How Do I Become a Freemason?

I recently received a message through The Temple Within Facebook page from a man asking a simple question: How do I become a Freemason?

For those of us who have been members for many years, the answer may seem obvious. For someone standing outside the fraternity, however, it may be surprisingly difficult to know where to begin. Freemasonry does not generally recruit men for membership. The first step normally belongs to the man who is interested: he must express that interest himself. The Grand Lodge of California describes this as a longstanding Masonic custom—men seek membership on their own initiative rather than being solicited to join.

So, where should he begin?

A good first step is remarkably simple: look for Masonic lodges in your community. Search online for lodges near your home or workplace and look for their websites or social-media pages. Better still, locate the website of the recognized Grand Lodge governing Freemasonry in your state or country and use its lodge locator. This helps ensure that the lodge you are contacting belongs to a recognized Masonic jurisdiction.

Then make contact. Send an email, call the lodge, or ask to speak with its secretary or another officer. Tell him that you are interested in learning about Freemasonry and would like to know more about becoming a member. You do not need to know the right words, understand Masonic terminology, or already have a Mason in your family. The United Grand Lodge of England, for example, specifically tells prospective members who do not know a Freemason simply to contact their nearest lodge or register their interest so that a local Mason can speak with them.

And don't be in too much of a hurry to fill out a petition.

Spend some time getting to know the lodge and allowing its members to get to know you. Attend dinners, open houses, community events, or other activities to which prospective members are invited. Ask questions. Talk with several members rather than only one. Find out how often the lodge meets, what its members actually do, what participation is expected, what the financial obligations are, and what kind of Masonic experience the lodge offers.

This matters because you don't really join “Freemasonry” in the abstract. You petition a particular lodge and become part of a particular group of men. Lodges share the fundamental principles and traditions of the fraternity, but they can have very different personalities. One may emphasize ritual and Masonic education. Another may be heavily involved in charitable and community work. Another may have an especially active social calendar. Even meeting schedules and the age and interests of the membership can differ considerably.

The Grand Lodge of California now explicitly encourages prospective members to visit local lodges, meet their members, and choose a lodge that fits their values, schedule, and goals. That is good advice. The nearest lodge geographically may be the right lodge for you—but it does not necessarily have to be.

The exact qualifications for membership also vary somewhat among Masonic jurisdictions, so this is another reason to speak directly with the appropriate Grand Lodge and local lodge. In California, for example, an applicant must be a man at least 18 years old, profess belief in a Supreme Being, and meet the fraternity's standards of character and intention. Men of all ethnic and religious backgrounds are welcome. Other jurisdictions establish their own requirements.

If, after spending some time around the lodge, you remain interested, ask about petitioning for membership. A Mason from the lodge can explain the application and the local requirements. Typically, after a petition is submitted, members of the lodge meet with the applicant. This is sometimes described as an investigation, but it should also be understood as a two-way conversation. The lodge is learning about the man, but the man should also be learning about the lodge and Freemasonry. California's own materials describe it as a “mutual interview process.”

Eventually, the petition is presented to the lodge for a ballot. If the applicant is elected, he does not immediately become a Master Mason. He begins with the Entered Apprentice Degree and subsequently progresses through the Fellow Craft and Master Mason Degrees. The lodge is therefore not merely the organization that processes his application. It is the community in which his first experiences of Freemasonry will take place.

There is also something worth considering before ever submitting a petition: Why do you want to become a Freemason?

If the answer involves business contacts, social status, secret knowledge, political influence, or some imagined material advantage, Freemasonry will probably disappoint you. Its lessons are directed toward something quite different: character, fellowship, moral responsibility, self-examination, service, and the continuing work of becoming a better man. The symbols and ceremonies can provide the tools, but the individual still has to do the work. As I have written elsewhere in The Temple Within, the central idea is construction of the individual: “You don’t inherit character. You construct it.”

So when someone asks me, “How do I become a Freemason?”, my answer is this:

Find the recognized Grand Lodge for your area. Locate several nearby lodges. Contact one and introduce yourself. Visit when you are invited. Meet the men. Ask questions. Learn what Freemasonry is—and what it is not. Give the lodge an opportunity to know you, and give yourself enough time to know the lodge.

Then, if what you discover still speaks to you, ask for a petition.

The door to a Masonic lodge is not particularly difficult to find. But crossing its threshold should be a deliberate decision. Becoming a Freemason begins with asking to join. Becoming a Mason is the work that follows.