# I was initiated last week.



## jasmith116 (Jun 19, 2019)

Brethren,

My name is Jake. I was initiated last Tuesday, the 11th, with another Brother and had the pleasure of watching yet another Brother join our fraternity yesterday. All three of us are thirty or younger, but about as different as three people can be. I love it. From the day I got my petition, to my interview, to my initiation, every visit I've had thus far has made me fall more and more in love with the philosophy and fraternity of Freemasonry. I positively cannot wait to make Master Mason, and I've already made great headway on my lecture with help from the WM. I guess my reason for joining this forum is to be able to talk about Masonry with those who understand, and to avoid talking the ears off of those who don't. Any advice on my lecture or putting my working tools to use would be much appreciated!

By the way, I'm from South Arkansas and I'm 23 years old.


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## Brother JC (Jun 19, 2019)

Congratulations, and welcome!


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## Buckeye (Jun 20, 2019)

Welcome Brother!


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## Adrian Martinez (Jun 20, 2019)

Welcome to the fraternity, brother.  A wonderful journey is ahead of you.


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## Keith C (Jun 20, 2019)

Congratulations Brother!  You will greatly enjoy the journey ahead of you!


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## Bloke (Jun 22, 2019)

jasmith116 said:


> ... Any advice on my lecture or putting my working tools to use would be much appreciated!
> 
> By the way, I'm from South Arkansas and I'm 23 years old.



"or putting my working tools to use"

What great question Brother ! It is one of the hardest things about Masonry - the aspect of quality self reflection and improvement. And... it's a long road which should never end. You have many years to walk it, but always emulate what you find praiseworthy in others and correct in yourself what you see in others as a defect.

I recently saw a man get a 70 years jewel (this means he had been a member of a lodge of 70 continuous years) and he spoke of his night of initiation and how, looking back, it brought great change in his life. You might not see it at first, but it will happen, and it will often happen slowly - Freemasonry does not work like a blowtorch on ice, but rather like water on the stone in a stream..   Anyway, the Brother also spoke of the man he was initiated with  - how they became lifelong friends, even though the other moved to England - and you often hear stories like that. See if you can mutually support your fellow candidate of the night of your initiation - hopefully you will share a common bond (and interests) which will bind you together.

Congratulations Brother


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## Bloke (Jun 22, 2019)

jasmith116 said:


> ... Any advice on my lecture or putting my working tools to use would be much appreciated!
> 
> By the way, I'm from South Arkansas and I'm 23 years old.



"or putting my working tools to use"

What great question Brother ! It is one of the hardest things about Masonry - the aspect of quality self reflection and improvement. And... it's a long road which should never end. You have many years to walk it, but always emulate what you find praiseworthy in others and correct in yourself what you see in others as a defect.

I recently saw a man get a 70 years jewel (this means he had been a member of a lodge of 70 continuous years) and he spoke of his night of initiation and how, looking back, it brought great change in his life. You might not see it at first, but it will happen, and it will often happen slowly - Freemasonry does not work like a blowtorch on ice, but rather like water on the stone in a stream..   Anyway, the Brother also spoke of the man he was initiated with  - how they became lifelong friends, even though the other moved to England - and you often hear stories like that. See if you can mutually support your fellow candidate of the night of your initiation - hopefully you will share a common bond (and interests) which will bind you together.

Congratulations Brother


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## ashmounazer (Jun 23, 2019)

Congrats brother, the first step is the greatest one. The journey is long but we're all here to help you in your travels. 

Sent from my SM-G970F using My Freemasonry mobile app


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## jasmith116 (Jun 23, 2019)

Thank you all! I appreciate the warm welcome and great advice very much. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using My Freemasonry mobile app


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## frehm (Jun 29, 2019)

A big welcome from the Kingdom of Sweden and the Swedish order of Freemasons.
I'm 27 and joined freemasonry almost two years ago.


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## bro.william (Jul 6, 2019)

it's always nice to be reminded of the excitement I had when I was a newly-made EA.  mind, I'm still not very far from that, but I hope I never lose the feeling entirely.  thus far, each step has only enriched the experience.  welcome, brother.


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## Matt Ross (Jul 12, 2019)

Welcome, Brother! Glad to see you here. It's definitely a good idea to surround yourself with brethren here who know what you're dealing with and who may even be in your jurisdiction to help with your proficiency through each degree. Congratulations on your initiation! I know how profound mine was here in Michigan.


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## Warrior1256 (Jul 17, 2019)

Congratulations and welcome to the forum Brother.


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