On Initiation

Initiation may be described as a trial or a test which every earnest spiritual aspirant has to pass through and which helps to determine if the aspirant is ready to take the next step on the Path. There are levels and levels of initiation, wherein the aspirant is subjected to progressively difficult trials. Just as, when one learns horse-riding, one is made to ride the horse that initially walks, then trots, then canters, and only finally is he given to control a galloping horse; so, too, in the process of Initiation. We need guidance in the process of unfoldment, so that we do not get into serious psychological and moral problems.

Mr. Judge observes that there are two kinds of meditation: (1) Meditation practised at a set time, or an occasional one, and (2) Meditation of an entire lifetime, that single thread of intention, intentness, and desire running through the entire lifetime. "The mysterious subtle thread of a life meditation is that which is practised every hour by philosopher, mystic, saint, criminal, artist, artisan and merchant. It is pursued in respect to that on which the heart is set." In the same way, Initiation can be a set and solemn occasion, for which the candidate is prepared and that he is aware of in advance. But before coming to that stage, writes Mr. Judge, each aspirant has to learn to face "daily initiations," which come from moment to moment. They are met in our relation with our fellows, and in the way we react to all circumstances of life. And if we fail in these, we never get to the point where greater ones are offered. If we cannot bear momentary defeat, if a chance word from someone shatters our self-esteem, if we give way to the desire to harshly judge others, or if we are oblivious of our most apparent faults, then we cannot build up necessary strength to be masters of nature. Further:


Do you think that if a Master accepted you He would put you to some strange test? No. He would not, but simply permitting the small events of your life to have their course, the result would determine your standing. It may be a child's school, but it takes a man to go through it. (The Path, September 1889)

In From the Book of Confidences, when the disciple expresses his desire to know something concerning initiation, the sage advises him not to look for a special trial and that there would be hourly trials and daily initiations. The sage speaks of initiation through one's daily duties. When the disciple describes the daily duties as dreary routine that he could never bring himself to love, the sage explains that the world is kept going because everything in nature performs its repetitive duty without complaining. For instance, the stars follow their course through the sky, cyclically; the seasons and the tides repeat themselves, and the heart pulsates endlessly and repeatedly without complaint. How can you hope to come to your initiation by escaping the "repetitioned sweep of daily toil"? asks the sage. One has to be prepared to perform every humble labour as though it were exalted and to serve the powerful, the rich, the ignorant, as though they were Holy Ones.

Next, the disciple expresses his desire to be guided. He asks the sage that if only he was told "go there," "do this" or "do that," he would rejoice to do as directed. The sage replies that if he were to guide the disciple through clear-cut instructions as to what and how to do, the disciple would surely fail in his initiation. He would deprive the disciple of the opportunity to strengthen the muscle of Will. "I would steal from thee thy sovereign power of choice which makes of thee a God."

When one aspires to reach perfection and enlightenment, one is faced with strange and awesome trials of initiation. We are mistaken if we look for some special difficult test or trial through which we can show our moral strength. Mr. Judge writes:

It seems to me that many who think they would earnestly seek the light do not comprehend the true nature of the temptations to which they are continually subjected. They are looking for something unusual, something hard in the way of a trial, and think: If something of the sort would only come along, how I would show my power to stand it! At the same time, by their daily yielding to the small vexations of life they show their unfitness for meeting greater trials. Even if one who has waited long and patiently asks, "Why am I not given an opportunity, since my conduct deserves it," he shows by the very question his unfitness....When a person loses his temper over a trifle, he is hardly likely to meet any greater temptation in the right spirit. Every time we successfully overcome even the slightest obstacle, we have made a step in our initiation into the mysteries. Let us remember that it is the unexpected that always happens in the way of trials to the novice. The devil never sends a herald to announce his coming....When we have learnt to encounter every vexation absolutely without complaint, either internally or externally—if it disturbs us in the slightest degree within, it is just as bad as if we expressed it in words or action—then, and not till then, can we expect to be given the opportunity to take a decided step forwards. For the secret of advancement is the development of the will through its union with the Divine Will. By meeting the ordinary ills of life with unvexed soul we educate and strengthen our will, fitting us for further advancement. Humbleness, Patience and Content are the first three steps that lead to the door.

For the earnest and devoted workers of Theosophy, Mr. Judge mentions that it is likely that they have successfully passed through some trials and have been initiated in some past life, but they do not carry its memory in the present life. Mr. Crosbie writes:

You will remember what W.Q.J. wrote: "None of us, and especially those who have heard of the Path, or of Occultism, or of the Masters, can say with confidence that he is not already one who has passed through some initiations, with knowledge of them. We may already be initiated into some higher degree than our present attainment would suggest, and are undergoing a new trial unknown to ourselves. It is better to consider that we are, being sure to eliminate all pride of that unknown advance we have made." We may all take comfort and encouragement from what is there said, for it may be especially true of those who are fired with zeal for Master's work. (The Friendly Philosopher, p. 149)

There are various degrees of initiation. An occultist can see in the aura of the person signs and marks that indicate the degree of his advancement. Mr. Judge mentions that it is no use pretending to be more advanced than we actually are. He writes:

In just the same way as a polished diamond shows the work which gives it value and brilliancy, so the man who has gone through probation and teaching under the Adepts carries upon his person the ineffaceable marks. To the ordinary eye untrained in this department, no such indications are visible; but those who can see describe them as being quite prominent and wholly beyond the control of the bearer. For this reason that one who has progressed, say, three steps along the way, will have three marks, and it is useless to pretend that his rank is a step higher, for, if it were, then the fourth mark would be there, since it grows with the being's development. Now, as these signatures cannot be imitated or forged, the whole inner fraternity has no need for concealment of signs. No one can commit a fraud upon or extract from them the secrets of higher degrees by having obtained signs and passwords out of a book or in return for the payment of fees, and none can procure the conferring of any advancement until the whole nature of man exactly corresponds to the desired point of development. (Echoes from the Orient, p. 37)

In some so-called esoteric bodies there are initiations performed for money with elaborate rituals and ceremonies. In the ancient times, initiations took place in the crypts, caves, temples, and pyramids where the neophyte underwent a series of physical and psychological trials, through which he proved his strength and readiness for spiritual rebirth. During the Mysteries, the candidate for initiation was taught, by dramatic representation, "the origin of things, the nature of the human spirit, its relation to the body, and the method of its purification and restoration to higher life. Physical science, medicine, the laws of music, divination were all taught in the same manner." (The Theosophical Glossary)

Swami Dayanand Saraswati describes Diksha or highest initiation, in his Veda-Bhashya, thus:

To obtain Diksha (highest initiation) and Yog, one has to practise according to the rules....The soul in human body can perform the greatest wonders by knowing the Universal Spirit (or God) and acquainting itself with the properties and qualities (occult) of all the things in the universe. A human being (a Dikshita or initiate) can thus acquire a power of seeing and hearing at great distances. (The Theosophist, October 1879)

After passing through a series of initiations, at the last initiation, the disciple comes face to face with the Dhyani Buddha of the hierarchy to which he belongs, and he is allowed to behold his future self—the Augoeides.


—Ralph W. Emerson

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