Freemasonry and the Metaverse 

Throughout the years, Freemasonry has navigated the line between maintaining and passing its core, ancient values, and ever adapting in this continuously evolving social and technological environment. Nowadays, at the dawn of the Metaverse epoch, Freemasonry finds itself, again, at the crossroad of embracing progress or tradition. But what is the Metaverse and how could this Order benefit from its existence? This article will discuss some of these aspects.

What is the Metaverse?

Metaverse is a term that describes an adjacent virtual world hosted on the Internet and perceived by the user with the help of the Virtual Reality technology and the Augmented Reality hardware. Not being bound by the rules of physics, and only limited by imagination, it aims to create an immersive, interactive world that facilitates social connection at a different level.

The pandemic made the digital space a viable alternative

When the COVID19 pandemic struck, all aspects of social interactions were affected. Co-workers were no longer able to physically work together, friends were no longer able to see each other, families could not visit their loved ones. As a result, all these social interactions were slowly migrated online where platforms such as Zoom helped maintain a basic level of intercommunication for people everywhere. Needless to say, Freemasons were affected by restrictions so they took refuge on virtual channels of communication.

The problem with these basic channels of communication is their limitation to audio/video and lack of interaction. Users are able to do little besides communicating through their cameras and mics. This situation is applicable outside the previously mentioned pandemic if we are to think about two friends, or family members, finding themselves in different corners of the world.

Metaverse, a virtual universe

The Metaverse, although in a fairly incipient state, can serve as a solution to these problems though it is important to note that this only comes as an addition to social physical interactions, not as a replacement. Objects inside a Metaverse are Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and, essentially, they create the virtual universe. These can take all sorts of forms, from landscape, structures, objects, and avatars and, therefore, facilitate a higher, deeper level of social interaction among its members with the use of VR and AR technologies which are constantly improving.

With more and more adepts from different walks of life, the Metaverse is becoming a real aspect of our day to day lives. Sooner or later, the Metaverse will raise the attention of Freemasonry.

How can Freemasonry benefit from the Metaverse?

Being both a traditional and progressive organization, Freemasonry will, with no trace of doubt, tap into this new world that is unfolding before our eyes. But how could Freemasonry interact with such an universe, and how could its members benefit from this conjunction?

Virtual places for educational purposes

One cannot ignore the preogressive and adapting character of such a society. An incipient state of presence in the Metaverse would probably come under the form of a Museum of Freemasonry in the virtual world where people could visit and learn more about the Order. This educational aspect would open Freemasonry to the Civil Society even more as a charitable society of good men trying to become better. Furthermore, such a museum could also act as a marketplace for people to sell their scanned masonic items under the form of NFTs. In essence, such a museum would function similarly to how the Freemasons’ Hall in London does, simply by offering a meeting spot for Freemasons and an education center to the Civil Society.

Making Freemasonry more appealing to the younger generations

There is no secret that the interest in Metaverse and NFTs is best found among the younger generations who are more open to changes and experiments. By having a presence in the Metaverse, Freemasonry could invent a common language which it could use to communicate with the younger generations in a familiar, relaxed manner. In this way, the Order would show openness to youngsters and would further enhance its educational aspect. Most important, this would overall make Freemasonry more appealing to the next generations and would ensure a constant source of fresh, future orientated minds that would strengthen the Order’s life throughout time.

Facilitating interaction between members

Last, but not least, Freemasons would be able to transcend the barriers of distance and work inside the Metaverse regardless in which corner of the world they find themselves. Once the members of the society are recognised as such by a Grand Lodge, the Certificate of Good Standing could be generated as an NFT and would allow admission inside a Working Lodge. This would facilitate better interaction among members who would normally find it difficult to travel throughout the world and would thus become more inclusive to those in need.

In conclusion, it is important to mention the traditional aspect of Freemasonry’s character: The Metaverse would only exist as an appendix of traditional Lodges and would never replace them. The aging of the current members and the potential infusion of younger generations who are attracted by the idea of ‘new’, will make it difficult for Freemasonry to avoid creating its presence in the Metaverse.