MW Cameron M. Bailey

In my last post I talked about how important it is for a leader to both hold and communicate a vision to those around him. You can read that post here.

In this post I'll be writing about one of the ways in which a leader can lose this essential vision, even without realizing that it is being lost.

As leaders we badly run the risk of losing our vision if we get overly caught up in the details of the day to day operations of our Lodge or other organization. This is because in order to properly utilize vision, it must be held at the forefront of our minds. If however we are so focused on side issues and little details, those things move to the front of our minds, and vision gets lost somewhere in the back, with all the clutter.

At the Lodge level, if we are Worshipful Master, I suggest that we don't need to be intimately involved with our charity and scholarship funds, rather we can let 'Bob' know what our vision is for those funds, and trust him to take care of things. We don't need to plan our annual camping trip/retreat, rather we can let 'Alan' know what our vision is for that weekend and let him plan it.

These are just a couple quick examples, but the principal holds true across all activities of the Lodge.

We need to communicate our vision for the Lodge to our Brothers, and then step back and let them help us achieve that vision. If we can't step back and feel that we must control everything, well then we will lose that vision because we will become consumed by meaningless details.

We see this I think in Grand Lines as well. A new fellow gets elected and has a vision of where he would like to see our Fraternity go. Very quickly though that vision is consumed by meaningless details. He's spending countless hours a week on the highway, sitting in meetings discussing property the Grand Lodge owns, sitting in other meetings talking about the stock market. Still more meetings discussing charitable efforts. Eventually he becomes Grand Master and whatever vision for the future, whatever help he was going to provide our Fraternity is dead and buried, buried under a mountain of details because he never was able to trust his Brothers enough to let go. Or, he didn't feel that he could let go given the expectations of the Masons of his Jurisdiction.

To be successful leaders we must have a vision, we must be able to hold that vision first in our minds, and we must be able to communicate that vision. If we can't do all three of those things we will fail in our duty to lead. Therefore, we must guard against putting too much focus on those things that would tend to overwhelm our vision. If we can do this, we can have a great year in the East.

#Leadership #Lodge #Vision #GrandLine

-Cameron

Cameron M. Bailey Past Grand Master The MW Grand Lodge F&AM of Washington

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As Freemasons those of us who desire leadership have that opportunity. We can have the tremendous honor of becoming a leader of men by becoming Worshipful Master of our Lodges.

Title and position however, no matter how lofty, do not make a man a leader. Position is simply a place, title is only words.

What actually makes a man a leader is having at least one other person who is willing to follow where he leads. It is impossible to be a leader without having followers in turn.

It is I think important to ask, what makes a leader? What makes a man become someone who other men want to follow?

I argue that the answer to that question is vision.

In order to lead, a leader must hold a vision of where he wants his Lodge to be in the future, and of equal importance, he must be able to communicate that vision to the members of his Lodge.

If he either lacks vision, or can't communicate that vision, then the members of his Lodge can't follow him, if for no other reason than the fact that they won't know where they are headed, or where their efforts should be directed.

What this means for those of us who lead our Lodges, or who plan on leading a Lodge is that we must spend some time figuring out exactly where we think our Lodge should be in the future, and plot out at least a few initial steps that can be taken to get the Lodge there.

What it also means is that we can't just bounce from our Installation to our first Stated Meeting as Worshipful Master. Rather we must sit down with the members of our Lodge, at the very least the key members of our Lodge, and we must explain our vision for the Lodge to them in the most complete manner possible.

By doing so, the members of our Lodge can help us to achieve our vision.

By neglecting to do so, we have little to no chance of success during our time in the East.

Standing in the East we have no greater duty than to hold a vision for our Lodge, and communicate that vision to our members.

Why?

Because a single bad year can and does decimate a Lodge when it happens.

A Lodge can go along very well for years, improving a bit with each passing year until it is ticking along at a superb level. Providing education, providing fellowship, growing. That is the work of years, the next year all of that work can be destroyed.

I've unfortunately experienced that exact thing in one of my Lodges. If you've been a Mason long enough, you probably have seen it too. You have probably also seen that it takes years of good leadership to repair the damage done during a single bad year.

This cycle can be crushing to a Lodge.

The good news is that the cycle can be prevented. We prevent it by holding a vision for our Lodge's future, and communicating that vision to our members. If we do that, we are actually leading our Lodge, and we will be assured of a good year in the East, for our Brothers will be there to assist us. With the help and support of the members of our Lodge, we can not fail.

#Leadership #Lodge #Vision

-Cameron

Cameron M. Bailey Past Grand Master The MW Grand Lodge F&AM of Washington

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Due to the pandemic, many Masonic leaders, including me have attempted to continue engaging with the Fraternity through means other than our regular meetings and events.

This blog is just one such example.

Written essays, videos, podcasts, through all of these means a great deal of high quality content is being created. Just today I saw a superb video created by one of the leaders of my Scottish Rite Valley.

When we consume this Masonic content, I think it is important for us to remember that no one man speaks for Freemasonry.

Freemasonry is a worldwide Brotherhood enjoyed by men of every nation and creed. Certainly such diverse men will hold a great diversity of opinion. Beyond that every Mason has a right to, and does indeed hold his own unique view of what Freemasonry is to him.

Freemasonry means one thing to me, it means something different to my friend and Brother VW Larry Foley. Given that Masonry means something a bit different to each of us, it follows that when communicating about it, we might well communicate about different things, and in different ways.

All of this is a long way of saying that when we read a Masonic essay, or watch a Masonic video, or listen to a podcast, we need to remember that it is perfectly OK for us to disagree. No matter what position the man who created it holds.

Properly we should accept that which we believe to be true, for ourselves, and reject that which we find, upon reflection, to be false.

Through my years as a Mason I have slowly created what has become a fairly large, extremely high quality Masonic book collection. All of that has resulted in a great deal of Masonic reading, over quite a few years now.

Back when I was a brand spankin new EA, one of the very first things I read, and I've never forgotten, is the following passage from Albert Pike in which he made the same point I have tried to make above. I am pleased to commend it to you.

“Every one is entirely free to reject and dissent from whatsoever herein may seem to him to be untrue or unsound.” -Morals and Dogma

That precept by Brother Pike has been of tremendous value to me in my reading as I have continued my own quest for Masonic Light.

#ThisBlog #AlbertPike #MoralsAndDogma

-Cameron

Cameron M. Bailey Past Grand Master The MW Grand Lodge F&AM of Washington

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It's getting to be that time of year again.

Statements of Availability from those interested in becoming the next Junior Grand Warden are due on September 1.

Prior to that, on August 1 we will be hosting a video conference to explain a bit about the requirements of the positions, and answering any questions. If you are interested in making yourself available please just contact the Grand Secretary, he will hook you up with the information for the call.

With this post, I thought that I'd pass along a few things that I wish I knew before I took the plunge.

-You can still be working and effectively serve as a Grand Lodge Elected Officer. While traditionally these posts have most often been filled by retired folks, that has been changing. Right now both of our Wardens and I are all still employed.

-You will need a very good car. When I first made myself available it was suggested to me that I needed to buy a new car. I thought that advice probably not correct, I take exceptional care of my cars. Alas, within about three months my wife and I bought a new car. You will put on tens of thousands of miles per year, both while available, and following election.

-I was also told that it would cost me 100,000 dollars between the four years as an elected Officer and the year one was available. While it is certainly correct that there are very significant costs to these positions, know that some of those costs are well within your control. Accepting invitatons for events outside of the Jurisdiction will become very expensive very fast. Keeping those things under control will cut costs substantially. My personal costs will not reach the above figure. I hesitate to post personal financial information in this forum, but if you are considering making yourself available, and would like to talk about the actual expenses I have incured, I would be happy to talk with you. Please just feel free to reach out to me.

-In my view, one needs an active and involved lady in order to pull the terms off well. The Grand Lodge Ladies work very hard assisting in the larger events held each year, and I can't imagine trying to do these things without the support and help of my lady.

All in all, I've been on this particular journey for a bit more than three years now. I've found it to be wholly positive. If you have ever considered it, I advise that you make the leap and get your Statement of Availability in prior to September 1.

#GrandLodge #GrandLodgeElectedOfficers

-Cameron

Cameron M. Bailey Past Grand Master The MW Grand Lodge F&AM of Washington

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“Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” -Brother George Washington

When I was a youngster, back in high school, way back in the mid 1980's, we were taught in school, quite a bit actually, about our then enemy, the Soviet Union.

We were taught that one of the most evil things about this evil empire was the fact that it intentionally turned neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend, and family member against family member by encouraging everyone to become a snitch. By encouraging everyone to turn in anyone who disagreed with the orthodoxy of the state.

35 years ago, the State of Washington's public schools were teaching students that it was evil to look for excuses to turn ones neighbors, friends, or family members into the government for perceived crimes.

Only 35 years ago.

Today, our government, at all levels, is using the pandemic as an excuse to encourage all citizens to turn in their neighbors who might be violating governmental mandates made in the name of pandemic response. Our government today is encouraging our citizenry into becoming a nation of snitches. Encouraging our citizenry to turn rat and snitch on neighbors, friends, family members. Encouraging our citizenry to do precicely that which was condemned as evil just 35 years ago.

Let us be clear. Freemasonry strives to unite all men into the Fraternal bonds of Brotherhood.

Government snitching programs do directly the oposite. These programs seek to divide men, to make them secretive and furitive, to convince them to spy upon their neighbors.

As is known by all, Freemasonry does not involve itself with partisan politics. It does however stand for free government and liberty. Indeed it must do so, for it has been outlawed and supressed by every totalitarian regeme that has ever come to power. (Castro's Cuba being the sole exception that proves the rule.)

We, as individual Masons, during this scary time, must look for ways to aid and assist our neighbors. To (figuratively at least) extend the hand of Brotherhood and fellowship to all of those around us. We must stand for universal Benevolence and Fraternity.

We must not seek excuses to begin viewing our neighbors, or our Brothers with suspicion.

#Pandemic #Brotherhood #Liberty

-Cameron

Cameron M. Bailey Past Grand Master The MW Grand Lodge F&AM of Washington

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Yesterday VW Jeremy Yielding and I had our first meeting to discuss the 2021 Lodge Leadership Retreat.

Short story, It's going to be great!

We'll be in a new venue at the Wenatchee Convention Center, be offering some wonderful new classes, and have added some new instructors to the mix as well.

Building a strong and thriving Masonic Lodge isn't an easy thing to do, but this retreat gives those who attend the tools needed to do so.

Plus it's a lot of fun. A casual event, filled with loads of fellowship!

Don't forget, your wife or girlfriend is welcome too. Melinda is planning a ladies program that will prove to be both informative and fun. I understand it will include wine too, likely a lot of wine!

Here's a touch of straight talk though.

We do have Lodges, and Districts, who very consistently attend the LLR each year. We also have Lodges and Districts who haven't sent anyone to the LLR for many years.

As expected, Lodges that don't send members to the LLR seem to be Lodges that are consistently struggling from year to year. We can certainly learn from that, if we are willing to see that which is plainly in front of us.

If your Lodge is struggling, there is nothing better you can do to turn it around then send your Wardens and Deacons to the LLR. It will equip them with the knowledge they need to help your Lodge thrive.

#Lodge #LodgeLeadershipRetreat

-Cameron

Cameron M. Bailey Past Grand Master The MW Grand Lodge F&AM of Washington

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Yesterday I ran across something that was quite surprising, disturbing actually.

My local newspaper had written a story about a short speech our local, elected, Sheriff gave. Given that even local newspapers have online multi-media components now, they also posted the video of his speech.

Well, You Tube took the video down.

The tech giant declared that it didn't meet You Tube's Community Standards. What standard did it violate? Well, the Sheriff's comments suggested that people consider not wearing masks during this time of pandemic.

What the Sheriff said though, right or wrong, is irrelevant to this discussion.

The fact is that his comments were newsworthy.

The local newspaper ran news coverage about them. That is the job of a newspaper. To report what happened.

To be clear here, when I'm talking about my local newspaper, I'm not talking about some crazy guy in his basement. I'm talking about a real newspaper that has been printing the news since 1889.

The power of tech companies has grown exponentially over my lifetime. Now it seems they are even claiming the power to decide what is, and what is not newsworthy. All while remaining completely shielded from any repercussions.

Do we really want a tiny handful of super rich people in California's bay area deciding what the rest of the people throughout the United States can read and see?

If we allow that to happen, will not our news consumption be as effectively tightly controlled as that in North Korea?

The fact is, our Republic, any Republic, needs a strong press if it is to survive, let alone thrive.

As Freemasons we are charged to find Truth, Knowledge, and Light. If a nameless, faceless, someone else controls what we can read and see, well then it becomes impossible for us to find the Truth, to gain Knowledge, to become enlightened.

Let's also remember that while things like Presidential politics get all the attention, the things that really impact our daily lives happen at the Local level. The Legislature, the County Commission, and the City Council. Places that national news outlets won't and can't cover.

These most important bodies are covered, almost exclusively, by our own local newspapers.

We must support our local newspapers, and we must fight against the takeover of the news by big tech.

How do we do so?

It's easy actually.

Subscribe. Pay for the paper. Give local media the money it needs to survive.

That's all it takes.

I also suggest however that our Lodges take it a step further and develop a relationship with the local paper.

They don't have the resources to track down what the Masons and all the service clubs are doing like they may have had thirty years ago. They will however, very often, print our news if we make it available to them.

In many cases they will print stories of our service work, and our Installations. If we let them know what our Lodge is up to.

Doing so is good for them, it helps to keep their reporting relevant to the community. Doing so is great for a Lodge, it shows people that we are in the community, accomplishing things, and thriving.

Its a win win, and it is easy for a Lodge to do.

It makes our own community stronger.

As I close, I will acknowledge that most of us now get all of our news online. It goes without saying however, that if the newspaper goes down, so too does their online presence. When that happens, our community loses its voice.

Make no mistake, the day that we lose our last newspaper is the day our Republic itself dies.

#News #Lodge

-Cameron

Cameron M. Bailey Past Grand Master The MW Grand Lodge F&AM of Washington

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I think that for the good of our Lodges, we must carefully consider the Progressive Officer Line, and how it should be utilized.

Masonry utilizes the Progressive Line for a number of reasons.

First of all, it is a leadership development tool. By moving through the Chairs, a man is able to slowly learn the requirements for leading a Masonic Lodge. He is able to observe and closely witness practices that he will want to emulate or avoid when his own time in the East arrives.

Secondly, it offers all who are interested an opportunity to lead. Being open to everyone, and regular movement through the Chairs, ensures that any Mason who seeks to lead a Lodge can have the opportunity to learn to do so.

Thirdly, it prevents a man from ever being able to take over a Lodge and with the support of his friends become dictator of it. It ensures regular leadership changes as men move through the Chairs each year.

Lastly, but I fear that this has been forgotten by the vast majority of our Lodges, it gives the Lodge an opportunity to evaluate the leadership skills of the men moving through the Chairs, and their willingness to actually learn those things that are required to properly lead a Masonic Lodge.

The Progressive Officer Line can be an excellent method of Lodge Officer selection, if we utilize it correctly, incorporating all of the four points listed above.

If however we forget the fourth point, or we skip over it because we don't want to hurt a man's feelings, well then we do great harm to our Lodge. Harm that can take years to repair.

We can not use the Progressive Officer Line as an excuse to place an unsuitable man in the East.

If a man can not learn those things that are required to lead a Lodge well, or if he is not willing to do the work needed to learn those things, then he must be bounced out of the line, not seated in the East.

Long practice in many Lodges could make it appear that the Progressive Officer Line was designed to be almost automatic. Alas though, that is not how it was designed. The fact that we actually hold elections for Wardens and Masters each year proves that to be true.

When selecting our Lodge officers we must remember the sad fact that a Lodge can be humming along, doing great, for years, but be wrecked in one single year if an unsuitable man assumes the East. When this happens the hard work of years is lost, and it can take a great many more years to fix the damage that was done.

No unsuitable man should ever be made Master of the Lodge.

We can not allow concern over hurting a man's feelings destroy a Lodge.

Due to the pandemic, no Lodges in Washington have yet held elections this year. When those elections do happen, I hope that our Lodges will carefully consider the men they are electing into leadership, having the fortitude needed to drop an unsuitable man from the line if there is such a man in the Lodge.

I sincerely hope that as our Washington Lodges contemplate their future officers, they will remember the wise words of Worshipful Brother Andrew Hammer:

“A progressive line should only function when the next man down has the full faith and trust of his fellows that he will rule and govern his Lodge properly, because he has properly learned the requirements of his office. Of course, human nature is what it is, and mistakes can always happen, but they can be mitigated if such a standard is put in place, because no one advances until and unless they are ready to do so. The only way to justify a progressive line is if every officer is carrying his weight to the extent of his office, while at the same time preparing himself diligently to advance to the next one. Lodges ignore this step at their own risk.”

#Lodge #LodgeElections #ProgressiveLine #AndrewHammer

-Cameron

Cameron M. Bailey Past Grand Master The MW Grand Lodge F&AM of Washington

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When I was still fairly new to Freemasonry, the then Secretary of Centralia Lodge, Lauren Jessup said something to me that has always remained at the forefront of my mind whenever I contemplate our Masonic Lodges. He said (I'm sure that I'm paraphrasing a bit given the passage of years):

“An excellent Masonic experience needs nothing more than three committed men sitting in a garage, talking about Freemasonry.”

It seems to me that between the trappings of Masonry, the business of Masonry, and the buildings of Masonry, we often loose sight of what Masonry really is. We think so much about our temples, our bills, our organized charities, and our stuff, that we might have little time left to think about Freemasonry itself.

Little time left to do that which we profess to be in Lodge to do.

We also, collectively, worry way too much about the number of men in our Lodges. Numbers do not in any way relate to excellence in Masonic practice.

In short, we need to remember the words of WB Jessup. We only need three men, if they are three great Masons, each personally dedicated to Masonic principals and growth.

Beautiful Temples are nice, as are our organized charities, and all the trappings of Masonry. None of those things are however Freemasonry.

Freemasonry is men, joined together in Brotherhood, each working to improve themselves. Nothing more. When we loose sight of that, when we allow that to be overwhelmed with everything required to run a major organization, well, at that point, we loose Masonry.

When we neglect to properly Guard the West Gate because we grow desperate for a large enough membership to support our Temples and our organized charities, well, then we loose the ability to attain true Masonic excellence.

Freemasonry was designed, from its inception, to be an elite organization, not an organization for everyone. It is designed to house the best men in society, not every man. It specifically limits its membership to men who are already good men, good men who are seeking to become even better men. When we loose sight of that and take in lesser men, we do nothing but harm ourselves, and harm our Fraternity.

When a Mason is suspended or expelled within our jurisdiction we hear that reported in our Lodge meetings. When we hear such a report, we know that a Lodge didn't bring in a good man. Didn't even bring in an average man. The Lodge brought in a bad man.

Let's be clear, one bad man within a Lodge will drive away at least ten good men. Thus bringing in a questionable man, because the Lodge believes it needs another body, will in fact backfire on the Lodge. In the long term the Lodge will loose far more good men because of that questionable man.

I must confess, I am guilty of this error. I once was on an Investigation Committee, and I recommended a man who it turned out was unsuitable to the Fraternity. I didn't do it on purpose, nor did the other members of the Committee, but we made an error, and that error harmed our Lodge and harmed our Fraternity.

The thing is, from that, I learned. I won't make the same mistake a second time.

Perhaps that is what Guarding the West Gate comes down to.

Personal responsibility.

If we sign the petition, or err in investigation, of a man who turns out to be unsuitable to Masonry, well, then we have done a very bad thing, and we need to feel that mistake and learn from it so that we don't repeat it.

Certainly we all make mistakes, as mentioned, I have made this exact mistake. If we learn from those mistakes then all is well. If however we just gloss them over or refuse to even acknowledge our role in the bad result, well then we are truly doing a disservice to our Fraternity.

Ultimately, I think that Guarding our West Gate is the most important task we have as members of a Lodge. By doing so well, by rejecting those who are unsuitable, we will actually create the conditions needed for our Lodge to grow. This may be counter-intuitive, but it is nevertheless true.

If we remember WB Jessup's admonishment that we only need three good men and a garage, well then hopefully that will help make it easier for us to do our duty when it comes to Masonry's West Gate.

#GuardingTheWestGate #Lodge #MasonicExcellence #Petition #Investigation

-Cameron

Cameron M. Bailey Past Grand Master The MW Grand Lodge F&AM of Washington

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This post is an update of an earlier one that can be found: Feminine Freemasonry

Last night the MW Grand Lodge of California was addressed via video conference by MW Teresita Arechiga, Grand Master of the MW Women's Grand Lodge of California.

Thanks to California opening its Online Masonic Speakers Series events to everyone, I was able to attend, and I found the presentation to be quite interesting.

I thought that I would share a few things that stood out to me.

• MW Arechiga was directly asked if she ever envisioned her GL someday seeking Recognition from the GL of California.

Her answer, initially surprising to me, but which made good sense once she explained her reasoning, was no. She does not think her GL should ever seek Recognition from our Regular and Recognized Grand Lodges.

Her reason is that Recognition implies inter-visitation.

She explained that just as we place very high value on the Brotherhood that can exist within a male-only space, so they place just as high of value in having a female-only space and experience.

Her clear view is that they do not want to visit our Lodges, and likewise they do not want us visiting their Lodges. Believing gendered Freemasonry to be the optimal experience.

She says that her GL asks for respect, and an opportunity to work together on specific projects or events, but not Recognition.

• Her GL works the Scottish Rite system of degrees, but is clearly ruled by a Grand Master, not a Supreme Council.

• MW Arechiga explained that in her view, her Grand Lodge has a right to exist in precisely the same manner as the United Grand Lodge of England exists.

She stated (correctly) that the UGLE was founded without any authority or basis, simply by the initial four London Lodges declaring that it existed. There was no precedent for its creation, and it was not authorized by any higher Masonic authority for the simple reason that there was no higher Masonic authority.

As I understand it the Women's Grand Lodge of California was created in exactly the same way. It's three subordinate Lodges (currently all in the Los Angeles area) simply declaring its formation.

• I don't think her correct, but, MW Arechiga explained her view of history which includes matriarchal periods. It seemed to me that she see's her work within her GL as a growth of feminism.

I think that is probably the largest divergence between her views and those of the average mainstream Regular Mason. I don't think that the average Regular Mason believes early western history to have been gynocentric, nor do I think that the average Regular Mason feels Masonry to be involved in any way with the politics of gender.

All in all, I found the presentation by MW Arechiga to be of great interest, and I salute the MW Grand Lodge of California for hosting it.

Women practicing Freemasonry does no harm to us as Masons, nor to our Lodges. We can, and should, give them the same respect that we ourselves would hope to receive.

#WomensGrandLodgeOfCalifornia #MWGLofCalifornia #FemaleFreemasonry

-Cameron

Cameron M. Bailey Past Grand Master The MW Grand Lodge F&AM of Washington

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