Should the Initiate Speak? The Wise One’s Imperative Duty to Reveal All That Serves Mankind

 

Should the Initiate Speak? The Wise One’s Imperative Duty to Reveal All That Serves Mankind

Should the initiate speak? Is it not their role, now more than ever, to step forward and speak out? It is self-evident: those who hold true knowledge bear an imperative duty to reveal everything that may serve their contemporaries.

In this delusional century of ours, the order of values has been inverted. The meteoric rise of modern science is no longer enough to dispel the deep unrest in our souls.

In times past, the patriarch, the ancestor, and the sage attained initiation with the passage of years—for all these titles, in their true etymology, denote the elder. The decline began when the priest supplanted the patriarch, spreading a religion of false gods. The alchemist and the scholar then inherited the mantle from the fallen priest. Today, the presumptuous youth reverses the direction of traditional lineage. Eager to supplant the sage, he throws God into public discredit and consigning the patriarch to an asylum. From here on, it is the student who seeks initiation. In the logic of the society we have built, this makes a certain sense: he is the strongest, the most ardent, and the most willing to be burned alive in the apocalyptic fires.

A witness to this boiling cauldron of Western witchcraft, Gwyon the Younger waits patiently, careful not to lose a single drop of the elixir that will grant him dominion over the globe: the power to journey through stellar realms, travel through time, and face God eye-to-eye, as equal to equal, god to god. This endures until giants renew the conquest of heaven and the war of the gods resumes—an era the humanity of future millennia will record in books of unbelievable and impossible legends. "And yet," a patriarch will remark, "it holds a kernel of truth."

We believe the great master teachers concluded their cycle nearly three thousand years ago.

By the time of Pythagoras and Plato, sacred knowledge—corrupted by priests and hidden behind their mysteries—survived only among a select few initiates. Scientific discoveries have certainly rendered many secrets of the ancient ancestors obsolete, yet the primary cause of modern decay stems from the demonic trajectory imposed upon our civilization. If hidden guides still exist within the unseen realm or in forgotten sanctuaries, twentieth-century man has every right to question their absolute power.

And what of the initiate? What is his role in this ordeal? What pitiful forces does he expect to hurl into a fray where the combatants do not even register his presence? Is it not his role, now more than ever, to step forward and speak out? It is self-evident: those who hold true knowledge bear an imperative duty to reveal everything that may serve their contemporaries.

It was for this very reason that Pythagoras sought initiation into the rites of the Asclepiadeans. He wished to master the remedies and healing practices that these priest-healers, sunk into empiricism, kept hidden and degraded behind secret rituals. Likewise, in 460 BCE, Hippocrates wrested the science of the human body from the hands of priests and sanctuaries, making it the common heritage of all humanity. The Hippocratic Oath has nothing to do with the veil of mystery charlatans love to wrap themselves in.

What Hippocrates demanded of his disciples was this:

"I swear to regard him who has taught me this art as equal to my parents; to look upon his offspring as my own brothers and teach them this art; to give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked, nor suggest any such counsel, nor cause an abortion; to abstain from all intentional wrong-doing and harm, especially from abusing the bodies of women or men; and to keep secret all that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or in daily commerce which ought not to be spread abroad, making my life and art worthy of general esteem."

Medicine remains the sole science where the term initiate is formally evoked, and where solemn oaths, the transmission of knowledge, moral duty, and the biological protection of our species are the absolute rule. Beyond any doubt, medicine is one of the primary branches of initiation—if not the first.

Supplementary Report: The Tradition of Initiatic Societies and the Restricted Transmission of Knowledge from Antiquity to the West

The idea that certain knowledge should be restricted to an elite circle is far older than medieval secret societies. Since the rise of the earliest civilizations, religious, astronomical, mathematical, medical, and political knowledge was frequently concentrated in the hands of priests, scribes, and initiates. However, a critical distinction must be drawn between historically documented institutions and later interpretations that projected a broader sense of "secrecy" onto them than the evidence supports.

1. Sumer: The Birth of Sacerdotal Knowledge

In ancient Sumer (c. 3500–2000 BCE), there is no historical evidence of organized secret societies in the style of medieval or modern orders. However, knowledge was strictly restricted.

The priests of the major temples held exclusive authority over:

• Astronomy and mathematics
• The calendar system
• Medicine and state administration
• Cuneiform writing

Mastering the written word required years of training in the edubba ("tablet house"), accessible only to a small scribal elite.

The Sumerian religious system itself dictated that certain knowledge belonged exclusively to the gods and was revealed only to chosen representatives. Key examples include:

• Enki, the god of wisdom
• The ME, divine decrees containing all the arts, crafts, and institutions of civilization
• Specialized priests dedicated to rituals of purification and exorcism

While no formal secret society existed, a clear division separated the initiated elite from the general populace.

2. Ancient Egypt: The Great Centers of Initiation

Ancient Egypt produced one of the most influential models for the restricted transmission of knowledge.

Egyptian temples functioned simultaneously as:

• Universities and observatories
• Hospitals and libraries
• Religious sanctuaries

Only authorized priests maintained full access to sacred texts. Prominent temple complexes—such as Karnak, Luxor, Abydos, Dendera, and Edfu—served as centers for priestly education.

Archaeological evidence indicates a structured hierarchy of priesthoods. Initiates studied:

• Astronomy and geometry
• Medicine and early alchemy
• Mathematics and architecture
• Sacred rituals and symbolic interpretation

Later Greek authors, including Herodotus and Plutarch, asserted that many Greek philosophers studied in Egypt. While specific details remain debated by scholars, there is broad consensus regarding the profound Egyptian influence on Greek thought.

3. Babylonia

Similarly, there is no evidence of organized secret societies in Babylonia. Instead, power rested within a formidable priestly class that controlled:

• Astronomical observations and eclipse predictions
• Advanced mathematics and medicine
• Divination practices and royal libraries

Babylonian astronomy became among the most advanced in the ancient world, yet this knowledge remained almost entirely restricted to the clergy and royal scribes.

4. The Greek Mystery Cults

Classical Greece saw the formal emergence of mystery schools (mysterion). Among the most prominent were:

• The Eleusinian Mysteries: Lasting nearly two millennia, candidates took strict oaths of secrecy (arrheton). Revealing the sacred rites was punishable by death—a vow so strictly observed that few details of the core rituals survive.
• The Pythagorean School: The brotherhood founded by Pythagoras is perhaps Antiquity’s quintessential initiatic community. It featured structured degrees, extended periods of silence, strict moral discipline, esoteric instruction, secret symbols, and rigorous admission tests. Exoteric listeners received only basic teachings, while inner disciples accessed deeper doctrines.
• Orphism: An esoteric religious movement centered on the soul, reincarnation, and spiritual purification, maintaining private rites reserved exclusively for initiates.
• Plato's Academy: While not a secret society, higher philosophical teachings were reserved for advanced students deemed intellectually and morally prepared to comprehend complex metaphysics.

5. The Roman Empire

The Roman World absorbed and adapted these traditions. Major mystery cults included:

• The Mysteries of Isis: Imported from Egypt, featuring multi-tiered initiations, purification rites, and sacred oaths.
• Mithraism: The premier initiatic order of the Roman military, structured around seven progressive degrees: Corax (Raven), Nymphus (Bridegroom), Miles (Soldier), Leo (Lion), Perses (Persian), Heliodromus (Sun-runner), and Pater (Father). Rites were conducted in subterranean temples known as mithraea.
• Dionysian Mysteries: Centered on ecstatic transformation through private initiations and secret rituals.

6. Transmission to the Middle Ages

Following the Christianization of the Roman Empire, many classical mystery institutions dissolved or evolved. However, the core principle—that specialized knowledge required moral preparation, strict discipline, oaths, and hierarchy—endured within monastic orders.

7. The Cistercian Monks

Founded in 1098, the Cistercian Order was not a secret society, yet it embodied:

• Rigorous personal discipline
• Internal preservation and copying of texts
• Gradual spiritual and intellectual formation
• Extensive monastic libraries

While many historians note the Cistercians played a crucial contextual role leading to the creation of the Knights Templar—most notably through the influential support of Bernard of Clairvaux—the claim that Cistercians were the direct "founders" of the Templars is not supported by historical consensus.

8. The Knights Templar

The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Knights Templar) combined military prowess with monastic devotion. Members took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, operating under:

• Private chapter meetings
• Strict hierarchical leadership
• Esoteric admission ceremonies and internal codes

Over the centuries, extensive folklore emerged regarding secret knowledge preserved by the Templars, though most claims lack primary documentary proof.

9. The Renaissance

The Renaissance witnessed a resurgence of initiatic brotherhoods drawing inspiration from classical antiquity:

• Hermeticists
• Alchemists
• Christian Kabbalists
• Rosicrucians

These groups revitalized the principle that profound truth demands rigorous intellectual and spiritual preparation.

10. Freemasonry

Modern Freemasonry inherited many organizational structures from these traditions:

• Multi-degree initiations
• Solemn obligations and oaths
• Symbolic allegories and ritualized transmission

Mainstream historians date the consolidation of modern speculative Freemasonry to the 17th and 18th centuries, drawing inspiration from medieval stonemason guilds and Renaissance humanism rather than maintaining a direct, unbroken lineage to ancient Egypt or Greece.

Conclusion

Across five millennia, a consistent pattern emerges across civilizations: sacred, complex, or high-value knowledge was transmitted selectively through rigorous preparation, moral discipline, and binding oaths. In Sumer and Babylonia, this responsibility belonged to scribal and priestly elites; in Egypt, to the temple sanctuaries; in Greece, to mystery cults and philosophical schools; and in Rome, to initiatory mystery religions.

In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, monastic orders, trade guilds, and esoteric fraternities preserved similar hierarchical structures. While modern observers often draw parallels between these traditions, professional historians emphasize that institutional continuity is rarely supported by evidence. What remains undeniable is a continuity of ideas: the enduring conviction that profound knowledge requires ethical, intellectual, and symbolic preparation before it can be fully understood.

Complete Bibliography (Chicago Manual of Style)

Primary Sources and Classical Texts

• The Coffin Texts. Translated by Raymond O. Faulkner. Warminster: Aris & Phillips, 1973.
• The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day. Translated by Raymond O. Faulkner. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1994.
• The Epic of Gilgamesh. Translated by Andrew George. London: Penguin Books, 1999.
• Herodotus. The Histories. Translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt. Revised by John Marincola. New York: Penguin Books, 2003.
• Iamblichus. On the Pythagorean Life. Translated by Gillian Clark. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 1989.
• Livy. The History of Rome. Translated by Valerie M. Warrior. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 2006.
• Plato. The Republic. Translated by G. M. A. Grube. Revised by C. D. C. Reeve. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 1992.
• Plutarch. Isis and Osiris. In Moralia, Volume V, translated by Frank Cole Babbitt. Loeb Classical Library 306. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1936.
• Porphyry. The Life of Pythagoras. In Heroes and Gods: Spiritual Biographies in Antiquity, edited by Moses Hadas and Morton Smith. New York: Harper & Row, 1965.
• The Pyramid Texts. Translated by Samuel A. B. Mercer. New York: Longmans, Green and Co., 1952.

Near Eastern and Egyptian Studies

• Assmann, Jan. Death and Salvation in Ancient Egypt. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2005.
• ———. The Mind of Egypt: History and Meaning in the Time of the Pharaohs. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2002.
• Bernal, Martin. Black Athena: The Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1987.
• Collins, Billie Jean, ed. A History of the Ancient Near East. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2004.
• Crawford, Harriet. Sumer and the Sumerians. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
• Frankfort, Henri. Kingship and the Gods: A Study of Ancient Near Eastern Religion as the Integration of Society and Nature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1948.
• Frankfort, Henri, H. A. Frankfort, John A. Wilson, Thorkild Jacobsen, and William A. Irwin. Before Philosophy: The Intellectual Adventure of Ancient Man. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1946.
• Hornung, Erik. The Secret Lore of Egypt: Its Impact on the West. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2001.
• Jacq, Christian. The Living Wisdom of Ancient Egypt. New York: Pocket Books, 1999.
• Kramer, Samuel Noah. History Begins at Sumer: Thirty-Nine Firsts in Recorded History. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1981.
• Shaw, Ian, ed. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
• Wilkinson, Richard H. The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. London: Thames & Hudson, 2003.

Greco-Roman Religion and Mystery Cults

• Beard, Mary, John North, and Simon Price. Religions of Rome. 2 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
• Boardman, John. The Greeks Overseas: Their Early Colonies and Trade. London: Thames & Hudson, 1999.
• Burkert, Walter. Ancient Mystery Cults. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1987.
• ———. Greek Religion. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1985.
• Clauss, Manfred. The Roman Cult of Mithras: The God and His Mysteries. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2000.
• Cumont, Franz. The Mysteries of Mithra. New York: Dover Publications, 1956.
• Guthrie, W. K. C. Orpheus and Greek Religion: A Study of the Orphic Movement. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1952.
• Kahn, Charles H. Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans: A History. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 2001.
• Kingsley, Peter. Ancient Philosophy, Mystery, and Magic: Empedocles and Pythagorean Tradition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.
• Taylor, Joan E. The Essenes, the Scrolls, and the Dead Sea. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.
• Vernant, Jean-Pierre. Myth and Thought Among the Greeks. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1983.

Medieval, Renaissance, and Esoteric Studies

• Barber, Malcolm. The New Knighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
• ———. The Trial of the Templars. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
• Demurger, Alain. The Last Templar: The Tragedy of Jacques de Molay, Last Grand Master of the Temple. London: Profile Books, 2004.
• Eliade, Mircea. A History of Religious Ideas. 3 vols. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978–1985.
• ———. Rites and Symbols of Initiation: The Mysteries of Birth and Rebirth. New York: Harper & Row, 1958.
• Faivre, Antoine. Access to Western Esotericism. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1994.
• Lawrence, C. H. Medieval Monasticism: Forms of Religious Life in Western Europe in the Middle Ages. 4th ed. London: Routledge, 2015.
• Leclercq, Jean. The Love of Learning and the Desire for God: A Study of Monastic Culture. New York: Fordham University Press, 1982.
• Nicholson, Helen. The Knights Templar: A New History. Stroud: Sutton Publishing, 2001.
• Russell, Bertrand. A History of Western Philosophy. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1945.
• Yates, Frances A. Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1964.
• ———. The Rosicrucian Enlightenment. London: Routledge, 1972.