Dr. Science, Freemason.

My evening with the Masons on Friday last concluded with instructions to await a call from the head of the Lodge - who would let me know how things were going to proceed - and also some strange advice (more on this in a moment). The head of the Lodge contacted me to say that the investigative committee would report to the Lodge on Tuesday (the 24th) and the ballot for my membership would be voted on that evening. I was then invited to the black tie dinner which follows each Lodge meeting, and at dinner my fate would be revealed.

I have returned tonight with excellent news: I have been voted in! I was told by one of the Brothers that the committee and those who knew me presented my petition to the Lodge very enthusiastically and favorably, and that I was strongly received. I also find this especially flattering because of the talk at dinner which came up about the number of prospective Masons who had been denied admission to this Lodge.

Now, a word about Lux Aeterna, the Lodge I will be joining. They are held, in the Masonic world, in very high regard, having been begun a few years ago as a response to what was perceived as a shift in other Lodges over time to functioning more and more as just social clubs. This Lodge, then, is more old school - preserving the esoteric symbolism and complex ritual of Freemasonry while cultivating a discourse in pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment (purposefully like the discussions/debates found at the Royal Society or Academie Francaise).

So I'm in, but I haven't been initiated yet. And it was on the subject of that very event that I was left with the aforementioned strange advice. It was along the lines of, "We can't tell you what's going to happen, so just be ready and keep your mind open. Rely on your logic and strength of character and you will succeed." Me: "Um..." I'll be initiated and conferred with my first degree in June.

To be part of one of the largest contributors to charitable work in the world (there are Masonic (shriners') hospitals offering free care, Masonic burn units, child ID programs, substance abuse recovery programs, elder living centers, a cardiac research facility, etc., etc., etc.) and to join the ranks of Voltaire, Mozart, Ben Franklin, FDR, Harry Houdini and my Grandfather is a tremendous honor.