"To be one, ask one."

this is what i have always heard in regard to becoming a freemason.

both of my grandfathers (will refer to as Little grandfather, and Big grandfather) were/are "high ranking" freemasons. Little grandfather i always knew was a freemason. he would take me with him to hang out at the lodge. i'd be lying if i said i never took advantage of an oppertunity to sneak around and see what was up with all of the 'off limits' areas...

after Little grandfather passed, i was told to go through his things and take anything i wanted. so while sifting through the treasure trove that was his garage i found some interesting things tucked away in inconspicuous places. like... a masonic pocket knife... and a small pocket sized book entitled "101 Things You Always Wanted to Know About Freemasonry"... and several other masonic accoutrements... as if they were placed there for me to find. (the old man did have a helluva sense of humor.) i keep these things in a fire-proof safe. not because of what they might represent, but because of what they now mean to a grandson.

Big grandfather i found out about only a year ago... and only because i happened to be going through some of my late grandmother's things, strolling down memory lane. i came across a masonic document, that had Big grandfather's name on it. it was some sort of achievement award, had his rank and some other notations. he has never uttered a word about freemasonry or displayed any sort of masonic paraphernalia. so it kind of rekindled my interest.

i have been at odds over this for several years. now i want to know.

So I am asking thrice:

How do I become a Freemason?
How do I become a Freemason?
How do I become a Freemason?

Well, the first line of you post answers this, doesn't it?
Ask somebody who knows !

Originally posted by scooterstrats
Well, the first line of you post answers this, doesn't it?
Ask somebody who knows !

i am asking.

When I joined the fraternity, I looked throughout my town and church to find freemasons. When I moved to a different town I asked around the YMCA and local places. It isn't a very rigorous process..once someone or a couple people from the lodge meet you, they will vouch for you.

Once you have a couple people vouch for you and your character then you will get started and on to your first degree...I worked hard and became a master mason within 3 months...

I will also state that I am happy you are interested in finding out the true meaning and sharing it with your family through such a great organization.

Also ask some of your grandfather's friends or people who knew them in their lodges...

hope that helps...

Heya Gravy, I must echo Rockpucks post. The easiest way to B1 is to find a local lodge and show up on a meeting night. Express your interest, and let things take their course. You may even find you know one of the brethren of the lodge. Once the ball starts rolling, and the brothers are comfortable with who you are, then the fun starts. No Mason on ATS will "Help" you do anything other than supply info and suggestions on how to proceed, it is entirely up to the Brothers of whichever lodge you approach as to whether or not you become a member.

Good luck in your quest..

I can echo everything dredz says, But be aware that many lodges (at least in Pennsylvania) go dark, or tke a break for a few months in the summer. Mine for example, wont activate until September. So dont be discouraged if you hear nothing until then ! Good luck !

Originally posted by Richardfromoxford
When I joined the fraternity, I looked throughout my town and church to find freemasons. When I moved to a different town I asked around the YMCA and local places. It isn't a very rigorous process..once someone or a couple people from the lodge meet you, they will vouch for you.

Once you have a couple people vouch for you and your character then you will get started and on to your first degree...I worked hard and became a master mason within 3 months...

I will also state that I am happy you are interested in finding out the true meaning and sharing it with your family through such a great organization.

Also ask some of your grandfather's friends or people who knew them in their lodges...

hope that helps...

hey Richard, Scooter, Dredz... thanks for a reply that didn't start out with "what did you expect?" or present sage advice like "email the local lodge".

see... this vouching thing is where it kind of all falls apart for me. sounds a bit like the 'good old boy' system...

i'm not asserting any conspiratorial type suggestions, just find it odd i suppose.

why this type of privacy? why do freemasons seem to segregate racially? i see white lodges and black lodges, but it seems 'nary the twain shall meet'.

i don't really want to bother my ancient grandfather with this, and most (if not all) of his friends are dead. maybe it is just easier to discuss in relative anonymity.

i kinda like the idea of just showing up to a meeting.

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to address a few other statements:

i do know how to become a mason... per se...

i hear you must ask three times. i did. i did so here to engage in discussion of that subject. so i'm interested.

the point being that it isn't really that cut & dry. as pointed out, it helps to know people.

why do freemasons seem to segregate racially? i see white lodges and black lodges, but it seems 'nary the twain shall meet'.

I'm in Texas — nominally "the South", and we've got plenty of black members in my lodge, including officers. We've got Jews, gays, Muslims, pagans, BSDM fetishists, we're pretty open.

i kinda like the idea of just showing up to a meeting.

Really is the best thing to do. Get a meal out of it, meet the guys and ask questions, get a tour of the building, etc.

i hear you must ask three times. i did. i did so here to engage in discussion of that subject. so i'm interested.

Actually, that's not the case in my jurisdiction. At least I've never seen it in any of our constitution, bylaws, monitor, or elsewhere. Nor have I seen it enforced as such.

the point being that it isn't really that cut & dry. as pointed out, it helps to know people.

No, not really. I mean at my lodge we'll sign the petitions of complete strangers. We let an investigating committee sort out the details and report back to the lodge before the candidate is balloted upon.

[edit on 7/22/2009 by JoshNorton]

Originally posted by JoshNortonNo, not really. I mean at my lodge we'll sign the petitions of complete strangers. We let an investigating committee sort out the details and report back to the lodge before the candidate is balloted upon.

Brother, I'm not trying to be rude, but is that really a good idea? How can someone vouch for the character of a complete stranger?

I'm not focusing on you or your Lodge in particular, as this seems to be a major one of our fraternity's modern problems. The vouching of a proposed candidate is a sacred duty, and so many take it so lightly. The investigating committee will perform an interview, and might run a criminal background check, and that's about it.

Every time I turn around these days, I'm hearing of Masons being arrested and convicted of crimes, some of them heinous. These folks never should have been Masons to begin with, and would not have been had we performed our duties in vouching.

All Masonic lodges are listed in the phone book. Almost all have big signs on their buildings with all the details. Almost all anymore have websites. In fact, if you Google masonic lodges Google will bring up a local map and the directory for any Lodge.

Not all Lodges are listed. Ours does not have a phone, and therefore no phone number, no phonebook!

We also do not have a website. The Grand Lodge has a website, and they forward inquiries to me (W.M.).

As for Josh Norton's comments. This is sadly becoming more common place. I would hope that he is a Prince Hall Mason and not a F.A.A.M., but in our district we have one lodge that admits just about anybody, so it does happen.

Some older members still have problems with black candidates because of a "free-born" requirement. That should not be a problem these days, but it does come up. Black members are allowed by law, and are accepted in most places.

I never sign anything without meeting the person! It was troublesome for our secretary and some of our good recruiters at first, but now they understand. I require anyone joining our Lodge to come to some meals, and get to know the members. I Black Ball anyone that I haven't met! It is their responsibility to get my approval, not the other way around!

I have heard of people making you ask three times. This is not a real requirement, but it may be used to see if you are serious about joining. I have heard of people blackballing everyone at least once to see if they will re-petition. Not a bad idea, but in today's environment it is risky. The Lodge has to balance its budget and business with its integrity! Our membership is dying off fast!

Originally posted by Masonic Light
Brother, I'm not trying to be rude, but is that really a good idea? How can someone vouch for the character of a complete stranger?

Doesn't happen as often now as it did a few years ago, but it used to happen fairly regularly. That being said, I do trust the opinions of those who get appointed to the investigating committee of those candidates to do their due diligence. Likewise any member is free to blackball during the balloting, and any member may vote against petitions for advancement, so there are lots of places in the process where mistakes can be remedied if someone does slip through.

My lodge does not do background checks (in the legal and/or private investigator sense) on all candidates, and that has hurt us in the past... we had one guy who had a felony lie on his petition and we didn't find out for a couple of years. We booted him out with the full support of the Grand Lodge.