What is Initiation?
Webster’s first definition of initiation is: “The action of admitting someone into a secret or obscure society or group, typically with a ritual.” People usually go through these kinds of so called “initiations” to feel a greater sense of belonging, and by doing so, they often give up their own integrity, like the Penn State student who was killed by hazing in May of 2017. The true meaning of initiation has been stained by humankind.
Spiritual initiation is a different thing altogether. Spiritual initiation results from having the courage to become more true to yourself, regardless of other’s approval or not. As you probably know, our human potential is infinite. Life offers initiations to help us discover a new level of self-realization, and often this happens through a kind of loss. When initiation is taking place, we are usually given the opportunity to let go of an attachment. If we succeed, we begin living a more simple and conscious life. Examples are an alcoholic who stops drinking after he losses his job or marriage; or a person who feels more whole after grieving the loss of her lover. Death is an initiation, as well as birth, resurrection and ascension.
Spiritual initiates, at various points of their soul’s evolution, lose outer human approval in order to discover a greater self-approval. When we are milking other’s approval we are caught in glamour. Our self-image to others is more important than our own self-love. At some point, when your soul is ready, you go through this ego death of “needing” other’s approval. For you to get the lesson that the only real and lasting source of energy can come through your own self-love and resulting creativity, you may even find yourself being scorned by others in some way, especially by your blood family when you take the risk of being more true to yourself. This rite of passage, from feeling abandoned or scorned by those whom you have deeply loved, can be an essential spiritual initiation, a gift in disguise, supporting you to choose a stronger connection with your I AM. You will know you passed the initiation when you don’t care anymore about what anyone thinks about you, and your self-love has reached a point that more and more people are attracted to you. Whether people realize it or not, this is what we all want, to be completely established in our unconditional happiness. This authentic happiness is generated from self-love, or love of the divinity in ourselves.
Initiation is not something that can be done to you. Initiation happens to you when your Soul, your I AM, decides you are ready. You cannot control it, but you can ALLOW it. Some rituals done in a space of ALLOWING can help accelerate your soul embodiment. But remember, no one can DO it to you, not even your own personal self. Your Soul initiates you, or in a way gives birth through you when you are ready to drop certain attachments and rise to I higher vibration existence. No special exercises or rituals are necessary. Initiation happens naturally when you are simply allowing yourself to grow and willing to let go of whatever wants to leave you. When you are at that auspicious moment of initiation, a true shaman can recognize this and assist. They are not initiating you, they are just your soul’s midwife. This is probably what happened during Jesus’s baptism.
Path of Probation and the Six Initiations
“Each of us is recognized by the brilliance of our light”
A brief outline of the Ascended Master Djwhal Khul’s message,
channeled by Alice Bailey
Unconscious Humanity
Not yet on the path of realizing ones soul. In Hall of Ignorance.
Path of Probation
Enters Hall of Learning. One works on building their character, knowing oneself, ascertain one’s weakness and set about to correct them. However, they lack real commitment and practice to change their patterns. During this phase, they are being prepared with increased mental activity, increased responsiveness to ideas, psychic sensitiveness. Like spiritual pregnancy before birth.
First Initiation
Key Lesson: Mastery over the Physical Body
Commencement: Initiate leaves Hall of Ignorance and Hall of Learning and entered into the Hall of Wisdom. Sins of the flesh must be dominated. Gluttony, drink, and promiscuity must no longer control the disciple.
The physical Body is made up of 1/4 electronic substance.
During this first life stage, the initiate’s main focus is all about their physical health, eating the right foods, limiting the intake of alcohol and other drugs, working out, cleansing their body, etc. Once their body has been purified, they move to the next initiation.
Second Initiation
Key Lesson: Mastery over the Astral and Emotional Body
Sacrifice and death of lower desire.
Keynotes: Dedication, Glamour, Devotion
Dedication results in glamour, which is dissipated by devotion.
Emotions and sexual energy is brought under control.
The physical body is made up of 1/2 electronic substance.
This is the most challenging initiation for most souls to get through. When encountering it for the first time, the Second Initiation usually takes many lifetimes to master. They must learn to master their emotional and sexual energy, and this includes no longer stealing sexual energy from others, written about in Chapter 9. During this initiation, the initiate discovers he/she has more power and recognition in the world because of his/her dedication to the light. This leads to glamour. He/she feeds on other’s attention, which becomes a setback in their growth. They can become relationship, sex, and/or work addicted. When they learn to consistently channel all their sexual and needy emotional energy into devotion to God (or serving the wholeness and purity of their I AM), they manage to rise to the next initiation.
Third Initiation
Key Lesson: Mastery over the Mental Body, and hence over the 3 fold personality.
Receiving intuition and energies from the Soul.
Very fast accumulation of knowledge.
The soul becomes dominant, not the material world.
Begins receiving knowledge from their monad (I AM)
The physical Body is made up of 3/4 electronic substance.
During this stage of life, the initiate is no longer feeling emotionally and sexually needy and is very focused on upgrading his/her mental patterns. This is a grand initiation, as the human ego is mastered by their Soul. The initiate has learned to live from inside out and develop his/her own ideas, which are usually not in agreement with mainstream thought.
Fourth Initiation: Renunciation and Crucifixion
All is renounced: Friends, money, reputation, character, standing in the world.
The Casual body or soul body is burned up and the soul merges back into the Monad.
Sacrifice and sometimes suffering lead to the end of all suffering.
Merge with Buddhic plane
Physical Body is made up of 100% electronic substance
Initiate is totally liberated, future contact with the material world is totally voluntary.
Jesus displayed the fourth initiation with his crucifixion. Today, 4th initiations need not be so dramatic and painful.
Fifth Initiation: Revelation and Resurrection
Merging one’s consciousness with their Monad
Freedom from blindness and new vision
Merge with Atmic plane
During this stage, the initiate can see the truth of everything. They are receiving clear guidance from their I AM, Spirit Guides and certain Ascended Masters. They have no worldly attachments. Their body is becoming a light body. Over 51 percent of their karma is balanced, while they complete their Dharma (the legacy of their unique service to humankind).
Six Initiation: Ascension
The physical body turns to light, becomes light-body.
Can take their physical body, or build a new one.
Attainment of the Christ, a perfected Buddha. Spiritual Master and realized being.
Complete merging with Monad.
Must have balance 51% of Karma and completed Dharma
Abilities: Teleportation, bilocation, transfiguration.
There is no time or space; All is now, all the time.
During Ascension, the being has become superconscious with omniscience, omnipotent, and mini-benevolent abilities. They are all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving. They can travel anywhere in the universe in their light body Merkabah. The being will choose where they will serve next. At this time, some decide to stay on earth for a while appearing and reappearing as they are called.
Even if one has attained enlightenment in past lives, everyone who is reborn undergoes these initiations, usually in a milder way, if they had done it before.