Walter Leslie Wilmshurst (22 June 1867 – 10 July 1939) was an
English author and
Freemason
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
. He published four books on English Freemasonry and submitted articles to ''
The Occult Review
''The Occult Review'' was a British illustrated monthly magazine published between 1905 and 1951 containing articles and correspondence by many notable occultists and authors of the day, including Aleister Crowley, Meredith Starr, Walter Leslie ...
'' magazine.
Life
Born in
Chichester, Wilmshurst was initiated as a Mason in the
Huddersfield lodge in 1889, having moved to the town to become a
solicitor
A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...
, for a time becoming president of the Huddersfield Law Society. He died in London whilst attending the installation of the
Duke of Kent as the Grand Master of the United Lodge of England.
In 1927, he founded the Lodge of Living Stones No.4957, in Leeds, which was set up purely in order to study the more esoteric meaning behind Masonic ritual and symbolism.
Bibliography
Books
*''The Meaning of Masonry'' (1922)
*''The Ceremony of Initiation'' (1932)
*''The Ceremony of Passing''
*''Notes on Cosmic Consciousness''
*''Masonic Initiation'' (1924)
Articles and papers
*"The Fundamental Philosophic Secrets Within Masonry"
*"Review: 'The Hidden Church of the Holy Graal' by A.E. Waite"
*"The Mystical Basis of Freemasonry"
*"Reason and Vision"
*"The Working Tools of an Old York Master"
*"Spurious Ecstasy and Ceremonial Magic"
*"Book of the Perfect Lodge"
*"Spurious Ecstasy"
*"More Glimpses of Initiation Science"
*"Concerning Cosmic Consciousness"
References
1867 births
1939 deaths
Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England
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