The New Year has begun with two major developments designed to help Lincolnshire brethren get more from their Freemasonry.

THE FIRST is the appointment of a Provincial Learning and Development Officer. He is W Bro Dr Jagdish S Chaggar, from Spilsby-based Eccles Lodge, who will be working as part of the Improvement Delivery Group on a Learning and Development Project (L&D). A number of people applied for the role, and it’s expected that those volunteers will become part of a Provincial Learning and Development team in support of the project’s objectives.

Dr Chaggar explained: “The L&D Project seeks to foster the curiosity of all members and stimulate a desire to develop a greater understanding of our ritual, traditions, symbolism and history.  “These values and principles define us as Freemasons and our relevance as an organisation. The Project is a response to a widely-expressed interest that greater understanding will improve the appreciation of and presentation of ritual, enhance enjoyment and improve retention. Promoting learning and understanding is a strategic imperative of the Rulers of the Craft and Royal Arch.”

Deputy ProvGM John Crutchley is the member of the Provincial Executive with responsibility for learning and development. He added: “The team’s role will be to raise the profile and importance of Masonic learning, and to promote it as a regular feature of Craft and Chapter Meetings. I have every confidence that W Bro Dr Chaggar and his team will be able to do much that will help brethren develop a greater understanding of ritual, and by the deeper appreciation of it that must surely follow.”

THE SECOND development is the introduction of a new online resource called Solomon. John believes will bring a modern twist to Masonic traditions by enabling Brethren to access information using multiple platforms including smartphones and tablets. He said: “Solomon has been designed to be a universal tool of equal value to Lodges, Chapters, and individuals, regardless of experience or prior knowledge. It brings together more than 350 items of material from many sources to help answer common questions and improve Masonic knowledge and understanding.”

Found online at this link, Solomon is expected to be invaluable to Lodge Mentors and DCs, enabling them to find material to help a member learn about or understand a topic or issue, or a means to introduce a learning content into regular meetings. Solomon material is made up of short ‘nuggets’, papers and demonstrations, as well as longer items for presentation and discussion. John added: “Registration is quick and simple, and once registered, you can login and enrol in one or more modules and explore Solomon to your heart’s content. It is intuitive and has been designed to foster curiosity and draw you in to seek answers. It offers various search tools to find and refine your inquiry. You may then read or download as much or as little as you wish. With smartphone access, Solomon can readily provide an answer to a question at a Lodge of Instruction. I commend it to al Brethren in Lincolnshire.”

Solomon: Masonic wisdom on the internet at https://solomon.ugle.org.uk

Dr Chaggar can be reached at chaggarj@gmail.com