seekeroftruth

"Gia su" as they say in Greece. Welcome to the forum and all the best on your masonic journey! Where in Greece are you and in which lodge are you going to become a member?

If you mean, by what I understand from your statement, that you can, if there is an equivalence between the U.K. side degrees and the higher degrees of the Swedish Rite, join them (i.e. the Swedish Rite higher degrees) as well, my understanding is no. I can only say from personal knowledge that dual membership of both the Scottish Rite and Swedish Rite is not allowed. While i can visit meetings up to the Xth degree, as a member of the Scottish Rite, were I to wish, after a potential membership of a blue lodge of the Swedish Rite, to continue in the Swedish system and not simply visit my brethren in the higher degrees as a Scottish Rite visitor, I would have to resign completely from the Scottish Rite and then be initiated in the equivalent Swedish Rite degrees as any other brother. (while there are equivalences between the degrees, the Swedish Rite degrees, in their content, vary a lot from the Scottish Rite degrees, so even if you resigned and were initiated into the degrees of the Swedish system, you would be experiencing an initiation and not simply a repeat of the a Scottish Rite degree in a different form. Of course with the proviso that you have not been present during the working of the degree as a visitor in the past, because then, in my view, you will not experience anything initiatory. The Swedish Rite is a complete closed system, whereby every degree is based on the one below. Each time you progress up the ladder, the teachings of all the previous degrees that you have had, are further impressed onto you with the additional teachings of the new degree you are being initiated into. If you are moving to Sweden and intend to be there for some time, I would advise you to get your papers sorted out with UGLE so that you can visit blue lodges once you get there. Then once you are there and settled down, ask the local brethren for their advise on this issue.

Hi Ozymandius, As long as you are a member of a grand lodge that is recognized by the Order of Swedish Freemasons and are living in Sweden, you can request (once you have found a lodge, that you would like to join and continue your masonic journey) to join the Order. In the Swedish Craft this is called an "adoption". Pay attention, that apart from the usual paperwork proving that you are a member is good standing etc, you have to declare that you profess the Christian faith and that you undertake to obey the laws and regulations of the Order. In addition, you must also state whether you wish to remain a member of the foreign Grand Lodge you are coming from. So while joining the Order is possible in theory, it would only work if you are a Christian. If not, then I imagine you could visit as a mason from a recognized GL as often as you wanted, but not join. As 3GP441 wrote, involve your Prov. Sec.:

Just to add to the info that Trouillogan posted. St. Patricks lodge 295 (the oldest travelling military lodge), also warranted by the GL of Ireland meets in Warminster, Wiltshire.

Hi Black Eagle,as a rough estimate one year between degrees.S&FSeekeroftruth

Merry Xmas to all Br.: here on the forum@ George: Don't be in a hurry to join/visit the GLNF yet. It is a mess. I met French brethren in April this year who discreetly told me to wait a bit as there were certain "internal issues" that needed to be settled. At the time I wasn't aware of the problems that were present in the GLNF. I was a bit surprised at that and asked my WM about it, (back in April) and he told me that "yes" there were certain issues but they were internal so I could technically visit if I wanted but it would be best to wait till things became settled. The choice was up to me. So I decided to wait. Since then the situation has developed into a soap opera (latest info I heard was that the provincial GL of French Polynesia has ceased to exist and all lodges were placed under direct supervision of GL. In its place the brethren there have constituted a new GL!!!)Now recognition has now been suspended so that it is for me. No visits to french lodges possible for the foreseeable future. Doesn't bother me too much, but my lodge has a French member who has just been passed and now can visit other lodges and he is stuck in limbo. He visits France regularly for work but he can't visit a lodge. Life can be hard sometimes.

Hi all,just to clarify Tyler's post, I have attached a copy of the letter sent to UGLE, indicating that relations from the side of the GLNF towards UGLE are "temporarily" suspended.I hope you can still remember your A-level french:DS&F Attached files Tuspension_temporaire_par_la_glnf_de_ses_relations_avec_la_glua___14_juillet_2011.pdf (270.2 KB) 

Just to clarify a bit more the latest post, so that it becomes a bit clearer. As posted by john dee (Post #26741), on the 21st of January the Board of Directors of the GLNF resigned (the reasons are not important for my post). This includes also the President (internally known as a GM). It would appear that (from the french blog) that the current GM, while resigning as President of the association of the GLNF (a lodge and by extension the GL in France is viewed from a civil law point of view as an association of individuals having a common interest) wished to be still considered as a GM, and that it was possible for the GLNF to have to "2" heads. The GM as head of the obedience of the GLNF (from a masonic point of view) and another brother being the head of the association. Something that is not allowed by the constitution of the GLNF. In effect, in December the GLNF was ordered by the courts to convene a general meeting for removing the then President of the GLNF. What happened now is that since the 21st of January, a faction of brothers of the GLNF who are against Stifani, went to the same court that issued the order in December and based on the Boards resignation persuaded the court to appoint a caretaker head of the GLNF. His duties are to be caretaker of the GLNF until a General meeting is convened to designate a new president. (The original December order for convene a general meeting for removing the then President being void as the President resigned with his Board). From looking at these facts, it would appear to me that at this moment in time the GLNF has no GM, as the court makes no distinction between the two positions (President of an association from a civil law point of view and GM from a masonic point of view). In the court's view they are one and the same. I imagine that getting an apron with gold braid sewn on it can get to peoples heads sometimes (if all the stories are true). The french will never cease to surprise us:).

Just to add something to Phil's post. Always stick to what you learn in your mother lodge! Each lodge does things slightly different so it is always a good idea to state prior to any testing that you will happily answer but according to the what you have learnt in your mother lodge. This is a good hint to the brother testing you that if he sees something different, it is not wrong or false (because it is not the same as in his lodge). I have seen the Grip given in quite a few different ways.