PAUL BRUNTON REVISITED PART 1

I became acquainted with the writings of PAUL BRUNTON through his book,' A SEARCH IN SECRET EGYPT, published in 1936, the year I was born. I came across the volume on the shelves of The Fiske Free Library in Claremont, NH, when I was in either Stevens Junior High or the first two years of Stevens High,from which I graduated in 1954. The Fiske Free Library had a marvelous collection of books on nearly all subjects know to man, or at least classified under the Dewey Decimal System, as cumbersome at it often was, at least for me, who rearranges books on my shelves to suit myself and my tastes and needs and mental approaches to things. During the 1960's, as I have often mentioned to others of a literary bent and persuasion, nearly all of the books were decimated, discarded, even burned, by the ,modern barbarians' in keeping with 'business' operations and 'trendy notions'etc....In fact, this trend of 'overhauling' the libraries of villages, towns, cities,even colleges and universities is still going on, along with those drastic changes in other institutions such as, museums...which are, like the libraries, divesting themselves of their materials, whether collections of artifacts or books. I do not expect this pernicious trend to end any time soon before all the shelves and cases are empty and filled with the modern trivia and crap now so popular.But this is my own perception and feelings based as they are on old notions of 'knowledge'. This book' A SEARCH IN SECRET EGYPT' made a lasting impression on me,though I have not read it since those days and a copy now is more expensive that I care to pay at the moment. I was affected by this book because along with othe ocult books and magazines, such as Sinnett's,'ESOTERIC BUDDHISM' and the AMORC and other 'Rosicrucian'books and magazines,that I read, I formed a loose-knit group of classmates(boys) called 'THE ANCIENT BROTHERHOOD OF TRUTH SEEKERS' and wrote a composition entitled,'THE ENLIGHTENED ONES' amogn others that followed in various ways..... One of my classmates, 'IAN L' joined and when he heard of my interest in Rosicrucianism, told me his mother belonged to them but he was not sure which group it was actually.(There was also THE ROSICRUCIAN FELLOWSHIP,under Max Heindel). Seeing myenthusiasm over 'A SEARCH IN SECRET EGYPT' Ian borrowed the book which I had checked out of the library in my name, promising to return it and I naively thought he would do so which,of course, he did not and so the library was on my neck for its return along with a hefty fine. The library contacted my grandmother with whom I had lived since my parents divorce years before, and eventually the book was recovered but I do not know who paid the fines...Ian,I late discovered,was 'light-fingered' despite the 'wealth' of his parents...soemtimes he would snitch a pack of cigarettes from Dion's store,which we both frequented to read comics and drink ice cream sodas,etc. various times. Ian would then go with me and my best friend Bob W. after school where they would try to puff on these 'butts' in the woods, near the railroad tracks that crossed Broad Street...(these tracks, like the rairoads, are long gone and the old rail bed is now a 'hiking trail' complete with plenty of dog poop as expected these days)...Both of these friends and classmates are now deceased but at the time I decided never to become 'addicted' to tobacco or alcohol or
narcotic drugs....at around 8 or 9 or 10, I had experimented with tobacco and beer and whiskey and wine so these were not mysteries to me and for this I am grateful that I never succe umbed to these pernicious and vile habits that ensnared and still do, many people who later attempt to give up such things and really can't except in some instances too numerous to mention... Although I have had numerous 'opportunities' to sample the pharmacy of various drugs that were and somewhat still popular over the years, I have refrained from such, having known from 'ancient sources' the one-way street and brick wall that arises from such .... It is my conclusion, based on seeing others who indulge in such and spend most of their money and time at such 'recreations' start out by becoming addicted to tobacco, namely cigarettes washed down with alcohol, generally 'suds' and 'brews' and then go to the more exotic and hardcore things...like 'maryjane' and 'weed',etc. then take a tumble in the 'snow' and then 'shoot up' with a set of 'works',etc. But all this is another topic and far from the things I wish to discuss here.....