THE MAGNUM OPUS OR GREAT WORK: PIKE'S FIRST VERSION OF THE ESOTERIC WORK AND LECTURES OF THE SCOTTISH RITE RITUALS
Book Details + Condition: By Albert Pike. Softcover reprint from 1992 by Kessinger Publishing Company (publishers of rare and out-of-print books on Alchemy, Freemasonry, Hermetic, Rosicrucian, and Occult subjects). Violet/magenta covers with black-and-white illustration on front, and title (etc) in black on spine. In very good condition: tight binding; light shelfwear to covers, with slight fading to spine and cover edges; light bleeding of cover to first page; text is clean and unmarked save owner's initials on title page.
Pike’s first writing of the complete rituals of the Scottish Rite. Only 100 copies were printed privately at his own expense at a cost of $1200. Pike’s ritualistic revisions were so impressive he was made an active member of the Supreme Council and became the most revered Sovereign Grand Commander in the history of the Rite. The complete rituals served as the foundation of the Scottish Rite’s philosophy. The Magnum Opus contains Albert Pike’s complete, first writing of the rituals of the Scottish Rite degrees. Pike continued to further refine these rituals for the remainder of his life. The Magnum Opus allows researchers to trace the divergence to discover shifts in Masonic symbolism. Although similar to the current rituals used by the Scottish Rite, it is slightly different and more esoteric. Some of Pike’s rituals were used by other Supreme Councils as a foundation for their own practices.
