What does Masonry mean to you?

The question is in the title, what does masonry mean to you? Why did you choose to become a mason? I have asked many brothers this question and always get different and interesting answers so I would like to hear from the members on here.

I chose to join after meeting several masons and seeing how they handle themselves, the respect they had for one another and the final push came from when I was visiting local lodges trying to get a feel for them and while none of these men had ever met me they were all very welcoming and polite, showed me around the lodge talked to me about masonry and invited me to come back. I felt drawn to masonry after all of this and knew it was the path for me and now here I am on my journey!

Masonry is something I've wanted to get into for a good while. With military moves and my personal cancer battle, it was put on hold for a couple of years. I wanted to join to better myself as a man, husband, father, and U.S. Marine. The first lodge I visited here in Washington State was very warm and welcoming. I was shown the lodge room and given a tour of the entire building. I meet every brother there (a lot) and each and everyone of them made my wife and I feel very welcome. I petitioned that night. Ever since then, every lodge I have visited throughout the country has been the same way. Unfortunately the Marine Corps feels that my time is up here in Washington and were moving back to California in July, but I have already found a great lodge to affiliate with there. I will miss my Brethren up here at Steilacoom #2 immensely, but I hope to be back in the near future.

Chris
Steilacoom #2 F. & A. M. Life Member

The bonding of men from all walks of life who live at every corner of the earth. I was in a small van traveling to Masada, Israel and a guy looked back, saw my ring, and we recognized each other as Master Masons. I knew then, thousands of miles from my home, that I had a Brother I could count on. That's Masonry to me.

As important as fellowship and camaraderie is, the draw for me was personal growth and inspiration. Being around other good people and a built in support network are all pluses.

The honest answer was that my Grandfather was a Mason and so were his brothers. If passed away in 1995 and in 2006 my Grandmother passed away and we were going through her things and my sisters gave me all of his Masonic jewelry. I was at a crossroads in my life and started to investigate the fraternity. When I saw how deep the esoteric work went from my reading of books and what not I decided to join. One of the best decisions I made, I did miss the fraternity when I was away from it in Afghanistan. I also get frustrated with it, but that is with all things in life that we love.

S&F,
-Bro Vick

Masonry is everything I want to be. The men in this fraternity are men I am proud to emulate and strive to be more like. There is a certain quality in the way the men in this great fraternity conduct themselves...a sense of honor and quality not wasted but instead put into action. I know I am a good man, but I know I could be better and through the works of the Craft I know that I will be a better man and as a better man, I hope to be able to make other good men better men through what I learn. I seek, I receive, I give back.

To me,Masonry means wisdom,spiritual and intellectual elevation,and service to others,for progress of mankind

Masonry is

For me masonry is a way of living. Masonry is an instrument of perfection for the human. It has given me good moments with friends, brethren and family. Masonry has become one of the most important things in my life. :. www.ccmasonicdesigns.com

For Me, as of today becoming a Master Mason, it is the mark of a new beginning. A bond has been forever engraved within me and shared with a family of Brothers around the world. It is a dedication to live by the square and raise the bar within myself, and strive to make a difference. I now travel on the straight road that has no end in search of more light at every angle...
As a New Master Mason, that so far is what it has meant to me...
Victory Lodge 745
N. CAROLINA...
God Bless

My Brothers, My take on Masonry is that it is a WAY OF LIFE. We all chose to enter the door on "our own free will and accord", and we all hoped to obtain the keys to Man's Secrets, which are investigated by the eternal PURSUIT OF TRUTH, and the quest to KNOW THYSELF. There are two very significant guides in our travels and investigation into these Ancient Mysteries, the Holy Bible and our Masonic Ritual, which contain lectures and charges designed to guide our lives through History, Symbolism, Numerology, Philosophy, and a bit of allegory along the way, in addition to other things.

I love the fact that the study and investigation of Masonry is there for ANY Man who seeks further LIGHT, and wishes to become a BETTER Man. However, it is not intended for EVERY MAN. I am of the opinion that we are not elitist, but should carefully scrutinize petitioners, and guard our knowledge and Bond of Brotherhood as we guard the doorways of our own homes and families. I am not ashamed to say that FREEMasonry helped me to turn my life around, and in the 5 years that I have been a FREEMason, with GOD's help, I have battled against and WON my fights against High Blood Pressure, Depression, Alcohol Abuse, Womanizing, and my adjustment of my Personal Priorities as they pertain to Faith, Family, Fitness, Fraternity, and Friends. I rededicated my life to Christ in July of 2008. As a Man with his priorities in the correct order NOW, I can appreciate Masonry that much more.

I have NO shame in putting my battle with my demons on this forum, because I know that I am among BROTHERS, who will look at me and judge me on my Internal Qualifications, not the External. I am a Man who knows fully well what Masonry can do for a Man who is in need of a POSITIVE Brotherhood and a system/guide of Morality and Life Lessons, which have assisted in making this good Man a much better Man, Husband, and more importantly, a FATHER of three. I am blessed that I found a Lodge where each of the Brothers in my Lodge are trying to become BETTER Husbands, Fathers, and Servants of GOD.

Masonry, when viewed as a "progressive science", forces the student/scientist to enhance and heighten his knowledge of himself, and when a Man is constantly striving to be a BETTER Man, he does so by using what I call the Right Triangle of LIFE-----the elevation of Mind, Body, and Spirit, and becomes a Man who allows his Spiritual, or Higher Nature to become Master over his Physical, or Lower Nature. When I made the decision to turn my life over to Christ on Sunday, July 29, 2008, GOD took all of my burdens and demons away from ME, and allowed me to fill my mind with positive influences. I found Masonry, and Masonry found ME, and helped to save my life, by simply giving me additional source material to study along with the Bible, to remain the Rule and Guide of my LIFE..........Masonry is NOT a Religion by any means, Brothers, but when studied along with the study of your particular faith, it CAN be a Positive Force in your life..........I hope Brothers can appreciate my offering and testimony about what FREEMasonry means to ME........... Bro. Vincent C. Jones, Sr., Bayou City Lodge #228, PHA, F&AM, Houston, Texas

Great response Bro. JONES!!

Thanks, brother.............just spoke from the heart...........FREEMasonry helped me renew my focus on important priorities in life, at a time when I was having problems in my marriage. Most of those problems stemmed from lack of focus on the RIGHT things. As a 15 year Policeman with Houston PD, and an 8 year Patrol Sgt., it's very easy to make the demands of my career on these streets my scapegoat. But, I wasn't going to be that weak, and risk losing my family, when that was completely preventable. A Brother who had been a good friend of mine since college was a Mason, and that sparked my interest. That was a good beginning to the REST of my life. My marriage is doing a lot better, we have been blessed with three beautiful children, and I am even a BETTER Policeman and Supervisor with a renewed focus on my priorities. I made the decision to apply the time honored principles to MY LIFE AND WAY OF LIVING, and it worked! Bro. Jones

The truth, the way, the light

Masonry is that beacon that guides when uncertainty causes havoc. It has done more than "make a good man better". It has literally become a criteria of life. To know & not enact its tenants would be a travesty! As I stand, I stand on the square of morality in all my doings. Religion teaches rules. Masonry teaches truth. I stand by that....on the square.

Well stated, Brother. We all know through this TRUTH that Religion was created by MAN, and tenets and regulations can and usually do change as you enter different places of worship.

However, In a REGULAR AND RECOGNIZED Lodge of FREEMasonry, the consistency of the teaching as it has passed from Mouth to Ear, and from Brother to Brother over time is what commands the reverence and respect from each of its members.

This consistency of teaching the time honored Tenets, Ritual, Charges, Lectures, History, Symbolism, and Philosophy is what has made Masonry the Grand Daddy of all Fraternal Organizations. But, one thing I keep in perspective as I pray daily is to focus on my RELATIONSHIP to GOD, and not the Religion or church where I choose to worship. Our GAOTU isn't concerned AT ALL with Religion; HE is concerned with us living each day according to HIS will and teaching, and preparing ourselves for that "House Not Made With Hands......". Peace and Blessings to all of my Brothers......Bro Vincent C. Jones, Sr., Bayou City Lodge #228, PHA, F&AM, Houston, Texas

Freemasonry is me and I am Freemasonry. It is not merely something I do; it is something I live. The person I have become because of my association with this Fraternity is the person I always hoped I would be. I am more compassionate, have more patience, more intellectual, and most importantly, more in tune with my true spiritual self. I thank the Grand Architect every day for showing me this path towards self enlightenment. I have become so content with myself and my life that every day Im alive is just so enjoyable to me and, when the time comes that I meet the Grand Architect face to face, I shall fear not and know that I present myself in purity like our lambskin aprons, without money and valuables, mineral and metallic substances. I exist in my current frame of mind because of Freemasonry and, by all of us realizing this same thing, Freemasonry continues to exist because of us.

Amen, Brother...........sounds like a Man who has truly made FREEMasonry a WAY OF LIFE!...............Bro. Jones

Masonry means men of good character who seek to become better through fellowship with other men of good character.
Masonry means higher standards than that which we will find anywhere else.
We do not let politics or religion separate us, even if we find ourselves facing each other across a battlefield - and we have - it is our good character that we will not compromise on and those principles of Masonry.

We can help build a better world by leading with our actions and words and setting ourselves apart from the rest.

I had never really even heard of Freemasonry when I was growing up until 2000, when I was 33.

In 2000, my wife's 14 year old cousin had surgery at the Northern California Shriners Hospital to correct her scoliosis. My wife and I drove the 1½ hour drive nearly every day for a week during her post-op recovery, and I couldn't have been impressed with the staff, from the doctor to the clowns in the waiting rooms.

On one of the last days, I got enough courage to ask one of the clown "what the heck is a Shriner?". He explained to me that you had to be a 3rd degree Master Mason, then go through the York or Scottish Rite, then become a Shriner. It sounded like way too much work and trouble and took way too long, so I quickly forgot about it.

Flash forward 9-10 years later (my wife cousin is doing awesome, by the way!!), and I found myself shopping for a new TV with my wife at Costco. We purchased a huge 60-inch plasma TV and had it loaded into my truck. When I got home, I realized I had no way to get it out of my truck and into my house. I don't know what came over me, but I went into my bedroom, closed the door, and cried quietly with the realization that while I had many co-workers and acquaintances, I didn't have a single friend or close family member that I could call on to help, even for a simple thing like unloading a TV. I work in the next town over from where I live, have no family that live close (besides my wife of course) and my life was basically wake up, drive to work, work all day, drive home, have dinner with my wife, go to bed, and repeat. I had no social life outside the house. In that moment, I understood how small, limited, and lacking my life was.

I called my brother-in-law's brother who lived in the same town as me (I hadn't seen him since I was a kid) remembering he was a Freemason. I sent him an email asking for info, and he came over and explained to me what it was, and what I could get out of it. The social, fraternal aspect appealed to me. I filled out a petition, and submitted it. I was informed that because I only had one signer on the petition, I couldn't proceed (I only knew one Mason). Dejected, I accepted my incomplete petition back and figured that maybe Masonry wasn't for me after all.

I didn't know it, but there was a big shake up at the local lodge at that time causing several members to drop from the lodge to go to another. It's quite a deal when 6 of the 70 members up and leave. During the bruhaha, my petition process slipped though the cracks. Many months later, they figured out that I had not been followed up with and contacted me. They got my petition signed and I eventually got Initiated, Passed, and Raised.

Even after getting my 3rd degree, I still struggled with the social aspect of my lodge. Being the youngest member (even at at 44), I had little in common with the other members, and meetings consisted of Minutes, New Business, Old Business, eat some pie and lets go home. Informative (slightly), but not very engaging or exciting. My Lodge is very small and only a few members attend each month. We didn't have the thought-provoking talks, the interesting lectures, or the mind-expanding programs I had read about that supposedly happens in Freemason Lodges. I took 2 classes though our Grand Lodge, and presented them to our lodge to try to liven things up, and both times, only 6-7 people showed up.

I met with a former Lodge Master from a nearby lodge at an event, and and asked what my options were. I still felt like there was more I could be doing, He sat with me for well over an hour explaining my three options for personal growth within Masonry; the York and Scottish Rites and the Shrine. I didn't know it then, but in California, the requirement to be in one of the Rites before the Shrine had been dropped. I chose to join the Shrine, remembering how deeply and profoundly they had affected my family.

The Shrine is perfect for me. It's a lot of fun, and the cause they (we) champion is very close to my heart. It took just over 12 years from the time I talked to the clown (literally) at the Shriners hospital, until I became a Shriner. Yes, I'm a Mason 1st, but it's the Shrine that gives me satisfaction and camaraderie I needed in my life. I haven't given up on my Lodge (I recently accepted the Junior Deacon and Candidate's Coach positions), and hope to eventually get my Lodge more engaging.

It helps one connect to the conduit or pipeline of ageless knowledge. IMHO

to me Masonry means the BEAUTY AND NOBLESS WHICH LIES IN EVERY HUMAN BEING