I was lucky enough to attend a lecture at St. Alban's this last weekend, where Brother Normand acted as master of ceremonies (perhaps unofficially, not sure of the officer structure), and afterwards he provided fellowship for us within his home. I admire him. He was one of the lecturers when I became 32nd, and among his other duties he is one of Texas Masonry's main diplomats to other GLs. The genuine article this man.
The whole model is interesting to me for one reason - gravitas.
And our lodge has a number of things going for it that put a conversion to TO on the possibility list. Location, amenities within the building, a clean slate of sorts, and so forth. And so I am investigating the concept closely.
The thing I want most is to plant a banner for younger masons in the Houston area. We are spread out to kingdom come. In some lodges we are central. In others we are on the periphery. But we are dispersed. I think that should we gather into one place, under one roof, that we could create the sort of energy that builds and grows, and can help arrest some of the challenging trends facing us all as Texas Masons. I think many of us are searching for the same things which is why this model appeals to us.
But my fear is this "Traditional Observance" model may come at things from sub-optimal directions in some cases, and that there might be some better ways to approach things.
Let me give you fellas one example. The tuxedos.
Now, I own a tuxedo, and I enjoy having an excuse to wear it. I just feel comfortable in black tie, simple as that. But many men do not either own a tuxedo nor do they care to. And I worry that this is, in the end, not the best way to provide the gravitas we seek.
I think there may be others.
What reduces gravitas in our ritual, in our stated meetings, and so forth? Wrangling over the bills. Debates about fund raisers. Lack of stimulating content, and more things that I am sure come to mind.
But these things can be addressed by doing business every other stated meeting and that sort of thing.
I remain unconvinced that it is lack of exclusivity, brethren, which is at the root of the matter.
And no, I do not think that is the goal of TO necessarily - but lets return to the attire for a moment.
As I understand it (and I may be well mistaken), the white gloves worn by our brethren in other nations is worn in part to symbolize being on the level. An attorney's well manicured hands cannot be distinguished from the calloused hands of the plumber, roofer, or other tradesmen. I think that sort of symbolism has purpose, it rings deeply correct, to me.
So I can't help think, rather than tuxedos, why not do something simple, like have 50 simple robes available for every attendee of the lodge. With one swift stroke we take a man's attire out of the equation. We normalize everyone. We put the (relatively small) investment onto the shoulders of the lodge, making it a group project rather than an individual one, which is tiring if not impossible logistically as there will always be holdouts.
And it immediately makes every meeting a "robed" meeting. Every degree a "robed" degree. Coupled with simple things like turning down the lights, use of candles, music, and worthwhile content, you've got a far more compelling experience than before without having to be troubled with the drawbacks of exclusivity.
Anyway, thats just one example of the things that come to mind where I'm not sure the TO model is perfect. And the robes are really just a brainstorm, and I have several along those lines (perhaps equally poor!). But I am keen to learn more about TO. To learn how we can implement at least the spirit of the thing.
I think about the only way you'll get a "perfect" TO lodge, in the sense that it meets with the approval of the Masonic Restoration Foundation and whatever body has the authority to anoint a lodge as "officially" TO, is to form a lodge from scratch. Maybe there will be rare exceptions. Memorial may wind up going that route, even. But it would be, even with all of our advantages, a heavy lift. And I think that more often than not, men will have to come together to form an entirely new lodge to have it conform to TO in all official ways. It is just logistics, if you look at it from an implementation standpoint. And that, in this time where many lodges ought really to be merging and joining forces rather than becoming even more dispersed troubles me.
I think there is a better way.
I wish I could get some of you to come visit me at Memorial 1298. Get a whiteboard out, and discuss ideas, both what is working, what could work, and what could be done. Ideas, the energy to implement them, willingness to break the mold and a common passion to go deeper into this particular rabbit hole. We would appreciate your input, and it would be very timely.