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Initiation
Initiation is the rite of passage by which a person enters a sacred community, a craft, a phase of life or a degree of an esoteric path. Studied in anthropology by Arnold van Gennep (Les rites de passage, 1909) and Mircea Eliade (Naissances mystiques, 1959), it is a cultural universal.
The three phases
Van Gennep identified three typical phases: separation (the person is removed from previous life), liminality ("threshold" phase, where one is no longer what one was and not yet what one will become), aggregation (entry into the new state). They are present in adolescent initiations (Jewish bar mitzvah, Christian confirmation, tribal rites), professional ones and esoteric ones.
Esoteric initiation
In Western esoteric traditions (Freemasonry, Golden Dawn, OTO, Rosicrucianism) initiation is a ritual ceremony of entry into a grade. It involves an oath, specific symbols and the transmission of knowledge. It should be distinguished from "inner" or spiritual initiation, which is a psycho-spiritual process not reducible to a rite.
FAQ
Is it a religious practice?
Historically yes, it is almost always linked to the sacred. There are also secular initiations (graduation, weddings, entry into a profession).
Can you "self-initiate"?
In some esoteric traditions yes, although communal transmission is considered fundamental by most schools.
Are esoteric initiations dangerous?
It depends on context. Look for groups that have transparency, a recognised structure and do not ask for disproportionate sums of money or binding commitments.