hello
i found a fraternal lodge of the freemasons right near my house. i have alway wanted to join ever since i found out my family took part in masonic rituals. im just wondering what the best approach to introducing myself would be........do i just wonder in one night from the cold or are the doors locked?> also i have a two yr old and i want your (masons) oppinions on wheather i should wait until later in life to persue brotherhood within freemasonry.
thanks in advance to your replies

Originally posted by invisiblekey
hello
i found a fraternal lodge of the freemasons right near my house. i have alway wanted to join ever since i found out my family took part in masonic rituals. im just wondering what the best approach to introducing myself would be........do i just wonder in one night from the cold or are the doors locked?> also i have a two yr old and i want your (masons) oppinions on wheather i should wait until later in life to persue brotherhood within freemasonry.
thanks in advance to your replies

For starters, what are your reasons for wanting to join?

I would suggest just calling the lodge of your choice and asking them when you can come in to ask some questions, get a tour of the lodge, and possibly meet a few of the guys. That's how I got started, and everyone was VERY nice and welcomed me right in. The rest is history.

I don't think you need to wait for your kid to grow up, Freemasonry doesn't take you away from your family and won't interfere with raising your kid. (Plus, if it's a boy, by the time he is 18 you will be a seasoned mason and ready to welcome him into your lodge )


[edit on 1-2-2005 by sebatwerk]

i love to study and read and learn. i like to be around friends and people i can trust. plus im very good at keeping secrets
thanks for the reply dude

My advice to you would be to take your time. Do some reasearch into the Craft, speak with Masons and just pose questions, we are after all human, and we usually don't bite. Freemasonry isnt for everyone, and my advice to anyone is to have as best an understanding as a non initiate can before joining. This includes the pros and cons ( if you deem there are such) as well as the truths and falsehoods (perpetuated by many) regarding it. By doing such, if you do choose to petition for admission and are accepted, your journey and experience will only be that much enjoyable and make that much more sense.

Any of us traveling men on the site will be more than happy to answer any genuine questions you have regarding the craft.

Good Luck

Originally posted by Khonsu
speak with Masons and just pose questions, we are after all human, and we usually don't bite.

No, but masonic pets do - my brother is a mason and his dog is a terror - for some reason the dog like the taste of Pisky's flesh

To add to the advice above:

Don't just turn up at the door. There may be nobody available to speak with you on a snap visit.
The best thing to do is to ring ahead and ask to speak to the Lodge Secretary. He will take it from there. You should be able to find the phone number for the Lodge in your local directory.

If you can't get hold of him, try the number of the Grand Lodge secretary in your area. You can U2U any of the Freemasons on this forum and we'll get you the number or you can tell us which area you live in and we'll point you in the right direction here.

What do you think you'd be a "part of" exactly?

Just wondering, as the thought has crossed my mind for some years as well, but my idea of secret teachings and key understanding is not pot-lucks and rotary clubs.

I've yet to see that there's more to it than that, and I fear that if there is, you have to join to know it. Double-edged eh?

Anyways, they're good people by and large(look on the boards), so if you want to, go for it. But be sure that it holds what you seek.

X

Originally posted by Khonsu
we are after all human, and we usually don't bite.

Except for that shriner monkey guy right?

the mason society is very private. be careful not to step on any toes when inquiring about wanting to be involved.

Originally posted by chesterkat
the mason society is very private. be careful not to step on any toes when inquiring about wanting to be involved.

Oh jeez. Thanks for that very deep, insightful statement.
If you want to join Freemasonry, you phone up or write a letter. You can get the address or number from that secret document - Your Local Telephone Directory. You then meet a couple of guys in a secret location - normally a coffee shop, restaurant or your own home.

The whole process is shrouded in secrecy. That's why we secretly write in code when somebody asks how they can join.
And it must be code because you obviously didn't understand it. There's me thinking it was written in plain English too.......

dont forget that super top secret , heavily guarded, Grand Lodge web Site.

xatnys-
i know that i will be a part of history. freemasonry is hundreds of years old with many well known scientists, priests, and scholars. i appriciate that fact that they have gone through some rough flamming and accusations. i know what i believe to be true.
i have always felt that wisdom comes with age but you can be a smart as your ever going to be by the time your 40 (which i am nowhere close).
well i will look in the phone directory. and i have already studdied the masonic fraternity of oklahoma's website.......mostly just full of historical events, which interest me. i believe that in order to know where the masses are going you need to understand how they have been manipulated in the past.
so i will call..........thank you all for your advice. i will let you all know how things turn out
peace

Originally posted by invisiblekey
so i will call..........thank you all for your advice. i will let you all know how things turn out
peace

Good luck my friend, I am sure that if you seek the Truth, you shall find what you're looking for. You seem to have a good attitude, which is important in my opinion and I wish you well.

If that's what your goals are, and that's indeed what you're after, then you sound like you've got your plan squared away.

Listen to the Masons on here, they'll help you out on your way.

Understand why I asked you that. I(just last week)saw a poster on here pose a question on how to join the illuminati. This person was already a Mason, and seems to have totally misunderstood what Masonry was about and how that related to his overall "plan", whatever plan that was...

If you're looking for the whole brotherhood thing with friends and networking, you probably can do much worse than a Masonic mixer.

If you're into history, and the honor and tradition behind a very old fraternity, Masonry's a good place for you.

If you're looking to help out other humans in a logical responsible manner, I suppose that Masonry has various charitable avenues for you to do just that.


Those looking to join Masonry in order to become a "Illuminated" person who rules the world in secret via a vast network of peers and minions...

... It's probably best they continue reading Dan Brown books and watching movies.

You're not going to find that in any direct path of FreeMasonry that you would openly follow, and you'd probably not want it if/when you did in fact find it.

Regardless, that wasn't the path you were after, so the point is moot, by the by.



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