# why did you join the freemasons?



## ahyen (Apr 27, 2013)

was wondering why everyone decided to petition. what first attracted you to, what was it that helped you decide to petition? and how long ago was it?

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## JKC84 (Apr 27, 2013)

Researched them for 5 years before I moved forward. Alway know two things, 

1.) what your getting into
2.) your reasoning for getting into it. 

This brotherhood is THE OLDEST FRATERNITY in the world and not every man can say "I am a Mason"  





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## Pscyclepath (Apr 27, 2013)

It seemed like the rite thing to do at the time...  ;-)  As with the brother above, I had been curious for several years, and found a lodge that felt like home.


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## OES513 (Apr 27, 2013)

I joined OES after 6 years of praying and research.....best thing by far I have ever done......

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## sallred90 (Apr 27, 2013)

I joined do to my grandfathers influence on me as a mason-Scottish rite-Shriner ..I knew I wanted to follow his foot steps but never realized what it would be like to get the chance to be in this brotherhood 


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## DJGurkins (Apr 28, 2013)

About 2 years ago I contacted my Floresville lodge af & am #515 sec. Then I waited and researched till January of this year. I petitioned and am now EA. 
I petitioned in order to get more involved in the community plus I have always been interested in Masonry. I am a truck driver so I don't have the opportunity to meet many people within our community. I am glad I did because our lodge has a few retired drivers and they understand my dilemma. Also we only moved to Floresville TX 8 years ago and we are both from out of state originally.


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## URSA (Apr 28, 2013)

A year ago I saw a television special and found out that my Lodge was holding open house. I spoke with several brothers and realized the Fraternity was something I wanted in my life.

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## ni3f (Apr 28, 2013)

I wanted to have the same experience of my late father -- I wanted to "connect"
 with him in some way. Besides, I had a "favorable impression of the institution." 

I confess to having been attracted by all the secrecy. I am very, very glad I became a mason -- I could never have imagined how profound it was. The "secrecy" parts are not particularly of interest to me now--the fellowship, charity, ethical and spiritual aspects are of great interest.

Ironic that so many of the secrets deal with keeping the secrets a secret. Sort of circular! 


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## OES513 (Apr 28, 2013)

I became OES because I always watched my grandfather and would always ask him questions and got no answers except if you want to search for the light you must seek the light....and I wanted to become a lady of Love ...so I seeked the light..

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## Michael Hatley (Apr 28, 2013)

I was active in my community and international business, and befriended men who where accomplished Masons in both settings.  I felt a strong kinship to the first (an Australian man I worked with for many years) and when I met and got to know the second I felt the same way.  So I figured the chances of meeting other men who I felt that kinship with within Freemasonry was very high.  Both were very adamant that I would make a good Mason, though of course didn't out and out nudge me to lodge.

Sat on my petition for a year, thought about it, and then drove forward.


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## ahyen (Apr 28, 2013)

JKC84 said:


> Researched them for 5 years before I moved forward. Alway know two things,
> 
> 1.) what your getting into
> 2.) your reasoning for getting into it.
> ...



One of my favourite things about it  it has historical awesomeness and it being so hard to become a mason just makes it even more special. 

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## ahyen (Apr 28, 2013)

OES513 said:


> I joined OES after 6 years of praying and research.....best thing by far I have ever done......
> 
> Freemason Connect Mobile



the eastern star is for women right? and is the process the same? do you have the same degrees or are they different?

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## ahyen (Apr 28, 2013)

i met my ex in 2006. we were togethet until august 11 of 2012. we have two children together. she was unfaithful during our last year together. it was very hard on me,  i started drinking a lot. for like 3 straight months i wake up start drinking and drink until 7 when.i.would talk to the boys on the phone. then i would go to bed, and start over the next day. lost my car license business and house throughout all of it. 

i began toying with the idea of reconstructing myself from scratch, building a new me exactly the way i want. 

i got a notebook and started creating a profile of a me i would be happy with.

then last month i learned what being a mason meant
. ive no family now as all i had for family was her family. and thats gone. everyone in my life now.ive known.less than 7 months. i had to start renting a room in the hood its all i could afford. 

so the.thought.of being shown new tools and brothers to help me achieve my goals of a new and.improved me led me to petition. im in to better myself and to not be alone anymore.

sorry for the long post.
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## Ashlar76 (Apr 28, 2013)

ahyen said:


> i met my ex in 2006. we were togethet until august 11 of 2012. we have two children together. she was unfaithful during our last year together. it was very hard on me,  i started drinking a lot. for like 3 straight months i wake up start drinking and drink until 7 when.i.would talk to the boys on the phone. then i would go to bed, and start over the next day. lost my car license business and house throughout all of it.
> 
> i began toying with the idea of reconstructing myself from scratch, building a new me exactly the way i want.
> 
> ...



I've been there myself and know how it is to have to re-build yourself. Masonry has been a huge Blessing to me and has played a big role in my re-building. 

I commend you in taking the steps you have to re-build yourself as it is not an easy thing to do. Hang in there though and keep your head up, there is light at the end of the tunnel.


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## JKC84 (Apr 28, 2013)

ahyen said:


> i met my ex in 2006. we were togethet until august 11 of 2012. we have two children together. she was unfaithful during our last year together. it was very hard on me,  i started drinking a lot. for like 3 straight months i wake up start drinking and drink until 7 when.i.would talk to the boys on the phone. then i would go to bed, and start over the next day. lost my car license business and house throughout all of it.
> 
> i began toying with the idea of reconstructing myself from scratch, building a new me exactly the way i want.
> 
> ...



No apologies needed, it was very well explained. The win for you in this is that you know who your capable of being and your striving to become that. That's exactly what our motto is.... Making Good Men BETTER!


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## OES513 (Apr 28, 2013)

They are diffrent degrees yes its for women and Masons.. the men r more there to oversee it..

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## widows son (Apr 28, 2013)

"Researched them for 5 years before I moved forward. Alway know two things, 

1.) what your getting into
2.) your reasoning for getting into it. 

This brotherhood is THE OLDEST FRATERNITY in the world and not every man can say "I am a Mason" 

- good points. 

I felt that after years of looking into masonry, first on the anti side then realizing that its all BS and after a few life changes I decided to join.


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## Leopard (Apr 29, 2013)

I will try to describe how I came to freemasonry.
I grew up in the GDR and when the wall fell I was 13.
We had to learn to deal with the freedom.
The thoughts are free and my parents have always taught me to use my mind and follow my heart.
After my graduation, I started an apprenticeship and lived the life of many young people.
One Friday night, there was nothing in the TV and I had nothing else to do.
In the local paper was a anounce. A Masonic lodge in my town held a public lecture.
So I attended.
I was curious, because I only knew of rumors.
I learned many new things and asked many (also stupid) questions.
They were friendly and very patient with me.
I was invited again and again.
They gave me to understand that I would be welcome if I would apply for admission.
But I was too shy and not very confident.
But when I was in another Masonic lodge to visit, asked me the master of the chair why I was not already lengthens Freemasons.
He was impressed by me.
If a stranger assess me so I thought why should not I do it?
I plucked up courage and made ​​a request that was accepted.
It is now many years ago and I do not regret it.
Everywhere in Germany I have always been well received as a brother.
And my journey is far from the end.


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## dfreybur (Apr 29, 2013)

DJGurkins said:


> I petitioned in order to get more involved in the community ...



Same here.  I wanted to have some sort of civic activity but I didn't want to get involved in politics.  So I started writing down the names of fraternities and service clubs.  After a couple of days I cut off adding names to the list figuring if it took me a while to think of them I might not find them in another place should I have to relocate.  Then I went through the list making decisions until only one was left.  When the list had one name I petitioned in 1993.



> ... and we are both from out of state originally.



This is a huge advantage to Masonry though similar happens with plenty of other orders.

I went with fraternities not service clubs because my work tends to change more often than my home and service clubs tend to meet over lunch.  I went with civilian ones not former military ones because at the time my service years were not yet in the list for the American Legion.  Forbidding political discussion was a huge advantage - I crossed two of the animal fraternities because of political and business dealing at their bars.  Actually practicing freedom of religion is a huge deal to me - I crossed off one of the animal fraternities because the local chapter excluded Buddhists.  I made a point to confirm that there is at least one grand lodge in Japan and that Shinto members are admitted.  Masonry really lives up to its claims of religious freedom.


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## 1gcdc1 (Apr 29, 2013)

This is bro. Charles casey first because my pepaw is a mason and one of my fathers friends.  Second, I had heard a lot of anti masons tell me how wrong it is.  I found out theres no greater feeling than to be a part and accepted by the masonic brotherhood.  It s always a great feeling to meet a brother mason no matter where you are.


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## dfreybur (Apr 30, 2013)

1gcdc1 said:


> Second, I had heard a lot of anti masons tell me how wrong it is.



As much as I pray for the mental healing of the antis I thank them for their support.

It is said that you can't know everything about a man by who his friends and enemies are, but you can learn a lot of importance about a man by who his friends and enemies are.  You can also learn more about a man from who his enemies are than by who his friends are.

Masonry couldn't pick better enemies if we spent a year figuring out who we would want to oppose us!  Think about who opposes us.  Religious fanatics and their dupes.  Tyrants and their sycophants.  Lunatics, crackpots and the weakest minded people you'll ever meet.  Thank you Grand Architect for these enemies!  Every time I read a post by an anti I pray for their healing and I pray thanks to the Grand Architect for the post.

Masonry couldn't pick better friends if we spent a year figuring out who we would want to support us!  Think about who supports us.  Lists of famous Masons read like catalogs of eminent men in every country in the last 3 centuries.  Our friends range from the most respected families on the block to the best to the most respected families on the planet.  Every time I meet a man of eminence I wonder if he's a Mason.  Very frequently my wife notices what I say to a man and she invites him to join us.  Thank you Grand Architect for inclining a group of such men to accept me among them!


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## BroBook (Jun 14, 2014)

I was looking for that which was lost
"TRUTH" ran into a childhood friend of mine that was stilling falling 30 years ago!!!


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


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## Warrior1256 (Aug 26, 2014)

No one in my immediate family was a Mason. I joined because all of the Masons I have known through the years were honest and upright men, the kind of men I admire. That's why I wanted to be a part of this.


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## Levelhead (Aug 26, 2014)

I was in boy scouts since i was 5 years old. Eventually i worked my way to the top with all honors and became a scoutmaster, then acquired the top training award (wood badge) among other things. Along my journey (this will sound familiar to ANY mason) i was elected to be initiated into the "Order Of The Arrow" went through all 3 ranks. This is a "secret invitation only fraternity within scouts). Just a side note, Baden Powell was not a freemason, (but the creator of the Order of the Arrow was). Well i remember one day another leader was running his mouth to me and i pretty much "put him straight" (easy way of putting it). He looked at me and said "you cant talk to me like this "IM A MASON" i said "umm ok" and he was escorted out. He was just a trouble maker. And as scoutmaster i rule and govern the troop. 

Well i moved to florida and i was missing the charity, and giving to the kids, and the community. Scouting in florida really didnt need any scoutmasters to hellp, they needed kids to join. When i was sorta given the cold shoulder to become a leader of a troop it was kinda turned off. And retired from scouts. 

So his words "IM A MASON"  just stuck in my head and i started researching, watching shows on masonry and so on. So about 10 years later of studying and learning i was watching a show on the history channel called "the history of freemasonry" my eyes were pasted to the screen. I then went out and bought a couple of books. And read them back to back.

So one day in my hunt camp i walked over to a friends trailer (now a brother) and saw a s/c sticker on his window. I asked "are you a freemason!" He said yes. I then asked if we could discuss it some time. So with hunting season being busy at hunt camp we just didn't have time to meet up. So about 3 years later i saw him at the skinning rack and asked him to talk. So we talked for about an hour. He also said "wow 3 years later you still didn't forget. You have a real interest" he then said "i think you are good material for the Freemasons, then he explained what i had to do to petition. 

Well my now, Brother Ron was there the day i got raised. 

Masonry to me filled the void i was missing with scouts. Boy Scouts teaches boys to become good and responsible men through lessons , skill building, and charity.

When i was a kid my parents really didn't care about me. They put me in scouts so i was not around while they "did the things they did" I paid for all my own scouting fees by going the extra mile volunteering and working for my summer camp fees and such. To this day i don't talk to my mother and if it wasn't for Boy Scouts i can guarantee i would be in prison right now. All my friends used to make fun of me and say "going to your BOY SCOUT MEETING IN THE WOODS?" Well while i was in the woods every weekend they ended up in prison for everything from drugs to murder and if i was tagging along id be in the same place. 

Now I'm an Upright Man and Mason.


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## coachn (Aug 27, 2014)

I: Why did I join the Craft?
R: Simple! They Got My Goat!
-- Coach N


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## Rick Carver (Aug 28, 2014)

Green beans. Can't get enough green beans.


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## Warrior1256 (Sep 4, 2014)

Levelhead said:


> I was in boy scouts since i was 5 years old. Eventually i worked my way to the top with all honors and became a scoutmaster, then acquired the top training award (wood badge) among other things. Along my journey (this will sound familiar to ANY mason) i was elected to be initiated into the "Order Of The Arrow" went through all 3 ranks. This is a "secret invitation only fraternity within scouts). Just a side note, Baden Powell was not a freemason, (but the creator of the Order of the Arrow was). Well i remember one day another leader was running his mouth to me and i pretty much "put him straight" (easy way of putting it). He looked at me and said "you cant talk to me like this "IM A MASON" i said "umm ok" and he was escorted out. He was just a trouble maker. And as scoutmaster i rule and govern the troop.
> 
> Well i moved to florida and i was missing the charity, and giving to the kids, and the community. Scouting in florida really didnt need any scoutmasters to hellp, they needed kids to join. When i was sorta given the cold shoulder to become a leader of a troop it was kinda turned off. And retired from scouts.
> 
> ...


Wow! A very uplifting story! My hat is off to you brother.


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## Levelhead (Sep 4, 2014)

Thank you brother!


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## Derek Harvey (Oct 13, 2014)

My uncle was a mason. My cousins husband is a mason. So I decided to be one too. To be a part of something bigger than myself is an honor. I wanted more truth.


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