“Self-initiation – is that even possible?” The illusion of being able to pull yourself out of the mire by your own bootstraps

There are books whose authors promise spiritual aspirants a path to successful self-initiation. Those who practise the exercises and rituals described in these books are supposed to acquire occult powers over time and even reach the highest levels of enlightenment.

This supposedly requires neither a personal teacher nor a community of other people. Find out in this article why self-initiation is an illusion and why only mysteries hold the key to true initiation.

Since the beginning of time, knowledge of the origin, the highest goal and the restoration of man to his former perfection has always been entrusted to a small circle of people.

Over the millennia, these individuals have passed on the spiritual teachings from mouth to ear to subsequent generations within the framework of so-called mystery schools. The mystery schools were and are the spiritual centres of their time. From the cult of Mithras, the Eleusinian Mysteries, to the Roman and Ancient Egyptian Mysteries being well-known names and places.

Initiates are people who have “consecrated” their lives to the truth and have proven themselves worthy of receiving the hidden mysteries through their lifestyle – then as now. These teachings and instructions are a well-kept secret, consisting not only of theoretical knowledge, but of practical tools of spiritual transformation, especially.

The most powerful of these tools is the Hermetic-Kabbalistic ritual.

The power of Hermetic-Kabbalistic initiation rituals

Hermetic Kabbalistic rituals are one of the most powerful suggestions to the human subconscious about the true reality beyond superficial appearances. Rituals form a bridge to ascension into the transcendent worlds.

During the ceremonial initiation into the Mysteries, the aspirant is attuned, through the ritual, to the higher forces and vibrations that are
omnipresent in the cosmos.

In the Hermetic-Kabbalistic rituals, the ONE power is invoked, which is also the origin of all being. It is the same force, with which the creator deities mentioned in Genesis, created the world.

The structure of such rituals points to the true nature of man and reflects the cosmic dance of life as it presents itself to the attentive observer of nature on a daily basis. They are powerful tools that help to overcome man’s subconscious patterns of deception and, in time, open our senses to the perception of ultimate reality.

It follows from what has been said, that “self-initiation” can only exist in name. Never in fact. The transformative power of Hermetic-Kabbalistic rituals can be compared to the energy of the atomic bomb. It is therefore not surprising that they are and will remain one of the best-kept secrets of authentic orders and mystery societies.

It would be irresponsible to simply write down these rites, symbols and techniques in books and make them available to the general public for a few euros. Just as young children are not given uranium to play with, these tools are protected from profane use and/or misuse. They are therefore, not published.

The Hermetic-Kabbalistic rituals are only entrusted to that small group of sincere seekers who have first undergone the necessary ethical training and qualified themselves to receive the Mysteries.

Books on self-initiation dazzle the reader with empty promises because they are based on false premises.

A genuine initiation ritual requires at least a second person, a more highly developed teacher. This person also once received initiation from people who preceded him on the spiritual path and were authorised to perform this honourable practice.

Only through the initiation, which is performed in the ritual, does the aspirant find the path of return. This can lead him step by step, stage by stage, back to his true essence and allow a satisfying answer to the first and last questions of life to germinate and flourish in his heart.

Self-initiation resembles the futile attempt to pull oneself out of the mire by one’s own hair, like Baron von Münchhausen in one of the well-known tall tales about him.

Self-initiation is also a presumptuous claim: Even high spiritual masters such as Jesus or Buddha needed a teacher for their initiation – what can be expected from the ineffective words of a book on self-initiation?

The accelerated evolution of man

The path of Hermeticism is a path of accelerated human evolution. It resembles an artificial intervention in the life course of the individual, as it would unfold naturally without it.

The aspirant can undergo an enormous development on the spiritual path in just a few years, an evolution that would normally take the average person several lifetimes.

Quite a few students of the Hermetic Academy have also tried self-initiation paths before – they have read books about them and practised the exercises given in them more or less regularly. But despite years of practising, very little or almost nothing has happened in their lives. They have remained the same people with the same problems.

Since they have gained access to the authentic teachings with their powerful tools through the Hermetic Academy, they have often been able to make great strides in their development – and in a comparatively short time.

The potential for change – and this sheds light on this strange phenomenon – does not lie in the formal process of a ritual or a meditation technique, as may be described in books. Someone can meditate every day and practise do-it-yourself rituals without the desired development happening.

At its core, it‘s the “connection” to the authentic mystery tradition that accelerates the individual evolution of the aspirant and opens their mind to insights and impulses beyond the personal level. The receptive student already experiences a change upon contact with the underlying tradition.

Books of symbols, techniques and rituals lack this subtle power of transformation, because they lose their effect outside the protective and nurturing circle of a genuine initiatory order.

So…

“Just as moths are attracted to the light of a lantern in the night, so the spiritual light of an order attracts the disciple to the Order.” (Elias Rubenstein)

This is why one of the most famous Hermetic writings of recent times, the Kybalion (1904) by the three initiates, contains principles but no published tools for spiritual transformation. The Kybalion is a profound treatise on the seven hermetic laws of the universe. It provides one of the most instructive explanations of the plan of life as it can be revealed in a book to any interested person to a certain degree.

How the law of spirituality, analogy, vibration etc. can be implemented in concrete terms is something the authors have covered with a cloak of silence, however.

Every person can pull this aside and uncover the hidden secrets if they are sincerely prepared to follow a lifelong path of development that only mystery schools make possible:

“If the search for wisdom and knowledge is honest and persevering, then the path leads to the gates of an authentic mystery school.” (Hermetic maxim)

Accelerated evolution through the power of Hermetics is a privilege that, like any right, comes with certain responsibilities. The spiritual transformation harmonises one’s own life circumstances and creates the spiritual, mental and also physical conditions to be able to climb the highest levels of human development.

The Hermeticist also influences his immediate surroundings and humanity as a whole, whose collective evolution is also accelerated as a result. Initiates in mystery schools have always made a commitment to serve God and humanity. They use their powers for the benefit of the brothers and sisters of the great human family.

They endeavour to become an ever more permeable channel for the higher healing forces as they are manifested in secret in the authentic rituals of lodges and orders. The sure sign of real progress on the path of spiritual development is not occult powers such as clairvoyance or telepathy. Rather, spiritual powers and the degree of one’s own heart development are a sure sign.

Initiates are just as little interested in publishing rituals in books as they are in publicising ways and means of acquiring occult abilities outside of mystery schools.

The endeavour of honest self-examination

Many people interested in esotericism openly or secretly refuse to undergo sound training in an authentic mystery school. They therefore often resort to popular do-it-yourself magic books and get lost on these self-initiation paths.

The aversion to lodges and orders is also fuelled by the fear of possibly being “unworthy” and suffering rejection. Some also believe they can draw all wisdom from books, distrust any scrutiny of themselves and shy away from being taught in an organised structure.

But to walk the true spiritual path requires dedication, willingness to learn and discipline. Without the sincere endeavour to cultivate the necessary prerequisites, esotericism remains for many just an interesting hobby that gives the dull everyday life a somewhat nicer colour.

But true esotericism – however much the term has been misused in the meantime – is a path of the greatest self-conquest, the summit of which the greatest possible freedom and bliss await the aspirant. Often the thing we have the most resistance to also holds the key to solving our life’s problems.

The Hermetic Academy

The Hermetic Academy is an authentic mystery school that preserves the millennia-old tradition of the initiates in theory and practice. In a structured online curriculum, you can follow a lifelong path of development.

This will help you step by step to overcome existential fear, recognise the meaning of life, develop your full potential and fulfil the purpose of being human. The lessons lead you step by step to self-knowledge and thus from darkness into the longed-for light. The 7 universal goals of the Hermetic Academy for humanity are:

• Universal prosperity
• Universal health
• Universal education
• Universal spiritual fulfilment
• Universal religious freedom
• Universal political freedom
• Universal peace

Hermeticism is a path that leads to freedom and self-responsibility and helps man to claim his divine heritage. It preserves the most powerful tools of personal fulfilment and is a safe, guided path that can lead the aspiring student on his way to the temples of the Mysteries.