Ernst and Falk: Dialogues for Freemasons

Falk.

Others have also been initiated original: "aufgenommen" — refers to being formally admitted into the Masonic order. and believe they know.

Ernst.

Could you then have been initiated without knowing what it is you know?

Falk.

Alas!

Ernst.

How so?

Falk.

Because many who perform the initiation do not know it themselves; while the few who do know it are unable to say it. Falk points to a central paradox in esoteric traditions: the "secret" of Masonry is not a piece of information that can be taught, but an internal realization. Therefore, those who merely perform the rituals may not understand their depth, and those who do understand find the truth impossible to express in words.

Vocabulary: Falk, Ernst, initiated, know, to be