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1. Introductory:
The evolutionary process that has come to be called Initiation is a process (and a Path) that was designed by The One Who oversees the entirety of all life and its progress on this planet that we call Earth. That One is Sanat Kumara, The Lord of the World (link to "Who Is Sanat Kumara?"), The One referenced as The Ancient of Days in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. It is a forcing process to accelerate the heretofore slow advance of consciousness-raising of the Race of Man, which otherwise would have taken eons longer to have reached our current level.
The Scheme of what we call Initiation was ultimately derived from The Spiritual Hierarchy of the Star System known as Sirius (The Higher Self of our Solar Logos, The Creator of our Solar System). There is an intimate and ancient relationship of Sanat Kumara with The Head of The Sirian Hierarchy, and the Initiatory Scheme in effect on our planet came out of that relationship, because it had been very effective for the planetary civilizations within the ring-pass-not of Sirius (a trinary system). It was instituted on Earth during the Mid-Atlantean Times of the 4th Root Race of Humanity (millions of years ago) and was in the nature of an experiment to see if it would be as successful here as it was in the Sirius System (and Venus).
(Venus was the only other planet in our system to adopt Initiation as a means of consciousness growth, and because of its enormous success it proved a reliable model and incentive for its trial here.)
And so the Door to Initiation was opened during the 4th sub-race of the Atlantean Race, and the grand experiment was guided and directed by incarnate/embodied Members of Earth's Spiritual Hierarchy (see "Who Are The Spiritual Hierarchy?") walking and teaching and ruling among the masses of Humanity of the time. They were the Divine Kings and Instructors and Temple Hierophants and Miracle-Workers, and the Golden Path of Return (the evolutionary arc) was the focus of the spiritual teachings. There would first be the Path of Probation for the neophyte aspirants. This exceedingly long Path would be followed by the Path of Discipleship, another very lengthy stage of the Return Journey (to The Source of All). Finally, the Path of Initiation would open up for the very few who could meet the standards, pass the rigorous tests, and summon the qualities required to enter the Threshold that granted them Membership in Earth's White Brotherhood.
It should be explained, to give perspective, that the first stage of the Lighted Path (Probation) can take hundreds of lives and, hence, eons of lifetimes. The intermediate stage (Discipleship) can take scores of lives. These are serious commitments for the Souls, and there's never any turning back (unless the aspirant decides to serve the self and join the Dark Brotherhood). An overview can be gotten of all this by perusing "The Only Path On Earth" (click link). I had hoped to focus down more narrowly (and more intensively) on the beginning phase of the Initiate Path since there is too much misunderstanding about this, and I should say that the information comes from One Who Knows, one of The Masters of the Wisdom, one called an Ascended Master (see "What Is An Ascended Master, Anyway?").
Before digging into the nitty gritty, it can be useful to know the following facts:
a. There are a total of 7 Initiations that can be taken within the Planetary Scheme of Earth.
b. During this World Period on Planet Earth, there will be 7 Root Races of Mankind. Each Root Race has 7 sub-races, and each of those has 7 family races or divisions. We have reached and are working on the 5th sub-race of the 5th Root Race.
c. The 7 Rays are the 7 essential Energy Types that pervade our Solar System and absolutely condition all life within the system. These 7 Forces are all governed by the energy of Love because the 2nd Cosmic Ray of Divine Love entirely dominates the system, and they are each subsidiary Rays of that Cosmic Ray. Our Solar Logos is 2nd Ray, a God of Love. (Refer to "The Seven Rays Explained".)
d. Earth's Spiritual Hierarchy (The Great White Lodge) has 7 Divisions or Departments which follow the line of the 7 Rays. Each Division is headed by a Chohan of a Ray (a 6th Degree Initiate). So, the Ashram of The Chohan consists of all the Initiates and aspirants on that Ray (their Souls are on the Ray). Each of the 7 Major Ashrams has 6 minor Ashrams, each headed by an Ascended Master (5th Degree Initiate) for a total of 49 Ashrams.
e. These septenaries are reflections of the Septenary Universe in which we live and follow the Great Law of Correspondence (as above, so below). The Great Hebdomad of The Universal Logos (The 7 Fundamental Differentiations) reflects to all corners of Creation, and Earth is no exception.
f. For example (and this isn't too far afield from our subject), there are 7 Major Cosmic Planes of Consciousness in our Universe (each subdivided into 7 Levels). The 7 Major Planes of our Solar System are the 7 sub-Planes of the lowest Cosmic Plane, the Cosmic Physical.
g. Septenariness (if you will) is inescapable, and I wanted that to be known from the outset. Even the human being, who so slowly and painfully evolves under the watchful eye of the Soul, is of a septenary nature: the upper triad (Atmic, Buddhic, Manasic Principles reflected and focused in the Causal Body of the Soul) and the lower quaternary of the personality (physical, aetheric, astral, and mental bodies). For the unfamiliar, the Monad reflects the 3 higher principles down into its fragment aspect that we call a Soul (the Monad being the Higher Self of the Soul). The very constitution of Man is 7-fold, a tiny microcosm of the Macrocosm. (Link to "A Septenary Universe".)
2. Discipleship:
A small segment will be given over to the stage of preparation for entry into what is called the Hall of Wisdom (Initiation), because this is a focus on the 1st Initiation itself, and an overview can be found in "The Only Path On Earth" and also a little more in "What Initiation Is Really About" (click links). The Hall of Ignorance is the lengthy Probationary Period, and the Hall of Learning is the name given to the many lives passed while training as a disciple to one of The Masters in Earth's White Brotherhood.
The word, disciple, can be a little confusing because it applies to all who are within the circumference of a Master's radiation and influence and doesn't mean that the individual is an accepted disciple (a definite stage). Ascended Masters are The Teachers of Souls (or Solar Angels) on Their own Ray, and when the incarnate expressions of Souls have reached a certain evolutionary point and begin to aspire toward more spiritual matters, they are welcomed into the Ashram and radiatory influence of The Master, but many, many lives intervene before they can become an accepted disciple.
There are non-initiate as well as Initiate Disciples in a Master's Ashram, and each has been taken under wing for the long course of evolution, and each receives the stimulating energies of The Master via the Soul, but there is no direct involvement or contact by The Master until a fairly advanced stage. All are disciples, from neophytes to probationers to disciples to Initiates. Even Masters are Disciples to Greater Ones than Themselves. And a disciple doesn't have to be incarnate to partake of ashramic life and energy but may be on the Astral Plane between incarnations. Most of the training from lifetime to lifetime is given by one of the more advanced disciples in the Master's Ashram, and the moment of becoming a member of The Spiritual Hierarchy is the same moment of becoming an accepted disciple: the 1st Initiation.
The Path of Discipleship has been broken down into 6 Stages, and the original ancient terms have been paraphrased to be adapted to the English Language. Chela means student.
a. Little Chelaship (called the Lemurian Period for the 3rd Root Race): The disciple is contacted and instructed, physically on the Physical Plane, by a more advanced chela of The Master.
b. Chela in the Light (called the Atlantean Period for the 4th Root Race): The disciple is mentally impressed and directed by a higher disciple that is on the Higher Mental Plane (the 3 highest subplanes of the Mental Plane). These two Stages just given are preparatory to the 1st Initiation, so they cover the long period of lives painfully making one's way through the trials, traps, and pitfalls of the Hall of Learning.
c. Accepted Disciple (called the Aryan Period for the 5th Root Race): This begins when the disciple has crossed the Threshold of the 1st Initiation and becomes a new Member of Earth's Spiritual Hierarchy. It covers the period of the first 2 Initiations. When deemed necessary, The Master may now initiate contact with the chela while in meditation or dream state or by sending a telepathic mental message. Rarely a personal interview may be granted (in the astral body at night).
d. Chela on the Thread: After the 2nd Initiation has been stabilized in the consciousness of the chela and work is being undertaken toward the 3rd Initiation (Transfiguration), the disciple is taught how to draw the attention of The Master for help and guidance in the case of emergencies.
e. Chela within the Aura: After the 3rd Initiation, when the personality and Soul are closely fused and working as a unit, the trusted Disciple is given the method for requesting personal interviews with The Master but only for reasons that relate to the service work of the Disciple for Humanity.
f. Chela within the Master's Heart: The Initiate-Disciple is of high-standing and beginning to approach the 4th Initiation (Great Renunciation). There is proximity, in consciousness, with The Master and ability to draw the attention of The Master at any time but never for personal reasons. The service work in support of the Divine Plan is always the motive.
This gives you an idea of the difficulty of making one-to-one personal contact with an Ascended Master of the Wisdom until being very advanced along the Way of Golden Light. Most who delusionally think they have made contact with a Master have mentally contacted the emotionally-charged thought-form of The Master on the Astral Plane, which has been constructed for millennia by fervent devotees and students of That One.
3. Qualifications:
The character, with its virtuous traits and the ability to think less of the self and more of others, is emphasized for the probationers, who aspire to something more than the material illusion, but the disciples must learn and demonstrate in life stricter standards. In the lives leading up to the 1st Initiation, it is the physical nature which must be brought under the disciplinary management of the occupant of the body.
In essence, complete control must be gained over the physical elementals that comprise the dense physical and aetheric bodies (the aetheric/vital body is the scaffolding that organizes and coheres the dense body). The elementals are the tiny, informing lives of all the atoms and molecules of the body, and it is their nature to make incessant physical demands that are felt as needs and desires and temptations. Physical craving is the language of the elemental life of the physical body. This must necessarily be brought under control by the disciple, complete control, before the Initiation Threshold can be approached.
Their demands for pleasure and satisfaction and excess must be absolutely held in check to such an extent that they are given no opportunity to even tempt the occupant of the body. The "sins of the flesh" have become conquered through lifetimes of disciplinary measures and moderation in all things. Pleasure for pleasure's sake (Hedonism) is no longer offered as a rationale as the Soul begins to take control of its 3-fold mechanism in the 3 Worlds of Man (Physical, Emotional, and Mental), and willingness to follow the instructions and guidance of the Soul is becoming increasingly automatic.
The temptations of the flesh are no longer temptations because the physical elemental has become thoroughly subjugated (not temporarily repressed) and relegated to conducting the normal biochemical and physiological processes of the body to maintain homeostasis (or for repair and rebuilding). The physical elemental of the aspirant facing the Threshold of Initiation for the first time has necessarily been conquered and must never again be allowed to rule its master on the long journey through the Hall of Wisdom.
This does not mean that the true needs of the body should be ignored. In fact, the aspirant setting out upon the Initiate Path honors and wisely takes care of the physical form that has been provided for the lifetime's purpose. Enslavement to its appetites is, however, no longer a consideration.
A certain clarification is in order. No aspirant to the 1st Initiation is ever allowed to cross the Threshold of Initiation and enter the Membership of The Great White Lodge whose physical appetites are in any danger of assuming control, even temporarily. The physical disciplines (found in the Mystery Schools) have their place and their value during the beginning stage of the preparatory period to subdue the physical elemental and show it who's in control (perhaps for many lifetimes), and the disciplinary work exposes areas of weakness or limitation to be overcome.
But once the subjugation of the fleshly appetites has succeeded and the disciplines are automatic, there is no longer a need for the true disciple to be pre-occupied with them, and it becomes a waste of time and energy when the life of service is paramount. For example, a vegetarian diet need not be an obsession when the elemental life has been conquered. The normal appetites are used wisely and with common sense, and all temptations remain below the threshold of awareness. There are more important things to think about in losing the self for the sake of helping others, but self-delusion is no answer and no excuse for gratifying un-necessary appetites. The Master will know if the physical elemental has any chance of asserting itself.
4. Some Requirements:
a. As mentioned, there must be triumph over all physical appetites inherent in the animal nature, including sex (more about this to follow). The control must be demonstrated consistently under the most trying of conditions for approval of candidacy.
b. One must have developed the awareness of the lower self as a Soul (or Solar Angel) in form, transcending the identification of the personality (or body) with the self. In other words, the aspirant must know the Soul to be the True Self.
c. Conscious contact with the Soul through meditation and the beginning of alignment of the personality with the Soul is necessary.
d. There must be freedom from the illusions of the masses and awareness of the falsity of the consensus reality.
e. The focus and orientation of consciousness must have shifted away from the Astral Plane and onto the Mental Plane. That is, the emotional body (astral body) must no longer be the controlling factor in life as it is for the masses of Humanity (submerged in desires and emotions). One must be mentally developed and polarized in the mind.
f. Intelligence is one of the pre-requisites, and intelligent, self-less service must be a natural and normal part of the life. All Initiates are servers of the Human Race, motivated by love.
g. Spiritual intentions must underlie the decisions in life, and there must be a mystical orientation to God and all matters of the Spirit (displayed differently by the different Ray types).
The way of the mystic is the way of the devotional heart, seeking union with the Divine, strenuously applied with zeal and fervor (e.g. many Christian Saints). It is the method used in the Hall of Learning (Path of Discipleship), and it leads up to the Hall of Wisdom (Path of Initiation), after which it is no longer needed by the Initiate Who becomes a White Magician with increasing powers of the mind, applied in service to the Divine Plan for Earth.
h. Telepathic impressibility from the Soul Level by means of being able to "hold the mind steady in the light of the Soul" while in meditation is a sign to The Supervising Master that the aspirant is getting ready for the 1st Initiation. In training, it must be learned to accurately register the telepathic input in the lower mind (and the brain) and then to become able to convert the thought-package into the linearity of language and practical concepts.
5. Sex:
Succinctly, the sexual urge is the Instinct to Unity expressed at its most basic level, however the sexual appetites are among those of the physical form to be brought under control by the aspirant seeking to join The Great Ashram of The White Brotherhood (following Initiation). The energy which causes the craving and feeds this particular appetite emerges from the Sacral Chakra (the Svadhisthana) and perfuses the cells, tissues, and organs of the procreative apparatus of humans (both male and female). This energy was intended for the propagation of the species, but it has been misused, mismanaged, and perverted by the lesser-evolved of the Race. (If need be, go to "A Basic Primer On The Chakras".)
The way that the aspirants on the Path learn the control of this powerful and natural impulse is by transmutation of the sexual energies, and training was received in the Mystery Schools to accomplish this. First of all, there are two major centers of creativity in the human organism, the Sacral and the Throat Centers. The lower and more animal form of creativity is mediated through the Sacral and is called procreation; the higher form which utilizes the mind and its visualizing capacity is mediated through the Throat (the Vishuddha). The energies coming into the Sacral have to be transmuted and raised to the Throat. That's the essence of the process of the transmutation of sexual desire or obsession: raising that procreative energy up to the primary creative organ (by way of the central channel or Sushumna). It's easy to say but hard to do, and it usually takes lifetimes to accomplish. Guidance, discipline, training, and practice come into the picture.
Control of this sex urge has been tried in other ways and has failed. At one extreme, a total suppression of this natural desire has been attempted through enforced continence and celibacy, and it doesn't work. The Sacral Center becomes congested and over-stimulated (observe the Catholic Priesthood). At the other extreme, promiscuity and perversion and excess have been tried to exhaust the normal desire or to feed the obsession, but the Sacral Center becomes overworked, and the outflow of energies to the pelvis becomes dysharmonious, producing disease and physical problems. Also, karmic trouble mounts up for incarnations to come.
The only resolution of the issue is the Sacral to Throat Center raising and assundry creative activities as an outlet for those creative energies that have been transmuted during the process. It's not a diversionary tactic of forgetting about sex by focusing on some mentally-inspired creation. The procreative energies of the Sacral Center are actually drawn up, magnetically, by focusing the mind on the Throat Center while visualizing the details of the creation intended (energy follows thought). The Sacral becomes more quiescent and resumes its life and health sustaining functioning for cells within its sphere of responsibility, and the motivated aspirant reserves sexual congress for the production of vehicles for Souls to inhabit (making babies).
The creative energies are given their primary outlet through the energy vortex of creative building (Throat) rather than the energy vortex of pleasure fixation (Sacral). Once the process is functioning reliably, it may take several lifetimes to stabilize it and make it automatic (not forced). This re-orientation must be made before the first door of the Initiate Path is opened to the applicant, because he or she must be a creative worker in service of the Divine Plan, and the creative instrument (Throat) must be active and functioning (further augmented at the Initiation Ceremony).
6. Atomic Substance of the Physical Body:
The preparatory work during discipleship (no matter how many lives it takes) includes purification of the physical vehicle so that atomic matter (atoms) of the higher sub-planes of the Physical Plane gradually replaces the coarser matter of the lower sub-planes, which comprises the body of the neophyte aspirant on the Path. Refinement of the atomic composition of the body is effected by:
a. a pure vegetarian diet in moderation.
b. cleanliness and the use of much pure water internally and externally.
c. plenty of sleep between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. and outdoors if possible.
d. lots of sunshine exposure, which includes the technique of sungazing at sunrise and sunset, stimulating the pineal gland and energizing the aetheric body.
e. musical stimulation by the right kinds of music, known intuitively, utilizing the power of sound.
f. protection from the cold, keeping the body sufficiently warm.
g. meditation and a natural awakening of the serpent fire (kundalini), which accelerates the vibrational frequency of the atomic matter as it rises, extruding the unsuitable atoms and drawing in those of higher refinement.
This aspect of the Initiate Path isn't widely known and may need a little more explanation. The Physical Plane has 7 sub-planes, the lower 3 being dense physical and the higher 4 being aetheric physical (invisible to most human eyes). In the course of evolution of consciousness, the atomic matter composing the physical body (as also the astral and mental bodies) shifts ascendingly from lower to higher sub-plane of the Physical, this occurring over 100's of lifetimes. The lowest 2 sub-planes of the Physical are no longer suitable for the atomic composition of Modern Man and, consequently, the lowest atomic matter is that of the 3rd sub-plane (counting upwards); and this is found in the coarsest and least evolved of the species.
The highest of these 7 sub-planes is called the atomic sub-plane, and this is the goal in refinement of the lower bodies as the Initiate Path is traversed. That is to say that each Initiation marks the attainment of a greater proportion of the body's substance upon the atomic (highest) sub-plane. For the 1st Initiation, that proportion is one-quarter or 25%. (For the 2nd it's 50%; for the 3rd it's 75%.)
Keep in mind that elemental life is the informing life of the atoms, and so the physical body (and the subtle bodies) gets reconstituted with more refined and quickened elemental/atomic life as purification of the lower bodies succeeds. And there is no back-tracking during the long cycle of incarnations. Progress is not lost from life to life. The new body taken each time (created by the Soul) will have the same vibratory level of atomic substance as that of the last body left behind (and opportunity is given to raise it further). This is accomplished by what is called the permanent atom in the Causal Body of the Soul, an energy vortex that survives the whole Incarnational Cycle and registers and holds memory of vibrational frequency attainment of the atomic matter of the physical form. The permanent atom is the magnetic nucleus around which forms the atoms and molecules of the new body.
One of the reasons for this atomic substitution in the body is that the Soul cannot give guidance and transmit higher knowledge through the brain of lower and coarser atomic substance, hence the necessity of body refinement and rebuilding the molecules of the body with atoms of higher vibration on higher sub-planes (applicable as well to the astral and mental bodies).
All atoms have inherent activity; their vibrational activity encompasses oscillatory motion, rotational motion, and spiral-cyclic motion. The higher the sub-plane of the atomic matter that is attracted to the body, the higher is the rate of its vibrational activity.
7. Planetary Rulers:
When training for the 1st Initiation, no matter how many lives may be involved, the aspirant-disciple comes under the energetic influences of Vulcan and Pluto, both of which are 1st Ray planets (Divine Will, Purpose, Power). Vulcan is not visible to telescopes (being higher dimensional) and is interior to the orbit of Mercury. The energy of Will, which they radiate to the Solar System, provides the impelling determination to endure the obstacles and difficulties over the many, many trying lives on the Path of Discipleship and to drive ever onward toward the First Threshold of the Initiate Path.
It is the will which initiates action, impels the forward progress, and drives the aspirant toward the goal, and the destroyer aspect of the 1st Ray helps to eradicate those qualities in the nature of the aspirant which are hindering and holding back the progress. The Will Energy provides the drive to reach the Threshold, while another Ray stimulates the developing mind (the 3rd Ray of Active intelligence).
8. Rebirthing:
This 1st Major Initiation is most commonly called "The Birth". Other names assigned to it are "The Birth at Bethlehem", "The Birth of The Christ", "The Lemurian Initiation", and "Spiritual Fixation upon the Physical Plane". From the standpoint of Humanity, it is and will continue to be considered as a Major Initiation, but from the angle of The Masters (and the Soul), the first 2 Initiations of Man are considered minor (until the 3rd One). I should go on to say that there are a number of truly minor initiations that are conducted on the Astral Plane (in astral form), and these can be mistaken by the unknowing for Major Initiations. They precede the Birth Initiation and are anything but major, no matter how impactful they feel.
This Initiation and its Ceremony are conducted in the Great Hall of Initiation at Shamballa (Aetheric Home of Sanat Kumara and other Heavyweights), and it is taken in the Causal Body (the Karana Sarira) of the Soul on the Higher Mental Plane. It is not taken on the Astral Plane as is so often thought because its effects are felt so strongly in the astral and physical bodies. The first 3 Initiations are taken in the Causal Body (vehicle of the Soul), which has its existence on the 5th sub-plane (counting upwards) of the Mental Plane (the 4 lower levels house the concrete/intellectual mind; the 3 higher levels house the abstract/higher mind). If needed, click on "The Causal Body Of The Soul". .
The Birth is not usually registered consciously in the physical brain, hence not consciously remembered, but the experience is impressed upon the subconscious and made available in altered states of consciousness (dreams, meditation, etc.).
The Hierophant of the Ceremony is always The World Teacher, The Chohan of the 2nd Ray, and That One is now Lord Kuthumi (previously Lord Maitreya). The Initiation marks the entrance onto the Path of Initiation within what is called, symbolically, the Hall of Wisdom, and it provides entrance into The 5th Kingdom of Earth, The Spiritual Kingdom (or Kingdom of God). The new Initiate becomes a 1st Degree Member of The Great White Brotherhood (The Spiritual Hierarchy).
This signals the Birth of the Christ in the Cave of the Heart, at which the new-born "Babe in Christ" (of the New Testament) begins the great pilgrimage. The Christ Life enters to indwell the form that has been arduously prepared by right discipline and right diet and right purification and right living. That which has entered and is exerting its influence to any significant degree for the first time is the Christ Principle, which is another name for the Soul. It is the force of evolution spoken of by Saint Paul when he wrote, "Christ in you, the hope of glory". The Christ Principle, as it becomes more firmly anchored in the Initiate-Disciple, is the guarantor of glorious evolutionary consummation. (If desired, go to "The Soul".)
The New Birth is but the beginning of a long and arduous and wearisome (but rewarding) journey toward becoming a co-creator with The Highest Forces of Light and bringing into manifest reality the True Purpose of Divinity (for the planet and later the Solar System). It indicates commencement of life and growth of consciousness in the Grand Hall of Wisdom. In its correspondence to neonatal developement in the human, it is the moment of delivery and emergence from the darkness of the womb. The life long-intended by the Soul begins, but there is much growth and learning yet to be attained.
9. Ceremonials - The Presence Revealed:
It's now time to elaborate on the Ceremony of Initiation Itself, which is conducted (as previously noted) in the Hall of Initiation at Shamballa (The Holy of Holies), and it takes place on the Level of the Higher Mental Plane in the Causal Body of the Soul. There are 5 Stages of the Ceremony, each a Ceremony in and of itself:
a. The Revelation of the Presence
b. The Granting of the Vision
c. The Application of the Rod
d. The Administration of the Oath
e. The Giving of the Secret and the Word
The following are The Participants in this Birth Initiation besides the one who is being initiated:
a. The Initiator is called The Hierophant of the proceedings and is The World Teacher for Planet Earth, Lord Kuthumi. He officiates at the first 2 Major Initiations (link to "Who Is Kuthumi?").
b. The 2 Sponsors of the applicant are Ascended Masters or 5th Degree Initiates Who have created a mayavirupa or body of manifestation on the Mental Plane in order to participate. They have a crucial role in modifying and stepping down the terrific electrical force that is transmitted to the applicant by the Rod of Initiation, because that force would be too powerful to withstand alone at its full power.
c. A Triangle of Force is formed by The 3 Great Lords of The Hierarchy: The Manu, Lord Maitreya, and The Mahachohan. The Sponsors and the applicant stand within that Triangle.
d. The Lodge of The Masters and Initiates Who have chosen to attend. They stand behind The Triangle and face The Hierophant and are grouped according to Degree of Initiation. In this particular Initiation, the 1st Degree Initiates are closest to the applicant and the center focus of the proceeding.
The first thing that happens (Stage One), as the applicant stands humbly before the Throne of Initiation, is that the Angel of the Presence reveals Itself to its incarnate expression, and the inner eye of that one is enabled to see, clearly and accurately, the True Self of many names: Soul, Higher Self, I Am Presence, Divine Intermediary, etc. This Great Solar Angel, which exists on the Higher Mental Plane, presents Itself before its incarnate aspect as a radiant/shining Angelic Being, and the astonished aspirant knows himself or herself to be That One Who has incarnated 100's of times (or more) through the lengthy Cycle of Incarnation.
There is a profound knowingness of identification with the Angel, Who is a 3-fold Reflection of the 3-fold Monad: Will, Love-Wisdom, and Active Intelligence -- the 3 Aspects of Divinity. It is the lowest of the 3 Aspects, that of Intelligence, which is emphasized in the awareness of the Initiate, because the intellect will need to be progressively developed during the numerous incarnations needed to subdue and tame the emotional nature before approaching the 2nd Initiation.
The Babe in Christ now knows, beyond a doubt, that Divinity resides within. This revelation of the Divine Self necessarily precedes all other revelations, because it awakens a certainty of realization of the oneness of life manifesting through all lesser lives. (The Solar Angel is absorbed in group consciousness and is not individually oriented. The Monad, from which derives the Soul, is one with all other Monads emanated from The Planetary Logos. And the correspondence continues up the Evolutionary Ladder to The Godhead.) The separative consciousness of the personality, with its ego structure, is illuminated by the revelation of the Presence within, and its oneness with all life is transferred consciously to the awed applicant.
10. Ceremonials - The Vision Granted:
The next revelation is the Vision granted by the Solar Angel as instructed by its Master-Teacher. This reveals the small part that the aspirant has played so far and will be playing in the Greater Plan for the planet and all her kingdoms of life. This Vision shows the role that is intended by the Solar Angel for its incarnate aspects in the many lives that will be required to reach the Threshold of the 2nd Initiation.
It outlines what must be accomplished, personally, in service of the Human Race and the fulfillment of the Divine Purpose of Sanat Kumara, a Purpose to which are pledged the entirety of The Great White Brotherhood (the Hierarchical Plan implements the Divine Purpose). The role will be relatively tiny in the general scheme of the Plan, but the aspirant is given a road map of expectations that will lead up to the Baptism Initiation (2nd), while evolving the Self and benefiting all others.
This 3-part Vision encompasses the past with its karmic entrapments and a recognition of how to expiate those acts of harmful consequence that have occurred during the many lives that have already transpired. The present life is shown along with the work to be done in it as well as those expectations for the next few immediate lives. The future portion grants a viewing of the potential radiant course of the Initiate Who unswervingly negotiates the length of the Lighted Path and is consumed in fiery glory as Monadic Consciousness is entered (4th Initiation). The awakening aspirant is left with a crystal clear knowledge of the work to be done from this point forward and must endeavor to access the envisioned thought-form afterward by the physical brain from its seat of registration in the mental body (remembrance in brain consciousness is usually absent).
The providing of the 2 great revelations (the Presence and the Vision) by the Solar Angel to its incarnate self has been supervised by The 2 Sponsors of the applicant (though the detail of what to reveal was counselled by The Master Teacher of the Soul).
After the 2 revelations and before the next Stage, there is an interim moment of stillness, during which the mentally-stimulated aspirant is encompassed by a deep sense of Peace while being filled with joy at the prospects lying ahead. Lord Kuthumi, meanwhile, has been present at the Ceremony though not in the officiating position. He now ascends to the Throne of Power, and the Rod of Initiation is brought to Him.
11. Ceremonials - The Rod Application:
The Hierophant (Kuthumi) of the proceedings has created a body of manifestation (a mayavirupa) on the Mental Plane by an act of the will and visualization for purposes of the Initiation Ceremony. Certain highly-secret words and phrases are uttered by Him, which invoke a powerful electrical force to pass through His Heart Chakra and hand and Rod of Power to The Triangulation of Force surrounding the Sponsors and the applicant. The 3 Great Lords of The Triangle circulate the force repeatedly around The Triangle through Their Heart Chakras by an act of Will and then pass it to The 2 Ascended Sponsors, Who filter it through Their Chakra Centers and hold the force in suspension, modifying it appropriately, before it is passed to the Initiate-in-Waiting.
Lord Kuthumi forcefully speaks another secret word, and the fiery force is thrown into the bodies of the new Initiate, being focused in the Center to be stimulated, usually the Anahata (Heart Center). It passes first through the mental body, then through the astral body, and is finally absorbed by the aetheric/vital body. The Recipient is stupefied by the all-encompassing fire pouring from the Rod of Fire, rapidly circulating around The Triangle, passing through The Sponsors, and is bathed in the purificatory fires. The intense blue-white blaze accelerates the vibrational activity of every atom in every body and purifies the 3-fold nature of its Recipient. Through the application of the Rod, the Initiate thence becomes a Member of The White Lodge (for more, go to "The Ashram Of The King").
The energy that is invoked (and evoked) by the chanting of a certain secret mantram by The Initiator comes from The Planetary Logos in the Solar System Who embodies the particular energy needed for the chakra vivification of the Initiate. (There are 7 Sacred Planetary Logoi in the Solar System, each an Informing Life of one of the 7 Sacred Planets. Each is The Distributor of one of the 7 Rays throughout the system.) For example, the 2nd Ray Energy (Love)for the Heart Center will come from The Jupiter Planetary Logos, and the 3rd Ray Energy (Creative Intelligence) for the Throat Center will come from The Saturn Planetary Logos.
The invocative mantram of Kuthumi draws the powerful Ray Force out of a certain Planetary Logos (whose body of manifestation is the planet), and it first passes to the physical sun where it mingles with solar energy. Then it passes to and through our Earth Logos and then to the Monad of the Soul being Initiated. From the Monad it is passed through its 3-fold Expression (called the Spiritual Triad) into the body of The Hierophant (Kuthumi). Then it is transmitted by the Rod of Initiation to The Triangle and The Sponsors and the Initiate. It's hard to imagine, but this is all done in the blink of an eye, although it could be helpful to remember that there is no passage of "time" on the Mental Plane. This information is given to convey the terrific power of the energy, which must be stepped down before being allowed to enter the vital body of the Initiate.
The vivified chakra may vary sometimes, depending on the dominant Ray of the aspirant and any involvement in specialized work for The Brotherhood. As noted, the Heart Center is usually the focus of attention, but the Throat Center is also a recipient of stimulation at this Birth Initiation for reasons to be explained later. After the fiery force has been modified by The Sponsors and suddenly thrown into the 3-fold body of the Initiate, The Initiator directs it to the chakra or chakras in need of it by use of the Rod, thus the reference to the Rod Application. By its activity and power, not only is there direct chakra stimulation, but the kundalini fire in the Base Chakra (the Muladhara) is drawn upward into the Anahata and Vishuddha, further augmenting the stimulating effect; which can be seen (by those with eyes to see) as increased revolutionary rate, radiance of light, and capacity to transmit energy.
Throughout the entire Ceremonial Proceedings, The Members of The Great White Lodge, Who have attended, stand outside of The Triangle and behind the Initiate. They greatly assist in the energetic work of the Initiation by rhythmically chanting certain mantrams of power, while pacing and forming special geometrical figures indicated for the occasion. The figures and mantrams vary according to the Degree of Initiation.
Then following the Rod Application, The 2 Sponsors move back into the Ranks of The Lodge, while The 3 Great Lords of The Triangle station Themselves behind the Throne of The Hierophant. First Degree Initiates now come forward and assemble around the New Member, as the remainder stand grouped in their Graded Ranks.
(Go to PART TWO.)
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