Learning the Ritual
We all learn differently and at different rates, but here are some practical and useful techniques for learning our words:
Read aloud
Read the lines aloud. By speaking the lines, you will hear them and they are more likely to stick.
Practise, Practise, Practise
This is the only way to make the words stick. There is no such thing as a “photographic” memory or someone who is “lucky that they can remember words”. Everybody has to work at getting the ritual memorised.
Ask for help
Ask a Brother to help you. He can correct you on any mistakes you make, give you the cue lines and go back over any weak areas.
Little and often.
Go over them first thing in the morning, a few times during the day and last thing at night.
Find an App
There are several apps which can help with learning lines. A couple that have worked for others are: Line Learner where you record all the lines including those of other officers and then listen to them, leaving silent pauses to speak your own lines. With Rehearsal Pro you can upload the words as a script and watch it scrolling by as you record your lines to listen to.
Use your phone
Even if you don’t use an app, you can make a recording of the ritual which you are learning on or smartphone. Leave gaps in the recording to speak your own lines. Listen to it while you are shaving/washing up/driving (but keep your eyes on the road).
Move Around
Move around while you are saying your lines. This has been scientifically proven to aid memory. The best thing to do is to act and feel the emotions of the words so that you are learning the meaning as much as the words. When learned, change your environment and activities by doing something entirely unrelated like juggling or sweeping the floor. Go for a drive or better still a walk. Walking and saying your lines can be quite relaxing (though beware of strange looks from passers-by).
Learn the cue lines
Learn the cue lines that lead in to each of your lines. Being prompt with your lines will give you and your other officers more confidence.
Draw the Floor
Create a plan of the path around the floor. This is particularly useful for Deacon work. Include kneeling, positioning, stepping and approaching. There are no words spoken which are superfluous. Try to gain an understanding of why each dialogue is necessary to the ceremony.
Understand it
As you say or read the lines, follow the thought pattern of each speech and the overall progression of the degree. Your lines are a part of a ‘play’ and they rarely work in their own right.
Listen to others
In Lodge of Instruction or Lodge of Rehearsal, listen to and think about what the other officers are saying. Don’t just concentrate on what you’ve got to say.
Create a Memory Palace
Use a Memory Palace. Assign images to objects in a familiar space to guide you through a scene. This is one of many creative and left-field techniques suggested by learning experts.
Good luck – and remember practise, practise, practise!
