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Discipleship in the New Age II - Teachings on Initiation - Part XI
Initiation is essentially a penetration into areas of the divine consciousness which are not within the normal field of consciousness of a human being. This initiatory penetration is achieved by the disciple through reflective meditation, the development of an interpretive spiritual understanding, plus the use of the trained discriminative mind. This leads eventually to the stabilization of his consciousness in the new field of awareness, so that he becomes polarized there and can work intelligently from the attained point of awareness and of conscious vision. Once he can do this and is aware of the new energies with which he may now work, he enters the stage wherein he may precipitate these energies into the three worlds of human service and thus employ them for the furthering of the hierarchical Plan. These three stages of conscious activity - penetration, polarization and precipitation - are definite and recognized stages in every initiation, with the exception of the first initiation. The disciple (as the Scriptures put it) "takes the Kingdom of Heaven by violence" and thus penetrates into the arena of activity of the Initiator; within that area of spiritual and dynamic influence he becomes polarized, with results which are conditioned by the particular initiation being undergone. From this point he carries forward the task of precipitating the contacted energies and learns how to make them available in his work for humanity. At the same time, the Initiator "polarizes" the energies of the "penetrating" disciple and "precipitates" them through his vehicle according to the Will or Purpose of divinity. The stage wherein the disciple is demonstrating the subjective fact that he is initiate is called the stage of penetration. That in which he stands face to face with The Angel of the Presence, [432] The Initiator, The Initiating Masters, is termed the stage of Polarization. Then when the initiatory process is completed and "he returns from whence he came to carry out the Plan," the stage of precipitation takes place. Therefore, there are two processes of activity going forward simultaneously; i.e., that which is implemented by the Initiator, and one for which the advancing initiate is responsible. The moment, therefore, that a disciple enters upon the Path of Initiation, he is - from the second to the ninth initiation - to be found functioning at one or other of these stages. He is either penetrating into new areas of divine awareness and penetrating deeply into the Mind of God, or he is learning to live and function from a point therein attained to which we give the name of Polarization, or else he is serving to the utmost of his ability in the precipitation of the energies which will make possible the manifestation of the Kingdom of God upon the physical plane. Every initiate is himself a polarized point of precipitated energy; every initiate works from a known point of Polarization, and his main task is the precipitation of energy in order to energize, stimulate and create that which is needed in any immediate field of divine activity. Occult obedience is in reality the ability to work with these energies in relation to the Plan, even if only a tiny part of that Plan is known to the initiate. He becomes a part of a great energy distributing group. You will realize, therefore, from the above, that these three words which we have been considering are major key words in the hierarchical program. One of the tasks of a Master, in connection with his disciples, is to aid them in bringing about effective Polarization and a consequent spiritual stability. The disciple has to effect the stage of penetration alone and unaided; during the process of Polarization, the Master of his Ashram is permitted to help. The stage of precipitation falls into three parts: That in which a relation is set up between the initiate-disciple [433] and the Initiator. The Initiator focuses the new and probably unrecognized energies within himself and by their means sets up a spiritual rapport with the new initiate. That in which the energies, transferred by the Initiator into the aura of the initiate, are precipitated by him. This is preceded by a short primary phase in which the initiate polarized the energies of which he is the recipient into whichever center is active in any particular initiation. For the second and third initiations he polarizes them or focuses them in the heart center. After the third initiation they are focused in the head center, but are precipitated and distributed through the medium of the center between the eyes, the ajna center. This latter center is, as you know, the directing agency of the soul within the soul-infused personality. Later, he finds that he can use any center as the point of precipitation, according to the needs of the work to be done or the service to be rendered. An advanced initiate, however, works from a point of Polarization within the Hierarchy itself, distributing and precipitating the energies via any appropriate center. In working with the subhuman kingdoms, initiates use the centers below the diaphragm more than initiates working in the human family. The first Initiator is, as you know, the Soul, the Angel of the Presence, and the stage of penetration covers the long evolutionary cycle wherein the Soul is seeking to establish contact with and control of the personality. The stage of Polarization covers the cycle in which Soul control is stabilized and consciously imposed upon the threefold lower man. The stage of precipitation is only known for what it essentially is when the energies of the Spiritual Triad can be passed through the antahkarana into the soul-infused personality. We have, therefore: The Path of Evolution - The stage of Penetration. [434] The Path of Discipleship - The stage of Polarization. The Path of Initiation - The stage of Precipitation. These stages are presented in dramatic form during the process or the recognition of initiation. As you have oft been told, it all concerns the use of energy, and covers the entire period of training for energy distribution. Initiation is in fact a process wherein the initiate is taught how to work with energy, how to use the creative, attractive and dynamic energies in accordance with the hierarchical Plan in order to bring about the precipitation of the planetary Purpose into the outer field of manifestation. You may say that there is little new in these things which I am telling you and that is somewhat true, but not entirely so. The use of the three words which I have been attempting to elucidate for you brings in, however, an exceedingly deep occult apprehension of the hidden Mysteries and of the spiritual Realities: the conception of a goal to which penetration must be made; of a fresh area of consciousness in which the initiate must be stabilized and polarized; and the result - the dynamic use of hitherto unknown energies. These are made available to the initiate because he is initiate and must proceed to carry out what has been revealed to him of the hierarchical Plan, from the attained Point of Revelation. All this is implicit in these words, and in their brevity they convey the greatest spiritual truths. They convey an increasing sense of eternal livingness, activity and movement; the initiate discovers himself to be a point of energy in an ocean of energies - energies which are being directed by groups of Living Beings who work from the angle of a proved immortality, and who - because of their livingness - can be precipitating centers of energy under the divine Plan and in accordance with the divine Purpose. The word "revelation" is one that has been greatly misused by the mystics of the Church and of the great world religions; by them, its use is usually of a selfish nature and the concept implied is that revelation is the due reward, conceded to the mystic because of his struggles and his deep search for God. Then, suddenly, God is revealed to him; [435] suddenly the Angel speaks; suddenly his search seems ended and reward in the form of revelation is accorded him. This procedure and sequence of events has been the ordinary form for centuries and all the time the idea of God Transcendent dominated religious thought. But the revelation accorded is, in reality, related (until the sixth Initiation) to God Immanent, to God in form, to God in the human heart, and to that veiled and hidden supreme Reality which motivates all existence and which is for ever consciousness aware of itself. Revelation is a progress of penetration: first into the Mind, then into the Heart, and lastly into the Purpose of the One in whom we live and move and have our being.
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