Ask a Freemason anything

I will disclose anything I am not prohibited from doing by my grand lodge regulations

Hey.... you have to have something to do with your free time

About anything one might want to know can be found in the library in each state's Grand Lodge, oppen to thr public, copies can be made of anything but there is a slight charge. Same thing for York Rite, Scottish Rite, Knight Templar, all of which I have passed but states vary in certain things, take handshakes, it can be shown in a drawing but it should not be discussed outside of the Blue Lodge, or ones basic lodge of the first 3 Degrees. Talking about being "raised" in each degree might be interesting, but I would not do so. Nothing personal but being a Past Master, there are things I just have my own ideas about.

And your Grand Lodge and my grand large may have differences in what is considered permissible and nor permissible.

The Handshakes and secret words are universally not permitted to be spoken of. But thats not stopped people exposing it. One of the first happening early in the existance of the Premir Grand Lodge of England. Within 25 years of the first ritual being crafted secrets were exposed to the profane. And that was not be the last time it will be exposed.

Now then we could discuss what a masonic secret actually is...... :-p which could be really entertaining

The handshakes are illustrated in "DUNCAN'S RITUAL", along with several other works about "Ancient and Accepted Order of Freemasonary", nothing secret about that. His work goes into the language, well some of the language, which is different often from lodge to lodge but not a great deal. Nope, enough books have enough material one can get an "hint" about the "oaths" and "oaths' aren't really what they are called but can't say what. Sorry. Let's see, the dialoguue between the ranking officers is something not fully quoted anywhere I know of in black and white. It all done by word of mouth and memorization. We're pretty community orientated based over here, less lodge time, more time wwith raising funds and each lodge has its particular "charity" they raise funds for, so you might have a lot of lodges raising funnds for , say, "The Masonic Children's Home", donating monies t young men and women going off to college, is one that comes to mind. Once one gets into York and Scotish Rites, things seem more relaxed but there is more subtle clues that what is heard is not what is meant. I'll let you work on that. So, in fact, you have been given information that supposedly carries with it the death penalty for giving it or receiving it outside of the "Blue Lodge" to a mason not of the same degree.

Well my dear brother I think you under estimate just how much has been going on the internet. I could point to specific websites but I suspect I would likely be sanctionable in doing so by my current grand lodge.

and SOME Grand Lodges have Cyphered books........ I wish I learned in the days of true mouth to ear

Also the similarities between mormon older temple ritual and masonic ritual are also available on the internet if you want to look

And I am very familiar with the nature of North Carolina Freemasonry :-p more familiar with south carolina free masonry (I have friends all over the wild world of Free Masonry)

As for my grand lodge I can disclose any masonic information that is not expressly prohibited (and if you can express the prohibited information in a way thats not prohibited it would be ok)

I also have been a Scottish Rite mason (financial matters made my dues slip) a Royal Arch Mason (ditto) Shriner (sadly ditto) Philates (Ditto... But they never purge their email lists) and DeMolay

I even had a pretender to the Throne of Romania in my scottish rite class... good times...

Appreciate talking to you, nice to meet a brother here, hardly expected, so I'll extend to you the Lion's Paw Grasp and let everybody figure wwhat it is and what it looks like, esp. if no one has oberved the 3rd DEGREE in full costume being presented.

This is nothing. on 4chan (of all places) their are quasi regular masonic threads. I am not sure I posses the words to describe my feelings.

NOW.... not all lodges use full Costume. Which I have found interesting. Some in Florida even have specialized costume (an old railroad workers lodge has a railway degree)

Don't you mean the grand monkey?

Thr Grand Monkey is in the Northern District and they do stuff a lot more weird than we do down here. Grand Monkey, LMAO, now that is cute.

Question: Since my training was verbal is it improper to write any questions or make any comments that should be done by word-of-mouth?

So I've wanted to ask this question for a while now.. Okay two questions.. About a dozen or so years ago when I graduated from High School they implemented graduation projects on us.. I actually did a 40 page paper on the Freemasons and other secretive orders.. I talked with some people.. most of them older and they all basically told me they couldnt tell me anything.. that is until I'd goad them on with the wild world of the internet saying they worshipped the Devil.. ( I knew it wasn't true.. but in an Irish/German community.. goading equals semi-full disclosure) I wasn't asking for the secrets of where treasures were buried or anything like that.. Just wanted to know some general inquiries on what it was like. Why most lodges don't have windows.. simple things...

But.. Here we go.. Question #1.. I've heard rumors.. That the Freemasons still have a lot of segregation issues. Meaning I'm not certain on the truthfulness of my source, but he says that there are seperate black lodges from white lodges in certain areas, and that the black lodges although full standing members, are kind of looked down upon in certain areas. Not meaning because they are black like racist.. but he says they aren't in as high of standing because they are more frat houses than lodges. he was explaining how they join new members and it was something from Animal House the movie.. not something I'd expected to hear about a Lodge.

Okay.. Question #2.. Derived from the ending of my question #1.. I've heard about new members joining and it varying slightly from one lodge to the next, but does this fraternity mindset really go to all Lodges or is this lodge that I know of that does like this, just going way overboard? I hesitate to give examples, but let's just say swimming naked through a lake in winter, drinking a bottle of grossness(hot sauce, vinegar, olive oil, red peppers, tobasco, chili sauce, mayonaise, egg.. etc etc).. Just wondering if this is the norm. Because I know a few Freemasons and over the years I've semi learned my limits with them.. but this was just something new that came out of nowhere and really shocked me to hear things like this. Okay, these are the milder of things, but if I told examples of other things done, it would be a dead give-away for which lodge this is.