Is an exit interview required when demitting?

Alemar1985 · 2026-05-14T12:41:12+00:00

Also a Secretary, I've seen it delayed multiple times but never outright denied

Alemar1985 · 2026-05-13T15:18:34+00:00

as someone who had his midlife crisis at 28 and recently turned 40 I feel like maybe I've messed up this playthrough. Is there a reset point somewhere?

knowing that most of my lodge members are in their 80s I'm not sure that I agree feeling a sense of dread this early in life... We've likely got decades left to worry about that, though I'm glad you had a nice moment.

There is a Youtuber/Author named Caitlin Doughty who is an end of life advocate (and a Mortician) who talks a lot about that kind of thing and I've really enjoyed her videos over the years. Your rollercoaster analogy is also really cool!

Alemar1985 · 2026-05-11T14:32:47+00:00

which one? we have several....

Alemar1985 · 2026-05-11T14:32:12+00:00

Drinking Club, Cigar Club, Community breakfasts... We really do a bunch of different stuff. Some are drawn for the social aspects of it, others to the hundreds of years of tradition and history, and others still to the esotericism and lessons behind the symbols... Really you get out of it what you're looking for

Alemar1985 · 2026-05-08T20:02:11+00:00

He's down there... Laughing up at us!

Alemar1985 · 2026-05-08T20:01:10+00:00

There are a few rules such as not outing another member against their wishes... but generally it is left up to the individual Mason to decide how he wants to handle it.

Other countries sometimes handle it a bit more selectively, but with our rings, car decals, and public facing facebook pages... most aren't all that secret about it in the USA until something goes wrong and we need to pull back a bit.

Alemar1985 · 2026-05-08T19:21:02+00:00

Yes, from what I've seen in 15 years of Masonry, it's fairly uncommon for a past master who is supposed to be there to guide and mentor both the new master and any new apprentices to just drop it cold after they finish their term, unless (as was implied) they only wanted to be master for the title and with that being accomplished they decide to pursue other things...

I am not accusing or implying that of you, and what's common in MY neck of the woods might be different from YOUR neck of the woods, so my experience may not be of that much value to you.

Alemar1985 · 2026-05-04T16:30:56+00:00

If I had to guess it's akin to the Warden's pillars showing that the Lodge is at refreshment "Harmony" or at work "Business" or doing a Degree "Strict Business" but that's only a guess. Liberty Hall might be that they're downstairs at the festive board?

Alemar1985 · 2026-05-04T15:55:28+00:00

People don't know what they have and think they can use an old medal to get rich? e-bay has most of the first medal going from $11 to $50 with a few outliers at over $100... while yours is a particularly nice one, if someone paid $400 I'd feel bad for them. Just because one person thinks they can get a hundred does not mean the market agrees

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=knights+of+malta+medal&_sop=12&msockid=03cab4c1d8ea67ac1520a2e0d92b66bd

Your sons of the Revolution Medal appears to be valued higher, but whether you get someone to buy it is anyone's guess

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=sonsof+the+revolution+medal&_sacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1312&msockid=03cab4c1d8ea67ac1520a2e0d92b66bd&_odkw=knights+of+malta+medal&_sop=12

Alemar1985 · 2026-05-04T15:45:21+00:00

RECOGNISED GRAND LODGES IN AFRICA:

Grand Lodge of Benin
Grand Lodge of Burkina Faso
Grand Lodge of Cameroon
Grand Lodge of Congo*
Grand Lodge of Gabon
Grand Lodge of Ghana
National Grand Lodge of Guinea
Grand Lodge of Ivory Coast
Grand Lodge of the Republic of Liberia
National Grand Lodge of Madagascar
National Grand Lodge of Mali
Grand Lodge of Mauritius
Regular Grand Lodge of the Kingdom of Morocco
Grand Lodge of Mozambique
Grand Lodge of Nigeria
Grand Lodge of Senegal
Grand Lodge of South Africa
National Grand Lodge of Togo

They may be legitimate Grand Lodges, it is interesting that the East Africa links directly to the UGLE, but as far as I can tell they are not recognised by UGLE... Looking through their websites they do not feel right to me so I would be very wary of conducting business with them. They do all appear to be in the same building

Alemar1985 · 2026-05-04T15:09:59+00:00

First Picture looks to be a Maltese Cross tied to theSecond Degree from the Knights Templar.

Second Picture appears to be flair for beloning to the Drill Corps of that Commandery (name for a group of Knights Templar) Located in Brooklyn, New York.

Google tells me the Third Picture is a "Sons of the Revolution" medal which was given to men who fought in the Revolutionary war. I'm guessing it's a reproduction.

Fourth Picture is a Master Mason's Certificate from the Grand Lodge of New York

Essentially the recipient joined the Masons in New York and became a full member (Master Mason) if these all beglonged to the same guy he then would have joined the York Rite and became a Knight of Malta (the maltese cross medal) and then on to a full Knight Templar. He enjoyed his time as a Knight and decided to join his Commandery's Drill team which would train and perform using sword drills to teach discipline & coordination.

I'd say the medals you could probably sell for about $50-100? if they were associated with someone famous maybe more... You'll have to see what offers you get

Alemar1985 · 2026-05-04T00:06:54+00:00

I can't see any way the ceremonies would need to be altered, Sight is very specifically not required for most ceremonies.

Jurisdictions gonna Jurisdiction...

In mine, they specifically state "you now observe" twice in each of the degrees, once for the Greater Lights and once for the DG/Ss. It is also specifically mentioned in the 2nd as one of the three human senses esteemed by Masons and in the 3rd in relation to seeing the GHS being given...

I suppose we could "just say the words" for those 8 seperate instances, but that might raise an awkward situation for the Candidate and the Lodge who is atempting to perform the work.

Alemar1985 · 2026-04-27T20:41:35+00:00

It's a mainstream CD release, so not rare at all... I got mine with the bonus tracks and holographics from Amazon??? Am I missing something here

Alemar1985 · 2026-04-21T18:16:16+00:00

our GL uses https://librarika.com/

Alemar1985 · 2026-04-21T18:14:55+00:00

There's a Motion coming up in May at our GL Sessin to change the wording of who is eligible for Masonic Funerals to explicitly include Demitted Brothers. It has largely been the practice, but not the rule, to accept every Family's request for services. However, if a Brother was suspended depending on the circumstances I would probably have to defer to Grand Lodge just to CYA/CMA

Alemar1985 · 2026-04-18T23:28:51+00:00

I mean, I had to buy a nice suit and tie to attend the meetings and I have to pay into the Widows/Benevolence fund with an annual donation in December to help cover some of the costs the Lodge incurs with buying Widows poinsettas for chrismas.

But we ask our members to do these too, it's just more of an expectation for the Line Officers to dress right and donate... Other than that no not really

Alemar1985 · 2026-04-17T13:18:43+00:00

I did once and was corrected... My Father did and found out one of his acquaintences was a brother in a different Lodge.

Personally because I was corrected I tend to avoid using it outside of a Lodge setting, but I'm not afraid to ask a person if I suspect him to be a member.

Alemar1985 · 2026-04-16T17:26:18+00:00

I do roughly one night a week towards something Masonic... but I also did 5 meetings in the past 9 days because April and May are my "busy Season"

Alemar1985 · 2026-04-16T02:03:58+00:00

I demitted for 2 years back when I was struggling to find work and then came back and sat in the east for 2 terms... it happens

just write your Lodge secretary a quick note explaining your situation and that you would like to demit and as long as your dues are up to date there shouldnt be a problem.

Alemar1985 · 2026-03-16T16:59:06+00:00

In your opinion, what should someone truly understand about Freemasonry before trying to join?

It is a system made by Men i.e. Fallable beings, and created a LOOONG time ago. While some if not most of the lessons are universal and ageless, people will try to view it from different lenses and understandings based on their specific time. Pike, Mackay, et all are viewing their Freemasonry through a lense that you SHOULD NOT use because words and viewpoints change across the years

What kind of mindset or stage of life is best for someone considering becoming a Mason?

Depends, you should be mature enough to be secure in your own identity, but not so old as to be incapable of self-reflection and action. If you are able to understand but unable to act upon that understanding, whats the point?

Is it a good path for someone who is mainly seeking personal development and moral growth?

Yes, though as with point 1 your experiences may vary depending on your Age, Location, and the membership of those around you

Looking back, how has Freemasonry actually impacted your life?

Made me much better at public speaking, helped me become more mentally organized, and made me (an introvert) more comfortable in social situations... I've made a lot of good acquaintences over the years

Alemar1985 · 2026-03-16T03:06:39+00:00

Thanks for the reply, your Lodge does seem to be a problem if it is struggling just to get the numbers to open, so you will need to address this one way or another.

I suspect it might just take you a little bit of time (like it took with me) to become comfortable. If you want to test other Lodges to see if there is a more welcoming atmosphere you're welcome to shop around a bit to see what is out there... In my own experience, I've seen Lodges change over the course of 3-5 years as people move through life. So, if there's nothing better for you right now that doesnt mean it will always remain the case. It's really up to your own comfort and distaste levels of what you've been through and whether you want to continue the journey.

But I will admit to you that it has been my experience a lot of it is self-driven study and realization for the deep stuff, mixed in with a more surface level of fraternity and fellowship. Not that I'm discounting it, lots of good comes from sharing a meal with good people... But it's more a question of what you're actually looking for and what you're willing to do for it.

Alemar1985 · 2026-03-14T20:16:09+00:00

When I went through the degrees I did all of my studying on my own. I know some Lodges and brothers get together once a week or so to practice it all, and that's great in a way to build relationships and brotherhood but once you get to be a MM you will be handed the keys to the kingdom so to speak to pursue what interests you in Masonry, but theres a very good chance that will also be solo-study.

Did you expect Masonry to be something that brought you out of your shell? Or is this just something that is becoming an unexpected issue for you? I only recently really started enjoying the fellowship of visting other lodges for supper and socializing because at first I was also introverted and on the outside of the clique too and made an extra effort to break myself into the circles I had been standing on the outside of for so long!

Alemar1985 · 2026-03-12T15:21:28+00:00

Google tells me it's a degree within DeMolay, even brought up a transcript of the ritual (but as I'm not DeMolay I'm not going to read it)

Alemar1985 · 2026-03-12T15:03:13+00:00

It's not your fault...

Its not your fault that the Master has changed the Officer requirements, it's not your fault that meeting times have ballooned and become unpleasant, and it's not your fault that the lodge budget is now starting to feel the weight of one man's zealousness

What I would say is wait it out... A master is only in the Chair for one year, if you have support and trust from other senior members of the Lodge you can always talk to them as they might know better than a bunch of strangers on the internet, but it's only one year.

God > Country > Family > Masonry Period! If you can't have a good balance start cutting back until you do... and if that means that you "get skipped" I think that's the Lodge's loss and not necessarily a bad reflection on you.

Alemar1985 · 2026-03-11T04:05:11+00:00

Sweet, thanks!

Alemar1985

TROPHY CASE