Back in the Saddle

With summer finally over, lodges are opening back up across the country. In some parts of the country lodges go “dark” temporarily for the purpose of summer vacation. There are many members who take this time to travel, spend quality time with family and enjoy more time outside. In Oklahoma, where I am a member of Triangle Lodge #548, lodges do not go dark for seasonal purposes. However, I am no longer physically in Oklahoma and I am now subject to a different context of Freemasonry in Michigan. In Michigan, lodges go dark. The retired brethren, tend to travel south for the winter and the younger brethren must find some way of filling the void of Masonry. Some may feel that it is a vacation in itself to not attend lodge meetings throughout the summer. It allows them to spend time outside in the warmth of the sun and enjoy the longer days. Others may wonder why lodges would find it necessary to go dark for the season. 

Lodges in the North go dark simply because not enough brethren would be available to attend lodge; open, conduct masonic business, practice ritual and close. The older, more experienced brethren, that tend to help younger brethren, are usually out of town. With the lack of brethren attending lodge during the regular year, it is much harder to

have them attend during the summer months. The brothers have the benefit of not having to worry about prior obligations they committed to and can feel free to travel, vacation and hopefully attend lodge in different states to keep the light burning in their hearts.

Closing lodges for seasonal purposes also benefits the lodge in its entirety. In some of the Northern States lodges lack air conditioning and for those that do have air conditioning it can be rather expensive to run the heater all year until summer finally comes along, just to turn the Air Conditioning on. It is more financially responsible to have a lodge close for the purposes of summer than to pay the outrageous costs of heating and air-conditioning all year round. 

Taking a temporary hiatus can be beneficial to everyone around. It prevents brothers from being burnt out, and it can drive brothers to keep searching. Renewing the excitement we once had when we first entered the fraternity. If you remember the days of your grade school, there was an excitement in the air for the first day back. You would get to try on your new clothes, see some old friends and make new ones and talk about your experiences from over the summer. The concept is the same, maybe a brother drove to Florida and attended lodge. He could share his experience of what is happening in the Florida jurisdiction of Freemasonry. Things he liked or disliked. Since the brother drove he could have stopped in various states and attended lodges on his way down and back up Spreading the light he has gained from his home lodge and learning more Masonic Education from the lodges he visited. Hopefully, he is excited to come back to his home lodge and share all the details of his trip, sparking new interest in different ways of performing the Craft. 

I was honored to attend lodge in Pennsylvania with Brother Brian Evichian and Brother Clinton Langford. It was their first lodge meeting back after being dark for the summer. It was a pleasure to attend lodge, speak with them and share brotherly love. My presentation, “Man in the Mirror” was accepted well and I hope it sparked that light the cold months seem to diminish. I was even invited to attend another lodge in Pennsylvania later this year if not the beginning of next year by Brother Shawn Gorley. What a way to start the Masonic year out right.

I, for personal reasons, even went on a temporary hiatus from writing Masonically and in general. Yet, like the Spring brings new flowers, the Fall is bringing new experiences and information. There is so much happening across the Fraternity it is truly amazing to see everything come together. The Masonic Roundtable is still going strong, so congratulations to brothers John Ruark, Jason Richards, Juan Sepulveda, Nick Johnson and Robert Johnson; keep up the good work and bringing great information to the brethren across the world. 

Speaking of Brother Robert Johnson, congratulations is in due order for him among other projects he has picked up. Brother Robert Johnson has kept his podcast Whence Came You alive as well as managing the Blog The Midnight Freemasons, which has a strong following and magazine appearances in The Working Tools Magazine. Brother Johnson has also picked up the task of editing the latest and greatest thing to hit Freemasonry— Masonic Radio Theater. It consists of all the members of The Midnight Freemasons creating a drama filled radio show scripted by a fellow Midnight Freemason and creator of The 50 Year Mason Bill Hosler. Congratulations to both those brothers for creating a hit radio show. I look forward to continuing participation in this project.

With that said, I know my hiatus has taken a toll on some of the projects I have been working on. However, things are beginning to settle down once more and with summer finally coming to a close, I can put myself in Steven Tyler’s shows and tell you… I’m back in the saddle again. Look out Freemasonry, I’m coming through!

— AG