Saw a Mason Temple + I've thought about joining previously - Need suggestions

I passed a Mason Temple in Fort Worth the other day. I pointed it out to the guy who was driving me, but he did not provide me with any information other than:
Some conspiracy nuts think freemasons control the world and have ultimate power.
Perhaps that is true, perhaps it is false. The mason, in my opinion, do have much more power than he believes.

Anyways, after seeing the temple I realized I did not know how one would join at all. I have thought about joining for quite some time, but need help with that.

I know that there is Google, but a lot of information out there is false, opinionated, or simply not specific. Some people say that "secret organizations" containing hierarchies, or levels (or degrees), are hard to get into, or at least hard to reach a high level at. Some say it comes down to bloodlines, etc, but I am not sure about freemasonry specifically.

If anyone here is part of the organization/society/whatever it would be appreciated if you could provide some insight into how to join, if it is worth to join, and what joining entails (as far as initiation, etc).

Thanks very much
-Ghostx

reply to post by Ghostx

Just walk in and tell en to sign you up!

My dad was a Mason and as a child he signed me up for the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls
Later in life I joined the Order of the Eastern Star.

You know what being a real mason is all about?
it's like joining the Elks lodge or VFW post. Families get together to just hang out with good friends and have a good time.

That's all it is, just another fraternal org. and at times I get a little angry when people who don't know, and make it sound like were some deep dark secret cult!

I'd tell you more but I'm on a conference call with the Illuminati, seems Mitt Romney isn't working out as well as we planned? Byeeee!!!!

If we have all this power so many think we do then I feel sorry for the world . Honestly , I do ! We can not agree on something as simple as what color/brand/type of paint we will use in our kitchen without debates and arguments . It takes a 3 man committee to go out and come up with how many gallons we would need , type of paint , price of paint , brand of paint they then come back to lodge and make their report on all of the above at our stated meeting and we then go into a 10 to 20 minute debate on the subject . We finally make up our minds , take a vote for approval to purchase the paint then we have to get enough members there for a working party to actually paint the kitchen . And this can go on for three or four months before any action is actually taken .

If we were actually running the world , GOOD NIGHT , something as complicated as the daily running of the country/world nothing would ever get done .

reply to post by whenandwhere


Good points. However, perhaps this display of lengthy / detailed decision making is a representation of the masons making big decisions all the time.
If you are used to thinking in depth about decisions and discussing them, and getting down to the details because it pertains to life changing things / world changing things - then it would be very easy to let this process go into everything, even small paint jobs.

That said, I don't want to just join the masons because a thought that they may have some sort of 'almost hidden' power. It is also because of the qualities of masons that I notice in my life, the sense of unity, and other aspects of community that aren't always seen in less intelligent communities (that I come by)

Originally posted by Ghostx
If anyone here is part of the organization/society/whatever it would be appreciated if you could provide some insight into how to join, if it is worth to join, and what joining entails (as far as initiation, etc).

I think the more important question is what do personally expect to achieve or what goals do you want to obtain by joining Masonry?

Originally posted by Ghostx
reply to post by whenandwhere

 

That said, I don't want to just join the masons because a thought that they may have some sort of 'almost hidden' power. It is also because of the qualities of masons that I notice in my life, the sense of unity, and other aspects of community that aren't always seen in less intelligent communities (that I come by)

With that attitude your gonna fit in just fine and they would be lucky to have you as a member

I would rather tackle the problems of life myself. with my own bare hands before I go and join some strange group of dudes I don´t really know anything about. Just my 2 cents--- No disrespect to the masons, but thats how I see it... I know some masons..

reply to post by AugustusMasonicus


Like in any community I join, I attempt to bring something to the table, and take something away. It is differently in each scenario, but as my recent post explains it is a sense of unity and community that draws me to the mason organization.
My goals entail life improvement, and wellbeing. That is something I try to strive for though in my entire life, and if I join the masons I would not rely on that sole community to achieve that. They would simply be an aspect of my journey, and hopefully a contributing factor to happiness.
That sounds all la-di-dah therapeutic BS, but it is true.

If the free masons do have some unknown above-33-degrees, or knowledge that is revealed to certain members, then that is fine too. However, the important thing for me is to focus on making sure I am not disappointed or let down if I simply remain on the lowest degree member list, and never am revealed secret knowledge. I think that's a good mindset, and something i have now / can follow.

Originally posted by Ghostx
Like in any community I join, I attempt to bring something to the table, and take something away. It is differently in each scenario, but as my recent post explains it is a sense of unity and community that draws me to the mason organization.
My goals entail life improvement, and wellbeing. That is something I try to strive for though in my entire life, and if I join the masons I would not rely on that sole community to achieve that. They would simply be an aspect of my journey, and hopefully a contributing factor to happiness.
That sounds all la-di-dah therapeutic BS, but it is true.

I disagree, it does not sound like 'la-di-dah therapeutic BS', I think it is a decent and spiritually rewarding way to lead one's life. I think you may enjoy the journey.

However, the important thing for me is to focus on making sure I am not disappointed or let down if I simply remain on the lowest degree member list, and never am revealed secret knowledge. I think that's a good mindset, and something i have now / can follow.

There is no lowest degree, that is waht makes Masonry so appealing, we all meet as equals.

Originally posted by Ghostx
reply to post by whenandwhere

 

That said, I don't want to just join the masons because a thought that they may have some sort of 'almost hidden' power. It is also because of the qualities of masons that I notice in my life, the sense of unity, and other aspects of community that aren't always seen in less intelligent communities (that I come by)

Nice post and you are on your way . I joined because everyday , hard working men whom I respected were members and I thought to myself "If these are the type of men who are Masons , then I want to be part of it " . I have many great friends and brothers because of my membership in the Fraternity . Men I would have never gotten the chance to have met and become friends with if I did not petition .

There are many other reasons I joined but the men I respected was what lit the fire for my search .


What I said above was mostly in jest . TRUE , but in jest . Most lodges (and rites) have limited funds and have to get the most bang for their buck.

reply to post by AugustusMasonicus

I like the thought that you DO enter as equals. But do you finish as equals? With all communities, people's perceptions of others varies and often people class themselves or others either above or below themselves.
However, that's good to hear that degrees are less than complete classifications that potentially limit the way people include/exclude you.

reply to post by Ghostx

You sound like you have the right idea. All you need to get started is to go to a lodge and find a mason there. Ask him for a little more information and tell him you are thinking about petitioning the lodge. Whomever you speak with should either get the ball rolling from there, or he should put you in touch with who you need to talk to, to get your petition in order.

Most of us here are just regular masons. Most are 32nd degree Scottish rite and some are also York Rite. None of the extra stuff means much as a 3rd degree master mason is the true pinnacle of masonry. And as with anything in life, you will get out of it, what you put into it. Good luck.

reply to post by Ghostx


To give you an example, we have a former state senator that is a member of our lodge. The other night he showed up to a degree unannounced. We all greeted him as we would any other brother and chit-chatted just like he was a plumber or electrician. He is a super nice guy and probably doesn't get to have "regular" conversations with normal folks as often as he might like.

The best thing about being a mason is the funny looking hats

we get to wear. I have a collection of these hats. Very fun to wear because normal
people can not get them.

reply to post by whenandwhere


My lodge has been trying to get the place painted for over a year! Seems we agree to disagree on the littlest things! Hopefully we get some paint on before the snow flies.... I'm not holding my breath!

reply to post by Ghostx


My friend , your best bet is to talk to Masons in person . Go to a lodge when they meet , sit down and break bread with them ( we welcome anyone and everyone who wishes to sit down to dinner with us) and ask all the questions you like . Nothing like a face to face conversation . This way you will get to know the men , see what they are like , see if these are the men you wish to associate with . Not all lodges are the same , and some Brothers find they do not fit well into their lodge and will find other lodges to affiliate with where there are men they have more in common .

Okay thank you for all the information / encouragement. Discussions like this one with my family and friends results in "are you serious? stares" and discouragement.

Now, in the masons, what does an average lodge feel like? Do you live in a lodge with others? Or do you live elsewhere and simply congregate in a lodge? Or is a lodge just a word that has a different meaning than house or community area?
Do masons normally hold jobs elsewhere (such as the senator?)? Like do you go out and work as a plumber elsewhere, or do you make money on your own? Or are things paid for in a community effort? like you do your part, such as building something, and thus food is provided by a brother?

I am not familiar with these specifics as i have only experienced the beliefs, and vibes of masons and never specific details of their living conditions/etc.

reply to post by network dude
As the sole "Irregular" Freemason here, I will tell you that there is a mixed Gender Lodge in Ft Worth Texas that I am aware of. So you have options, if you are interested in Continental Masonry that accepts men and women contact me by PM. However, whatever decision you make, I wish you the best of luck on your Masonic journey.

Originally posted by no1smootha
reply to post by network dude

 

As the sole "Irregular" Freemason here, I will tell you that there is a mixed Gender Lodge in Ft Worth Texas that I am aware of. So you have options, if you are interested in Continental Masonry that accepts men and women contact me by PM. However, whatever decision you make, I wish you the best of luck on your Masonic journey.

I PMed you. If you PM me, how do I get to my messages? Is there going to be a notification thing that pops up or something?

reply to post by Ghostx
Yes, at the bottom of ATS there is a ribbon that shows new messages, or you may go to TOOLS+/messages. Sent.

Freemasonic Lodges don't offer residence or employment, rather they are our places of meeting.