Since its use in the lessons of the qabalistic-alchemical organization The Philosophers of Nature, the term “Initiation of Nadir” has seen a modest spread to other Western esoteric movements. The term was detailed in the French alchemist Jean Dubuis works, primarily “Fundamentals of Esotericism” and “The Experience of Eternity.” The basic premise of those works is that humanity goes through a descent of consciousness from the point of creation and then a re-ascent back to that point. It is this re-ascent that initiation is concerned with, and in fact helps to accelerate. As Peter Roche de Coppens, an author and friend of mine described it, “We start out as simple beings in the descent and return as gods or fully aware and awake adults in the universe.” However, on this billion-year-long cosmic journey that is a literal turning point for people, and even societies if sufficient numbers make the trip. That turning point is known as “The Initiation of the Nadir.” To be clear, there are many Initiations of the Nadir, one for each person, for each society, for each civilization, maybe even each planet and solar system. What we are concerned with, however, is the one we are at at this moment in history. The Initiation takes place when the individual, and in this instance the majority of human beings on this planet, are at their deepest point of materialism.
Those who reject materialism and enter into the Path of Return, the spiritual path, are said to have taken the Initiation of the Nadir. In fact, the initiation is often described as a sort of Cosmic Wind or energy that pushes us – think in terms of astrological conditions. We can accept the push, put up our sail, and ride, or we can turn and try to reject it, push against it, or simply stay put.
Those who accept the “winds of cosmic fortune” will move forward. Those who reject it, ignore it, or fight against it risk being removed from the cosmic gene pool for a period or time, or relocated elsewhere, so to speak.
But to be clear, Initiation of the Nadir does not make one an adept, particularly smart, insightful, or even that aware. It simply means that there is a rejection of materialism, and with it, an acceptance of some inner help on the journey. It is as if one’s energies have moved to being fifty-one or fifty-two percent directed towards the interior and forty-nine or forty-eight percent towards the material and its struggles. It does not sound like much, but keep in mind, those are the odds for winning at Black Jack, or Twenty-One as it is sometimes called.
If one plays and wins fifty-one or fifty-two percent of the time, one always wins in the end. The goal of “the house” or the casino is to push those odds in their favor through free drinks, shows, distractions of women, and other mechanisms at their disposal. The average player does not know this, but they are not playing with the same rules as the professional card player. The professional can negotiate the traps, even getting “free money” in the process, but they must be astute and sober – literally and figuratively. The player who can get the odds in their favor by a simple shift of two or three percent can win substantially. Rick Riordan, the author of “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief” accurately depicted aspects of this peculiar astral dimension in a scene at the Lotus Hotel and Casino. Here, some guests had been there for decades, even centuries, lured in by food, drink, games, and yet to them, it was just a few hours. Caught up in endless distractions of entertainment, they became trapped in the world of illusions and dreams or, as they are often referred to, Maya, Satan, and the fantasies of the “lower astral.”
Your job as an initiate is to accept the push of the Cosmic Wind and to allow it to assist you in your journey. But this wind or push will not do all the work. You must be like the astute gambler, knowing the rules of the game, and play to the best of your ability by getting the odds in your favor, and know how and when to leave and move on to the next dimension of experience. To do this requires introspection, self-honesty, self-awareness, and the development of personal Virtues. These virtues are real strengths, powers, capacities needed and awakened on the journey on the Path of Return.
We have discussed them in depth in our courses, and discuss is all we can do from the viewpoint of instruction. We can’t do it for you. It is up to each of us to put them into action in this the world of action. For more information on how to navigate this period of the Initiation of the Nadir which we are experiencing on a collective scale, see the following:
The Lost Lecture
https://institute-for-hermetic-studies.teachable.com/p/the-lost-lecture-jean-dubuis-and-the-early-days-of-the-philosophers-of-nature-1993
Pluto in Aquarius
https://institute-for-hermetic-studies.teachable.com/p/pluto-in-aquarius-2025-and-beyond
Introduction to Spirituality: Starting the Path
https://institute-for-hermetic-studies.teachable.com/p/introduction-to-esotericism-starting-the-path
It is up to each of us to decide how we will live through this period. We can accept it as a wonderful challenge and leave a world for our children and grandchildren in which we have demonstrated how to successfully play the “game of life,” or we can leave them to figure it out on their own. The choice is ours. You can be like Effie Trinket, the posh urbanite who introduces those about to be slaughtered for entertainment in the book and movie series “The Hunger Games” by telling contestants, “May the odds be ever in your favor,” or you can be more like Virgil, the guide of Dante in his journey through the underworld, who is said to have stated, “Fortune favors the bold,” and the path to heaven is found.
It should be no surprise that the chalice, which is often a symbol of the Sphere of Yesod – the ruler of the brain, imagination, the physical body, and the masses, the Gateway of Initiation and the Path of Return – is also found in various initiation rites for beginning of the journey. During the Initiation of the Nadir, we make our way through this troubled astral dimension by making careful deliberations. The choice is ours, and our decision directs our path for generations to come. So, as the Grail Knight told Indiana Jones, “But choose wisely, for while the true Grail with bring you life, the false Grail will take it from you.”
Note:
The Tarot Card “The Wheel of Fortune” and the 21st Path from Netzach to Chesed along with the Tarot Card “The Universe/World” and the 32nd Path from Malkuth to Yesod are good paths for considering this process. Both of these have been discussed in previous posts and can be found at VOXHERMES, the IHS blog.
