Haven’t you always wanted to attend a lodge where you could beat one of your “Brothers” at the latest release of Need for Speed, on the plasma TV? I know, how about a game of eight ball, to see who fetches the next round of drinks, from the bar. No wait, put on boxing gloves and beat the crap out of each other in the professional boxing ring, located in the gym. Well you can if you live in Cleveland Ohio, where Halcyon Lodge No. 498 is located. The Brothers of Halcyon lodge have given “a night out at lodge”, a whole new meaning and quite possibly, could be laying a road map for more lodges to follow. Not only, are the brothers at Halcyon ground breaking in their approach to the community activism but their approach to Freemasonry is as exciting, to this author, as anything I have seen in the fraternity, to date.
Although details are still sketchy, on the reasoning behind donating the building to a charity organization, ours is not to question the details but awe over the big picture change we see in front of us. Like their approach to education, which includes such required reading as “Treatise on Understandin”, or “Freedom and Redemption in the Ethics”, both by Benedict Spinoza. Potential candidates are urged to listen to a lecture series on sixteenth century European History and the age of enlightenment titled “Making Man in Reason's Image: The Enlightenment and the Birth of
Modern Humanity”, by Jim Schmidt. Also, before taking the EA plunge they are encouraged to read “Origins of Freemasonry” by Margaret C. Jacobs, neither of which are light in their subject matter, trust us.
We know at TBL we’ve been tough on Grand Lodges and their seeming reluctance to change but we want to congratulate the Grand Lodge of Ohio and the Grand Master, if they had anything to do with encouraging these brothers.
Don’t forget to check them out and support their efforts, we’ll check back on them often to see their progress.