As we bring Masonic education into our Lodges, there are some educational programs that might be of interest to potential candidates, members of our women’s orders, even our families.
If we schedule these programs for a set time within a Stated Meeting, which we then call Off Session or At Refreshment, or hold them on a non-meeting night, we certainly could allow non-Masons who wanted to attend the ability to do so.
But of course, we must preserve the secrets of Masonry.
Where do we best draw the line?
What is OK for a non-Mason to learn about in a Lodge educational program, and what is not?
Is there a simple rule of thumb that we can follow?
What must remain firmly behind tiled doors, and what can be discussed outside of them? How can we easily recognize the difference between the two, or will it remain forever muddy?
Of course there are your typical off session items, like memorials, funerals and scroll readings where family (if available) would attend. We've had speakers do presentations where guests were allowed.
I personally don't see any reason why we would hide the philosophical and moral teachings from anyone. As long as we don't reveal the ritual, obligations, grips and words, any subject should be fine. Instruction benefits the profane and the brethren alike. After all, there are plenty of books, articles, poems, short stories, parables and teachings published everywhere. There is no shortage of material to mine.
I’ve always wanted to learn how to tell where i am on the earth by using the stars. This would be something my wife would also be interested in. I’d also like to see a several day trip on a boat where everyone gets a chance to try out their navigation skills. As for where the line is, i’m still learning, but so far i don’t find much in our teaching that couldn’t be found elsewhere, but obviously want to keep secret the normal things others have also mentioned, obligations, passwords, grips etc.
I suspect that off-session was something of an innovation in Freemasonry when the Craft decided to make the installation ceremony public.
At some point in its modern history, The Craft wanted to let non-Masons enter a lodge room for installations. But the lodge has to be at labor to conduct said installation. What to do? Thus off-session was born.
You can tell it’s not part of the original ritual work because it’s simply “I declare this lodge off session”…not old English ritual there.
I’m not saying I’ve never used it, but it can easily be overused and it’s too tempting for some lodges to then never learn the ritual for refreshment, which actually has a defined purpose and codified ritual.
So I think your post is really a two-part question. 1) Is off-session the appropriate state to put the lodge in?
2) What are the boundaries for a program or presentation for non-Masons.
The first question is straight forward. Off-session should be limited for public installations.
The second question is the heart of your original post.
A program for or presentation for non-Masons can be a fantastic idea. There are many topics of interest and it’s a great way to include a group of men who are looking at petitioning your lodge.
Historical presentations are easy to start with. We did one on Masonic musicians. We had a D-Day presentation once. I think it’s fine to discuss 7 liberal arts or the topic of virtue. Freemasonry doesn’t have exclusive rights to these topics either. If it’s not discussing the obligation/penalty, modes of recognition, specific ritual, then I think you are fine.
The writings of Carl Claudy in "Old Tiler Talks" make for excellent presentations to Brethren and guests. I have taken the liberty of rearranging them into short 2 or 3-person plays (sketches, really), each of which delivers a message for the new Mason or those who are interested in Masonry. I have also modified the Middle Chamber Lecture, so it may be delivered to anyone, Brother, guest, even children. I do the lecture as Brother Mark Twain, being escorted around the Lodge by a young man, telling him about the meaning of the Winding Stairs, without revealing any of the secrets of our Craft. The lecture has been well-received so far. Each of the Claudy plays and the Mark Twain Middle Chamber Lecture take about 20 minutes, so the audience doesn't get bored or worn out. And that's just the *beginning* of material available for Masonic education! When practiced and done well, this type of education can generate interest for the "seeker," Initiate, Master Mason, and guests. Educational AND entertaining!
Dr. Werner Von Braun once said "Basic research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing'. For those not familiar with Dr. Braun, he was head of German rocket research in WWII. He later became a pivotal figure in US rocket research,including the Apollo project. .
Why bring up Dr. Braun? "Basic Research" is a simple phrase that proves, or disproves a foundational thesis, when in turn drives a project or goal..
I hear the phrase "Masonic Education" in almost every encounter of two or more Masons. But what does it mean, and what are our goals?
The doctoral student prepares a thesis of original research, often diving into such deep minutiae that only a handful of people world wide understand the topic, and the conclusion. On a far more often than not basis, I've seen Masonic lectures so focused on the tiniest detail that the eyes of the audience quickly glaze over. Is this "Masonic Education"? Maybe. But we have to ask "What's the goal?"
I often ask a man, "How old are you?" Let's say I hear "38". I then ask "Is the way you look at life different now, from the way you did when you were 28?" Now you can pick the decade, any decade, and the answer will always be the same. "Oh yeah, I see life much differently today than I did back then". And why wouldn't we?
Life, being a parent, the way I look at my work, and my understanding of Masonry all evolves as I travel through the decades. I see Masonry today, at nearly 73, much differently than when I first became a Mason at 22. If life meant something different today then it did 50 years ago, why wouldn't Masonry? Wouldn't "Masonic Education" also hold a different interest as one travels through time? If that's true, then "Masonic Education' cannot be a "one size fits all". It also must be a very personal journey, and the best we can do is open a door.
And this brings me back to the concept of "Basic Research". Masonic Education, for me, is not why the compasses are set a particular degree. Nor is it about the Holy Saints John, or Sacred Geometry. It isn't about the Kabbalah, or the influence of Egyptian Magic. It's not even the question of if Sir Walter Raleigh wrote as Shakespear, and could there be an early Masonic influence?
As Master of my Lodge, Masonic Education is a topic that will engage the widest number of my brothers, and cause them to talk with one another. It is a topic that will cause them to want to come back to the lodge. In the end, it's a topic of how Masonry applies to every day life. To that goal, I've used poems, music, a $1.00 coin, dang near anything that gets men talking to one another in our Shrink The Lodge. These topics are never, ever, lectures. And if the topic is successful, an hour goes buy as if it was 10 minutes.
I'll leave the deep dives for others. The time we have in Lodge is too brief, and too seldom, and too precious to focus on deep dives of minutia. There's nothing wrong with the hyperfocus on some obscure point of Masonry, but that's for the man, not the lodge.
Of course there are your typical off session items, like memorials, funerals and scroll readings where family (if available) would attend. We've had speakers do presentations where guests were allowed.
I personally don't see any reason why we would hide the philosophical and moral teachings from anyone. As long as we don't reveal the ritual, obligations, grips and words, any subject should be fine. Instruction benefits the profane and the brethren alike. After all, there are plenty of books, articles, poems, short stories, parables and teachings published everywhere. There is no shortage of material to mine.
I’ve always wanted to learn how to tell where i am on the earth by using the stars. This would be something my wife would also be interested in. I’d also like to see a several day trip on a boat where everyone gets a chance to try out their navigation skills. As for where the line is, i’m still learning, but so far i don’t find much in our teaching that couldn’t be found elsewhere, but obviously want to keep secret the normal things others have also mentioned, obligations, passwords, grips etc.
I suspect that off-session was something of an innovation in Freemasonry when the Craft decided to make the installation ceremony public.
At some point in its modern history, The Craft wanted to let non-Masons enter a lodge room for installations. But the lodge has to be at labor to conduct said installation. What to do? Thus off-session was born.
You can tell it’s not part of the original ritual work because it’s simply “I declare this lodge off session”…not old English ritual there.
I’m not saying I’ve never used it, but it can easily be overused and it’s too tempting for some lodges to then never learn the ritual for refreshment, which actually has a defined purpose and codified ritual.
So I think your post is really a two-part question. 1) Is off-session the appropriate state to put the lodge in?
2) What are the boundaries for a program or presentation for non-Masons.
The first question is straight forward. Off-session should be limited for public installations.
The second question is the heart of your original post.
A program for or presentation for non-Masons can be a fantastic idea. There are many topics of interest and it’s a great way to include a group of men who are looking at petitioning your lodge.
Historical presentations are easy to start with. We did one on Masonic musicians. We had a D-Day presentation once. I think it’s fine to discuss 7 liberal arts or the topic of virtue. Freemasonry doesn’t have exclusive rights to these topics either. If it’s not discussing the obligation/penalty, modes of recognition, specific ritual, then I think you are fine.
The writings of Carl Claudy in "Old Tiler Talks" make for excellent presentations to Brethren and guests. I have taken the liberty of rearranging them into short 2 or 3-person plays (sketches, really), each of which delivers a message for the new Mason or those who are interested in Masonry. I have also modified the Middle Chamber Lecture, so it may be delivered to anyone, Brother, guest, even children. I do the lecture as Brother Mark Twain, being escorted around the Lodge by a young man, telling him about the meaning of the Winding Stairs, without revealing any of the secrets of our Craft. The lecture has been well-received so far. Each of the Claudy plays and the Mark Twain Middle Chamber Lecture take about 20 minutes, so the audience doesn't get bored or worn out. And that's just the *beginning* of material available for Masonic education! When practiced and done well, this type of education can generate interest for the "seeker," Initiate, Master Mason, and guests. Educational AND entertaining!
Dr. Werner Von Braun once said "Basic research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing'. For those not familiar with Dr. Braun, he was head of German rocket research in WWII. He later became a pivotal figure in US rocket research,including the Apollo project. .
Why bring up Dr. Braun? "Basic Research" is a simple phrase that proves, or disproves a foundational thesis, when in turn drives a project or goal..
I hear the phrase "Masonic Education" in almost every encounter of two or more Masons. But what does it mean, and what are our goals?
The doctoral student prepares a thesis of original research, often diving into such deep minutiae that only a handful of people world wide understand the topic, and the conclusion. On a far more often than not basis, I've seen Masonic lectures so focused on the tiniest detail that the eyes of the audience quickly glaze over. Is this "Masonic Education"? Maybe. But we have to ask "What's the goal?"
I often ask a man, "How old are you?" Let's say I hear "38". I then ask "Is the way you look at life different now, from the way you did when you were 28?" Now you can pick the decade, any decade, and the answer will always be the same. "Oh yeah, I see life much differently today than I did back then". And why wouldn't we?
Life, being a parent, the way I look at my work, and my understanding of Masonry all evolves as I travel through the decades. I see Masonry today, at nearly 73, much differently than when I first became a Mason at 22. If life meant something different today then it did 50 years ago, why wouldn't Masonry? Wouldn't "Masonic Education" also hold a different interest as one travels through time? If that's true, then "Masonic Education' cannot be a "one size fits all". It also must be a very personal journey, and the best we can do is open a door.
And this brings me back to the concept of "Basic Research". Masonic Education, for me, is not why the compasses are set a particular degree. Nor is it about the Holy Saints John, or Sacred Geometry. It isn't about the Kabbalah, or the influence of Egyptian Magic. It's not even the question of if Sir Walter Raleigh wrote as Shakespear, and could there be an early Masonic influence?
As Master of my Lodge, Masonic Education is a topic that will engage the widest number of my brothers, and cause them to talk with one another. It is a topic that will cause them to want to come back to the lodge. In the end, it's a topic of how Masonry applies to every day life. To that goal, I've used poems, music, a $1.00 coin, dang near anything that gets men talking to one another in our Shrink The Lodge. These topics are never, ever, lectures. And if the topic is successful, an hour goes buy as if it was 10 minutes.
I'll leave the deep dives for others. The time we have in Lodge is too brief, and too seldom, and too precious to focus on deep dives of minutia. There's nothing wrong with the hyperfocus on some obscure point of Masonry, but that's for the man, not the lodge.