# Level up in next month



## JanneProeliator (Oct 21, 2017)

I'm getting my Fellow Craft in second friday of next month. I'm excited about this level up that I'm going to get. I have been EA for some good half a year and more and visited the lodge for some first degrees after that and I have always loved the athmosphere and the fellowship at the lodge but I have been really waiting for this next step of mine.


----------



## Ripcord22A (Oct 21, 2017)

Awesome!


Sent from my iPhone using My Freemasonry


----------



## CLewey44 (Oct 21, 2017)

FC is and should be a big deal. That was the primary degree held back in the day for most masons if I'm not mistaken. MMs were quite rare, I'm sure some of our historians can touch on that and clarify. You've been an outstanding forum member and it seems your lodge is lucky to have you.


----------



## Elexir (Oct 21, 2017)

JanneProeliator said:


> I'm getting my Fellow Craft in second friday of next month. I'm excited about this level up that I'm going to get. I have been EA for some good half a year and more and visited the lodge for some first degrees after that and I have always loved the athmosphere and the fellowship at the lodge but I have been really waiting for this next step of mine.




Congratulations, Im not sure of the diffrences in ritual but it will most likley be an intressting eavning.



CLewey44 said:


> FC is and should be a big deal. That was the primary degree held back in the day for most masons if I'm not mistaken. MMs were quite rare, I'm sure some of our historians can touch on that and clarify. You've been an outstanding forum member and it seems your lodge is lucky to have you.



Prior to the 1720s the only degrees where EA and FC. MM is the younger of the three degrees.

So its not just a principal degree, it was the last one.


----------



## CLewey44 (Oct 21, 2017)

From the title of the forum I thought I was on a Super Mario Bros. site for a second. Or is that Super Mario Brethren?


----------



## freemasonpha (Oct 21, 2017)

Congrats!


----------



## David612 (Oct 21, 2017)

Congrats, I’m working hard for my second however I’m not sure when I will be doing that.
In my jurisdiction you must have attended 12 meetings prior to being allowed to turn in your third however we meet once a month and obviously we have a number of brethren who also are working towards various degrees so the wait isn’t a predictable but for the most part it doesn’t matter in our jurisdiction.


----------



## Matt L (Oct 21, 2017)

Congratulations, the 2nd degree is a beautiful moving degree.


----------



## Brother JC (Oct 21, 2017)

Congratulations!


----------



## JanneProeliator (Oct 22, 2017)

Thank you all.
I will elaborate my feelings after the degree in here.


----------



## Warrior1256 (Oct 22, 2017)

JanneProeliator said:


> I'm getting my Fellow Craft in second friday of next month. I'm excited about this level up that I'm going to get. I have been EA for some good half a year and more and visited the lodge for some first degrees after that and I have always loved the athmosphere and the fellowship at the lodge but I have been really waiting for this next step of mine.


Congratulations Brother and keep us informed.


----------



## LK600 (Oct 24, 2017)

JanneProeliator said:


> I'm getting my Fellow Craft in second friday of next month. I'm excited about this level up that I'm going to get. I have been EA for some good half a year and more and visited the lodge for some first degrees after that and I have always loved the athmosphere and the fellowship at the lodge but I have been really waiting for this next step of mine.


Best of luck to you!  I hope you enjoy it.  I am about a week or two behind you!  See you on the other side.


----------



## jrnteach (Oct 24, 2017)

I’m being passed to my 2nd degree n November 15 and I’m super excited also!


Sent from my iPad using My Freemasonry


----------



## acjohnson53 (Oct 25, 2017)

to me the second degree is the "Gentlemens Degree"..


----------



## Derek Harvey (Oct 25, 2017)

Congratulations on the level up brother.  I'm gonna start using that term by the way.

Sent from my SM-G360T1 using My Freemasonry mobile app


----------



## Brother_Steve (Oct 25, 2017)

Derek Harvey said:


> Congratulations on the level up brother.  I'm gonna start using that term by the way.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G360T1 using My Freemasonry mobile app


MMORPG terminology making its way into Lodge now?

DING! Level 3!

Edited: all in good fun.


----------



## JanneProeliator (Oct 26, 2017)

I have started to use leveling up in many situations. Graduating a new belt for my students, turning one more year, etc.. As a kid who grew up with Atari and Nintendo I think level up is a cool way to say we are moving on.


----------



## Keith C (Oct 26, 2017)

I was JW for a FC degree last night.  The lodge is preparing me to sit in the South next year.  I think the FC degree is my favorite of the Symbolic Lodge Degrees.  It is here that we learn what is required to be a Mason.


----------



## SCStrong (Oct 26, 2017)

Congrats


----------



## JanneProeliator (Oct 27, 2017)

Thank you brothers for all of your words.


----------



## Matt L (Oct 27, 2017)

I would love to be able to do the 2nd section. I can do the 2nd section of the 1st and 3rd, the second kills me.


----------



## JanneProeliator (Nov 10, 2017)

Today is the day.
I got home from the barber shop and Ihave my tux ready to go. Now quick shower and of to the lodge.


----------



## Symthrell (Nov 10, 2017)

Best of luck to you!! Enjoy! I truly enjoyed the lectures that were a part of the Fellowcraft Degree!!


----------



## JanneProeliator (Nov 10, 2017)

Everyone here has been talking about how beautifull the second degree is. And it truly was.


----------



## JLB658 (Nov 12, 2017)

JanneProeliator said:


> Everyone here has been talking about how beautifull the second degree is. And it truly was.


Congratulations to you, and those soon to be passed. The FC Degree has always been special to me, so much so that I teach proficiency for it as well as sit in the West for a graded FC Degree. The work you go through to receive it, and the time it takes always makes it special. Add to that the lessons you receive, to me, makes this a wonderful degree. Congrats again, you earned it.

Sent from my SM-T377P using My Freemasonry mobile app


----------



## Warrior1256 (Nov 12, 2017)

Congratulations Brother. I am very happy for you! Let us know when you are about to take your MM degree.


----------



## Andy Fracica (Nov 12, 2017)

Congratulations Brother! I hope by now you have your Fellow Craft and are on your way to understanding its intricacies.


----------



## JanneProeliator (Nov 13, 2017)

Warrior1256 said:


> Congratulations Brother. I am very happy for you! Let us know when you are about to take your MM degree.



Thank you. It should be in some time next spring. I should know by the beginning of next year. I hope it would be around march or april. There is one brother before me and otwo after me to go trough the ranks at the same pace. Also there should be new brothers coming up next year. December and January there is no levels on the lodge so if the brothers who where initiated after me gets their FC in hebruary and march the brother who got his FC before me gets his MM in april then I should be up for my MM in june. Unless there is others who should be initiated before that.  But the lodge is closed from june to august so it might be that I have my MM in next autumn in stead...
Well I know when it is necessary for me to know. I let you know when I do.


----------



## JanneProeliator (Nov 14, 2017)

I got my date for the third level.
It'll be in april.


----------



## Warrior1256 (Nov 15, 2017)

JanneProeliator said:


> I got my date for the third level.
> It'll be in april.


Congratulations Brother!!! Make sure to lets us know how it goes.


----------



## jrnteach (Nov 18, 2017)

My FC was an amazing ceremony. I loved the winding stairs, for example. 


Sent from my iPhone using My Freemasonry


----------



## Elexir (May 25, 2018)

JanneProeliator said:


> Everyone here has been talking about how beautifull the second degree is. And it truly was.



Next saturday me and a few other brothers will visit 174 Donatus in Lund to visit their FC so then I will know what you went through


----------



## JanneProeliator (May 26, 2018)

Elexir said:


> Next saturday me and a few other brothers will visit 174 Donatus in Lund to visit their FC so then I will know what you went through


Excellent. TEll me how it went and was it much different from your rituals.


----------



## Elexir (Jun 2, 2018)

JanneProeliator said:


> Excellent. TEll me how it went and was it much different from your rituals.



It was diffrent, there is a similarity but also a lot of details that are diffrent. Personally I prefer our II°. Me and the brother I went with will try to see a 3° this fall at the same lodge.


----------



## JanneProeliator (Jun 5, 2018)

Elexir said:


> It was diffrent, there is a similarity but also a lot of details that are diffrent. Personally I prefer our II°. Me and the brother I went with will try to see a 3° this fall at the same lodge.


Very interresting.
It will be fun to travel around and see the degrees done in other lodges and juristictions. I have yet to do so...


----------



## Warrior1256 (Jun 5, 2018)

JanneProeliator said:


> It will be fun to travel around and see the degrees done in other lodges and juristictions. I have yet to do so...


You will probably find that the rituals not only differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction but from lodge to lodge, lol.


----------



## Elexir (Jun 5, 2018)

Warrior1256 said:


> You will probably find that the rituals not only differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction but from lodge to lodge, lol.



Also juristictional. 
Here the ritual is for a few reasons set in stone and only a few things can ever be changed under special premission from the GM.


----------



## Warrior1256 (Jun 5, 2018)

Elexir said:


> Here the ritual is for a few reasons set in stone and only a few things can ever be changed under special premission from the GM.


Here four different ritual books are recognized by the Grand Lodge. Hence the differences. Although the rituals in all four are very similar there are small differences.


----------



## JanneProeliator (Jun 6, 2018)

Warrior1256 said:


> You will probably find that the rituals not only differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction but from lodge to lodge, lol.


That's what I've been told.
And not just the rituals. I'm very interrested on how the social part of the meeting is done and how that vary in each lodge.


----------



## dfreybur (Jun 6, 2018)

Warrior1256 said:


> You will probably find that the rituals not only differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction but from lodge to lodge, lol.



Long ago I remember an old timer who used to sing "Closer My Lord To Thee" during third degrees.  Many years before he'd been told to stop as it was not a part of the approved ritual.  I pointed out that he would still be allowed to sing after the degree was complete but he didn't get what I meant.  Events that happen after the ritual is complete are not a part of the ritual, but they are a part of the candidate's experience.  Do you remember the many presentations and congratulations after your degrees?

Some number of lodges have specially authorized degree work granted in their charter.  Red lodge style degrees get mentioned, as do translations into other languages.


----------



## Warrior1256 (Jun 6, 2018)

dfreybur said:


> Long ago I remember an old timer who used to sing "Closer My Lord To Thee" during third degrees. Many years before he'd been told to stop as it was not a part of the approved ritual. I pointed out that he would still be allowed to sing after the degree was complete but he didn't get what I meant. Events that happen after the ritual is complete are not a part of the ritual, but they are a part of the candidate's experience. Do you remember the many presentations and congratulations after your degrees?


Very true! After the ritual is over anyone can say or do anything they want but in my jurisdiction singing "Closer My Lord To Thee" during the ritual would not be permitted. Since he had previously been told not to do this why was this not enforced?


----------



## dfreybur (Jun 7, 2018)

Warrior1256 said:


> Very true! After the ritual is over anyone can say or do anything they want but in my jurisdiction singing "Closer My Lord To Thee" during the ritual would not be permitted. Since he had previously been told not to do this why was this not enforced?



He was no longer permitted to sing it during the degree so he stopped.  By the time I met him he was still carrying a torch over the issue that others considered resolved.  To me it's instructive that when I told him he could sing it after the degree he didn't understand.

Around 5 years ago GLofTX banned use of Chamber of Reflection because it was being done *during* first degrees.  It's not a part of the mandatory ritual so it's not allowed.  To me the solution was so obvious.  Move it to before the lodge is tiled and then it's not included at all.  Performed but not included, problem about ritual vanishes instantly.  But no the lodge doing it insisted so the practice got banned in general.

Folks do think through what's a part of the ritual of the degree versus what's a part of the opening and closing ceremonies.  But they don't think through that there is a period for free form activity during the tiled time and more periods for free form activity before and after the tiled time.


----------



## Elexir (Jun 7, 2018)

dfreybur said:


> Folks do think through what's a part of the ritual of the degree versus what's a part of the opening and closing ceremonies.  But they don't think through that there is a period for free form activity during the tiled time and more periods for free form activity before and after the tiled time.



This is dependent on juristiction and ritual.


----------



## Warrior1256 (Jun 7, 2018)

dfreybur said:


> To me the solution was so obvious. Move it to before the lodge is tiled and then it's not included at all. Performed but not included, problem about ritual vanishes instantly.


Sounds good!


----------

