Initiation – The process toward Higher Levels of Consciousness
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What is Initiation ?
The journey to enlightenment is one governed by initiation. This is a fact often overlooked by those who yearn for spiritual growth. In the Esoteric Tradition, the study of spiritual initiation is a cornerstone of inquiry. To understand it is to grasp the requirements for walking the Path with greater comprehension and assurance. Often people hold the view that enlightenment is a state of consciousness suggesting spiritual perfection, and freedom from further incarnational life.
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First Initiate – The Disciple
The key teaching in the 1st initiation is mastery over the physical body. The body should be in the service of the soul. Control over the physical body should have reached a very high level. Drugs or alcohol and the cravings of the body no longer hold control over consciousness by the time they reach this stage on their spiritual path. The basics of the right kind of living, thinking and self-control are reached in this initiation.
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Second Initiate – The Disciple
The key teaching in the second initiation is mastery over the astral body. This is often the most difficult initiation to pass and can sometimes take many incarnations. However, it' can be easily achieved by those who are willing to become masters and are serious about spiritual path. Those people will pass the 2nd initiation much more quickly than those who are not so devoted to the path.
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Third Initiate – The Initiate
The 3rd initiation is mastery over the mental body. Initiate's consciousness has by this point risen to the mental plane and he or she learns much about principles of god consciousness. The four bodies of the initiate become very enlightened and he or she is not controlled by their lower nature or negative desire anymore. The soul becomes dominant. Mind is very responsive to ideas, intuitions and impulses coming from soul and the initiate also begins to receive direct guidance from the monad.
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Fourth Initiate – The Arhat or The Paramahansa
This initiation is by far the most difficult. Yet, it also indicates a transition into realms of indescribable joy when the challenges have been surmounted. The 4th initiation is mastery over buddhic body. An Arhat serves God, the monad and good of the whole. He or she has destroyed negative selfishness. God and the monad are now the teachers of an Arhat. The fourth initiation brings liberation from the cycle of rebirth. In this initiation the soul merges with the monad and begins to enter your consciousness.
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Fifth Initiate – The Holy Master
The 5th initiation who is called the Adept or the Holy Master is point in development when your eternal self, monad and atmic body combine fully. You develop a full understanding that you are the monad and god. In the fifth initiation you become aware of the entire personality, history and consciousness of your monad. It is a big step in your evolution! Your consciousness has risen to the monadic level. You don't think negative thoughts. You experience freedom from illusion. You understand and are one with the divine plan.
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Sixth Initiate – The Chohan
The 6th initiation who is called the Chohan signifies mastery over the monadic body. In this initiation you will officially become an ascended master. An ascended master is free from law of karma, and has developed such mastery of thought that they no longer have unconscious negative desires.
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Seventh Initiate – The Bodhisattva or The Avatar
The 7th initiation who is called the Bodhisattva or the Avatar is highest initiation can be taken on the physical plane and during this phase mastery of the logoic body is achieved. A Master at this level has control over all seven rays. Consciousness rises to the logoic plane.
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Eighth Initiate – The Buddha
Beings at this level can freely roam both in interplanetary space and in nearby interstellar space in full consciousness while physically remaining in their celestialized bodies and carrying on normal activities such as communicating with other beings. The 8th initiation is called the Buddha.
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Ninth Initiate – The Lord of the World
Level nine is the Lord of the World or Sanat Kumara – The Eternal Youth and The Ancient of Days, the Nordic alien that is believed by Theosophists to be the Lord of the World, (i.e., the governing deity of Earth).
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Tenth Initiate – The Planetary Logos
The tenth initiation is considered to symbolize perfection and is used to describe the Planetary Logos, also called the Spirit of the Earth, and specifically denoted as the Planetary Logos of Earth.
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Levels of Initiation Beyond the Tenth Level
The number of levels of initiation ultimately would depend on the physical size of the Cosmos, because enough souls would have to climb the ladder to ensoul all the stars with stellar logoi and all the galaxies with galactic logoi, plus provide staffing for their attendant cosmic bureaucracies of angels, archangels, etc., as souls beyond them on the scale of initiation move up the ladder.
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