They installed me as Worshipful Master. Beautiful ceremony. Standing ovation.
Brothers congratulating me afterward, telling me I’d do great.
I felt honored. Excited. Ready.
But in a few months, I was crying in my car after Lodge meetings.
Nobody warned me about that part…
Everyone tells you being Worshipful Master is an honor.
They tell you it’s the pinnacle of your Masonic journey. They tell you it’ll be challenging but rewarding.
What they don’t tell you is the truth about what this year will actually cost you.
It’s Lonelier Than You Expect
You think sitting in the East means you’re surrounded by support. Brothers on all sides. Officers helping. Past Masters advising.
Reality? You’re alone with every decision.
Your Senior Warden is your friend until you have to tell him his ritual work needs improvement. Your Secretary has done things his way for 15 years and resents your new ideas.
Your treasurer thinks your plans cost too much. The Past Masters Monday-morning quarterback every decision you make.
You have authority but not necessarily support.
And here’s the part that breaks you: you can’t complain. You’re the Master. You’re supposed to have it together. You smile, you lead, you pretend it’s all fine while you’re drowning.
I spent nights lying awake wondering if I was failing. Days second-guessing every decision. Hours feeling completely alone despite being surrounded by “Brothers.”
Nobody tells you how isolating the East actually is.
Your Family Will Resent It
They warned me about time commitment. “It’s a busy year,” they said. “Your family needs to understand.”
They didn’t tell me what “busy” actually meant.
Officer meetings. Stated meetings. Degree practices. District events. Grand Lodge functions. Emergency meetings when problems arise.
Phone calls at 9 PM about Lodge issues. Text messages during dinner. Emails at midnight.
I missed my kid’s soccer games. I skipped date nights with my wife. I was physically present but mentally absent at family gatherings because I was worrying about Lodge.
My wife didn’t sign up to be a Masonic widow. My kids didn’t ask for a dad who was always “at Lodge” even when he was home.
The Lodge thanks you for your service. Your family pays the price.
Nobody tells you that your year in the East might cost you in ways that matter more than Freemasonry.
Past Masters Are Both Help and Hindrance
The Past Masters promise to support you. Some do. Others undermine you.
They’ll tell you they’re “just offering advice” while openly criticizing your decisions. They’ll say “we’ve always done it this way” when you try to change anything.
They’ll whisper to other Brothers about how things were better when they were in the East.
Some Past Masters are genuine mentors who support you privately and publicly. Others are frustrated has-beens who can’t let go of power.
You won’t know which is which until you’re sitting in that chair.
And here’s the trap: you need their institutional knowledge. They know things you don’t. But accepting their help means navigating their egos, their grudges, and their desire to remain relevant.
Nobody tells you that managing Past Masters is harder than managing current officers.
The Problems Are All Yours Now
When you were Junior Deacon, Lodge problems were someone else’s responsibility.
When you were Senior Warden, you could defer to the Master.
In the East? Every problem lands on you.
The building needs repairs you can’t afford. Brother John hasn’t paid dues in three years. The Treasurer and Secretary aren’t speaking to each other. Attendance is down.
Nobody volunteers. The ritual team is falling apart. A member’s wife just died and the Lodge needs to respond.
It’s all yours. Every single bit of it.
And the weight of it crushes you some days. You lie awake at 2 AM worrying about money, membership, morale. You skip lunch thinking about how to solve problems you inherited but didn’t create.
Nobody tells you that you’ll inherit decades of dysfunction and be expected to fix it in one year.
People Will Disappoint You
Brothers you counted on will let you down. The guy who promised to help with the fundraiser will ghost you.
The officer who swore he’d attend practice won’t show. The Past Master who said he’d mentor you will criticize from the sidelines instead.
You’ll learn who your real friends are by who shows up when you need help.
And that’s painful. Because some Brothers you trusted will prove unreliable. Some friendships will crack under the pressure of your year in the East.
You’ll be disappointed. Frustrated. Angry. Hurt.
Nobody tells you that being Worshipful Master reveals who people really are, and sometimes you won’t like what you discover.
You’ll Question Everything
Around month four, you’ll hit a wall. You’ll wonder if any of this matters.
You’ll question whether Lodge is worth the stress. You’ll doubt your ability to lead. You’ll resent the Brothers who created problems you’re now solving.
You’ll think about just getting through the year instead of trying to make a difference.
And that’s the crisis point. Either you push through and find meaning in the struggle, or you mail it in for the rest of your term.
Nobody tells you that most Masters hit this wall. That it’s normal to question everything. That doubt doesn’t mean failure.
But Here’s What Else Nobody Tells You…
It changes you in ways you can’t imagine.
You’ll develop leadership skills you didn’t know you needed. You’ll learn to make hard decisions. You’ll discover strength you didn’t know you had.
You’ll build friendships with Brothers who show up when it matters.
You’ll experience moments of genuine meaning that make all the struggle worth it.
You’ll see men’s lives change because of something your Lodge did under your leadership.
You’ll become someone you wouldn’t have become any other way.
Is it worth the cost? I’m still figuring that out.
Some days I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Other days I think I aged five years in twelve months and lost things I won’t get back.
If You’re Heading Toward The East…
Don’t let anyone tell you it’s all honor and glory. It’s hard. Lonely. Stressful. Thankless some days.
But it’s also meaningful. Transformative. And if you survive it with your values intact and your Lodge better than you found it, you’ll have accomplished something real.
Just don’t go into it blind. Know what it’ll actually cost before you take that chair.
Get your family’s genuine buy-in. Set boundaries with your time.
Find a mentor who’ll be honest with you. Connect with other current Masters who understand what you’re going through.
And know that the struggle is normal. You’re not failing when it gets hard. You’re experiencing what every Master before you experienced but nobody talks about.
For Current Masters Reading This
You’re not alone. Every Master feels this way sometimes.
The isolation, the pressure, the disappointment, the doubt. It’s all part of it.
And you’re doing better than you think you are.
Keep going. Your Lodge needs you. Even when they don’t show it, even when they frustrate you, even when you want to quit, keep going.
You’ve got this. And after your year ends, you’ll look back and realize you survived something that made you stronger.
Just remember: it’s okay to admit it’s hard. That’s not a weakness. That’s honesty.
Current or past Worshipful Masters: what’s the one thing you wish someone had told you before your year started?