Secret Practices of the Sufi Freemasons: The Islamic Teachings at the Heart of Alchemy. Rudolf von Sebottendorff. Translated by Stephen E. Flowers. Inner Traditions, Rochester, VT, 2013. 138 pages. $14.95.
review by J.S. Kupperman

Baron Rudolf von Sebottendorff was the founder of the Thule Gesellschaft, an occult organization that will eventually have strong ties to the Nazis. If, based on this fact, you think you know how a book on Islam, a Semitic religion, written by such a person, will go, I’m happy to say you’re probably wrong. Where one might expect a fair dose of anti-Semitism, an attempt to Aryanize the Muslim material, or a glorifying of German culture we instead find a serious attempt to pass on material Sebottendorff obviously takes both seriously and reverently. Given Sebottendorff’s connection to a Jewish family this is not entirely surprising, but still quite refreshing.

Secret Practices of the Sufi Freemasons purports to deliver inner Masonic practices from the Bektashi Order of Sufis. It is fairly difficult to know whether or not the information actually comes from the Bektashi. However, there is a marked different in writing style between the sections providing the Bektashi teachings and the author’s commentaries. While this does not mean the information is authentically Sufi, it suggests to me it is, at the very least, not Sebottendorff’s invention. What Secret Practices does deliver is an esoteric interpretation of Masonic hand signs that includes the abbreviated letters found at the beginnings of some of the Qur’an’s chapters, Arabic letter mysticism, and vowel chanting.

What is the purpose behind all this? The almost qi gong-like exercises Sebottendorff presents make up a lengthy initiatory routine based around Bektashi internal alchemy. By combining four Masonic hand signs, one of which Sebottendorff says is now lost to western Masonry, combined with the intonation of specific vowels and accompanying movement the practitioner transforms themselves into a spiritual being in an alchemical process designed to burn away the dross of humanity and realize the divine in human nature. Perhaps the most interesting feature of this “Masonic qi gong” is that Sebottendorff claims that, if taken seriously and performed with due diligence and faith, it is risk free. That said, the entire practice can take over a year, although it requires relatively little amount of time each day to perform.

Stephen Flowers prefaces Secret Practices with a brief biography of Sebottendorff, which is somewhat surprisingly derisive towards that period’s German racism and nationalism which ultimately gave rise to the Nazi. He also provides a brief overview of Islam and Sufism which, for their brevity, are still decent introductions to the subject. This is followed by one of many mystical interpretations of the Arabic alphabet and the abbreviated letters. All of this is necessary for a deeper understanding of the Bektashi material and the cultural context, both Islamic and Turkish, from which it comes.

Secret Practices of the Sufi Freemasons presents a unique set of inner alchemical practices based on Masonic teaching. As a kind of Masonic qi gong, these practices are set towards the goal of transforming the practitioner along the lines of Masonic moral allegory. While this book is hardly a must read for the average occultist, anyone interested in Freemasonry, Turkish Sufism or inner alchemy should have this book on their shelf.