Up to date.

This brings us up to date. I have been working on my EA stuff for about a month with the assistance of my uncle, the WM, and one of the brothers on the instruction nights. I got a little behind one week as I had a big project to do at school as well as a charity volleyball game that fell on the night of instuction. I did however, manage to travel to a couple other EA degrees in the area to help reinforce my lectures. I was informed at the last EA degree that there would be a fellowcraft degree next week at the Memphis lodge. I was eager to meet this brother since I had not seen him at instruction. It turns out, my FC degree was already scheduled as the WM had been tracking my progress and figured I would be ready, which I intend on being. So as of tonight, I will be taking my FC degree in a few days after which I will start the final leg of my journey to attaining the degree of Master Mason.

The Entered Apprentice

I recieved my Entered Apprentice degree in freemasonry on March 19. After working a full day in the lab and making it home in time to shower and dress, I made it to the lodge in time for dinner. There were members of several different lodges there as apparently an EA degree is a pretty special thing that is spread across the region. I was one of two that night and my grandfather and uncle drove an hour to see it. The WM, at my other uncle's request, allowed me to go first so that my grandfather could get back home at a decent hour. I was at once shocked and amused at the similarities to my fraternities ritual but also surprised by the differences. I realized at the end that actually very little had been explained to me. I will not go into the ritual here except to say that I was nervous for nothing.
It then fell upon me to learn a bit about the unwritten ritual with the aid of the brothers on intruction nights once a week. The WM also invited me to come over to the Scottish Rite to learn the question and answer sequence I would have to learn before I could advance.

Baby steps.

I called the WM for the Memphis lodge early in February. I was still spending alot of time with my grandmother but my school load was light. I told me to come talk to him since he worked at the Scottish Rite and it was right across the street from my school. I stopped by one afternoon and met him. I was surprised how young he was and what he did. He is working on a masters in college and also made time for the lodge. He invited me to lodge dinner before a meeting to meet some brothers. I attended that and was impressed with the array of people as well as how welcoming they were to me. During the dinner, I talked to some of the brothers and they informed me that I would have to go through an investigation. I was worried but they reassured me that it was informal and just so that they could get to know me.

I attended the interview and met some of the same guys I met at the dinner. The process was taking longer that I expected since it was now rounding on March. After a few questions that mirrored those on my petition, they asked me a few questions about what I do, my hobbies, etc. and gave me an opportunity to ask questions. Besides a few about how long the process takes (3 levels, at least 28 days between levels) and what was required to advance (learning some points on the level) I was satisfied since I had had several conversations with my grandfather. The WM told me that they would read and vote on my petition and that they would call me if I passed to take my first level.

In the second week of March, my grandmother passed away. At the funeral, Uncle Jimmy approached me and said that he would be at my first level. This was the first news I had heard since late february. He encouraged me to invite my grandfather and my other uncle who was also a mason. Later that evening, I got a phone call from the WM of the Memphis lodge informing me that my Entered Apprentice degree would take place the next thursday.

Getting started...

I found out when I was around ten years old that my grandfather was a freemason. I didn't really know what it was, I just remember seeing mailings from the Shriners, etc that he was a part of. I also remember my mom mentioning while I was growing up that she, her sisters, and my grandmother were all members of the Eastern Stars, but once again, I had no idea what these were. It was not until I was around 16 that I actually started researching the masons. I met a group of masons at a festival running a concession stand and struck up a conversation with one of the men. I asked him what it took to be a mason. I told him my grandfather is a mason and I was interested in the group. He told me to ask my grandfather and if he brushes me off, to ask again later. He told me that this was a sort of method to make sure that I really was interested and not just asking as a passing thought. So I did. I asked my grandfather about it. He told me you had to be 21 to join the lodge and if I wanted to join then, he would get me a petition. "Lodge", "Petition", all these words went over my head, but I knew when I was 21, I would pursue the course.

Fast forward about 5 years.

My interest in the masons is not diminished and is only strengthened by popular books and movies coming out such as The DiVinci Code and National Treasure. I have since gone off to college and joined a fraternity, Kappa Sigma, whose ritual we are told was written by a mason- Stephen Alonzo Jackson. My senior year, we initiated an older student who was working on his masters. He is an army luitenant and also a mason. I ask him about the masons and he tells me more about them, a little of the history, and some of the ideals. I ask him what it takes to join, and he offers to print me a petition and put in a good word with a lodge if I found one. After we initiated him into Kappa Sigma, he started laughing, saying that if I joined the masons, I would understand why he was amused.

I was too busy during my junior and senior years of college to pursue the idea of joining the masons so I put it on the back burner. It was not until the second semester of grad school that I had a light enough schedule to commit myself to something outside of school. This was January 2009 and my grandmother was in the hospital with brain cancer. Consequently I was at the hospital alot more and around my grandfather alot more. I asked him about it and he told me that he would sign my petition if I needed to, but since I lived in Memphis I should contact my uncle who is also a mason about a lodge closer to where I live.

Uncle Jimmy put me in touch with the Worshipful Master of Memphis Lodge #118.