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Rod Of Initiation Compilation
This involves the steady holding of a high vibration. I would have you ponder on what the effect of
this would be. To hold this vibration
is at all times a difficult thing to do; it frequently involves an intensification
of all that subsists within a man's nature, and may lead (especially
at first) to curious demonstration.
Yet, if ever a man is to be able to hold the force that is the
result of the application of the Rod of Initiation, he has to demonstrate
his ability to do so at an earlier stage, and be able to hold himself
stably and to move steadily forward when subjected to the intensification
of vibration that comes from the Master.
He has to discipline himself so that nothing can enter
into his consciousness that could in any way harm the group to which
he belongs, or be antagonistic to the Master's vibration.
If I might so express it, so as to give [Page 271] you some conception
of my meaning, when he first forms part of the group enclosed in the
Master's aura, he is kept on the periphery of that aura until he has
learnt to throw off automatically, and to reject immediately, every
thought and desire unworthy of the Self and thus harmful to the group.
Until he has learnt to do this he cannot advance into a closer
relationship, but must remain where he can be automatically shut off. But gradually he purifies himself still more,
gradually he develops group consciousness and thinks in group terms
of service, gradually his aura takes on more and more the colouring
of his Master's aura, till he blends and has earned the right to be
gathered closer to his Master's Heart. LOM 271
Initiation
can now be taken in group form; this is something entirely new in the
work of the Hierarchy. Not one by one do candidates stand before the
Initiator, but many so stand simultaneously. Together they can think
in complete accord; together they are tested, and together they reach
the "point of triumph" which supersedes the "point of
tension"; together they see the "Star shine forth," and
together the energy emanating from the Rod of Initiation fits them for
the reception of specialised energy, to be
later used in their future world service. This group approach, this
group intention, this "group silent reticence and vocal recognition,"
and this group dedication and vision are no longer in the experimental
stage. This group achievement (I refer not here to your particular group
which has not been outstandingly successful) marks the point where there
can be the inauguration of a new phase of activity in Shamballa.
This will enable the Lord of the World to become the Ruler of a Sacred
Planet which, up to date, has not been the case. Our Earth can now become
a Sacred Planet, if all right conditions are fulfilled. A new divine
quality (as yet unrevealed and which we would not at this time recognise
if presented with it) is slowly crystallising
into expression, through the medium of this hastened initiation process.
Disciples are today witnessing the emergence of a solar characteristic,
through the medium of their planetary Logos, just as the "Lives
of similar Intention"—as it is esoterically called—witnessed
it many aeons ago. It is to this unknown and
mysterious quality that the "shining forth" of the Star refers.
Dina 2
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 activity and a deeper subjective
union.
It is well to remember that the initiate, prior to
and during any initiation, has attained a mental attitude of the utmost
concentration; this point of tension is something of which you know,
as yet, little, and yet you glibly use the words: Meditation and Concentration.
Temporarily, and in order to move forward and at the same time to leave
behind, the initiate becomes a "static point of concentrated contemplation."
He then stands before the [Page 420] Initiator in an intense interior
preoccupation with the world of significances. He only moves forward
again, dropping then the static attitude, after the application of the
Rod of Initiation. His ability to contemplate significances rests upon
his trained capacity to move with ease in the world of meaning (the
major task which confronts all of you at this time). The objective of
the first two initiations is to enable the initiate to live in the world
of meaning; the objective of the next four initiations—up to and
including the sixth Initiation of Decision—is to enable him to
live in the world of significances. This must be carefully borne in
mind when pondering upon the temporary static condition of the initiate
as he stands in the hall of initiation.
Here are the points which must be consciously noted
in the hint under consideration; each of them veils a deeper meaning
and can convey a vital esoteric significance. Let me quote this hint
again in full:
"One of the marks of readiness for initiation
is the ability to see this expanding and inclusive Entity, and to note
the law which is transcended when the part becomes the Whole." Dina 2 420
For instance, the truth that revelation is the revelation
of that which is ever present; it is not in reality the revelation of
something new and hitherto unknown. To put this in its simplest terms:
the initiate discovers he can perceive more than he ever knew was existent
or perceptible but that he is only perceiving something that has always
been there. The limitation, he discovers, is in himself, and the Way
of Revelation is through the discovery and the discarding of his own
personal, or rather, individual limitations.
The next point to be remembered is that these limitations
[Page 438] have been rejected by him under the applied stimulation of
the Rod of Initiation, wielded by the Initiator. I would ask you to
remember that this Rod is the Rod of Stimulating Light which is projected
by the Initiator with all its Lighted energy on to the centre which
is receiving attention during any specific initiation.
There is another point of revelation on the Way of
Initiation to which I would like to refer. It occurs when the light
which the initiate has generated or received is projected into the Past
and the subconscious mind (as the psychologists inadequately call it)
is revealed to him; this subconscious mind relates him to all the four
kingdoms in nature. This is one of the earliest phases and precedes
the shifting of the penetrating, focussed
light in extra-planetary areas of consciousness. It constitutes a fundamental
revelation and is in the nature of a "summarising
point of penetration." Dina 2 438
Every initiation is simply a recognition. It is a false
idea, current in many schools of the mysteries and of esotericism, that
initiation connotes a mysterious ceremony wherein, through the medium
of the initiator and the rod of initiation, conditions are definitely
changed in the aspirant, so that forever after he is altered and different.
An initiation takes place whenever a man becomes, through his own self-effort,
an initiate. Then having taken "the
At initiation two things happen: the initiate discovers
his fellow initiates, those with whom he can associate, and he finds
out also the mission to which he is called. He becomes aware of his
divinity in a new and factual sense, not just as a deeply spiritual
hope, an intriguing hypothetical possibility and his heart's desire.
He knows himself to be a son of God, therefore recognition is accorded
to him.
The application of the Rod of Initiation at the first
two initiations by the Bodhisattva enables the initiate to control and
utilise 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 incarnations
[Page 92] 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 hierophants. 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 Absolute must be regarded as unconsciousness. HIS 92
First and foremost is the energy or force emanating
from the sun Sirius. If it might
be so expressed, the energy of thought, or mind force, in its totality,
reaches the solar system from a distant cosmic centre via Sirius.
Sirius acts as the transmitter, or the focalising
centre, whence emanate those influences which produce self-consciousness
in man. During initiation, by
means of the Rod of Initiation (acting as a subsidiary transmitter and
as a powerful magnet) this energy is momentarily intensified, and applied
to the centres of the initiate with terrific
force; were it not that the Hierophant and the two sponsors of the initiate
pass it primarily through their bodies, it would be more than he could
stand. This increase of mind
energy results in an expansion and an apprehension of the truth as it
is, and is lasting in its effects. It
is felt primarily in the throat centre, the great organ of creation
through sound.
Another type of energy reaches man from the Pleiades,
passing through the Venusian scheme to us,
just as the Sirian energy passes through the
Saturnian. It has a
definite effect upon the causal body, and serves to stimulate the heart
centre.
A third type of energy is applied to the initiate,
and affects his head centre. It
emanates from that one of the seven stars of the Great Bear whose ensouling
life holds the same relationship to our Planetary Logos as the Ego does
to a human being. This energy,
therefore, is seven-fold, and differs according to a man's ray or type.
HIS 98
1. The Initiator.
2. The triangle of force formed by three adepts or
three Kumaras.
3. The sponsors.
In the case of the first two initiations, two Masters
stand, one on each side of the applicant, within the triangle; at the
third, fourth and fifth initiations, the Mahachohan
and the Bodhisattva perform the function of sponsor; at the sixth and
seventh initiations two great Beings, Who must remain nameless, stand
within the esoteric triangle. The
work of the sponsors is to pass through Their bodies the force or electrical
energy emanating from the Rod of Initiation.
This force, through radiation, circles around the triangle and
is supplemented by the force of the three guardians; it next passes
through the centres of the sponsors, being transmitted by an act of will
to the initiate. HIS 111
But by themselves, even if discovered by the unready,
they could accomplish little, for their use must be accompanied by the
power that comes from the application of the Rod of Initiation. This Rod, through its surmounting diamond, focuses
the three fires in the same way that a burning glass reacts to the sun,
and causes a conflagration. LOM 187
When atmic consciousness
is developing by means of the intuition, the [Page 264] Initiate can
contact the stores of knowledge inherent in the Monad, and thus learn
the Words of Power. This ability
comes only after the application of the Rod of Initiation as wielded
by the Lord of the World. Therefore by the higher stages of occult meditation
does a Master of the Wisdom increase still further His knowledge.
Not static is His consciousness, but daily embracing more.
Daily does He apply Himself to further expansion. LOM 264
The application then of the Rod of Initiation effects
something that stabilises vibration, and makes
it easier to progress in the task of vibrating to the higher measure
of the subtler planes.
He develops the capacity of the pupil to work in group
formation. He studies his action
and interaction on his own affiliated group.
He works with the pupil's causal body and its expansion and development,
and teaches the pupil to understand the law of his own being and through
that understanding brings him to a comprehension of the macrocosm.
Now all these various aspects of the Master's work
(and these are but a few of the points which might be considered) might
be dealt with at length and would prove of illuminating interest to
the reader. All the above paragraphs could be extended and
prove of exceeding interest. But
the main point I seek to make here is in connection with the earlier
stages of this work, before the pupil is admitted into the later stages
of close intimacy with his Master. The
Master during this period works with his disciple principally:—
a. At night, when he is out of the physical body.
b. During the periods when the disciple is meditating.
According to the success of the meditation, according
to the ability of the student to shut off the lower and contact the
higher, so will come the opportunity of the Master to accomplish successfully
the scientific definite work that [Page 277] needs His attention. Students of meditation would be astounded and
perhaps discouraged, could they realise how
seldom they provide the right conditions through meditation which will
enable their watching Teacher to bring about certain effects. LOM 277
As you know, the Master makes a small image of the
probationer, which image is stored in certain subterranean centres
in the
A time comes when the Master sees, from His inspection
of the image, that the needed rate of vibration can be held, that the
required eliminations have been made, and a certain depth of colour
attained. He can then take the
risk (for risk it is) and admit the probationer within the periphery
of His own aura. He becomes then
an accepted disciple.
The Master presides over the work of stimulating the
centres in the pupil's bodies and the awakening of the inner
fire. He teaches the pupil the
meaning of the centres and their correct fourth
dimensional rotation and in time He will bring the pupil to a point
where he can consciously and with full knowledge of the law work with
his centres, and bring them to a point where they can be safely
stimulated by the Rod of Initiation.
More on this subject is not yet possible......... LOM 280
The heat of the sun is electrical force adapted to
the need of the great average majority in all the kingdoms of nature. As progress is made an intensification of this
force will be possible in individual cases. Herein lies one of the secrets of initiation.
In the old days the Rod of Initiation acted actually as a conductor
of this force to the centres of the initiate; it was so constructed that it answered
this purpose. Now, on a higher
turn of the spiral, just the same need and purpose are served, though
the method of application necessarily differs, owing to the change in
the polarisation of the race.
The polarisation is now no longer physical,
but is either emotional or mental. The
method of application differs in all three, and hence the safeguarding
of the secret. It holds the mystery
hid. LOM 336
The symbolism of the Rod of Initiation teaches us that
(during the initiatory process) this Rod, directed by the Christ or
by the Lord of the World, as the case may be, is used to stabilise
the higher ethers within the personality by an access of applied energy
which enables the initiate to retain that which is from above, in order
that "as above, so below." Telepathy 162
The aspirant, therefore, has three things to do:
1. Purify, discipline and transmute his threefold lower
nature.
2. Develop knowledge of himself, and equip his mental
body; build the causal body by good deeds and thoughts,
3. Serve his race in utter self-abnegation.
In doing this he fulfils the law, he puts himself in
the right condition for training, fits himself for the ultimate application
of the Rod of Initiation, and thus minimises
the danger that attends the awakening of the fire. TCf
162
He contacts his causal body, in time he contacts the
matter of the buddhic plane.
By means of this touch his own vibration is temporarily and briefly
quickened. Fundamentally we are
brought back to the subject that we deal with in this treatise. The latent fire of matter attracts to itself
that fire, latent in other forms. They
touch, and recognition and awareness ensues.
The fire of manas burns continuously
and is fed by that which is attracted and repulsed.
When the two [Page 198] blend, the stimulation is greatly increased
and the ability to touch intensified.
The Law of Attraction persists in its work until another fire
is attracted and touched, and the threefold merging is completed. Forget not in this connection the mystery of
the Rod of Initiation.84 Later
when we consider the subject of the centres
and Initiation it must be remembered that we are definitely studying
one aspect of this mysterious faculty of touch, the faculty of the second
Logos, wielding the law of Attraction. TCf
198
At the time that initiation is taken, the centres are all active and the lower four (which correspond
to the Personality) are beginning the process of translating the fire
into the three higher. The dual
revolution in the lower centres 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 centres which might be enumerated as follows:
a. The fire at the base of the spine is definitely
directed [Page 208] to whichever centre is the object of special attention. This varies according to the Ray, or the specialised work of the initiate.
b. The centre 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 co-ordination of the buddhic vehicle,
and the transference of the lower polarisation
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 centres 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 centres
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 centres, and the ability to synthesise the force of the lower centres
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
centres, and finally (at liberation) to the radiant head centre
above, and synthesising the lesser seven head
centres. TCF 208
When the Rods of Initiation are held in the hands of
the Initiator in His position of power, and at the stated seasons, they
act as transmitters of electric force from very high levels,—so
high indeed that the "Flaming Diamond" at certain of the final
initiations (the sixth and seventh) transmits force, via the Logos,
from outside the system altogether.
We need to remember that this major Rod is the one used on this
planet, but that within the system there are several such Rods of Power,
and that they are to be found in three grades, if it may be so expressed.
First. The Rod
of Initiation used for the first two initiations and wielded by the
Great Lord, the Christ, the World Teacher.
It is magnetised by application of the "Flaming Diamond"—the
magnetisation being repeated when each new
world Teacher takes office. There
is a wonderful ceremony performed at the time that a new World Teacher
takes up His work. During the
ceremony He receives His Rod of Power—the same Rod as used since
the foundation of our planetary Hierarchy—and holds it forth to
the Lord of the World, Who touches it [Page 211] with His own mighty
Rod, causing a fresh re-charging of its electric capacity.
This ceremony takes place at Shamballa.89,90
Second. The
Rod of Initiation known as the "Flaming Diamond" and used
by Sanat Kumara, the One Initiator, called in the Bible, the
Ancient of Days. This Rod lies
hidden "in the East" and holds the fire latent which irradiates
the Wisdom Religion. This Rod
was brought by the Lord of the World when He took form and came to our
planet eighteen million years ago.
Once in every world period it is subjected to a similar
process as that of the lesser Rod, only this time it is recharged by
the direct action of the Logos Himself,—the Logos of the solar
system. The location of this Rod is known only to the
Lord of the World, and to the Chohans of the
Rays, and (being the talisman of this evolution) the Chohan
of the second Ray is—under the Lord of the World—its main
guardian, aided by the deva Lord of the second
plane. The Buddhas of activity
are responsible for its custody, and under them the Chohan of the Ray. It
is produced only at stated times when specific work has to be done.
It is used not only at the initiating of men, but at certain
planetary functions, of which nothing as yet has been given out.
It has its place and function in certain ceremonies connected
with the inner round91 and the triangle formed by the Earth, Mars [Page
212] and Mercury. But more about this is not at this time permissible.
Third. The Rod
of Initiation, wielded by the Logos of the solar system, is called among
other things, the "Sevenfold Flaming Fire."
It was confided to our Logos by the Lord of Sirius and sent to
our system from that radiant sun. One
of its purposes is for use in emergencies.
This great talisman has never yet been employed in this particular
manner, though twice it was nearly thus used,—once in Atlantean
days, and once in the third year of the late war. This Rod of Power is used at the initiation
of the seven Heavenly Men on cosmic levels.
It is used also in the initiation of groups, a thing almost incomprehensible
to us. It is applied to the centres
of the seven Heavenly Men in the same general way as the lesser Rods
are applied to the human centres, and the
effects are the same, only on a vaster scale. This, needless to say, is a vast and abstruse
subject, and concerns not the sons of men.
It is but touched upon, as an enumeration of the Rods of Initiation
would be incomplete without some reference to it, and it serves to show
the wondrous synthesis of the whole, and the place of the system within
an even greater scheme. In all
things cosmic, perfect law and order are found, and the ramifications
of the plan can be seen on all planes and all subplanes. This greatest Rod is in the care of the first
great group of karmic Lords. It
might be described as the Rod which carries a voltage of pure fohatic
force from cosmic levels. The
two lesser Rods carry differentiated fohatic
force. This logoic Rod of
Power is kept within the Sun, and is only re-charged at the beginning
of every one hundred years of Brahma.
The reason why the Rods of Power are here discussed
is that they have definitely to do with the centres
which are force vortices in matter and which (though channels [Page
213] for spiritual force, or centres wherein
the 'will to be' finds expression) demonstrate as activity in matter.
They are the centres of existence,
and just as one cannot, in manifestation, dissociate the two poles of
Spirit and matter, so one cannot, in initiation apply the Rod without
bringing about definite effects between the two.
The Rods are charged with Fohat which
is fire of matter plus electric fire, hence their effect.
The mystery cannot be explained in greater detail as the secrets
of initiation are not transmissible.
More has been here imparted on this matter than hitherto, though
there are those who have heard these things.
Tcf 212
his number 777 is also the number of transmutation,
which is the fundamental work of all the Heavenly Men.
The basic work of man is accumulation and acquisition, or the
acquiring of that which must later be transmuted.
The work of transmutation, or the true cycle of 777 commences
on the Probationary Path, and is definitely the activity of a Heavenly
Man being realised and responded to by the cells in His Body. Only when His Body has reached a certain vibratory
movement can He truly influence the individual cells. This work of transmuting cell activity was begun
on this planet during the last root-race, and the divine alchemy proceeds.
The progress made is as yet but small, but each transmuted [Page
307] conscious cell increases the speed and the accuracy of the work.
Time alone is needed for the completion of the work.
In connection with this matter of transmutation comes the legend
of the Philosopher's Stone, which is literally the application of the
Rod of Initiation, in one sense. Tcf 306
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 initiations
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 initiations of manas
by the Bodhisattva.29
When man individualised 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 centres
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 co-ordinated, and the Thinker enabled to function in them.
[Page 349]
All Rods of Initiation cause certain effects:
a. Stimulation of the latent fires till they blaze.
b. Synthesis of the fires through an occult activity
that brings them within the radius of each other.
c. Increase of the vibratory activity of some centre,
whether in man, a Heavenly Man, or a solar Logos.
d. Expansion of all the bodies, but primarily of the
causal,—this also in speaking of all the three types of Entities.
TCF 348
One further point I would make, and as it is of an
esoteric and occult nature, it can be but hinted at.
At the fourth Initiation, the force of the Logos of the fourth
Ray is a vital factor in the initiation.
It is through the application of the Rod of Initiation that His
Life energy is applied to the initiate, or the electrical force that
emanates from Him is geometrically circulated through certain [Page
433] centres, 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 harmonising 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.
TCF 432
In due course of time, it will be found that the self-induced
efforts whereby a man consciously prepares his centres
for the application of the Rod of Initiation at the first Initiation,
will be the subject of books, and of lectures, and form part of the
ordinary thought of the masses. This
again will eventuate in a cleavage between the two groups in the middle
of the fifth round. It must be remembered that this cleavage will
be part of a natural process, and not a drastic ruling, imposed upon
an unwilling people. The KNOWERS
and the students of the Knowledge—actuated by group consciousness,
and working consciously—will separate themselves in group formation
from those who know not, and from those who care not.
This cleavage will be self-induced, and a natural outgrowth of
the group life; it will in itself be of a temporary nature for the fundamental
aim in view will be the bringing about of an eventual closer merging;
it will mark primarily the line of demarcation between the lower four
Rays of consciousness, and the higher three. TCF 525
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 Initiation, 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 co-ordinating, 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 co-ordinated and become interactive. 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 circulation [Page 884] of the force currents perfected. According to a man's ray and subray, so is the Rod applied to what might be termed the
"key" petal. This of
course differs according to the unit of force involved. It is of interest to note here that, as the
petal substance is deva substance and as the
energy of the petals is the energy of certain manasadevas
(one of the three higher orders of Agnishvattas)
the initiate is overshadowed (the word is not entirely satisfactory
in explaining the type of deva service here
necessitated, but it must suffice) by a great deva
who represents the equilibrium of substantial vibration which is brought
about by the efforts of the initiate, aided by the adepts who present
him, and who each represent one of the two polarities of force.
This is temporarily stabilised by the
Initiator. These three factors,
1. The representing deva,
2. The two adepts,
3. The initiator,
form, for a brief second, a triangle of force with
the initiate at the centre. Through
them circulates the terrific power, the "fire from Heaven,"
which is brought down from the higher triad through the agency of the
electrical rod.
This application of extra-egoic
force is in itself of a threefold nature, as symbolised
by the three protective agencies and the threefold nature of the Rod
itself. It emanates in a primary
sense from the planetary Logos of a man's ray, and proceeds from that
one of the planetary centres which corresponds
to either the head, heart, or throat centre in a human unit.
This energy is applied to the corresponding tier of petals and
to the corresponding petal in a tier according to the initiation taken,
and according to the primary and secondary ray.
A close connection can be traced here between the petals and
the centres of the etheric level of
the physical plane, [Page 885] and thus it can be seen how (when the
necessary work is done) it is possible to have a direct transmission
of force from the higher planes to the lower in the following order:
a. From the logoic centre,
or the planetary Logos, to the Monad on its own plane.
b. From that Monad to one of the three tiers of petals,
according to the aspect or ray concerned.
c. From the tier of petals, viewed as a unit, to one
of the petals in the circle, according to the quality and type of force,
using the petal as a transmitting agency.
d. From the particular petal in which the force is
momentarily centred to one of the permanent
atoms, again according to ray and type of force.
e. From the permanent atom via the atomic triangle,
and the mental, and astral centres, to that
one of the three higher centres in the etheric
body particularly concerned.
f. From the etheric centre
to the physical brain.
We have here put very briefly the process of force
transmission from the Monad to man on the physical plane, and hence
it will be apparent why the emphasis is so consistently laid upon the
necessity for bodily purity (in all the three bodies), and upon the
alignment of those bodies so that the flow of force may be unimpeded.
The effects of this downflow of force
may be viewed in a twofold manner, that is, in a material and in a psychic
sense.
The material effect, or the result of this stimulation
upon the forms and upon the atoms in the forms, is to render them radioactive,
or to set loose the energy of substance.
This is the liberating of the energy imprisoned within the form,
and concerns the Brahma aspect, and [Page 886] the evolution of matter
itself. It affects the lunar bodies, and therefore relates
to the lunar Lords or Pitris, causing a weakening
of their hold upon the lesser builders, bringing them more under the
force streams from the solar Angels, and leading to a situation which
will eventually result in a return of the lunar Pitris
of all degrees to the central point for force substance. In a psychic sense the result of the downflow is a stimulation of consciousness, and the acquisition
(through that stimulation) of the psychic powers latent in man.
His three higher physical centres, the pineal gland, the pituitary body, and the alta major centre are affected, and man becomes psychically
aware in the physical brain of the higher influences, happenings and
powers. According to the ray
concerned, so is the centre affected.
The force of the lunar Lords, which has succeeded in keeping
these three organs quiescent, is superseded and the solar Angels pour
in their energy.
All this again is closely connected with the threefold
energy of the physical body, and produces effects within the spinal
column which arouses the kundalini fire at
the base of the spine, causing it to mount along the triple spinal channel,
again according to ray and aspect involved.
More anent this may not here be said, as the dangers of a premature
knowledge along this line are far greater than the dangers of ignorance.
Suffice it to point out that the fires at the lower centres,—those
below the diaphragm—have, by the time the second initiation is
reached, usually mounted to the centre between the shoulder blades;
at the second initiation they rise as far as the head, and all the fires
of the torso are then active. All that remains then to do is to centralise them, to produce the necessary geometrical interplay
between the seven head centres, and then to
focus them all prior to the final liberation in the highest centre of
all. TCF 886
The spiral-cyclic force demonstrates, as might be expected,
in seven ways; of these, the three major methods of demonstration are
symbolised in the Rod of Initiation of Sanat
Kumara. The Rod most frequently
recognised by men is that of the Hierophant, the Bodhisattva,
which consists of the straight central serpent with the two others entwined
around it, thus picturing, among other things:
a. The three outpourings,
b. The three worlds,
c. The spinal column and its channels,
or those main factors with which the initiate concerns
himself. He has to understand
somewhat the nature of matter and what is occultly
involved in that expression, his own triple constitution, the three
worlds in which he has to play his part, and the instrument which he
has to use. This rod of the Bodhisattva is surmounted by
a diamond which is not as great a diamond as the "Flaming Diamond"
of the first Kumara, but is of rare beauty.
At the time of initiation when the electrical forces are tapped,
this diamond revolves on its axis, picturing the rotary nature of atomic
matter.
The Rod of Sanat Kumara is
far more intricate, and instead of the central Rod, or Serpent, standing
on the tip of its tail, all the three serpents are interwoven in a spiral
fashion, and the Flaming Diamond which surmounts [Page 1036] it is of
such radiance that the effect is produced of a spheroidal
aura, cast around the interlaced serpents, typifying the form-building
nature of the Vishnu activity.
According to the initiation taken, a reflection will
be seen from a part of the interlaced serpents, and the illusion will
be created that the diamond is cycling up and down between the summit,
and the irradiated portion.
At the same time, each serpent revolves upon itself,
and likewise cycles around its neighbor, producing an effect of extraordinary
brilliance and beauty, and typifying rotary-spiral-cyclic force.
His work as Preserver and as Head of the Hierarchy
had not then begun. It was at
that time dependent upon the experience in the Garden of Gethsemane
and upon the Resurrection initiation.
Some day the gold and the silver threads of the Gospel story
will be disentangled, and men will know the two interpretations which
can be put upon the events and episodes in the career of Jesus the Christ.
The underlying true events give us great steps and developments
in the work of the Christ as He "enveloped humanity in the mantle
of love, grasped the rod of initiation on behalf of His brothers, and
faced the Lord of Life Himself, unattended, unafraid and in His Own
right." R& I 93
At this initiation he sees, for the first time, what
are the major energies which he must bring into expression, and this
vision is summed up for him in the Old Commentary in the following words:
"When the Rod of Initiation descends and touches
the lower part of the spine, there is a lifting up; when the eyes are
opened in the light, that which must be lowered into form is now perceived. The vision is acknowledged. The burden of the future is assumed. The cave is lighted up and the new man issues
forth."
That this may be true of all of you who read these
words is the prayer and the wish of your friend and counsellor.
R & I 673
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 [Page 688] 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 centre and the centre 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 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 centre and the centre 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. R & I 687
The family crest is, however, a very interesting one
and, from the angle of esoteric symbolism, extraordinarily significant. I know nothing of heraldry or the correct terms
in which to describe it. It consists
of a rod with a wing at each end and between the wings are to be seen
the five-pointed star and the crescent moon.
The latter harks back, of course, to the Crusades in which some
of my forebears must have apparently participated but I like to think
of the whole [Page 17] symbol as typifying the wings of aspiration,
the Rod of Initiation and as portraying the goal and the means, the
objective of evolution and the incentive which drives us all on towards
perfection—a perfection which eventually receives the accolade
of recognition by means of the Rod. In the language of symbolism the five-pointed
star has always signified perfected man and the crescent moon is supposed
to rule the lower or form nature. This
is the a.b.c. of occult symbolism but it interests
me to find it all brought together in our family crest. Autobio
16
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 realisation
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. Particularly is this so should the scheme in
which he plays his microscopic part be the centre 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 [Page 127] the solar system of that
greater Brotherhood on Sirius Whose Lodges are found functioning as
the occult Hierarchies in the different planets. Again, it is He Who, with the solar Logos to
assist Him, invests the various Initiators with power, gives to Them
that word in secret which enables Them to draw down the pure electric
force with which Their rods of office must be charged, and commits to
Their keeping the peculiar secret of Their particular planetary scheme.
4. Hierarchical, used by an occult Hierarchy for minor
initiations, and for the first two initiations of manas
by the Bodhisattva.
When man individualised in
Lemurian days, it was through the application of the Rod of
Initiation to the Logos of our earth chain, which touched into activity
certain centres in His body, with their corresponding
groups. This application produced
literally the awakening of the life to 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 co-ordinated,
and the Thinker enabled to function in them.
All Rods of Initiation cause certain effects:—
a. Stimulation of the latent fires till they blaze.
b. Synthesis of the fires through an occult activity
that brings them within the radius of each other.
c. Increase of the vibratory activity of some centre,
whether in man, a Heavenly Man, or a solar Logos.
d. Expansion of all the bodies, but primarily of the
causal body.
e. The arousing of the kundalini
fire (or the fire at the base of the spine), and the direction of its
upward progression. This fire,
and the fire of manas, are directed [Page 128] along certain routes—or
triangles—by the following of the Rod as it moves in a specified
manner. There is a definite occult reason, under the
laws of electricity, behind the known fact that every initiate presented
to the Initiator is accompanied by two of the Masters, Who stand one
on either side of the initiate. The
three of Them together form a triangle which makes the work possible.
The force of the Rod is twofold, and its power terrific.
Apart and alone the initiate could not receive the voltage from
the Rod without serious hurt, but in triangular transmission comes safety.
We need to remember here that two Masters sponsor all applicants
for initiation, and represent two polarities of the electric All. Part of Their function is to stand with applicants
for initiation when they come before the Great Lord.
When the rods are held in the hands of the Initiator
in His position of power, and at the stated seasons, they act as transmitters
of electric force from very high levels, so high indeed that the "Flaming
Diamond," at certain of the final initiations, the sixth and seventh,
transmits force via the Logos from outside the system altogether. This major Rod is the one used on this planet,
but within the system there are several such Rods of Power, and they
are to be found in three grades—if it may be so expressed.
One Rod of Initiation is used for the first two initiations,
and is wielded by the Great Lord. It
is magnetised by the application of the "Flaming Diamond,"
the magnetisation being repeated for each
new World Teacher. There is a
wonderful ceremony performed at the time that a new World Teacher takes
office, in which He receives His Rod of Power—the same Rod as used
since the foundation of our Planetary Hierarchy-and holds it forth to
the Lord of the [Page 129] World, Who touches it with His own mighty
Rod, causing a fresh recharging of its electric capacity.
This ceremony takes place at Shamballa.
The Rod of Initiation known as the "Flaming Diamond,"
is used by Sanat Kumara, the One Initiator.
This Rod lies hidden "in the East," and holds the fire
hidden that irradiates the Wisdom Religion.
This Rod was brought by the Lord of the World from Venus, and
once in every world period it is subjected to a similar process to that
of the lesser Rod, only this time it is recharged by the direct action
of the Logos Himself, the Logos of the solar system. The exact location of this Rod is known only
to the Lord of the World and to the Chohans
of the rays, and being the talisman of this evolution the Chohan
of the second ray is—under the Lord of the World—its prime
guardian, aided by the deva Lord of the second
plane. The Buddhas of Activity
are responsible for its custody, and under Them the Chohan of the ray. It
is produced only at stated times, when specific work has to be done.
It is used not only at the initiating of men, but at certain
planetary functions of which nothing is at present known.
It has its place and function in certain ceremonies connected
with the inner round, and the triangle formed by the Earth, Mars, and
Mercury.
The purpose of the Rods of Power.
In the sceptre of a ruling
monarch at this day is hidden the symbolism of these various Rods. They are duly recognised
as symbols of office and of power, but it is not generally appreciated
that they are of electrical origin, and that their true significance
is concerned with the dynamic stimulation of all the subordinates in
office who come under their touch thus inspiring them to increased activity
and service for the race.
[Page 130]
The great Rod of Power of the Logos Himself is hidden
in the sun.
To recapitulate, the esoteric location of the various
rods is as follows:—
1. The Rod of the Bodhisattva lies hidden in the "heart
of the wisdom," that is, at Shamballa.
2. The Rod of the One Initiator is hidden in "the
East," a definite planetary location.
3. The Rod of the solar Logos is hidden in "the
heart of the sun," that mysterious subjective sphere which lies
back of our physical sun, and of which our physical sun is but the environing
shield and envelope.
4. The Rod of the cosmic Logos associated with our
solar Logos is secreted in that central spot in the heavens around which
our solar system revolves, and which is termed "the central spiritual
sun."
One Rod is charged anew at Shamballa
for each new World Teacher; the Rod of Sanat
Kumara is charged afresh at each recurring world period, and therefore
seven times in the history of a planetary scheme.
The Logoic Rod of Power is electrified at the recurrence of each
new period of creation, or for each solar system through which the Logos
manifests, as a man manifests through his physical body life. The first two ceremonies take place at Shamballa, the sacred point of planetary manifestation, that
central location in our physical planet which corresponds to the heart
of a human being. Many of the
places on the earth's surface, for instance, which are famed for their
healing properties, are thus noted because they are magnetised
spots, and their magnetic properties demonstrate as healing influences. The recognition of these properties by man is
but the preamble of a later and more definite recognition, which will
eventuate when his etheric sight is normally
developed.
[Page 131]
These magnetic spots are magnetised
in three ways:—
1. By Sanat Kumara working
through the Manu. This occurs
when it is desirable to form a central magnetic point which, by its
attractive power, will draw into a coherent whole some race, nation,
or large organisation. Every nation has its "magnetic point,"
formed in etheric matter by the application
of the "Flaming Diamond" to the ethers; it is the national
heart and the basis of the national character. Usually the chief city of a nation is built
up around it, but this is not invariably so.
2. By Sanat Kumara working
through the Bodhisattva. In this
case, the electric force in the Rod is wielded in order to draw closer
together those influences which demonstrate in the great religions of
the world. The lesser Rod of Power is used here in conjunction
with the greater. By their means
the attractive quality or keynote of any religion is struck, and of
any organisation with a religious basis.
3. By Sanat Kumara working
through the Mahachohan.
By the wielding of the Rod of Power the magnetic focal points
of those great organisations which affect
the civilisation and the culture of a people are brought into
coherent activity.
All physical plane organisation—governmental,
religious, or cultural—is the working out of inner forces and causes,
and, before they definitely appear in physical manifestation, a focalisation—if
it might be so expressed—of these influences and energies, takes
place on etheric levels. The
organisation of the Freemasons is a case in point. It has two magnetic centres,
one of which is in Central Europe. In
all the cases cited, the Lord of the World was the officiating agent,
as is ever the case in the founding of great and important [Page 132]
movements. In all lesser movements for the helping of the
race, initiated by the Masters working through Their disciples, the
aid of the Bodhisattva is invoked, and the lesser Rod of Power employed.
When disciples initiate a movement on a relatively
tiny scale, the Master with Whom they work can similarly assist them,
and though He wields no Rod of Power, He has methods whereby He can
stimulate and cause to cohere the little endeavour
of the faithful followers. Thus
in all departments of human life the Rods of Initiation and the Words
of Power are used. The entire world government functions under
law and order, and the whole scheme is interdependent.
To return to the subject of human initiation, and these
Rods of Power. At the time of
the Initiation ceremony, after the two great revelations there comes
a moment of utter silence, and in the interim the initiate realises
within himself the meaning of "Peace." He stands, as it were, in a void, or in a vacuum,
wherein naught seemingly can reach him; he stands betwixt earth and
heaven for a brief second, conscious of naught but the meaning of things
as they are, realising his own essential divinity,
and the part which he must play when he again returns to earth service
from the Council Chamber of Heaven.
He is conscious of no anxiety, fear, or doubt.
He has contacted the divine "Presence," and has seen
the vision. He knows what he
has to do and how he must do it, and peace and joy unutterable fill
his heart. This is an interlude of stillness before a period
of renewed activity, which begins at the moment that the Rod is applied.
Whilst he has been thus withdrawn within himself, with all his
forces centred in his heart, the attendant
Lodge of Masters have been performing certain ceremonies and chanting
certain words, preparatory to the appearance of the Initiator upon the
throne, and the wielding [Page 133] of the Rod. The Hierophant has hitherto been present, but
the work has been handled by the Lodge and the Sponsors. He now ascends to the place of power, and the
Rod is brought to Him by its legitimate custodians.
It is not possible here to publish the details of the
next stage, beyond using the description as embodied in the words "fire
descends from heaven." Through
the utterance of certain words and phrases, which are one of the secrets
of initiation, and which vary with each initiation, the electrical force
to be employed descends upon the Rod, passing through the heart and
the hand of the Initiator to the Three Who stand in triangular relation
to the throne of office. They
receive it in turn, and circulate it by act of will through Their hearts,
thus passing it to the Sponsors. They
again, by an act of will, prepare to transmit it to that centre in the
body of the Initiate which is (according to the initiation) to receive
stimulation. Then succeeds an
interesting interlude, wherein the united wills of the Hierarchy are
blended in order to transmit that force which the Rod has put into circulation.
The Hierophant utters the word, and the force is literally thrown
into the initiate's bodies and centres, passing down through the centres
on the mental plane, via the astral centres,
to the centres on etheric levels, which
finally absorb it. This is the
stupendous moment for the initiate, and brings to him a realisation
of the literal absolute truth of the phrase that "God is a consuming
fire." He knows past all
gainsaying that fiery energy and electric force constitute the sumtotal
of all that is. He is literally
bathed in the fires of purification; he sees fire on all sides, pouring
out through the Rod, circulating around the Triangle, and passing through
the bodies of the two sponsoring adepts.
For a brief second, the entire Lodge of Masters and initiates,
standing in Their ceremonial places without the Triangle, are hidden
from view by a wall of [Page 134] pure fire.
The initiate sees no one, save the Hierophant, and is aware of
nothing but a fiery blaze of pure, blue-white flame, which burns, but
destroys not, which intensifies the activity of every atom in his body
without disintegrating, and which purifies his entire nature.
The fire tries his work, of what sort it is, and he passes through
the Flame.
The Effect of the Application of the Rod.
A. Upon the Initiate's bodies:
The effect is four-fold and lasting, but varies according
to the initiation taken. The
action of the Rod is most carefully and scientifically regulated, and
at each succeeding initiation the voltage is increased, and the activity
of the resulting fire and its heat intensified.
By the application of the Rod the initiate finds:—
1. That the activity of each individual atom in the
various bodies is increased, resulting in a greater degree of nervous
energy and an elasticity and resistance which will serve him in good
stead in the strenuous life of service ahead.
2. That matter of an undesirable type in his bodies
is shaken loose, and the atomic wall somewhat destroyed, making the
atoms radioactive—if it might be so expressed—and therefore
more easily eliminated.
3. The fires of the body are stimulated, and the total
energy of the threefold lower man is co-ordinated,
so that there is less waste of energy and a greater coherence and uniformity
in action.
4. The aligning of the various bodies in connection
with the causal, or egoic body is aided, and
thus continuity of consciousness, and receptivity to the behests of
the Ego, become possible.
[Page 135]
The initiate will find, when he returns from the ceremony,
and takes up his work in the world, that the stimulation received will
bring about in his bodies a period of great activity, and also of strife. This strife, persisted in to the point of victory,
will result in his taking out of his body undesirable matter, and building
in new and better material; he will find that his powers for service
are enormously increased, and his nervous energy intensified, so that
he can draw upon reserves of force in service hitherto unsuspected. He will find, also, that the response of the
physical brain to the voice of the higher Self, and its receptivity
to the higher and subtler impressions, is greatly furthered.
Eventually, through the work accomplished, he will succeed in
eliminating all matter of a subatomic character, and will then build
bodies of substance of the highest subplane
on each plane; he will become aware that all his energies can be consciously
and constructively controlled, that he knows the real meaning of continuity
of consciousness, and can function simultaneously on the three planes
with full inner realisation.
B. Upon the causal or egoic
body.
It is only possible to touch very briefly upon the
effect of the application of the Rod to the causal body of the initiate. The subject is immense, and will be more fully
dealt with in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire.
There are just two ways in which some idea of the fundamental
truth will be conveyed to the mind of the student, which we might now
consider.
First, the student should bear in mind the interesting
significance of the fact that he, on the physical plane, is a functioning
personality, with known and realised characteristics,
and yet withal, that he is a subjective Life, who [Page 136] uses that
personality as a medium of expression, and who—through the agency
of the physical, emotional, and mental bodies which comprise the threefold
lower man—makes his contacts with the physical plane and thus develops. The same general idea of development must be
now extended to the higher Self, the Ego on its own plane. This Ego is a great solar angel, who is the
medium of expression for the Monad or pure spirit, just as is the personality
for the Ego on the lower level. From
the point of view of man in the three worlds, this Ego, or Solar Lord,
is eternal; he persists throughout the entire cycle of incarnations,
just as the personality persists during the tiny physical life cycle. Nevertheless, this period of existence is only
relatively permanent, and the day dawns when the life which expresses
itself through the medium of the Ego, the Thinker, the Solar Lord or
Manasadeva, seeks to loose itself from even this limitation,
and to return to the source from which it originally emanated.
The life then, which manifested as a solar angel, and
which, through inherent energy, held together through long ages the
form egoic, withdraws itself gradually, and the form slowly dissipates;
the lesser lives of which it has been constituted, return to the general
fount of deva substance, plus the increased
consciousness and activity which is theirs through the experience of
being built into a form, and utilised by a
still higher aspect of existence. Similarly,
in the case of the personality, when the life egoic
withdraws, the threefold lower self dissipates; the little lives which
form the body of what has been called the lunar self (in contradistinction
to the solar self, being but its reflection) are absorbed into the general
reservoir of deva substance of a lower vibration to that which composed
the body egoic.
Similarly, also, their evolution has been furthered through [Page
137] having been built into a form for the use of the higher Self.
Through the application of the Rod of Initiation, the
work of separating the spiritual self from the higher self is furthered,
and the imprisoned life gradually escapes, whilst the causal body is
slowly absorbed or dissipated.
This has led to the expression, sometimes used in occult
books, of "the cracking of the causal body" at each initiation,
and to the idea of the inner central fire gradually breaking through
and destroying the confining walls, and also of the destruction of the
Temple of Solomon through the withdrawal of the Shekinah. All these phrases are symbolic wordings, and
are attempts to convey to the mind of man fundamental truth from different
angles.
By the time the fourth initiation has been reached,
the work of destruction is accomplished, the solar angel returns to
his own place, having performed his function, and the solar lives seek
their point of emanation. The
life within the form mounts up then in triumph to the bosom of its "Father
in Heaven," just as the life within the physical body at the moment
of death seeks its source, the Ego, and this likewise in four stages:—
1. By the withdrawal from the dense physical body.
2. By the withdrawal from the etheric
body.
3. By a later vacating of the astral body.
4. A final leaving of the mental body.
Another way of emphasising
the same truth is to regard the egoic body
as a centre of force, a wheel of energy, or a lotus, and to picture
it as a lotus with nine petals, hiding within these petals a central
unit of three petals; these in their turn secrete the central life,
or the "jewel in the lotus."
As evolution proceeds, these three circles of three petals gradually
unfold, having a simultaneous effect on one or [Page 138] 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 recognise
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 centres.
At the time that initiation is taken, the centres are all active, and the lower four (which correspond
to the Personality) are beginning the process of translating the fire
into the three higher. The dual
revolution in the lower centres 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 centres, which might
be enumerated as follows:—
The fire at the base of the spine is definitely directed
to whichever centre is the object of special attention. This varies according to ray, or the specialised work of the initiate.
The centre 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 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 co-ordination
of the buddhic vehicle, and the transference
of the lower polarisation 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 centres 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 centres,
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 centres in their position of synthesising 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 centres, and finally (at
liberation) to the radiant head centre above, synthesising
the lesser seven head centres.
The centres, 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.
[Page 140]
2. A development of psychic faculty that again may
lead to temporary distress, but which eventually causes a recognition
of the one self in all selves, which is the goal of endeavour.
3. A burning away of the etheric
web, through the gradual arousing of kundalini
and its correct geometrical progression, and a resultant continuity
of consciousness that enables the initiate consciously to utilise
time as a factor on the planes of evolution.
4. A gradual grasp of the law of vibration as an aspect
of the basic law of building, the law of attraction, is brought about,
and the initiate learns consciously to build, to manipulate thought
matter for the perfecting of the plans of the Logos, to work in mental
essence, and to apply the law on mental levels, and thereby affect the
physical plane. Motion originates cosmically on cosmic levels,
and in the microcosm the same will be seen. There is an occult hint here that, pondered
on, will reveal much. At initiation,
at the moment of the application of the Rod, the initiate consciously
realises the meaning of the Law of Attraction in form building,
and in the synthesis of the three fires. Upon his ability to retain that realisation, and himself to apply the law, will depend his
power to progress.
5. The Hierophant transmits higher manasic
energy to the initiate, so that he is enabled consciously to know and
recognise the plan for his group centre, through the immensely
increased stimulation. This force
descends from the manasic permanent atom via
the antahkarana, and is directed to whichever
centre the Hierophant—under the law—sees should be stimulated.
6. The Initiator stabilises
the force and regulates its flow, as it circulates through the egoic
body, so that when the work of unfoldment
is accomplished, the seventh principle [Page 141] at the Heart of the
Lotus can stand revealed. After
each initiation the lotus is more unfolded, and light from the centre
begins to blaze forth—a light or fire which ultimately burns through
the three enshrining petals, and permits the full inner glory to be
seen, and the electric fire of spirit to be manifested.
As this is brought about on the second subplane
of the mental plane (whereon the egoic lotus is now situated) a corresponding stimulation takes
place in the dense substance which forms the petals or wheels of the
centres on the astral and etheric
levels.