Waiting for Dawn

It is a very curious thing that in the most current chapters within the world narrative of modernity and modern times that among even the most ignorant of laypersons there is a fascination and admittedly quite superficial albeit nonetheless existent attraction to initiatic, or gnostic, traditions. It is particularly interesting, and particularly absurd, given that the initiatic realm and anything that may be considered close to a comprehension of it is and has always been unreachable by the majority since humanity's descent from its truer status, before which period, as metaphysician René Guénon had said, the very word 'initiation' could not have meant anything, all persons having naturally occupied the station which may be said to be the object of all authentic initiatic tradition today.

What is initiation? It may in a nutshell be thought of quite simply as the transmission of a spiritual influence upon a candidate, given the satisfaction of candidature and given the satisfaction of an authentic traditional body (to be explained). Early Christian Gnosticism as well as Sufism, Shi'i Irfan, and the Kabbalah, are among those initiatic or esoteric bodies or schools most obvious and most recognizable to the West. According to Guénon, there are three absolutely necessary "conditions" for initiation which act as qualifications for the passage into authentic esoteric knowledge and status, reworded a bit for mnemonic purposes:

1. An aptitude or "initiability" on the part of the candidate

2. An "attachment to a regular, traditional organization" (on the part of those conferring benefit on the candidate)

3. An actuality wherein the candidate is guided through a systematic realization of his initiatic ascent

(See Fohr's translation of Perspectives on Initiation, pp. 22 - 27.)

It is clear that many contemporary, widespread attractions to the mystical rest on a lack of understanding of these three principles insightful laid out by Guénon, a complete rejection of their necessity altogether, or the replacement of the quality of attachment with a pseudo-traditional authority.

By necessity, only a minority will have the aptitude to discern between the qualified and unqualified forms, or authentic religion or spirituality from inherently misguided pseudo-authority. The greater challenge will be to raise consciousness, or distribute aptitude, with the majority who despite all their good intention and grand intelligence have continued to be unable to launch themselves outside the prisons of the contemporary paradigm.