A Brother Asks... Empty Seats

A Brother Asks: Why do we really suppose there are so many empty seats? ...why are our lodge rooms empty?

My Response: Because...

 

1) Static Offerings - Unlike in years past, we are no longer one of the only shows in town. There are far more shows offered now than there have ever been and the number is growing uncontrollably.  There is nothing new; nothing original; nothing that sparks the original interest of those enticed to join. 

 

How should we address this: Offer True Light and Good Discourse to drive it home, and not just more training that is clearly self-serving to the organization.

2) Un-Fulfillment - Moreover, we don't live up to the hype and those with interest in what they thought the hype offered soon move on to better, more interesting and more fulfilling offerings elsewhere, once they discover there is nothing but unfulfilling hype. 

How should we address this: Bring members in who have a realistic expectation of what is really offered and provide them Education that is fulfilling along those lines.  Not just plays pointing toward that education.
 

3) Stiffer Competition - Furthermore, once you've seen the show, there are other shows that offer much more to those who seek them.  The competition for attention is far more involved now than ever and it is growing tougher each day. Add to this the technology that is employed to deliver these shows and we have not kept up with the times, even with our specific niche in the marketplace.

 

How should we address this: Examine your niche market and continue to deliver what they are truly looking for.

4) Demanding MEgos - Officer (not membership) Focus - Additionally, there are some Lodge shows offering far too many "look at what office I obtained, title I bear and jewels I wear" & "How much do you want to give to my cause" people to demand repeat attendances.  In all honesty, these shows draw no interest from the majority who attend to nurture or be nurtured.

 

How should we address this: Stop the parade or, at least, stop the childish guilt trips and mind games toward those who refuse to support them.

 

5) Unnecessary Conflicts - Finally, many members show up to escape the stresses outside the Lodge.  When they show up and soon discover there's unnecessary stressors inside the Lodge, they shall avoid it like the plague.  They shall do this and even avoid talking with anyone who may invite them back into the insanity or even those associated with the Lodge for fear of the possibility of being invited back into the insanity.

 

How should we address this:  There is no easy way to deal with this especially when they are in office.  If you can, remove the conflict and the warring parties from the Lodge, much as what was done by forbidding religion and politics from being discussed in open Lodge.  Otherwise, move to and support a Lodge that deals with these issues effectively.

 

F&S,

 

Brother John S. Nagy

 

 

A Brother Asks... True Master

A Brother Asks: What is the difference between a "Master Mason" and a "True or Real Master Mason"?

My Response:  Quite bluntly, these are phrases that are used by individuals to point out that a member of the organization is just wearing a title instead of living up to the intent of the title, as they see it.

But in reality and stopping the word play, I cannot define what a "True or Real Master Mason" or, for that matter, a "True or Real Freemason" is, without conveying indirect judgment. Moreover, I don't believe anyone can define it without letting it be known that they are judging another member's suitability to wear these titles.

Brother: But why?

Coach: The reason? 

Brother: Yes!

Coach: It's a redundant and unnecessarily judgmental term. Let's just cover the first one.

Brother: Okay.

Coach: A Master Mason is already True. "True" is the basis of the title "Master". One might as well say "Master Master Mason" or "True True Mason" by asking such a question. It's nonsensical, unless you are making effort to convey that judgment.
 
When a man wears the title, "Master Mason" and has earned it, he is already "True" because he has Laid the Foundation, Learned the Skills and has Built and Created at least one Masterpiece, himself! 

Brother: So, there are steps?

Coach: Yes!  Here are the steps he took to do just that:

• Prepared to Learn,
• Learned How to Learn, and
• Learns and Teaches (himself and others) daily.

Brother: Interesting!

Coach: Indeed!  Moreover, a Master Mason who has done the Foundational Work of the first Two Degrees, has also focused his Work upon Building and Creating other Masterpieces, of which are also recognized as such by other Masters.

 
Brother: Wow!

Coach: Furthermore, a Master Mason seeks to Find and become the Light he Seeks and is also a Guiding Light for other Seekers to do the same.
 
Brother: What about those members who do not do this and wear the title?

Coach: Anyone claiming the title "Master Mason" who does not meet these descriptions and desires to wear the title unearned, is simply a Ruffian wanting for entitlement.

Brother: Isn't that a little harsh?

Coach: What was one of the primary lessons provided by the third degree drama?

Brother: Demanding unearned wages!

Coach: Indeed!  And before you ask, "Yes!"  I have fallen into the trap of using the terms "real" and "true" when applied to Master Masons and Freemasons in general. 

Brother: And?

Coach: When I catch myself, I correct it by conveying directly what I am making effort to say - there's a huge difference between "members" and those who have done the Work.  Sometimes it is a judgment and for good reason too.  We have far too many ruffians within our walls.

Brother: So, what's the difference? 

Coach: I'll turn the question around and ask back, what are you really trying to convey by the use of the word "true" or "real" in your distinguishing?
 
F&S,
 
Brother John S Nagy
 

 

 

Grand Lodge AL Declares Open Season on Ruffians

Montgomery AL – In an effort to clear out the Rubbish from its Temple, the Grand Lodge of Alabama has declared open season on Ruffians.  The move is yet one more made by several Grand Lodges around the world and over the past few years to improve the quality of the Craft by reducing membership counts involving poor quality members.

When asked about the motives behind the move, Grand Master Art N. Cianse said, “Well, it should be obvious as to why we took this step in the right direction.  Good God!  Even our Ritual tells us how to deal with them!"  He took a deep breath and added, "But it took far too long a time for us to get around to doing it.”

When pressed further as to why this specific step was being taken and why now, Art replied, “Okay, Okay!  Let me put it kindly… we’re hearing terrible stuff from the Brothers, at least, from those not too dramatized to talk about it.  A whole lot of our members are being driven off by the Rubbish these rogues are throwing at them.” He paused and continued, “Seeing as there’s only one source of Rubbish that we know of, we’re aiming our sights quite literally on taking out the trash.  The fact that we're having some good old fashion Southern style fun at the same time is purely a way to increase the retention of who we truly want in the organization.”

You might ask: What does open season mean?

Right Worshipful Y. Dewy Bother seemed to have the skinny on the details.  “We’re real keen on having fun and most of us like hunting." He snickered and added, "We figured we'd kill two birds with one maul so to speak by allowing our Brothers to have a daily three bag limit on any Ruffians they can track down and…” he hesitated a little, looking for the politically correct words to express himself. “…well, let’s just say the rubbish will be removed from the Temple once this whole project gets underway.”

Worshipful Brother Bring M. Hoeme, a spokesman for the Grand Lodge welcoming committee said, “This will be a double boon for the fraternity.  The members we already have will no longer have to deal with the Trumpery these Ruffians pile and throw everywhere.  We will offer our newest members a discounted Grand Lodge Sanctioned Ruffian Hunting License incentive just for joining. Current members will get a two for one deal when they bring in candidates who want to participate.”

When old timer and Past Master Worshipful Brother Willy Listen was asked his thoughts on this, his only reply was, "I sure wish we had free license to do this in my day.  It would have made a world of difference for generations of men coming through."

For details on obtaining one of these Official Ruffian License, please contact your local Lodge Secretary.

F&S,

Brother John S. Nagy

PS -  If you're interested in a great Field Guide to the North American Ruffian, one that will show you how to identify them in their natural habitats, how to track them efficiently and deal with them more effectively, you can find it here.

 

 

Stairway to Heaven Anyone?

Masonic Education*:

Jacob's Ladder was not a ladder. The original Hebrew word used was "SULOM", which is a gradiated incline, a.k.a. "stairway; staircase".

The Craft are offered two overt stairways within the first two Blue Lodge Degrees. The EA Degree offers the first. The FC the second.

The EA Degree Stairway is reflected in the Work to which its Ritual Alludes, but not in the Ritual work itself. The same for the FC.

The EA Work focuses upon Bringing Order to the Chaos of the Heart. The FC to the Head.  Bother are required to assure a firm and strong Connection.

Each Stairway is a direct Connection to Heaven. Build them not and your Connections suffer greatly. Yea, Build them not and you may just find yourself Severed in Twain.

So, here's the question:

How are you going about Building your Stairways?

F&S,

Brother John S. Nagy

* Not to be confused with Freemasonic Education.

(Thanks for the inspiration Brother Dave Bacon!)

 

To Whom We Serve Weekly – Chapter Two

For your consideration: An Appropriate Craft Allegory for our times.

Be wary of the Gym that sells you membership based upon Body-Building but puts you to work behind the cash register.

------------------

Body-Building attracts interested men when it looks the part.

The Approach

It was back in the summer of ’01 when I unknowingly began a life-changing discourse with a man I had known for some time.  The subject was one of which I was very fond, personal development.  The conversation didn’t initially start out on topic though.  At first, we discussed self-care, as in, things that we were doing to take care of ourselves.   Very soon into the talk however, the focus turned from Maintaining health to Establishing new ground.  That new ground was “Body-Building[1]”.  

Within an eye’s blink, our exchange sprang to life and more quickly than I had expected.  This shouldn’t have surprised me for it wasn’t as if I was new to the topic.  I had been Body-Building for many years and the mere mention of it brought much excitement to our talk.  He appeared to be well versed in the subject and our dialogue continued at length.  

Unbeknownst to me at that time, my talk-partner had also been a Body-Builder[3] for quite a while. When I found this out, I was a bit shocked.  Eyeing him up and down, he did not show any of the traditional signs of a man involved in such practice.  As someone who was personally involved in this Work, the outward signs of his Body-Building efforts were not obvious to me, even though he sounded like he knew an awful lot about it.

As our chat unfolded, my initial observations went unheeded.  His enthusiasm for Body-Building overwhelmed me.  Furthermore, his excitement in my interest was only overshadowed by what he earnestly believed he needed to share about his Body-Building love interest.  His energy directed much of our conversation in those moments.

He told me that he held Body-Building to such high esteem that he wore an odd-looking “B” shaped nose-ring denoting how far he had progressed in his devotion to this concern.  This revelation alone explained well why he wore it so proudly.  He claimed that there was so much involved in Body-Building that other interested devotees, people he knew personally, had created multitudes of affiliated Body-Building clubs and groups whose sole purpose was to promote Body-Building.  It was no surprise to me that I soon learned that he was a member of all of them!'

As I listened to him, I was dazzled by the shear magnitude of Body-Building’s systemic expansion. I had no idea of its shear magnitude.  That expansion was quite telling. And he gleefully hinted that these other affiliate organizations could be joined also, but only after I joined the first.

Applying

I was intrigued by all his information.  Having been both interested and actively engaged in Body-Building for some time, albeit on my own terms and with my own equipment, I was startled by the possibility of further Building with others.  I asked him how I could possibly join in on all this fun.  He quickly pulled out of his back pocket a signed membership application to one of the many local Gymnasiums[2].  

This specific application was to the one that he belonged to only a few miles down the road from my home.  He conveyed to me with a smile and a wink that it is best to belong to a Gym[4] where you knew members locally.  He added quickly that it was a common belief held as a truism by the membership that new members fared much better in their Body-Building efforts when those they surrounded themselves with were familiar to them.  

Well, I must say that his enthusiasm for his Gym swept me away.  Within a very short time, I witnessed my intrigue driving thoughts and actions toward joining.  I reviewed the application with great scrutiny.  I talked it over with my wife, several times in fact.  I kept circling back to two questions that seemed to be truly unrelated to what I perceived to be Body-Building.

The first question left me confused.  It focused upon what I believed. I couldn’t see the relevance of what I believed in relation to Body-Building.  It simply didn’t make much sense to me to ask such a question considering the focus of the Work that I desired to do.  I tried rationalizing it.  I tried looking at it from a spiritual side.  I even tried looking at it from the viewpoint of other Body-Builders having to Work out beside me.  After much thought I concluded that it was a harmless question overall and that sharing what I believed shouldn’t affect my progression in any way.

The other question left me giggling.  It had to do with any thoughts that I might have about overthrowing the government.  I could not help but laugh as I imagined myself dressed up “Rambo-style” accompanied by a group of middle-aged weekend Body-Builders showing up for work at city hall. I guess there might be some who take Body-Building in that direction but I didn’t see myself doing so.  I couldn’t foresee this question being problematic in any way.

The rest of the questions seemed routine for applications of this type.  There were requests for general family information, background, dates and such.   Nothing asked that seemed too prying.

Fully satisfied that I had examined it carefully, I finally filled out that application and submitted it to the intake person at the Gym.  The deed was done.  The die was cast.  I was on my way toward membership.

Clock Watching

Then, I waited... quite a rather lengthy time too.  Finally, a Gym member contacted me.  It seemed he wanted to “interview” me to see if I was a good fit for the Gym.  I thought this very odd since my interest was in Body-Building and I truly thought that the Gym would be grateful for another interested member.  Nevertheless, I consented to the “interview” and set up a time for some members to come over and “talk”.  

I found out also that such interviews typically took place away from the Gym and usually at the prospect’s home.  They even wanted my spouse to be present so that she would know more about my involvement at the Gym.  I thought this unusual since it was me who would be Working out at the Gym and not her.  When I asked about this, I was told that a good reason for this would be provided at the interview.

It was just about two months later when my interview day arrived. I was so excited that I couldn’t sit still.  The carry over from my previous conversation two months earlier still echoed in my mind.  My wife was less excited.  She already knew the Body-Building I had done in the past would make me a natural for any Gym. Her manner that day, and for that whole two months leading up to it, was cool, subdued and collected.

My manner was another matter.  I’d heard of these Gyms before.  I knew that their criteria for membership was high.  Although my interest and experience in Body-Building was above the norm, I couldn’t help but think that I might not measure up to their standards.

In short, my anxiety was so tight that it nearly caused my ears to ring!

With all this occurring for me, I still managed to last long enough to hear the knock at my door.  I walked over to it, took a deep breath saying to myself, “Show time!” and opened the door.

-------------------------

Author’s Note:  This story is fictitious.  Any reality to resemblance might hint greatly that you have Mastered the lines of reading between the art.

F&S,

Brother John S. Nagy

 

 [1] pursuing betterment

 [2] Lodges

 [3] betterment pursuers

 [4] Lodge

A Brother Asks... Best Things about Being a Freemason

A Brother Asks: Okay, thanks Bro.! Now that you have shared the worse things about being a Freemason, what in your opinion are the best things?

My Response: I am SOOOO glad that you asked!

Let’s do another Top Ten List!

#1) There are never a shortfall of opportunities to be involved in something beneficial to someone, including yourself.

#2) You’ll find many Brothers that you will find something in common with and who truly and willingly want to share.

#3) You can practice in your own way, in your own time and as you want with others who are of like mind, like heart and like spirit.

#4) You are never at a loss for things to learn about the Organization, yourself and your Brothers and what you learn can and shall change your life for the Better as you apply what you learn.

#5) You can show up nearly anywhere in the world and attend a Lodge meeting, get suitable help or just hang out with Brothers.

#6) You can pursue Freemasonic Rabbits (interests), in darn near any direction you want, and do so until you drop from delightful exhaustion.

#7) You’ll be contacted by people you don’t know just because they know that you’re a Brother.

#8) You can play the part you want, when you work at it.  Heck, you can play parts you don't want, even when you don't work at it!

#9) Teamwork, encouragement and support from those who care.

And the biggie!...

#10) You’re always welcome.

F&S,

Brother John S. Nagy

A Brother Asks... Worse Things about Being a Freemason

A Brother Asks: What in your opinion is the 'worst' thing about being a Freemason?

My Response*: YOU ASKED FOR IT SO BRACE YOURSELF!

My Top Ten List...

#1) Officious Brothers who tell you how it should be done, that you are wrong or what they expect of you, even though they were never asked.

#2) Business Meetings that provide nothing more than Meeting Minutes, Announcements and Treasurer's Reports.

#3) Ruffians who hold Offices and make decisions that detrimentally affect the harmony and welfare of the Craft, and those who put them there!

#4) Cowans that have no interest in Bettering themselves or participating in masonic education other than that which is required to keep the show running smoothly and who don't support you in Bettering yourself, other than those things that specifically serve the Lodge. (I define Cowans as Freemasons who don't square their work and who don't apply Cement to the Work they do. They are not Pretenders, but then again, some members might be.)

#5) Empty Promises, Useless Explanations, Unreasonable Demands and Well-Intentioned Guilt Trips unnecessarily delivered to those who are already supportive and who are held captive to those driven to give these speeches.

#6) Lodge Business Plans that get scrapped and redone every time a new line of officers is installed.

#7) Grand Masters (and other officers) who use their office to inflict their own brand of religion and politics upon the Craft and in ways that do damage to the image of the Craft overall and the Craft as a whole, the Lodge officers who elect them and Grand Lodge Communications that accomplish nothing of significance for the Craft as a whole, other than steadfastly holding on to attitudes, traditions and rules that make the Craft look bigoted, backward and ignorant.

#8) Dealing with Brothers who should have never made it through the West gate and those who let them through.

#9) Members who are so constitutionally incapable of recognizing and understanding the differences between Masonry and Freemasonry that they criticize, condemn and attack you because you do!

and the biggie!...

#10) Never knowing what's going to be served for Lodge dinner until you get to the actual dining room when it's being served or, when the dinner menu was actually foretold, it changed last minute because someone dropped the ball.

With all that being shared, I STILL LOVE Freemasonry!

F&S,

Brother John S. Nagy

* This has to do with things that I have seen overall and is not an indictment of any one specific Grand Lodge, its officers or any of its members.  It is only put forth to serve as examples to respond to your question with significance.

Cracking Ritual

“The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.” 
– Obadiah 1:3-4 (AKJV)

How subtle Ritual truly is.  Its soft embrace cleverly disguises many nuances unseen by those who seek them not.  Returning its embrace often brings forth Light hidden by the Shadows of Ignorance.  Seek it and you shall Find wonders.

--------------

Sometimes it’s the little things that go unnoticed, until they begin to irritate you.  This occurred recently when I was tickled in a most annoying way by the phrase, “cleft of the rocks”.  I didn’t know why it kept fluttering under my nose, but it was clear that it was not going away on its own. 

After numerous unwanted assaults, I finally took a mindful notice of it and grabbed hold.  As I did, I was reminded that I was a Mason and I Work on Rocks.  This hard reminder compelled me to look up the word, “cleft[1]” to obtain a more solid understanding. I’m glad I did!

Upon its examination, I connected further to subtle Allusions within Ritual. There was the obvious connection to the Ruffians that were found hiding in the cleft of the rocks.  There was another one to the hollows where our heels find solace as we progress from candidate to Master but no more once there!  There was also the not so common connection to the now obsolete meaning of the word, “cowan”, that meant at one time “hollow, gap, crevice, indent or hole”.

The matter continued to roll around within my mind as I found more associated Allusions and connections.    When I laid each of them out upon my working slab, I had a profound insight.  These Allusions point to Unfinished Work! 

Masons are told that specific Work must be Completed to Achieve Mastery.  That Work is clearly pointed toward by Ritual (but is not the Ritual itself.)  Even the Third Degree Allegory directs us back to Completing that Work.  This Allegory also warns us about making any effort to dismiss any of Work.  Ritual also tells us through Allusion that, when our Work remains unfinished, our Word’s Value is ripped from us, our Desires become fodder for beasts and fowl and our very Being is Torn in Two differing Directions; Allusions and Warnings that few Brothers glean initially.   

But do all Brothers heed such warnings?  Many don’t.  Ritual tells us how to recognize them though. Their very looks betray them!  How?  Let’s review this!

It tells us that we can Recognize Cowanistic Brothers[2] by their unfinished Work. 

1) The cowans of their feet are only used as resting places for heals that have yet to walk the path. 

2) You’ll always see gaps in their Work. 

It is not their concern though.  They remain complacent to Progress no further and to receive less for unfinished Work.

It also tells us that Ruffian Brothers are quite a different matter. 

1) They desperately want what they have yet to earn. 

2) They feel entitled to more and attempt to dishonestly receive it but are unwilling to legitimately Work for it. 

3) Their Ashlars are wholly divided.  Their entire being is “Severed in Twain!”  Recognize them by their arrogance but more so by the cleft in their Ashlars, where you shall find their true selves hiding.

It’s truly amazing the insights you can glean when you take a crack at probing what irritates you.  Sometimes you get to view new holes.  Every time though, you get whole new views!

Points to Perpend:

1. What have you yet to Pursue?
2. How does this Affect you and others?
3. What can you Do about this?

---

[1] Cleft (noun) – a fissure, rift, break or split; a deep division between two parts of the body.

[2] Brothers who remain complacent with their unsquared Ashlars and untempered Cement.

Densest Element Added to Periodic Table

House of the Temple, Washington DC – In a Masonic first, researchers at a little known but highly active research facility located in the bunkers of the local “House of the Temple” have announced that they have discovered an unusual element that seems to defy the laws of physics.  The material, named Masteronium (M:.), is perhaps the most puzzling element known to man. 

Lead Researcher, Worshipful Bro. Addison Table, had this to say about the discovery, “It was the weirdest element we have ever investigated.  It’s virtually undetectable unless you place it in square enclosures, seal it off and stimulate it with cloth and shiny objects while repeating specific auditory level vibrations.”  He added, “Take the cloth and shiny objects away, stop the vibrations and remove it from the enclosure and it’s impossible to detect!”

When questioned further, another team member, Brother Juan Lineman had this to say, “We were almost ready to announce the discovery when one of our team detected even more bizarre attributes.  Seems the element tends to want to flow and form progressive lines when certain quantities of them are placed in these enclosures.”  He added, “ And their density noticeably increases the closer you get to the end of these lines.”

One older researcher, Right Worshipful Beater N. Meyeday, wasn’t too impressed with the find.  He had this to say, “This is nothing new.  This stuff has been around since time immemorial and these newbies think they found something new.”  He giggled and added, “These young'uns haven’t done anything Grand with them until they stack a whole bunch of these filled enclosures together and watch its density increase enough to form a black hole.” He sighed and finished with, “It’s the darnedest densest thing they'll ever see too.  Darn near impenetrable and immovable!”

The research team hasn’t been able to determine the atomic number to assign to the element, since the density vicissitudes wildly, depending upon how these elements are grouped together.  They suspect it may be somewhere close to 357 though, which will make it very difficult to place within the periodic table since it's nearly 3 magnitudes denser than the previously added elements.

One researcher, Brother Ian Gessing, claimed that “the element is unbelievably volatile, especially when dissimilar elements try to enter these enclosures once they have been closed off and cloth, shiny objects and sound have been added.”  He added, “Another mysterious aspect of the element is the denser it gets, the more it wants to rise up against the force of gravity.  We’re looking for ways to harness this quality but have yet to keep any of it stable enough to have any practical use.”

One research who asked to remain anonymous had this to say, “The others won’t tell you this because they want to figure out why before it’s reported." He paused, looked around and added, "There seems to be another element involved here that we've consistently found hidden in between the Masteronium.  We're calling it 'Pastmasteridium (Pm)' for now and we don't know if it's just another aspect phase of Masteronium or another yet undiscovered element.  It seems to mess with Masteronium in some truly spooky ways and has tremendous influence over how it behaves.”

He took a deep breath and continued, "Both elements seem to be most stable though when kept in the dark, but no one knows why just yet."

Further research is planned.  Stay tuned for further announcements about this most exciting discovery.

F&S,

Brother John S. Nagy