to the gym or be with their friends.

It doesn’t mean they don’t like you – it just means they have different priorities. In the book Brains on Fire, Robbin Phillips writes about this very idea, “It’s not about how people fit into your plan – but rather about how you fit into their lives.”

Develop and harness a powerful, sustainable word-of-mouth movement
Try this: Instead of assuming people are apathetic, uncommitted heathens, ask them how your organization might become a part of their schedule.

Then, once you’ve gathered consensus, consider giving an alternative to your activity schedule to accommodate a diverse group of member priorities.

If the first Monday or Tuesday of the month doesn’t fit maybe the neighboring lodge who meets on the second Thursday or Friday may. We should not always think of membership as just a lodge exercise we want to look at new membership globally.

Are you starting with the member in mind or just starting with the member?

Hang on their home turf.

Recruiting efforts could include breaking bread with potential members. I’d take that over a phone call any day.
Meet people for lunch at their office or in their neighborhood. It’s a better window into their world. That’s a smoother transition from “How are you?” to “Who are you?”

Maybe meet at a prospective candidates’ home. That’s the big win: When you meet their families. Eat their food. Hang on their turf. And we might talk about joining – we might not.

The point is to meet people where they are. Literally. Sure beats sitting on your backside with crossed fingers and high hopes.

Learn people’s learning styles.

Not everyone needs to come to every meeting. Maybe they prefer small group meetings. Maybe they’re homebodies who’d rather just occasionally participate in meetings.

It Doesn’t make them any less of a member. It just means they process information differently. And only when you understand these preferences can you tailor your messages accordingly.

Use Less outreach, more inbreak.

In the book Jim and Casper Go to Church, you learn the difference between “outreaching,” which is inviting people to join your group, and “inbreaking,” which is joining an existing community action and getting to know them leveraging common ideas to entice them that they would be a good addition to your organisation.

Try this: Consider the types of members you hope to attract. What groups are they already a part of? What role in the community do they currently occupy? Create a gameplan to take a more active role in those spaces. People will notice.

Remember: Your members shouldn’t have to adjust to you. You need to adapt for them. Whose life are you willing to become a part of?

Discover their desired way to contribute.

Instead of laying a guilt trip on potential members for not devoting every waking moment of their life to your organization, try asking them how they’d like to contribute.

After all, that’s why people join: To give back. To add value to others, to the organization and to the world.

The trick is, not everyone contributes the same way. At work Personally, I despise meetings. They are the bane of my existence. And I refuse to waste my valuable (and billable) time sitting around a table with seven people trying to figure out what meetings we should schedule and how often.

On the other hand I am schedule driven and process orientated if you want to prioritize work with a solid logic and good processes this is the principle instrument of my contribution.

No problem. I’m your man.

Your challenge is to dive into the lives of the people around you. To join them by discovering and honoring their desired way to contribute. Do so, and you’ll be surprised what they’re willing to give to your organization. How are you helping people help you?

Find out what joining looks like to them.

Everybody joins differently. A single guy in his thirties approaches joining a group differently than retired widower in his sixties. And if you’ve read Bowling Alone, you know that some people aren’t even joiners at all.

Bowling alone talks about how the number of bowlers is rising but the number of teams and leagues are dropping.

Our lifestyles and electronic devices promote isolation and not group or community involvement.

Therefore: If we seek to reach a diverse group of new members, you have to go out of your way to find out how people prefer to join. Without this information, your outreach efforts fall on deaf ears.

I don’t care that we have the greatest organization in the world. If you’re leaving voice mail messages on a potential member’s phone, odds are he will never, ever call you back. You may as well be winking in the dark.

The reality is some people just want to pay their dues, show up to five meetings a year and get on with their lives.

They’re never going to volunteer.
They’re never going to win member of the year.
They’re never going to be District Deputy Grand Master.

No matter how many members nominate them.

As a leader, you need to be okay with this reality. Stop compartmentalizing people into convenient little personality boxes and just let them join as they see fit.

REMEMBER: There are people out there just dying to join us.

And they will.

As long as you’re willing to join them first.

LET ME ASK You THIS…
Whom did you join last week?

Again the question Why isn’t anybody joining our organization?!”

That’s a frustrating question for any leader to ask.

Our meeting attendance is down, new membership is slow  and the attitude is bordering on apathetic.

Fortunately, there’s a solution. And to the dismay of your diabetic members, it doesn’t involve a bake sale.

HERE’S THE REALITY again :– you can’t make anybody join you.

All you can do is increase the probability of new people joining your organization and I repeat by making yourself, your members and your group more JOIN-ABLE.

A bumper sticker announcing “to be one ask one” does not do it

Nobody is going to chase your car to join

Lets find out how:

Start with yourself.

Think of the last three organizations, clubs or groups you joined. How easy were they to join? What was the deciding factor? What reservations did you have about joining?

Make a chart. Write the answers out. Look for commonalities. Then brainstorm three action items for each attribute of join-able organizations. Begin executing them today. Is our organization user friendly to join? Why did YOU join?

Take the first step.

“Are you getting people to join you, or are you trying to join them first?” In this instance, proactivity is the secret. Sticking yourself out there is the way.

After all, approach ability is a two-way street. Your mission is to give people permission.

Every one of us I’m sure knows someone that would be a good candidate, guess what they are not going to approach you, you have to approach them indirectly.

Help people feel a sense of self-achievement.,

“Remember people’s psychological drive and primary need to accomplish things.”

make a list called, “Top Ten Things My Members Want to Accomplish.”

Then, match group behaviors to desires. Think about what, specifically, your group is providing to help your people accomplish those things. How are you helping your members put check marks next to their goals?

Sit people down.

Shockingly enough, the best way to find out what people want is to ASK THEM. Asking questions. Having lunches. Kissing babies. Whatever it takes.

Then, during one-on-one meeting with members, past members or potential members, ask the following questions: “What would bring you back?” and “When you used to come to meetings, what, specifically, were we providing you?”

You might also ask people to complete the following sentence three times: “As a member, I would come if (x).” “As a member, I would come if (x).” Whichever approach you choose, here’s the reality: Regardless of current attendance or membership, there WAS a moment when people DID care, and DID come. As their leader, you have the power to create that again.

It’s simple: Pick up the phone, set up a lunch, sit down with someone, honestly ask for their help, staple your tongue to the roof of your mouth and take copious notes. Remember: People want to be in the mix with something meaningful. That’s how you drive members back.

The speed of the response IS the response.

Be actively responsive to inquiries about membership. Respond to member impatience with Phrases That Pay like “Right away,” “The best way to help you right now” and “How can I help you the most?”

This demonstrates urgency through your language and reinforces emotional reliability. Especially when people want answers NOW, or, in many cases, last Tuesday. Remember: When your words to promote insistence – but aren’t hurried – people become relaxed and ready to join. How quickly do you return calls?

Nourish their interests.

Remember: Belonging has a strong emotion – appeal to it.

Create opportunities to dive and dig deep.

Superficiality works for about twenty minutes. After that, it’s time to get to the heart of the matter. The meat and potatoes. The tofu and veggies. Your mission is to make sure your meetings; websites and materials provide sustainable, practical and actionable value.

“How do you direct your creative thinking to create value?”

That one question helps to dive and dig deep into the heart of a key challenge. How does your group give its members conversational shovels?

Make it easy to contribute.

People derive psychological satisfaction from doing so. Your goal is to (not only) make contribution easy – but to continually recognize people’s contributions as they come in. This cycle of affirmation encourages people to return with more keepers each time.

Be sure to create a question-friendly environment. Give new people space to share. Work on boosting your ask ability. And never forget to acknowledge the newbies. They might have a contribution the likes of which your organization has never seen. Whose voice are you unintentionally silencing?

Take Home Value.

Here’s how it works: At the end of every meeting ask each member what was there best “keepers” of the meeting. Or what was there most throw away part of the meeting. It’s invaluable for several reasons.

First, you get a chance to see how people interpret the same ideas in different ways. Secondly, you don’t have to remember anything. Finally, when you see your own positives and negatives, your sense of contribution is reaffirmed.

Leave your members with something to look forward to the next meeting.

I challenge you to incorporate this process into your meetings.
When you deliver take-home value, you win. Your members win. Your lodge wins. How are you making it easy for your members to make positive withdrawals from your organization?

Try holding a focus group let the members talk and interact freely do not interrupt and make sure the senior members do not interject with the Wisdom of Solomon on why we can’t do something. Listen and listen intently these are your members, the life of our organization.

REMEMBER: You can’t make anybody join you.

All you can do is increase the probability of new people joining the organization by making yourself, your members and your group more JOINABLE.

I have always thought that we do not present a joinable organization; we do not freely communicate the positives to potential candidates. We do not go out and look for potential candidates. We sit back complain about decreasing or nonexistent membership and wait for candidates to come and knock on our door.

This isn’t going to happen.

I think the membership numbers prove that this does not work.

I returned home last night from Minden lodge meeting and as I was having my cup of tea before bed turned on the TV and watched The Big Decision with Jim Treliving. He is asked to help failing companies. I was surprised at the parallels in business to our position of membership.

He clearly told the company; if people don’t know what your company is or what it does your never going to sell your widgets no matter how good they are.

And people who you want to invest in your company need to know what the return on investment for them is.

Brethren are we selling a good widget and making a good return on investment?

Do our potential investors know this?

One of the biggest questions today is who the membership committee is?

Well the surprising answer is it’s you no one else.

Each and every member is the membership committee

I don’t ask anyone to go and ask all their friends to join, but you can talk up the positives that you enjoy from membership leaving them with a positive spin and leave them asking the question, why am I not a member and how can I join.

Plant the seed in their mind that their life is incomplete without the advantages of membership in masonry.

Tell them how you enjoyed the last meeting, the visitations that you have done, the good charity work you are doing in your community.

Develop and harness a powerful, sustainable word-of-mouth movement and Brethren be determined to succeed.

It is not what we eat, but what we digest … that makes us strong.
It is not what we earn, but what we save … that makes us rich.
It is not what we read, but what we remember … that makes us learned.
It is not what we profess, but what we practice … that makes us Masons!
Brother Pete Rasmussen

Possessed by the Devil of Commercial Avarice

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Albert Pike, Scottish Rite, Morals and Dogma, Magnum Opus, AASRI take great wisdom from Albert Pike. When taken in portion, his writings in Morals and Dogma strike me almost a prophecy along the lines of Nostradamus or the Oracles of Delphi. It was in a deep reading of his work on the third degree that I found the passages below.

In navigating his writing in his Magnum Opus under the third degree, these gems of political observation ring true today probably more than they did in the nearly 150 years ago. I was at once shocked with a twinge of amusement that Pike foresaw perhaps the situation within which we find ourselves today. And in his writing he looks to Masonry as part of the remedy for it, but with his own cryptic warning about looking to the society of builders.

It was a problem America, and the world perhaps, is faced with today which is that those in charge are “possessed by the devil of commercial avarice” which he describes as being the point when “a nation becomes possessed with a spirit of commercial greed, beyond those just and fair limits set by a due regard to a moderate and reasonable degree of general and individual prosperity.”

Pike delves the subject deeply, without the realization that what he would write about could (or would) be happening.  But, in the subtext of his work, maybe he saw that it could happen.

When the thirst for wealth becomes general, it will be sought for as well dishonestly as honestly; by frauds and overreaching, by the knaveries of trade, the heartlessness of greedy speculation, by gambling in stocks and commodities that soon demoralize a whole community. Men will speculate upon the needs of their neighbors and the distresses of their country. Bubbles that, bursting, impoverish multitudes, will be blown up by cunning knavery, with stupid credulity as its assistants and instrument. Huge bankruptcies, that startle a country like the earth-quakes, and are more fatal, fraudulent assignments, engulfment of the savings of the poor, expansions and collapses of the currency, the crash of banks, the depreciation of Government securities, prey on the savings of self-denial, and trouble with their depredations the first nourishment of infancy and the last sands of life, and fill with inmates the churchyards and lunatic asylums. But the sharper and speculator thrives and fattens. If his country is fighting by a levy en mass for her very existence, he aids her by depreciating her paper, so that he may accumulate fabulous amounts with little outlay. If his neighbor is distressed, he buys his property for a song. If he administers upon an estate, it turns out insolvent, and the orphans are paupers. If his bank explodes, he is found to have taken care of himself in time. Society worships its paper-and-credit kings, as the old Hindus and Egyptians worshiped their worthless idols, and often the most obsequiously when in actual solid wealth they are the veriest paupers. No wonder men think there ought to be another world, in which the injustices of this may be atoned for, when they see the friends of ruined families begging the wealthy sharpers to give alms to prevent the orphaned victims from starving, until they may find ways of supporting themselves.

This seems to be speak directly to the efforts of the Occupy Wall Street protestors in New York, and now around the country over the “heartlessness of greedy speculation, by gambling in stocks and commodities…” who have “ruined families.” Has anyone questioned the patriotism and loyalties of the companies and banks that continue to benefit while those whom they prey continue to inch into “distress?”

Pike goes on to say:

We should naturally suppose that a nation in distress would take counsel with the wisest of its sons. But, on the contrary, great men seem never so scarce as when they are most needed, and small men never so bold to insist on infesting place, as when mediocrity and incapable pretense and sophomoric greenness, and showy and sprightly incompetency are most dangerous.

Like a call for action, Pike declares the need for the Masonic principles saying:

So much the more necessity for Masonry!

War has not ceased; still there are battles and sieges. Homes are still unhappy, and tears and anger and spite make hells where there should be heavens. So much the more necessity for Masonry! So much wider the field of its labors! So much the more need for it to begin to be true to itself, to revive from its asphyxia, to repent of its apostasy to its true creed!

So how does Masonry fit into this troubling world? As a Master Mason, it is the lesson of the third degree itself, Pike says:

Masonry seeks to be this beneficent, unambitious, disinterested guide; and it is the very condition of all great structures that the sound of the hammer and the clink of the trowel should be always heard in some part of the building. With faith in man, hope for the future of humanity, loving-kindness for our fellows, Masonry and the Mason must always work and teach.

We have to step back a bit to see Pike’s concern about this responsibility when he talks about Faith, Hope, and Charity saying:

These forces are within the reach of all men; and an association of men, actuated by them, ought to exercise an immense power in the world. If Masonry does not, it is because she has ceased to possess them.

An association of men? Masonry perhaps?

Interesting food for thought.

The Universality of Freemasonry

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“[The Lodge] is of such vast dimensions to show the universality of Masonry and that Masonic charity should be equally extensive.”

Throughout the Masonic degrees, symbols are used to show the universal nature of Freemasonry. The idea that Masonry is universal is a grand idea and there is no doubt that it captures the attention of any new Brother by way of Freemason beliefs. But many Freemasons have probably asked themselves “How is Freemasonry universal?”

When we examine the definition of ‘universal‘ in the dictionary, we find a plethora of definitions. Two of these seem particularly applicable to the universality of Freemasonry. The first of these definitions is “existent or operative everywhere or under all conditions.”

Masonry is existent or operative everywhere, it does not exist solely within a lodge. Freemasons are taught to use the symbolism of the square and compasses in their transactions with all mankind. The charges of our order are intended to give us guidance for our conduct not only in the lodge, but when abroad in the outside world. Freemasonry’s symbolism is the product of those philosophical, moral, and spiritual principles which are universally accepted by man. The ideals of living a virtuous life, acting upon the square and walking upright by the plumb, and providing to relief to our fellow man are universally accepted ideas. Freemasonry only takes these concepts and removes the divisive and argumentative dogma that man tends to attach to them in order to provide a moral code with which all men may agree.

Freemasonry also accepts all men without regard to race, creed, or class. It only asks that they be men of good moral character with a belief in a Supreme Being. It is perhaps the only fraternity in the world that requires no further distinctions in order to become a member. This is a crucial element of Freemasonry for if it ever did distinguish between men because of their beliefs or background, it would no longer be a universal order.

The second definition applies to the universality of Masonic charity: “including or covering all or a whole collectively or distributively without limit or exception.” Masonic charity has no limitations. Recently, this is a concept that has often been forgotten by our fraternity. Masonry is not intended to support one specific charitable cause like many other organizations. Instead, Masonic charity is intended to provide relief to all men and all Brothers for any reason when it is needed. The only limitations for Masonic charity is that those providing the relief should not cause material injury to themselves. Masonic charity can only be described as universal if we accept this all-encompassing approach to relief.

When we take a moment to consider the far-reaching effects of Masonry, it isn’t difficult to see that the fraternity is a universal institution. As Masons, we can use this knowledge to apply the lessons learned within the lodge universally and uphold the dignified reputation of our noble art.