In 2001 I stepped into a Lodge in Highland. I was seeking a Fraternity and what I found was exactly what I thought I was looking for...all except the Alcohol! I was used to dealing in booze at most Fraternal Meetings (well at least AFTER the meeting), and I thought that Freemasonry was going to be able to provide me that. Little did I know that had I joined the Elks or the Moose I would have had that opportunity.
Freemasonry in 2001 was a night out of the house, and I made it quite a full night. When I walked in I was greeted by two Past Masters. A one WB Marion Benny Hinton and WB Charles Graves, looked at this young kid and after looked at each other asked the question..."Can we help you?" I simply replied, "I would like to become a Mason, and wanted to know how." They were obviously delighted to have a young man come strolling in and ask (as we had to do at that point). They took me in and asked me some questions, showed me the Lodge and handed me a petition, which I filled out on the spot. I asked about money and chuckled when they gave me the yearly cost. My college Fraternity was significantly higher per semester, so I came back with a check and after the decision was made I received a phone call from the Lodge Secretary saying that I was to be made an Entered Apprentice in the near future.
I enjoyed the Degrees of Masonry. It was all I had the mind to be able to do back then was simply "enjoy" them. The Degrees meant nothing more than mere "cool symbols" and a lot of memorization work. I wasn't able to digest any esoteric meanings or see deeper into what the life of a Master Mason was to entail. My Master Mason Degree was the most memorable experience. It was the sealing of the deal, so to speak. MWB Richard Elman was at that time possibly in the beginning stages of his travels to the Grand East (...pardon me Rick, as I am unsure). He raised me single-handed and did my optional "On Yonder Book" lecture. Those that know the height and weight difference between the two of us should get a good chuckle from thinking about the logistics of that. His part in my Degree other than some portions that would be obvious to Master Masons reading this is all that I remember. He made such an impact on me that I will NEVER (pun intended) forget it.
I tried to take an active role right from the beginning. I presented my "Answers" in open Lodge, and took part in 2002 as the Secretary for Indiana Harbor Lodge. Thank God I screwed that up. I had no clue what I was doing and am sure that MWB Max Carpenter must have wanted to kill me. It was an adventure to say the least, and most of it is details that are boring, much of which I don't remember.
Being a joiner, I became a Scottish Rite Mason in the fall of 2001. All I was told "was be ready for a great experience that is nothing like Blue Lodge." This wasn't totally sound advice in my opinion, as well in retrospect. The Brother who took me up there liked booze as much as I did and we partied like rock stars the night before I was to take the Degrees. We found a terrible club-like bar in the Mishawaka area of Indiana and enjoyed too much irresponsible fellowship. I was hung over and falling asleep most of the day. Later I ended up taking part in one of the Degrees as a Cast Member, but couldn't make it to South Bend on a regular basis for practice and such, so I quit.
York Rite was the next Masonic adventure I chose to start. The recurring theme to my stories thus far was "I don't remember much of...", and this was no different. It took me until 2011 to see another Mark Master Degree (of which I think it was conferred upon me in 2002), and I am now the Royal Arch Captain and took part in the conferring of the Degree on our Winter 2011 Class...OY! I am thankful that I quit before going through the Commandery. I just recently became a Templar in 2010.
Lastly, and surely not least, was my Shrine initiation. That one is a total blank, other than the fact that I KNOW I drank at that one. My former wife came to this one and "crowned" me with my Fez. I think she wanted to crown me with her fist for getting drunk too ;)
To step into the present to complete this post, I feel as though my initial experiences were done to be put on the back burner until I was able to get my head screwed on straight and figure out that all of this "stuff" had meaning. I know that if I wasn't such a boozer, my experiences would have been better. Since I can't change the past I have to find some level of acceptance for it being exactly the way it was supposed to be, and move on.
Freemasonry at the tail-end of 2009 is where the new story begins. That will be another night when it isn't 12:00 AM and I don't have to wake up for work.
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