How have you been asked if you are a Mason.

Bob Franks

Bob Franks

Past District Deputy Grand Lecturer
How have you been asked if you are a Mason?

This morning, I had a Group Home supervisor accompanying a patient ask if I had ever been thrown on the rubbish heap. He had to ask me 3 times before I figured out he was talkin' Lodge.
He is a member of a PHA lodge in the town where the office is, and apparently our 2 GLs use different ways to ask. (I'm a "mainstream" or "George Washington" mason.)

S&F
 
Windrider

Windrider

Plus-sized tuxedo model
Somebody asked me, "Do you travel to the west?" I figured he was asking me if I were a Mason, so I said, "I travel toward the east." I think we were both confused.

Is there something I'm missing here? PM me if it's not for the public.
 
O

Ofotherworlds

New Member
A fellow seminarian- a second-career man who's past master of a lodge in Detroit asked me "how is your journey to the east going", and I gave him the grip of an EA, which I was at the time. He taught me to cover your right hand with your left to obscure the grip when giving it in public, which I didn't know was customary.

I've been assuming that my seminarian friend was master of a Prince Hall lodge, because he's black, but that's really not necessarily true. When I asked if covering the grip was a PH custom, my mentor said no, that it was universal when in public.
 
R

removed12612

Guest
I would have to respectfully disagree with covering of the hand being universal. I had never even heard of it until a PHA Brother mentioned it. Generally speaking, I dont give or expect a grip out in public.
 
Duncan1574

Duncan1574

Lodge Chaplain & arms dealer
fireman99 said:
I would have to respectfully disagree with covering of the hand being universal. I had never even heard of it until a PHA Brother mentioned it. Generally speaking, I dont give or expect a grip out in public.
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I was at a lunch with my wife's Rotary Club today, one of her Rotarian friends is a long time Mason and knows that I petitioned, he was there wehn I signed it. I told him I gave back my EA and he gave me the EA grip, I returned it and life went on, there was no one about, the hand covering thing is a good idea....
 
Winter

Winter

I've been here before
Covering the grip is universal, or at least more common, outside of America.

I always give the grip. Whenever I greet my Brothers. Which is all the time since all my best fiends are Maons!

It is a custom that has seen a resurgence with TO and EC lodges forming.
 
Bob Franks

Bob Franks

Past District Deputy Grand Lecturer
Ofotherworlds said:
A fellow seminarian- a second-career man who's past master of a lodge in Detroit asked me "how is your journey to the east going", and I gave him the grip of an EA, which I was at the time. He taught me to cover your right hand with your left to obscure the grip when giving it in public, which I didn't know was customary.

I've been assuming that my seminarian friend was master of a Prince Hall lodge, because he's black, but that's really not necessarily true. When I asked if covering the grip was a PH custom, my mentor said no, that it was universal when in public.
Click to expand...
I've never heard of covering the grip either. You'd have to have amazingly sharp vision to notice it in public, anyway!
Heck, sometimes I don't notice it when I'm given it!

S&F
 
Duncan1574

Duncan1574

Lodge Chaplain & arms dealer
Winter said:
Covering the grip is universal, or at least more common, outside of America.

I always give the grip. Whenever I greet my Brothers. Which is all the time since all my best fiends are Maons!

It is a custom that has seen a resurgence with TO and EC lodges forming.
Click to expand...
I am in favor of giving the grip to known Brothers, not sure about the chance encounter with a "Mason", I think that it will become second nature to ask a few telling questions before giving the grip. My friend at Rotary didn't give me the EA grip UNTIL I told him I had given it back for instance.

A typical RenFaire male/male greeting is a forearm grip and a right side chest/rs chest hug and a pat or 3 on the back. Why? Back in the day we were searching each other for hidden weapons. :rolleyes:
 
Ashlar2006

Ashlar2006

Masonic Mafia
I don't even give a grip when greeting Brothers at lodge , as a matter of fact I don't know anyone that does . We greet each other with regular handshakes .
 
m_s_ifland

m_s_ifland

New Member
Yeah, we always give the grip to each other in the lodge. I don't know why, considering we all know each other to be Masons. Maybe we do it because it's something that we as Masons share and have in common. It's like "we're in the club, may as well give the grip". I think I'm just rambling, sorry. :)
 
Winter

Winter

I've been here before
We always give the grip. Without saying a word, it conveys that, "I recognize you, Brother, and even though we are surrounded by the profane, you and I are different and we have a bond that sets us apart from the rest of the people around us."
 
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