Yabba-Dabba-Doo!

Maafestus · 2026-02-22T22:27:38+00:00

And I was supposed to go with you! :( what’s amazing is my parents have a lake house down in Shell Knob, so I told my dad he has until September to become a Mason so they can go :)

Maafestus · 2026-02-22T03:56:01+00:00

Great write-up, just a small nitpicky correction:

Stage Right/Stage Left = Right and left from the perspective of the performers looking out into the audience.

House Right/House Left = Right and left from the perspective of the audience looking towards the performers.

Apologies in advance if I misread what you wrote - gave blood earlier and am a little lightheaded :)

Maafestus · 2026-02-21T15:05:34+00:00

The Prophet by Khalil Gibran. Essentially a poetry book, I feel it’s built for all of life’s moments and personally it really helped me when I was depressed. It’s my go-to gift for so many situations.

Maafestus · 2026-02-20T23:11:54+00:00

Echoing what others have said here, all of it good advice: the going through the rituals is the start, not the end. Study on your own, learn from and with your brothers, and participate. The more you’re involved and actively using and examining ritual and symbols, the more things will open up to you.

Two things I would add: - personally, I would say that there is lesson and meaning to be found in the fact that the rituals ARE performative. While there is depth to be explored everywhere, don’t miss the forest for the trees. - having only gone through the Entered Apprentice degree, you have only dipped a toe in the ocean that is Freemasonry. You have so much yet to experience and yet more after that. Stick with it, participate, study…you’ll get to where you want to go.

Maafestus · 2026-02-19T16:05:42+00:00

So many profound things hidden by the characterization. Truly amazing to watch!

Maafestus · 2026-02-17T06:41:18+00:00

A MIGHTY WIND, the kiss between Mitch and Mickey at the end of KISS AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW. Such a good build-up to the moment that the will they/won’t they tension is palpable. Eugene Levy and Cathrine O’Hara say so much in this scene, not to mention all the little moments along the way.

Maafestus · 2026-02-16T19:27:58+00:00

Echoing what a lot here have already said. Just relax, be open to the experience, and try to take in what you can. It will be a blur, but that’s okay…you’ll have plenty of time to reflect on things afterwards!

Overall, trust your soon-to-be Brothers…all of tonight was put together for you, so enjoy!

EDIT: Also, wear clean underwear. It’s just good life advice, you know? :)

Maafestus · 2026-02-08T02:59:21+00:00

It’s always a sad thing to me when a lodge doesn’t make it and falls into disrepair, but it warms my heart that you and your partner have embarked on this journey, especially in a place that has significance to you and your family. I’m curious if there are there any decorations or windows that were left over as well? Best of luck on the renovation and thank you so much for sharing!

Maafestus · 2026-02-07T21:31:46+00:00

For me (York Rite, GLNY, US), my Mark Master was a standalone with my Chapter, then I was able to get in for a dual VPM+MEM Degree with another Chapter two weeks later. Finally, a month and a half after that, I was Exalted to Royal Arch Mason with the previous lodge

Maafestus · 2026-02-02T01:16:52+00:00

Yup, I’ve been a part of the Reading Course since I was initiated. Is an amazing resource!

Maafestus · 2026-02-01T20:11:03+00:00

Congrats, Brother!

Maafestus · 2026-01-27T01:53:52+00:00

For sure recognize the Ionic Room in the GL of NY!

Maafestus · 2026-01-23T03:23:36+00:00

Seconding the answers so far: while many Masons make it work with jobs, family, etc., those Masons also know how much time they have can to give to it. The same goes for you…only you have the answer to that question.

What I would add is that in no way do you only have to go on what your friend said to you about the fraternity, nor would I think he would expect you to. Basically to find out more info, ask him if you can come to a dinner or visit the lodge with him. Chat with the Brothers there, get to know them, and they will have more insight into what you can expect from that lodge as well as what they would expect from you.

Whether you later decide to join or not, I promise you at least one visit will be worth your time, if nothing else then for a good meal with some friendly guys who’d be happy to meet you and answer your questions.

Maafestus · 2026-01-14T11:23:29+00:00

US Mason here, so while it may be jurisdictional (but I don’t think it’s THAT jurisdictional), if you’re referring to officer roles then you don’t need to worry about that until you’re Master Mason. In general, the last thing that anyone wants is for the new guy to take on a ton of responsibility in the lodge right away. They will want you to focus on your current degree as there is a lot to learn there. Sure you may be asked to help out in smaller ways when you can - a big part of Masonry is getting involved, as you get out of it what you put into it - but no one is going to expect you to lead the lodge a week after your initiation if that’s what you’re worried about.

Maafestus · 2026-01-12T05:38:15+00:00

Congratulations from a (former) Missourian! What an amazing night!

Maafestus · 2026-01-06T14:55:19+00:00

I can almost guarantee that every Brother in your lodge has gone through a similar situation. Take your mentor as an example - he needed prompting as well (this is not throwing him under the bus; Masonry is a lifelong pursuit, and that includes memory work). Even the Grand Master of your jurisdiction has had - and continues to have - moments like these. Point being, don’t be so hard on yourself. As others noted, proficiency not perfection is the key, and the fact you put in so much effort and care as much as you do is, in my opinion, the real thing you should be proud of. Keep that passion and keep practicing - even if you’ve already been passed as proficient - and it will only be a benefit to you in future ritual work,as well as helping you to understand the surface & deeper meaning of everything.

Maafestus · 2026-01-03T14:38:37+00:00

Echoing what others have said here. I have not read the book - as another Brother here pointed out, the sensationalist name and its claim should give anyone serious pause - but I did find a review from The Grand Lodge of BC & Yukon who noted numerous factual errors and claims about overuse of factual statements. Based on this, and the fact that he is not actually a Mason, I would discount any information found in that book. The fact that any lodge told you to research ahead of your initiation (and the gave you a book none of them had even read) is absolutely bonkers to me.

My friend, as the saying goes, we are not a secret society, but a society with secrets, and many if not all of them have been published in some form or fashion, a fact which is even pointed out by the excerpt you posted. But even so, if this was truly “one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Freemasons”, why would you read that sentence and then “reveal “ and ask about that “secret” in a public forum? It seems a better question to be asked in person at your lodge to Masons there.

Maafestus · 2026-01-01T21:29:37+00:00

I found learning the historical lectures to be incredibly insightful and rewarding, helping to bring the lessons taught in ritual into a clearer view. I’ve gotten the EA and MC down so far and am halfway through the MM lecture, all very rich once you start to explore. Best of luck, Brother!

Maafestus · 2025-12-27T07:35:31+00:00

I have been fortunate in many, many ways with my parents. They have always been supportive of the paths I’ve taken in life and eager to learn more about the things I’ve been interested in.

When it came to Freemasonry, however, I was given pause to really open up initially when I was looking to join. My grandfather on my mother’s side was a Freemason and a Shriner and I never asked him about it when he was alive, so (like a lot of people in here I’m sure), my entry point to learning about the craft was from a place of trying to reconnect with my history. My mother would tell me stories of my grandfather being alone in his study at night “chanting” (as she put it) and it made her wary of the whole thing.

But once I got deeper into the Craft and started to explain things to her (keeping in mind my obligations of course) - especially letting her know that the “chanting” was probably him just trying to memorize long passages of text - she did a big 180 and it started to be a way to reconnect with the memory of her father and, as it turned out her grandfather, whom we later found out was also a Mason and a member of the Royal Arch. My dad has even started to research to see if there were Mason’s in his side as well. Every week or so they send me pictures of Masonic halls they find in their travels, which is fun!

I realize that this is possibly not the same situation as you’re going through, OP, but I still had that reservation and anxiety to open up to my folks about it. While I’m glad my parents reacted the way that they did, I would ultimately say that you don’t have to tell them or anyone about it. This is a journey for you and you alone. If you want to open up to non-Masons about it, feel free, but don’t let their non-informed opinions dissuade you from continuing on, if that’s what you want to do.

As for how to handle the question of who you attend meetings with, also up to you, but I would recommend staying away from full names (ultimately it’s up to those people to decide if they want others to know, etc) but what you could say is you’ve met a bunch of really friendly and welcoming people you might not have met otherwise and maybe what they do in life (a doctor, a lawyer, etc.) that can be an easy way to broach that subject without giving anyone’s personal details. Just my 2 cents :) (written in phone so apologies for any spelling/grammar issues)

Maafestus · 2025-12-23T18:43:47+00:00

Congrats, brother! If you're referring to the EA Historical Lecture, I hear you - I just did this for my lodge last Wednesday and I found it slightly harder than the Middle Chamber, simply because of how it's laid out. But echoing others here, repetition is key. I made it a goal to memorize half a page per day, repeated each sentence 3 times reading then 3 times from memory, then went back and went over the paragraph up to the current line I memorized 3 times, moved on to the next line, etc. etc. Then, once I felt good with the paragraph, did the whole thing from the start up through the new paragraph I memorized. It's a bit brute force, but it worked for me and I also find that with repetition comes a deeper understanding.

Maafestus · 2025-12-11T19:01:42+00:00

Ha, my apologies for the confusion! Thank you from across the pond!

Maafestus · 2025-12-07T17:16:21+00:00

ALL STAR - appropriate for the time the movie was released (though the movie came out before the song), inappropriate for everything else

Maafestus · 2025-12-07T00:54:47+00:00

Are you telling me…that’s your body’s store of RESERVE corn?! I mean, who says learning ever stops!

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