Experiencing the Masonic Legacy Society
This article is taken from the March 2021 issue of Fraternal Review titled, “The Masonic Legacy Society.”
JAMES BUCKHORN
Masons can be found internationally, and although Masonic jurisdictions encompass vast tracts of land across the globe, it is said that Masonry truly happens locally.
While this is undoubtedly true, we must do all we can to ensure that the Masonic experience is curated to awaken the potential in each individual Mason; from the most wizened Past Master to the youngest Entered Apprentice. We must all strive to improve ourselves to be better enabled to teach those around us when the time comes.
Guided meditation on Masonry’s signs, symbols, and ritual is just one of the tools at our disposal as we contemplate where we can best apply the next strokes of our gavel and trowel. Participating in the Masonic Legacy Society’s contemplative exercises gives the participants a chance to dig deep and explore the more profound meaning and connections of the topic on which that meditation focuses.
It is not often that Masons get the chance to sit, relax, and ruminate on the smallest parts of our Craft. I think we owe it to ourselves to allow the overlooked aspects of our degrees to steep in this manner as they take up all of our attention for several minutes. Being the victim of an often uncalm mind, I was uncertain that I would get the full benefit of meditation; my fears were unfounded.
The MLS framework is both carefully structured and very forgiving, and I found the comments from other participants drew the group deeper into the discussion on that session’s symbol. It is truly sublime to take part in that discussion when a room of Brother Masons that you’ve known for many years opens up in a way you’ve never seen them do. The insights, correlations, and meanings discovered will leave you with food for thought for many days.
BRAD DREW
I was introduced to the Masonic Legacy Society in early 2020, during the height of a global pandemic. As a result of the pandemic, I had lost my job and found myself spending time reading, writing, studying (finishing a graduate degree), being with family, and most importantly, challenging myself to stay motivated.
The principles taught in the document, “Practicing the Art of Our Mysteries,” connected with me on both a spiritual and emotional level. I was, and still am in many ways, a beginner when it comes to meditation and contemplation. I had been interested in learning more about how to stay committed and engaged in Freemasonry during this virtual environment while also staying connected with the outside world.
After participating in the first Masonic Legacy Society virtual workshop, I was instantly drawn to the four elements or aspects of our being—the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and physical. The last seven months have forced me to adapt and change, and I have taken time each day to contemplate and reflect on some aspect of my life as it relates to one or more of these elements.
Am I taking enough walks outside? Do I take time to meditate? Did I call a Brother to discuss a book I had just read?
By following the process taught through the Masonic Legacy Society, I have grown as a person and Freemason, while also encouraging and challenging those around me to do the same.
BRYAN SIMMONS
Day after day, year after year, I drove down the same street to work. Over time, muscle memory takes over, and the scenery goes by in a blur on auto mode. One day, driving down the same seven-mile stretch I always took, I noticed what looked like a cemetery in someone’s front yard. I stopped, and sure enough, five or six old white stones were placed and evenly spread out, dating back to the 1800s.
Seeing those stones for the first time reminded me of Freemasonry, where we see degrees repeatedly, reciting the ritual over and over again. After a while, those sights begin to blur.
MLS, as explained in “The Document,” focuses on the ritual and symbolism from different angles and lenses. Suddenly, we notice things in our words and symbols that we had been driving past for years, even though they were in plain sight.
My most recent session of MLS focused on the pillars of King Solomon’s Temple. Passing through the columns, I saw them as my parents, one on each side, as I entered the temple as a rite of passage to manhood. It seems the Fellowcraft degree has more to offer than I had previously taken the time to notice.
Written by James Buckhorn, Brad Drew, and Bryan Simmons