I was recently at the grocery store checking out when the cashier pointed to my Masonic ring and said “there is a lot of light on that finger”. I immediately took him to be a Mason and went home with my groceries thinking little more about it. A few days later I was out for a jog and started thinking about why I wear my Masonic ring. Most would think that I wear it for others to know that I am a Mason. It is true that it does allow those that I have just met to know that I am a Mason; however, for those who have known me for any amount of time, they should not need to see a ring to know that I am a Mason as they should know this by the way I choose to live my life.
The primary reason I wear my ring is to be a constant reminder to me that I am a Mason and that I have taken an obligation in the presence of God and my brethren that I will live my life with according to the moral lessons that we are taught in our rituals. The symbols on my ring, like everything else in Freemasonry, have multiple meanings. These meanings may be foreign to the uninitiated but have a profound meaning for those who have received “Light in Masonry”. The square and compasses are constant reminders to me of how I have received light through the degrees and how the importance of the spiritual life has superseded the importance of my worldly life as I have advanced in Masonry. The letter G is symbolic of the sacred name of deity, in my case God, who is the creator and ruler of my life.
Another reason I wear my ring is to honor the memory of my Grandpa, George Lee Browning who was a member of Mountain Lodge #156 in Coal City, WV. I was given his ring last year by my brother who found it with some coins that he had been given in 1985. I had the ring fixed and now wear it as a proud reminder to myself of the way my Grandpa exemplified the values of our Fraternity and my privilege to be a small part of the same.
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