Initiation - 1

Wisdom Teachings
Inner Realities

The word initiation has been given different meanings. For many it means a ceremony performed for a special purpose. In earlier times, for example, a student approached the teacher with some fruits and flowers and sought to be initiated after having done to him a lot of service. When the teacher was pleased with the student, he gave him a holy word, which was spoken softly in the ear. The student had to keep it in great secrecy and repeat it internally.

The initiation took place on an individual basis. With the advent of the Aquarian Age, the Hierarchy found this too slow and replaced it with group initiations which are more focused on the essentials; formalities are omitted. Instead of the former close relationship between teacher and student, the teacher today gives the knowledge to groups, and thus, everyone can receive his own instructions through a group contact. It is not a mysterious event, but an expansion of consciousness, i.e., a stimulation of the consciousness to accelerate the development.

This acceleration is made possible by the Aquarian energy coming through Uranus. It lifts up the humanity from the mundane to the super-mundane planes of consciousness so that the illusion of death is erased. Master CVV said, “I will send humanity in groups to the third initiation. I will see that the initiations happen faster.”

Initiation means expansion of consciousness through a process of diving deep inside. The word initiation itself means to enter into. It is an entry into the original consciousness from where we started. In Sanskrit, this is called Upadesha. Every initiation is an unfoldment into the light that we are in our essence. It is a process of making the soul within to radiate more.

To do this we have to enter ourselves and begin the inner journey. However, we cannot enter the subjective world with the objective mind. The subjective mind is born at the first initiation. The first initiation is the touch of the divine, the birth of consciousness in man. This turns us slightly towards the divine. The first touch occurs without our knowledge. The second initiation marks the constant aspiration, the fire of intent. Here we live in objectivity, but slowly we develop within ourselves a second channel of awareness, whereby the subjective mind becomes active with the wisdom referring to the experience, Buddhi. At this stage, we often return home, into our inner, and conduct our exercises there.

Initiation is nothing but a sequential entering into inner chambers one after the other, thereby realizing the original state of the being. The mundane chamber is the solar plexus; the next inner chamber is the heart. We have to enter this chamber of the heart, the secret chamber known only to us and where we hear the sound that resounds in the heart centre. If we have no time for this, we cannot contact the source of our being. Outside exercises and prayers do not help.

To get inside, we close our eyes and observe the inner activity. We then perceive the respiration and the pulsation. The focus is more on the pulsation which is the basis for the respiration. This pulsation leads us to the subtle pulsation; this is called entering into our being. When we are able to enter the subtle pulsation, we are no longer associated with objectivity. We are then in the chamber of our heart, which is a golden cave, i.e., we encounter a field of golden light. As we go deeper and deeper into our being, we meet a radiant column, the Sushumna. There, we recognize that each one in his essence is a pillar of consciousness which has projected outward as a spark of consciousness through the opening of the heart centre. Most aspirants only know that they are a small part of a spark of light; they do not know that they are a column. This column is also called the rod of initiation. There is an upward movement inside up to the head. By nature we have our residence in the highest chamber of our being which is the Ajna. When we meditate with all attention on the outer heart, on the inner heart, and on the Ajna, the life force also slowly moves in that direction. This is the entrance to the third initiation. What we call the third initiation is, according to Eastern understanding, the first initiation into the realm of light. It is nothing but entering the Buddhic plane, the experience of immortality. Further work begins then.

Initiation is nothing but a successive entering into the inner chambers, one after the other, to realize the original state of the being. When we are informed of this, we would like to settle in the most effective chamber from where we can govern our lives and help others to reach that level.

If we align our being to The Being, then the work of The Being happens through our being. This is the status of an initiate. His quality is “to be” but not “to do”. He allows himself to be a channel for the Divine Plan to manifest. The will individual attunes to the Will Divine, and consequently, the Will Divine functions through the individual will: “Father, Thy will be done.” We should align to THAT even while we are in the activity.

This is a practice that does not require intellectual acrobatics. We also do not have to be very fit physically or have a lot of knowledge and literary erudition. Many initiates have not gone through schools or universities. Wisdom is simple and straight; it does not require mundane faculties, but only an attentive mind, which is God-given if we do not destroy it.

Many, however, are more inclined to study books or listen to wisdom and they are less inclined to practice delinking oneself from the material. He who has read many books by Blavatsky and Bailey and can quote from them fluently might live in the fancy of being a great initiate. But such well-read students pose greater difficulties to the teacher because, first of all, a lot has to be removed before the disciple begins to live with the practical steps of wisdom. It is easier with a virgin student.

Nobody can become an initiate by reading books - we do not change this way. The knowledge comes from within. The soul is full of wisdom; this is its nature. The light of the soul is nothing but the wisdom of the soul. The key to this is the service to the surrounding life. Initiations do not happen as long as we are self-centred or think a lot about discipleship and initiations, but by intensely engaging in helping others. Initiations will happen without any special effort when we forget ourselves while serving. We transform ourselves by doing acts of good will in a great measure. When the well-being of others comes before our own projections and resulting conflicts, we have taken the first initiation. There are people who, even after the third initiation, remain attached to their own salvation because of their self-centredness - always wanting to ascend higher, just to become bigger themselves. This is not possible in the Aquarian Age. Even someone who has attained the fourth initiation will return to serve the people and to show them the path.

For the present time, group initiations are planned in higher circles. This happened few times in the past with great initiates; now in the Aquarian Age it will happen more frequently. In tune with this plan, people gather in groups and work together on the path. All the students more or less join the teacher at the same time. Then they also make more or less a collective effort. Individuals are making faster progress because of their collective effort to meet the requirements for initiation. For example, when a group prepares for the exam, it is the individual passing the exam. If six or seven people pass an exam together, they are declared as passed at the same time. Similarly, when the individuals within a group are making efforts to meet the requirements for the initiation, the aspirants can take the initiation collectively.

Therefore, the Hierarchy says, “Try to live in a group and see how you fit into it.” The hidden shadows will come out. The problems we see in others are our own problems, not theirs. The first initiation is that each one initiates conflicts with others. If two opinions exist in a group and a higher dimension is found through cooperation, then this is a 'group initiation'. Thus, the Masters say: “Brothers, cooperate!”

Group initiation does not yet exist for humanity as a whole, as it is still in the kindergarten. The initiation is only for people who have fulfilled their experiences on the planet. Persons who have not yet been exposed to the duties of everyday life must still undergo the experiences of the physical plane before they can take the next step. We cannot play in a national football team until we have learned in a local or regional team. However, there are people all over the world who are ready for group initiation. Together they form a team.

Sources used: K.P. Kumar: Hercules. Notes from seminars. E. Krishnamacharya: Overseas Messages 1. The World Teacher Trust - Dhanishta, Visakhapatnam, India