| |
What is Freemasonry?
Freemasonry is
a worldwide fraternal organization. Its members are joined together by
shared ideals, of both
a moral and metaphysical nature, and, in most of
its branches, by a common belief in a Supreme Being. Freemasonry is an
esoteric art, in that certain aspects of its internal work are not
generally revealed to the public. Masons give numerous reasons for this,
one of which is that Freemasonry uses an initiatory system of degrees to
explore ethical and philosophical issues, and this system is less
effective if the observer knows beforehand what will happen. It often
calls itself "a peculiar system of morality veiled in allegory and
illustrated by symbols."
Is
religion relevant to Freemasonry?
Freemasonry is not a Religion, nor a substitute for
religion, but it encourages all its members, who are required to believe
in a Supreme Being, to follow their own faith and to be active in their
own or other places of worship. Lodge meetings are opened and closed
with prayers, as are the daily sessions of the House of Commons, but
discussion of religion, and indeed politics, is prohibited at Lodge
meetings.
Who is eligible to
become a Freemason?
An applicant
must believe in a Supreme Being but Freemasonry will not provide any
further definition and the nature of that Being must be determined by
the applicant himself. The applicant must be an upright man of good
moral character and be at least twenty-one years old. He must not have
a criminal record. He must be able to meet his financial commitments to
his family before those to Freemasonry. A Freemason is never asked to
put Freemasonry before his family, work and civil responsibilities.
So what
happens at a Lodge meeting?
Like other organisations there is a certain amount of
administration to attend to such as minutes of the last meeting, which
have to be approved, balloting for new members, financial matters
(subscriptions and expenditure, for example), electing new officers, and
dealing with correspondence. The ceremonies for making and progressing
new Masons take up a fair proportion of the time, although these do not
happen at every meeting. Quite often the members will be given a lecture
on an issue of Masonic interest, to increase their knowledge of the
fascinating history and meaning of Freemasonry. An important ceremony
that does take place every year in every Lodge is the Installation of
the new Master, who then appoints the Officers of the Lodge who will
assist him with the ceremonial and administrative work for the year that
he is in office. Most Lodges meet formally six or seven times a year, in
addition to which are management meetings and rehearsals, together with
a variety of social activities, many of which include members' partners
and families.
How much does it cost to be a Freemason?
Annual
Costs
It varies from lodge to lodge but anyone wishing to join can find a
lodge to suit his pocket. On entry, there is an initiation fee and an
apron to buy. A member pays an annual subscription to the lodge which
covers his membership of the lodge and other costs associated with
membership of the fraternity.
Lodge Meetings
At our monthly meetings or Regular Lodge, there is a meal after the
meeting for which the member will pay the cost for himself and any
guests that he brings. A Mason may join as many lodges as his time and
pocket can allow as long as it does not adversely affect his family life
and responsibilities.
Social Events
Throughout the year, there will be a number and range of different
social events which a member and his partner may like to attend. These
range from quiz nights at the Lodge to the Lodge weekend and obviously
the costs vary depending on the event in question.
Charity
It is entirely up to the individual member what he gives
to Charity, but it should always be without detriment to his other
public or private responsibilities.
How do I find out more?
There is a huge
amount of information on the internet, some accurate and some less so,
so the easiest way to find out more is to talk to a family member,
friend or colleague whom you already know to be a member. Alternatively,
if you are interested in finding out more and do not know anyone that is
already a member, then it is suggested that after reading the material
on the
Grand Lodge and
Provincial Grand Lodge web sites, you should contact the Provincial
Grand Secretary for Yorkshire West Riding or email the Secretary of Leodiensis Lodge. |
|
