Day in the life of a Freemason

The only thing that really separates us is how we make use of those 24 hours. 

Some people will take the hours for granted, and they may get wasted.

Others will be only too thankful they have another day to add to their life. 

The Freemason, on the other hand, can use the lessons taught in Freemasonry to make the best use of each hour for themselves.

The Entered Apprentice

The 24 inch Guage reminds us of the 24 hours in the day

These are the same 24 hours everyone has, no more no less, the challenge is to make the most of each hour.

So before you start the day, take a little time to plan your day ahead – plan your work, work your plan.

Plan that part of the day for labour and refreshment. 

It is not about working hard, or being busy, as if busy is some badge of honour to wear with pride. 

It is about working smart.

As humans, we have always made tools to make work easier and more efficient, especially repetitive tasks.

Unplanned days leads to more stress, more tension, and reactive decisions.

Try to keep calm, and make calculated decisions.

Experience will be your guide, to help teach you how to avoid potential difficulties ahead of time.

Always try to find time to help another in need, not being detrimental to yourself or connections.

Making time for a someone who needs it. Everyone needs to have a mentor or two.

Helping people, or mentoring when they ask for help:

when you talk
you share your knowledge
when you listen
you learn something new

The best in mentoring, is when it follows both ways.

When you stop and chat over a coffee, you listen, not always to answer. 

Remember, just to be there, is sometimes all that is needed.

Remember those three very powerful words that will change your life – [that sounds interesting],

tell me more

Send a SMS [txt].  Sometimes that is enough, that someone else knows you care.

Don’t just speak to someone in your free time, free some time to speak to someone – know the difference.

At the closing hours of the day, try to save some time, a quiet moment, in silence, stillness, solitude.

Part in prayer to almighty God, or meditation with your own conscience.

We all need quiet time to process the day.

Time for your brain to work and your mind to help you find solutions to problems.

If for too many days, you have not been able to achieve your daily goals, if during your contemplation, you are not happy, then make a change, and try again.

don’t expect different results
by repeating
the same process,
day in day out

The Common Gavel symbolises moderation

Moderate your excesses – knock off all the superfluities and excesses.

Keep down those vain and unbecoming thoughts.

Moderate your emotions and opinions. 

Avoid negative emotions, anger, or confrontation.

Never make a decision in anger, or say something you will regret.

Moderation in your words and actions.

People who express or possess extreme opinions:

often lack
the mental maturity
to entertain
alternative concepts

They close their minds.  

They will often be excluded from strategic decision making processes.

Not to be confused with passion or enthusiasm. Know the difference. Or learn the difference.

The Chisel points out the advantages of education

Knowledge is what makes us fit members of well organised societies.

Aim to learn something new each day.

Learn something that helps you in your daily life, professional or personal.

Learn from every failure.

Learn from others.

What you see
praiseworthy in others
you will carefully imitate,
and what in them
may appear defective,
you will in yourself amend.

You can never stop learning – learn little and often.

Learn memory techniques so you can recall information.

If you learn just one new small thing each day, after a year, that is 365 new small things; in a lifetime (70 years) that would be 25,550 new small things. 

You may think you cannot hold that amount of information;  your brain can and when you need to recall them, your brain will bring them to you in your conscious memory.

The Fellowcraft

We symbolically use the working tools of the fellowcraft degree, to guide our interaction with other people, in both our personal and professional lives.

Meet on the Level

Start each encounter on a level footing.

Enter every encounter or negotiation, having first considered what the other side will see as a fair outcome for them.

Treat others as equals. 

Judge with mercy and candour.

ought no eminence
of situation cause us to forget,
we are all human,
and that he who is on
the lowest spoke
of fortune’s wheel
is equally entitled
to our regard …

Deal with integrity – upright intentions

Hold a due medium between avarice, an ‘extreme greed for wealth or material gain’ and profusion, ‘extravagance, squandering, and waste’. 

Do unto others as you would be done by.

Avoid confrontation – learn how.

Always consider the long term, not short term gains.

in all your pursuits
have eternity in view

Part on the Square

Conclude the encounter on good terms. Don’t burn bridges.

If an agreement is not concluded now, that is better for both sides than a bad deal for one side.

Don’t look on the encounter as being failed, just one not right at this time.

Learn from it, assess how it could be restructured to be fair for both sides.

Leave the door open to try again.

happy have we met,
happy have we been,
happy may we part
and happy to meet again

The Master Mason

The symbolic use of the working tools in the third degree remind us of our relationship with God, or our conscience.

At the end of the day is the time for reflection,  to assess your day.

Have you acted with all good conscience, within that straight undeviating line of conduct laid down for our pursuit?

In the knowledge that your words and actions of the day are observed and recorded.  Can you be proud, if others would read these back to you.

Have you kept within the bounds of good, not straying into evil.

If this was your last day, the closing hour of your existence, are you content with this day?

Were you able to perform your allotted tasks while it was yet day?

Did your words or action provide help or assistance to another?

Or did you feel under stress – did you get angry or short tempered?

Did you enter into every encounter on the level, acted with integrity, and parted in harmony?

Did you always do unto others as you would have them do unto you?

Did your words or action hurt another?

In today’s modern world, it is all too easy for a little road rage, flame mail, bad text message, unnecessary social media reply.

Did today
take you closer
to achieving
your dreams?

Tomorrow is a new 24 hours – the clock starts at 00:00 again.

A new opportunity to correct bad habits.

An opportunity to work on those things you did not do so well at today.

Maybe try some additional learning, experiment with some new techniques.

Maybe look for some additional tools [goods, services, assistance, advice] to help you work smarter.

It does not matter if you fail again, again, and again. 

Never forgetting that,

each time we fail,
it is just another
valuable lesson

Learn from it, try something different each time.

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