Secrecy

I'm bothered by the assertion, often repeated by older brethren, that we don't have secrets other than our modes of recognition. This has been said so much that younger masons have begun to take it literally.

I was a bit put off by the degree to which Bro. Hodapp's "Freemasonry for Dummies" revealed some details of the initiation. I have also heard people argue that since there's no restriction mentioned in the GLoT lawbook, then it must be okay to take photos of our tiled ceremonies.

I would assert that anything covered under the Grand Lodge esoteric certificate, which is not in the Monitor, is by definition secret. I'm not sure I'm even happy with listing who played what role in a ceremony in the lodge minutes, except that lodge minutes aren't to be shared with anyone outside the fraternity.

Tom Ball
DI 40-A

well, i would agree... anything included in the certificate is "secret."

i put " " because i don't think "what we teach" is a secret, but "how we teach it"

the words we use and the form of the degrees are what we keep secret.

the general lessons (things like "charity") aren't secrets, though...

Brother,

I believe that many of the "older brethren" make this claim not because they want to minimize the esoteric nature of the Craft, but because they are simply unaware of it. There ARE many secrets within Masonry, sadly many Masons do not seek them out.

Fraternally,

Jason

I certainly wouldn't limit this to just "older Brethren". I hear the same from "younger Masons". Both those younger in years and in Masonic experience.
I do agree that those that hold these views are perhaps less enlightened.

How can the be considered secret if they are all on the Internet? Just because we don't communicate them openly does not make them secret.

Okay, in place of "secrets" substitute "things we won't discuss".

I think that there are two reasons for secrecy in Masonry. The first, and most obvious, is so we aren't deceived by men who are only claiming to be Masons.

The second reason is to protect the ritual experience. In my opinion, our ritual, and the process that each Mason makes to become proficient in it, teaches the principles of Masonry better than any PowerPoint presentation or textbook ever could. In order to be effective, it must be experienced hoodwinked. I think this means figuratively as well as literally.

I am not saying that we should mislead the world as to what we do, just as we never mislead a candidate. We simply leave them in the dark so that when they are brought to the light, they do not then take it for granted. Masonry is supposed to change men's lives - not by teaching new principles, but by re-emphasizing and re-telling those eternal principles that all religions share.

The experience is key. Whenever I read a book like Bro. Hodepp's, I ask myself if what they are saying will diminish the experience for anybody, or if it will accentuate it.

That's my $.02

Agreed

Brothers,

I disagree with the assertion that all of our "secrets" are on the internet. The true secrets of Freemasonry lay far deeper than simply knowing a token or word. Copy the entire ritual onto the web, and still those who do not know where to look will never find them. For this reason, as I stated before, many of our own Brothers do not know the secrets and therefore teach new Masons that there are none to be found. For the man who truly seeks "that which was lost", there are many secrets behind the veil of Masonry that will forever remain so to the profane.

S&F

Jason

So are you saying that the understanding of that which should not be spoken is the secret of masonry?

Not at all. I am saying that there is more to Masonry than secret handshakes and code words. There are secrets that lie within and beyond them. They can certainly be spoken of by those who know them. There is meaning behind everything that we do and the words that are spoken that cannot be found by those who do not know where or how to find them.

It is not the answer but the path to the answer that opens our eyes and these people who look up secrets have not walked the path.

Someone recently asked me where the "treasure" was being kept. I replied "under Trinity church, everyone knows that!"

The "Treasure" is recreated every time a Mason does the Work that the Degrees asks of him.

No Work done, no Treasure obtained.

That was pretty much my follow up after I tried not to laugh at the look on their face