Perspectives on Initiation

Perspectives on Initiation presents initiation as essentially the transmission, by the appropriate rites of a given tradition, of a 'spiritual influence' which represents the 'beginning' (initium) of the spiritual journey. It is unique in giving a comprehensive account both of the conditions of initiation and of the characteristics of organizations qualified to transmit it. While most of its 48 chapters deal with specific aspects of initiation, others cover an astonishing range of related subjects, among them: Magic and Mysticism, Ceremonial Magic, Psychic 'Powers', The Symbolism of the Theater, The Gift of Tongues, Greater and Lesser Mysteries, Rose-Cross and Rosicrucians, Some Reflections on Hermeticism, and The Birth of the Avatara. Related articles are collected in Guénon's Initiation and Spiritual Realization.