Initiatory Degrees

0° — Candidate (Preparatory Degree)

This is the initial stage of self-initiation. The Candidate is required to undertake serious intellectual formation through reading, contemplation, and inward inquiry. The purpose is not only to develop disciplined habits of study but to absorb the foundational framework that will make the later stages of the path intelligible. Without this intellectual preparation, the metaphysical teachings of the sacred texts to come will remain closed or distorted.

The Candidate will engage directly with the Traditionalist writers, whose role is to provide the keys to perennial metaphysics, symbolism, and the critique of modernity. Through them, one will come to understand the condition of the world, the forgotten principles of true civilization, and the universal structures common to all authentic traditions. Only after acquiring these keys will one be ready to approach the primary sources such as scripture, Greek philosophy, Neoplatonism, and the great religious texts in the proper spirit.

The deeper aim of this degree is to lay the intellectual groundwork for the restoration of Traditionalism within Protestant Christianity. We do not seek to abandon our Protestant heritage but to reintegrate it with the principles it has lost. The Traditionalist texts will serve as the necessary foundation for the construction of an authentic, ascetic, and intellectually robust Protestantism capable of surviving the Kali Yuga.

There are no formal vows, but there is a burden of proof. The Candidate must demonstrate inwardly that they are fit to proceed further. The reading list is not decorative or academic. It is a trial. Its function is to train the mind, test patience, and eliminate those unworthy or incapable of further initiation. These books are not meant to be consumed quickly. They must be endured, integrated, and allowed to reshape the soul.

Required Readings:

• The Fullness of God by Frithjof Schuon
• Christianity/Islam: Essays on Esoteric Ecumenicism by Frithjof Schuon
• The Transcendent Unity of Religions by Frithjof Schuon
• Introduction to the Study of the Hindu Doctrines by René Guénon
• The Crisis of the Modern World by René Guénon
• Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times by René Guénon
• Revolt Against the Modern World by Julius Evola
• Men Among the Ruins by Julius Evola
• Ride the Tiger by Julius Evola

Those who pass through this stage with humility and perseverance will find the way forward. Those who cannot will remain outside the gate.

1° — Associate (The Path of Differentiation)

The Associate Degree marks the transition from intellectual preparation to active initiation. The initiate, having acquired the conceptual keys from the Traditionalist authors, is now called to embody and test these teachings through direct action and discipline. The requirements of this degree are:

• Completion of the primary source readings, focusing on Greco-Roman, Eastern, and early Christian texts.
• Undertaking a 12 to 18 month action-based insight role through a demanding vocation or project.
• Participation in a small cohort (2–5 members) for mutual accountability and reflection.
• Gradual preparation for and successful completion of a 100-hour dry fast.
• Strict abstention from alcohol, tobacco, masturbation, and all forms of sensual indulgence during the degree.

The completion of the assigned readings serves to expand the initiate’s intellectual horizon beyond Christianity alone. By immersing themselves in the metaphysical legacy of the Greeks, Neoplatonists, Hindus, Buddhists, and early Christian mystics, the initiate learns to see Christianity as the fulfillment of a universal spiritual order, rather than as a narrow moralistic creed.

The insight role is the active testing ground of this formation. The initiate must dedicate themselves to a meaningful outward endeavor — whether founding a business, engaging in skilled manual labor, serving a traditional parish, or taking on another honorable responsibility. This period is not a retreat from the world, but a descent into it with the aim of forging the virtues of courage, patience, and perseverance.

Each initiate will operate within a small cohort, designed for accountability and mutual sharpening. Fellow initiates are not to imitate one another, but to act as mirrors, providing honest feedback and encouragement, while resisting the modern tendency toward competitive egoism.

As a culminating ordeal, the initiate will prepare themselves to complete a 100-hour dry fast. This is no symbolic gesture, but a serious test of mastery over bodily impulses, comfort-seeking, and self-pity. It will reveal whether the initiate's will is fit to endure the greater trials ahead.

Throughout the duration of this degree, the initiate will abstain entirely from alcohol, tobacco, masturbation, and all forms of sensual indulgence. This is not legalism, but necessary preparation for spiritual clarity. Purity of body and mind are indispensable for genuine realization.

This degree is expected to take between twelve and twenty-four months, depending on individual circumstances and sincerity. It is not to be rushed. One advances when inward transformation, not mere outward effort, is evident.