Hathor (October) 1998.
Initiation
(Einheihung)
by Elisabeth Haich |
Copyright 1960 by Verlag Eduard
Frankhauser
Copyright translation by John P.
Robertson
1965 George Allen & Unwin Ltd.
SEED CENTER (California) printing 1974.
Review copy 12th printing.
The inner core of this reportedly autobiographical novel revolves around the psychic reliving of previous incarnations by the author, and their applications and relevance to her contemporary life in pre-and post-World War II Germany as a woman, wife, mother and, eventually, spiritual teacher. The central incarnation is that of an ancient Egyptian princess who was granted initiation in the Sacred School. The lessons included exercises in meditation, concentration, body and sense control and telepathy. Also included was instruction regarding the various aeons of the earth--and which bear many similarities with our own Tradition.
The exercises were primarily designed to stimulate and strengthen the bio-psychic centers in preparation for the infusion of elevated energy vibration:
...Although
the same God is everywhere present...he is manifest in countless different
variations...and the created forms manifested on these various levels reveal only
as much of God as each form can consciously experience and bear of the
divine
creative force, corresponding to its own level...the body too must have
adequate
power of resistance; otherwise the radiations of the self would destroy
it.
...When a
body is subjected to a radiation in excess of its resistance, this harms the
entire nervous system, and can lead to a nervous breakdown and even to mental
de-
rangement. When the number of vibrations of this force exceeds the scope of an
octave
the force even becomes lethal. This is why, when we want to initiate a person
into a
higher degree of divine power, we must first prepare his body, subjecting it
among
other things to a chemical process, in order that the differences will not be
more than
one octave at the most. Otherwise he dies. [P.213-214]
For this and other reasons, The Gnostic Pagan School advocates the practice of Hatha Yoga as a minimal requirement for initiation.
Ms. Haich became a celebrated writer and teacher of yoga.
Through past life recall the author realizes her spiritual relationship to family and friends in the 1940's and in what was soon to become East Germany. Perhaps even more importantly, she arrives at a profound understanding of her personal relationship to Divinity. Elisabeth Haich mentions the god Horus on several occasions in the text, equating him with the highest creative principle; but she does not view him as a reflection of the New Aeon. Instead, she insists that the ancient gods are no longer valid symbols of power--and in all too many instances (for our taste at any rate) she resorts to old Aeon belief systems and modes of expression. As an interesting side note, the two pictures of Horus used in the book show him wearing the high double-feathered crown of Truth we associate with Ma'at, Lady of Cosmic Law and Foundation. Haich claims this royal crown of ancient Egypt represents the Ten Commandments! If any Celebrant or other Reader has any information pertaining to this claim, please let us know!
Ms. Haich insists that only the word "God" should be used today to denote The Nameless One.
We respectfully disagree.
"God," as the Divine Principle, has been degraded by Fundamentalists who use "God" as a moral battering ram, designed to bash anyone whose vision is not in line with their own regimented, totalitarian one. The term "God" also has definite patriarchal and racist (Abrahamic) implications that we do not accept. This is not to say we deny the personal reality of many--maybe even a majority of--Christians, Moslems, Jews and others whose spiritual vision of a Loving God is completely sincere and true for them. We visualize a co-creative relationship with the Tao of Amun, an expanded and all-embracing Vision of Divine Mind adapted to the Age--in contrast to "adoring" a single, static, mean spirited sky god (Jehovah).
As another example, Haich stresses the existence of Ascended Masters acting through an on-going Secret Order (not to be confused with the contemporary O.T.O.) who choose a select cadre of "spiritual co-workers" to carry on "The Plan" (Great Work) on earth. This idea leads the author into dangerous theoretical ground, as we will indicate later. In our view, if there ARE Ascended Masters they have either permanently left the scene--or the more adventurous (like John Lennon?) have reincarnated for the final stage of Kali Yuga
In Chapter 24, the High Priest Ptahhotep instructs the neophyte Princess in the widely--held and fascinating theory of spiritual devolution (in other words, the opposite of evolution) on earth:
...Little
by little the higher race is dying out. They are withdrawing from the plane
of matter to the spiritual plane and they will leave humanity alone for a
period of
time--as time is reckoned on earth...that humanity may, without visible
guidance,
climb upward with its own power.
...And so
it has come about that this animal-like material race of cave men is experi-
menting with divine laws, growing mightier and more powerful until the time
comes
for it to begin ruling the earth. Before leaving the earth, however, the higher
race
had to implant its special powers in the lower race. Through the operation of
the
laws of heredity, this will enable the lower race...to rise out of matter
again.
[P.154-155]
The Sons of
God who were still living in this part of the earth saw what was
coming...They knew the black magicians were headed straight for perdition
and their blind avarice would cause general destruction. So the Sons of God
built huge ships...they secretly took aboard a few of their instruments, their
families and their domestic animals...Some sailed north, some east, some south,
while some, sailing westward, arrived here where we are now (Egypt).
The black
magicians soon lost control over their instruments. It should have
been their task to conduct the highest cosmic forces into these instruments
and store them there, because the only source of this power on earth is the
human being himself. But the more selfish these people became, the more
a change took place in the current with which they charged these instruments
for latter use...One of the black magicians unintentionally conducted into his
own
body a force which dissolves matter...changes it into another form of energy.
When this process has once been set in motion, the matter which has been trans-
formed into energy goes on and on, acting as a destructive force, until it has
de-
materialized everything. In this way the whole continent was destroyed. Finally
the new forces thus created slowed down and eventually halted the process of
disintegration.
[P.154-155]
Then some of the theories wade into even more debatable historic and quasi-racist streams,
Now you
know why the people we are ruling and teaching have differently shaped
heads from those of the descendants of the Sons of God who are now the reigning
family. Those of us who have this elongated skull make relatively little use of
our
intellects because we are able to experience truth directly...in the
rear part
of our cranium we possess fully developed brain centers...and give us those
superior qualities and characteristics which distinguish us from the sons of
men.
[P.156-157]
And,
Father
looks at me quizzically. 'Father,' I ask, 'you have told me that the Sons of
God, in order to propagate their spiritual powers, took wives from among the
daughters of men. Didn't the daughters of the Sons of God also take husbands
from
among the sons of men? Why have only the Sons of God begotten children with the
daughters of men? --And not the daughters of God too with the sons of
men?"
'...God
still remains pure if he begets children with a daughter of the sons of men.
But the blood of a pure bred daughter of God would become mixed blood if she
were
to marry one of the sons of men. From then on she would be mixed and so would
her
children.'
[P.158-159]
These and similar, rather disturbing and convoluted statements, reflect a form of spiritual Eugenics--and renew our aversion to the author's over-kill use of "God."
"Eugenics" was a mid-nineteenth century expression of "Social Darwinism" which gained a stronghold in the United States, Germany and Great Britain. It's warped philosophy led to forced sterilization laws (1900-1920's) in the U.S., and gave anti-Semitism a pseudo-scientific basis in 1930's Germany. The danger of this sort of thinking, given authority by an obviously patriarchal "God," should be self-evident. All racists claim to be direct descendants of God.
The following passage also troubles us,
When
absolutely constant and completely impartial love radiates from you to
all creatures, your love will never again be mixed with personal inclinations
or antipathies. You will consider everything from the standpoint of the whole,
and when the interests of the whole community are at variance with those of
individual persons, you will unhesitatingly defend the cause of the group with
ruthless disregard for the interests of individuals...
[P.183)
We whole-heartedly agree with the first portion of the passage equating cosmic consciousness with divine love; but we find the ensuing conclusions downright abhorrent! This glorification of the "whole community" and the “majority” interests being somehow superior to individual interests opens the entire system up to charges of fascism at worst, questionable ethics at best. The author often contradicts herself with an almost coldly clinical approach to spiritual reality, imbued with a Judaeo-Christian sense of her own ego-centered superiority.
Gnostic Pagans realize the necessity for the mortal ego to actualize some form of collective focus, while at the same time radiating true individuality (Mahashakti, or Divine Consciousness), the human crown of creation.
Ms. Haich
witnesses those flaws of material reality (reflected in World War II), which
can and should be corrected, but she reverts to passive political
abstentionism:
...The
majority of young people are killed off in the fighting. This is the fastest
road to the complete degeneration of the entire human race. And people have
already sunk so low they don't even recognize this fact! For no other reason
than
blind hate and fear... people kill off the best and healthiest generation.
Dream!
Night!
Then,
little by little, my sense of reality came back, and I turned my child
over to God! Nothing can happen without God's will, and whatever happens
is good because God wants it so...
[P.294]
What about the death camps?
Why is this great Spiritual Teacher mute regarding the German racist policies (democratically approved by her esteemed "whole community," the German people, in their overwhelming support to the Nazi "Leader" and his pack of truly "degenerate" thugs?
On a more agreeable note--and admittedly more in accord with our own principles--in Chapter 36 [Final Preparations] is found the following description of Initiation:
In the
initiation all the negative forces that were made manifest in the fall
from a higher level of consciousness are offset by positive forces. The 'debts'
are thus paid. After you have successfully passed your initiation, you'll enter
a condition without fate...You will be free of the law of action and
reaction.
[P.281]
Many other passages in the book were potent and instructive, and helped to explain why some of us often experience such a state of deep sorrow despite, or possibly because of, our awakened metaphysical journey.
In conclusion, although we may not agree with all aspects of INITIATION, it is nonetheless a dynamic spiritual revelation and, despite our philosophical criticisms, a literary work definitely on the Gnostic Pagan must-read list.
Other books by Elisabeth Haich: THE DAY WITH YOGA; SEXUAL ENERGY & YOGA; WISDOM OF THE TAROT. And with S. Yesudian: YOGA & DESTINY and YOGA & HEALTH.
Please select from the following options:
REVIEW (1997):
"THE VISIT" Loreena McKinnet
REVIEW (1998):
"OPHELIA" Natalie Merchant
REVIEW (1999): "AWAKENING
OSIRIS" Normandi Ellis
"DAEMONIC
REALITY" by Patrick Harpur
Review: JEFarrow
Updated 11/07