Put your Support where you’re Nurtured Best!
To some, a Lodge at best
is no more than a temporary home toward which Brothers Travel for Work,
Earnings and Contribution; to make it anything other than this would be to bastardize
its intent. To others, it is a Way of Being
where Brothers drink deeply from the Wellsprings of the Spirit; making it a Community
of Brotherhood, Transformation and Rejuvenation and where all are paid their
Due Wages for Work well performed.
˜
›
¾
œ
š
™
Past Musings
It’s said by some Brothers and Scholars that in days of old,
Stonecraft (Operative) Lodges were convened for the purpose of performing Work
Supported by financial sources other than the Workers themselves. These Lodges came into being for that purpose
and for that purpose alone. Once this
Work was completed, or became unsupported (as in, financial support stopped),
the convened Lodge dissolved and the Workman Traveled to find Supported Work
elsewhere.
Perhaps it’s a fantasy to think that these Workman Operated
in Wisdom, where they only had a Lodge convened when Supported Work
existed. Perhaps it was not Wisdom at
all and merely Common Sense that drove the practicality of such Conventions. Either way, the Support paradigm seemed to
work very well at the time. Lodges came into being and left existence just as
swiftly based upon some very simple practical drivers.
It makes sense that such paradigms might have dictated the
creation and destruction of such Operative Lodges. Both the Lodge and its Workers required
expenses to be paid and this on a Regular basis. They were business operations primarily and most
business operations have overhead costs associated with running them. Working Tools and Materials must have been
procured and maintained, at a cost. Administration and Site Support costs must
also have been taken into account. These
expenses and others must have been taken into consideration when Work was to
commence.
For such Lodges to come into and remain in existence, Work
supported by sources of revenue certainly needed to exist also. It is costly for Workers of any Lodge to
exist in any moment when there are no Supported Works to be done. For Workers to be supported in their efforts,
fair compensation (revenue for their Work) must be available to sustain them. Once the support for such Work ceased, soon
thereafter you could easily expect the entire Workforce to disband toward other
supported Work that made itself known to them.
It was a good business model and it functions that way to this day in
many parts of the world.
Today, Freemasonic (Speculative) Lodges come into being not
because there is externally Supported Work to be done. They come into being because there are groups
of Workers called, “Brothers”, who want to Build and run Lodges. The financial support no longer comes from
external sources. It comes from the
pockets of member Brothers and not from financial backers or benefactors
wanting structures built for one reason or another.
The Work has also changed.
It’s taken two different directions in its focus: The Lodge (a band of
Brothers who meet in a Lodge
Building) and the individual
Workers (the Brothers themselves). Either
Work results cannot be seen as external edifices that tower over the heads of those
who build them. Results cannot be viewed
as a bridge that leads to other destinations.
The results of the Work are intangible in every respect and those
desiring to touch any of it shall die in frustration before they may lay finger
upon it.
The Work today is no longer
Operative in nature.
It is solely Speculative and internal, not just
to the
Lodge Building but also to the Lodge’s patrons.
These patrons are profiteers of this Work and
they are the Workers themselves.
The
Work is explicit too.
It’s designed with
one end in mind: to Preserve a specific Code that, when followed and practiced,
Raises males to Maturity.
The Work within the Lodge is totally Preservation based. It is esoteric in its nature but is often viewed
and practiced as if it were exoteric. No
matter how it may be viewed though, Preservation is always at the forefront of
its purpose.
There is an established and honored Work flow. Future Workers go through a rigorous
interview process followed by Work being Initiated. Should the new Worker show commitment, he
shall eventually Pass onto other Work activities that eventually Lift him into
providing the same support toward others so inclined. Every stage of the process Preserves the
specific aforementioned Code and only those who have committed that special Code
to memory are allowed to Work within the Lodge building and under the Lodge’s
Work Charter.
Many Lodge members do
not Understand the Work that should take place within each of the Workers, and
far fewer do so clearly.
Even fewer
support it.
It’s referred to as “esoteric” by some and “non-sense”
by many others.
The end-in-mind of this
Work is
Maturation, although in the
archaic language used by the Workers then, as in now, it is referred to as “
Perfection”.
Even that word is
misunderstood by the
majority.
Workers who are new to the Work are referred to as “Apprentices”. The Symbols, that the Craft use to denote
these Workers, all point toward dealing effectively with Youth. These Symbols
also point toward the need for these Youth to develop and use specific
disciplines that allow for better self-management. Activities designed to
Unburden them of non-essential activities, relationships, ideas and possessions
are pointed out to these Workers in the hope that they shall be Mature enough
to knowingly engage in them. There are
also Activities designed to Strengthen their ability to make better choices. These too are offered to the Workers in hope
that they shall be ready for them.
It’s important to note that the Apprentice Work might appear
to be focused upon the superficial aspects of the Worker. There is much talk about making surfaces Smooth
and Right. With well-guided instruction
though, these aspects lift quickly away to reveal that it is not the external
but internal Character that is being Worked into being smooth and Right. Their Work requires Fervent and unwavering
Commitment. Those Workers without these
qualities shall never Pass Suitably toward any worthwhile ends. It is these qualities that bring about the
Wages each Worker receives and in turn Contributes to the Lodge as a unified
Workforce. Should they fall short in any
way, they and their Brothers shall suffer together.
Workers who progress through the initial stages of the Work
come to Pass into a stage referred to as “Fellow
Craft”. The Symbols, that the Craft
use to denote these Workers, all point toward dealing effectively with Adulthood. They also point to the need for these individuals
to develop and use specific disciplines that allow for Mature management of
things external to themselves. They are
given opportunity to engage in activities that show them how to Distinguish
things in progressively finer detail and to use both words and numbers as tools
to do this. All these activities, when
engaged in, Cultivate Understandings within the Workers that Reveal Order in a
seemingly Chaotic world. These
activities also Cultivate their Understandings as to how seeming Chaos can be
Ordered and Controlled in very beneficial ways.
Ironically, the Fellows’ Work is bringing Order to Chaos,
not to the external but internal World of the Worker. With well-guided instruction, the Craftsman soon
Understands that his internal world must thoroughly be Worked upon first before
what he shall eventually Work upon things externally. It is tough and demanding Work. Those who are still Burdened or who still lack
Strength shall find that they are incapable of rendering anything of
satisfaction. Furthermore, if they do
not learn to Distinguish well, their Work and what they Earn as a result shall
suffer greatly. It is the internal qualities of these Workman that shall bring
about their eventual Wages and in turn, what they shall Contribute to the Lodge
as a unified Workforce. Should these
Workers be viewed superficially, all future benefits shall be diminished for
all involved.
Workers, who Progress well through Manhood, Raise their
Understandings and Improve their Discipline enough to be shining examples of
what Recognizing, Understanding and Executing the Preserved Code should do, Rightfully
merit the title of “Master”. Those that don’t merit the title shall lesson
the Wages for the entire Lodge. The
Symbols, that the Craft use to denote these Workers, all point toward dealing
effectively with Age and Wisdom. They
also denote the need for these Men to further develop and use their well honed
Understandings and Disciplines in life. Workers
who merit such a title, also merit Traveling, Working, Earning and Contributing
at the high level that they have achieved.
Pretenders to this title may be given opportunity to do all four at
first, but their lack of Maturity, Discipline and Skill shall soon betray them. Their very looks shall reveal to the world
who they truly are.
Masters render Beauty in their Work. There lives reveal to others and the world that
they have achieved Mastery in that allows for liberties not permitted by those
less Masterful. It is their qualities
that bring about the Wages they receive and, in turn, what they Contribute to
the Lodge as a unified Workforce.
Lodge Members frustrated by the lack of sufficient support from
poorly trained Workers should Perpend long and hard upon the Worker Work that
each Lodge should promote. Just as the
Operative Workforces of past years, Speculative Workforces of present day
Lodges require funding for Lodge Work. Often
times the Work itself provides the funding for Lodge Work. This is because Workers do not view Lodge
activities from a financial standpoint alone.
Work in itself should and does have a high degree of satisfaction and it
is always rendered as payment to those who joyfully engage in it.
When the Work being done holds no reward, the Workforce shall
disengage and soon depart from it. The
Operative Lodges of yester years knew well that any Work that goes unfunded is
unrewarding. This especially includes
unrewarding Work.
When a Lodge wants support, it is well advised to look at
the Work that it provides to its Workers.
A Lodge engaged in activities that have no reward to its Workers shall
continually struggle to keep Workers in its quarry.
An unpaid Workforce shall not remain out of
loyalty;
they shall leave and go where they are rewarded best.
Points to Perpend:
1) How
does your Lodge nurture its members toward Maturity as males?
2) What
Wages do your Lodge members currently receive for the Work that they do?
3) What
Wages would you like to see for your Work?
4) What
Work must you Commit to do and to perform to receive this Desired Wage?
5) How
soon should you be starting this Work?
6) Whom
shall you ask to assist you toward your Desired ends and how soon shall you ask
them?
A Brother Comments and Asks: I'm curious about the other grand lodges in the deep south. After all this time, why is no progress being made to end this segregation between the two? Racism is the obvious answer, but I'm looking for a little more than that. For two legitimate bodies to not recognize each other would be just that, which in my understanding is a very un-Masonic thing to do, so surely there is something else... do you know?
