Brethren,
One of the things that sets our fraternity apart from many organization is our ritual. Whether you are proficient in it or not it has remained unchanged over hundreds of years. We ensure our candidates and members demonstrate competency in it, and the lodge must prove a proficiency in it ever year. When the world is moving toward better faster and easier things our fraternity maintains its core ritual unchanged.
The interesting aspect to that unchanged ritual is that every time I hear it, there is something new I take away. Every degree every lecture there is something different to focus on. How can that be? The words are not different. Each of us has heard them before. In some cases more times then we’d like to admit. The context is the same. You are in a lodge with your brethren conducting the same degrees.
The difference is your mindset. What you hear and understand not just what you listen to. What has happened or is happening in your personal or professional life and how the words apply to your current situation. How a certain nuance you hear in the degree or lecture takes your prior understanding to another level. How open your heart and mind is at the time.
The words are often simple and at first blush maybe even common sense. Yet, in our individual and changing mindset likely carry a different message of fundamental importance to each of us. It is both simple and profound.
As Master Masons we are admonished to … imitate virtuous conduct, unfeigned piety to God and inflexible fidelity to trust. Simple words unchanged from when I first heard them. Yet, as a candidate they were mere nice words. As I matured and listened to them in the lodge the words took on a basic rule of conduct, and since then have continued to evolve in specific aspects where I see areas to improve. The take away brethren, is in order to grow in the craft and as a person we must continue to learn and grow from the lessons of our ritual. The basic truths that have been passed from generation to generation unchanged.
Fraternally,
Russ Bauer, WM
