January 13, 2025 • 29 mins
We kickoff our 5th season with one of my favorite guests, Bro. Jason Short! In this episode we’re going to get into a topic close to the heart of every Mason: the unique bond of Brotherhood forged within the Lodge.
Show notes:
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Commons. Opinions and views shared during this program are
of those individual Freemasons and do not reflect the official
position of a Grand Lodge, concordant Body, a pendant Body,
Masonic authority, or Craftsman Online dot Com.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Welcome back to the Craftsman Online Podcast, the only Masonic
podcast endorsed by the Grand Lodge of New York. It's
right worship for Brother Michael Arse and here we are
Keken off season number five. Well, on a second, I'm
still kind of getting used to this music. I like it.
Every year we give us a new song. I dig
I dig it. Well, who are we get to pick
for our first guests of the new Craftsman Online season.
(00:50):
I'll tell you as we get into an episode that's
going to kind of dive into the heart of a
very close topic with a lot of brothers in our craft.
It's that unique bond of brotherhood that truly gives forged
between members in our lodges. We're talking Freemasonry's mystic tie,
the band of Brothers. With the one and only Brother
Jason Schortz, Welcome back to the crass An Online Podcast.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
My brother, Thank you very much, Brother RCI. It's always
a pleasure to be here.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
I'm going to a lot a lot of compliments at
you because I don't know if it's a new year
and that's why you're like a better looking dude, or
there has to be some sort of maybe upgrade technically,
because to our viewer that's watching on YouTube live, you'd
have to agree, like your image quality is like super short.
I feel like I could reach out and almost touch
you on the screen.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Oh I appreciate that. Yeah, man, well I had to
upgrade my computer nice a little bit of a first
world problem.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
But well, this episode is special because it's the byproduct
of several personal discussions that you and I have shared
over the last few years, and for a long time
you kind of fell into that category of brother that
I only knew virtually until recently. I would say within
the past two years that I've had a chance to
meet you in person and interact with you, and it
(02:07):
was just like having that relationship that we had virtually
on a screen. But then it's like, oh, I actually
get to meet Jason, So I want to thank you
ahead of getting into our conversation about agreeing to open
up and just talk about this and of course include
our listener along for the ride. We've talked about your
path and kind of some of the steps to becoming
(02:28):
a mason, but we never really got into a little
bit beneath the surface on that. And so my first
question to get started tonight is how long had you
been thinking about becoming a mason versus what was keeping
you from taking that first step?
Speaker 3 (02:45):
First, thanks for the compliments, and also it's been my
pleasure getting to know you. I think as a young
man it is increasingly more and more difficult to make
the kinds of connections that we have. That was actually
a huge factor in twenty twenty that really led me
(03:11):
to knocking on the door. I'd known about freemasonry for
long time public school systems out in Colorado where I
grew up. You know, our history classes see the Square
Encompass in the history book. You hear about Freemason's a
little bit of an important part of American history that
(03:34):
ties into that for years, though it always kind of
seemed like something that had faded into antiquity. In high school,
I was taking dance classes with a girlfriend at the time,
ballroom dance classes, and we were set up in the
(03:55):
basement of a Masonic Lodge, and I think that was
the point that I had started to realize that, Okay,
this is actually a real thing. But I kind of
compartmentalized any sort of interest in it out of outside
of what you'd see on Discovery Channel for a few years,
(04:21):
more than a few years. So fast forward, almost ten
years later, I was getting separated with my wife. My
life was falling apart all over the place. I'm an
alcoholic and I was drinking tremendously a tremendous amount of time,
(04:49):
and I started to really want to pull my life
together gone into some intensive therapy. One of the things
I realized in my life that had been very very
important to me for a long time was my own spirituality.
(05:11):
I had had a lot of reservations about organized religion
personally for myriad reasons. Not that it's bad, it just
wasn't working for me. I was also having issues with
group therapy for like alcoholics anonymous or NA, and that
(05:35):
setting wasn't really working for me. And what I had
found through the process of examining what was going on
inside is that I was very very lonely. My friend
group were all tied into what I was doing with work,
(06:01):
and if it wasn't that my extended friend network was
tied into my marriage or people who I really really
cared about for a long long time. But living out
in New York and feeling this vacuum chamber inside of
me really was sort of like there was a cornerstone
(06:22):
that was missing. I wound up meeting kind of serendipitously
several Masons along these next few years. Slowly but surely,
Freemasonry became more than this kind of ancient thing that
was out of reach, started to become more of this tangible,
(06:43):
tangible thing. The first big hurdle from there was figuring
out how to actually join a Masonic lodge, if I
was a right fit for it, if I wasn't too
damaged at that point. Wound up going to an event
up in Warrensburg. Lodge does this lobster bake annually, and
(07:06):
I got to meet some brothers outside of like these
direct brothers that I had met along the way for
the first time and see sort of this community engagement
and see this this love amongst brethren. And we're talking
about brothers who are strictly liberal, brothers are super conservative
(07:27):
brothers who were my age young men to brethren in
their sixties their seventies, and just like everybody seemed to
belong there, and I, as an outsider traveling several hours
up state, felt like I belonged there. As luck would
(07:47):
have it. Maybe a week or two later, I got
an email from Walter Leong, who is worshipful Master of
a Royal Grada day Star Lodge, my mother Lodge out
of the Kings, saying that he was assigning me to
a mentor, brother, Edgar Cataloan, And that weekend I got
(08:08):
an invitation to go to a Masonic roundtable, and from
that point on I knocked and the door was opened
to me.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
You kind of hit on three things, and while you
were telling your story, I was thinking of mine. And
it's also going to answer a question that I get
a lot on the podcast is how do I become
a Mason? And I don't think we've ever answered that
on the Craftsman Online podcast, and I feel bad about that.
If you are listening to this podcast and live in
the great state of New York, I would direct you
(08:36):
to go to Nymasons dot org. As Jason outlined, that's
ny Masons dot Org and once it loads up on
your phone or your computer at the top of the page,
just navigate me looking for a little button that says
becoming a Mason. And it is literally that easy, my friend.
Just click that button and your path will start. That's
(08:58):
a digital way to do it. Jason also talked about
you know, going and visiting a lodge, and that is
still possible to which if you're not living in the
Great State of New York area, if you're just anywhere
in the US, you can just open up your phone
and google Masonic Lodge near me and bang, you're going
to start seeing all of these lodges that will be
popping up, and you'll see when they're there, where they are.
(09:22):
And I would recommend reaching out to the secretary of
the lodge before you show up so that they know
that you're coming as a visitor. Also to find out
is there going to be a dinner, what's the dress
code for the evening. The other two things that you
kind of hit up is the time in your life.
And I think it's so interesting because I remember us
having this conversation on my patio the last time that
(09:42):
you came to visit me here in DC, and I
was on those late night around the campfire kind of sessions.
I was also kind of at the bottom out point
in life. I had just gone through my divorce. And
the reason that I, you know, like everybody says, well,
I've always wanted to be amazing. I always had an
interested in it. I had a friend that was in Freemason.
My best friend in college became a Freemason. Let's just
(10:03):
say that my first wife was less than supportive of
the idea of me becoming a Freemason. So after I
read my first book called Freemasons, I had an interest
but never was able to follow through with it. And
every day when we were separated, I would drive by
a Masonic lodge. And for those that know in Rotterdam,
(10:25):
there's the five Corners Road and there's the Schenectady Masonic
Hall is there where Saint George's number six and Schenectady
Lodge meets there and a couple other bodies. And I
kept seeing this sign with the square and compass. I
was like, you know, I really want to do this
for sum marine reason. I don't know why, I just
it was probably one of the best impulse things that
I ever did in my life. Because I was the
(10:46):
away team as I like to describe in my marriage.
So as soon as the separation started, the split happened.
All of the friends that I had were friends who
were a couple of friends basically that we knew because
we got married. They got married, and that was our connection.
Lost all those dude friends instantly. I was left with
the colleagues that I had with work, who I never
(11:08):
really hung out with outside of work. At that point,
you kind of feel like, you know, Jim Carrey and
the movie Liar, Liar, are like, I'm busy kicking my
own ass right now.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
Yeah? Is my thumbster fire?
Speaker 4 (11:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Yeah. I walked in just really not knowing what to expect.
Every time that I have had a down point in
life since then, it's been over ten years now. I
am so thankful that I have Masonic brothers because they're different.
I have lifelong friends. I would never do anything to
trade them out in the world. When you don't have
(11:44):
someone to talk to that's nearby, who were you left
to tell your problems to your partner, your spouse and
how much do they want to hear about this all
the time? You know, you start to drain everybody else's battery,
right We start.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
To build up these barriers, even with our close relation
relationships too, to avoid from cycling their battery out, which
then just cycles our battery out, and then you get
into this terrible cycle of a regret you say something
to somebody who you've known your entire life you really love.
Speaker 5 (12:15):
You know, you don't want to put that burden on anybody.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
Hello, listeners, Tune in for the next Craftsman Online reading Room,
where we'll be explaining the first thirty pages if the
Craft Perfected and actualizing our craft with special guest author,
brother John S.
Speaker 6 (12:41):
Nagy. To get your copy of the reading material and
submit questions in advance, visit craftsman online dot com today.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
For brothers or prospective brothers. At least we call them prospects.
You also call them misterts to gentlemen. There's a lot
of terms for candidates and waiting. You feel like you
walk in there and you meet these guys and they
seem to have like, as my friend would say, they
kind of seem to have their shit together, you know,
like they seem buttoned up there. Speaking of buttoned up,
they're wearing dark suits and ties and some watches. They
(13:29):
wear tuxedos, you're walking in with like barely dress shoes,
like you just feel like you you're not you don't
belong there. Maybe you feel like you don't fit in there.
And the whole purpose of this episode is to tell
you that the whole part of freemasonry, one of our
little slogans is making good men better. And that's something
that I wanted to touch on because when you and
(13:51):
I were having that deep personal conversation around the campfire
and you were telling me your story and just everything
that you were going through, I was like, wow, Like
when you first walked into a lodge, just questioning like,
are these guys gonna be okay with accepting somebody like me?
Because I've got problems. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
I mean, even going through the candidate process and leading
up to my initiation, we're asked to do like a
letter of introspection I think as a tradition that a
lot of lodges share. Have you been getting up to
that point? I knew I was there, and I just
knew I was damaged goods. You know, I was a
(14:33):
rough ashlar and I just felt so rough around the edges.
But hm, I knew I was a good person. I've
always known I'm a good person. I guess a part
of me even at that well, at that point, really
felt like I might fail, Like this might end up
being another thing that I think I'm gonna want to
(14:56):
do and get into and then realize I'm not good
enough for it. That wasn't the case. And after getting
initiated and actually and even leading up to that point,
I got to hand it to my lodge brothers who
had been welcoming me. They did a wonderful job trying
to lay the foundation. But it's not until you really
(15:18):
start to participate in the work. And sometimes it's not
even just the network of masonry that's inside of your
lodge or what your lodge can present to you, so
much is what masonry can offer you that that start
starts to make a real positive, positive difference. It makes
(15:39):
you start to feel like you really belong.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
And I think another the reason why I wanted to
do this episode is like the first episode of season
five is every year around you know, this time of
the year, the end of one into the next year,
everybody this is you know, we're deep into like resolution phase,
Like what is you're going to be your Knew Year's resolution?
What little promise are you going to make to yourself?
How long are you gonna be able to keep that?
And I stopped doing those years ago because I just
(16:04):
look at like the New Year as like, Hey, this
is just a marker on a calendar, and this is
an opportunity that I can make a change right now.
You can make a change every day and in every way,
but this is always that fun time of the year
where it's like, Okay, I've got this energy. I want
to start this, you know, I want to start high
and have a lot of momentum and hit the ground running.
And so this episode is specifically designed for that listener
(16:26):
that's thinking about it, that's just wondering, and like I
wanted to have this conversation to kind of help bring
that energy to like take action and start pursuing that
Masonic journey. If that's where you're hearing it first is
in your heart, because you'll find out why later on.
That's a special thing to hear. It's like if you're
hearing the voice in your heart and it's talking to
(16:46):
a little voice in your head, you're in a good
spot when it comes to starting a lodge. I want
to talk about relationships that also kind of form. And
this is the interesting part is I'll say I'll start
by saying, the first time I heard guys calling each
other that or referring to me as brother, I was like, okay,
this is kind of like the little hokey thing that
(17:06):
they say to like recognize each other, because I didn't
really understand it. What was your first reaction the first
time you heard the term brother or even called a brother.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
As a layman coming in from the profane world, we
get certain vocabulary that we're really used to, and yeah,
there's people call each other bro or you know, you
hear it out there, but there's also a man and
dude and guy and sport whatever. Being in a Masonic
(17:36):
lodge and hearing the discourse of brother and then getting
to the point where your being called brother for me
was really big. It was interesting in my lodge too,
with the candidates at the time in twenty twenty, there
were a lot of candidates, so a lot of people
(17:57):
who are just like at the door, ready ready to
get injured in that time, and I was one of them.
The officers of my lodge made a clear distinction that
your brother, Yeah, but you're not a brother yet. You're
a gentleman, you're a mister short. That hit me in
a really interesting way. And even with candidates today, I'm
(18:20):
really hesitant as to how to bluntly put that out there.
I'm not going to tell somebody how to address somebody else,
but knowing that there is a difference between just being
called hey, bro and being brother, and then the respect
of why we're calling each other brother, that we're here
(18:45):
together as part of the human family under the fatherhood
of God.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
So here's what makes me feel good about this is
that if I was to say brother Sam Chin came
to my house today and we were hanging out, like
you know who I'm talking about, and like I can
say brother Sam and like see your eyes and your
face like smile and just like when I say, hey,
I talk to young Abe, which is the nickname that
they give brother Jason. And for our YouTube live streamer,
(19:11):
you're seeing why you probably have it. I have lifelong
childhood friends that when I get on the phone with them,
we just instantly get back and sink and just have
literally hour long conversations to go to the very late
hours or early hours in the morning, depending on how
you want to look at it, but that relationship is
different because my Masonic relationship, well, yeah, and this is
(19:33):
the tough thing to explain, and I'm going to try
to get your help here. Is like, yeah, we have
these obligations, but I feel differently about my Masonic relationships
than I would say with like other close friends, Like
if I was to rank them, it's like, yeah, I
have a younger brother who I've literally known my whole life,
and then that he's not a Mason. But then I
(19:54):
have Masonic brothers that I can only know you for
a few years, and like, in a weird way, you
rank above people that I've known for a very long time,
And it feels weird to say that. I don't know
if you've have a tough time with that as well.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
I've navigated that that feeling. I've found it quite interesting
in that the rate at which I can feel entirely,
entirely comfortable just opening up to in a social situation
or even on a one to one basis, without any pretext,
(20:31):
without having to know anything about this other individual other
than we were obligated on the same on the same altar,
under the same factor. Yeah, that there are a number
of boxes that are just checked as to how this
(20:52):
person and how I am equal, and that this guy
is not judge me and I am not judging him.
Even if they're judging me, it's like doesn't matter because
of that bond. And I as a person philosophically, I
(21:16):
look at everyone on this planet as an extension of
my family, as an extension of my life, that we're
all together as a human tribe. But the brethren in
our fraternity, I know see that in the same way
(21:37):
I do.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
The weird thing for me is that I can have
conversations with a Masonic brother and there's really nothing I
ever feel uncomfortable talking with them about, where even if
I have like a close friend and we're talking about something,
I'm like, I can't really and it could be just
something petty, silly, stupid, small. But with the brother, I
feel like I don't have to put up any barriers.
(21:58):
I don't have to guard my words.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
Yeah, it's with fidelity that we can, with safety confide
in each other and know that we can trust that individual,
know that we trust ourselves.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
There's such a prevalence right now and you will hear this.
We've had a couple of guests on already leading into
twenty twenty five, and I think just the topic of
loneliness just generally in the country, people are just feeling
that right now because we do kind of live in
this weird hybrid or remote or virtual life setting, and
we're so seeking those personal connections, those real relationships because
(22:39):
so much of our lives these days is kind of transactional.
It starts first with like the things we use every
day that I'll just replace that in a few years,
and now it becomes friendships and networks and all that.
You kind of talked about it earlier. You're like, I
was just so damn lonely that I found these groups,
this group of guys and we just instantly clicked. And
(23:01):
it's not because I was lonely and quote unquote desperate.
It's just that I walked in and it was like
the idea of like, like minded, open having a conversation,
and You're like, where have you been all of mine?
Why did it take so long for me to find this?
Speaker 1 (23:16):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (23:16):
You like sitting at a table with another individual who
like another blue collar guy plumber, then a lawyer and
a hedge fund manager, and then as student MM and
we're all just talking about the same thing, and it
couldn't matter less about what you were doing outside at
(23:39):
the door, but together at that table, we were all
all on the same level. With the loneliness factor too.
Right now, it's so easy. We've got this illusion of
being tapped into so many relationships or so many other
people's lives.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
But it's like.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
This provides us a tangible place to get together. Right now,
there are so many people who also feel isolated, that
their perspectives on the way that the world should or
could be working are just not shared by the person
across the aisle. And going back to checking all of
(24:23):
those boxes with my brethren, I do not do not
think about their political affiliation or their religious affiliation before
I think of them as as my brother.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
So you didn't get that one holiday gift on your
list that you really really wanted this year, and you
can't really blame your family, because how did they know
that you want a personalized Masonic apron or a cool
Masonic emblem for the back of your car, maybe a
sweet hoodie to rock this year as we get ready
for warm weather, or a cool Masonic bag that you
can start bringing into work and letting everybody know that
(25:12):
you are a very proud Freemason. They didn't know, but
you did. So that means it's time to head over
to Bricksmasons dot com. Make this year special with a
personalized gift to you from you thanks to Bricksmasons dot com.
Visit Bricksmasons dot com and explore their extensive catalog. Elevate
your Masonic experience with style and substance plus Craftsman online
(25:34):
podcast listeners use promo code Craftsman that's c R A
F T S M E n at checkout to enjoy
free shipping with your first order. We mentioned the website,
(26:06):
it's ny Masons dot org. If you are listening and
you also happen to be living inside the great state
of New York and freemasonry is something you're like, Yeah,
you know what, I want to check that out. I
think it might be something I'm interested in visiting a lodge.
Like for so much reason, I just keep hearing this
voice in my head saying you should become a Freemason.
Ny Masons dot org. You will see a button that
(26:27):
says becoming a Mason. Click on that, and I promise
you it's going to get all the information you need.
What's funny is we call ourselves New York Masons. But
if you're also on your browser and you're visiting NY
Masons dot org, you'll see at the top and the
tab there it says Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted
Masons of the State of New York. Also says it's
down at the bottom of the website as well. But
(26:49):
I feel like that's the one thing that kind of
people go free and accepted Masons. It's also in the
big blue flag that's flying outside of our Grand Lodge
building in Manhattan. The term free and accepted. You'll learn
more once you go through what it actually means. But
I'm curious, Jason, when you hear the words free and
(27:12):
accepted and go back to that place where you were
looking to be accepted and find a place to be free,
what do those words mean to you now?
Speaker 3 (27:23):
Like the first instinct of what hit me with free
and accepted it was this idea that here I am,
I'm a free man in a free world, very fortunate
and grateful, but then also that I'm accepted into this
(27:44):
society of like minded and God loving individuals and on
a very just like exoteric surface level that brings me
a lot of joy. I'm and it's not free in
what like society is saying is free the construct of freedom,
(28:09):
I'm not talking about that. I am. I am a
human individual. I am a grown ass free man. I
am I'm I'm an entity on this planet that, no
matter what the construct of the world wants wants to
say I fit into or my limitations are. I know
(28:32):
that I am free under the you know, through this
mystic tie, and that this mystic tie is accepting me
into that family of which I.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Brother Jason Short, It's always a pleasure to kick off
a new year, especially with you on this podcast. I
look forward to hearing your voice again in a few
more weeks and seeing you throughout the year, my friend
Mike Wise.
Speaker 4 (29:04):
Brother, I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
If you've enjoyed this episode with Brother Jason Short, make
sure you follow us on Spotify or hit the subscribe
button now on Apple Podcasts so that you can keep
getting at episodes every Monday morning. Plus, if you've made
a resolution where hey, this is the year I am
not going to listen to commercials on my favorite podcasts, well,
have I got an offer for you on Patreon? You
can start enjoying the crafts of an online podcasts early
(29:28):
and ad free with just one click. This is right
worshow for Brother Michael Arsa. I always enjoy our time
together and look forward to seeing you again next week.
Until then, let peace and harmony prevail.
The Commons. Opinions and views shared during this program are
of those individual Freemasons and do not reflect the official
position of a Grand Lodge, concordant Body, a pendant Body,
Masonic authority, or Craftsman Online dot Com.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Welcome back to the Craftsman Online Podcast, the only Masonic
podcast endorsed by the Grand Lodge of New York. It's
right worship for Brother Michael Arse and here we are
Keken off season number five. Well, on a second, I'm
still kind of getting used to this music. I like it.
Every year we give us a new song. I dig
I dig it. Well, who are we get to pick
for our first guests of the new Craftsman Online season.
(00:50):
I'll tell you as we get into an episode that's
going to kind of dive into the heart of a
very close topic with a lot of brothers in our craft.
It's that unique bond of brotherhood that truly gives forged
between members in our lodges. We're talking Freemasonry's mystic tie,
the band of Brothers. With the one and only Brother
Jason Schortz, Welcome back to the crass An Online Podcast.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
My brother, Thank you very much, Brother RCI. It's always
a pleasure to be here.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
I'm going to a lot a lot of compliments at
you because I don't know if it's a new year
and that's why you're like a better looking dude, or
there has to be some sort of maybe upgrade technically,
because to our viewer that's watching on YouTube live, you'd
have to agree, like your image quality is like super short.
I feel like I could reach out and almost touch
you on the screen.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Oh I appreciate that. Yeah, man, well I had to
upgrade my computer nice a little bit of a first
world problem.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
But well, this episode is special because it's the byproduct
of several personal discussions that you and I have shared
over the last few years, and for a long time
you kind of fell into that category of brother that
I only knew virtually until recently. I would say within
the past two years that I've had a chance to
meet you in person and interact with you, and it
(02:07):
was just like having that relationship that we had virtually
on a screen. But then it's like, oh, I actually
get to meet Jason, So I want to thank you
ahead of getting into our conversation about agreeing to open
up and just talk about this and of course include
our listener along for the ride. We've talked about your
path and kind of some of the steps to becoming
(02:28):
a mason, but we never really got into a little
bit beneath the surface on that. And so my first
question to get started tonight is how long had you
been thinking about becoming a mason versus what was keeping
you from taking that first step?
Speaker 3 (02:45):
First, thanks for the compliments, and also it's been my
pleasure getting to know you. I think as a young
man it is increasingly more and more difficult to make
the kinds of connections that we have. That was actually
a huge factor in twenty twenty that really led me
(03:11):
to knocking on the door. I'd known about freemasonry for
long time public school systems out in Colorado where I
grew up. You know, our history classes see the Square
Encompass in the history book. You hear about Freemason's a
little bit of an important part of American history that
(03:34):
ties into that for years, though it always kind of
seemed like something that had faded into antiquity. In high school,
I was taking dance classes with a girlfriend at the time,
ballroom dance classes, and we were set up in the
(03:55):
basement of a Masonic Lodge, and I think that was
the point that I had started to realize that, Okay,
this is actually a real thing. But I kind of
compartmentalized any sort of interest in it out of outside
of what you'd see on Discovery Channel for a few years,
(04:21):
more than a few years. So fast forward, almost ten
years later, I was getting separated with my wife. My
life was falling apart all over the place. I'm an
alcoholic and I was drinking tremendously a tremendous amount of time,
(04:49):
and I started to really want to pull my life
together gone into some intensive therapy. One of the things
I realized in my life that had been very very
important to me for a long time was my own spirituality.
(05:11):
I had had a lot of reservations about organized religion
personally for myriad reasons. Not that it's bad, it just
wasn't working for me. I was also having issues with
group therapy for like alcoholics anonymous or NA, and that
(05:35):
setting wasn't really working for me. And what I had
found through the process of examining what was going on
inside is that I was very very lonely. My friend
group were all tied into what I was doing with work,
(06:01):
and if it wasn't that my extended friend network was
tied into my marriage or people who I really really
cared about for a long long time. But living out
in New York and feeling this vacuum chamber inside of
me really was sort of like there was a cornerstone
(06:22):
that was missing. I wound up meeting kind of serendipitously
several Masons along these next few years. Slowly but surely,
Freemasonry became more than this kind of ancient thing that
was out of reach, started to become more of this tangible,
(06:43):
tangible thing. The first big hurdle from there was figuring
out how to actually join a Masonic lodge, if I
was a right fit for it, if I wasn't too
damaged at that point. Wound up going to an event
up in Warrensburg. Lodge does this lobster bake annually, and
(07:06):
I got to meet some brothers outside of like these
direct brothers that I had met along the way for
the first time and see sort of this community engagement
and see this this love amongst brethren. And we're talking
about brothers who are strictly liberal, brothers are super conservative
(07:27):
brothers who were my age young men to brethren in
their sixties their seventies, and just like everybody seemed to
belong there, and I, as an outsider traveling several hours
up state, felt like I belonged there. As luck would
(07:47):
have it. Maybe a week or two later, I got
an email from Walter Leong, who is worshipful Master of
a Royal Grada day Star Lodge, my mother Lodge out
of the Kings, saying that he was assigning me to
a mentor, brother, Edgar Cataloan, And that weekend I got
(08:08):
an invitation to go to a Masonic roundtable, and from
that point on I knocked and the door was opened
to me.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
You kind of hit on three things, and while you
were telling your story, I was thinking of mine. And
it's also going to answer a question that I get
a lot on the podcast is how do I become
a Mason? And I don't think we've ever answered that
on the Craftsman Online podcast, and I feel bad about that.
If you are listening to this podcast and live in
the great state of New York, I would direct you
(08:36):
to go to Nymasons dot org. As Jason outlined, that's
ny Masons dot Org and once it loads up on
your phone or your computer at the top of the page,
just navigate me looking for a little button that says
becoming a Mason. And it is literally that easy, my friend.
Just click that button and your path will start. That's
(08:58):
a digital way to do it. Jason also talked about
you know, going and visiting a lodge, and that is
still possible to which if you're not living in the
Great State of New York area, if you're just anywhere
in the US, you can just open up your phone
and google Masonic Lodge near me and bang, you're going
to start seeing all of these lodges that will be
popping up, and you'll see when they're there, where they are.
(09:22):
And I would recommend reaching out to the secretary of
the lodge before you show up so that they know
that you're coming as a visitor. Also to find out
is there going to be a dinner, what's the dress
code for the evening. The other two things that you
kind of hit up is the time in your life.
And I think it's so interesting because I remember us
having this conversation on my patio the last time that
(09:42):
you came to visit me here in DC, and I
was on those late night around the campfire kind of sessions.
I was also kind of at the bottom out point
in life. I had just gone through my divorce. And
the reason that I, you know, like everybody says, well,
I've always wanted to be amazing. I always had an
interested in it. I had a friend that was in Freemason.
My best friend in college became a Freemason. Let's just
(10:03):
say that my first wife was less than supportive of
the idea of me becoming a Freemason. So after I
read my first book called Freemasons, I had an interest
but never was able to follow through with it. And
every day when we were separated, I would drive by
a Masonic lodge. And for those that know in Rotterdam,
(10:25):
there's the five Corners Road and there's the Schenectady Masonic
Hall is there where Saint George's number six and Schenectady
Lodge meets there and a couple other bodies. And I
kept seeing this sign with the square and compass. I
was like, you know, I really want to do this
for sum marine reason. I don't know why, I just
it was probably one of the best impulse things that
I ever did in my life. Because I was the
(10:46):
away team as I like to describe in my marriage.
So as soon as the separation started, the split happened.
All of the friends that I had were friends who
were a couple of friends basically that we knew because
we got married. They got married, and that was our connection.
Lost all those dude friends instantly. I was left with
the colleagues that I had with work, who I never
(11:08):
really hung out with outside of work. At that point,
you kind of feel like, you know, Jim Carrey and
the movie Liar, Liar, are like, I'm busy kicking my
own ass right now.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
Yeah? Is my thumbster fire?
Speaker 4 (11:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Yeah. I walked in just really not knowing what to expect.
Every time that I have had a down point in
life since then, it's been over ten years now. I
am so thankful that I have Masonic brothers because they're different.
I have lifelong friends. I would never do anything to
trade them out in the world. When you don't have
(11:44):
someone to talk to that's nearby, who were you left
to tell your problems to your partner, your spouse and
how much do they want to hear about this all
the time? You know, you start to drain everybody else's battery,
right We start.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
To build up these barriers, even with our close relation
relationships too, to avoid from cycling their battery out, which
then just cycles our battery out, and then you get
into this terrible cycle of a regret you say something
to somebody who you've known your entire life you really love.
Speaker 5 (12:15):
You know, you don't want to put that burden on anybody.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
Hello, listeners, Tune in for the next Craftsman Online reading Room,
where we'll be explaining the first thirty pages if the
Craft Perfected and actualizing our craft with special guest author,
brother John S.
Speaker 6 (12:41):
Nagy. To get your copy of the reading material and
submit questions in advance, visit craftsman online dot com today.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
For brothers or prospective brothers. At least we call them prospects.
You also call them misterts to gentlemen. There's a lot
of terms for candidates and waiting. You feel like you
walk in there and you meet these guys and they
seem to have like, as my friend would say, they
kind of seem to have their shit together, you know,
like they seem buttoned up there. Speaking of buttoned up,
they're wearing dark suits and ties and some watches. They
(13:29):
wear tuxedos, you're walking in with like barely dress shoes,
like you just feel like you you're not you don't
belong there. Maybe you feel like you don't fit in there.
And the whole purpose of this episode is to tell
you that the whole part of freemasonry, one of our
little slogans is making good men better. And that's something
that I wanted to touch on because when you and
(13:51):
I were having that deep personal conversation around the campfire
and you were telling me your story and just everything
that you were going through, I was like, wow, Like
when you first walked into a lodge, just questioning like,
are these guys gonna be okay with accepting somebody like me?
Because I've got problems. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
I mean, even going through the candidate process and leading
up to my initiation, we're asked to do like a
letter of introspection I think as a tradition that a
lot of lodges share. Have you been getting up to
that point? I knew I was there, and I just
knew I was damaged goods. You know, I was a
(14:33):
rough ashlar and I just felt so rough around the edges.
But hm, I knew I was a good person. I've
always known I'm a good person. I guess a part
of me even at that well, at that point, really
felt like I might fail, Like this might end up
being another thing that I think I'm gonna want to
(14:56):
do and get into and then realize I'm not good
enough for it. That wasn't the case. And after getting
initiated and actually and even leading up to that point,
I got to hand it to my lodge brothers who
had been welcoming me. They did a wonderful job trying
to lay the foundation. But it's not until you really
(15:18):
start to participate in the work. And sometimes it's not
even just the network of masonry that's inside of your
lodge or what your lodge can present to you, so
much is what masonry can offer you that that start
starts to make a real positive, positive difference. It makes
(15:39):
you start to feel like you really belong.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
And I think another the reason why I wanted to
do this episode is like the first episode of season
five is every year around you know, this time of
the year, the end of one into the next year,
everybody this is you know, we're deep into like resolution phase,
Like what is you're going to be your Knew Year's resolution?
What little promise are you going to make to yourself?
How long are you gonna be able to keep that?
And I stopped doing those years ago because I just
(16:04):
look at like the New Year as like, Hey, this
is just a marker on a calendar, and this is
an opportunity that I can make a change right now.
You can make a change every day and in every way,
but this is always that fun time of the year
where it's like, Okay, I've got this energy. I want
to start this, you know, I want to start high
and have a lot of momentum and hit the ground running.
And so this episode is specifically designed for that listener
(16:26):
that's thinking about it, that's just wondering, and like I
wanted to have this conversation to kind of help bring
that energy to like take action and start pursuing that
Masonic journey. If that's where you're hearing it first is
in your heart, because you'll find out why later on.
That's a special thing to hear. It's like if you're
hearing the voice in your heart and it's talking to
(16:46):
a little voice in your head, you're in a good
spot when it comes to starting a lodge. I want
to talk about relationships that also kind of form. And
this is the interesting part is I'll say I'll start
by saying, the first time I heard guys calling each
other that or referring to me as brother, I was like, okay,
this is kind of like the little hokey thing that
(17:06):
they say to like recognize each other, because I didn't
really understand it. What was your first reaction the first
time you heard the term brother or even called a brother.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
As a layman coming in from the profane world, we
get certain vocabulary that we're really used to, and yeah,
there's people call each other bro or you know, you
hear it out there, but there's also a man and
dude and guy and sport whatever. Being in a Masonic
(17:36):
lodge and hearing the discourse of brother and then getting
to the point where your being called brother for me
was really big. It was interesting in my lodge too,
with the candidates at the time in twenty twenty, there
were a lot of candidates, so a lot of people
(17:57):
who are just like at the door, ready ready to
get injured in that time, and I was one of them.
The officers of my lodge made a clear distinction that
your brother, Yeah, but you're not a brother yet. You're
a gentleman, you're a mister short. That hit me in
a really interesting way. And even with candidates today, I'm
(18:20):
really hesitant as to how to bluntly put that out there.
I'm not going to tell somebody how to address somebody else,
but knowing that there is a difference between just being
called hey, bro and being brother, and then the respect
of why we're calling each other brother, that we're here
(18:45):
together as part of the human family under the fatherhood
of God.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
So here's what makes me feel good about this is
that if I was to say brother Sam Chin came
to my house today and we were hanging out, like
you know who I'm talking about, and like I can
say brother Sam and like see your eyes and your
face like smile and just like when I say, hey,
I talk to young Abe, which is the nickname that
they give brother Jason. And for our YouTube live streamer,
(19:11):
you're seeing why you probably have it. I have lifelong
childhood friends that when I get on the phone with them,
we just instantly get back and sink and just have
literally hour long conversations to go to the very late
hours or early hours in the morning, depending on how
you want to look at it, but that relationship is
different because my Masonic relationship, well, yeah, and this is
(19:33):
the tough thing to explain, and I'm going to try
to get your help here. Is like, yeah, we have
these obligations, but I feel differently about my Masonic relationships
than I would say with like other close friends, Like
if I was to rank them, it's like, yeah, I
have a younger brother who I've literally known my whole life,
and then that he's not a Mason. But then I
(19:54):
have Masonic brothers that I can only know you for
a few years, and like, in a weird way, you
rank above people that I've known for a very long time,
And it feels weird to say that. I don't know
if you've have a tough time with that as well.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
I've navigated that that feeling. I've found it quite interesting
in that the rate at which I can feel entirely,
entirely comfortable just opening up to in a social situation
or even on a one to one basis, without any pretext,
(20:31):
without having to know anything about this other individual other
than we were obligated on the same on the same altar,
under the same factor. Yeah, that there are a number
of boxes that are just checked as to how this
(20:52):
person and how I am equal, and that this guy
is not judge me and I am not judging him.
Even if they're judging me, it's like doesn't matter because
of that bond. And I as a person philosophically, I
(21:16):
look at everyone on this planet as an extension of
my family, as an extension of my life, that we're
all together as a human tribe. But the brethren in
our fraternity, I know see that in the same way
(21:37):
I do.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
The weird thing for me is that I can have
conversations with a Masonic brother and there's really nothing I
ever feel uncomfortable talking with them about, where even if
I have like a close friend and we're talking about something,
I'm like, I can't really and it could be just
something petty, silly, stupid, small. But with the brother, I
feel like I don't have to put up any barriers.
(21:58):
I don't have to guard my words.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
Yeah, it's with fidelity that we can, with safety confide
in each other and know that we can trust that individual,
know that we trust ourselves.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
There's such a prevalence right now and you will hear this.
We've had a couple of guests on already leading into
twenty twenty five, and I think just the topic of
loneliness just generally in the country, people are just feeling
that right now because we do kind of live in
this weird hybrid or remote or virtual life setting, and
we're so seeking those personal connections, those real relationships because
(22:39):
so much of our lives these days is kind of transactional.
It starts first with like the things we use every
day that I'll just replace that in a few years,
and now it becomes friendships and networks and all that.
You kind of talked about it earlier. You're like, I
was just so damn lonely that I found these groups,
this group of guys and we just instantly clicked. And
(23:01):
it's not because I was lonely and quote unquote desperate.
It's just that I walked in and it was like
the idea of like, like minded, open having a conversation,
and You're like, where have you been all of mine?
Why did it take so long for me to find this?
Speaker 1 (23:16):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (23:16):
You like sitting at a table with another individual who
like another blue collar guy plumber, then a lawyer and
a hedge fund manager, and then as student MM and
we're all just talking about the same thing, and it
couldn't matter less about what you were doing outside at
(23:39):
the door, but together at that table, we were all
all on the same level. With the loneliness factor too.
Right now, it's so easy. We've got this illusion of
being tapped into so many relationships or so many other
people's lives.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
But it's like.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
This provides us a tangible place to get together. Right now,
there are so many people who also feel isolated, that
their perspectives on the way that the world should or
could be working are just not shared by the person
across the aisle. And going back to checking all of
(24:23):
those boxes with my brethren, I do not do not
think about their political affiliation or their religious affiliation before
I think of them as as my brother.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
So you didn't get that one holiday gift on your
list that you really really wanted this year, and you
can't really blame your family, because how did they know
that you want a personalized Masonic apron or a cool
Masonic emblem for the back of your car, maybe a
sweet hoodie to rock this year as we get ready
for warm weather, or a cool Masonic bag that you
can start bringing into work and letting everybody know that
(25:12):
you are a very proud Freemason. They didn't know, but
you did. So that means it's time to head over
to Bricksmasons dot com. Make this year special with a
personalized gift to you from you thanks to Bricksmasons dot com.
Visit Bricksmasons dot com and explore their extensive catalog. Elevate
your Masonic experience with style and substance plus Craftsman online
(25:34):
podcast listeners use promo code Craftsman that's c R A
F T S M E n at checkout to enjoy
free shipping with your first order. We mentioned the website,
(26:06):
it's ny Masons dot org. If you are listening and
you also happen to be living inside the great state
of New York and freemasonry is something you're like, Yeah,
you know what, I want to check that out. I
think it might be something I'm interested in visiting a lodge.
Like for so much reason, I just keep hearing this
voice in my head saying you should become a Freemason.
Ny Masons dot org. You will see a button that
(26:27):
says becoming a Mason. Click on that, and I promise
you it's going to get all the information you need.
What's funny is we call ourselves New York Masons. But
if you're also on your browser and you're visiting NY
Masons dot org, you'll see at the top and the
tab there it says Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted
Masons of the State of New York. Also says it's
down at the bottom of the website as well. But
(26:49):
I feel like that's the one thing that kind of
people go free and accepted Masons. It's also in the
big blue flag that's flying outside of our Grand Lodge
building in Manhattan. The term free and accepted. You'll learn
more once you go through what it actually means. But
I'm curious, Jason, when you hear the words free and
(27:12):
accepted and go back to that place where you were
looking to be accepted and find a place to be free,
what do those words mean to you now?
Speaker 3 (27:23):
Like the first instinct of what hit me with free
and accepted it was this idea that here I am,
I'm a free man in a free world, very fortunate
and grateful, but then also that I'm accepted into this
(27:44):
society of like minded and God loving individuals and on
a very just like exoteric surface level that brings me
a lot of joy. I'm and it's not free in
what like society is saying is free the construct of freedom,
(28:09):
I'm not talking about that. I am. I am a
human individual. I am a grown ass free man. I
am I'm I'm an entity on this planet that, no
matter what the construct of the world wants wants to
say I fit into or my limitations are. I know
(28:32):
that I am free under the you know, through this
mystic tie, and that this mystic tie is accepting me
into that family of which I.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Brother Jason Short, It's always a pleasure to kick off
a new year, especially with you on this podcast. I
look forward to hearing your voice again in a few
more weeks and seeing you throughout the year, my friend
Mike Wise.
Speaker 4 (29:04):
Brother, I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
If you've enjoyed this episode with Brother Jason Short, make
sure you follow us on Spotify or hit the subscribe
button now on Apple Podcasts so that you can keep
getting at episodes every Monday morning. Plus, if you've made
a resolution where hey, this is the year I am
not going to listen to commercials on my favorite podcasts, well,
have I got an offer for you on Patreon? You
can start enjoying the crafts of an online podcasts early
(29:28):
and ad free with just one click. This is right
worshow for Brother Michael Arsa. I always enjoy our time
together and look forward to seeing you again next week.
Until then, let peace and harmony prevail.
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