B
eing Advanced to the District Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of Spain was, in many ways, an experience like that of other Orders in Freemasonry. In certain respects, it reminded me of that nervous moment when one knows they are about to be left alone, surrounded by unfamiliar faces, in a darkened place, to meditate and reflect upon what the coming hours, or even the next few minutes, may hold.
This time, however, the beginning was very different. The welcome offered by those awaiting me was wonderfully fraternal. I use that word in its fullest sense, because many of those present were brethren already known to me, although there were also new faces. Brethren with whom I had not previously shared time, but who would undoubtedly become part of this new and exciting stage of my journey.
An Unforgettable Ceremony
Before the formal start of the ceremony, we shared a pleasant and relaxed time together, which even included a photography session. I remember clearly that it was the first time someone had spoken to me about the word “relaxed” in that context, a term that immediately caught my attention and which, far from seeming anecdotal, reassured me even further. It is not a style of Freemasonry to which I am accustomed, yet from the very beginning I sensed an extraordinary degree of warmth and empathy that led me to suspect I would enjoy the experience immensely.
When the moment of Advancement arrived, my attention was immediately drawn to the arrangement of the Temple. I was surprised to see brethren occupying places which, from my perspective, I had always regarded as almost untouchable. The symbolism of the degree, so deeply connected to construction and craftsmanship, became especially tangible when I felt the real weight of polished stones of many different shapes and characteristics.
Nevertheless, if there was one thing that impressed me above all else, it was the remarkable capacity for improvisation displayed by my dear brethren throughout the ceremony. They succeeded in transforming the ritual into something close, genuine, and profoundly human. Above all, they incorporated an element not often encountered in Freemasonry: a subtle yet constant undertone of warmth and humour. That sense of cordiality even allowed one to smile during the ceremony.
The symbolism of the degree, so deeply connected to construction and craftsmanship, became especially tangible when I felt the real weight of polished stones of many different shapes and characteristics.
At first, those smiles felt strange to me. I wondered whether perhaps I should not, or even could not, smile in such a context. Yet I soon realised that nothing could have been further from the truth. The smiles, the spontaneous interactions, and the small gestures of complicity served precisely to reinforce that fraternal dimension of the Mark Degree of which I had heard so often spoken.
A New Learning Experience
After learning a new number, a new march, a new sign, a new order, and after hearing words of immense beauty, together with myths, legends, and stories concealed within the pages of the Ritual Book, I became fully aware of the immense historical and symbolic depth contained within Freemasonry. It is a history that must be discovered gradually, integrated into our DNA, and assimilated until it becomes part of ourselves, enabling us to work properly upon that cubic stone whose every side, we sometimes forget, must be just and perfect.
As at other moments in my Masonic journey, there were also surprising instances involving edged or blunt weapons. Yet the deepest emotional impact, comparable to what I experienced when looking into the mirror during my initiation, came at the culminating moment in which I understood a truth I now regard as absolute: that which may hold no value whatsoever for some people may, for others, constitute the very key to their existence and the reason to continue onwards.
That teaching, simple in appearance yet immense in meaning, encapsulates for me a large part of the message of the Mark Degree.
I sincerely hope to return very soon to the Akra Leuka Mark Lodge, in the Valleys of Elda, Alicante, in order to embrace my Brethren once again and, above all, to smile with them once more. For if there is one thing this Advancement taught me, it is that fraternity is lived not only through the rigour of symbolism and the solemnity of ritual, but also through closeness, fellowship, and the shared joy of those who build their own path together.
