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VWB Greg Stewart Deputy of the Grand Master in District 4 of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Washington for 2003-2005 Mailto: underthetable@earthlink.net 13316 3rd NE |
Are We There Yet? (March 2004)
This is a question frequently asked by our children when traveling. They understand the goal and do not always grasp how far the journey is or how long it takes to get there. If someone were to consider this from a speculative Mason's Lodge, the confusion would be even greater.
The Lodge is being opened and the Senior Warden is asked where the Junior Warden's station is located. "In the South" is the normal response. Since the Masonic centers are not encased in multiple layers of metal, a normal compass works just fine. Rarely does the needle point to magnetic north. If you go to the NASA website you will find an interesting article on how magnetic north works. We have geologic history that proves that it has not been a constant and in fact it is moving about two meters a year. This does not explain the Lodge phenomena.
In the recent movie "Pirates of the Caribbean" Captain Jack Sparrow is caught possessing a compass that does not point north. You later see him using that compass during a storm to find the treasure. This is a closer explanation of what is happening. The direction the Lodge takes is not always the same because the Master changes every year. The Lodge should look to that direction and use that as a guidance point. The Master's job is to set the Lodge to work and give them good and wholesome instructions for their labor. In some cases the Lodge will simply follow traditions and the Master has a good idea of how his year will be. There are some who are in trouble. I have found that they are aware of it and are taking steps to change things. This is when it is very important to follow the Master's compass and recalibrate the direction of the group.
Now we know where we are going but we still do not know how long it will take. In fact the confusion continues when the Junior Warden is asked what hour it is. The Grandfather clock at Occidental Lodge could be chiming seven times while he responds "high noon." The sun could be down and everyone fed a delicious dinner and the Junior Warden thinks it's the middle of the day. My explanation for this takes a little more thought. The Junior Warden would not give such a response unless requested by the Master. Here we go blaming the Master again. The purpose of Masonry is to take a good man and make him better. This holds true for a group of men who are running a Lodge. Some Lodges have a clear procedure and regular business gets handled in a timely fashion. A lot of this is actually up to the Secretary. Some Lodges are young or are having a challenge with fresh membership. The time for them is yesterday. These Lodges are the most interesting to me. The Master must have new ideas for a group of men who have no idea how long it will take. In some cases the Master's job is like herding cats. One of my favorite sayings is "there is no flat rate for learning." The group must learn as a team to solve the current problems.
The moral of the story is simple. Follow the direction of your Worshipful Master. He knows where and when. If the membership of the Lodge strays from that direction it will take longer to get where you want to go. If you have a problem with your Master, remember, he was elected. On pay day remember the words of your Senior Warden. Harmony is the strength and support of all institutions, more especially, this of ours.
Thanks to both the Deputy of the Grand Master in District 4, and the Masonic Monitor which publishes his articles for allowing us to reprint them. The Masonic Monitor is published monthly (except August) under approval of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Washington. The Masonic Monitor can be contacted at: 6619 132nd Avenue NE, PMB 237, Kirkland, WA, 98033-8627, USA. Phone: (425) 822-4605 - FAX: (425) 822-2535 - Email: masonicmonitor@earthlink.net.