Be More Than a Mason

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Bro. Guide Sobecki

For those are alarmed or offended by this title…Give me a chance to continue, Brother. One of the greatest achievements and honors one can hold is to be a true Freemason. But as we are told during out first degree, moderation and balance should be the first working tool we take to any project. This story is about what happens when a loyal and selfless workman must be touched on the shoulder and told he must retire and refresh himself.

Men are welcome into Masonry with a wide map of direction they can take. Each lodge ideally offers various projects and service opportunities, schools on ritual and floorwork, leadership development, and community outreach events. Moving further, each of the many appendant bodies offers more of all that in specific flavors and genres to suit each tastes, and often have sub-bodies for even more engagement and activities. Once you reach out to the wider community, you join a deep network of thousands of Brothers like yourself who would love for you to visit their lodge or help out at a regional event. Whether you want to present a lecture on the finest esoterism, ride your Harley Davidson, or even do both on the same weekend, Masonry will let you dive deep and immerse yourself among motivated peers.

For a good two years, I was an officer in nine different Masonic organizations ranging from theater usher to elected officer. I served on a few committees, drove hours a day to perform ritual for my own lodges or any nearby that needed a hand, acted in Scottish Rite theater productions, and spent weekends working degree days for York Rite. I was usually out at a meeting or degree three to four nights a week year-round, unless I got a call at work that some one needed a Deacon or a Steward. For just those occasions, I even kept a full suit and tie in my trunk ready for Masonic emergencies. Just in case. Doing casual math one day, I realized I was spending a minimum of one hundred and sixty nights a year serving as a Mason. And as a few reading this will instantly chime in…I could have been doing more than that. Some regulars were out even more than I was, driving farther, and performing bigger roles.

At first, I felt I’d cracked the code. ‘You get out of it what you put into it’, so the old Masters told me. I learned more about the ritual and history, I gained leadership experience and honed my management skills, I met hundreds of people all over my state. I became trusted by many, and they knew I’d always answer the call. This was being a good and upright Mason.

But as the years went by, the drives seemed to get longer. The meetings ran longer and later. Most nights I was getting in at midnight for six hours of sleep, then heading off to work which I jokingly called my eight-hour break from ‘my other job.’ Social events outside the Craft became more and more awkward as I lost touch with mainstream hobbies such as sports, movies, events around town, or even just hanging around with friends who weren’t in an officer line. My life after work was spent being a Mason in all its forms, and the only people I ever saw were Brothers and their families. We never talked about our jobs and other outlets, Masonry had become a monastery for people like me. But the work had to be done, we needed the slates filled, and this was what it meant to be a Mason. It meant being a bit miserable, but we all seemed to take a little solace in that.

I eventually faced a sobering truth. Masons like me were helping the fraternity as a second calling…But from the outside looking in, I was realizing how Brothers like us may be exhausting more than just ourselves. Our families and friends only saw us exhausted, dazed, and worrying about the next degree or official visit. Potential members knocking on our doors to join a benevolent secret society found workaholics stretched too thin, who could list their various past titles and committees…And not much else. As time wore on, I started looking around the room during the talks of dwindling membership and vanishing petitioner. I saw these same jaded faces night after night, and they saw mine just as often…Because this had become all we ever did.

I never had the time to look back and remember what drew me to become a Mason, amidst all this being a Mason. Long gone are the professors, business moguls, and politicians who retreated from their busy lives to center themselves in a lodge of other good men. We are not out in the world shining our light, making people wonder about the lapel pin we wear and knowing that’s where men like us gather. We’re in our lodges under the grey fluorescent lights, mouthing along to rituals we’ve seen hundreds of times and dreading the politics behind every vote and motion. Many active members can only list achievements, passions, and life experiences that are all purely Masonic. Unless, they’re also an Elk or Kiwani on the side…

If you talk about this lifestyle to a person off the street, they would hear a lot of unusually grand adjectives said with an uncannily straight face by a tired man worn out by something he volunteered for. Would I have joined if I only met people this isolated and immersed? Worst of all, was this all really making me a better human being...Or was I just becoming a better member of a fraternal organization?

My exit from full-time Masonry was not easy, and I still cringe looking back at the damaged bridges it left behind. But that first week where I realized I had every night off to myself, there was a faint ember of a warmth I hadn’t felt in two years. Whether I took a walk down the street or flew to another continent, I could really get out there and see the world again wherever it took me. I could slowly meet myself again, remember what I really found fun or interesting, with less time holding a gavel and more time learning and experiencing things I’d never seen before. That same curiosity that drew me into Masonry was now free at last.

Right now, I’m almost just as busy as I was as a professional Mason…But sincerely, I’ve never been happier. I’m studying martial arts and doing fitness classes, finishing a degree part-time, wandering random seminars and weekend courses, and when I’m lucky I get to camp or go backpacking. For a few nights a month, I am a truly born-again Mason who sees every ritual like I when I was initiated. Because now, these are tools and teachings I am carrying with me and rediscovering in the world around me. An accepting mind listens to those I do not initially agree with or understand. Love for the liberal arts and sciences draws me to be a student of experts and mentors of all kinds. Devout justice guides my degree in management. Trained discipline gets me into the gym every day. The ancient magic of geometry guides my footwork as I spar and flow. Care for mankind keeps my eyes on those around me as well as my own goals, never hesitating to offer a hand to those in need.

In the hours I don an apron and jewel, I care more about the Craft not as an obligation, but as an outlet to further better myself and enhance my personal journey. I have more knowledge to apply to our mission, and I have more to offer my Brothers if they take an interest I have experience in. And when I retire from our gatherings to wander these other paths and pursuits, on various occasions someone has asked me about a small piece of jewelry they noticed or about a picture they saw on my Facebook. I’ve talked about the Craft on the sidelines of fighting tournaments and gathered around campfires, with admirable people I never would have encountered if I hadn’t applied the forgotten working tool and added balance to my life.

To the Brothers reading this, I commend you and thank you for your contributions to the Craft in every form. But do not leave behind what makes you an individual, and never stop looking for ways to improve yourself in the greater world as well as in Masonry. It does not make you a worse Mason to branch out and diversify. It will leave you a much more satisfied and talented man with stories to tell and wisdom to pass on, who may just inspire others to join the fraternity because of the qualities you carried with you from your Masonic journey into the world we serve each day. 

~GS

Brother Guide Sobecki of Geneva Lodge No.139 is the Junior Warden of Gourgas Chapter of Rose Croix, Valley of Chicago Scottish Rite as well as Preceptor of Illinois York Rite College No. 15. He works as a public relations specialist and ghostwriter for the national association of neurosurgeons. He holds the rank of Companion at Arms in the art of medieval longsword fighting. He can be reached at guidesobecki@gmail.com.

Burnouts and Buffets

by Midnight Freemason Contributor, 

WB Bill Hosler

I just finished reading a piece written by fellow Midnight Freemason contributor, my friend and Brother Robert Johnson, called “Is The Honeymoon Over?” As I sat here reading his work I began to notice myself nodding my head in agreement with every word RJ had written.

I have a rather unique position in the Craft; I am not an old Mason, but I am not a new guy either. At the time of writing this piece, I became an Entered Apprentice fourteen years ago. From the time I signed my petition, I couldn't wait until I was a Master Mason. Before the ink was dry on my signature, I was looking at Masonic books and looking at Masonic rings. I couldn't believe how slow the petition process was. And the thought of waiting between degrees was agony!

The night I was finally raised, I couldn't believe I had finally made it. I was a full fledged, bonafide Freemason. I began to feel like a dog who caught the car. “I caught it, now what do I do with it?” Luckily my question was answered before I exited the lodge room.

In nearly each hand I shook in congratulations another hand contained a petition for another Masonic body. From the Shriners to the Scottish Rite and York Rite, I had an application for all of them. I placed them in my pocket and went home. My mind was on overload with all I had seen and had done that night.

Within the next three months I had became a member of everything: the Shriners, the Scottish Rite

and the York Rite, along with such groups as the Philalethes Society. My wallet began to explode with dues cards!

Once the dues cards were in place, the offices came. My first lodge meeting as a Master Mason I became Junior Steward, and since I had shown the Brethren I had an ability to memorize, I also received multiple pieces of ritual to learn. I was asked if I wouldn't mind filling a chair in one of the York Rite bodies. In my zeal I agreed and I received an office in body of the local York Rite. And with the jewels of the office, came even more ritual to memorize.

I can honestly say I gave Masonry my all. I had a meeting nearly every night for almost seven years. I became a Past Master and a Past High Priest in my Royal Arch Chapter. Along the path I picked up other responsibilities. I was a member of a Grand Lodge committee and I became a webmaster for a Grand York Rite, while still,  I gathered even more jobs within my local Shrine temple. I can honestly say I loved most every minute of it.

But with problems within my family and my job, the burnout sat in. Real life began to invade my Masonic fantasy. The 24 inch gauge I had thrown away came back with a vengeance. The politics I once shrugged off began to anger me. The pieces of ritual I had been juggling for four different Masonic bodies no longer came easy to me. The representation of King Solomon’s Temple I built within myself fell apart. I went into a Masonic funk. I guess it could be called a period of Masonic darkness.

Just as Brother RJ wrote, "Masonic burnout" set in. For the longest time I was like everyone else: I thought burnout was a bad thing. But much like an old forest fire removes much rubbish and allows new life to set in, maybe Masonic burnout can be useful as well.

If you go to a drag race, people talk about burn outs as a positive thing. A burnout is when you make your rear wheels spin as fast as you can while sitting in place with your foot on the brake. When a drag racer brings his car to the race track in his preparation to race he will intentionally burn out his tires, which gets his tires warm and helps create traction which, if properly, done can be the difference between winning the race or losing.

As I'm sure you have been told many times “Masonry is a marathon, not a sprint.” That is all well and true, but if you don't get warmed up and gain traction you will fail at that race. Why not try a little of everything and find out what parts of Masonry you like and discover the ones that aren't for you?

Much like an all you can eat buffet, the first trip most people mound their plates full with as many types of dishes as they can heap on. When they return to the buffet a second time, they have a better idea of what foods they want to eat and only fill their plate with the foods they have found they liked.

After a period of Masonic inactivity and self reflection I got my life back on track and began to think about the parts of Freemasonry I liked and missed and the parts I could live without. I realized that being approached with the possibilities of Grand offices and the honors I received gave me a swelled head. I lost my perspective. I began to look at the Fraternity in a different way. I also discovered, thanks to Brother Robert Johnson, I enjoyed writing about Masonic topics. My burnout period also provided experiences for writing. It allowed me to use the experiences as “teachable moments”.

Don't get me wrong: I'm not advocating you take your zeal for Freemasonry and fill every night with a different meeting. I advocate moderation, not excess. Use your experience to find your place within your fraternity. If you find your place you are more likely to get the traction you will need to make that sprint into a marathon.

If you only take one thing away from this piece is DON’T QUIT! You joined this fraternity for a reason. Don't stop searching until you find it. Don't let the bickering or the politics or even some of the rules you find silly discourage you and make you demit. All of these silly things will eventually go away. Masonry is just like life. There will be things you love and things you hate. Just take it all in stride and make the fraternity yours.

~BH

WB Bill Hosler was made a Master Mason in 2002 in Three Rivers Lodge #733 in Indiana. He served as Worshipful Master in 2007 and became a member of the internet committee for Indiana's Grand Lodge. Bill is currently a member of Roff Lodge No. 169 in Roff Oklahoma and Lebanon Lodge No. 837 in Frisco,Texas. Bill is also a member of the Valley of Fort Wayne Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in Indiana. A typical active Freemason, Bill also served as the High Priest of Fort Wayne's Chapter of the York Rite No. 19 and was commander of of the Fort Wayne Commandery No. 4 of the Knight Templar. During all this he also served as the webmaster and magazine editor for the Mizpah Shrine in Fort Wayne Indiana.