Initiation into Hermetics: The Path of the True Adept

This is really not an introductory magical text. In spite of the author's warnings that readers with prior magical experience might have to unlearn a lot while studying his books (which is true!), I don't think very many beginners would find themselves well-served to rely on this book as an introduction. Initiation into Hermetics is a dense book that frequently, actually, assumes that the reader already has some background in magic. This book is not a history lesson. This book is not a comprehensive overview of the subject of hermetics. This book is not just a preparation for more serious work - it IS the more serious work, for those who are prepared. The author explains many things in depth, but much of it will sound like nonsense to a magical novice. It takes a little foreknowledge and practice to properly navigate Bardon's idiosyncrasies and outdated science (although not as much as it takes to interpret even the most lucid writings of Aleister Crowley, or any pre-20th century occultist), and he devotes very little time to joking, bragging, or making lurid claims. Less mature occultists will quickly become frustrated and/or bored. This newer translation is improved, but some passages are still difficult to decipher. There are good reasons for why there is a market for supplemental material! The book starts with a whirlwind "Theory" section, at the end of which the author insists that anybody wishing to embark on the practical exercises (which comprise the bulk of the text) must first review and meditate and reflect until they fully grasp all of the theory. The process could take years, he says! Yeah, well, that was in 1956, and it's 2015 now, and there are many effective ways for a novice to gain a lot of mystical insight and experience very quickly. Buy yourself a copy of Modern Magick, or Liber Null if you're cheap, and magic yourself silly, kid. You would just roll your eyes at Bardon's warnings and claims, because they would sound outrageous to you right now. You would not treat this book with the proper respect. That's okay. You do not know any better yet. Come back when you've got a few bruises, when you've developed a healthy fear of your own power, when you need a real teacher but you don't want to join a cult. And be ready to unlearn a lot. For you who are already on a self-directed mystical path and who have never found complete satisfaction in all of your wanderings, congratulations. This is what you have been looking for. All of the magical texts you have read until now - all of the legitimate ones, at least - have basically handed you a series of increasingly deadly firearms. The authors of these books have instructed you to juggle all of these firearms, and they have told you to try to shoot and hit moving targets while you continue to juggle the entire armful. They have assured you that all of the old gun-juggling books, the ones that traditionally warned readers about the severe dangers of juggling guns, were just written by paranoid people and elitists, and you definitely probably maybe won't shoot your own face off. You have realized this by now. You have stopped being stupid. Magic isn't a toy. Magic is an armful of loaded guns. And you aren't even thoroughly educated in the care and maintenance of a simple pistol yet. Initiation into Hermetics is not an introduction, it is an initiation. It will break you down to square one and build you back up as a true magician, and it will not always hold your hand along the way. Because Franz Bardon respects you. Franz Bardon knows that you can figure a lot out on your own. Franz Bardon sits down with you and plainly says, "Here are the universal, fundamental building blocks of magic. Here is what they are, here is how they work. Here is a fantastic, structured way to completely master these fundamentals. And as you master them, you can invent countless creative new ways to apply them. Here are some examples. BE CAREFUL." Initiation into Hermetics is a ruthlessly pragmatic and technical book about utterly mastering the four/five primal elements in both understanding and practice. This involves a variety of intensive mental exercises. There are no elaborate rituals - Bardon's firm assertion is that rituals constitute an advanced form of magic, and in the hands of novices they amount to simple acts of ignorant sorcery, achieving nothing better than that which is achievable through simple applications of elemental mastery. His second book is about ritual magic, but he insists that students must painstakingly master the primal elements and their own consciousness, in accordance with the guidelines in Initiation into Hermetics, before attempting advanced work. The author is not the most well-spoken, at least in the English edition. He uses many of his own proprietary terms, and some of the word choices - whether the fault of the author or the translator, I can't say - can be confusing until you adapt to them. There are things that he over-explains, and there are things that you will find yourself wishing he would explain more thoroughly. All of this is excusable, in my opinion, because the end result is still the greatest occult text I've ever read.

Just received this book a few days ago and I'm blown away. This is one of those rare books that seem to come into your life at just the right time. I've been a student of the occult for nearly 20 years and a practicing magician for 10 years. I began as a chaos magician, invoking Eris and Bugs Bunny and doing graffiti sigils. Later I started studying qabalah, the Golden Dawn, OTO, Thelemic magick and Taoist alchemy. Like many of the other reviewers have said, I wish I had this book when I first began my magickal career. Having said that though, I don't know if I would've appreciated back then like I do now... Bardon does present a simple complete system here. I haven't finished it yet, and I'm not too concerned with finishing at the moment because I'm doing all the exercises exactly as he describes them. I've already had great success with the auto-suggestion exercise - immediate result the first time! Seasoned mages should find a lot of the initial exercises relatively easy to get into. A lot of systems/schools have similar exercises. Love the fact that Bardon goes beyond visualization and into the other four senses. There so much I've read so far that just seems so obvious - I'm constantly laughing and thinking, "Why didn't I think of that?" For the beginner, it may seem daunting at first, but having practiced magick for 10 years now, I see the wisdom to Bardon's approach. If you're looking for a magick cookbook with recipes for instant spells, this ain't it. This is no mere grimoire or a snarky book for dabblers. To others who've read this: I noticed some differences in his elemental correspondences compared to what every other tradition has said for as long as whenever - is this an occult blind, or has he changed them for his own system? I guess it really doesn't matter... So far, it's reading like a chaos magick book. I mean every system is syncretic anyways. Bardon mentions devising your own rituals, which smacks of chaos to me. Can't say enough good things about this book and I'm barely 1/5 of the way through! I don't think it hurts to read ahead as I am, but there's very little theory here - just enough to validate why you should do the next exercise, so its not exactly a "fun" read like Steiner or a lot of other books about magick. Truly a practical manual. Essential for the beginner and advanced student. Get it. Do the exercises. That's the key to success in any endeavor. Do work.

This book is amazing. It is a book that offers the initiate an opportunity to lay a solid foundation with which to build upon. Franz Bardon explains the basics of hermetic philosophy to the newcomer. He then begins to offer the initiate essential exercises working through them step by step. With the tools offered in this book one can begin to easily exercise their will and begin to reprogram the subconscious as well as explore mind space. Thorough descriptions of exercises allow the initiate to embark on their journey with confidence and momentum. I would strongly recommend this to any novice interested in the arcane.

I can't say i love this book as in five stars in amazons subjective grading system, though i do only have love for it and all of gods creations, so i gave it 5 stars anyway.. No i am not a christian nor a gnost nor a buddhist or hindu, but i am in fact all of these things but my path to this realisation was more attained through the hindu holy books such as the yoga sutras of patanjali, the dhammapada the upanishads and the vedas. hermeticism being a later incarnation, of the wisdom of the brahma and seers of india, of this ancient knowledge about the integration and interwoven nature of all things from the inside of the atom to the zodiac and universe as a whole and the electromagnetic plasma streaming throughout all things and sustaining the self balancing yin:yang relationship. all is waves, all vibrates nothing stays still and as above so below. and all things are positive and negative whether you call that poles or genders. The mercurial nature of all things. If you identify already with only one thing, one religion, and you want to find away to learn that god is in all things the this book could be a path for you however the paths to this realisation are numerous and many and only the belief of this resonating in you is needed along with time and clear mind, how you clear your mind to attain this level of self awareness is also unique to you but again i would say read the hindu books i quoted before first in my opinion and you can skip the magick references and psychology, meditate and tune in your pyneal gland, the fire within, and all you chakras to know thyself and be at one with "god" aka the universal life force energy streaming towards your spirit at all times. know thyself and know you already were an initiate before you came here no matter how old your soul and how many incarnations you have had already. the kingdom of heaven is within you and without you, any man who knows himself shall find it. our species is millions of years old and has seen thousands of world ages come and go the knowledge of your eternal soul is your birth right just meditate on that and you shall know you are at one with the all self, the all one. Om and namaste. Aum,, heavAN..

Perfect

Delivery: The delivery was on time. Though the packing was just OK, the book was in EXCELLENT condition. Book: The book is genuine, the front cover had slightly different colors than depicted. The colored pages inside were true colors. Content: This book, I believe, is a must for one seeking authenticity. Read the ebook version and see for yourself, if you want to buy it.

A hard path for most, unless as some believe, you were an initiate in a previous incarnation. Or You would be called in some way, and therefore would feel drawn or fate would arrange you ‘stumble across’ Frank Barden in some way. How did I? Browsing in a large 2nd hand shop brimming with the usual fiction, non fiction, cook books , gardening books etc and feeling vaguely dissatisfied inside, I noticed a small shelf in a remote corner of the shop where no one browsed. Suddenly feeling interested I investigated, and behind the shelf was a small recess in which a book was concealed. It was ‘Initiation into Hermetics, very well sealed up so I couldn’t peep inside. This really got me curious, plus the feeling maybe it had been put there for someone else, but the price sticker was on it, more than I should really spend. By this time I longed to look inside, and I bought it.