A Mason's Work

Brian
00:00

In the jurisdiction where I was raised, there's only two tools for an enterprise Mason's degree that is a 24 inch gauge in the common gavel. That may be a shock for those of you in Europe who use as well, the chisel for others that use other tools, scar or what have you. But for us, in, in the Pennsylvania jurisdiction, we have a 24 inch gauge in the common gavel. The common gavel is what I wanna talk about today, and there's some important things about the common gavel. Now, we're reminded in the catechism at the end of the degree to about what the gavel is used for in the context of the building trades. So the gavel is used to knock off the corners of rough stones and make them more applicable, right? Easier to fit into the overall structure of a building, right? You can't, it's much harder, let's say, to build a, a building with stones, with all sorts of jagged and, you know, in inefficient or insufficient edges.

Brian
01:09

And so to better fit them for the building, a mason would knock the corners off, knock the jagged bits off and square them for use in the building. We're taught in our degree work that we're the stone and we need to wilt the hammer on ourselves. We need to knock off the stupid things that we might do. I say stupid, but the things that we might do that are self-destructive, harmful, our vices are super fluidities of life. And what they really mean by that is the things, the, the things that we do that don't create value. And so this isn't saying, don't have fun, don't do things like dance. This is saying, let's knock off the things that aren't moving you forward and helping you in your journey to become a better mason. So when we look at the gavel, it's very easy to see that there is a process of removal there.

Brian
02:14

And this is where I think Pennsylvania freemasonry in, in many ways struggles by not having the chisel. But that removal process, that taking away of the things that are holding you back is super important. The chisel, even though in a, in a, in a operative Mason's context, even though it doesn't really add material per se, what it does do is suggest that a learned mind is, you know, much better at becoming effective. And so you should add learning and choose what you learn to help you grow. But again, that chisel, that that divestiture process, that removal is,

Brian
02:59

Is not necessarily always destructive. That removal might be a process of you're, you're not square in a certain context. Maybe you need better financial knowledge, maybe you need better emotional intelligence. Maybe you need a different kind of skillset than you currently have to be competitive in the job market. Whatever those, whatever those things are, you're gonna want to use the gavel on yourself, on your own behavior as you reflect on the outcomes you're trying to create. Now, we can talk ad nauseum to the outcomes, and I think that's where we, we will run into trouble very quickly because we all want different things in life, or at least in theory. So when you are applying this gavel, the best thing to do is share your intentions with so of your brothers in the lodge. And in doing that, you then can begin to leverage the benefits and power of a group to solve some of these challenges.

Brian
04:05

I can tell you personally, it's been a, a quest for me this year to, to increase my discipline. And in sharing that objective with some of my brothers from the lodge, it's been really helpful, right? They have been able to cheer me on. They have been able to take the light in my journey. They've been able to pick me up and help dust me off when I have tripped and flow in that journey to self discipline. And that has been extremely valuable. So as you're reflecting on that common gavel that, that hammer, that mallet, think about, not just what are you taking away, but how can you leverage the relationships you're building in your lodge as an enter apprentice Mason to grow your knowledge and skills and experience. We'll see you in the next one.

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