Mason

By the way.. You don't have to pretend to be a journalist or a would-be tenant. Most Masons are more than happy to talk about their lodge, lodge building, and personal experiences.

That is extremely true. Each lodge is very unique, representing the values of the members.

They didn't say anything about the goat, did they?

I would also suggest that you guys use the Freemasonry subreddit, which is full of guys with much more knowledge than I have. http://reddit.com/r/freemasonry

Each Blue lodge is on the same level, and in most jurisdictions the Master of a Blue Lodge is required to be a 3rd degree Mason. The same goes with the Grand Lodge. In the U.S., each state is its own jurisdiction, which is governed by its Grand Lodge. There is no higher authority than a Grand Lodge in Freemasonry. FYI: Nothing I have told you all is a secret and can be found online (for example - http://dcgrandlodge.org and http://scottishrite.org).

It is more than possible and happens all the time, especially in rural areas, where you might have three Blue Lodges, Scottish Rite, and York Rite in the same building - only on different days.

I must apologize, as my work browser is not allowing me to use the quote feature... I am still with the Blue Lodge, in which I will stay in until I make my way entirely through the officer chairs (not a requirement at all, just personal choice). When I am finished, I will more than likely join the Scottish Rite. The biggest difference is that the Blue Lodge consists of the first three degrees in Freemasonry, ending with the Master Mason's degree. Contrary to popular belief, there is nothing "higher" than the Master Mason degree. Scottish Rite, York Rite, and the Shrine are appendant bodies of Freemasonry, or groups that expand on the teachings of the first three degrees. Scottish Rite is focused on mysticism and esoteric studies, York Rite is more about divinity and deeper understanding of the Blue Lodge (in some countries, they are combined), and the Shrine is all about charity and being social. Even though these bodies have additional degrees, nothing is higher than the third degree. Think of it as a college, where some people are really into being social so they join fraternities, others are really into music so they join a band, and still others spend all their spare time studying. Just because they are into different things and find different outlets for their passions, they are still just students at the college.

That is a good one that I have seen before (although the resolution on the one you linked is quite unreadable for me). And yes, that pretty much explains everything .

I will admit that I was brought here by a Google alert in my email mailbox, but this community seems to have a whole lot to offer. It looks like there is quite a bit of esoteric knowledge and self improvement techniques (I have been dabbling with meditation quite a bit lately), so I will certainly stick around. Additionally, I will link to this forum on one of the Freemasonry communities above. I feel like the gap between the two groups is much smaller than one would normally think. As for the 2B1ASK1 and Star Wars, I am pretty sure that Obi-Wan came first.

**This is in no way a recruitment post. I just want to help clear up some misconceptions and provide sources of reliable information about Freemasonry.** In most Masonic jurisdictions, inviting someone to join is a "Masonic offense" and could lead to the suspension or expulsion of a member. In order to join, someone has to contact a regular lodge in their area, talk to the members, and submit a petition. There is no required social status or income, as is commonly thought. The basic qualifications consist of being a male, a generally good person (meaning no felonies), not being indentured to anyone (this obviously isn't a real issue anymore), being able to pay degree and annual dues fees (mine are less than $100 per year, but they vary) and having the belief in a higher power of some sort. Freemasonry is not a religion, generally has no specific affiliations with any religion, and the members typically do not care what religion you subscribe to (as long as you have one). I know several Freemasons who are Deists. As for the esoteric teachings, Freemasonry is full of them. The problem is that there were two whole generations that didn't really care about them. After WWII, men came back from war and just wanted the sense of brotherhood that they felt in the military. Thus, the period between about 1945 and 1965 was the pinnacle of Masonic membership (just like every other social organization at that time). That generation was followed by the non-joiners, which obviously didn't help in bringing back the esoteric teachings and mysticism, or the declining membership. Now we have the Millennials, who have several other options in charitable organizations and social outlets, but they (we) are looking for something that cannot be satisfied by the Rotary club or Facebook. We are looking for self improvement through esoteric knowledge. Obviously this goes beyond Freemasonry, since it seems to be the primary focus of this community. This younger group is making great strides in bringing back those aspects of Masonry that were seemingly lost for over half a century. I would certainly encourage anyone who is qualified and interested in joining to contact their local lodge. Not to increase membership, but because it has made a real, positive impact on my life in many ways. For honest Masonic information see below (the last time I tried to use the link feature on this site while using my work computer, I had to retype the entire thing): - Freemasonry Subreddit (All things Freemasonry discussion)- http://www.reddit.com/r/freemasonry - Midnight Freemasons Blog (Various posts about Masonic history and esoteric topics) - http://www.midnightfreemasons.org - Millennial Freemason Blog (Extremely knowledgeable Mason who discusses changes in Freemasonry over time) - http://www.millennialfreemason.com - Whence Came You Podcast (Focuses on all things Masonic, but does a good job with his esoteric segments) - http://www.wcypodcast.com - The Masonic Roundtable Podcast (Group of Masons that get together and talk about various Masonic topics) - https://www.themasonicroundtable.com - Winding Stairs Blog and Podcast (An Artist and Freemason who talks about self-improvement) - http://www.thewindingstairs.com - After Lodge Podcast (A group of guys in a small town lodge who focus on the brotherhood of Freemasonry) - http://www.afterlodge.com

Good afternoon, My name is Steve and I actually stumbled upon this website through a Google alert. I am slightly interested in occult and esoteric teachings, so I hope to be able to gain and share some thoughts.