Quest For a lost rite

Well, it has been a quiet few months, with little to report. However, that was because a lot has been progressing and bubbling away under the surface (and because I told you I would never write something just to fill space…)! With the relaxation in travel restrictions I have also been traveling again: firstly – and cautiously – to a few events on New Jersey and New York; and more recently to the Northern realm of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to give a couple of talks. July and August will see me in Colorado, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. So I guess my initial nervousness about moving about again has long since evaporated!

In the coming months I expect to see an explosion of new books, both from Rose Circle Publications and elsewhere. Many of these will be very welcome indeed, being focused on scholarship and on ritual (indeed, after a nervous few months, the Tennessee Templar Ritual of 1882 will finally be available in time for its launch at the Convocation of Grand Encampment in Minneapolis this August), and I will be proofreading the first copy this week.

In the meantime, the next few posts will be devoted to a few extraordinary books which have either passed over my desk, or projects in which I have been personally involved. The first I wanted to bring to your attention is a fascinating new book by Bro. Mathieu Ravignat, who is no stranger to these pages, having used his bilingual abilities and decades-long knowledge of the Gnostic, Masonic and Esoteric worlds to bring us sharp new insights and new scholarship.

Once again Bro. Mathieu Ravignat has tackled a difficult topic and thrown down a challenge in his latest book, which is what makes his publications such eagerly anticipated events. This time the book is monumental in size – 528 pages – which reminds me of the famous ‘Black Doorstop’, more prosaically known as Israel Regardie’s paperback version of The Golden Dawn.

Its full title is: Quest for a Lost Rite: The Origins, High Degrees and Spiritual Practices of Traditional Egyptian Freemasonry.

Previously we have been given an interpretation of the history of the modern Gnostic Church, and a reconstruction of the high grades of the Elus Cohen rituals, challenging us to set aside those by Robert Ambelain which, though largely guesswork in themselves and based on far fewer sources than are now known to us, had become so well-established in people’s minds that suggesting they required a complete overhaul was seen as sacrilege to some.

Following this groundbreaking work, Mathieu Ravignat takes on the early High Degrees of the Masonic Egyptian Rituals. In the historical section he compares the various currents of Egyptian Masonry, extensively citing his sources, and endeavors to identify which of the currents ‘won’, in that their rites were adopted. He also discusses the nature of these degrees, identifying how each current made use of Alchemical, Astrological and Kabbalistic themes. Why were they created? What were they trying to achieve?

Of course the bulk of the book is given over to a reconstruction of each of the Degrees, citing his sources and explaining the reason for his choices. These are also lavishly illustrated with images taken from a number of source documents. He also discusses the nature of the famous Arcana Arcanorum, and puts forward his ideas on what these would have contained.

However, while the re-creations alone is enough to recommend this book, the author goes further by offering a reconstruction of the spiritual methods and practices which underpinned the Egyptian Rite, culminating in the inner alchemical practices which have been the subject of so much conjecture, and even providing a complete reconstruction of the methodology.

Of course, the book will inspire controversy. Firstly, it avoids the largely fantastical rumors and mythology which has grown up around the Order over the years. Secondly, as with any reconstruction, people will disagree with some of the decisions taken in the recreation of the rituals. However, the debate has now been opened, and the author is not above admitting that his work is not the final word on the subject.

This is an important book which deserves a place on the bookshelf of any Masonic or esoteric historian.