Guest editorial: Accepting change within Freemasonry

The following is a guest editorial by Bro. Dylan, a Freemason in Canada.

What we are seeing is change happening, change within Freemasonry.

As a body, our Craft is very resistant to change, and rightly so. We are dedicated to preserving our Ancient Landmarks while at the same time not knowing exactly what they are! Some of the landmarks are obvious, well known and agreed on, but anyone who has done any light research knows that there is no definitive list of what they are....

Our very craft is shrouded in mystery, or as the ritual says "veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols." Nothing of the treasure of what Masonry holds in trust for mankind is given openly, obviously. There are no silver platters. We are effectively given a bunch of symbols and obscured meanings and told to go figure it out for ourselves. The meanings and revelations we uncover are innately personal, the Truth of the Mysteries really cannot be shared, it has to be worked for and earned. There is, and cannot be, one definitive form of Masonry. This is why it does differ around the world.

We must be resistant to change in order to make sure that we do not lose things that we do not yet understand the hidden meanings of. Visiting lodges that practice different work in different jurisdictions allows us to discover little pieces of ritual or practice that have already been lost in our own lodges.

But Freemasonry does change, anyone who has even glanced at the Ancient Charges can see that. There was a time when King Solomon was new to the Craft. There was a time when the third degree was a new invention. In our rituals we hearken back to the ancient Egyptians and great Greek philosophers — did they practice the work as we know it today? Did they even use the same set of symbols? — Some, but not all....

It does change. Everything in nature changes. In the natural world the only things that do not change are dead things, and if we study the Hidden Mysteries of Nature, we would understand that.

So Freemasonry is changing, but it does not change lightly or easily. We need both the old guard and the new wave, and we will continue to have them both. In another generation or two, we will go through the same thing again. If we study the history of our Craft we will also see that such change has indeed come before as well.

We need the old guard to defend what we do not fully understand — our Craft and our symbols.

We need the new guard to push for change.

The two together are a dynamic harmony that will play itself out. However, just like in every day life, what is happening provides new opportunities for each of us (including Grand Masters!) to identify rough spots on our own Ashlars. We each have a choice as to whether we wield the chisel to smooth out the rough spots, or to make them more pronounced....

At the end of the day, Masonry is a personal experience for us all.

— Bro. Dylan, Canada

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'We never had any mystic secrets'

Taking advantage of the renewed interest in Freemasonry that Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code and upcoming The Solomon Key has inspired, members of Masonic lodges around the world are giving interviews to wide-eyed reporters.

I've read dozens of them.

Without fail the interviews stress the many Masonic good works and charitable acts. Works of kindness and charity are all well and good, but is that all there is to Freemasonry?

Most interviewees say the same thing: "We're not a secret society; we're a society with secrets."

Yesterday I read yet another one of these articles, this one from Ontario, Canada, titled "Masons shed mysterious side." It quoted not just a lodge member or Worshipful Master of a lodge — it featured the "authority" of Ontario's Grand Master M. W. Bro. Gary Atkinson.

The title of the article is rather misleading. Apparently there is no mysterious side of Freemasonry to be shed.

Bro. Atkinson laughed in response to a question, and said, "We have never had any mystic secrets."

Is he misinformed, or am I? If he's right, what's with all the "hidden arts, parts and points of the hidden mysteries of Freemasonry" I swore not to reveal? Is there no mystical secret we're supposed to seek through Freemasonry?

The article calls Freemasonry "a men's social club....," adding that "the Masons also bill themselves as a group through which men can grow as people."

Is that all we are? A Lion's Club with aprons instead of yellow vests?

This dumbing down of Freemasonry to increase membership and "improve the public's perception" of Freemasonry is going to backfire, just as surely as did the Scottish Rite's attempt to attract members by sponsoring a NASCAR team earlier this year.

Men aren't going to swarm towards Masonry so they can be charitable. They aren't going to give up their leisure time to attend lodge meetings and learn the rituals just so they can drop a few dollars in the penny box to feel good about themselves.

The men attracted today to Freemasonry are being driven by a sense of adventure, a desire for something deep and meaningful in their lives, not to sponsor Little League teams or be a part of a "men's social club."

What will they find when they join? How long will they stay around for W. Bro. Atkinson's "receptions and workshops for members, informing them about programs the Masons are involved with"? Today's seeker isn't seeking gold chains and meaningless titles and award plaques.

Image: "The Charity," an oil painting on canvas by Bartolomeo Schedoni, 1611, from the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Naples, Italy

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