In my Last Post, I went into a little bit about my Masonic career so far, and wanted to expand on it slightly, mainly regarding progressive orders. Last year I was asked if I would like to join the Royal Arch. As my passion for Masonry was really starting to pick up the pace, I said “Yes please” but I didn’t really know much about it at that point.
I believe that as a Mason or even a decent human being, our word is important. what we are told in the charge after initiation, not to unduly obtain the secrets of a superior degree, Now! I dont know if that applies to doing simple research, but I believe we should stick to. I did not do any research into the Royal Arch before joining nor did I want to, as I felt my quest for knowledge would be satisfied after I joined. You would not read the complete script of a new movie before going to see it, because that would detract from the initial interaction. I feel the same goes for Masonry. Yes! All the information is out there on the internet in one form or another, and if you have enough time, I’m sure you could become an expert in Freemasonry without even becoming a member, but that would make going through it less meaningful. You would have the knowledge but not the experience of what it means to be a Freemason. To be part of a Lodge of people that you are happy to call Brothers, that you know will be there to help you when you need someone and vice versa, definitely is a comforting feeling and makes you feel accepted.
If you have the opportunity to join a Royal Arch Chapter, I would highly recommend it, The reveal was amazing. But I must say, as another once explained to me, (although I didn’t listen), timing is essential. I joined my Chapter in my last year of being on the Steward’s bench. Five months before I was installed into IG. Now I know that you can join other orders and just sit and observe the ceremonies and learn, but me being me. When I was asked on the night of my Exaltation, if would I mind going straight into Second Assistant, as they didn’t have one. “Don’t worry you won’t have to do anything” they said. I said yeah sure, (Again). Due to the timing of my Exaltation within the year, the next ceremony I attended I was promoted to first assistant. In that year I then helped with part of the Exaltation of one of my Brothers from my Craft Lodge. This September I will then again be promoted to PS, so the way the Royal Arch is corresponding with Craft, I will be having a few very busy years around my time in the chairs of Craft and RA.
We were honored to have a provincial visit for my Brother’s Exaltation and the ceremony went really well, I aided in the PS works on that occasion. Only a small middle section of though, My companion PS did a really great job, as did we all. And we received amazing feedback from the Provincial team.
A lot of people have mentioned not to rush into any other Orders, but it is hard to not join them all once you hear about them. I have my sights set on The Knights Templar. Ever since I became a Mason I had known the connection between them and the Craft. I didn’t know at the time that Royal Arch had to come first, in some way I guess it was the main reason for joining RA, but now that I am a Companion, I am glad that it is. There is a lot to learn within RA, and it completes the story.
There is another path that became apparent to me when I attended a presentation regarding the progressive Orders. I traveled to another Center for a Masonic breakfast and presentation. This was my first time visiting that Centre, So naturally I had to be nosy and have a little look around. The Centre was built back in 2003 and still looks fresh. The temple itself was really wonderful, and I look forward to visiting a Lodge there to witness a ceremony. I must confess, I took the opportunity to have a quick run-through of the second-degree tracing board that I was learning, I had not long managed to get it all into my mind, so as I got there an hour early, I thought why not. The tracing board is an eight-and-a-half-minute piece, so I had plenty of time after to go back downstairs and help with setting up the tables for the presentation.
I thoroughly enjoyed attending the event, as I learned a lot regarding what some of the other orders are about and the different regalia worn, and at the same time meet some new people and have a good chat. So, I will absolutely be attending more of them as they come up, and I encourage you to also do the same, even if you are not looking to join any of them anytime soon, it is still a good eye-opener.
During the presentation, it became apparent to me that a lot of the Orders appear on a master timeline in history, and that there is a bit of a gap between Craft and RA of five hundred years. This gap is filled in with another Order, one that you have to be a member of bother RA and Mark to then join, So now I am at a crossroads with respect to the direction I go. Do I fill in that gap in the story I have been working through for the last five years with two separate orders, or do I Join KT, Something that has always piqued my interest from a historical perspective, way back before I became a Mason? I am still undecided, but I will definitely let you know which way I choose to go before I join.
One of the main points I keep being told regarding KT is that all of the regalia can be quite expensive. I don’t know how much of a decisive factor that will have until I really start looking into it and start adding it up but I will definitely be looking into it soon.
I, unfortunately, do not have loads of money, so that is definitely a factor in my decision-making when it comes to everything Masonic. I would love to do it all, Join all of the orders and go to every social event. I’m sure in time they will increase, especially once the kids are older and can pay their own way. But for now, I am happy learning everything I can, because I know those days will come. Masonry is not a sprint, it is a lifetime of learning and progressing in the right direction. It can take years to become WM of your Craft Lodge, if it is a busy and thriving Lodge with many on the Stewards bench. I’ve heard stories of some Lodges that have more than ten people on the bench waiting to get on the ladder, plus the five years it takes on the way up to WM, it can deffinately be a long process, so Masonry certainly teaches you patience and planning for the future.
Coming up in my next post, I will be talking about how I learn new sections of the ceremonies and the techniques that I use to help commit them to memory.