Mark Stavish is a respected authority on Western spiritual traditions. The author of 26 books, published in 9 languages, including The Path of Alchemy and Egregores, he is the founder and director of the Institute for Hermetic Studies and the Louis Claude de St. Martin Fund. He has appeared on radio shows, television, and in major print media, including Coast to Coast AM, the History Channel, BBC, and the New York Times. The author of the blog VOXHERMES, he lives in Wyoming, Pennsylvania.

• Deeper into the Wonderful Mystery Foreword to the 2021 Edition by Arturo de Hoyos, 33° Foreword to the First Edition by Lon Milo DuQuette, 32°How to Use This BookINTRODUCTION What Is the Secret of Freemasonry? CHAPTER 1 What Is Freemasonry? CHAPTER 2 The Temple of Solomon and the Legend of Hiram Abiff CHAPTER 3 Masonic Initiation and the Blue Lodge CHAPTER 4 The Worldview of the Renaissance The World Is Alive, and Magic Is Afoot CHAPTER 5Sacred Geometry, Gothic Cathedrals, and the Hermetic Arts in Stone CHAPTER 6 The Lost Word and the Masonic Quest CHAPTER 7Scottish Rite and the Rise of Esoteric Masonry CHAPTER 8 Occult Masonry in the Eighteenth CenturyCHAPTER 9York Rite and the Survival of the Knights TemplarCHAPTER 10 Freemasonry and the European Occult Revival CONCLUSION Modern Masonry Much Ado about Nothing, or the Revival of the Lost Word? Afterword by Charles S. Canning, 33° APPENDIX A Sacred Geometry and the Masonic Tradition by John Michael Greer APPENDIX B Symbols of the Tracing Boards and the DegreesAPPENDIX C Excerpts from Morals and Dogma on the Three Degrees of MasonryNotesBibliographyIndex

“Like a drowsy lion, Freemasonry arouses in the outsider both curiosity and mistrust. This landmark book anatomizes the creature without apology or mystification. At the same time, it summons insiders to revive their moribund craft in all the grandeur of its original mission to humanity. Mark Stavish, whose work is informed by a profound knowledge of esoteric traditions, has earned gratitude from both sides.”

Mark Stavish is a respected authority on Western spiritual traditions. The author of 26 books, published in 9 languages, including The Path of Alchemy and Egregores, he is the founder and director of the Institute for Hermetic Studies and the Louis Claude de St. Martin Fund. He has appeared on radio shows, television, and in major print media, including Coast to Coast AM, the History Channel, BBC, and the New York Times. The author of the blog VOXHERMES, he lives in Wyoming, Pennsylvania.

• Deeper into the Wonderful Mystery Foreword to the 2021 Edition by Arturo de Hoyos, 33° Foreword to the First Edition by Lon Milo DuQuette, 32°How to Use This BookINTRODUCTION What Is the Secret of Freemasonry? CHAPTER 1 What Is Freemasonry? CHAPTER 2 The Temple of Solomon and the Legend of Hiram Abiff CHAPTER 3 Masonic Initiation and the Blue Lodge CHAPTER 4 The Worldview of the Renaissance The World Is Alive, and Magic Is Afoot CHAPTER 5Sacred Geometry, Gothic Cathedrals, and the Hermetic Arts in Stone CHAPTER 6 The Lost Word and the Masonic Quest CHAPTER 7Scottish Rite and the Rise of Esoteric Masonry CHAPTER 8 Occult Masonry in the Eighteenth CenturyCHAPTER 9York Rite and the Survival of the Knights TemplarCHAPTER 10 Freemasonry and the European Occult Revival CONCLUSION Modern Masonry Much Ado about Nothing, or the Revival of the Lost Word? Afterword by Charles S. Canning, 33° APPENDIX A Sacred Geometry and the Masonic Tradition by John Michael Greer APPENDIX B Symbols of the Tracing Boards and the DegreesAPPENDIX C Excerpts from Morals and Dogma on the Three Degrees of MasonryNotesBibliographyIndex

“Like a drowsy lion, Freemasonry arouses in the outsider both curiosity and mistrust. This landmark book anatomizes the creature without apology or mystification. At the same time, it summons insiders to revive their moribund craft in all the grandeur of its original mission to humanity. Mark Stavish, whose work is informed by a profound knowledge of esoteric traditions, has earned gratitude from both sides.”

Mark Stavish is a respected authority on Western spiritual traditions. The author of 26 books, published in 9 languages, including The Path of Alchemy and Egregores, he is the founder and director of the Institute for Hermetic Studies and the Louis Claude de St. Martin Fund. He has appeared on radio shows, television, and in major print media, including Coast to Coast AM, the History Channel, BBC, and the New York Times. The author of the blog VOXHERMES, he lives in Wyoming, Pennsylvania.

• Deeper into the Wonderful Mystery Foreword to the 2021 Edition by Arturo de Hoyos, 33° Foreword to the First Edition by Lon Milo DuQuette, 32°How to Use This BookINTRODUCTION What Is the Secret of Freemasonry? CHAPTER 1 What Is Freemasonry? CHAPTER 2 The Temple of Solomon and the Legend of Hiram Abiff CHAPTER 3 Masonic Initiation and the Blue Lodge CHAPTER 4 The Worldview of the Renaissance The World Is Alive, and Magic Is Afoot CHAPTER 5Sacred Geometry, Gothic Cathedrals, and the Hermetic Arts in Stone CHAPTER 6 The Lost Word and the Masonic Quest CHAPTER 7Scottish Rite and the Rise of Esoteric Masonry CHAPTER 8 Occult Masonry in the Eighteenth CenturyCHAPTER 9York Rite and the Survival of the Knights TemplarCHAPTER 10 Freemasonry and the European Occult Revival CONCLUSION Modern Masonry Much Ado about Nothing, or the Revival of the Lost Word? Afterword by Charles S. Canning, 33° APPENDIX A Sacred Geometry and the Masonic Tradition by John Michael Greer APPENDIX B Symbols of the Tracing Boards and the DegreesAPPENDIX C Excerpts from Morals and Dogma on the Three Degrees of MasonryNotesBibliographyIndex

“Like a drowsy lion, Freemasonry arouses in the outsider both curiosity and mistrust. This landmark book anatomizes the creature without apology or mystification. At the same time, it summons insiders to revive their moribund craft in all the grandeur of its original mission to humanity. Mark Stavish, whose work is informed by a profound knowledge of esoteric traditions, has earned gratitude from both sides.”