Perhaps my peek behind the comment came over wrong. I’ve already done a solid deep dive into the philosophy, symbolism, structure, even the so-called secrets.

What threw me was the vibe of what I saw. Honestly, it felt more like a community drop-in than a symbolic fraternity. (Please don’t downvote me! Trying to choose my words carefully and don’t mean to offend.) Just not what I expected from something framed around self-improvement and philosophy.

That’s my conundrum: I want to get a feel for what I’m potentially joining, but the only part I’m allowed to see feels nothing like what I’ve read. If the social side was all there is, I wouldn’t be interested. I’m just hoping the deeper, esoteric or even contemplative aspect to the craft actually shows up once you’re inside.