Masonic works: why, how?
If we look for a correspondence with the definition of the word "labour" (cf. opposite) the comparison which would be the closest to define Masonic labour would be the one attributed to the labour of childbirth. The layman is initiated but then it will develop in the womb that constitutes the lodge to "one day" come out into the world; the "labour of delivery" that the lodge and the freemason do is addressed to the new being within him and who asks to be born!
The Masonic approach could thus be schematized by three words: work, always work!
It is of course an essentially intellectual work, but the Freemasons, heirs of the operative masons, are encouraged to work in the same way as their "models": with art and precision!
This implies first of all a lot of reading to complete one's training.
It requires a very good listening and observation skills because the lodge is also a place of information through the knowledge of the other members of the lodge.
Finally, with the help of brothers or sisters, it is important to have a good work plan, to be able to follow a real working method.
Masonic work is only one chapter of masonic activity; it will not be a question here of evoking the chapter of fraternal relations between Freemasons, but it must be specified that this convivial activity is very important.
The different forms of masonic work :
The reading of books, magazines, various and varied documents;
The taking of notes;
The writing of plates;
Participation in thematic commissions;
The presentation of boards;
The representation of the lodge in other bodies;
Visits to other workshops;
The fulfilment of the obligations of an office (either as a titular or as a substitute);
The participation in agape (with or without participation in the service);
The maintenance of the temple.
Writing a board: why and how?
Why introduce a board?
To meet a moral obligation: speculative work as a form of sharing
To justify understanding the ritual
On the other hand, the absence of production of boards can cast doubt on the credibility of the Masonic commitment;
Who decides the subject?
The sister or brother who's working out
The venerable or a supervisor in the course of work prior to the change in rank ;
Obedient duties: matter under consideration or otherwise;
What is the preparation of a board?
To carry out a bibliographical research work which today is supplemented (and sometimes replaced) by a research on the web; as not everyone can have a Masonic library, the research on the web can constitute an alternative but the frequentation of the libraries is still an exercise to be advised. The danger is to let copy and paste with wikipedia; hence the need for supervisors and venerable to ask for the board before putting it on the agenda (which is never done).
Doing a personal work of reflection on the subject: this is the test of the blank page; one should not censor oneself for a first "draft" because in this exercise the important thing is to share the feelings, the experience that the author (e) may experience. This is always the most interesting part to share.
Exchange with other members of the lodge on how to present the board according to the ideas of the presenter.
Ask the venerable person about possible ritual obligations and inform him or her of the format of the presentation.
What are the different forms of presentations possible?
If it is an individual work, it could be :
read by the presenter
multi-voting
audio-visual presentation
rendered by body language
in case of collective work, it could be :
delivered by a rapporteur
multivalued
rendered by body language
What are we gonna talk about?
Of a symbolic subject
A social issue
Of a life's journey
A cultural or artistic approach
On a legal subject
A mandatory question that must be answered
Other formulas could be added to this list;
What is our attitude when it comes to writing the board?
excitement,
fear, anxiety
jaded
The predictable course of the presentation of the board in uniform:
the call
the displacement
installation at the lectern or stage
the invitation to speak
the presentation
the word of the venerable
the word travels
possible responses to interventions
the word of the speaker
back to the columns.
How do you make your presentation?
reading one's text: this is the general case; it takes time to learn how to read a board in an optimal way: in the absence of a sound system speaking loudly (there are many deaf people in the dressing room, distinctly, taking breaks, looking at the audience, etc.), it is necessary to learn how to read a board in an optimal way: in the absence of a sound system speaking loudly (there are many deaf people in the dressing room, distinctly, taking breaks, looking at the audience, etc.), it is necessary to learn how to read a board in an optimal way.
intervention detached from the support: this is ideal but it requires a lot of ease and a very good knowledge of the subject.
Questions that might be asked :
What kind of availability and open-mindedness do listeners have? It all depends on the subject of the board and the way it is treated; the audience is of course very particular and even if the "atmosphere" of a dressing room is conducive to listening, there are "constants" that should not be neglected; by experience, the more authentic and personal a board is, the better the audience's attention!
In which direction do the interventions go? It is difficult to intervene on a subject that has not been prepared and the danger of spontaneity is to hear reactions that are more like coffee from the trade!
Spontaneously, the interventions are linked to the personalities of the lodge and the speeches most often come from the "tenors" who thus have the opportunity to speak!
What is the value of the question? Rare are the interventions in the form of questioning!
The speaker's summary
The Masonic rule would like the speaker to be able to make a synthesis in the wake of the board and the interventions;
it is a very difficult exercise, because it supposes a good understanding of the subject dealt with and also a good knowledge of the Masonic working method!
The danger is to indulge in laudatory speeches! It would be better to say nothing than to make a parody!
Définition du mot travail (source CNTRL)
I. − OBSTETRATED. All the mechanical phenomena of childbirth that allow the dilatation of the cervix and the expulsion of the foetus.
1. A human activity requiring a sustained effort to modify the natural elements, to create and/or produce new things, new ideas.
2. Effort, physical or intellectual exercise carried out with a view to acquiring, learning or achieving something. Schoolwork.
3. Activities or set of useful activities that need to be done.
4. Compulsory activity that occupies.
5. Need, task. Killing oneself, working to death; being overwhelmed, overwhelmed, crushed, overwhelmed with work; doing work.
1. Work carried out by human activity to modify the natural elements or to produce new ones.
2. Quality of this work; how it was produced. The work is sloppy, regular, serious, neat, well done, followed up; the work is amateurish, Benedictine.
♦ Long-term work. Work that takes time to complete.
♦ Work of ox, horse, convict, convict, convict, Hercules, Negro, Roman, titan. Work that requires a lot of energy and time to perform.
♦ Ant work. Work that is generally long and requires meticulousness and perseverance.
♦ Force work. Work that requires a great deal of physical energy to perform.
♦ Plural: Needlework, lady work. Sewing, knitting or crochet work.
2. In the intellectual field
(a) Often in the plural: Research, a body of research in a particular field.
♦ In the academic field.tutorials
♦ In the literal domain, a set of intellectual activities that relate to the production of a work; this work.
(b) Deliberations, (texts resulting from) discussions in an assembly, a committee. Legislative, parliamentary work.
3. In the manual.field.Operation, a sequence of operations requiring technical equipment, time and the physical activity of one or more persons.
♦ DR. PENAL. Forced labour. Common law sentence, temporary or perpetual, carried out in the penal colony of French Guyana, abolished in 1936.
♦ Community service work (T.U.C.), an activity open to all unemployed young people aged 16 to 21 years, likely to contribute to the improvement of social life, organised by a local authority, an association (...) and paid by the State (GDEL).
♦ Prison work. Paid work to which ordinary prisoners are subject.
♦ Scientific organisation of work. Taylorism.
- PSYCHANAL. Grief work. Process described by psychoanalysis and which allows one to detach oneself from the lost object by choosing to break the bond" (Pel. Psych. 1976).
3. Continuous, voluntary action by a person or a group of people aimed at social transformation and political change. Political, social, revolutionary work.
B. - Action to produce a useful effect; result of this action. Brain, muscle work; work of the heart, liver, organs.
C. - MECHANICS, PHYSICS. Product of the intensity of a force by the projection of the displacement of its point of application on the direction of the force (Dew. Technol. 1973).
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