| The Masonic Lodge: A Bastion of Hope for Masculinity |
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The Masonic Lodge: A Bastion of Hope for Masculinity
By: Brendan Murt
For a long time brothers, masculinity has been in a state of crisis. Many would say that this started as a result of the feminist movement back in the 1960’s. I would dare to say that it has been going on for more than a millennia. Unfortunately, masculinity has been poorly represented by men in power for many centuries now and because of the wonderful freedom that has been so dearly fought for in this country and around many other parts of the world, society has been able to break the nasty bonds that were laid down by the tyrannical patriarchies of the past. Because of this, society has almost entirely discarded the importance of mature men and their place in civilization and doesn’t support the development of boys that would move them into the maturity of manhood. As a result there has been a feminization of society and with good reason: It was the male driven patriarchy that threw the entire world into a dark age that spanned many hundreds of years in which knowledge was suppressed and countless people were killed.
It is truly unfortunate that masculinity has been so poorly represented by those in major positions of power over the last millennia, but it hasn’t been without hope. There are those who would protect the precious ideals and processes for which society was founded upon and it would soon come to light during the enlightenment period in Europe. During this period the populations of men in the western world were able to throw off their superstitions and begin to live “scientific lives”. This was wonderful in so many ways but to a fault. When people move from one psychological polarity to another, they often forget the benefits of the other side and that way of experiencing the world. During this period, popular science forgot the subjective man and how he experiences the world. Everything was defined by objectivity.
This, in and of itself, was an assault on both true masculinity and the feminine nature of the subjective way we experience the world. Initiation rites were forgotten and the individual was pushed aside. The next blow to masculinity wouldn’t be struck again until the 1960’s when the angry feminist movement came about. Somehow, masculinity was now the enemy and there was a push to make all things equal. This doesn’t just include feminists but also political ideals that sought to subdue great men from accomplishing great things. Because of this, men weren’t being created.
Today (although there is somewhat of a resurgence of masculinity in pop culture) society is experiencing a disproportionate amount of men with what Carl Jung referred to as “boy psychology”1. In essence, we have a bunch of thirty year old boys running around masquerading as men. Since this is at the helm of social interaction for these man-boys, you get a society full of boys supporting the habits of boys that are not looking for mature men to learn from or women but either a.) another mother to support them or b.) another little girl to play with or c.) another little boy that will help support their immature behaviors.
In order for society as a whole to mature, we must have full grown and mature men to help run it. Because these men continue to act as boys they cannot experience psychological maturity and because of this they cannot be true men. In Jungian psychology this maturity would mean having a deep and profound connection and relationship to the foundational psychological building blocks that makes us who we are. Carl Jung referred to these as the 4 great archetypes of the mature masculine which are: The King, The Warrior, The Magician and The Lover1.
For these archetypes to be roused from their boyish immature counterparts into their full mature masculine archetype, there must be a profound and emotional initiation in the company of other true men. In other words, a boy cannot make a man similar to the effect that a whole bunch of people with a master’s degree cannot make someone a doctor. To make a man requires empowerment from other men and a powerful initiation ritual. Since society has all but done away with these special processes of initiation, the man-boy has created an abundance of pseudo-initiations to make him feel okay about boyhood. These pseudo-initiations unfortunately do not call us from boyhood into manhood, but instead reinforces what it means to be a boy and also insists that it is okay to live the rest of your life as a man-boy. Examples of pseudo-rituals includes gangs, military boot camp, man-boy fun leagues (i.e. video gamer clubs), and graduation from public institutions such as school. All of these things enforce boy psychology, prevent growth by taking away free time to develop and/or support a false sense of maturity (such is the case with public institutions like school).
Where then do males go in this day and age to reach maturity? Where can they go to be in the company of good men? The answer to this is the Masonic lodge. While the rest of society is beckoning us to attain greater technical competence in our very material trade or to attain more material wealth, the Masonic lodge beckons us to look inside and to master ourselves. The Masonic lodge gives men a bastion of hope because it is one of the very few places where a man can still be part of a true initiation.
What is a true initiation? It is a rite that has a profound intellectual and emotional effect on us while planting the seeds of self growth and knowledge in the company of other good men with the same aspirations. The last part of that sentence is of the utmost importance! You must do this in the company of other good and mature men that have the same aspirations as you. This doesn’t mean that you have to agree on everything, just the same basic tenants for which masculinity is founded upon.
The Masonic initiation into a greater life appeals to all aspects and needs of the yearning boy psychology that wishes to move into full maturity. It lets us know that we are not the center of the universe but at the same time, a microcosm of God through which all things are possible. It teaches and proves to us that maturity is attained by choice and great sacrifice on the behalf of those we love. It informs us that the greatest path in life is to choose to love those in your company and to make the world a place worth passing on to our children. It sets us to work along the right path, not just any path. It helps to define our purpose and our work in the name of virtue and insists that any man with the proper qualities can attain true self knowledge and greatness. It supports the greatest tenants for which society is based upon. None of which can be provided by even the most noble group of boys.
It is with this that I am proud to call myself a Mason and part of a Masonic lodge, for we truly are one of the last protectors of mature masculinity and the creators of men in this society for which it so badly needs. |