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..:: Initiation ::..
By
Alan Schneider
When we depart from the occasionally
comfortable, frequently uncomfortable, but always
observable realm of the Physical Plane, and explore the additional
regions of conscious expression available to humanity, we eventually
find ourselves confronting the Presence of the Self at the core
of the Sphere of the Psyche. This may be the journey of many lifetimes,
or one particularly dedicated lifetime, but this phenomenon exists
and can and will be observed, albeit the nature and method of this
observation remains the subject of extreme debate among scholars and
authorities around the world. Some do not even accept the possibility
of the Self as a real psychological manifestation occurring under any
circumstances – on the other hand, many academicians do not accept the
field of psychology itself as a valid area of investigation,
either – the departure from the secure venue of the external physical
senses is quite threatening to the uninitiated. Hence, the
subject of initiation is the theme of this
essay.
The term initiate
carries a variety of interpretations, but the sense we are dealing with
here in this essay involves a progressive introduction to new and
largely unknown methods of perceiving, and methods of
invoking perception, beyond what is common in sensory experience,
and beyond sensory experience itself. This process also includes the
introduction to novel interpretations of many events commonly
manifesting externally in our experience, thereby conveying a new
understanding of what they imply in life and living – essentially a
reeducation of the individual along lines of interpretation that often
depart markedly from anything previously encountered. So, an initiation
is both an introduction to, and an acknowledgement of, the advent of a
new stage of learning in life, featuring new methods of inquiry,
conducted along new lines of investigation.
The history of the Mystery
Theories, particularly the Western Mysteries, is filled
with initiations in countless traditions of inquiry – light and dark,
grand and small, subtle and overt. All are presumed to mark the
achievement of a given degree of proficiency at one level of
development, and simultaneous entry into, or qualification for, another,
in what can be a very long sequence of instruction. As an
example, the Masonic Lodge, one of the oldest of the Western Mystery
traditions, features thirty-three degrees of initiation, with a
requirement that only a very few can be admitted to the thirty-third
level under any circumstances at any one time. Initiation is frequently
seen as the mark of status and authority in an organization – the
international university system uses the conference of a relatively
small number of initiatory ranks (known as degrees, e.g. the bachelors,
masters, and doctorate) that, however, take many years of hard
work to amass in sequence, not to mention the investment of enormous
amounts of time and money spent in the process. This system assumes
that the advancement through its ranks will necessarily be accompanied
by enhanced social power and prestige, and it often is, although not
always so. As a final example, labor unions also feature levels of
initiation in the form of the apprentice, journeyman, and
master classification rubric, with a similar assumption of
enhanced status and financial capability bestowed as one moves up
through the ranks – and in this case, the relationship is very reliable,
with the caveat that work at any stage may or may not be generally
available.
The application of
initiations in main stream society (e.g. as noted in the last two
examples above) has obvious benefits, but hidden pitfalls as well, one
of the most pernicious being the conveyance of what Alice Bailey has
referred to as glamour. If the essence of this existence is
temporary and illusory, as many Mystery traditions maintain, then it
is a grave mistake to embellish any achievement with the false luster of
hope that these two conditions can be overcome or affected by any extent
of material achievement. Such embellishments only mask the truth of
human consciousness behind an egoistic veil (in fact many veils) of
avoidance and distraction that will have to be overcome eventually to
live a real existence in an enlightened condition.
In the Mysteries and Mystery
Schools, of which there is a truly bewildering array in manifestation,
initiations can often be somewhat confusing in their plethora of forms,
rites, degrees, and execution, and this should also be suspected
of conveying glamour as opposed to enlightenment. If we must all pass
eventually through the gate of death and disintegration as a physical
form, what is the significance of most of what we do while alive? If we
cannot take any of our possessions beyond the grave (certain Egyptian –
and other – burial traditions notwithstanding!), of what use are they as
anything other than distractions from the much more appropriate goal of
attaining Enlightenment in the so very limited incarnate time at our
disposal? Indeed, what we really have, and really are, in
this existence is block of linear time in a physical form, beginning at
conception, and ending at the question mark of death. This is all that
can be known with certainty, and it behooves us to ponder well how we
spend our so very brief endowment!
In this somber vein of
realization, I will summarize what can be extracted from the maze of
applications of initiation as being more or less consistent across
traditions. This process is, of course, subject to a large number of
amendments and qualifiers, and you are all welcome, nay advised, to
consider critically what I suggest here.
The mass of humanity is, from
the perspective of the Mysteries, uninitiated, regardless of the
material level they have achieved on the Physical Plane. If I have not
taken a hard look at my life and actions through the lens of mortality,
I know nothing. Thus, the First Initiation, the
Awakening, begins with the dawning of the perception of a series of
larger goals in life that surpass, and stand apart from, simple
material acquisition. This is what first puts us on the Path of
Enlightenment, and on the way back to the Self, and Self
Realization. Needless to say, this can be a very rude awakening, to
be sure, but would you really rather remain asleep to the Truth?
The Awakening is customarily accompanied and augmented by the
manifestation of synchronicities – meaningful coincidences – that
serve as guideposts and focuses of attention at this, and later, stages
of spiritual growth.
Following the Awakening, a
sequence of purification of one’s consciousness takes place that may
take quite a while to establish with permanence. At some point in this
process, the Second Initiation, or Baptism, takes place.
There may, in fact, be several “baptisms”, or rites of
heightened purity of perception, spanning a period of years involved
in this process. What is meant by “heightened purity of perception”
here is the attainment of a state of experience that is significantly
clearer and more insightful than the one typically afforded by the
physical senses, and evaluated by the fundamentally ignorant ego in
terms of its probability of providing sensory gratification. There is a
graduated sequence of such experiences known to the Mysteries (at least
to some of them) that will bring the personal consciousness into
more and more intimate proximity to the Self, as the absolutely
pure focus of all observation, and this is what is to be
maintained as the goal of spiritual development. The Initiation of
Baptism marks the progress along this Path back to Self Knowledge.
As one may have gathered by
this point, the phenomenon of initiation is by no means cut and dried –
if anything, it is two steps forward followed by (hopefully) only one
step backward, with customarily many side journeys in between, as the
requirements and conflicts of material existence are negotiated along
the way. With this kept in mind as the essence of spiritual progress,
at a certain point in spiritual development, the Third Initiation,
the Ascension, may take place. There are many types of
Ascension, but all have in common the attainment of entry into a
condition of extremely Enlightened Perception, associated with
the immanent presence of the Self.
The reports of observers
fortunate, and determined, enough to experience this initiation vary
regarding its features, but certain general characteristics are usually
present. The Ascension frequently involves a perception of an intense
white visual light, or field of white light, along with equally
intense displays of other colors. A profound feeling of love and
compassion may be present, possibly originating from a perceived or
concealed source connected with the experience, and a sense of
Presence may be involved, along with some form of interaction
with that Presence – spoken words, symbolic forms, visual directions,
intuitive perception – all may occur, or none may occur, as the
individual case may be. An altered or entirely absent sense of time,
place, and the body may also accompany the Ascension experience. The
extremely altered state of perception that necessarily
accompanies Ascension makes accurate and reliable observation in this
state problematic, to say the least, and this is often reflected in the
reportage of such events, when they are even reported at all.
Nonetheless, such accounts do exist in many spiritual traditions,
and are quite comprehensive in some cases. The Christian Bible is full
of such events, as is the Muslim Koran, and both Buddhist and Hindu
scriptures contain such accounts of altered conscious visions.
The Ascension may be
episodic, extended, or permanent as the nature of contact with the
Presence dictates, since this is unquestionably its source in
consciousness. It may also be relatively delightful or frightening in
the perception of the observer, based upon that individual’s attitudes
and mindset at the time of the experience – the observer who goes into
this condition with an open consciousness, free of expectation, fear, or
desire, stands the best chance of having a positive experience. It
should be noted here that the Ascension is something that is potentially
classified as a psychotic episode from the perspective of
strictly Freudian psychodynamics, and one should use discernment in
revealing the contents or occurrence of this experience to others for
that reason. This is a circumstance that is heavily influenced by
cultural factors – such experiences are often revered in
countries like India as momentous spiritual achievements – a long
standing tradition of experiential spiritualism exists there, with
concomitant acceptance. Virtually every guru, pundit, yogi, and master
has had such experiences, customarily on an extended or permanent
basis.
What is contacted in
Ascension? Many of the experiences that precede and lead up to this
event are potentially classified as the perception of archetypal symbols
within the Psyche – often of sequentially greater intensity as spiritual
development advances within the individual. Even the Awakening and the
Baptism, along with the Ascension itself, are also fundamentally
archetypal psychic experiences occurring within the Psyche. The
increasing levels of intensity across time, as development progresses
within the spiritual discipline of the individual, all indicate that we
are approaching, and perhaps realizing, the Jungian Self
at the core of the Psyche in Ascension experiences. At this foundation
of observational perception, we are able to know the essence of the
observer and observation through direct personal experience.
The many Western and Eastern Mystery Traditions frequently have
dedicated terminology describing their processes of initiation and
attendant spiritual symbolism, along with various modes of
acknowledgement and recognition – perhaps very secretive ones – used as
integral features of their rites and litany. I have gleaned the common
basic elements of many of these for this essay, but many others are also
possible. For example, Enlightenment itself may be considered as a
Stage of Initiation in a given tradition, not merely an ongoing
process of spiritual growth. The three initiations that I have listed
here are the most common practiced in all traditions to my knowledge,
and I am confident of this, and the descriptions given, although these
may well have very different names and placement in a specific
group or organization. It is well in dealing with this subject to
bear Alice Bailey’s observation in mind that initiation per se is
something that appeals to glamour. The ego has been described by
Deepak Chopra as “a social fiction”, and, as such, has a vested interest
in the attainment of aggrandizement and embellishment as the means of
controlling the Psyche, and creating the illusion of physicality from
the impressions of the senses, when only the Self is real.
n
- With Love, Alan -
(Copyright 2009, by Alan Schneider)
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