Green Lake Lodge No. 149 - Recently Updated Pages

Becoming A Mason

Leeland.Artra — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:19:31 CST

Freemasonry and You

Are there things you want to accomplish in your life? Are there ways you want to enrich yourself? Do you enjoy being with people you like and respect? As a Freemason, you’ll find friendship and fraternity. You’ll develop life skills like self-confidence, leadership, and effective communication. You’ll learn to work as part of a team — and to better yourself as you help others. Think about taking the first step into becoming a Mason.

It is widely thought that one must be invited to become a Freemason or that Freemasonry is so exclusive as to be beyond the reach of the average man. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Traditionally, Freemasonry has restricted itself from recruitment, preferring to draw its membership from those who were so attracted to the prospect of bettering themselves that they would approach the Fraternity on their own. More recently, outreach has become common in some jurisdictions. While the Fraternity still does not invite men to join, we do most heartily encourage them to investigate Freemasonry and, should they feel that it is right for them, petition to join.

If you know someone who is a Freemason or who you think is a Freemason, don't be shy, ask them about it. Many Freemasons are willing to talk at length about the Fraternity and answer any questions you may have. If you don't already know someone who is a Freemason, you can attend various open events or any one of our pre-meeting dinners which are open to the public, don't be shy. There is also a wealth of information available on the Internet.

Interested in joining? The steps are simple:

Contact us saying that you are interested in seeking membership and would like a petition. (Filling out a petition does not obligate you, and at no point in your Masonic career will you be obligated to participate beyond your desire to do so)
Fill out and send in your petition. You will need references from three men who know you well. If there is an open event scheduled sometime soon, such as a pre-meeting dinner, show up and meet some Masons, you will be warmly welcomed.
Your petition will be read to the Lodge at the next meeting and an investigation committee will be appointed.
The investigation committee will contact you and schedule a time to meet with you in your home. This is not as scary as it may sound. The investigation committee is simply a group of three Lodge members who volunteered to meet with you and interview you about your interest in Masonry. This provides an opportunity for answering any questions you may have as well as assuring that you have a good understanding of the nature of the Fraternity and what it means to be a Mason. It's really a very informal chat.
The committee will return a report which will be read at the next meeting.
Based the investigating committee's findings, your petition will be voted upon; a unanimous vote is required in order to proceed. If your petition passes, a date will be set for your initiation and you will be contacted.
Show up on your scheduled initiation date and be made a Mason!

Click here to download a PDF version of the petition which you can print out.

This should be printed on both sides of a legal sized sheet of paper (11"x14") If this does not print properly -- if it seems to think it should be fitting on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper and therefore prints very small print -- try this fix: When you press the “print” button, the print dialog box comes up. Before you click OK, there is a check box that says “Choose paper source by PDF page size.” Make sure this box is checked. If you do not have this option, you may have an older version of Acrobat. You can get a newer version by going to the Adobe Acrobat site.

Trestleboard Archives

Leeland.Artra — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:21:15 CST

In ancient times operative masons used the floor of the planning area to draw designs upon for the craftsmen. The Master Workmen (essentially the Architects) would outline the work with charcoal or chalk. Sometimes the drawings would be copied onto scraps to be carried around the site for inspections. The copied off drawings were called "tracing boards". At some point the designs stopped being done on the floor and were drawn on boards specifically constructed for the purpose called "Trestleboards". So operative masons had the "Trestleboard" which was what the Master Workmen drew up the larger site plans and "Tracing Boards" for copies of the work to be done for the day.

To be honest the actual origins of the names and their uses are speculative at best based on the general usage that was known in the guilds in the early 1600s.

Today various Masonic jurisdictions use the terms "tracing board" and/or "trestleboard" in slightly different ways. Truly it is an odd bit of trivia that can be argued in circles for hours on end, to no real end. Especially since neither the origin nor correct usages can be proven historically on what is known today (tomorrow is a different matter all together). Honestly the "Tracing board" could easily have preceded the "Trestleboard" because lodges in Europe (which pre-date American lodges), use the word "Tracing Board".

Historically the trestleboard is entirely different from the tracing-board."Trestle" comes from an old Scotch word, "trest", meaning a supporting framework. Carpenters use trestles, or saw horses, to support boards to be sawed or planed. A board across two trestles provided a natural and easy way to display plans. Hence the name trestleboard; a board supported by trestles, on which plans were shown or made.

A tracing-board is a slate or tablet upon which sectional copies of a plan have been made for easy reference.

In American Masonic lodges today the trestleboard has been made a synonym for tracing board. Therefore, a Masonic Trestleboard is a design board for the Master Workman to draw his plans and designs upon to give the workmen an outline of the work to be performed. In current terminology it might called the blueprint.

The Trestleboard is one of the 3 Movable jewels of a speculative Masonic Lodge. Most lodges construct their trestleboard as a framework consisting of usually three vertical, slanted legs with one or more horizontal crosspieces on which to hang or display an item. These devices are available in any art store called "easels".

In Masonic mythology Hiram Abif's tracing board is believed to have been made of wood, covered with a coating of wax. Each day he would inspect the work done and draw new set of architectural designs and symbols into the wax to instruct his Master Masons of the work to be done next. At the end of the day, he would simply scrape off the wax and pour a new layer of hot wax onto the board to ready it for the next day's work.

In the 1700s Masonic lodges would meet out in the open on hills or valleys, or in secret caves. When a lodge met the Tyler would draw a rectangular outline on the ground to indicate the "lodge" and the officers would set up their stations according to the Master's Plan, thus continuing the tradition of drawing upon the tracing board (the marked oblong rectangle of the lodge). This tradition continued even when meeting in halls or taverns where the Tyler would mark the lodge area and locations with chalk or charcoal. This progressed to lodges using tarps (to speed up clean up), and then to rugs. Most lodges today still use special tarps or rugs for specific training.

Of course even later, these designs were placed onto a table. Then finally were hung onto an easel (aka trestleboard) much like a drawing board at a construction site where each workman could receive clear instruction as to what his specific participation entailed.

(Side note: it is speculated that the tracing board layout of the lodge being drawn on the ground is also the origin of why masons travel in right angles within the lodge and call learning to perform the rituals in the semi-military-like style "squaring the lodge" as a direct reference back to the oldest lodges ritual styles. After all if the members were to walk atop the markings made in the dirt on hill and vale; atop the chalk on the floor of the taverns; or tread upon and thus soil the cloths or rugs used to provide the workings of that degree, the message of that lecture which was being worked could be partially or fully destroyed. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that "Squaring the Lodge" refers back many centuries as the means of preserving the ritual and the degrees being worked so as not to destroy the symbolism of their markings before their usefulness on that day has been completed.)

In every Masonic Lodge near the Master’s is a table, stand, or pedestal on which he may lay his papers. I have heard that pedestal referred to as the trestleboard because upon it the Master draws the design for the meeting. We may all free to research, consider and draw our own conclusions for the interpretations of the symbols of Masonry; for many this interpretation may be enough. To me it seems to be a loss to not consider a much greater and nobler concept. "A light house is, indeed, a house with a light, but he who sees but the house and the light, but fails to visualize those lost ones who by it find their way; who cannot see the ships kept in safety by its ceaseless admonition that this way lies danger; who cannot behold it as a symbol as well as a structure, misses its beauty."

As with many Masonic symbols there are hints to a higher meaning. In the 1900s the Masonic Trestleboard of Speculative Masonry (as stated in the rituals) is to be found in "the great books of nature and revelation." Many Masonic scholars, including Mackey, consider that the Volume of the Sacred Law for the Lodge is the true Trestleboard. All of the curious furniture of the lodge are key pieces of the designs upon the trestleboard of Speculative Freemasonry. Within Masonic teachings, rituals, mythology, and symbolism the trestleboard must support the designs to guide the work upon that temple not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. More specifically the Masonic Trestleboard symbolically represents the mind within each person; it is the repository of all our designs for our lives. In this way the Trestleboard of Masonry requires the pursuit of knowledge, philosophy, wisdom and learning in order to receive its designs. Each Mason is expected to become a Master Mason and learn to draw his designs, ever inspecting the work as it is today and planning the next steps.

It seems to distract from the symbolic nature of the trestleboard when it is used by lodges as the name for the Lodge notices or newsletters. This seems reasonable at first glance, since it is the Master of the Lodge that draws the design for the coming work, and sends them out to the Craftsmen. This usage can diminish the true nature of the symbolism, unless of course, the Masters understand the symbolism and insure that the brethren are properly instructed. As such the brethren can all smile knowing that the inside secret play on words when they receive their lodge's "Trestleboard", knowing full well that it is simply meant to remind them of the work yet to be done.

Forget not that as a Mason your Trestleboard is the combination of all you have and will learn from nature, from your Book of Holy Scripture, and the designs in your own heart. It is worthy of many hours of pondering; a Masonic teaching to be loved and lived.

2010 Trestleboard

Leeland.Artra — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:20:14 CST

February 1, 2010 From The East

Masons do not solicit new masons. Is that true? One of the first questions asked of a new candidate is if they have come to masonry of their own free will, without mercenary motives, and unsolicited. Masons all promise to keep the secrets of masonry. Yet I am 100% sure you know at least one man who you are just itching to get into Masonry. You probably have been trying to figure out how to approach him on the subject without violating some written or unwritten Masonic rule around non-solicitation. Consider that the non-solicitation rule specifically states there can be no coercion; a man must come of his own free will and accord. This does not prevent a Mason from discussing Masonry with others. Further it does not prohibit us as Masons from approaching those we respect and consider a potentially suitable applicants and showing them the door for them to consider becoming a part of Freemasonry. At the Occidental Lodge No. 92 January 2009 Stated Meeting the Grand Master himself said although you cannot ask “would you like to be a Freemason?” you are fully empowered and enjoined to ask worthy men “have you ever considered becoming a Freemason?” to see where that conversation may take you. You are empowered and entrusted to help ensure our fraternity by helping potentially worthy candidates find the door of Freemasonry; no matter if they choose to knock or not you have done your duty in showing them that the door is there.

I fully understand the shyness from asking friends if they have considered becoming a Freemason. Green Lake Lodge hosted a great event called “Bring a Friend Night” where we had a wonderful dinner, some amazing magic, outstanding live music, and well structured entertaining short presentations on Masonry for all who came. We are doing this again this year on April 24th. If you are looking for a way to broach the subject with a friend, this is a great opportunity. Please come to our next Stated meeting to get more details!

You are invited to come to our Stated Meeting we will have live dinner music, a great dinner and a fabulous time. After all we are Seattle’s friendliest Lodge!

Finally we have 6 candidates and new masons moving through the degrees (3 1st degrees to do in February), 1 2nd degree to confer, and possibly 2 3rd degrees. So there will be at least one degree night in February. We will finalize the degree plan at the February Stated meeting. If you wish to attend or participate please let one of the officers know and we’ll work this out in Lodge.

Fraternally,
WB Leeland Artra
Master Green Lake Lodge No. 149

January 9, 2009 From The East

Friend: So where in the world have you been?
Me: I am so swamped I cannot am only able to deal with the most immediate things, so been a little remiss on my communications with friends.
Friend: But I thought you said to get something done give it to a busy person.
Me: Yep I remember that too. Well there is such a thing as too much. I think I have hit that limit now.
Friend: Well fabulous, did you see that new movie?
Me: Uh, no I’ve been too busy.
Friend: Oh you missed out, did you read that new Dan Brown book?
Me: Uh, no I’ve been too busy.
Friend: Well do read it when you get a chance, talk to you later.

--- And thus goes many conversations I have had in the past 6 months.

“Forget not that in your lodge you promised to befriend and aid every brother who may need your assistance.” I say that line at the closing of every lodge meeting. A few of my friends have actually ended the above conversation with “is there anything I can do to help.” It has occurred to me that those rare few are also brothers. Honestly I did have some things I would love to off-load and have to some easing some of the load. To those of you who are reading this that have done this for me or anyone else: Thank You. To those of you who have not the next time you have this conversation with an over burdened friend I challenge you to listen to the quiet call for help and lend a hand. Remember many hands make for light labor, and this is true regardless of if it is about running the lodge, setting up a dinner, or just taking the trash out for your neighbor. In lodge we learn many things, even when simply paying the bills there are subtle things happening in lodge that I have seen happen nowhere else. I invite you to come out to Green Lake Lodge for our next meeting. We are going to have a fabulous time, we always do.

I hope you had a truly happy holidays and wish you the very best in this wonderful New Year!

Fraternally,
WB Leeland Artra
Master Green Lake Lodge No. 149

2009 Trestleboard

Leeland.Artra — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:11:32 CST

April 14, 2009 From The East

I’d like to welcome three new brothers into our ranks: Br Vasilios (Bill) Eolimenauos, Br Matt Gray and Br Patrick Rolland. These three gentlemen have joined Masonry and now it is up to all of us to insure they have the tools necessary to work with. You may note I did not say that they needed to work; I said WE needed to work. Really it is the job of every Master Mason to insure that that new Masons are given more than just a copy of the standard work and some quick instructions to learn it as soon as possible. It is the job of every member of the lodge to talk with them, get to know them, offer to help them learn, offer them opportunities to work on Masonic endeavors and to truly make them brothers of the Craft. To this end I challenge each and every Master Mason to reach out a hand to every Fellow Craft and Entered Apprentice Mason and offer them fellowship and opportunities to work in the Craft. It is not just the responsibility of the one man assigned as coach to do this.

I also challenge every Fellow Craft Mason and Entered Apprentice Mason to engage in your lodge’s activities, go to the district meetings, participate in the charity drives and visit other lodges. I challenge you to learn your craft well, volunteer for parts in the degrees you have taken (even if you don’t have it down when you volunteer.) In the end what you get out of Masonry is a return on your investment into the Craft.

As an example, our last stated meeting was a great success. We had a fabulous time officially welcoming VWB Brian Hardy, Deputy of the Grand Master in District number 4 of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Washington. I truly flubbed up on introducing him, both our deacons where pulled away at the last minute by work issues. Yet we had a pretty full house, lots of excellent work and a most excellent presentation of the closing charge by VWB Brian Hardy. Our new EAMs commented that they really enjoyed the meeting and found it to be above their expectations. I sure hope they continue to say that, I know I will be working hard to make sure they do.

Brethren enjoy the bonds of fellowship with your brothers. Our time in this realm is of uncertain length. Remember to pay wages when they are due. Finally please take the time to engage with the new brothers, we will all be the better for it.!

Fraternally,
WB Leeland Artra
Master Green Lake Lodge No. 149

March 11, 2009 From The East

Planning, time and continuing effort, these are the keystones to success. Of course a little bit of help doesn’t hurt. March for Green Lake was both a glorious success and a desperate and rock bound coast line to navigate in our not so tip top shape ship. However, we managed to get through. Oddly enough we always seem to make it through. At times there seems to be not enough man power to succeed, yet in the end we pull together and sure some mistakes are made but we achieve some lasting results.

After only 4 months of being Master of Green Lake Lodge I am feeling the weight of the duty. I can see how many people might become overwhelmed or worn down. I have been surprised more than a few times and that is making me nervous when I propose new items. It appears almost chaotic, some things I thought would be a zero discussion “of course that is a great idea” have been debated to death and then voted down. Other items I thought (or hoped) would spawn a large debate have been simply approved or even enhanced with practically no discussion. Let me tell you this can truly try a man’s patience, will power and mental stamina. I knew being Master was going to be a lot of hard work, but I was unprepared for the level of mental pressure.

Time for a vacation! And it just so happens I have one planned. Unfortunately I will not be able to put the advice of WB John Bolding to the test on this trip. If you missed our last stated meeting you missed one amazing presentation on traveling as a mason. WB John Bolding gave some very surprising and at times funny advice about how to successfully travel to some of the best Masonic fellowship you can find. I was totally floored by WB John’s list of the best places to locate a local lodge. His number 1 best place to go is not one I would have thought of (ever) without being told. If you want to know, ask a Green Lake brother or come to our next meeting and ask me. It’ll knock your socks off!

Fraternally,
WB Leeland Artra
Master Green Lake Lodge No. 149

February 2, 2009 From The East

Brethren we need to fill the line, work our charity drives and get some minor repairs done to the lodge. Nothing makes for light labor then many hands. Let us not forget that the most important work we can do for the good of all is to raise a brother who will live his life according the tenants we teach.

My brethren truly our gift to the future is Masonry. We often say Freemasons seek to build a better world. One man alone cannot fix the world. It takes enormous energy over time to create lasting change. Yet one Mason may instruct another Mason together they teach others all of who work to improve themselves and the world around them. Therein lays the true power and gift of Masonry. In truth Freemasonry builds a better world by building better men. By raising and mentoring a new brother who lives as a Masonry he cannot help but have an effect on others. When our members are active our Lodge is active which then cannot help but have an effect on our community. With many active Lodges our fraternity as a whole has the one resource it needs, active men working together for the betterment of the larger community, and is thus Freemasonry remains a major force for good in the world.

Therefore, I can think of no program more important for our Lodge or Masonry than the "Annual Bring a Friend Night” (aka Lodge Open House Program) we are putting together for Thursday March 12, 2009. All of the power of Masonry begins with the individual Mason and, so the "Bring a Friend to Lodge" program requires the involvement and commitment of our entire Lodge.

I am sure all of you know at least one man who you are just itching to get into Masonry. Yet you feel you cannot approach him on the subject due to the non-solicitation rule. The non-solicitation rule states there can be no coercion; a man must come of his own free will and accord. This should not be interpreted as preventing us from discussing Masonry with others nor from approaching those we respect and consider to be a potentially suitable applicants and opening the door for them to consider becoming a part of Freemasonry and joining our Lodge. At the Occidental Lodge January 2009 Stated Meeting the Grand Master himself said although you cannot ask “would you like to be a Freemason?” you are fully empowered and enjoined to ask worthy men “have you ever considered becoming a Freemason?” to see where that conversation may take you. This one event gives us all a way to broach the conversation, by inviting someone to come!

Fraternally,
WB Leeland Artra
Master Green Lake Lodge No. 149

January 14, 2009 From The East

Brethren it has come to my attention that some of you are unsure about what is actually going on. I should say that it is entirely my fault that this is true.

Some of the officers have claimed that they are only now becoming aware of a part of the underlying reasons and goals of what I have laid out for the Lodge. Again I should say that this is entirely my fault that this is true.

After a discussion where some of what I said clarified the ways, means and goals of my actions a few brethren came to me and said that before hearing the additional information they were unsupportive of what I have been and continue to be doing to and for our Lodge. However, now that they understood some of the reasons they were actually in favor of the changes.

Brethren I am unrepentant about not laying before you all my reasons, goals and action plans. Nor am I going to suddenly toss open the doors to my workshop and invite all in to see how all the little parts fit together. I am not saying “just trust me.” Honestly I have already tried to explain a large part of the ideas at once and no one got it. Now I am doing it one or at most two parts at a time and I’ll keep repeating the details as many times as it takes to get it to stick. If you are at all concerned with or dislike something we are doing you have merely to ask me for more details.

Our Lodge has been described to me by more than a few Masons (both past masters, members and others) as a lodge in trouble. Let us get brutally honest for the last 3 years we have had 12 or less actual active members coming to our meetings (an average of 9 really). 95% of every meeting is composed of Past Masters of Green Lake Lodge. All of the brothers have already been through the officers’ line (most more than once)! We do not have enough new masons to fill out the officers’ line and further all those in the officers’ line EXCEPT FOR ONE do not intend and do not want to continue to serve as an officer. In fact we have a grand total of 3 new (joined Green Lake Lodge within the last 10 years) Lodge Members (including me) who are regularly attending and one of those is not planning on staying active past the end of this year. Looking at the raw numbers we have a standing record showing 12 or less members coming to every stated meeting, 6 or less coming to special communications. How many officers are there in lodge? Count them with me: Worshipful Master, Senior Warden, Junior Warden, Secretary Treasurer, Senior Deacon, Junior Deacon, Senior Steward, Junior Steward, Marshal, Chaplain, Musician and Tyler. That adds up to 13. Think back, what has happened in the last 3 stated meetings? We have had to ask visiting Master Masons to fill in for one or more of our missing officers (we should be asking a Green Lake Lodge member to fill in, but ALL of the Green Lake Members who can fill in are already doing so). Yet still some members don’t want to change anything at all.

Brethren it isn’t that some THING has to change, it is that A FEW THINGS need to change. Masonry is not dead, nor do I believe that is going to die. As we have already seen time and time again lodges which became a social “this is how we always did it club” for the few remaining men die with those men. When enough of our members become unable to come to the meetings there will be no more meetings. When I was approached to become Master I said I was not going to sit idly by and just fill the chair. I was asked (tasked really) with rejuvenating Green Lake Lodge. I take the responsibility of Master very seriously and have spent months reading about other lodges, jurisdictions that have pulled themselves out of similar situations. I have spoken with dozens of past masters of now active lodges. I have dozens of ideas, just as many plans of action and even more stuff in waiting. I have been filtering these down to what I think we CAN accomplish and what I think ARE appropriate for our Lodge to establish as traditions.

No I have not spent a lot of time talking to past masters of Green Lake Lodge. Why?! Because, if they had a solution to this they would have already done it in the last 10 plus years! I am discussing each and every point of the changes as I am trying to make them active with my officers (who I remind you comprise of the majority of the still active past masters of Green Lake Lodge.)

There are HOURS of background data to review, many examples to go over and multiple action plans to analyze to begin to explain how it all fits together. You can email me from this very site and/or call my cell phone (206-380-2036) which has voice mail on it. I am here, I am paying attention and if you really want to know why, what and how I am doing things you have but to ask. If you ask then be prepared to join me and spend a few hours going over ONE change. There is no way I can lay it all out in a couple of hours. If you have an idea present it in detail to me.

When there is a lot of work to be done I have learned that people get disheartened if you show them precisely how much there is. People deal better with small steps and achievable goals. They feel the momentum building as they see goals being met. We need that energy and excitement.

I believe in Masonry. I love the Fraternity far more and deeper than most of my brothers know and for reasons only a few understand. I have participated in and paid close attention to many past Grand Lodge research efforts on what new Masons expect and get from the Craft. I have personally spoken to numerous Masons involved in, doing or participating in similar research. I have corresponded with respected Masonic researchers on the topic of what are most lodges missing to not only gather new Masons but to keep them engaged and enthusiastic. I continue to study this topic. I am applying ALL MY SKILL in the Craft to make Green Lake Lodge the shining light that other lodges will look to as an example on how best to do the work. It is an honor to serve as Master, and serve I shall until the work is done.

Look to your heart, find the ember of Masonry there, give it the fuel of your hopes, enjoy the feeling of the light of Masonry glowing from your soul again, let go the reins on your enthusiasm, pick up your tools and join me in the work of building a Masonic Lodge the likes of which is rarely seen in Masonry!

Fraternally,
WB Leeland Artra
Master Green Lake Lodge No. 149

January 1, 2009 From The East

Brethren, please know that you all have my personal highest wishes that you know only joy, health and wealth in the coming year. Like many others I cannot help but spend some time on New Year's Eve considering what has happened in the previous year(s). 2008 has been both amazing and scary. It seems that the world is falling apart around us. Yet we also seem to be making great strides forward. In the midst of economic tragedies, wars and atrocities I have also witnessed medical advances that have created replacement limbs which act and react like the lost limbs, advances in technology that promise longer healthier lives and cancer rates have actually gone down in 2008.

What 2008 shows is that even in adversity life continues. We have choices to act or not to act. When we choose to act we have even more choices. Perhaps I am unique in that I am not really happy with the time I spent watching television. I measured myself this last week and found that since my family has turned television on again (we didn't have television for nearly 10 years) I have fallen into the habit of watching about 2.34 hours of shows every day Sun-Sat. That adds up to 16.38 hours every week spent watching the news, history channel shows, Myth Busters and re-runs of Stargate. We have DVR or TIVO and I admit that is very nice, yet I wonder if I would have watched as much without it. When I do not have a pre-recorded show waiting I have sat down, looked at the guide for the next hour or two and in all 200+ channels saw nothing at all of any interest. Meaning I turned off the television and got back to doing other things.

So my "New Year's Resolution" is to reduce those hours spent by 25%. That will give me back 4 hours a week. Doesn't sound like much and you'd think it would be easy. I suspect it will be hard. However, it is a reasonable goal and it is measureable.
Stretching, reasonable, attainable, and measurable are the keys to good goals as well as your successful achievement of your goals. Stretching means that you actually have to work a little bit harder than normal to achieve results. Reasonable means that even though it will be challenging it is actually within your abilities to achieve. Attainable means that it is possible to do. Measurable means you have identified a means to know exactly where you are and when you have crossed the finish line. A final key is to focus attention by keeping the number of goals being worked on to only a few and preferably closely related.

I have set such goals for my year(s) as Master of Green Lake Lodge. I have shared most of them with the lodge officers in the December Officers' meeting and a little with you here. The key to all of the other goals, the lynch pin if you will, is to increase our regular lodge attendance group by 6 members. I want 6 brethren whom I have not seen regularly in Lodge to be attending every meeting and degree night by the end of 2009. I want at least 3 of these to be from the currently inactive group of members we already know are around and at least 3 new brothers. I also stated that I wanted to see 90% of all our newly initiated brothers prove up as Master Masons in the traditional fashion and to be attending practically every event for Green Lake Lodge. In other words Green Lake Lodge needs to work to stay “connected” and “engaging” with our new initiates.

I ask that you all join me in working towards this New Year's Resolution as a group of brothers and friends. We have a wonderful Lodge, beautiful traditions, a long history of amazing lessons and an honorable creed like unto no other. What is needed? Simply making sure you know of all the Green Lake Lodge Events and making attending those events a priority in your life. I promise to work to insure that each and every event will be rewarding for you.

Fraternally,
WB Leeland Artra
Master Green Lake Lodge No. 149

November 8, 2008 From The Traveling Man

Brethren, I am honored, nervous and worried at my recent election to Worshipful Master of Green Lake Lodge No 149 F.&A.M. This is an interesting time to travel to the East. Our lodge is alive but ailing. Membership seems at an all time low and we have been forced to fill the officers line with past Masters of Green Lake. It should come as no surprise than that my primary goal is stabilize the lodge. So the question remains is how? To this end I have spoken with the officers, sought council with a few VWBs who have been my mentors over the years and continue to do a lot of reading on Masonry and lodge management. From all of this the way still remains a little hard to find. Yet, I believe I have found a door and know some of the maze beyond to achieve our goals. The key to the maze is membership. Our members need to be proud of being Masons, proud of our history and proud to be a member of Green Lake Lodge. The officers and I have consulted and we are following a plan, which we will adjust as needed. I will be sharing all of our plans as we pull them together. For now I can tell you that these items have already been started:

We will have an excellent meal for both our monthly business meeting as well as the now firmly established degree night.

We will have a fixed degree night every month including through the summer. If we do not have a candidate ready to take the next degree we will walk through the degree, floor work and lectures looking for where we can improve the presentation.

I have begun looking for a lodge Ritual Instructor who will be responsible for insuring all of our ritual work is top notch.

I have made arrangements so that the lodge now has a parking lot 1 1/2 blocks from the lodge so that parking is no longer an issue.

We will have these three agenda items at every stated meeting:

Masonic Minute - A short 1-5 minute presentation by a Green Lake brother about something he finds interesting or educational about Freemasonry

Meet Your Brother - There is a short list of items that every brother should know about all his fellow lodge brothers. To that end I will be taking volunteers so that each meeting one brother will answer one or two questions of his choosing in a short 1-5 minute presentation to the lodge.

Masonic Education - A 20-30 minute presentation by an invited dynamic speaker about Masonry.

We will have live music for the dinner hour at every stated monthly meeting.
There is more but that is enough for now. Small doses, small steps and large rewards in the end.

It my specific goal that within 3 years:

The officers line will be filled with zero past master sitting in (unless they are moving through the line by choice).

The officers line will follow the pattern:

Marshall

Junior Steward

Senior Steward

Junior Deacon

Senior Deacon

Junior Warden

Senior Warden

Worshipful Master

Every member of Green Lake Lodge will be personally contacted every 90 days by a different fellow brother just to stay in touch.

Green Lake Lodge No. 149 F.&A.M. will be a serious contender for the Washington State Lodge Officers Proficiency Award every year.

Green Lake Lodge No. 149 Main Page

Leeland.Artra — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:50:52 CST

Welcome To Seattle Freemasonry

Green Lake Events

Sun Feb 21, 2010 2:00pm Green Lake Day Out Event. Details Available Soon. (Open to non-masons)

Sun Feb 28, 2010 4:00pm Officers' Planning Meeting & Ritual Practice (All lodge officers required to attend)

Thu Mar 4, 2010 6:30pm Stated Meeting, hosted dinner with entertainment.

Thu Apr 1, 2010 6:30pm Stated Meeting, hosted dinner with entertainment, Official Visit of the Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Washington F.&A.M.

Sat Apr 24, 2010 6:00pm Annual Bring A Friend Night, hosted dinner, magic show, music and open to the public Masonic presentations. Dinner at 6pm, show starts at 7:30pm (Open to non-masons)

Other Events

Sat Feb 13, 2010 9:00am Masonic College at Greenwood Masonic Center, "Enigmas within Rosslyn Chapel"
Sat Feb 27, 2010 8:00am D4 Masonic Lodge Association Meeting at Doric Masonic Center

The doors of Freemasonry are always open! We as Freemasons practice the principles that make our country great — at Masonic lodges, all men are equal, regardless of income, race, or religion. There are over 13,000 lodges in the U.S. If you are not close enough to come enjoy the warmth and brotherhood of our lodge in North Seattle you’ll find a Masonic lodge in almost every town. In small towns and in large cities there will usually be several lodges you can visit. As a Mason you can travel to almost any place in the world and find the warm hand of brotherhood extended to you.

Who We Are
We are your friends, neighbors and co-workers. We are Freemasons. As Freemasons we are taught and firmly believe in helping others. We have learned, as you can too, that in life there is more than pleasure and money. We work together to grow and develop ourselves as caring and contributing human beings. We study the sciences and respect the opinions of others. We strive to be moral, honest men who work together to improve themselves and their communities. Our motto as Freemasons is “friendship, morality, and brotherly love.”

This Web Site
This web site is the main site for Green Lake Lodge No. 149 of Free & Accepted Masons We use this site not only to publish official announcements about our lodge (labeled as such with prior approval from the Master and Lodge Secretary) but also to provide general information about Masonry to the public, to update the Brethren on Lodge matters, to help our committee members and program volunteers coordinate their activities, to aid our District and Lodge officers in promoting their events and to offer a general forum for sharing information of interest to our Masonic family. If you have comments or questions about Freemasonry, our Lodge, or this site, please use the contact form, or if you have material for us to post (please, not huge monolithic files nor grainy scans of hard copy) please submit it via the appropriate committee chairman or officer.

Lodge Location

Green Lake Lodge No. 149 F & A.M. is located in the Green Lake neighborhood in the city of Seattle, WA USA. We are a lodge in the Grand Jurisdiction of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Washington and in District 4.

Meeting:

Our Stated Communications (normal monthly meetings) are held at 7:30pm on the First Thursday of every month, (except July and August, when we don't meet. If Holiday, we meet on the 2nd Thurs.) We serve a complementary dinner before every Stated Communication at 6:30pm. Please see our interactive calendarfor up coming meetings and special events (or you can see the old style calendar)

Facebook:

Group - "Green Lake Lodge No. 149" (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=46120593585)

Address:

Green Lake Masonic Center
307 NE Maple Leaf Place
Seattle, WA 98115

Phone:

206-522-7976

Map:
Like to Google Maps : Google Maps Link (click here)

Access:

All Lodge facilities are on the second floor. Entrance is mid-block on Maple Leaf Place. Moderate set of stairs. We have a chair lift to take one person at a time up to the second floor.

Parking:

There are numerous pay and free parking spaces on the streets around the lodge. However, parking can be a challenge at times as Green Lake is a very beautiful and popular destination. On street parking is catch as you can and Seattle parking meter enforcement is Mon-Sat from 6a.m. to 6p.m.

History

Leeland.Artra — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:30:05 CST

Our Lodge Building History:

Green Lake Lodge No. 149 was chartered in 1906. The Lodge owns the building pictured on this page. It was built in 1922 and sits on the north west corner of the block along N. Green Lake Way E. The Green Lake Masonic Center is one of the most ornate of the Centers in north Seattle. It has quite a bit of Masonic symbolism displayed on its outer walls, and there are a number of beautiful pictures hanging in the Lodge room that were painted by WB Dale Boudreau. The lower street level on Green Lake Way and Maple Leaf Place are occupied by business tenets. The Lodge facilities are on the second level and are shared by other Masonic organizations which meet there.

Community Service:

The members of Green Lake Lodge live in, support, and provide services to the surrounding community of Green Lake. In addition, we participate in other programs started or continued by our Masonic district, and jurisdiction.

A Short History of Green Lake Lodge No. 149:

Green Lake Lodge No. 149 was organized after due consideration in the early spring of 1905.

The first meeting was held in the office of Dr. H.C. Dyer in the Thorn Building on Monday evening, May 29, 1905. Other meetings were held either in the office of Dr. Dyer or in a room over the hardware store of Bro. W.W. Batcheller at 304 East 72nd Street.

On June 3, 1905 WB Fred Weyant and a number of other masons presented a petition to Doric Lodge to sponsor a new Lodge in the Green Lake district. The resolution was passed unanimously. A petition for dispensation was granted by the Grand Lodge of Washington on September 12, 1905.

On Tuesday evening October 3, 1905 the new members of Green Lake Lodge convened in Thorn's Hall, which had been chosen as the regular meeting place of the new lodge.

At the session of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Washington, which met on June 6, 1906, a charter was granted to Green Lake Lodge No. 149 F. & A. M.

On August 7, 1906 the Grand Lodge convened in Thorn's Hall, Green Lake and constituted the Lodge and installed the officers.

In the year 1920 when L.M. Urban was Worshipful Master of Green Lake Lodge the Lodge was still holding meeting in Thorn's Hall. At that time the matter of the construction of a suitable building for the Lodge's perminent home was very thoroughly discussed.

After due consideration the Green Lake Masonic Association was organized and incorporated, a site was purchased, plans and specifications for a suitable building were prepared, bids were called for and in January 1922 a construction contract was awarded for the construction of the Green Lake Masonic Center building.

On Saturday February 25, 1922 the cornerstone of the new Green Lake Masonic Templewas laid with due forms and ceremonies by Right Worshipful Brother James McCormack, Deputy Grand Master.

On Thursday, June 29, 1922 the new Temple was formally dedicated by Most Worshipful Brother James McCormack, Grand Master.

In 1945 Green Lake Lodge No. 149 sponsored Exemplar Lodge No. 284, which later came home by merging with Green Lake Lodge in 1983.

Interested? This is all it takes to find out more!

Lodge Officers

Leeland.Artra — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:19:58 CST

2010 Lodge Officers
Worshipful Master	WB Leeland Artra
Senior Warden	WB Glenn Bailey
Junior Warden	Bro Steve Dombrowski
Treasurer	VWB Ned Daniels
Secretary	WB Jack R. Waterson
Chaplain	WB Arthur Shipe
Marshal	(open)
Senior Deacon	Bro Derek Daniels
Junior Deacon	(open)
Senior Steward	(open)
Junior Steward	(open)
Musician	(open)
Tyler	WB Phil Hastings

Explanation of Titles and abbreviations of Titles:

MWB - Most Worshipful Brother - a title held only by a Grand Master or Past Grand Master
RWB - Right Worshipful Brother - an elected or past elected Grand Lodge officer
VWB - Very Worshipful Brother - a Deputy or past Deputy of the Grand Master
WB - Worshipful Brother - a Master or past Master of a Lodge
B, Bro - Brother - All Freemasons are fraternal brothers

2009 Lodge Officers

Leeland.Artra — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:16:31 CST

2009 Lodge Officers
Worshipful Master	WB Leeland Artra
Senior Warden	WB Al Luberts
Junior Warden	WB Jerry Biddle
Treasurer	VWB Ned Daniels
Secretary	WB Jack R. Waterson
Chaplain	WB Arthur Shipe
Marshal	WB Glenn Bailey
Senior Deacon	Bro Steve Dombrowski
Junior Deacon	Bro Derek Daniels
Senior Steward	(open)
Junior Steward	(open)
Musician	Bro Adam Creighton
Tyler	WB Phil Hastings

Explanation of Titles and abbreviations of Titles:

MWB - Most Worshipful Brother - a title held only by a Grand Master or Past Grand Master
RWB - Right Worshipful Brother - an elected or past elected Grand Lodge officer
VWB - Very Worshipful Brother - a Deputy or past Deputy of the Grand Master
WB - Worshipful Brother - a Master or past Master of a Lodge
B, Bro - Brother - All Freemasons are fraternal brothers

2008 Trestleboard

Leeland.Artra — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 02:43:30 CST

November 29, 2008 From The Traveling Man

Brethren, is Masonry dead? In 1875 WB Albert Gallatin Mackey, a distinguished Masonic scholar, predicted that if apathy and a lack of Masonic education where allowed to grow that Masonry would deteriorate into social clubs or mere benefit societies and that as such would fail completely being that there is no lack of more interesting rivals for membership in that area. Many Grand Jurisdictions, including our own, are currently or have recently conducted research into why Masonry has reached the lowest point in membership in its entire history. Without exception the results seem to be that Masons must take ownership of an identity that distinguishes Masonry from other men’s organizations. But, what are we? What should we be? Standard business marketing approaches really don’t apply to Masonry (Masons are not marketing cars or closet organizers.) Don’t Panic. Your 2009 Officers and other members have been considering this and our Lodge’s future. I can assure you that Masonry at Green Lake Lodge No. 149 is not dead yet. We’ll discuss this topic and our plans more in our December 4 Step Up Night meeting.

Fraternally,
Bro Leeland Artra, Worshipful Master Elect

P.S. Don’t forget about the new parking pass. It is valid for lodge activities only and it is ONLY for the Republic Parking Lot located at 434 NE 72nd Street, Seattle, WA 98115 (one block South-East from the Lodge.)

November 23, 2008 From The Traveling Man

SEATTLE, WA (Nov 23, 2008) Green Lake Lodge’s Worshipful Master Al Luberts and myself, Worshipful Master Elect Leeland Artra, were surprised by Most Worshipful Grand Master Douglas E. Tucker awarding Green Lake Lodge No. 149 the 2008 Pillar of Progress Award for Technology. Both of us were quietly ticking off the list of what we might be able to do next year to win a Pillar of Progress award when we were floored by the announcement that our Lodge had won the 2008 Technology Pillar of Progress.

What did we do? It was almost exclusively based on this web site. The combined calendar, membership communications, regularly updated content and automated contact form for interested parties was seen as a major achievement.

Needless to say we are honored at this recognition of our labors. Here is the award:

Fraternally,
Bro Leeland Artra, Worshipful Master Elect

November 12, 2008 From The Traveling Man

SEATTLE, WA (Nov 12, 2008) Green Lake Lodge’s new elected officers will be on display in an interesting possibly even educational demonstration of “How to run a stated meeting” on Thursday December 4, 2008. The meeting will have a few surprises. The free dinner & fellowship before the meeting will be worth the trip alone!

The new officers will be officially installed in an Open Installation Ceremony December 12, 2008. There will be music, a lovely dinner and lots of pomp and ceremony to please all. Also there will be some baby sitters on hand to play with the younger kids during the meal and ceremonies. So please bring your whole family it will be a wonderful evening for all. Dinner starts at 6:00p.m. and the ceremonies will commence at 7:00p.m.

Don’t recycle your Green Lake Lodge December issue of “The Trowel” mailing the second you get it. If you inspect it carefully you’ll find there is a parking pass for the two December meetings. Green Lake Lodge has arranged to use the nearby Republic Parking lot for its stated and special communications. Each monthly issue of “The Trowel” will have a new parking pass that must be displayed on the dash of your vehicle if you choose to park in the Republic Parking area. The parking lot is located one and a half blocks South East of the lodge at 434 NE 72nd Street, Seattle, WA 98115.

For those who came to the November stated meeting we hope you enjoyed the Brazilian guitar duo by local artists Dennis Moss & Kevin McCarthy provided during dinner as well as the fine cuisine provided by Chef Ty Link. We have some very interesting local live music lined up for all of our upcoming stated meeting dinners.

That will be it for the meetings until the next year. Don’t forget that our January stated meeting will be on Thursday January 8th not on the 1st due to the holiday.

Wishing you a joyful and happy holidays and a very wonderful New Year!

Fraternally,
Bro Leeland Artra, Worshipful Master Elect

November 3, 2008 From The East

Our upcoming Stated Meeting, this Thursday, November 6, 2008 at 6:30 PM, is very important for the Lodge, as we will be electing a new slate of officers for 2009. There will be our usual complementary dinner before the meeting at 6:30 PM, accompanied by musical entertainment. We will be trying out a new caterer for the dinner, so we expect it to be exceptionally good. Bring you wives or girl friends, children, and any friends whom you would like to show what we do. This event is not to be missed, as there will be a number of surprises.

Do not miss the Past Master Night Gala on Thursday, November 20th. There will be a special dinner at 6:30 PM, followed by a short ceremony at 7:30 PM, followed by a special musical entertainment program by "The Bobs."

Last Saturday, October 25th, I was present at the District 4 Masonic Lodge Association monthly breakfast meeting at Greenwood Temple. All officers and members are invited to attend these meetings, where we get the opportunity to get to know brethren from the other Lodges in our district, find out what is going on in their Lodges, and to plan activities for the whole district. The meetings are always at 8:00 am on the 4th Saturday morning of each month except for June, July, August and December, and are hosted by the Lodges in numerical Lodge order. The next MLA meeting will be on November 22nd at Greenwood Masonic Center at 8:00 AM.

On Saturday, November 22rd, at 6:30 PM, Districts 4 and 5 will hold a Reception for the Grand Master, MWB Douglas Tucker at University Lodge No. 141. This is an opportunity to meet the Grand Master, for those who have not had the chance. Tickets may be obtained from our District Deputy, VWB Brian Hardy.

There will be another of our semi-annual District 4 Bowling Tournaments at 2:00pm Sunday, November 23rd at Robinhood Lanes in Edmonds. Green Lake Lodge No. 149 is the current champion, and has won the trophy all but one time in history. This is a fun event for families, and there will be lanes with bumpers reserved for children, and plenty of munchies.

Fraternally,
WB Al Luberts, Worshipful Master

October 12, 2008 From The IT Committee

Brethren,

I am extremely happy to receive the compliments and feedback from all of you. I have endeavored to answer all of the questions directly. However, we have some questions that continue to come up. So I am going to provide some information here.

First let me say that joining this site will NOT put you onto some advertising lists, nor will it cost you a penny. Once you have joined the site you can create messages in the forum section or on ANY page or ANY picture with your comments, funny stories and or feedback for corrections. This site is an open discussion and sharing location for Green Lake Lodge and associated brethren.

Second you can contribute to this site. We are still working out the details of who can have access to what. As it stands right now if you are:

A Green Lake Lodge No. 149 F. & A.M. member in good standing you may have, at your request, Moderator rights to help keep unwanted messages and trash off of the site;
A Past Master of any District 4 lodge or a Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Washington team member, you may have, at your request and with the approval of the standing Master and/or IT Committee, Writers' access, which will allow you to edit the content of any page (add, subtract and correct) as well as the ability to add to the picture galleries;
An IT Committee member or a current officer, you may have, at your request Administrators' Access. which will allow you to control the pages, site content and membership permissions.
Third, we can pay to remove the advertising content on this site but we cannot control what is being displayed in the advertisements. This requires signing up for a subscription and we need to confirm the operating budget for this site. Since we can use it for free with our existing and approved expenses (domain names, email hosting, name server services and web hosting) we are currently running in free mode with the advertisements. This will be a topic for discussion under new business at the next stated meeting. If the new budget is approved we will cause the advertisements to be removed.

Finally let me request that if you are a Green Lake Lodge Member please join this site. We need your help in adding new content, policing the current content and discussing events here. Also there is an automated announcement once a week detailing changes to the site that you can only get if you join the site and provide your email address.

- Bro Leeland Artra
IT Committee Chairman

October 8, 2008 From The IT Committee

The new web site is up we'll get the Worshipful Master to pony up with a picture and some interesting updates here as soon as possible.

In the mean time browse around a little bit and feel free to join our web site, post some comments in the forum. Definitely look through the Becoming A Mason section we have added a lot of content there that I am sure needs a good proof read or three.

- Bro Leeland Artra
IT Committee Chairman

September 29, 2008 From The East

Fall is in the air, the days grow colder, the leaves turn brighter colors, and Green Lake Lodge "jus' keep rollin' along." Our new library should be almost complete. A team of Lodge brothers came down to the Lodge on Sunday, September 21st, and prepared the room for installation of the new bookshelves, which occurred the following week. They look great! The carpet should be installed by the time of our stated meeting. We look forward to many enjoyable times making use of this fine new facility. Many thanks to those who helped with this project, especially VWB Mike Cuadra, who led the effort.

On September 18th we raised Brother Bob Schalkle to the sublime degree of Master Mason. At our last stated meeting we elected Mr. Vasilios P. "Bill" Polimenakos to take the degrees of Masonry and become a member of Green Lake Lodge No. 149. He owns several restaurants in the area and is a good friend of Brother Tom Karvounarias. Due to his busy schedule, he will not be able to take the First Degree until probably December.

On Thursday, October 2nd 2008 we will assemble at the Lodge dining room at 6:30 pm for a delicious meal. Bring your ladies, if you are so inclined. Children are welcome, too. At 7:30 pm we will open Lodge. If any Fellowcrafts or Entered Apprentices are present, we will open on the lowest degree so that they may share in our Lodge activities.

Brethren, time is getting short to identify which brothers will lead the Lodge as officers next year. The election is just one month away, and some potential "holes" have cropped up in the officers corps. We could use some brethren, especially Past Masters, to step up to the plate.

Last Saturday, September 27th, I was present at the District 4 Masonic Lodge Association monthly breakfast meeting at Greenwood Temple. All officers and members are invited to attend these meetings, where we get the opportunity to get to know brethren from the other Lodges in our district, find out what is going on in their Lodges, and to plan activities for the whole district. The meetings are always at 8:00 am on the 4th Saturday morning of each month except for June, July, August and December, and are hosted by the Lodges in numerical Lodge order. The next MLA meeting will be on October 25th at Greenwood Masonic Center.

There will be another of our semi-annual District 4 Bowling Tournaments at 2:00pm Sunday, November 23rd at Robinhood Lanes in Edmonds.

Fraternally,
WB Al Luberts, Worshipful Master

P.S. My wife, Darlene, and I have found a nice house in Puyallup's South Hill, and will be moving on November 10th. In spite of the distance, we will still be active in Green Lake Lodge.

Interactive Calendar

Leeland.Artra — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 11:40:41 CST

Event Color Key
Stated Meetings Tyled	Other District 4 Meeting	Visitations Tyled	Ladies & Guests Invited	Open To Public	Special Meeting

Announcements and Special Events

1st Degree on Wednesday February 25, light refreshments at 6:30am, degree starts at 7:00pm
Bring A Friend Night (Lodge Open House) "Music, Magic and Masonry" on Thursday March 12 starting at 6:00pm
Green Lake always has a 6:30 pm complimentary dinner which is open to wives, friends, interested candidates and visitors before Stated Meetings.

Tips & Help for Using the Green Lake Lodge Calendar

For best results using the calendar do not use Netscape 4 but use Internet Explorer. 4+, Netscape 6+ or Opera 4+

Create an Event

There are several ways to add events to the calendar. The easiest way is simply to view the month of the event and then click on the day of the event. This will open the Create New Calendar Entry page.

Calendar Text - appears on the monthly calendar and should be clear and concise.
Start Time - appears on the monthly calendar. End time is optional.
Popup Text or URL - add details of your event here, such as contact information, deadline for reservations, etc. If there is a website with more information about the event, enter it here. This information will popup when the event is click in the month format of the calendar or in the second column of the listing format of the calendar. You can cause the URL link to open a new tab or window by appending the text (with double quotation marks) " target="_blank
Category - optional but very useful, see below. The more categories are used by everyone, the more useful they become.
Color - optional and the default is black text on a white background. Be careful when selecting background and text colors that the combination is easy to read. Remember some people are color blind and you should have a high contract between colors. For example, light blue text on a dark blue background could be hard to read for some people.

Viewing Events -- Styles: Block - List - Condensed

There are three ways to view the calendar that are selected from the middle shaded line above the calendar events:

Block - displays the calendar in the common box format - one box for each day, one row for each week. The Calendar Text is display in the box and Popup text is displayed by clicking on the event.
List - displays the calendar event information in two columns: one column for the calendar text and one column for the Popup Text.
Condensed - similar to List but only displays dates that have events scheduled.

Search

Looking for search? The shaded lines at the top of the calendar have all the options. Search is on the middle line at the far right. Clicking on search opens a new window with the search options.

Search allows you to look for any text in the calendar event and popup text fields - look for Lodge names, event names, etc.

You can search for specific categories - for example selecting D4_Lodge_Stated and pressing the Search button will list all the meetings for the specified time frame.

Events and Calendar

Leeland.Artra — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:50:47 CST

2009 Calendar See The Interactive Calendar For All Future Planning Color Key to Events on this page. Tyled unless noted.
Stated Meetings / Dinners		Visitations	Ladies & Guests Event	Open	Special Event

Announcements and Special Events

2009 Elected Lodge officers are requested and required to attend Step Up Night Practices set for Sunday November 30th starting at 4p.m.
All participants for the officers installation are requested and required to attend the practice set for Sunday December 7th.
Both practice days will be broken into two parts with a dinner and fellowship between.
Due to New Year's Day the January Stated Meeting will be on Thursday January 8th.
Green Lake always has a 6:30 pm complimentary dinner which is open to wives, friends, interested candidates and visitors before Stated Meetings.

2008 Calendar
Date	Event	Time	Place
Nov 23 (Sun)	D4 Bowling Competition	1:00pm	Robinhood Lanes in Edmonds
Nov 30 (Sun)	Practice for Step Up Night	4:00pm Start Practice 6:00pm dinner (Burgers) 7:00pm Continue Practice 8:30pm end	Green Lake MC
Dec 4 (Thu)	Stated Meeting - Step Up Night	6:30pm dinner (Steak & Potatoes) 7:30 meeting	Green Lake MC
Dec 7 (Sun)	Practice for Installation	4:00pm Start Practice 6:00pm dinner (TBD) 7:00pm Continue Practice 8:30pm end	Green Lake MC
Dec 12 (Fri)	Open Installation of Officers for 2009	6:00pm dinner (BBQ Beef & Chicken) 7:00 Installation	Green Lake MC

2009 Calendar
See The Interactive Calendar For All Future Planning

Pride in being a Freemason

Leeland.Artra — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:59:01 CST

The Power of Freemasonry

Taking pride in our fraternity

Freemasonry is the oldest and most prestigious fraternal organization known to recorded history. It is the blueprint for fraternalism. Freemasons actively help preserve and protect history.

Lodges and Grand Lodges retain memorabilia and records which are frequently displayed for the public to see and enjoy - and not all of the items relate strictly to Freemasonry.
Masons become part of activities which help to create, preserve and/or protect a heritage which we share. Whether it's raising funds or simply working as individuals, this involvement is a satisfying way of contributing to the enrichment of life of our fellow men and women.
And last, but not least, Freemasonry has given 'gifts' to the nations in which it exists to help the peoples of that country more fully enjoy its heritage.

Fraternalism is needed in our present society more than ever before.

Members of a family learn to love, respect, appreciate, have compassion for and to live harmoniously with each other.
Freemasonry is an expansion of the family circle. Masons learn to be better brothers within the Masonic family and thence to the world at large.

A genius of Freemasonry is the emphasis it places on the need to support a set of moral values which has withstood the test of time. It is a privilege to be loyal to that fraternity which continues to stabilize a moral code that is being eroded by indecision, experimentation and indifference by others.
A second genius of Freemasonry is its proposition that one cannot build a better society without first building better ingredients of that society -- e.g.: men. We can be proud of our Ritual, which is filled, with lessons of how to be better and more "upright" men.
Freemasons played a noble and impressive role in the formation of the United States government. Much of the insights, concerns and brilliance of Masonic stalwarts such as George Washington, Ben Franklin, Peyton Randolph, Robert Livingston and scores of others helped to develop that profound document we call our Constitution. Every Freemason can be proud of the American and Masonic heritages which are so closely related. The concepts of liberty, freedom and fraternity are Masonic concepts.
The Masonic Family provides more than $2 million a day to charitable activities such as hospitals, youth scholarship, and those less fortunate than we.
Freemasons have provided more than $9 million and millions of hours of volunteer labor to support more than 157 Veterans Administration Medical Centers, several state operated Veterans Homes and a number of Military Hospitals in the United States as well as other countries.
Fraternities can help to break down the greatest of all barriers to a healthy society – the caste system that grows out of uncontrolled egos. Freemasonry is unique in this effort by teaching that it is a place "for the high, the low, the rich, the poor to meet together -- on the level". This one important contribution alone is worth all the support that can be given to Freemasonry.
Freemasonry is an international Fraternity. It exists in nearly every country except where totalitarian governments outlaw it by decree. Freemasonry is perhaps the strongest tie that binds the world into a universal brotherhood. It certainly has the potential to be even a stronger cord for that noble purpose.
Freemasonry is an educational institution. It teaches that a part of being a Freemason is to learn to improve oneself. It offers and promotes many opportunities for its members to grow as individuals.
Freemasonry is probably the first, and certainly continues to be, the strongest force to promote ecumenism (religious tolerance).

Contact Us Form

Leeland.Artra — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:02:19 CST

Getting in touch with us is as easy as filling in this form and clicking on send. We normally respond to requests within 24 hours. If you want someone to call you back please include when it is good to call you in your message.

Explanation of Titles and abbreviations of Titles:

MWB - Most Worshipful Brother - a title held only by a Grand Master or Past Grand Master
RWB - Right Worshipful Brother - an elected or past elected Grand Lodge officer
VWB - Very Worshipful Brother - a Deputy or past Deputy of the Grand Master
WB - Worshipful Brother - a Master or past Master of a Lodge
B, Bro - Brother - All Freemasons are fraternal brothers

Special Events

Leeland.Artra — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 12:40:44 CST

Secrets of the Chair - Is a breakfast meeting for Past Masters of the lodges and newly installed Masters in Districts 2, 4 and 5 to the "Secrets of the Chair."

Spud Night - Is an open evening where there is absolutely no Masonic activities scheduled. It is an open evening for family, friends and guests to come and enjoy the lodge. We put out everything you can imagine to put on a baked potato and a huge hopper of giant baked potatoes. Come have a potato with anything you like on it and enjoy the atmosphere. The lodge room will be open. There will be a show to go with the dinner!

Other Masonic Websites

Leeland.Artra — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 03:09:26 CST

There are literally thousands of websites on the Internet about Masons and Masonry. The following list contains sites that are good beginning points to learn about Masonry in general and Washington Masons in particular.

Other Lodges That Use Our Building

Eureka Lodge #20 F&AM of WA - Seattle's Masonic Lodge for Science Education
Daylight Lodge #232 F&AM of WA - Seattle's Masonic Lodge of the Arts

Washington Masonic Links

Washington Grand Lodge - Contains links to all of the districts in Washington state that have websites.
District Four Masons - Contains links to all of Green Lake Lodge's neighboring lodges in the district.

Information about Masons and Masonry

Masonic Service Association and Information Center - Publishers of an extensive library of short works on all aspects of American Masonry.
E-M@son - Contains links to hundreds of other lodge websites in all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries.
Philalethes Society - The world's oldest and largest Masonic research organization.
Gary Dryfoo's Page about Freemasonry - One of the most popular sites for information about Masonry.
Anti-Masonry - An ambitious and impressive attempt to catalog and analyze the attacks on and rumors about Masonry. Now over 150 pages long and still growing.

2008 Lodge Officers

Leeland.Artra — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 03:01:46 CST

2008 Lodge Officers
Worshipful Master	WB Al Luberts
Senior Warden	VWB Michael Cuadra
Junior Warden	Bro Aaron Brashears
Treasurer	VWB Ned Daniels
Secretary	WB Jack R. Waterson
Chaplain	WB Arthur Shipe
Marshal	WB Jerry Biddle
Senior Deacon	Bro Leeland Artra
Junior Deacon	Bro Steve Dombrowski
Senior Steward	(open)
Junior Steward	(open)
Musician	Bro Adam Creighton
Tyler	WB Phil Hastings

What is a Mason

Leeland.Artra — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 02:55:46 CST

“I think my grandfather was one, but I’m not sure what it means.”

“Yeah, my dad and uncle both used to go to Masonic meetings I remember Uncle Fred coming by to pick him up. But I don’t know where they went or what they did.”

“I think they wear those funny hats.”

What’s a Mason (Freemason)?

That’s not a surprising question. Even though Masons (Freemasons) are members of the largest and oldest fraternity in the world, and even though almost everyone has a father or grandfather or uncle who was a Mason, many people aren’t quite certain just who Masons are. The answer is simple. A Mason (or Freemason) is a member of a fraternity known as Masonry (or Freemasonry). A fraternity is a group of men (just as a sorority is a group of women) who join together because:

There are things they want to do in the world.
There are things they want to do “inside their own minds.”
They enjoy being together with men they like and respect.

What’s Masonry (Freemasonry)?

Masonry (or Freemasonry) is the oldest fraternity in the world. No one knows just how old it is because the actual origins have been lost in time. Probably, it arose from the guilds of stonemasons who built the castles and cathedrals of the Middle Ages. Possibly, they were influenced by the Knights Templar, a group of Christian warrior monks formed in 1118 to help protect pilgrims making trips to the Holy Land.

In 1717, Masonry created a formal organization in England when the first Grand Lodge was formed. A Grand Lodge is the administrative body in charge of Masonry in some geographical area. In the United States, there is a Grand Lodge in each state. In Canada, there is a Grand Lodge in each province. Local organizations of Masons are called lodges. There are lodges in most towns, and large cities usually have several. There are about 13,200 lodges in the United States.

If Masonry started in Great Britain, how did it get to America?

In a time when travel was by horseback and sailing ship, Masonry spread with amazing speed. By 1731, when Benjamin Franklin joined the fraternity, there were already several lodges in the Colonies, and Masonry spread rapidly as America expanded west. In addition to Franklin, many of the Founding Fathers — men such as George Washington, Paul Revere, Joseph Warren, and John Hancock — were Masons. Masons and Masonry played an important part in the Revolutionary War and an even more important part in the Constitutional Convention and the debates surrounding the ratification of the Bill of Rights. Many of those debates were held in Masonic lodges.

What’s a lodge?

The word “lodge” means both a group of Masons meeting in some place and the room or building in which they meet. Masonic buildings are also sometimes called “temples” because much of the symbolism Masonry uses to teach its lessons comes from the building of King Solomon’s Temple in the Holy Land. The term “lodge” itself comes from the structures which the stonemasons built against the sides of the cathedrals during construction. In winter, when building had to stop, they lived in these lodges and worked at carving stone.

While there is some variation in detail from state to state and country to country, lodge rooms today are generally set up in a East-West rectangle with the officers sitting in the centers of East, West and South walls. If you’ve ever watched C-SPAN’s coverage of the House of Commons in London, you’ll notice that the layout is about the same. Since Masonry came to America from England, we still use the English floor plan and English titles for the officers.

The Worshipful Master of the Lodge sits in the East (“Worshipful” is an English term of respect which means the same thing as “Honorable.”) He is called the Master of the lodge for the same reason that the leader of an orchestra is called the “Concert Master.” It’s simply an older term for “Leader.” In other organizations, he would be called “President.” The Senior and Junior Wardens are the First and Second Vice-Presidents. The Deacons are messengers and the Stewards have charge of refreshments.

Every lodge has an altar holding a “Volume of the Sacred Law.” In the United States and Canada, that is almost always a Bible. However, lodges with members of differing religions will place on the alter appropriate "Volumes of Sacred Law" for their members. So it should not be a surprise for a lodge to have the Qur'an or Tanakh or Aradia or a mix of these and others on the central alter. Masonry is not fraternal in the sense of a specific religion only that its members all believe that there is one true god (refered to Masonically as the Grand Archetect of the Universe), that there is a continuation of the soul after mortal death and that our actions in this life reflect upon what happens to our souls after death.

What goes on in a lodge?

This is a good place to repeat what we said earlier about why men become Masons:

There are things they want to do in the world.
There are things they want to do “inside their own minds.”
They enjoy being together with men they like and respect.

The Lodge is the center of those activities.

Masonry Does Things in the World

Masonry teaches that each person has a responsibility to make things better in the world. Most individuals won’t be the ones to find a cure for cancer, or eliminate poverty, or help create world peace, but every man and woman and child can do something to help others and to make things a little better. Masonry is deeply involved with helping people — it spends more than $2 million dollars every day in the United States, just to make life a little easier. And the great majority of that help goes to people who are not Masons. Some of these charities are vast projects, like the Crippled Children’s Hospitals and Burns Institutes built by the Shriners. Also, Scottish Rite Masons maintain a nationwide network of over 100 Childhood Language Disorders Clinics, Centers, and Programs. Each helps children afflicted by such conditions as aphasia, dyslexia, stuttering, and related learning or speech disorders. Some services are less noticeable, like helping a widow pay her electric bill or buying coats and shoes for disadvantaged children. And there’s just about anything you can think of in-between. But with projects large or small, the Masons of a lodge try to help make the world a better place. The lodge gives them a way to combine with others to do even more good.

Masonry does things “inside” the individual Mason

“Grow or die” is a great law of all nature. Most people feel a need for continued growth and development as individuals. They feel they are not as honest or as charitable or as compassionate or as loving or as trusting as they ought to be. Masonry reminds its members over and over again of the importance of these qualities. It lets men associate with other men of honor and integrity who believe that things like honesty and compassion and love and trust are important. In some ways, Masonry is a support group for men who are trying to make the right decisions. It’s easier to practice these virtues when you know that those around you think they are important, too, and won’t laugh at you. That’s a major reason that Masons enjoy being together.

Masons enjoy each other’s company

It’s good to spend time with people you can trust completely, and most Masons find that in their lodge. While much of lodge activity is spent in works of charity or in lessons in self-development, much is also spent in fellowship. Lodges have picnics, camping trips, and many events for the whole family. Simply put, a lodge is a place to spend time with friends.

For members only, two basic kinds of meetings take place in a lodge. The most common is a simple business meeting. To open and close the meeting, there is a ceremony whose purpose is to remind us of the virtues by which we are supposed to live. Then there is a reading of the minutes; voting on petitions (applications of men who want to join the fraternity); planning for charitable functions, family events, and other lodge activities; and sharing information about members (called “Brothers,” as in most fraternities) who are ill or have some sort of need. The other kind of meeting is one in which people join the fraternity — one at which the “degrees” are performed.

But every lodge serves more than its own members. Frequently, there are meetings open to the public. Examples are Ladies’ Nights, “Brother Bring a Friend Nights,” public installations of officers, Cornerstone Laying ceremonies, and other special meetings supporting community events and dealing with topics of local interest. Masons also sponsor Ladies groups such as The Order of Eastern Star and Amaranth, and Youth Groups such as Triangle, Rainbow, Constellation, Job’s Daughters; for girls, and Order of DeMolay for Boys.

What’s a degree?

A degree is a stage or level of membership. It’s also the ceremony by which a man attains that level of membership. There are three, called Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason. As you can see, the names are taken from the craft guilds. In the Middle Ages, when a person wanted to join a craft, such as the gold smiths or the carpenters or the stonemasons, he was first apprenticed. As an apprentice, he learned the tools and skills of the trade. When he had proved his skills, he became a “Fellow of the Craft” (today we would say “Journeyman”), and when he had exceptional ability, he was known as a Master of the Craft.

The degrees are plays in which the candidate participates. Each degree uses symbols to teach, just as plays did in the Middle Ages and as many theatrical productions do today. (We’ll talk about symbols a little later.)

The Masonic degrees teach the great lessons of life — the importance of honor and integrity, of being a person on whom others can rely, of being both trusting and trustworthy, of realizing that you have a spiritual nature as well as a physical or animal nature, of the importance of self-control, of knowing how to love and be loved, of knowing how to keep confidential what others tell you so that they can “open up” without fear.

Why is Masonry so “secretive”?

It really isn’t “secretive,” although it sometimes has that reputation. Masons certainly don’t make a secret of the fact that they are members of the fraternity. We wear rings, lapel pins and tie tacks with Masonic emblems like the Square and Compasses, the best known of Masonic signs which, logically, recalls the fraternity’s roots in stone masonry. Masonic buildings are clearly marked, and are usually listed in the phone book. Lodge activities are not secret picnics and other events are even listed in the newspapers, especially in smaller towns. Many lodges have answering machines which give the upcoming lodge activities. But there are some Masonic secrets, and they fall into two categories.

The first are the ways in which a man can identify himself as a Mason — grips and passwords. We keep those private for obvious reasons. It is not at all unknown for unscrupulous people to try to pass themselves off as Masons in order to get assistance under false pretenses.

The second group is harder to describe, but they are the ones Masons usually mean if we talk about “Masonic secrets.” They are secrets because they literally can’t be talked about, can’t be put into words. They are the changes that happen to a man when he really accepts responsibility for his own life and, at the same time, truly decides that his real happiness is in helping others.

It’s a wonderful feeling, but it’s something you simply can’t explain to another person. That’s why we sometimes say that Masonic secrets cannot (rather than “may not”) be told. Try telling someone exactly what you feel when you see a beautiful sunset, or when you hear music, like the national anthem, which suddenly stirs old memories, and you’ll understand what we mean.

“Secret societies” became very popular in America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. There were literally hundreds of them, and most people belonged to two or three. Many of them were modeled on Masonry, and made a great point of having many “secrets.” And Masonry got ranked with them. But if Masonry is a secret society, it’s the worst-kept secret in town. For an example see the WABC-TV, Channel 7, New York City news report (streaming video RealPlayer required) that aired in May 1994.

Is Masonry a religion?

The answer to that question is simple. No.

We do use ritual in the meetings, and because there is always an altar or table with the Volume of the Sacred Law open if a lodge is meeting, some people have confused Masonry with a religion, but it is not. That does not mean that religion plays no part in Masonry — it plays a very important part. A person who wants to become a Mason must have a belief in God. No atheist can ever become a Mason. Meetings open with prayer, and a Mason is taught, as one of the first lessons of Masonry, that one should pray for divine counsel and guidance before starting an important undertaking. But that does not make Masonry a “religion.”

Sometimes people confuse Masonry with a religion because we call some Masonic buildings “temples.” But we use the word in the same sense that Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes called the Supreme Court a “Temple of Justice” and because a Masonic lodge is a symbol of the Temple of Solomon. Neither Masonry nor the Supreme Court is a religion just because its members meet in a “temple.”

In some ways, the relationship between Masonry and religion is like the relationship between the Parent-Teacher Association (the P.T.A.) and education. Members of the P.T.A. believe in the importance of education. They support it. They assert that no man or woman can be a complete and whole individual or live up to his or her full potential without education. They encourage students to stay in school and parents to be involved with the education of their children. They may give scholarships. They encourage their members to get involved with and support their individual schools.

But there are some things P.T.A.s do not do. They don’t teach. They don’t tell people which school to attend. They don’t try to tell people what they should study or what their major should be.

In much the same way, Masons believe in the importance of religion. Masonry encourages every Mason to be active in the religion and church of his own choice. Masonry teaches that, without religion, a man is alone and lost, and that without religion, he can never reach his full potential. But Freemasonry does not tell a person which religion he should practice or how he should practice it. That is between the individual and God. That is the function of his house of worship, not his fraternity. And Masonry is a fraternity, not a religion.

What is a Masonic Bible?

Bibles are popular gifts among Masons, frequently given to a man when he joins the lodge or at other special events. A Masonic Bible is the same book anyone thinks of as a Bible (it’s usually the King James translation) with a special page in the front on which to write the name of the person who is receiving it and the occasion on which it is given. Sometimes there is a special index or information section which shows the person where in the Bible to find the passages which are quoted in the Masonic ritual.

If Masonry isn’t a religion, why does it use ritual?

Many of us may think of religion when we think of ritual, but ritual is used in every aspect of life. It’s so much a part of us that we just don’t notice it. Ritual simply means that some things are done more or less the same way each time.

Almost all school assemblies, for example, start with the principal or some other official calling for the attention of the group. Then the group is led in the Pledge of Allegiance. A school choir or the entire group may sing the school song. That’s a ritual.

Almost all business meetings of every sort call the group to order, have a reading of the minutes of the last meeting, deal with old business, then with new business. That’s a ritual. Most groups use Robert’s Rules of Order to conduct a meeting. That’s probably the best-known book of ritual in the world.

There are social rituals which tell us how to meet people (we shake hands), how to join a conversation (we wait for a pause, and then speak), how to buy tickets to a concert (we wait in line and don’t push in ahead of those who were there first). There are literally hundreds of examples, and they are all rituals.
Masonry uses a ritual because it’s an effective way to teach important ideas — the values we’ve talked about earlier. And it reminds us where we are, just as the ritual of a business meeting reminds people where they are and what they are supposed to be doing. Masonry’s ritual is very rich because it is so old. It has developed over centuries to contain some beautiful language and ideas expressed in symbols. But there’s nothing unusual in using ritual. All of us do it every day.

Why does Masonry use symbols?

Everyone uses symbols every day, just as we do ritual. We use them because they communicate quickly. When you see a stop sign , you know what it means, even if you can’t read the word “stop.” The circle and line mean “don’t” or “not allowed.” In fact, using symbols is probably the oldest way of communication and the oldest way of teaching.

Masonry uses symbols for the same reason. Some form of the “Square and Compasses” is the most widely used and known symbol of Masonry. In one way, this symbol is a kind of trademark for the fraternity, as the “golden arches” are for McDonald’s. When you see the Square and Compasses on a building, you know that Masons meet there.

And like all symbols, they have a meaning.

The Square symbolizes things of the earth, and it also symbolizes honor, integrity, truthfulness, and the other ways we should relate to this world and the people in it. The Compasses symbolize things of the spirit, and the importance of a well-developed spiritual life, and also the importance of self-control — of keeping ourselves within bounds. The G stands for Geometry, the science which the ancients believed most revealed the glory of God and His works in the heavens, and it also stands for God, Who must be at the center of all our thoughts and of all our efforts. The meanings of most of the other Masonic symbols are obvious. The gavel teaches the importance of self-control and self-discipline. The hourglass teaches us that time is always passing, and we should not put off important decisions.

So, is Masonry education?

Yes. In a very real sense, education is at the center of Masonry. We have stressed its importance for a very long time. Back in the Middle Ages, schools were held in the lodges of stonemasons. You have to know a lot to build a cathedral — geometry, and structural engineering, and mathematics, just for a start. And that education was not very widely available. All the formal schools and colleges trained people for careers in the church, or in law or medicine. And you had to be a member of the social upper classes to go to those schools. Stonemasons did not come from the aristocracy. And so the lodges had to teach the necessary skills and information. Freemasonry’s dedication to education started there. It has continued. Masons started some of the first public schools in both Europe and America. We supported legislation to make education universal. In the 1800s Masons as a group lobbied for the establishment of state supported education and federal land grant colleges. Today we give millions of dollars in scholarships each year. We encourage our members to give volunteer time to their local schools, buy classroom supplies for teachers, help with literacy programs, and do everything they can to help assure that each person, adult or child, has the best educational opportunities possible.

And Masonry supports continuing education and intellectual growth for its members, insisting that learning more about many things is important for anyone who wants to keep mentally alert and young.

What does Masonry teach?

Masonry teaches some important principles. There’s nothing very surprising in the list. Masonry teaches that:

Since God is the Creator, all men and women are the children of God. Because of that, all men and women are brothers and sisters, entitled to dignity, respect for their opinions, and consideration of their feelings.
Each person must take responsibility for his/her own life and actions. Neither wealth nor poverty, education nor ignorance, health nor sickness excuses any person from doing the best he or she can do or being the best person possible under the circumstances.
No one has the right to tell another person what he or she must think or believe. Each man and woman has an absolute right to intellectual, spiritual, economic, and political freedom. This is a right given by God, not by man. All tyranny, in every form, is illegitimate.
Each person must learn and practice self-control. Each person must make sure his spiritual nature triumphs over his animal nature. Another way to say the same thing is that even when we are tempted to anger, we must not be violent. Even when we are tempted to selfishness, we must be charitable. Even when we want to “write someone off,” we must remember that he or she is a human and entitled to our respect. Even when we want to give up, we must go on. Even when we are hated, we must return love, or, at a minimum, we must not hate back. It isn’t easy!
Faith must be in the center of our lives. We find that faith in our houses of worship, not in Freemasonry, but Masonry constantly teaches that a person’s faith, whatever it may be, is central to a good life.
Each person has a responsibly to be a good citizen, obeying the law. That doesn’t mean we can’t try to change things, but change must take place in legal ways.
It is important to work to make this world better for all who live in it. Masonry teaches the importance of doing good, not because it assures a person’s entrance into heaven — that’s a question for a religion, not a fraternity — but because we have a duty to all other men and women to make their lives as fulfilling as they can be.
Honor and integrity are essential to life. Life, without honor and integrity, is without meaning.

What are the requirements for membership?

The person who wants to join Masonry must be a man (it’s a fraternity), sound in body and mind, who believes in God, is at least the minimum age required by Masonry in his state, and has a good reputation. (Incidentally, the “sound in body” requirement — which comes from the stonemasons of the Middle Ages — doesn’t mean that a physically challenged man cannot be a Mason; many are).

Those are the only “formal” requirements. But there are others, not so formal. He should believe in helping others. He should believe there is more to life than pleasure and money. He should be willing to respect the opinions of others. And he should want to grow and develop as a human being.

How does a man become a Mason?

Some men are surprised that no one has ever asked them to become a Mason. They may even feel that the Masons in their town don’t think they are “good enough” to join. But it doesn’t work that way. For hundreds of years, Masons have been forbidden to ask others to join the fraternity. We can talk to friends about Masonry, we can tell them about what Masonry does. We can tell them why we enjoy it. But we can’t ask, much less pressure anyone to join.

There’s a good reason for that. It isn’t that we’re trying to be exclusive. But becoming a Mason is a very serious thing. Joining Masonry is making a permanent life commitment to live in certain ways. We’ve listed most of them above — to live with honor and integrity, to be willing to share and care about others, to trust each other, and to place ultimate trust in God. No one should be “talked into” making such a decision.

So, when a man decides he wants to be a Mason, he asks a Mason for a petition or application. He fills it out and gives it to the Mason, and that Mason takes it to the local lodge. The Master of the lodge will appoint a committee to visit with the man and his family, find out a little about him and why he wants to be a Mason, tell him and his family about Masonry, and answer their questions. The committee reports to the lodge, and the lodge votes on the petition. If the vote is affirmative — and it usually is — the lodge will contact the man to set the date for the Entered Apprentice Degree. When the person has completed all three degrees, he is a Master Mason and a full member of the fraternity.

So, what’s a Mason?

A Mason is a man who has decided that he likes to feel good about himself and others. He cares about the future as well as the past, and does what he can, both alone and with others, to make the future good for everyone.

Many men over many generations have answered the question, “What is a Mason?” One of the most eloquent was written by the Reverend Joseph Fort Newton, an internationally honored minister of the first half of the 20th Century.

When is a man a Mason?
When he can look out over the rivers, the hills, and the far horizon with a profound sense of his own littleness in the vast scheme of things, and yet have faith, hope, and courage which is the root of every virtue.

When he knows that down in his heart every man is as noble, as vile, as divine, as diabolic, and as lonely as himself, and seeks to know, to forgive, and to love his fellow man.

When he knows how to sympathize with men in their sorrows, yea, even in their sins knowing that each man fights a hard fight against many odds.

When he has learned how to make friends and to keep them, and above all how to keep friends with himself When he loves flowers, can hunt birds without a gun, and feels the thrill of an old forgotten joy when he hears the laugh of a little child.

When he can be happy and high-minded amid the meaner drudgeries of life.

When star-crowned trees and the glint of sunlight on flowing waters, subdue him like the thought of one much loved and long dead.

When no voice of distress reaches his ears in vain, and no hand seeks his aid without response.

When he finds good in every faith that helps any man to lay hold of divine things and sees majestic meanings in life, whatever the name of that faith may be.

When he can look into a wayside puddle and see something beyond mud, and into the face of the most forlorn fellow mortal and see something beyond sin.

When he knows how to pray, how to love, how to hope.

When he has kept faith with himself with his fellow man, and with his God; in his hand a sword for evil, in his heart a bit of a song — glad to live, but not afraid to die!
Such a man has found the only real secret of Masonry, and the one which it is trying to give to all the world.

Masonic Compact

Leeland.Artra — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:59:25 CDT

Because I am a Freemason...

... I believe that freedom of religion is an inalienable human right and tolerance an indispensable trait of human character; therefore, I will stand in my Lodge with Brothers of all faiths, and respect their beliefs as they respect mine, and I will demonstrate the spirit of Brotherhood in all aspects of my life.
... I know that education and the rational use of the mind are the keys to facing the problems of humanity; therefore, I will bring my questions and my ideas to my Lodge, and strive to advance the growth of my mind alongside my Brothers.
... I know that the rich tradition of Freemasonry and its framework of Ritual are important platforms for growth and learning; therefore, I vow to stand upon these platforms to improve myself as a human being, and I vow to help in the mission of the Craft to provide tools, atmosphere, challenges and motivation to help each Brother do the same.
... I know that charity is the distinguishing human virtue, and that personal community service is the best demonstration of oneâ€™s commitment to humanity; I acknowledge that words without deeds are meaningless, and I vow to work with my Lodge to provide service to the community, and to promote charity, friendship, morality, harmony, integrity, fidelity and love.
... I know that my obligation to community extends beyond my local sphere and is partly fulfilled in my patriotism: love of my country, obedience to its laws and celebration of the freedoms and opportunities it symbolizes.
... I know that leadership is best demonstrated by commitment to serving others; I will therefore participate in, and help work at improving individual leadership skills, and serve the Brothers of my Lodge to the best of my ability.
... I know that friendship, fidelity and family are the foundations of a well-lived life; I therefore vow to be a faithful friend to my Brothers, as I expect my Lodge to respect my personal obligations, and to treat my family as though my family were their own.
... I know that the last great lesson of Freemasonry -- the value of personal integrity and the sanctity of one's word-- is a lesson for all people in all times; I therefore vow to be a man of my word.
... I know that Masonry's power is best exercised when its Light is shared with the world at large; I therefore vow to bring the best of myself to my Lodge, in order that my growth might be fostered and nurtured, and to present myself to the world as a working Freemason, on the path to building a more perfect temple.

Because I am a Freemason, these values and aspirations are guideposts for my progress through life.

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What is a Mason

What’s a Mason (Freemason)?

What’s Masonry (Freemasonry)?

If Masonry started in Great Britain, how did it get to America?

What’s a lodge?

What goes on in a lodge?

Masonry Does Things in the World

Masonry does things “inside” the individual Mason

Masons enjoy each other’s company

What’s a degree?

Why is Masonry so “secretive”?

Is Masonry a religion?

What is a Masonic Bible?

If Masonry isn’t a religion, why does it use ritual?

Why does Masonry use symbols?

So, is Masonry education?

What does Masonry teach?

What are the requirements for membership?

How does a man become a Mason?

So, what’s a Mason?

When is a man a Mason?

Masonic Compact

Because I am a Freemason...