What made you join the freemasons?

This is just a quick question to all masons on this board, what made you join? family history,etc. As you know i have made it clear that i would like to join the freemasons and i would like to hear what made you guys join up. Also, what was you first couple of days like as a freemason?

(note: I do not want immature posting or trolls coming here to insult masons)

I always had a family influence as the last 5 generations have been Mason's in both England and Scotland.

Although it was expected that both me an my brother would eventually join, there was no pressure at all. If either of us had decided to give it a miss there would have been no bad feelings at all. As it happens we both joined though, me when I was in my mid twenties, my brother just a few weeks past his 21st birthday.

I thouroughly enjoy my masonry, both craft and side degrees.

Ben

Benjj, I'm obviously not a Mason, but have a question about your avatar: Those would be blue forget-me-nots? Didn't they have some importance to Masons at one time?

No immature postings? Gosh... you are going to make it difficult for half of us masons on the board..... No talk of the Bunny Cheerleaders? No talk of the famed Fox Ma...oooops? .... Not even a mention of the Reptilain Command Ship orbiting the planet cloaked? hmmmmmm ..... Welll..... uhhhhhh...


Seriously though, my Father is a Mason, my mother is in the Eastern Star. But, I was not raised to be masonic. ha ha My parents only told me that if I was interested, that they would help me. It took many years for me to decide to do it. I had been interested, but did not want to take it seriously, so I held back. When I was ready to be actively involved, I decided to join. Now, why..... hmmm good question... I knew I needed something and had started to seriously consider my life. So, I wrote the local lodge here to learn more. Everything fit my beliefs and my interests, so since I was ready to be active, and everything in order in my life, it just seemed natural.

First days after being initiated.... somewhat confused... ha ha
There is alot to take in at the beginning. But, it felt right and I felt like I had found what I was looking for. Actually, the Masonic Meetings are something I still look forward to. Same feeling, just not confused like before... ha ha

[Edited on 4-6-2004 by JCMinJapan]

Originally posted by DontTreadOnMe
Benjj, I'm obviously not a Mason, but have a question about your avatar: Those would be blue forget-me-nots? Didn't they have some importance to Masons at one time?

Yes forget me nots are important to masons, particularly the older masons.

These tiny flowers are forget-me-nots and you will see some of us wearing these on our lapels. This came about during the war when Hitler outlawed Freemasonry. German freemasons wore these forget-me-nots instead of their usual masonic square and compasses due to the obvious danger. We still wear them today respecting those masons who assured that masonry would survive even under the Nazi regime.

[Edited on 4-6-2004 by billmcelligott]

DontTreadOnMe>

Exactly right. The forget me not is a Masonic way of honouring all of our fallen brothers in WWII. As I'm sure most people know, Adolf Hitler was none to fond of us 'secret societies', and killed many.

With the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings on Sunday I decided to change my avatar a few weeks back. My grandfather was killed on June 6th 1944. A good man, a good mason, and a hero in my eyes.

I've posted a small bit on it in the BTS forum too if you are interested titled 'D-Day + 60'

B

My Father and Grandfather were both Masons. My Aunts (on my Father's side of the Family) were all Job's Daughters. Grandfather died in 1929 when my dad was only 4 years old and it was Grandfather's Masonic Lodge that helped Grandma and the family get through the depression years and keep the house.

Dad never said too much about Masonry but I knew it was there. In my thirties I started to notice that just about every man that I met that was truly a good person was a Mason and that got me to thinking about it again. A friend, and really a great guy, that I flew R/C airplanes with was a Mason and I let him know that I was interested in joining and the rest is history.

I have an unusual story, all though it appears to be less and less unusual as time goes on.

None of my living relitaves are Freemasons. Generally speaking, my extended family's attitude to Masonry is only fair to somewhat negative (my immediate family, though, are extremely supportive). After I came back from studying as a graduate student in Japan, I had a good job, a good house, I was saving lots of money, I had a bright future ahead of me, etc., etc.. Yet, I had a nagging feeling that I was missing something. I enrolled in some extra university classes (One on the physics of relativity and another on the psychology of creativity), which were quite enjoyable, but which didn't somehow fill that need.

Now, I once was like other members on this message board, in that I had an interest in world-girdling conspiracies, and sometimes I even felt that something like what they call the "Illuminati" existed. One day (in early 2001), I was searching around the web, and I read the Encyclopedia Brittanica article on Freemasonry. Suddenly, I had a very odd feeling that I had to apply to be a Freemason. I'd actually had compulsions like this before, that I had to go this place, or walk down that side street, or go visit that temple, or whatever, and they had universially worked out well.

Now, I try not to be a superstitious person. I am a published scientist, after all, and I try to be as rational as possible under the circumstances. Yet I've come to trust these compulsions, whether they come from my own subconscious or some other source. So, I found the Grand Lodge web page for my Jursidiction, and looked at what needed to be done to become a Freemason. I discovered a list of Lodges in my area, and one of them just stood out to me. They met on a Wednesday, which was OK for my schedule, and somehow I felt that this was the Lodge for me. So, I wrote a letter to the secretary, and in time eventually became a Mason there. I did not know at the time that the Lodge to which I applied is the premier Lodge in our area for attendance, membership, and quality of Work. So, again, I'm glad I followed my compulsion. I've never regretted becoming a Mason.

So there you have it, the process by which I became a Mason (or, at least, the version I've mythologised for myself -- but don't we all do the same thing?). I hope I haven't come off as too much of a kook

P.S. I wanted to say that if I am ever priveleged enough to have children, I hope to get them into De Molay and Job's Daughters as soon as I can (and with their agreement), so that they have that opportunity I did not.

[Edited on 4-6-2004 by AlexKennedy]

Thank you to all of the freemasons who replyed to this thread mostly AlexKennedy, i found your story really interesting

I started studying ancient history/theology when I was very young. I have continued on this quest for light my entire life, studying a vast variety of subjects, and civilizations, and going through many schools of thought. Eventually I realized that many members in my family who had been very influential in my life were Masons and Eastern Stars. After years of research and dismissing the falsehoods regarding Masonry I began to contemplate if it was the next step on my path. Eventually I decided it was, it felt right, so I took that step.

My first few weeks after initiation were strange, in a good way. I had a lot of questions, and reflected on the events and rituals of my initiation thoroughly. All in all, after my initiation I felt at peace, centered, reborn in a way, it was a wonderful feeling.

Khonsu, thank you aswell. I have found all of posts really interesting and it has helped me in my quest to learning and understand Freemasonry

My father is a mason, my uncle (his brother) is a past master, my grandfather was a Mason, a Shriner, a 33rd Scottish Rite, York Rite, Grotto, Veiled Prophets etc etc, my Great Grandfather, Great Great Grandfather, and great great great grandfather were masons. My Godfather is a mason...

My Grandfather and uncle ran a business in Los Angeles, and ALL the men working for them were masons (my grandfather actually hired through the grand lodge), so all my life I have been surrounded by masons. Unfortunately, I waited until my grandfather's death to actually get a petition and join.

Now I wish I had joined twenty six years ago, but...

I love this fraternity of good and honorable men.

Originally posted by AlexKennedy
...I hope I haven't come off as too much of a kook

Nope, just the right amount of kook, my kind of kook AK

P.S. I wanted to say that if I am ever privileged enough to have children, I hope to get them into De Molay and Job's Daughters as soon as I can (and with their agreement), so that they have that opportunity I did not.

Now that is one thing that I wish that my parents had done. If my father had talked to me more about Freemasonry and had me join the DeMolay I most probably would not have made the errors of my early life and had become a just and upright citizen much sooner. Job's Daughters, DeMolay and Rainbow for girls are such a good deal for the kids. They learn responsibility, respect and leadership skills not available anywhere else.

Both my Great uncles were masons and when I showed an interest in joining the lodge; one of them proposed me into the lodge( Solomon 1209 Scottish Const). This was in 1989 and I have never looked back. I have made many friends all over the world. In freemasonary we have a society of men who enjoy life, helping other people and making this world a better place for all people.

Brother Gerard

Although I'm not a mason, I did just starting the process of attempting to join, I have my first tour and meeting at the lodge tomorrow morning. My story is along the same lines as AK, except a bit more out there. I'm almost afraid to say it, but here it goes.

Since I was young, teens, I was interested in fraturnaties, the brotherhood, expanding yourself as a man. Though as I grew old and closer to college, I found most college frats, to be a bunch of drunkin bafoons. And I could do that with my real friends .

I joined the US Marine Corps. after high school. While in the Marine corps I started reading more, I use to hate to read. I met a guy in the corps, that was a wicca. Although I don't believe in that stuff, he got me interested in studing the occoult. As entertainment he also introduced me into the fiction writings based off a roleplaying game by White Wolf Ent. called Vampire: The Masquerade. The first book I read was called Order of the Bitter Ash. The author pulled a Dan Brown, and twisted his story into real history, and it was really entertaining. The book story was that a vampire looking for the holy grail, started the Knights Templar, by tricking the man who started the KT. After the book, I decided to research the true history of the time, and the Knights. Which of course led me to Freemasonry.

I have never been a conspiracy theorist, and I read the Masons sites with open, and untainted views. I saw a orginization with upstanding men from the community. Also a desire to learn and expand their knowledge. I spent the next few years lightly learning more, not giving it much thought though.

My next stage actually, and brace yourself, happened because of the movie "From Hell". Now don't get me wrong, I don't think anything like that happened, what was cool to me though, was when Jonny Depp went and researched the Masons in the library. That kinda tipped me off, to how long and big the masonry history was. And being some what of a history buff, it intised me to study more on the history of Freemasonry. Studing their history again led me to their sites, and I started reading more of what they were currently writing. But I was still pretty ignorant to them.

My thrird and final time led to freemasonry, when I read The Di Vinci Code, I started researching the Priory of Sion, Opus Dei (sp?) and other secret societies. And of course came across freemasonry again(and which led to me finding this site). This time though, I happened upon the California Grand Lodges website. Now one of the things that always seemed to allude me, because I never thought it so easy, was how to join, or how you got invited. Heheh So I was surprised to see on the menu of the Cal Grand Lodge's site "How to join". I felt pretty stupid when I found it was so easy, even more stupid cause I thought I knew a lot about the masons, a mistake I will not make again.

I've spent the last year, knowing I wanted to join, but unsure if I was the type of man that they would want. So I shadowed this forum, and read what the masons on this board said and posted. I also used the time to make sure I understood more about the core values of masonry, and if I would fit into a lodge. As AK said, I always had a feeling that I just needed to join, I can't explain why, kinda feels like a mental and spiritual magnet.

I also questioned my motives for wanting to join, I thought maybe the fact that I wanted to learn so much about the Masons was a bad thing, I see know that many feel that same thirst for knowledge.

I had to write this fast, as we are leaving for dinner, sorry if I messed up at all. Got to go.

well i have 1 or 2 masons in the family past grand master and i joined the little kid masons then quit