Initiations

Paul Sédir

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Paul Sédir was one of the most important figures of the late 19th century occult renaissance in France, and yet he remains very little known in the English-speaking world. Born Yvon Le Loup in 1871, the young Breton moved to Paris and took up occultism as a teenager under the patronage of Papus (Gérard Encausse). Blessed with an exceptional memory and intuition, he embraced a diversity of paths and quickly rose through the ranks of a wide range of esoteric fraternities, authoring a number of books. From his home in Montmartre he held weekly open discussions on occultism and was well known for his exceptional knowledge and powerful presence. In later life, a significant mystical encounter led him to resign from his occult activities and focus solely on a Christian mystical path.

Adopting the name Sédir (an anagram of ‘désir’), he began writing his important work Initiations around 1901, and expanded it gradually over the following twenty-five years until his death in 1926. It follows the ‘initiations’, both occult and mystical, of a Paris doctor and his strange friend Andreas, nuanced by the enigmatic background presence of Theophane, the true healer. Presented in a deceptively simple narrative form, it distils and encodes a lifetime’s esoteric and mystical knowledge in a way which serves as a very real initiation for the perceptive reader.

About the translator: Gareth Knight brings the benefit of 60 years’ experience in practical occultism to this new translation of Sédir’s work. He has translated a number of French esoteric texts, as well as being a renowned author in his own right.

  • ISBN: 978-1-908011-99-2
  • 210 pages
  • cover image: Paris 1892 (design by Rebsie Fairholm)
  • perfect-bound paperback: 229mm x 152mm
  • black and white text
  • published 31st October 2014