Rituals

[Ashlar2006]

On another forum , I read that the GL of NC does not allow open rituals in the lodge . I am not taking any shots at any jurisdictions but out of curiosity who's GL forbids open rituals in open lodge and why ? (ETA) Also , does your jurisdiction have a set ritual used statewide ?

I am curious because even the best of ritualists lose their place and you can have the next best ritualist in your lodge waiting to prompt you on the sidelines and he too could lose his place , believe me I have seen it happen and it was to me . So I just made something up until I got back on track .

Also , in my jurisdiction , we DO NOT have a statewide set ritual . Some lodges are exactly the same but they are few and far in between . We like it this way , because when you visit another lodge you may learn , hear and see something you never have before . Each lodge has it's own flavor .

ETA: Also , our monitor has large print lectures that is required and small print which is optional (if we use that ritual for our work) . Many of us mix and match what small print we use and what we do not so that it fits with our flow . You could hear 5 different Middle Chamber lectures and none would be exactly the same .

 

[jaya]

We tell our candidates that this experience is the same as every other brother in the state. The reason that the ritual is not allowed in open lodge is that is what is stated in our code. Our ritual is standardized across all our lodges. That makes it easier to help each other out if needed. Last wek I went to a 3rd in another lodge and helped play 2nd base for them. If they used different ritual that would not have been able to happen. Everything here is done mouth to ear. We do have a book other than our cipher that can be used in lodge and contains parts such as prayers that can be read in lodge.

 

[Ashlar2006]

We still help each other also , I may say something different but it still has the same meaning . For example My mother lodge uses the standard long form apron lecture from our Monitor and my second lodge uses a much older long form version apron lecture , when I perform the apron lecture in my second lodge , I use the lecture I have been using for years in my mother lodge . No problems what so ever . Actually , we will sometimes ask brethren from other lodges to do their version of a certain lecture because we like it better than the one we are accustomed too .

I have also seen things in other lodges that I have adopted and used in my own .

I would find a having to watch and listen to a standard ritual across the commonwealth tedious and boring , just the same old same old . But thats because I am not used to a standard ritual .

 

[Gary2112]

Florida forbids open ritual books in Lodge.

 

[arcxjo]

Pennsylvania uses a standard ritual that's quite a bit different from the rest of the US (because we don't have any of that Tory Modern *$@# cluttering it up ). Ritual books are strictly verboten in open lodge here (and were in general until 2010, when our then-GM decided his obligations didn't apply to him).

That said, I've seen quite a few mistakes from even the best ritualists in the Commonwealth (heck, even I've been known to make a few), and yeah, when there's no prompter available we just do our best to cover by backtracking or skipping ahead -- the candidates don't know any better, and usually don't remember half the stuff that DOES get said afterward anyhow.

 

[Ashlar2006]

Interesting . I have a few more questions now ....

If your jurisdiction learns degrees/lectures mouth to ear , is your entire ritual written out anywhere for reference ? To be honest , I can not see it passed down for decades mouth to ear without subtle and not so subtle changes occurring . It reminds me of this test I watched on discovery Channel on how the brain works , what they did was tell one person a "secret" and see how much the story would change when it got to the last person . After several tests , when the last person related the story back to the person(s) administering the test , it was different from that of the original "secret" .

The Middle Chamber lecture (what we call the Winding Staircase lecture) is around 26 pages long and takes about 25 to 30 minutes to deliver if done correctly . If learned mouth to ear , how long would (or did) it take to learn it ? It took me 6 months of study using my Monitor to put it to memory and another few months to have it down cold where it flowed smoothly and I did not have to glance at my ritual for help . I could not imagine trying to commit that lecture to memory mouth to ear as I do not have the patience for that .

And the last question .... Does your Grand lodge administer yearly inspections of the work ? Mine does not , they treat us as grown men and trust that we will do the work satisfactory . They do in the York Rite though and I am tired of them and no longer want to be an officer . I find them tiresome and just shows that the Grand YR officers have nothing better to do . We are grown men and do not need to be babysat .

 

[Gary2112]

My jurisdiction does have GL approved books that are completely written out. Those books are available for viewing at specific locations on a fairly regular schedule. We do have ritual code books, but they are verboten in open lodge and are only used for instruction/ practice.

As far as inspections of the work, be do have regular attendance of the district instructor, who observes and also offers classes to improve proficiency.

 

[Ashlar2006]

As far as inspections of the work, be do have regular attendance of the district instructor, who observes and also offers classes to improve proficiency.

But you are not "graded" ? ETA to add : when I say graded , I mean do they threaten your charter or to put you on probation if it is not to their satisfaction ?

To be honest , many of us in our lodges can out perform ritual over most Grand Lodge officers . Not saying they do not know what they are doing mind you .

A few years ago , we had a GL education committee "educating us on proper ritual" and a few of us called them out on their mistakes . They were flustered at being called out , but when you are wrong , you are wrong .

 

[Ashlar2006]

). Ritual books are strictly verboten in open lodge here (and were in general until 2010, when our then-GM decided his obligations didn't apply to him).
.

I remember when that went down , really upset some .

 

[Ashlar2006]

Kinda of off topic (but when has that ever stopped us) but I live on the boarder of Ohio and WV . They (the brethren of those states) love to cross the river(s) and attend various different lodges to watch our degree work because as both , an Ohio and WV , Mason told me " We love it ! How one lodge confers a degree in one lodge is different in another . We love to see those differences . There is always something new to see !"

As I stated above , this is what I love about having no set ritual . New and old Masons get to see something they have never seen before . I went to a lodge out in the middle of no where not long ago , Their EA and FC degree was like nothing I have ever seen/heard before . The ritual they use is very old and dates back to the days when our GL was first formed . I sat and watched it in rapt silence .

I understand why many jurisdictions have a standard ritual , but we are a hard headed bunch and vote down any legislation concerning a standard Commonwealth ritual across the board .

 

[Gary2112]

But you are not "graded" ? ETA to add : when I say graded , I mean do they threaten your charter or to put you on probation if it is not to their satisfaction ?

To be honest , many of us in our lodges can out perform ritual over most Grand Lodge officers . Not saying they do not know what they are doing mind you .

A few years ago , we had a GL education committee "educating us on proper ritual" and a few of us called them out on their mistakes . They were flustered at being called out , but when you are wrong , you are wrong .

No, not graded that I recall. We only get graded in competition as far as I know.

 

[jason]

But you are not "graded" ? ETA to add : when I say graded , I mean do they threaten your charter or to put you on probation if it is not to their satisfaction ?

Seems to take a lot to get threaten with charter removal. But if interested I can ask a couple of past DI's who did go and have to visit degree work to see how well they were done.

 

[Bob Franks]

NC (AF&AM) does NOT forbid use of the coded ritual (which is titled The Official Standard of the Work and is usually called "the OSW.") in lodge, but forbids its use while opening, closing, and at Work. That doesn't leave much else, but if a Brother wanted to read a portion for Masonic Education, I do not see where that would be prohibited. We, in fact, encourage Master Masons to bring theirs to a School of Instruction or a Lecture Service.
To have a prompter follow along on the sidelines with the OSW open, would seem to be a violation, but you just have to learn to deal with it.
I have learned to announce before a lecture that only my (trusted) prompter is to give me a prompt, as at least half the time the prompts from the Past Masters' Corner are wrong!
I have been in a jurisdiction where using their coded ritual is allowed during opening and it is NOT pretty. Some of the Brothers appeared to be reading it for the first time and were reading at a level below junior high school.

I am indeed divided on whether we should have a standardized ritual in Masonry. I find rituals in other jurisdictions jarring to my ears, and as a Lecturer, I want to correct them, but also I enjoy the diversity and beauty of the ancient (antient?) language.

S&F

 

[MWS]

Our "Book of the Work" is standard throughout the jurisdiction, founded on (but not identical to) UGLE ritual.

The informal "first officer chair" belongs to the Ass't Secretary,. They are also the official prompter and the ONLY brother permitted to have the BotW open during ritual. It's usually a new MM post as, through prompting, it's a great opportunity to become familier with the entire ritual and lectures within the context of the degrees. That being said, NO ONE is permitted to prompt the WM but the IPM at his request.

Our work is officially graded once a year at the DDGM visitation. The District Secretary observes from the East and has a sit down afterwords with the Secretary, WM and Wardens to make sure all is running smoothly and up to standard.

I appreciate the standardized work within the jurisdiction. it's a connection to the past, something concrete that one can, through practice and study, gain proficiency. If I want verity in ritual, therein lies the opportunity...or excuse...to get out and travel.

 

[Ashlar2006]

w junior high school.

I am indeed divided on whether we should have a standardized ritual in Masonry. I find rituals in other jurisdictions jarring to my ears, and as a Lecturer, I want to correct them, but also I enjoy the diversity and beauty of the ancient (antient?) language.

S&F

I am DEAD SET against a standardized ritual in Masonry ( and how the degrees are performed ) , even in my own state . I find the differences interesting .

I added " how the degrees are performed" because being from Ky and years of watching brethren Raised Ky style , I have literally fell asleep watching the second section of MM degrees in other states .

 

[Gary2112]

I am DEAD SET against a standardized ritual in Masonry ( and how the degrees are performed ) , even in my own state . I find the differences interesting .

I added " how the degrees are performed" because being from Ky and years of watching brethren Raised Ky style , I have literally fell asleep watching the second section of MM degrees in other states .

Here in Florida, the degrees I've observed (the MM degree) are very lack luster. There are no costumes per se, and the quality of the "acting" is solely dependent upon the person performing the role.