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More than a man, a Mason
Freemasonry:
What is it and who are the Masons?Freemasonry or Masonry consists of fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that regulated their qualifications and training as well as their conduct and interactions within their profession.
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The Masons were originally a mens group because their history was based on stone masons going back hundreds of years. Although there are records of lodges going back as far as the 12th century, the Lodge of Edinburgh #1 in Scotland (Mary's Chapel) has historical records going back to 1599 and still exists today. The first officially recognized Grand Lodge was formed in 1717 in England. This became the first formally established movement from operative masons to speculative masons meaning they used their understanding and knowledge of how to properly conduct themselves in their craft to their everyday lives. The requirement for becoming a freemason was then based, not on the ability to handle stone, but rather that they knew the value of good character and moral judgement. Grand Lodges are independent of each other and there is no overall governing body for the different Grand Lodges but the principles upon which Freemasonry is based are common to all that are in harmony and the rituals and ceremonies are similar in most respects worldwide. Freemasons come from all walks of life and backgrounds, even sometimes actual stone masons, and the Craft is open to all men regardless of religion, color, culture, or heritage.
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What we do| May 9, 2021What do Masons actually do and what does being a Mason involve?
M asons are involved in a variety of endeavours, which often involve charity, and have been considered at times as the largest philanthropic organization in the world. The Shriners and their hospitals are just one of the more well known groups but each Lodge often has a local cause they focus on while contributing to their own Grand Lodge. But there is much more to being a Mason than charity...
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Every Mason has his (or her) reasons for being part of the Fraternity or the 'Craft' as it is often refered to but the mission statement of 'We make good men better' still holds true today. Why good men better and not all men? It's important for any craftsman to start with good materials and there are some principles that are essential to Masonry which are explained more in How does someone become a Freemason. We work to support each other in good times and bad, provide a safe environment to share ideas, to learn from each other, and know that even when we don't agree, we stand united. We strive to follow the code of being a gentleman and learn what that entails. And that as Freemasonry is in virtually every corner of the world, you have safe haven wherever you travel. In fact, visiting other Lodges, although not required, is a key part of learning in Masonry by seeing what other Brothers are doing in their particular Lodge or area.
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BECOMING A MASON | 2021How does someone become a Freemason?
The requirements for becoming a Freemason are virtually the same worldwide and are based on three primciples. Those being "Free born, of mature age and under the tongue of good report" (essentially of good character or reputation). The term Free Born is just a carry over from ancient times and what is considered mature age is different for every Grand Lodge but usually age 21.
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Another important requirement is a belief in a supreme being or a higher power. To be very clear, Masonry is not a religion. In fact one of the reasons we believe it has stood as probably the oldest fraternity in existence is that any discussion of either religion or politics is strictly forbidden in Lodge. The requirement for belief in a higher power, whatever you conceive that to be, is that you have to swear an oath based on that belief to uphold the principles essential to becoming a better man. In fact, Freemasonry makes no distinction between any religion and is open to all no matter what their colour, heritage, religion, or background as long as you understand those principles. Freemasons do not solicit membership but all you need do is ask - even using our contact page. There was an old myth that you had to be invited or that someone in your family had to have been a Mason - not true. 2B1ASK1, or in other words, to be one ask one. It should be noted however that Masonry is not a club that you join by just signing up and it doesn't happen quickly. The process involves an initial meeting possibly over a coffee where you can ask us questions and we can ask about you. If you are still interested we ask that you fill out an application which is presented to the Lodge and a committee is arranged to meet with you and discuss the process for initiation in greater detail. There is an initial membership fee which ranges depending on the Lodge around $400 to $600 and then there are no fees until after you become a Master Mason when there are annual dues of around $300 to $500.
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Concordant Bodies | December, 2021Freemasonry is made up of many concordant or associated bodies
Freemasonry is made up of many concordant or associated bodies. Some of the more well known ones are The Shriners and their hospitals, Scottish Rite, and York Rite. But there are many more, all with the goal of improving the lives of their members and society as a whole.
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Within the jurisdiction of our Grand Lodge of BC and Yukon there are two primary concordant bodies, The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite and the York Rite Masonry. There are also bodies that are considered "in amity" with our Grand Lodge such as The Royal Order of Scotland and The Order of the Red Cross of Constantine. There are Masonic clubs like The Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine and The Grotto. Many appendant women's organizations include The Order of the Eastern Star, The Order of the Amaranth, The Daughters of the Nile, Ladies of the Oriental Shrine, The White Shrine of Jerusalem as well as for our youth. For boys there is The Order of Demolay and for girls there is The International Order of Job's Daughters. For more information visit our Grand Lodge website and the link to concordant bodies HERE.
SECRETS | 2021I've heard many things about the Masons...Secret society, Illuminati, world domination, and any number of nefarious things have been associated with Freemasonry. Unfortunately, for some reason, many people feel if you conduct your business in private and you don't share it with anyone who asks, you must be doing something wrong.
Read MoreIt's no secret...
that Freemasons keep their ceremony private. Rather than being a Secret Society, we could be considered a Society of sorts or fraternity that believes in keeping the rituals conducted in Lodges as private, or secret if some people prefer to call it that. But that's it. There is no mystical arts performed or attempt to rule the world. Just good men trying to do their bit to make themselves and the world around us a better place. The fact is that if all the rituals and ceremonies conducted in Lodges for initiation and progression through the degrees in Masonry were held in a busy shopping mall people would just think we were conducting some sort of ceremony much like the changing of the guard or the swearing in of a government official to an office. In fact each Grand Lodge operates with total autonomy and Lynn Valley Lodge is part of the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon.