The Masonic Roundtable - Freemasonry Today for Today's Freemasons

From candlelit ritual and memorized catechisms to top hats, archaic titles, and paper dues cards, the Craft carries centuries of tradition into a world of smartphones and social media. Are these customs timeless links to our heritage, or relics that leave potential members scratching their heads? The panel will look at which anachronisms give Freemasonry its unique character, which ones may be quietly hurting our image and our ability to grow, and how lodges can tell the difference. Join us live as we ask whether it's time to change, or whether being a little out of time is exactly the point.

In this episode of The Masonic Roundtable, we dig into what Freemasonry really means when it talks about the passions, and why so much of the Craft points Brothers toward keeping them in check. Are passions simply strong feelings, or something more specific in Masonic teaching? How do they show up in lodge politics, leadership, ritual, and everyday life outside the tiled door? And are they inherently bad, or only dangerous when they run unchecked? Join us as we unpack what the ritual asks of us, where passion can still serve the Craft, and how a Brother can govern himself without going numb to the things that light him up.

In this episode of The Masonic Roundtable, we sit with a question every lodge hearing knows by heart: what does it mean to truly live a virtuous life? The Square of Virtue is more than a symbol on the tracing board. It is a working tool for how a Mason should act when nobody is watching, when the apron is off, and when the Craft's ideals meet the mess of ordinary days. Join us as we talk about living virtuously beyond the confines of the lodge, how the Square should shape our conduct at home, at work, and in the world, and what it looks like when Freemasonry's talk of virtue becomes a daily practice rather than a weekly ritual.

In this episode of The Masonic Roundtable, we follow one Brother's path from Prince Hall Affiliated Masonry into the United Grand Lodge of England, and what it means to change jurisdictions along the way. Recognition, affiliation, and belonging look different when a Mason crosses from one grand lodge world into another, and that journey raises practical and fraternal questions that many traveling Brothers never expect until they face them. Join us as we unpack how one man's move from PHA to UGLE unfolded, what stayed the same in his Craft, what had to change, and what his story can teach anyone navigating recognition, dual paths, or a new Masonic home.

In this episode of The Masonic Roundtable, we dig into a lesser-known cousin of the Craft: The Ancient Order of Free Gardeners. Rooted in 17th-century Scotland, where operative gardeners organized lodges for mutual aid, shared horticultural knowledge, and fraternal ritual, the Order grew into a widespread friendly society with degrees, regalia, and symbolism that often mirrored Freemasonry, including the distinctive pairing of the square and compasses with a pruning knife, while remaining its own tradition grounded in the Garden of Eden rather than Solomon's Temple. Nearly extinguished by the late 20th century, a revived Ancient Order of Free Gardeners continues that legacy across North America under the mottos Love, Wisdom, Harmony, and Truth. Join us as we explore Free Gardenery's origins, its parallels and differences with Masonry, and what cultivating the "garden within" can teach today's Craft. Learn more at https://www.thefreegardeners.org/