The periods of Christ and of Buddha were sacred in the world's history, but unless there is a new revelation in our time, there cannot be a new regeneration. The Revelation is the Self-unveiling of Deity in the Cosmos, the revealing of attribute after attribute, power after power, beauty after beauty, in all the various forms which in their totality compose the Universe. Behind all outer seeming, the motivating power of the universe is Love What is the purpose back of the endless process of form building,and the combining of the lesser forms? What is the reason of it all, and what will prove to be the goal? Surely it is the development of quality, the expansion of the consciousness, the development of the faculty of realization, the production of the powers of the psyche, or the soul, the evolution of intelligence. Surely it is the gradual demonstration of the basic idea or purpose which that great Entity Whom we call the Logos, or God, is working out through the solar system. It is the demonstration of His psychic quality, for God is intelligent Love, and the fulfillment of His determined purpose, for God is intelligent loving Will.
The Bible and the Vedas says the first creation was light,and after that came all other forms. God create light out of Himself, out of His own Being, as a spider spins a web out of its own body. The web is not different from the spider's body, it is really a part of it. And so God created light of His own Being, which means that Light is none other than God, the Being of God. THE ESOTERIC PATH AND INITIATION Everyone who aspires to unit with God must pass through an initiation,through an experience where his attention is drawn into the center of his being. Real initiation means the beginning of a new life, a new outlook, and a new understanding. To achieve a high degree of divine conscience you must ravel through the inward Path. The path of esoteric knowledge had to be taught to man from the beginning of time because the ultimate truth about life is so subtle and transcends the imagination of man to such an extent that without divine revelation, he could never have discovered it. “In the Esoteric Path – a Path which leads to the Ultimate Reality, to Absolute Truth – there is neither Light nor Darkness, nor experiences, because you then learn to transcend time”. The entities that have already trodden that Path know that in this process there are certain stages. The main stages in the evolutionary Path of spiritual men have been classified as follows: The Path of Probation The Path of Discipleship The Birth – 1st. Initiation The Baptism – 2nd. Initiation The Transfiguration – 3rd. Initiation The Crucifixion or The Great Renunciation – 4th. Initiation The Revelation – 5th. Initiation The Decision – 6th. Initiation The Resurrection – 7th Initiation The Great Transition – 8th. Initiation The Refusal – 9th. Initiation The Great Invocation A Mantram for the New Age and for all Humanity * * * * * * * * * From the point of Light within the Mind of God Let light stream forth into the minds of men. Let Light descend on Earth. From the point of Love within the Heart of God Let love stream forth into the hearts of men. May Christ return to Earth. From the centre where the Will of God is known Let purpose guide the little wills of men – The purpose which the Masters know and serve. From the centre which we call the race of men Let the Plan of Love and Light work out And may it seal the door where evil dwells. Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth. * * * * * * * Many religions believe in a World Teacher or Saviour, knowing him under such names as the Christ, the Lord Maitreya, the Imam Mahdi, the Bodhisattva, and the Messiah, and these terms are used in some of the Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist and Jewish versions of the Great Invocation. Men and women of goodwill throughout the world are using this Invocation in their own language. Will you join them in using the Invocation every day - with thought and dedication? By using the Invocation and encouraging others to use it, no particular group or organisation is sponsored. It belongs to all humanity. A PRAYER FOR POWER AND LIGHT The Great Invocation is a prayer of ancient origin--it is a mantric formula of tremendous potency that is helping to bring about changes and readjustments within all aspects of our planetary life. It is a world prayer, used by people of all faiths and spiritual inclinations, to aid our planet during this difficult transition period. On the surface, the beauty and strength of this Invocation lies in its simplicity, and in its expression of certain central truths that most people, innately and normally, accept -- the truth of the existence of a basic Intelligence to Whom we vaguely give the name of God; the truth that, behind all outer seeming, the motivating power of the universe is Love; the truth that great Individuals have cyclically come to Earth and embodied that love so that we could understand; the truth that both love and intelligence are effects of what is called the Will of God, and finally the self-evident truth that only through Humanity itself can the divine Plan work out. It is natural, at times, to feel powerless when faced with the enormity of the pain and suffering upon our planet; we sense the need yet often feel our attempts to contribute in any truly constructive manner are futile. In the past, individuals generally turned to prayer for protection and for the alleviation of suffering in their personal lives. Today, as we enter into a new age, humanity is collectively demonstrating a deepened understanding of the power of group prayer and invocation for the benefit of humanity and the planet as a whole. The focused and dynamic use of the Great Invocation gives all people everywhere a potent means of contacting and distributing powerful spiritual energies, thereby contributing to the upliftment and transformation of planet Earth. Through its collective use we bring light and love and power to bear upon all aspects of our planetary life, irradiating and uplifting human consciousness -- contributing towards the transformation of the largely material focus of our world into one that is more truly spiritual. The focused use of the Great Invocation causes powerful changes in one’s life -- one’s attitudes, intentions, character and goals will be changed and made spiritually useful. “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he” is a basic law in nature; the constant turning of the mind to the need for light and the prospect of illumination cannot and will not be ineffectual. The Invocation is now translated into over 70 languages and is used by countless individuals. Will you join them in using it every day-with thought and dedication? By using the Invocation and encouraging others to use it, no particular group or organisation is sponsored. It belongs to all humanity. *********************************************************************** When you can tear aside the veil, then jou merge into God. It is possible for everyone to find his way back to God because God is present in each of us. But we must begin to search and look, and the right place is within, not outwards. "You must first look inwards and find the sacred atom in the heart - the spiritual self within. When You have found your inner spiritual self then you can look outwar3s again and you will find the sun, in other words the Universal Self. You will see God in every thing and every body after you have seen God in yourself! Thus, after following other gods, after believing in a multitude of deities, Man finally understands that there is but one spirit behind all creation, and after believing in a personal spirit, a personal God, he ultimately realizes the Truth that the highest Deity is Impersonal and Universal. (Paul Brunton, The Inner Reality)
THE SOLAR WORDS The basis of all manifested phenomena is the enunciated sound, or the Word spoken with power, that is, with the full purpose of the will behind it. Herein, as is known, lies the value of meditation, for meditation produces eventually that inner dynamic purpose and recollection, or that internal ideation which must invariably precede the uttering of any creative sound. When it is said that the Logos produced the worlds through meditation it means that within His own centre of consciousness there was a period wherein He brooded over and meditated upon the purposes and plans He had in view; wherein He visualised to Himself the entire world process as a perfected whole, seeing the end from the beginning and being aware of the detail of the consummated sphere. Then, when His meditation was concluded, and the whole completed as a picture before His inner vision, He brought into use a certain Word of Power which had been committed to Him by the One about Whom naught may be said, the Logos of the cosmic scheme of which our system is but a part. With cosmic and Logoic initiations we are not concerned, except in so far as the human initiations reflect their stupendous prototypes, but it is of interest to the student to realise that just as at each initiation some Word of Power is committed to the initiate, so similarly to the Logos was committed the great Word of Power which produced our solar system, that Word which is called the "Sacred Word," or AUM. It must be here remembered that this sound AUM is man's endeavour to reproduce on an infinitesimally small scale the cosmic triple sound whereby creation was made possible. The Words of Power of all degrees have a triple sequence. First. They are sounded by some fully self-conscious entity, and this invariably takes place after a period of deliberation or meditation wherein the purpose in toto is visualised. Second. They affect the deva kingdom and produce the creation of forms. This effect is dual in character— a. The devas on the evolutionary path, the great builders of the solar system, and those under them who have passed the human stage respond to the sound of the Word, and with conscious realisation collaborate with the one who has breathed it forth, and thus the work is carried out. b. The devas on the involutionary arc, the lesser builders, who have not passed through the human stage, also respond to the sound, but unconsciously, or perforce, and through the power of the initiated vibrations build the required forms out of their own substance. Third. They act as a stabilising factor, and as long as the force of the sound persists, the forms cohere. When the Logos, for instance, finishes the sounding of the sacred AUM, and the vibration ceases, then disintegration of the forms will ensue. So with the Planetary Logos, and thus on down the scale. The Words of Power, or the permutations of the AUM, exist in every possible tone, sub-tone, and quarter-tone, and upon these shades of sound the work of creation and its sustentation is built up. A multiplicity of sounds exists within each greater sound and affects different groups. It must be remembered also that, generally and broadly speaking, the sounds within the solar system fall into two groups:— 1. The initiatory sounds, or those which produce manifestation or phenomena of any kind on all planes. 2. Eventuating sounds, or those which are produced from within the forms themselves during the evolutionary process, and which are the aggregate of the tones of every form in any particular kingdom of nature. Every form likewise has a tone which is produced by the minute sounds produced by the atoms composing that form. These sounds grow out of the other group and affect inferior groups or kingdoms, if the word "inferior" may be used in connection with any department of divine manifestation. For instance, the human kingdom (the fourth creative Hierarchy) was produced by a triple AUM sounded in a particular key by the three persons of the Trinity in unison,—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, or Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma. This sound is still going forth; the interplay and interblending of the many tiny notes of each human being produces a great united sound which can be heard in the high places and which, in its turn, is having a definite effect upon the animal kingdom. It is one of the factors which produces animal forms, both for human and animal occupation, for it must ever be remembered that man links the animal and the divine. It is neither possible nor desirable to enumerate the Words of Power, but certain general indications may be given which will help the student to realise somewhat the magnitude of the subject and its intricacy. 1. The Great Word, as sounded by the Logos of the solar system, and communicated to Him by His superior. 2. Three Words committed by the Solar Logos to each of the three Logoi as follows:— a. The sacred sound A to Shiva, He Who embodies the spirit or will aspect. It is the Word through which God the Father works. b. The sound U to Vishnu, God the Son. He is the form-builder and provides the body which the spirit must occupy, thereby making divine incarnation possible. A is the life sound, U is the form sound. c. The sound M to Brahma, Who, in His work of Energy-provider, links in active intelligence, spirit and form, or the self and not-self. It might here be pointed out that much information anent the three departments of the Hierarchy of our planet will come to the student who wisely ponders these functions. 3. Seven Great Words, again based on the sacred three sounds A U M. These produced creation, or the manifestation of the seven planes of our solar system. They are committed not to human entities, but to the seven great Devas or Raja-Lords who are the ensouling lives of a plane; hence in the various initiations their collaboration is necessary, before these key words can be committed to the initiate. 4. Forty-nine Words related to the forty-nine subplanes or Fires. These again are committed to the forty-nine Builders of the Sacred Fires. The above two groups of words are in the jurisdiction of the third aspect, and are given out by Brahma. 5. There are again five Great Words with signs which come under the department of Vishnu, or God the Son, [Page 154] and are breathed out by Him. By their means the five kingdoms of nature on the evolutionary arc came into being:— a. The mineral kingdom. b. The vegetable kingdom. c. The animal kingdom. d. The human kingdom. e. The spiritual kingdom. These five are permutations of, or are built up upon the sound U, as the ones earlier enumerated are built up upon the sound M. In connection with the first three kingdoms it may be of interest to note that they are based upon two sounds, the U sounded on the basic key tone of the M. In the fourth kingdom the M tone is dying down and the two notes sounded forth are the U and the A. In the fifth kingdom the M has subsided into a distant undertone, the U is blended with it so as to be indistinguishable, and the A, or Shiva note, is pealing forth in power, and is practically the only note heard. By the sounding of this note,—that of Shiva the Destroyer,—the not-self is negated, and all that is not of spirit passes into dissolution. It is the coming in of the A sound which affects the severance or liberation of the initiate from the three worlds. 6. There are certain Words also committed to each of the Planetary Logoi, and they are the basis of planetary manifestation. As is well known, the sound of the Brahma aspect, or the third aspect of our particular Planetary Logos, is FA, and herein lies much of illumination as to His point in evolution, for it is immediately apparent that the A sound is reaching even the dense physical. 7. Within our own Hierarchy there are numbers of Words built up upon the Great Word of our Planetary Logos, and these are committed to the Departmental Heads, [Page 155] who in turn pass them on in permutated order to the graded initiates. It will be wise here for the student to differentiate carefully in his mind between words and sounds, for the word veils the thought or intended idea or purpose, and the sound makes it possible to manifest in matter of some kind, on one or other of the seven planes. We cannot here trace the expansion of the basic words, from their enunciation by cosmic entities down to the infinitesimal differentiations produced in the speech of man, the vocal expression of the animals, and the song of birds. Each is a manifestation of consciousness in some degree, and each produces an effect. What the initiate is learning to do is to make sounds consciously, and thus produce a studied and desired result; to utter words; and be fully aware of the consequence on all planes; and to create forms and direct energy through sacred sounds, and thus further the ends of evolution. It has been necessary to digress thus before taking up the committal of words to the initiate, in order to emphasise the radical importance of the matter, and thus account for the carefully guarding of this aspect of divine work. The Use of the Words We have already dealt with the significance of the Words of Power in a brief manner. We might now sum up certain of the inferred postulates, and then touch somewhat upon the initiation ceremony, and the Words as committed to the initiate. The postulates here made are nine in number, and if duly pondered upon by the aspirant, will reveal to him much anent the creative process and the power of speech. 1. All the Words of Power are rooted in the Great Word committed to the Solar Logos at the dawn of manifestation. 2. All the Words of Power are permutations or expansions of the three basic sounds, and increase in length as the planes are involved, until the sentences and speech of the finite unit, man, in their myriad differentiations are arrived at. 3. Therefore, on the path of return, speech becomes ever more brief, words are more sparingly used, and the time eventually comes when the adept employs formulas of words only as required to carry out specific purposes along two lines:— a. Definite creative processes. b. Specific direction of energy. This, of course, on the planes in the three worlds. 4. The aspirant, therefore, has mainly three things to do when preparing for initiation:— a. To control every activity of his threefold lower nature. This involves the application of intelligent energy to every atom of his three sheaths—physical, astral, and mental. It is literally the shining forth of the Brahma, or third aspect, of the inner God. b. To control his speech every minute of every day. This is a statement easily made, but most difficult to make practical. He who achieves it is rapidly nearing emancipation. This applies not to the reticence, the moroseness, the silence, and the voicelessness which often distinguishes natures but little evolved, and which are in reality an inarticulate condition. It refers to the controlled use of words to effect certain ends, and the retention of speech energy when not needed—a very different matter. It involves a realisation of cycles; of times and of seasons; it supposes a knowledge of the power of sound, and of the effects produced through the spoken word; it involves an apprehension of the building forces of nature and their due manipulation, and is based on an ability to wield mental matter, and to set it in motion, in order to produce results in physical matter, consonant with the clearly defined purpose of the inner God. It is the shining forth of the second aspect of the Self, the Vishnu, or form-building aspect, which is the prime characteristic of the Ego on its own plane. It would be well to ponder on this. c. To meditate, and thus arrive at the purpose of the Ego. By thus meditating the first aspect comes steadily into greater prominence, and the conscious will of the inner God can make itself felt on the physical plane. The three activities of the aspirant must parallel each other, and it will be noted that the second is the outcome of the first and will manifest as energy on the physical plane. Only when the aspirant has made real progress in these three lines of endeavour will the first of the Great Words be committed to him. 5. Every Great Word includes within itself its differentiations, its expansions and permutations, and by its utterance the initiate sets in motion the lesser, through the vibration of the greater. Hence the terrific responsibility and the magnitude of the results achieved. Each Word is committed to the initiate orally and visually. It is spoken to him first in the form of seven syllables, each of which he has to memorise as a separate Word. Then he is shown how to blend these seven so as to make a threefold sound and thus produce more united and far reaching results. Finally the three are blended into one Word which is committed to him. The seven words which form the Great Word at any initiation are communicated to the initiate by the initiates of equal rank with his own. This group divides itself into [Page 158] seven groups, according to subray or ray formation, and each group then chants one word in rapid rotation. Simultaneously, the colours and symbols of the various sounds pass in front of him, so that he hears and sees that which is committed to him. The more advanced group around the throne of office (the three Departmental Heads at the first two initiations, and the Pratyeka Buddhas at the final ones) chant then for him the triple Word which blends the seven, and again he sees it before his inner eye. Finally the Initiator sounds it forth, and the initiate becomes aware within himself, in practical experience, of the one great sound, and knows in one particular centre what its vibration is. As is well known, every centre is connected with some plane, scheme, ray, and other septenary divisions, and thus the significance of its inner reaction will be apparent. 6. The Masters and initiates, in Their work of aiding the evolution of the three worlds, concern Themselves principally with the seven syllables of the Word of Their degree or initiated grade. The three Words which blend the seven are seldom used except under the direct sanction of one of the departmental heads (according to the syllable involved each Word is directly connected with the triple AUM, and therefore with the Brahma, Vishnu, or Siva aspect, of which the three Heads are the planetary representatives). When any initiate desires to use, for evolutionary purposes, the entire Word as a unit, the sanction of the assembled Lodge has to be gained, for such a Word affects the matter of an entire plane within a planetary scheme, and consequently the matter of those planes which are subsidiary to the one involved. For instance, an initiate of the third degree, in sounding the Word of his degree, affects the matter of the lower mental subplanes, and subsequently the matter of the astral and physical planes. An initiate of the second degree similarly affects the astral plane, and subsequently the physical. Far reaching results are thus achieved, and the work of many is thus affected. 7. Every Word, differentiated or synthesised, affects the deva kingdoms, and hence the form-building aspects of manifestation. No sound is ever made without producing a corresponding response in deva substance, and driving multitudes of tiny lives to take specific forms. These forms persist and carry out their functions just as long as the sound which caused them is prolonged, and the specific will-energy of the one Who initiated the sound is directed towards the living form. This is equally true of a Solar Logos enunciating the AUM, and thus producing the solar system; of a Planetary Logos sounding his planetary Word, and producing a planetary scheme; of an adept producing results for the helping of humanity on the physical plane; and of an ordinary human being, who—in much differentiated diversified speech—expresses an inner purpose or state of mind, and thus builds a form or vehicle in deva substance. The majority of human beings as yet build unconsciously, and the form constructed is either of a beneficent or maleficent agency, according to the underlying motive or purpose of the man, and will carry out his will as long as its term of being persists. 8. Every Word sounded is distinguished by: a. A specific colour. b. A particular tone. c. A special form. d. A degree of energy or activity. e. The nature of the ensouling life, self-conscious, conscious, or unconscious, God, man, or deva. The student, again, will find this equally true of a solar system, of a planetary scheme, of a human being, of a thought form ensouled by an elemental life, and of the atom of the physicist or chemist. In the knowledge of these facts, [Page 160] and in their conscious realisation, may be known the true occultist. The Solar Logos sounded forth a Word, the form of our solar system came into being, its color being blue and its note a particular cosmic musical tone. Its degree of activity is of a specific mathematical notation beyond the grasp of the human mind at this stage of development; and the nature of its great ensouling Life, that of the triple Logos, is active, intelligent Love. 9. The Great Word of our solar system keys in, if it might be so expressed, with other Words, and is but one Word of the sevenfold Word, known to that great Existence Who stands in the same relation to the Solar Logos as the latter does to the Planetary Logos. The sacred Words of seven solar systems (of which ours is but one) make up this septenary sound, which vibrates at this time in the cosmic spheres. In these nine statements are very cursorily summed up the major truths anent the creative processes in the solar system. In them lies hidden the secret of the true magic, and in their comprehension will come to the man who has spiritual intuition, purity of life and motive, altruistic intention, and a stern self-control and courage, the power to further the purposes of the Ego, who is a conscious collaborator in the work of evolution, and a sharer in part of the plans of the Planetary Logos of our scheme. They are given in this brief form both to protect the concealed truths and yet to reveal them to those who are ready. These seven Words of the solar system, which form the logoic Word which we only know in its triple form as AUM, are revealed at the seven initiations. At the first initiation is given the Word for the physical plane. At the second initiation is given the Word for the astral plane. At the third initiation is given the Word for the lower mental plane. At this initiation, in which, as earlier said, the Hierophant is the Lord of the World, not only is the Word given for the lower mental plane, but a word which synthesises the three Words for the three worlds is also committed. It is given to the initiate as a topic for meditation, until he takes the fourth initiation, but he is forbidden to use it until the final liberation, as it gives entire control on the three lower planes. At the fourth initiation the Word for the higher mental plane is imparted. At the fifth initiation the Word for the buddhic plane is given. At the sixth initiation the Word for the atmic plane. At the seventh initiation the Word for the monadic plane is given. At the sixth initiation the Word which synthesises the fourth, fifth and sixth Words is given by the Hierophant, and thus the initiate wields complete control, through the power of sound, over the substance of the five planes of human evolution. At the seventh initiation the triple AUM, in its true character, is revealed to the illuminated Buddha, and he can then manipulate energy in the six worlds or planes. Two more initiations can be taken, but little is ever said about them on our earth scheme, for the reason that our scheme is not a "sacred" scheme, and few, if any, of our humanity achieve the eighth and ninth initiations. To do so, they must first pass to another scheme for a lengthy period of service and instruction. All that can be hinted at is [Page 162] that at the eighth initiation the duality of the triple AUM is brought out, and at the ninth the one sound of the Absolute stands revealed, and its significance is heard and seen. This brings into the consciousness of the initiate somewhat of the energy and power of the "One about Whom Naught may be Said" or the Logos of our Solar Logos. The unit of consciousness is then perfect, as the Logos is perfect, and passes on to work paralleling that of the Solar Logos. Such is the great program and the opportunity reaching out before the sons of man, aye, and before every atom everywhere. - THE IMPARTING OF THE SECRETS We now come to the consideration of the secrets committed at the initiation ceremony to the initiate. It is apparent, of course, that only the fact of the secret, and an indication as to the matter with which it concerns itself can be touched upon, and even this would be left unmentioned were it not that a knowledge of the general outline of the subject may inspire the applicant for initiation to a more careful study of such a subject and to a more diligent equipping of his mental body with information. Thereby (when in due course of time he stands before the Initiator) he will lose no time in utilising the acquired secret. The Sevenfold Secret. After the administration of the oath which pledges the initiate to inviolable secrecy, the newly made initiate advances alone closer to the Hierophant; he then places his hand upon the lower end of the Rod of Initiation which is held in the centre by the Hierophant. The Three Who stand around the throne of office then place Their hands upon the glowing diamond which surmounts the Rod, and when these five personalities are thus linked by the circulating energy from the Rod, the Initiator confides to the initiate the secret. The reason for this is as follows: Each of the five initiations with which we are immediately concerned (for the higher two, not being compulsory, are outside our present consideration) affects one of the five centres in man. 1. The head, 2. The heart, 3. The throat, 4. The solar plexus, 5. The base of the spine, and reveals to him knowledge concerning the various types of force or energy by which the solar system is animated, and which reach him via a particular etheric centre. At the application of the Rod his centres were affected in a particular fashion. By the impartation of the Secret, the reason is committed to his care, and that reason is demonstrated to him to be identical with that which necessarily produces some particular planetary manifestation, and which causes a certain specific greater cycle. It might be pointed out that:— 1. Each secret concerns one or other of the seven great planes of the solar system. 2. Each secret deals with, and is the enunciation of, one of the seven laws of nature. They therefore concern one or other of the basic evolutions of each planetary scheme. Each scheme embodies one of the laws as its primary law, and all its evolutions tend to demonstrate the perfection of that law with its six subsidiary mutations, these six differing in one particular in each case according to the primary law manifested. 3. Each secret conveys a key to the nature of some particular Planetary Logos, and consequently gives the clue to the characteristics of those Monads who are on that particular planetary ray. It is obvious how necessary such knowledge is to the adept who seeks to work with the sons of men, and to manipulate the force currents affecting them and which they emanate. 4. Each secret concerns some one ray or colour and gives the number, note, and the vibration which corresponds. These seven secrets are simply short formulas, not of mantric value, such as in the case of the Sacred Word, but of a mathematical nature, precisely worded so as to convey the exact intent of the speaker. To the uninitiated they would look and sound like algebraical formulas, except that each is composed (when seen clairvoyantly) of an oval of a specific hue, according to the secret imparted, containing five peculiar hieroglyphics or symbols. One symbol contains the formula of the law concerned, another gives the planetary key and tone, a third deals with vibration, whilst the fourth shows the number and department under which the ray concerned falls. The last hieroglyph gives one of the seven hierarchical keys by means of which the members of our planetary hierarchy can link up with the solar. This is evidently very vague and ambiguous information, but it will serve to show that, as in the case of the Words, apprehension had to involve two senses, so in the cognition of the secrets the two senses again come into play, and the secret is both heard and appears symbolically to the inner eye. It will now be apparent why so much stress is laid upon the study of symbols, and why students are urged to ponder and meditate upon the cosmic and systemic signs. It prepares them for the grasp and inner retention of the symbols and formulas which embody the knowledge whereby they can eventually work. These formulas are based upon nine symbols which are now recognised:— 1. The cross in its varying forms. 2. The lotus. 3. The triangle. 4. The cube. 5. The sphere and the point. 6. Eight animal forms, the goat, the bull, the elephant, the man, the dragon, the bear, the lion, and the dog. 7. The line. 8. Certain signs of the Zodiac, hence the need for the study of astrology. 9. The cup, or the holy grail. All these symbols allied, interwoven, or taken in part, are combined to express one or other of the seven Secrets. The initiate has to recognise them by sight as well as to hear them, and by an effort of the will to imprint them irrevocably upon his memory. This he is aided to do in three ways:—First, by a long prior training in observation; this can be begun here and now by all aspirants, and as they learn to imprint details accurately upon their memory they are laying the foundation for that acute instantaneous apprehension of that which is shown them by the Hierophant; secondly, by having cultivated within themselves the power to visualise again that which has once been seen. It will be apparent here why the emphasis has been laid by all wise teachers of meditation upon the faculty of the careful building of mental pictures. The aim has been twofold:— a. To teach the student to visualise his thought-forms accurately, so that when he begins to create consciously he may lose no time in inaccurate transformation. b. To enable him to picture again accurately the imparted secret, so that it may instantly be of use to him whenever needed. Finally, by the strongly applied will of the other four Personalities who are holding the Rod at the same time as the [Page 167] initiate. Their trained intense mental concentration greatly facilitates his apprehension. In the case of human evolution certain types of force are generated, dealt with, assimilated, and used, at first unconsciously, and finally with full intelligence. a. In the Hall of Ignorance the force or energy of Brahma (the activity and intelligence of substance) is that mostly dealt with, and the man has to learn the meaning of activity based on:— a. Inherent energy. b. Absorbed energy. c. Group energy. d. Material energy, or that which is hidden in physical plane matter. b. In the Hall of Learning he becomes aware of, and uses the energy of the second aspect in form building, in social relations, and in family affiliations. He comes to the recognition of sex and its relations, but as yet views this force as something to be controlled, but not consciously and constructively utilised. c. In the Hall of Wisdom he comes to the knowledge of the first aspect of energy, the dynamic use of will in sacrifice, and to him is then committed the key to the threefold mystery of energy. This energy in its threefold aspect he became aware of, in the other two Halls. At the third initiation, and at the fourth and fifth, the three keys to the three mysteries are given to him. The key to the mystery sensed in the first Hall, the mystery of Brahma, is handed to him, and he can then unlock the hidden energies of atomic substance. [Page 168] The key to the mystery of sex, or of the pairs of opposites, is thrust into his hand, and he can then unlock the hidden forces of the will aspect. The dynamo of the solar system is shown to him,—if it might be so expressed—and the intricacies of the mechanism revealed. The Three Solar Mysteries. The three mysteries of the solar system are:— 1. The mystery of Electricity. The mystery of Brahma. The secret of the third aspect. It is latent in the physical sun. 2. The mystery of Polarity, or of the universal sex impulse. The secret of the second aspect. It is latent in the Heart of the Sun, or the subjective Sun. 3. The mystery of Fire itself, or the dynamic central systemic force. The secret of the first aspect. It is latent in the Central Spiritual Sun. Their Sequential Revelation. The secrets, as imparted sequentially to the initiate, are roughly three in number, though within them may be found lesser mysteries which are earlier revealed. At the third initiation the first of the three fundamental secrets of the solar system is imparted to the initiate, immediately after he has taken the oath. This we might, for lack of a better term, call "the secret of electricity." It concerns the phenomena of the dense objective manifestation of the Logos. It would be wise here for the student to remember that the three planes of the three worlds, physical, astral, and mental, form the dense physical body of the solar Logos, whilst the [Page 169] four higher form His etheric body. Students are apt to forget that our seven planes are the seven sub-planes of the cosmic physical. This has a very definite bearing on the secret of electricity. This is why the secret is not revealed till the third initiation, and is prepared for by the impartation of two lesser secrets which concern the physical and astral planes, and which are imparted at the first two initiations by the Bodhisattva. Electrical phenomena are scientifically recognised as dual in nature, but the inherent triplicity of electricity is as yet but a matter for speculation for modern science. The fact that it is triple is demonstrated to the initiate at the first initiation, and the secret of how to balance forces on the physical plane, and thereby produce equilibrium, is revealed to him at the first initiation. This secret likewise puts him in touch with certain of the Builders on the physical plane—that is, on the etheric levels—and he can then produce physical plane phenomena should he deem it wise. This he seldom does, as the results gained thereby are practically unimportant and he wastes not energy in this manner. The workers with the involutionary forces, the brothers of darkness, employ this method for the startling and the enthralling of the unwary. Not thus work the brothers of humanity. The secret of the coherence of the atom is revealed to the initiate, and he then is in a position to study the microcosm under the law of correspondences in a new and illuminating manner. Similarly, through this revelation concerning the densest part of the logoic body, he can ascertain much concerning the previous solar system, and the facts anent the first round of our scheme. This secret is also called "the mystery of matter." At the second initiation "the secret of the sea" is unfolded to him, and through this revelation two subjects of profound interest become clarified to his inner vision. They are:— a. The mystery of the astral light. b. The law of karma. He is, after this, in a position to do two things, without which he cannot work off that which hinders, and thus achieve liberation; he can read the akashic records and ascertain the past, thereby enabling himself to work intelligently in the present, and he can begin to balance his karma, to work off his obligations, and to understand how karma in the three worlds can be negated. The relation of that hierarchy of spiritual beings who are connected with the law of karma as it affects man is demonstrated to him, and he knows with first-hand knowledge that the lords of karma are no myth, or symbolical units, but are highly intelligent entities who wield the law for the benefit of humanity, and thus enable men to become fully self-conscious and self -reliant in the occult sense, and to become creators through perfected knowledge. At the third initiation "the secret of fohat" is given to him, and then the mystery of the threefold body of the triple Logos is his, and the why of the phenomena of the dense liquid and gaseous bodies of the Supreme Being is enfolded before his amazed vision. The two secrets previously imparted, and the knowledge which they gave having been utilised, the initiate is now in a position to profit by this greater revelation, and to understand somewhat the following facts:— 1. The creative process of thought form building. 2. The transmission of energy from the Ego to the physical body via the force centres on the various planes. 3. The uprising of kundalini, its geometrical progression, and its vivification of all the centres. By the knowledge thus imparted, and the progress which the initiate has made in the study of the law of analogy, he can comprehend the manipulation of the same forces on a vastly larger scale in the planetary scheme and in the solar system. The method of development in the three earlier rounds is revealed to him, and he understands, practically as well as theoretically, the evolutionary process in its earlier stages. The key to the three lower kingdoms of nature is in his hands, and certain ideas anent the subject of polarity, of at-one-ment, and essential union, are beginning to come within his range of consciousness, only waiting for the fourth initiation to complete the revelation. This secret of electricity, which is essentially triple in its nature, deals with the Brahma or third aspect, and is called sometimes by the following names:— 1. The Secret of Brahma. 2. The Revelation of the Mother. 3. The Secret of Fohatic Force. 4. The Mystery of the Creator. 5. The Secret of the Three Who issued from the First (solar system), and also by four mystic phrases conveying much light to the intuition: 6. The Boat of Mystery which Ploughs the Ocean. 7. The Key to the Divine Storehouse. 8. The Light that Guides through the triple caves of Darkness. 9. The Clue to the Energy uniting Fire and Water. In all these names much information will come to the student who carefully ponders them, remembering that they deal with the Brahma aspect in its lowest manifestation and with the three worlds of human endeavour, and thus meditating, the student must relate this present solar system to the preceding one, in which the Brahma aspect dominated, as the Vishnu, or consciousness aspect dominates in this. The initiate, through the knowledge imparted, is now in a position to understand his own triple lower nature, and therefore to balance it in relation to the higher, to read the records and understand his place within the group, to manipulate the forces in the three worlds and thereby effect liberation for himself, thus helping the ends of evolution, and to co-operate intelligently with the plans of the Planetary Logos as they may be revealed to him stage by stage. He can now wield power, and becomes a centre of energy in a greatly increased degree, being able to dispense or retract force currents. The moment a man becomes consciously powerful on the mental plane, his power for good is a hundredfold increased. At the fourth initiation another of the great secrets is revealed to him. It is called "the mystery of polarity," and the clue to the significance of sex in every department of nature on all the planes is given to him. It is not possible to say much along these lines. All that can be done is to enumerate some of the subjects to which it gives the clue, adding to this the information that in our planetary scheme, owing to the point in evolution of our own Planetary Logos, this secret is the most vital. Our Planetary Logos is at the stage wherein He is consciously seeking the at-one-ment with his polar opposite, another Planetary Logos. [Page 173] The subjects on which this secret throws a flood of light are:— a. Sex on the physical plane. It gives us a key to the mystery of the separation of the sexes in Lemurian days. b. The balancing of forces in all departments of nature. c. The clue as to which Scheme forms with ours a duality. d. The true name of our Planetary Logos and His relation to the Solar Logos. e. "The Marriage of the Lamb" and the problem of the heavenly bride. A clue to this lies in the solar system of S.... which must be read astrologically. f. The mystery of the Gemini, and the connection of our particular Planetary Logos with that constellation. On a lesser scale, and in relation to the microcosm, the following subjects are illuminated when the initiate receives the second great secret, or the fourth which includes the earlier lesser ones:— g. The processes of at-one-ment in the different kingdoms of nature. The bridging between the kingdoms is shown him, and he sees the unity of the scheme. h. The method of egoic at-one-ment is seen clearly revealed, and the antahkarana is shown in its real nature, and having been thus revealed, is dispensed with. i. The essential unity existing between the Ego and the personality is seen. j. The relation of the two evolutions, human and deva, is no longer a mystery, but their position in the body of the Heavenly Man is seen to be a fact. One could go on emphasising the multiplicity of matters which the mystery of polarity, when revealed, makes clear to the initiate, but the above suffices. This secret concerns primarily the Vishnu, or second aspect. It sums up in one short phrase the totality of knowledge gained in the Hall of Wisdom, as the earlier secrets summed up the totality achieved in the Hall of Learning. It deals with consciousness and its development by and through the matter aspect. It concerns literally the unification of the self and the not-self till they are verily and indeed one. At the fifth initiation the great secret which concerns the fire or spirit aspect is revealed to the wondering and amazed Master, and He realises in a sense incomprehensible to man the fact that all is fire and fire is all. This secret may be said to reveal to the Initiate that which makes clear to Him:— a. The secret name of the Planetary Logos, thus revealing one syllable of the name of the Solar Logos. b. The work and method of the destroyer aspect of divinity. c. The processes whereby obscuration and pralaya are induced. d. The mathematical formula which sums up all the cycles of manifestation. e. The triple nature of fire, and the effect of the great fire upon the lesser. As this Shiva, or first, aspect is the one which will arrive at perfection, or, rather, come within the reach of comprehension within the next solar system, it profits not to continue considering this secret. The following tabulation may make the whole matter clearer to the mind of the student:— Secret of Initiation Logos Concerned Source of Energy Planes Fohat Third Brahma Creator Physical Sun Seven, Six, Five Polarity Fourth Vishnu Preserver Subjective Sun Four, Three Fire Fifth Shiva Destroyer Central Spiritual Sun Two As the student will observe, the source of the particular energy concerned is one aspect of the sun. At the sixth and seventh initiations two more secrets are revealed, one—a lesser secret— - preparing the way for the revelation of the fourth. Only four secrets of a major order are revealed to initiates on this planet, and herein lies the clue to our position in the scheme of solar evolution. There are only five secrets altogether, of a major kind, revealed in this solar system, owing to the fact that this is a system wherein pre-eminently the fifth principle of mind forms the basis of unfoldment. This fifth revelation is only imparted to those who pass to the Schemes of synthesis. DIVERSITIES OF INITIATIONS Major and Minor Initiations. In dealing with this question of the diversities of initiations it may be of value to the student to remember that the great moment in which a man passed out of the animal kingdom into the human, which is called in many occult textbooks the "moment of individualisation," was in itself one of the greatest of all initiations. Individualisation is the conscious apprehension by the self of its relation to all that constitutes the not-self, and in this great initiatory process, as in all the later ones, the awakening of consciousness is preceded by a period of gradual development; the awakening is instantaneous at the moment of self-realisation for the first time, and is always succeeded by another period of gradual evolution. This period of gradual evolution, in its turn leads up to a later crisis which is called Initiation. In the one case, we have initiation into self-conscious existence, in the other, initiation into spiritual existence. These realisations, or apprehended expansions of consciousness, are under natural law, and come in due course of time to every soul without exception. In a lesser degree they are undergone daily by every human being, as his mental grip of life and experience gradually grows, but they only become initiations into the wisdom (as differentiated from expansions of knowledge) when the knowledge gained is:— a. Consciously sought for. b. Self-sacrificingly applied to life. c. Willingly used in service for others. d. Intelligently utilised on the side of evolution. Only souls of a certain amount of experience and development do all these four things consistently and steadily, and thus transmute knowledge into wisdom, and experience into quality. The ordinary average man transmutes ignorance into knowledge, and experience into faculty. It would be helpful if all of us pondered upon the difference between inherent quality and innate faculty; one is the very nature of buddhi, or wisdom, and the other of manas, or mind. The union of these two, through a man's conscious effort, results in a major initiation. These results are brought about in two ways:—First, by a man's own unaided effort, which leads him in due course of time to find his own centre of consciousness, to be guided and led by the inner ruler or Ego entirely, and to unravel, through strenuous effort and painful endeavour, the mystery of the universe, which is concealed in material substance energised by Fohat. Secondly, by a man's efforts, supplemented by the intelligent loving co-operation of the Knowers of the race, the Masters of the Wisdom. In this case the process is quicker, for a man comes under instruction—should he so desire—and subsequently, when he has on his part provided the right conditions, there is placed at his disposal the knowledge and the help of Those Who have achieved. In order to avail himself of this help he has to work with the material of his own body, building right material into an ordered form, and has therefore to learn discrimination in the choice of matter, and to understand the laws of vibration and of construction. This entails the mastering, in some measure, of the laws that govern the Brahma and Vishnu aspects: it means a faculty of vibrating with atomic accuracy, and the development of the quality of attractiveness, which is the basis of the building, or Vishnu aspect. He has to equip, also, his mental body so that it may be an explainer and transmitter, and not a hindering factor as now. He must likewise develop group activity, and learn to work in a co-ordinated manner with other units. These are the main things that a man must accomplish along the path of initiation, but when he has worked at them, he will find the Way, it will be made clear to him, and he will then join the ranks of the Knowers. Another point to be remembered is that this effort to make people co-operate intelligently with the Hierarchy, and to train them to join the ranks of the Lodge, is, as earlier pointed out, a special effort (inaugurated in Atlantean days and continued to this time) made by the Hierarchy of the planet, and is very largely in the nature of an experiment. The method whereby a man assumes conscious place in the body of a Heavenly Man differs in different planetary Schemes; the Heavenly Man, Who uses our planetary Scheme as His body of manifestation, chooses to work in this particular way during this particular period for His own specific purposes; it is part of the process of vitalising one of His centres, and of linking up His heart centre with its connection in the head. As other of His centres are vitalised, and come into full activity, other methods of stimulating the cells in His body (the deva and human monads) may be followed, but for the present the cosmic Rod of Initiation, which is applied to a Heavenly Man, in much the same manner as the lesser rods are applied to man, is being utilised in such a way that it produces that specific stimulation which demonstrates in the activity of man on the Path of Probation and the Path of Initiation.
ALGARVE (U.European): The place where I live
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