Small, Incremental Changes

That add up to improve Freemasonry

When I first became a Freemason, one could hardly sit through an Opening, Closing, or a Degree, without hearing loud, unneeded, unnecessary, and unwanted prompts being called out from the sidelines.

Photo by Oleg Laptev on Unsplash

It almost seemed like a contest among the men sitting on the sidelines, to somehow prove that they were the best ritualists by being the loudest and most frequent yellers from the sidelines.

Of course, these unwanted prompts ruined the ritual.

And of course, these unneeded prompts were incorrect at least as often as they were correct.

But, times changed.

Worshipful Masters began standing in the East, directing people prior to the start of any ritual that they were not to call out prompts. That they were to respectfully let the officers do that which they are charged to do.

I remember that this change came slowly in the Lodges I was a part of. Masons on the sidelines still had that awful temptation to call out. But slowly the change took hold. This excessive and unneeded prompting ended at the urging and direction of Worshipful Masters.

This actually worked so well that I haven’t seen prompting of that sort for a very long time. It worked so well that I actually forgot how things were back when I first became a Mason.

That was a tremendous improvement to Freemasonry, and to the Lodges I visit, but it happened so slowly that I didn’t even remember it happening.

It all came back to me recently, when I visited a distant Lodge to watch a Degree. The Degree was actually stopped three different times by unneeded and unwanted prompting. Out of those three dead stops caused by prompts, two of the prompts also happened to be incorrect.

This specific Lodge clearly didn’t make the improvement virtually all other Lodges in my Jurisdiction have made.

It shocked me out of my ignorance of how things had changed for the better. It reminded me, perfectly, of how Lodges were when I first became a Mason.

I was talking online yesterday with a Mason I admire, but who lives on the opposite side of the state from me. We were chatting about how Freemasonry seems to truly be on fire in some Lodges and in some areas. How Lodges are growing like mad, excitement is high, and the future looks amazing.

This is not universal in my state. It is I think limited to only a percentage of our Lodges, and a percentage of areas. But, it is happening, and if it continues to happen, it will spread.

Watching that Degree recently, being reminded of how things used to be, brought to mind that we, the Masons of today, are changing things for the better, sometimes with steps so small and so slow, that we don’t even remember how things have improved. Just as I forgot how yelling out from the sidelines during a ritual was apparently widely accepted and viewed as OK a decade and a half ago.

But, we have changed things. Changed things for the better. And we will continue to do so.

That is at least partially why we are seeing a revitalization, and regeneration of Freemasonry in some of our Lodges and some of our Districts.

As we continue to improve, and to succeed, this positive excitement will spread.

The sun is indeed rising brightly in the East!