The Progressive Line Strategy: How to use it - To beat it. Part 1

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Bro. Mark St. Cyr

If there’s one topic within the Craft that elicits more biased arguments for or against than the “Chamber of Reflection,” it’s  the idea behind progressive lines. So what I would like to argue  differently in this missive is something I feel many don’t truly think  through, which is this…

 

Rather than allowing the progressive line (PL) system to work  against change. i.e., allowing for bad policy implementations or  weak management accountabilities to remain calcified. How can  it be made to work as to both effect change, but more  importantly, solidify that change? 

Think it can’t? Then let’s buckle up and dive-in as I’ll explain in this multiple-installment series (because it’s almost its own book)  how to do just that. But as usual, first, the disclaimer: 

This is not intended to denigrate the idea of a PL, nor the  brothers that dedicate themselves to the tasks they bear. What  this speaks directly to is how to instill a necessary change into  any management practice (our example will be the PL) that has  allowed itself to calcify, for whatever the reason. Many times  those within it (PL) may not be aware to just how hindering the  practice has become. The following is a respectful roadmap for  those that do, yet, just haven’t been able to decipher a way  through.  

So, with that out of the way, here we go… 

Rather than go through the details of what a PL is and how it works. I’m just going to assume everyone reading this knows and spare with the mundane for brevity’s sake. i.e., It’s basically a  known-known throughout the Craft.

One of the very first fundamental processes any change agent  needs to fully grasp that I’ve extensively opined on: is to ditch the  idea many other so-called “business gurus” regurgitate ad  nauseam, which is “think outside the box.”  

This scholastic platitude to any self-respecting entrepreneur is a  limiting concept from which to start from (it’s almost as bad as the brain-dead ‘right brain/left brain’ tripe, but I digress).  

The more effective starting point you need to begin with is this:  What if there is no box?  

If this sounds a lot like the famous line from the Matrix movie  e.g., “There is no spoon.” That’s great, and understanding that metaphor may be more consequential than you think at first blush. 

Note: I know there are many out there reading this thinking “Just  who does this guy think he is saying stuff like this?!” And it’s a  fair point. So I offer the following for you to think about. Most so-called “business gurus” beg to get speaking gigs at $5K. I start at $50K+. I’m not saying that to brag, I’m stating it for context only to those that usually mock first - ask repeat questions later. 

So now let’s begin to bend some rules as the idea implies.

First… 

Rather than contemplate all the ideas and mechanics that make up the current model of any PL that we’ve taken as a hindrance or obstacle. Let’s flip it on its head, and think from the standpoint that the PL, is in fact, the very vehicle to both bend and serve the will of a group of change agents for the betterment of a  bad situation. Meaning: to not only facilitate that needed change but to enable it to perpetually carry forward.

In other words, rather than trying to bend it, or change it via sheer willpower (“That would be impossible” as you remember also from the movie). Let’s use it as currently constructed to both solidify and perpetuate new and better applications. Doing this, suddenly not only the viewpoint changes but so to will it be easier to manifest the wanted effects.  

So what’s the first step?” great question… 

There is a myriad of stand-alone, along with interconnected variables and more, that would take up a library wing on each.  However, for simplicity, I’m going to keep this general in tone so you get the idea and can adapt to what will be one’s own myriad of circumstances for efficacy, which is by far the more important point. 

For reference, we’re going with a PL consisting of seven members. e.g., WM,SW,JW,SD,JD,SS,JS. I am not including the  Tres. nor Sec. on purpose, for in most instances these two figures, more often than not, have to be overcome separately regarding change than any other. And yes, I used “overcome”  intentionally. But that’s for later. Right now let’s just concern ourselves with the seven concerns of the PL. 

It all starts with seven… 

To effectively begin the process of change there needs to be a  minimum of seven brothers aligned and dedicated to the proposed change. It doesn’t matter if they’re currently serving officers, past officers, or simple members. But you need seven.  Why? 

Because if everything went your way (hey, it can happen), you need to be able to fill the entire line for true success. If not?  (Cue the scary music here.)

Now that I have your attention. (Hopefully)  We’ll discuss it in the next segment… 

See you there. 

Mark St.Cyr 

Freemason

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

Masonic Education - A How To Guide

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Darin A. Lahners

Editor's Note:  The below is a reworked article from the Grand Lodge of Illinois A.F.&A.M. Educational Magazine, The Lyceum.  As that article was focused on how Education is structured in Illinois, I have edited it to make it more generic. 

One of the questions that Masonic Educators get asked most often is how to perform Masonic Education. Before I get started with that, I want to make a very important distinction between Masonic Education and Masonic Instruction. Masonic Instruction is learning the ritual, floor work, and everything else that relates to the work being performed within a tyled lodge. Masonic Education is learning about the meaning behind the work being performed within a tyled lodge. This includes the meanings behind what we say and sometimes why we say it. All the meanings of the symbols, floor work, ritual, and philosophical discussions about them fall under the realm of Masonic Education. Both are equally important; however, Masonic Instruction usually varies by Masonic District. Most districts that I am familiar with have a version of what is called a Worker’s Club, which is a separate meeting where the ritual and floorwork are being taught. 

Unfortunately, Masonic Education is not given such priority. It is usually reserved for the last item of business, assuming you even have it on your Meeting Agenda. What this has meant for me, speaking from experience, is that if your business meeting is not well organized, the Masonic Educator is forced to give a presentation or lead a discussion for a bunch of tired and cranky brethren.

The first thing that one must do to prioritize Masonic Education within their lodge is to move it to be the first item of business on the Agenda after the Pledge and Opening of the meeting. This will require a discussion with the Worshipful Master and in some cases, a Lodge By-Law change, if your lodge has the meeting agenda set by By-Law. I am writing this article under the assumption that your lodge is open to Education, so neither of the above should be an issue. If your lodge is not open to Education, then I would urge you to speak with your Worshipful Master, Lodge Education Officer, District Education Officer, or Area Education Officer (Assuming your structure is similar to Illinois).  In a worst-case scenario, you should visit other lodges in your district to see if there is a lodge where education is a priority and move your membership there. I hate to say this as a Masonic Educator, but there are some lodges where Masonic Education isn’t part of the lodge culture, and no matter how much one member tries, that lodge culture isn’t going to change. In these cases, it is better for one to move lodges or plural at a lodge where Education is a priority.

Once education is prioritized at your meeting, it will be incumbent upon the sitting Master to appoint a Lodge Education Officer, who will oversee preparing and presenting Education for each meeting. If you are the one who is pushing to improve the educational efforts in your lodge, don’t be surprised if this person is you. The question you are now asking yourself is most likely: Now What????

As Lodge Education Officer, you should focus on the below two things.

1. Providing Self Study opportunities for the lodge members.

2. Providing Educational Content for the lodge members.

I will explain each step in detail below.

1. Providing Self Study opportunities for the lodge members.

A. Providing self–study opportunities for your lodge members is probably the easiest way to try to get them engaged in Masonic Education. You should recommend podcasts from the below link to the brethren in your area.

https://masonicrevival.com/pages/podcasts

You can also recommend books from these lists some of which are public domain:

https://www.nhgrandlodge.org/suggested-reading-for-masons/

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HPiyPf2MYZKZAO59a2wQw9muq6Q72d_H/view

or direct them to https://countcagliostrosmasonicelibrary.wordpress.com/ and ask them pick out something to read.

2. Providing Educational Content for the lodge members

Providing Educational Content for the lodge members is probably one of the most intimidating things that faces a Masonic Educator.  However, it should not be. Here are some ideas as to how to provide Lodge Education:

A. Know your audience. Warning: If you are interested in Esoteric Studies but your lodge is not, the surest way to burn them out and wear out your welcome as an educator is to tackle a complex Esoteric subject. You will need to gauge the interest of your lodge when it comes to topics for Masonic Education. I would suggest the first Education be a discussion with the lodge members of what topics they would like to discuss at future meetings. Here are some topics that you can offer them: The History of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, The History of Freemasonry, The Deeper Meaning behind our Symbols and Ritual, The History of our Ritual, Contemplative Masonry (Basic Applications of Mindfulness and Meditation guided by Masonic Ritual), Self-Improvement, and lastly: American Masonic History. Get their opinions and try to cover the topics that they are interested in. You should also survey them to see how they might prefer to learn. Some lodges might have members that would prefer to watch a video instead of listening to a presenter. Be sure to make sure you note their preferences and try to cater your education to their preferences. Also, try to network within your district to find brethren that share similar interests to you so that you can have an outlet for discussing Masonic topics that you might be interested in but that your fellow lodge members are not.

B. Once you know your audience, you will need to pick your topic for your education. You can use any of the resources above to help you in creating your presentation. Also don’t be afraid to use the Intender Handbooks, Short Talk Bulletins, the Lyceum, or the internet. The Midnight Freemasons Blog has a lot of articles on various subjects that you can use (http://www.midnightfreemasons.org/) for Masonic Education. If you have a lodge that prefers video learning, don’t be afraid to use YouTube. The Masonic Minute series by Illustrious Bro. Steve Harrison is a good resource to use, as well as Refracted Light. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a speaker to see if they can present either in person or virtually if you can do so (https://illinoislodgeofresearch.org/speakers-bureau). Just remember the steps below when creating the presentation for the topic you have chosen.

C. Follow the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle. Any subject you present should not be too complex or at the very least have a way to translate it to be easily understood by all the members of your lodge. The topic or Topics that you choose to present should be thought of as a building block for future education. For Example, instead of trying to discuss the hidden meaning behind all the symbols given in the Third-Degree explanatory lecture during one education session, present them one at a time over the course of your stated meetings. When creating a presentation, imagine that you are trying to explain the topic you are presenting to a child. Just because you have a firm grasp on a subject does not mean that everyone else will also.

D. Lodge Education should not be a monologue. Lodge Education when done properly engages everyone present at the lodge meeting to participate in a healthy dialogue about the topic being presented. It is your job as the Masonic Educator to guide these discussions. The best way to do this is to have either a list of questions to ask your lodge their opinions about after your presentation or develop talking points for a discussion. Don’t be afraid to try to engage members of your lodge who don’t normally participate by asking them questions directly. The goal of Masonic Education is to make sure that everyone is participating and learning not only about the subject but also about the opinions or beliefs of their brethren.

E. You should try to have the educational program as well as the discussion involved around it last no more than 20 to 30 minutes. Any longer, you’re probably going to bore your brethren and/or push the time that the meeting closes back past many Grumpy Past Masters bedtimes. Be adaptable. Maybe your lodge is in the middle of a good discussion about the meaning of the term “Foreign Countries” in our ritual, don’t stop it just because the 30 minutes is up. On the reverse side, if you’re having a hard time getting members to engage in discussion on a topic, don’t be afraid to stop the education and move on with the meeting. There’s always the next meeting. You’re not always going to hit a home run. You’ll strike out some also. It happens. Don’t let it keep you from going back to the plate.

F. Use your DEO and AEO. Don’t be afraid to bounce ideas off your District Education Officer or your Area Education Officer or ask them for help.

G. Lastly, Use your imagination. The sky is the limit. Don’t be afraid to try different things. If you want to plan a Burns Dinner, then don’t be afraid to do so. Similarly for a Festive Board, Table Lodge, Masonic Symposium. Again, try to network with brethren in other lodges as well to help plan bigger events with their lodges, many hands make light work.

I hope you find this guide useful to help you start meaningful Masonic Education at your lodge. I can’t stress point F above enough. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it. If your DEO can’t assist you, then go to your AEO. Masonic Education is easy once you know how to do it.

~DAL

WB Darin A. Lahners is our 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. He is also a Fellow of the Illinois Lodge of Research. He was presented with the Torok Award from the Illinois Lodge of Research in 2021. You can reach him by email at darin.lahners@gmail.com.

Be Like Joe

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Randy Sanders

A good friend and Brother Joe Stewart just handed over the reins for the second lodge in two consecutive years to other strong leaders, and I want to spend a few moments to call out the achievement and scale. Worshipful Brother Joe Stewart was installed as Master of Missouri’s Naphtali Lodge #25 in 2019 while installed as Senior Warden of Wentzville Lodge #46. Just after the 2020 Naphtali installation, Worshipful Brother Joe was installed as Master of Wentzville Lodge #46 and served a very successful year in each Lodge. You read that correctly: two consecutive terms leading the craft as Master in each of two different lodges. All the while he was active in DeMolay and Rainbow youth organizations at Wentzville, active in Knights of St. Andrew, Valley of St. Louis AASR, Chapter, Council, AMD, and active within his family.

He deserves some time to cool down, and I hope he takes it. However, I know Brother Joe as one of my best friends, and I know his dedication to the craft. I admire his focus and dedication to making the most of his 24-inch gauge. It will be difficult for him to sit on the sidelines, and I know it’s only a matter of time before the offers come pouring in for him to assist here, take the helm there, and be active in whatever is next on his horizon.

There are some lessons we can learn from Worshipful Brother Joe, and observing his work I can only hope to pass these lessons along. Worshipful Brother Joe understands what it means to do what you can and that much of what happens is beyond your control. Sometimes that is frustrating, but putting your best foot forward still accomplishes goals. Maybe the goal wasn’t exactly what was planned, but success follows accomplishment. That’s my paraphrasing, but WB Joe embodies the spirit of getting things accomplished. He won the very first Craftsman Of The Year award our lodge decided to give annually.

Approach life with humor. WB Joe is quick with humor, makes the most of situations, and on the very few times I’ve ever seen him down, he had already started the process of climbing out of the hole of darkness. He had already refocused on the light and how to get back to making the best of the situation. Humor is an attitude, how it applies to you will be different in every situation. My lesson from my Brother Joe is to find the way to levity, even if only a short distraction, in order to keep everything in perspective.

Live within the chaos. We all have chaos in our lives, and WB Joe’s lesson here is understanding that everything has chaos, find a means of structure, and build on it. Maybe the lodge reconstruction isn’t exactly the most organized with tools and materials scattered, but a quick break, a good look around, and tracking down where that hammer went can go a long way toward creating your own mental structure of how that project is progressing. I witnessed Bro. Joe take charge through the chaos many times.

Celebrate your successes. It seems to me to be a natural, but many people don’t stop to celebrate the successes no matter how small the success, nor how small the celebration might be. Worshipful Brother Joe can take a 5-minute breather and celebrate the progress made, and it inspires others around to get more done.

We can all take a moment, as leaders in this fraternity, to understand the above. Many of us already do much of the same in our own ways, and many of us, me included, can benefit from a bit of work toward our attitude and how we approach projects, the lodge, the brethren, and our lives. Be like Joe.

~RS

Bro. Randy and his wife Elyana live near St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Randy earned a Bachelors's 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's 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, a full contributor to Midnight Freemasons, and an international presenter on esoteric topics. Randy hosts an 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.

The Three Masonic Bodies to Which You Should Be a Member

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Bro. Adam Samuel Roth

When you join Freemasonry, your options for participation and learning are endless. There are blue lodges, lodges of research, and grand lodge activities. There are a myriad of appendant bodies, ranging from the Scottish Rite, York Rite, and Shriners, just to name a few. How do you choose which lodges and appendant bodies to join and in which to participate? Every Master Mason should be a member of three Masonic bodies. The lodge that raised him, his local lodge, and the body that speaks to his passion. Allow me to explain why.

You will always have a special bond with the brothers and lodge that raised you. Hopefully, you will have spent countless hours with a mentor or several brethren who taught you the catechism and ritual. This lodge introduced you to Freemasonry and gave you your first impressions of it. This lodge "berthed" you as a mason, which is why it is often referred to as your mother lodge. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the fifth commandment is to "(h)onor thy father and thy mother." So should you honor the lodge that raised you with your continued membership and prompt payment of dues. Though you may move far away from this lodge, you now have a duty to ensure that it is sustained. This duty continues even if your mother lodge merges with another.

Your local lodge is where you can truly be a part of your community and do the most good. The men of your local lodge, and their families, are your neighbors. You will see them at school, the supermarket, and elsewhere about town. You will get to know them well. They are the ones who will lend a helping hand when you are in need. It will also be easier for you to help your fellow brother when he is in need. Due to your proximity to the lodge, the labor you do will not place an undue burden on you or your family. You can also do the most good for your community with your local lodge. The local lodge is the lodge that sees what the community needs and acts to alleviate it.

There are many forms of Freemasonry. There are ritualistic, social, historical, charitable, and esoteric forms of Freemasonry. I am sure that one or more of these forms of Freemasonry is what you were looking for when you joined the fraternity. Perhaps you discovered a new passion during the process of becoming a Master Mason. No matter which form of Freemasonry you wish to practice, there is a lodge or appendant body that will feed your passion. If your mother or local lodge is not providing you with the form you crave, don't give up on them. Find the lodge or appendant body that satisfies your needs. This will keep you engaged and make your labors within the quarry more enjoyable.

Some are lucky enough to have a single lodge perform two or all three of those functions. But why should you stop at three? Shouldn't you join all the appendant bodies? The answer is quite simply no. If you spend all your time going to Masonic events, you leave no time to practice your Masonry out in the real world. Your spouse, your children, your family all want to see you. Isn't that the purpose of all of that we do and why we devote our time to the Craft?

I hope that all Masons, young and old, heed this advice. It keeps not only our passions within due bounds but our labors as well. It ensures that our families don't resent our participation in the Craft. It prevents us from getting burnt out. Most importantly, it keeps us engaged and happy. 

~AR

Bro. Adam Samuel Roth is the Chaplin of Anacostia-Pentalpha Lodge No. 21, in Washington, DC and a member of Acacia Lodge No. 16 in Clifton, Virginia. He is the curator of the Masonic Archive, which can be found at www.masonicarchive.org. He is also a devoted husband and father who works in the IT industry.

Working On Your Rough Ashlar

by Midnight Freemason Emeritus Contributor 

Brian L. Pettice, 33°

“Working on my rough ashlar” is a phrase used by Freemasons to mean they are trying to apply the lessons of the fraternity to improve themselves in some way, perhaps morally or spiritually or, hopefully, and most importantly, behaviorally. Freemasons using this phrase are indicating that they are trying to change something about themselves, trying to change how they behave. You have probably heard this or even used said it yourself. But what does it really mean? Do we ever really change ourselves, especially our behavior, or do we just pat ourselves on the back for the “good” men—the perfect ashlars-- we already are?

Let’s look at the ritual. The rough ashlar in the first degree is that “stone taken from the quarry in its rude and natural state” to remind us of our own rude and natural state. The rough ashlar is “made ready” or perfected to be of use to the builder in constructing his temple. How does this happen? For operative masons, the rough ashlar is perfected by subtraction. The common gavel is used to break off the rough and superfluous or unnecessary parts leaving only the beautiful and useful behind. The symbolism is clear, but do we see ourselves in it? Do we see that we are the rude and imperfect rough ashlar that needs to be perfected to fortify and support the building of our own temples? Do we see the rough and superfluous parts that we need to break off and get rid of? Do we see that we have behavior that needs to change? I think an honest look in the mirror will tell us that we don’t.

When you look in the mirror, do you see a man who is full of pride or a Mason who has humility? Do you see a man who clings to and defends his every opinion or a Mason who keeps an open mind? Do you see a man who regularly provokes others to anger or despair or a Mason who is more circumspect? Do you see a man who would fight every fight no matter how petty or a Mason who walks away? Do you see a man who sees things only from his own point of view or a Mason who seeks to understand and easily empathizes with another? Do you see a man who demonizes those with whom he disagrees or a Mason who recognizes that the Divine which lives within him lives within them as well?

So look in the mirror. Do you see the Mason you want to be or the man you don’t? Better yet, look at your Facebook, Twitter, and social media—your post and your comments—do you see there the man that you want people to think of when they think of Freemasonry? If not, get to work with your gavel. Breakoff and subtract those superfluous parts-- your passions and prejudices. Change your behavior and change your heart. Get rid of the rubbish that you need to remove so that the man that you are can become the Mason you want to be.

My Brother, now more than ever, your country needs you to do this. Your fraternity and your lodge need you to do this. Most importantly, YOU need you to do this. If you think that you don’t, what are you doing here?

~BLP

Welcome To The Brickyard: A Practical Freemasonry Primer by Matt Gallagher - A Book Review

by Midnight Freemason Emeritus Contributor

Adam Thayer

One of the few positives that has come from quarantine is having more time to read (67 books so far in 2020, not counting comic books and audiobooks), and I’ve been trying to mix in at least one Masonic book a month. This month, I was asked to read Welcome To The Brickyard for review, and I’m always excited to read new Masonic material (sorry Pike!) so I jumped right in.

I should start by explaining that this book really isn’t meant for Freemasons, it’s meant for people who are considering becoming a Freemason, which makes it really tough for me to say how useful it is for the target audience. If you’ve been around the quarries for a few years, most everything in here is going to be old knowledge to you, but it may still be worth having around to give to a potential candidate.

The book starts by discussing what Freemasonry is, if you should consider joining or not, and a basic explanation of some of the rules and requirements for candidates. It then discusses how to research a lodge, including some very helpful information on clandestine lodges, and finishes by walking through the process of petitioning, being interviewed, and how a lodge vote works. This is a very short book (roughly 1 hour long total), which is perfect for new candidates who can easily become overwhelmed.

There are many books that cover the same material as this; it’s very likely your Grand Lodge even offers one. This book does distinguish itself slightly by being funny, which is sorely lacking in a lot of Masonic literature, and depending on the candidate that may reach them better than the normal dry, stodgy pamphlets for candidates. Having said that, some of the jokes are really only understandable after you have taken the degrees, so I imagine they’ll fly over the head of the target audience.

There is some great information in here that isn’t generally covered by this type of book, such as signs to help recognize a clandestine lodge, and what happens if the vote doesn’t go positive for you, and I congratulate the author on including information such as this. It is also written in a conversational style, whereas most candidate books are designed more as lectures or textbooks, and I think that alone makes it useful. Having said that, depending on the individual reading it, that style may be very off-putting, especially when the first two pages cite Star Wars, The Lord Of The Rings, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy.

So far, this sounds rather negative, which is a shame because this really is a good book to give to a candidate, and I intend to purchase a handful of copies to give out to individuals who show a high enough interest in Freemasonry to be a petitioner. If you’re a lodge secretary, I would recommend getting a copy to check out for yourself, and see if it would be useful for your lodge to hand out as well.

Welcome To The Brickyard can be purchased at www.practicalfreemasonry.com

~AT

If I Can't Find You On Google, You Must Not Exist

How you can effectively communicate with every Brother in ONE click

by midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Michael Arce

As a digital marketer, it is painful to explain to brands the importance of an updated, relevant website. It hurts even more, when the discussion on how social media platforms provide more reach and opportunities to connect with people interested in your brand. My internal voice screams, "IT'S ALMOST 2020!" Facebook is almost old enough to drive. The Internet and cell phones have been around since the mid-1990s! Why are we acting like a website or a digital plan is something new? Most Americans living today have always have used some form of personal technology. Yet, one of the biggest challenges facing the oldest fraternity of men in the world occurs when you try to Google "Freemason lodge near me." The results often lead to a "private group" on Facebook, a website that was launched in 1999 and left to float into the deep recesses of the interwebs, or worse yet, nothing.

"Communication creates clarity," is a line I regularly use in my staff meetings. One of my big pet peeves is hearing "nobody told me" from colleagues and team members. The routine for my team meetings is to breakdown "three big things and end with a big clap." I understand in business; we are expected to deliver results yesterday while hitting moving targets. This is why I find lack of communication ironic in Masonic lodges - especially with the members. Think about the opening and closing of the Lodge... if only the Master and Warders were in step outside of meetings as much as they are IN giving direction to the Brothers during stated communications.

I reached out to WM Curt Robinson III of Denver Lodge #5 A.F. & A.M. of the Grand Lodge of Colorado. Denver #5 is an example of a Lodge that is using technology to communicate with members and guests effectively. "Masons are not on the ball when it comes to doing this," WM Robinson stated when we outlined the "Google search" problem. Instead of focusing on what Lodges are doing incorrectly, I wanted to showcase Denver #5's progress as a repeatable success opportunity for others to follow.

You can skip to the bottom of this article for a complete list of recommendations and low-budget/no-cost options to create your Lodge playbook. For now, we're going to break down the three big components to Denver's digital strategy.

Emails

When Facebook passed 1 billion members, and Twitter hit over 225 million users, many of us believed that the days of email marketing were over. The average person now has two email accounts; personally, I have five. Two are for work, one is my primary account, and the other two are for school/personal projects that need their own Gmail account and Google Drive space. Email is still the primary method that many businesses, organizations, and individuals choose to communicate. Every time you log into a streaming service or app on your phone - that account is linked to an email address. Email isn't going anywhere even if you have over 7,000 unread messages in your inbox.

Each email from Denver #5 has focus. Instead of a summons to the next event or call for a dinner reservation, Denver #5 regularly sends messages from the Master of the Lodge. "A lot of Worshipful Masters write their own trestleboard, and they should," said WM Robinson. As an email subscriber, I have received messages on the recent passing of Brothers, details on the next meeting, and 'The Master's Message.' These messages are quick emails that the WM sends out to recap previous meeting highlights, thank presenters or participants, and give the reader a preview of upcoming items of interest on the trestle board. Imagine that? An monthly email from the Master of the Lodge! "Quite a few Brothers read them and as WM, I set the craft to work and give them proper instruction. It does help to have a personal message to send every month that invites Brothers to come to Lodge, ready to participate."

In his recent December message, WM Robinson highlighted the Lodge's 160th-anniversary celebration that included a visit from the Grand Master of Colorado. He also pointed out another successful visit from Germania No. 46 F. & A. M. of New Orleans, one of a handful of Red Lodges, who performed an EA degree earlier this year. As they state on their website, Germania's original German-language ritual is a hybrid of Scottish Rite Craft Masonry and early New York State Masonry. Much of the ritual follows (often verbatim) the text exposed by William Morgan in his Illustrations of Masonry. Germania's current ritual is an amalgam of Jacques Foulhouze's 1861 Scottish Rite Craft Lodge ritual and Louisiana's York Rite work. "It was wonderful! We had close to 400 people come from the degree. We did the 1st degree so that all Brothers could witness it," WM Robinson exclaimed. He also pointed out that the inclusion of that event in his emails assisted in creating buzz and excitement for the visit.

Website

Our conversation turned to the starting point for most searches: the Lodge website. Denver #5 has a very modern layout that is compatible with desktop and mobile devices. It's up to date - containing more than just officer pictures, events calendar, and history page. They have an archive that dates back to 2016 with photos and posts of events and happenings. Not every Lodge has a Brother who can serve as Webmaster, but there are tools and resources a Master can use to connect with someone who can help produce a quality site. Denver #5 found the Brother with a talent in their Lodge, who now helps other groups in the jurisdiction. The toughest part about launching a website is the pre-planning, content development, and design layout. The easiest part is adding new information, keeping the content fresh, and the page up to date. This is where the Lodge leadership shares the responsibility of passing along the knowledge of keeping their page relevant.

It's shocking that in 2019, there is a discussion on the need for a Lodge to have a digital presence. While everyone from your dentist to your kid's school is EXPECTED to have a functioning website, Freemasonry takes a pass. This is unfortunate because so many Lodges without a website are missing the opportunity for men who are searching for Light online. A Facebook page is a great start, but if you make it closed or private - people will find you but won't be able to connect. Now you are asking the seeker to take an additional step and find an alternate way to communicate with you. That's a BIG ask! Especially when it's easier to click on a working link.

A website does more than allow you to share your message and start a conversation; it is the first impression. Let me put it this way, if you were looking for a dentist for your kid, would you really want to visit the office with a site that looks like it was launched in 1996 and left alone... or a dentist with an interactive page? The same is true with your Lodge page.

WM Robinson recognized the added value of having a web presence early during his time in the East. "I had a clandestine Mason contact me. In Colorado, he can visit for dinner, but that's it. This led to a discussion with our Grand Lodge for direction on what to do next." Imagine that! Due and timely notice, instead of a surprise dropped in your lap, or in this case, walking into your Lodge. "Our website does bring visitors for dinner. We have 5-8 visitors for every meeting night. This is one way for us to get to know people when they find us." This does bring up an important rule to follow online as in real life: follow up.

A key part of your Lodge digital plan must include an engagement point man. Here's why: no one wants to fill out a form, or share their personal information (like their name, phone number, and email) with an unknown group --- NEVER to be contacted. "That is a major problem," WM Robinson noted. I have created the "Three Touch Rule" in my digital marketing plans to cover engagement. Every prospect is immediately followed by an automated reply, "Thanks for your interest; we'll be in touch soon!" This message lets your prospect know that you are going to work. The second step is a personal email follow up. It can be a few sentences or paragraphs but should include the person's first name, an original acknowledgment of their inquiry, and a request to contact by phone or in person. Finally, a phone call to the prospect. This call can be right after the email - after all, most of us have more than one email account and may not check them frequently. The follow-up call can follow the same script as the second email, in a friendly tone, and personal touch in a quick voice mail.

Create promoters

While we have focused on the digital side of Denver's strategy, there is a real human element. Nothing can top our personal contacts. Endorsements are still the strongest form of communication. WM Robinson realized this while he was on the road to the East. "Not every Brother does this, but once I became a Master Mason, I joined some concordant branches. I'm very involved with the Scottish Rite and in the Templars. I have met so many wonderful Brothers because of this. I use those meetings to spread the news of my Lodge. I also LOVE my phone! I may send a text message to all 150 Brothers in my contacts to let them know what's going on at Denver #5. I did this for my table lodge with great success. I had 70 men respond to my personal message," said WM Robinson. Does building these connections take time? "Absolutely! But if you are organized and good at the "copy and paste" method, it can be done!"

Digital resources

Ready to start building your digital presence? Here are a few resources that can get you started.

Mailchimp. Hands down, Mailchimp is the only email marketing platform I recommend - personally and professionally. Why? It's easy to use; you can create sharp-looking emails without having to know HTML coding. It works, and depending on how many subscribers you have - it's free.

WordPress. Like Mailchimp, it's the only website builder that I tell my friends to use. While you will need to purchase your site domain name (website address) and hosting service, WordPress sites are easy to use. The days of having to type lines of HTML code are gone! You can drag and drop your way to building a new site. Within hours, your site is live and ready for people to find!

Google Drive. About ten years ago, Google opened up its storage space and software to everyone for free. You can create a Lodge Gmail account, use Google Drive to create or store documents, spreadsheets, presentations, photos, and video --- for free. They give you 15GB, use it! I like using Google Forms to create sign up sheets that can be sent directly to my email account, to start the "Three Touches" quickly.

Me. Yes, you can reach out to me to set up a time to talk about your Lodge needs or to have a deeper conversation on the points in this article. I'm always happy to help a Brother out!

~MA

Brother Michael Arce is a member of Mt. Zion #311, Troy, New York. When not in Lodge, Bro. Arce is the Marketing Manager for Capital Cardiology Associates in Albany, New York. He enjoys meeting new Brothers and hearing how the Craft has enriched their lives. He can be reached at michael.arce@me.com

A Template for True Freemasonry

by Midnight Freemason Emeritus Contributor

Scott S. Dueball

In my response to one of the latest in a string of blog posts decrying "Freemasonry is dying" in attempt to garner internet traffic, I said that I am becoming exhausted by the endless complaints regarding our decrease in membership alongside a void of actual work and solutions. Quite frankly, these posts have no vision. “Who are we shouting at to fix the problems?” I asked. We should all know that this isn’t likely to grab the attention of Grand Lodge Officers who, in their defense, do not have the means to truly address the supposed problem. This problem (if you want to call it that) will be best addressed by individual Masons and individual Lodges who care enough about survival that they are willing to make programming changes to address the changing needs of the market. In saying that, it occurs to me that some lodges have figured out the template for future success while a majority of well-meaning lodges are spinning their wheels trying to figure out what to do. You have to do more than say you want change and expect someone else to enact it.

While I was in college, the Interfraternity Council (IFC) hosted a speaker for all of Greek Life. This speaker, in an admittedly hokey manner, brought a textbook, a sweater, and a water bottle. He said the textbook represented out ritual. The sweater (with greek letters) represented our membership (or Brotherhood) in our respective Fraternities. The water bottle represented the social element of our organizations. These three components make up the the Fraternity experience. However, the individual chapters only function when stacked in the proper order. He demonstrated that when you use the bottle as the base, the sweater and the textbook will not balance. He then showed that if you use the textbook as the foundation upon which the sweater and the bottle can rest, your organization will maintain equilibrium.

Similarly, in Masonry, the ritual (textbook) must serve as the foundation for everything else we do. It is what makes the Craft. The brotherhood (sweater) can flourish with the ritual as a unifying foundation and only then can social activity (again, the bottle) be introduced. Freemasonry has these mixed in various orders. We lead our pitch thinking that we must show potential-Masons that we have fun and we donate to charity. We might talk about how George Washington was a Mason. To establish these things, we work hard to make social activity and Brotherhood a reality in our lodges. Eventually, we have brought new brothers in on the pretense of these activities alone without properly addressing that Masonry is a body of philosophical instruction. BROTHERS, this is summary of mid- to late- twentieth century Freemasonry establishing how we arrived here today.

What I find, is some of the most well-meaning brothers recognize the need to bring back education while still deprioritizing it below membership by shortcutting the paths to true enlightenment through the use of a number of non-ritual-centric practices. I hear those apologists say, “after all, who will we teach if we don’t have any members left?” We would be better served by initiating only those who seek the true path of Masonic enlightenment; those ones who will still fill our temples when the dust settles. Anything grander than this is in conflict with what the Entered Apprentice degree teaches us about our ego (buildings, membership, Grand Lodge viability).

In the decade and a half since I heard the above lecture, I have been shown it's truth time and again. I firmly believe that those lodges who have prioritized along the stated pattern (ritual>brotherhood>social) are the ones who will remain when the dust settles. In marketing terms, the unique value proposition that we offer is an intiatic experience coupled with a moral doctrine. We have the market on this product if we position ourselves as such. My close friends and Brothers know I like great dinners but that isn’t the unique product the Craft provides. You don’t need to be a Freemason to find a good meal. We aren’t unique in our charitable giving nor in our programs for youth. We have to lead with the unique value that only we can provide.

The successful template for True Freemasonry is in the ritual. The ritual provides for spiritual growth. The ritual provides for love among brothers. The ritual provides for convivial meals. But it is essential that we discuss, treat, and run our Craft in that order. If you are an LEO, teach the ritual. If you are a DEO, teach the ritual. If you are a brother who loves the Craft, teach the ritual. It is on each of you.

~SSD

Adapting a Corporate Path for Freemasonry - The Cheese

By Midnight Freemason Contributor

Robert H. Johnson

I’ve taken some serious time off lately. There, I said it. For almost ten (long) years, I made the Fraternity a priority. I had planned on retiring from many of my Masonic duties this coming October, at this years Grand Lodge Sessions in Springfield Illinois. Some things occured recently and have made that retirement sooner. As I've had much time recently to sit around and do (almost) nothing in regards to meetings and the like, I’ve really enjoyed spending quality time with my four kids.

I think my kids enjoy the time we spend together a lot as well, that is, when I’m not hounding them about closing the door, touching the thermostat, putting their shoes on the mat, picking up wrappers, and putting the milk away. We’ve really done some fun stuff. In my down time however, when I’m not hanging out with them or my wife, I notice my thoughts returning to the Craft.

Reading the various opinions, statements and diatribes from around the web on Freemasonry and its goings-on, whether here in Illinois or around the world for that matter, it’s really the same stuff I’d pontificated in my writings since I began. Read some old Manly P. Hall, read some old Mackey, Pike, Pottenger, Waite, it really doesn’t matter, you’ll find the guys 100 years ago are complaining about the same thing we are today. Attendance, Education etc etc. Regarding the blogs of today, sure there are some new takes on old problems, and those new takes get some guys really excited. Whilst I and others may not be thrilled, let’s face it, we’ve seen this kind of thing before. We should remember however, that the momentary bursts of wind, however stale we may think the air is, can still move a ship.

Concepts from the corporate world--seemingly weird common sense systems invented to sell books to CEOs worldwide are still prevalent in business today. Concepte that are seriously basic, and yet we treat these books or ideas like they’re the new gold standard for protocol. These ideas are making their way into Freemasonry. We’re trying to adapt the teachings and utilize them to motivate, accelerate and put into practice ideas and concepts which, may have a kind of impact on the fraternity that we’re looking for.

Some have claimed that these kinds of concepts are corporatizing Freemasonry. That we’re a Fraternity, not a business. I agree. But that really shouldn’t stop us from looking at how we can adapt successful systems, and see how it can be used to make Freemasonry better. I’ve joked with the always data-driven Jon Ruark about writing such a book, and it's on the way. But in this piece, I thought I might put to the reader a “Corporate Concept”, what it means generally, the critique of the concept and finally, how each part of it might be used within Freemasonry.

The first one comes to mind because I joke about it frequently, usually to my peers (who are much younger than me) and the response I get--a blank stare. They're just too young to remember, “Who Moved My Cheese?” Perhaps when they go through a corporate restructuring or acquisition, they might get a chance to read it. The book itself spent five years on the NY Times best seller list. “Who Moved My Cheese” is an allegory, something Masons should already be familiar with, that conveys a set of mantras if you will.

These mantras or sayings, are really aimed at the business, and whilst we’re not a business, it might be well to pay attention to them. What you need to know to understand them: Two “mice” are in a maze and they learn where the cheese is. They return everyday to eat it. Humans come and move the cheese and the “mice” get mad. One mouse becomes pessimistic, the other is scared. The “mice” are named “Hem” and “Haw”, you know a couple Maso…, I mean “Mice” by that name I’m sure. One of the “mice” decided to not live in fear any longer and to strike out to find the new cheese anyway. As this mouse is looking for the new cheese, he scrolls mantras on the walls as he realizes them, hoping if his friend ever decides to follow, he will read them and be changed. Here are those Mantras:

Change Happens
They Keep Moving The Cheese

Anticipate Change
Get Ready For The Cheese To Move

Monitor Change
Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old

Adapt To Change Quickly
The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese

Change

Move With The Cheese

Enjoy Change!

Savor The Adventure And Enjoy The Taste Of New Cheese!

Be Ready To Change Quickly And Enjoy It Again

They Keep Moving The Cheese.

I’m sure you have ideas of how this could be applied to Masonry already. But before you jump the gun and write a lengthy response, your own article, or click “unfollow”, here are some main contentions with this analogy.

Firstly, that the “Cheese” doesn't matter. Rather, at a point in the allegory, one of the “mice” comes to believe that the cheese is really just a superficial way to get to happiness. It isn’t the grand aim or goal, it’s just a road to the goal. There may be others. Masonically, I think this could be related to a great many things; titles, appointments, degrees, being published, the list is as long as the day.

Secondly, that we’re comparing mice to men. We’re literally comparing the mice in the maze to the men in cubicles whilst the humans who move the cheese are our overlord bosses and corporate entities who are ruled by the evil board of directors in search of profits. Masonically, this could be how some see the Grand Lodge and it’s officers or perhaps how brothers of a local lodge see it’s executive officers.

Thirdly, that philosophically speaking, there just isn’t any cheese. It’s an existential crisis that leads one to the thought that no matter what, there are an infinite amount of roads and paths that lead to the issue. Masonically, maybe nothing matters but that you’re being fulfilled? I can let you think about this one. It is, existential after all.

So let’s address those Mantras one by one.

Change Happens
They Keep Moving The Cheese

In this mantra we should understand that the world continues to change and because of this, the people, the minds, the populace, will influence the changing of policies, the normalities of society and the rules to which we’re all held. Ultimately, we need to know this. Never for one second think that our Fraternity, just because we’re based on tradition and ancient rules and edicts, won't change. It will. You will see it. Be prepared mentally. 

Anticipate Change
Get Ready For The Cheese To Move

Here, we need to take what we just talked about and live by it. Understanding that the world, and all things therein contained will change. We must anticipate these changes. It allows us to stay on top of things. We can be proactive, instead of reactive. Strike first. This is important because it breeds an air of credibility in terms of relevance. If we’re viewed as antiquated, the organization will die. The teachings may live on in books, but you’ll not be reading your minutes or eating those green beans anymore in a tax exempt building. 

Monitor Change
Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old

In this passage we should be charged to do our research. We should look around the bend, send a scout on ahead and send a report back. By doing this, we are prepared for the challenges that we’ll be facing shortly. There’s just no getting out of this one. We’ve spent so much time looking in and being concerned with our own Fraternity, the world that we once set an example to, has passed us by. You spend so much time being busy looking at how to stay the same rather than how to adapt, and surprise, it’s already too late to save ourselves, according to the mathematics. As Isaac Asimov once wrote in his quintessential sci-fi series, “Foundation”, the fall of the great Empire which has stood for 12,000 years will happen. And when it does, we will have 30,000 years of barbarism to look forward to. This is almost unavoidable. If we act now, we can cut the 30,000 years down to just 10,000. Work now to save not our children, but our ancestors in the distant future. 

Adapt To Change Quickly

The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese

In this piece, we can say to ourselves, ‘Let go”. What that means to you, I don’t know. Maybe it’s a lodge, maybe it’s a scholarship program, maybe it's a proficiency requirement, I don’t really care. The point here is that if you can look to the future, see the dawn on the horizon and get excited about it, you can turn your back on the night that much easier. Let go of things that no longer have a place in today's world. You’re holding onto something, an idea that has no place in this current world in some respects. Do you sweep a carpet? Maybe sometimes. More often than not you’re using a vacuum. Who amongst you is demanding to use incandescent bulbs? Ditch the things we can ditch and latch on to new traditions. Get passionate about these new things. 

Change

Move With The Cheese

Here, the takeaway should be evident. If you’ve read these in order, they build on each other in fundamental ways. Look ahead, see where the trend is going and go there too. Cut them off at the pass. Be the change. I know you’ve all heard that. It is imperative that if we are moving with the trends, it puts us in a better position economically to impress or to influence the changes in the future, those that are to come. If you refuse to be a part of the future, you’ve signed your death warrant. 

Enjoy Change!

Savor The Adventure And Enjoy The Taste Of New Cheese!

In the “Adapt to Change” paragraph, I ended with, “Get passionate about these new things.” I mean it. If you get serious and get excited about the new things that are happening, then you’re honoring the idea of a progressive moral science. We should always be excited about our new brothers and what they’re interested in. Right now, the big wave is Education. I’m on that wave, in fact, I’ve been on it since almost the beginning of my joining. I wasn’t on it in the very beginning because I assumed we had Education covered. Unfortunately that was just all ritual instruction. Not my thing really. So you know what? I got passionate about Education. My best friend is the embodiment of education. My mentors are all educators in a masonic sense. They are passionate about changes, they’re passionate about tasting that new craft beer, that new steak rub, or trying that new social network that didn’t sell their personal data. But all jokes aside, be excited!

Be Ready To Change Quickly And Enjoy It Again

They Keep Moving The Cheese.

Simply put, know that change is always happening. Just when you bring home that top-of-the-line computer, they’ve already agreed on the marketing for the new model, and the production line is already fired up. It’s important to be educated on the trends of society, not that we need to bend to the will of society, but so that we may maintain relevance and spread the light of Freemasonry to anyone looking to understand it’s important concepts and morals. And lastly, be excited about trying those new things all the time. If you get excited about the changes and find the value rather than continuing in a downward spiral of doubt and despair about things, you’ll find that by freeing yourself of fear, we’re allowing ourselves to operate at our fullest potential, a concept that every Master Mason should be well acquainted with. 

*Editors Note* This article is an excerpt from an upcoming book on using and adapting corporate stratagems for Freemasonry. It will be released in 2018.

~RHJ

RWB, Robert Johnson is the Managing Editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Freemason out of the 1st N.E. District of Illinois. He currently serves as the Secretary of Waukegan Lodge No. 78 where he is a Past Master. He is also a Past District Deputy for the 1st N.E. District of Illinois. Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts weekly Podcasts (internet radio programs) Whence Came You? & Masonic Radio Theatre which focus on topics relating to Freemasonry. He is also a co-host of The Masonic Roundtable, a Masonic talk show. He is a husband and father of four, works full time in the executive medical industry and is also an avid home brewer. He is currently working on several books, Masonic essays, strategy and one on Occult Anatomy to be released soon.

"Oh Brother where art thou?"

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Darin Lahners

The first article I wrote for the Midnight Freemasons was about my trepidation on becoming Worshipful Master of my Lodge. I wrote out my mission statement and emphasized how I wanted to make the lodge a place where brothers and their families wanted to spend time. I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to arrange some events for the brethren to get together socially. My last two attempts have had attendance from myself and one other member (and Midnight Freemason). Our November stated meeting barely had enough members for a quorum to open lodge. Granted, I knew that we had a few members that had other obligations due to their familial obligations, but I still wonder, is there something I’m doing wrong?

The writing has been on the wall for some time. We have seen declining interest in events such as Worker’s Club. My Junior Warden has received a wonderful opportunity to continue his education, the downside being that his class meets on Thursdays, which means he’s been missing some of our stated meetings. My Senior Warden has a job which requires a lot of travel, so I’m lucky that he can make the stated meetings, but he doesn’t have much time to make other events. On top of this, we just won 2nd place for Lodges under 80 members in the State of Illinois for our Grand Masters Award of Excellence. All this adds pressure to try to make sure we do equally as well next year. But still it makes me wonder, why aren’t many of my other brethren as concerned about keeping the high level of excellence we’ve set?

Worshipful Bro. Scott Dueball just wrote a really interesting article regarding this: Read it HERE.

He challenged the incoming leadership of his lodge as outgoing Master regarding creating a membership-centric plan for their lodge. His main points were eloquently summarized as:

1. Identify where the lodge has gaps in what needs to get done.
2. Identify brothers with those talents.
3. Identify ways to attract the interests of those brothers.

In my home lodge, we are particularly lucky to have 3 members that work in the kitchen of a local restaurant. Our food when we have degrees is spectacular. I’m not taking advantage of this as Master. We should have food before our meetings at the lodge, instead of me meeting a few brothers for dinner prior. Masons like to eat right? But this only really applies to brethren that want to be active in the lodge.

The question remains for me: “How do I attract inactive members to come to lodge?” I came up with a short survey. As I just sent it out. I have no idea how it will be received. I have no idea if anyone will reply to me. I’ll share the results in a future article. However, the survey is below:

1. If you are not currently regularly attending the stated meetings, what is keeping you from coming?

• Personal reasons. (Work, Family, Etc.)
• Lodge is boring.
• I've forgotten the passwords and I don't want to embarrass myself/I feel awkward attending by myself.
• I have better things to do with my time.

2. What would make our lodge more attractive to you?

• More family events like dinners, picnics, etc.
• More Educational programs.
• More fellowship activities (going bowling or other group activities, dining together, socializing as brethren).
• Focusing on doing community service/charitable works in our community.

3. What would attract you to come to a stated meeting?

• A nice dinner prior to the meeting in our dining room at the lodge.
• Guest Speakers (Notable Masonic scholars and the like).
• A short meeting followed by fellowship off of lodge property at an establishment that serves Adult Beverages.
• Nothing, I'm fine just paying dues.

My struggles led me to think about how we select members. There seem to be two fundamental philosophies regarding prospective members at play within Freemasonry. The first philosophy is based upon a fear that we are dying as an organization, and we need membership. If a man meets the basic criteria for joining the lodge and petitions for membership, assuming he meets this criteria, he should be allowed to join. We need bodies to pay dues and to pay per capita, and as long as they are doing this, it’s fine if they don’t engage in the lodge.

At least once a year I hear one brother in lodge talk about how electing a candidate to receive the degrees of Freemasonry should be a mere formality. The same brother thinks that we should never throw a black ball (black cube in Illinois), because by the time a candidate has his petition balloted on, that he has been thoroughly vetted by at least six other brothers. The 3 brothers that have signed the petition as well as the 3 or more members that have served on the investigation committee all have essentially vouched for the petitioner. So the petitioner’s election at this point should be a given and anyone who has an issue with the candidate should have addressed it to the lodge prior to the vote.

However, I think we all might have a regret of not throwing a cube at some point during your Masonic journey. I personally have two candidates that I thought long and hard about black balling. I didn’t do it. I didn’t do it because their top line signer was and still is a personal friend and a masonic mentor. But I often wonder, should I have? The two candidates in question now are absent from lodge and we are chronically chasing after them to pay their dues. I regret, not doing it in retrospect. But what does that make me? I feel complicit in the situation.

The other fundamental philosophy is that we need to make Masonry somewhat elitist. This idea is based upon a thought that we should only admit men that have a desire to improve themselves and dedicate themselves to the craft. It also argues that we are not maintaining our historical identity by letting every man of good character join. It believes that we are essentially causing the status quo to be lowered because we should only allow men that are going to act towards being morally and intellectually superior. If we institute some form of entrance prerequisite, we will separate the wheat from the chaff. We must Guard the West Gate against men who do not share these ideals.

This idea has come up again in discussion recently due to this recent post by Illus. Brother Chris Hodapp. If you’ve not read it, I suggest you do so (click)-> HERE:

While I caution against elitism, I don’t think that it’s necessarily a bad thing to re-examine ourselves as a Fraternity. Sometimes a good hard look in the mirror reveals flaws that we’ve been ignoring for far too long. Yes, we need to attract a certain type of member, but I wonder if the West Gate had been strongly guarded when I joined, would I have made the cut? Would you have? But then again, had it been guarded more strongly after I was a member, would I have the same issues with lodge participation that I have today?

I guess these are questions that can’t be answered because the past is set in stone. We can only decide for ourselves at our local lodge level, what we want to be going forward into the future. Each individual lodge is different. Each member is different. I can only state for myself that I have become a better person due to the lessons of my degrees. I can only say that I feel blessed for the friends and mentors that I have made along the way. I can only state that Freemasonry has unlocked a desire to write and to create that lie asleep in me. I would hate to take that opportunity away from another man who is just as qualified as I was for Freemasonry. However, I also believe that I need to be protective of the craft. So I will end with this, we are given the power of the ballot as a Master Mason for a reason. Don’t be afraid to use it to protect Masonry if you feel a man is unworthy or will prove himself to be so. Just be sure to use it responsibly.

-DAL

WB Darin A. Lahners is the Worshipful Master of St. Joseph Lodge No.970 in St. Joseph and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL). He’s a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, a charter member of the new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter U.D. and is the current Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign – Urbana (IL). He is also a member of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. When he’s not busy enjoying Masonic fellowship, Darin spends his time as a DM for his children’s D&D campaign, reading, golfing, watching movies and listening to music. You can reach him by email at darin.lahners@gmail.com.