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 It takes a little foreknowledge and practice to properly navigate Bardon's idiosyncrasies and outdated science (although not as much as it takes to interpret even the most lucid writings of Aleister Crowley, or any pre-20th century occultist), and he devotes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.

This is my favorite book, Initiation Into Hermetics. I don't practice it, I practice meditation but I love the book. It is a book with chapters that are done in order that develop an Individual's ability to practice magic. It has an introductory chapter on theory that is useful in the book. An explanation of elements, spirit, magnetic/electric energies, truth. The rest of the book is completely practical. It's a book to practice in solitary. It's been described before as Hermetic Yoga. The beginning chapters start with basic practices such as silencing the mind and basic concentration exercises that could be useful in everyday life and are absolutely essential for the magical practitioner or magician. There are also imaginary exercises such as the impregnation of food, water and air with an idea or energy such as impregnating water with vitality or health and then consciously drinking it. The practitioner also makes a list of there positive and negative attributes and works with them throughout the book.The beginning chapters done in subsequent order daily until an individual masters them will strengthen anyone's ability of concentration, imagination, visualization, clarity of mind and more greatly. Further chapters go into the mastery of various magical abilities such as out of body travel, mastery of the elements through the use of imagination, healing, magic Morrors, communication with guides, psychic abilities etc. The author tries to make the practice a capability for people without much time but if one wishes he can put a lot of time into it each day to get through it quicker. This is not a book you put away after a few years though as it requires a lifetime to make serious progress. He explains right from the start that it takes dedication to master. It's not a book to pick up and practice here and there as it takes consistency. It will take a long time to develop some of these potentials but the individual will make many gains in many areas of life if done correctly. Some may only make it through a few chapters, some may finish the whole book but serious results will be gained either way.