Theos-Talk Archives (October 1993 Message tl00019)

An Initiate is someone who has placed his feet firmly on a new path,
who has started something new in life. He is like a newly-born baby,
entirely new and undeveloped in the new aspect of life.

It is important to keep a clear distinction between Initiate and
Adept. Someone "adept" at a skill is highly-proficient, with
considerable experience. And someone fully-proficient would be a
"master" of the skill.

It is possible, with the right state of readiness, to undertake the
first few Initiations. But having done so, one is thereafter exposed
to a new aspect of life, but the long road of development has only
just begun. There's a *considerable* time from being initiated until
mastery of the higher consciousness.

To be an Initiate means to have opened within yourself the activity
of certain types of consciousness not available in the normal course
of life. Whether this exposure is good or bad, whether it stimulates
you to renewed effort at spiritual progress or proves a distraction
from your personal path, is entirely up to you.

An Initiation is not (speaking of the first three) vastly high, far
removed from life, nor a sign that one is more advanced that the next
person. It is an exposure, an introduction to certain areas of life
that most people are unaware. It is not a graduation, and does not
signify that one has completed something; it is an admission into a
type of higher learning, a *start* of some long course of learning.

The first three Initiations relate solely to the personality. Starting
with the fourth, the personality is transcended and at one of the
sacred seasons one is indrawn into the upper triad and has trans-
personal experiences.

The Initiations are a rite of passage for the personality, and are
experienced at an appropriate state of life when one is readied for
an "opening". They, I would say, are repeated with each physical
incarnation that one will be working on developing the higher
consciousness that corresponds to them.

The first Initiation is the introduction to the exoteric body of
knowledge of the Esoteric Philosophy, the start of the brain-mind study
of the Mysteries. It would correspond to your finding that first book
on Theosophy that really started your serious study, when you first saw
the treasures therein.

The second Initiation is the introduction to the esoteric body of
knowledge, the start of the direct knowing, of the tapping into the
tought currents of the Philosophy, of an inner source of direct
teaching that is true to, stimulated by, but independent of external
learning.

The third Initiation is the introduction to the compassion/teaching
side of knowledge, where you become a *source* for teaching the
wisdom, rather than a *receiver* of it, where you start to open your
mouth and valuable things start coming out.

All these three relate to degrees of exposure of the personality to
the Mysteries. They were introduced and there were rites regarding
them in ancient days. They represent the *start* of the respective
kinds of knowing, not the *completion* of such knowing, and are not
a sign of achievement, just a sign of readiness and ability to
participate in the work of the Hierarchy of Compassion.

The theosophical societies could play a role in assisting with
individuals having these three openings of consciousness, and thus
be a genuine Mystery School, regardless of the presence of a Teacher
to direct the subsequent growth and learning in these three fields
of activity.

Regarding the upper four Initiations, number four through seven,
they relate to openings of fields of acitivity that *cannot* be
directly known in the personality, and relate to how one can
eventually become a Fifth Rounder or Mahatman.

Now bearing the distinction between Initiate and Adept in mind,
and considering the aspect of the Lessor Mysteries as schools of
initiation, I would say that it is ok to consider the activity of
the Theosophical Societies as one such school.

                                 Eldon Tucker
                                 eldon@netcom.com