The Distinctive Notion of Form in Traditional Masonry

BY: ROBERT G. DAVIS, 33*, GRAND CROSS

It has been 15 years now, but in the early days of the “traditional observance” lodge movement, I recall a few Grand Lodges had a rough time accepting what they surmised was a new way of “practicing” Freemasonry in their jurisdictions. As with many new ideas in our old institution, we can generally depend on the most stalwart brothers of our craft to be the first to surface with shouts of horror and disbelief that some landmark of Masonic law has surely been breached. Any practice that feels or looks different than the practice men are used to in their own lodge culture is at least a threat, if not an outright innovation, to the ways of Masonry. One Grand Master was known to have said there was “an unbridgeable gulf that exists between these lodges and the Grand Lodge. “ 

It was a remarkable statement.  Since the intent and goal of the traditional lodge movement was simply to bring to our own American culture those traditional practices of Freemasonry that had long proven to be a successful model for the Masonic experience in every other country in which Freemasonry is practiced, it was stunning to its founders that any Grand Lodge would object. If anything, the organizers of the movement felt with all their hearts that they were bringing the true form and structure of Masonry back to the American Masonic landscape.

But that was the issue. There was a difference in understanding how form is defined in Masonry. We all agree that some form is important else we would move to wholly promoting one day classes, or changing the ritual to eliminate its core teaching, or signing up men over the internet. But, beyond the obvious, it becomes easy to confuse form with activity.

Form is what makes Masonry. It is the form that sets the parameters of our institution. It is the form that establishes it landmarks and customs. It is the form that enables us to be a global brotherhood of men. It is the form that allows us to penetrate the deepest aspects of our being, discover who we, why we are here, and what our duties are in life. It is the form of Masonry that creates its experience.

But if we misunderstand the form, or deny its significance, we cut ourselves loose from our heritage. We are then set adrift in a world that denies the possibilities which are inherent in man to discover. We become just another club for the profane.  The whole purpose of initiation, the whole intent of Masonry is to provide a path whereby men can realize the potentialities which exist within themselves—potentialities that cannot be reached other than at the center of one’s own consciousness.  And it is the form in Freemasonry that leads us to this center of our being.

What, then, makes us Masons? What is a Masonic Lodge?  Grand Lodges have typically laid out four characteristics that define a lodge—fraternalism, charitable endeavors, community service, and philosophical discussion. Yet, none of these characteristics define Masonry. And each can lead us astray.

We can’t simply be a fraternal or social organization. If we are, we have nothing to offer that can’t be better provided by many other organizations. Charity does not define Freemasonry, as charity is taught in essentially every moral code to be incumbent upon all human beings. Community service cannot define Freemasonry, as it was not historically a part of Masonry. Community service is something that grows out of the Masonic experience, but is not inherent to it.

Nor can we be a philosophical organization, as far as philosophy is meant to be a branch of knowledge limited to the rational mind. Modern philosophy denies the existence of the most important element of the human heart; intuitive understanding. Human beings simply do not have the capacity to decide what is right without grace; without the active action of the Divine.

You see, these four characteristics could be attached to any number of groups in society. If there is nothing inherently different about Freemasonry, then what distinguishes us from the rest of the community? If these things do not define Freemasonry, then what does?

Our ritual instruction makes this quite clear. It is the internal and not the external qualities of a man that make him a Mason. The element that defines Freemasonry among all groups is that Freemasonry is an initiatic society, a mystery school that reveals the nature of God, and instructs men how to discover and recognize his divine nature and potential. It is the art of initiation that allows the individual to access the higher nature within himself. His greatest potentialities cannot be achieved except through ritual and an understanding of the initiatic process. Masonry is a form of knowledge, a transformative art which is passed down through its form of instruction. It is the form alone that allows us to transcend the confines of our profane nature so that we can come to know the nature of truth. The form enables the inner work.  

The men in Traditional Observance Lodges believe what our European forefathers believed; that there are those who seek Freemasonry today because they are looking for the same thing that men of every past generation and every past culture have earnestly sought—they are looking for something that can bring meaning to their lives.

Many other organizations can provide the four characteristics that so often define our lodge experience today. If we wish to practice these things, that is fine; but to be special we should be about the business of doing them better than any other group.

What other groups cannot provide, and what only traditional Masonry currently provides, are the traditional forms of an initiatic organization. That is truly the only experience which distinguishes us from the rest of the community. Fortunately, it is a lodge experience that is growing in popularity and acceptance. But for the new craftsmen, it is simply the old Masonry; rediscovered.

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Making the Most of the Masonic Catechism

Bro. Chuck Dunning

In Bro. Robert Davis’s recent TLP article, “What Came You Here to Do?”, he reminded his readers of one of the first and most important questions and answers we encounter as Freemasons. Many of us have fond memories of learning the questions and answers required to prove our proficiency in one degree before moving on to the next – our Masonic catechism. At the very least, it provided opportunities for us to meet and sit with more experienced and knowledgeable brothers in the Craft. In most cases, these opportunities included taking time to learn more about each other, and even to bond as men with shared values and intentions. In somewhat fewer cases that I know of, these sessions involved discussions about the historical content and meaning of the questions and answers.  In the rarest cases, teachers have actually challenged their students to think deeply about the symbolic and philosophical dimensions of the catechism, its allegorical allusions to the work of Masonry that we identify when we answer why we became Masons and what we came to do. This last way of working with the catechism is precisely what Bro. Davis demonstrated in his article. Yet the rarity of such contemplation actually occurring in our lodges begs some important questions.

1.     Why isn’t the catechism used as a platform for actually developing deeper insight into the teachings of Masonry, and the ways those teachings are meaningful to us as individuals?

One reason that seems obvious for this lacking is that the teachers simply haven’t been taught to do it; it isn’t part of the tradition of advancement in most lodges.   Therefore, even if the idea of doing so occurs to anyone, it gets pushed aside because it is considered unnecessary to, or even distracting from, the new Mason’s advancement to the next degree.   Of course, this points to an underlying assumption of what it means to advance in Masonry, and that assumption is that it is mostly about getting through the degree ceremonies as quickly as possible in order to be a full member of our fraternity.

A second reason is undoubtedly that many teachers don’t feel prepared to facilitate such a process.   To begin with, they have no personal experience of it from their own advancement.  In addition, they may not understand the value or the methods of encouraging others to think about symbolism and philosophy.  Similarly, they may also be uncomfortable with a process that is actually more about helping a brother explore and clarify his own questions and understandings than simply memorizing the right words.   These issues indicate that, all too often, the highest aims of Masonry taught in our rituals aren’t the actual priorities of the way Masonry is practiced in our lodges.  In short, our behavior suggests that we aren’t primarily concerned with transforming ourselves and each other into more intellectually, emotionally, and behaviorally virtuous men. 

2.     What is being missed by not using the catechism in this way?

Perhaps by now it is obvious that the shortest and most direct answer to this question is that we are missing out on Masonry itself!  We aren’t really doing Masonry, not really being or even becoming Masons, craftsmen of Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty.  We’re just talking about these things in very grandiose and flowery ways, almost as if the whole thing is a big joke, a farcical façade over less noble, less demanding, and less rewarding purposes.  If we want to get more specific, all we have to do is review our rituals and catechisms, taking note of all the personal, moral, social, and spiritual benefits they literally and figuratively suggest. The less we do Masonry, the less we unfold everything it holds in waiting.

3.     What can we do to encourage getting the most out of the catechism?

To begin with, individual Masons must recognize the opportunities provided by the catechism.  Next, they must understand the value of those opportunities.  Then they must commit to take advantage of those opportunities for themselves and ensure them for their brethren.   Enough brothers making such a commitment can change the culture of a lodge, a district, or even an entire jurisdiction. 

In a culture that makes the most of the catechism, brothers talk to each other about the important opportunities it provides for attaining deeper insight into ourselves, our fraternity, and our lives outside the lodge.  We emphasize, celebrate, and reward the depth of one’s catechism experience rather than the speed and accuracy with which one performs rote memorization.  Every question, every answer, no matter how simple it seems, is actually taken as a veil that conceals as well as reveals Masonic light.  We seek and exchange practical tips on how to facilitate such processes instead of simply providing lecture and repetition of the questions and answers.  We support our brothers in exploring the very poignant questions and possibilities raised by the words of our rituals.   We bare our souls and listen carefully to each other, and share our struggles and our successes in becoming more virtuous men. 

4.     When will we start doing it?

Yes, when?

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Getting to the Big Picture

BY: ROBERT G. DAVIS, 33*, GRAND CROSS

I attend a lot of Masonic meetings throughout the country; have personally got to know hundreds, perhaps thousands, of men. For decades, I have watched men go about the daily activities of being Masons, whether in their conduct of lodge business, performing degrees, participating in statewide and national conferences, giving community service, or just hanging out together as men. I pay particular attention to how Masons do things together and relate to each other in their conversations. I observe these things because we claim, as Masons, that we are supposed somehow to be different than the rest of the world of men.

The theory is that, through our unique experiences of joining, we have a different insight about the inner nature of things. We have been transformed as human beings.

It’s hard to explain to someone on the outside what it actually means when we say we have been transformed—that Masonry is a transformative art. In what ways are we actually changed by our experience of becoming, or being, Masons? Sometimes it is easier to answer these kinds of questions with other questions.

What would it be like to live your life as a work of art? To think of your life as a masterpiece in progress. To build your own temple which is your life. That is what our building image is all about in Masonry. How would you shade it, mold it, shape it into whatever it is that you think would be an absolute ideal for your contribution while you are here on this planet? What should be the unfolding of your humanity? What is it you would really like to have said about yourself? Whose life would you look at and say; “that is what I would like to have said about me. That is the right example for me.”

I suppose these are just other ways of asking the age-old questions: Who am I? Why am I here? What am I supposed to be doing? But these are the central questions in Masonry.

Most people, at some point in their life, wonder what constitutes real success in life. Is it the creation of wealth, property, or assets? Is it to be popular, or to serve others, or to have abundant amounts of free time? Is it to be blessed with a loving family, close friends, and lasting relationships? I imagine all of these things have to do with our perceptions of success. Certainly, they all “feel” like success to me. But Masonry suggests we take a slightly different approach to how we think about success. It’s all very personal. If it could be described with words in a "first-person" context, it might read something like this:

As a Mason, I wish to consciously create a sense of what I am here for. How I’m going to live my life that I have, doing it in service to others, affirming a sense of spirituality about myself; and maintaining a sense of compassion and caring and love and decency for others that I meet. Treating conflicts and difficulties that come my way not as something I have to conquer or overcome, but as opportunities to see how I, as a human being, may transcend these things. And, in the practice of living, not to use hatred or anger and bitterness in beating someone down in order to get where I want to be. 

That's a pretty good start toward living a respected life. If we focus our thoughts and actions in a direction that enables us to feel at peace with ourselves and the world, it would be difficult to argue we have not been successful. Freemasonry facilitates how we look at and respond to life to achieve such success. For example, it teaches us how we go about making our life unfold as the universe unfolds, with a real sense of perfection, harmony, and peace without abdicating our usual role in life. We learn that such balance is indeed possible and attainable. I should think such an ideal would have wide appeal. I know it appeals to thoughtful Masons because it is a recipe for success.

In fact, I think it is a lesson that’s been told for centuries. It’s an attitude of knowing that we truly are spiritual beings, even while having a human experience. And we make the quality of that experience available through our thoughts—our mind—through our divine connection.

Freemasonry does not concern itself much with the labels of society, politics, or religion; rather we talk about kindness, and love, and forgiveness, and gentleness of spirit. Our teachings admonish us to understand that we are all connected in a divine way, so the real goal is to determine what it takes for us to get to the big picture—what does it take for us to change so we can always feel harmony and balance in our life?

The answer, of course, is different for everybody. But that’s not the point. The path to the big picture may be different for everyone, but the understanding has to be that the big picture is there and its availability is there for everyone.

We call this big picture Masonic Light, which simply means the awakened life.

Freemasonry transforms men through the process of its initiatory experience, by the repeated liturgy of its ritual, and by its many associations with the ideals of manhood. It enables us to get in touch with that part of our psyche which allows us to become transformed--to get in touch with our mind, to experience the metaphysical--to truly practice the big picture and know in our heart and soul there is more to life than what our body experiences. There is something underneath life that gives it purpose; that works, and has a lesson for each of us. It reveals to us that every experience is a teacher. Everyone we meet is a teacher. We are all students of life. And even when our life is in turmoil, there is an underlying law that will bring us harmony. There is order, even in chaos.

My observations of Masons everywhere lead me to suggest we all tend to have the same sense of reverence with everyone else in the fraternity. Maybe this happens because our ritual experience enables us to become more acceptable to love. We understand we are one and the same as brothers. We begin to treat our fellows with the same respect that we want for ourselves. We recognize they are, in the overall scheme of things, a mirror of us.

We come to realize that what people think about expands. And we always have a choice. We can concentrate on the negative, let our passions rule, be judgmental of others, feel hate. And we can be assured these negative feelings will expand in our own minds, and to our circles of friends. Or, we can be brothers, feel brotherhood, take our duties and obligations seriously, and convert what we feel to others. It is a great truth that the collective consciousness begins with each one of us.

As Masons, then, what we believe and think about as Masons expands. If we want to make men better, we must believe that that will really happen when men become Masons. If we want to bring brotherhood to the world, we have to believe that brotherly love will be experienced and understood by everyone who enters the fraternity. If we want to make the world a better place, we have to believe that we can make a difference in it with our own life. If we want people to know that Freemasonry has great value today, we have to believe that it is relevant in our own hearts, and can be as real in theirs.

The Sufis said; “If you don’t have a temple in your heart, you will never have your heart in a temple.”

Freemasonry is about having a temple in your heart.

So our message to the world is really very simple. If we but keep our character, our morals, our ethics, and our reputation as fraternal men as pure as our Masonic teachings would have them, then we can’t help but be successful. It is nothing less than our journey into the unknown to discover our relationship to the big picture—our own awakened life.

That is a pilgrimage worth making. Because it is right—and right expands.

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