PREFACE

We have received repeated requests to select from the pages of the journal _Études Traditionnelles_ those of our articles that bear directly on the theme of initiation and to publish them together in one volume. It was not possible for us to satisfy these requests at once, for we are of the opinion that a book must be something more than a mere collection of articles, all the more so in this case as these particular articles were written at the inclination of the moment and often in answer to questions. We had therefore first to revise, complete, and arrange them differently, and that is what we have done here. We have not, however, wanted to make of this a more or less complete and, as it were, ‘didactic’ treatise; such a thing might be conceivable if it were strictly necessary and involved only the study of one particular form of initiation, but since on the contrary we are here dealing with initiation in general, it would amount to an altogether impossible task, for an indefinite number of questions could be raised—the very nature of the subject resisting any set limit—so that there could not be the slightest pretension of having treated them all. In the end, all that one can do is to examine certain aspects, to look at them from certain points of view which, even if their importance is immediately evident, still leave out many others equally worthy of consideration. This is why we thought that the word ‘perspectives’ would best characterize the content of the present work, the more so because, even with respect to the questions treated, it is no doubt impossible to completely ‘exhaust’ a single one of them. It also goes without saying that we could not repeat here what we have already said on the same subject in other books, but must rest content to refer the reader back to these books whenever necessary; moreover, in the order of ideas with which all our writings are concerned, everything is linked together in such a way that it would be impossible to proceed otherwise.

We have just said that our intention is essentially to treat questions which concern initiation in general; it must therefore be understood that when we refer to this or that specific initiatic form we are doing so as an example only, so as to specify and better explain what might remain vague without the help of these particular cases. It is important to stress this especially where Western forms are concerned, in order to avoid any kind of ambiguity or misunderstanding; if we refer to these forms so frequently, it is because the ‘illustrations’ we can derive from them often seem to be more easily accessible to the general reader than others, as these forms are already familiar to many; and it should be clear that this is entirely independent of what one may think of the present state of the organizations in which these initiatic forms are conserved and practiced. When we realize the degree of degeneration of the modern West, it is only too easy to understand that many things of a traditional order, and all the more so of the initiatic order, could scarcely subsist there except as vestiges largely misunderstood by the very people charged with their safekeeping; and it is just this that makes possible the appearance, alongside these authentic remnants, of the numerous ‘counterfeits’ upon which we have already had occasion to remark, for it is only in such conditions that they can deceive and be taken for what they are not. However that may be, the traditional forms in themselves always remain independent of these contingencies, and we would add further that when we come to consider these same contingencies, and speak, not of initiatic forms but of the state of initiatic and pseudo-initiatic organizations in the West today, we are stating facts with no other intention or concern than expressing the truth in this regard as disinterestedly as possible, just as we will treat everything else to be considered in the course of our study, from which each is free to draw the conclusions he finds appropriate. We do not take it upon ourselves to maneuver anyone either toward or away from any organization whatsoever; nor do we propose that anyone seek initiation either here or there, or refrain from doing so, for this in no way concerns us and could never be our role. Some will perhaps be surprised that we insist on this point so strongly, and in truth such an emphasis is called for only by the incomprehension of so many of our contemporaries, as well as the dishonesty of far too many of them; unfortunately, individuals, even coming from apparently quite opposite positions, have so often attributed to us all sorts of intentions we have never had that we must take all necessary precautions in this regard, though we dare not describe these as sufficient, for who can foresee everything that some people are capable of inventing?

It should occasion no surprise, then, that we often elaborate on commonly held errors and confusions regarding the subject of initiation, for, besides the clear benefit of dispelling them, it is precisely in noting them that we have frequently been led to see the necessity for a closer treatment of particular points that otherwise we would have thought self-evident or at most to require very little explanation. It is important to note that some of these errors are made not only by the profane or by pseudo-initiates, which would hardly be extraordinary, but also by members of authentically initiatic organizations who, in their respective circles, are counted among the ‘illuminati’. This is perhaps one of the most striking proofs of the present state of degeneration to which we have referred.

In this regard, we think that without too great a risk of its being interpreted in a distorted way we can express our wish that among the representatives of these organizations at least a few can be found for whom these present reflections will contribute to their knowledge of what initiation really is; however, we do not entertain any more exaggerated hopes in this regard than we do for the overall possibilities of restoration that the West may yet possess.

Still, while there are clearly some who are more deficient in genuine knowledge than in good will, such good will alone is not sufficient, for the question is really just how far their intellectual horizons can be extended and whether they are qualified to pass from virtual to effective initiation; in any event, we can do no more than provide information from which those who are able may benefit to the extent that their dispositions and circumstances permit. Such people will certainly never be numerous, but as we have often said, it is not numbers that are important in things of this order, although a sufficient number must be present to properly constitute an initiatic organization.

Until now, the few experiments we know about that have been attempted along these lines have for various reasons not developed far enough to allow any judgment of their results, results that might have been different had the circumstances been more favorable.

It is quite clear that by its very nature the modern ambiance is and always will be one of the principal obstacles, in the initiatic domain as in every other, to any attempt at a traditional restoration in the West. While it is true in principle that the initiatic domain, because of its ‘closed’ character, should be safe from hostile external influences, the existing organizations have in fact long since permitted their entry, and certain ‘breaches’ are now too wide to be easily repaired. For example, in adopting the administrative forms of secular governments these organizations have opened themselves to hostile actions that otherwise would not have been effective and would simply have come to nothing; such an imitation of the profane world constitutes, moreover, one of those inversions of normal relationships characteristic of the modern disorder. Today one would have to be blind not to see the manifest consequences of this ‘contamination’, and yet we strongly doubt that many know their real cause; the mania for ‘societies’ is so entrenched that most of our contemporaries are unable to conceive of the simple possibility of getting along without purely external forms, but for this reason such tendencies are the very thing that must be resisted by anyone wishing to attempt an initiatic restoration on a truly secure foundation. But we will not go further with these preliminary reflections for—let us repeat—it is not for us to actively intervene in attempts of this nature, for our only intention is to point out a course to those willing and able to so engage themselves. Furthermore, our remarks are in no way limited in application to any particular initiatic form, for above all else they pertain to the fundamental principles common to all initiation, of both East and West. Indeed, the essence and aim of initiation is always and everywhere the same, only its modalities differing as a result of adaptation to different times and places; to which we hasten to add, in order to avoid misunderstanding, that adaptation is legitimate only when it shuns all ‘innovation’, that is, the product of a merely individual caprice; instead, as with traditional forms in general, initiation must always and unequivocally proceed from a ‘non-human’ origin, lacking which it is in truth neither tradition nor initiation but only one of those ‘parodies’ so often encountered in the modern world that come from nothing and lead to nothing, and so do not really represent anything but a pure and simple nothingness, if one may so express it, unless they be perhaps the unconscious instruments of something far worse.