Me personally I think the biggest thing that cought me off guard was how powerfully it truly was and is. And I truly believe that anyone that can think for themselves and is paying attention will feel the same way... I can remember like it was yesterday sitting in that chair in the middle of the lodge receiving the lecture and thinking back to what I had just experienced and literally getting chills when my brain made the connection... It has simply made me think more about my actions and the affect my actions and the way I talk affect other people... As well as accepting that I can truly trust my brothers (something I have always struggled with)
My initiation was held with an air of gravitas. The brothers were serious and respectful, no laughing, no missed lines, no mistakes. That made the experience more profound. I remember my stumbing steps as as cicumamulated the lodge. But it was the moment, when my hoodwink was removed and I beheld the lodge and the Worshipful Master, that moment I recieved the Light, that will stick with me for all my days. The serious respectful nature of my brothers made this indelibke mark upon me. I'll never forget it.
So this has inspired me to really learn the material so I can pass on this awakening experience to my next Brother.
Oh and there was a funny part , where as part my EA, I was invited to the Secretaries desk and ask to write my favorite part down. And as soon as my pen started to move, the brother yanked the sheet of paper and loudlt proclolaimed, tbis Brother has attempted to write the aecrets of Masonry down. I was scared I'd lost it all. The serious faces, the stern looks held for just a moment, before the laughter came. And like a good prank, the lesson not to inscribe or mark any secrets of masonry was made permenant in my mind. It also broke the seriousness amd showed the playful side of the Lodge. I always loved that part.
I was initiated a long time ago, when Reagan was president and I was young! Even though I was young I was already interested in Western metaphysics, and consequently was already versed in some of the language of the esoteric traditions. That preparation increased the depth of my initiation experience, and made my raising profound. In Freemasonry we refer to the first degree as “initiation”, the second degree as “passing” and the third as “raising”, but they are all initiations. While many men who have experienced our initiations have no idea, elements of our initiations have existed for millennia, perhaps all the way back to the earliest humans. In the sense that as a species we have always initiated, it is a normal condition of life, and sadly in modern society it is sorely lacking (this making our society abnormal, and perhaps contributes to a sense of not belonging to society many young people feel). Most aboriginal communities (here I mean people who still live in ethnically homogenous groups on their ancestral land) initiate children into adulthood at the advent of puberty, and they use moral and spiritual motifs to achieve the initiation. The lessons learned in these rituals then guide that young person into adulthood and tend stabilize their society. When these groups are removed from their initiation systems, as we often see when aboriginals are driven from their land and culture, these communities suffer from a constellation of pathologies like substance abuse, domestic violence and other destructive behaviors. We have, as a society driven ourselves from our own initiation system and we see many of these pathologies manifest in our society. For me, one of the things that my raising achieved was my ‘initiation” into adult male society, and that is something we can offer our younger candidates.
All that said, initiation, when done correctly, using culturally significant symbols and themes, can be truly transformative at any age. Locked within all of us is a body of knowledge that we inherit from our culture, what Jung called the ‘collective unconscious.’ Our rituals have the potential to open these elements to us, and once done they can lead to a depth of experience in everyday life that is absent without those rituals. Because our culture is fluid, and heterogenous, we can’t count on a man having the same palette of symbols in their unconscious that we use in our degree rituals. One hundred years ago most Americans would have been Christian or Jewish, having many unconscious symbols in common. Today the men coming to us come from a much more varied background. It is my opinion that before the first degree is given our candidates would benefit from some education that prepares them. Many men see initiation as simply a ritual of membership, not unlike the hazing one goes thru when they join a college fraternity, (remember all the jokes about the goat?). Well, when done correctly our degrees are so much more than that, and I think we owe it to our candidates to prep them so that they get the most from the degree work.
I was initiated in April of 1984, in Monterey Lodge No. 217, Monterey, California. There must have been nearly 100 Brethren in the Lodge that night! No one gave me any hint as to what I could expect--it was all a great mystery, slightly unnerving. When I was hoodwinked and told to knock on the door, I HAMMERED with the ball of my fist! I wanted IN!
You all know the rest of the ceremony, so I won't go into each step. I was slightly nervous, but learned to trust my conductor. It was the most beautiful, moving, and soulful ceremony I had ever been a part of to that date!
Afterwards, in the Commons Hall, I was the center of attention, Brethren shaking my hand, welcoming me to the Fraternity. The Brother who was to be my Coach and Mentor approached me with a broad grin and said, "I will be your guide along your chosen path, my Brother." I nearly cried. We met almost daily, working through the Posting Lecture, discussing the meaning of the ceremony, asking and answering questions. My head was swimming!
In June, 1984, I was Raised. My Coach is still one of my best friends! Less than a year later, I quit drinking (alcoholic beverages) at his gentle suggestion. One of the best decisions I ever made. Thank you, Martin!
Me personally I think the biggest thing that cought me off guard was how powerfully it truly was and is. And I truly believe that anyone that can think for themselves and is paying attention will feel the same way... I can remember like it was yesterday sitting in that chair in the middle of the lodge receiving the lecture and thinking back to what I had just experienced and literally getting chills when my brain made the connection... It has simply made me think more about my actions and the affect my actions and the way I talk affect other people... As well as accepting that I can truly trust my brothers (something I have always struggled with)
My initiation was held with an air of gravitas. The brothers were serious and respectful, no laughing, no missed lines, no mistakes. That made the experience more profound. I remember my stumbing steps as as cicumamulated the lodge. But it was the moment, when my hoodwink was removed and I beheld the lodge and the Worshipful Master, that moment I recieved the Light, that will stick with me for all my days. The serious respectful nature of my brothers made this indelibke mark upon me. I'll never forget it.
So this has inspired me to really learn the material so I can pass on this awakening experience to my next Brother.
Oh and there was a funny part , where as part my EA, I was invited to the Secretaries desk and ask to write my favorite part down. And as soon as my pen started to move, the brother yanked the sheet of paper and loudlt proclolaimed, tbis Brother has attempted to write the aecrets of Masonry down. I was scared I'd lost it all. The serious faces, the stern looks held for just a moment, before the laughter came. And like a good prank, the lesson not to inscribe or mark any secrets of masonry was made permenant in my mind. It also broke the seriousness amd showed the playful side of the Lodge. I always loved that part.
I was initiated a long time ago, when Reagan was president and I was young! Even though I was young I was already interested in Western metaphysics, and consequently was already versed in some of the language of the esoteric traditions. That preparation increased the depth of my initiation experience, and made my raising profound. In Freemasonry we refer to the first degree as “initiation”, the second degree as “passing” and the third as “raising”, but they are all initiations. While many men who have experienced our initiations have no idea, elements of our initiations have existed for millennia, perhaps all the way back to the earliest humans. In the sense that as a species we have always initiated, it is a normal condition of life, and sadly in modern society it is sorely lacking (this making our society abnormal, and perhaps contributes to a sense of not belonging to society many young people feel). Most aboriginal communities (here I mean people who still live in ethnically homogenous groups on their ancestral land) initiate children into adulthood at the advent of puberty, and they use moral and spiritual motifs to achieve the initiation. The lessons learned in these rituals then guide that young person into adulthood and tend stabilize their society. When these groups are removed from their initiation systems, as we often see when aboriginals are driven from their land and culture, these communities suffer from a constellation of pathologies like substance abuse, domestic violence and other destructive behaviors. We have, as a society driven ourselves from our own initiation system and we see many of these pathologies manifest in our society. For me, one of the things that my raising achieved was my ‘initiation” into adult male society, and that is something we can offer our younger candidates.
All that said, initiation, when done correctly, using culturally significant symbols and themes, can be truly transformative at any age. Locked within all of us is a body of knowledge that we inherit from our culture, what Jung called the ‘collective unconscious.’ Our rituals have the potential to open these elements to us, and once done they can lead to a depth of experience in everyday life that is absent without those rituals. Because our culture is fluid, and heterogenous, we can’t count on a man having the same palette of symbols in their unconscious that we use in our degree rituals. One hundred years ago most Americans would have been Christian or Jewish, having many unconscious symbols in common. Today the men coming to us come from a much more varied background. It is my opinion that before the first degree is given our candidates would benefit from some education that prepares them. Many men see initiation as simply a ritual of membership, not unlike the hazing one goes thru when they join a college fraternity, (remember all the jokes about the goat?). Well, when done correctly our degrees are so much more than that, and I think we owe it to our candidates to prep them so that they get the most from the degree work.
Noruopathy, Check to be sure Candidqte will not find a lapel pin in foot. If candidte does not
have feelings, he might have a pin stuck on bottom of bare foot
Bob Decker
I was initiated in April of 1984, in Monterey Lodge No. 217, Monterey, California. There must have been nearly 100 Brethren in the Lodge that night! No one gave me any hint as to what I could expect--it was all a great mystery, slightly unnerving. When I was hoodwinked and told to knock on the door, I HAMMERED with the ball of my fist! I wanted IN!
You all know the rest of the ceremony, so I won't go into each step. I was slightly nervous, but learned to trust my conductor. It was the most beautiful, moving, and soulful ceremony I had ever been a part of to that date!
Afterwards, in the Commons Hall, I was the center of attention, Brethren shaking my hand, welcoming me to the Fraternity. The Brother who was to be my Coach and Mentor approached me with a broad grin and said, "I will be your guide along your chosen path, my Brother." I nearly cried. We met almost daily, working through the Posting Lecture, discussing the meaning of the ceremony, asking and answering questions. My head was swimming!
In June, 1984, I was Raised. My Coach is still one of my best friends! Less than a year later, I quit drinking (alcoholic beverages) at his gentle suggestion. One of the best decisions I ever made. Thank you, Martin!