How should a candidate prepare himself for Initiation to Freemasonry?

Preparation for initiation is primarily an inward work of the heart and mind 1. A candidate must possess sincerity of intention 3 and approach the lodge with docility, ready to set aside past preconceptions and thought-habits to receive new instruction 1. Wilmshurst emphasizes that true preparation requires a commitment to self-knowledge, the purging of grosser appetites, and the cultivation of a spirit of universal sympathy and charity 1.

From a moral and administrative standpoint, a candidate must satisfy established prerequisites before being accepted. These generally include being of lawful age, free-born, under the tongue of good report, financially capable of supporting himself and paying lodge fees, and holding a belief in God and the immortality of the soul 23. He must also be personally acceptable to the lodge members, who evaluate his character through a ballot 2.

Symbolically, the external preparation required of a candidate reflects these internal spiritual conditions 2. It signifies humility, the renunciation of worldly riches and personal imperfections, and a deep reverence for sacred space 12. Because these symbolic usages carry fixed esoteric designs, every candidate submits to the standard manner of reception without alteration or omission 2.