Initiation

Initiation is the process whereby Man consciously follows a 'fast track' process to ennoble and balance one's soul towards selfless love by the disciplined practice of initiation exercises that lead to Man's transformation and spiritualization. It ultimately leads to becoming one with the divinity, see also Enlightenment and God experience.

The results and intermediary goals of the process are to establish a connection with the spiritual reality, to be able to consciously live and function in the other worlds or planes, communicate with the spiritual beings at the different levels, and also to act in these worlds. In other words, to broaden our view from the (limited) sensory or waking consciousness with which we function in physical reality using our physical senses and thinking.

Initiation therefore consists, in the first place, in developing higher astral senses and different stages of clairvoyance or higher knowledge. This can only be achieved through attaining sufficient elemental balance in our different bodily principles (working the unbalances in our astral and mental bodies), and achieving mastery of our physical senses and nervous system.

Put differently in more mundane phrasing : it comes down to improving our character and becoming a better person, by taking responsibility of one's own further development and working this self-consciously as a priority (rather than evolving more slowly through the laws of karma across incarnations). We can only do this by working the development of our consciousness. This is done by not only living the experiences in the physical material world and all its sensory impulses (like the majority of people), but by focusing also on the conscious experience of our inner life of soul and becoming conscious, not theoretically but very experientially, of our individual functioning as a spiritual being with its multiple bodily principles. The shorthand for this was known since the Greek culture as 'Man, know thyself'.

To this purpose there are many different paths with exercises for training oneself, and these have existed across the ages and cultures. Because body and soul of Man changes across different cultural ages, the exercises also change and need to be adapted and suited for a certain age.

For today's Western culture, this site focuses on the initiation teachings of initiates such as Franz Bardon and Rudolf Steiner. However these are consistent with a broad spectrum of exercises from various traditions: the hermetic and rosecrucian traditions, but also the christian esoteric, yogic, and what is known as magic in its many forms.

Aspects

Note: this is not an exhaustive list, this section only serves temporarily, see 'Contents' section below for the various aspects as elaborated on different topic pages

separation of threefolded faculties of the Human 'I' through the process of initiation
- thinking, feeling and willing are separated .. for general humanity that will first be attained at the Future Jupiter stage of the Earth (1907-03-16-GA097) - see Walking Speaking Thinking
more quotes by Rudolf Steiner on meditation, temporarily here: [[Initiation exercises#[9] - Work area]]

Inspirational quotes

Lao Tzu

If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of yourself.
If you want to eliminate the suffering in the world, then eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself.
Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation

Wang Yangming just three different quotes along the same line ..

Knowledge is the beginning of practice; doing is the completion of knowing.
To know and not to act is to not know.

Thought and learning are of small value unless translated into action.

Swami Sivananda

An ounce of practice is better than tons of theory.

1919-12-06-GA194

we cannot look for any further development of Man from sources outside himself. The impulses for the progress of human evolution must in future be called forth from within; they must proceed from our connection with the spiritual world,

1920-01-17-GA196 ..

"the science of initiation is the only possibility for the further progress of humanity"
.. there is no sense in talking about the continued progress of human evolution through purely natural means.
Evolution can take a step forward only when humanity is fructified by initiation science

Franz Bardon

On Earth every human being has two teachers: firstly, him- or herself and, secondly, fate. What Man is not able to achieve by his own diligence, practice, renunciation, pain, grief, etc., will be served up by the buffets of fate. Life is a school, not an amusement fair.

Daskalos (in HTS, book by Markides)

I see The Way ahead of me ..
Whether I have abundant light as I travel on that road or a few street lights that can help me proceed in relative safety it is the same Way. I can still reach my destination. Whether I can see more or less clearly during my travel it does not matter in the final analysis. [Kikis Christofides interjecting: .. I am not able to observe everything in detail and with clarity].

My journey into the interior of myself becomes easier with greater light.

Introductory topics
- difference between clairvoyance, magic, ..
- initiation and the books of wisdom: the 22 tarot cards
- the degrees of initiation, eg chela, adept, seven grades of the old Persian initiation
Contemporary initiation
- Rudolf Steiner and initiation
  - Exercises in Knowledge of Higher Worlds (KHW) and Outline of Esoteric Science (OES)
  - The First Class
  - Underlying the initiation exercises
  - Karma exercises
  - Meditation texts
- Franz Bardon and initiation
  - Initiation into Hermetics (IIH)
- Daskalos and initiation
- Guidance from Christian texts: prayer and moral guidance
  - The Gospel of John as an initiation document
  - The Lord's Prayer and its seven petitions
  - The Nine beatitutudes of the Sermon on the Mount
  - The Eightfold pad of Buddha
- More sources of the topic of initiation
Practical exercises and their explanation
- Initiation exercises
- understanding the underlying mechanisms related to the exercises
  - guardian(s) of the threshold - see Initiation exercises#.5B1.5D - Guardians of the Thresholds
- Development of the chakras
History of initiation
- Introduction
  - Mysteries of the Spirit, the Son and the Father
  - Mystery School tradition
- Ancient Mysteries, initiatory processes and locations: Initiation in ancient Mysteries
  - Initiation in the ancient Indian cultural age
  - Initiation in the ancient Persian cultural age (Mithras cult, seven stages of initiation)
  - Initiation in the Egypto-Chaldean cultural age
  - The Greek Mysteries
- Comparison between systems
  - Rosecrucian initiation
  - Christian initiation
- Ancient Mystery sites

Lecture coverage and references

Man: fragments of forgotten history (1885)

the section on Occult Hierarchy states:

there are four steps, technically called " accomplishments," which lead the neophyte to the rank of an accepted chela

and goes on to describe the initiate, the clairvoyant, the adept (see also 1907-09-21-GA111)

1904-GA010

The knowledge and power which are conferred upon a man through Initiation could not be obtained in any other manner excepting in some far distant future, after many incarnations, on quite another road and in quite another form

1919-12-06-GA194

As I have often explained to you, we cannot look for any further development of Man from sources outside himself. The impulses for the progress of human evolution must in future be called forth from within; they must proceed from our connection with the spiritual world, and we must not blind ourselves to the fact that unless something is added by our own exertion to the experiences of life, these will tend increasingly to become experiences of decline. We find ourselves already in the descending evolution of the Earth, and as human beings we must lift ourselves up by our own efforts if we are to transcend the Earth-evolution, for we can emerge beyond it only through our connection with the spiritual world.

Daskalos

Daskalos described how, as a basis for his teaching (system he called the Research of Truth), he was given the Seven Promises directly by Yohannan [editor: Saint John, see more on Individuality of Christian Rosenkreutz].

To serve at all times and in all places Absolute Beingness to whom I whole heartedly belong.
To be ready at all times and in all places to serve the Divine Plan.
To make good use of the Divine Gifts of thought and word at all times, in all places and under all circumstances.
To endure patiently, without complaining, all forms of trials and tribulation which the most wise Divine Law may bestow upon me.
To love and serve my fellow human beings sincerely from the depths of my heart and soul no matter what their behavior may be towards me.
To meditate and to contemplate daily Absolute Beingness, with the objective of total coordination of my thoughts, desires, words and actions with Its Divine Will.
To investigate and check every night whether all my thoughts, desires, words and actions are in absolute harmony with the Divine Law.

Sri M

(SWCC)

Question: Could you elaborate on the purification of mind? What does it involve, and how does one achieve a pure mind?
Sri M: Most difficult. It’s easier said than done, but there are ways and means. All the great teachers from time immemorial have said that there are two strands which have to come together in one’s spiritual progress for purifying the mind. One is how we live in this world, very important, and the other is what do we do internally. Both things are there; they have to go side by side.
[One]
You cannot say that, “I will lead as selfish a life as I want” and every evening at seven I would be in the bath, and I will watch TV all I like, and I won’t care for my neighbor who is ill, and then I will continue to meditate for two hours a day and reach a pure mind. Not possible.
So, there are two strands to this. Therefore all the great teachers .. said there are yamas and niyamas to be followed, and these are deliberately to be followed. Don’t expect the mind to get purified by itself. You have to deliberately follow a way of life in which you cause least harm to others. In fact, if possible, give good unto them.
[editor: yamas and niyamas are ethical guidelines or 'moral codes', ways of 'right living'. The term comes from Patanjali's eightfold path or eight limbs of yoga]
And the key here is restraint. Control. Just before you speak, think: “What am I going to say? Who am I going to say it to? Is this the right situation to say it?” You get good food, eat, but always restrain yourself and say, “Oh, maybe this could be shared by two?”
Everything has to be a restraint in your daily life. If that kind of restraint is there, then slowly the mind gets purified. When you say purify, it’s not as if it is dirty and is getting purified – it’s disturbed and distracted. It’s ruffled. It’s like a rollercoaster ride. You know how daily life goes. So, if you can become less self-centered, if you can restrain, if you can control your sense organs, at least to a great extent, then automatically the mind begins to become purified.
[Two]
That’s one, and then, as a deliberate act of developing the mind, you should find some time daily to sit down and interiorize your mind. This is also important. These have to go side by side. Whatever work you do in the outside world, do it with one-pointed attention, otherwise you cannot expect to be one-pointed when you sit 15 minutes a day, because the mind follows habit. You have established a pattern. You cannot suddenly shift it in the evening, right? This is so important. A yogi is one who drives when he drives and meditates when he meditates. Not meditates when he drives. Then, he’s danger to himself and everybody on the road. Complete attention to whatever you are doing by itself is a meditation. You don’t have to separate your meditation from this. The guidelines are there in all religious texts, in all teachings.

Discussion

Note 1 - Notes on Daskalos's Seven Promises

Daskalos described how, as a basis for his teaching (system he called the Research of Truth), he was given the Seven Promises directly by Yohannan [editor: Saint John, see more on Individuality of Christian Rosenkreutz]. See also Daskalos and initiation.

The note below just adds some comments to show how these seven promises are of a universal nature, and appear in all spiritual schools and initiation systems. See also the Sri M quote above as just one example.

Related pages

References and further reading

Willi Seiss: Die Passion Christi als Urbild des Hermetischen Einweihungsweges
- see also Schema FMC00.322