In Washington we call the Catechisms of the Degrees Posting Lectures. Traditionally they were memorized as a way of proving proficiency in a given Degree.
Judging proficiency is however in this Jurisdiction completely up to the Lodge. While some still require the full posting lecture, others may only require a small part of it such as the Obligation plus the modes of recognition. Still other Lodges utilize our Alternate Proficiency.
As the use of the Posting Lectures has fallen away in some Lodges, those Lodges are now without that extremely old and traditional ritual form.
Let’s chat about that…
How important is it that our Lodges preserve the use of the Catechisms?
Do our Masons miss out on something important when the Catechisms aren’t utilized?
Do we lose something important if we never hear the Catechisms in open Lodge?
This is one of those quality things that has been lost.
In my lodge proposal, I suggest raising the bar on standards. Full posting lecture in open lodge. Full completion of alternate proficiency. And completion of a reading list demonstrated by presenting a lecture in open lodge by relating the candidate's interpretation of their degree's symbolism and allegory before being allowed to progress. On the off chance an unsuitable man makes it past their candidate investigations, this should help weed them out before they damage the lodge.
No time limits. A candidate may complete this as fast or as slow as he feels comfortable. But standards are high. The posting lecture is a fairly small memorization task. It should be delivered clearly, precisely, and with emotion. The way an A-list actor delivers their lines in a Oscar winning movie.
Chehalis has nothing to offer me. No education, no festive boards, no outside lodge activities. I don't have time to travel to Silverdale or Seattle for lodge. So I'm trying to create a new lodge. And yes. Attendance will be required. Dues will be substantial. $550+/yr But if the experience falters, we will turn in our charter rather than keep going as a dead lodge.
I myself did both the Posting Lectures and the Alternate Proficiency on all three Degrees. I think that helped me really understand many parts of the Craft that others seem to miss who did less than that. With the alternate Proficiency I typed out all the questions in Word which allowed me to make the answers as long as I wanted and beyond what was required. On the Third Degree for example, which only had 29 questions it ended up being 19 single spaced pages. I was able to include drawings of how the 3,4,5 principle was used in laying out King's Solomon's Temple and laying out basketball courts which is part of my vocation. WB Ray was very impressed when he reviewed it.
My son, Matthew on the other hand has great difficulty in any memorization. I think that part of the brain used for memorization is partly compromised by trying to contain and forget some of what he experienced with 2 tours to Iraq. To insist on his doing something which causes more harm than good is not in the best interest of Masonry.
So with those two examples, I think it needs to be what is best for the individual Brother with what is best for the Craft and the Lodge being secondary. Like everything in Masonry, it comes down to a personal choice.
I understand not everyone wants to go through the stations or put on degree work. But that is memorization. If you can't memorize the catechism, you won't be able to learn parts for degrees and deliver them eloquently. You will struggle with the chairs that require speaking.
And once we run out of people able to do those basic things, the lodge will begin to lose things. Small things at first and big things later. It's important to the craft to maintain that high standard.
Certainly, reciting the posting lecture doesn’t prove proficiency. I do believe it’s important for a brother to understand and present the posting lecture in open lodge, especially if he’s going to sit in the chairs. There are no “shortcuts” in the ritual. I too completed both the posting lectures and alternate proficiency, mostly for my own edification. The best test of knowledge and proficiency I’ve been a part of was 3-4 MMs sitting with the candidate and having a conversation about the degree. I have had conversations with other brothers about the meanings of the posting lectures / rituals beyond the words. The words that were chosen were so, I believe, for a very specific reason. Have we, somewhere along the way, forgotten or lost the hidden mysteries of the posting lectures / rituals.
I like the Posting Lectures and the alternate proficiency combined. Not to put more on the new Brother, but to help give him more of the knowledge.
I feel the MM proficiency should be required to be considered in "Good Standing".
There shouldn't be a time limit between, as everyone learns at their own pace. Some are going to pick it up quickly and some will take a year between degrees.
When i was raised in VA the posting lecture was required, and my brethren actually voted on my proficiency. The quality of ritual in that lodge was excellent. Every off week we met and recieted all three posting lectures in a group setting. This produced a Lodge in which almost any brother could mentor. When I was Master of my Lodge here in WA i required the posting lecture. I did that because the quality of our ritual had slipped, and i saw it as a way to help remedy that, it seemed to work in subsequent years. It also instilled pride and confidence in the brethren who did it. No one failed to succeed, and relationships were built between mentor and mentee. I don't think there is anything magical about the posting lecture, performing it does not equal learning the lessons contained within the lecture. I does however begin a brother in the art of memorization, and it teaches the rhythms and language of our ritual. I do think there is a relationship to how hard we work something and how much we value it once we have it.
It is much the same in New Mexico where I was raised. It was required and voted on by the brothers to pass. The only one that wasn't required by the GL was the 3rd degree. But if you wanted to be in the seats, it was required by our lodge. As a result, that lodge is known in the state for producing some of the best degree work around, and it's something that we took a great deal of pride in.
I believe this is the biggest mistakes Masonry made and keeps on making. We as Masons pride ourselves on being the oldest fraternity but keep lowering the qualifications to increase our membership. The result of which has resulted in name only members that don’t add anything.
I was raised shortly before the pandemic. No way to prove up until a month or two ago, but at least I’d had plenty of time to practice.
Proving up is a great personal challenge. Not so difficult one has to devote a year in a monastery, but difficult enough it takes real work and practice.
If you prove up, then you’ve proven you can tackle something like the degrees and lectures.
I think the PL and obligations is very important for a mason to know and understand. The ritual PL is what made that man a mason. It will also benefit him when he confers degrees as WM or put on a degree as an officer. I have seen impressive degrees put on simply because the officers/degree team took the time to internalize their PL.
Not knowing the degree/PL will harm the mason and lodge in the long run, he will not remember the obligations he took at the sacred alter and will stumble when conferring degrees and give the candidate a frivolous impression of masonry. I have noticed that understanding and internalizing the PL makes a better mason. If the lodge and WM allows a mason to return his proficiency in short form he is doing more harm than good, (of course there are exceptions.) He might as well join masonry for just the fellowship and not participate when it is time to put on degrees for his brothers.
What amazes me about the PL is that we all shared the same ritual, at different times, at different locations, but united under a common interests. Then we all became brothers...It is like the universal language/culture we understand because of what we went through.
I have noticed an increase in memory capacity after learning, and memorizing my PL. Not knowing PL is like a band member not knowing how to play the tunes on their instrument, or a singer in a choir that does not know the lyrics to their song. Maybe my lodge is different, but all the brothers seem to want to help when it comes to PL.
Well me as a EA I returned long form PL in open lodge by memory and loved it! It makes you understand it and actually pay attention to it... And I believe it shows how serious the man is about it.
This is one of those quality things that has been lost.
In my lodge proposal, I suggest raising the bar on standards. Full posting lecture in open lodge. Full completion of alternate proficiency. And completion of a reading list demonstrated by presenting a lecture in open lodge by relating the candidate's interpretation of their degree's symbolism and allegory before being allowed to progress. On the off chance an unsuitable man makes it past their candidate investigations, this should help weed them out before they damage the lodge.
No time limits. A candidate may complete this as fast or as slow as he feels comfortable. But standards are high. The posting lecture is a fairly small memorization task. It should be delivered clearly, precisely, and with emotion. The way an A-list actor delivers their lines in a Oscar winning movie.
Attending Lodge on a regular basis might also be a consideration. We do miss your presence Brother Jack.
Chehalis has nothing to offer me. No education, no festive boards, no outside lodge activities. I don't have time to travel to Silverdale or Seattle for lodge. So I'm trying to create a new lodge. And yes. Attendance will be required. Dues will be substantial. $550+/yr But if the experience falters, we will turn in our charter rather than keep going as a dead lodge.
I myself did both the Posting Lectures and the Alternate Proficiency on all three Degrees. I think that helped me really understand many parts of the Craft that others seem to miss who did less than that. With the alternate Proficiency I typed out all the questions in Word which allowed me to make the answers as long as I wanted and beyond what was required. On the Third Degree for example, which only had 29 questions it ended up being 19 single spaced pages. I was able to include drawings of how the 3,4,5 principle was used in laying out King's Solomon's Temple and laying out basketball courts which is part of my vocation. WB Ray was very impressed when he reviewed it.
My son, Matthew on the other hand has great difficulty in any memorization. I think that part of the brain used for memorization is partly compromised by trying to contain and forget some of what he experienced with 2 tours to Iraq. To insist on his doing something which causes more harm than good is not in the best interest of Masonry.
So with those two examples, I think it needs to be what is best for the individual Brother with what is best for the Craft and the Lodge being secondary. Like everything in Masonry, it comes down to a personal choice.
I understand not everyone wants to go through the stations or put on degree work. But that is memorization. If you can't memorize the catechism, you won't be able to learn parts for degrees and deliver them eloquently. You will struggle with the chairs that require speaking.
And once we run out of people able to do those basic things, the lodge will begin to lose things. Small things at first and big things later. It's important to the craft to maintain that high standard.
Certainly, reciting the posting lecture doesn’t prove proficiency. I do believe it’s important for a brother to understand and present the posting lecture in open lodge, especially if he’s going to sit in the chairs. There are no “shortcuts” in the ritual. I too completed both the posting lectures and alternate proficiency, mostly for my own edification. The best test of knowledge and proficiency I’ve been a part of was 3-4 MMs sitting with the candidate and having a conversation about the degree. I have had conversations with other brothers about the meanings of the posting lectures / rituals beyond the words. The words that were chosen were so, I believe, for a very specific reason. Have we, somewhere along the way, forgotten or lost the hidden mysteries of the posting lectures / rituals.
I like the Posting Lectures and the alternate proficiency combined. Not to put more on the new Brother, but to help give him more of the knowledge.
I feel the MM proficiency should be required to be considered in "Good Standing".
There shouldn't be a time limit between, as everyone learns at their own pace. Some are going to pick it up quickly and some will take a year between degrees.
When i was raised in VA the posting lecture was required, and my brethren actually voted on my proficiency. The quality of ritual in that lodge was excellent. Every off week we met and recieted all three posting lectures in a group setting. This produced a Lodge in which almost any brother could mentor. When I was Master of my Lodge here in WA i required the posting lecture. I did that because the quality of our ritual had slipped, and i saw it as a way to help remedy that, it seemed to work in subsequent years. It also instilled pride and confidence in the brethren who did it. No one failed to succeed, and relationships were built between mentor and mentee. I don't think there is anything magical about the posting lecture, performing it does not equal learning the lessons contained within the lecture. I does however begin a brother in the art of memorization, and it teaches the rhythms and language of our ritual. I do think there is a relationship to how hard we work something and how much we value it once we have it.
It is much the same in New Mexico where I was raised. It was required and voted on by the brothers to pass. The only one that wasn't required by the GL was the 3rd degree. But if you wanted to be in the seats, it was required by our lodge. As a result, that lodge is known in the state for producing some of the best degree work around, and it's something that we took a great deal of pride in.
I believe this is the biggest mistakes Masonry made and keeps on making. We as Masons pride ourselves on being the oldest fraternity but keep lowering the qualifications to increase our membership. The result of which has resulted in name only members that don’t add anything.
I was raised shortly before the pandemic. No way to prove up until a month or two ago, but at least I’d had plenty of time to practice.
Proving up is a great personal challenge. Not so difficult one has to devote a year in a monastery, but difficult enough it takes real work and practice.
If you prove up, then you’ve proven you can tackle something like the degrees and lectures.
But I’ve gotta finish PiLM first!
Do and be the best that you can be. Welcome Brother and enjoy the journey of lifelong learning.
I think the PL and obligations is very important for a mason to know and understand. The ritual PL is what made that man a mason. It will also benefit him when he confers degrees as WM or put on a degree as an officer. I have seen impressive degrees put on simply because the officers/degree team took the time to internalize their PL.
Not knowing the degree/PL will harm the mason and lodge in the long run, he will not remember the obligations he took at the sacred alter and will stumble when conferring degrees and give the candidate a frivolous impression of masonry. I have noticed that understanding and internalizing the PL makes a better mason. If the lodge and WM allows a mason to return his proficiency in short form he is doing more harm than good, (of course there are exceptions.) He might as well join masonry for just the fellowship and not participate when it is time to put on degrees for his brothers.
What amazes me about the PL is that we all shared the same ritual, at different times, at different locations, but united under a common interests. Then we all became brothers...It is like the universal language/culture we understand because of what we went through.
I have noticed an increase in memory capacity after learning, and memorizing my PL. Not knowing PL is like a band member not knowing how to play the tunes on their instrument, or a singer in a choir that does not know the lyrics to their song. Maybe my lodge is different, but all the brothers seem to want to help when it comes to PL.
Well me as a EA I returned long form PL in open lodge by memory and loved it! It makes you understand it and actually pay attention to it... And I believe it shows how serious the man is about it.