Well I am twenty four hours away from my Initiation.
Does anyone have any advice for me? I didn’t think I would be nervous not being unfamiliar with standing up in public, but now that the hour approaches I find the gravity and enormity of it already make an impression on me.
Carl Claudy wrote in “The Masters Wages” about preparing oneself to receive the first degree of Freemasonry. His words were something to the effect of, take time to cleanse yourself, physically, mentally and spiritually to make yourself ready to receive the Light which is about to be given you.
Did anybody do anything special to prepare for the first degree?
Also from what I have read here and elsewhere a lot of what happens will fly right over my head as I am going through the degree myself. Fortunately I will be able to sit in Lodge as two more candidates are initiated after me so that will help me to absorb some more of the ritual and its meaning. Does anyone have any tips for the days following to help reinforce what I experienced?
Let it wash over you. Watch the other two get initiated and then attend as many first degree initiations as you can at your Lodge and others. As for reading and studying after your first degree, I stuck with the advice of my mentor and staid with the material provided to me by the Lodge. Now that Im raised to Master Mason, Im glad I heeded his advice, as much of what Ive read as far as history and Masonic “theory” and esoterica would have confused me greatly when I was trying to grasp the lessons of the first degree, which, by the way, I am still doing and know that I will be until the day I am called to the Celestial Lodge.
You’ll have a great time! My advice would be to just let things happen. There is absolutely NOTHING done that will cause harm to you. I know it will be hard not to be nervous, but just think… The other guys are probably going to be a little nervous too, as they want to do their best for your initiation.
I am certain that your first experience in a tyled lodge, went fantastic! The EA is very important. One advice: If there are any lodges nearby, that are holding an EA degree in the next days or weeks, I highly recommend you visiting that lodge, and witnessing an EA degree, from the sidelines.
The EA degree is a very special and memorable experience. You will remember it for years to come. I had past masters tell me that when I went through my EA, they could reflect back to when they got initiated over 25 years ago - and it was still fresh in their mind!
Yeah no kidding. Nothing you can read abotu it or even Brothers telling you about their experiences (in genralities of course) do it justice or prepare you for its impact.
Martin, my congratulations not only on your becoming a Freemason, but also on your choice of a lodge that could do justice to the work and leave you with such positive reactions. Of course, I’m sure your reaction was about the same as mine—I was stunned by what I had seen, heard and experienced. The ritual of the three craft degrees is a miracle of conciseness. Studying it and participating in it for nearly 50 years, I am still amazed that so much meaning could be packed into the text of it.
Masons in general, and Grand Lodges in particular, are very reluctant to tinker with, or “update”, their rituals. (The GL of MD uses the ritual of the Baltimore Convention of 1843 exactly as written.) The reason is that all lodge rituals are so concise that to add, remove, or alter the slightest part of it, even a comma or a final ‘s’, may alter the meaning. And so it is, that the officers of a lodge are charged to deliver the ritual exactly to the letter, although human frailty is such that it rarely happens. But every Grand Lodge has ways to ensure that members and officers receive instruction on the official working.
You owe much to the Worshipful Master of your lodge. In my opinion, the master’s part in the EA degree is one of the most difficult in all of Masonry. His part in the MM degree, and in a couple of the other York Rite degrees, is longer but not as complex and difficult to memorize or to delivery effectively. The master’s lecture in the EA is not only long, it is almost baffling in its labyrinthine structure (the last half could have the sections arranged in any order and still make perfect sense), and the vocabulary, and the composition of the elaborate sentences in the late 18th century style English, take a lot of getting used to. Everyone who aspires to being WM looks forward with dread to learning and demonstrating proficiency in this piece of work. In one way, that’s a good thing; once you have done it, the MM lecture seems almost easy. If you’re beginning to think that you might want to become an officer (and I hope you do), get to know the Past Masters.
It is funny that you suggest getting to know the Past Masters. Everyone at our table last night was a Past Master and one Present WM. The three brothers I have spent the most time with to this point are Past Masters, they were my sponsors and two of them were in the officers line last night. It was as much a test for the officers as it was an experience for me and I made a point to thank them last night for making it so memorable. As far as considering the Officers Line, I think it would be a lot of fun to get involved in some capacity with the degree work but I am a ways away from that yet. Maybe in the future though and if the Lodge is sorely in need of officers : )
By all means, pitch in, and assist your lodge (and nearby lodges) in ritual work. Lodges are always in need of new men, to assist. Of course, if your lodge is need of officers, you are certainly encouraged to volunteer! Youth (masonically), is highly prized in Masonry! I am certain that your enthusiasm, and appreciation for our fraternity can manifest itself, both in your future work as a ritualist, and if you choose to serve our fraternity as an officer.
From the masons I’ve met, probably 90% of them are a past master. In my area of the country, it appears that the only way to avoid becoming an officer is to stop coming to lodge!
So it is inevitable huh? It will be something to look forward to. This is not me getting ahead of myself but more out of curiosity but I have been wondering is becoming an officer like petitioning whereby you have to ask, and will not be asked or is it more a case of an honor paid to a worthy brother? Also if it is a case of asking how long after being raised is it polite to begin to ask?
Given the depth of meaning in the degrees, at least in the EA degree since it is the only one I have received so far, I imagine it must take a considerable amount of time to acquire a sufficient understanding of the myriad lessons contained in the degrees to convey them to a candidate.
