Western Esotericism and Rituals of Initiation

The purpose of this study is twofold; first, on a more general level, I wish to present the development of the phenomenon of, what I call, "masonic rituals of initiation" from an historical perspective. By masonic rituals of initiation I do not merely mean rituals of initiation of Freemasonry, but also rituals deriving from Freemasonry, which have certain structural components in common with the former. Second, I will analyze the relationship between masonic rituals of initiation and Western esotericism, and thus analyze how esotericism is transmitted through, what I call, "Western esoteric rituals of initiation." In this connection I will address two basic questions: How is Western esotericism transmitted through the Western esoteric rituals of initiation? And: What "types" of esotericism are transmitted? The study thus consequently covers two fields of research, rituals of initiation and Western esotericism.
My methodological approach is historical and contextual, which in practice means that the rituals that are analyzed are placed in their historical context. Furthermore, I have restricted myself to written ritual texts only in my analysis. In other words, I make no claims to have availed myself of any in-depth or quantitative interviews, nor any participant observations. Valuable as such methods undeniably are, I have chosen to limit myself in this capacity. However, over the years of writing this book, I have had ample opportunities to meet and discuss the practical aspects of rituals of initiation with modern practitioners of Western esoteric rituals of initiation, and to a lesser extent personally experienced various forms of rituals of initiation, both as an initiate and in the capacity of an officiating officer. These contacts and experiences have been important for my understanding of the texts I have chosen to analyze, but I have deliberately chosen not to include these aspects in this study. My methodological approach to Western esotericism can be described, in the words of Hanegraaff, as a generalist in the study of Western esotericism; that is, my approach to the subject is from a broader perspective, concretized by basic research paradigms. The latter consist of the paradigms proposed by Faivre and Hanegraaff, which for the sake of simplicity can be called esotericism as "a form of thought" (Faivre) and esotericism as gnosis (Hanegraaff) .The ritual texts that are analyzed have been chosen because they are representative of different historical periods, and thus reflect major trends in the development of Western esoteric rituals of initiation. I have limited myself strictly to published ritual texts in the analysis, and as far as possible tried to avail myself of more than one published version in order to discuss variant readings. In certain cases I have used manuscript versions of the rituals in order to check the accuracy of the printed versions.
It should be stressed that, from a methodological perspective, this thesis is not concerned with what masonic rites of initiation might "do" with the initiate, nor what the implications of this type of rite might be. This work is concerned with the relationship of Western esotericism and masonic ritual texts.
Henrik Bogdan

Book-review
I welcome this excellent and original book written by Henrik Bogdan as Masonic rituals of initiation in general, and Western esoteric rituals of initiation in particular, have suffered from academic neglect far too long. This book really brings this fascinating field of research to the attention of a wider public.
This work has endeavored to present masonic rituals of initiation as a phenomenon that has been present in our culture at least since the end of the seventeenth century. Furthermore, focus has been directed toward those masonic rituals of initiation through which Western esotericism has been transmitted. The admittedly wide historical scope of the author's thesis is whether it is legitimate to treat such rituals of initiation as one phenomenon. Bogdan asks himself: "After all, what has a modern witch to do with a mason of the eighteenth century? Actually,quite a lot".
According Bogdan's thesis the basic components of a masonic ritual of initiation, which can be traced even in the earliest masonic manuscript catechism, The Edinburgh Register House MS from 1696, are constant throughout the history of these rituals. In other words, both a mason and a witch would recognize themselves if a ritual of initiation would be described to them as consisting of (a) a formal opening of the ritual work during which the candidate is not present; (b) the admission of the initiate into the lodge (or circle in the case of witchcraft) at which the initiate answers a number of questions, often including why he or she wants to be admitted; (c) circumambulations around the lodge room during which the initiate is led by an initiator, at which point there often occurs some form of ordeal; (d) the swearing of an oath never to divulge the traditional secrets of the degree (such as a sign, grip, word) , and to follow certain ethical rules; (e) the formal admission into the degree, often proclaimed by the chief initiator in the name of the order; (f) instruction in the traditional secrets and in the particular teachings connected to the degree; (g) the receiving of one or more visible tokens connected to the degree (such as gloves, an apron, a sash) , sometimes also a name or motto; (11) finally, a formal closing of the lodge during which the initiate is present.
Western esoteric rituals of initiation can be regarded as mirrors of contemporary esotericism as they reflect the esoteric currents and notions, which are in vogue at the time when the rituals were written. The rituals analyzed in this book are examples of how contemporary esotericism has been integrated with masonic rituals of initiation.
Bruno Virgilio Gazzo
editor, PS Review of FM
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Masonic Mnemonics

This was before language, so the visual part of the brain is the most powerful at remembering. You can use this innate power of the mind to recall the ceremony as it unfolds before you. Learn the path of the candidate; understand the story and the context in which it is told. At each point in the ceremony the candidate will be in a unique position if you know why he is there it will trigger what you need to say. This system is often called 'Mind Mapping'. This will allow you to break up what seems to be an enormous chunk of unrelated words into smaller parts with each part a story in its own context. There is symmetry in the ritual and many phrases are reused in each of the degrees; understanding this can enable you to learn those common phrases and remember the difference for each degree.
David Royal

Book-review
This useful book employs a clever combination of mnemonics and memory techniques to help memorise and retain ritual information. By using fun-and-easy rhymes, jokes and acronyms any Freemason will be able to remember the order of Masonic procedure.
Covering as it does all three Degrees of the Craft, this book is an essential reading for all Freemasons, whether novices or experienced pratictioners.
An invaluable guide for all Masons that will help to make the learning of craft ritual a much easier task!
Bruno Virgilio Gazzo
editor, PS Review of FM
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Light on Masonry

In 1826 William Morgan, of New York, disappeared following his boast that he was about to publish the rituals of Freemasonry.
He was never seen again, and it was soon claimed that he was "murdered by the Masons." This resulted in an intense period of anti-Masonry which lasted until 1842. At the height of this, Rev. David Bernard, an ex-Mason, published "Light on Masonry," which was the largest exposure of Masonic rituals ever published on America soil. The work ran into five editions, the last being the largest and most complete.
This book includes early versions of the rituals of the Blue Lodge, York Rite, Scottish Rite, and Order of the Holy Cross, as well as anti-Masonic committee reports, and letters from succeeding Masons. Although it was originally intended as a hostile work, its contents help us understand and trace the evolution of Masonic ritual.
This special reprint includes a full photographic reproduction of the fifth edition, plus, a 200-page introduction by Arturo de Hoyos which provides a brief history of Masonic origins, provides examples of the earliest known Masonic rituals, traces the phenomenon of Masonic exposures, explains how and where Rev. Bernard received the rituals he published, and notes all the important changes and additions in each edition. It also reveals that anti-Masons made "infamous interpolations" to the ritual texts in an effort to discredit the fraternity.
Five new appendices complete the work: (1) The "Missing" Scottish Rite Degrees, from authentic contemporary sources; (2) The "Missing Degree" of Avery Allyn`s "Ritual of Freemasonry" (1831); (3) The Engravings from Avery Allyn`s "Ritual of Freemasonry"; (4) The Rituals of "Female Masonry"; (5) A Bibliography of the 1829 editions of "Light on Masonry."
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Une Certaine Idée de la Franc-Maςonnerie

Alain Bernheim
UNE CERTAINE ID?E
DE LA FRANC-MA?ONNERIE
Publi? aux ?ditions DERVY, Paris - 2008.
Broch?: 608 pages.
Prix, ? 23.50
ISBN: 978-2-84454-564-0
Vos Commandes:
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L' Auteur:
Alain Bernheim, n? ? Paris en 1931, habite en Suisse ? Montreux. A douze ans il est intern? en camp de concentration, ? quinze ans il repr?sente le lyc?e Janson-de-Sailly au Concours G?n?ral de philosophie et entre ensuite au Conservatoire National de Musique de Paris. Premier boursier Fullbright fran?ais envoy? aux ?tats-Unis, il ?tudie ? Boston au New England Conservatory of Music et donne environ 2 000 concerts et r?citals de piano jusqu'en 1980. Il doit alors interrompre sa carri?re pour raison de sant? et se consacre enti?rement ? l'histoire de la franc-ma?onnerie.
Ses recherches sont couronn?es en 1986 et en 1993 par le Norman Spencer Award qui lui est d?cern? par la plus ancienne loge de recherche du monde, Quatuor Coronati n? 2076, en 1997 par le Certificate of Literature de la Philalethes Society (USA), en 2001 par le Albert Gallatin Mackey Scholar Award de la Scottish Rite Research Society (Washington, D.C.) qui lui d?cerne le titre de Fellow, et en 2007 par son ?lection comme Blue Friar.
Franc-Ma?on depuis 1963, il appartient ? la Grande Loge Suisse Alpina. Il est 33? du Supr?me Conseil de la Juridiction Sud des ?tats-Unis, Grand Capitulaire du Grand Prieur? de Belgique et membre de l'Ordre Royal d'?cosse.
Il est l'auteur de Les D?buts de la Franc-Ma?onnerie ? Gen?ve et en Suisse (Slatkine 1994), de nombreuses entr?es dans l'Encyclop?die de la Franc-Ma?onnerie (Pochot?que 2000), de R?alit? Ma?onnique (Groupe de Recherche Alpina, Lausanne 2007) et d'environ 150 articles de recherche, publi?s en fran?ais, en anglais et en allemand.

TABLE DES MATI?RES
Pr?face par Arturo de Hoyos.
D?dicace
LES BASES
Les livres ma?onniques, hier et aujourd?hui
R?gularit?, reconnaissance et les ?landmarks?
La tol?rance, aujourd?hui.
RITUELS ET RITES
Les rituels ma?onniques
G?n?alogie
Approche de la notion de rituel
Conclusion.
QUATRE NATIONS
L?ANGLETERRE
Le premier article des ?Constitutions d?Anderson?
La franc-ma?onnerie, l?Angleterre et les mythes
LA FRANCE ET LES INDES OCCIDENTALES
Contribution ? la connaissance de la gen?se de la premi?re Grande Loge de France.
Quinze ans apr?s
Estienne Morin et l?Ordre du Royal Secret
LA SUISSE
Les historiens de la ma?onnerie suisse et la Grande Loge de Gen?ve
Survol de l?histoire de la franc-ma?onnerie en Suisse. 
L?ALLEMAGNE
La franc-ma?onnerie allemande au 20?me si?cle
MES A?N?S, MES AMIS
Oswald Wirth et ?une certaine id?e? de la franc-ma?onnerie
Le T:. Ill:. F:. J. Corneloup
Marius Lepage
Hommage ? Ren? Guilly
DOCUMENTS
18?me Si?cle
i.     Arbres g?n?alogiques 
ii.    Reglemens G?n?raux de la premi?re Grande Loge de France (11 d?cembre 1743)
iii.   Listes (1762) des loges de la premi?re Grande Loge de France (1744 & 1762) 
iv.   Statuts de la R:. L:. St jean de jerusalem (24 juin 1745 et 4 juillet 1755) 
v.    Constitutions et R?glements de l'Ordre des Grands Ecossois (2 avril 1748)
vi.   Les Indes Occidentales 
vii.  La R:. L:. St Pierre de la Martinique (juillet 1750)
viii. La Parfaite Loge d??cosse de St Pierre de la Martinique (mai-juin 1752)
ix.   La Loge d??lus Parfaits ou Anciens Ma?tres Dits Ecossois ? St Marc (d?cembre 1753)
x.    Patente d?livr?e par Estienne Morin ? Antoine Charles Mennessier de Boissy 
20?me Si?cle
xi.   Lettres de J. Corneloup ? Alain Bernheim (1976-1977)  
xii   Lettres d?Alain Bernheim ? Raoul Mattei (1992)  
xiii. Correspondance entre Alain Bernheim et le R. P. Bonfils, s.j. (1992)  
xiv. R?pertoire de la correspondance entre le R.P. Berteloot et plusieurs Francs-Ma?ons fran?ais (1933-1953) 
xv.  ?l?ments pour une bibliographie de J. Corneloup  
XVI.Marius Lepage
SOURCES
BIBLIOGRAPHIE
INDEX
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Freemasonry and Fraternalism in the Middle East

About the Editors:
Dr. Andreas ?nnerfors is Director of the CRFF and Senior Lecturer at the Department of History. His many research projects include European Freemasonry in the eighteenth-century and a study on masonic passports in Great Britain. Currently he teaches an MA course on freemasonry and fraternalism and acts as a supervisor for PhD students
Dorothe Sommer is currently the Research Support Coordinator at the CRFF and PhD student at the University of Sheffield. Her research focuses on Ottoman Freemasonry and the history of the Levant.

During the autumn of 2008 The Centre for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism (CRFF) invited a number of speakers to Sheffield for a lecture series on Freemasonry and Fraternalism in the Middle East.
This volume presents five of the papers delivered during the series, which all unite research competence in the field of freemasonry and fraternal organisations with general expertise on different aspects of Middle Eastern history.
The book marks the first edition in the Sheffield Lectures on the History of Freemasonry and Fraternalism, which it is envisaged will be a bi-annual publication.
The first edition of the Sheffield Lectures represents the first scholarly publication devoted to the topic of freemasonry and fraternalism and the Middle East.
Academic study of freemasonry has mainly focussed on various aspects of predominantly male sociability in a "Western" context. As fascinating as this research is, it is important to recognise the need to broaden our perspectives. It would be easy to brand freemasonry and related forms of organised sociability as "Western" cultural products, that in a different context can only be viewed as imported bodies forced upon non-Western societies. However, some of the findings of this volume suggest that such a view is questionable.
Educated elites in the Middle East were able to distinguish between different forms of freemasonry and found ways to adapt them to the pre-existing conditions of their own cultures. Thus, the trans-cultural circulation of ritual performance, moral codes, ideology and organisational practice forms an absorbing field for future research.
Significantly, Arab, Turkish and Persian elites of various religious affiliations were able to independently relate to freemasonry which served different purposes depending on the occasion. This runs counter to various un-reflective conspiracy theories that survive in the Middle East, especially that of a Judaeo-masonic plot against the Muslim world that draws on the spurious "Protocols of the Elderly of Zion", which first came to light in Russia at the end of the nineteenth century and subsequently were exploited by the Nazi propaganda machinery.
Most intriguing is the relationship between processes of modernisation/national self-identification and freemasonry, in which masonic sociability seems to have served as a unifying basis among groups that promoted fundamental changes in their respective societies, whether it be within the AI-Nahda of Arab intellectuals, the Iranian Constitutional Revolution or education in Egypt.
This link can be observed in a number of global nationalisation processes, from Bulgaria to Brazil or from Italy to Cuba. However, it remains a desideratum to carry out a comparative study between these shifting contexts in order to find a convincing answer to the paradoxical questions of how and why a universal ideology of brotherhood fostered political, cultural or social (and sometimes mutually exclusive) particularisation.
Thierry Zarcone's paper, "French Pre-Masonic Fraternities, Freemasonry and Dervish Orders in the Muslim World" proves how valuable it can be to shift from a strict treatment of freemasonry towards an approach that includes the study of related fraternal organisations. Zarcone examines the identification of pre-masonic and masonic fraternities with Sufi orders (tarikat). In the eyes of many Muslims, the masonic superstructure, with its hierarchy and rituals, is regarded as being similar to the Sufi orders in the Islamic world (which could be one reason why Sufism is not recognised as part of Islam by a majority of Muslims).
Dorothe Sommer's paper outlines "Early Freemasonry in Late Ottoman Syria from the Nineteenth Century Onwards - The First Masonic Lodges in the Beirut Area". Presenting results from her ongoing PhD-project, she looks into how these lodges attracted intelligent and reform-minded men, who used freemasonry in order to maintain harmony in their own society. Sommer argues that the spread of freemasonry in the Ottoman Empire was not instigated by European grand bodies; rather Lebanese masons pragmatically exploited a European concept and used competition between the European powers to suit their own aims.
The paper delivered by Isaac Lubelsky, entitled "The Star in the East: Occultist Perceptions of the Mystical Orient", deals with the image of the mystical Orient (whether it be the Near, Middle, or Far East). Since the Enlightenment the Orient has been a source of attraction and inspiration for avast number of European prophets and occultists. The mystical image derives, first and foremost, from the identification of the East as the sacred region that gave birth to the great monotheistic religions -Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Lubelsky examines the Theosophical Society , the Rosicrucians and Cagliostro as case studies for the exploitation of the "East" in various fraternal organisations.
In her paper titled "Freemasonry and the Constitutional Revolution in Iran: 1905-1911" Mangol Baya assesses the influence of freemasonry in the radical political changes that occurred in Iran in the early years of the twentieth century. As far as possible, given the paucity of reliable evidence, she analyses its contribution to the Constitutional Revolution and addresses the relevant issue of the attractiveness of masonry to the intelligentsia. She reaches the conclusion that Iranian freemasons by no means acted in unison, and that the craft served as one important element in the idealised Westernisation and modernisation of Iranian society.
Finally, Paul Dumont, in his paper entitled "Ottoman Freemasonry and Laicity", investigates the non-confessionality of the state as a concept within Ottoman freemasonry , mainly focussing on the establishments of the Grand Orient de France.
The French term "Laicit?" has no proper English equivalent and can only partially be covered by "secularism". However, the disconnection between state and religion was embraced by Ottoman freemasonry. Colonial freemasonry, although disrupted after the foundation of the Republic of Turkey, efficiently contributed to the dissemination of ideas imported from the West.
As a whole the publication of this series of lectures provides the reader with a fascinating insight into the complex and sometimes controversial topic of freemasonry in the Middle East, and clearly demonstrates the need for further research.

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Committed to the Flames

Summary

Between 1826 and 1884, Dr. Robert. B. Folger (1803-1892), a physician and Masonic historian, wrote at least three manuscript ritual books, two of which were in an obscure and virtually impenetrable cipher. Folger, who had a penchant for controversy, was concealing the fact that he was trying to import the "Rectified Scottish Rite" (also called the R.E.R. or C.B.C.S.) into the United States. The R.E.R. was well-known as a European offshoot of the mysterious Rite of Strict Observance, which claimed that freemasonry descended from the Knights Templar.

For the first time, all of Folger?s ritual manuscripts have been deciphered in full. This dramatic and important book presents the full ritual contents of the earliest known English-language version of the R.E.R.?s Craft degrees, as well as Folger?s complete transcriptions of the Scottish Rite (Rose Croix) Craft ritual, with its installation and table ceremonies, and all seven degrees of "Egyptian masonry" (Pastophor, Neocoris, Melanophir, etc.), plus extracts from the American Order of the Red Cross and Knight Templar degrees.

The authors? introduction places these degrees in their historical context, which occurred during the most turbulent period of Masonic history. Included is the cryptanalysis of Folger?s ciphers and biographies of the principals. Folger was a man of curious contradictions; a passionate Mason, he was twice expelled from Grand Lodge, and yet died a Mason in good standing.

Book-review

This fascinating and amazing book is ?Dedicated to the memory of Ill. Robert B. Folger, 33? Earnest Physician , Passionate Historian,  Zealous Craftsman?.

Folger (1803-1892) was the author of an invaluable book, The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, in Thirty-three degrees [...] with an Appendix containing numerous authentic documents [...] first published in New York in 1862. It was republished in 1881 with a Supplement of 104 pp. inserted before the Appendix, each part having a separate pagination, altogether (362 + 104 + 426) 892 pages. It was never reprinted.

Committed to the flames includes the transcrptions of three manuscripts (Chapters 6 to 8) written by Robert Folger, the first one mostly written in a cipher which ? looks like Chinese ideographs ?, the second one ciphered only in parts. Whereas manuscript 1 was discovered in 1946 by Harold Voorhis and manuscript 2 also by him about 1967, manuscript 3 was discovered by Kent L. Walgren who sent a photocopy of the entire document to Arturo de Hoyos about 1994. The transcriptions are preceded with five chapters incluiding a biography of Folger, explaining when and why these manuscripts were written, and describing how, when and by whom the cipher was broken.

The title of the book comes from a few words inscribed by Robert Benjamin Folger on manuscript 1. If the manuscript was found after his death, it was to be given to one of his friends, Hans B. Gram ; if Gram was not then in America, it may be given to Mr. Ferdinand L. Wilsey ? who will know what it contains and also how to preserve its substance in his mind while he commits the manuscript to the flames ?.

Manuscript 1 (the Macoy Book) was first published by S. Brent Morris in 1993 as a volume of the Masonic Book Club. This earlier edition prefaced by Wallace McLeod, reproduced the transcription of the whole manuscript facing a facsimile of each page, which makes it extremely valuable. On the other hand, the 2008 edition, thanks to the incredible work and patience of Arturo de Hoyos, reproduces the transcription of all three Folger manucripts. It adds many new elements to the general presentation of manuscript 1 and sets right minor flaws of the previous transcription.

What are these manuscripts about ? Answer from the authors (p. 21) : ? a very good interpretation of the first three degrees of the Rectified Scottish Rite [...], the earliest evidence [of that Rite] in the United States ?.

This certainly is the most fascinating masonic book printed for many years. A must.

Alain Bernheim
reviewer, PS Review of Freemasonry

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A Mighty Good Man (Elias Ashmole) - The true Story of the Rosicrucians

The Rosicrucians are a legendary esoteric Order first publicly documented in the early 17th century. They are said to have the power to heal the sick, work miracles and even possess the secret of immortality. A journey of discovery into the secret world of magic, heresy and alchemy to discover the true secrets of Rosicrusianism. As Tobias Churton takes you in to the mysterious world of the Roscusicans , what were their aims and teachings and what was the new heaven and a new earth that made them so feared by the Christian church as to be tortured and sold into slavery for their beliefs?

Both DVDs are universal, they are not locked to a region, they will play anywhere.

This two films by Tobias Churton are remarkable for their independence of vision, knowledge and film making skill.

Bruno Gazzo
Editor, PS Review of Freemasonry.

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