York
Rite Masonry
Saint Paul, Minnesota
What Can We Discuss About Freemasonry?
By Ray Hayward,
Past-Master 2006, Braden Lodge 168
A few years ago Freemasonry received a lot of attention and publicity. Starting with the best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code, then the release of the successful movie "National Treasure", and to a lesser extent the movie "Kingdom of Heaven", and culminating in the screen adaptation of Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code", the craft was brought to the forefront of many people's attention and curiosity. The dozens of speculative books on the connections between Freemasonry and just about any other subject, that Dan Brown used in his research also became bestsellers for a second time and piqued many people's interest in Freemasonry. Some of the Masonic bodies I belong to sponsored talks on the Knights Templar, Rosslyn Chapel, the Shroud of Turin, and others subjects Masons and non-Masons were curious about. Now with the release of the movie "National Treasure II, Book of Secrets" and the anticipated arrival of Dan Brown's next book, The Solomon Key, which figures predominantly about the Masonic foundations of Washington DC, we have yet another opportunity to answer the seekers, the curious, and the critics of Freemasonry.
When asked about Masonry what can we tell non-members? What are we sworn to keep secret? In the Masonic Manual of Minnesota we find that there are four major items that can only be discussed with fellow Masons, and one that cannot be discussed at all. There is, however, possibly the greatest secret of Freemasonry, which I will freely divulge at the end this article. If we are asked about Freemasonry there are lots of aspects about our lodge, symbolism, history, and the reasons we do what we do, that we can talk about.
Just as it is a right as a US citizen of legal age to participate in any level of elections, so too is a Master Mason allowed to participate in any of the Lodges elections. For the sake of privacy and anonymity, we as Masons cannot discuss our own vote nor the outcome of any vote we witness. This keeps the power of the vote of each individual and insures fairness, privacy, and equality. For this reason, this is the one secret that Masons not only keep from the public, but from each other as well.
There are four categories of secrets that we as Masons reserve for our own membership and do not discuss with or divulge to non-members. They are signs and words, obligations and vows, degree work, and the third-degree legend. Outside of these we are free to answer questions about where and when we meet, why we use geometry and stone masonry for symbolism, our charities, and the making of good men better. I suggest you read up on some of your Masonic history so you can give informed and intelligent answers to sincere seekers. Of course there are those who will ask questions as an opening for attack or criticism. We can simply change the subject or leave the conversation. There are many anti-Masonic web sites, much literature, and various critics, which have studied much of our craft to give them the ammunition to attack us. Information on these web sites is almost always out of context, inaccurate, and accompanied with healthy doses of pseudo-religious arguments. Isn't it our duty to know our craft as well, or better than, our detractors so we can give honest and open answers to the parts of the craft that we are allowed to speak about?
I’d like to offer one example, or subject, which you may encounter, with some possible ideas and answers. The beauty of Freemasonry is that all opinions are accepted and yet none are adopted. Each Mason is responsible for his own opinion on the craft but is not a spokesman for the craft. Many times I've been asked why we have secrets. This is a good question because early in my Masonic journey I didn't have a good answer and so I had to do some research both historically and personally. One time someone asked me to divulge the secrets of Freemasonry and when I told them that I couldn't they said "I've read them all on the Internet and know about all your handshakes and words, so now you can tell me." Like a flash of lightning a response burst out of me. "What is it that you want? To know the secrets or to have me tell the secrets? If you've learned them already, then why ask me for them?" I suddenly saw that this person really wasn't interested in our craft’s private matters, but was more interested in seeing if they could get me to break my vows. I got a lesson in training to keep my own mind, keep my own council, and hold close and dear to my heart the precious little information that every Mason keeps as a trust.
I love to share the biggest secret Freemasonry has to offer. It is the secret that everyone from the Grandmaster down to the newest Entered Apprentice are all trying to figure out, promote, and utilize. One time I had a conversation with a very knowledgeable brother Mason. He was lamenting the fact that most of our secrets are freely spread about in books and on the Internet and that he saw no reason why we needed to keep the secrets ourselves. I mentioned to him that we were training to be good counselors so that a brother or non-member who confided in us could feel safe in doing so. I then explain to him that the biggest secret of Freemasonry is the secret of the Mystic Tie. It is the secret that happens every time Masons gather. It is the tie that binds us together and unites us. It can only be gotten by attending a meeting, a degree, or a social event, with fellow Masons. One time a Past-Grandmaster shared this personal story with me. I freely discussed my experiences with this wise counselor and felt free to address any subject with him. This time I was complaining to him about some of the problems we encounter in any organization, even our gentle Craft. He told me that he voiced the same complaints to his wife one night after coming home from a particularly long and boring business meeting. She asked him why did he keep going ? He answered, "It's the Mystic Tie."
The Mystic Art
By Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The world may rail at Masonry,
And scoff at Square and Line,
We'll follow with complacency
The Master's great Design.
A King can make a gartered knight,
And breathe away another;
But he, with all his skill and might,
Can never make a brother.
This power alone, thou Mystic Art,
Freemasonry, is thine;
The power to tame the savage heart
With brother-love divine
The Tyler’s Toast
By Brother Robert Burns
Are your glasses charged in the North and in the South,
The Worshipful Master cries,
They’re charged in the North, they’re charged in the South, are the Wardens’
Prompt replies.
Then to our final toast tonight, our glasses freely drain,
Happy to meet , sorry to part, happy to meet again.
The Masons’ social brotherhood, around the festive board,
Reveals a truth more precious far, than the miser’s hoard.
We freely share the bounteous gifts, that generous hearts contain,
Happy to meet , sorry to part, happy to meet again.
We meet as Masons free and true, and when our work is done,
The merry song and social glass, is not unduly won.
And only at our farewell pledge, is pleasure mixed with pain,
Happy to meet , sorry to part, happy to meet again.
Amidst our mirth we drink, to all poor Masons o’er the earth,
On every shore our flag of love, is gloriously unfurled.
We prize each brother near or far, who bears no moral stain,
Happy to meet, sorry to part, happy to meet again.
The Mason feels the noble truth the Scottish peasant told,
The rank is but a guinea stamp, the man himself the gold.
With us the rich and poor unite and equal rights maintain,
Happy to meet, sorry to part, happy to meet again.
Dear Brethren of the Mystic Tie, the night is waning fast,
Our work is done, our feast is o’er, this toast must be our last.
Goodnight to all, once more goodnight, again that farewell strain,
Happy to meet, sorry to part, happy to meet again.