BOOKS BY ALICE A. BAILEY Initiation, Human and …...BOOKS BY ALICE A. BAILEY (I highly recommend this book. It was the Initiation, Human and Solar Letters on Occult Meditation The

BOOKS BY ALICE A. BAILEY

Initiation, Human and Solar Letters on Occult Meditation

The Consciousness of the Atom A Treatise on Cosmic Fire

The Light of the Soul The Soul and Its Mechanism From Intellect to Intuition A Treatise on White Magic From Bethlehem to Calvary

Discipleship in the New Age––Vol. I Discipleship in the New Age––Vol. II

Problems of Humanity The Reappearance of the Christ

The Destiny of the Nations Glamour: A World Problem

Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle The Unfinished Autobiography

Education in the New Age The Externalization of the Hierarchy

A Treatise on the Seven Rays: Vol. I––Esoteric Psychology Vol. II––Esoteric Psychology Vol. III––Esoteric Astrology Vol. IV––Esoteric Healing

Vol. V––The Rays and the Initiation

This document was downloaded from https://www.alliancesforhumanity.com/books/books.htm.

Other documents are available.

Initiation, Human and Solar (I highly recommend this book. It was the 1st one released and lays numerous foundations.) https://alliancesforhumanity.com/books/IHS.pdf xv

THE CONSTITUTION OF MAN The constitution of man, as considered in the following pages, is basically threefold, as follows:–– I. The Monad, or pure Spirit, the Father in Heaven. This aspect reflects the three aspects of the Godhead: 1. Will or Power ................. The Father. 2. Love-wisdom ................. The Son. 3. Active Intelligence ......... The Holy Spirit. and is only contacted at the final initiations, when man is nearing the end of his journey and is perfected. The Monad reflects itself again in II. The Ego, Higher Self, or Individuality. This aspect is potentially 1. Spiritual Will ......................... Atma. 2. Intuition ................................. Buddhi. Love-wisdom, the Christ principle. 3. Higher or abstract Mind ........ Higher Manas. The Ego begins to make its power felt in advanced men, and increasingly on the probationary Path until by the third initiation the control of the lower self by the higher is perfected, and the highest aspect begins to make its energy felt. The Ego reflects itself in III. The Personality, or lower self, physical plane man. This aspect is also threefold:–– 1. A mental body ...................... lower manas. 2. An emotional body ............... astral body. 3. A physical body ................... the dense physical and the etheric body. The aim of evolution is therefore to bring man to the realization of the Egoic aspect and to bring the lower nature under its control.

INITIATION DEFINED 19 have a somewhat analogous situation on the higher levels, though the parallel cannot be pushed to detail. The intuition corresponds to the emotional, and the four higher levels of the mental plane to the etheric. In the destruction of the causal body at the time of the fourth initiation (called symbolically "the Crucifixion") you have a process analogous to the burning of the web that leads to the unification of the bodies of the personality. The disintegration that is a part of the arhat initiation leads to unity between the Ego and the Monad, expressing itself in the Triad. It is the perfect at-one-ment. The whole process is therefore for the purpose of making man consciously one:–– First: With himself, and those in incarnation with him. Second: With his higher Self, and thus with all selves. Third: With his Spirit, or "Father in Heaven," and thus with all Monads. Fourth: With the Logos, the Three in One and the One in Three. Man becomes a conscious human being through the instrumentality of the Lords of the Flame, through Their enduring sacrifice. Man becomes a conscious Ego, with the consciousness of the higher Self, at the third initiation, through the instrumentality of the Masters and of the Christ, and through Their sacrifice in taking physical incarnation for the helping of the world Man unites with the Monad at the fifth initiation, through the instrumentality of the Lord of the World, the Solitary Watcher, the Great Sacrifice. Man becomes one with the Logos through the instrumentality of One about Whom naught may be said.

DEPARTMENTS OF THE HIERARCHY 39 called the Pratyeka Buddhas, or the Buddhas of Activity. These four are the embodiment of active intelligent loving will. They are the full flowering of the intelligence, having achieved in an earlier solar system that which man is now striving to perfect. In earlier cycles in this system They began to demonstrate intelligent love, and from the standpoint of the average human being They are perfect love and perfect intelligence, though from the standpoint of that Existence Who embraces even our planetary scheme in His body of manifestation, that love aspect is as yet but in process of developing, and the will is only embryonic. Another solar system will see the will aspect come to fruition, as love will mature in this. Standing around the Lord of the World, but withdrawn and esoteric, are three more Kumaras, Who make the seven of planetary manifestation. Their work is to us necessarily obscure. The three exoteric Buddhas, or Kumaras, are the sumtotal of activity or planetary energy, and the three esoteric Kumaras embody types of energy which as yet are not in full demonstration upon our planet. Each of these six Kumaras is a reflection of, and the distributing agent for, the energy and force of one of the six other Planetary Logoi, the remaining six spirits before the Throne. Sanat Kumara alone, in this scheme, is self-sustaining and self-sufficient, being the physical incarnation of one of the planetary Logoi, which one it is not permissible to state, as this fact is one of the secrets of initiation. Through each of Them passes the life force of one of the six rays, and in considering Them one might sum up Their work and position as follows:–– 1. They each embody one of the six types of energy, with the Lord of the World as the synthesizer and the embodier of the perfect seventh type, our planetary type. \page

40 DEPARTMENTS OF THE HIERARCHY 2. They are each distinguished by one of the six colors, with the Lord of the World showing forth the full planetary color, these six being subsidiary. 3. Their work is therefore concerned, not only with force distribution, but with the passing into our scheme from other planetary schemes, of Egos seeking earth experience. 4. Each of Them is in direct communication with one or another of the sacred planets. 5. According to astrological conditions, and according to the turning of the planetary wheel of life, so one or another of these Kumaras will be active. The three Buddhas of Activity change from time to time, and become in turn exoteric or esoteric as the case may be. Only the King persists steadily and watchfully in active physical incarnation. Besides these main presiding Personalities in the Coun- cil Chamber at Shamballa, there is a group of four Beings Who are the representatives upon the planet of the four Maharajas, or the four Lords of Karma in the solar system, who are specifically concerned with the evolution at the present time of the human kingdom. These four are connected with:–– 1. The distribution of karma, or human destiny, as it affects individuals, and through the individuals, the groups. 2. The care and tabulation of the akashic records. They are concerned with the Halls of Records, or with the "keeping of the book," as it is called in the Christian Bible; They are known in the Christian world as the recording angels.

DEPARTMENTS OF THE HIERARCHY 41 3. The participation in solar councils. They alone have the right during the world cycle to pass beyond the periphery of the planetary scheme, and participate in the councils of the Solar Logos. Thus They are literally planetary mediators, representing our Planetary Logos and all that concerns Him in the greater scheme of which He is but a part. Cooperating with these karmic Lords are the large groups of initiates and devas who occupy themselves with the right adjustment of:–– a. World karma, b. Racial karma, c. National karma, d. Group karma, e. Individual karma. and who are responsible to the Planetary Logos for the correct manipulation of those forces and building agencies which bring in the right Egos on the different rays at the correct times and seasons. With all these groups we have little concern, for they are contacted only by initiates of the third initiation, and by those of even more exalted rank. The remaining personnel of the Hierarchy is divided into three main and four subsidiary groups, each of these groups, as will be seen by reference to the appended chart, being presided over by one of Those Whom we call the three Great Lords. The work of the Manu. The Manu presides over group one. He is called Vai- vasvata Manu, and is the Manu of the fifth root-race. He

42 DEPARTMENTS OF THE HIERARCHY is the ideal man or thinker, and sets the type for our Aryan race, having presided over its destinies since its inception nearly one hundred thousand years ago. Other Manus have come and gone and His place will be, in the relatively near future, taken by someone else. He will then pass on to other work of a more exalted kind. The Manu, or the prototype of the fourth root-race, works in close cooperation with Him, and has His center of influence in China. He is the second Manu that the fourth root-race has had, having taken the place of the earlier Manu at the time of the final stages of Atlantean destruction. He has remained to foster the development of the race type, and to bring about its final disappearance. The periods of office of all the Manus overlap, but there remains no representative of the third root-race upon the globe at this time. Vaivasvata Manu has His dwelling place in the Himalaya mountains, and has gathered around Him at Shigatse some of those immediately connected with Aryan affairs in India, Europe and America, and those who will later be concerned with the coming sixth root-race. The plans are prepared for ages ahead, centers of energy are formed thousands of years before they will be required, and in the wise fore-knowledge of these Divine Men nothing is left to sudden eventuation, but all moves in ordered cycles and under rule and law, though within karmic limitations. The work of the Manu is largely concerned with government, with planetary politics, and with the founding, direction, and dissolution of racial types and forms. To Him is committed the will and purpose of the Planetary Logos. He knows what is the immediate objective for this cycle of evolution over which He has to preside, and His work concerns itself with making that will an accomplished fact. He works in closer cooperation with the building devas than does His Brother, the Christ, for to Him is

DEPARTMENTS OF THE HIERARCHY 43 given the work of setting the race type, of segregating the groups out of which races will develop, of manipulating the forces which move the earth's crust, of raising and lowering continents, of directing the minds of statesmen everywhere so that racial government will proceed as desired, and conditions be brought about which will produce those needed for the fostering of any particular type. Such a work can now be seen demonstrating in North America and Australia. The energy which flows through Him emanates from the head center of the Planetary Logos, passing to Him through the brain of Sanat Kumara, Who focalizes all the planetary energy within Himself. He works by the means of a dynamic meditation, conducted within the head center, and produces His results through His perfect realization of that which has to be accomplished, through a power to visualize that which must be done to bring about accomplishment, and through a capacity to transmit creative and destructive energy to those who are His assistants. And all this is brought about through the power of the enunciated sound. The work of the World Teacher, the Christ. Group two has the World Teacher for its presiding Head. He is that Great Being Whom the Christian calls the Christ; He is known also in the Orient as the Bodhi- sattva, and as the Lord Maitreya, and is the One looked for by the devout Mohammedan, under the name of the Iman Madhi. He it is Who has presided over the destinies of life since about 600 B.C. and He it is Who has come out among men before, and Who is again looked for. He is the great Lord of Love and of Compassion, just as his predecessor, the Buddha, was the Lord of Wisdom.

44 DEPARTMENTS OF THE HIERARCHY Through Him flows the energy of the second aspect, reaching Him direct from the heart center of the Planetary Logos via the heart of Sanat Kumara. He works by means of a meditation centered within the heart. He is the World Teacher, the Master of the Masters, and the Instructor of the Angels, and to Him is committed the guidance of the spiritual destinies of men, and the development of the realization within each human being that he is a child of God and a son of the Most High. Just as the Manu is occupied with the providing of the type and forms through which consciousness can evolve and gather experience, thus making existence in its deepest sense possible, so the World Teacher directs that indwelling consciousness in its life or spirit aspect, seeking to energize it within the form so that, in due course of time, that form can be discarded and the liberated spirit return whence it came. Ever since He left the earth, as related with approximate accuracy in the Bible story (though with much error in detail) has He stayed with the sons of men; never has He really gone, but only in appearance, and in a physical body He can be found by those who know the way, dwelling in the Himalayas, and working in close cooperation with His two great Brothers, the Manu and the Mahachohan. Daily He pours out His blessing on the world, and daily He stands under the great pine in His garden at the sunset hour with hands uplifted in blessing over all those who truly and earnestly seek to aspire. To Him all seekers are known, and though they may remain unaware of Him, the light which He pours forth stimulates their desire, fosters the spark of struggling life and spurs on the aspirant until the momentous day dawns when they stand face to face with the One Who by being "lifted up" (occultly understood) is drawing all men unto Himself as the Initiator of the sacred mysteries.

DEPARTMENTS OF THE HIERARCHY 45 The work of the Lord of Civilization, the Mahachohan. Group three has as its Head the Mahachohan. His rule over the group persists for a longer period than that of His two Brothers, and He may hold office for the term of several root-races. He is the sumtotal of the intelligence aspect. The present Mahachohan is not the original one Who held the office at the founding of the Hierarchy in Lemurian days––it was then held by one of the Ku- maras, or Lords of the Flame, Who came into incarnation with Sanat Kumara––but He took hold of His position during the second sub-race of the Atlantean root-race. He had achieved adeptship on the moon-chain, and it was through His instrumentality that a large number of the present more advanced human beings came into incarnation in the middle of the Atlantean root-race. Karmic affiliation with Him was one of the predisposing causes, thus making this eventuality possible. (Since publication of this book, 1922, another now holds this office. See Master Rakoczi on page 58.) His work concerns itself with the fostering and strengthening of that relation between spirit and matter, life and form, the self and the not-self, which results in what we call civilization. He manipulates the forces of nature, and is largely the emanating source of electrical energy as we know it. Being the reflection of the third, or creative aspect, energy from the Planetary Logos flows to Him from the throat center, and He it is Who in many ways makes the work of His Brothers possible. Their plans and desires are submitted to Him and through Him pass the instructions to a large number of the deva agents. Thus you have Will, Love, and Intelligence represented in these three great Lords; you have the self, the not-self, and the relation between synthesized in the unity of manifestation; you have racial government, religion and civilization forming a coherent whole, and you have physical manifestation, the love or desire aspect, and the mind

50

CHAPTER VI THE LODGE OF MASTERS

The divisions. We have considered somewhat the highest offices in the ranks of the Hierarchy of our planet. Now we will deal with what we might call the two divisions into which the remaining members are divided. They form literally two Lodges within the greater body:–– a. The –––– Lodge, comprised of initiates above the fifth initiation, and a group of devas or angels. b. The Blue Lodge, comprised of all initiates of the third, fourth. and fifth initiations. Below these come a large group of initiates of the first and second initiations, and then the disciples of every grade. The disciples are considered as affiliated with the Lodge, but not as literally members of it. Finally come those who are on probation, and who hope through strenuous effort to achieve affiliation. From another point of view we can consider the Lodge members as existing in seven groups, each group representing one type of the sevenfold planetary energy emanating from the Planetary Logos. The triple division has first been given, as ever in evolution you have the major three (manifesting through the three departments) and then the seven, these seven showing again as a triple differentiation and a septenary. Students must bear in mind that all that is herein imparted concerns the work of the Hierarchy in connection with the fourth or human king-

56 THE LODGE OF MASTERS closely with the work of unifying, as far as may be, eastern and western thought, so that the great religions of the East, with the later development of the Christian faith in all its many branches, may mutually benefit each other. Thus eventually it is hoped one great universal Church may come into being. The Master Jesus, who is the focal point of the energy that flows through the various Christian churches, is at present living in a Syrian body, and dwells in a certain part of the Holy Land. He travels much and passes considerable time in various parts of Europe. He works specially with masses more than with individuals, though He has gathered around Him quite a numerous body of pupils. He is upon the sixth Ray of Devotion, or Abstract Idealism, and His pupils are frequently distinguished by that fanaticism and devotion which manifested in earlier Christian times amongst the martyrs. He Himself is rather a martial figure, a disciplinarian, and a man of iron rule and will. He is tall and spare with rather a long thin face, black hair, pale complexion and piercing blue eyes. His work at this time is exceedingly responsible, for to Him is given the problem of steering the thought of the occident out of its present state of unrest into the peaceful waters of certitude and knowledge, and of preparing the way in Europe and America for the eventual coming of the World Teacher. He is well known in the Bible history, coming before us first as Joshua the Son of Nun, appearing again in the time of Ezra as Jeshua, taking the third initiation, as related in the book of Zechariah, as Joshua, and in the Gospel story He is known for two great sacrifices, that in which He handed over His body for the use of the Christ, and for the great renunciation which is the characteristic of the fourth initiation. As Appollonius of Tyana, He took the

Joshua the Son of Nun Joshua (/ˈdʒɒʃuə/) or Jehoshua (Hebrew: ַיְהֹוֻׁשע Yehōšuʿa)[a] is the central

figure in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Joshua. According to the books of Exodus, Numbers and Joshua, he was Moses' assistant and became the leader of the Israelite tribes after the death of Moses.[3] His name was Hoshea ( ַהֹוֵׁשע) the son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, but Moses called him Joshua (Numbers 13:16), the name by which he is commonly known. The name is shortened to Yeshua in Nehemiah (Nehemiah 8:17). According to the Bible he was born in Egypt prior to the Exodus.[2]

According to the Hebrew Bible, Joshua was one of the twelve spies of Israel sent by Moses to explore the land of Canaan. In Numbers 13:1–16, and after the death of Moses, he led the Israelite tribes in the conquest of Canaan, and allocated the land to the tribes. According to Biblical chronology, Joshua lived some time in the late Bronze Age. According to Joshua 24:29, Joshua died at the age of 110.

Joshua also holds a position of respect among Muslims. According to Islamic tradition, he was, along with Caleb, one of the two believing spies whom Moses had sent to spy the land of Canaan.[4] All Muslims also see Joshua as the leader of the Israelites, following the death of Moses. Some Muslims also believe Joshua to be the "attendant" of Moses mentioned in the Quran, before Moses meets Khidr and Joshua plays a significant role in Islamic literature with significant narration in the Hadith, therefore he is a point of study in comparative religion, see Joshua in Islam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua Jeshua as related in the book of Zechariah as Joshua

The Joshua of Zechariah 3 was a Levite and descendant of Aaron in post-exilic Jerusalem in approximately 538 B.C. Joshua’s name also appears as “Jeshua” and is listed as one of the first of those returning from Babylon in Nehemiah 7:7: “They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah. . . .”

The prophet Haggai also refers to the high priest Joshua: “In the second year of Darius the king [537 B.C.], in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest” (Haggai 1:1).

Joshua would soon help rebuild the temple (Ezra 5:1-2). God used the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to communicate His command to rebuild the temple and encourage the people in their work. Joshua served as the spiritual leader and high priest who supported the effort, and Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah, also involved in the work.

As the first high priest in the rebuilt Jerusalem, Joshua played a significant historical role and was a precursor to Ezra, who came to Jerusalem during the second wave of returning exiles.

God told the prophet Zechariah to place a crown on Joshua’s head: “Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak” (Zechariah 6:11). Joshua was already the high priest, and the prophet was to symbolically crown him king. The coronation was to serve as an encouragement to Joshua in his work of rebuilding the temple. Also, it was a visual prophecy of the future Messiah—who would be both high priest (Hebrews 6:20) and king (Matthew 27:11). Significantly, the name “Joshua” is the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek name “Jesus.” Thus, the priest-king Joshua was a foreshadowing of the coming Messiah, and the similarity extended even to his name. https://www.gotquestions.org/Joshua-in-Zechariah.html Appollonius of Tyana

Apollonius of Tyana (Greek: Ἀπολλώνιος ὁ Τυανεύς; ca. 1 – 97 C.E.) was a Greek neo-Pythagorean philosopher, ascetic teacher, and wonderworker. His teachings and legend influenced both scientific thought and occultism for centuries after his death.

Born at Tyana in Asia Minor, Apollonius was educated at Tarsus and at the Temple of Aesculapius at Aegae, where at 16 he devoted himself to the doctrine of Pythagoras, whose teachings he followed all his life. In his quest for further knowledge, he traveled to Eastern countries and, according to legend, performed miracles wherever he went.

He is known mainly through a long account by the sophist writer Philostratus of Athens, whose biography of him is built upon a series of dialogs and stories of the sage's often miraculous activities during his wanderings. A number of letters supposedly by Apollonius are now

thought to be forgeries, but play an important role in how he was perceived throughout history.

An ascetic vegetarian and mystic who acquired a reputation for his magical powers, Apollonius was a contemporary of Christ, and the miracles attributed to him were often compared to those of the preacher from Nazareth. During the Enlightenment and more recently, he became the subject of a good deal of admiration as a spiritual teacher. The eighteenth century English occult writer Francis Barrett claimed Apollonius to be "one of the most extraordinary persons that ever appeared in the world."

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Apollonius_of_Tyana

If he was the reincarnation of Jesus then there are some date issues which need to be resolved. He could not have been a contemporay of Jesus!

Well, I need to be careful here. Jesus, and The Christ, are two separate entities who shared a common mission. Jesus allowed The Christ to borrow, overshadow, his body whenever need arose. Theorectically The Christ could have taken full possession of it at any time allowing Jesus to move on though having this happen at 1C.E. seems way to early for something like this to happen. I’m sure this would have complicated things for Jesus. So, there are date issues.

THE LODGE OF MASTERS 57 fifth initiation and became a Master of the Wisdom. From that time on He has stayed and worked with the Christian Church, fostering the germ of true spiritual life which is to be found amongst members of all sects and divisions, and neutralizing as far as possible the mistakes and errors of the churchmen and the theologians. He is distinctively the Great Leader, the General, and the wise Executive, and in Church matters He cooperates closely with the Christ, thus saving Him much and acting as His intermediary wherever possible. No one so wisely knows as He the problems of the West, no one is so closely in touch with the people who stand for all that is best in Christian teachings, and no one is so well aware of the need of the present moment. Certain great prelates of the Anglican and Catholic Churches are wise agents of His. The Master Djwhal Khul, or the Master D.K. as He is frequently called, is another adept on the second Ray of Love-Wisdom. He is the latest of the adepts taking initiation, having taken the fifth initiation in 1875, and is therefore occupying the same body in which He took the initiation, most of the other Masters having taken the fifth initiation whilst occupying earlier vehicles. His body is not a young one, and He is a Tibetan. He is very devoted to the Master K.H. and occupies a little house not far dis- ant from the larger one of the Master, and from His willingness to serve and to do anything that has to be done, He has been called "the Messenger of the Masters." He is profoundly learned, and knows more about the rays and planetary Hierarchies of the solar system than anyone else in the ranks of the Masters. He works with those who heal, and cooperates unknown and unseen with the seekers after truth in the world's great laboratories, with all who definitely aim at the healing and solacing of the world, and with the great philanthropic world movements

58 THE LODGE OF MASTERS such as the Red Cross. He occupies Himself with various pupils of different Masters who can profit by His instruction, and within the last ten years has relieved both the Master M. and the Master K.H. of a good deal of Their teaching work, taking over from Them for certain stated times some of Their pupils and disciples. He works largely, too, with certain groups of the devas of the ethers, who are the healing devas, and who thus collaborate with Him in the work of healing some of the physical ills of humanity. He it was Who dictated a large part of that momentous book The Secret Doctrine, and Who showed to H.P. Blavatsky many of the pictures, and gave her much of the data that is to be found in that book.(He is also responsible for most of the Alice Bailey books.) The Master Who concerns Himself especially with the future development of racial affairs in Europe, and with the mental outgrowth in America and Australia, is the Master Rakoczi. He is a Hungarian, and has a home in the Carpathian mountains, and was at one time a well- known figure at the Hungarian Court. Reference to Him can be found in old historical books, and He was particularly before the public eye when he was the Comte de St. Germain, and earlier still when he was both Roger Bacon and later, Francis Bacon. It is interesting to note that as the Master R. takes hold, on the inner planes, of affairs in Europe, His name as Francis Bacon is coming before the public eye in the Bacon-Shakespeare controversy. He is rather a small, spare man, with pointed black beard, and smooth black hair, and does not take as many pupils as do the Masters previously mentioned. He is at present handling the majority of the third ray pupils in the occident in conjunction with the Master Hilar- ion. The Master R. is upon the seventh Ray, that of Ceremonial Magic or Order, and He works largely through esoteric ritual and ceremonial, being vitally \page

THE LODGE OF MASTERS 59 interested in the effects, hitherto unrecognized, of the ceremonial of the Freemasons, of the various fraternities and of the Churches everywhere. He is called in the Lodge, usually, "the Count," and in America and Europe acts practically as the general manager for the carrying out of the plans of the executive council of the Lodge. Certain of the Masters form around the three great Lords an inner group and meet in council with great frequency. On the fifth Ray of Concrete Knowledge or Science, we find the Master Hilarion, who, in an earlier incarnation was Paul of Tarsus. He is occupying a Cretan body, but spends a large part of His time in Egypt. He it was Who gave out to the world that occult treatise "Light on the Path," and His work is particularly interesting to the general public at this crisis, for He works with those who are developing the intuition, and controls and transmutes the great movements that tend to strip the veil from the unseen. His is the energy which, through His disciples, is stimulating the Psychical Research groups everywhere, and He it was Who initiated, through various pupils of His, the Spiritualistic movement. He has under observation all those who are psychics of the higher order, and assists in developing their powers for the good of the group, and in connection with certain of the devas of the astral plane He works to open up to the seekers after truth that subjective world which lies behind the grossly material. Little can be given out anent the two English Mas- ters. Neither of them takes pupils in the same sense that the Master K.H. or the Master M. take pupils. One of Them, who resides in Great Britain, has in hand the definite guidance of the Anglo-Saxon race, and He works upon the plans for its future development and evolution. He is behind the Labor movement throughout the world,

Roger Bacon OFM (/ˈbeɪkən/;[6] Latin: Rogerus or Rogerius Baconus, Baconis, also Frater Rogerus; c. 1219/20 – c. 1292), also known by the scholastic accolade Doctor Mirabilis, was an English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through empiricism. In the early modern era, he was regarded

as a wizard and particularly famed for the story of his mechanical or necromantic brazen head. He is sometimes credited (mainly since the 19th century) as one of the earliest European advocates of the modern scientific method inspired by Aristotle and by the Arab scientist Alhazen.[7]

His linguistic work has been heralded for its early exposition of a universal grammar. However, more recent re-evaluations emphasise that Bacon was essentially a medieval thinker, with much of his "experimental" knowledge obtained from books in the scholastic tradition.[8] He was, however, partially responsible for a revision of the medieval university curriculum, which saw the addition of optics to the traditional quadrivium.[9] A survey of how Bacon's work was received over the centuries found that it often reflected the concerns and controversies that were central to his readers.[10]

Bacon's major work, the Opus Majus, was sent to Pope Clement IV in Rome in 1267 upon the pope's request. Although gunpowder was first invented and described in China, Bacon was the first in Europe to record its formula. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Bacon

Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban,[a] PC QC (/ˈbeɪkən/;[5] 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, orator, and author. He served both as Attorney General and as Lord Chancellor of England. After his death, his works remained influential in the development of the scientific method during the scientific revolution.

Bacon has been called the father of empiricism.[6] His works argued for the possibility of scientific knowledge based only upon inductive reasoning and careful observation of events in nature. Most importantly, he argued this could be achieved by use of a sceptical and methodical approach whereby scientists aim to avoid misleading themselves.

While his own practical ideas about such a method, the Baconian method, did not have a long-lasting influence, the general idea of the importance and possibility of a sceptical methodology makes Bacon the father of the scientific method. This marked a new turn in the rhetorical and theoretical framework for science, the practical details of which are still central in debates about science and methodology today. In addition to his work in the sciences, Bacon was also a venerable patron of libraries and developed a functional system for the cataloging of books by dividing them into three categories—history, poetry, and philosophy—which could further be divided into more specific subjects and subheadings.

Bacon is the first recipient of the Queen's counsel designation and was conferred in 1597 when Queen Elizabeth reserved Bacon as her legal advisor. After the accession of King James I in 1603, Bacon was knighted. He was later created Baron Verulam in 1618[4] and Viscount St. Alban in 1621.[3][b] Because he had no heirs, both titles became extinct upon his death in 1626, at 65 years of age. Bacon died of pneumonia, with one account by John Aubrey stating that he had contracted the condition while studying the effects of freezing on the preservation of meat. He is buried at St Michael's Church, St Albans, Hertfordshire.[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Bacon

The Comte de Saint Germain (French pronunciation: [kɔt̃ də sɛ ̃ʒɛʁmɛ]̃; born circa. 1691/1712 – died 27 February 1784)[3] was a European adventurer, with an interest in science and the arts. He achieved prominence in European high society of the mid-1700s. Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel considered him to be "one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived".[4] St. Germain used a variety of names and titles, an accepted practice amongst royalty and nobility at the time. These include the Marquis de Montferrat, Comte Bellamarre, Chevalier Schoening, Count Weldon, Comte Soltikoff, Graf Tzarogy and Prinz Ragoczy.[5] In order to deflect inquiries as to his origins, he would invent fantasies, such as his being 500 years old,[6] leading Voltaire to sarcastically dub him "The Wonderman".[7]

His birth and background are obscure, but towards the end of his life he claimed that he was a son of Prince Francis II Rákóczi of Transylvania. His name has occasionally caused him to be confused with Claude Louis, Comte de Saint-Germain, a noted French general, and Robert-François Quesnay de Saint Germain, an active occultist.[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_of_St._Germain

Paul of Tarsus. Paul the Apostle (Latin: Paulus; Greek: Παῦλος, translit. Paũlus,

Coptic: ��; c. 5 – c. 64 or 67),[3] commonly known as Saint Paul and also known by his Jewish name Saul of Tarsus (Hebrew: התרסי שאול , translit. Sha'ūl ha-Tarsī; Greek: Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, translit. Saũlos Tarseús),[6][7][8] was an apostle (though not one of the Twelve Apostles) who taught the gospel of Christ to the first century world.[9]

Paul is generally considered one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age[10][11] and in the mid-30s to the mid-50s AD he founded several churches in Asia Minor and Europe. He took advantage of his status as both a Jew and a Roman citizen to minister to both Jewish and Roman audiences.

According to writings in the New Testament and prior to his conversion, Paul was dedicated to persecuting the early disciples of Jesus in the area of Jerusalem.[12] In the narrative of the Acts of the Apostles (often referred to simply as Acts), Paul was traveling on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus on a mission to "arrest them and bring them back to Jerusalem" when the resurrected Jesus appeared to him in a great light. He was struck blind, but after three days his sight was restored by Ananias of Damascus and Paul began to preach that Jesus of Nazareth is the Jewish Messiah and the Son of God.[13] Approximately half of the book of Acts deals with Paul's life and works.

Thirteen of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament have traditionally been attributed to Paul.[14] Seven of the epistles are undisputed by scholars as being authentic, with varying degrees of argument about the remainder. Pauline authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews is not asserted in the Epistle itself and was already doubted in the 2nd and 3rd centuries.[15] It was almost unquestioningly accepted from the 5th to the 16th centuries that Paul was the author of Hebrews,[16] but that view is now almost universally rejected by scholars.[17] The other six are believed by some scholars to have come from followers writing in his name, using material from Paul's surviving letters and letters written by him that no longer survive.[9][10][18] Other scholars argue that the idea of a pseudonymous author for the disputed epistles raises many problems.[19]

Today, Paul's epistles continue to be vital roots of the theology, worship and pastoral life in the Catholic and Protestant traditions of the West, as well as the Orthodox traditions of the East.[20] Paul's influence on Christian thought and practice has been characterized as being as "profound as it is pervasive", among that of many other apostles and missionaries involved in the spread of the Christian faith.[9] Augustine of Hippo developed Paul's idea that salvation is based on faith and not "works of the law". Martin Luther's interpretation of Paul's writings influenced Luther's doctrine of sola fide. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle

60 THE LODGE OF MASTERS transmuting and directing, and the present rising tide of democracy has His directing hand upon it. Out of the democratic unrest, out of the present turmoil and chaos, will arise the future world condition which will have for its keynote cooperation and not competition, distribution, and not centralization. One other Master may here be briefly mentioned, the Master Serapis, frequently called the Egyptian. He is the Master upon the fourth ray, and the great art movements of the world, the evolution of music, and that of painting and drama, receive from Him an energizing impulse. At present He is giving most of His time and attention to the work of the deva, or angel evolution, until their agency helps to make possible the great revelation in the world of music and painting which lies immediately ahead. More about Him cannot be given out, nor can His dwelling place be revealed. The Master P. works under the Master R. in North America. He it is Who has had much to do esoterically with the various mental sciences, such as Christian Science, and New Thought, both of which are efforts put forth by the Lodge in an endeavor to teach men the reality of that which is not seen, and the power of the mind to create. This Master occupies an Irish body, is on the fourth ray, and the place of His residence may not be revealed. Much of the work of the Master Serapis was taken over by Him when the latter turned His attention to the deva evolution. The present work. Certain facts concerning these Masters, and Their work in the present and in the future, may be in place here. First, the work of training Their pupils and disciples to fit them to be of use in two great events, one, the

THE LODGE OF MASTERS 61 coming of the World Teacher towards the middle or close of this present century, and the other, the training of them to be of use in the founding of the new sixth sub-race and in the reconstruction of the present world conditions. This being the fifth sub-race of the fifth root-race, the pressure of the work on the five rays of mind which are controlled by the Mahachohan, is very great. The Masters are carrying an over heavy burden, and much of Their work of teaching disciples has been delegated to initiates and advanced disciples, and certain of the Masters on the first and second rays have temporarily taken over pupils in the Mahachohan's department. Secondly, the preparation of the world on a large scale for the coming of the World Teacher, and the taking of the necessary steps before They Themselves come out among men, as many of Them surely will towards the close of this century.* A special group is forming amongst Them now Who are definitely preparing Themselves for this work. The Master M., the Master K.H. and the Master Jesus will be specially concerned with the movement towards the last quarter of this century. Other Masters will participate also, but these three are the ones with Whose names and offices people should familiarize themselves, wherever possible. Two other Masters, specially concerned with the seventh or ceremonial ray, Whose particular work it is to supervise the development of certain activities within the next fifteen years, work under the Master R. Very definitely may the assurance be given here, that prior to the coming of the Christ, adjustments will be made so that at the head of all organizations will be found either a Master, or an initiate who has taken the third initiation. At the head of certain of the occult groups, of the Freemasons of the world, and of the various great divisions of the Church, and resident in many of the great nations *Obviously this didn’t happen. This was the 1st Bailey book released, 1922. Greater care was used in discussing these matters in the later books. I suspect they saw potential problems arising. Think about the 1960s! Watch, rewatch, the movie JFK.

62 THE LODGE OF MASTERS will be found initiates or Masters. This work of the Mas- ters is proceeding now, and all Their efforts are being bent towards bringing it to a successful consummation. Every- where They are gathering in those who in any way show a tendency to respond to high vibration, seeking to force their vibration and to fit them so that they may be of use at the time of the coming of the Christ. Great is the day of opportunity, for when that time comes, through the stupendous strength of the vibration then brought to bear upon the sons of men, it will be possible for those who now do the necessary work to take a great step forward, and to pass through the portal of initiation.

PROBATIONARY PATH 65 gradual moving up and onward as the tests are passed. A number of the Egos on the Probationary Path are in the department that is analogous to the High School; others have matriculated and are in the University itself. Graduation results when initiation is taken and the initiate passes into the Hall of Wisdom. Advanced Egos and the spiritually inclined who are not yet on the Probationary Path, attend instructions from disciples, and on occasions large classes are conducted for their benefit by initiates. Their work is more rudimen- tary, though occult from a worldly standpoint, and they learn under supervision to be invisible helpers. The invisible helpers are usually recruited from amongst the advanced Egos. The very advanced, and those on the probationary Path and nearing initiation, work more frequently in what might be termed departmental work, forming a group of assistants to the Members of the Hierarchy. Methods of teaching. Three departments of instruction watch over three parts of man's development. First: Instruction is given tending to the disciplining of the life, the growth of character, the development of the microcosm along cosmic lines. The man is taught the meaning of himself; he comes to know himself as a complex, complete unit, a replica in miniature of the outer world. In learning the laws of his own being, comes comprehension of the Self, and a realization of the basic laws of the system. Secondly: Instruction is given as to the macrocosm, the amplification of his intellectual grip of the working of the cosmos. Information as to the kingdoms of nature, teaching as to the laws of those kingdoms, and instruction as to the working of those laws in all kingdoms and

66 PROBATIONARY PATH on all planes is given him. He acquires a deep fund of general knowledge, and when he reaches his own periphery he is met by those who lead him on to encyclopedic knowledge. When he has attained the goal, he may not know every single thing that there is to be known in all the three worlds, but the way to know, the sources of knowledge and the reservoirs of information are in his hand. A Master can at any time find out anything on any possible subject without the slightest difficulty. Thirdly: Instruction is given in what might be termed synthesis. This information is only possible as the intuitional vehicle coordinates. It is really the occult apprehension of the law of gravitation or attraction, (the basic law of this, the second solar system) with all its corollaries. The disciple learns the meaning of occult cohesion, and of that internal unity which holds the system as a homogeneous unit. The major part of this instruction is usually given after the third initiation, but a beginning is made early in the training. Masters and disciples. Disciples and advanced Egos on the Probationary path receive instruction at this particular time for two special purposes:–– (a) To test out their fitness for special work lying in the future, the type of that work being known only to the Guides of the race. They are tested for aptitude in community living with a view to drafting the suitable ones into the colony of the sixth sub-race. They are tested for various lines of work, many incomprehensible to us now, but which will become ordinary methods of development as time progresses. The Masters also test for those in whom the intuition has reached a point of development that indicates a beginning of the coordination of the buddhic

84 PATH OF INITIATION in their regard and respect when due amends have been made. All people do not develop exactly along the same or parallel lines, and therefore no hard or fast rules can be laid down as to the exact procedure at each initiation, or as to just what centers are to be vivified, or what vision is to be accorded. So much depends upon the ray of the disciple, or his development in any particular direction (people do not usually develop evenly), upon his individual karma, and also upon the exigencies of any special period. This much can be suggested, however: At the first initiation, that of the birth of the Christ, the heart center is the one usually vivified, with the aim in view of the more effective controlling of the astral vehicle, and the rendering of greater service to humanity. After this initiation the initiate is taught principally the facts of the astral plane; he has to stabilize his emotional vehicle and learn to work on the astral plane with the same facility and ease as he does on the physical plane; he is brought in contact with the astral devas; he learns to control the astral elementals; he must function with facility on the lower sub-planes, and the value and quality of his work on the physical plane becomes of increased worth. He passes, at this initiation, out of the Hall of Learning into the Hall of Wisdom. At this time, emphasis is consistently laid on his astral development, although his mental equipment grows steadily. Many lives may intervene between the first initiation and the second. A long period of many incarnations may elapse before the control of the astral body is perfected, and the initiate is ready for the next step. The analogy is kept in an interesting way in the New Testament in the life of the initiate Jesus. Many years elapsed between the Birth and the Baptism, but the remaining three steps were taken in three years. Once the second initiation is taken

PATH OF INITIATION 85 the progress will be rapid, the third and fourth following probably in the same life, or the succeeding. The second initiation forms the crisis in the control of the astral body. Just as, at the first initiation, the control of the dense physical has been demonstrated, so here the control of the astral is similarly demonstrated. The sacrifice and death of desire has been the goal of endeavor. Desire itself has been dominated by the Ego, and only that is longed for which is for the good of the whole, and in the line of the will of the Ego, and of the Master. The astral elemental is controlled, the emotional body becomes pure and limpid, and the lower nature is rapidly dying. At this time the Ego grips afresh the two lower vehicles and bends them to his will. The aspiration and longing to serve, love, and progress become so strong that rapid development is usually to be seen. This accounts for the fact that this initiation and the third, frequently (though not invariably) follow each other in one single life. At this period of the world's history such stimulus has been given to evolution that aspiring souls––sensing the dire and crying need of humanity––are sacrificing all in order to meet that need. Again, we must not make the mistake of thinking that all this follows in the same invariable consecutive steps and stages. Much is done in simultaneous unison, for the labor to control is slow and hard, but in the interim between the first three initiations some definite point in the evolution of each of the three lower vehicles has to be attained and held, before the further expansion of the channel can be safely permitted. Many of us are working on all the three bodies now, as we tread the Probationary Path. At this initiation, should the ordinary course be followed, (which again is not at all certain) the throat center is vivified. This causes a capacity to turn to account in the Master's service, and for the helping of man, the attain- \page

86 PATH OF INITIATION ments of the lower mind. It imparts the ability to give forth and utter that which is helpful, possibly in the spoken word, but surely in service of some kind. A vision is accorded of the worlds need, and a further portion of the plan shown. The work, then, to be done prior to the taking of the third initiation, is the complete submerging of the personal point of view in the need of the whole. It entails the complete domination of the concrete mind by the Ego. The succeeding two initiations. After the second initiation the teaching shifts up a plane. The initiate learns to control his mental vehicle; he develops the capacity to manipulate thought matter, and learns the laws of creative thought building. He functions freely on the four lower sub-planes of the mental plane, and before the third initiation he must,––consciously or unconsciously,–– be complete master of the four lower sub-planes in the three planes of the three worlds. His knowledge of the microcosm becomes profound, and he has mastered theoretically and practically, in great measure, the laws of his own nature, hence his ability experimentally to be master on the four lower sub-planes of the physical, astral, and mental planes. The last fact is of interest. The control of the three higher sub-planes is not yet complete, and here is one of the explanations as to the failures and mistakes of initiates. Their mastery of matter in the three higher sub-planes is not yet perfect; these yet remain to be dominated. At the third initiation, termed sometimes the Trans- figuration, the entire personality is flooded with light from above. It is only after this initiation that the Monad is definitely guiding the Ego, pouring His divine life ever more into the prepared and cleansed channel, just as in the third, or Moon Chain, the Ego individualized the per- \page

PATH OF INITIATION 87 sonality through direct contact, a method different to the individualization as shown in this fourth chain. The law of correspondences, if applied here, might prove very revealing, and might demonstrate an interesting analogy between the methods of individualizing in the various chains, and the expansions of consciousness that occur at the different initiations. Again, a vision is accorded of what lies ahead; the initiate is in a position at all times to recognize the other members of the Great White Lodge, and his psychic faculties are stimulated by the vivification of the head centers. It is not necessary nor advisable to develop the synthetic faculties, or clairaudience and clairvoyance, until after this initiation. The aim of all development is the awakening of the spiritual intuition; when this has been done, when the physical body is pure, the astral stable and steady, and the mental body controlled, then the initiate can safely wield and wisely use the psychic faculties for the helping of the race. Not only can he use these faculties, but he is able now to create and vivify thoughtforms that are clear and well-defined, pulsating with the spirit of service and not controlled by lower mind or desire. These thoughtforms will not be (as is the case with those created by the mass of men) disjointed, uncon- nected, and uncorrelated, but will attain a fair measure of synthesis. Hard and ceaseless must the work be before this can be done, but when the desire nature has been stabilized and purified, then the control of the mind-body comes more easily. Hence the path of the devotee is easier in some ways than that of the intellectual man for he has learnt the measures of purified desire, and progresses by the requisite stages. The personality has now reached a point where its vibrations are of a very high order the matter in all three bodies relatively pure, and its apprehension of the work to be done in the microcosm, and the share to be taken in the \page

88 PATH OF INITIATION work of the macrocosm is very advanced. It is apparent, therefore, why it is only at the third initiation that the great Hierophant, the Lord of the World, Himself officiates. It is the first at which He contacts the initiate. Earlier it would not be possible. For the first two initiations the Hierophant is the Christ, the World-Teacher, the Firstborn among many brethren, one of the earliest of our humanity to take initiation. Browning brings out this thought most beautifully in the words found in his poem "Saul":–– . . . . . . . . . . It shall be A face like my face that receives thee; a Man like to me, Thou shalt love and be loved by, forever; A Hand like this hand Shall throw open the gates of new life to thee! See the Christ stand! But when the initiate has made still further progress, and has taken two initiations, a change comes. The Lord of the World, the Ancient of Days, the ineffable Ruler Himself administers the third initiation. Why has this become possible? Because now the fully consecrated physical body can safely bear the vibrations of the two other bodies when they return to its shelter from the Presence of the KING; because now the purified astral and controlled mental can safely stand before that KING. When purified and controlled they stand and for the first time consciously vibrate to the Ray of the Monad, then with prepared bodies can the ability to see and hear on all the planes be granted and achieved, and the faculty of reading and comprehending the records be safely employed, for with fuller knowledge comes added power. The heart is now sufficiently pure and loving, and the intellect sufficiently stable to stand the strain of knowing. Before the fourth initiation can be taken, the work of

PATH OF INITIATION 89 training is intensified, and the hastening and accumulation of knowledge has to be unbelievably rapid. The initiate has frequent access to the library of occult books, and after this initiation he can contact not only the Master with Whom he is linked and with Whom he has worked consciously for a long time, but he can contact and assist (in measure) the Chohans, the Bodhisattva, and the Manu. He has also to grasp the laws of the three lower planes intellectually, and likewise wield them for the aiding of the scheme of evolution. He studies the cosmic plans and has to master the charts; he becomes versed in occult technicalities and develops fourth dimensional vision, if he has not already done so. He learns to direct the activities of the building devas, and at the same time, he works continually at the development of his spiritual nature. He begins rapidly to coordinate the buddhic vehicle, and in its coordination he develops the power of synthesis, at first in small measure, and gradually in fuller detail. By the time the fourth initiation is taken the initiate has mastered perfectly the fifth sub-plane, and is therefore adept,––to use a technical phrase,––on the five lower subplanes of the physical, astral, and mental planes, and is well on the way to master the sixth. His buddhic vehicle can function on the two lower sub-planes of the buddhic plane. The life of the man who takes the fourth initiation, or the Crucifixion, is usually one of great sacrifice and suffering. It is the life of the man who makes the Great Renun- ciation, and even exoterically it is seen to be strenuous, hard, and painful. He has laid all, even his perfected personality, upon the altar of sacrifice, and stands bereft of all. All is renounced, friends, money, reputation, character, standing in the world, family, and even life itself. \page

90 PATH OF INITIATION The final initiations. After the fourth initiation not much remains to be done. The domination of the sixth sub-plane goes forward with rapidity, and the matter of the higher sub-planes of the buddhic is coordinated. The initiate is admitted into closer fellowship in the Lodge, and his contact with the devas is more complete. He is rapidly exhausting the resources of the Hall of Wisdom, and is mastering the most intricate plans and charts. He becomes adept in the significance of color and sound, can wield the law in the three worlds, and can contact his Monad with more freedom than the majority of the human race can contact their Egos. He is in charge, also, of large work, teaching many pupils, aiding in many schemes, and is gathering under him those who are to assist him in future times. This refers only to those who stay to help humanity on this globe; We will deal later with some of the lines of work that stretch before the Adept if He passes away from earth service. After the fifth initiation the man is perfected as far as this scheme goes, though he may, if he will, take two further initiations. To achieve the sixth initiation the Adept has to take a very intensive course in planetary occultism. A Master wields the law in the three worlds, whilst a Chohan of the sixth initiation wields the law in the chain on all levels; a Chohan of the seventh initiation wields the law in the solar system. It will be apparent that, should he search these subjects with application, the student will find much that concerns him personally, even though the ceremony itself may be far ahead. By the study of the process and the purpose he may become aware of the great fundamental fact that the method of initiation is the method of:–– \page

PATH OF INITIATION 91 a. Force realization. b. Force application. c. Force utilization. The initiate of every degree, from the humble initiate of the first degree, making for the first time his contact with a certain type of specialized force, up to the emancipated buddha of the seventh degree, is dealing with energy of some kind or other. The stages of development of the aspirant might be expressed as follows:–– 1. He has to become aware, through discrimination, of the energy or force of his own lower self. 2. He has to impose upon that energetic rhythm one that is higher, until that lower rhythm is superseded by the higher, and the old method of expressing energy dies out entirely. 3. He then is permitted, by gradually expanding realizations, to contact and––under guidance––to employ certain forms of group energy, until the time comes when he is in a position scientifically to wield planetary force. The length of time taken over his final stage is entirely dependent upon the progress he makes in the service of his race and in the development of those powers of the soul which are the natural sequence of spiritual unfoldment. The application of the Rod of Initiation at the first two initiations by the Bodhisattva enables the initiate to control and utilize the force of the lower self, the true sanctified energy of the personality in service; at the third initiation the application of the Rod by the One Initiator makes available in a vastly more extensive manner the force of the higher self or Ego, and brings into play on the physical plane the entire energy stored up during numerous incar- \page

92 PATH OF INITIATION nations in the causal vehicle. At the fourth initiation the energy of his egoic group becomes his to use for the good of planetary evolution, and at the fifth initiation the force or energy of the planet (esoterically understood, and not merely the force or energy of the material globe) is at his disposal. During these five initiations those two great beings, the Bodhisattva first, and then the One Initiator, the Lord of the World, Sanat Kumara, are the administrators or hiero- phants. After these ceremonies, should the initiate choose to take the two final initiations which it is possible to take in this solar system*, a still higher type of energy in expression of the One Self comes into play, and can only be hinted at. At the seventh initiation that One of Whom Sanat Kumara is the manifestation, the Logos of our scheme on His own plane, becomes the Hierophant. At the sixth initiation the expression of this Existence on an intermediate plane, a Being Who must at present remain nameless, wields the Rod and administers the oath and secret. In these three expressions of hierarchical government––Sanat Kumara on the periphery of the three worlds, the Nameless One on the confines of the high planes of human evolution, and the planetary Spirit himself at the final stage––we have the three great manifestations of the Planetary Logos Himself. Through the Planetary Logos at the final great initiation flows the power of the Solar Logos, and He it is Who reveals to the initiate that the Absolute is consciousness in its fullest expression, though at the stage of human existence the Abso- lute must be regarded as unconsciousness. Each of the great initiations is but the synthesis of the smaller ones, and only as man seeks ever to expand his consciousness in the affairs of daily life can he expect to achieve those later stages which are but culminations of the many earlier. Students must get rid of the idea that if they are "very good and altruistic" suddenly some day *There are actually nine initiations which can be taken within our Solar System. The 1st seven may be taken upon our planet.

PATH OF INITIATION 93 they will stand before the Great Lord. They are putting effect before cause. Goodness and altruism grow out of realization and service, and holiness of character is the outcome of those expansions of consciousness which a man brings about within himself through strenuous effort and endeavor. Therefore it is here and now that man can prepare himself for initiation, and this he does, not by dwelling upon the ceremonial aspect, as so many do in excited anticipation, but by working systematically and enduringly at the steady development of the mental body, by the strenuous and arduous process of controlling the astral body so that it becomes responsive to three vibrations:–– a. That from the Ego. b. That from the Master. c. Those from his brothers everywhere around him. He becomes sensitive to the voice of his higher self, thus working off karma under the intelligent guidance of his own Ego. He becomes conscious, via the Ego, of the vibration emanating from his Master; he learns to feel it ever more and more, and to respond to it ever more fully; finally, he becomes increasingly sensitive to the joys and pains and sorrows of those he daily contacts; he feels them to be his joys and pains and sorrows, and yet he is not incapacitated thereby.

106 THE PARTICIPANTS intelligent or manasic principle, participates in all conferences. In the next great strife the department of religions will be involved, and the Bodhisattva intimately concerned. His Brother, the Manu, will then be relatively exempt, and will proceed with His own affairs. And yet withal there is the closest cooperation in all departments, with no loss of energy. Owing to the unity of consciousness of those who are free from the three lower planes, what transpires in one department is known in the others. As the Planetary Logos is only concerned in the two final initiations, which are not compulsory as are the earlier five, it serves no purpose to enlarge upon His work. These initiations are taken upon the buddhic and atmic planes, whereas the first five are taken upon the mental. The Lord of the World, the One Initiator, He Who is called in the Bible "The Ancient of Days," and in the Hindu Scriptures the First Kumara, He, Sanat Kumara it is, Who from His throne at Shamballa in the Gobi desert*, presides over the Lodge of Masters, and holds in His hands the reins of government in all the three departments. Called in some Scriptures "the Great Sacrifice," He has chosen to watch over the evolution of men and devas until all have been occultly "saved." He it is Who decides upon the "advancements" in the different departments, and Who settles who shall fill the vacant posts; He it is Who, four times a year, meets in conference with all the Chohans and Masters, and authorizes what shall be done to further the ends of evolution. Occasionally, too, He meets with initiates of lesser degree, but only at times of great crises, when some individual is given the opportunity to bring peace out of strife, and to kindle a blaze whereby rapidly crystallizing forms are destroyed and the imprisoned life consequently set free. At stated periods in the year the Lodge meets, and at *Shamballa exists in etheric matter only. It does not have a dense physical existence.

THE PARTICIPANTS 107 the Wesak Festival gathers under His jurisdiction for three purposes: 1. To contact planetary force through the medium of the Buddha. 2. To hold the principal of the quarterly conferences. 3. To admit to the ceremony of initiation those who are ready in all grades. Three other initiation ceremonies take place during the year:–– 1. For the minor initiations administered by the Bod- hisattva, all of which are in the department of the Mahachohan, and on one or other of the four lesser rays, the rays of attribute. 2. For the major initiations on one or other of the three major rays, the rays of aspect, which are administered by the Bodhisattva, and are therefore the first two initiations. 3. For the higher three initiations at which Sanat Kumara wields the Rod. At all initiations the Lord of the World is present, but at the first two He holds a position similar to that held by the Silent Watcher, when Sanat Kumara administers the oath at the third, fourth and fifth initiations. His power streams forth and the flashing forth of the star before the initiate is the signal of His approval, but the initiate does not see Him face to face until the third initiation. The function of the three Kumaras, or the three Bud- dhas of Activity at initiation is interesting. They are three aspects of the one aspect, and the pupils of Sanat Kumara. Though Their functions are many and varied, and concern primarily the forces and energies of nature, and the direc- \page

108 THE PARTICIPANTS tion of the building agencies, They have a vital connection with the applicant for initiation, inasmuch as They each embody the force or energy of one or other of the three higher subplanes of the mental plane. Therefore at the third initiation one of these Kumaras transmits to the causal body of the initiate that energy which destroys third subplane matter, and thus brings about part of the destruction of the vehicle; at the fourth initiation another Buddha transmits second plane force, and at the fifth, first subplane force is similarly passed into the remaining atoms of the causal vehicle, producing the final liberation. The work done by the second Kumara, with second subplane force, is in this solar system the most important in connection with the egoic body, and produces its complete dissipation, whereas the final application causes the atoms themselves (which formed that body) to disperse. During the initiation ceremony, when the initiate stands before the Lord of the World, these three great Beings form a triangle, within whose lines of force the initiate finds himself. At the first two initiations, wherein the Bodhisattva functions as the Hierophant, the Mahachohan, the Manu, and a Chohan who temporarily represents the second department perform a similar office. At the highest two initiations, those three Kumaras who are called "the esoteric Kumaras" form a triangle wherein the initiate stands, when he faces the Planetary Logos. These facts are imparted to teach two things, first, the unity of the method, second, that the truism "as above so below" is an occult fact in nature. At the final two initiations many members of the Hier- archy who are, if one might so express it, extra-planetary, and who function outside the dense physical and the etheric globe of our planet, take part, but a stricter enumeration is needless. Sanat Kumara is still the Hierophant, yet in a

THE TWO REVELATIONS 115 knows now past all disturbance that that manifestation of intelligence is that eternal Entity who has for ages past been demonstrating its powers on the physical plane through his successive incarnations. At the second initiation this great Presence is seen as a duality, and another aspect shines forth before him. He becomes aware that this radiant Life, Who is identified with himself, is not only intelligence in action but also is love- wisdom in origin. He merges his consciousness with this Life, and becomes one with it so that on the physical plane, through the medium of that personal self, that Life is seen as intelligent love expressing itself. At the third initiation the Ego stands before the initiate as a perfected triplicity. Not only is the Self known to be intelligent, active love, but it is revealed also as a fundamental will or purpose, with which the man immediately identifies himself, and knows that the three worlds hold for him in the future naught, but only serve as a sphere for active service, wrought out in love towards the accomplishment of a purpose which has been hid during the ages in the heart of the Self. That purpose, being now revealed, can be intelligently cooperated with, and thus matured. These profound revelations shine forth before the initiate in a triple manner:–– As a radiant angelic existence. This is seen by the inner eye with the same accuracy of vision and judgment as when a man stands face to face with another member of the human family. The great solar Angel, Who embodies the real man and is his expression on the plane of higher mind, is literally his divine ancestor, the "Watcher" Who, through long cycles of incarnation, has poured Himself out in sacrifice in order that man might BE. \page

116 THE TWO REVELATIONS As a sphere of radiant fire, linked with the initiate standing before it by that magnetic thread of fire which passes through all his bodies and terminates within the center of the physical brain. This "silver thread" (as it is rather inaccurately called in the Bible, where the description of its loosing of the physical body and subsequent withdrawal is found) emanates from the heart center of the solar Angel, linking thus heart and brain,––that great duality manifesting in this solar system, love and intelligence. This fiery sphere is linked likewise with many others belonging to the same group and ray, and thus it is a literal fact in demonstration that on the higher planes we are all one. One life pulsates and circulates through all, via the fiery strands. This is part of the revelation which comes to a man who stands in the "Presence" with his eyes occultly opened. As a many tinted Lotus of nine petals. These petals are arranged in three circles around a central set of three closely folded petals, which shield what is called in the eastern books "The Jewel in the Lotus." This Lotus is a thing of rare beauty, pulsating with life and radiant with all the colors of the rainbow, and at the first three initiations the three circles are revealed in order, until at the fourth initiation the initiate stands before a still greater revelation, and learns the secret of that which lies within the central bud. In this connection the third initiation differs somewhat from the other two, inasmuch as through the power of a still more exalted Hierophant than the Bodhisattva, the electrical fire of pure Spirit, latent in the heart of the Lotus, is first contacted. In all these words, "solar angel," "sphere of fire," and "lotus," lies hid some aspect of the central mystery of human life, but it will only be apparent to those who have eyes to see. The mystic significance of these pictorial phrases will prove only a snare or a basis for incredulity to the man who

THE TWO REVELATIONS 117 seeks to materialize them unduly. The thought of an immortal existence, of a divine Entity, of a great center of fiery energy, and of the full flower of evolution, lies hidden in these terms, and they must be thus considered. At the fourth initiation, the initiate is brought into the presence of that aspect of Himself which is called "His Father in Heaven." He is brought face to face with his own Monad, that pure spiritual essence on the highest plane but one, which is to his Ego or higher self what that Ego is to the personality or lower self. This Monad has expressed itself on the mental plane through the Ego in a triple fashion, but now all aspects of the mind, as we understand it, are lacking. The solar angel hitherto contacted has withdrawn himself, and the form through which he functioned (the egoic or causal body) has gone, and naught is left but love-wisdom and that dynamic will which is the prime characteristic of Spirit. The lower self has served the purposes of the Ego, and has been discarded; the Ego likewise has served the purposes of the Monad, and is no longer required, and the initiate stands free of both, fully liberated and able to contact the Monad, as earlier he learned to contact the Ego. For the remainder of his appearances in the three worlds he is governed only by will and purpose, self-initiated, and creates his body of manifestation, and thus controls (within karmic limits) his own times and seasons. The karma here referred to is planetary karma, and not personal. At this fourth initiation he contacts the love aspect of the Monad, and at the fifth the will aspect, and thus completes his contacts, responds to all necessary vibrations, and is master on the five planes of human evolution. Further, it is at the third, the fourth, and the fifth initiations that he becomes aware also of that "Presence" which enfolds even that spiritual Entity, his own Monad. \page

118 THE TWO REVELATIONS He sees his Monad as one with the planetary Logos. Through the channel of his own Monad he sees the self- same aspects (which that Monad embodies) on a wider scale, and the planetary Logos, Who ensouls all the Monads on His ray, is thus revealed. This truth is well-nigh impossible to express in words, and concerns the relation of the electrical point of fire, which is the Monad, to the five- pointed star, which reveals the Presence of the Planetary Logos to the initiate. This is practically incomprehensible to the average man for whom this book is written. At the sixth initiation, the initiate, functioning consciously as the love-aspect of the Monad, is brought (via his "Father") into a still vaster recognition and becomes aware of that Star which encloses his planetary star, just as that star has earlier been seen as enclosing his own tiny "Spark." He thus makes his conscious contact with the solar Logos, and realizes within himself the Oneness of all life and manifestation. This recognition is extended at the seventh initiation, so that two aspects of the One life become realities to the emancipated Buddha. Thus by a graded series of steps is the initiate brought face to face with Truth and Existence. It will be apparent to thoughtful students why this revealing of the Presence has to precede all other revelations. It produces within the mind of the initiate the following basic realizations:–– His faith for ages is justified, and hope and belief merge themselves in self-ascertained fact. Faith is lost in sight, and things unseen are seen and known. No more can he doubt, but he has become instead, through his own effort, a knower. His oneness with his brothers is proven, and he realizes the indissoluble link which binds him to his fellow-men everywhere. Brotherhood is no longer a theory but a proven

THE TWO REVELATIONS 119 scientific fact, no more to be disputed than the separateness of men on the physical plane is to be disputed. The immortality of the soul and the reality of the unseen worlds is for him proven and ascertained. Whereas, before initiation, this belief was based on brief and fleeting vision and strong inner convictions (the result of logical reasoning and of a gradually developing intuition) now it is based on sight and on a recognition past all disproving, of his own immortal nature. He realizes the meaning and source of energy, and can begin to wield power with scientific accuracy and direction. He knows now whence he draws it, and has had a glimpse of the resources of energy which are available. Before, he knew that that energy existed, and used it blindly and sometimes unwisely; now he sees it under the direction of the "open mind," and can cooperate intelligently with the forces of nature. Thus, in many ways, does the revelation of the Presence produce definite results in the initiate, and thus it is judged by the Hierarchy to be the necessary preamble to all later revelations. The Revelation of the Vision. Having brought the initiate face to face with the One with whom for countless ages he has had to do, and having awakened in him an unshakable realization of the oneness of the fundamental life as it manifests through all lesser lives, the next momentous revelation is that of the Vision. The first revelation has concerned that which is undefinable, illimitable, and (to the finite mind), infinite in its abstractness and absoluteness. The second revelation concerns time and space, and involves the recognition by the initiate––through the newly aroused sense of occult sight––of

120 THE TWO REVELATIONS the part he has played and has to play in the plan, and later of the plan itself in so far as it concerns:–– a. His Ego. b. His egoic group. c. His ray group. d. His Planetary Logos. In this fourfold apprehension you have portrayed the gradual realization that is his during the process of the four initiations preceding final liberation. At the first initiation he becomes aware definitely of the part, relatively inconspicuous, that he has to play in his personal life during the period ensuing between the moment of revelation and the taking of the second initiation. This may involve one more life or several. He knows the trend they should take, he realizes somewhat his share in the service of the race; he sees the plan as a whole where he himself is concerned, a tiny mosaic within the general pattern; he becomes conscious of how he––with his particular type of mind, aggregate of gifts, mental and otherwise, and his varying capacities––can serve, and what must be accomplished by him before he can again stand in the Presence, and receive an extended revelation. At the second initiation the part his egoic group plays in the general scheme is shown to him. He becomes more aware of the different group units with whom he is intrinsically associated; he realizes who they are in their personalities, if in incarnation, and he sees somewhat what are the karmic relations between groups, units and himself; he is given an insight into the specific group purpose, and its relation to other groups. He can now work with added assurance, and his intercourse with people on the physical plane becomes more certain; he can both aid them and himself in the adjusting of karma, and therefore bring about a more \page

THE TWO REVELATIONS 121 rapid approach to the final liberation. Group relations are consolidated, and the plans and purposes can be furthered more intelligently. As this consolidation of group relations proceeds, it produces on the physical plane that concerted action and that wise unity in purpose which results in the materialization of the higher ideals, and the adaptation of force in the wise furthering of the ends of evolution. When this has reached a certain stage, the units forming the groups have learned to work together, and have thus stimulated each other; they can now proceed to a further expansion of knowledge, resulting in a further capacity to help. At the third initiation there is revealed to the initiate the purpose of the subray of the ray to which he belongs, that upon which his Ego finds itself. All egoic units are upon some subray of the monadic ray. This knowledge is conferred upon the initiate so as to enable him eventually to find for himself (along the line of least resistance) the ray of his Monad. This subray bears upon its stream of energy many groups of Egos, and the initiate is therefore made aware not only of his egoic group and its intelligent purpose, but of many other groups, similarly composed. Their united energy is working towards a clearly defined goal. Having learned somewhat group relations, and having developed the ability to work with units in group formation, the initiate now learns the secret of group subordination to the good of the aggregate of groups. This will demonstrate on the physical plane as an ability to work wisely, intelligently and harmoniously with many diverse types, and to cooperate in large plans and wield wide influence. A part of the plans of the Planetary Logos becomes revealed to him, and the vision includes the revelation of the plan and purpose as it concerns the planet, though as yet the

126 CHAPTER XIII THE RODS OF INITIATION The Rods of Initiation are of four kinds:–– 1. Cosmic, used by a cosmic Logos in the initiations of a solar Logos and of the three major Planetary Logoi. 2. Systemic, used by a solar Logos in the initiations of a Planetary Logos. With cosmic initiation we have naught to do; it concerns expansions of realization beyond even the ken of the highest initiate in our solar system. With systemic initiations we are concerned only in trifling measure, for they are on so vast a scale that the average human mind cannot as yet envisage them. Man appreciates these initiations only in so far as they produce effects in the planetary scheme with which he may be concerned. Particu- larly is this so should the scheme in which he plays his microscopic part be the center in the Logoic body receiving stimulation. When that is the case, the initiation of his own planetary Logos takes place, and consequently he (as a cellular body) receives an added stimulation along with the other sons of men. 3. Planetary, used by a Planetary Logos for initiatory purposes, and for the third, fourth, and fifth major initiations, with the two higher. At the planetary initiation the Rod of Power, wielded by the solar Logos, is charged with pure electrical force from Sirius, and was received by our Logos during the secondary period of creation, from the hands of that great Entity Who is the presiding Lord of the Lords of Karma. He is the repository of the law during manifestation, and He it is Who is the representative in

138 RODS OF INITIATION other of the central three. These three circles are called respectively the petals of Sacrifice, Love and Knowledge. At initiation the Rod is applied to the petals in a scientific manner, and regulated according to ray and tendency. This brings about the opening of the central bud, the revelation of the jewel, the withdrawal of that jewel from the casket which has so long shielded it, and its transference to "the crown," as it is occultly called, meaning its return to the Monad whence it came. We must clearly recognize that all the above is but an attempt, through the limiting agency of words, to describe the method and the rites whereby spiritual liberation is finally achieved in this cycle; first, through the method of evolutionary unfoldment, or gradual development, and then in the final stages through the Rod of Initiation. C. Upon the centers. At the time that initiation is taken, the centers are all active, and the lower four (which correspond to the Per- sonality) are beginning the process of translating the fire into the three higher. The dual revolution in the lower centers is clearly to be seen, and the three higher are commencing to be similarly active. By the application of the Rod of Initiation at the time of the initiation ceremony, definite results are achieved in connection with the centers, which might be enumerated as follows:–– The fire at the base of the spine is definitely directed to whichever center is the object of special attention. This varies according to ray, or the specialized work of the initiate. The center has its activity intensified, its rate of revolution increased, and certain of the central spokes of the wheel brought into more active radiance. These spokes \page

RODS OF INITIATION 139 of the wheel, or these petals of the lotus, have a close connection with the different spirillae in the permanent atoms, for instance, and in their stimulation comes into play one or more of the corresponding spirillae in the permanent atoms on the three lower planes. After the third initiation a corresponding stimulation takes place in the permanent atoms of the Triad, leading to a coordination of the buddhic vehicle, and the transference of the lower polarization into the higher. By the application of the Rod of Initiation, the downflow of force from the Ego to the personality is tripled, the direction of that force being dependent upon whether the centers receiving attention are the etheric or the astral at the first and second initiations, or whether the initiate is standing before the Lord of the World. In the latter case, his mental centers, or their corresponding force vortices on higher levels, will receive stimulation. When the World Teacher initiates at the first and second initiations, the direction of the triadal force is turned to the vivification of the heart and throat centers in their position of synthesizing the lower. When the One Initiator applies the Rod of His power, the downflow is from the Monad, and though the throat and heart intensify vibration as a response, the main direction of the force is to the seven head centers, and finally (at liberation) to the radiant head center above, synthesizing the lesser seven head centers. The centers, at initiation, receive a fresh access of vibratory capacity and of power, and this results in the exoteric life as:–– 1. A sensitiveness and refinement of the vehicles which may result at first in much suffering to the initiate, but which produce a capacity to respond, that far outweighs the incidental pain.

THE OATH 143 is the source of all energy and power and the work of the Initiator is facilitated when advantage is taken of favorable solar conditions. The times and seasons are ascertained through esoteric solar and cosmic astrology; this being based, of course, on the correct figures, the true mathematical conception and a real knowledge of the basic facts concerning the planets and the solar system. The horoscope of the initiate is also invariably cast so as to check the time for an individual initiation, and only when the individual signs blend and coincide with the ceremonial chart by which the Initiator is guided, is it possible to perform the ceremony. This is the reason why sometimes initiation has to be post- poned to a later life, even when the initiate has done the necessary work. The threefold work of the Lodge during the ceremony may be described as follows:–– First: The chanting of certain mantrams sets loose energy from a particular planetary center. It must be remembered here that every planetary scheme is a center in the body of a Solar Logos, and embodies a peculiar type of energy or force. According to the energy desired at a particular initiation, so it is transferred, via the sun, from that planetary center to the initiate. The procedure is as follows:–– a. The energy is set in motion from the planetary center through the power of the Planetary Logos, aided by the scientific knowledge of the Lodge, and the utilization of certain words of power. b. It passes thence to the sun where it mingles with pure solar energy. c. It is transmitted from the sun to that particular chain in our Earth scheme which corresponds numerically to the particular originating planetary scheme. \page

144 THE OATH d. From there it is transferred to the corresponding globe, and thence to the dense physical planet. By the use of a particular mantram the Initiator then focuses the energy in His own body, using it both as a receiving and a transmitting station. Eventually it reaches the initiate, via the Triangle and the Sponsors. It will be apparent, therefore, to the student that when the Initiator is the Lord of the World, or the physical reflection of the Planetary Logos of our scheme, the force comes more directly to the initiate than at the first two initiations. wherein the Bodhisattva is the Hierophant. Only at the third initiation will the initiate be in a condition to receive direct planetary force. Second: The concentration undertaken by the Lodge assists the initiate to realize within himself the various processes undergone. This is accomplished by working definitely on his mental body, and thus stimulating all the atoms, through the united thought power of the Masters. This work of apprehension is thus directly aided. This concentration in no way resembles hypnotic suggestion, or the powerful impress of stronger minds upon the weaker. It takes the form of a strenuous meditation by the assembled Masters and initiates upon the realities concerned and upon the Self; through the force thus liberated the initiate is enabled to transfer his consciousness more easily away from the not-self to the divine essentials wherewith he is immediately concerned. The thought power of the Masters succeeds in shutting out the vibration of the three worlds and enables the applicant literally to "leave behind him" all the past and to have that far-seeing vision which sees the end from the beginning and the things of time as though they were not. Third: Through certain ceremonial rhythmic action the

THE OATH 145 Lodge greatly assists in the work of initiation. Just as in the Wesak Festival, results in force demonstration are brought about by the use of chanted mantrams and the sacred ceremonial pacing and interweaving of the assembled crowd in the formation of geometrical figures, so in the initiation ceremony a similar procedure is followed. The geometrical figures appropriate for the various initiations differ, and herein lies one of the safeguards of the ceremony. The initiate knows the set figure for his own initiation, but no more. All these three aspects of the work of the Masters and initiates in Lodge assembled, occupy them until the moment when the Rod has been applied. Through its application the initiate has become a member of the Lodge, and the entire ceremonial then changes, prior to the taking of the oath and the revelation of the Word and Secret. The Sponsors drop back from either side of the initiate and take Their places in the ranks, whilst the three Buddhas of Activity (or Their representatives at the first two initiations) take Their stand behind the seat of office of the Hiero- phant. The Lodge members are grouped differently, and initiates of the same degree as the newly admitted applicant place themselves around him, and assist in the final part of the ceremony; the remainder of the initiates and adepts stand in their various grades. The earlier three stages of the initiation ceremony are the same for all initiations. In the final two stages those who are not of equal rank with the newly made initiate (such as first degree initiates at the initiation of a third degree member) drop back to the rear of the Hall of Initiation at Shamballa, and a "wall of silence" is built up through mantric energy between the two groups; a vacuum, so to speak, is formed, and nothing can then be transmitted from the \page

146 THE OATH inner group to the outer. The latter confine themselves to deep meditation and the chanting of certain formulas, and in the inner group around the Hierophant a dual performance is taking place: –– a. The newly made initiate is taking the oath. b. Certain Words and Secrets are being handed over to him. Two Types of Oaths. All oaths connected with the occult Hierarchy may be divided into two groups:–– 1. The Oath of Initiation, in which the initiate binds himself by the most solemn pledges never to reveal, on pain of summary punishment, any occult secret, or to express in words outside the Initiation Hall that which has been committed to his keeping. 2. The Oath of Office, administered when any member of the Lodge takes a specific post in Hierarchical work. This oath deals with his functions and with his relations to a. The Lord of the World, b. His immediate superior, c. His fellow workers in the Lodge, d. The world of men whom he is to serve. It is needless to say more here regarding this latter type of oath, as it concerns only officials of the Hierarchy. The Oath of Initiation. The Oath of Initiation, with which we are dealing now, is divided into three sections, and is administered by the Hierophant to the initiate, being repeated after the Initiator

THE OATH 147 phrase by phrase; it is punctuated at various points by the chanting, by initiates of the same degree, of words in Sensa equivalent to "So let it be." The three divisions of the oath may be roughly described as:–– 1. A solemn phrase embodying the purpose actuating the initiate, a protestation as to his unchangeable will-attitude, and a solemn declaration as to his realization, coupled with a promise to reveal no part of the realized purpose except in so far as his daily life in the world of men and his service for the race will proclaim it. This involves an oath as to secrecy concerning the revealed part of the Logoic plan seen in the "revelation of the vision." 2. An undertaking of a profoundly solemn nature concerning his relation to his other selves, the Lodge of which he is a member, and the selves of men everywhere. This involves his attitude to his brothers of all degrees, and includes also a serious undertaking never to reveal the true nature of the Self aspect as it has been shown to him in initiation. This includes an oath of secrecy as to the realized relationship of the Solar Logos to the Planetary Logos, and of the Plan- etary Logos of our scheme to the scheme itself. 3. The enunciation of a solemn undertaking never to reveal to anyone the knowledge that has come to him as to the sources of energy and of force with which he has been brought into contact. This is a triple oath to retain complete silence as to the true nature of energy, as to its laws of manipulation, and a pledge only to use the force placed at his disposal through initiation for the service of the race and the furthering of the plans of the Planetary Logos.

158 THE OATH seven groups, according to subray or ray formation, and each group then chants one word in rapid rotation. Simultane- ously, the colors 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 center what its vibration is. As is well known, every center 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 sub- \page

THE OATH 159 sequently the physical. Far reaching results are thus achieved, and the work of many is thus affected. 7. Every Word, differentiated or synthesized, 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 multi- tudes 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 color. 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, or 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,

160 THE OATH and in their conscious realization, 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 triple 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 col- laborator 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. \page

THE OATH 161 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 synthesizes 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 synthesizes 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,

162 THE OATH that at the eighth initiation the duality of the triple AUM is brought out, and at the ninth the one sound of the Abso- lute 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 SECRETS 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 utilized. 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 SECRETS 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

THE SECRETS 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 recognized 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 pro- \page

170 THE SECRETS found 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 unfolded before his amazed vision. The two secrets previously imparted, and the knowledge which they gave having been utilized, 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 centers on the various planes.

THE SECRETS 171 3. The uprising of kundalini, its geometrical progression, and its vivification of all the centers. 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.

From A Treatise on Cosmic Fire.

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Letters on Occult Meditation https://alliancesforhumanity.com/books/LOOM.pdf xiii The constitution of man, as considered in the following pages, is basically threefold, as follows:–– I. The Monad, or pure Spirit, the Father in Heaven. This aspect reflects the three aspects of the Godhead: 1. Will or Power ....................... The Father 2. Love-Wisdom ....................... The Son 3. Active Intelligence ................ The Holy Spirit and is only contacted at the final initiations, when man is nearing the end of his journey and is perfected. The Monad reflects itself again in II. The Ego, Higher Self, or Individuality. This aspect is potentially:–– 1. Spiritual Will ........................ Atma 2. Intuition ................................ Buddhi, Love-Wisdom, the Christ principle. 3. Higher or abstract Mind ....... Higher Manas. The Ego begins to make its power felt in advanced men, and increasingly on the Probationary Path until by the third initiation the control of the lower self by the higher is perfected, and the highest aspect begins to make its energy felt. The Ego reflects itself in III. The Personality, or lower self, physical plane man. This aspect is also threefold:–– 1. A mental body ....................... lower manas. 2. An emotional body ................ astral body. 3. A physical body .................... the dense physical and the etheric body. The aim of meditation is therefore to bring man to the realization of the Egoic aspect and to bring the lower nature under its control. This is the immediate goal for the average man.

2 ALIGNMENT can transfer their conceptions to the world of form. It is, right through, a question of an unimpeded channel. Study, therefore, in this connection and when time permits, physical coordination; then to physical coordination add emotional stability, and you have the two vehicles functioning as one. When the coordination extends to the mental body, the threefold lower man is reaching his apotheosis, and has rung most of the changes in the world of form. Later comes coordination perfected with the Higher Self, the channel of communication reaching in line direct, ––via an unimpeded funnel, if so I might express it,––to the physical brain consciousness. Heretofore it has only been direct at rare intervals. The four lesser brain centers are functioning at high vibration in the man of a highly coordinated personality; when the Ego is nearing alignment with the lower bodies, the pineal gland and the pituitary body are in process of development; and when they are functioning with correlation (which eventuates by the time the third Initiation is taken), then the third, or alta major center, intensifies its hitherto gentle vibration. When the fifth Initiation is taken, the interplay between the three centers is perfected, and the alignment of the bodies is geometrically rectified; you have then the perfected fivefold superman. For the average man, then, this alignment occurs only at intervals,––in moments of stress, in hours of needed humanitarian effort and in times of intensest aspiration. Abstraction of a more or less degree has to enter in before the Ego takes continued notice of the personality or lower self. When that abstraction involves the emotions, is based in the mentality and contacts the physical brain, then alignment is commencing.

ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 27 out the causal body, and that the Ego is becoming ever more conscious on his own plane, and ever more interested––via the permanent atoms,––in the life of the Per- sonality. The physical brain of the Personality is not yet aware of the difference between inherent mental capacity and the directed impress of the indwelling Ego, but the time is becoming ripe for a change of some kind, and evolution is moving with rapidity. The fourth period approaches. I would here sound a warning. All this proceeds not in ordered sections, if so I may term it. It proceeds as proceeds the greater system, with constant overlapping, and with parallelism, due to the inherent ray of the Spirit or Monad, to cyclic changes, to diversity of forces playing astrologically and oft from unknown cosmic centers upon the palpitating life within the atoms.... The fourth period is that within which coordination of the Personality is completed, and that wherein the man comes to himself (as did the prodigal in the far country) and says: "I will arise and go to my Father." This is the result of the first meditation. The three permanent atoms are functioning and the man is an active, feeling, thinking entity. He reaches the consummation of the personality life and he begins to shift consciously his polarization from the personality life to the egoic. He stands upon the Path of Discipleship or Probation, or is close to it. He commences the work of transmutation; he laboriously, painfully and carefully, forces his consciousness higher and to expand at will; at any cost he determines to dominate and function in full liberation on the three lower planes; he realizes that the Ego must have perfect expression,––physical, emotional and mental,––and he makes, therefore, at infinite cost, the necessary channel. He attracts the attention of the Teachers.

28 ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION In what way does he do this? The causal body begins to radiate the indwelling Light. It has been constructed to a point where it is fine enough to act as a transparency and, where the contact of the Ego is made with the Triad, a point of Flame appears.... The light is no longer under the bushel, but suddenly flames forth, and catches the eager eye of the Master. This marks the period between twenty-eight and thirty-five in the life of the adult. It is the period wherein a man finds himself, discovers what his line of activity may be, what he can accomplish, and from the worldly standpoint, comes into his own. During the fifth period, the Flame gradually breaks through the periphery of the causal body, and the "path of the just shineth ever more and more unto the perfect day." It is in the fourth period that meditation commences,––the mystic meditation that leads, in the fifth period, to that occult meditation that brings about results, being under the law and hence following the line of the ray. It is by meditation that the man––as a Per- sonality––feels out the vibration of the Ego, and seeks to reach up to the Ego and bring the egoic consciousness ever more and more down, so as to include consciously the physical plane. It is by meditation or by retreating within that the man learns the significance of Fire, and applies that fire to all the bodies, till naught is left save the fire itself. It is by meditation, or the reaching from the concrete to the abstract, that the causal consciousness is entered, and man––during this final period––becomes the Higher Self and not the Personality. The polarization shifts during the fifth period (the period of the Path of Initiation) entirely from the Per- sonality to the Ego, until, at the close of that period, liberation is complete, and the man is set free. Even the \page

ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 29 causal body is known as a limitation and the emancipation is completed. The polarization then shifts higher into the Triad––the shifting beginning at the third Initia- tion. The physical permanent atom goes and the polarization becomes higher mental; the emotional permanent atom goes and the polarization becomes intuitional; the mental unit goes and the polarization becomes spiritual. The man then becomes a Master of the Wisdom and is of the symbolic age of forty-two, the point of perfected maturity in the solar system. A still later period comes, corresponding to the ages forty-two to forty-nine, wherein the sixth and seventh Initiations may be taken, but this period concerns not the readers of these letters.... June 9, 1920. The Specific Gravity and Content of the Causal Body. This subject, anent the causal body, opens up for the thinker much food for speculation. The literal figures and the dimensional lines cannot be given. They form one of the secrets of initiation but certain ideas may be suggested and submitted to the consideration of all interested. Just what do you mean when you speak of the causal body? Say not glibly, the body of causes, for words thus spoken are oft but nebulous and vague. Let us now consider the causal body and find out its component parts. On the involutionary path you have what is termed the Group Soul, aptly described (as far as earth words permit) as a collection of triads, enclosed in a triple envelop of monadic essence. On the evolutionary path, groups of causal bodies correspond and are similarly composed, three factors entering in.

36 ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION definitely works at the subjugation of the lower self, at the enlargement of the communicating channel, and at the transmission to the physical brain consciousness of the fact of its existence and the goal of its being. Once that is accomplished, and the inner fire is freer in its passage, lives are then given to the stabilizing of that impression, and to the making of that inner consciousness a part of the conscious life. The flame radiates downward more and more until gradually the different vehicles come into line, and the man stands on the Pro- bationary Path. He is ignorant yet of what lies ahead, and is conscious only of wild and earnest aspiration and of innate divine longings. He is eager to make good, longing to know, and dreaming always of someone or something higher than himself. All this is backed by the profound conviction that in service to humanity will the dreamed-of goal be reached, will the vision become reality, the longing fructify into satisfaction, and aspiration be merged in sight. The Hierarchy begins to take action and his instruction is carried out as aforesaid.... Until now the Teachers have only watched and guided without definitely dealing with the man himself; all has been left to the Ego and the life divine to carry out the plan, the attention of the Masters being directed to the Ego on his own plane. The Ego bends every effort to quicken vibration, and to force the oft-rebelling lower vehicles to respond and measure up to the rapidly increasing force. It is largely a matter of increased fire or heat, and consequent intensification of vibratory capacity. The egoic fire waxes ever greater until the work is done, and the purificatory fire becomes the Light of Illumina- tion. Ponder on this sentence. As above, so below; on each rung of the ladder the process is repeated; the \page

ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 37 Monad, at the third Initiation, begins itself to be conscious of the Ego. The work, then, is more rapid owing to the rarity of the material and to the fact that resistance is a factor in the three worlds but not elsewhere. Hence, pain ceases for a Master. That is, pain as we know it on earth, which is largely pain in matter. The pain that lies hid in comprehension, not resistance, is felt to the highest circles, yea, it reaches to the Logos Himself. But this is beside the point and well-nigh incomprehensible to you who are yet trammeled by matter. Relationship of the Ego to its own development. The Ego seeks to bring about the desired end in three ways:–– 1––By definite work on abstract levels. It aspires to contact and enclose the permanent atom, its first direct approach to the Triad. 2––By definite work on color and sound with the aim in view of stimulation and vivification, working thus in groups and under the guidance of a Master. 3––By frequent attempts to definitely control the lower self, a thing distasteful to the Ego, whose tendency is to rest content with consciousness and aspiration on its own plane. Forget not that the Ego itself has somewhat to wrestle with. The refusal to incarnate is not found only on spiritual levels, but is found also on that of the Higher Self. Certain developments also, incidental to the factors of time and space (as understood in the three worlds) are aimed at by the Ego, such as the increase of the causal periphery through the study of divine telepathy, systemic psychology and the knowledge of the laws of fire.

THE SACRED WORD 75 Period IV––marks the definite stimulation of the throat center. All the creative activity of the three-fold man––physical, emotional and mental,––is turned upward in service, and his life begins occultly to sound. He is occultly productive. He manifests forth and his sound goes out before him. This is an occult statement of fact definitely apparent to those who have the inner vision. Coordination between the centers becomes apparent; rotation is intensified, and the centers themselves change in appearance, becoming unfolded, and the rotary movement becomes fourth-dimensional, turning inward upon itself. The centers are then radiating nuclei of light, and the corresponding four lower head centers are equally alive. Period V––marks the application of the fire to the head centers and their complete awakening. Before initiation, all the centers will be rotating in fourth dimensional order, but after initiation they become flaming wheels, and––seen clairvoyantly––are of rare beauty. The fire of Kundalini is then awakened and is progressing in the necessary spirals. At the second initiation the emotional centers are similarly awakened, and at the third initiation those on the mental plane are touched. The initiate can then stand in the Presence of the Great King, the One Initiator. I seek to point out that the student must ever remember that here generalizations only are given. The complexity in the development of the microcosm is as great as in the macrocosm. The awakening of the centers and their particular order is dependent on several factors, such as: a––The Ray of the Spirit or Monad. b––The Ray of the Ego, Higher Self, or Son, or the sub-ray.

240 COLOR resolved back into its primary, plus activity and expression, plus experience and the ability to manifest; plus all that constitutes the difference between the ignorant savage and the solar Logos. This has been consummated by the utilization of many forms by the life, the intelligence constituting the means whereby that life employed those forms as a mode for learning. Having manifested as an aspect of this primary ray, having through many incarnations differentiated that ray into its many component parts, having veiled himself under all the seven colors that compose that ray, the reincarnating jiva takes the path of return and from the seven becomes the three and from the three again becomes the one. When the man does this consciously, when he willingly and with full comprehension of what he has to do endeavors to set the indwelling life free from the veils that hide, and from the sheaths that imprison, he discovers that the method whereby this is accomplished is by the subjective life of occult meditation, and the objective life of service. In service is renunciation, and, under the occult law, therefore, in service the subjective finds liberation, and is set free from objective manifestation. Think this out, for it has much hidden under the veil of words. The occult student, therefore, from the standpoint of color has two things to do in meditation. 1. To discover his three major colors as manifested in the Personality, the Ego, and the Monad. 2. To resolve then the lower quaternary into the three, the first stage of which is consciously to withdraw into the Ego and so atrophy the lower self. The student begins by eliminating the colors that are not desirable, killing out all low or coarse vibration and eventually so \page

COLOR 241 refining his vehicles that the three major colors––of which he is the expression––shine out with perfect clarity. This leads him up to the third initiation. After that, he seeks to resolve the three into the one until he has withdrawn all his consciousness from the lower vehicles into the monadic sheath. It was not my intention, as you erroneously supposed, to give you information as to the effect of colors playing on the bodies in meditation. I have sought only to give you some idea of color as a veil that must eventually be set aside. Under the heading of the " Future use of color," I may touch upon that which interests you, but to understand fundamentals is far better than to have formulas for experimenting given to you. September 10th, 1920. We will, today, scarcely do more than touch upon our second point, which is the application of color for healing purposes, the reason for this brevity being that the subject, in order to be handled correctly and therefore safely, should be dealt with at length, and the old adage will consequently prove true in this connection that "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing". Unless the matter of healing with color is dealt with in correct fashion and with technical knowledge and at length, the results achieved might prove more disastrous than beneficent. The subject will later be fully elucidated if the future brings that which is intended, and in the meantime I can, for your information, outline certain features of this work, point out certain conditions incident to success, and foretell for you somewhat the trend the matter will probably take.

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire 170 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE 4. Man partially controlled by the Ego, advanced man. a. The heart. b. The throat. c. The head, i.e., the four lesser centers and their thesis, the alta center. 5. Spiritual man to the third Initiation. a. The heart. b. The throat. c. The seven head centers. 6. Spiritual man to the fifth Initiation. a. The heart. b. The seven head centers. c. The two many-petalled lotuses. All these different periods show different triangular radiances. We must not infer from this that when the fire is centered in one triangle it is not demonstrating in others. Once the fire has free passage along any triangle it flames continuously, but always there is one triangle more radiant and luminous than the others, and it is from these glowing triangles of light, issuing from wheels and vortices of fire that the clairvoyant and the teachers of the race can appraise a man's position in the scheme of things, and judge of his attainment. At the culmination of life experience, and when man has reached his goal, each triangle is a radiant path of fire, and each center a wheel of living fiery force rotating at terrific speed; the center at this stage not only rotates in a specific direction but literally turns upon itself, forming a living flaming iridescent globe of pure fire, and holding within it a certain geometrical shape yet withal vibrating so rapidly that the eye can scarcely follow it. Above all, at the top of the head will be seen a fiery display that seems to put all the other centers into insignificance; from the heart of this many-petalled lotus issues a flame of fire with the basic hue of a man's ray. This flame

PHYSICAL AND ASTRAL PLANE 175 this present solar system to be blended with, and wrought out through it. Centuries go by and the man becomes ever more actively intelligent, and the field of his life. The correspondence lies in similitude and not in detail as seen in time and space. It covers the period of the first three triangles dealt with earlier. We must not forget that, for the sake of clarity, we are here differentiating between the different aspects, and considering their separated development, a thing only permissible in time and space or during the evolutionary process, but not permissible from the standpoint of the Eternal Now, and from the Unity of the All-Self. The Vishnu or the Love-Wisdom aspect is latent in the Self and is part of the monadic content, but the Brahma aspect, the Activ- ity-Intelligence aspect precedes its manifestation in time. The Tabernacle in the Wilderness preceded the building of the Temple of Solomon; the kernel of wheat has to lie in the darkness of mother Earth before the golden perfected ear can be seen and the Lotus has to cast its roots down into the mud before the beauty of the blossom can be produced. The second period, wherein the egoic ray holds sway, is not so long comparatively; it covers the period wherein the fourth and fifth triangles are being vivified, and marks the lives wherein the man throws his forces on the side of evolution, disciplines his life, steps upon the Probationary Path, and continues up to the third Initiation. Under the regime of the Personality Ray, the man proceeds upon the five Rays to work consciously with Mind, the sixth sense, passing first upon the four minor Rays and eventually upon the third. He Works the chain of "manifested forms" This, as you know, is repeated endlessly throughout Eternity. Each man of us has gone this ceaseless round, and will repeat it forever and ever. The deviation of each one's course, and his rate of progress from Nirvana to Nirvana is governed by causes which he himself creates out of the exigencies in which he finds himself entangled."––From The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett, p. 67.

176 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE upon the third Ray, or that of active Intelligence, and from thence proceeds to one of the subrays of the two other major Rays, if the third is not his egoic Ray. Enquiry might naturally arise as to whether the egoic ray is necessarily one of the three major rays, and if Initiates and Masters are not to be found upon some of the rays of mind, the minor four. The answer lies here: The egoic ray can always be one of the seven, but we need to remember that, in this astral-buddhic solar system, wherein love and wisdom are being brought into objectivity, the bulk of the monads are on the love-wisdom ray. The fact, therefore, of its being the synthetic ray has a vast significance. This is the system of the SON, whose name is Love. This is the divine incarnation of Vishnu. The Dragon of Wis- dom is in manifestation, and He brings into incarnation those cosmic Entities who are in essence identical with Himself. After the third Initiation all human beings find themselves on their monadic ray, on one of the three major rays and the fact that Masters and Initiates are found on all the rays is due to the following two factors: First. Each major ray has its subrays, which correspond to all the seven. Second. Many of the guides of the race transfer from one ray to another as They are needed, and as the work may require. When one of the Masters or Initiates is transferred it causes a complete re-adjustment. When a Master likewise leaves the hierarchy of our Planet to take up work elsewhere, it frequently necessitates a complete re-organization, and a fresh admission of members into the great White Lodge. These facts have been but little realized. We might here also take the opportunity to point out that we are not dealing with earth conditions when we consider the Rays, nor are we only concerned with the evolution of the Monads upon this planet, but are equally concerned with the solar

PHYSICAL AND ASTRAL PLANE 183 1. The base of the spine. 2. The solar plexus. 3. The heart. 4. The throat. The sevenfold head center in its turn finds ultimate expression in the gorgeous twofold center above the top of the head and surrounding it. Equally so, beyond the above named constellations is still another cosmic center. The name of this center is one of the secrets of the final initiation, the seventh. These are the only correspondences that may as yet be imparted. What lies beyond the solar ring-pass-not may be of intellectual interest,78 but, for the purposes of microcosmic evolution it is a matter of no vast import. 3. The Centers and Kundalini. As stated, it is not possible to impart much about kundalini, or the serpent fire. It might be of value, however, briefly to enumerate what has been said: a. Kundalini lies at the base of the spine, and, in the normal average man, its main function is the vitalization of the body. b. Kundalini makes three at-one-ments during the period of evolution: 1. With the radiatory fires of the body or prana at a point between the shoulder blades. 2. With the fires of mind at a point at the very top of the spine, in the center of the back part of the throat. 3. With the fire of Spirit at the point where these two united fires of matter and of mind issue from the top of the head. c. Each of the three channels within the spinal column have for specific purpose the blending of these threefold fires. We need to bear in mind that the 78 S.D.,I,545,726; II,581,582,654. \page

184 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE fires circulate, and that, at the moment of achievement, every triangle in the body is vivified, every center is fully functioning, and a threefold path of fire can be seen extending the entire length he backbone. d. When kundalini has blended with the pranic fire, the centers become three-dimensional. When it blends with mind or solar fire and the two fires are perfectly united, the centers become fourth- dimensional. When it blends with the electric fire of pure Spirit after the third Initiation, they take on two more dimensions. e. Kundalini, as it is aroused, steadily increases the vibratory action not only of the centers, but of every atom of matter in all the bodies––etheric, astral and mental. This quickening of activity has a dual effect of great interest: 1. It causes the elimination of all matter that is coarse and unsuitable, and casts it off in exactly the same way as a rapidly rotating wheel casts off or rejects from its surface. 2. It sweeps into its sphere of influence matter that is keyed to its own vibration and builds it into its vibratory content. This is but a reflection of the action of the Logos in sweeping into differentiation the matter of the solar system. Kundalini is likewise the fire or force of matter, and therefore the life of the third Logos. f. Kundalini has two effects upon the etheric web, as it is called. 1. By its gradually increasing action it purifies that etheric form and cleanses it from "dross," as the Christian expresses it. 2. Eventually, after the two fires of matter and the fire of mind have begun to blend (a slow and gradual process), the web itself is de-

PHYSICAL AND ASTRAL PLANE 185 stroyed, and by the time the third Initiation is reached, the man should have continuity of consciousness. This is so unless for certain work and for certain specific ends, the man consciously and willingly foregoes the burning of the web, a thing which can be brought about by the conscious action of the will. 4. The Centers and the Senses, Normal and Supernormal. Before at all dealing with the centers and their relationship to the senses, it will be necessary first of all to point out certain facts of interest in connection with those senses,79 and so clear the ground for further information. 79The seven senses or the avenues of perception.––S. D., I, 489, 490, The third or Indriya Creation.––S. D., III, 567. Indriya––The control of the senses in yoga practice. These are the 10 external agents; the 5 senses which are used for perception are called 'Jnana-indriya' and the 5 used for action 'karma-indriya.'––Theosophical Glossary. "Jnana-indriyas"––literally knowledge-senses . . . by which knowledge is obtained. . . . They are the avenues inward. "Karma-indriyas"––literally action senses . . . those producing action. They are the avenues outwards.––Study in Consciousness, pp. 166-167. 1. Sensation is latent in every atom of substance.––S. D., II, 710. 2. The Sun is the heart of the system and sensation emanates from there. It is due to solar radiation.––S. D., I, 590, 662. 3. Knowledge is the end of sense.––S. D., I, 300. 4. There is a double set of senses, spiritual and material.––S.D.,I,582; S. D., II, 307, 308. This finds its reflection in the double set of physical senses noted in defining the indriyas. 5. The senses might be enumerated as follows: S. D., I, 583 and note 123; S. D., II, 600, 674, 675, 676. 6. The elements are the progenitors of the senses. . .––S.D.,II,112,113. a. Aether...Hearing..Sound.............................Atmic plane b. Air......Touch....Sound, touch......................Buddhic plane c. Fire.....Sight....Sound, touch, sight...............Mental plane d. Water....Taste....Sound, touch, sight, taste........Astral plane e. Earth....Smell....Sound, touch, sight, taste, smell.Physical plane 7. Every sense pervades every other sense. . . .––S. D., III, 569. There is no universal order. All are on all planes.––S. D., III, 550. 8. The senses correspond with every other septenate in nature. See S. D., III, 448. Compare S. D., III, 497. Practical reading. . . .––S. D., I, 288

PHYSICAL AND ASTRAL PLANE 207 In connection with this there is a fundamental point that must never be forgotten: these seven Heavenly Men might be considered as being in physical incarnation through the medium of a physical planet, and herein lies the mystery of planetary evolution. Herein lies the mystery of our planet, the most mysterious of all the planets. Just as the karma of individuals differs, so differs the karma of the various Logoi, and the karma of our planetary Logos has been a heavy one and veiled in the mystery of personality at this time. Again, according as the centers are active or inactive, so the manifestation differs likewise, and the study which opens up is of vast and abstruse interest in connection with the solar system. 5. The Centers and Initiation. We have dealt briefly with the evolution of the centers, with their function, their organization and their gradually increasing activity from a point of comparative inertia until they are consummated motion. Then they become living wheels of flame, distinguished by a dual motion of the periphery and the inner revolving wheels, and by a fourth-dimensional effect, due primarily to the alignment of the inner subtler vortices with the comparatively exoteric etheric centers. This alignment is brought about eventually at initiation. At the time that initiation is taken, the centers are all active and the lower four (which correspond to the Per- sonality) are beginning the process of translating the fire into the three higher. The dual revolution in the lower centers is clearly to be seen and the three higher are commencing to be similarly active. By the application of the Rod of Initiation at the time of the initiation ceremony, certain results are achieved in connection with the centers which might be enumerated as follows: a. The fire at the base of the spine is definitely di- \page

208 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE rected to whichever center is the object of special attention. This varies according to the Ray, or the specialized work of the initiate. b. The center has its activity intensified, its rate of evolution increased, and certain of the central spokes of the wheel brought into more active radiance. These spokes which are also called by some students lotus- petals, have a close connection with the different spirillae in the permanent atoms. Through their stimulation there comes into play one or more of the corresponding spirillae in the permanent atoms on the three lower planes. After the third Initiation, a corresponding stimulation takes place in the permanent atoms of the Triad, leading to the coordination of the buddhic vehicle, and the transference of the lower polarization into the higher. c. By the application of the Rod of Initiation the downflow of force from the Ego to the personality is tripled, the direction of that force being dependent upon whether the centers receiving attention are the etheric, or the astral at the first and second Initiations, or whether the initiate is standing before the LORD OF THE WORLD. In the latter case, his mental centers or their corresponding force vortices on higher levels will receive stimulation. When the World Teacher initiates at the first and second Initiations, the direction of the Triadal force is turned to the vivification of the heart, and throat centers, and the ability to synthesize the force of the lower centers is greatly increased. When the One Initiator applies the Rod of His Power, the downflow is from the Monad, and though the throat and heart intensify vibration as a response, the main direction of the force is to the seven head centers, and finally (at liberation) to the radiant head center above, and synthesizing the lesser seven head centers. d. The centers at initiation receive a fresh access of

INTRODUCTORY QUESTIONS 259 tor being controlled by the measure of the unfoldment of all the conscious units in His body. Here we have traced very briefly some of the analogies between the four factors earlier mentioned, and have in a cursory way answered the question. These points, if dwelt upon, will be found of real assistance in developing the mental appreciation of the student, and in increasing his apprehension of the beauty of the entire solar scheme. VI. WHAT IS THE MIND ASPECT? WHY IS THE MANASIC PRIN- CIPLE OF SUCH IMPORTANCE? WHO ARE THE MANASAPUTRAS? We are now to touch upon the profoundest mystery of the whole manifested solar system––the mystery spoken of by H.P.B. as the mystery of electricity.5 It is intimately connected with the life of God as demonstrated through His seven Centers, the seven Heavenly Men, the Divine Manasaputras. This problem is not soluble as yet exoterically and but little can be revealed to the general public. This is for three reasons: First, the stage reached by man does not permit of his correct apprehension of these abstractions. Second, the greater part of the possible explanation is only revealed to initiates who have passed the third In- itiation, and even to them in a carefully guarded manner. Third, the revelation of the close connection between mind and fohat or energy, or between thought power and electrical phenomena––the effect of fohatic impulse on matter––is fraught with peril, and the missing link (if so it might be termed) in the chain of reasoning from phenomena to its initiatory impulse, can only be safely imparted when the bridge between higher and lower mind, is adequately constructed. When the lower is under the control of the higher, or when the quaternary is merging into the triad, then man can be trusted with the re- 5S. D., I, 439, 221, 107.

348 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE stages, all the lesser, and repeats the earlier procedures. This is a recognized fact, for instance, in the building of man's physical body, for the fetus reproduces all earlier stages and forms till the human is achieved; again, as we know, the fourth round reproduces briefly the earlier three but has its own distinctive quality. b. The Method of Initiation. In this second method the "Rods of Initiation" are used to effect certain results. These rods are of four kinds: 1. Cosmic, used by a cosmic Logos in the initiations of a solar Logos, and of the three major planetary Logoi. 2. Systemic, used by a solar Logos in the initiation of a planetary Logos. 3. Planetary, used by a planetary Logos for initiatory purposes, and for the third, the fourth, and fifth major initiations, with the two higher. 4. Hierarchical, used by an occult Hierarchy for minor Initiations, and for the first two initiation of manas by the Bodhisattva.29 When man individualized in Lemurian days (about eighteen million years ago), it was the application of the Rod of Initiation to the Logos of our Earth chain which brought about the event and touched into activity certain centers in His body with their corresponding groups. This application, bringing about consciousness on some plane, may be regarded as literally the awakening of the lives concerned to participate in intelligent work on the mental plane. Animal man was conscious on the physical, and on the astral planes. By the stimulation effected by the electric rod this animal man awoke to consciousness on the mental. Thus the three bodies were coordinated, and the Thinker enabled to function in them. 29The above information about the "Rods" is taken out of Initiation Human and Solar, page 126.

THE FACTOR OF MANAS 357 in connection with a Heavenly Man which must be borne in mind. First, that each Heavenly Man holds the position of a center in the body of a solar Logos; therefore, the Logos of a scheme will embody some outstanding characteristic. The ten schemes are the seven, and the synthesizing three––not the seven and a lower three. The lower centers were vital in the last solar system (from the esoteric standpoint) and are not counted in this; they were synthesized and absorbed during the obscuration process of System I. Secondly, each Heavenly Man is consequently the embodiment of a particular kind of electrical force which flows through His scheme as man's force flows through some one of the etheric centers in his body. Each scheme, as each human center, will a. Vibrate to some one key. b. Have its own coloring. c. Resemble, when seen from the higher planes, a vast lotus. d. Possess, according to its vibratory capacity, a definite number of petals. e. Be connected in geometrical formation with certain other centers of Heavenly Men, making systemic triangles.32 f. Be characterized by different stages of activity according to the initiation towards which the Logos may be working. Thus, at one period one center or Heavenly Man may be the subject of logoic attention, and of specialized stimulation, and at another period a totally different scheme may be the object of vitalization. For some time the Logos has turned His attention to the Earth Scheme and to Saturn, whilst Uranus is receiving 32A hint of this triangle of force was conveyed in Letters on Occult Medi- tation, page 79-84, when speaking of man and his centres. \page

358 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE stimulation. Much is therefore accentuated, and increased evolutionary development is the consequence of this divine attention. When these facts are borne in mind it will be seen that the interaction, and the complexity, is of vast proportions, and man can do no more than accept the fact, and leave the explanation until his consciousness is of greater scope. Third, one of the mysteries revealed at initiation is that of the logoic center which our scheme represents, and the type of electrical fire which is flowing through it. The "Seven Brothers," or the seven types of fohatic force, express Themselves through the seven centers, and the One Who is animating our scheme stands revealed at the third Initiation. It is by knowledge of the nature and quality of the electrical force of our center, and by realization of the place our center holds in the body logoic, that the Hierarchy achieves the aims of evolution. It will be obvious that the Heavenly Man Who stands for the kundalini center, for instance, will work differently, and have a different purpose and method, from His Brother Who stands for the heart center in the body logoic, or to the Heavenly Man Who embodies the logoic solar plexus. From this it is apparent that: a. The type of electrical force b. The vibratory action c. The purpose d. The evolutionary development e. The dual and triangular interaction of all the Heavenly Men will differ, and so will the evolutions that form the cells in Their Bodies differ likewise. Little has as yet been revealed anent the types of evolutions which are to be found in the other schemes of our system. Suffice it to say that in all the schemes, on some

THE FACTOR OF MANAS 359 globe in the scheme, human beings or self-conscious units, are to be found. Conditions of life, environment and form may differ, but the human Hierarchy works in all schemes. It must also be borne in mind that just as all seven Heavenly Men are found in the body logoic, and are Themselves under the influence of seven solar Logoi (using the word "influence" in its astrological sense), so in a planetary scheme with its seven globes each is astrologically under the influence of all the seven Heavenly Men. A scheme is but a replica of a system. Each of the Heavenly Men pours forth His radiation or influence, and stimulates in some way some other center or globe. To word it otherwise, His magnetism is felt by His Brothers in a greater or less degree according to the work being undertaken at any one time. At present the Heavenly Men, representing centers at different stages of stimulation, being not all equally developed and being not as yet psychically unified, this magnetic interplay is little realized, and the psychic flow from one scheme to another is little utilized or comprehended. As time elapses this interplay of force will become more evident and the force will be consciously employed. When men, for instance, know The quality of the force flowing through their particular scheme; The purpose and name of the center they stand within; The center or Heavenly Man with Whom the Logos of their scheme is allied; Which two schemes form, with their own, a triangle for logoic force at a certain stage of evolutionary development ; The secret of the cycles, or the periods of stimulation or obscuration; then will the body logoic begin to achieve its purpose;

THE FACTOR OF MANAS 381 interplay, and Their rational interdependence, and with the cycles wherein each in turn, or in dual formation, is the recipient of logoic force. It necessitates the study of the solar system as a unit, of the astronomical and orbital relation of the Sun to the planets. The systemic triangles will eventually become a subject of popular speculation, then of investigation, of scientific demonstration, and finally be known to be proved and authen- ticated fact,––but the time is not yet. The different polarities of the schemes will be studied and information, that is now imparted only to initiates of the third Initiation, will eventually become exoteric. In due course of time systemic information along the lines of: a. The vitalization of the schemes b. Interaction between two schemes c. The periods of incarnation of a planetary Logos on the physical plane d. The initiation of the planetary Logos, will be reduced to law and order. As yet but dim speculations and hints that appeal only to the spiritual and the intuitive are in any way possible. The early part of the next round will see more widespread knowledge and interest in this matter. The planetary angle. This point of view concerns itself with the history of the individual scheme, and with the consciousness and evolution of some particular Heav- enly Man. The student in studying along these lines must endeavor to get some grasp of the scheme as a unit, as a body corporate with its seven centers and forty- nine globes, and with the triangle formed between them. Separate chains are either The object of planetary stimulation, The sphere of the incarnation of a planetary Logos, Emerging into objectivity,

382 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE Manifesting, Gradually entering into obscurity. This point of view is as yet impossible for the average thinker, for it involves an expansion of consciousness unattainable by man. Nevertheless the endeavor to comprehend serves a useful purpose, for it sets a goal for man and enables him to enlarge his present concept. The chain angle. This brings the Whole idea more within the range of possibility, and has already been indicated to students in Volume II, of the Secret Doctrine. The student is narrowed down to the contemplation of the seven globes of the chain of which he is a component, though microscopic, part. He has for investigation the globes as seen in time, with their mutual interplay; he has for study the part each one may be playing in the great cycle of a Heavenly Man. For instance, in the present Earth chain which concerns us the most nearly, the fourth globe is of paramount interest, inasmuch as it is the physical plane vehicle for a Heavenly Man in dense objective incarnation. Yet it must not be forgotten that, though manifesting thus objectIvely, He embodies in totality the chain and the scheme. The idea may be clarified for the student if it is stated that: A scheme, in its totality, corresponds to the Monad, or to the monadic auric egg, in connectIon with a human being and his forty-nine cycles. A chain,37 in its totality corresponds to the body egoic of a human being, to the causal body with its seven great 37Chain––a series of seven globes or worlds which form the field of evolution during the planetary cycle or manvantara. The first three of these globes––generally known as A., B. and C. form a descending arc, the densest physical matter of the densest being reached in the fourth globe, D, of which our earth is an instance. The fifth globe, E, on the ascending arc (correspondence to C on the descending arc) usually belongs to the astral plane, and the sixth and seventh F and G (correspondence to B and A on the descending arc) to the Rupa and Arupa levels of the mental plane; these therefore are invisible to ordinary sight.

THE FACTOR OF MANAS 383 cycles mentioned elsewhere in these pages, and hinted at in certain occult books. A globe, with its seven races corresponds to a particular series of incarnations in connection with a man incarnate or discarnate, for all globes are not on physical levels. A physical globe, in a chain corresponds to a particular physical incarnation of a man. The planetary Logos takes physical form in His planet and is its life and works out His purposes. A root-race, simply is analogous to the "seven parts" (as Shakespeare phrases it) as played by the midget, man. In a root-race a Heavenly Man is simply living out His life, working through some experience in the great work of developing buddhi or corporate action, (for buddhi is the unifying principle of groups) and, in the process ef experiencing and developing, He sweeps into His vibratory capacity all the cells in His body. In the case of a human being the cells in his body (the material cells) are involutionary lives, animated by the third Lo- gos, cooperating with the second Logos. In the case of a planetary Logos, the cells in His body are evolutionary lives (deva and human units) animated by the life of the second Logos, cooperating with the first Logos, and utilizing the activities of the third Logos for purposes of manifesting. Having pointed out these things, the place the Earth chain and globe play in the evolution of the planetary Logos of the Earth scheme should be clearer to the student. The wheel turns, and in its turning sweeps into objectivity one of its seven globes, or brings into manifestation on the physical plane that great Entity Whose life animates the whole scheme. It must be borne in mind that just as man is handicapped by his physical body,

384 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE and finds himself unable to express through it the entire content of his egoic consciousness, so a Heavenly Man, when taking to Himself a dense physical vehicle in any particular chain, is also handicapped, and is unable to express in perfection on the globe the full beauty of His Life or the splendor of His manifesting Consciousness. It might here be stated in connection with the planetary Logos of our scheme that: a. He is in physical incarnation. b. He is midway through His career upon the cosmic Path of Initiation, and consequently is to take the fourth Initiation in this chain. Well may this globe, therefore, be considered the globe of sorrow and of pain, for through it our planetary Logos is undergoing that which the mystic calls "the Crucifixion." c. The cells in His body––those cells through which He feels, and senses, and experiences,––are, in this world period, rent by pain and suffering, for His is the consciousness at the center of the Body, and theirs is the capacity to suffer, so that by means of them He may learn the meaning of systemic dispassion, be dissociated from all forms and material substance, and upon the cross of matter eventually find liberation and the freedom of the Spirit. The same equally can be predicated of a solar Logos with the following interesting sequence carefully borne in mind: The solar Logos has for objective nine initiations, the third cosmic Initiation being His goal. Our planetary Logos has for objective seven initiations, the second cosmic Initiation being His goal. Man has for objective five initiations, the first cosmic Initiation being his goal.

422 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE suing his own self centered purpose and following the inclination of the lower self whose slogan is "I am"). This will gradually give place to the ordered activity of the groups in which the units recognize the oneness of their self-interest, and therefore intelligently, actively, and with conscious purpose work for the good of the body corporate. The vibration which occultly accom- panies the sounding of the words "I am That" by the units on the physical plane is only very faintly beginnings to make itself felt. Units here and there are sounding it forth by their lives and are thus passing on the vibration and setting it in motion against the cruder, coarser one of "I am." The time for the sounding of the final mantric phrase by ordered active groups lies ahead in the sixth and seventh rounds, and will not reach its full vibration in this solar system at all. "I am That" will peal forth fully consummated in this system of duality, for the third initiation sees the initiate comprehending its mantric force. Nevertheless, initiates of the sixth and seventh Initiations will not preponderate in this system. After the fifth round and the passing into temporary obscuration of two fifths of the human family, the remaining units will achieve an approximate standing as follows: One fifth will mantrically sound the words "I am That I am." Two fifths will achieve the fifth Initiation and will know themselves as "I am That." They will also be cultivating response to the higher note. One fifth and a half will attain the third Initiation, and will know themselves as "I am That" in full consciousness. The remaining units will be those who are treading the Path, and beginning to know themselves as the group.

THE FACTOR OF MANAS 433 tain centers, producing the necessitated stimulation. At the fifth Initiation similarly the force of the third Logos may be felt, and at the sixth that of the second Logos, while at the seventh the dynamic fire of the first Logos circulates through the body of the Chohan. It might be tabulated thus: 1. The magical force of the seventh Logos is felt at the first Initiation. 2. The aggressive fire of the sixth Logos is felt at the second Initiation. 3. The illuminating light of the fifth Logos is felt at the third Initiation. 4. The harmonizing life of the fourth Logos is felt at the fourth Initiation. 5. The blending power of the third Logos is felt at the fifth Initiation. 6. The unifying heat of the second Logos is felt at the sixth Initiation. 7. The dynamic electricity of the first Logos is felt at the seventh Initiation. Let us now pass on to the brief consideration of the future influence of the third manasic ray of "Concrete Knowledge or Science." As I have elsewhere pointed out this ray concerns itself with the building of form, with the utilization of matter, with the embodying of ideas, or of entities, whether cosmic, systemic, lunar, or subhuman. The planetary Logos of this fifth systemic Ray holds a peculiar position in the scheme of things. He is the embodiment of the fifth logoic principle of manas. His is the synthesizing scheme for the five schemes of the five Kumaras Who are Brahma, when viewed as the sum total of the third logoic aspect, though He is not the synthesizing factor for the seven schemes which are the sum total of logoic manifestation considered as the union of the second and third aspects. This is a point of prime importance to bear in mind. His is the influence that leads to the scientific adaptation of matter to form,

THE FACTOR OF MANAS 485 The third and sixth Rays deal with the burning of the fiery lives. The fourth blends the two fires within the atomic form. It will be seen from a close study of these subdivisions, how close is the cooperation between the different groups, and how inter-related are their activities. The work of the Hierarchy can be interpreted always in terms of alchemy, and Their activities deal with a threefold transmutation. This work is carried on by Them consciously, and supervenes upon Their own emancipation. A Master transmutes in the three worlds and principally concerns Himself with the process upon the eighteen subplanes, the great field of human evolution, and with the passage of the life throughout the dense physical body of the Logos. The Chohans of the sixth Initia- tion work in the fourth and fifth ethers of the logoic etheric body (the buddhic and atmic planes), and deal with the passage of the life of Spirit from form to form in those worlds, having in view the transmutation of units in the spiritual kingdom into the monadic. Those on still higher levels––the Buddhas and their Confreres of the first and third Rays––deal with the passage of the life into the sub-atomic, and atomic planes of the cosmic physical. What has been said applies to all hierarchical efforts in all schemes and on all globes, for the unity of effort is universal. In every case, conscious self-induced control, or authority, precedes ability to transmute. Ini- tiates learn to transmute and superintend the passage of the life out of the animal kingdom into the human after the third Initiation, and during the earlier stages of initiation, formulas that control the lesser devas, and which produce results in the merging of the second and third kingdoms are communicated; they work under safeguards and supervision. Advanced intellectual man should be able to cooperate in the synthesis of the work, and deal with the trans- \page

486 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE mutation of the metals, as the ratio of their intellectual development to that of the mineral elements, and builders whom they would control, is the same as in the above mentioned cases and grades of consciousness, but owing to the disastrous developments in Atlantean days, and the consequent stultification of spiritual evolution for a time until karma has been adjusted, the art has been lost; or rather, the knowledge has been safeguarded until a period is reached in the racial progress wherein the physical body is pure enough to withstand the forces contacted, and to emerge from the process of chemical transmutation enriched, not only in knowledge and experience, but strengthened in its own inner fiber. As time proceeds, man will gradually do four thing: 1. Recover past knowledge and powers developed in Atlantean days. 2. Produce bodies resistant to the fire elementals of the lower kind which work in the mineral kingdom. 3. Comprehend the inner meaning of radioactivity, or the setting loose of the power inherent in all elements and all atoms of chemistry, and in all true minerals. 4. Reduce the formulas of the coming chemists and scientists to SOUND, and not simply formulate through experiment on paper. In this last statement lies (for those who can perceive) the most illuminating hint that it has been possible as yet to impart on this matter. It may seem that I have not communicated much information anent this conscious manipulation of the fires. That lies in the inability of the student to read the esoteric background of the above communicated statements. Conscious transmutation is possible only when a man has transmuted the elements in his own vehicles; then only can he be trusted with the secrets of divine alchemy.

THE EGOIC RAY AND SOLAR FIRE 509 adal permanent atoms, he is simply able to function consciously in the etheric body of his particular planetary Logos. Work out the analogy in the microcosmic development and note how in order to function consciously in his individual etheric body a man has to burn through what has been called the etheric web, and study how the fires of initiation produce something analogous in the planetary etheric body, and eventually in the cosmic etheric. As each unit of consciousness, through self-induced effort, achieves the goal and crosses the 'burning- ground,' a microscopic portion of the etheric web of the planetary etheric body is consumed by fire; this results in a definite gain for that great Entity, the planetary Logos, through the relatively unimportant liberation of the force of one cell in His body. When all the units or cells in His body have achieved, He too is set free from dense manifestation and physically dies. This stage is succeeded by the comparatively brief one of etheric existence (covering the period of planetary obscuration), and then He is liberated from incarnation altogether. Viewing this process from the standpoint of the Logos, the Brahma aspect passes out, or the life withdraws from the physical permanent atom, leaving later stages on cosmic levels with which we need not concern ourselves. These cover the withdrawal of the logoic life from out of the other two aspects. In a solar system, which is a physical incarnation of the Logos, the Brahma aspect is apparently the most important, it being the medium of expression, yet it is the subjective aspect, or the life- desire of the Logos which is fundamentally of moment; this concerns His endeavor on high levels, and on cosmic planes beyond the ken of the highest Chohan. It might be of value here if I pointed out that the Egoic Ray of the human unit67 with which we are con- 67The human Ray. "Each human centre is a crystallised ray of the Absolute One that has worked through processes of evolution into what is known as a human being."––Some Thoughts on the Gita. \page

510 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE cerning ourselves manifests as regards each ray just as does the logoic manifestation. Each of the seven Rays, viewed in connection with the causal bodies of men, demonstrates as a unity on the first subplane, as a triplicity on the second and as seven on the third, forming there the forty-nine groups which most concern evolving man. According to the angle of vision, this numbering of groups may be increased or lessened, but for purposes of studying the aspects of mind, the above enumeration suffices. In the course of his many septenary lives, and as the cyclic sevens pass over him, man passes under the influence of the seven sub-rays of his own Ray. Then he begins to synthesize and merge the seven into the major three sub-rays, returning thus to unity on his own egoic Ray. First. The septenary status governs the time from individualization till he enters upon the Path. Second. The threefold status governs the time up till the third Initiation. Third. He achieves the unity of his Ray by the fifth Initiation, and is then consciously a part of the body of the Heavenly Man. The same idea can be worked out in connection with the awakening of the life forces within the permanent atoms, viewing each atom as the seventh principle in each of the three aspects of the personality. 2. Their Place in the Egoic Body. a. The importance of the astral permanent atom. There is one fact to be grasped in connection with the place of the permanent atom within the causal periphery and its evolution, that needs to be emphasized with care, and that is that the astral permanent atom in this solar system is the recipient of a great flow of force or energy and receives more stimulation and energizing than any of the others, and this for the following reasons: \page

THE EGOIC RAY AND SOLAR FIRE 511 First. The center of polarization for the fourth, or human kingdom, is in the astral consciousness viewing this kingdom as a unity in expression. From the astral, and through the desire nature, the majority of men inevitably direct and control the physical vehicle. The astral body is in the direct line of force via the buddhic from monadic levels, 2-4-6. Second. The goal set before humanity is that of becoming Masters of the Wisdom, or conscious units in the Body of the Dragon of Wisdom or of Love. This a man achieves when he can function consciously in the buddhic vehicle, or when the astral permanent atom is superseded by the buddhic permanent atom. Third. The next reason is that the second aspect of the Logos (that of love or the manifestation of the love nature of the Logos through the medium of the Son) is the one demonstrated in this system. This system is: a. A Son of Necessity, or of desire b. Vibrant to the key of the cosmic Ray of Love c. The form through which this ray of cosmic Love (shown in the inter-relation between the Self and the Not-Self, or through duality) is expressing itself d. Governed by the cosmic Law of Attraction. The monads of love are the dominating quality. (I choose this word 'quality' specifically.) Fourth. The center in the cosmic body of the ONE ABOUT WHOM NAUGHT MAY BE SAID of which our solar Logos is the embodied force is the heart center. Here we have one of the clues to the mystery of electricity. The sacred planets, with certain allied etheric spheres within the ring-pass-not, are parts of that heart center, and are 'petals in the Lotus,' or in the heart center of that great unknown Existence Who stands to the solar Logos as He in His turn stands to the Heavenly

THE EGOIC RAY AND SOLAR FIRE 541 consciously endeavors to give up his own desires for the sake of his group. His motive is still somewhat a blind one, and still colored by the desire for a return of that which he gives and for love from those he seeks to serve, but it is of a much higher order than the blind sacrifice to which a man is driven by circumstances as is the case in the earlier unfoldment. As this threefold enlightenment or unfoldment proceeds, again a dual result is seen: The astral permanent atom comes into full activity and radiance, as regards five of its spirillae, and the two atoms of the physical and the astral planes are equally vibrant. The three petals of the central ring of the egoic lotus come also into full unfoldment, and the heart center of the Monad is seen as a wheel of fire with six of its spokes in full display of energy and rapidly rotating. c. Third Group of Petals––Sacrifice Petals: 1. The Petal of Knowledge for the mental plane; its unfoldment marks the period wherein the man consciously utilizes all that he has gained or is gaining under the law for the definite benefit of humanity. Each of the groups of petals is distinguished by a predominant coloring; Knowledge, on the physical plane, with the coloring of the other two subsidiary; Love, on the astral plane, with the light of sacrifice weaker in tone than the other two, which practically show forth in equal brilliancy. On the mental plane, the light of sacrifice comes to its full display, and all that is seen is colored by that light. 2. The Petal of Love on the mental plane is unfolded \page

542 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE through the conscious steady application of all the powers of the soul to the service of humanity with no thought of return nor any desire for reward for the immense sacrifice involved. 3. The Petal of Sacrifice for the mental plane: demonstrates as the predominant bias of the soul as seen in a series of many lives spent by the initiate prior to his final emancipation. He becomes in his sphere the "Great Sacrifice." This stage can be seen objectively to the eye of the clairvoyant as dual in effect: a. The mental unit becomes a radiant point of light; its four spirillae transmit force with intense rapidity. b. The three higher petals unfold, and the nine-petalled lotus is seen perfected. The causal body is then (expressed in terms of fire) a blazing center of heat, radiating to its group warmth and vitality. Within the periphery of the egoic wheel can be seen the nine spokes rotating with intense rapidity and––after the third Initia- tion––becoming fourth dimensional, or the wheels "turn upon" themselves.78 In the midst forming a certain geometrical triangle (differing according to the ray of the Monad) can be seen three points of fire, or the permanent atoms and the mental unit, in all their glory; at the center can be seen a central blaze of glory growing in intensity as the three inner petals respond to the stimulation. When the fire of matter, or "fire by friction," becomes sufficiently intense; when the fire of mind, or solar fire (which vitalizes the nine petals) becomes equally fierce, and when the electric spark at the innermost center blazes out and can be seen, the 78Bible. Ezekiel, 1:15:21. \page

THE EGOIC RAY AND SOLAR FIRE 543 entire causal body becomes radioactive. Then the fires of substance (the vitality of the permanent atoms) escape from the atomic spheres, and add their quota to the great sphere in which they are contained; the fire of mind blends with its emanating source, and the central life escapes. This is the great liberation. The man, in terms of human endeavor, has achieved his goal. He has passed through the three Halls and in each has transferred that which he gained therein to the content of his consciousness; he has in ordered sequence developed and opened the petals of the lotus––first opening the lower three, which involves a process covering a vast period of time. Then the second series of petals are opened, during a period of time covering his participation intelligently in world affairs until he enters the spiritual kingdom at the first Initiation; and a final and briefer period wherein the three higher or inner ring of petals are developed and opened. In closing what may be said on this subject of the egoic Ray and fire of mind, I would request the student to bear the following points in mind: First. That the order of the development of the petals and the stimulation of the fires depends upon the Ray of the Monad, and the subray upon which the causal body finds itself. This thought would bear expansion, and would prove a fruitful source of study to the occult investigator. Second. That this unfoldment proceeds slowly in the early stages, and only proceeds with rapidity as the man himself works at it with conscious effort. The Ego takes no active interest in the development until the second petal in the second series is beginning to open. Before that time, the work proceeds under the

THOUGHT AND FIRE ELEMENTALS 687 are the Manasa devas and in their totality are the vehicles of the Divine mind, the dhyan-chohanic forces, the aggregate of the Ah-hi. In this solar system the vibration of the cosmic astral plane is becoming dominant, and through that vibration, travelling via the fourth cosmic ether (whereon as earlier stated are the etheric centers of the planetary Logoi) and our systemic astral plane, certain eventualities become possible. The "Sons of desire," logoic or human, can learn certain lessons, undergo certain experiences, and add the faculty of love- wisdom to the intelligence earlier gained. Our solar Logos, and the Heavenly Men, are polarized on the cosmic astral plane, and the effect of Their life energy as it flows through the systemic "Heart" can be seen in the activity of the astral plane, and in the part sex and passion play in the development of man. At the close of this mahamanvantara there will be ready for manifestation in the coming third system nirvanis who will be, in very essence, "active intelligent love"; they will have to wait until the five lower planes of the system have reached a stage of vibratory development which will permit them to enter, as the nirvanis in this system waited until the three lower planes became adequate in vibratory response. We are here speaking in terms of the Heavenly Men. In the Earth scheme, the analogy is hidden in the advent of the Egos in the third round, in the third root race and in the third chain. In- dividualization, as we understand it, was not possible until the "third state of pleroma" was reached, either universally where a Heavenly Man is concerned, or relatively in connection with a human unit. Considering the same subject from below upwards it is the animal in the third kingdom which individualizes. Viewing it from above downwards it is the fifth kingdom, the spiritual, which ensouls the third and produces the fourth, or self-conscious human kingdom. These figures \page

688 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE should be studied for they hold the mystery hid, and though the true occult meaning will not be revealed until the third major Initiation, nor fully comprehended until the fifth, yet light may stream in on a difficult point. Equally so in the next solar system, individualization (if such an inadequate term may be applied to a state of consciousness inconceivable even to an initiate of the third Initiation) will not be possible until the second or sixth stage of Pleroma. Consciousness will blaze forth then on the Monadic plane, and it will be the plane of individualization. All states of consciousness below that high level will be to the Logos what the consciousness of the three worlds is to Him now. Just as the physical body of man is not a principle, so all planes at this time below the fourth cosmic ether are not considered by the Logos to be a principle. Our present solar Angels or fire devas will then have a position analogous to that of the lunar Pitris now, for all will form a part of the divine consciousness, and yet, will be esoterically considered as "below the threshold" of consciousness. Man has to learn to control, guide and use the deva substances of which his lower sheaths are made; this goal involves the development of full self-consciousness, which is brought about through the agency of the solar Angels or builders and vitalizers of the egoic body; they are those through whom self-consciousness becomes a fact. In the next solar system they too will no longer embody the type of consciousness towards which man aspires; he will have to rise to still greater realizations, and again by occultly "putting his foot upon" them these higher realizations will become possible. In this solar system he has to mount by the putting his foot upon the serpent of matter. He rises by domination of matter and becomes himself a serpent of wisdom. In the next solar system he will mount upward by means of the "serpent of wisdom," and by the domination and control of the Agnishvattas, achieve something of which even the illuminated mind of the highest Dhyan-chohan can not yet conceive.

712 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE of "I-ness," or ahamkara. They proceed to energize the permanent atoms with Their own positive force, so as to bring the fifth spirilla in due course of time into full activity and usefulness. All possibility, all hopefulness and optimism, and all future success lies hid in these two points. As we have seen, the work of the Agnishvattas on the mental plane resulted in a downflow of force or energy from the Monad (or Spirit) and this, in conjunction with the energy of the lower quaternary produced the appearance of the body of the Ego on the mental plane. In ordinary electric light, we have a faint illustration of the thought I seek to convey. By the approximation of the two polarities, light is created. By an analogous type of electrical phenomena, the light of the Monad shines forth, but we have to extend the idea to the subtler planes, and deal with seven types of force or energy in connection with the one polarity and with four in connection with the other. A scientific formula for the process of individualization conveys this dual approximation with its differing types of energy in one symbol and a number, but it cannot here be revealed. The Manasadevas are themselves energized by force from the cosmic mental plane––a force which has been in operation ever since the individualization of the solar Logos in kalpas far distant. They, in Their corporate nature, embody the will or purpose of the Logos, and are the cosmic "prototypes" of our solar Angels. The solar Angels on the mental plane of the system embody as much of that will and purpose as the Logos can work through in one single incarnation and as They, in Their groups, can develop. They work, therefore, through egoic groups and primarily, after individualization, upon the mental units of the separated identities who go to the constituency of the groups. This is Their secondary work. Their work in part might be described as follows: \page

THOUGHT AND FIRE ELEMENTALS 713 Primarily, they bring about the union of the divine Ego and the lower personal self. This has been dealt with. Secondly, they work through the mental units, impressing upon the atom that portion, microscopic as it may be, of the logoic purpose which the individual can work out on the physical plane. At first their influence is unconsciously assimilated and the man responds to the plan blindly and ignorantly. Later, as evolution proceeds, their work is recognized by the man in a conscious cooperation with the plan of evolution.38 After the third initiation, the will or purpose aspect predominates. It might here be noted that it is the positive force of the Manasadevas that produces initiation. Their function is embodied by the Hierophant. He, seeing before Him the vehicle for buddhi, passes the voltage from the higher planes through His body and by means of the Rod (charged with positive manasic force) transmits this higher manasic energy to the initiate so that he is enabled to know consciously and to recognize the plan for his group-center through the immensely increased stimulation. This force descends from the manasic permanent atom via the antaskarana and is directed to whichever center the Hierophant––under the Law––sees should be stimulated. He stabilizes the force, and regu- lates its flow as it circulates throughout the egoic Lotus, so that when the work of unfoldment is accomplished the sixth principle at the Heart of the Lotus can stand revealed. After each initiation the Lotus is more un- 38The Sacrificer or Yajamana. The yajamana is the person who has sacrificed himself for the good of the world and who has undertaken to mould the affairs of it, in obedience to the law. If the human body be taken as the sacrificial ground, the manas in him is the yajamana. All the doings of man in all his life from birth to death, form one grand yagnic process that is conducted by the true human entity called the Manas. He, who is willing to sacrifice his body, speech, and thought to the good of all the world, is a real yagnika and all the higher lokas are reserved for him. The central keynote of yagnika's life is to do good unto all, irrespective of caste and creed even as the sun shines for all.––Some Thoughts on the Gita, page 90.

THOUGHT AND FIRE ELEMENTALS 725 Doctrine,41 have the privilege of "passing the ring-pass- not"; these are, nevertheless, not avatars for They are Themselves evolving through the administration of karma. It is Their work, and opportunity to progress. An avatar can learn nothing from the place of His appearance. His work is to apply the force of some type of electrical energy to substance in one of its many grades, and thus bring about anticipated results. Another type of solar avatar, Who can be seen appearing in the schemes, has relation to the heart center of a planetary Logos, and appears on the higher planes (never on the lower) when the heart activity is making itself felt, and when the energizing process is seen to bring about three things: a. An expansion of consciousness. b. An increase of spiritual light and brilliancy. c. Planetary radioactivity. It is this planetary phenomenon which produces (in connection with the fourth kingdom in nature) the throw- ing open of the door of initiation to man. Such avatars do not come in connection with any particular Hierarchy but only in relation to the total system. They produce the blending of the colors, and the synthesis of the units in their groups. At the initiation of a planetary Logos, an avatar may appear in His scheme on the seventh globe from that cosmic center or star which is ensouled by the particular Rishi who (in the constellation of the Great Bear) is His cosmic prototype. This is, for the Entity concerned, the taking of a physical form, for our higher planes are but matter from Their standpoint. This has been emphasized frequently, as its significance is not yet sufficiently grasped. By means of the appearance of this Avatar on the seventh globe, the planetary Logos is 41These are the Lipika Lords. See S.D.,I,157. \page

726 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE enabled to preserve continuity of cosmic consciousness even when in physical incarnation; this solar avatar performs the same function for the planetary Logos as the Guru does for His disciple. He makes certain events possible by means of the stimulation and protection of His aura, and He acts as a transmitter of electrical energy from the cosmic center. We must be careful to hold this analogy very lightly, for the real work accomplished cannot be grasped by man. This avatar has naturally a direct effect upon the centers of the Heavenly Man and therefore upon the units or human Monads, but only indirectly and upon the Monad on its own plane. This influence meets with little response from the Monad until after the third Initiation when its conscious life becomes so strong that it grips afresh its egoic expression in one direction, and awakens to planetary realization in another. This type of avatar appears only at the time of the initiation of a planetary Logos. The number of initiations taken by a planetary Logos in this system vary from two to four. 3. Interplanetary Avatars. A very interesting group of avatars is here to be found. They are mainly concerned with three things: first with the superintendence of the transfer of force units or egoic groups from one scheme to another (not with individual units from chain to chain). They appear usually twice in the history of a scheme, and though unable to take physical bodies of grosser material than those formed of atmic and the buddhic substance, they work with impulse in mental matter and thus effect these group transfers. They Themselves are subdivided into three groups: a. Those effecting the transfer from the minor schemes or Ray manifestations on to the third Ray; They concern Themselves with the result of the merging of the polar opposites in the four

730 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE But the point which it is necessary here to emphasize, is that man does not, in space and time and in the three worlds, demonstrate all these aspects simultaneously, but only simultaneously towards the close of the process of evolution. As in the Macrocosm, Brahma manifests activity first, then the second or middle aspect and finally the first or purposeful will makes itself seen, so with the microcosm. The Brahma aspect, that in which the Not-Self or material aspect is apparent and predominant. This covers the sub-human stages, and the first three cycles of the Personality Life: a. First cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . .savage state. b. Second cycle. . . . . . . . . . . .average man. c. Third cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . intellectual successful man. The Vishnu aspect, that in which the love-wisdom aspect gradually predominates and emerges through the medium of the Brahma aspect. It covers the final two stages of the human personality life, and that period of egoic growth which embraces the final two Initiations: a. First cycle . . . . . . . . . . .The Path of Probation. b. Second cycle . . . . . . . . . The Path of Initiation. (till the third Initiation) c. Third cycle . . . . . . . . . . .That covering the fourth and fifth Initiations. This is the temporary consummation, but just as in the animal kingdom, the human mind was latent and instinctive, and just as in the human kingdom the buddhic aspect is latent and instinctive, so during the final cycle of human endeavor, the Atma, or highest aspect of the Monad, is also latent and instinctive. This must produce later stages of development. There are no gaps in evolution, and no periods wherein there is total absence of any one aspect; all are ever present but they

756 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE the signs of the times, and be not discouraged over the immediate future. The appearance of the Great Lord on the astral plane (whether followed by His physical incarnation or not) will date from a certain Wesak festival at which a mantram (known only to those attaining the seventh Initiation) will be pronounced by the Buddha, thus setting loose force, and enabling His great Brother to fulfill his mission. Hence the gradual recognition of the Wesak festival, and its true significance in the occident is desirable, and opportunity will be offered to all who are willing to place themselves in the line of this force, and thus become vitalized by it, and consequently available for service. The reaction mentioned above, will also become possible through the pressure brought to bear by the present children, many of whom are chelas and some initiates. They have come in to prepare the way for the coming of His Feet. When the hour strikes (five years prior to the date of His descent) they will be in the full flower of their service and will have recognized their work, even though they may not be conscious of that which the future holds hid. When the hour has come (and already a few cases are to be found), many cases of overshadowing will be seen and will demonstrate in a threefold manner. In all countries, in the orient and the occident, prepared disciples and highly evolved men and women, will be found who will be doing the work along the lines intended, and who will be occupying places of prominence which will make them available for the reaching of the many; their bodies also will be sufficiently pure to permit of the overshadowing. It will only be possible in the case of those who have been consecrated since childhood, who have been servers of the race all their lives, or who, in previous lives, have acquired the right by karma. This threefold overshadowing will manifest as: First. An impression upon the physical brain of the

THOUGHT AND FIRE ELEMENTALS 757 man or woman, of thoughts, plans for work, ideals and intentions which (emanating from the Avatar) will yet be unrecognized by him as being other than his own; he will proceed to put them into action unconsciously helped by the force flowing in. This is literally a form of higher mental telepathy working out on physical levels. Second. The overshadowing of the chela during his work (such as lecturing, writing, or teaching), and his illumination for service. He will be conscious of this, though perhaps unable to explain it, and will seek more and more to be available for use, rendering himself up in utter selflessness to the inspiration of His Lord. This is effected via the chela's Ego, the force flowing through his astral permanent atom; and it is only possible when the fifth petal is unfolded. Third. The conscious cooperation of the chela is necessitated in the third method of overshadowing. In this case he will (with full knowledge of the laws of his being and nature) surrender himself and step out of his physical body, handing it over for the use of the Great Lord or one of His Masters. This is only possible in the case of a chela who has brought all the three lower bodies into alignment, and necessitates the unfolding of the sixth petal. By an act of conscious will he renders up his body, and stands aside for a specific length of time. These methods of overshadowing will be largely the ones used by the Great Lord and His Masters at the end of the century, and for this reason They are sending into incarnation, in every country, disciples who have the opportunity offered them to respond to the need of humanity. Hence the need of training men and women to recognize the higher psychism, and the true inspiration and mediumship, and to do this scientifically. In fifty years time, the need for true psychics and conscious mediums (such as H.P.B., for instance) will be very great

758 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE if the Master's plans are to be carried to fruition, and the movement must be set on foot in preparation for the coming of Him for Whom all nations wait. In this work many have their share, provided they demonstrate the necessary endurance. Naturally, the first group will be the largest, for it does not necessitate so much knowledge, but more risk is entailed with them than with the others––the risk of a perversion of the plans, and of disaster to the unit involved. The second group will be less numerous, and the last group will involve only a handful, or two or three in certain countries. In this case, it will be verily true that, through sacrifice, the Son of Man will again tread the highways of men, and His physical incarnation be a fact. Very few will be thus available for His use, as the force He carries requires a peculiarly resilient instrument, but due preparation is being made. Again the method of direct incarnation will be employed by certain of the Masters and initiates through the process of: a. Physical birth. b. Appropriation of a suitable vehicle, or body. c. Direct creation by an act of will. This will be rare. The second, or middle, method will be the one most frequently employed. Six of the Masters, as yet quite unknown to the average occult student by name, have already sought physical incarnation––one in India, another in England, two in northern America, and one in central Europe, whilst another has made a great sacrifice, and taken a Russian body in the desire to act as a peace center in that distracted land. Certain initiates of the third Initiation have taken feminine bodies, one in India will in due time do much toward the emancipation of the women of India, whilst another has a peculiar work to do in connection with the animal kingdom which likewise is awaiting the day of His appearing. \page

THOUGHT AND FIRE ELEMENTALS 759 The Master Jesus will take a physical vehicle, and with certain of His chelas effect a re-spiritualization of the Catholic churches, breaking down the barrier separating the Episcopal and Greek churches from the Roman. This may be looked for, should plans progress as hoped, about the year 1980. The Master Hilarion will also come forth, and become a focal point of buddhic energy in the vast spiritualistic movement, whilst another Master is working with the Christian Science endeavor in an effort to swing it on to sounder lines. It is interesting to note that those movements which have laid the emphasis so strongly on the heart or love aspect, may respond more rapidly to the inflow of force at the Coming than other movements which consider themselves very advanced. The "mind may slay" the recognition of the Real, and hatred between brothers swing the tide of love-force away. The three Masters so closely allied with the theosophical movement are already making Their prepara- tions, and will also move among men, recognized by Their Own and by those who have eyes to see. To those of Their chelas on earth who undergo the necessary discipline, opportunity will be offered to work on the astral plane and, should they so choose, an immediate incarnation, provided they have achieved continuity of consciousness. He Who is known as D. K. is planning to restore–– via His students––some of the old and occult methods of healing and to demonstrate: a. The place of the etheric body. b. The effect of pranic force. c. The opening up of etheric vision. It is not permissible to say more in connection with the plans of the Great Ones. Their appearing will not be simultaneous in time, for the people could not stand the tremendously increased inflow of force, and recognition of Them and of Their methods will depend upon the intui-

THOUGHT AND FIRE ELEMENTALS 763 gators. The more fully developed the Ego may be, and the more the petals are unfolded, the greater the beauty of the surrounding sphere and the more refined its coloring. At the early stages after individualization, the egoic body has the appearance of a bud. The electric fire at the center is not apparent, and all the nine petals are closed down upon the inner three; the orange color has a dead aspect and the three points of light at the base are just points and nothing more; the triangle which is later seen connecting the points is not demonstrated. The surrounding sphere is colorless and is only to be appreciated as undulatory vibrations (like waves in the air or ether) reaching barely beyond the petal outline. By the time the third Initiation is reached, a wondrous transformation has transpired. The outer sphere is palpitating with every color in the rainbow, and is of wide radius; the streams of electrical energy circulating in it are so powerful that they are escaping beyond the periphery of the circle, resembling the rays of the sun. The nine petals are fully unfolded, forming a gracious setting for the central jewel, and their orange hue is now of a gorgeous translucence, shot with many colors, that of the egoic ray predominating. The triangle at the base is now quickened and scintillating, and the three points are small blazing fires, showing to the eye of the clairvoyant as sevenfold whorls of light, circulating their light from point to point of a rapidly moving triangle. By the time the fourth Initiation is reached, the activity of this triangle is so great that it looks more like a wheel in rapid revolution. It has a fourth dimensional aspect. The three petals at the center are opening up, revealing the "blazing jewel." At this initiation, through the action of the Hierophant wielding the electric Rod of Power, the three fires are suddenly stimulated by a downflow of electric, or positive force, from the

790 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE though in detail not so apparent) exists between the building of the antaskarana on mental levels between the mental unit and the manasic permanent atom (whereby the Path of Liberation is travelled, and man set free) and the opening up of the channel between the center at the base of the spine and the brain and thence to the head center. Through this latter channel man escapes out of the dense physical body, and continuity of consciousness (between the astral and the physical planes) is reached. In the one case, through right direction of force, the etheric web no longer forms a barrier; it is destroyed and the man is fully conscious in the physical brain of what transpires on the astral plane. In the other case, the causal body also is eventually destroyed through the right direction of force. We will not here take up the specific work of building upon the scaffolding of the etheric body the dense physical form. It has been sufficiently dealt with in other books. We will only want to touch upon two more points which are of interest in this consideration of the work of the lunar Pitris in building man's body. In connection with the building of the dense body, it should be stated that it appears as a human form, much in the nature of a cross within the ovoid of the other spheres. It is notably of a fivefold nature: Head. Two Arms. Two Legs. According to the position assumed by the man, he is seen as a symbol of the cross and is then fourfold (the two legs being considered as one lower limb) or, if separated, as fivefold, and has been then considered as the symbol of the five-pointed star. This fivefold nature of the dense physical body is brought about through the fact that only five centers primarily are really active in average man \page

THOUGHT AND FIRE ELEMENTALS 791 up to the third Initiation; all are there, and all are vitalized, but only five in this fivefold normal evolution are dominant. The force emanating from these five therefore, sweeps the dense substance into a close aggregation. As two of the centers are not functioning as actively as the other five, an ovoid is not formed as in the case of the etheric, astral and mental sheaths. The fivefold shape of physical man is the result of the fivefold direction of force currents from five centers. It might be interesting also to point out that the interaction of the energy of the solar Pitris and of the lunar Pitris produces a very definite effect upon the lower group of lunar Pitris, and is one of the means whereby they will eventually reach the stage at which the solar Pitris are. This (if fully realized by man) will bring him to a very careful control of his sheaths, and to a close attention to the direction in which his force or energy is turned. He is responsible for the work of aiding the evolution of substance, being himself a manasa-putra. (h.) Incarnation and Karma. In resuming our consideration of the process pursued by the reincarnating Ego, it is necessary to point out that the entire subject radically concerns energy, and that according to the place in evolution of the unit of force involved, so will the length of time required for the process be brief, or the reverse. In the early stages, the initiatory impulse is heavy and slow, and the matter required for the sheaths is of a correspondingly "low" grade, that is, it is of low vibratory capacity, and the time elapsing between the first vibration outwards on the mental plane and the coordination of the dense physical body is a long one. Later on, the vibration becomes more powerful and the effects therefore are more rapidly felt. At the close of evolution, when the human unit is upon the Path and consciously controlling his destiny, and working off

THOUGHT AND FIRE ELEMENTALS 829 worlds. Thus is the work of the Solar Pitris consummated. The fact of the abnormality of the process of initiation must here be emphasized. Initiation is in the nature of a great experiment which our planetary Logos is making during this round. In earlier and perhaps in later rounds the whole process will follow natural law. In this round and on this chain, our planetary Logos on His high level is what is esoterically called "sitting for yoga," and is definitely undergoing certain processes of training in order to stimulate His centers. This fact is being taken advantage of by the Hierarchy on Earth to produce certain results in the races under Their guidance. The whole process is op- tional, and a man may––if he so choose––follow the normal process, and take aeons of time to effect what some are choosing to do in a briefer period, through a self-chosen forcing process. At the termination of the 777 incarnations, a man passes through the door of initiation and enters upon a brief synthesizing process, or a final period in which he garners the fruits of the experience in the two first halls, and transmutes knowledge into wisdom, transforms the shadow of things seen into the energy of that which is, and achieves the final liberation from all the lower forms which seek to hold him prisoner. This period of initiation itself is divided into seven stages, but only five of these concern the evolution of the Ego, just as the five Kumaras concern primarily the evolution of Humanity in the system and on this planet. Thus again we have the four exoteric Kumaras, of Whom two fell, and the three esoteric, of whom One gathers the life forces of the four exoteric, making with Them the five above mentioned. The student must study this question from the point of view of energy or life force, considering it from the aspect of polarity and of the mystic marriage, from \page

830 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE the comprehension of the real meaning of the sex relation, of the meeting and merging of the pairs of opposites and the work of the one who synthesizes where every type of energy is concerned. For instance: a. The Ego synthesizes or gathers in the life forces of the fourfold lower man. b. The Mahachohan's Ray on Earth synthesizes the life forces of the lower four. This Ray is the third subray of our planetary Ray. c. The third major Ray of the solar system blends the minor four. d. The fifth Kumara blends and unites in Himself the work of the lower four. The reflection of all this in the Microcosm can be studied by the man who understands how the physical body is the vehicle of all the principles. By the time the third Initiation is taken, the inner circle of petals is opened and the full-blown lotus in all its beauty can be seen. At the fourth Initiation the inner bud bursts open through the effect of the electrical force of the Rod, which brings in the power of the synthetic ray of the solar system itself; the inner jewel is thus revealed. The work has been accomplished; the energy resident in the permanent atoms, has vitalized all the spirillae whilst the perfected force of the lotus, and the dynamic will of the central spark are brought into full and united activity. This brings about a threefold display of vital force which causes the disintegration of the form and the following results: a. The permanent atoms become radioactive, and their ring-pass-not is therefore no longer a barrier to the lesser units within; the electronic lives in their various groups escape, and return to the eternal reservoir. They form substance of a very high \page

THOUGHT AND FIRE ELEMENTALS 831 order, and will produce the forms of those existences who, in another cycle, will seek vehicles. b. The petals are destroyed by the action of fire, and the multiplicity of deva lives which form them and give to them their coherence and quality are gathered back by the solar Pitris of the highest order into the Heart of the Sun; they will be directed outward again in another solar system. The atomic substance will be used for another manvantara, but the solar Pitris will not again be called upon to sacrifice themselves until the next solar system when they will come in as planetary Rays, thus repeating upon monadic levels in the next system what they have done in this. They will then be the planetary Logoi. c. The central Life electric returns to its source, escaping out of prison and functioning as a center of energy on planes of cosmic etheric energy. We have endeavored above to convey a general idea of the evolutionary process in connection with the Ego and its progression under karmic and cyclic law. If the student ponders upon these two laws it will become apparent to him that both might be summed up under the generic term of the Law of Rhythm. All manifestation is the result of active energy producing certain results, and expenditure of energy in any one direction will necessitate an equal expenditure in an opposite. This in terms of the Ego and its life experience brings about three stages: First. The stage wherein the energy manifested acts outwardly. The Self becomes identified with its sheaths. This is the strictly personal stage. Second. The stage wherein adjustment under law is being sought, and the Self is neither entirely identified with its sheaths, nor identified entirely with Itself. It is

872 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE tions. He comes to the true recognition of sex and its relations but as yet views this force as something to be controlled and not something to be consciously and constructively utilized. In the Hall of Wisdom the initiate comes to the knowledge of the first great aspect of energy, the dynamic use of will in sacrifice, and to him is then committed the key to the three fold mystery of energy . Of this energy in its threefold aspect he became aware in the other two halls. At the third, fourth and fifth Initiations 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. 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 within all forms. The key to the mystery of sacrifice and to the secret of the Silent Watchers in the cosmos is revealed to him, and he learns to unlock the hidden energies of the will aspect. The dynamo of the solar system is shown to him, if it might so be expressed, and the intricacies of its mechanism revealed. The following are the three basic mysteries of the solar system: 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, i.e., in 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. These three mysteries which we have touched upon above, come in a peculiar sense under the jurisdiction of

THOUGHT AND FIRE ELEMENTALS 883 trumpets of destruction, and by means of the notes sounded produce that shattering which will set loose the energy of forms. The second point is very briefly given. It concerns the innermost circle of petals, or that set of three petals, or those three streams of whirling energy, which immediately surround the "jewel in the lotus." Each of these three petals is related to one of the three circles, and is organized as each of the three circles is unfolded. They form, therefore, a synthesis of knowledge, love or sacrifice, and are closely connected through the type of force flowing through them with one of the three higher centers of the planetary Logos of a man's particular ray. This central unit of threefold force is dealt with in a specific manner at initiation. At the first, the second, and the third Initiations, one of the three petals opens up, permitting an ever freer display of the central electric point. At the fourth Ini- tiation, the jewel (being completely revealed) through its blazing light, its intense radiatory heat, and its terrific outflow of force, produces the disintegration of the surrounding form, the shattering of the causal body, the destruction of the Temple of Solomon, and the dissolution of the lotus flower. The work of the Initiator in this connection is very interesting. Through the medium of the Rod of Initiation and of certain Words of Power, He brings about results of a coordinating, transmuting and liberating nature. Through the action of the Rod as wielded at the first two Initiations, the two outer circles unfold, the energy of the two is set free and the two sets of force as embodied in the six petals are coordinated and become in- teractive. This stage of petal adjustment succeeds upon that called earlier "unfoldment" and has to do with the simultaneous action of the two tiers of petals. The interplay between the two circles is completed, and the cir-

THOUGHT AND FIRE ELEMENTALS 959 Let us take them one by one: a. Alignment with the Ego. This, as we know, is only possible to the man who has reached the Probationary Path, or a certain very definite point in evolution. Through knowledge and practice, the power has been acquired of automatically and scientifically utilizing the sutratma (or channel) as a means of contact. When to this ability is added that of utilizing with equal ease the antaskarana (or bridge between the Triad and the personality) then we have a powerful agent of the Hierarchy on the earth. We might generalize in the following manner as to the stages of growth and consequent ability to become the agent of ever increasing powers, tapping the resources of dynamic energy in the three worlds. Lower types of humanity use the sutratma as it passes through the etheric body. Average men utilize almost entirely that part of the sutratma which passes through the astral plane. Their reactions are largely based on desire, and are emotional. Intellectual men utilize the sutratma as it passes through the lower levels of the mental plane, down through the astral to the physical in its two sections. Their activities are energized by mind and not by desire, as in the earlier cases. Aspirants on the physical plane use the sutratma as it passes through the two lower subplanes of the abstract levels of the mental plane, and are beginning gradually to build the antaskarana, or the bridge between the Triad and the Personality. The power of the Ego can begin to make itself felt. Applicants for initiation and initiates up to the third initiation use both the sutratma and the antaskarana, employing them as a unit: The power of the Triad begins to pour through, thus energizing all human

960 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE activities upon the physical plane, and vitalizing in ever increasing degree the man's thought forms. The key to the formation of the Mayavirupa is found in the right comprehension of the process. If students will study carefully the above differentiations, much light will be thrown upon the quality of the energy employed in thought-form building. In the early stages of alignment, it has to be concisely and carefully brought about through concentration and meditation. Later, when the right rhythm has been set up in the bodies, and the purification of the sheaths has been rigidly pursued, the dual activity will become practically instantaneous, and the student can then turn his attention to the work of conscious building and vitalization; his point of concentration will not then be given to the attainment of alignment. Accurate alignment entails, Mental quiescence, or stable vibration, Emotional stability, resulting in limpid reflection, Etheric poise, producing a condition in the head center which would permit of the direct application of force to the physical brain via the center. b. Physical brain impression. The accurate realization by the physical brain of what the Ego is seeking to convey concerning the work to be done only becomes possible when two things are realized: Direct alignment. The transmission of the egoic energy or will to one or other of the three physical centers in the head: The pineal gland. The pituitary body. The alta major center, or that nerve center at the top of the spine, where the cranium and the spine make approximate contact. When this congery of nerves \page

962 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE is fully developed, it forms a center of communication between the vital energy of the spinal column (the kundalini fire) and the energy of the two head centers above enumerated. It is the physical correspondence to the antaskarana on higher levels. The pituitary body (in all cases of correct normal development) forms the center which receives the threefold vitalization pouring through the sutratma from the lower mental, the astral, and the etheric planes. The pineal gland comes into activity when this action is enhanced by the pouring through of energy from the Ego on its own plane. When the antaskarana is in process of utilization the alta major center is likewise employed, and the three physical head centers begin to work as a unit, thus forming a kind of triangle. By the time the third Initiation is reached, this triangle is fully awakened and the fire (or energy) is circulated freely. It will be apparent, therefore, that man's ability to create in mental matter grows as he treads the Path. He needs to remember that (from the angle from which we are studying) we are not considering the power of the Ego to produce forms on the mental plane, but the ability of physical plane man to create upon the mental plane those vehicles for energy which––when set in motion by his conscious will––will produce certain specific effects upon the physical plane. This is brought about by egoic energy passed down the sutratma to the physical brain, and retransmitted back to the mental plane, plus or minus that which has been gained or lost in the process. The true Adept, through knowledge, conserves all energy while in process of transmission, and aug- ments it with the energy contacted. It is, therefore, the energy of will, plus that of desire, fed by the energy of the physical brain. Literally, therefore, it is a small resume of the creative process of the Godhead, being the \page

THOUGHT AND FIRE ELEMENTALS 963 energy of the three persons unified, and considered from the standpoint of the physical. It is the at-one-ment of the three fires in man, being in fact: a. That much of the fire of spirit, or electric fire, which any particular Ego is embodying (relatively little prior to the third Initiation) or is able to transmit, coupled with, b. That much of the fire of the solar Angel (solar fire) or the egoic aspect which the Ego is able to transmit. This is but little in average man, a good deal in the man on the probationary path, and a full downpour by the time the third Initiation is reached. c. That much of the fire of substance in its purified state which can penetrate. This is dependent upon the purity of the three sheaths, and in the case of a highly advanced man is the kundalinic fire as it swells the blaze produced by the other two. When, therefore, the alignment is corrected, and the physical head centers are awakening, it becomes possible for man to become a conscious creator in mental matter. IV. MAN AND THE FIRE SPIRITS OR BUILDERS This section we will consider in somewhat greater detail than the previous one, as it concerns much of present practical value to man. This will be seen particularly as we study the effects of speech, and the occult significance of the spoken word. 1. The Will Aspect and Creation. In a previous division, we dealt somewhat with the transmission of the will of the Ego to the physical brain, and we saw how only in those persons who (through evolutionary development) had the sutratma and the antaskarana connected, and whose three physical head centers were more or less awakened, was the will of the Ego capable of transmission. In the other cases, such as the average man and little developed man, the pur- \page

964 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE pose affecting the physical brain emanated from the astral or lower mental levels, and was, therefore, more likely to be the impulse of some lunar Lord, even if of a high order, than the divine will of the solar Angel, who is the true man. a. The condition of the Magician. It is of value to remember that when the physical head centers are awakened (through alignment of the etheric centers) we have the very lowest aspect of egoic influence. From these three centers, man on the Probationary Path, and up to the third Initiation, directs and controls his sheath, and from them spreads that illumination which will irradiate the physical plane life. By the time the third Initiation is reached, the internal triangle is in full process of cir- culatory transmission, and the whole life of the Per- sonality is subjected to the will of the Ego. "The Star absorbs the light of the moon, so that the rays of the Sun may be reflected back" is the occult way of expressing the truth anent this point in evolution. It might be of value here also to point out the condition of the etheric centers during this process of direct solar control. Before the three physical head centers awaken, man is largely subjected to force flowing through the four minor etheric centers; later the three major centers––the head, the head, and the throat––begin to vibrate, gradually assuming a greater sweep of activity, till their energy tends to negate that of the lower centers, to absorb their vitality and deflect the direction of their vitality, until the three higher wheels are in full fourth dimensional activity. As this proceeds, the three physical head centers begin to awake from dormancy into activity, the effect being felt as follows: a. As the major head center awakens, the pineal gland begins to function. b. As the heart center becomes fully alive, the pituitary body enters into activity.

984 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE sciously in the ordered regulated words of the true worker in magic.93 In this connection, therefore, owing to the vital practical value of this section, and to the dangers attendant upon a comprehension of these matters by those who are as yet unready for the work of conscious manipulation of force, it is proposed to impart the necessary teaching under the formula of "Rules of Magic," with certain elucidating comments. In this way, the magical work is fully safeguarded, and at the same time sufficient is imparted to those who have the inner ear attentive, and the eye of wisdom in process of opening. a. Black Magicians and White. Much is said among occult students these days anent white and black magic,94 and much that is said is without force, or truth. It has 93Magic.––The very word Magic bears within itself proof of its high origin. The Latin Magus, the Greek Magos, a magician, gives us all those other words that are so indicative of authority, wisdom, superiority. Then we have magnitude, magnificent, magniloquent, to express greatness in position, in action and in speech. With the termination slightly changed the same words become majesty, implying dominion, and again, we have magistrate, anything that is magisterial which again has been simplified into Master, and finally by the process of word evolution has become plain Mister. But the Latin is only a transmitter of words. We can equally follow up the historical development of this root until we reach the Zend where we find it doing duty as the name for the whole priestly caste. The magi were renowned all over the world for their wisdom and skill in occultism and no doubt our word magic is mostly indebted to that source for its present existence and meaning. That we need not pause even here for back of the zend "mag," "looms up the sanskrit, maha, signifying great." It is thought by good scholars that maha was originally spelled magha. To be sure, there is in the Sanskrit the word Maga meaning a priest of the Sun, but this was evidently a later borrowing from the Zend which had originally derived its root from its neighbour the sanskrit.–– Lucifer, Vol. X, p. 157. 94Magic.––The art of divine Magic consists in the ability to perceive the essence of things in the light of nature (astral light), and––by using the soul-powers of the Spirit––to produce material things from the unseen universe, and in such operations the Above and the Below must be brought together and made to act harmoniously.––S. D., II, 538. Magic is the second of the four Vidyas, and is the great maha-Vidya in the Tantric writings. It needs the light of the fourth vidya (atma- vidya) thrown on it in order to be White magic.––S. D., I, 192. Black Magic is defined by H. P. B. as follows: a. Black magic employs the astral light for purposes of deception and seduction, whereas the white magician employs it for purposes of information, and the aiding of evolution.––S. D., I, 274. b. Black magic works with opposing poles. The white magician seeks

THOUGHT AND FIRE ELEMENTALS 985 been truly said that between the two types of workers, the line of demarcation is so slight as to be difficult of recognition by those who, as yet, merit not the term "knower." The distinction between the two exists in both motive and method, and might be summed up as follows: The white magician has for motive that which will be of benefit to the group for whom he is expending his energy and time. The magician of the left hand path ever works alone, or if he at any time cooperates with others, it is with a hidden selfish purpose. The exponent of white magic interests himself in the work of constructive endeavor in order to cooperate in hierarchical plans, and to further the desires of the planetary Logos. The Brother of Darkness occupies himself with that which lies outside the plans of the Hierarchy and with that which is not included in the purpose of the Lord of the planetary Ray. The white magician, as has been earlier said, works entirely through the greater Deva Builders, and through sound and numbers he blends their work, and thus influences the lesser Builders who form the substance of their bodies, and therefore of all that is. He works the point of equilibrium or balance, and of synthesis.––S.D., I,448. c. Black magic has for its symbol the inverted 5-pointed star. White magic uses the same symbol with the point uppermost. d. Black magic is maha-vidya without the light of atma-vidya. White magic is maha-vidya illumined by atma-vidya.––S. D., I, 592. e. Black magic is ruled over by the moon. White magic is ruled over by the sun. f. Black and white magic arose during the great schism which started during the fourth root-race.––S. D., II, 221, 445, 520. g. Black magic is based on the degradation of sex and of the creative function. White magic is based on the transmutation of the creative faculty into the higher creative thought, the generative organs being neglected by the inner fire, which passes to the throat, the centre of creative sound. h. Black magic deals with the forces of involution. White magic works with the powers of evolution. i. Black magic is concerned with the form, with matter. White magic is concerned with the life within the form, with spirit.

986 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE through group centers and vital points of energy, and from thence produces, in substance, the desired results. The dark brother works directly with substance itself, and with the lesser builders; He does not cooperate with the forces which emanate from egoic levels. The lesser cohorts of the "Army of the Voice" are his servants, and not the directing Intelligences in the three worlds, and he therefore works primarily on the astral and physical planes, only in rare cases working with the mental forces, and only in a few special cases, hidden in cosmic karma, is a black magician found working on the higher mental levels. Yet the cases which are there to be discovered are the main contributing causes of all manifesting black magic. The Brother of Light works ever through the inherent force of the second aspect as long as he is functioning in connection with the three lower planes. After the third Initiation, he works increasingly with spiritual energy, or with the force of the first aspect. He impresses the lower substances, and manipulates the lesser building lives with the vibration of love, and the attractive coherency of the Son, and through wisdom the forms are built. He learns to work from the heart, and therefore to manipulate that energy which streams from the "Heart of the Sun" until (when he becomes a Buddha) he can dispense somewhat the force emanating from the "Spiritual Sun." Therefore, the heart center in the Brother of the right hand path is the transmitting agency for the building force, and the triangle he uses in this work is a. The center in the head which corresponds to the heart. b. The heart center itself. c. The throat center. The Brothers of the left hand path work with the forces of the third aspect entirely, and this it is which \page

THOUGHT AND FIRE ELEMENTALS 987 gives them so much apparent power, for the second aspect is only in process of reaching its vibratory consummation, whereas the third aspect is at the height of its vibratory activity, being the product of the evolutionary processes of the preceding major solar system. He works from the throat center almost entirely, and manipulates primarily the forces of the physical sun. This is the reason why he achieves many of his ends through the method of pranic stimulation or of pranic devitalization, and why also most of his effects are carried out on the physical plane. He works therefore, through a. The center in the head corresponding to the throat center. b. The throat center. c. The center at the base of the spine. The white magician works always in cooperation with others, and is himself under the direction of certain group Heads. For instance, the Brothers of the White Lodge work under the three great Lords and conform to the plans laid down, subordinating Their individual purposes and ideas to the great general scheme. The black magician usually works in an intensely individualistic way, and can be seen carrying out his schemes alone, or with the aid of subordinates. He brooks usually no known superior, but is nevertheless frequently the victim of agents on higher levels of cosmic evil, who use him as he uses his inferior cooperators, that is, he works (as far as the bigger purpose is involved) blindly and unconsciously. The white magician, as is well known, works on the side of evolution or in connection with the Path of Re- turn. The black brother occupies himself with the forces of involution, or with the Path of Outgoing. They form the great balancing force in evolution, and though they

MOTION ON THE PLANE OF MIND 1075 later stages but set the crown upon the victor, and the final at-one-ment with the divine Self is but the consummation of the fourth stage. Students will find it of interest to work out the correspondence between the five initiations and these five unifications. There is a close connection between the two. By understanding the laws of the different kingdoms much can be learned anent the conditions governing the five Initiations. It will be found that the initiations mark stages in response to contact and to realization which have their interesting germs in the five kingdoms. It might here be pointed out with propriety that radiation is the result of transmutation; transmutation marks the completion of a cycle of rotary-spiraling activity. No atom becomes radioactive until its own internal rhythm has been stimulated to a point where the positive central life is ready for the imposition of a higher vibratory activity, and when the negative lives within the atomic periphery are repulsed by the intensity of its vibration, and are no longer attracted by its drawing qualities. This is due to the coming in and consequent response to the magnetic vibration of a still stronger positive life which releases the imprisoned central spark and causes what might from some aspects be called the dissipation of the atom. This process, nevertheless, in the majority of cases covers such a vast period of time that the human mind is unable to follow the process. The radioactive period is much the longest in the mineral kingdom, and shortest of all in the human. We are not concerned with radiation in the spiritual kingdom at the close of the mahamanvantara, so no comment will here be made. It is interesting to note that during this round, owing to planetary decision, the process of producing human radiation or "release" is being artificially stimulated through the method which we call initiation, and the

1076 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE short cut to intensive purification and stimulation is open to all who are willing to pass through the divine alchemical fire. Simultaneously, in the other kingdoms of nature a process somewhat similar in kind though not in degree is being attempted. The tremendous manipulation of ores, the scientific work of the chemist, and scientific investigation is analogous in the mineral kingdom to the world processes which are being utilized to liberate the human spark. Out of the chaos and turmoil of the World War, for instance, and the weight of metal undergoing violent disintegration the mineral monad emerged as from an initiatory test, incomprehensible as this may seem. It will be apparent that a great simultaneous movement is on foot to produce more rapid radiation in all the kingdoms of nature so that when the cycle is run the process of planetary radiation may be consummated. This intensive culture is not proceeding upon all the planets but only upon a very few. The others will run a longer cycle. The initiatory cultural process which has in view the stimulation of magnetic radiation or transmutation is but an experiment. It was tried first on Venus, and on the whole proved successful, resulting in the consummation of the planetary purpose in five rounds instead of seven. This was what made it possible to utilize Venusian energy upon the Venus chain and the Venus globe of our scheme and thus cause the phenomenon of forced individualization in Lemurian days. It was the intensive stimulation of the third kingdom of nature during the third root race which artificially unified the three aspects. The process of stimulating through the medium of Venusian energy was really begun in the third round when the triangle of force was completed, and ready to function. It is this factor which occultly makes the third Initiation of such tremendous importance. In it the human triangle is linked, the Monad, the \page

MOTION ON THE PLANE OF MIND 1077 Ego and the personality, or Venus, the Sun and the Earth are symbolically allied. Enough has here been indicated to give the student room for thought, though one more word in this connection might be added. In the potentially radioactive qualities of the four kingdoms of nature with which we are most concerned will be found an interesting analogy to the functions of the four planetary schemes which (in their totality) form the logoic quaternary. This applies also in a lesser degree to the four chains which form the planetary quaternary. All have to become radioactive and all their principles have to be transmuted and the form for which they are responsible transcended. When the subject of radiation is more completely comprehended, it will be found that it demonstrates one more instance of the unity of all life, and furnishes one more corroborative indication of the synthetic nature of the entire evolutionary process. In every instance that which radiates from each kingdom of nature is one and the same. The radioactive human being is the same in nature (differing only in degree and in conscious response) as the radioactive mineral; in every case it is the central positive life, the electric spark or that which is its correspondence, which radiates. There are, therefore, seven correspondences in this connection in the solar system, seven types which radiate, or seven classes of entities which demonstrate ability to transcend their normal motion and to transfer themselves into some greater sphere in due course of evolution. These are: 1. The mineral monad of the mineral kingdom, or the central positive nucleus in all atoms and elements. 2. The monad in the vegetable kingdom, or the central positive life of every plant and vegetable growth. 3. The monad in the animal kingdom or the positive life of each type.

1078 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE 4. The human Monads in their myriads of groups. 5. The Monad of any particular type, or form. 6. The planetary Monad, the sum total of all the lives within a planetary scheme. 7. The solar Monad or the sum total of all lives in the solar system. Each of these is first rotary in its activity, or self- centered; later each simultaneously with its original motion demonstrates spiral-cyclic activity. Thereby it becomes "aware" of form, and finally becomes radioactive. During this final period it transcends the form, and escapes from out of it, becoming thus conscious of, and able to participate in, the activity of the still greater enveloping whole. c. Radiation and Cyclic Law. Scattered throughout this Treatise, are numerous indications of the cyclic nature of this phenomenon, and students should bear in mind that in all which concerns radiation, as in all else, there will be periods of quiescence, and periods of intensified activity. This will be seen quite clearly in connection with the fourth kingdom of nature. A period of radioactivity is being entered upon now in which men and women will achieve a larger realization; they will begin to transcend their human limitations, and to enter the fifth kingdom one by one, and unit by unit. This period, as far as the larger cycle is concerned, began when the Door of Initiation was opened in Atlantean days, but many lesser cycles have occurred, for the influx into the fifth kingdom is equally governed by cyclic law, by periodic ebb and flow. At the close of the fourth root race there was a period of distinctive radioactivity, and many hundreds of men passed out of the fourth Creative Hier- archy into another and a higher one. Many posts held hitherto by Venusian Entities were vacated in order that our humanity might occupy them, and a vast interchain \page

MOTION ON THE PLANE OF MIND 1079 radiation went on as many of the Kumaras and certain lesser existences quitted our earth chain and entered upon subtler, and more advanced work. Then the activity gradually ebbed until a recurring cycle brought in influences which produced a new radiation, though not of such a strength as in the preceding period. Another period of radioactivity occurred during the time of the Buddha and many achieved Arhatship in those days. That period was the highest point of what is occultly termed "a cycle of the third degree," and a similar degree of radiatory activity has not been reached since that time. Human radiation of a very slight nature was felt about the time of Christ, but it only lasted for a couple of hundred years, and though individuals here and there have since achieved the goal yet no large numbers have passed successfully through the fires of transmutation, and thus transcended the fourth kingdom. The cycle is again on the upward turn; about the fourteenth century the human kingdom began to be noticeably radioactive, and we are on the way to the fulfillment of a "cycle of the second order" or of a period of transcendence of a still greater activity than in the time of the Buddha. It will become demonstrably great when certain conditions have been fulfilled. First, when the present world chaos has subsided. Next, when the present generation has consummated its work of reconstruction. Third, when the coming great Lord has entered upon His mission upon earth, thereby increasing the vibration in every kingdom of nature but particularly in the second and fourth. Fourth, when the movement inaugurated at the close of each century by the Trans-Himalayan Lodge is under way, and the psycho-scientific Egos who are its agents have made their presence felt. Finally, when a movement is instituted by the Lodge, working in connection with the fourth root race; it will

1080 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE also be part of the stimulative process, and will result in the rendering radioactive of some of the foremost thinkers of that race. It will be their day of opportunity, and so great is the importance attached to this that a Member of the Lodge, Confucius as he has been called in the past, will incarnate in order to superintend the work. The preliminary steps are being taken now, and Egos are coming in who will endeavor to direct the energies of this race on to the right line though the peak of the cycle of stimulation will not be until the middle of the next century. It is needless for me to point out that all such movements are first felt as disturbing, and only when the dust of turmoil, and the noise of clashing forces have died away will purpose be seen emerging. This is very apparent in Russia at the present time. A great factor and one that it is hard to explain so that the average thinker can understand it is the cyclic coming in of egos who are at a point in evolution where they are ready for their first radioactive life. In one great department of hierarchical endeavor all Egos are divided into two groups, according to their cycle and according to their type of energy. These grades are in turn subdivided according to the quality and the vibratory effect to be induced upon any one kingdom of nature by their united, or single, incarnation. This might be illustrated by pointing out that by the gradual coming in of human beings who are vegetarians by natural inclination and by the appearance of egos who are interested specifically in the welfare and nurture of the animals (as is the case so noticeably now) we have the cyclic appearance of a whole group of human units who have a definite karmic relation to the third kingdom. This relation is of a kind differing in specific detail from the meat-eating, and oft in- human, groups of the past five hundred years. It might be of profit and of interest if we here enumerated some of the occult terms applied to some of these

1229 SECTION THREE A. CERTAIN BASIC STATEMENTS. In connection with this final section of the Treatise on Cosmic Fire, dealing with the Electric Fire of Spirit it should be remembered that it will be quite impossible to impart information of a definite character; this subject is considered (from the standpoint of the esoteric student) to be devoid of form and therefore incognizable by the lower concrete mind. The nature of Spirit can only be intelligibly revealed to the higher grades of the initiates, that is, to those who (through the medium of the work effected in the third Initiation) have been put in conscious contact with their "Father in Heaven" the Monad. Esoteric students, disciples and the initiates of lower degree are developing contact with the soul, or the second aspect, and only when this contact is firmly established can the higher concept be entertained. The nature of Spirit is dealt with in the New Testament in one of the esoteric statements addressed by the Great Lord to the initiate, Nicodemus. As he was an initiate of the second degree it may be supposed that he had some glimmering of understanding as to the meaning of the words, which were spoken to him as part of his training in preparation for the third Initiation. "The wind (prana or Spirit) bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it cometh nor whither it goeth. So is everyone that is born of the Spirit." Two ideas are conveyed in this thought-form,––those of an emanating sound and direction, and that which is \page

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CERTAIN BASIC STATEMENTS 1231 the result of the sound. This is evolution and the effect of the directing energy or activity of Spirit. From the point of view of consciousness these are the only things which the disciple can intelligently comprehend. All that it will be possible for us to do in this section will be to impart the truth in three ways. Through the illumination of the student's mind as he studies the stanzas of Dzyan which will be found at the commencement of the treatise. Secondly, through the realization that will come to the student as he correlates and ponders upon the various occult fragments found scattered through the pages, primarily centering his attention upon the following words: "The secret of the Fire lies hid in the second letter of the Sacred Word. The mystery of life is concealed within the heart. When the lower point vibrates, when the Sacred Triangle glows, when the point, the middle center and the apex, connect and circulate the Fire, when the threefold apex likewise burns, then the two triangles––the greater and the lesser––merge into one Flame, which burneth up the whole." Thirdly, through the consideration of the various charts and word pictures which will be found also scattered through the Treatise. The student of the new era will approach much that he has to master through the medium of the eye, learning thereby to appreciate and solve that which is presented to him in the form of lines and dia- grams. All is symbol and these symbols must be mastered. It must also be borne in mind that students who approach the subject of SPIRIT need to grasp the following facts. I. Whilst in manifestation and therefore during the period of an entire solar system, it is not possible for the highest Dhyan Chohan to think in terms of the negation of organized substance and of the non-existence of form. The goal of realization for man is consciousness of the nature of the Soul, the medium through which the Spirit

THE SEVEN COSMIC PATHS 1243 It must be borne in mind and no confusion of thought must be permitted that these terms are the generic names given in the mystic parlance of the Lodge of Masters to the seven methods of work, of endeavor and of aspiration whereby the perfected sons of Earth's humanity pass on to specific cosmic Paths or streams of energy, making in their totality one great cosmic WAY. The seven paths at a certain stage which may not be defined become the four paths, owing to the fact that our solar system is one of the fourth order. This merging is effected in the following way: The initiates upon Path I "fight their way" on to path VI. The initiates upon Path II "alchemize themselves" on to path VII. The initiates upon Path III through "piercing the veil" find themselves upon Path V. This leaves Path IV to be accounted for. Upon this Path pass all those who, through devotion and activity combined, achieve the goal but who lack as yet the full development of the manasic principle. This being the solar system of love-wisdom, or of astral buddhic development, the fourth Path includes the larger number of the sons of men. In the hierarchy of our planet the "Lords of Compassion" are numerically greater than the "Mas- ters of the Wisdom." The former must therefore all pass to the Sun Sirius there to undergo a tremendous manasic stimulation, for Sirius is the emanating source of manas. There the mystic must go and become what is called "a spark of mahatic electricity." These seven Paths are not concerned with nature or the balancing of the pairs of opposites. They are concerned only with unity, with that which utilizes the pairs of opposites as factors in the production of LIGHT. They deal \page

1244 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE with that unknown quality which is responsible for the pairs of opposites; therefore they are primarily concerned with that which lies outside the manifested forms, with the true abstraction or the Absolute. Spirit and matter are never dissociated during manifestation; they are the duality lying back of all that is objective. Yet some factor is responsible for them––that which is neither Spirit nor matter, that which will be regarded as non- existent by anyone except the initiate. At the third Initia- tion some glimmering light upon this Abstraction is sensed by the initiate, and by the time the fifth Initia- tion is reached enough is apprehended by him to enable him to set forth with ardor on the search for its secret. Path I. The Path of Earth Service. The nature of the spiritual force which animates the group of our peculiar planetary initiates will become apparent perhaps if the methods and purposes of their work are studied from the standpoint of subjective energy, and not so specifically of the material form. This point of view can be gleaned most easily from a consideration of the animating impulse lying behind all world groups which are particularly consecrated to the uplift of the race. This will necessarily include all political, religious, scientific and metaphysical organizations. It will be found that each and all are definitely related and have a point of at-one-ment with certain of the numerous occult bodies which are (usually unknown to the affiliated group) responsible for the vitalization of the principal units in any of these organizations doing this pioneer work. This first path is the one that keeps a man linked to the Hierarchy which is pledged to the service of our planetary scheme. It comprises those who work under the Lord

1250 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE (Path II. The Path of Magnetic Work.) the seven constellations. As it is the most potent constellation as far as our system is concerned owing to the fact that this system predominantly expresses love or attractive energy and our Logos is as yet polarized in His cosmic astral body, it is not permitted to hint at the name of the constellation. The reason is that if the name were known and if enough people could do the work of occult meditation and visualization, accompanying the work with a vivid imagination, it might be possible to attract into our system such a downpour of attractive energy from the constellation involved as to unduly speed up the processes of evolution upon our planet, and thus upset the systemic economy most dangerously. People do not yet realize the potency of meditation and especially of group meditation. The zodiacal sign concerned is Gemini, and the reason will be apparent to all trained initiates. A word here is necessary in explanation of the expression used earlier in connection with the passing of adepts from off this second Path on to the Seventh Path. It is stated that they "alchemize themselves" on to it. Some idea as to the meaning of this phrase may be gained through a consideration of the purposes of heat, when divorced from moisture, and of the method of employing such heat. The adepts use the "dry alchemical fire" to produce the results they desire in aiding the evolutionary process. As they use these "dry fires" the reaction upon themselves is such that they transmute the electrical spark (or the Monad within the flame of the planetary Life) and break it up in such a manner that it can pass through the systemic etheric web and on to that stream of cosmic energy emanating from the constellation mentioned above. They are then known as "Absolute sparks of parental love," or (in the exoteric language of the initiates) they pass on to Path VII, that of "Absolute Sonship."

THE SEVEN COSMIC PATHS 1251 The attributes which the adept on this path has to possess prior to taking the needed training for the seventh cosmic method of approach is responsiveness to heat and a knowledge of rhythm. These words will, of course, mean nothing to the uniniated but to some it will convey much and when it is noted that there will be found coupled with these two attributes an ability to "see the dancing of the particles of heat and the waves of warm vibration" (as it is called in an old manual which those in training for this path employ) it will be apparent that the effects of fire and the laws of fiery energy and vibration are here dealt with. Those sons of men who at this time search for the "heat of the love nature" of the human unit and who add to that search a cultivation of a vivid imagination and an intense power to visualize are laying a groundwork upon which this later knowledge may be superimposed. But this is not the easy thing it sounds, for it involves an identification at present impossible to the majority, and a power to realize the nature of that which is visualized which negates the idea of duality,––that which visualizes and that which is visualized. The method employed can only be expressed as the "entering of the burning-ground." The power to do this is gained through passing through three preliminary burning-grounds, as is easily to be seen: 1. The burning-ground which lies between the Hall of Ignorance, and the Hall of Learning. This is the destructive fire which man creates under the working of the Law of Karma. 2. The burning-ground of the dead personality which lies between the Hall of Learning and the Hall of Wisdom. It is found upon the shores of the river of life and has to be passed prior to the third Initiation. \page

1252 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE 3. The burning-ground which is found when a man is ready to pass out of the Hall of Wisdom as a full adept. It is a triple burning-ground and is found "upon the mountain top being kept alive and flaming by all the winds of heaven." It is responsible for the destruction of the egoic or causal body. The third produces a spiritual alchemicalization, whereas the other two produced results in the objective or form side and the subjective or consciousness aspect of his triple nature. When these three burning grounds are passed then the adept is prepared for another and fiercer experience. The hierarchies connected with this Path are mainly the third and the fourth. Only the human units can pass on to these two paths. The deva hierarchies of the third order have already passed upon them, and it is their previous work which enables man to do so. This is a great mystery and more must not be revealed about it. The group of the Silent Watchers of all degrees are closely connected with this second cosmic path. All of Them are Lords of Sacrifice, and are animated solely by love, and all have therefore passed through the sacrificial burning grounds. It is only possible to give the most elementary of the exoteric symbols. It takes the form of a funeral pyre in full conflagration, and with four flaming torches one at each corner. From the center of the pyre a fivefold star mounts like a rocket towards a flaming sun of a predominantly rosy hue. PATH II. PATH OF MAGNETIC WORK Attribute.....................Responsiveness to heat and knowledge of rhythm. Source........................An unknown constellation via Gemini. Method.......................The entering of the burning-ground. Hierarchy....................The third and fourth.

The Light of the Soul x INTRODUCTORY REMARKS All the various Yogas have had their place in the unfoldment of the human being. In the first purely physical race, which is called the Lemu- rian, the Yoga at that time imposed upon infant humanity was Hatha Yoga, the Yoga of the physical body, that Yoga which brings into conscious use and manipulation the various organs, muscles and parts of the physical frame. The problem before the adepts of that time was to teach human beings, who were then little more than animals, the purpose, significance and use of their various organs, so that they could consciously control them, and the meaning of the symbol of the human figure. Therefore, in those early days, through the practice of Hatha Yoga, the human being reached the portal of initiation. At that time the attainment of the third initiation, resulting in the transfiguration of the personality, was the highest initiation that man was capable of achieving. In Atlantean days, the progress of the sons of men was procured through the imposition of two Yogas. First, the Yoga which is called by the name of Laya Yoga, the Yoga of the centers which produced a stabilizing of the etheric body and of the centers in man and the development of the astral and psychic nature. Later on, Bhakti Yoga, growing out of the development of the emotional or astral body, was incorporated with Laya Yoga and the foundation of that mysticism and devotion, which has been the underlying incentive during our particular Aryan root race, was laid. The fourth initiation was at that time the object-

BOOK I 55 emanated provides the forms which are intended to reveal the soul or second aspect, so the Pra- nava, when rightly expressed, demonstrates the Father or Spirit through the medium of the soul. It is the Word of the incarnated sons of God. In such a short commentary as this, it is not possible to write a treatise on this secret of secrets, and this great mystery of the ages. All that can be done is to collate certain facts about the AUM, and leave the student to extend the concept and grasp the significance of the brief statements made according to the state of his intuition. III. The Lost Word. The idea of this Lost Word has been preserved for us in Masonry. It is the Word of the first aspect, the spirit aspect, and only the initiate of the third degree can truly begin the search for this word for only the freed soul can find it. This word concerns the highest initiations and it is profitless for us further to consider it. The following statements about the Sacred Word can therefore be made and should be studied with care: 1. The AUM is the Word of glory, and is the Christ in us, the hope of glory. 2. The Word when rightly apprehended causes the second, or Christ aspect of divinity to shine forth resplendently. 3. It is the sound which brings into manifestation the incarnated soul (macrocosmic or microcosmic), the ego, the Christ, and causes the "radiant Augoeides" to be seen on earth.

130 BOOK II First the sphere of its own form is the sole thing it is aware of and it remains in ignorance of all outside of itself. The contacts, brought about by desire, are the factors whereby ignorance works out into knowledge, and the man (for we will only consider the human unit in this connection, though the basic laws hold good for all forms of divine life) gradually becomes aware of himself as he is and conscious of his environment. As this environment is triple (physical, astral and mental) and as he has three vehicles whereby he can contact the three worlds, the period covered in this awakening is immense. The old commentary says in this connection: "In the Hall of Ignorance the triple sheaths are known. The solar life at its densest point is contacted and man emerges fully human." Then the man becomes aware of something else, the group to which he belongs, and he does this through a finding of his own inner reality as latent in his personality. He learns that he, the human atom is a part of a group or center in the body of a heavenly Man, a planetary Logos and that he must develop awareness of: a. His group vibration, b. His group purpose, c. His group center. This is the stage of the probationary path or the Path of Discipleship up to the third initiation, and the old commentary proceeds: "Within the Hall of Learning the central mystery is contacted. The method of release is seen, the law is well fulfilled, and man emerges well-nigh adept."

BOOK II 131 Finally, the man enters the Hall of Wisdom to which he was admitted occasionally (and with increasing frequency) after the first great initiation, and learns of the place his group holds in the planetary plan, catching a glimpse also of the cosmic scheme. Ignorance (as we understand the term) is, of course, negated, but it cannot be too frequently emphasized that there remains much unknown even to the adept, and that the Christ Himself, the great World Teacher, knows not all that is the content of the awareness of the King of the World. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali only deal, however, with the overcoming of the ignorance which holds a man upon the wheel of rebirth and which prevents him unfolding the true powers of the soul. The old commentary says in connection with this final stage: "Within the Hall of Wisdom, light fully shines upon the adept's ways. He knows and sees the seventh part and visions all the rest. He is himself a septenate and from this Hall emerges God." 5. Avidya is the condition of confusing the permanent, pure, blissful and the Self, with that which is impermanent, impure, painful and the not-self. This condition of ignorance, or the "state of avidya" is characteristic of all those who as yet do not discriminate between the real and unreal, between death and immortality, and between light and darkness. It governs, therefore, life in the three worlds, for the correspondence between

168 BOOK II of the present era of criticism and polemical discussion, as it forms part of the planetary discriminative process) and later experimentally. This discrimination leads eventually to three things: 1. An understanding of the distinction between spirit and matter, 2. A comprehension of the nature therefore of the soul which is the product of this union, and is the son, produced by the union of the father-spirit and of the mother-matter, 3. A development whereby the soul begins to identify itself with the spiritual aspect and not with the phenomenal world of forms. This later stage is greatly aided and hastened through the practice of Raja Yoga and hence the determination of the Hierarchy to give this science to the critical discriminating West. It should be borne in mind that the soul passes through great stages in the unifying process and that the word yoga covers the evolutionary development of the human Monad. 1. The union of the soul with the form and its identification with the matter aspect, 2. The union of thinking man or the self-conscious reflection in the three worlds with the spiritual man on its own plane, 3. The union of the spiritual man or divine thinker with its Father in Heaven, the Monad or spirit aspect. Stage I covers the period from the first incarnation up to the treading of the Probationary Path. Stage II covers the period of the Probationary Path up to the third initiation

BOOK II 169 upon the Path of Discipleship. Stage III covers the final stages of the Path of Initiation. 24. The cause of this association is ignorance or avidya. This has to be overcome. Ignorance of the real nature of the soul and an urge to find out its own nature and its powers is the cause of the soul's identifying itself with the organs of perception, and with that which they perceive or bring within the consciousness of the soul. When through this ignorance and its consequences, the soul fails to find what it is seeking, there comes the stage when the search takes on a different form and the soul itself searches for reality. It might be expressed thus. Identification with the phenomenal world and the use of the outgoing organs of perception covers the period which the real man spends in what is called the Hall of Ignorance. Satiety, restless- ness and a search for the knowledge of the self or soul characterizes the period spent in the Hall of Learning. Realization, expansion of consciousness and identification with the spiritual man cover the period spent in the Hall of Wisdom. The terms human life, mystic life and occult life apply to these three stages. 25. When ignorance is brought to an end through non-association with the things perceived, this is the great liberation. During the process of incarnation, the seer, the soul, is submerged in the great maya or illusion. He is imprisoned by his own thought forms and

292 BOOK III that within the physical vehicle there is to be found a point of luminosity which (when contacted) will pour the light of the spirit upon the path of the disciple, thus illuminating the way, revealing the solution of all problems, and enabling him to stand as a light bearer to others. This light is in the nature of an internal radiance, its position is in the head, in the neighbor- hood of the pineal gland, and it is produced by the activity of the soul. A good deal of discussion has been aroused, by the term "central organ" associated with this light. Some commentators refer this to the heart, others to the head. Technically neither of them are entirely right, for to the trained adept the "central organ" is the causal vehicle, the karana sarira, the body of the ego, the sheath of the soul. This is the middle of the "three periodical vehicles" which the divine Son of God discovers and utilizes in the course of his long pilgrimage. These find their analogies in the three temples found in the Christian Bible: 1. The transitory ephemeral tabernacle in the wilderness, typical of the soul in physical incarnation, persisting for one life. 2. The more permanent and beautiful temple of Solomon, typical of the soul body or causal vehicle, of longer duration and persisting for aeons, and increasingly revealed in its beauty upon the Path up to the third initiation. 3. The, as yet, unrevealed and inconceivably beautiful, temple of Ezekiel, the symbol of the sheath of the spirit, the home of the Father, one

BOOK III 293 of the "many mansions," the "auric egg" of the occultist. In the science of yoga, which has to be wrought out and mastered in the physical body the term "central organ" is applied to the head or the heart, and the distinction is one of time primarily. The heart in the earlier stages of unfoldment upon the Path is the central organ; later it is the organ in the head where the true light has its abiding place. In the process of unfoldment, heart development precedes head development. The emotional nature and the senses unfold prior to the mind, as can be seen if we study humanity as a whole. The heart center opens before the head center. Love must ever be developed before power can be safely used. Therefore the light of love must be functioning before the light of life can be consciously employed. As the lotus center of the heart opens and reveals the love of God, through meditation a syn- chronous unfoldment takes place within the head. The twelve petalled lotus in the head (which is the higher correspondence of the heart center, and the intermediary between the twelve petalled egoic lotus on its own plane and the head center) awakens. The pineal gland is gradually brought from a state of atrophy to full functioning activity and the center of consciousness is transferred out of the emotional nature into the illuminated mind consciousness. This marks the transition which the mystic has to make onto the path of the occultist, keeping, as he always does, his mystical

A Treatise on White Magic 24 A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC of this one life is purely relative. Those who are engrossed in the form side of existence think in terms of physical vitality, of feeling, impulse, or of mental force and do not pass beyond that unified life-consciousness of which all the above are differentiations. Those again who are interested in the more metaphysical approach and in the soul-life more than in the form aspect express their concept in terms of soul manifestation and––passing beyond the personal selfish reactions of the body nature––think in terms of life, in terms of quality, of group will or power group coordination or love-wisdom and of group intelligence or knowledge, covering all by the generic term of brotherhood. But even that is found to be separative, through the separation into larger units than the lower is capable of grasping. Therefore the initiate, especially after the third initiation, begins to think even more synthetically and to express truth to himself in terms of Spirit, Life, the One. These terms mean to him something significant, but something so far removed from the concept of ordinary thinking humanity that it is needless for me to enlarge further upon it. This brings me to a point, that should be dealt with here, prior to any further expansion of our subject. In the Treatise on Cosmic Fire and in the above passage it frequently appears that teaching is carried forward to a certain point and then dropped with the statement that, owing to the point in evolution of the average man, his reaction to truth and the reaction of the disciple-student or the initiate will differ. This is necessarily so; each will read into the words his own state of consciousness; each will fail to interpret in terms of the more advanced reaction of those on a higher stage of the ladder of evolution. The average reader, however, objects to being forced to recognize wider points of view than his own, and the phraseology which says: "It is needless to enlarge on

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 25 this for it would only be understood by the initiate", serves only to aggravate him, tends to make him believe that evasion is intended, and that the writer (having got out of his depth) is seeking to save his face by some such statement. Just as a scientific treatise would prove meaningless and a mere jumble of words to the average grammar school child, but would carry a clear definition and meaning to experts in the subject owing to training and mental development, so there are those to whom the subject of the soul and its nature as dealt with in such an instruction as this is as clear and lucid as current literature is to the average reader, and the best sellers, as you call them, to the general public. Equally, though fewer in number, there are those advanced souls to whom the spirit and its nature is also a rational and understandable subject, to be appreciated and comprehended through the medium of the soul and its powers just as it is possible to arrive at an understanding of the soul through the medium of the mind, correctly employed. On a lower level altogether, we know it is easy to understand the nature of the physical body through a study and right use of the desire nature. It is a form of pride, and a refusal to recognize one's temporary limitations that awakens in readers a dislike for phrases which aptly and truly say: "When you are further developed, you will understand the above." This should be made clear. To the Master of the Wisdom, the nature of the spirit, or that positive center of life which every form hides is no more a mystery than is the nature of the soul to the esoteric psychologist. The source of the one life, the plane, or state from which that life emanates is the great Hidden Mystery to the members of the hierarchy of adepts. The nature of spirit, its quality and type of cosmic energy, its rate of vibration and its basic cosmic differentiations are the study of initiates above the third degree and the subject of their investigations. They

26 A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC bring to that study a fully developed intuition, plus that mental interpretative capacity which their cycle of incarnation has developed. They employ the awakened and developed inner light of their souls to interpret and comprehend that life which (divorced from the world of form) persists on the higher levels of consciousness and penetrates into our solar system from some exterior center of being. They throw this light (which is in them and which they manipulate and use) in two directions therefore, standing as they do in the midmost state and functioning as they choose to function on the plane of the intuition or of buddhi. They cast that light into the world of form and know all things, interpreting all with correctness; they cast that light into the formless realms of the higher three planes (formless from the standpoint of man in the three worlds below the intuitional plane) and seek to understand, through steady expansive growth, the nature and purpose of that which is neither body nor soul, neither force nor matter, but which is the cause of both in the universe. Eventually, when the initiate has undergone the higher solar initiations and can function in the full consciousness of the monad, awareness of that which is divorced even from group form and from those nebulous sheaths which veil and hide the One, becomes possible. The highest types of consciousness work from the plane of the monad as the initiate of lower degree works from the plane of the soul and uses the organs of perception (if such an unsatisfactory phrase is legitimate) and means of knowledge of which average man has no idea; they penetrate or include within their radius of awareness that sum total of life, consciousness and form which we designate God. These initiates of high degree then begin to be aware of a vibration, a revealing light, a note or directional indicating sound which emanates from outside our solar system altogether. The only way in which

RULE TWO 87 relation, the mystics and the occultists concern themselves. 5. The relation between the centers below the diaphragm and those above, or between: a. The center at the base of the spine and the thousand petalled lotus, the head center. In this the four petals of the basic center become the many, or the quaternary is lost in the universal. b. The sacral center and the throat. In this there comes a union between the twelve Creative Hierarchies and the quaternary, and the secret of the sixteen petals of the throat lotus is seen. c. The solar plexus center and the heart, in which the ten of the perfect man in this solar system is lost in the consummated twelve. As the twelve Crea- tive Hierarchies (in their outer and creative aspect) are contacted by the man, who is the perfected quaternary from the standpoint of the form, so in the relation between the solar plexus and heart is the second aspect perfected; the love of the soul can express itself perfectly through the emotional nature. 6. The relation between the two head centers or between the center between the eyebrows and the center above the head. This relation is set up and stabilized when soul and body are a functioning unit. 7. The relation between the pineal gland and the pituitary body as a result of the above. 8. The relation between the higher and the lower mind, involving steady and increasing soul contact. The meditative attitude of the soul is duplicated in the three bodies (or by the spiritual man) and the steady meditation of the soul goes on also on its own plane. It is with this and with its effects that we are primarily concerned in this rule. A later relationship, which in no way concerns us, is

88 A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC set up after the third initiation between the soul and the monad, and throughout the course of cosmic evolution these relationships will emerge. The race as a whole is, however, only concerned with the setting up of a relation between soul and body and beyond this there is no need to go. As the man seeks to reach control of the mind, the soul in its turn becomes more actively aggressive. The work of the solar Angel has hitherto been largely in its own world and concerned with its relation to spirit, and with this the man, working through his cycles on the physical plane, has had no concern. The main expenditure of energy by the soul has been general, and outward-going into the fifth kingdom. Now the solar Angel approaches a time of crisis and of re-orientation. In the early history of humanity there was a great crisis which we call individualization. At that time the solar Angels, in response to a demand or a pull from the race of animal- men (as a whole, note that), sent a portion of their energy, embodying the quality of mentalization, to these animal-men. They fecundated, if I might so express it, the brain. Thus was humanity brought into being. This germ, however, carried within it two other potentialities, that of spiritual love and spiritual life. These must in due time make their appearance. The flowering forth of the mind in men, which so dis- tinuishes the present age, indicates to the solar Angel a second crisis, of which the first was but the symbol. That for which the solar Angel exists is making its presence felt within humanity, and another strong pull is being exerted upon the solar Angel which this time will produce a second fecundation. This will give to man those qualities which will enable him to transcend human limitations, and become a part of the fifth or spiritual Kingdom in nature. The first effort of the solar Angel turned animal-men into human beings; the second will

RULE FOUR 145 mate it. This is true of a message, of an organization, and of all forms of life, which are but the embodied ideas of a cosmic or a human creator. Students would find it of value to take these three vital words and trace their relation to all embodied thought forms––a cosmos, a plane, a kingdom in nature, a race, a nation, a human being. Consider the diverse groups of creating agencies––solar Logoi, solar Angels, human beings, and others. Consider the spheres of the creative process and see how true the Old Commentary is when it says: "The sound reverberated amidst varying wheels of un- created matter; and lo, the sun and all the lesser wheels appeared. The light shone forth amidst the many wheels, and thus the many forms of God, the diverse aspects of his radiant robe blazed forth. "The vibrant palpitating wheels turned over. Life, in its many stages and in its many grades commenced the process of unfolding, and lo, the law began to work. Forms arose, and disappeared, but life moved on. Kingdoms arose, holding their many forms which drew together, turned together, and later separated but still the life moved on. "Mankind, hiding the Son of God, the Word incarnate, broke forth into the light of revelation. Races appeared and disappeared. The forms, veiling the radiant soul, emerged, achieved their purpose and vanished into night, but lo, the life moved on, blended this time with light. Life merged with light, both blending to reveal a beauty and a power, an active liberating force, a wisdom and a love that we call a Son of God. "Through the many Sons of God who in their inmost center are but one, God in his Fatherhood is known. Yet still that lighted life moved on to a dread point of power, of force creative, concerning which we say: It is the All, the Container of the Universe, the persistent center of the Spheres, the One." We have touched upon two words of significance in the fourth Rule,––sound and light,––and one paramount idea emerges. The soul is to be known as light, as the

146 A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC revealer, whilst the Spirit aspect will later be recognized as sound. Complete light and illumination is the right of the disciple who attains to the third initiation, whilst the true comprehension of the sound, of the triple AUM, the synthesizing factor in manifestation appears only to the one who stands master of the three worlds. The word vibration must next engage our attention but it may not be dissociated from the next word in the sequence form. Vibration, the effect of divine activity, is two-fold. There is the first effect in which the vibration (issuing from the realm of subjectivity in response to sound and light) produces response in matter, and therefore attracts or calls together the atoms out of which molecules, cells, organisms and finally the integrated form can be built. This effected, the aspect of vibration is to be noted as a duality. The form, through the medium of the five senses, becomes aware of the vibratory aspect of all forms in the environment wherein it, itself, is a functioning entity. Later, in time and space, that functioning form becomes increasingly aware of its own interior vibration, and by tracing back that vibration to its originating source becomes aware of the Self, and later of the Kingdom of the Self. Humanity as a whole is aware of its environment and, through the information conveyed by the sense of sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell, the phenomenal world, the enter garment of God, is known, and communication between the Self and what we call the natural world is set up. As the mind appropriates and synthesizes this knowledge, the dweller in the form pass through the following stages: 1. Vibration is registered, and the environment has its effect upon the form. 2. This effect is noted, but not understood. The man, under the slow and steady impact of this vibratory

194 A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC brought about by over-stimulation of the sacral center, the cases of neuroticism and over-sensitivity and emotionalism, brought about by the premature vitalization of the solar plexus center, and lastly the cases of insanity, brought about by over-stimulation of the brain cells through unwise meditation work, and it will become increasingly clear why it is deemed necessary to proceed slowly and to develop the mental processes as well as the spiritual nature. The average student starts with the knowledge that he has centers, and with a desire for purity of character. He is assured by those who know that, as he strives, medi- tates, studies and serves, certain changes will take place within him, and that there will arise from the depths of his being, an awakening which will be dynamic. He is told that there will follow a breathing forth, a stirring and a vitalizing which will bring his subjective spiritual life into prominence. This subjective life expresses itself as spiritual energy, through the medium of the energy or vital body and the energy thus expressed will change his life focus and interests, and produce a magnetic and dynamic effect which will attract and lift humanity. This energy is sevenfold in nature and utilizes seven focal points in the etheric body as its agents. It is not possible for the aspirant to work with and utilize all these seven types of energy intelligently in the early stages of the Path of Discipleship. The emphasis, for training purposes, is laid upon only three of them. These are: 1. That of Will, strength or power, through the medium of the head center. This is the energy of the spiritual man, and comes directly from the Monad via the soul. Up to the third initiation however, all that the disciple needs to grasp is that the will aspect of the soul should control the personality, via the mental \page

RULE FIVE 195 body to the head center. When this is the case the thousand-petalled lotus begins to function. The line of this stream of force is: Monad. Atma. Spiritual will. The inner circle of petals in the egoic lotus, the will petals. The mental body. The head center in the etheric body. The nervous system and brain. 2. That of love-wisdom, through the medium of the heart center. This center, when awakened, leads to that expansion of consciousness which initiates a man into his group life. He loses the sense of separateness, and finally emerges into the full light of realization–– a realization of unity with his own indwelling God, with all humanity, with all souls in all forms of nature, and so with the Oversoul. This force stream comes likewise from the Monad, via the soul, and its line is as follows: Monad. Buddhi. Spiritual love. The intuition. The second circle of petals in the egoic lotus, the love petals. The astral body. The heart center, The blood stream. In the little evolved man, this force stream simply passes through the heart center direct to the solar plexus and expends its two aspects of vital life and of soul quality, one energizing the blood stream and the other awakening the solar plexus center. This then becomes the dominant factor in the energy life of the man, and the force through which his desire nature expresses itself, until such time as the aspirant brings

RULE TEN 299 of animals and of men are subconsciously aware of factors such as: 1. The vastness and therefore the sensed oppression of the Whole. 2. The pressure of all other lives and existences. 3. The working of inexorable Law. 4. The sense of imprisonment, of limitation, and of consequent inadequacy. In these factors, growing out of the manifested process itself and persisting and growing in potency during the ages, are found the causes of all modern fear and the basis of all terror, above all that which is purely psychological and not just the instinctual fear of the animal. To concretize the matter more clearly would not help. Of what use is it to be told that fear is a quality of evil (or of matter) which colors fundamentally or characterizes the astral or sentient body of our planetary Logos? What have you gained if I outlined to you the problem of the great Life in Whom we live and move and have our being as He on His Own cosmic plane, seeks liberation and faces His Own peculiar trials and tests? How can words adequate be found to convey a cosmic struggle between Lives so impersonal and exalted in consciousness that the words his, or he or tests prove simply laughable and convey no possible aspect of truth or reality whatsoever? Cosmic evil, cosmic progression, or cosmic problems can well be left to that distant time when aspirants have taken the third initiation, have lost all sense of separateness, and––being identified with the Life Aspect and not with the form side––can therefore enter somewhat into the state of consciousness of our planetary Logos, sense His destiny, and vision fleet- ingly the wonder of the consummation. Let us confine our attention therefore to man and more

374 A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC round also, when a ray comes into definite incarnation, it not only controls on planes of the same number but has a special influence on the fourth sub-plane. Note how this works at this time in the three worlds: 1. The fourth ether, the lowest of the ethers, is to be the next physical plane of consciousness. Etheric matter is even now becoming visible to some and will be entirely visible at the end of this century to many. 2. The fourth sub-plane of the astral holds the majority of men when they pass over and consequently much work on the greatest number can therefore be accomplished. 3. The fourth mental sub-plane is the plane of devachan.

THE FOUNDING OF THE HIERARCHY The various energies which play upon the human being and produce his unfoldment constitute his field of experience. Those two words––unfoldment and experience ––should ever be linked, for each produces the other. As one is subjected to experience in the form world, a paralleling unfoldment of consciousness is carried forward. As that unfoldment produces constant changes in realization and a consequent constant reorientation to a new state of awareness, it necessarily leads to new experience ––experience of fresh phenomena, of new states of being, and of dimensional conditions hitherto unknown. Hence the frequent reaction of the disciple to the fact that for him, as yet, there is no point of peace. Peace was the objective of the Atlantean aspirant. Realization is that of the Aryan disciple. He can never be static; he can never rest; he is constantly adjusting himself to new conditions; constantly learning to function therein and then subsequently finding them pass away to give place, in their turn, to new. This goes on until the consciousness is stabilized in the Self, in the One. Then the initi-

RULE TEN 375 ate knows himself to be the onlooking Unity, watching the phenomenal phantasmagoria of life in form. He passes from one sense of unity to a sense of duality, and from thence again into a higher unity. First, the Self identifies itself with the form aspect to such an extent that all duality disappears in the illusion that the Self is the form. We have then the form constituting apparently all that there is. This is followed by the stage wherein the indwelling Self begins to be aware of Itself as well as of the form, and we talk then in terms of the higher and the lower self; we speak of the self and its sheaths, and of the self and the not-self. This dualistic stage is that of the aspirant and of the disciple, up to the time of his training for the third initiation. He begins with a knowledge that he is a spiritual entity confined in a form. His consciousness for a long period of time remains predominantly that of the form. Gradu- ally this changes,––so gradually that the aspirant learns the lesson of endurance (even to the point of enduring the not-self!) until there comes a life of balance, wherein neither preponderates. This produces in the man a state of apparent negativity and inertia which may last for one life or two, and he seems to accomplish little in either direction. This is, for workers, a valuable hint in their dealings with people. Then the point of balance changes, and the soul appears to dominate from the standpoint of influence, and the entire consciousness aspect begins to shift into the higher of the two aspects. Duality however, still persists, for the man is sometimes identified with his soul and sometimes with his form nature; this is the stage wherein so many most earnest disciples are at this time to be found. Little by little however he becomes "absorbed" in the soul, and thus comes en rapport with all aspects of the soul in all forms until the day dawns when he realizes that there is nothing but soul and then the higher state of unity supervenes.

RULE TEN 381 were by means of symbols and methods which to us would be crude, impossible and of a nature which the race should have transcended for many millions of years. 8. At the time the door of initiation was opened, many millions of years ago the Lodge came to two decisions: That individualization must cease until man had not only coordinated the physical and astral bodies and could think self-consciously but until he had also transcended the physical and the astral. When he is becoming group- conscious, then the door into the kingdom of self- consciousness will again be opened. That the path of mysticism must lead eventually to the occult path, and that plans must be made to impart teaching, and mysteries must be organized which would reveal the nature of God in all that is seen and not only in man. Man must be taught that though an individual, he is but part of a greater whole and that his interests must be made subservient to those of the group. Gradu- ally the teaching was re-organized, and the curriculum increased; little by little the mysteries were developed as the people became ready for them until we have the marvelous Schools of the Mysteries of Chaldea, Egypt, Greece and many others. 9. Three things might be mentioned: a. The relatively low point of evolution of many men and their naturally physical polarization. b. The work of the black adepts and the followers of the left hand path. When the Ibezhan adepts (again under instructions from the Masters at Shamballa) began to withdraw into the Temples, to make the mysteries more difficult of attainment and to work against abuses and distortions, a number of Their erstwhile followers, many of great power and knowledge, fought Them and thus we have one of the causes of the appearing of

382 A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC black and white magic, and one of the reasons of the purifying waters of the flood being deemed necessary. c. The powerful thought-forms built up in the early Ibezhan mysteries and which (particularly in America) are as yet undestroyed. This gigantic "Dweller on the Threshold" of all the true Mys- teries has to be slaughtered before the aspirant can pass on. 10. The work of the Ibezhan adepts and the mysteries of the Temple of Ibez are still persisting and are being carried on by the masters and adepts in physical incarnation throughout the world. They teach the meaning of the psyche, the ego or the soul and of the human unit, so that the man may indeed be what he is, a God walking on earth, his lower nature (physical, astral and mental) completely controlled by the soul or the love aspect, and this not in theory but in deed and truth. When this is the case, the physical body will have no lure for the real man, the emotional nature and desire body will no longer lead astray nor will the mind shut out that which is true and spiritual, but the God will use the three bodies as vehicles of service to the race. Then will the human kingdom be transcended and man pass into the spiritual kingdom there to have further lessons just as infant humanity when passing out of the animal kingdom was trained and taught its functions and work by the Ibezhan teachers. In Atlantean days, the goal that the Hierarchy of Teachers set before Themselves was the awakening in man of the love nature, as a step towards the awakening of the heart center. To do this, the Teachers at that time were Themselves focussed (deliberately and of intent) in the heart center, and chose to work entirely through that center, subordinating Their mental equipment and

RULE TEN 383 the mental energy They could use to the need of the time. They kept Their mental force in abeyance when training the initiates until the time the third initiation was reached. In our race, the condition is reversed. The Hierarchy is working now entirely on mental levels, though basing all endeavor upon past achievements in connection with the heart center. Up to the third initiation therefore, disciples have to endeavor to work entirely with mental energy, in an effort to control, master and use it. Their attempt is concentrated then upon transmitting (from egoic levels) the will aspect of the soul. That will has to be imposed upon the personality until it has become the automaton of the soul. Then the intuition takes control, and energies from the intuitional or buddhic plane begin to make their impact upon the form nature, the personality. Prior to this period of intuitional control, there are many lives lived wherein the intuition may begin to play its part, and the student learns the meaning of illumination. Until after the third initiation, however, it is the illumined mind which is the dominant factor, and not the pure intuitive perception, or pure reason. After this great initiation, which marks a definite transition out of the form consciousness, the initiate can function at will on the plane of the intuition, and the mind is steadily relegated into the background till it becomes a part of the instinctual apparatus––as much a part of the subconscious instinctual nature as is the instinctual nature which the materialistic psychologist so much stresses. Intuitive perception, pure vision, direct knowledge, and an ability to utilize the undifferentiated energies of the Universal Mind are the main characteristics of the Aryan adepts. I use the word `undifferentiated' in the sense of freedom from multiplicity; certain main distinctions will still be found to exist. The will of the soul, regarding that soul as having

384 A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC its place on one of the seven Rays, is superseded by the will of the Whole. These are words meaning but little, or having at best only a theoretical significance to students in this group. When I say to you that the will which is transmitted through the medium of the controlled mind is embodied in seven types of energy, and to these seven types, there are corresponding types of humanity, you say doubtless that that is clear and not so difficult to grasp. Yet do you indeed understand? Seven types of energy, and seven types of responsive mentalities, dependent upon the seven ray types! In this statement, we note the differentiations of the soul aspect as grasped by the mind. These are the seven differentiations which take the place of the multiplicity of differences into which the form aspect falls. They are, nevertheless, distinctions and differentiations, and persist in their hold over man until the third initiation. By them he is swept into certain major activities and life tendencies, according to his particular ray. These are mental distinctions. All souls on the mental plane take the forms of the solar Angels, of the divine Sons of mind. Hence we have these groupings, and hence the focusing of the energies through which the Plan of the Ages works out through seven main departments. At a later stage, when certain great transitions in consciousness have taken place and the form has lost its hold, even these divisions disappear, and the plan is seen as a whole, the Life is known in its essential oneness, and the term, monad, begins to have some real significance. Students must always remember that all distinctions and categories are mental productions, and are due to the modifications of the thinking principle, and to the control of form by mental energy. As the central Thinker of the Universe works through the power of

RULE TEN 385 thought, the problem of surmounting these distinctions and differences is well nigh insuperable until such time as the aspirant comes under complete control of the second aspect of divinity, and passes out of the domination of the third or matter aspect. But up to the third initiation, even the second aspect (the aspect of love) implies duality, for it is inherent in love itself. Ever there is the Lover and the loved, the Desirer and the desired, the Seeker and the sought. It is only as the first aspect, that of energizing unifying Life (which sweeps all forms and all dualities into one great synthesis) is sensed at the third initiation, that the words I have here dictated convey any practical meaning or realization. Let us simplify matters, if we can, by three clear statements; in them we will sum up the work the disciple accomplishes, as he struggles with and masters the energies of the mental world. 1. Work on the mental plane produces realization of duality. The disciple seeks to blend and merge the soul with its vehicle and to do this consciously. He seeks to fuse them into a unity. He aims at the realization that, here and now, they are ONE. The unification of the self and of the not-self is his objective. The first step in this direction is taken when he begins to cease identifying himself with the form and recognizes (during this transitional period) that he is a duality. 2. The mind, rightly used, becomes therefore a re- corder of two types of energy, or of two aspects of the manifestation of the One Life. It records and interprets the world of phenomena. It records and interprets the world of souls. It is sensitive to the three worlds of human evolution. It becomes equally sensitive to the kingdom of the soul. It is the great mediating principle, in this interim of dual recognition. 3. Later, the soul and its instrument become so unified and at-one that duality disappears, and the soul knows

386 A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC itself to be all that is, all that has been and all that will be. There is a curious and ancient Atlantean chant which is no longer used but in those far off times was chanted by the initiate who took the third initiation––the consummating initiation of that period. It goes as follows. The translation of the symbols in which it was written necessitates the loss of rhythm and potency. "I stand between the Heavens and Earth! I vision God; I see the forms God took. I hate them both. Naught do they mean to me, for one I cannot reach, and for the lower of the two I have no longer any love. "Torn I am. Space and its Life I cannot know, and so I want it not. Time and its myriad forms I know too well. Pendant I hang betwixt the two, desiring neither. "God from high Heaven speaks. There is a change. I hear with ear attentive, and, listening, turn my head. That which is visioned, yet visioning could not reach, is nearer to my heart. Old longings come again, yet die. Old chains with clamor snap. Forward I rush. "Myriads of voices speak and halt me in my tracks. The thunder of the sounds of earth shuts out the voice of God. I turn me on my forward path, and vision once again the long held joys of earth, and flesh and kin. I lose the vision of eternal things. The voice of God dies out. "Torn again am I but only for a little time. Backward and forward shifts my little self, e'en as a bird soars into heaven and settles back again upon the tree. Yet God, in His high place, outlasts the little bird. Thus do I know that God will victor be and later hold my mind and me in thrall. * "Hark to the joyous paean that I chant; the work is done. My ear is deaf to all the calls of earth except to that small voice of all the hidden souls within the outer forms, for they are as myself; with them I am at-one. "God's voice rings clear, and in its tones and overtones the little voices of the little forms dim and fade out. l dwell within a world of unity. I know all souls are one. "Swept am I by the universal Life and as I sweep upon

RULE TEN 387 my onward way––the way of God––I see all lesser energies die out. I am the One; I, God. I am the form in which all forms are merged. I am the soul in which all souls are fused." I am the Life, and in that Life, all little lives remain. These words, chanted in the ancient formulas on peculiar and selected notes, were most potent and brought definite results in certain ancient ceremonies that have long since died out. To the three concise statements above made we might add a fourth as follows: 4. When the chitta, or mind stuff, is swept into activity by abstract ideas (the embodied thoughts of the divine mind, carrying the energy of their creator and consequently the cause of phenomenal effects in the three worlds) and when to this is added divine understanding and synthetic apprehension of the will and purpose of God, then the three aspects of mind are unified. These we touched upon earlier, and called them: 1. Mind stuff, or chitta. 2. Abstract mind. 3. Intuition or pure reason. These have to be unified in the consciousness of the aspirant. When this has happened the disciple has built the bridge (the antaskarana) which links:

1. The spiritual triad. 2. The causal body. 3. The personality.

When this is done the egoic body has served its purpose, the solar Angel has done its work, and the form side of existences no longer needed, as we understand and utilize it, as a medium of experience. The man enters into the consciousness of the Monad, the ONE. The causal body

398 A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC tion to the One Self, and of sacrifice to the group becomes the objective, a man has reached the point where he can be received into that group of world mystics and knowers and group workers which is the physical plane reflection of the planetary Hierarchy. THE NEW GROUP OF WORLD SERVERS (See TNGOWS.pdf for the entire text.) We have spoken often of the integrating group of knowers who are beginning to function upon the earth, gathered together in loose formation and held by the inner spiritual tie and not by any outer organization. The planetary Hierarchy has always existed and from time immemorial and right down the ages those sons of men who have fitted themselves for work and who have measured up to the requirements, have found their way into the ranks of those who stand behind the world evolution and guide the destinies of the little ones. Their grades and works are theoretically known, and names of some have been given out to the masses,––at what cost and personal sacrifice those masses will never know. With the Hierarchy of adepts I do not propose to deal. The books upon the subject are easily available and should be read with the needed reservations as to symbolical interpretations and the limiting effects of words. An event is however transpiring upon earth which is, in its way as momentous and as important as that crisis in Atlantean times when the physical, vital and astral bodies were coordinated and formed a functioning unit. Then the `yoga of devotion' or bhakti yoga was initiated for the training of the aspirants at that time. A phys- cal plane replica (as far as such a replica was then possible) was organized of those who could work devotedly and who could learn, through the use of ceremonial and picture, some mode of activity which would carry on the hierarchical work on earth and thus constitute a training

RULE TEN 399 school for those who later would be admitted into the ranks of the Hierarchy. The remnants of this Atlantean group remain with us in the modern Masonic movements, and the work of the Hierarchy was thus perpetuated in sign and symbol. There has thus been preserved in the consciousness of the race a pictorial representation of a momentous planetary condition which worked out in the human family in this threefold coordination. But it was primarily objective. Form and symbol, tool and furni- ture, temple and tone, office and externalities were the prominent factors; they veiled the truth and we have therefore preserved the `outer and visible form of an inner and spiritual' reality. Only those were, in those days, allowed to participate in these mysteries and work who felt within themselves the longing and desire for the mystical vision, and who loved deeply and were devoted to the spiritual ideal. They were not required to possess active mentalitie, and their intellectual powers were practically nil. They liked and needed authority; they learnt through ceremonial; they were devoted to the Great Ones Whose names and forms stood behind the office holders in the exoteric lodges. Mind entered not in. This must be remembered. There were no personalities. Today, in the world, another great moment of crisis has arrived. I refer not to the present world condition, but to the state of the human consciousness. Mind has arrived at a functioning power, personalities are coordinated. The three aspects of man are being blended; another formation or precipitation from the Hierarchy of adepts has become possible. On the physical plane, without any exoteric organization, ceremonials, or outer form, there is integrating––silently, steadily and powerfully–– a group of men and women who will supersede eventually the previous hierarchical effort. They will supersede all churches, all groups, and all organizations and will \page

400 A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC eventually constitute that oligarchy of elect souls who will govern and guide the world. They are being gathered out of every nation, but are gathered and chosen, not by the watching Hierarchy or by any Master, but by the power of their response to the spiritual opportunity, tide and note. They are emerging out of every group and church and party, and will therefore be truly representative. This they do, not from the pull of their own ambition and prideful schemes, but through the very selflessness of their service. They are finding their way to the top in every department of human knowledge, not because of the clamor they make about their own ideas, discoveries and theories, but because they are so inclusive in their outlook and so wide in their interpretation of truth that they see the hand of God in all happenings, His imprint upon all forms and His note sounding forth through every channel of communication between the subjective reality and the objective outer form. They are of all races; they speak all languages; they embrace all religions, all sciences and all philosophies. Their characteristics are synthesis, inclusiveness, intellectuality and fine mental development. They own to no creed, save the creed of Brotherhood, based on the one Life. They recognize no authority, save that of their own souls, and no Master save the group they seek to serve, and humanity whom they deeply love. They have no barriers set up around themselves, but are governed by a wide tolerance, and a sane mentality and sense of proportion. They look with open eyes upon the world of men and recognize those whom they can lift and to whom they can stand as the Great Ones stand,–– lifting, teaching and helping. They recognize their peers and equals, and know each other when they meet and stand shoulder to shoulder with their fellow workers in the work of salvaging humanity. It does not matter if their terminologies differ, their interpretations of sym-

RULE TEN 401 bols and scriptures vary, or their words are few or many. They see their group members in all fields––political, scientific, religious, and economic––and give to them the sign of recognition and the hand of a brother. They recognize likewise Those who have passed ahead of them upon the ladder of evolution and hail Them Teacher, and seek to learn from Them that which They are so eager to impart. This group is a product of the past and upon that past I will touch; I will also indicate the present situation and forecast somewhat the general lines along which their association and future work will run. That such a group is forming is true and holds a good augury for the coming decades. In quiet and subtle ways they are already making their presence felt but theirs is as yet primarily a subjective influence. Let us begin with the past. About the year 1400, the Hierarchy of Masters was faced with a difficult situation. As far as the work of the second ray was concerned (which had to do with the impartation of spiritual truth) there had come to be what I might call a complete ex- terioration of that truth. The activity of the first ray had also brought about an intense differentiation and crystallization among the nations and governments of the world. These two conditions of concrete orthodoxy and political differences persisted for many generations and are still manifesting. Today we have a similar condition both in the world of religion and in that of politics. This is true whether one is considering India or America, China or Germany, or whether one is studying the history of Buddhism with its many sects, Protestantism with its myriads of warring groups, or the many schools of philosophy in the orient or the occident. The condition is widespread, and the public consciousness tremendously diversified, this state of affairs marks the summation

402 A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC of the period of separativeness and the end, before so many centuries, of this intense distinctiveness of thought. After noting and watching this trend of affairs for another one hundred years, the Elder Brothers of the race called a conclave of all departments about the year 1500 A.D. Their object was to determine how the urge to integration, which is essentially the keynote of our universal order, could be hastened, and what steps could be taken to produce that synthesis and unification in the world of thought which would make possible the manifestation of the purpose of the divine Life which had brought all into being. When the world of thought is unified, then the outer world will fall into a synthetic order. It should be remembered here that the Masters think in large terms and work in the wider cycles of evolutionary endeavor. The tiny and temporary cycles, the small ebb and flow of the cosmic processes do not engage Their attention in the first instance. At this conclave They had three things to do: 1. To view the divine plan on as large a scale as possible, and refresh Their minds with the vision. 2. To note what influences or energies were available for use in the large endeavor to which They were pledged. 3. To train the men and women who were then probationers, chelas and initiates so that in due time They could have a satisfactory band of assistants on whom They could in future centuries rely. They had, in connection with these aspirants, two problems: 1. They had to deal with the failure on the part of even the most advanced disciples to preserve continuity of consciousness, a failure even now manifested by even initiates.

RULE TEN 403 2. The Masters found the minds and brains of chelas curiously insensitive to the higher contacts, and this again is a condition which still prevails. The chelas, then as now, possessed aspiration, a desire to serve humanity, devotion and occasionally a fair mental equipment, but that telepathic sensitivity, that instinctive response to hierarchical vibration, and that freedom from the lower psychism which are the needed prerequisites to intensive intelligent work were singularly lacking. For that matter, they are still distressingly so. Telepathic sensitivity is decidedly on the increase as a result of world conditions and the evolutionary trend, and this is (for the workers on the inner plane) a most encouraging sign, but love of psychic phenomena and failure to differentiate between the vibrations of the various grades of hierarchical workers still greatly hinder the work. You might here ask and rightly so: What is this plan? When I speak of the plan I do not mean such a general one as the plan of evolution or the plan for humanity which we call by the somewhat unmeaning term of soul unfoldment. These two aspects of the scheme for our planet are taken for granted, and are but modes, processes and means to a specific end. The plan as at present sensed, and for which the Masters are steadily working, might be defined as follows :––It is the production of a subjective synthesis in humanity and of a telepathic interplay which will eventually annihilate time. It will make available to every man all past achievements and knowledges, it will reveal to man the true significance of his mind and brain and make him the master of that equipment and will make him therefore omnipresent and eventually open the door to omniscience. This next development of the plan will produce in man an under-

404 A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC standing––intelligent and cooperative––of the divine purpose for which the One in Whom we live and move and have our being has deemed it wise to submit to incarnation. Think not that I can tell of the plan as it truly is. It is not possible for any man, below the grade of initiate of the third degree, to glimpse it and far less understand it. The development of the mechanism whereby a disciple may be enrapport with Those responsible for the working out of the plans and the capacity to know (and not just dimly sense) that tiny aspect of the whole which is the immediate step ahead and with which cooperation is possible, that can be achieved by all disciples and should be held as the goal before all aspirants. With the exception of probationary disciples who are not as yet sufficiently stable in their endeavor, all can therefore strive towards achieving continuity of consciousness and at awakening that inner light which, when seen and intelligently used, will serve to reveal other aspects of the Plan and specially that one to which the illumined knower can respond and usefully serve. To bring this about has been the objective of all training given during the past 400 years and from this fact you can vision the utter patience of the Knowers of the race. They work slowly and with deliberation, free from any sense of speed, towards Their objective, but––and herein lies the immediate interest of what I have to communicate––They do have a time limit. This is based upon the Law of Cycles. It concerns the operation of certain periods of opportunity which necessarily have their term. During these times of opportunity, forces, influences, and energies are temporarily at work and of these the Masters seek to make use. Looking ahead, during the conclave to which I have made reference, the assembled Servers of the race noted the future coming in of the Aquarian age, with its distinctive energies and its amazing opportunities. These

438 A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC subsequently one or other of the seven sacred planets. Eventually, there will be twelve sacred planets, corresponding to the twelve constellations, but the time is not yet. Our solar system, as you know, is one of seven. When a man has arrived at this point in evolution, birth months, mundane astrology, and the influences which play upon the form aspect become of less and less importance. This circle of solar systems affects paramountly the soul and it becomes the focal point of spiritual energies. This is the problem of the soul on its own plane,––responsiveness to these types of energy, and, of them, the personality is totally unaware. The signs which fall therefore into the four categories of earth, water, fire and air, concern primarily the man who lives below the diaphragm, and who utilizes the lower four centers:––the center at the base of the spine, the sacral center, the solar plexus and the spleen. The inner group of seven major or systemic energies produce their effect upon the man who is living above the diaphragm, and work through the seven representative centers in the head. Four of them focus through the throat center, the heart center, the ajna and head centers. Three are held latent in the region of the head centers (the thousand petalled lotus) and only enter into functioning activity after the third initiation. It will be evident therefore how complicated from the standpoint of the horoscope (as well as of the individual problem) is this meeting of the energies of two types of constellations in the case of the man who is neither purely human nor purely spiritual. The ordinary horoscope is negated. The horoscope is not possible as yet of delineation. The only horoscope, which is basically and almost infallibly correct is that of the entirely low grade human being who lives entirely below the diaphragm and is governed by his animal nature alone. Astrologers must remember also that there are several

From Bethlehem to Calvary 42 From Bethlehem to Calvary schools of thought speak of the ego, or the higher self, the real man, or the spiritual entity, whilst in the Old Testament reference is made to the "Angel of the Presence." A long list of these synonyms could be compiled, but for our purpose we shall confine ourselves to the word "soul" because of its wide use in the West. The immortal soul in man prepares him for the first initiation, for it is this soul which manifests upon earth as the "infant Christ" and appears in man. This is the new birth. That which has been slowly gestating in man comes at last to birth, and the Christ, or soul, is born consciously. Always the germ of the living Christ has been present, though hidden, in every human being. But in due time and season the infant soul makes its appearance, and the first of the five initiations is made possible. The work proceeds, and the Christ-life unfolds and develops in the man until the second and third initiations take place. At that time, as many believe, we are initiated through the instrumentality of the Christ, and in full waking consciousness the initiate stands in His Presence and sees Him face to face. Browning expresses this truth in the great poem Saul when he says: "Oh, Saul, it shall be A Face like my face that receives thee; a Man like to me Thou shalt love and be loved by, for ever: A Hand like this hand Shall throw open the gates of new life to thee! See the Christ stand!" After the third initiation, the Transfiguration, when the personality has been subordinated to the soul, or the indwelling Christ, and the glory of the Lord can shine forth through the medium of the flesh, we are faced with the supreme achievement of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. Then, we are told, that mysterious Being, spoken of in the Old Testament as Melchizedek, and as the Ancient of Days, will play His part and initiate us into the still higher mysteries. Of Him we are told that: "This Melchizedek, King of Salem, Priest of the Most High God

The First Initiation 43 . . . was, in the first place, as His Name means, King of Righteous- ness, and besides that, King of Salem (that is King of Peace). Being without father or mother or ancestry, having neither beginning of days nor end of life . . . He remains a priest in perpetu- ity."12 He is the One Who receives the initiate and superintends the higher transitions of consciousness which are the reward of the tests triumphantly undergone. He is the One Whose "star shines forth" when the initiate enters into light. There are therefore three initiators: first, a man's own soul, then the Christ of history, and finally the Ancient of Days, the one in Whom "we live, and move, and have our Being.”13 These ideas are interesting when we realize that out of the five initiations there are three which seem, and naturally so, to be of supreme importance. In the life of Christ there are episodes which represent great points of attainment, all climaxing cycles and initiating new ones. These are the first initiation, the Birth; the third initiation, the Trans- figuration; and the fifth, the Resurrection. There is in nature some mysterious value which is connected with the first, the third, and the fifth––the beginning, the middle point and the climaxing consummation. As has been pointed out, "it is the intervals, not only between the base note, the major third and the perfect fifth, or those which distinguish the quaver from the semi-quaver, which enable us to build up a symphony or song." Between these high points, in the intervals of which the details are given us in the Gospel story, the work is carried on which makes the later achievements possible. We are primarily considering in this book the technique of the entrance into the kingdom of God. That kingdom exists and birth into it is as inescapable as birth into the human family. The process is a sequential proceeding from gestation until in "the fullness of time," the Christ Child is born; the soul begins to manifest on earth, and the life of the disciple and initiate begins. He passes from stage 12Hebrews, VII, 1-4, Weymouth Translation. 13Acts, XVII, 28.

The Second Initiation 95 birth at Bethlehem this awareness becomes manifested and recognizable. Just as the human being synthesizes in himself all that has been, plus his own peculiar constitution and qualities, so in him can also begin to emerge and demonstrate qualities which are not human. Members of the kingdom of God will surely embody the heritage of four kingdoms, as man embodies the heritage of three. This higher citizenship involves the expression of the Christ consciousness, which is the consciousness of the group, of the relation of the part to the whole (something which Christ continuously emphasized) and of the human to the divine. The result of this realization must surely be, under the evolutionary scheme, the appearance of another kingdom in nature. This constitutes the great task of Christ. Through the power of His realized divinity He produced the man who blended in Himself the best of all that had been, and revealed also what could be. He brought together into a functioning unity the higher and the lower, and made out of them "one new man." He founded the kingdom of God on earth, and produced a synthesis of all the kingdoms in nature, thus causing the appearance of a fifth kingdom. We might sum up the at-one-ments which He brought about as follows: 1. He unified in Himself to perfection the physical, emotional and mental aspects of man, and demonstrated therefore the perfect Individual. 2. He unified in Himself soul and body, the higher and the lower aspects, and therefore produced a divine incarnation. 3. He unified in Himself the best of all the kingdoms in nature, mineral, vegetable, animal, which means in their synthesis, the human with the intellect functioning. 4. Then He blended this synthesis with a higher spiritual factor and brought to the birth another kingdom in nature, the fifth. Christ, having produced in Himself one unification or at- one-ment after another, for the benefit of humanity, appears before John the Baptist, and passes through the second initiation, that of purification in the waters of Jordan. Through \page

96 From Bethlehem to Calvary the process of baptism, and through the temptations which followed, He evidenced His maturity, faced His mission, and demonstrated to the world His purity and His power. The third initiation, that of the Transfiguration, testified to the fact of the at-one-ment which Christ made between soul and body. Integration was complete, and the consequent illumination was made apparent to His disciples. He appeared before them as Son of Man and Son of God, and having proved to them Who He was, He faced the death which lay ahead of Him, and the intervening service. In the fourth initiation, He demonstrated this integration not only as God-Man, but as the One Who enfolded in His consciousness the entire world of men. He unified Himself with humanity, and portrayed the effectiveness of that divine energy which enabled Him to say in truth, "I, if I be lifted up from the Earth, will draw all men unto Me.”7 He was lifted up between Earth and Heaven, and for two thousand years these words of His have stood unchallenged. 2 "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him. But John forbade him, saving, I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me? "And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now, for it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered Him. "And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him. "And lo a voice from heaven saving, This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased".8 In these simple words we are told the story of this initiation. The keynote is purification, and it closed a period of preparation, of quiet service, and inaugurated a cycle of stren- 7St. John, XII, 32. 8St. Matt., III, 13-17.

100 From Bethlehem to Calvary Thus Jesus went up from Nazareth and Galilee to take the next step which was indicated in His experience. As the result of life experience and inner consecration, He was ready for the next initiation. This was taken in the river Jordan. Jordan means "that which descends," but also, according to some commentators, that which "divides," as a river divides and separates the land. In the symbolism of esotericism, the word "river" frequently means discrimination. We have seen that water symbolizes the emotional nature, and that the purification in Jordan, through baptism, typifies the complete cleansing of all feeling, of all wishes and of that desire life which is the determining factor with most people. The first initiation symbolizes the dedication of the physical body and, the physical plane life to the soul. The second initiation stands for the demonstrated control and consecration to divinity of the desire nature, with its emotional reactions and its potent "wish life." A new factor now enters in, the discriminating faculty of the mind. By means of it, the disciple can bring the mental life under control and dedicate it to the life of the kingdom of God, which is consummated at the third initiation. Through the correct use of the mind, the disciple is led to make right choice, and to balance (with wisdom) the endless pairs of opposities. We pass through the Birth initiation somewhat unconsciously. The full significance of what we have undergone does not appear to us; we are "infants in Christ," and as infants we just live and submit to discipline, gradually growing toward maturity. But there comes a time in the life of every initiate when choice must be made, and Christ was faced with this. A clear, clean interior break is to be made with the past before we can face towards a future of service, consciously undertaken, and know that from that time on nothing will be the same. This initiation marked a tremendous change in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Up to that time, for thirty years, He had simply been the carpenter of the little town, and the son

133

CHAPTER FOUR

The Third Initiation: The Transfiguration on a High Mountain

KEY THOUGHT Arjuna said: "The word which Thou hast spoken through love of me, the supreme mystery named the Oversoul––through it my delusion is gone. "For the birth and the passing of beings have been heard by me at length from Thee, whose eyes are lotus petals; I have heard also of the Great Spirit, which passes not away. "So I would see that Self as it has been spoken by Thee, Mighty Lord; that divine form of Thine, O best of men! "If Thou thinkest it can be seen by me, Lord, Master of union, then reveal to me the Self everlasting!" Bhagavad Gita, XI, 1-4. \page

135

CHAPTER FOUR

The Third Initiation: The Transfiguration on a High Mountain

1

ANOTHER period of service is ended. Christ faced another interior crisis, and this time, according to the story, one which He shared with His three fa- vorite disciples, with the three people closest to Him. His demonstrated self control, and henceforth His immunity from temptation, as we can understand it, had been succeeded by a period of intense activity. He had also laid the foundation of the kingdom of God which it was His mission to found, and whose inner structure and skeleton outline were built upon the twelve apostles, the seventy disciples whom He chose and trained, and the groups of men and women everywhere which responded to His message. So far He was successful. Now He faced another initiation and a further expansion of consciousness. These initiations, to which He subjected Himself on our behalf, and to which we may all in due time aspire, constitute in themselves a living synthesis of revelation which it may profit us to study before we consider the detail of the stupendous revelation which was accorded to the three aspotles on the mountain-top. Three of these crises are perhaps of greater significance than has hitherto been grasped by humanity, which is prone to lay the emphasis mainly upon one of them only, the Cruci- fixion. One wonders sometimes whether the other tremendous experiences through which Christ passed would have been relatively overlooked in favor of the Crucifixion had the \page

136 From Bethlehem to Calvary Epistles never been written and had we only the Gospel story upon which to base our Christian belief. This is a point to consider, and worthy of serious speculation. The bias thrown on Christian theology by St. Paul has perhaps over- balanced the structure of the presentation of Christ as we were meant to get it. The three initiations which, in the last analysis, may mean the most to the seeker after truth, are the birth into the kingdom, that august moment when the entire lower nature is transfigured and one realizes the fitness of God's sons to be citizens of that kingdom, and the final crisis wherein the immortality of the soul is demonstrated and recognized. The Baptism and the Crucifixion have other values, emphasizing as they do purification and self-sacrifice. This may surprise the reader, in that it seems to belittle the Christ, but it is profoundly necessary for us to see the picture as the Gospels present it, uncolored by the interpretations of a later son of God, no matter if brilliant and sincere, as was St. Paul. In dealing with the subject of Deity, we have always been told that we know God through His nature, and that nature is Spirit or Life, Soul or conscious love, and Form intelligently motivated. Life, quality, and appearance––these are the three major aspects of divinity, and we know no others; but that does not mean that we shall not contact other aspects when eventually we provide the mechanism of knowledge and the intuition to penetrate deeper into the divine Nature. We do not yet know the Father. Christ revealed Him, but the Father Himself remains as yet behind the scenes, inscrutable, unseen and unknown, except as He is revealed through the life of His sons, and by the revelation given peculiarly to the Occident by Jesus Christ. As we consider these initiations, the three mentioned above stand out clearly. At the Birth in Bethlehem we have the appearance of God, God is made manifest in the flesh. At the Transfiguration we have the quality of God revealed in its transcendent beauty, whilst at the Resurrection initiation the life aspect of divinity makes its presence felt. \page

The Third Initiation 137 In His earthly life, therefore, Christ did two things: 1. He revealed the triple nature of Deity in the first, third, and fifth initiations. 2. He demonstrated the expansions of consciousness which come when the requirements are duly met––purification and self- sacrifice. In these five episodes the whole story of initiation is told; birth, subsequent purification in order that right manifestation of Deity may follow, revelation of the nature of God through the medium of a transfigured personality, and finally the goal––life eternal and unending because decentralized and freed from the self-imposed limitations of form. These three major initiations, the first, the third and the fifth, constitute the three syllables of the Word made flesh; they embody the musical chord of Christ's life, as they will be embodied in the life of all who follow in His steps. Through re-orientation to new modes of living and of being we pass through the necessary stages of adaptation of the vehicles of life, up to that mountain-top where the divine in us is revealed in all its beauty. Then we pass to a "joy- ful Resurrection," and to that eternal identification with God which is the everlasting experience of all who are perfected. We might depict the process as follows: 1st Initiation 3rd Initiation 5th Initiation New Birth Transfiguration Resurrection Initiation Revelation Completion Beginning Transition Consummation Appearance Quality Life This is the first of the mountain experiences. We have had the cave experience and the stream initiation. Each of them has done its work, each revealing more and more divinity in the Man, Christ Jesus. The experience of Christ, as we have been seeing, was to pass from one process of at-one-ment to another. One of the prime objectives of His \page

138 From Bethlehem to Calvary mission was to resolve the dualities in Himself, producing unity and synthesis. What are these dualities which are to be resolved into unity before the spirit in man can shine forth in its radiance? We might list five of them in order to gain an idea of what must be done and in order to understand the magnitude of Christ's achievement. Transfigura- tion is not possible until these unifications have been made. First, man and God must be fused and blended into one functioning whole. God, made flesh, must so dominate and control the flesh that it constitutes no hindrance to the full expression of divinity. Such is not the case with the average man. With him divinity may be present, but it is deeply hidden. However, today, through our psychological investigations, much is being discovered as to this higher and lower self, and the nature of that which is called at times the "subliminal self" is emerging through a study of the reaction of the outer active self to the activities of that inner subjective guidance. That man is dual has been recognized everywhere, and this in itself presents a problem with which psychologists are constantly confronted. Personalities seem to function in a "split" manner; people are distraught because of this cleavage. We hear of multiple personalities, and the necessity for integration, for coordination of the different aspects of man, and the fusing of his nature in one functioning whole becomes more and more urgent. The recognition of man's reach and the constant pull of the world of transcendental values have produced an acute problem for the world. The primitive and the transcendental; the outer conscious man and the inner subjective subliminal man; the higher and the lower self; the personality and the individuality; the soul and the body––how are these to be reconciled? Of the higher values, man is ceaselessly conscious. Of the man who wills to do good and of the nature which in opposition causes him to perform evil, all the saints testify. The entire human family today is split on the rock of duality. Either the personality is dual and therefore un- \page

The Third Initiation 139 manageable, or groups and nations are divided into opposing camps, and again duality emerges in intense dynamic difficulty. It is integration which Christ so fully exemplified, thus resolving the dualities of higher and lower in Himself, making "of twain one new man,”1 and it was this "new man" which shone forth at the Transfiguration before the startled gaze of the three apostles. It is this basic integration or unification which religion should aim to produce, and it is this coordination between two fundamental aspects of human nature––the natural and the divine––which education should effect. This problem of the two selves, which Christ so strikingly synthesized in Himself, is the strictly human problem. The secondary self, in contradistinction to the divine self, is a fact in nature, however we may try to evade the issue and refuse recognition of its existence. The "natural man" exists, as does the "spiritual man," and in the interaction of the two the human problem is focussed. Man himself makes this clear. In speaking of man, Dr. Bosanquet says that: ". . . his innate self-transcendence, his ineradicable passion for the whole, makes it inevitable that out of the superfluity which he cannot systematize under the good, he will form a secondary and negative self, a disinherited self, hostile to the imperative domination of the good which is, ex hypothesi, only partial. And this discord is actually necessary to the good; for it sets it its characteristic problem, the conquest of the bad. And the good is necessary to the evil, for beyond rebellion against the good, the would-be totality of the disinherited self can find no other unity.”2 Here lies man's problem, and here lie his triumph and the expression of his essential divinity. The higher self exists, and finally and inevitably must gain the victory over the lower self. One of the things that is happening today is the 1 Eph., II, 15. 2 The Value and Destiny of the Individual, by B. Bosanquet, p.210. \page

140 From Bethlehem to Calvary discovery of the existence of this higher self, and many are the testimonies to its nature and qualities. Through a consideration of the self in every man we are steadily approxi- mating an understanding of divinity. Behind the manifestation of Jesus Christ lay aeons of experience. God had been expressing Himself through natural processes, through humanity as a whole, and through specific individuals, as the ages slipped away. Then Christ came, and in process of time, as a definite fulfillment of the past and as a guarantee of the future, He synthesized in Himself, in one transcendent Personality, all that had been achieved and all that was immediate in human experience. He was a Person- ality, as well as a divine Individuality. His life with its quality and its purpose has set its seal upon our civilization, and His demonstrated synthesis is the inspiration of the present. This consummated Personality, synthesizing in Itself all that preceded in human evolution, and expressing all that immediately may be, is God's great gift to man. Christ, as the Personality that healed the division in human nature, and Christ, as the synthesis of the higher and the lower aspects of divinity, is the glorious heritage of mankind today. This is what was revealed at the Transfiguration. However, it is useful to remember that only at a certain stage in human development does the expression of the indwelling Christ life and consciousness become possible. The fact of evolution, with its necessary distinctions and differences, is incontrovertible. All men are not the same. They vary in their presentation of divinity. Some are really subhuman as yet. Others are simply human, and still others are beginning to display qualities and characteristics which are super-human. The question might justifiably arise: when does the possibility come to man of transcending the human, and, becoming divine? Two factors will at that time control. He will have transcended the emotional and physical natures, and, entering the realm of thought, he should be responding in some way to ideals as they are presented to him by the \page

The Third Initiation 141 thinkers of the world. There must come a time in the progress of each human being when the development of the triple human nature––physical, emotional and mental–– reaches a point of possible synthesis. He then becomes a personality. He thinks. He decides. He determines. He assumes control of his life and becomes not only an originating center of activity but an impressive influence in the world. It is the coming in, with power, of the mind quality, and the capacity to think, which make this possible. It is this insistence upon thought, and this determination to handle life from the angle of mind and not of emotion, which distinguish a "personality" from the rank and file of human beings. The man who thinks and who acts upon the resolutions and incentives which have their origin in duly considered thought-realities becomes, in time, a "personality," and begins to sway other minds. He exercises a definite influence upon other people. Yet overseeing the personality is the inner spiritual man, which we might call the "individual." It is here again that Christ achieved success, and the second duality, which He so significantly resolved, is that of the personal self and the "individuality." The finite and the infinite must be brought into a close relation. This, Christ demonstrated in the Transfiguration, when, through the medium of a purified and developed personality, He manifested the nature and the quality of God. The finite nature had been transcended and could no longer control His activities. He had passed in His consciousness to the realm of inclusive realization, and the ordinary rules governing the finite individual, with its petty problems and its small reaction to events and persons, could no longer influence Him nor determine His conduct. He had achieved contact with that realm of being in which there is not only understanding, but peace, through unity. Rules and fixations and considerations Christ had surmounted, and consequently He functioned as an individual and not as a human personality. He was governed by the \page

142 From Bethlehem to Calvary rules which control in the realm of the spirit, and it was this which the three Apostles recognized at the Transfiguration, and which led to their submission to Him henceforth as the One Who represented to them Divinity. Christ, therefore, at the Transfiguration, unified in Himself God and Man, His developed Personality blending with His Individuality. He stood forth as the perfect expression of the uttermost possibility to which humanity could aspire. The dualities, of which mankind is so distressingly the expression, met in Him, and resulted in a synthesis of such perfection that, for all time, He determined the goal of our race. There is a still higher synthesis, and this Christ also summarized in Himself––the synthesis of the part with the Whole, of humanity with the ultimate Reality. Man's history has been one of development from the state of mass unconscious reactions to that of a slowly recognized group responsibility. The low-grade human being or the unthinking individual has a collective consciousness. He may regard himself as a person, but he does no clear thinking as to human relations, or as to the place of humanity in the scale of being. He is easily swayed by the mass or collective thought and is regimented and standardized by mass psychology. He moves in rhythm with the mass of men; he thinks as they think (if he thinks at all); he easily feels as the mass feels, and he remains undifferentiated from his kind. Upon this, orators and dic- tators base their success. Through their golden-tongued ora- tory or through their magnetic and dominant personalities, they swing the masses to their will because they work with the collective, though undeveloped, consciousness. From this stage we pass to that of the emerging personality who does his own thinking, makes his own plans and cannot be regimented or beguiled by words. He is a thinking individual, and the collective consciousness and the mass mind cannot hold him in thrall. These are the people who pass on to liberation, and who, from one expansion of awareness \page

The Third Initiation 143 to another, gradually become consciously integrated parts of the whole. Eventually, the group and its will (not the mass and its feeling) come to be of supreme importance, because they see the group as God sees it, become custodians of the divine Plan, and conscious, integral, intelligent parts of the whole. They know what they are doing, and why they do it. In Himself Christ blended and fused the part with the whole, and effected an at-one-ment between the will of God, synthetic and comprehensive, and the individual will, which is personal and limited. In a commentary on The Bhagavad Gita, that supreme argument for the life of the whole as fused and blended in divinity, Charles Johnston points out that: "The truth would seem to be that, at a certain point in spiritual life, the ardent disciple, who has sought in all things to bring his soul into unison with the great Soul, who has striven to bring his will to likeness with the Divine Will, passes through a marked spiritual experience, in which the great Soul draws him upward, the Divine Will raises his consciousness to oneness with the Divine Consciousness; for a time he perceives and feels, no longer as the person, but as the Oversoul, gaining a profound vision of the divine ways of life, and feeling with the infinite Power, which works through life and death alike, through sorrow and joy, through union and separation, through creation, destruction and recreation. The awe and mystery which surround that great un- veiling have set their seal on all who have passed through it.”3 This realization is far from the average man, and still further from the undeveloped. The divine is the Whole, informed and animated by the life and will of God; and in utter self-surrender and with all the power of His purified nature and His divine understanding and wisdom, Christ blended in Himself the collective consciousness, the human realization and the divine To- tality. Some day we shall understand this more clearly. It is as yet something which we cannot grasp, unless for us the Transfiguration is a reality and not a goal. 3 The Bhagavad Gita, translated by Charles Johnston, p.128. \page

144 From Bethlehem to Calvary It is interesting to have in mind another at-one-ment which Christ made. He unified in Himself the past and the future, as far as humanity is concerned. This is significantly typified in the appearance with Him upon the Mount of Transfigura- tion of Moses and Elias, the representatives respectively of the Law and of the Prophets. In the one figure we find symbolized the past of man, with its summation in the Law of Moses, setting the limits beyond which man may not go, defining the injunctions which he must set upon his lower nature (the desire-nature), and emphasizing the restrictions which the race as a whole must set upon its actions. Careful study will reveal that all these laws concern the government and control of the desire-nature, of the emotional, feeling body, to which we have already had need to refer. Curiously enough, the name "Moses," according to Cruden's Concord- ance, means "taken out of the water." We have already seen that water is the symbol of the fluidic emotional desire-nature in which man habitually dwells. Moses therefore appeared with Christ as typifying man's emotional past and the technique of its control is to be later superseded when the message of Christ's life is duly understood, pouring through man's consciousness in ever greater fullness. Christ indicated the new synthetic commandment which is "to love one another." This would render needless all the Law and the Prophets, and would relegate the Ten Commandments into the background of life, rendering them superfluous, because the love which will flow out from man to God, and from man to man, will automatically and positively produce that right action which will make the breaking of the commandments impossible. The "shalt not" of God, spoken from Mount Sinai through Moses, with its negative emphasis and its punitive interpretation, will give place to the radiance of love and the understanding of goodwill and light which Christ radiated upon the mount of Transfiguration. The past met in Him and was superseded by a living present. Elias, whose name means "the strength of the Lord," stood \page

The Third Initiation 145 beside Jesus Christ as the representative of all the schools of the Prophets which had for centuries foretold the coming of the One Who would stand for perfect righteousness and Who, in His Own Person, would embody, as He does today, the future achievement and the goal of the human race. That the future holds reaches of consciousness and standards of achievement as much beyond those of Christ as His expression is beyond ours, is entirely possible. The nature of the Father remains still to be known; some of its aspects, such as the love and wisdom of God, have been revealed to us by Christ. For us today, and for our immediate goal, Christ stands as the Eternal Prophet, to whom Elias and all the Prophets bear witness. Therefore, as He stood upon the mountain top, the past and the future of humanity met in Him. That He at-oned in Himself certain basic human cleavages is thus apparent, and to those above enumerated we can add one already considered, the blending in Himself of two great kingdoms in nature, the human and the divine, making possible the emergence into manifestation of a new kingdom upon earth––the kingdom of God, the fifth kingdom in nature. When considering the Transfiguration it is necessary to realize that it was not simply a great initiation, in which God revealed Himself in His radiance and glory to man, but that it had a definite relation to the medium of revelation––the material physical nature, which we call the "Mother aspect." We saw, when studying the Birth initiation, that the Virgin Mary (even when recognizing, as we do, the historicity of Christ's existence) is the symbol of the form nature, of the material nature of God. She typifies in herself that which preserves the life of God, latent yet with infinite potentialities. Christ revealed the love-nature in the Father. Through His Person, He revealed the purpose and objective of the form-life of man. \page

146 From Bethlehem to Calvary In this mountain experience we see the glorification of matter as it reveals and expresses the divine indwelling Christ. Matter, the Virgin Mary, reveals God. Form, the result of active material processes, must express divinity, and the revelation of this is God's gift to us at the Transfiguration. Christ was "very God of very God," but He was also "flesh of our flesh," and in the interplay and the fusion of the two, God stood revealed in all His magnetic and radiant glory. When we, as human beings, realize the divine purpose, and come to regard our physical bodies as the means whereby the divine, indwelling Christ can be revealed, we shall gain a new vision of physical living and a renewed incentive for the proper care and treatment of the physical body. We shall cherish these bodies, through which we temporarily function, as the custodians of the divine revelation. We shall, each of us, regard them as the Virgin Mary regarded her body, as the repository of the hidden Christ, and we shall look forward to that momentous day when we, too, shall stand upon the Mount of Transfiguration, revealing the glory of the Lord through the medium of our bodies. Browning sensed this and gave us the thought in the following well-known phrases: "Truth is within ourselves; it takes no rise From outward things, whate'er you may believe. There is an inmost center in us all Where truth abides in fullness; and around Wall upon wall, the gross flesh hems it in. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . And, to know Rather consists in opening out a way Whence the imprisoned splendor may escape Than in effecting entry for a light Supposed to be without.”4 Thus, for humanity, Christ stood revealed as the expression of God. There is for us no other goal. Yet let us remember with humility and awe that the stupendous words spoken by Krishna, in The Bhagavad Gita, remain also true 4 Paracelsus, by Robert Browning, Oxford Edition, p.444. \page

The Third Initiation 147 as an ultimate statement concerning the transfiguration of the whole world: "Nor is there any end of My divine form, O consumer of the foe; this I have told thee for thy instruction, as an enumeration of My manifold forms. Whatever being is glorious, gracious or powerful, thou shalt recognize that, as sprung from a fragment of my fire. But what need hast thou of this manifold wisdom, O Arjuna? With one part of My being I stand establishing this whole world.”5 Under the impact of the evolutionary urge God moves towards fuller recognition. "Purification" is the word generally used to cover the process whereby the medium of divine expression is prepared for use. The Galilee experience, and the daily effort to live and meet the eventualities of human existence (which appear to grow more drastic and disciplinary as the great wheel of life turns, and, turning, carries humanity onward), bring man to the point where this purification is not simply the result of life itself, but is something which is definitely imposed by man upon his own nature. When this process is self-initiated, then the speed with which the work is carried forward is greatly accentuated. This produces a transformation of the outer man of great significance. The caterpillar becomes transformed into the butterfly. Deep in man lies this hidden beauty unrealized but struggling for release. The life of the indwelling Christ produces the transformation of the physical body, but deeper still, that life operates upon the emotional-feeling nature, and through the process of transmutation converts the desires and feelings, the pains and the pleasures, into their higher correspondences. Transmutation has been defined as "the passage across from one state of being to another, through the agency of fire.”6 It is appropriate in this connection to remember that the threefold lower man, with whom we have been dealing so often in these pages, is a dim reflection of 5 The Bhagavad Gita, Book X, 40, 41, 42. 6 A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, by Alice A. Bailey, p.476. \page

148 From Bethlehem to Calvary Deity Itself. The physical body is related to the third aspect of divinity, the Holy Ghost aspect, and the truth of this can be realized if we study the Christian concept of the Virgin Mary overshadowed by the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is that aspect of divinity which is the active principle in matter, and of this the physical body is a correspondence. The emotional, sentient nature is a dim and distorted reflection of the love-nature of God which the cosmic Christ, the second Person in the Trinity, is engaged in revealing; and this aspect (transmuted through the agency of fire, the will or spirit of God) produces the transformation of the physical body. The mind in its turn is therefore the reflection of the highest aspect of deity, the Father or Spirit, of Whom it is said that our "God is a consuming fire.”7 The releasing activity of this form of God's spirit eventually produces that radiance (as a result of transformation and transmutation) which was the distinguishing characteristic of the Transfiguration initiation. "Radiation is transmutation in process of accomplishment." Transmutation being the liberation of the essence in order that it may seek a new center, the process may be recognized as 'radio activity' as far as humanity is concerned.”8 It was these processes, carried on in the form nature, which led eventually to the revelation to the Apostles of the essential nature of the Master they loved and followed, and it is this aspect of Christ––the inner radiant reality––to which the mystics of all times bear testimony, not only in connection with Christ, but in lesser degree in connection with each other also. Once the world of the senses has been transcended, and the higher correspondences have become active, revealing the inner world of beauty and truth, there will come to the mystic a realization of a subjective world whose characteristics are light, radiance, beauty and indescribable wonder. All the mystical writings are attempts to describe this world to which the mystics seem to have access, with 7 Deut., IV, 24. 8 A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, by Alice A. Bailey, p.478. \page

The Third Initiation 149 its forms varying according to the period, race and point of development of the seer. We know only that the divine stands revealed, while the outer form which has veiled and hidden it dissolves, or is so transformed that only the inner reality is registered. The temperament and tendencies of the mystic––his own innate quality––have also much to do with his description of what he sees. However, all are agreed on the essentially transcendent nature of the experience, and convinced of the divine nature of the person concerned. Great indeed was the power and mystery of divinity which Christ revealed to the astonished gaze of His three friends upon the Mount of Transfiguration. In one of the ancient scriptures of India, quoted by Dr. Otto, there is an attempt to express or reveal that divine essential Spirit manifested at the Transfiguration: "Finer than the fine yet am I greatest, I am the All in its complete fullness, I, the most ancient, the spirit, the Lord God. The golden-gleaming am I, of form divine. Without hand and foot, rich in unthinkable might, Sight without eyes, hearing without ears, Free from all form, I know But me None knows. For I am Spirit, am Being.”9 The mass of literature that has been written in an attempt to portray the wonder of the transfiguration and the vision of God, is an outstanding phenomenon of the religious life, and one of the strongest testimonies to the fact of the revelations. The very simplicity of the story as related in the Gospels has a majesty and a convincing power of its own. The Apos- tles saw a vision and they participated in an experience wherein Christ Jesus stood before them as perfected Man, because fully divine. They had shared with Him His service; they had left their various vocations in order to be with Him; they had gone with Him from place to place and 9 Kaivalya, II, 9. Quoted in Mysticism, East and West, by Rudolph Otto, pp.98, 99. \page

150 From Bethlehem to Calvary helped Him in His work, and now, as a reward for faithfulness and recognition, they were permitted to see the Transfiguration. "When the mind," says St. Augustine, "hath been imbued with the beginning of faith which work- eth by love, it goes on by living well to arrive at sight also, wherein is unspeakable beauty known to high and holy hearts, the full vision of which is the highest happiness.”10

2 "After six days Jesus taketh Peter, James and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them; and his face did shine as the Sun, and his raiment was white as the light. "And behold there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. "While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.”11 A consideration of the various unifications which Christ had made in Himself will have prepared us for the stupendous phenomenon of the revelation which forced the three disciples to their faces. Three kneeling kings or magi attended the birth initiation. At this crisis there were three disciples prostrate upon the ground, unable to look upon the glory which had been revealed. They thought that they knew their Master, but the familiar Presence had been transformed, and they stood before The Presence. The sense of awe, of wonder and of humility is ever an outstanding 10 Psychology and God, by L.W. Grensted, p.75. 11 St. Matt., XVII, 1-8. \page

The Third Initiation 151 reaction of the mystics of all time to the revelation of light. This episode is the first one in which we contact the radiance and the light which shone from the Savior, and which enabled Him to say with truth "I am the Light of the world." Contact with God will ever cause a light to shine forth. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, his countenance was so irradiated that men could not look upon it, and history tells that he had to use a veil to shield that radiance from others. But the light which was in Christ shone forth in fullness from His whole Person. Increasingly, I believe, as the evolutionary process goes forward, we shall come to a deeper understanding of the significance of light in relation to humanity. We talk of the light of knowledge, and towards that light and its furtherance all of our educational processes and institutions are consecrated. We desire profoundly the light of understanding, which expresses itself in wisdom, and characterizes the sage and the wise upon earth; this light marks them off from the ordinarily intelligent person, making their words of moment, and giving value to their advice. We have been led to believe that there are in the world the illuminati, working quietly and silently behind the scenes in world affairs, shedding the light when needed into the dark places of the world, elucidating problems, and eventually bringing to light that which must be eradicated and that which is needed. We have also learnt to recognize the Light-bearers of all time, and we feel that in Christ the light of the ages is focussed, and the light of God is centered. His disciples came into the radius of this light for the first time on the mountain-top after six days of work, so the story runs, and could not bear the sight of so much brilliance. Neverthe- less, they felt that "it was good for them to be there." Yet in our consideration of the light which was in Christ, and the rapture of the Apostles at its revelation, let us not lose sight of the fact that He Himself tells us that there is in us also a light, and that it too must blaze forth for the helping of the world and the glorification of our Father which is in \page

152 From Bethlehem to Calvary Heaven.12 To this light the mystics testify, and it is this light into which they enter, and which enters into them, revealing the light which is latent and drawing it forth to potency. "In Thy light shall we see light." This is the outstanding fact of scientific mysticism. God is light as well as life. This the mystic has proved, and to this he eternally testifies. This awareness of the fact of divinity is established in our consciousness first of all through the recognition of the wonder latent in every human being. That man who sees no good in his fellowmen is he who is unaware of his own goodness; that man who sees only evil in those around him is he who is seeing them through the distorted lens of his own warped nature. But those who are awakening to the world of reality are constantly made aware of the divinity in man, through his unselfish acts, his kindness, his spirit of enquiry, his light-heartedness in difficulty, and his basic essential goodness. This awareness deepens as he studies the history of the race and the religious inheritance of the ages, and above all when he is brought face to face with the transcendent goodness and wonder which Christ revealed. From this realization he passes on to the discovery of the divine in himself, and starts on that long struggle which carries him through the stages of intellectual awareness of possibility, and of intuitive perception of truth, to that illumination which is the prerogative and the gift of all the perfected sons of God. The radiant inner body of light is present both in the individual and in the race, unseen and unrevealed, but slowly and surely emerging. At the present hour a large number of mankind are engaged in the activities of the six days which precede the transfiguration experience. It is important here to study briefly the place of the disciples in the story of this experience. Down through Biblical history we meet this triplicity. Moses, Aaron and Joshua; Job and his three friends; Shadrach, Meschach and 12 St. Matt., V, 16. \page

The Third Initiation 153 Abednego, the friends of Daniel; the three kings at the cradle in Bethlehem; the three disciples at the Transfiguration; the three Crosses on Calvary! What accounts for this constant recurrence of three? What does it symbolize? Apart from their possible historical appearance, does there lie behind them some peculiar symbology which can, when understood, render clear the circumstances in which they played their part? A study of their names and the interpretation of them as given in the familiar Cruden's Concordance may supply a clue. Take, for instance, the meaning of the names of Job's friends. They were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. Eliphaz the Temanite means "my God is gold," and also "the southern quarter," the opposite pole to the north. Gold is the symbol of material welfare, and the opposite pole to spirit is matter, therefore in this name we have symbolized the tangible outer form of man, actuated by desire for material possessions and comfort. Zophar the Naamathite means the "one who talks," and his theme is pleasantness, which is the interpretation given to the word "Naamathite." Here we have the desire body typified, with its longing for pleasantness, for happiness and for pleasure, and an indication of the constant and ceaseless call and voice of the sentient nature, to which we can all testify. Bildad the Shuhite represents the mental nature, the mind, signifying as he does "contrition," which becomes possible only when the mind is beginning to be active (including the conscience). Shu- hite means "prostration or helplessness," signifying that alone and unaided the mind can reveal but cannot help. Remorse and sorrow, involving memory, are the result of mental activity. Thus, in Job's three friends the three aspects of his lower nature stand revealed. The same is the case when we study the names of Daniel's three friends. Abednego means the "servant of the sun," the server of the light; in that significance the whole duty and purpose of the physical outer man is summed up. Shadrach's name has a definitely emotional sentient connotation, for it means \page

154 From Bethlehem to Calvary "rejoicing in the way," and wherever we find reference to the basic dualities of pleasure and pain we are considering the emotional-feeling nature. Meschach means "agile," quick moving, which is in itself a very good description of the mental nature. Arjuna, in The Bhagavad Gita,13 points this out in his words to Krishna: "This union through oneness which is taught by Thee, . . . I perceive not its firm foundation owing to the wavering of the mind; for the mind wavers, Krishna, turbulent, impetuous, forceful; and I think it is as hard to hold as the wind." Thus in the three friends, and in the various triplicities which we find in the Bible, we discover a symbolism which is vitally illuminating. The three aspects through which the soul must express itself, and through which it must shine, are thus portrayed. It is the same in connection with the three friends of Jesus Christ. I cannot here touch upon the friendships of Jesus Christ. They are very real and very deep, and universal in their inclusiveness. They are timeless and eternal, and the friends of Christ are to be found in every race (Christian or otherwise) in every clime and in both hemispheres. And be it remembered, it is only the friends of Christ who have any right to be dogmatic about Him, or who can speak with any authority of Him and His ideas, because theirs is the authority of love and of understanding. We find also this basic triplicity in the persons of Peter and James and John, and in their names we find the same essential symbolism working out, thus giving us the clue to the meaning of this wonderful story. Peter, as we well know, means "rock." Here is the foundation, the most concrete aspect, the outer physical form, which, at the Trans- figuration, is transformed by the glory of God, so that the outer image disappears. and God Himself shines forth. James, we are told, signifies "illusion," distortion. Here we have reference to the emotional-feeling body, with its power 13The Bhagavad Gita, VI, 33, 34. \page

The Third Initiation 155 to misrepresent and to deceive, to mislead and to delude. Where emotion enters in, and where the focus of attention is in sensitive and sensuous reaction, that which is not true rapidly appears, and the man becomes the subject of illusion. It is this body of illusion which is eventually transmuted, and so changed and stabilized that it provides a clear medium for the revelation of deity. John means "the Lord hath spoken," and herein is the mind nature typified, because it is only when the mental aspect begins to manifest that we have the appearance of speech and of that thinking, speaking animal which we call "man." So, in the apt symbology of the Scripture, Christ's three friends stood for the three aspects of His human nature, and it was upon this integrated, focussed and consecrated personality that the transfiguration made its impact and produced revelation. Thus again the essential duality of humanity is revealed through Christ, and His threefold personality and His essential divinity are portrayed for us in such a way that the lesson (and the possibility) cannot be evaded. The Apostles recognized God in their Master, taking their stand upon the fact of this divinity, as have the mystics of all time. They "knew Whom they had believed.”14 They saw the light which shone in the Person of Jesus Christ, and for them He was more than the Person they had known heretofore. Through this experience God became a reality to them. In the synthesis of the past, the present and the future, Christ and those who were immediately His friends, met with God, and so potent was this combination that it evoked from God Himself an immediate response. When feeling and thought meet in a moment of realization, there is a simultaneous precipitation of energy, and life is forever after different. That which has been believed is known as fact, and belief is no longer necessary. 14 II Tim., I, 12. \page

156 From Bethlehem to Calvary The Transfiguration scene was the meeting-ground of significant factors, and since that moment the life of humanity has been radically changed. It was as potent a moment in racial history as the Crucifixion, of more potency perhaps than even that great and tragic happening. Seldom do such moments come. Usually we see only faint glimpses of possibility, rare flashes of illumination, and fleeting seconds wherein a synthesis appears and leaves us with a sense of fitness, of integration, of purpose and of underlying reality. But such moments are rare indeed. We know God is. We know reality exists. But life, with its emphasis directed on phenomena, its stresses and its strains, so pre- occupies us that we have no time, after the six days' labor, to climb the mountain of vision. A certain familiarity with God's nature must surely precede the revelation of Him- self which He can and does at times accord. Christ's three friends had been admitted to a degree of intimacy with Him which warranted their being chosen as His companions at the scene of His experience, wherein He staged, for the benefit of humanity, a symbolic event as well as a definite experience for which arrangement had duly to be made, with the participants correctly chosen and trained, so that the symbolism which they embodied might appear, and their intuitive reactions be rightly directed. It was necessary that Christ should have with Him those who could be depended upon to recognize divinity when it appeared, and whose intuitive spiritual perception would be such that–– for all time––the inner meaning might be made apparent to those of us who have followed later in His steps. This is a point at times forgotten. Inevitably "we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”15 But to bring about this likeness two things are necessary to the consecrated and dedicated disciple. He must be able 15 St. John, III, 2. \page

The Third Initiation 157 to see clearly, meanwhile standing in the illumination which radiates from Christ, and his intuition must be active, so that he can rightly interpret what he sees. He loves his Master, and he serves with what faithfulness he can; but more than devotion and service are needed. He must be able to face the illumination, and at the same time he must have that spiritual perception which, reaching out beyond the point to which the intellect can carry him, sees and touches reality. It is love and intellect combined, plus the power to know, which is inherent in the soul, which recognizes intuitively that which is holy, universal and real, and yet which is specific and true for all time to all people. Christ revealed the quality of the divine nature through the medium of matter, of form, and "was transfigured before them." "The Greek word here used is 'metamorphosed,' the very word used by St. Paul to describe the transmutation of the mortal body into the resurrection body; for on the day of fulfillment, when the perfected disciple has attained masterhood, the 'Robe of Glory' shines forth with such splendor through the garment of the flesh that all the beholders perceive it, and, their eyes and ears attuned to finer subtle vibration, they behold their Master in all His divine humanity.”16 It is interesting to note that, in spite of their recognition of the significance of the event in which they were participating, the three Apostles, speaking through the mouth of St. Peter, were able to do no more than express their awe and their bewilderment, their recognition and belief. They could not explain or understand what they had seen, nor do we find any record of their ever having done so. The meaning of the Transfiguration is something which has to be wrought out in the life before it can be defined or explained. When humanity as a whole learns to transform the flesh through divine experience, to transmute the feeling nature through divine expression, and to transfer the con- 16 The Mystery Teaching in the West, by Jean Delaire, p.121. \page

158 From Bethlehem to Calvary sciousness away from the world of mundane living into the world of transcendental realities, the true subjective values of this initiation will reveal themselves to the minds of men. Then will come a deeper expression of that which has been intuited. Dr. Sheldon tells us with truth that "all of the finest human thought and feeling is carried for generations, probably for ages, in intuitional minds, long before it becomes articulate.”17 Not yet are we articulate where this experience is concerned. We sense dimly and distantly its wonder and its finality. We have not yet, as a race, passed through the new birth; the Jordan experience is only attained as yet by the few. It is the rare and developed soul which has climbed the Mountain of Transfiguration, and there seen and met with God in the glorified Person of Jesus Christ. We have looked on at this episode through the eyes of others. Peter and James and John, through another apostle, Matthew, have told us about it. We remain as onlookers, but it is an experience in which we shall some day share. This we have forgotten. We have taken to ourselves the language of the fourth great event in Christ's life, and many of us have attempted to share and enter into the meaning of the Crucifixion. We have looked on at the Transfiguration, but have not attempted to become actively transfigured. But that must some day happen to us, and only after the Transfiguration can we dare to climb Mount Golgotha. Only when we have achieved expression of divinity in and through the lower personal nature shall we have attained to that of worth and value which can be permitted, under the divine Plan, to be crucified. This is a forgotten truth. Yet it is all part of the evolutionary process whereby God is revealed through humanity. The great and natural phenomenon which humanity will some day––through self-expression and also under the law ––reveal in itself includes the beauty which shone forth from Christ as He stood transfigured before His three 17 Psychology and the Promethean Will, by W.H. Sheldon, p.116. \page

The Third Initiation 159 friends, was recognized by God His Father, and received the testimony of Moses and Elias, the Law and the Prophets, the past and that which bears witness to the future. One point might here be brought out. In the Oriental correspondence to these five crises in the life of Jesus Christ, this third episode is called the "hut" initiation, and the words of St. Peter as he suggests that they should make three "huts," one for Christ and one for Moses and one for Elias, link up this Christian happening with its ancient prototype. Always, in these rarely occurring events, God has been glorified by the light, ineffable and effulgent, shining forth through the raiment of flesh, and this mountain experience is not uniquely Christian. But Christ was the first to gather together into one sequential presentation all the possible experiences of divinity made manifest, and portrayed them for our edification and inspiration in His life history, and in the five Gospel episodes. More and more men will pass through the birth chamber, enter the stream and climb the mountain, furthering God's work for humanity; and Christ's example is rapidly bearing fruit and bringing results. Divinity cannot be gainsaid, and man is divine. If he is not, then the Fatherhood of God is but an empty form of words, and Christ and His Apostles were in error when They recognized, as They constantly did, the fact of our sonship. The divinity' of man cannot be explained away. It is either a fact or it is not. God can be known in the flesh through the medium of His children or He cannot. All rests back on God, the Father, the Creator, the One in Whom we live and move and have our being. God is immanent in all His creatures, or He is not. God is transcendent and beyond manifestation, or else there is no basic reality, purpose or origin. Probably the growing recognition in men's minds that He is both immanent and transcendent is true, and we can take our stand upon His Fatherhood, knowing ourselves to be divine because Christ and the Church of all ages have borne testimony to it. \page

160 From Bethlehem to Calvary This time the Word spoken differs from the previous one. The first part of the pronouncement made by the In- itiator Who stands silently behind the scenes as Jesus takes initiation after initiation is practically the same as that at the Baptism initiation, except for one expressed command. He said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," but added this time, "Hear ye him." At the first great episode, God the Father, of Whom the Initiator is the symbol, did not make His Presence known. The angels spoke the word, embodying Christ's mission on His behalf. At the Baptism He accorded recognition, but that was all. At this Initiation, God commanded humanity to pay attention to this particular crisis in the life of Christ and to listen to His words. The power and the right to speak is now conferred upon the Christ, and it is interesting to note that the major part of the teaching (as given in St. John's Gospel and in many of the parables) was given by Christ only after He had been through this experience. Again God gave evidence that He recognized Christ's Messiahship, which word is man's interpretation of the recognition. At the Baptism, He recognized Him as His Son, sent into the world, from the bosom of the Father, to carry out the will of God. That which Christ had recognized in the Temple as a child was later endorsed by God. This recognition is repeated, and the endorsement is strengthened, by the command to the world to hear the words of the Savior, or perhaps from the esoteric and spiritual standpoint, to hear that Word which was God made Flesh. "There is in fact an inward connection between the Baptism and the Transfiguration. In both cases a condition of ecstasy accom- panies the revelation of the secret of Jesus' person. The first time the revelation was for him alone; here the Disciples also shared it. It is not clear to what extent they themselves were transported by the experience. So much is sure, that in a dazed condition, out of which they awake only at the end of the scene (St. Mark IX, 8.) the figure of Jesus appears to them illuminated by a supernatural light and glory, and a voice intimates that he is the Son of God. \page

The Third Initiation 161 The occurrence can be explained only as the outcome of great eschatological excitement.”18 The same writer goes on to point out: "We have therefore three revelations of the secret of messiahship, which so hang together that each subsequent one implies the foregoing. On the mountain near Bethsaida was revealed to the Three the secret which was disclosed to Jesus at his baptism. That was after the harvest. A few weeks later it was known to the Twelve, by the fact that Peter at Caesarea Phillippi answered Jesus' question out of the knowledge which he had attained upon the mountain. One of the Twelve betrayed the secret to the High Priest. This last revelation of the secret was fatal, for it brought about the death of Jesus. He was condemned as messiah although he had never appeared in that role.”19 This evokes in its entirety the question as to the nature of that mission which Christ came to forward, and what constituted the Will of God which He came to fulfill. Three major points of view usually held by the orthodox Christian might be enumerated as follows: 1. He came to die upon the Cross to appease the wrath of an angry God, and make it possible for those who believe in Him to go to Heaven. 2. He came to show us the real nature of perfection and how, in human form, divinity might be manifested. 3. He came to leave us an example that we should follow in His steps. Christ Himself laid no emphasis upon the death on the Cross as being the apex of His life work. It was the result of His life work, but not that for which He came into the world. He came that we might have "life abundantly," and St. John tells us in his Gospel that the new birth is de- 18 The Mystery of the Kingdom of God, by Albert Schweitzer, pp.181, 182. 19 Ibid., pp.217, 218. \page

162 From Bethlehem to Calvary pendent upon belief in Christ, when power is given to us to "become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”20 Is it not reasonable for us to gather from these words that when a man reaches the point of recognizing and believing in the cosmic Christ, "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,”21 then the new birth becomes possible, for the life of that universal Christ, animating every form of divine expression, can then consciously and definitely carry the man forward into a new manifestation of divinity? The "blood is the life,”22 and it is the living Christ that makes it possible for all to become citizens of that kingdom. It is the life of Christ in each of us which makes us sons of the Father, not His death which makes us sons. Nowhere in the Gospel story does an opposite statement find support. Christ, at the communion service, gave His disciples the cup to drink, saying "This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”23 But these are His only references to blood in its remedial aspect, so strongly emphasized in the Epistles, and He Himself nowhere correlates blood with the Crucifixion. He speaks in the present tense, and does not relate the blood to the new birth or to the Crucifixion, or make it a factor in the exclusiveness which has so deeply colored the presentation of Christianity in the world. It is the Christ life in all forms which constitutes the evolutionary urge. It is the Christ life which makes the steadily unfolding expression of divinity possible in the natural world. It is deep within the heart of every man. The Christ life brings him eventually to the point where he transits out of the human kingdom (when the work of normal evolution has done its part) and leads him into the 20 St. John, I, 13. 21 Rev., XIII, 8. 22 Gen., IX, 4. 23 Matt., XXVI, 28. \page

The Third Initiation 163 kingdom of spirit. The recognition of the Christ life within the form of man makes every human being, at some time, play the part of the Virgin Mary to that indwelling reality. It is the Christ life which, at the new birth, comes to fuller expression, and from crisis to crisis leads on the developing son of God until he stands perfected, having achieved "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”24 We shall see later that upon the revelation of the risen Christ must the new world religion take its stand. Christ upon the Cross, as will appear when we study the next great crisis, showed us love and sacrifice carried to their extreme expression; but Christ alive from all time, and vitally alive today, is the keynote of the new age, and upon this truth must the new presentation of religion be built and, later, the new theology be constructed. The true meaning of the Resurrection and the Ascension has not yet been grasped; as a divine subjective reality those truths still await revelation. The glory of the new age will be the un- veiling of those two mysteries, and our entrance into a fuller understanding of God as life. The true Church of Christ is the assembly of all who live through the life of Christ, and whose life is one with His. This will be increasingly realized and will bring forth into clearer and more radiant light the wonder and glory which lies, unrevealed as yet, in God the Father. It is only the man who has understood something of the value of the Transfiguration initiation and the nature of the perfection then revealed who can follow along with Christ, to the vision which was accorded Him as He came down from that high point of achievement, and can later share with Him an understanding of the nature of world service. This world service is rendered perfectly by those whose inner perfection is approximate to Christ's and whose lives are controlled by the same divine impulses and subordinated to the same vision. This stage connotes that complete spiritual freedom which we must eventually reach. 24 Eph., IV, 13. \page

164 From Bethlehem to Calvary Now the time has come for human beings to leave off believing, and pass on to true knowledge, through the method of thought, reflection, experiment, experience and revelation. The immediate problem for all who are seeking this new knowledge, and who desire to become conscious knowers instead of faithful believers, is that they should achieve it in the world of everyday. After each expansion of consciousness and each unfoldment of a deepened awareness we return, as Christ did, to the plains of every-day life, and there subject our knowledge to the test, discover its reality and truth, and find out also wherein lies for us our next point of expansion and what new knowledge must be acquired. The task of the disciple is the understanding and the use of his divinity. The knowledge of God immanent, yet based on a belief in God transcendent, is our endeavor. This was the experience of the Apostles upon the mountain top. We are told that "when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.”25 The familiar appeared to them again. It is of real interest to compare a somewhat similar story related in The Bhagavad Gita, wherein Arjuna has had revealed to him the glorious form of the Lord. At the close of the revelation God, in the person of Krishna, says to him, with tenderness and understanding, "Let not fear nor confusion overcome thee, beholding My form so terrible! Behold my former shape once more, thy fear gone, thy heart at rest!" and then he goes on to tell him: "This form of Mine which thou hast seen is hard indeed to see! Even the Gods ever desire a sight of this form! Nor can I be seen thus through Vedas, penances, gifts, sacrifices, in the form which thou hast seen. But I can be known thus through single-hearted love, Arjuna, and seen as I truly am, and entered, O Consumer of the foe!”26 The Word of Recognition had gone forth, and the command to hear the Christ had been given. Jesus having re- 25 St. Matt., XVII, 8. 26 The Bhagavad Gita, Book XI, 49, 52, 53, 54. \page

The Third Initiation 165 turned "to His proper form," the descent from the mountain had to follow. Then occurred what might be regarded as a great, sad, spiritual reaction, inevitable and terrible, expressed by Christ in the following words: "The Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again.”27 Then comes the simple comment that the disciples "were exceedingly sorry." This vision of Christ's, if we trace it in the records, fell into two parts. First, He had a vision of achievement. The mountain-top achievement, a great spiritual experience, lay behind Him. Now He has a vision of a physical consummation in the form of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. But this is accompanied by a pre- sentiment or a prevision of the culmination of His life of service upon the Cross. He saw clearly, perhaps for the first time, what lay ahead of Him, and the direction in which His service to the world was leading Him. The via dolorosa of a World Savior stretched out before Him; the destiny of all pioneering souls climaxed in His experience, and He saw Himself rejected, pilloried and killed, as have many lesser sons of God. World rejection always precedes world acceptance. Disillusionment is a stage on the way to reality. The hatred of those who are not yet ready to recognize the world of spiritual values is ever the lot of those who are. This, Christ faced, and yet "He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.”28 As we consider these happenings, the particular test which Christ now encountered becomes clear in our minds. It was again a threefold test, as was that after the Baptism initiation; but this time it was of a far subtler nature. He was faced with the test as to whether He could endure and handle worldly success, and pass along the triumphant way of His entry into the Holy City, without deviating from 27 St. Matt., XVII, 22, 23. 28 St. Luke, IX, 51. \page

166 From Bethlehem to Calvary His purpose, without being attracted by material achievement and by being acclaimed King of the Jews. Success constitutes a far more drastic disciplining, and produces many more opportunities to forget God and reality than do failure and neglect. Self-pity, a sense of martyrdom, and resignation are potent and effective ways of handling one's failure. But to rise upon the crest of the wave, to be accorded public recognition, and to seem to have achieved the earthly goal are far more difficult factors to face. These Christ did face, and He faced them with spiritual poise and with that far-sighted wisdom which produces a correct sense of values and a proper sense of proportion. The second phase of the test lay in His prevision as to His end. He knew He had to die, and He knew how He would die, and yet He went forward undeviatingly upon the course assigned Him, although prevision of disaster was His. Not only had He to demonstrate the power to endure success, but He had also to demonstrate the power to face disaster, balancing the two against each other and seeing in both of them simply opportunities for divine expression and fields for the demonstration of detachment–– that outstanding characteristic of the man who has been born again, purified and transfigured. To these tests was added the one which He had before encountered in the desert, the test of utter loneliness. The power to endure success! The power to endure disaster! The power to stand utterly alone! This, Christ had to show the world, and this He did. He stood triumphant before the world, at an intermediate stage on His way to the Cross. The agony of loneliness in the Garden of Gethsemane was probably a far harder moment for Him than the publicity on Mount Gol- gotha. But in these more subtle tests the quality of God Himself was revealed, and it is God's quality and meaning which save the world––the quality of His life, which is Love and Wisdom and Value and Reality. It was all of this which Christ accomplished. Immediately, on the descent from the mountain-top, Christ \page

The Third Initiation 167 began again to serve. He was met, as well we know, by a person in distress, and He at once responded to the need. One of the outstanding characteristics of each initiation is the increased capacity and ability of the initiate to serve. Christ demonstrated an entirely new and unique way in which to speak and to meet the masses, as well as to teach privately and personally His chosen few. His power to heal still continued, but His work shifted into a field of new values, and He spoke those words and enunciated those truths which have proved the foundation of the belief of those who have had the insight to penetrate the theological presentation of Christianity and there find reality. His service consisted primarily at this time in teaching and speaking. But such is the wisdom and the beauty of His presentation of truth, He couched divinity in forms which the average man could grasp. He bridged the old and the new, and gave out that new truth and that special revelation which were needed at the time to unite the ancient wisdom and the more modern hope. Keyserling has grasped the wonder of what the World-Savior does, and voices it in words which I quote: ". . . the great mind is essentially the Awakener. If such a mind were to utter the entirely new, the unique, this would mean nothing to other men. His social value depends entirely on his ability to utter clearly what all feel in their innermost hearts to be true––for could he otherwise be understood?––and to utter it in so universal a manner, that is, so much in tune with the objective laws in question, that his ideas become organs for the others.”29 Christ gave us a great idea. He gave us the new concept that God is Love, no matter what might be happening in the world of immediacy. All great ideas come forth from the world of divinity through the medium of the great In- tuitives, and the history of humanity is essentially the history of ideas––their coming forth through the medium of some intuitive thinker, their recognition by the few, their growth 29 The Recovery of Truth, by Hermann Keyserling, p.213. \page

168 From Bethlehem to Calvary in popularity, and their eventual integration in the thought world, the pattern world of the thinkers of the race. Then their fate is determined, and eventually the new and unique idea becomes the popularly and publicly accepted model of human conduct. "To the question, then, whether it is personalities or ideas which decide the fate of an age, the answer is that the age get its ideas from personalities.”30 Christ embodied a great idea, the idea that God is Love, and that love is the motivating power of the universe. This constitutes the illumination which Christ as the Light of the World refracted upon all world events. The majesty of this realization cannot be over-emphasized. We need to realize it far more deeply and potently than we do, for it constitutes the basic, fundamental character and quality of all events, no matter what the outer appearance may be. Christ illumines life. This was one of His most important contributions to life as it is lived today. He said in effect: God loves the world; all that happens is along the line of love. If this is realized as fact and fundamental truth, it illumines all of life and lightens all burdens; cause and effect are brought together, and God's purpose and His method are seen as one. Theologians have often forgotten this as they have struggled over the more technical aspects of Christ's life. What He illumined in His function as the "Light of the World," what He received of divine Light and poured forth for the world, what He refracted, is often overlooked in the struggle to prove such doctrines as the fact that the Virgin Mary was an immaculate virgin, and Christ was therefore born through the medium of an immaculate conception. Today only a few of the younger generation care much about such points of doctrine. Let us state that quite emphatically. But we do care that the love which He expressed should be demonstrated in the world and that the illumination He carried should "lighten our darkness." Christ sounded with clarity the note which can usher in the new civilization and the new order, and a close study of 30 The Decay and Restoration of Civilization, by Albert Schweitzer, p.82. \page

The Third Initiation 169 the ideals and ideas which today, without exception, underlie every one of the great experiments undertaken by the various nations, will show that they are based, in essence, upon some definitely Christlike concept. That their method of application and the techniques employed are frequently un-Christlike is sadly true, but the foundational concepts will bear with equanimity the light which Christ can throw upon them. The principal difficulty has been that our intellectual grasp of the concepts runs ahead of our own personal development, and therefore colors disastrously our application of them. When these basic ideas are transmuted into world ideals by the consecrated thinkers of the race, and applied in the spirit in which Christ conceived of them, then we shall indeed inaugurate a new world order. It is of supreme value for us to realize that what Christ really did was to usher in the era of Service, even if we are only beginning today (two thousand years after He set us an example) to grasp the implications of that word so widely used. We have been apt to regard salvation in terms of the individual, and to study it from the angle of individual salvation. This attitude must end if we are ever to understand the Christ spirit. A great Japanese asks the poignant question "What is the primary aim of a religion worthy of existence?" and goes on to tell us that it is salvation, but a salvation that "is pregnant with relief and redress of life and of the world.”31 Service is becoming more and more an objective in all human affairs. Even modern business is coming to the recognition that it must be a motivating agency if business, as we understand it in the modern sense, is to survive. Upon what is this general trend based? Surely upon our universal relation to Deity and upon our subjective relationships to each other, which have their root in our relationship to God. That of course is the basis of service. It must be, as it was in the case of Jesus Christ, a spontaneous outcome of 31 Modern Trends in World Religion, edited by A.E. Haydon, quoting Kishio Satomi, p.75. \page

170 From Bethlehem to Calvary divinity. One of the strongest arguments for the divine unfoldment of man is the emergence on a large scale of this tendency to serve. We are just beginning to get a faint vision of what Christ meant by service. He "carried this actuating motive of service to the extent of saying that when the common good and your personal success or welfare conflicted, you must sacrifice and not sacrifice the other man.”32 This idea of service is of course in complete conflict with the usually competitive attitude to life and the selfishness generally shown by the average man. But to the man who seeks to follow Christ, and who aims eventually at climbing the Mount of Transfiguration, service leads inevitably to increased illumination, and illumination in its turn must find its expression in renewed and consecrated service, and thus we find our way––through service to our fellow men––into the Way that Christ trod. Following in His steps, we achieve eventually the power to live as illumined and Christlike men and women in our normal everyday surroundings. What, therefore, is the gift that each of us can make to the world as we study the life of Christ and travel with Him in our minds from one initiation to another? We can aim at that greatness in action which will redeem our natural mediocrity and reveal progressively the divinity in each of us. Each can stand as a beacon light, pointing the way to the center from which the Word goes forth; and each can begin to express in his daily living some of the quality of God which Christ so perfectly portrayed and which carried Him in triumph from the Mount of Transfiguration down into the valley of duty and of service, and which enabled Him to go forward with staunch determination to the Cross experience, through the triumphal way of acclama- tion and the sorrowful ways of desertion and of loneliness. The impulse is strong to close with some words of Arjuna, spoken to Krishna, long before the Christian era, after the revelation of the unveiled beauty to which he had been admitted. Their relevance is unquestionable. One can almost 32 Modern Trends in World Religions, edited by A.E. Haydon, p.106. \page

The Third Initiation 171 imagine St. Peter or St. John saying them to Christ when they opened their eyes and "saw Jesus only." Perhaps they may apply to us also as we consider Christ and our relation to Him: "If thinking Thee my comrade, I addressed Thee brusquely . . . not knowing this greatness of Thine, or carelessly, or through af- fection, or whatever I have done to make a jest of Thee, unseemly, in journeying, resting, or seated, or at the banquet, whether alone, O, unfallen One! or in presence of these, for all this I ask forgiveness from Thee, Immeasurable One! Thou art the Father of the world, of things moving and unmoving; Thou art worthy of honor, the reverend Teacher of the world. None equal Thee; how could any be greater? even in the three worlds there is none like Thee in might. "Therefore bowing down, prostrating my body before Thee, I seek Thy grace, O worthy Lord! As the Father his son, the comrade his comrade, the beloved his beloved, so deign Thou, Lord, to pardon me! I exult, beholding what was never seen before, and my heart trembles with fear; show me, Lord, the former form; Lord of Gods, be gracious, upholder of worlds.”33 33 The Bhagavad Gita, Book XI, 41-45.

The Fourth Initiation 213 strife which takes place in the human mind between the yearning for understanding, and the nearer more immediate pull of those living affections and desires which are conditioned upon the goodwill and the support of fellow beings; desires for the happiness of loved ones; for the alleviation of pain and disappointment in minds that cannot understand the inner dream; and for the warm reassurance of mundane honors. This conflict is the rock upon which the religious mind founders and is split against itself."42 Upon this rock Christ did not founder, but He had His moments of intensest agony, finding relief only in the realization of the Fatherhood of God and its corollary, the brotherhood of man. "Father," He said. It was this sense of unity with God and His fellow men which led Him to institute the Last Supper, to originate that communion service, the symbolism of which has been so disastrously lost in theological practice. The keynote of that communion service was fellowship. "It is only thus that Jesus creates fellowship among us. It is not as a symbol that he does it . . . in so far as we with one another and with him are of one will, to place the Kingdom of God above all, and to serve in behalf of this faith and hope, so far is there fellowship between him and us and the men of all generations who lived and live in the same thought.”43

4 1. "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”44 2. "To day thou shalt be with me in paradise.”45 3. "Woman, behold thy son! Then saith He to the disciple, Behold thy mother!”46 4. "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”47 42 Psychology and the Promethean Will, by W.H. Sheldon, pp.85, 86. 43 The Mystery of the Kingdom of God, by Albert Schweitzer, p.56. 44 St. Luke, XXIII, 34. 45 St. Luke, XXIII, 43. 46 St. John, XIX, 26. 47 St. Matt., XXVII, 46.

214 From Bethlehem to Calvary 5. "I thirst.”48 6. "It is finished.”49 7. "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.”50 The thought of the kingdom colored all that He said upon the Cross. The Word of Power which emanated from the Cross was spoken by Jesus Christ Himself and not, this time, by the Father. Christ spoke a sevenfold word, and in that word summed up for us the Word that inaugurated the kingdom of God. Each of His utterances had relation to that kingdom, and not the usual small, individual or selfish relation which we have so often ascribed to them. What were those seven words? Let us consider them, realizing while doing so that the causes which gave rise to them produced the manifestation of the kingdom of God on earth. In every case the seven words have been interpreted as having either an individual application in connection with the person to whom they were supposedly spoken, or as having a personal significance to Christ Himself. We have always read the Bible in this manner, with the personal significance in our minds. But these words of Christ are of too great importance to be thus interpreted. They have a meaning far wider than those usually given. The wonder of all He said (as it is the wonder of all the world scriptures) is that the words are capable of various meanings. The time has come when the meaning that Christ gave should be more generally understood by us in the light of the kingdom of God, and with a wider connotation than the individual one. His words were Words of Power, evoking and invoking, potent and dynamic. One of the first things which emerge in one's consciousness as one studies the first word from the Cross was the fact that Jesus requested His Father to forgive the people who crucified Him; He evidently, then, did not regard His death upon the Cross as adequate to that need. There was 48 St. John, XIX, 28. 49 St. John, XIX, 30. 50 St. Luke, XXIII, 46.

The Fourth Initiation 215 no remission of sins through the shedding of blood; but there was the need to ask God's pardon for the sin committed. The two facts which come to the fore in this word are the Fatherhood of God, and the fact that ignorance, if productive of wrong-doing, does not make a man guilty and therefore punishable. Sin and ignorance are frequently synonymous terms, but the sin is recognized as such by those who know and who are not ignorant. Where there is ignorance there is no sin. In this word from the Cross Christ tells us two things: 1. That God is our Father, and that we approach Him through Christ. It is the inner hidden man of the heart, the unrealized Christ who can approach the Father. Christ had earned this right because of His proven divinity and because He had passed through the third initiation, the Trans- figuration; when we too are transfigured (for only the transfigured Christ can be crucified) then we too can invoke the Father and call on the spirit, which is God, the life of all forms, to adjust relationships, and to bring about that forgiveness which is the very essence of life itself. 2. That forgiveness is the result of life. This is a hard truth for the Western believer to accept. He is so used to resting back upon the activity of the Christ in the distant past. Forgiveness is, however, a result of living processes which bring adjustment, cause restitution, and produce that attitude wherein a man is no longer ignorant and therefore not in need of forgiveness. Life and experience do this for us, and nothing can arrest the process. It is not a theological belief that puts us right with God, but an attitude to life and an attitude to the Christ dwelling in the human heart. We learn through pain and suffering (that is, through experience) not to sin. We pay the price of our sins and mistakes, and cease to make them. We arrive eventually at the point where we no longer make our earlier errors or commit our former sins. For we suffer and agonize, and learn that sin brings retribution and causes suffering. But suffering

218 From Bethlehem to Calvary Now we come to the extraordinary and much debated episode between Christ and His mother, summed up in the words: "Woman, behold thy son," and followed by the words spoken to the beloved apostle: "Behold thy mother." What did these words mean? Below Christ stood the two people who meant the most to Him, and from the agony of the Cross He spoke to them a special message, relating them to each other. Our consideration of the previous initiations may make the meaning clear. John typifies the personality which is reaching perfection and whose nature is becoming irradiated by divine love, the major characteristic of the second Person of the divine Triplicity, the soul, the son of God, whose nature is love. As we have seen, Man represents the third Person of the Trinity, the material aspect of nature which cherishes and nurtures the son and gives birth to him in Bethlehem. In these words Christ, utilizing the symbolism of these two persons, relates them to each other, and practically says: Son, recognize who is to give thee birth at Bethle- hem, the one who shelters and guards the Christ life. To His mother, He says: Recognize that in the developed personality there is latent the Christ child. Matter, or the virgin Mary, is glorified through her son. Therefore the words of Christ have a definite reference to the third initiation, that of the Transfiguration. Thus in His first three Words from the Cross He refers to the first three initiations, and recalls to our minds the synthesis revealed in Himself and the stages which we must cover if we are to follow in His steps. It is possible also that the thought was in the consciousness of the crucified Savior that matter itself, being divine, was capable of infinite suffering; and in these words there was wrung from Him the recognition that though God suffers in the Person of His Son, He also suffers with similar acute agony in the person of that Son's mother, the material form which has given Him birth. Christ stands midway between the two––the mother and the Father. Therein is His problem, and therein is

238 From Bethlehem to Calvary ing it new properties, new powers, new capacities, transmuting it into His own likeness. That was the Resurrection of the Christ, and thereafter the body of flesh itself was changed, and took on a new nature.5 Thus we find that the resurrection story is of very ancient date, and that God has always held before humanity, through the Mysteries and through His illumined Sons, the fact of immortality, as before our Christian world, through the death and resurrection of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. This whole problem of death and immortality is engrossing a great deal of public attention at this time. The World War brought the fact of death before the public consciousness in a new and arresting manner. There was scarcely a family in over twenty nations which had not been bereft by death, in some form or other. The world has passed through a process of dying, and at the present time the mystery of the Resurrec- tion is becoming a theme of major importance in men's minds. The thought of the Resurrection is coming closer, and its significance has been the central idea of the Masonic Fraternity down the ages, forming the focal point of the work of the sublime Third Degree. In close relation to this Ma- sonic "raising" can be placed a little-known sermon of the Buddha, in which He teaches His disciples the significance of the "five points of Friendship," and thus links up these five points, the five crises in the life of Christ and the five points in the Masonic legend. All these references serve to show the continuity of revelation of which the Resurrection (with its subsequent Ascension) was the climaxing event for the Occident. The outstanding need of Christianity today is to emphasize the living, risen Christ. We have argued too long over the death of Christ, seeking to impose a narrow sectarian Christ upon the world. We have fed the fires of separation by our Christian divisions, churches, sects and "isms." "Their name 5 Esoteric Christianity, by Annie Besant, pp.247, 248, 249.

The Fifth Initiation 239 is legion," and most of them are founded upon some sectarian presentation of the dead Christ, and of the earlier aspects of His story. Let us now unite on the basis of the risen Christ–– Christ alive today, Christ the source of inspiration and the founder of the kingdom of God; Christ, the cosmic Christ, eternally on the Cross, yet eternally alive; Christ, the historical Savior, the founder of Christianity, watching over His Church; Christ, the mystic, mythic Christ, portraying upon the canvas of the Gospels the episodes of unfoldment so that all who live may know and follow; and Christ, alive today in every human heart, the guarantee of, and the urge towards divinity, which humanity so constantly exhibits. Because of the presence of Christ in man, the conviction of divinity and of man's consequent immortality seem to be inherent in the human consciousness. It will inevitably occupy more and more of man's attention until it is demonstrated and proven; mean while that something apparently persists beyond physical death has been demonstrated. The fact of immortality has not been proven as yet, though it constitutes a basic belief in the minds of millions, and where such a belief is universally found, there must indubitably be a basis for it. The entire question of immortality is closely linked with the problem of divinity and of the unseen, subjective world, which seems to underlie the tangible and visible, frequently making its presence felt. Working therefore on the premise of the unseen and invisible, it is probable that we shall eventually penetrate to it and discover that it has always been with us, but that we have been blinded and unable to recognize its presence. Always some have done so, and their note sounds forth, strengthening our belief, endorsing our hope, and guaranteeing to us the eventual experience. How then shall we recognize truth or reality when we meet it? How shall we know that a doctrine is of God, or not? It is so easy to make mistakes, to believe what we want to believe, and to deceive ourselves in the desire to have our own ideas endorsed by other minds. The words of Dr.

Discipleship in the New Age—Vol. I Talks to Disiples 43 each other. This will become possible when the individual members in the groups and the individual groups of disciples lose sight of their own identities in an effort to make this hierarchical work possible. In this type of group work, the feelings, reactions, wishes and successes of the individual most emphatically do not count. Only that is regarded as of importance which will further group effort and enrich the group consciousness.

PART V The Hierarchy sanctioned the starting of these groups in the year 1931. The members of these groups have been slowly chosen since then and are endeavoring, since their inclusion in this ashramic work, to work together in complete unity of purpose and of relationship. It may be of interest to you to know a little of how we approached the subject. As you all know, I am a second ray disciple, an initiate of a certain standing--the grade of which in no way concerns you, though many of you have personally and interiorly ascertained who I am. If the teaching which I have given you and the books which I have given to the world do not suffice to win your confidence and your attention, then knowing that I am an initiate of the third degree, or a Master, or a Boddhisattva or one of the Buddhas close to the Throne of God will in no way aid your comprehension and will only hinder your development. For many lives I have been close to the Master K.H.; in discussion with Him, we have often wondered how we should aid in the inauguration upon earth of those newer types of work which will be distinctive of the New Age and yet would be close enough to the comprehension of the advanced aspirants and the world disciples so that their cooperation would be evoked and their intelligent help forthcoming. What were the requirements for which we should look and what should be the technique to be applied in the New Age for the raising of the consciousness of men? We decided that four things must, first of all, distinguish the group work which should be done and should characterize the disciples to be chosen for training. These were: Sensitivity, Impersonality, Psychic Gifts, Mental Polarization. I do not make mention of aspiration, of selfless-

44 Discipleship in the New Age ness or of the desire to serve. They are fundamentals and basic essentials and, where they do not exist, there is no use in proffer- ing the type of assistance which we are seeking to give. You will note that, as you look back over the spiritual history of the race of men during the past two thousand years (which is far enough for our purpose), that the following methods have been consecutively used to reach men's minds spiritually: 1. The method of raising the consciousness of an individual so that he became a Knower. Individual salvation and the emergence of outstanding individuals with spiritual sense, vision and achievement to their credit has characterized the mystical history of the past. Some of these people emerged along the way of the heart, the mystical way; such were Shri Krishna, St. Francis of Assisi, and all those Knowers whose way was the Way of Love. To these can be added Milarepa of Tibet and Lao Tze of China. Such also have been many of the saints of the church in the West. The Bhagavad Gita has been the book which has embodied this way superlatively. Others emerged along the way of the mind and were the intellectual Knowers. Theirs is the more strictly occult way and it has become increasingly the way of our present day aspirants. The reason for this is that the polarization of the race is shifting ever more steadily on to the mental plane. Some of the individuals on this way of the mind were Sankaracharya, the Apostle Paul, and Meister Eckhart. Today, many are coming out along this way under the name of science. There were also those outstanding individuals, such as the Christ and the Buddha, Who combined both ways in their perfection and Who towered above Their fellowmen from the heights of Their achievement. They swayed hemispheres and centuries, whereas the lesser sons of God swayed countries, specific types of mind and lesser periods of time. 2. The second method employed for raising the consciousness of the race was through groups, gathered around a

Talks to Disiples 45 teacher who (to a greater or less degree) was a focal point of energy either a. By the power of his soul contact or b. By that contact and being also a channel through which some member of the Hierarchy could work. Through the example of these teachers, through their teaching, through their successes and their failures, those whom they gathered to them could be taught, their vibration could be increased, their consciousness expanded and the group could become a magnetized center of force, of purpose and of spiritual light--the degree of this being dependent upon the purity of the note sounded and the selflessness of the lives shewn. The mental caliber of the group also had its effect, for the average vibration and polarization established the note for the group as a whole. An experiment is now being made to shift the focus of the groups inwards and yet, at the same time, to increase their potency by permitting no individual leader to be found at the group center upon the outer plane. All in the group are to be gathered together as free souls. Together, they will learn; together, they will stand with impersonality; together, they will render service to the world. You must remember, however, that any person who takes the position that the work to be done is only upon the inner planes and that he is working solely from mental or spiritual levels of consciousness is not right in his conception of the process. Inner work which does not work out into objective activity upon the physical plane is wrongly oriented and inspired. These new types of groups will work together under the conscious guidance and suggestion of a member of the Great White Lodge. Note the word "suggestion," my brothers. If these groups were subjected to the authority of such a member, then the objective of all the work undertaken would fail to materialize. An occult law would have been broken. Free, intelligent assistance is what we are asking from all our disciples today, and we leave them free to render it or not as they like and in the manner which may seem best to them. I am your teacher. I make suggestion. I offer instruction. I indicate

64 Discipleship in the New Age disciple or sensitive person. It is then their task to find and direct the mind and activities of those individuals whose task is not only to be responsive to this impression but to bring it out into the consciousness of the world thinkers. Have you ever asked yourselves what are the aspects of the work, in connection with telepathy, which raise questions in your mind? Is it not distrust of personality intention or point of view and a questioning also as to your own sincerity or motives? Unless this work is carried forward selflessly and with complete freedom from personal prejudice and personal choices--political or religious--there can be no safe work along this line. That is why I emphasize to you the need of doing this work at the highest united point of meditation and with complete obedience to my decisions in the matter. Another question could well be: What is the difference between this work which I am suggesting to you and the work of the Lodge of the Lords of Form? None whatsoever, except in motive and the point from which you must endeavor to work. The Lords of Form work entirely on and from the lower levels of the mental plane and with the energy of knowledge. The love aspect of the soul itself is inactive and, therefore, from the angle and vision of the Great White Lodge, motives are wrong and the objectives are selfish ones. This is true both of individuals and groups. Forget not that these Lords of Form are souls of great age and unique blindness. But that later, in some far distant cycle, and when karma has worked upon them and the Great Law has exacted full payment for all wrong done, that they too will begin to develop the love aspect and to transmute their motives. You too must work from mental levels but knowledge and love must be called into play together, producing only those results which are harmoniously and intelligently in line with the Plan. Disciples are not permitted to call into play and functioning activity the Will aspect of the soul, unless they are initiates of the third degree. Prior to that, they seldom realize the distinction between the imposition of the will and the directed impression of ideas. There is too much desire (which is embryonic will) in their equipment for them to be trusted as yet with this higher aspect of mental activity. I would ask you to get clearly in your minds in con-

Talks to Disiples 65 nection with any telepathic work which these groups (working under me) should do, that it is the impression of ideas and not imposed direction which is the group ideal--a very different thing, my brother. You might also ask: How can this collective impressing go on and yet leave a man free? Because it will be kept clear of all directed will-force; all that workers and disciples in my groups will seek to do is to impress certain minds with the outlines or suggestions as to the Plan; these ideas will deal particularly with the concept that separation is a thing of the past and that unity is the goal of the immediate future; that hatred is retro-active and undesirable and that goodwill is the touch- stone which will transform the world. How then can you keep your minds free from your own desires and from your own interpretations? By achieving that poised and positive negativity on the part of the two lower aspects of the personality--the astral body and the brain as well as the etheric brain; these determine the reactions of the lower centers, particularly of the solar plexus center. The mind will then be left free to fulfil three functions: 1. That of soul contact; this will result in illumination and a working knowledge of the immediate aspects of the Plan. 2. That of thought formulation and thoughtform creation. Then a clear thoughtform can be constructed with definiteness, and it can be positively directed. 3. That of working on mental levels with your group brothers so that your thoughtform is a part of their thoughtform and you can, therefore, unitedly produce a living, embodied form which can be directed as I may determine. Another question might here arise: Are there any specific and brief rules which should be obeyed? The following might be given, but I would remind you that it is what you are that counts in this work more powerfully than anything else. The controlling factor is harmlessness in thought and word; the practice of this, with proper observation, will greatly help all of you. Next comes a refusal to think unkindly or with criti-

66 Discipleship in the New Age cism; this is essential in connection with those whose minds you seek to impress. Silence, complete and unbroken as to what you are doing, is also a vital factor; the utterance of words in connection with this most subtle and confidential work (or even discussion of the work with a fellow-disciple) can shatter the delicate thoughtform which you are attempting to build. It can render the work of weeks abortive. A balanced attitude in relation to those in power throughout the world must also be cultivated; they need above all else the inspiration which can be brought to them from the Hierarchy. I would ask you, therefore, to practice purging the content of your minds of all critical and unkind thoughts so that you can achieve an attitude of divine indifference to the ephemeral and fleeting personalities and to the chaos everywhere to be seen and so endeavor to tune in on the attitude of the Hier- archy. This involves the emphasis of the consciousness-aspect and the careful observation of all that goes on beneath the surface--awakening, arousing and stimulating to a pronounced mental activity, the hitherto unconscious masses. The events which are happening in every country are bringing this about with much rapidity; humanity is coming alive and its consciousness is awakening to the subjective values. The Hierarchy is sore beset to meet humanity's emerging need of guidance. The sensitivity of the human race (as the result of economic insufficiency, of war, anxiety and pain) is becoming so acute that we who work on the inner side must hasten to impress sensitive, awakening psychics with the right impression. Hence our effort to create these groups, and to use people like yourselves who are (theoretically) harmless but actually full of prejudice and hasty judgments. We have to use the material which lies to hand and are greatly handicapped at all times. After you have worked consciously at the purification of the mind and after you have attempted to free yourselves from prejudice, from pre-conceived ideas and hasty judgments and determinations (based upon your own background, tradition, social and racial status), you will then brood consciously on the process of thoughtform making; you will remember that-- for group purposes and for simplicity--the following three stages are of importance:

Personal Instructions to Disciples 269 as the years go by--what I might call crises of achievement. There must be culminating moments when the uniform activity climaxes into hours of dynamic crisis. Then one cycle of work ends in some direction or another and a new cycle of activity commences in the same place and within the limits of the same general endeavor; this is consciously recognized as a new beginning. Unless such moments of crisis occur, the life simmers down to a general dead level and (even if useful) offers not the chance for an extreme effort with its consequent need to draw upon the full resources of the soul. The routine of the daily demands can usually be met by the technique of an aligned personality and in your case this is particularly so. It must, however, have in it--if it is to be adequate to the demands of this day and period of opportunity-- those moments wherein the personality demands the full cooperation of the soul. Every such moment of fusion increases the personality potential and its vibratory influence; it also initiates those unfoldments that profoundly and deeply change the rhythm of the life. In these days, all working disciples must learn to use their entire equipment and every aspect of their physical nature, the whole man in the threefold world of human evolution. One point might here be noted. The extremity of the disciple in service finally draws out the interest of the soul. After the third initiation, the extremity of the soul (speaking symbolically and conveying no true meaning to the aspirant) evokes the cooperation of the Monad. Thus service is the scientific mode, par excellence, to evoke spiritual integration and to call forth the resources of a divine son of God. I am emphasising this to you as I seek to have you note, during this coming year, the points of crisis in your life which are the outcome of the pressure to serve. Note these in the following way and ask yourself the following questions, entering the relation of the crisis in your spiritual diary: 1. What was the form of service which produced the crisis? 2. Was it in the field of the emotional or the mental life? 3. What steps did I take to produce a fuller soul experience in order to meet the necessity?

298 Discipleship in the New Age During the next few weeks, I would suggest that you concentrate upon "holding the mind steady in the light." This will involve renewed work in alignment, and in the conscious refocusing of the mind towards reality. It is the activity of the inner, conscious man which ceaselessly turns its attention to the soul, seeking identification with that soul. The alignment usually carried forward is that of the personality with the soul. This you have largely achieved and the result is that of the calling in of the power which flows from the outer petals of the egoic lotus (speaking symbolically), the knowledge petals, to the brain. It is the energy of the second tier of petals which must now be evoked--those of love-wisdom. It is the inflow of this energy to the personality which I seek to evoke, and which must be the objective of your attention during the coming months. You have knowledge, my brother, and your spiritual experience is rich. Let this demonstrate now as wisdom, expressing love. To this end I will outline to you the following suggested meditation, upon which you can work, unless I see fit to change it later.... Will you also, my brother, write down what may come to you concerning "radiation" and concerning "magnetic service"? These two papers will constitute your individual offering to your group brothers. Should you not have the strength and time for both this and the group work outlined by me earlier, then choose the elucidation of these two words--Radiation and Magnetism--in preference to the group work. August 1936 MY BROTHER: It is difficult for me to know just what to say to you at this difficult half year period. The past few months have been times of difficulty to you, but they have nevertheless been times of real growth, even if you yourself sense it not. Yet, regarding yourself as a member of your group you have offered but little to the united group life of your brothers. This may perhaps be somewhat due to a misconception as to the true significance of my purpose. It is so difficult for a person who has

Personal Instructions to Disciples 299 sixth ray qualities predominantly present (either as the result of this life's direction, or as carried over as predisposing influences from another life, as is your case), to realize the one- pointed intention (using this word in the sense in which the Catholic uses it) of a group. One's own point of view, one's own dharma, one's own problems and one's own unfoldment are followed so one-pointedly and--complicating the difficulty-- with such truly right and high motives. When to this is added an intensely critical mind, the problem is doubly hard. But, brother of old, your intense inner loyalty to truth, your truly developed selflessness, your strong link with the Hierarchy as a pledged disciple, and your clearsightedness are contributions to the group life of such value, that I ask you today to attempt to reintegrate yourself into the group in a true and selfless manner. This particular group of my disciples has the problem of arriving at an understanding of glamour--a glamour in which all human beings move who are as yet below the grade of an initiate of the third degree. The tests, theefore, to which the group members have been subjected, have been many and great, and several times the life of the group as a unit has been nearly wrecked. I.B.S. could tell you much, were she to speak with you face to face, of the time when it seemed well nigh impossible to save the group life. L.T. S-K. realizes today how glamour has him in its clutches, yet sees not the point of entrance. D.A.O., too, as you will see from her correspondence, is bewildered--though she realizes it not and would deny the implication--by the glamour of independence. And yet the group goes on and will go on, as long as the spirit of love continues to prevail among the members and there is freedom from truly selfish purposes. Part of the great temptation of our Master, the Christ, in the wilderness was based upon the three aspects of the world glamour--illusion, glamour and maya. These all threatened to bewilder Him and He met each of them in turn with the enunciation of a clear-cut principle, and not with the wordy arguments of an analytical brain. From that field of victory, He went forth to love, to teach and to heal. In these days of world pain, let love and joy equally be the keynotes of your life

450 Discipleship in the New Age this. Think it out, for when you have clarified the issue in your own mind, you will have cleared away one of the most potent of the relatively few things which hold you back from a very important step forward. It is not easy for disciples or initiates to identify themselves with weakness or with failure, and yet that must be done. They constitute just as much a part of the expression of humanity as does strength or success, and there can be no separation in attitude or failure in identification. Disciples have to learn to identify themselves with the whole. June 1940 BROTHER OF MINE: In dealing with you as an integral part of my Ashram, I have for the first time since you were admitted into this group relation a sense of freedom in approaching you. You have learned much and unfolded much during the past two years. There are still areas of unresolved doubts and the presence of many questions in your mind, but your attitude towards them is definitely changed. You are not so sure and you are entirely willing to wait for, and later to put to the proof the answers and the solutions. That is much to have achieved. Matters in the world today are in great confusion, owing to the appalling disturbance and condition of the astral plane. Though world affairs seem to be bad enough upon the physical plane, they are nothing to be compared to the present level of awareness where glamour rules, where desire and aspiration are rampant and where those on the inner side (who possess the eye of vision) can see the turmoil and the whirlpool of terrific forces, seeking violent outlet upon the physical plane. Broadly speaking, these forces can be met in three ways. There is the long and almost endless process of letting things work themselves out under evolutionary law, leaving to the inevitability of evolution and of law the stemming of the astral cataract and the quieting of the hurricane. In the meantime, millions would suffer needlessly and for too long, which is perhaps the most important point. That the process of patient waiting in idealistic and prayerful idleness would finally triumph is incontrovertible but to what avail, if humanity is too

Personal Instructions to Disciples 451 worn out and too exhausted and too retarded and hindered by a retrogressive materialistic civilization to profit by the long awaited turn of the tide in human affairs? I, a member of the Hierarchy who necessarily knows more than you do, tell you today that humanity as a whole (distributed over the entire planet) has endured already its full quota of karma and that what may come now of grief, sorrow and pain is that which may prove too much. Just as there is a point in the life of the individual where he can stand no more but lapses into unconsciousness, loses his reason, or dies, so it can be equally true of mankind as a whole. Bear this in mind. It is to this that those who would take no steps to arrest disaster (because they believe in what they call the will of God or karmic retribution or some beloved ideal) would condemn humanity. I am endeavouring here to give you the wider picture as We see it and so to answer some of the problems of your rightly questioning mind. There is a general principle of timing involved and of the right moments for action as well as those moments in which inaction is the correct approach. Then there is the second possibility in which the world situation can be handled and solved in terms of force--the force to be applied being evoked under the law of action and reaction, and then utilized by those who see the vision of the future and the larger picture and issues, and who are pledged to the releasing of huminity. It is not force (as applied upon the physical plane) which is at any time wrong; it is the motive and method used, leading to and governing the use of force which are the factors of momentous import. Though no person or group of persons or nation at this time knows the meaning of motive (for that is only really known and comprehended by those who have advanced beyond the third initiation) yet there are persons, groups of persons and nations in the world today who can be permitted to use force against forms and materialism because of the preponderance of pure motive to be found present in their consciousness. The right use of obstructing and of death-dealing energy can be trusted to those who are consciously endeavouring to help humanity and to liberate it, as a whole and not as a part. This must naturally include themselves and is safe, provided that the voices of those who see the

452 Discipleship in the New Age vision of the future are given free expression and permitted a hearing. There is, therefore, in this method the probability of a quicker ending of the present conflict and world crisis and the consequent release of the new order. The third way has in it much of danger to the unfolding consciousness of humanity and that is the way of divine inter- vention. With this I do not intend to deal as I said all that I find it possible to say in connection with the new Invocation. My brother, there are points which revolve in your mind and which, in spite of the application which is obvious, can all three be applied to situations and conditions which exist between individuals, families and groups or to the larger unit, the world. Those of you who are in a position to aid unfolding minds, as you are today, and who possess fifth ray personalities as you do, can affect many minds and lay the foundation for lives and activities based upon right thought. It is in your field of activity that the world must eventually find the instruction which will lead to right action, based on right understanding of the Plan, and to a right handling of the younger generation (a thing hitherto totally unknown). In this way, the world may be remodelled by wise planning, placed will (if such a phrase means anything to you. It involves conscious focus) and increased activity and momentum. But such right activity will only be possible and the desired ends hastened when people of your generation and opportunity can--in this interlude between the old order and the new--think with clarity, see the issues clearly and in their true relativity, and can inspire the young ones also to see. The process of expanding your consciousness to grasp the larger issue is never easy, particularly with a fifth ray personality and a sixth ray astral body. That is why you have a mental body which is conditioned by the fourth ray; your battle for vision and inclusiveness must be fought out in the mind and on realized mental levels; that is for you definitely a mental issue. Your task is to link the emotional and the intuitional nature and so evoke spiritual sensitivity to revelation. To that, you must add the conscious bringing through of the unfolding light into the area of the physical brain, thus making what

678 Discipleship in the New Age fever heat of long repressed desire yields to the cooling draught. Water and pain negate each other. Long is the process of the cooling draught. "The burning fire releases all that blocks the way of life. Bliss comes and follows after fire, as fire upon the waters. Water and fire together blend and cause the great Illusion. Fog is the product of mist and steam and noise, veiling the Light, hiding the Truth and shutting out the Sun. "The fire burns fiercely. Pain and the waters disappear. Cold, heat, the light of day, the radiance of the rising sun and perfect knowledge of the Truth appear. "This is the path for all who seek the Light. First form, and all its longing. Then pain. Then the assuaging waters and the appearance of a little fire. The fire grows, and heat is then active within the tiny sphere and does its fiery work. Moisture likewise is seen; dense fog, and to the pain is added sad bewilderment, for they who use the fire of mind during the early stage are lost within a light illusory. "Fierce grows the heat; next comes the loss of power to suffer. When this stage has been outgrown, there comes the shining of the unobstructed Sun and the clear bright light of Truth. This is the path back to the hidden centre. "Use pain. Call for the fire, O Pilgrim, in a strange and foreign land. The waters wash away the mud and slime of nature's growth. The fires burn the hindering forms which seek to hold the pilgrim back and so bring release. The living waters, as a river, sweep the pilgrim to the Father's Heart. The fires destroy the veil, hiding the Father's Face." DISCIPLESHIP AND ITS END There is a curious and ancient Atlantean chant which is no longer used but in those far off times was chanted by the initiate who took the third initiation--the consummating initiation of that period. It goes as follows. The translation of the symbols in which it was written necessitates the loss of rhythm and potency. "I stand between the Heavens and Earth! I vision God; I see the forms God took. I hate them both. Naught do

The Six Stages of Discipleship 679 they mean to me, for one I cannot reach, and for the lower of the two I have no longer any love. "Torn I am. Space and its Life I cannot know, and so I want it not. Time and its myriad forms, I know too well. Pendant I hang betwixt the two, desiring neither. "God from high Heaven speaks. There is a change. I hear with ear attentive, and, listening, turn my head. That which I visioned, yet visioning could not reach, is nearer to my heart. Old longings come again, yet die. Old chains of glamour snap. Forward I rush. "Myriads of voices speak and halt me in my tracks. The thunder of the sounds of earth shuts out the voice of God. I turn me on my forward path, and vision once again the long held joys of earth, and flesh and kin. I lose the vision of eternal things. The voice of God dies out. "Torn again am I but only for a little time. Backward and forward shifts my little self, e'en as a bird soars into heaven and settles back again upon the tree. Yet God, in His high place, outlasts the little bird. Thus do I know that God will victor be and later hold my mind and me in thrall. "Hark to the joyous paean that I chant; the work is done. My ear is deaf to all the calls of earth, except to that small voice of all the hidden souls within the outer forms, for they are as myself; with them I am at-one. "God's voice rings clear, and in its tones and overtones the little voices of the little forms dim and fade out. I dwell within a world of unity. I know all souls are one. "Swept am I by the universal Life and as I sweep upon my onward way--the way of God--I see all lesser energies die out. I am the One; I, God. I am the form in which all forms are merged. I am the soul in which all souls are fused. I am the Life, and in that Life, all little lives remain." These words, chanted in the ancient formulas on peculiar and selected notes, were most potent and brought definite results in certain ancient ceremonies that have long since died out.

710 Discipleship in the New Age It will not be possible for me to indicate the work in detail. I intend only to show you as far as is possible how a Master prepares the probationer to step from off the Probationary Path on to the Path of Discipleship. At this point, I would like to point out that I shall be dealing with a period covering the stages of discipleship from the first stage to that of adept. At the fourth stage, the disciple emerges out of his Master's group and becomes what is esoterically called "a fixed aspect of the Hier- archy." This is a phrase which is necessarily quite meaningless to you. He comes then under the influence of Shamballa and the mode of preparing people for association with that first major centre is very different to that of preparing them for participation in the work of the centre which we call the Hier- archy. The one involves the development of love and of group consciousness; the other involves the unfoldment of the will and the attainment of the stage to which Patanjali gives the name of "isolated unity." This is a phrase which is quite meaningless to any one below the degree of the third initiation. In this discussion, I shall not be dealing with preparation for the various initiations and their specific differences. I shall be dealing with the growth of what is called "ashramic intimacy," with the approach of the disciple to the world of souls and to the unfoldment of his consciousness in relation to the Hier- archy. I shall be concerned with his growth in sensitivity and his subsequent and consequent growth in creativity--not the creativity of form as much as the creativity of vibration, its impact upon the world of men and the consequent later appearance of responsive organisms, in contra-distinction to created forms. I would ask you to reflect upon this thought. This growth in sensitivity is difficult to understand. The members of a Master's group and of His Ashram have to become increasingly sensitive--sensitive to the Master and to His pledged workers. You cannot be made sensitive or be rendered sensitive by some type of process or ordered training. Men and women are sensitive, only they do not know it, being so preoccupied with outer matters, with form life and objective things. Let me put it this way: What you say to yourself and to others--through your spoken words or your life--is so noisy that it is not easy to be what you are and to be recognised as a

The Six Stages of Discipleship 711 spiritual being. The Master is guided by what He knows of you in your quiet moments of aspiration, by what you have demonstrated for years to be your fixed life tendency and by the manner in which you react at moments of crisis or tension. The task of the Master is to stimulate the disciple to be at all times what He knows him to be at his highest times. That is a simple and almost childish way of putting it but it serves to express the general idea. A Master does this because the need of the world for decentralised, forward-looking, loving and intelligent workers is so great, particularly at this time. Many have reached the point where they may become sensitive if the loud assertions of personality are dimmed and the light of the soul is permitted to pour through. Then the Master can be known and contacted. When you can get away from yourselves and your personal reactions, your own interpretations, and your personal demands, you will discover for yourselves how and in what manner the Master is seeking to impress you and the group with which you may be affiliated. You will become sensitive to that impression. You can then facilitate (as it is called) the activity of the Master by a profound and deep interest in the esoteric life to the exclusion of your own and also of the Master's individuality. There are many ways which can then be revealed which will aid the interplay between you, the disciple, and the Master. As all the rays are the subrays of the second ray, we shall be primarily concerned with the second ray modes of working with disciples; they form the basis of all the other techniques. The differences which may appear lie in the application of processes according to ray type and the utilisation of emphasis upon certain centres. Again, I would ask you to ponder on this phrase because it contains much information for those who can bring the light of the intuition to bear upon it. I shall be dealing with the relation of a Master and His group to the individual disciple and not so much with the attitudes and procedures of the disciple. This, you will note is a somewhat new slant. Basically and essentially, the disciple's attitude is not really of much importance in comparison with the effect of the Hierarchy and its techniques upon him. The results are

The Six Stages of Discipleship 717 Much has been given out to the world anent this matter with almost undue emphasis upon purification, service and devotion. The reason that I say this is that they should be assumed to constitute part of the exoteric life expression of all true aspirants. They are not esoteric causes but exoteric effects of inner attitudes. As we continue our studies on the Stages of Discipleship, I would point out anew that for the majority of the aspirants in the world and for highly advanced people with a humanitarian consciousness, the first stage lies far behind. Many people today are "accepted disciples" and that is as you well know, the third stage, and behind them, therefore, lie three experiences: 1. The stage of "Little Chelaship"--elementary, testing and disturbing. It is sometimes spoken of as the "stage wherein the roots of the man-plant are shaken; the stage in which they (up till now embedded) are loosened and air and light disturb the peace of ages. This is the peace of death, the age of stone, the tomb of life." 2. The stage of "Chela in the Light." About this stage I am now going to speak. 3. The first initiation. This initiation ever precedes the stage of accepted discipleship. No Master accepts a disciple and takes him into His ashram in whom the birth of the Christ has not taken place. Saul must become Paul, as the Christian phraseology puts it. The babe within the womb of time emerges into the world of men and, from the standpoint of complete identification with matter (the mother), he becomes himself and seeks consciously to tread the ways of life and to become what he is. This is an esoteric repetition of the physical process of becoming a separate individual. Between the stages of "isolated individuality" and "isolated unity" lies one to which the name of "isolated identity" is given. It is with this stage we are concerned and its esoteric implications. Isolated unity describes the stage which the Master has reached; isolated individuality is that of the disciple; isolated identity (with the soul) is that of the disciple up to and including the third initiation. a. Isolated unity is the consummation of the Aryan

718 Discipleship in the New Age consciousness. Isolated identity is related to the Atlantean consciousness, from the angle of the higher correspondence. b. Isolated unity is connected with the mental plane, is governed by the fifth Ray of Concrete Knowledge or Science, and is a reflection of the will-to-know. Isolated identity is connected with the astral plane, is governed by the sixth Ray of Devotion or Ideal- istic Sensitivity and is a reflection--distorted and unstable--of the will-to-love. Isolated individuality is connected with expression upon the physical plane, is governed by the third Ray of Active In- telligence, and is a reflection--again distorted an unsure--of the will-to-be. On the buddhic plane, the plane of the divine intuition, these lower three expressions and their higher prototypes are harmonised and the expansive work of the three initiations (second, third and fourth) produces an absorption, a fusion and a blending process between the disciple and the soul (and eventually between humanity and the Hierarchy) which prepares for a major contact between man and the Monad. When this takes place, the soul, creator of reflection and shadow, is discarded because that point of consciousness has served its purpose. The shattering of the causal body takes place and nought is then left but fully conscious form and spirit. Until, however, man has taken the higher initiations, he cannot comprehend the significance of the above comments. In connection with this, I would remind you that though I am seeking to train many at this time for further expansions of consciousness, I am writing primarily for the future and for those disciples who, in years to come, will read my words and find their way into the Ashrams of the Masters. The Hierarchy builds for the future; it is not occupied with the present. All that it does is done with the intent to open the way into a wider and more expansive world. Humanity is pre-occupied with the things of the present; the Hierarchy is working and laying plans for the future; Shamballa is engrossed with the Eternal Now and with the dynamic life which has created the past, which controls the present (the centre of illusion) and

726 Discipleship in the New Age mental problem in all Ashrams and only the chelas themselves can provide the answer. In the mastering of the task of karmic adjustment, the guiding disciple is governed by certain requirements. He must ascertain just what karma must be worked out by the aspirant in his charge, during this incarnation. He must then induce him to add to this established karma, what I might call "freeing karma." This is a part of the forcing process to which those who choose the more difficult way of initiation must subject themselves, voluntarily and by free choice. The disciple seeks to do certain things in this connection, referring here to the chela in the Light: 1. He works off unavoidable karma as intelligently and consciously as possible. 2. He takes on some karma which ordinarily would be precipitated in some later life. 3. He begins to shoulder some of the general karma of humanity, thus increasing his own load of karma. 4. He begins to work with and to comprehend something of planetary karma, though as yet he undertakes no responsibility in this connection. Only after the third initiation does he consciously and as an individual cooperate with the karmic responsibility of the planetary Logos. I would here like to point out that I am referring to good karma as well as bad. It is the task of the helping disciple to guide the chela in the Light so that he does adjust his karma. This the senior disciple does by thought impression. All karma, when consciously faced, is precipitated by the power of thought; this is perhaps the major lesson which the senior disciple has to teach the neophyte. In this way the latter is aided to see "in the light" which falls upon his way, and the disciple who is preparing him for the stage of accepted discipleship is in constant touch with the Master. Thus a triangular relationship is set up which is of occult value. If the chela in the Light is truly in earnest and is consciously developing the higher sensitivity, this stage can be relatively short. Two lives sometimes are sufficient to cover

The Six Stages of Discipleship 727 this period. The chela in the Light is one who treads the way of what is called "the lesser revelation"--lesser because it is concerned with the revelation of that which must be done in the personality life; it is not the way of the higher revelation of divinity and its nature. It is the revelation of that which is already manifested and not of what must be manifested. Ponder on this. The searchlight of the soul reveals faults in character, limitations in expression and inadequacies in conduct. These must be intelligently corrected. In the symbolic charts which the guiding disciple presents to the Master twice a year, the effort made along these lines is indicated, not the results; it is effort which counts. The results will be inevitable and commensurate with the effort. When these charts (three in number) are geometrically related and superimposed one upon the other, they indicate a definite ray pattern. Then the Master can gauge the rate and type of development and can determine the time for authorising the senior disciple to recommend the stage of accepted discipleship. When the demand of the aspirant, the guiding disciple's recommendation, the karmic condition and the note which the Master registers coincide in time, then the third stage is reached. I would here again remind you that all these stages are related to work in the Ashram and to the life and vitality of the inner group. This group is composed, as you know, of old and experienced disciples and initiates and also of neophytes in various stages of development and also of disciples, passing through the many different stages of the Path. It is these widely different types of active disciples which bring about the interrelation between the outer and the inner Ashrams, between the objective group upon the outer plane and the very much larger inner group. This brings me to a question which may quite normally arise in the minds of those working in the outer group and loosely related to the inner group: Is the level of the consciousness of the outer Ashram determined by the personnel of that group or by its relation to the whole Ashram of which it forms a relatively small part? When this question is posited by a member of an Ashram, it indicates a definite pre-occupation with the personnel of the group and not with the group as an aspect of some Master's Ashram. Disciples need

728 Discipleship in the New Age to remember that an Ashram is not confined to a few who may know each other and who may even meet together as Ashram members. An Ashram is an international group; it is composed of souls in incarnation and out of incarnation; it is a synthesis of initiates of various degrees and of accepted disciples. The Masters do not regard those who have taken the first initiation as initiates. This is a point which needs re-emphasis. Disciples who have taken the second initiation are regarded as "probationary initiates," and only when they have taken the third initiation are they truly initiate from the standpoint of the Hierarchy. The first initiation is sometimes spoken of as the "Lemurian Initiation" and the second as the "Atlantean Initiation," but the third initiation--that of our Aryan race-- is technically regarded by Them as the first initiation. This is a new angle upon which I would ask you to think. The term, therefore, of Accepted Disciple covers the stages of the first and second initiations; when a disciple has taken the third initiation, he is no longer technically an accepted disciple, even though he still remains in a Master's group until he has taken the fourth initiation. I am pointing out these technicalities so that there may be clarity and proportion in your thinking. An Ashram is, therefore, representative of all stages of unfoldment, from the most advanced to beginners, such as those who read these instructions. The point of importance to each disciple in an Ashram is whether he can step up his consciousness and his conscious response to the ashramic vibration so that he does not hinder the planned activities of the Ashram. Must the senior and the more advanced initiate-disciples halt, or wait and step down their activities so as to give the less advanced the time and opportunity to measure up to them? The question therefore is: Do the senior disciples wait or do the junior disciples hinder? I would assure you that the standard of measurement is not a dead level and I would assure beginners that they cannot hinder the advanced members of an Ashram, but that they can throw themselves out of the sphere of activity, though not out of the group. It is the unready and the untrained who do the waiting, not the ready and the truly dedicated.

The Six Stages of Discipleship 761 caused the depths of sorrow to the Christ when on earth; it was His Own disciples, plus the massed sorrow--spread over the entire cycle of life, past, present and future--of humanity. Disciples gravitate into world groups and many of them are doing far more efficient work than those gathered together into esoteric groups. The advanced accepted disciple has always his own group which he gathers around him for active and creative work. I would remind you of this. The gauge of a disciple's capacity lies in his influence--through pen, word of mouth, and personal influence--upon other people. Under the Law of Correspondence, there is ever a numerical relation with established numerical entities. The six stages of discipleship are naturally related to the six schools of Indian philosophy which were in reality the six "seed schools" for all philosophical surmise and work. There are not six types of Ashrams corresponding to the six stages of discipleship because there are seven Ashrams (one for each ray type) and all the six stages of discipleship are related to all the Ashrams and all the seven ray types express (at some stage of their unfoldment upon the Path of Discipleship) these six steps towards the centre. The centres, as used by the disciple in his unfolding progress, are dependent upon the ray type to a great extent but it is not my intention to take up this subject of the centres in this series of instructions. I shall be dealing with the subject at some length in the final part of A Treatise on the Seven Rays. I would like, however, to make clear at this point that the Master never uses a disciple's centres as distributing agencies for force. In the last analysis, the centres are (when functioning correctly) reservoirs of force and distributors of energy, coloured by specific quality and of a certain note, vibration, and strength. On the final stages of the Path of Discipleship, they are entirely controlled by the soul, via the head centre, but it should be borne in mind that after the fourth initiation and the disappearance of the causal body, there is no form aspect or vehicle which can hold the disciple a prisoner or any way limited. After the third initiation, the lower centres have no control whatsoever over the outer mechanism of response; from

762 Discipleship in the New Age the standpoint of the highest occult training and when the disciple is in the Ashram itself, the centres are viewed as simply channels for energy. Until the time of the third initiation, they assume temporary importance in the training process because it is through them that the disciple learns the nature of energy, its distinction from force and the methods of distribution--the latter being one of the last stages in the training process. The constitution of the ego, or Soul, is the factor of paramount importance to the Master in the task of training the disciple for hierarchical work. This necessarily involves the three higher centres (head, heart and throat). It is with the so-called egoic lotus that He is concerned and this is a point which the disciple is very apt to forget. The soul is pre-occupied with its own life; the details of the personality life (its inadequate expression or shadow in the three worlds) simply make no impact whatsoever upon the soul consciousness. As the violence of the personality life grows, the soul which has been increasingly the recipient of the best the aspiring personality has to offer and which has been slowly turning its attention towards the mind of the personality, becomes also aware of an opposing factor to true soul expression upon the outer periphery of life. Then the battle of the higher pairs of opposites begins--the battle between soul and personality, consciously waged on both sides. That is the point to have in mind. This conflict culminates, prior to each of the first three initiations, in the confronting of the two opponents; the Dweller on the Threshold (of initiation, my brother) and the Angel of the Presence stand face to face. But with that battle, we are not here concerned. We are occupied with the theme of the response to hierarchical energy as embodied in the Master's aura and from thence transmitted to the disciple. The channel or channels of direction (there are three of them) might be expressed thus: I. The Hierarchy. 1. The Master. 2. The Ashram. 3. The soul of the disciple. II. Humanity. 1. The disciple.

Discipleship in the New Age—Vol. II TALKS TO DISCIPLES 17 visualization. This triple activity will test and tax your powers but will be good training in active esoteric work. Re- gard this always as a united group effort and remember that in doing it you aid each other and may facilitate the work to be done at the time of the Wesak moon. I would like to add that the results of this work will not become apparent to you until the full moon of May, and even then you will only (through the synthesis of the two years' work) begin to comprehend the fusing and blending and awakening that your own souls are bringing about. I would ask you also to make a careful record every full Moon--from two days before until two days after the full Moon--of all experiences and visions. Then in June turn in your full moon records along with your other work, for the helping and informing of the group members. Turn them in, my brother, even if there is naught to relate but failure to register anything. I think that there is a certain vagueness in your minds as to the processes which I shall follow in dealing with this group of disciples and in the working out of the experiment hinted at earlier--the experiment of group initiation. I would like, therefore, to make the whole plan clearer and indicate anew the lines along which the training given will go. This might be called the exoteric aspect of the esoteric training, for much must and will transpire upon the inner planes in the inner Ashram about which nothing can be said and which will be individual as well as group expansion. I will outline the outer processes in the order of their present importance, and this in its turn is determined by the group condition--for which you are one and all responsible. I. Definite and planned Meditation. The theme, if I might so call it, of the work will be threefold: a. The interior interrelation of the seven centers in the body will be the objective of the meditation, basing the work upon the occult maxim that "energy follows thought." We have started upon one formula which relates the heart, the higher head center, and the solar plexus.

18 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE b. The subsequent relation of the centers in any one individual to the remainder of the group members, regarding the centers as radiating transmitters of energy to the centers of the other group members. This will result in the forming of seven great centers of energy which will constitute the group centers, fed and enlightened by the energy transmitted by each individual. c. The fusion (consciously undertaken) of the individual soul with the group soul and consequently a conscious rapport with the Hierarchy which is inherently the kingdom of souls. The first meditation affects the three centers in the individual disciple and also, and consequently, his astral body. They can--when related, awakened and functioning, and when the two points in the solar plexus are balanced and "enlightened," a word which I shall frequently use in connection with the centers--evoke response from the love- petals of the egoic lotus. This must happen automatically and need not be regarded as a complicated technicality. Do the required meditation faithfully and correctly and the results will follow spontaneously. II. Unfold to you and reveal the technique of work, preparatory to initiation. I referred to this earlier (in Vol I, Page 99): "As time goes on, I shall bridge between the old techniques and the newer modes of training by using a part of the ancient technique, now becoming somewhat obsolete, and give you hints as to the nature and methods of educating accepted disciples in the processes of initiation." You will note, therefore, that it is my intention to give you such hints. This I shall do from the angle of initiation and in preparation for the second or the third initiation. Bear this in mind. Hitherto I have not taught you from that particular angle, but I have instructed you as accepted disciples in training for preparation--a much earlier stage. These hints I will convey to you in the ancient symbolic formulas which will require much deep reflection on your part and an effort to evoke the intuition and thus arrive at

TALKS TO DISCIPLES 19 the three meanings which they hold for you, and for disciples like you. There are literally seven meanings, but I would advise you to confine yourself to the comprehension of the first three. There will be one meaning for your personality, indicating certain brain and mind realizations which are essential for the right transmission of force upon the physical plane--one of the first things an initiate has to master. There will be the soul meaning which will indicate relation to the Hierarchy, in the same way that the personality significance will indicate relationship to humanity. Then there will be a still higher meaning which will be exceedingly difficult for you to grasp, but for which you must strive and which will necessitate the consciously acquired use of the antahkarana. You will understand, therefore, why the study of the Science of the Antahkarana forms part of my instruction to this group. No major initiation can be taken until there is some measure of conscious use of the antahkarana. The accepted disciple never receives any detailed information or instruction; he is given no list of rules which must govern his daily life and no minute instructions as to what he must do to "take initiation." He receives--at specific "points in time"--according to his success in expanding his consciousness, certain definite hints. These hints have, in the past, been given without calling attention to the fact that they are hints. The disciple either recognized them for what they were and profited thereby, or else he failed to sense their import and so delayed his moving forward. In this group experiment which I am undertaking, I propose to change this somewhat and I shall let you know which are the hints I give, so that together the group may profit by them, stimulated by each presented idea and thus evoke together the overshadowing soul. This will result, eventually, in an inflow of light from the Spiritual Triad via the group antahkarana, constructed of the "rainbow bridge" of each disciple. III. Develop in each of you some measure of telepathic Rapport--to each other, to me, your Master, and the hierarchical Plan. A Master can give no real teaching (by means of stimulation) to His group until there is established by the disciples--as individuals--a proper relation to each other,

TALKS TO DISCIPLES 65 been to Bethlehem and has seen the Star in the East--that star which shines forth in fuller splendour each time another initiation is taken. The difference between such disciples as you and the more advanced initiates is that your basic orientation is different to that of the Masters. They are oriented to Sham- balla; They are relatively unaffected by affairs and happenings in the three worlds even though that is the sphere wherein Their work lies; there is nothing within Them to react to these phases of planetary livingness. Disciples and all initiates below the third initiation are oriented to the Hierarchy. Not the Council Chamber at Shamballa or the Way to the Higher Evolution engrosses their attention, but the life of the Ashram with which they are affiliated and the Way of Initiation. This is a useful point to bear in mind. There is much in them which can and will react to qualities and events within the three worlds, and--from the angle of human consciousness--life for them is very difficult because the dualism of existence is apt to produce violent strain. The extreme psychical tension affecting the Hierarchy puts an undue strain upon the emotions and the mental mechanism of the disciple because he is, as yet, unable to achieve that "quiescent waiting" which distinguishes the higher initiates. The Will of God is not yet adequately factual in his consciousness; he is preoccupied with the attempt to make his personal will synchronise with the spiritual will of the soul--a very different matter. The reorganisation being planned at this time by the Hierarchy and by the ashramic groups affects the personal lives of disciples and their efforts at accepting training; with the proposed changes and with the results of the outer ashramic work they must fall in line and they must accept the changing curriculum. Forget not that disciples in this particular period have to make adjustments which are not easy. They have been taught in terms of the old tradition, perpetuated and summarised by the Theosophical, Rosicrucian and other occult groups; they have had, since 1900, to accept and work with the newer modes of training and the changing forms of teaching applied by the Masters Who take pupils. This has created temporary

TALKS TO DISCIPLES 69 A realisation of these few points which I have chosen to enumerate out of many, will indicate to you the difficulties with which disciples are today confronted--each of you among the many who are also struggling to meet human need in a modern world. As a group of ashramic affiliates, you (together with disciples everywhere) are all reacting to this inflow of energies, and with consequent conflict; with some of you it has produced a definite crisis and one that you have not yet resolved; with one or two of you in this group, it has led to a seething inner turmoil accompanied by an overemphasised introspection. This will be apt (if too protracted) to hinder your exoteric service. It is needless to remark that all of you need to become so sensitive to the quality of my Ashram, and so preoccupied with the opportunity to serve which confronts every disciple these days, that your own personal development, your unique problem (so regarded by you) and your reactions should be forgotten. You need to remember that you are not as interesting to your soul as you may think. From the angle of the Master, it is the ability of the soul to control its instrument, the personality, and to work through it, that is of interest; it is for these types of ability that He looks, and not at the reaction of the personality. This is hard, if not humiliating, for the disciple to remember. The more engrossed he is with his personal responsiveness and capacities, the more impenetrable the barriers he is setting up between himself (upon the physical plane) and his soul; as a result of this, barriers are then being set up between the disciple and the life of the Ashram of which he is intended to form a part. Have this in mind and be, therefore, so occupied with the life of the soul that you have no time for personality introspection. The pure life of the soul will galvanise the centres above the diaphragm into activity, and your lives will become simple and uncomplicated expressions of the second aspect of divinity--of which all Ashrams are focal points. As you know, it is not my intention to give you any more personal instructions; you no longer need them during the rest of this life, because if you carry out those already given

70 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE there will be nothing to hinder your taking the initiation which is for you the next step forward. Do you realise the import of what I am saying? This initiation which confronts you can be taken either during the remaining years which are left to you; this, in the majority of cases is not probable, though a small minority--a very small minority--may achieve the goal. Or initiation may be taken in the interim period between incarnations, or else immediately upon return to physical plane life. This latter is the most probable for those who are not taking initiations higher than the third; and, at present, for that initiation I am not preparing disciples. It is usually regarded as essential that disciples who are taking the second or third initiations should register them in their brain consciousness. As I have often told you, the initiate consciousness is not the factor which requires to be thus recorded; it is seldom so. Recognition of it comes when the candidate is participating in the "esoteric installa- tion" of a candidate into the ranks of the Great White Lodge. What the disciple undergoing initiation (and I choose the word "undergoing" with deliberation) must and eventually does record are the crises which brought about his fitness to take initiation, as it is erroneously called in theosophical circles. These correctly handled and surmounted will result in his being an initiate--a very different interpretation to the current theosophical one. As I often told you, a man is an initiate, prior to any initiation ceremony. The ceremony concerns hierarchical recognition of the disciple and does not concern the candidate's fitness. I find it needful to reiterate this fact. The planetary crises through which the planetary Logos is at this time passing should result in the emergence of many initiates; no true disciple is exempt from the effects of this planetary situation. Inevitably, changes are wrought by the soul in the personal life. When these changes are focused through the lower centres and the lower bodies, the general result is purification and character building. The aspirant is then still upon the Probationary Path. When the disciple is in the position where he can pass through the first three initiations, then the inflowing energies work through the heart,

TEACHINGS ON MEDITATION 121 pictorial and symbolic presentation within the life experience of the disciple of the interrelation and eventual transference of energy from the personality (symbolised by the solar plexus) to the soul (symbolised by the heart centre) and from the soul to the Monad (symbolised by the head centre). These correspondences are of value as they are an argument for the factual nature of the process and they also enable the aspirant to grasp somewhat the nature of the undertaking to which he is committed. Certain aspects of relationship, therefore, emerge into the consciousness of the disciple and at this point in his training the following four relations are of major importance: 1. The relation of the energies, found below the diaphragm and corresponding to the personality life (motivated by desire), and the higher energies found above the diaphragm and motivated by the soul. These are as yet in the case of the average aspirant, practically entirely quiescent and only become a realised activity as the soul establishes increasing control over the disciple. 2. The relation between the two points within the solar plexus itself. These are symbolic also of the personality-soul relationship. One point is awakened, as to the lower life of man; the other point is awakening, as in the case of the aspirant or is totally awakened as is the case of the pledged disciple prior to the second initiation. 3. The relation between the solar plexus and the heart. This is of great importance and serves to clarify the mind of the aspirant because it is symbolic again of the immediate present problem of the personality and the soul. 4. The relation between the ajna centre (between the eyebrows) and the thousand-petalled lotus. When these two centres are correctly related to each other, then the man can take the third initiation at which time the potency of the Monad can begin to make its presence felt, linking heart and head and solar plexus.

126 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE meditation, as I had hoped and asked. I would ask you, therefore, to renew your activity along this line from now until May, when--if you work with tension and achieve results-- I can give you another meditation which will climax the work done and bring another centre into activity. There is little that I can do with you until this meditation work has been patiently and regularly done and produced effective results--from my point of view. I shall not be able to give you another meditation unless you strive afresh, and together, at the daily process outlined by me. This meditation is one of the most important of the steps I shall ever ask you to take in these early preparatory stages of your work. It must precede the more definite training which may be possible if you persevere in the work outlined. I would remind you that this is my last effort with you in this incarnation and on the physical plane. You have put your hand to the plow and there is no turning back for any of you, but the time factor is determined by each of you and not by me. There may be times in the process of training you and preparing you for initiation when you may temporarily fail to understand the reasons for the requests I may make and for the requirements presented to you. Forget not that the aspirant to the Mysteries proceeds blindly in the early stages; only after the third initiation do the scales fall from his eyes. Therefore, follow obediently (though voluntarily) my requests as I endeavour to teach you the ancient rules. Will you also, at this point, study anew the teaching I gave in the earlier instructions on the theme of Visualisation and explained why it is the secret of all true meditation work in its earlier stages? I seek not to repeat, but that teaching is needed by you at this stage. (Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. I. Pages 89-91). In connection with your Full Moon work, I seek to change the process which has been followed by you for so long--the process of entering my study and there contacting me. I will give you another symbolic process which will follow five stages:

TEACHINGS ON MEDITATION 155 tions. On the basis of what I have here said I would ask you also to write a clear statement: 1. Of your understanding of the progressive synthesis of the six meditations which you will have received and of their purpose in connection with your moving forward towards initiation. a. What have these meditations done to you? b. What were they supposed to do? 2. A clear definition of the phrases: a. The Science of Impression, referring here to the mechanism of impression and stating what you know about the technique of impression. b. The "raincloud of knowable thing's. What is the nature of these things? Why the symbol of the raincloud? You will endeavour to bear in mind that the source of these impressions shifts steadily higher or deeper as the case may be, and that for average disciples, such as you, the impressions to be recorded until such time as you have taken the third initiation concern: 1. The ideas, purposes and intentions which motivate the Hierarchy and which are transmitted to you by the Master of your ray and therefore of the Ashram with which you are affiliated. 2. The quality of the inspiration which you can receive and register and which emanates from the Ashram in which you find yourself. This again will have the outstanding characteristics of your ray, though those of the other six rays will also be present, implied and inherent. 3. The nature of the hierarchical mode of work and the methods to be employed in any particular world period such as the present difficult and transitional era.

156 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE You will see from the above how diverse, spiritually speaking, are the impressions to be received by the attentive disciple. The word "diverse" here employed is not of a separative connotation; it signifies the basic unity in diversity and the vastness of the inclusive thinking of the planetary Logos. Achievement, for the disciple, consists (along this line) in a sequential and growing capacity to include in his thinking more and more of the divine conclusions. I use this word in its esoteric significance. It is my intention this year to have you concentrate upon the new Invocation from the point of view that it embodies the divine intent and summarises the conclusions of the thinking of the planetary Logos. It is the most abstract form of meditation with which you have yet been presented. The meaning of this Invocation has been expressed in terms which are understandable, in a measure, to the average person because of its familiar wording, based on many Scrip- tural terms. But the true inner implications and significances are of very deep import and are not superficially apparent. I challenge you to penetrate, through meditation, more deeply into the vital meaning of these words, these amazing words. They embody, as far as is possible in modern language, a formula which has been in possession of the Hier- archy ever since it was founded on Earth, but which is only now available for use, owing to the point in evolution reached by mankind. The wonder of these mantric stanzas is that they are comprehensible to members of the human family and to members of the Kingdom of God. They mean one thing to the ordinary man, and that meaning is good, powerful and useful; they mean another thing to the man upon the Probationary Path, for he attaches to the words a deeper and more esoteric meaning than is possible to the man who is entirely polarised in his lower nature; these words mean still another thing to the disciple affiliated with and functioning consciously in an Ashram; to initiates and to the senior Members of the Hierarchy, they convey a still higher and more inclusive significance. I am anxious to ascertain your reaction to these words, and am asking you for one entire year to concentrate your

TEACHINGS ON MEDITATION 159 archy as it transmits love. Love is an energy which must reach the hearts of men and which must fecundate humanity with the quality of loving understanding--that is what is expressed when love and intelligence are brought together. In the third three lines we find reference to Shamballa --"the Centre where the Will of God is known"--the centre from whence the Hierarchy draws its life, as it draws its impulse towards service from humanity. You well know that there is indication in these lines that humanity itself cannot as yet grasp the purpose of Sanat Kumara. Only advanced Members of the Hierarchy and initiates of at least the third degree (the first degree of the Lodge on Sirius) have any idea as to the nature of the purpose which underlies the Plan. Ponder on that phrasing. Having invoked the three aspects or potencies of Mind, Love, and Will, in the fourth three lines we have indication of the anchoring of all these powers in humanity itself, in "the Centre which we call the race of men." Here and here alone lies the promise of the future and its hope and opportunity. Here and here alone can all the divine qualities--in time and space--express themselves and find fulfillment; here and here alone can love be truly born, intelligence correctly function, and the Will of God demonstrate its effective goodwill. Through humanity, alone and unaided (except by the divine Spirit in every human being), can the "door where evil dwells be sealed." It is not Sanat Kumara who seals that door; it is not the Hierarchy which forces evil back into the place from whence it comes. It is struggling, aspiring and suffering humanity to whom the task is committed and, my brother, humanity is adequate to the task. This statement is borne ever in mind by Those most potent in using the Invocation; it serves to focus and anchor the invoked energies in the human kingdom. That is Their task. From that point, humanity takes over the undertaking. This Invocation is also unique in the sense that it invokes all the three divine aspects. It is synthetic in its approach. This is the first time in human history that this has been done. Hitherto the development of mankind did not warrant such an utterance.

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 245 the crises of initiation. Unless they act upon the proffered instruction and have confidence in His occult intention, all that the Master may say or do is of small usefulness. It serves only to increase grave responsibility with its attendant lia- bilities; knowledge and the pressure of spiritual energy become a danger if not used. This is a basic and important statement. There are, my brothers, two major prerequisites which are needed by all of you in connection with group integration, and they follow upon what you have had earlier when I sought to help you to integrate with your brothers. I gave you, as you will recall, as part of your group meditation the following simple integrating formula: "I am one with my group brothers, and all that I have is theirs. May the love which is in my soul pour forth to them. May the strength which is in me lift and aid them. May the thoughts which my soul creates reach and encourage them." Of the two prerequisites to which I now allude as needed by all of you, one of them refers to your integration into my group of "practicing chelas," and the other relates to your capacity to contact me at will--a thing as yet only permitted to three of you at this time, and this because they seldom avail themselves of the privilege. Our first task is therefore to attend to these requirements which call for a right attitude on your part and the use of the first of the ancient formulas which it is my intention to give for deep consideration and eventual experimental use. Before I give this formula, however, I would like to deal with a question which is bound to arise in the minds of those of you who are senior in this group. The question might be voiced thus: "If I am in preparation for the second or the third initiation, I must have been in a group of disciples--presumably the Tibetan's--for some lives at least. Why then the need for an integrating formula?" Because, my chela, though you have been in a group of disciples prior to this, it was not my group but

246 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE the group of either the Master M. or the Master K.H. Ow- ing to the fact of world urgency and the immensity of the work to be done by Them and owing also to the fact that They are preparing to pass through one of the highest initiations, these two Masters have handed all but a few of Their senior disciples to me and to two other of Their initiate disciples, themselves Adepts or Masters. They have also retained in Their groups of disciples those who have started specific work under Their direction in some previous life, and a few disciples who came into incarnation in this world period having the brain and the mind awakened to their relationship to these Masters. These conditions do not exist in this group in relation to me--the Master chosen to lead you forward. Yet (though you remember it not) all of you knew me well when working with the two Chohans, and hence the decision for you to work under my instruction and guidance. It has worked happily and with no delay so far. Another reason for the use of this formula of integration by those who have had experience of group work is that there are some in the group who are as yet far from true integration, and the experience of the older chelas can be of inestimable help if they will thus to serve the group and me. Much of what I said in the earlier instructions (Vol. I) on the relation of chelas to their Master could well be applied here and with profit. THE FORMULAS There are six ancient formulas or symbolic forms which are to be found in the archives for disciples. They concern the six fundamental prerequisites for initiation. They are used prior to all the major initiations, and have therefore five significances or meanings which will become apparent only as each of these initiations is undergone. They are in the form sometimes of symbols and sometimes of words, and are amongst the oldest formulas in the world. They have been used down the ages by all disciples and initiates of the Great White Lodge. They concern what are called "the six

258 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE changed, and in that changing the plan or purpose of Deity takes on an entirely fresh meaning. The inexperienced neophyte is constantly receiving revelations and recording what he regards as most unusual intuitions. All that is really happening, however, is that he is becoming aware of soul knowledge, whereas for the initiate the intuition is ever the revelation of the purpose of Shamballa and the working out, both from the short range and the long range angle, of the divine Plan. The revelation which is accorded at initiation is given to the soul, recorded by the "mind held steady in the light" and then later--with greater or less rapidity-- transferred to the brain. You can see, therefore, the true intention of the system of Raja Yoga as it trains the mind to be receptive eventually to the Spiritual Triad. You can also see why for centuries the emphasis of the Teachers of the Ageless Wisdom has been upon the necessity for discrimination, particularly where the probationary disciple is concerned. I am at this time carrying the current teaching upon initiation a step forward and am seeking to show that it is not essentially a process of soul-personality fusion (though that has to be a preliminary step) but of monad-personality integration, carried forward because of an attained alignment with the soul. Initiation is in fact the essential and inevitable process of transferring the primary triplicity of manifestation into the basic duality of spirit-matter. It is the "dissolution of the intermediary," and to this the crucifixion and death of the Christ was dedicated and intended to be the revelation, to the initiates of the past 2000 years, of the transmutation of the trinity of manifestation into the duality of purpose. I cannot word this in any other way but the enlightened will comprehend my meaning. The interpreters of the Gospel and many disciples of the Christian dispensation have singularly failed to grasp this revelation; they have laid the emphasis upon the death of the personality, whereas when Christ experienced the "great void of darkness" and chanted aloud the occult mantram "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me," he was recognising simultaneously the distinction between His "robe of glory" (symbolised by the

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 259 partition of His garment by the Roman soldiery) and also calling the attention of all future disciples and initiates to the disappearance of the "middle principle," the soul; He was projecting (into the world consciousness) the recognition which must come of relation to the Father or the Monad. This great dissolution is culminated for us at the time of the third initiation when the Light of the Monad obliterates the light of the soul and the material atomic light of the threefold personality. But--and here is the point--the recognition of this death and its effects is only symbolically enacted and recognised at the time of the fourth initiation, the Crucifixion. All lesser dissolutions, deaths, renunciations and disappearances of that to which the lower nature holds and is held are enacted in relation to the accustomed aspects of form-life, and of conscious sensitivity and awareness; they are simply preparatory to and symbolic of the final great dissolution of the causal body, consummated at the Cruci- fixion. This leads to the resurrection or uprising of the personality-soul consciousness (duly fused and blended) into that of the monad. This is finally carried to the point of solar perfection at the Ascension initiation. I have given you this teaching in terms of the Christian presentation as it may be simpler for you to grasp, but there are many other formulations and approaches to these truths and the newer they are the more difficult necessarily are they to present. Only those who are on the immediate verge of initiation will understand; the others will prefer to interpret these truths to themselves in the easier and well-known formulas of the preparatory stage of the at-one-ing of soul and personality. The stage of recognising the revelation which is accorded to the initiate of the major Mysteries is itself divided into lesser phases. These might be described as three in number though much is dependent upon the initiation to be taken and the ray of the prepared disciple. These are: 1. The Stage of Penetration. This refers to the piercing through the world glamour and thereby effecting two objectives:

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 267

PART III In past instructions we have seen that teaching upon the subject of initiation is given by me (as by all the Masters) in three ways: 1. By Hints. These--if seen and followed--will evoke the intuition. Initiation is never taken unless the intuition is becoming active. Spiritual instinct, the lowest aspect of the intuition, indicates readiness for the first initiation; an illumined mind and spiritual intelligence are the definite sign that a man can take the second initiation, whilst spiritual perception or intuitive instinct signifies pre- paredness for the Transfiguration, the third initiation. 2. By the use of certain great Formulas (one of which has already been given to you) certain definite revelations become possible. These formulas are six in number; they contain the six prerequisites for initiation, and they are sometimes in the form of words and sometimes in the form of symbols. These serve to develop the "initiate hearing" and the "initiate sight." They deal with the six relationships: Formula One ...Deals with integration into an Ashram and is concerned with the revelation of group feeling. It is related to the astral nature. Formula Two ...Deals with alignment. It concerns the revelation of the group antahkarana and is related to the mind nature, in which the antahkarana is anchored. Formula Three ..Deals with certain changes in the soul nature. It is concerned with the relation of time and space, and is therefore related to the Eternal Now. Formula Four ...Deals with the Life aspect. It is concerned with the revelation of the nature of life, and is therefore related to the circulation and interplay of energy.

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 271 shall in the future give anent initiation, its methods, processes and application will appear entirely new. The New Age will bring in eventually a civilisation and a culture which will be utterly different to anything hitherto known. I would remind you here that all civilisations and cultures are externalisations--modified, qualified and adapted to racial and national needs--of the potent, vibrating and planned activity of the world inititates and disciples who constitute the Hierarchy of the time. Their plans, Their thinking and Their living potency pour out ceaselessly and affect the consciousness of Their disciples; these latter step down the inflowing energies so that the thinkers and idealists can grasp these new emerging truths more accurately. Eventually the truths thus grasped change the consciousness of humanity as a whole and raise it--if you like that phrase; thus modes of daily living, civilised methods of conduct and cultural developments eventuate. All this is traceable to the group of initiates upon the inner side who thus serve their fellowmen and carry forward, consciously and with intent, the Law of Evolution. Whilst doing this, They Themselves are preparing to tread the "Way of the Higher Evolution." What that Way is I cannot tell you, for you would be unable to grasp its meaning; it is related to the spiritual condition and purpose of the Monad whose goal is not expansion of consciousness, but of that which such expansions of consciousness will reveal--a very different matter and one which is as yet entirely meaningless to anyone who has not taken the third initiation. Forget not, the Christ and His great Brothers, and all of an even higher initiate-rank than They possess, have a definite goal, but it is one which will only define itself clearly in the third solar system, the system in which the Will of God is the dominant idea, as the Love of God conditions this system in which we now function. But this is not consciousness or awareness; it is a stage of Being which is connected with the Law of Sacrifice--the law which governs those states of being which grow out of the establishment of right human relations. Purpose can only be revealed and understood when such right relations are the firmly fixed habits of all "points of

282 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE understanding. These give him insight into the plan. The power which he can bring to the task is drawn from his comprehension of the purpose of the planetary Logos and this expansive and all-inclusive work is entered into in graded sequences and carried forward under the influence of the initiate's expanding awareness and his growing sensitivity to impression. I am seeking here to divorce your minds from the id’e fixe that the initiate works because he knows. I would reverse the statement and say he knows because he works. There is no point of attainment at which the Initiator says to the initiate: Now you know, and therefore you can work. Rather it is: Now you serve and work, and in so doing you are em- barked upon a new and difficult voyage of discovery; you will discover reality progressively and arrive at whole areas of expression, because you serve. Resulting from this service, certain powers and energies will manifest, and your ability to use them will indicate to you, to your fellow initiates and to the world that you are a worker, fully conscious upon the inner side of life. The initiate works from his place upon that inner side. During the early stages of the initiatory process he works in the world of meaning. After the third initiation he works consciously in the world of causes, until such time as he is advanced enough to work in the world of being. The aspirant is endeavouring to grasp the purpose of the world of meaning and to apply the knowledge gained to his daily life with understanding. The disciple is endeavouring to comprehend the significance of the world of causes and to relate cause and effect in a practical manner. The initiate of higher degree utilises the potencies of these three worlds of meaning, cause and being to implement the purpose of Sanat Kumara. These differences are not hard and fast, with clear lines of demarcation; life is fluid and moving and the points of attainment are myriad in number and progressing forward all the time, but the general picture will serve to carry your thoughts away from the "trappings of initiation," from the colouring and the unimportant, so-called facts (actual and

283 TEACHINGS ON INITIATION imagined) which have been so much emphasised by the occult groups and leaders and which have been held out as inducements to would-be disciples. I would have this group which I am training forget the details about initiation as presented so oft by the mystery monger and the emotional person, and concentrate upon the far more factual realities of meaning, cause and being. The old and outworn presentations were the product of the concrete mind, and are therefore crystallising in their effects and distorting in their results; they are also evocative of spiritual selfishness and isolation, as well as of astral curiosity. The new approach which I seek to indicate makes its appeal to the abstract mind and to the soul, whose values are sound, and eventually to the intuition; it is not so colourful an appeal as far as the personality is concerned, but it will produce more creative results and lead the neophyte along a safer road, with fewer disappointments and failures. THE FORMULAS The idea of meaning, cause and being underlies the symbology or the significance of the formula with which we are concerned in this instruction. I have pointed out to you before the difficulty of putting these ancient symbols or symbolic writings into such form that they can convey meaning through language. This difficulty is wellnigh insurmountable in connection with this third formula. The reason for this is that this formula has been preserved as sounds or (if I may use so ambiguous a phrase) as trumpeted words. It has not been committed to inscription as have the two previous symbolic formulas which you have already received. All that I can do is to give you a meaning (as far as I myself can understand and you can grasp) of these great sounds or chords, massed together and interspersed with certain very ancient phrases. You know yourselves how difficult it is to express the significance of the sound OM. This is a still more difficult task; little human thinking has been applied as yet to this Formula but much has been given to the Sacred Word. Until some thought has been applied to what I shall now attempt

284 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE to give you it is no easy matter to find the words to express the underlying idea--the idea you can contact at your present point of development. This third formula concerns Time and the consciousness of the spiritual man who is unaware of separation, of divisions in time and space or of the spell of the Great Illusion. It deals with the fact of immortality and with the unshatter- able continuity of consciousness and life. It is this formula which--at the third initiation--produces the transfiguration which comes when the Eternal Now is realised and when the continuity of awareness and of identity is seen as an aspect of Being. This formula has been called by one of the Masters "the seed of all philosophies," and in that phrase you may find light on the subject--provided you know what philosophy is! To the initiate who uses this formula, creating the necessary sounds and enunciating the ancient words in due place (and these I may not give you), the following six thoughts are emphasised in his consciousness; these six thoughts will give you the intent of the formula as clearly as is possible. It is not possible to convey to you the true beauty of the concepts, but if you will have in mind the thought of meaning as light on life, of cause as the breath of experience, and of Being as the initiator of all that is, then some vision may come, some dream arise in your consciousness, and some power of accomplishment pour in. The Masters use this formula when faced with death in some form or another (and these words must be used literally). I refer not to death as it may affect Them, but to death as it affects God's created universe, producing release or finality, or opening the door to new life and closing the door on a cycle of manifestation, a civilisation or a race or nation. Here, therefore, are the six conditioning thoughts which the initiate holds in his consciousness when using the formula--a formula which is older than the Stanzas of Dzyan: 1. God IS. The Lord for aye stands firm. Being exists alone. Naught else is. 2. Time IS. Being descends to manifest. Creation is.

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 289 The second point made, based upon the occult platitude that "energy follows thought," should carry inspiring implications to the earnest disciple, if he truly considers the statements made and regards them of practical application. Two things, I told you, are the result of thought, and though these may be mentally grasped by the intelligent disciple, they are very seldom understood. They are: 1. Thought generates energy commensurate with the potency of the thinking, and qualified by the theme of the thinking. You will see from this, therefore, some of the implications contained in the meditation I have assigned you. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" is a statement of the Christ. From that demonstrating personal centre of thought, energy will stream down into the physical brain, via the etheric body. It will then condition the type of living, the expression and the influence of the man upon the physical plane. 2. As a result of focussed thinking "in the heart" the spiritual eye opens and becomes the directing agent, employed consciously by the initiate whilst doing his work under the Law of Sacrifice. What is meant here by the words, "in the heart"? The soul is the heart of the system of the spiritual man; it is the seat of the life and consciousness which animate the personality, and it is the motivating potency in every incarnation, according to the experience conditioning the expression of the spiritual man in any particular rebirth. In the early stages of experience, this "eye" remains closed; there is present no capacity for thought and no ability to think in the heart; i.e., from soul levels. As the intellect develops and the power to focus upon the mental plane grows, the fact of the soul's existence becomes known and the goal of attention changes. There follows the ability to focus in the soul- consciousness and so to fuse the soul and the mind that an at-one-ment takes place and a man can then begin to think "in his heart." Then also the "eye of the soul" opens and energy from soul levels, intelligently utilised, becomes directed from those levels and pours into what is now

290 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE ambiguously called "the third eye." Immediately the personality in the three worlds begins to express itself as the soul upon the physical plane, and will, purpose and love begin to control. These two paragraphs are of importance to the disciple and warrant careful attention. As these developments take place, the spiritual will steadily grows into the directing agent, using the right eye as the distributing agent for the energy of love, animated with will. This is why the right eye has been called, in the esoteric teaching, "the eye of buddhi." This directing agent uses the left eye as the instrument for the distribution of the mental energy of the personality--now illumined and sublimated. Having these thoughts in mind, I would call your attention to the entire theme of vision which necessarily underlies our consideration of the points of revelation. It is simple to recognise that in the head of the developing aspirant there is a mechanism of great potency, capable of controlling the life of the personality. There is: 1. The third eye, not the pineal gland but its etheric correspondence. This is the responsive mechanism to the directing eye of the soul. 2. The right eye and the left eye, which take the incoming energy, symbolically speaking, and divide it into two streams which are the correspondence in etheric matter of buddhi-manas. a. Right eye ... spiritual energy. Buddhi. Pure reason. Understanding. b. Left eye .... mental energy. Manas. Thought substance. It is the conscious use of these energies and the intelligent utilisation of this triple mechanism which is the goal of the initiate up to the third initiation. He learns consciously to direct force in the correct manner through the needed organ, doing so as the soul working in full consciousness on its own level, but so fully identified with the personality that the

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 291 mechanism (now developed within the personality) can be used in the work of the Hierarchy. Let me now expand the concept further, reminding you of the phrase so oft employed, "the All-seeing Eye." This refers to the power of the planetary Logos to see into all parts, aspects and phases (in time and space) of His planetary vehicle, which is His physical body and to identify Himself with all the reactions and sensitivities of His created world and to participate with full knowledge in all events and happenings. Through what medium does He, on His own high levels, do this? Through what mechanism does He thus "see"? What is His organ of vision? What is the nature of the sight whereby He contacts the seven planes of His manifested universe? What is the organ, employed by Him, which corresponds to the third eye in man? The answer is as follows: the Monad is to the planetary Logos what the third eye is to man; this will become clearer to you if you will bear in mind that our seven planes are only the seven subplanes of the cosmic physical plane. The monadic world--so-called-- is His organ of vision; it is also His directing agent for the life and light which must be poured into the phenomenal world. In the same way, the Monad is to the personality in the three worlds, also the source of its life and light. There are, therefore, three organs of revelation, as far as the spiritual man is concerned: 1. The human eye, giving "in-sight" into the phenomenal world, letting in the light, and bringing revelation of the environment. 2. The eye of the soul, bringing revelation of the nature of the interior worlds, of the kingdom of God and of the divine plan. 3. The centre within the One Life which we call by the unmeaning word "Monad," the spark within the one Flame. In the final stages of initiation, the Monad becomes the revealer of the purpose of God, of the will of the planetary Logos and of the door which opens on to the Way of the Higher Evolution. This Way leads a man off the cosmic physical plane on to the cosmic

292 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE astral plane, and therefore into the world of divine sentiency of which we can have no possible understanding, but for which the development of consciousness has given us the initial steps. Man has learnt to use the physical eye and to find his way, by its means, around and through his environment. The stage in human evolution wherein he learnt first to "see" lies far behind, but when man saw and could focus and direct his course by sight, it marked a stupendous unfoldment and his first real entrance upon the Path of Light. Ponder on this. It has also interior repercussions and was indeed the result of an invocative interplay between inner centres of power and the groping creature in the phenomenal world. Man is now learning to use the eye of the soul, and as he does so he brings its correspondence in the head also into functioning activity; this produces fusion and identification, and brings the pineal gland into action. The major result, however, is to enable the disciple to become aware, whilst in the physical body, of a new range of contacts and percep- tions. This marks a crisis in his unfoldment of as drastic and important a nature as the attaining of physical sight and the use of the physical eye was in the unfoldment of the curious creature which antedated the most primitive animal man. Things unknown can now be sensed, searched for and finally seen; a new world of being stands apparent, which has always been present though never before known; the life, nature, quality and the phenomena of the kingdom of souls, or of the Hierarchy, become as patent to his vision and as real as is the world of the five physical senses. Then later, upon the Path of Initiation, the initiate develops his tiny correspondence to the planetary "All-seeing Eye." He unfolds the powers of the Monad. These are related to divine purpose and to the world in which Sanat Kumara moves and which we call Shamballa. I have impressed upon you elsewhere that the state of being of the Monad has naught to do with what we call consciousness; in the same way, there is naught in the world of Shamballa which is of the same nature as the phenomenal world of man in the

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 293 three worlds, or even of the soul world. It is a world of pure energy, of light and of directed force; it can be seen as streams and centres of force, all forming a pattern of consummate beauty, all potently invocative of the world of the soul and of the world of phenomena; it therefore constitittes in a very real sense the world of causes and of initiation. As man the human being, man the disciple, and man the initiate gradually move onward on the stream of life, revelation comes step by step, moving from one great point of focus to another until naught more remains to be revealed. In all these spiritual points of crisis or of opportunity for vision, for fresh spiritual in-sight for revelation (for that is what they are in reality), the thought of struggle is the first one to warrant attention. I used, in this connection, the words "stage of penetration"; the thought which this conveys to the initiate understanding signifies an extension of the struggle which the neophyte makes in order to achieve inner control, and then to use the mind as a searchlight so as to penetrate into new fields of awareness and of recognition. Forget not that recognition involves right interpretation and right relation to that which is seen and contacted. Into all revelation enters the concept of "whole vision" or a synthesis of perception, and then comes recognition of that which is visioned and perceived. It is the mind (the common sense, as it used to be called) which utilises the physical senses of perception, and through their united contribution gets a "whole vision" and a synthesis of perception of the phenomenal world, according to man's point of development, his mental capacity to recognise, rightly interpret and rightly relate that which has been conveyed to him by the activity of the five senses. This is what is meant when we use the phrase "the mind's eye," and this ability is the common possession of humanity in varying degrees of availability. Later, man uses the "eye of the soul," as we have noted above; it reveals to him a world of subtler phenomena, the kingdom of God or the world of souls. Then the light of the intuition pours in, bringing the power to recognise and rightly interpret and relate. As the disciple and the initiate progress from stage to

294 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE stage of revelation, it becomes increasingly difficult to make clear not only what is revealed, but also the processes of revelation, and the methods used to bring the stage of revelation about. The vast mass of mankind throughout the world have no clear idea as to the function of the mind as an organ of vision illumined by the soul; still fewer, only the disciples and initiates, are able to glimpse the purpose of the spiritual eye and its functioning in the light of the intuition. When we come, therefore, to the great organ of universal revelation, the monadic principle, functioning through the medium of an extra-planetary light, we enter realms which are indefinable and for which no terminology has been created, and which only initiates above the third degree are able to consider. With the sequential stages of polarisation and precipitation I will not today deal. I am desirous that you grasp as far as may be, the idea of penetration, of the struggle involved and the instrument available in the struggle to see, to perceive and to register impression. What I have given you at this time will provide much ground for thought. Further instruction along this line would be unprofitable until such time as the inner mechanism of progressive revelation is more clearly defined in your consciousness and is at least theoretically understood and hypothetically accepted. If you will think with clarity and with spiritual brooding upon this subject during the coming year, it may be possible for me greatly to enlarge upon the matter in my next instruction. PART V I would like in this instruction, my brothers, to make certain suggestions to you anent the approach to discipleship that humanity is making and the approach to initiation which disciples in every country and of all schools of thought and of religious persuasion are today making. I have told you in many places that the techniques for training disciples are changing in order to conform to the rapid progress being made in mass orientation, and that a new light upon the en-

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 319 the Master would say to a disciple: "Here is a hint" and, having stated it, He would proceed to enjoin upon His disciple the necessity to withdraw and search for the true meaning until he found it; then, and only then, could he return for a consequent new hint. Today, this method is no longer being used, and this change constitutes one of the modes of training the disciples of the New Age. The modern disciple has to recognise the hint which is related to his point in consciousness and which is to be found in the mass of instruction made available for his use. He has to seek for the--to him--most deeply esoteric statement he encounters in the current teaching; from this isolated hint he has to abstract the significance after removing it from its context; later he must learn and profit from its meaning. The hints given at this stage are related to the theme of revelation, or they concern themselves with the techniques which make revelation possible. The hint, for instance, with which you can work until you receive the next sequence of teaching is contained in this paragraph and the one above; you can discover it if you take each phrase, release your intuition and seek for meaning and significance related to the possibility of revelation. My one effort today is to indicate the relation between initiation and revelation. The revelation-- induced by right orientation and right thinking--is a part of the training of the initiate, and many thus in training delay their progress by not recognising the revelation when it tops the line of their spiritual horizon. Five hints have already been given to you, and I would like you to get their sequence, for it may prove valuable to you and to other disciples: 1. That the changes brought about in the Hierarchy have been the work of the disciples of the world. Have you asked yourself (in studying this hint), Why the disciples? 2. That human world planning is today the first indication of the emergence of the will aspect. Why is this rightly so?

320 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE 3. That disciples in all the Ashrams have the task simultaneously of "modifying, qualifying and adapting the divine Plan." Why is this so? Why is the Plan not imposed? 4. That the initiate knows because he works. What does this hint mean to you? 5. A key to the correct interpretation of a hint lies in its association with the idea of direction in time and space. Study these and see what is their relationship and what you feel is the inner meaning which they are intended to convey. THE FORMULAS It might sometimes be remarked that these formulas are attempts by advanced aspirants to confine within due limits some of these escaped revelations. They express a past, indicate a revelation, and ground the thinking aspirant in the world of meaning because it is in that world that he must learn to work and live; it is from that world that he must begin now to work in two directions in time and space, for the world of meaning is the antechamber to the "Circle of Liberation." This "Circle of Liberation" is ever entered by the individual initiate, and has been down the ages, but now, for the first time, it is being entered by humanity itself and as a whole. This is the result of the experience of the war, 1914-1945. Humanity, entering this circle, will be confronted by the first major lesson: the Unity of the One Life. This form of presentation will be more easily recognised by the masses than such phrases as Brotherhood, Relationship, Fra- ternity. Life and its balancing partner, Death, are old and familiar aspects of general livingness to the masses, and their starting point in all revelation is life, and the result of all revelation is death or the disappearance of veils. The formula with which I present you today consists of three closely related words, and the theme with which the student must concern himself is the nature of the relationship which is indicated--not by the words but by the very

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 321 nature of that which relates them. This is not an obvious relation but the esoteric and subtle meaning which the intuition will reveal and that the outer words hide. THE SUN...BLACK...ANTAHKARANA These words constitute, and when placed in their correct order create, a most potent magical and mantric formula. It has a tenuous yet definite connection with the third initiation, but it is not this angle with which you are asked to concern yourselves but with the triangle created and the lines of force set in motion when the right word finds itself at the apex of the triangle. The clue to rightly orienting your thinking lies in the realisation of the threefold aspect of the Sun, the unity of the reality and the dual nature of the antahkarana. More I must not say; it is for you to wrestle with the formula and unearth or bring to the surface its hidden significance. In line with the hints given in connection with the other four formulas, the keynote of this one would be: Lead us from the individual to the Universal. POINTS OF REVELATION I would like at this point to call more directly to your attention the three stages of revelation; you have been dealing with them and considering them, if you have succeeded in following this work closely, and may already have achieved something of the automatic and the essential in their activity. Revelation seldom breaks in all its completed beauty into the consciousness of the disciple; it is a gradual and steadily unfolding process. The three words I have given you as descriptive of the stages concern the individual disciple or initiate and express the stages of the impact of the revelation upon his mind. There are paralleling inner causes which are responsible for the outer stages of Penetration, Polarisa- tion and Precipitation. These are:

330 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE entering disciple so that it is adjusted to his point of development and to his ray and nature. The group of disciples within the Ashram who are of equal development with the new disciple, act as a safeguarding group, and this is true, no matter what the degree, where higher incoming energy is concerned. When a disciple is temporarily bewildered, this safeguarding becomes a major necessity, and where glamour is present in a disciple's life, it places a real strain upon his co-disciples. They have to share the charge and shoulder unitedly the protection; it is not the task of the Master, but is carried forward under His interested and wise instruction. This ashramic sharing is one of the great compensations of discipleship. By means of it added light can be "occultly endured." I would like to have you ponder on that phrase. Great united strength can be brought to the service of the Plan, and the occult significance of the words: "My strength is as the strength of ten, because my heart is pure" can be grasped. The perfected strength of the Ashram (symbolised by the number 10) becomes available to the disciple whose purity of heart has enabled him to penetrate into the Ash- ram; his knowledge becomes more rapidly transmuted into wisdom as his mind is subjected to the play of the higher understanding of Those with Whom he is associated; gradually he begins to contribute his own quota of light and of understanding to those just entering and to those who are his equals. The strength, availability and usefulness of an Ashram is that of the sumtotal of all that its members can contribute, plus that which Those above the third degree of initiation can "import" from still higher sources or the Masters of the Ashrams can make available at need. Students are apt to think that an Ashram has only one initiate of the fifth degree (that of Master) within it. Such is seldom the case. There are usually three "cooperating Masters" in every Ashram, with one at the apex of the triangle; He acts as the Master of the Ashram and is responsible for the preparation of disciples for initiation; frequently there are also "associated Masters," particularly during cycles of rapid initiation as is the case

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 331 today. There are also Masters Who are preparing for the sixth initiation. This "sharing" process does not involve what is usually understood as the "sharing of trouble." Personality difficulties and personality problems are not permitted entrance into an Ashram; only evolutionary limitations and lack of perfection (limitations in soul expression, indicating the grade or stage of discipleship) are recognised. If, however, disciples act or react in a way that brings attack upon the Ashram, that is naturally recognised, but these issues are fortunately very rare; they may become more common as the spiritual inspiration to which humanity is now subjected and reacting brings far greater numbers of disciples into relation with the Hierarchy. In the case where a disciple has opened a door of attack upon an Ashram--and this has happened, as you know, in the case of my Ashram--the work of the united disciples is to "seal the door" against the menacing evil, to withdraw themselves from the usual confidence shown to an erring disciple, but to stand at the same time in steadfast love beside him until such time as he has learned the error of his ways and has himself taken the needed steps to arrest the evil which he was responsible in starting. It must be remembered that none of this is a personality or an individual attack upon an Ashram. The relatively feeble efforts of a person are unavailing and make no real impact upon the conscious life of the Ashram. The evil released must emanate from a group, though it is released through the agency of an individual disciple. That is a totally different matter. A disciple may do this through misuse of the lower mind and its rationalising capacity, which can make black to appear white and prove that good intention is responsible for evil-distributed energy; or the disciple can let in evil under the influence of glamour, provided again that it is group evil. In these ways, the disciple simply turns the key, and group evil enters. For instance, the harm done to the Ashram of the Master Morya by H.P.B. in his earlier incarnation as Cagliostro,* is only now fading out, and its ------------------ *Cagliostro, W.R.H. Trowbridge.

332 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE repercussions affected the whole Hierarchy. The harm attempted on my Ashram has been more easily offset, and the source of hate which it represented failed in its attempt because of its general ill repute. It has been offset by love and understanding which is not so easily the case in a first ray attack. In an Ashram, therefore, the sharing takes place along the following lines: a. The sharing in individual limitation but not in individual problems or personality difficulties. b. The sharing in the "art of occult protection." This involves two activities: the protection of limited disciples and the protection of the Ashram from attempted attacks or intrusions. c. The sharing in the service of the Plan, resulting in action in the three worlds. d. The sharing in the Ashramic life, with all that that signifies, and in the opportunities which are thus presented. e. The sharing in the stimulation which comes from the Master's Presence and in the instructions which He occasionally gives. f. The sharing in the accession of power or love or insight which comes during any cycle of initiation. These cycles (for our purposes) fall into three categories: 1. The initiation of members of the Ashram, either before the Christ or before the One Initiator. 2. Initiations taking place within affiliated Ashrams and having a specific ray effect. 3. Initiations into those degrees which are higher than the fifth degree; these create vacancies, and at the same time cause a tremendous influx of power. At the period of these cycles, all within the Ashram react in some way or another; no one moves forward upon the Path without creating a new relationship and becoming a better transmitter of power. g. The sharing in the results of special spiritual events, such as:

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 337 Group initiation has been forced upon the Hierarchy by the rapid unfoldment of the spiritual consciousness in humanity, an unfoldment which demonstrates--no matter what the ray--as goodwill. This goodwill is not to be interpreted as the sentimental sixth or second ray untrained aspirant is prone to interpret it. It can take many forms: it can show itself as sacrifice on the part of science and a dedication of the fruits of scientific research to human welfare; it may take shape in the third ray aptitude to dedicate great wealth to philanthropic or educational enterprises. In neither of these cases is the disciple apparently distinguished by a so- called loving nature. Yet the results of their application to science or their accumulation of the crystallised prana of the financial world are turned to the helping of mankind. This will be a hard saying for some of you who rate an irritable remark by a co-disciple as something disgraceful and belittle the efforts of the money-maker, and do both with a sense of self-righteous congratulation. The old saying that "the evil which men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones" is not occultly true. Evil may follow after a man in his next incarnation until he has learnt to eliminate it, but the good men do (even with mixed motives) is not forgotten but is entered upon the calendar of the Hierarchy. Before the end of this century, thousands will stand before the Initiator and take initiation in group form; they will pass through the door of initiation together and together take their vows. This statement applies to the second and the third initiations. The higher initiations will still be taken individually or in groups of three, but not more. When the Masters take the sixth initiation, They perforce take it alone at the "midway point" between Shamballa and the Hier- archy, apparently deserted by both attentive groups. There, in complete silence and in a condition of "isolated unity," They will make Their great decision. Then and only then will They become aware of the vast attentive spiritual audience which has awaited Their will. 5. Initiation concerns the future and involves prevision. Again I must repeat myself and say that this theme or motif

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 369 ception of that which lies permanently within the consciousness of the Hierarchy. As we consider these revelations, I would like to take them up with you from a somewhat new angle; I would ask you to remember that the concept of Light must always be established by you mentally, alongside that of the revelation itself. I would ask you also to remember that I am dealing with revelations which are no longer true revelations, because they have been formulated by the initiates of today and made visible in words. Revelation is therefore, as far as you are concerned, of two kinds: 1. Those that have been recognised and perceived in the past and (consequently) have been "reduced to words" --using the phrase in its occult and limiting significance. 2. Those that are as yet unrevealed to any except those who have taken the fourth initiation. The three points of revelation (indicated by me) can usefully be related by you to the first three initiations, though they necessarily have an interpretation appropriate to all the initiations. Let me express for you here--in their briefest form--the four points of Revelation already indicated, and then "in the Light" let us consider them as suggested earlier. 1. Energy follows thought and the eye directs the energy. Involves the physical plane. Relates to the first initiation. Concerns the ajna center and the so-called third eye. 2. The will is an expression of the Law of Sacrifice. Involves the astral plane. Relates to the second initiation. Concerns the heart center, the "advancing point of Light." 3. The Monad is to the planetary Logos what the third eye is to man.

370 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE Involves the mental plane. Relates to the third initiation. Concerns the head center, the light of Purpose. 4. Purpose itself is only an energy, released within the confines of the Council Chamber. There it must take shape. Involves the buddhic or intuitional plane. Relates to the fourth initiation. Concerns the throat center. Light upon the Path. There follows next the fifth revelation, which is as follows: 5. When the light of the seven Rays is blended with that of the seventh Ray, then light supernal can be known. Involves the atmic plane. Relates to the fifth and sixth initiations. Concerns the alta major centre. Extra-planetary light. You will see therefore, brother of mine, how very abstruse these apparently simple statements anent revelation can be. As I have formulated them above, they indicate the revelation in its primary and initiatory individual recognition; the meaning is, however, far greater than appears, and is in reality related to the unfolding purpose of the planetary Logos, involving the planetary Council. All that I have here given you in connection with the seven centers (if brought into relation with all that I have given you in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire) will afford you some general idea of the various planetary sigificances. This I have personally no time to do, even if it were desirable, but it will be obvious that what I have indicated along the line of correspondences must be true, for the ancient truism "as above, so below" holds eternally good, and it is the task of the Hierarchy to demonstrate this. The relation of the microcosm to the macrocosm can never be broken, and that relationship is deeply involved in these five points of revelation.

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 371 It has been occultly stated that: "The five points of the five-pointed star are pyramids of ascension and, at the summit of each point--hidden within the emanation rays--lies a point of revelation, off- setting the radiation but preserving the deeply seated magnetism. Thus is there symbolised the going forth, the coming back and the point of peace, surrounded by activity." I will endeavour (as we consider these points of revelation) to express as far as may be this relationship of the smaller to the great, of the part to the whole, and of the five points of spiritual contact upon the physical plane (outlets for the energy generated in the planetary centres) with the sumtotal of the means of expression. These centres are brought into expression--as far as the points of revelation are concerned-- at their respective initiations: 1. The ajna centre. 2. The heart centre. 3. The head centre. 4. The throat centre. 5. The alta major centre. I say not that these five exits for planetary energy are the planetary centres, for they are not: I say that they are the points through which the energy of a planetary centre is directed in the service of humanity at this particular time. The centres of the planetary Logos are necessarily directed in their inflow, and outflow from Shamballa: they are expressions of the Purpose underlying the creative evolutionary process. The five corresponding exits are those which, in this cycle, disperse the energy--generated by the Hierarchy, under the inspiration of the divine Purpose and directed towards the carrying out of the Plan. It is wise to remember that the Plan is as much of the divine Purpose as can be brought into expression upon the planet--under the Law of Evolution and the tension of this

372 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE planetary crisis through which we are passing at this time-- or at any one time or particular epoch in time and space. Let us now consider these points of revelation so as to gain from them some real understanding: The First Point of Revelation: Energy follows thought and the eye directs the energy. We are not dealing here with the simple statement that thought power is an energy and that the process of thinking generates automatically an energy which produces objective forms, induces related action, and is the source therefore of all that appears or manifests. That is a platitude today, and humanity is increasingly aware of the subjective power of thought and of its consequences--objective realisation. We are to concern ourselves with that which lies behind the mental perception of the ordinary man and with the revelation which comes to the initiate disciple as he stands within the ashram and perceives--as a result of the initiatory process==the nature of the divine Plan, as it can be seen working out on various planes of our planetary existence. There are three things which the initiate notes as the new panorama unfolds in flashing light before him: 1. The point of tension which precedes revelation. There is much to be considered in relation to tension as the forerunner of initiation and its subsequent revelation. 2. The stillness by which the revealing vision is surrounded, if I may so inadequately express the idea. The revelation is given to the initiate as if there was nothing in all the world but himself (a point of tension) and a vortex of force which takes form before his eyes, revealing to him an inevitable but future activity. 3. The level upon which the revelation (apprehended at the highest possible point of consciousness for the initiate) must eventually be materialised or brought into being. Initiation is always taken on levels of consciousness higher

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 373 than the mental, and the initiate must not only realise the significance of the revelation but must also know the sphere of activity of which it will be the inspiration. I would have you ponder on the wording of this last sentence. Each of the five points of revelation indicates to the initiate: procedure, location and objective. Each is therefore susceptible of many and varied interpretations; these are dependent upon the initiatory status of the disciple. With these we cannot deal, because it would entail the writing of another complete treatise and this would also be largely incomprehensible to the uninitiated reader. I can, however, give you some ideas anent the five points of revelatton which I have indicated, leaving your intuition to wrestle with their Import--or leaving it to your imagination if the intuition is not yet creatively active; it must always be remembered that the imagination is the seed of the intuition, because that which is not existent somewhere within our apparently complex planetary system cannot be imagined. In connection with the aphorism that energy follows thought, I would have you relate this concept to the Science of Impression, bearing ever in mind that the Masters of the Wisdom work in three ways as They endeavour to implement the divine Plan: 1. They formulate, deliberately and in line with Their fixed intention, those thoughtforms which must be "impressed" upon the substance of the level of consciousness desired. 2. These living forms of thought are then occultly energised and become centers of energy or reservoirs of energy, with the original thoughtform as the creative source at the center. These thoughtforms and this generated energy are held steady within the aura of the Master or of a group of Masters. 3. The energy is then projected on to a particular plane or into the mind consciousness of those disciples who are en rapport with the Master, or of those groups of disciples or aspirants who are working in close association with some hierarchical group. If I say to you that the initiated disciple uses the ajna centre, I am only stating a partial

374 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE truth; many of the Masters work through no physical or etheric mechanism whatsoever, but utilise what might be termed "a point of projection" within the ashram; this is a point of sevenfold contact, available at all times for the use of all those initiates who have taken the third initiation. They work consequently from that high place within the Hierarchy and do not need to employ the ajna centre or any other center within the etheric body. Writing as I am, for disciples and initiates who have not yet taken the third initiation and who are still "confined" within physical vehicles, the information that the "eye directs the energy" is sure and far more easily understood. From the angle of our studies, the revelation accorded to the initiate relates to the carrying forward of the divine Plan upon the physical plane and to the implementation of the will of Shamhalla, through the medium of disciples and aspirants and of advanced humanity, working--consciously or unconsciously--in our modern world. Down upon the level of daily living, disciples are today learning three thitrgs: the Technique of Impression, the generating of energy, and the use of the ajna centre. Many are responsive to impression, but fail to recognise or use the energy of which the impression is simply the forerunner; others respond to the energy, but fail to register the Plan which it is intended to implement, and the energy then leads to great but fruitless activity. Still others are learning to use the center between the eyebrows, standing as silent and poised recipients controlling the third eye, the directing agent of the received energy. It must be carefully borne in mind that the energy to be used is not the energy which the disciple himself generates or his own life force, but is something different, something which he has received from the Hierarchy and of which he is simply the agent or channel. He has therefore to learn to distinguish between the various energies he contacts. The initiate has to master the techniques of differentiating between: 1. His own energy or energies, which have been generated

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 375 as the result of his life experiences down the ages or centuries. 2. His ray energy which, rightly used, conditions his work with and for the Hierarchy. 3. The energy of the ashram of which he may avail himself in the process of carrying out activities--initiated by impression. In the early stages he calls this the energy of his Master, but learns later that it is--in reality--the energy generated by his Master's group, the ashram. 4. Hierarchical energy or the energy of certain associated ashrams or of the entire group of Ashrams, the Hier- archy itself. The use of this highly qualified and most potent energy can only be employed when the disciple has earned the right to certain privileges and can be trusted to use the potencies correctly. 5. The energy of the Head of the Hierarchy, or the Christ force, as it is sometimes called. This force imports into the usually available energies certain conditioning qualities which emanate from Shamballa, and are therefore related to the Will aspect. This type of force has not hitherto been available to working disciples but is now available, having been released at the Wesak Festival of this year (1948): Even now it can be used only by highly trusted disciples, and usually by those only whose rays are the first Ray of Power or Will or the second Ray of Love-Wisdom. These will be the rays of one or other of the two major vehicles--that of the soul and that of the personality. There are naturally exceptions to this rule, and these exceptions will be increasingly numerous as time speeds by; but in the present time, first and second ray vehicles provide the line of least resistance. The first Point of Revelation has necessarily an unique relation to the physical plane, to the hierarchical workers in physical bodies, and to those who consciously use the ajna centre. The number of those who can work with the energy of thought is now very great, because so many hundreds of thousands have taken the first initiation. This becomes clear when you realise the untold numbers of those who are defi-

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 383 stages of discipleship or initiation? What you really mean when you ask this question is: Is the group--composed as it is of individuals--taking the same initiation? Are all its members at exactly the same point in evolution? By no means. A group should be (and is) composed of individuals at varying points of development; some may be preparing for the second initiation; others may be in training for the third initiation, and a few may be ready for the fourth or the fifth initiation. The nature of the initiation to be undergone is known only to the disciple and his Master; it is of no interest to the group itself; the diversity of the initiations for which preparation is being made tends to enrich the group content; the more ray types which are found functioning in the group, the more valuable will be its service. It is the bringing together of groups in preparation for initiation which has led to the present basic change in the methods of the Hierarchy. A would-be-initiate does not, at first, work solely under the care of the Master of a particular Ashram. Certain of the Masters (usually Masters like myself who have only lately passed through the fifth initiation) have been chosen to train and instruct aspirants on all the rays until after the third Initiation of Transfiguration. Then and only then does the disciple-initiate pass into the Ashram of the Master of his ray--one of the senior Mas- ters in connection with the seven major Ashrams. If he is a disciple in the Ashram of a Master Who is on one of the Rays of Attribute, the task of that Master is to prepare him for transition on to one of the major Rays of Aspect. This shifting and interchange is taking place all the time. When, for instance, the Master R. assumed the task of Mahachohan or Lord of Civilisation, His Ashram was shifted from the seventh Ray of Ceremonial Order to the third Ray of Active Intelligence; the majority of those who have taken the second and the third initiations were transferred with Him under what might be called a "special dispensation"; the rest of the members of His Ashram remained for tuition and training in service under that Master Who took His place as the central point of the seventh ray Ashram. Still another question could well be asked: What is the

384 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE attitude of the group during initiation if the individual members are undergoing different initiations? Is the group integrity imperiled? During the period of initiation, their attitude is one of focused, concentrated and deep meditation in which the inner attitude is given solely to the concept of Hierarchy. The disciple is not, at this time, occupied with the Ashram of which he is a part or with any questionings as to the nature of the Ashram into which he is now entering as an initiate--either as an initiate of the Earth initiations or, in the senior grades, as an initiate of the Sirian regime. He is --during the first four initiations--entirely centred in consciousness upon the larger Whole wherein the Ashram to which he belongs is a part; he is attentive to the Christ, the Head of the Hierarchy, because He is the Initiator of the first two initiations which always seem to the neophyte of major importance. After the third initiation he is attentive to that "veiled Presence of awful Power Who tests his fitness for working in the will of God." I would ask you to note the peculiar phrasing "working in the will of God," and to remember that that Will, centred or focussed in Shamballa, is one of the great basic energies; the initiate has to learn to work in and through that Will. If, therefore, each initiate in the group is conscious of the initiation next to be taken, then subconsciously he eliminates all awareness of outer contacts and stands alone, and yet in group formation, before one or other of the two Initiators. The inflow of dynamic energy which comes to him through the application of the Rod of Initiation becomes a group inheritance and serves to galvanise, integrate and fuse the group into renewed acti- ity and a deeper subjective union. There is one point which is oft overlooked, but which I gave to you earlier, and that is the mental approach to initiation. So much emphasis has been laid upon the love quality of the Hierarchy, on its being the expression of the second divine aspect, that the hierarchical mentality (if I may use such a phrase) is frequently forgotten; yet it is a law--closely related to initiation--that "the work of the initiate is carried forward winthin the ring-pass-not of the Universal Mind." I

396 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE would do well to take the words "direction in time and space" and use them as a seed thought in meditation. The reward would be great. It is wise to remember that "space is an entity"--as H.P.B. expressed it. When he so defined space, he gave humanity one of the most important hints it has ever received. The realisation of the existence of this entity leads to a practical recognition of the aphorism that "in Him we live and move and have our being." It explains the necessity for the esoteric teaching anent planetary centres and the planes as states of consciousness. The disciple then begins to study himself in relation to this "all-enveloping Entity," to ascertain the "direction" from which the various energies (which empower his life and motivate his actions) come, and to familiarise himself gradually in "the location of these power stations and of those radiant centres of light which--founded by the divine Creator--are the sources of life and the origin of light and knowledge." Thus is it expressed in the ancient archives which, at times, I attempt to translate for you. Direction. Time. Space. With these concepts in mind, occult information begins to assume a new and deeply esoteric importance. They can be studied in two ways by the disciple (and it is for disciples I write): 1. As indicating the direction in time and space from whence motivating energy and illumining love can make an impact upon the receptive disciple. 2. As indicating (again in time and space) the direction in which the energies, manipulated by the disciple, must go as he learns to cooperate with, and work out, the hierarchical Plan. This is the positive and not the negative aspect of these words. The disciple moves always in a world of energies; they make an impact upon him from many and varying directions. He has to learn which energies should be rejected and those to which he should be receptive; all these energies are moving in space and are in reality the life-aspect of the space-entity; all are determined by the time factor with which the disciple

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 397 must familiarise himself. On the other hand, the process is reversed at times. The disciple learns to use energies-- located and found by him in space--within a set time and then to direct them accurately (via the ajna centre) into the work and into the group which is under hierarchical influence, through his own immediate efforts. Ponder on this, for in these words lies hid much illumination. The remaining two hints will be covered in my next communication and then the teaching upon the Hints will be concluded. The teaching upon the Formulas was concluded in the earlier instruction because enough had been given anent these abstruse forms to serve the purposes of instruction during the coming cycle. POINTS OF REVELATION We have already dealt with two of the points of revelation and have therefore considered the two which have reference to the first two initiations; these are taken upon the physical and the astral planes respectively. At the second initiation, the initiate begins for the first time (though in the most elementary form) to employ the will aspect and--in the revelation accorded--he takes a major step toward the third Initiation of the Transfiguration. This connotes the transfiguration of the personality and its liberation from the alluring imprisonment of the three worlds. Now he faces that great transitional initiation and is confronted with the revelation which has been expressed for us in the following words: The Monad is to the planetary Logos what the third eye is to man. These are mysterious words and can only be understood if brought into relation with the previous revelation, involving the Will and the Law of Sacrifice. It should be remembered that the Law of Sacrifice (in its destroying aspect) is dominant during the second, the third and the fourth initiations. 1. At the second Initiation of the Baptism, the control of

398 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE the astral body is broken; it is sacrificed in order that the intuition, the higher counterpart of the "propel- ling aspiration" (as it is sometimes called) may assume control. 2. At the third Initiation of Transfiguration, the control of the personality in the three worlds is broken in order that the Son of Mind, the soul, may be substituted finally for the concrete and hitherto directing lower mind. Again, through the Law of Sacrifice, the personality is liberated and becomes simply an agent of the soul. 3. At the fourth Initiation of Renunciation, the destroying aspect of the Law of Sacrifice brings about the destruction of the causal body, the soul body, in order that the unified soul-infused personality may function directly under the inspiration of the Spiritual Triad-- the triple expression or instrument of the Monad. The significance of these "destructive episodes which produce the freeing of the prisoner of the planet" (i.e., the divine, spiritual man) lies in the fact that, after the fourth initiation, the light of purpose is the sole controlling factor in the career of the initiate; he enters then upon a stage wherein he steadily approaches closer to the "centre where the will of God is known." It is an elementary revelation of the divine Purpose which is given at the third initiation; only the first stage of that mysterious all-embracing Purpose is at that time revealed; the remaining six initiations progressively reveal (to the Master) the all-enfolding Purpose. Earlier I told you that three words should be considered in relation to the Points of Revelation: Procedure. Location. Objective. All three of them are of use here in considering the nature of the impending revelation. The recognition of these Points of Revelation falls automatically into two main procedures or planned processes: 1. The procedure carried forward under the impulse of the Law of Sacrifice which "destroys all hindrances, breaks down all impediments and removes all indi-

399 TEACHINGS ON INITIATION vidual obstacles, thus releasing the initiate into that vortex of force in which he learns the method of handling the planetary correspondence of that which he has individually overcome." These words should be carefully studied in relation to the second, the third and the fourth initiations. 2. The procedure carried forward at the remaining five initiations; in these initiatory processes there is a "spiritual absorption of the initiate into the circle and into the cycle of the Universal Mind"; the initiate is then "caught up and liberated into planetary fields of endeavour wherein the will must be employed as the Monad may direct." You can see from the above how abstruse all this advanced teaching must necessarily remain--veiled and protected in order to protect and guard the initiate. This dual procedure in relation to the crucial moment in each of the initiations is always most scrupulously guarded. The moment "wherein the initiate, standing upon the point within the triangle and not upon the square," sees (in a flash of time) the great aligning procedure which will carry him from the immediate point of revelation on to the final glory, must and will be forever protected. The location of this particular point of revelation is on the mental plane; through the alignment of the concrete, lower mind, the Son of Mind and the abstract mind, a direct channel for vision is created. The medium of revelation at this initiation is the antahkarana, which is rapidly being constructed and can thus prove the connecting link and the esoteric mode of vision. The instrument of reception is the third eye which--for a moment--is temporarily suspended from its task of directing energy upon the physical plane and then becomes a stationary, receptive organ, turned inward toward the higher light. The head centre is therefore involved, and a secondary alignment takes place between the ajna centre, the head centre and the soul body. All this takes place at a high point during the third initiation; for the first time in his personal history the initiate is completely

400 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE aligned and can function straight through from the head centre to the highest point of the Spiritual Triad. You have, therefore, the reason for the sudden inflow of transfiguring glory. This is the objective of the initiation, and the triangle of procedure, location and objective is created, flashes into being and then--at the close of the initiatory process--fades out, leaving however a permanent, new, spiritual and instinctual trend towards monadic perception and livingness. You will note, therefore, how this information--by pointing out the attitude of the third eye during this initiatory process and its new function in relation to the Monad-- throws fresh light upon the work of the Monad. This third eye is now receptive to light from the highest source, is arresting in its outward going activity and functions like a lens for the reflection of light and for the attaining of the highest possible inner vision for the particular point in evolution reached. All this embodies an activity which (except in the case of the highest initiates) remains very mysterious. How- ever, a study of the use of the third eye at the third initiation will bring illumination of the teaching that the Monad is to the planetary Logos what the third eye (in its initiatory function) is to the disciple of the third degree of initiation. The Monad is the source of light, not only to the human family, but it is the receiver of light from the threefold Sun; it is the lens through which the light of the solar Logos can flow to the planetary Logos, preserving and holding steady in that light the vision, the purpose, the will and the creative intention of the planetary Logos. More along this line I may not convey to you. I can only give veiled suggestions and formulate for you certain phrases or seed thoughts which (if duly considered and reflected upon) will begin to train your perception and develop the third eye, enabling it to reorient itself and change its function when the right time and the correct emergency come. I have told you that these points of revelation are the germ or seed of a certain invocative potency; this is especially true and correct where the teaching anent the third eye is concerned. Initiation is not an abstract, mystical process to

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 401 which the disciple is subjected upon some one or other of the subtler planes, the knowledge of which must gradually seep through into his consciousness. This may be partially true of the first two initiations (the Sirian initiations of the threshold), but all the remaining initiations involve the whole man and "three periodical vehicles," producing a steady fusion of these three, an increasing reaction to the Light of the World, and an ability to register in the physical brain (if the initiate is functioning through karma, decision or service in the physical body) that which is undergone; in this registration process the third eye is acutely involved. From the time of the third initiation this third eye is subjected to training and begins to function in the two following ways: 1. It is (in a measure) a correspondence to the concrete mind, with its capacity to interpret environment and experience. 2. It can also act as a lens or a light-gatherer from the inner and higher worlds. You will note, therefore, the fresh significance that these ideas give to the three stages which accompany the points of revelation: the Stage of Penetration, the Stage of Polarisa- tion, and the Stage of Precipitation. The inferences to be drawn I shall leave you to work out for yourselves after due study of the teaching. Passing on to the fourth Point of Revelation, we find it covered in the following words: "Purpose itself is only an energy, released within the Council Chamber at Shamballa. There it must take shape." This point of revelation carries the initiate to one of the highest points of contemplation; we are here concerned with his sudden apprehension--at the fourth Initiation of Renun- ciation--of another phase of the divine, conditioning Will. He has begun to recognise and to interpret--even though in

406 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE Avatar, working in cooperation with the Master Jesus, and also by the point of evolution reached by the humanity of that time. We will leave the fifth point of revelation at this time and consider it in our next instruction. It is one of tremendous importance, for it concerns the highest aspect of the Will and covers the synthesis of the energies of the five planes of human and superhuman evolution. This synthesis precedes the work done on the two highest planes of divine unfoldment, and comes to its focus and its full expression at the time of the sixth Initiation of Decision. PART X For years we have talked about group initiation, and it remains as yet for you an unsolved problem. The phrase, "group initiation" is only used by the Members of the Hier- archy in reference to the first two initiations--initiations of the threshold, from the angle of the Lodge on Sirius. After these two preparatory events, the initiate--at and after the third initiation--reaches the point wherein he "undergoes initiation" in his own right (as the phrase runs), for he can now be trusted to ask nothing for the separated self; his personality is tempered and adjusted to group conditions; increasingly he is manifesting as a soul-infused personality, and the antahkarana is being rapidly created and effectively used. To phrase it otherwise: as the number and expressions of soul-infused personalities grow and initiates of the third degree increase numerically on Earth, what will be the result? Three great happenings will take place with spiritual and focussed intention; they are today taking place, which is the point I wish to bring to your attention; it is this conscious intention which confers potency in the life of each disciple and initiate. 1. The Kingdom of God or of Souls, distinguished by the potency and therefore by the aura and radiatory emanation of love, is definitely anchored on Earth, and is pene-

407 TEACHINGS ON INITIATION trating ever more fully and successfully into the three worlds of strictly human endeavour. There have always been outposts of this kingdom among men; there have ever been individuals in all parts of the world--in the world religions or in other constructive groups--who were linked consciously to their souls, and consequently linked to the Hierarchy. There have always been those in every land who developed and expressed the Christ consciousness; this is loving understanding and intelligent, living service, no matter by what words or terminology they expressed the tremendous spiritual event of which they were aware. But--from the standpoint of the world populations--the fourth kingdom in nature dominates in every field of thought and of activity, and not the King- dom of God or of Souls. Today, as a result of a spiritual awakening which dates from 1625 A.D., and which laid the emphasis upon a wider, general education and upon a revolt from the imposition of clerical authority, the radiation from the world of souls has greatly intensified and the Kingdom of God is becoming a corporate part of the outer world expression, and this for the first time in the long, long history of humanity. The effect of this radiation or magnetic aura is now so extensive that we need no longer talk in terms of bringing in the kingdom or of its manifestation on Earth. It is already manifesting, and its aura is co-mingled with the mental, astral and etheric auras of mankind. Recognition only is required, but (and this is a factor to be noted) recognition is being withheld until the kingdom of souls can be safeguarded from the narrow claims of any church, religion or organization; many will claim (as they have ever done) that admittance into the Kingdom of God is to be found through their particular separative group. The Kingdom of God is not Christian, or Buddhist, or to be found focussed in any world religion or esoteric organisa- tion. It is simply and solely what it claims to be: a vast and integrated group of soul-infused persons, radiating

408 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE love and spiritual intention, motivated by goodwill, and rooted in the human kingdom, as the kingdom of men is rooted in and is a break-away from the animal kingdom. 2. The antahkarana is now being built by all soul-infused personalities (or constructed unconsciously by all struggling to attain spiritual orientation and stature), and is rapidly becoming a strong cable, composed of all the many threads of living light, of consciousness and of life; these threads are blended and fused so that no one can truly say: "my thread, or my bridge, or my antahkarana." This, in ignorance, they ofttimes do. All soul-infused personalities are creating the human antahkarana which will unite, in an indissoluble unity, the three aspects or energies of the Spiritual Triad and the three aspects of the soul-infused personality in the three worlds. In time to come, the phrase "life in the three worlds" will be discontinued; men will talk in terms of "life in the five worlds of the manifested Kingdom of God." Think in these terms today if you can, and begin to grasp somewhat the significance of the truth therein embodied. In the beautiful Eastern symbology, "The Bridge of Sighs" which links the animal world with the human world and leads all men into the vale of tears, of woe, of discipline and of loneliness, is rapidly being replaced by the radiant Rainbow Bridge, constructed by the sons of men who seek pure light. "They pass across the bridge into the Light serene which there awaits them, and bring the radiant light down to the world of men, revealing the new kingdom of the soul; souls disappear, and only the soul is seen." 3. Then follows that stupendous event for which all soul- infused persons prepare--the externalisation of the Hier- archy and the reappearance of the Master of that Hier- archy, with the Personnel of which it is composed; this group of liberated and functioning souls will appear on earth as part of the manifested phenomena of the outer plane. This I have been dealing with in another section* and will not enlarge upon it here. The outposts of that -------- *The Externalisation of the Hierarchy.

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 409 Kingdom and the vanguard of disciples and initiates is already here. The work or the radiatory activity of the Hierarchy is today more potent than at any time in human history. The Masters and Their disciples (under the guidance of the World Teacher of that period) were physically present on earth in early Atlantean times, and the radiation emanating from Them was protective, guarding and nurturing. Later, the Hierarchy withdrew into a subjective expression and humanity was--under the Law of Evolution --left to its own devices thus to learn the Way and tread the Path of Return through individual experiment and experience. The Masters (in this long interim) have not come forth to contact humanity on any large or group scale; many of Their senior disciples have, however, emerged at varying intervals and when needed; the World Teacher has also come forth to sound the key or note for each new civilisation and to express the results of the passing civilisation. Men have had, therefore, to find their way alone to the Hierarchy; in silence that Hier- archy has waited, until the number of "enlightened souls" was so great that their invocative appeal and their magnetic radiation reached a potency which could not be denied; the balance of equilibrium, attained between the Kingdom of God on Earth and the Kingdom of God in Heaven (to use Christian phraseology) became such that the "Gates of Return" could be opened and free intercourse established between the fourth and the fifth kingdoms in nature. The gates (and I am still speaking in symbols) are already opening and soon will stand wide open to admit the passing of the "Son of Man, the perfected Son of God," back to the place--our Earth--where He earlier demonstrated perfect love and service. But-- as you know--this time He will not come alone, but will bring with Him the Heads of certain of the Ashrams, as well as a trained group of initiates and disciples. These happenings are taking place today before the eyes of all men, even though much that is going on remains totally

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 431 precipitated when you have succeeded in the processes of penetration? or when you have arrived at a measure of polarisation? These are aspects of the teaching which are of importance; otherwise you are working with no intelligent perception and are using words without meaning. Initiation is essentially a penetration into areas of the divine consciousness which are not within the normal field of consciousness of a human being. This initiatory penetration is achieved by the disciple through reflective meditation, the development of an interpretive spiritual understanding, plus the use of the trained discriminative mind. This leads eventually to the stabilisation of his consciousness in the new field of awareness, so that he becomes polarised there and can work intelligently from the attained point of awareness and of conscious vision. Once he can do this and is aware of the new energies with which he may now work, he enters the stage wherein he may precipitate these energies into the three worlds of human service and thus employ them for the furthering of the hierarchical Plan. These three stages of conscious activity--penetration, polarisation and precipitation--are definite and recognised stages in every initiation, with the exception of the first initiation. The disciple (as the Scriptures put it) "takes the Kingdom of Heaven by violence" and thus penetrates into the arena of activity of the Initiator; within that area of spiritual and dynamic influence he becomes polarised, with results which are conditioned by the particular initiation being undergone. From this point he carries forward the task of precipitating the contacted energies and learns how to make them available in his work for humanity. At the same time, the Initiator "polarises" the energies of the "penetrating" disciple and "precipitates" them through his vehicle according to the Will or Purpose of divinity. The stage wherein the disciple is demonstrating the subjective fact that he is initiate is called the stage of penetration. That in which he stands face to face with 1. The Angel of the Presence,

432 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE 2. The Initiator, 3. The Initiating Masters, is termed the stage of polarization. Then when the initiatory process is completed and "he returns from whence he came to carry out the Plan," the stage of precipitation takes place. Therefore, there are two processes of activity going forward simultaneously; i.e., that which is implemented by the Ini- tiator and one for which the advancing initiate is responsible. The moment, therefore, that a disciple enters upon the Path of Initiation, he is--from the second to the ninth initiation--to be found functioning at one or other of these stages. He is either penetrating into new areas of divine awareness and penetrating deeply into the Mind of God, or he is learning to live and function from a point therein attained to which we give the name of polarization, or else he is serving to the utmost of his ability in the precipitation of the energies which will make possible the manifestation of the King- dom of God upon the physical plane. Every initiate is himself a polarised point of precipitated energy; every initiate works from a known point of polarisation and his main task is the precipitation of energy in order to energise, stimulate and create that which is needed in any immediate field of divine activity. Occult obedience is in reality the ability to work with these energies in relation to the Plan, even if only a tiny part of that Plan is known to the initiate. He becomes a part of a great energy distributing group. You will realise, therefore, from the above, that these three words which we have been considering are major key words in the hierarchical programme. One of the tasks of a Master, in connection with His disciples, is to aid them in bring¡ng about effective polarisation and a consequent spiritual stability. The disciple has to effect the stage of penetration alone and unaided; during the process of polarisation, the Master of his Ashram is permitted to help. The stage of precipitation falls into three parts: 1. That in which a relation is set up between the initiate-

TEACHINGS ON INITIATION 433 disciple and the Initiator. The Initiator focusses the new and probably unrecognised energies within Him- self and by their means sets up a spiritual rapport with the new initiate. 2. That in which the energies, transferred by the Ini- tiator into the aura of the initiate, are precipitated by him. This is preceded by a short primary phase in which the initiate polarised the energies of which he is the recipient into whichever centre is active in any particular initiation. For the second and third initiations he polarises them or focuses them in the heart centre. After the third initiation they are focussed in the head centre, but are precipitated and distributed through the medium of the centre between the eyes, the ajna centre. This latter centre is, as you know, the directing agency of the soul within the soul-infused personality. 3. Later, he finds that he can use any centre as the point of precipitation, according to the needs of the work to be done or the service to be rendered. An advanced initiate, however, works from a point of polarisation within the Hierarchy itself, distributing and precipitating the energies via any appropriate centre. In working with the subhuman kingdoms, initiates use the centres below the diaphragm more than initiates working in the human family. The first Initiator is, as you know, the Soul, the Angel of the Presence, and the stage of penetration covers the long evolutionary cycle wherein the Soul is seeking to establish contact with and control of the personality. The stage of polarisation covers the cycle in which Soul control is stabi- lised and consciously imposed upon the threefold lower man. The stage of precipitation is only known for what it essentially is when the energies of the Spiritual Triad can be passed through the antahkarana into the soul-infused personality. We have, therefore: 1. The Path of Evolution ..The stage of Penetration.

444 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE you know, and of this faculty you should increasingly avail yourself. Seek, as I have earlier told you, to be; aim at being a conduit for spiritual force; cultivate the power of identification with those you seek to inspire, for this leads to direct transference of energy; develop divine indifference as to your form of service and ponder deeply on the thought of "service by radiation." As you already know, the five rays governing your monadic expression as soul and personality are not particularly well balanced. There is in this incarnation too much of the second ray line of approach to divinity; you are primarily 2-4 where your rays are concerned. Where the personality ray, the mental ray and the astral ray are closely allied there is always found an easy problem of inner contact, relation and integration. When, however, the aggregate of inner energy comes to outer expression upon the physical plane, there appears what I might call a lack of stiffening and a too fluid response to spiritual impulses and ideals. There is a correct and undeviating life tendency towards the realm of spiritual reality, but in the field of manifestation and of creative activity there is frequently a changeableness and a developed habit of experimentation. The very versatility of the second ray (twice repeated in your life expression) tends to confuse the issue of service and its correct rendering in your mind. You do so many things, my brother; if you look back over your life, you will find that it is composed of short periods wherein you were intensely preoccupied with what you sincerely believed was the purpose of the moment. The time has now come when the purpose of the soul, in time and space, must become a pronounced conviction governing all future activity and all expression upon the physical plane, subordinating your entire lower nature (the three bodies) with fixed intent to the directed will of the soul. For you, I would repeat, service by radiation is the way. To bring this about, it will be necessary for you to evoke the latent will which must be developed and controlling in you by the time the third initiation comes; at that time the monadic influence is predominantly that of the divine, purpose-

PERSONAL INSTRUCTIONS TO DISCIPLES 445 ful will. The expression of this higher aspect of the will, in relation to the three rays of aspect on which all initiates are eventually to be found, is likewise threefold: 1. There is the dynamic will, as it is expressed by first ray egos. 2. There is the inclusive radiatory will of second ray souls. This is the kind of will-expression and recognised life purpose with which you must learn to put yourself in direct contact. 3. There is the magnetic will of the third ray ego which draws, attracts, manipulates and arranges in accordance with divine purpose. This is not the same kind of magnetism as that of love. In the meditation, therefore, which I seek to give you, we will have this inclusive radiatory will primarily in mind and for the next few months I would have you follow these instructions... Life is difficult these days but you lack not courage, and the sense of inner reality will hold you true to the goal and steady in expression. My attention turns towards you when you need it. I can be reached. August 1942 1. Stand at the centre of dispassion with heart aflame, yet still. 2. Be not the centre of the work you undertake, the service rendered, but be its fluid life. 3. Transmute devotion to a cause, to me, to your brothers or your group into a flaming love for all that breathes. 4. Learn that your causes are effects. Leave them behind and seek the world of causes. 5. Three in this group stand close to you. Discover who they are and know the reason why. 6. Ask your soul the question: Why is D.K. the Master Who has sought me out?

468 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE unity. "I and the Father are One." This constituted the real achievement of the Christ, Who was the first of our humanity to achieve the complete realisation. This point is of vital interest. Our present Masters of the Wisdom have also entered into this same recognition. The distinction between Them and the Christ is that He added to this realisation the capacity to be a channel, pure and undefiled by any form of self identification, for a cosmic principle--that of Love. Only those Masters, however, Who reached adeptship in Atlantean times are dowered with this occult unfoldment. Disciples are apt to forget that the Masters Themselves are at various stages upon the path of Their peculiar evolution. You will see, therefore, that the establishing of the significance of the counterparts in the head to the heart centre, for instance, involves one of the great mysteries to be revealed at a certain high initiation. In the next great race, which succeeds upon this one, the goal will be--above everything else--a dual one. It will be: 1. The conscious unity of the lower centres by means of a great awakening of the solar plexus centre. This next race will be buddhic or intuitional, and therefore will embody, as a higher expression upon the turning spiral, the higher mystery of the astral unfoldment in ancient Atlantis. It will vision forth the higher correspondence of that achievement. This consummating development will mark its fourth initiation, and will demonstrate the transmutation of the astral life into the buddhic consciousness. 2. The carrying of all this mobilised energy to the heart centre at the fifth initiation for group purposes, and the achieving of this in full waking consciousness. In the final race the process will be repeated on a still higher spiral, and all that concerns the higher centre will be unfolded and occultly consummated, again through the medium of two stages: 1. Wherein the massed energies of the solar plexus (the

PERSONAL INSTRUCTIONS TO DISCIPLES 469 great clearing house) and the heart and throat will be carried--at the third initiation--to the ajna centre, and the complete racial "transfiguration" will take place. 2. The process will then be carried forward and at the fourth initiation the energies will be centralised in the head centre. This will lead to a happening of such esoteric significance that I cannot express even its dimmest meaning to you because I myself do not know. It lies too far ahead, even for all Who are the Masters of the Wisdom at this time. Only the Christ and the Buddha begin dimly to sense its meaning. Therefore I cannot answer your question because until the head centre is somewhat more awakened my explanation would be meaningless. All I dare say is that by the use of creative imagination, by a constant application to the way of the head, and constant group activity, with an increasing capacity to be detached, and therefore not so potently identified with the individual consciousness, you yourself can perhaps get a faint glimmer of light as to that vibrant reality of which the heart is the reflection. One thing I can add. As I told you before, the activity of the heart centre never demonstrates in connection with individuals. This is a basic fact. What devastates most disciples is the solar plexus ability (when purified and consecrated) to identify itself with individuals. The heart centre cannot react, except under group impetus, group happiness or unhappiness, and other group relations. This may give you a needed hint. It is a subject which you will do well deeply to consider, and to discuss with A.A.B. who--like yourself--is also on the difficult path of teaching and of world salvage. August 1946 MY BELOVED BROTHER: You will have, by now, read and absorbed the papers and communications which have been held for you until the close

PERSONAL INSTRUCTIONS TO DISCIPLES 501 lish a much closer link with your group brothers. They value you and must also do their part. 2. Lay your plans for increased School activity, and concentrate also upon the work of the Triangles. Prepare definitely for the future, and seek also for those who can aid in your planned work. The future ahead of my workers and the work to be done which will emanate from my Ashram is one of great activity. The plans are outlined and the work assigned is clearly proposed. I receive my instructions from a "joint committee" of the spiritual leaders behind the world scene; They are the senior members of the Hierarchy, working under the Christ. They arrive at Their decisions after due consultation with senior workers, such as myself--Masters and initiates above the third initiation. Thus the work becomes fused and blended, and the entire Hierarchy, at a time of crisis such as the present, is swung into one unified activity. From that point of focussed intention each then proceeds to carry out the Plan, via Their Ashram, and thus the work makes its impact upon the outer world. I explain this to you as you are preparing to become an ever more intimate member in the "circle of the Ashram" which guards the heart of the hierarchical life. With courage and with determination, my brother and my friend, move forward upon the Lighted Way. November 1944 MY COMRADE AND MY BROTHER: These are two appellations which are sincere and intended. You are at this time facing changes. The choice with which you are confronted is not so much where you will work, but whether you have arrived at a high water mark in your developed life of service and can therefore go no further, or whether there are still to be found in you those springs of interest and those inner urges which will enable you to reach outward and further into the life of the spirit.

PERSONAL INSTRUCTIONS TO DISCIPLES 579 nature makes the first possible, your first ray attributes aid in the second. Your major emphasis this year should be the establishing of the most loving "right relations" with all in your immediate environment. What I am referring to, my brother, is deepening, and this deepening must be consciously carried forward. One of the things which I desire to see in all the members of this group in my Ashram is a process of deepening, carried forward through realisation, silence, loving understanding and inner synthesis. That is why it is essential that all of you read and study each other's papers and instructions, so as to arrive at this depth of insight, vision and source of activity. All the outer relations will then--both of the individual disciple and of the group--be implemented from this inner centre, and will therefore be lasting, sound and constructive. Your particular work in my Ashram is (as well you know) connected with the Network of Light which must be created in the world, and with the furthering of the Triangles of Light.... I would ask three of you ... to form the inner central triangle, and together and in constant consultation establish some uniformity and continuity of work. Continue with the work you are now doing and in the way you are doing it, but deepen (again that thought) the content of what you give to the people who read the notes you send out. I feel no need to give you any set meditation. The group meditation, your own reflective work upon your task as a disciple (and this should be intensified), and your subjective meditation upon the Network of Light with your two Tri- angle members will provide you with adequate focal points for soul emphasis. Here I have given you a definition of meditation given by a Master to a group of disciples. He is not one of the Masters known to you or the outer world, for He only takes into His Ashram those who are in preparation for the third initiation, and then only those who are pledged to undertake certain definite activities for which He trains them. These "focal points of emphasis" are of many differing kinds and should distinguish your type of meditation throughout the coming year. Such focal points are brief, dynamic, potent and emphatic and are only possible when

580 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE the antahkarana is in process of definite construction, as is the case with your work along this line. I find little more to say to you, my brother. The reason for this is that we work in a peculiarly close manner at all times and you are very active in the work of my Ashram. You do not require, therefore, to hold lengthy discussions and to receive long instructions from me at various annual points. We talk at times throughout the year and this again you know. Hence the brevity of this communication. November 1944 MY FRIEND AND CO-WORKER: Ever since my last communication to you, you have worked assiduously and earnestly at the task assigned and have laid a good foundation for future work. You have, I know, realised within yourself the value and the nature of what you have accomplished. I would ask you to read with care the instructions given as regards the work in connection with the Triangles. I need not, therefore, duplicate. The creative work of bringing these Networks of Light and of Goodwill into being is well upon its way. It might be said that the form (esoterically understood to be the vital body) is now strong enough to warrant an organised body upon the physical plane. I have consequently suggested that the emphasis of all your effort should now shift to the networks per se and away from a constant consideration of the quality aspect. You should now find it easier to promote the growth of the networks than to educate people in the nature of light and its uses, or even to bring them to an understanding of goodwill--though the latter is far easier than the former. The growth of a network (through organised enterprise) is something that the average man can understand. The work has hitherto been complicated by the attitude of those who have sought to help but who have regarded it as a seriously difficult matter to form Triangles. What a man feels subconsciously conditions the success or the nonsuccess of his endeavour; this effort of mine started handicapped by the complexities which the concrete minds of my disciples

PERSONAL INSTRUCTIONS TO DISCIPLES 603 tions and difficulties and engenders problems and none of you are unaware of this. The lot of disciples in these days is particularly hard owing to the fact that sensitivity and a conscious reaction to the impress of all the vehicles in the personality simultaneously is so rapid and direct. This is the result of a measure of alignment and of conscious aspiration. But the compensation is adequate if disciples would be more occupied with the inner realities and less engrossed with the outer difficulties. But this, as you know, is most difficult of achievement. You ask me: What would I have you do in regard to your own attitudes to the group and to the work with which you are all engaged? It is not hard to answer your enquiry because for you the task is uncomplicated though not simple of achievement. Be, my brother, on the outer plane, what you are interiorly. You have much knowledge and wisdom. Use it as much as possible because you have a sphere of usefulness in this connection right in front of you,... Your destiny is that of teacher. Begin, therefore, to fulfill it. You have been much occupied with organisational work--a choice of vocation made by your soul which was intended to offset the limitations with which I have sought to make you familiar. Such a task was intended to provide scope for expression upon the outer plane and this it has done. Now pour your energies into the work of the groups with which you are affiliated. Give to A.A.B. the aid which you are well fitted to give, making yourself increasingly responsible for certain aspects of the work which will make their appeal to you, and which call for your conditioning. I am choosing my words with care. Above all else give love with impersonality and true understanding. It must not be the impersonality of a planned and forced achievement but the impersonality of complete self-forgetfulness. The task is so vital that you and all your group brothers must lose sight of the little self in the need and the opportunity of the moment. Oft have I told you this. May I now see the result of this oft recommended truth? As regards your personal meditation, I seek to give you one which will intensify the activity of the ajna center and which will produce new vision and, above all, integration.

604 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE The ajna center becomes active increasingly as alignment, leading to integration, is achieved. I would have you use this meditation twice a day, laying the emphasis upon the exercise angle or aspect of the work and paying no attention at all to the possible spiritual value. I would remind you here (and when I say this I am speaking to all the group members and not only to you) that work in connection with the centres is incidental to true spiritual development and is or should be purely mechanical and automatic. The centres are physical, being aspects of the etheric body and constructed of etheric matter, and their function is simply to express the energy which flows in from the astral body, or from the mind or from the soul (in three aspects). After the third initiation, they will register energy flowing in from the Monad--again through three types of force. If this can be grasped, disciples in training will not overemphasise the system of centres through which the expressive energy must come. The object of this particular exercise is to centralise the consciousness (plus the energies of which it is aware within the physical body) in the centre between the eyebrows, the ajna centre. When this is done you have a secondary form of integration made possible i.e., the integration of forces coming from the outer world of impression via the five senses and the synthesising sense, the mind. You have, therefore, energies seeking outlet and expression, via the etheric body as it conditions and renders active the dense physical body, and at the same time energies making known to the man the world of spiritual being. Of these two worlds of sense perception, the two eyes are the symbol as you know. 1. Achieve quiet. Relax with as much rapidity as possible and with little mental activity. Then raise the consciousness to the ajna centre. 2. Sound the OM, visualising the integration of the personality with the soul. In doing this, link the pituitary centre with the head centre above the pineal gland. 3. Then pause and after a mental grasp of what is to be done proceed as follows:

PERSONAL INSTRUCTIONS TO DISCIPLES 605 a. Take a long breath and draw the energy from the throat centre in so doing. b. Repeat the breathing and draw the energy from the heart centre, holding these two withdrawn energies imaginatively in the ajna centre. c. Repeat the process in connection with the solar plexus. d. Repeat also in connection with the sacral centre. e. Recognising then that four types of energy have been centred in the ajna centre, take another long breath and draw the energy of the mula- dhara centre to the ajna focus. f. Then consciously endeavour to hold all the energies there. 4. At this point, dedicate the energies of the personality (which express themselves through these five centres and the ajna centre, making six centres in all) and breathe them back again--by an act of the will--into the centres to which they belong. Do not do this sequentially and piecemeal but as one dynamic out- breathing; see these energies travelling down the spine to their respective resting places, carrying new life, pure stimulation dynamic will to each and every centre. 5. Then, as the soul informing the body, sound the OM and proceed with the group meditation. This meditation should definitely aid in increasing the activity of the physical body along the lines you have for so long desired, and make the discipline for which you have striven, no longer a discipline but a life of unconscious, automatic spiritual expression. August 1942 1. Your feet have onward marched. The Path stands clear revealed. You know the step ahead. 2. I would ask you not to backward look, my brother, but

614 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE does have definite results. To handle these reactions was something which A.A.B. had to learn both to understand and use; you must learn also, brother of mine. I will be in touch with you increasingly as you bring the physical vehicle into a greater degree of purity and refinement. You are, in any case, sensitive to my impression. Move onward into light and find me ever there. August 1946 MY BROTHER: I would ask you at this time to reread the instructions which I gave you last, and to read them in the light of the present circumstances. This is a painful and rather dreadful testing time for you and--to date--the immediate issue is uncertain though the final issue is not. The problem with which you are faced falls, in your mind (if you would only think clearly) into two parts: the problem of your reaction to the minorities question, and the problem of your relation to D.R.S. The first problem you say does not exist; the second problem you consider entirely the fault of D.R.S., and therefore, my brother, you stand clear of all blame and responsibility on both scores. As you are still dwelling in a personality and have not yet taken the third initiation, such complete innocence is far from likely. What really lies at the root of your reaction? Let me tell you. It is a latent, unsuspected and quite unconscious jeal- ousy. This you will naturally deny, and this matters not if you will attempt to establish immediate contact with your second ray soul. Look back over your instructions. I have often told you, have I not, that you need to love more? I have stated the above in order to help you to see and think clearly. Right down the years, my beloved brother, I have taught you that your major limitation is your physical body; that necessarily means that your physical brain is a centre of limitation. I have begged you for nearly fifteen years to discipline your body, to attempt to refine it and to endeavour to make it more sensitive to spiritual impression.

PERSONAL INSTRUCTIONS TO DISCIPLES 669 average aspirant to discipleship will be expected to be as intuitive and motivated by pure reason as the aspirant today has to be mental. Technically speaking, that means that the buddhic plane will be the focus or place of growth, and those who train disciples will work from the plane of atma or pure spiritual will, just as today they work from the plane of buddhi or of rational unity. Ponder on that last phrase. The relation of the Christ to the entire Hierarchy is that of Supreme Master. His group of disciples includes all initiates over the third initiation. But through these initiates and certain of the Masters, and at their suggestion, He is slowly selecting a band of lesser disciples who can be trained for special work during the next two or three lives. Of these, you can be one. The first phase of the training given is to impose at least one life of most drastic discipline and difficult circumstances, not karmically ordained but of an educational and disciplinary nature. You have had two such lives and have consequently built up and established a persistent endurance and a trained response to events which is a guarantee to the watching Master that your stability is assured and immovable. Much further training necessarily is demanded, but there is little that you can add to that already given during this life. The next life will see a continuance of the teaching. You can, however, develop within yourself a more conscious comprehension of the nature of "wise love." This is love free from emotion or devotion; it is love aware of the objects of love as they essentially are and a love which is able to see in character and temperament the working out of karma. It is difficult for even an advanced disciple at this time to comprehend the nature of man when he has dropped all physical conflict out of his conscious life experience and when the urge to combat (upon the physical plane) has faded completely out of the human consciousness. The field of battle then shifts to other realms of awareness, and the effect of this --within humanity as a whole--is the cause of the choosing of this special group through whom the problems emerging out of the changed conditions can be solved and handled.

PERSONAL INSTRUCTIONS TO DISCIPLES 681 one single and distant locality. Broaden your horizon and bring in Europe, Australia and distant Asia and--as your vision quickens--you will arrive at understanding. Contrib- ute your ideas and suggestions to the reservoir of plans at Headquarters and learn to consider and take part in other people's plans besides your own. What more can I say to you, my brother? We are ancient co-workers and those with whom you are associated in New York are your true co-workers, far more than those well- intentioned aspirants you seek to dominate in your environment. Work closely with your co-disciples and with the Ash- ram members. They all love you and want your cooperation. A.A.B. wants to see certain things accomplished in the relatively brief interlude which is left to her. Will you help? F.B. is going to need you and many like you as the work expands in the new cycle. Will you stand by him, by my work, and by me? My love goes out to you. Much in your present situation and spiritual dilemma reminds me of myself when I was in preparation for the third initiation: therefore, I understand and with this thought I leave you and will not fail you. To D.I.J. January 1940 For you, my brother, I have somewhat the same message as I gave to S.C.P. Free yourself from the glamour of inherited ideas and national concepts and prejudices. The world picture is clearer and more beautiful than you know seeing it as you do today through the windows of prejudice, pain and limitation. If I sound harsh in so speaking, it is simply because I, the Master D.K., value what you will be able to do and be when you have released yourself from the glamour of prejudice. You have made real progress in this condition but there is much still to be done and this your heart of love can accomplish once you see clearly and with understanding the true nature of your glamour. There are many points of view, coming from the many types of men, the many races

The Destiny of the Nations 118 The Destiny of the Nations the physical plane. It does not govern the dense physical form which is under the control of the third ray. It is the vital or the etheric body which is responsive to and developed by the incoming seventh ray influences. In considering the methods whereby the seventh ray purposes are achieved, I would like to point out that it is in this part of our discussion that I am limited and handicapped by language, because we are dealing with that which is new and, therefore, not as yet to be truly comprehended, and with those developments which will be eventually brought about by means of a true and scientific magic. This new magic will have no more relation to the crude attempts and oft ridiculous undertakings of the magicians, alchemists and performers of the past than c-a-t, cat, has to an algebraical formula. I would remind you also that in that home of ancient magic which you call Egypt, the magical work there performed was definitely concentrated upon the producing of physical effects and material results, and that the focus of the attention of the magician of the day can be seen in the stupendous production of those ancient and gigantic forms, standing silent and still in their pris- tine magnificence, which today call for the attention of archeologists and travellers; the forms of lesser magic which they produced were dedicated to the magical protection of the physical form and allied matters. In later days, we have the appearance of alchemy in its many forms plus its search for the Philosopher's Stone and the teaching as to the three basic mineral elements. They were driven esoterically and from the subjective side of life to search for that which could unify the three lower physical levels and this is in its nature deeply symbolic of racial unfoldment. These levels symbolize the integrated man––physical, astral and mental. When to these elements the Philoso-

The Destiny of the Nations 119 pher's Stone is added and has done its magical work, then you have the symbolic representation of the control by the soul of the four higher levels of the physical plane, the etheric or energy levels. Of this desirable consummation, the Philosopher's Stone is the emblem. I said "emblem," and I did not say "symbol." A symbol is an outer and visible sign of an inner and spiritual reality, carried out into expression upon the physical plane by the force of the inner embodied life. An emblem is man's formulation of a concept, created by man and embodying for him the truth as he sees it and understands it. A symbol is ever greater in its implications than is an emblem. The etheric levels are also the field of expression for the soul, whether it is the human soul or the soul as an expression of the higher triad, the monadic life. I wonder whether any of you have the faintest idea what will happen to humanity when the inner subjective reality, functioning through the etheric body and pouring its forces unimpeded through the centers in that body, will have made its major controlling integration with the dense physical apparatus, reducing it to complete submission as a result of the higher integration, consummated between soul and personality. We are, therefore, at a most interesting and crucial period in racial and planetary history––a period unlike any which has preceded it and for the reason that the evolutionary process has been definitely successful in spite of all failures, mistakes, and delays; of these latter there have been many owing to the refusal (curious and difficult to understand in your eyes) of the Energies, concentrated at Shamballa, to impose the force of will on matter and on form until such time as this can be done with the cooperation of the human family. This has never been possible hitherto, owing to the unpreparedness of man for the task \page

120 The Destiny of the Nations and his ignorance as to the Plan. The Lord of Shamballa and His Helpers have had to wait until at least the dim outlines of the Plan had penetrated through into the consciousness of the race; this is beginning to happen with increasing frequency, and from day to day more and more intelligent men and women are coming (or are being brought) into touch with the emerging ideas of the Hier- archy. We can look, therefore, for the steady appearance, gradually and cautiously applied, of the will energy of the highest center (Shamballa) which is to be found upon our planet. This center corresponds to the monadic center which makes its power felt in the consciousness of the disciple who is ready for the third initiation. Once the second initiation has been taken, the watching Hierarchy can begin to note the constant reorientation of the soul towards the monad, and the attractive power of that highest aspect over the initiate. Today, so many members of the human family–– in incarnation or out of incarnation––have taken the first two initiations that the attention of Shamballa is being increasingly turned to humanity, via the Hierarchy, whilst simultaneously the thoughts of men are being turned to the Plan, to the use of the will in direction and guidance, and to the nature of dynamic force. The quality, for instance, of the explosive and dynamic nature of war in this century is indicative of this, for the will energy in one of its aspects is an expression of death and destruction; the first ray is the ray of the destroyer. What can, therefore, be seen occurring is the effect of the Shamballa force upon the forms in nature, due to the misuse of the incoming energy by man. War in the past, speaking generally and esoterically, has been based consistently upon the attractive power of possessions and this has led to the aggressive and grasping character of the motives which have led to war. Gradually

The Destiny of the Nations 121 there has been a change coming about and war has lately been founded upon somewhat higher motives and the acqui- sition of more land and territorial possessions has not been the true and the main motive. War has been prompted by economic necessity or it has been in the nature of the imposition of the will of some nation or group of nations and their desire to impose some ideology or other upon some nation or to rid itself of a worn out system of thought, of government, of religious dogma which is holding back racial development. This is being now consciously done and is an expression of the Shamballa or will force and is not so definitely the desire force of the past. The seventh ray is one of the direct lines along which this first ray energy can travel and here again is another reason for its appearance at this time, because, in the releasing of the life into the new and improved forms, the old ways of living, of culture and of civilization have to be destroyed or modified. This is, all of it, the work of the first Ray of Will expressing itself predominantly at this present time through the seventh Ray of Organization and Relationship. When we studied the sixth ray, we considered first of all the effect of the ray upon the work and training, the life and the plans of the disciple, conditioning as it inevitably must his activities and life output. Then we considered the motivating principle of desire in this connection and finally touched upon the three modes of the prevalent ray activity. Let us follow the same procedure now, thus gaining some idea of the relationship between the sixth and the seventh rays and the manner in which the potency of the sixth ray has prepared humanity for the imminent happenings with which it is faced. What I have now to say will not be followed with ease

The Destiny of the Nations 129 physical plane. The dualism of the sixth ray worker is that of the pairs of opposites upon the astral plane. It will be apparent, therefore, that, having established the two points of energy (mental and physical), the next task of the worker in magic will be to produce a synthesis upon the physical plane of the available energies, to concretize them and invest that which has been constructed with the potency of activity and persistence. The energy thus employed will, in the majority of cases, be of three kinds: 1. The energy of the mind. This will be the dominant controlling energy used during the period of accepted discipleship and until the second initiation. 2. The energy of the soul. This will be wielded, used and creatively employed from the second until the third initiation. 3. The energy of soul and mind, blended and synthesized. This combination is of tremendous potency. After the fourth initiation, this will be augmented by energy coming from the Monad. I would have you bear in mind that, though all is energy yet at the same time in correct esoteric teaching the higher impulsive activity is called energy and that which is conditioned by and swept into activity through its agency is called force. The terms are therefore relative and movable. For the bulk of humanity, for instance, astral impulse is the highest energy to which they normally aspire and the forces upon which astral energy plays will then be the etheric and physical forces. Higher energies may inter- mittently control, but as a general rule the life incentive or impulse is astral, and this can either be called desire or aspiration, according to the objective. The latter may sim-

136 The Destiny of the Nations therefore, we can look for a fuller expression of the first ray attributes and happenings than would otherwise be the case. This will be particularly so because the sixth ray is fast going out of manifestation. All the above constitutes a piece of information which is of small value at this time. Its implications will become increasingly apparent as time goes on and I am, therefore, including them in my teaching. 7. Initiation in the Aquarian Age. I have hinted at the orientation which has been or will be carried out in connection with the three major world centers; I have also hinted at the relation of certain of the major initiations to these centers. These hints constitute a new line of thought. In this connection there are one or two points which I would like to develop in connection with this, so as to make the entire subject considerably clearer than it is at present. I would like also to relate these centers to the rays which are now in manifestation (either coming in, passing out or in full expression). Speaking with brevity, we could say that: The first initiation is closely related to the planetary center which is humanity itself. It will produce, when over, an increased stimulation of the intellect as it expresses itself as ordered activity upon the physical plane. It is also closely connected with the third Ray of Active Intelligence. This third ray has been in objective manifestation since 1425 A.D. and will remain in incarnation throughout the Aquar- ian Age. Its cycles are the longest of any of the ray cycles. However, within these major cycles there are periods of intensified activity which are like the beat or pulsation of the heart and these periods last approximately three thousand years. They are, when out of incarnation, called

The Destiny of the Nations 137 "cycles of withdrawal but not of abstraction." They are three thousand years also in incarnation. One of these three thousand year periods of expression is now here and we can look for much development of the intellectual faculty and a marked increase of creative work during this time. This particular cycle of expression marks a climaxing point in the larger cycle. During the coming age, the intelligence of the race and its active development will assume real proportions and this with much speed. The intensification of the life of the human center will proceed apace and this is the reason why so many people (as I have earlier hinted) will take the first initiation. Students are apt to forget that the first initiation can be described, in reality as: a. The grounding or externalization of the Christ principle in humanity as a whole and upon the physical plane. b. The flowering of the intelligence so that the initiate can work powerfully upon the mental plane and humanity itself be lifted up and aided throughout every part thereby. c. The coming into activity of the throat center and (because the third ray is closely connected with the first ray) the first faint orientation of the spiritual man towards Shamballa can take place, becoming more and more intensified and pronounced at the time of the third initiation. I would like here to point out the numerical correspondences: 1. The third great world center––humanity. 2. The activity of the third ray––active intellect. 3. The third initiation which marks the consummation of the 1st, just as the 4th initiation marks the consummation of the second, and the fifth of the third. \page

138 The Destiny of the Nations 4. The third major center––the throat center. 5. The third race––the Aryan, as it expresses the first strictly human race, the Lemurian. 6. The third plane––the physical, the reflection of the third highest plane, the atmic. 7. The third periodical vehicle––the personality. 8. The third divine aspect––intelligence. 9. The third grade of divine messenger––Hercules. 10. The sustaining Life the third or outer Sun––the physical sun. These are a few of the correspondences which it is helpful for us to bear in mind in so far as they reveal divine quality, spiritual intent and universal objectives. During the Aquarian Age and during one third of its expression, that is, during the first decanate, esoterically considered, the vitalizing of the human center (spiritually considered) and in relation to the Plan and the steady growth of widespread creative activity, both in the individual and the race, will be increasingly seen. This will be due to the work and influence of Saturn, which is governed by the third ray. This planet is the planet of opportunity, of discipleship and of testing and the race can look for an increasing expression of Saturnian activity as that great divine Life continues His beneficent task. The second initiation is closely related to the Hierarchy as a planetary center and to the activity of the second ray. This initiation will produce in the initiate a growing sense of relationships, of a basic unity with all that breathes, and a recognition of the One Life which will lead eventually to that state of expressed brotherhood which it is the goal of the Aquarian Age to bring into being. This major center, the Hierarchy, brings to bear upon humanity the focused

The Destiny of the Nations 139 life of love and it is this basic love which the second decanate of Aquarius––governed as it is by Mercury––will bring into manifestation. Mercury, the Messenger of the Gods (that is, of the Hierarchy of souls), carries always the message of love and sets up an unbreakable inter-relation between the two great planetary centers, that of the Hier- archy and that of Humanity. You have again in this connection certain fundamental numerical correspondences, which are based upon the coming into activity of an awakened heart center in the race. This is the second major center in the individual and is situated above the diaphragm, and through it the Hierarchy can reach the whole of humanity and the subhuman kingdoms likewise. 1. The second planetary center––the Hierarchy. 2. The activity of the second ray––love-wisdom. 3. The second initiation, which relates the solar plexus to the heart, humanity to the Hierarchy and the personality and the egoic rays to the second, which is ever basically in manifestation. 4. The second ray center––heart center. 5. The second race (the Atlantean) as it climaxes in the fourth, the next race. 6. The second plane––the astral plane. This is the reflection of the second highest plane. 7. The second periodical vehicle––the soul. 8. The second divine aspect––love-wisdom. 9. The second type or grade of Messenger––Christ, Buddha. 10. The sustaining Life, the second or subjective Sun–– heart of sun. \page

140 The Destiny of the Nations To all these is related the sixth ray as allied to or subsidiary to the second. In this world cycle it might be said that the emphasis of all spiritual power is placed in the Hierarchy which is, at present, the divine intermediary, interpreting the will of God, which is the purpose of Shamballa. It transmits or steps down the divine energy so that safe application to Humanity becomes possible. It will be apparent, therefore, why in the second decanate of Aquarius the Hierarchy can, as the representative of Shamballa and with the aid of Mercury, bring into physical manifestation the coming Avatar. This becomes possible when the work of the first decanate is accomplished and when Shamballa has released and definitely re-oriented the energies of the third great center, that of Humanity. This release and readjustment leads to creative expression and renewed spiritual life. Planetary alignment can take place and this is a planned objective for which the Hierarchy is preparing and for which the Avatar Himself is preparing at Shamballa. The third initiation is connected with Shamballa as a planetary center and to the activity of the first ray. It should be borne in mind that this is the first initiation in which personality and soul are united and fused so that the two aspects form one unit. When this initiation has taken place, it happens that for the first time some of its broader group implications become a reality and henceforth constitute the motivating impulse of the initiate's life. Aspiration ends and the intensest conviction takes its place. It is interesting also to note that Venus now comes into control in the third decanate of the Aquarian Age. Venus is esoterically recognized as that mysterious force which is a blend of love and knowledge, of intelligence and synthesis, and of understanding and brotherhood. Within the Hierarchy \page

The Destiny of the Nations 141 itself, the two great Messengers who have embodied the dual Venusian energy were the Buddha and the Christ. The Messenger Who will later come and express the Shamballa urge to synthesis, the hierarchial aspiration towards love and the desire of humanity for intelligent activity with combined power will gather all into Himself. All these qualities will focus in Him, plus another quality or divine principle of which the race of men as yet knows nothing and for which there is, as yet, no name. He will be a great and potent Avatar and is not along the line of our humanity at all. The numerical correspondences might be noted as follows, remembering that the third initiation is, in reality, the first initiation of the soul, after complete identification with the personality within the life and consciousness of the Monad, the One and the First. 1. The first planetary center––Shamballa. 2. The activity of the first ray––will or power. 3. The third initiation which is the first soul initiation, relating the base of the spine to the head center, and the soul to the Monad. 4. The first major center––the head. 5. The first truly divine race––the final race. 6. The third plane, which is in reality the first plane of soul consciousness, the reflection of the highest plane, the Logoic. 7. The first periodical vehicle––the monadic. 8. The first divine aspect––will or power. 9. The first or highest type of Mediator––the coming Avatar. 10. The sustaining Life, the spiritual sun––the central spiritual sun.

Glamour: A World Problem 2 Glamour: A World Problem III. I shall close by giving some specific instructions as to a useful mode of procedure. Should you, therefore, find these articles hard to understand and your reaction slow, you must bear in mind that this indicates your need for this study and corroborates what I am telling you. If you will seriously consider with me what the intuition is not, I think my words will find in you an inner response. I. DEFINITION OF THE INTUITION The intuition is not a welling forth of love to people and, therefore, an understanding of them. Much that is called the intuition is recognition of similarities and the possession of a clear analytical mind. Intelligent people who have lived in the world for some time and who have experienced much and who have contacted many other people can usually sum up with facility the problems and dis- positions of others, provided they are interested. This they must not, however, confound with the intuition. The intuition has no relation to psychism, either higher or lower; the seeing of a vision, the hearing of the Voice of the Silence, a pleased reaction to teaching of any kind does not infer the functioning of the intuition. It is not only the seeing of symbols, for that is a special sort of perception and the capacity to tune in on the Universal Mind upon that layer of Its activity which produces the pattern-forms on which all etheric bodies are based. It is not intelligent psychology, and a loving desire to help. That emanates from the interplay of a personality, governed by a strong soul orientation, and the group-conscious soul. Intuition is the synthetic understanding which is the prerogative of the soul and it only becomes possible when the soul, on its own level, is reaching in two directions: towards

Certain Preliminary Clarifications 3 the Monad, and towards the integrated and, perhaps (even if only temporarily) coordinated and at-oned personality. It is the first indication of a deeply subjective unification which will find its consummation at the third initiation. Intuition is a comprehensive grip of the principle of universality, and when it is functioning there is, momentarily at least, a complete loss of the sense of separateness. At its highest point, it is known as that Universal Love which has no relation to sentiment or to the affectional reaction but is, predominantly, in the nature of an identification with all beings. Then is true compassion known; then does criticism become impossible; then, only, is the divine germ seen as latent in all forms. Intuition is light itself, and when it is functioning, the world is seen as light and the light bodies of all forms become gradually apparent. This brings with it the ability to contact the light center in all forms, and thus again an essential relationship is established and the sense of superiority and separateness recedes into the background. Intuition, therefore, brings with its appearance three qualities: Illumination. By illumination I do not mean the light in the head. That is incidental and phenomenal, and many truly intuitive people are entirely unaware of this light. The light to which I refer is that which irradiates the Way. It is "the light of the intellect," which really means that which illumines the mind and which can reflect itself in that mental apparatus which is held "steady in the light." This is the "Light of the World," a Reality which is eternally existent, but which can be discovered only when the individual interior light is recognized as such. This is the "Light of the Ages," which shineth ever more until the Day be with us. The intuition is therefore the recognition in

The Nature of Glamour 33 use of language with its power to limit and distort. The illusion is also precipitated more potently than would otherwise be the case by the effort of many devoted idealistic men to impose these distorted thoughtforms upon the mental bodies of the masses. This constitutes one of the major problems with which the Hierarchy today has to concern itself; it is also one of the first factors which a Master has to consider in connection with any aspirant and disciple. Glamour, as we have seen, is of more ancient standing and of earlier emergence than is illusion. It has little in it of the mental quality and is the major factor controlling the majority. The objective of all training given on the Path of Discipleship and up to the third initiation is to induce that clear thinking which will render the disciple free from illusion and give to him that emotional stability and poise which gives no room for the entrance of any of the world glamour. This freedom becomes possible when there is in the aspirant no personal glamour, and no deliberately self-induced response to the determining factors which have produced glamour down the ages. With these factors we will later deal. Maya is the result of both glamour and illusion. It connotes, when present, an integrated personality and therefore the capacity to tune in on mental illusion and astral glamour. Where this condition is found, the problem of the disciple is one of the greatest in the world. What constitutes the prime difficulty of any disciple is the fact that the battleground of his life involves every aspect of his nature. The whole man is involved. Technically, the word MAYA should only be used in two cases: 1. In reference to the united glamour-illusion to which a man who is an integrated personality responds.

40 Glamour: A World Problem enter into that Presence where the two are seen as one, and naught is known but life and deity. In summarizing some of the information I have given to you concerning the four aspects of glamour, I would offer the following tabulation for your careful consideration. Note: 1. A dawning sense of maya arose in Lemurian days, but there was no real glamour and illusion. 2. Glamour arose in early Atlantean times. 3. Illusion arose among advanced human beings in later Atlantean days and will be a controlling factor in our Aryan race. 4. The Dweller on the Threshold arrives at full potency at the end of this race, the Aryan, and in the lives of all initiates prior to taking the third initiation. 5. The subhuman kingdoms in nature are free from glamour and illusion, but are immersed in the world maya. 6. The Buddha and His 900 arhats struck the first blow at the world glamour when He promulgated His Four Noble Truths. The Christ struck the second blow with His teaching of the nature of individual responsibility and of brotherhood. The next blow will be struck by the New Group of World Servers, acting under the direction of Christ and His disciples, symbolically described as "Christ and His 9000 initiates." 7. The Four Keynotes to the solution of the problem of glamour are: Intuition.....Illumination.....Inspiration......The Angel of the Presence.

The Causes of Glamour 99 rounds them, as individuals, and then see it disappear? Be not discouraged by this "glamorous weakness" but regard your effort to understand the problem and your ability to arrive at the solution in your own lives as part of the contribution which you can make to this most stupendous of world problems. Solve your glamour by dwelling in the light and holding the mind steady in that light, and by learning to throw this light into the fogs of glamour on the astral plane. Do not attempt to solve it, as some aspirants so frequently do, by saying, "Now I understand," whereas all that they do (and many of you do the same) is to react to a self-evident occult platitude. Third: This stage of glamour is oft called the Arjuna Experience. Today the world Arjuna is facing the pairs of opposites, just as does the individual disciple, ready––when these pairs have been resolved into a unity––to tread the Path of Discipleship. It might be pointed out that: 1. The masses in all lands are wrestling with the first pair of opposites, that upon the physical plane. When "resolution" has taken place, these masses will step on to the Path of Purification. This is rapidly taking place. It might be added that this is a long and slow process because the consciousness is––in this stage––not the intelligent awareness of the thinking man but the blind consciousness of the physical man, plus the forces of nature themselves. 2. The average educated citizen in all lands is facing today the Arjuna experience and the pairs of opposites upon the astral plane. Hence the intense feeling abroad in the world; hence also the search for illumination, through education, through religion, and through the many agencies of mental instruction, with the consequent

100 Glamour: A World Problem growth of knowledge, wisdom and right relationships. These people fall normally into two classes: a. Those who are aware of the necessity for decision and discrimination in thinking and in choice, but who are not yet truly aware of the implications or of the indications. They are called the "bewilderment phase of Arjuna's plight," and to racial, national and individual glamour, they have added a spiritual glamour which intensifies the fog. b. Those who have emerged out of this condition and are becoming aware of their problem. They see the pairs of opposites and are entering upon the "recognition stage of Arjuna's release." They see the Form of God and the indwelling Reality within that Form and are arriving at the decision to let the Warrior carry on the fight. They will then (when right decision and choice have been made) "stand up and fight," and will find themselves no longer on the Path of Purification but upon the Path of Disciple- ship. With this stage you are all familiar, and aspirants such as are found in this group of students need no instruction from me as to the treading of the path out of glamour into light. The rules are well known: the glamours to which you are susceptible are equally familiar the glamours to which humanity is prone are well recognized by you. It remains but for you to follow the ancient way of Raja Yoga and bring in the mind as a dispelling agency and thus learn to stand in the "light'' between the pairs of opposites, and through that "light" achieve freedom by treading the noble middle way. Sometimes, my brothers, I feel that you know so much theoretically but have worked out rela-

The Causes of Glamour 101 tively so little. I ask myself whether I do not shoulder an unreasonable responsibility by giving you any more instructions. But I remind myself that I write for others as well as for you and that my time is short for this particular service. The resolution of these dualities takes place when the soul, the true spiritual man, no longer identifies itself with either of the opposites, but stands free upon this middle way; the disciple then sees the "lighted Way ahead," along which he learns to go without being drawn into the glamorous worlds which stretch on either hand. He travels straight towards his goal. 3. The stage wherein the intelligent thinking man, whether disciple or well-meaning aspirant, or an initiate of the first and second degrees, has to learn to distinguish between the truth and the truths, between knowledge and wisdom, between reality and illusion. When this stage has been passed through it leads to the third initiation, wherein the personality (which is prone to maya, glamour and illusion) stands free. It again experiences a sense of at-one-ment. This is due to the development of the sense of the intuition which puts into the disciple's hand an infallible instrument whereby to discriminate and to discern. His perception is becoming accurate and he stands relatively free from deception and wrong identifications and interpretations. You will have noted how the career of the man has, therefore, proceeded from a crisis of duality to one of a relative unity, only to have that sense of unification disturbed by a renewed recognition of a higher and deeper duality. This duality temporarily produces another cleavage in a man's life, and thus re-initiates a torturing process of bridging or of "occultly healing"

102 Glamour: A World Problem this break in the continuity of the spiritual consciousness. I would here remind you that this sense of peace or perception of cleavage is in itself an illusion and of the nature of glamour, and is based upon the illusory sense of identification with that which is not the self, or soul. The entire problem can be solved if the shift of the consciousness is away from identification with the lower forms of experience into that of identification with the real and true man. 4. Stage by stage, the man has progressed from one state of illusion or glamour to another, from one point of discriminative opportunity to another until he has developed in himself three major capacities: 1. The capacity to handle force. 2. The capacity to tread the middle way between the pairs of opposites. 3. The capacity to use the intuition. These capacities he developed by resolving the pairs of opposites on the physical, astral and lower mental planes. Now he faces his climaxing resolution, equipped with these powers. He becomes aware of those two great and apparently opposing entities (with both of whom he finds himself consciously identified)––the Angel of the Presence and the Dweller on the Thresh- old. Behind the Angel he dimly senses, not another duality, but a great Identity, a living Unity, which–– for lack of a better word––we call the PRESENCE. He then discovers that the way out in this case is not the method of handling force or of leaving behind both pairs of opposites, or of right recognition through the intuition, but that this Dweller and this Angel must be brought together; the lower entity must be "blotted out" in the "light," or "forced to disappear within the

The Causes of Glamour 103 radiance." This is the task of the higher of the two entities, with which the disciple or the initiate, consciously and deliberately, identifies himself. With this process we will later deal. This is the problem which faces the initiate before he takes the final three initiations. You must bear in mind that none of these three stages are, in reality, divided off from each other by clear lines of demarcation, nor do they follow each other in a clear sequence. They proceed with much overlapping and often with a partial simultaneity. It is only when the disciple faces certain initiations that he awakens to the fact of these distinctions. Therefore, it might be stated that: 1. In the first initiation the disciple demonstrates that he has resolved the dualities of the physical plane and can rightly impose etheric energy (the higher of the two) upon physical energy. 2. In the second initiation, the initiate demonstrates that he can choose between the pairs of opposites and proceed with decision upon the "middle way." 3. In the third initiation, the initiate can employ the intuition for the right perception of truth, and in that initiation he catches the first real glimpse of the Dweller on the Threshold and the Angel of the Presence. 4. In the fourth initiation, the initiate demonstrates his ability to produce complete at-one-ment between the higher and lower aspect of the soul in manifestation and sees the Dweller on the Threshold merge into the Angel of the Presence. 5. In the fifth initiation––and here words fail to express the truth––he sees the Dweller on the Thresh-

104 Glamour: A World Problem old, the Angel, and the Presence merged into a divine synthesis. The question arises as to what produces this glamour and illusion. The subject is so vast (embracing as it does the whole field of planetary history) that I can do little more than indicate some of the causes. Few of them have, as yet, been susceptible of correction except in the case of individuals. This means that when individuals reach the point in evolution where they can identify themselves with their higher aspect, the soul, and can then bring in soul energy to offset, subdue and dominate the lower forces of the personality, then correction becomes possible and inevitably takes place. When, therefore, the time comes when a very large number of persons become aware of the condition of world glamour (through discovering it and dealing with it in their own lives), then we shall have a group approach to the problem. Then we shall have a definite attack upon the world glamour, and when this does take place––speaking esoterically––an opening will be made which will admit the light of the solar orb. The fogs will slowly disappear, subdued by the solar radiance, and the pilgrims will then find the enlightened WAY which leads from the heart of the fog, straight to the door of light." It is with the intention of discovering how far the aspirants and disciples of the world have gone in their understanding and in their handling of this problem that such an experiment as that being carried on in these groups has been undertaken and permitted. 2. The Causes Producing. World Glamour. The causes producing world glamour can be divided into three groups:

111 The Causes of Glamour use the word "sentient" I do not refer to the sensory apparatus of the physical nervous system, but to the sentient awareness of the Self which is today so immersed in glamour that the mass of men are entirely identified with the world of feeling, of quality, of sentient interplay, and of emotional reactions, with their likes and dislikes, and their dominant self-pity. Self-pity is one of the major glamours of the advanced and sensitive man. It is the advanced people who contribute the most to the world glamour. The major glamour is the reaction of the aspirant to the truth, to reality when he first becomes aware of that which lies a beyond the astral plane. He interprets all that he there senses and sees in terms of glamour, of emotional understanding, of a sentient fanaticism. He forgets that truth lies beyond the world of feeling altogether, unaffected by it, and can only be sensed in its purity when feeling is transcended and transmuted. The second major glamour is self-pity. The world today is divided into three groups, all of whom are subject to certain phases of glamour: 1. Those who are Atlantean in their consciousness and are, therefore, completely glamoured by: a. That which is material and to be desired. b. That which they feel in all relationships. c. That which they believe to be ideal, to be true or just, based on their reactions to the thinkers of the day, but which they themselves do not mentally understand. d. That which they demand of beauty, and of emotional comfort. e. That which brings to them spiritual comfort in the realm of religion and religious desire. Note the phrasing.

112 Glamour: A World Problem 2. Those who are more definitely Aryan in their consciousness. This means that the mind factor is awakening and thus constituting a difficulty and that the illusions of the mental plane are now added to the glamours of the astral plane. These illusions are theoretical and intellectual in nature. 3. A group of people who are emerging out of those subject to glamour and illusion, and who are alive to the Voice of the Silence and to the demands of the soul. The complexity of the modern psychological problem lies in the fact that our race and period sees the synthesis of all the glamours and the emergence of the illusions of the mental plane. Today we have aspirants at all stages of unfoldment, and find the masses recapitulating the different steps upon the evolutionary way, with the lowest layer of the human race definitely Lemurian in their consciousness, even though few in numbers relatively speaking. Illusion is rapidly growing as the mental power of the race develops, for illusion is the succumbing to the powerful thoughtforms which the thinkers of the time and of the immediately preceding age have formulated, and which at the time of their creation constituted the hope of the race. They embodied then the new and emerging ideas by means of which the race was intended to progress. These forms, when old and crystallized, become a menace and a hindrance to the expanding life. The realization of the problems of illusion lies centuries ahead when the race will have left glamour behind, when there will be few Atlantean minded people on the planet, and when there will be no people at all with the Lemurian consciousness. However, as evolution proceeds, things are greatly speeded up, and the time when humanity will be predominantly distinguished by the Aryan consciousness, is not as far ahead as might be

114 Glamour: A World Problem generally supposed. I speak not in terms of the Aryan race as it is generally understood today or in its Nordic implications. C. Causes initiated by the individual. If you have studied all the above with the needed care, it will be apparent to you that the individual man enters upon incarnation already handicapped by existent glamour of a very ancient origin and utterly beyond his power to control at this stage. It is of great potency. I use the word "handicapped" advisedly for lack of a better term. I would like, however, to point out that the true significance of the situation exists in the fact that these conditions offer the opportunity to the man of evoking the understanding and point of view of the soul, for they provide the means whereby experience is gained. This experience will lead eventually to the soul assuming control of the mechanism, the personality, and thus giving to that soul a definite field of service. The vehicles through which the soul is seeking experience and expression are normally and naturally subject to world glamours, and to the glamours of humanity as well as illusion. When the soul, in the early stages of experience, falls into the snare of maya, of glamour and eventually of illusion, the reason is that the soul is identifying itself with those forms and therefore with the surrounding glamour, and thus failing to achieve identification with itself. As evolution proceeds, the nature of the problem becomes apparent to the soul in incarnation and a process is then instituted whereby the soul frees itself from the results of wrong identification. Every soul in incarnation which succeeds in releasing its consciousness from the world of illusion and of glamour is definitely serving the race, and helping to free humanity from this ancient and potent thralldom.

170 Glamour: A World Problem longing and desire is for a true experience of goodness, of right human relations and of spiritual enterprise among men. Their name is Legion and they are to be found in every nation. When the Will of God, expressed in Shamballa and focused in the Buddha, the Love of God, expressed in the Hierarchy and focused through the Christ, and the intelligent desire of humanity, focused through the world disciples, the world aspirants and the men of goodwill are all brought into line––either consciously or unconsciously–– then a great reorientation can and will take place. This event is something that can happen. The first result will be the illumination of the astral plane and the beginning of the process which will dissipate glamour; the second result will be the irradiation of the mental plane and the dispelling of all past illusions and the gradual revelation of the new truths of which all past ideals and so-called formulations of truth have only been the signposts. Ponder on that statement. The signpost indicates the way to go; it does not reveal the goal. It is indicative but not conclusive. So with all truth up to the present time. The demand is, therefore, for knowers and for those whose minds and hearts are open; who are free from pre- conceived ideas fanatically held, and from ancient idealisms which must be recognized as only partial indications of great unrealized truths––truths which can be realized in great measure and for the first time IF the lessons of the present world situation and the catastrophe of the war are duly learned and the sacrificial will is called into play. I have made this practical application and the immediate illustration of the teaching anent glamour, illusion and maya because the whole world problem has reached a crisis today and because its clarification will be the outstanding theme

The Ending of Glamour 171 of all progress––educational, religious and economic––until 2025 A.D. In the section with which we are now concerned we shall consider the practical ways in which illusion, glamour and the power of maya can be brought to an end in the life of the individual, and eventually in the life of nations and finally in the world. Always we must begin with the unity of life, the Microcosm; then, having grasped process and progress in connection with the individual, the idea can then be extended to the group, the organization, the nation, and to humanity as a whole. Thus gradually we shall approach the great Idea to which we give the name of God, the Macrocosm. We shall in this section deal with techniques, and these might be summarized as follows: 1. The Technique of the Presence. By means of this technique, the soul assumes control of the integrated personality and of its relations, horizontal and vertical. This technique involves the unfolding of the flower of the intuition, dispelling illusion, revealing the Angel, indicating the Presence, and opening up to the disciple the world of ideas and the door of the higher initiations. Through the disciple's grasp and application of these divine ideas or seed thoughts, he becomes initiate and the third initiation becomes possible as an immediate goal. The intuition is the applied power of transfiguration. This technique is related to the little known yoga called Agni Yoga or the yoga of fire. 2. The Technique of Light. By means of this technique, the illumined mind assumes control over the astral or emotional body and dissipates glamour. When light pours in, glamour fades out. Illumination dominates and the vision

172 Glamour: A World Problem of reality can be seen. This technique is related to Raja Yoga and its goal is the second initiation; it produces ability to tread the Path of Discipleship, and enables the man to "live a life, enlightened by divinity." Illumination is the applied power of transformation. 3. The Technique of Indifference. By means of this technique, maya is ended; for the control of the purified astral vehicle is consciously and technically brought into activity, producing the freeing of the energies of the etheric body from the control of matter or force-substance, and bringing men in large numbers on to the Probationary Path. Where there is "divine indifference" to the call or pull of matter, then inspiration becomes possible. This technique is related to Karma Yoga in its most practical form and the use of matter with complete impersonality. The goal of this technique is the first initiation, which enables man to "live a life, inspired by God." Inspiration is the applied power of transmission. 1. THE TECHNIQUE OF THE PRESENCE As we enter upon our consideration of this subject, the student has three things to bear in mind: the existence of the Intuition, the fact of Illusion, and the overshadowing Presence. This Presence is revealed by the intuition through the medium of the Angel and, when revealed and recognized, brings illusion to an end. The story of illusion is one which must not be con- founded with glamour; illusion is related to the whole process of revelation. Glamour can be and often is related to the distortion of that which has been revealed, but it must be borne in mind that illusion is primarily concerned with the reaction of the mind to the unfolding revelation,

The Ending of Glamour 173 as the soul registers it and seeks to impress it on the highest aspect of the personal lower self. Illusion is, therefore, the failure of the mind correctly to register, to interpret or translate that which has been transmitted and it is consequently a sin (if you care for that word) of the intelligent and highly developed people, of those who stand on the Path and who are in process of becoming rightly oriented; it is also a sin of accepted disciples as they seek to expand their consciousness in response to soul contact. When they have "seen through illusion" (and I use this phrase in its esoteric sense) then they are ready for the third initiation. Our theme is, therefore, the theme of revelation and I would like to make some general remarks upon the subject, because thereby the problem of world illusion can be clarified and incidentally individual illusion also. The unfoldment of human awareness has been progressive down the ages, and has been dependent upon two major and related factors: 1. The factor of the gradual development of the human mind through the processes of evolution itself. This might be regarded as the innate capacity of that which we call the mind, the chitta, or mind stuff, to become more and more sensitive to the impact of the phenomenal world, and to the impression from the higher worlds of being. The mind is the instrument which registers the process of "becoming" but it is also––during the later stages of human unfoldment––capable of registering the nature or function of being. Becoming is revealed through the medium of the intellect; Being, through the medium of the intuition. In all study of illusion, the instrumental nature of the mind must be remembered and its power to register accurately, to in-

182 Glamour: A World Problem with individual problems or enquiries, as so many self- centered aspirants think. It is purely impersonal and only applicable to humanity in a synthetic sense. b. The "intruding agent of light" (as the Old Com- mentary calls these adventuring intuitives) is recognized as one to whom can be entrusted some revelation, some new impartation of truth, some significant expansion from a seed of truth already given to the race. He then sees a vision, hears a voice, registers a message, or–– highest form of all––he becomes a channel of power and light to the world, a conscious Embodiment of divinity, or a Custodian of a divine principle. These forms constitute true revelation, imparted or embodied; they are still rare but will increasingly be developed in humanity. 7. The next few stages are called, in preparation for the revelation: a. The relinquishing of the Higher Way. b. The return to the Angel, or a refocusing in the soul. c. A pause or interlude for constructive thinking, under the influence of the Angel. d. The turning of the mind to the formulation of those forms of thought which must embody the revelation. e. Then again a pause which is called "the pause preceding presentation.'' 8. The presentation of the revelation or of the imparted truth and its precipitation into the world of illusion comes next. In that world of illusion, it undergoes the "fiery ordeal" wherein "some of the fire within that which is revealed wings its way back to the source from whence it came; some of it serves to destroy the revealer,

The Ending of Glamour 183 and some to burn those who recognize the revelation." This is a phase of Agni Yoga which, as you can see, is only for those who can penetrate beyond the Angel into the place "where fire dwelleth," and where God, the Presence, functions as a consuming fire and waits for the hour of total revelation. This is a symbolic rendering of a great truth. In the case of the individual initiate, the third initiation, the Transfiguration, marks the consummation of the process. Only glory then is seen: only the voice of the Presence is heard and union with the past, the present and the future is reached. 9. The succumbing of the revelation to the prevailing illusion, its descent into the world of glamour, and its subsequent disappearance as a revelation and its emergence as a doctrine. But, in the meantime, humanity has been helped and led forward; the intuitives continue to work and the inflow of that which is to be revealed never ceases. This basic technique underlies both primary and secondary revelations. In the case of the first, the time cycle is long; in the second, the time cycle is short. A very good instance of this process is demonstrated by one of the secondary points of revelation in connection with the teaching which emanated from the Hierarchy (the Custodian of secondary revelations, as Shamballa is of primary) fifty years ago and which took the form of The Secret Doctrine. H. P. B. was the "penetrating, sensing, appropriating intuitive." The revelation she conveyed followed the accustomed routine of all secondary revelation from the Source to the outer plane. There the minds of men, veiled by illusion and clouded by glamour, formulated it into an inelastic doctrine, recognizing no further revelation and holding steadily––many of the theosophical groups––that The Secret Doctrine was a final

184 Glamour: A World Problem revelation and that naught must be recognized but that book and naught deemed correct but their interpretations of that book. If they are correct, then evolutionary revelation is ended and the plight of humanity is hard indeed. Even the neophyte upon the way of the intuition can begin to develop in himself the power to recognize that which the lower mind cannot give him. Some thought of revealing potency, to be used for the helping of the many, may drop into his mind; some new light upon an old, old truth may penetrate, releasing the truth from the trammels of orthodoxy, thus illumining his consciousness. This he must use for all and not for himself alone. Little by little, he learns the way into the world of the intuition; day by day, and year by year, he becomes more sensitive to divine Ideas and more apt in appropriating them wisely for the use of his fellowmen. The hope of the world and the dispelling of illusion lies in the development of intuitives and their conscious training. There are many natural intuitives whose work is a blend of the higher psychism with flashes of true intuition. There must be the training of the exact intuitive. Paralleling their intuitive response and their effort to precipitate their intuition into the world of human thought, there must also be the steady development of the human mind so that it can grasp and apprehend what is projected, and in this too lies the hope of the race. b. Group Intuition dispels World Illusion Today the world is full of illusions, many of them veiled under the form of idealisms; it is full of wishful thinking and planning, and even though much of this is rightly oriented and expresses the fixed determination of the intelligentsia to create better living conditions for the entire popu-

The Ending of Glamour 203 place to planned efforts to meet desire, involving the directive use of the mind. Thus the line of demarcation between the animal and the human has become increasingly apparent and the first and basic expression of pure selfishness appeared aeons ago. Later, as evolution proceeded and desire shifted from one planned satisfaction to another, it began to take on a less physical aspect and men sought pleasure in emotional experience and in its dramatization: this led to the establishment of the drama as its first artistic expression; by means of this, down the ages, man has supplemented individual emotional and dramatic living with a vicarious submergence in it, thus exteriorizing himself and supple- menting his personal dramas, desires, and objectives with those which were developed by means of the creative imagination, thus laying the foundation for the recognition–– intelligent and real––of the part in relation to the whole. Thus from earliest Atlantean times the foundation was laid for the unfoldment of the sense of mystical duality through the various stages of an anthropomorphic recognition of deity to the recognition of the real in man himself, until finally we arrive at the proposition which faces the disciple. Then the Dweller on the Threshold confronts the Angel of the Presence and the last and major conflict is fought out. This dualistic consciousness culminates at the time of the third initiation in the final fight between the pairs of opposites and the triumphant victory of the Angel––the embodiment of the Forces of Good in the individual, in the group and in humanity. Then dualism and the desire for that which is material and not oneself (as identified with the Whole) dies out. Unity and the "life more abundantly" is achieved. The process followed by the disciple who is consciously working at the dissipation of glamour in his life can be

204 Glamour: A World Problem divided into four stages to which the following definitions can be given: 1. The stage of recognition of the glamour or glamours which hide the Real. These glamours are dependent in any particular life crisis upon the ray of the personality. 2. The stage of focusing the disciple's consciousness upon the mental plane and the gathering of the light to that point of focus so that the illumination is clear, the work to be done is plainly seen, and the searchlight of the mind is directed upon the glamour which it is intended should be dissipated. 3. The stage of direction. This involves the steady pouring of the light (under intelligent direction) into the dark places of the astral plane, remembering that the light will enable the disciple to do two things: a. Dissipate the glamour––a satisfying experience. b. See the Real––a terrifying experience, brother of mine. 4. The stage of identification with the Real as it is contacted after the dissipation of the glamour. In the added light which is now available, there will be a further recognition of still subtler glamours which in their turn must be dissipated. This process of recognition, focusing, dissipation and consequent revelation goes on continually from the time a disciple treads the Path of Accepted Discipleship until the third initiation. The clue to all success in this process is, therefore, connected with meditation and the holding of the mind steady in the light. Only through steadiness can the beam of light be formed, intensified, focused and projected and then––

The Ending of Glamour 205 at the right moment––withdrawn. I cannot here enter upon an elucidation of the process of meditation, based on the right understanding of the nature of concentration. I have written much upon the subject and the Raja Yoga discipline is well known. Mental concentration and control is now the ordinary theme of all instructions given by educators and enlightened parents. It is difficult for the average person today to realize that there was a time when such phrases "Use your mind" or "If you will only think" or "A little mental control on your part would be useful" were totally unknown because the mind was so little developed. It was then only recognized as a functioning factor by those with initiate consciousness. The Path of Evolution is in fact the path of recognitions, leading to revelation. The whole process of evolution is initiatory in character, leading from one expansion of consciousness to another until the worlds of the formless and of form stand revealed in the light which the initiate generates and in which he walks. These lights are varied and variously revealing; there is: 1. The light of matter itself, found in every atom of substance. 2. The light of the vital or etheric vehicle––a light which is the reflection of the One Light because it unifies the three types of light within the three worlds. 3. The light of the instinct. 4. The light of the intellect or the light of knowledge. 5. The light of the soul. 6. The light of the intuition. From light to light we pass, from revelation to revelation until we pass out of the realm of light into the realm of life which is, as yet to us, pure darkness. It will be obvious to you that this increasing light brings with it a constantly developing series of revelations which,

254 Glamour: A World Problem usually for commercial gain. Fortunately for the mass of aspirants, the information and the instruction given are both feeble, inaccurate and frequently innocuous, though there are many cases of significantly bad reaction; fortunately, also, the purpose of the average aspirant is so weak that he is incapable of persistent, daily, unchanging compliance with the requirements and fails to render that application which would be the guarantee of a dubious success; hence, in these cases, no danger exists. Many occult groups exploit the subject in order to build up mystery and to hold out inducements to the unwary, or give their adherents something to do and thus gain kudos for themselves as learned and well trained occultists. Anyone can teach breathing exercises. It is largely a matter of periodic inbreathing and exhalation, timed and spaced according to the wish of the teacher. Where there is persistence in effort, results will be achieved and these will usually be undesirable because the average teacher emphasizes the technique of the breath and not the ideas which––upon the energy which that breath engenders ––should take form in the life of the disciple. The entire science of the breath is built around the use of the Sacred Word, the OM. The use of the Word is intended to be confined to those aspirants who are earnestly pledged to tread the Way, but it has been passed on and its use enjoined by many unscrupulous teachers, particularly those swamis who come from India, pose as Holy Men and get the silly women of the occident into their clutches. The Word is then used with no spiritual intent but simply as a sound which, carried on the breath, produces psychic results which indicate to the gullible their deep spirituality. The trouble is that breathing is inevitably related to the OM, but the effects are dependent upon motive and inner fixed intention. The oriental, unless he has attained the fourth or fifth initiation, has no true understanding of the

The Ending of Glamour 255 occidental or of his mechanism and equipment which, as the result of a civilization and a mode of living, differs widely from that of the oriental. In the East, the problem of the teacher or Guru is to take negatively polarized people and make them positive. In the West, the races are as a whole positive in attitude and need no such training as is rightly given to the oriental. What exactly do I mean when I make this statement? I mean that in the East, the will factor (the quality of the first aspect) is absent. The oriental, particularly the inhabitant of India, lacks will, dynamic incentive and the ability to exert that inner pressure upon himself which will produce definite results. That is why that particular civilization is so unadaptable to modern civilization, and that is why the people of India make so little progress along the lines of regulated municipal and national life, and why they are so behind the times as far as modern civilized living is concerned. Generalizing, the occidental is positive and needs the directive force of the soul and can produce it with very little teaching. In the Aryan race, a fusion is today taking place between the will aspect, the mind and the brain. This is not so in the Orient. It will be so later. The only factor which makes the breath effective is the thought, the intent and the purpose which lie behind it. In this statement, you have the clue to dynamic useful breathing exercises. Unless there is a clear appreciation of purpose, unless the disciple knows just what he is doing as he practices esoteric breathing, and unless the significance of the words "energy follows thought" is understood, breathing exercises are sheer waste of time and can be dangerous. From this it can be gathered that only when there is an alliance between breathing and thinking will results be possible. Behind this lies a third and even more important factor ––the WILL. Therefore, the only person who can safely

256 Glamour: A World Problem and usefully practice breathing exercises is the man whose will is active––his spiritual will and, therefore, the will of the Spiritual Triad. Any disciple who is in process of building the antahkarana can begin to use, with care, directed breathing exercises. But, in the last analysis, it is only the initiates of the third degree and who are coming under monadic influence who can properly and successfully employ this form of life direction and reach effective results. This is fundamentally true. However, a beginning has to be made and to this effort all true disciples are invited. If all the implications in the above paragraph are considered, it will be apparent that the disciple has to establish ––as a preliminary step––a direct relation between his brain, his mind and the will aspect of the Spiritual Triad; in other words, the negative receptor of thought (the brain), the agent of the will (the mind), and the Triad itself, have to be brought into contact with each other, via the antahkarana. When such a relation exists or is beginning to be established, then breathing exercises can safely and profitably be attempted. You see, my brother, only the directed will, using the organized rhythmic breath as its agent, can control the centers and produce an ordered purpose in life. Therefore, it is the dominating idea or line of mental activity with which the disciple must be concerned as he performs a breathing exercise. This idea must embody some purpose, some planned activity and some recognized goal before the breath which will engineer or implement it is generated, assembled, sent forth and thus becomes the carrier of power. This has to be done upon the wings of conscious intention, if I may here speak symbolically. I would urge you to read these last sentences with frequency because they concern the Science of the Breath and hold the clue to needed work. This science is primarily and fundamentally concerned with ideas as formulated into clear thoughtforms

Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle 49 live and move and have our being"; it will put mankind into a right relationship with all aspects and expressions of the divine nature, deepening subjective contact and bringing about a diviner objective manifestation and one more in line with divine purpose. It will lead to a great shift of the human consciousness off the levels of emotional and physical life (where the bulk of humanity is focussed) on to the levels of mental perception. You will understand, consequently, the reason why the Knowers of the world have ever referred to the dual action of the mind as it is sensitive to the higher impressions and active in the mental creation of the needed thoughtforms. The mind, rightly trained, will seize upon the fugitive impression, subject it to the concretizing effect of mental activity, produce the required form, and this, when correctly created and oriented, will finally lead to the externalizing of the registered impression, as it took form in an intuition and eventually found its place upon the mental plane. You will see also why disciples and world workers have to function as MINDS, as receptive and perceptive intelligences and as creators in mental matter. It is all related to this Science of Impression with which we have been dealing. You will note also that this whole process is capable of expansion in the processes of meditation, so that the aspirant can be sensitive to impression and (because he is oriented to the world of ideas and is aware of the subtlety and delicacy of the apparatus required to register the "overshadowing cloud of knowable things") is safeguarded from the sensitivity required to register impacts from other minds, good or bad in their orientation, and from the thought currents of that which is in process of taking form as well as from the powerful pull or urge of the emotional and desire reactions of the astral plane and of the emotionally polarized world in which he lives physically.

50 Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle More understanding will come also if you grasp the fact that this Science of Impression is concerned with the activity of the head center as an anchoring center for the antahkarana, and that the ajna center is concerned with the process of translating the recorded intuition into a form (through recognition of and reaction to a mental thoughtform) and its subsequent direction, as an ideal objective, into the world of men. In the early stages and until the third initiation, the Science of Impression is concerned with the establishing of a sensitivity (an invocative sensitivity) between the Spiritual Triad (temporarily expressing itself through the abstract mind and the soul or the Son of Mind) and the concrete mind. This mental triangle is a reflection, in time and space, of the Monad and of the two higher aspects of the Triad, and is reflected (after the process of invocation and a succeeding process of evocation) in another triad––that of the lower mind, the soul and the vital body. When the relation between the lower and the higher mind is correctly and stably established, you have the swinging into activity of the lowest triad connected with the Science of Impression––the head center, the ajna center and the throat center. In the above I have given you an interesting and brief elucidation of the technique to be applied to the energizing of the centers in the human body. I would remind you that what is true of the individual disciple must be and is true of that great disciple––Humanity, the entire human family. It is also true, as an outgrowth of this idea, of all the three planetary centers: Shamballa, the Hierarchy and Humanity. The name Science of Impression is that given to the process whereby the establishment of the required relationship in all these units of life takes place. The Technique of Invo- cation and Evocation is the name given to the mode or method whereby the desired relationship is brought about

Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle 71 of Impression. The remaining members of the Hierarchy take their orders from their seniors. I would ask you to remember that, in our planetary development, the emphasis of the entire evolutionary process is on the MIND and on the various aspects of the mind––intelligence, mental perception, the Son of Mind, the lower mind, the abstract mind, the mind as will, the Universal Mind. The three which are of major importance and which form an esoteric triangle requiring to be brought into a vital inter-relation are the Son of Mind, the abstract mind, and the Universal Mind. They are, when fully related and active, the factors which engineer divine purpose and step it down into such form that we call it the hierarchical Plan and can act upon it. Only when the initiate has attained, through monadic contact, a touch of the Universal Mind can the Purpose be sensed by him; this involves also the development of the abstract mind, plus the residue of mental perception which the Son of Mind (the soul) has bequeathed to him; through all this unfoldment he can join the group who are the Formulators of the Plan. We are dealing here with most difficult and complex matters, inherent in the initiate consciousness and for which we have as yet no correct terminology. Also, the average aspirant has no idea what is the nature of the awareness or the reactions to contact of Those Who have passed beyond the third initiation; these limitations of the average student must constantly be borne in mind. The Science of Invocation and Evocation––which embodies the technique of interplay within the Hierarchy itself, to a certain degree between Shamballa and the Hier- archy, and to an increasing extent between Humanity and the Hierarchy––is based entirely on a sense of relation. Therefore only a certain level of conscious Lives can invoke Shamballa and evoke response, and this because They

72 Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle have Themselves developed some of the aspects of that type of mental understanding which is the hierarchical expression of the Universal Mind. The light and futile talk of certain writers and thinkers anent the cosmic consciousness, and their flippant use of such phrases as "tuning in with the Infinite" or "tapping the Universal Mind" serve only to show how very little is known in reality about the responses and the reactions of those of high initiate rank or of those on the highest levels of hierarchical life. True capacity to invoke and evoke (within initiate ranks) is based upon a mysterious development––impossible before the time of the third initiation––of the esoteric sense. The active use of the esoteric sense in the occult training offered to aspirants, disciples and initiates of lesser degree produces certain changes within the brain, with corresponding changes within the buddhic vehicle; these changes enable one at will (after the third Initiation of Transfiguration) to contact the Being, Life, or the monadic POINT of contact with Whom he will be increasingly affiliated, or the Member of the Hierarchy Whom he may desire to consult. It does not involve the use of speech or words but is simply a technical method whereby an initiate within the Hierarchy or en rapport with Shamballa can make his presence felt and certain ideas can be presented by him. Upon this I will not further enlarge. For average humanity, the development of the intuition is the lower correspondence to this type of esoteric sense employed by initiates of high degree––or this mode of perceptive intercourse, as it is sometimes called. Within the Ashrams, advanced disciples are taught how to discover within themselves and to use this new potency and thus develop the needed mechanism. They can know simultaneously both the demand and the answer or response which their invocation application has evoked. All disciples who

Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle 73 have taken the third initiation have the power to invoke and to be evoked, and hence this technique is not permitted to those of lower status. A highly developed discriminative faculty is here needed. It is in reality an advanced part of the technique whereby––in the earliest stages––the disciple is permitted to attract the attention of the Master. This he does through the very importunity of his desire; later, through the use of his acquired knowledge, he proceeds to what is called "the regulated nature of his appeal." The appeal is then less regulated by desire and more under the control of will. I am not here dealing with invocation and evocation as it is carried on between Humanity and the Hierarchy. I gave much along this line when I made public the various Invocations whereby I have been attempting to substitute the invocative method for the selfish use of prayer and the limiting mode of the average meditation process. It is a slow process by means of which this method of intercourse must be learnt and mastered, and no textbook or information on the subject is of much use. Nor am I going to deal with the ordinary telepathy prevalent among men and natural to so many, as this has been dealt with earlier in this book. But at this point I should like to emphasize something which applies to every human being. When animal- man passed through the door of individualization and became a human being he came possessed of an innate potency of sight; for aeons he has seen in the three worlds, and many have for several lives sought after the vision which stabilizes the aspirant upon the Path. Through the door of initiation, having attained the mystical vision, each aspirant will become aware of that within himself which permits of a spiritual perception of such an expansive nature that he gets his first real and individual glimpse of the divine Plan; from that moment his entire life is altered. Later (and this

86 Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle the initiatory process are "the ability to be impressed, the capacity accurately to register the impression the power to record what has been given, and then to give it word forms in the mind consciousness". On the basis of the information received, the disciple must then properly invoke the needed energies and learn through experience to produce a responsive evocation. My earlier statement on this subject a few pages back was intended to lead up to this teaching and I repeat it here: "The entire human family is today an amazing receiver of impressions, owing to the myriad types of susceptible mechanisms. . . . It is because of this that the human kingdom (the great middle kingdom whose function it is to mediate between the higher and the lower) is the subject of so much divine impression, conveying the purpose of Sanat Kumara. . . . In these present instructions I am dealing with group possibilities, with groups which can be trained to record, register, and be impressed by the Hierarchy. Such a group can be in the position of being able to invoke the Hierarchy with power if it so choose. l am again bringing these things to your attention as aspirants and disciples, but from an angle different to those in my earlier writings. The responsibility of impressionability, of telepathic registration and of invocative appeal is very great." For the aspirant and particularly for the conscious disciple, the impression to be considered comes from four sources: 1. From the disciple's own soul. 2. From the Ashram with which he is to be affiliated. 3. Directly from the Master. 4. From the Spiritual Triad, via the antahkarana.

87 Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle The first two stages cover the period of the first two initiations, the third precedes the third initiation and persists until the disciple is himself a Master; the fourth type of informative impression can be registered after the third initiation and reach the disciple in the Ashram; he then has the task himself of impressing his mind with what he has been told and known within the Ashram; eventually, as a Master of an Ashram, he starts upon one of the major hierarchical tasks of mastering the Science of Impression. There are therefore, two aspects to this work of impression: one deals with the capacity to be impressed; the other with the ability to be an impressing agent. The disciple is not permitted to practice the art of impressing until he himself is among those who receive Triadal impression and therefore impression from Shamballa, within the protective area or aura of the Ashram with which he is affiliated. It must be remembered that this Science of Impression is in reality the science of thoughtform-making, thoughtform vitalization and thoughtform direction; and only a disciple who has passed through the processes of Transfiguration and is no longer the victim of his own personality can be entrusted with so dangerous a cycle of powers. As long as there exists any desire for selfish power, for unspiritual control and for influence over the minds of other human beings or over groups, the disciple cannot be trusted, under the hierarchical rules: with the deliberate creation of thoughtforms designed to produce specific effects, and with their dispersal to men and groups. After he has passed the tests of the Transfiguration Initiation he may do so. The Science of Impression is the bedrock or the foundation for the practice of telepathy. If a major world test were to be made, those receptive to impression would be found to fall into two groups:

136 Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle am pointing this out for two reasons which must form part of your thinking as you study this science: 1. All the centers come under the influence of all the rays, and this must surely be obvious in relation to average and undeveloped human beings. Were this not so, such human beings would be unable to respond to first ray, second ray and third ray energy, for the centers above the diaphragm are, in their case, inactive. 2. In time and space and during the evolutionary process, it is not possible to say which center is expressing the energy of any particular ray, for there is a constant movement and activity. The center at the base of the spine is frequently the expression of first ray energies. This is apt to be confusing. The human mind seeks to make everything precise, stable, to bracket certain relations or to assign certain centers to certain ray energies. This cannot be done. At the end of the world cycle, when divine purpose is fulfilled and the evolutionary process has brought about the changes and adjustments needed for the full expression of the Will of Sanat Kumara, then the situation will be different and men will know (as the Members of the Hierarchy know) which centers express the seven ray energies. It must be remembered also that the Rays of Attribute shift and change constantly; for instance, humanity as the planetary throat center is under the constant influence of the seventh ray, as is the solar plexus center of the planet. To that sub- diaphragmatic center I give no name. Though the human throat center is primarily expressing the third ray, there is an interesting situation to be noted in this connection: two ray energies control this center at this time.

Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle 137 The throat center of the average integrated personality is governed by the third ray and is strongly energized by third ray energies (again seven in number), whilst the throat center of the spiritual aspirant, of disciples and initiates below the third initiation is responding primarily to seventh ray influence, and this is peculiarly the case now as the seventh ray is in incarnation. The rays which are manifesting at any particular time affect powerfully all the other centers as well as the one through which they are normally expressing. This is a point oft forgotten. It is needless for me to point out that––as man progresses upon the Path of Return––he consistently comes under the impression of the center of which he is an integral part: that is, first of all, the planetary throat center, the human family; then, as a soul, he comes under the impression of the Hierarchy, the planetary heart center and at that point he begins to express the combined energies of the intelligence and of love; finally, on the Path of Initiation, he comes under the impression of Shamballa, the planetary head center, and becomes a participant in the divine Purpose and an Agent of the divine Plan. It is therefore literally and eternally true that the same energetic Life pours through the planetary center, into and through the three periodical vehicles of the incarnated Monad, and finally into and through the three centers in the human etheric body which correspond to the three major centers of the planetary Logos. There is, therefore, nowhere to be found any basis for separation or any possible point of separation or of essential division. Any sense of separateness is due simply to ignorance and to the fact that certain energies are as yet unable to make adequate impression upon the human consciousness, functioning in time and space. The essential synthesis exists and the end is sure and

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IV. THE CENTERS AND THE PERSONALITY We will now consider the centers as controlling factors in the life of the personality in the three worlds and their relation to each other, always studying the subject from the angle of their relation to one of the three major planetary centers––Shamballa, the Hierarchy and Humanity––in connection with: 1. The Point at the Center. 2. Related Energies. 3. Sphere of Radiation. 4. The Triangle of Energy. The abstruseness of this theme is very great; a basic statement will, however, serve somewhat to clarify the subject; it is a statement which has seldom found expression elsewhere. Let me phrase it as simply as possible: The centers below the diaphragm, i.e., the solar plexus center, the sacral center and the center at the base of the spine, are controlled by the four ethers of the planetary physical plane; the centers above the diaphragm, i.e., the heart center, the throat center, the ajna center and the head center are controlled by the four cosmic ethers, to which we give the names of the energies of the buddhic plane, the energies of the atmic plane, the energies of the monadic plane and the energies of the logoic plane. This statement involves a somewhat new concept; it creates a basic relation, making possible the fact that "as above so below." Think this out. It has serious implications.

168 Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle The centers below the diaphragm are––during the evolutionary process––controlled by the first, the second and the third ethers, counting from below upward; when evolution has brought the aspirant to the point of personal integration, then the energies of the highest, the etheric-atomic plane can and do control. When that takes place, then the possibility is present of the energies of the cosmic etheric planes bringing the centers above the diaphragm into full expression. This takes place upon the Path of Discipleship and the Path of Initiation. This interesting process of transference of energies is called by several names, such as "radiatory substitution," "energizing at-one-ment," and "in- spirational reflected light of energy." All these terms are efforts to express in somewhat inadequate words what happens when the higher energies are substituted for the lower, when the magnetic "pull" of the spiritual energies draws upward and absorbs the lower energies which are concerned primarily with the personality life, or when the reflecting light of the Spiritual Triad and of the Monadic Glory are transferred into the higher energy centers in the final vehicle used by the developed human being. Little has as yet been given out anent the relation of the four physical ethers and the four cosmic ethers; there is nevertheless a direct relation between them, and this the initiatory process reveals. This also brings about significant changes in the vehicles of humanity. There is also a direct relation between the four aspects of karma (the Law of Cause and Effect) and the four physical ethers, as well as the four cosmic ethers; this relationship will later constitute the basis of a new occult science. Therefore, there is yet much to be grasped by students concerning energy, its emanating sources, its mode of transfer or its transitional processes, and its anchorage within the planetary body, or the physical body of the individual. With some of these

Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle 169 ideas we will now deal, thus laying the foundation for future investigation but saying little which will be of immediate use to the individual student. It is relatively easy to list the four cosmic ethers and then list the four ethers of the physical plane as we know them, and then make the statement that the average person is controlled by the centers below the diaphragm, which are responsive to the physical plane ethers as they transmit energies from the three worlds of human evolution, and that the initiate is responsive to the cosmic ethers, as they play through and awaken the centers above the diaphragm. It must at the same time be remembered that the seven centers in the etheric vehicle of man are always composed of the physical ethers, but become––upon the Path of Disciple- ship––the vehicles of the cosmic ethers. To retain the picture with clarity, it might be well to consider very briefly the four aspects of the centers as I have listed them above, or that totality which they present to the eye of the See-er. These are : 1. The Point at the Center. This is the "jewel in the lotus," to use the ancient oriental appellation; it is the point of life by means of which the Monad anchors itself upon the physical plane, and is the life principle therefore of all the transient vehicles––developed, undeveloped or developing. This point of life contains within itself all possibilities, all potentialities, all experiences and all vibratory activities. It embodies the will-to-be, the quality of magnetic attraction (commonly called love), and the active intelligence which will bring the livingness and the love into full expression. The above statement or definition is one of major importance. This point at the center is in reality, therefore, all that IS and the other three aspects of life––as listed––are merely indications of its existence. It is that which has capacity to withdraw to its Source or to impose upon itself

170 Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle layer upon layer of substance; it is the cause of the return of the so-called Eternal Pilgrim to the Father's Home after many aeons of experience, as well as that which produces experiment, leading to eventual experience and final expression. It is also that which the other three aspects shield, and which the seven principles (expressing themselves as vehicles) protect. There are seven of these "points" or "jewels", expressing the sevenfold nature of consciousness, and as they are brought one by one into living expression, the seven subrays of the dominating monadic ray are also one by one made manifest, so that each initiate-disciple is (in due time) a Son of God in full and outer glory. The time comes when the individual etheric body is submerged or lost to sight in the light emanating from these seven points and colored by the light of the "jewel in the lotus" in the head, the thousand petalled lotus. Each center is then related by a line of living fire and each is then in full divine expression. Much emphasis has been placed by teachers in the past upon the "killing out" of the centers below the diaphragm, or upon the transference of the energies of these centers into their higher correspondences. This I also have pointed out in other writings and instructions, because it is a definite way in which to convey essential truth. These methods of expression are, however, only symbolic phrases, and to that extent are true; nevertheless, at the close of the evolutionary process every single center in the etheric body is a living, vibrant and beautiful expression of the basic energy which has ever sought to use it. They are, however, energies which are dedicated to divine and not to material living, and are clear, pure and radiant; their central point of light is of such a brilliance that the ordinary eye of man can scarcely register it. At this point it must be remembered that though there are seven of these points, one at the center of each lotus,

Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle 171 there are only three types of such "jewels in the lotus" because the Monad expresses only the three major aspects of divinity, or the three major rays. 2. The Related Energies. This expression has reference to what have been called the "petals" of the lotus: with these differentiations of the various energies I seek not here to deal; too much emphasis has ever been laid upon them both by oriental and occidental writers; there is far too much curiosity about the number of petals in any particular center, about their arrangement and about their coloring and quality. If these matters interest you, you can search in the standard books for this information, remembering as you garner the proffered information that you are not in a position to prove its accuracy; its usefulness, therefore, to you is highly problematical. I write this for real students and for those who seek to live the life of the spirit; the information which theorists seek is amply provided for both by me and many other exponents of the technicalities of the Ageless Wisdom. All I would remark is that as the point in the center is the point of life and the permanent, persistent Eternal ONE, so the related energies or petals are indicative of the state of consciousness which that Eternal One is able––at any stated point in time and space––to express. This may be the relatively undeveloped state of consciousness of the savage, the consciousness of the average man or the highly developed consciousness of the initiate up to the third degree, or the still more vibrant awareness of the initiate of still higher grades. It is ever concerned with CONSCIOUS- NESS; only the point at the center is concerned with the first or life aspect; the petals concern the second or the consciousness aspect, and this must be most carefully borne in mind.

172 Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle The state of the consciousness is ever indicated by the size, the color and the activity of the energies which compose the petals of the lotus; their unfoldment and their development is conditioned by the governing rays, as well as by the age and the length of the soul's expression. The extent and the nature of the relative "brightness" is also conditioned by the point of focus in any particular life, as well as by the trend of the thinking of the soul which is in incarnation; it must be remembered here that "energy follows thought." The natural focus or point of polarization is at times most definitely offset by a man's line of thought (whatever that may currently be) or by the fact that he is living, consciously or unconsciously, the life of every day. An instance of this can be found in the fact that a disciple's natural focus might be the solar plexus center, but because of his fixed and determined thought, the energy which he wields can be directed to one of the centers above the diaphragm, thus producing a temporary atrophying of the center below the diaphragm and the consequent stimulation of that which lies above that dividing line. Thus are the needed changes made. When the cycle of evolution is nearing its close and the initiate-disciple has well nigh run his course, the energies are all fully developed, active and vibrant, and are therefore consciously used as essential aspects of the initiate's contact mechanism. This is often forgotten and the emphasis of the student's thinking is laid upon the centers as expressions of his natural unfoldment, whereas that is of relatively secondary importance. The centers are, in reality, focal points through which energy can be distributed, under skilled direction, in order to make a needed impact upon those centers or individuals which the disciple seeks to aid. These impacts can be stimulated or vitalized at need, or they can be delib-

Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle 173 erately destructive, thus aiding in the liberation from substance or matter of the one to be aided. It is high time that students paid attention to the service angle of the centers, and to the focusing and the use of energy in service. It is here that the knowledge of the number of the petals which form a center is involved, because this knowledge indicates the number of the energies which are available for service, i.e., two energies, twelve energies, sixteen energies and so forth. No attention has hitherto been paid to this important point, but it embodies the practical use of the new occultism in the coming New Age. The oriental symbols which are often superimposed upon the illustrations of the centers should now be discontinued because they convey no real use to the occidental mind. 3. The Sphere of Radiation. This obviously concerns the radius of influence or the outgoing vibratory effect of the centers, as they are gradually and slowly brought into activity. These centers, or their vibrations, are in reality what creates or constitutes the so-called aura of the human being, even though that aura is frequently confused with the health aura. Instead of the word "frequently" I had almost said "usually," because that would be more definitely correct. It is the etheric body which indicates and conditions the aura, which is presumed to demonstrate what the personality is, emotionally and mentally, and (occasionally) what is indicated of soul control. This is not a false premise, and I would have you register this fact. It is, however, excessively limited in its import, because the aura is in reality indicative of the subject's centers. From the study of this aura certain things can be ascertained: a. Whether the development is above or below the diaphragm. b. Whether the centers are undeveloped or developed.

174 Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle c. Whether the nature of the controlling rays is adequately clear. d. Whether the point at the center and the petals of the lotus are controlled, or whether a balance is being achieved. e. Whether the personality is outgoing, and is therefore in a state of livingness, or whether a withdrawing is taking place due to introspection and self-centeredness, or to the slow oncoming of the death process. f. Whether the personality or the soul is in control, and whether, therefore, a struggle between the two is going on. You can see, therefore, how revealing the aura can be to the individual who has the ability to read it with accuracy, and how thankful you should be that such a capacity is relatively rare, or is in the possession of an Initiate or of a Master Whose nature is LOVE. The "sphere of radiation" is a potent instrument in service, and its extent and purity of contact should be cultivated by the pledged disciple. There is true occult teaching in the statement in The New Testament that "the shadow of Peter passing by healed." His aura was of such a nature that it had a beneficent effect wherever and whenever it touched or contacted those in his environment. The control of the Christ over His aura was such that "He knew when virtue had gone out of Him"––He knew, therefore, that healing energies had poured through one of His centers to a needy person or group of persons. It is the aura, and its potency of attraction, and its stability, which also holds a group together, which also keeps an audience listening, and which makes an individual of importance along some definite

Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle 175 line of approach to his fellowmen. The "sphere of radiation" is easily determined by those who seek it out and who watch the effect of the radiation upon people in their community and environment. One highly emotional person, working through an overdeveloped and uncontrolled solar plexus center, can wreck a home or an institution. I give this as an illustration. One radiant, creative life, consciously using the heart or the throat centers, can carry inspiration to hundreds. These are points well worth careful consideration. You must, however, bear in mind that these centers are brought into activity by the cultivation of certain major virtues, and not by meditation or concentration upon the centers. They are brought automatically into the needed radiatory condition by right living, high thinking and loving activity. These virtues may seem to you dull and uninter- esting, but they are most potent and scientifically effective in bringing the centers into the desired radiatory activity. When the task is done, and when all the centers are living spheres of outgoing, radiatory activity, they swing into each others' orbit so that the initiate becomes a center of living light and not a composite of seven radiant centers. Think on this. 4. The Central Triangle of Energies. This central triangle indicates unmistakably the three rays which condition a man's "periodical vehicles," as H.P.B. expresses it. These are: the monadic ray, the soul ray and the Personality ray. To the watching and attentive Master it is also apparent which ray is the controlling ray, but this is not possible to anyone below the grade of Master. Disciples and other onlookers must form their conclusions from the "nature of the sphere of radiation." An element of error can creep in at this point, which is not possible to a Master; it must, however, be remembered that until the sixth Initiation of Decision, "the Monad guards two secrets, but loses three

176 Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle when it takes control and the soul fades out." This, I may not further elucidate. I have here given a somewhat new slant or picture of the centers. It is one of great value to students could they but realize it, because it is not truly in line with the information given to them in the occult books. An understanding of what I have said will lead the earnest student to a more practical application of his attitude to the centers, and also to a fixed endeavor to make his sphere of radiatory activity more useful to his fellowmen. The reason for this will be that his attitude will express the quality of the subjective spirit and not the quality––hitherto rampant––of objective matter. Forget not that the etheric body is a material and substantial body, and is therefore an integral part of the physical plane; forget not that it is intended, first of all, to carry the energies of the emotional and of the mental plane in the unconscious experimental stage of incarnation; that it is also intended to carry the threefold energies of the soul in the stage of consciously gaining experience; and that also, as the antahkarana is built, it is intended to carry the energies of the Monad in the stage of consciously expressed divinity. See you, therefore, the beauty of the spiritual process, and the planned aid given to the sons of men at all stages of their return to the center from whence they came?

Education in the New Age THE OBJECTIVE OF THE NEW EDUCATION 31 abstract levels of the mental plane, and are beginning gradually to build the antahkarana, or the bridge between the Triad and the Personality. The power of the Ego can begin to make itself felt. Applicants for initiation and initiates up to the third initiation use both the sutratma and the antahkarana, employing them as a unit. The power of the Triad begins to pour through, thus energizing all human activities upon the physical plane, and vitalizing in ever increasing degree the man's thought forms. The key to the formation of the Mayavirupa is found in the right comprehension of the process. A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, pp. 959-960. It should be noted here that the bridging has to be done in the consciousness aspect, and concerns the continuity of man's awareness of life in all his various aspects. The energy which is used in connecting, in consciousness, the physical man and the astral body is focussed in the solar plexus. Speaking in symbolical terms, many today are carrying that bridge forward and linking the mind with the two aspects already linked. This thread of energy emanates from, or is anchored in, the head. A few people are steadily linking the soul and the mind, which in its turn is linked with the other two aspects. The soul energy, when linked with the other threads, has its anchor in the heart. A very few people (the initiates of the world) having effected all the lower syntheses, are now occupied with bringing about a still higher union with that triple Reality which uses the soul as its medium of expression, just as the soul in its turn is endeavoring to use its shadow, the threefold lower man. These distinctions and unifications are matters of form,

32 EDUCATION IN THE NEW AGE symbols in speech, and are used to express events and happenings in the world of energies and forces in connection with which man is definitely implicated. It is to these unifications that we refer when the subject of initiation is under consideration. The life thread, the silver cord or the sutratma, is, as far as man is concerned, dual in nature. The life thread proper, which is one of the two threads which constitute the antahkarana, is anchored in the heart, whilst the other thread which embodies the principle of consciousness, is anchored in the head. This you already know, but this I feel the need constantly to reiterate. In the work of the evolutionary cycle, however, man has to repeat what God has already done. He must himself create, in both the world of consciousness and of life. Like a spider, man spins connecting threads, and thus bridges and makes contact with his environment, thereby gaining experience and sustenance. The spider symbol is often used in the ancient occult books and the scriptures of India in connection with this activity of the human being. The threads which man creates are triple and with the two basic threads which have been created by the soul, constitute the five types of energy which make man a conscious human being. The triple threads created by man are anchored in the solar plexus, the head and the heart. When the astral body and the mind nature are beginning to function as a unit, and the soul also is consciously connected (do not forget that it is always unconsciously linked) an extension of this fivefold thread ––the basic two and the human three––is carried to the throat center; when that occurs man can become a conscious creator on the physical plane. From these major lines of energy lesser lines can radiate at will. It is upon this knowledge that all future intelligent psychic unfoldment must be based. In the above paragraph and its implications you have a brief and inadequate statement as to the Science of the

THE OBJECTIVE OF THE NEW EDUCATION 33 Antahkarana. I have endeavored to express this in terms, symbolic if you will, which will convey some general idea of the process to your minds. We can learn much through the use of the pictorial and visual imagination. Many aspirants have already established the following links of the bridging antahkarana: 1. From the physical to the vital or etheric body. This is really an extension of the life thread between the heart and the spleen. 2. From the physical and the vital, regarding them as a unity, to the astral or emotional vehicle. This thread emanates from, or is anchored in, the solar plexus, and is carried upward by means of the aspiration till it anchors itself in the love petals of the egoic lotus. 3. From the physical and astral vehicles to the mental body. One terminal is anchored in the head, and the other in the knowledge petals of the egoic lotus, being carried forward by an act of the will. Many, too, are in process of linking the three lower aspects, which we call the personality, with the soul itself, through meditation, discipline, service and directed attention. When this has been accomplished, a definite relation is established between the sacrifice or will petals of the egoic lotus and the head and heart centers, thus producing a synthesis between consciousness, the soul and the life principle. The process of establishing this interlinking and interrelation, and the strengthening of the bridge thus constructed, goes on until the third initiation. The lines of force are then so interrelated that the soul and its mechanism of expression are a unity. A higher blending and fusing can then go on. It is necessary for me to stop at this point and indicate that all the above are simply word pictures of a process of

The Externalisation of the Hierarchy INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 57 This group of disciples will make a close study of the problem of evil, and they will bring about a better understanding of the purpose existing in matter or substance, and the inflowing enlightened and different purpose of the soul aspect. That is why (in my earlier discussion of the subject) I linked the results of religion and of science together; religion is concerned with the awakening to conscious purpose of the soul in man or form, whilst science is concerned with the activity of the outer form as it lives its own life, yet slowly becomes subservient to that purpose and to soul impress. This is the thought contained in the words "scientific service" as used by me. The work of this group is therefore a triple one: 1. They will take the most advanced inferences of the workers in the field of science, and will then formulate the new hypotheses upon which the next immediate steps forward in any particular scientific field will be founded. 2. They will avail themselves of the sensitive reactions which the new spiritual Approaches (as taught by the world religion of the time) will have made possible and––utilizing the inference thus made available in connection with the inner world of spirit––will outline the nature of the incoming forces which will determine and motivate the culture of the time. 3. Taking the substance or material, and the spiritual inferences and the scientific hypotheses, they will formulate those forms of service on the physical plane which will precipitate with rapidity the Plan for the immediate present. They will release through this blend of scientific knowledge and intuitive idealism, those energies which will further human interests, relate the subhuman to the human through a right interplay of forces, and thus clear the way of those intellectual impediments which will (and always have) blocked man's approach to the superhuman world. I doubt that it will be possible to do much in connection with the forming of this group, and this for several reasons.

58 THE EXTERNALISATION OF THE HIERARCHY The first is that such a group cannot be formed until a certain scientific discovery has been made of such moment that our present scientific inhibition in recognizing the fact of the soul as a creative factor, will disappear. This discovery will be part of the acknowledged "facts of science" by the year l975. Secondly, A.A.B. has not the necessary scientific knowledge to do more than grasp the broader outlines of the intended work, and then only primarily from the angle of the more mystical and philosophical approaches. Nor, my brothers, have I. It will take a fifth or seventh ray initiate to deal with this matter, and though I could invoke the assistance of such a brother, it does not seem to me a profitable expenditure of force at this time. The sigh of relief from A.A.B. as she grasps the fact that there is one less group to tackle on my and your behalf would almost warrant my making this a major reason! Let us now pass on to a brief indication of the work of the eighth group, which is psychological service. In this field the work will be lifted out of the realm of the strictly human and will concern itself with wider issues––for, my brothers––there are wider issues than those which concern the human family alone. The work of these disciples will cover the following three issues: 1. The relation of the human soul to the subhuman kingdoms in nature and the place of the human kingdom as an intermediary between the three higher kingdoms and the three lower. 2. The quality of the soul in the three subhuman kingdoms, with particular emphasis upon the animal and the vegetable kingdoms. The consciousness of the mineral kingdom is so far removed from the human that it is not possible for us to formulate anything about it in words, or to identify ourselves with it until after the expansion of consciousness which takes place after the third initiation––that of the Transfiguration. \page

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 59 3. A study of the Plan, as it appears at this time to be working out in the five kingdoms in nature. It will be apparent to you that the teaching connected with this group will be more definitely and academically occult in its significance than will be the case in the others for it will be based upon information contained in The Secret Doctrine and in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire. It will be founded upon certain premises contained in those volumes. Therefore, the members of this group of disciples will be of the more orthodox persuasion; they will be theosophists by nature, and academic by disposition. The nature of the anima mundi, the fact of the subjective consciousness found in all forms without exception, and the existence of an interplay between these forms, through the medium of the soul, will be the major theme. Soul sensitivity and reaction to the energy in any form will be the training objective of the group members. Owing to the difficulty of this task, the members of this eighth group will be chosen from the personnel of the other groups, for they will have had a fair measure of training in their preliminary work. Two groups will then be interlocking groups––that which is formed of the key people in all the groups, and this one. The ninth group, whose project is financial service, will be one of the most practical and interesting from the standpoint of the present world situation and modern conditions. I may begin to organize this group before long, provided some of my disciples show me the subjective signs for which I look, which involves a right understanding and spiritual appreciation of money. By this I do not mean that any of you who do show such signs will be in this group, but you will provide the right conditions which will make its inception possible; one or two of the key people, however, may form part of the financial service group if the plan works out as hoped and intended. The task to be undertaken by this group is to study the significance of money as directed and appropriated

158 THE EXTERNALISATION OF THE HIERARCHY be called the mandate of the Great Invocation (see page 144), I would like, first of all, to point out a few underlying and basic ideas. This Great Invocation has been used by the Hierarchy ever since the year 1425 A.D. though it is thousands of years older than that. Owing, however, to the unreadiness of humanity to cooperate in its use, the results have been delayed and are regarded as "hovering." I know not how else to express the results already achieved. Today, they can precipitate, if right cooperation can be extended by humanity, and such cooperation now seems immediately possible. The first phase, Let the Forces of Light bring illumination to mankind, definitely invokes potencies which are to be found upon monadic levels of consciousness and upon what is occultly called the second plane of divine manifesta- tation. These Forces include the Lord of the World and the Representatives of the seven sacred planets Who are spoken of in the Christian Bible as the "seven Spirits before the Throne of God." They include also the three Agents of the Divine Triplicity Who are known, esoterically and in the East as the three Kumaras, or the three Buddhas of Activity. What do these names and these great Individualities mean to you and to average humanity? Nothing at all and this is necessarily so. They remain but names and possible hypothetical expressions of divinity until after the third initiation when the conscious recognition of the Monad becomes possible; then Forces and Energies, personified for us in these great and stupendous Lives, can be demonstrated as having true existence. On the way to these fundamental recognitions, Their three Representatives within the limits of the Hierarchy must be accepted and known to be correspondingly functioning Activities. These Three are, the Manu, the focal point of the first Ray of Will or Power; the Christ the head of the Hierarchy and the representative of the second Ray of Love-Wisdom. and the Lord of Civ- ilization, the expression of the third Ray of Active Intelli-

524 THE EXTERNALISATION OF THE HIERARCHY intuitive perception of the proposed hierarchical integrity and future functioning. Resent not my words "functioning on the periphery," for they indicate great opportunity for service. The Masters need many such as you on the outskirts of Their Ashrams, to aid in hierarchical endeavor, because you can reach the general public more easily than They can do, and you can step down the teaching far more adequately than could more advanced disciples. You and disciples like you are a definite part of the Hierarchy; as you function in an Ashram you have a most useful place, and I would beg you to have this ever in mind. I will, therefore, give you whatever information I can and which is permissible, but shall of necessity have to leave much unsaid. Hierarchical Adjustment and Alignment What do I mean by the use of the word "adjustment" in connection with the Hierarchy? Adjustment to karma, to the personality, to the soul, to circumstances in the three worlds, to the impact of astral forces or to the thought currents of those not oriented to the Kingdom of God, does not constitute part of the training of Those Who are beyond the third degree of initiation. Initiates on and beyond that level have transcended reaction along these lines whilst those below the third initiation are in process of rapid adjustment. I use the word 'adjustment' here definitely in the sense of reorientation, and in this sense much can be noted. For aeons and for countless cycles the Hierarchy has functioned withdrawn into a silence on the higher levels of the mental plane and on the buddhic levels where contact has had to be made with Them by those disciples who have, by discipline, development and service, fitted themselves to establish such a relationship. This reorientation and emergence into physical plane publicity is going to demand much from the Members of the Hierarchy. Just as it has not been easy for me to establish and retain contact with you, even when you have established the right to such a contact,

STAGES IN THE EXTERNALIZATION 525 so––for Them––it is going to be still more difficult to be in touch with those who are not even disciples. For aeons and for cycles, the Members of the Hierarchy have been submitting Themselves to the needed training in order to react correctly when fuller contact has been established by Shamballa with the Hierarchy. I would have you note the phrasing here. That contact has now been established as a result of the inflow of certain extra-planetary forces and by an "act of determined direction," emanating from the Council Chamber of the Lord of the World. Mis- understand me not. The Hierarchy has always been in touch with the "Place of Purpose" (as it has been called) through the medium of its Chohans and its senior Directors, such as the Christ, the Manu and the Lord of Civilization. These great Beings have steadily revealed this purpose to the Mem- bers of the Hierarchy so that They have been able to grasp and work out the emerging Plan. But even to the Masters the Shamballa force has had to be stepped down, just as the force of the Hierarchy requires modifying for the average disciple and aspirant, if they are to respond constructively to it. Today, however, things are somewhat changed. New inflowing energies and the partial "sealing" of evil in its own place (a sealing which will be progressively effective) have made a closer relationship possible. The Masters are somewhat freer from certain of the arduous labors of the past cycles. Some of the available inflowing Shamballa forces are being absorbed directly by humanity and by certain of the subhuman kingdoms, particularly the mineral kingdom. This latter absorption will lead eventually, when complete, to those volcanic episodes and those basic earthquakes which will change the face of the earth by the time the sixth rootrace comes into manifestation. It is this direct inflow, to the kingdoms functioning exoterically in the three worlds which has relieved and will to some extent relieve the otherwise overpowering pressure upon the Hierarchy, and will also act as a great aligning antahkarana between the three planetary centers. It is to this alignment I refer in this instruc-

526 THE EXTERNALISATION OF THE HIERARCHY tion––the alignment of the three centers upon this planet and the adjustments that this necessitates and inevitably enforces. For the sake of humanity in the first place, and sec- ondarily for the development of the subhuman kingdoms, the Hierarchy has made certain difficult adjustments and alignments between the planetary centers, and these have been compulsory in their effects. Therefore, bear in mind that the adjustments which the Hierarchy may impose upon itself bear small resemblance to the adjustments which you have to make in relation to your personality life. They are all hallmarked by the idea of service to the whole. The Hierarchy in its true sense has no personality through which to express itself, and this greatly complicates the problems which have to be faced as it contemplates exoteric manifestation and work. Adjustments and Alignments within the Hierarchy What, in the last analysis, is this Hierarchy? It is a great salvaging corps of dedicated, liberated Units of Life, working in group formation with all forms and lives in all kingdoms and with all souls particularly. As the Hierarchy so works, its emphasis is solely on the consciousness aspect of all forms; its present agency of salvage and of service is the mind, as it expresses itself through the minds of all humanitarians, all aspirants, all disciples (of all rays and degrees) and of all initiates; the Hierarchy also can express itself through the medium of thought currents and ideas and through them impose its hierarchical concepts upon the embryonic minds of the general and average public; and it also directs the educational work of all nations, so that the undeveloped masses can become––in due turn––the intelligent general public. The Hierarchy works, as you know, in or through three major departments, each possessing its full Personnel, and under three Great Lords. I have dealt with this in some detail in Initiation, Human and Solar, as well as elsewhere

STAGES IN THE EXTERNALIZATION 527 in my writings; more information at this point is needless and of no real service to you. The Hierarchy works also through the seven major Ashrams and their affiliated Ashrams, and these "seven which are the forty-nine" represent in their totality the seven rays with their subrays, and are the custodians, transmitters and distributors of the seven ray energies to the seven planetary centers and––via these seven centers––to those in the fourth kingdom in nature (as they gradually unfold over the aeons) and then, via these, to the seven centers in individual man. Such is the synthesis. The seven major centers or Ashrams within the Hier- archy are each presided over by Masters of Chohan rank; the seven subsidiary centers or Ashrams are presided over by Masters and Adepts (of the fifth and fourth initiations), aided by initiates of the third degree and certain picked and senior disciples. Several of the seven affiliated Ashrams are, as yet, incomplete as regards personnel, but vacancies are rapidly being filled as the spiritual effects of the world war (1914-1945) make themselves felt. These effects are very real and have been a source of great encouragement to hierarchical workers. Before the Hierarchy can emerge (as is the intention), the relation between a major Ashram and its subsidiary Ashrams must be firmly established, whilst that between a major Ashram and other major Ashrams has to be brought more definitely and unquestionably closer to Shamballa, and under the influence of that great first ray center. The energy which will align and adjust the subsidiary forty-nine Ashrams is that of the second Ray of Love-Wisdom. That, however, which will bring about a similar adjusting and aligning impetus in the seven major Ashrams is the energy of the first Ray of Will or Power. I have here given you a most important item of occult information but one which is of no importance to you individually; it serves, however, to present proof of the significant occult relation between the three planetary centers. Just as the third planetary center, Humanity, has now reached a point of intelligent develop-

528 THE EXTERNALISATION OF THE HIERARCHY ment so that a closer rapport can be set up between it and the Hierarchy, so the Hierarchy also has moved forward as a unit so that a closer corresponding rapport can also be set up between It and Shamballa. Just as the rapport between the Hierarchy and Humanity is established via aspirants, disciples and initiates in physical existence who are responding to the love-wisdom of the universe in some measure and who work via the intelligent people in incarnation primarily, so rapport between Shamballa and the Hierarchy is being more closely established via the senior Ashrams, and not via the secondary ones. You have, therefore, a situation which might be depicted somewhat as follows: I. First Planetary Center ................. Shamballa working through 1. The seven Rays or the seven Spirits before the Throne. 2. Certain great Intermediaries. 3. The Council Chamber of the Lord of the World. II. Second Planetary Center ................ Hierarchy working through 1. The seven major Chohans and Their Ashrams. 2. The forty-nine Masters of the secondary Ashrams. 3. The sumtotal of the secondary Ashrams. III. Third Planetary Center ................. Humanity working through 1. Disciples in manifestation––of the seven ray types. 2. The new group of world servers. 3. The sumtotal of humanitarians, educators and men of goodwill. This is but a rough picture and one which is not totally correct; it will, however, show you certain direct lines of contact and of relationship which are true and which will suffice to \page

STAGES IN THE EXTERNALIZATION 529 give you a vague and general idea of the new alignment being set up between the three major planetary centers, requiring new adjustments. At this particular time, the emphasis of the needed alignments and adjustments with which the Hierarchy is faced is being placed upon activity within the Hierarchy Itself. The secondary Ashrams are being stimulated; new ones are being gradually formed, for there are not as yet forty-nine minor Ashrams; vacancies in the major Ashrams are being filled as rapidly as possible from the ranks of those working in minor Ashrams and the places of these latter are being taken by accepted disciples who are being fitted for this work through experience, difficulties and the tension of world service. All these changes necessitate much adjustment. The interior work of hierarchical alignment is in the charge of the Cho- hans of the Major Ashrams, whilst the task of superintending the interior adjustments incident to new alignments and the admission of new personnel is being watched over and directed by the forty-nine Masters who are in charge of minor Ashrams––either Ashrams with what is regarded as a full complement of workers, or Ashrams in process of attaining that full complement, or embryonic Ashrams of which there are already quite a few. One of the results of this hierarchical alignment and adjustment will be the establishment, for he first time, of a fluid interplay and movement between the three planetary centers. Chohans are today passing out of the Hierarchy into the Council Chamber of the Lord of the World, or on to one or other of the Seven Paths; senior Masters in charge of Ashrams are taking higher grades of initiation and taking the rank of Chohans; initiates above the third degree are rapidly taking the fourth and fifth initiations and becoming Masters (taking both initiations in one life), and their places are being taken by lesser initiates; these, in their turn, have been training disciples to take their places, until in this process of substitution and replacement we arrive at the door which symbolically stands between humanity and the Hierarchy, and today stands wide open, so that accepted

530 THE EXTERNALISATION OF THE HIERARCHY disciples are taking initiation, pledged disciples are being accepted, and accepting disciples are taking their pledges. Thus a great and new movement is proceeding and a tremendously increased interplay and interaction is taking place. This will go on until A.D. 2025. During the years intervening between now and then very great changes will be seen taking place, and at the great General Assembly of the Hierarchy––held as usual every century––in 2025 the date in all probability will be set for the first stage of the externalization of the Hierarchy. The present cycle (from now until that date) is called technically "The Stage of the Fore- runner". It is preparatory in nature, testing in its methods, and intended to be revelatory in its techniques and results. You can see therefore that Chohans, Masters, initiates, world disciples, disciples and aspirants affiliated with the Hierarchy are all at this time passing through a cycle of great activity. In the adjustment necessitated by the rapidly advancing alignment, the Members of the Hierarchy are fitting Them- selves for the objective work of public expression. This entails far more difficulty than you might imagine or anticipate, because it entails the development of that form of "resistance to the pull of the lower vibration" of which you can know nothing, for that lower vibration is a necessary aspect of your normal expression––little as you may like to realize this. You need to realize that there is nothing in the Masters or higher initiates which can respond to any vibration of this nature. Though They cannot absorb it or react to it or re-develop it again, it can cause Them the acutest discomfort and pain; that is the reason why the Son of God was called in The Old Testament a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief". This did not in reality refer to His sufferings for poor miserable humanity (as orthodox theology so selfishly interprets it) but to the fact that He had to submit Himself to contact with humanity. The Hierarchy is therefore, along all lines (many of which I may not indicate or upon which I may not enlarge), preparing Itself for the experience of physical manifestation; It is also endeavoring to "create" the needed responsive apparatus which will be of such a nature that

STAGES IN THE EXTERNALIZATION 531 Members of the Hierarchy may function with the minimum of difficulty on earth and will experience the least possible measure of handicap; They will thus be enabled to give full time and attention to the work to be done by Them in physical manifestation. They are endeavoring also to establish a closer telepathic rapport and a more intimate (though strictly impersonal) relationship with Their disciples on all rays, so that there can be a free interplay of thought and a consequent better hierarchical integrity and one which––no matter what may happen in the three worlds––cannot be disrupted or in any way lessened. Although for Them no astral plane exists and glamour is entirely non-existent, They have to learn to do a most peculiar thing: to work on the astral plane (because it exists for humanity and for the animal kingdom), to traverse this region of glamour and then to "demonstrate light in dis- sipating fog" in a manner for which there has hitherto been no call. None of this information may make much sense to you, but I am simply seeking to go on record for the sake of those who will come after you. There is little more that I may give you anent adjustment and alignment within the Hierarchy. It is rapidly proceeding, and just in so far as disciples demonstrate upon the outer physical plane and in the three worlds their affiliation with an Ashram will they share in this dual process. Are you prepared for this? In Connection with the Council Chamber of Sanat Kumara, the Lord of the World As this subject concerns one of the seven goals towards which the Masters aim after They have attained the fifth initiation, it will be obvious to you that there is little that I can say about it. One of the seven Paths for which the Way of the Higher Evolution prepares the senior initiates is the Path of Earth Service. This Path, as you know, keeps the Masters attached to service in the three worlds for a period much longer than the average. It involves tremendous sacri-

STAGES IN THE EXTERNALIZATION 537 resurrection. The Hierarchy needed and welcomed this interlude and recognized it as an essential aspect of the Plan. The "cycle of Shamballa impact" is now over; the appeal of humanity to the Christ and His Hierarchy has again refocused the energy of Shamballa via the Hierarchy, and the direct work of the Hierarchy with Humanity can again take on fresh meaning, can be re-established on new and somewhat different lines, and thus definitely bring in that "new heaven and new earth" for which men have so long waited. This will take time, but the new energies and their emerging qualities are adequate to the task, and will alleviate much and bring about great changes in due course of time. You will note, therefore, that the Hierarchy has been faced with three adjustments as the result of being deliberately "put out of alignment," though only temporarily, with both Shamballa and Humanity. This was symbolized for us at the Crucifixion when the Savior hung pendant between heaven and earth. These adjustments are: 1. Adjustment to those extra-planetary energies which were released into the highest center. This was made possible by two factors: a. The direct impact between Shamballa and Humanity or between will and intelligence. This is an important point to recognize. b. The temporary quiescence of the love principle, as the Hierarchy waited for the results and effects of this direct impact upon the earth. This was effectively carried out with much destruction in the world of forms. 2. Adjustment to certain basic changes within the Hier- archy Itself in preparation for the process of externalization which was begun this century. 3. Adjustment to a disciplined and reoriented humanity,

538 THE EXTERNALISATION OF THE HIERARCHY working today in the dark, it is needless to say, groping along unknown ways, appealing to the Hierarchy for more light and understanding, but awakened and alert for changes. These adjustments are proceeding with rapidity; the technique being employed is realignment, through a definite action of the Will, as far as Shamballa is concerned, and by an outpouring of Love, as far as humanity is concerned. This Act of the Will is carried out by the three Heads of Departments in the Hierarchy, under the guidance of the Christ and by the Chohans of the seven major Ashrams. They constitute a group of ten to Whom this task has been committed, for the reason that They are the only Members of the Hierarchy Who possess the needed qualifications and in Whom the Will aspect is adequately developed. The task of pouring out the Love principle in a new and dynamic manner is being carried out by all the Masters and by all initiates who have taken the third initiation. This stream of love will focus itself each coming Full Moon in a special act or demonstration of love. You will note also how fully occupied the Hierarchy is with work, preparatory to emergence, and with those plans and activities which will lead to renewed interior activity, based not on lack of previous unity and integrity, but on the absorption of new energies, made available via Sham- balla, of these extra-planetary forces to which I have earlier referred. This task of reorganization prior to moving outward, will be completed by May, 1946. Then the task of the new alignment with humanity will be started and the great work undertaken which will proceed for several hundred years. In Relation with Humanity I shall not deal here with the work to be done in centuries to come in and through humanity, which is the goal of all these adjustments––at least as far as your present interest is concerned. I shall touch only upon the activities of the Hierarchy as it establishes––on a more powerful

STAGES IN THE EXTERNALIZATION 557 Festivals. In truth, I bring you the invitation of the Hier- archy to share in Their ancient work, and not––as in the past––to play the part of interested onlookers. I would warn you that, if you do succeed in any measure of participation, it will be necessary to guard yourselves from overstimulation and to take steps wisely to use, on behalf of humanity, the energy with which you may be charged. This knowledge will be particularly useful to those who are occupied with any of the groups and organizations which are responsive to hierarchical interests. True participation may lead to the sudden conviction of the reality of that which I have told you; faith and belief and commonsense will then no longer be needed, and you will know. I have here told you the things which the Christ has planned for the immediate future. I have told you also some of the things which He and the Masters must do as preparatory steps to the new world which can and will supersede the old unhappy world that lies immediately behind us. I have chosen to speak to you of these activities in which it is now possible for you to share, with the exception of those which affect the relation between Shamballa and the Hierarchy. However, those who are initiates of the third degree (and there are quite a few working on the earth among men at this time) can share in all of them. This is an intensely practical message and calls for your renewed pledge to serve humanity and to find your way into an Ashram where that service may be directed. It calls for sacrifice until it hurts, and where it touches you the most; it calls for a joyous sense of unity with that station of power and light which we call the Hierarchy and which stands ready––as never before––to share with humanity that power and that light to the limit of human capacity to use it. I beg you, in closing, to aid in two matters which are of importance to Him Whom all disciples, initiates and spiritual men have loved and followed for nearly three thousand years, the Christ. (l am referring here to His appearance as Shri Krishna and as one other who was little known

558 THE EXTERNALISATION OF THE HIERARCHY but who did a great work in still earlier centuries.) It is work in preparation for His coming I beg you to shoulder the responsibility of distributing the Invocation on as large a scale as possible and in every country. It is of great potency, and when used by men of all faiths can aid in the process of averting war. I ask you also to make possible the wide distribution of the book The Problems of Humanity which I have written, for they strengthen the hands of those who are already seeking to deal with these problems and they bring the need to the attention of the unawakened. This will require sacrifice, for it calls for the expenditure of money; even the Hierarchy works through normal channels and needs money, and even the Christ has need of financial resources in order to reach the needy sons of men. I ask your aid and I await your decision. That He Whom we serve may be nearer to all of us than ever before, that the work of establishing right human relations may proceed apace, and that light and love may stream forth from Shamballa and the Hierarchy over all of you who love your fellowmen is the earnest wish, accompanied by my blessing, for you at this season of the will- to-good.* Mode of Approach Toward Externalization (August 1946) One of the most important things emerging from the theme of this amazing and imminent event (the reappearance of the Hierarchy on the physical plane) is the factor of the developments and the adjustments going on within –––––––––– *Note: The Tibetan has asked me to make clear that when he is speaking of the Christ he is referring to His official name as Head of the Hierarchy. The Christ works for all men, irrespective of their faith; He does not belong to the Christian world any more than to the Buddhist, the Mohammedan or any other faith. There is no need for any man to join the Christian Church in order to be affiliated with Christ. The requirements are to love your fellowmen, lead a disciplined life, recognize the divinity in all faith and all beings, and rule your daily life with Love. A.A.B

570 THE EXTERNALISATION OF THE HIERARCHY the resourcefulness of the individual. Other initiates have specialized in the various languages, and two of them are authorities in basic English; this is the form of the English language which will eventually take the place of other languages in all forms of international and business intercourse without in any way obliterating the individual national languages in daily use in any country. Two things must be realized as the interested student considers this event of externalization: 1. The senior Members of the Hierarchy will not at first be the ones who will make the needed approach. Under Their direction and Their close supervision, this approach will be made––in the early stage––by initiates of and under the degree of the third initiation, and also by those disciples who will be chosen and designated to implement Their efforts and so will work under Their direction. It is only in the later stages, and when the time has come for the return into recognized physical expression of the Christ, leading to the definite restoration of the Mysteries, that certain of the senior Members of the Hierarchy will appear and take outer and recognizable physical control of world affairs. The time for this will be dependent necessarily upon the success of the steps taken by the members of the Hierarchy who are not so advanced. 2. Members of the Hierarchy, whether working in the early stages or later when the true externalization takes place, will work as members of the human family and not as pro- claimed members of the kingdom of God or of souls, known to us as the Hierarchy; they will appear in office of some kind or another; they will be the current politicians, business men, financiers, religious teachers or churchmen; they will be scientists and philosophers, college professors and educators; they will be the mayors of cities and the custodians of all public ethical movements. The spiritual forcefulness of their lives, their clear, pure wisdom, the sanity and the modern acceptableness of their proposed measures in any department in which they choose to function, will be so

STAGES IN THE EXTERNALIZATION 571 convincing that little impediment will be set in the way of their undertakings. At the present stage of preparation, the task of the disciple who is charged with laying the foundation for the New Age methods and with the labor of getting ready for the first group of Ashram members, is hard indeed. He stands for so much that is deemed visionary and impossible; the difficulties which confront him seem impossible; he teaches truths whose first effect is necessarily destructive, because he endeavors to rid humanity of old forms of religious, economic and political doctrine; his impersonality which recognizes faults as well as virtues––enrages many and often those from whom he had expected understanding and a true im- partiality; his failure to be impressed or attentive to old rites and ceremonies, to ancient and obsolete but precious ideas and his constant warfare on conditioning glamours and illusions meet, in these early stages, with little encouragement. He works frequently alone and usually with little recognition and lacks time for his own personal hierarchical contacts; he is not necessarily connected with any so-called esoteric groups and––if he is––his task is that much harder; only advanced disciples with a full and conscious constant contact with their particular Ashram are able to work in this way. Occult bodies and esoteric groups are, at this time, the most glamoured of any of the world groups; the work of any disciple in such groups is bound, in the early stages, to be destructive. The present occult groups which came into existence prior to 1919 will eventually all disappear; the members who are true and sound, broad-minded and sane, and rightly oriented and dedicated, will find their way into esoteric bodies which are free from dogmatism and doctrines and which are recipients of hierarchical life. The preparatory work of externalization, therefore, falls into three phases or stages as far as relation to mankind is concerned: First. The present stage in which a few isolated disciples and initiates, scattered all over the world, are doing

Esoteric Psychology Volume I xxiv Forward outline under the objective form. But the effort to understand carries its own reward, and the attempt to grasp and comprehend the Soul––cosmic, universal, planetary and individual–– leads inevitably to an unfoldment of the mental apparatus (with a subsequent development of the, as yet, quiescent brain cells) which must eventually produce a coordination of the thinking faculty, and resultant illumination. The nature of our septenary universe must be considered, and the relation of the threefold human being to the divine Trinity must be noted. A general idea of the entire symbolic picture is of value. Each student, as he takes up the study of the rays, must steadily bear in mind that he himself––as a human unit––finds his place on one or other of these rays. The problem thus produced is a very real one. The physical body may be responsive to one type of ray force, whilst the personality as a whole may vibrate in unison with another. The ego or soul may find itself upon still a third type of ray, thus responding to another type of ray energy. The question of the monadic ray brings in still another factor in many cases, but this can only be implied and not really elucidated. As I have oft told you, it is only the initiate of the third initiation who can come in touch with his monadic ray, or his highest life aspect, and the humble aspirant cannot as yet ascertain whether he is a monad of Power, of Love or of Intelligent Activity. In concluding, I ask for your sincere cooperation in the work which we are undertaking. It may be of more general and public value than any other of my writings. I shall seek to make this treatise upon the soul relatively brief. I shall seek to express these abstract truths in such a way that the general public, with its profound interest in the soul, may be intrigued and won to a deeper consideration of what is as yet a veiled surmise. The Aquarian Age will see the fact of the soul demonstrated. This is an attempt, carried forward in the difficulties

Introductory Remarks 13 the initial stage of registering an awareness of a field of expression which they know exists––the field of soul awareness––but which is not yet for them their normal field of expression. Many know a great deal about it, theoretically, but the practical effects of applied knowledge are not yet theirs. Many are conscious of consciousness and are aware of the kingdom of the soul and of an occasional reaction to impression from that kingdom, but they are not yet consciousness itself, nor so identified with the soul that consciousness of all else drops away. To achieve that is their aim and objective. Let me also remind you that the career of the Monad (an aspect of energy found on one or other of the three major rays) can be roughly divided into three parts, leading to a fourth: 1. A lower realization of a unity which is the unity of the form nature. In this unity, the soul is so closely identified with the matter aspect that it sees no distinction, but is the form, and knows not itself as soul. This often reaches its height in some life of full personality expression, wherein the soul is completely centered in personality reactions; the lower life is so strong and vital that a powerful and material expression eventuates. 2. A subsequent and painful differentiation of the consciousness into a realized duality. In this condition the man is distinctly aware of what is termed his essential duality; he knows he is spirit-matter, is form-life, and is the soul in manifestation. During this stage which covers many lives and carries the man along the path of probation and discipleship as far as the third initiation, the center of gravity (if I may so express it) shifts steadily out of the form side and centers itself more and more in that of the soul. There is a growing consciousness that there is a

14 A Treatise on the Seven Rays Reality which embraces, and at the same time extinguishes, duality. Remember that the entire story of evolution is the story of consciousness, and of a growing expansion of the "becoming aware" principle so that from the microscopic interest of the self-conscious man––for we shall retain the parable within the confines of the fourth kingdom in nature––we have a slowly developing inclusiveness which finally leads him into the consciousness of the cosmic Christ. 3. The higher realization of unity follows upon this sense of duality, and in this final stage the sense of being soul and body is lost. The consciousness identifies itself with the indwelling Life of the planet and of the solar system. When this happens, there is the registering of a state of being which lies beyond word, mind and form expression of any kind. The great Jewish seer sought to convey these three stages in the words, I Am––That––I Am. He thus expressed them tritely and succinctly and adequately, had we but the development to know it. The third (however understood) defies expression, and hints at a fourth type of realization which is that of Deity itself, about which it profits us not to speculate. 2. Life-Quality-Appearance In our study of the rays it must therefore be remembered that we are dealing with life-expression, through the medium of matter-form. The highest unity will be cognized only when this dual relation is perfected. The theory of the One Life may be held, but I deal not basically with theory but with that which may be known, provided there is growth and intelligent application of truth. I deal with possibility and with that which is capable of achievement. Many these days like to

Introductory Remarks 15

talk and think in terms of that One Life, but it remains but speech and thought, whilst the true awareness of that essential Unity remains a dream and an imagining. Whenever this reality is put into words duality is emphasized and the spiritual controversy (using the word in its basic meaning and not in its ordinary warlike connotation) is enhanced. Take for example the words: "I believe in the One Life" or "To me, there is but one Reality," and note how they are in their phraseology an expression of duality. Life cannot be expressed in words nor can its realized perfection. The process of "becoming," which leads to "being," is a cosmic event, involving all forms, and no son of God lies separated from that mutable process as yet. As long as he is in form he cannot know what Life is, though, when he has attained certain steps and can function on the higher planes of the system in full awareness, he can begin to glimpse that awful Reality. Certain great initiates, down the ages, have fulfilled their function of revealers, and have held before the eyes of the pioneering disciples of life the ideal of Oneness and of Unity. It has nevertheless been a matter of shifting the focus of attention progressively out of one form into another and thus from a higher standpoint getting a fresh glimpse of a possible truth. Each age (and the present is no exception) has believed its grasp of Reality and its sensitivity to the inner Beauty to be greater and nearer the True than was ever previously possible. The highest realization of what is termed the One Life is the awareness (of the initiate of high degree) of the embodied Logos, of Deity, and his identification with the consciousness of that stupendous Creator Who is seeking expression through the medium of the solar system. No initiate on the planet can identify himself with the consciousness of that Identified Being (in the esoteric sense of the term) Who, speaking in the Bhagavad Gita, says: "Having

16 A Treatise on the Seven Rays pervaded the entire universe with a fragment of Myself, I remain." These thoughts I commend to your consideration and to your careful pondering, begging you to see to it that there is a steady expansion of your sense of awareness and a growing capacity to make understanding contacts with that emerging Truth, Reality and Beauty which the universe declares. Guard yourself at the same time from mystical rhapsodies anent the One Life, which are apt to be no more than the negation of all mental apprehension and a luxuriating in the sensuous perception of a highly developed and high grade emotional nature. All our considerations therefore in this Treatise on the Seven Rays will necessarily be held within the realm of thought which involves awareness of duality. I shall employ the language of duality, and this I shall do, not because I seek to emphasize it to the neglect of unity (for this unity is to me somewhat of a reality and I glimpse more than a possibility), but because all aspirants and disciples and all initiates up to the third initiation––as I earlier said––are swinging as a pendulum between the pairs of opposites, spirit and matter. I speak not here of the pairs of opposites of the astral or emotional plane, which are illusory reflections of the true pairs of opposites, but of the basic duality of manifestation. I seek to deal with that material which is of practical value and which can be grasped by the illumined intelligence of the average man. It is necessary for all students who seek illumination and a right apprehension of truth to drop the emphasis so often laid upon certain aspects and presentations of truth being spiritual and others being mental. It is in the realm of so-called mind that the great principle of separateness is found. It is also in the realm of mind that the great at-one-ment is made. The words of the initiate Paul have here a fitting place, wherein he says: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ" and adds

Introductory Remarks 17 in another place that Christ had made "in himself, of twain, one new man". It is through the mind that theory is formulated, truth distinguished and Deity apprehended. When we are more advanced upon the Path, we shall see naught but spirit everywhere and the aphorism enunciated by that great disciple, H.P.B., that "matter is spirit at the lowest point of its cyclic activity" and "spirit is matter on the seventh plane," or the highest, will be a realized fact in our consciousness. It is as yet but an intellectual phrase which means little except the enunciation of a truth, incapable of proof. Everything is an expression of a spiritual consciousness, which spiritualizes by its inherent life all matter-forms. A grub or worm working out its little life in a mass of decaying substance is as much a spiritual manifestation as an initiate working out his destiny in a mass of rapidly changing human forms. It is all manifested Deity; it is all divine expression and all a form of sensitive awareness and of response to environment, and therefore a form of conscious expression. The seven rays are the first differentiation of the divine triplicity of Spirit-Consciousness-Form, and they provide the entire field of expression for the manifested Deity. We are told in the scriptures of the world that the interplay, or the relation between, Father––Spirit and Mother––Matter produces eventually a third, which is the Son, or the consciousness aspect. That Son, the product of the two, is esoterically defined as "the One Who was third but is the second." The reason for this wording is that there first existed the two divine aspects, Spirit-Matter, or matter impregnated with life, and it was only when these two realized their mutual unity (note the necessary ambiguity of that phrase) that the Son emerged. The esotericist, however, regards Spirit-Matter as the first unity, and the Son therefore is the second factor. This Son, Who is divine Life incarnate in matter, and consequently the producer

36 A Treatise on the Seven Rays The synthesis of all these in manifestation we call God, the Isolated, the All-pervading, the Detached and the Withdrawn. The above abstract truths are difficult of apprehension, but need here to be expressed, so that our platform is understood and we are not open to the criticism that we neglect reality, and regard diversity as the only truth. We shall now answer five questions that I have formulated and answered for the reader. Question 1. What is the soul? Can we define it? What is its nature? Here I shall give but four definitions which will serve as a basis for all that follows. A. The soul can be spoken of as the Son of the Father and of the Mother (Spirit-Matter) and is therefore the embodied life of God, coming into incarnation in order to reveal the quality of the nature of God, which is essential love. This life, taking form, nurtures the quality of love within all forms, and ultimately reveals the purpose of all creation. This is the simplest definition for average humanity, being couched in the language of mysticism, thus linking the truth as found in all religions. It is necessarily inadequate, for it fails to emphasize the truth that what can be posited of man can also be posited of the cosmic reality, and that just as a human appearance on Earth veils both the quality and purpose (in varying degree), so does that synthesis of all forms or appearances, within that unity which we call a solar system, veil the quality and purpose of Deity. It is only when man is no longer deluded by appearance and has freed himself from the veil of illusion that he arrives at a knowledge of the quality of God's consciousness and at the purpose which it is revealing. This he does in a triple way: a. He discovers his own soul, the product of the union of his

Certain Questions 37 Father in heaven with the Mother or the material nature. This last is the personality. He then, having discovered the personality, discovers the quality of his own soul life, and the purpose for which he has "appeared." b. He finds that this quality expresses itself through seven aspects or basic differentiations, and that this septenate of qualities colors, esoterically, all forms in all kingdoms in nature, thus constituting the totality of the revelations of the divine purpose. This, he finds, is essentially a septenary aggregation of energies, each energy producing differing effects and appearances. This discovery he makes by finding that his own soul is tinctured by one of the seven ray qualities, that he is identified with his ray purpose--whatever it may be--and is expressing a particular type of divine energy. c. From this point he proceeds to a recognition of the entire septenate, and upon the Path of Initiation he gains a glimpse of a Unity, hitherto unrealized, nor even sensed. Thus from a consciousness of himself, man arrives at an awareness of the interrelation between the seven basic energies or rays; and from that he proceeds to a realization of the triple Deity, until at the final initiation (the fifth) he finds himself consciously at-one with the unified divine intent lying behind all appearances and all qualities. It might be added that initiations, higher than the fifth, reveal a purpose wider and deeper than that which is working out within our solar system. The purpose of our manifested Logos is but a part of a greater intent. It might also be noted that in the fourth kingdom of nature, on the path of evolution and of probation, a man arrives at a knowledge of his individual soul, and glimpses the quality and purpose of that soul. On the path of discipleship and of initiation, he glimpses the quality and purpose of his

38 A Treatise on the Seven Rays planetary Life, and discovers himself as a part of a ray Life, Which is appearing through the form of a planet and is embodying an aspect of the divine purpose and energy. After the third initiation he glimpses the quality and purpose of the solar system; he sees his ray life and energy as a part of a greater whole. These are but modes of expressing the emerging quality and the hidden purpose of the graded Lives which inform all appearances and color them with quality. B. The soul can be regarded as the principle of intelligence --an intelligence whose characteristics are mind and mental awareness, which in turn demonstrate as the power to analyze, to discriminate, to separate, and to distinguish, to choose or to reject, with all the implications conveyed in these terms. As long as a man is identified with the appearance, these aspects of the mental principle produce in him the "great heresy of separateness." It is the appearance of the form nature that glamours him and completely deludes him. He regards himself as the form, and then proceeds from a realization of himself as the material form, and as identified with the outer appearance, to a realization of himself as an insatiable desire. He then becomes identified with his desire body, with his appetites, good and bad, and considers himself as one with his moods, his feelings, his longings, whether they ray out in the direction of the material world or inward toward the world of thought or the kingdom of the soul. He is torn by a sense of duality. Later, he becomes identified with still another of the appearances,--with the mind body or nature. Thoughts become to him so tangible that he is swayed, turned and influenced by them; and to the world of material appearances, and to the world of the great Illusion is added the world of thought forms. He is then subjected to a triple illusion, and he, the conscious life behind the illusion, begins to unify the forms into one coordinated whole, in order the better to control them.

48 A Treatise on the Seven Rays Each of these rays is dual in time and space, though only the second ray is dual when they are regarded from the standpoint of the final abstraction. In their temporary duality can be seen, for each of them, the interplay which we call cause and effect. Ray I... .Will, dynamically applied, emerges in manifestation as power. Ray II...Love, magnetically functioning, produces wisdom. Ray III..Intelligence, potentially found in substance, causes activity. The result of the interplay of these three major rays can be seen in the activity of the four minor rays. The Secret Doc- trine speaks of the Lords of Knowledge and of Love, and also of the Lords of Ceaseless Devotion. We might, in order more clearly to understand the mystical significance of these names, point out that the dynamic persistent will of the Logos expresses itself through the Lords of Ceaseless Devotion. Here devotion is not the quality to which I referred earlier in this treatise, but is the persistent directed one-pointed will of God, embodied in a Life which is that of the Lord of the first ray. The Lords of Love and of Knowledge are the two great Lives Who embody or ensoul the Love-Wisdom and the creative Intelligence aspects of the two major rays. These three are the sum total of all forms or appearances, the givers of all qualities, and the emerging Life aspect behind the tangible manifestations. They correspond in the human family, to the three aspects of Personality, Soul and Monad. The Monad is dynamic will or purpose, but remains unrevealed until after the third initiation. The Monad is Life, the sustaining force, a Lord of persevering and ceaseless devotion to the pursuit of a seen and determined objective. The soul is a Lord of love and wisdom, whilst the personality is a Lord of knowledge

Certain Questions 49 and of intelligent activity. This use of terms involves the realization of an achieved goal. It is not true of the present stage as regards expression, for this is the intermediate stage. None are as yet working with full intelligent activity, though some day each will do so. None are as yet manifesting Lords of love, but they sense the ideal and are striving towards its expression. None are as yet Lords of ceaseless will and none realize as yet the plan of the monad nor the true goal towards which all are striving. Some day all will. But potentially every human unit is all these three, and some day the appearances which were called personalities, that mask or veil reality, will fully reveal the qualities of Deity. When that time comes, the purpose for which all creation waits will burst upon the awakened vision, and we shall know the true meaning of bliss, and why the morning stars sang together. Joy is the strong basic note of our particular solar system. One of the foundational septenate of rays embodies in itself the principle of harmony, and this fourth Ray of Harmony gives to all forms that which produces beauty and works towards the harmonizing of all effects emanating from the world of causes, which is the world of the three major rays. The ray of beauty, of art and harmony is the producer of the quality of organization through form. It is in the last analysis the ray of mathematical exactitude and is not the ray of the artist, as so many seem to think. The artist is found on all rays, just as is the engineer or the physician, the home-maker or the musician. I want to make this clear, for there is much mis- understanding on this matter. Each of the great rays has a form of teaching truth to humanity which is its unique contribution, and in this way develops man by a system or technique which is qualified by the ray quality and is therefore specific and unique. Let me point out to you the modes of this group teaching:

60 A Treatise on the Seven Rays divine purpose; They are the seven Breaths, animating all forms which have been created by Them to carry out the plan. It may perhaps be easier to understand the relation of the seven rays to Deity if we remember that man himself (being made in the image of God) is a seven-fold being, capable of seven states of consciousness, expressive of the seven principles or basic qualities which enable him to be aware of the seven planes upon which he is, consciously or unconsciously, functioning. He is a septenate at all times, but his objective is to be consciously aware of all the states of being, to express consciously all the qualities and to function freely on all the planes. The seven ray Beings, unlike man, are fully conscious and entirely aware of the purpose and the Plan. They are "ever in deep meditation," and have reached the point where, through Their advanced stage of development, They are "impelled toward fulfillment." They are fully self-conscious and group- conscious; They are the sum total of the universal mind. They are "awake and active." Their goal and Their purpose is such that it is idle for us to speculate about it, for the highest point of achievement for man is the lowest point for Them. These seven Rays, Breaths and Heavenly Men have the task of wrestling with matter in order to subjugate it to divine purpose, and the goal--as far as one can sense it--is to subject the material forms to the play of the life aspect, thus producing those qualities which will carry the will of God to completion. They are therefore the sum total of all the souls within the solar system, and Their activity produces all forms; according to the nature of the form so will be the grade of consciousness. Through the seven rays, the life or spirit aspect flows, cycling through every kingdom in nature and producing thus all states of consciousness in all fields of awareness. For the purpose of this treatise students will have to accept

Certain Questions 61

the hypothesis that every human being is swept into manifestation on the impulse of some ray, and is colored by that particular ray quality, which determines the form aspect, indicates the way he should go and enables him (by the time the third initiation is reached) to have sensed and then to have cooperated with his ray purpose. After the third initiation he begins to sense the synthetic purpose towards which all the seven rays are working; but as this treatise is written for aspirants and disciples, and not for initiates of the third degree, it is needless to speculate upon this ultimate destiny. The human soul is a synthesis of material energy, qualified by intelligent consciousness, plus the spiritual energy which is, in its turn, qualified by one of the seven ray types. Thus the human being emerges, a son of God, incarnate in form, with one hand (as the Old Commentary says) holding firmly to the rock of matter and with the other hand plunged into a sea of love. An ancient scripture puts it thus:

"When the right hand of the man of matter grasps the flower of life and plucks it for himself, the left hand remains in emptiness. "When the right hand of the man of matter grasps the golden lotus of the soul, the left descends seeking the flower of life, though he seeks it not for selfish ends. "When the right hand holds the golden lotus firm and the left hand grasps the flower of life, man finds himself to be the seven-leaved plant which flowers on earth and flowers before the Throne of God."

The purpose of Deity, as it is known to the Creator, is totally unknown to all save the higher initiates. But the purpose of each ray Life may be sensed and defined, subject of course to the limitations of the human mind and to the inadequacy of words. The planned activity of every ray qualifies every form found within its body of manifestation. We come now to a technical statement which must be accepted for the sake of argument, being incapable of proof.

Certain Questions 87 Send out thy force to do thy will and gather back thy forces. Use well the power of thought. Sit still. Quality......power to think. 4. See all parts enter into the purpose. Build towards beauty, brother Lord. Make all colors bright and clear. See to the inner glory. Build the shrine well. Use care. Quality......revelation of the beauty of God. 5. Watch well thy thought. Enter at will into the mind of God. Pluck thence the power, the plan, the part to play. Reveal the mind of God. Quality......mental power. 6. Stay in the east. The five have given thee a friendly Word. I, the sixth, tell thee to use it on the dead. Revive the dead. Build forms anew. Guard well that Word. Make all men seek it for themselves. Quality......power to vivify. Thus we have studied a little the work of the seven rays. The teaching has had to be conveyed symbolically and its understanding necessitates an awakened esoteric sense; to comprehend it all is not as yet possible. The Chohans of the sixth initiation have the guidance of those units of consciousness in whom their particular ray vibration and color predominate. The vast importance of this fact is often overlooked, even when theoretically acknowledged by aspirants to initiation. Hence the importance of determining the ray of the ego and of the Monad,--something of vital moment after the third initiation. A majority and a minority always exist in every department of life. So it is in the work of the Logos, for at the end of the greater cycle (manvantara) the majority will find their way to the synthetic love ray; a small minority will find their way to the power ray. This minority are destined for an important function. They will constitute the nucleus which (in the next solar system) will constitute the majority, finding their synthesis on ray one. This is a great mystery and not easily understood.

88 A Treatise on the Seven Rays Some hint towards its solution will be found hidden in the real meaning of the words "exoteric" and "esoteric." The fact should be remembered that only five rays dominate at any one time. All manifest, but only five dominate. A distinction should be made between the rays dominating in a solar system and those dominating in a scheme, or chain. To this reference has been made in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire. Three rays out of the seven synthesize. One ray out of the three will synthesize at the culmination. For the first solar system the third ray was the synthetic ray, but for this solar system the second ray is the synthetic ray, and for the next solar system the first ray will perform a similar function. Two rays are largely the goal of human endeavor, the first ray and the second ray. One ray is the goal of the deva or angel evolution, the third ray. All these three rays contact the two poles, and the attainment of the goal at the end of the cycle marks the achievement of the solar Logos. This again is hidden in mystery. The seventh ray and the first ray are very closely allied, with the third ray linking them, so that we have the relation expressed thus,-1.3.7. There is a close association also between rays 2.4.6., with the fifth ray in a peculiar position, as a central point of attainment, the home of the ego or soul, the embodied plane of mind, the point of consummation for the personality, and the reflection in the three worlds of the threefold monad. Ray I.... ..Will, demonstrating as power in the unfolding of the Plan of the Logos. Ray III.....Adaptability of activity with intelligence. This ray was the dominant one in the past solar system; it is the foundation or basis of this system, and is controlled by the Mahachohan. Ray VII...Ceremonial ritual or organization. This is the reflection on the physical plane of the two above, and is likewise connected with the Mahachohan. It controls

128 A Treatise on the Seven Rays We have then the subsidiary rays: d. Orange. e. Green. f. Violet. and the synthesizing ray, Indigo. 4. It is of course to the human interest that a study of the rays makes its main appeal. It is this study that will vivify and awaken psychologists to the true understanding of man. Every human being finds himself upon one of the seven rays. His personality is found, in every life, upon one of them, in varying rotation according to the ray of the ego or soul. After the third initiation he locates his soul (if one may use such an inappropriate word) on one of the three major rays, though until that time it may be found in one of the seven ray groups. From that exalted attitude he strives towards the essential unity of the Monad. The fact of there being seven ray types carries great implications, and the intricacy of the subject is baffling to the neophyte. A ray confers, through its energy, peculiar physical conditions and determines the quality of the astral-emotional nature; it colors the mind body; it controls the distribution of energy, for the rays are of differing rates of vibration, and govern a particular center in the body (differing with each ray) through which that distribution is made. Each ray works through one center primarily, and through the remaining six in a specific order. The ray predisposes a man to certain strengths and weaknesses, and constitutes his principle of limitation as well as endowing him with capacity. It governs the method of his relations to other human types and is responsible for his reactions in form to other forms. It gives him his coloring and quality, his general tone on the three planes of the personality, and it moulds his physical appearance. Certain attitudes of mind are easy for one ray type and difficult for

Certain Questions 131 man is, from the angle of consciousness, relatively unresponsive and unconscious, as is matter in its early stages in the formative process. The achievement of full awareness is of course the goal of the evolutionary process. Again symbolically speaking, the unevolved man emits or manifests no light. The light in the head is invisible, though the clairvoyant investigators would see the dim glow of the light within the elements which constitute the body, and the light hidden in the atoms which constitute the form nature. As evolution proceeds, these dim points of "dark light" intensify their glow; the light within the head flickers at intervals during the life of the average man, and becomes a shining light as he enters upon the path of discipleship. When he becomes an initiate, the light of the atoms is so bright, and the light in the head so intense (with a paralleling stimulation of the centers of force in the body), that the light body appears. Eventually this body of light becomes externalized and of greater prominence than the dense tangible physical body. This is the body of light in which the true son of God consciously dwells. After the third initiation, the dual light becomes accentuated and takes on a still greater brilliancy through the blending with it of the energy of spirit. This is not really the admission or the re-combining of a third light, but the fanning of the light of matter and the light of the soul into a greater glory through the Breath of the spirit. Some- thing anent this light has been earlier indicated A Treatise on Cosmic Fire. Study it and seek to understand the significance of this process. In the understanding of these aspects of light comes a truer perspective as to the nature of the fires in the human expression of divinity. It must never be forgotten that the soul of all things, the anima mundi, as it expresses itself through all the four kingdoms in nature, is that which gives to our planet its light in

149

CHAPTER I

The Seven Creative Builders, the Seven Rays ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WE HAVE now completed our first section, and have therefore laid the groundwork for our future studies. First, I seek to give a brief exegesis of the basic theory of The Secret Doctrine, called the hylozoistic theory. This posits a living substance, composed of a multiplicity of sentient lives which are continuously swept into expression by the "breath of the divine Life." This theory recognizes no so-called inorganic matter anywhere in the universe, and emphasizes the fact that all forms are built up of infinitesimal lives, which in their totality--great or small--constitute a Life, and that these composite lives, in their turn, are a corporate part of a still greater Life. Thus eventually we have that great scale of lives, manifesting in greater expression and reaching all the way from the tiny life called the atom (with which science deals) up to that vast atomic life which we call a solar system. This is a briefly and inadequately expressed definition of the doctrine of hylozoism, and is an attempt to interpret and find a meaning in the manifested phenomenal world, with its three main characteristics of life-quality-appearance. Forget not to find the meaning behind all forms and life experiences, and thereby learn to enter into that world of subjective forces which is the true world wherein all occultists work. Let us take these three words and seek to understand their significance in relation to the rays.

150 A Treatise on the Seven Rays As to the significance of the word "life" our task is wellnigh insuperable, for no human being has or can have any comprehension of the nature of life until he has attained the third initiation. I repeat this with emphasis and in order to impress upon you the futility of idle speculation upon this subject. Disciples who have undergone the third initiation and have climbed the mount of Transfiguration can--from that high point--glimpse the radiance of the subjective center of energy (the central spiritual sun of The Secret Doctrine) and so gain a flash of realization as to the meaning of the word "life." But they cannot, and they dare not, pass on the knowledge gained. Their efforts to convey such information would be futile, and language itself would be inadequate to the task. Life is not what anyone has hitherto surmized. Energy (in contradistinction to force, and using the word to express the emanating center which differentiates into forces) is not what idle speculation has portrayed it to be. Life is the synthesis of all activity--an activity which is a blend of many energies, for life is the sum total of the energies of the seven solar systems, of which our solar system is but one. These, in their totality, are the expression of the activity of that Being Who is designated in our hierarchical archives as the "One About Whom Naught May Be Said." This seven-fold cosmic energy; the fused and blended energies of seven solar systems, including ours, sweeps automatically through each of the seven carrying the qualities of 1. Impulse towards activity. 2. Active impulse towards organization. 3. Active organized impulse towards a definite purpose. I have worded these impulses as above in order to show the emergent tendency through their mutual interplay. This triple energetic impulse, borne on the impetus of the seven great

The Creative Builders 155 and energies can be somewhat grasped as we study the seven ray Lives with their seven psychological types, and the twelve creative Hierarchies, as outlined for us in The Secret Doctrine. The 7+12=19, and if you add to these 19 expressions of the Life the 3 major aspects of Deity, which we call the life of God the Father, the love of God the Son, and the active intelligence of God the Holy Ghost, you arrive at the mystic number 22, which is called (in esotericism) the number of the adept. This simply means that the adept is one who comprehends the nature of the 19 forces as they express themselves through the medium of the triple divine manifestation, as it in its turn relates itself to human consciousness. It does not mean that the adept has mastered and can wield these 19 types of energy. They are consciously wielded only by the three synthetic Builders or Creators, Who are: 1. The Life which expresses Itself through seven solar systems.

The One About Whom Naught May Be Said. 2. The Life which expresses Itself through seven planets.

The Solar Deity......God. 3. The Life which expresses Itself through seven planetary centers, or continents.

The Planetary Logos......The Ancient of Days. What the adept has done has been to bring his seven centers of force, located in the etheric body, into a responsive condition to the higher spiritual forces; as he progresses he will find that he will gradually and sequentially become equally responsive to the above three types of synthetic force. On the path of discipleship, and until the third initiation, he learns to respond to the energy and to the spiritual purpose of the Life of his own planet. At the first and second initiations, and until the third initiation, he has been led on and initiated by the influence of the Christ, and under His direction he has submitted to two expansions of consciousness and

156 A Treatise on the Seven Rays has prepared himself for a third. When ready for this, he comes under the initiatory power of the planetary Logos; and through the mediating activity of that great Being the initiate becomes actively aware of energy emanating from the solar Deity. He is therefore learning to respond to the second type of synthetic force. After he has taken the highest initiation possible on this planet, he is, for the first time, responsive to energy emanating from the outer cosmic Center. This last stage of expansion is rare indeed, and only one hundred and eleven human beings, during our planetary history, have passed on to this state of awareness. Of what use is this information to you or to any student? Practically none, beyond indicating the vastness of the Plan and the amazing scope of the human consciousness. What that contact with the highest type of synthetic force may mean I cannot tell you. The planetary Logoi themselves walk in the light of that sublime Consciousness, and towards that privilege the Christ Himself, and His great Brother, the Buddha, with the three Buddhas of Activity, are at this time aspiring. More than that I know not, nor may I further enlarge upon the matter. But the wonder and the immensity of the drama unfolding in the universe is a proof of its reality, and the grasp of man, small though it may appear to be, is a guarantee of his divinity. Stage by stage we slowly make our approach to the goal of conscious and intelligent awareness. Step by step we are mastering matter and making more adequate the mechanism of awareness and of contact. Little by little we (and by that I mean the human family, as a whole) are approaching the "place of recognition," and are preparing to climb the mountain of vision. If aspirants but realized the wonders of that revelation, and if they grasped the magnificence of the reward

228 A Treatise on the Seven Rays tion all the forces and those chemicals and minerals which are needed by the forms in the other material kingdoms. 2. The mineral kingdom is therefore the most concrete expression of the dual unity of power and order. It constitutes the "foundation" of the ordered physical structure or the universe of our planet. 3. The rhythmic ritualistic adaptability of the seventh ray, plus the dynamic will of the power ray, are needed in conjunction for the full working out of the Plan, as it is found in the mind of God. This is why, in this present period of transition, the Lord of the seventh ray is taking over the control of affairs and the ordered working out of the Plan, so as eventually to restore stability to the planet and give the incoming Aquarian influences a stable and extended field in which to work. This we shall later elaborate when we take up the study of the zodiacal signs and their relation to the rays. We shall now touch upon the next two points,--condensation and its hidden secret, transmutation. From the standpoint of external matter, the mineral kingdom marks the densest expression of the life of God in substance, and its outstanding, though oft unrealized, characteristic is imprisoned or unex- pressed power. Speaking in symbols, a volcano in eruption is a mild expression of this power. From the standpoint of esoteric substance, the four ethers are far more dense and "substantial." This modern science has also told us, positing the hypothetical ether. This fifth kingdom (counting occultly from the egoic kingdom downwards) is a reflection of these four ethers, and the point of their densest concretion. Just as they "substand" or form the basis of the manifested world, and are regarded as the "true form," so the mineral kingdom is the fundamental kingdom in the three worlds, under the Law of Correspond-

The Kingdoms in Nature 229 ences. It is, in a most peculiar sense, "precipitated etheric substance," and is a condensation or externalization of the etheric planes. This solidification or precipitation--resulting in the production of dense objective or solid matter--is the tangible result of the interplay of the energies and qualities of the first and seventh rays. Their united will and ordered rhythm have produced this Earth and the molten content of the planet, regarding the earth as the crust. In the turning of the great wheel, cycle after cycle, these two rays come into functioning activity, and in between their objective cycles the other rays dominate and participate in the great work. The result of this interplay of psychic potencies will manifest in the eventual transmutation of the earth substance, and its resolution back again into that of which it is the objective condensation. Again language fails to find the needed terms. They are as yet non-existent. I mention this as an indication of the difficulty of our subject. Intangible etheric substance has been condensed into the dense tangible objective world. This--under the evolutionary plan--has to be again transmuted into its original condition, plus the gain of ordered rhythm and the tendencies and qualities wrought into the consciousness of its atoms and elements through the experience of externalization. This resolution is noted by us as radiation and the radio-active substances. We are looking on at the transmutation process. The resolving agencies are fire, intense heat and pressure. These three agencies have already succeeded in bringing about the divisions of the mineral kingdom into three parts: the baser metals, as they are called, the standard metals (such as silver and gold and platinum), and the semi-precious stones and crystals. The precious jewels are a synthesis of all three,--one of the basic syntheses of evolution. In this connection, some correspondences between the

230 A Treatise on the Seven Rays mineral kingdom and the human evolutionary cycles might here be noted: 1. The base metals......................physical plane. Dense Conscious- ness. The first initiation. 2. The standard metals...............astral plane. Self-consciousness. The second initiation. 3. The semi-precious stones.......mental plane. Radiant consciousness. The third initiation. 4. The precious jewels...............egoic consciousness and achievement. The fourth initiation. The correspondences of fire, heat and pressure in the evolution of the human being are self-evident, and their work can be seen paralleling that in the mineral kingdom. The mineral kingdom is governed astrologically by Taurus, and there is a symbolic relation between the "eye" in the head of the Bull, the third eye, the light in the head, and the diamond. The consciousness of the Buddha has been called the "diamond-eye." We have been technical, and much has been given which seems to have no bearing upon the psychological development of man. But to understand the rays and their bearing on life as a whole, it is necessary that man should grasp the fact that he is only a small fraction of that whole. Man has his roots in all the three kingdoms; all have contributed to his equipment; he is the macrocosm of the lower microcosm; he is the link which unites the three lower kingdoms to the three higher. Let it ever be borne in mind that the sign of man's spiritual unfoldment lies in his ability to include in his consciousness not only the so-called spiritual values and the power to react to soul contact, but also to include the material values, and to react divinely to the potencies which lie hidden from him

The Kingdoms in Nature 237 and with the inner ray influences, which bring about the desired outer results. It is the goal of the evolving consciousness which I seek to make clear. Science can handle with skill and insight the evolution of form. I shall endeavor to lay the ground for that coming science (of which modern psychology is the experimental beginning) which will deal as easily with the evolution of consciousness as modern science deals with the form expressions of life. Only when that newer science has been brought to the point of development at which material science now stands will it be possible to consider the evolution of life, through consciousness in form. I have here made a basic and synthetic statement which needs grasping. Those whose consciousness is expanding out of the human to the egoic will follow my reasoning with a measure of facility. A very apposite question might here be asked: What determines the ray which should govern or predominantly influence any or all of the various kingdoms in nature? It should be remembered that every kingdom, viewing it as a whole, is an entity, and (from its form side) the sum total of all forms constitutes that entity's body of manifestation. In the last analysis also, the aggregate of self-initiated influences, or the magnetic radiation of that particular kingdom, is an expression of that entity's basic quality or qualities,--the aura of that entity's personality. Two rays govern each kingdom in nature, except in the case of the vegetable kingdom, where three rays indicate the nature of that kingdom's life. Students will possibly find it helpful to consider this problem from the angle of analogy, and to realize that they (as well as every other human being) are governed or actuated by two rays, i.e., the personality ray and the egoic ray. After the third initiation, the disciple has three rays active in him, for the ray of the Monad begins then to make its presence felt. An analogous condition is found in all the kingdoms in nature. Two rays are

238 A Treatise on the Seven Rays dominant in each kingdom, but in the vegetable kingdom three rays control, for that kingdom is more evolved (along its own peculiar lines) than any other. What might be regarded as the monadic ray of the Life of that kingdom is functioning. This whole matter must not be viewed from the standpoint of human consciousness, and the human standards of unfoldment and of awareness must not be regarded as holding prominent place in this evolution of divine life. This living entity has a different objective to the Life which informs the fourth kingdom in nature. Nevertheless three basic logoic influences, three major breaths, or three ray vibrations account for this kingdom's life-quality and appearance. This whole matter is too intricate for real comprehension, and the reader would do well simply to accept the statements I make, with reservations, and realize that when he himself is a member of the great company of initiates of the wisdom, that which is at present inexplicable to him may be made clear, and when fitted into its rightful place in the scheme of things will not seem so extraordinary or peculiar. b. THE FIVE SECRETS OF THE KINGDOMS IN NATURE There is a secret anent each of the five kingdoms in nature. These secrets concern the relation of the human evolution to the whole, and they are revealed to the initiate at the five initiations. At each initiation one of the five secrets is explained to the initiate, and they are called by the following five names, which are an attempt on my part to interpret symbolically the ancient name or sign: 1. The mineral kingdom.........The secret of the brilliance of the light. 2. The vegetable kingdom......The secret of the sacred perfume. 3. The animal kingdom..........The secret of the following scent. 4. The human kingdom..........The secret of the double path or of the double breath.

The Kingdoms in Nature 239 5. The kingdom of souls.........The secret of the golden rose of light. The symbolic forms in which these five secrets are hidden, and so conveyed to the intelligence of the initiate, are as follows: 1. The mineral secret..........A diamond, blue white in color. 2. The vegetable secret.......A cube of sandalwood in the heart of the lotus. 3. The animal secret............A bunch of cypress, over a funeral urn. 4. The human secret............A twisted golden cord, with seven knots. 5. The egoic secret..............A closed lotus bud with seven blue rays. Be all this as it may, certain of the seven logoic influences are at this time dominant in the five kingdoms; in four cases, two rays control; in the case of the vegetable kingdom, three rays control. It must not be forgotten that these rays are related to each other, and in the great interlacing and interlocking of the planetary and the solar forces every kingdom comes under the influence of every ray, yet with certain rays always controlling and certain others dominating cyclically. The rays determine the quality of the manifesting life and indicate the type of the appearance. In resuming our consideration of the three divisions of the vegetable kingdom it might be stated that . . . Ray VI.......determines the type, family, appearance, strength, size and nature of the trees upon our planet. Ray II........is the beneficent influence, expressing itself through the cereals and flowers. Ray IV......is the life quality, expressing itself through the grasses and the smaller forms of vegetable life,--those which provide the "green carpet whereon the angels dance." An important symbolic happening has been consummated

246 A Treatise on the Seven Rays major influences bringing about the desired results in the kingdoms of nature under the Plan. It must be remembered that these are the cyclic influences dominant at this time, and that they change from cycle to cycle. For instance, a disciple who is upon the path is strongly influenced by Mercury and by Saturn, but when he begins his training for the first initiation he has to contend with the influences of Pluto and Vul- can; the training for the second initiation brings him under Neptunian influences, with Venus and Jupiter contending for control. The link with the vegetable kingdom is then strong, and hence the frequent recognition of "astral perfumes" which the disciple can note. Before the first initiation, the static mineral world within him has been broken up. At the third initiation, the Moon and Mars struggle to assume ascendancy, and there is his battle-ground. Hence at the great Transfiguration, the body is "transfigured" as the indication of triumph. At the fourth initiation, Mercury and Saturn act as the great translators, and bring the disciple to the door of realization. When the final initiation is taken, it is the activity of Uranus and the in-pouring force of Jupiter that bring about the reorganization which results in the final emancipation. The vastness and complexity of the subject thus become apparent. In the emergence of color in the vegetable kingdom another vast influence is seen, and the problem of the ray influences becomes still more complicated. In the basic color, green, we have the indication of the potency of Saturn. Esoterically speaking, the vegetable kingdom is upon an advanced stage of the path of discipleship, and hence Saturn and Mars are active. The influence of the latter planet is to be seen in the prevalence of the colors red, rose, yellow and orange in the flowers at this time. Again, readers would find it interesting to note mentally the relation of growth to the idealism of the sixth raw. They

264 A Treatise on the Seven Rays the human kingdom, raise the subhuman kingdoms in nature also (after much effort) to life and conscious understanding. Through the five points of spiritual contact, in each of the three kingdoms, is life brought to nature itself. For this "the whole creation groaneth and travaileth together in pain until now." Herein is found the secret of the resurrection, viewing it in the planetary sense,--a resurrection enacted also individually by each achieving son of God. This is the great Masonic secret, and the central mystery of the sublime or third degree in Masonry. It is sometimes occultly referred to as "the relation of death to the five life-giving energies seen working upon the third day of revelation" or, speaking still more symbolically: "In the chamber of death, the blue light of dawning day reveals the group of workers who seek to raise the dead. Naught avail their efforts until they blend the five great forces of the Lord of Magic. When thus they work as one, in unity complete the work is done; they fuse the life-giving force; the dead are raised, and the work of building can proceed. The temple can be glorified and the Word be uttered forth within a chamber of life-giving force and not of death. Through death to life, from struggle in the dark to building in the light! Such is the Plan. Thus do we enter into life that is a death; pass onward through the door whose pillars twain stand there forever as a sign of strength and truth divine; thus do we enter quick within the tomb and die. Thus are we raised again upon a Word divine, upon a fivefold sign, and-springing forth--we live." Then in relation to humanity, the Old Commentary says: "The Lords of the fifth great ray of mind have sent us on our way. The Lords of the sixth great ray forced us to suffer in the cause, yet love it too, and through. our deep devotion learn. The Lords of the third great ray bring us, through mind, unto the funeral pyre, to the stage wherein we die, yet rise again. In the third room, and on the third dark day, the Master disappears. He dies; is lost to sight. But the five great

328 A Treatise on the Seven Rays their bodies. The clue to the translation is to be found in the fact that no act of translation ever involves one body alone, and no "passing on and up" into another dimension, into another state of consciousness and another "caste," ever takes place unless an alignment has been produced between (for instance): a. The physical body and the emotional body. b. These two and the mental body. c. These three and the soul. d. These four and the group of World Servers. In these four alignments we have the esoteric parallels of which the outer caste system is the prostituted symbol. Pon- der on this, for the caste system is universal in the world. It is when the third alignment has been truly accomplished and when the light of the fourth constituent to the relationship dominates the inherent light of the other three, that the objective of man's evolution is reached. This brings us to the point next to be considered. Purpose: This purpose is the Transfiguration. This is the esoteric goal set before humanity. This was the tremendous event which was enacted before humanity by the greatest of all the sons of God in His Own Body, Whom I and all true disciples regard as the Master of all the Masters, the Christ. What shall I say about this culminating event for which the entire personality of man waits? This third great initiation marks a crisis in the initiatory work, and produces a further synthesis experienced in the life of the spiritual man. Up to the third initiation, man has been occupied with the process of fusing soul and body into one unity. After the third initiation (and owing to an event which takes place) man is

The Rays and Man 329 oriented towards, and becomes occupied with, a further fusion in consciousness, that of spirit-soul-body. I speak of a fusion in consciousness. The unity is ever there and man in evolution is really becoming aware of that which already exists. Divisions: These are five in number from the standpoint of this treatise on esotericism. They can here be only briefly indicated, as elucidation of them would involve too much. 1. The racial divisions. These can be considered in two ways: a. From the standpoint of modern esoteric science. b. From the standpoint of The Secret Doctrine, with its septenary divisions of mankind and its forty-nine subdivisions. 2. The division of humanity into seven main ray types, which might be enumerated as follows: a. The power type..........full of will and governing capacity. b. The love type.............full of love and fusing power. c. The active type..........full of action, and manipulating energy. d. The artistic type.........full of the sense of beauty and creative aspiration. e. The scientific type.....full of the idea of cause and results. The mathematical type. f. The devotee type........full of idealism. g. The business type......full of organizing power. given to ritualistic ceremony. 3. The twelve astrological groups. These we shall consider in dealing with The Rays and the Zodiac, and so shall not touch upon them here. 4. The division of human beings into three esoteric groups: a. Those unawakened to the "I" consciousness. These are called esoterically "the darkened sparks."

400 A Treatise on the Seven Rays the British-Israelites into their travesty of the truth, and caused them to trace our modern Western history to the Jews of the Dispersion. It is a far more ancient relation than that, and dates back into a period that antedates the history of the Jews as it is related for us in the Old Testament. The original three disciples and their family groups were the ancestors of three major racial groupings, which can be gen- eralized as follows: 1. The Semitic race or races of Biblical and modern times; the Arabs, the Afghans, the Moors and the offshoots and affiliations of those peoples, including the modern Egyp- tians. These are all descended front the eldest of the three disciples. 2. The Latin peoples and their various branches throughout the world, and also the Celtic races wherever found. These are descended from the second of the three disciples. 3. The Teutons, the Scandinavians, and the Anglo-Saxons, who are the descendants of the third of the three disciples. The above is a broad generalization. The period covered is so vast and the ramifications down the ages are so numerous, that it is not possible for me to do more than give a general idea. Gradually the descendants of two of these three disciples have accepted the legends which were promulgated in Atlantean times, and have ranged themselves on the side of those who are antagonistic to the Jew, as he is today; they have lost all sense of their common origin. There is no pure race in the world today, for intermarriage, illicit relations and promiscuity during the past few million years have been so numerous that there exists no pure strain. Climate and en-

The Rays and Man 401 vironment are fundamentally greater determining factors than any forced segregation, except that which comes through a constant racial intermarriage. Of this latter factor, only the Hebrew today has preserved any measure of racial integrity. When humanity awakens to the fact of its common origin, and when the three great major strains in our modern civilization are recognized, then we shall see the old hatred of the Jew die out, and he will fuse and blend with the rest of mankind. Even the oriental races, who are the remnants of the great Atlantean civilization, have in them traces of intermarriage with the ancestors of the modern Jews and other racial types, but they have not mixed well, and have therefore preserved their characteristics more successfully than have the groups of our Western men. If you ponder upon the above, and if you study the Ma- sonic tradition with care, much will become clarified in your mind. Ethnologists may disagree, but they cannot disprove what I have said, for the origins of the present racial world situation lie so far back in the history of mankind that they cannot even prove their own contentions. All they are capable of considering is the history of the past one hundred thousand years, and their work lies with effects of that past and not with originating causes. 7. The Ray of the Ego In starting our study of the ray of the Ego or Soul, certain major premises might be briefly stated and incorporated into a series of propositions, fourteen in number. They are as follows: 1. The egos of all human beings are to be found upon one or another of the seven rays.

402 A Treatise on the Seven Rays 2. All egos found upon the fourth, the fifth, the sixth and the seventh rays must eventually, after the third initiation, blend with the three major rays, or monadic rays. 3. The monadic ray of every ego is one of the three rays of aspect, and the sons of men are either monads of power, monads of love, or monads of intelligence. 4. For our specific purposes, we shall confine our attention to the seven groups of souls found upon one or other of the seven rays or streams of divine energy. 5. For the major part of our racial and life experience we are governed sequentially, and later simultaneously by: a. The physical body, which is dominated by the ray governing the sum total of the atoms of that body. b. The emotional desire nature, which is to be found influenced and controlled by the ray which colors the totality of astral atoms. c. The mind body or mental nature, and the caliber and quality of the ray determining its atomic value. d. Later, on the physical plane, the soul ray begins to work in and with the sum total of the three bodies, which constitute--when aligned and functioning in unison--the personality. The effect of that general integration is actively to produce an incarnation and incarnations wherein the personality ray emerges clearly, and the three bodies or selves constitute the three aspects or rays of the lower personal self. 6. When the personality ray becomes pronounced and dominant, and the three body rays are subordinated to it, then the great fight takes place between the egoic ray or soul and the personality ray. The differentiation becomes clearly marked, and the sense of duality becomes more definitely established. The experiences detailed in the Bhagavad Gita become the experiences

The Rays and Man 403 of the path of discipleship; Arjuna stands "at the midway point" on the field of Kurukshetra, between the two opposing forces, and, owing to the smoke of the battle, finds himself unable to see clearly. 7. Eventually, the soul ray or influence becomes the dominating factor, and the rays of the lower bodies become the sub-rays of this controlling ray. This last sentence is of basic importance, for it indicates the true relation of the personality to the ego or soul. The disciple who understands this relation and conforms to it is ready to tread the path of initiation. 8. Each of the seven groups of souls is responsive to one of the seven types of force, and all of them are responsive to the ray of the planetary Logos of our planet, which is the third Ray of Active Intelligence. All are therefore upon a sub-ray of this ray, but it must never be forgotten that the planetary Logos is also upon a ray, which is a sub-ray of the second Ray of Love-Wisdom. Therefore we have:

404 A Treatise on the Seven Rays

It should be remembered that our planetary Logos functioning through the planet Earth is not considered as producing one of the seven sacred planets. 9. The work of each individual aspirant is therefore to arrive at an understanding of: a. His egoic ray. b. His personality ray. c. The ray governing his mind. d. That governing his astral body. e. The ray influencing his physical body. When he has achieved this fivefold knowledge, he has fulfilled the Delphic injunction: "Know thyself," and can consequently take Initiation. 10. Every human being is also governed by certain group rays:

The Rays and Man 405 a. Those of the fourth kingdom in nature. This will have different effects, according to the ray of the personality or soul. The fourth kingdom has: 1). The fourth ray as its egoic ray. 2). The fifth ray as its personality ray. b. The racial rays, at this time, are the third and fifth, for our Aryan race, and this powerfully affects every human being. c. The cyclic ray. d. The national ray. All of these control the personality life of each man. The egoic ray of the individual, plus the egoic ray of the fourth kingdom, gradually negate the rays governing the personality as the man nears the path of probation and discipleship. 11. Man therefore is an aggregate of forces which dominate him serially and together; these color his nature, produce his quality, and determine his "appearance," using this word in its occult sense of exteriorization. For ages he is wielded by one or other of these forces, and is simply what they make him. As he arrives at a clearer understanding, and can begin to discriminate, he definitely chooses which of them shall dominate, until he eventually becomes controlled by the Soul ray, with all the other rays subordinated to that ray and used by him at will. 12. In studying the egoic ray of man we have to grasp: a. The process followed.........................externalization. b. The secret to be found.......................manifestation. c. The purpose to be known... ...............realization. We have also to understand the dominant ray influences of the kingdom of souls, the fifth kingdom. These are: 1). Ray five................working through the personality.

406 A Treatise on the Seven Rays 2). Ray two.................working through the intuition. 13. The Personality ray finds its major field of activity and expression in the physical body. It determines its life trend and purpose, its appearance and occupation. It is selective of quality, when influenced by the egoic ray. The Egoic ray has direct and specific action upon the astral body. Hence the battlefield of the life is ever on the plane of illusion; as the soul seeks to dispel the ancient glamour, the aspirant is enabled to walk in the light. The Monadic ray influences the mental body, after integration of the personality has been brought about. It causes the mind nature to achieve that clear vision which finds its consummation at the fourth initiation, and releases the man from the limitations of form. There is an analogy to this triplicity and an interesting symbolic relation in the three Initiators. a. The first Initiator................................the soul of man. This controls gradually the personality. b. The second Initiator...........................the Christ. Releasing the love nature. c. The final Initiator. ..................the Planetary Logos. Illumining the mind. 14. The egoic or soul ray begins to make its presence actively felt, via the astral body, as soon as alignment has been achieved. The process is as follows: a. It plays on the astral body externally. b. It stimulates it internally to greater size, color and quality. c. It brings it and all parts of the physical life into activity and under control. All the above propositions could be summed up in the statement that the personality ray induces a separative attitude and causes a detachment from the group of souls of

The Rays and Man 407 which the personality is an externalization, and a consequent attachment to the form side of manifestation. The egoic ray induces group consciousness and detachment from external forms, causing attachment to the life side of manifestation and to the subjective whole. The monadic ray has an effect which can be understood only after man has taken the third initiation. We might divide what we have to say in the next section of our treatise, which deals with the egoic ray, into the four following parts: I. THE GROWTH OF SOUL INFLUENCE II. THE SEVEN LAWS OF EGOIC LIFE III. THE FIVE GROUPS OF SOULS IV. RULES FOR INDUCING SOUL CONTROL

Esoteric Psychology Volume II The Egoic Ray 7 into manifestation the fifth kingdom in nature, the Kingdom of Souls. All this has to be accomplished in the realm of conscious awareness or response, through the medium of steadily im- proving vehicles or response mechanisms and with the aid of spiritual understanding and interpretation. With the bigger questions we will not deal. With the consciousness of the life of God as it expresses itself in the three subhuman kingdoms, we need not concern ourselves. We shall deal entirely with the following three points: 1. With the strictly human consciousness as it begins with the process of individualization and consummates in the dominant personality. 2. With the egoic consciousness, which is that of the solar angel as it begins with the preparation for initiation on the Path of Discipleship and consummates in the perfected Master. 3. With the monadic realization. This is a phrase that means absolutely nothing to us, for it concerns the conscions- ness of the planetary Logos. This begins to be realized at the third initiation, dominating the soul and working out through the personality. Man, the average human being, is a sum total of separative tendencies, of uncontrolled forces and of disunited energies, which slowly and gradually become coordinated, fused, and blended in the separative personality. Man, the Solar Angel, is the sum total of those energies and forces which are unified, blended and controlled by that "tendency to harmony" which is the effect of love and the outstanding quality of divinity. Man, the living Monad, is the veiled reality, and that which

8 A Treatise on the Seven Rays the Angel of the Presence hides. He is the synthetic expression of the purpose of God symbolized through revealed, divine quality and manifested through the form. Appearance, quality, life––again this ancient triplicity confronts us. Sym- bolically speaking, this triplicity can be studied as: 1. Man.........................the Angel................The Presence. 2. The root.................. the lotus..................the fragrance. 3. The bush................. the fire................... the flame. The work of evolution, being part of the determination of Deity to express divinity through form, is necessarily, therefore, the task of revelation, and as far as man is concerned, this revelation works out as the growth of soul evolution and falls into three stages: 1. Individualization.................................. Personality. 2. Initiation................................................Ego. 3. Identification.........................................Monad. 1. The Three Stages of Egoic Growth We must hold the following statements firmly in our minds. The personality is a triple combination of forces, impressing and absolutely controlling the fourth aspect of the personality, which is the dense physical body. The three personality types of energy are the etheric body, which is the vehicle of vital energy, the astral body which is the vehicle of the feeling energy or sentient force, and the mental body which is the vehicle of the intelligent energy of will that is destined to be the dominant creative aspect. It is upon this truth that Christian Science has laid the emphasis. These forces constitute the lower man. The solar angel is a dual combination of energies––the energy of love, and the energy of will or purpose––and these are the qualities of the life thread. These two, when dominating the third energy of mind, produce the

The Egoic Ray 13 balanced condition. There is frequently the theory of unfoldment, and a mental grasp anent the facts of the initiatory process before they are practiced experimentally in the daily life and thus psychologically integrated into the practical expression of the living process on the physical plane. Herein lies much danger and difficulty, and also much loss of time. The mental grasp of the individual is ofttimes much greater than his power to express the knowledge, and we have consequently those outstanding failures and those difficult situations which have brought the whole question of initiation into disrepute. Many people are regarded as initiates who are only endeavoring to be initiate. They are not, however, real initiates. They are those well meaning people whose mental understanding outruns the power of their personalities to practice. They are those who are in touch with forces which they are not yet able to handle and control. They have done a great deal of the needed work of inner contact, but have not yet whipped the lower nature into shape. They are, therefore, unable to express that which they inwardly understand and somewhat realize. They are those disciples who talk too much and too soon and too self-centeredly, and who present to the world an ideal toward which they are indeed working, but which they are as yet unable to materialize, owing to the inadequacy of their equipment. They affirm their belief in terms of accomplished fact and cause much stumbling among the little ones. But at the same time, they are working towards the goal. They are mentally in touch with the ideal and with the Plan. They are aware of forces and energies utterly unknown to the majority. Their only mistake is in the realm of time, for they affirm prematurely that which some day they will be. When initiation becomes possible, it indicates that two great groups of energies (those of the triple integrated per- \page

14 A Treatise on the Seven Rays sonality and those of the soul or solar angel) are beginning to fuse and blend. The energy of the soul is beginning to dominate and to control the lower types of force, and––according to the ray of the soul––so will be the body in which that control will begin to make its presence felt. This will be elaborated later in the section dealing with the rays as they govern the various bodies,––mental, emotional and physical. It should be remembered that very little egoic control need be evidenced when the first initiation is taken. That initiation indicates simply that the germ of soul life has vitalized and brought into functioning existence the inner spiritual body, the sheath of the inner spiritual man, which will eventually enable the man at the third initiation to manifest forth as "a full-grown man in Christ", and present at that time the opportunity to the Monad for that full expression of life which can take place when the initiate is identified consciously with the One Life. Between the first and second initiations, as has been frequently stated, much time can elapse and much change must be wrought during the many stages of discipleship. Upon this we will later dwell as we study the seven laws of egoic unfoldment. Individualization, carried to its full, consummates as the integrated personality, expressing itself as a unity through three aspects. This expression of personality involves:–– 1. The free use of the mind so that focused attention can be paid to all that concerns the personal self and its aims. This spells personality success and prosperity. 2. The power to control the emotions and yet have the full use of the sensory apparatus to sense conditions, to feel reactions, and to bring about contact with the emotional aspects of other personalities. 3. The capacity to touch the plane of ideas and to bring

The Egoic Ray 17 of all disciples. As the three rays which govern the lower triplicity blend and synthesize and produce the vital personality, and as they in their turn dominate the ray of the dense physical body, the lower man enters into a prolonged condition of conflict. Gradually and increasingly, the soul ray, "the ray of persistent and magnetic grasp", as it is occultly called, begins to become more active; in the brain of the man who is a developed personality, an increased awareness of vibration is set up. There are many degrees and stages in this experience, and they cover many lives. The personality ray and the egoic ray at first seem to clash, and then later a steady warfare is set up with the disciple as the onlooker–– and dramatic participator. Arjuna emerges into the arena of the battlefield. Midway between the two forces he stands, a conscious tiny point of sentient awareness and of light. Around him and in him and through him the energies of the two rays pour and conflict. Gradually, as the battle continues to rage, he becomes a more active factor, and drops the attitude of the detached and uninterested onlooker. When he is definitely aware of the issues involved, and definitely throws the weight of his influence, desires, and mind on to the side of the soul, he can take the first initiation. When the ray of the soul focuses itself fully through him, and all his centers are controlled by that focused soul ray, then he becomes the transfigured Initiate, and takes the third initiation. The ray of the personality is occultly "extinguished" or absorbed by the ray of the soul, and all the potencies and attributes of the lower rays become subsidiary to and colored by the soul ray. The disciple becomes a "man of God",––a person whose powers are controlled by the dominant vibration of the soul ray and whose inner, sensitive mechanism is vibrating to the measure of that soul ray which––in its turn––is being itself \page

18 A Treatise on the Seven Rays reoriented to, and controlled by, the monadic ray. The process then repeats itself:–– 1. The many rays which constitute the lower separative man are fused and blended into the three personality rays. 2. These are, in their turn, fused and blended into a synthetic expression of the dominant self-assertive man, the personal self. 3. The personality rays then become one ray and in their turn become subservient to the dual ray of the soul. Again, therefore, three rays are blended and fused. 4. The soul rays dominate the personality and the three become again the one, as the dual ray of the soul and the blended ray of the personality vibrate to the measure of the highest of the soul rays––the ray of the soul's group, which is ever regarded as the true egoic ray 5. Then, in time, the soul ray begins (at the third initiation) to blend with the ray of the Monad, the life ray. The higher initiate is therefore a dual and not a triple expression. 6. In time, however, this realized duality gives place to the mysterious, indescribable process called identification which is the final stage of soul unfoldment. It is useless to say more for what might be said could only be comprehended by those preparing for the fourth initiation, and this treatise is written for disciples and initiates of the first degree. In these successive stages we can glimpse the vision of what we are and may be. Steadily the unfolding purpose of our own souls (those "angels of persistent and undying love") should gain fuller and deeper control over each of us, and this, at any personal cost and sacrifice, should be our steadfast aim. For this, in truth and sincerity, we should strive. \page

The Egoic Ray 19 We have thus touched upon the three great divisions which mark the soul's progress towards its goal. Through the process of Individualization, the soul arrives at a true self-consciousness and awareness in the three worlds of its experience. The actor in the drama of life masters his part. Through the process of Initiation, the soul becomes aware of the essential nature of divinity. Participation in full consciousness with the group and the absorption of the personal and individual into the Whole, characterize this stage on the path of evolution. Finally comes that mysterious process wherein the soul becomes so absorbed into that supreme Reality and Synthesis through Identification that even the consciousness of the group fades out (except when deliberately recovered in the work of service). Naught is then known save Deity,––no separation of any part, no lesser syntheses, and no divisions or differentiations. During these processes it might be stated that three streams of energy play upon the consciousness of the awakening man:–– a. The energy of matter itself, as it affects the consciousness of the inner spiritual man, who is using the form as a medium of expression. b. The energy of the soul itself, or of the solar angel, as that energy pours forth upon the vehicles and produces reciprocal energy in the solar form. c. The energy of life itself, a meaningless phrase, and one that only initiates of the third initiation can grasp, for even the discoveries of modern science give no real idea as to the true nature of life. Life or essential energy is more than the activity of the atom, or of that living principle which produces self-perpetuation, reproduction, motion, growth, and that peculiar something which we call "livingness". It may be possible to "create" or

20 A Treatise on the Seven Rays produce the lowest or third aspect of life in the scientific laboratories so-called, but to reproduce or create the other and more essential aspects which work out as the conscious response, the intelligent embryonic purpose which seems to animate all substances, that is not possible. When the third initiation is reached, man will understand why this impos- sibility exists. More cannot be said, for until that initiation is experienced it would not be understood. To bring more light upon this question of the triple expansion of consciousness (for all these crises are aspects of one great unfolding purpose or process) which we call individualization, initiation, and identification, it should be borne in mind that these words connote something to us today from the angle of our present point in evolution, from our inherited teaching and thought habits, and from the standpoint of modern knowledge and terminologies. Later they may appear in a totally different light when we know more and the race has advanced further into the light. But from the light which streams forth from that larger synthesis, and from the angle of vision of Those Whose consciousness is higher and greater and more inclusive than the human, the significance of these words may appear totally different. Definition is simply the expression of the immediate understanding of a human mind. But a definition may later be seen to be imperfect and even false, from the angle of a wider knowledge and a more inclusive grasp of wholes, (just as is the case with a so-called fact). Hence all definition, and eventually all facts, will be known to be temporary; all exegesis is but passing in its usefulness. The basic truths of today may be seen later as simply aspects of still greater truths and when the greater truth is grasped, the significance and the interpretation of its formerly important part is seen to be widely different to what was supposed. This must never be forgotten by any who may \page

The Egoic Ray 21 read this Treatise on the Seven Rays. An initiate, reading the three words we have been considering, has a very different idea about them than has a disciple or a person who has never thought or studied along these lines, and to whom our vocabulary is novel and strange, conveying little meaning, and that usually quite incorrect. In individualization, the life of God which has been subjected to the processes of growth, stimulation and development in the three lower kingdoms, becomes focused in the fourth kingdom in nature, the human, through the agency of a "cycle of crisis", and becomes subjected to the influence of soul energy in one of the seven ray aspects. The quality of the form aspect, as embodied in the personality and expressed by the phrase, "the ray of the personality", becomes subject to the quality of the egoic ray. Those two great influences play upon and affect each other, interacting all the time, producing modifications and changes until, slowly and gradually, the ray of the personality becomes less dominant, and the ray of the soul steadily assumes prominence. Eventually it will be the soul ray that will be expressed, and not the form ray. This personality or form ray then becomes simply the medium of expression through which the quality of the soul can make its presence felt in full power. Something of this idea is conveyed in the ancient occult phrase "the lesser fire must be put out by the greater light". A symbol of this can be seen in the power of the sun apparently to put out a little fire when it can pour its heat right into it. It was earlier pointed out that we can profitably use the words,––Life, Quality, Appearance––in lieu of Spirit, Soul and Body, for they express the same truth. The quality of matter, built up into human form and indwelt by the soul or solar angel, is that which normally colors the appearance. Later, this inherent quality of the appearance changes,

22 A Treatise on the Seven Rays and it is the quality nature of Deity (as expressed in the soul) which obliterates the quality of the forms. During the stage wherein it is the quality of matter which is the paramount influence, that material radiance makes itself felt in a triple form. These––from the angle of the entire sweep of the evolutionary process, and as far as the human personality is concerned––appear sequentially, and qualify the matter aspect with its three major presentations: 1. The quality of physical substance. During this stage of development, the man is almost entirely physical in his reactions and completely under the ray of his physical body. This is the correspondence in man to the Lemur- ian epoch and to the period of pure infancy. 2. The quality of the astral body. This governs the individual for a very long period, and still governs, more or less, the masses of men. It corresponds to the Atlantean period and to the stage of adolescence. The ray of the astral body is of very great power. 3. The quality of the mental body. This, as far as the race is concerned, is just beginning to wax in power in this Aryan race to which this era belongs. It corresponds to the stage of maturity in the individual. The ray of the mind has a very close relation to the solar angel, and there is a peculiar affiliation between the Angel of the Presence and the mental man. It is this deep-seated, though oft unrecognized, interplay and cultivated intercourse, which produces the at-one-ment between the soul and its mechanism, man in the three worlds. From the angle of these three ray influences, we have (in the life of the aspirant) a recapitulation of the triple process which we could call the "processes of unfoldment of the Lemurian, Atlantean, and Aryan consciousness." On the Path \page

The Egoic Ray 23 of Probation, the ray of the physical body must become subordinated to the potencies emanating from those soul rays which stream forth from the outer tier of petals in the egoic lotus. (See A Treatise on Cosmic Fire.) These are the knowledge petals. On the Path of Discipleship, the astral body is brought into subjection by the ray of the soul as it pours through the second tier of petals, the love petals. Upon the Path of Initiation, until the third initiation, the ray of the mental body is subdued by the force of the petals of sacrifice, found in the third tier of petals. Thus the three aspects of the personality are brought into subjection by the energy emanating from the nine petals of the egoic lotus. After the third initiation, the whole personality, composed of the three aspects, becomes sensitive to the energy of pure electric fire or life, as it pours through the "closed bud at the heart of the egoic lotus." The value of the above information consists in the fact that it gives, symbolically, a synthetic picture of man's unfoldment and higher relations. Its danger consists in the capacity of the human intellect to separate and divide, so that the process is regarded as proceeding in successive stages, whereas in reality there is often a paralleling activity going on, and much overlapping, fusing and inter-relating of aspects, of rays and of processes, within the time cycle. Such is the program for humanity, as it concerns the unfoldment of the human consciousness. The whole emphasis of the entire evolutionary process is, in the last analysis, placed upon the development of conscious, intelligent awareness in the life animating the various forms. The exact state of awareness is contingent upon the age of the soul. Yet the soul has no age from the standpoint of time, as humanity understand it. It is timeless and eternal. Before the soul there passes the kaleidoscope of the senses, and the recurring

26 A Treatise on the Seven Rays in the Atlantean stage, whereas the intelligentsia of the world, and the disciples and aspirants, are passing rapidly out of this stage, for they reached individualization on the moon chain, and were the Atlanteans of past history. Workers in the world today should have these facts and sequences most carefully in mind, if they are rightly to appreciate the world problem, and correctly guide and teach the people. They should realize that, speaking generally, there is little true mentality with which to work when dealing with the submerged masses; that they need to be oriented towards the truly desirable, more than towards the truly reasonable, and the right direction of the energy of desire, as it expresses itself in the untutored, easily-swayed masses, should be the effort of all who teach. In the more advanced people of the world today, we have the functioning of the mind-body; this is to be found in a large scale in our Western civilization. The energy of the ray of the mental body begins to pour in, and slowly to assert itself. As this happens, the desire nature is brought under control, and consequently the physical nature can become more definitely the instrument of mental impulses. The brain consciousness begins to organize and the focus of energies begins to shift gradually out of the lower centers into the higher. Mankind is developing the "Aryan consciousness" and is reaching maturity. In the more advanced people of the world, we have also the integration of the personality and the emergence into definite control of the personality ray, with its synthetic, coherent grip of the three bodies and their fusing into one working unit. Later, the personality becomes the instrument of the indwelling soul. The above is a simple and direct statement of a long and difficult evolutionary unfoldment. Its very simplicity will indicate that we have only dealt with the broad outlines, and \page

The Egoic Ray 27 have ignored the infinite detail of process. The work starts at Individualization, and continues through the two final stages of Initiation and Identification. These three stages mark the progress of the soul consciousness from that of identification with the form to that of identification with the Self. These three words––individualization, initiation and identification,––cover the whole process of man's career from the time he emerges into the human kingdom till he passes out of it at the third initiation, and functions freely in the fifth kingdom, the kingdom of God. By that time, he has learnt that consciousness is free and unlimited, and can function in form or out of form according to the behest of the soul, or as the Plan can best be served. The soul is then in no way conditioned by form. Just as man can express himself in what is called three-dimensional living, so, by the time he takes the third initiation, he can function actively and consciously in four dimensions and in the final stages of the Path of Initiation he becomes active fifth-dimensionally. As we consider these various degrees of expanding awareness, the significant fact to be borne in mind is that through it all there is one steady, sequential unfoldment taking place. The life of the soul, in this great life cycle which we call human incarnation, passes on the phenomenal plane through all the stages with the same direction, power, steadiness in growth and in the adaptability of form to circumstance and environment, as does the life of God as it flows through the various kingdoms in nature from age to age. The thread of the unfolding consciousness can be traced with clarity in all. Forms are built, used and discarded. Cycles of lives bring the forms into certain phases of unfoldment needed by the progressively inclusive consciousness. Other and later cycles demonstrate the definite and specific effects of this developed consciousness, for some lives are predominantly fruitful in

44 A Treatise on the Seven Rays of too close attention to the faults, errors and activities of other disciples, and too little attention to their own fulfillment of the law of love, and to their own dharma and work. A second failing of disciples (and particularly of the working and accepted disciples in the world at this present time) is incorrect speech conveying ambiguous meanings and motivated by criticism, or by an individual desire to shine. In olden days, the neophyte was forced into a prolonged silence. Speech was not permitted. This was inculcated as a check upon physical utterance of wrong words and ideas, based on inadequate knowledge. Today, the neophyte must learn the same lesson of attention to personal perfection and to personal work through the means of that inner silence which broods over the disciple and forces him to attend to his own work and business, leaving others free to do the same, and so learn the lesson of experience. A great deal of present right activity is hindered by the speech interplay between disciples, and much time is lost through wordy discussion of the work and activities of other disciples. Humanity, as a whole, needs silence at this time as never before; it needs time in which to reflect, and the opportunity to sense the universal rhythm. Modern disciples, if they are to do their work as desired and to cooperate with the Plan correctly, need that inner reflective quiet which in no way negates intense outer activity but which does release them from wordy criticisms, feverish discussions, and constant preoccupation with the dharma the motives and the methods of their fellow disciples. b. THE RAYS AND INITIATIONS It will not be possible for me to make clear the ray reactions to the final process which we have considered briefly, namely the stage in the liberation of the spirit which we call Identification. All that is possible, even in the case of Initia- \page

The Egoic Ray 45 tion, is to give the elementary stanzas which convey to accepted disciples some of the significance of the first initiation. As regards identification, the reactions of the illumined initiate are made available to his intelligence in symbolic form, but if these forms were described, they would be completely misunderstood. When the third initiation takes place and the wider open door looms before the initiate, he will then discover the meaning of that type of realization which is here called (for lack of a better name) Identification. Ray One "The Angel of the Presence stands within the light divine ––the center and the meeting place of many forces. These forces meet and blend. They focus in the head of him who stands before the Angel. Eye to eye, and face to face, and hand to hand, they stand. Will reinforces will, and love meets love. The will-to-power merges with the will-to-love and strength with wisdom meets. These two are one. From that high spot of unity, the One who is released stands forth and says:–– 'I return from whence I came; from the formless to the world of form I make my way. I will to be. I will to work. I will to serve and save. I will to lift the race. I serve the Plan with will, the Whole with power.'" Ray Two "The Angel of the Presence draws the wanderer to him. Love divine attracts the seeker on the Way. The point of merging is achieved. Mouth to mouth, the breath is drawn forth, and the breath is drawn in. Heart to heart, the beating of these twain is merged in one. Foot to foot, the strength is passed from the greater to the less, and thus the Way is trodden. Force inspires the Word, the Breath. Love inspires the heart, the life. Activity controls the treading of the Way. These three produce the merging. All th.. lost and gained. The Word goes forth: 'I tread the Way of Love. I love the Plan. Unto that Plan, I surrender all I have. Unto the

46 A Treatise on the Seven Rays Whole, I give my heart's deep love. I serve the Plan; I serve the Whole with love and understanding.'" Ray Three "The Angel of the Presence stands within the center of the whirling forces. For ages long, thus has he stood, the center of all energies from above and from below. With intelligence, the Angel works to make the One Who is above and the one who is below to blend and be as one. With twelve clear notes, the hour sounds forth, and then the two are one. The Angel stands entranced. Ear to ear, breast to breast, right hand to left, the two (who are the three) produce the merging of their lives. Glory shines forth. Truth is revealed. The work is done. Then man, who is the soul, cries forth with power:––'I understand the Way––the inner Way, the silent Way, the manifested Way, for these three Ways are one. The Plan proceeds upon the outer Way; it shews itself. The Whole will stand revealed. That Plan I know. I will, with love and mind, to serve that Plan.'" Ray Four "The Angel of the Presence stands in his beauty rare upon the lighted Way. The glory of the Presence pours throughout the field of combat and ends, in peace, the strife. The warrior stands revealed. His work is done. Back to back, the Angel and the Warrior stand, their auras meeting in a radiant sphere of light. The two are one. The Voice goes forth:––'Harmony is restored and the beauty of the Lord of Love shines forth. Such is the Plan. Thus is the Whole revealed. The higher and the lower meet; form and the formless merge and blend, and know themselves as one. In harmony with all united souls, I serve the Plan.'" Ray Five "The Angel of the Presence serves the three––the One above, the one below, and the One who ever is. [This refers to the fact that on the fifth plane the Angel is definitely met and known, and the three aspects of the higher triad, buddhi, the abstract mind and spirit, plus the ego in the causal body, and the lower mind are here blended and fused.]

The Egoic Ray 47 The great Triangle begins its revolutions, and its rays reach out in all directions, and permeate the Whole. The man and Angel face each other, and know themselves to be the same. The light that radiates from the heart, the throat, and from the center which stands midway meet and merge. The two are one. The Voice that speaks within the silence can be heard: 'The power that reaches from the highest point has reached the lowest. The Plan can now be known. The Whole can stand revealed. The love that stretches from the heart, the life that issues forth from God, have served the Plan. The mind that gathers all with wisdom into the boundaries of the Plan has reached the outer limits of the sphere of God's activity. That power informs my life. That love inspires my heart. That mind enlightens all my world. I therefore serve the Plan.'" Ray Six "The Angel of the Presence reaches down, and, at the midway point, pierces the fog of glamour. The Path stands clear. The One who treads the path and stops to fight, who wrestles blindly with the two who seek to hinder and to blind, sees the Way free. It stands revealed. He ceases from the clamor and the fight. He finds his way into the Presence. Knee to knee, and foot to foot, they stand. Hand to hand, and breast to breast, forehead to forehead, see them stand. And thus they merge and blend. The trumpet call goes forth: 'The warfare is no more. The battle ends. The glamour and the clouds have disappeared. The light and glory of the Day is here. That light reveals the Plan. The Whole is with us now. The purpose is revealed. With all I have, I serve that Plan.'" Ray Seven "The Angel of the Presence lifts one hand into the blue of heaven. He plunges deep the other into the sea of forms. Thus he connects the world of form and formless life. Heaven to earth he brings; earth into heaven. This the man, who stands before the Angel, knows. He grasps the meaning of the painted sign which the Angel holds aloft. [Then follows a phrase which is incapable

48 A Treatise on the Seven Rays of translation into modern language. It signifies that complete merging which the mystic endeavors to express in terms of the "marriage in the heavens", and which has been wrongly twisted into the false teaching anent sex magic. This phrase, expressed by a painted symbol, symbolizes complete unity between the outer and the inner, the objective and the subjective, between spirit and matter, and between the physical and the essential.] The two are one. Naught more remains to grasp. The Word is manifest. The work is seen complete. The Whole is visioned. The magic work is wrought. Again the two are one. The Plan is served. No word need then be said." These phrases are an attempt to express some of the realizations of the true initiate when he stands––at the third initiation––before the Angel and sees that Angel also pass away, so that naught is left but conscious knowledge and realization. Although this statement may signify but little to us at present, it will, nevertheless, serve to demonstrate the futility of dealing with the secrets of the mysteries and with initiation through the medium of words. When this is better realized, the true work of the Masonic dramas will begin to measure up to the need. This section expresses some of the basic emerging truths which will carry meaning to the senior disciples and the initiates of the world, who are battling, at this time, in the service of the Plan. They are present in the world at this time, and their work is bearing fruit, but they need at times the incentive of the future achievable glory to aid them to carry on. This treatise is, therefore, somewhat abstruse and quite symbolical. It may appear difficult to comprehend, and it may mean little to some and nothing at all to others. If the disciples of the world are truly struggling and if they are applying practically the teaching given, as far as in them lies, they will find as time elapses, and their reason and intuition awaken,

The Egoic Ray 51 of the soul, for it works towards the regeneration of matter and not towards the consummation of its own salvation. It might be stated that the liberation of the soul or ego comes about when its work of salvaging matter (through utilizing it and building it into forms) has been carried forward to a desired point. It is not primarily due to the attainment of a certain spiritual stature by the man and the demonstration of certain spiritual qualities. This desired stature and these spiritual qualities are manifested when the vehicles have been "occultly saved", and matter has thus been transformed, transmuted and symbolically "raised up into heaven". When the vehicles vibrate in unison with the soul, then is liberation achieved. a. THE POINTS OF CRISIS Just as there are five points of crisis in the life of a man as he achieves the goal of initiation (which we call the five Initiations), so there are five similar points of crisis in the process of taking form in the three worlds, with three of more importance,––the first, the third and the fifth. When (speaking again in symbols) a soul, functioning under divine impulse, comes into incarnation and undergoes racial experience in order to develop certain manifested qualities, there are five points of crisis. I am here speaking in terms of humanity as a whole, as mankind expresses what we call the "human state of consciousness". I am not speaking in terms of an individual soul, if such a misnomer may be permitted. These five points of crisis mark the transfer of soul life from one race to another. Each time such an event happens, there is racial unfoldment, and the appropriation, more or less consciously, by the race of another vehicle of expression. The following tabulation shows the appropriations marking the five racial crises. \page

52 A Treatise on the Seven Rays 1. In the Lemurian civilization................. the appropriation of the physical body, with its five senses. 2. In the Atlantean civilization................. the appropriation of the astral body. 3. In the present Aryan world................... the appropriation of the mental body, with consequent intellectual unfoldment. 4. In the coming race................................ conscious appropriation and integration of the threefold personality. 5. In the final race..................................... the expression, in fullest measure, of the soul and its vehicles, plus some measure of spiritual manifestation. Here, therefore, we have five points of crisis in the life of the individual, in conjunction with the whole, with the first stage (called individualization) in Lemuria, the third stage in our race, and a final stage at the end of the age. These stages are carried forward over so long a period of time, and are so closely interrelated, that one stage and period makes possible that of another, and only the analytical mind sees or seeks differentiation. The reflection of this fivefold experience in any individual life takes place in the following order in the life of the average intelligent aspirant, who responds to, and takes advantage of the civilization and education of the present time. 1. Appropriation of the physical sheath. This takes place between the fourth and seventh year, when the soul, hitherto overshadowing, takes possession of the physical vehicle.

The Egoic Ray 53 2. A crisis during adolescence, wherein the soul appropriates the astral vehicle. This crisis is not recognized by the general public and is only dimly sensed, from its evidenced temporary abnormalities, by the average psychologist. They do not recognize the cause but only the effects. 3. A similar crisis between the twenty-first and twenty-fifth years, wherein the mind vehicle is appropriated. The man should then begin to respond to egoic influences, and in the case of the advanced man, he frequently does. 4. A crisis between the thirty-fifth and forty-second years, wherein conscious contact with the soul is established; the threefold personality then begins to respond, as a unit, to soul impulse. 5. For the remaining years of life, there should be an increasingly strong relationship between the soul and its vehicles, leading to another crisis between the fifty- sixth or the sixty-third years. According to that crisis will depend the future usefulness of the person and whether the ego continues to use the vehicles on into old age, or whether there is a gradual withdrawal of the indwelling entity. There are many corresponding cycles of crisis in the life history of any soul down through the ages, but these major five crises can be traced with clarity from the standpoint of the higher vision. One of the ways in which the life story of a soul is charted in the archives of the Masters (under the present planetary experiment) is by means of graphs, which give these crises–– racial and individual. Sometimes, with the more advanced aspirants, even the physiological crises of importance are charted. The entire story of the relationship of a soul with \page

54 A Treatise on the Seven Rays its several vehicles of expression in the three worlds, is the story of the various types of energy which are being magnetically related to each other and which are temporarily subordinated to varying aspects of force in order to produce those fields of magnetic activity wherein certain needed rates of vibration may be established. From the angle of the initiates of the Ageless Wisdom, the story of man, the aspirant, is the story of his response to or repulse of applied energies. The fact that the interplay between different types of energy results in the formation of those aggregations or condensa- tions of force which we call bodies, sheaths or vehicles (material or immaterial) is incidental to the main issue which is the development of a conscious response to the life of God. Small units of energy, relatively speaking, are swept into contact with great fields of force which we call planes. According to the extent of the impact (and this is determined, ––symbolically speaking,––by the power of the originating will, the so-called age of the soul, the potency of group activity and planetary or group karma) so will be the response between the unit of energy and the field contacted, and so will be the quality and vibratory activity of the atoms of matter which are attracted and held together. They will thus constitute a temporary form from which can be seen as externalized and as relatively tangible, and which can function as a mode or medium whereby the soul can contact larger forms of divine life and expression. The more intricate the organization of the form and the more complex and perfect the response apparatus, the more clearly will be indicated the age of the soul and the perfected intent or potency of its will, the freer it will be from the limiting karma of an unevolved conditioning vehicle. A close study of this subject is not possible here. The appropriation by a soul of those energy units which will con-

The Egoic Ray 55 stitute its body or sheath, as it passes from one plane to another and from one state of consciousness to another, is a study so abstruse and complicated that only those initiates whose development equips them and whose interest impels them to work with the application of the law of karma (which is identified in time and space with substance and force), can readily comprehend the complexities of the subject. Two words are emerging today in connection with modern psychology which have a close relation to this difficult law; they indicate two basic ideas with which these trained initiates work. The idea of patterns and the idea of conditioning hold definite occult implications. The workers in this department of esoteric work deal primarily with the world of patterns which underlie all the activities of the Oversoul and the individual souls. Forget not that this term "individual souls" is but a limiting phrase, used by the separative mind to indicate the aspects of one reality. Patterns are, in the last analysis, only those types of energy which are struggling to emerge into material expression and which eventually subordinate the more superficial and obvious energies (which have worked their way through to the surface in the process of manifesting) to their newer imposed rhythm. Thus they produce the changed types, new forms and different notes, tones and appearances. These patterns are literally the divine ideas, as they emerge from the subjective group consciousness and take those mental forms that can be appreciated and appropriated by the mind and brain of man during any particular epoch. It might, therefore, be thought that these patterns or fundamental ideas which take shape and appear to control the "way of a man on earth", as it is esoterically called, produce the conditioning here discussed. Literally and curiously, this is not so. From the angle of esoteric thought, \page

56 A Treatise on the Seven Rays conditioning (if rightly understood) concerns the response, innate and inherent, of matter or substance, to the pattern. It might be said that the pattern evokes and awakens response, but that the conditioning of the resultant activity is determined by the quality of the response apparatus. This quality is inherent in the substance itself, and the interplay between the pattern and the conditioned material produces the type of sheath which the soul appropriates in time and space, in order to experiment and gain experience. It will appear more clearly, therefore, as one studies this subject and ponders deeply upon its implications, that as a man advances on the path of evolution and nears the status of an initiate, the conditioning of the form, innate and inherent, will continuously approach nearer and nearer to the requirements of the pattern. It might also be stated that the pattern is relatively immutable and unchangeable in its own inherent nature, as it comes forth from the mind of either the macrocosmic Deity or the microcosmic thinker, but that the process of the inner conditioning of matter is mutable and in a state of continual flux. When, at the third initiation, union of the pattern and the conditioned form is achieved, the Transfiguration of the initiate takes place, leading to that final crisis wherein the two are known as one, and the form nature (including in this phase the causal body as well as the lower vehicles) then is dispersed and disappears. The early stages of human development are––as in all else in nature,––apparently inchoate and formless, from the angle of the true pattern, existing eternal in the Heavens. There is a physical form, but the inner, fluid, subjective nature, emotional and mental, in no way conforms to the pattern, and, therefore, the outer form is also inadequate. But crisis after crisis occurs, and the inner form nature responds more definitely and precisely to the outer impact of the soul impetus

62 A Treatise on the Seven Rays b. CERTAIN BASIC PREMISES With this preamble, we will pass on to the consideration of the mechanism and of that which infuses it and motivates it with life and intelligence. Certain basic premises are recognized and can, therefore, be very briefly mentioned:–– 1. The soul informs the mechanism in two ways and through two points of contact in the body:–– a. The "thread of life" is anchored in the heart. The life principle is there to be found, and from that station it pervades the entire physical body through the medium of the blood stream, for "the blood is the life". b. The "thread of consciousness" or of intelligence is anchored in the head, in the region of the pineal gland, and from that station of perception it orders or directs the physical plane activities, through the medium of the brain and the nervous system. 2. The directive activity of the soul, or its authoritative grasp upon the mechanism of the body, is dependent for its extent upon the point of development, or upon the so- called "age of the soul". The soul is ageless from the human angle, and what is really meant is the length of time that a soul has employed the method of physical incarnation. 3. The result of this twofold hold upon the mechanism during the past ages has been the conditioning of the material, in conjunction with its own inherent conditioned nature. A form is produced which is adequate to the temporary need of the soul and which is a reflection, in time and space, of its "relative age" or point of develop- \page

The Egoic Ray 63 ment. This, therefore, produces the type of brain, the conformation of the body, the condition of the endocrine system, and consequently the set of qualities, the type of mental reaction, and the character with which any given subject enters into life upon the physical plane. From that point, the work proceeds. This work might be regarded as an effort to intensify the hold which the divine Thinker has upon the mechanism. This will lead to a wiser, fuller direction, a deeper realization of the purpose, and an effort to clear the way for the soul by the institution of those practices which tend towards right conduct, right speech, and good character. The thought underlying this paragraph links the conclusions of the materialistic school of psychologists with the in- trospectionist school and those schools which posit a self, a soul or a spiritual entity, and shows that both groups are dealing with facts, and that both must play their united parts in training the aspirant in the New Age. 4. As the introspective method is pursued, and as we study the human subject, we discover that underlying the human body in all its parts, and constituting a definite part of the human apparatus, there is a vehicle which has been called the "etheric body", composed entirely of threads of force which, in their turn, form the channels along which still more subtle and varying types of energy flow. These are, in their turn, "conditioned" during manifestations by the status of the soul. These threads underlie and interpenetrate the entire body and the nervous system and are in reality the actuating power of the nervous system. Their responsiveness to impacts, outer and inner, is unbelievably great. The nervous reactions of the disciple and highly developed person, \page

64 A Treatise on the Seven Rays whose etheric body is in close rapport with his nervous system, is beyond the average comprehension. 5. The sum-total of the nerves, with the millions of nadis or "thread counterparts" in the etheric body, form a unit, and this unit, according to the teaching of the Ageless Wisdom, has in it points of focus for different types of energy. These are called "force centers", and upon these depend the life experience of the soul and its expression, and not upon the body. They are the factors which condition the glandular system of the body. 6. This subjective and objective system governs the manifestation of the soul on the physical plane. It indicates to those who can see in truth, the grasp or hold that the soul has upon its instrument; it can be seen whether that grasp is occasional and partial or whether it is entire and whole. This is most wonderfully indicated in a certain Masonic grip, which marks a climax in the experience of the candidate to the mysteries. I previously referred to the main channel of communication between the soul and its mechanism as being:–– a. The center at the base of the spine. b. The center at the top of the head, where the most important center in the body is situated, from the standpoint of the soul. There is its point of entry and exit; there is the great radio station of reception, and the distributing center for direction. c. The spleen. This is a subsidiary center and organ in connection with the heart center. It is through the spleen that a linking up takes place between the life principle (seated in the heart) and the consciousness system, interlinking all the material organs and the atomic \page

The Egoic Ray 65 substance of the physical body. This statement indicates that, in the location in the human body where the spleen is found, along with its corresponding subjective force center, two great currents of energy cross: these are the current of physical vitality or life and the current of the consciousness of the atoms which construct the form. It will be observed that we are here discussing the group subconscious life and not the conscious life and the self-consciousness. The spleen is the organ in which planetary prana or vitality is received and passed. This enters in through "the open gateway" of the splenic force center, and passes to the heart. There it merges with the individual life principle. Through the splenic center also passes the conscious life of the sum-total of the bodily cells, which are, in their turn, the recipients of the energy of the consciousness aspect or principles of all atoms and forms within the fourth kingdom of nature. This we cannot be expected to comprehend as yet, but the truth will be appreciated later on in the racial development. A hint can here be found as to the excessive sensitivity of the solar plexus center to surrounding group impacts and impressions of an astral kind. There is a close rapport between the splenic center and the solar plexus, as well as with the heart. 7. These two subjective and subconscious streams of energy cross each other in the region of the spleen and there form a cross in the human body, as they traverse each other's lines of force. This is the correspondence in the human body to the cross of matter, spoken of in connection with Deity. Consciousness and life form a cross. The downpouring stream of life from the heart and the stream of life-giving energy from the spleen pass on (after crossing each other and producing a whirlpool of force) into the solar plexus region; from thence

66 A Treatise on the Seven Rays they are very definitely drawn together as one stream at a certain stage in the life of the advanced aspirant. There they merge with the sum-total of energies, using the three points referred to––the head, the base of the spine and the spleen––as a definite mode of communication, of distribution and of control, and finally of ulti- mat withdrawal, consciously or unconsciously, at the moment of death or in the technique of inducing that stage of control known as Samadhi. 8. When the directing Agent in the head, deliberately and by an act of the will, raises the accumulated energies at the base of the spine, he draws them into the magnetic field of the centers up the spine and blends them with the dual energy emanating from the spleen. The spinal tract with its five centers then awakens into activity, and finally all the forces are gathered together into one fused and blended stream of energy. Three things then happen: a. The kundalini fire is raised and immediately burns away all the etheric webs which are the protective barriers, separating the various centers. b. The etheric body intensifies its vitality, and the physical body is consequently powerfully vitalized, galvanized, and energized. c. The entire aura is coordinated and illumined, and the soul can then, at will, withdraw from its physical vehicle in full waking consciousness, or stay in it as an incarnated Son of God, Whose consciousness is complete on the physical plane, the astral plane, and on the mental levels, as well as in the three aspects of lower mind, causal consciousness and nirvanic realization. This process finds its consummation at the third initiation.

The Egoic Ray 67 In the life of the aspirant, the power to cause this tremendous happening is dependent upon the carrying forward of the inner subjective and spiritual work previously described as the "building of the bridge on the mental plane" between the above mentioned three aspects. For the race of men as a whole, this work began in the middle of our Aryan race, and is today going forward very rapidly. For the individual aspirant, the work has always been possible right down the ages, and it is the major task undertaken by disciples at this time. It might be added here that the New Group of World Servers is composed of those who are engaged in this work for the race, and every person who builds his bridge joins this group of occult "bridge-builders" There is, therefore, something symbolic about the work of our modern bridge builders who join the chasms and span the waters and thus give concrete evidence of the work being done today by advanced humanity. It now becomes possible to consider the process whereby a man bridges the gulf or gap (speaking symbolically) which exists between the personal lower self and the higher Self, as the latter functions in its own world. This has to be bridged before at-one-ment can be achieved and complete integration of the entire man can be brought about. To understand clearly what occurs, it will be wise to define more accurately what that higher nature is, and of what it consists. We have seen in our studies that the soul is a dual blend of energies––the energy of life and the energy of mind––as far as its relation to the mechanism is temporarily concerned. The merging of these two energies in the human mechanism produces what we call consciousness––at first self-consciousness and finally group-consciousness. The mechanism is, in its own nature, also a blend or fusion of energies––the energy of substance itself which takes the form of the atomic struc- \page

68 A Treatise on the Seven Rays ture of the physical body, plus the vitality which animates that body, and, secondly, the energy of that body which we call the astral body, distinguished by sensitivity, emotional activity, and that magnetic force which we call desire. There is, finally, the energy of mind itself. These four types of energy form what we call the lower-personal self, but it is the higher mental aspect of the mind which links, subjectively, this personality and the soul. It is the lower consciousness which (when developed) enables a man eventually to make conscious contact with the higher. It is the lower concretizing mind which must be awakened, understood and used with definiteness before the higher mind can become the medium through which knowledge can be gained of those realities which constitute the kingdom of God. Intellect must be unfolded before the intuition can be correctly evoked. We have, therefore, in the case of man, two groups of major energies dominating, as a result of a long experience of incarnation in form, the energy of the astral or desire nature and the energy of mind. When these are fused and blended, thoroughly organized and utilized, then we see a functioning and powerful Personality. Seeking to impose itself upon these energies and to subordinate them to higher and different aims is to be found that blended energy-unit which we call the soul. Its two energies (mind and love, the latter being also a dual form of energy) are anchored, if one may use this word in a symbolic and esoteric sense, in the human brain, whilst the life principle, as we have seen, is anchored in the human heart. The four energies of the lower self––atomic energy, vital energy, feeling energy and mental energy––plus the two energies of the soul, make the six energies used by man in his life experience; but the energy of the atom is usually not counted as a human energy, as it is uniform in its usage in all

The Egoic Ray 69 forms of life in all kingdoms, and therefore man is regarded as a sum total of five energies, and not of six energies. The human soul (in contradistinction to the soul as it functions in its own kingdom, free from the limitations of human life) is imprisoned by and subject to the control of the lower energies for the major part of its experience. Then, upon the Path of Probation, the dual energy of the soul begins to be increasingly active, and the man seeks consciously to use his mind, and to express love-wisdom on the physical plane. This is a simple statement of the objective of all aspirants. When the five energies are beginning to be used consciously and wisely-- in service, a rhythm is then set up between the personality and the soul. It is as if a magnetic field were then established, and these two vibrating and magnetic units, or grouped energies, begin to swing into each other's field of influence. In the early stages, this happens only occasionally and rarely. Later it occurs more constantly, and thus a path of contact is established which eventually becomes the line of least resistance, "the way of familiar approach", as it is sometimes esoterically called. Thus the first half of the "bridge", the antahkarana, is constructed. By the time the third initiation is undergone, this way is completed, and the initiate can "pass to higher worlds at will, leaving the lower worlds far behind; or he can come again and pass upon the way that leads from dark to light, from light to dark, and from the under, lower worlds into the realms of light". Thus the two are one, and the first great unison upon the path of return is complete. A second stage of the way has then to be trodden, leading to a second union of still greater importance in that it leads to complete liberation from the three worlds. It must be remembered that the soul, in its turn, is a union of two energies, plus the energy of spirit, of which the lower three are the reflection. It is a synthesis of the \page

70 A Treatise on the Seven Rays energy of Life itself (which demonstrates as the life-principle within the world of forms), of the energy of the intuition, or spiritual love-wisdom or understanding (which demonstrates as sensitivity and feeling in the astral body), and of spiritual mind, whose reflection in the lower nature is the mind or the principle of intelligence in the form world. In these three energies we have the atma––buddhi––manas of the theosophical literature. They are that higher triplicity which is reflected in the lower three, and which focuses through the soul body on the higher levels of the mental plane before being "precipitated into incarnation", as it is esoterically called. Modernizing the concept, we might say that the energies which animate the physical body and the intelligent life of the atom, the sensitive emotional states, and the intelligent mind have eventually to be blended with, and transmuted into, the energies which animate the soul. These are the spiritual mind, conveying illumination; the intuitive nature, conferring spiritual perception; and divine livingness. After the third initiation the "Way" is carried forward with great rapidity, and the "bridge" is finished which links perfectly the higher spiritual Triad and the lower material reflection. The three worlds of the soul and the three worlds of the Personality become one world wherein the initiate works and functions, seeing no distinction, viewing one world as the world of inspiration and the other world as constituting the field of service, yet regarding both together as forming one world of activity. Of these two worlds, the subjective etheric body (or the body of vital inspiration) and the dense physical body are symbols on the external plane. How is this bridging antahkarana to be built? What are the steps which the disciple must follow? We are not here considering the Path of Probation whereon the major faults

102 A Treatise on the Seven Rays physical body. The formula which would describe him would be

This, when interpreted, means Monad............................ third ray Ego................................. fourth ray Personality...................... seventh ray Mental body................... first ray Astral body..................... fifth ray Physical body................. third ray Students may find it of value to study themselves and others in conformity with the above and to establish their personal formulae. This should be done in conjunction with a consultation of their horoscopes. This will be discussed more at length after we have considered the astrological implications of the rays, in the succeeding volume. The Law of Sacrifice, therefore, can never be eliminated in our Earth scheme, as far as the human and subhuman reactions to sorrow and pain are concerned, nor can it be eliminated on the planets Saturn and Mars. It is relatively unknown in the other schemes. Bliss and Sacrifice are synonymous terms as far as our solar Logos is concerned, and also for the majority of the planetary Logoi. This must be remembered. A touch of this freedom from the limitations of pain and sorrow can be found among the more advanced sons of men on Earth, who know the ecstasy of the mystic, the exaltation of the initiate, and the exquisite agony of sacrifice or of any feeling which is carried forward to the point of sublimation. When this point has been reached, the mechanism of suffering and the ability to register sensuous perception is transcended, and momentarily the man escapes on to the plane of unity. \page

The Egoic Ray 103 Here there is no pain, no sorrow, no rebellion and no suffering. When the living, vibrating antahkarana or bridge is built, this "way of escape" becomes the normal path of life. Escape from pain is then automatic, for the center of consciousness is elsewhere. In the cases mentioned above, and where the antahkarana is not a consummated, established fact, the tiny thread of the partially constructed "way of escape", under tremendous pressure and excitation, shoots forward like a quivering band of light and momentarily touches the light that is the Self. Hence ecstasy and exaltation. But it does not last, and cannot be consciously recovered until the third initiation has been taken. After that the "way of escape" becomes the "way of daily livingness" (to translate inadequately the occult and ancient phrase). Then pain is steadily transcended, and the pairs of opposites––pleasure and pain–– have no longer any hold over the disciple. All this constitutes the theme of esoteric psychology and, when rightly understood, will explain 1. The Saturnian influence in human life. 2. The cessation of rebellion, or the ending of the Martian influence. 3. The building of the antahkarana, which releases the man from the control of personality life. 4. The evocation of the group consciousness. 5. The consequent negation of pain and sorrow. 6. Entrance into Nirvana, and the beginning of the real Way. The Law of Sacrifice means also c. THE RELINQUISHING OF GAIN This is the basic theme of The Bhagavad Gita. In that treatise on the soul and its unfoldment, we are taught to "perform action without attachment," and thereby lay the foundation for later relinquishings which can be effected without

150 A Treatise on the Seven Rays a channel, that which this law can convey will remain unknown, unrealized and useless. These laws are the laws which govern predominantly the Spiritual Triad, that divine Tri- plicity which expresses itself through the medium of the soul, just as the three aspects of the soul, in their turn, reflect themselves through the personality. Therefore, all that can be imparted in connection with this law can be comprehended only by the man who is beginning to be spiritually awakened. The three laws which we have already considered deal with the specific spiritual influences which emanate from the three tiers of petals which compose the egoic lotus. (See page 823 of A Treatise on Cosmic Fire.) 1. The Law of Sacrifice................. The Petals of Sacrifice. The sacrificial will of the Soul. 2. The Law of Magnetic Impulse.. The Petals of Love. 3. The Law of Service................... The Petals of Knowledge. This fourth Law of Repulse works through the first Law of Sacrifice and carries to the aspirant the quality, influence and tendency of the Spiritual Triad, the threefold expression of the Monad. Its full force is felt only after the third initiation, in which the power of the Spirit is for the first time, consciously felt. Up to that time it has been the growing control of the soul which was primarily registered. Therefore we have:–– 1. The Law of Repulse.................. Atma. Spiritual Will. This Fourth Law influence comes via the egoic petals of sacrifice and the subsidiary Law of Sacrifice. 2. The Law of Group progress...... Buddhi. Spiritual Love. Fifth Law This comes via the love petals of the egoic lotus,

The Egoic Ray 159 sideration of man in terms of personality devotions and of obedience to Masters and leaders, instead of service of, and obedience to, the soul in all. The truth is, however, steadily emerging, and must inevitably triumph. Once the aspirant upon the Probationary Path has a vision of this (no matter how slight it may be), then the law of desire which has governed him for ages will slowly and surely give place to the Law of Repulse, which will, in time, free him from the thralldom of not-self. It will lead him to those discriminations and that dispassionate attitude which is the hallmark of the man who is on his way to liberation. Let us remember, however, that a discrimination which is based upon a determination to be free, and a dispassion which is the indication of a hard heart, will land the aspirant in the prison of a crystallized shell, which is far harder to break than the normal prison of the life of the average selfish man. This selfish spiritual desire is oft the major sin of so-called esotericists and must be carefully avoided. Therefore, he who is wise will apply himself to serve and obey.

b. THE LAW OF REPULSE UPON THE PATHS OF DISCIPLESHIP AND INITIATION

When the discriminating sense (the spiritual correspondence of the sense of smell, the last of the five senses to emerge in humanity) has been adequately developed in the aspirant, and he knows the pairs of opposites and has gained a vision of that which is neither of them, then he can pass on to the Path of Discipleship and enter upon the arduous task of cooperating with the spiritual laws, particularly with the Law of Repulse. At first, he hardly recognizes the influence of this Law. It is as difficult for him to grasp its implications and to measure its possible effects as it would be for the average working man, with a mediocre education and a total

160 A Treatise on the Seven Rays ignorance of esotericism, to grasp the significance of such an occult truth as that expressed in the words: "The construction of the antahkarana between higher and lower manas by the divine Agnishvatta, the solar angel, functioning through the egoic lotus, is the task to be carried forward during the contemplative stage of meditation." This statement is relatively simple to grasp intellectually by the average occult student, but is utterly meaningless to the man of the world. The Law of Repulse is equally difficult of understanding by the disciple as he enters upon the Path. He has to learn to recognize its influence; then he must himself learn to do three things:–– 1. Through service, steadily to decentralize himself and thus begin occultly to "repulse" the personality. He must see to it that his motive is love for all beings, and not desire for his own release. 2. Through an understanding of the pairs of opposites, he begins, esoterically, to "isolate" the "noble middle path" of which the Buddha spoke. 3. Through comprehension of the words of Christ, enjoining men to "let their light shine," he begins to construct the "path of light" which leads to the center of life and guides him out of darkness into light, from the unreal to the real, and from death to immortality. This is the true path of the antahkarana, which the disciple weaves from out of himself (speaking symbolically), just as the spider weaves his thread. Service, an understanding of the Way, and the building of the true line of escape––that is the task to be carried forward upon the Path of Discipleship. Such is the object set before all the students of the esoteric sciences at this time,–– provided they desire it enough, and can train themselves to \page

The Egoic Ray 161 work selflessly for their fellow men. As they succeed in doing this and approximate ever more closely to that which is not the pairs of opposites (and thus achieve "the Central Way"), steadily the Law of Repulse begins to swing into operation. When the third initiation is taken, this law will begin to hold the dominant place in the ruling of the life. The word "repulse" has an unfortunate connotation in many minds, and this revulsion against the word itself indicates man's innately spiritual bias. Repulsion, the desire to repudiate, and repulsive attitudes, words and deeds evoke in our minds all that is unpleasant to contemplate. Yet, spiritually considered and scientifically viewed, the word "repulse" indicates simply "an attitude towards that which is not desirable." This, in its turn (as we seek to determine that which is desirable) calls into activity the virtues of discrimination, dispassion and discipline in the disciple's life, as well as the power to decentralize. These words indicate the urge to de- valuate the unreal and the undesirable, to discipline the lower nature till those choices are readily and easily made which lead to the discarding of that which imprisons or impedes the soul. The major concepts are the definitely and carefully chosen way or procedure which will free the soul from the world of forms and identify it, first of all, with itself (thus freeing it from the world illusion), and then with the world of souls, which is the consciousness of the Oversoul. There is no need to enlarge here upon the technique whereby this choice is to be made. The way of discrimination, the method of dispassion and the discipline of the life have been made plain and clear by the teachings of the past two thousand years, and through the many books written to emphasize the teaching of the Christ and of the Buddha. Through a right understanding of these, right choice can be made, and that which should not be cherished or desired can

The Egoic Ray 241 vision and react to the principle of continuance. A hint is here given as to the true and future purpose of group meditation. More on this subject is not possible. c. THE URGE TO FORMULATE A PLAN The third divine instinct or hidden inner trend is the urge to formulate a plan. It will be apparent that this urge grows out of, or is dependent upon, the previous two trends considered. It finds its microcosmic reflection in the many plans and projects of finite man as he lives his little life or runs busily about the planet in connection with his tiny personal affairs. It is this universal capacity to work and plan which is the guarantee that there exists in man the capacity to respond eventually and in group formation to God's plan, based on God's vision. All these basic, developing, divine instincts and expressions of God's consciousness and awareness find their embryonic reflections in our modern humanity. It is no part of my purpose to indicate my understanding of God's Plan. This is limited naturally by my capacity. Only dimly do I sense it, and only occasionally and faintly does the outline of God's stupendous objective dawn on my mind. This Plan can only be sensed, visioned and known in truth by the Hierarchy, and then only in group formation and by those Masters Who can function in full monadic consciousness. They alone are beginning to comprehend what it is. Suffice it for the rest of those in the Hierarchy––the initiates and disciples in their ordered ranks and various gradings––to cooperate with that immediate aspect of the Plan which they can grasp and which comes down to them through the inspired minds of their Directors at certain stated times, and in certain specific years. Such a year was 1933. Such another will be the year 1942. At those times, when the Hierarchy meets in silent conclave, a part of God's vision, and His for-

242 A Treatise on the Seven Rays mulation of that vision for the immediate present, is revealed for the next nine year cycle. They then, in perfect freedom and with full mutual cooperation lay Their plans to bring about the desired objectives of the Heads of the Hierarchy, as They in Their turn cooperate with still higher Forces and Knowers. The above information will probably evoke much interest from those students who are not as yet attuned to the higher values. For all who read this, could they but grasp it, this is the least important part of the chapter and carries for them the minimum of usefulness. It has for us, you will note, no practical application. Some might enquire then and rightly: Why then give out this information? Because this Treatise is written for the future disciples and initiates, and all that is here set forth is part of a revelation of truth which it is desired should be given out. It comes today through many channels and from many sources––such is the wonder of the power behind the present world adjustments! This instinct of Deity is closely connected with the Law of Economy and is an expression of the Principle of Material- ization. For man, it has to be studied, grasped, and wrought out through the right use of the mental body, working under the influence of Atma or Spirit. The principle of Continu- ance has to be wrought out into conscious knowledge by the right use of the astral or desire nature, working under the influence of Buddhi. The Trend to Synthesis has finally to be wrought out in the brain consciousness upon the physical plane, under the influence of the Monad, but its real expression and man's true response to this urge only become possible after the third initiation. So it is easily to be seen that this Treatise is indeed written for the future. We have here received much upon which to ponder, to

266 A Treatise on the Seven Rays soul control. It is not, however, powerful enough to subordinate the lower nature entirely. A personality is a completely integrated human being. In this case, we have a man whose physical, emotional and mental natures can be fused and can subsequently function as one, and thus produce a mechanism which is subordinated to the will of the personality. This can take place with or without a definite soul contact, and it is at this stage that there comes a predisposition to the right, or to the left hand path. The coordination proceeds as follows: a. Coordination of the emotional or astral nature with the physical body. This took place in the racial sense in Atlantean times; it is going on today among the lower groupings in the human family. It should be the objective of the development of children from the ages of seven to fourteen. b. Coordination of the physical, astral and mental natures into one blended whole. This is taking place racially in the Aryan race today and the process will be completed (for the bulk of humanity) when the sun enters the zodiacal sign, Sagittarius, just as now it is entering Aquarius. This coordination is going on rapidly among the advanced members of the human family and should be the objective of the training of all adolescents between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one. c. Next, coordination is commenced between the soul and the personality, with the focus of the soul's attention upon the astral or desire nature. This is the immediate task of the world aspirants at this time, and will be the goal of the next race succeeding to that of the Aryan. \page

The Ray of Personality 267 d. Coordination between soul, mind and brain to the exclusion of the body of illusion, the astral body. This is the peculiar goal of the world disciples. e. Coordination then has to be established between the soul, the purified personality and the Hierarchy. This is the goal of the initiates in the world at this time, and of all who are in preparation for the first, the second and the third initiations. This consummation is finally achieved at the Transfiguration initiation. f. Coordination between the soul, the personality and the spirit. This takes place via the Hierarchy of Souls––a phrase which only initiates can properly interpret and understand. This process is carried on after the third initiation. A man can be regarded as a personality in truth when the form aspect and the soul nature are at-one. When the soul influences the personality and pervades all the lower manifestation, then and only then, does the personality measure up to its true significance, which is to constitute the mask of the soul, that which is the outer appearance of inner spiritual forces. These forces are expressions of the soul, and the soul is the central identity or fundamental focus upon the mental plane of the life of God Himself. Essence, consciousness and appearance are the three aspects of divinity and of man; the personality, when fully developed, is the "appearance of God on earth." Life, quality, and form is another way of expressing this same triplicity. These definitions have been made of a real simplicity and also exceedingly brief. Intricacy of definition does not necessarily ensure correctness, and the clear outlines of a truth are oft lost in a maze of words. \page

268 A Treatise on the Seven Rays I. The Appropriation of the Bodies The final definition which is given here, leads up to our consideration of the subject of the rays. The personality is the fusion of three major forces and their subjection (finally and after the fusion) to the impact of soul energy. This impact is made in three different stages or in what are occultly termed "three impulsive movements"––using the word "impulsive" in its true connotation and not in the usual emotional and enthusiastic significance. These impulsive movements are: a. The impact of the soul at the stage of human evolution which we call individualization. At that time, the form becomes aware for the first time of the touch of the soul. This is called in the language of esotericism the "Touch of Appropriation." The soul then appropriates its vehicle. This stage is succeeded by a long period of adjustment and of gradual development and unfoldment. This takes place upon the way of experience, and during that period the soul tightens its hold upon its instrument, the lower form nature. b. The impact of the soul is called forth by the dilemmas and through the emergencies of the later stages of the path of experience. During this stage, the urgency of the need, and the dilemmas brought about by the forces of opposition, lead the man to submit to a higher influence. He calls then in des- peration upon the soul and upon the spiritual resources laid up in his divine nature and hitherto remaining unused. This impact is called the "Touch of Acquiescence," and marks the acceptance by the soul of the demand of the personality for help and \page

The Ray of Personality 269 light. The soul acquiesces in the plea of the personality for guidance. It is to be noted that we are here considering the attitude of the soul to the personality and not that of the personality to the soul, which is the attitude usually under consideration. We are dealing primarily in this treatise with the reactions and activities of the soul through its ray energy, and its response to the demand of the forces––focused, combined and integrated––of the personality. c. The impact of the soul at the time of the various and sequential initiations to which the disciple is eventually subjected, as he transits out of the fourth into the fifth kingdom in nature. This stage is called the "Touch of Enlightenment," and through the bringing together of the forces of the purified personality and those of the "approaching" soul a "light is engendered which fadeth not away." In these three impacts,–– 1. The touch of appropriation on the physical plane, 2. The touch of acquiescence on the astral plane, 3. The touch of enlightenment upon the mental plane, there is summarized clearly and concisely the attitude of the soul towards its rapidly preparing instrument. The great Touch of Appropriation lies racially in the past. The Touch of Acquiescence takes place upon the battlefield of the emotional nature, and the Touch of Enlightenment is effected through the mind. The first three initiations are expressions of these three stages or impacts, and it might also be stated that the Le- murian, the Atlantean and the Aryan races are also expressions of man's reactions to these three soul approaches. \page

270 A Treatise on the Seven Rays The third initiation sees the soul and the personality perfectly blended so that the light blazes forth and the great Approaches between soul and form are consummated. Today, in this particular cycle and in this Aryan race, the Hierarchy (as an expression of the kingdom of souls) is recapitulating these three inevitable steps and making certain advances or approaches to the race. We can therefore divide humanity into three groups and relate humanity to the three major approaches. a. The Approach of Appropriation will express the effect of the present stimulation upon the unevolved masses. Thou- sands and thousands of men and women are in process of awakening and during the next few years will come to soul consciousness, for the soul of each individual is intensifying its initial appropriation at the Lemurian crisis of individualization, and the ancient enterprise is again being re-enacted as a needed recapitulatory endeavor. All this today lies almost entirely in the realm of consciousness. The great appropriation was made millions of years ago. Today, in consciousness, there will come a great awakening to the significance of what was, at that time, largely a physical event, and masses of men will become aware––in their brain consciousness–– of that early appropriation. This is being brought about by a fresh approach by the soul and an advance towards its reflection, the personality, and it produces in time a consequent recognition upon the part of man. b. The Approach of Acquiescence will be equally well recognized by the intelligent and more highly evolved sons of men. They will awaken to the relationship which exists between their personalities and the soul, and between the forces of the lower nature and the energy of the soul. It is with this particular task that the New Group of World Servers is primarily occupied,––looking at their activities from the

The Ray of Personality 271 standpoint of the Hierarchy. Their work is to facilitate the entrance of soul energy, which energy expresses itself in love and in good will. This in its turn results in peace––individual, racial and planetary and the great group aspect of the approach will be brought about, and is today in process of being carried forward. c. The Approach of Enlightenment carries the disciple through the gate of initiation, and is the effect of the same energy playing upon the personalities of the disciples of the world, and transforming their spirit of aspiration into the light of initiation. The Mysteries of the world, the flesh and the devil (to use the symbolic formal terminology of Christianity) are to be transmuted with rapidity into those of the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God, the energy of the soul, and the revelation of divinity. The secret hid by the inverted lotus (the world) is to be revealed by the opened lotus of the kingdom of souls. The secret of the flesh, which is the prison of the soul, is revealed by the perfume of the unfolding lotus of the soul. The mystery of the devil will eventually be seen to be that of the light of God's countenance, which reveals that which is undesirable and must be changed and renounced, and which thus transforms life by the light that God's nature pours forth. It would be of use to us all to study these three soul approaches––individual or hierarchical––and to ponder upon them and put ourselves in training, so that we may make the needed recognitions. Let us also ponder upon the following triplicities:–– 1. Mass Consciousness....Self-consciousness.....Group- consciousness. These lead, in due time, to 2. Appropriation..............Acquiescence..............Enlightenment. through the racial stages of

The Ray of Personality 287 b. The energy of intelligent soul or consciousness, coming from God the Son. c. The energy of intelligent matter coming from God the Holy Spirit. 5. The disciples of the world are occupied with the integration of the personality with the soul, or with the synthesis of the first five aspects of energy as the lotus petals of love come into conscious recognition, and the intuition begins faintly to function. These petals of love, which are only symbolic forms of expressing energy, have a dual activity––they attract upward the planetary energies and bring downward the energies of the Spirit- ual Triad, the expression of the Monad. 6. Initiates are becoming conscious of the sixth type of energy, that of atma, the will aspect of Spirit. This causes them to work with the Plan and through the lotus petals of sacrifice to bring the service of the Plan into being. This is ever the aim of the initiate members of the Hierarchy. They understand, express and work with the Plan. 7. After the third initiation, the disciple begins to work with, and to understand the significance of Spirit and his consciousness shifts gradually out of the Soul into that of the Monad in the same way as the consciousness of the personality shifted out of the lower awareness into that of the soul. This is the second panel, if one might so express it, of the picture here being drawn, of the divine life as it manifests through the consciousness of humanity. I am seeking to give it in such terms that comprehension may ensue. The first panel gave some of the universal implications. This was elaborated in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire. The second panel, con-

The Ray of Personality 293 Ray Five IN UNEVOLVED MAN 1. The power to develop thought. 2. The spirit of materialistic enterprise, the divine urge, as it evidences itself in the early stages. 3. The tendency to enquire, to ask questions and to find out. This is the instinct to search and to progress, which is, in the last analysis, the urge to evolve. 4. The tendency to crystallize, to harden, or to have an "idée fixe." In this connection, it will usually be discovered that the man who succumbs to an "idée fixe" has not only a fifth ray mental body but either a sixth ray personality or a sixth ray emotional body.

IN THE ADVANCED MAN 1. The true thinker, or mental type––awake and alert. 2. The one who knows the Plan, the purpose and the will of God. 3. The one whose intelligence is being transmuted into wisdom. 4. The scientist, the educator, the writer. I have given the above in connection with the rays of the mental body in order to enable us to grasp not only the complexity of the problem but also the inevitability of success through the play of the many energies upon and through any one single human mind. It is not necessary here to elaborate upon the energies which create and form the emotional body, or the physical body. The second and the sixth rays color the astral body of every human being, whilst the physical body is controlled by the third and the seventh rays. It is interesting to remember that the etheric body is uniquely constituted; it is the instrument of life, predominantly, more so than the instrument of quality. It is the factor which produces and sustains the instrument of appearance, the physical body. It will be recalled that in Volume One of this Treatise, the human being was differentiated into the

294 A Treatise on the Seven Rays three divine aspects: Life, Quality, and Appearance. Through the seven centers in the etheric body, the seven ray energies make their appearance and produce their effects, but at the very heart of each chakra or lotus, there is a vortex of force to be found which is composed of pure manasic energy, and, therefore, is purely energy of the first three rays. This energy is quiescent until an advanced stage of discipleship is reached. It only sweeps into its divine rhythm and activity when the three tiers of petals, found in the egoic lotus (the higher correspondence), are beginning to unfold, and the center of the egoic lotus is becoming vibrant. Though the etheric body of man is an expression of the seven ray qualities in varying degrees of force, the etheric body of a Master is an expression of monadic energy, and comes into full activity after the third initiation. It will be obvious, therefore, that when the psychologist takes into consideration the various types of energy which go to the constitution of a human being and can distinguish (from study and investigation, plus an understanding of the rays) what the energies are which are conditioning a patient, then great strides will be made in handling people. The nature of the human equipment and its internal relationship, as well as the external effects, will be better comprehended. Speaking technically, the extreme psychological position (as it is expressed in the Behavioristic School, which is essentially sound where the dense material mechanism of man is concerned) will fall into its rightful place. Materialistic psychologists have been dealing with the substance energies and with the instinctual life of the organism. These constitute the sum total of the available energies, organized into the form of the automatic physical body, colored as its atoms are by the tendencies and qualities developed in a previous solar system. In our solar system, we are arriving at an understanding and a \page

The Ray of Personality 295 development of the consciousness aspect of divinity, its quality and characteristic, just as instinctual intelligence or automatic activity was the contribution of the earlier manifestation of God, in which the third aspect was dominant. The problem can be posited and its extent made clear by the following tabulation which gives the rays that may be supposed or imagined to govern or control a problematical or hypothetical man in a particular incarnation. 1. The Ray of the Monad.................Second Ray of Love- (the life aspect) Wisdom. 2. The Ray of the Soul.................... First Ray of Will or (the consciousness aspect) Power. 3. The Ray of the Personality......... Second Ray of Love- (the matter aspect) Wisdom. a. Ray of the mental body........... Fifth Ray of Concrete Science. b. Ray of the astral body............. Sixth Ray of Devotion. c. Ray of the physical body........ Second Ray of Love- Wisdom. Certain ideas should here be considered. They are here given in the form of statements, but we will not elaborate them, simply leaving them to the student for his pondering and careful thinking. 1. Only initiates are in a position to sense, determine, or discover the nature of their monadic ray or that of their disciples. The monadic ray is that life element in man with which They have definitely to deal as They seek to prepare him for initiation. It is the "unknown quan- tity" in a man's nature. It does not, however, greatly complicate his problem in the three worlds of ordinary human endeavor, as it remains relatively quiescent until after the third initiation, though it basically conditions the etheric body itself. 2. The three rays (termed, in The Secret Doctrine, "the

302 A Treatise on the Seven Rays embody a man's essential divinity. The following is therefore of interest: 1. The head center.................... Monad. Life. First aspect. 2. The heart center................... Soul. Consciousness. Second aspect. 3. The ajna center..................... Personality. Substance. Third aspect. These are the three major centers for the advanced man. 4. The throat center.................. Mind. The mental aspect and energy. 5. The solar plexus center........ Emotion. The astral aspect and energy center. 6. The sacral center.................. Physical. 7. The center at base of the spine............................... Life itself. Monadic center. The latter center is only awakened in its true and final sense at the third initiation. At that time the circle is completed. As was earlier stated, the etheric body is related to the monad and is the exteriorization of the life aspect. It is the etheric body, with all its seven centers, which is swept into activity when the basic center is awakened, and the kundalini fire is aroused. It might be of value to students to point out that frequently when a student is under the impression or belief that the kundalini fire has been aroused in him, all that has really happened is that the energy of the sacral center (i.e. the sex center) is being transmuted and raised to the throat, or that the energy of the solar plexus center is being raised to the heart. Aspirants do, however, love to play with the idea that they have succeeded in arousing the kundalini fire. Many advanced occultists have mistaken the raising of the sacral fire or of the solar plexus force to a position above the diaphragm for the "lifting of the kundalini" and have therefore regarded themselves or others as initiates. Their sincerity has been very real and their mistake an easy one to make.

308 A Treatise on the Seven Rays comes into activity. This second process is itself divided into two stages: 1. That in which the lower concrete mind is developing. 2. That in which the man becomes an integrated, coordinated person. At each of these latter two stages, the rays of the lower nature become increasingly powerful. Self-consciousness is developed, and then the personality becomes clearer and clearer, and the three elementals of the lower nature, the force of the so-called "three lunar Lords" (the triple energies of the integrated personality) come steadily under the control of the ray of the personality. At this stage, therefore, four rays are active in the man, four streams of energy make him what he is and the ray of the soul is beginning, though very faintly, to make its presence felt, producing the conflict which all thinkers recognize. At the stage of Discipleship, the soul ray comes into increased conflict with the personality ray and the great battle of the pairs of opposites begins. The soul ray or energy slowly dominates the personality ray, as it in its turn has dominated the rays of the three lower bodies. At the stage of Initiation, the domination continues and at the third initiation the highest kind of energy which a man can express in this solar system––that of the monad, begins to control. At the stage of individualization, a man comes into being; he begins to exist. At the stage of intellection, the personality emerges with clarity and becomes naturally expressive. At the stage of discipleship, he becomes magnetic. At the stage of initiation, he becomes dynamic. In reference to the pairs of opposites and their conflict, it might be of interest to note the following facts:

316 A Treatise on the Seven Rays are on the Path of Discipleship, but these we will not consider here. In these latter cases there is an abnormal over-sensitivity in the vehicles, the rush of force through from the soul, via the centers, presents real difficulty, and responsiveness to the environment is over developed in many cases. These conditions are governed, as will be recognized, by the point in evolution, the ray type, the quality of past karma, and the present family, national and racial inherited characteristics. As we study, let us bear clearly in mind that it is the soul as a center of consciousness and the vehicles as centers of experience with which we are concerning ourselves. We should seek to eliminate from our minds the more material connotations which past teachings have emphasized. Annie Besant in her Study in Consciousness sought to avoid the error of materialism and to voice a real vision of the truth, but words themselves are limiting things and oft veil and hide the truth. Her book, therefore, is of definite value. Remem- ber also that a man's consciousness is first of all, and usually, centered sequentially in the three bodies, and the centers of experience for him are primarily the field of his consciousness. He is identified for long with the field of experience and not with the real self. He has not yet identified himself with the conscious subject, or with the One Who is aware, but as time goes on, his center of identification shifts, and he becomes less interested in the field of experience and more aware of the soul as the conscious, thinking Individual. The comprehension of each of us will depend upon where we each, as individuals, lay the emphasis, and where we are awake and alive, and of what we are conscious. When we have achieved the experience of the third initiation and are no longer identified with the vehicles of expression, then––on a higher turn of the spiral––another shift in the life expression and experience will take place. Then neither the center \page

The Ray of Personality 317 of experience, the soul, nor the vehicles of expression, the lower threefold man, will be considered from the angle of consciousness at all. The life aspect will supersede all others. Of what use is it for us to discuss this stage when for many of us, as yet, the lower expressions of divine manifestations are dominant (or should one say "rampant"?) and even the soul fails to assume vital control? It was for this reason (when giving the earlier tabulation) that the words "building psychologically" were used, with the intent to direct the attention of the student to the soul or psyche as the building agency, but at the same time to negate or offset the material concept of body-building. Occultism is the science of energy manipulation, of the attractive or the repulsive aspect of force, and it is with this that we shall concern ourselves. In this soul activity is to be found the source or the germ of all the experiences which––on the physical plane today–– are recognized and considered by the psychologist. In this thought is to be found the fact that there is no difficulty in the vehicles of expression but finds its correspondence and higher truth in the center of experience which we call the soul. Take, for instance, the emphasis which is laid by certain psychologists upon the idea that all that we have inherited of truth (the idea of God, the concept of a future heaven, the ancient and exploded (?) belief around which the thoughts of men have superstitiously centered) are only the outer expression or formulations of a hidden "wish life." This wish life is, we are told, based upon an inner and often hidden and unrealized sense of frustration, of disillusionment, of trouble; all the ideas which the race has prized down the ages and whereby most of its nobler souls have lived, are founded on illusion. With the formulation of these various "wish-fulfil-

The Ray of Personality 339 2. The petals of the lotus become vibrant and alive. This is the stage of personality integration. 3. The heart of the lotus, "the jewel in the lotus" also becomes actively alive. This is the period of the final stages upon the Path. This process of unfoldment is itself brought about by five crises of awakening, so that we have a threefold process and a fivefold movement. 1. The centers below the diaphragm are the controlling and dominant factor. The stage of dense materiality, of lower desire and of physical urge is in full expression. This was carried to its higher point of development in Lemurian times. The sacral center was the controlling factor. 2. The centers below the diaphragm become fully active, with the major emphasis in the solar plexus center. This center eventually becomes the great clearing house for all the lower forces and marks the period of the shift into a higher body, the astral body. This was characteristic of Atlantean racial development. 3. The awakening of the throat center and the shift of much of the lower energy into the throat activity. The ajna center also begins to become active, producing integrated and creative personalities. This stage is characteristic the present Aryan race. 4. The awakening of the heart center and the shift of the solar plexus energy into that center, thus producing groups and the entrance of a new and fuller sense of spiritual energy. The shift of emphasis is then into those states of awareness which reveal the kingdom of God. The fifth kingdom in nature becomes creatively active

340 A Treatise on the Seven Rays on earth. This will be characteristic of the consciousness of the next great race. 5. The awakening of the head center, with the consequent arousing of the kundalini fire at the base of the spine. This leads to the final integration of soul and body, and the appearance of a perfected humanity upon earth. This will express the nature of the final race. Forget not that there are at all times those who are char- acteristically expressing one or another of all of these various stages and states of consciousness. There are but a few on earth today who are capable of expressing as low a state of relative development as the Lemurian consciousness. There are a few at the extreme end of the Way who are expressing divine perfection, and in between these two extremes are all possible grades of development and unfoldment. Man is therefore (from the angle of force expression) a mass of conflicting energies and an active center of moving forces with a shift of emphasis constantly going on, and with the aggregation of the numerous streams of energy presenting a confusing kaleidoscope of active inter-relations, interpenetration, internecine warfare, and interdependence until such time as the personality forces (symbolic of divine multiplicity) are subdued or "brought into line" by the dominant soul. That is what we really mean by the use of the word "alignment". This alignment results from: 1. The control of the personality by the soul. 2. The downpouring of soul energy, via the mental and the emotional bodies, into the brain, thus producing the subjugation of the lower nature, the awakening of the brain consciousness to soul awareness, and a new alignment of the bodies. \page

The Ray of Personality 341 3. The right arrangement, according to ray type, of the energies which are motivating and dynamically arousing the centers into activity. This leads eventually to a direct alignment of the centers upon the spine, so that soul energy can pass up and down through the centers from the directing center in the head. Whilst this process of soul control is being perfected (and the time consumed is, from the angle of the limiting personality consciousness, of vast duration), the ray types of the vehicles steadily emerge, the ray of the personality begins to control the life, and finally the soul ray begins to dominate the personality ray and subdue its activity. Eventually, the monadic ray takes control, absorbing into itself the rays of the personality and of the soul (at the third and fifth initiations) and thus duality is finally and definitely overcome and "only the One Who Is remains." We can now deal with the coordination of the personality, with its three types of techniques previously mentioned, which are the techniques of integration, the techniques of fusion and the techniques of duality. We will then pass on to a consideration of some of the problems with which psychology has to deal, arising as they do, out of the shifting consciousness, the intensification of the energy reception by the centers, and the inflow of soul potency. This will bring us to a point in our Treatise in which the rays and the human being will have been somewhat considered, and where we can eventually and with profit deal with that point, the third pertaining to the Ray of Personality, which we are in process of completing. It concerns education, the psychological training of aspirants and disciples, and the trends to be found emerging in the new esoteric psychology. \page


2. The Coordination of the Personality We have considered, cursorily I realize, the fact that the ego appropriates to itself form, through which expression can be made possible upon the various levels of divine manifestation. We observed that these forms, in due process of time, become embodiments of the will and purpose of their divine Indweller. This Indweller is the soul. As the evolutionary cycle runs its course, three developments take place: 1. The forms for expression are developed, little by little as a result of: a. Successive incarnations. b. The impulse and consequent activity of desire. c. The interpretation of experience, intensifying and becoming more correct and adequate as time passes. 2. The self within, or identified with, the form nature, a. Becomes slowly conscious and consequently intelligently active in the three worlds of human evolution. b. Shifts its focus of attention successively from one body to another, passing, in consciousness, into higher and higher states of awareness until the Path of Pursuit becomes the Path of Return, and desire for identification with form changes into aspiration for self-awareness. Later, comes identification with Self on its own level of consciousness. c. Reorients itself and thus occultly "leaves behind the hitherto desirable and aspires to that which has not hitherto been seen." 3. The aspirant passes through an intermediate stage in the \page

The Ray of Personality 343 process of evolution wherein "divine attraction" supersedes the attraction of the three worlds. This stage falls into five parts: a. A period wherein duality and lack of control are realized. b. A period wherein an assertion of self-control takes place, through the following process: 1. Decentralization. 2. Comprehension of the task ahead. 3. An investigation, by the divine Observer of the nature of form life. 4. Divine expression, through the medium of the form, understandingly practiced. c. A period wherein alignment takes place, and (through understanding and practice) the form is gradually subordinated to the requirements of the Self, and begins to work in unison with that Self. d. A period wherein the forms, aligned at increasingly frequent intervals, are 1. Integrated into a functioning, active personality; 2. Swept by the power of their own dominant, integrated personality life; 3. Gradually controlled by the Self, and fused into an instrument for effective world service; 4. Unified, in intent and purpose, with the soul. e. A period wherein the personality ray and the soul ray are blended into one united energy; and the personality ray becomes a quality of, and complementary to, that of the soul, making soul purpose in the three worlds possible.

344 A Treatise on the Seven Rays It is thus that we progress, and in this manner form and consciousness, appearance and quality, are brought together and divine unity is achieved, thus ending the duality hitherto sensed, which up till this time has handicapped the aspirant. Two angles of this matter warrant our attention. One is that covering the processes of the past evolutionary cycle which, as it has transpired, has brought the aspirant to the point of a sensed duality, of consequent struggle, and of a hardly achieved reorientation towards reality. That period has been adequately covered, for all present purposes, by science, exoteric and esoteric. The other is the period of ultimate perfection which is finally achieved as a result of the struggle. One period lies far behind us, and intelligent humanity has travelled far towards the period of realization; the other period lies far ahead. We will confine our studies to the task of the aspirant as he reorients himself upon the probationary path, and becomes increasingly aware of the world of higher values, and of the existence of the kingdom of God. On this path he senses his duality in an almost distressing manner, and begins to aspire towards unity. This is the task today of the vast numbers of world aspirants. So widespread is the desire for this reorientation that it has produced the present world upheaval, and is the spiritual source of the specific cause of the ideological conflicts now going on in every country. We will deal with the work of the disciples of the world as, having endeavored to bring about the desired reorientation, they learn the basic necessity of integrating the personality, and from that pass on to achieve contact or fusion with the Self, the ego or soul. It will be wise to keep these three stages carefully in mind, because all the many modern psychological problems are founded upon–– \page

The Ray of Personality 345 1. The process of reorientation with its consequences of personality upheaval and disorders. 2. The process of integration which is going on within the lower nature of intelligent humanity, leading inevitably to duality and conflict. 3. The fusion of the personality and the soul in consciousness, with its physiological and personality effects, producing the problems and psychological dilemmas of the highly developed aspirant and disciple. In this stage, the so-called "diseases of mystics" become pronounced. We will also touch very briefly upon the efforts of the initiate as he works through and with the subdued mechanism of the personality in the service of the Plan. He in his turn–– as a functioning soul and body, united, aligned and used–– becomes gradually aware of a still higher synthesis. After the third initiation, he enters upon a renewed effort to produce a more inclusive fusion and integration,––this time with the monad or life aspect. About this later stage, little can be profitably said. Teaching which would be intelligible to an initiate of the third degree would be profitless and unintelli- gible even to the highly integrated and intelligent disciple, especially as such teaching is given necessarily through the use of most abstract and complicated symbols, requiring careful analysis and interpretation. None of this higher teaching is given through the medium of words, either spoken or written. a. SEVEN TECHNIQUES OF INTEGRATION Let us now proceed to a consideration of the seven techniques of integration, bearing in mind that we shall here be dealing with the integration of the threefold lower nature into an active, conscious personality, prior to its fusion into a unity with the soul. We must remember that we are here

The Ray of Personality 351 changes his direction, the still greater Whole of humanity. Later, upon the Path of Initiation, there will dawn upon his vision, the Whole of which humanity itself is only an expression. This is the subjective world of reality, into which we begin definitely to enter as we become members of the Kingdom of God. 5. Upon the Probationary Path, though only during its later stages, he begins to serve humanity consciously through the medium of his integrated personality, and thus the consciousness of the larger and wider whole gradually supersedes his individual and separative consciousness. He knows himself to be but a part. 6. Upon the Path of Discipleship, the process of integration into the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Souls, proceeds until the third initiation is undergone. All these various integrations work out into some definite form of activity. First, there is the service of the personality, selfish and separative, wherein man sacrifices much in the interests of his own desire. Then comes the stage of service of humanity, and, finally, the service of the Plan. However, the integration with which we shall primarily deal as we study the seven Techniques of Integration is that of the personality as it integrates into the whole of which it is a part through service to the race and to the Plan. Bear in mind that these ray techniques are imposed by the soul upon the personality after it has been somewhat integrated into a functioning unity and is, therefore, becoming slightly responsive to the soul, the directing Intelligence. Ray One "The love of power must dominate. There must also be repudiation of those forms which wield no power. The word goes forth from soul to form; 'Stand up. Press

390 A Treatise on the Seven Rays mind into activity upon the higher mental level which is that on which the creative ideas of God emerge in form to be recognized by the human consciousness. 5. The channel of approach or of downflow is as follows: a. From the will aspect of the monadic life to that level of consciousness and of energy which we call that of the higher mind. b. From the higher mind to the knowledge petals of the egoic lotus. c. From these vortexes of force to the lower or concrete mind––that in which the average intelligent man fi- miliarly works––to the throat center and from thence immediately to the sacral center (the center of physical plane creation or reproduction). From there it is raised again to the throat center where the creative physical urge is transmuted into artistic or literary creation in some form or another and later still into the power to create groups or organizations which will express some idea or some thought which emanates from the Mind of God, and which demands immediate precipitation upon earth. The result of this inflow of supremely high energies is that the processes set in motion by the Technique of Integration are completed and the rays of the lower man are welded or fused into the Personality Ray. This itself is later blended with the egoic ray, enabling that spiritual Identity which we recognize as standing behind phenomenal man to work through both these rays, thus bringing about a correspondence to that grouping within the divine expression which we call the major and minor rays. The rays of the triple lower nature then form one single avenue through which the soul, and later the energy of spirit can contact the larger Whole \page

The Ray of Personality 391 in manifestation upon the physical, astral and mental planes. When the Techniques of Integration and Fusion have done their intended work, this spiritual Identity can work in service to humanity and in cooperation with the Plan in the three worlds of human endeavor and in the five states of consciousness, human and superhuman. This brings the disciple to the period wherein the third initiation can be taken; then still higher forces can be brought into play and the Technique of Duality can be considered, mastered and used. It will be obvious to you that I cannot give you the rules of this technique, as they constitute part of the veiled secrets of initiation. Though duality is emphasized, it is a duality which produces simplification, merging and synthesis. Man is then viewed as a duality of spirit and matter and not as the well known triplicity of spirit, soul and body. Now let us for a moment consider the Technique of Fu- sion. The keynotes of the three techniques are as follows: First Ray.............................. Isolated Unity. Second Ray.......................... Inclusive Reason. Third Ray............................. Presented Attributes. The first thing the disciple who seeks to use these techniques undertakes is to arrive at an understanding (practical, experimental and subjective) of the appropriate phrase for his ray. Let me paraphrase or elucidate each of them, inadequately perforce owing to the lack of comprehension and the limited evolution of the average disciple, but in any case in order to bring suggestion to your minds. Isolated Unity is that stage of consciousness which sees the whole as one and regards itself, not theoretically but as a realized fact, as identified with that whole. It is a whole which is "isolated" in the consciousness of the man, and not the man himself who regards himself as isolated. The word "iso-

The Ray of Personality 527 All the centers in the body are then swept into ordered activity by the forces of love and will. Then takes place the final transference of all the bodily and psychic energies into the head center through the awakening of the center at the base of the spine. Then the great Polar opposites, as symbolized and expressed by the head center (the organ of spiritual energy) and the center at the base of the spine (the organ of the material forces) are fused and blended and from this time on the man is controlled only from above by the soul. There are, consequently, two points to be borne in mind as we study the mystic and his difficulties; first of all, the period of awakening and subsequent utilization of the centers and, secondly, the period of the transference of energy from the solar plexus to the heart, and then from all the four centers up the spine to the throat center, prior to the focusing of the energy of all the centers in the ajna center (between the eyebrows). This center is the controlling one in the personality life and from it goes all personality direction and guidance to the five lower centers which it synthesizes. Each of these stages brings with it its own difficulties and problems. We shall, however, concern ourselves with these problems only as they affect present opportunity or hinder the man who finds himself upon the Path and is, therefore, taking his own evolution in hand. Then he stands "midway between the pairs of opposites" and this means (as far as our particular interest at this time is concerned) that we shall find three stages in the mystical work, each of which will mark a definite point of crisis, with its attendant tests and trials: 1. The stage wherein transference is made of all the lower

528 A Treatise on the Seven Rays energies into the solar plexus, preparatory to carrying them to the throat and heart centers above the diaphragm. This stage covers not only the process of transference but also that of focusing the forces in the higher centers. Period............................. The later stages of the Path of Pro- bation and the early stages of the Path of Discipleship. Keynote.......................... Discipline. Objective........................ Idealism, plus personality effort. Purification and control. 2. The stage wherein transference is made into the ajna center and the personality life becomes integrated and powerful. Period............................. The later stages of the path of Disci- pleship and up till the time of the third initiation. Keynote.......................... Expression of the soul, through the medium of the personality. Objective........................ The understanding of the Plan and consequent cooperation with it. Then comes the third and final stage with which we need not concern ourselves wherein there is a complete blending of the bodily forces (focused through the ajna center) with the Soul forces, (focused through the head center). It is at this time that there comes the final evocation of the personality will (purified and consecrated) which has been "sleeping, coiled like the serpent of wisdom" at the base of the spine; this surges upward on the impulse of devotion, aspiration and enlightened will and thus fuses itself in the head with the spiritual will. This is the final raising, by an act of discriminating determination, of the kundalini fire. This raising takes place in three stages, or impulses:

The Ray of Personality 529 1. The stage wherein the lower energies are carried to the solar plexus center. 2. The stage wherein these energies, pouring through to the heart, are blended with it and carried to the throat. 3. The stage wherein all the five lower forms of energy are focused in the ajna center in the head. Students might here ask: Are there any other energies below the diaphragm, except those of the sacral center and those focused in the center at the base of the spine which are carried up to the ajna center via the solar plexus center? There are quite a large number of lesser centers and their energies, but I am not specifying them in detail for the sake of clarity; we shall deal here only with the major centers and their effects and inter-relations. The subject is abstruse and difficult in any case without our complicating it unduly. There are energies, for instance, pouring into the spleen from planetary sources as well as into two small centers situated close to the kidneys, one on either side, besides several others and these forces must all be understood, transmuted, transformed and transferred. It is interesting to note that the two little centers close to the kidneys are related to the lower levels of the astral plane and let loose into the system much of the fear, etc., which is the distinguishing factor in those subplanes. They are, therefore, found close to the center which can control them because even the modern endocrinologist knows that the adrenal glands, when stimulated, produce (as a psychological result of a physical happening) an access of courage and a form of directed will which enables achievements to be carried out that are, at other time, wellnigh impossible. I would like here to point out that the statement so frequently made in occult books that "kundalini sleeps" is only partially true. The center at the base of the spine is subject to

Esoteric Astrology The Zodiac and the Rays 23 upon all the lives in all forms in all kingdoms of nature. Nothing can escape these radiatory and magnetic influences. The goal of evolution for humanity is to become consciously and livingly aware of the nature of these energies and begin to know them and to use them. This is the field of occultism as the Hierarchy has always told men. It might be stated that the disciple has to become consciously aware of the planetary influences and begin to use them for the carrying out of soul purpose. The initiate has to be aware of the zodiacal influences which emanate from outside of the solar system altogether. These can be recognized as a. A vibration, registered in one or other of the seven centers. b. A revelation of a particular type of light, conveying a specific color to the initiate. c. A peculiar note. d. A directional sound. The whole story of the zodiac can be picturesquely yet accurately summed up in the following statement: There are three books which the three types of human beings study and from which they learn: 1. The Book of Life––Initiates––the 12 constellations. 2. The Book of Wisdom––Disciples––the 12 planets. 3. The Book of Form or of Manifestation––Humanity–– the 12 Creative Hierarchies. In summation, it might be said that: 1. The zodiacal signs affect primarily the man who lives below the diaphragm. This is the ordinary average man. These signs thus condition four of the centers:

24 A Treatise on the Seven Rays a. The base of the spine. b. The sacral center. c. The solar plexus center. d. The spleen. 2. The inner group of solar systems, working in conjunction with the zodiacal signs, affect primarily those who live above the diaphragm. They, therefore, condition: a. The heart center. b. The throat center. c. The ajna center. d. The head center. 3. Three of the energies work through the head center but only after the third initiation. There are one or two other points which might be noted here also. I note them for your enlightenment. Out of all the many energies which impinge upon, pass through and produce effects upon our planet, esoteric astrology emphasizes the following four types of force because they affect what might be called the personality of our Earth: 1. The quality of our solar system. God is a consuming fire but God is also love. This is the teaching of both esoteric and exoteric truth. 2. The quality of the Logos of our planet as it pours through the chains, the rounds, the races, and the kingdoms of nature. 3. The quality of the Earth's complementary planet, which is the Earth's polar opposite, esoterically considered. This planet is Venus. 4. The quality of the attraction of the three planets which produce an esoteric triangle of force.

The Zodiac and the Rays 29 personality, the third divine aspect. They thus exemplify the will-to-know. I would have you remember that I am talking entirely in terms of consciousness and of the responses and reactions of the individual to the forces which impinge upon him. The effect of the emanation of our planet, the Earth, is a correspondence to the effect of that aggregate of atoms and molecules which we call the dense physical body and of its response to the pull and the attraction of any or all of the subtler bodies. As regards the influence of the seven solar systems, I should suggest (more I cannot do) that they are linked up astrologically with the constellations, the Great Bear, the Pleiades, and Sirius. They are intimately related to them, but their exact effect is a transmitted one and cannot be noted as producing noticeable results, as yet, upon humanity and the other kingdoms in nature. The effect of the three great constellations also cannot be noted by individual man until such time as he becomes conscious of the monadic vibration, after the third initiation. There are many potent influences playing upon our solar system and the planet all the time but––as far as man is concerned––his response apparatus and his mechanism of reaction remain what is called "occultly unresponsive," for they are not yet of a quality which will permit any noticeable recognition, either in the dense or subtler vehicles or even by the soul. Later in the evolutionary process, recognition and response will come, but for all astrological purposes and recognizable produced effects, they may be regarded today as non-existent except as they react upon the fourth kingdom of nature as it constitutes a living unit in the body of the planetary Logos. As little conscious effect is produced by these forces as the effect of a

30 A Treatise on the Seven Rays high moment of contact in your morning meditation produces an effect upon the atom or cell in the little finger upon one of your hands. There may be a general response and stimulation throughout the entire body, but the intelligent atom makes no conscious response. The vibration is of too high a character. Speculation along these lines is profitless. A vast system of interlocking energies is in active and rapid circulation throughout the whole cosmic etheric body––of which our systemic etheric body is an integral part––but speculative research along the indicated lines and the following of obscure trails are utterly futile until the main highway of approach has been constructed and followed. The general outline of the astrological way is all that is possible today, until the time when man can think in larger wholes and has a more synthetic capacity. We shall confine ourselves to the vast field of energies which I have outlined for your consideration and shall consider only the major forces which are in circulation. This will suffice for our day and generation. We are concerned with energies which can and do evoke response and of which man can be aware and, in many cases, is today aware. It might be useful here to comment in a wide and general way, and with many necessary reservations, upon the broad sweep of some of these responses: 1. Undeveloped humanity is primarily conditioned in its life and circumstances by the influence of the lesser zodiac and thus by the position of the planets in the twelve houses. 2. Average intelligent humanity and those nearing the Path of Discipleship and upon the Probationary Path respond consciously to

The Zodiac and the Rays 31 a. The planets, affecting their personalities. b. The Sun sign, as indicating life trends which are already established and which constitute the line of least resistance. c. The rising sign in a small measure. This indicates the life goal for that particular life cycle or else over a period of seven lives. The last two constitute the Greater Zodiac. 3. Disciples and initiates can begin consciously to respond to all the above influences, handling them constructively, plus those potent yet infinitely subtle forces which pour into our solar system from the three major constellations referred to above. In the early stages the response is in the subtler bodies and the brain fails to register them, but after the third initiation, there is a recognition of them upon the physical plane. Bringing the theme back to the subject of this treatise, which is that of the seven rays, I would point out that these rays have a close connection with the seven stars of the Great Bear (again always the four and the three as a secondary differentiation) and to the seven Sisters, the Pleiades. The first constellation is the agent of positive force to the planetary Logos and the other the relayer of the negative aspect. There is, therefore, a direct interchange of energies between the lives of the seven planetary Logoi and the stupendous and unfathomable Lives Who inform these major constellations. Great interlocking triangles of force can be found existing between the seven planets and these two groups of seven stars each. It will eventually be discovered that the innermost secret of astrological deduction in the planetary sense is connected with these "sacred triangles," and they are––in their turn––represented by the triangles

54 A Treatise on the Seven Rays employed, is dependent entirely upon the type of response mechanism of the planetary Life and of the individual man. It has been rightly said that consciousness is dependent upon the vehicles of consciousness, upon their point of development and upon the ability of the individual to identify himself with the energies and impulses which are reaching him, and is not dependent only upon that which is already a recognized part or aspect of himself. It might be said that the higher response to the realities and qualities revealed and made possible by the impact of energy from the zodiacal signs is somewhat dependent upon the waning influence of the planets to hold down the consciousness aspect of the man. Ponder upon this, for it embodies a deep esoteric truth. Thus, two potent streams of energy––cosmic and systemic––reach man via the conditioning planetary centers of force (the seven planetary schemes in the solar system and their corresponding seven centers in the planet on which we live) and pour into the symbolic "twelve houses" through their medium. It is for this reason that our solar system is spoken of as one of "intrinsic duality" (love-wisdom) and that the major task of man is the "regulation of the pairs of opposites." The theme of duality, therefore, runs through the whole story of man's development. Upon all the three planes of human unfoldment the reconciliation goes forward. 1. Upon the physical plane we find the merging of the dense and the etheric forces. This is consummated upon the Path of Purification. 2. Upon the astral plane there must come the resolution of the pairs of opposites. This is consummated upon the Path of Discipleship.

The Zodiac and the Rays 55 3. Upon the mental plane the Angel of the Presence and the Dweller on the Threshold are brought face to face. Their synthesis is brought about upon the Path of Initiation. What is true of man in this connection is true also of humanity as a whole, of the planetary Logos of the Earth, as of all planetary Logoi, and of a solar Logos. The analogy between the fusion of the pairs of opposites, for instance, upon the physical plane can be seen in the conscious and directed fusion of the planetary forces with the energy of any specific planet or group of planets. The analogy, involving discrimination to regulate and offset the force of the pairs of opposites upon the astral plane, can be seen when the energies of the sun sign and of the planets are perfectly directed and adjusted. The analogy can also be carried forward onto the mental plane and when the energies of the sun sign and the rising sign are coherently blended and expressed (in the case of both the individual or a planetary Life) there comes a point of crisis wherein the soul and the personality are brought face to face. The Angel of the Presence, distributing solar fire and holding focused electric fire, and the Dweller on the Threshold, expressing and utilizing fire by friction, know each other "with intimate occult knowledge." The door then stands open wide through which the life and light of the three major constellations can––after the third initiation––be occultly available to the initiate, be he a liberated human being or a planetary Logos. When astrologers understand the true significance of the constellation Gemini, the Twins, and the dual forces which pour through this sign (the "forces in conflict" as they are sometimes called or "the quarreling brothers")

70 A Treatise on the Seven Rays Astrologers will eventually be able to cast the horoscope of the soul, which is sensitive to different combinations of forces to those controlling the personality life. The disciple and the initiate respond distinctively to the incoming influences and their response differs from that of the undeveloped man or the self-centered person. This will have to be recognized. Those who "live below the diaphragm" and who react to the incoming energies through the medium of the lower centers will have a very different type of chart to that of the disciple and initiate. It will require a different mode of interpretation. I have referred to this before and would remind you of some of the points which I made. 1. Disciples upon the Path of Discipleship are strongly influenced by Mercury and Saturn––one bringing illumination and the other offering opportunity. 2. At the various initiations, the influence of the planets affects the candidate in a totally different manner than earlier. Cyclically the energies from the constellations pour through the planetary centers. a. At the first initiation, the disciple has to contend with the crystallizing and destroying forces of Vulcan and Pluto. The influence of Vulcan reaches to the very depths of his nature, whilst Pluto drags to the surface and destroys all that hinders in these lower regions. b. At the second initiation, the candidate comes under the influence of three planets––Neptune, Venus and Jupiter. The three centers––solar plexus, heart and throat––are actively involved. c. At the third initiation, the Moon (veiling a hidden planet) and Mars bring about a fearful conflict,

The Zodiac and the Rays 71 but at the end the man is released from personality control. d. At the fourth initiation, Mercury and Saturn again bring about great changes and unique revelation, but their effect is very different to the earlier experience. e. At the fifth and final initiation, Uranus and Jupi- ter appear and produce a "beneficent organization" of the totality of energies found in the initiate's equipment. When this reorganization is complete, the initiate can then "escape from off the wheel and then can truly live." All this time the energy of the sun (veiling a sacred planet, hitherto unknown) is steadily and persistently reaching the man via the solar angel.

84 A Treatise on the Seven Rays this by mounting the three Crosses––the cross of the Per- sonality or the changing form, the Cross of the Disciple or the eternal soul, and the Cross of the Spirit. This really means that he has passed through three momentous crises in his life cycle. I. The Crisis of Incarnation.........The Mutable Cross The Mounting of the Wheel...................................Personality and form life The Cycle of Rebirth in Form.....................................Experience Manifestation of Manhood II. The Crisis of Reorientation....The Fixed Cross The Changing to the 2nd Cross....................................The life of the soul Preparation for the 2nd Birth.....................................Consciousness Manifestation of Christhood III. The Crisis of Initiation...........The Cardinal Cross The Transfiguration...............The Life of the Spirit Manifestation of Divinity In our study of the interlocking system of energies, in so far as they affect and condition a human being, the theme of the Three Crosses is of profound and practical interest, especially as they provide those points of crisis wherein a man steps off the ordinary path of evolution and treads the path of discipleship or––after the third initiation mounts a third Cross. It will underlie our thought and all that I have to say. A steady recollection of the twelve basic ener-

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 85 gies (five major and seven minor which are in reality, and apart from astral reversion due to the Great Illusion, seven major and five minor) will be of value. These work out into human expression via the Lords of the twelve signs and the twelve planetary Rulers. These twelve basic energies emanate from the seven stars of the Great Bear (transmitted through seven stars of the Little Bear); two of them come from Sirius and three from the Pleiades. This set-up (if I may use such an unorthodox term) will be the condition of the major solar sphere of influence at the end of the Great Age of Brahma, as it is esoterically called. In the "interim or interlude of evolution" (which is the inadequate translation of an occult phrase given to a world cycle in the Masters' Archives) these energies are stepped down into forces and are literally sixteen all told––from the angle of manifestation, I would remind you––and make literally: 7 + 7 + 2 = 16 = 7. In these numbers the mystery of our evolutionary process lies hid. Always, however, the emphasis must be laid upon the Rays of Energy and Quality as they pour through the zodiacal constellations and the planets. The new astrology therefore is necessarily based upon an understanding of the rays. The following tabulation is fundamental in its implications in this connection and upon it all that I have to say will be based. Seven stars of the Great Bear are the originating Sources of the seven rays of our solar system. The seven Rishis (as They are called) of the Great Bear express Themselves through the medium of the seven Planetary Logoi Who are Their Representatives and to Whom They stand in the relation of prototype. The seven Planetary Spirits manifest through the medium of the seven sacred planets. Each of these seven Rays, coming from the Great

86 A Treatise on the Seven Rays Bear, are transmitted into our solar system through the medium of three constellations and their ruling planets. The following tabulation makes this clear but must be interpreted only in terms of this present turn of the Great Zodiacal Wheel (25,000 years): TABULATION VIII Planets Planets Ray Constellations (Orthodox) (Esoteric) Aries, The Ram...................... Mars................... Mercury. I. Will or Power................Leo, the Lion.......................... Sun..................... Sun. Capricorn, the Goat................ Saturn................. Saturn. Gemini, the Twins.................. Mercury.............. Venus. II. Love-Wisdom............... Virgo, the Virgin.................... Mercury.............. Moon (veiling a planet) Pisces, the Fishes................... Jupiter................. Pluto. Cancer, the Crab..................... Moon.................. Neptune. III. Active-Intelligence....... Libra, the Scales..................... Venus................. Uranus. Capricorn, the Goat................ Saturn................. Saturn. IV. Harmony through Taurus, the Bull...................... Venus................. Vulcan. Conflict...................... Scorpio, the Scorpion............. Mars................... Mars. Sagittarius, the Archer........... Jupiter................. Earth. Leo, the Lion.......................... Sun..................... Sun. V. Concrete Science......... Sagittarius, the Archer........... Jupiter................. Earth. Aquarius, the Water- carrier..................................... Uranus................ Jupiter. Virgo, the Virgin.................... Mercury.............. Moon. VI. Idealism. Devotion….. Sagittarius, the Archer........... Jupiter................. Earth. Pisces, the Fishes................... Jupiter................. Pluto. Aries, the Ram....................... Mars................... Mercury. VII. Ceremonial Order....... Cancer, the Crab..................... Moon.................. Neptune. Capricorn, the Goat................ Saturn................. Saturn. It will be obvious to you how much correlating work and how much readjustment of ideas will be needed as the new astrology is worked out into practical usefulness and eventually substituted for that now holding sway. This new astrology really embodies five sciences:

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 87 1. The Science of the Rays. 2. The Science of Esoteric Interpretation which is carried out through 3. The Science of Triangles. 4. The Science of the Centers. 5. The Science of Destiny. This latter science will be based upon the four previous ones and will constitute an interpretation of the future which will be founded on a correct understanding of the rays––personal and egoic––of the influence of the triangles––zodiacal, planetary, racial and human. These latter triangles are arrived at by a study of the individual human centers. When all this has been ascertained and worked out in the new style of horoscope which will be later developed, then the Science of Destiny will be applied and the future indications discovered. Of this, the personal progressed horoscope is the embryonic seed. Some indication of relative values can be gained by a consideration of the human triangles as given in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, which suggested the following: "It would repay the student to contemplate the interesting succession of triangles that are to be found and the way in which they must be linked by the progression of the fire before that fire can perfectly vivify them, and thence pass on to other transmutations. We might enumerate some of these triangles, bearing always in mind that, according to the ray, so will proceed the geometric rising of the fire, and according to the ray, so will the points be touched in ordered sequence. Herein lies one of the secrets of initiation, and herein are found some of the dangers entailed in a too quick publication of information concerning the rays.

88 A Treatise on the Seven Rays 1. The pranic triangle. a. The shoulder center. b. The center near the diaphragm. c. The spleen. 2. Man controlled from the astral plane. a. The base of spine. b. The solar plexus. c. The heart. 3. Man controlled from the mental plane. a. The base of spine. b. The heart. c. The throat. 4. Man partially controlled by the Ego, advanced man. a. The heart. b. The throat. c. The head, i.e., the four lesser centers and their synthesis, the ajna center. 5. Spiritual man to the third Initiation. a. The heart. b. The throat. c. The seven head centers. 6. Spiritual man to the fifth Initiation. a. The heart. b. The seven head centers. c. The two many-petalled lotuses. All these different periods show different triangular radiations. We must not infer from this that when the fire is centered in one triangle it is not demonstrating in others. Once the fire has free passage along any triangle it flames continuously, but always there is one triangle more radiant and luminous than the others, and it is from these glowing triangles of light, issuing from wheels and vortices of fire,

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 89 that the clairvoyant and the teachers of the race can appraise a man's position in the scheme of things, and judge of his attainment. At the culmination of life experience, and when man has reached his goal, each triangle is a radiant path of fire, and each center a wheel of living fiery force rotating at terrific speed; the center at this stage not only rotates in a specific direction, but literally turns upon itself, forming a living flaming iridescent globe of pure fire, and holding within it a certain geometrical shape, yet withal vibrating so rapidly that the eye can scarcely follow it. Above all, at the top of the head will be seen a fiery display that seems to put all the other centers into insignificance; from the heart of this many-petalled lotus issues a flame of fire with the basic hue of a man's ray. This flame mounts upward and seems to attract downward a sheet of electric light, which is the downflow from the spirit on the highest plane. This marks the blending of the fires and the deliverance of man from the trammels of matter." A Treatise on Cosmic Fire (pp. 169-171) At present, charts are set up on the basis of the personality condition or of the personality ray, if the astrologer is fortunate enough to know or to guess it accurately; if, however, the subject is an advanced person, then the chart will be frequently wrong as the planets which govern in the case of ordinary or undeveloped man have ceased to influence the spiritual man and the disciple. Average man is primarily conditioned in the events of his physical plane life by the position of the planets in the twelve houses and they are, in their turn, conditioned by certain karmic influences which the advanced man has overcome, or is overcoming. The horoscope will be cast eventually on the basis of the soul ray, and then the zodiacal signs which govern the activities and

90 A Treatise on the Seven Rays the influence of the present group of planetary Rulers will be considerably lessened. New planetary potencies (conveying zodiacal energies) will control and take precedence of the old ones, thus putting the man in touch with different forces. Finally the time will come when he will be sensitive to the whole range of vibrations; charts will then be set up which will be called "charts of the crosses" and not simply indications of planetary influences in the twelve houses. I question whether there is any living astrologer capable of doing this as yet. These are the kind of charts by which the Masters gauge Their disciples and they are most interesting; I touched upon them somewhat earlier in this treatise. These "charts of the crosses" are the ones that are prepared prior to the third initiation, at which time the man begins his "approach" to the Cardinal Cross of the heavens. I would here remind you, e'en though it is a piece of useless information, that the fifth major initiation of our planet is the first cosmic initiation, just as the third initiation is the first systemic. The two first initiations are planetary in their implications. The above statement has deep and esoteric astrological significance. 3. Spiritual Effects of the Zodiacal Constellations. I am now going to outline to you the spiritual effect of the passage of a soul around the wheel of experience. We will attempt to consider, in the case of each constellation, the general effect upon a soul––undergoing the experience–– from the orthodox angle as he travels from Aries to Taurus, via Pisces, and then––as the disciple, coming under other influences––travels from Aries to Pisces via Taurus. Thus the usual process is reversed and the man reorients himself and "faces the East," as it is esoterically called. He ex-

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 91 presses then in the highest possible manner the qualities of his soul ray as, in the first case, he expressed the quality of the personality ray. It is not possible for me to be more specific. I seek only to give certain spiritual implications and hints and to convey a general idea of the effect of the great illusion upon resultant conditions and, secondly, the result of the great tests which every disciple eventually undergoes as he reverses the wheel of life. ARIES, THE RAM Strictly speaking, what I have to say now concerns the pure first ray type because Aries is the zodiacal sigh through which the first Ray of Will or Power reaches our planetary life. Such pure types are rare indeed and at this period of evolution well nigh unknown. Most people are governed by their personality ray and as the present first ray types are expressing themselves through personalities which are on all the rays, I would simply ask you to consider what I have to say from the angle of character effects, of problems presented and of quality unfolded. It is well nigh impossible to be more explicit until such time as the Science of the Rays has been further developed; the astrologer must ascertain the ray type before he will be able to cast the adequate horoscope of the soul. My remarks are therefore general and not specific and are universal and not particular. I impose no doctrine. I indicate phases of speculation which might prove illuminating and fruitful. Aries is one of the constellations of the Cardinal Cross of the heavens. This is the cross of God, the Father, and, therefore, of the incarnating monad. It is the expression of will or power as it expresses itself through the great creative process. When the initiate (as we shall later

92 A Treatise on the Seven Rays see) transfers himself on to the Cardinal Cross from which he descended when coming into incarnation and mounted in its place the Common or Mutable Cross, he no longer identifies himself with form or even with soul, but with the will of divinity and with the eternal plan and purpose. It becomes his plan and purpose. He knows no other in a sense which is unknown even to an initiate of the third degree. He then enters into the council chamber of God; he becomes a part of the conclave at Shamballa; he functions no longer simply as a member of the Hierarchy upon the mental plane. He can now function through all the three world centers––Humanity, the Hierarchy and Sham- balla. Aries initiates the cycle of manifestation. All souls, as individual entities, come into human incarnation for the first time in the sign of Cancer, emerging as mental entities in the sign Aries, as emotional-desire entities in the sign Taurus and as vital entities in the sign Gemini, taking then physical form in Cancer. This is an involutionary, subjective cycle. Thus they emerge into the ocean of physical plane existence, into the world of matter. Yet the first impulse is awakened in Aries, for Aries is the place where the initial idea to institute activity takes form. It is the birthplace of ideas, and a true idea is in reality a spiritual impulse taking form––subjective and objective. There originates the response of the soul to the highest aspect or quality of deity because there appears the "will to incarnate." The first ray aspect of the Monad, responding to the first aspect of deity, evokes response from the first ray aspect of the soul and the first step towards incarnation is taken on that plane in the system which is the mental plane. Aries "awakens the will to reach the lowest and there control, to know the uttermost and thus to face all experience" ––thus runs an ancient statement.

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 115 PISCES, THE FISHES This sign is also dual. In Aries we have the duality which is attached to the bringing together of spirit and matter in the great creative activity of manifestation at the beginning of the evolutionary cycle, whilst in Pisces we have the fusion or blending of soul and form as far as man is concerned, producing the manifestation of the Incarnated Christ, the perfected individual soul, the completed manifestation of the microcosm. Thus the greater and the lesser polar opposites––the human being and God, the microcosm and the Macrocosm––are brought to their destined expression and manifestation. Until man is nearing the goal, these words mean but little though a study of the sign Pisces in the two ways intended may reveal much that is significant and suggestive. The goal of Deity, the emergence of God's plan and the nature of His eternal purpose is for us only a subject of interested speculation. There is a possibility that this plan and purpose may be vastly different to our surmise which is based upon our formulation of a Deity who is the product of our mental processes and of devoted idealism (two of the three aspects of the personality nature), and the attempt to interpret His infinite purposes in terms of our own finiteness. Let us always remember this. The mechanism for divine perception has not yet been developed in the human family on any large scale and is only achieving some measure of usefulness in the initiate of the third degree. This duality of Pisces must be studied in relation to its three keynotes which are 1. Bondage or captivity. 2. Renunciation or detachment. 3. Sacrifice and death.

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 119 and instinct––after passing through the emotional stage ––is being transmuted into intellect. 4. Gemini––In the undeveloped man or the average man, the experiences undergone on three arms of the Mutable Cross have brought him to the stage where the "dream of life" can be changed into the recognition of the reality, and the Great Illusion can be seen as undesirable and untrue. The sense of duality is, at this stage, instinctual but becoming increasingly real and steadily more complex. The man begins to dream of stability, of ordered changes and of union with that which he senses to be the most real part of himself. The mystical vision emerges into his consciousness and he becomes aware of the higher self through the first faint flicker- ings of the intuition. The experience upon the Mutable Cross lasts a long time, and carries the man always back again and again into the sphere of influence of Aries which, through the ruling activity of the first ray, both strengthens the will of the man (no matter what his ray) and ends cycle after cycle with the "word of destruction." Again and again he enters into the sign Pisces and finds his way around the great wheel until the experience of change and of mutability and the establishing of the transmutation process carry his consciousness from the instinctual and intellectual stages to the faint beginnings of the intuitive processes in Gemini. Then comes a great process of polarization and a moment of transference, after which the influence of the Fixed Cross causes reversal and the lessons gained upon the Mutable Cross have to be worked out and the effects demonstrated upon the Fixed Cross. It must not be thought that, in the early

120 A Treatise on the Seven Rays stages of unfoldment, experience is gained only through the Mutable Cross. The man lives in and experiences in all the signs, but the influences pouring through the Mutable Cross have a more potent effect upon him than those pouring in the early stages through the Fixed Cross. It is only when the soul is becoming more alive within the form and the man is aware of his duality that the energies of the Fixed Cross supersede in effectiveness those of the Mutable Cross, just as after the third initiation the energies of the Cardinal Cross begin to control the man and are of more insistent incentive than those of the other two crosses. When the soul is, therefore, becoming more active, the effect of the Fixed Cross will be seen working out in the four signs along with the effects of forces of the Mutable Cross for "that which is dominated and relinquished is held firmly and transformed." Gemini––The man upon the reversing wheel in Gemini becomes increasingly aware of the intuition and increasingly under the influence of "the Brothers who live in the Light," as the Twins are sometimes called. The light of the personality dims and the light of the soul waxes. The fluidity of Pisces and the undeveloped Gemini gives place to the responsiveness of the personality to soul impression and consequent stabilizing of the life on the physical plane. Virgo––The mind, under the influence of Virgo, which has been analytical and critical, changes to that quality of mind which is best described by the words, illumination and revelation. The Christ to whom the Virgin must eventually give birth is recognized as present in the womb, though not yet born. Life is recognized. The process of the revelation of the Christ consciousness is

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 135 of what I might call the lines of the new astrology, its mode of approach to the more esoteric aspects involved in the soul horoscope. The new astrology will deal with significances and meanings, and not so much with the symbols and the outer happenings such as events and mundane activities. The keynotes of this sign are three in number and very easy to understand, though when they make their note felt on the reversing wheel, most difficult to demonstrate. They are: 1. The service of the personality, the lower self, which eventually transmutes itself into the service of humanity. 2. Superficial and selfish activity which changes into a deep and active intention to be active on behalf of the Hier- archy. 3. Self-conscious living which changes finally into a sensitive humanitarian awareness. The quality of these keynotes changes from a petty and superficial nature to one of deep purpose and profound conviction. The low grade and undeveloped Aquarian upon the Mutable Cross manifests through a superficial self- awareness. This matures in Leo and becomes a deep-seated self-consciousness and a profound interest in self and its need and wishes. As the interplay goes on between Leo and Aquarius (for they are polar opposites) there comes a deepening of all qualities and the superficialities disappear until––upon the reversed wheel––the intensive self-consciousness of Leo expands into the group awareness of Aquarius. The individual becomes the universal. Man, alone and separative, becomes mankind in his reactions and awareness and yet, at the same time, preserves his individuality; he is no longer just a human being, individually self-

136 A Treatise on the Seven Rays centered and separative, but becomes humanity itself, losing his personal identity in the good of the whole yet retaining his spiritual Identity. From self-service, he proceeds to world service and yet is always the individualized Son of God until after the third initiation. As one studies these twelve signs, it is interesting to trace the relation of consciousness to the preceding sign and to the succeeding sign. It is peculiarly so in connection with the sign Aquarius. The material, earthly quality of Capricorn becomes "dissolved into the air" in Aquarius. The individual "fish" of the other sign becomes eventually the soul, and soul quality emerges, and on the reversed wheel it demonstrates as the pervasiveness of wisdom (Pisces) and the universal love of the truly developed Aquarian. On the wheel as it "rolls onward into illusion," the wheel of the personality, the superficiality and the airy nature of the undeveloped Aquarian deepens gradually into the concrete and rocky material nature of the Capricornian. The average man in Aquarius puts all his wares into the window, and often in the room behind the window there is little to be found. Esoterically, the developed Aquarian puts all he has into his water pot, storing it there for service and giving it freely on demand to meet a need. The sign Aquarius is also a dual sign and signifies two vibrations. It is here that its relation to Pisces emerges, for just as Pisces on the wheel of illusion, the Mutable Cross, stands for substance and bondage, in Aquarius, substance and the anima mundi or imprisoned soul begin to work in mutual tolerance, and in the higher Aquarian individual, soul and spirit are expressing themselves through substance. There is consequently an astrological relation between the band of stars in the constellation Pisces, which unites the two fishes, and the quality and nature of Aquarius

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 143 in other forms of planetary life and other kingdoms in nature but with these we will not deal as we are confining our attention to humanity. Aquarius, as you know, is one of the arms of the Fixed Cross. This Cross is outstandingly the Cross of Discipleship and of the three major initiations in connection with which it might be pointed out that: 1. In Taurus––Desire is transmuted into aspiration, darkness gives place to light and illumination, the eye of the Bull is opened which is the spiritual third eye, or the "single eye" of the New Testament. "lf thine eye be single" said the Christ "thy whole body shall be full of light." This single eye takes the place of the two eyes of the personal self. The attention of the man becomes focussed upon spiritual attainment. He treads the Path of Discipleship. 2. In Leo––The self-centered man becomes eventually the soul in life expression and focussed on the achievement of the spiritual goal of selflessness. In this sign, he undergoes preparation for the first initiation and takes it also in this sign, or under this sign when it is the rising sign becoming "the Lion who seeks his prey," that is the personality who becomes the captive of the soul. 3. In Scorpio––In this sign, the disciple undergoes those tests which will enable him to take the second initiation and demonstrate that the desire nature is subdued and conquered and that the lower nature is (by being lifted up in the air, i.e. into heaven) capable of reaching the goal for this world period, and that from the earthy foundations of Scorpio the personality can be so tested that it shows fitness for the world service demanded in Aquarius. This is beautifully expressed for us in the

144 A Treatise on the Seven Rays legend of Hercules, the Sun-God who overcomes the nine-headed Hydra or serpent of desire by being forced to his knees and from that position of humility lifts up the serpent into the air, and then deliverance comes. 4. In Aquarius––In this sign, the long effort of the soul is consummated and concludes the experience of the disciple upon the Fixed Cross. The man then takes the third initiation and becomes free from personality control, taking the next two initiations upon the Cardinal Cross. I might here give you the following names for the three crosses taken from the ancient archives and therefore difficult to translate: 1. The Mutable Cross––The Cross of changing and absorbed Experience. This is the place of action and of reaction, of karmic control and of response to impacts leading to the awakening of consciousness to the nature of the goal ahead. 2. The Fixed Cross––The Cross of Transmutation. De- sire becomes aspiration and selfishness is transformed into selflessness. 3. The Cardinal Cross––The Cross of Transcendence. Personality life and form life and planetary life no longer control. The man stands free. Substance, the ocean of life, water, the symbol of desire and the impulse to incarnate are transmuted into soul light and light substance and the urge to tread consciously the path of return, plus the longing to serve. Desire is developed and focussed in Taurus when the man is upon the Mutable Cross and progressing around the zodiac. It is reoriented and repolarized in Taurus when the man has mounted the

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 145 Fixed Cross and is eventually relinquished in that sign. In the polar opposite of Taurus, Scorpio, the personality is humbled and brought to grips with the soul; in that sign the personality is "occultly killed and then resurrected into air and light," in order to become from that moment the servant of the soul. In Leo, the individual awakens to his own identity, concentrates his purpose, learns the lessons and uses of selfishness (for that is one of the best ways to learn and to discover that it is contrary to the laws of the soul) and is eventually so cornered by the life processes that he becomes aware of the futility of self-interest. In Aquarius, the man awakens to the beauty of group life, group interest and his individual responsibility towards the group and begins to live his life and to spend himself in the service of humanity. In connection with the question of consciousness, students would find it illuminating to study the subject along the following lines: 1. Subjective latent consciousness..................In Aries 2. The consciousness of duality......................In Gemini 3. Mass consciousness....................................In Cancer 4. Individual self-consciousness.....................In Leo 5. Equilibrized consciousness.........................In Libra 6. Group consciousness..................................In Aquarius The distinction between exoteric and esoteric astrology lies in just such recognitions as listed above. Exoteric astrology deals with the characteristics and qualities of the personality and of the form aspects, and also with the events, happenings, circumstances and the conditioning environment which appear in the personal horoscope, indicative of planetary control and not of solar control. Esoteric astrology concerns itself primarily with the unfoldment of consciousness,

146 A Treatise on the Seven Rays with the impacts which awaken it to the peculiar "gifts" of any particular sign and ray endowment and with the reaction of the man and his consequent enrichment through his response to the influence of a sign, working through the esoteric planets from the angle of humanitarian awareness, of discipleship and of initiation. This deals basically with his experiences from the angle of the three Crosses, which involves first, mutation, then direction, and finally initiation. Increasingly, these three Crosses will take a prominent place in astrological delineation. We come now to a very interesting point in connection with Aquarius. There is apparently no planet which is either exalted or "falls" in this sign. The only planet affected is the Sun, whose power is lessened. What is the symbolic significance of this? It consists in the relation of Aquarius to Capricorn and of the Fixed Cross to the Cardinal Cross and of the third initiation to those succeeding it, of the point of balance reached between Pisces and Capricorn, which focus in Aquarius. I am not here considering the orthodox mathematical or astronomical reasons, for they are, in reality, dependent upon the subjective and spiritual reasons, and it is with these that we are concerned. One of the facts which will emerge in our consciousness as we study along these esoteric lines is that all the outer indications do not indicate truth but only point the way to the subjective realities of which the outer facts are but the illusory symbols. Ponder upon this and keep an open mind. No planet is exalted in Aquarius and no planet falls in this sign because the true Aquarian––after due experience upon the Mutable Cross and the Fixed Cross––has reached a point of balance. He is held by none of the pairs of opposites but uses them both for spiritual ends. He is hindered neither by earth nor water (Capricorn and Pisces);

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 147 he has surmounted the tests of both the processes of incarnation and initiation and so stands free, distributing energy and life, symbolized by the two wavy lines. It is interesting to bear in mind that in the progress of the soul, as far as humanity is concerned, one of the four signs of each Cross is of more importance than the others. Each sign of each of the three Crosses is related to one of the four kingdoms in nature and the preponderance of the ray influence pours through the sign to the kingdom under consideration. In connection with humanity, the sign of importance on the three Crosses is as follows: 1. The Mutable Cross.............Pisces 2. The Fixed Cross.................Scorpio 3. The Cardinal Cross............Capricorn In Aquarius, the initiate consummates all that has been achieved in Leo through the influence of the Sun, for in Leo there is an almost unique condition where humanity is concerned as the Sun governs all expressions––exoteric, esoteric and hierarchical. It rules the personality, the soul and the fourth Creative Hierarchy. Hence the Sun (the physical Sun) is lessened in its power in Aquarius. The third initiation has been undergone and the light of the personality has been "put out" or dimmed by the light of the subjective Sun, influencing the soul. There is much to think out here but little more can be directly indicated, as the curious fact of this triple control by a planet constitutes one of the mysteries of initiation. It is tied up with the relation between Leo and Aquarius, for Leo is unusual in having all its ruling influences concentrated through the medium of one planet. Leo indicates the height of achievement of the human soul. We are apt to think that initiation and liberation are the achievement of the human kingdom

148 A Treatise on the Seven Rays and the attainment of humanity. This is not the case. Initiation is an achievement and an attained success of the soul which has at last succeeded in dominating the personality and in manifesting its true nature and character, in spite of the personality and the antagonism of the human being intent upon his own purposes. It is literally the attainment of certain desired objectives, towards which the units of the fifth kingdom in nature have been working for aeons, and expresses the end of the enforced task and sacrifice and planetary service. This achievement reaches its goal at the third initiation and from that time on man, liberated and free, serves from free choice and as a soul, conscious of intent and purpose upon the physical plane. The decanates in Aquarius are governed (according to Alan Leo) by Saturn, Mercury and Venus, and the effect that they will produce upon human affairs and world conditions is already beginning to appear. Saturn is the planet of discipleship and of opportunity; it is exceedingly active today, presenting to the world disciple those difficult situations and crises which will involve free choice, discriminative pioneering, wise response and correct decision, thus bringing about the destruction of that which hinders without the relinquishing of any true values of which humanity may be aware. The individual disciple has always been faced with these conditioning and releasing circumstances, and today humanity itself is in the same position. We stand at the gateway of the new world, of the new age and its new civilizations, ideals and culture. Saturn, having offered opportunity and proffered us a choice to bring about the needed changes and to destroy that which holds back the free expression of the soul, eventually stands aside in order to let His great Brother, Mer- cury, spread the light of the soul––intuitive and illuminating

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 149 ––upon the situation, to interpret for us, through our own illumined minds, the significance of events and to relate the old and the new, the past and the future through the light of the present. Hence, the subjective usefulness of the present general trend towards meditation processes which bring about the capacity to be "impressed from on high" (technically understood) and to be illumined by the light of the soul. When the task of Saturn and of Mercury has been accomplished, then during the third decanate, Venus, which is the union of heart and mind, will usher in the long hoped for era of love-wisdom, of brotherhood and of expressed brotherly relationships. Opportunity –– Illumination –– Brotherhood: these are the gifts that Shamballa is planning to confer upon mankind during the Aquarian Age, if man will but prepare for them, accept them, and use them. Only the future will make clear man's reaction. According to other astrologers, the three decanates are governed by Venus, Mercury and the Moon. You can here see the relation of astrology to the normal or to the reversed wheel of life. The Moon which here takes the place of Saturn hides the planet Uranus. In this case Uranus, the occult planet, stands for exoteric science which penetrates into the hidden side of form life, and thus we have the period wherein man is not alert enough or conscious enough to seize upon opportunity and turn it to esoteric or soul ends, but can identify himself with the more advanced aspects of form. The energy which produces opportunity, illumination, and brotherly love as expressed and attained upon the Fixed Cross, demonstrates upon the Mutable or Common Cross as difficulty, the versatile and volatile mind (unstable and dark) and as sex. This appears clearly in the words spoken to the man

150 A Treatise on the Seven Rays upon the Mutable Cross as he passes through an Aquarian cycle. The words are: "And the Word said, Let desire in form be ruler," for desire becomes gained knowledge and the knowledge of that which is hidden at any stage upon the path of evolution relates the individual to Uranus. When the man is upon the Fixed Cross, the words come forth: "Water of life am I, poured forth for thirsty men." The implications are so clear that there is no need for me to be more explicit or to elaborate the theme. We shall next consider Capricorn at some length. These three studies of Pisces, Aquarius and Capricorn will be slightly longer than the succeeding ones as I have been laying the foundation of what I have to say under our fifth point: The Three Crosses. We shall have brought out certain considerations in connection with them that will be of value; Pisces is part of the Mutable Cross, Aquarius of the Fixed Cross, and Capricorn of the Cardinal Cross, and there will, therefore, be no need to repeat in such detail what I have here said when we are dealing with the other signs. These three signs are beginning signs or final signs, according to the state of the wheel of life. They also sum up or initiate the activities of the other nine signs which are fundamentally strictly human signs and synthesize the results of experience upon the three Crosses. We shall be able now to cover our present thesis anent the philosophical implications of the Great Wheel of the Zodiac far more rapidly, as I can now leave what else remains to be said in connection with the three Crosses until I come to that part of our Section VI. There I shall have much of interest to point out. I have dealt with these three Crosses at some length whilst we were covering these first three signs of the zodiacal wheel as it revolves from Aries, through Pisces, to Taurus. Each of these three is found on

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 151 one of the Crosses and thus in themselves and in their relationship they constitute a complete unit. It is interesting to note how these three signs are either those of commencement (upon the Mutable Cross) or of consummation (upon the Fixed Cross). In the case where they stand for beginning we have: 1. Aries................. 1st Aspect............. Movement outward into incarnation. latent. The Will to manifest. Experience upon the Cardinal Cross. 2. Pisces................ 2nd Aspect............ Desire for form existence. The Love latent. or desire for material things. Con- stant mutation. Experience upon the Mutable or Common Cross. 3. Aquarius........... 3rd Aspect............. Consecration to the service of the latent. lower self. Selfishness. Experience upon the Fixed Cross. When these three signs form the end of the cycle of expression upon the reversed wheel then you have: 1. Aquarius........... 3rd Aspect............. Consecration to the service of the expressed. Whole. The death or negation of all personality selfishness. Culmination of experience upon the Fixed Cross. 2. Pisces................ 2nd Aspect............ Emergence of a world saviour. Death expressed. of all separative desire and love, even spiritual longing and aspiration. Culmination of experience upon the Mutable Cross. 3. Aries................. 1st Aspect............. Appearance of the will to cooperate expressed. with the Plan. The death of Self- will. Culmination of experience upon the Cardinal Cross. The same basic mode of considering the three Crosses can be carried out with Gemini, Taurus, Aries or the reverse: Aries, Taurus and Gemini, remembering always that the Mutable Cross governs the wheel in ordinary progress and the Fixed Cross governs it on the reversed progress during discipleship. The Cardinal Cross in reality governs

152 A Treatise on the Seven Rays both processes but this is only understood when initiation has taken place. 1. Aries––Governs the Path of Discipleship. The Will to return to the Source. Determination to achieve liberation. The emanating cause of the changes upon the Mutable and Fixed Crosses. 2. Taurus––The desire to overcome desire. The longing for liberation. Transmutation of desire into Love. 3. Gemini––The fusion of the opposites; the intelligent work of at-one-ment; synthesis. Upon the ordinary wheel, these signs bring about: 1. Gemini––Experience of the pairs of opposites. Pro- nounced and separative duality. The interplay between the Twins: Soul and form natures. 2. Taurus––The refocusing of the lower desires prior to another circling of the Great Wheel in search of personality satisfaction. The Prodigal Son journeys into a far country. 3. Aries––Again the beginning as well as the end. It should be remembered that Aries is definitely that divine manifestation to which Christ referred when He said "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end." The significance of this can, however, only be grasped when the experiences of the Mutable Cross and of the Fixed Cross have been transcended and the Cardinal Cross has been consciously mounted after the third initiation. This is the "wheel which turns upon itself and rolls from north to south and then from east to west as it progresses onward and, in one moment of time, this it does." This is a symbolic way of expressing the united activity of all the states of consciousness, achieved upon the first two wheels, and which

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 153 life experience, in many rounds of the zodiac, has brought to the initiate; it means likewise that type of awareness which transcends even that of the Christ Himself and for which He and the Buddha are undergoing preparation. The experience of the Cardinal Cross (concerning as it does cosmic unfoldment) transcends all possible awareness, gained upon the other two Crosses and for which they have prepared the initiate. It might be stated that 1. The Mutable Cross, in due time and when its lessons are assimilated, brings about planetary awareness. 2. The Fixed Cross brings about systemic awareness. 3. The Cardinal Cross brings about cosmic awareness. CAPRICORN, THE GOAT This is one of the most difficult signs about which to write, for it, as you know, is the most mysterious sign of all the twelve. It is the sign of the Goat which seeks its sustenance in the most rocky and arid of the world's places and it, therefore, relates man to the mineral kingdom; it is also the sign of the Crocodiles which live half in the water and half on dry land; it is spiritually the sign of the Unicorn which is the "fighting and triumphant creature" of the ancient myths. Under the symbolism of the above creatures, this sign gives us a rather complete picture of man with his feet upon the earth, yet running free and climbing to the heights of worldly ambition or of spiritual aspiration in search of what he realizes (at any particular time) to be his major need. As the Goat, he is man, the earthly, human, greedy seeker after the satisfaction of desire, or man, the equally selfish aspirant hunting for the satisfaction of his aspiration. This sign portrays to us man, an ambitious animal in two senses of the word: in the early stage upon

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 161 mount the Cardinal Cross and take some of the higher initiations. So the conflict is on between humanity (under the control of the Lords of Materiality) and the Hierarchy (under the control of the Forces of Light and Love), and right before our eyes the battle is being waged. The influences of the twelve signs of the zodiac (particularly of seven of the signs) are being engaged, for today men of all types and rays are responsive to their influences and are implicated in some form or another in the affair. You will note, therefore, that if the concentrated forces of the Cardinal Cross are definitely potent at this time (as they are) the battle is terrific, because, 1. Humanity, as a whole, is in a state of turmoil, prior to a great step forward in self-conscious unfoldment, and in the expression of the sense of responsibility which is the first flower and fruit of self-conscious awareness. This fact is responsible for sweeping into the conflict in a peculiar and pronounced manner the forces of Cancer (involutionary in nature), of Leo (concerned with individualization) and of Gemini (expressive of man's essential duality). You find, therefore, today, the activity of the mass consciousness of Cancer which is indicative of the activity of the Cardinal Cross in the involutionary stage; the self consciousness of man as indicated by Leo, the most human sign of all, and indicative of the Fixed Cross; and Gemini, which gives the sense of the dual nature of man––human and divine–– which is the goal of the consciousness of experience upon the Mutable Cross. You consequently have a sign in each of the three Crosses particularly active today in influencing the masses of men everywhere. A little

162 A Treatise on the Seven Rays study of world conditions, as far as man is concerned, will prove this. 2. The disciples of the world today and advanced humanity are equally in a state of turmoil. They are being tested and tried, prior to taking a major step forward–– in some cases this will be the taking of the first initiation and in others the second. This is brought about by, and brings in, the forces of Taurus, Leo and Scorpio, plus a general pervasive influence coming from Gemini. You have here three signs found in the Fixed Cross and one in the Mutable Cross conditioning and affecting the world disciples, and all of them of terrific importance and potency today, owing to the stage of development and the sensitivity of the disciples and world initiates. 3. The initiates, in their turn, are being subjected to the impact of energies from Scorpio, Capricorn and Pisces ––an inflow of force from each of the three Crosses. These three forces enable the initiates to take the third initiation. It will interest you to note that average humanity is, therefore, subjected to the influences of three major signs at this time and conditioned by potencies coming from each of the three Crosses. These present men with the responsibility of choice, evoking their free will, their trend towards self- determination and their established decision at this time of world crisis. You will note that the world disciples are related to the mass of men through their responsiveness to influences emanating from Gemini, and to each other through Scorpio. This produces in them the capacity to respond to test, to a sense of the vision (through the illumined eye of Taurus) and to use their power of individ-

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 163 uality through a developed personality and through the potency of Leo. Initiates are brought into relation to the world disciples through the constellation Scorpio, to the hierarchical center through Capricorn, and to the mass through Pisces, the sign of all world saviors. Seven constellations are, therefore, predominantly brought into a close combination at the present moment of crisis and are responsible for world affairs as they are found today:

The exoteric and the esoteric planetary rulers of Capri- corn are the same, and Saturn rules the career of the man in this sign no matter whether he is on the ordinary or the reversed wheel, or whether he is on the Mutable or the Fixed Cross. When he has taken the third initiation and can consciously mount the Cardinal Cross, he is then released from the ruling of Saturn and comes under the influence of Venus, who is governor or ruler of the Hierarchy which is that of the Crocodiles. A reference to the tabulation heretofore given will show this. It is only when a man is upon the Cardinal Cross that the significance, purpose and potencies of the Creative Hierarchies become clear to

164 A Treatise on the Seven Rays him and the "doors of entrance" into all of them stand wide open. On the Mutable Cross and on the Fixed Cross we have the so-called green ray, controlling not only the daily life of karmic liability upon the path of evolution, but also controlling the experiences and processes of evolution. The reason for this is that Capricorn is an earth sign and because the third and fifth rays work pre-eminently through this sign, embodying the third major aspect of divinity, active intelligence plus that of its subsidiary power, the fifth Ray of Mind. These pour through Capricorn to Saturn and to Venus and so reach our planet, the Earth. Saturn is one of the most potent of the four Lords of Karma and forces man to face up to the past, and in the present to prepare for the future. Such is the intention and purpose of karmic opportunity. From certain angles, Saturn can be regarded as the planetary Dweller on the Threshold, for humanity as a whole has to face that Dweller as well as the Angel of the Presence, and in so doing discover that both the Dweller and the Angel are that complex duality which is the human family. Saturn, in a peculiar relation to the sign Gemini, makes this possible. Individual man makes this discovery and faces the two extremes whilst in the sign Capricorn; the fourth and fifth Creative Hierarchies do the same thing in Libra. Through Saturn and Venus, therefore, Capricorn is connected with Libra and also with Gemini and Taurus, and these four constellations––Taurus, Gemini, Libra and Capricorn––constitute a potent quaternary of energies and between them produce those conditions and situations which will enable the initiate to demonstrate his readiness and capacity for initiation. They are called the "Guardians of the Four Secrets."

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 165 Taurus––Guards the secret of light and confers illumination upon the initiate. Gemini––Guards the mystery or secret of duality and presents the initiate with a word which leads to the fusion of the greater pairs of opposite. Libra––Guards the secret of balance, of equilibrium and finally speaks the word which releases the initiate from the power of the Lords of Karma. Capricorn––Guards the secret of the soul itself and this it reveals to the initiate at the time of the third initiation. This is sometimes called the "secret of the hidden glory." Through certain other of the planetary rulers, through the medium of which the third and fifth rays work, Capri- corn is connected with other constellations besides the four above mentioned, but these four are for our purposes the most important. Students can work out the remaining interlocking energies for themselves, if they so desire, by relating the rays, planetary rulers and constellations through reference to the tabulations already given. The subject is, however, definitely confusing to the beginner, and it is for this reason that I am dealing here with the philosophy and symbolism of the signs first of all, so as to familiarize the student with the general scheme and the universal broad interlocking. The third and fifth rays are peculiarly active upon the Path of Discipleship, just as the sixth and fourth are dominant upon the Path of Evolution and the first and seventh upon the Path of Initiation. The second ray controls and dominates all the other rays, as you well know.

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 173 According to Alan Leo, we have Saturn, Venus and Mer- cury. According to Sepharial we have Jupiter, Mars and the Sun. Of these two, the first is the more correct and the more esoteric. The true rulers are Saturn, Venus and the Sun. I would remind you that Mercury and the Sun are interchangeable but that in this case the Sun stands exoterically for Mercury and esoterically for a hidden planet. Saturn relates Capricorn to the previous sign Aquarius, upon the ordinary wheel, and Jupiter, exoterically understood, relates Capricorn to Sagittarius upon the reversing wheel. It will be obvious to all esotericists that the Sun is the obvious ruler of the third decanate, veiling as it does a hidden and deeply significant planet and being that which reveals divinity at the time of the third initiation. You will note how, in this great sign of initiation, Saturn reveals the nature of the third aspect of divinity, the nature of intelligent substance; Venus reveals the nature of the second aspect, which is consciousness or intelligent love, whilst the Sun––the physical Sun and the heart of the Sun together–– reveals the synthesis of these two. The key words upon the ordinary wheel are "And the Word said: Let ambition rule and let the door stand wide." Here we have the key to the evolutionary urge, to the secret of rebirth, and of that word which reverberates from Can- cer to Capricorn. The door of initiation stands ever open, but for aeons of time man prefers the open door in Cancer. Ambition urges him on from life to life until he has discovered the worthlessness of all earthly gratification. Gradually then spiritual ambition and a desire for liberation take the place of worldly ambition, and become an impelling impulse until finally the moment arrives when a true sense of reality supersedes both earthly and spiritual ambition. The man can then say with truth "Lost am I in light super-

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 189 material evolution and the objective of all incarnating processes. 3. Virgo––Hierarchically, indicating the purpose of the Cosmic Christ. Both the Earth and Saturn (one a non-sacred and one a sacred planet) are exponents or expressions of the third Ray of Active Intelligence, and this ray relationship serves to bring the influences of Capricorn into relationship with Sagittarius, thus providing a field of energy wherein the one- pointed disciple can finally become the initiate. This is the set goal of the subject born in Sagittarius––whether it is the set goal of initiation into some form of sensuous experience or of spiritual undertaking and consciousness. The result of all experience in any sign of the zodiac should definitely work out as an expansion of consciousness and, no matter what form this experience may take, it consummates in an initiation of some kind or another. Students would do well to regard initiation as a determining process in life, and should endeavor that every life experience or cycle of life experience should work out as an initiation into a wider field of awareness, of expression and of resultant contact. There is little more that I need say and little else upon which I need at this stage of study to comment. The man who is nearing the path of discipleship or who is already a disciple––pledged or under observation––will profit much from a deep and systematic study of this sign. I would suggest that the student bear in mind the position of this sign. Scorpio stands midway between two signs of balance or of equilibrium––Sagittarius and Libra. Libra marks an interlude or a notable point of balance before the strenuous testing and trial of Scorpio. Sagittarius marks another point of balance which follows after that testing, for the

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 199 You have consequently in connection with the path of discipleship the following lines of "influential energy": 1. Sirius––working in a sevenfold manner through the seven rays and their seven groups as these constitute the active Hierarchy. 2. The Fixed Cross––a fusion of four major energies, pouring into our solar system, on to our planet and through humanity. 3. Scorpio––an aspect of the Fixed Cross, of peculiar and specialized potency upon the Path of Discipleship and preparing, with its tests and trials: a. The process of re-orientation, whereby a man mounts the Fixed Cross and leaves the Mutable Cross. b. The disciple for the first, second and third initiations. After the third initiation, its peculiar testing potency is no longer felt. 4. The Hierarchy.––The distributing agency to the various kingdoms in nature. 5. Mars and Saturn.––Both these planets are exceedingly potent in connection with initiation into the life of the Hierarchy; Mars is potent in relation to Scorpio and Saturn in relation to Capricorn. This involves the intensified activity of the 6th and the 3rd rays and their energies, and when these are rightly employed there comes liberation from form control and the release of the conscious individual. Again, astrologers would do well to work with this line of fused forces, studying its implications and effects in the life of the disciple.

208 A Treatise on the Seven Rays wherein the trials and the discipline are unavoidable and inevitable. When the mind has reached a relatively high stage of development, the memory aspect is evoked in a new and conscious manner and then every latent pre-disposition, every racial and national instinct, every unconquered situation and every controlling fault rises to the surface of consciousness and then––the fight is on. The keynote of Scorpio is, however, Triumph. This is its major expression upon the physical plane. As a result of struggle and of victory, the whole divine man––not yet perfectly expressing himself, if I might word the situation thus––is anchored upon the physical plane with such accuracy and clarity that there is no escape from the environing conclusions of the disciple's family, friends and group that he is a disciple. From that angle he is meticulously watched; he learns the meaning of the word "example"; he is pilloried by those who are onlookers and the first conscious stages toward group awareness and group response, plus group service, are now taken. Such is the outcome and the reward of the experience in Scorpio. It is in this sign that the prodigal son comes to himself, and having eaten of the husks of life and having exhausted the resources of worldly desire and ambition––he says: "I will rise and go to my Father." There are two such major crises in the life of the aspirant: 1. When the intelligent man of the world comes to himself and then re-orients himself to the soul and its requirements. This leads to the tests in Scorpio. 2. When the initiate of the third degree––upon a higher turn of the spiral––re-orients himself to the Monad and passes through most subtle tests to certain unde-

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 209 finable and spiritual recognitions. Upon these we need not enlarge. There is little for me to add here in connection with the fact that Scorpio is upon one of the four arms of the Fixed Cross. In the study of previous signs, much anent the Fixed Cross has already been covered and there is no need for me to repeat the information here. Desire in Taurus becomes spiritual aspiration in Scorpio. The darkness of the experience in Scorpio becomes illumination in Taurus, for it must never be forgotten that where the pairs of opposites are concerned they gain and profit from each other, for there is a direct line of force and of contact between the two. This is a fact which is seldom recognized. We come now to a consideration of the Rulers which govern the sign, Scorpio. Their influence is potent in the lives of the average or undeveloped man who responds more easily to the planetary influences in the twelve houses of his personality horoscope than does the more advanced man who is coming under the direct influence of the zodiacal signs. Through these Rulers, two rays are brought into a potent controlling position in Scorpio; they are the sixth Ray of Devotion and the fourth Ray of Harmony through Conflict, the latter having a peculiar relation to the mode of human development and the former to the methods of the Piscean age which is just passing. Mars and Mercury control and Mars is particularly active, owing to the fact that Mars is both the orthodox planet controlling the personality in Scorpio and also the esoteric planet conditioning the unfoldment of the disciple. Mars is the dominating factor in the tests and trials of the disciple, prior to the experience in Sagittarius and the initiation in Capricorn, and this for the following reasons:

212 A Treatise on the Seven Rays through the battle between the highly developed personality or form nature and the soul which seeks to be the ultimate controlling factor. The color assigned to Mars is, as you know, red and this is a correspondence to the color of the blood stream and hence also the association of Mars with passion, with anger and a sense of general opposition. The sense of duality is exceedingly powerful. Hence also the necessity for the entire life of man (for the blood is the life in this sense) to be swung into the conflict, leaving no side of human nature uninvolved; hence again the need for the disciple to carry his physical nature, his emotional or desire nature and his mental processes up into heaven. This takes place as a consequence of overcoming the "serpent of evil" (the form nature with its promptings and demands) by the means of the "serpent of wisdom," which is the esoteric name oft given to the soul. In connection with the symbolic connection between Mars and the blood, producing the resultant conflict between life and death (for Scorpio is one of the signs of death), it is interesting to note that Christianity is governed by Mars. One is apt to recognize with ease that the sixth ray, working through Mars, rules Christianity. It is a religion of devotion, fanaticism, of high courage, of idealism, of the spiritual emphasis upon the individual and his worth and problem, of conflict and of death. All those characteristics are familiar to us in the presentation of Chris- tian theology. It is however pre-eminently a religion which has waged a cruel and oft illogical war upon sex and its implications; it has emphasized a militant celibacy (militant where women and their rights and natures are concerned); it has regarded the sex relation as one of the primary evils in the world and has laid the emphasis upon

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 213 the inviolable nature of the marriage bond when endorsed by the Church. This has all been the result of the beneficent or the malefic effect of the impact of sixth ray force upon the form nature. Little emphasis has been laid nevertheless upon the influence of Mars upon Christianity, making it a definitely militant religion, oft cruel and sadistic (as witness the murders and tortures carried out in the name of Christ, who was the outstanding Representative of God's love). Throughout the teaching of Christian theology, the theme of blood runs ceaselessly and the source of salvation is laid upon the blood relationship and not upon the life aspect which the blood veils and symbolizes. It is the creed of a crucified and dead Christ which rules Christianity and not that of the risen Master. One of the reasons for this travesty of the truth has been that St. Paul, that great initiate, prior to taking the third initiation which he did at the time he was functioning as related in The Acts of the Apostles, was potently under Martian influence and was born in Scor- pio; a study of his horoscope would demonstrate this were you in a position to study as can we who are connected with the Hierarchy. It was he who gave the Scorpio-Mars slant to the interpretation and exposition of the Christian teaching and deflected its energy into channels of teaching which its Founder had never intended. Such is often the undesirable effect of the activities of well-meaning disciples upon the work which they undertake to carry on after the origi- nator of some work for the Hierarchy passes over to the other side through death or relinquishes his task in order to take up other duties. The blood theme and the death theme, the suffering and the dire testing of the disciple, the value of the individual conflict and the consciousness of the misery of existence are basically due to the combined influences of Scorpio and of

262 A Treatise on the Seven Rays standing. This will be the situation in the future for the masses. The astrologer of the future will have to bear these three modes of progression carefully in mind. Such is God's plan as we at present can sense it. In this plan Virgo, the Vir- gin, stands for the womb of time and passes the personality- soul (Leo-Virgo) through the three above stages or cycles. She stands also for the womb of form and for the nurturing mother, guarding the Christ principle within her own material substance until in "the fullness of time" she can give birth to the Christ child. There are three principal signs connected with the Christ principle in this world period: 1. Virgo.––Gestation––governing nine signs from Virgo to Capricorn, including Virgo. 2. Capricorn.––Labor––three signs from Capricorn to Pisces, until the third initiation, including Capricorn. 3. Pisces.––Birth––appearance of the world Savior. In the consideration of these points, another problem for astrology emerges upon which I have scarcely touched but which is determining in its results. There must be distinction made between the horoscope of the form and the horoscope of the inner, living Christ-principle. This will condition the new astrology but will be developed as astrologers work with the hypotheses which I have presented. Ponder on these facts connected with the Christ life; they are familiar to you theoretically but their implications and their esoteric meaning are abstruse and oft difficult to those who have been reared under the old order and with the old ideas and approaches to truth. They signify far more than has hitherto been grasped.

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 269 the Path of Discipleship and the earlier stages of evolutionary development. The initiate is responsive to planetary, systemic and certain cosmic influences and becomes––if I might so express it––a lens through which "the many lights which are energy itself" can stream and thus be focused upon our planet. To these energies, the initiate tunes his consciousness and thus becomes a planetary server. The other point upon which I might here touch is that certain of the rays express themselves through two planets. For instance, the fourth Ray of Harmony through Conflict reaches us both through the Moon and through Mercury, whilst the first Ray of Will or Power reaches us through Vulcan and through Pluto. The real reason for this is one of the secrets of initiation and is hidden in the destiny of the fourth Creative Hierarchy and in the will-to-manifest of the Lord of our Earth, Who is Himself upon the third Ray of Active Intelligence; of Him it is said that "when the third great energy is related to the fourth Creative Hierarchy, the mystery of the perfected Seven will be understood." One of the more obvious of the significances of this statement is to be found in the unfoldment of intelligence and love in the initiate, at which time of manifested expression and at the last major initiation, he will be responsive to the synthesis of energies which emanate from the "seven spirits before the throne of God." These are the representatives of the seven Rishis of the Great Bear and Their other pole, the seven Sisters of the Pleiades, symbolically recognized as the seven wives of the Rishis of the Great Bear. Here again, in relation to our solar system, do we find another great triangle of energies, of which the focal points on our Earth are the seven Spirits before the Throne. With this triangle we shall later deal; I simply want to refer to it here:

270 A Treatise on the Seven Rays 1. The seven Spirits responsive to the seven sacred planets. They are: a. Expressions of divine life upon the Earth. b. Focal points for the Lords of the seven rays. c. Rulers of the seven planes of consciousness and manifestation. d. Representatives because responsive to 2. The seven Rishis of the Great Bear Who are: a. Expressions of the life of the One About whom Naught May Be Said. b. The positive focal points for the seven major cosmic energies. c. Rulers of the seven Creative Hierarchies. d. Related as positive poles to 3. The seven Sisters or the seven Pleiades who: a. Are expressions of the dualism of manifestation in their relation to the seven Rishis. b. Provide the negative pole to the positive aspect of the seven Rishis. c. Fuse with the positive energies of the Great Bear and, unitedly, work through seven of the zodiacal signs. Here again the complexity of the forces playing upon our planet and increasing in their number and their potency as the vehicles of response upon our planet become more highly developed and sensitive and are, therefore, capable of a truer reaction and a more rapid response to the many forces impinging upon our planetary forms of life. It has been remarked by a profound astrological expert Who

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 271 works with the Masters of the Great White Lodge that "when humanity comprehends the distinction between the signs and the constellations, understands the nature of the polarity of energies and responds to the three cosmic Real- ities, the twelve cosmic Energies and the seven planetary Impacts and the interplay of the twelve Creative Hierarch- ies, then and not till then will a radiant light be seen and the destiny of our solar Logos be finally determined." Be- hind this statement are to be found three meanings: one for average intelligent man, another for disciples, and a third one for initiates above the third degree. As I earlier pointed out to you, the sign Virgo is related to nine constellations and in this fact lies both prophecy and guarantee. That which this sign veils and hides is potentially responsive to nine streams of energy which––playing upon the life within the form and evoking response from the soul––produce those "points of crisis" and those "moments of demonstrated development" to which we have referred in speaking of Leo-Libra-Capricorn. Through Mercury, Virgo comes into close relation to three constellations––Aries, Gemini, and Scorpio. Here again is a triangle of energies of great importance in the life of the Christ-child which Virgo guards and nourishes and hides within herself. Through Aries and Scorpio, the Christ-life and manifestation is integrated with that of the fourth Creative Hierarchy; herein lies a great mystery which is concerned with the dual manifestation of the Christ principle both in form and––upon its own plane––through spiritual manifestation; it is here also that the true significance of the words found in The Bhagavad Gita appears when Krishna (the Christ principle) says to Arjuna (the world disciple, or developed form aspect): "Having pervaded the entire universe with a fragment of myself, I re-

276 A Treatise on the Seven Rays is called a triangle of humanity and––under the theories of the Science of Triangles––it concerns the relation of the individual to the mass of humanity and of the disciple to the group. These triangles warrant most careful study. It is the planet Neptune which is predominantly active in bringing about such an activity in Cancer that adequate momentum can be set up which will produce progress (through the intervening signs) to Aquarius. I would like here to add something more to the teaching about the wheel of life and its reversed motion which occurs at a particular stage of evolution. I want to call your attention to the fact that the difficulty of the problem and the intensification of the life of conscious duality which marks the earlier stages of the Path of Discipleship, up to and immediately preceding the third initiation, is based upon the wheel of the zodiac contributing its influences to the life of the form nature in a normal manner; the myriads of lives which constitute the form are conditioned by the signs of the zodiac proceeding in its normal manner––clockwise, due to the precession of the equinoxes, whilst the life of the disciple, focused in the soul consciousness, is governed (or should I remark, should be governed?) by the wheel, proceeding anti-clockwise. Both motions are in potent opposition and symbolically speaking, produce eventually that "tearing asunder" which always precedes initiation and illumination and which is testified to by all the mystics and initiates. This is in reality that which produces the destruction of the veil of illusion and is symbolically referred to in The new Testament as "the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom." This constitutes the result of the dual activity of the Great Wheel. It precedes the dark night of the soul wherein the man stands pendant between heaven and earth and then cries:

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 277 "Where is the one God Who has forsaken me? He is nowhere to be seen and all other gods have gone. I stand alone, bereft yet unafraid. I see the dark of form; I see the dark of distant spirit. And all the light of soul seems gone." Then comes the cry triumphant: "I know I am the Light of God. There is naught else." Through the Moon and also through Jupiter, Virgo is brought into relationship with Aquarius which means, in this case, with the seventh Creative Hierarchy, or with the atomic substance out of which the dense body of manifestation has to be constructed if the Christ life (which the Virgin nurtures) is to be brought to successful manifestation. The cause of manifestation is, esoterically speaking, the stimulation of the "dead lives" (the so-called inorganic substance) into activity and into usefulness to the positive Christ life, which is the agent of the stimulation. Hence the Moon is the symbol of the response of the dead lives to the outer spiritual impact. The central idea of occultism that even the smallest atom of substance has in it the germ of that which can respond to spiritual energy is preserved for us in the teaching anent the influence of Jupiter, the second ray agent of the Christ spirit. In connection with Jupiter, as might be expected from a study of the rays, Virgo is related both to Sagittarius and to Pisces. This is an exoteric impact but produces a constant stimulation of the life of the indwelling Christ, Sagittarius rules or conditions (for that is what the word means) the activity of the lunar lords who build the body of man out of their own substance. It will, therefore, be obvious to you why, when a man begins the one-pointed activity of Sagittarius and becomes the earnest disciple, it

278 A Treatise on the Seven Rays is possible for him to rule his personality and to govern it so that eventually it becomes the vehicle of the soul. It accounts also for the reaction of the personality against this control. It is because of facts such as these that astrology is bound to become one of the major sciences of the future, and when this is so the control of the personality will be scientifically carried forward; full use will be made of the planetary influences and the energies coming from the signs as they cyclically make their appearance, and special effort will be made, for instance, to gain certain aspects of control during the month in which the Sun is in the sign Sagittarius. The relation existing between Virgo and Pisces (between the Virgin Mother and the Fish Goddesses) is well known, for they are polar opposites and their functions are interchangeable in a peculiar manner. In the revolution of the ordinary wheel, Aries and Scorpio mark the beginning and the end, and consummate in the rounded out and equipped personality. They are, exoterically, Alpha and Omega. In the life of the disciple, Virgo and Pisces stand in the same relation. Pisces consummates the work carried forward in this major world cycle. Some idea of the creative story above indicated can be gained if the tabulation of the nine constellations with their signs is studied. 1. Aries.................... Beginning................... Cardinal Cross. 2. Gemini................. Relation...................... Mutable Cross. 3. Taurus.................. Desire......................... Fixed Cross. 4. Cancer................. Movement.................. Cardinal Cross. 5. Scorpio................ Test-Trial....................Fixed Cross. 6. Sagittarius............ Direction.................... Mutable Cross. 7. Aquarius.............. Service........................Fixed Cross. 8. Pisces................... Salvation.................... Mutable Cross. 9. VIRGO................. THE MOTHER........... MUTABLE CROSS. One point of interest emerges: All the four arms of the Mutable Cross are represented in this interrelation, indi-

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 279 cating the completed activity of the Mutable Cross or of the preparatory stage of evolution which has successfully prepared the man for mounting the Fixed Cross. The personality is prepared to be the mother of the Christ. If we consider the two solar systems (the past and the present) as a unity it might be said that: 1. The Mutable Cross governed the first solar system. In that system and in this solar system, and to humanity en masse, this Cross rules or governs the path of probation (which in reality is the entire life experience, prior to treading the path of discipleship). 2. The Fixed Cross governs the present solar system and corresponds to the path of discipleship. 3. The Cardinal Cross will govern and rule the next solar system and in this system governs the path of initiation, which is trodden by the flower of the race. The fact that all four energies of the Mutable Cross, three of the Fixed Cross and two of the Cardinal Cross pour into the sign Virgo in relative degrees and potencies indicates the fundamental importance of this "sign of reception" as it is called. All nine energies are required to bring a man to the point where the world and influence of the two solar systems have done their task in: 1. Preparing the vehicle of reception and protection, which is the personality, the form, the self-conscious man. 2. Bringing into manifestation thereby the hidden man of the heart, the Christ within, the soul, the group conscious man. What will be the objective and the consummation of the activity of the Cardinal Cross during the next solar system

280 A Treatise on the Seven Rays is hidden in the revelation which comes to the man who has taken the third initiation. It is connected naturally with the Spirit or first aspect of divinity, or with the Monad and with the expression of the divine consciousness. Until a man has, however, taken this initiation, he profits not from anything that I could tell him in this connection. For its impartation also, words are useless and in fact do not exist. As I have told you, Virgo is regarded by the esoteric teachers of the Hierarchy to be identified with the third aspect of divinity, with the mother principle and is believed to be the director of the energies, developed and recognized in the first solar system. It is for this reason in this solar system that Virgo is subjected predominantly to the influence of the second, fourth and sixth ray energies through Jupiter (second ray) the Moon and Mercury (fourth ray) and Neptune (sixth ray). The Moon and Mercury together indicate the activity of the higher and lower mind and are, therefore, related to the third Ray of Active Intel- ligence which controlled the first solar system. There is consequently only one planet, Vulcan, which is distinctly and purely first ray energy. These are points which advanced astrologers will later elaborate but which at the present time mean little. There is another point in connection with the planetary influences which I would like to mention here because it emphasizes again the synthetic position of Virgo and its contribution as a major focal point for the distribution of energy to the fourth Creative Hierarchy. Jupiter rules four signs and each of them represents a different element out of the four which are expressing themselves in the three worlds of human evolution. The following tabulation will make this somewhat clearer:

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 299 lated to Scorpio, whose numbers upon the zodiacal wheel are the same as those of Leo, being five and eight. You have, therefore, the formation of the triangle to which I earlier referred: Leo-Scorpio, leading to initiation in Capricorn. As we are upon the subject, one other point might be touched upon here. August, which is ruled by Leo, is the month of the Dog-star, or of Sirius, which thus brings Sirius into close relation to Leo. Leo, in the cosmic sense (and apart from our solar system altogether) is ruled by Sirius. Sirius is the home of that greater Lodge to which our fifth initiation admits a man and to which it brings him, as a humble disciple. Later, when the new world religion is founded and is working, we shall find that the major, monthly festival in August, held at the time of the full moon, will be dedicated to the task of making contact, via the Hierarchy, with Sirian force. Each of the months of the year will later be dedicated (through accurate astrological and astronomical knowledge) to whichever constellation in the heavens governs a particular month, as Sirius governs Leo. This I shall later elaborate in the papers to be written anent the new "Approaches" to spiritual reality. Mercury again comes, at this point, into our discussion, and you thus have the formation of an esoteric quaternary, affecting powerfully the major quaternary of man––spirit, soul, mind and brain. This energy brings about an interrelation and an inner awakening which prepares the aspirant for initiation. This higher quaternary is Sirius-Leo-Mer- cury-Saturn. You have, therefore: Sirius Leo Mercury Saturn Spirit............. Soul............ Mind................ Brain. Life............... Quality....... Illumination..... Appearance. Inhalation..... Interlude.... Exhalation....... Interlude.

300 A Treatise on the Seven Rays The above tabulation gives you the clue to the basic reality and necessity of meditation as practiced by the disciple and the initiate. This may not be apparent to you at first sight and I may not further expand these suggestions, but the directed reflection of the illumined mind may bring insight to you in time. The influence of Sirius is not consciously felt until after the third initiation when the true nature of the spirit aspect begins to dawn upon the liberated, intuitive perception of the initiate. For the advanced initiate in this sign, and after the third initiation, Sirius becomes a major life factor. He begins to respond to its vibration because he now rules the Sun and the Moon and is controlling those two planets, for that is what the Sun and the Moon have become to him––simply planets to be ruled. This is a great mystery and I simply state the fact. Sirius, Leo, the Sun, the Moon and Mercury are now the influences with which the initiate is concerned. The influences of Sirius, three in number, are focused in Regulus, which is, as you know, a star of the first magnitude and which is frequently called "the heart of the Lion." There is more real occultism hidden in the names given to the various stars by astronomers down the ages than has yet been realized, and here you have a case in point. It will be apparent to you (given a little thought) that the Sun, as it veils Neptune, produces a potent effect upon the personality, symbolized for us here by the astral body, whilst Uranus (which is also veiled by the Sun) symbolizes the effect of the soul upon the personality. Hence the activity of the seventh ray, which is––from one angle––the lowest aspect of the first ray. Hence you have also the underlying idea of:

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 313 ness and an apparently vague subtlety which proves most elusive to the ordinary thinker. This also is true of all the signs which go to the forming of the Cardinal Cross of the Heavens. In the last analysis, it is only the initiated disciple who can fathom the true meaning of these zodiacal influences as they pulsate throughout the manifested universe, because they are primarily the expression of spirit or life more than of soul or body. Therefore, until after the third initiation––as you have oft been told––there is little to be known or said about that "mysterious essence which is divinity in motion." When you, for instance, read that the keynotes of this sign can be expressed in the Biblical phrase "the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters" does it, in reality, mean anything specific to you? You might reply by saying that it means, God moved in substance and produced by moving the outer tangible forms. But does that truly convey to you an intelligible truth? In Cancer, God breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul. In these words, you have established the relation which exists in the mind of God between spirit (the breath of life) the soul (consciousness) and man (the form). However, does that statement convey an intelligible concept to your mind? I think not, because the synthesis of the final relation is beyond the average grasp and its 'linking' or essential unity (lying as it does outside of consciousness and known reality) takes place first of all in this sign ––one of the most ancient of the signs and one of the first to be recognized and established as an influencing factor by ancient humanity. I state a basic truth––vaguely acknowledged by you–– that in Aries the essential substance of manifestation awoke to renewed activity under the impact of divine desire, impelled by the divine Breath, by divine Life or Spirit. In

314 A Treatise on the Seven Rays Cancer this living substance assumed a triple differentiated relationship to which we give the names of Life (Aries) of Consciousness (Taurus, the next sign to Aries) and manifested duality (Gemini, the sign preceding Cancer) and these three, blended together, came into outer manifestation in Cancer, thus completing an esoteric quaternary of great importance. Here the first major fusion, inchoate and unrealized, took place. In Libra, these reach a point of balance and of a somewhat static equilibrium (later to be disturbed in Scorpio), so that this essential triplicity appears clearly in relation to each other. In Capricorn, the sign of initiation, this basic triplicity begins to return to the earlier state of the "breath of spirit" but, this time, with full awareness and properly fulfilled organization, so that form is a perfect expression of the soul and the soul is sensitive and responsive to the pulsations of the One Life, as that Life reveals, through its activity, the perfect will of the Logos. The secret (so-called) of the Cardinal Cross is the secret of Life itself, just as that of the Fixed Cross is that of the soul or the mystery of self-conscious entity, whilst the Mutable Cross holds hid the mystery of form. In these words, you have the key to the secret of manifestation as a whole and to that mystery which was revealed to Christ at the final crucifixion and to which He testified His understanding reaction in the triumphant utterance recorded in The New Testament: "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me." He then left the Fixed Cross and the Identity which has hitherto been His and identified Himself with that which was then revealed. To these words, thus translated somewhat inaccurately in the Christian Bible, there are three meanings or true significances. The translation hinted at in The Secret Doctrine (S.D. II. 613),

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 315 "The robe, the robe, the beautiful robe of my strength no longer serves" expresses the inner revelation of the Mutable Cross, as it was revealed to the Savior, looking at life from the angle of the soul. In the words quoted above "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me," the mystery of the Fixed Cross was shewn to Him and the secret of the Cardinal Cross was, for the first time, held before His eyes. The words, embodying that central mystery, have never yet been given out. One of the factors which distinguished the Christ from all preceding world Saviors was the fact that He was the first of our humanity Who, having achieved divinity (and this many have done), was permitted to see the "golden thread of light and of living life which links the light within the center of all the manifested Crosses"; He was allowed to know the meaning of life as it expressed itself in the Cosmic Crucifixion, which is an episode of cosmic life and not of death, as is generally supposed. Hercules comprehended the true meaning of the Mut- able Cross and, with full knowledge, mounted the Fixed Cross, with all its attendant difficulties and labors. The Buddha comprehended, through complete illumination, the meaning of both the Mutable and the Fixed Crosses, for the secret of revelation in Taurus was His, just as the secret of directed energy in Scorpio was the source of the strength of Hercules. But the Christ, knowing both the above secrets, also understood with a living comprehension, the mystery of the Cardinal Cross, because the light of the Transfiguration (undergone in Capricorn) revealed to Him the glory and transcendent mystery. There are two words also which convey the purpose and intent of expression upon the Cardinal Cross. They give the reason why the two "Doors of the Zodiac" open

316 A Treatise on the Seven Rays wide to the impulse and demand of the divine Spirit. One is the word "self-preservation" which leads to the impulse to incarnate in Cancer, which is the Door to the physical plane expression of spirit. This impulse (when the form is the prime object of the attention of the soul and that with which it primarily identifies itself) brings about the stage of static concretion in the earth sign Capricorn. The other word is "immortality" which is the divine aspect of self- preservation; it is the major conditioning factor in the creative process and leads to the whole revelation of evolution, to the recurrent appearance of life in form, and to the revelation of life in form. In Capricorn, at the third initiation, this life aspect assumes primary importance. You will see, therefore, why the Cardinal Cross, is so mysterious; also why both Cancer and Capricorn are so little understood by modern astrology and why, in the last analysis, only the initiated Sons of God can grasp the significance of the four signs which comprise the Cardinal Cross, or understand the relation which exists between the four major divine energies which––pouring through the four arms of this Cross––produce the vortex of force (a synthetic force) which constitutes that "pool of pure, fiery light" through which all those who take the higher initiations must eventually pass. Those taking the first two initiations must tread the Path as it passes through the Burning Ground. Those taking the higher initiations have to plunge into the sea or pool of fire which is essentially the fire of God as it has been cleansed from every aspect of the material form through the complete purification of desire. The entire subject of rebirth is but little understood at present. Its modern presentation and the emphasis which has been laid so strongly on small and unimportant details have distorted and diverted the wide sweep of the subject

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 317 and ignored the true import of the process; the broad general lines of the incarnation process have been largely overlooked. In the debate as to the length of time a man is out of incarnation and in the consideration of foolish items of unproved and unprovable information, and in the puerile reconstruction of the past lives of theosophically inclined people (none of them based on any truth), the real truth and the real beauty of the theme have been lost to sight. Cancer is one point of the watery triplicity, and the symbolism which underlies the three water signs is most interesting in one particular direction. You have, as you know, the Crab, the Scorpion and the Fish Goddesses of the sign Pisces. In ancient Lemuria, the symbol of Pisces was a woman with the tail of a fish, and of this symbol the leg- endary mermaid is the memory. It was only in late At- lantean* times (when the conscious sense of duality was becoming present in the minds of the advanced humanity of the period) that the woman part of the symbol was dropped altogether and the two linked fishes took the place of the fish Goddesses. You have, therefore, the Crab, the Scorpion with the sting in its tail and the Fish. The slow moving Crab, identified with its dwelling place and carrying its house upon its back, lives upon the land (physical plane life) and also in the sea (the life of the emotions); the Scorpion is rapid in movement, deadly in its effect upon men around it and is a creature of the land; it is also the symbol of the transformed Crab and the result of the evolutionary process, and indicates the dangerous nature of the man who is not transformed and is therefore harmful and hurtful to others; the Fishes indicate the man from whom the symbol of materiality has been taken by the removal of half of the original symbol, thus indicating freedom from matter. The three water signs give us, therefore, a brief and symbolic *https://alliancesforhumanity.com/books/LemuriaM.pdf https://alliancesforhumanity.com/books/AtlantisM.pdf.

318 A Treatise on the Seven Rays history of man's growth and true personality development. It is a picture of the law of cause and effect. These thoughts you can elaborate for yourself and thus arrive at the evident implications. There is also a significant relationship between five signs which are deeply esoteric in their nature and their effects when swept into this particular interplay. They are only called into activity during the return half of the wheel of life or the "wheel of living action or of conscious undertaking" as it is called in the Old Commentary. This name is given to the wheel as it turns anti-clockwise from Aries to Pisces via Taurus. This fivefold relationship is only established upon the Path of Discipleship and is brought about by the esoteric linking of Cancer-Virgo-Scorpio-Capricorn- Pisces. In the future horoscopes of disciples, this significant interplay of forces will be recognized as dominating the chart at a particular and peculiar stage of discipleship. In this case, disciples will be born in one or other of these signs or with one of other of these signs rising. You have two signs of water and earth (Cancer and Virgo) in the stage of sub-conscious emphasis wherein everything is latent and hidden. Human consciousness is only embryonic in Cancer, for it is the mass mind which dominates and not the individual mind. In Virgo, the Christ life or consciousness is hidden and the Christ Child is as yet embryonic in the womb of matter and of time, and during this stage, the emphasis is upon the form which veils and hides the reality. The human soul and the divine soul (the essential duality) are there but their presence is not easily de- tected. In Scorpio comes a point of transition, of change and of re-orientation. That which has been hitherto hidden appears and is brought to the surface by means of the experience, the tests, the trials and the "sting of life." In Capri-

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 319 corn––as a result of the effects of the influences of Cancer, Virgo and Scorpio––the disciple begins to demonstrate the capacity to express the life of two kingdoms at least in some measure, and is a developed human being and also a citizen of the kingdom of God. Therefore, for an initiate and for a period of three incarnation, the four signs of revelation (Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio and Capricorn) intensify their effect upon him, until in the fourth incarnation he begins to respond to the inner influence of Pisces. He thus demonstrates his ability to react to the Shamballa influence and, when this influence is established, he goes out to salvage and to save. He acts consciously as a world mediator. There- fore, it might be stated that: 1. In Cancer, the influence of the human Hierarchy begins to make its presence felt and to include the dualism of man. This emerges clearly in Virgo. Soul and body are closely related and knit together in one form. Man is a conscious personality, and this is a result of the Cancer experience, consummated in Virgo. Such is the way of humanity. The human center is active. 2. In Scorpio, the influence of the occult Hierarchy begins to set its seal on the human being, and his essential duality is put to the test. This is preparatory to a new and higher unity. He is at the miserable stage of being neither the soul nor the form––the stage of transition. Such is the way of the disciple. The hierarchical center is affecting him powerfully. 3. In Pisces, the influence of Shamballa claims the initiate as its field of activity and the dualism of soul and spirit emerges instead of that of soul and body which has hitherto been of major importance. The power of the

320 A Treatise on the Seven Rays form to hold the soul in captivity has been negated and tests and trials of the initiate up to the third initiation are directed to this end. Such is the way of the initiate. You will note the interesting fact that you have here nine signs which carry a man from the stage of imprisonment in form to the freedom of the kingdom of God, from the state of embryonic consciousness to the full flower of divine knowledge, from the condition of human awareness to the conscious wisdom of the initiated disciple. These nine signs are strictly expressive of human unfoldment––conscious and superconscious, though beginning with the mass awareness of Cancer. There are three signs, preceding these, which provide the subtle or subjective realities of the will-to-be (Aries), the desire-to-know (Taurus) and the establishment of relationship (Gemini), and these constitute the triple incentive to the manifestation of man and of the human kingdom. They correspond cosmically to the logoic, the monadic and spiritual planes to which the higher initiate has access or when dealing with the entire concept on a lower turn of the spiral and in connection with ordinary man, they correspond to the mental, the astral and the etheric vehicles of man. They are, therefore, related to the highest and the lowest expression of human life. I have in the above ideas given you several hints of vital importance. One of the symbols of an initiate of a certain degree is that of the five-pointed star with a triangle in the center; this is a reference to the energy of the watery triangle with which we have just been concerned and to the fivefold linking which has been established in the consciousness of the initiate. We come now to a consideration of the rulers of this sign and to a study of the planets which act as focal points

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 335 than this I cannot here indicate and more will not be possible until the present astrologers have done some concentrated work along the lines here designated. Simple as it sounds when stated, the most fundamental point for astrologers to grasp today is the need for them to know––prior to interpretation––where, upon the path of evolution, the subject under consideration stands. One other hint I will give. It will be from a study of those people who are born in the Cardinal Signs that the clearest information will emerge in this connection. It might be useful to point out here that: 1. Through a study of the Cardinal Cross––Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn––the astrologer can arrive at a clearer understanding: a. Of ordinary, individual, human beings. b. Of group beginnings. c. Of the significance of the first initiation. 2. Through a study of the Fixed Cross––Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius––he will arrive at a right interpretation of the lives: a. Of initiates. b. Of group absorption into synthesis. c. Of the significance of the third initiation. 3. Through a study of the Mutable Cross––Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces––he can arrive at the significance: a. Of disciples. b. Of group activity c. Of the second initiation. The above indications may not conform to the ideas generally held, and appear to reverse also some of the points

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 353 centers above the diaphragm. The power of the personality lessens and wanes whilst that of the soul waxes and grows. There is much to be learned from the study of the dual activity––higher and lower––of the etheric body and its relation to and responsiveness to the constellation, Gemini, but it is too abstruse for the ordinary student. It is nevertheless an esoteric fact to be borne in mind and will be some day of real service to the astrology of the future, for some day astrology will be lifted up to a higher plane. True interpretation will come and true healing in all departments of human living through a proper understanding of the available potencies and energies pouring into the planet at any particular time. We come now to a consideration of the Rulers of this sign and there is much to be learnt from a study of them. The orthodox ruler is Mercury who, as the Messenger of the Gods or the "divine Intermediary, carries messages between the poles with speed and light." In this most potent and important planet the idea of duality is again to be found, enhancing and enhanced by the influence of Gemini. Mercury is the expression of the dual aspect of the mind as it mediates between the higher and the lower. This mediation again falls into two stages: the use of the concrete mind as the mediator within the personality, conditioning the personality life, analyzing and distinguishing between the human self and the not-self and emphasizing the "me and thou" consciousness as well as that of the personality and its environment. Secondly, it carries the messages between the soul and the brain and establishes right relation between the lower self and the higher self; it is, therefore, the illumined mind, relating soul and personality. This process of the higher relationship is carried forward with rapidity upon the Path of Discipleship. There is a third

354 A Treatise on the Seven Rays aspect of Mercury which begins to function when the other two are perfected or in process of rapid perfecting. Mer- cury, in this case, is the abstract mind––removed from all form contact as we understand it––and relates soul and spirit, and this again in two stages. Mercury is the revealer of the Spiritual Triad (atma-buddhi-manas or spiritual will, spiritual love and the higher mind) to the soul, and this carries the disciples to the stage of the third initiation. It is then the revealer of the life aspect during the processes of the higher initiations, but upon these it is not necessary for us to enlarge. In a peculiar way, therefore, Mercury increases in the Gemini subject the latent sense of duality in its various stages and also the sense of distinction, leading to that mental agility and that fluidity of mind which is one of the major assets as well as one of the major difficulties of this sign. This agility has, however, to be rightly understood and handled. When there is facility of mental approach in any direction and in connection with the many opposites in manifestation, you have the emergence of the divine Mes- senger in his true character, able to comprehend extremes and to relate them divinely to each other. Gemini is pre- eminently the sign of the messenger, and this sign produces many of the messengers of God as they appear down the ages, the revealers of new divine truths and the intermediaries between the fourth and fifth kingdoms. It is for this reason that you have the exoteric ruler given as Mercury and the esoteric ruler as Venus, for they embody between them the energies of the fourth Ray of Harmony through Conflict and the fifth Ray of Concrete Knowledge or Science which is embryonic understanding of causes and conditions resulting therefrom and also of the Plan. Again you find the note of duality in the relationship

358 A Treatise on the Seven Rays sciousness, and, in the case of the planetary Logos, to full cosmic consciousness. This effect is most powerful in Gemini owing to the fact that the two arms of the Mutable Cross are thus related, and the result of the activity of Mercury as it rules Gemini is to produce a steady pull between the pairs of opposites; in Virgo it produces that interior struggle between the exoteric not-self and the esoteric self, between the form-consciousness (planetary, human and subhuman) and the soul within all forms. In considering this subject you will have to consider the following astrological formations: 1. Gemini..............Virgo....................Mercury. The Earth 2. Gemini..............Aries....................Mercury. The Earth 3. Gemini..............Scorpio..................Mercury. The Earth The importance of these triple formations being based on the fact that they are conditioning triangles, with the energies of two constellations focused through Mercury upon the Earth, i.e.

The potencies of Gemini-Aries, instilled into our planetary life via Mercury, focus the energy of the conditioning will-to-be upon the Earth, producing initial beginnings

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 359 as in incarnation, or initiation, or the start of organization as well as organisms. It should be remembered that there is the will-to-be in form and the will-to-be free from form, but all these aspects of will are achieved through conflict and interplay of which energy both Gemini and Mercury are the eternal symbols. Mercury, as it relates Gemini to Scorpio and to our planet, has a mass or general effect, for it is the hierarchical ruler of Scorpio and its effect is of a planetary nature far more than is usually the case, and is, therefore, far more difficult to trace at our present point of planetary development and human consciousness. Its true significance will not be understood until the consciousness of individual man is also planetary in its scope and grasp, which is never the case until after the third initiation. I have here emphasized two of these relationships between the constellations and the Earth even though it is not possible for you to grasp the implications. So often in our studies, one is apt to forget that it is not possible for any unit of consciousness, within the planetary sphere of influence, to conceive of conditions as they exist apart from the Earth because that small planet is inevitably for that unit the very center of his known universe and––under the Great Illusion––the constellations with their rulers and with their prototypal counterparts revolve around the Earth. When man has progressed further and his consciousness is beginning to awaken to reality, the nature of this illusion will become apparent to him, but at present this is not possible. Even theoretically it is not possible. Study, for instance, what I can still further add as to the influence of these related constellations and see whether it truly conveys to you any exact knowledge beyond a general idea of focused energies and related forces. Let me, therefore, add:

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 363 corn. You will note, therefore, how necessary it is to realize accurately the point in evolution of the soul. The three planets ruling and conditioning Gemini (through out-drawn activity, though not through their own influence) are in this third sign effective in constituting this dual sign a working triplicity; it is the aid they give to our Earth which produces the appearance in form of the dual energies of soul and the subjective psychic personality. Pon- der on this. It is the energies of the fifth, fourth and third rays, pouring through Venus, Mercury and the Earth, which are productive of the eternally recurring, divine triplicity and its work of releasing the soul from the influence of form. We have here considered the rays which directly affect our planet, the Earth, which are focused through the three ruling planets and which emanate from certain of the constellations. In the last analysis, the planet is the result or the effect (should I say, resultant effect) of the ray influence, just as in the human being the physical body is the effect of the governing rays. Through the planets certain potencies manifest. These are three in number, and I might here point out that the sacred planets––so-called––are those ray potencies which are expressive of soul and spirit, with the personality ray of the great informing Life, the planetary Logos, subordinated to the two higher rays, such as is the case with the man after the third initiation. A non- sacred planet, such as the Earth, is still subject to the ray of the personality of the informing Life, and the correspondence to the esoteric monadic ray is non-effective. Indirectly, Gemini is ruled by the rays transmitting those potencies which, with Gemini, constitute the Mutable Cross. These are the Moon, Jupiter, Mars and Pluto. They transmit energies expressive of the fourth, second, sixth and first

382 A Treatise on the Seven Rays the one in which the human being reaches the depths or attains the heights. Taurus is the dominant stream of energy upon this Fixed Cross where average man is concerned. The energy let loose through this Cross is stupendous in its effects, producing finally the great reversal and renunciation. In this Cross, Taurus is the Initiator for it "impulses the Will," producing movement and momentum. You have (if I may repeat earlier implications) the following conditions and correspondences in connection with the three Crosses: 1. The Cardinal Cross....Spirit......Will......................Shamballa. 2. The Fixed Cross.........Soul.......Consciousness......Hierarchy. 3. The Mutable Cross.....Form......Activity................Humanity. The initiate is one who is in process of relating consciously and effectively all these three within himself. Man the essential triangle of energy, man the square, man upon the Cross, and finally, man the five-pointed star! In these four simple symbolic forms lies the whole history of the fourth kingdom in nature. The triangle and the star are subjective expressions of a fixed consciousness, focused in reality, whilst the square and the Cross are objective expressions of the man focused outwardly. We come now to a brief study of the Rulers of this sign. As Taurus is so close, esoterically speaking, to the sign Aries which––in this world cycle––is the sign of beginning, it constitutes, relatively speaking, a very complex aggregation of forces, being related not only to Aries with its cosmic contacts, but also to the Pleiades and the Great Bear. Yet at the same time, it is very simple in its expression for it is governed by only two planets. Venus is its exoteric ruler and Vulcan its esoteric and hierarchical ruler. We touch upon one of the mysteries of the Ageless Wisdom. Venus

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 383 holds a unique relation to the Earth, different to that of any other planet and this, therefore, brings about a much closer relation between Taurus and the Earth than perhaps exists in any other zodiacal relation where our planet is concerned. In saying this, I mean in this particular world cycle and at the peculiar stage of evolutionary unfoldment at which mankind now finds itself. All is in a state of flux and change; as man unfolds his consciousness, other constellations may come into pronounced activity in conjunction with the controlling sign and still others may become more remote in their contact and effect. Today, however, Taurus, Venus and the Earth have a very close karmic relation and a very definite dharma to work out together. Just what that karma and relationship may prove eventually to be lies beyond ordinary human understanding but some idea of it may be gained by relating in your mind the words: Will, Desire, Light and Plan. In voicing it thus, I but step down and distort the relation, but until men can think in simple symbols and without words and can interpret these hitherto unrecognized symbols correctly, more it is not possible to add. To understand the relation of Venus and the Earth, I would have you ponder on what I earlier gave in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire. The entire relationship has been summed up in the words: The planet Venus is to the planet Earth what the higher Self is to the Personality. Remember that the planet Venus is one of the seven sacred planets whereas the Earth is not. This statement involves, as you can see, a deep mystery of relativity, of interplay and of eventual revelation. This revelation as to the relation of the Earth's alter ego to the world of human life will only be revealed at the third initiation, at which time all glamour and illusion is dissi-

384 A Treatise on the Seven Rays pated and "the light which shines through the eye of the Bull will be unimpeded" and carry light into the darkness. Venus connotes in our minds, even if we have only a glimmer of occult truth, that which is mental, that which concerns final sublimation, that which deals with sex and that which must work out into symbolic expression upon the physical plane. These are the major concepts which enter our minds when Venus and Taurus are considered in unison. These factors of expression have ever been related to these two since the night of time, because they are essentially basic and eternally cosmic in their implications. Taurus is one of the signs which veils a certain divine mystery. For the sake of disciples in training, these four concepts have been briefly summed up in an archaic writing of great significance. This writing states: "The holy Sons of Mind embraced the two. They saw and understood. Thus was sex born and thus the great mistake was made. The mind was outward turned. The form appears to view and not the life. "Out of the dark they cried aloud the holy Sons of Mind. In pain, they cried aloud. They inward looked and knew the error they had made but knew not what to do....... The Lord replied and gave to them the sign of resurrection." Do you grasp the significance of this statement, and its fundamental simplicity? Let me give you a hint. The earthy triplicity has been designated by astrologers as embodying the idea of plains (Taurus), of caves (Virgo) and of rock (Capricorn). It might be stated that these caves exist in the rocks, deep under the plains. I am speaking figuratively and symbolically. Out of the rocky cave, the Christ emerged

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 385 and walked again upon the plains of Earth and from that time "the woman knew Him not." Form had no further hold upon him for He had overcome it in the depths. Into the cave of Initiation, the light of resurrection streams when the stone at the entrance is rolled away. From life in the form to the death of the form––deep in the rocky place, down in the crypts of the Temple––the human being goes. But into that same place, the new life streams, bringing fresh life and liberation; old things pass away and the darkness becomes light. Sex is then seen to be in truth only the relation of the lower nature to the higher Self; it is then lifted up into the light of day in order that man may reach complete union with divinity. Man discovers that sex (which has hitherto been a purely physical function, carried on sometimes under the impulse of love) is elevated into its rightful plane as the divine marriage, carried out and consummated upon the levels of soul awareness. It is this great truth which lies beyond the sordid story of sex expression, of sex magic and the distortions of modern Tantric magic. Humanity has stepped down the symbolism and in its thoughts debased sex to an animal function and failed to lift it up into the realm of symbolic mystery. Men have sought through physical expression to produce the inner fusion and harmony which they crave and this cannot be done. Sex is but the symbol of an inner duality which must be itself transcended and wrought into a unity. It is not transcended by physical means or rituals. It is a transcendence in consciousness. The esoteric ruler of Taurus is Vulcan, the forger of metals, the one who works in the densest, most concrete expression of the natural world (from the human angle). He is the one who goes down into the depths to find the material upon which to expend his innate art and to fashion


that which is beautiful and useful. Vulcan is, therefore, that which stands for the soul, the individual, inner, spiritual man; in his activity we find the key to the soul's task upon the eternal round of the wheel of life. You will remember how Hercules upon the Fixed Cross had to fashion his own weapons before he succeeded in the struggle. This is in reality a reference to the art of Vulcan who rules the inner man and guides his fashioning. Vulcan also rules nations at a certain stage of embryonic soul expression, such as the present, and governs their activities, fashioning the instruments of war when war and conflict are the only means whereby liberation can come, though woe betide those through whom wars come. Vulcan then takes hold and––since the Middle Ages––has brought the mineral kingdom, "the depths from which supply must come," under human control. In the present war, Vulcan is concerned along with Venus in the relation of man to man, and of man to the mineral kingdom. Venus, the mental energy of humanity, establishes relation between man and man, between nation and nation whilst Vulcan establishes relation between the fourth kingdom in nature and the first. Vulcan, as we shall see later, is governed by the first ray, and the first ray and the first kingdom are definitely bound together. This, therefore, brings in the Shamballa force and you consequently have an esoteric triangle of energy–– will, humanity and the mineral kingdom. They have a very close rapport with each other, both from the angle of the Plan and from the expression of material selfishness. Hence the great use of minerals (iron, copper, etc.) in the World War II. It is literally a war in which the mineral kingdom is used against the human. Humanity had gone down into the caves and the depths of concretion and is ready now for an upward shift or move, this time consciously taken

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 387 and taken all together. This is a most difficult situation for the average man to comprehend but the entire problem of the conscious use of that which exists upon the planet and also its destructive usage is tied together into one most critical situation. Part of the solution will come along similar lines and of this the prophecy now coming into the racial awareness that there are those "who sleep in the caves of the earth who will arise and bring liberation" has reference. But be not too literal in interpretation for "that which is of the earth can also be found in the sky". Hierarchically also the ruler is Vulcan, conditioning the planet and determining the fact that man is the macrocosm of the microcosm and that the fourth kingdom fashions or conditions all subhuman kingdoms. It is the subjectivity of this sign which makes the understanding of it so difficult. It will not be until humanity has grasped the nature of the will that the true significance of the Taurian influence will be grasped. Both the sign, Aries, and the sign, Taurus, are concerned with the initial impact of energy upon form or of energies upon the soul. Man today is becoming slowly aware of the distinction to be found between the opposites and is grasping vaguely the true nature of desire. But he is still in the vale of illusion and––whilst there––cannot see with clarity. One of the first opposites which the disciple has to grasp is that of the subjective and the objective worlds. Three signs are also closely connected with initiation. The hidden secret of Aries, Taurus and Gemini is revealed at three successive initiations: 1. The secret of Aries is the secret of beginnings, of cycles and of emerging opportunity. At the third initiation, the initiate begins to understand the life of the spirit or the

388 A Treatise on the Seven Rays highest aspect; until that time, he has expressed first the life of the form and then the life of the soul within that form. This experience is of so high a nature that only those who have passed through it could in any way comprehend anything I might say. 2. The secret of Taurus is revealed at the second initiation by the sudden removal or disappearance of world glamour in the blinding energy of light. This constitutes the final radiant activity which consummates the play of the Taurian force upon humanity during the long and cyclic journey to which man is committed. The individual enacts on a tiny scale what humanity––as a whole ––will enact when it takes initiation in Taurus. 3. The secret of Gemini has to be grasped at the first initiation because it is the mystery of the relation of Father, Mother and Child. The birth of the Christ-child upon the physical plane is the consummating glory of the Gemini force. All this concerns the subjective energies which express themselves through the medium of the personality or form aspect. When, therefore, I speak of subjective energies, I refer to the forces pouring from the soul (on soul levels) into the form nature upon its own level of awareness. I could illustrate this by pointing out that desire is not (from the angle of reality) a subjective quality except in so far as it is a distortion or a glamorous use of the energy of will. Desire is the force of the form nature; will is the energy of the soul expressing itself as direction, progress, and conformity to the Plan. This Plan, from the standpoint of the individual, is as much of the sensed will of God as he can, at any particular stage in his experience, grasp and understand. These distinctions also merit consideration. The

The Nature of Esoteric Astrology 389 average human being may consider desire as subjective because he is so completely identified with form life upon the outer planes that the impulses and incentives coming to him along the stream of consciousness are viewed by him as intangible and mystical. Yet they are in reality but form radiations and reactions and are not truly and technically subjective at all. The high call of duty, the sense of responsibility are truly subjective in nature for they come from the soul and are the response of the soul to the pull of the form. Gradually, the disciple learns to distinguish between these distinctive aspects of energy and force which impinge ceaselessly upon his consciousness. As time goes on, his analysis becomes ever more acute and more discriminating until he knows finally which is an expression of force (coming from the form) and which are energy contacts (coming from the soul). This digression was necessary at this point because it is essential that esoteric astrologers should realize that these three signs, Aries, Taurus and Gemini are (from the standpoint of the disciple and initiate) purely subjective in their effects within the life of these signs. They can only find outward expression in the life of the subject and be consciously directed and controlled in Cancer, thus leading to the great liberation which takes place in the polar opposite to Cancer, Capricorn and also in Aquarius and Pisces. This of course refers to effects upon man upon the reversed wheel. In a certain sense these six signs constitute two major triangles of force. I have here indicated to you the higher or spiritual aspect of King Solomon's seal. When these six types of energy are fused and blended and so form one unity, you will then find emerging the "Star of Christ." This is one of the symbols of the sixth initiation and is the inner correspon-

390 A Treatise on the Seven Rays dence of the star with which you are familiar. In order to understand this more clearly I would point out to you that: 1. That which is begun or "entered into" at the first initiation is consummated and completed in Pisces. 2. That which impelled to the processes of involution and evolution (the desire to incarnate) takes form at the second initiation in the will-to-liberation in Taurus and finds itself released through the will-to-serve––universally––in Aquarius. 3. That which is fluid and changeable in Gemini produces the great shift in consciousness which distinguishes the initiate from the disciple. This, at the third initiation becomes a fixed attitude in Capricorn. The concrete form life is transcended and the inner man reorients and

assumes an unchangeable direction.

You might here ask why I deal here with these abstractions? I would reply, that in your effort to understand and to grasp the truth which lies beyond your reason (even when regarding it as a hypothesis hereto unproven) you are gradually developing an aspect of your mind which is much needed in the processes of realization, and which must be called into effective service during initiation. Such an effort

The Science of Triangles 415 If students will bring this idea to the study and understanding of the astrological triangles and will refuse to lose sight of the related triple energies, they will greatly simplify their studies. The microcosm, when known, holds ever the clue to the Macrocosm. The Macrocosm eternally reflects itself in man, the microcosm, and hence man has within himself the possibility and the potentiality of total comprehension. Therefore, in all the many triplicities which we shall study, we shall find correspondences to the monad, the soul and the personality in man; we shall find one line of the triangle embodying determining and dominating force and two lines which––during a particular cycle––are conditioned by it. For instance, you have an interesting illustration of this in the nature of fire, esoterically understood, in its triple expression in time and space during a cycle of manifestation, for––as you know––the Ageless Wisdom teaches that there is: 1. Electric fire..........will.................. monad......... Initiatory fire. 2. Solar fire..............love-wisdom… soul.............. Qualificatory fire. 3. Fire by Friction....activity............. personality.. Purificatory fire. Intellectual. I point out this triplicity as it is one which is familiar to you and at the same time constitutes a good illustration of a basic law. 1. Triangles of Energy––Constellations. Lying behind all the many interlocking triangles in our solar system and conditioning them to a very large extent (though today more potentially than expressively) are three energies coming from three major constellations. They are the emanations from the Great Bear, from the Pleiades and from Sirius. It might be pointed out that:

416 A Treatise on the Seven Rays 1. The energies coming from the Great Bear are related to the will or purpose of the solar Logos and are to this great Being what the monad is to man. This is a deep mystery and one which even the highest initiate cannot yet grasp. Its seven-fold unified energies pass through Shamballa. 2. The energies coming from the sun, Sirius, are related to the love-wisdom aspect or to the attractive power of the solar Logos, to the soul of that Great Being. This cosmic soul energy is related to the Hierarchy. You have been told that the great White Lodge on Sirius finds its reflection and a mode of spiritual service and outlet in the great White Lodge of our planet, the Hierarchy. 3. The energies coming from the Pleiades, an aggregation of seven energies, are connected with the active intelligent aspect of logoic expression, and influence the form side of all manifestation. They focus primarily through Humanity. Connected with this major triangle and affecting powerfully our entire solar system is a triple inter-relation of great interest which has a special and peculiar relation to humanity. This triangle of forces relates one of these major constellations, one of the zodiacal signs and one of the sacred planets within our solar system. First Triangle: The Pleiades...........Cancer...............Venus. Humanity. Second Triangle: The Great Bear.........Aries................Pluto. Shamballa.

The Science of Triangles 417 Third Triangle: Sirius.........................Leo..................Jupiter. Hierarchy. I wonder if you can grasp at least partially and symbolically the fact that these triangles must not be thought of as placed, static and eternally the same, or even as three dimensional. They must be regarded as in rapid movement, revolving eternally in space and ceaselessly moving onward and as of fourth and fifth dimensional extension. There is no way of depicting them or of bringing them visually to your attention, for only the inner eye of vision can imagine their progression, position or appearance. These three major triangles are only partially as yet in expression as far as our solar system is concerned and only one point of the great triangle––as for instance one point of the Great Bear––constitutes with Aries a related line of force; only one point of Aries––within itself or within its own range of interplay with Leo and Capricorn (see Tabulation VIII) is related to Pluto. Therefore the entire cosmic web and solar system is an intricate, constantly moving, interwoven series of triangles wherein each point of a triangle emanates three lines or streams of energy (nine in all); it is likewise responsive to and receptive of the energies–– likewise triple in nature––which lie within its periphery or sphere of influence and vibratory activity. It is useless for students to attempt to unravel this aggregation of interlacing streams of energy. All that is now possible for man with his present equipment is to accept hypothetically these statements anent certain major triangles which affect humanity and seek to prove their effect and to endeavor to arrive at some understanding of that intricate, interwoven network which he himself possesses and to which

434 A Treatise on the Seven Rays emanating sources of energy that the needed sensitivity is produced. Sensitivity, generally speaking, is of a threefold nature: 1. Sensitivity to that which is found within oneself. This, when the consciousness is adequately self-sufficient, opens a door for the entrance of energies coming from the "middle center." I speak in symbols and for those whose knowledge of cosmic location and of points in time and space will enable them to comprehend; to the uninitiate, I simply say, "Respond to soul impact." 2. Sensitivity to that which emanates from the "centers left behind" or to those streams of vital energy which lie active and focused below the threshold of the waking consciousness. They stir the threads of memory; they draw backward the glances (and there lies magic in the energy of the eye) of the onward moving Point, the Pilgrim on his way; they condition through ancient habit the responsiveness of the units in the form. 3. A developed sensitivity which emerges from the "furth- est center" at first unconsciously employed and later consciously directed and attuned––a fully magnetic and attractive sensitivity. Forget not that true interplay imposes the condition of reciprocity and that the two points or termini of a line eventually vibrate in unison. A consideration of a hint given earlier as to the symbolism and significance of the three eyes available for man's use will be found illuminating and their relation to the heart and throat will prove evocative of knowledge. They relate to the three centers above referred to and in their wider connotation relate to the three planetary centers: Human- ity, Hierarchy and Shamballa; further back still lies a relation to the cosmic centers of the Great Bear, Sirius and

The Science of Triangles 435 the Pleiades. In between these planetary centers to which I have referred and their distant cosmic archetypes lie three systemic centers which at this time and under cyclic law are Saturn, Uranus and Mercury. In between these again are to be found a zodiacal triangle of Leo, Pisces and Capricorn. For purposes of our immediate consideration the following three triangles are, therefore, to be found:

When the significance of this is grasped, the following interesting points will appear. I give them to you for what they are worth to you and that worth is dependent upon the goal ahead of you, and where you stand today in time and space. Triangle Three depicts the interplay of three streams of force which, in this particular world cycle condition and basically influence ordinary humanity. Forget not that humanity itself constitutes a great center in the life of the planetary Logos: a. Capricorn connotes density, firm foundations, concretization, the mountain of karma that holds down the

448 A Treatise on the Seven Rays the self-centeredness?) becomes the expanded consciousness and the decentralized attitude of the Aquarian man. You can, therefore, see how full of promise is the future. In the Aquarian Age, the power of the planet Venus becomes a dominant factor in the last decanate. This I have already told you when we were studying that sign. Upon the reversed wheel in the case of the spiritually oriented man and the disciple, it is the first decanate under whose influence he comes which is governed by Venus; this should be remembered. Venus was the planet which we are told was responsible for the appearance of the individualized consciousness in man––this in combination with other influences and forces. In the Aquarian Age, Venus will again have an analogous influence only with this difference that the emergence into manifestation of an increased individualism and self-conscious realization will be subordinate to the appearance of the first stages of an expanded consciousness throughout all mankind––the consciousness of group responsibility. It will be perhaps better expressed as a form of group individualism. Therefore: behind all these events, the dim outline of a lesser triangle of energy can be seen; this is a blend of the energy of three planets:

These produce a combination of the energies of Ray 3.––Active intelligence. Ray 7.––Ceremonial order or magic. Ray 5.––Concrete mind.

The Science of Triangles 449 It can be noted how this combination of energies when playing upon Germany's soul Ray of Harmony through Conflict and her first ray personality, on the Ray of Power and the Destroyer (responsive to Shamballa) is responsible for much of the present conflict, for the reason that the reaction of that country (under the influence of its present rulers) has been in terms of the material aspect and not of the spiritual. Students would find it useful to re-read some of the foregoing instruction anent the signs Leo-Pisces-Capricorn, so as to familiarize themselves with the nature, quality and influences which this great triangle (see page 435) expresses and through which humanity is being led at this time forward along the path of return. In this connection it is well also to remember that the series of triangles with which we have been dealing refer to and produce changes in the human consciousness. Another series of triangles was also given (on page 416) involving the Great Bear, Sirius and the Pleiades. These triangles concern the spiritual aspect of the planetary life and of humanity, as well as of the other kingdoms in nature. Humanity is of peculiar importance in relation to these triangles because it is the destiny of humanity to transmit life to the subhuman kingdoms. With these triangles of supernal forces I shall not deal because conscious response to their influence will not be possible till the time cycle of the third initiation arrives. I simply mention this influence so that you will realize that there is no real contradiction or discrepancy. Still another enumeration of the triangles of energy emanating from the three major constellations are given earlier by me (on page 435) and this again is correct and not a contradiction. In this group of three sets of triangles––making nine all told ––with their interlocking analogies and lesser triangular relationships and with also their points of fusion, you have

450 A Treatise on the Seven Rays held in a "mystery of potencies" the entire story––past, present and future––of human evolution. It accounts for the changing emphases of that story, its shifting kaleide- scopic pattern, its recurrent points of fusion and its steady progress, through changing process, towards an ultimate revelation. Very briefly I would like to touch upon the fact that, as might be expected, the influences of Leo-Pisces-Capri- corn which dominate the present world situation, via Sham- balla, the Hierarchy and Humanity, are potent in their oft unrealized effect upon the individual people. They bring about changes in his life focus and in his centers just as they have wrought corresponding changes in the three planetary centers. In view of this certain basic ideas can here be emphasized: 1. The influence of Capricorn, via Mercury, will have a dominant effect in the human kingdom––itself a planetary center. 2. The individual disciple will, therefore, respond to this Capricornian influence most easily. It will constitute a line of least resistance, offering opportunity, as well as the chance of possible disaster if wrongly handled. Right response will lead the disciple nearer to the door of initiation; wrong response will take him back into the depths of crystallization and of concretion. 3. Disciples who respond to the influences above mentioned will necessarily be largely conditioned by their rays, egoic and personal. First ray disciples will, for instance, respond to the Shamballa influence, transmitted from Leo and Saturn, more easily than will second ray disciples. These will in their turn react more rapidly and consistently to the Hierarchy, transmitting energies from Pisces and Uranus.

494 A Treatise on the Seven Rays descriptive and expressive of the consciousness aspect. Love is response to contact and this––in the human being––means understanding, inclusiveness and identification. Wisdom connotes skill in action as the result of developed love and the light of understanding; it is awareness of requirements and ability to bring together into a fused relationship the need and that which will meet it. Service is essentially a scientific mode of expressing love-wisdom under the influence of one or other of the seven rays, according to the soul ray of the serving disciple. The whole problem is one concerning our planetary Logos. It might be said (in order to make our theme comprehensible to you) that the evolutionary process––from the standpoint of the ordinary human being––is to make the non-sacred planet, our Earth, responsive to cosmic impacts thus bringing more inter-related and inner integration into the logoic body of expression. There are other purposes but it is only after the third initiation that a man begins to comprehend them. These three constellations, cyclically and eternally, leading the "Eternal Pilgrim" along the path of mental unfoldment produce in him the final stage of mental evolution upon the Path of Initiation. Illumination, the term applied to that final stage, is a synthesis of instinct, intellect and intuition. Students must bear in mind that: 1. Gemini––expresses the relation of the pairs of opposites as they swing the man into activity and evoke his mental perception. With the aid of the ruling planets (Mercury and Venus) the mind begins to function and when the esoteric planet comes into expression and transmitting potency "the Messenger and the Angel ex- change their understanding." (Venus and the divine Manasaputras are closely connected. A.A.B.)

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CHAPTER IV The Sacred and Non-Sacred Planets

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– THERE is, as you may imagine, little that I can say on this matter for it concerns one of the great and major mysteries of initiation. It deals with and is related to the spiritual status of the planetary Logoi, those great Beings in Whom all forms of life on all planets live and move and have their being. It is concerned with Their point in evolution, with Their goals and objectives upon the cosmic Path and with the initiation for which They––in Their incom- parable and incomprehensible livingness––are preparing. Basically it might be said that a planet is regarded as "sacred" when its informing spiritual Life has taken five of the major cosmic initiations and that a "non-sacred" planet is one whose planetary Logos has not taken these initiations. This is an inadequate definition and is only in any way to be understood if you bear in mind that initiation is a process of developing inclusiveness. a. Man is becoming inclusive in the planetary sense; the five major initiations which he eventually takes give to him a range of awareness which is infinitely beyond anything of which he can conceive at present. These initiations endow him with the "freedom of the planet." He is then responsive to all states of consciousness within the planetary ring-pass-not, and is becoming sensitive to extra-planetary perception.

504 A Treatise on the Seven Rays b. The Logos of a non-sacred planet is becoming inclusive in His consciousness to all that is found within the solar ring-pass-not. He is establishing an esoteric "understanding relation" with all that lives within the body of manifestation of a solar Logos and is likewise registering a sensitive response to the quality of the Life which informs the Sun, Sirius. He has taken three cosmic initiations. c. The Logos of a sacred planet transcends the knowledges, reactions and responses which are purely those of the solar system, is conscious of or vitally responsive to the life of Sirius and is beginning to respond consciously to the vibratory influences of the Pleiades. You need here to bear in mind in this connection that the Pleiades–– though they are regarded as embodying the matter aspect in manifestation––are in reality and literally the expression of that Principle of Life which we call vitality, prana in its various stages or degrees, ether or substance. The Logos of a sacred planet has taken five cosmic initiations. d. The Logos of a solar system is esoterically called the "Sacred Triangle of all-inclusive Force" because this great Being includes within His focused awareness the fields of expression of the Great Bear, the Pleiades and Sirius. They are to Him what the heart, the head and the throat centers are to the developed initiate on this planet. He has taken those initiations of which the highest initiate upon our Earth has no faintest conception. Forget not, that I have told you elsewhere that there are divine aspects and divine characteristics which are

The Sacred and Non-Sacred Planets 505 as yet totally unrevealed even to the most advanced humanity. No human being of a lower degree to that of the third initiation can even faintly sense and dimly react to these underlying factors in the existent divine manifestation. Today, the significance of will and its distinction from determination, strength and fixed intention is only just beginning to be understood. Just as a discussion of the intuition or of the nature of the eternal revelation would be utterly meaningless to the savage in the darkest part of the undeveloped areas of the world, so would a discussion of these unknown divine attributes be equally meaningless to you. All that you can comprehend (and that with the utmost difficulty) is the three divine aspects––will, love and intelligence. There are others, for our Logos is a sevenfold Being and four remaining aspects are as yet unrevealed to humanity, though sensed by the Hierarchy. These are "objectives of esoteric spiritual attention" by the Logoi within the solar ring-pass-not. You will see, therefore, that the section of our teaching upon which we are now entering will be necessarily brief, because we shall be dealing with factors which must remain incomprehensible. It is consequently a waste of your time and mine to do more than touch very briefly upon such matters. Some understanding of the distinction between a sacred and a non-sacred planet will come if you can realize that there is a paralleling correspondence between the consciousness of the initiate (up to and including the third initiation) and the consciousness of the Logos of a non-sacred planet. Soul and body, consciousness and form are blended and a

506 A Treatise on the Seven Rays definite fusion is taking place. Two divine aspects are in process of intimate relation. The disciple brings about this relationship within his little system, and the planetary Logos on a far larger scale within His range of influence and control. In this process He carries with Him all the four kingdoms in nature. For both these lives––microcosmic and macrocosmic––this fusion produces Transfiguration, the third initiation. The Logos of a sacred planet has carried the divine work further along and is occupied with the task of synthesizing into one unit of conscious response and activity, the higher divine aspect, that of the Monad, the will aspect. When this is accomplished, will, love and intelligence are blended and spirit, soul and body are at-one. Then the quality of the divine expression will be divine purpose, impulsed by will, motivated by love and carried forward with intelligence. Astrologers should here note that, in their work, they have not duly taken into consideration (when dealing with the twelve houses or mansions of the soul) whether the planet is sacred or not. The effect of the influences of a sacred planet or a non-sacred one are very different, for one will affect primarily the life in the three worlds whilst a sacred planet will aid in the processes of affecting the fusion of soul and body, of consciousness and form; it will also produce the quickening of the intuition (the spiritual soul) which is the lower aspect of the Monad. The sacred planets are, as you know, seven in number: 1. Vulcan 4. Jupiter 2. Mercury 5. Saturn 3. Venus 6. Neptune 7. Uranus

553 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

CHAPTER VI The Three Crosses

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– I SHALL not be able to handle the subject of the three zodiacal Crosses––the Mutable, Fixed and Cardinal Crosses––in any detail, owing to the fact that they are concerned with the wholes or with the syntheses of manifestation and with the unified experience of an incarnating entity, be it God or man. They can, therefore, be truly comprehended only by those with an inclusive consciousness, i.e., with an initiate-awareness. Some general comments can, however, be made. These three Crosses are as you know: 1. The Cross of the Hidden Christ––The Mutable Cross. a. This is the Cross of the four major energies which produce the conditioning circumstances which transform animal man into an aspirant. b. It is, therefore, the Cross of the personality or of the steadily developing and finally integrating human being. This takes place at first in response to circumstance and later to soul inclination. c. It is the Cross of temporal and temporary change, of fluidity and of those constantly altering environments which drive the soul within the form from one extreme of experience to another, so that the life shuttles between the pairs of opposites.

554 A Treatise on the Seven Rays d. It is the Cross of the responsive form, nurturing and developing the life of the indwelling Christ, the hidden Soul or Lord of Being. The four arms of this Cross are Gemini––Virgo––Sagit- tarius––Pisces. It is sometimes called the Common Cross because it conditions the common herd, the mass of humanity. 2. The Cross of the Crucified Christ––The Fixed Cross. a. This is the Cross composed of the four energies which condition the life of the man who is first a probationary disciple and then an accepted or pledged disciple. b. It is outstandingly the Cross of the soul. The man who is upon the Fixed Cross is becoming increasingly aware of its direction and influences and does not respond as blindly as does the man upon the Mutable Cross. He does not "mount this Cross of Right Direction" in a technical sense until he has attained some measure of soul contact and has had some touch of illumination and of spiritual intuition––no matter how fleeting that touch may have been. c. It is the Cross of "fixed vision and of that immovable intent which draws the man from points of light to blazing solar radiance." The man upon the Fixed Cross says: "I am the soul and here I stand. Naught shall remove my feet from off the narrow place whereon I stand. I face the light. I am the Light and in that light shall I see Light." d. It is the Cross whose four energies blend with

The Three Crosses 555 and transmit the energies of the solar system itself. This it can do because the man upon the Fixed Cross is becoming increasingly conscious of issues which are larger than himself, more engrossing than his previous interests and which concern humanity in its relation to the solar forces and not just to the planetary forces. He is becoming sensitive to a larger whole. e. The energies of this Cross continue to evoke response until the time of the third initiation. The four arms of this Cross are Taurus––Leo, Scor- pio––Aquarius. It is called the Fixed Cross because the man is stretched upon it by the directed choice and immovable intent of his soul. From that decision there is no turning back. 3. The Cross of the Risen Christ––The Cardinal Cross. a. This is the Cross whereon, under the occult para- dox and in time and space, the Spirit is crucified. Its four energies govern and direct the soul as it moves forward upon the Path of Initiation. Necessarily, as it deals with so exalted a state of consciousness, there is but little I can say anent this Cross except the vaguest generalities. b. It is, therefore, pre-eminently the Cross of Initia- tion and of "beginnings." It concerns fundamentally "the beginning of the endless Way of Revela- tion" which starts when Nirvana is entered and for which all the previous stages of the Path of Evolution have been but preparatory. The following quotation may carry understanding and help to illumine this most difficult


subject, indicating the significance of this Cardinal Cross as a consummating influence and revealing that which lies ahead of those who attain hierarchical standing: "All beauty, all goodness, all that makes for the eradication of sorrow and ignorance upon the Earth must be devoted to the Great Consumma- tion. Then when the Lords of Compassion shall have spiritually civilized the Earth and made of it a Heaven, there shall be revealed to the Pil- grims the Endless Path which reaches to the Heart of the Universe. Man, then no longer man, will transcend nature and impersonally, yet consciously, in at-one-ment with all Enlightened Ones, help to fulfill the Law of the Higher Evo- lution, of which Nirvana is but the beginning." (Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines. Page 12.) c. It is the Cross of the "widespread arms, the open heart and the higher mind," for those who lie upon this Cross know and enjoy the significances underlying the words: Omnipresence and Omni- science, and are in process of unfolding the higher phases of Being which we inadequately cover by the word, Omnipotence. d. The energies of the Cardinal Cross blend with the energies to which we can give no greater name than cosmic energy even though that word is meaningless. They carry the quality of the One about Whom Naught may be Said and are "tinctured with the Light of the seven solar systems" of which our solar system is one. e. The scope and cycle of its influence in the life of the initiate is utterly unknown even to our plane-

The Three Crosses 557 tary Logos Who is Himself stretched upon its "widespread arms." 1. The Cross of the Hidden Christ. Speaking generally, therefore, the Mutable Cross governs the form or body nature, controls the whole life cycle of the individual soul through the stages of the lower experiences of humanity, the strictly human stages, and the integrating processes of personality development until the man stands forth as an aligned person, slowly reorienting himself to a higher vision, a wider horizontal and vertical grasp of reality and thus becomes the aspirant. This Cross governs the lower triad in manifestation and rules in the three worlds of human evolution. The Fixed Cross governs the soul which is now conscious within the human form and in the three worlds, but controls throughout what is called "the five worlds of human attainment"––the three strictly human levels of activity and the two superhuman, i.e., the lower trinity and the Spiritual Triad. It deals with the entire life of soul experience and expression after the Mutable Cross has effectively forced the man on to the Path of Purification and of Discipleship. It is concerned with the integration of soul and personality and their complete blending or fusion. The Cardinal Cross governs the manifestation of the Monad in all its glory and beauty, and this cycle of influence falls into two stages: the one in which the Monad expresses itself upon the six planes of manifestation in "wisdom, strength and beauty" through the medium of the integrated soul and personality. This is a relatively brief stage. Second, the stage wherein––withdrawn and abstracted from those forms of Being––"the ONE proceeds upon the higher Way and passes on to

564 A Treatise on the Seven Rays upon humanity. All that has as yet been conveyed is the effect of one arm of the Cross upon the subject born in a particular sign. But there is a fusion of energies to be noted when, esoterically speaking, man "stands at the midway point where the four energies meet." The man whose Sun sign is in Gemini, for instance, is subjected to the forces flowing through the Cross as whole, unless he is a very low grade human being; he will be sensitive to the influences of the other three signs when they sweep into power as the lesser zodiac of the year plays its part. Later, when the practical value of esoteric astrology is better understood, men will avail themselves of the three energies of the three other signs of the Cross in which the Sun sign finds a place. This is a future development of the science of esoteric astrology. Putting it into the simplest terms and thereby necessarily limiting significances, a man will endeavor, when in Sagittarius, to practice one-pointedness along some one line; when in Virgo, he will know that opportunity to bring the form more under the influence of the hidden Christ is possible and that, in Pisces, sensitivity to the higher impression is his right and privilege. All these four possibilities, in regard to the advanced initiate are beautifully demonstrated for us in the life of Jesus, the Master on the sixth ray. The Gemini aspect of His life is shown in the perfect fusion of the basic duality found in humanity: the human and the divine. The Virgo aspect came into expression in His twelfth year when He said: "Wist ye not that I must be about My Father's business," thereby indicating the subordination of the form life to the will of the indwelling Christ; this was consummated when "divinity descended upon Him" at the Baptism.

The Three Crosses 565 The Sagittarian energy enabled Him to say, when confronted with full knowledge of the imminent sacrifice which He would have to make: "I must go up to Jerusalem," and, we read, He then "set His face" and trod the Path of the Savior, leading to the liberation of humanity. The Piscean aspect in its highest expression is demonstrated by His sensitivity to immediate and unbroken contact with His "Father in Heaven"; He was in constant communication with the Monad, thereby proving to the world that He was initiated into states of consciousness of which the third initiation is but the beginning. All the three Crosses are shewn as functioning simultaneously in His life––a thing hitherto unknown in the perfection which He displayed––a perfection of perfect responsiveness and perfect demonstration of result as well, giving us a manifestation and an example of the fusion of the twelve energies in one divine Personality (expressing Individuality) on the physical plane. Let me briefly complete the demonstration of this truth––the truth that in the initiate of the higher degrees all the twelve zodiacal energies can focus simultaneously and produce a complete ex- hibition of divinity, as it is intended eventually to express itself through humanity on this planet. I have given you the expression of the Mutable Cross. We will take the other two, in connection with the Christ and with the Cosmic Christ. THE FIXED CROSS Taurus.––Christ said (as have all the Sons of God Who know the true significance of the Fixed Cross), "I am the Light of the world," and he added, "if thine eye be single thy whole body shall be full of light." Taurus is, as you have heard, the Mother of Illumination, and

602 A Treatise on the Seven Rays 3. The Keynotes of the Seven Rays and the Will Aspect. The keynotes of these seven Rays are, therefore, as they constitute the revelation of seven Great Beings: Initiation. Unification. Evolution. Harmonization. Action. Causation. Expression. These are the keynotes for humanity at its present point of evolutionary development; as these seven energies play upon the human consciousness in an effort to produce and evoke the Will aspect in advanced man they produce: Initiation. Vision. Education. Intuition. Liberation. Idealism. Organization. A close study of these seven major rays and seven minor keynotes will reveal these truths and their promise. At the close of the Aquarian Age, these keynotes will vary somewhat because the recognition of the Will (leading to understanding cooperation) will produce major changes in human polarization and human objectives––realized objectives. Let us now see how these basic ray energies will work out in man's planetary and zodiacal relationships and why certain constellations and planets are related to certain rays and transmit into the center which we call humanity; definite and specific influences. These produce certain tendencies in humanity; evoke certain attitudes of the will, and lead consequently to certain unavoidable events as well as to definite and determined forms of Being. As we proceed with our consideration of Tabulation X, there are certain fundamental ideas which must be carefully borne in mind. Let me list them for your helping: 1. We are dealing with the effect of the seven ray energies, as they pour forth from one or other of the seven stars of the Great Bear into our solar system. These ener-

The Rays, Constellations and Planets 603 gies are the life-quality of the seven great Beings Who are the Prototypes of the planetary Logoi of the sacred planets, seven in number. These latter are Their reflections in time and space, as the soul is the reflector of the Monad where human beings are concerned. 2. The seven rays express themselves, each through three of the zodiacal constellations. The analogy (but not the correspondence) is that these three constellations are to the life of one of these ray Beings what the three aspects of monad-soul-body are to a man. Again, it is only analogy. Forget not that analogy and correspondence are not the same. In the first case there is resemblance but not in detail. In the second, there is practically identical expression, usually, on a lower level. 3. These seven great Beings express Themselves in our solar system as the custodians or the exponents of the Will aspect of Deity. Their effect, therefore, is ever to convey into our solar system and eventually into our planetary life, the energy of the Will, in its planmaking, form-building nature. Esoteric books and esoteric teaching have necessarily laid the emphasis upon consciousness as it expresses quality. That is as it should be. But behind all quality lies That of which the quality is the expression and behind that is to be found the dynamic "out-going" (if I might so express it) which is the motivation of both the quality or consciousness and the life or appearance, the precipitation of will and quality. 4. The nature of the will is as yet undefinable for only the Monad responds to its impact, and only after the third initiation does man somewhat grasp the nature of the will. All that is possible to understand in this brief summation is the effect of the will as it makes its pres-

604 A Treatise on the Seven Rays ence felt and the result of its expression, emphasized through the three constellations. 5. The constellations in groups of three transmit the seven influences of the seven rays to our planet, via the Sun, and the relationships which I am here indicating are only those in connection with our Earth. They do not apply in relation to others of the planets in our solar system, where the configuration of the relationship is different. This is dependent upon the nature of the etheric web through which all transmission of energies takes place. The lines of approach might be indicated as follows:

The Rays, Constellations and Planets 605 6. This diamond shaped formation of the inter-related energies is the prototypal pattern which lies behind the etheric network and is its final, conditioning influence as far as our Earth is concerned. It is hinted at in the reference to the "diamond soul" of which the Buddha is an exponent. This is necessarily a deep mystery but the correlation is interesting and guaranteeing. 7. These seven ray energies, expressing the divine prototypal will in seven forms, are as follows: Ray I.–– The will to initiate. Ray II.–– The will to unify. Ray III.–– The will to evolve. Ray IV.––The will to harmonize or relate. Ray V.––The will to act. Ray VI.––The will to cause. Ray VII.––The will to express. When their full creative work is completed, there will emerge a "something else or other" for which we have no name but which will be the seed of the next solar system. This third solar system will express the divine will, as this is slowly developed through the experiment and experience of the divine love. 8. These seven ray aspects of the will, which are the goal of the higher initiations and which embody that which the Masters Themselves are struggling to understand, is that which flowers in the Monad when souls have reached perfected expression through humanity. They express themselves where humanity is concerned as: Ray I.–– That which incites to and produces initiation. Ray II.–– That which is the cause of vision or the power to see.

606 A Treatise on the Seven Rays Ray III.–– That which develops sensory perception into knowledge, knowledge into wisdom and wisdom into omniscience. Ray IV.–– That which is the illumined will, the basis of buddhi or the intuition. Ray V.–– That which is the cosmic seed of liberation. This is an aspect of destruction. Ray VI.–– That which is the cause of the thoughtform building faculty, related to the creative urge. Ray VII.–– That which can be called the principle of order. 9. Just as desire has produced this "son of necessity," our solar system, there lies behind all the energies of the Heart of God and all the forces which have produced the manifested universe that which is the result of divine need. It is neither the cosmic correspondence of brain or mind or focused intention, as you might surmise. It is that synthetic something which produces cohesion and results in fruition or synthesis as the effect or final result of manifestation. It is wellnigh impossible for me to make this any clearer because I am speaking of some of the final aspects and effects of the highest initiations. I only touch upon them because they consummate and climax this study of divine psychology as it manifests through God and through man. I am simply giving faint and inadequate indications of that which emerges in the human consciousness after the third initiation––the point at which personality or form life is transcended and the Monad becomes the object of the desired attainment; its spiritual pressure is then increasingly felt. It is, therefore, only possible to point to distant goals.

The Rays, Constellations and Planets 607 We can, however, gain some dim, human interpretations of divine goals by relating these rays and their transmitting constellations to our Earth and by noting how this triangular relationship can work out on our planet. Individual apprehension will be dependent upon the point of development and only the higher initiates will understand the real implications of my remarks. You have to remember, therefore, as you study these most deeply esoteric relations that we approach them from two angles––the only angles which are as yet possible to the finite mind of man: 1. The relation of the three constellations to the rays which are each expressing the quality of the Life of an Informing Entity––the Being Who is expressing Iden- tity through one or other of the seven stars of the Great Bear, Ursa Major, as we probably ought to call this constellation. 2. The three aspects of the will which the three constellations are expressing and to which human beings will consciously respond after the third initiation. These three aspects are: a. The will which conditions and initiates. b. The will which brings fulfillment. c. The will which conquers death. Before entering into a closer analysis of our subject, I would remind you that we are in reality dealing with universals, symbolized for us in the huge aggregate of constellations with which our theme is concerned: 1. The seven stars of the Great Bear or Ursa Major are involved in an intricate relation with Ursa Minor and the Pleiades. With this we shall not deal. This major

614 A Treatise on the Seven Rays taught that man's immediate goal is the unfoldment (into full expression) of the love nature. This begins to take place and reaches a relatively high stage of unfoldment upon the Path of Discipleship. The detail of the process in a broad and general sense might be stated as follows: 1. Path of Evolution and Probation. a. Unfoldment of intellect and of sensory perception. b. Response to the center called Humanity. c. The mind takes control. Personality functions. 2. Path of Discipleship. a. Unfoldment of the love nature. b. Achievement of illumination. c. Response to the center called the Hierarchy. d. Buddhi or the intuition is in control. The soul functions. 3. Path of Initiation. a. Unfoldment of the will. b. Achievement of synthesis. c. Response to the center called Shamballa. d. Dynamic Purpose in control. The will-to-good. The Monad functions. This covers familiar ground for all of you but in the effort to achieve a vision of the whole, constant repetition has its place. We are now concerned with the third stage of the evolutionary process, carried forward upon the Path of Initiation and entered into (as far as humanity is concerned) at the third initiation, and consummated at the seventh initiation––an initiation far more easily reached by people upon the first Ray than on any of the others. This––as far as you can at this time grasp––concerns primarily the creative will as it:

618 A Treatise on the Seven Rays focused, dynamic will, the "Point in the Center" which changes not but remains ever immovably subject to its own inherent purpose. When the disciple or the initiate can stand also at the center as the transforming will, he can then bring about the needed changes in the form nature without identifying himself with it or being himself affected by the changes. This may serve to make my meaning clear. 4. It knows Itself as the transfiguring will. This transfiguration is the fulfillment of purpose and the final expression of synthesis brought about by the sustaining will-to-good of the transcending, transmitting, transforming will. Students would do well to shift their eyes off the goal of transfiguration (achieved at the third initiation and increasingly present at each previous initiation) and pay more attention to the recognition of that in them which "having pervaded their little universe with a fragment of itself remains." They will then have anchored their consciousness in the center of transcending power and guaran- teed the flow of the will-to-achieve. From that high point in consciousness (imaginatively reached at first and practically achieved later) they would find it useful to work at the process of transmission, knowing themselves to be agents for the transmission of the will-to-good of the Transcendent One. They should next pass on to the stage of transformation wherein they, would visualize and expect to see developed the needed transformation carried forward in their lives; then––equally expectant––they should believe in the transfiguration of those lives in line with the will of the

The Rays, Constellations and Planets 619

Transcendent One, the success of the Transmitting One, and the activity of the Transforming One––all of Whom are but the One, the Monad, the Self. All this is done by the use of the will, conditioning, fulfilling and overcoming. To return to our theme of the greater Whole, leaving behind us for a minute the efforts of the microcosm to comprehend the Macrocosm, let us consider the relation of the three constellations in the task of expressing Ray One: 1. ARIES is the constellation through which initiating conditions will stream into our solar system. It embodies the will-to-create that which will express the will-to-good. It is the monadic ray of our planetary Logos, Whose Soul ray is the second and the personality ray the third. You can note here, therefore, how the transmitting ray of our planetary Logos is the first; and hence the place which the will plays in our human evolutionary process; His transforming ray is the second and that eventually brings transfiguration through the medium of the third and in this combination you have the reason why, in the evolution of the will aspect, you have the influence of Mars and Mercury––the one bringing conflict and the death of the form and the other bringing illumination and the development of the intuition as a result of that conflict and death. New cycles of Being and of consciousness are initiated by conflict. Such seems as yet to be the law of life and the governing factor in evolution. If, however, the result of this initiating, energizing will is to produce such beneficent effects of intuitive understanding and the activity of Mercury as the messenger of the Gods, it can be seen how truly through conflict the will- to-good can be wrought out. 2. LEO. This is the constellation through which the will-to-fulfillment or to achievement pours into humanity and on to the planet. It is essentially the spirit of self-deter-

620 A Treatise on the Seven Rays mination. It is at first the determination of the little self, the personality, the self-conscious individual. It is next the determination of the Self, the soul, the group conscious individual, aware of the greater Whole and of itself as the part, integrated and basically at-one. This will-to-good (achieved through fulfillment) works out in relation to the human being through the medium of three climaxes: 1. The will-to-good, demonstrated by the achieving of self- consciousness. This is the first stage of completed, divine fulfillment. It connotes body, appearance. It is the expression of the third aspect. 2. The will-to-good, demonstrated at the third initiation when self-consciousness gives place to group consciousness. This is the second stage of divine fulfillment. It connotes soul, quality. It is the expression of the second aspect. 3. The will-to-good, demonstrated in the higher initiations when God-consciousness is achieved. This is the third stage of divine fulfillment. It connotes Monad, Life. It is the expression of the first aspect. It is useful to see these relationships. It will also be obvious why the Sun rules Leo both exoterically and esoterically. The Sun reveals or "lights up" the two stages of the hidden will: the physical sun, lighting up the personality upon the physical plane and the Heart of the Sun revealing the nature of the soul. 3. CAPRICORN. This is the constellation by means of which comes the conquering will which releases from form life and initiates the man into the kingdom wherein the will aspect (not the soul aspect) of divinity expresses itself. You will remember that there is a close connection between

624 A Treatise on the Seven Rays cosmic principle of love. Again the three aspects of the divine will can be seen functioning through the second ray: 1. The will-to-initiate or to condition demonstrates in Christ's work as He inaugurates the era wherein it became possible for the kingdom of God to appear on Earth. In reality, this will be a demonstration of the fusion of the two centers, Humanity and the Hierarchy. By fusion, I mean their complete reciprocal at-one-ment. It will inaugurate an era wherein––through increased capacity to see the vision and increased power to identify oneself with the vision––a race of men will be produced whose life expression will be that of love-wisdom. 2. The will which brings fulfillment demonstrates through the second ray by the means of that driving force which enables the second ray soul steadily to achieve its goal, relentlessly pushing forward, permitting itself no let-up or leeway until the desired goal is reached. This is a different expression to the will of the first ray which is dynamic and which crashes forward in spite of all obstacles; the latter does not require the slower methods of the steady drive. 3. It is also the will which conquers death because of its intense love of reality and of that "persistent One" who exists behind all phenomena. In the Old Commentary this type of will––the will-to- love––is spoken of in the following terms: "The Transcendent One said: I am alone. I must arise and seek with ceaseless urge that which produces completion, round out my circle whole, intensity My life and make Me truly One, and this because I recognize the Two. I must have union with my other self, the self I dimly sense.

The Rays, Constellations and Planets 625 Unto My heart I drew that other One and drawing thus I gave enlightenment; I dowered with enrichments; I freely gave." This embodies not the mystical vision of the other one but the will aspect of the planetary Logos, the incentive behind the life of Shamballa. It is the Lord of Sacrifice Who speaks. The keynote of sacrifice or the "process of making whole" runs through all that concerns the will aspect as it functions through the medium of the seven rays; this becomes beautifully apparent in the activity of the second ray as it is the channel for the will of God. It knows itself as the transcending will because behind its expression of cosmic love (attracting, fusing and producing cohesion) lies a synthetic vision of divine Intention. It differentiates between process and goal, between initiation and that which is revealed by the initiatory process and that is something which as yet is unknown to initiates below the third degree. Herein lies the distinction between the Christ and the Buddha. The latter revealed the process, but the Christ embodied in Himself both goal and process. He revealed the cosmic principle of love and by its means–– embodied in Himself––He produced effects also and momentous changes in the world through those presented to Him for initiation. The second ray knows itself as the transmitting will because through its means something passes between the pair of opposites (spirit-matter) which draws them together until eventually they form one blended whole. This is a basic mystery––the basic mystery of initiation and concerns the at-oning will which functions through love. Its lowest expression and its most material symbol is the love between the sexes.

Esoteric Healing 44 Esoteric Healing the orthodox esotericist and theosophist. It may be of interest to you if I do two things. First of all, give you some technical information in connection with the working through of the forces from the astral plane into the physical body, and then give you the effects of that working through, as they take the form––owing to man's wrong use of them––of disease and the many varying disorders to which man is prone. With their cure we are not at this time concerned. I am here simply laying down the structure of fact upon which we can later base our conclusions. We shall, in this connection, only consider the average man. The problems of the disciple will be dealt with under Part I.4. I pointed out earlier that the three major groups of diseases for the masses are––

1. Tuberculosis. 2. The social diseases, as they are called: the venereal diseases and syphilis. 3. Cancer.

To these we must add two other groups of disease which predominantly affect those who are a little above the average and whose general level of intelligence is higher than that of the mass; this includes also the aspirants of the world.

4. Heart diseases, but not what is called heart failure. 5. The nervous diseases so prevalent at this time.

These five groups of disease, and their various sub-divisions are responsible for the bulk of the physical ills which attack humanity. A right grasp of their preponderating causes will be of definite assistance to future medicine. How much will be accepted is at this time doubtful. I would like to point out here that, as you well know, there are physical correspondences to the seven centers of

The Psychological Causes of Disease 45 forces located in the etheric body, and fed from the astral body. These we call the endocrine glands. These glands are effects of or testifying evidence to, the centers, and are in their turn initiating causes of lesser effects in the physical body. It will be of value if we here tabulate some of the things we know, and aid comprehension.

112 Esoteric Healing (if I might so call them) which are indigenous to the matter of which humanity has chosen to construct its physical vehicle, isolating it and separating it from the general substance of manifestation, and thus creating a type of matter which is consecrated to the task of forming the outer expression of the inward reality. This constitutes, therefore, a unique and peculiar aspect of the universal substance, perfected to a certain point in the last solar system and of a necessarily higher order than the substance which vibrates creatively to the call of the three subhuman kingdoms in nature. The Causes of Disease Summarized In every occult consideration of disease it must be accepted as a basic proposition that all disease is a result of the misuse of force in some earlier life or in this. This is fundamental. In connection with this I would remind you of some statements I have earlier made on this matter. 1. Ninety per cent of the causes of disease are to be found in the etheric and astral bodies. Wrong use of mental energy and misapplied desire are paramount factors, yet with the bulk of humanity still in the Atlan- tean stages of consciousness, only five per cent of the prevalent diseases are due to mental causes. The percentage varies with the development of the race and its evolution. Disease is therefore the working out into manifestation of undesirable, subjective conditions–– vital, emotional and mental. 2. Everything concerning the health of man can be ap- approached from three angles: a. That of the personality life.....of this we are learning much. \page

The Psychological Causes of Disease 113 b. That of humanity as a whole......this is beginning to be appreciated. c. That of the planetary life.......of this we can know little. 3. All disease is caused by lack of harmony between form and life, between soul and personality; this lack of harmony runs through all the kingdoms in nature. 4. The bulk of diseases are of: a. Group origin. b. The result of infection. c. Malnutrition, physically, subjectively and occultly understood. 5. Diseases for the masses, for the average citizen, for the intelligentsia and for disciples differ widely and have differing fields of expression. a. The three major groups of diseases for the first two classes are:

Tuberculosis. The social diseases

Cancer. b. The two major diseases for the intelligentsia and for disciples are:

Heart complaints. Nervous diseases.

6. Disease is a fact in nature. When this is accepted, men will begin to work with the Law of Liberation, with right thought, leading to right attitudes and orientation, and with the principle of nonresistance. Of this nonresistance, the overpowering willingness to die which is so frequently a characteristic of the final stage immediately preceding death is the lowest manifestation. It is nonresistance which psychologically governs coma.

114 Esoteric Healing 7. The Law of Cause and Effect, or of Karma, governs all disease. This embraces individual, group, national and total human karma. If you will pause at this point and review what I have re-stated, and if you will reread and reflect upon the four Laws and the four Rules you will possess the needed groundwork upon which to proceed with our future studies, beginning with the diseases incident to the life of discipleship. Some of this I have already dealt with in the second volume of A Treatise on the Seven Rays (pages 520-625). There the approach was largely from the angle of the mystic, whereas I am here going to touch upon the problems of the accepted disciple. 4. DISEASES DUE TO THE LIFE OF DISCIPLESHIP Earlier I told you that disease originated in the four following causes: 1. It is the result of blocking the free life of the soul. 2. It is caused by three influences or sources of contamination: a. Ancient mistakes, so-called sins and errors of the individual concerned, committed in this life or another earlier incarnation. b. Human taints and predispositions, inherited in common with all the rest of humanity. c. Planetary evil, incident to the point achieved by the planetary Logos and conditioned by planetary Karma. 3. It is conditioned by the forces emanating from the plane upon which the man's consciousness is primarily focussed. \page

The Psychological Causes of Disease 115 4. The five major types of disease, with their allied and subsidiary effects, can and do produce results where the disciple is concerned; he is not immune until after the third initiation. A. The Diseases of Mystics. However, the disciple is seldom tubercular (except when karmically conditioned), nor is he prone to succumb to the social diseases except as they may affect him physically through his sacrificial life of service. Contagion can affect him but not seriously so. Cancer may claim him as a victim, but he is more liable to succumb to heart complaints and to nervous trouble of some kind or another. The straight mystic succumbs more to purely psychological situations connected with the integrated personality, and therefore incident to his being focussed largely on the astral plane. The disciple is more prone to mental difficulties and to those complaints which are concerned with energy and are due to fusion––either completed or in process––of soul and personality. The first cause which I listed earlier in this treatise was summed up in the statement that disease is the result of the blocking of the free life and the inpouring energy of the soul. This blockage is brought about by the mystic when he succumbs to his own thoughtforms, created constantly in response to his mounting aspiration. These become barriers between him and the free life of the soul and block his contact and the consequent resulting inflow of soul energy. The disciple reverses the entire situation and falls a victim (prior to the third initiation) to the terrific inflow of soul energy––the energy of the second aspect––coming to him from: \page

116 Esoteric Healing a. His own soul, with which center of energy fusion is rapidly taking place. b. His group or the Ashram with which he, as an accepted disciple, is affiliated. c. His Master, with Whom he has spiritual relation and to Whose vibratory influence he is ever susceptible. d. The Hierarchy, the energy of which can reach him through the medium of all the three above factors. All these streams of energy have a definite effect upon the centers of the disciple, according to his ray and his specific polarization in this incarnation. As each center is related to one or other of the glands, and these in their turn condition the blood stream, and also have a specific effect upon the organic structure within the range of their vibratory influence (i.e. the stomach, close to the solar plexus, and the heart, close to the heart center, etc.), you will see how it is possible that the major diseases from which a disciple can suffer (which are unique and confined primarily to advanced humanity) will be the result of overstimulation or the inflow of energy to one particular center, producing excessive and localized trouble. To these conditions the mystic is not so prone unless he is rapidly becoming the practical mystic or occultist. This is a definite transitional cycle between the mystical attitude and that more definite position which the occultist assumes. I shall not therefore deal with the diseases to which mystics fall heir, except that I would like to point out one interesting fact: The mystic is ever conscious of duality. He is the seeker in search of light, of the soul, of the beloved, of that higher something which he senses as existing and as that which can be found. He strives after recognition of and by the divine: he is the follower of the

128 Esoteric Healing Of all these processes, the circulation of the blood stream is the symbol, and the clue to the establishment of the world order lies hid in this symbology––free circulation of all that is needed to all parts of the great framework of humanity. The blood is the life, and free interchange, free sharing, free circulation of all that is required for right human living will characterize the world to be. Today these conditions do not exist, the body of humanity is diseased and its internal life disrupted. Instead of free circulation between all parts of the life aspect there has been separation, blocked channels, congestion and stagnation. It has needed the terrific crisis of the present to arouse humanity to its diseased condition to the extent of the evil which is now discovered to be so great, and the diseases of the "blood of humanity" (symbolically understood) so severe that only the most drastic measures––pain, agony, despair and terror––can suffice to establish a cure. Healers would do well to remember this, and to have in mind that disciples and all good men and aspirants share in this universal disease of humanity which must take its toll psychologically or physically or both. The trouble is of ancient origin and of long established habit and inevitably affects the physical vehicle of the soul. Exemption from the effects of human ills is no indication of spiritual superiority. It might simply indicate what one of the Masters has called "the depths of spiritual selfishness and self satisfaction." The initiate of the third degree can hold himself exempt, but this is only because he has completely freed himself from glamour and no aspect of the personality life has any further power over him. All the ray types are equally subjected to these particular problems. The seventh ray, however, is more susceptible to the problems, difficulties and diseases incident to the blood stream than are any of the other ray types. The reason is that this is the ray which has \page

The Psychological Causes of Disease 129 to do with the expression and manifestation of life upon the physical plane and with the organization of the relationship between spirit and matter into form. It is concerned therefore today, as it seeks to create the new order, with free circulation and with a consequently intended freedom of humanity from the ills and problems of the past. This is of interest to remember, and students would find it helpful at this time, if they want to cooperate intelligently with the happenings of the day, to collect and study all that I have written about the seventh ray of ceremonial order and magic. b. Diseases of the nervous system, due to the flow of energy to all parts of the body, directed by either the personality, some aspect of the personal lower self, or by the soul, via the brain, are many and become acute as the disciple nears initiation or becomes an initiate. Apart from the physiological ills which this produces, there are many other conditions brought about by this inflow of force. The disciple becomes, for instance, overstimulated, and therefore overactive; he becomes unbalanced, and when I say this I do not refer to mental imbalance (though that can happen), but to overdevelopment and overexpression in some part of his nature. He can become extravagantly overorganized through the medium of some overactive center, or underorganized and inactive. He is therefore subject to the imbalance of the glandular system, with all its attendant difficulties. His overstimulation or his unde- velopment, where the centers are concerned, normally affects the glands, and they in their turn produce character difficulties which necessarily, in their turn, produce environ- mental problems as well as personality handicaps. It is then a vicious circle, and is all due to wrong direction of force and the inflow of force from one or other of the

138 Esoteric Healing 3. A cycle in the life of the aspirant wherein personality control begins to weaken and in which the emphasis and consequent activity shifts into the centers above the diaphragm––again causing trouble and readjustment. B. Certain objectives present themselves to the aspirant at various stages, and each involves progress, but at the same time certain attendant difficulties. 1. The objective before the initiate is to have every center in the etheric body responsive to the ray energy of the soul and with all the other seven ray energies subsidiary to it. This process of stimulation, of readjustment, and the attainment of established control goes on until after the third initiation. Then, when that initiation has been taken, the physical vehicle is of a totally different caliber and quality, and the Rules and Laws of Health no longer apply. 2. The objective before the disciple is to promote control of the centers in the body, via the soul, through stimulation, elimination and eventual stabilization. This inevitably produces difficulty, and the vitalization or inspiration (either of these words would be appropriate), or their lack or deficiency, affect the bodily organs within the areas around the centers and affect all substances surrounding the centers. 3. The objective before the aspirant or the probationary disciple is to transfer the forces from the centers below the diaphragm, via the solar plexus center, to the centers above the diaphragm. The energy of the base of the spine has to be transferred to the head; the energy of the sacral center must be lifted to the throat, whilst the energy of the solar plexus must be transferred to the heart. This is done in response to the magnetic "pull" of the soul ray as it begins to dominate the personality ray. It is a long and painful

The Psychological Causes of Disease 139 process, covering many lives and carrying, as the result, many physical ills. 4. The objective before the average man (unconsciously effective) is to respond fully to personality force, focussed primarily at the middle point, the solar plexus and then steadily and intelligently to coordinate these forces so that an integrated personality is presented eventually to the soul for control and use. 5. The objective before the primitive or undeveloped man (again unconsciously effective) is to live a full animal and emotional life, thereby gaining experience of growth, of contact, and eventually of understanding. By this means the response apparatus of the soul in the three worlds is built. I would also call attention to the thought which I have here interjected, that the objectives intrinsically in themselves have an effect upon that towards which man is striving. This is a thought warranting careful consideration. These generalizations will be useful only if you remember that they are generalizations. No aspirant at any stage is perfectly clear cut in his endeavor until after the third initiation, nor is he entirely particularized in his life and effort. Men are at all imaginable stages of development, and many of these stages are intermediate to the five stages above mentioned. These all merge and blend into each other, and often constitute a formidable and confusing arena for thought and activity. It is only in the life of the undeveloped individual that clear simplicity is to be found. In between––from the stage of infancy of the race or of the man to that of the state of liberation from personality life––there is nothing but complexity, the overlapping of states of consciousness, difficulty, disease, psychological problems, illness and death.

144 Esoteric Healing The analogy of the basic dualism of all manifestation is also preserved, thus making the nine of initiation––the three, the four and the two. This correspondence to the initiatory process is, however, in the reverse direction, for it is initiation into the creative third aspect, the matter aspect and the world of intelligent activity. It is not initiation into the second or soul aspect, as is the case with the hierarchical initiations for which the disciple is preparing. It is the initiation of the soul into the experience of physical incarnation, into physical plane existence, and into the art of functioning as a human being. The door into this experience is the "Gate of Cancer." Initiation into the kingdom of God is entered through the "Gate of Capricorn." These four attributes and the three aspects of matter, plus their dual activity, are the correspondence to the four aspects of the personality and the Spiritual Triad and their dual active relationship. In this statement is hidden the key to liberation. The Seven Major Centers It would be of value here if we consider for a moment the nature of the centers themselves, summarizing somewhat the teaching already given in my other books, and so presenting a clear picture of the energy body which underlies the dense physical vehicle. There are many focal points of force within the body, but we shall deal only with the major seven which control in some degree or other all the remaining. In that way we shall not be confused. We shall consider the five centers found upon the spinal column and the two which are found in the head. 1. The Head Center. This is located at the very top of the head. It is frequently called "the thousand-petalled lotus" or the Brahmarandra.

The Psychological Causes of Disease 145 a. It corresponds to the central spiritual sun. b. It is brought into functioning activity after the third initiation and is the organ for the distribution of monadic energy, of the will aspect of divinity. c. It is related to the triple personality by the antahkarana, which disciples and initiates are in process of constructing and which reaches its full usefulness only after the destruction of the causal body at the fourth initiation. d. It is the Shamballa center in the physical body and the agent of the Father or of the first divine aspect. e. It registers purpose, corresponds to the "electric fire" of the solar system, and is dynamic in quality. f. Its dense physical externalization is the pineal gland in the head. This remains active during infancy and until the will-to-be is sufficiently established so that the incarnating person is firmly anchored in physical incarnation. In the final stages of divine expression in man it again comes into activity and usefulness as the agent for the accomplishment on earth of the will energy of established Being. g. It is the organ of synthesis because, after the third initiation and prior to the destruction of the causal body; it gathers into itself the energies of all the three aspects of manifested life. Where man is concerned, this means the energies of the Spiritual Triad, of the threefold egoic lotus and of the triple personality, thus again making the nine of initiation. The energies thus synchronized and focussed in, around and above \page

146 Esoteric Healing the head are of great beauty and extensive radiation, plus dynamic effectiveness. They serve to relate the initiate to all parts of the planetary life, to the Great Council at Shamballa, and to the Lord of the World, the final Initiator–– via the Buddha and one of the three Buddhas of Activity. The Buddha, in a most peculiar sense, relates the initiate to the second aspect of divinity––that of love––and therefore to the Hier- archy; the Buddhas of Activity relate him to the third aspect of divinity, that of active intelligence. Thus the energy of will, of consciousness and of creativity meet in him, providing the synthesis of the divine aspects. h. This is the only one of the seven centers which at the time of perfected liberation retains the position of an inverted lotus with the stem of the lotus (the antahkarana, in reality) reaching up into "the seventh Heaven," thus linking the initiate with the first major planetary center, Shamballa. All the other centers start by being inverted, with all the petals turned downwards towards the base of the spine; all, in the process of evolution, gradually unfold their petals and then slowly turn upwards "towards the summit of the rod," as it is called in the Old Commentary. The above is a piece of information which is of small value, except in so far as it presents a truth, completes a picture, and gives the student a symbolic idea of that which is essentially a distributing agent of the will energy of Deity. 2. The Ajna Center. This is the center between the eyebrows and is found in the region of the head just above \page

The Psychological Causes of Disease 147 the two eyes, where it "acts as a screen for the radiant beauty and the glory of the spiritual man." a. It corresponds to the physical sun and is the expression of the personality, integrated and functioning––first of all as the disciple, and finally as the initiate. This is the true persona or mask. b. It achieves this functioning activity fully by the time the third initiation is taken. I would remind you that this initiation is regarded by the Hier- archy as the first major initiation, a fact which I have already communicated. It is the organ for the distribution of the energy of the third aspect––the energy of active intelligence. c. It is related to the personality by the creative thread of life, and is therefore closely connected with the throat center (the center of creative activity), just as the head center is related to the center at the base of the spine. An active interplay, once established between the ajna center and the throat center, produces a creative life and a manifested expression of the divine idea on the part of the initiate. In the same way, the active interplay between the head center and the center at the base of the spine produces the manifestation of the divine will or purpose. The forces of the ajna and the throat centers, when combined, produce the highest manifestation of "fire by friction," just as the energies of the head center and the basic center produce the individual "electric fire" which, when fully expressing itself, we call the kundalini fire. d. It is the center through which the fourth Cre- ative Hierarchy on its own plane finds expres-

148 Esoteric Healing sion, and here also this Hierarchy and fourth kingdom in nature, the human family, are fused and blended. The head center relates the monad and the personality. The ajna center relates the Spiritual Triad (the expression of the monad in the formless worlds) to the personality. Pon- der on this statement, because you have here–– in the symbolism of the head center physically considered––the reflection of the spiritual will, atma, and spiritual love, buddhi. Here also comes in the teaching on the place of the eyes in the development of conscious expression, creatively carrying forward the divine purpose. The Third Eye.......the head center..............Will. Atma. The eye of the Father, the Monad.

SHAMBALLA. The first aspect of will or power and purpose. Related to the pineal gland. The Right Eye.......the ajna center............Love. Buddhi. The eye of the Son, the Soul.

HIERARCHY. The second aspect of love-wisdom. Related to the pituitary body. The Left Eye........the throat center...Active Intelligence. The eye of the Mother, the personality.

HUMANITY. The third aspect of intelligence. Related to the carotid gland. When these three eyes are functioning and all of them "seeing" simultaneously, you will then have insight into divine purpose (the initiate), intuitive vision of the plan (the disciple), and a spiritual direction of the resulting creative activity (the Master). e. The ajna center registers or focuses the intention to create. It is not the organ of creation in the

The Psychological Causes of Disease 149 same sense that the throat center is, but it embodies the idea lying behind active creativity, the subsequent act of creation producing eventually the ideal form for the idea. f. Its dense physical externalization is the pituitary body; the two lobes of this gland correspond to the two multiple petals of the ajna center. It expresses imagination and desire in their two highest forms, and these are the dynamic factors lying behind all creation. g. It is the organ of idealism therefore, and–– curiously enough––it is closely related to the sixth ray, just as the head center is essentially related to the first ray. The sixth is peculiarly linked to the third ray and the third aspect of divinity as well as to the second ray and the second aspect. It fuses, anchors and expresses. This is a fact which I have not hitherto emphasized in my other writings. The ajna center is the point in the head where the dualistic nature of manifestation in the three worlds is symbolized. It fuses the creative energies of the throat and the sublimated energies of desire or the true love of the heart. h. This center, having only two real petals, is not a true lotus in the same sense as are the other centers. Its petals are composed of 96 lesser petals or units of force (48+48=96) but these do not assume the flower shape of the other lotuses. They spread out like the wings of an airplane to the right and left of the head, and are symbolic of the right hand path and the left hand path, of the way of matter and the way of spirit. They constitute symbolically, therefore, the two \page

150 Esoteric Healing arms of the Cross upon which the man is crucified––two streams of energy or light placed athwart the stream of life descending from the monad to the base of the spine and passing through the head. The idea of relativity is one that must ever be held in mind as the student seeks to comprehend the centers, interiorly related within the etheric body, related at the same time to the subtler bodies, to the states of consciousness which are synonymous to states of being and of expression, to ray energies, to environing conditions, to the three periodical vehicles (as H.P.B. calls the personality, the threefold soul and the Spiritual Triad), to Shamballa and to the totality of manifested Lives. The complexity of the subject is extreme, but when the disciple or initiate is functioning in the three worlds and the various energies of the whole man are "grounded" in the earthbound man, then the situation becomes clearer. I use the expression "grounded" in its true and correct sense, and not as the description of a man who has discarded his physical body as the spiritualists use the term. Certain recognitions in time and space become possible; certain effects can be noted, certain ray influences appear more dominant than others; certain "patterns of being" appear; an expression of a spiritual Being at a certain point of conscious experience emerges into clarity and can then be spiritually diagnosed. Its aspects and attributes, its forces and energies, can be determined at that time and for a particular created expression of life. This must be borne in mind, and the thoughts of the student must not be permitted to rove too far afield but must be concentrated upon the appearance of the man (himself or another) and upon the emerging quality. When that student is a disciple or an initiate, he will be able also to study the life aspect.

151 The Psychological Causes of Disease Our study will, however, be somewhat different, for we shall attempt to discover the diseases and difficulties incident to the energy stimulation or the lack of stimulation of the centers, and so arrive at some of the effects which this energy inflow and conflict with forces will produce. 3. The Throat Center. This center is to be found at the back of the neck, reaching up into the medulla oblongata, thus involving the carotid gland, and down towards the shoulder blades. It is an exceedingly powerful and well developed center where average humanity is concerned. It is interesting to note in this connection that a. The throat center is ruled by Saturn just as the two head centers are ruled respectively by Uranus (ruling the head center) and Mercury (ruling the ajna center). This is only where the disciple is concerned; the rulership changes after the third initiation or before the first. These three planets constitute a most interesting triangle of forces and in the following triplicities and their inevitable inter-relations you have––again only in the case of disciples––a most amazing picture story or symbol of the ninefold of initiation: 1. The head center The ajna center The throat center 2. The third eye The right eye The left eye 3. The pineal gland The pituitary body The carotid gland thus presenting the mechanism through which the Spiritual Triad, the soul and the personality work.

172 Esoteric Healing manity) lives and moves and has its being. Humanity is conditioned by desire––good desire, selfish desire, wrong desire, and spiritual desire. It is the center through which most of the energies flow which make a man progressive because he is ambitious, selfish because his personal desires are of importance, and fluidic because astrally polarized. Through it the "bright light generated in Atlantis" is poured, and the astral light is contacted. It is therefore the center through which most mediums work and clairvoyants function. Later, these people will learn to work as intermediaries, consciously and intelligently using their powers; they will possess clear perception, and this will supersede clairvoyance. They will then be polarized in the ajna center. It is consequently a most disturbing center in the body, and is a basic cause of the majority of stomach complaints and troubles connected with the liver. The entire area immediately below the diaphragm is in a constant state of turmoil, where average man is concerned; this is due to individual and collective causes. It is interesting to note here that just as the ajna center (the synthesis of the personality forces, when highly developed) is a great directing and distributing agent, so the solar plexus center (the synthesis of the average developed personality energies, prior to the process of integration) is a center for collection, for a gathering-in of all the lower energies, and is finally a focal point for the direction and distribution of these collected energies––remitting them to their receptive higher centers: 1. The energies of the solar plexus center itself have to be directed to the heart center. 2. The energies of the sacral center have to be transmitted to the throat center.

The Psychological Causes of Disease 173 3. The energies of the center at the base of the spine have to be transferred to the head center. After the third initiation, these basic energies are raised, controlled or distributed by an act of the will of the Spiritual Triad. Then "the light generated in Lem- uria" (the sacral light) and "the light generated in Atlantis" (solar plexus light) will die out, and those two centers will simply be recipients of spiritual energies from on high; they will possess no direct, inherent light of their own; the light which they will transmit will come to them from collective sources on etheric planes. The dense physical externalization of this center is the pancreas, with a secondary externalization in the stomach. There is, in relation to the solar plexus center, a curious relation which is symbolic both in form and in implication. You have

Here again appears the theme of a center of spiritual force (for astral force is spiritual in essence) and its three manifestations. All these three dense materializations are fed and nurtured by the forces and energies of the solar plexus center. I have here given a very important fact to those who are interested in the study of medicine from the esoteric angle; rightly appreciated, it will lead to an understanding

184 Esoteric Healing 7. One of these paths is the one along which the energy which feeds matter is poured. Another is related to the path of consciousness and of sensitive psychic unfoldment. The third is the path of pure spirit. Thus in every living form the work of the Father, of the Mother and of the Son is carried on. Life-consciousness-form and life-quality-appearance are blended, and the response apparatus of the divine man is perfected, enabling him to contact and recognize the major divine aspects in the kingdoms in nature, in the planet and in the solar system––eventually.

Be not betrayed into placing these interlaced spheres of living energy on the right or the left of the spinal cord. Constantly a movement, an interplay and a reversal is going on. I can but portray the nature of a symbol which will indicate the special path of the three energies of the divine Trinity. I indicate not a fact in location or place, for it is this materializing and localizing of the main concept which has produced so much danger. The initiate-student seeks to grasp the relation of the three basic energies, the three paths of living fire, their relation and inter-relation and their sequential polarization. He seeks not to narrow the teaching down to points and lines and place until such

The Psychological Causes of Disease 185 time when these terms mean little to him and he knows more. 8. These three paths of life are the channels for electric fire, solar fire and fire by friction, and are related in their usage to the three stages of the path of evolution: the path of evolution in the material, earlier stages; the Path of Probation, and the early stages of the Path of Discipleship until the third initiation; and the Path of Initiation itself. 9. The Kundalini Fire, about which so much is taught and written in the East, and increasingly in the West, is in reality the union of these three fires, which are focussed by an act of the enlightened will, under the impulse of love, in the basic center. This unified fire is then raised by the use of a Word of Power (sent forth by the will of the Monad) and by the united authority of the soul and personality, integrated and alive. The human being who can do this in full consciousness is therefore an initiate who has left the third initiation behind him. He, and he alone, can safely raise this triple fire from the base of the spine to the head center. 10. As usually interpreted by the ignorant esotericist in the various occult groups, the kundalini fire is something which must be "raised," and when it is raised all the centers will then come into functioning activity and the channels up and down the spine will be cleared of all obstruction. This is a dangerous generalization and a reversal of the facts. The kundalini fire will be raised and carried up into heaven when all the centers are awakened and the channels up the spine are unimpeded. This removal of all obstruction is the result of the livingness of the individual centers which,

The Psychological Causes of Disease 209 of the known facts) it is the cerebro-spinal aspect which conditions and governs the entire nervous system, for it is by means of this aspect and through its agency that the centers work and affect the bodily organism, supplying the body with the needed vital energy; thus the nervous system becomes eventually responsive, via the seven centers, to the seven major energies or the seven ray forces. In no human being, except a Master, are all the centers properly awakened and functioning in a balanced manner, nor are they properly related through intensive radiation; in no human being is the nervous system correctly responsive to the centers. There are two reasons for this and both are related to the cerebro-spinal system: 1. The head center is not yet awakened, or is only slowly being developed, as the disciple submits himself to training. 2. The flow of energy through the head to the centers up the spine is uneven, owing to the fact that the inflow is uneven and that the etheric web––between the centers––permits as yet only a very little energy to flow through to all the centers. It must be remembered that the life of the centers is founded, in the initial stage, upon the inherent life of the organism itself, with the focus of the emanating life to be found in the center at the base of the spine. This is a point oft forgotten by esotericists. This basic center is the one through which the life of matter itself works; this is the life or energy of the Holy Spirit aspect, the third aspect. Through its life each atom in the body is fed. This process of animating the substance of the physical form is started in the prenatal stage; after birth, this type of force is aided and paralleled by the inflow of planetary prana or vital energy from the planetary life itself via the spleen.

210 Esoteric Healing This is the essential relating organ between the inherent life of matter itself, as present in the microcosm, and the inherent life in the planet. As evolution proceeds, there is gradually added to this inherent force an inflow of "qualified" energy which is expressive of the consciousness aspect of divinity, and indicates to the esotericist the state of awareness of the man and also the ray type of his soul. This inflow comes from the second divine aspect, from the soul or the indwelling Christ. It might therefore be stated anent the two head centers that: 1. The ajna center, or the personality center, focussed between the eyebrows and conditioning the pituitary body, is related to the entire life of the integrated threefold organism. Through this organism the consciousness must perforce express itself and the physical, emotional and mental vehicles demonstrate its point in evolution. 2. The head center (called in the Hindu philosophy, the thousand-petalled lotus) conditions the pineal gland and is related to the life of the soul and–– after the third initiation––to the life of the monad; it conveys to the centers the energy of the three major types of spiritual being of which the three forces of the personality are the reflections or physical counterparts. Later, energy from the spirit aspect, the first or Father aspect, will become available and will pour down through the head center to the ajna center, combining personality energy and soul energy. Then, by an act of the will, it is projected down the spinal column via the alta major center, which conditions the carotid gland. As it passes down the spinal column it vitalizes two aspects of the centers; when

The Psychological Causes of Disease 215 the earlier stages, and as a result of bitter experience and of conscious effort in the later stages and becomes increasingly dynamic and effective as the various stages upon the Path are trodden by the aspirant. The five rays with which a disciple has to work (two major conditioning rays and three subsidiary rays) have a definite active effect; karmic adjustments provide opportunity or hindrance, and the intricacies of the entire process (within the relatively limited experience of the disciple) are so confusing whilst in process that all that he can do is to grasp the general outline as here given and not pay too much attention to the immediate factual detail. 2. The downward trend . . . producing Transformation. Once the head center is awakening and the disciple is consciously active in the work of directing the energies to the centers and thereby governing his personality life, there is a scientific undertaking of energizing the centers in a certain ordered rhythm which is again determined by the rays, by circumstance and by karma; thus all the bodily energies are swung into correct spiritual activity. With the process involved we cannot here deal, beyond pointing out that this downward trend can be roughly regarded as falling into three stages: 1. The stage of energizing the creative life, via the throat center, thus bringing: a. The head center and the throat center, b. These two and the sacral center, c. All three, consciously and simultaneously, into conscious relation. This relation, when properly established, will solve the individual problem of sex, and without recourse to either inhibition or suppression, but by bringing

216 Esoteric Healing about right control and making the disciple, at the same time, creative in a worldly sense, and therefore of use to his fellowmen. 2. The stage of energizing the conscious life of relationship via the heart center, thus bringing: a. The head center and the heart center, b. These two and the solar plexus center, c. All three, simultaneously and consciously, into close cooperation. This serves to establish right human relations, right group relations, and right spiritual relations throughout a man's entire life expression. Just as the stage of regulating the creative life has a paramount effect upon the physical body, so this stage affects the astral vehicle with great potency; emotional reactions are transformed into aspiration and service; selfish individual love is transformed into group love, and then divinity rules the life. 3. The stage of energizing the entire man, via the basic center thus bringing: a. The head center and the basic center, b. These two and the ajna center, c. All the three, simultaneously and consciously, into rhythmic, coordinated expression. This is a final stage of great importance, and only takes place in its completeness at the time of the third initiation, that of the Transfiguration. You can see, therefore, how three important words convey the purpose of the scientific unfoldment and the right direction of the centers: Transmutation. Transformation. Transfiguration.

342 Esoteric Healing psychic urges, and those misinterpretations of life, of over- emphasis upon aspects of life which we call phobias, lunacy, etc. I would like to make a suggestion here, which is not possible for me to prove to you, but which the future will substantiate. The major diseases called mental, seldom have anything to do with the mind itself. They are: 1. Diseases of the brain. 2. Disorders of the solar plexus. 3. Astral domination. 4. Premature clairvoyance and clairaudience. 5. Obsession. 6. Absence of mind. 7. Soullessness. This is, of course, a wide generalization and has no reference to that category of diseases in which both mind and brain are involved. The diseases of mystics are also in a different category. These latter diseases involve the brain of course, indicate mental imbalance, produce various types of heart disease and the diverse neurotic tendencies with which the saints of the world were so often afflicted. One thing I will add, however, for your encouragement. As the race, as a whole, becomes governed by the solar Lord, the sun god, the Soul, then the cycles of the moon will steadily lose their baleful effect and there will be a dying out of the various neurotic complaints and mental diseases today so prevalent. The time is not yet. It is not easy for me to give more information concerning the moon and its phases, as it constitutes one of the major mysteries to be revealed at the third initiation.

The Basic Requirements for Healing 391 timing and upon the cycles of work or of physical plane living, and the cycles of restitution or physical plane death. This entire section with which we are now engaged, called The Basic Requirements, has reference in reality to the processes of dying, to the conditions of the material world or the three worlds of incarnated service. The restitution of the body to the general reservoir of substance, or to service in the outer world of daily physical living, the restoration of the soul to its source, the soul upon its own plane or––in reverse––to full responsibility within the body, are dealt with in this first point. The elimination of the life principle and the consciousness aspect is dealt with in the second point, and the theme is not that of character building, as some might surmise. I touched upon character and personal qualities in my opening remarks in this section because all true understanding of the basic principles of death and life is facilitated by right action, based on right thinking, which eventuates in right character building. I seek not, however, to enlarge upon these elementary prerequisites. The processes of integration as l seek to consider them here concern the integration of the soul into the threefold body, if karma so decides, or into the kingdom of souls, if karma decrees that what we call death lies ahead of the man. We are therefore considering, in this second section, the problem of death or the art of dying. This is something which all seriously ill people must inevitably face, and for which those in good health should prepare themselves through correct thinking and sane anticipation. The morbid attitude of the majority of men to the subject of death, and their refusal to consider it when in good health, is something which must be altered and deliberately changed. Christ demonstrated to His disciples the correct attitude when referring to His coming and immediate decease at the hand \page

392 Esoteric Healing of His enemies; He chided them when they evidenced sorrow, reminding them that He was going to His Father. Being an initiate of high degree, He meant that He was, occultly speaking, "making restitution to the Monad"; ordinary people and those below the grade of an initiate of the third degree make "restitution to the soul." The fear and the morbidness which the subject of death usually evokes, and the unwillingness to face it with understanding are due to the emphasis which people lay upon the fact of the physical body and the facility with which they identify themselves with it; it is based also upon an innate fear of loneliness and the loss of the familiar. Yet the loneliness which eventuates after death, when the man finds himself without a physical vehicle, is as nothing compared to the loneliness of birth. At birth, the soul finds itself in new surroundings and immersed in a body which is at first totally incompetent to take care of itself or to establish intelligent contact with surrounding conditions for a long period of time. The man comes into incarnation with no recollection as to the identity or the significance to him of the group of souls in bodies with which he finds himself in relationship; this loneliness only disappears gradually as he makes his own personality contacts, discovers those who are congenial to him and eventually gathers around him those whom he calls his friends. After death this is not so, for the man finds on the other side of the veil those whom he knows and who have been connected with him in physical plane life, and he is never alone as human beings understand loneliness; he is also conscious of those still in physical bodies; he can see them, he can tune in on their emotions, and also upon their thinking, for the physical brain, being nonexistent, no longer acts as a deterrent. If people but knew more, birth would be the experience which they would dread, and not

406 Esoteric Healing To turn now to another aspect of our theme. There are, speaking in the larger sense, three major death episodes. There is, first of all, the constant recurrence of the fact of physical death. This is familiar to all of us through its extreme frequency, could we but realize it. This recognition would rapidly eliminate the present fear of death. There is then the "second death" spoken of in the Bible, which is in this present planetary cycle associated with the death of all astral control over the human being. In the larger sense, this second death is consummated at the fourth initiation, when even spiritual aspiration dies, being no more needed; the Will of the initiate is now fixed and immovable, and astral sensitivity is no longer required. There is a curious counterpart to this experience upon a much lower level in the death of all astral emotion which takes place for the individual aspirant at the time of the second initiation. It is then a complete episode and is consciously registered. Between the second and the third initiations, the disciple has to demonstrate a continuity of non- response to astralism and emotionalism. The second death, to which I am here referring, has to do with the death or the disappearance of the causal body at the time of the fourth initiation; this marks the completion of the building of the antahkarana and the institution of direct, unimpeded continuity of relationship between the Monad and the personality. The third death takes place when the initiate leaves behind him, finally and with no prospect of return, all relation with the cosmic physical plane. This death, necessarily, lies far ahead for all in the Hierarchy and is at present only possible and permissible for a few in the Council Chamber at Shamballa. It is not, however, a process through which Sanat Kumara will pass. He underwent this "transformation" many aeons ago, during the great cataclysm

434 Esoteric Healing festation) three phases or aspects, each related to the three divine aspects: 1. It relates life and form, spirit and matter––the third aspect. 2. It governs the coherent integrative process which produces forms––the second aspect. 3. It brings about the imbalance which results in the act of disintegration, thus overcoming form––as far as the human being is concerned––and brings this about in three phases to which we have given the names: a. Restitution, resulting in the dissolution of the body and the return of its elements, atoms and cells, to their originating source. b. Elimination, involving the same basic process in relation to the forces which have constituted the astral body and the mental vehicle. c. Absorption, the mode whereby the human soul is integrated into its originating source, the overshadowing, universal soul. This is an expression of the first aspect. All these phases, rightly understood, illustrate or demonstrate the unique potency of the Law of Attraction and its relation to the Law of Synthesis, which governs the first divine aspect. Integration eventually produces synthesis. The many cyclic integrations which are carried forward in the great life cycle of an incarnating soul lead to the final synthesis of spirit and soul, which is the goal of the evolutionary process where humanity is concerned. After the third initiation, this results in the complete liberation of the man from the "pull" of substance in the three worlds and in his consequent ability to wield, with full understanding, the Law of Attraction in its various phases, as far as \page

The Process of Restitution 435 the creative process is involved. Other phases will then be later mastered. One point must be borne in mind. The words "earth to earth and dust to dust," so familiar in the burial rituals of the Occident, refer to this act of restitution and connote the return of the physical body elements to the original reservoir of matter and of the substance of the vital form to the general etheric reservoir; the words "the spirit shall return unto God who gave it" are a distorted reference to the absorption of the soul by the universal soul. The ordinary rituals however fail to emphasize that it is that individualized soul in process of reabsorption which institutes and orders, by an act of the spiritual will, that restitution. It is forgotten in the West that this "order to restore" has been given with great frequency down the ages by every soul within a physical form; in so doing, steadily and inevitably, the first divine aspect––the Monad on its own plane––is tightening its hold upon its body of manifestation, via its reflection, the soul. Thus the will aspect comes increasingly into play until, upon the Path of Discipleship, spiritual determination is brought to its highest point of development and, upon the Path of Initiation, the will begins to function consciously. It is worth remembering, is it not, that it is in the deliberate issuing of the command by the soul upon its own plane to its shadow in the three worlds that the soul learns to express the first and highest aspect of divinity, and this at first, and for a very long time, solely through the process of death. The difficulty at present is that relatively few people are soul-conscious, and consequently most men remain unaware of the "occult commands" of their own souls. As humanity becomes soul-conscious (and this will be one of the results of the agony of the present war), death will be seen as an "ordered" process, carried out in full consciousness and with understanding of

The Processes of Integration 507 3. The personality life of the now coordinated individual persists for a large number of lives and also falls into three phases: a. The phase of a dominant aggressive personality life, basically conditioned by its ray type, selfish in nature and very individualistic. b. A transitional phase wherein a conflict rages between personality and soul. The soul begins to seek liberation from form life and yet––in the last analysis–– the personality is dependent upon the life principle, conferred by the soul. Wording it otherwise, the conflict between the soul ray and the personality ray starts and the war is on between two focussed aspects of energy. This conflict terminates at the third initiation. c. The control by the soul is the final phase, leading to the death and destruction of the personality. This death begins when the personality, the Dweller on the Threshold, stands before the Angel of the Presence. The light of the solar Angel then obliterates the light of matter. The "control" phase is conditioned by the complete identification of the personality with the soul; this is a reversal of the previous identification of the soul with the personality. This also is what we mean when speaking of the integration of these two; the two are now one. It was of this phase that St. Paul was speaking when he referred (in the Epistle to the Ephesians) to Christ making "out of two, one new man." It is primarily the phase of the final stages of the Probationary Path (where the work consciously begins) and its carrying forward to completion upon the Path of Discipleship. It is the stage of the practical and successful server; it is that wherein the entire focus

The Processes of Integration 515 The Elimination of the Personality Thoughtform In dealing with this subject (and it can only be done very briefly) two things must be borne in mind: 1. That we are considering solely an idea in the mind of the soul and dealing with the basic fact of the illusion which has controlled the entire cycle of incarnation and so held the soul a prisoner to form. To the soul, the personality connotes two things: a. The soul's capacity for identification with form; this is first of all realized by the soul when the personality is beginning to react to a measure of real integration. b. An opportunity for initiation. 2. That the elimination of the thoughtform of the personality, which is consummated at the third initiation, is a great initiation for the soul on its own plane. For this reason, the third initiation is regarded as the first major initiation, since the two previous initiations have very little effect upon the soul and only affect the incarnated soul, the "fragment" of the whole. These are facts which are little realized and seldom emphasized in any of the literature hitherto published. The emphasis up till now has been upon the initiations as they affect the disciple in the three worlds. But I am specifically dealing with the initiations as they affect or do not affect the soul, overshadowing its reflection, the personality, in the three worlds. What I have said, therefore, will have little meaning for the average reader. From the angle of the personal self, regarding itself as the Dweller on the Threshold, the attitude or state of mind has been inadequately portrayed as one of complete obliteration in the light of the soul; the glory of the Presence, trans-

516 Esoteric Healing muted by the Angel, is such that the personality completely disappears, with its demands and its aspirations. Naught is left but the shell, the sheath. and the instrument through which the solar light can pour for the helping of humanity. This is true to a certain degree, but is only––in the last analysis––man's attempt to put into words the transmuting and the transfiguring effect of the third initiation, which cannot be done. Infinitely more difficult is the attempt I am here making to depict the attitude and the reactions of the soul, the one self, the Master in the heart, as it recognizes the stupendous fact of its own essential liberation and realizes, once and for all, that it is now incapable of responding in any way to the lower vibrations of the three worlds, as transmitted to the soul by its instrument of contact, the personality form. That form is now incapable of such transmission. The second reaction of the soul, once this realization has been focussed and admitted, is that––having achieved freedom––that freedom now conveys its own demands: 1. For a life of service in the three worlds, so familiar and now so completely transcended. 2. An overshadowing sense of outgoing love towards those who are, as yet, seeking liberation. 3. A recognition of the essential triangle which has now become the center of the conceptual life of the soul:

The Processes of Integration 517 The soul now vibrates between the two points or pairs of opposites and acts as an invocative and evocative center. None of the above realizations may be registered in the brain consciousness or in the mind of the illumined personality. Theoretically, some dim vision of the inherent possibilities may be sensed, but the consciousness is no longer that of the serving disciple in the three worlds, using mind, emotions and physical body to carry out behest and hierarchical intent, as far as may be. That has disappeared with the death of the personality consciousness. The consciousness is now that of the soul itself, aware of no separation, instinctively active, spiritually obsessed by the plans of the Kingdom of God, and completely free from the lure or the faintest control of matter-form; the soul is, however, still responsive to and immersed in substance-energy, and its higher correspondence is still functioning on the levels of the cosmic physical plane––the buddhic, atmic, monadic and logoic planes. What then must take place if the life of the soul is to be full and complete and so thoroughly inclusive that the three worlds form part of its area of awareness and its field of service? The only way in which I can make clear to you what the soul must do after the third initiation is to sum it up in two ways: First: The soul now becomes a conscious creator because the third aspect––developed and mastered through experience in the three worlds during the long cycle of incarnations––has reached a point of perfected activity. Putting it technically: the energy of the knowledge petals and the energy of the love petals are now so actively fused and blended that two of the inner petals, surrounding the jewel in the lotus, are no longer acting

518 Esoteric Healing as veils to that jewel. I am here speaking symbolically. Because of this happening, the death or the elimination of the personality is the first activity in the drama of conscious creation, and the first form created by the soul is a substitute for the personality. Thus an instrument for service in the three worlds is created. This time, however, it is an instrument with no life, no desire, no ambition and no power of thought of its own. It is only a sheath of substance, animated by soul life but–– at the same time––responsive to and suited to the period, race and the environing conditions wherein the creating soul chooses to work. Think this statement out and emphasize the words "suited to." Second: The soul then prepares itself for the coming fourth initiation. This is basically a monadic experience and results––as you know––in the disappearance or destruction of the soul vehicle or causal body, and the establishment, therefore, of a direct relation between the monad on its own plane and the newly created personality, via the antahkarana. These two points are given to you for the first time in the sequential giving out of the occult teaching; hints have, however, prepared the way for these two facts. Informa- tion has also been given anent the mayavirupa through which the Master works and contacts the three worlds and which He deliberately creates in order to serve His purposes and plans. It is a definite substitute for the personality and can only be created when the old personality (built and developed during the cycle of incarnation) has been eliminated. I prefer the word "eliminated" to the word "destroyed." The structure––at the time of elimination––persists, but its separative life has gone.

596 Esoteric Healing There is here an interesting distinction which should be noted. Death, when it comes, is the result of two things: 1. The fight between the forces, and not between energy and the forces. The area of conflict is the etheric body and the physical body, and no energies are coming in from without because the man is too ill. 2. The loss of the will-to-live. The patient has given in; the internal fight is too much for him; he can bring in no outside energy to combat the warring forces, and he has reached the point where he does not want to do so. These two phases of the process of dying are indicative of the destiny of the patient, and should be immediately noted by the healer who (when he finds them present) will then apply his skill in aiding the man to die and will not attempt to effect a cure. The door of entry for the life-giving energies is sealed; nothing can enter to aid the healer in his work, and the conflict between the forces––of a general nature or confined to a bitter fight in a particular area–– produces so much friction that there is no hope anywhere, except in death. In this sentence, it might be pointed out that disease refers to the point of friction or of acute trouble; all ills has reference to the general reaction of the man to the area of difficulty and to the general disability produced by the disease, whilst bodily pain refers to the discomfort of the area where the disease is located and which is indicative of its nature. All words in these laws and rules are most carefully chosen, and even if inadequate from the translator's point of view, are not redundant but express different meanings. 6. The two, the five and thus the seven, plus that which they produce, possess the secret.

The Laws and Rules Enumerated and Applied 597 The enumeration is in the nature of a summation of what has been previously given, and its most superficial meaning and the one of the most use to the healer could be simply expressed as follows: The healer must bear in mind the fact of the two major energies which are present in every personality; the soul and the personality rays. He must then bear in mind that to these two he must add three conditioning rays, making the five above mentioned: the mind ray, the ray of the astral body and the ray of the physical body. This enumeration will usually prove adequate for all ordinary or average people. If, however, the patient is a very advanced person, another form of enumeration will be in order; it will be necessary to add two more energies which will then be present in real potency: the ray of the monad and the ray of the planet, which is the third ray. This planetary ray when very active (as is the case with very advanced persons and those who have attained a high point of general integration) has a potent effect; planetary prana comes in powerfully on the planetary ray, and this can be used to bring about a cure. One reason why the general health of all very advanced people is usually good is that pranic energy from the planet has a free flow through the mechanism. It is this energy which the Master, working through a relatively perfect body, depends upon to keep it in good health. This is a somewhat new piece of information and one which––when recognized––will appear both simple and reasonable. "That which they produce" in this case, and to the healer, means the outer tangible form; there are other significances, but with these we need not here deal. The "secret" referred to is the revelation of the manner in which good health may be preserved. It is not the secret \page

598 Esoteric Healing of how to cure the physical vehicle when "bodily ills" are present. But there is a secret of good health which is known to all initiates above the third initiation; and this they can simply employ, if they so choose. However, they may not so choose always unless they are working with other parts of the Plan which have nothing to do with humanity. If they are among those who are occupied with the unfolding consciousness in man and who are workers for and in the human kingdom, they may know the secret but may, at the same time, choose not to profit by it because of the need they feel to be completely identified with mankind; they therefore choose to share consciously all human experience and to die along lines which are common to the rest of men. The entire question of identification lies behind all manifestation; it is identification with or of spirit and matter which is the secret of divine appearance; one of the main causes of disease, as well you know, is the facility with which men identify themselves with the form aspect (with the many localized forces––localized within the personality ring-pass-not). Man neglects to identify himself with the producer of the form, the true spiritual man, and with the energies which he seeks to direct, and which––later in the evolutionary cycle––he is insistent upon directing. There is also a secret meaning here which relates to the seven rays as they express themselves in the human kingdom; the knowledge of this secret enables a Master to control epidemics and widespread diseases; with this you are not at this time concerned. Incidentally, the relative freedom from the plagues and epidemics which usually follow in the wake of war has been partly due to the use of this sevenfold knowledge by the Hierarchy, plus the scientific knowledge of humanity itself. In this connection also (and I mention it simply from the angle of its interest) there are two hierarchical offi-

612 Esoteric Healing it is that which is fundamentally related to some form of sensitivity; it is that which the bodies, as they evolve, find that they can respond. A principle is a germ of awareness, carrying all the potentiality of full consciousness on some particular level of divine activity. It is that which makes knowledge and conscious response to environment possible; it is that which connotes a sequential and "unroll- ing" sensitive activity, resulting in divine understanding, possible and inevitable. The physical body, and to a far less extent the astral and mental bodies, are automatic in their activity as aspects of a divine response apparatus, of a mechanism which enables the Heavenly Man, the planetary Logos and the spiritual man to register conscious response to that which is to be contacted under the divine plan and through the medium of a mechanism. At present, the physical body is the only one which is as yet so fully developed that it has in this planetary scheme of ours no further evolutionary development, except in so far as the spiritual man can affect it–– and most of the effect is produced in the etheric body and not in the dense physical. This is a point little grasped but of major importance. The dense physical body reached its high point of development and of interest (from the angle of mental attention and of Hierarchical action) in the previous solar system. It was then the divine goal of the entire evolutionary process. This is not an easy point for humanity today to grasp. It is not possible or advisable for me to indicate the evolutionary stages through which this divine mechanism passed in preparation for the task to be undertaken in the present solar system. In this divine incarnation of our planetary Logos through the medium of this little planet, the Earth, the physical body is not a goal, but simply something which exists and must be accepted, and which must be adapted and \page

The Laws and Rules Enumerated and Applied 613 incorporated into the general evolutionary plan. That plan has to do entirely with consciousness. The physical body is simply (no more and no less) the vehicle of consciousness upon the physical plane, but the emphasis of attention is the etheric body as an expression of the subtler vehicles and their state of embodied consciousness. The physical body is important because it has to house and respond to every type of conscious response, from that of the lowest type of human being up to and inclusive of the consciousness of an initiate of the third degree. The bodies and forms of the indwelling conscious life in the three subhuman kingdoms have an analogous but less difficult problem; I am here, however, considering only the physical body of a human being, which is not a principle because it is not in any way a goal; it is not the seed or germ of anything. Any changes wrought in the physical body are secondary to the goal of conscious response to the revelation of an emerging divinity. I have felt it necessary to emphasize this because of the confusion in men's minds anent the subject. To sum up: the physical body is not a principle; it is not a main object of attention of the aspirant; it automatically responds to the slowly unfolding consciousness in all the kingdoms of nature; it constantly remains that which is worked upon and not that which has an innate influence of its own: it is not important in the active process, for it is a recipient and not that which initiates activity. That which is important is the unfolding consciousness, the response of the indwelling spiritual man to life, circumstances, events and environment. The physical body responds. When the physical body becomes, in error, the object of attention, retrogression is indicated; and this is why all profound attention to the physical disciplines, to vegetarianism, to diet and to fasting, and to the present modes of (so-called) mental and divine healing, are unde- \page

614 Esoteric Healing sirable and not in line with the projected plan. Therefore undue consideration and excessive emphasis upon the physical body is reactionary and is like the worship of the golden calf by the children of Israel; it is reversion to that which at one time was of importance but today should be relegated to a minor position and below the threshold of consciousness. I have dealt with this here because in Law VII the fact of the endocrine glands is brought to our attention, and it is necessary that we approach this subject from the right point of view. The endocrine glands are a tangible part of the physical body; they are therefore a part of that created manifestation which is not regarded as a principle. They are, however, effective and potent and may not be ignored. It is essential that students regard these glands as effects and not causes of events and happenings and conditions in the body. The physical body––no matter what its victims may believe and declare––is always conditioned by inner causes; it is never, intrinsically, itself a cause. It is, in this solar system and on our planet, automatic and affected by causes generated on the inner planes or by the action of the soul. Please note the importance of this statement. The physical body has no true life of its own, but is simply––in this cycle––responsive to impulses emanating from elsewhere. Its achievement and its triumph is that it is an automaton. If you can grasp this adequately, we can safely proceed to the consideration of Law VII and Rule Four.

LAW VII

When life or energy flows unimpeded and through right direction to its precipitation (the related gland), then the form responds and ill health disappears. One of the interesting factors which students should note is the doctrine of intermediaries which is to be found

The Laws and Rules Enumerated and Applied 639 I have several times used the expression "isolated form," for it is this peculiar aspect of isolation which conditions the physical body of a man (or of any living form, for that matter), rendering it detached, coherent and temporarily living its own life in response to the imposition of the livingness of the incarnating soul. Temporarily, the united power of the segregated and isolated atoms––particularly the planetary structure of the spirit of the earth––is in abeyance as regards individual reaction to the planetary life. Only the coherent, magnetic qualities persist in any form of activity and in conjunction with the will-to-live of the spiritual man or of any ensouling entity. This creates a coherent form, held together by two aspects of livingness: that of the spirit of the earth and that of the spiritual man. Therefore––to use words in an effort to arrive at understanding––two aspects of life and two forms of will or purpose are brought together. The higher is evolutionary; the lower is involutionary in nature. It is this which creates the conflict. One type of energy is evolutionary and the other is involutionary. It is these conflicting forces which present the problem of dualism––a dualism of the higher and the lower at many differing and varying stages. The final phase of the conflict is fought out, or rather wrought out, when the Dweller on the Threshold and the Angel of the Presence face each other. It is in that consummating event that the pull or conflict between the involutionary life and the evolutionary life, between the inchoate, magnetic will of the elemental forces (inherent in the atoms of which all three bodies of the personality are made) and the will of the spiritual man, on the verge of liberation from the magnetic control of substance, is brought to the issue. The spirit of the earth has its correspondence in the created expression of the spiritual man; it is to be found in the existence of the personality elemental; this personality \page

640 Esoteric Healing elemental can be and frequently is an inchoate force, swayed entirely by desire, and no true personality integration is present; it can, however, be a highly organized and potent factor, producing what is called a high grade personality and an effective instrument for the spiritual man in the three worlds of his evolution. This is followed later by the conflicts upon the Path of Discipleship and the Path of Initiation. Then the livingness of the spiritual man, and his will to manifest divinely, dominate to such an extent that the death of the personality is brought about; this culminates at the time of the third initiation. At that experience the monadic will comes in with such dynamic potency that the will of the elemental lives of the threefold personality is completely negated. But (to return to our theme) the atomic substance, impregnated with the life of the spirit of the earth and with the driving force of its inchoate will, demonstrates as magnetic power and is constantly in conflict, within the body of manifestation of the informing soul, with the life of the soul. This conflict or friction is the main cause of what you call disease. Disease is inharmony; it is the fault of fire by friction; diseased areas are areas of friction wherein the atomic substance is temporarily asserting its own type of livingness and responding (sometimes to the point of death) to the magnetic pull of the will of the spirit of the earth. If that pull proves adequately strong, the friction within the atomic structure, localized in the area of some etheric center, will be of such a nature that the quality of the disease increases, the life of the spiritual man is slowly or rapidly withdrawn; the desire for existence, the spiritual will-to-be is not then as strong as the will to be reabsorbed––the will of the atoms constituting the physical body; the man, therefore, dies, in the usual sense of the term.

672 Esoteric Healing three temptations; in so doing much light would be thrown on the life, nature and character of the Christ. Under the Law of Perfection we are given the key to the civilization and cycle of evolution which He inaugurated––the ideal of which is not lost, though the application of the teaching He gave has been neglected by the churches and by mankind. You will note also that one temptation takes place on the summit of a high mountain; from that elevation both time and space are totally negated, for the vision of Christ ranged from the past through the present and on into the future. This state of awareness (I cannot call it consciousness, and awareness is almost as inaccurate a word) is only possible after the fifth initiation, reaching a high point of expression at the sixth initiation. I would like to consider with you the nature of the three requirements presented as essential for a certain initiation, because they provide the link between Law IX and Rule Six. The rule is so clear and concise that it needs but little explanation, emphasizing, as it does, energy which must be used and that which must not. It says: RULE SIX

The healer or the healing group must keep the will in leash. It is not will that must be used, but love. These three basic requirements concern attainment on various planes of the universe; though I dealt with them in connection with the approach to the sixth initiation, they have–– on a lower turn of the spiral––their correspondences, and are therefore of practical application by the initiated disciple, particularly one who has taken the third initiation. Let us take them, one by one, into our thinking: Perfect Poise indicates complete control of the astral body, so that emotional upheavals are overcome, or at

\ The Laws and Rules Enumerated and Applied 673 least are greatly minimized in the life of the disciple. It indicates also, on the higher turn of the spiral, an ability to function freely on buddhic levels, owing to complete liberation (and consequent poise) from all the influences and impulses which are motived from the three worlds. This type or quality of poise connotes––if you will think deeply––an abstract state of mind; nothing which is regarded as nonperfection can create disturbance. You can realize surely that, if you were entirely free from all emotional reactions, your clarity of mind and your ability to think clearly would be enormously increased, with all that that involves. Naturally, the perfect poise of an initiated disciple and that of the initiated Master are different, for one concerns the effect of the three worlds or their non- effect, and the other concerns adaptability to the rhythm of the Spiritual Triad; nevertheless, the earlier type of poise must precede the later achievement, hence my consideration of the subject. This perfect poise (which is a possible achievement for you who read) is arrived at by ruling out the pulls, the urges, impulses and attractions of the astral or emotional nature, and also by the practice of what I have earlier mentioned: Divine Indifference. A Completed Point of View. This necessarily and primarily refers to the universal outlook of the Monad, and therefore to an initiate of the higher degrees. It can, however, be interpreted on a lower rung of the ladder of evolution and refers to the function of the soul as an Observer in the three worlds and the completed all- round picture such an observer gradually attains. This is brought about by the development of the two qualities of detachment and discrimination. These two quali-

674 Esoteric Healing ties, when expressed on the Way to the Higher Evolu- tion, become Abstraction and the Will to-good. A completed point of view––as experienced on soul levels––indicates the removal of all barriers and the freedom of the disciple from the great heresy of separateness; he has therefore created an unclogged channel for the inflow of pure love. Perfect poise, viewed from the same level, has removed all impediments and those emotional factors which have hitherto blocked the channel, thus preparing the way for the Observer to see truly; the disciple then functions as a clear channel for love. Divine Understanding must also be studied from two points of view. As a soul quality, it indicates a mind which can be held steady in the light, and can therefore reflect the pure reason (pure love) which qualifies the reflections of the Son of Mind, the soul on its own plane. On the higher Way of the Master, it relates to that identification which supersedes the individualistic consciousness; all barriers have gone and the initiate sees things as they are; he knows the causes of which all phenomena are the ephemeral effects. This, consequently, enables Him to understand the Purpose, as it emanates from Shamballa, just as the lesser initiate understands the Plan as it is formulated by the Hier- archy. All three of these divine attributes are, in some measure, essential in the development of the initiate-healer; he must work at their unfoldment as part of his necessary equipment; he must know that all reactions of an emotional nature create a wall or barrier between the free flow of healing force and the patient, and that the barrier is created by him and not by the patient. The emotions of the

The Rays and the Initiations THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 33 the group with the will or purpose of the Monad. The progress of the group is, therefore, from one burning ground to another––each burning ground being colder and clearer than the preceding one but producing sequentially the burning fire, the clear cold lighted fire, and the consuming divine fire. Thus in parables the truth goes out, and gradually the initiate grasps the uses of heat, warmth, light and energy; he arrives at an understanding of self-will, sacrificial will and Shamballic purpose, and only Love (self-love, group love, and finally, divine love) can reveal the significance of these symbolic words and the occult paradoxes which confront the true aspirant as he attempts to tread the Way. As we continue our studies of the rules to be followed by those receiving initiate-training, I would remind you of certain things, some of them already touched upon but requiring re-emphasis. Any usefulness which these Rules may have for you will be dependent upon your grasping a few basic ideas and then proceeding to make them factual as far as in you lies. First, I would call your attention to what should be the basic attitude of the would-be initiate: It should be one of purpose, governed by pure reason and working out in spiritual activity. That is a sentence easily written, but what specifically does it convey to you? Let me enlarge upon it somewhat. The attitude of the initiate-in-training should be one of right spiritual motive––the motive being the intelligent fulfillment of the will aspect of divinity, or of the Monad. This involves the merging of his personality self-will into that of the sacrificial will of the soul; and this, when accomplished, will lead to the revelation of the divine Will. Of this Will, no one who is not an initiate has any conception. It means, secondly, the release of the faculty of spiritual perception and of intuitive understanding, which involves the negation of the activity of the lower or concrete mind, of the lower personal self, and the subordination of the knowledge aspect of the soul to the clear pure light of the divine understanding. When these two factors are beginning to be

34 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS active, you will have the emergence of true spiritual activity upon the physical plane, motivated from the high source of the Monad, and implemented by the pure reason of the intuition. It will be apparent to you, therefore, that these higher spiritual faculties can only be brought into play when the bridging antahkarana is beginning to play its part. Hence the teaching which I am giving on the construction of the rainbow bridge. These Rules are in reality great Formulas of Approach, but they indicate approach to a spectfic section of the Path and not approach to the Initiator. I would have you reflect upon this distinction. The "Way of the Higher Evolution" lies open to the aspirant to the Greater Mysteries, but he is oft bewildered in the beginning and frequently questions in his mind the difference between the progress or evolution of the personality towards soul consciousness and the nature of the progress which lies ahead and which is essentialy different to the unfoldment of pure consciousness. Had you grasped the fact that after the third initiation, the initiate is not concerned with consciousness at all, but with the fusion of his individual will with the divine will? He is not then occupied with increasing his sensitivity to contact, or with his conscious response to environing conditions, but is becoming increasingly aware of the dynamics of the Sci- ence of the Service of the Plan. This distinctive realisation can only come when his fused and blended personality and soul expression of will has disappeared in the blazing light of the divine Purpose––a purpose which cannot be frus- trated even if at times delayed, as it has been during the past fifty-five years. (Written in February, 1943.) Much of what I have said above will seem meaningless to you because the finished contact between soul and personality has not been brought about and the will aspect in manifestation is not yet understood in its three phases: Per- sonality, Egoic and Monadic. But, as I have earlier told you, I write for those disciples and initiates who are now coming into incarnation and who will be in the full flower of their

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 35 consciousness and service at the latter end of this century. But the effort you make to understand will have its effect, even if the brain registers it not. In the last analysis, these Rules or Formulas of Ap- proach are primarily concerned with the Shamballa or life aspect. They are the only Formulas or embodied techniques at present extant which have in them the quality which will enable the aspirant to understand and eventually express the significance of the words of Christ, "Life more abundantly." These words relate to contact with Shamballa; the result will be the expression of the will aspect. The whole process of invocation and evocation is tied up with the idea. The lesser aspect is ever the invoking factor, and this constitutes an unalterable law lying behind the entire evolutionary process. It is necessarily a reciprocal process, but in time and space it might be broadly said that the lesser ever invokes the higher, and higher factors are then evoked and respond according to the measure of understanding and the dynamic tension displayed by the invoking element. This many fail to realise. You do not work at the evocative process. That word simply connotes the responce of that which has been reached. The task of the lesser aspect or group is invocative, and the success of the invocative rite is called evocation. When, therefore, your life is fundamentally invocative, then there will come the evocation of the will. It is only truly invocative when personality and soul are fused and functioning as a consciously blended and focussed unit. The next point which I seek to make is that these Formulas of Approach or Rules deal with the unfoldment of group consciousness, because it is only in group formation that, as yet, the Shamballa force of the will can be tapped. They are useless to the individual under the new initiatory dispensation. Only the group, under the proposed new mode of working and of group initiation, is capable of invoking Shamballa. That is why Hitler, the exponent of the reversed reaction to Shamballa (and consequently the evil reaction) had to gather around him a group of like-minded people or \page

36 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS personalities. On the upper arc of the evocative cycle (Hitler being the expression of the invocative arc of the Shamballa force) it requires a group to bring about evocation. We now come to my third point in relation to the Rules or Formulas and their objective. They are concerned–– above everything else––with group initiation. They have other applications, but for the present here lies their usefulness. What, you may ask, is group initiation? Does it involve the taking of initiation by every member in the group? Can one person have so extensive an influence that he can hold up or delay or even prevent (in time and space) the group initiation? The group need not necessarily contain members who have all taken the same initiation. By this I mean that the necessary initiation of all the members simultaneously into the same group development is not required. Basically, what I am endeavouring to say anent these Rules has relation to the third initiation––the initiation of the integrated personality. They necessarily, however, have a correspondence to the second initiation, and are consequently of more general interest, for it is that initiation which faces so many aspirants today––the demonstration of the control of the formidable emotional nature. I would ask you to think much about this point which I have just made. Group initiation means that the bulk of the members are correctly oriented; that they are proposing to accept the discipline which will prepare them for the next great expansion of consciousness, and that none of them can possibly be deviated from their purpose (note that word with its first ray or Shamballic implications) no matter what is happening in their environment or their personal life. You need to reflect on this if you desire to make the needed progress. In these short instructions, which aim only at a "tenta- tive indication" (note that phrase), it is not necessary to enter into explicit details. In any case, if the Formulas or Rules are not intuitively clear to your minds, anything I could say would only hinder and frustrate my purpose. Finally, these Formulas or Rules are susceptible of

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 37 three forms of application or interpretation and I would have you remember this, because you can thereby discover where your individual focus of attention is and if you are consequently functioning as an integrated personality. Re- member always that only an integrated personality can achieve the needed soul focus. This is a fundamental re- quirement. These three forms of application are physical, emotional and mental in nature. But those words in their simplest connotation have true reference to the task of achieving one or other of the higher initiations. The only way their significance can truly appear is by grasping the following meanings: 1. The physical application refers to the usage by the group of the given knowledge and intuitively perceived information in such a way that the needs of the larger group, of which the group itself is a part, are constuctively served. The consummation of this ideal is to be found in the activity of the Hierarchy itself which, from progressive point to progressive point, finds itself in the position of intuitive interpreter and force transmitter between the center of Shamballa and Humanity. The individual initiate, on the way to one or other of the higher initiation, has in his lesser degree to achieve the same dual function and thereby fit himself for the wider cooperation. 2. The emotional application has definite reference to the world of meaning, interpreted in a group sense. At present, well-meaning aspirants are satisfied if they are able to interpret their personality conditions events and happenings in terms of their real meaning. But that still remains an individual reaction. The aspirant who is seeking to comprehend these Rules is more interested in seeing the situation which he contacts in terms of a world whole, and in search- ing for their meaning in terms of their group sigificance. This serves to decentralise him and to convey into his consciousness some aspect of that larger whole, and this in its turn contributes to the expansion of the consciousness of humanity as a whole. \page

38 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS 3. The mental application has to be grasped and considered in terms of the "great light." It must be remembered that the mind is the organ of illumination. Therefore it might be asked: Do the united mental processes of the group as a whole tend to throw light on human problems and situations? How much does the light of the individual group member aid in this process? How much light do you, as an individual, register and theretore contribute to the greater light? Is the group light a dim flicker or a blazing sun? Such are some of the implications lying behind the use of these familiar words, and the careful consideration of their meaning might bring about a definite expansion of consciousness. This expansion normally follows certain clear and definite stages: 1. A recognition of the goal. This goal is often expressed under the word "the door." A door permits entrance into some place larger than the area covered by the standing room of the would-be initiate. This statement refers to the "door of incarnation" through which the incarnating soul enters into life––limited and re- stricted from the angle of the soul. The door of initiation admits "into a larger room" or sphere of extended expression. 2. The approach, under regulated and imposed and well-tried rules, of the entering one towards a visioned goal. This involves conformity to that which has been tried, known and demonstrated by all previous initiates. 3. The arresting of the steps of the initiate before the door in order that he may "prove himself to be initiate" prior to entry. 4. The passing of certain tests in order to demonstrate fitness. 5. Then comes the stage of entrance––under due and set rules and yet with full freedom of action. You will see, therefore, why ever the need for understanding is emphasized. Before proceeding to study the final phrases of Rule

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 39 One, I would call your attention to the fact that the initiate has faced two major tests, symbolically described as "the burning ground" and the "clear cold light." Only after he has successfully passed these can he––or the group, when considering group initiation––move forward and outward into the wider reaches of the divine consciousness. These tests are applied when the soul grips the personality and the fire of divine love destroys the loves and desires of the integrated personality. Two factors tend to bring this about: the slow moving forward of the innate conscience into greater control, and the steady development of the "fiery aspiration" to which Patanjali* makes reference. These two factors, when brought into living activity, bring the disciple into the centre of the burning ground which separates the Angel of the Presence from the Dweller on the Threshold. The burning ground is found upon the threshold of every new advance, until the third initiation has been taken. The "clear cold light" is the light of pure reason, of infallible intuitive perception and its unremitting, intensive and revealing light constitutes a major test in its effects. The initiate discovers the depths of evil, and at the same time is enticed forward by the heights of a growing sense of divinity. The clear cold light reveals two things: A. The omnipresence of God throughout nature, and therefore throughout the entire personality life of the initiate or of the initiate group. The scales fall from the eyes, bringing about––paradoxically––the "dark night of the soul" and the sense of being alone and bereft of all help. This led (in the case of the Christ, for instance) to that appalling moment in the Garden of Gethsemane, and which was consummated on the Cross, when the will of personality-soul clashed with the divine will of the Monad. The revelation to the initiate of the ages of severance from the Central Reality, and of all its attendant implications, descends upon the one who is attempting to stand "in isolated Unity," as Patanjali (to quote him a second time) calls the experience.+ –––––––––– * The Light of the Soul (Book II, Sutra I) page 119. + Ibid. (Book IV, Sutras 25,34) pages 420,428.

40 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS The omnipresence of divinity within all forms pours in upon the consciousness of the initiate, and the mystery of time, space and electricity stands revealed. The major effect of this revelation (prior to the third initiation) is to bring to the disciple a realisation of the "great heresy of separate ness," as it focusses in him, the separated fully conscious individual––aware of his past, conscious now of his ray and its conditioning power focussed in his own aspiration, and yet part of the great whole of nature. From that moment onward he knows that divinity is all there is, and this he learns through the revelation of the inherent separativeness of the form life, through the processes of "the dark night of the soul" and its culminating lesson of the significance of isolation and the freeing process which brings about the merging into unity through the emission of the sound, the cry, the invocation, such as the cry of the Christ upon the Cross symbolised. His exact words have not been transmitted to us. They vary for each ray, but all bring about the recognition of divine merging, in which all separating veils are "rent from the top to the bottom" (as The New Testament expresses it). B. The omniscience of the divine Whole is also brought home to the initiate through the medium of the clear cold light, and the phases of "isolated experience," as it is sometimes occultly called, is forever ended. I would have you realise what this can mean in so far as possible to your present consciousness. Up till the present, the initiate- disciple has been functioning as a duality and as a fusion of soul-energy and personality-force. Now these forms of life stand exposed to him for what they essentially are, and he knows that––as directing agencies and as transitory gods––they no longer have any hold over him. He is being gradually translated into another divine aspect, taking with him all that he has received during the ages of close relation and identification with the third aspect, form, and the second aspect, consciousness. A sense of being bereft, deserted and alone descends upon him as he realises that the control of form and soul must also disappear. Here lies the agony \page

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 41 of isolation and the overpowering sense of loneliness. But the truths revealed by the clear cold light of the divine reason leave him no choice. He must relinquish all that holds him away from the Central Reality; he must gain life and "life more abundantly." This constitutes the supreme test in the life cycle of the incarnating Monad; and "when the very heart of this experience enters into the heart of the initiate, then he moves outward through that heart into full life expression." Such is the way that the Old Com- mentary expresses this. I know no other way in which to bring the idea before you. The experience undergone is not related to form, nor is it connected with consciousness or with even the higher psychic sensitivity. It consists of pure identification with divine purpose. This is made possible because the self-will of the personality and the enlightened will of the soul have both equally been relinquished. 4. Behind the group there stands the Door. Before them opens out the Way. Note how this passage reverses the usual presentation. Hitherto, in the occult books, the Door of Initiation has been presented as ever moving forward ahead of the initiate. He passes through door after door into a wider experience and expansion of consciousness. But in the initiate consciousness, after the first two initiations, this is not the realisation. It is simply the adhering to an old form of symbolism with the implied limitations of the truth. I would here remind you that the third initiation is regarded by the Hier- archy as the first major initiation, and that the first and second initiations are initiations of the Threshold. For the bulk of humanity, these first two initiations will for a very long time constitute major initiatory experiences, but in the life and realisation of the initiate-soul, they are not. After the two initiations of the threshold have been undergone the attitude of the initiate changes and he sees possibilities and factors and revelations which have hitherto \page

42 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS been totally unrealised and unknown, even to his consciousness at his highest moments. The door of initiation looms large in the consciousness of the neophyte; the higher Way is the determining factor in the life of the initiate of the third degree. It is the Trans- figuration; and a new glory pours through the ttansfigured initiate who has been released from every type of grip by either the personality or the soul. For the first time, the goal of the higher Way and the attainment of Nirvana (as the Oriental calls it) appears before him, and he knows that no forms and no spiritual complexes and no pull by either soul or form, or by both united, can have any effect upon his attaining his final destination. I would like for a moment to refer here to the door symbology as the initiate begins to grasp the inner meaning of those simple words. For long the teaching, given in the clear cold light, anent the door and the emphasis put upon the presentation of the door lying ahead of the aspirant has been made familiar, but that has been working with the lower aspects of the symbolism, even if aspirants did not realise it; they have been taught the fact of the light in the head, which is the personality correspondence to the clear cold light to which I refer. At the very centre of that light, as many aspirants know theoretically or factually by incon- stant experience, is a centre or point of dark indigo blue–– midnight blue. Note the significance of this in view of what I have been saying anent the "dark night," the midnight hour, the zero hour in the life of the soul. That center is in reality an opening, a door leading somewhere, a way of escape, a place through which the soul imprisoned in the body can emerge and pass into higher states of consciousness, untrammelled by form limitations; it has also been called "the funnel or the channel for the sound": it has been named the "trumpet through which the escaping A.U.M. can pass." The ability to use this door or channel is brough about by the practice of alignment; hence the emphasis laid upon this exercise in the attempt to train aspirants and disciples. Once alignment has been achieved, it will be realised

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 43 (remembering the symbolism of the head, the light and the central opening) that many occasions arise in meditation when "behind the group there stands the door; before them opens out the Way." This is the lower correspondence of the higher initiate-experience with which our rule is dealing. Again, this time in relation to the soul, comes the repetition of the discovery of the Door, its use and its appearance, finally, behind the initiate. This time the door must be found upon the mental plane, and not as earlier upon the etheric level; this is brought about by the aid of the soul and of the lower mind and through the revealing power of the clear cold light of the reason. When discovered, the "revelation of a terrible though beautiful experiment" faces the initiate. He finds that this time alignment is not his need, but the definite undertaking of a creative work––the building of a bridge between the door which lies behind and the door which lies ahead. This involves the construction of what is technically the antahkarana, the rainbow bridge. This is built by the disciple-in-training upon the basis of his past experience; it is anchored in the past and firmly grounded in the highest, rightly oriented aspect of the personality. As the disciple then creatively works, he finds that there is a reciprocal action on the part of the Presence, the Monad––the unity which stands behind the Door. He discovers that one span of the bridge (if I might so call it) is being built or pushed forward from the other side of the gulf separating him from experience in the life of the Spir- itual Triad. This Spiritual Triad is essentially, to the initiate, what the threefold personality is to the man in physical incarnation. I wonder if I have succeeded in giving you at least a general idea of the possibilities lying ahead of the disciple, and incited you to definite conscious response to those possibilities. I cannot do other than speak in terms of consciousness, even though the life of the Triad––leading in its turn to identification with the Monad, as the personality life leads eventually to soul control and expression––has naught to do with consciousness or sensitivity as those terms are \page

44 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS commonly understood. Yet remember how, in all my teachings upon occult unfoldment, I have used the word IDENTI- FICATION. This is the only word I have found which can in any way convey the complete unity which is finally achieved by those who develop a sense of unity, and who refuse to accept isolation; separateness then fades out entirely. The isolated unity achieved is unity with the Whole, with Being in its totality (and this cannot as yet convey much to you). 5. Together let the band of brothers onward move––out of the fire, into the cold, and towards a newer tension. Here, in very brief form, certain basic instructions are given. Each of them indicates the new attitudes imposed upon all who have taken initiation. They cannot be interpreted in terms of the Path of Discipleship or of Probation. The ordinary and easily-arrived-at significances mean little to the initiate mind. Let me briefly consider them so that clarity of concept, though not of detail, may prevail. a. Out of the fire. This is a symbolic way of indicating that the personality life is definitely and finally left behind. It is this phrase which gives the clue to the initiation which is referred to in this Rule. Each of these Rules contains within itself the clue to the particular initiation to which reference is being made. The Rules are not placed in their right order, having sequential reference to the seven initiations. The intuition of the aspirant must be invoked if he is to arrive at right knowledge. I shall sometimes indicate the initiation involved, but not always, as it would profit not. The clue to the seventh initiation which lies ahead for such high Beings as the Christ would be of no service to you at all. The clue to the initiation of the Transfigura- tion can be of importance, as it involves the personality, and many of you in the not so distant future (from the angle of the aeonial life cycle of the soul) will face that. The secret of the third initiation is the demonstration of complete freedom from the claims and demands of the personality. It does not involve the achievement of \page

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 45 a completely perfect expression of the spiritual life, but it does indicate that the service of the initiate and his life demonstration––regarded in a broad and general way, from the angle of the life-tendency and of entire dedication to humanity––remains untouched by the limitations, still existent, of the personal lower self. b. Into the cold. This means that the focus of the life is now in the realm of clear truth and of pure reason. The life of tbe initiate is being rapidly transferred out of the egoic centre, the soul vehicle, on to the level of the buddhic life or state of being. Note, I do not say "of consciousness." This is formless, but preserves the fruitage of form experience. It is being oriented towards a realised unity and identification with the life aspect of divinity, and yet preserves its own recognized and achieved identity. On this level of pure impersonality and of right orientation the group stands, obedient to the rule which governs this particular state of development. c. Toward a newer tension. The interpretation of the phrase presents difficulty. This is owing to the false impression which the word "tension" conveys at this time. It is associated in the minds of the reading public with the thought of nerves, with points of crisis, with courage and with fatigue. Is this not so? But in reality tension, occultly understood, is not associated with these aspects of personality reaction at all. The esoteric significance of tension (as far as I can explain it by limiting words) is "focussed immovable Will." Right tension is the identification of brain and soul with the will aspect, and the preservation of that identification––unchanged and immovable––no matter what the circumstances and the difficulties. You can see, therefore, how far ahead of present attitudes and goals this teaching is. Identification with the soul and with the Hierarchy is dependent upon the ability of the disciple rightly to love. It is the emergence of the second divine aspect, for love is the expression of group life, and

46 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS that is rare indeed to find in these days. Right tension indicates the emergence of the first aspect, of the will, and this is seldom to be found as yet, save among the more advanced disciples and initiate members of the Hierarchy. Love governs the Way into the life of the Hierarchy and is the foundation for all approach to, and appreciation and acceptance of truth. Will governs the Way into Shamballa and is the foundation for all approach to, appreciation of and identification with, Being. This developed will expresses itself as tension, esoterically understood. It embodies the ideas of orientation, implac- able determination, ability to wait and to preserve intention and orientation unmoved by aught which may occur. It also involves the determination to take the intended action (always of a creative nature and based on loving understanding) at the psychological moment (right timing), or that exact moment which the psyche or soul determines to be correct. Here you have one of the interesting transferences of meaning and of relationship which occur in the Ageless Wisdom. The Son or soul emerges into manifestation with the con- currence and aid of the Mother or of the matter aspect. This is to you a most familiar truth. In the next stage, that of initiate-development, the Son, in its turn, becomes the feminine or negative aspect and, demonstrating as the Psyche, enables the initiate to bring into expression another divine aspect––that of the will. Until the fourth initiation is undergone, it is the soul as a "focal point for descending light and for ascending radiance." This dual activity reveals the nature of the will. Note how this phrase from an ancient writing describes the antahkarana. It is not possible in these brief instructions to deal adequately with the will aspect of divinity, nor would it profit at this time. Aspirants have to learn the nature of the will by the power of inner illumination and by certain intelligent recognitions. They learn the nature of the self through the aid of the personality, the shadow, or distortion of the divine will. They pass from the expression of the will which

56 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS 4. Then comes a point of tension from which the man eventually achieves liberation from the three worlds and stands as a free soul; he is then a point within the circle–– the point indicating the point of tension from which he now works, and the circle the sphere of his self-initiated activity. I need not carry the story further; from tension to tension the initiate passes just as do all human beings, aspirants, disciples and the lower grades of initiates; from one expansion of consciousness to another they go until the third initiation is undergone and points of tension (qualified by intention and purpose) supersede all previous efforts and the will aspect begins to control. Here, briefly, is a fresh slant upon the familiar theme of the word––a theme preserved in some form by all the world religions but a theme which, like all else, has been so materialized that it is the task of the Hierarchy to restore the knowledge of its meaning, of its threefold application and its involutionary and evolutionary significances. Stu- dents would do well to remember that its sounding forth vocally upon the physical plane means little. The important factors are to sound it silently, inaudibly and within the head; then, having done so, to hear it reverberate there and to recognize that this self-initiated Sound––breathed forth from a point of tension––is a part of the original SOUND as it takes form as a word. When a man perfectly expresses the A.U.M., he can then sound the O.M. with effectiveness from progressive points of tension, until the third initiation. Then the effect of the O.M. is such that the personality as a separate identity disappears, the soul emerges in all its glory, and the first faint sound of the originating SOUND breaks upon the ear of the transfigured initiate. This is the Voice referred to in the Biblical account of the Transfiguration. This Voice says, "This is my beloved Son." The initiate registers the fact that he has been accepted by Shamballa and has made his first contact with the Planetary Logos, the Hierophant, the Initiator at the third initiation, just as the Christ, the Master of all the Masters, is the Initiator and the Hierophant at the first two initiations.

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 57 The word, however, with which we are now dealing is not the Sacred Word itself but a signal or sound of acceptance. It is translated in this Rule by the phrase: Accepted as a group. This refers to aggregates and blended combinations through which the Soul in relation to personalities, the Monad in relation to the Spiritual Triad, the Master in relation to His Ashram, and Shamballa in relation to the Hierarchy, can work, expressing plan in the initial stages of contact, and purpose in the final stages. Bear in mind that the analogy holds true all the way through. A personality is an aggregate of forms and of substantial lives which when fused and blended, present a unified sumtotal, animated by desire or aspiration, by plan or purpose, and functioning in its place under the inspiration of a self initiated inner pro- grame. Progress, from the larger angle and from the standpoint of Those who see life in terms of ever enlarging Wholes, is from group to group. This pronouncement, issuing from a point of tension, is the Word of the soul as it integrates with the threefold personality when that personality is consciously ready for such a fusion. The hold of the soul upon its instruments of expression, the network of the seven centers and the subsidiary centers, becomes intensified and energy pours in, forcing the acquiescent personality fully to express the ray type of the soul, and therefore subordinating the ray of the personality (and its three subsidiary rays) to the dominating soul energy. This first great integration is a fusion of force with energy. Here is a statement of deep import, embodying one of the first lessons an initiate has to master. It is one which can only be properly comprehended through life experience, subject to interpretation in the world of meaning. Some understanding of what this implies will come as the disciple masters the distinction between soul activity and the action of matter, between emotion and love, between the intelligent will and the mind, between plan and purpose. In so doing he acquires the capacity to find his point of tension at any given moment, and this growing capacity eventually brings him consciously to recognize group after \page

58 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS group as units with which identification must be sought. He finds his soul through the fusion of soul and personality; he finds his group through the absorption of this fusing soul-form with a Master's group, and finally he is absorbed into the Master's Ashram; there he, in concert with his group brothers in that Ashram, is fused and blended with the Hierarchy and hears the extension of the Word, spoken originally by his soul: Accepted as a group. Later, much later, he participates at that august recognition which comes when the Voice issues forth––as annually it does–– from the center at Shamballa and the seal is set on the acceptance of the Hierarchy, with all its new associates, by the Lord of the World. This acceptance involves those initiates of the third degree who have been integrated more closely into the hierarchical life than ever before. This is the signal to them (and to their Seniors Who have heard it year after year) that they are part of the instrument whose purpose is to fulfill the plan. Thus the great syntheses are slowly taking place. It has taken many aeons, for evolution (especially in the earlier stages) moves slowly. In the post-war period and when the new structure of the coming world order is taking shape, the process will be speeded considerably; this will not, however, be for a hundred years, which is but a brief moment in the eternal history of humanity. From synthesis to synthesis the life of God passes. First the synthesis of the atomic lives into ever more perfect forms until the three kingdoms of nature appear; then the synthesis in consciousness, enabling the human being to enter into the larger awareness of the Whole and finally to enter into that mysterious event which is the result of the effect of all preceding developments and to which we give the name of Identification. From the first identification, which is the higher correspondence of the stage of individualization, progressive absorption into ever larger wholes takes place, and each time the word goes forth: Accepted as a group. Have I succeeded in giving you a somewhat wider vision of the significance of initiation in these brief exposi-

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 75 reached an already determined point, is concerned with the impartation to the human consciousness of the meaning and purpose of life; this will take place in a gradually unfolding series of spiritual events. I cannot and must not put these truths more clearly, even if the necessary words were available to express what is not as yet even dimly sensed by disciples of the first and second degrees of initiation. What will come through that series of spiritual happenings and their inevitable reaction upon the whole body of humanity is in no way related to consciousness, to revelation or to light. There will come to humanity at some moment still a long way ahead a period of realization, constituting both a point of crisis and a point of tension. That realization will summarize, in effective conditioning consciousness, all that the quality of sensitivity has conveyed to mankind throughout the ages. It is the consummation of the activity of the Christ-consciousness, and is the state referred to when it is said of the Christ: "He shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied." At the crisis of that revelation, at its highest point of tension, humanity as with one voice will say: "Behold! All things are become new." This is the apotheosis of vision and the prelude to an unfoldment in the general massed human consciousness (from that point in time slowly brought about) of certain powers and capacities of which the race is today totally unaware. The immediate revelation ahead will be only the first step towards this distant related point, and its significance will not be apparent to the present generation, or even to the next; it will, however, be steadily though gradually appreciated as the new world religion with its emphasis upon the invocation of energies and the evocation of "life more abundantly" is developed and has its inevitable effect. Students would do well to bear in mind that the impact of energies upon forms produces results which are dependent upon the quality of the forms receiving the impression. This is a statement of occult law. One of the purposes lying behind the present holo- caust (world war II) has been the necessity for the

76 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS destruction of inadequate forms. This destruction could have been brought about by an act of God, such as a great natural catastrophe or a universal epidemic, and such had been the original intention. Humanity was, however, swept by forces that carried in themselves the seeds of destruction, and there was that in humanity which responded to those forces. Therefore the Law of destruction was permitted to work through humanity itself, and men are now destroying the forms through which many masses of men are functioning. This is both a good and a bad thing, viewed from the evolutionary angle. It is nevertheless a fact which cannot be gainsaid, and the problem, therefore, confronting the Cus- todians of the Will, working through the Custodians of the Plan, is to bring good out of the evil which man has wrought, and thus gear events to the larger issues. That is one of the objectives before the Hierarchy at this time (written April, 1943) as it prepares for participation in the May and June Full Moons. Can the forces be so organized and the energies so distributed that the full measure of good may be evoked from humanity by the invocation sounded forth by Shamballa? Can this evocation of a new cycle of spiritual contact and of liberation be brought about by the invocation of the men and women of goodwill? Can the will-to-good of the spiritual Forces and the goodwill of humanity be brought together and produce those conditions in which the new world order may function? These are the important questions which the Hierarchy is attempting to solve. It must be remembered that the Science of Invocation and Evocation is a reciprocal effort. Humanity could not be invocative were it not that the Spiritual Hierarchy (and by that term I include both Shamballa and the planetary Hierarchy) is evoking the spirit of man. The invocative cry of humanity is evoked by the invocation or Sound of the spiritual hierarchies. Man's responsibility, however, is to invoke at this time the Lords of Liberation and the Spirit of Peace. These are the Beings which have the power to raise humanity, once the race of men has assumed the right \page

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 77 attitude. They correspond to the group, in the third degree of Masonry, who raise the Master. Their response to the cry of mankind is largely, but not wholly, dependent upon the quality of that cry. I wonder if I could make the problem of invocation clearer to you if I were to suggest that the words, "issue forth from the deep center of the group's clear cold light," have a meaning both for the individual initiate and for all groups of disciples and all Ashrams? The use of the words, "clear cold light," is deeply symbolical. The clarity of that light indicates the function of the soul as its great light enables the initiate to see light. The coldness of that light refers to the light of substance, which cannot be warmed into a glow by desire or by the heat of passion, but is now and at last only responsive to the light of the soul. It is therefore cold to all that limits and hinders, and this state of personality consciousness has to be realized at the very center of man's being; there the clear light of the soul and the cold light of the personality are united in the deepest conscious point of the disciple's nature, at the extreme point of withdrawal (for which all concentration exercises and meditation processes have been a scientific preparation). Then, through the produced tension, the invocative cry can go forth with power and effectiveness. The same is true of the disciple's group or of any group of true and selfless aspirants. There can come a moment in the life of the group when the blended cold light of the contributing personalities and the clear light of their souls can so function that united invocative cry will evoke a response. That cry will ever be concerned with the selfless service of the group––a service which, under the Plan, they are seeking to render to humanity. As we continue our study of Rule III, I am myself struck with the appositeness of its words in connection with this particular historical cycle and in relation to the truths which are slowly taking form in the consciousness of humanity. New truths (and by that I mean truths which are new to the most advanced thinkers and which are only \page

78 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS dimly sensed by the most advanced esotericist) are hovering on the horizon of the human mind. The ground is being prepared for the sowing of this new seed and the stage set for the emergence of new Actors in the great drama of the unfolding revelation of Deity. Certain great concepts are firmly grasped by man. Cer- tain great hopes are taking form and will become the pattern of man's living. Certain great speculations will become experimental theories and later prove demonstrated facts. Behind all this, two things are happening: Men are being stimulated and brought to that point of necessary tension which (as a result of a crisis) must precede a great moving forward upon the Path of Evolution. Secondly, a process of reorientation is going on which will eventually enable the mass of men to present a united front upon views hitherto regarded as the vague visions of intelligent and optimistic dreamers. A great stirring and moving is going on. The world of men is seething in response to the inflow of spiritual energy. This energy has been evoked by the unrealized and inaudible cry of humanity itself. Humanity has become ––for the first time in its history––spiritually invocative. Let us now consider briefly the nature of that which is being evoked, and thus gain an insight into the interrelation which exists between the three great planetary centers: The human center, the hierarchical center, and Shamballa. Each of these is evocative to the one functioning at a slower or lesser speed (if I might use such inappropriate terms) and invocative to the one above it––again using a form of words which is misleading in the extreme; there is no higher or lower and no greater or lesser in our universe of reality. There is only the interpenetration of substances which are all basically expressions of matter, and their vitalization and organization into forms of expression of the unknown Real. This essential Reality, we call spirit or life. As a result of the interplay of these two, humanity eventually appears in time and space. Humanity is the result of all sub-human forms of expression and experience and of the activity of superhuman Beings. These super-

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 79 human Beings are the product of past evolutionary systems and are in Themselves the sum total of the great Divine Sacrifice as it focuses itself in our planetary life. Having passed through all previous phases of existence and perfected the consciousness aspect in Themselves through human experiences, They have transcended all that man can know and all states of consciousness with which he is or may be in the future familiar, and are now expressing a phase of divinity of which he can know naught. They LIVE. They are energy itself, and in Their totality They form the "bright center lying far ahead." 3. Let it evoke response from the bright center, lying far ahead. To this center we give the name Shamballa, the component letters of which are numerically: S.H.A.M.B.A.L.L.A. or 1.8.1.4.2.1.3.3.1. This word equals the number 24 which in its turn equals 6. I would call your attention to the fact that the word has in it nine letters, and––as you know––nine is the number of initiation. The goal of all the initiatory process is to admit mankind into realization of and identifications with the will or purpose of Deity. The number 6 is the number of form or of manifestation, which is the agent or medium through which this realization comes and by which the consciousness is unfolded so that it can become the foundation of the higher process which is instituted at the third initiation. That initiation is closely related to the third major center, Shamballa; it is the third, from the angle of man's perception and understanding, but the first from the angle of Deity Itself. Again, 6 being the number of the sixth ray, it is therefore the number of idealism and of that driving force which makes mankind move forward upon the path and in response to the vision and press upward towards the light. It is in reality devotion to an unseen goal, ever on ahead, and an unswerving recognition of the objective. Like all other divine qualities, it has its material counterpart and that is why 666 is regarded as the number of the Beast or of materialism, the number of the

80 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS dominance of the three worlds prior to the process of reorientation and the expression of developed idealism and purpose. The third aspect expresses itself through pure materialism, and hence the three sixes. In an ancient book on numbers the initiate is defined as "the one who has experienced and expressed 666 and found it naught; who has dropped the 6 and become the 66, and thus has found himself upon the WAY; later, again, he drops the 6 and becomes the perfected 6––form, the instrument and expression of spirit." The number 24 is of deep interest, expressing as it does the double 12––the greater and the lesser zodiac. Just as the number 6 expresses space, so the number 24 expresses time, and is the key to the great cycle of manifestation. It is the clue to all cyclic appearance or incarnation. Its two figures define the method of evolution; 2 equals the quality of love-wisdom, working under the Law of Attraction and drawing man from one point of attainment to another; whilst 4 indicates the technique of conflict and the achieving of harmony through that conflict; 4 is also the number of the human hierarchy, and 2 is the number of the spiritual hierarchy. Technically speaking, until the third initiation, the initiate is "occupied with the relationship of the 2 and the 4; these, when placed side by side, connote relation; and when placed the one above the other, the initiate passes from the 4 into the 2." Needless to say, there is much more to say anent these figures, but the above will suffice to show the satisfactory nature of esoteric numerology ––not numerology as understood today. I would have you note that the sounds which compose the word "Shamballa" are predominantly along the line of will or power or of first ray energy. Of the nine letters, six are on the first ray line of force, 1.1.1 3.3.1.––spirit and matter, will and intelligence. Two of them are along the second line of force, 4 and 2. The number 8 inaugurates ever a new cycle, following after the number 7, which is that of a relative perfection. It is the number of the Christ- consciousness; just as 7 is the number of man, 8 is the

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 81 number of the Hierarchy, and 9 is the number of initiation or of Shamballa. Forget not that, from the angle of the Hierarchy, the third initiation is regarded as the first major initiation. These preliminary remarks are intended to convey much esoteric information to those who realize that number gives the clue to the form and purpose of the life which the form veils. At the third major initiation, the third planetary initiation (which is in fact the first solar initiation) the liberated disciple for the first time––alone and unaided–– invokes the highest spiritual center on our planet, Sham- balla. This he does because, for the first time, consciously and with understanding, he registers the life aspect (which has brought his soul into action through the medium of form) and vibrates to the Monad. That registration enables him to contact "the bright center, lying far ahead," to blend his individual will with the divine will, and to cooperate with the purpose aspect of manifestation. He has learnt to function through form; he has become aware, as a soul, of the divine form in its many aspects and differentiations; he now starts off upon the way of the higher unfoldment, of which the first step is contact with Shamballa, involving the fusion of his self-will and his spiritual will with the Will of God. At the third initiation he stands before the One Initia- tor, the Lord of the World, and "sees His star shine forth" and hears the sound which––to quote the Old Commentary. ". . .ours forth from that central point of power where substance and the outer life have met together, where spirit utters loud the cry which drew the form to meet the highest need; where energy comes forth and blends with force and (in the blending) music had its start within the sphere of blending and of being thus created. "Man only hears the distant sound and knows it not for what it is. The disciple hears the sound and sees its form. The one who stands for the third time upon the mountain top hears a clear note and

82 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS knows it as his own, as ours, as yours, and yet the note which none have sounded forth." 4. When the demand and the response are lost in one great Sound, move outward from the desert, leave the seas behind and know that God is Fire. This means more than its obvious significance. Super- ficially it can mean that when the initiate hears the Sound, he leaves behind the desert life of physical incarnation, the emotional life of the astral plane, seething and unstable as the sea, and functions on the plane of mind, of which the symbol is fire. That is the most elementary and obvious meaning and as this section of A Treatise on the Seven Rays is written for those with initiate understanding, the obvious interpretation will not prove satisfactory. The meaning must be broader and deeper. The words "outward from the desert" have application for the entire life of the incarnated Monad in the three worlds of human endeavor and enterprise. "Leaving the sea behind" has reference to the withdrawal of the initiate from all sensuous experience because, as I have pointed out, the state of consciousness or awareness is superseded when the higher initiations are taken and their place is filled by a state of being for which we have no word but the unsatisfactory one of identification. This state of being is something very different to consciousness as you understand it. The phrase therefore means (if such a misleading form of words can be justifiably used) that the initiate leaves consciousness itself behind and the five worlds of life expression are transcended; at the third initiation the initiate grasps what is meant when the One in whom we live and move and have our being (note that expression) is referred to as Fire. I elaborated this theme in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire––a book which evades understanding by all except those with initiate consciousness. Fire is the sumtotal of that which destroys form, produces complete purity in that which is not itself, generates the warmth which lies behind all growth, and is vitality itself.

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 83 This initiate realization is all brought about by the sudden appreciation or apprehension of sound, by the awakening of the inner ear to the significance of the Voice, just as the disciple in the earlier stage awakened to the significance of vision. That is why, at the third initiation, the initiate sees the star and hears the sound. At the first two initiations, he sees the light and hears the Word; but this is something different and is the higher correspondence to the earlier experience. It will be obvious that I can say no more upon this subject. It is essential, however, that some knowledge begin to reach the public anent the highest spiritual center to which (as the Gospel story intimates) Christ Himself was attentive. Frequently we read in the New Testament that "the Father spoke to Him," that "He heard a voice," and that the seal of affirmation (as it is occultly called) was given to Him. Only the Father, the planetary Logos, the Lord of the World, enunciates the final affirmative sound. This has no reference––when it occurs––to the earlier initiations, but only to the final ones. There are five obvious crises of initiation which concern the Master Jesus as step by step He took or re-enacted the five initiations. But lying behind this obvious and practical teaching, lies an undercurrent or thread of higher revelation. This is concerned with the realizations of the overshadowing Christ as He registered the voice which is heard at the third, fifth, sixth and seventh initiations. The Gospel story gives us the five initiations of the Master Jesus, beginning with the first and ending with the fifth. But it also gives the initiations of the Christ, starting from the second and ending with the seventh. The latter is left incomplete, and the Voice is not recorded, because at the Resurrection and Ascension we are not told of the hearing of the affirmative sound. That will be heard when the Christ completes His work at the time of the Second Coming. Then the great seventh initiation, which is a dual one (love-wisdom in full manifestation motivated by power and will), will be consummated, and the Buddha and the Christ will together pass before the Lord of the \page

84 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS World, together see the glory of the Lord, and together pass to higher service of a nature and caliber unknown to us. In this connection it is wise to remember that three great energies are focused in Shamballa, the seat of fire: 1. The Energy of Purification: This is the power, innate in the manifested universe, which gradually and steadily adapts the substance aspect to the spiritual by a process which we call purification, where humanity is concerned. It involves the elimination of all that hinders the nature of divinity from full expression, and this again from inherent or latent capacity. This necessitates the leaving behind, stage after stage, cycle after cycle, life after life, and plane after plane, of every tendency in the form nature which veils or hides the glory of God. It is essentially the energy which substitutes good for evil. Human thinking has debased this concept so that purification is related mainly to physical phenomena and physical plane life and to a selfish idealism which is largely based on the thought of the sanitary care of substance. An enforced celibacy and a rigid vegetarianism are familiar instances of this and these physical disciplines have been put in the place of emotional love- liness, mental clarity, intuitional illumination, and the thoughts of the aspirant become focused downwards into matter and not outwards and upwards into light. 2. The Energy of Destruction: This is a destruction which removes the forms which are imprisoning the inner spiritual life, and hiding the inner soul light. This energy is therefore one of the major aspects of the purificatory nature of the divine Life, and that is the reason why I have put purification ahead of destruction. It is the destroying aspect of life itself, just as there is a destructive agency in matter itself. Two things must be borne in mind in connection with the destroyer aspect of Deity and with those responsible for its appearance: a. The destructive activity is set in motion through the will of Those who constitute the Council at Sham- balla and who are instrumental in bringing the forms in all the subhuman kingdoms into line with the

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 85 evolving purpose. Under cyclic law, this destructive energy comes into play and destroys the forms of life which prevent divine expression. b. It is also brought into activity through the determinations of humanity itself which––under the Law of Karma––makes man the master of his own destiny, leading him to initiate those causes which are responsible for the cyclic events and consequences in human affairs. There is naturally a close connection between the first Ray of Will or Power, the energies concentrated at Shamballa and the Law of Karma, particularly in its planetary potency and in relation to advanced humanity. It will be apparent, therefore, that the more rapidly the individual aspirant approaches the third initiation, the more rapidly and directly will the individual's karma be worked out. Monadic relation, as it becomes established, lets loose the destructive aspect of the basic energy, and all hindrances are destroyed with expedition. This is true also of humanity as a whole. Two factors have, subjectively and spiritually, precipitated this world crisis: The growth and development of the human family and (as you have been told) the inflow of the Shamballa force at this particular time, both as a result of karmic law and the planned decision of the Great Council. 3. The Energy of Organization: This is the energy which set in motion the activity of the great Ray Lives and started the motivation and impulse of that which produced manifestation. Thus were the seven ray qualities brought into expression. The relation of spirit and matter produced this ordered process which again, cyclically and under law, creates the manifested world as a field for soul development and as an area wherein divine purpose is wrought out through the medium of the plan. Again I call your attention to the distinction existing between purpose and plan. This is the aspect, emanating from Shamballa, and inherent also in form (as are the other two), which eventually relates the human will, through the right use of the mind, to the organized planning of his separate and individual life in the

86 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS three worlds, and which eventually relates and reorients that will to the Will of God. These three energies are faintly symbolized for us in the life of Christ when overshadowing the Master Jesus, two thousand years ago. The purificatory aspect of the monadic force is indicated at the Baptism episode; secondly, the destroyer aspect can be seen expressing itself at the time of the Crucifixion, when it rent the veil of the Temple from the top to the bottom. The episode which indicates the energy of organization and the relation of the spiritual will of the Christ to the purpose and the will of the Father appears when He said. in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Not my will but Thine be done." This final episode is closely related to the consciously expressed will of the Christ Child when He realized in the Temple that He must be about His Father's business and that His will was to do the will and fulfill the purpose of the Father, the Monad and the One of Whom the Monad is the expression. It is these three energies which have precipitated the world crisis, and it is helpful for us to recognize the factual nature of the Shamballa forces as they play upon our planetary life and work out human destiny. The great energy of purification is regenerating humanity and of this the widespread fires which have been such an outstanding characteristic of this war (1914-1945) are the outward and visible sign. Much evil is being burnt out through the revelation of the appalling character of that evil, and through this, unity is being produced. Mankind has looked upon evil in every land and known it to be wrought by men. Men have seen, and that sight will never be forgotten, and the horror thus engendered will aid in stiffening the will of humanity to betterment. The energy of destruction has its side of beauty when the spiritual values are grasped. That which has so grossly imprisoned the human spirit is disappearing; the rocky grave of humanity is breaking open and releasing men to a life of resurrection. Forget not that in the interim between the tomb experience and the appearance in living

98 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS disciple when first admitted into the Ashram, and it is from that angle that we should now consider it. The three Rules we have earlier considered are general in nature and relate to certain broad themes or demanded hypotheses which must govern the consciousness of the disciple in the future. In this particular Rule we enter the realm of the specific, and are presented with certain "intentional" activities which must govern the disciple's life now that he is an integral part of the Ashram. He is faced with the proposition of making his life of such a nature that it furthers the group purpose, enhances the group strength, eliminates all that might hinder group usefulness, and brings closer the objective for which the group was formed ––the carrying out of the Master's plans. It was the disciple's innate instinctual and individual response to this ray objective, and his effort to subordinate his personality to the dimly sensed soul dedication, which led the Master in the first instance to recognize him and incorporate him into His Ashram. The moment that happened, the disciple came not only under an increased impact of egoic force and egoic impulsive intention (using those words in their occult sense), but the group radiation began its beneficent work upon him. The magnetic "pulling" power which had hitherto led him forward is now superseded by a radiating stimulating potency; this effects great changes in him, and produces both eliminating and substituting results. The effect of the life of the Ashram, as far as the group which forms it is concerned and apart from the Master's Own potency, can be described as follows: 1. The life of the personality is steadily weakened, and its grip upon the soul is definitely loosened. The soul begins to dominate in a very real sense. 2. The necessity of incarnation becomes appreciably less, and finally life in the three worlds of human manifestation becomes needless. All the lessons have been learnt and the soul objective has been attained. 3. The Will of the Monad begins to be sensed; the will aspect blends with the love aspect and makes the

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 99 intelligence aspect fruitful and effective for the carrying out of divine purpose, focused for the disciple through the Ashram. 4. The purposes of time and space, of events and extension, of matter and consciousness have been achieved and are eventually superseded by something for which we have as yet no term and of which we have no conception. It is that which begins to express itself after the third initiation, when the Father aspect "comes into view"––I know not how else to word it. 5. The whole is seen to be of more vital importance than the part, and this not as a dream, a vision, a theory, a process of wishful thinking, an hypothesis or an urge. It is realized as an innate necessity and as inevitable. It connotes death, but death as beauty, as joy, as spirit in action, as the consummation of all good. It will be obvious, therefore, that the interpretation of these Rules must involve capacity to pass beyond the usual attitudes and what one might call the usual metaphysical and theosophical platitudes, and to see life as the Hierarchy sees it. This means that life is approached from the angle of the Observer and not from that of a participator in actual experiment and experience in the three worlds. This Ob- server is different to the Observer on the probationary Path. Most of the experiment and experience has been left behind, and a new orientation to a world of values, higher than even the world of meaning, has set in. This attitude might well be described as the mode of approach of all who form a part of an Ashram. Those who form the Ashram are living in the three worlds of experience if they are accepted disciples, but the focus of their attention is not there. If they are initiated disciples, they are increasingly unaware of the activities and reactions of their personalities, because certain aspects of the lower nature are now so controlled and purified that they have dropped below the threshold of consciousness and have entered the world of instinct; therefore there is no more awareness of them than a man asleep is conscious of the rhythmic functioning of his sleeping

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 105 ing, masters death––the long-feared enemy of existence. He discovers that death is simply an effect produced by life and by his conscious will, and is a mode whereby he directs substance and controls matter. This becomes consciously possible because having developed awareness of two divine aspects––creative activity and love––he is now focused in the highest aspect and knows himself to be the Will, the Life, the Father, the Monad, the One. In concluding our study of Rule IV, we are to consider two things: The method of evoking the Will aspect. The process of recognizing the Life aspect, the Monad, the Father in Heaven. The result of these two is given in the two closing phrases of this rule: 3. The lesser wheels must not for aye revolve in time and space. Only the greater Wheel must onward move and turn. There is one point here that I should like to make because it opens the door to new concepts, even if it is not yet possible for these concepts to be defined so that the mass can understand; even the disciples who read these words will fail truly to comprehend. Only those who have taken the third initiation will rightly interpret. Constantly in all esoteric literature reference is made to the factors of time and space as if there were a basic distinction between the worlds in which these two hold sway and in which the aspirants and initiates of all degrees freely move. Con- stantly the aspirant is reminded that time is cyclic in nature and manifestation, and that "space is an entity." It is necessary that there should be some comprehension of these terms if that which the will controls (when evoked) is to penetrate into the knowing consciousness of the thinker. Space and substance are synonymous terms; substance is the aggregate of atomic lives out of which all forms are built. With this the Treatise on Cosmic Fire largely dealt.

106 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS This is both an occult and a scientific truism. Substance is, however, a soul concept, and is only truly known to the soul. Therefore, after the fourth initiation, when the work of the soul is accomplished and the soul body fades out of the picture, only the quality which it has imparted in substance is left as its contribution––individual, group or planetary ––to the sumtotal of manifestation. All that remains is a point of light. This point is conscious, immutable and aware of the two extremes of the divine expression: the sense of individual identity and the sense of universality. These are fused and blended in the ONE. Of this ONE the divine Hermaphrodite is the concrete symbol––the union in one of the pairs of opposites, negative and positive, male and female. In the state of being which we call the monadic, no difference is recognized between these two because (if I can bring such ideas down to the level of the intelligence of the aspirant) it is realized that there is no identity apart from universality and no appreciation of the universal apart from the individual realization, and this realization of identification with both the part and the whole finds its point of tension in the will-to-be, which is qualified by the will-to- good and developed (from the consciousness angle) by the will-to-know. These are in truth three aspects of the divine will which exists in its perfection in the solar Logos and finds a medium of expression through the planetary Logos. This will is therefore working out in seven ways, via the living qualities of the seven planetary Logoi Who express Themselves through the seven sacred planets; They are preoccupied with the endeavor of bringing all the forms of life within the orbit of Their influence up to the same measure of recorded recognition and of registered existence. It will be obvious to you, consequently, that on each of the seven sacred planets one aspect of the divine Will will be dominant. This is the significance of Space––the field wherein states of Being are brought to the stage of recognition. When that stage has been reached and the Knower, the Soul, is fully aware and fully conscious, then there enters

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 107 in a new factor which also affects space––though in a different way––but which is related to the monadic Life. That factor is Time. Time is related to the will aspect and is dependent upon the dynamic life, self-directed, which produces persistence and which demonstrates persistence in that dynamic focus of intention by periodic or cyclic appearance. From the angle of the Will or the Father, these appearances in time and through space are so small a part of the experience of the living Entity Whose life is lived on planes other than the physical, emotional or mental, that they are regarded as no life. To understand this, I would remind you again that we must seek to understand the sum total in the light of the part, the Macrocosm in the light of the Microcosm. That is no easy task and is necessarily most limited. The disciple knows or is learning to know that he is not this or that, but Life Itself. He is not the physical body or its emotional nature; he is not, in the last analysis (a most occult phrase) the mind or that by which he knows. He is learning that that too must be transcended and superseded by intelligent love (only truly possible after the mind has been developed), and he begins to realize himself as the soul. Then, later, comes the awful "moment in time" when, pendant in space, he discovers that he is not the soul. What then is he? A point of divine dynamic will, focused in the soul and arriving at awareness of Being through the use of form. He is Will, the ruler of time and the organizer, in time, of space. This he does but ever with the reservation that time and space are the "divine playthings" and can be used or not at will. We could paraphrase the last two sentences of this fourth rule as follows: The evocation of the will involves identity with the larger purpose. The little will of the little lives must be merged in the larger will of the whole. Individual purpose must be identified with group purpose, which is as much of the purpose of the Whole or the One Life as the little life can grasp at any given point in time \page

108 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS and space. It is in this sense, esoterically understood, that time is an event––which philosophy now points out, groping towards an expression of the initiate consciousness. In the long run, literally when the path of evolution is trodden to its end, what remains will be the divine purpose and the all-enveloping Life as it materializes the plan in time and space. This is the result of the turning of the greater Wheel of life, causing all the lesser wheels––in time and space––also to turn. In the meantime, the human being is first of all driven by desire, then by aspiration towards some visioned goal, then by his selfish will, which reveals to him the nature of the will: persistent application to some purpose, seen as desirable and to which every power is bent. Having exhausted all tangible goals the inner life forces the man on towards the intangible, and the quality of his will begins to change. He discovers a larger will than his own and begins slowly to identify himself with it, proceeding stage by stage from one realized purpose to another higher one, each step removing him further from his own so-called will and bringing him nearer to an appreciation of the significance of the divine will or purpose. It might be stated, in an effort to clarify the method whereby this is done, that by the carrying out of the plan the disciple learns the nature of the purpose, but that the purpose itself can only be grasped by one who is developing monadic consciousness. Monadic consciousness is not consciousness as human beings understand it, but is that state of apprehension which is not consciousness or realization, as the mystic feels it, or identification, as the occultist terms it but something that appears when all of these three are appreciated and registered in a moment of time within the orbit of space. Now, having said this, I would ask you if you are much the wiser, or of what profit it is for me to write these words if you understand them not? For two reasons I write. One of my functions and duties (as a Master of the Wisdom) is to anchor ideas in the mind of man and carry down into the realm of words certain emerging concepts so that they may \page

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 109 begin to influence the higher level of thinkers. These latter are responsible for precipitating the ideas deep into the human consciousness. Secondly, I write for the generation which will come into active thought expression at the end of this century; they will inaugurate the framework, structure and fabric of the New Age which will start with certain premises which today are the dream of the more exalted dreamers and which will develop the civilization of the Aquarian Age. This coming age will be as predominantly the age of group interplay, group idealism and group consciousness as the Piscean Age has been one of personality unfoldment and emphasis, personality focus and personality consciousness. Selfishness, as we now understand it, will gradually disappear, for the will of the individual will voluntarily be blended into the group will. It will be obvious to you, therefore, that this could well bring about a still more dangerous situation, because a group would be a combination of focused energies and unless these energies are directed towards the fulfillment of the Plan (which coordinates and makes possible the divine purpose) we shall have the gradual consolidation of the forces of evil or of materialism on Earth. I am not speaking lightly, but am endeavoring to show the necessity for the steadfast consecration of the spiritually minded to the task of developing the will-to-good on Earth and the absolute importance of fostering goodwill among the masses. If this is not done after the terrific global housecleaning that has gone on, the last state will be worse than the first. We shall have individual selfishness superseded by group selfishness, which will be consequently still more potent in its evil dedication, focus and results. The little wheels can continue to revolve in time and space, hindering the onward progress of the great Wheel which––again in time and space––is the wheel of humanity. The Heavenly Man and the human being upon that Wheel are developing divine qualities and attributes. The will aspect of divinity can find expression only through humanity, for the fourth kingdom in nature is intended to be the agent of the will to the three subhuman

110 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS kingdoms. It was therefore essential that the spirit of inclusiveness and the tendency to spiritual identification should be developed in humanity as a step preparatory to the development of response to divine purpose. It is absolutely essential that the will-to-good be unfolded by the disciples of the world so that goodwill can be expressed by the rank and file of mankind. The will-to-good of the world knowers is the magnetic seed of the future. The will-to- good is the Father aspect, whilst goodwill is the Mother aspect, and from the relation of these two the new civilization, based on sound spiritual (but utterly different) lines, can be founded. I would commend this thought to your consciousness, for it means that two aspects of spiritual work must be nurtured in the immediate future, for on them the more distant hope of happiness and of world peace depends. The New Group of World Servers must be reached and the will-to-good developed in them, and the masses simultaneously must be reached with the message of goodwill. The will-to-good is dynamic, powerful and effective; it is based on realization of the plan and on reaction to the purpose as sensed by those who are either initiate, and consciously in touch with Shamballa, or disciples who are likewise part of the Hierarchy but are not yet able to contact the central Purpose or Life. Not yet having taken the third initiation, the monadic vibration is to them largely unknown. It would be just as dangerous for them to be able to reach Shamballa (prior to the third initiation when all personality tendencies are obliterated) as it would be to teach the masses of men today techniques of will which would render their still selfish will effective. The main difficulty would be that the disciples would destroy themselves, whilst the ordinary man would damage himself. This exegesis of Rule IV is necessarily brief because it is of such deep significance that it requires careful study, sentence by sentence, and even so it is very largely beyond the grasp of the majority of readers. It will, however, be useful for disciples to reflect upon the various meanings (there are several) and upon the esoteric implications.

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 115 The two parts of this rule are consequently expressive of the new demands for disciples––not applicants. This becomes apparent when you study the two rules: one for applicants and one for disciples. The applicant is referred to the microcosm. The Macrocosm is held before the vision of the disciple. The two demands are expressed in Rule V as follows: 1. In unison let the group perceive the Triad shining forth, dimming the light of the soul and blotting out the light of form. This is the demand for the building of the antahkarana which relates the disciple in his personality to the Triad. 2. The macrocosmic Whole is all there is. Let the group perceive that Whole and then no longer use the thought, "My soul and thine." This is the demand for a sense of synthesis which is occult vision and not mystic vision. These two demands will be the two basic requirements for the new schools of occultism. In view of all the instructions given earlier in this volume, and in view also of the clarity of the statement made above, there is little that it will be necessary for me to say anent this first demand. The word "demand" which has been used perhaps requires explanation. In considering this subject it should be remembered that admittance to Shamballa and a divine expression in life and service of the first great divine aspect, the will aspect, is the goal held before the members of the Hierarchy. They too are on the way of evolution, and Their goal is to pass through the "eye of the needle," on Their way to the higher evolution. This higher evolution is that which opens up before a Master of the Wisdom. The use of this esoteric term by Christ in The New Testament story gives us a hint as to the nature of the exalted consciousness which He expressed. Faced by the rich young man who possessed so much, Christ indicated that he needed to prepare himself for a great negation and for a step forward. The true significance of this has never

116 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS been grasped and lies in the fact that the phrase "rich young man " is in reality a technical term which is frequently applied to an initiate of the third degree, just as the words "little ones" or "little child" apply to an initiate of the first or second degree. This rich young man was rich in his range of awareness, rich in his personality equipment, rich in his aspiration and in his recognition; he was rich as the result of age-long experience and evolutionary development. He is told by the Christ that he must now prepare himself for what is called in Rule V "the Triad shining forth"; he must now prepare for the unfoldment of the monadic consciousness and for the fourth initiation. In that initiation, the causal body, the body wherein the soul experiences and reaps the fruit of experience, must be and will be destroyed. This has to take place before the initiate can enter into the Council Chamber of the Most High and express the will-to-good and the will of God in fulfillment of the purposes of God. The will of this particular "rich young man," initiate though he was, was not yet adequate to the requirements, so he went sadly away; he had to prepare himself for the fourth initiation, the Great Renunciation, the Crucifixion, and thus fit himself to pass through the needle's eye. There is a symbolic utterance in the Old Commentary which throws light upon the great opportunities which are found in the critical moments in the life of the soul as it experiences incarnation and becomes enriched thereby: "Within the womb of time and circumscribed by space and limited by darkness––though sustained always by warmth––the life evolves. It develops faculty. It becomes in miniature that which it is. It takes on form and knows the divinity of separation. Such is its goal. Reflect. Knowledge will come "Beyond the door is greater light and life. It knows itself for what it is. It suffices not unto itself and knows that it is That––part of the Whole, divinely one with others. Reflect. Union will come. "Before the rampart of the place of God Himself, a

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 117 Son of God comes forth. He stands before the needle's eye and seeks to pass the hindering wall. He is not circumscribed by time or space, but light and life are his. He realizes beauty and he knows that That exists. Instead of time and space and all the rich inducements of the form, he knows himself as rich in love, in knowledge, wisdom, insight, and all the panoply of God (as he can grasp it), except one thing. Reflect. Purpose will reveal itself; the Whole will stand revealed and then the soul––loaded with riches and the fruits of labor long––will vanish as the mist and only God, the living One, be left." There is still another set of phrases dealing with that through which the perfected Sons of God in Their high place must pass when Their work is done on Earth and a greater glory reveals itself ahead. But this I give not. I give only three symbols, which are: The womb . . . individualization . . . separation. Leading to personality integration and self-realization. Climaxing on the Path of Initiation . . . the birth of the Christ. Producing intelligent activity. Initiation. The two-leaved door . . . initiation . . . group consciousness. Leading to soul expression. Climaxing in the third initiation. Producing loving living. The third Initiation. The eye of the needle . . . higher evolution . . monadic consciousness. Leading to life expression. Climaxing in the fifth initiation. Producing purposeful life. Consummation. Such are the three points of entrance to the three planetary centers: Humanity, Hierarchy and Shamballa. This first demand is, curiously enough, the first expression of recognition––directly accorded––that the Great

118 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS Lives at Shamballa are now in direct relation with humanity. Hitherto that contact has not been direct, and They have not been in touch with current developments. Hitherto, all contacts and spiritual impulses from this highest center have reached humanity via the Hierarchy, and vice versa. This demand concerns the negation, the obliteration, the absorption, the putting out or the synthesis of the lesser lights by the greater. All the words which I have employed are efforts to express the truth and all are entirely inadequate. The moment the initiate or the disciple sees, even dimly, the light of the Spiritual Triad which veils and hides the Central Spiritual Sun, he realizes that all other lights––that of the atom of matter, that of the form and that of the soul itself––must inevitably fade out in the stupendous glory and brilliance which emanate from God Himself and which he senses as in process of revelation. He becomes absorbed––intellectually, intuitively, spiritually and finally factually––in that Light. Here I would remind you that just as the light of the soul revealed to the struggling aspirant a new vision, set for him new goals, enhanced all qualities present in his equipment, and revealed the past, the present and the future of the individual, so this still greater light reveals to the initiate a horizon so vast that it has hitherto escaped his capacity and is yet but possible to vision by an initiate of the third degree, endows him with an occult perception hitherto not realized as existing––a perception which permits him to penetrate increasingly and to cooperate understandingly in the purpose of the Lord of the world. It enables him later to develop the equipment ––qualities and gifts of a divine nature––which will eventually enable him to take his place in the Council Chamber at Shamballa and work in full unanimity with the Lords of Karma. These qualities and gifts concern divine attributes and capacities for which we have as yet no words as they lie beyond the scope of human consciousness, being utterly unknown even to advanced human beings. They only begin to manifest as tendencies between the second and the third

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 119 initiations, in the same way as the instincts in a small child are, in reality, the germs of later intellectual attitudes and activities. It is needless, therefore, for me to enlarge upon them; unless you are an initiate of the third degree, my words would be meaningless to you and would convey naught. The clue lies for you in understanding the three words––Happiness, Joy, Bliss. Do you, as you speak of bliss, understand wherein it differs from happiness and joy? Bliss is associated with complete Being; it concerns the interior attitude of the Whole. As the individual disciple builds the rainbow bridge, the antahkarana, and as a group of disciples build the group antahkarana, they make possible the "Triadal perception" referred to above. When the disciple has flung one strand of living light (through the power of magnetic love) across the space separating the Triad and the personality, he discovers that he is a part of a group. This group recognition ––faulty and unintelligently expressed at first––is the factor which enables him to pass, along the anchored thread, into the Ashram of a Master. From the angle of the old teaching, the Ashram of the Master and the focus of the Hierarchy were on the higher levels of the mental plane. Today, that is not so. They are on the plane of spiritual love, of the intuition and of buddhi. The Hierarchy is both retreating towards the higher center of Shamballa, and at the same time advancing towards the lower center, Humanity. Both these activities have been made possible by man himself; the growing intuitive perception of humanity, in its higher brackets, enables him to function upon the Path of Discipleship and on higher levels than ever before. This the Hierarchy recognizes. The growing aspiration of the masses is also drawing the Masters closer to humanity than ever before. This is an instance of the ability of the initiate consciousness to function on initiate levels and also in the three worlds simultaneously. Of this the dual activity of the mind is a symbol, acting as it does as the common sense and so dealing with all matters in the three world, and as the spiritual

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 127 of controlling him. This is a statement of fact. This applies particularly and specifically to those preparing for the first initiation. Those preparing for the second initiation have to demonstrate their freedom from the slavery of ideas, from a fanatical reaction to any truth or spiritual leader, and from the control of their aspiration which––through the intensity of its application––would sacrifice time, people and life itself to the call of the Initiator––or rather, to be correct, to what they believe to be His call. I would point out that the third initiation is approached from a level tableland of experience and of consciousness, and not from the heights of aspiration, or from fanatical sacrifice, from the standpoint of a devotion which handicaps the service of the devotee and of the Master he seeks to serve. He knows, as a candidate for initiation, that: 1. Life is one and naught can ever take or touch that life. His sense of proportion as to form becomes adjusted. He is forward-looking towards the soul, and not backward- looking towards the form nature. Some very sincere de- votees and promising applicants are so preoccupied with form and its disciplining that they have no real time to give to soul expansion. They are so interested in their reactions to their self imposed discipline or to their capacity to conform or their failure to accept the discipline, that the spiritual truths––seeking entrance into their hearts––fail to make such an entrance. Temperance in all things, the wise use of all sustaining forms and self-forgetfulness are the hallmark of the disciple, but not of the beginner. Many disciples today who should be functioning in the Hall of Wisdom are still fanatically working in the Hall of Knowl- edge and are still so earnest over the physical disciplines that the disciplines of the soul are ignored. I would ask you to reflect on this. Applicants have to learn the significance of the words of Rule VI for disciples, "the lesser rules are rules in time and space and cannot hold the group." I wonder if you can grasp the type of consciousness which distinguishes the Hierarchy, even if you are only able

138 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS to be done by a group of pledged disciples and initiates; they are learning together to make an approach to Sham- balla (involving the Will element); this is as much a goal of the Hierarchy as approach to the Hierarchy is the goal of advanced humanity. It concerns the interrelation of great centers of force. This is a point which esoteric students should attempt to grasp for it completes the planetary chain of Hierarchy and throws a light upon the Way of the Higher Evolution. Great movements and progressions have always taken place upon the subjective side of life; it is these subjective activities which have made it hard for disciples to grasp the truth and arrive at some true realization of the subjective situation which ever exists between the Hierarchy and Shamballa. The energies concerned are so subtle, and the Beings involved are so advanced and so highly developed (even from the angle of the initiate of the third degree), that it is well-nigh impossible for the teachings (which I seek to give) to be worded in such a manner that they become comprehensible. All that I can do is to make certain statements which (from the standpoint of those I teach) are not verifiable; they have to be accepted on trust and with the reservation that time and the point of view of the individual disciple will later prove their truth––or their non-truth. The objective of all training given to the disciple is to shift his conscious awareness from the point where he is to levels which are higher than those in the three worlds of definitely human evolution; the intention is to teach him to function on those planes of conscious contact which are as yet so subjective that he only accepts them as existent in theory. The trained initiate knows that they have to become his natural habitat, and that eventually he has to relegate the ordinary and normal human experience to the three worlds of daily expression. These become eventually the worlds that exist below the threshold of consciousness; they are relegated to the realm of the subconscious––recoverable consciously, if necessary for right service of humanity,

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 139 but as much below the threshold of consciousness as are the ordinary emotional reactions of the average man. These are always recoverable (as modern psycho-analysis has demonstrated) and can become capable of expression and of formulation into conditioning concepts––thus actuating mental perception if deemed of adequate importance. How- ever, it should be borne in mind that the greater part of the emotional life of the disciple must become increasingly subconscious, just as the physical plane life of the normal, healthy human being is entirely automatic and thus subconscious. When the disciple has striven to expand his consciousness, when he has learnt to stabilize his consciousness in the Spiritual Triad, then he becomes part of a great and constant hierarchical effort which strives upwards towards the "Place of Clear Electric Light," to which the clear cold light of the reason is the first key to the first door. There are three doors into Shamballa, speaking figuratively: 1. There is the door of the reason, of pure perception of truth. Christ gave the clue to this teaching when He said "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." Of that Way we know much, because upon the Way a vast body of teaching has been given, and that teaching, if followed, brings a man into the Hierarchy. He then becomes a factual part of the hierarchical membership. Of that Truth, we know (as aspirants) relatively very little. Truth––as we understand it during the early treading of the Path of Discipleship––is concerned with great verities which are (from the insight of the Enlightened Ones) only the a b c of life. These truths are: The manifestation of divinity on the physical plane. The doctrine of Avatars. This religious history reveals. The nature of consciousness, through the development of psychology. The doctrine of the Trinity, as it expresses itself through the aspects and the attributes. These four expressions of truth will be found to convey all the knowledge with which the initiate must stand equipped

140 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS when he climbs the Mount of Transfiguration at the time of the third initiation. They have given him a spiritual perception of the Plan. Of that Life, we know nothing whatsoever. The contemplation of its significance belongs to Those who can move at will within the "precincts of the Lord of Life"–– in Shamballa itself. All we can know about it is its lowest step. This enables us to study the impulse or instinct which enables all forms of life to function, which embodies the principles of responsiveness to contacts and to environment, and which embodies itself in the breath of life; this is also related to the air in some mysterious manner, and also to fire. More anent this subject it would be useless for me to say. 2. There is also the door of the will. This is a penetrating power which relates Plan to Purpose and which has in it the faculty of coherent persistence. The reason for this persistence is that it is not dependent upon the content of the form––whether it is the form of an atom, of a man or of a planet––but upon a vital dynamic and immutable purpose, latent in the consciousness of the planetary Being Who, "having pervaded this entire universe with a fragment" of Himself, REMAINS––greater, more inscrutable and "firmer in intent" than any of His creations, even the most advanced and the closest to Him. Only those have clear perception of His divine purpose who do not belong to our earth humanity at all; these are the Lives who came with Him to this planet when He came, and who remain with Him as "the prisoners of loving intention" until the last "weary pilgrim has found his way home." This spiritual will is something of which humanity knows nothing; it is hidden and veiled by the self-will of the individual and the group will of the soul. Through both of these experiences the human being moves until his individual will is developed and grounded, focused and reoriented, and his group will is unfolded so that it includes and swallows up the dedicated, conscious, individual will. When this fusion has taken place (at the third initiation) a

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 141 great revelation unfolds itself, and for the first time the initiate senses and then contacts the universal will; from that moment the initiate says, "Father, not my will but Thine be done." Just a little of what that will includes may emerge as we study this seventh rule and some of the succeeding rules. 3. I can find no words to express the nature of the third door. Let us, in default of a better term, call it the door of the monadic sense of essential duality. Body and life, soul and personality, the Spiritual Triad and its expression, the Christ in incarnation––all these dualities have played their part. Man has passed from one expansion of consciousness to another. Now he comes to the final duality of spirit and matter, prior to their resolution into something to which the terms "isolated unity"' and "universal synthesis" give only faint and inadequate clues. To the development of this system of identification the initiate of the degree of Master of the Wisdom, and also (on a higher turn of the spiral) of the degree of the Christ, are focusing all Their efforts. Up to the fourth initiation, the term "system of expansions" would seem illuminating; after that great initiation, the term "system of identification" would appear more appropriate. When the initiate has passed through the three doors, symbolically speaking, he then faces all life, all events, all pre-determinations, all wisdom, all activity and all that the future may hold of service and progress from the angle of the pure reason (infallible and immutable), of true spiritual will (completely identified with the purpose of the planetary Logos), and of the highest possible focused relation. The mystery of relationship becomes revealed to him. Then the entire scheme of evolution and of the intention of the One in Whom he lives and moves and has his being becomes clear to him; he has no more to learn within this planetary scheme; he has become universal in his attitude to all forms of life, and is also identified with the "isolated unity" of Sanat Kumara. Few of the great Lives who form the inner group of the Council Chamber at Shamballa are now of

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 157 laws, to a recognition of their inevitability and of their wisdom. They automatically then control him. When this control by the Laws of Nature has become complete, the man becomes an aspirant and begins to come under the Laws of the Soul, which are laws concerned primarily with the establishing of the great Fellowship of the Universe. There has been much confusion among esotericists upon these points. They confuse the discipline to which the personality has to submit when coming under soul influence, with the Laws of the Soul which have naught to do with the petty little affairs of the personality––unimportant and unnoticed by the soul on its own plane––but with the growing recognition of right group relations; these are based upon a growing understanding of the hierarchical mode of work and of inter-hierarchical relationships. The Laws of Nature, therefore, concern the activities of the soul in form and are mandatory and accepted by the form nature. The Laws of the Soul concern the life of the soul upon its own plane, and the relation which the blending soul and personality learn to establish with other souls and with the Hierarchy. These are consciously and voluntarily obeyed, and are not just accepted as mandatory and as forced upon the man by force of circumstances, experience and evolution. They tend to bring about increasing relation between the Hierarchy of Souls and Humanity as a whole, between the great planetary center which is the custodian of the principle of love and the planetary center humanity, which nurtures and distributes the energy of mind. The Law of the Supplementary Seven is the great synthetic Law of Life or of Spirit and is the law with which the initiate works; it is this law he wields. From acceptance of the laws of nature and obedience to the laws of the soul, he passes into the positive phase of understanding and wielding the Law of Life. Because this is a governing law for all initiates, and because we know that the nature of life-energy or of spirit cannot be grasped until after the third initiation, it is exceedingly difficult for me to write in explanation of this law. You have not yet the initiate con- \page

158 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS sciousness. I have therefore had to express this law in terms of form, whereas the initiate understands it from its formless angle. This law is concerned with the wielding of energy in the world of the Spiritual Triad and not with the distribution or the transmission of this energy to the three worlds in which average humanity habitually dwells. Right wielding of this law, (controlling energy in the initiatory world of causes) automatically brings about activity, movement, force expression, and right distribution of these forces in the lower three worlds. These are, under the evolutionary law, direct reflections of the three higher worlds of the triadal light and life. Motivation, the use of the eye of vision (turned this time by the initiate functioning in the world of causes upon the worlds of human living), and the correct direction of force in cooperation with the hierarchical Plan condition all the activities of the initiate working with this law. Clearer than this I cannot be. This Law, of the Supplementary Seven is concerned with the inflow of energy from the seven planetary centers to the seven groups or types of men, via the seven groups within the Hierarchy. In this work of transmission the seven centers of the initiate are used as agencies; their work, therefore, is not the interrelated work of right transmission of energy within the septenary constitution of the etheric body of the individual initiate, implementing his life expression, but is the task of being responsive to the seven types of planetary energy which are received in a pure state. It is then channeled through the seven centers in the initiate's etheric vehicle and out into the world of men as regenera- tive and constructive forces. These living spiritual energies ––transmitted by the individual initiate from the planetary centers––are handled by him under a great uniform plan and are the means whereby salvation (to use an old familiar word) can come to the aid of humanity. This is the "saving force" in its various aspects, of which the Great Invocation speaks: "The hour of service of the Saving Force has now arrived". (The Externalization of the Hierarchy, page 249.)

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 171 to formulate because it is understood by them in terms of their own self-will, the will to individual self-betterment–– selfish and misunderstood at first but tending eventually to selflessness as evolution carries out its beneficent task. Then the will is interpreted in terms of the hierarchical plan, and the effort of the individual man becomes that of negating his self-will and seeking to merge his will with that of the group, the group being itself an aspect of the hierarchical effort. This is a great step onward in orientation and will lead to a change in consciousness eventually. This last sentence is of importance. It is at this stage that most aspirants today find themselves. However, the will is in reality something very different to these expressions of it which exist in the human consciousness as men attempt to interpret the divine will in terms of their present point in evolution. The clue to understanding (the clue which will be the easiest for you to understand) is to be found in the words "blotting out all form." When the lure of substance is overcome and desire dies, then the attractive power of the soul becomes dominant and the emphasis for so long laid upon individual form and individual living and activity gives place to group form and group purpose. Then the attractive power of the Hierarchy and of the Ashrams of the Masters supersedes the lower attractions and the lesser focal points of interest. When these, in their turn, assume their rightful place in consciousness then the dynamic "pull" of Shamballa can be felt, entirely unrelated to form or forms, to a group or groups. Only a group sense of "well-Being," esoterically understood is realized, for it is comprehended as the will- to-good. No forms can then hold; no group or Ashram can then confine the consciousness of the initiate, and all differences of every kind disappear. This preamble is given in an effort to clarify your minds before we study Rule IX carefully and arrive at its essential meaning. Rule IX. Let the group know there are no other selves. Let the group know there is no color, only light; and then let

172 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS darkness take the place of light, hiding all difference, blotting out all form. Then––at the place of tension, and at that darkest point––let the group see a point of clear cold fire, and in the fire (right at its very heart) let the One Initiator appear Whose star shone forth when first the Door was passed. The greatest problem facing aspirants and disciples prior to the third initiation is that of comprehending the nature of identification. This concerns (in the first instance) the relation of the self to the Self and of all selves to the all-inclusive SELF. It involves the mystery of duality with which they are occupied, and the very moment that theory as to essential unity becomes definite realization then the realm of synthesis is entered. For that type of realization, language as we now have it has no words, and it is therefore impossible to formulate concepts to interpret the consequent and resultant state of being. "Identification with" is the phrase which approaches the closest to the initial idea, and until man has grasped his identical at-one-ness with even one human being, it is not possible for him even to think about it in any truly constructive manner. The complete fusion of the negative and the positive aspects in marriage, at the moment that life is transmitted and transferred, is the only tangible though unsatisfactory symbol of this life-sharing process which takes place when an individual or a group knows actually and not simply theoretically that "there are no other selves." Identification (to use the only word available for our purpose) is connected with dynamic life, with conscious en- hancement, with completion and with creative sharing, plus process. It is a process of participation––consciously and constructively undertaken––in the life actions and reactions of the One in Whom we live and move and have our being; it is related to the network of life channels which keep the form aspect of the planetary Logos functioning as a "Divine Representation." Note that wording. It is connected with the circulation of that "life more abundantly" to which the Christ referred when dealing with the true nature of His

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 173 mission. It might be said that as He uttered this phrase this mission dawned on Him and He made a preliminary effort to serve Shamballa, instead of the Hierarchy of which He was even then the Head. Later, He enunciated as best He could the extent of this realization, in the words so familiar to Christians, "I and the Father are One." This He also attempted to elucidate in the seventeenth chapter of St. John's Gospel. There is no other passage in the literature of the world which has exactly the same quality. One- ness, unity, synthesis and identification exist today as words related to consciousness and as expressing what is at present unattainable to the mass of men. This manifesto or declaration of the Christ constitutes the first attempt to convey reaction to contact with Shamballa, and can be correctly interpreted only by initiates of some standing and experience. A concept of unity, leading to cooperation, to impersonality, to group work and to realization, plus a growing absorption in the Plan are some of the terms which can be used to express soul awareness in relation to the Hierarchy. These reactions to the united Ashrams which constitute the Hierarchy are steadily increasing and are beneficently conditioning the consciousness of the leading members of the forefront of the human wave at present in process of evolution. Beyond this state of awareness there lies a state of being which is as far removed from the consciousness of Members of the Hierarchy as that is, in its turn, removed from the consciousness of the mass of men. Endeavor to grasp this, even if your brain and your power to formulate thought rejects the possibility of this exalted livingness. Be not discouraged at this inability to understand; remember that this state of being embraces the goal towards which the Masters strive, and which the Christ Himself is only now attaining. It is for this reason that the symbolism of light and darkness is used in the words: Let the group know there is no color, only light; and then let darkness take the place of light. Just as the individual has to pass through the stage wherein all "color" goes out of life as he emerges out of \page

174 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS the glamour which conditions the astral plane, so groups in preparation for initiation must go through the same devas- tating process. Glamour disappears, and for the first time the group (as is the case with the individual) walks in the light. As the group thus walks, unitedly its units learn a lesson (one clearly enunciated by modern science) that light and substance are synonymous terms; the true nature of substance as a field and medium of activity becomes clear to the initiate-members of the group. To this H.P.B. referred when he said that the true occultist works entirely in the field of forces and energies. The next lesson which the group unitedly apprehends is the significance of the words that "darkness is pure spirit." This recognition, realization, apprehensive, comprehensive (call it what you will) is so overwhelming and all-embracing that distinctions and differences disappear. The disciple realizes that they are only the result of the activity of substance in its form-making capacity and are consequently illusion and non-existent from the angle of the spirit at rest in its own center. The only realization left is that of pure Being Itself. This realization necessarily comes to the disciple through the means of graded revelation and in balanced sequence; each contact with the Initiator leads the initiate closer to the center of pure darkness––a darkness which is the very antithesis of darkness as the non-initiate and the unenlightened understand. It is a center or point of such intense brilliance that everything fades out and at the place of tension, and at that darkest point, let the group see a point of clear cold fire. It is a tension and a point of attainment that is only possible in group formation. Even in the earlier initiations, and when the initiate has proved his right to be initiated, the process is still a group proceeding; it is undergone in the protective presence of initiates of the same standing and unfoldment. It is their united focus that enables the candidate for initiation to see the point of clear cold light and their united will that "brings him upright, \page

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 175 standing, unafraid, with open eye before the One Who from the very first has conferred on him the gifts of life and light, and Who now––with lifted rod, surrounded by the fire, reveals to him the significance of life and the purpose of the light." It is that of which the minds of men know naught, and which even the highest intellect is unable to grasp or even sense. In the familiar words (familiar to all esotericists) which are so often said or chanted at moments of highest spiritual aspiration, the neophyte refers to the time when "we stand where the One Initiator is invoked, when we see His star shine forth." Two ideas then stand forth: the idea of invocation and of the result of that invocation which is the sudden and unexpected shining forth of the Star. This star is simply a point of vivid light. This invocation, though used as the affirmation of a fixed objective by the aspirant to initiation, is nevertheless a mantram definitely appropriate to the third initiation. It is only effective in its invocative appeal when used in conjunction with a Word of Power. This Word of Power is communicated to the candidate (ever an initiate of the second degree) by the Christ Who has initiated him in the first two initiations but Whose protective aura (in conjunction with the initiate's Master and another Master or an adept of the fourth initiation) is required before the star can shine forth––the focused light of the One Initiator. For the first time the expanded consciousness of the initiate can contact Shamballa and the One Who rules there, the Lord of the World. For the first time, the focused purpose which brought Sanat Kumara into incarnation makes an impact upon the enlightened brain of the initiate, bringing something new and different into his equipment, into his nature and his consciousness. I know not how else to express these ideas. It is a blinding conviction of an unalterable will, carrying all before it, oblivious of time and space, aware only of intensity of direction, and carrying with it two major qualifications or basic recognitions to the initiate: a sense of essential being which obliterates all the actions and reactions of time and \page

176 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS space, and a focused will-to-good which is so dynamic in its effect that evil disappears. Evil is after all only an impelling sense of difference, leading inevitably to separative action. The dualities are then resolved in synthesis and, again for the first time, the initiate comprehends the meaning of the ancient words, so inappropriately translated "isolated unity." To him, in the future, there is no light or dark, no good or evil, no difference or separation. The star that has shone forth, veiling and standing between him and the Lord of the World, the Ancient of Days, is seen as the entrance or doorway and as the admitting agency into something other and larger than simply the planetary life. In the earlier two initiations, the Angel of the Presence stood between the disciple-candidate and the Presence. At the later initiations, the Angel of the Presence is the Christ Himself, one with the soul of the candidate (the individual Angel of the Presence). Through the heart of Christ passes the dynamic power of the One Initiator as a stream of light, stepped down or toned down by the Christ in order that the candidate can appropriate its potency without risk or danger. After the third initiation, the candidate must face the One Initiator alone, with no protective Individual standing between him and the eternal source of all-power. The Christ is present, supporting and attentive. He stands directly behind the initiate so as to arrest and distribute the potency passing through the initiate's body and centers; the candidate is also flanked on either side by a Master. Never- theless, he faces the Initiator alone and unprotected. Even now, at this much later initiation, he cannot see "eye to eye"––as the phrase goes. He becomes aware of a growing point of light which, from a pin-point of intensest brilliance develops before him into a five-pointed star. At the fourth initiation, it is not a star which shines forth before him, but a triangle; and within that triangle he will perceive an eye regarding him, and for the first time he does see the Most High "eye to eye." At the fifth initiation no

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 177 symbol or light substance separates or protects him, but he stands before the Initiator face to face, and the freedom of the City of God is his. He is not yet a Member of the Great Council, but he has the right of entrance into Sham- balla, and from that point he passes on to a more intimate relation, if that is his chosen destiny. He may not even finally become a Member of the Great Council; that is reserved for relatively few and for Those Who can take even still higher initiations within the ring-pass-not of our planet ––a task of profound difficulty. There are other and interesting alternatives, as I have elsewhere told you. The initiate may pass out of this planetary life altogether along one or other of the various Paths by means of which a Master can start upon the Path of the Higher Evolution and for which all that has transpired in the past will have prepared Him. Whichever Way He goes, the Master remains a part of the purpose; He knows forever the secret of the darkness which brings light, and the "inscrutable will of God" is no longer a mystery to Him. He comprehends the divine idea and can now cooperate with it; He has reached a point of realization which enables Him to fathom what lies behind the Plan for which the Hierarchy has worked for aeons. Just as the disciple enters the world of meaning and so can interpret events, just as the Hierarchy works in the world of mediation applying the Plan which the world of meaning has revealed, so the higher initiate works consciously in the world of purpose which the Plan implements, the world of meaning interprets, and the world of events expresses in sequential order and under the evolutionary Law. The symbol which expresses the door of evolution is the crescent moon; that of the process of evolution––as it affects the material or substantial life of the man––is the waxing and the waning moon––the symbol of growing desire and of the dying out of desire. The symbol of the world of meaning is Light––the light which shines upon the ways of men, interpreting events and bestowing revelation. The

178 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS symbol of the world of mediation is the revolving Cross, whilst the symbol of the world of purpose is a twofold one: the five-pointed star and then the radiant heart of the Sun. Remember that when we talk and think in symbols, we are placing something between ourselves and reality––something protective, interpretive and significant, but something nevertheless veiling and hiding. After the fifth initiation all veils are rent and naught stands between the initiate and Essential Being. RULE TEN We now come to one of the most abstruse and difficult of all the rules for initiates; yet at the same time it is one of the most practical in application and of the greatest usefulness. It concerns the etheric levels of activity. I would have you note that I did not say the etheric levels of consciousness, for there is no such thing as consciousness upon the etheric planes. The four planes which constitute the etheric levels of the physical plane are the lowest correspondence to the four planes whereon the Monad and the Spiritual Triad are active, and––as I have oft told you–– upon those levels there is no such thing as consciousness as we understand it. There is only a state of being and of activity for which we have no adequate or illustrative words. The four higher planes of our solar system are the four cosmic etheric planes, and one of the lines of development (confronting the initiate) is to function adequately in response to the life of the planetary Logos upon those planes. That, in the last analysis, constitutes the main field of unfoldment and of acquired wisdom for all initiates above the third degree. In the above paragraph I have presented you with a new concept re initiation––one that has always been im- plicit in the teaching but one entirely and completely untouched as yet in any discussions on initiate-training. In the rule as given to applicants, the disciple is cau- tioned to work within those levels according to the methods

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 191 major recognitions needed to do this type of work; these are the rules which the adventuring disciple needs to know. They have been used, and should not be interpreted by the lower mind, but with the aid of the initiate consciousness. The second phrase runs as follows: 2. Let the group widen all the rents within those veils and thus let in the light. We come now to a definite group injunction or instruction. The aid of the group is invoked almost in the form of an order. The point of this formulated injunction is that in the new era and in the interlude between the past (wherein prominent disciples worked within the veils of maya) and the New Age (wherein humanity itself will consciously function upon the etheric plane), the work of the esoteric groups, under the direction of the New Group of World Servers, is needed. They will have the capacity to recognize the distinction between the various veils. This is the next needed development. The groups must focus the energy at the very center of the group being; the group must carry the force from point to point and from veil to veil; the group must project the destroying energy and become unitedly aware of what each veil hides; the group must perform the activities (seven in all) of purification; the group must meet, accept and distribute the descending spiritual energy which will finally consummate the work done. The group––through the use of that descending current––will drive the forces of evil back on to the astral plane and will together work with the three aspects of the first ray. These are typified by the Voice, the O.M. and the Sound. In the above you have in reality a great formula for group activity and also a potent method (once the group can unitedly work together) for the cleansing and the reorganization of the forces active in the world today. These forces are now raging and running wild; their effect is almost tangible (being in etheric substance) and factually and visibly present under the control of the Black Lodge. This

192 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS Lodge uses the voices of lying propaganda, the Word of death (which I shall not give to you for the O.M., the Word of Life, suffices), and the Sound of the densest aspect in manifestation––the sound of power in the mineral kingdom. This constitutes an unparalleled condition and creates a unique concentration of the Forces of Good and the forces of evil upon the etheric plane. The task of all groups which are working under the Masters of the Wisdom is to let in the light, utilizing those rents which already exist within the veils of maya. Three major rents within these veils might here be noted. They are symbolically referred to in The Bible, though their essential meaning has not been noted or comprehended. The first major rent was made by the establishment of the Law of God, and this is portrayed for us symbolically in The Old Testament in the story of Moses. He went up into the Mount of God and there received the Ten Com- mandments. This is the expression of divine law as adapted for humanity and as needed in the projection of those forces which will destroy, purify and reorganize. Moses, the Law- giver, penetrated to one of the halls within the veils of maya, and there encountered the glory of the Lord. This was of such a radiance that, as the Old Commentary puts it: "He who entered among the first to penetrate within the veils absorbed the light and knew not how to pass it on. Neither he nor they were ready, but the light was there and likewise the two directing eyes. But only one can use, project and send the light upon its mission. The other must be blinded, and of this fact the Lawgiver was aware. He therefore veiled the light, assuming towards this end a fragment of that which he had helped destroy, and so descended from the mountain top back to the darkness of the earth." The second, and much the most important rent, was made by the power of the second aspect when the Christ subjected the Master Jesus to the fourth initiation and Their joint influence was triumphant over death. Then we read

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 193 that the veil of the Temple was split in twain from the top to the bottom. The lawgiver assisted at the first rending as the climax to the third initiation, and there was a somewhat similar process of glorification. A similar event took place at the Transfiguration of the Christ, overshadowing or rather working through the Master Jesus. But at the triumph over death and through the Great Renunciation or Crucifixion episode, a great and major rending took place. The Law, when rightly kept and interpreted, defines man's attitude upon the mental plane and serves to make a rent in the etheric veil, separating the etheric vehicle in its fourfold aspect from the dense physical form. The rending of the second veil at the time of the Crucifixion let in light on to the second level of the etheric plane, and a new type of illumination was spread abroad upon the earth. Law and Love could now penetrate into the consciousness of humanity in a new and direct manner, as the brain of man became involved through the substance of the etheric counterpart of the physical brain; the instinct to self-preservation (one of the lowest aspects of Law) and the tendency to sensitivity (feeling or emotion, one of the lowest forms of Love) could be expressed in a more comprehensive manner. Another rending of the veil, and one of relatively minor importance, took place when Saul of Tarsus saw the glory of the Lord and was changed into Paul the Apostle. His forward moving and potent directness and sincerity, pushing along "the road to Damascus," forced him to penetrate through one of the separating veils. The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force. This force, working in Saul, drove him through the veil which prevented vision and the rent thereby made brought him a new revelation. He was, we are told, completely blinded for three days, and this the esoteric records cor- roborate. This is a well-known correspondence to the three days in the tomb and one recognized by esotericists; it corresponds also to the penetration into the third heaven to which Paul testified later in his life. He realized the nature of the Law, as his later epistles demonstrate; he was brought

214 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS work to the immediate necessity. It is a hard task for a group of intensely individualistic disciples (and all disciples are individual) to begin to take the first steps towards these attitudes and the relationships which distinguish the Hier- archy as a whole. Still another important factor in the group preparation for initiation is the cultivation of silence. How, we ask ourselves at times when the functioning of the Ashram is under discussion, can we train our disciples to realize that, essentially, silence is not refraining from speech. So many disciples seem to think that it is, and that they have to learn not to talk if they hope to take initiation. Some would do a great deal better if they talked more than they do––along right lines. The silence imposed in an Ashram is refraining from certain lines of thought the elimination of reverie and the unwholesome use of the creative imagination. Speech is consequently controlled at its source, because speech is the result of certain inner sources of ideas, of thought and of imagination; it is the precipitation (at a certain point of saturation if I might so express it) of inner reservoirs which overflow on to the physical plane. The re- tention of speech and the suppression of words, if they are the result of a realization that what is to be said is wrong, or undesirable, or unwise, or wasteful of energy, will simply increase the inner banking up and will lead eventually to a still more violent display of words at a later date; it may also bring about serious and disastrous conditions within the astral body of the disciple. The silence of thought is to be cultivated and, my brothers, I do not mean silent thinking. I mean that certain lines of thought are refused admission; certain habits of thinking are eradicated and certain approaches to ideas are not developed. This is done by a process of substitution, and not by a violent process of suppression. The initiate learns to keep his thought apparatus in a certain effective condition. His thoughts do not inter- mingle the one with the other, but are contained (if I may thus pictorially word it) in separate compartments or carefully filed for reference and later use. There are certain

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 215 layers of thought (again speaking symbolically) which are held within the Ashram itself and are never permitted to enter the mind of the disciple or the initiate when not consciously working in the Ashram; others are related to the group and its work and are given free play within the group ring-pass-not; still others are of a more mundane nature and govern the daily life and relationships of the disciple with personalities and with the affairs of civilized living and physical plane events. These are only indications of what I mean, but will suffice to show (if you duly meditate) a little of what is meant by the silence of the initiate. Within the permitted levels of contact, speech is free and unimpeded; outside those levels, no indication is given that the other spheres of thought activity, with their conditioning speech, even exist. Such is the silence of the initiated disciple. We have therefore considered briefly but suggestively four qualities which a group preparing for initiation needs to develop, to consider and unitedly to achieve. They are: 1. The achieving of a non-sentimental group interrelation. 2. Learning how to use the forces of destruction constructively. 3. Attaining the power to work as a miniature Hier- archy, and as a group to exemplify unity in diversity. 4. Cultivating the potency of occult silence. We now come, after these preliminary remarks, to a consideration of the next rule. Rule XI. Let the group together move the fire within the Jewel in the Lotus into the Triad and let them find the Word which will carry out that task. Let them destroy by their dynamic Will that which has been created at the midway point. When the point of tension is reached by the brothers at the fourth great cycle of attainment, then will this work be done. On first reading this rule it is obvious that it concerns the fourth initiation and the consequent destruction of the

216 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS causal body––the vehicle through the means of which the Monad has created first of all the personality, and then an instrument for the expression of the second divine aspect. We are therefore dealing with one of the major initiations. I would here call to your recollection the fact that (from the angle of the Hierarchy) this initiation is the second major initiation, and not the fourth, as it is regarded from the human angle; the third initiation is technically regarded as the first major initiation. The major initiations are really possible only after the transfiguration of the personality. What, therefore, brings about the destruction of the soul body? The destroying agent is the second aspect of the Will. The third or lowest aspect of the Will, working through the mind or the manasic principle, was the sustaining factor in the long cycle of personality development; it was the principle of intelligent synthesis holding the life principle intact and individualized through the long series of successive incarnations. During that cycle the will demonstrated first as the lower man; then it focused itself in the Son of Mind, the divine Agnishvatta, the soul, and became increasingly a factor of potency. Later as the disciple builds the antahkarana and thus establishes a direct channel of communication between the Monad and the personality, the lower mind becomes fused with the abstract mind or higher mind (the manasic principle, sublimated and purified), and gradually the soul is––to use a peculiar but sensitively expressing word––by-passed. It has by now served its purpose. Love and light are in expression in the physical plane life. Neither the personality vehicle nor the soul body is required as under the old conditions. Their place can now be taken by the Spiritual Triad and the Monad; the essential life of both the lower aspects (creative in nature and expressive of loving intent as to purpose) can now be withdrawn. Triplicity, from the angle of the three periodical vehicles––Monad, soul and personality––is resolved into duality, and the Monad (reflected in the Triad) can now work upon the lower planes through the medium of a definitely created personality or "point of tension" in the

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 217 three worlds. It is to this that the rule applies when studied in terms of the individual initiate, whilst the life in which the soul is "by-passed" and its ring-pass-not is destroyed, is of such profound difficulty that it is called the life of crucifixion or of renunciation. We are, however, concerned with the interpretation of the rule as it affects a group which is preparing for the joint initiation of its members. It is by adhering to the ancient dictum that "as it is with the Macrocosm so will it be with the microcosm," and by the application, therefore, of the Law of Analogy, that we shall eventually arrive at understanding. I cannot hope to do more than indicate significances but it will now be clear to you why I have dealt with the four qualities which a group must develop in unison prior to initiation. We shall find it useful to relate these qualities to the various phrases or injunctions in this Rule XI. We must consider each of them separately. Let us now look at the first sentence. 1. Let the group together move the fire within the Jewel in the Lotus into the Triad. Let me first remind you that fire always connotes the first aspect and this, as you know, is the life aspect. To this let me add the well-known fact that "Our God is a consuming fire," and call to your recollection that the first aspect is the destroyer aspect. You have immediately established a relation between the first two qualities with which we have been dealing and the work of the crucifixion as a symbolic expression of the fourth initiation. The achieving of a selfless and impersonal group interrelation was the first prerequisite, and the word "together" in this rule deals with the work of the group when––as a closely knit unit–– it can move forward. This transference of the life or of the fire has to be the result of united action, taken by the group when full interior unity has been attained. It cannot take place prior to this, any more than an individual initiate can take this particular initiation until such time as complete fusion of the three bodies and the soul has been effec-

230 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS energies you have present those forces which will implement the activities of the Hierarchy, condition its initiates, affect every Ashram, bring light into the present darkness, and––as can already be seen––stir into new understanding the present Piscean consciousness of mankind. It is in the New Group of World Servers that the training of the needed disciples for the Ashrams of the Masters takes place at this time in world history. This is a new hierarchical venture. In this group also accepted disciples learn to work in the same manner as does the Hierarchy. The Hierarchy works within the field of the world of human living; the New Group provides a similar field for the new disciple. It is towards that group also that initiates in the various Ashrams converge at times in order to study the caliber and quality of the disciples who are engaged in world salvage, for it is through these disciples that the Hier- archy carries out its plans. Initiates do their main work upon mental levels and from behind the scenes, and because of this their potency is great; this is particularly so with those who have taken the third initiation. A certain percentage of them are, however, active out in the world of daily living. You need ever to remember that at this time the main technique of the Hierarchy is that of conveying inspiration. The Masters are not openly lecturing or teaching in the great cities of the world; They work entirely through Their disciples and initiates. It will, however, be possible for Them to appear increasingly among men and evoke recognition as the influence of Aquarius is more firmly established. The Masters, in the meantime, must continue to work "within the silence of the universal Ashram," as it has been called, and from there They inspire Their workers, and these latter in their time and way, inspire the New Group of World Servers. You will note, therefore, that the effect of Aquarius upon the Hierarchy (as far as you, at your particular point in evolution can determine it) is to bring in the energy of Shamballa which is essentially the energy of life itself, im-

265 THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION To you, it may seem that these three words connote the same thing, but that is not so; fusion is ever related to the conscious merging of soul and substance until a point of equilibrium is achieved: at this point, unity becomes possible and the point of balance––through the attainment of a point of tension––is disturbed. This takes place in three definitely defined stages when the fusion of personality and soul is brought about through the self-initiated effort of the disciple: first of all upon the Probationary Path, then upon the Path of Discipleship, and finally at the third initiation, upon the Path of Initiation. It is essential that you ever remember that this third initiation, the Transfiguration, is the first major initiation from the standpoint of the Hier- archy, though the third from the limited vision of the aspirant. The initiate then goes on to learn the significance of unity in its true sense; this is only possible when monadic influence can be consciously registered and when the antahkarana is in process of conscious construction. I emphasize the word "conscious" here; much of the work of fusion and of attainment proceeds unconsciously under the fundamental Law of Evolution, which is a Shamballic law, embodying as it does the working out of the inscrutable will of Deity. The work now being done on the three stages of the Path has to be intentional and, therefore, consciously undertaken and intelligently planned; it must be backed, first of all by determination, then by the spiritual will, and finally as an implemented aspect of purpose. Fusion might therefore be regarded as the individual process of spiritual integration, relating––in full waking consciousness––the three divine aspects in man. Unity might be regarded as the conscious adaptation of the initiated disciple to the greater whole, as his absorption into the group through his obedience to the laws of the soul, and as governing his attitude to that in which he lives and moves and has his being. This goes on until he sees no distinction, registers no differences and is aware of no separative reaction, and all this because the instinct to separation no longer exists in him. It refers to his oneness in the world of

266 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS energies in which he moves, making him an unimpeded channel for energy and, therefore, an integral and smoothly working part of his total environment and, above all, of the group to which, automatically and under the laws which govern his soul, he has been attracted. He has learnt all that he can learn through the processes of differentiation to which he has been subjected for aeons. The principle of intelligence controls him and the principle of love motivates him, and he has consequently attained unity. But, my brothers, it is the unity of his ray, of his Ashram and of the Plan; it is the unity of the Hierarchy which exists for purposes of service and active work in its seven major groups and its three main departments or divisions. It is indeed attainment and liberation. But more must still be learnt if the Way of the Higher Evolution is to be trodden and a choice between the seven cosmic Paths made––a choice which curiously enough is not dependent upon ray, for all rays are to be found on all these paths. This can only be done through synthesis. This Law of Synthesis "works through the Seven which yet are One; which points to the seven ways and yet those upon the seven ways are one; which initiates the universal into the many but preserves its integrity; which originates the plan but preserves intact the purpose; which sees the multiplicity needed under the Law of Sacrifice but subordinates that law unto the Law of Synthesis; which breathes forth the many Breaths and yet is Life Itself." In this attempt to paraphrase an ancient definition of the Law of Synthesis, I have said all that I can upon the theme. Only as disciples build the antahkarana and function as the Spiritual Triad within the monadic Life will inspiration come, just as they learnt to make contact with soul and to function as the threefold personality within the soul, and then revelation ensued. Naught is gained by further elucidation. Proceed with the work of building the antahkarana and light will shine upon your way and revelation will attend your steps.

267 THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION The second major injunction (though the fourth phrase in our rule) is: 4. Let the threefold mode of working with that which is dynamic carry the group together towards the Higher Three. This injunction holds in it information which is somewhat new to the modern initiate, functioning in a physical body; it is difficult for him to grasp even a modicum of its significance. To convey any faintest hint of its meaning is incomparably difficult for me where disciples such as you are concerned. All I can do is to fall back upon the Law of Analogy, by means of which the microcosm can arrive at a glimmer of understanding of the more obvious aspects of the Macrocosm. First, let me make reference to the words "the Higher Three"; let me see if I cannot somewhat clarify the entire complex idea. The words "Higher Three" refer to the three Buddhas of Activity Who still remain actively cooperating with the Lord of the World. They are, as you have been told, close to Sanat Kumara and came with Him when He decided to take incarnation through the medium of our planet, Earth. It is difficult to understand Their mysterious and peculiar functions. They do not belong to this solar system at all; They have passed through the human stage in such far distant and remote world cycles that the experience is no longer a part of Their consciousness; They act as advisors to Sanat Kumara where His initial purpose is concerned, and that is why the words "the will of God holds sway" occur in this rule. It is Their supreme task to see that, in the Council Chamber of Shamballa, that purpose is ever held steadily within the "area of preparation" (I know not how else to word it) of that Council. They function, in a peculiar sense, as linking intermediaries between the Logos of our solar system and the informing Life of the constellation Libra; They relate these two great centers of energy to our planetary Logos. In the last solar system They were the planetary Logoi of three planets in which the mind principle reached its

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 267 The second major injunction (though the fourth phrase in our rule) is: 4. Let the threefold mode of working with that which is dynamic carry the group together towards the Higher Three. This injunction holds in it information which is somewhat new to the modern initiate, functioning in a physical body; it is difficult for him to grasp even a modicum of its significance. To convey any faintest hint of its meaning is incomparably difficult for me where disciples such as you are concerned. All I can do is to fall back upon the Law of Analogy, by means of which the microcosm can arrive at a glimmer of understanding of the more obvious aspects of the Macrocosm. First, let me make reference to the words "the Higher Three"; let me see if I cannot somewhat clarify the entire complex idea. The words "Higher Three" refer to the three Buddhas of Activity Who still remain actively cooperating with the Lord of the World. They are, as you have been told, close to Sanat Kumara and came with Him when He decided to take incarnation through the medium of our planet, Earth. It is difficult to understand Their mysterious and peculiar functions. They do not belong to this solar system at all; They have passed through the human stage in such far distant and remote world cycles that the experience is no longer a part of Their consciousness; They act as advisors to Sanat Kumara where His initial purpose is concerned, and that is why the words "the will of God holds sway" occur in this rule. It is Their supreme task to see that, in the Council Chamber of Shamballa, that purpose is ever held steadily within the "area of preparation" (I know not how else to word it) of that Council. They function, in a peculiar sense, as linking intermediaries between the Logos of our solar system and the informing Life of the constellation Libra; They relate these two great centers of energy to our planetary Logos. In the last solar system They were the planetary Logoi of three planets in which the mind principle reached its

268 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS highest stage of development; They embody in Themselves in a most peculiar manner the wisdom aspect of the second ray, as it expresses itself primarily through what has been called in the Bhagavad Gita "skill in action." Hence Their name, the Buddhas of Activity. Sanat Kumara has now moved one step ahead of Them upon the great cosmic ladder of evolution, for an aspect of the Law of Sacrifice has conditioned Them. However, within the planetary consciousness and among Those Who work out the divine purposes, there are none Who approach the Eternal Youth and these three Buddhas in point of Evolu- tion. They work out Their plans––these four Great Lives ––through the medium of the Lords of the Seven Rays. Under the Law of Analogy, They are to Sanat Kumara what the three mind aspects upon the mental plane are to the disciple and the initiate. They represent in action: The concrete or lower mind of the planetary Logos, That energy which we call the soul and which the disciple calls "the Son of Mind," The higher or abstract mind, but all this from cosmic levels and with cosmic implications. It was Their activity which (after evolution had run a long course) brought about the act of individualization and thus brought the human kingdom into existence. In a mysterious sense, therefore, it might be said that the three Buddhas of Activity are responsible for: 1. The Act of Individualization. The work of the particular Buddha responsible at the time for this major activity, has been temporarily quiescent since Lemurian days. He works, when active, through the seventh ray and draws the needed energy from two constellations: Cancer and Gemini. 2. The Act of Initiation. I would call your attention to the word act; I am not here referring to process. His work only begins at the third initiation when the planetary Logos is the Initiator. At that initiation, the will aspect begins to function. The Buddha behind the initiatory process is ex- tremely active at this time; He works through the Christ

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 269 and the Lord of the second ray, drawing the needed energy from the constellations Capricorn and Aquarius. 3. The Act of Identification. This involves what has been called a "moment of opening-up," during which the initiate sees that which lies within the cosmic intent and begins to function not only as a planetary unit but as a cosmic focal point. The Buddha of Activity, responsible for this type of planetary activity, works with the Lord of the first ray and functions as an outpost of the consciousness of the informing life of Aries and of Leo. His work is only now beginning to assume importance. I realize that this information has little meaning to you and lies beyond your understanding, but so was much that I gave you in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire. Its sole value for you lies in the revelation of the linking up and the interplay between all parts of our solar system, our universe and the zodiac. Through these three great Buddhas there is a basic relation, established aeons ago and steadfastly held, between our planet, three of the seven sacred planets, and six of the major constellations––the three and the six which most uniquely concern the fourth kingdom in nature. Other planets and other constellations are also related to the human family, but their relation is more aggressively (if I might use that word) related to the three subhuman kingdoms; with these we shall not here deal. Their relation to the human kingdom has been covered by me in the astrological section of this Treatise: A Treatise on the Seven Rays, Vol. III (Esoteric Astrology). You will note that I have here indicated the existence of five triangles: 1. That existing in the interplay of the energies of the three Buddhas of Activity Who create a triangle, closely related to the planet Saturn. 2. The triangle of the three rays through whom the three Buddhas work. 3. The three planets which are connected with the three Lords of the three rays and by means of which They express Their impelling energy.

270 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS 4-5. Two interlaced triangles, created by the six constellations from which the three Buddhas of Activity draw Their needed energy and to which They are uniquely related through Their individual karma. These two interlaced triangles are the cause of the six- pointed star, so familiar among the many occult symbols. From the Law of Analogy, another exceedingly important triangle is found in the human body and (esoterically considered) is related to the subject under consideration: 1. The ajna center, embodying the directing energy of that body of activity which we call the personality. 2. The throat center, which is peculiarly active today in all human beings; this testifies to the success of the creative work of the Buddhas of Activity. This, in its turn, has a small symbolic triangle of its own, to which I would call attention: the thyroid gland and the para- thyroids. 3. The center at the base of the spine. This is galvanized into activity at a certain stage of the evolutionary process, by energy emanating from the Buddhas of Activity Who are the least active at this particular time. It is an energy pouring towards the fourth kingdom but not directed towards any individual. These great Lives work through major groups. Their potency is such that it would otherwise prove destructive. The purpose of Deity is necessarily embodied in a mental proposition; it is through this mental proposition that the three Buddhas of Activity implement Their work. I can put it no clearer. There will come a time in the experience of all initiates when––each for himself––a formulation of this mental proposition will be absolutely necessary. By means of this, each initiate will embody his individual understanding of the divine purpose as the Plan has been revealed to him. This he can do only through the means of group experience, in cooperation with his group and when the group–– as a whole––has reached a similar point of realization and

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 271 has together touched the fringes of this highest of all revelations for humanity. When for the first time they succeed in doing this they will come––as a group under the direct emanation of the Higher Three and under an aspect of the Council Chamber at Shamballa which has been hitherto unknown and unrealized. This will connote a high stage of initiation of the group and is, in effect, connected with inter-hierarchical activity. It is a working out into the consciousness of the group members of an event which has taken place within the Ashram of Sanat Kumara, the Hier- archy itself; this takes place through the stimulation of all the Ashrams at a certain Full Moon, and concerns the relation of the Ashrams as a whole to Shamballa, and not to Humanity. Can you grasp something of what I am endeavoring somewhat unsuccessfully to convey? There is an ashramic activity of which disciples know nothing in their brain consciousness until such time as the third initiation has been taken and the results of it are then dimly but increasingly sensed. It is related to the interplay between Shamballa and the Hierarchy, but not between the Hierarchy and Hu- manity. It concerns the purpose and the plan as the latter is the instrument of the former. The event of realization takes place via the triad formed by a Master and His two senior disciples or it is formed by three Masters all upon the same ray, as for instance, the Master K.H. and his Ash- ram, myself and my Ashram and another affiliated Ashram. It is for this reason that in all exoteric groups connected with an Ashram, there is always a group leader and two others who are the reflection or the correspondence to the higher triad. This is part of the externalization of the Hierarchy which is proceeding rapidly at this time. The importance of understanding the function of triangles is a prime necessity. A hint lies here for students in the political realm, where every country, under differing names, has its chosen ruler, and its ministers responsible for home affairs (or interior relations), and its foreign secretary, responsible for exoteric relationships.

278 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS I would here remind you that in these fourteen rules we must approach our theme from the angle of the initiate- consciousness and not from that of the blended soul-personality consciousness. It is the higher approach which is here indicated, the problem of the initiate-group and not that of the individual within the group. Hence the great difficulty in putting any of these teachings into words. To the average aspirant to accepted discipleship, the three words which distinguish this third major injunction (but which symbolically constitute the fifth injunction in the rule) might be defined as follows: The ideas conveyed are those of an aspirant to the Mysteries as he faces initiation. Let us take these words in the order given in Rule XIII. 1. Transfiguration––that stage upon the Path of In- itiation wherein the third initiation is undergone, wherein the personality is irradiated by the full light of the soul and the three personality vehicles are completely transcended; they have become simply forms through which spiritual love may flow out into the world of men in the salvaging task of creation. 2. Transformation––the evolutionary process which is carried on upon the Path of Discipleship, in which the disciple transforms his lower threefold "appearance" or personality and begins to display divine "quality." His physical body becomes obedient to the dictates of his mind, which is becoming responsive to the higher mind through the medium of the soul; his emotional nature becomes the re- ceptacle of buddhi or of the intuition; then, after the third initiation appears altogether, and the buddhic vehicle becomes the main instrument of sentiency. The mind, in due course, is equally transformed by impression from the higher mind, as it endeavors to implement the will nature of the Monad. 3. Transmutation––the method whereby that which is lower is absorbed by the higher, whereby force is transmuted into energy, whereby the energy of the three lower centers is carried up into the three higher centers (head, heart and throat) and which later enables the initiate to

284 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS the manasic antahkarana. The antahkarana which is now emerging is a projection from the Ashram of a Master; there are, therefore, seven ways into the Way of the Higher Evolution. These seven ways correspond to the seven Ash- rams upon the seven Rays; they are related also to the seven initiations, to the seven principles of man, and to all the other many septenates. It is the force of Will, generated by the Master, during the process of 1. Attaining the fifth initiation 2. Working in the three worlds of creative salvaging 3. Achieving ashramic purpose and consequent group activity 4. Manifesting ray energy 5. Demonstrating a faculty which is known only to initiates who have passed beyond the third initiation. This provides the focused intention which enables the Master to attain what is called transformation, and later, to project the dynamic impulse of His spiritual will in such a manner that He succeeds in piercing the planetary ring- pass-not; He is then given the freedom of the world, and not just the freedom of the worlds. It will be obvious that I am dealing with the subject of the sixth initiation. When this initiation has been consummated, the Chohan then transcends the three worlds of the Spiritual Triad and is focused as a "projecting agent of the Lighted Will" as it expresses itself upon the monadic plane. This stage of unfoldment is in reality the Ascension initiation, the true significance of which will be revealed through the medium of the coming world religion. There then follows, as a result of this, what is called the true Transfiguration. This enables the initiate to function upon the logoic or highest plane of the cosmic physical plane. This––in Christian phraseology––is called the "sitting down upon the right hand of God in Heaven." There the man who has attained this seventh initiation is transfigured. The first contact comes along the line which he has projected as a result of transformation; it is made with

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 285 That which has ever overshadowed Sanat Kumara. The Chohan has now taken the seventh initiation. 6. Let the O.M. be heard right at the center of the group, proclaiming God is All. It is not my intention to interpret this final phrase of Rule XIII. Its meaning lies beyond your most elevated comprehension. It concerns the transmutation of the O.M. into the originating SOUND, bringing certain basic transformation and resulting in a transfiguration which extends to the entire planet and has reference to a certain major planetary initiation. With these matters we are not concerned. With them, only a few of the more advanced Masters are concerned. Therefore we will wait until, through resolution, we have resolved our spiritual problems, transmuted our lower natures and undergone the lower aspects of both transformations, and are consequently ready for the third initiation––that of the Transfiguration. RULE FOURTEEN In this final rule for disciples and initiates, a great summation is embodied. I would here point out again (as I have so frequently in the past) that the obvious meaning–– no matter how elevated––is not that with which we shall deal. It is the significance behind the meaning which is ever the concern of the initiate mind. Students would do well to remember the following sequence of words, embodying ideas: Symbol, Meaning, Significance, Light, regarding light as the emanating creative energy––the organizer of the symbol, the revealer of the meaning, the potency of the significance. We have studied the rules and have penetrated deeply into the world of significances. Most of you have not, however, passed beyond the stage of groping in the world of \page

286 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS meaning. The reason for this is that you have not yet taken the third initiation. I would ask you also to bear in mind that the world of symbols is that of the personal life, of the phenomenal world as that phrase covers the three worlds of human evolution; the world of meaning is the world in which the soul lives and moves with intention and understanding; the world of significance is the world of the Spiri- tual Triad, which only confers its freedom fully after the third initiation. The words dealt with in this Rule XIV are apparently so simple that they can be easily understood. I will attempt to show you that their real meaning is deep and esoteric to what you call the nth degree. Rule XIV. For Applicants: Listen. Touch. See. Apply. Know. For Disciples and Initiates: Know. Express. Reveal. Destroy. Resurrect. The following relationships should be noted, for the first is the seed of the other. APPLICANTS INITIATES Listen Know Touch Express See Reveal Apply Destroy Know Resurrect You will note that the applicant eventually arrives at knowledge and begins to know; the disciple or the initiate starts with knowing, and through his ability to express esoterically that which he knows is able to reveal the light, and by that light to destroy all illusion, glamour and maya; he brings about resurrection upon the physical plane––a resurrection from the death which physical plane life inevitably confers. The five words as given to the applicant are indeed relatively simple. Most aspirants understand their meaning

312 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS the guarantee of our ultimate and inevitable attainment, perfection, illumination and divine consummation. This destruction wrought by the initiate is preparatory to his responsiveness to the fifth word which he receives at the fifth initiation and to which we give the inadequate name: Resurrect. Prior to considering that word, I would like to point out that these five words have a clear reference to each of the five initiations; they give the initiate the keynote to the work which he must carry forward between the various initiatory processes. The work indicated has nothing whatever to do with the training and the discipline to which he will (needless to say) subject his personality; they are related instead to the work which he has to render. This work concerns what I might call certain essential realities connected with the purpose of Shamballa and with his ability to react or respond to the will of the Monad. As you know, this ability does not become an established fact and functioning realization until after the third initiation; nevertheless, the preparatory sensitivity (if I may use this word in this connection) is slowly developing and paralleling the two other activities––Destroy and Resurrect––to which he is pledged: 1. The disciplining of his lower nature so that the unfolding initiate-consciousness may find no hindrances and obstacles. 2. Service to the Plan, under hierarchical impression. 3. The development of monadic sensitivity. It might be of interest at this point if, in view of this third development––responsiveness to pure will––we considered these five words in relation to the five initiations with which you are all so theoretically familiar. The word Know, in relation to the initiate-consciousness, concerns the certainty of the initiate, and his profound conviction of the fact of the Christ in the heart; it is at the same time coupled with a reaction which emanates from the sacrifice petals in the egoic lotus––those petals which are composed of the will quality of the Monad and relate the soul to the emanating Monad. The first faint tremor of the

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 313 impact of monadic "destiny" (l know not how else to express this concept) makes itself felt, but is registered only by the soul of the initiate and on the level of soul consciousness; it is never registered by the man on the physical plane who is taking the first initiation; his brain cannot respond to this high vibration. Theoretically, and as a result of the teaching of the Ageless Wisdom, the spiritual man (in incarnation) has known that he is essentially the indwelling Christ, and the attainment of the Christ consciousness has been and will be his goal; the knowledge here referred to concerns something higher still––the Self-identification of the soul on its own plane and the Self-recognition which relates that Self to the enveloping whole, the Monad. If I might word it symbolically, I would say that the soul, the Christ (after the first initiation), knows that the inevitable processes of Christ-expression on Earth have been started and that the attainment of "the full-grown man in Christ" cannot be arrested. The center of interest which has hitherto been directed to bringing this about now shifts and the soul on its own plane (not in the reflection of its consciousness on Earth) becomes determined to "go to the Father" or to demonstrate the highest aspect of divinity, the will aspect. There are in the Gospel story four recorded moments in the life of the Christ wherein this process of development within His consciousness, this monadic centralization (I know not what other word to use, for we have not yet developed the terminology of the monad, the will aspect) begins to demonstrate and can be traced in a definitely unfolding process. In the past I have incidentally referred to these points, but I would like to gather all four of them together here for your illumination. 1. His statement to His parents in the Temple, "Wist ye not that I must be about My Father's business?" I would have you note that: a. He was twelve years old at the time, and therefore the work upon which He had been occupied as a soul was finished, for twelve is the number of completed \page

314 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS labor. The symbolism of His twelve years is now replaced by that of the twelve Apostles. b. He was in the Temple of Solomon, ever a symbol of the causal body of the soul, and He was therefore speaking on soul levels and not as the spiritual man on Earth. c. He was serving as a member of the Hierarchy, for He was found by His parents teaching the priests, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. d. He spoke as an expression of the substance aspect (He spoke to His mother) and also as a soul (He spoke to His father), but He was controlled by neither; He now functioned as the monad, above and beyond yet inclusive of both. 2. His statement to His disciples, "I must go up to Jerusalem," after which we read that He steadfastly set His face to go there. This was an intimation that He had now a new objective. The only place of complete "peace" (the meaning of the word Jerusalem) is Shamballa, the Hier- archy is not a center of peace in the true meaning of the term, which has no relation to emotion but to the cessation of the type of activity with which we are familiar in the world of manifestation; the Hierarchy is a very vortex of activity and of energies coming from Shamballa and from Humanity. From the standpoint of true esotericism, Sham- balla is a place of "serene determination and of poised, quiescent will" as the Old Commentary expresses it. 3. The exclamation of the Christ, "Father, not my will, but Thine be done," indicated His monadic and realized "destiny." The meaning of these words is not as is so oft stated by Christian theologians and thinkers, a statement of acceptance of pain and of an unpleasant future. It is an exclamation evoked by the realization of monadic awareness and the focusing of the life aspect within the Whole. The soul, in this statement, is renounced, and the monad, as a point of centralization is definitely and finally recognized. Students would do well to bear in mind that the Christ never underwent the Crucifixion subsequent to this episode, but

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 315 that it was the Master Jesus Who was crucified. The Cruci- fixion lay behind Him in the experience of the Christ. The episode of renunciation was a high point in the life of the World Savior, but was no part of the experience of the Master Jesus. 4. The final words of the Christ to His apostles, gathered together in the upper chamber (in the Hierarchy, symbolically) were, "Lo, I am with you all the days, even unto the end of the age," or cycle. Here He was speaking as Head of the Hierarchy, which constitutes His Ashram, and also speaking as the Monad and expressing His divine Will to pervade or inform the world continuously and endlessly with His overshadowing consciousness. He expressed universality and the ceaseless continuity and contact which is the characteristic of monadic life––of life itself. It was also a tremendous affirmation, sent forth on the energy of the will, and making all things new and all things possible. If you will carefully study these four statements you will see what is the knowledge referred to in this command given in Rule XIV to the initiate at the first initiation, the command to Know. It is the order to reorient the soul to the monad and not an order to reorient the personality to the soul, as is so oft believed. The word Express, in its deepest meaning and when given at the second initiation, does not mean the necessity to express the nature of the soul. It means (behind all other possible meanings) the command to express the will nature of the monad and to "feel after" and embody the Purpose which lies behind the Plan, as a result of the developed sensitivity. Obedience to the Plan brings revelation of the hidden Purpose, and this is a phrasing of the great objective which impulses the Hierarchy itself. As the initiate learns cooperation with the Plan and demonstrates this in his life of service, then within himself and paralleling this activity to which he is dedicated as a personality and soul, there is also an awakening realization of the Father aspect, of the nature of the will, of the existence and factual nature of

316 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS Shamballa and of the universality and the livingness of whatever is meant by the word "Being." He knows and is beginning to express that pure Being as pure will in activity. When the third initiation is taken the initiate becomes aware, not only of the significance of the command to Know and of his innate ability to Express the will nature of the monad in carrying out the Purpose of Shamballa, but that (through his fused personality-soul) he is now in a position to "make revelation" to the Hierarchy that he is en rapport with the monadic source from which he originally came. He can now obey the command to Reveal, because the Trans- figuration is consummated. He is not now revealing the soul only, but all the three aspects now meet in him and he can reveal the life aspect as will and not only the soul aspect as love or the matter aspect as intelligence. This is, as you know the first major initiation from the angle of the greater Lodge on Sirius, because it is the first initiation in which all the three aspects meet in the initiate. The first two initiations––oft regarded by humanity as major initiations––are in reality minor initiations from the Sirian point of view because the relation of the man "under discipline and in training" is only a tendency; there is only a developing recognition of the Father and a slowly growing response to the monad, plus an unfolding sensitivity to the impact of the will aspect. But in the third initiation these developments are sufficiently present to merit the phrase, "revelation of the glory," and the Transfiguration initiation takes place. At the fourth initiation the destroying aspect of the will can begin to make its presence felt; the soul body, the causal body, the Temple of the Lord, is destroyed by an act of the will and because even the soul is recognized as a limitation by that which is neither the body nor the soul, but that which stands greater than either. The awareness of the perfected man is now focused in that of the monad. The road to Jerusalem has been trodden. This is a symbolical way of saying that the antahkarana has been constructed and \page

THE FOURTEEN RULES FOR GROUP INITIATION 317 the Way to the Higher Evolution––which confronts the higher initiates––has now opened up. The three aspects of the will, as focused in the Spiritual Triad, are now in full expression; the initiate is animated by Purpose, but faces still greater evolutionary developments; of these I do not need to speak, as they concern divine aspects as yet unknown and unregistered by man. The reason for this complete ignorance is that the vehicles of any man below the third initiation contain too much "impure matter" to record the impact of these divine qualities. Only the "created body" (the mayavirupa) of an initiate of the fourth initiation can begin to register these divine impacts; it is therefore waste of our time to consider even the possibility of their existence. Even I, a Master, and therefore an initiate of a relatively high degree, am only faintly sensing them, and that because I am learning to obey the fifth word which we will briefly, very briefly, now consider. 5. Resurrect. One of the greatest of all distortions, and one of the most misleading of the theological teachings has been the interpretation put upon the word "resurrection" in the Christian approach. This resurrection has been applied in many cases to the resurrection of the body; it is also applied to the fact (the selfishly motivated wish) of immortality; it is applied also to the physical resurrection of the Christ after he supposedly died upon the Cross. Resurrection teaches essentially the "lifting up" of matter into heaven; it does not teach the eternal persistence of the physical body of a man, as many Fundamentalists today suppose, looking for the reappearance of the discarded physical body; it does teach the "livingness of Life" and the state of "unalterable Being." This unalterable Being constitutes the nature of the Monad, and it is to this condition of awareness that Christ attained when He functioned as a World Savior and thereby guar- anteed, by the force of His achievement as a personality-soul, the same point of attainment for us, for we are equally and essentially sons of the Father or expressions of the Monad,

326 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS be somewhat clarified; I therefore started to impart three phases of information: I. I gave out teaching which indicated the mode of bridging the gap between the lower three worlds and the world of the Spiritual Triad. In doing this, it became apparent that there were three groupings or levels of consciousness which had to be recognized: 1. The three worlds of human evolution. a. The mental plane. b. The astral plane. c. The physical plane. 2. The three levels of the mental plane. a. The level of the concretizing mind, the lower mind. b. The level on which the soul is to be found. c. The level of the abstract or higher mind. 3. The three worlds of superhuman evolution, the levels of the Spiritual Triad: atma-buddhi-manas. Between the higher three and the lower three and embracing the mental plane was a definite gap, a break in the continuity of conscious contact or an area where there was no channelling for the inpouring of higher energies. Here the teaching of the conscious building of the antahkarana was required; thus the gap between the mental unit and the manasic permanent atom, between the personality (indwelt by the soul) and the Spiritual Triad could be bridged by the aspirant himself. II. I found it necessary also to indicate the nature of the Way of the Higher Evolution which had been hinted at but about which absolutely no information had been given. It is the Way which opens out before the Master of the Wisdom, leading to states of identification and levels of awareness which lie outside our planetary sphere altogether. The following of this Way enables the Master to "abstract" Himself from the seven planes of our planetary life and divest Himself of all we understand as material existence.

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 327 Forget not that our seven planes are only the seven subplanes of the cosmic physical plane. III. I therefore opened up the subject of the possibility of the higher initiations which confront the Members of the Hierarchy. In this connection it is useful to remember that: 1. The Council Chamber at Shamballa provides a goal for the Members of the Hierarchy, but not an abiding place. 2. The seven Paths which stretch out before a Master are entered by the treading of the Way of the Higher Evolution. 3. The so-called third initiation, the Transfiguration, is only the first major initiation, from the standpoint of the Hierarchy; it marks the moment in time and space when the initiate sees truly and for the first time the door which opens on to this higher Way. Then–– if he chooses the Path that the Christ chose (and there is no reason that he should)––he will "set his face to go up to Jerusalem." These are some of the things which I have hinted at in past writings; they have been touched upon, vaguely and mysteriously, by past teachers and somewhat more explicitly by myself; I propose to be a little more definite in this new section. Teaching, if true, must be in line with the past and must provide scope for endeavor in the present and must also hold out further enlightenment for those who have succeeded or are succeeding in attaining the indicated goals. There must be a spiritual future indicated. It is that which is required now, for many are attaining the goals proposed by the Hierarchy, and others are working towards them. The taking of initiation is now often to be seen and is far more frequent today than at any other time in the history of the race; for those who have thus succeeded, the next step forward and the new spiritual enticement must be clearly disclosed. Evolution is not a static thing; death cannot be the

328 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS reward of living effort. To be static, to have attained all that can be attained, and to be at a complete standstill would be utter death and, my brothers, there is no death. There is only progress from glory to glory, a moving forward from point to point on the divine Way, and from revelation to revelation towards those points and revelations which are perhaps part of the Goal of God Himself. What the goals are upon the Higher Way is as yet utterly unknown to you; what divine qualities and objectives may be revealed to the Master and to the Christ as They tread the Way which leads Them off the cosmic physical plane altogether, you cannot know or sense, and if you could, you would not comprehend the meaning. "Eye hath not seen nor ear heard" the things which God will reveal to those who tread the way to the innermost center, to those who love. This ancient writing can be paraphrased as follows: It is impossible to realize the wonder of the future which the planetary Logos will unfold before those who have unfolded the second divine aspect, Love, and who are therefore full Members of the Hierarchy, the center where the energy of Love is anchored. It is interesting to realize that the unfoldment of the love nature is that which opens the door which leads to the Way of the Higher Evolution and that nothing else will open it. This Way leads the Master off the cosmic physical plane on to the cosmic astral plane or to a level of cosmic awareness whereon is generated that cosmic impulse which we call Love. It will be obvious to you that as this Treatise is not written to instruct Members of the Hierarchy, but only for aspirants and disciples and initiates below the grade of the third initiation, much that I will say will be somewhat "blind" or veiled in symbol; much that I could say (if words existed of an adequate nature) will not be said. Those that have eyes to see and ears to hear will read between the lines and correctly interpret my symbols, hints and references. To many what I will say will be as meaningless as A Treatise on Cosmic Fire is to the average reader and as the entire theme of initiation is to the ignorant and the undeveloped

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 329 man. Much, however, should be of practical service to the struggling disciple, and I want in these concluding pages to fire his zeal, deepen his understanding, stimulate his capacity to love, and enlighten his mind. Such is what I seek to do. On his part, let him approach this subject with deep humility, with a meditative and reflective attitude, and with a refusal to materialize the presented concepts, as is so easy a thing to do. Let him refuse to step down the teaching to the level of his physical consciousness. In these words I have conveyed a basic hint. Love and light are the great revealers, and if the student truly seeks to understand and profit by what I am endeavoring to teach let him love all men more deeply and let him see to it that his light shines forth in a dark place for "in that light shall he see Light." It is the lesser light within that reveals the greater light; when the light of the soul combines with the light of the lower man, then that fused and blended light will enable the aspirant to see the Door which opens upon the Way of the Higher Evolution. In considering our theme I propose to divide what I have to say, according to my usual custom as follows: The Aspirant and the Mysteries of Initiation The entering of the two Doors The entering of the Ashrams The dual life of the initiatory process The science of the Antahkarana The Aspirant and the Major Initiations The relation of the seven Rays to the Initiations The significance of the initiations The Aspirant and the seven Centers I have given you here and elsewhere in my writings all that it is at this time possible to give anent the planetary centers and the rays, including the rays of nations and of races. You will find a wealth of information hidden in my various books if due search is made and the material is gathered together into a coherent whole. I suggest that you study and compare, read and search topically and extract all that I have said about the various nations, their governing

347

SECTION ONE THE ASPIRANT AND THE MYSTERIES OF INITIATION Let us now take up our first point in this section and see what is really meant by the hackneyed words "door of initiation," and what constitutes the difference between the door which faces the disciple and that which confronts the Master. THE ENTERING OF THE TWO DOORS OF INITIATION It is of course obvious to you that the use of the word "door" is purely symbolic; the interpretation given to the word by the ordinary esoteric student and the orthodox Theosophist is that of a point of entry, and the significance of it to him is that it offers an opportunity to pass to new experience and fresh revelation––much of which is regarded by him as due reward for discipline and aspiration. That is largely an interpretation based on wishful thinking and is of quite secondary importance. The Door of Initiation The real meaning underlying the phrase "door of initiation" is that of obstruction of something which bars the way, of that which must be opened, or of that which hides or stands between the aspirant and his objective. This is a much more exact significance and one much more useful for \page

348 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS the aspirant to grasp. The picture of a man moving along the Path of Evolution until suddenly one day he stands before an open door through which he may joyously pass has no faintest resemblance to the truth; the idea that a man of a nice disposition and possessing certain character developments such as those portrayed in such books (by Annie Besant) as The Open Court and the Path of Discipleship, which condition the theosophical aspirants, is exceedingly misleading. These books are very useful and should be carefully studied by the man upon the Path of Probation, but are not so useful to the disciple, for they lead him to put the emphasis in the wrong direction and to focus upon that which should already have been developed. Naturally, the character development must be present and assumed to be stable in the man's equipment; these characteristics have, however, little bearing on initiation and passing through the "door" on the Path. They are indicative of the point reached upon the Path of Evolution, as a result of experiment, experience and continuous expression and should be common to all aspirants who have reached the point of facing discipleship; they are unavoidable developments and connote simply the reaction of the personality to time and experience. It is eternally true that no one may pass through this door unless these character indications are developed, but that is due to the fact that the aspirant has progressed to a certain stage of unfoldment and automatically now has a measure of self-control, of mental understanding and of purity. I would point out also that even the black magician possesses these qualities, for they are the sine qua non of all magical art, both black and white; the black magician passes through the door of initiation as it opens twice for the first two initiations. He passes through on the strength of his will and his character accomplishments and because the group- conscious aspect of the soul is active in him as in his brother seeking affiliation with the Great White Lodge. The love aspect is, however, lacking in the black magician. Forget not that all is energy and there is nothing else. The energy which

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 349 is an aspect of the soul and which we call magnetic attraction (the group-building quality) he shares with the spiritual aspirant. He is essentially group conscious, and though his motives are separative, his methods are those of the group, and these he can get only from the soul. You see again another reason why the first and second initiations are not regarded by the Lodge of Masters as major initiations. Only the third is so regarded, because at that initiation the entire personality life is flooded with energy coming from the Spiritual Triad via the "sacrifice petals" of the will and purpose aspect of the soul. To this type of energy the black magician is not responsive. He can and does respond to the knowledge––most ancient and hardly won––stored up in the "knowledge petals" of the soul; he can appropriate and utilize the energy of attraction (erroneously called love by some students) stored up in the "love petals" of the soul, but he cannot respond to and use the energy of divine love, working out in the divine Plan which controls all knowledge and converts it into wisdom, and which actuates and clarifies the motive which brings loving magnetic attraction into action and which we call true group consciousness and group cohesion. It is at this point that the two ways––of darkness and of light–– become widely divergent. Until the third initiation is taken, glamour may condition the attitude of those seeking to understand the life of a man upon the Path, and they may mistake the spurious for the real. The black magician leads a disciplined life, analogous to that of the spiritual aspirant; he practices purity for his own safeguarding and not in order that he may become a channel for the energy of light; he works with power (the power of magnetic attraction) with and in groups, but he does this for his own selfish ends and for the fulfillment of his own ambitious purposes. But at the third initiation there comes to the true spiritual initiate the revelation which is the reward of perseverance and purity rightly motivated––the revelation of the divine purpose, as the soul records it in terms of the hierarchical plan, though not yet in terms of the Monad. To this purpose and \page

350 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS to the loving Will of God (to use a trite Christian phrase) the black brother cannot respond; his aims are different. You have here the true meaning of the oft-used and misunderstood phrase, "the parting of the ways." But both groups of aspirants (the black and the white) stand before the door of initiation and take the needed steps to open it on two similar occasions. Both overcome glamour after the second initiation, and see their way clearly ahead; but their goals emerge as widely different; one treads the broad way which leads ever deeper into matter and materialism, into darkness and "black power"; the other leads to the straight and narrow way, to the razor edged path which leads into light and life. One group has never freed itself from the principles which governed the first solar system. They were principles entirely related to matter and substance and were at that time and in that period (so remote that the number of years of distance can be stated only in super- astronomical figures) the conditioning factors for the initiation of the time. Certain units of humanity––then existent ––were so completely conditioned by these material principles and so deliberately unready for moving on to the comprehension of another set of principles (more expressive of the divine nature) that they remained of "fixed and selfish material purpose" and a planned distortion of the divine will was intelligently created by them. You have here a hint as to the nature of evil and a clue to a part (though only a part) of the mystery to be noted in the statement that evil and good are reverse aspects of the same one reality, and evil is that good which we should have left behind passing on to greater and more inclusive good. Forget not that the black magicians of today were the initiates of a previous solar system. When the door of initiation is ready to open for the third time, the parting of the ways takes place. Some follow selfish intention and the fixed determination to remain with the separative condition of matter; and to others, the divine will is clearly impressed upon them and becomes the motivating power in their lives. It was under instructions from the Great White Lodge on Sirius that the door remains \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 351 closed the third time to the dark brothers. Evil, as we understand it, has absolutely no place on Sirius. To the black magician, at this third opportunity, the door of initiation presents an insuperable barrier and ob- stacle; to the true spiritual neophyte, the door connotes "overcoming." We shall not consider further the approach of the black brothers to that door, but shall confine ourselves to a consideration of the initiations of the Great White Lodge. This door of initiation is connected with the great problem of what H.P.B. calls the "mystery of electricity"; the door is itself an electrical phenomenon essentially. Having said this, even if you do not understand my meaning you can, however, grasp the possibility that (being electrical in nature) it can easily present an obstructing force, a repelling energy to the approach of the aspirant; this is the correct way to look at it. It is only when the electrical energy of which the door is constituted and that of which the man is constructed at any particular time synchronize and vibrate in unison that the aspirant can pass through to greater light. This gives you a somewhat new and rather abstruse definition of initiation. Nevertheless, as science arrives at a better understanding of the human being as an electrical unit of power and light, and of his triple mechanism as created of three aspects of electricity, a truer comprehension of the significance of initiation will eventuate. The three fires of which all things are made are electrical in nature and–– speaking symbolically––it is only when "fire by friction" is dominated by "solar fire" that the first four initiations can be taken, culminating in the fifth initiation in which these two fires are subordinated to "electric fire" emanating from the monad and giving a new revelation. This monadic process begins at the third initiation. It might be added that the third initiation (culminating in the Transfiguration) is taken on the three higher levels of the mental plane, and that it is therefore upon the fourth level of the mental plane that the aspirant first of all stands before the door, seeking initiation. That electrical unit or phenomenon of electricity \page

352 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS which we call the fourth kingdom in nature, on this fourth subplane of the mental plane esoterically "ejects" the unit of electricity which is ready to be absorbed by the higher form of electricity. Fire by friction dies out and solar fire takes its place, and the relationship between the two higher forms of electricity becomes established. It is solar fire which forms and likewise guards the door of initiation for the first four initiations. It is the electrical fire which forms the door of initiation for those initiations which guard the Way to the Higher Evolution. There are four types of fire by friction which create the "obstructing door" in unison with solar fire, of which it is essentially created. These are as follows: 1. Electrical energy, composed of two forces of electricity: the innate, inert and latent force of the physical plane atoms of the dense physical vehicle, and the force which we call prana which is an aspect of the energy com- posing the etheric body. These two blend, combine and form the "door" through which the spiritual man must pass when he undergoes the first initiation. This provocative energy tests out every part of his physical equipment and–– as he passes the test––the door opens, the opposing energies symbolically die out," and he can pass on to the Path of Initiation, free from that type of obstruction. The physical body no longer rules him, either through its limitations and faults or through the physical disciplines which have been hitherto needed but are no longer required. 2. The electrical energy of the astral or emotional body next confronts him as he prepares to take the second initiation. You can call this energy, if you so choose, the sum total of all the glamours; a glamour is essentially a be- wildering, deceiving and illusory energy-form which seeks to sidetrack and mislead the neophyte and which is attracted to him by ancient habit and old controls. He is therefore responsible for the impact of this energy. This type of energy takes form, and the massed forms of these glamours constitute the opposing door and oppose the passing of the \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 353 aspirant on to the next phase of the Path. With this electrical energy he must deal before he takes the second initiation. These particular energies are not thoughtforms; they are drifting, undefined and exceedingly fluid. Of this type of energy water is the symbol, and this is one reason why this second initiation is called the Baptism initiation, or the initiation of "entering the stream." 3. The electrical energy of the mind now creates the door for the third initiation, and the obstruction which confronts the initiate is that of the electrical figments of his own thinking, shining with a light which is all their own (for they are of the highest order and type), but veiling the pure light which shines behind them. They constitute the sumtotal of illusion. This "door" is formed by the coming together of the three types of energy: fire by friction, solar fire (playing in full force at this third initiation), and electrical fire from the Spiritual Triad, making its first impact on the other two fires, for all three are in full activity at this initiatory crisis. All are localized and concentrated in that symbol of progress, the "door of initiation." It should be becoming increasingly clear to you why the initiate is ever portrayed as one who works with the forces and energies of the planet and the system. To him, there is naught else. 4. The fourth type of "fire by friction" which confronts the initiate as he stands prepared for that initiation which we call the Great Renunciation is the electric energy of the entire integrated personality. That which is the product of every incarnation––the highly developed, powerful and "clear-eyed" personality (as it is called)––is the final event and presents the final great obstruction. In the Gospel story there are two major episodes in the life of the Master Jesus which throw some light upon this fourth entrance through the door of initiation: the Trans- figuration and the Crucifixion. In both of them the three aspects of the personality are symbolized. In the first case, they are symbolized by the three apostles who in bewilderment and profound humility took part in the third initia-

\354 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS tion, the Transfiguration; in the second case the three were depicted by the three Crosses––the two thieves and the central Master. The difference in the fourth initiation is definite; it lies in the fact that the four aspects of the personality (counting the dense physical body as one aspect and the etheric vehicle as a second aspect of the physical body) are involved, for this fourth emanation of fire by friction has a potent and destructive effect upon the dense physical body. The Great Renunciation involves the rejection of the physical life at any cost, and that cost frequently involves its physical death. The Great Renunciation or fourth initiation has, therefore, two aspects: the outer involvement or objective happening in the eyes of the physical plane onlooker, and the subjective aspect, portrayed symbolically by the three Crosses and those who hung upon them. The implications emerging out of this symbolism are not easy to see, even when the superficial meaning is apparent, because that superficial meaning hides and veils a universal reality. The Master Jesus passed through the door of the fourth initiation and overcame the final hindrances offered by His perfected personality. He died upon the Cross. All the four aspects of His personality participated in the event, and all four aspects electrically obstructed His passing through this door even to the point of their complete destruction––bringing a final liberation. Something universal was also symbolized which had naught to do with the Initiated Master Jesus. This symbolism and its meaning are related to the three Crosses which stood side by side and to the relationship between those who hung upon them. In the three figures humanity itself is portrayed and also related to the Hier- archy, and this "pictorial event" is a parallel to the one already considered––the initiation of the Master Jesus. In the Crucifixion, in this fourth passing through the door of initiation and in the staging of this event, two great and different individualities––the Master Jesus and the World Savior, the Christ––are implicated; two major happenings

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 359 intelligence, and produces understanding and intuitive perception. All influences and energies, therefore, which are prevalent in our planetary existence, flow through and create the four above-mentioned planes and thus determine the nature of the evolutionary process at any given time in the three worlds. From the standpoint of a Master, the four planes are composed of forces which are basically responsive to, and finally conditioned by, the energies wielded by the Hierarchy and directed by Shamballa. In a peculiar manner, and under the Law of Correspondences, the three lower planes––mental, emotional and physical––constitute the three dense physical subplanes of the cosmic physical plane and are not, consequently, regarded as embodying principles. H.P.B. says, in connection with our physical plane (the lowest subplane of the cosmic physical plane), that it is not a principle, and this holds good also for the greater whole. The dense physical plane is matter conditioned by a previous solar system, and is almost automatic in its response to etheric energies; these constitute the etheric bodies of all forms created out of this "unprincipled substance," as it is occultly called. The three lower planes of our seven planes are, from the angle of the esotericist, the equally unprincipled dense cosmic substance; the mark or indication of the true initiate is the transfer of his life and his point of identification from unprincipled substance and substantial forms to "prin- cipled" substance and etheric forms. The tendency of the occult student to think ever in terms of spiritual abstraction can (and often does) militate against a grasp of the truth and presents a false picture to the intelligence; the facts which I have just emphasized have much to do with the nature of the higher initiations. I would ask you to remember this. The third initiation, therefore, releases the initiate from the planes of unprincipled substance (the lower subplanes of the cosmic physical plane), whilst the next two initiations make it possible for him to work with intelli- \page

360 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS gence and love on the two lower levels of the cosmic etheric plane––the buddhic and the atmic, the planes of spiritual love and intelligent will. The Way of the Higher Evolution leads through the monadic and logoic planes (the two highest levels of the cosmic physical plane); when the four planes of the cosmic etheric plane are completely mastered and under occult direction, the initiate is faced with the seven Paths and with the choice to tread one or other of them. His choice is naturally dependent upon ray determinations and past activity but is nevertheless a free choice, because all limitation has been removed, all wrong identification with physical forms is now impossible and the initiate's only limitation is that imposed by entrance into cosmic levels of awareness with which he is still unfamiliar. Bear, therefore, continually in mind that the highest spiritual attainment upon and within the seven planes of our recognized planetary life is entirely conditioned by the fact that they are the seven subplanes of the cosmic physical plane and are composed of the three dense physical planes (our three worlds of human evolution) and the four cosmic etheric planes (the four levels of so-called spiritual development); these are conditioned by three forces and four energies. I have emphasized this by constant repetition on account of the great importance the recognition of these facts will play in any grasp you may achieve anent the Way of the Higher Evolution. After the Master has taken the fifth initiation, He has ––as you know––covered and mastered the ordinary field of evolution for humanity; that means the three worlds of ordinary human experience and the two worlds of superhuman effort, making the five fields of the spiritual activity of man. Love and intelligence are now perfectly developed in Him, though their expression and emphasis may vary according to His rays; He is aware of the fact of the Will or of the first divine aspect, with its two qualities (veiling a third) of destruction and of purpose; He is becoming active on the second plane of our planetary life, the monadic plane, and that great center of life, Shamballa, is having a \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 361 definite vibratory effect upon Him; also (and this will be incomprehensible to you) He is becoming sensitive to a range of energies and influences which can now be registered by Him, owing to His increasing monadic polarization and His contact with Shamballa. The cosmic astral plane becomes, for the Master, a definite objective; He is beginning to develop a great sensitivity to that level of awareness, but consciousness of that within the planetary life––as He knows it––prevents Him from registering this energy of pure cosmic love as He later will. It is this sense of limitation which is the cause of His recognition of the Door on to the Way of the Higher Evolu- tion, for the fifth and sixth initiations liberate Him into the atmic and monadic states of awareness; these initiations are to the initiate at this stage of development what the first and second initiations are to the disciple who is seeking to tread the earlier stages of the Path of Initiation. They might therefore be regarded as initiations of the threshold––one leading to the awareness of the higher levels of conscious unfoldment which the third initiation (the first major initiation) inaugurates and the other to those levels of impression, of contact and of future ascension which are the sevenfold goal set before the Master when the sixth initiation (the true ascension) is consummated. It is for this reason that this particular initiation is called the Initiation of Decision. The Master then chooses which of the seven Ways or Paths He will follow because His aeonial experience has enabled Him to choose any of them and know that He has chosen aright. Though these seven Paths, being one of the septenates, are necessarily related to the seven rays, they are not ray paths, nor are they governed by the seven rays. Any one of them is open to a Master of the Wisdom, and His choice will not be dependent upon His ray type, though He will take that factor into consideration. They are more definitely related to the seven cosmic planes than to the seven rays; this we will consider in greater detail when dealing with the factor of the seven Ashrams which are "proving" grounds for all the Masters confronted with the Initiation of Decision.

362 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS Disciples are more apt to be interested in the Ashrams from the angle of their own development; they are not prone to remember that the life progress and purpose of the Master not only determines the quality of the Ashram but that His own development and His eventual decisions are closely related to the Ashram which He controls. It is not easy for students to shift their attention away from the relation of the Ashram to humanity as a whole, or to realize that this relation is secondary to the Master Whose primary preoccupation is the unfoldment of the purposes of Sanat Kumara and the attainment of that state of Being which is significant of Shamballa. Students need to bear in mind that one phase of preparation for future work is that which will succeed the Initiation of Decision, and that this is dependent upon the type, quality and service rendered by the Master as He conditions and controls His Ashram. This I will attempt to enlarge upon under our next heading. It is useful however, for aspirants to discipleship, and above all for those preparing for initiation and consequently already working in an Ashram, to get this different point of view and begin to unfold within themselves a new sensitivity to impression coming from sources higher than the Hierarchy itself. This involves in them a new and higher type of orientation, and though it remains as yet impossible of attainment there is definite developing value in a grasp of the concept and the effort of the abstract mind and the intuitive perception to seize upon and reflect upon a new and entirely foreign concept. This higher reflective process is to the disciple who is working in an Ashram what aspiration is to the student upon the Probationary Path and the early stages of the Path of Discipleship. In the latter case, the aspirant's emotional body becomes responsive to the principle of buddhi, reaching him via the love petals of the egoic lotus; in the more exalted situation, the disciple becomes aware (for that is all it is) of the possibility of an impression reaching him from the cosmic astral plane, via monadic levels of awareness. Note what I say––simply the possibility; for there is at this stage no as- \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 363 sured recognition of this goal; it is an impression which is to the disciple preparing for one of the higher initiations what an occult theory is to an aspirant on very much lower levels. The only way in which I can give any faintest idea of the higher reaches of the initiate consciousness will be through reference to lower grasped capacities and the presentation of undefinable truths in terms of that which has been defined and which (to these higher states of awareness) are in the nature of seed thoughts. Some small grasp of the nature of the consciousness of Shamballa will emerge as we study this section of the Treatise, for the higher levels of the cosmic etheric plane are permeated with energies emanating from the cosmic astral plane and the cosmic mental plane; these energies, playing through and directed by the great Lives Who form a permanent nucleus of the Council Chamber at Shamballa, do condition and are the impelling, motivating and relating power behind all the evolutionary processes on lower levels. Yet, the life and consciousness of the Hierarchy are very different to the life and consciousness of Those Who constitute the great center called Shamballa; the developing sensitivity to increasingly high impression, which is the result of each stage of the final initiatory process, is the only way in which the distinction and the goal become apparent. Just as those who read and study these ideas are occupied with concepts and thoughts totally unrealized and wholly inexplicable and sometimes even senseless, to the ordinary everyday businessman in the street, so there are also ranges of thought and eternal extra-planetary concepts which are equally unknown and temporarily inexplicable to the initiate working in an Ashram under some Master. When the student realizes that the great universal Oneness which he associates with monadic consciousness, is only the registration of impressions localized (and therefore limited) and defined within the etheric levels of the cosmic physical plane, he can perhaps grasp the implications of the wonder which will be revealed to the initiate who can transcend the entire cosmic physical plane (our seven planes of the \page

364 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS human, superhuman and the divine worlds) and function upon another cosmic level. This is what the treading of the Way of the Higher Evolution enables a Master eventually to do. One interesting fact emerges out of all this comparative work and this mode of analogical teaching, and that is that the word "spiritual" refers neither to religious matters (so- called) nor to the Path of Discipleship or the Path of the major or higher initiations but to the relationships on every level of the cosmic physical plane, to every level from the lowest to the highest. The word "spiritual" relates to attitudes, to relationships, to the moving forward from one level of consciousness (no matter how low or gross, from the point of view of a higher level of contact) to the next; it is related to the power to see the vision, even if that vision is materialistic as seen from the angle of a higher registration of possibility; the word "spiritual" refers to every effect of the evolutionary process as it drives man forward from one range of sensitivity and of responsiveness to impression to another; it relates to the expansion of consciousness, so that the unfoldment of the organs of sensory perception in primitive man or in the awakening infant are just as surely spiritual events as participation in an initiatory process; the development of the so-called irreligious man into a sound and effective businessman, with all the necessary perception and equipment for success, is as much a spiritual unfoldment––in that individual's experience––as the taking of an initiation by a disciple in an Ashram. The assumption by orthodox church people that the word "spiritual" connotes profound and effective interest in orthodox religion is not borne out by the facts of the spiritual life. Some day, when the world is increasingly led by its initiates, this erroneous assumption will be discarded and it will be realized that all activity which drives the human being forward towards some form of development (physical, emotional, intuitional, and so forth) is essentially spiritual in nature and is indicative of the livingness of the inner divine entity.

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 365 I have felt it necessary to point this out because it will become apparent as we read and study this section of the Treatise that the Master––moving forward into higher areas of impressionability––may not and frequently will not express this development in terms of what is now regarded as "spiritual" by the religious devotee and by the man used to the wording and the terminology of the churchmen of all faiths. The discoveries of science, my brother, or the production of some great work in literature or in the field of art, are just as much an evidence of "spiritual" unfoldment as the rhapsodies of the mystic or the registration by the so- called occultist of a contact with the Hierarchy. There will, however, come a point in the experience of all those thus making a spiritual approach along some specialized line, where a meeting place will become apparent, where a joint goal will be unitedly recognized, where essential unity under diversity of forms, of methods and of techniques will be acknowledged and where pilgrims on all ways of approach will know themselves to be one band of demonstrators of the divine. One such meeting place is upon the periphery of the Hierarchy during the stage immediately prior to acceptance into an Ashram. It is interesting to note that––on a world- wide scale––the world disciple, Humanity, is today on the verge of this major awakening and joint registration of a unity not hitherto reached; the growth of the spirit of inter- nationalism, the inclusiveness of the scientific attitude, and the spread of a universal humanitarian welfare movement are all indicative of this meeting place. Another such meeting place is recorded and entered (symbolically speaking) when the third initiation is taken, and still another is realized at the time of the seventh initiation. These all register development in group awareness, as well as in the recognition of the individual initiate, as to what is happening within the consciousness aspect of humanity. \page

366 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS The door into the Way of the Higher Evolution simply permits the entrance of the sensitive initiate into "spheres of intimacy" (as they are sometimes called) which are this time cosmic in their implications, planetary in their effects, and which give to the initiate what has been called the "key to the Sun"––as it conditions the solar system––just as the door to initiation gives to the aspirant the "key to the kingdom of God." We have dealt in the foregoing pages with deep matters and have touched upon topics too high for the understanding of the average student or probationary disciple; dim recognitions, based on past acceptances are, however, possible to some of you. We have seen, among other things, that the so-called "door of initiation" presents obstacles whose purpose is to block entrance and to draw out the latent will of the applicant; an initiate is one who succeeds in penetrating to the further side of the door, where recognition awaits him. We will now concern ourselves with the basic theme of the Ashram itself. THE ENTERING OF THE ASHRAM This theme necessarily has great interest for all aspirants and would-be disciples, but I am not at first going to deal with the subject from the angle of humanity and its effort to establish contact with the Ashram. I desire first of all to speak of the Ashram as a whole, constituted of many Ash- rams and creating an "invoking area" of relationship for the supreme Head of the Ashram, Sanat Kumara, the Lord of the World. I seek to enter into no discussion of this leading Life of our entire planet. HE is to a still greater Being, the One referred to elsewhere as "the One about Whom naught may be said," what the vehicle of a Master in physical incarnation is to Him, and on a less accurate basis, what your personality is to you; it is an expression of the soul or of the Monad when a disciple has attained initiate-consciousness. \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 367 All the qualities, the love and the purpose of a supreme Entity, referred to in The New Testament as the "Unknown God," are focused in Sanat Kumara. Some gauge of the unfoldments which can lie ahead of humanity will enter the human consciousness when: 1. The fact of the Hierarchy, 2. The nature of its relationship to Shamballa, 3. The spiritual nature of Those Who respond in rev- erent obedience to the slightest wish of the Lord of the World, are among the accepted truths whereby men live. This will happen after the externalization of the Hierarchy. This Lord of the World is the sole repository of the will and purpose of the One of Whom He is an expression; this again can be understood by you as evoking the same relation to the "unknown God" as your personality––when expressing adequately the soul and later the Monad––conditions your perception, knowledge, plans and purpose, and controls the quality of your life and directs the energy which you express. His vehicle of manifestation is the planet with its seven centers, of which only three are yet recognized by the occult student: Shamballa, His head center, the Hierarchy, His heart center, and Humanity, His throat center. The other four centers are concerned with evolutions which are reached, controlled and related from one or other of these three major centers. The solar plexus is dominated by the Hierarchy, the heart center of Sanat Kumara, and has a close relation to the deva evolution, hinted at by me in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire. The vastness of this subject will be understood by my use of the word "hint" in reference to what I have earlier written on the subject. The center which we call Shamballa controls that mysterious center which is the correspondence to that which we call "the center at the base of the spine"; this is the inadequate name given to the reservoir of threefold fire, latent and quiescent, which is found at the base of the human spine; it is entirely inactive except in those people who have

368 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS taken the third initiation. The planetary center is related to the three fires (electric fire, solar fire, and fire by friction) which are the source of the life, warmth, moisture and growth of all forms upon our planet. It may seem curious and inexplicable to you, but the center of creativity is affected, and I had almost said guarded, by the "center which we call the race of men"; the reference in the serious occult books to the future of humanity as the Savior of all the subhuman kingdoms has relation to this fact. The ajna center of the Lord of the World is just beginning to express itself in a recognizable manner through the New Group of World Servers. This intermediate group ––between the Hierarchy and Humanity––is a carrier of the energy which makes the Plan possible (the Plan of which the Hierarchy is the custodian). This Plan implements the Purpose, and later, when the New Group of World Servers is organized and is recognized as a living organism, it will definitely receive energy from Shamballa in a direct reception, via the Hierarchy. This information is, I realize, of little immediate importance to you, but––towards the end of the century––it will be found explanatory of much. Though the Christ is the Head of the Hierarchy, it is Sanat Kumara, the Ancient of Days, Whose Ashram it truly is. The Christ (I am using one of His official names) is indeed the Master of all the Masters and the Coordinator of the entire life of the great Ashram, in conjunction with the two other hierarchical Officials, the Manu and the Mahachohan. The information I gave as to the constitution of the Hierarchy, in Initiation, Human and Solar, was along the same line. The Hierarchy is the Ashram of Sanat Ku- mara, but He has delegated His authority, right down the ages, to the so-called World Saviors successively; Their life expression embodied in every case the goal of the period during which They held office. In the early days of the Hierarchy, millennia of years ago, neither the official Directors of the Hierarchy nor the Masters were of the caliber which They are today. Had They been so, They would have been too far removed from \page

369 THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS the factual life of the cycle, and therefore useless for the cycle of divine life which existed. The growth of humanity and its evolutionary status (when compared with primordial and primitive man) can be seen in the quality of the Hier- archy today, which humanity produced and towards which it looks for guidance and teaching. This is an interesting point which I offer for your consideration. Never forget, my brothers, that as it is humanity which has furnished the personnel of the Hierarchy––including the Christ, the first of our humanity to achieve divinity––we have, therefore, the guarantee and the assurance of humanities ultimate success. The three major Executives of the Hierarchy: 1. The Christ, representing the second Ray of Love- Wisdom, 2. The Manu, representing the first Ray of Will or Power, 3. The Mahachohan, representing the third Ray of Active Intelligence, are responsible to the Lord of the World for the processing of the life and impulse which condition the evolutionary process. This statement is made without any further definition by me because the whole subject is too abstruse and it would require another Treatise like that on Cosmic Fire to make it even a little clearer. Humanity can only be the recipient of this type of information after the first Ray of Will or Power has become more active; this will take place when the work of the second Ray of Love-Wisdom has reached its next cyclic crisis point. The crisis points of a ray are ever indicative of success and have in them the quality of joy. Mankind will then be much freer from the spirit of separateness, and a measure of peace, unity and cooperation will be conditioning human relations. There is a constant shifting in the state of the planetary consciousness and this, though implemented from Shamballa, is produced by humanity itself; this unfolding human consciousness leads mankind eventually out of the fourth kingdom in nature into the fifth, the hierarchy of souls, and––at the same time––raises the level of con-

370 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS sciousness in all the three subhuman kingdoms. This series of happenings will remain for a long time inexplicable to man, though the results can be seen in the effect which humanity has had on the animal kingdom, through domesti- cation; on the vegetable kingdom, through specialization and science; and on the mineral kingdom, through the skilled utilization of metals and the widespread use of the mineral products of the earth. It must be borne in mind that the Council Chamber of the Lord at Shamballa is a unit, but that the Hierarchy is a differentiation of this basic unity into the seven major Ashrams and the forty-nine Ashrams which are gradually forming. The Hierarchy is, however, a unity within itself, for the entire ashramic life is guarded by a ring-pass-not, created by its radiation; the seven and the forty-nine Ash- rams are held together by the magnetic interplay of the whole. It is this radiation which affects by its quality the senior aspirants in the world, and draws them gradually into relationship with itself and finally into its magnetic field. This is aided by the clarity of perception, the intensification of the livingness of the rightly oriented aspirant. I prefer the word "livingness" to that of "vibration," so widely used in modern occultism. There is therefore a dual inflow into the Ashram of Sanat Kumara, controlled and directed by the three hierarchical Directors: 1. From Shamballa itself. This is a flow of energizing life or of what we might call "unfettered enlightenment"; this impresses the purpose or the will of the Lord of the World upon the united Hierarchy in a manner incomprehensible to you; it also creates a dynamic magnetic impulse which enables the graded initiates, through the medium of the Ashrams, to organize the Plan and set it in motion, so that the Purpose gradually materializes on earth. Because the senior initiates, from the Christ down to initiates of the fourth degree, are conscious in varying ways (according to ray) of the Eternal Now, and can work free from the com- pulsion of time, They can see the impressed Purpose as a

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 371 more complete whole than can initiates of lesser degree and development. It is this capacity which makes Them responsive to Shamballa, where the living will of the "Unknown God" (for a period of a life cycle) is seen in completeness and is already existent. The Hierarchy is, however, handicapped in its activity by the time sense and the materialistic focus of the "center which we call the race of men." 2. From Humanity. There is a constant (and increasing) flow of reoriented human energy penetrating into and beyond the radiatory periphery. This penetrating energy, implemented by the individual aspirant and disciple, is that of intelligent activity and––little as you may have realized it––it is this constant inflow which aids in the intelligent application of the Plan to human affairs. The Science of Impression, which governs the technique of Shamballa, functions through the three different centers in three different ways: a. Shamballa. . . . . . . dynamic impression b. The Hierarchy . . . magnetic telepathy c. Humanity. . . . . . . radiatory sensitivity yet these three are only manifestations of the will of God as it works out in the activities of His three major centers. One point should here be made: the entry of a member of the human family into the ranks of the initiates and his participation in the activity of some one or other of the Ashrams produces a movement out of the Hierarchy of some Master and into the highest center of all; it has this effect only after the entering initiate has taken the third initiation, and can therefore take his part in the hierarchical life as a monadic expression susceptible to impression from Shamballa. When a Master thus emerges He is immediately confronted with the choice between the seven Paths. With this development and decision we shall later deal. The seven Paths are all concerned with purpose, just as the seven Ashrams are all concerned with the plan. There is, as you will later see, a direct relation between the seven Paths and the seven Ashrams. Though we shall not deal with the subject at all, there is likewise a correspondence in the third

372 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS major center, Humanity. You have, therefore, curiously interrelated: The seven Paths The seven Rays The seven Ashrams The seven Races Students would do well to bear in mind that these relationships are the result of the involutionary activity of the life expression of the Lord of the World. The key to the mystery of differentiation is found by the Master when He is faced by the choice of the seven Paths. At that high point of will expression, He discovers the secret of that evolutionary process which proceeds from unity to differentiation, and from differentiation to unity again. Individualization, Initiation and Identification are the three main stages in the evolutionary activity of the life of God and condition the quality of each of the three divine centers. The four related septenates, enumerated above, eventually produce a synthesis which will consummate upon the cosmic mental plane. This is of course beyond my powers to teach or to explain, as I am not yet a liberated Master, though I am a liberated human being. In the human center, the man becomes identified with himself; in the Hierarchy, he becomes identified with the group; in Shamballa, He becomes identified with the planetary WHOLE. When that takes place, He is then aware for the first time that other identifications––lying beyond the planetary ring-pass-not––confront Him; His choice of one or other of the Paths is conditioned by the quality of His previous identifications, which are in their turn conditioned by His ray type. Passing from these broad generalizations, which in reality lie far beyond our present grasp but which will have their future usefulness, let us now consider the Hierarchy as it exists (in the consciousness of Sanat Kumara as His Ashram) and as it constitutes "the noble middle Path" to which the Buddha refers, and fills the intermediate and the

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 373 mediating place between Shamballa and Humanity. This position of the Hierarchy must never be forgotten. The seven Groups of Ashrams within the Hierarchy It is because the first Ray of Will or Power, through its Ashram, is related to Shamballa, that the Master Morya is the Head of all truly esoteric schools. In the esoteric enterprise and in the work done by disciples in the Ashrams, the Will is developed so that the Purpose may eventually be understood. He relates the three points of the triangle composed of the Hierarchy, the world of souls on the mental plane, and those human souls who (on all Rays) are ready for contact with the Hierarchy. They have made contact with their souls, and this is registered in the Hierarchy. The triangle is, therefore, as follows:

As the externalization of the Ashram proceeds, those souls upon the physical plane who are ready for enlightenment will find their way into the New Group of World Servers; this group will increasingly assume potent relation between the units of life within its periphery, the Ashram, and humanity. From one point of view the New Group of World Servers can be regarded not only as a relating group, but also as a great transforming station, dowered later (though not noticeably so at the present time) with two functions in relation to the Ashram: 1. One function is to enable "externalizing units of perfection" (the higher initiates and the Masters) to step down Their individual potency to such a degree that They will be able to work in physical objectivity on the earth, with no undesirable effects upon humanity. I refer to average and undeveloped human beings. Students should bear in mind that contact with Those Who are initiates of high degree

374 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS and members of an Ashram has the following three effects upon humanity: a. On evolved men, aspirants, probationers and disciples, the effect is stimulating and magnetic. b. On average human beings, capable of little response yet susceptible to impact and sensitive to impression, the effect is not helpful and is often destructive, because their etheric bodies are not competent to entertain and employ such high vibrations. c. On undeveloped humanity, the effect has been called "condensation or concretization"; all their natural qualities (the qualified substance of their three bodies) are solidified; thus they create an automatic barrier to the entry of the too high impulses and vibrations. 2. The second function is to enable those who are making definite soul contact, reorienting themselves and nearing the periphery of the Ashram, to absorb with profit the radiation of the Hierarchy. I would like at this point to refer back to the time sense in relation to the Hierarchy and its work, to which I referred a few pages back. It involves the inability of the average disciple to think in terms of the Ashram––the Ash- ram of the Christ, representing Sanat Kumara. When he turns his thoughts to the Master and the radiatory and magnetic group which He has attracted to Himself, the disciple almost inevitably thinks in terms of "my Master and His Ashram." Yet this is not in any sense a statement of truth. There is one great Ashram, the Hierarchy, radiating (after due absorption of light, understanding and power from Shamballa, and this inflow is adequate to hierarchical need) as it seeks to aid not only the human evolution but all the other evolutions, of which humanity, in several cases, knows nothing. The great Ashram is likewise magnetic in its effect, and through its magnetic potency (brought about by an inflow of first ray power) "units of life and devotion"–– human beings––are brought into the Ashram as disciples in preparation for initiation. People are apt to regard magnetic

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 375 potency as evidence of love; it is, in reality, evidence of the radiation of love when enhanced and strengthened by first ray energy. It is the admixture (if I may use such a peculiar term) of love and will which produces radiation. It is the conscious use by the Hierarchy of the power coming from Shamballa which results in the magnetic impact and the spiritual "pull" which draws the soul, incarnated in the body, towards the Ashram. This pull is directed towards the world of souls which is, through its manifesting units, undergoing experience in the school of life, yet overshadowed by the soul on its own level. It is this overshadowing soul which absorbs and utilizes the magnetic power and which, from soul levels, transfers it to the souls of men. There is still another point upon which I would like to touch. Owing to the fact that the Law which governs the Hierarchy is the second systemic law, the Law of Attraction, students are apt to think that magnetism is a second ray quality. They are right in so far that all the systemic laws are expressions of the life of God through the medium, at this time, of the second ray, which makes our solar system a second ray system. All other laws and qualities (for a law from the divine angle is the motivating, qualified agent of the divine will, as understood in Shamballa) are related to the second ray as it manifests through our planetary Logos. Nevertheless, magnetic action is more closely allied to first ray functioning than it is to the second ray, and is an aspect or quality of the Law of Synthesis. It was this magnetic power of the first ray to which the Christ referred when He said "I, if I be lifted up (The Ascension Initiation. A.A.B.), will draw all men unto me." He faced then those initiations which would qualify Him to become what is esoterically called "a Shamballa recipient." There is, in magnetic action, more of the element of the will and of an expressing purpose. In explanation it might be said that the radiation of the Hierarchy, which is definitely second ray in nature, and which is projected as attractive radiation, is implemented by the magnetic aspect. This––as the Old Commentary puts it–– is "a point of focused fire, found in the center of the jewel.

376 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS It stirs to life the quality of love which permeates the Ash- ram of the Lord. Radiation then can penetrate to other centers and to other lives, and thus the Lord is served." It is this point of focused dynamic will at the very heart of the Hierarchy which in reality implements the Plan. To put the matter as simply as possible––too simply to be entirely exact, yet near enough to the truth to be clarify- ing and helpful––it is this magnetic potency, this dynamic active and energizing will which enables the Hierarchy to move forward upon the eternal Path. Its functions might be listed as follows: 1. It is the connecting energy which comes from Sham- balla and "enlivens" (literally and occultly understood) the Ashram of Sanat Kumara. It is, in one sense, the higher correspondence to the prana which "enlivens" the dense physical body of man. 2. It is the stimulating factor which produces cohesion among the various Ashrams, and is one of the sources of hierarchical unity. Putting it in other words, it is the service of the Plan which binds the seven Ashrams, with their subsidiary Ashrams coherently into the one great Ashram. The Plan is the expression of the Purpose or the Will of God. 3. This Shamballic magnetism not only relates the Ashrams to each other, but it is also the potency which evokes the will or the first ray nature inherent in every man but which is only consciously and definitely unfolded within the periphery of the great Ashram. 4. In a mysterious sense, it is the life of that seed or germ which will come to fruition in the third solar system: a. In the "center which we call the race of men" the potency of intelligence (developed in a previous solar system) is brought to fruition and the stirrings of the potency of love are felt. b. In the "center which is nearest to the Lord" the potencies of intelligence and love are expressed, and at the third initiation the magnetic pull of the potency of will is felt. \page

377 THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS c. In the "center where the will of God is known" the intelligent loving Master, now responsive to the energy of the will, is faced with the seven Paths whereon that will can come to fruition and the "units of love can be transferred because they also will and know." They can then form part of the third solar system which will be definitely under the influences coming from the cosmic mental plane, just as in this solar system, the energies coming from the cosmic astral plane have been the major influence. All this is, of course, an inadequate expression of abstruse truth. The cosmic astral plane is not an illusion, as is the astral plane with which we are all so unhappily acquainted. The reason for this lies in the fact that all our planes constitute the cosmic physical plane and are therefore regarded–– as far as three worlds of human evolution are concerned ––as illusion, for the dense physical substance is not a principle. This you have oft been told. The cosmic astral plane is a reservoir of love energy, pouring into two of our planes which constitute part of the cosmic etheric body––the monadic plane and the buddhic plane. 5. It is that which permeates the radiation from the Hierarchy to which humanity is responsive. No disciple or aspirant can be drawn into the periphery of the Hierarchy, and from thence into an Ashram, without finding that his will nature is being affected. It will only show itself at this stage as persistence and determination. Persistence is a quality of life and related to immortality, whilst determination is the lowest aspect of the will. Their development produces a reorientation which becomes a permanent attitude, and the disciple then becomes responsive not only to the "vitalized radiation" coming from the periphery of the Hierarchy but also, in an increasing measure, to the "magnetic pull" which emanates from the Hierarchy itself, and in particular from the Ashram to which he must eventually find his way. If you will make a close study of all the above information, you may find some measure of enlightenment. It is the great simplicities which must be ever kept in mind: the

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 383 will be preserved, but the inner relationship and the spiritual fusion will steadily proceed until: Soul and personality are one, Love and intelligence are coordinated, Plan and fulfillment are achieved. All this will be brought about through the invocative spirit in man, plus the initiatory process, carried on in the Ash- rams of the great Ashram. What this coming process will entail of change in civilization, in human nature and in the group expression of the human spirit––religions, society and politics––it is not possible here to say; so much lies hidden in the free will and right timing of mankind. But that future of spiritual cooperation and interplay within and without the great Ashram is assured, and for it all true disciples are working. The world situation today is therefore one of great interest. Humanity, the world disciple, is in process of recovering from a major test, prior to a great step forward towards a conscious approach to more spiritual living; this, factually, means a definite approach to the Hierarchy. In the meantime the Hierarchy is orienting itself to a much closer rapport with humanity, and to an interior reorganization which will make it possible to admit disciples in large numbers into the great Ashram. This will lead to the implementation of the lesser Ashrams and also to a preparation for the transmission of more of the Will energy, through the great Ashram, into the throat center of Sanat Kumara, Humanity. The seven major Ashrams are each responsive to one of seven types of ray energy and are focal points in the Hier- archy of the seven rays. The central, senior and major Ash- ram is (at this time) the repository of second ray energy, as this ray governs this second solar system. It is the Ashram of Love-Wisdom––the Ashram in which the Buddha and the Christ received Their initiations and through which each of Them works. It will be obvious that if the process of invocation and evocation governs the interplay of the planetary centers, you have in this fact another reason why the senior Ashram is second ray in quality. Invocation is related

384 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS to radiation. Evocation is related to magnetism. These are two points worthy of your consideration. The other six major Ashrams came sequentially into being as the invocation of primitive man reached such a point of intensity of expression that a response was evoked from Shamballa, via its ray Representatives, working with directed energy in the three worlds. A "point of radiatory force" was established, at first in relation to the second ray Ashram, and later to the other Ashrams. One by one, as the rays cycled into activity in the three worlds and eventually on the physical plane, the seven Ashrams were founded, developed and expanded until the time arrived––several aeons ago––when all seven Ashrams were fully organized, and through them passed a steady flow of human beings liberating themselves from the three worlds. In the earliest times this flow of disciples was exceedingly small. One by one, individual aspirants found their way out of the ranks of humanity and inside the ring-pass- not of the Hierarchy. In the beginning, only the first two initiations were given and only through the instrumentality of the second ray; and at these initiations the World Teacher of the period officiated. Then at a time when the seventh Ray of Ceremonial Order (the ray which plays so potent and mysterious a part in the phase of discipleship called initiation) was in cyclic activity a much greater number of disciples appeared prepared for initiation; the initiatory process was then administered in a seventh ray Ashram; this seventh ray Ashram was the second to be formed, owing to the fact that the seventh ray is the relating factor between life and matter upon the form side. Again, so the ancient Archives tell us, there came a great crisis in the evolution of humanity; this necessitated one of the rare cyclic changes which have dis- tinguisheded the fluid policy of the Hierarchy. Men began to demonstrate responsiveness to the Law of Integration and personality appeared with all its potentiality for good and evil. Man became an integrated unit in the three worlds. A great possibility then emerged; man could, through training \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 385 and the use of the mind, make contact with the soul. This had not hitherto been done except to a slight degree. This crisis therefore led to the creation, or rather to the appearance, of the initiatory process to which we have given the name of the third initiation. The Hierarchy for the first time realized the complete success of the vast work, carried on in the human center for millions of years. Soul and personality could be and were intelligently fused. This is one of the reasons why the Hier- archy regards the third initiation as the first major initiation; it marked a point of complete soul-personality integration. In the earlier initiations, the soul was present but was still only occasionally in control; constant failure in the three worlds was still possible, and the relation between the man in the three worlds and his soul was nebulous and largely potential. You will realize what I mean when I point out that many thousands of people in the world today have taken the first initiation and are oriented towards the spiritual life and the service of their fellowmen; their lives, however, frequently leave much to be desired, and the soul is obviously not in constant control; a great struggle is still being waged to achieve purification on all three levels. The lives of these initiates are faulty and their inexperience great, and a major attempt is instituted in this particular cycle to achieve soul fusion. When that is attained, then the third initiation (the first, hierarchically speaking) is taken. Today this triple process of preparation, purification and fusion is the ordinary practice of the disciple and the process has prevailed for untold years; but when this fusion first occurred, it marked a great hierarchical event. It was a crisis of supreme spiritual import. As you know, the first human being out of that "center which we call the race of men" to achieve this point was the Christ; in that first great demonstration of His point of attainment (through the medium of what was then a new type of initiation) the Christ was joined by the Buddha. The Buddha had attained this same point prior to the creation of our planetary life, but conditions for taking the third initia- \page

386 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS tion were not then available, and He and the Christ took the initiation together. At this initiation and since then for all initiates of that degree of attainment, They stood in the Presence of the One Initiator, the Lord of the World, and not in the Presence of the Initiate Who was then Head of the Hierarchy. This third initiation was taken in a fourth ray Ashram, the Ray of Harmony through Conflict. This Ashram had taken form and attained functioning activity some time earlier. You can see, under the Law of Cor- respondences, why this was so. The first human being in the fourth kingdom in nature to take this initiation did so in a fourth ray Ashram and then, esoterically speaking, "the Way lay open toward the Cross"; the initiate faced the process of extension on the Cross, and from that vantage point could view the three worlds. The fourth initiation then became a possibility; the crucifixion faced the disciple of the third degree with its promise of complete liberation and final resurrection. You can see, therefore, what a tremendous crisis took place in the relation between Humanity and the Hierarchy ––a crisis of such importance that Shamballa became involved and the Lord of the World Himself admitted the initiate to the higher contacts. Between that time and the crucifixion of the Master Jesus, the sixth ray Ashram, the fifth and the third, have all been formed around the nucleus of light, started by the ray Lords much earlier. The point of light and of will energy at the center of each Ashram has existed for untold millennia of years, but the Ashrams themselves were only slowly formed around the nucleus as the various types of energy swept into manifestation and brought with them human types responsive to the ray energy. When the Master Jesus took the Crucifixion Initiation, another crisis arose of equally great import, if not greater. The crisis was brought about because simultaneously with the crucifixion of the Master, the Head of the Hierarchy the Christ, took two initiations in one: the Resurrection Initiation and that of the Ascension. These are the fifth and sixth initiations, according to the Christian terminology.

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 387 This was possible because the first ray Ashram was now active, making entry into the Council Chamber at Shamballa possible. When the Christ achieved this He was deemed worthy of embodying in Himself a new principle in evolution and of revealing to the world the nature of the second ray aspect––the divine principle of love (as humanity calls it) or of pure reason (as the Hierarchy calls it). Since that time, all the seven major Ashrams have been fully organized and are steadily increasing in radiatory activity. As you will have noted, the order of their appearance ––under ray activity––was 2,7,4,6,5,3,1. In giving this item of ashramic information I am giving you more hints than you will immediately realize. Each Ashram, as you know, expresses ray quality in its purest and most essential form. During the process of creating the seven Ashrams they have shifted their focus (or location) from the lowest of the three levels of the abstract mental plane at each major crisis, until today the Ashrams are to be found on the buddhic plane and not on the mental plane at all. This marks the triumph of the hierarchical work, because pure reason––through the second ray––is now the dominant quality in all the Ashrams. Forget not in this connection that all the rays are subrays of the second Ray of Love-Wisdom, but that in the early days of hierarchical activity it was the particular quality of the ray which dominated an Ashram that first demonstrated, and not the quality of the great major ray of which they were all a part. Today this is all changing, though the process is not yet perfected, and pure reason or true love is beginning to manifest itself through the quality of all the rays functioning through their respective Ashrams. The secondary ray quality will not die out or in any way be lessened, but each ray quality will serve to implement the expression of pure love, which is the essential and––at this time––the primary quality of the Lord of the World, Sanat Kumara. As the centuries have slipped away and the potency of the rays has increased on Earth, humanity has become more and more invocative; this has necessitated the expansion of

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 413 in comparison with that given in the earlier volumes of this Treatise, but they are not so in reality. The Master of the fifth initiation, even if now He does not at that time make His decision, faces intelligently and with some understanding of the choices to be made, the sixth initiation and its decisions. He begins to take also the particular training, and to this the teaching in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire now applies. He is shewn the newer opportunity, the modes of decision, and the limitations which are no longer legitimate. I would like to point out here that these changes are a cause of deep joy to the Hierarchy and to the Great Lives in the Council Chamber at Shamballa, for they indicate the strength and potency of Sanat Kumara's success and the incredible progress made in the consciousness of humanity as a consequence; this will lead also to future paralleling decisions on the physical plane in human affairs; this deeply spiritual and mysterious success (mysterious because the human mind knows naught about it) was also the reason for the violent attempt of the Forces of Evil to gain control, and their resultant failure. 4. The Path to Sirius I have frequently hinted in my various books that the Sun, Sirius, is closely related to our planetary Life; much is known in the Hierarchy anent this connection, and the particular relationship of this fourth Path to humanity, the fourth kingdom in nature, but little can be communicated to the general public. I may, however, tell you certain things which may make your imaginative rangings (if I may use so strange a phrase) creatively profitable to you. This great Sun which is to our solar Logos what the Monad is to the spiritual man, has a peculiar part to play where our Earth is concerned. It might be considered by those with a sound sense of occult proportion that our tiny planet with its planetary Logos (one of the "imperfect Gods" of The Secret Doctrine) would be too small to enter in the slightest way into the consciousness of that Supreme Illumined Entity Who is greater even than our Solar Logos.

414 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS Such, however, is the case. There is a relationship of very ancient date between our Lord of the World, Sanat Kumara, and the Lord of Sirius, and this exists in spite of the fact that our planet is not a sacred planet. It might be added that our planet is, in the immediate cycle, owing to the factors I have lately considered with you, rapidly passing out of this category, and on the inner planes and subjectively considered is a sacred planet; the effects of this transition from non-sacred to sacred have not fully demonstrated themselves objectively. The mystery of this relationship is partially revealed at one of the higher initiations and it is then realized by the initiates that there is a good and adequate reason for the relation and that the following esoteric events, relations and happenings are simply consequences: 1. The majority of liberated humanity, and therefore a large number of the initiates who have to make decision, choose this way to the cosmic center. 2. The relationship as it expresses itself is between the Hierarchy and Sirius, and not between Shamballa and that stupendous Sun. The energy evoked in response to this relationship enters the Hierarchy via the Heart of the Sun, creating as a consequence a triangle of spiritual energy of enormous potency. You have, therefore: Sirius * The Hierarchy * * Heart of the Sun 3. As progress is made in the course of taking the higher initiations, it becomes apparent to the initiate that two major streams of energy enter our planetary life: a. A stream of energy coming from the cosmic mental plane and from that focal point which is to Sanat Kumara what the egoic lotus, the soul, is to the spirit man; it carries the life principle of our planet and centers itself in Shamballa. From there it is dispersed throughout all forms upon the planet and we call it LIFE. It must be remembered that this life principle embodies or is impregnated with the will and purpose

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 415 of THAT which overshadows Sanat Kumara as the soul overshadows the personality. b. A stream of energy coming from the sun, Sirius; this enters directly into the Hierarchy and carries with it the principle of buddhi, of cosmic love. This, in a mysterious way, is the principle found at the heart of every atom. The life principle follows the line of 1.3.5.7, whilst the buddhic flow follows the line of 2.4.6. Thus atma-buddhi becomes the blended reality which is brought to full unfoldment as evolution proceeds. The energy of Sirius by-passes (to use a modern word) Shamballa and is focused in the Hierarchy. Its effect is not felt until after the third initiation, though the Masters use this energy whilst training disciples for the second, the fourth and the sixth initiations. 4. The entire work of the Great White Lodge is controlled from Sirius; the Ashrams are subjected to its cyclic inflow; the higher initiations are taken under its stimulation, for the principle of buddhi, of pure love (i.e., love- wisdom) must be active in the heart of every initiate prior to the initiation of the great decision; it is therefore only initiates of the fifth, sixth and higher initiations who can work consciously with the potent buddhic "livingness" which permeates all Ashrams, though unrecognized by the average disciple. 5. This Sirian influence was not recognized, and little of it was definitely focused in the Hierarchy, until Christ came and revealed the love of God to humanity. He is the expression par excellence of a Sirian initiation and it is to that high place He will eventually go––no matter what duties or hierarchical obligations may take Him elsewhere between that time and now. The Buddha was originally to have chosen the fourth Path but other plans confront Him now and will probably claim His choice. 6. Sanat Kumara is not on the Sirian line but––to speak in symbols, not too deeply veiled––Lucifer, Son of the Morn- ing, is closely related, and hence the large number of human beings who will become disciples in the Sirian Lodge. This

416 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS is the true "Blue Lodge," and to become a candidate in that Lodge, the initiate of the third degree has to become a lowly aspirant, with all the true and full initiations awaiting him "within the sunshine of the major Sun." 7. None of the above facts indicates divergence of view between Shamballa and the Hierarchy, nor do they signify cleavage or differing aims and goals. The whole subject is reflected in such minor relations on Earth as those between: a. The Spiritual Triad and the Personality. b. The mental unit and the manasic permanent atom. c. Atma-Buddhi. d. The Christ and the Buddha. The above somewhat uncorrelated items of information will give you a general idea of the significant connection between our unimportant little planet and that vast expression of divinity, the Life which is manifesting through Sirius; it is an expression which is organized and vital beyond anything man can vision and which is free to a completely unlimited extent, again beyond the power of man to comprehend. The principle of freedom is a leavening energy which can permeate substance in a unique manner; this divine principle represents an aspect of the influence which Sirius exerts on our solar system and particularly on our planet. This principle of freedom is one of the attributes of Deity (like will, love and mind) of which humanity knows as yet little. The freedom for which men fight is one of the lowest aspects of this cosmic freedom, which is related to certain great evolutionary developments that enable the life or spirit aspect to free itself from the impact, the contact and the influence of substance. It is the principle of freedom which enables Sanat Ku- mara to dwell on the Earth and yet stand free from all contacts, except with Those Who have trodden the Path of Liberation and now stand free upon the cosmic physical plane; it is that which enables the initiate to achieve a state of "isolated unity"; it is that which lies behind the Spirit of Death and forms the motivating power of that great releasing Agency; it is that which provides a "pathway of power"

434 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS and thus of a developing subtle apparatus. Through this apparatus the initiate is put in touch with widening areas of the divine "state of mind" or with the planetary consciousness, until "the mind that is in Christ" becomes truly the mind of the initiate, with all that those words entail of meaning and esoteric significance. Consciousness, Sensitivity, Awareness, Planetary Rapport, Universal Consciousness–– these are the words which we must consider, sequentially developed and in their truly esoteric sense. You have here a wide and general picture, involving the goal, the means or mode, the testing point and the physical brain; these are four factors which have received little or no attention where initiation has been dealt with in the occult writings. They are nevertheless of major importance. I am dealing with them here because of the stage of development now reached by the human mind, because of their increasingly close relation to the physical brain, and because there are now so many aspirants ready to tread the Path of Discipleship, the Path of Initiatory Training. They are now in a position to work consciously at the task of a dual and constant process of spiritual and physical recognitions. The Dual Life of the Disciple I have divided this theme into two parts, owing to the fact that the dualism displayed by a Master and that demonstrated by a disciple are not identical or one and the same thing at advancing points of distinction. The subject, when you first approach it, seems of a relative simplicity, but a closer consideration of it will present great and unexpected dissimilarities. In connection with the dual life of the disciple, the factors involved are the threefold personality (with an awakening or onlooking consciousness centered or focused in the brain), the soul which seems at first the ultimate goal of attainment but is later seen as simply a system or collection of fusing spiritual attributes, and the lowest aspect of the Spiritual Triad, the abstract mind. The disciple feels that, if he can attain the immediate and fused consciousness

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 435 of the three, he has attained; he realizes also that this involves the construction of the antahkarana. All these factors, for one who has just been admitted to the Path of Disciple- ship and who is just finding his place within an Ashram, seem an adequately difficult undertaking and one that engrosses every power which he possesses. This, for the time being, is true and––until the third initiation––these objectives, their conscious fusion, plus a recognition of the divine planes of awareness to which they all admit him, indicate the disciple's task and keep him fully occupied. To the recognitions entailed he has to add a growing capacity to work on the levels of consciousness involved, remembering always that a plane and a state of consciousness are synonymous terms, and that he is making progress, becoming aware, building the antahkarana, training as a hierarchical worker within an Ashram, familiarizing himself with new and opening spiritual environments, widening his horizon, stabilizing himself upon the Path, and living upon the physical plane the life of an intelligent man within the world of men. He is demonstrating also no freakish peculiarities, but appears as a man of goodwill, of benevolent intelligence, of unalterable goodness, and of stern and unchangeable spiritual purpose. Is that enough of a goal for a disciple? Does it seem well-nigh impossible of accomplishment? Can you undertake such a proposition and make good your undertaking? Most assuredly you can, for the factor of time enters in and the disciple is free to submit to its conditioning, particularly in the early stages of his discipleship; this he usually does at first, knowing nothing else to do, but the speed or the sattvic or rhythmic nature of the spiritual life eventually changes this attitude; he then works with no true consciousness of time except as it affects other people and his associates upon the physical plane. At first, his registration of that which is sensed or seen upon the subtler planes or the soul plane is slow; it takes time for contacts and for knowledge gained to penetrate from the higher levels to his physical brain. This fact (when \page

436 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS he discovers it) tends to upset his time-awareness, and the first step is therefore taken on the path of timelessness, speaking symbolically. He gains also the capacity to work with greater rapidity and mental coordination than does the average intelligent man; in this way he learns the limitations of time as a brain condition, and learns also how to offset it and to work in such a way that he does more within a set time limit than is possible to the average man, no matter how ardently he may pursue the effort. The overcoming of time and the demonstration of spiritual speed are indications that the dual life of discipleship is superseding the integrated life of the personality, though leading in its turn to a still greater synthesis and higher integration. The dual life which all disciples lead produces also a rapidity of mental interpretation which is essential to the sane registration of the phenomenal life of the various higher planes and states of consciousness. Forget not that all our planes are subplanes of the cosmic physical plane, and are therefore phenomenal in nature. As they are contacted and recorded and the knowledge is transmitted to the physical brain, via the mind, there must always accompany them a true interpretation and a correct recognition of "things as they are." It is here that the non-disciple and the psychic go wrong, for their interpretation is almost always fundamentally in error, and it takes time (coming within that cycle of limitation) intelligently to interpret and truly register what the perceiving consciousness has contacted. When the time factor no longer controls, the interpretations registered by the brain are infallibly correct. I have here given you a major piece of information. You will see, therefore, that in the earlier initiatory process, the factor of time is noted by the initiate and also by the presenting Masters. An instance of a slow permeation of information from the plane of initiation to the physical brain can be seen in the fact that very few aspirants and disciples register the fact that they have already taken the first initiation, the birth of the Christ in the cave of the heart. That they have taken it is evidenced by their deliber-

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 437 ate treading of the Way, by their love of the Christ––no matter by what name they may call Him––and by their effort to serve and help their fellowmen; they are still, however, surprised when told that the first initiation lies behind them. This is due entirely to the factor of time, leading to their inability to "bring through" past events with accuracy, by a false humility as well (inculcated by the Christian Church, as it attempts to keep people subjugated by the sin idea), and by the intensely forward-looking anticipatory consciousness of the average aspirant. When a true perspective and a balanced point of view have been attained, and some awareness of the Eternal Now is beginning to penetrate into their understanding, then the past, the present and the future will be lost to sight in the consciousness of the inclusiveness of the moment that IS; then the limitations of time will be ending and the Law of Karma will be negated; it is at present so closely related to past and future. The dual life of the disciple will then be ended, giving place to the cosmic dualism of the Master. The Master is free from the limitations of time, though not of space, because space is an eternal Entity. You will see, therefore, the great necessity for a constant emphasis, at this stage in the training of the average aspirant, on the need for alignment, or for the creation of a channel of direct relation from the brain to the desired point of contact. To this trained alignment must eventually be added the building of the antahkarana and its subsequent use in a growing system of alignments. The antahkarana must be completed and direct contact must be established with the Spiritual Triad by the time the third initiation has been taken. Then follows the fourth initiation with its destruction of the egoic, causal or soul body, owing to the complete fusion of soul and personality. The dual life of the disciple ends. The Dual Existence of the Master I would have you note here the difference between the two headings. I refer in one place to the dual life of the

\438 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS disciple but in another to the dual existence of the Master. That distinction is deliberate and intentional. The disciple lives in the three worlds and, until the third initiation, he demonstrates his livingness strictly in relation to the soul and the personality, and therefore strictly to the phenomenal world and to the various levels of the dense cosmic physical plane. The Master functions on the plane of BEING and demonstrates the fact that He eternally IS, that He exists as a divine aspect upon the formless levels of the cosmic etheric planes; this is a very different matter to the life of the disciple and to which little attention has been paid. Existence, Being, Essential Life, Dynamic Energy, Electric Fire are all of them distinctive of the higher initiations; they produce basic distinctions between their constitution and mode of life expression and that of those who live, who are in process of becoming, who express quality, and who fuse and blend solar fire and fire by friction. Being and Existence are not the same as Becoming or of Qualified Appearance. It is largely a question of emphases. A Master has synthesized within Himself all for which the advancing disciple longs to express, all that is possible as Expansion, plus an emphasis upon the dynamic life aspect, plus an ability to stand immovable in pure Being. Here again I find it hard to express that for which no words are to be found. In the Master, all the divine aspects are proved capable of expression in accordance with this particular time, in this particular round and chain (reverting to the old symbolism of The Secret Doctrine) and through any particular racial expression. These divine characteristics––viewed from the angle of time and space––are shewn in a definitely relative form; later cycles and time periods will show these aspects in a still more perfected form. But the relativity of these matters does not really concern us, and the perfection is––from the angle of the human disciple today––exactly what we understand by perfection. The Masters know however, that a higher, deeper and more intensive manifestation of divinity is potentially possible, but it causes Them no

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 439 concern or strain, no anxiety or fiery aspiration; They know, as no disciple can know, the workings of the Law of In- evitability. This Law releases the Masters (under the accompanying Law of Service), at the sixth initiation, into a wider field of experience, with all the divine assets and qualities so developed within Them that They know that Their equipment is adequate to the undertaking and that They can, without hesitancy and concern, take the next required steps. It is hard for the disciple––struggling with glamour and illusion––to realize that the higher initiations are free from all concern and from any emotional or self-centered reactions to the work which lies ahead or to the form side of manifestation; it is well-nigh impossible for the neophyte to vision a time when he will be free from all reactions engendered by life on the dense cosmic physical planes and from all the limitations of life in the three worlds. Today, aspiration provides a constant source of anxious questioning, of painful deliberations and of high voltage spiritual ambition, with their consequent limitations and moments of sensed failure and lack of achievement. The Master has left all this behind, knowing that even this so-called "spiritual responsiveness" is a form of self centered attitude. Eventually––and disciples should take courage and hope from this statement–– all this agonizing reaction to the spiritual urge will be left behind. The Master knows the Law and is entirely free from any consideration of the time equation as far as He Himself is concerned. He only regards time as it may affect the working of the Plan in the three worlds. The dual existence of the Master involves what we might call the two poles: that of the monadic consciousness, whatever that may be, and that of the self-created form which He may use as a member of the Hierarchy and a worker in the three worlds of human enterprise. I would here remind you that there are many groups and types of Masters, and most of Them are quite unknown to occult students either from Their work or from rumor or from knowledge of the many evolutionary processes of which the human is only \page

440 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS one. Not all the Masters work in the three worlds; not all the Masters need or possess physical bodies; not all the Masters have Their faces turned towards the realm of dark light, but many face for aeons towards the clear cold light of spiritual existence"; not all the Masters make or are required to make the sacrifices which work for the fourth kingdom in nature entails. Not all souls liberated or limited constitute the Kingdom of God in the sense which that phrase conveys to us; that term is limited to the soul which informs units in the human family; not all the Masters work under the great Buddha of Activity Who is responsible to Sanat Kumara for the Plan working out in connection with Humanity. He works through the three Great Lords of the Eternal Ashram of Sanat Kumara, but His two Brothers have Each of Them an equally important work and are responsible––as He is––to the Council Chamber. Each of Them also works through a triangle of energies with grouped subsidiary forces working in seven departments and differentiated also into forty-nine lesser departments, as is the Ashram which we call the Hierarchy. Forget not, there are many Hierarchies and the Human Hierarchy is but one. This whole theme is one of great complexity and yet at the same time so simple that when the simplicity of the planetary constitution is truly grasped and the analytic dis- putations of the concrete mind are overcome, the liberated Master enters a world of spiritual endeavor which is free from forms and symbols or the veils which hide the basic truth and the underlying mystery. Being is simple, free, unlimited and unimpeded and in that world the Master moves and works. Becoming is complex, imprisoning, limited and subjected to hindrances, and in that world the disciple and the lesser initiates live and move and have their being. The Master works simultaneously in two worlds or states of awareness; i.e., that related to pure existence, to the untrammelled life of the planes controlled by the Monad, and also by the Hierarchy. There naught but the Plan engrosses His attention. He deals safely with "the simplicity which is Shamballa" and its \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 441 sphere or aura of influence and "with the field of relationships which are nurtured from the Ashram of the Christ." I am here quoting one of the Masters Who was endeavoring to explain to a disciple the simplicity of the life which a Master expresses. THE SCIENCE OF THE ANTAHKARANA As we enter on the consideration of "The dual life of the initiatory process" I would call your attention to the wording used, and particularly to its significance in reference to the initiatory process. This deals, as we shall see, not with the effort of the disciple to live simultaneously the life of the spiritual world and the practical life of physical plane service, but entirely with the preparation of the disciple for initiation, and therefore with his mental life and attitudes. This statement might be regarded as concerning itself primarily with two major aspects of his mental life and not with the life of relation between soul and personality. It is proper, consequently, to see a duality existing in the consciousness of the disciple, and both of its aspects existing side by side: 1. The life of awareness in which he expresses the soul attitude, soul awareness and soul consciousness, through the medium of the personality upon the physical plane; this he learns to register and express consciously. 2. The intensely private and purely subjective life in which he––the soul-infused personality––oriented upon the mental plane, brings into increasing rapport: a. His lower concrete mind and the higher abstract mind. b. Himself and the Master of his ray group, thus developing the ashramic consciousness. c. Himself and the Hierarchy as a whole, becoming increasingly aware of the spiritual synthesis underlying the united Ashrams. He thus consciously and steadily approaches the radiant Center of this solar Ashram, the Christ Himself, the first Initiator.

442 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS This inner life with its three slowly revealed objectives concerns essentially the life of preparation for initiation. There is no initiation for the disciple until he has begun consciously to build the antahkarana thus bringing the Spiritual Triad and the mind as the highest aspect in the three worlds into a close relationship; later, he brings his physical brain into a position of a recording agent upon the physical plane, thus again demonstrating a clear alignment and a direct channel from the Spiritual Triad straight through to the brain via the antahkarana which has linked the higher mind and the lower. This involves much work, much interpretive capacity and much power to visualize. I am choosing my words with care. This visualization is not necessarily concerned with form and with concrete mental presentations; it is concerned with a pictorial and symbolic sensitivity which expresses in- terpretively the spiritual understanding, conveyed by the awakening intuition––the agent of the Spiritual Triad. The meaning of this becomes clearer as the work proceeds. It is difficult for the man who is beginning the work of constructing the antahkarana to grasp the meaning of visualization as it is seen to be related to a growing responsiveness to that which the ashramic group conveys to him, to his emerging vision of the divine Plan as it exists in reality, and to that which is committed to him as the effect or the result of each successive initiation. I prefer the word "effect" to the word "result," for the initiate increasingly works consciously with the Law of Cause and Effect on planes other than the physical. We use the word "result" to express the consequences of that great cosmic Law, as they demonstrate in the three worlds of human evolution. It is in connection with this effort that he discovers the value, uses and purpose of the creative imagination. This creative imagination is all that remains to him eventually of the active and intensely powerful astral life which he has lived for so many lives; as evolution proceeds, his astral body becomes a mechanism of transformation, desire being transformed into aspiration and aspiration itself being trans- \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 443 formed into a growing and expressive intuitive faculty. The reality of this process is demonstrated in the emergence of that basic quality which has always been inherent in desire itself: the imaginative quality of the soul, implementing desire and steadily becoming a higher creative faculty as desire shifts into ever higher states and leads to ever higher realizations. This faculty eventually invokes the energies of the mind, and the mind, plus the imagination, becomes in time a great invocative and creative agent. It is thus that the Spiritual Triad is brought into rapport with the threefold personality. I have told you in earlier writings that basically the astral plane is non-existent as a part of the divine Plan; it is fundamentally the product of glamour, of kama-manas––a glamour which humanity itself has created and in which it has lived practically entirely since early Atlantean days. The effect of an increasing soul contact has not simply been to dispel the mists of glamour, but it has also served to con- solidate and to bring into effective use, therefore, the imagination with its overwhelmingly powerful creative faculty. This creative energy, when implemented by an illumined mind (with its thoughtform making ability) is then wielded by the disciple in order to make contacts higher than with the soul, and to bring into symbolic form that of which he becomes aware through the medium of a line of energy–– the antahkarana––which he is steadily and scientifically creating. It might be said (equally symbolically) that at each initiation he tests the connecting bridge and discovers gradually the soundness of that which he has created under the inspiration of the Spiritual Triad and with the aid of the three aspects of his mind (the abstract mind, the soul or the Son of Mind, and the lower concrete mind), combined with the intelligent cooperation of his soul-infused personality. In the early stages of his invocative work, the instrument used is the creative imagination. This enables him at the very beginning to act as if he were capable of thus creating; then, when the as if imaginative consciousness is no longer

444 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS useful, he becomes consciously aware of that which he has–– with hope and spiritual expectancy––sought to create; he discovers this as an existent fact and knows past all controversy that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Building the Antahkarana With the introductory teaching on the science of the Antahkarana we shall not here deal, for the student will find it in the book, Education in the New Age. That preliminary presentation should be studied before taking up the more advanced stage which begins here. Let us now consider, step by step this science which is already proving a useful source of experiment and testing. The human soul (in contradistinction to the soul as it functions in its own kingdom, free from the limitations of human life) is imprisoned and subject to the control of the lower three energies for the major part of its experience. Then, upon the Path of Probation, the dual energy of soul begins to be increasingly active, and the man seeks to use his mind consciously, and to express love-wisdom on the physical plane. This is a simple statement of the objective of all aspirants. When the five energies are beginning to be used, consciously and wisely in service, a rhythm is then set up between the Personality and the Soul. It is as if a magnetic field were then established and these two vibrating and magnetic units, or grouped energies, swung into each other's field of influence. This happens only occasionally and rarely in the early stages; later it occurs more constantly, and thus a path of contact is established which eventually becomes the line of least resistance, "the way of familiar approach," as it is sometimes called. Thus is the first half of the "bridge," the antahkarana, constructed. By the time the third initiation is completed this Way is completed and the initiate can " pass to higher worlds at will, leaving the lower worlds far behind; or he can come again and pass upon the way that leads from dark to light, from light to dark, and from the under lower worlds into the realms of light."

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 445 Thus the two are one, and the first great union upon the Path of Return is completed. A second stage of the Way has then to be trodden, leading to a second union of still further importance in that it leads to complete liberation from the three worlds. It must be remembered that the soul, in its turn, is a union of three energies of which the lower three are the reflection. It is a synthesis of the energy of Life itself (which demonstrates as the life-principle within the world of forms), of the energy of the intuition or spiritual love- wisdom or understanding (this demonstrates as sensitivity and feeling in the astral body), and spiritual mind, whose reflection in the lower nature is the mind or the principle of intelligence in the form world. In these three we have the atma-buddhi-manas of the theosophical literature––that higher triplicity which is reflected in the lower three, and which focuses through the soul body on the higher levels of the mental plane before being precipitated into incarnation––as it is esoterically called. Modernizing the concept, we might say that the energies which animate the physical body and the intelligent life of the atom, the sensitive emotional states, and the intelligent mind, have eventually to be blended with and transmuted into the energies which animate the soul. These are the spiritual mind, conveying illumination; the intuitive nature, conferring spiritual perception; and divine livingness. After the third initiation the "Way" is carried forward with great rapidity, and the "bridge" is finished which links perfectly the higher spiritual Triad and the lower material reflection. The three worlds of the Soul and the three worlds of the Personality become one world wherein the initiate works and functions, seeing no distinction, regarding one world as the world of inspiration and the other world as constituting the field of service, yet regarding both together as forming one world of activity. Of these two worlds, the subjective etheric body (or the body of vital inspiration) and the dense physical body are symbols on the external plane. How is this bridging antahkarana to be built? Where \page

446 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS are the steps which the disciple must follow? I deal not here with the Path of Probation whereon the major faults should be eliminated and whereon the major virtues should be developed. Much of the instruction given in the past has laid down the rules for the cultivation of the virtues and qualifications for discipleship, and also the necessity for self- control, for tolerance and for unselfishness. But these are elementary stages and should be taken for granted by the students. Such students should be occupied not only with the establishment of the character aspect of discipleship, but with the more abstruse and difficult requirements for those whose eventual goal is initiation. It is with the work of the "bridge-builders" that we are concerned. First, let me assure you that the real building of the antahkarana takes place only when the disciple is beginning to be definitely focused upon mental levels, and when therefore his mind is intelligently and consciously functioning. He must begin at this stage to have some more exact idea than has hitherto been the case as to the distinctions existing between the thinker, the apparatus of thought, and thought itself, beginning with its dual esoteric function which is: 1. The recognition and receptivity to IDEAS. 2. The creative faculty of conscious thoughtform building. This necessarily involves a strong mental attitude and reorientation of the mind to reality. As the disciple begins to focus himself on the mental plane (and this is the prime intent of the meditation work), he starts working in mental matter and trains himself in the powers and uses of thought. He achieves a measure of mind control; he can turn the searchlight of the mind in two directions, into the world of human endeavor and into the world of soul activity. Just as the soul makes a way for itself by projecting itself in a thread or stream of energy into the three worlds, so the disciple begins consciously to project himself into the higher worlds. His energy goes forth, through the medium of the controlled and directed mind, into the world of the higher

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 447 spiritual mind and into the realm of the intuition. A reciprocal activity is thus set up. This response between the higher and the lower mind is symbolically spoken of in terms of light, and the "lighted way" comes into being between the personality and the spiritual Triad, via the soul body, just as the soul came into definite contact with the brain via the mind. This "lighted way" is the illumined bridge. It is built through meditation; it is constructed through the constant effort to draw forth the intuition, through subservience and obedience to the Plan (which begins to be recognized as soon as the intuition and the mind are en rapport), and through a conscious incorporation into the group in service and for purposes of assimilation into the whole. All these qualities and activities are based upon the foundation of good character and the qualities developed upon the Probationary Path. The effort to draw forth the intuition requires directed occult (but not aspirational) meditation. It requires a trained intelligence, so that the line of demarcation between intuitive realization and the forms of the higher psychism may be clearly seen. It requires a constant disciplining of the mind, so that it can "hold itself steady in the light" and the development of a cultured right interpretation, so that the intuitive knowledge achieved may then clothe itself in the right thoughtforms. It might also be stated here that the construction of the bridge whereby the consciousness can function with facility, both in the higher worlds and in the lower, is primarily brought about by a definitely directed life-tendency, which steadily sends the man in the direction of the world of spiritual realities plus certain movements of planned and carefully timed and directed reorientation or focusing. In this last process the gain of the past months or years is closely assessed; the effect of that gain upon the daily life and in the bodily mechanism is as carefully studied; and the will-to- live as a spiritual being is brought into the consciousness with a definiteness and a determination that makes for immediate progress. \page

448 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS This building of the antahkarana is most assuredly proceeding in the case of every earnest student. When the work is carried on intelligently and with full awareness of the desired purpose, and when the aspirant is not only aware of the process but alert and active in its fulfillment, then the work proceeds apace and the bridge is built. It is wise to accept the fact that humanity is now in a position to begin the definite process of constructing the link or bridge between the various aspects of man's nature, so that instead of differentiation there will be unity, and instead of a fluid, moving attention, directed here and there into the field of material living and emotional relationships, we shall have learnt to control the mind and to have bridged the divisions, and so can direct at will the lower attention in any desired manner. Thus all aspects of man, spiritual and natural, can be focused where needed. This bridging work has in part already been done. Humanity has as a whole already bridged the gap between the emotional-astral nature and the physical man. It should be noted here that the bridging has to be done in the consciousness aspect, and concerns the continuity of man's awareness of life in all its various aspects. The energy which is used in connecting, in consciousness, the physical man and the astral body is focused in the solar plexus. Many today, speaking in symbolical terms, are carrying that bridge forward and linking the mind with the two aspects already linked. This thread of energy emanates from or is anchored in the head. Some people, fewer of course in number, are steadily linking the soul and the mind, which in its turn is linked with the other two aspects. The soul energy, when linked with the other threads has its anchor in the heart. A very few people, the initiates of the world, having effected all the lower syntheses, are now occupied with bringing about a still higher union, with that triple Reality which uses the soul as its medium of expression, just as the soul in its turn is endeavoring to use its shadow, the threefold lower man. These distinctions and unifications are matters of form, \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 449 symbols in speech, and are used to express events and happenings in the world of energies and forces, in connection with which man is definitely implicated. It is to these unifications that we refer when the subject of initiation is under consideration. It will be useful if we repeat here a few statements made in an earlier book: Students should train themselves to distinguish between the sutratma and the antahkarana, between the life thread and the thread of consciousness. The one thread is the basis of immortality and the other the basis of continuity. Herein lies a fine distinction for the investigator. One thread (the sutratma) links and vivifies all forms into one functioning whole, and embodies in itself the will and the purpose of the expressing entity, be it man, God or a crystal. The other thread (the antahkarana) embodies the response of the consciousness within the form to a steadily expanding range of contacts within the environing whole. One is the direct stream of life, unbroken and immutable, which can be regarded symbolically as a direct stream of living energy flowing from the center to the periphery, and from the source to the outer expression, or the phenomenal appearance. It is the life. It produces the individual process and the evolutionary unfoldment of all forms. It is, therefore, the path of life, which reaches from the Monad to the personality, via the soul. This is the thread soul and it is one and indivisible. It conveys the energy of life and finds its final anchor in the center of the human heart and at some central focal point in all forms of divine expression. Naught is and naught remains but life. The consciousness thread (antahkarana) is the result of the union of life and substance or of the basic energies which constitute the first differentiation in time and space; this produces something different, which only emerges as a third divine manifestation after the union of the basic dualities has taken place. The life thread, the silver cord or the sutratma is, as far as man is concerned, dual in nature. The life thread \page

450 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS proper, which is one of the two threads which constitute the sutratma, is anchored in the heart, whilst the other thread, which embodies the principle of consciousness, is anchored in the head. This you already know, but this I feel the need to constantly reiterate. In the work of the evolutionary cycle, however, man has to repeat what God has already done. He must himself create, both in the world of consciousness and of life. Like a spider, man spins connecting threads, and thus bridges and makes contact with his environment, thereby gaining experience and sustenance. The spider symbol is often used in the ancient occult books and the scriptures of India in connection with this activity of the human being. These threads, which man creates, are triple in number, and with the two basic threads which have been created by the soul, constitute the five types of energy which make man a conscious human being. The triple threads created by man are anchored in the solar plexus, the head and the heart. When the astral body and the mind nature are beginning to function as a unit; and the soul also is consciously connected (do not forget that it is always unconsciously linked), an extension of this fivefold thread––the basic two and the human three––is carried to the throat center, and when that occurs man can become a conscious creator on the physical plane. From these major lines of energy lesser lines can radiate at will. It is upon this knowledge that all future intelligent psychic unfoldment must be based. In the above paragraph and its implications you have a brief and inadequate statement as to the Science of the Antahkarana. I have endeavored to express this in terms, symbolic if you will, which will convey a general idea to your minds. We can learn much through the use of the pictorial and visual imagination. This bridging must take place: 1. From the physical to the vital or etheric body. This is really an extension of the life thread between the heart and the spleen. 2. From the physical and the vital, regarding them as a

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 451 unity, to the astral or emotional vehicle. This thread emanates from, or is anchored in, the solar plexus, and is carried upwards, by means of the aspiration, till it anchors itself in the love petals of the egoic Lotus. 3. From the physical and astral vehicles to the mental body. One terminus is anchored in the head, and the other in the knowledge petals of the egoic Lotus, being carried forward by an act of the will. Advanced humanity is in process of linking the three lower aspects, which we call the personality, with the soul itself, through meditation, discipline, service and directed attention. When this has been accomplished, a definite relation is established between the sacrifice or will petals of the egoic Lotus and the head and heart centers, thus producing a synthesis between consciousness, the soul and the life principle. The process of establishing this inter-linking and inter-relation, and the strengthening of the bridge thus constructed, goes on until the Third Initiation. The lines of force are then so inter-related that the soul and its mechanism of expression are a unity. A higher blending and fusing can then go on. I can perhaps indicate the nature of this process in the following manner: I have stated here and elsewhere that the soul anchors itself in the body at two points: 1. There is a thread of energy, which we call the life or spirit aspect, anchored in the heart. It uses the blood stream, as is well known, as its distributing agency, and through the medium of the blood, life energy is carried to every part of the mechanism. This life energy carries the re-generating power and coordinating energy to all the physical organisms and keeps the body "whole." 2. There is a thread of energy, which we call the consciousness aspect or the faculty of soul knowledge, anchored in the center of the head. It controls that response mechanism which we call the brain, and through its medium it directs activity and induces awareness throughout the body by means of the nervous system.

452 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS These two energy factors, which are recognized by the human being as knowledge and life, or as intelligence and living energy, are the two poles of his being. The task ahead of him now is to develop consciously the middle or balancing aspect, which is love or group relationship. (See Education in the New Age, pages 26-27, 32-33, 92.) The Nature of the Antahkarana One of the difficulties connected with this study of the antahkarana is the fact that hitherto the work done upon the antahkarana has been entirely unconscious. Therefore, the concept in men's minds relating to this form of creative work and this construction of the bridge meets at first with little response from the mind nature; also, in order to express these ideas, we have practically to create a new terminology, for there are no words suitable to define our meaning. Just as modern sciences have evolved a complete new terminology of their own during the past forty years, so this science must develop its own peculiar vocabulary. In the meantime, we must do the best we can with the words at our disposal. The second point I would make is to ask those who are studying along these lines to realize that in time they will arrive at understanding, but that at present all that they can do is to depend upon the unalterable tendency of the subconscious nature to penetrate to the surface of consciousness as a reflex activity in the establishing of continuity of consciousness. This reflex activity of the lower nature corresponds to the development of continuity between the superconscious and the consciousness which develops upon the Path of Discipleship. It is all a part––in three stages––of the integrating process, proving to the disciple that all of life is (in terms of consciousness) one of revelation. Ponder on this. Another of the difficulties in considering any of these esoteric sciences that deal with what has been called the "conscious unfoldment of the divine recognitions" (which is true awareness) is the ancient habit of humanity to material-

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 453 ize all knowledge. Everything man learns is applied––as the centuries pass––to the world of natural phenomena and of natural process, and not to the recognition of the Self, the Knower, the Beholder, the Observer. When, therefore, man enters upon the Path, he has to educate himself in the process of using knowledge in reference to the conscious self- aware Identity, or to the self-contained, self-initiating Indi- vidual. When he can do this, he is transmuting knowledge into wisdom. Previously I spoke of "knowledge-wisdom" which are words synonymous with "force-energy." Knowledge used is force expressing itself; wisdom used is energy in action. In these words you have the expression of a great spiritual law, one which you would do well to consider carefully. Knowl- edge-force concerns the personality and the world of material values; wisdom-energy expresses itself through the consciousness thread and the creative thread, as they constitute in themselves a woven dual strand. They are (for the disciple) a fusion of the past (consciousness thread) and the present (the creative thread), and together they form what is usually called, upon the Path of Return, the Antahkarana. This is not entirely accurate. The wisdom-energy thread is the sutratma or life thread, for the sutratma (when blended with the consciousness thread) is again also called the antahkarana. Perhaps it might clarify the issue somewhat if I pointed out that though these threads eternally exist in time and space, they appear distinct and separate until a man is a probationary disciple, and therefore becoming conscious of himself and not only of the not-self. There is the life thread or sutratma and the consciousness thread––the one anchored in the heart and the other in the head. Throughout all the past centuries, the creative thread, in one or other of its three aspects, has been slowly woven by the man; of this fact in nature his creative activity during the past two hundred years is an indication, so that today the creative thread is a unity, generally speaking, as regards humanity as a whole and specifically of the individual disciple, and forms a strong closely woven thread upon the mental plane. \page

454 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS These three major threads which are in reality six, if the creative thread is differentiated into its component parts, form the antahkarana. They embody past and present experience and are so recognized by the aspirant. It is only upon the Path itself that the phrase "building the antahkarana" becomes accurate and appropriate. It is in this connection that confusion is apt to arise in the mind of the student. He forgets that it is a purely arbitrary distinction of the lower analyzing mind to call this stream of energy the sutratma, and another stream of energy the consciousness thread and a third stream of energy the creative thread. They are essentially, all three of them together, the antahkarana in process of forming. It is equally arbitrary to call the bridge which the disciple builds from the lower mental plane––via the egoic, central vortex of force––the antahkarana. But for purposes of comprehending study and practical experience, we will define the antahkarana as the extension of the threefold thread (hitherto woven unconsciously, through life experimentation and the response of consciousness to environment) through the process of projecting consciously the triple blended energies of the personality as they are impulsed by the soul, across a gap in consciousness which has hitherto existed. Two events can then occur: 1. The magnetic response of the Spiritual Triad (atma- buddhi-manas), which is the expression of the Monad, is evoked. A triple stream of spiritual energy is slowly projected towards the egoic lotus and towards the lower man. 2. The personality then begins to bridge the gap which exists on its side between the manasic permanent atom and the mental unit, between the higher abstract mind and the lower mind. Technically, and upon the Path of Discipleship, this bridge between the personality in its three aspects and the monad and its three aspects is called the antahkarana. This antahkarana is the product of the united effort of soul and personality, working together consciously to pro-

\ THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 455 duce this bridge. When it is completed, there is a perfect rapport between the monad and its physical plane expression, the initiate in the outer world. The third initiation marks the consummation of the process, and there is then a straight line of relationship between the monad and the lower personal self. The fourth initiation marks the complete realization of this relation by the initiate. It enables him to say: "I and my Father are one." It is for this reason that the crucifixion, or the Great Renunciation, takes place. Forget not that it is the soul that is crucified. It is Christ Who "dies." It is not the man; it is not Jesus. The causal body disappears. The man is monadically conscious. The soul-body no longer serves any useful purpose; it is no more needed. Nothing is left but the sutratma, qualified by consciousness––a consciousness which still preserves identity whilst merged in the whole. Another qualification is creativity; thus consciousness can be focused at will on the physical plane in an outer body or form. This body is will- created by the Master. But in this task of unfoldment, of evolution and of development, the mind of man has to understand, analyze, formulate and distinguish; therefore the temporary differentiations are of profound and useful importance. We might therefore conclude that the task of the disciple is: 1. To become conscious of the following situations (if I may use such a word): a. Process in combination with force. b. Status upon the path, or recognition of the available qualifying agencies or energies. c. Fusion or integration of the consciousness thread with the creative thread and with the life thread. d. Creative activity. This is essential, for it is not only through the development of creative ability in the three worlds that the necessary focal point is created, but this also leads to the building of the antahkarana, its "creation." 2. To construct the antahkarana between the Spiritual Triad and the personality––with the cooperation of the

456 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS soul. These three points of divine energy might be symbolized thus:

In this simple symbol you have a picture of the disciple's task upon the Path. Another diagram may serve to clarify:

In these you have the "nine of initiation" or the transmuting of nine forces into divine energies:

462 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS the mental plane. The cosmic implications will not be lost to you, but it profits us not to dwell upon them. As this process is carried forward, three great aspects of divine manifestation emerge upon the theatre of world life and on the physical plane. These are Humanity, the Hierarchy and Shamballa. Humanity is already the dominant kingdom in nature; the fact of the Hierarchy and of its imminent approach into physical appearance is becoming well known to hundreds of thousands of people today. Its recognized appearance will later set the stage for the needed preparatory phases which will finally lead to the exoteric rule of the Lord of the World, emerging from His aeonial seclusion in Shamballa, and coming forth into outer expression at the end of this world cycle. Here is the vast and necessary picture, presented in order to give reason and power to the next stage of human evolution. The point which I seek to emphasize is that only when the aspirant takes his stand with definiteness upon the mental plane, and keeps his "focus of awareness" increasingly there, does it become possible for him to make real progress in the work of divine bridge building, the work of invocation, and the establishing of a conscious rapport between the Triad, the soul and the personality. The period covered by the conscious building of the antahkarana is that from the final stages of the Path of Probation to the third initiation. In considering this process it is necessary, in the early stages, to recognize the three aspects of the mind as they express themselves upon the mental plane and produce the varying states of consciousness upon that plane. It is interesting here to note that, having reached the developed human stage (integrated, aspiring, oriented and devoted), the man stands firmly upon the lower levels of that mental plane; he is then faced by the seven subplanes of that plane with their corresponding states of consciousness. He is therefore entering upon a new cycle where––this time equipped with full self-consciousness––he has seven states of mental aware-

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 463 ness to develop; these are all innate or inherent in him, and all (when mastered) lead to one or other of the seven major initiations. These seven states of consciousness are––beginning from the first or lowest: Mental Plane 1. Lower mental awareness. The development of true mental perception. 2. Soul awareness or soul perception. This is not the perception of the soul by the personality, but the registering of that which the soul perceives by the soul itself. This is later registered by the lower mind. This soul perception is, therefore, the reversal of the usual attitude of mind. 3. Higher abstract awareness. The unfoldment of the intuition and the recognition of intuitive process by the lower mind. Buddhic Plane 4. Persistent, conscious, spiritual awareness. This is the full consciousness of the buddhic or intuitional level. This is the perceptive consciousness which is the outstanding characteristic of the Hierarchy. The life focus of the man shifts to the buddhic plane. This is the fourth or middle state of consciousness. Atmic Plane 5. The consciousness of the spiritual will as it is expressed and experienced upon atmic levels or upon the third plane of divine manifestation. There is little that I can say about this condition of awareness; its state of nirvanic awareness can mean but little to the average disciple. Monadic Plane 6. The inclusive awareness of the Monad upon its own plane, the second plane of our planetary and solar life. Logoic Plane 7. Divine consciousness. This is the awareness of the whole on the highest plane of our planetary manifestation. This is also an aspect of solar awareness upon the same plane. As we strive to arrive at some dim comprehension of the nature of the work to be done in building the antahkarana it might be wise, as a preliminary step, to consider the nature

470 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS In the future, this Science of the Antahkarana and its lower correspondence, the Science of Social Evolution (which is the joint or united antahkarana of humanity as a whole), will be known as the Science of Invocation and Evocation. It is in reality the Science of Magnetic Rapport, in which right relationship is brought about by mutual invocation, producing a responsive process which is one of evocation. It is this science which lies behind all conscious awakening of the centers and their interrelation; it lies behind the rapport between man and man, group and group, and eventually between nation and nation. It is this invocation, and the consequent evocation, which eventually relate soul and personality and soul and monad. It is the outstanding objective of humanities appeal to God, to the Hierarchy and to the Spiritual Powers of the cosmos, no matter by what name you call them. The appeal goes forth. The invocation of humanity can and will and must evoke response from the spiritual Hierarchy and give the first demonstration upon a large scale of this new esoteric science––esoteric because it is based upon sound. Hence the use of the O.M. Into this science I cannot here go; we must confine our attention to our theme, which is the Science of the Antahkarana. The Bridge as the Agent of Alignment The word "alignment" is used much in modern esoteric training. I would point out that in making his alignment, the aspirant is only establishing the first stage of his process of realization; he is establishing in his own consciousness the fact of his essential dualism. I would also point out that the critical aspect of this process is only arrived at when the distinction is sharply defined and recognized between the integrated and potent personality and the soul. It is an occult truism to state that the aspirant is to be recognized by .·. or triplicity; the disciple by ¾ or recognized duality and the in- iniate by · or unity. Note that the symbol of duality for undeveloped humanity is Å in which the separation of the higher nature from the lower is depicted; in the case of the disciple, it is ¾ showing the "path across" or the

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 471 narrow razor-edged Path between the pairs of opposites, forming later the antahkarana. These symbols, simple as they are, embody and convey vast truths to the illumined mind. Relatively speaking, and speaking in terms of the mental consciousness, the realization of duality is only to be found in the three worlds and on the mental plane. When the third initiation is taken, the power of the lower pair of opposites is no longer felt and exists no more. A liberated consciousness and an unrestricted awareness––unrestricted as regards the initiate, moving within the orbit of the planetary Logos (though not unrestricted as regards that greater Life which moves within still other and greater defined limits)––are both understood and expressed. Within the planetary ring-pass-not the initiate moves with freedom and knows no limitation in consciousness. That is why the higher levels of our planetary and systemic planes are called formless. It is this ¾ which is the true symbol of alignment, involving as it does the sense of duality but indicating at the same time the way through what are called "the walls of limitation." Students would do well to consider the building of the antahkarana as an extension in consciousness. This extension is the first definite effort made upon the Path to bring in the monadic influence with full awareness, and finally directly. This process constitutes the individual parallel to the present inflow of force from Shamballa, about which I have elsewhere spoken. That highest Center of energy upon our planet is now having a definite effect upon that center which we call Humanity. This is brought about by direct alignment, and not via the Hierarchy as has hitherto been the case. When the individual antahkarana has been successfully started, and there is even a tenuous thread of living energy connecting the threefold personality and the Spirit- ual Triad, then the inflow of the will-energy becomes possible. This, in the early stages, can be most dangerous when not offset by the love energy of the soul. Only one thread of the threefold antahkarana passes through the egoic lotus. \page

472 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS The other two threads relate themselves directly with the Triad, and hence eventually with the Monad, the source of the triadal life. This is true of the individual and of humanity as a whole and the effects of this alignment can be seen demonstrating in the world at this time. This rather unexpected responsive activity has necessitated much increased activity on the part of the Hierarchy, in order to offset the consequences of any premature inflow of the will force. After the third initiation, when the soul body, the causal body, starts to dissipate, the line of relation or of connection can be and is direct. The initiate then "stands in the ocean of love, and through him pours that love; his will is love and he can safely work, for love divine will color all his will, and he can wisely serve." Love and intelligence then become the servants of the will. Soul energy and personality force contribute to the experience of the Monad in the three worlds of life service, and then the age- long task of the incarnating spiritual man is finally accomplished. He is ready for Nirvana, which is but the Way into new fields of spiritual experience and of divine development ––incomprehensible as yet even to the initiate of the third degree. This Way is revealed only when the antahkarana is built and completed and the man becomes focused in the Triad as consciously as he is now focused in the threefold lower nature. Then, and then only, is the true dualism of the divine nature apparent and the illusory duality disappears. Then you have Spirit-matter, Life-form. For this the triple experience of the unfolding consciousness is only preparatory. Through the unfolding consciousness, the initiate knows the significance of life and the uses of form, but stands completely unidentified with either, though blending these dualities in himself into a conscious synthesis. The attempt to convey his state of mind, in words that but limit and confuse, leads to apparent contradictions, and this is one of the peculiar paradoxes of the occult science. Do the above imparted facts make sense to you? Have they meaning for your mind? I think not. You have not yet the needed equip- \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 473 ment through which the type of implied awareness can work, or the realization of that true Self-consciousness which would produce in you an understanding reaction. I simply make the esoteric assertion; later will come apprehension of the truth and that consequent energizing which always comes when any abstract truth is truly appreciated and assimilated. But the time has not yet come for the comprehension of the above information. Disciples and aspirants grow through the means of a presented vision––unattainable as yet but definitely an extension of the known and previously grasped. Such is the mode of evolution, for it is ever a pressing forward towards the sensed. Today, through human effort and hierarchical endeavor, a great alignment and linking up is taking place, and Monad-Soul-Personality are being more directly related than has hitherto been possible. One reason for this is that there are present in incarnation upon the planet many more initiates of the third degree than ever before; there are many more disciples being prepared for the third initiation; and in this third strictly human race, the Aryan (using this term in its generic sense and not in its prostituted German connotation) the three aspects of the personality are now so potent that their magnetic influence and their creative effect are making the building of the antahkarana an outstanding achievement, thus linking and aligning the three aspects in man. The same is true of the three divine centers in the planet which embody these divine qualities: Shamballa, Hierarchy, and Humanity. These are now closely aligned, thus producing a fusion of energies which is causing an inflow of the spiritual will as well as a demonstration of the Destroyer aspect. I have here indicated much of interest; I have pointed out a goal and indicated a Way. I have related (in consciousness) the Hierarchy and Shamballa. This signifies a great and critical moment in human affairs and an opportunity hitherto unparalleled in history. The need for a due appreciation of this will be evident and should incite all who read to renewed effort and to fresh endeavor. Students must

482 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS of unfoldment has been occupied might therefore be stated to be the bridging of the gap between: 1. The Mutable Cross and the Fixed Cross. 2. Humanity and the Hierarchy. 3. The lower triplicity, the personality, and the Spiritual Triad. 4. The Monad on its own plane and the outer objective world. This he does through a process of Intention, Visualization, Projection, Invocation and Evocation, Stabilization and Resurrection. With these various stages, we will now deal. The Construction of the Antahkarana in the Aryan Race...Present I would like to pause here and make a few remarks anent this relatively new process of building the antahkarana. It has been known and followed by those who were training for affiliation with the Hierarchy, but it has not been given out before to the general public. There are two things which it is essential that the student should note: One is that unless it is borne in mind that we are concerned with energy, and with energy which must be scientifically used, this whole teaching will prove futile. Secondly, it must be remembered that we are dealing with a technique and process which are dependent upon the use of the creative imagination. When these two factors are brought together (consciously and deliberately)––the factor of energy substance and the factor of planned impulse–– you have started a creative process which will be productive of major results. The human being lives in a world of varied energies which are sometimes expressing themselves as dynamic, positive energies, as receptive, negative energies, or as magnetic, attractive forces. An understanding of this statement will substantiate that made by H.P.B. that "matter is spirit at its lowest point," and the reverse is equally true. The whole process is one of establishing constructive relations between negative and positive energies and the subsequent production of magnetic force. This is the crea-

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 483 tive process. It is true of the activity of a solar Logos, of a planetary Logos and of a human being––the only conscious creators in the universe. It must prove true of the disciple, who is attempting to bring into a constructive relation the Monad and the human expression in the three worlds of human evolution. There has been much emphasis upon the life of the soul and its expression upon the physical plane; this has been necessary and a part of the evolutionary development of the human consciousness. The kingdom of souls must eventually give place to the rule of the spirit; the energy of the Hierarchy must become a force, receptive to the energy of Shamballa, just as the force of humanity has to become receptive to the energy of the kingdom of souls. Today all three processes are going on simultaneously, though the receptivity of the Hierarchy to the second aspect of the Shamballa energy is only now beginning to be recognizable. The Hierarchy has for long been receptive to the third or creative aspect of the Shamballa energy, and ––at some very distant period––it will be responsive to the first aspect of that same energy. The triple nature of the divine manifestation must also express itself as a duality. This can be understood in a faint way when the disciple realizes that (after the third initiation) he too must learn to function as a duality––Monad (spirit) and form (matter) ––in direct rapport with the consciousness aspect, the mediating soul being absorbed into both of these two aspects of divine expression, but not functioning itself as a middle factor. When this has been achieved, the true nature of Nirvana will be comprehended, the beginning of that endless Way which leads to the One; this is the Way whereon duality is resolved into unity, the Way that Members of the Hierarchy are seeking to tread and for which They are preparing. The initial step towards bringing about this dualism is the building of the antahkarana, and this is consciously undertaken only when the disciple is preparing for the second initiation. As I have already said, there are literally

484 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS thousands so preparing, because it can be assumed that all earnest and true aspirants and disciples who work undeviatingly for spiritual advancement (with pure motive) and who are oriented unswervingly towards the soul, have taken the first initiation. This simply connotes the birth of the infant Christ within the heart, speaking symbolically. There should be many who are preparing to begin this task of building the rainbow bridge and who, under the influence of the Ageless Wisdom, are grasping the necessity and the importance of the revelation which this process conveys. What I am here writing has, therefore, a definite and useful purpose. My task has been for a long time the giving out, in book form, information anent the next stage of intelligent and spiritual recognition for humanity. There- fore, again, the understanding of the method of building the antahkarana is essential if humanity is to move forward as planned, and in this moving forward the disciples and aspirants must and do form the vanguard. Humanity will awaken steadily and as a whole to the incoming spiritual urge; an overwhelming impulse towards spiritual light and towards a major orientation will take place. Just as the individual disciple has to reverse himself upon the wheel of life and tread the Way counter-clockwise, so must humanity; and so humanity will. The two-thirds who will make the goal of evolution in this world cycle are already beginning to do so. In the process, however, the third divine aspect––that of the Creative Actor––comes into activity. It was so in the creative process where the tangible universe was concerned. It must also be when the individual disciple becomes the creating agent. For aeons, he has built and has used his vehicles of manifestation in the three worlds. Then came a time when advanced people began to create upon the mental plane; they dreamed dreams; they saw a vision; they contacted intangible beauty; they touched the Mind of God and returned to earth with an idea. To this idea they gave form and became creators upon the mental plane; they became artists in some form of creative effort. In the task \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 485 of building the antahkarana the disciple has to work also on mental levels, and that which he there constructs will be of so fine a substance that it may not and cannot appear on physical levels. Because of his fixed orientation, that which he builds will "move upwards toward the center of life," and not "downwards toward the center of consciousness or toward light appearance." Herein lies the difficulty for the beginner. He has, so to speak, to work in the dark, and is not in a position to verify the existence of that which he is attempting to construct. His physical brain is unable to register his creation as an accomplished fact. He has to depend entirely upon the proved technique of the work outlined, and to proceed by faith. The only evidence of success may be slow in coming for the sensitivity of the brain is involved and frequently where there is very real success the brain cells are not of the caliber which can register it. The possible evidences at this stage may be a flash of the spiritual intuition or the sudden realization of the will-to-good in a dynamic and group form; it may also be simply an ability to understand and to make others understand certain spiritual and occult fundamentals; it may be a "facility of revelation," both receptive and conditioning or distributing, and so world effective. I am attempting to make a very abstruse subject clear, and words prove inadequate. I can but outline to you process and method and a consequent hope for the future; on your side, you can only experiment, obey, have confidence in the experience of those who teach, and then wait patiently for results. The Six Stages of the Building Process I have employed six words to express this process and its resultant condition. It might prove useful to study them from the angle of their occult significance––a significance which is not usually apparent except to the trained disciple who has been taught to penetrate into the world of meaning and to see interpretations not apparent to the neophyte.

486 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS Perhaps by the time we have investigated these words, the method of construction and the means whereby the antahkarana is built will appear with greater clarity. These words cover a building technique or a process of energy manipulation which brings into being a rapport between the Monad and a human being who is aspiring towards full liberation and is treading the Path of Disciple- ship and Initiation; it can create a channel of light and life between the higher and the lower divine aspects and can produce a bridge between the world of spiritual life and the world of daily physical plane living. It is a technique for producing the highest form of dualism and of eliminating the threefold expression of divinity, thereby intensifying the divine expression and bringing man nearer to his ultimate goal. Disciples must always remember that soul consciousness is an intermediate stage. It is also a process whereby––from the angle of the subhuman kingdoms in nature––humanity itself becomes the divine intermediary and the transmitter of spiritual energy to those lives whose stages of consciousness are below that of self- consciousness. Humanity becomes to these lives––in their totality––what the Hierarchy is to humanity. This service only becomes possible when a sufficient number of the human race are distinguished by the knowledge of the higher duality and are increasingly soul-conscious and not just self-conscious. They can then make this transmission possible, and it is done by means of the antahkarana. Let us, therefore, take these six aspects of a basic building technique and endeavor to arrive at their occult and creative significance. 1. Intention. By this is not meant a mental decision, wish or determination. The idea is more literally the focusing of energy upon the mental plane at the point of greatest possible tension. It signifies the bringing about of a condition in the disciple's consciousness which is analogous to that of the Logos when––on His much vaster scale––He concentrated within a ring-pass-not (defining His desired \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 487 sphere of influence) the energy-substance needed to carry out His purpose in manifesting. This the disciple must also do, gathering his forces (to use a common expression) into the highest point of his mental consciousness and holding them there in a state of absolute tension. You can now see the purpose lying behind some of the meditation processes and techniques as embodied in the words so often used in the meditation outlines: raise the consciousness to the head center"; "hold the consciousness at the highest possible point"; "endeavor to hold the mind steady in the light"; and many similar phrases. They are all concerned with the task of bringing the disciple to the point where he can achieve the desired point of tension and of energy-focusing. This will enable him to begin the conscious task of constructing the antahkarana. It is this thought which really lies unrecognized behind the word "intention," used so often by Roman Catholics and Anglo-Catholics when preparing candidates for communion. They indicate a different direction, however, for the orientation they desire is not that towards the Monad or spirit, but towards the soul, in an effort to bring about better character equipment in the personality and an intensification of the mystical approach. In the "intention" of the disciple who is consciously occupied with the rainbow bridge, the first necessary steps are: a. The achievement of right orientation; and this must take place in two stages: first, towards the soul as one aspect of the building energy, and second, towards the Triad. b. A mental understanding of the task to be carried out. This involves the use of the mind in two ways: responsiveness to buddhic or intuitional impression and an act of the creative imagination. c. A process of energy gathering or of force absorption, in order that the needed energies are confined within a mental ring-pass-not, prior to the later process of visualization and projection.

488 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS d. A period of clear thinking anent process and intention, so that the dedicated bridge-builder may clearly perceive what is being done. e. The steady preservation of tension without undue physical strain upon the brain cells. When this has been accomplished there will be found to be present a focal point of mental energy which previously had been nonexistent; the mind will be held steady in the light, and there will also be the alignment of a receptive attentive personality and a soul oriented towards the personality and in a state of constant, directed perception. I would remind you that the soul (as it lives its own life on its own level of awareness) is not always constantly aware of its shadow, the personality, in the three worlds. When the antahkarana is being built, this awareness must be present alongside the intention of the personality. 2. Visualization. Up to this point the activity has been of a mental nature. The creative imagination has been relatively quiescent; the disciple has been occupied within the mind and upon mental levels, and has "looked neither up nor down." But now the right point of tension has been reached; the reservoir or pool of needed energy has been restrained within the carefully delimited ring- pass-not, and the bridge-builder is ready for the next step. He therefore proceeds at this point to construct the blue print of the work to be done, by drawing upon the imagination and its faculties as they are to be found upon the highest level of his astral or sensitive vehicle. This does not relate to the emotions. Imagination is, as you know, the lowest aspect of the intuition, and this fact must be remembered at all times. Sensitivity, as an expression of the astral body, is the opposite pole to buddhic sensitivity. The disciple has purified and refined his imaginative faculties so that they are now responsive to the impression of the buddhic principle or of the intuitive perception––perception, apart from sight or any recorded possible vision. Ac- cording to the responsiveness of the astral vehicle to the

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 489 buddhic impression, so will be the accuracy of the "plans" laid for the building of the antahkarana and the visualizing of the bridge of light in all its beauty and completeness. The creative imagination has to be stepped up in its vibratory nature so that it can affect the "pool of energy" or the energy-substance which has been gathered for the building of the bridge. The creative activity of the imagination is the first organizing influence which works upon and within the ring-pass-not of accumulated energies, held in a state of tension by the "intention" of the disciple. Ponder upon this occult and significant statement. The creative imagination is in the nature of an active energy, drawn up into relationship with the point of tension; it there and then produces effects in mental substance. The tension is thereby increased, and the more potent and the clearer the visualization process, the more beautiful and strong will be the bridge. Visualization is the process whereby the creative imagination is rendered active and becomes responsive to and attracted by the point of tension upon the mental plane. At this stage the disciple is occupied with two energies: one, quiescent and held within a ring-pass-not but at a point of extreme tension and the other active, picture- forming, out-going and responsive to the mind of the bridge- builder. In this connection it should be remembered that the second aspect of the divine Trinity is the form building aspect, and thus, under the Law of Analogy, it is the second aspect of the personality and the second aspect of the Spir- itual Triad which are becoming creatively active. The disciple is now proceeding with the second stage of his building work, and so the numerical significance will become apparent to you. He must work slowly at this point, picturing what he wants to do, why he has to do it, what are the stages of his work, what will be the resultant effects of his planned activity, and what are the materials with which he has to work. He endeavors to visualize the entire process, and by this means sets up a definite rapport (if successful) between the buddhic intuition and the creative imagination \page

490 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS of the astral body. Consequently, you will have at this point: The buddhic activity of impression. The tension of the mental vehicle, as it holds the needed energy-substance at the point of projection. The imaginative processes of the astral body. When the disciple has trained himself to be consciously aware of the simultaneity of this threefold work, then it goes forward successfully and almost automatically. This he does through the power of visualization. A current of force is set up between these pairs of opposites (astral- buddhic) and––as it passes through the reservoir of force upon the mental plane––it produces an interior activity and an organization of the substance present. There then supervenes a steadily mounting potency, until the third stage is reached and the work passes out of the phase of subjectivity into that of objective reality––objective from the standpoint of the spiritual man. 3. Projection. The task of the disciple has now reached a most critical point. Many aspirants reach this particular stage and––having developed a real capacity to visualize, and having therefore constructed by its means the desired form, and organized the substance which is to be employed in this later phase of the building process–– find themselves unable to proceed any further. What then is the matter? Primarily, an inability to use the Will in the process of projection. This process is a combination of will, further and continued visualization, and the use of the ray Word of Power. Up to the present stage in the process, the method for all the seven rays is identical; but at this point there comes a change. Each disciple having successfully organized the bridge substance, having brought into activity the will aspect, and being consciously aware of process and performance, proceeds now to move the organized substance forward, so that from the center of force which he has succeeded in accumulating there appears a line of light-substance or projection. This is sent forward upon a

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 491 Word of Power, as in the logoic creative process. This is in reality a reversal of the process of the Monad when It sent forth the thread of life which finally anchored itself in the soul. The soul, in reality, came into being through the means of this anchoring; then came the later process, when the soul in its turn sent forth a dual thread which finally found anchorage in the head and the heart of the lower threefold man, the personality. The disciple is focused in the center which he has constructed upon the mental plane, and is drawing all his resources (those of the threefold personality and the soul combined) into activity; he now projects a line towards the Monad. It is along this line that the final withdrawal of the forces takes place, the forces which––upon the downward way or the involutionary path––focused themselves in the personality and the soul. The antahkarana per se, completed by the bridge built by the disciple, is the final medium of abstraction or of the great withdrawal. It is with the antahkarana that the initiate is concerned in the fourth initiation, called sometimes the Great Renunciation––the renunciation or the withdrawal from form life, both personal and egoic. After this initiation neither of these aspects can hold the Monad any more. The "veil of the Temple" is rent in twain from the top to the bottom––that veil which separated the Outer Court (the personality life) from the Holy Place (the soul) and from the Holy of Holies (the Monad) in the Temple at Jerusalem. The implications and the analogies will necessarily be clear to you. In order, therefore, to bring about the needed projection of accumulated energies, organized by the creative imagination and brought to a point of excessive tension by the focusing of the mental impulse (an aspect of the will), the disciple then calls upon the resources of his soul, stored up in what is technically called "the jewel in the lotus." This is the anchorage of the Monad––a point which must not be forgotten. The aspects of the soul which we call knowledge, love and sacrifice, and which are expressions of the causal body, are only effects of this monadic radiation. \page

492 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS Therefore, before the bridge can be truly built and "projected on the upward way, providing safe travelling for the pilgrim's weary feet" (as the Old Commentary puts it), the disciple must begin to react in response to the closed lotus bud or jewel at the center of the opened lotus. This he does when the sacrifice petals of the egoic lotus are assuming control in his life, when his knowledge is being transmuted into wisdom, and his love for the whole is growing; to these is being added the "power to renounce." These three egoic qualities––when functioning with a measure of potency––produce an increased activity at the very center of soul life, the heart of the lotus. It should be remembered that the correspondences in the egoic lotus to the three planetary centers are as follows: Shamballa..... The jewel in the lotus. Hierarchy...... The three groups of petals. Humanity...... The three permanent atoms within the aura of the lotus. Students should also bear in mind that they need to rid themselves of the usual idea of sacrifice as a process of giving-up, or renunciation of all that makes life worth living. Sacrifice is, technically speaking, the achievement of a state of bliss and of ecstasy because it is the realization of another divine aspect, hidden hitherto by both the soul and the personality. It is understanding and recognition of the will-to-good which made creation possible and inevitable, and which was the true cause of manifestation. Ponder on this, for it is very different in its significance to the usual concepts anent sacrifice. When the disciple has gained the fruit of experience which is knowledge and is learning to transmute it into wisdom, when his objective is to live truly and in reality, and when the will-to-good is the crowning goal of his daily life, then he can begin to evoke the Will. This will make the link between the lower and the higher minds, between spirit and matter and between Monad and personality a definite and existent fact. Duality then supervenes upon

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 493 triplicity, and the potency of the central nucleus in the egoic vehicle destroys––at the fourth initiation––the three surrounding expressions. They disappear, and then the so- called destruction of the causal body has taken place. This is the true "second death"––death to form altogether. This is practically all that I can tell you anent the process of projection. It is a living process, growing out of the conscious daily experience and dependent upon the expression of the divine aspects in the life upon the physical plane, as far as is possible. Where there is an attempt to approximate the personality life to the demands of the soul and to use the intellect on behalf of humanity, love is beginning to control; and then the significance of the "divine sacrifice" is increasingly understood and becomes a natural, spontaneous expression of individual intention. Then it becomes possible to project the bridge. The vibration is then set up on lower levels of divine manifestation and becomes strong enough to produce response from the higher. Then, when the Word of Power is known and rightly used, the bridge is rapidly built. Students need feel in no way discouraged by this picture. Much can happen on the inner planes where there is right intention as well as occult intention (purpose and tension combined) and the bridge reaches stages of definite outline and structure long before the disciple is aware of it. 4. Invocation and Evocation. The three preceding stages mark, in reality, the three stages of personality work. The remaining three are expressions of response from higher levels of the spiritual life; beyond briefly indicating them, there is very little that I can put into words. The task of Invocation, based on Intention, Visuali- zation and Projection has been carefully undertaken by the disciple and he has at least some measure of clear perception as to the work he has done by the dual means of spiritual living and scientific, technical, occult work. He is therefore himself invocative. His life effect is registered upon the higher levels of consciousness and he is recognized as "a point of invocative tension." This tension and this

494 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS reservoir of living energy, which is the disciple himself, is set in motion by projected thought, the use of the will and a sounded Word or Phrase of Power. The result is that his developed potency and its radius of influence are now sufficiently strong to call out a response from the Spiritual Triad. There is then a going forth towards the aspect of the antahkarana, constructed by the disciple, along which the life of soul and body can travel. The Father (Monad), working through the thread, now goes forth to meet the Son (the soul, enriched by the experience of personality life in the three worlds), and from the higher levels a line of responsive projection of energy is sent forth which will eventually make contact with the lower projection. Thus the antahkarana is built. The tension of the lower evokes the attention of the higher. This is the technical process of invocation and evocation. There is a gradual approach from both the divine aspects. Little by little, the vibration of both becomes stronger reciprocally. There comes then a moment when contact between the two projections is made in meditation. This is not a contact between soul and personality (the goal of the average aspirant), but a contact between the fused soul and personality energy and the energy of the Monad, working through the Spiritual Triad. This does not constitute a moment of crisis, but is in the nature of a Flame of Light, a realization of liberation, and a recognition of the esoteric fact that a man is himself the Way. There is no longer the sense of personality and soul or of ego and form, but simply the One, functioning on all planes as a point of activity by means of the path of Light. In considering this process, words prove completely inadequate. At this stage, when very advanced, there is no form attracting the Monad outwards into manifestation. There is no way in which the call of matter or of form can evoke a response from the Monad. There remains only the great pull of the consciousness of humanity as a whole and to this, response can be made via the completed antahkarana. Down––or rather \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 495 across––this bridge, descent can be made at will, in order to serve humanity and to carry out the will of Shamballa. This is a statement of the final consummation. But before that can take place in its perfected completion, there must be a long period of gradual approach of the two aspects of the bridge––the higher, emanating from the Spiritual Triad, in response to monadic impulse, and the lower, emanating from the personality, aided by the soul ––across the chasm of the separating mind. Finally, contact between that which the Monad projects and that which the disciple is projecting is made, and then come the fifth and sixth stages. 5 and 6. Stabilization and Resurrection. The bridge is now built. Thin and tenuous may be its strands at the beginning, but time and active understanding will slowly weave thread after thread until the bridge stands finished, stable and strong and capable of being used. It must perforce be used, because there is now no other medium of intercourse between the initiate and the One Whom he now knows to be himself. He ascends in full consciousness into the sphere of monadic life; he is resurrected from the dark cave of the personality life into the blazing light of divinity; he is no longer only a part of humanity and a member also of the Hierarchy, but he belongs to the great company of Those Whose will is consciously divine and Who are the Custodians of the Plan. They are responsive to impression from Sham- balla and are under the direction of the Heads of the Hierarchy. The "freedom of the three Centers" is Theirs. They can express at will the triple energy of Humanity, the dual energy of the Hierarchy, and the one energy of Shamballa. Such, my brothers, is the goal of the disciple as he begins to work at the building of the antahkarana. Reflect upon these matters and proceed with the work. (In some Talks to Disciples, the Tibetan makes the following remarks which apply here with peculiar force. A.A.B.) \page

496 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS "Your major need is for an intensification of your inner spiritual aspiration. You need to work more definitely from what might be called a point of tension. Study what is said about tension and intensity. It is intensity of purpose which will change you from the plodding fairly satisfactory aspirant into the disciple whose heart and mind are aflame. Perhaps, however, you prefer to go forward steadily, with no group effort, making your work for me and for the group an ordered part of the daily life, which you can adjust pretty much as you like, and in which the life of the spirit receives its reasonable share, in which the service aspect is not neglected and your life presentation is neatly balanced and carried forward without much real strain. When this is the case, it may be your personality choice or your soul decision for a specific life, but it means that you are not the disciple, with everything subordinated to the life of discipleship. "I would like here to point out two things. First: if you can so change your tension that you are driven by the life of the spirit, it will entail a galvanic upheaval in your inner life. For this, are you prepared? Secondly: it will not produce any outer change in your environing relationships. Your outer obligations and interests must continue to be met, but I am talking in terms of inner orienta- tions, dynamic inner decisions, and an interior organizing for service and for sacrifice. Perhaps you prefer the slower and easier way? If that is so, it is entirely your own affair, and you are still on your way. You are still a constructive and useful person. I am simply here facing you with one of the crises which come in the life of all disciples, wherein choices have to be made that are determining for a cycle, but for a cycle only. It is pre-eminently a question of speed and of organizing for speed. This means eliminating the non-essentials and concentrating on the essentials––the inner essentials as they concern the soul and its relation to the personality, and the outer ones as they concern you and your environment. "I would give you three key thoughts for deep reflection

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 497 during the next six months; will you ponder on them, one each month for three months, within the head, and during the second three months brood on them in the heart. These key thoughts are: 1. The necessity for speed. 2. The reorganization of standards of thought and of living. 3. The expression of: Sincerity, Sacrifice, Simplicity."* In the many strands of light, woven by the aspirants, disciples and initiates of the world, we can see the group antahkarana gradually appearing––that bridge whereby humanity as a whole will be able to abstract itself from matter and form. This building of the antahkarana is the great and ultimate service which all true aspirants can render. The immediate Task ahead What I have now to say is in the nature of a generalization. I would like to indicate, as far as possible (asking you to remember that all generalizations are basically sound but erroneous in detail), the point where humanity stands in relation to the antahkarana. It might be said that the whole goal of normal evolution is to bring humanity to the point where a direct line of contact is established between the personality and the Spiritual Triad, via the soul ––or rather, through the medium of using the soul consciousness to achieve this awareness. This is consummated at the time of the third initiation. We will now for a minute consider the Monad. I would remind you that there is an analogy in the relation between personality and soul, to that between the Triad and the Monad. This is an analogy that is essentially complete, from the standpoint of consciousness, but not from the standpoint of form. What finally takes place at the most advanced stage of development is the complete fusion of the unified personality and soul with the unified Monad and Spiritual Triad. Only when this has been truly –––––––––– *Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. I, page 538.

498 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS accomplished is there the complete release of the Lives informing our solar system from all form control. Bear this carefully in mind, realizing the significance of the word Service, used so frequently in the occult science, and realizing also the fact that for aspirants and disciples, the immediate task ahead is: 1. To bring about the at-one-ment of soul and body, through the medium of alignment. 2. To build the antahkarana, using the six modes or means outlined by me previously, and thus evoke response to the Triad. The thought of Alignment- Invocation-Evocation are the three major ideas for you to hold in mind as we proceed with this study. The reason that I am giving out what was earlier regarded as some of the preparatory work prior to the third initiation is due to the fact that the race is now at the point of development which warrants complete change in the approach to divinity as taught by the Hierarchy. This does not mean that past teaching is abrogated, but it is shifted back to the earlier stages on the Path of Discipleship, whilst the teaching given in those stages now becomes the work done by the aspirants upon the Probationary Path. Emphasis has been laid upon purification, upon the need for the development of the Christ life, upon the mystical vision and upon philosophy. Occult truths have been given to the race and have evoked much interest, criticism and discussion: they have appealed to all types of mind; they have been distorted and misapplied. Nevertheless, they have been instrumental in aiding advanced aspirants to move forward on to the Path of Discipleship, with a paralleling moving forward of accepted disciples. Once firmly established upon the Path, the truths become self-evident and individual application and verification can be made, leading the disciple inevitably to the Portal of Initiation. The race as a whole stands now at the very entrance to the Path of Discipleship. The racial gaze is forward to the vision, whether it is the vision of the soul, a vision of a better way of life, of an improved economic situation, or of

508 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS infinitesimal in comparison with the great Whole. Man responds within the circle of humanity, enclosed within the greater circle of the Hierarchy, and becomes conscious of this fusion and uses the potencies of both groups of lives, through the medium of the antahkarana. The moment the disciple approaches that point in consciousness and the antahkarana is firmly anchored (even if as yet but a tenuous structure), he becomes aware of the factor of the greater circle which encloses the other two––Shamballa, the Secret Place where the will of God is formulated for the immediate present and for the long range future. With this vision and suggested preamble let us now ascertain the seven techniques to be employed at the projection stage of the building process. Ray One......Will or Power To understand the first ray technique, the basic quality of the ray must be grasped. It is dynamic. The point at the center is the First Ray of Power, and its technique is never to move from the center but from that point to work dynamically. Perhaps the word that would best express its mode of work is Inspiration. The Father inspires response from the material aspect, or from the Mother if you like that symbolism, but it accomplishes this by remaining immovably itself. From the point where he is, the Builder (human or divine) works, not by the Law of Attraction, as does the second ray, but by the Law of Synthesis, by a fiat of the will, based on a clearly formulated purpose and programme. You will see, therefore, that the first ray personality has to ascertain (as in fact do all disciples) which aspect he himself is of a particular ray. It is not possible for any disciple who has not taken the third initiation to ascertain his monadic ray, but any disciple building the antahkarana, and who has reached the stage of projection, should know his soul ray and his personality ray, and should remember that their fused or blended potency must perform the act of projection. The energy of the Monad can be evoked, but it results in a down-pouring towards its

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 509 working agent and it is not an act of projection per se. The act of projection is the work of the "shadow and the reflection." The Old Commentary says in this connection, when dealing with the Word of Power for each ray: "When there is no shadow, for the Sun is clear, and no reflection for the water is no more, then naught remains but the one who stands with eyes directing life and form. The threefold shadow now is one. The three of self exists no more. The higher three descends and all the nine are one. Await the time." When, therefore, the ray of the soul dominates the ray of the personality, then the self becomes the acting agent, aided by the ray of the lower self. The rays of the three vehicles are no longer active, but only the basic duality of soul and personality remains, and there is no lesser differentiation. In considering all these seven rays, I seek to do three things in every case: 1. Give the technique of projection. This technique falls into four stages: a. The preparatory stage in which the consciousness becomes focused in the soul ray. b. An interlude in which the projecting agent realizes with intensity the existence of the "point of tension" and the finished product of the visualization process. c. A focused activity of the will, according to the ray, in which a line of light or of living substance is imaginatively and creatively sent out or projected from the mental unit, as far as possible towards the Spiritual Triad, using constantly the creative imagination. d. This line of light (this strand or bridge) is then pictured as colored by the two ray qualities, and it is held stably aligned in the light of the Spiritual Triad–– not the light of the soul. This corresponds to the much earlier stage of development in which the mind was held steady in the light. The mind still is held in this manner, but the mind (as the agent of the soul and the

\510 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS personality) is no longer quiescent, but itself becomes an active holding agent. 2. Indicate briefly the effect of the Word of Power. When adequate stability has been acquired, the disciple utters a Word of Power which serves to carry the light still further on and up. When correctly uttered, this Word produces three effects: a. It keeps the channel for the descending light of the Spiritual Triad clear of all impediments. b. It reaches (by means of its vibratory activity) the center of power which we call the Spiritual Triad, focused temporarily in the manasic permanent atom, and evokes a response in the form of a thread of descending triadal light. c. It causes a vibration throughout the antahkarana which in its turn evokes response from the "rainbow bridge" as built by all other disciples. Thus the work of constructing the racial antahkarana is furthered. I am here doing two things––speaking to you in symbols. There is, literally speaking, no up or down or higher and lower, as you know, nor do any of the separative actions as outlined by the occult sciences exist. Yet the truth has to be thus presented owing to the mind consciousness of the disciple. I have also been giving in human terms the outline of a process which, if adequately followed, will enable you to make real progress in the preparatory understanding required by all who hope some day to take initiation. 3. This brings us to the third point, the nature of initiation. Initiation falls really into three major expansions of consciousness. a. The expansion of consciousness of the dedicated personality into that of the soul; this is completely consummated at the third initiation. b. The expansion of this fused and blended conscious-

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 511 ness into that of the Spiritual Triad, completely consummated at the fifth initiation. c. The expansion of consciousness toward which the Masters are working, which is consummated at the seventh initiation. Students today have made much progress towards the control of the personality, and the disciples in the world are now so numerous that the hierarchical emphasis is today upon the states of consciousness which follow the third initiation. Hence the giving out to the public of the teaching upon the antahkarana. You will find below, in tabulated form, the teaching anent the six stages so that you may have a visual picture of the intended process. The following of the process is, of course, another matter and its success is dependent upon more than a theoretical grasp of process. It is dependent upon your ability to live more definitely in the world of meaning than hitherto, upon your knowledge of your soul and personality rays and upon your capacity to focus in your blended consciousness, and from that point––holding the mind steady in the light––utter the Word of Power which will carry your created thread of light forward towards the Spiritual Triad. OUTLINE FOR REFLECTIVE CONTEMPLATION ON CONSTRUCTING THE ANTAHKARANA I. Points to have in mind. This work of construction concerns the handling of energy. Students should ponder upon the distinction between energy and force. It is dependent upon the use of the creative imagination. Students would do well to reflect upon the relationship of the imagination to the intuition and of both to the mind. The work of building the antahkarana must be done with as much conscious understanding as possible.

512 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS II. The six steps or methods of building the Antahkarana. 1. Intention. a. The achieving of right orientation Towards the soul Towards the Spiritual Triad b. A mental understanding of the work to be done is necessary. c. A ring-pass-not of consciously gathered energies must be created and held in a state of tension. d. A period of clear thinking anent this process of Inten- tion must he attempted. e. Then follows the preservation of a point of tension. 2. Visualization. a. The use of the creative imagination or the picture- making faculty. b. Response to intuitional or buddhic impression. c. Preoccupation with two energies: The energy held at a point of tension within the previously created ring-pass-not. The active picture-forming energy brought into action by the mind of the builder. 3. Projection. a. The calling in of the will through the method appropriate to the Ray of the disciple, the soul ray. b. The simultaneous preservation of three lines of thought: Awareness of the blended personality and soul. Awareness of the point of focused tension. Awareness of the Ray energy in its will aspect. c. The use of one or other of the seven Ray methods of projection, according to the Ray of the disciple. d. the use of a Word of Power. 4. Invocation and Evocation. a. The blended soul and personality are now invocative, and their united intention is expressed in the previous three stages. b. Then a response comes from the Spiritual Triad, which that intention, propelled by an act of will from a point of tension has evoked. 5. Stabilization. This is brought about by long patient use of the four

\ THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 513 previous processes and followed by a conscious use of the antahkarana. 6. Resurrection and Ascension. This is the rising up of the consciousness out of soul and personality limitations (from the angle of the Monad) and its passing into that of the Spiritual Triad. Here I would touch upon one important point connected with all Words of Power. I could give you these words in their ancient Sensa form, but it would not be possible for me to teach, through the medium of writing, their ancient and peculiar pronunciation or the note upon which they should be sounded forth. This used to be regarded of supreme importance. Today, disciples are being taught to work far more upon the inner planes of meaning and not to depend, as heretofore, upon the outer activity of sound. Remember that you are not creating now upon the outer plane. The physical sound or sounds are therefore of relatively no importance. What does matter is the ability of the disciple to feel the meaning of the Word of Power as he silently utters it. It is the quality of his idea which will bring the right effect, and not the way in which he makes a sound with the aid of his vocal cords and his mouth. Students have been taught that the A.U.M. sounded inaudibly and listened for is of greater potency than when sounded audibly. This was preparatory to the utterance of these Words of Power. They have been learning the significance of the O.M., even if they did not realize it. This was all in preparation for the use of the Ray Words. It is the thought behind the form, the registered feeling anent the words, and the understanding of their significance which are of importance; it is the ability to think, to feel and silently to send out the call of quality to quality, of meaning to meaning, of nature to nature, of form to spirit which matters, remembering ever that that which is found upon the physical plane is not a principle. The physical sound is not that which will lead to a successful building of the antahkarana. It is the quality of a particu- \page

514 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS lar type of subjective nature (the soul ray as it dominates the personality ray) which makes appeal to that which is still more subjective; that is what in truth accomplishes the work. It should be borne in mind that from the angle of the Spiritual Triad the soul nature is definitely objective. This is a statement of occult fact which will be better understood when the nature of man (as taught in the occult sciences) is admitted by thinkers, scientists and psychologists. The point I wish to make is that no particular word is going to be given by me, because it would be useless. The O.M. is useless to most people, even though trained students may now be deriving benefit from its use. This general uselessness is caused not only because people do not use the Word correctly, but also because, even when using it they are not holding its significance firmly in their consciousness. So it is with a Word of Power. Of what use would it be if I attempted to give the Word of the first ray, which looks (when presented in its symbolic written form) something like this––UKRTAPKLSTI? Certain sounds in this word-form are omitted because there is no way of depicting them, since they are neither vowels nor consonants. Correctly sounded, the above forms three words. But I can give, as far as possible, the English equivalent in meaning, and it is this meaning which I ask you to have in mind as you mentally utter the sound or Word of Power and visually attempt to see it performing the esoteric miracle of bridge building. The first ray disciple has, therefore, to meet the requirements to the best of his ability and to follow the four stages of the technique of projection (pages 489-493, 509). When he has faithfully followed this outlined routine, personality and soul fusion has to be consciously attempted and to some measure achieved, and then these blended factors are held steady in the triadal light. Another point of focused intention is now brought about, resulting in a new and still more dynamic tension. In the completed silence which results, the act of projecting the antahkarana is per- \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 515 formed, and it is then carried forward on the impetus of a Word of Power. The symbolism connected with this lies behind the Masonic usage of the words, translated into English, "So mote it be," uttered with the right hand stretched forth and signifying the embodied will of the Lodge, itself a symbol of the Will and Purpose of the Most High. The meaning of the Word of Power to be used at this point of accomplished projection might be summed up in the words: "I ASSERT THE FACT" This is the nearest form I can give you for the word-form earlier mentioned. A little deep reflection on these words will show that if uttered with an understanding of their meaning, they are of terrific potency. The disciple who utters them assumes and then asserts: 1. The Spiritual Triad is a fact. 2. The relation between the fused and blended personality and the soul is a fact. 3. The antahkarana is also a fact. 4. The dual expression of the basic duality of manifestation––personality or form and Monad or Spirit––is a fact. 5. The will of the Monad is the factor to be evoked. 6. The knowing, purposeful One can be depended upon to contact the instrument of its will upon the physical plane. 7. The work is done. This factual assumption is not faith, but knowledge and conviction and upon this realized conviction the disciple rests, acts and depends. It becomes an unalterable and unchangeable attitude. The meaning of the above sevenfold statement will become clearer if the disciple will ponder the distinction between faith and conviction. It is this divine assertion which holds the universe in being; it is this divine assertion which is the embodied summation of all knowledge and love and the first ray disciple must begin to use this technique, resting back upon his divine prerogative of assertion. Ponder on this statement. It is the

516 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS technique of Shamballa and the established right, prerogative and privilege of all first ray souls. Ray Two......Love-Wisdom Again the first two stages of Intention and Visualiza- tion have been carefully followed and the four stages of the Projection have been carried through to their highest point. The vivid light of the second ray soul (the most vivid in this second ray solar system) dominates the light of form and radiates out to the triadal light. Then comes a moment of intense concentration and the peculiar Word of Power of the second ray is enunciated. Of this Word, the dual symbol SXPRULXS takes form in the mind of the disciple and signifies the assertion: I SEE THE GREATEST LIGHT." This statement has relation to the Central Spiritual Sun and not to the Heart of the Sun; it involves, if I might so express it, the most intense effort to see in the light the relation of the whole, and this is one of the most potent experiences to which the disciple can be subjected. It is not vision or even aspiration to see the vision. It is complete sight and of this the Masonic symbol of the "Eye of God," the "All-Seeing Eye," is the expression. It involves realization of the light of the divine countenance; of this the light of the soul is the dim reflection. The disciple has learnt the significance of solar and lunar light (soul and form light), but this is something other. It is the great obliterating light of reality itself, revealing the fact of the higher Lighted Way which leads to Nirvana; Of this, the projected antahkarana is the stage first consciously realized by the disciple. I am faced with difficulty in making these Words of Power clear to you, because essentially it is the Word made flesh or the soul in incarnation which at this point registers power; it is the symbol (the form aspect) and the power (the Spirit aspect) which acts as a great creative agency and bridges across all barriers and separative states of consciousness, thus establishing complete unity. I have indicated to you certain vowels and consonants

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 517 which are the nearest approach which I can make to making these Words clear and I have done so in the case of the first and second rays. I shall give you no others, as it is entirely useless. I shall only give you the significances, the concepts involved and the meaning of which these archaic word-forms (which I have attempted to portray in Anglo-Saxon letters) are the embodiment. As the race passes more and more into the world of meaning, these word-forms assume less and less importance, and only the concentrated thought, based on understanding comprehension, can achieve the results. It is into this somewhat new form of work we are now pioneering. Ray Three......Active Intelligence The processes of Intention and Visualization have been followed, and again the four stages of the Projection technique have been concluded. At the point of highest tension, the disciple utters the Word of Power for the third ray. It is not easy for the disciple on this ray to achieve the necessary focal point of silence; his intense fluidity leads to many words or to great mental activity, frequently carried forward under the impulse of glamour. This lessens the potency of what he seeks to do. But when he has succeeded in achieving "mental silence" and is simply a point of intelligent concentration, then he can use the Word of Power with great effectiveness. The difficulty is that he has to overcome the tendency to use it with the idea of physical plane results in his consciousness. Always he works from the angle of that divine quality which characterizes matter; just as the second ray disciple works always from the angle of quality and the first ray disciple from the positivity of spirit. But once he intuitively comprehends and factually grasps the concept that spirit-matter are one reality, and once he has achieved within himself the sublimation of matter, then he can divorce himself from all that the human being understands in relation to form. He can then utter the Word of Power which will make possible his complete identification with spirit via the antahkarana. This word is "PURPOSE ITSELF AM I."

518 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS As regards the other and remaining Words of Power connected with the four Rays of Attribute, I shall simply list them, as there is little that I can say about them. They can be comprehended in the light of what I have said anent the three Words of Power used upon the Rays of Aspect. Ray Four......Harmony through Conflict "TWO MERGE WITH ONE" Ray Five......Concrete Knowledge or Science "THREE MINDS UNITE" (This asserts the fact that the Universal Mind, the higher mind and the lower concrete mind are blended through the projected antahkarana.) Ray Six......Devotion or Idealism "THE HIGHEST LIGHT CONTROLS" Ray Seven......Ceremonial Law or Order "THE HIGHEST AND THE LOWEST MEET" You will note that in all these Words of Power, two obvious thoughts emerge; first, that the goal of all activity is the complete fusion of the three Aspects, and secondly, that consciousness of this comes through the building and use of the bridge between the Spiritual Triad and the Personality. You will note that these are all definite assertions, based on knowledge leading to conviction. The various schools of affirmation found today throughout the world are but the distorted efforts of humanity to arrive at the affirmative position which the blended soul and personality always necessarily assumes, and demonstrate a kind of instinctual reaction to a new realization which is coming into the consciousness of humanity, via its disciples and initiates. We have practically concluded our study of the antahkarana; however, I want to enlarge a little further upon the three final stages of the building process as dealt with and outlined earlier. These three stages were most briefly considered, owing to their abstract nature. They are part, however, of the six building methods. The first

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 519 three were considered in greater detail than the last three, and I have felt that it might serve a useful purpose if I gave more teaching anent Invocation and Evocation in particular, for it will condition––consciously and exoterically ––the new world religion, as it has hitherto conditioned it esoterically and unconsciously. Invocation and Evocation (continued from pages 493-495): These two words are descriptive of that mysterious something––emanation, voiceless appeal, inherent urge towards the light––which is innate in all forms, which produces interplay and relationship, and which is the cause of all progress or pushing forward along the path of an expanding consciousness and a penetration into the light. This is true of a plant pushing its way out of the darkness of earth into the light of the sun, a child extricating itself under the life impulse from the womb of its mother, of the human being pushing himself into realms of greater knowledge and effective physical living, of the aspirant driving forward out of the Hall of Learning into the Hall of Wisdom, of the disciple penetrating into the realm of soul light and life, of the initiate passing from grade to grade in the Hierarchy of Liberation, of the Christ moving on into the Council Chamber of Shamballa, and of the Lord of the World Himself undertaking those processes which will lead Him into realms of divine life––of which even the highest initiate on our planet has no conception. All comes about as part of a great system of invocation and evocation, of appeal and response, and all are distinctive of the "mode of Life" which governs the entire graded hierarchy of Being upon our planet. This evolutionary pushing forward along the Lighted Way, out of darkness into light, from the unreal to the real, and from death to immortality, is an inherent urge in all forms. It constitutes one of the most subtle and one of the least understood laws of the universe, being related to the Life principle, of which we know as yet naught; it underlies the Law of Evolution as well as the Law of Karma

520 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS and is, in reality, the Law of the Life Purpose of the planetary Logos; it is an expression of His dynamic intention as it forces all substance in manifestation and in time and space to act and react in conformity to His Will. He thus enables His form––the planet which is a compound of all the seven kingdoms in nature––to express logoic intention for the "duration of the Great Breath"; of this breath, time and space are the two aspects. It affects the tiniest atom and the most exalted Being within the sphere of His consciousness and the scope of His livingness; it affects the subhuman kingdoms, unconsciously to them, and is (in relation to them) sometimes spoken of as "the Law of Life of the Sun." The human family, after the stage of personality integration is reached, reacts with increasing consciousness of the divine purpose. Once the antahkarana is constructed and the higher initiations are taken, the initiate then cooperates with that purpose in full understanding and intention. He no longer simply reacts to his own interior urges, which force him ever to invoke the higher aspect of life and of consciousness which he senses on ahead. He now knows. He sees; he participates in the Plan; he relates himself to the divine Intention through an understanding of the doctrine or Science of Tension; he makes the divine Intention his, as far as he can grasp it. This reciprocal interplay produces the mutability of form and the im- mutability of the divine nature which is distinctive of those liberated Consciousnesses which have freed Themselves from the prison of form. Elsewhere* I said that "The definition of religion, which will in the future prove of greater accuracy than any yet formulated by the theologians, might be expressed as follows: Religion is the name given to the invocative appeal of humanity and the evocative response of the greater Life to that cry. It is, in fact, the recognition by the part of its relationship to the Whole, plus a constantly growing demand for in- –––––––––– *The Reappearance of the Christ, Pages 157-158

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 521 creased awareness of that relation; it draws forth the recognition of the Whole that the demand has been made. It is the impact of the vibration of humanity––oriented specifically to the Great Life of which it feels itself a part–– upon that Life, and the responsive impact of that "All- surrounding Love" upon the lesser vibration. It is only now that the impact of the human vibration can dimly be sensed in Shamballa; hitherto its most potent activity has only reached the Hierarchy. Religion, the science of invocation and evocation as far as humanity is concerned, is the approach (in the coming New Age) of a mentally polarized humanity. In the past, religion has had an entirely emotional appeal. It concerned the relation of the individual to the world of reality, of the seeking aspirant to the sought- for divinity. Its technique was the process of fitting oneself for the revelation of that divinity, of achieving a perfection which would warrant that revelation and of developing a sensitivity and a loving response to the ideal Man, summarized for present day humanity in the Christ. Christ came to end the cycle of this emotional approach which had existed since Atlantean days; He demonstrated in Himself the visioned perfection and then presented to humanity an example––in full manifestation––of every possibility latent in man up to that time. The achieving of the perfection of the Christ-consciousness became the emphasized goal of humanity." The activity of all previous Teachers and demonstrating Sons of God became only the presentation of the various aspects of a divine perfection which the Christ summarized in Himself. But He did far more than just this. Had this been all that He accomplished, He would have presented to humanity a picture of a static achievement, a culmination of perfection such as the evolutionary status of man at that time demanded; He would have given us, in fact, a Figure of very great, but at the same time, arrested development. This was of course impossible, but the religion which He founded has never recognized this fact or considered what lay beyond Christ, what was the nature of His

522 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS subjective background and what was His point of achievement, and whether He still had other possibilities. This was perhaps an unavoidable omission owing to the fact that the idea of evolution was unknown until relatively very late, in the human consciousness. Orthodox religion has been preoccupied with an emotional and aspirational approach to this Figure of Perfection; it has not looked beyond the Figure to the Reality which He represents. This Christ Himself foresaw as a possibility, and sought to obvi- ate when He pointed out to His disciples that they could do "greater things" than He had done, because He was going "to the Father. He, in those words, pointed beyond Himself to the One Who was responsible for His Being, and to the Way of the Higher Evolution––a subject with which the church has never satisfactorily dealt. In the above words He indicated a state of being which He had never demonstrated on earth, owing to the unpreparedness of man, and also to the fact that He Himself was only "on His Way." The Way of the Higher Evolution has also its two phases, as has the Lighted Way. In the early stages of the unfoldment of the Christ consciousness and in the attainment of the third initiation, the Transfiguration, the aspirant and the initiate-disciple pass along the first part of the Path of Discipleship. In the treading of the Way of the Higher Evolution (for which we have as yet only this somewhat cumbersome name) the initiate-disciple treads the Way of Antahkarana and the Way of the Higher Initiations. In making this statement I would again remind you that the third initiation is regarded by the Hierarchy as the first major initiation, whilst two previous initiations are considered as only preparatory in their nature. The training given in preparation for them, and the consequent expansions of consciousness, reveal to the initiate the nature of the soul, the scope (widespread and universal) of the divine consciousness, and his relation to the Father, the Monad. They enable him to become the soul in manifestation to such an extent that his awareness is definitely and unalterably

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 523 that of the soul; at the fourth initiation the soul-body, the causal vehicle, is no longer needed, and it then disappears, dissipates, and is entirely destroyed, thus leaving the initiate free to tread the Way of the Higher Evolution and to follow in the footsteps of the Christ. He was the first of our planetary humanity to blaze the trail (is not that a phrase much used?) to the higher spheres of revelation. I would here also remind you that, during this stage of human evolution, all these various phases exist simultaneously; this largely accounts for the relative differences and difficulties which characterize all the religions of the world and all relationships. Emotional appeal is needed by the masses, and their goal––some way ahead––is soul consciousness and soul control. It is the mystical way and the way of the early and preparatory stages of the science of Invocation and Evocation. It is the method to be followed by average humanity at this time, because men are largaly Atlantean in their approach and their natures; they must learn to tread the Path by becoming the Path Itself, and in this way develop the mechanism and the capacities which are inherent in the divine Mind, which "spins the thread of connecting light and relates all beings within the planetary ring-pass-not into Itself." By becoming the Path, symbolically speaking, and by a process of reorientation, the aspirant who is seeking to tread the Lighted Way of purification and of discipleship reaches a point where that light and that path have brought him to a specific goal. Then the light which he has generated from within himself, and is learning rapidly to use, reveals to him the Way of the Higher Evolution, the fact of a still greater goal further on ahead––called by the Christ "the Father's House." At the fourth initiation he becomes aware, for the first time in his experience, that there is a hiatus or gap separating him from his distant goal. This constituted the major part of the agony upon the Cross. There was a fusion of agonies at that supreme moment, if I might attempt to express what occurred. The Master Jesus, crucified there, \page

524 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS felt the agony of human need and renounced His own life and gave His all (again symbolically speaking) to meet that need. The Christ, at that time over-shadowing His great Disciple, also passed simultaneously through a great initiatory experience. The agony of His yearning for revelation and increased enlightenment (in order to enhance His equipment as World Savior) revealed to Him the new possibilities, from which––when confronted with them dimly in the garden of Gethsemane and later upon the Cross––His whole nature shrank. Great as is this mystery to you, and impossible as it is for you to comprehend that whereof I speak, it is wise to establish the fact in your consciousness that at the Cruci- fixion initiation, the Master Jesus took the fourth initiation and the Christ took the sixth initiation. The Master Jesus reached the culminating experience of the Lighted Way, whilst the Christ made that final effort which enabled Him entirely to complete and traverse the "rainbow bridge" and to "go to the Father" (as He told His disciples), thus moving forward on to the first stage of the Way of the Higher Evolution. The practical point for aspirants and disciples to remember is that the Science of Invocation and Evoca- tion entered a new phase when Christ came and presented Himself before humanity; He then gave the teaching which summarized all the past and indicated the new aspects of the future teaching. He opened the door to the Way of the Higher Evolution, hitherto closed, just as the Buddha epitomized in Himself the achievements of the Lighted Way and the attainment of all knowledge and wisdom. Christ, in opening this "greater door beyond the lesser door," anchored––if I may so inadequately express it––the Will of God on Earth, particularly in relation to the consciousness of men. He lifted the entire Science of Invoca- tion and Evocation to the mental plane and made possible a new approach to divinity. It is difficult to give you a symbol which could clarify this matter in your mind. But the one given may carry some enlightenment: \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 525

526 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS It must be remembered that intelligence and love were present upon Earth, the first in greater degree than the second, and that the task of all the great World Saviors (emerging from the Secret Place, from the illimitable past until the present time) has been to anchor, organize, and implement these divine aspects, energies, attributes, and to further their development within the body of the planetary Logos. They also, from time to time, demonstrated to the humanity of Their period of appearing, the point in that development which had been reached. These Rep- resentatives of Deity have been of all grades, degrees and differing points of spiritual unfoldment; They have been chosen for Their aptitude to respond to invocation, to manifest certain divine qualities, and to attract around Themselves those who had latent the same divine qualities, and who could therefore step down the teaching that the World Savior came to give, and translate into human equivalents as much of the divine inspiration as was possible. Many of Them have been forgotten even if Their work was successful. Others have been resolved into myths by the thoughtform-making faculty of man but Their work is still thereby remembered, and to this, monuments and tradition constantly testify; greater Sons of God possessed a potency and a love of humanity which, even at the close of many centuries, evokes the attention of mankind and conditions even yet the reactions of millions of people. Vyasa––the original Vyasa, Who was the Great Indi- viduality evoked by the invocation of the early animal- men––is still more than just a name, even though He has passed out of our planetary scheme millions of years ago. He opened a door into the human kingdom through His response to the animal kingdom in its higher invocative ranks; His work brought about the process known as individualization. Down through the ages, these Sons of God have come, evoked by human invocation; in Their turn, They have invoked certain aspects of the divine nature, deeply hidden in mankind––all related hitherto to consciousness and to responsiveness of the part to the Whole.

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 527 Eventually Hercules came forth and opened the door on to the Path of Discipleship, His work being preserved for us in the Twelve Labors of Hercules. These epitomized the various tests to which all disciples are subjected, prior to the various initiations. Shri Krishna came and opened the door through which mankind could pass to the Second Initiation. The Buddha, a still greater Figure, the One Who is known as the "Enlightened One," also came and demonstrated to humanity the nature of the Lighted Way, its revelations and its effects in consciousness. He enacted for us the supreme achievements of the mystic way. Then came the Christ and performed a triple work: 1. He opened the door to the third initiation. 2. He anchored on Earth "the Will of God in the matrix of love" (as it has been esoterically called). 3. He pointed the way through "the needle's eye" which gives entrance to the passage through the Pyra- mid (the symbol of the Spiritual Triad in this case. A.A.B.) which leads out on to the Way which terminates in Shamballa. His work was of a major consummating nature; He demonstrated in Himself two divine aspects, thus giving "shape and substance to love"; this had been sequentially fostered by several preceding lesser World Saviors, of Whom Shri Krishna was the greatest. The Christ completed the work of the Buddha by manifesting in its fullness the nature of love thus permitting the full expression of love-wisdom in its dual aspect ––the one aspect demonstrated by the Buddha and the other by the Christ. But His greatest work has not yet been emphasized in the worlds of thought and of religion––the revelation of the Way of the Higher Evolution. This entails the bringing through of pure divine will and the relating of the spiritual Hierarchy to the great Council at Shamballa. It will be apparent to you, therefore, that He was the first to carry through––from stage to stage––the complete revelation of humanity to the Hierarchy and of the Hierarchy to Shamballa. This He did by virtue of a

528 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS completely finished and constructed antahkarana, and thus He facilitated the work of all future aspirants and disciples. He made possible their unimpeded progress, as far as the opening of each stage of the planetary antahkarana is concerned. He presented the "first thread of living substance, irradiated by love, intelligently woven and energized by will" which any human being of our Earth humanity had interwoven with the planetary antahkarana. Here lies the secret of the sixth initiation, which has not yet received the attention of the occultist. Here comes a climaxing note. The whole evolutionary scheme is based upon a series of ascensions. These ascensions are the result of a process, a technique, a method (choose which word you will) of invocation by the lesser individual, group or kingdom, and the evocation of that which is greater, more inclusive and more enlightened. This is true, whether it concerns a lonely aspirant upon the Way or an entire kingdom in nature. The greatest of the incarnating Sons of God are necessarily Those Who can include whole kingdoms or states of divine Being in Their consciousness. Here is the key as to why the invocation by a group "standing with massed intent" can bring forth, and has done so many times in our planetary history, One Who could meet the need which the invocation voiced, upon "a way of escape," and embody in Himself the required vision or goal. You will note here that I have carried the teaching (earlier given upon the subject) into the realm of the whole. Previously, I dealt with the process as it applied to the disciple invoking his soul; later I carried the concept farther, and we considered the disciple invoking his Father in Heaven, the Monad. Now, we have briefly touched upon humanity as a whole, standing at a great point of invocation wherein the entire human kingdom is involved. Thus you have the final three of the six great stages in the process we are considering: Invocation, leading to Evo- cation, to Revelation (at the Fifth initiation) and to Decision (at the sixth). \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 529 To sum up. We have carried our study of the esoteric aspects of mental unfoldment to a point where we have lifted the entire spiritual man into realms which are neither those of the soul nor of the personality; they are those which make him an integral part of monadic experience. We are therefore dealing definitely with initiate experience. That the personality remains as an instrument or vehicle of expression for the one universal soul in its many aspects upon the physical plane has been duly emphasized; that the soul per se has been lost to consciousness in the sea of universal realization has also been made clear; that the state of being which the initiate has now reached, as a result of the six stages of conscious building of the antahkarana, has been detailed; but I have pointed out in this connection that what has transpired lies beyond what we call consciousness, and is consequently undefinable by the human intellect. We have dealt with certain high stages of unfoldment which remain impossible to any human comprehension outside that of Those Who can function in the Courts of Shamballa. When these stages have been passed, then the goal of all the evolutionary processes has been reached, as far as humanity is concerned. These concepts cover our presentation of truth and of our theme up to the present point. Further we cannot go, for it would be profitless; nor would the human constitution prove adequate to the imposed task. I have in these previous sections carried our theme to the point where it climaxes all that has been hitherto given out anent the human mind and its capabilities. I have indicated the method whereby the mind, trained in meditation, and therefore soul-conscious, can––through the construction of the antahkarana––reach heights and stages of inclusiveness which will introduce to it certain aspects of the so-called Universal Mind, the mind of God, as it is familiarly called. What I have really done is to deal very briefly with the mode whereby the disciple or the initiate can, with increasing power, tune in on the mind of the planetary Logos, Sanat Kumara. Just as the disciple can,

530 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS when soul conscious, tune in on the mind of his Master, so the initiate, upon a higher turn of the spiral, can register the thoughts of the divine Being in Whom we all live and move and have our being. Through the development of the antahkarana and its conscious, scientific use, the initiate becomes aware of what transpires in the Council Chamber of Shamballa; he can then efficiently begin to work as an exponent of the Will aspect of divinity. Yet all this time we have confined ourselves entirely to the consideration of the mind aspect in its three phases upon the mental plane, and with their extension into states of being unknown to all except trained disciples and initiates. It has been my intention thus to give a theoretical, though not yet practical insight into modes of activity and possible states of being to which you can some day aspire and eventually attain. THE MEANING OF THE INITIATORY PROCESS Before proceeding with our next point concerning the fusion of the Master's consciousness with that of His disciple, I would like to refer to the significance of the words I earlier emphasized, "the initiatory process." I have dealt at length with the theme of initiation in many of my books and have endeavored to present the subject in such a manner that it becomes apparent that it fits into the evolutionary process as a normal and inevitable procedure. In- itiation has been so frequently presented as being a ceremony that I have felt it necessary to offset strenuously that erroneous significance. If, however, you are to comprehend that which I have to say, you will have to call in what measures of enlightened understanding you may possess. Initiation is only a ceremony in so far that there comes a climaxing point in the initiatory process in which the disciple's consciousness becomes dramatically aware of the personnel of the Hierarchy and of his own position in relation to it. This realization he symbolizes to himself–– successively and on an increasingly large scale––as a great \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 531 rhythmic ceremonial of progressive revelation in which he, as a candidate, is the center of the hierarchical stage. This is definitely so (from the ceremonial angle) in the first two initiations, and in relation to the Christ as the Initiator. After the third initiation, the ceremonial angle lessens in his consciousness because the higher initiations are not registered by the mind (with its ability to reduce realization into symbolic form) and thus transmitted to the brain, but they reach the brain and are there registered via the antahkarana; the results of the experience of expansion are now definitely of such a nature that they cannot be reduced to symbols or to symbolic happenings; they are formless and remain in the higher consciousness. I am not here saying that the teachings given in the past by various occult groups, or in my book Initiation, Human and Solar, are not correct or do not recount accurately what the candidate believes has taken place. The point I seek to make is that the ceremonial aspect is due to the thoughtform-making capacity of the disciple and (which is of major importance) constitutes his contribution to the future externalization of the initiatory process in its earlier stages. When an adequate number of disciples will have succeeded in relating the Spiritual Triad to the soul-infused personality and have occultly "precipitated" the energies of the Monad through the medium of the antahkarana, then the first and second initiations can be "ceremoniously" enacted on earth. The higher initiations cannot be thus presented but will be enacted on the mental plane, through the medium of symbols and not through the details of ceremonious happenings. This symbolic representation will hold good for the third, the fourth and the fifth initiations. After these five great expansions have taken place, the initiations will no longer be registered as factual ceremonials on earth or as symbolic visualizations on the mental plane. It is hard to find a word or a phrase which can express what occurs; the nearest I can approach to the truth is the "existence of illumination through revelation." You

532 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS will note in this connection that the fifth initiation is given the name of Revelation. You therefore have a sequence of consequences or of the results of spiritual attainment which are as follows: 1. Factual Ceremonials, based on externalization. Initiation 1––The Birth. Initiation 2––The Baptism. 2. Symbolic Representations, based on spiritual visualization. Initiation 3––The Transfiguration. Initiation 4––The Renunciation. Initiation 5––The Revelation. 3. Illumination through Revelation, based on living Light. Initiation 6––Decision. Initiation 7––Resurrection. Initiation 8––Transition. Initiation 9––Refusal. It will be obvious that these three attempts to define the process of initiation present only the outer form aspect; each initiation has three aspects, as has all else in nature, for initiation is a natural process. There is first, its form aspect; then its soul or consciousness aspect; and finally, its life aspect. The form aspect culminates experience and presents the disciple's comprehension of the initiatory process; the consciousness aspect indicates in a mysterious manner the rate of expansion as the disciple has undergone the process; the life aspect permits of extra-planetary contact, thus indicating the possible future and the eventual processes of identification. It might be added that the factual ceremonial admits the disciple into full fellowship with the Hierarchy; that the symbolic representation indicates to the disciple the Way into Shamballa, and that illumined revelation presents to the initiate the bridge between our cosmic physical plane and the inner subjective and cosmic worlds; this entrance to the bridge (I am speaking in symbols)

533 THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS reveals the existence of the cosmic Antahkarana, created by the Lord of the World and His group of Executives. This information concerning the initiatory process is coordinating in its nature and is of service to you only in this connection. It demonstrates the underlying solar synthesis which was the fundamental platform I gave out in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire. Beyond that implication, the information is of no use to you. It enables you, however, to begin to develop the esoteric sense of synthesis. These three grades of appreciation or of comprehension of the initiatory process are hinted at in the Masonic Work. The ceremonial aspect can be related to the degrees of Entered Apprentice and of Fellow Craft, plus certain little-practiced degrees, as for instance that of Mark Mason degree and one or two others; these are expansions of the implied teaching. The initiations, covered by the term symbolic representation, find their first hint in the sublime third degree, that of Master Mason, in the Holy Royal Arch and in one or two succeeding degrees; the higher degrees of the Scottish Rite constitute a vague and nebulous attempt to hold before the Masons of the world those expansions of consciousness and of growth into the Light which are experienced in the remaining higher initiations––those subject to the process called illumination through revelation. The Masonic Work is an ancient and laudable attempt to preserve in some germinal form the spiritual truth anent initiation. In spite of distortion, some loss of the Ancient Landmarks and a deplorable crystallization, the truth is there and at a later date (in the early part of the next century) a group of enlightened Masons will re- arrange the rituals and adapt the present forms and formulas in such a manner that the spiritual possibilities, symbolically indicated, will emerge with greater clarity and a deepened spiritual potency; the coming form of Masonry in the New Age will necessarily rest upon the foundation of a newly interpreted and enlightened Christianity, having no relation to theology and being universal in

542 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS points of fusion and of tension the disciple consciously endeavors to bring about. These are the broad and general lines governing the initiatory process; the work here indicated is followed by all disciple-initiates of all degrees, and even by the Lord of the World Himself. He, in His high Place, holds the manifested world of energies in a state of fusion; points of tension successively occur as a consequence of a growing divine realization within these forms of intelligent activity, of love-wisdom and of the will-to-good. These points of tension vary according to the divine purpose and the individual initiatory problem of Sanat Kumara Himself, as He submits to a cosmic initiatory process. Such a point of tension of stupendous magnitude is present in the world today; the intention behind this realized fusion and tension is to enable humanity (as an integral part of the divine body of manifestation) to move forward into greater light and nearer to the "heart of love," which is the Hier- archy. As this takes place––and it is taking place––the Hierarchy Itself moves nearer to a conscious fusion with Humanity. The point of tension thereby achieved––and this has not yet appeared––will produce the Kingdom of God on Earth in exoteric form. We will now consider one of the lesser, though essential, fusions which must be achieved by the disciple producing consequently in his life a point or points of tension. Fusion of the Master's consciousness with that of the disciple Earlier I stated that the disciple's private life automatically falls (once he has been accepted by the Master) into three stages: a. The stage in which the lower concrete mind and the higher mind are related in such a manner that the lower mind is not only soul-illumined but is subject also to impression from the Spiritual Triad. b. His relation to the Master is the next and sometimes paralleling stage and involves the bringing to-

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 543 gether of the Master's consciousness and his own. This has to be slowly developed and consciously grasped, with very interesting consequences. c. Later comes the stage when the disciple's consciousness can be gradually brought into a rapport with the Hierarchy as a whole. It might be mentioned, in clarification somewhat of this rather vague statement, that the disciple is absorbed into the Hierarchy and–– at the same time––he assimilates in a new and mysterious manner certain united hierarchical impressions. The disciple by now has made his approach to the Ashram and has demonstrated his ability to serve and thereby utilize any ashramic energy which he may contact and occultly include. He is slowly becoming aware of three vibratory impressions which are slightly differing though colored by the ray which they express. First of all, he is aware of the vibration of his own soul; then he registers that of the Ashram, in the early stages focused for him through the mediation of some disciple senior to him; and finally, he becomes conscious of the vibration of the Master. Slowly he learns to distinguish them and know them as constituting three different channels whereby energy reaches him. They contact his consciousness upon the mental plane; later, he discovers that contact with them is facilitated once he can register them consciously upon their appropriate plane and through the appropriate center; it naturally takes time to develop this facility and (until he passes through the third initiation when major changes take place) he is expected to "retain the impression" upon the mental plane. The development of sensitivity to contact, and the registering of "that which is other than the Self and yet which is the Self Itself," are part of the great Science of Impression. This development––in the early stages of human evolution––is carried forward through the medium of the five senses and is to be found in the animal kingdom also. With this well-known and well-studied unfoldment I shall not deal, beyond saying that these five (in reality

570 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS world of thought are registered by the initiate. This will be equally true on a large scale where modern man, the world initiate of the first degree, is concerned. Men will recognize the evidences in many lives of the emergence of the Christ-consciousness, and the standard of living will increasingly be adjusted to the truth as it exists in the teachings of the Christ. This developing Christ-consciousness in the masses of men will create necessarily a ferment in the daily life of peoples everywhere; the life of the personality, oriented hitherto to the attaining of material and purely selfish ends, will be at war with the new and inner realization; the "carnal" man (to use the words of Paul, the initiate) will be battling the spiritual man, each seeking to achieve control. In the early stages, after the "birth" and during the infancy of the Christ-Child" (again speaking in symbols), the material aspect is triumphant. Later, the Christ life triumphs. This you well know. Each initiation indicates a stage in the growth and the development of this new factor in the human consciousness and expression, and this continues until the third initiation, when there emerges the "full-grown man in Christ." The initiate is then ready, at the fifth initiation, to register, realize and record the long awaited revelation. In connection with the individual and the first initiation, the seventh ray is always active and the man is enabled consciously to register the fact of initiation because either the brain or the mind (and frequently both) are controlled by the seventh ray. It is this fact which is of importance today in connection with humanity, for it will enable mankind to pass through the door admitting them to the first initiatory process. It will be apparent to you why the present period in which human beings (in large groups) can take the first initiation corresponds to a situation in which bread is the major interest of men everywhere. Humanity will pass through this "birth" initiation and manifest the Christ life on a large scale for the first time during a period of economic adjustment of \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 571 which the word "bread" is but a symbol. This period started in the year 1825 and will continue until the end of this century. The unfoldment of the Christ life––as a result of the presence and activities of the second divine aspect of love––will result in the ending of economic fear, and the "house of bread" will become the "house of plenty." Bread––as the symbol of material human need––will eventually be controlled by a vast group of initiates of the first initiation––by those whose lives are beginning to be controlled by the Christ-consciousness, which is the consciousness of responsibility and service. These initiates exist in their thousands today; they will be present in their millions by the time the year 2025 arrives. All this reorientation and unfoldment will be the result of the activity of the seventh ray and of the impact of its radiation upon humanity. The seventh ray is, par excellence, the medium of relationship. It brings together the two fundamental aspects of spirit and matter. It relates soul and form and, where humanity is concerned, it relates soul and personality. In the first initiation, it makes the initiate aware of that relation; it enables him to take advantage of this "approaching duality" and––by the perfecting of the contact––to produce upon the physical plane the emergence into manifestation of the "new man." At the first initiation, through the stimulation brought about by seventh ray energy, the personality of the initiate and the hovering over-shadowing soul are consciously brought together; the initiate then knows that he is––for the first time––a soul-infused personality. His task is now to grow into the likeness of what he essentially is. This development is demonstrated at the third initiation, that of the Transfiguration. The major function of this seventh ray is to bring together the negative and positive aspects of the natural processes. It consequently governs the sex relationship of all forms; it is the potency underlying the marriage relation, and hence as this ray comes into manifestation in this world cycle, we have the appearance of fundamental sex

577 THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS to realize that in order to take the second initiation he must demonstrate emotional control; he realizes also that he must have some knowledge of those spiritual energies which will dissipate glamour, plus an understanding of the technique whereby illumination from the mind––as the transmitting agent of the light of the soul––can dispel these glamours and thus "clarify the atmosphere," in the technical sense. I might emphasize that as yet no initiate demonstrates complete control during the intermediate period between any initiation and the next higher initiation; the intermediate period is regarded as "a cycle of perfecting." That which is being left behind and subordinated to the higher realization is slowly dominated by energies which are to be released into the consciousness of the initiate at the initiation for which he is being prepared. This interim period is always one of great difficulty. The energies being registered, made active and finally used, are steadily increasing in number and potency at each initiation; these impacts upon the rays of the soul and the personality rays of the initiate, and on the subsidiary vehicles through which he works in the three worlds and upon their individual conditioning rays, produce at first tremendous difficulties; these the initiate must master and the problems involved he must solve. He thereby becomes a Master, and the process, as it goes forward from initiation to initiation, becomes (after the third initiation, the Transfiguration) less hard and distressing; the reason for this is that he is increasingly master of his own individual situation. He is, however, occultly involved in the difficulties and the problems of the group and of that totality of groups which we call humanity. The initiatory process between the first and the second initiations is for many the worst time of distress, difficulty, realization of problems and the constant effort to "clear himself" (as it is occultly called), to which the disciple is at any time subjected. The phrase stating that the objective of the initiate is "to clear himself" is perhaps the most

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 585 As we study the other ray energies and their initiatory effect, we shall not be able to indicate a great deal in relation to humanity itself. Only the first two initiations which are implemented by the Christ and which are "under the supervisory probation of the spiritual Hierarchy" are as yet possible to humanity. The initiation of the Trans- figuration is not yet for the mass of men. We can, however, study the effects of these rays where the individual disciple is concerned, because the later initiations––from the third initiation onward––are administered by the Lord of the World from His high place in Shamballa; in the present world period, these initiations are individually administered and registered, and are undergone consciously and with an entirely awakened awareness. It will be apparent to you that I shall necessarily have more to say anent the first three initiations and the ray effects upon the initiate and upon humanity than will be possible when the higher initiations come under consideration. The effects of ray impacts in the first three initiations come via the soul and the initiate is––during this period––a struggling aspirant, under the inspiration and the stimulation of the Hierarchy of which he is becoming increasingly aware. After the third initiation, which is in reality as you well know, the first major initiation, the ray energy is applied (if I may use such an inadequate word) via the Spiritual Triad, utilizing the antahkarana. After the fourth initiation, the effects are felt predominantly in the initiate's group and in his field of service; there, he constitutes a point of tension and precipitates great points of crisis. His own points of crisis and of tension are existent but, mysteriously, only in relation to his consciousness of the group in which he plays an increasingly potent part. The groups affected by the progressive initiatory process to which the disciple is being subjected are three in number, and these effects differentiate and condition his group service, according to the initiation being undergone; it is from this angle we must study the initiation, \page

586 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS the ray effects, and the results produced within the three groups. These are: 1. The group in which the initiate is working upon the physical plane and which is an externalization (existing on the mental and astral planes) of some phase of work sponsored by the New Group of World Servers. All disciples and initiates in physical manifestation are at this time members of that group, which is the focal point of the present effort being made by the Hierarchy. Through it spiritual energy from five of the Ashrams is flowing. These five are: a. The Ashram of the Master K.H., particularly in regard to the work of education. b. The Ashram of the Master D.K. (myself), particularly in regard to aspirants for initiation. c. The Ashram of the Master R., particularly in regard to the reorganizing and the reconstruction of Europe, from the point of view of economics. d. The Ashram of the Master Morya, as He seeks to find, influence and direct the activities of workers in the political field throughout the planet. e. The Ashram of the Master Hilarion, as He super- vizes the discoveries (and the application of such discoveries) of the scientific movement in the world today. You will note, therefore, the profound and widespread interest of this field of energy wherein ray energy is now active. 2. The group which may regard itself consciously as the initiate's own group, in the sense that he is slowly influencing those around him, collecting the personnel and forming the nucleus of the Ashram by means of which he may some day serve the world. All those who are taking initiation do not necessarily create their own ashrams, though a large number do so. The work of those initiates who do not form an ashram is mysterious in the extreme, from the point of view of aspiring humanity, and there is little that I may say about the subject. These initiates work

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 587 in connection with plans emanating from Shamballa, of which humanity can know nothing; they work with the three subhuman kingdoms in nature, each of which has its own peculiar and specific band of initiate-workers. If they do not do this, they transfer into certain groups of workers who are engaged in activities connected with the deva or angel evolution, or in relation to the manifestation of energies about which I can tell you nothing. We shall deal only with the expansion of consciousness and the experience of those initiates who remain––in their activities and aims ––related to humanity and to the Hierarchy. It might here be pointed out that: a. The work of the deva evolution comes under the ray energy of the third Buddha of Activity. b. The work with humanity comes under the influence of the ray energy of the second Buddha of Activity, Who embodies in a most peculiar sense the conditioning energy of the Hierarchy. c. The work with the subhuman kingdoms of nature is under the energy stimulation of the first Buddha of Activity. Each of these great energizing Lives works through certain Masters and Initiates of the sixth initiation; these Masters work in full consciousness upon the atmic plane, the plane of the spiritual will; from that high level, They function as transmitting agents for the energy of one of the three Buddhas of Activity. These three Buddhas are the creative Agents of the planetary Logos and are Wielders of the Law of Evolution. 3. The ashramic group of which the initiate is a part and within which his influence or spiritual radiation is increasingly felt. The awareness of the initiate and his ability to work consciously within this triplicity of groups becomes the major objective of all his efforts, once the third initiation is left behind. His magnetic radiation and the expression of his controlling energies––prior to this stage of unfoldment––

588 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS is that of the soul, working through the personality. After the third initiation this radiation and the energy expressed become increasingly monadic and subject to three stages: 1. The stage wherein the lowest aspect of the Spiritual Triad (that of the abstract mind) becomes potent as the conveyor of ideas; these are transformed by the initiate into ideals for the service of humanity. 2. The stage wherein pure reason, plus the spiritual will, makes him an effective server of the Plan and a transmitter, in a progressive manner, of the Purpose underlying the Plan. 3. The stage wherein pure monadic energy pours through him, focusing the will-to-good, as registered by the Hierarchy, and the sense of universality (not a vague phrase, but a specific potency) upon the physical plane. A close study of these developing ranges of activity and of expanded consciousness will indicate why and how our planetary life is one immense synthesis of ordered activity. The ray energies, utilizing the created form world and the "world of formless forms" (that is, the cosmic etheric levels of activity), constitute a great and applied process of initiatory activity, governing, controlling and conditioning every expression of divine life in all the kingdoms of nature––subhuman, human and superhuman. It is into this world of active moving energies that the initiate penetrates and within which he must consciously play his part. As you well know the work of the aspirant today is to become a conscious, self-controlled and spiritual worker in energy within the ring-pass-not of the three worlds and––as I have frequently pointed out––to function, first of all, in control of his physical instrument, demonstrating this at the first initiation and during the succeeding initiatory processes; secondly, to control his emotional, feeling nature, demonstrating that control at the second initiation; at the third initiation, he has to bring into visible activity the mental element, and thus function in the three worlds as a soul-infused personality, utilizing the illumined mind as the fusing and synthesizing factor. These things

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 589 accomplished, he can––again in full consciousness––begin to be active as "a radiating point of crisis and a producer of the needed tension." These three groups are essentially points of planetary tension and are producers of crisis in the lives of the individuals influenced and in the Hierarchy, as well as in the planetary life. Thus the conditions are created which make evolution possible. Some day the story of the evolutionary process will be written by an initiate of the great White Lodge, from the angle of its points of crisis and the subsequent points of tension. This enables the living forms, under this dual impact, to emerge into larger areas of consciousness. Each kingdom in nature can itself be regarded as a point of tension within the sphere of Being of the planetary Logos, and each––in time and space––is in process of generating those points of crisis which will produce a potent (and often sudden) moving forward upon the Path of Evolution. Humanity is today, in its present situation as a point of planetary crisis, generating such a point of tension that it will shortly be enabled to move forward into the new age dispensation, culture and civilization. The study of the individual aspirant parallels this. These thoughts and ideas must be borne in mind as we study the remaining three major initiations confronting average humanity. Initiation III. The Transfiguration. Ray V. The Energy of Concrete Knowledge. As all disciples have to be focused on the mental plane and must operate from that level of consciousness, the understanding of this type of consciousness is one of major importance. It is glibly and most easily said that disciples and (necessarily so) initiates must use the mind, and that their polarization must be mental. But what does this mean? Let me give you some concise definitions of this ray energy, leaving you to make your own individual application, and from your study of these concepts anent the mind, learn to gauge your own mental condition.

590 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS 1. The energy of what is so peculiarly called "concrete science" is the quality or the conditioning nature of the fifth ray. 2. It is pre-eminently the substance of the mental plane. This plane corresponds to the third subplane of the physical plane, and is therefore gaseous in nature––if you care to use its correspondence as a symbol of its nature. It is volatile, easily dispersed, is the receptive agent of illumination, and can be poisonous in its effect, for there are undoubtedly conditions in which "the mind is the slayer of the Real." 3. This energy is characterized by three qualities: a. The quality which is the result of relationship with the Spiritual Triad. We call this "abstract mind" and the impact which affects it comes from the atmic level of the Spiritual Triad, that of spiritual will. b. The quality which in this solar system is easily responsive to the major ray of the planet, that of love- wisdom. So responsive is it that in conjunction with emanations from the three worlds––it has produced the one existent form upon the mental plane. This form (in the planetary sense) is that of the Kingdom of God and, in the individual sense, is that of the ego or soul. c. The quality which is basically related to the emanations or vibrations arising from the three worlds; these creatively result in the myriads of thoughtforms which are found upon the lower levels of the mental plane. It might therefore be said that these qualities or aspects of the fifth ray of spiritual energy produce: Pure thought The thinker or the Son of Mind Thoughtforms 4. This energy (as far as mankind is concerned) is the thoughtform making energy, and all impressions from the physical, etheric and astral planes force it into activity on the level of concrete knowledge, with a resultant kaleido- scopic presentation of thoughtforms. \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 591 5. It is fundamentally the most potent energy at this time in the planet, because it was brought to maturity in the first solar system, that of active intelligence. 6. It is the energy which admits humanity (and particularly the trained disciple or initiate) into the mysteries of the Mind of God Himself. It is the "substantial" key to the Universal Mind. 7. It is profoundly susceptible to the energy of Love- Wisdom, and its fusion with the love aspect is given the name of "wisdom" by us, because all wisdom is knowledge gained by experience and implemented by love. 8. This energy, in its three aspects, is related in a peculiar sense to the three Buddhas of Activity. These great Lives reached Their present state of development in the previous solar system. 9. This energy, in so far as it is considered as the mental energy of a human being––and this is one of its minor limitations though a major one for a human being––is the higher correspondence of the physical brain. It might be said that the brain exists because the mind exists and needs a brain as its focal point upon the physical plane. 10. The quality of this energy of concrete knowledge or science is twofold: a. It is extraordinarily responsive to impressions coming from some source or other. b. It is rapidly thrown into forms in response to impression. 11. The impressions received come from three sources and are sequentially revealed to man. These three are: a. Impressions from the three worlds; these come, first of all, from the individual and then, secondly, from the levels of planetary consciousness. b. Impressions from the soul, the Son of Mind, upon the level of mentality itself. c. Impressions from the Spiritual Triad, via the antahkarana; these come when the antahkarana is constructed or in process of construction. \page

592 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS 12. This energy is essentially a light-bearer. It responds ––again sequentially in time and space––to the light of the Logos. It is for this reason that the mind is regarded both as illumined when higher contacts are present and as an illuminator where the lower planes are concerned. 13. This energy is (from the human standpoint) awakened and brought into activity through the action of the five senses which are the conveyors of information from the three worlds to the mental plane. It might be said that a. Five streams of informative energy, therefore, make their impact upon the concrete mind and emanate from the physico-astral plane. b. Three streams of energy, coming from the soul, also make an impression upon the concrete mind. c. One stream of energy––during the initiatory process––contacts the mind. This comes from the Spiritual Triad and utilizes the antahkarana. 14. The energy of this fifth ray might be regarded as the commonsense, because it receives all these impacts of varying energies, synthesizes them, produces order out of the many ceaseless impacts and interprets them, thus creating the multiplicity of forms to which we give the name of "world thought." 15. This energy transforms the divine ideas into human ideals, relating the knowledges and sciences of humanity to these ideals, thus making them workable factors in human evolution, its cultures and civilizations. There is much more that I could add, but the above gives you a series of simple definitions of value as you study the mental unfoldment of the disciple, as he undergoes the initiatory process which is our theme at this time. It also throws light upon the ray effects upon humanity as a whole. This ray energy is indeed sadly concrete in its expression in our Aryan race––a race, however, which will see more people take initiation than ever before in human history, and which will, in a peculiar sense, see the descent of the Kingdom of God to Earth as a result of the ascent of so many upon the ladder of evolution. Just as the dis-

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 593 ciple or the initiate is a soul infused personality, so will humanity––upon the physical plane––be also soul-infused, thus precipitating the Kingdom of God and giving birth to a new kingdom in nature. This great spiritual descent will be prefaced (if I may use such a word) by the appearance of the Christ among the peoples of the world and by a stupendous inflow of love-wisdom. There is a tendency in the minds of esotericists always to refer to the great lines of force: 1-3-5-7 and 2-4-6. I would have you remember with still greater emphasis the relation of rays II and V and of the second plane, the monadic plane, and the fifth plane, the mental plane; it is the relation of these major energies which makes the initiation of the Transfiguration possible. What is the effect of this ray upon humanity as a whole and at this time? The effect of these influences is very great and of supreme importance in this fifth root race, the Aryan race, in this second solar system. Again you can see the clarity of the correspondences which are emerging. I would have you note them again. 1. Ray II, the Ray of Love-Wisdom; and Ray V, the Ray of Concrete Knowledge or Science. 2. The second plane, the monadic plane; and the fifth plane, the mental plane. 3. The second solar system of love; and the fifth root race, the Aryan race, of active intelligence. In all these basic relationships, that which is the fifth in order is destined to be the instrument, the vehicle or the implementing factor for the second. The Universal Mind, as it works through all the planes of our conscious planetary life, is the creative agent and the form-building factor which makes the revelation of love possible. Today in our Aryan age and race, we see the vital expression of this fifth ray energy. When I use the word "race" I deal not with man-made or pseudo-scientific differentiations of nations and races or types. I deal with a state of consciousness which is the Aryan or mental consciousness or state of thinking; this finds its exponents and

594 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS its " race members" in every nation, without any distinction or omissions. This I would have you carefully remember, for there is no new race in process of appearing, from the territorial angle; there is only a general distribution of those persons who have what have been called the sixth root race characteristics. This state of consciousness will find its expression in people as far apart racially as the Japanese and the American or the Negro and the Russian. It posits an ability to function with clarity upon the mental plane, to collate information, rightly to interpret and relate that information, and to create the needed thoughtforms or concepts for those interpretations. These thoughtforms fall into three major fields of thought or thoughtform areas of consciousness: 1. Science.. Under this word I include all that which the educational processes cover or are supposed to cover, and such a useful science as medicine. 2. Philosophy, with its presentation of great conditioning ideas. 3. Psychology, with its effort to account for humanity and to discover what man is essentially and how he functions. You will note that I have not included religion in this analysis. The reason for this is that IF the world religions were really controlled by concrete knowledge or science, they would not be the vague, speculative, mystical and glamour-controlled systems which they are at present. Some day the minds of men––illumined by the light of the soul ––will formulate the one universal religion, recognizable by all. Then the Kingdom of God will be known for what it is, another kingdom in nature. Speculation, wishful thinking and hopeful aspiration will disappear. The science of occultism is the first step upon the way of true religion, and the scientific investigation of human psychology will greatly help toward this end. Today we find this ray energy expressing itself mainly through science––a science sadly debased and corrupted by materialism and human greed, but a science which (when

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 595 animated entirely by goodwill) will lift humanity on to higher levels of consciousness, thus laying the foundation for that time when humanity on a large scale can pass through the Transfiguration Initiation. Steps in this direction are already being laid and the existence of the press, the radio and the rapid means of transportation have done much to further the revelation of that unity and that Oneness which is the major characteristic of the Universal Mind. These developments can be regarded as the initial steps of the initiatory process for the third initiation––far ahead as that initiation may lie for the mass of men. It is unification and a growing sense of oneness which is required in order to take this initiation, and it is the integrated personality which takes it. The major sin of Russia, and that which has prostituted and warped the initial divine impulse underlying the ideology of that country, is the determination she demonstrates at this time to be separative and to shut the Russian people away from world contact, using the implements of deception and the withholding of information. It is not the totalitarian nature of the Russian government which is the prime disaster; it is the refusal to develop the universal consciousness. Many governments today are totalitarian in nature, either openly or subtly, but––at the same time––their peoples have free access to press and radio and are not kept in ignorance of world events. Russia is drifting into a pronounced expression of the great heresy of separateness. There lies her problem––a problem which is refused recognition by her rulers. The existence of a closed mind on a national scale is dangerous in the extreme, just as the individual is in a dangerous "state of mind" when he closes it to world contact, world news and world understanding, and when he refuses to admit new ideas and new modes of behavior. Fortunately, the influence of this fifth ray energy––which is always present, whether the ray is in incarnation or not–– is steadily leading humanity towards illumination. \page

596 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS This ray energy operates always in connection with the Law of Cleavages. Today, tremendous cleavages between the past and the present are in order. The importance of this statement is to be found in the fact that––for the first time in human history––humanity is aware of cleavage at the time it is being brought about. Hitherto cleavages have been noted during an historical retrospect. Today, all men everywhere are conscious of the fact that the old order, the old cultures and civilizations are rapidly passing away and they are universally clamoring for the new. Everywhere men are laying the foundation for the new order, the coming of which is threatened only by one country, Russia, owing to its separativeness (and not because of its ideology), and by one world group in every country, those guilty of financial greed and consequent aggressiveness. Before humanity can pass through the Transfigura- tion Initiation the new world order must be functioning and the coming civilization must be at its height. It is useless for me to consider with you this third initiation in connection with humanity as a whole or its preparatory or subsequent initiatory process. All this lies too far ahead for even advanced humanity to consider; there are, however, senior disciples who are preparing for this initiation, just as there are a few who are passing through the initiatory process, prior to taking the fourth initiation. The outstanding expression of this fifth ray energy can be seen in the rapid formulating of the many ideologies which have taken place since the year 1900. Such words as Fascism, Communism, National Socialism, Socialism as the British accept it, and the names of many schools of psychology and philosophy, were unknown one hundred years ago; today they are the common talk and phrases of the man in the street. The inflow of this mental energy into the world of men, the attainment in consciousness of mental ability by many thousands, and the achievement of mental polarization by aspirants all the world over, are all due to the activity of this fifth ray energy; this may be \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 597 regarded as preparatory work for the first and the second initiations. Some of this success is due also to a little-realized function of this fifth ray energy––that of telepathic interplay. Few people realize in the slightest degree how naturally telepathic every human being is or how impressionable are their minds; this again is an effect of fifth ray influence. The creation (and, I should add, the over-creation) of the millions of material things which men everywhere regard as essential to their well-being is also the result of the creative activity of the fifth ray consciousness. This is, of course, as it demonstrates upon the physical plane. When it demonstrates upon the mental plane we then talk of ideas, concepts, philosophies and ideologies. When it demonstrates upon the astral plane, we are aware of the religious impulse of mysticism and of the emotional and conditioning desires. All these aspects are present in the consciousness of men everywhere today. Everything is crystallizing in human consciousness, and this takes place in order to make man aware of where he stands upon the ladder of evolution, and of what is wrong and what is right. All this again is due to the influence of fifth ray energy. This will begin to transform human living and human desires and also human affairs and attitudes, and will lead eventually (in the middle of the sixth root race) to the great Trans- figuration Initiation in which the reality that lies behind all human phenomena will stand revealed. Let us now consider the effect of this ray energy upon the life of the individual, as he faces the third initiation. This third initiation is, as earlier said, the first initiation, from the angle of the Hierarchy; it is the one in which the spiritual man demonstrates his complete control of the personality. The physical body has been controlled through the medium of the physical disciplines; the emotional nature has been reorganized and made receptive to spiritual impression coming from the plane of pure reason (the buddhic plane) through the transforming processes of the mind or the fifth principle. In this connection the mind has acted as an organizer of astral reaction and as a dis- \page

598 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS peller of glamour. The disciple is now focused in his every-day consciousness upon the mental plane, and the triangular relation of the three aspects of the mind upon this plane is now dominant. In the next initiation, the Renunciation, this relationship becomes a dual one instead of a triangular one, through the destruction of the soul vehicle which is no longer needed. Soul fusion with the personality is now completed. During the initiatory process preceding the third initiation, the mind works in a new manner. Its transmuting work with the physical body has been accomplished; its transforming work with the emotional nature has been successful, and now its transfiguring work with the personality as a whole is carried forward, making the initiation of the Transfiguration possible. It is of value to the student to consider these three activities of the mind. The transmuting agent in the first case is the lower or concrete mind; the transforming agent is the soul, whilst the transfiguring agent is the Spiritual Triad working through the higher or abstract mind. You will here note the wonderful synthesis of the spiritual work. When this work is concluded, you have the initiation of the third degree made possible. This produces impelling and new contacts. It should here be remembered that when I use the word "new" I mean that which is new in consciousness, for the basic synthesis and fundamental relationship always exists in factual recognition, but is only progressively realized by the evolving spiritual man. It is well nigh impossible to differentiate the results of fifth ray energy in the various aspects of the personality, for the reason that the initiate is now functioning as a soul-infused personality, and therefore the three aspects of that personality are nothing more or less than agents of the soul, and thus are progressively responsive to the inflow of triadal energy. It might therefore be said that, as a result of the Transfiguration Initiation––the culminating point of strictly human unfoldment––the three types of energy which are expressed through the Spiritual Triad \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 599 can begin––only begin––to flow through the reflection of itself in the three worlds. Let me state this as follows: 1. The directing energy of the higher mind is––as a result of the Transfiguration Initiation and via the antahkarana––thrown into the brain; therefore the man upon the physical plane is guided, directed and controlled by group purpose and by the hierarchical plan. 2. The illuminating energy of pure reason, emanating from the buddhic plane, pours down into the clarified and organized body of sensitive response which is all that remains of what has been called the astral body. This produces complete freedom from glamour and the creation of "a limpid pool of such reasonable response to the love of divine relationship" that the initiate becomes a sensitive revealer of that love. 3. The dynamic energy from the atmic plane (the highest aspect of the Spiritual Triad) pours into the mind and begins slowly to reveal the will-to-good, which is essentially the will of God. Behind these three differentiations which are all of them expressions or aspects of the divine or the universal mind, the initiate dimly senses or becomes consciously aware of what has been called the Monad or Spirit or Life. This is subtly revealed in the Transfiguration Initiation of the Master Jesus Who re-enacted all the five human initiations for the benefit of humanity. In this dramatic picturing of the third initiation, the three disciples (or the three vehicles of the personality) prostrate themselves upon the ground and the Master Himself (the glorified personality) is transfigured before them. At this climaxing point they hear that which is called "the voice of the Father" speaking to the transfigured Jesus. The personality is now possessed of knowledge, for fifth ray energy has done its needed work; the disciple is also aware that he is in possession of the wisdom which enables him to use knowledge in the furtherance of the Plan, and therefore to work as an illuminating factor in the world of men. He knows clearly what has been accom-

600 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS plished and senses something of what lies ahead. The great principle of cleavage (which the fifth ray governs) is the dominating factor in his time sense; he now differentiates sharply between past and present and that which has to be ascertained in the future. Cleavage, in the sense of separateness, is finished for him and he now feels and knows something of the essential unity of all manifested life; therefore, from the angle of space, he has dominated and overcome cleavage and division; in the sense of time he has not. The great heresy of separateness no longer exists in his consciousness: the consciousness of the initiatory process is not yet over, however for that involves the recognitions of time. During the initiatory process between the second and the third initiations, the initiate has to battle with illusion in exactly the same sense as he earlier had to battle with glamour. Illusion is, in the last analysis, the control of the mental processes by great and massive thoughtforms; this conflict persists from the moment that the disciple has achieved mental polarization (at a midway point between the second and the third initiations) until he stands before the Initiator at the sixth Initiation of Decision, when the last illusion disappears. You will feel and comment that the Masters are therefore subject to illusion. This They definitely are, and there are great and basic illusions governing life within the Hierarchy. Nevertheless, they are illusions of such a high order that––for advanced humanity––they would signify achievement. I may not give you more than one instance of such illusion, but that should prove clear and sufficient. It is not until the sixth Initiation of Decision that the illusion of the planetary ring-pass-not finally disappears. The Master then knows that such a limitation is non-existent. For Him, the choice between the seven Paths becomes possible. This basic illusion constitutes for mankind a great hierarchical mystery and is based upon the Principle of Privation, by means of which the planetary Logos chooses to circumscribe His freedom and to limit His activities. \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 601 This curious freedom from successive limitations is experienced at the third, the sixth and the ninth initiations; these are, all three of them, related in a mysterious manner to each other. Transfiguration leads eventually to Decision, which culminates in due time with a final refusal to accept any planetary limitations whatsoever. It will be obvious to you that the higher the initiation, the less will any involved energy have a personality control or connection. Progressive and recognized fusions have taken place as one initiation after another is undergone; the effect of the energy involved will be noted in relation to humanity as a whole, to the work of the Ash- ram within the Hierarchy and to the planetary life. This must ever be borne in mind and must necessarily limit the scope of the teaching which I am able to give you. Let me now summarize the effects of this fifth ray energy in relation to humanity and to the individual initiate: 1. I gave, first of all, fifteen items of information anent this fifth ray energy, or fifteen definitions of its activity. These will warrant careful study. 2. The effect of this fifth ray energy upon humanity in this fifth root race was considered; it was noted that this Aryan effect was dominant and dynamic in the extreme and that it has greatly hastened human evolution. 3. I pointed out the close relation between love and mind, as follows: a. Ray II and Ray V b. Plane II and plane V c. Solar system II and root race V In all of these relationships, the fifth in order is the prime agent and the revealer of the second type of spiritual energy. 4. The fifth ray energy produces three major areas of thought, or three prime conditions wherein the thoughtform-making energy expresses itself: a. Science. . . . . . .education . . . medicine b. Philosophy . . . ideas . . . ideals c. Psychology . . . in process of modern development

602 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS 5. This fifth ray energy operates in connection with the Law of Cleavages. 6. It is also responsible for the rapid formation of great conditioning ideologies. 7. This fifth ray energy is the important factor in making possible the first major initiation, the Transfiguration Initiation. 8. Fifth ray energy works in three ways in connection with the three aspects of the personality: a. As the transmuting agent . . . the physical body b. As the transforming agent . . the astral body c. As the transfiguring agent . . the mental body This gives you much food for thought; it indicates the personality goal and the mode whereby it is attained. After the third initiation, we reach out in consciousness to higher expansions of consciousness and will then enter a realm of ideas which are not yet easy for the disciple to appreciate or to understand. Much that I will have to say anent ray energy and the higher initiations will mean little to many, but it will mean much to the initiate-consciousness. The world initiates will be coming into incarnation at this time and will read my words towards the end of this century with great understanding. Initiation IV. The Renunciation. Ray IV. The Energy of Harmony through Conflict. Our study today is of profound interest and has a great bearing on the present world situation. I would like to make clear two important facts: 1. The fact that the world war (1914-1945) was quite unavoidable though the conflict might have been retained upon mental levels, had humanity decided rightly. 2. The fact of the inevitability of the return of the Christ in this era and in the relatively immediate future. We are here dealing with immutable law, for the energies of the various rays move under law; humanity can therefore do naught but accept, determining only what I might

614 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS The Principle of Conflict is working also in the churches, but more slowly, unfortunately, owing to the cor- ruption and soporific effect of theological churchianity; I would have you note my choice of words; I said not "of Christianity," for true Christianity, as Christ taught it, is free from theological abuses and must and will be restored or–– perhaps more accurately––reach its first stage of expression. Everywhere the fourth Ray of Harmony through Con- flict is active in the human family and is dominating human affairs; everywhere in the life of the individual, in the lives of groups, organizations and churches, in the life of nations and in the life of mankind as a whole, the issues are being clarified, and humanity is being led from one renunciation to another, until some day the human kingdom will unitedly take the fourth initiation and the Great Renunciation will be accepted; this step, lying far ahead as yet in the future, will affiliate humanity with the Hierarchy and release millions of men from the thralldom of materialism. This moment in human history will inevitably come. The first indication that the distant vision has been glimpsed might perhaps be noted in the prevalent instinct to share, motivated at present by the instinct to self-preservation, but definitely developing as a possible mode of action upon the far horizon of man's thinking. True sharing definitely involves many little renunciations, and it is upon these small renunciations that the capacity for freedom is slowly being generated and the habit of renunciation can eventually be stabilized; this capacity and these habits, these unselfish activities and these spiritual habitual attitudes are the preparatory stages for the Initiation of Renunciation, just as the effort to serve one's fellowmen is preparatory to the taking of the third Initiation, of the Transfiguration. The Factor of the Ray of Love-Wisdom as it controls the Ray of Harmony through Conflict and implements the Return of the Christ In the first paragraph of this instruction, I ascribed the inevitability of Christ's imminent return to the decision

652 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS cerned with the method whereby the vision is accorded and revelation given: 1. Ambition, implemented by determination. 2. Aspiration, implemented by devotion or one-pointed attention. 3. Revelation, implemented by the will in its two lower aspects. 4. Realization, implemented by the will in its highest aspect. That, briefly, is the evolutionary story of the "initiate in good standing" and it is basically the story of the will to self-betterment, the will to human service, goodwill, and finally, the will-to-good. You can see, therefore, how the great first aspect of divinity, through its three aspects, is the hidden, basic, motivating potency of life and of evolution, from the very dawn of the evolutionary cycle. The initiate in good standing looks into the heart of things; he has forced his way to the very "Heart of the Sun" (using those Words in a "planetary" and not in a "solar" sense) and––from that vantage point––he becomes aware of the "Central Spiritual Sun" and the Way of the Higher Evolution which leads inevitably to that assured center of the Most High. The three worlds of material living and the inner world of meaning which the soul has revealed to him are now left behind; he is suddenly confronted with the world of significances, with the true world of causes and of origination, and by the realm of the universal. He discovers that all he had thought anent the Law of Cause and Effect was so limited that––in the light of this Higher Evolution––it has practically become meaningless, except as the A B C whereby he can teach the children of men. He realizes, through the revelation accorded, more clearly than has hitherto been possible, the Purpose of the planetary Logos. From the time of the third initiation, this purpose has been gradually revealing itself; he sees it expressing itself through Sanat Kumara, Who is the Personality expression of the planetary Logos. During the coming interval and cycle of preparation for the sixth

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 653 initiation, that purpose will burst upon him in blazing and synthetic glory. The way to the Central Spiritual Sun is therefore revealed to him, and he knows that he faces a period of intense preparation (not training as that word is usually understood) for a length of time determined by world need, the nature of his service and certain undefinable ray conditions. He has to fulfill the magnetic condition which will enable him to form his own Ashram; he has to unfold a new phase of selective spiritual discrimination. The word discrimination is, however, misleading, because the form of it which he can now express carries no quality of rejection or of separation. It is a right knowledge and understanding of those karmically linked to him, a right use of an impelling attractive force which will, occultly speaking, attract the attention of those who should enter his Ashram, plus an esoteric process of blending himself and his Ash- ram into the full body of the Hierarchy. New Ashrams within the Hierarchy present much the same type of difficulty and problems as the entrance of a new disciple into an Ashram. It might be said that that which holds the Hierarchy together, and that which produces a coherent Ashram, is the revelation, received in the light which that revelation produced and which leads to realization. Ashramic responsibility, constant service within the planetary Life and the subjection of Himself and of His Ashram to cyclic stimulation from Shamballa, plus certain mysterious processes which have naught to do with form or consciousness, but with the "sensitivity of the universe," occupy the interim between the fifth and the sixth initiations. Initiation VI. Decision. Ray III We have concluded our study of the rays and the five initiations, and there is little more that I can tell you about the remaining four initiations, except one or two points anent the sixth Initiation of Decision; this initia-

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 661 concerned; Their task is the application of the evolutionary process with a view to the preparation of the field of the world for the future divine sowing. More I cannot tell you. All I have done is to give you a hint as to the significance of the initiations, instituted by the Lord of the World. These are not, may I repeat, initiation to which the planetary Logos is Himself subjected. The world crises, which ever precede initiation on a planetary scale, are part of the preparatory work, tests and trials which make possible some cosmic initiation to which He has been and will eventually be subjected. With them we have no concern, nor would you understand if I were to be in any way explicit. The Law of Analogy and of Correspondences breaks down at a certain point upon the path of understanding, and something new and utterly different enters in. The Law of Analogy holds good when considering the microcosm within the life of the Macrocosm, but if you ventured outside that limited and manifested Life (if that were possible, which it is not) you would contact other Laws and other approaches to truth, existent on cosmic levels. There is little more that I can tell you anent the planetary initiations or––as they might be more correctly called––the planetary initiatory processes. These affect our entire planetary life but are not essentially initiations as we understand the term, or as that word could be applied to Sanat Kumara. They are a definite part of cosmic process and particularly of solar evolution, but they are, as we have seen, only preparatory to that initiation for which our world was made––the manifestation on Earth of the highest of the three aspects: the WILL of God, as it is universally called. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE INITIATION We now start our consideration of the nine initiations, only this time we shall be occupied with the relationship and the detail connected with each initiation,

662 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS viewing them when possible from the angle of the Hier- archy and its effort on behalf of the evolutionary progress of the race, and not so much from the angle of the soul- infused personality of the disciple. It must be remembered from the start that no disciple can pass through the initiatory experience unless he is a soul-infused individual and is consciously aware on soul levels of the various happenings, possibilities, undertakings and implications. In all the many books which I have given to the world I have taught much anent initiation; I have sought to bring a saner, more reasonable presentation of these great crises in the life of every disciple. It is wise to note that an initiation is in reality a crisis, a climaxing event, and is only truly brought about when the disciple has learnt patience, endurance and sagacity in emerging from the many preceding and less important crises. An initiation is a culminating episode, made possible because of the self-inspired discipline to which the disciple has forced himself to conform. Much has been said in the occult books about the preparatory work to be done and the effort which such a task entails, plus the realization of the consequences initiated and expressing themselves through the individual aspirant. Little has been said anent the more important truth that initiation admits a man into some area or level of the divine consciousness––into a plane or rather a state of being hitherto regarded as sealed and closed. I shall not touch upon the ray effects, because we have already considered them, and because each level of consciousness, each phase or revealed area of the "lighted Way" is open to souls on all the rays and to every type of initiate. From the standpoint of the Hierarchy, it is not the individual initiate who is of importance but the groups in every land who face initiation. and who fall into three categories: 1. Those in the group who have caught the vision, who accept the fact of the Hierarchy and of proffered op-

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 663 portunity, but who are nevertheless quite unready for their next step and must be taught and prepared to take it. Yet they are "set apart for fulfillment," as it is esoterically called, and in spite of fluctuations and the many vicissitudes of the Path, they will eventually attain their goal. 2. Those in preparation for some specific initiation, particularly the first initiation to the third (inclusive). They have set their hands to the plow––another way of saying symbolically that they are toiling for and serving their fellowmen. 3. Those who have had the needed training and await the hour of initiation. As I have said, the first two initiations––those of the Birth and the Baptism––are not regarded by the Hierarchy as major initiations. They are in the nature of initiations of the threshold and are simply phases of, or preparatory to, the third initiation (as occult students call it), which is in reality the first major initiation. This must be most carefully held in mind, for these initiations indicate the process through which the personality can become soul-infused and the energy of the Spiritual Triad can make its presence felt. For the sake of clarity, however, and because the Birth and Baptism initiations have been counted in with the true major initiations by the modern teachers of theosophy and similar occult bodies, and because people are therefore accustomed so to consider them, we will preserve the old method of counting them. The thought of soul-infusion must be held in mind––a soul indwelling which culminates at the third initiation, and of monadic control which increasingly possesses the soul-infused personality. This higher possessivenesss steadily increases from the time of the third in- initiation until the seventh initiation; after the seventh initiation a condition can be seen which is extra-planetary in nature and of which little can be known. This brings in–– for the first time––a registration or recognition of cosmic consciousness. Let us now consider these initiations, one by one.

674 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS this Aryan cycle, it is however indicative of the attainment of a definitely racial opportunity. Humanity––on a relatively large scale––faces the second initiation, or the Bap- tism Initiation. The concept of baptism is ever associated with that of purification. Water has ever been the symbol of that which purifies; it is also the symbol of the astral plane, with its instability, its storms, its tranquillities, its overwhelming emotional reactions and its pliability, which makes it such a good agent for the deceptive thought-forming faculties of the unregenerate man. It reacts to every impulse, every desire and every possible magnetic "pull" coming from the material or substantial form side of nature. In its cycles of tranquillity it reflects equally the good as well as the bad; it is the agent, therefore, of deception when manipulated by the Black Lodge, or of aspirational reaction when influenced by the great White Lodge, the spiritual Hier- archy of our planet. It is the battleground between the pairs of opposites; the problem is complicated by the fact that men have to learn to recognize these opposites before right choice, leading to spiritual victory, is theirs. Today, desire for peace at any price, for adequate food, warmth and housing, for the restoration of stability and security and for the cessation of anxiety controls the mass of human reactions and makes the astral plane loom so large in men's affairs and in world decisions. This is so dominantly so that the realization which the mind could reveal and of which the intelligentsia are the custodians is lost to sight and has small influence. At the third initiation the control of the soul-illumined mind is finally established, and the soul itself assumes the dominant position and not the phenomenal form. All the limits of the form nature are then transcended. It is the vision of this transcendence which is communicated at the time of the second initiation under the symbolism of a positively applied purification. I am not here emphasizing the Biblical account of that purificatory process. That summarized symbolically

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 677 in their nature, and are effectual in their essential nature, placing the emphasis upon the word "effect". Humanity, even in its advanced brackets, is not yet able to think on causal levels. What is the basic goal of the initiate who has taken the second initiation? I would ask you to transit in consciousness from the concept that the process of initiation is a consummation of effort, to the higher and better concept that it is initiatory in effect and marks a beginning and not a consummation. What, therefore, lies ahead of the initiate who has entered the purificatory water, or rather, fire? To what is he pledged? What is to happen within "the area of livingness" (I want you to familiarize yourselves with that phrase) and what results will take place within the mechanism with which he approaches the place of initiation? These are the factors of importance, and these are the aspects of the life process which should condition him. At the close of the initiatory process certain energies and divine aspects should be recognized by him as now playing a part in his thinking and his purposes––energies which heretofore (even if present) were quiescent and not controlling. Before him lies the third Initiation of the Transfigura- tion. Facing him is a great transition from an emotional aspirational focus to an intelligent, thinking focus. He has, theoretically at least, cast off the control of the astral body and nature; much still remains to be done; old desires, ancient astral reactions and habitual emotions are still powerful, but he has developed a new attitude to them and a new perspective to the astral body. Water, fire, steam, glamour, delusion, misinterpretation and emotional continuity still mean something specific and undesirable to him. He is now negative to their appeal and positive to the higher demanding focus. That which he now loves and longs for, desires and plans for, lies in another and higher dimension. He has, through his willingness to pass through the second initiation, struck the first blow at his innate selfishness and has demonstrated his determination to think \page

678 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS in wider and more inclusive terms. The group begins to mean more to him than himself. What has happened, technically speaking? The energies of the solar plexus center are being transferred from the major clearing house below the diaphragm to the heart center––one of the three major centers into which all the lower energies must transfer. At the first initiation he was granted a vision of a higher creativity and the energy of the sacral center began its slow ascent to the throat center. At the second initiation, he is granted a vision of a higher focus, and his place in the larger whole begins slowly to reveal itself. A new creativity and a new focus become his immediate goals, and for him life can never again be the same. The old physical attitudes and desires may still at times assume control; selfishness may continue to play a potent part in his life expression but––underlying these and subordinating them––will be found a deep dissatis- faction about things as they are and an agonizing realization of failure. It is at this point that the disciple begins to learn the uses of failure and to know certain fundamental distinctions between that which is natural and objective and that which is supernatural and subjective. Do these ideas make the concept of initiation more useful to you and more practical? Any initiation which does not find interpretation in daily reactions is of small service and basically unreal. It is the unreality of its presentation which has led to the rejection of the Theosophical Society as an agent of the Hierarchy at this time. Earlier and prior to its ridiculous emphasis upon initiation and initiates and prior to its recognition of the probationary disciples as full initiates, the Society did good work. It however failed to recognize mediocrity and to realize that no one "takes" initiation and passes through these crises without a previous demonstration of a wide usefulness and of a trained intelligent capacity. This may not be the case where the first initiation is concerned, but where the second initiation is involved there must ever be the background of a useful dedicated life and an expressed determi-

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 679 nation to enter the field of world service. There must also be humility and a voiced realization of the divinity in all men. To these requirements, the so-called initiate of the Theosophical Society (with the exception of Mrs. Besant) did not conform. I would not call attention to their prideful demonstration, were it not that the same claims are being made and the same delusions presented to the public. The problem of freedom from the limitations of matter should now he considered and the entire theme be rendered practical. There is perhaps an ultimate opinion that it is the realm of the emotions and the susceptibility to emotional reactions which constitute the major human limitation–– both from the individual angle and also from that of the national angle. It is everywhere realized that the demagogue, for instance, who sways public opinion, is one who also and emphatically plays on human emotions as well as upon human selfishness. As the race progresses towards mental expression, this distorting influence will become increasingly less important, and once the masses (composed of the millions of so-called "men in the street") begin definitely to think, the power of the demagogic approach will have disappeared. The major battle in the world today is that of the freedom of the average citizen to think for himself and to come to his own decisions and conclusions. It is here that the major quarrel between the Great White Lodge and the Black Lodge is to be found. It is a battle in which humanity itself is the decisive factor, and for this reason the Black Lodge is working through the group which is controlling the destiny of Russia and also through the Zionist movement. The leaders of the U.S.S.R. are working intelligently and potently against human freedom and particularly against freedom of thought. Communism per se has no such objective; it is the totalitarian policies of the national rulers which are so disastrous, plus their ambition and their hatred of true freedom. Zionism today stands for aggression and for the use of force, and the keynote is permission to take what you want ir- \page

680 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS respective of other people or of their inalienable rights. These points of view are against the position of the spiritual leaders of humanity, and therefore the leaders of the Zion- ist movement, and the group of men who direct and control the policies of Russia, are against the policies of the spiritual Hierarchy and are contrary to the lasting good of mankind. The freedom of the human spirit, the freedom to think, govern and worship as innate, instinctual human desire may dictate, under the influence of the evolutionary process, the liberty to decide on the required form of government or of religion––these are the rightful pre- rogatives of mankind. Any group of men or any form of government which fails to recognize this inherent right runs counter to the principle which governs the Great White Lodge. The menace to world freedom today lies in the known policies of the rulers of the U.S.S.R. and in the devious and lying machinations of the Zionists. In neither group is there any true spiritual potency, and both are doomed to failure even though they may succeed from the angle of material gain; from the spiritual angle, they are doomed. The leaders of the Russian enterprise against the freedom of the individual are doomed, because inherently man is free and fundamentally divine, and it is assured (from the long range vision) that masses of men in Russia and in the communistically inclined "satellite states" will inevitably react divinely and potently. The true communistic platform is sound; it is brotherhood in action and it does not––in it original platform––run counter to the spirit of Christ. The imposition of intellectual and formal communism by a group of ambitious and sometimes evil men is not sound; it does not adhere to the true communistic platform, but is based on personal ambitions, love of power and on interpretations of the writings of Lenin and Marx which are also personal and run counter to the meaning of these two men, just as the theologians of the Church interpret the words of Christ in a fashion which has no relation to His original intention. The rulers of Russia are not truly working for the good of the people, any more \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 681 than academic Zionism is working and carrying out its projects for any humanitarian reasons. But the people hold the ultimate triumph in their hands, for the heart of the people in all nations is basically sound, fundamentally good and God-inclined. This the rulers of the communistic regime forget. The leaders of the Zionist movement of aggression constitute a real danger to world peace and human development and their activities have been endorsed by the expediency policy of the U.S.A. and, in a secondary degree, by Great Britain, under the influence of the U.S.A. It is the Zionists who have defied the United Nations, lowered its prestige and made its position both negative and neg- ligible to the world. It is the Zionists who have perpetrated the major act of aggression since the formation of the United Nations, and who were clever enough to gain the endorsement of the United Nations, turning the original "recommendation" of the United Nations into an order. The rule of force, of aggression and of territorial conquest by force of arms is demonstrated today by the Zionists in Palestine, as well as the demonstration of the power of money to purchase governments. These activities run counter to all the plans of the spiritual Hierarchy and mark a point of triumph of the forces of evil. I am emphasizing the activities of these two countries because through the leaders of these groups of aggressive men the forces of evil ––dammed back temporarily by the defeat of the evil group which Hitler gathered around him––have again organized their attack on the spiritual development of humanity. The world today still remains divided into people of evil intention and great power and their victims, plus the negative reactions of the remaining nations. There is no nation in the United Nations which has attempted to swing the tide of evil by ranging itself and other nations on the side of freedom. There are only groups of unillumined men who seek to control national destinies. There is still emotional reaction to situations and the emotional ex- ploitation of individuals and nations by those who are in \page

682 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS no way emotional but who are mentally convinced that certain lines of activity must be followed, leading to their own individual good but which––in the long run––are not good for the peoples involved. We therefore come back to the problems of the astral plane, of the emotional level of consciousness, and to the second initiation; this initiation releases men from emotional control and enables them to shift their consciousness on to mental levels, and from that higher point of focus to control their normal and well developed emotional attitudes. If you will turn back to page 340, you will find that the three keynotes are given for this second initiation and for its technique. I would like to call your attention to them because they present those keynotes which give us the clue to the world problems and indicate at the same time the solution and the way out of the present impasse. These three words are: Dedication. Glamour. Devotion. It is the dedication of the aspirant which invokes the fire. You have here a statement of major importance. The aspirant upon the higher levels of the astral plane is swept by the "fire of dedication." This immediately focuses his will as it demonstrates on the mental plane, and this focusing in due time starts the serious undertaking of the shifting of his consciousness on to mental levels. Then immediately the "fire" works and the first reaction (as I have earlier pointed out) is the "meeting of fire and water," and consequently the production of fog, mist, of glamour and illusion. All of these four words must be understood symbolically. The glamours thus induced are dependent upon the ray and the point of evolution of the individual and the nation. It is essential that you learn to think in the widest possible terms. With these I shall not deal. In- dividuals are rapidly discovering the nature of their glamours, once their "spiritual intention" is determined; also national glamour is well recognized by onlookers, though seldom yet by the nations involved. The factor which leads to the dissipation of glamour is devotion––devotion to an

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 683 individual, to a Master (as taught by the Theosophical Society) or to some idealistic project. It is finally an unlimited devotion to the Way, to the treading of the Path at any cost, and to the unswerving attachment to service––as constituting the major technique of the Path. Dedication, resulting in glamour, which is dissipated by devotion––these are the keynotes of the second initiation. Forget not that nationalism is the result of dedication to a particular national set-up and produces the glamours which lead to world difficulty. These three aspects of evolutionary unfoldment must be recognized by every aspirant; their existence determines his place upon the Path, the initiation for which he is being prepared and the nature of his service for humanity. And what will be the result of the combination in one's life of these three factors? Primarily two things: 1. The solar plexus center will be brought, first of all, into a condition of almost violent and compelling activity. This activity is induced by dedication and produces glamour inevitably. 2. The violent energies of the solar plexus center will eventually be controlled by the quality of devotion. It is this quality which transforms the solar plexus center into the great clearing house for all emotional reactions and for all glamours, and makes it temporarily a cause of disaster, of conflict, of pain and of distress. As a result of both of these, a great transforming agency is set in motion by the quality of devotion, and the solar plexus center becomes not only a clearing house but the main factor in lifting both physical and emotional active energies from below the diaphragm into the heart center. This constitutes a long process which the aspirant is forced to face in the interim between initiations. We are told (and it is factually true) that the longest period between initiations is that be found between the first and the second initiations. This is a truth which must be faced, but it should also be remembered that it is by no means the hardest period. The hardest period for the sensitive, feel-

684 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS ing aspirant is to be found between the second and the third initiations. It is a period of intense suffering, of the penalty of applying factors of glamour and illusion, of pronounced involvement in situations which, for a long time, remain unclarified, and of a steady moving forward as best the be- leaguered aspirant can––under the influence of right direction and spiritual determination. This he has usually to do in the dark, working under the action of the logical and understanding mind, but seldom under the influence of inspiration. Nevertheless, the good work goes on. The emotions are brought under control, and necessarily the factor of the mind assumes an increasingly right importance. Light––flickering and as yet uncertain and unpre- dictable––pours occasionally in from the soul, via the mind, adding frequently to the complications but producing eventually the needed control which will lead to and result in freedom. Ponder on these things. Freedom is the keynote of the individual who is facing the second initiation and its after- math––preparation for the third initiation. Freedom is the keynote for the world disciple today, and it is freedom to live, freedom to think and freedom to know and plan, which humanity demands at this time. The initiation (that of the Transfiguration) which we are next to study is one of the most important of them all. From one particular angle, it is peculiarly related to the fifth Initiation of Revelation and to the seventh Initiation of Resurrection. All three are concerned with freedom: freedom from the personality, freedom from blindness, or freedom from all the seven planes of our planetary existence ––the planes which are sometimes referred to as the planes of human and superhuman evolution. You will have noted that lately I have been emphasizing an aspect of initiation hitherto little emphasized––the aspect of freedom. The Path of Initiation has at times been called the Path of Liberation, and it is to this essential aspect of the initiatory process that I am seeking to call your attention. I have

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 685 pointed out continuously that initiation is not really the curious mixture of self-satisfied attainment, ceremonial, and hierarchical recognition as portrayed by the major occult groups. It is far more a process of excessively hard work, during which process the initiate becomes what he is. This may entail hierarchical recognition, but not in the form usually pictured. The initiate finds himself in the company of those who have preceded him, and he is not rejected but is seen and noted and then put to work. It is also a graded series of liberations, resulting in the attainment of increased freedom from that which lies behind in his experience; this carries with it the permission (soul enjoined or given) to proceed further on the WAY. These freedoms are the result of Detachment, Dispassion, and Discrimination. At the same time Discipline enforces and makes possible the hard work required to pass the grade. All these four techniques (for that is what they are) are preceded by a series of disillusionments which, when realized and comprehended, leave the aspirant no choice but to move forward into greater light. I would like to have you study initiation from the angle of liberation, looking upon it as a process of strenuously attained freedoms. This basic aspect of initiation–– when realized by the initiate––ties his experience into a firm relation with that of the whole of humanity, whose fundamental struggle is the attainment of that freedom "whereby the soul and its powers can unfold and all men be free because of an individually attained freedom." If you will study the nine initiations and look upon them from this angle, you will see how each does most definitely mark a point of attainment, and therefore the entire subject of initiation takes on a new beauty and appears more worthy of the pain and struggle of attainment. Let me give you an indication (no more than that) of what I mean. Initiation I. Birth. Freedom from the control of the physical body and its appetites. Initiation II. Baptism. Freedom from the control of

686 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS the emotional nature and the selfish sensitivity of the lower self. Initiation III. Transfiguration. Freedom from the ancient authority of the threefold personality, marking a climaxing moment in the history of all initiates. Initiation IV. Renunciation. Freedom from all self- interest, and the renouncing of the personal life in the interest of a larger whole. Even soul-consciousness ceases to be of importance and a more universal awareness, and one closer to the divine Mind, takes its place. Initiation V. Revelation. Freedom from blindness ––a liberation which enables the initiate to see a new vision. This vision concerns the Reality lying beyond any hitherto sensed or known. Initiation VI. Decision. Freedom of choice. I have dealt with these choices in an earlier part of this book. Initiation VII. Resurrection. Freedom from the hold of the phenomenal life of the seven planes of our planetary Life. It is in reality a "lifting out of or above" the cosmic physical plane. Initiation VIII. Transition. Freedom from the reaction of consciousness (as that word is understood by you) and a liberation into a state of awareness, a form of conscious recognition which has no relation to consciousness, as you understand that term. It might be regarded as complete freedom from sensitivity, yet with a full flowering of that quality to which we give the inadequate name "compassion." More I cannot say. \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 687 Initiation IX. Refusal. Freedom from all possible forms of enticement, particularly with reference to the higher planes. It must constantly be remembered (and hence my constant reiteration) that our seven planes are the seven subplanes of the cosmic physical plane. This goal of freedom is in reality the main incentive to tread the Path of Return. One of the most spiritually ex- citing things taking place in the world today is the use, in every country, of the word FREEDOM; it was that great disciple, F.D. Roosevelt, who "anchored" the word in a new and more universal sense. It now has a fuller and deeper meaning to humanity. Initiation III. The Transfiguration There is no need for me to enter into the symbolic details anent this initiation. The whole theme is adequately dealt with in a book written by A.A.B. entitled From Beth- lehem to Calvary––a book to which I gave my approval and endorsement as presenting the subject of the five initiations in a form suitable for the Christian West. I would like to recall to you the fact that this third initiation is in reality the first of the major initiations and is so regarded by the emanating Source of our planetary Logos, Sanat Kumara, and in the two great planetary centers, Sham- balla and the Hierarchy. I refer to that stupendous Source of our entire planetary life, the sun Sirius, and to the Lodge of Divine Beings Who work from this heavenly Center. The first two initiations––regarded simply as initiations of the threshold––are experiences which have prepared the body of the initiate for the reception of the terrific voltage of this third initiation. This voltage is passed through the body of the initiate under the direction of the planetary Logos, before Whom the initiate stands for the first time. The Rod of Initiation is used as the transferring agent. The second initiation freed the initiate from the astral

688 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS level of consciousness, the astral plane––the plane of glamour, of illusion and of distortion. This was an essential experience because the initiate (standing before the One Initiator for the first time at the third initiation) must be freed from any magnetic or attractive "pull" emanating from the personality. The mechanism of the personality must be so purified and so insensitive to the material attractions of the three worlds that there is henceforth nothing in the initiate which could offset the divine initiatory activity. The physical appetites are subdued and relegated to their rightful place; the desire nature is controlled and purified; the mind is responsive primarily to ideas, intuitions and impulses coming from the soul, and begins its true task as an interpreter of divine truth and a transmitter of ashramic intention. You will note, therefore, how this third initiation is a climaxing point and also inaugurates a new cycle of activity leading to the seventh Initiation of Resurrection. I would call your attention to the fact that the third, fifth and seventh initiations are under the control of the fifth, first and second rays. These, as you might expect, will constitute the emanating energies transmitted through the application of the Rod of Initiation. Initiation III. The fifth Ray of Science. This inflowing energy produces its major effects upon the mind, or upon manas, the fifth principle; it enables the initiate to use the mind as its major instrument in the work to be done, prior to passing through the fourth and fifth initiations. Initiation V. The first Ray of Will or Power. At this initiation the disciple appreciates for the first time the significance of the will and uses it to relate the head center and the center at the base of the spine, thus completing the integration started at the third initiation. Initiation VII. The second Ray of Love-Wisdom is here active, as the major planetary ray. The application of the Rod of Initiation by the Initiator (working this time from the highest plane, the logoic plane) produces in a \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 689 mysterious way an effect on the totality of humanity and–– to a lesser extent––upon the allied kingdoms. The effect is similar to that produced in the individual at the fifth initiation, wherein the head center and the center at the base of the spine became closely en rapport––through the use of the will. Aspirants and disciples should remember that after the third initiation, the effects of the initiation which they may be undergoing are not confined simply to the individual initiate, but that henceforth at all the later initiations he becomes the transmitter of the energy which will pour through him with increasing potency at each application of the Rod. He acts primarily as an agent for the transmission, for the stepping down and for the consequent safe distribution of energy to the masses. Each time a disciple achieves an initiation and stands before the Initiator, he becomes simply an instrument whereby the planetary Logos can reach humanity and bring to men fresh life and energy. The work done prior to and at the third initiation is purely preparatory to this type of service required from an "energy transmitter." That is why, at the seventh initiation, the dominating ray of our planet––the second Ray of Love-Wisdom––is employed. There is no energy upon our planet of equal potency, and no expression of it has so pure and constructive a quality as that to which the initiate is subjected at the seventh initiation. This seventh initiatory climax marks another culminating point in the career of the initiate, and indicates his entrance into an entirely different cycle of experience. You will have noted, if you are comparing these instructions with the outline given by me on page 340, that in this third initiation it is the ajna center (the center between the eyebrows) which is stimulated. This is a fact of great interest, because it is at this initiation that the disciple begins consciously and creatively to direct the energies being made available to him, doing so via the ajna center and directed towards humanity as a whole. These energies are: \page

690 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS 1. The energy of his own soul. This has a purely group effect and though working through his personality, is consciously directed outward into the world––after the transforming process brought about as the energy received permeates his threefold mechanism. 2. The energy of the Ashram to which he belongs. Both this energy and the one above mentioned are necessarily the energy of his soul ray and of the Ashram which is representative of that ray. The effect produced––according to his capacity of absorption and direction––will further the working out of the divine Plan. 3. The energy of the Hierarchy Itself. The Hierarchy is primarily controlled by the energy of the second Ray of Love-Wisdom, though this dominant ray is modified and enriched through blending with the other six rays. His use of this energy will at first be largely an unconscious use and he will register at this point no definite intention. This is due to the magnitude of the great reservoir of energies; he is a recipient of the incoming energy largely because he is an initiated member of the Hierarchy and is also a pure channel for transmission. 4. The peculiar energy which is transmitted to him by Sanat Kumara at the time of his initiation. This is a totally different energy to that transmitted to him at the earlier initiations. It comes from Shamballa and is uniquely (in a sense undefinable and hence incomprehensible to you) the energy of the planetary Logos Himself. He directs extra- planetary energy (in the initiations which follow the third initiation) from the ajna center of which He is possessed, to the head center of the initiate and from thence immediately to the ajna center of the initiate. Then this energy is directed outward into its destined field of service. This energy is of so high a quality that there is nothing of a registering mechanism in the initiate's equipment capable of registering its admission and circulation through his three head centers. Nevertheless, this energy does pour through him and out into the world, in spite of the fact that he remains unconscious of its presence. \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 691 The ajna center is the "center of direction"; it is placed symbolically between the two eyes, signifying the twofold direction of the life energy of the initiate––outward into the world of men and upward towards the divine Life and Source of all Being. Where the direction of the energy is consciously undertaken (and there are certain energies of which the initiate is constantly aware), the ajna center is controlled and dominated by the indwelling spirit of man; this spiritual man bases all action in relation to these entering energies on the ancient premise that "energy follows thought." His thought life becomes, therefore, the field of his major effort, for he knows that the mind is the agent of direction; he endeavors to concentrate within himself so that eventually he may consciously control and direct all the incoming divine energies. This is, in reality, the major hierarchical endeavor and the work to which the Masters are pledged and for which They are in constant training. As the evolutionary process proceeds, new and higher energies become available. This is particularly the case now as They prepare for the reappearance of the Christ. There are three words which are directive words for the disciple as he handles his life, his environment and his circumstances. They are: Integration, Direction, Science. His task––as he faces it after the third initiation––is to produce a greater personal integration so that he becomes increasingly a soul-infused personality, and also to integrate himself with his environment for service purposes. To this must be added the subtler task of integrating himself into the Ashram so that he becomes an integral part of the Master's band of workers. As the work of integration proceeds, he is striving all the time to learn the uses of the ajna center and consciously and with right understanding to work with, absorb, transmute and distribute energy as his major ashramic service. His keynote is right direction as the result of right reaction to hierarchical intention and the injunctions of his own soul. Both integration and direction, he discovers, require \page

692 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS understanding of occult, scientific knowledge. He works then as a scientist, and for this reason all the three keynotes of his life as an initiate––before and immediately after the third initiation––are conditioned by and directed by the mind; the mental plane becomes the field of his major endeavor as a server. Again you see that I am presenting you with no glamorous picture of the initiatory process but only one of hard work, constant effort and strenuous mental and spiritual living. There is much here for you to consider, and what I have here given warrants sound reflection and much thought. It is my earnest hope and wish that you may realize that the teaching here given can be appropriated by you and that the initiatory process is one that eventually you will understand and in which you will participate. Initiation IV. The Great Renunciation or Crucifixion This initiation of renunciation (called "The Cruci- fixion" by Christian believers) is so familiar to the majority of people that I am hard put to it to say that which will arrest your attention, and thus offset a familiarity which necessarily lessens the importance of the theme in your consciousness. The idea of crucifixion is associated in your minds with death and torture, whereas neither concept underlies the true meaning. Let us consider some of the significances connected with this fourth initiation. The sign of the Cross––associated in the Western world with this initiation and with the Christian faith––is in reality a cosmic symbol, long ante-dating the Christian era. It is one of the major signs to be found in the consciousness of Those advanced Beings Who, from the distant sun, Sirius, the seat of the true Great White Lodge, watch over the destinies of our solar system, but Who pay particular attention (why They do so is not yet revealed) to our relatively little and apparently unimportant planet, the Earth. The word "crucifixion" comes from two Latin words signifying to "fix on a cross" (I have asked A.A.B. to look this word up in the dictionary so that you can have a sense

\ THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 693 of surety). The cross referred to in reference to this particular initiation is the Cardinal Cross of the heavens. It is to this cross that the disciple shifts at the fourth initiation, from the Fixed Cross of the heavens. This fixed cross is the one on which he has been crucified from the moment he found himself upon the Path of Probation and passed from thence on to the Path of Discipleship. On that Path–– having transcended the world of phenomena and established an unbroken contact with the Monad, via the antahkarana ––he renounces the Mutable Cross of existence in the three worlds (the world of appearances), and after a period of time he transfers from that cross on to the Fixed Cross, which is set up in the World of meaning where he has steadily learnt to dwell. This covers the period of the first three initiations. Now, being liberated through renunciation, he needs no longer to undergo the tests, trials, and difficulties which crucifixion on the Fixed Cross inevitably entails; he can now take his place upon the Cardinal Cross, with all its cosmic implications and opportunities which are then conferred. This––as far as the individual is concerned––is necessarily symbolic and figurative in its teaching. As far as the Heavenly Man is concerned, however, the application is not symbolic. It is far more factual. From the angle of the supreme Masters on Sirius, our planetary Logos, Sanat Kumara, is still on the Fixed Cross; He mounted the Mutable Cross in the first solar system; the Fixed Cross still holds Him in this solar system "fixed in His place"; in the next solar system, He will transfer Him- self to the Cardinal Cross, and from "thence return to that High Place from whence He came." You can see, therefore, why I emphasize the fact that these three crosses are simply symbols of experience in relation to the individual disciple. Let us consider this a little more closely: 1. The Mutable Cross governs the three worlds and the astral plane in particular. On this cross the average man is "crucified" until he achieves the needed experience and consciously reorients himself to another phase of unfoldment. \page

694 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS 2. The Fixed Cross governs the five worlds of human development and conditions the experiences of all disciples. Through the discipline and the experiences thus gained whilst on this cross, the disciple passes from one renunciation to another until complete freedom and liberation has been achieved. 3. The Cardinal Cross governs the Master as He passes through the remaining five initiations; the fourth initiation is, curiously enough, governed by neither the Fixed Cross nor the Cardinal Cross. The disciple is descending from the Fixed Cross and seeking to mount the Cardinal Cross, and it is this transition period and experience which practically govern Him. It might therefore be noted that there are three initiations which test the disciple as to knowledge and experience: the first, the second and the third; then there comes an initiation of transition, followed by five initiations which the Master undergoes upon the Cardinal Cross. It should be remembered that the distinctive nature of the man upon the Mutable Cross is that of self-consciousness; that the disciple upon the Fixed Cross is rapidly becoming group conscious when the experiences undergone have been rightly assimilated; and that the Master on the Cardinal Cross is distinguished by a universal consciousness which passes finally into cosmic consciousness––a state of being unknown to you, even in the wildest flights of your imagination. The first hint of the growth of cosmic consciousness comes when the disciple passes through the sixth Initiation of Decision. He determines then (by means of His enlightened will and not His mind) which of the seven Paths He will decide to follow. From that time on, the consciousness of the greater Life which enfolds our planetary Logos, as He enfolds humanity within His consciousness, increasingly controls the attitude, the awareness and the activities of the Master. You can see, therefore, how this initiation of crucifixion (which the Christian world has appropriated for itself) is far vaster in its implications than students suspect.

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 695 Yet this appropriation was intentional under the divine Plan of the Hierarchy, for always some great Teacher––by His life and teaching––will call attention to some particular initiation. The Buddha, for instance, in His Four Noble Truths, stated in reality the platform upon which the initiate of the third initiation takes his stand. He desires nothing of a personal nature; he is liberated from the three worlds. The Christ pictured for us and emphasized the fourth initiation with its tremendous transition from the Fixed Cross to the Mount of Ascension, symbol of transition, through initiation. This crucifixion initiation has a major instructive feature. This is preserved for us in the name which is frequently given to this fourth initiation: the Great Renuncia- tion. One tremendous experience is vouchsafed to the initiate at this time; he realizes (because he sees and knows) that the antahkarana has been successfully completed and that there is a direct line of energy from the Spiritual Triad, via the antahkarana, to his mind and brain. This brings to the forefront of his consciousness the sudden and appalling recognition that the soul itself, the egoic body on its own level, and that which for ages has been the supposed source of his existence and his guide and mentor, is no longer needed; his relation, as a soul-infused personality, is now directly with the Monad. He feels bereft and is apt to cry out––as did the Master Jesus––"My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" But he makes the needed renunciation, and the causal body, the soul body, is relinquished and disappears. This is the culminating renunciation and the climaxing gesture of ages of small renunciations; renunciation marks the career of all aspirants and disciples––renunciation, consciously faced, understood and consciously made. I have hinted earlier to you that this fourth or Renun- ciation Initiation is closely linked with the sixth initiation and with the ninth. The sixth initiation is only possible when the initiate has definitely made the needed renunciations; the reward is that he is then permitted to make a

714 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS This opens up the whole subject of the Will, its nature and relationships and this we must study for a while: the sequence of Revelation. Interpretation. Intention. Will. The Place that the Will plays in inducing Revelation There are three words connected with this initiation which are of real importance to its correct understanding. They are: Emergence. Will. Purpose. With the emergence aspect we have already dealt under the term "raising up" or the "transition" from the darkness of matter to the light of the Spirit. But of the Will, its uses and its function, as yet we know little. Knowledge as to the nature of the will in any true sense only comes after the third initiation. From that time on the initiate demonstrates increasingly and steadily the first divine aspect, that of the Will and the right use of Power. This first aspect of divinity is necessarily closely associated with the first Ray of Power or Will. I shall, however, only consider the ray angle incidentally, for I want to elucidate for you the nature of the will in some clear measure, though complete understanding is not possible. The Lord of the World is, we are told, the sole repository of the will and the purpose of His overshadowing, cosmic soul. These two words––will and purpose––are not identical in meaning. Sanat Kumara and His Council at Shamballa are the only Beings upon our planet Who know just what is the nature of the divine purpose. It is Their function and obligation to work that purpose out into manifestation, and this They do by the use of the will. The will ever implements the purpose. The repository of the will aspect of man's innate divinity is to be found at the base of the spine; this can only function correctly and be the agent of the divine will after the third initiation. The head center is the one which is the custodian of the purpose; the center at the base of the spine indicates the will as it implements the purpose. The purpose is slowly, very slowly, revealed to the initiate during the final five \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 715 initiations and this only becomes possible after the Initia- tion of Renunciation. At that time the initiate says, in unison with the great head of the Hierarchy, the Christ: "Father, not my will but Thine be done." Then comes the initiation of emergence out of matter and from that point on, the initiate begins to glimpse the purpose of the planetary Logos; hitherto he has only seen the plan, and to the service of the plan he has been dedicated. Hitherto also, he has only sought to be an exponent of the love of God; now he must express, with increasing fullness, the will of God. Earlier in these pages (Page 410) we are told that the problem which confronts the Hierarchy as it seeks to prepare disciples for the successive initiations is the right use of the will, both Their Own use of the will in relation to the initiate, and the initiate's use of the will as he works for the Plan as that Plan implements Purpose. To produce this, a direct, understanding and powerful expression of this first aspect is demanded. There are several reasons why the will presents a problem. Let us list a few of them and thereby get understanding. 1. This energy of the will is the most potent energy in the whole scheme of planetary existence. It is called the "Shamballa Force," and it is that which holds all things together in life. It is, in reality, life itself. This life force or divine will (implementing divine intention) is that by means of which Sanat Kumara arrives at His goal. On a tiny scale it is the use of one of the lowest aspects of the will (human self-will) which enables a man to carry out his plans and attain his fixed purpose––if he has one. Where the will is lacking, the plan dies out and the purpose is not achieved. Even in relation to self-will, it is veritably the "life of the project." The moment Sanat Kumara has attained His planetary purpose, He will withdraw this potent energy, and (in this withdrawing) destruction will set in. This Shamballa force is steadily held in leash for fear of too great an impact upon the unprepared kingdoms in nature. This has reference to its impact also upon humanity.

716 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS You have been told that this force has––during this century––made its first direct impact upon humanity; heretofore, it reached mankind in the three worlds after being stepped down and modified by transit through the great planetary center to which we give the name of the Hier- archy. This direct impact will again take place in 1975, and also in the year 2000, but the risks will then not be so great as in the first impact, owing to the spiritual growth of mankind. Each time this energy strikes into the human consciousness some fuller aspect of the divine plan appears. It is the energy which brings about synthesis, which holds all things within the circle of the divine love. Since its impact during the past few years, human thinking has been more concerned with the production of unity and the attainment of synthesis in all human relations than ever before, and one result of this energy has been the forming of the United Nations. 2. It will be apparent to you, therefore, that this energy is the agent for the revelation of the divine purpose. It may surprise you that this is regarded as presenting a problem to the Hierarchy, but if this power––impersonal and potent––should fall into the hands of the Black Lodge, the results would be disastrous indeed. Most of the members of this center of cosmic evil are upon the first ray itself, and some of the divine purpose is known to a few of them, for ––in their due place and in the initiatory regime––they too are initiates of high degree, but dedicated to selfishness and separativeness. Their particular form of selfishness is far worse than anything which you can imagine, because they are completely detached and divorced from all contact with the energy to which we give the name of love. They have cut themselves off from the spiritual Hierarchy, through Whom the love of the planetary Logos reaches the forms in the three worlds and all that is contained therein. These evil but powerful beings know well the uses of the will, but only in its destructive aspect. We have spoken much of the purpose of the planetary Logos. When I use the word "purpose" I am indicating the \page

THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS 717 answer to the question: Why did the planetary Logos create this world and start the evolutionary, creative process? Only one answer has as yet been permitted to be given. Sanat Kumara has created this planet and all that moves and lives therein in order to bring about a planetary synthesis and an integrated system whereby a tremendous solar revelation can be seen. Having said that, we have not really penetrated any distance into the meaning of the divine purpose; We have only indicated the method whereby it is being attained, but the true objective remains still an obscure mystery––guarded rigidly in the Council Chamber of Sanat Kumara. It is this mystery and this divine planetary "secret" which is the goal of all the work being done by the Black Lodge. They are not yet sure of the purpose, and all their efforts are directed to the discovery of the nature of the mystery. Hence the hierarchical problem. 3. It is this energy of the will, rightly focused, that enables the senior Members of the Hierarchy to implement that purpose. Only initiates of a certain standing can receive this energy, focus it within the Hierarchy, and then direct its potency to certain ends known only to Them. Speaking symbolically, the Hierarchy has within it, under the cus- tody of its most advanced Members, what might be called a "reservoir of divine intention." It is the higher correspondence of that to which Patanjali refers under the words, "the raincloud of knowable things" which hovers over the head of all disciples who can see somewhat in the Light. Just as advanced humanity can precipitate the rain of knowledge from this cloud of knowable things (the divine ideas, working out as intuitions in all the many areas of human thinking), so the lesser initiates and disciples within the Hierarchy can begin to precipitate into their consciousness some of this "divine intention." It is this reservoir of power which embodies some of the Purpose and implements the Plan. One of the problems of the Hierarchy is, therefore, right timing in the revelation of divine intention and in the direction of the thinking and the planning done in Their Ashrams by the recipients: initiates and disciples. \page

718 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS Again we come back to the same necessity for right interpretation of the revelation or of the vision. 4. The problem is also one that each Master has to face in connection with His Own spiritual development, for this energy is the needed dynamic or potency which enables Him to tread the Way of the Higher Evolution. On the way to liberation and in treading the Path of Discipleship and the Path of Initiation, the human being has to use the dynamic or the potency of the Love of God; on the Way of the Higher Evolution, it must be the dynamic and the potency of Will. I would ask you all, therefore, to ponder on the distinction which exists between: 1. Self-will . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Determination 3. Fixity of purpose . . . . . . . . 4. The will 5. The spiritual will . . . . . . . . 6. The divine will I shall not attempt to discuss these words with you. They each indicate a certain aspect of the will; you will learn more on this point by doing your own thinking and defining. All that I can hope and pray is that your individual will can be merged into the divine will, that revelation will be increasingly yours, and that you will with increased steadfastness tread the Path from darkness to light and from death to immortality. Initiation VI. The Decision We have been studying along three lines which, in spite of the unavoidable abstruseness of the subject, have meant much to the earnest individual disciple because the words used to express the initiations concerned have been: Renunciation. Ascension. Revelation. All these convey practical and useful concepts to the mind, and yet––at the same time––their true meaning involves a detachment, a divine indifference and the spiritual perception of which no disciple has had more than a glimpse and a dim sensing of possibility. I then lifted these three ideas on to wider levels and endeavored to show how the crises through which humanity is today passing and will continue to pass

723 THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS aspect of suffering. Suffering and pain enter not into the consciousness of the Master. Where it says in The New Tes- tament that, "angels came and ministered unto" the Christ, the correct implication is that Those Who dwell and work in Shamballa use this period to instruct the initiate who has made his decision through an expression of his divine nature and in the significance of the divine purpose; this concerns the relation of our planetary Logos to the solar system, and decision is made through the development of that higher sensitivity which leads inevitably to cosmic perception. We have no adequate word for this quality or type of sensitivity, for it is not something which we can consciously understand, nor is it a form of conscious reaction; neither is it awareness as we use that term. It has been occultly defined as something akin to "immersion in a realized state of Being," because the initiate is a conscious aspect of that of which he forms an integral part. By means of this statement you will see how impossible it is for me to explain certain things, to make clear certain unknown types of consciousness or to indicate areas of perception which lie beyond the ken even of a Master. Revelation is a progressive matter. Disciples are not really able to understand the extensive significances of the third initiation, for instance; in like manner, even high initiates fail to comprehend that which lies plainly before Them. Disciples can, however, dimly sense the nature of the Transfiguration which characterizes them, from the hierarchical point of view, and Masters can also dimly sense the nature of the decision with which They are faced. It is this preparatory sensitivity in the disciple which produces true perception at all the various initiatory stages. This is a statement of major importance and links sensitivity, its interpretation and control, with the everyday life of the ordinary disciple. It is important because of its inclusiveness and because each stage upon the Path of Initiation has in it the germ of comprehension and an understanding (deeply hidden) of the various steps which have to be taken upon the Way of the Higher Evolution. Upon this Way \page

724 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS the Master intelligently embarks when He has made His final decision; earlier stages are simply revelatory of the Way. Initiation has been defined as "a progressive sequence of directed energy impacts." These impacts are characterized by points of tension, and these lead inevitably to points of crisis; the whole process is governed by the Law of Cause and Effect. It is this latter point which I seek now to emphasize, because it has a definite and mysterious relation to this sixth initiation. The Master, as He makes His decision and chooses one of the seven Paths which unitedly form the planetary antahkarana, is forced thereto by the accumulation of past karma. All evil karma has necessarily been worked off, but His accumulated good karma makes His final decision inevitable; from that instant of decision He stands entirely free and liberated from all aspects and all forms of planetary karma, which is greater and more vast than his little individual karma, be it good or bad. He is then––in Himself––the summation of all past experience. Unless He deliberately chooses the Path of Earth Service and decides to remain within the field, scope or influence of the planetary Life, He faces a solar or a cosmic future of which He knows relatively little, but for which the Path of Evolution, the Path of Discipleship and the Path of In- itiation have fitted Him. Even He does not know the conditions into which His "decision" commits Him or those into which He will have to penetrate; He does know, however, and "appropriates the fact and the faculties" (as one Mas- ter has expressed it) of complete revelation and future opportunity. You have oft been told that there are four Lords of Karma associated with the Council Chamber at Shamballa. They represent––in Their totality––the three Rays of Aspect, and one of Them represents the four minor Rays of Attribute. It is the Lord of Karma Who implements the destinies of Those Who are conditioned by the third Ray of Active Intelligence (and this is ever the case with Those Who are taking the sixth initiation) and Who––symbolically speaking––"wipes clean the slate" of this particular group

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