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Idries Shah |
“Freemasonry has been upheld by distinguished people in many
countries, reviled and persecuted, linked with politics, reduced to the
relative informality of staid businessmen’s frolics, penetrated by
Rosicrucianism, attacked as a Jewish imposture by the Nazis. It would not be
seemly for a Freemason to engage upon a public portrayal of any part of the
craft’s symbolism or beliefs—indeed it is more than probable that a member
would be under an oath of secrecy whereby he must preserve every part of the
brotherhood’s workings from all who are not initiated. The source of material
purporting to be Masonic for the nonmember, therefore, is bound to be fairly
one-sided-the inner workings of Masonry provided by renegades and probably by
opponents of the craft.
“When a study is made of all available literature purporting
to contain Masonic secrets, certain definite outlines appear, which might
justifiably be considered to form a reasonable amount of true information, on
the no-smoke-without-fire principle. Be that as it may, what interests the Sufi
is the fact that, out of the material which claims to be partially or wholly
Masonic, a very great deal is at once seen to concur with matters of everyday
Sufi initiatory practice. Either Freemasonry is, as Burton claimed, derived
from the Sufis, or else the substance of the frequent and plentiful exposes,
which may not be of Freemasonry at all, are in fact exposures of a Sufic cult
other than Freemasonry. For the purposes of this study we shall approach this
exciting part of the inquiry from the only perspective open to us. Parallels
will be sought between what the exposers claim to be Freemasonry, and what we
know of Sufic schools.”
Idries Shah
The Sufis
pp. 205-6
Having failed to arouse much interest in a book club for my lodge, I’m delighted to share news of the Fourth Manhattan District’s Book Club.
Next meeting: Wednesday, August 22 at 6:30 p.m. in Room 1615 of Masonic Hall. (Photo ID required to enter the building.)
The group selected The Sufis by Idries Shah for this meeting. Buy your copy, read, and bring to the meeting.
RSVP here.