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How to Join

Blake Bowden

Administrator
Staff Member
Joining Freemasonry requires that a man, of his own free will, petition a Masonic Lodge for the Degrees in Masonry. No Texas Mason should ever ask you to join our fraternity.

Below are the general steps that a man seeking membership in Freemasonry may consider. Lodges will likely have their own procedures, but this will help you get started and give you a better understanding of the process.

Ask for Information
If you know a Mason, ask him about the fraternity. Don't be shy, we love talking to those interested in Masonry. If you don't know a Mason, .

Visit the Lodge
Try to find out if there is a good time for you to visit the lodge. Take this as an opportunity to meet some of the members and ask questions. Don't be intimidated, they'll be happy to see you. Most lodges have dinner before their regular stated meetings (meetings usually occur monthly) and guests are almost always welcome. In many areas more than one lodge may exist. Visit as many as you can, get a feeling for the lodges you visit and pick the one that best meets your needs.

Request a Petition
Request a petition from a Mason or from the lodge you would like to join. Your petition will require the signature of several Masons. If you don't know any Masons, ask the lodge you're petitioning for advice.

Submit Your Petition
Turn in your completed petition to the lodge you would like to join. Ask if there are any fees that need to accompany the petition. Your petition will be received by the lodge and will be read during a stated meeting.

Now that the lodge has your petition, these are the actions you can expect the lodge to take:

The Investigation
The Master of the lodge you submitted your petition to will assign three members of the lodge to interview you and investigate your background. The investigators may want to meet with you at home. There is a standard set of questions that all investigators must ask, but many will ask additional questions. Be honest with the investigators. No Mason is perfect...we don't expect petitioners to be perfect, either.

The Ballot
Your investigators will be given a deadline by which to return their completed investigation reports to the lodge. Their reports along with their recommendation will be read to the lodge at a stated meeting. At this time, the Master of the lodge will usually call for a ballot to be taken on your petition. Eligible Masons will then vote on your petition and the outcome of the ballot will be announced to the lodge.

After the Ballot
Soon after the stated meeting, a member from the lodge should contact you with the outcome of the ballot and provide you with additional instructions.
 
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Mike Martin

Eternal Apprentice
Premium Member
what if you do not get accepted but u still want to become a mason

The ONLY way to become a Free and Accepted Mason is to be accepted by a Lodge. So if a Lodge has rejected an applicant he would have to try again and if after 2 attempts has failed he would have to accept the fact.
 

eXillmatic

Premium Member
what if you do not get accepted but u still want to become a mason


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If for some reason you're rejected you can always petition a different lodge. There are any number of reasons we can never know as to why someone gets black-balled, as the vote is completely anonymous.
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
If for some reason you're rejected you can always petition a different lodge.

That depends on the jurisdiction. My petition asked if I had ever petitioned a lodge before. The rejecting lodge might need to release a petitioner and might or might not be willing to do so.

There are any number of reasons we can never know as to why someone gets black-balled, as the vote is completely anonymous.

The ballot is beyond normal anonymity. We are forbidden from discussing our ballots. Not even the current Grand Master may ask a brother how he voted or why. It can happen that a GM tries anyways (authority is what you are allowed to do, power is what you attempt to do). It can happen that a brother asked by a GM might answer (authority is what you are allowed to do, power is what you actually get away with doing). I sure would not want to be the current Worshipful Master if some out of control Grand master showed up and tried to exceed his authority in this way.

There are reasons a petitioner could be rejected before going to ballot. That might not be secret. Answer one of the questions on the petition wrong and you should be told why you are not compatible.
 

jmiluso

Registered User
ImageUploadedByMy Freemasonry Pro1397622102.271582.jpgbrought some light to the space shuttle today.


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Terbak

Registered User
How much of a finical obligation is becoming a Master Mason? Should this be an obstacle that scares me?

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dfreybur

Premium Member
How much of a finical obligation is becoming a Master Mason? Should this be an obstacle that scares me?

The degree fees and dues vary widely lodge to lodge and jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

In California when I was given my first dues bill I asked "This is per month?" but it was per year. It's a fairly common reaction in the US. Outside the US dues are higher.

I think the highest my lodges charge for degree fees is $100 per degree. My lodge with the highest dues bill is $100 per year. A Traditional Observance lodge may charge several times that. A lodge trying to avoid loss of elderly members may charge a fraction of that.

Suggestion - If you think you can afford it per month, do exactly that. Life/endowed membership programs where they are available charge 22 times annual dues or less. The first month pay your dues for that year, then 11 payments towards that 22. Then a month paying your dues then the rest of the 22 times. In two years you'll have a paid lifetime member and you'll be ready to start doing the same payment plan in your first appendent body.
 

brojoseph

Registered User
Short answer is no, you should not be concerned at all with dues. They are in most states less than a cable bill, and it is for an entire year.


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dfreybur

Premium Member
Ahh I see it's that difference in our use of the english language :)

Beyond reasonable here means that a thing is unreasonable but I think you meant very reasonable.

Yep. It it beyond reasonable because it's so low it doesn't make sense or because it's so high it doesn't make sense. It's ambiguous once we have an idea that people have complained we sell too cheaply. but if I came in off the street without context I would likely conclude the dues were too high to afford.
 
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