In TwinCities.com
Psst, here's the password: Freemasonry giving up some of its secrets
By Jessica Fleming jfleming@pioneerpress.com
Freemasonry is an ancient fraternity, and just a decade ago, its leaders saw their membership getting pretty ancient, too.
But best-selling novels like Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" and movies like "National Treasure" are helping to change the group's demographics, local leaders say. And an influx of younger members is blogging, tweeting and linking the organization away from being a "secret" society.
"It's more like we choose to keep some things private," Minnesota's Masonic Grand Master Thomas McCarthy said.
In Farmington, Corinthian Lodge No. 76 recently opened its doors to the community to show off the newly redone hardwood floors and refurbished kitchen in its Craftsman-style building. In the past, the group probably would have been reluctant to invite the public inside, lodge Master Paul Hardt said.
But shedding the secrecy of the fraternity is something the Farmington lodge is embracing.
Its senior warden — "kind of like the vice president" — is Nick Johnson, a 27-year-old lawyer who blogs about Freemasonry, also known as Masonry, at millennialfreemason.com.
Johnson discovered a few years ago that both of his grandfathers were Freemasons, and after some research, he decided to join the fraternity.
His father joined shortly thereafter, and both are members of the Farmington lodge. In his blog, Johnson discusses the role of Freemasonry in his life, but also tries to dispel common misconceptions about the group.
Hardt said Masons take a vow not to talk about their rituals and symbols, but in the Internet age, keeping things a true secret is impossible.
"Google it," Hardt said. "You can find the exact rituals we do."
Johnson said social networking sites and online forums have been useful in his leadership role in the lodge.
"The Internet has changed Freemasonry into an exchange of ideas; it has opened it up so lodges can talk to each other, and it makes researching much easier," Johnson said.
AN ANCIENT ORDER
History and research are important parts of the all-male society, which arose from stonemason guilds in the Middle Ages, scholars say. At the time, legend has it, Masons were mystical men who carved huge stones from quarries and raised them into the air to construct soaring cathedral walls that defied gravity.
Masons knew the science of geometry enough to turn a small drawing into a massive structure, and that knowledge was a fiercely guarded trade secret.
The Masons developed passwords and secret handshakes to identify each other.
They also performed rituals when a man transitioned from apprentice to mason and, later, to master mason.
The organization kept many of the ancient rituals, symbols and handshakes, but over time evolved into a fraternity emphasizing personal study, self-improvement and social betterment.
Freemasonry was popular in colonial America — George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were Masons.
Although women are not allowed to be Freemasons, in the mid-1800s, an associated society, called the Order of the Eastern Star, was created for women interested in Masonry. Though any man can petition to be a Mason, a woman must have a familial connection to a Freemason in order to join the Eastern Star.
Masonry reached its pinnacle of membership in the late 1950s with more than 4 million members. Currently, fewer than 1.5 million men in the United States are Freemasons. In Minnesota, 15,700 men are Freemasons — also commonly referred to as Masons.
"The numbers are still going down, but at a lower rate than they had been," said McCarthy, the lodge master.
"The Greatest Generation, when they came home from (World War II), they joined everything," he said. "Baby boomers just didn't join things. For so long, we were losing more members to death than we were gaining."
A RENAISSANCE
That's turning around with Generation X and Millennial men, who are once again seeking to belong to a group.
"We have new members that are 18 to 20 years old," McCarthy said.
Another way Masons embrace the Information Age — and perhaps make younger members feel comfortable — is by handing each new member a copy of "Freemasons for Dummies," which offers an overview of Freemasonry, its history and its rituals.
"It's a great book," Hardt said.
One tenet of Freemasonry holds that the group not be allowed to recruit new members — interested men must contact the organization.
An Internet presence allows potential members to research the group and decide if it is something they are interested in.
And with the popularity of books such as "The Lost Symbol," whose fictionalized plot revolves around Freemasonry and its symbolism, the public is interested.
Opening up to the outside is not really built into the organization, though, and some older members are leery of the group's Internet presence, McCarthy said.
"We, like many organizations, are finding the old guys have a hard time letting go," McCarthy said. "Change is hard for everybody."
Farmington's lodge, an unassuming brick building in the city's old-fashioned downtown, was built in 1917.
The average passer-by wouldn't know it's a lodge — a red door to the upstairs meeting hall is nestled between two storefronts, one a salon and the other a martial arts school.
The lodge was built that way to keep it low key, but also to provide a revenue stream, Hardt said.
Look closer, though, and the square and compass symbols on the door's handle and the pediment above it become apparent.
The letter "G" in the center of the square and compass symbol stands for God and geometry — representing the spiritual and scientific emphasis of Masonry.
Masonry is a spiritual journey, Hardt said, but as long as a member believes in a higher power, he is welcome.
"We have Christians, Buddhists, Muslims," Hardt said. "We are one of the only organizations where people of different faiths can meet on common ground and not worry about being discriminated against."
Members are not allowed to talk about religion or politics, and that's part of what has kept Johnson — who was initially attracted to the society's mysterious history — coming back to the lodge.
"I'm friends with guys I would have never met otherwise," said Johnson. "I'm not a member of their religion or don't vote the same way they do."
Just as younger people are searching for a place to belong, they are also seeking the intangible, Hardt said.
"I think a lot of people today are looking for answers," he said. "They're looking for spiritual growth. I think Freemasonry can be part of the answer. We do not see it as a religion, though."
Throughout history, Freemasonry, because of its secretive symbols and rituals, has been looked upon warily by some religions, including the Roman Catholic faith.
The Catholic Church still bans its members from being Masons, but thousands of Roman Catholic men belong anyway.
The church objects to the fraternity's solemn oaths and secrecy, and has said that it considers Freemasonry a rival religion.
But Masons, McCarthy and Hardt say, are mostly about the betterment of the individual and the charity work they do, which should make them compatible with religions.
"We are not a replacement for church," Hardt said. "We are supplemental."
About 150 men are members of the Farmington lodge, Hardt said, but many of them no longer live in the area. An average of 15 men attend each lodge meeting, but Hardt would prefer that number to be closer to 25.
So he embraces Johnson's blog and Twitter feed, and even the Internet presence of Freemasonry critics.
"Some of our best recruiters are anti-Masonic Web sites," Hardt said. "They demystify things for people."
Psst, here's the password: Freemasonry giving up some of its secrets
By Jessica Fleming jfleming@pioneerpress.com
Freemasonry is an ancient fraternity, and just a decade ago, its leaders saw their membership getting pretty ancient, too.
But best-selling novels like Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" and movies like "National Treasure" are helping to change the group's demographics, local leaders say. And an influx of younger members is blogging, tweeting and linking the organization away from being a "secret" society.
"It's more like we choose to keep some things private," Minnesota's Masonic Grand Master Thomas McCarthy said.
In Farmington, Corinthian Lodge No. 76 recently opened its doors to the community to show off the newly redone hardwood floors and refurbished kitchen in its Craftsman-style building. In the past, the group probably would have been reluctant to invite the public inside, lodge Master Paul Hardt said.
But shedding the secrecy of the fraternity is something the Farmington lodge is embracing.
Its senior warden — "kind of like the vice president" — is Nick Johnson, a 27-year-old lawyer who blogs about Freemasonry, also known as Masonry, at millennialfreemason.com.
Johnson discovered a few years ago that both of his grandfathers were Freemasons, and after some research, he decided to join the fraternity.
His father joined shortly thereafter, and both are members of the Farmington lodge. In his blog, Johnson discusses the role of Freemasonry in his life, but also tries to dispel common misconceptions about the group.
Hardt said Masons take a vow not to talk about their rituals and symbols, but in the Internet age, keeping things a true secret is impossible.
"Google it," Hardt said. "You can find the exact rituals we do."
Johnson said social networking sites and online forums have been useful in his leadership role in the lodge.
"The Internet has changed Freemasonry into an exchange of ideas; it has opened it up so lodges can talk to each other, and it makes researching much easier," Johnson said.
AN ANCIENT ORDER
History and research are important parts of the all-male society, which arose from stonemason guilds in the Middle Ages, scholars say. At the time, legend has it, Masons were mystical men who carved huge stones from quarries and raised them into the air to construct soaring cathedral walls that defied gravity.
Masons knew the science of geometry enough to turn a small drawing into a massive structure, and that knowledge was a fiercely guarded trade secret.
The Masons developed passwords and secret handshakes to identify each other.
They also performed rituals when a man transitioned from apprentice to mason and, later, to master mason.
The organization kept many of the ancient rituals, symbols and handshakes, but over time evolved into a fraternity emphasizing personal study, self-improvement and social betterment.
Freemasonry was popular in colonial America — George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were Masons.
Although women are not allowed to be Freemasons, in the mid-1800s, an associated society, called the Order of the Eastern Star, was created for women interested in Masonry. Though any man can petition to be a Mason, a woman must have a familial connection to a Freemason in order to join the Eastern Star.
Masonry reached its pinnacle of membership in the late 1950s with more than 4 million members. Currently, fewer than 1.5 million men in the United States are Freemasons. In Minnesota, 15,700 men are Freemasons — also commonly referred to as Masons.
"The numbers are still going down, but at a lower rate than they had been," said McCarthy, the lodge master.
"The Greatest Generation, when they came home from (World War II), they joined everything," he said. "Baby boomers just didn't join things. For so long, we were losing more members to death than we were gaining."
A RENAISSANCE
That's turning around with Generation X and Millennial men, who are once again seeking to belong to a group.
"We have new members that are 18 to 20 years old," McCarthy said.
Another way Masons embrace the Information Age — and perhaps make younger members feel comfortable — is by handing each new member a copy of "Freemasons for Dummies," which offers an overview of Freemasonry, its history and its rituals.
"It's a great book," Hardt said.
One tenet of Freemasonry holds that the group not be allowed to recruit new members — interested men must contact the organization.
An Internet presence allows potential members to research the group and decide if it is something they are interested in.
And with the popularity of books such as "The Lost Symbol," whose fictionalized plot revolves around Freemasonry and its symbolism, the public is interested.
Opening up to the outside is not really built into the organization, though, and some older members are leery of the group's Internet presence, McCarthy said.
"We, like many organizations, are finding the old guys have a hard time letting go," McCarthy said. "Change is hard for everybody."
Farmington's lodge, an unassuming brick building in the city's old-fashioned downtown, was built in 1917.
The average passer-by wouldn't know it's a lodge — a red door to the upstairs meeting hall is nestled between two storefronts, one a salon and the other a martial arts school.
The lodge was built that way to keep it low key, but also to provide a revenue stream, Hardt said.
Look closer, though, and the square and compass symbols on the door's handle and the pediment above it become apparent.
The letter "G" in the center of the square and compass symbol stands for God and geometry — representing the spiritual and scientific emphasis of Masonry.
Masonry is a spiritual journey, Hardt said, but as long as a member believes in a higher power, he is welcome.
"We have Christians, Buddhists, Muslims," Hardt said. "We are one of the only organizations where people of different faiths can meet on common ground and not worry about being discriminated against."
Members are not allowed to talk about religion or politics, and that's part of what has kept Johnson — who was initially attracted to the society's mysterious history — coming back to the lodge.
"I'm friends with guys I would have never met otherwise," said Johnson. "I'm not a member of their religion or don't vote the same way they do."
Just as younger people are searching for a place to belong, they are also seeking the intangible, Hardt said.
"I think a lot of people today are looking for answers," he said. "They're looking for spiritual growth. I think Freemasonry can be part of the answer. We do not see it as a religion, though."
Throughout history, Freemasonry, because of its secretive symbols and rituals, has been looked upon warily by some religions, including the Roman Catholic faith.
The Catholic Church still bans its members from being Masons, but thousands of Roman Catholic men belong anyway.
The church objects to the fraternity's solemn oaths and secrecy, and has said that it considers Freemasonry a rival religion.
But Masons, McCarthy and Hardt say, are mostly about the betterment of the individual and the charity work they do, which should make them compatible with religions.
"We are not a replacement for church," Hardt said. "We are supplemental."
About 150 men are members of the Farmington lodge, Hardt said, but many of them no longer live in the area. An average of 15 men attend each lodge meeting, but Hardt would prefer that number to be closer to 25.
So he embraces Johnson's blog and Twitter feed, and even the Internet presence of Freemasonry critics.
"Some of our best recruiters are anti-Masonic Web sites," Hardt said. "They demystify things for people."
