For those of us without photographic memories, memorising a charge can be a frustrating and time-consuming task. But, fear not, there is a trick to it and I’ll share it with you now.

We remember things in four ways. They are Watching, Reading, Doing and Hearing. The trick to memorising charges is in combining the whole four into a single performance.

 

Firstly, when the ceremony is performed in the lodge, watch it carefully. Don’t worry about the words at this stage. You just want to build up a picture of how it looks so that you can recall it later. Did the person move to any particular place in the lodge? Did they use any gestures or props?

Secondly, read the words slowly and carefully; one sentence at a time. You should try to create some kind of visualisation that will help you to remember what the actual words are. For example, in a recent charge, I was visualising an open book in a person’s skull. Then the person is shoved over onto the lodge wall (which is covered in Velcro) and they can’t move. They are stuck in the form a crucifix and then… well… the word I was trying to remember is “discharge”. All of these images work as hints to the actual words that I’m remembering.

Thirdly, if the charge requires doing something (such as using props or moving around the lodge) then do it. Get your own props (or approximations of them) and walk around a room as if it were the lodge room. Do what you will be doing when you are giving the charge so that the muscle memory also reinforces the visualisation and the words. Read from the book if you have to.

Fourthly, record the charge onto MP3 and play it in your car (or wherever). Split the files up into short parts so that you can replay a small section over and over if you want. At the same time, have the visualisations running through your mind (if it won’t affect your driving). In no time at all, you’ll be able to run through the whole charge smoothly.

If you need any help with the charges, then just contact your mentor. They are there to help you enjoy your time as a Freemason.