I have been a E.A for less than a week.I have noticed a lot of the brothers on this site advanced rather quickly. But it doesn’t seem possible to me,how do they do it in so little time?

Initiated 03/07/2017:Texas

At only a week in, it is understandable to feel overwhelmed.  Keep in mind that your progress is not a race to be won, it is a journey to be enjoyed.  Take your time and do the work.  Do not be fooled though, the work is more than mere memorization. We are more than a simple social group though, even though there are many who believe that that is what we are. Yes, social functions are a part of what we are but it is not our sole purpose.

Without commenting on specific cases and if I understand your question properly, there could be a number of reasons.

First off, each jurisdiction has its own rules as to how quickly a Mason can advance. At least one allows (or did allow recently) all three degrees to be done in one day. (IMHO, that’s not a good idea, but it’s hardly my call.)

Secondly, one lodge might have a lot of candidates to put through. When I took over as WM of my lodge, for instance, I had not less than 16 EAs and FCc awaiting advancement. Given that there is a limit on how many candidates can be put through in one meeting, more people means more delay. Turning this around, if a given lodge has but one man wishing to become a Mason, he could be initiated, passsed and raised to the rank of MM as quickly as his jurisdiction’s rules permit (in my jurisdiction, for instance, not much more than two months - initiation, wait 30 days, passing, wait another 30 days, raising).

Third, in most places, it is up to the Worshipful Master to decide when a given candidate is ready. In my lodge, for instance, we require a junior Mason progress through some formal training before he can advance. A Mason belonging to a lodge without that requirement would find it easier to progress quickly.

Fourth, the individual’s schedule must be considered. If his shift hours change, for instance, that might pose a problem to quick advancement.

There are no doubt other factors, but that’s a start. Advice is always worth no more than you pay for it, but here’s mine anyway. Don’t be in too much of a rush to progress. There’s so much to see, to much to learn, so much to appreciate at each level and he who measures success merely by speed risks missing a lot of valuable, enjoyable things.

Welcome to the Craft, my brother. I sincerely wish I could be in your shoes, just to have the pleasure of doing it all over again.

It depends on jurisdiction, proficiency, and how busy the lodge is. There is wisdom in spreading the degrees out. With all due respect to those who’ve done the one day class, I don’t think the degrees were ever supposed to be experienced in that way. Some candidates decide that the Craft isn’t for them after receiving theIr EA. Between degrees there’s more time to absorb things and become more aquainted with the lodge. It also serves somewhat as a test of patience and committment.

Thank you all for your words of wisdom.

Another thing to keep in mind along with all of the suggestions and comments here, is that some jurisdictions do not require “mouth to ear” teaching, but rather provide written instruction that the junior Mason may read and memorize from. So in those jurisdictions it may not take quite as long as in a jurisdiction where no written information is provided.

The important thing to remember is that there is no contest as to who learns it in what time frame. Everyone learns at a different pace and dependent on the manner of instruction. Some of us learn better from reading (if you live in one of those areas with mouth to ear only then this might be a slow down for you); some us learn better from visual; and some of learn better from one on one interaction. But we all learn, and what matters is that you take the time to actually absorb the teaching rather than just regurgitate it back to the lodge.

In my jurisdiction you can be advanced each 28 days provided that you have done the work sufficiently.

In my jurisdiction, there must be no less than one lunar month, or 28 days, in order to progress from EA to FC and then from FC to MM. One other thing to remember is that some lodges are dark during certain times of the year. My lodge is dark in the month of December. Some are dark during the summer months. During those months, there is no work done other than just the business meetings.