What is Masonry?

Masonry is the world's oldest and largest fraternity for men. Although the details of Masonry's beginnings are lost, it is certain that in 1717 four lodges met in a London coffeehouse and formed the first Grand Lodge or association of lodges.

Masonry entered this country early in our history. Benjamin Franklin, an active Mason, printed the first Masonic book published in the United States. George Washington and other American leaders were active Masons.

As Masons moved across the continent, they brought Masonry with them. The first recorded Masonic meeting in Colorado was held in the middle of the nineteenth century; the first Rocky Mountain News contained a notice of a Masonic meeting. The Colorado Grand Lodge was formed in 1861.

The Masonic Degrees

Masonic lodges have three separate degrees or ceremonies: Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason, given in that order. These ceremonies, in which all parts are delivered from memory, use symbols and allegory to teach lessons about brotherly love, relief, and truth. Many of the symbols are tools used in the stonemason's trade, which explains why a common Masonic symbol is the square and compasses. The square teaches that a Mason should relate honestly and fairly with his fellow men; "giving a square deal" is a phrase in everyday use. The compasses are used to teach Masons to moderate or circumscribe their passions and desires.

Teaching by treating common-place things symbolically is an old technique; and because Masons use this system of communicating their lessons, their lodges are often given the name "Symbolic Lodges." The color blue is associated with these lodges, and Symbolic Lodges may be called Blue Lodges. Because the tools of the stonemason's craft are used symbolically, another name for these lodges is Craft Lodges. Masonry--or Freemasonry, the terms are used interchangeably--is often called The Craft by initiates.

The Lodge and Its Officers

The lodge is a group of Masons, meeting in a specific location at regularly scheduled times. In the past, a lodge held its meetings in a building often called a temple; but through the years, the meaning of "temple" has changed. To avoid any confusion with religion the term Masonic Hall is preferred. Its Grand Lodge granted it a charter or permission to work. Its bylaws and the regulations of its superior Grand Lodge govern its operation. Lodge membership may range from twenty or thirty members to as high as several hundred members.

The officers of a lodge are the Worshipful Master, Senior and Junior Wardens, Treasurer, Secretary, Senior and Junior Deacons, Senior and Junior Stewards, and Tiler. Most lodges also have a Chaplain and Marshal. The first five officers are elected and installed annually; the Worshipful Master appoints the other officers each year. Most lodges have an open installation to which friends and family are invited, even though they may not be Masons.

The presiding officer of a lodge is the Worshipful Master. The word "worshipful" does not mean that the Master is to be worshiped; it is from an older use of the word meaning "worthy of respect." Most Masters serve for one year. After their service, the Craft honors them by calling them Past Masters, although they have no more power than an ordinary member.

Grand Lodges

Each lodge belongs to a Grand Lodge; and each Grand Lodge is sovereign in its own territory. In the United States, a Grand Lodge's territory generally corresponds to a state. The Grand Lodge of Colorado governs the Symbolic Lodges in Colorado; it cannot supervise a lodge in Kansas, nor does the Kansas Grand Lodge exert any control over a lodge in Colorado. There is no overall governing body for all the Grand Lodges.

In Colorado, the top three officers of each of the subordinate lodges compose the majority of Grand Lodge voting members. They meet twice each year: once to establish a budget for the following year and once to act on proposed changes to the Grand Lodge rules and to elect Grand Lodge officers. The titles of Grand Lodge officers parallel those of constituent lodge officers, the addition of the word "Grand" in the title being the primary difference. To be eligible for election or appointment a Grand Lodge officer must have served as a Worshipful Master of a lodge. The elected presiding officer of the Grand Lodge is the Grand Master. Grand Masters generally serve for one year.

Membership

Membership in a Masonic lodge is open to all men of any race, of lawful age, of good character and reputation, and having a belief in a supreme being. In Colorado, lawful age is defined as eighteen years of age or older. If a man desires to become a member, he must ask a Mason for a petition, which is a request to join a lodge. The lodge investigates his petition and after investigation ballots upon his request. The ballot must be near unanimous; and if the ballot is favorable, the petitioner is initiated.

Charities

In the United States, Masons and Masonic organizations contribute over a million dollars each day to various philanthropies. In addition to the public charities and benevolences of Masonic organizations there are many donations made by individual bodies to meet local needs. After being taught that relief is a virtue, is it any wonder that Masonic bodies and individual members contribute in many ways to charity?

What Masonry Is Not

Masonry is not a religion. Although a Mason must believe in God, Masonry teaches no way to obtain salvation and offers no worship. Masons do begin and end each lodge meeting with prayer, but Masons believe a man's relationship between God and himself is a matter for each individual to decide. Masons are encouraged to attend their church, synagogue, or other place of worship, but that choice is left to the individual.

Masonry is not a secret organization. Many Masons proudly wear a square and compass emblem; the locations of lodges are easily obtainable (on this web site, for example); and Masonry's aims and purposes are freely published. Masons do keep secret their modes of recognition--yes, there is a secret handshake--but determined scholars can and have found this information outside of a lodge. The reason for this limited secrecy is not to hide something from the public but to prevent someone from pretending to be a Mason when he has not been regularly initiated. Just as you would not ruin someone's enjoyment of a mystery novel by telling 'whodunit,' the details of the initiation ceremonies are kept secret to preserve their impact on the new member.

Masonry is not a political institution. Although Masons are encouraged to be peaceable citizens of their country, Masonry does not endorse any political party or candidate. Masonry does instill a strong belief in the dignity of the individual.

Masonry is not a business organization. It is not an "old boy network," keeping out competition. Naturally, Masons do business with each other; working with someone we know is how we all operate, but good workmanship at a reasonable price is far more important than lodge membership when making a business decision.

Masonry does not have frivolous initiations. Nothing is done to embarrass the initiate or subject him to ridicule. There is no hazing. We may laugh at a television depiction of the "Royal and Sublime Order of Water Buffaloes," but Masons consider the lessons taught during an initiation as too important to be disrupted by jokes or horseplay.

Masonry does not operate bars or offer insurance. Other fine organizations may do these things, but offering those services would be inconsistent with the goals of the fraternity.

Masonry is not a conspiracy. There are web pages and other publications claiming that Masons are working towards world domination. Some authors claim that Masons, working either alone or in collaboration with other secret organizations, are behind every major world tragedy. Of course, some of the same authors claim that aliens from outer space are helping to carry out these nefarious designs.

Affiliated Organizations

Many organizations are affiliated with the Symbolic Lodges, and they exist for several reasons. For example, although women may not join a lodge, they may be moved to practice the same virtues espoused by Masons. The Order of the Eastern Star, among others, teaches the same Masonic virtues and has both male and female members. Indeed, the presiding officer of an Eastern Star Chapter, the Worthy Matron, must be a woman.

Masons seek the light, light being a symbol for knowledge. Some affiliated organizations offer additional degrees, refining and expanding the lessons taught in the three degrees of Symbolic Masonry. The Scottish and York Rites each offer further interpretations of those lessons.

The Shrine, probably the best-known affiliated organization, has both charitable and social purposes. Their work with children's hospitals and burn centers is common knowledge. The Shrine also offers its members a chance to have fun riding motorcycles, driving miniature cars, or engage in other similar activities. Their charities receive the funds raised by their activities.

Some affiliated organizations exist for youth. The Order of DeMolay for young men and Job's Daughters and Rainbow for young women have strong Masonic ties in both their ritual and their sponsorship.

These affiliated organizations may offer additional interpretations and expansions of Masonry's teachings. They may extend the lessons to those ineligible for membership in a lodge. They may require that adult male members must belong to a Symbolic Lodge. They do all these things, and most important they add an incredible richness to Masonry. While they are not part of the Symbolic Lodges, they are a part of the Masonic Family.

As a non-Masonic example of this kind of relationship, consider the Telephone Pioneers. In order to be eligible for membership in the Telephone Pioneers, the prospective member must have worked for the telephone company. However, no one confused the Pioneers with AT&T. In the same way, no one should confuse the Ancient Arabic Nobles of the Mystic Shrine with the Symbolic Lodges.

Not All Masonic Organizations Are Really Masonic

There is nothing to prevent someone from starting an organization and calling it Masonic. Through the years, there have been groups that called themselves Masonic, but they engaged in activities totally opposed to the aims and traditions of the fraternity. True Masons call these groups "irregular" and do not recognize them as Masonic.