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The Rays and the Initiations - Part One - Fourteen Rules For Group Initiation
Let us now proceed to a consideration of Rule I. Rule I Within the fire of mind, focused within the head's clear light, let the group stand. The burning ground has done its work. The clear cold light shines forth and cold it is and yet the heat - evoked by the group love - permits the warmth of energetic moving out. Behind the group there stands the Door. Before them opens out the Way. Together let the band of brothers onward move - out of the fire, into the cold, and toward a newer tension. It will be profitable if we take this Rule I sentence by sentence and try to wrest from each its group significance. Within the fire of the mind, focused within the head's clear light, let the group stand. In this sentence, you have the idea of intellectual perception and of focused unity. Intellectual perception is not mental understanding, but is in reality the clear cold reason, the buddhic principle in action and the focused attitude of the Spiritual Triad in relation to the personality. I would call your attention to the following analogies: Head - Monad - Atma - Purpose Heart - Soul - Buddhi - Pure reason Base of spine - Personality - Manas - Spiritual activity In these words you have, therefore, the position of the personality indicated as it stands at the penetrating point of the antahkarana as it contacts the manas or lower mind and is thus the agent of the purpose of the Monad, working through the Spiritual Triad which is - as you know - related to the personality by the antahkarana. The heart as an aspect of pure reason requires careful consideration. It is usually considered the organ of pure love [28] but - from the angle of the esoteric sciences - love and reason are synonymous terms, and I would have you reflect upon why this should be. Love is essentially a word for the underlying motive of creation. Motive, however, presupposes purpose leading to action, and hence in the group-life task of the incarnating Monad there comes a time when motive (heart and soul) becomes spiritually obsolete because purpose has reached a point of fulfilment and the activity set in motion is such that purpose cannot be arrested or stopped. The disciple cannot then be deterred, and no hindrance or difficulty is hard enough to prevent his moving forward. Then we have eventual destruction of what Theosophists call the causal body and the establishing of a direct relation between the Monad and its tangible expression upon the physical plane. The head center and the center at the base of the spine will be in direct unimpeded relation; monadic will and personality will likewise will be in a similar unimpeded relation, via the antahkarana. I would have you remember that the will aspect is the final dominating principle. In the group application of these ideas the same basic and profound development must take place, and a group of disciples must be distinguished by pure reason, which will steadily supersede motive, merging eventually into the will aspect of the Monad - its major aspect. It is, technically speaking, Shamballa in direct relation with humanity. What, therefore, is the group will in any ashram or Master's group? Is it present in any form vital enough to condition the group relations and to unite its members into a band of brothers - moving forward into the light? Is the spiritual will of the individual personalities of such strength that it negates the personality relation and leads to spiritual recognition, spiritual interplay and spiritual relation? It is only in consideration of these fundamental effects of standing as a group in "the head's clear light" that it is permissible for disciples to bring into the picture personal sensitivities and thought, and this only because of a group temporary limitation. [29] What is it, therefore, which prevents a disciple - as an individual - from having direct approach and direct contact with the Master without being dependent upon an intermediary? Let me illustrate: In the group I have under training (Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. I. and II.) two or three have direct approach; and others have it but know it not; still others are well intentioned and hard driving disciples, but never for a second do they forget themselves; one has had a problem of glamor but now is preoccupied with the problem of spiritual ambition - a spiritual ambition which is working through a very small personality; some could make rapid progress but are too prone to inertia - perhaps I could say that they do not care enough. Each of them (and every other disciple) can place himself. All of them desire to move forward and possess a strong inner spiritual life - hence my finding the time to work with them. But the group antahkarana is still incomplete and the aspect of pure reason and of the heart does not control. The evocative power of the Spiritual Triad is not, therefore, adequate to hold the personality steady and the invocative power of the personality is non-existent - speaking from the angle of the group personalities which make up the personality aspect of the ashram. This is a factor with which they oft feel I have not to deal. It can only become a potent factor if certain personality relations are adjusted and inertia is overcome. Then and only then can "the group stand."
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