TenMinuteMasonry

  THE COMMON GAVEL The common gavel is used to break off the corners of rough stones for building. We use this analogy that we divest ourselves of all vices and superfluities of life, to fit our minds for that spiritual building in heaven. The Masonic gavel is  a symbol of getting rid of excesses and vices of life , the same way a stone is being made smooth by stonemasons. It helps us shape our lives into spiritual beings that live a life that pleases God, the Creator and the Master Architect of the Universe. It is not adapted to giving polish or ornamentation to the stone, and hence it should symbolize only that training of the new Freemason which is designed to give some limited skill and moral training,    We learn that skill without industry(actual work) is to no avail.   It is said that labor is the lot of man; for the heart may conceive, and the head devise in vain, if the hand be not prompt to execute the design.   I have a CD set calle...

  The 24 inch Gauge-Time Management that fits your life The 24 inch Gauge teaches us to use 8 hours for Service of God and distressed worthy brothers, 8 for our work, and 8 for refreshment and sleep.    This is a generic rule, but we can plan our lives within these guidelines.   It is the first working tool we teach.   Without good time planning we can find ourselves wasting the other tools. All of us have 24 hours in a day.   Rich or Poor, Man, Woman, Child, Animal, we all live under the same solar cycles.   We all get a different number of 24 hour days depending on God’s divine providence however.    We can also buy more hours in a day.    Companies and other people pay for peoples hours all the time.    They do this because your time is needed to get work done and they intend to make more from your time than they are paying you. If you pay someone to mow your grass, that is freeing up your time or inability to do ...

  Why Only Good Men Better? Since masonry proclaims we make good men better, why can’t we also make all men better? What is the difference in good men versus bad (or not good) men? Let’s look at what type of man you need to be to gain admission to masonry. First, a person has to ask to join.   They must be serious about the commitment and have free will to join.   They must be of sound mind and of legal age.    They must believe in God.   These are the basics before even starting the process After applying for membership you must have 2 brothers vouch for you as references and then members of an investigating committee that investigate you further.   They are to ensure that the person is fitted for the teaching of masonry. A good investigation would ask these questions? Is this man truly “Worthy and Well Qualified”? Would I welcome this man into my home? Would I want this man to marry my daughter? Would I trust this man with my life...

       We say we make good men better.  How do we do that?  Why do we want better men? Masonry uses many symbols as you go through the degrees.  You learn what they stand for, but that is the extent.  Once you receive your Master Mason degree you can just go on your merry way. We are told that if we really want to progress, we should look deeper and within ourselves.  It is almost as if being a good man is not enough.  You have to be a man that wants to improve and finds ways to accomplish this. The three degrees take us through stages of growth as in life. The Entered Apprentice learns to take a rough stone and turn it to a rough ashler, the fellowcraft learns to take the rough ashler to the perfect ashler, and the master mason learns to take the perfect ashler and place it into the building exactly where it belongs. The preparation tools to do this as entered apprentice are the 24 inch gauge, common gavel, and chisel. The 24 inch gaug...