The Initiation:

The last time I showed up to pick up my application, it was at the dinner before a 1st Degree ceremony.

That guy never showed.

I was determined to not be like him.

I'd been waiting for that moment for 15 years, and now I was at the brink of it and there was a mix of excitement and nervousness. It was really cool that "D." from my post: "Getting Started," was there. He'd been initiated the month before, and was excited to watch me go through mine.

After dinner, the rest of the brethren went into the lodge room and I hung outside, waiting with the Tyler. He's a real cool guy, always has a smile on his face & talked with me, to keep me at ease.

Eventually, a few guys came out and...

=== snip ===

OK, it's all done.

You know, I've been studying Masonry for so many years, and here I am, finally an Entered Apprentice. The only thing that I can really say about it, was that it surpassed my expectations.

I can honestly say that I wasn't surprised by any of the ritual; from what I've read, pretty much all of it was spot-on with what I expected. That being said, it was an amazing experience. The only way that I can explain it is using an analogy:

Imagine that you've spent the last 15 years reading about riding a bicycle. You've read everything there is to know about balance, coordination, how a bicycle works, theories, training manuals, biographies of great bike riders, etc.

None of that can compare to actually getting your butt on a bike and riding it.

It's something you just have to go through.

Photo: 1st Degree Tracing Board - image courtesy of www.tracingboards.com