They come with titles that might seem a little daunting. “Allegory Through Allegory: A One Act Play.” “The Geometry of Relationships.”

These aren’t dense works of Masonic research, though. They’re presentations given by candidates at Prometheus № 851 in San Francisco, which, in addition to being a traditional observance lodge, has also fashioned itself into one of California’s most dedicated boosters of Masonic education.

Such “workpieces” are required of every new initiate. Subjects are picked by the candidates, who are given a forum to expand on any element of the degree they’re working on. They can write about a particular symbol, a historic event or member (“Brother Benjamin Franklin: Notes on a Masonic Life”), or anything else. Every five years, the workpieces are printed, bound, and stored in the lodge’s library. “We’ve evolved beyond just presenting papers,” says Damien Noorbakhsh, the lodge’s senior warden. Some members’ presentations have included art components or musical performances.

The ideas aren’t meant to flow just one way. During the lodge’s festive boards, which are held after each workpiece, the emcee picks a topic and asks every member to talk about its impact on their Masonic journey. While some of the concepts can get pretty esoteric, they’re all ultimately grounded in members’ personal journeys. “There is no right or wrong approach,” says master Khalil Sweidy. “We’re trying to give the brothers the opportunity to be creative.”

The result has been a more engaged membership, Noorbakhsh says. “If you make education a part of your lodge culture, it enriches the experience of all members.”