Editorial: Summer 2026

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Dear Brethren,

Welcome to Arena 61, jam-packed with Met Masonic news. I hope you have had a wonderful summer and look forward to the Masonic year ahead.

One of the most interesting communications I’ve received – and I hope you have too – from Met in the past quarter is the edict concerning smart glasses. These are glasses which, very unobtrusively, can either offer you information about your surroundings, or surreptitiously record what you see and experience.

Let me start by saying that I personally find this sort of tech odious on a most basic level – I can see the application for remotely fixing equipment. I can imagine rare cases where a collapsed patient could be diagnosed by a doctor miles away. But those are one-in-a-million use cases compared to the opportunity for covert surveillance or unfair advantage.

But that’s just my general personal view (although the rate at which these devices are being banned wholesale across Europe suggests I’m not alone). But what about the Masonic context?

Met’s email rightly pointed out a couple of issues.

First, it is unconscionable that people should be recorded without their permission in a Masonic Temple. Met’s email puts it well: “There is a privacy objection to smart glasses which, by their nature, are recording devices which are unobtrusive. It will not be immediately obvious to all others present that they are being worn and if so whether they are recording or not.”

Second, it could be used as a way to avoid learning ritual. Ritual is something some of us excel at, and some find hard. One Masonic lesson is that we’re all not good at everything; and we learn and thrive with the support of our Brethren. Bypassing the complexities of ritual, tempting though it may be, is to miss out on that important process in Masonic life and the ongoing benefits it brings. Our rituals would just become a dull rote.

Amen to both of those.

But let me add a third comment. The Temple is (among many other things) where we come to find respite from any number of challenges and confrontations in our lives. It is both a break and a brake: time away from the daily grind, and an opportunity to stop and think with clarity and without pressure, in the company of people who are universally without any agenda related to the things you do the rest of the time. Yes, we have secrets, but I have always felt that our privacy is also designed to protect that precious space. After all, whatever you think about Masonic fees, it’s still a lot cheaper than therapy.

I’m no luddite. I’ve worked in tech for three decades. It brings incredible advantages. But there are times when our tradition carries with it values which make tech more costly than beneficial. Now, where’s my ritual book?

Returning to Arena, a couple of things.

First, I would like to warmly welcome two new permanent contributors to Arena. I’m delighted that The Visitor is back, celebrating all that is joyous about companionship in Masonry, in the capable hands of Lance Tucker. And much of the Craft Digest is now being put together by the delicate nib of Kosay Dumbuya. It’s a privilege to be working with you both!

Let me remind you that we now also have an App for your smartphone which includes all the usual Arena articles, latest news stories as they happen, to keep you connected to all things Met and links to Masonic resources, all in one place.

Simply go to wherever you usually get your apps and search for “Arena Online”

For those without smartphones, everything we publish will always be available online at https://www.londonmasons.org.uk/arena.

Please do feel free to get in touch with me directly if you have any feedback on Arena or the App – I always welcome your comments.

And as ever, let me invite you to contribute. You can always contact me with news about your Lodge or Chapter at and I also regularly ask for comments and feedback on the London Masons Facebook group.

If you would like to write for Arena, we have a growing team, and you will be made very welcome – again please contact me at the email above.

Sincerely, fraternally, and always inquisitively,

Nick Saalfeld
Editor

ARENA ISSUE 61 CREDITS

Founding Editor: Bryan Green
Director of Communications: Omaid Hiwaizi
Editor: Nick Saalfeld
Assistant Editors: Simon Bennett, David McKenna
Proofreading and Masonic Form: Garry Bignell
Design: Omaid Hiwaizi

This Edition’s Contributors: Garry Bignell, Jeffrey Borsack, Ian Dent, Anthony Cherrett, Tanweer S Chowdhury, Andy Cooper, Graham Cottington, Jonathan R Corbett, Michael Elgal, Paul Facer, Andrew Freedman, Tony Harvey, Andrew Imber, Ketan Jashapara, Peter Jordan, Valter Kaleta, Darren Knight, Casper Lawson, Mark McGhee, Jason Pearson, Michael Schito, Tony Shepherd, Alan Taunton, David Thomas, Andy Tong, Lance Tucker.

Photography: Daren Lewis, Simon Greaves

To contact the Editor with features or letters for future editions, please email

To learn more about Freemasonry, please visit www.londonmasons.org

For editorial matters, please contact the Editor.

Comment and articles reflect the writers’ own personal views. The Metropolitan Grand Lodge and the Metropolitan Grand Chapter, as well as the United Grand Lodge of England may not subscribe to, or agree with, those views.

The publishers cannot be held responsible for loss or damage to any unsolicited manuscripts or photographs.

This article is part of Arena Magazine Issue 61 – Summer 2026.
Arena Magazine is the official online magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.

Read more articles in Arena Issue 61 here.

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