Long ago, our ritual was only admitted to be transmitted from mouth to ear. We didn’t have ciphered versions of our Standard Work. If we wanted to learn it, we had to do it with a coach or mentor, repeating it over and over until it was remembered.
That’s the romantic notion of it anyway.
In reality, there were exposures. Books printed in violation of our Masonic law, generally by those who were seeking to harm Freemasonry, that contained our Standard Work, word for word. I’ve read one of those old exposures that is virtually identical to Washington’s work today. It seems that a great many Masons bought these books as their own memory aids.
Eventually we printed our ritual, in cypher form.
In Washington, we also print our ritual in plain text, but we limit the copies of it to our District Deputies, Elected Grand Lodge Officers, and the Grand Lecturer.
Some Jurisdictions go further. Some provide the plain text of their ritual to their membership in general.
This year, the Grand Lodge of Washington is considering keeping the ciphered form, but providing it electronically, so that a Washington Mason can use it on his computer or his phone.
What do we think? How should our ritual be distributed to our members. Should we hold so tightly to the plain text, given that it can be downloaded off the internet anyway? Should we stick with ciphered versions? What about electronic versions? Cyphered or not? How do we best store electronic versions?
Let’s chat about it…
As you’ve no doubt noticed, Emeth has gone purple today. Just a fun little change for my birthday, I’ll put it back to normal tomorrow. I promise.
Having done my memorization the old fashioned way, you didn't receive a cipher until you were raised. There was a standard work held by the Secretary of the Lodge for ritual and Degree practice, as District Deputys were not able to be everywhere, everytime. I am for having a plain text Standard Work to be locked and held by either the Secretary or Master of the Lodge . Just saying....
Given that the standard work is already available online. Acting like we're hiding it from our membership is just silly. I'm in favor of requiring memorization of the posting lectures for advancement and all rituals in lodge should also be done by memory to show dedication, but I see no harm in publishing plain text for assistance with clarity and consistency through the years to avoid the telephone effect and also to assist brethren in learning the ritual well for performance in lodge. An actor who has to read his lines fron the script on stage is a poor actor, but nobody expects him to learn those lines orally or by Cypher only, and we aren't hiding anything that isn't already available.
I don’t think making the standard work in cypher available to download is a bad thing. I do think publishing the standard work in plain text is a bad idea. Certainly anyone can go out on the Internet and find the ritual, but it’s not about that. Although it’s no longer “secret”, there should still remain some mystery. I also think providing the ritual in plain text is a crutch. I feel learning the cypher is almost as important as learning the ritual. A couple years before I became a Mason, the story in my lodge goes that the WM came into possession of a copy of the plain text. A fight nearly broke out when the DDGM went to the East on night to relieve the Master of the plain text version he had. I think the Fraternity needs to stop making decisions, or consider making decisions based on the lowest common denominator. Freemasonry is about challenging a man’s thinking and it starts with learning the cypher.
I think a copy of the plain text in the hands of each Lodge is a good idea, as I have seen the ritual drift in lodges and think a copy of plain text would help with that, it would also help with memorization, as it could be used in classes and mentoring. I do think memory work is something we need to maintain. Its part of our tradition, and it's good for us as a mental exercise. Having the cypher available electronically is an inevitable next step, we can do it now or we can do it later, but its coming. We can also go ahead and accept that once we have a commonly available electronic cypher it will get shared publicly. My Department of Energy security files got hacked, so I am pretty sure our cypher will be.
Since the internet already has opened the flood gates to the Cowens out there, they can already read most rituals and degree work in plain text. Maintain the few secrets we have in the grips, passes, and words. But the Cypher is a little antiquated and even other jurisdictions in the US have done away with them.
I believe proficiency is still required from memory and that Ritual should be committed to memory. But one thing I've learned is that memorization of ritual from Cypher without a Brother's aid is extremely hard. And this last year made it more difficult without being able to meet to practice. Limitations with electronic communications may have slowed down memorization and refreshers.
I was taught the ritual by my Father mouth to ear and the memory of those sessions still resides with me today. That is the part that we miss today, that personal connection between candidate and mentor; the time well spent together.
After I passed all of my in Lodge proficiencies, he handed me a series of books that belonged to my Grandfather. The King Solomon version of the Washington work dated 1926. And we worked through that book. Then he handed me the then current version of the work, those three little books and the Monitor; and we worked through that. So after about two years of study, reading and reciting; Dad told me I was ready. That was how he was taught and that was how he taught me.
Times have changed but we must remember that it is the experience, the relationships and not just the words of our ritual that are important. We must take the time to investigate, to build, to educate and to have fun during our life-long journey of discovery.
I think the Secretary or a Master of Ritual should have a plain text of the Standard Work, so that "telephone" errors don't creep into the performance of ritual. I first learned my Posting Lectures (in California) from a Mentor, mouth-to-ear. When I was Raised, he gave me a copy of the California Standard Work cypher. It was all in symbolic code! He taught me how to read it, and that's how I maintained proficiency.
When I came to Washington, my sponsor lent me his copy of the Washington Standard Work, and I couldn't read a word, until he showed me several keys to unlocking the secrets.
After all, you have to actually *know* the work before you can *read* the work. The cypher is simply an "*aide memoire*" -- an aid to the memory.
Dear jurisdiction of Washington. Time to claw your way to the 21st century. I’ve had TSW on my iPad since I was raised. Unfortunately, it’s a little out of date. It would make all of us younger masons who aren’t afraid of technology have the ability to keep current with changes to the cipher. It would also reduce costs for printing. Why this hasn’t been done decades ago is beyond me.
And each lodge secretary should maintain a plain text version. Why this wasn’t passed as a resolution before leaves me gobsmacked.
As the Brother who helped shoot down the resolution that would have allowed the Lodge Secretaries to have a plain text of the Standard Work, I’ll explain why.
Right now, the Grand Secretary is the custodian of the Standard Work, with the Master Copy of the plain text in his possession, and he is also in charge of the 50 copies of the Plain Text. According to Sections 4 and 6 of the WMC, those who are entrusted a copy of the plain text have to maintain a strict responsibility for it. That Brother cannot allow that Plain Text to leave his possession, and he cannot loan it to anyone. I have found it to be a challenge to account for the 50 copies, although our Deputies and Grand Lodge officers have been quite diligent in keeping track of the items they have in their possession. If the Resolution had passed, the 50 would have become around 200, which would be impossible to keep track of. I can guarantee that at least a few Lodge secretaries would be loaning it out or letting it out of his sight. You might think, “So what?” but I’d have to refer you back to those sections of the WMC. If the resolution had included provisions to eliminate those restrictions, it’d be more likely the resolution would pass, but then you know copies of the plain text would be getting lost on a regular basis. It’s just how things work. We’re human. Again, you might ask, “So what?”
Which brings us back to the original question: Why are we so concerned about letting the Profane know of our ritual? Like what’s been mentioned repeatedly here: it’s out there! It’s been out there for over a century, if you really get down to it. So why should we even be restricting the plain text to the Secretaries? Why not give it to every Master Mason?
Or here’s another question: Why did we make it in cypher to begin with? If you look at earlier proceedings, the Cypher was considered just like the plain text is today. An innovation that was HIGHLY resisted. There were many that said mouth-to-ear was the only way to learn the work, and in many jurisdictions (I think ours was one of them) it was actually a Masonic Offense to be caught with one of those “King Solomon and his Followers” in your possession, which could earn you Expulsion!
I think we need to look back in the proceedings and our History, not only in our Jurisdiction, but in the Fraternity as a whole, to really find out why we didn’t publish the Standard Work to begin with over 200 years ago. It takes an effort to publish this work in cypher. We could have published plain texts from the very beginning with less effort. Why didn’t we do that all those years ago?
I put out more questions than answers on this post. But that’s what we really need to do. The idea of not publishing the plain text for the secretaries, or all Master Masons, being outdated doesn’t really hold water, unless we look back and try to understand where it all started. Why was it so concealed to begin with? Why Exposes held so much power and supposedly had to be squashed, even with consequences that tarnished the reputation of the Fraternity.
This is an excellent subject, and I think it deserves more debate in depth.
The Grand Lodge of Maine has their cipher available to anyone who visits their website. Yes, I downloaded a copy. Plain text of the Fraternity's "secret" work has been available to the public since at least 1723. According to some researchers, exposures were even adopted by a few Lodges as their ritual.
For me, it is the meaning hidden behind the words, symbols & written explanations of the symbols that hold our secrets not the order of the words themselves. It is only through our Masonic labors that we can approach the true secrets.
We should make our cipher available electronically.
I believe the current method of the plain text availability should stay as is. The cypher is earned as the new Mason progresses on his journey, stop and think about it, it fits in the pocket as easy as the iPod/cell phone. I have the ones my dad used and I am proud to carry one of them almost every time I attend a lodge. Must be old fashion. There is nothing wrong with black, green,of blue. HAPPY BIRTHDAY
I would put forward this - its not about the format of the text of our ritual, its about the format of the learning, experiencing, practicing and teaching our ritual that is important for all of us now and those in the future. This is what makes us different. This is what sets us apart from other fraternal organizations. This is what makes us special.
As the author of the original resolution it was not my intent to replace the printed copies. It was not to provide the written text to anyone, it was simply to provide a copy as printed to be read in an electronic device. I love the cipher because it forces my brain to determine the words, not just read them. It forces me to ask questions of a brother if I don't understand. It was not about making it available on the internet. Or code today, as I read it, doesn't say you CAN'T have an electronic version, yet I was told no, you need a resolution for that. So here we are, typing on my phone to an electronic blog, while searching for my printed standard work to refresh my ritual memory, but I can't remember where the hell I put my book...
I can only speak for NC. However its a masonic offence here to give a cypher or any written form of the ritual or "catechism"/ return to the candidate or EA or Fellowcraft. Every thing has to be mouth to ear here. Something stressful but at the end a mountain worth climbing.
Having done my memorization the old fashioned way, you didn't receive a cipher until you were raised. There was a standard work held by the Secretary of the Lodge for ritual and Degree practice, as District Deputys were not able to be everywhere, everytime. I am for having a plain text Standard Work to be locked and held by either the Secretary or Master of the Lodge . Just saying....
Given that the standard work is already available online. Acting like we're hiding it from our membership is just silly. I'm in favor of requiring memorization of the posting lectures for advancement and all rituals in lodge should also be done by memory to show dedication, but I see no harm in publishing plain text for assistance with clarity and consistency through the years to avoid the telephone effect and also to assist brethren in learning the ritual well for performance in lodge. An actor who has to read his lines fron the script on stage is a poor actor, but nobody expects him to learn those lines orally or by Cypher only, and we aren't hiding anything that isn't already available.
Happy birthday!
I don’t think making the standard work in cypher available to download is a bad thing. I do think publishing the standard work in plain text is a bad idea. Certainly anyone can go out on the Internet and find the ritual, but it’s not about that. Although it’s no longer “secret”, there should still remain some mystery. I also think providing the ritual in plain text is a crutch. I feel learning the cypher is almost as important as learning the ritual. A couple years before I became a Mason, the story in my lodge goes that the WM came into possession of a copy of the plain text. A fight nearly broke out when the DDGM went to the East on night to relieve the Master of the plain text version he had. I think the Fraternity needs to stop making decisions, or consider making decisions based on the lowest common denominator. Freemasonry is about challenging a man’s thinking and it starts with learning the cypher.
I think a copy of the plain text in the hands of each Lodge is a good idea, as I have seen the ritual drift in lodges and think a copy of plain text would help with that, it would also help with memorization, as it could be used in classes and mentoring. I do think memory work is something we need to maintain. Its part of our tradition, and it's good for us as a mental exercise. Having the cypher available electronically is an inevitable next step, we can do it now or we can do it later, but its coming. We can also go ahead and accept that once we have a commonly available electronic cypher it will get shared publicly. My Department of Energy security files got hacked, so I am pretty sure our cypher will be.
Since the internet already has opened the flood gates to the Cowens out there, they can already read most rituals and degree work in plain text. Maintain the few secrets we have in the grips, passes, and words. But the Cypher is a little antiquated and even other jurisdictions in the US have done away with them.
I believe proficiency is still required from memory and that Ritual should be committed to memory. But one thing I've learned is that memorization of ritual from Cypher without a Brother's aid is extremely hard. And this last year made it more difficult without being able to meet to practice. Limitations with electronic communications may have slowed down memorization and refreshers.
I was taught the ritual by my Father mouth to ear and the memory of those sessions still resides with me today. That is the part that we miss today, that personal connection between candidate and mentor; the time well spent together.
After I passed all of my in Lodge proficiencies, he handed me a series of books that belonged to my Grandfather. The King Solomon version of the Washington work dated 1926. And we worked through that book. Then he handed me the then current version of the work, those three little books and the Monitor; and we worked through that. So after about two years of study, reading and reciting; Dad told me I was ready. That was how he was taught and that was how he taught me.
Times have changed but we must remember that it is the experience, the relationships and not just the words of our ritual that are important. We must take the time to investigate, to build, to educate and to have fun during our life-long journey of discovery.
I think the Secretary or a Master of Ritual should have a plain text of the Standard Work, so that "telephone" errors don't creep into the performance of ritual. I first learned my Posting Lectures (in California) from a Mentor, mouth-to-ear. When I was Raised, he gave me a copy of the California Standard Work cypher. It was all in symbolic code! He taught me how to read it, and that's how I maintained proficiency.
When I came to Washington, my sponsor lent me his copy of the Washington Standard Work, and I couldn't read a word, until he showed me several keys to unlocking the secrets.
After all, you have to actually *know* the work before you can *read* the work. The cypher is simply an "*aide memoire*" -- an aid to the memory.
Dear jurisdiction of Washington. Time to claw your way to the 21st century. I’ve had TSW on my iPad since I was raised. Unfortunately, it’s a little out of date. It would make all of us younger masons who aren’t afraid of technology have the ability to keep current with changes to the cipher. It would also reduce costs for printing. Why this hasn’t been done decades ago is beyond me.
And each lodge secretary should maintain a plain text version. Why this wasn’t passed as a resolution before leaves me gobsmacked.
As the Brother who helped shoot down the resolution that would have allowed the Lodge Secretaries to have a plain text of the Standard Work, I’ll explain why.
Right now, the Grand Secretary is the custodian of the Standard Work, with the Master Copy of the plain text in his possession, and he is also in charge of the 50 copies of the Plain Text. According to Sections 4 and 6 of the WMC, those who are entrusted a copy of the plain text have to maintain a strict responsibility for it. That Brother cannot allow that Plain Text to leave his possession, and he cannot loan it to anyone. I have found it to be a challenge to account for the 50 copies, although our Deputies and Grand Lodge officers have been quite diligent in keeping track of the items they have in their possession. If the Resolution had passed, the 50 would have become around 200, which would be impossible to keep track of. I can guarantee that at least a few Lodge secretaries would be loaning it out or letting it out of his sight. You might think, “So what?” but I’d have to refer you back to those sections of the WMC. If the resolution had included provisions to eliminate those restrictions, it’d be more likely the resolution would pass, but then you know copies of the plain text would be getting lost on a regular basis. It’s just how things work. We’re human. Again, you might ask, “So what?”
Which brings us back to the original question: Why are we so concerned about letting the Profane know of our ritual? Like what’s been mentioned repeatedly here: it’s out there! It’s been out there for over a century, if you really get down to it. So why should we even be restricting the plain text to the Secretaries? Why not give it to every Master Mason?
Or here’s another question: Why did we make it in cypher to begin with? If you look at earlier proceedings, the Cypher was considered just like the plain text is today. An innovation that was HIGHLY resisted. There were many that said mouth-to-ear was the only way to learn the work, and in many jurisdictions (I think ours was one of them) it was actually a Masonic Offense to be caught with one of those “King Solomon and his Followers” in your possession, which could earn you Expulsion!
I think we need to look back in the proceedings and our History, not only in our Jurisdiction, but in the Fraternity as a whole, to really find out why we didn’t publish the Standard Work to begin with over 200 years ago. It takes an effort to publish this work in cypher. We could have published plain texts from the very beginning with less effort. Why didn’t we do that all those years ago?
I put out more questions than answers on this post. But that’s what we really need to do. The idea of not publishing the plain text for the secretaries, or all Master Masons, being outdated doesn’t really hold water, unless we look back and try to understand where it all started. Why was it so concealed to begin with? Why Exposes held so much power and supposedly had to be squashed, even with consequences that tarnished the reputation of the Fraternity.
This is an excellent subject, and I think it deserves more debate in depth.
The Grand Lodge of Maine has their cipher available to anyone who visits their website. Yes, I downloaded a copy. Plain text of the Fraternity's "secret" work has been available to the public since at least 1723. According to some researchers, exposures were even adopted by a few Lodges as their ritual.
For me, it is the meaning hidden behind the words, symbols & written explanations of the symbols that hold our secrets not the order of the words themselves. It is only through our Masonic labors that we can approach the true secrets.
We should make our cipher available electronically.
I believe the current method of the plain text availability should stay as is. The cypher is earned as the new Mason progresses on his journey, stop and think about it, it fits in the pocket as easy as the iPod/cell phone. I have the ones my dad used and I am proud to carry one of them almost every time I attend a lodge. Must be old fashion. There is nothing wrong with black, green,of blue. HAPPY BIRTHDAY
I would put forward this - its not about the format of the text of our ritual, its about the format of the learning, experiencing, practicing and teaching our ritual that is important for all of us now and those in the future. This is what makes us different. This is what sets us apart from other fraternal organizations. This is what makes us special.
As the author of the original resolution it was not my intent to replace the printed copies. It was not to provide the written text to anyone, it was simply to provide a copy as printed to be read in an electronic device. I love the cipher because it forces my brain to determine the words, not just read them. It forces me to ask questions of a brother if I don't understand. It was not about making it available on the internet. Or code today, as I read it, doesn't say you CAN'T have an electronic version, yet I was told no, you need a resolution for that. So here we are, typing on my phone to an electronic blog, while searching for my printed standard work to refresh my ritual memory, but I can't remember where the hell I put my book...
I can only speak for NC. However its a masonic offence here to give a cypher or any written form of the ritual or "catechism"/ return to the candidate or EA or Fellowcraft. Every thing has to be mouth to ear here. Something stressful but at the end a mountain worth climbing.