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Joining a Magical Lodge

by John Michael Greer

Back before today’s magical renaissance, most magicians in the Western world learned their art by joining a lodge. Lodges were the most common type of organization in the magical community of those times, and lodges nearly had a stranglehold on magical knowledge. It’s hard to imagine from today’s perspective, but between 1700 and 1900, fewer than a hundred books on practical magic were published in English, and most of the them were very hard to obtain. At a time when being openly involved in magic was a shortcut to social ostracism, too, the secrecy of magical lodges had a definite appeal.

Times have changed. Teachings that were once jealously guarded can now be found in shopping mall bookstores, and covens, circle, and other less formal groups play a much larger role in the magical community than magical lodges. The lodge system itself is poorly understood these days, and not all of those who run magical lodges have a solid grasp of how and why the system works.

Despite these changes, though, there are still good magical lodges to be found, and good reasons to consider joining them. Many lodges offer a solid education in magic, based on a tested curriculum and taught by experienced magicians. Belonging to a magical lodge also offers the chance to take part in intensive group rituals, to experience a series of initiations, and to become part of a community dedicated to serious magical work.

What is a Magical Lodge?

Few people know much about lodges these days, however, and inaccurate notions about the lodge system are common. Many of these are simple confusions between lodges and other ritual groups. A lodge is not just a coven with fancier robes and titles. Nor is it a circle, a church, a cult, or an encounter group. It’s a distinct kind of organization, with its own ways of carrying out the various tasks of group work.

Perhaps the most important factor that sets lodges apart from other occult groups is the role of structure. Lodge work follows a framework of rules and procedures; each lodge officer has specific duties, and ceremonial work follows texts that are changed only in special circumstances. There’s a point to this—setting up a structure and sticking to it shifts the focus of the attention from management to the magical work of the lodge.

Lodge structure has another dimension. With few exceptions, lodges have a series of levels of membership—“grades” or “degrees” in lodge jargon—and magical lodge members have to earn their way up, normally by meeting the requirements of a curriculum of training. Many lodges require members to reach a certain grade before they can hold office or take other active roles in the lodge; some require members to reach a certain grade before they can attend lodge meetings at all. This may grate on modern sensibilities, but once again, there’s a point to it. Advanced magical work requires a fair degree of skill to carry off successfully, and lodge members need to demonstrate that they know what they’re doing before they take part.

Obviously, then, joining a magical lodge is not for everyone. To be comfortable in a lodge, it’s necessary to have some tolerance for structure and an interest in serious magical work. If these things appeal to you, though, you may find a magical lodge well worth the time and effort.

Joining a Magical Lodge

Like the old recipe for rabbit pie that begins, “First catch your rabbit,” the first step in joining a magical lodge is finding one. This isn’t always easy. There are active magical lodges in most North American cities of any size, but few advertise their presence. Getting in touch with one may take time and patience. If you make contacts in your local magical community and ask around, you’re likely to turn up lodge connections, although those connections may want to know more about you before they start answering questions.

This brings up an important point: magical lodges are usually selective about potential members. This is partly a matter of tradition, and partly one of hard experience. Not everyone who wants to join a lodge does so for good reasons, and a lodge that opens its doors to all comers may find itself saddled with members who are more interested in playing politics or sitting on the sidelines pretending to be magicians than in doing real magical work. You may be certain that a magical lodge has much to offer you, but you need to remember that the members will be asking themselves what you have to offer the lodge.

What they will be looking for, if the lodge in question is worth anything, is evidence that your interest in magic is serious, and that you are willing to commit time and energy to the lodge and its work. If they are looking for anything else, for example, money, sexual favors, or the promotion of some pet cause, you’re better off working on your own. Most lodges do ask for dues to meet hall rental and other expenses, but anything more than fifteen to twenty dollars a month is probably lining someone’s pocket.

The first stage of becoming a lodge member, then, is usually a matter of coming to the notice of people who belong to the lodge, or finding information that allows you to make contact. Then a more formal process begins, in most cases with a written application followed by an interview. After the interview, the lodge will vote on your application, and if you pass the vote the next thing you’ll receive is a phone call or letter letting you know when to show up for your initiation. At that point, you’ll stand at the beginning of a profound, transformative, and, in every sense of the word, magical journey.

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