The beehive is often recognized as being a symbol of Freemasonry, usually to denote the quality of being industrious.  However, there is more of a connection than you may have considered in the past.  For example, let’s take a look at the life cycle of a female worker bee.  She begins her adult life by working in the hive.  Similarly, an Operative Entered Apprentice spends his first seven years laboring in the quarries, while a Speculative Entered Apprentice spends the first part of his Masonic career listening and learning.  This is characteristic of the “Youth” stage of man.

When the female worker bee is two to three weeks old, which is approximately middle age to humans, she must make a major career change.  Instead of working around the hive, she must go out and forage, flying from feeding site to feeding site to gather nectar and pollen. 

After the Operative Apprentice Mason is promoted to a Fellow Craft, he is thought to have learned enough to hone and specialize in a particular skill.  A Speculative Fellow Craft spends his time learning how to act and live his life according to the square of virtue, maintaining his behavior within due and appropriate boundaries, remembering that he is traveling upon that level of time to that undiscovered country, from whose borne no traveler returns.  He is spending this part of his Masonic career – the stage of “Manhood” – still learning, but with more emphasis on doing.

In the latter part of her life, the female worker bee is still flying from site to site, gathering nectar and pollen, but in addition, she has to communicate the location of those sites to other bees.

Again, there is a correlation to the stage of life for Masonry.  By this time, the Operative Craftsman has polished his specialized skills and becomes a Master.  In Speculative Masonry, the Master Mason has proven his skill and is charged with the responsibility of managing others, using his especial tool, the trowel, to spread the cement of brotherhood, using his knowledge and judgment to ascertain who best can work and best agree.  So while in this stage of life – the “Age” stage – he is in the teaching mode.

So just as the bee’s life can be broken into three phases, so can the Speculative and the Operative Mason’s life.  The first stage is the learning stage, followed by the second stage, which is focused on doing.  But the cycle isn’t complete without the third and final stage – teaching. 

Learn – Do – Teach.  Youth – Manhood – Age.  There is an old saying, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”  Unfortunately, in many cases, we are falling behind in our commitment to teach and mentor our newer brothers.  Our new members are hungry for knowledge and mentoring – the very things that our more experienced brothers could and should be providing, but for whatever reason, that connection is being made far too infrequently.  Perhaps it is because the emphasis isn’t being placed on the right group of brothers. 

In too many lodges, a few core individuals do the vast majority of the work.  While it isn’t the Worshipful Master’s responsibility to mentor the new brother, it is his responsibility to see that it is done – and he likely has a cadre of qualified and willing brethren to take on that task – those in the “Age” phase of man, typically in the 60-65 years of age and up bracket. 

Worshipful Masters, the parts of the equation are there – students who want to learn and teachers willing and able to teach.  It is your responsibility to put them together.  Use the symbolic trowel to spread the cement of brotherly love and friendship to determine who best can work and best agree – who best can learn and best mentor.