How does it work? I know that Freemasons are honest men of integrity and that these are some of your core teachings. But how else do you help men become better?
Just a few that have personally impacted my life: Offering leadership opportunities. Improving public speaking skills. Personal growth from mentoring and/or being mentored by others. Friendship
Really , and others may disagree , but WE do not make other Masons better men , what we do as Master Masons is present new candidates with the tools to make themsleves better men , but it is up to them to apply these tools to their own lives . It's like the old saying "You can lead a horse to water , but you can not make him drink" . We present each candidate , through our degrees , important lessons with our lectures and our symbols . We can break them down and explain each lecture in detail to each candidate , but they need to apply them to their own life . There are some who do change their lives for the better by what they have learned from Freemasonry , and sadly , some are still the same men they were when they first joined because they were not truely ready for Freemasonry in their hearts .
I agree with your statement to a point. While we can deliver the lectures and tell them about the symbolism on a literal level, I think that there is much to be learned. Many new Masons lack the ability to look deeper to dig up the pearls of wisdom without a little help and guidance on how to approach that task.
I believe I said that we can explain everything in detail , in other words look deeper into Freemasonry with the candidate . You can explain away every little facet of Freemasonry to a candidate , dredge every little nugget of wisdom for them , guide them and help them but If it is not in a man's heart , it is not in a man's heart .
But on what you were saying , When I first became a Freemason I had a hard time studying the deeper meaning of Freemasonry . What I did was bought a series of books that made it easier and this is the approach I now use with new Masons . I first lend them my copy of... 'The Craft and it's Symbols" By Allen E. Roberts . Very easy to understand . Then I lend them a copy of ... " The Freemason's Key: A Study of Masonic Symbolism" , which get's a little deeper . Then.. "The Meaning of Freemasonry" by Wilmhurst And so on and so forth . I slowly step them up in books on Freemasonry , from easy to understand to deeper and deeper books ( is this making any sense ?) as they progress . We talk about them , break them down . But I digress and I am high jacking this thread .
Freemasonry is like any other aspect of life, you often get out of it what you put into it. People who are attracted to the principles that Freemasonry expounds, usually are the type of people to make good use of an opportunity for personal growth. There are many esoteric "lessons" to discover, but I have found the bond of friendship that is offered by all brothers, to all brothers, to be the cornerstone of my experience with the fraternity.
This is true also . There is different aspects of Freemasonry that brothers love the most The Fellowship/Brotherhood Ritualist (Me) Charity Education
You are very welcome . Some can delve into books like Morals and Dogma from the get go , and some need to start with the basics as a foundation and build on it . I am of the latter type .
The three principals of Freemasonry are Brotherly Love, Truth and Relief. We pass on our lessons through Ritual. This is a very powerful tool for focusing the mind and the Masons have had a lot of practice at it. It's difficult to say more as all Masons are sworn to never reveal what goes on in Ritual. What I can tell you is that if you choose to become a Mason, you will be in the company of men who you can trust with your thoughts and your safety unquestioningly. By joining, you declare yourself to be someone who also can be trusted to act as a Mason in all you do. We meet on the level and act on the square. This means all Masons are equal and Brothers. We live our lives with truth and fair dealing in all we do. If we see someone in need, we do our best to help. Brotherly Love, Truth and Relief. There is nothing special about what Freemasonry teaches. You got the same lessons if you went to Sunday School or Boyscouts. We have no exclusive knowledge and don't pretend to. What we do have is strength in numbers, very effective teaching tools (nobody sleeps through our lectures ) and the bond of Brotherhood. The journey is much easier when you can lean on your Brothers when the going gets rough.
One thing about Freemasons, we are charitable to all our fellow people, not just Freemasons. We will help a fellow man/woman just because he/she needs our help, and it doesn't matter to us if we are recognized for giving said help or not.
You guys are awesome. So if my religion and faith already heavily develop these traits, can Freemasonry still benefit me?
