By Anthony James PPGJD

One of the things we sometimes overlook in Freemasonry is just how much learning takes place without anybody standing at the front of the Lodge and formally teaching us.

We often think of Masonic education as something separate from the meeting itself. We think of lectures, presentations, Solomon, mentoring sessions, books, papers or explanations given afterwards. All of those have their place, but there is another form of learning taking place throughout almost every meeting. In fact, we participate in it from the moment the Lodge begins its work.

When we stand to order, we are learning.

When we stand for prayer, we are learning.

When we assist in opening and closing the Lodge, we are learning.

When we rise and address the Worshipful Master correctly, we are learning.

None of these actions may feel particularly educational once we have been doing them for a number of years, but for a newer Brother they form part of what might be described as participative learning. We learn by taking part. We do not simply sit and listen to somebody tell us how a Lodge works. We gradually absorb it by becoming part of it.

Think back to your first few meetings. There was probably a surprising amount to remember. When should I stand? When should I sit? Do I salute now? How do I address the Worshipful Master? Why has everybody else suddenly moved? Where am I supposed to be looking? What happens next?

To the experienced Mason, these things become almost automatic. To the newer Brother, however, every meeting contains dozens of small lessons. Nobody necessarily stops the meeting to explain each one, but through repetition, observation and participation, they begin to make sense.

That is one of the quiet strengths of the Lodge. It teaches us by involving us.

There is, however, another kind of learning taking place at the same time, and I think this becomes particularly noticeable as we begin to progress through the offices.

We might call this perceptive learning.

As we move around the Lodge, our perception of it changes.

A Brother sitting on the sidelines sees the Lodge from one particular perspective. He watches the officers, follows the ceremony and begins to understand the rhythm of the meeting. When he later takes an office, however, something changes. He is no longer merely watching that part of the Lodge. He is experiencing it.

The Lodge begins to look different.

From one office, you become more aware of movement and timing. From another, you notice how much depends upon listening carefully. Elsewhere, you may suddenly appreciate the importance of preparation, confidence or knowing exactly what happens next. Something that appeared effortless when viewed from the sidelines can feel very different when you are the Brother expected to make it happen.

That change of perspective is important.

We are not simply learning a different piece of ritual. We are beginning to perceive the Lodge through the responsibilities of that particular office.

As we progress, we start to understand why officers do certain things in certain ways. We notice how different parts of the ceremony connect. We become more aware of the Brethren around us. We begin to appreciate that the Lodge is not simply a collection of individual offices, but a group of Brothers whose actions fit together to make the meeting work.

Then, eventually, some Brethren arrive at the Master's Chair.

And the Lodge changes again.

The room has not changed. The furniture has not moved. The Brethren are the same men you have sat beside, spoken with and shared meetings with for years. Yet from the Master's Chair, the Lodge can feel entirely different.

Suddenly, you are looking out across the whole Lodge.

You become aware of things that perhaps you never really noticed before. You see the movements of the officers from a different angle. You become conscious of pauses, timing and atmosphere. You notice when a Brother looks uncertain, when somebody needs a little help, when a piece of ritual has gone particularly well, or when somebody has quietly rescued a moment before most of the Lodge has even noticed there was a problem.

You also begin to appreciate the responsibility carried by the Worshipful Master.

It is no longer simply a chair at the east of the Lodge. It is a position from which the whole meeting looks and feels different.

That, to me, is perceptive learning in one of its clearest forms.

We learn not merely because somebody has explained the Master's role to us, but because our position changes our perception. Things we may have watched many times suddenly carry a different meaning when we are responsible for them ourselves.

And that principle applies throughout our Masonic journey.

The Junior Deacon does not see the Lodge in quite the same way as the Inner Guard. The Senior Deacon experiences it differently again. The Wardens have responsibilities and viewpoints that cannot be fully appreciated until we begin to occupy those places ourselves. Each office offers another perspective and, with it, another opportunity to understand the Lodge more deeply.

This is why participation matters so much.

It is very easy for us to tell a newer Brother that there is no rush and that he can simply sit back and enjoy the ceremonies for a while. There is nothing wrong with that, of course. Nobody should be pushed into office or made to feel uncomfortable. But there is also a danger that if we leave a Brother sitting on the sidelines for too long, we deprive him of one of the most effective ways Freemasonry teaches.

Participation creates understanding.

Even very small acts can make a difference. Asking a Brother to take a short piece of ritual, assist with a small duty, accompany an officer, help prepare the Lodge or simply explain what is happening gives him another way to engage with the meeting.

Once he participates, his perception begins to change.

He stops seeing the Lodge as something being performed in front of him and begins to recognise that he is part of it.

There is also another benefit.

Participation encourages questions.

Once somebody becomes involved, he often wants to know why something is done in a particular way. Why do we stand at this point? Why does that officer move there? Why is a particular form of words used? Why is this part of the ceremony important?

Those questions are valuable because they represent the point at which participation begins to develop into understanding.

And that is where mentoring becomes especially important.

A Mentor cannot possibly explain every detail of Freemasonry to a newer Brother in his first few months, nor should he try. Much of it would have little meaning because the Brother has not yet experienced enough of the Lodge for those explanations to connect with anything.

Sometimes the better approach is to allow experience to create the question.

Let the Brother participate. Let him observe. Let him experience the Lodge from different places. Then, when he asks why something happened or what something meant, the explanation suddenly has context.

It has somewhere to land.

This is perhaps one of the reasons progression through the offices can be so valuable. It is not simply a route towards becoming Worshipful Master. Each office can provide a different lesson because each one allows us to perceive the Lodge from somewhere new.

There should be no suggestion that every Brother must reach the Master's Chair. That is neither necessary nor desirable. Freemasonry is not a race through the offices, and advancement should never become the sole measure of a Brother's involvement. Some Brethren will progress quickly, others slowly, and some may decide that office is not for them at all.

But wherever we sit and whatever part we play, participation gives us another opportunity to learn.

There is a simple lesson here for all of us, not only Mentors.

When a newer Brother comes into our Lodge, we should not assume that learning means sitting him down and giving him more information. Sometimes the best lesson is simply to involve him.

Stand with him.

Explain what is happening when appropriate.

Give him something small to do.

Encourage him to visit a Lodge of Instruction.

Let him watch from different parts of the Lodge.

Allow him to discover that every seat, every office and every responsibility provides a slightly different view of the same institution.

Because Freemasonry is not really learned from one direction.

We learn by listening.

We learn by watching.

We learn by asking questions.

We learn by reflecting.

But perhaps most importantly, we learn by taking part.

And as we move around the Lodge, our perception changes with us.

The Lodge we see from the sidelines is not quite the Lodge we experience as an officer. The Lodge we experience as an officer is not quite the Lodge we see from a Warden's chair. And when a Brother finally finds himself sitting in the Master's Chair, looking out across the Lodge, he may suddenly understand things that no book, lecture or explanation could ever have taught him in quite the same way.

Sometimes, the Lodge itself is the lesson.