The first steps taken by an individual who enters a Hermetic school are decisive, as he is prone to be guided by false and capricious impressions, arising primarily from a projection of his internal problems. Many times, the individual looks upon the school as an entity which is trying to use or pressure him in order to obtain something from him. He craves salvation or a guide to success, but at the same time he does not want to let himself be saved easily, and he wishes to show that he is not easy to convince or handle. The individual does not realize that he himself is the only one interested in his own salvation (freedom from being used by Nature) and if he does not free himself, no one will come to his rescue. Until he understands his real situation in the world, he will lack the necessary motivation to fight for his own existence, as this is what he is striving for after all. The only possibility of success resides in being able to visualize his true position in life before Nature and destiny, and in his ultimate use of the Volitive I as an instrument for fulfillment. We have seen the most incredible things happen to sincere students. Sudden riches or love are often sufficient to make him stray from his path. Other times, his loved ones turn into his worst enemies as far as initiation is concerned; these loved ones are undoubtedly controlled by the central computer of the species. This is very much like some apprentices of sorcery who try to dominate Nature, but end up as its slaves. The difficulties which the student must face just to reach the meeting place of the brotherhood on time, sometimes take on tragicomic overtones. The oddest things occur solely to prevent him from reaching the meeting, and the problem is that it is the individual who is sabotaging himself. The ass is a symbolic animal in Hermetic Art. It represents the negative animal nature of the individual; its basic keynote is stupidity, inertia, laziness, negligence, and irresponsibility. It is due to this that when an individual makes a harmful mistake, it is said figuratively that he should not think as an ass or rather that the ass should not be allowed to think for him. Hermeticism also speaks of the path of the ass to describe those who, after so much effort and hardship, and after covering so much ground, always remain in the same place. In ancient times, asses were used to bring up water for irrigation from springs or wells, and the animal walked many miles per day, but because this was in a circle, he always remained in the same place. Hermetic teaching states that only after conquering the ass is it possible to conquer the Sphinx and soar on its wings to cosmic space. The Sphinx is the vehicle of the Stellar Man. Regarding the candidates gender, it is necessary to state that for men the ordeals are mainly expressed through instinct, along with all the related psychological and material situations and conditions. On the other hand, the womens weak point is situated in their emotional nature. It is due to this that the admission of women into initiatic schools has been traditionally prohibited, and this is the reason why the Freemasons only admit women on ladies nights. In ancient times when women belonged to initiatic orders, many brotherhoods were destroyed when one of the female members, under the influence of passionate love, revealed the secrets of the order to enemy organizations. The Freemasons were originally a Hermetic brotherhood formed by high initiates as a preparatory school for other higher-level work. Nevertheless, with the symbolic death of Hiram, Freemasonry lost the secret of the rites and symbols such as the true meaning of the passwords. Hermetic tradition was extinguished and there remains only the unknown language of the symbols. The light that existed has lost its Hermetic meaning, and only the philosophical significance remains. The brothers have fallen asleep with the passage of time, perhaps sung to sleep by their pride in having thirty-three degrees of Masonic splendor. However, their symbols, inspired from ancient rites, are truly beautiful. Without a doubt, entering into Freemasonry will morally, culturally, and philosophically benefit any clear minded person. But between entering Freemasonry and becoming truly twice born, there is a world of difference. It must be pointed out that true Schools of Initiation have never banned the entry of women into their ranks, and that women may also work in the Temple. The ordeals the candidate for initiation faces may be internal or material. Material ordeals concern concrete situations, which arise from the reactions of Nature. Remember that Nature is internal as well as external, and tremendous internal conflicts are therefore produced. Two interesting events make a profound impression on the disciple during the process of initiation. One is the gradual vision the candidate acquires of himself, seeing himself as he really is without subterfuge, idealization, or hypocrisy. Another is the gradual contemplation of the truth, the world, and its people. In the first case, the student suffers a profound shock upon seeing himself as he really is for the first time. This vision opens two paths to him: he can either accept or reject his true nature. If he rejects his true nature, instead of breaking through the shell of his isolation from reality, the individual, terrorized by the naked truth, builds up an impenetrable and indestructible shell of iron. There are many illusions (in the sense of that which is illusory) that the individual must overcome in order to evolve.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 16:04:59 +0000
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