Looking for help/advice

[casper]

Hello all, after reading the forum for a while I've decide to stop sitting on the side line.

I became aware of freemasonry a number of years ago and I have read on and off for a long time. I think I have managed to sift through all the Internet nonsense that surrounds it, and draw my own conclusions as best I can.

I am very drawn to the principles on which the fraternity seems to be based and the more I read the more I feel it is something I would like to be part of, should I be accepted of course. However I do have a couple of question which I hope someone would be kind enough to answer.

I am twenty seven years old and can't help but think, "Am I a bit too young?" and is it the done thing to visit a number of lodges and petition the most suitable, or is applying to join the most local lodge the preferred method? Also, I am not heavily religious, although I do have faith, would this be a problem?

Please forgive the wall of text and thank you in advance, kind regards, C.

[McClef]

The normal minimal age for Initiation is 21 so you are not too young.

Do you have any friends/acquaintances who are Masons? If they they would be a good initial point of contact.

If not then it can be a good idea to make contact via a Lodge or Provincial web site in the area where you live who should be able to arrange to meet local members for a chat. As you will need a proposer and seconder and you would be unknown to them it might take a while for them to get to know you and vice versa. Other things you might need to consider are when Lodges meet - is it a convenient night for or you or not.

A good initial aid would be the UGLE leaflet that you can find at http://www.ugle.org.uk/becoming-a-mason it gives plenty of initial information and advice.

Hope this helps.

[Trouillogan]

Very glad to hear, Casper, that you have spent some time doing your homework and that the decision is yours alone - that you are not being persuaded by someone else; it happens!

Your age is just about right for this. I came in at 22 and have never looked back.

I, too, am not overly religious but I do have faith. Sons of clergy tend to be a bit like that!

As to choice of a local Lodge, that's a difficult one to be certain about. There will probably be several lodges meeting in your area on different weekdays and months, so you can select a short-list of those most suited. You don't say where you are or if you have done that research yet. We can help you there too.

If you already know someone who is a Mason (bet you do but don't know it yet!) then that should help you to choose. Otherwise we can put you in touch with the Provincial Grand Lodge that looks after your locality. They will be able to point you towards Lodges that have meeting dates that should suit you. You won't be able to visit any Lodges until you become a member but you would be able to attend their social functions, once you are known to them.

Please come back with some more questions and some location information we could work with and we'll do all we can to get you started.

[casper]

Apologies for the lack of actual content, I'm from the Morpeth area and as far as I am aware there are quite a number of lodges in my area.

Believe it or not, I don't know any masons, although as Trouillogan has said, I probably do, however this is one of he reasons I decided to join this site.

McClef, thank you for the link, I've had a good read through and it's very helpful, however I always manage to find questions that fit in the gaps (I must have been a "...why?" Child)

Trouillogan, that was always my intention, I did not want to even consider such a commitment without first understanding it as much as possible myself, the negative opinions actually astound me and it is something I hope to be able to discuss one day. Does being 'pressed' into freemasonry ever end well? I would have thought it was somewhat 'missing the point'.

A very close friend of mine growing up was the son of a vicar, and he was by no means an aspiring clergyman, but he was very insightful and spiritual, a really inspiring guy. It made for some interesting father/son debates.

Thank you very much for all the help and info, it is greatly appreciated, regards C.

[Trouillogan]

Casper, if you've not already found it, here is the direct link to the Contact page for the Province of Northumberland.

http://www.northumberlandmasons.org/home/contact-us.html

I suggest you just write, e-mail or telephone the Provincial Grand Secretary's office and explain what you want. I'm sure you will find them to be most helpful.

Every best wish.

[McClef]

Asking questions is good Casper we can probably fill in at least some of the gaps without revealing anything you need to find out by joining.

[Richard George]

Casper, if you've not already found it, here is the direct link to the Contact page for the Province of Northumberland.

http://www.northumberlandmasons.org/home/contact-us.html

I suggest you just write, e-mail or telephone the Provincial Grand Secretary's office and explain what you want. I'm sure you will find them to be most helpful.

Every best wish.

And FWIW, if you fill in the form on the UGLE website, it'll just get sent direct to the Provincial Office by the website (it uses the location that you enter) - no one at GL will normally see it.

Email them direct, telling them about yourself; where you live/work, what you do for a living, marital/family status, what attracts you to Freemasonry and why you want to join and what you hope to achieve by being a member .. you'll be asked that anyway, so include all the info on your initial email.

[Ninth Arch]

I can vouch that there is a very nice Masonic Hall with ample parking in Morpeth where several Lodges meet. I was Master of a Mark Lodge that meets there for a couple of years. I found the members extremely friendly and helpful.

http://www.morpethmasoniccentre.co.uk/

[lloydpickering]

If you do join a lodge, then let me know - I'm only down in Durham, so would love to pop along to help support a fellow young mason on his initiation.

I joined a few years ago when I was about your age - I'll be hitting the big 30 in April.

My advice would be don't jump at the first lodge you find. Every lodge is different, and I don't just mean meeting times etc it's about your fit with the brothers of the lodge and the traditions of the lodge Some value the social side of masonry, some lodges are perfectionists over the ceremony etc. It is vital that you find a lodge that will suit you as your mother lodge will be vitally important to your masonic experiences. (Of course it isn't easy to work out which lodge will be best for you from the 'outside').

I was fortunate that I was recommended to join a School Lodge by a friend who is a mason.