| How to Become a Mason Posted: 19 Nov 2021 04:00 PM PST Masons, or Freemasons, are members of the oldest and largest fraternity in the world, with millions of members around the world. It's up to each local lodge to decide who to let in, but in general Masons look for people with a good reputation and a commitment to self-improvement and brotherhood. Membership isn't secret, and it's usually not hard to find local contact info online through the loose worldwide network of Masonic organizations. [Edit]What is Freemasonry? - Freemasonry is a type of social and ceremonial organization. Freemasons support each other in friendship and self-improvement. Compared to a typical social club, Masonic organizations also hold more formal and ceremonial gatherings.[1] These gatherings can include spiritual activities like prayer, but Masonry is not officially part of any religion.[2]
- The conspiracy theories about Masons are overblown. While they do use many special symbols and clothing, most of these are public knowledge, not secret or sinister.[3] There are some secret ceremonies for members only.[4]
- Freemasonry exists in many different local forms. There is no single worldwide Masonic organization. Instead, each country, state, or region has a "Grand Lodge" that decides on rules and membership, and many smaller local lodges. There are many differences between lodges, but most fall into one of two main categories:
- Lodges that call themselves "regular" tend to be more traditional. They don't accept atheists or women (though woman can sometimes join a sister organization).[5] Most Masons in the English-speaking world and the former British Empire are this type.[6]
- "Liberal" or "continental" lodges, most popular in France but found worldwide, typically accept women and atheists as members.[7]
[Edit]Can anyone become a Freemason? - In many lodges, only religious adult men can become Freemasons. The most traditional Masonic lodges only accept adult men (which means 18 or older in most places). They also require members to believe in a "Supreme Being." You don't need to follow any specific religion (at least officially), but atheists and agnostics can't join.[8]
- Since 2018, the most influential Masonic Grand Lodge (the UGLE) has officially allowed trans men.[9] Other lodges might not.
- Women and atheists can still join some lodges. Liberal Masonic lodges do not have any religious requirements for joining.[10] They sometimes also relax the men-only restriction, although there is still a lot of disagreement on this between individual lodges.[11]
- Even in more traditional areas like England, there are women-only organizations like The Order of Women Freemasons. The larger male organizations might not officially recognize these as Masons, but they can still have fairly close ties.[12]
[Edit]How do I apply to become a Freemason? - Contact your local lodge for an application form. Freemasonry isn't a hierarchy, and you don't need to formally join a national organization. Check your local lodge's website for a petition form to fill out asking to join, or for the lodge secretary's contact info.[13]
- Petition forms usually ask for a lot of personal info, including employment and criminal history. The lodge uses these to investigate your character, and might not accept you if your form doesn't have complete and honest information.[14]
- Ask a Grand Lodge for local contact information. If you can't find any contact info for your local lodge, contact the "Grand Lodge" for your country or state. The Grand Lodge can usually direct you to a local Masonic organization.
[Edit]What is the initiation process after you've applied to be a Freemason? - The lodge reviews your petition thoroughly before making a decision. Stay on your best behavior, especially when lodge members interview you or ask to spend time with you. Be ready to talk about anything in your past or present life. It's not a dealbreaker if you've made mistakes in the past, as long as you own up to them and talk about how you've changed. The lodge members usually take several months to think things over, but it depends on how busy they are and how well they already know you.[15]
- The final initiation ceremony depends completely on the lodge. If the lodge does vote to accept you, it invites you to a ritual. This can be anything from a solemn spoken ceremony to a limousine ride, elaborate meal, and incense-filled ritual. Each lodge does things differently, but the goal is to welcome you into the brotherhood.[16]
[Edit]How long does it take to become a Freemason? - It usually takes a couple months to join as an apprentice. You can expect to wait at least 45 days before hearing whether you've been accepted. In practice, depending on how busy the lodge is and its exact rules, it's not unusual to wait 3 or 4 months, or even longer.[17]
- Climbing the ranks to Master Mason takes months or years. As soon as a lodge accepts you, you are an apprentice Mason. By demonstrating your commitment at meetings and studying Masonic symbolism, you can earn the 2nd degree of Masonry, called Fellowcraft, and finally the 3rd degree. Once you have your 3rd degree, you can call yourself a Master Mason and visit other lodges, not just the one you joined.[18]
- The length of time this takes depends on your lodge and how much time you have available. A few months is typical in many US lodges, while liberal-style lodges often add and expect the process to take at least 2 years.[19] Liberal lodges may also have additional degrees to study for beyond Master.[20]
[Edit]Does it cost money to be a Freemason? - Yes, most Masons pay annual dues plus an application fee. As with most of Masonry, the details depend on the lodge. In the United States, a typical lodge charges you $300 to apply, which also covers your first year of dues if you get in. After that, you'll have to pay about $50 to $200 per year, depending on the lodge.[21]
- Some lodges charge quite a lot for the formal dinners they hold after each meeting, but attending these is optional.[22]
- There might be some one-time costs as well, but these aren't usually too steep. For instance, the Illinois lodge charges an extra $100 total for climbing the ranks of membership.[23]
- Besides direct fees, Freemasons can require members to be financially stable. Although many lodges don't mention this directly on their websites, members are traditionally required to be financially independent. There's no minimum income or anything like that, but the lodge might not accept you if it doesn't think you can financially support yourself and your family.[24]
[Edit]What principles make you a Mason? - Brotherhood and character building are the central principles of Masonry. Each Mason has a duty to improve himself morally and spiritually, and to support all his brother Masons on their own journeys. Freemasonry stresses honor, personal responsibility, personal integrity, and charity.[25]
- Traditional Masonic lodges talk about moral principles in religious terms. They require a belief in a Supreme Being, but forbid talking about specific religions at meetings. Protestant Christianity has the strongest ties to Masonic ritual, and a Bible is open at meetings, but some lodges add other holy books from their members' other religions.[26]
- "Liberal" Masonic lodges have no religious requirement for membership. Unlike regular lodges, they often allow discussions of specific religions (or atheism), but do not expect their members to agree.
[Edit]What do I have to do once I'm a Mason? - You'll attend all kinds of events hosted at your lodge. In day-to-day life, Freemasonry is a social brotherhood. Masons spend time together socializing, sharing meals, fundraising for charity, and hosting events that have little or nothing to do with ceremony or secrets. If you want to become a Mason, find a lodge with members that you enjoy spending time with.[27]
- You aren't expected to attend every single event, of course, but it can be a pretty serious time commitment. Masonic organizations sometimes say that their members should put family first, job second, and Freemasonry third.[28]
- You'll attend special ceremonies a few times a year. These are the only secret part of Freemasonry, so the exact details aren't open to the public. Masons describe the ceremony as something like a play loosely based on Biblical allegories. If you join, you might be expected to wear a special apron, recite lines, and participate in symbolic rituals.[29]
- Different lodges follow different traditions, with the Scottish Rites being one of the most popular.[30] Since each lodge also has a lot of control over what it does, you can't really know exactly what to expect before joining.
- You can always demit, or resign, from your lodge for any reason.[31]
[Edit]Warnings - Many Freemason organizations today present themselves as diverse and inclusive. That said, they do have a reputation for being "old boy's clubs" that do not tolerate certain religions or points of view.[32] Masonry is not one single organization, so keep in mind that not all lodges share the same policies and attitudes.
- You can be kicked out of the Freemasons for many reasons, including telling its secrets to non-Masons, becoming an atheist, cheating at a Masonic vote, or failing to show up when the lodge summons you for an important meeting.[33] These are examples from one lodge, and aren't exactly the same for all lodges.
- Although Masons allow Catholics to join the organization, the Catholic Church officially forbids this.[34]
[Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Play Bumper Pool Posted: 19 Nov 2021 08:00 AM PST If you're looking for a casual game to play with friends reminiscent of traditional pool, bumper pool is a great choice. You'll have fun figuring out the best shots to get your balls in the scoring hole and deciding on strategies to block your opponent from scoring. All you need are a special bumper pool table, bumper pool balls, and cue sticks. Once you read the rules and play a few rounds, you'll find that it's not a complicated game, but it's definitely a fun one! - Place the 5 red balls on one side of the bumper pool table. Set 2 red balls to the left of the scoring hole and 2 on the right. Position the spotted red ball directly in front of the scoring hole.[1]
- Typically, the red balls go on the side of the table with the white bumpers sitting next to the scoring hole.
- Your scoring hole is on the opposite side of the table from where you're standing. Your opponent's scoring hole is on the side of the table where you are.
- Position the 5 white balls on the opposite side of the bumper pool table. Put 2 white balls on the lefthand side of the scoring hole and 2 on the righthand side. Place the spotted white ball right in front of the scoring hole.[2]
- The white balls should be on the side of the table with the red bumpers on either side of the scoring hole.
- Play against a single opponent or on teams of 2. Bumper pool is a great game to play with a friend or a group of 4. If you play on teams, you and your partner will switch back and forth whenever it's your team's turn to shoot.[3]
- If you're new to bumper pool, playing on a team with more experienced players is a great way to familiarize yourself with the rules and strategies.
[Edit]Gameplay - Start the game with each player shooting their spotted cue ball to the right. The goal is to get your marked cue ball into your scoring hole on the opposite side of the board. Since there are bumpers in the center of the table, you have to bank your cue ball off the righthand wall so it'll rebound at an angle and get as close to the scoring hole as possible. You and your opponent do this at the same time, both shooting to the right so that your balls don't collide.[4]
- This is bumper pool's form of a "tip-off" to decide who gets to take the next shot.
- It helps to do a countdown so you and your opponent hit your balls at the same time.[5]
- Let the player whose ball ended up closest to the scoring hole go first. Whoever got closest to the scoring hole gets to go first. If someone's ball went into the scoring hole on the first shot, they get to go first. If you both got your balls into your scoring holes on the first shot, you each take the farthest lefthand side cue ball, set it in front of your scoring hole, and shoot again at the same time.[6]
- If you and your opponent are having incredible games and both continue to sink balls at the same time, you might end up with a draw![7]
- Take a shot with one of your cue balls if you're the first player. You can either hit the cue ball that you've already shot with, or you can hit one of your other cue balls that haven't been put into play yet. Use the walls and bumpers to try and ricochet your ball as close to your scoring hole as possible; hopefully, it will go straight in![8]
- Some rules stipulate that you have to score with your marked cue ball first before scoring with any other balls. The penalty for sinking an unmarked ball before the marked one is that all your in-play balls have to return to their original positions.[9]
- A big difference between traditional pool and bumper pool is that bumper pool doesn't allow you to make a straight shot from your side of the table to your scoring hole. You have to get your balls around the set of bumpers in the middle of the table.
- Have the second player take a turn when the first player misses. Play continues to go back and forth between players whenever someone misses a shot. Each cue ball gets shot from wherever it is on the table. Try to angle your shots so that your cue balls bounce off of the walls and bumpers and go straight into your scoring hole.[10]
- Some rules stipulate that you can only work on scoring with a single ball at a time. Other versions of the game say you can have multiple balls in play at once. Talk with your team or opponent beforehand to make sure you're on the same page.[11]
- Take turns shooting until one player sinks all 5 of their balls. You can hit a new cue ball on each turn if you want to, or continue working on one of the balls you hit on a previous turn. As you become more experienced, you'll learn how to play defensively and what kinds of moves give you penalties.[12]
- If your final ball accidentally goes into your opponent's scoring hole, you forfeit the game. So be careful![13]
[Edit]Tips and Fouls - Use the bumpers and cushions to bank your ball into the scoring hole. Don't be afraid of the bumpers! You should use them to your advantage to angle your shots and get your balls in the hole faster.[14]
- For example, if your ball is next to a bumper beside your scoring hole, it might look nearly impossible to score from that position. But if you shoot your ball toward the center group of bumpers, you can rebound the ball off a bumper back toward the scoring hole.
- Try to knock into your opponent's ball so it's harder for them to score. Don't be afraid to play defense! If you're in a place where you could knock a ball away from the scoring hole and keep your opponent from getting their ball in, you can do that. It's a great strategy that can buy you some extra time to get more of your balls in the scoring hole.[15]
- Be careful not to accidentally knock your opponent's ball off the table when you do this.
- Block your opponent's scoring hole so they have to take a penalty. The great thing about this is that when your opponent accidentally knocks your ball into their scoring hole to get it out of the way, you get to automatically place 2 balls in your scoring hole![16]
- This is another excellent strategy to slow down your opponent while working on getting a few of your balls off the table.
- Place your ball in the middle of the bumpers if you hit it off the table. Knocking your ball off the pool table is never a good thing, so there's a penalty for it. Set your ball in the middle of the table right in the center of all the bumpers. It's a lot harder to make a shot from that position.[17]
- Similarly, if you knock your opponent's ball off the table, place one of your balls in the center of the bumpers. Put your opponent's ball back where it was before you knocked it off.
- In some variations, if you knock your ball off the table, your opponent can place your ball wherever they want and take 2 balls for their own score.[18]
- Steer clear of illegal jump shots. A jump shot is when you try to hit your cue ball so that it jumps over another ball or obstacle. You might be sorely tempted when you're in a tricky situation, but bumper pool doesn't allow jump shots.[19] Some versions of the game state your opponent can place your ball wherever they want on the table if you do one.[20]
- Remember to chat with your opponent beforehand about what set of rules you'll follow. This should prevent any mid-game arguments from breaking out.
- Avoid hitting your ball into your opponent's scoring cup. Remember, your balls should go into the scoring hole on the opposite side of the table. If you accidentally hit your ball into the scoring hole on your side of the table, your opponent gets to place 2 balls into their scoring hole.[21]
- Sometimes these things happen, so don't be too hard on yourself if it does. Just concentrate on making your next shot and trying to win the game!
- Bumper pool tables are a lot smaller (and less expensive) than traditional pool tables, making them a fun choice for an at-home game.[22]
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Bumper pool table
- Bumper pool balls
- Bumper cue sticks
[Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
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