Province of East Lancashire Small Steps Introductory Presentation to Lodges on Mentoring
Introductory Presentation to Lodges on Mentoring Small Steps It is very interesting that when a candidate is taken through the various degrees in masonry, one of the recurring things that his Conductor says to him begins now take a small step. Is that just a coincidence? Or is there, even in that simple and practical instruction, a lesson to be learnt and one which is fundamental to Mentoring. Probably one of the most confusing aspects of Masonry is coming to terms with the ritual and then, how much that ritual varies: around the world, around a Province and even between lodges meeting in the same Masonic Hall! It is a Masonic minefield to the new member and part of the role of the Mentor and every member is helping him tread a path through it. It is therefore not surprising that Masons always seem to have a common hang-up over questions such as when did it all start? and where did our ritual come from? Our human nature demands that we need a date, a place where it all began so we can get our heads around it; the one individual, the one lodge who had the idea and started the ball rolling; the one man who wrote it all down, the illusive inventor, the allegorical first step. Sadly, he probably didn t exist and even if he did, I expect that as we have not found him by now, then we never will. Naturally springing from all of this is the difficulty of new members in understanding why there are so many unanswered questions in Freemasonry and why it varies so markedly not just in content but also in interpretation. For instance, how often has a brother commented or corrected what you have said or how you have said it, pronounced it, explained it because they believe that their version is the right one, their way is the right way. Ritual even within one lodge can be the root of what the Royal Arch ritual describes as our jealously and discord. We easily get embroiled in pressing home our own understanding of the who, what, where, when, why and how it all started, what it all means. For Masonic researchers and academics it is a fascinating subject and one from which we can all make our daily advancement in Masonic Knowledge. However, knowing where you came from is not the complete picture. I would suggest knowing where you are going and ensuring you take small, measured, considered, well informed and supported steps to get there is even more important. Similarly, knowing where both you and masonry currently are and where we are all taking it ensures one vital thing: we make it live in the 21 st century and beyond and do not confine it to keep on living in the 17 th century and before; we must strive to make it a thing of today and an organisation that men want to be a part of and most important of all, stay a part of. So what does that mean for a Lodge Mentor and his brethren? Notice I added and his brethren. I think for many of us it should mean taking the advice of an old adage and learning to walk before we learn to run; to use a Masonic illustration, we need to examine the foundations before we try to figure out
how the roof got there! And to return to my analogy, we need to use small steps. I think it should mean that we all take a part in finding something out concerning this thing called Freemasonry nothing big, nothing heavy, nothing clever, nothing overly learned: small steps. It can start by just re-reading the simple stuff that we recite as part of our rituals but which we so often easily overlook and to be honest, have probably just taken for granted and never really understood. It can then continue with having a chat over dinner, a conversation in lodge, one mason taking the trouble to talk about what he has read and what it means to him. We could then take another small step and get a few of our brethren to find and research an article, a magazine, the odd web page and come back and share what they have found out with their brethren and compare it to their own ritual, their own understanding: no lecture, no recitation, no standing at a lectern, no learning, just plain, good old fashioned conversation small steps. We actually used to do that in the 17 th century but for some odd reason, we seem to have forgotten the practice, the skill and the benefits. In that way we give our understanding of our ritual a 21 st century interpretation, a common definition in a language that we can share with each other and which informs the answer to the hardest two questions you can ever be asked: what is Masonry and why are you a Freemason. Masonry amongst other things gives us a moral code, a standard in life and actions for which we use Masonic symbolism, tools, activities to represent it: just and upright, square steps, level conduct to name a few of the phrases we use which transfer the practical and physical usages of building processes, tools and architectural theory into lessons for life. Central to all of this is our ritual, plays with a purpose, which dramatise the symbols, the tools, the activities by weaving into them historical facts and people to help emphasise the message and it s moral through dramatic ceremonial re-enactments. And do you see what I have just done? I have given one mans explanation my explanation of Masonry in simple and plain English without a need for allegory. Importantly, I have not changed what we say but I have altered how we explain it. I have just given it a life which is current in the 21 st century and not resurrected a life from the 17 th century and vitally, all without changing a word of our ritual. And that, I think, should be our starting point, our objective for all Mentors and Members alike: helping each other to come up with our own understanding of what this thing is that we try to learn and repeat and not just be satisfied with Masonry just being about just that - learning and repeating. Remember, our ritual demands that we moralise, speculate, which simply translates into finding our own meaning, our own understanding of what Freemasonry means to me and to you in today s world. That also means that my understanding of ritual may vary from yours and we will all have our own take on the symbols, ceremonies or lectures it contains. But going on that journey of drawing your own conclusions has one result: it has the profound potential of making us better men for having done so. It also makes this marvellous thing called ritual live in the world of today, not just in that of the authors of yesterday.
The first step on that journey is taking this little blue book out of the shadows and instead of learning it, simply reading it. Then having read one page, one lecture, forming an opinion on what it means and then sharing your opinion with another brother. Is that so difficult? Mentoring is therefore not about one man doing everything and then we all sit and listen in silence to his words of wisdom, HIS interpretation. Mentoring is about all of us doing whatever it takes to make every meeting special, enjoyable, memorable and repeatable; developing our own thoughts, our own understanding, finding Masonry and our place in it. And all it takes is small steps: firstly, making that daily advancement in Masonry (which you promised you would!) and secondly by simply telling others about it. If I had the chance to write a piece of ritual, it would be an address by the Mentor to the Candidate. It would simply be: My brother. You have today begun a journey of small steps, a journey in which you need to not only open your eyes and ears to what is around you, but open your mind and your heart to truly appreciate what Freemasonry is and how it has the potential to make you a better man. Along that journey you will encounter many words and phrases, rituals and stories which you may never have heard and which on first hearing may be unclear. It is our responsibility to help you in questioning them all, not to discover what they simply mean for Freemasonry and its history, but what they mean for you and your future. But be assured of this: you are not alone in your journey and with each step I will be there to guide you as will every member of this lodge. WBro Martin Roche
Prepared by: THE EDUCATION & TRAINING COMMITTEE Freemasons Hall Bridge Street M3 3BT The ideas presented herein have been reproduced with the kind permission of: WBro Martin Roche Who has given permission for this form of presentation to be used in Craft Lodges throughout the Province of East Lancashire. For further copies please contact your DISTRICT MENTOR