A review of: +Palamas: Spirit Builders. Transmutation Publishing. 2015
Spirit Builders is an impressive tome. It contains everything relevant
to the ritual part of the rite of Memphis and Misraim in terms of how to awaken
the powers within each of the 97 grades and degrees.
As for the rites themselves, +Palamas have limited himself to the
‘primitive’ presentation of each degrees with commentaries upon each degree
relevant to the approach of Free Illuminism. What is contained in this is
basically a one on one direct meeting and merging with the mysteries outside
the circle squares as it would be in a traditional Masonic lodge.
Hence, what becomes vital in this voluminous tome is to understand the
approach itself, as the essence of the rituals themselves is well presented.
And in this we find the idea of initiation as a form of awakening to a process
that brings on an energetic harmony between body, soul and the mystical
experience itself, what + Palamas call ‘a souldream’.
The Free Illuminist approach is completely Esoteric and void of
Hierarchy and structures of authority, rooted in a belief that spiritual growth
cannot or are severely hindered within an authoritarian structure. Hence we
need to realize that +Palamas is presenting a non-traditional, non-hierarchical
Esoteric angel to the secrets of M+M aiming towards unlocking these powers and
realizations within specific fields of energetic resonance in the body known as point chauds – or hot
points (similar to the concept of marmas and chakras, energetic gateways where
a multiplicity of nerves meet and realization and spirit contact can occur).
+Palamas writes on page 14 that: “It is to the creative mind and to
those with a spirit of inquiry that Free Illuminism holds the most appeal” –
and this is important to keep in mind assessing this work and its presentation
of the ‘primitive doctrine of Memphis and Misraim’. The technique +Palamas used
in this work was scrying, so from the battery of the degree, password and sign
the corresponding point chaud is then activated in various ways to open this gateway
that instigate the initiatic experience of the degree researched.
Hence we are here speaking of a magical reconstruction rooted in occult
research and direct experience of the mystery itself. This approach will when
the work is done lead to a unique expression of the mystery worked with, an
ontological exercise in understanding one’s own spiritual landscapes.
This approach to the mysteries, namely occult engineering and magical reconstruction,
was greatly developed by Michael Paul Bertiaux and her continued by +Palamas
through the work done by T Allen Greenfield. And it is imperative to emphasize
that this is a particular approach not focused on exercising dogma, but a
scientific attitude that is focused on occult research into doctrine and
mystery.
I feel it is important to stress this, because this has been a
constant obstacle for many to even bother understanding the legacy of Michael
Bertiaux, namely the experimental, non-traditional approach to the mysteries.
So, in the same fashion Spirit Builders is a child of this very same succession
of thought and occult approach to the mysteries where old terms gain new and
personified meaning as the unique experience in the collective field of multidimensional
mysteries are understood in a given lattice of illumination.
Hence we need to
see Spirit Builders as a consequence of this particular approach, where SpiritBuilders, just like Bertiaux’ Vodoun Gnostic Workbook turns into a research
paper spanning 97° of illumination shared with the world with the purpose of
stimulating further research and experimentation, both to uncover potential
mysteries – but also to facilitate ownership of the work itself.
You find Transmutation Publishing here: http://www.transmutationpublishing.com/spirit-builders/