In 2016, a group of Alaska Masons, led by John May and Nick Adair, began meeting and corresponding in an effort to bolster Masonic scholarship in Alaska. They hosted annual retreats at wilderness lodges, camp sites, and in Alaska’s vast wilderness that fielded modest groups of Masons. Despite their limited numbers, these retreats fostered discussions and brotherhood that nurtured the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. In 2019, this small band of brothers succeeded in passing legislation through Grand Lodge of Alaska that allowed for the creation of an Alaska Lodge of Research and Education. This has been largely codified into the Alaska Masonic Code (AMC) – Section 13.17.

In early 2022, they began meeting online monthly, while continuing to host retreats. Their intent at that time was to pursue securing a charter as the Alaska Lodge of Research and Education.

However, they faced a number of setbacks – largely because their efforts were treated as those required for the formation of a standard blue lodge versus the requirements listed in the AMC for a lodge of research and education. Their efforts and enthusiasm to pursue a charter were further demoralized; as they had fulfilled the chartering requirements, the goal posts kept moving away further away.

Some of the Masons that joined their cause in 2022, departed when the group decided to put aside the business of securing a charter to instead focus again on their true labors – that of Masonic research and education. They rebranded themselves as Academia Lux Borealis, Latin for the Academy of Northern Light. in 2023, the Grand Master of Alaska, M.W.Bro. Greg Russell, encouraged Academia Lux Borealis to resume the process of obtaining a charter.

Academia Lux Borealis continued to struggle with bureaucratic challenges. They requested a meeting of several Grand Lodge Committees in order to sit down and discuss the nature of Academia Lux Borealis, the requirements within the AMC to obtain a charter as an Alaska Lodge of Research and Education, and to clear up some misconceptions regarding the nature of the group. On February 2, 2024, Academia Lux Borealis received their charter as Alaska’s first Lodge of Research and Education, becoming Academia Lux Borealis No. 25.

Today, Academia Lux Borealis remains a small, but enthusiastic group of Masons. The Academy was born in Alaska, but has votaries from around the nation as well as overseas. Resourceful, innovative, and representing the spirit of Alaska and that of Speculative Masonry in its infancy. ALB keeps hierarchy and bureaucracy to a minimum, as peripheral business activities steals away from their Masonic journeys and the shared experiences that makes Academia Lux Borealis unique.

Academia Lux Borealis will always exist as long as the freedom of thought and Masonry exist in the hearts of men. These brethren are resolved to exist and work, regardless of charter or recognition, serving Masonry and Alaska’s Masons. Academia Lux Borealis aims to improve the Masonic experience through our labors and in our refreshment.