"Wild as a March hare." That’s how a   Mason described his current exper-iences in Masonry to me the other day.

"Why ‘wild as a March hare’?" I asked.

"Things are happening," he said. "I visited some Grand Lodges last fall, and I was both surprised and pleased. Masons are doing things they haven’t done in decades. They’re getting active in the community, talking about Freemasonry, and letting people know who we are. I saw Masons excited about being Masons, and I hadn’t seen that in a long, long time."

He’s right. When I read the newsletters from our Scottish Rite Valleys, the Grand Lodges and other Masonic Bodies, it is evident that more and more articles are appearing about activities in communities where Masonic/public partnerships and projects are being undertaken—all giving high positive visibility to the Fraternity and benefiting others.

And, reading between the lines, there is a new excitement in Masonry.

My friend may have hit on the reason. I’m told that the phrase "wild as a March hare" comes from the behavior of the animal in England, where March marks the beginning of spring, and the creative urges of the awakening season lead the hares to erratic behavior.

There’s a creative awakening in Masonry, too, an awakening which many of us who have the privilege of leading the Fraternity have been calling for and longing for. Masons are starting to find new answers and new questions. We’re starting to shake off a long winter sleep and to feel the stirring of new blood.

You see it in our charities. New Scottish Rite Childhood Language Disorders Clinics, Centers, and Programs are being opened, and those already open are finding new ways to serve children and their families. In addition, more and more individual Lodges and Valleys are finding charitable projects to get behind and support.

You see it also in openness. More Masons are willing to talk to their friends about Masonry. More Grand Lodges are encouraging their Constituent Lodges to hold open houses and find other means of telling their stories to the community.

Especially, perhaps, you see it in information. Like the Scottish Rite, more and more Grand Lodges  are loudly stating that Masonic education must be a primary goal. And we’re expanding our definition of Masonic education, too. No longer is it just a matter of memorizing parts of the Ritual. More Masons are striving to learn more about Masonry, its symbols, teachings, traditions, and history than in many a long year. Masonic information has exploded on the Internet as tens of thousands of Masons link up, discuss ideas, ask questions, find answers, and stimulate even more discussions. Someone recently printed a listing of home pages and addresses for Masonic organizations and groups on the Internet. It took more than seven pages just to list them!

In some ways, the Craft may be ahead of the leadership in this new excitement about Masonry. The famous line, "There they go: we must catch up with them, for we are their leaders," may be the battle cry as we move into the next century.
Experimentation is in the air. More and more Grand Lodges are developing one-day classes with alternative demonstrations of proficiency and making changes in many other areas once thought impossible. Some of the ideas will work, some will not—that’s the nature of experimentation. But the efforts are being made.

It’s not that the survival of Masonry lies in trying new things—the survival of Masonry lies in excitement, in men being passionate about their Fraternity, about men from every walk of life bringing their talents and their creativity to Freemasonry. It’s that talent, excitement, and creativity which cause the Fraternity to try new things. And it’s that talent, excitement, and creativity which will assure our survival.

This isn’t always easy to deal with. Creative people don’t just let things happen, they make things happen. An organization stirring with new creative energy will ruffle feathers, question sacred cows, and think the unthinkable. But as one Masonic leader said, "I don’t mind dealing with the fires; you can use fire to do everything from refining metal to cooking food. And I’d much rather be dealing with Masonic fires than stirring dead ashes."

So would I.

I’d encourage every Scottish Rite Mason to be as "wild as a March hare." Rediscover the excitement of Freemasonry. Strike a spark and make things happen!