Hiram

“Lighting the Lamp of Learning”

Hint for the Hiram EA Modules password: Where were you first prepared to be made a Mason?
 In my ________. (no capitals)

Hiram EA Modules Power Point

Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Nova Scotia
Degree Development Program

Hiram is the new degree development program for Freemasons of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Nova Scotia. The goal of this program is to better prepare the new Mason for a lifelong positive experience in our Craft. Named Hiram the program symbolically incorporates both the architecture of Hiram Abiff and the building oversight of Hiram King of Tyre to start the new mason on a firm cornerstone for building of his own personal masonic temple.

Hiram is a program with both in-person components and available online virtual learning environment materials. Each degree will be complemented with an E book to assist and provide the new brothers with a useful guide to their degrees and Masonic journey.   Hiram is divided into eight Modules for each degree and a module has two objectives for progressing through the degree, a Learning Objective and a Proficiency Objective to guide the Candidate towards their next level.

All masons regardless of time in the craft, level of Masonic achievement, or position in Lodge should take the time to at least go through the online sections of the program. Also doing the Lesson Objectives as education portion in a regular lodge meeting is highly encouraged even without Candidates, we all can learn from a review of the basics.

The use of Hiram Mentors is what will make this program work in your Lodge. A Hiram Mentor is a brother that will work with the new mason in one or all the degrees. The Hiram Mentor is not the candidates top line signing mentor, however that brother can do both. One of the issues Hiram solves is if the Candidate came to the Craft by internet or outside of knowing a lodge member for a while. The top line sponsor may not be the most suitable mentor for that Brother. With Hiram lodges should match mentors with candidates based on areas like; the mentor and the candidate being able to establish a trusting masonic relationship, the two having common interests etc..

Hiram Mentoring also will require time and commitment on the part of the Brethren who mentor, therefor if a brother has time to only mentor the 1^st degree but not the second or third, another Hiram mentor may do another degree. This is a good method to involve more than a couple of brothers in Lodge. Also a Hiram mentor may mentor more than one Brother.

Hiram if implemented properly will slow the progress of the candidate to at least 8 weeks between degrees. This accomplishes two things; first the candidate gets the time to learn and experience what each degree has for them. The second and most important is promoting understanding and stimulating inquisitiveness in the craft and the degrees by the new Mason.

Promoting Understanding and Stimulating Inquisitiveness the motto of Hiram is to allow the Brethren to act upon their first degree Charge and improve themselves every day in Freemasonry. Give the new brothers the understanding of the degree but stimulate an inquisitiveness in the Craft for them to seek out and learn more as a lifelong Mason.

Entered Apprentice Degree

With this program all Modules should be done in a weekly session as not to overwhelm the new brother and should be kept to under 2 hours. Doing more than one objective in a week overloads the Candidate with information and does not achieve the goal of the program.

Prerequisite before starting the Modules. The Degree must be conferred and all the lectures in the Ritual were delivered to the Entered Apprentice.

Module 1 Degree Introduction

Learning Objective 1.  Within the first week after the degree the Lodge Hiram mentors will meet with new Entered Apprentice at the lodge. The brother will walk through the whole degree from preparation to finish and all the steps will be explained.

Proficiency Objective 1 The remainder of the meeting will be to help go over the Question and Answers he must learn for his proficiency before advancing to include a short discussion on several memorization techniques.

Module 2 Masonic Vocabulary Entered Apprentice Level

This Module has a Virtual Environment Learning presentation for the candidate to do.

Learning Objective 2.   The Entered Apprentice and the Lodge Hiram mentors will meet with new Entered Apprentice at the lodge. The vocabulary of the degree will be explained to the Entered Apprentice and why we use an unchanged Ritual in our works keeping old words instead of modernizing them.

Proficiency Objective 2 The remainder of the meeting will be to help go over the Question and Answers he must learn for his proficiency at this time pointing out any unique Masonic words he may encounter and defining them.

Module 3 Masonic Etiquette

This Module has a Virtual Environment Learning presentation for the candidate to do.

Learning Objective 3.   The Entered Apprentice and the Lodge Hiram mentors will meet with new Entered Apprentice at the lodge. Masonic Etiquette within the lodge will be taught to the new brother with an emphasis in demonstrating proper use of:

1. Gavel Commands 1 2 3 knocks
2. Opening the Lodge
3. signs, due guards
4. sign of fidelity
5. addressing the Worshipful Master,
6. Entering and Leaving an Open Lodge,
7. Closing the Lodge
8. Grand Honours,
9. Entering with your lodge on an official visit

Proficiency Objective 3 The session should be completed with checking the proficiency progress of the Brother.

Module 4 Masonic Expectations

This Module has a Virtual Environment Learning presentation for the candidate to do.

Learning Objective 4.  The Entered Apprentice and the Lodge Hiram mentors will meet with new Entered Apprentice this does not have to be done at lodge. What the Fraternity expects of him and what he should expect of the Fraternity. This can be presented in lecture form with a power point or in a discussion environment if more than one Entered Apprentice is available.

Proficiency Objective  4 Check the progress of the Question and Answers by this time the Brother should be getting fairly confident in repeating the obligation if not spend some time working with them on the obligation.

Module 5 Masonic History

This Module has a Virtual Environment Learning presentation for the candidate to do.

Learning Objective 5.  History of Freemasonry. This session is to be done either online through the Grand Lodge Website or with provided lessons or taught with the PowerPoint presentation by the Hiram mentors. On completion of the lecture the Entered Apprentice should meet with his Hiram Mentors and discuss the history.

Proficiency Objective 5 This week is a good point to test the Brother’s proficiency and identify any areas to concentrate on.

Module 6 Masonic Literature symbols and allegory

This Module has a Virtual Environment Learning presentation for the candidate to do.

Learning Objective 6. Masonic literature in the degree how to understand the lessons of what some of the allegory and symbols mean when delivered in a literature unfamiliar in today’s society.

Proficiency Objective 6 Proficiency review identify any areas of weakness and work with the brother to correct them.

Module 7 Grand Lodge Structure

This Module has a Virtual Environment Learning presentation for the candidate to do.

Learning Objective 7. The Fraternity and Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia, the EA should be aware of the Lodge structure, The District System and Jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge and its major components. This session is to be done either online through the Grand Lodge Website or with provided lessons or taught with the PowerPoint presentation by the Hiram mentors.

Proficiency Objective 7 Proficiency review have the brother go through his Proficiency while standing in the Lodge.

Module 8 Masonic Charge to the Entered Apprentice

Learning Objective 8. The Charge to the Entered apprentice often overlooked what a charge means what is in the charge and why we receive a charge.

Proficiency Objective 8 Test the full proficiency of the Brother’s questions and answers without notes so they can be tested in open lodge.

At this time the Entered apprentice should have completed all the virtual learning presentations and the learning and proficiency objectives and be ready for their Fellow Craft degree. If not, the degree should be delayed until all the objectives have been completed. Hiram should take a minimum of eight weeks to complete each degree.