There is a time and a place for most things including short form open and closing. However the use of this arm of the Ritual can be abused by a lodges Worshipful Master who wants to be a bit less dedicated to the Ritual by taking the easy route. I have been WM 4 times now and I can only share my personal opinion as a Past Master. Using short form to save five minutes instead of using our ancient Ritual as it was created is a bit lazy. Our Founding Fathers of our Ritual would be turning in their graves if they knew a short form was being used. Long Form Brothers is the only way. My2c
My previous jurisdiction had a short form for closing. It was great when you had a long meeting with multiple candidates. Did it save time? You bet. Did we use it every time? No. It helped us. Plain and simple. As far as ritual, everyone performed from memory as a requirement, so it wasn’t a crutch. It was merely a time saver to allow us the ability to have some small social time after a long meeting.
NY got rid of short form closing and I’m glad. When I visited lodges, I could tell during the opening if they used short form closing. They stumbled, were hesitant and saved a whole 2 minutes.
I personally don't even like the alternate, shorter circumambulation for the second degree, I consider it cheating. The only times I've seen anyone use that in the degree is by folks who struggle with the work to begin with.
Louisiana allows the Grand Master to close any Lodge at any time in “the summary” manner, which is a much abbreviated form. The DGM, GSW, and GJW are allowed to close “open” meetings when guests are present in a summary manner. There is no authorized or allowed short form closing, but I’ve seen people do it anyway.
Branching out a bit, I have a strong dislike for the short forms used in York Rite vs the full forms for those bodies and feel the full form ritual should be used.
I believe that one of the purposes of the opening and closing ritual is to draw a sharp dividing line between the things that are external to the Lodge and the business of the Lodge. You can think of the opening as submerging yourself into the experience, and the closing allowing you to slowly come back up the surface of the outer world. Short forms short circuit this mental shift.
The Texas short form closing simply asks the senior officers, the secretary and the lodge if anyone has anything further. Asks the JD to inform the T, then declares the lodge closed. I generally only saw it used after a particularly long meeting or often after a degree so we could go have refreshments with the brothers. I did it myself a few times for those reasons.
Apr 6, 2023·edited Apr 6, 2023Liked by Cameron M. Bailey
Several of us in District 19 have been using parts of the ritual as education. We ask questions about why we use certain language. What does it mean? Is it just a catechism that we repeat without thought or meaning or is it something deeper? How can we use our ritual as a tool to better ourselves? In my lodge we explored what parts of the ritual may differ around the world and we even did the closing charge in French one night. How can we make what we do more interesting and thought provoking? Sometimes, the opening and/or closing ritual is done so poorly that "short form" is a way to put it out of its misery which certainly requires some introspection and actual work by the brother(s) to correct. Clumsy and poorly done ritual work is one of the biggest time wasters in lodge. It impacts how the officers and the lodge are viewed by the members. We take our sacred ritual seriously and it deserves reverence. Food for thought ... What does the newest member of your lodge see and feel when you open or close the lodge? Do they question their choice to join when presented with shortcuts and fumbling ritual? If you have no new members, that may be your answer.
I like having the opening and closing in the same form. When I was a newer Mason, it gave me more opportunity to hear the words and read the Cypher together. It is part of the learning process to be ready to sit in the chairs.
When I was in a Chair, the closing gave me a chance to redeem myself when I had a hiccup in the opening.
It's no secret that in WA, during a special communication for an installation of officers ceremony, at least three senior master masons huddle around the altar, open the bible, set the square & compass up, light the candles/lights and someone grabs a hat, hold it up and declares the lodge open on the 3rd degree and subsequently off-session. After the ceremony concludes and everyone exits the lodge room, the doors are closed and the same is performed in reverse. In this context, I'm fine with a very abbreviated short form opening/closing.
I think in very limited circumstances, short form could be used, but then again, much of the labor and discussions should be at the lodge officer planning meetings. If there is discussion in lodge on a topic, the Master should allocate time in the meeting for such discussion and maintain an agenda accordingly as to have any sort of short-form be used sparingly.
I prefer to see the full ritual at closing.
Using a short form should be avoided unless it is necessary.
There is a time and a place for most things including short form open and closing. However the use of this arm of the Ritual can be abused by a lodges Worshipful Master who wants to be a bit less dedicated to the Ritual by taking the easy route. I have been WM 4 times now and I can only share my personal opinion as a Past Master. Using short form to save five minutes instead of using our ancient Ritual as it was created is a bit lazy. Our Founding Fathers of our Ritual would be turning in their graves if they knew a short form was being used. Long Form Brothers is the only way. My2c
My previous jurisdiction had a short form for closing. It was great when you had a long meeting with multiple candidates. Did it save time? You bet. Did we use it every time? No. It helped us. Plain and simple. As far as ritual, everyone performed from memory as a requirement, so it wasn’t a crutch. It was merely a time saver to allow us the ability to have some small social time after a long meeting.
NY got rid of short form closing and I’m glad. When I visited lodges, I could tell during the opening if they used short form closing. They stumbled, were hesitant and saved a whole 2 minutes.
I've only seen it done (legally) once by the GM.
I personally don't even like the alternate, shorter circumambulation for the second degree, I consider it cheating. The only times I've seen anyone use that in the degree is by folks who struggle with the work to begin with.
Louisiana allows the Grand Master to close any Lodge at any time in “the summary” manner, which is a much abbreviated form. The DGM, GSW, and GJW are allowed to close “open” meetings when guests are present in a summary manner. There is no authorized or allowed short form closing, but I’ve seen people do it anyway.
Branching out a bit, I have a strong dislike for the short forms used in York Rite vs the full forms for those bodies and feel the full form ritual should be used.
I believe that one of the purposes of the opening and closing ritual is to draw a sharp dividing line between the things that are external to the Lodge and the business of the Lodge. You can think of the opening as submerging yourself into the experience, and the closing allowing you to slowly come back up the surface of the outer world. Short forms short circuit this mental shift.
The Texas short form closing simply asks the senior officers, the secretary and the lodge if anyone has anything further. Asks the JD to inform the T, then declares the lodge closed. I generally only saw it used after a particularly long meeting or often after a degree so we could go have refreshments with the brothers. I did it myself a few times for those reasons.
Not allowed in my jurisdiction and I can't even imagine the fight that would ensue if someone suggested allowing it.
Several of us in District 19 have been using parts of the ritual as education. We ask questions about why we use certain language. What does it mean? Is it just a catechism that we repeat without thought or meaning or is it something deeper? How can we use our ritual as a tool to better ourselves? In my lodge we explored what parts of the ritual may differ around the world and we even did the closing charge in French one night. How can we make what we do more interesting and thought provoking? Sometimes, the opening and/or closing ritual is done so poorly that "short form" is a way to put it out of its misery which certainly requires some introspection and actual work by the brother(s) to correct. Clumsy and poorly done ritual work is one of the biggest time wasters in lodge. It impacts how the officers and the lodge are viewed by the members. We take our sacred ritual seriously and it deserves reverence. Food for thought ... What does the newest member of your lodge see and feel when you open or close the lodge? Do they question their choice to join when presented with shortcuts and fumbling ritual? If you have no new members, that may be your answer.
I like having the opening and closing in the same form. When I was a newer Mason, it gave me more opportunity to hear the words and read the Cypher together. It is part of the learning process to be ready to sit in the chairs.
When I was in a Chair, the closing gave me a chance to redeem myself when I had a hiccup in the opening.
It's no secret that in WA, during a special communication for an installation of officers ceremony, at least three senior master masons huddle around the altar, open the bible, set the square & compass up, light the candles/lights and someone grabs a hat, hold it up and declares the lodge open on the 3rd degree and subsequently off-session. After the ceremony concludes and everyone exits the lodge room, the doors are closed and the same is performed in reverse. In this context, I'm fine with a very abbreviated short form opening/closing.
I think in very limited circumstances, short form could be used, but then again, much of the labor and discussions should be at the lodge officer planning meetings. If there is discussion in lodge on a topic, the Master should allocate time in the meeting for such discussion and maintain an agenda accordingly as to have any sort of short-form be used sparingly.