I asked a Past Master with 40 years of experience what he wished someone had told him when he was a new Entered Apprentice.
He paused for a long moment, then said:
“That there’s a difference between learning ritual and learning Freemasonry. I spent my first five years memorizing words. Took me another decade to understand what they actually meant.”
Most new Masons make the same mistake: they confuse proficiency with education.
They memorize their catechism, pass their examination, advance through the degrees, and think they’re learning Freemasonry. They’re not. They’re learning ritual performance, which is important but incomplete.
After talking with dozens of Past Masters and long-time Brothers about what they wish they’d known as new Masons, clear patterns emerged.
There is a “right way” to learn Freemasonry, and it’s different from what most new members assume.
The Mistake Most New Masons Make
Here’s the typical new Mason’s approach:
Get initiated as an Entered Apprentice. Focus intensely on memorizing proficiency work. Meet with mentor weekly to practice questions and answers. Pass proficiency. Immediately start preparing for the Fellowcraft degree. Repeat the process. Then Master Mason. Then… plateau.
This approach treats Freemasonry like a series of tests to pass rather than a system of wisdom to internalize.
The Brothers who truly understand Freemasonry decades later didn’t take this approach. They did something different from the beginning.
What Old Masters Know That You Don’t
Past Masters who’ve spent 30, 40, 50 years in the Craft understand things about Masonic education that newer Brothers haven’t learned yet. Here’s what they wish they could tell every new Entered Apprentice:
1. Slow Down, You’re Missing Everything
One Past Master told me: “New Brothers rush through the degrees like they’re collecting merit badges. They want to be Master Masons as quickly as possible. Then they get there and realize they don’t understand half of what they experienced.”
The degrees aren’t obstacles to overcome. They’re experiences to absorb.
Each degree contains layers of symbolism that take months, even years, to fully appreciate. The Entered Apprentice who rushes to Fellowcraft in 60 days misses most of what the EA degree offers.
Old Masters know: spend time in each degree. Sit with the symbolism. Let it settle. Ask questions. Read about it. Discuss it with other Brothers. Don’t advance until you’ve extracted real understanding from the current degree.
The ritual you memorize for proficiency is the surface. The symbolism beneath is the substance. Most Brothers learn the surface and move on without ever diving deep.
2. Your Mentor Can’t Teach What He Doesn’t Know
Not every assigned mentor is equipped to truly teach Freemasonry.
Many mentors are great at helping with proficiency work but have never studied Masonic philosophy deeply themselves.
One Past Master explained: “I was assigned a mentor who knew the ritual perfectly. But when I asked what symbols meant or how to apply lessons to my life, he just said ‘you’ll understand eventually.’ That wasn’t mentorship. That was ritual coaching.”
Don’t blame your mentor if he can’t answer deeper questions. Just recognize the limitation and seek knowledge elsewhere.
The best Masonic students don’t rely solely on their assigned mentor. They read books. They talk to multiple experienced Brothers. They join study groups. They seek out the Brothers who actually understand Masonic philosophy, not just ritual.
This is where structured education becomes essential and our Masonic Courses were created specifically to fill this gap.
When your mentor can explain proficiency but not symbolism, when your Lodge offers ritual practice but not philosophical depth, these courses provide the systematic education most mentors simply can’t offer.
The Understanding Freemasonry course (22 lessons) gives you foundational knowledge many Brothers take 10 years to piece together on their own.
3. The Degrees Are Connected, Not Separate
Many Brothers treat each degree as a standalone experience. Learn EA material. Move to FC. Forget EA stuff. Focus on FC. Then MM. Then forget both previous degrees.
Old Masters know better: the three degrees form one continuous teaching that builds progressively.
Symbols introduced in the Entered Apprentice degree reappear with deeper meaning in Fellowcraft. Lessons from both inform the Master Mason degree. The whole system is interconnected.
One Past Master said:
“I didn’t understand my Fellowcraft degree until years after I was raised to Master Mason. Things I’d experienced in all three degrees suddenly connected, and I saw the whole picture. But I could have seen it sooner if someone had told me to look for those connections.”
The right way to learn: study each degree thoroughly, but always keep the others in mind. Look for how they connect. Ask how symbols from earlier degrees relate to later ones. See the forest, not just individual trees.
4. Reading Is Not Optional
Almost every Past Master I spoke with said the same thing:
“I wish I’d started reading about Freemasonry earlier.”
Too many new Masons never crack open a Masonic book beyond their ritual monitor. They rely entirely on what they hear in Lodge and from their mentor.
That’s like trying to learn medicine by only attending weekly lectures and never reading textbooks.
Old Masters read extensively. Not because they’re more scholarly, but because they learned that Masonic understanding requires exposure to multiple perspectives and deeper exploration than Lodge meetings provide.
One Brother explained:
“I spent my first three years barely reading anything. Then I read one good book about Masonic symbolism, and suddenly everything I’d experienced in my degrees made sense. I was angry at myself for waiting so long.”
The challenge is knowing what to read and how to study systematically. Random reading helps, but a structured curriculum accelerates understanding dramatically.
This is why the degree-specific courses (Entered Apprentice: 27 lessons, Fellowcraft: 15 lessons, Master Mason: 24 lessons) provide such value.
They break down each degree’s symbolism, history, and practical application in organized, progressive lessons that build on each other logically.
5. Application Matters More Than Knowledge
Here’s what separates Brothers who understand Freemasonry from those who just know about it: application.
You can memorize the meaning of every symbol. You can recite Masonic philosophy perfectly.
But if it doesn’t change how you actually live, you haven’t learned Freemasonry.
You’ve just accumulated information.
One Past Master put it bluntly:
“I’ve known Brothers who could explain every symbol in perfect detail but were still assholes in daily life. That’s not Masonry. That’s trivia.”
The right way to learn Freemasonry is to immediately apply what you’re learning.
When you learn about temperance, identify one area of your life lacking balance and work on it.
When you study the working tools, figure out how to actually use them as guides for decisions. When you discuss brotherly love, practice it with someone difficult.
Old Masters know: the Brothers who transform their lives through Freemasonry are the ones who treat every lesson as a call to action, not just interesting information.
6. You Need Peers, Not Just Elders
Most new Masons focus on learning from older, experienced Brothers. That’s important. But Old Masters know something else: you also need peers at your same stage.
“The best learning happened when I got together with three other new Master Masons and we discussed what we were figuring out,” one Past Master explained.
“We were all confused together, which made it safe to ask stupid questions and explore ideas.”
Peer learning creates space for vulnerability that mentor relationships sometimes don’t.
With an experienced Brother, you might hesitate to admit confusion or ask basic questions. With a peer also struggling through the same material, you can explore openly.
The challenge is finding peers, especially in Lodges where you might be the only new member.
This is where the Freemasons Community becomes invaluable.
Over 1,100 Brothers at all stages, including hundreds working through the same courses you are. Ask questions, compare notes, discuss lessons with others who are learning alongside you.
+ immediate access to all 8 courses.
7. Ritual Memorization Has a Purpose Beyond Testing
New Brothers often view proficiency work as a hurdle to clear. Memorize the questions and answers, pass the exam, move on.
The memorization itself is the lesson.
When you spend weeks reciting the same words repeatedly, they sink from surface knowledge into deeper understanding. The repetition creates familiarity that eventually transforms into internalization.
One Past Master said:
“I hated memorizing my catechism at first. Felt like busywork. Ten years later, I realized those words I’d memorized had shaped how I thought about virtue and character. The memorization wasn’t about testing. It was about getting those principles so deep in my mind that they influenced my thinking automatically.”
The right approach: don’t rush memorization just to pass proficiency. Take time with it. Reflect on what you’re memorizing. Let the words sink deep.
Again, the Learning & Memorizing the Ritual course (9 lessons) teaches not just how to memorize, but why it matters and how to let the process transform you rather than just test you.
8. Lodge Attendance Is Not Enough
One of the most common regrets Old Masters express: relying solely on Lodge meetings for Masonic education.
“I thought showing up to meetings meant I was learning,” one Brother told me.
“I wasn’t. I was just present while other people ran the Lodge. Real learning required additional effort outside stated meetings.”
Lodge attendance is necessary but insufficient.
You need supplementary study. Reading, discussion, reflection, and structured learning beyond what happens in the Lodge room once a month.
This is especially true in Lodges with weak education programs. If your Lodge offers five minutes of education consisting of someone reading Wikipedia, you’re not getting the education you need.
Old Masters compensate for weak Lodge education by taking responsibility for their own learning.
They don’t wait for the Lodge to teach them. They seek out resources and do the work themselves.
9. Questions Are Your Most Powerful Tool
New Masons often hesitate to ask questions. They don’t want to look ignorant. They assume everyone else understands things they don’t. They stay quiet.
“I spent years confused about symbolism because I was too embarrassed to ask what seemed like basic questions,” one Past Master admitted. “Turns out, lots of other Brothers were confused too. We were all silently confused together instead of just asking.”
- The right way to learn: ask constantly.
- When something doesn’t make sense, ask.
- When symbolism seems unclear, ask.
- When you wonder about application, ask.
Don’t assume questions are unwelcome. Most experienced Brothers love being asked thoughtful questions.
It gives them a chance to share knowledge and help someone learn.
10. The Real Work Starts After You’re Raised
The biggest misconception new Masons have: becoming a Master Mason is the goal.
It’s not. Being raised is the beginning, not the end.
The three degrees are the foundation. The real Masonic education begins after you’re raised and starts applying principles to decades of living.
Brothers who plateau after being raised missed this truth. They thought the degrees were the education. They weren’t. They were the introduction to education that continues for life.
The Right Way: A Clear Path
Based on wisdom from experienced Brothers, here’s the right way to learn Freemasonry:
During Each Degree:
- Take time before advancing. Minimum 3-4 months per degree.
- Learn proficiency thoroughly, but don’t stop there.
- Study the symbolism, not just the catechism.
- Read books about the degree you’re working on.
- Discuss with multiple Brothers, not just your mentor.
- Look for connections between degrees.
After Being Raised:
- Continue structured education. Take courses on specific topics.
- Read extensively about Masonic philosophy and symbolism.
- Apply lessons to real-life situations deliberately.
- Find study partners or groups for regular discussion.
- Help newer members learn, which deepens your own understanding.
- Never stop asking questions.
Throughout Your Masonic Journey:
- Treat education as ongoing, not completed.
- Seek out Brothers who understand deeply, not just those who know ritual.
- Balance Lodge attendance with personal study.
- Look for application opportunities daily.
- Stay humble about how much you don’t yet understand.
The Bottom Line
There is a right way to learn Freemasonry, and it’s different from what most new Masons do.
It’s not about rushing through degrees. It’s about taking time to understand what you’re experiencing.
It’s not about memorizing and moving on. It’s about internalizing and applying.
It’s not about relying on your Lodge to teach you everything. It’s about taking responsibility for your own education.
It’s not about collecting degrees. It’s about transformation through progressive understanding.
Old Masters learned these lessons over decades. You don’t have to.
The wisdom is available now. The courses exist. The structure is provided. The question is whether you’ll take advantage of it or spend years learning the hard way like generations before you.
Learn from those who’ve walked this path for 30, 40, 50 years. Don’t make the same mistakes they did.
Start learning the right way from the beginning.