Investigation

I met the investigative committee at the lodge tonight, and unfortunately I don't have a lot to report about the experience; the job interview I had with a large New England bank last summer was more nerve-wracking by far.

As it turned out, I already knew one of the brothers on the committee! I met him just a few weeks ago at a neighbor's house and we had a pleasant visit... unbeknownst to me that he was a Mason, and unbeknownst to him that I was petitioning. It also happened that one of the other brothers and I had grown up in neighboring central Massachusetts towns, and attended the same high school (although I don't believe we were there at the same time). Both pleasant and serendipitous surprises.

As has been reported by other "describing my Masonic journey" weblogs out there, the interview was very informal, and did not touch on anything nearly as deep as one might expect. I was asked if I was active in a local congregation... I am not, but I did clearly indicate my belief in a supreme being on my petition, so I think the question was aimed at getting me to elaborate a little bit, which I did.

Other familiar questions were, "Is your wife Ok with your joining the Freemasons?" and "Would joining the lodge cause you any kind of financial stress?" and "Are you aware of the time commitment that's expected of you for the degree work?" Yes, No, Yes.

I think the experience would have been very different had I not already done as much casual research as I have; if I didn't really know anything about Freemasonry I might not have answered most of their questions as succinctly as I did, and I certainly would have had a lot more questions to ask of the committee.

So, as far as I can tell all went very well... and now I wait another seven weeks before my petition is voted on. As quickly as the last seven weeks have gone, it should be a piece of cake.