Join Us
Interested in becoming a Freemason?
Freemasonry is one of the world’s oldest and largest non-sectarian, non-political, fraternal and charitable organisations. It is informative, fun to belong to and provides camaraderie, lifelong friendships and gives generously to charity. It helps its members develop self-confidence, encourages good citizenship and builds relationships and teamwork.
You DON’T have to be invited to join. If you are interested and know a mason, simply ask him. If you don’t know one, or even if you do, ask us. Loddon prides itself on being a friendly and welcoming lodge, and we’re always pleased to hear from potential new members.
If you would like to find out more, please get in touch by sending an email to: join@loddonlodge.com
Joining Process
The joining process typically consists of the following stages:
- Your initial enquiry via this website
- Informal chat by telephone, email or in person to establish personal contact. This is a great time to ask questions about both Freemasonry and Loddon Lodge in particular. Should you then wish to proceed with your application for membership of Loddon Lodge, this part of the process is a good opportunity to identify a Proposer and Seconder in support of your application
- A short interview with some members of the lodge Committee
- The interview having been a success, during a Lodge meeting your Proposer and Seconder formally announce your wish to join Loddon Lodge
- A minimum of one calendar month having elapsed since you were Proposed and Seconded for membership, a ballot is held among the members of Loddon Lodge
- The ballot being successful, you attend your first meeting as a candidate for Initiation into Loddon Lodge. You are a Freemason!
If you would like a good insight into one man’s experience of the process, below appears his account of researching Freemasonry in general, before approaching Loddon Lodge for further information, and ultimately deciding to join our Lodge.
To be, or not to be? ….
I had thought about getting into Freemasonry for many years before I actually went ahead and did something about it. In fact, I am only sorry that I didn’t do something about it sooner as it was something that I really wanted to do, yet for some strange reason, was wary of taking the initial step of contact with this ‘strange’ fraternity of people. I’m not really sure why I was worried; I think it may have been the possibility of failing in my attempt to become involved in something I was really interested in. I am sure that what made it worse was the fact that I didn’t know any Freemasons in my town and had only ever met one person in my life who admitted to being a Freemason. As they lived in a completely different County to myself, I didn’t really see them often and there was no real opportunity to get together with him to discuss how to go about joining this ancient and honourable institution.
So, how did I get involved?
After checking many websites and finding just as many bad and contradictory sites of information as useful ones, I decided to do a search for Freemasonry in my hometown. Not expecting to find anything of use, I was surprised to find a website dedicated to Freemasonry in my hometown of Basingstoke, written by Freemasons, with information for those interested in it and those already part of it. I spent a great deal of time searching all parts of the site, reading all the information on the different pages about the history of Freemasonry in general or this the Loddon Lodge No.8223 in particular. I was able to look at when and how often they had their meetings and was even able to look into the social side of Basingstoke Freemasonry through the various Masonic and Social meetings they have throughout the year. I was also able, through the site, to access the ‘head office’ website of the United Grand Lodge of England in the famous Great Queen Street, London (used as the façade for the supposed MI5 building in the BBC series Spooks).
After deciding that I definitely needed to make further progress, I used the link on the site to send an email asking for more information. It was strange, as I had previously been worried about making contact, but through the impersonal medium of the Internet, and the great deal of useful information contained on the site, I had absolutely no qualms about asking for information on how to join.
The first step….
I received a sincere, warm reply to my email, offering advice and giving me the chance to attend the Lodge to meet ‘out of hours’ with the Secretary. Obviously, I thought of this initial meeting as a chance for him to also see if I was of a character befitting someone who was the right sort of person to become involved in Freemasonry. So, although I was told it was an informal chat, to me it was a kind of interview. In the mean time, the secretary had posted to me; some information about Basingstoke Freemasonry as well as material produced by UGLE the United Grand Lodge of England, which contained several booklets with historical information as well as question and answer sections about the truths and fallacies surrounding Freemasonry.
I went along to the meeting with the Secretary and was met by a very genuine, warm and friendly stranger, who I can honestly say made me feel totally at ease. By the end of our chat, he had given me a sense of relief that the initial contact had been made, a sense of almost impatient anticipation in looking forward to the next step in my journey and that after having talked to him, a feeling that I had known him longer than just our initial meeting that day. His demeanour of true warmth, friendship and his obvious passion for Freemasonry really gave me an insight into the type of people who are Freemasons and the enjoyment they get out of being part of it. I was then also invited to some of the social events where my Fiancée and I met with other Freemasons who shared the same warm, friendly outlook. Not long after, I was in the position of having gained both the friendship and trust of both a proposer and seconder for my application to join.
The second step…..
After my application form was duly processed I had an interview with the committee at the Lodge, which they tried to make as informal as possible in order to remain approachable. I remember feeling really nervous, as it’s not like a job interview where you know what the job is about and can prepare for job related questions before turning up, there was a chance that everything I had heard about or researched in Freemasonry, was wrong. I decided that, after everything I had read about the moralistic outlook of Freemasonry and my experience of meeting Masons socially, that I would relax and just be myself. I thought that I was right for Freemasonry and that if, after being true to myself and answering questions truthfully that they didn’t want me, then maybe it wasn’t right for me anyway.
I passed the interview and was told that I would be contacted with a view to setting up my time to come in for my First Degree ceremony of entrance into Freemasonry.
The third step….
The night of my First Degree came and I was really nervous. I had, by this time become quite close friends with my proposer who I trusted totally, and so trusted him when he said that I would not come to harm during the ceremony, that I would enjoy it and that everyone who was a Freemason has gone through exactly the same ceremony as I was about to. In fact, it has remained largely unchanged for over 300 years! Every ceremony in Freemasonry has been thought about and designed to operate on many different levels. It would not be remiss of me to say that those that formulated the ceremonies, fully understood the need for improving and coordinating Mind, Body & Spirit, but as with Martial Arts, it is a personal journey with different aspects picked up at different times by different people and too much information too soon would ruin the experience and what you learn from it.
Conclusion
Having completed my three Craft degrees and the Royal Arch Degree, I now find myself 10 years later; still involved in Masonry, having progressed through the various offices in the Lodge and having been elected and served as Master of a Lodge. I now also have a much wider circle of friends, but more than that, I have pushed myself intellectually through the learning and understanding of the ritual, I have enjoyed the responsibility of leadership and continue to enjoy my journey within Masonry; all it has taught me, the friendships I have made and the experiences I have shared along the way.
I would say that if you are interested in finding out more about Freemasonry, even if you are not sure you want to join, then please do contact the secretary who will give you all the necessary information and guide you through the whole process. It has so far been an excellent new chapter in my life and I would not change it for anything, in fact my life is truly richer for having taken this path and I look forward to the next 10 years and beyond.
Like to know more? If you are interested in becoming a Freemason, please contact our Secretary – join@loddonlodge.com