[wolfy]

“…ancient though it is, having subsisted from time immemorial” To every Mason these are words that are familiar and that fill us with pride, thinking back to all the great men of the past who found it agreeable to be part of such a fraternity.

But the aim of this article is not to look back, but to look forward. However to get any direction it is always necessary to find where one has come from before being able to effectively move ahead.

In the past, Freemasonry was an organisation, a fraternity that was dedicated to the progression of the sciences, the betterment of its members and charitable giving to its local communities. Freemasons were seen in parades, at public ceremonies and memorials. We had inventors, poets, councilmen, musicians, entertainers and your best friend next door attending Lodge. In short Freemasonry was a large part of what was good in the community.

If that is who made up Freemasonry, then what was Freemasonry and what did it do?
Well in the ritual we get the answer as to what it is, a peculiar system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols. Ok so what did it do?
Well in and of itself, Freemasonry provides the tools for a Mason to better himself for the benefit of his fellow creatures and community if he applies himself to the lessons of the fraternity. It also allows a Mason to look into the allegory of the degrees, to give him something to ponder and to individualise to his own life.

As noble as these paths offered are, there aren’t many through history who would actively pursue such a course that involved nothing but personal reflection and self change. So what else attracted so many people of different walks of life into the same room to work together?

Well the ritual specifically tells us to explore the hidden mysteries of Nature and Science. As human beings we are all imbued with a sense of curiosity to one extent or the other. What we do not know, we seek, what we do not understand, we strive to define. It is this determination to gain knowledge that has progressed us as a species, across the world, to the depths of the seas and towards the stars above. In this common desire, men of all walks of life have studied the Liberal Arts and discussed it with other like minded individuals under the canopy of Freemasonry, and inspired by the Lodge and Brethren therein, great and wonderful ideas, inventions, compositions and constructions have been planned and executed with perseverance and dedication.

From this, it is easy to see that in the past Masons gathered for stimulation of the mind as well as social and individual improvement.
Now we move forward to the present, or at least the past 50 to 80 years where Freemasonry seemed to change.

Recently, Freemasonry has become more sociable and charitable, rather than the studious or philosophical society it was before now. So why did this happen?
After the horrors of the wars men sought solace within their communities, and Masonic lodges the world over gained many new initiates. However these were men who had struggled and faced terrible times, maybe not everyone wanted to apply their minds to complex sciences or lengthy philosophical questions, perhaps all they wanted was to relax and feel at ease within their community. And so a new evolution of Mason was created, one who strove for fraternity and charitable service rather than intellectual advancement. This itself is a worthy cause for any man, but the times seemed to have created the majority of Masons in this mould, and thus the habit of intellectual discourse or “Labour” or “Work” within the Lodge became more sociable or fraternal and charitable.

As these Masons grew older their sons were initiated and the cycle continued until we have reached the situation we have today. The greatest difference now however is that the younger Masons are branching off and the younger generation today is not only interested in charitable deeds, but is looking for something greater than themselves.

In short, where Freemasonry has always evolved to cater for the times and wishes of Masons, it had now stalled. Whether from the “old guard” of the time or from habit, there was a resistance to the change that the “youth” seemed to be looking for, and anyone who suggested something new was usually met with opposition from the senior member of the Lodge, and this I believe is the greatest reason for the decrease in the number of Brethren attending and the reduction in initiates.

Now we reach the immediate present, and the course is slowly changing. More and more Masons are looking towards the parts of the Ritual that have been ignored for the past decades and wondering what they mean, and so Freemasonry is once more becoming Speculative. The Grand Lodges themselves have become aware that they are going to have to change with the times. Under UGLE, Mentoring Schemes have been introduced as well as partnerships with universities that have introduced Masonic studies in their curriculum. In the US Traditional Observance lodges have been created to try and return to the more intellectual lodge days. Almost every Grand Lodge has come up with some scheme to allow those brethren that wish, to gain more Masonic education than was previously available to them.

And this I believe is the turning point for Freemasonry. As we move forward into the 21st Century, Masons are discovering that they want to regain that inquisitive nature, that they want to discuss ideas and thoughts. And in this we find the possible salvation of Freemasonry. While the number of Freemasons may reduce, if the Lodges can change to accommodate the future Brethren, instead of remaining as they are “because that’s the way its always been while I’ve been here”, then Freemasonry can move forward, as it always has done. In time I am sure that those Masons of the future will want to return to Fraternity and Charity over knowledge and study, and in those times it would once more be wrong to deny them their wish. But until that time, we who would want to gain knowledge or seek new discoveries need to record our discussions and our traditions, so that again in the future should the Brethren require it, they could return to what we are requesting now.

After all, everything is said to moves in cycles or more simply put, circles, and we of the Square should maybe ask ourselves…What is a Square?

Bro James Kitney
UGLE
January 2009
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Regards,
James K
Stella Maris 7279 -UGLE
The Channel Conclave 436
St Peter in Thanet Lodge MMM 1053

[Peter Taylor]

I don't think you are far wrong James. Very nice article!
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Regards,
The Laird O' Glencairn
IPM, PZ, AASR (30th), ROoS, KT, KTP, OSM, RCC, RAM, CC, SRIS, □

[Corto Maltese]

we should come back to our fundamentals: square & compasses.
The former to ameliorate us morally, the latter intellectually.
Mind without love is dreadful; love without mind is a nonsense.
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Je n’enseigne pas, j’éveille - Villiers de l'Isle Adams
I don't teach, I awaken