Complaints from Within
Across Masonic discussion boards, blogs, and community posts, members describe a familiar set of frustrations with lodge leadership. The tone is rarely hostile — it’s weary. A recurring theme is autocratic behavior: Masters or Past Masters who dismiss others’ ideas, mock dissent, or dominate proceedings. One Mason wrote that his experience had been “extremely toxic,” describing officers who “enjoyed the power to dismiss members during meetings” and offered little sense of inclusion or respect (Reddit, 2024).
A second, equally common complaint centers on tradition as exclusion. Newer members often say they struggle to understand the symbolism, procedures, or expectations of ritual, only to be told that asking questions is disrespectful. As one online post put it, “You’re expected to know things you’ve never been taught.” When curiosity is treated as disobedience, learning stops — and so does growth.
Others note that some lodges have become top-down organizations, where control is centralized and creativity stifled. A Mason on MyFreemasonry.com summarized it bluntly: “Freemasonry has become a top-down society … Too much conflict. It stifles creativity and wanes enthusiasm.” Leadership in these settings stops being developmental and becomes defensive — more concerned with guarding authority than inspiring engagement.
The pattern is not limited to personality. Structural habits, like recycling Past Masters through officer lines, can create stagnation. The result is a leadership echo chamber — experienced, yes, but often insular and risk-averse. As one essay on Masonic burnout noted, the same men are often asked to serve repeatedly “because no one else wants the job,” and the consequence is exhaustion on both sides (Homan, 2020).
Why It Happens
The leadership failures described above are not unique to lodges — they are human patterns. Power without accountability almost always tilts toward control. Within a lodge, where deference and ceremony reinforce hierarchy, this drift can feel natural, even righteous. A Master who once fought to modernize his lodge may later insist on preserving “the way it’s always been,” equating his own experience with institutional wisdom.
Psychologically, this is a well-known transformation. Research in organizational behavior shows that individuals who feel morally justified are particularly susceptible to overreach; their sense of moral correctness can dull empathy and amplify certainty (Keltner, Gruenfeld, & Anderson, 2003). In short: once we believe we’re right, we stop checking whether we’re fair.
This is the leadership paradox — the liberator becomes the ruler. The reformer becomes the regulator. In the lodge, it manifests as ritual rigidity, exclusion of differing perspectives, or defensive postures against “unworthy” innovations. What began as a commitment to principle hardens into control disguised as stewardship.
When the Pillars Falter
In every age, Masons have been taught that the lodge is supported by three pillars: Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty. They symbolize not only architectural balance but also moral equilibrium — the leadership traits required to hold any organization upright.
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Wisdom guides — it is the ability to discern what is right, rather than what is convenient. In leadership, Wisdom means transparency, fairness, and discernment — the courage to choose principle over popularity. Without it, decision-making devolves into reaction and secrecy.
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Strength sustains — it represents the discipline to hold true under pressure. For leaders, it means moral consistency and the fortitude to stand for integrity even when challenged. Without Strength, organizations drift, allowing mediocrity and favoritism to take root.
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Beauty inspires — it is balance, grace, and the humane side of authority. Beauty reminds leaders that discipline without empathy becomes tyranny, and order without compassion becomes alienation. Without Beauty, the human heart disengages.
When these three pillars are out of balance, the structure trembles. Wisdom without Beauty becomes arrogance; Strength without Wisdom becomes oppression; Beauty without Strength becomes indulgence. Leadership that fails to maintain this balance soon mistakes control for clarity and hierarchy for harmony.
Organizational Impact
When leadership slides from service into control, the effects are measurable. Member participation declines. Younger men — who join seeking mentorship, meaning, and belonging — quietly withdraw. Ritual devolves into performance rather than reflection. Meetings become debates about rules instead of discussions about purpose.
In several jurisdictions, these internal dynamics align with broader membership trends. The Grand Lodge of Mississippi, for instance, has reported a steady decline in active members, mirroring a national pattern (Mississippi Grand Lodge, 2023). While societal shifts play a role, internal culture matters: organizations that feel insular or hierarchical struggle to attract new participants.
Culturally, the cost is even greater. The moral and civic lessons that define Freemasonry — integrity, equality, and improvement — lose credibility when they are contradicted by the conduct of those in charge. Members do not leave because the philosophy is weak; they leave because the practice doesn’t match the promise.
Rebuilding with the Working Tools
To restore balance, leaders — Masons or otherwise — must return to the working tools of character and craft. Each tool offers a lesson in leadership practice, linking symbolic virtue to modern governance.
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The 24-Inch Gauge — Measure the Day.
True leadership begins with proportion. A wise Master divides his time between labor, refreshment, and service. The hours belong to the mission, not the man. When leaders allow personal ambition to consume all hours, the balance of the gauge is broken — and the organization suffers. -
The Common Gavel — Chip Away the Ego.
The rough stone every leader must shape is himself. Ego is the dull tool that mars the work. Leadership requires self-correction before supervision — humility enough to admit error, and discipline enough to remove it. A leader who will not smooth his own faults will never fit others together in unity. -
The Plumb — Lead Uprightly.
The plumb teaches integrity — uprightness of conduct and candor of communication. To lead uprightly is to maintain alignment between values and actions. It demands transparency in decision-making and consistency in example. The upright leader is predictable in virtue, not in vanity. -
The Square — Act Fairly.
The square measures justice. In leadership, fairness does not mean indulgence; it means consistency of principle. When decisions are made with the square — balancing accountability with compassion — respect endures even among those who disagree. Without the square, favoritism replaces fraternity. -
The Level — Treat All as Equals.
The level reminds every leader that authority is temporary, and dignity is universal. A Master who forgets the level becomes a ruler, not a servant. True leadership affirms equality — that honor, voice, and opportunity are shared among all, regardless of title.
The New Architecture of Power
Rebuilding a lodge — or any organization — on these principles transforms authority into stewardship. The Master’s role is not to rule but to align. Like a builder correcting a line before the stone is set, the wise leader ensures the work serves the design, not the worker’s pride.
This architecture applies far beyond Masonry. Every corporation, government, or civic organization faces the same temptation — to replace one form of control with another. The cure isn’t rebellion; it’s balance. The same tools that raised cathedrals can rebuild trust, if leaders remember that power is only borrowed, never owned.
As The Temple Within reminds us:
“Authority was never meant to elevate the man — only to elevate the work. When a leader confuses the two, the structure collapses inward. True mastery is not in commanding others, but in commanding oneself.” (The Temple Within, 2025, p. 112)
Conclusion — The Chair Is Not a Throne
At its best, the Master’s chair symbolizes not power, but service. It represents the trust of the brethren — a temporary commission to guide, not to govern. When Masters or Past Masters lose sight of that distinction, the organization becomes self-referential, and leadership becomes self-protective.
The lesson extends beyond Freemasonry. In every field — civic, corporate, or fraternal — leadership begins as an act of liberation but must mature into one of restraint. The leader who cannot hand off power cleanly has already confused the role with the identity.
Every lodge, every organization, and every generation faces the same test: whether its leaders will renew the mission or repeat the mistakes. The chair of the Master should never be a throne — only a workbench. Leadership is not the right to command, but the responsibility to construct. And the work never ends. Every generation must take up the tools again — to measure, to chip, to plumb, to square, and to level — ensuring that the structure of authority remains true to its foundation: service before self.
References (APA Style)
Foster, R. E. (2025). The Temple Within. Hi Tech Crime & Justice Publishing.
Homan, D. (2020). Masonic burnout: Why brothers leave the craft. Medium. Retrieved from https://homan13.medium.com/masonic-burn-out-43975dc8618d
Keltner, D., Gruenfeld, D. H., & Anderson, C. (2003). Power, approach, and inhibition. Psychological Review, 110(2), 265–284.
Mississippi Grand Lodge. (2023). Freemasonry’s declining influence. Retrieved from https://www.msgrandlodge.org/freemasonry-declining-influence
Reddit. (2024). My experience with Freemasonry has been extremely toxic. Retrieved from https://www.reddit.com/r/freemasonry/comments/1hzaz3j
My Freemasonry Forum. (2024). Freemasonry is dying. Retrieved from https://www.myfreemasonry.com/threads/freemasonry-is-dying.29995
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