Traveling

[BroBook]

You can tell whether a man is mason or not by the perfect points....

 

[Dontrell Stroman]

Yes bro. Book, but some believe not discussing Masonic business without being in a lodge

 

[dfreybur]

So you just take a guys word without seeing his dues card ?

I have found that with a few minutes of seemingly idle chat, I can figure out if a man is a Mason very easily without a single buzzword or gesture. We can crack jokes about excellent or lame meals, meetings that somehow managed to combine boring and fascinating at the same time. We can tell stories about the PMs on the sidelines. All without anything in any way secret.

Far better to know without any sort of secret than to use a secret to try to figure it out and maybe be wrong.

Consider that if we show each other our dues card I could easily see a jurisdiction name that does not fit the pattern I know to be necessary so I would know his lodge to be clandestine. On the street I have no reason to care about that. Why would I want to rebuff a good man who probably is not even aware that his lodge is clandestine? Especially knowing old timers who use the word for reasons that should by now be historical footnotes.

The more I visit other jurisdictions the less I think it's a good idea to use phrases from ritual out in public. I can do it and I can often recognize when a brother says something that's clearly from another version of the ritual. But what if a brother actually thinks that the version of the ritual he learned is the only one and other versions are wrong? I'd rather teach and learn in friendly seemingly idle chat than confuse a brother by slight variations.

The topic of this thread is traveling and that technically means attending other lodges not meeting on the street- Going to visit lodges in my own jurisdiction I will be examined and I will know the exact responses to give. Going to visit lodges outside of my own jurisdiction I know for a fact that specific details are different so I can find myself trading syllables when I expected letters. Going to visit lodges outside of my own jurisdiction I will have already looked up their recognition standing so I don't have to depend on their opinion if they are regular or clandestine.

 

[Glen Cook]

Yes, but I'm not asking about this forum. I'm asking in regards to meeting a guy on the street. Face to face

And how is that different?

 

[hanzosbm]

When I was newly raised I had a lot of concerns about knowing whether or not a man I met on the street was a Mason or not. Over time I learned that it didn't really matter. You won't be discussing the secrets outside of Lodge anyway, so whether or not he's a brother doesn't make much difference. If he identifies himself as a Mason and we start chit chatting about fun little stories like brother dfreybur mentioned, that's all well and good, but just like on this site, I know what to say and what not to say.
Regarding how to tell if he's lying, well, over the course of conversation you'll probably be able to tell. A non Mason would probably be nervous or saying things to try to PROVE he's a Mason. A real Mason is just going to complain about the crappy green beans with dinner when all the water/juice got all over everything and made your bologna sandwich soggy. In general, I'll just ask if he's a Mason and which lodge he belongs to. 95% of the time, that's plenty. I've had quite a few experiences where he wasn't a Mason but is wearing a ring or a watch he inherited. Those people have been through it before and will come right out and tell you they're not a Mason. The ones that are Masons will say so and tell you what lodge they belong to and maybe swap some stories. The few who I've encountered who are either imposters or clandestine to the point of being dramatically different will just feel...wrong. And to those I usually just give a knowing look and a "yeah, well, nice to meet you, have a great day" and go on about my business.

 

[Brother JC]

I don't need to verify anything with a man on the street, any more than I do here. I can discuss Freemasonry for days with anyone, regardless of membership. If they show up at lodge, then we get down to the verification process.

 

[Dontrell Stroman]

Good stuff guys. I'm just fascinated with our catch e kisms. I like the ole time q&a masons use to ask each other. I remember being young and seeing old guys ask each other if they were traveling ?

 

[Glen Cook]

Good stuff guys. I'm just fascinated with our catch e kisms. I like the ole time q&a masons use to ask each other. I remember being young and seeing old guys ask each other if they were traveling ?

Where are you a member?

 

[Dontrell Stroman]

MWPHGL of TN

 

[Dontrell Stroman]

Why do you ask bro. Glen Cook ?

 

[Glen Cook]

I was once stationed in TN

 

[Dontrell Stroman]

Okay. That's why I asking you do you ever see both grand lodges come together with mutual recognition. Of course the South is always the last to change, which could explain why.

 

[Glen Cook]

Okay. That's why I asking you do you ever see both grand lodges come together with mutual recognition. Of course the South is always the last to change, which could explain why.

I am not sure what you mean by "come together,". If you mean recognize one another, I am not a TN Mason. You would know better than I

 

[dfreybur]

do you ever see both grand lodges come together with mutual recognition.

The most recent advancement was 2011 when KY recognized. Time, patience and perseverance will accomplish all things. "Never give up. Never surrender".

Back to stuff that brothers do out on the streets - Some jurisdictions are more okay with this than others. At times it seems that the less recognition a jurisdiction has the more aggressive they are in using tests out in the public.

 

[Dontrell Stroman]

Yes I agree. I'm just traditional in a lot of way. Have you ever seen the movie rose wood ?

 

[Dontrell Stroman]

Well I know from talking with a lot of brothers, I've seen both Prince Hall and Mainstream masons use catch e kisms on the street. It's not so much as revealing secrets as it is just seeing if a brother has traveled the same road as you.

 

[Dennis Hurts]

My Brothers, you all know a Mason(A BROTHER) when you meet one,it feels natural, it feels right, you both walked the same walk,talked the same talk,there's a since of camaraderie whether or your PH or Mainstream you just know!

 

[Dontrell Stroman]

Yes I know, I just like getting different brothers opinions on the matter.

 

[crono782]

I wouldn't say that I think "street challenges" are wrong, I just don't see the point in them. I don't intend on discussing the finer points of ritual with a complete stranger and I've got plenty of non-secretive natured stuff relating to Freemasonry that I can discuss with anyone who is interested. Like others have said, I can typically figure out if someone is one either by feeling it out or just flat out asking. It becomes pretty obvious in a short conversation if they are being square with me or not.

 

[BroBook]

Yes bro. Book, but some believe not discussing Masonic business without being in a lodge

What's the point of having ways to recognize each other, for the record, I was told that masonry is to be practiced in the lodge, which implies what?