It seems very strange
that a year ago I had not even heard of Paul Sédir, despite my involvement in
things esoteric, including the French, for more than sixty years. My Amazon
account tells me that I bought a copy of a translation of his book Initiations in October 2013 and here we
are in October 2014, with Skylight Press about to publish my own translation of
this remarkable work. Which shows how impressed I was by it.
I decided to embark on
my own translation because although I would not claim my own version to be
faultless, the ones by Mouni Sadhu and by Mme Zadah-Guerin of some years ago
have the kind of errors that are likely to beset someone not translating into
their native tongue (for example anyone following a spiritual vocation being
called a ‘spiritualist’) along with a certain stiltedness and some idiomatic
misunderstanding. Nonetheless one remains very grateful for their pioneering
efforts and I salute them for it. In the search for gold, they got there first!
Something of the
importance of Sédir’s book is reflected in reviews of the previous translations.
Thus:
I
read this book first when I was 20. I have waited and looked on old sites for
it for years. Finally I have the opportunity to re-read the book that I learned
most from ever. As I re-read it, my heart expands with each word I read. It is
profound, human and heart warming. It is a classic for anyone studying the
yogic ways. [L.S. 9/2010]
God,
this book really gets your head around what it takes you to find your Master.
It takes you a lot of sacrifices into preparing yourself to earn that rare
occurrence of grace. Every truth seeker is looking for “Theophane”, and only
those who really deserve the honour – the Master will find. This book is so
mystical in nature and it opens a lot of possibilities in your mind, confirming
how much ignorance there is in the world, and what’s really going on in the spiritual
world. [A.H.K. 10/2009]
In
short, this is one of the greatest books on Western occultism and spiritual
practice ever penned. It is tragic that this is the only one of Sédir’s books
to have made it into English after more than a century. [P.S. 8/2012]
Although
it may appear to be a work of fiction, there is (believe it or
not!) more fact than fiction in it, as
well as the four main characters portraying
elements of the human psyche. The Doctor who is seeking occult knowledge and
practice represents ordinary consciousness, Andreas is the higher self, Stella
the intuition, and Theophane the divine spark at the centre of the human being.
Yet it is by no means just an allegory. These are real and remarkable
characters, and are based on real life
characters. Each of whom, along with some of the astounding esoteric theories
and practices described, can have a powerful impact upon the reader. Anyway,
you have been warned. Don’t expect to come out of reading it completely
unchanged!!
2 comments:
Thank you very much for making me aware of Paul Sédir. For anyone able to read in french, many of his books, lectures, letters are also available on the website:http://www.amities-spirituelles.fr/
Initiations by Sedir.
I read Mouni Sadhu's version when I was 16. I have a copy of the original hardback version that was issued by Regency press. I used the book in conjunction with Mouni Sadhu's recommendation to study his book On Theurgy at the same time. Years later I came across the French Society that Sedir created and became more aware of the Maitre Philippe De Lyon. I am delighted to now have a copy of Mr.Knight's translation and to renew my love of the book and of Sedir himself.
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