How to Become a Mason

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. These gatherings can include spiritual activities like prayer, but Masonry is not officially part of any religion. 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. There are some secret ceremonies for members only.

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). Most Masons in the English-speaking world and the former British Empire are this type. "Liberal" or "continental" lodges, most popular in France but found worldwide, typically accept women and atheists as members.

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. Since 2018, the most influential Masonic Grand Lodge (the UGLE) has officially allowed trans men. Other lodges might not.

Women and atheists can still join some lodges. Liberal Masonic lodges do not have any religious requirements for joining. They sometimes also relax the men-only restriction, although there is still a lot of disagreement on this between individual lodges. 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.

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. 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.

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. You can find the contact info for most of the traditional "regular" Grand Lodges at https://www.ugle.org.uk/contact-us/interested-in-becoming-a-freemason. Less traditional "liberal" lodges are not as common in the US and UK, though a few do exist. If you're in continental Europe, try contacting one of the lodges listed at https://www.ame-ema.eu/en/ema/obediences.

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.

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.

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.

Climbing the ranks to Master Mason takes months or years. As soon as a lodge accepts you, you are an apprentice. 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. 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. Liberal lodges may also have additional degrees to study for beyond Master.

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. Some lodges charge quite a lot for the formal dinners they hold after each meeting, but attending these is optional. 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.

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.

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. 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. "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.

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. 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.

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. Different lodges follow different traditions, with the Scottish Rites being one of the most popular. Since each lodge also has a lot of control over what it does, you can't really know exactly what to expect before joining.