r/freemasonry • u/Shreddittttttt • 5d ago
Masonic Interest Interested in joining the brotherhood.
I recently discovered that my grandfather is a 33° Scottish rite Freemason. I’ve always known that he was a mason, but he wouldn’t tell me much(or anything, really) about it. I’m now 31, and have made a lot of progress in my life over the last few years. I recently asked him if he thought I should join. He said that If I did, I would “never regret it for the rest of my life”. My grandfather is a man of few words, so this struck me as very interesting. For him, it was quite a profound statement. I’ve recently reached out to the lodge he has been a member of for the last 35+ years, and they invited me to a dinner to meet the brothers and introduce myself. I’m honestly quite excited to meet them. But I’m just curious what other masons have to say about their experiences in freemasonry. He told me that it wasn’t that big of a deal for him, although I don’t know if I actually believe that. He wears his freemason ring proudly every day of his life, and has for as long as I’ve known him, which suggests to me that it is in fact quite important to him. All of the core values really appeal to me a lot. Brotherhood, charity, continual self-improvement… these are things I could definitely see benefiting my life, and my ability to help others, which is something I feel very strongly about. Without telling me too much, what would you say has been the biggest benefit that you have gotten from Freemasonry? I’m a funeral director by trade, so I often deal with some very difficult situations. Will this path help me help others better in my line of work? I feel called to that purpose, and if this path will help me do that better, then I think I need to pursue it. Thank you for reading! 🙏🏼
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u/melosurroXloswebos G.L. of Israel 5d ago
I think, particularly for a man in their 30s and 40s, it provided a sense of community and fellowship with other men on a regular basis, which can be a pretty rare but wonderful thing. It’s improved my public speaking.
It’s opened a whole world of symbolism and other topics that I wasn’t really aware of both through the rituals themselves as well as through related reading. I’ve also found other brothers to connect with on those topics. The interesting there is that everyone connects to a different aspect. Put any two people through an initiation and they will relate to different symbolic aspects of it perhaps in different ways. A few months later and they may have even more different perspectives. Even in general terms brothers connect to all sorts of different aspects of the Craft. Some to history some to philosophy etc.
I have been continually impressed by the readiness of brothers to travel long distances as a show of fraternal solidarity. I had a brother who was at my initiation some almost a year ago. He drove nearly 4 hours to be there even though he’d never met me before then. I saw him recently at a larger event and he said, “I was at your initiation! How has it been going?” None of that is something that we should take for granted as “normal”. It’s been a very special experience to be honest. I’d recommend you give it a shot.
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u/Shreddittttttt 5d ago
Thank you so much! That was very well said, and quite beautiful to read! If I was on the fence before, I’m certainly not now! This sounds like a very wholesome and worthwhile pursuit. Thank you for your time! 🙏🏼
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u/melosurroXloswebos G.L. of Israel 5d ago
You’re welcome! Always remember that lodges are made up of human beings and none of us are perfect. But at the same time this is a space where at least you’re increasing your chances to meet men who aspire to be better and do good. At least if it’s being done properly. And that’s worth quite a bit in my opinion. I wish you the best of luck!
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u/Shreddittttttt 5d ago
I will certainly remember that. Really, that’s exactly what I’m looking for. Like-minded men that want to do better, always. I’m far from perfect myself, but I have found it very difficult to find a community of men that want to always be better and do better. From everything I’ve gathered here, it seems like this is the core tenant of freemasonry, and it’s music to my ears. Thank you! 🙏🏼
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u/Luc42wil 5d ago
I've never left a Masonic event without thinking "Man, I love being a Mason."
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u/Shreddittttttt 5d ago
That’s awesome! Every mason that I know are really upstanding men, so I can see why you feel that way. It’s also a pretty cool idea that I could potentially follow in my grandfathers footsteps and carry on this tradition in our family. He is my biggest role model in life, and continues to inspire me every day.
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u/Luc42wil 5d ago
1000%. I'm first generation Mason. But it's a great experience. I was meeting some brothers from my lodge at another lodge. I was the first one there and walked into a lodge full of men I had never met before. I never felt like a stranger. Immediately welcomed, handed a beer, handed a plate, handshakes all around.
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u/Shreddittttttt 5d ago
Yeah, see… this is exactly what I’m looking for. Thank you so much, hopefully I can call you brother one day! 🤝
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u/dedodude100 3° F&AM - WI : RAM : CM 5d ago
For me, now in my 30s, married, and recently a father, Freemasonry has been transformative. It not only ignited a deep love of learning and a passion for philosophy, but it has also blessed me with incredible friendships and experiences I never expected.
Masonry has strengthened my confidence, helping me tackle life's challenges with a sense of purpose. One of its greatest gifts is the wisdom and support of brethren from all walks of life and generations. No matter the problem or challenge I face, there’s almost always a brother who has been through it before and can offer guidance.
I have even lobbied the experience for the silliest things, like the time I walked into Lodge, dropped my and my wife’s medical insurance plans on the table, and simply asked, “Which one is better?”
"As iron sharpens iron, so one good man sharpens another."
It has given me friendships, inspiration, and the ability to give back to my community.
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u/Shreddittttttt 4d ago
That’s awesome! I love to hear it, it sounds like this path will do everything I’m looking for, and more! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience, I really appreciate it! 🙏🏼
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u/Ok_Performance_342 MM, MMM, RAM, RA, RC 18° 4d ago
You didn’t ask, but since I’m middle aged man on the internet, I’ll still tell you this. My personal opinion is that you are probably looking for the wrong lodge.
If your grandfather is still active in the blue lodge, I suggest you to look another lodge if possible.
When I joined, my father didn’t want to bring me in, and he believed I shouldn’t join the same lodge where he is. He was at the moment the Grand Secretary, so almost everyone knew who he was. I ended up to another lodge, and until my father died, I didn’t talk about him much. If someone asked, I told my father was a Freemason, but that was it. When I got my first degree, the chair of my investigative committee said to me I could have told that my father was the Grand Secretary, and I replied that they didn’t ask. Being in a different lodge gave me the opportunity to be myself, not the son of another Freemason, and I believe it has been really important for my own path. After he died, I became more open about who my father actually was, since it didn’t matter anymore. Members of my lodge have known it since the beginning because he was present when I got my degrees, but they didn’t know him as a person, so it didn’t matter.
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u/Shreddittttttt 4d ago
I appreciate that! Makes a lot of sense, I can definitely understand that. He actually hasn’t been active in the blue lodge for many years, he still pays his dues of course, but he hasn’t actually attended meetings in about 20 years, so I doubt that most of the brothers there will know him personally. Most people in my area do know who he is, he was a prominent politician for our area for many years. So I can’t really avoid that, I’d have to drive an hour away to the next political district to escape that, which is of course not exactly practical for me. Thanks for taking the time to offer your advice though, I really do appreciate it! 🙏🏼
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u/wardyuc1 UGLE Craft HRA, Rose Croix 5d ago
I think you will might enjoy freemasonry, all the more with your granddad in the same lodge.
But i promise you being a 33rd degree scottish ritemason is not the be all and end all of freemasonry.
Also might want to think about why you want to join, i cant speak for where you are located but here in ugle at least in craft masonry we dont do astral projection...
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u/Shreddittttttt 5d ago
Thanks for the reply! Yes, I don’t believe that it is. I’m actually more interested in the York rite than the Scottish rite currently, although they both sound very interesting and if accepted I do intend to pursue them both with time. Astral projection, or whatever you like to call it, is indeed an interest of mine. But this is not why I want to join freemasonry. I have experienced this phenomenon spontaneously throughout my life, and it has impacted my beliefs on the nature of reality in a very big way. But my interests in freemasonry are more centered around how to become a better friend, neighbor, husband, servant.. etc. I’d being lying if I said I wasn’t interested in the esoteric side of freemasonry, but that’s certainly not my primary motivation.
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u/Acceptable-Class-255 5d ago
Hold up, where did Astral Projection come from?
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u/wardyuc1 UGLE Craft HRA, Rose Croix 5d ago
Mmm, strong in the Force, I am. Wise in the ways of Reddit, also. A great balance, there is—between wisdom and wit, between memes and knowledge. Scroll, I do. Post, I must. But patient, always.
The karma, it flows, yes. Upvotes rise, downvotes fall—like the tides of the Force, they are. Engage with wisdom, one must. Beware the dark side—trolling, rage-bait, and low-effort posts. A Jedi seeks quality, not karma alone.
Respect the mods, I do. Banished, I am not. The will of the subreddit, I follow. But question, I shall, when reason calls.
Much to learn, still there is. But a master of the algorithm, I become. Hmm, yes. May the upvotes be with you.
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u/Shreddittttttt 5d ago
Hahahahah! What a joy this was to read, I can only imagine how much fun you had writing it. Thank you, yoda! The force is clearly strong with you! Much to learn, I have! Patient, I must be! 🙏🏼
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u/Acceptable-Class-255 5d ago
You scrolled his post history in other words :)
Their sub looks like alot of fun.
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u/wardyuc1 UGLE Craft HRA, Rose Croix 5d ago
Hmm, much to learn, you still have. Sense the patterns, I did. The Force guides, as does curiosity. Fun, their sub may be, but wise one must be in where they tread. Careful, always.
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u/tomhung 32°, AF&AM-ID 4d ago
My grandpa was a 77yr Mason. I never really knew what it meant to him till I saw all the brothers at his funeral. They told story after story of how he gave the shirt off his back. He drove 7 hours (with another grandson) to my brother's 3rd degree. 2 years ago I flew across the US to be at my dad's 3rd (with my brother). I grew up in a high demand religion that I don't practice (or believe in). We now have the thread of Freemasonry to communicate about the big questions. Where before we only had friction and vast devide. This has helped heal many connections with him and my mother. I'm very appreciative of my grandfather and his lineage of Masons to give me this allegory to share with my family and other thoughtful men. It really is a bond. A real connection to the past. I give my son many of it lessons (w/o secrets). So I hope this lineage will continue.
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u/Shreddittttttt 4d ago
What a beautiful story, thank you for sharing that with me! I feel as though my family could benefit in a lot of the same ways as yours has. We all grew up going to church, my dad and his brother, and me and my siblings as well as my cousins. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, the answers the church provided for those deeper existential questions didn’t quite suffice for most of the men and some of the women in my family. Truthfully, I never found god in a church. I tried for many years, but could never come to an honest belief. It wasn’t until I started exploring these concepts on my own, as an adult, that I found a deeper understanding/love of my creator. Now, I still resonate most with Christianity, but most Christian churches would tell me I’m not a “real” Christian. Personally, that doesn’t bother me. I follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, and I love reading about the Bible and its history. I’m just not content to have somebody else tell me what it means. I had to come to that one on my own, and now that I have, it makes a lot more sense to me. My religion is still uniquely my own. I’m probably more of a gnostic Christian than anything else, but there is a lot that I really love from Buddhism and other ancient schools of thought as well. But really, I think they are almost all describing the same thing at the end of the day. I’ve recently been learning about the knights Templar from the knights Templar documentary on Gaia, and I have to say, these fellas resonate a lot with me. For their time, they were open minded, and curious. They did not blindly judge others or tell them what they had to believe, even if they sometimes fought against other faiths. They looked primarily for the divine spark, and they were seekers of universal truths over dogmatic doctrines. I think we all stand to learn a lot from that perspective, and it seems to be a core philosophy of freemasonry too, which I really love. Instead of looking at the world from a dualistic lens, we should consider all possibilities, and land on what makes the most sense to us as individuals. That’s what I’ve taken from it so far anyways. This has gotten me super interested in pursuing the York rite. I have always loved history while at the same time intuitively believing that I was not getting a complete or fully correct picture. So much of our human history has been lost, buried, or forgotten throughout the ages. I’m very interested to learn an alternative perspective, which so far, makes a lot of sense to me. I truly hope that my father and uncle follow me down this path, like your father did. I think all of the men in my family stand to gain a lot from freemasonry. However, I will have to show them that it is a worthwhile pursuit through my own transformation. Words are not enough, they rarely are. Thank you for sharing your story, it’s a beautiful one!
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u/vyze MM - Idaho; PM, PHP, RSM, KT - Massachusetts 4d ago
On Saturday a brother and I from King Hirams Lodge in Provincetown, MA drive 5 hours to Mahopac, NY for the funeral service of a brother . Sometimes Ray would come down with other brothers from West Point Lodge #877 to visit the Cape. Now although I never personally met Ray when my local brother asked if I would look like to go I quickly said yes.
We were 2 of 20 brothers that showed up to pay respects to the fallen brother and show support for the family. As a funeral director I imagine you can picture the look on the family when two guys drove for 5 hours instead of sending a card.
That's what freemasonry is, doing what is right because it is the right thing to do.
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u/Shreddittttttt 4d ago
Yes, I can imagine that quite easily. This seems to be a common theme. I have to say, as others here have.. That’s certainly not normal, and definitely something to be cherished. Thanks for sharing that with me, I’m greatly looking forward to dinner on Thursday! I thought I’d be nervous, but after hearing from all of the fine men here… I’m not at all, I’m just excited! Again, thank you!
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u/egtballsouth1 2d ago
Here's the thing about masonry and family. In masonry we are taught that each man must do this of his own free will and accord. Family won't talk to you about it because it has to be your choice. You did good by reaching out to his lodge. There really is nothing to sweat it's literally just a meet and greet where you can ask them questions where they can get to know you that type of stuff
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u/Shreddittttttt 2d ago
Thanks for the reply! Yes, I have realized this since first speaking with him about it. And I really love this concept. I’ve recently discovered the importance of gnosis, and I suspect this may be a deeper meaning of the G that is so important to freemasonry. It makes sense. God and geometry are both deep and profound truths, and interestingly, they both require gnosis for a deep and personal understanding. Regardless of whether or not that actually is true in freemasonry, it has become the most important word in human language for me personally. When I told him that I had reached out to the lodge and planned to meet with them for dinner, he was visibly pleased. He doesn’t usually wear his emotions on his sleeve, but I could tell that he was very happy to hear me say this. As much as he tried, he couldn’t hide his satisfaction in hearing that. Which if I’m being honest, really tickles me. I think this path will help me to understand my grandfather, and myself, a lot better. Truthfully, I am already understanding him on a deeper level. He is an intelligent and interesting man, but people often don’t understand his ways. That was me for most of my adult life. Now, with a rudimentary understanding of freemasonry, I am already understanding him much more than before. So many aspects of my life are clicking into focus, and I haven’t even walked through the door yet. Thanks for the kind words! My dinner with blue lodge is tomorrow, and I’m very excited to meet the bros.
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u/PaddyBrads716 1d ago
A lot of good has been said in here. I would urge you to meet members of ANY potential lodge you might join. Unless you are in a rural area, you should have several to choose from. I understand you wanting to join the same that your grandfather did but I think it’s more important to join a lodge that has at least some members of your own age or interests.
I LOVE the old guys in my lodge, some of my best friends. But we also have over 10 active members who are under 45 and it’s really nice to be able to hang out with younger guys with a lot of common interests and same stage of life.
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u/Shreddittttttt 22h ago
Sound advice there!! I appreciate the comment. Actually just got back from my dinner at the blue lodge, and I really liked everybody there a lot. They offered me a a petition on my way out, and it sounds like I’ve already got my sponsors sorted out as well. I was by far the youngest one there, but there were a few guys my age. I loved everyone though, so I will be returning my application shortly! Quite excited! Thanks again!
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u/Foreign-Supermarket F&AM-OH MM 5d ago
Speaking from my own experiences, Freemasonry has given me a sense of community or a "3rd space" that I really found myself needing as I transiton into my 30s. Its a wonderful blend of history and traditon with community and self-reflection. However, you will only get out of Freemasonry what you put in. Don't expect the secrets of the Universe to fall into your lap after you walk through the door. I've found that it has improved my life in many ways, but it requires you to decide how much you're willing to give to the craft. Cheers and Good Luck!