What would you like to see changed in the Masonic experience?

[coachn]

Rectified Rite.

What's that and do Recognized bodies practice it?

 

[coachn]

...Freemasonry is (among other things) an organization of individuals. How can an individual take responsibility for a group/club/organizational experience ? It seems antithetical to me.

Freemasonry is a practice and it is not an organization of individuals. An organization is a group of individuals. Freemasonry is "what is practiced" once a group decides to Organize into a Lodge and to act like a Freemasonic Lodge.

To practice Masonry though, one must do more than practice Freemasonry. Freemasonry is acting; or at least, that is how it is practiced in Lodges today. Masonry is different. It is Building as in Construction. Building requires an individual to learn how to Build first; and more specifically, build himself. That learning can be supported by a group, but it still has to be done by the individual. No matter what "experience" a group tries to provide though, individuals are still responsible for their own learning and eventual doing.

 

[LAMason]

I lived in New Hampshire for a short while. The reason that New Hampshire masons set up "Square and Compass" clubs, is because under New Hampshire tax law, Masonry is considered a "fraternal organization", and as such has certain restrictions on fund-raising, and other activities like charity bingo games and such. A "Square and compass" club, can incorporate as a "non-profit organization", and be free to raise tax-free money with raffles, and bingo games,etc. When I lived in NH, a NH mason explained to me, that every member of his lodge was simultaneously a member of BOTH the lodge and the local Square and Compass club.

Keep in mind, that most NH lodges are "dark" , totally closed down from May through September. By having a separate organization, membership records, and the administrative functions can be handled separately from the lodge.

(Disclaimer: I am NOT an attorney, and certainly NOT an expert on New Hampshire tax law. I lived in NH in 1982, and the laws with respect to clubs, fraternal organizations and fund raising in the Granite State, may not be the same now. )

I do not have a problem with any Masonic Clubs, and if you would like to see more of them that is fine. What I do have a problem with is your incessant spreading of misinformation in an attempt to curry favor for your proposals and appear to be an expert.

While many New Hampshire Lodges do go dark in July and August, they do not go dark from "May through September". I did a quick search about New Hampshire Lodges and the only reference to New Hampshire Square and Compasses Clubs are in posts you have made on Masonic Forums. I am not saying that there are not any Square and Compasses Clubs in New Hampshire because I do not know, but I do not find any mention of them, yet I do find other clubs mentioned such as Police Square Club, Sojourners, MMCI (http://www.1stmasonicdistrictofnh.com), so I find it odd if they are so prevalent in New Hampshire why there is no mention of them.

Another thing that is problematic is your frequent use of anonymous sources for your information to try to give cover for false information that you post. Do you feel any responsibility to verify the information you post or are you so intent on attempting to appear so knowledgeable about all things Masonic that you just don't care?

For many years you have just thrown all this stuff against the wall to see if it will stick and for the most part gotten away with it, but facts are stubborn things and they will come back to haunt you.

 

[Carl_in_NH]

Many NH lodges do go dark - most in July and August - but there are others that go dark in the Winter months to avoid spikes in heating bills. Some lodges may have other months when they go dark but I'm not an expert on the subject. I'm only aware of the schedules for the lodges I frequent.

S&C clubs are very common here as well; I'm a member of two of them. You might not find them in a quick Internet search, however, since they are often not referenced as S&C, but rather by lodge number - Club 7, for example. We as Masons also don't seem to have a large Internet presence here in the state - that's our own failing at the lodge level. I plan to rectify that for my lodge when I have a free moment or two.

I live in NH and am a Mason, but offer my insight without citation - you may disregard it if you so choose.

 

[Glen Cook]

What's that and do Recognized bodies practice it?

See http://www.travelingtemplar.com/2013/01/the-rectified-scottish-rite.html?m=1

And yes

Also, add my AMD Council. We demonstrate degrees and move quickly through business.

 

[Glen Cook]

I have read the Masonic Trowel many times in the past. I accept most of the information there, to be reliable. I certainly do not believe everything I read on the internet. I have researched Freemasonry extensively over the past 33 years. My research has led me to believe that the early operative Masons would come to the aid of distressed and worthy brother Master Masons, and their widows and orphans. If not with cash, but with in-kind assistance.

If you have information to the contrary, feel free to present it.

Everybody knows that the early history of operative Masonry is a mix of facts as well as part legend, part conjecture.

Let's stay on point, please.

 

[cemab4y]

quote: I am not saying that there are not any Square and Compasses Clubs in New Hampshire because I do not know unquote

I agree, you are not an expert on NH Masonry now, nor were you in 1982. I lived in NH in 1982. I agree that this was over 30 (thirty) years ago. When I lived there, it was explained to me about how NH masons joined square and compass clubs. The husband of one of my co-workers (I cannot remember her nor his name after 30 years), gave me a "crash course" in how his lodge, operated. He said that many NH lodges go dark in the summer months. I just concluded that since summer runs from June through August, that lodges were dark in those months. When I said "May through September", I meant from the end of May, through the first of September, Many people fix the end of summer at labor day, the first Monday in September.

I trust the men and women who tell me about Masonry, unless I have a reason not to. The man I spoke to 30 years ago, was a NH Mason, and I took his information to be factual. If I could remember his name, I would tell you.

 

[LAMason]

I agree, you are not an expert on NH Masonry now, nor were you in 1982.

And you are an expert on NH Masonry now and in 1982.

 

[cemab4y]

Citation that Shrine was started so wives could be involved?

Read the "Shrine Primer".

[URL]http://sahibshrine.org/shriner_primer.pdf[/URL]

see page 2 of the primer. Also page 10

My original post, which you quote might be misleading. Of course, I was not there in 1872. The original intent of the Shrine was to provide for fun and fellowship OUTSIDE the lodge. You can reasonably infer, that the members would include their wives in this aspect of the organization.

Today, the business meetings are closed to members only (only males, who are Shriners in good standing). BUT- The dining, parties, dances, tours, etc. are for the membership AND their ladies.

also see

[URL]http://www.beashrinernow.com/Tour/Family[/URL]

The Shrine. although there are no women members, and the organization was not started for women, You can reasonably infer that wives were involved in the activities, almost from the beginning.

 

[LAMason]

Everybody knows that the early history of operative Masonry is a mix of facts as well as part legend, part conjecture.

I see you have edited this to include "a mix of facts", so how do you separate the facts from the legend and conjecture if you do not rely on a credible source?

 

[cemab4y]

And you are an expert on NH Masonry now and in 1982.

That statement is NOT correct, if you think that I am an expert on NH Masonry, you are wrong. I have never been a member of a NH lodge, and I have never attended a NH lodge. I lived in Hancock NH, and worked in Peterborough NH, during the summer of 1982, when many (NOT all )NH lodges are dark. and I am certainly not an expert on NH Masonry neither now, nor in 1982. I have, however attended NH Square and Compass club meetings, and talked at length with several NH Masons. I trusted the information they passed on to me, they had no reason to mislead me.

 

[LAMason]

Many NH lodges do go dark - most in July and August - but there are others that go dark in the Winter months to avoid spikes in heating bills. Some lodges may have other months when they go dark but I'm not an expert on the subject. I'm only aware of the schedules for the lodges I frequent.

S&C clubs are very common here as well; I'm a member of two of them. You might not find them in a quick Internet search, however, since they are often not referenced as S&C, but rather by lodge number - Club 7, for example. We as Masons also don't seem to have a large Internet presence here in the state - that's our own failing at the lodge level. I plan to rectify that for my lodge when I have a free moment or two.

I live in NH and am a Mason, but offer my insight without citation - you may disregard it if you so choose.

Thanks for the information, as a New Hampshire Mason, you have first hand knowledge.

Out of curiosity are the Clubs incorporated non profits or unincorporated associations? Also, is one of their primary purposes for fund raising?

 

[LAMason]

...I trusted the information they passed on to me, they had no reason to mislead me.

The problem is not with the information that they passed on to you, but whether or not what you are passing on was in fact what they actually said.

Edit: You do have a habit of making "reasonable inferences" and "reasonable deductions" from information that other people may not see as reasonable.

 

[Carl_in_NH]

I will have to ask about the incorporation status, as I'm uncertain.

Fundraising is part of it, as is fellowship outside of a tiled lodge; these clubs sponsor events that are open to family members as well as the public at large.

 

[LAMason]

I will have to ask about the incorporation status, as I'm uncertain.

Fundraising is part of it, as is fellowship outside of a tiled lodge; these clubs sponsor events that are open to family members as well as the public at large.

Thanks again, as a New Hampshire Mason you are uniquely qualified to provide insight. I apologize for the questions, but I like to learn about other Grand Lodges, so I would like to pick your brain one more time. Can these clubs raise money tax free when the Lodges can not?

 

[Carl_in_NH]

I shall check on the tax implications.

One thing I'm aware of is that if the club holds an event, say a dinner with a speaker that is open to family and the public, dispensation from GL would not be required where it might be if the lodge proper were to hold such an event. Same is true for fundraising - an S&C club can hold a fundraiser without dispensation where the lodge proper would be required to obtain it. Of course such events are advertised as such, and are not true Masonic events - anything so declared would require approval of GL (or at least that is my understanding of the rules).

 

[pointwithinacircle2]

What do you mean? Freemasonry is (among other things) an organization of individuals. How can an individual take responsibility for a group/club/organizational experience ? It seems antithetical to me.

I hope this question was directed at me because, well, thank you for asking. I agree completely that Freemasonry is an organization of individuals. I was taught that Freemasonry is structured around the individual. Its purpose is to provide the individual with the tools and symbols necessary for personal improvement. It does not tell the individual Mason what to do with himself once he has become a better man. That is up to the individual Freemason to decide. This decision constitutes the "Masonic Experience".

I recall an old poem that goes something like this:

some ships sail east and some sail west
on the self same wind that blows
tis the set of the sail and not the gale
that determines which way she goes

It is not the observing of the wind, but the setting of the sail that determines the Masonic experience.

There is another sailing story that might be pertinent here. About 2500 years ago a wise man said something that translates roughly as: "If one does not know to which port one is sailing no wind is favorable".

Early in my Freemasonic career I was rather bitterly disappointed by some of the things I experienced as a Mason. Freemasonry, and my Lodge Brothers, were just not living up to my expectations. I didn't know what to do. I almost quit. Instead I did something rather un-Masonic. I thought to myself "To heck with these fraternal jerks, I can be a better Mason than all of them". And that is exactly what I set out to do. When no Brother could make time to teach me the ritual, I got a printed copy and sat at home and learned it by myself. So, when the next man petitioned and all the "Senior" Brothers were scrambling around saying "Where can we find someone who can do the EA lecture, it was me, the newest and youngest Mason in the Lodge, who stood and said "WM, I can perform the EA lecture". And that is exactly what I did. And when I gave that lecture I felt something. I felt both proud and humbled. I felt the thing that I came to Masonry looking for. I felt like a Mason. I found the thing that I had expected the group/club/organization to give me, but I had learned that it cannot be given, it can only be earned. The point here is that I chose a port. I said "This is the Mason who I will become, and I will do it no matter which way the winds of my Lodge are blowing". And that has made all the difference.

So, I encourage other Masons to do what I did, to step out, to take a risk, to face their fears, to be better than they think they can be. To stand and take action as an individual Freemason. I am sure there are other ways to receive the wages of a MM. I just do not know any of them.

I hope that my Brothers will not find this rather self-revealing tale to be in bad taste. It is a part of my story, and I only have one story to tell.

 

[cemab4y]

Interesting post. My experience in Freemasonry has been "uneven". I have had some terrific experiences, and some dreadful ones. I came into the Craft with a "tabula rasa" (blank slate). I really did not know what to expect, so I cannot say that I was disappointed.

I admire your pioneer attitude. We could use more of it in the Craft.

"You can always tell a pioneer. They have arrows in their backs" - unknown.

 

[Glen Cook]

Read the "Shrine Primer".

[URL]http://sahibshrine.org/shriner_primer.pdf[/URL]

see page 2 of the primer. Also page 10

My original post, which you quote might be misleading. Of course, I was not there in 1872. The original intent of the Shrine was to provide for fun and fellowship OUTSIDE the lodge. You can reasonably infer, that the members would include their wives in this aspect of the organization.

Today, the business meetings are closed to members only (only males, who are Shriners in good standing). BUT- The dining, parties, dances, tours, etc. are for the membership AND their ladies.

also see

[URL]http://www.beashrinernow.com/Tour/Family[/URL]

The Shrine. although there are no women members, and the organization was not started for women, You can reasonably infer that wives were involved in the activities, almost from the beginning.

No, I would not infer that and the citation doesn't indicate such. To the contrary. Indeed, their participation in parades was for years prohibited.

 

[cemab4y]

Get real. It depends on how you define "activities". Of course, no female, can actually BE a Shriner. But, the social activities, dining, dancing, picnics, and other such "activities" were open, and are open to the wives and families of the actual members. Of course, some of the social activities, in the 1870's were "stag". The original luncheon meetings at the Knickerbocker restaurant in New York City, were for the men, who would found the Shrine.


As far as participation in parades, I have participated in two Shrine parades, 1990 in Cleveland, OH, and 1996 in Kansas City. No women participated in either of those parades.

I infer that the dining and social activities are an integral part of the Shrine experience. Keep in mind, that most people associate the Shrine with the Hospital program. (And it is an excellent program). BUT- The Shrine was started in 1872, and the first hospital opened in 1922, fifty years later.

You infer otherwise, that is your right.