Thanks to new and ever-faster forms of communications and transportation, it seems that the world is smaller and closer than ever. But some things, unfortunately, have not changed. While a man made spacecraft has landed on Mars, another reached the end of our Solar system, and biochemists have cloned sheep, hundreds of thousands of people die of hunger and AIDS in Africa, as well as, in Tsunami disaster in Asia. The symbol of American prosperity – the World Trade Center in New York, went down with number of innocent people, being victims of a brutal terrorist attack. And while China is opening to the world and experiencing economic prosperity, radical Islam is taking roots in the Middle East and in Asia. The war in Iraq continues and the price of oil soars. Welcome to the twenty first century on planet Earth; it is business as usual.
We are witnessing a crisis of morality on the global scale. Established religious institutions are struggling to adjust their dogmas to the moral dilemmas of modern societies, neglecting their primary purpose. State Social Security and welfare systems are breaking down under the pressure of disparity between needs and possibilities. While the gap between the rich and the poor is widening, many disappointed in modern societies are giving up their faith in humanity and basic goodness of man. They are turning towards conservative religious movements with radical teachings and once again we are entering circles of religious hate and violence. In spite of great strides forward in many fields of human activities, it seems that men are still failing to learn from the history. Where is the place of Freemasonry in the global society today?
To repair the world, man need to repair himself first. Need for the “good and true man” in the world today is as essential as ever. The purpose of Freemasonry is to enable man to improve himself and understand his place in the complex realities of his everyday life. The existence of Freemasonry for centuries is the best proof that the tools of speculative Masonry work. At present, there are almost three million Freemasons worldwide grouped in about five hundred Grand Lodges. Nonetheless, there are many issues that Masonic Institutions must address in order to successfully cater to the needs of the Freemasons of twenty first century.
The first issue is the question of universality of Freemasonry. Masons like to pride themselves in the universality of their “ Royal Art”. What does it mean for Masons to be universal? We know that those hostile to the ideas of Freemasonry prefer to represent the Order as a worldwide monolithic organization with secret aims and doctrines. Conversely, Freemasonry today is far from being united or monolithic and their aims and doctrines are yet to be defined. Basic divisions that occurred between regular (or “religious”) and irregular (or “secular”) Freemasonry caused these two groups to deny each other Masonic character and even to ignore each other’s existence. Can we really claim to be true Freemasons and deny to others the right to pursue their path toward Masonic Light?
We were told in the Anderson’s Constitutions that to become a Freemason men should share “that religion in which all men agree, leaving their particular opinions to themselves; that is, to be good men and true, or men of honor and honesty, by whatever denomination or persuasions they may be distinguished; whereby Masonry becomes the Center of Union, and the means of conciliating true friendship among persons that must have remained at a perpetual distance.” These words are true today as there were true almost three hundred years ago, when Anderson wrote them. What went so wrong? Can we extend the hand of “ friendship and Brotherly love” across the limits of our various Jurisdictions, and for the benefit of our moral and Masonic advancement, recognize the fact that Freemasonry resides in men and women who are practicing it and not in the institutions, which represent it? Recognition of this simple but powerful fact is the only way to have universal Freemasonry, as we like to claim it.
The concept of territorial integrity of the Masonic Jurisdiction caused regular Jurisdictions to be denied Masonic legality, just because they dared to be independent group on the same territory. Official recognition by others became the only measure of true Masonic character. This concept caused that many regular groups, such as the Grand Lodge of France, one of the largest regular Grand Lodges in continental Europe, to not be recognized by majority of other regular Jurisdictions.
Can Freemasons simply close their eyes and ignore the fact that there are great numbers of men throughout the world practicing our gentle Craft, according to the same principles, whom we cannot call “Brothers” just because it is not “politically correct”? Those who would like to claim that it isn’t only the question of the “political correctness” should examine, what was different between Prince Hall Grand Lodges two hundred years ago and now, to make them wait for such a long time to be recognized as regular. What justified denying the experience of fraternal interaction and of true universal Freemasonry to generations of seekers after Masonic enlightenment? In the Charge of the Second degree in the York Rite, one going through it is instructed, “ to see in his neighbor what he desire his neighbor should see in him”. Could Masons apply this advice to their own internal relationships?
In connection with the universality of Freemasonry, a long-standing question regarding the place of the women in the Masonic communities today waits to be answered. It was more than hundred years ago when women realized that they could benefit from the teachings of Freemasonry and they started organizing themselves. In addition to all the same problems that male Freemasonry had in their development, these women had constantly to deal with complete ignorance from men Freemasons. In the process, and in spite all of the obstacles, they managed to form a number of Grand Lodges. Today, still ignored by majority of male Jurisdictions, they are one of the fastest growing segments of the Masonic community, with over a hundred thousand members. Today, in France, out of total number of Freemasons, over twenty percent are women.
Of course, if the institution, that claims to be universal, excludes half of the Earth’s adult population from membership, one would expect some very strong arguments. The fact that it is just an arbitrary decision made at the time when such thinking was acceptable, does not justify the perpetuation of the same. Is anyone among the Masons who dares to claim (and who can prove it) that women are incapable of comprehending lessons of our Craft or unable to make the transition and progress towards true “Masonic Light”?
This is not to suggest that women should sit in the male Lodges or that men should sit in the female Lodges (which most of the women Freemasons would not appreciate anyway), it is just to underline the universality of Masonic teachings and philosophy and the benefits that they could have for both men and women. The experience of those Masonic Jurisdictions that have recognized the existence of female Freemasonry is that nothing basic has changed. Women and men are practicing Freemasonry separately as before, but the benefits of our Royal Art are reaching further then ever before. For those who desire to sit in the mixed Lodges, co-Masonry has existed for over a hundred years under the umbrella of the International Order of Mixed Masonry “Le Droit Humain”, and is developing at its own pace. Maybe, sometimes in the future, regular Freemasons will have enough courage and confidence in their great Art and themselves, to accept the fact that Freemasonry is universal and powerful concept that can sustain all different kinds of approaches to its teachings, and still remain a pure and unsoiled path of enlightenment for the benefit of all mankind.
The second important issue is the content of the Masonic work. Can some regular Grand Lodges in the English-speaking world afford to stick to its adopted practice of only “making” Freemasons by taking them through the required degrees without deepening their Masonic experience? Is it not a time to make a choice and recognize what the body of Freemasonry represents and that the actual work in different degrees is required in order to make true advancement on the path of moral and spiritual self-improvement? Why do Freemasons, who claim that they believe in the existence of God and immortality of the soul, become very shy when they have to admit that what they are involved in is a School of Mysteries? “ Mysteries”, as a term, does not mean witchcraft or magic. It represents simply a body of knowledge that cannot be comprehended at the material or conscious level. We could try to sound modern and scientific and call it psychology, but that, except accommodating those uncomfortable with reference to God, would not change its content a bit. We know that Lodge is not there to serve as a vehicle for the hierarchical advancement of those who feel the need to be appreciated in the Masonic fraternity, nor it is a substitute for the charitable agencies of the society. But over the years, men interested only in fraternal and charitable activities managed to take over Lodge rooms and whole Jurisdictions. Their interests became a standard for the official policy of many Jurisdictions.
Many in the Masonic Fraternity believe that as a social, charitable and community-oriented organization, Freemasonry cannot survive. In today’s world, with so many opportunities to “belong to a group”, be socially active, get tax credits through charitable donations to various non-profit organizations with worthy causes; Freemasonry is just one of many groups competing for the attention of young men (and women).
It seems to me, that the most precious parts of the Masonic heritage, it’s esoteric teachings, symbolism and philosophy, are left out and neglected by the majority of the regular Masons. Many believe that esoteric teachings are the valid argument for any new initiate to proceed on the path of Masonry. I would go even further to claim, that to be the most valid argument. Proof for such a claim, one could find, by examining the work of the original eighteenth century Lodges, and by looking at the experiences of the Masonic groups today that practice rigorous study of the Symbolism and Philosophy.
From the research done by a number of Masonic and non-Masonic Scholars, we learn that one of the most important parts of the Lodge meeting in the eighteenth century, was Oration, given by a Brother, followed by the discussion of assembled members. These speeches were on wide range of subjects, including natural sciences, art, history, economy, and philosophy (for the most part, ethics and metaphysic). Participation in the conversation that followed was a very important part, where those involved were, through the rhetoric and the intellectual exchange, sharpening their perception and clearing their minds, thereby ultimately perfecting themselves. It was a kind of the “intellectual gym”, which attracted into membership gentlemen, merchants, professional men, erudite, and anybody well off and influential in the society. But Masonic Lodge was not only “new form of sociability or leisure revolution” entertaining “utopian ideals”, as some historians would like to see it; but a workshop of a better man and of a hope in better tomorrow.
Many Lodges today, particularly those following European tradition, give special attention to the general study and constant acquirement of knowledge, which could be beneficial on the path of the self-perfection, spiritual, and intellectual advancement of their members. It is somewhat ironic, that in the age of mass media, with the instant availability of the abundance of information on any subject, human beings are still in search of answers on basic questions regarding their origins, identity, and destiny. The purpose of the Masonic Lodge is not to be, yet another source of information, but a place to develop tools and methods for our own individual advancement. It is believed by many in the Masonic community, that this could be achieved through the constant study of symbolism and philosophy.
By examining membership roasters of various Lodges in different Masonic Jurisdictions, one can perceive that membership retention and growth, as well as the character of members, is in direct correlation to the content of the work done in the Lodge. Those Lodges, which require from their members commitment to study and education are more selective in the choice of new members, but their growth is steady and the retention percentage very high. Contrary to this, Lodges, whose main purpose is “making a Mason”, by taking initiate through the three degrees, without meaningful follow-up, keep loosing members. This is most evident in some American Jurisdictions, where, in spite constantly new methods of attracting men into joining, through the mass-initiations, “one-day degrees”, and public advertising, retention is low and membership numbers are in decline.
We often hear comments about prominent men who were, in their times, members of the Craft. This was usually followed by a question, why prominent men of today don’t join Freemasonry? Both this comment and question, however, should be put in reverse. In other words, most of great men were Freemasons, before they achieved great things in different fields of human activities. It could be even said that practicing the Royal Art helped them in becoming who they were, by strengthening their character and maintaining positive attitude. The lack of the prominent men in Lodges today applies mostly to regular Freemasonry, following the American tradition, and is in direct connection with the lack of meaningful content of the Masonic work. In the rest of the world, following European and English traditions of Freemasonry, many members of the Craft today are prominent personalities from all fields of life. Roasters of the European, African, Asian and South American Grand Lodges read like a “who is who” in politics, economy, culture etc. None of these very busy and responsible men and women joined Freemasonry to have one more line in their professional career resumes, but because through the practice of the Royal Art, their lives have benefited.
A call to return to the basics - to the original practice of Craft - is often heard in the English-speaking Masonic world. In spite of the individual efforts, it is still just a call. Established Masonic Institutions, with complicated hierarchical structure of Grand Lodges, Grand Chapters, Grand Councils, Grand Commanderies, General Grand Chapter International, Grand Encampment, Supreme Councils, Conference of Grand Masters, and many additional bodies, are so involved into day-to-day perpetuation of their institutions, that everything else, even the practice of Masonry, seems secondary. Grand Lodges are more interested in making capable Managers and Leaders to manage their vast “Empires”, then making true Freemasons. Today in the United States, any Freemason desiring to climb the ladder of the hierarchical advancement has an opportunity to fill 165 offices on the different levels in various Masonic institutions. This is further complicated by the existence of significant self-imposed charitable obligations and maintenance of the large properties of the Grand Lodges. Leadership of the Craft is so involved in internal politics of who is going to sit in which office, or how they are going to answer financially to their charitable obligation, or how they are going to manage their property, that there is simply little space left for reorganization of the system that does not function any more.
This is not to say that Freemasonry is going to disappear in some parts of the English-speaking world due to the melting of the membership base. (Jurisdictions in the United States still number over 1,5 million members). It just means that established Masonic Institutions would have to drastically change their approach. One of the ways to do this would be through implementation of the European experience. That does not mean the printing of yet another educational program, which will be send to the Lodges with an impressive letter of recommendation. It means a real change of the attitude, in which a continuous study of the symbolism and philosophy of Freemasonry will be a mandatory part of Masonic work, mentoring and instructions will be a rule, not the exception, and where degrees and grades will be earned and not given.
The principles and teachings of Freemasonry are as valid today as they ever were. In many ways, the world is in crisis today. True and good men and women are needed more than ever before. Tools of the Royal Art of Freemasonry are here and available to all who seek to learn, understand, and improve themselves and society. “Ask, and it shall be given to you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it will be open unto you.”
Bro. Stevan V. Nikolic
