The Initiatic Experience
Ancient Pathways That Led to
Your Initiation Into Freemasonry
by Robert Herd
Starr Publishing, 2012
Brief Review by Travis Simpkins
Concise yet comprehensive, The Initiatic Experience: Ancient Pathways That Led to Your Initiation Into Freemasonry by Robert Herd is aimed at providing both an introduction and further light to newly raised Masons. Focused on the three facets of the Initiatic Experience (the ritual, the reason and the preparation), Herd offers in introductory terms: "The drama of the initiation is intended to play upon the whole emotional range of the individual. Fear, anxiety, depression, elation, joy, all may be used against the candidate to ultimately motivate, inspire, and impress upon him the lesson(s)." From basic terms to deep ancient forms of death and resurrection, he explains the wide range of presented concepts with a profound clarity.
A crash course in ancient history provides intriguing parallels between the Egyptian Osireion ritual and that of the Masonic Third Degree legend of Hiram Abiff. Further evidence and similarities can be found in the teachings of the Eleusinians, Pythagoreans, Hermeticism, Sufi, the Templars, Kabbalah and Rosicrucians. Herd believes the Ancient world was one vast interrelated whole, trading myths, legends, alchemy, wisdom and philosophy. He covers this and brings things back to his own present-day perspective. He adds, "For a long time in the West we've managed to forget the original meaning of the word philosophy, which is love of wisdom, not the love of endlessly talking and arguing about the love of wisdom."
I particularly enjoyed reading the author's personal perspective and interpretations of the Craft. Towards the end of the book, Robert Herd sums up his thoughts on the deeper elements of Masonic ritual: "I believe that there is a traceable, esoteric current of Ancient Psychology put there on purpose for our study. I believe that this has intellectual, spiritual, and divine implications, which again, are embedded in our system of initiatic degrees." While he acknowledges that this book is too short to delve into all possible details, the text fulfills its purpose of providing an introduction for those willing to take the next step toward enlightenment themselves.
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