What to Expect When You’re Initiated into a Freemasons’ Lodge

darrenmasonic

4 minutes ago

4 min read

If you’ve been accepted to join a Freemasons’ Lodge and the date of your Initiation is approaching, it’s perfectly natural to wonder what is actually going to happen.

You may have read things online. Friends may have dropped hints. You may even have encountered some of the more imaginative stories about Freemasonry that have circulated over the years.

The reality is rather different.

Your Initiation is designed to be memorable, thought-provoking and welcoming. And while there are parts of the ceremony that Freemasons traditionally don’t disclose beforehand, there is plenty we can tell you without spoiling the experience.

Before the evening

By the time your Initiation arrives, you should already know several members of the Lodge. You will have met your proposer and seconder, probably attended social events and had conversations about Freemasonry and why you would like to join.

So although you may be nervous, you won’t be walking into a room full of complete strangers.

You’ll normally be told what time to arrive, where to go and what to wear. In many Lodges, including ours, that generally means a dark suit, white shirt and suitable tie.

One useful piece of advice: don’t spend the days beforehand searching online for the ceremony.

You almost certainly can find it if you look hard enough. But knowing what happens in advance takes away something that you only get to experience once. Generations of Freemasons have gone through their Initiation without knowing precisely what awaits them, and that is part of what makes the evening special.

Is there anything to worry about?

No.

This is perhaps the most important thing for a prospective Freemason to understand.

An Initiation is not an ordeal, a test of courage or an exercise in humiliation. You won't be expected to do anything dangerous, degrading or contrary to your beliefs.

The members present want you to enjoy the evening. Many of them will remember their own Initiation very clearly, including the mixture of curiosity and nerves they felt beforehand.

There will also be someone looking after you and guiding you through what you need to do. You are not expected to know the ceremony.

In fact, at this stage, you aren't expected to know anything.

What actually happens?

Without giving away the ceremony itself, your Initiation introduces you to some of the fundamental ideas and principles of Freemasonry.

Freemasonry teaches through ceremony, symbolism and allegory. Rather than simply handing a new member a booklet explaining its principles, the ceremony presents ideas in a way intended to make you think about them.

You'll be guided throughout.

There will be questions, but there isn't an exam and nobody is trying to catch you out. Where a particular response is required, you'll be helped.

Some elements may initially seem unusual because Masonic ceremonies have developed over hundreds of years. Don't worry if you don't understand everything immediately.

You're not supposed to.

Indeed, one of the pleasures of Freemasonry is returning to ceremonies later and suddenly understanding something you experienced during your own Initiation.

What about religion?

Freemasonry welcomes men of different faiths. It is not itself a religion, nor does a Masonic Lodge exist to tell you how you should practise yours.

There are certain parts of our ceremonies where candidates may ordinarily kneel or have their heads uncovered. Where someone's religious observance requires something different, this can be discussed beforehand and appropriate arrangements made.

The important point is that we would rather you tell us than worry about it.

The same applies to physical requirements. If kneeling, standing for a period of time, walking unaided or anything similar would cause difficulty, speak to your proposer, Lodge Secretary or Membership Officer beforehand. It can normally be dealt with quietly and sensitively.

Nobody should feel embarrassed about asking.

You'll probably be nervous

Almost everybody is.

There's something rather reassuring about looking around the Lodge after your Initiation and realising that every Freemason in the room once stood where you are standing.

The senior Freemason who appears to know every word of the ceremony, the man running the Lodge, the Provincial officer visiting that evening and the Brother sitting beside you at dinner — all of them once arrived for their own Initiation wondering what on earth was about to happen.

Nerves are therefore entirely normal.

They generally disappear remarkably quickly.

Afterwards

For many Lodges, the meeting is only part of the evening.

Afterwards comes the Festive Board — essentially dinner together — and this is often where a new member begins to appreciate another important aspect of Freemasonry: friendship.

There may be speeches and toasts, plenty of conversation and probably some good-natured humour.

You'll also discover that people will want to congratulate you and hear what you thought of the ceremony.

Don't worry if your immediate answer is simply, “I'm not entirely sure what just happened!”

We've heard it before.

Your Initiation is only the beginning

Becoming a Freemason isn't about completing one ceremony.

Your Initiation makes you an Entered Apprentice, the first of the three degrees in Craft Freemasonry. In time, you can progress through the Second Degree, becoming a Fellow Craft, and subsequently the Third Degree, when you become a Master Mason.

But there is no need to rush.

Freemasonry reveals itself gradually. You'll watch other candidates being initiated, hear ceremonies again, learn more about their symbolism and begin taking part yourself if you wish.

And somewhere along the way, something interesting happens.

The Lodge that initially seemed full of unfamiliar faces starts to become your Lodge.