Written by Right Worshipful Brother Wayne Spooner
Grand Lodge Membership Committee Chairman

At its foundation, Freemasonry is a learning and development institution that inspires and assists males on the journey to become the best versions of themselves. “Masonry consists of a course of ancient hieroglyphic moral instruction, taught agreeably to ancient usages by types, emblems, and allegorical figures.” That ritual excerpt captures the essence and power that our ancient and honorable fraternity has in the lives of its members.

In the unique development process of Ancient Craft Masonry, the membership prospect participates in a series of accelerated learning experiences – as he progresses through the Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason degree ceremonies. Whether fully realized or not, the Brother is exposed to age-old insights about learning, living, and contributing to society.

“The fraternal bond of mutual love, respect, and friendship are invisible, yet tangible aspects of our lives.”

Throughout the millennia, civilizations and cultures have taught the “Mysteries,” or rather “the Wisdom of the Ages” through various educational systems or schools. In the development of males, these tribes and societies had maintained a version of the Men’s House. In this place, males gathered to build trust, learn, grow, develop, teach one another, and receive guidance from the leaders and elders. Further, they received instruction and clarity on how to behave and execute their respective roles in the management and advancement of those societies. For good men in our current era, Freemasonry is that Men’s House, where the Mysteries are communicated, learned, and implemented in the lives of honorable men.

To achieve the powerful impact that Freemasonry provides to help males learn and be useful, we have to overcome a significant challenge. What is that challenge? We must address the reality that males do not easily raise their hands to say, “I don’t have a clue about what I’m doing, and I need help.” The vulnerability to communicate a lack of knowledge, skill, or experience and ask for assistance is critical to each Brother developing into a working Freemason. His ability to personally change and transform is directly tied to a Brother’s active and intentional decision to be a student. He must take the steps, “of his own free will and accord,” to explore the fraternity’s ritual ceremonies, history, principles, philosophy, procedures, practices, and protocols that drive positive results for the Fraternal Operations and Charities Operations of our grand jurisdiction.

In Illinois Freemasonry, we are embracing our roots as a learning institution and rising to address that challenge mentioned above through the “Back to the Fundamentals” Membership Development Focus Initiative (BTTF). Through this work and focus, we are seeking to inspire and assist our members in making positive progress on their personal and individual Masonic journey of self-improvement. We can no longer assume that the Brethren have a working knowledge and understanding of several fundamental topics about Freemasonry, know how to execute our work successfully, and are taking the correct steps to maximize their enjoyment of a meaningful and fulfilling Masonic Membership Experience.

Through the BTTF work, we seek to provide and highlight the following Six Fraternal Life Experiences available to all Freemasons.

#1 Mentorship & Guidance:

Consistent with its origins, Freemasonry pairs together Brethren who are students and teachers in both formal and informal learning experiences. For example, the Lodge Intender is assigned as the coach and teacher to help a membership prospect learn about Freemasonry overall and advance through the degree experiences. Also, Ritual Instructors (e.g. Grand Lecturers or Certified Lodge Instructors) have schools of instruction to help Lodge Officers and all members learn how to execute our ritual ceremonies with quality, accuracy and confidence.

Said simply, the learning and development journey of every Brother is not expected to be traveled alone. Freemasonry is too complex for him to navigate successfully on his own. Instead, a Brother has well-informed and humble men who would gladly serve as “Faithful Friends and Guides” to provide mentorship, coaching, and guidance to help make purposeful progress along his journey in Freemasonry and more broadly, in life.

#2 Independent Study:

As a learning institution, it should not be a surprise that reading, study, and practice are behaviors required of all Freemasons. Of course, a new Brother must dedicate time to study including the required proficiency exam materials to advance through the degrees. More importantly, once a Brother becomes a Master Mason, the real study and learning begins.

Are you interested in being a Lodge Officer? Would you like to serve on Degree Teams that execute our ritual ceremonies? Do you want to assist with the work of our Illinois Masonic Charities? Are you inspired to lend your management and leadership skills to help with the projects and committee work of your Lodge or the Grand Lodge? All of these questions and many more will unlock various independent study opportunities. Invest the time to review various Illinois Freemasonry reference materials, read books or articles, and listen to audio resources like the Short Talk Bulletin Podcast.

#3 Dwell In A Sanctuary:

Similar to the historical context of the Men’s House, our Masonic temples and Lodge gatherings are places of refuge from the distractions, noise, and challenges of the outer world. Here we can just be ourselves! Regardless of what may be happening in your professional / work or personal life, every Brother is provided with a regular date on the calendar each month to dwell with honorable men (Brothers and friends) who want you to enjoy life and be successful. During that time together, we receive reinforcement of the important principles and lessons of Freemasonry, especially during Degree ceremonies.

More broadly, Brethren gather here to talk, share ideas, learn together, ask questions, reflect on life’s personal challenges and opportunities, and support one another as fellow contributors to our Masonic work, families, and community. In particular, we cherish the warm handshakes or hugs from Brethren who welcome us to this private place where words like honor, integrity, brotherly love, freedom, equality, tolerance, learning, and service to mankind have profound meaning.

#4 Management and Leadership:

The Fraternal Operations of every Lodge, District, and Masonic Area in the state requires that its elected or appointed officers learn and demonstrate the requisite skills to effectively lead and advance the legacy of Freemasonry in Illinois. That progress does not happen by magic. It occurs through purposeful planning, prioritization, communications, financial management, and favorable utilization of finite resources to deliver positive results. The Brethren who take the management and leadership roles within the fraternity should seek to be true Servant Leaders! Those experiences enrich our Masonic journey, especially by being positive examples for Brethren to emulate, recognizing team accomplishments, and celebrating success together.

#5 You Are Not Alone:

As Freemasons, we are connected to every Brother across the globe and throughout time. The fraternal bond of mutual love, respect, and friendship are invisible, yet tangible aspects of our lives. As Brothers and friends, we laugh together, cry together, champion the best for one another, and celebrate life’s cherished milestones together (e.g. a new child or grandchild, new job promotion, etc.). Keep this important thought in mind, “there are no strangers amongst Freemasons; they are just Brothers and friends whom you have yet to meet.”

Also, in this Digital Age, we have modern Masonic working tools like the Our Lodge Page System (OLP) which provides a private and secure place for Freemasons to stay connected (including having ready access to a calendar of events occurring at the Lodge, District, Masonic Area and Statewide levels) along with several other valuable features.

#6 Selfless Service:

The self-improvement that we invest in as Freemasons is not done for selfish reasons. On the contrary, we pursue personal learning, growth, and development to be useful and positively impact our fraternity, families, workplaces, and communities. With a passion, we follow through on the promises made to take care of our Brethren, widows, and families in addition to helping young people and other members of our communities. To accomplish that work, we financially support, assist with, and champion the operations of our several Illinois Masonic Charities programs, and similarly for the local community service work done by our Lodges throughout the state.

Lastly, our Masonic Renaissance in Illinois is being propelled forward by a focus on telling our unique Freemasonry story and delivering the fundamental fraternal experiences that are meaningful and transformative to our Brethren and membership prospects. A key question to ponder is, “Why do honorable men dedicate decade after decade of their lives to be working Freemasons?” The unique fraternal life experiences outlined above shed light on several valuable answers. Overall, as a timeless learning and development institute, Freemasonry will continue to leapfrog through time by embracing our roots to invest in self-improvement, connect attentive students with instructive teachers, create genuine friendships, and graciously serve the people and communities around us.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of the Illinois Freemasonry Magazine. Read the full issue here.