Well, I for one didn’t know anything about research lodges in this state until now. I still don’t, since I don’t know who they are or where they are located.
The Allied Masonic Degrees are an invitational organization, and requires membership in the Royal Arch as well as the Symbolic Lodge. Membership is limited to 27 members per council. More https://www.amdusa.org/history.html
Before I was made a Mason, one of my visualizations of a Masonic lodge was of a learned society. That, and other expectations, were proven baseless after I was raised, but three years later we had a real grand master who launched our first lodge of Masonic research. I petitioned for membership immediately, and wound up presiding in its East four years later.
A research lodge is a literary society. The brethren in Washington ideally would investigate the history of Freemasonry in your state, and present college-level research papers to the lodge, which ought to publish books of these transactions on some regular basis.
Today, I am President of the Masonic Society, and we welcome your papers for possible publication in our quarterly magazine “The Journal of the Masonic Society.”
Just a bit of information about the Research Lodges in Washington:
We have one, Walter F. Meier Lodge of Research in Seattle, and the Eastern Washington Lodge of Research meets in Spokane. Thomas Lamb who is very active here with Emeth is currently the Master of Walter F. Meier, so he can likely provide some more information.
Over the years Walter F. Meier has created a treasure trove of Masonic learning by publishing its best papers in hard bound collections. Our Grand Lodge library should have a set of these for anyone who is curious.
I hope this helps. In Jurisdictions outside of Washington, a call to the Jurisdiction's Grand Lodge Office should result in some information, assuming that the Jurisdiction does have a Research Lodge.
Back in the day, our Jurisdiction didn’t permit plural memberships, only dual memberships. You could only join two Lodges, with one exception; you could join a third Lodge, if that Lodge was a Lodge of Research.
The Lodges of Research also have a special distinction in the Washington Masonic Code that they don’t pay the Grand Lodge Assessment for their members, since in the past, all members were members of other Lodges.
I see two problems noted in this discussion that I also note. The one that WB Glenn brings up is frustrating, in that the Lodges of research are not really on the radar, unless you search them out. I think they would have greater membership if they at least put an article or two in the Tribune, as well as some flyers/announcements that are sent to the Lodges, or at least the Districts. Let the new Brothers know that there is indeed a Lodge of Research, and that it is a treasure trove of Masonic Knowledge, as MW Cameron points out.
The other problem is the distance. That was true… in the past. Now, with the advent of the teleconferencing, especially lately, the Research lodges can now do more teleconference meetings, just like we do “Rummer and Grapes” on Sundays. Walter F. Meier Lodge or Research No. 281 meets on the even-numbered months, and it appears the Eastern Washington Lodge of Research meets every other month as well. Perhaps the Lodges could do hybrid meetings on the Stated Communication dates, and/or do pure teleconference meetings on the other months? There are many options out there, more than any other time in the history of our Jurisdiction. And there are many Brothers who live throughout the Jurisdiction that would be quite interested in joining either one of these Lodges and becoming active in them, if they knew that the Lodges existed and were accessible. There is an excellent opportunity here, and I look forward to seeing how these two Lodges respond to those opportunities.
I am hoping to petition for the Eastern Washington LR this month as I know several of the members therein. I am very hungry for Masonic knowledge but want my energy going toward the most fruitful sources. I am quite hopeful that EWLR will assist me in this.
I am thinking that I'm going to take a look at WF Meier once my term in the East is done. The drive would be difficult for me, but like you, I am forever hungry for more Masonic education.
The distance to it.
Well, I for one didn’t know anything about research lodges in this state until now. I still don’t, since I don’t know who they are or where they are located.
The Allied Masonic Degrees are an invitational organization, and requires membership in the Royal Arch as well as the Symbolic Lodge. Membership is limited to 27 members per council. More https://www.amdusa.org/history.html
We need more information about research lodges. Who are they, when do they meet, are there any special requirements or expectations should we join?
Before I was made a Mason, one of my visualizations of a Masonic lodge was of a learned society. That, and other expectations, were proven baseless after I was raised, but three years later we had a real grand master who launched our first lodge of Masonic research. I petitioned for membership immediately, and wound up presiding in its East four years later.
A research lodge is a literary society. The brethren in Washington ideally would investigate the history of Freemasonry in your state, and present college-level research papers to the lodge, which ought to publish books of these transactions on some regular basis.
Today, I am President of the Masonic Society, and we welcome your papers for possible publication in our quarterly magazine “The Journal of the Masonic Society.”
https://themasonicsociety.com/content/the-journal-of-the-masonic-society/
C&F,
Jay
Yep. Distance is a problem for me, too.
Just a bit of information about the Research Lodges in Washington:
We have one, Walter F. Meier Lodge of Research in Seattle, and the Eastern Washington Lodge of Research meets in Spokane. Thomas Lamb who is very active here with Emeth is currently the Master of Walter F. Meier, so he can likely provide some more information.
http://www.walterfmeier281.org/
https://www.facebook.com/easternwashingtonlodgeofresearch/
Over the years Walter F. Meier has created a treasure trove of Masonic learning by publishing its best papers in hard bound collections. Our Grand Lodge library should have a set of these for anyone who is curious.
I hope this helps. In Jurisdictions outside of Washington, a call to the Jurisdiction's Grand Lodge Office should result in some information, assuming that the Jurisdiction does have a Research Lodge.
Back in the day, our Jurisdiction didn’t permit plural memberships, only dual memberships. You could only join two Lodges, with one exception; you could join a third Lodge, if that Lodge was a Lodge of Research.
The Lodges of Research also have a special distinction in the Washington Masonic Code that they don’t pay the Grand Lodge Assessment for their members, since in the past, all members were members of other Lodges.
I see two problems noted in this discussion that I also note. The one that WB Glenn brings up is frustrating, in that the Lodges of research are not really on the radar, unless you search them out. I think they would have greater membership if they at least put an article or two in the Tribune, as well as some flyers/announcements that are sent to the Lodges, or at least the Districts. Let the new Brothers know that there is indeed a Lodge of Research, and that it is a treasure trove of Masonic Knowledge, as MW Cameron points out.
The other problem is the distance. That was true… in the past. Now, with the advent of the teleconferencing, especially lately, the Research lodges can now do more teleconference meetings, just like we do “Rummer and Grapes” on Sundays. Walter F. Meier Lodge or Research No. 281 meets on the even-numbered months, and it appears the Eastern Washington Lodge of Research meets every other month as well. Perhaps the Lodges could do hybrid meetings on the Stated Communication dates, and/or do pure teleconference meetings on the other months? There are many options out there, more than any other time in the history of our Jurisdiction. And there are many Brothers who live throughout the Jurisdiction that would be quite interested in joining either one of these Lodges and becoming active in them, if they knew that the Lodges existed and were accessible. There is an excellent opportunity here, and I look forward to seeing how these two Lodges respond to those opportunities.
I am hoping to petition for the Eastern Washington LR this month as I know several of the members therein. I am very hungry for Masonic knowledge but want my energy going toward the most fruitful sources. I am quite hopeful that EWLR will assist me in this.
I am thinking that I'm going to take a look at WF Meier once my term in the East is done. The drive would be difficult for me, but like you, I am forever hungry for more Masonic education.