Jean-Pierre Bayard was a prolific esoteric scholar, authoring more than 50 books on subjects such as Rosicrucianism, secret societies, symbolism, and the spiritual aspect of Freemasonry. An active member of the Masonic Supreme Council of France, he passed away in 2008 in Angers, France.
. . . steers a careful path between the symbology of Guenon, the scholarship of Eliade, the alchemy of Fulcanelli, and the sensationalism of Pauwels and Bergier. Bayard never loses sight of the essence of the subterranean mysteries: the restoration of our primordial state. * Joscelyn Godwin, author of Mystery Religions in the Ancient World * A deliriously speculative and erudite examination of caves. Echoing the modes of writers as divergent as Bachelard and Eliade, Jean-Pierre Bayard's examination benefits enormously from a deep draft from the font of esoteric wisdom. With these tools he creates a narrative that presents the myth of the cave as a story of human initiation, knowledge, and self-discovery. * Jesse Bransford, clinical associate professor of visual arts, NYU Steinhardt * What I also love about this book is how Bayard takes all of this information and somehow manages to not only make it interesting, but to also leave space for the reader to question. There is no feeling that the material presented is the final word on any of the subjects contained within: this is more of collection of writings on a variety of topics that all have an esoteric thread linking them to one another. Each section blends seamlessly into the next and there is enough information in each section that links to the next, something that I found kept me on track and engaged despite the vast amount of information being presented. * Sarrah October Young, Musing Mystic *