# MEMORIZING THE WORK!



## ARizo1011 (May 15, 2014)

Brethren, any Tips on memorizing the work? 

Having a hard time memorizing it word by word. In FLorida we have a catechism book not sure if they do that every where .. Any way I can read you the book no problem I understand the symbolism by reciting it is difficult. I have it all up until the Obligation... Then I need the book.. 

TIPS!! Please! 

I go to several lodges in my district and attend the EA degrees to help me but still having trouble with memorization! 


SMIB
Freemasonry


----------



## crono782 (May 15, 2014)

Rote learning takes time and repetition to work. We don't use a book here so ours is all mouth to ear for instruction, but I have used our monitor for learning parts for the long-form lectures. I'll try to pass along my thoughts...

When trying to learn your work, SAY IT OUT LOUD. Hearing yourself actually say the words will not only help to commit it to memory, but will also help by establishing muscle memory. It sounds silly, but I basically commit my morning commute to work (every single morning) to reciting ritual work. I really cannot stress enough how much better information is committed this way rather than just reading. For myself, as an EA I tried to learn both the questions and the answers, which helped lead me into my next answers. I used different "voices" for questions and answers. Helped to keep it all from running together.

After that, I suggest never moving on to another part until you not only have it down perfectly, but also _comfortably_. That is, no long pauses while you try to recall the words or stutters. When you can say it naturally, smoothly, at a normal cadence, like you're talking, then move on to the next part.

Speaking of cadence, establish one! Don't try to spit all the words out as fast as you can. The cadence, that is, timing, that you make yourself speak at will do wonders in helping your mind to establish a rhythm to your words and help it to come out smoothly and easily. Use inflection and emotion in your words. Proper emphasis on parts that are important or cause you problems will help distinguish them in your mind.

Use mnemonics! Even for simple lists or items you have trouble remembering, establish a memory device that will help you recall it later even if the actual mnemonic is silly or doesn't make sense (ex. I made up and use the phrase "weasel manufacturer" as a mnemonic for a particular part, it would make no sense to anybody else, but it helped me once upon a time and is unique to me).

Also, be visual. Try to tie what you are saying to what you are seeing, even if it is not the entire picture, maybe a detail that will trigger the right words, heck it may not even be related to what you are saying. A visual mnemonic of sorts.

As you learn a new part, start from the beginning, every time. That way you say the beginning parts SO MUCH that your brain can spit them out without even committing thought to them, it just knows them.

Good luck!


----------



## Brother JC (May 15, 2014)

My mentor recited sections when he walked his dog. Another Brother I know has a small turquoise mine, and recites as he digs. "Say it out loud" is great advice, and if you can practice in the lodge room during off-hours , all the better.


----------



## Blake Bowden (May 15, 2014)

I can't remember how many times I open and closed a lodge in the bathroom or driving!


----------



## JJones (May 15, 2014)

If all you're having trouble with is the obligation then you're doing pretty well.  As others have said, repetition is key.


----------



## nixxon2000 (May 15, 2014)

I'm in the same boat. I'm working on the mm obligating which is super long. But speaking it out loud helps a lot. My wife and I just had our first son so as I'm rocking him to sleep.... We'll as much as a 3 week old sleeps, I recite the part I can remember. 

Just take time and practice. 

SMIB


Sent From My Freemasonry Pro App


----------



## MRichard (May 15, 2014)

I just started working on mine. It is mouth to ear under GLoT. Takes a bit longer to learn but everyone else before me did it the same way.


----------



## cdovalinaRR227 (May 16, 2014)

Get rid of the book. There is a big difference in learning your work and memorizing it. Take the time to sit with another brother from your lodge and go over it mouth to ear. After you got it down and turn in use the book to brush up some loose ends and to stay proficient so you can then help a Newley initiated brother. Good luck brother.  


Round Rock Lodge #227
Round Rock, TX
Instagram- cdovalina


----------



## jvarnell (May 16, 2014)

I had problems untill I started getting on my bike right after I worked with my mintor and and saying it out load in my helmet to my self.


----------



## JasonAttas (May 16, 2014)

I wholeheartedly agree with Brother CdovalinaRR227 above. Get rid of the book. Get a mentor.
The ONLY way to learn the work proficiently is to have that B2B (Brother to Brother) interaction. Since you will be turning in your proficiency in a B2B setting, practicing the work that way will make it significantly easier.
I cringe when I hear that other Grand jurisdictions allow the use of a cipher book for newly initiated EAs, especially when they dress up what they call the book with flowery language like "catechism." It's a code book, or a cipher book. Scrap it. Scrap it today. Learn your work "the old fashioned way," but not because the old fashioned way is old fashioned, but it really is the BEST way to actually learn the material.

Good luck, Brother!


----------



## crono782 (May 16, 2014)

To be fair,"catechism" is a term meaning teaching via a system of questions and answers. I guess it's still a catechism, but not in the teaching sense. 


Sent From My Freemasonry Pro App


----------



## BroBook (May 16, 2014)

Do it like your favorite movie , do it until you know what is coming next , then forever do it again, you want to get to a point that you notice/ not respond to every thing that could be considered masonic!!!!


Bro Book
M.W.U.G.L. Of Fl: P.H.A.
Excelsior # 43
At pensacola


----------



## Pscyclepath (May 16, 2014)

Time, patience, and perseverance... Find a good, preferably certified, lecturer, and work with him.  Learn the words right the first time; it's much easier to put the good words in in the first place, and much harder to get the bad words out.  Learn the questions and answers both, so you can lecture yourself when needed.  Start with a single question or answer; or a phrase if you're studying open/close or conferral.  Once you have that part own consistently, add the next question or phrase, and start stringing them together.

For the obligation, especially the master's, where it's easy to get the ties out of order or to even skip one, a simple memnomic will help you keep them in order and all accounted for.   Works for the FC lecture as well.

Repetition and practice is the key!!  Saying it out loud...  While studying for my instructor certification, I turned off the radio in the truck (and still do) and worked on reciting the work.  During a recent road trip, I started to recite the entire exam start to finish, started off with the EA lecture in Lonoke, AR, opened the lodge, conferred all three degrees, went through the second sections and supplemental lectures, then closed 'er down some where south of Clarksdale, MS.  (At this level, it takes a while ;-)  Took 3 hours of solid work for the exam.) Worked it to the point that my mentor could throw out a random phrase from anywhere in the work, and I could pick up and recite from there.


----------



## Pscyclepath (May 16, 2014)

See also:  http://www.myfreemasonry.com/threads/learning-and-memorizing-ritual.22977


----------



## ARizo1011 (May 17, 2014)

Brethren... I honestly didn't think I would get the responses I did... I decided to wing it and thought "hey maybe some brothers on here have tips... And you all did. Thank you all so much. All your advise will be put to use. I thank you all. I will keep you updated upon passing my proficiency! Have a great day/night brothers!! Thank you all again! 


SMIB
Freemasonry


----------



## Bro.Goatman (Jul 19, 2014)

You need a Brother to work with you. While working,NO BOOK. Use book to recall only. Move along one sentence at a time.


----------



## Willys (Jul 19, 2014)

*Bro. ARizo1011*, come back to let us know how it's going.

A couple of additional points plus some of the above.

Yeah, abandon the crutch, trust yourself.

You mention visiting several Lodges.  That's good but try to use only one instructor.  Multiple instructors can result in confusion as each will have his own quirks, stopping or correcting in different places.  That can throw off your rhythm, or cadence as indicated by Brother crono782, above.

Something I learned from teaching the work is that I learned from the teaching experience.  The more I _'taught'_ the more I knew.  So, turn it around... _you might recognize this_, and teach it back to your instructor.  Rather than dragging out a rote memory challenge, explain to your inquirer what you do know.

We all talk about testing, and exam, and trial, and on and on.  But it's really more about learning and recognizing what you've learned and how to apply that knowledge.  An electrician knows that a switch turns on/off an electrical device but even more, he recognizes the electrical function.  You're not trying to prove you can pass a test, you're learning how to apply the lessons of the craft.

Good luck...


----------



## Pscyclepath (Jul 19, 2014)

Like Texas, Arkansas is one of those jurisdictions where cipher or code books are strictly prohibited.  Mouth-to-ear is the only way to pass it on, with the exception of some very small parts that are printed in the state Monitor.

Work one-on-one with a certified instructor or lecturer...  That's what the certification is for, the standardization and preservation of the Ritual, and that fellow has to be word-perfect in order to be certified in the first place.

Harry S Truman lectured and conferred the degrees on his mules, while walking or riding behind them on a gang plow.  He became a district lecturer that way.  My bird dog, Sam, is something like a 99th degree Mason by now for all the degrees and lectures I've practiced on him.  Even studying for my instructor's card, I spent about 15 months being lectured just like an EA by my mentors...  some 30,000 words or so in that part of the Work.  I would be lectured at least once or twice per week, then on my own time, turn off the radio and recite the parts I was working on.  Also helping to lecture some of the newer candidates in the lodge, as well as traveling and actually working parts in the degrees, and listening closely to what was going on when I wasn't actually working.  I'm now working to earn the red card, which is simply the second section of the Masters degree and only about 6000 words or so in comparison.   Repetition, repetition, repetition, until you've got it running in your mind like a tape track (or ear worm).

Once you have the words pretty well down, you will soon note that the part has a cadence, or rhythm, which will help you remember (or at least recognize when you've strayed off the path).  Use that.  

Traveling helps in the repetition part, but in many/most little lodges, you will hear a wide variety of the same section of the work  ;-)   That's why it's best to work with a certified lecturer, so as to resolve just what the good words are so's you can keep the bad words out.


----------



## Levelhead (Jul 19, 2014)

Im from florida also. Spend alot of time with your mentor. I used the same book until i knew how to read it, then never opened it again.

Out loud, in the car, at work in my head. Youll get it. Dont rush.


----------



## streeter (Jul 20, 2014)

over 30 years membership i have learned the work in three jurisdictions - something that i have discovered that works for me - is to read just once - before going to bed and sleeping - that part of the work you are attempting to memorize - and then immediately upon waking to read it again - slowly and deliberately both times - this works for me - it may not work for you - also -  i make a serious effort not to 'force' myself - i have some other ideas as well - good luck brother ...robert streeter.


----------



## Warrior1256 (Aug 15, 2014)

I went to a quite place where I was alone and went over the material....and over....and over....and over....


----------



## pointwithinacircle2 (Aug 15, 2014)

In my experience, preparing the mind before you begin is the most important part of any endeavor.


----------



## ARizo1011 (Aug 16, 2014)

Brethren, I learned, understood, memorized the work and gave back the catechism on July 7th. I was just recently passed to the degree of Fellow Craft on the 12th of August.  And it was an incredible lecture there was so much to absorb. And may I say that the catechism is fairly easier to pick up on. It haven't been a week since I've gotten my catechism and I'm understanding the work faster then I did the EA. Thank you brothers for your comments and advice it was put to use!!  hopefully I will give back this catechism by Sept.!!!


----------



## Pscyclepath (Aug 16, 2014)

Having attained my Blue Card certification as an instructor, I'm currently working on my "Red Card" proficiency for the 2nd Section of the Master's degree in order to "collect the whole set."   Just like with the other work, I start at the beginning with every part, and work my way forward, learning it in chunks, a phrase or two at a time, then stringing it together.  I go to degrees and listen closely to pick up the parts, and do a good bit of work myself to practice actually delivering specific parts.   On my own, I work through and up to the point I know, and then sit down with another instructor or a friend who has the work, and identify and clear out the Bad Words. When I can, I go to the Grand Lodge schools for their exemplifications and to check my questions out with the Grand Lecturer.   I'm about 70% there and hope to test for the card around the end of the calendar year.  While this is a technique that I've worked out for myself in preparing for the certification exams, it works just as well in memorizing and presenting the stuff like the proficiency lectures. 

But for the other young brethren out there, it all starts with your mastering your proficiency lectures,or Q&As...   As you gain more light, there's more to learn in the ritual of opening and running the lodge, presenting the degrees, and passing the lectures on down to the younger brothers who are following your path.  In the long run, it's a fun process, and helps strengthen your ties to your mentors and your students alike.

After lecturing the past two years, I'm leaning more toward teaching our younger guys the questions and answers alike, and at the same time.  That way they can be more effective in "lecturing themselves," and to rehearsing themselves in their spare time; and it seems to flow better.   I see a lot of the new guys taught in the old way (answers only) being unable to rehearse much on their own, as they're missing 50% or so of the material (the questions).  So far, it's working well...


----------



## ARizo1011 (Aug 16, 2014)

Pscyclepath said:


> Having attained my Blue Card certification as an instructor, I'm currently working on my "Red Card" proficiency for the 2nd Section of the Master's degree in order to "collect the whole set."   Just like with the other work, I start at the beginning with every part, and work my way forward, learning it in chunks, a phrase or two at a time, then stringing it together.  I go to degrees and listen closely to pick up the parts, and do a good bit of work myself to practice actually delivering specific parts.   On my own, I work through and up to the point I know, and then sit down with another instructor or a friend who has the work, and identify and clear out the Bad Words. When I can, I go to the Grand Lodge schools for their exemplifications and to check my questions out with the Grand Lecturer.   I'm about 70% there and hope to test for the card around the end of the calendar year.  While this is a technique that I've worked out for myself in preparing for the certification exams, it works just as well in memorizing and presenting the stuff like the proficiency lectures.
> 
> But for the other young brethren out there, it all starts with your mastering your proficiency lectures,or Q&As...   As you gain more light, there's more to learn in the ritual of opening and running the lodge, presenting the degrees, and passing the lectures on down to the younger brothers who are following your path.  In the long run, it's a fun process, and helps strengthen your ties to your mentors and your students alike.
> 
> After lecturing the past two years, I'm leaning more toward teaching our younger guys the questions and answers alike, and at the same time.  That way they can be more effective in "lecturing themselves," and to rehearsing themselves in their spare time; and it seems to flow better.   I see a lot of the new guys taught in the old way (answers only) being unable to rehearse much on their own, as they're missing 50% or so of the material (the questions).  So far, it's working well...




Wow brother congrats on the BLUE CARD And you will have the RED CARD in no time! You deserve it with all the effort you are putting in. 

I want to work hard and in a couple years I want the GOLD CARD! xD 
I know if I just work hard and keep striving for more and keep practicing I will in time reach my goals!  But for now I just seek more light and I just put my all in masonry and absorb all that I can from one degree to another


----------



## Levelhead (Aug 17, 2014)

Pscyclepath said:


> Having attained my Blue Card certification as an instructor, I'm currently working on my "Red Card" proficiency for the 2nd Section of the Master's degree in order to "collect the whole set."   Just like with the other work, I start at the beginning with every part, and work my way forward, learning it in chunks, a phrase or two at a time, then stringing it together.  I go to degrees and listen closely to pick up the parts, and do a good bit of work myself to practice actually delivering specific parts.   On my own, I work through and up to the point I know, and then sit down with another instructor or a friend who has the work, and identify and clear out the Bad Words. When I can, I go to the Grand Lodge schools for their exemplifications and to check my questions out with the Grand Lecturer.   I'm about 70% there and hope to test for the card around the end of the calendar year.  While this is a technique that I've worked out for myself in preparing for the certification exams, it works just as well in memorizing and presenting the stuff like the proficiency lectures.
> 
> But for the other young brethren out there, it all starts with your mastering your proficiency lectures,or Q&As...   As you gain more light, there's more to learn in the ritual of opening and running the lodge, presenting the degrees, and passing the lectures on down to the younger brothers who are following your path.  In the long run, it's a fun process, and helps strengthen your ties to your mentors and your students alike.
> 
> After lecturing the past two years, I'm leaning more toward teaching our younger guys the questions and answers alike, and at the same time.  That way they can be more effective in "lecturing themselves," and to rehearsing themselves in their spare time; and it seems to flow better.   I see a lot of the new guys taught in the old way (answers only) being unable to rehearse much on their own, as they're missing 50% or so of the material (the questions).  So far, it's working well...



We have cards in FL also, as i am now working to get my silver card. We have to renew them every three years to prove proficiency. Is that the same where you are?



Sent From Bro Carl's Freemasonry Pro App


----------



## Pscyclepath (Aug 17, 2014)

Arkansas' system issues four cards:  "Certified Lecturer," (white) which covers the questions and answers for the three proficiency Q&As; "Lodge Officer Proficiency" (white), which covers all parts and stations, plus the floor work for opening & closing the lodge in all degrees, plus dispensing and resuming; "Second Section of the Master's Degree," (red), which covers just what the title says, and "Certified Instructor," (blue), which covers the requirements for Certified Lecturer, Lodge Officer Proficiency, as well as all parts and floor work in conferring all three degrees, 2nd section of the EA, Monuments & Emblems lecture, and a working knowledge of the remaining degree sections from the Monitor.   Having both the blue and red cards certifies you in the entire esoteric ritual for the GL of Arkansas.  Certification is good for 4 years, after which you must be re-tested and re-certified by a panel appointed by the Grand Lodge.   All in all, there's some 30,000 words of ritual covered by the blue card; and around 6000 words for the red card.

To be certified, you need to apply to your lodge for recommendation, and they vote on it, after which the secretary sends an application to the GL under his signature and the lodge seal.   GL then appoints a panel (2-3) of brothers who are certified in those disciplines to examine you.   The exam is to sit down in front of the panel and exemplify the work that you are applying for.  To pass, you must be word-perfect, with no prompting, and no un-self-corrected errors.  If you catch yourself, you can back up to a point before the error and proceed from there; or the panel may ask you to repeat a certain section or block of the work to see if you miss that part again, without telling you just what you missed.    In my case, it was just like turning in your lecture in lodge, except I sat down in a chair facing the Deputy Grand Master (a member of my lodge; they try to use as local a panel as they are able) and another brother, and we started with the EA lecture, and went straight on through all the rest of the work.   I already had my Lodge Officer Proficiency card, but still had to be re-checked on that...   3.5 hours later, they were satisfied, and signed off on the exam form.  It was returned to Grand Lodge, and a couple of weeks later I received my card, #1722, which I picked up from the Grand Secretary.

A little later, while celebrating a little bit with my mentor, we got to comparing cards, and to my surprise from his card (1696), issued in 2008, to mine (1722), there were only 26 blue cards issued from between the summer of 2008 and May 2014...   and out of some 16K Masons in Arkansas, there are fewer than a hundred or so current blue card holders.  And the the DGM's, issued way back in the Dark Ages somewhere, was 1422....  ;-)

You do not have to have a certification card to lecture someone for their work; any brother who knows (or thinks he knows) the Work is authorized to give instruction as may be needed, but the certification system ensures that there are at least a handful of brothers out there who preserve the adopted ritual and serve as a resource for those working to improve their accuracy.


----------



## Zack (Aug 17, 2014)

In Florida;
Silver card
White card
Green card
Blue card
All good for 3 years

Brown card--good for 10 years

Gold card--good for Life

There are 7 proficiency cards available for the 3 lectures or combinations thereof--good for 3 years


----------

