A Brother Asks... Masonic Secrets

A Brother Asks: When is a Masonic secret not a Masonic secret?

My Response: If "secret" is defined as something that is known, there are absolutely no Freemasonic Secrets! There are only things that Freemasons have promised not to talk about with non-members.

If you're looking for something more significant to perpend though, a question to ask yourself would be "why would we promise not to talk about specific things with non-members?"

When seeking a suitable response, please avoid accepting as answers the profoundly lame excuses "because I promised not to!" or "because I gave my word!" Neither provides any insight into the "why" that has any substance to the issues at play and reveals that no well-thought out reasoning occurred.

Although "because I promised not to!" or "because I gave my word!" might be considered valid "excuses", neither addresses the foundational reason! And this reason has nothing to do with protection modes of recognition whatsoever.

 

What do you think this foundation reason might be?

BTW - When you consider how the word "secret" is used within Freemasonic circles, it is defined as something that is conveyed that is understood and applied immediately and requires absolutely no understanding whatsoever.  In this respect, a Freemasonic secret is merely confidential information conveyed to members that is not to be discusses with non-members.

-- Brother John S. Nagy

 

PS - You can read more about secrets in Building Boaz, "The Secret Realm" chapter.

 

 

A Brother Asks... Making Good Men Better

 

A Brother Asks: How does mastering ritual make good men better?

Response: It doesn't. It no more makes good men better than mastering any other map.

 

It is only by recognizing, understanding and applying it toward the territory it represents that you become better, and only if you do so with the intent and methods of betterment. Otherwise, it just sits on the bookshelf of your mind, collecting dust, being eaten by the mind's silverfish or worse, rotting.

Pointing to it, pulling it out and waving it in the faces of others, or worse, boasting about how well you have preserved it without using it to travel within its alluded to territory, is the ultimate insult to its creation.

Ritual Mastery does not make you Better; Suitably and Appropriately Applying it toward your life does.

IN OTHER WORDS: There Is No Transformation for The Better Without Work That Transforms for The Better! Mastering Ritual is only Installing the Map, but is it not the Work that Occurs to Follow It!!

 

F&S,

 

Brother John S. Nagy

 

 

A Brother Asks... Business Meetings for Apprentices

 

A Brother Asks: What are your thoughts on allowing each lodge, at its discretion, to conduct

business meetings at the EA Degree level?

My Response: I guess that truly depends upon your end-in-mind, doesn't it.

If you want to bore the newbies to death and potentially drive them away with meaningless Reports and Minutes and do so before they even begin to progress, then opening the doors to them early on would accomplish your desired end.

Then again, if you want to attract them toward wanting to progress further and actually want to attend again long afterward, don't you think that first improving the quality and nurturing of the meetings for the existing membership should be a more important thing to do?

 

After all, what is opening the doors to newbies actually accomplishing for you and them? Attendance? 

 

That gets old quickly if nothing else is motivating them.

 

Here's some materials that you can share with your Apprentices.  

 

VIDEOS!

 

You can show them in Lodge or have them watch them prior to the meetings, asking them to write down what they learned, what questions they raise, and how would they try to explain the materials to the Lodge.

ENJOY!

 

F&S,

 

Brother John S. Nagy

 

 

Building Free Men - A book review by Brother Frederic L. Milliken

"This is a profound work that will pause many a Mason to stop and think about what Nagy is saying here. Perhaps it will spur a Brother or two or three or more to pick up a Masonic book, to ask some questions, to sit at a roundtable Masonic discussion. For the goal here is spiritual and philosophical and the development of the individual and his soul. Being a Mason is more than paying dues, memorizing and repeating ritual and doing activities. ...

...To be a Mason involves WORK.

...Coach Nagy has done what he set out to do. He has coached Freemasons to become all that they can be, to study, learn and educate themselves and to understand the historical context wherein Freemasonry grew...

...For this reason, this is a must book for every member of the Craft."

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You can read the entire review here...

You can obtain a copy of "Building Free Men" here...

F&S,

Brother John S. Nagy