Here in Washington, and I assume around the world, many Lodges experimented with holding virtual Lodge meetings over platforms such as Zoom during the Covid pandemic.
Man sitting at a computer
Our Grand Lodge never allowed the ritual to be broadcast over virtual platforms, but during the height of the pandemic Lodges were able to take care of the business and educational parts of the meetings with them.
When restrictions eased and Lodges were able to meet again, most Lodges here abandoned virtual meetings, returning to in person only. But some have continued to utilize virtual platforms for the educational part of their meetings.
For example, one of my Lodges Opens in the ritualistic manner, then goes off session, starts Zoom, has an educational presentation, closes Zoom, does the business of the Lodge, and then Closes ritualistically.
My other Lodges do not do this. We meet only in person.
My question is (especially since there is a resolution about it that will be voted on at our upcoming Annual Communication) should Grand Lodges create guidelines for Lodges that might want to continue utilizing technology for virtual attendance at meetings?
Should our Lodges offer the entire meeting, open to close to a virtual audience? Or only portions of the meeting?
Or should we do away with the idea of virtual attendance all together?
Can it be Freemasonry if we aren’t together physically, or is it something else?
If we continue to offer some level of virtual attendance, what kinds of guardrails should be placed around it?
Lastly, it is reasonable to ask, should Grand Lodges stay out of it entirely, leaving these decisions to the individual Lodges themselves?
Apr 21, 2023·edited Apr 21, 2023Liked by Cameron M. Bailey
Let me just say I learned to read and write on a computer and I despise virtual meetings in the Masonic setting. I work fully remote, attend virtual meetings all day, but it’s not what I want out of lodge. I understand it when it comes to taking care of business but that’s it.
You can consider me firmly in the curmudgeon group.
I got to thinking on this some more and in context of my latest “things have shifted so fundamentally because of technology we don’t know where we’re at” line of reasoning. One thing that stands out to me is that the younger generation are heavily into social media and that is at odds with Masonry in general.
We can have a business meeting on zoom that’s fine. Ritual work being digitized would lose its connection that’s fairly obvious, and once digitized well we would end up getting a crack team together to perfect it and put it on some form of recording, then you essentially have ritual dvds and what’s the point? No one would bother to learn the ritual they would just go through the motions. For my part I have learned more about Masonry by having to memorize the ritual and it’s only enhanced my understanding and made me more fond of my own degrees. To be quite frank I've seen exactly this with the Scottish Rite.
We’re not on TikTok, and how would that go? A series of pretty good talks on Masonic meaning as short videos? On the one hand that could be an entry point for younger people and on the other it seems like the digital world would reduce Masonry to a series of classes on being a good person and some archaic Ugga bugga, then what? I watched all your videos and now I’m a Mason?
there are certain things (opening, closing, conferral) that I think should never be done remotely. But I also think those things are 10% of a good masonic life, and the other 90% can be done remotely if the Brethren want that. My lodge has a discussion group that goes deep on many topics, and we appreciate opportunity to reconnect with dispersed brethren.
We do not need to either "adopt technology lock stock and barrel", nor take the luddite position that Freemasonry is a strictly in-person thing. As with tech in all ages, we roll with change, apply where it works, avoid where it doesn't.
So I just wouldn't take a position on whether to promote or ban virtual attendance, rather keep the rituals what they are, and be thoughtful about expanding what we mean by masonic meeting to include things which can be done remotely and bring meaning to a masonic experience. Reconnecting. Discussing. Learning.
Like many, I work in tech. I am a professional communicator. Much of my work is online. I am very familiar with the false fronts presented, and the mistakes easily made, when communicating via keyboard, mic, and screen.
And, like many, I am very tired of sitting in front of a screen, because of the communication barriers it unavoidably places between me and others. I want high quality, human-to-human experiences.
Particularly as AI and social media continue proliferating, it as inevitable as the marketplace that the social value of high quality, well curated, human-to-human experiences will rise. A pendulum will always swing. Covid gave the pendulum swinging away from screen-bound experiences a shove.
My Lodge is the only one left in our 36,000 person town, which once had three. Fast decline has defined the local Craft for quite some time. Yet, we have somehow attracted over sixteen new inquiries in the last year.
For me personally, as Travis also mentioned, I work 100% remotely and spend all day at the computer in zoom meetings. Spending time outside of work hours at my computer requires a lot of incentive (like our weekly R&G meetings) to participate.
If we're not doing a whole meeting via zoom, only a small off session portion (for, say, education), I kinda don't see the point. There are literally a bazillion online podcasts, lectures, presentations, papers, etc anyone can peruse for free 24/7, why should the lodge go through the expense and trouble to provide a few minutes more?
I'm the person charged with providing education within the lodge, and there are presentations I give that are esoteric in nature, so those can't be shared online anyway (although whatever I am presenting is from the internet to begin with).
I personally feel that the restrictions being put in place aren't really necessary in today's day and age. Coming from a military background where I was invested with a TS/SCI clearance involving highly classified information dealing with national security, I don't think our ritual protections need to be so draconian as being treated like nuclear secrets. We're not curing cancer, and we're not holding launch keys for the ICBMs here.
I understand the reasoning, but what we are doing is protecting the washington masonic code, not the ritual itself, which is wildly available on the internet for anyone that really wants to go find it. Zoom itself has enough protections to keep cowans and eavesdroppers away, and I'm sure I can trust the brothers to secure their own selves during a meeting.
I'm of course going to follow the WMC and any edicts that are issued from GL, but I think there should be some reflection on just what we're really doing, and how to adapt to today's society.
Not too long ago, I wrote an article about this topic. I belong to a Virtual Lodge out of Manitoba: Castle Island Virtual Lodge 190. I started to attend this lodge before COVID-19 was on our radar. In this article I mentioned that I would not replace the tangible experience with a virtual one.
I also talked about some of the conferences I attended recently. There is nothing like meeting in person and on the level, but with work and family demand. Traveling to all of the Masonic conferences I attended last year would not have been possible. The virtual event or meeting before COVID was barely a possibility, but now, thankfully it's thriving.
Virtual Masonic events cannot ever be a substitute for live, in-person meetings, but it certainly can serve as a supplement. Think about the opportunity to expand one's horizons through Masonic Education. Before, we were limited to who we could entice to travel to our lodges. Now, a new world of possibility has opened up. Virtual meetings vs non-virtual should not be considered an all or nothing proposition. Look at it for what it is - a new opportunity to supplement our long-standing traditional gatherings.
I think using technology for the educational portion of a lodge meeting is a good idea. Especially for guest speakers. It's a lot less expensive to have a guest speaker over zoom than it is to deal with airfare, hotels and such to fly in someone. Plus it would allow any brother who is ill or homebound to participate. I'm not for the entire meeting to be virtual. Just the education portion.
I’ve joined a Lodge in California due to restrictions in my Jurisdiction that prevent women and trans men from becoming Masons, and the lack of protections for gay men petitioners. We meet virtually. My only complaint are the audio issues: sometimes someone isn’t mic’d and hearing can be difficult, but usually we make the meeting work. I think it’s important that we get together too, when we can, as we are in a couple of months in-person.
My opinon is that we continue with our in person stated meetings as tradition has dictated. I would add though that after the ritual opening, that a Zoom broadcast be made available to those members who are not able to attend. This would allow those who for health and age reasons are not able to travel to the lodge, to still be involved. It would also allow those who have moved to other parts of the world to be able to stay in contact with their lodge. In my lodge our temple association holds its monthly meeting vial Zoom. Attendence is up for that meeting. For another organization I am a member of we have both in person meetings along with a Zoom connection for those who cannot be there. For the stated meeting, if Zoom can be controlled by the Host to only allow duly confirmed Masons, I don't see an issue.
Many lodges have members all over the world. If lodges would do education by zoom maybe those brothers who live far away can get the Masonic education. Isn’t that what we are truly here for, to educate the craft. I myself am an Indiana Freemason who lives in Washington; I’ve asked my lodge many times to do a zoom education so I can still be part of their good work.
Let me just say I learned to read and write on a computer and I despise virtual meetings in the Masonic setting. I work fully remote, attend virtual meetings all day, but it’s not what I want out of lodge. I understand it when it comes to taking care of business but that’s it.
You can consider me firmly in the curmudgeon group.
I got to thinking on this some more and in context of my latest “things have shifted so fundamentally because of technology we don’t know where we’re at” line of reasoning. One thing that stands out to me is that the younger generation are heavily into social media and that is at odds with Masonry in general.
We can have a business meeting on zoom that’s fine. Ritual work being digitized would lose its connection that’s fairly obvious, and once digitized well we would end up getting a crack team together to perfect it and put it on some form of recording, then you essentially have ritual dvds and what’s the point? No one would bother to learn the ritual they would just go through the motions. For my part I have learned more about Masonry by having to memorize the ritual and it’s only enhanced my understanding and made me more fond of my own degrees. To be quite frank I've seen exactly this with the Scottish Rite.
We’re not on TikTok, and how would that go? A series of pretty good talks on Masonic meaning as short videos? On the one hand that could be an entry point for younger people and on the other it seems like the digital world would reduce Masonry to a series of classes on being a good person and some archaic Ugga bugga, then what? I watched all your videos and now I’m a Mason?
I’m definitely a curmudgeon today.
there are certain things (opening, closing, conferral) that I think should never be done remotely. But I also think those things are 10% of a good masonic life, and the other 90% can be done remotely if the Brethren want that. My lodge has a discussion group that goes deep on many topics, and we appreciate opportunity to reconnect with dispersed brethren.
We do not need to either "adopt technology lock stock and barrel", nor take the luddite position that Freemasonry is a strictly in-person thing. As with tech in all ages, we roll with change, apply where it works, avoid where it doesn't.
So I just wouldn't take a position on whether to promote or ban virtual attendance, rather keep the rituals what they are, and be thoughtful about expanding what we mean by masonic meeting to include things which can be done remotely and bring meaning to a masonic experience. Reconnecting. Discussing. Learning.
Like many, I work in tech. I am a professional communicator. Much of my work is online. I am very familiar with the false fronts presented, and the mistakes easily made, when communicating via keyboard, mic, and screen.
And, like many, I am very tired of sitting in front of a screen, because of the communication barriers it unavoidably places between me and others. I want high quality, human-to-human experiences.
Particularly as AI and social media continue proliferating, it as inevitable as the marketplace that the social value of high quality, well curated, human-to-human experiences will rise. A pendulum will always swing. Covid gave the pendulum swinging away from screen-bound experiences a shove.
My Lodge is the only one left in our 36,000 person town, which once had three. Fast decline has defined the local Craft for quite some time. Yet, we have somehow attracted over sixteen new inquiries in the last year.
For me personally, as Travis also mentioned, I work 100% remotely and spend all day at the computer in zoom meetings. Spending time outside of work hours at my computer requires a lot of incentive (like our weekly R&G meetings) to participate.
If we're not doing a whole meeting via zoom, only a small off session portion (for, say, education), I kinda don't see the point. There are literally a bazillion online podcasts, lectures, presentations, papers, etc anyone can peruse for free 24/7, why should the lodge go through the expense and trouble to provide a few minutes more?
I'm the person charged with providing education within the lodge, and there are presentations I give that are esoteric in nature, so those can't be shared online anyway (although whatever I am presenting is from the internet to begin with).
I personally feel that the restrictions being put in place aren't really necessary in today's day and age. Coming from a military background where I was invested with a TS/SCI clearance involving highly classified information dealing with national security, I don't think our ritual protections need to be so draconian as being treated like nuclear secrets. We're not curing cancer, and we're not holding launch keys for the ICBMs here.
I understand the reasoning, but what we are doing is protecting the washington masonic code, not the ritual itself, which is wildly available on the internet for anyone that really wants to go find it. Zoom itself has enough protections to keep cowans and eavesdroppers away, and I'm sure I can trust the brothers to secure their own selves during a meeting.
I'm of course going to follow the WMC and any edicts that are issued from GL, but I think there should be some reflection on just what we're really doing, and how to adapt to today's society.
Not too long ago, I wrote an article about this topic. I belong to a Virtual Lodge out of Manitoba: Castle Island Virtual Lodge 190. I started to attend this lodge before COVID-19 was on our radar. In this article I mentioned that I would not replace the tangible experience with a virtual one.
I also talked about some of the conferences I attended recently. There is nothing like meeting in person and on the level, but with work and family demand. Traveling to all of the Masonic conferences I attended last year would not have been possible. The virtual event or meeting before COVID was barely a possibility, but now, thankfully it's thriving.
Virtual Masonic events cannot ever be a substitute for live, in-person meetings, but it certainly can serve as a supplement. Think about the opportunity to expand one's horizons through Masonic Education. Before, we were limited to who we could entice to travel to our lodges. Now, a new world of possibility has opened up. Virtual meetings vs non-virtual should not be considered an all or nothing proposition. Look at it for what it is - a new opportunity to supplement our long-standing traditional gatherings.
I think using technology for the educational portion of a lodge meeting is a good idea. Especially for guest speakers. It's a lot less expensive to have a guest speaker over zoom than it is to deal with airfare, hotels and such to fly in someone. Plus it would allow any brother who is ill or homebound to participate. I'm not for the entire meeting to be virtual. Just the education portion.
I’ve joined a Lodge in California due to restrictions in my Jurisdiction that prevent women and trans men from becoming Masons, and the lack of protections for gay men petitioners. We meet virtually. My only complaint are the audio issues: sometimes someone isn’t mic’d and hearing can be difficult, but usually we make the meeting work. I think it’s important that we get together too, when we can, as we are in a couple of months in-person.
My opinon is that we continue with our in person stated meetings as tradition has dictated. I would add though that after the ritual opening, that a Zoom broadcast be made available to those members who are not able to attend. This would allow those who for health and age reasons are not able to travel to the lodge, to still be involved. It would also allow those who have moved to other parts of the world to be able to stay in contact with their lodge. In my lodge our temple association holds its monthly meeting vial Zoom. Attendence is up for that meeting. For another organization I am a member of we have both in person meetings along with a Zoom connection for those who cannot be there. For the stated meeting, if Zoom can be controlled by the Host to only allow duly confirmed Masons, I don't see an issue.
Many lodges have members all over the world. If lodges would do education by zoom maybe those brothers who live far away can get the Masonic education. Isn’t that what we are truly here for, to educate the craft. I myself am an Indiana Freemason who lives in Washington; I’ve asked my lodge many times to do a zoom education so I can still be part of their good work.