We vow to basically never write down certain things or suffer them to be written down. But how does this apply to reading stuff that has already been published? The EA proficiency is different from anything I’ve ever studied. Since I’m working with a cypher it’s hard to remember what everything stands for. It’s so tempting to find out what everything says online and use that to help memorize it.
I’m not going to, but I was just wondering how that impacts our obligation.
Congratulations on your E.A. As to your question, I would suggest that you stick with your cipher and your coach. Though Masons are Masons throughout the world, there are differences in ritual, language, and ceremony depending on what jurisdiction you are under. What your grand lodge has set as ‘the standard’ may be different from other grand lodges (not just between states here in the US, but between countries as well). Then there is the fact that a lot of “Masonic information” on the internet is either false or outdated. As to whether writing (and by extension) reading about Masonry violates the injunction never to w,i,p,c,c,h,h,e,l, or e I would say to go back and read the wording of the E.A. obligation. We are allowed to write and discuss many Masonic topics; the things that we can’t openly discuss or write about are the Masonic “secrets”, which are actually quite few.
Hope this helps, and good luck with the memorizing! :-)
We vow to basically never write down certain things or suffer them to be written down. But how does this apply to reading stuff that has already been published? The EA proficiency is different from anything I’ve ever studied. Since I’m working with a cypher it’s hard to remember what everything stands for. It’s so tempting to find out what everything says online and use that to help memorize it.
I’m not going to, but I was just wondering how that impacts our obligation.
Bro. Christian - It has only been a few days if I recall correctly since you went through your EA. There is a simple answer to your question on whether it violates your obligation, but I cannot answer it for you. Get my drift?
As for the memorization, do not rely only on what you see before you in the cipher. Put yourself back into that night and walk yourself through the events of the evening as read it. You will see the words much more clearly.
One of the ways that Masons establish bonds with one another and get to know each other better is through working on ritual together. To simply look it up in a book or on a website deprives you of that experience. I highly suggest that you learn your ritual by word of mouth from other brothers for this reason.
One of the ways that Masons establish bonds with one another and get to know each other better is through working on ritual together. To simply look it up in a book or on a website deprives you of that experience. I highly suggest that you learn your ritual by word of mouth from other brothers for this reason.
Excellent point Brother. In today’s society of everything being available online, face to face and mouth to ear have all but become a thing of the past. A certain section of the F.C. degree, at least in NY ritual, that deals with word of mouth, applies to and would fit well in the EA degree.
One of the ways that Masons establish bonds with one another and get to know each other better is through working on ritual together. To simply look it up in a book or on a website deprives you of that experience. I highly suggest that you learn your ritual by word of mouth from other brothers for this reason.
The more I learn about our traditions and customs, the more impressed I am with the wisdom of the Craft. The reasons may not always be obvious, but there are reasons for everything we do.
Thanks for the feedback brothers. It helped a lot.
I worked with my coach to start learning the EA catechism. It was a very fun, enjoyable time. I can’t even remember phone numbers or peoples names, so this is a challenge. But it’s a great experience.
Thanks for all the help Brothers.
I can now almost perfectly go through the proficiency with the book. Now comes recallig it all without the book. I haven’t read any cheat material, only worked with my coach. Glad I did, much better experience.
I can’t wait to pass this off so I can feel all warn and fuzzy about my sweet learning skills. Lol.
Thanks for all the help Brothers.
I can now almost perfectly go through the proficiency with the book. Now comes recallig it all without the book. I haven’t read any cheat material, only worked with my coach. Glad I did, much better experience.
I can’t wait to pass this off so I can feel all warn and fuzzy about my sweet learning skills. Lol.
Brother Christian,
I’m glad it’s going well for you!!! One of the things that Master Masons pride themselves on is to produce flawless ritual; something that is not easy to do. And once we get a ritual down pat, they give us another one to do !!! It’s all a part of learning about the fraternity. There will be many things to learn as you advance in your Masonic career and I wish you all the best. In October I’ll be tested on the Installation of Officers ritual which is a short, 40 minute oration explaining all the offices of a regular lodge. I’m about 2/3 through the memorization and hope I’ll be ready in time. I’ll be meeting with a Past Grand Master in a few weeks to see if I should pursue this examination this year or wait until next year. All I can offer is for you to go over the proficiency, out loud, over and over again, until it just flows out of your mouth automatically, both the questions and the answers; you will then prove yourself proficient to move on to your next degree. I’ll be routing for you !!!
Brother Christian - So glad to hear that you are making great progress. It does get easier now. Biggest thing that helped me was going over what took place the night of your degree. Keep up the good work Brother, you’ll get it.
Thanks for all the help Brothers.
I can now almost perfectly go through the proficiency with the book. Now comes recallig it all without the book. I haven’t read any cheat material, only worked with my coach. Glad I did, much better experience.
I can’t wait to pass this off so I can feel all warn and fuzzy about my sweet learning skills. Lol.
Brother Christian,
I’m glad it’s going well for you!!! One of the things that Master Masons pride themselves on is to produce flawless ritual; something that is not easy to do. And once we get a ritual down pat, they give us another one to do !!! It’s all a part of learning about the fraternity. There will be many things to learn as you advance in your Masonic career and I wish you all the best. In October I’ll be tested on the Installation of Officers ritual which is a short, 40 minute oration explaining all the offices of a regular lodge. I’m about 2/3 through the memorization and hope I’ll be ready in time. I’ll be meeting with a Past Grand Master in a few weeks to see if I should pursue this examination this year or wait until next year. All I can offer is for you to go over the proficiency, out loud, over and over again, until it just flows out of your mouth automatically, both the questions and the answers; you will then prove yourself proficient to move on to your next degree. I’ll be routing for you !!!
Brother Mathis,
Thanks so much for the advice on memorizing the questions. It has really helped. Once I also worked on memorizing the questions it made it easier to remember my answers, and it just flows from there. I’m going to practice one or two more times with my coach, but he says that I’m ready to pass off my proficiency.
Thanks again for the help.
