Maine State Grange

People like us do things like this…

Seth Godin recently described culture as “People like us do things like this.” That’s an interesting definite that Grangers could apply to our Ritual and Heritage. Seth also noted that “Our conversations and arguments about how we react to changes in the culture do little to change the forces that are shaping our future, though.” He concludes “Our response to change is often all we have control over. And the way we respond is how we create the next cycle of culture and possibility.”

That somewhat coincidently aligns with some conversation I had recently with Amanda Brozana Rio regarding the reorganization and fantastic growth of Jefferson Grange in Pennsylvania. (If you missed that interview, it’s available on the MSG website and YouTube channel. After reorganizing, they doubled their membership in three months.) One of the components of the reorganization was considering what the culture of Jefferson Grange would be like. In Seth’s terms, they thought long and hard to define what “people like us were going to be doing.” The basis of their recruiting program became finding like-minded people doing the things Jefferson Grange would be doing.

Of course, that also meant they had to be clear on what they would be doing—and, to some extent, thinking! For an organization steeped in tradition, this can become challenging in part because tradition and ritual sometimes mean doing without thinking. But it’s also important to realize that “thinking” doesn’t mean changing or abandoning.

“Syncretism” is one of those fancy words that describes integrating new cultural ideas and practices into the ones that already exist. We might think of it as “evolving” and it’s common in religious practice. It’s not about this or that; it’s about both.

We’ve recently entertained some families with younger children. We realized that while unrelated, nearly every child who visited was defined as a “grazer,” meaning they didn’t eat full meals—they tended to snack throughout the day. I confess we wanted (and to some extent did) stand our ground when it was mealtime. While the adults sat together at the table, the child “came and went.”

The families weren’t related and didn’t even know each other. We ultimately realized we were witnessing a new culture and we’d have little to gain by expecting something different. Well, we might have gained some frustration, I suppose. My point is not to argue the value of a sit-down family meal. We did have an established mealtime—it just took place over an extended period of time. And we were able to visit with the appearing and disappearing children. Later, we could reflect on the realities of family schedules with multitudes of activities and begin to understand that the family meal (an old cultural practice) was fitting into some new cultural realities.

I was reminded of the Grange president/master who declared the end of potluck suppers. He made it his job to prepare a meal for the membership before every meeting. His explanation was that “today’s young people” don’t have time to plan and prepare a portable meal to bring so I’ll do that for them. It was a potluck in the sense they didn’t know what they were getting until they got there, but it was a new approach and practice. I think that’s syncretism.

It’s easy to resist change, to dig in one’s heels and be unequivocal. But the results often are not productive beyond creating polarity. Whether or not we believe in evolution in the Darwinian sense, the term can be used to describe a comfortable change that recognizes it’s possible to be in favor of something without being against something else. In my potluck example, being in favor of the master/president providing the meal didn’t mean being against the “potluck.” (An interesting variation could be different members volunteering to provide the meal each month.)

You don’t have to be an intense student of history to recognize how the “Grange Way of Life” has evolved over the years. And to be thankful that it did! We can be equally thankful that some things have not changed.

We need to recognize, however, that society (culture) is changing at a much more rapid pace than ever before. In a recent adult class, I asked for a show of hands representing the reality and impact of 9-11. Over ten percent of the class were either not alive when it happened or were too young to remember what for many of us was a significant and very personal experience.

When we study the Grange of 150 years ago and compare it to the Grange of today, it’s comparatively easy to accept the differences. But, whether we like it or not, the timeline is shortening. Consider what the Grange (which usually means the one you are a member of) of ten years ago looked like in comparison to today—not just in terms of membership and budget but in terms of purpose and personality (or culture). What will it look like in a year or two?

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Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-sixth edition of the 2013 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.

It’s Officer Installation Season–maybe!

“Let me caution you, that you keep the eye of the mind open among your members. Encourage improvement; remember that Nature’s motto is ‘onward.’ She never goes backward.”

From the Installing Master’s Charge to Masters

The installing officer’s charge to Masters being installed is one of the longer ones. As a result, it’s easy to stop listening. As with the Grange Ritual in general, there is much to learn.

Not every member is destined to hold the office of Master, but every member could benefit from what masters are taught during the installation ceremony. I’ve chosen just a few sentences for consideration.

“Keep the eye of the mind open…” is a skill that can be developed. Here, we are talking about being observant of our members. That’s consistent with being a fraternal organization. By most definitions, a fraternal organization is a social club or membership organization formed around a common bond, ideology, or personal background. We might do well to consider how strong that bond actually is. But one of the things that makes it stronger is “keeping the eye of the mind open” or, in other words, “keeping an eye on each other.” Can you answer these questions?

• Who, now, is the happiest person in your Grange?
• Who, now, is the most discouraged person in your Grange?

You get the idea, right?

“Encourage improvement.” I suspect this is a two-word sentence by design because it allows us to be broad in our thinking. What do we want to improve? This is not subtractive thinking designed to get us focused on what’s wrong. It’s opportunity thinking. What can we make better? I’ve thought it would be fun (a lecturer’s program, maybe) to spend some time during a meeting asking everyone to identify one thing relative to the Grange he or she could improve. It doesn’t have to be monumental. Does the fridge need cleaning?

“Nature’s motto is ‘onward.’” Sometimes I find myself thinking the Grange is stuck in the fall season and has become focused on declining. One of the saddest emails I’ve read recently included, “Our Grange seems to be falling apart… how can I bring back the excitement that I still feel in our Grange?” It’s a simple but not easy question to answer. “Encourage improvement and remember that Nature’s motto is onward.” Nature uses fall and winter to her advantage. We often think of winter as a time for rest. In Maine, we may well “hunker down.” But just as sure as winter arrives, so does spring together with an awaking and a time for growth and blooming.

“You may encounter difficulties. Overcome them, remembering that difficulties are but opportunities to test our abilities. As Master of this Grange, your fellow laborers will look to you to devise work. A judicious Master will use due care that no time is lost in labor. Let all labor and all time tend toward improvement. Your laborers will come in contact with their minds; if they are left uncultivated, if neglect is allowed, the moral weed crop will baffle and torment you.”

Ibid

There is no reason to assume this is exclusively the Master’s responsibility. One feature of a fraternal organization is that everyone is a leader in the sense of fostering a common bond. Every member should be keeping the eye of the mind open, encouraging improvement, and moving onward. What one thing can you improve today?

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Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-sixth edition of the 2013 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.

It’s Officer Installation Season–maybe!

“…we believe there is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labor. It is from the hand of God.”

From the Installing Master’s Opening Address

Installation Ceremonies are a great opportunity to eat and drink, but more importantly, they are an even bigger opportunity to learn much about the Grange in general and the responsibilities of those who hold an office. One of the most important duties of every officer (and member, truly) is to “make his soul enjoy good in his labor.” For those reasons and more, the Installation Ceremony has always been one my personal favorite rituals.

We are facing the unfortunate reality that there are very few Installation Teams these days. An even more unfortunate result is that we are missing the lessons of the ceremony. We might do well to raise this question: “Is it necessary for there to be a dedicated group conducting the installation ceremony?” The short answer to that question is, “No.” It is certainly nice to have a practiced group of individuals conduct the ceremony but that is not a requirement. Let’s look to some credible resources to learn the requirements.

The National Grange Digest of Laws answers the question quite clearly. “A Master or Past Master of a Subordinate Grange, or a Fifth Degree member, may install the officers of a Subordinate Grange.” (6.14.1, Page 42.)

Maine State Grange By-Laws do not address the who, but they do address the when. “…They shall be chosen at a regular meeting, held in the Fifth Degree, in the month of June each year, and installed as soon as practicable after August 1st.” While there is no deadline, it logically follows that officers should be installed prior to the Annual State Grange Session in October. (XI Section 2, Page 6).

The 2013 Subordinate Grange Manual repeats the observation that a Master or Past Master of a Subordinate Grange or a Fifth Degree member may conduct the installation. Also, that manual offers the “traditional” installation ceremony and an “alternative” version. The consensus seems to be that the alternative version is simpler and significantly shorter. There are a number of suggestions made for both ceremonies and it is noted that the Installation Ceremony may be open to the public.

Within that context, let’s consider how we can protect the value and benefit of installing officers. A few years ago I received a call from the Master of a Grange who was nearly desperate. He could not find an Installation Team but to his credit, he wanted his officers and members to experience it and receive the value and benefits. The idea we came up with was actually a simple one—a “do it yourself” installation ceremony. As Master, he was qualified to conduct it. It seemed intimidating at first but the more we talked about it, the more practical it became, particularly the only other alternative was to do nothing. Since I started this column with reference to food and drink, I would offer this analogy. “If you can’t have steak, you can either go hungry or have hamburgers.” He chose hamburgers.

He later happily reported they’d done it, admitting it was “a little rough” and “we managed to laugh at our mistakes.” But they’d worked together and done it. The hamburger tasted pretty good after all was said and done. In the words of the installation ceremony, they made their souls enjoy the good in their labor.

Too often ritual becomes a source of power when it was meant to be a source of learning and inspiration. I occasionally scratch my head at some of the “old Grange tales” I hear stated by “experts” in the context of “You’re supposed to…” Maybe instead of worrying about which foot you’re supposed to start off on, we should be saying and hearing, “You’re supposed to make your soul enjoy good in your labor.”

Don’t skip installation and lose the value and benefits. Use it as a reason for your members to work together. If you need or want some help, you can and should reach out to others—nearby Granges, your deputy… and if you decide to have a rehearsal or practice session, open it by reading the closing paragraph of the installing Master’s opening address.

“We ask none to join us who cannot see good in their fellow beings; but to all interested in agriculture, who have generous hears and open hands to help the needy, raise the fallen, and aid in making the labors of this life cheerful, we say, ‘Welcome to the Grange.'”

Ibid

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Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-sixth edition of the 2013 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.

Let’s bring a few things together…

After our hiatus last month, let’s come back to the teachings of the First Degree. I’ve mentioned in the past that when I occasionally visit Granges I somewhat enjoy asking if everyone is aware of the “rule” regarding not passing between the altar and the three Graces–a portion of the hall sometimes referred to as “sacred ground.” Most are. But the second and more important question is “Why is that so?” That question is often met with silence.

I am tempted to point out that not being able to answer the question is proof that the lessons of the First Degree have been forgotten. (And after this column is published, proof that either it wasn’t read or also is not remembered.)

The Master gives the answer after providing the “secret” instructions of the first degree. Note that the Master’s answer is not meant to be a secret.

It is also my duty to instruct you that to honor Womanhood and show our reverence for the Bible we respectively refrain from passing between the Altar and the station of the Graces when the Grange is in session, except as prescribed in the Manual.

Master, to candidates during the First Degree

So now you know. It’s easy to remember: the key words are reverence and respect. But wait, there’s more!

You are now Laborers and Maids in the First degree of our honorable Order. The salutation of this degree places Faith in God.”

Ibid

Does this “ring a bell?” We repeat the salutation, too often robotically without remembering that the roots of the salutation are found in the lessons of the Degrees! (To see how robotic it may have become, try reciting it while seated, without the hand movements. “A Patron places…”)

It should also be interesting that having paid homage to Womanhood, the three Graces next offer important instruction to the candidates. Ceres reminds us to save “the best seed” as a symbol of Faith in a promised reward. Pomona speaks of the “products of the earth” as “food [which] tends a healthy and refined temperament, both of body and of mind.” Flora speaks of flowers as making life pleasant and teaching us that there is another and a better world. Combined, these lessons provide a complete cycle both in nature and in life–seeds, flowers, fruit.

The scene of the First Degree is a farm in the springtime. As I write this, we have just a week of spring left before we officially begin summer. Additional symbols of spring are childhood and seeds. New beginnings with a promise that the cycle will repeat itself. Have faith!

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Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-sixth edition of the 2013 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.

Growth might be painful

Let’s depart–somewhat–from our review of the First Degree to think about the following quote.

“Some periods of our growth are so confusing that we don’t even recognize that growth is happening. We may feel hostile or angry or weepy and hysterical, or we may feel depressed. It would never occur to us, unless we stumbled on a book or a person who explained to us, that we were in fact in the process of change, of actually becoming larger than we were before.

Whenever we grow, we tend to feel it, as a young seed must feel the weight and inertia of the earth as it seeks to break out of its shell on its way to becoming a plant. Often the feeling is anything but pleasant.

But what is most unpleasant is not knowing what is happening. Those long periods when something inside ourselves seems to be waiting, holding its breath, unsure about what the next step should be… for it is in those periods that we realize that we are being prepared for the next phase of our life and that, in all probability, a new level of the personality is about to be revealed.”

Alice Walker in Living by the Word: Essays

I wonder if Alice was a Granger at one time because she’s adopted nature as symbolic of important things we can learn from it! I’ve written before that you can’t become a butterfly unless you’re willing to stop being a caterpillar. But it’s also true that you can’t become a flower or plant unless you’re willing to stop being a seed.

The idea of the weight of the earth and the hard shell surrounding us is very real, isn’t it? Something has to happen in order for us to break that shell and push through the weight on top of us. Sometimes it’s the pain itself! “I’m tired of living inside this shell down here beneath the earth in the darkness. I want to break out and push through to live in the sunshine.”

You can’t become a chicken unless you’re willing to stop being an egg. It may be hard work but you have to break the shell you’re in.

While there is still much uncertainty, there seems to be general agreement that we are “coming out” of the darkness created by COVID. Nature can encourage us to think of it as having been a seed or an egg. There are some cracks developing in the shell surrounding us as individuals and as Granges. It would be too easy to recoil from the light that enters through that crack. We’ve become accustomed to the darkness.

It may be comforting to talk about returning to normal but it may also be limiting. We may in fact be “in the process of change, of actually becoming larger than we were before.” I challenge you as an individual and in turn as a Grange to look to the lessons of nature. But remember this important point: unlike nature, we aren’t genetically predisposed to becoming a chicken or a flower or a plant. We have the amazing ability to become–to create–who and what we become.

It’s time to start pushing against that shell. Strive for the sunshine and be the person and the Grange you want to be.

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Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-sixth edition of the 2013 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.

Begin Anew

In the previous column, we looked at the chief objective of the Grange as defined in the First Degree. It was not a coincidence that I have been posted the Declaration of Purpose in a series that seemed fitting for Grange Month. Purpose is important. Some years ago, a client of mine attended a weekend retreat featuring a nationally famous speaker who truly could get people excited. Some may remember Tom Peters and his first book “In Search of Excellence.” My client bought into that even before he headed to the seminar. And he had a great weekend. Tom Peters had the ability to whip an audience into a frenzy. His message was timely.

My phone rang early Monday morning. It was my client calling. He related how great the weekend had been and admitted he was “fired up” more than ever. But it didn’t take him long to get to the real reason for his call. “I’m sitting here at my desk with all this energy, but I don’t have a clue what to do.”

We brainstormed a few ideas so he wouldn’t lose momentum, and I scheduled a visit the following week. Ron was a very bright man—he’d built his company from the ground up, and it was quite successful. He was searching for excellence, but he recognized that it can be challenging to turn rhetoric into specific tasks. The First Degree recognizes that as well.

The Overseer has further explained the Grange’s purpose using symbolism that includes the fact that the First Degree is symbolic  of springtime on the farm “when all Nature is bursting into the newness of life.” Becoming a Granger should be similar. Much as my client felt energy and excitement, we should be bursting into the newness of the Grange Way of Life.”

The candidates remain at the Lecturer’s Station, where they have been again reminded of the “first and highest object of our order—to develop a better and higher manhood and womanhood.” The Chaplain’s charge uses plowing and tilling to introduce the importance of wisdom and understanding. The process by which the blindfolded candidates make their way to the Overseer is deliberate and well planned. The Assistant Steward warns them of the “worst enemies to progress—ignorance, attended by his companions, sloth, and superstition.” In today’s terms, “Wake up and smell the coffee!”

While there is much good counsel from the Overseer, let us especially note that the Overseer suggests several tools—a memorandum book, a knife, and a pencil. I chuckled a bit at the idea of how I might have advised that client if back then I knew the lessons of the First Degree. “Ron, the first thing I want you to do is get a notepad, knife, and pencil.” When he asked why, I’d have explained, “Note down new and useful ideas that come to you that they not be lost; for new ideas are the material with which progress is made. The knife is used to prune a straggling branch, to cut off the nests of insects, or to cut a plant whose nature you may wish to study.”

Yes, there is more symbolism, but it’s timeless counsel. And I would suggest to you that as we are now literally entering spring and figuratively some encouraging newness with the pandemic the Overseer’s last sentence to the candidates is our “closing thought.”

“In this degree—your Spring season in our Order—begin anew the acquisition of knowledge.”

Perhaps the best place to begin to develop a better and higher manhood and womanhood is with ourselves. Are you ready with your notepad and knife?

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Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-sixth edition of the 2013 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.

Is It Test Time?

“I never really understood the connection between the Grange and agriculture,” was a comment I heard from a member recently. I was both surprised and not. On the one hand, that connection can be complex and, at times, overwhelming. But on the other hand, it’s also basic and helpful.

One reason we often miss that connection is that we aren’t reminded of it often enough. When is the last time you attended or participated in a degree day? Well, you’re going to if you keep reading. We only have time to scratch the surface but let’s start with the First Degree and listen to some of what the Master teaches at the outset. I have added some bold print for emphasis.

“The ceremony you are about to witness is to introduce you to the Ritualism of the Grange. There is far more to the Grange than Ritualism. The underlying philosophy of the Grange is portrayed by the oldest and most successful method of communication known to man—the use of symbols…”

It is important to note that this a lesson for candidates, people who, for various reasons, have decided to join the Grange—it is not an explanation of the Grange to someone who is unfamiliar with it. That’s why it sounds backward. Someone unfamiliar with the Grange should be hearing the “far more to the Grange than Ritualism” first. The Ritual was always meant to play a supporting role.

To fully appreciate that point, would you advertise an open house at your Grange so folks could “Come to see what we do” and then conduct the degrees? I hope not.

But we could, with a little effort, find in the degrees some information that would be useful during an open house. Listen to what the Master has to say in the very next paragraph.

“The chief objective of the Grange is to build a better and higher manhood and womanhood, and to develop a mutual respect and concern through brotherhood.”

Could it really be that simple? Remember, the degrees are for people who’ve decided to join. The Master is reminding them (and others attending) that they have joined to help build a better and higher manhood and womanhood, and to develop mutual respect and concern through brotherhood. If we jump ahead to the Overseer’s greeting to the candidates, there’s a clear connection.

“Additional laborers and maids are needed for work in the field and household, and we accept you as willing workers, now in waiting for the tasks to which you will be assigned: For in our fraternity there is work for all, and the idler has no place among Patrons of Husbandry.”

Here’s a place where we need to understand symbolism because the Overseer is suggesting a comparison and using symbolism. To paraphrase, “As we work together to build and improve our collective lives with mutual respect and concern, it’s like working in the fields and homes. There is lots of work for us… we are united by our objective and will work together fraternally.” (Fraternally means friendly or brotherly. It suggests a common purpose or interest—we’re not fraternal just for the sake of being fraternal!)

Granges—any organization, really—gets in trouble when they lose purpose. Ironically, one of the hazards of ritual is that it becomes a habit and is done without purpose or thinking. The founders didn’t form the Grange to “do the ritual.” The Master and Overseer make that clear at the outset of the first degree—if we listen. It should be hard to miss, actually, because one of the very next things we hear from the Lecturer is a reminder that “The first and highest object of our Order is ‘to develop a better and higher manhood and womanhood.’” If you are a member who celebrated the degrees, you heard that three times in the first few minutes.

When I’m teaching adults I often say, “If you hear me repeat something three times, that might be important—maybe even a test question.” I suspect the authors of the degree work were thinking the same. We don’t, unfortunately, test candidates on what they learn during the degrees.

Or maybe we do—just not in a traditional manner with questions. If we understand the chief objective of the Grange, the test is how relevant we are to our communities and how actively we are pursuing and achieving that objective.

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Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-sixth edition of the 2013 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.