Page 11 - 2018 Spring

Grand Lodge of Washington
Gr and Lodg e of W ashingt on be selective as to what new “plant” is added to our garden.
Masonic Tribune
Masonic T r ibune Our Fraternity is not dying, but we must be selective as to
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Vol Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3e - Page 11 who shares in our rights and privileges.
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Up until recently, it seems the normal thing to do was hand
an inquiring man his petition and sort out the details through
Masonry: A Progressive Science an investigative committee. A dozen or so questions and,
“Voila!” we have a candidate. Plenty of good Masons were
initiated through that process but it wasn’t until after his initi-
he building of King Solomon’s Temple took place some- ation did he becomes friends with his new brothers. In stay-
time in mid-10th century, B.C. A marvel of its time; even ing true to the design of our ritual, a candidate for the First
Ttoday’s architects and construction professionals would Degree should be conducted to the door of the Lodge by a
admire the elaborate beauty and stature it is said to have pos- friend. It is only after [his initiation] that he finds this friend to
sessed. The Masons building Solomon’s temple were of the be a Brother.
operative variety. We know that many
generations later, speculative Masonry How many petitions have you signed?
was established and is based on the Can you say with certainty that you knew
geometric principles by which ancient each of these men and could truly vouch
[operative] Masons applied to succeed for their character with confidence? I am
in their endeavors. guilty of pencil-whipping some petitions
to get them ready for the night’s meeting,
Modern architecture and construc- after having just met the man. Of the few
tion relies on the same observation of I can remember distinctly, only one made
physics and geometry that was imple- it beyond the first degree.
mented by our ancient Craftsmen to
allow sound structures to be built and The Six Steps to Initiation is a method by
maintained in our modern communi- which a Lodge can become acquainted
ties. Construction practices and princi- with its potential new member and that
ples have progressed greatly in the last candidate-to-be can familiarize himself
three millennia since Solomon’s temple with his soon to be Brethren. The pro-
was constructed and these continue to gram is not designed to be a rigid, busi-
be enhanced as time moves forward. ness-like, or force fed practice; it is a
Likewise, our speculative form of Ma- suggested mechanism that can be used
sonry must continue to evolve and bet- for learning about our new members,
ter fit its practices to the society in which prior to their entry into our beloved Fra-
we exist. ternity. Lodges who opt in to using the
Six Steps Program will find that they are
We are taught that FreeMasonry is a much more confident in their selection
progressive science. This means our for membership and that new member
approach to our Craft is to change with involvement will increase.
time and that it is to implement reform,
as is necessary to fit the era in which My challenge to each Lodge in this Juris-
we reside. This does not mean our diction is to put the Six Steps to Initiation
tedious observation of the age-old Ge- program in practice for a year. Chang-
ometry and principles that our Fraternity ing habits can be hard; tough it out. The
was built upon changes; it just means we must develop an year can be a trial run for the program. If,
evolved method of approaching, or applying, these timeless at the end of the year, it isn’t working out for your Lodge, try
sciences. something else. If it is working, keep it.
Many Masons have heard the critique of, “That’s not how it The Six Steps to Initiation Program is a tool that has been
was done in the good old days.” Not to discount the experi- shared from Jurisdiction to Jurisdiction and has been modi-
ence of the Brother who witnessed the days of Masonry-past, fied to fit the specific needs of its user. Just as building tech-
but it would be neglectful for today’s leaders to fail in adapting niques and tools are adapted to fit each specific construction
the tools of our Craft to fit the hands of our modern Crafts- project, our methods and tools should also be adapted as
men. Membership numbers, quality, retention, et cetera is we progress through time. It is only through our due dili-
not a new struggle; it is as age-old as our speculative Craft. gence and willingness to evolve that we will ensure our de-
scendants are afforded the best opportunity to celebrate the
I like comparing our Fraternity to plants. Where healthy same traditions we currently enjoy.
plants consume carbon dioxide and emit oxygen for the good
of the world, we as Masons eliminate the dark and emit light
into our communities. If each member of FreeMasonry were Fraternally,
a plant and the institution of FreeMasonry, as a whole, was WB Brian “Red” Shields
the garden, would we be planting unhealthy plants among Membership Development Committee Chairman
our numbers to absorb our valuable nutrients and resources?
I think not. Masonry is a living breathing thing. We ought to
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