Why is Memorization and Ritual Important to Freemasonry
Masonic Education Presentation, by R.W. Bro. James Kirk-White,
During DDGM official visit, December 1, 2005, Corona Lodge No.454
Muskoka – Parry Sound District

Worshipful Master, R.W. Sir, distinguished guests, brethren all…

Tonight’s Masonic education will take place entirely in this, the opening degree, so that you may concentrate on, and enjoy the rest of tonight’s Ritual from a new perspective.

The meaning of that statement will become clear to you as the lecture unfolds.

And I would also add, that the included Corona Lodge history is related to the sum of the whole in tonight’s presentation.

We shall begin with the question.

Why is memorization and Ritual important to Freemasonry? A good question my brethren. And that question had to be seriously considered, about 13 years ago, by the members of Corona Lodge No. 454.

It came about after many years, during which new candidates had not been forthcoming, the recycling of officers had become the norm, and attendance at Lodge meetings were dismal – with officer chairs going empty.

It was felt by some that memory work was the culprit, and if the brethren could read the Work then new candidates would be breaking down the doors to join, and filling the chairs would be no problem.

Needless to say, that thought was not acceptable to the majority of Corona members and the idea was quickly trounced and forgotten. A motion was then made to take the lodge into darkness, and/or meld with a neighbouring lodge.

During the questioning of this motion, an observation was put to the floor, ‘…did each member feel they had tried their personal best to rectify the problem? If so, then placing Corona Lodge into darkness would be the most obvious response to the motion’.

The motion was put to a vote and unanimously defeated. For each Member believed they would be letting their ancient Corona brethren down, and so made up their minds to put up a tenacious fight to save the Mother Lodge.

Then something magical happened. Masonic minds became united. Unanimously they voted to build a new Corona Lodge -first from without and then from within. The brave commitment was made, and splendid results followed.

In a relatively short time, the Corona brethren received their first reward. Mixing much merriment, with tearful pride, they celebrated their 100th anniversary in the new Lodge building – a celebration which almost didn’t take place.

Corona Lodge enjoyed further rewards when opportunities to build the Lodge from within began to present themselves.

Membership began to revitalize as Ritual and floor work improved. And the more the Work improved, the greater the enthusiasm grew –eager members began requesting more memory work. And at last, the much desired, continuous chain of officers began to take shape.

What had happened, what had changed? Why, when the brethren became of one mind, did good things begin to happen so fast? There is a scientific answer, my brethren, and it is less abstract then you might think –so let’s go there.

We have heard that memory work is good for the health of our little grey-cells especially as we age, but why does Masonic ritual also reflect well upon the members that only participate by their presence –as many of us know it does.

Past Grand Master Mumby, during a speech at his reception in North Bay last year, recommended that all Masons should read the book, “The Turning of the Hiram Key” by Dr. Robert Lomas. I did, and discovered a new rationale in answering our riddle tonight, “Why is Memorization and Ritual important to Freemasonry?’.

The Turning of the Hiram Key uniquely answers the following questions:

  • What is the purpose of Freemasonry?
  • What do Masons gain from working its Rituals?
  • Can anybody benefit from the Spiritual Teachings of the Craft?
  • Are Masonic rituals simple moral plays designed to encourage people to behave well?
  • Are they secret tradition preserved from a long lost civilization?
  • Are they meaningless formalities?
  • …. Or do they serve some deeper purpose?

I am sure that many of you have already perceived that several of those questions were answered by the Corona Lodge experience just shared. Just as many of you already comprehend the deeper purpose served through Masonry. And many here tonight, some perhaps new to the Craft, may have concluded that hard work pays off, and the Corona brethren worked hard –congratulations.
Well you’re all correct, but are missing something of very, great magnitude.

Through-out the Turning of the Hiram Key, Dr. Lomas melds the science and emotion of Masonry into a vehicle freeing the spirit to soar to new heights of attainment. He scientifically connects Masonic ritual; both performing ritual work, and attending ritual work; with the same curious brain activity and consequences, which are experienced by those profoundly involved with mediation, chanting, and praying.

He methodically discusses brain behaviour, and most interesting of all, how spirituality is actually embedded within our brains from birth. In other words, Beam me up Scotty !

Dr. Lomas used his obvious writing skills and physics expertise to demonstrate, beyond a doubt, that Freemasonry is a western spiritual tradition whose time has come and explains how it works. Alas, due to time restraints I cannot do his argument justice, and will have to cut to the chase. The danger being that some of you might find the following hard to swallow, but please, before you shut down, think of the following as merely an attempt to show you the location of the light switch, because we do not have time to take a tour of the generating plant.

The Brain and God…

As coincidence would have it, before reading the Lomas book, I had been researching an incredible video presentation called the ‘Brain’s God’. It was a scientific report, or documentary, on the brain and it included the scanning of the brain while the brain was in deep meditation. The results were astonishing. Mediation, prayers, chanting and ritual activities all produced the same result. In deep meditation the blood within the frontal lobe cavities displaces. In other words, something physically happens to our brain as we do the Work -resulting in feelings of space, peace, serenity and importantly, a presence of God.

In our lecture it is stated, ‘As the solemnity of our ceremonies requires a serious deportment, you are to be particularly attentive to your behaviour at our regular assemblies.’ We now know that this is not just for the benefit of the brother doing the work.

Dr. Lomas’ own scientific experiments using, electrical elements, created the same effects on hundreds of case studies –producing an awareness of a spiritual presence, and the reduction of stress. In other words my brethren, our brains are pre-programmed to believe in God, and have from the beginning of time. I believe this cannot be by accident or evolution –but was predetermined by God.

It seems to me, that the more modern science gets involved with spirituality, the more science proves the existence of the Great Architect of the Universe, and thusly sheds further light on the deeper purposes of Freemasonry.

This was not always the case. Many scientists, over the centuries, have theorized about man’s positive nature regarding a supreme being, but most treaded the waters lightly because they expected the results would defend the atheist point of view, and there would be no funding available for that result.

But it proved the opposite, and today the scientific/spiritual focus on the brain, called Neurotheology, is well established and expanding, with results readily available on the internet for those seeking further study.

To summarize my brethren, today’s learned Masonic writers are discovering that the mysteries of Freemasonry are curiously in agreement with modern science, and ancient myths are frequently being revealed as new, modern scientific discoveries. This trend is creating volumes of mesmerizing, Masonic related books. So many in fact that it is difficult to keep up -but brethren… I recommend you try.

Worshipful Master and Wardens - the rest of tonight’s lesson is now in your hands –peace be upon you all.

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