![]() ![]() For his references to contemporary Masonic work, Leadbeater focuses on the Theosophical strain of Co-Masonry. In both that book and this one, he engages the postulate of a secret "Head of all true Freemasons" or H.O.A.T.F., which appears to be a metaphysical doctrine of Theosophical origin. It was written by Theosophist Leadbeater as a sequel to his Hidden Life in Freemasonry. This book is a lot more peculiar than its rather generic Masonic title might suggest. into something that makes sense in their own view, perhaps interpreting this role as that of a patron saint, an angel or a divine being, under whose charge the Fraternity operates. While this concept is not found in regular Masonry, most Masons will have no trouble adapting the idea of a H.O.A.T.F. stands for the "Head of All True Freemasons" which is either a real or imaginary person (or spiritual entity) which watches over all Freemasonry on earth and works towards its success. It also requires knowledge of some Theosophist abbreviations, such as H.O.A.T.F., which are unexplained in the text of the book. It is written from a Co-Masonic perspective, but the author has kindly relegated most matters specific to Co-Masonry to a chapter at the end of the book. This may not be the best book for a new Freemason to make as their first piece of reading on the Fraternity, but once you have learned how to sort the valuable discoveries which might be of importance to the Craft out from the rubbish, this is a great and thought-provoking book to read. That being said, you can easily set aside those portions of the book and read the rest with confidence that the author not only knows what he is talking about, but has had practical experience applying those things of which he speaks. ![]() ![]() I do not doubt that this information was well-intended and came from some sort of spiritual practice, but it hasn't much to do with Freemasonry or the Ancient Mysteries, and is most likely a lot of fantasy. The only thing I found hard to digest about this book are the sections where he begins to recount ancient (far ancient) Egyptian history with a certainty of having been there. Like most Theosophists, he weaves all of the pet subjects of Theosophy into this volume, but it is done in a way far less obtrusive than usual. Charles Leadbeater is brilliant in his interpretation of the spiritual effect of Masonic Ritual and the greater hidden environment in which it operates. ![]()
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