Thank you for writing this my Brother. I choose to drive to Seattle from where I live because I no longer feel welcome in my home lodge as I once did. The lodge I visit in Seattle is warm and welcoming and open to all points of view, Esoteric and Exoteric. I have put hundreds of hours in researching Masonic topics that has only appeared to fall on deaf and un-wanting ears at my home lodge. I feel at my home lodge as I once did as a young man at my local Church. A few weekends ago my Lodge participated in a Ghost Walk with the Downtown Association. I spent the previous two days researching and printing flyers on the history of the Lodge and of Bro Arthur Edward Waite and Tarot as well as its relationship with Precession of the Equinox only to be told my work/contribution wasn't wanted By the Brother who was claiming to be in charge. This is why young zealous Brothers are searching far and wide for that once common and now elusive Craft that once was!!!
Same with me. I moved a year ago, and would have continued to support my home lodge, but I felt unwanted and unappreciated. Luckily my new lodge is only a few minutes away and they seem to have similar interests and goals.
As we've discussed on Emeth before, I think it is good when we find a Lodge that meets our needs. There is certainly nothing wrong with moving from one Lodge to another in order to be able to receive that which we are seeking.
Indeed, I recently did that myself.
This is why I think we do well to resist efforts to 'standardize' Freemasonry. It seems like the thrust of our Craft has been, over the course of hundreds of years, towards standardization. Making sure that the Lodge experience is the same from Lodge A to Lodge B and indeed to Lodge Z.
But when we standardize things, we lose something vital.
Every Freemason needs something different from his Lodge. Indeed, as he matures in Masonry, those needs can change. So we need Lodges that can address those needs. We need Lodges to have distinct personalities, distinct ways of working, with distinct priorities. Ultimately, we need tremendous diversity among our Lodges.
That diversity is what allows Masons to find their 'perfect home.'
To maintain it, we need to stand against further efforts at standardization. Freemasonry is not McDonalds. We may want our Big Mac in Spokane to be exactly the same as our Big Mac in Seattle, but we certainly don't want our Lodges to be exactly the same everywhere.
Thank you for writing this my Brother. I choose to drive to Seattle from where I live because I no longer feel welcome in my home lodge as I once did. The lodge I visit in Seattle is warm and welcoming and open to all points of view, Esoteric and Exoteric. I have put hundreds of hours in researching Masonic topics that has only appeared to fall on deaf and un-wanting ears at my home lodge. I feel at my home lodge as I once did as a young man at my local Church. A few weekends ago my Lodge participated in a Ghost Walk with the Downtown Association. I spent the previous two days researching and printing flyers on the history of the Lodge and of Bro Arthur Edward Waite and Tarot as well as its relationship with Precession of the Equinox only to be told my work/contribution wasn't wanted By the Brother who was claiming to be in charge. This is why young zealous Brothers are searching far and wide for that once common and now elusive Craft that once was!!!
Fraternallly
Bro Ryan Stubbins
Same with me. I moved a year ago, and would have continued to support my home lodge, but I felt unwanted and unappreciated. Luckily my new lodge is only a few minutes away and they seem to have similar interests and goals.
As we've discussed on Emeth before, I think it is good when we find a Lodge that meets our needs. There is certainly nothing wrong with moving from one Lodge to another in order to be able to receive that which we are seeking.
Indeed, I recently did that myself.
This is why I think we do well to resist efforts to 'standardize' Freemasonry. It seems like the thrust of our Craft has been, over the course of hundreds of years, towards standardization. Making sure that the Lodge experience is the same from Lodge A to Lodge B and indeed to Lodge Z.
But when we standardize things, we lose something vital.
Every Freemason needs something different from his Lodge. Indeed, as he matures in Masonry, those needs can change. So we need Lodges that can address those needs. We need Lodges to have distinct personalities, distinct ways of working, with distinct priorities. Ultimately, we need tremendous diversity among our Lodges.
That diversity is what allows Masons to find their 'perfect home.'
To maintain it, we need to stand against further efforts at standardization. Freemasonry is not McDonalds. We may want our Big Mac in Spokane to be exactly the same as our Big Mac in Seattle, but we certainly don't want our Lodges to be exactly the same everywhere.