Most
of the numerous aspirants and disciples today walking the face
of the Earth and represented by men and women from every race,
nation and country, functioning in every religion and in every
phase of social and political life, have already attained their
First Initiation.
Those
on the other hand who have in addition attained reasonable control
over their emotional bodies, and may therefore be regarded as
initiates of the second degree, occur in far smaller numbers,
whilst only a very small percentage of disciples have reached
the stage of the Third Initiation.
After
aspirants have entered the Path of Return and demonstrate the
inner Christ-consciousness, they start working, usually unconsciously,
to rid their personalities of that reprehensive quality, common
to all at that stage - selfish desire. This
reprehensible characteristic which is still present to some extent
in every individual disciple, may find expression in many different
forms and intensities, and embraces many defects of which the
dark forces avail themselves to lead man to evil.
The product of this life of desire is in turn expressed in the
astral body, and it is now the task of each individual soul to
gain mastery over these many aspects of the desire life, and thus
eventually to still the turbulant waters of the emotions.
Another
prelude to the Second Initiation, and a direct result of the submerging
of the emotions, is that the initiate is largely set free from
glamour - those glamours which up till this stage have proved
such a handicap to progress and have caused so much unnecessary
suffering.
The
most efficient agent for this purpose is the energy of the mind,
which must consistently be directed towards the turbulent waters
and mists of the astral body. Through the light of the soul the
mind may be illuminated, thus serving to dissipate astral glamours.
During the last stages of the First Initiation period, the disciple
often undergoes the most acute emotional distresses of his whole
existence. This may perhaps be seen as the last desperate efforts
of the astral body to retain its hold, and is demonstrated by
inner turmoil and uncertainty, self-discrimination, deep subjective
discontent, and an intense longing to be freed from those emotional
limitations.
As
a reward for perseverance through all these tests and trials,
these stormy astral experiences will finally be weathered and
will land the disciple in the relatively calm world of realities,
free from disturbing emotions, and only now learning the meaning
of real spiritual love for all of creation.
The
Second Initiation must therefore be regarded as an important milestone
on the Path, and once this hurdle has been cleared, progress,
although remaining difficult and painstaking, and demanding all
the initiate has to offer, should, relatively speaking, take much
less time. With the control of the astral elemental, the emotional
body should become pure and limpid, with the lower nature losing
its influence. A fresh impulse of aspiration and an urge to serve,
love and demonstrate goodwill to all will be felt, and this expression
must unavoidably result in rapid unfoldment.
This is why this initiation and the Third may quite often occur
in the same life. Mastery over the emotional forces indicates
the release of the soul from its astral prison. From now on the
soul will be able to use the astral body by moulding desire and
emotion to conform to spiritual purpose. With the breaking of
the hold of the astral body, the intuition, that higher counterpart
of aspiration, can begin to play an active role in the disciple's
future decisions and conduct of life. Because of the many facets
through which desire may be manifested, and which must be brought
under control, several lives will as a rule intervene between
the First and Second Initiations -- a long period of struggle
and strain to overcome the desires and emotions of the astral
body.
Once
the Second Initiation is attained, however, the progress towards
the Third should be relatively rapid, with the Fourth following
possibly in the same life, or otherwise in the succeeding.
The
Transfiguration
With
the subduing of the desire and emotional life which led to the
Second Initiation, with the welling up of the spirit of altruism,
and the urge to sacrifice, to give, and to share, the opportunity
to serve will be revealed to the candidate. He will be accorded
a vision of that part of the world's need and of the Plan to which
he can contribute his small share, with the capacities at his
disposal and in the circumstances under which he is functioning.
If this opportunity is recognized and faithfully reacted to, this
work may provide that mental control which has still been lacking
in the disciple's make-up to prepare him for the Third Initiation.
Mental
control means that the capacity has been acquired to manipulate
throught-matter, which includes the laws of creative thought building.
For the Third Initiation the disciple must also have a profound
theoretic and practical knowledge of the nature of the material
worlds, and of the laws governing his own lower nature. The intervening
period between the Second and Third Initiations is usually characterized
by intense suffering, brought about by factors of glamour and
illusion which have not yet been completely eliminated and which
involve the disciple in situations which for the time being leave
him bewildered.
Meanwhile
the frustrated candidate, under the right guidance and with spiritual
determination, strains forward persistently but still largely
feeling his way in the dark; he has the advantage to dispose over
a logical and understanding mind, but as yet only intermittently
obtaining spiritual inspiration. Unrelenting efforts and growing
powers of the mind, however, lead him to success, bringing the
emotions ever more effectively under control.
At
first the soul only makes its presence felt periodically, but
this influence will progressively be increased by focusing the
light of the soul on the disciple's path. This may frequently
add to the complications of the man's life, but will eventually
provide the control needed to effect the liberation of the soul.
It is this liberation which opens the portals to the Third Initiation.
To the Hierarchy, the first two initiations recognized by esotericists
in describing the spiritual development of man are merely preliminary
or preparatory stages. What man knows as the Third Initiation,
they regard as the First Major Initiation, because it is at this
stage that the disciple really becomes 'transfigured' and consciously
enters the spiritual kingdom. It marks the stage when the soul
gains control over the mental vehicle which, together with the
physical and emotional bodies, constitute the 'personality'. It
means that for the first time the soul is then in full control
of the personality, and that personality and soul become united
and fused into a single unit -- the soul-infused being.
For
man this is the consummation of his life, and for the soul it
means liberation. To the soul this liberation means that henceforth
it will no longer respond to the lower vibrations of the three
worlds, which in the past were transmitted to it by the personality.
The soul comes to the recognition that in future it will merely
serve as a link, a vibrating invocative and evocative centre between
the Hierarchy and Humanity -- until with the Fourth Initiation
it ultimately becomes absorbed into the Spiritual Triad.
With
transfiguration the entire soul-infused personality is flooded
with light, which now for the first time reaches him directly
from the Monad, who can now pour its divine energies into this
newly prepared channel. The transfiguration of the personality
liberates it from the alluring attractions of the three lower
worlds, and it becomes exclusively an agent of the soul. The initiate
now irrevocably enters the Kingdom of God, and thus serves the
Hierarchy as another point of anchorage on Earth, providing another
channel for transmitting the divine energies into the three worlds
of human endeavour. The physical vehicle is changed to a totally
different consistency and quality, and all its aspects now exclusively
serve the purposes of the soul; it is no longer even subject to
the laws of health which apply to the lower bodies of the average
human being. What used to be the 'personality' now becomes merely
a practical instrument to serve the purposes of the soul, with
no personal desires, ambition, and powers of thought.
It
is only a physical sheath vitalized by the soul, but still perfectly
adapted to the circumstances and the role it has to play for rendering
the service activities amongst men as planned by the soul. When
reaching this stage, the disciple's consciousness is also completely
liberated and can function freely either in or out of form, according
to the requirements of the Plan. The initiate can now at will
pass in full consciousness to higher worlds, leaving the lower
worlds far behind. The spiritual and material have been merged
and are at-one, opening the way to a still higher union with the
Monad, which will lead to complete emancipation from the three
worlds.
The
'way of escape' now becomes the 'way of daily living', and all
pain is steadily transcended, with the result that neither pleasure
nor pain retains any hold over the disciple. Esoterically speaking
the 'Transfiguration' also indicates the final 'parting of the
ways' between the black and white magicians. For his selfish and
ambitious purposes the 'brother of darkness' can largely simulate
the requirements of physical and emotional control needed for
the first two initiations, but his evil intent cannot tolerate
and survive the truly spiritual atmosphere which will be engendered
at the time of the transfiguration by the loving Will of God,
emanating from the Monad. The 'black brother' therefore will never
be able to penetrate the precincts of the Third Initiation.
Reprinted
with the kind permission of Share International Magazine.
