The Conference took place in a beautiful Masonic Temple, in a city with well over one thousand Masons. Presenters flew in from across the United States and Canada. The organizers ran a tight ship, based on their years of experience hosting this Conference. At least three of the presenters were well known Masonic authors with books in print.
It was a truly superb weekend.
But, the Lodge room was not anywhere close to full.
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There were some other Masonic events over the course of the weekend, including a Cornerstone laying in the Jurisdiction, and a Grand Master fundraiser, but even subtracting the Masons who couldn’t attend due to those conflicts, it doesn’t make sense to me that the room wasn’t full. The event was heavily advertised, a year in advance.
It is also fair to note that not all, perhaps not most Masons are interested in Esoteric Freemasonry, but even so, the number who are interested in such things must number in the thousands here in the Pacific Northwest.
We hear, rather continually, that Masons want interesting educational programs. But if that is the case, I have to wonder why the Lodge room wasn’t full?
We also hear, continually, that Masons want in person events. But if that is correct, then again, I have to wonder why the Lodge room wasn’t full?
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Zoom events don’t seem to be particularly interesting to a lot of Masons.
I have no first hand, or even second hand, information about how popular Masonic podcasts or video talks are.
I do know that Masonic books don’t sell particularly well.
This electronic newsletter format here on Emeth does seem to be well received. We’ve got in excess of two thousand subscribers now, including a number of subscribers who are willing to make the effort possible through their purchase of paid subscriptions.
But, all in all, I have to wonder. Do in person Masonic events like educational conferences work anymore?
If they don’t, how can quality Masonic education be best provided?
What format do you prefer these topics to be provided in?
Let’s chat about it, because we have to find effective ways of widespread communication of ideas important to Freemasons if we hope to see our Craft thrive into the future.
My experience as a previous Lodge Education Officer, previous Director of Education for my Scottish Rite Valley, Past Master of our local Lodge of Research (and current Secretary of the same) is that most Masons aren’t interested in Masonic education. They may say that they are, but I often wonder if a lack of education is a convenient scapegoat to not attend Lodge.
My observation is that it’s the same handful of Masons that attend educational events in my area. The upside is that we’ve all become good friends.
So, if most Masons aren’t interested in Masonic education, should we stop providing it? Is it a (largely) wasted effort? No.
It took quite some time, but I’ve arrived at a place where I believe that—at its core—Freemasonry is about Brotherhood and building real friendships. Everything done under the “big tent” of the organization is there to support that.
Education is a vehicle for educationally-minded Masons to meet and become friends. Charity is a vehicle for charity-minded Masons to meet and become friends. Social events are te vehicle for socially-minded Masons to meet and become friends. And so on.
This is, in my opinion, why all the different facets of the Craft are so important.
Well I was about to compose what I thought was a rather erudite response to these questions, but after reading this response all I can add is to say.....ditto.
>>>most Masons aren’t interested in Masonic education. They may say that they are, but I often >>>wonder if a lack of education is a convenient scapegoat to not attend Lodge.
I think that you may be on to something here. Certainly we hear, a lot, about Masons wanting this, but votes with their feet communicate something much different. Perhaps, as you say, it is an easy excuse to give.
I was given no direction at all in respect of education. Covid broke and I hosted (and still do) talks on masonic education. One of my first zoom presentations was on the tracing Board - first time it had ever ben explained and I have been hooked since. There are other Brothers like me out there and it's up to us to give them the opportunity to ger "hooked" if they so wish. I'm afraid so many are not given that opportunity and so we lose them from Freemasonry.
Do you find Zoom to be more effective in terms of participation, or in person? It seems to me that Zoom is an excellent tool for talks about Masonry, but I often hear Masons claiming to be burnt out on Zoom.
That could of course be dependent upon the quality of the speaker/topic presented as well.
I love going to in-person events but oftentimes it's not feasible to do so. This conference is the perfect example as I'm half the country away from it. I can guarantee that if an option to view remotely had been offered I would've utilized it.
I think it's important we keep in person events but I also think that we need to continue embracing technology that allows us to spread our educational events to larger audiences and I think hybrid events where in-person attendance is available alongside web-broadcast is the best of all worlds.
The organizers did announce that next year they will be offering it in a hybrid format. This year they experimented by having just a few selected and forgiving people in the Zoom rooms, in order to make sure that they were able to provide a quality experience.
As I understand it, they were successful in that, so next year will sell both in person tickets, and virtual tickets.
I had a function Saturday that I had to attend. But in any event, for me personally, based on past topics presented, I wouldn’t necessarily attend regardless. Subjects like astrology, numerology, tarot, etc just don’t appeal to me and I don’t see how it relates to masonry. I would suspect that might be the reason for low attendance?
Undoubtedly you are right that the topics are limiting in that they only appeal to a subset of the Craft. That said though, I do personally know more Masons within an hour or so of the event who are interested in those topics than it had in total attendance.
I understand guys who aren't interested in the topics not wanting to attend. But I don't understand guys who are interested not attending.
But, I think that proves to be a problem across many events. Our Lodge Leadership Training held each year is another example. Lots of guys from good Lodges attend. When you see a failing Lodge though, and look back to see how many members of that failing Lodge have attended the Training event over the past few years, you'll invariably see that none of them have.
I would like them at the Lodges in my own District or one that is close to where I live but I would never miss a Masonic Zoom meeting (they know that about me at the G.L.) and MW Cameron
Exactly the thoughts I had. A great number of Masons are armchair esotercist or have no inclination to look at the allegories of our craft. Which is okay, those types tend to excell at ritual work, memorizing and preserving the lectures to keep the blue lodge going.
It is true that different aspects of Freemasonry appeal to different Masons. And I agree, that is A-OK. The Craft is broad, and as a result, it needs guys with all different kinds of interests.
But, I worry that if Brothers aren't willing to support the events we have, with time and resources, then we will lose those events, and when we do the Craft as a whole will be poorer for it.
What I wonder though, is if the issue isn't that Masons aren't interested, but that in some cases the presentations aren't given in a format or a way that men are looking to receive them?
I attend in person events as much as possible, but traveling to all the different conferences throughout the country, is not always feasible. Unfortunately, I miss many great presentations that I would love to attend. By having dual (in person and via Zoom) presentations will allow me to take advantage of the knowledge that is being imparted at hose conferences. There is always something new to learn and I would love to take advantage of that as much as possible.
I agree that the hybrid model is a good one, properly done. The Lodge in my hometown has continued to use a hybrid model for its stated meetings ever since Covid. I understand that next year this particular Conference will offer that option.
MW, you're asking two questions: 1) why weren't more Brothers at the Esoteric Conference, and 2) how do Masons want education delivered.
On the first question, I wasn't at the conference for a couple reasons. I'm among the Brothers with a short attention span so deep dives into esoterica don't appeal to me. And even if I was drawn to esoterica a multi-day conference is a time block that few Brothers can commit to.
On the second question, I recall the words of one of my investors who was kind of a jerk but sometimes offered a useful sound bite. The one that comes to mind now is: "Fail to segment your market at your own peril."
Masonic education comes in many flavors. Esoterica, history, ritual proficiency, administrative and code competency, floor work, and Masonic protocol courtesies. I've probably missed a couple. With this "catalog" in mind I think it's necessary to for a structure to present these topics and to explain why they're being presented. Make it clear that there are certain topics that every Mason should know and other topics that are advanced studies. And for me, the reason I'm interested in any of this is how it helps me to become a better man, which was my personal call to action to become a Mason.
Everybody learns differently. Some like books, some want to meet in person, some learn from blogs and online discussions (like Emeth), and some prefer online training modules that allow the student to progress at his own pace. There are platforms and methods for any of these approaches.
In a perfect world I'd like to see all of the Grand Jurisdictions chip in to develop a well structured curriculum with high quality supporting training and presentation materials.
>>>I think it's necessary to for a structure to present these topics and to explain why they're being >>>presented.
I understand what you are saying here, and I think it is superb advice. Thank you. Just knowing the topic of a discussion likely isn't enough to garner interest. But an explanation about why that particular topic was chosen, and how it can help one's personal Masonic Journey can help create interest.
I will pass this along to the folks who organize this particular Conference, but I think it could well apply to a lot of different Masonic events. We do tend, now that I'm thinking about it, to sometimes forget the 'why.'
I know I upset some of my Brothers when I say that in my experience (in general) today's Masons are NOT interested in Masonic Education. I am in four Blue Lodges and The Scottish Rite and my 20 + talks are listed in My Research Lodge Speakers Bureau and the Grand Lodge Speakers List. I have to push myself into the few opportunities I receive. Then I am amazed at the actual talks and lack of discussion.
Interestingly the one lodge that has an Education program is performing better that all the rest.
I think that many new masons really want to learn about freemasonry and that is why they join, but the lodges do not provide it so they soon leave.
Every Worshipful master on his installation Charge promises to provide education at every meeting.
Presenting a section from the Grand Lodge Regulations is NOT masonic education.
>>>I think that many new masons really want to learn about freemasonry and that is why they >>>join, but the lodges do not provide it so they soon leave.
Oct 3, 2023·edited Oct 3, 2023Liked by Cameron M. Bailey
I've spent a couple of years thinking about this and I'm coming to the conclusion that the answer is simple: a lot of Masons don't want masonic education. I'm not criticizing: they get many wonderful and valid things out of the craft (socialization, community building, many others). But when we speak of Masonic Education, a lot of times I think we're narrowcasting to a group of "spiritual seekers" who want to explore the mysteries / background / symbolism.
Sometimes education is broadened to include things like historical & institutional stuff (GL history, jurisprudence, George Washington, etc). That too is all fine and well, just that in my experience it's a different subset of guys.
What we're really dealing with here (in my opinion) is "fraternities within the fraternity" and we're staring down the barrel of why many different appendant bodies & orders have been created through the years. Pushing masonic education on the blue lodge generally doesn't work, any more than pushing a Shrine circus on a blue lodge would work. 1/10th of the lodge would be into it, and 9/10ths isn't interested.
What can work is using the blue lodge to network, and find the subset that's into it. The best masonic education experiences I've been in were outside of tyled settings. Conferences & meetups, not GL sponsored. It was a "fraternity within the fraternity" of people who were into it, with no blue lodge pomp, circumstance, or ceremony - no GL position, no "rules", just guys sharing what they were most interested in, in an informal setting
I've thought about the "Masonry within Masonry" concept. If that group of guys, sharing, developed a list of topics they could present on, when asked, it could help reach those brothers languishing for education.
>>>Sometimes education is broadened to include things like historical & institutional stuff (GL >>>history, jurisprudence, George Washington, etc). That too is all fine and well, just that in my >>>experience it's a different subset of guys.
I think your subsets of Masons thoughts are undoubtedly correct. Even the subset I've pasted above is actually further divided, between the Masons who are interested in a Romantic exploration of these historical topics, vs an Authentic exploration of them.
I have helped in organizing this event the past 2 years, so I don't want to speculate on the low attendance, but I do want to comment on the "value" of this conference to address concerns about what "Esoteric" education has to do with Masonry.
I'd like to start by expressing some personal epiphanies once I became a Freemason. I remember vividly living in Seattle for many many years and never realizing how much Masonic history was really here. Once I was raised as a Master Mason, I remember walking down a street I had gone down a million times before and all of a sudden I see a clock with a square and compass surrounded by the words "It's time for Masonry". I realized that the Seattle street names may hold more significance than a mere politician. That Mercer Island and Pike Place were locations that many people know but no one thinks about the history behind it. I was given working tools with which I could see the world in a different way. I use this example because it's not about trying to put Albert Pike or Asa Mercer on a pedestal or even advocating for any of their principles. It's about being able to discern the world around me in a way that was previously blocked.
Similarly with the Esotericism in Freemasonry conference, it is well documented that the founders of the Premier Grand Lodge of England brought over several areas of research from the Royal Society of which alchemy, astrology, etc were well researched. So with that in mind, these talks are not meant to make you an Astrologer, a Theurgist, a Taroist, etc... they are meant to give you the tools to interpret those parallels in our Masonic writings, architecture, lodge decor, etc...
We sometimes get hung up on terms like Esoteric, Occult, Chamber of Reflection, etc... These terms all invoke different raw emotions in people that at this point can be far removed from their original meaning. We aren't trying to subvert a group of people into thinking a certain way. We're investigating lost forms of writing and communication that have ties and allegorical parallels to our Craft.
Considering my past experiences, with the conference, I think that what VW John Gebhart talks about above makes a good deal of sense.
Thinking back to last year, there were two presentations that stand out in my mind. They stand out because based on their titles, I didn't want to sit through them. I did because it was what I'd signed up for, but I wasn't looking forward to them.
But those two presentations ended up being my very favorite of the entire weekend.
So, I think what John suggests, that beyond simply giving the title of the presentation, information is provided about why it is being included in the Conference, and how it could potentially serve to help one's personal Masonic journey, might go a long way towards increasing interest.
Masonic education seems a simple concept. Is it? I think most Masons think it is clear what it means. My experience is that it is not a clearly defined. There are several general meanings that brothers assume:
Topics:
1- Education on our rituals.
2- Education on our symbols
3- Esoteric information
4- Historical information
5- Other
Depending on the audience, or the particular brother, they can be a mixture of the above. One topic I find strangely absent is a philosophical exploration of morals and ethics.
The format/goal of that education can take several forms, some are good, some are bad, and some are neutral, in my opinion.
Format:
1. Informational, factual
2. Entertaining
3. Transformative
4. Ego inflating (don’t hate me)
5. Other
Again, a combination of the above is probable.
I think most of the time, when I have asked for requests for education it has been topic 1,2, and 4 and in format it has been 1,2 and 4. In short, let’s talk about our history, famous Masons, ritual and symbols and we want to feel good when it’s over and be entertained. The ego inflating category is those talks that border, or cross the border, of grandiose conspiracy theories that propose our specialness based on what at best is a mythological story, but is presented as historical fact.
The Esoteric Transformative education is one many would say they want, until they learn that it’s about hard and uncomfortable work that will challenge their beliefs and boundaries. That is what the Esoteric Conference is about, and frankly why it’s not better attended.
It is my opinion that a strong Lodge/Jurisdiction would offer formal education in each of the topics above, and would use the formats 1-3, avoiding 4 all together. I also think that a strong program is hierarchical, topically designed along development lines, so that we don’t get the same education over and over, but that we have depth available should we choose to pursue it.
I recently had the opportunity to review programs given by a brother over the course of his whole course of his Masonic career, initiation to funeral. His earliest presentations were about Famous Masons (a point). Next was a series on Masonic History (line). Finally, just previous to his death he was working on Masonic Mysticism (a surface). A point, to a line, to a surface. That is a good model. Adding progressive dimensions to our education will create Masons with added dimensions.
In person or over electronic media can be effective for most of these topics and formats, but for the truly transformative I feel/think in person is most efficient. I am a fan of electric communication, but when it comes to deep human interaction, I have the experience of more success in person.
I too find the best experiences to be in person experiences. In large part because I truly value everything that happens in between and beyond the formal program or presentations. I love getting to see and talk with Masons whom I don't get to see otherwise due to distance, and I love the discussions that crop up during breaks and whatever.
I think the virtual side of things is quite well suited to the passing along of information, but it precludes the more fellowshippy side of things, and for me anyway, that is really important too.
IMO, whenever possible, all events should be in-person with a virtual option. I do not belive one detracts from another, as we all have our choices, preferences, and ability to travel.
Agreed, and as I understand it this conference will be rolling out a virtual option next year as well. As I understand it, this was the practice year to make sure that they had the ability to do it well all worked out.
Yep, those are true barriers, and similar things have kept me from lots of events through the years. Our responsibilities exist, and we can only do what we can do.
As for the Master Craftsman, I loved doing it when I did it many years ago, and I hope that you find as much value in it as I did. Like you, I was in a position where I had to do it alone, but I didn't really find that to detract from the final experience.
Masonic education is a broad term. No, I’m not including our code, how to hold a rod, or Floorwork in the term. But education can take on several topics as the content of Freemasonry is a as vast as the ocean. Masons could simply discuss the nature of a point within a circle and what it means to us as masons. Exploring the esoteric means recognizing that symbol has been around much longer than freemasonry and maybe exploring its use sheds context on why we use it too.
Esotericism certainly falls under the broad education heading but it’s a subset, and conveying this kind of knowledge takes Masons who understand it and willing to share it, and even these are two different disciplines.
Think of the Allegory of the Cave. Socrates explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows on the wall are actually not the direct source of the images seen. A philosopher aims to understand and perceive the higher levels of reality. The philosopher attempts to share this knowledge and are rebuked by those he is trying to enlighten. Philosophers walk a lonely path.
Even within the esoteric subset, there is a strata of those are interested and want to learn more and those that are very well read. To these brethren I say, embrace all those on the pathway for at least they are on the path.
All that said, esoteric topics engage the creative mind and open one up to ideas. One little idea can spark an exploration down a rabbit hole.
You could say the same thing about Masonry itself. It available for every man, but not everyone becomes a Mason.
>>>All that said, esoteric topics engage the creative mind and open one up to ideas. One little >>>idea can spark an exploration down a rabbit hole.
Thank you for this. It certainly resonates with me.
In my own Masonic career, I go to an awful lot of events and meetings. Most weeks, more than one, sometimes a lot more than one. The thing is, most of the time, I don't want to go. Whatever it is comes around, and I think something along the lines of 'Damn, why did I agree to go to that?'
But, I go.
And then, once I'm there, I'm always glad I did. It is very rare that I don't leave a Masonic event, or a meeting, or a conversation, without something to think about. And that is wholly to the good. Importantly I think, that is Freemasonic, for if nothing else, Freemasonry calls upon us to think.
While we would like to think of the Masonic fraternity as an educational organization that provides instruction for self-improvement, we are no more than a fraternal membership society conducting activities for fellowship, community support, and charitable causes. Education is an afterthought because it is not recognized as our sole purpose.
Providing Masonic education to improve the men would require an organizational structure much like a school, college or university with programs that support the educational intent. It would also require trained instructors to provide a carefully designed curriculum, which would allow Masons to live improved lives when completed.
To restructure Masonry to achieve a purely educational purpose would be nearly impossible.
We have a system of independent grand lodges; volunteers, not educators, govern their local lodges. Many of these grand and local lodges are ingrained with the thought the purpose of the fraternity is, as stated before, for fellowship, community activities, and supporting charity. Education is perceived as a short presentation on anything at a meeting. The thought that Masonic education consists of ritual presentation, candidate mentoring, masonic forums, conferences and discussions, and how to apply what is learned in these sessions to improve oneself is foreign to them.
The complaint for more Masonic education is not new. I have read various old Masonic publications from the 1800s that have presented articles and speeches by noted Masons asking, and sometimes pleading with lodges, to recognize that the purpose of Masonry and a lodge is to provide education. Not just a snippet as an afterthought in a meeting, but view the lodge as an educational institution and structure everything around this purpose.
Should those who provide quality Masonic education by writing papers, maintaining blogs, maintaining discussion groups, and holding seminars and conferences give up? No, not at all!
A mentor once gave me some wise counsel. I complained that all my work preparing and presenting quality leadership and personal development opportunities and workshops for the fraternity was unappreciated, mainly because of lack of attendance. He told me, “Don’t worry about trying to convince Masons to come. Spend time preparing your material so those who attend get the best of what you have.” I never worried about crowd size again.
After 20 years of providing leadership and personal development education for the fraternity, I know I will not change Masonry to operate as the educational system I believe it should be. I will keep giving the best of what I have to those who want it. This is the best any one of us can do.
>>>A mentor once gave me some wise counsel. I complained that all my work preparing and >>>presenting quality leadership and personal development opportunities and workshops for the >>>fraternity was unappreciated, mainly because of lack of attendance. He told me, “Don’t worry >>>about trying to convince Masons to come. Spend time preparing your material so those who >>>attend get the best of what you have.” I never worried about crowd size again.
>>>After 20 years of providing leadership and personal development education for the fraternity, I >>>know I will not change Masonry to operate as the educational system I believe it should be. I >>>will keep giving the best of what I have to those who want it. This is the best any one of us >>>can do.
Thank you for this Brother. I really appreciate it. It is heartwarming and solid advice!
My experience as a previous Lodge Education Officer, previous Director of Education for my Scottish Rite Valley, Past Master of our local Lodge of Research (and current Secretary of the same) is that most Masons aren’t interested in Masonic education. They may say that they are, but I often wonder if a lack of education is a convenient scapegoat to not attend Lodge.
My observation is that it’s the same handful of Masons that attend educational events in my area. The upside is that we’ve all become good friends.
So, if most Masons aren’t interested in Masonic education, should we stop providing it? Is it a (largely) wasted effort? No.
It took quite some time, but I’ve arrived at a place where I believe that—at its core—Freemasonry is about Brotherhood and building real friendships. Everything done under the “big tent” of the organization is there to support that.
Education is a vehicle for educationally-minded Masons to meet and become friends. Charity is a vehicle for charity-minded Masons to meet and become friends. Social events are te vehicle for socially-minded Masons to meet and become friends. And so on.
This is, in my opinion, why all the different facets of the Craft are so important.
Well I was about to compose what I thought was a rather erudite response to these questions, but after reading this response all I can add is to say.....ditto.
Oh, and spot on.
>>>most Masons aren’t interested in Masonic education. They may say that they are, but I often >>>wonder if a lack of education is a convenient scapegoat to not attend Lodge.
I think that you may be on to something here. Certainly we hear, a lot, about Masons wanting this, but votes with their feet communicate something much different. Perhaps, as you say, it is an easy excuse to give.
I was given no direction at all in respect of education. Covid broke and I hosted (and still do) talks on masonic education. One of my first zoom presentations was on the tracing Board - first time it had ever ben explained and I have been hooked since. There are other Brothers like me out there and it's up to us to give them the opportunity to ger "hooked" if they so wish. I'm afraid so many are not given that opportunity and so we lose them from Freemasonry.
Do you find Zoom to be more effective in terms of participation, or in person? It seems to me that Zoom is an excellent tool for talks about Masonry, but I often hear Masons claiming to be burnt out on Zoom.
That could of course be dependent upon the quality of the speaker/topic presented as well.
I love going to in-person events but oftentimes it's not feasible to do so. This conference is the perfect example as I'm half the country away from it. I can guarantee that if an option to view remotely had been offered I would've utilized it.
I think it's important we keep in person events but I also think that we need to continue embracing technology that allows us to spread our educational events to larger audiences and I think hybrid events where in-person attendance is available alongside web-broadcast is the best of all worlds.
The organizers did announce that next year they will be offering it in a hybrid format. This year they experimented by having just a few selected and forgiving people in the Zoom rooms, in order to make sure that they were able to provide a quality experience.
As I understand it, they were successful in that, so next year will sell both in person tickets, and virtual tickets.
That's fantastic news! I look forward to seeing how it plays out!
I had a function Saturday that I had to attend. But in any event, for me personally, based on past topics presented, I wouldn’t necessarily attend regardless. Subjects like astrology, numerology, tarot, etc just don’t appeal to me and I don’t see how it relates to masonry. I would suspect that might be the reason for low attendance?
Undoubtedly you are right that the topics are limiting in that they only appeal to a subset of the Craft. That said though, I do personally know more Masons within an hour or so of the event who are interested in those topics than it had in total attendance.
I understand guys who aren't interested in the topics not wanting to attend. But I don't understand guys who are interested not attending.
But, I think that proves to be a problem across many events. Our Lodge Leadership Training held each year is another example. Lots of guys from good Lodges attend. When you see a failing Lodge though, and look back to see how many members of that failing Lodge have attended the Training event over the past few years, you'll invariably see that none of them have.
I would like them at the Lodges in my own District or one that is close to where I live but I would never miss a Masonic Zoom meeting (they know that about me at the G.L.) and MW Cameron
As I understand it, Zoom will be an option next year.
Exactly the thoughts I had. A great number of Masons are armchair esotercist or have no inclination to look at the allegories of our craft. Which is okay, those types tend to excell at ritual work, memorizing and preserving the lectures to keep the blue lodge going.
It is true that different aspects of Freemasonry appeal to different Masons. And I agree, that is A-OK. The Craft is broad, and as a result, it needs guys with all different kinds of interests.
But, I worry that if Brothers aren't willing to support the events we have, with time and resources, then we will lose those events, and when we do the Craft as a whole will be poorer for it.
What I wonder though, is if the issue isn't that Masons aren't interested, but that in some cases the presentations aren't given in a format or a way that men are looking to receive them?
I attend in person events as much as possible, but traveling to all the different conferences throughout the country, is not always feasible. Unfortunately, I miss many great presentations that I would love to attend. By having dual (in person and via Zoom) presentations will allow me to take advantage of the knowledge that is being imparted at hose conferences. There is always something new to learn and I would love to take advantage of that as much as possible.
I agree that the hybrid model is a good one, properly done. The Lodge in my hometown has continued to use a hybrid model for its stated meetings ever since Covid. I understand that next year this particular Conference will offer that option.
MW, you're asking two questions: 1) why weren't more Brothers at the Esoteric Conference, and 2) how do Masons want education delivered.
On the first question, I wasn't at the conference for a couple reasons. I'm among the Brothers with a short attention span so deep dives into esoterica don't appeal to me. And even if I was drawn to esoterica a multi-day conference is a time block that few Brothers can commit to.
On the second question, I recall the words of one of my investors who was kind of a jerk but sometimes offered a useful sound bite. The one that comes to mind now is: "Fail to segment your market at your own peril."
Masonic education comes in many flavors. Esoterica, history, ritual proficiency, administrative and code competency, floor work, and Masonic protocol courtesies. I've probably missed a couple. With this "catalog" in mind I think it's necessary to for a structure to present these topics and to explain why they're being presented. Make it clear that there are certain topics that every Mason should know and other topics that are advanced studies. And for me, the reason I'm interested in any of this is how it helps me to become a better man, which was my personal call to action to become a Mason.
Everybody learns differently. Some like books, some want to meet in person, some learn from blogs and online discussions (like Emeth), and some prefer online training modules that allow the student to progress at his own pace. There are platforms and methods for any of these approaches.
In a perfect world I'd like to see all of the Grand Jurisdictions chip in to develop a well structured curriculum with high quality supporting training and presentation materials.
>>>I think it's necessary to for a structure to present these topics and to explain why they're being >>>presented.
I understand what you are saying here, and I think it is superb advice. Thank you. Just knowing the topic of a discussion likely isn't enough to garner interest. But an explanation about why that particular topic was chosen, and how it can help one's personal Masonic Journey can help create interest.
I will pass this along to the folks who organize this particular Conference, but I think it could well apply to a lot of different Masonic events. We do tend, now that I'm thinking about it, to sometimes forget the 'why.'
I know I upset some of my Brothers when I say that in my experience (in general) today's Masons are NOT interested in Masonic Education. I am in four Blue Lodges and The Scottish Rite and my 20 + talks are listed in My Research Lodge Speakers Bureau and the Grand Lodge Speakers List. I have to push myself into the few opportunities I receive. Then I am amazed at the actual talks and lack of discussion.
Interestingly the one lodge that has an Education program is performing better that all the rest.
I think that many new masons really want to learn about freemasonry and that is why they join, but the lodges do not provide it so they soon leave.
Every Worshipful master on his installation Charge promises to provide education at every meeting.
Presenting a section from the Grand Lodge Regulations is NOT masonic education.
>>>I think that many new masons really want to learn about freemasonry and that is why they >>>join, but the lodges do not provide it so they soon leave.
This has generally been my view as well.
I've spent a couple of years thinking about this and I'm coming to the conclusion that the answer is simple: a lot of Masons don't want masonic education. I'm not criticizing: they get many wonderful and valid things out of the craft (socialization, community building, many others). But when we speak of Masonic Education, a lot of times I think we're narrowcasting to a group of "spiritual seekers" who want to explore the mysteries / background / symbolism.
Sometimes education is broadened to include things like historical & institutional stuff (GL history, jurisprudence, George Washington, etc). That too is all fine and well, just that in my experience it's a different subset of guys.
What we're really dealing with here (in my opinion) is "fraternities within the fraternity" and we're staring down the barrel of why many different appendant bodies & orders have been created through the years. Pushing masonic education on the blue lodge generally doesn't work, any more than pushing a Shrine circus on a blue lodge would work. 1/10th of the lodge would be into it, and 9/10ths isn't interested.
What can work is using the blue lodge to network, and find the subset that's into it. The best masonic education experiences I've been in were outside of tyled settings. Conferences & meetups, not GL sponsored. It was a "fraternity within the fraternity" of people who were into it, with no blue lodge pomp, circumstance, or ceremony - no GL position, no "rules", just guys sharing what they were most interested in, in an informal setting
I've thought about the "Masonry within Masonry" concept. If that group of guys, sharing, developed a list of topics they could present on, when asked, it could help reach those brothers languishing for education.
>>>Sometimes education is broadened to include things like historical & institutional stuff (GL >>>history, jurisprudence, George Washington, etc). That too is all fine and well, just that in my >>>experience it's a different subset of guys.
I think your subsets of Masons thoughts are undoubtedly correct. Even the subset I've pasted above is actually further divided, between the Masons who are interested in a Romantic exploration of these historical topics, vs an Authentic exploration of them.
I have helped in organizing this event the past 2 years, so I don't want to speculate on the low attendance, but I do want to comment on the "value" of this conference to address concerns about what "Esoteric" education has to do with Masonry.
I'd like to start by expressing some personal epiphanies once I became a Freemason. I remember vividly living in Seattle for many many years and never realizing how much Masonic history was really here. Once I was raised as a Master Mason, I remember walking down a street I had gone down a million times before and all of a sudden I see a clock with a square and compass surrounded by the words "It's time for Masonry". I realized that the Seattle street names may hold more significance than a mere politician. That Mercer Island and Pike Place were locations that many people know but no one thinks about the history behind it. I was given working tools with which I could see the world in a different way. I use this example because it's not about trying to put Albert Pike or Asa Mercer on a pedestal or even advocating for any of their principles. It's about being able to discern the world around me in a way that was previously blocked.
Similarly with the Esotericism in Freemasonry conference, it is well documented that the founders of the Premier Grand Lodge of England brought over several areas of research from the Royal Society of which alchemy, astrology, etc were well researched. So with that in mind, these talks are not meant to make you an Astrologer, a Theurgist, a Taroist, etc... they are meant to give you the tools to interpret those parallels in our Masonic writings, architecture, lodge decor, etc...
We sometimes get hung up on terms like Esoteric, Occult, Chamber of Reflection, etc... These terms all invoke different raw emotions in people that at this point can be far removed from their original meaning. We aren't trying to subvert a group of people into thinking a certain way. We're investigating lost forms of writing and communication that have ties and allegorical parallels to our Craft.
Considering my past experiences, with the conference, I think that what VW John Gebhart talks about above makes a good deal of sense.
Thinking back to last year, there were two presentations that stand out in my mind. They stand out because based on their titles, I didn't want to sit through them. I did because it was what I'd signed up for, but I wasn't looking forward to them.
But those two presentations ended up being my very favorite of the entire weekend.
So, I think what John suggests, that beyond simply giving the title of the presentation, information is provided about why it is being included in the Conference, and how it could potentially serve to help one's personal Masonic journey, might go a long way towards increasing interest.
What follows is just my opinion.
Masonic education seems a simple concept. Is it? I think most Masons think it is clear what it means. My experience is that it is not a clearly defined. There are several general meanings that brothers assume:
Topics:
1- Education on our rituals.
2- Education on our symbols
3- Esoteric information
4- Historical information
5- Other
Depending on the audience, or the particular brother, they can be a mixture of the above. One topic I find strangely absent is a philosophical exploration of morals and ethics.
The format/goal of that education can take several forms, some are good, some are bad, and some are neutral, in my opinion.
Format:
1. Informational, factual
2. Entertaining
3. Transformative
4. Ego inflating (don’t hate me)
5. Other
Again, a combination of the above is probable.
I think most of the time, when I have asked for requests for education it has been topic 1,2, and 4 and in format it has been 1,2 and 4. In short, let’s talk about our history, famous Masons, ritual and symbols and we want to feel good when it’s over and be entertained. The ego inflating category is those talks that border, or cross the border, of grandiose conspiracy theories that propose our specialness based on what at best is a mythological story, but is presented as historical fact.
The Esoteric Transformative education is one many would say they want, until they learn that it’s about hard and uncomfortable work that will challenge their beliefs and boundaries. That is what the Esoteric Conference is about, and frankly why it’s not better attended.
It is my opinion that a strong Lodge/Jurisdiction would offer formal education in each of the topics above, and would use the formats 1-3, avoiding 4 all together. I also think that a strong program is hierarchical, topically designed along development lines, so that we don’t get the same education over and over, but that we have depth available should we choose to pursue it.
I recently had the opportunity to review programs given by a brother over the course of his whole course of his Masonic career, initiation to funeral. His earliest presentations were about Famous Masons (a point). Next was a series on Masonic History (line). Finally, just previous to his death he was working on Masonic Mysticism (a surface). A point, to a line, to a surface. That is a good model. Adding progressive dimensions to our education will create Masons with added dimensions.
In person or over electronic media can be effective for most of these topics and formats, but for the truly transformative I feel/think in person is most efficient. I am a fan of electric communication, but when it comes to deep human interaction, I have the experience of more success in person.
I too find the best experiences to be in person experiences. In large part because I truly value everything that happens in between and beyond the formal program or presentations. I love getting to see and talk with Masons whom I don't get to see otherwise due to distance, and I love the discussions that crop up during breaks and whatever.
I think the virtual side of things is quite well suited to the passing along of information, but it precludes the more fellowshippy side of things, and for me anyway, that is really important too.
IMO, whenever possible, all events should be in-person with a virtual option. I do not belive one detracts from another, as we all have our choices, preferences, and ability to travel.
Agreed, and as I understand it this conference will be rolling out a virtual option next year as well. As I understand it, this was the practice year to make sure that they had the ability to do it well all worked out.
I had very much planned on going this year. But kids soccer, as well as cost of going, where my barriers.
I would love to attend events like this though, just have to figure out how to make it happen.
I am working on the Scottish Rite master craftsman series, but I am struggling as I have no one in the valley to work on it with me.
Yep, those are true barriers, and similar things have kept me from lots of events through the years. Our responsibilities exist, and we can only do what we can do.
As for the Master Craftsman, I loved doing it when I did it many years ago, and I hope that you find as much value in it as I did. Like you, I was in a position where I had to do it alone, but I didn't really find that to detract from the final experience.
Masonic education is a broad term. No, I’m not including our code, how to hold a rod, or Floorwork in the term. But education can take on several topics as the content of Freemasonry is a as vast as the ocean. Masons could simply discuss the nature of a point within a circle and what it means to us as masons. Exploring the esoteric means recognizing that symbol has been around much longer than freemasonry and maybe exploring its use sheds context on why we use it too.
Esotericism certainly falls under the broad education heading but it’s a subset, and conveying this kind of knowledge takes Masons who understand it and willing to share it, and even these are two different disciplines.
Think of the Allegory of the Cave. Socrates explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows on the wall are actually not the direct source of the images seen. A philosopher aims to understand and perceive the higher levels of reality. The philosopher attempts to share this knowledge and are rebuked by those he is trying to enlighten. Philosophers walk a lonely path.
Even within the esoteric subset, there is a strata of those are interested and want to learn more and those that are very well read. To these brethren I say, embrace all those on the pathway for at least they are on the path.
All that said, esoteric topics engage the creative mind and open one up to ideas. One little idea can spark an exploration down a rabbit hole.
You could say the same thing about Masonry itself. It available for every man, but not everyone becomes a Mason.
>>>All that said, esoteric topics engage the creative mind and open one up to ideas. One little >>>idea can spark an exploration down a rabbit hole.
Thank you for this. It certainly resonates with me.
In my own Masonic career, I go to an awful lot of events and meetings. Most weeks, more than one, sometimes a lot more than one. The thing is, most of the time, I don't want to go. Whatever it is comes around, and I think something along the lines of 'Damn, why did I agree to go to that?'
But, I go.
And then, once I'm there, I'm always glad I did. It is very rare that I don't leave a Masonic event, or a meeting, or a conversation, without something to think about. And that is wholly to the good. Importantly I think, that is Freemasonic, for if nothing else, Freemasonry calls upon us to think.
While we would like to think of the Masonic fraternity as an educational organization that provides instruction for self-improvement, we are no more than a fraternal membership society conducting activities for fellowship, community support, and charitable causes. Education is an afterthought because it is not recognized as our sole purpose.
Providing Masonic education to improve the men would require an organizational structure much like a school, college or university with programs that support the educational intent. It would also require trained instructors to provide a carefully designed curriculum, which would allow Masons to live improved lives when completed.
To restructure Masonry to achieve a purely educational purpose would be nearly impossible.
We have a system of independent grand lodges; volunteers, not educators, govern their local lodges. Many of these grand and local lodges are ingrained with the thought the purpose of the fraternity is, as stated before, for fellowship, community activities, and supporting charity. Education is perceived as a short presentation on anything at a meeting. The thought that Masonic education consists of ritual presentation, candidate mentoring, masonic forums, conferences and discussions, and how to apply what is learned in these sessions to improve oneself is foreign to them.
The complaint for more Masonic education is not new. I have read various old Masonic publications from the 1800s that have presented articles and speeches by noted Masons asking, and sometimes pleading with lodges, to recognize that the purpose of Masonry and a lodge is to provide education. Not just a snippet as an afterthought in a meeting, but view the lodge as an educational institution and structure everything around this purpose.
Should those who provide quality Masonic education by writing papers, maintaining blogs, maintaining discussion groups, and holding seminars and conferences give up? No, not at all!
A mentor once gave me some wise counsel. I complained that all my work preparing and presenting quality leadership and personal development opportunities and workshops for the fraternity was unappreciated, mainly because of lack of attendance. He told me, “Don’t worry about trying to convince Masons to come. Spend time preparing your material so those who attend get the best of what you have.” I never worried about crowd size again.
After 20 years of providing leadership and personal development education for the fraternity, I know I will not change Masonry to operate as the educational system I believe it should be. I will keep giving the best of what I have to those who want it. This is the best any one of us can do.
>>>A mentor once gave me some wise counsel. I complained that all my work preparing and >>>presenting quality leadership and personal development opportunities and workshops for the >>>fraternity was unappreciated, mainly because of lack of attendance. He told me, “Don’t worry >>>about trying to convince Masons to come. Spend time preparing your material so those who >>>attend get the best of what you have.” I never worried about crowd size again.
>>>After 20 years of providing leadership and personal development education for the fraternity, I >>>know I will not change Masonry to operate as the educational system I believe it should be. I >>>will keep giving the best of what I have to those who want it. This is the best any one of us >>>can do.
Thank you for this Brother. I really appreciate it. It is heartwarming and solid advice!