The
first review of my new translation of Paul Sedir’s important and fascinating
book has just dropped onto my desk – courtesy of the Inner Light Journal. Here
it is:
This is the distillation of a
work 25 years in the making, written by Yvon le Loup who was born in 1871, and
who adopted the pen-name “Paul Sedir”. As a young man he worked under the
patronage of the famous occultist “Papus” and rose through the ranks of various
esoteric fraternities in Paris. He lived in Montmartre during the fin de siècle
period in Paris, interesting times, and was well known for his “exceptional
knowledge and powerful presence.”
This is an exceptional book, and
we are grateful to Gareth Knight for reintroducing it to a modern audience. Mr
Knight is well known for his translations of French esoteric texts, and he has
helped to bring to life that particular sensibility that is uniquely French.
Paris is brought to life, the Paris of gas lighting and horse-drawn carriages,
a city undergoing great changes during the time the book was written.
It is seemingly a simple enough
tale, the tale of a doctor and his group of close friends, of meetings,
discussions and conversations; much of what occurs is factual, although that is
hard to believe at times. However, “Initiations” has hidden depths, and much
may be revealed if time is allowed for concepts to germinate in the mind of the
reader. As Gareth Knight says in his excellent introduction, the book can have
a powerful impact on the reader, “Initiations” creeps up and lodges itself in
the heart, with echoes that last long after the final page is closed. It is a
book that richly rewards re-reading and we would recommend it highly as a
classic of its kind.
Skylight Press ISBN 978 1 908011 99 2 210 pages £12.99 $19.99
“Initiations” by Paul Sedir,
translated and introduced by Gareth Knight
I only
came upon Paul Sedir comparatively recently and the effect upon me was as great
as that which I experienced when first coming upon the works of Dion Fortune
back in 1953. Still it is never too late
to make amends and I am now working on a couple of books to bring this
remarkable and neglected occultist and mystic to an English speaking audience. Sedir
deserves a much wider readership and why should the French have all the
goodies? Titles not fixed upon yet (usually
the last thing in a book to be decided!) but one is a translation of another of
his books and the other my evocation of Paul Sedir and his friends in that
incredibly rich period of occultism in Paris at much the same time as the
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was getting under way in England.
For more details – watch this space and the
web site of Skylight Press. www.skylightpress.co.uk