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Greekfreak-
I feel for you! One of the most precious things that I possess is a copy of The Ritual of my fraternity. Since we had a revision of the
ritual in the 90s, the previous one was no longer in use, even though 95% is still the same. I kept one for myself. After I was initiated I was elected president and had the job of keeping ritualistic material. I read and mediated on what I went through and it made a lasting impression on me--the profound spiritual (biblical) values and lessons for life that the initiation ritual contained. I know that brothers in my fraternity often have unofficial sessions where older brothers give them information to refresh their memories on what they experiences and its significance. There are many brothers who can quote much of the ritual verbatim--now living up to the ideals of it all the time is another matter!
And this gets to another issue:if there is too much esoterica in initiation rituals, people can miss the big picture,and it become somewhat "cartoonish." Anthropologists tell that rites-of-passage ceremonies (e.g., of Greek-letter groups) appeal to levels in us deeper than simply the intellect.
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