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I agree that it isn't elitism. I also don't think elite is a dirty word, heck, if we were elite then we wouldn't have to worry about membership would we? We could have our pick of good men. :)

Yep, the mods are on the forums pretty frequently and if anything gets posted that's deemed too esoteric then it gets removed.

I believe so. GL sets minimums but they don't usually set maximums (as far as I know). If passed it would have raised the minimum cost for endowments to 1k but, as you know, it didn't pass for whatever reason. A lodge can still raise it, the cost just has to be in certain increments (I think...

There's a local lodge that's over 90% endowed members. A few decades ago a well meaning (and apparantly wealthy) brother bought endowments for everyone and, as a result, the lodge has no income from dues and has to rely completely on fund raising to get by. I think part of the problem is that...

rfuller, that sounds amazing! Keep up the good work. :)

I've only been a mason for about ten years but I've found that all petitioners my age were really surprised by how cheap the craft is. They came to our lodge expecting something ancient, solemn, and exclusive and were willing to pay fees proportional to their expectations. (One brother...

I'm a huge fan of Mr. Tyson! Sounds terrific. :)

Q1- What is the initiation fee? My lodge charges $100 for each degree if I'm not mistaken. We also charge $40 for a background check when a petitioner turns in his paperowrk. Q2- What is the dues for your lodge? $75 Q3- How many members do you have at a stated or call meeting vs. total...

I think it's a good move and opening/conducting business in an EA wasn't unheard of before the Baltimore convention. Will it create more EA attendance? Maybe by a small amount but we've been able to open in an EA here in Texas for several years now but it hasn't helped EA retention much and...

I think the brothers above answered your questions very accurately. I would like to suggest that you avoid anything written by Crowley if you want to do any serious research since he was never a mason and a bit...eccentric to boot. I like your initiative however, sounds like you've already...

Re: Wife having a problem with Freemasonry, she wa I agree with Coach on this. If she has issues with your being a mason, it's her issue, don't let it become an issue for you as well. Many wives have men that they cant even account for several nights out of the week, at least she knows where...

So if I'm understanding correctly then the conclusion is to create more dues paying members? I'm not sure I agree with that, there are several lodges around here that rush members through the degrees and have a lax attitude about their west gate but they still face retention and financial...

Re: A Masonic "Bill of Rights". Is it needed? Is i What shenanigans are going on in Arkansas now? Anyhow, to address the topic...are we speaking about a BoR for each GL or a 'blanket BoR' that applies to many GLs? I don't see many GLs all agreeing on the content for a 'blanket BoR' while...

Hello and welcome! I would just pick the closest lodge that you're interested in visiting and go for it. If they have regular practice nights I'd try to drop in during one of those and arrange to come have a meal and visit during a stated meeting night. Do this for all the lodges you're...

I don't consider myself a Buddhist but I've always intended to learn more about it as I have a great respect and interest in the philosophies it teaches.

I usually don't wear mine. Foremost because I don't like wearing jewelry very much but secondly is because I don't want any doors closed for me because of un/misinformed individuals.

The Kybalion, as mentioned above, is a great read. There are several free masonic texts available here: http://www.sacred-texts.com/mas/index.htm

Re: Should Grand Lodges mandate that all subordina You can see the website for my lodge in my signature below. Our website has existed in various forms for more than three years now and I don't believe we've ever had anyone petition us because of our website. Going online has helped our...

I agree with you both. Ideally I think we should be working to improve ourselves and sharing what we've learned with one another. I think one-on-one is a a great way to share, especially if one of the brothers is a mentor. I also think presentations given during lodge meetings that cover and...

This is very true. Until a certain point in our masonic careers we have our experience provided to us but afterwards we are usually left to our own devices. At that point we have to provide our own experiences through study and reflection. At least that's my opinion.