A Diverse Membership
Freemasonry embraces equality at its heart and all members are considered equal, from the Master of the Lodge down to the new apprentice Freemason. As long as you are a man who is 21 years or over, of good character and with a belief in a Creator or Supreme Being, then you can join Bodina Lodge. You don’t have to be rich (our annual subscription is very reasonable), or be a member of a particular profession, and membership is open to any religion. There is a short, informal interview which is just as much about you making sure you’ll get along with us as it is about us making sure we’ll get along with you. Some examples of our members’ professions are: scaffolder, delivery driver, police, communications specialist, postman, paramedic, electrician, architect, hospitality, NHS and private healthcare, solicitor and youth centre manager. With such diverse membership, there is always something different to talk about.
Social Events
Freemasonry isn’t just about ritual and charity: Fraternity is an integral part of Freemasonry and plays a great part in keeping a Lodge together, and in Bodina Lodge, we take this just as seriously as the other aspects of Freemasonry.
Ladies’ Night

Every year around October we hold a Ladies’ night, where members’ partners, family and friends are invited to a dinner dance. Naturally, we raise money for good causes and previously we have raised over £1,000 for Beat SCAD, a charity supporting patients and funding research into spontaneous coronary artery dissection.
Bangers & Mash

Every year in December we hold a Bangers & Mash night, and again members’ partners, family and friends are invited. This is a far more casual occasion and it is a great way for everyone to catch up before the Christmas break. As Freemasonry emphasises equality, we cater for meat eaters and vegetarians, and kosher sausages are also available. Freemasons are ever thoughtful of the needs of others, so we take the opportunity to hold a raffle to raise money for a good cause.
Pizza Night

At least once a year, we like to meet up, order some pizza in, have a good old chinwag and set the world to rights.
Curry Night

We are planning to hold an annual curry night, for those who like it hot (or mild or medium even)!
Race Night

We also have plans to hold a yearly “race night”. This is a social event where we all donate prizes and then place “bets” on pre-recorded horse races, with the money raised going to charity. Partners, family and friends will be invited to attend.
Golf Days

This year, we are planning to hold two golf days as we have many members who are keen golfers.
Fleet House Light Blues Club

Fleet House Light Blues Club is a social group within Hertfordshire Province for members who are newly admitted up to around their tenth year as a Freemason. It puts on many social events and is a great way for Freemasons to meet brethren from other Lodges. Brethren are also encouraged to visit each others’ Lodge meetings, and it is an excellent way to widen one’s circle of friends, in the knowledge that every member values the principles of Friendship, Integrity, Respect and Service. It is based on these three pillars:
- EXPLORE: Invitations to Meetings – Join other members at lodge meetings across Hertfordshire. See new centres, special ceremonies, different workings, fantastic festive boards and more.
- DISCOVER: Masonic Trips and Events – Experience learning focused events including, Trips to masonic landmarks, tours, talks with guest speakers and discussions on all aspects of freemasonry.
- ENGAGE: Social Events and Support – Meet other freemasons in a relaxed environment and engage with them at regular social events. Join our social forums and become part of our masonic community.
Ritual

All masonic lodges practise masonic ritual, which is basically a series of moral lessons designed to make each Freemason a better person and a more valuable member of society. There are several different versions of these rituals. Each version teaches the same moral lessons, but with slightly different wording and/or slightly different perambulations.
We carry out Universal Workings with enhancements and additions such as the Long Apron, Preparation for the Initiation, the White Gloves, Long Closing, Tracing Boards including the extended version of the Second Degree Tracing Board, extended working tools in the Second Degree (The Moral Tendencies) and the Second Degree Charge.
In the Third degree we include the Graveside Address and the Walking Charge. Our Installation meeting is most unique in that we open and close the Board of Installed Masters in Extensio and the Master is installed in the Chair of King Solomon using the abridged Queen of Sheba workings. We are the only Lodge within the Province of Hertfordshire to perform the Queen of Sheba workings.
We do all of the above ‘when time allows’ and although we have a high standard of work in the lodge this does not get in the way of the most important virtue of enjoying the meeting.
Lodge Of Instruction
Lodge of Instruction, “L of I” or just LOI for short, is a weekly meeting where we meet in the bar, have a drink together, and then go up to one of the practice temples and practice our ritual. We meet on most Tuesdays, numbers permitting, apart from an extended break over the summer. As mentioned before, our rituals are moral lessons – you could think of them as short plays. Members play different parts, and as members progress through the different offices their part in the rituals becomes more involved. Lodge of Instruction is where newly admitted and more junior members are supported by the senior members to help them learn their part.
At Bodina, we take our ritual quite seriously, though we are not all natural actors or orators, so we are only too happy to help new members with ideas on how they can improve. We also believe that members should be free to participate as much or as little as they want or are able, so progression through the offices can be rapid for those who want to advance, slower for those who feel more comfortable in a junior office, and there is even the option to be a “knife and fork” Mason for those who like to come and watch the ritual and enjoy a meal among friends afterwards.
Apart from practising our ritual, Lodge of Instruction is a great way to keep in touch and get to know each other better as brothers.
Join Bodina And Become A Freemason
If you are interested in becoming a Freemason, we would love to hear from you. Please complete the contact form below and we will be in touch.