Dead Lodges Walking

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Ken JP Stuczynski

One of my favorite sayings is "You can't step on the same piece of water twice." It's akin to "You can never really go home." We long for times when things seemed better. We fight the current to return to Whence We Came instead of dealing with an uncomfortable, unpleasant, or unfamiliar Now. We want to have what we once had, to go back to running a Lodge like we did generations ago.

This is the drag and inertia we see in Lodges, and frankly, it's been killing us. It's the REASON we are where we are. If only we could go back to doing things that made us great! Except it's not the same river. That water has moved on. And we didn't thrive years ago because of anything special we did. Everyone joined everything and they didn't care if it was Freemasonry or any other reason to have another night out.

If we REALLY want to return to what made us great, we have to go much farther back -- to times like TODAY when Lodges that survive do so because they bring meaning and value, not because the masses to fill our rolls want to wear another pin or a fez.

We want to blame television (and more recently, the Internet), apathy, and lack of attendance. We blame parenting for lack of interest in joining. Maybe the fault is us. We think we are more committed and dedicated by being in Lodge just because we are there. Years ago, that was good enough -- or maybe it wasn't but we got away with it. Today, some of the most Masonic of us have learned to pick and choose. We go where the action is -- where we are needed for more than a dues payment or to fill in a chair just to open long enough to pay bills.

We complain about being in a holding pattern -- or a slow spiral downward -- but don't do anything to break out of it. In fact, we will do anything NOT to break out of it. We focus on petitions, money, or a building as if these are the ends and not the means. Masonry isn't rocket science. We don't "make good men better" by running a club that just happens to have some old ritual. We provide instruction and mentorship through fraternal solidarity of purpose.

That's it. Everything we do can be guided by this purpose, from checking in on Brothers to providing relief, to nourishing minds and hearts with programs, to practicing it all by making a difference in the world through community projects.

If a Lodge lacks any of these, we need to address that, not complain about why people don't attend. It's not a secret why some Lodges are thriving and others are not. The ones who do the Work are not talking about mergers or seem desperate for petitions. They are focused on the purpose, not the result.

What would going back to the "Golden Years" of Masonry actually mean? Should we pretend that world still exists and shake our fists at fate for not delivering us into a promised land of busting Degree cycles? That's what we've been doing for almost half a century and it's gotten us nowhere. And Masonic authors from long before this shared the same fears our Craft would not survive another generation. But they've also shared the solution over and over and over -- meaningful programs and instruction.

But knowing the solution and not taking it elevates the issue to "level 2 tech support" where obstructionists need to stand down, step down, or go just away. Our own members are why we can't have nice things.

Freemasonry is starting to finally emerge from this. It's stronger where it counts, having shed skin that doesn't fit anymore. But we still have plenty of Dead-Lodges-Walking and leaders who will keep a Lodge on life support until they -- or the Lodge -- are gone. Forget merging dead lodges into larger dead heaps and waiting for people to age out. Pull charters. Emeritus-away the old guard if they can't let go of the reigns. Stop glorifying hold-outs. Let's climb on the life raft of functional, healthy Lodges. The Fraternity needs some excision or we all risk going down with the ship.

~JP

 

Bro. Ken JP Stuczynski is a member of West Seneca Lodge No.1111 and recently served as Master of Ken-Ton Lodge No.1186. As webmaster for NYMasons.Org he is on the Communications and Technology Committees for the Grand Lodge of the State of New York. He is also a Royal Arch Mason and 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason, serving his second term as Sovereign Prince of Palmoni Council in the Valley of Buffalo, NMJ. He also coordinates a Downtown Square Club monthly lunch in Buffalo, NY. He and his wife served as Patron and Matron of Pond Chapter No.853 Order of the Eastern Star and considered himself a “Masonic Feminist”.

How Do You Eat An Elephant?

by Midnight Freemason Emeritus

Adam Thayer, PM

It’s an oft-repeated joke around our lodge: How do you eat an elephant? We tell it to newly made Entered Apprentices when they’re overwhelmed with learning proficiency, etiquette, names, titles, meeting times, and everything that comes with being a new member. We repeat it to the Worshipful Master when he has the inevitable mid-year freak out about how much he still wants to accomplish before the year is over and he is asked to retire to the sidelines. But for the purpose of this article, it’s a phrase that our Temple Board states at every meeting, every gathering, and every working day we hold.

Our Masonic Temple was built in 1934 and was (at the time) a state-of-the-art building. The building was purpose-built for Freemasonry and even includes a hidden room that you can only enter by being lowered into it for the York Rite degrees (shhh, don’t tell anyone, it’s not even on the blueprints). Every aspect of the building was designed for comfort during meetings, for providing a strong impression on candidates during degree work, and for being a family-friendly location for all of the various groups who meet here.

Having said that… our Temple was built in 1934. The walls are horsehair plaster, the oldest electrical is still cotton wrapped, and the years have not always been kind. Maintenance has varied from “we must do everything possible to take care of this building” to “who can we hire to fix this?” to “we can’t afford to fix it, maybe if we don’t look it will stop?”

A few years back, when our building was hemorrhaging money faster than we could replace it, and things were falling apart faster than we could afford to fix them, two enterprising brothers had a “revolutionary” idea – why are we paying someone to do a lot of this work, when we can do it ourselves?

In retrospect, it seems pretty obvious, doesn’t it? Why pay hundreds of dollars a month for lawn maintenance, when we all have lawn mowers, fertilizer spreaders, and access to all of the same types of yard care equipment that the “professionals” have. Sure, it may take us a bit longer because we’re using smaller mowers, smaller spreaders, and nothing that we can ride on, but there’s no reason we can’t spend the time to take care of a property we love so much.

So these two brothers made a plan; Saturday mornings, they would meet up at the building, and work on cleaning up the yard themselves. If anybody else happened to be around and wanted to help, they’d be welcomed with open arms and pointed in a direction to work.

That first year, we saved thousands of dollars on yard care. That same year, we also established a Capital Improvement & Repairs fund, that could be tapped for emergencies… and there are always emergencies.

Once summer was over, and the yard work was done for the year, the brothers (who, by now, were quite more than just two) didn’t want to stop coming down on Saturday mornings and decided to turn their attention to the inside of the building. After all, there were hundreds of little problems that we could fix ourselves, like leaky plumbing, flickering lights, crumbling plaster… Once they really started looking around the building, it became nearly overwhelming how much work had to be done, but how do you eat an elephant?

Over the course of that winter, the tenants of the building started noticing changes. Problems they had complained about for years were getting fixed. Some parts of the building would suddenly become inaccessible for a time as they were shut down for refurbishment. A building that was feeling old and tired was suddenly trying to spring back to life, one small area at a time. Even more importantly, brothers from across the four lodges who call the building home were working together, cooperating, learning, and laughing in the process.

Our building’s Eastern Star chapter noticed it too and wanted to help out, but most of them didn’t feel comfortable doing electrical work on a live circuit while dangling off a wooden ladder 15+ feet in the air (and yes, that HAS happened, don’t tell OSHA), so they turned their focus to the large kitchen and started making breakfast for us while we were working. I want to be very clear that they VOLUNTEERED for this, at no point did we ask, but they felt it was the best way they could contribute to the work, and we are incredibly grateful to Electa Chapter #8 for providing us excellent food every week while we’re working.

Within a few years, what began as two guys trying to save us a bit of money on yard maintenance has turned into a rotating team of twenty to thirty brothers and sisters who will come in for various projects, great fellowship, and amazing breakfasts. On any given Saturday, you may find one or two guys ripping into some plumbing issue, while another small team is repairing plaster and repainting, another group is cleaning up woodwork and yet another group is outside working on a pavement issue. If you come down, you will be put to work, and you may end up heading up a project if you are particularly good at something.

My own experience has been so varied I don’t even know where to begin. When I was added as a representative to the Temple Board, they immediately made me the IT Director because I have some (very VERY limited) experience with it, and have tasked me with projects as varied as covering the entire building with WiFi, to rewiring the lighting to be smart accessible, to installing security cameras, and my current project of putting speaker systems and Bluetooth receivers into both of our lodge rooms so people can hear better. I have learned how to plaster from Don, an 86-year-old man who is very active in the Eastern Star but has just become active in the lodge over the past few years because he made so many friends while working. I learned maintenance of our aging boiler system from Matt, a 49-year-old man who constantly surprises me with the depth of his knowledge of obscure things. I’ve learned yard maintenance from Joe, electrical from Mike, and painting from Lynn, and what we don’t know we learn and teach each other. More importantly, we’ve all learned better teamwork and leadership, which we take back to our lodges and chapters to improve them as well.

The Capital Improvements fund has come in handy more than once when we’ve had to replace air conditioners, lay new carpeting, and hire other similar projects that were just too big for experience and time to handle. We’ve gone from passing the hat each month to having an investment manager working to tell us the best timing to take on big new projects.

So why am I telling you all of this? Is it just to brag about how amazing things are going for us, and make you wish you were us too? Of course not, although I am very proud of what we’ve accomplished. It’s to teach you something very important that you can use in your own lodge: how do you eat an elephant? Nothing we have done is unique, or requires much knowledge beyond “Alexa, how do I replace a sink?”

Think of the projects your lodge would like to accomplish. It could be building-related like what I’ve listed above, but it could easily be “have more active members” or “be visible in the public” or “add education to every meeting”. Regardless of the project, if it’s worth doing it should seem overwhelming and impossible to accomplish. As an easy example, take “have more active members”; what are you going to give these members to do to be active? Where are you going to get them? If you bring in new members, you’re going to need people who can do all of the degree work, mentors to work with them, food and drink, and time. When you write down everything that you’ll need to have in place to make it happen, you should be freaked out by it, and if you aren’t… set your sights higher.

Or maybe you’re looking at something more personal, like learning a new lecture, weight loss, or quitting smoking. How about building up your skills to earn a promotion at work? Buying a house? It’s time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions: who are you and what do you want? To quote every meeting of salespeople I’ve ever sat through, find out the why and no how will stop you.

Whatever you’re looking at accomplishing, I know you can do it, but you have to start. Remember: two guys who said “we can mow the yard ourselves” have now, over the years we’ve been working, saved us hundreds of thousands of dollars by doing it ourselves, have taught dozens of men new skills, and forged friendships across lodges that barely talked to each other before even though we were in THE SAME BUILDING.

Hundreds of thousands of Entered Apprentices over history have left their first degree thinking “I’ll never learn all of this” and gone on to do amazing things in Freemasonry. Thousands of new Worshipful Masters have sat down with a plan of what they’d like to get done, and believed they could never do it all, while going on to bring massive improvements across their lodge, and I bet if we were to sit down with some Grand Masters they would tell you the same thing.

One of those two men I told you about is now turning his eye on our York Rite, being able to do all of the degree work ourselves without needing to send our brothers to a festival, and I have zero doubt that he will accomplish it. I know I’ll be there helping in any way I can, which gives us two, and that’s enough to make massive changes, especially when we start with something small, like “Let’s get a team together who can do the Mark Master degree”. I fully expect that if you check back with us in a few years, you’ll find a fully functioning degree team running all of the York Rite degrees and orders in-house.

In the meantime, you’ll still find us on Saturday mornings, repairing plaster, repainting decades-old paint, and discussing new projects we’d like to tackle. In between all of the laughing, teaching, and occasional swearing at some unexpected problem, you might just hear some ritual practice happening too. Quite a few newer members have been able to pass their proficiency because of what they’ve learned while we were pulling new electrical lines.

But I really should at least tell you the rest of the joke… How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

~AT

Put Down Your Phone (And Live Happily Ever After)

by Midnight Freemasons Contributor

WB Darin A. Lahners

May is Mental Health Awareness month.  In my mind, one of the major causes of mental health issues is our dependence on technology, especially social media.  I'm not pointing fingers at anyone here, I'm as guilty as everyone else when it comes to social media use.  However, I wanted to begin with a story about being tethered to a phone.  

I used to have a job that I was on call for all of the time.  It didn't matter what time of the day the phone rang or when a text came in to join another conference call, the expectation was that I was on the call.  I missed a lot of my kids growing up because of this.  The job took a lot of time that I should have been spending with them from me.  I wasted too many years of my life on a job that was toxic because I didn't know any better or I was afraid of losing income.  When I left that job and got another at in a healthy non-toxic environment, my life changed for the better.  I regained a lot of time that I was then able to reinvest into repairing my relationship with my children and Freemasonry.  

I went to a baseball game last weekend, and it amazed me to look around to see so many people on their phones.  Now given the result of the game not being in favor of the home team, that might be the cause of it, but I challenge you to look around at any sporting event, concert, or another public gathering and count the number of people on their phone, either to record the event or just to distract themselves.  Given the amount of money that tickets to either a baseball game or concert cost, don't you think that you should be putting the phone down and just enjoying the moment that you paid so much money for?  Don't even get me started about Lodge.  Like I said, I can't say that I'm innocent of either.  I have posts of videos taken at concerts on social media, and I have taken my phone out at lodge during a stated meeting to check my email, texts, or social media.  So much for leaving the profane world behind.  

When I start to personally examine these behaviors, I realize something that is so hard to do at that moment.   What I realize is that if I don't record the concert, somebody else is probably going to and put it on YouTube and that I should just enjoy the concert with the person or people that I'm with; because those are the moments that you can't get back.  The same with the email or social media during the lodge meeting.  The email, texts, and social media posts are going to be there after the meeting.  But like I said, it's difficult to realize that at that moment. You probably have that feeling of ennui sneak in and you want so desperately to look at your phone even though you're really not bored.  I'm having it right now, my brain is telling me to look at my phone, to check social media, and there's a conscious feeling of discomfort in my frontal lobe because I'm not doing it.  It is akin to the feeling I used to get when I quit smoking cigarettes when I really wanted a cigarette and I had to power through that moment and resist the temptation. 

While the American Psychiatric Association does not officially recognize the condition of phone addiction, I can tell you as an ex-smoker that I personally know what the symptoms of withdrawal are from something that you are addicted to, and that I have seen the symptoms in myself and others around me when they are unable to use their phones.  Am I saying that I'm addicted to my phone?  No, but I am saying that I see signs that I am probably using it too much.  So in order to give it a name for the purposes of the article, I am going to call it addiction.   

According to the addiction center (https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/phone-addiction/) phone addiction may lead to the below (which is taken verbatim from the above site and placed in italics to denote this). 

Sleep deficit
Lower concentration
Creativity blocks
Aggravated ADD
Anxiety
Reduced cognition
Stress
Loneliness
Insecurity
Impaired relationships
Poor grades
Psychological disorders

Chronic phone use can also cause other physical dysfunctions, like GABA (a neurotransmitter in the brain) dysfunction and a loss of grey matter in the brain, which are highly correlated to substance use disorders.

Chronic phone overuse is proven to change reward circuits in the brain chemically. One of the primary affected neurotransmitters is gabapentin (GABA). GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that produces a calming or euphoric effect. It can even control fear and anxiety. The inhibitor plays a significant role in addiction by rewarding substance use and reinforcing addictive behaviors.

Research shows that chronic phone use can increase or decrease GABA production. Disturbances to the GABA system are proven to be a warning sign of addiction. In a study by the Radiological Society of North America, heavy phone use was linked to an upsetting ratio of GABA to other neurotransmitters. When the teen test subjects received cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for the disorder, their brain chemistry reverted to a non-addicted ratio.  

Grey matter in the brain is connected to the part of the central nervous system responsible for enabling individuals to control movement, memory, and emotions. A recent study scanned participants’ brains with a phone addiction and discovered a change in their brain’s grey matter. According to the researchers, the physical shape and size of their brains resembled that of drug users. Grey matter volume among people addicted to their phones diminished in critical areas, a condition similarly observed in people with a substance use disorder.

It is important to note that there has also been a rise in depression and suicide among teenagers in recent years correlated to phone addiction. Adolescent girls are particularly susceptible to the risk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 2010-2015, the suicide rate rose by 65%. At the same time, the rate of severe depression among girls increased by 58%. Many researchers believe the rise in suicides is a direct reflection of the negative effects of phone addiction.

Bro. Manly P. Hall prophetically saw the danger coming from technology in the 1960s. In his lecture, “How to Turn Off the TV in One Easy Lesson and Live Happily Ever After”.  He stated when discussing watching television programming that:  Nothing happens upstairs in ourselves, nothing is being developed as a factor in the growth of our own thinking. We are not thinking, actually, and if we are thinking, we aren’t doing anything about it because most of the thoughts are non-factual. So here we go, all through an entire lifetime surrounded by all types of information which we accept only through the eyes and ears and when the time comes we do very little to solve our own problems. A person whose mind is being used every day to find new values, accomplish new works, do new things that have not been done, improve the quality of living, solve the personal problems of his life – these are the things that help to exercise the mind, but to drift along from work to television to bed and then up and again the next day is not doing anything to make people, it is only continuing a humdrum which is only one step above animal existence. This means that in some respect we need creative programs. Now, a creative program is something that we do because, basically, we want to express ourselves. We do not wish merely to do what everyone else does, we want to do something that will satisfy our own inner impulses, but for the most part these impulses are not active enough to give us any positive directive. So it seems that one thing we have to do to get away from this "hypnosis of the tube" is to realize that we have faculties within ourselves that do not need to be subjected to this continual negative conditioning, that we are certainly capable of thinking rather than merely watching the antics of someone else.  

In order to solve this problem and overcome the "hypnosis of the tube", He stated:  Now, something has to happen to change our way of life from admiring the creations of others to the development of creative capacity in ourselves. So if we want to really have a great history, we can study our own inner lives, if we want great theatre, we can be both the audience and the cast, if we want any of the inner understandings which make for philosophy, mysticism and so forth, they are all available inside of ourselves. The only thing we have got to do is bring it out, and we bring it out by dedication, gaining strength in the inner life just as an athlete gains it by daily discipline; by the proper mental emotional disciplines we can become healthy individuals in terms of our minds, our emotions, our hearts and our jobs. These are the things we've got to work for and if it means that we must do it, we can with one quick twist of the wrist get rid of most of the corruptions of society and face the fact that these are imaginary corruptions. We’ve got plenty of real ones; we don’t have to build them up that way. What we have got to do is find out what corruptions are still lurking in us and correct them, and as soon as we correct the mistakes in ourselves, we begin to see better values in other people, because we see in others usually what we are ourselves focused upon. So, don’t let the great Big Bad Tube get you (laugh), be very careful about it and when uncertain – TURN IT OFF (big laugh), and you will find as you turn it off to do something interesting, beautiful or wonderful, you will never miss it again. You cannot turn it off successfully, however, until there is something you want to be, or something you want to do, right then and there, that is more important than the tube. If you think it out that way, I think it will all work out alright in the end.  

I want you to think about what Bro. Hall says above, and how it applies to us and our work as Freemasons to turn the rough ashlar into the perfect ashlar.  While he is basing his observations on the television which was the 1960s was still in its infancy, his words can be taken and applied to anything with a screen.  Is it possible that the rise in mental health issues we have seen in this country is due in part to the changes that take place in our brain chemically due to a bombardment from television, video games, computers, phones?  I can't answer that question as I'm not a mental health professional, but I would venture to say that it probably is a contributing factor.  

What I worry about is things like how social media maybe causing our attention spans to shorten, and if we are and have unintentionally giving ourselves Adult Attention Deficit Disorder.  Again, I'm not a mental health professional, but continually scrolling through social media, especially platforms like Tik Tok where the maximum video time is 3 minutes has to be having an impact on us.  When I put on my tinfoil hat, I often tell Midnight Freemason Senior Contributor Greg Knott my belief that Tik Tok was socially engineered by the Chinese to dumb down our population and lower our attention spans.  Of course, I have no proof of this being true, and there are some really good people and Brothers to follow on Tik Tok, like my co-editor (RJ Johnson). There's also a ton of garbage on there as well, and the app is designed to allow you to scroll through the garbage to get to the good stuff or to customize your feed by only viewing the people you follow, but the point still stands that the endless scrolling through Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram, Reddit, or whatever your social media of choice is has to be having some effect.  Or maybe I'm just a luddite. 

What I wanted to do with this article is dispense some light and challenge the brethren that read the blog to do something radical.  That challenge is to put your phone down and live happily ever after.  Now given the nature of everything that our phones do for each of us in our modern society, I know it's difficult to even think about doing this, but I want you to do me a favor.  I want you to look at your amount of screen time, or turn on the screen time monitoring on your device and go about your normal business for a week.  Then I want you to go back and look at how much time you are spending on your phone, especially on social media.  After you do this, I want you to think about that 24-inch gauge we learn about in the First Degree.  Are you managing your time wisely?  Are you spending too much time looking at your phone?

If you answered yes to the last question above, I want you to do me a favor.  I want you to put the phone down and do something that doesn't require you to look at a screen.  Yes, maybe this is hypocritical from the IT worker that is writing an article for the Midnight Freemason blog at 7:20 pm the night before it's going to go live.  I've been staring at a computer screen for about 10 hours today.  I get it, how can you take me seriously when I'm asking you to stop looking at your phone.  I guess you can't.  But maybe because you're reading this, and hopefully enjoying it, you will see I'm creating something for you to enjoy and you can give me some grace and listen to me. Look at the picture at the top of the article and do one of those instead of looking at your phone, or to spin it Masonically, pick some ritual and learn it.  Replace some of that time you're spending mindlessly scrolling through your phone to improve yourself as a man and a Mason.   

My point is to take care of yourself and those around you. Time is our most precious commodity and the sands in the hourglass are running.  We don't know how much time we have left before we go to the lodge on high, so take the time to put your phone down more and really live life.  Tell those people that you love that you love them as much as possible, and hug your kids, parents, pets, spouse or significant other as much as possible.  Create opportunities to really connect with your family and friends, to have a face-to-face conversation. Declare the next family gathering you host a phone-free zone or your next family dinner.  Make it a challenge or a game, and make those that look at their phone put a dollar in a jar every time they do it and donate that money to a charity.  Whatever you're missing on social media, or in your email or texts will be there for you after you've lived your life unplugged for a few hours.  Maybe you can turn that few hours into half a day, or maybe a whole day from time to time.  Maybe you'll realize that you don't need it as much as you think you do.  I want you to pay close attention to how you feel when you're away from your screen. As much as it might be hard to do at first, my guess is that it will become easier to do the more you practice doing it.  I also suspect that the enjoyment of the other activities you're doing while not looking at your phone might help you to continue to do it. With practice, you might actually feel like you're living happily ever after, even if it's only for a few hours.

~DAL

WB Darin A. Lahners is our Co-Managing Editor. He is a host and producer of the "Meet, Act and Part" podcast. He is currently serving the Grand Lodge of Illinois Ancient Free and Accepted Masons as the Area Education Officer for the Eastern Masonic Area. He is a Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No.970 in St. Joseph. He is also a plural member of Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL), where he is also a Past Master. He’s also a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, a charter member of Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter No. 282, Salt Fork Shrine Club under the Ansar Shrine, and a grade one (Zelator) in the S.C.R.I.F. Prairieland College in Illinois. You can reach him by email at darin.lahners@gmail.com.

Reclaiming the Rejected Stone

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Ken JP Stuczynski

In my contemplations, I often think about the Lodge as a representation of my inner being. The physical world is outside, and the only thing that can enter are materials to build my Temple, be it thoughts, commitments, or experiences. The metal tools of the profane can only be applied to such things BEFORE they become part of us. Of course, we don't vet such "visitors" most of the time. We allow socialization, propaganda, and attacks against us of all sorts to seep in. They become a part of us whether we want them to or not. It's too late to work on what might have, should have, or could have been.

After a while, we must establish a refuse pile. Some might say this is our subconscious -- those things we don't want to think about or deal with -- but what if it's more of a storehouse? After all, I have a basement of tools, some of which I may never use, but surprisingly there are times I am glad I didn't throw something away. It could be a scrap of wood, a bent screwdriver that still can pry things, or that odd piece of hardware that just happens to fit a project my wife wants me to do unexpectedly.

And then there's trauma. There's hurt. There are the judgments of when we "weren't good enough", or embarrassed, or just didn't win at a game we invested a lot of emotion and energy into. There are regrets.

What if at least one of those "stones" was crafted by the Great Architect for a purpose we as yet do not know? What if no matter how un-square or unfitting (by our human judgment) a stone is, there's some important place for it anyway? Before raising an arch, you might not comprehend what a Keystone is for. You don't know where it came from or why. Was it a mistake, or part of some Greater plan by someone Greater than ourselves?

What if that time we messed up or were betrayed, or burned with unrequited love, wasn't part of our plan, but part of a plan made for us? What if surviving some terrible thing imbued us with the strength to overcome a hardship later in life? What if our painful times of need made us more charitable to other people's hurt or needs? What if those stones are already holding up arches, making our character better throughout a life that may not be as well-lived without them?

Maybe it's time to go through my rubbish pile, looking for that one stone that is ugly, imperfect, and just plain doesn't make sense. Maybe it's the key to something or someone I need more than I realize. Maybe the pegboard of the soul is G-d's Trestle Board, and it's my job to learn to put everything in its proper place, to figure out what each item is for, or have faith there's a reason for everything. Then when the task comes, I will know where to find the right tools, and the material I planned to reject -- maybe even my very self -- will become a thing of Strength, Wisdom, and Beauty.

~JP

Bro. Ken JP Stuczynski is a member of West Seneca Lodge No.1111 and recently served as Master of Ken-Ton Lodge No.1186. As webmaster for NYMasons.Org he is on the Communications and Technology Committees for the Grand Lodge of the State of New York. He is also a Royal Arch Mason and 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason, serving his second term as Sovereign Prince of Palmoni Council in the Valley of Buffalo, NMJ. He also coordinates a Downtown Square Club monthly lunch in Buffalo, NY. He and his wife served as Patron and Matron of Pond Chapter No.853 Order of the Eastern Star and considered himself a “Masonic Feminist”.

The Simplest of Things

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Randy Sanders

A few evenings ago I asked my wife how she might like her dinner prepared.  I purchased a few fillets of a nice white ocean fish, which although good didn’t have much flavor.  She suggested garlic, salt, and pepper marinade, which over a 4 hour period was absolutely perfect for those fillets then paired with rice and mixed vegetables.  Over the past year, I moved away from my expensive pellet grill back to an old heavy steel charcoal barrel-style grill.  The very basic charcoal along with a simple rub produces results just not attainable with pellet or gas grills.  I’m not giving up on a good complex sauce to accompany a perfectly cooked pasta or changing up my often gourmet seasonings for different cultural nuances.  Rather, I rediscovered an experience.  In and of itself, the changes seem innocuous enough, but I see it as a trend in my life as I rethink the complexities of not just cooking but everything, even Freemasonry. 

Part of this stems from an exercise performed in the Winter of 2020 and again recently in Winter 2022 at the Scottish Rite’s Academy Of Reflection Winter Contemplative Retreat.  One of the exercises in the retreat is to eat in silence, slowly, and going back to simplicity by focusing on the food, process of eating, and what that means to you.  I found it to be stimulating as I considered the flavors and textures of the basic meals we enjoyed together in silence.  

The lesson was partially lost on me for a time as we entered the COVID pandemic years, and I rediscovered the beauty of the exercise in the 2022 retreat.  Then came the realization of how simplicity extends to all facets of my life.  My realization of this came with the additional realization that I had already begun doing this exercise in other areas of my life.  Unknowingly, I returned to basic cooking techniques.  At work, I returned to questioning everything, asking why processes existed, and cutting out meetings, and with Freemasonry, I must admit to the same.

Cutting out meetings?  But, your obligations!

Brothers, I continue to promote a healthy Masonic fraternity.  I respect my blue lodge and appendant bodies, and I am committed to helping them in every way possible.  Did I mention convenient?  No?  I do mean any way possible.  My cable-tow doesn’t end just because some meeting is inconvenient. However, let’s strip away the superfluities, the processes, the pageantry.  When we get down to it, what am I contributing, except dues, to any one organization?  

If the answer is “nothing”, then it’s time to think about what you can offer.  What value can you bring to the table?  There is always an answer of yes.  There’s always value you bring.  The craft needs you, but you may not realize your own worth so keep it simple.  Contribute in small ways then worry later about contributing in larger ways.  Find the things you love and bring those things you love to the craft rather than trying to be something you aren’t.  We meditate for a deeper meaning to “who am I” and “why am I here” when the question may be as simple as “I’m good at landscaping, so maybe I can help the lodge building look better?” or, “if I attend this meeting I considered skipping, can I find a means to contribute while enjoying the fellowship of Brethren?”  And my favorite: “I may not be the best at ritual, but I can do a silent part when needed.”

It's the simplest of things.

~RS

Randy and his wife Elyana live near St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Randy earned a Bachelors Degree in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biochemistry, and he works in Telecom IT management. He volunteers as a professional and personal mentor, NRA certified Chief Range Safety Officer and enjoys competitive tactical pistol, rifle, and shotgun. He has 30 plus years teaching Wing Chun Kung Fu, Chi Kung, and healing arts. Randy served as a Logistics Section Chief on two different United States federal Disaster Medical Assistance Teams over a 12 year span. Randy is a 32nd degree KCCH and Knight Templar. His Masonic bio includes past Lodge Education Officer for two symbolic lodges, Founder of the Wentzville Lodge Book Club, member of the Grand Lodge of Missouri Education Committee, Sovereign Master of the E. F. Coonrod AMD Council No. 493, Co-Librarian of the Scottish Rite Valley of St. Louis, Clerk for the Academy of Reflection through the Valley of Guthrie, and a Facilitator for the Masonic Legacy Society. Randy is a founding administrator for Refracted Light, full contributor to Midnight Freemasons, and an international presenter on esoteric topics. Randy hosts an open ongoing weekly Masonic virtual Happy Hour on Friday evenings. Randy is an accomplished home chef, a certified barbecue judge, raises Great Pyrenees dogs, and enjoys travel and philosophy.

Coming Back Is Not Easy

by Senior Midnight Freemason Contributor
WB Gregory J. Knott

I don’t know about you, but returning to meetings for the blue lodge and other groups has been harder than I thought.   After basically a year of not attending meetings in person, I’ve come to see I have a different perspective on the necessity of my attendance.   I haven’t had as much free time as I did in the last year since I was very young and I have very much enjoyed not going to as many meetings.

As we get back into full speed, I have personally made the determination that I am going to attend meetings I wish to attend, not because I have to attend.   My days of going to mindless business meetings that really serve no purpose other than to plan the next mindless business meeting or talk about who is behind on paying dues are going to be limited.   

This isn’t to imply that I am down on Freemasonry, because I am not.  However, for me, Freemasonry isn’t reading the minutes, talking about a roof for months on end or complaining about the same guys who don’t pay their dues on time year after year.    Freemasonry to me should be educational opportunities, fellowship, service to others, and work within the community all with a purpose of individual self-improvement. 

What are your thoughts on returning to the lodge?  Do you look at things differently?  Are you satisfied with the way things were going before the pandemic and hope they return?  I am curious about your thoughts and perspectives.   Please leave them here in the comments or on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/midnightfreemasons

~GJK

WB Gregory J. Knott is a founding member and Senior Contributor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 in St. Joseph (IL) and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL) and Naval Lodge No. 4 in Washington, DC. He’s a member of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Eastern Star and is the Charter Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign-Urbana. He is also a member of ANSAR Shrine (IL) and the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. Greg serves on the Board of Directors of The Masonic Society and is a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society and The Philathes Society. He is a charter member of a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter U.D. and serves as its Secretary. Greg is very involved in Boy Scouts—an Eagle Scout himself, he is a member of the National Association of Masonic Scouters. You can contact him at gknott63@gmail.com

Willing or Willfull?

by Midnight Freemason Emeritus Contributor

Bro. Erik Marks

In preparing to present for the December Lodge of Instruction (LOI), I began to think about the start of my masonic career. I was asked repeatedly and in a variety of ways if I was joining without coercion and if it was my sincere wish to be a mason, to accept the mantle and work it implied. Was I willing or willfully resistant? 

As I pondered for preparation and planning for LOI, I encountered my own willful resistance to the process and of presenting. I had to admit to myself where I was willfully resisting an aspect of my life, of reality. My willfulness was a barrier I placed in front of my ability to change: it is the roughness needing smoothing before I will be able to place this stone. I had to either approach the effort of planning with a willing mindset or decline the honor altogether. 

Recently, a dear brother asked if I was “over my writer’s block.” This was his gentle and generous way of inviting me to contribute without pressure or seeming challenge. Stated this way, I was left undefended against the powerful admonishment to bettering myself. Stated another way: will you remain willfully resistant, Erik, or are you willing to contribute? 

So here I am, Brother. Willing. I recognize in myself the errors of my initial agreement to write. These were self-aggrandizement and one-sidedness of ego (an imbalance I can discuss more off-blog for those interested in the conversation). Further, if I am to change myself for the better, I have to be willing to honor your request despite my grievances with my Self and subdue my passions. Moreover, it is my willingness to move through those grievances with Chisel and Gavel, to work to set myself right. 

And so, this is my challenge to us all, in any given moment, are we willing, or willfully resistant? To listen? To understand? To care? To love? To engage, thoughtfully? To subdue our passions (read: reactivity)? For me, this question is foundational in Freemasonry: Do we bring ourselves fully to this precious life and willingly look deeply inward to break off that which does not serve humanity and world?

~EM

Brother Erik Marks is a clinical social worker whose usual vocation has been in the field of human services in a wide range of settings since 1990. He was raised in 2017 by his biologically younger Brother and then Worshipful Master in Alpha Lodge in Framingham, MA. You may contact brother Marks by email: erik@StrongGrip.org

Does Freemasonry Develop Talent?

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Darin Lahners

Freemasonry does very little to no talent development. For an organization that claims to take good men and make them better, that’s a pretty damning statement. However, I stand by it. In Business, talent development refers to the organizational processes designed to attract, develop, motivate, and retain productive, engaged employees. If a business is to succeed, it has to do this and put a lot of effort into doing this. Otherwise, they will see a large turnover of employees. What is Freemasonry doing to attract, develop, motivate, and retain members? In my own personal experience, very little. Is it any wonder we are struggling with getting new members and retaining the ones we have?

What is Freemasonry doing to attract members? In business, a value proposition is an innovation, service, or feature intended to make a company or product attractive to customers. For our Fraternity, it should show what Freemasonry will do for each man individually or why a man should choose Freemasonry over another community organization. While we shouldn’t be joining Freemasonry for mercenary motives, we should be doing a better job of selling ourselves. Instead of saying: “We take good men and make them better”, our value proposition should be listing what we will do to make you a better man and how it relates to the individual.

Until very recently, we relied on campaigns like 2BE1ASK1, and other outdated methods to try to gain membership. In fact, until three Masonic appendant governing bodies, namely the NMJ and SMJ of the AASR and Shiner’s International, decided to sponsor beafreemason.org, there was very little effort put forth in order to attract membership. My Grand Lodge, has an invitation to petition program, but it is not used to its full effectiveness nor is it really being pushed by them as a program that Lodges should be using. Lodges should be using this program to have its members identify their friends, neighbors, and other members of the community that would be active and engaged members. As part of this process, once the invitation is accepted, we should be giving a value proposition for the prospective members. We can no longer rely on our history or reputation as an organization to be an effective recruitment tool.

At my last meeting at St. Joseph #970, as Worshipful Master, I had six "invitation to petition" forms submitted and read, which will be voted on at our next stated meeting. Assuming the vote for these members is favorable, it is my plan to write each of the prospective members a letter, along with a value proposition about how I think Freemasonry can benefit them. I also encouraged members to think about men that they know and encouraged them to do the same. St. Joseph has not had a new member in over two years. If we do not bring in new active and engaged members, we need to seriously start to consider consolidating with another lodge. We continue to lose members due to having them move away from the area, or by having some pass away, and we are not gaining new members to replace that attrition. I doubt that we are the only lodge to experience this problem.

What is Freemasonry doing to develop members? It is my opinion that we are doing very little. Time and time again, Education is not given the same importance as other items on the meeting agenda.  My girlfriend Lisa, who is the incoming Chair for the National Advisors for Chapters and an incoming board member on the Board of Directors for the Association of Talent Development, retweeted this today: "Learning shouldn't be begging for a place at the table, it should be setting the menu." Truer words have never been spoken.  Masonic Education should be the highlight of our stated meetings, not an afterthought. Apparently, the majority of us would rather spend a meeting debating how many rolls of toilet paper to buy or (insert your own trivial matter of business) over actually working to improve ourselves.  How in the heck does this make us better men?  It doesn't.  The ugly truth of the matter is that: 

1. Not every man in Freemasonry is a good man

2. Not every man in Freemasonry cares about becoming a better man

3. There are some men in Freemasonry that have no interest in helping their brethren who are good men become better men, and that is why they don't support Masonic Education.

We also do a terrible job of identifying skills that our members might be good at and interested in, and in helping them to use and develop those skills to help not only improve themselves but the lodge or Freemasonry in their area as well. We each have individual skills that we are good at and other areas where we lack skills. One member might be a strong natural leader but not be very good with technology, while another might lack leadership skills but be very good with technology. Doesn’t it make sense to pair these people together in order to have them help each other improve their skills? In most lodges where there is a progressive line, wouldn’t you want to make sure that the members that will be succeeding them are good leaders?

We also fail when it comes to mentoring. In Illinois, we have something called the intender program. Under this program, each candidate is assigned an experienced Freemason to help them learn their catechisms and to help them through their degrees. I have seen time and time again where the experienced Freemason stops mentoring the individual who is their candidate once that candidate is raised as a Master Mason. This needs to stop. It seems that we’ve forgotten our obligations to aid and support our brethren. When was the last time that you offered to help another member of your lodge with their ritual and floor work outside of a meeting? Or invited them to coffee for a discussion? Or generally, tried to get to know them? Are you taking an active role in trying to mentor and help develop the talents of your brethren? Yes, there might be times where the other member might be unwilling to accept your help or overtures of friendship. In these cases, make sure you’re setting the right example for them to follow. Mentoring another member can be both active and passive.

How many of you have a formal or informal degree team in your area? All of the members of the “team” are the ones called are always called upon to put on degrees, and it’s always the same brothers doing the same parts in the same degrees night after night. This is problematic because the members of the “team” aren’t usually trying to mentor the members that are not on the “team” and they are not encouraging them to learn parts or participate in the degrees. The members that want to learn parts and become members of the “team” often aren’t making their desires known to the degree “team” members. Essentially, a situation is created where you have a small number of people doing work, and because of the perceived clique of “team” members, other members feel that they are not encouraged to learn and participate or feel that they don’t need to learn or participate, because the degree “team” members have it covered. In my particular district, you have some older members of the “team” and when they pass away, there is no one to step up and fill that void. This is just one example of where we are failing to help to develop talent, but also where we have no succession plan in place.

What is Freemasonry doing to motivate and retain members? Our wages of corn, wine, and oil don’t seem to be bringing members to lodge, nor are they helping us retain our members. There have been multiple times where I’ve seen an enthusiastic new Master Mason be forced into a chair due to not having enough active and engaged membership, have them not be given proper instruction about what to do, and then have them approached by a grumpy past master after the meeting who tells them what they did wrong. Is it any wonder we continue to raise candidates and never see them return to lodge? I’ll also take the opportunity to highlight the times as an Area Education Officer, where I’ve seen educational programs ridiculed because the majority of brethren don’t want to take the time to explore our mysteries and symbols. They only seem to care about the stated meeting when they have something to complain about. However, once they’ve decided that they’re done complaining, they want to get the meeting over with. Then they might adjourn to the bar across the street, no doubt to complain about everything they disagreed within the meeting with their fellow complainers. In business, an employee acting like this would be reprimanded, maybe even terminated, for creating a hostile work environment. However, in Freemasonry, it seems to be the norm.

Another major reason for this is that our stated meetings are not run efficiently. In fact, I would argue that the current model of stated meetings is completely and utterly outdated. In my mind, the one thing that the pandemic has proven is that a stated meeting no longer is necessary to handle a majority of the business of the lodge. Almost all of the business can be handled either through email or via a short zoom/skype/webex/google meeting between the members. We need to make a change in the way that we handle business in order to compete for the attention of our members in the current day and age. We are competing with social media, streaming services, sports (our children’s and professional), and other organizations like a church or school board that our members might belong to. If we want to compete, we need to change the way we handle our business.

In changing the way that business is handled, we can free up time during our stated meeting nights that were previously used for business to focus on personal development. You know, actually doing the work of making good men better, instead of just saying that we do. We can use the time to implement skill development workshops, where we can teach leadership, grooming, public speaking, budgeting/personal finance, listening, and believe it or not, learning how to be more sensitive and empathetic. We can also use the time to improve ourselves in Masonry, with Masonic Education programs and working on ritual and floor work. Comradery needs to be built between the members of the lodge so that actually enjoy each other’s company, and want to seek more of it. This can be accomplished by holding festive boards or participating in other activities where the brethren can interact in a social setting outside of the lodge room on stated meeting nights. It seems to be beyond the realm of my comprehension to imagine a time where I could open St. Joseph #970 for a meeting, have a short meeting (15 – 20 minutes max), close the meeting and then adjourn to a festive board, or have the programs like what I mentioned above. Unfortunately, as long as we continue to have poorly run, long, boring, and sometimes toxic meetings, we will continue to lose members.

Not only that, many of us that are providing the energy and manpower to a lodge have become disheartened and unmotivated. I deal with this feeling more than I would like to admit when it comes to Freemasonry. Not only do the above examples show why we are failing to retain members, but also some of the reasons why many of us are becoming unmotivated. Couple this with the ways in which I see brethren mistreat each other within the lodge and on social media. We no longer seem to be practicing the tenet of Brotherly Love. Unfortunately, the Lodge room, which is a place that I consider to be a sacred space (which should be devoid of politics or religion at all times, not just when the gavel has sounded), is no longer sacred to brethren. It seems that many of the brethren have decided that they don’t get enough discussion of these divisive topics on social media, and they need to engage in the same rhetoric within a lodge room. Many of us, myself included, are left bewildered by this when we try to speak good counsel to our brethren and we’re told that the gavel hasn’t sounded, so they can discuss whatever they want. Apparently, I missed the section in the lectures in my degrees that instructed us only to practice Freemasonry between the gavels. Is it any wonder that many of us are lacking motivation, or that we cannot retain our new members?

How do we change this? Freemasonry is local. Ultimately, you can only impact what is happening at your local lodge. Here are some things that you can do to help change your lodge culture and start to develop talent.

1. You need to have allies. If you’re the only one in your lodge that wants to change things, things will not change. You need to have enough brethren on your side to be able to implement change. You need to make sure that all of you have the same vision, and goals. Without this, you will not be able to implement programs to help develop the talents of or educate the brethren within your lodge.

2. You and your allies need to act as role models and mentors. Survey your membership and identify where there are mentorship possibilities, and connect mentors with mentees. Be sure to set an example for the brethren in your lodge.

3. Build a process to support development. Implement programs to help develop the talents of brethren in your lodge. Prioritize lodge education in the meetings. Reduce the waste of meetings so that there is time for these processes.

4. Reinforce our shared values. Remind the brethren why talent development is an important part of taking a good man and making him better. Help the brethren understand why this important and how it will help not only attract but retain members. Use your allies to implement lodge bi-laws to make changes permanent.

5. Be adaptable. Each lodge is unique and has a unique culture. What works for one lodge, might not work for another. Keep trying different approaches to development. Don’t give up when one thing doesn’t work. Note the things that are successful in your programs and the things that are not. Learn from your experiences.

The choice is yours. You can either help be the change or slowly watch your lodge die. I know what I am going to choose. 

~DAL

WB Darin A. Lahners is a Past Master of and Worshipful Master of St. Joseph Lodge No.970 in St. Joseph. He is also a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and of Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL), where he is also a Past Master. He’s a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, a charter member of Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter No. 282 and is the current Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign – Urbana (IL). You can reach him by email at darin.lahners@gmail.com

Games Esotericists Play

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

By C. R. Dunning, Jr.

https://chuckdunning.com/

At the core of esotericism is the inner work of (1) penetrating deeply into the mysteries of our existence, (2) making changes in consciousness to directly engage the energies and principles of those mysteries within ourselves, and thereby (3) facilitating the transformation of our being. Around that core are many things that beckon for our attention, time, and energy. All of those things – whether objects, ideas, or activities – have some potential to facilitate experiences at the core of esotericism, but they can also become distractions and diversions from it. One way to understand such distractions and diversions is in the language of kids’ games. If you’re like me, you’ll at least see some glimpses of yourself in this list. You may also see ways these games intersect and reinforce each other.

Dress-Up: The regalia, rituals, roles, and titles of esoteric systems and traditions can all be profoundly meaningful and useful. However, they can also become the focus of a game in which the pretense of performing great and important things becomes a substitute for actually doing them in real life. During such games, a group or individual might even go through the motions of practical inner work, such as an invocation or guided meditation, but there is little to no real shift in consciousness, or there is a lack of follow-through with inner work outside the event itself.

Tea Party: Many of us find great joy in social gatherings with esoteric atmospheres and themes. We can gather with kindred spirits, tell stories, sing, poke fun, laugh, share our latest quandaries and discoveries, and enjoy the good feelings and other benefits of relaxation, belonging, and togetherness. Even so, like Dress-Up, this kind of activity becomes more a game than a real benefit when it serves as a substitute for, or even a barrier to, our inner work rather than a source of motivation, encouragement, and support for actually doing it.

Connect the Dots: Every esotericist knows it can be helpful to study different systems, schools, traditions, authorities, and other sources of information. Our comparisons and contrasts often reveal possibilities of understanding we might have otherwise missed, give us a greater appreciation of the bigger picture of things, and can produce temporary feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction. Yet this practice turns into a game as we addictively pursue those feelings, sacrificing more and more time that might have been spent in more productive inner work. It can also become a game of trivia when we begin relishing the acquisition of names, dates, events, and other details that we can recall and toss out at a moment’s notice.

Treasure Hunt: The process of initiation and transformation is very much a process of discovery, and frequently of things that are not easy to come by. A poor reflection of that process is the game of eagerly searching for that next obscure, rare, or highly guarded bit of information, ceremonial experience, meditation, or breathing technique. This is often done with hopes that the next find will somehow magically facilitate a significant realization, awakening, or illumination. But the game of Treasure Hunt becomes most apparent when one realizes that chasing after such things takes precedence over consistently making use of readily available time for inner work.

House of Cards: Keeping and displaying physical tokens and instruments of esotericism can provide inspiring reminders of one’s commitments and aids to actual practice. On the other hand, the accumulation of ceremonial paraphernalia, jewelry, relics, mementos, documents, books, artwork, and so forth, is the House of Cards game when these things are primarily used to support one’s self-image as an esotericist, or when the actual practice of inner work cannot be done in their absence.

Hide and Seek: Many esoteric traditions and teachers speak of the importance of practicing silence, discretion, and humility with regard to one’s inner work and other esoteric activities. The game of Hide and Seek manifests when we adopt attitudes and behaviors of circumspection, reserve, and aloofness in order to give the appearance of knowing and participating in esoteric things.

Why do we play such games?

One possibility is simply failing to recognize that the core of esotericism is the inner work of initiation and transformation. The portrayal of esotericism in popular media can easily give the impression that these games are esotericism. Even self-proclaimed esotericists may unknowingly assume this field is just a more exotic and intriguing form of social and intellectual engagement, and that terms like “inner work,” “initiation,” and “transformation” are just intriguing ways of talking about acquiring a peculiar category of concepts and social status.

There are deeper and more complex reasons for these games, and they are rooted in the fact that the prospect of transformation is inherently threatening to the ego, our personal self, how we know ourselves as unique human beings in this world. Hand in hand with the bright elevating symbolism of awakening, rebirth, peace, and joy, the dark specters of great tests, trials, and death are universally present in esoteric lore. And beneath our superficial thoughts of esotericism lurk powerful questions about who or what we really are, who or what we might become, and how transformation might shake up our lives and relationships. So, while our egos may be very attracted to grandiose visions and the pomp and circumstance of esotericism, there are also deep fears, often hidden from our conscious awareness, of the unknown challenges, demands, and losses we may face in true initiation and transformation.

Understandably, we may not feel up to the task, but our moth-like souls are still drawn to the esoteric light. We might, therefore, use these games to acquire what seem the next best things, which are the trappings, language, and imagery of esotericism, or the facades of initiation and transformation. Even when we recognize the essentialness of inner work, we may use these pastimes to distract and divert ourselves from it, semi-consciously creating the excuse of being too busy with all the other activities of esotericism. Furthermore, we can find opportunities to actually build up our egos through the games of esotericism, taking pride in the exercise of our intellects and comfort in the development of belonging and prestige within esoteric social groups. These positive strokes may reinforce our avoidance of the inner work, and to some degree, we may even convince ourselves that we really are undergoing transformation, when in fact there is more make-believe happening than anything else.

Finally, I’d like to say that catching oneself in these games is no justification for shame, guilt, or self-flagellation; those things can also become games. We’re all human, and we’re programmed, even hardwired, to protect and preserve our egos. Additionally, all of us carry insecurities, existential anxiety, and emotional vulnerability, even when we’re from the most loving and stable backgrounds. And, whatever our reasons might be, including simply being content with the fellowship, fun, and fascination of esotericism, there is no condemnation for choosing not to engage the inner work of initiation and transformation. It can be challenging enough to be honest with ourselves about what we really believe, what we really want, and what we really are or are not willing to do to get it. If the bright light at the core of esotericism is what really draws you, then perhaps you’re ready to stop some of the games and fly closer to the flame of transformation.

~CRD

Brother Chuck Dunning

is an advocate, facilitator, trainer, and consultant in contemplative practice, with more than 30 years in the professional fields of higher education and mental health, as well as in Masonry and other currents in the Western esoteric traditions. He has authored Contemplative Masonry: Basic Applications of Mindfulness, Meditation, and Imagery for the Craft (2016), and The Contemplative Lodge: A Manual for Masons Doing Inner Work Together (coming in 2020), and was a contributing author in The Art and Science of Initiation (2019). Chuck has articles published in several Masonic journals and websites, is a nationally recognized speaker and trainer on the Masonic Educational circuit, and has been interviewed for numerous periodicals and podcasts. In 2019, the College of Freemasonry in Rochester, New York presented him with the Thomas W. Jackson Masonic Education Award for Fraternal Leadership in Masonic Research and Esoteric Study. In 2018, the Southern California Research Lodge recognized him as being among the Top Ten Esoteric Masonic Authors. Chuck is the founding Superintendent of the Academy of Reflection, which is a chartered organization for Scottish Rite Masons wanting to integrate contemplative practice with their Masonic experience. He is also a Full Member of the Texas Lodge of Research. You can contact Chuck via his webpage: https://chuckdunning.com/.