>whether they want to have an open door policy to prospective new members or not.
This is an interesting question. In my view it revolves around whether inner/energy/spiritual events occur in the lodge.
In the local 30th degree the candidate is repeatedly told that he faces dangers that he cannot know, but these are never explained.
The same theme appears in the Kabbalah. Of the 4 rabbis that entered Paradise (the walled garden) only one survived.
http://www.matthewkressel.net/2015/09/1 ... -paradise/In one of our local lodges, during a practice I had various brethren stand under the crossed wands while I watched the blessing of the GAOTU descend. I only let each stand in the flow of Light for a couple of minutes and one I had to pull out early. Later he commented that he suddenly became quite tired while the others felt energized.
On various occasions as Deacon I have seen the candidate taking the obligation break out into a sweat when all around are cool. This seems to occur when the Light cannot flow smoothly through the body - most often being blocked by the head and/or the heart. The blockages are friction and heat results.
The brother I had to pull out was blocking the Light at the head - perhaps a little opinionated.
It is possible that excessive exposure to some flows of Light may be dangerous psychologically as well as physically.
Long ago I was dealing with a man who had become emotionally unbalanced during an encounter workshop. Without his knowledge a group of people started sending him light. After a few minutes he complained to me that he was being sent light. His problem was that his emotional system was unstable and could not tolerate being stimulated by the light. If the group had sent love then I think the problem would not have occurred. Love integrates while most light pushes forward.
So in my view the problem is: If a lodge is drawing in Light then it is dangerous to those that are not sufficiently refined (moral?) in their personality. If the love is very strong in the lodge then this may reduce the danger.
There may of course be lodges that do not attract much Light so that they operate as social ritual groups.