MasonicMinute.com
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Posted at: 6:52 pm Sorry guys…to make a post now, you must sign-in. We have finally added this restriction because so many of you are complaining about spamalingo. Spamalicious postings will probably go away (at least we hope) and you will no longer have to filter through viagra, xanax, lesbians, poker, insurance and other snake-oil sellers. Thanks for your patience and brotherly love as we continue to learn more about technology and Masonry. Perhaps one day we will be able to just read each others’ minds and bypass the internet completely (although, those of us who are 32 degree masons already can do that…in fact, my fingers are not even touching the keyboard right now…my mind is controlling a little ferret named Randy as he dances across my desk writing even these very words…) Lots of luck…sorry for the inconvenience. New (and relevant) postings coming soon. |
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February 29, 2008
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Posted at: 10:12 am Any regular visitor to our site knows we have been fighting with some serious spamalot since we started. It sucks. We use WordPress software, and that may have something to do with it…but do any of you have any suggestions? (this is serious…and by the way…I don’t want to read any smartass comments like: “have you tried viagra?” or “asian sex kittens might cure what ails you” or even “state farm insurance might fix that problem”… but thanks anyway.) (unless, of course, you come-up with a really good spamalot zinger…then you can post it. Otherwise….) TIA for any useful input -AEdifico |
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Posted at: 10:00 am There’s this funny little phenomena which continues to re-surface once every few years in Masonry. You probably recognize it in your jurisdiction. Corporate Masonry. It is a solution to a non-existent problem promoted by men who don’t understand that we are not in the business of business. Things like ‘effective communication strategies’ and ’synergistic leadership’ are all great if you have a room full of corporate slaves focused on their particular brand of widget. We are not widgets. Business models do not translate well to Freemasonry. We are about personal relationships which do not benefit the bottom line of some company. We are about developing true lifelong learning and teaching relationships where philosophy and esoterica breed interest and curiosity. No profit motives, thank you very much. Good intentions. I will give that. Businessmen who are successful have a great deal to offer to our Craft, in certain ways. But when somebody starts telling me about how to keep your cheese from being moved or which step to success they are working on today, I cringe. Freemasonry is a throwback to the days when there were no corporate boards (as we know them), there were no quantifiable statistical models to anylize and spreadsheets were for sleeping in. Please, my brothers…let Masonry be the slow, old-fashioned, mouth-to-ear and deep-thinking Craft it should be. Enough with the super-meta-organization techniques. Enough with the sales pitches (which we cleverly market as friend-to-friend nights). We don’t need all that garbage. What we need is better ritual, better education, better mentors and clear-thinking leadership. The tricks and sleight-of-hand is what got us to where we are… Hard work will get us to where we ought to be. |
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Posted at: 1:04 pm I can’t take credit for this…but I recommend this as a short presentation for discussion at your next Lodge meeting. Poigniant is an understatement. |
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Posted at: 10:07 am Of all the values and traits addressed in our Ritual, the most neglected…and one of the most important is Courage. The strength to make change, the strength to say no…the strength to stand-up and be a man…these are the things that make leaders. The underlying characteristic required here is Courage. I do not wish to imply that rashness or irrationality are what is necessary. Sometimes it takes a lot of guts to keep your mouth shut. But in the world we know as Freemasonry, there are numerous situations where friendships must be challenged. It takes Courage to do this. It takes Courage to tell a good friend that he is not ready to perform this or that task. It takes Courage to hold a position contrary to those of your father-in-law…or brother…in Lodge. It takes Courage to stand for what is right when others clamor for what is easy. It is through Courage that positive progression is achievable. It is with internal fortitude, dedication and follow-through that the small tasks build upon each other, and eventually the large projects are complete. Without these, there are no achievements…there is no learning…we have no Masonry. It is a theme that has been addressed time and time again on this site, and will be recurring as time marches on. But there is a certain kind of comfort knowing that Courage is not something that we all have in isolation. In fact, most Courage is coupled with support from one or two true friends, willing to stand at your side through thick and thin. The truest test, however, is having the Courage to tell even these close friends when they are falling short. That is something we ALL need to work on. |
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Posted at: 12:55 pm Yes, I know. We are not supposed to talk about politics. This is not about politics. This is about our Representative Democracy, and what it takes to keep that machine moving. So, in the spirit of this 2008 election year, and without giving two hoots about the winners/losers, we would like to ask a simple question about how you use your facility to promote good citizenship… n n
Is your Lodge a Polling Station for elections?
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Posted at: 1:52 am Sometimes I wonder if my 13+ years as a Mason is enough. Being Master of a Lodge is a huge responsibility…if you are doing it right. But how do you know you are doing it right? More importantly, how do you know if you are ready? These are questions that many twenty and thirty-something pillar officers are asking themselves. Brothers, you can do the impossible. You can say ‘no’. If you are less than three years in Freemasonry, you should probably not be a Warden. Not that you can’t handle it…and not that you are not ‘ready’…but generally speaking, you can do your Lodge more good by saying ‘no’. I speak to the man who is raised one night and a week later is a Deacon. I speak to the man who is a three year Mason and sits in the Oriental Chair. I speak to my generation (in age, not Masonic experience) when I tell you that you can, and probably should, say ‘no’. If your Lodge is truly in an emergency, perhaps you should take the office. But if not, what’s the harm in waiting…soak it in a while…learn the language…just be a Mason. Empower yourself from the beginning, and gain some respect from the Lodge, by refusing an office. You need time to learn lessons, ritual, language and culture. Freemasonry is a completely separate society from the rest of the world. In all honesty…you are probably not ready. Are the Lodge members pushing you to take an office because they don’t want it? Is this the best thing for the Lodge? Would it be better if you said no for now, and made them do some real work instead of leaning on the new guy for leadership? These are some heavy considerations. Sometimes honesty with one’s self is the most difficult type. But don’t let peer pressure or guilt drive you to make a bad decision. Again, sometimes it is the best thing for you and the Lodge if you just jump right-in. But by maintaining control and self-discipline…not advancing until you truly believe you are ready…you are making a powerful statement about who is in control. That’s the type of real leadership we lack. Take control of yourself…just like the compasses require. And when your time comes…when the time is right…then you can step-up to the plate with confidence knowing that you are ready to lead and achieve. Maturity comes in all shapes and sizes my friends. Do you have what it takes to tell them ‘no’? |
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Posted at: 1:07 pm …last night, and I saw something that confirmed for me the path Freemasonry is on…for the long term. Stated Meeting night and I walked in after taking care of some business right before calling the meeting to order. What I saw was a picture worth a thousand words [thankfully, I think I can describe it in less than 500 words]. Standing West of the Altar wer 6 men. All but one was wearing a tuxedo (the odd-man out was wearing a black suit with a very nice tie). Four of them were wearing white gloves. They were all wearing aprons. The average age of that group was about 37. Sitting along the sideline west of the JW chair were a similar size group of men…one was in a suit. The rest of them were dressed in jeans, some in nice pants. The one in the suit also wore a tie. Their average age was well-over 60. As I walked into the room and saw these men, I realized that a new day is dawning. There are no greivances between the groups…on the contrary…we all get along pretty well. The younger men often turn to the older men for advice, and the older men are not shy about taking one of the younger guys aside and sharing a lesson now-and-then. But the stark contrast in what they wore, where they stood (or sat) and how they interacted was severe. It plainly taught me that, as Master, I am in the middle of a perfect storm. I have the heavy responsibility, at this critical time, of balancing the youthful energy and exhuberance of our newer and younger brothers with the mellowed experience of the older members. We are all still brothers, and we all love our Lodge and our Craft. Divisions are not very aparent at this point, and many of our older members are quite excited to see the influx of energy that is waiving over our Lodge. It is a delicate balance. Our thought for this MasonicMinute, then, is the awful reality that there is a 20 year gap in the average age of our craft. The tuxedos and regular clothes do not make the men…but they illustrate a glaring situation which must be carefully guided for the benefit of the Craft. The picture was stark. It was hopeful. It could be interpreted through a negative and divisive lens. This should never be the case. Unity does not require uniformity. Strength through diversity, be it age, race, religion or social status, should be a goal clearly communicated and openly welcome. Together, we can harness the energy and wisely guide it to a bright future. Or we can simply call it division, and take the easy path to conflict and negativity. Where ARE we going? |
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Posted at: 11:30 pm What exactly is the role of the Past Master? Mentor to members, counselor to current leaders and institutional memory. These qualities are what we expect from those who have “been there, done that.” But often we get interference, pettiness, jealousy and greed. There are men out there who have a hard time letting go of the mantle of leadership…sometimes manipulating the body politic from behind the curtian. There are, however, many Past Masters who quietly give counsel when asked…and support the current leadership among the current Craft. They know that new members (which include young men who are more than willing to learn from their own mistakes) will make decisions which may backfire. Instead of stopping the learning process, they wait and watch, and after the dust settles, they counsel with care. Not all Past Masters are mature enough to let go of the control they once had, but by the same token, not all Past Masters make an effort to manipulate their Lodge years after they have vacated the oriental chair. I have commented to my Senior Warden the following: “When I leave the East, I will not attend your first three stated meetings. You will only see me after you have established yourself as the leader of the Lodge.” It is a small token of respect, and a nod to his time in office. I have granted him a warning and a blessing. The blessing is obvious…there will be no me for folks to cry to when they don’t get their way under the new Master. The warning is also pretty clear…it’s going to be your show pal…plan well. This kind of love, harsh as it may seem, is far more respectful than the situation where a Past Master puts ’one of his guys’ in the line of officers, and tells him what to do through that man’s tenure in the East. There is no respect for the one being led by the nose. Mostly, these situations are very bad for Lodges, and can be the result of, or a warning of, some division or real factionalization in the Lodge. Strong leadership that remembers its place is essential. Letting the next man do his thing is a sign of respect and love. Putting yourself in the mix, without being asked, well…that’s just crappy. In defense of some of the Past Master interlopers, one can say ‘well, somebody has to tell that moron what to do!’ Balderdash. In that situation, the manipulator usually put his guy there so he could be controlled. The worst part is that by the end of the manipulee’s tenure, he has been ruined…by those who put him in office. Petty politics and influence peddling is not unusual in Masonic Lodges. We can, however, rid ourselves of this time-honored practice by being honest and open with each other. Tell the moron that he is being manipulated. Tell the Past Master that he is doing ill. Call on the other Past Masters, who are patiently waiting out the current storm, and ask them to have a word with the problem people. If we don’t take affirmative steps to solve problems when we see problems, we are just complicitors in the bad acts…and are equally culpable. Look to the good examples of Past Masters…find them, call them, visit them. They are the greatest and most underutilized resource that Lodges have. Many, if not most of them, will get involved again if you ask them. These are men who gave many many years of effort to the Craft to attain that title. Bring the Past Master back into Lodge, and watch the relationships between old and new enrich your Lodge. Sometimes it only takes a phone call. |
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Posted at: 10:43 pm Ok. So I tried and tried, but I could not find any connection between this link and Freemasonry. Except for the fact that Animal would make a great Jubelum, and the old guys in the balcony are regular sideliners at my Lodge. Enjoy a little early green beer while you watch this one. |
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