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Discipleship in the New Age II - Teachings on Initiation - Part VIII
The Second Point of Revelation: The Will is an expression of the Law of Sacrifice. The second Point of Revelation is of peculiar interest. It concerns the first contact of the initiated disciple with the energy emanating from Shamballa and transmitted to him via the Master of the Ashram with which he is at this time associated. He has not yet reached the stage wherein direct contact is permitted, but still needs the ashramic protection which the Master provides. At the indicated second initiation he receives a quality of stimulation which enables him to "see" the astral plane as it essentially is; with this revelation comes also the recognition of the basic human necessity to "make it holy" or to "render whole" that which provides the most disturbing element in the existence of mankind. [377] I cannot here deal with psychic construction, with astral impulses or glamorous, nor can I spend time referring to the usual astral conditions - so well known and so carefully followed by the mass of men. Each human being has eventually to make his own definite decision anent the astral plane and his release from its control, and has then to follow (for several lives) a policy of non-association with its phenomena. But the initiate-disciple receives an unique revelation and an applied conditioning which enable him to recognize it as a man-created whole or world or state of consciousness (whichever term you may care to employ) and therefore as something which must be transformed. Two things consequently emerge in his consciousness: That the astral plane is not God-created, or divinely "inspired," but is the product of human desire, evinced at the very dawn of human intelligence; this desire has built thought-forms which are in tune or allied to every phase of human desire from the lowest type of physical desire up to the spiritual aspiration of the man who is seeking liberation. What can the disciple, therefore, do to make the astral plane "holy" or "set apart" and segregated from the sumtotal which the Divine Thinker, Sanat Kumara, has created, and with which the desires of mankind - through the medium of the astral world - have, fortunately for the individual man, become entangled? At this point, he knows that he must, inevitably and eventually, contribute something. He realizes that he must intelligently work towards the separation of the astral plane from the six planes of divine creation. I would ask you to remember, brother of mine, that the star of creation is the six-pointed star and not a seven-pointed star. As the needed service which must be rendered takes possession of the heart and mind of the initiate, the method is simultaneously revealed to him. This method is the use of an "advancing point of light"; it is, however, a form of light which can only be implemented by the will; this will can only fully complete its task when all three [378] aspects of the will - as exemplified in the three points of the Spiritual Triad - have all been sequentially employed. You can see, therefore, how different is the revelation which comes to the initiate than are those which the average aspirant and disciple regard as astounding revelations. Their sense of values is in error. There is a group service quality to the revelation with which we are dealing, and also about these five stages of revelation, which is unknown until the antahkarana has been created, thus linking the Spiritual Triad and the Personality. The energy then to be used is entirely related to the Will aspect of divinity. This does not demonstrate as it does with average advanced humanity, as applied goodwill, but it expresses itself as a dynamic destructive spiritual Will; it adds its quota of destroying energy to the task of destruction with which the Hierarchy is confronted in connection with the astral plane. This Point of Revelation brings with it certain revelations of an unexpected nature and imparts to the initiate certain new and significant results which register as truths to the initiate-consciousness. He discovers that he must learn the divine nature of the destroying aspect of the Will; he learns that it is not related, when demonstrating as this particular aspect, to determination or fixed intention, but is a fluid energy which can be directed toward the plane of desire wherever and whenever contacted; he finds out also that, in order to combat this vast and vibrant astral world, an aspect of light must be employed, and that therefore he is being given his first opportunity to work with Light under the inspiration of the Will - as do all the Members of the Hierarchy; he realizes, consequently, that he must employ this aspect of light under the action - definitely directed - of the Will, in order to bring about the disappearance of that world as a sentient conscious entity; he knows that he must primarily destroy the astral phenomena for which he is creatively responsible, and that (having done this) he must demonstrate his complete freedom from the phenomenal contact of the astral plane at the second, the third and the fourth initiations. [379] This he must do through the "advancing light" of lower mental substance, and the activity of the buddhic level of activity; then to this he adds the destroying power of the atmic level of activity. He has to take note, in this process, of a certain level of responsibility. Thus he can finally destroy (with the means of the advancing light of the atmic plane) a certain proportion of astral substance for which he is not individually responsible but which is nevertheless related to the group or to the nation with which he is by birth or inclination affiliated. It is the united and synthetic use of the three triadal expressions of energy which makes the work of the world servers effective. You can see from this short resumé which I have given you about the results of the second point of revelation, how widely comprehensive is the entire theme of revelation as it implements, impulses and motivates hierarchical activity. Through those revelations the initiate-disciple becomes aware of the task which he must fulfil and the next immediate step which humanity must take - through one or other of its grouped masses. These revelations concern the use of the Will in implementing the evolutionary aspect of the divine purpose. In all these points of revelation the Spiritual Triad is involved, and every one of the revelations is - in a steady crescendo of illumination - the result of initiation. All the five points of revelation are conveyed or make their impression at each initiation, but differ greatly according to the initiation taken. The use of the Will aspect in "making holy" or in "setting apart," is active not only at the second initiation, but in all of them and - in a peculiar sense - at the sixth Initiation of Decision; of this initiation the six-pointed star is the symbol. The decision there involved tests the initiate as to how free he is from all desire - a factor which impregnates the entire creative world. Freedom from that control indicates the recognition of the Will as an expression of the Law of Sacrifice. The Christian interpretation of the Will of God and of the significance of sacrifice is based, in reality, on human revolt and on human refusal to see anything in the spiritual life but all unintelligent acceptance of the inscrutable divine [380] Will; it posits also the need for pain and the suffering of sacrifice in the sense of complete abnegation of all that might be regarded as good and useful, as desirable and joyful. This revolt has colored the entire presentation of what Christian theologians regard as God's Will; this presentation involves the unavoidable imposition of the will of a transcendental Deity, and leads inevitably (though totally inconclusively) to the dreadful and symbolic death of the Christ upon the Cross and to the painful and sacrificial life of the spiritual man. There is much teaching given out by the church upon the necessity of the submission of the human will to the divine Will; however, little or no teaching is given of the joyous use of the Will of Christ, immanent in every form, and peculiarly active in the form of humanity, and therefore capable of joyous and understanding use. The idea that sacrifice signifies happiness and a joyful process of making desire "holy" is absent: theologians refuse to recognize that the releasing of the energy confined and imprisoned upon the astral plane, into "enlightened" service upon other planes, is neither comprehended nor in any way understood. The concept of substance runs through all that is here given; the atrophying of the substance of the astral plane, the merging of "lightened" substance with that of other planes, the use of the substance of light as a medium of spiritual destruction, and the bringing in of the three types and qualities of the substance of the Spiritual Triad (in order to liberate humanity) is never noted. Nevertheless, these three types of substance (mental, buddhic and atmic) are all symbolized for us upon the Mount of Crucifixion. There are also far deeper meanings to the well-known Gospel symbolism than those which have been recognized or studied. I have here, however, thrown some light upon this second point of revelation, and much upon which you could well ponder and reflect.
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