What is a Mason

Truth about Freemasonry

General Masonry

Abolishing Passion

Do you understand just how challenging it can be to put what you really mean into words? There are, after all, over 170,000 words that are considered to be current English.

It was late on a Monday evening when I was Initiated into Freemasonry. As so many who had gone before me, I was trying desperately to retain everything I had experienced, yet finding myself lacking. I just knew I was missing something, perhaps several things, and I was worried I might not have the opportunity to learn them again. Thankfully, before the evening was over, I was informed of the numerous ways I could experience the Initiation again, even if I was not the candidate any longer.

There seemed to be so many expectations. There were things I should be learning about, things I should be doing, things I should be saying, ways I should be acting – and, naturally, those which I should not. While I found myself recalling those instructions, one thing I never once heard was that I had to abolish all passion from my life. I think of that now because, interestingly, this topic of passion seemed to keep reappearing throughout my progression through the degrees – it was inculcated to me.

What did I hear? I recall the word “subdue” being used frequently. The recited prayer to open Lodge requests for Deity to help us “subdue every discordant passion within us.” In fact, in our Fellow Craft degree it explicitly says, in plain English, “By Speculative Masonry we may learn to subdue the passions…” I was even given a symbolic representation and told that the Compasses teach all Freemasons to “circumscribe their desires and keep their passions and prejudices in due bounds with all mankind…” I was even warned that if I failed to understand and respect this teaching, my passions or prejudices could betray me.

Hold on… We… “may learn…”? That is not a very committed phrase. Does that make it… optional? Certainly not. What it refers to is our own capabilities to actually subdue our passions.

Too often men expect Freemasonry to “teach the test”. The concept being that a test is coming and there are 10 questions on it, yet the source material on those 10 questions is 10 books long… but if I just teach you the answers, then you learn nothing. Freemasonry does this with a hearty helping of terms like “may”, “should”, “recommended”, “consideration”, and other seemingly non-commital phrases. However, that is a mis-representation. Instead, I believe it to be a recognition that I, as another man, cannot force you into any of these items. You must want it, you must seek it.

Accordingly, I know of no place where Freemasonry explicitly says: “Step 1 on Subduing your Passions:…” What I do know is that I have been informed of where to look – what books to read, if you will – that will help me prepare for the ultimate test – that time when my passions flare and it falls on me, and me alone, to subdue it. Now, I say “me alone”, but let me remind you of that opening prayer for Lodge, the true “Step 1”. What I mean to suggest is a situation where there is not another Brother there to whisper good counsel.

Freemasonry recommends to our consideration what I later learned was called the Trivium. Rather than just some archaic yet elementary sounding education, it turns out that the Trivium – Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric – are the basis of classical education; skills deemed necessary for taking part in society at large. Necessary: as how breathing and consuming food and water are necessary for life. An understanding of Grammar gives you the ability to form sentences which clearly portray your intent. Logic lets you analyze the Grammar of others, and yourself, to find facts and truth. Rhetoric naturally follows as a combination of Grammar and Logic, which results in instruction or persuasion. By way of example, this entire article is an exercise in Rhetoric.

These three tools, Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric, require both study and use in order to hone and perfect them. As with any craft, trade, or profession, you will produce better work the longer you have performed such tasks. You cannot show up on day 1 and expect to produce the same quality work you will produce in year 5. You certainly should not expect that by year 5 you will still be producing the same quality work as you did on day 1!

Then, without warning, comes our test. Something flares my passions and every cell in my body cries out to either express my passion to others, or to respond with passion to the passions of others. Freemasonry never told me to abolish passion. It is not only natural to have passions, but also my right to have them, and for them to be different from yours. However, I was given instruction on how to leverage my passions in the most effective and useful way.

– This video speaks about effective communication –

Step one… do you remember?

Following that, I have to process my statement, comment, reply, or rebuttal, through the Trivium. Am I forming my language with proper grammar, where the word groupings make sense and are clearly defined? Have I checked the logic of my arguments? Did I then use this knowledge and understanding to wisely convey my intended message?

I sincerely believe that as it relates to what we say, this is how we are to subdue our passions.

Freemasonry does not want you to remove passion from your life. Moreover, Freemasonry does not even want you to become less passionate, or to water-down your passion. Freemasonry wants you to structure your passion, validate it, and convey it in a manner that strives to produce positive results.

Have I accomplished that here? Perhaps not. But I am willing to try, as it helps me become better, just as Freemasonry said it would, and perhaps, next time, I will have improved.

Here is one thought I would like to leave you with. Remember those 170,000 words? I do not know them all, and perhaps you do not either. I find that when I read or hear something that stokes my passions in a negative way, a very useful way to temper them is to ask for clarification. It may sound unusual, but rephrasing what another person has said into your own words and asking if that is what the person meant can be extremely helpful in our efforts to subdue our passions. In asking, you clearly inform the other party that you wish to understand them fully before you offer your rebuttal. In fully understanding them, you can reply in an effective, rather than emotional way. Does this communication take longer? Typically, yes. Will it produce better results?

Always.

Written by:
RW Jared Stanley, Grand Secretary
The Grand Lodge of Mississippi, F. & A. M.

Grand Secretary’s Emblem

In April, 2020, I offered several coins & pins to the writers of the best essay describing this emblem.

It was my expectation that a few dozen Brethren would make the attempt and, in an effort to engage as many of them as possible, I offered up 5 prizes. However, ultimately, only 4 submissions were made.

I am publishing those articles here, not only so that you might enjoy having thoughtful interpretations to ponder, but so that perhaps it will expand how you look at… anything!

Here are the Essays:

Grand Prize: WB Taylor Nauta (Click Here for his Essay)

1st Place: B Johnathon Smith, Jr (Click Here for his Essay)

2nd Place: B Uroš Pinterič (Click Here for his Essay)

3rd Place: B Kevin Standen (Click Here for his Essay)

Lessons from the Beehive

Introduction

This article was written by myself, Jared Stanley, and submitted to the Mississippi Lodge of Research, No. 640. Please click here for a PDF Version with full citations.

You can watch the video presentation of this article here:

A Short Lesson from the Beehive

In Freemasonry many symbols and hieroglyphs are explained to the newly raised Mason that are not typically found within the ceremony itself. These symbols may not even be found in our lodges, or when perhaps represented in some way, lack any further explanation of the lessons behind that symbol save the paragraph or two presented in the lecture itself. One such symbol is the beehive.

Drones in the Hive

The beehive is a curious symbol for a fraternity. In a beehive the term “drone” is synonymous with “male bee”. They do not harvest pollen, nectar, resin or water. They do not make honey. They do not help in the processes of cleaning the hive nor are they even equipped with a stinger to assist in defending the hive from intruders, despite their larger size. Yet they live there and eat the honey made by the tens of thousands of other bees in the hive. With this understanding of what a drone is, it is easy to see why, in various places, a candidate is told that if he performs the tasks he has agreed to, the lodge will be pleased that they have not received a drone into their hive. Despite these apparent failings, “Drones are essential to the health and survival of future honey bee colonies.” So, what are we to learn from this symbol?

Brotherhood

For ages, Freemasonry has taught the Brotherhood of Man, under the Fatherhood of God. This provides a clue as to the use of this symbol – that of dependence on others. This drone depends on his kin to provide for his needs, to uplift and support him throughout his life – just as child depends on others, we lean upon our friends and Brothers throughout life, and just as we, no matter our age, depend upon Deity.

Throughout our adult life we may find instances where we depend upon each other for our protection and security, food, and the other necessities of life. This dependence is not a failing, but a design of the Great Architect. Not only in the humbling of our egos to need such assistance, but in the uplifting of our soul when we are the ones who are able to provide it. This interdependence is the Brotherhood of Man and is one minute way in which we can curiously trace Nature through her various windings and thereby discover the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Grand Artificer of the Universe.

Industry

If we delve further into the concealed recesses of this beehive we can better understand the most common theme revolving around it, that of being a symbol of industry. Two simple words provide one definition of industry: Hard Work. It is indeed hard work to be a colony of bees.

From birth to death every bee in the hive serves a purpose, and that purpose changes over time. The worker bee is not simply born into a single job, but rather assumes nearly every task within the hive at some point in her life. She progresses, if you like, in degrees. And, as with the origins of Freemasonry, there are just two major sects of her life, that of being a house bee and that of a field bee. Before a worker bee ever sees the sky, she is put to work cleaning, feeding, and caring for the others in the hive. She then begins to fly, build comb, handle the stores of materials collected by others, and guard the hive. Only after bearing all this burden is she then sent into the world to collect their needed supplies, like nectar and pollen, to scout out resources, or perhaps even a new home.

Do you see the similarities to what we promote in our lodges? How a new Entered Apprentice is tasked to assist – being involved in nearly every aspect of the required upkeep of a lodge and its members while constantly learning new tasks? Then to eventually travel out into the world where he gains more knowledge that he brings back to the members of his lodge and, perhaps, potentially attracts the attention of others who, in time, he brings back to the lodge with him?

We can note that the worker bee never stops working until it dies. From the moment it emerges until the moment it dies, it is engaged in some beneficial work. The worker bee performs the task, as we are taught, of ever being industrious, never sitting down contented. Are you so engaged in your task?

The Beneficial Drone

But what about the drone – what purpose is it serving? In nature, the drone bee has but one task – to mate, which seems like an easy burden to bear until we learn that it dies upon doing so, but this task is more important than face value presents. The patterns of nature repeat themselves from the microscopic to the cosmic, and colonies of bees are no different. Just as each bee in a hive depends on each other, there is at least one way in which every individual colony depends on one another as well – and the connections are the drones.

It is commonly held that a drone does not mate with his own queen. Instead, each colony produces males only for the purpose of mating with other queens. In nature, this provides the genetic diversity necessary to maintain the population as a whole, and not just the individual colony. Contrary to the lazy image given to a drone, a drone will spend his whole life finding a queen to mate with.

When successful, the genetics this drone passes on will change the life of the hive of the queen he mated with, as these genetics determine many factors of how efficiently and effectively a hive is run.

In our lodges, this is the Mason who is not content to only labor within the walls of his lodge, but who instead extends his lodge from earth to heaven, and from the surface to the center. He discovers new concepts, learns new truths, and practices those virtues everywhere he travels. By action or word, he spreads the light he has gained and, inevitably, changes the lives of those individuals and lodges he has encountered. Are you ensuring that you only affect the lives of others in a positive way, even at the risk of detriment to yourself?

The Practical Beehive

In this way, the beehive should not be relegated to just a few words in a monitor. It is worthy of study, admiration and emulation. It proves the wonderful properties of nature, while demonstrating the more important truths of morality. We must remain constantly engaged, being industrious, and not shirking the hard work. We must inspire every member of our hive, or our lodge, to be involved in the work in some measure.

One might ask – what happens to the drone who never finds a queen – does he still serve some purpose. In short, no – he does not. The rest of the colony casts him aside for the benefit of the body as a whole. These are the drones we are typically referring to, and we must be willing to part ways and not harbor them within our hives, ever extending our resources and weakening the colony. Yet, so long as that Mason is making that effort to find the Light for which he is searching, it is our divine duty to support and keep him.

As we pray at the parting of a deceased Brother, we must remain open to the Light from Deity, because he will make every duty plain to us and fortify us by His Spirit against the temptations that may assail us. To find this Light we must observe the designs which He laid down, studying nature, of which we are a part, supporting one another and all humanity. Just as divinity ingrained this concept into the bees, He has written it upon us as well, if we will but take the time to notice.

Man, not Millennial

Per all of the conventional wisdom I can find, I am a Millennial. The funny thing is, I thought I was Jared.

Every time I hear it mentioned that we have to find a way to reach, appeal to, and engage Millennials, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up just a little.

Consider this conversation from another perspective. Why can we not get better attendance from baby boomers? What an incredibly, yet unintentionally insulting question. Should you find yourself in the “Baby Boomer” generation, I suspect that you would rather be considered as an individual, not as some vague group spanning across two decades. YOU may attend lodge regularly, or YOU may not attend lodge for several reasons, but how dare anyone assume that someone else’s reasons are also yours.

Conversations over coffee still go a long way. Some things never change.

Yes, generalizations can be made, but most do not hold water. Sure, people born after 1981 have never known a world without computers. Similarly, those born after the 1970’s never knew a world without central air conditioning, those born after the 50’s never knew one without nuclear power, and those before the 20’s may have never expected the automobile to become commonplace. You get my point. Times change, and we change with them – yet still, the individual remains.

Moreover, focusing on Millennials is already old news. Generation Z, those born after Millennials, are already old enough to petition for membership.

Here is something: Men over… oh, pick an age… know exactly what attracts a 20 year old to Freemasonry, because it is the same thing that always has: The example of other men in their life, a sense of being part of something larger than yourself, and a dash of mystique thrown in. The only “catch” in all of this is if the man is more interested in the mystique, or our ‘mysteries’, or if he is mostly there for the fellowship. His age does not guarantee which of those might be the case – but I might make a suggestion…

What were we taught about Youth, Manhood, and Age?

So, here is some input from just one Millennial:

  • Everyone is an individual, treat them as such. Just because I get communication from a text, email, or Facebook message, rather than a telegraph, does not make me all that different than you.
  • Give me something to do. If I am just sitting around idle then all I will think about is all the other things I could be doing with my time. Engage me, or lose me.
  • Educate me. Those Liberal Arts & Sciences were all well and good in school – but YOU can teach me how to apply them practically, to lead a project, a group of men, and more. Mentor me.
  • Expect questions. On first pass, our rituals lead to a lot more questions than answers. If you are not prepared to answer esoteric questions, please be prepared to refer me to someone who can. I promise to come back to you for learning my catechism.
  • Give me a chance. You cannot save the Lodge by doing everything yourself out of the fear that I, in my youth, might ruin our centuries old Fraternity. You save the Lodge by whispering good counsel in my ear, not by never letting me hold the gavel, so to speak. No, I will not do everything just right, but if you let me fall off of the bike, and you are there to encourage me to get back up, we can all work through any tumbles that might happen.
  • Finally, before you question a new method being used to accomplish some goal, such as using a Facebook message group rather than using a call tree or sending out letters, remember that there just might be a Lodge minute book out there, somewhere, where Brethren debated if the cost of electricity in the Lodge was really better than candles. As you soak up the air conditioning while you ponder that – smile to yourself and realize that everything will be okay.

The Master Mason Scripture

Under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Mississippi, every Master Mason Degree includes a reading of Ecclesiastes 12:1-7. These passages are replete with symbolism about the importance of faith, the frailty of age, and our ultimate mortal death. While I am not a theologian, I would like to offer up an explanation of these verses for your consideration. Some of my explanations may well match up with descriptions you’ve heard before, or imagery that came into your mind naturally when you first heard or read this lines. However, others may not match up so well.

Watch the Video

Whether you are Christian or not, these verses are important and have deep meaning to your life, and the lives of those around you.

You can download the PDF of my analysis here. Please feel free to study it, share it in your lodge education segment, or anywhere else you wish.

Mississippi’s Roots – Ancient or Modern?

The attached paper was submitted by me to the Mississippi Lodge of Research, No. DCXL, in conjunction with a District 18 meeting, at the meeting immediately prior to the Bicentennial Celebration of the Grand Lodge of Mississippi. A previous rendition was also presented at a District 15 meeting. This is the first paper that I have submitted to the Lodge of Research. It exemplified for me the concept that we are our worst critics. (As, I suppose, we ought to be) No, I don’t hate my own paper, but I am not immensely pleased with it either. I believe this is due to my nature of continually hunting for more explanation behind events. However, once this paper reached 5 pages, and about 17 minutes of read-time, it was clear that if my intent wasn’t to write a book on the matter, I would have to suffice with leaving something out.

Nevertheless, many Brethren stated that they really enjoyed the paper and that they were able to take something away from it, whether they were newer Freemasons, or well seasoned ones. I was also pleased that one non-Mason who was visiting the open District 15 meeting, said the information contained herein was exactly the information he was asking his Masonic friend about earlier that day.

I hope you find it equally useful. It is geared toward a small portion of the history of the Grand Lodge of Mississippi, but perhaps it will encourage you to look for other type of historical information within your own jurisdiction. Or, if you are in Mississippi, perhaps you too will find those sentences where you wish I had provided further information, and you will take it upon yourself to seek it and, perhaps, write about it.

You may download the PDF copy of Freemasonry in Mississippi – Ancient or Modern, here. Should you use it for any of your own research, all I ask if for proper citation. No prior approval needed to use it in your lodge education segment, for posting it online, anywhere, or the like.

Thank you, and good luck with all your learning!

Noble Contention

I recall the words of counsel, when I was made a Master Mason, that harmony should prevail among Masons and that the only disunity that should arise among us is “… who can best work and best agree.”

I heard those words spoken to me during my degree, but it was not until later, when I was studying the degree, that I really thought about them. When I did I managed to overlook the critical conjunction, “and”. I read this as a singular statement which, without the “and”, turned into a whole new statement in my mind, one which said: “Agree who can do the best work”.

While there may be some semblance of use to that phrase I no longer believe that is the message that is intended here. I now recognize this as two separate items, best working AND best agreeing – separate, yet inseparable to the Freemason.

By best agreeing we may, to preserve harmony, agree to disagree. Should our disagreement be known to other Freemasons and they should see our ability to focus on what we can agree upon, rather than escalate those things which we do not, they may well walk away with a lesson well learned and be able to put that effort into action in their own interactions with mankind.

But what about work? In Freemasonry, we work towards our proficiencies. We do floor work in our rituals. But is that all the work to be had in Freemasonry? Certainly not.

Work happens when you display the virtues of a Mason in your daily life, at home, at work, in public – and in the lodge.

Work happens when you discuss the principles of our institution with other Brethren and lift each other up.

Work happens when instead of making a motion to buy some trivial item for the lodge you merely buy it yourself and donate it.

Work happens when you act on the lesson of charity that we were all taught, whether that charity is displayed in a monetary contribution, or by Brotherly Love.

Work happens when you whisper council into a young Brother’s ear, because you know that a well-returned proficiency does not make a man a Mason.

Work happens when you help another brother study the lessons found in Freemasonry – whether that means reciting a proficiency, working a chair or giving a lecture.

Work happens when you tell that brother what all those lessons mean and where they came from.

Work happens when you show up to a meeting and fellowship – and in so many other ways.

Are you the best in whatever way you “work” Freemasonry? I do not know, and perhaps neither do you – but you do know if you work at all. Brother, let us put on our aprons, go to the quarry, and work together. If we can agree to do that, I am confident our work will be well received.

By Jared F. Stanley, PM

Originally Published on the What is a Mason Website.