Perhaps you have seriously considered what it would be like to become a Freemason, but you have no idea where to begin. You have come to the right place. Do you want to become a member of this very old fraternity? Here are a few tips to get you headed in the right direction.

Gender Specific

Equal rights aside, Freemasonry is exclusively for men only. There are a few other organizations available that allow for both genders and may even be accepted in some circles due to their high moral standards, however a true Masonic Lodge is a fraternal organization.

Basic Admittance Rules

Along with being male, there are a few other prerequisites for joining the local lodge. Original documents state that a potential Freemason should be:

• Freeborn, well recommended and of good repute

• Believe in a supreme being

• Be able to support yourself and your family

• Be of legal age

• Come to Freemasonry of your own free will

Each of these points are important for admittance to the lodge and many actually grow out of practicality. In the early days of the Freemasons, not every man was free born and if you were a slave or indentured servant, you could not actually make your own decisions.

Being of good repute was and is very important to this fraternity. If you have a poor reputation among your fellow man, your membership could stain the entire organization. It is for this reason that most new prospects are recommended by current members.

The Freemason fraternity does not advertise to recruit new members. In the United States, their motto is: 2B1Ask1 (to be one, ask one). In other countries, new members are invited to become members by existing members who believe the new member fits the fraternity’s prerequisite requirements.

Belief

Though belief in a higher power is necessary for membership in most jurisdictions, Freemasons do not narrowly and specifically determine the name of our creator. This is a major issue in the mind of detractors, however Masons do not believe they should instruct each other on whom to pray to or worship. Therefore, while Freemasonry is spiritual in nature, as a universal brotherhood of men, it opens its doors to men of all major religions. As such, it does not create boundary lines between different religious beliefs, race or financial status. This is the reason that the creator’s name, whom some call God, Allah or any one of many hundreds of names around the world, is simply called the Supreme Architect of the Universe.

Conclusion

These are just the basic principles of becoming a Freemason. Freemasonry is not religious or political in nature, but an organization which revers the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. You should not apply to a lodge if you believe that by becoming a member, you will reap financial rewards. On the contrary, members of the fraternity join together in charitable, fundraising activities to assist those who are less fortunate. Once you have examined all this information, you will be instructed to seek out your local lodge for the next step in the application.