The constitution of man, as considered in the following pages, is basically threefold, as follows:—
I. The Monad, or pure Spirit, the Father in Heaven.
This aspect reflects the three aspects of the Godhead:
and is only contacted at the final initiations, when man is nearing the end of his journey and is perfected. The Monad reflects itself again in
II. The Ego, Higher Self, or Individuality.
This aspect is potentially
The Ego begins to make its power felt in advanced men, and increasingly on the Probationary Path until by the third initiation the control of the lower self by the higher is perfected, and the highest aspect begins to make its energy felt.
The Ego reflects itself in
III. The Personality, or lower self, physical plane man.
This aspect is also threefold:
The aim of evolution is therefore to bring man to the realisation of the Egoic aspect and to bring the lower nature under its control.
We now come to the consideration of the secrets committed at the initiation ceremony to the initiate. It is apparent, of course, that only the fact of the secret, and an indication as to the matter with which it concerns itself can be touched upon, and even this would be left unmentioned were it not that a knowledge of the general outline of the subject may inspire the applicant for initiation to a more careful study of such a subject and to a more diligent equipping of his mental body with information. Thereby (when in due course of time he stands before the Initiator) he will lose no time in utilising the acquired secret.
The Sevenfold Secret.
After the administration of the oath which pledges the initiate to inviolable secrecy, the newly made initiate advances alone closer to the Hierophant; he then places his hand upon the lower end of the Rod of Initiation which is held in the centre by the Hierophant. The Three Who stand around the throne of office then place Their hands upon the glowing diamond which surmounts the Rod, and when these five personalities are thus linked by the circulating energy emanating from the Rod, the Initiator confides to the initiate the secret. The reason for this is as follows: Each of the five initiations with which we are immediately concerned (for the higher two, not being compulsory, are outside our present consideration) affects one of the five centres in man,
1. The head,
2. The heart,
3. The throat,
4. The solar plexus,
5. The base of the spine,
and reveals to him knowledge concerning the various types of force or energy by which the solar system is animated, and which reach him via a particular etheric centre. At the application of the Rod his centres were affected in a particular fashion. By the impartation of the Secret, the reason is committed to his care, and that reason is demonstrated to him to be identical with that which necessarily produces some particular planetary manifestation, and which causes a certain specific greater cycle.
It might be pointed out that:—
1. Each secret concerns one or other of the seven great planes of the solar system.
2. Each secret deals with, and is the enunciation of, one of the seven laws of nature. They therefore concern one or other of the basic evolutions of each planetary scheme. Each scheme embodies one of the laws as its primary law, and all its evolutions tend to demonstrate the perfection of that law with its six subsidiary mutations, these six differing in one particular in each case according to the primary law manifested.
3. Each secret conveys a key to the nature of some particular Planetary Logos, and consequently gives the clue to the characteristics of those Monads who are on that particular planetary ray. It is obvious how necessary such knowledge is to the adept who seeks to work with the sons of men, and to manipulate the force currents affecting them and which they emanate.
4. Each secret concerns some one ray or colour and gives the number, note, and the vibration which corresponds.
These seven secrets are simply short formulas, not of mantric value, such as in the case of the Sacred Word, but of a mathematical nature, precisely worded so as to convey the exact intent of the speaker. To the uninitiated they would look and sound like algebraical formulas, except that each is composed (when seen clairvoyantly) of an oval of a specific hue, according to the secret imparted, containing five peculiar hieroglyphics or symbols. One symbol contains the formula of the law concerned, another gives the planetary key and tone, a third deals with vibration, whilst the fourth shows the number and department under which the ray concerned falls. The last hieroglyph gives one of the seven hierarchical keys by means of which the members of our planetary hierarchy can link up with the solar. This is evidently very vague and ambiguous information, but it will serve to show that, as in the case of the Words, apprehension had to involve two senses, so in the cognition of the secrets the two senses again come into play, and the secret is both heard and appears symbolically to the inner eye.
It will now be apparent why so much stress is laid upon the study of symbols, and why students are urged to ponder and meditate upon the cosmic and systemic signs. It prepares them for the grasp and inner retention of the symbols and formulas which embody the knowledge whereby they can eventually work. These formulas are based upon nine symbols which are now recognised:—
1. The cross in its varying forms.
2. The lotus.
3. The triangle.
4. The cube.
5. The sphere and the point.
6. Eight animal forms, the goat, the bull, the elephant, the man, the dragon, the bear, the lion, and the dog.
7. The line.
8. Certain signs of the Zodiac, hence the need for the study of astrology.
9. The cup, or the holy grail.
All these symbols allied, interwoven, or taken in part, are combined to express one or other of the seven Secrets. The initiate has to recognise them by sight as well as to hear them, and by an effort of the will to imprint them irrevocably upon his memory. This he is aided to do in three ways:—First, by a long prior training in observation; this can be begun here and now by all aspirants, and as they learn to imprint details accurately upon their memory they are laying the foundation for that acute instantaneous apprehension of that which is shown them by the Hierophant; secondly, by having cultivated within themselves the power to visualise again that which has once been seen. It will be apparent here why the emphasis has been laid by all wise teachers of meditation upon the faculty of the careful building of mental pictures. The aim has been two-fold:—
a. To teach the student to visualise his thought-forms accurately, so that when he begins to create consciously he may lose no time in inaccurate transformation.
b. To enable him to picture again accurately the imparted secret, so that it may instantly be of use to him whenever needed.
Finally, by the strongly applied will of the other four Personalities who are holding the Rod at the same time as the initiate. Their trained intense mental concentration greatly facilitates his apprehension.
In the case of human evolution certain types of force are generated, dealt with, assimilated, and used, at first unconsciously, and finally with full intelligence.
a. In the Hall of Ignorance the force or energy of Brahma (the activity and intelligence of substance) is that mostly dealt with, and the man has to learn the meaning of activity based on:—
a. Inherent energy.
b. Absorbed energy.
c. Group energy.
d. Material energy, or that which is hidden in physical plane matter.
b. In the Hall of Learning he becomes aware of, and uses the energy of the second aspect in form building, in social relations, and in family affiliations. He comes to the recognition of sex and its relations, but as yet views this force as something to be controlled, but not consciously and constructively utilised.
c. In the Hall of Wisdom he comes to the knowledge of the first aspect of energy, the dynamic use of will in sacrifice, and to him is then committed the key to the threefold mystery of energy. This energy in its threefold aspect he became aware of, in the other two Halls. At the third initiation, and at the fourth and fifth, the three keys to the three mysteries are given to him.
The key to the mystery sensed in the first Hall, the mystery of Brahma, is handed to him, and he can then unlock the hidden energies of atomic substance. The key to the mystery of sex, or of the pairs of opposites, is thrust into his hand, and he can then unlock the hidden forces of the will aspect. The dynamo of the solar system is shown to him,—if it might be so expressed—and the intricacies of the mechanism revealed.
The Three Solar Mysteries.
The three mysteries of the solar system are:—
1. The mystery of Electricity. The mystery of Brahma, The secret of the third aspect. It is latent in the physical sun.
2. The mystery of Polarity, or of the universal sex impulse. The secret of the second aspect. It is latent in the Heart of the Sun, or the subjective Sun.
3. The mystery of Fire itself, or the dynamic central systemic force. The secret of the first aspect. It is latent in the Central Spiritual Sun.
Their Sequential Revelation.
The secrets, as imparted sequentially to the initiate, are roughly three in number, though within them may be found lesser mysteries which are earlier revealed. At the third initiation the first of the three fundamental secrets of the solar system is imparted to the initiate, immediately after he has taken the oath. This we might, for lack of a better term, call "the secret of electricity." It concerns the phenomena of the dense objective manifestation of the Logos. It would be wise here for the student to remember that the three planes of the three worlds, physical, astral, and mental, form the dense physical body of the solar Logos. whilst the four higher form His etheric body. Students are apt to for- get that our seven planes are the seven sub-planes of the cosmic physical. This has a very definite bearing on the secret of electricity. This is why the secret is not revealed till the third initiation, and is prepared for by the impartation of two lesser secrets which concern the physical and astral planes, and which are imparted at the first two initiations by the Bodhisattva.
Electrical phenomena are scientifically recognised as dual in nature, but the inherent triplicity of electricity is as yet but a matter for speculation for modern science. The fact that it is triple is demonstrated to the initiate at the first initiation, and the secret of how to balance forces on the physical plane, and thereby produce equilibrium, is revealed to him at the first initiation. This secret likewise puts him in touch with certain of the Builders on the physical plane—that is, on the etheric levels—and he can then produce physical plane phenomena should he deem it wise. This he seldom does, as the results gained thereby are practically unimportant and he wastes not energy in this manner. The workers with the involutionary forces, the brothers of darkness, employ this method for the startling and the enthralling of the unwary. Not thus work the brothers of humanity.
The secret of the coherence of the atom is revealed to the initiate, and he then is in a position to study the microcosm under the law of correspondences in a new and illuminating manner. Similarly, through this revelation concerning the densest part of the logoic body, he can ascertain much concerning the previous solar system, and the facts anent the first round of our scheme. This secret is also called "the mystery of matter."
At the second initiation "the secret of the sea" is unfolded to him, and through this revelation two subjects of profound interest become clarified to his inner vision. They are:—
a. The mystery of the astral light.
b. The law of karma.
He is, after this, in a position to do two things, without which he cannot work off that which hinders, and thus achieve liberation; he can read the akashic records and ascertain the past, thereby enabling himself to work intelligently in the present, and he can begin to balance his karma, to work off his obligations, and to understand how karma in the three worlds can be negated. The relation of that hierarchy of spiritual beings who are connected with the law of karma as it affects man is demonstrated to him, and he knows with first-hand knowledge that the lords of karma are no myth, or symbolical units, but are highly intelligent entities who wield the law for the benefit of humanity, and thus enable men to become fully self-conscious and self-reliant in the occult sense, and to become creators through perfected knowledge.
At the third initiation "the secret of fohat" is given to him, and then the mystery of the threefold body of the triple Logos is his, and the why of the phenomena of the dense liquid and gaseous bodies of the Supreme Being is unfolded before his amazed vision. The two secrets previously imparted, and the knowledge which they gave having been utilised, the initiate is now in a position to profit by this greater revelation, and to understand somewhat the following facts:—
1. The creative process of thought form building.
2. The transmission of energy from the Ego to the physical body via the force centres on the various planes.
3. The uprising of kundalini, its geometrical progression, and its vivification of all the centres.
By the knowledge thus imparted, and the progress which the initiate has made in the study of the law of analogy, he can comprehend the manipulation of the same forces on a vastly larger scale in the planetary scheme and in the solar system. The method of development in the three earlier rounds is revealed to him, and he understands, practically as well as theoretically, the evolutionary process in its earlier stages. The key to the three lower kingdoms of nature is in his hands, and certain ideas anent the subject of polarity, of at-one-ment, and essential union, are beginning to come within his range of consciousness, only waiting for the fourth initiation to complete the revelation.
This secret of electricity, which is essentially triple in its nature, deals with the Brahma or third aspect, and is called sometimes by the following names:—
1. The Secret of Brahma.
2. The Revelation of the Mother.
3. The Secret of Fohatic Force.
4. The Mystery of the Creator.
5. The Secret of the Three Who issued from the First (solar system), and also by four mystic phrases conveying much light to the intuition:
6. The Boat of Mystery which Ploughs the Ocean.
7. The Key to the Divine Storehouse.
8. The Light that Guides through the triple caves of Darkness.
9. The Clue to the Energy uniting Fire and Water.
In all these names much information will come to the student who carefully ponders them, remembering that they deal with the Brahma aspect in its lowest manifestation and with the three worlds of human endeavour, and thus meditating, the student must relate this present solar system to the preceding one, in which the Brahma aspect dominated, as the Vishnu, or consciousness aspect dominates in this.
The initiate, through the knowledge imparted, is now in a position to understand his own triple lower nature, and therefore to balance it in relation to the higher, to read the records and understand his place within the group, to manipulate the forces in the three worlds and thereby effect liberation for himself, thus helping the ends of evolution, and to co-operate intelligently with the plans of the Planetary Logos as they may be revealed to him stage by stage. He can now wield power, and becomes a centre of energy in a greatly increased degree, being able to dispense or retract force currents. The moment a man becomes consciously powerful on the mental plane, his power for good is a hundredfold increased.
At the fourth initiation another of the great secrets is revealed to him. It is called "the mystery of polarity," and the clue to the significance of sex in every department of nature on all the planes is given to him. It is not possible to say much along these lines. All that can be done is to enumerate some of the subjects to which it gives the clue, adding to this the information that in our planetary scheme; owing to the point in evolution of our own Planetary Logos, this secret is the most vital. Our Planetary Logos is at the stage wherein He is consciously seeking the at-one-ment with his polar opposite, another Planetary Logos.
The subjects on which this secret throws a flood of light are:—
a. Sex on the physical plane. It gives us a key to the mystery of the separation of the sexes in Lemurian days.
b. The balancing of forces in all departments of nature.
c. The clue as to which Scheme forms with ours a duality.
d. The true name of our Planetary Logos and His relation to the Solar Logos.
e. "The Marriage of the Lamb" and the problem of the heavenly bride. A clue to this lies in the solar system of S… which must be read astrologically.
f. The mystery of the Gemini, and the connection of our particular Planetary Logos with that constellation.
On a lesser scale, and in relation to the microcosm, the following subjects are illuminated when the initiate receives the second great secret, or the fourth which includes the earlier lesser ones:—
g. The processes of at-one-ment in the different kingdoms of nature. The bridging between the kingdoms is shown him, and he sees the unity of the scheme.
h. The method of egoic at-one-ment is seen clearly revealed, and the antahkarana is shown in its real nature, and having been thus revealed, is dispensed with.
i. The essential unity existing between the Ego and the personality is seen.
j. The relation of the two evolutions, human and deva, is no longer a mystery, but their position in the body of the Heavenly Man is seen to be a fact.
One could go on emphasising the multiplicity of matters which the mystery of polarity, when revealed, makes clear to the initiate, but the above suffices. This secret concerns primarily the Vishnu, or second aspect. It sums up in one short phrase the totality of knowledge gained in the Hall of Wisdom, as the earlier secrets summed up the totality achieved in the Hall of Learning. It deals with consciousness and its development by and through the matter aspect. It concerns literally the unification of the self and the not-self till they are verily and indeed one.
At the fifth initiation the great secret which concerns the fire or spirit aspect is revealed to the wondering and amazed Master, and He realises in a sense incomprehensible to man the fact that all is fire and fire is all. This secret may be said to reveal to the Initiate that which makes clear to Him:
a. The secret name of the Planetary Logos, thus revealing one syllable of the name of the Solar Logos.
b. The work and method of the destroyer aspect of divinity.
c. The processes whereby obscuration and pralaya are induced.
d. The mathematical formula which sums up all the cycles of manifestation.
e. The triple nature of fire, and the effect of the great fire upon the lesser.
As this Shiva, or first, aspect is the one which will arrive at perfection, or, rather, come within the reach of comprehension within the next solar system, it profits not to continue considering this secret. The following tabulation may make the whole matter clearer to the mind of the student:—
As the student will observe, the source of the particular energy concerned is one aspect of the sun.
At the sixth and seventh initiations two more secrets are revealed, one—a lesser secret—preparing the way for the revelation of the fourth. Only four secrets of a major order are revealed to initiates on this planet, and herein lies the clue to our position in the scheme of solar evolution. There are only five secrets altogether, of a major kind, revealed in this solar system, owing to the fact that this is a system wherein pre-eminently the fifth principle of mind forms the basis of unfoldment. This fifth revelation is only imparted to those who pass to the Schemes of synthesis.
Before entering upon the subject matter of the following articles on Initiation, on the Paths that open before the perfected man, and on the Occult Hierarchy, certain statements may be made which seem essential for the judicious study and comprehension of the ideas submitted.
It is to be recognised that throughout this volume facts are alleged and definite statements made which are not susceptible of immediate proof by the reader. Lest it be inferred that the writer arrogates to herself any credit or personal authority for the knowledge implied she emphatically disavows all such claims or representations. She cannot do otherwise than present these statements as matters of fact. Nevertheless, she would urge those who find somewhat of merit in these pages that they he not estranged by any appearance of dogmatism in the presentation. Nor should the inadequacy of the personality of the writer act as a deterrent to the open-minded consideration of the message to which her name happens to be appended. In spiritual issues, names, personalities, and the voice of external authority, hold small place. That alone is a safe guide which holds its warranty from inner recognition and inner direction. It is not, therefore, material whether the reader receive the message of these pages as a spiritual appeal in an idealistic setting, a presentation of alleged facts, or a theory evolved by one student and presented for the consideration of fellow students. To each it is offered for whatever of inner response it may evoke, for whatever of inspiration and of light it may bring.
In these days of the shattering of the old form and the building of the new, adaptability is needed. We must avert the danger of crystallisation through pliability and expansion. The "old order changeth," but primarily it is a change of dimension and of aspect, and not of material or of foundation. The fundamentals have always been true. To each generation is given the part of conserving the essential features of the old and beloved form, but also of wisely expanding and enriching it. Each cycle must add the gain of further research and scientific endeavour, and subtract that which is worn out and of no value. Each age must build in the product and triumphs of its period, and abstract the accretions of the past that would dim and blur the outline. Above all, to each generation is given the joy of demonstrating the strength of the old foundations, and the opportunity to build upon these foundations a structure that will meet the needs of the inner evolving life.
The ideas that are elaborated here find their corroboration in certain facts that are stated in the occult literature now extant. These facts are three in number, and are as follows:—
(a) In the creation of the sun and the seven sacred planets composing our solar system, our Logos employed matter that was already impregnated with particular qualities. Mrs. Besant in her book, "Avataras," (which some of us think the most valuable of all her writings, because one of the most suggestive), makes the statement that "our solar system is builded out of matter already existing, out of matter already gifted with certain properties …" (page 48) . This matter, therefore, we deduce, held latent certain faculties that were forced to demonstrate in a peculiar way, under the law of Cause and Effect, as does all else in the universe.
(b) All manifestation is of a septenary nature, and the Central Light which we call Deity, the one Ray of Divinity, manifests first as a Triplicity, and then as a Septenary. The One God shines forth as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and these three are again reflected through the Seven Spirits before the Throne, or the seven Planetary Logoi. The students of occultism of non-Christian origin may call these Beings the One Ray, demonstrating through the three major Rays and the four minor, making a divine Septenary. The Synthetic Ray which blends them all is the great Love-Wisdom Ray, for verily and indeed "God is Love." This Ray is the indigo Ray, and is the blending Ray. It is the one which will, at the end of the greater cycle, absorb the others in the achievement of synthetic perfection. It is the manifestation of the second aspect of Logoic life. It is this aspect, that of the Form-Builder, that makes this solar system of ours the most concrete of the three major systems. The Love or Wisdom aspect demonstrates through the building of the form, for "God is Love," and in that God of Love we "live and move and have our being," and will to the end of aeonian manifestation.
(c) The seven planes of Divine Manifestation, or the seven major planes of our system, are but the seven subplanes of the lowest cosmic plane. The seven Rays of which we hear so much, and which hold so much of interest and of mystery, are likewise but the seven sub-rays of one cosmic Ray. The twelve creative Hierarchies are themselves but subsidiary branches of one cosmic Hierarchy. They form but one chord in the cosmic symphony. When that sevenfold cosmic chord, of which we form so humble a part, reverberates in synthetic perfection, then, and only then, will come comprehension of the words in the Book of Job: "The morning stars sang together." Dissonance yet sounds forth, and discord arises from many systems, but in the progression of the aeons an ordered harmony will eventuate, and the day will dawn when (if we dare speak of eternities in the terms of time) the sound of the perfected universe will resound to the uttermost bounds of the furthest constellation. Then will be known the mystery of "the marriage song of the heavens."
The reader is also asked to remember and weigh certain ideas prior to taking up the study of Initiation. Due to the extreme complexity of the matter it is an utter impossibility for us to do more than get a general idea of the scheme; hence the futility of dogmatism. We can do no more than sense a fraction of some wonderful whole, utterly beyond the reach of our consciousness,—a whole that the highest Angel or Perfected Being is but beginning to realise. When we recognise the fact that the average man is as yet fully conscious only on the physical plane, nearly conscious on the emotional plane, and only developing the consciousness of the mental plane, it is obvious that his comprehension of cosmic data can be but rudimentary. When we recognise the further fact, that to he conscious on a plane and to have control on that plane are two very different conditions, it becomes apparent how remote is the possibility of our approximating more than the general trend of the cosmic scheme.
We must recognise also that danger lies in dogma and in the hide-bound facts of textbooks, and that safety lies in flexibility, and in a shifting angle of vision. A tact, for instance, looked at from the standpoint of humanity (using the word "fact" in the scientific sense as that which has been demonstrated past all doubt and question) may not be a fact from the standpoint of a Master. To Him it may be but part of a greater fact, only a fraction of the whole. Since His vision is fourth and fifth dimensional, His realisation of the place of time in eternity must be more accurate than ours. He sees things from above downwards, and as one to whom time is not.
An inexplicable principle of mutation exists in the Mind of the Logos, or the Deity of our solar system, and governs all His actions. We see but the ever changing forms, and catch glimpses of the steadily evolving life within those forms, but as yet have no clue to the principle which works through the shifting kaleidoscope of solar systems, rays, hierarchies, planets, planes, schemes, rounds, races, and sub-races. They interweave, interlock, and interpenetrate each other, and utter bewilderment is ours as the wonderful pattern they form unfolds before us. We know that somewhere in that scheme we, the human hierarchy, have our place. All, therefore, that we can do is to seize upon any data that seems to affect our own welfare, and concerns our own evolution, and from the study of the human being in the three worlds seek to understand somewhat the macrocosm. We know not how the one can become the three, the three become the seven, and so proceed to inconceivable differentiation. To human vision this interweaving of the system forms an unimaginable complexity, the key to which seems not to be forthcoming. Seen from the angle of a Master we know that all proceeds in ordered sequence. Seen from the angle of divine vision the whole will move in harmonious unison, producing a form geometrically accurate. Browning had hold of a part of this truth when he wrote:
"All's change, but permanence as well"… and continued:
"Truth inside, and outside, truth also; and between each, falsehood that is change, as truth is permanence."
"Truth successively takes shape, one grade above its last presentment…"
We must remember also that beyond a certain point it is not safe nor wise to carry the communication of the facts of the solar system. Much must remain esoteric and veiled. The risks of too much knowledge are far greater than the menace of too little. With knowledge comes responsibility and power,—two things for which the race is not yet ready. Therefore, all we can do is to study and correlate with what wisdom and discretion may be ours, using the knowledge that may come for the good of those we seek to help, and recognising that in the wise use of knowledge comes increased capacity to receive the hidden wisdom. Coupled also with the wise adaptation of knowledge to the surrounding need must grow the capacity for discreet reservation, and the use of the discriminating faculty. When we can wisely use, discreetly withhold, and soundly discriminate, we give the surest guarantee to the watching Teachers of the race that we are ready for a fresh revelation.
We must resign ourselves to the fact that the only way in which we can find the clue to the mystery of the rays, systems, and hierarchies, lies in the study of the law of correspondences or analogy. It is the one thread by which we can find our way through the labyrinth, and the one ray of light that shines through the darkness of the surrounding ignorance. H. P. Blavatsky, in "The Secret Doctrine," has told us so, but as yet very little has been done by students to avail themselves of that clue. In the study of this Law we need to remember that the correspondence lies in its essence, and not in the exoteric working out of detail as we think we see it from our present standpoint. The factor of time leads us astray for one thing; we err when we attempt to fix stated times or limits; all in evolution progresses through merging, with a constant process of overlapping and mingling. Only broad generalities and a recognition of fundamental points of analogy are possible to the average student. The moment he attempts to reduce to chart form and to tabulate in detail, he enters realms where he is bound to err, and staggers through a fog that will ultimately overwhelm him.
Nevertheless, in the scientific study of this law of analogy will come a gradual growth of knowledge, and in the slow accumulation of facts will gradually be built up an ever-expanding form, that will embody much of the truth. The student will then awake to the realization that after all the study and toil he has at least a wide general conception of the Logoic thoughtform into which he can fit the details as he acquires them through many incarnations. This brings us to the last point to be considered before entering upon the subject proper, which is:
That the development of the human being is but the passing from one state of consciousness to another. It is a succession of expansions, a growth of that faculty of awareness that constitutes the predominant characteristic of the indwelling Thinker. It is the progressing from consciousness polarised in the personality, lower self, or body, to that polarised in the higher self, ego, or soul, thence to a polarisation in the Monad, or Spirit, till the consciousness eventually is Divine. As the human being develops, the faculty of awareness extends first of all beyond the circumscribing walls that confine it within the lower kingdoms of nature (the mineral, vegetable and animal) to the three worlds of the evolving personality, to the planet whereon he plays his part, to the system wherein that planet revolves, until it finally escapes from the solar system itself and becomes universal.
The question anent initiation is one that is coming more and more before the public. Before many centuries pass the old mysteries will be restored, and an inner body will exist in the Church—the Church of the period, of which the nucleus is already forming—wherein the first initiation will become exoteric, in this sense only, that the taking of the first initiation will, before so very long, be the most sacred ceremony of the Church, performed exoterically as one of the mysteries given at stated periods, attended by those concerned. It will also hold a similar place in the ritual of the Masons. At this ceremony those ready for the first initiation will be publicly admitted to the Lodge by one of its members, authorised to do so by the great Hierophant Himself.
Four words defined.
When we speak of Initiation, of wisdom, of knowledge, or of the probationary Path, what do we mean? We use the words so glibly, without due consideration of the meaning involved. Take, for instance, the word first mentioned. Many are the definitions, and many are the explanations to be found as to its scope, the preparatory steps, the work to be done between initiations, and its result and effects. One thing before all else is apparent to the most superficial student, and that is, that the magnitude of the subject is such that in order to deal with it adequately one should be able to write from the viewpoint of an initiate; when this is not the case, anything that is said may be reasonable, logical, interesting, or suggestive, but not conclusive.