by Daniel Lewis
Good news! I’m all done in my three craft degrees. I am now a very pleased Bristol Master Mason 
So I thought, why not celebrate by writing an article for my friends over at The Sanctum Sanctorum! This time I want to talk about my perspective of Masonic Education in England (specifically Bristol of course). I don’t speak with any authority from UGLE or the Province of Bristol, these are merely my observations and my opinions. Here we go.
What is Masonic Education?
I’ve been in the craft now for just over one year (my initiation was in January 2009), and I’ve contemplated about the definition of Masonic Education for quite a while. I don’t think it is an easy term to define really. Essentially it should be the official teachings of Grand Lodge, Provincial Grand Lodge and Lodge – what do I, as a Mason, need to officially learn in order to be a Mason – that is one definition anyway. Some lodges have leaflets and booklets which they give to new initiates, some lodges give lectures and some lodges even have CDs and DVDs. Another aspect of Masonic Education is Mentoring, which is becoming quite popular in England & Wales (under the UGLE) but more on this later. A final aspect of Masonic Education are the Questions and Answers (which are tests given to Freemasons as part of their ceremonies).
Masonic Education in England
The United Grand Lodge of England is promoting Education in two main forms. The first form is Mentoring, each lodge in England has (or should have) a designated Mentor who tends to be quite good in terms of researching Freemasonry and his lodge’s history. The other form is Orating; each Province in England has (or should have) a designated Orator, who will travel around the Province giving talks in lodges and in research circles. The Mentors and the Orators together provide solid foundations for all Freemasons to further their understanding of Freemasonry, and this is especially for new initiates but equally important for Past Masters also.
Two other forms of English Masonic Education
There are two other ways of Masonic Education which tend to be promoted under the United Grand Lodge of England. The first are Rehearsals, where ritual is performed and perfected prior to a meeting. The second are Research Circles, which are either lodges or informal gatherings where Masons discuss the history and philosophy of the Order.
Masonic Education in the Province of Bristol
As many know, we are a bit peculiar in Bristol… In my lodge, Saint Vincent Lodge 1404, we currently have one official Mentor. He once was the president of the Bristol Masonic Society, and so he is a marvellous person to have as a Mentor. However, we are a lot more relaxed about Mentoring and this is because there is a real urge by every single Bristol Mason to pass their knowledge across to other Masons (not just Bristol ones!). Essentially, I am saying that every Bristol Mason is in fact an unofficial Mentor to every other. This is a fantastic feeling. It is pervasive, ambient knowledge sharing which is unobtrusive yet friendly.
In Bristol we also have the Bristol Masonic Society (BMS), which is a Research Circle in the province specifically to talk about the history and philosophy of Bristol Masonry. I’m not yet a Member of the BMS, but I hope to be soon. The BMS has annual printed Transactions, and a few meetings per year.
Educating Myself in Freemasonry
As you found out in my previous article on the TSS Blog, I first started reading about Freemasonry years before I joined. I would read books, leaflets, web sites, and anything I could get my hands on. However, I always always avoided reading ritual, because in my heart I knew that one day I would join the fraternity. Before I joined I was interested in the history of Freemasonry and history of the philosophy of Freemasonry. After I joined I became incredibly interested in the differences between Bristol Ritual and elsewhere, in addition to the religious and spiritual relationships with Freemasonry. There is a lot of information out there about Freemasonry and much of it is pure rubbish! So we (as Masons and Non-Masons) must use reason and prior knowledge to work out what is right and what is wrong, even intuition can help with this if used correctly. It is our job to help and our job to find out!
Masonic Education for Non-Masons
British Masons seem to try their best to stay out of the limelight, it is rare to see Masonic bumper stickers or Masonic baseball caps or any other kind of prominent thing. This seems to make the non-Mason either think that the society is purely a “Gentlemens Club” with “funny handshakes”, or they try to find out stuff about Freemasonry on the web and find a load of Anti-Masonic rubbish and then hate us. Just as it is our job to educate our fellow Mason, we must spread the knowledge that the order isn’t bad, and we truly are a universal order. I would personally like to see more open days, and more interaction with families here in England.
In Conclusion
Freemasonry is a vast subject, we’re all constantly learning new stuff about it. Masons need to educate themselves, each other and non-masons. They also need to answer questions from both within and without of the order. Non-Masons need to make sure they’re reading rational and reasonable information about Freemasonry… I really did read a lot of nonsense before I joined, but ultimately deduced what Masonry really was about and it was actually for me.
Biography
Bro. Daniel John Lewis is currently a reasonably newly made Master Mason (Bristol Rite) in Saint Vincent Lodge 1404 in the Province of Bristol under the United Grand Lodge of England. His most interesting Masonic fact was that he was initiated on St Vincent Day 2009 (actual) and was raised on St Vincent Day 2010 (effective). His interests in Freemasonry vary, but are primarily within the interrelationships of Philosophy, History, Spirituality, Religion and Freemasonry. Outside of the Masonic world he is a professional Computer Scientist and Web Developer, his outside interests are within Artificial Intelligence (primarily logical and knowledge-based), Christianity (primarily Esoteric, Liberal and Ritual), Politics (primarily Liberalism & Democracy) and Music (primarily Classical, Rock and “World”).