What Are The Benefits of Becoming A Freemason
Why Should Anyone Join The Masons
There are many reasons why people are curious about the masons and what exactly they get up to.
Most have read or heard about funny handshakes, rolling up trouser legs, wearing aprons and being secretive.
Some have even suggested that Freemasonry is heretical and has a secret plan of world domination!
But why ruin a good story with the truth?
People will always be suspicious of something that they do not understand and understanding Freemasonry is neither simple or quick.
The truth is that you have to be in it to start that journey of understanding and that it will probably take you the rest of your life.
But you will be a better person as a result of that journey.
How Will Masonry Make You A Better Man
Freemasonry , or to give it its full title “Ancient and Honourable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons” has the effect of making You the best You that You can be.
What do I mean by that?
You will have seen the statue of David by Michelangelo. It is truly magnificent and beautiful yet it started as an ugly, solid block of marble.
By knocking away with a hammer and chisel the marble not needed …..the statue appeared…. as it was there all the time.
No one could see it as the unnecessary bits of marble were hiding the beauty beneath.
Masonry invites you to look at yourself as that block of marble and encourages you to reveal the statue within.
And it shows you how.
That does not make you better than anyone else as each of us has our own statue to reveal but it does make you ask yourself whether you wish to live as the block or the statue.
Why You Should Not Join The Masons
The Buddhists say that when the pupil is ready then the teacher presents himself.
The fact that you are reading this shows that you have an interest and want to know more. That is good as it means that you are curious and have an open mind.
But what is your motivation for such curiosity?
Only you can answer that as we are all different and masonry recognises that.
Indeed if you were to ask a hundred masons why they joined masonry you are likely to get a hundred different answers.
There is no “right” answer only the one that works for you. So ask yourself why you are interested and go from there. But consider this.
If you are looking for what you will get from it rather than what you can give to it then freemasonry is probably not for you.
A Freemason benefits emotionally and spiritually from having joined but rarely benefits financially.
Whereas it is true that you will meet potential business contacts when you join the fraternity, that should not be your goal.
Going to a Freemasons lodge for networking is like going to a football match or concert for networking.
No one is there to listen to your pitch and will be saddened by you making it.
Indeed when joining the lodge you promise not to discuss business, politics or religion.
Masons want your company not your business but if you meet a mason who is, say, a plumber and you contact him to fix something for you then he will give you a square deal (no masonic discount, sorry) and look after you well.
Not because you are both masons but because he is a good man.
There is a story about a new made mason whose car broke down near a farm. He asked for help from the farmer and noticed that the farmer had given a masonic handshake.
The farmer let him stay the night and next morning had fixed the car and prepared breakfast. The man offered to pay but the farmer refused to let him. So the man asked if the farmer was helping because the man was a mason to which the farmer replied…..
“No. I am helping you because I am a mason”
And if your curiosity is simply to learn the masonic secrets then you can find all of them on the internet. They are handshakes, passwords, signs and rituals.
But if you use them without being a mason then a real mason will soon find you out and be saddened by your attempt to be something you are not.
Hard to like or trust someone who starts off by telling lies.
What Is A Freemasons Lodge
A Lodge is where you are made a mason by other masons.
They can do this as they hold a Warrant issued by the Grand Master which authorises the members of a particular lodge to carry out ceremonies that take a candidate through masonic rituals.
There are about 700k freemasons in England and Wales and about 2m worldwide. They are all members of the brotherhood of freemasonry but they meet in individual groups. Those groups are called lodges.
Masonry is governed by the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) and whereas every country has its own Grand Lodge they all are authorised by UGLE.
England and Wales is split up into geographical areas called Provinces and where a lodge meets determines which Province the lodge is a member of.
No lodge can be formed without the consent of the Grand Master who issues a Warrant via the province the lodge is to meet in.
So UGLE sets out the rules and delegates responsibility for observing them to the Provinces. The top man in each Province is called Provincial Grand Master and he and his team visit the lodges in his province to ensure that the rules are being followed.
When a new lodge is formed it is the duty of the Provincial Grand Master to consecrate that lodge and no masonic ceremony can take place unless and until a Warrant has been issued and the lodge consecrated.
In Worcestershire for example there are about 2400 masons who meet in 120 lodges. Some have a membership of around 15-20 whilst others have significantly more.
There are four ceremonies that a lodge can perform.
The first is to initiate someone into freemasonry. He is made an entered apprentice. It is called the first degree.
The second is pass an entered apprentice and make them a Fellowcraft. This is called the second degree.
The third is to raise a fellowcraft to become a master mason and is known as the third degree.
The fourth is to install a brother as Worshipful master of the lodge.
Most lodges meet 4-6 times a year and perform one of those ceremonies or rituals. Afterwards they retire to the festive board and have a meal and a chat with each other.
What Does It Cost To Be A Mason
Although you are told that Masonry is Free it does not mean that there are no expenses. Free refers to an attitude of mind which should always be open and free of preconceived notions.
Each lodge will ask each member to pay a subscription. The amount will vary from lodge to lodge but will have to cover at least 3 major expenses which are the dues to Grand Lodge, dues to Provincial Grand Lodge and the cost of renting the lodge rooms. These amount to, on average, about £130 per year.
Thus you can expect an annual cost of a subscription to be somewhere between £140 to £200.
Then there is the cost of the meal which again varies from £10-£25 per meeting
And at each meeting there is a collection for Charity and it is entirely up to you how much or how little you feel able to commit. Never any pressure to give more than you wish.
You will need to have/buy/be given a dark suit, a white shirt, a black tie, white gloves and a masonic apron.
If Masonry Is So Good Then Why Isn’t Everybody A Mason
To start with, only men can be made masons. There is Womens Freemasonry but we do not visit each others lodges. It is called The Order of Women Freemasons. Click the link to read about them.
Then there is the fact that Freemasonry is not right for everyone. Some join and find that they do not enjoy it or it was not what they thought it would be. So they leave.
After all, one does not need to be a freemason to live a masonic life in the same way that one does not need to go to church in order to be a Christian.
And it would be so wrong to suggest that freemasons are in any way superior human beings. They are not.
Being a Freemason does not mean that you will magically stop making mistakes in your private life or at work. You will still get things wrong and life will always interfere with what you plan to do.
Just as there are good and bad people at work/church/club/organisation the same is true of masonry it would be misleading to think that masonry is any different.
Of course there are good and bad masons but masonry teaches you how to deal with such people or situations in a different way.
When you try it and see how it works then you adopt it in your life outside the lodge. The result is that your relationships improve and you are a calmer person.
The Message of Masonry
Nobody can sensibly argue against the principles of Communism. The problem is that it does not work in practice because it is run by human beings who have different agendas.
Likewise there is a difference between the practice of masonry and the message or meaning of masonry.
It teaches us that we are all equal and that one should only debate what is right rather than who is right.
That we should “shed a tear” over the failings of a brother rather than pass judgement and walk away.
That what we consider praiseworthy in another person we should carefully imitate whilst what in them may appear defective we should in ourselves amend.
High ideals that we should aim for and adopt but usually so difficult to live by but so rewarding if you can.
It would be wonderful if Masonry was a meritocracy but instead it is hierarchical. This means that sometimes there appears to be a conflict between the message and the practice of masonry.
That can confuse, frustrate and irritate an individual. Sometimes with the individual resigning and leaving masonry and whereas that is always sad it is respected.
But when you can separate the message from the practice you realise that the message is far more important and relevant than the reaction to that particular situation.
What is right should always trump Who is right.
The Benefits of Joining the Masons
As you can see from the above they are not financial. They are personal.
They say that Freemasonry is full of friends you have not met yet and it is so true.
As a mason you can visit a lodge anywhere in the world and be greeted as a friend and made to feel welcome.
Nobody wants to know how big your house is, what car you drive or what you do for a living. They just want to enjoy your company.
If you believe that charity means putting your hand up rather than putting it out.
If you want to help others without reward or recognition.
If you think that there might be something missing in your life.
If you want to grow in confidence
Then Freemasonry could be just what you are looking for and you could be just what Masonry is looking for.
Why not chat it through with us. Use the form on the Contact page and someone will be in touch.
My thanks for reading. Hope it has made a few things clearer.And here are some more facts for you.
Non-members are aware of the spirit of friendship that exists between members of Freemasonry. The question is sometimes asked out of curiosity whether Masons are required to use other Masons in their business transactions.
Every Mason knows that there is no such rule but we must recognise that when one is considering entering into a business or professional relationship he is more likely to select someone that he knows and trusts.
If you need the services of a Solicitor, for example, there can be little doubt that all things being equal your Masonic friend will be happy to help if he can.
Personal contacts, working together, developing friendships is bound to result in business and professional relationships in many instances even though no Masonic law requires this to be done.
One of the most valuable benefits that is secured by being a Freemason is the unlimited opportunity to make deep and abiding friendships.
Working with other good men on worthy projects has a way of developing into close friendly relations with a feeling of mutual respect for one another.
You know that in case of need you can speak safely in confidence with a brother Mason.
A benefit may be considered as anything which is helpful, profitable, favourable, and advantageous to a person.
A benefit may take many forms such as improving a person in some way, promoting his happiness, raising his status socially, increasing his personal contacts with others, or assisting him in any number of other ways.
In a general way the benefits of Masonic membership are both tangible and intangible.
The opportunity to give time and/or money to a wide range of charitable organisations and generally benefit society is a strong reason for many becoming a freemason.
Charitable giving is Freemasonry in action.
Did you know that the Freemasons’ Grand Charity gives more to other charities than any Charity in the country with the exception of the National Lottery.
Freemasons give as individuals, collectively within the Lodge or even as a Province. Many of our social functions have a fund raising element to them, what better way to raise money than when enjoying a social event.