This past week, a new television show, The Lost Symbol, started streaming on Peacock. The show is an adaptation of Dan Brown’s book of the same name.
With one episode down, I’m afraid that I don’t hold out much hope that this is going to be good TV, or a good treatment of the book.
But, it is a show with Freemasonry at its heart. Some real stuff, some made up stuff, and plenty of strange stuff. Undoubtedly, some men will like it, and equally undoubtedly, some of those men will come and knock on the doors of our Lodges.
Are we prepared to welcome these men?
Are we prepared to explain to them what from the show might actually portray Masonic reality, and what is pure fantasy?
Do we know enough ourselves in order to do that?
For example, in the first episode a Chamber of Reflection was shown. Some Lodges use the CoR, as do some other Masonic bodies. Can we explain its purpose? Can we explain what VITRIOL signifies, what is is to remind us to do?
33rd Degree Masons were mentioned. Can we explain what a 33rd Degree Mason is? How one is selected for that honor? How the 3rd is the highest Masonic Degree and why that is? Can we explain what the Scottish and York Rites are, and how they interact? Can we credibly explain that it is not true that the 33rd Degree Masons secretly run the world and that all other Masons are their dupes?
If we aren’t ready to do these things, how can we make ourselves ready?
Whether it’s the Morgan Affair, the Leo Taxil hoax or now, the Lost Symbol, we as Masons should be able to share with anyone what’s accurate and what’s “made for prime time”. Dan Brown could be the new John Robinson. His books and now the TV series could offer us great opportunities for conversations and education within our lodges with additional inquiries from potentially new candidates. We cannot though, sit idly by, when new candidates are initiated and the lodge experience isn’t improved upon. They will flee our lodges as quickly as they arrived, discontented, frustrated and confused, believing fiction over fact because we couldn’t do something so simple as improving our educational experiences in our lodges.
The best possible way to improve the retention of new Masons is by providing Lodge experiences of consistently high quality, and the best possible way to counter misinformation about Freemasonry is through our own internal Masonic education programs.
It's suprising how few know about the Taxil hoax, but it and other hoaxes are an important discussion if we are to combat some of the slurs agains our Craft.
Well, first off, it's not the 33 degree masons that run the world, it's the 90th degree ones. Them and the alien lizard people. I read it on the internet, so it must be true. But yes, I can discuss all those questions (and more) for anyone that walks through our gates.
As far as the show goes, it's following pretty closely so far to the book, with some attempts at indiana jones thrown in for action. Which could be either good or bad, as I absolutely hated the ending in the book. Ranks right up there with finding out the answer to life, the universe and everything is 42.
I agree with you about the ending of the book. I absolutely loved the book, all the way through, right up to the very end which was horribly disappointing.
I think that it is vital that we be able to answer any questions about things portrayed in the show, for we will be asked about them, and the only way we can counter that which is false is by properly communicating that which is true.
When faced with something like a nationwide television show, put out by one of the three big networks, and purporting to be reflective of Freemasonry I think that ignorance on our part is a missed opportunity at best, and willful ignorance is even worse.
We need to anticipate questions, and be able to answer them effectively.
It is not part of the ritual. I know that's your point. But we don't treat it as such, as it's done before the ritual commences. It helps to place the candidate in a proper mental state for the ceremony following, and I've received very positive responses from the candidates who have experienced it.
The meal before and the fellowship after isn't part of the ritual either, yet we still do it anyway, for similar reasons.
The main point to keep in mind is that Dan Brown writes FICTION. Yes, he researches well and writes extremely believable prose, but it is still fiction--make believe, for the sake of entertainment. And what Hollywood does with it is to add even more fiction for the sake of entertainment, not information. I have read Dan Brown's books and found them most entertaining, but I did not revise my views of Freemasonry based on them. I try to keep the facts separate from the fiction. It helps.
Based on the episode I saw, I think that many of the purported Masonic elements of the show will have a kernel of truth that is then wrapped in fiction.
For instance, using the examples I did above, some Lodges in this Jurisdiction, and around the world will have emblems of mortality in their temples, and the initials VITRIOL scrawled on a wall. Likewise these CoR's are utilized by other Masonic bodies. But in the first episode, the CoR was also a trap for the unwary, and almost became the hero's tomb. So a touch of truth, spun into fiction.
Also in that episode, it was mentioned that the victim is a 33rd Degree Mason. I don't recall anything more than that, but one must presume that future episodes will somehow declare that the 33rds possess amazing secrets and powers hidden from the world, and that they somehow run things, ala' every conspiracy theory ever. So again, a touch of truth, spun into fiction.
I think that what we need to be able to do, for those men who watch the show, and then come to us, is to be able to separate the kernels of truth from all of the fiction spun around them. To in that way be able to give them an accurate picture of what Freemasonry is, and what it is not.
Dan Brown, and his ilk, are a mixed blessing. Men will come to our Lodges based on what they see in the show/movie/book. Brown's vision of Masonry will become pop-culture and many will believe these things are factual. I think in the past there has been a thrust in our new members to come for charitable works and fellowship. Now i think, especially with the younger men, many come for the mystical/esoteric, but its based on what Dan Brown says. I'm sure each Lodge has at least one man, maybe many, who are versed in authentic Masic esaoterica and perhaps we should identify these men to bridge the gap between fiction and fact, as mentors to new members. That said, i believe the tide has changed and we need to include the esoteric in our Lodge experience at some level. There is no reason not to, as Masonic esoterica is a real and authentic thing, and some new members are looking for it. I also think our Scottish Rite brethren could do outreach to the blue Lodges with esoterically based presentaton based on AASR symbols and degrees.
I agree. To deny that there are deep esoteric currents within Freemasonry is incorrect, but we need to be able to communicate about those currents appropriately, especially because, as you say, a great many men are attracted to our Fraternity for that very reason.
To deny it simply harms the Mason's experience.
We saw this last night on our Emeth zoom gathering, Rummer & Grapes.
A young man took the discussion in our EA Lecture about 'The Perfect Points Of Your Entrance' and began studying it.
I have my own theory about what this part of the Lecture means, to me. I think that I may have written about that in Emeth at some point, but I have also presented it within our Lodges from time to time, most recently at Quilcene-Jefferson Lodge.
MW Robert Davis has written about it as well, as have other well known Masonic authors.
In any event though, this new Mason studied the passage, thought deeply about it, wrote down his ideas about what it could mean, to him, and asked to present those ideas to his Lodge.
Well, it seems that his Lodge Brothers told him that the passage means no more than the door he walked through for his initiation, and declined to hear his ideas about it.
Nothing will push an excited man out of our Fraternity faster than denying that our Ritual actually has meaning.
Luckily the man was able to discuss it with other Masons via Zoom, so that he could have his ideas about the importance of studying our ritual honored and confirmed.
A very thoughtful explanation and purpose of the Chamber of Reflection can be found at this link. Written by Br. Andrew Hammer, author of Observing the Craft, nationally known Masonic speaker and current President of the Masonic Restoration Foundation.
By the way, for those who appreciate a more scholarly history of the preparation of the candidate and use of CoR, here is an article written by Shawn Eyer, Editor of the Philalathes Magazine and Director of Communications of the George Washington Memorial.
I love the idea of reclaiming the narrative. It’s an ideal that intuitively makes sense. The tough part, unfortunately, is could we even agreed on agree on the narrative. We can’t even agree on our origins or when we began.
So what do we do? I would say we explore and educate ourselves - and discuss in lodge. Shift the priority of the lodge meeting to learning about Freemasonry.
When The Da Vinci Code came out in 2006, there was a noticeable bump in new members that ran until 2011. However, the next 5 years from 2012-2016 saw more NPDs and the highest NPD rate in more than 4 decades. Why?
So maybe we do see a bump again with The Lost Symbol like we did with the DaVinci Code.
I would say “reclaiming the narrative” might better be explained by saying reclaiming an understanding of who we are and what we are meant to do by bringing this back to a lodge meeting. The lodges that figure this out will be most successful in retaining those new members.
I think you are absolutely correct. If we hope to have any chance of retaining new Masons, then our Lodge meetings must provide them with the Masonic education that they were promised when they joined. We tell them that they are to receive Masonic Light. Given that, we must provide Masonic Light. Anything else will result in NPD's and Demits.
Willful ignorance causes tremendous harm to our Fraternity.
Whether it’s the Morgan Affair, the Leo Taxil hoax or now, the Lost Symbol, we as Masons should be able to share with anyone what’s accurate and what’s “made for prime time”. Dan Brown could be the new John Robinson. His books and now the TV series could offer us great opportunities for conversations and education within our lodges with additional inquiries from potentially new candidates. We cannot though, sit idly by, when new candidates are initiated and the lodge experience isn’t improved upon. They will flee our lodges as quickly as they arrived, discontented, frustrated and confused, believing fiction over fact because we couldn’t do something so simple as improving our educational experiences in our lodges.
Very well said Brother!
The best possible way to improve the retention of new Masons is by providing Lodge experiences of consistently high quality, and the best possible way to counter misinformation about Freemasonry is through our own internal Masonic education programs.
It's suprising how few know about the Taxil hoax, but it and other hoaxes are an important discussion if we are to combat some of the slurs agains our Craft.
Well, first off, it's not the 33 degree masons that run the world, it's the 90th degree ones. Them and the alien lizard people. I read it on the internet, so it must be true. But yes, I can discuss all those questions (and more) for anyone that walks through our gates.
As far as the show goes, it's following pretty closely so far to the book, with some attempts at indiana jones thrown in for action. Which could be either good or bad, as I absolutely hated the ending in the book. Ranks right up there with finding out the answer to life, the universe and everything is 42.
I agree with you about the ending of the book. I absolutely loved the book, all the way through, right up to the very end which was horribly disappointing.
I think that it is vital that we be able to answer any questions about things portrayed in the show, for we will be asked about them, and the only way we can counter that which is false is by properly communicating that which is true.
When faced with something like a nationwide television show, put out by one of the three big networks, and purporting to be reflective of Freemasonry I think that ignorance on our part is a missed opportunity at best, and willful ignorance is even worse.
We need to anticipate questions, and be able to answer them effectively.
What is a Chamber of Reflection? When I tried to find it mentioned in our ritual (Washington State) there was nothing.
It is not part of the ritual. I know that's your point. But we don't treat it as such, as it's done before the ritual commences. It helps to place the candidate in a proper mental state for the ceremony following, and I've received very positive responses from the candidates who have experienced it.
The meal before and the fellowship after isn't part of the ritual either, yet we still do it anyway, for similar reasons.
Thank you W. Bro. Glenn. I appreciate your crisp explanation.
The main point to keep in mind is that Dan Brown writes FICTION. Yes, he researches well and writes extremely believable prose, but it is still fiction--make believe, for the sake of entertainment. And what Hollywood does with it is to add even more fiction for the sake of entertainment, not information. I have read Dan Brown's books and found them most entertaining, but I did not revise my views of Freemasonry based on them. I try to keep the facts separate from the fiction. It helps.
Based on the episode I saw, I think that many of the purported Masonic elements of the show will have a kernel of truth that is then wrapped in fiction.
For instance, using the examples I did above, some Lodges in this Jurisdiction, and around the world will have emblems of mortality in their temples, and the initials VITRIOL scrawled on a wall. Likewise these CoR's are utilized by other Masonic bodies. But in the first episode, the CoR was also a trap for the unwary, and almost became the hero's tomb. So a touch of truth, spun into fiction.
Also in that episode, it was mentioned that the victim is a 33rd Degree Mason. I don't recall anything more than that, but one must presume that future episodes will somehow declare that the 33rds possess amazing secrets and powers hidden from the world, and that they somehow run things, ala' every conspiracy theory ever. So again, a touch of truth, spun into fiction.
I think that what we need to be able to do, for those men who watch the show, and then come to us, is to be able to separate the kernels of truth from all of the fiction spun around them. To in that way be able to give them an accurate picture of what Freemasonry is, and what it is not.
Dan Brown, and his ilk, are a mixed blessing. Men will come to our Lodges based on what they see in the show/movie/book. Brown's vision of Masonry will become pop-culture and many will believe these things are factual. I think in the past there has been a thrust in our new members to come for charitable works and fellowship. Now i think, especially with the younger men, many come for the mystical/esoteric, but its based on what Dan Brown says. I'm sure each Lodge has at least one man, maybe many, who are versed in authentic Masic esaoterica and perhaps we should identify these men to bridge the gap between fiction and fact, as mentors to new members. That said, i believe the tide has changed and we need to include the esoteric in our Lodge experience at some level. There is no reason not to, as Masonic esoterica is a real and authentic thing, and some new members are looking for it. I also think our Scottish Rite brethren could do outreach to the blue Lodges with esoterically based presentaton based on AASR symbols and degrees.
I agree. To deny that there are deep esoteric currents within Freemasonry is incorrect, but we need to be able to communicate about those currents appropriately, especially because, as you say, a great many men are attracted to our Fraternity for that very reason.
To deny it simply harms the Mason's experience.
We saw this last night on our Emeth zoom gathering, Rummer & Grapes.
A young man took the discussion in our EA Lecture about 'The Perfect Points Of Your Entrance' and began studying it.
I have my own theory about what this part of the Lecture means, to me. I think that I may have written about that in Emeth at some point, but I have also presented it within our Lodges from time to time, most recently at Quilcene-Jefferson Lodge.
MW Robert Davis has written about it as well, as have other well known Masonic authors.
In any event though, this new Mason studied the passage, thought deeply about it, wrote down his ideas about what it could mean, to him, and asked to present those ideas to his Lodge.
Well, it seems that his Lodge Brothers told him that the passage means no more than the door he walked through for his initiation, and declined to hear his ideas about it.
Nothing will push an excited man out of our Fraternity faster than denying that our Ritual actually has meaning.
Luckily the man was able to discuss it with other Masons via Zoom, so that he could have his ideas about the importance of studying our ritual honored and confirmed.
Reminds me of a term that one of our Past Grand Masters in Washington State used a couple of years back...
….Reclaim the Narrative.
And he's right.
Yes. I think that is perfectly appropriate.
If we can't talk to interested men and new Masons about these things in a factual manner, then the fiction will be believed.
A very thoughtful explanation and purpose of the Chamber of Reflection can be found at this link. Written by Br. Andrew Hammer, author of Observing the Craft, nationally known Masonic speaker and current President of the Masonic Restoration Foundation.
http://masonicrestorationfoundation.org/documents/ATimeWithPatience.pdf
By the way, for those who appreciate a more scholarly history of the preparation of the candidate and use of CoR, here is an article written by Shawn Eyer, Editor of the Philalathes Magazine and Director of Communications of the George Washington Memorial.
https://www.academia.edu/40630104/The_Serious_Declaration_A_Traditional_Expression_of_the_Masonic_Initiates_Intent
Thank you for this VW. I'd not seen Bro. Eyer's paper before.
I love the idea of reclaiming the narrative. It’s an ideal that intuitively makes sense. The tough part, unfortunately, is could we even agreed on agree on the narrative. We can’t even agree on our origins or when we began.
So what do we do? I would say we explore and educate ourselves - and discuss in lodge. Shift the priority of the lodge meeting to learning about Freemasonry.
When The Da Vinci Code came out in 2006, there was a noticeable bump in new members that ran until 2011. However, the next 5 years from 2012-2016 saw more NPDs and the highest NPD rate in more than 4 decades. Why?
So maybe we do see a bump again with The Lost Symbol like we did with the DaVinci Code.
I would say “reclaiming the narrative” might better be explained by saying reclaiming an understanding of who we are and what we are meant to do by bringing this back to a lodge meeting. The lodges that figure this out will be most successful in retaining those new members.
I think you are absolutely correct. If we hope to have any chance of retaining new Masons, then our Lodge meetings must provide them with the Masonic education that they were promised when they joined. We tell them that they are to receive Masonic Light. Given that, we must provide Masonic Light. Anything else will result in NPD's and Demits.
Willful ignorance causes tremendous harm to our Fraternity.