Customer Reviews

The Initiate

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For those interested in mysticism/the occult, this is a fantastic book. It's actually two stories in one: an autobiographical story about an encounter with an amazingly advanced human being, and a long fictional story of the journey of an adept. You can't help but want to be a better person after having read it. It's no overstatement to say that it changed my life.

Originally published under the pseudonym "His Pupil," this is the first volume of Cyril Scott's incredible trilogy aobut the exploits and philosophy of an "Initiate." The author provides some "autobiographical" data and then takes the reader through many episodes in which the Initiate acts contrary to the obvious, providing esoteric explanations of his actions. This is reminiscent of the Hasidic tale about the Zaddik who got to accompany the prophet Elijah as long as he didn't ask why Elijah did what he did. Elijah did things that were inexplicable to the Zaddik until he finally broke down and asked Elijah why he killed the cow of the poor but gracious couple, fixed the miser's wall, etc. Each time the explanation was logical, but included knowledge unkown to the Zaddik (e.g. the crumbling wall held a treasure that the miser would have discovered had Elijah not fixed the wall). This work is perhaps the best of the 3 books (the other two are: "The Initiate in the New World" and "The Initiate in the Dark Cycle"). But, they are all very good and quite enlightening in both a psychological and spiritual sense. They are not religious in orientation. There are also some great quotes in this book that I have placed into my collection:

All sins...are nothing but a searching for happiness in the wrong direction, and all sinners are but children who will eventually grow up. Tolerance is the recognition of this fact. pp. 77-8

Real love forgives its object always--even before there would seem something to forgive--and all true friends love each other better, the one for having some fault to pardon, and the other for being pardoned respecting that fault. p.107

A thing is tedious or pleasant according to what one brings to it oneself. p.211

Ignorance can never convince knowledge. Annie Besant, quoted on p.213

Nothing in itself contains Beauty or Happiness, but only serves to draw out a particle of that infinite Beauty and Happiness latent in the mind, or better said in the soul. pp. 268-9

He who thinks least of his own character benefits it the most. p.311 NOTE: the pages may be off due to differing editions.

This book is for the spiritual seeker. Sure you can say it is geared to one with occult/mystism background... one of those direct routes to the subject. The book starts where Mr Scott goes into detail talking of an aquantance who is an adapt. This is written very cryptically so that you are to know that the people of the story doesn't matter (and he does not tell you his name or any of the other's name but assures you that it is completely his history) the book is written in the early twenty-th century and styled very much in the english manner of writting at the time. Getting to know the adapt and the author filled with me with energy as I read it. It was as intended deeply spiritual for me.
The second half of the book is written as the ACTUAL story though not exactly of the same magnitude as the first half in spiritual revelation. This is where you start following the path of an initiate which is clearly a story of illistration. The story is of a man who had spent very much time imbibing in the physical and is now on a spiritual quest. The charactors are written in a manner to remind me of a very structured disney adventure that is of the enlightening nature. I am now waiting for the second and third book. Highly recommended! Blessed Be

I was fortunate enough to find a copy of this book. Introduced to the idea of "initiates" by Benjamin Creme, another writer on esoteric subject matters, the title of the book caught my eye. The value of this book is is the direct account that the writer gives of "Justin Haig's" adventures. Other writers that I have read are only able to talk from the perspective of a student of the teachings that people like the Haig person of this book lived and taught in his life in London. I consider this book on the same level of excellence as "Autobiography of A Yogi."

This book needs to be reprinted. It is a beautiful story even the most stubborn person will be able to see the truth. Find it if you can.

I love this book. I discovered it on my dad's bookshelf about 2 years ago. He wants his copy back, so I had to make the purchase. This is my second time reading it, and both times when I open it I feel like I go into this magical world. I feel like the book is infused with magic. Every scene I can see clearly, like I am right there watching. I can hear the voices and the movements. The viewpoint of the initiate has changed my life and how I view life. My life has become easier, more fun, and much more filled with joy due in part to reading this book. I also ordered the next 2 volumes and look forward to reading them! This book is highly recommended!

This book had a lot to say and I enjoyed it immensely. Justin Moreward Haig's character is a truly noble one and I felt compelled to follow his example of thought process and deeds in my own life. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the esoteric principles and wanting to see a very high example of it's application in everyday life.

This book was first published in 1920 and reads like it took place even earlier. The writing is overly flowerly, stilted and excessively polite. As the author recounted conversations he had with the Initiate and other people, I was left thinking "no one talks this way,did they ever"? The author says the Initiate instructed him to write in a "quaint" manner but I found the style lacking in realism, drama and wonder. It seemed to trivialize the issues and events and rob the story of any compelling power.