Degrees of Initiation
Behind all Paths, there is an organic hierarchy.
Each person's spiritual path is different. Yet, behind each path, there is a natural sequence of development that is the same for everyone. The only thing that differs, is the forms in which this development manifests in your life. This process is called Initiation.
The degrees of initiation are the understanding of the expansions of consciousness. Up to a certain point, they make it more clear what one's challenges, themes and capabilities. Just like someone who has learned to count can learn arithmics, and it only makes sense to teach ma
In our school we comprehensively study this subject. And to some extend, we base what teachings we offer to a member on their degree of initiation. This leads to a natural hierarchy of members, that we like to keep simple. For this reason, we have divided of into three degrees: we have members, initiates and masters.
Initiation
From the moment we first make contact with our soul, whether that was in this lifetime or in an earlier one, we gradually expand our awareness beyond the worldly.
This process of gradual unfoldment, always happens from the bottom (coarsest energy levels) to the top (subtlest energy levels). This reflects in the experiences we have inside ourselves, and may also see reflections in our outer life. The forms that these inner and outer reflections take may differ from person to person, according to their energetic constitution, karmic state, the symbols we dress our mental life in and our surroundings.
Beyond these forms lies an abstract spiritual evolutionary process that is the same for everyone. Simply because the working through of layer after layer of consciousness, from coarse to ever more subtle, always requires one to go move through one layer before the next can be reached.
The first initiations go fairly slow, and may take lifetimes or great many years to complete. The later initiations usually go faster, but still may take many years. Ultimately, they lead the seeker deeper into their spiritual life, and gradually away from our planet. They move from personality life into soul life, and from simply living, to planetary service, until finally cosmic service might be embraced.
It is a long and winding road, that asks the absolute most of the seeker in every stage. Having an understanding of these stages helps to identify the challenges at hand and the qualities needed to overcome them. In an otherwise deeply mysterious process, this can be an invaluable asset.
Below, we give a very brief synthesis of each of them. Many spiritual traditions throughout history have used similar systems. We use the system as was described by Alice A. Bailey, with some additions coming from Sat Mindo Dev, as well as the personal experiences of our founder Swami Mantrikadeva.
Initiations
The first four degrees introduce the practitioner into the energies and dynamics of the spirit. As a series, they teach the practitioner to gradually integrate the energy of their soul into the layers of their personality.
1
Ray: 7
Keywords
- Etheric-physical level awakening of soul consciousness
- Start of bottom-up awakening to soul consciousness
- True beginning of spiritual path, consciously or unconsciously
- Usually takes several lifetimes
First Initiation: The Birth
The First Initiation marks the awakening of Soul consciousness within the individual. Previously, leading spiritual life was largely a possibility. Now, it has become an emerging reality. In their dealings with physical life, the abstract reality of the soul starts to play an important role. This doesn't need to be completely conscious yet, although for many people it is.
The themes of this stage will show themselves by a reorientation of activities and interests towards the greater good, the collective, higher purposes, etcetera. From another perspective, the first degree initiate begins to cultivate mastery over their own physical nature and to subordinate instinct, appetite and material identification to more exalted purposes. Millions of seekers today are working through this level.
2
Ray: 6
Keywords
- Astral-emotional level awakening of soul consciousness
- Purification of and mastery over of lower mind, desire and emotions
- Transformation of desire into aspiration
- Moving from ideal*ism* towards ideals in service of spiritual awakening
- Acquiring emotional freedom
Second Initiation: The Baptism
The astral-emotional nature is the subject of intense purification during the second initiation. It needs to become a clear and polished mirror, to reflect intuition in. In order to achieve this, the functions of the lower mind, desire, emotions, fanaticism and idealism all need to be brought under control and gradually subjugated to spiritual life.
Many seekers today are going through this stage, in which the challenges to overcome are temporarily greatly intensified. Making them often lose their balance and, often without even noticing, creating many challenges for themselves in the process. It is a very intense process that can take many lifetimes.
3
Ray: 5
Keywords
- Moving from lower (concrete) mind to higher (abstract) mind
- Integrating the personality with the soul
- Soul mastery over the threefold personality
- Culminating in first experience of Self-Realisation
- First major initiation from cosmic viewpoint
- Transition from initiate to Initiate
Third Initiation: The Transfiguration
After the second initiation, the initiate gradually takes on an entirely new form. In many cases, traditional religions become an obstacle more than a support in this stage. Initiates who have reached this stage without consciously turning to spirituality, will usually start doing so now.
Having mastered the astral-emotional nature, the focus now shifts towards the abstract mental level. This requires the initiate to go beyond the conceptual levels of thought. In the process, the personality will become further rounded out, and made ready to fully conduct soul energy, leading to what we call an integrated personality.
It is only when this difficult task has been completed, that the practitioner can come to experience the Self (or Soul) in full for the first time. This is called Self-Realisation. Only from that moment on, he/she is considered an Initiate, from a cosmic viewpoint. Meaning that only now, spiritual life truly begins. Spiritual life can start going much faster now and the number of people that have completed this degree are only in the thousands worldwide.
In our organisation, the completion of this initiation gives access to certain roles in ministry.
4
Ray: 4
Keywords
- Inner renunciation of the personal self
- Death of attachment to form side of life
- Culminating in Liberation from cycle of rebirth
- Self-sacrifice into full spiritual service
- Final release of negative karmas
Fourth Initiation: The Crucifixion
The fourth stage of initiation is sometimes called the crucifixion. Allegorically depicted in the story of Jesus Christ, this initiation asks of the initiate of this degree that all personal preferences are renounced, in favour of the Soul.
The experience of Self-Realisation, at the culmination of the Third Initiation, gave the individual an exalted peak experience of an entirely new kind. Naturally, it has caused a strong spiritual desire in the individual to relive the experience. In search of another instance of this experience, everything that still stands in between the initiate and the Absolute will have to be sacrificed, through inner renunciation.
The fact that this requires him/her to make choices in patterns that lead to such a rare experience, may cause a lot of misunderstanding in and judgement from their environment. The right choices need to be made in spite of this, otherwise development comes to a halt, causing a dark night of the soul.
Once the initiation is fully taken, he is considered Liberated from rebirth.
Higher Initiations
The higher degrees introduce the practitioner into the regions of Masterhood, from the angle of humanity. As a series, they transition the practitioner from the planetary spiritual dynamics into the cosmic dynamics of greater service.
5
Ray: 1
Keywords
- Attainment of Mastery
- A fully spiritual being
- Beginning of the Way of Higher Evolution
- Attaining great steadiness in the process of revelation
- New level of awareness in cosmic spiritual purpose
Fifth Initiation: The Revelation
The fifth initiation is a period where the spiritual focus of the initiate greatly shifts, towards useful work in planetary service. He is now considered a Master/Adept and learns to deal more extensively with revelation.
Choices made now, need an entirely different foundation than the initiate is used to, causing all kinds of problems in his/her life. This is the beginning of the Way of Higher Evolution, which takes the initiate into serious cosmic responsibilities, that can only be attained by merit.
Meanwhile, profound new insights on the level of energy, in the phenomena the newly made Master encounters in his activities, strongly colour his inner life.
6
Ray: 3
Keywords
- Increased awareness of new directions and possibilities
- Choice between Seven Cosmic Paths
- Great deepening of one’s purpose
- Transition from human planetary service into higher levels of spiritual work
Sixth Initiation: The Decision
An interesting period follows, in which the newly acquired insights from the Fifth degree are put into practice. His choices for service, combined with his treading of the Way of Higher Evolution, lead him into a whole new level of decision.
Seven different paths open up to him/her, the Seven Cosmic Paths. Gradually, they are revealed to the Master, while his Divine Nature leads him onto one of them. The Master realises he has the freedom to choose any of them, yet is at the same time still bound through his remaining, virtuous karma.
The initiate must decide how his accumulated wisdom and power will be employed in relation to the greater evolutionary Plan. The choices made must translate to valuable service in his chosen field.
7
Ray: 2
Keywords
- Severing of connection to final personal karma
- Surrender to chosen Cosmic Path
- Consciously stepping into great cosmic mystery
- Greater identification with Divine Life
Seventh Initiation: The Resurrection
At this stage, the initiate receives a revelation of Love-Wisdom as the fundamental quality of our planetary Logos and solar system. The initiate’s will becomes fully aligned with the divine Purpose, and he/she becomes an increasingly conscious transmitter of the energies that sustain the evolution of our planet and solar system.
The Seventh Initiation thus marks the culmination of the path of initiation and the beginning of an entirely different cycle of experience, extending beyond the boundaries of our planetary and solar systems. It is a return to the original state of Being, in which the initiate becomes conscious of a greater Life that encompasses our Solar System.
Final personal karma, belonging to one's virtues, is transcended here. This is the true meaning of Resurrection: not merely immortality, but freedom from identification with the forms through which life expresses itself.
8
Ray: 4, 5, 6, 7
Keywords
- Transition into cosmic responsibility
- Stepping beyond planetary consciousness
- Moving entirely beyond sensory awareness
- Full purpose of planetary life forms revealed
Eighth Initiation: The Transition
The Eighth Initiation, The Transition, concerns a passage beyond the established field of planetary evolution into the wider evolutionary possibilities of cosmic existence. The sensory awareness so characteristic of human life on our planet is transcended.
Having gained full understanding of our planetary forms, the initiate now becomes able to come in touch with Cosmic Evil directly. In the new cosmic role he is transitioning onto, he will serve as a protecting and converting factor towards humanity. Translating certain energies into more workable and understandable vibrations.
9
Ray: 1, 2, 3
Keywords:
- Complete severence of ties to Cosmic Physical Plane, except as relating to spiritual service
- Total embrace of Cosmic Path
- Fixation onto Cosmic Role
- Consciously refusing planetary service in favour of cosmic service
- Final contact with Cosmic Evil
Ninth Initiation: The Refusal
At the Ninth Initiation, the initiate comes in full direct contact with the Absolute for the first time. In a total embrace of the cosmic path he has steppen onto, he ascends to a fixed point relating to his new cosmic role.
From this point on, the intiates life will begin to take shape beyond the comprehension of even 6th and 7th degree Masters. He now completely transcends his ties to the Cosmic Physical Plane, severing all ties but those needed needed for his continued planetary service.
He is now a cosmic worker for harmony, who works out the karma of the solar system, either in relation to our planetary life forms or on more abstruse levels.
Supreme Initiations
The supreme degrees perfect the use of the awareness of the Master for service on Cosmic levels. As a series, they round out the energy field and take away the final veils that exist between the practitioner and the Absolute.
10
Ray: all rays (as spectrum)
Keywords
- Perfecting of surrender
- Full embrace of unconditional Divine Love
- Direct experience of Eternal Light
- Complete union of the masculine–feminine polarities, in all parts of Being
Tenth Initiation: The Marriage
In this very harmonious period, that is dominated by the feeling of coming home, the initiate feels celebrated by the cosmos as he/she perfects his surrender to the Absolute.
He now fully embraces Divine Love, and has a direct experience of the Divine Light, in its wide spectrum of variations.
During this stage, the initiate sees all the polarities complete their union, within all parts of his Being.
11
Ray: all rays (in unison)
Keywords
- Transcendence of one’s inner Causality
- Eternal Light very closely experienced as through prism
- Direct experience of Ahamkara as a whole
- Crystalline clarity of consciousness
Eleventh Initiation: The Overview
During this exalted period, the initiate consciously transcends all his inner causalities, in an experience of divine overview.
The Eternal Light is seen again, now even more closely, like a single beam of light shining through a prism. A great feeling of crystalline clarity dominates the life of the initiate.
The complete sense of "I AM THAT", or Ahamkara in its most harmonious expression, is now directy experienced and transcended.
12
Ray: source of all rays
Keywords
- Fully entering Sahaja Samadhi, the natural state
- Eternal Light now directly experienced
- Full embrace of the Absolute
- Divine and ordinary now One
- Complete and definite removal of division between spirit & matter, light & dark, spiritual & non-spiritual etc.
Twelfth Initiation: The Source
In an embrace of the Absolute that feels incredibly final and natural at the same time, the Eternal Light is now experienced in all fullness. No phenomena or prism are in between the initiate and the Absolute anymore.
He enters the Yogic state of Sahaja Samadhi permanently now.
This completely and definitely removes the division between spirit & matter, light & dark, spiritual & worldly, etcetera.
The Infinite Ladder
In an intense and somewhat surprising culminating experience, the initiate of the twelfth degree, as he finishes this initiation, for the first time steps off the first 12-steps of the initiatic ladder and experiences that evolution continues still further beyond it.
In this way, he or she catches a glimpse of the infinity of ascension, becoming aware of the endless continuum of service work that needs to be done within the Universe.
And then... beyond?
After the realisations gained in the Twelfth Initiation, what comes next? In the rare case one is able to attain these sublime levels of consciousness, and continues to still further ascend the ladder, experiences are had of identifications on the level of cosmic service.
It is unwise to speculate on these levels of awareness for anyone but those Yogis whose immediate steps of development lie in these abstract regions.
To give a very faint idea any way: one reaches further beyond the limits of our solar logos and into higher solar and cosmic regions of awareness, new levels of gunas beyond what before seemed to be nirguna, etcetera...
