To answer a question:
My lodge did not ban me from wearing a bright green tie; my fashion consultant (i.e., my wife) recommended against buying a tie that could only be worn one day a year.
I found a site that has a slightly different interpretation of the pillars than I received in my lodge. I like this site because "The material presented in the Masonic Education Course website does not disclose any of the esoteric portions of the ritual of the [California] Grand Lodge." It's concise, clear yet discreet.
"The two pillars also correspond to the Three Great Supports of Masonry. The columns of Wisdom and Strength are emblematically represented by the pillars in the South and North, respectively. The candidate, as he is brought into the Lodge, comes to represent the third column of Beauty or Balance. "
That feels right to me.
