Freemasonry and its Ancient Mystic Rites, by C W Leadbeater (1847 – 1934), ISBN 0 517 20267 0, published 1998, 241 pages inc. index. Cost can’t remember on the Internet.
The author was a 32nd Degree Freemason in Le Droit Humain as well a Church of England clergyman and a clairvoyant Theosophist who worked with Helen P Blavatsky in India. I bought this book some years ago, I can’t remember but I may have been going through an “occult” stage at the time. It was to be found in my “not sure about these ones” pile and I had completely forgotten all about it.
As soon as I opened the book and started to read the Introduction it all came flooding back. The “about the author” section (written in 1986) stated that Leadbeater was a 32 degree mason but there he was in a portrait from 1926 dressed as a 33 degree, was this a mistake or was this some form of deception. This particular book is actually composed of 2 separate works “Glimpses of Masonic History” written by Leadbeater in 1926 and a separate work “Ancient Mystic Rites” 1986. Now, I’m not sure how Leadbeater wrote the second one (52 years after he died) or how he edited them together but I’ll leave it to you to decide.
The book runs along very similar lines to Pike’s Morals and Dogma in that comparisons are made between Freemasonry and the Ancient mystery schools and traditions. However, they part company firmly in that Pike merely draws them but Leadbeater claims to have witnessed the facts clairvoyantly (is this a word?). He claims that Freemasonry was passed from the Atantians to the Ancient Egyptians from there onto the proto-jews in the form of Moses this link also touches base with the Culdees (Cele De) before going through the Operatives and into the form that we know today. This is bad news for those who favour the Knights Templar link theories as he doesn’t link Craft Freemasonry as the continuation of KT ritual but rather the AASR (18th-33rd), Royal Order of Scotland, the Rosecrucians and the rites of Heredom (of course as he has “been” there he must know, mustn’t he?). There is of course the now familiar (to those who have read the Hiram Key etc) claim that Jesus was a Freemason.
If you can put aside the author’s claim to first hand knowledge of the events covered; the book is an excellent read. However, it is disconcerting when he slips into his “this is how we did it in Ancient Egypt” or “ when I was initiated into the Ancient Greek mysteries” modes. He also applies the “Great White Brotherhood” (I believe that this is a Theosophist term) to Freemasonry as if Freemasonry is its subordinate.
Overall Rating: 5/10
Very much recommended for the experienced Freemason who wants to branch out into esotericism and occult issues with a nice sideline into the Ancient Mysteries but I wouldn’t recommend it to inexperienced Freemasons who may not recognise the correct quantity of salt to be added. The books’ own disclaimer should be borne in mind, to quote directly “Clairvoyant findings cannot be verified by ordinary means, of course, but Leadbeater was known to use meticulous care in observing superphysical phenomena and was one of the most distinguished clairvoyants of his day.”
