Myth, Magick & Masonry
I heard Bro. Jaime Paul Lamb speak at this year’s Esoterica In Freemasonry conference, and was so impressed by his presentation that I had to buy his books. The first one I decided to read was Myth, Magick & Masonry: Occult Perspectives In Freemasonry.
I found that I enjoyed it very much.
The book is composed of four separate and distinct sections. In each of these Bro. Lamb carefully looks at Freemasonry through a specific lens. The way he looks at Masonry, his point of view if you will, changes as you move through the different parts of the book.
Specifically, these lenses are:
Ceremonial Magick
Astrology
Classical Mythology
Mithraism
I found his specific approach in each section to be much more readable and easily digestible than would have been possible with some form of blended text.
I find that I tend to judge a book like this by how well it succeeds in challenging my thinking, and Myth, Magick & Masonry certainly did that.
I purchased the book primarily to read the section covering the Rites of Mithras. This mystery religion, embraced by the Roman Empire has always been fascinating for me and I was eager to learn what Bro. Lamb found parallel between it and Freemasonry. It was the first section I read when I was finally able to sit down with the book. And that section was truly interesting.
But my favorite section of the book is that which deals with Ceremonial Magick. Specifically, The Integral Relationship Between Freemasonry And Ceremonial Magick. I hadn’t thought that I would enjoy that section at all. In my mind when I think of the term ‘ceremonial magick’ my thoughts instantly jump to a hellscape vision of nerds, dressed in bad costumes, doing the Lesser Banishing Ritual Of The Pentagram, over, and over, forever. I have nightmares of never ending dullness. “Please save me from the never ending dullness, ye’ modern day proponents of Chaos!”
Sorry, got lost in my own nightmare there for a moment.
Seriously though, I found this section of the book to be extremely interesting and enlightening. I enjoyed the entire book, but this was a standout for me.
I found this book to be quite a fun read, and I learned from it. As a result, I’m very pleased to recommend it to you. I don’t think there is any chance you will be disappointed.
Beyond Bro. Lamb’s books, if you ever have an opportunity to hear him speak, you won’t want to miss it. He is a wonderful presenter, and knows his subject extremely well.
You can find Bro. Lamb’s books on Freemasonry here.
I enjoyed this book thoroughly. His talk on Astrology at the conference was not one I thought I would have had much interest in. But it blew my mind so much, I had to buy this book. The book was so insightful, I wanted to share some of its insights with my brothers at our officers’ retreat this year. Of course, I forgot to pack the book so I wouldn’t be able to share it properly. A quick email to Brother Lamb and he provided me with a digital copy to be able to share with the condition that I delete it immediately after, since it’s not typically available digitally and wouldn’t be fair to the publisher. I shared his insights and promptly deleted it after. What a guy!
I read this book years ago and recommended it to others Masons as well. I found it to be an insightful and enlightening read.