Initiations into the Mysteries (The Mystic Knowledge Series)

The Mystic Knowledge Series in One Volume, ( Pages) Out-of-Body Travel INITIATIONS INTO THE MYSTERIES, VISIONS OF JESUS AND THE SAINTS.
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[Occult Lecture] Esoteric Initiation and Hidden Knowledge of the Pyramid

One is driven to admire the strength and wisdom of the ancients who knew better than to turn knowledge over indiscriminately to those lacking moral control. With all our boasted superiority, we have not yet caught up on all lines with the scientific knowledge of our ancient forebears. In the Mysteries, geography was not merely a study of topography; rather the periodical risings and sinkings of continents was the subject of investigation in accordance with the cyclic events of racial history; secret centers of the earth were learned of, and our intimate relation to the two poles and the four points of the compass.

Meteorology was the study of the currents of wind and rain, not from the effectual standpoint, but as bearing streams of vital energy from all parts of the solar system and beyond. Lightning and thunder, etc.


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When considered from the causal aspect they are seen to be outer manifestations of interior forces bursting from cosmic space into our atmosphere and affecting the lives of earth. Its deeper teachings were transmitted from mouth to ear, so sacred and profoundly spiritual were they then considered. Mere fortune-telling and other similar trifles were held vulgar in the eyes of the hierophants. The recognized influences of the sun and planets upon human beings were not viewed as simply mechanical, compelling individuals to this or that character or mode of conduct.

Such interchange of planetary and solar life energies among terrestrial beings was understood as springing from our common galactic heritage.


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The septenary nature of the planets was taken into account in reckoning septenary human nature. Hence the intermingling of life-atoms from the various planetary systems with the earth, and vice versa, constitutes one of the major studies of esoteric astrology. Furthermore, the science of prediction of tremendous cyclic occurrences on earth was mastered not only in India to a fine hair's breadth see the Surya-Siddhanta of Asuramaya, the oldest treatise on astronomy extant, Secret Doctrine 2: The famous ziggurat or high tower of Borsippa in Babylonia is clear testimonial to knowledge of the sevenfold planetary influences on humanity.

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Called the stages of the seven spheres, each of its stories bore a different color, representative of one of the seven sacred planets. At the top of a ziggurat was a sacred shrine, often with a table or couch of gold. Thus what may have seemed to the public mere astronomical observatories were secret training centers within whose inner recesses esoteric astrology formed one of the important studies of the Lesser Mysteries. Medicine and surgery, physics and alchemy, poetry, mathematics, and philosophy likewise were studied from their inner standpoint.

This instruction consists not in the learning by rote of scores of formulae, but in the inner perception of occult rationale, so that knowledge benevolently applied for others may in time become wisdom. However fascinating to the imagination and of whatever degree of intellectual and psychic stimulation to the neophyte were these studies, they were not the major aim of the Mysteries. Behind all training of the mind was the impelling urge for soul purification through discipline and contemplation.

As stimulus and guidance, dramatic presentations were given of the descent of the candidate into the underworld, his trial in the nether regions through meeting and conquering himself, his ascent into the stream of life and light, culminating in final communion and "friendship" with the divinities. So effective were the dramatic rites that participation in them constituted a signal part of the initiatory training in preparation for the Greater Mysteries.

Comparison of the ritual of the Lesser Mysteries, as practiced in the ancient world with slight variations of detail, reveals the universal story of the descent into the underworld in the symbol of the wheat or corn deity. The seed or grain represents the candidate. As the seed enters into the dark regions of the moist earth, many are the difficulties of soil and environment to contend with; it "dies" in giving birth to root and stalk.

Finally, as the period of germination expires, tender shoots of the grain sprout above the surface of the earth, and in time the seed-that-was bursts forth in flower with the aid of sun and rain. In like manner the candidate "dies" in the regions of the underworld, the lower spheres, where he meets and conquers the difficulties of environment; shedding his impermanent self, he dies in giving birth to budding masterhood.

At the appropriate hour, the disciple-that-was rises to the spheres of light and life; taken into the presence of other plants of divinity, he finds friendship with the gods and blooms into the full flower of adepthood. Thus is dramatized in esoteric imagery the spiritual travail of those " giving birth to themselves " Secret Doctrine 2: The Greater Mysteries entered upon by the neophyte, after the successful consummation of the preliminary degrees, constitute the becoming by individual experience of that which had been learned in the Lesser Mysteries.

In this higher department of esoteric training, no quarter is given. The neophyte must face himself and conquer — or die. All the stretches of his complex nature, from the divinely inspired to the grossly material, must be investigated and controlled. By this time the aspirant must have developed sufficient spiritual stamina to withstand reality. He must become nature in her lower and higher regions, pass the supreme test of self-identification, and yet retain his soul integrity.

Even as late as the second century, the rites of the Egyptian Mysteries, however modified by Greek influence, were carried on with due and appropriate reverence. Disciples from surrounding countries sought initiation there as a fitting advancement following their own ceremonies. In the Greater Mysteries, the passage into the underworld ceases to be a mere ritual of the Lesser Mysteries in which the candidate participates.

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He must now approach "the confines of death" with full knowledge, and in the garment of soul-consciousness pass beyond the veil of visible nature into the arena of worlds invisible:. This mystic death constitutes the fourth initiation, which consists not only in one's ability to receive spiritual light, but likewise in one's power to face with equanimity and awakened morality the darkness of evil.

To become a thing is actually to unite one's cognizing intelligence with the essence of that being or thing; in other words, to take on the nature of such entity for the time being. Hence, to weld one's consciousness with beings in spheres lower than the human is greatly to test the stamina of the individual: Will the sensuous delights of the lower hells have any attraction for the neophyte stern in his resolve? Conversely, to assume the nature of beings in spheres higher than the human calls for an equally tempered constitution: Will vision of reality shatter the awakening eye of wisdom?

This fourth degree may be considered a prelude to, a minor reflection of, the final and seventh degree of initiation in which the individual must undergo the trial of identification with all spheres of being. To complete the full initiatory cycle, therefore, demands the awakening and strengthening of all seven human principles. The candidate must have so tuned his seven-stringed lyre, so energized it with spiritual harmony, that it will vibrate in perfect synchrony with the spiritual essence of the seven principles or spheres of the cosmos.

Hume of Simla, India: Of these higher degrees scarcely anything is known to us. This is natural, and indeed appropriate; for how could words describe that which can be understood only by the initiate? How could that which is essentially esoteric be revealed and still retain its mystic integrity? Important hints, however, have been given regarding the fifth, sixth, and seventh degrees.

In the fifth initiation, the initiant " meets his own god-self face to face , and for a longer or shorter time becomes one with it '' Fundamentals of the Esoteric Philosophy , p. This degree was called by the Greeks theophany , a word signifying "divine appearance" or "showing forth of a divinity," the appearance or manifestation of. The sixth initiation was consummated as the inevitable course of events following upon the successful spiritualization of the entire nature.

This was called theopneusty by the Greeks — a word literally signifying "god-breathing" or "divine inspiration" — where the disciple. In this degree "the inner god of the candidate breathes down into him, for a longer or shorter time, depending upon his advancement, the wisdom and the knowledge of all the universe.

Then comes the seventh and last of the degrees of initiation before masterhood is achieved. This initiation usually took place at the winter solstice.

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The ancient pagan initiates considered the four points of the year, the winter and summer solstices and the spring and autumnal equinoxes, as representative of holy workings in the cosmos. The birth of the sun at the beginning of the year symbolized to them the mystic birth of the initiate, and it is significant that nearly all the great world saviors, such as Jesus the Christ, Krishna the Avatara, Apollonius of Tyana, and others, celebrate their "birthdays" at this sacred time: This seventh degree, which is called theopathy — a Greek word meaning "god-suffering" or "divine- enduring" — is the.

Few indeed are those whose soul strength is so great that they can suffer in fullness the presence of divinity. This is the reward of the highest adepts, those whose sacrifice and wisdom surround humanity with a guardian wall diamond-like in compassion and protection.

In the seventh degree, the neophyte passes the portals of the sun; " he becomes for a passing moment the Wondrous Watcher himself '' Fundamentals of the Esoteric Philosophy , p. The solar initiation is complete: In the deeper Mystery-training, the pupil must not only learn to build the mystic vessel of awakened consciousness which will carry him from plane to plane but, in the process of such individual becoming, must rediscover for himself the ageless routes of initiation.

In wisdom and foresight, nature is consistent throughout: With charming thrift she rehearses the pathways of initiation through the cycles of sleep and death. Death and its processes form the heart and core of the Greater Mysteries: Except the seed die, the flower cannot bloom; except the flower die, the seed cannot form. Sleep is an incomplete death — unconsciously experienced; death is a complete sleep — unconsciously experienced; initiation is a self-conscious sleep or "death'' of the lower elements with a fully conscious liberation of the spiritual soul along the pathways of sleep and death.

In sleep the body "dies" imperfectly, for the golden cord remains linked to the slumbering body. If the soul is not weighted with material desire, then a natural quiescence ensues.

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During the brief hours of nightly sleep, if the karma be favorable the freed spirit-soul may ascend out of the sphere of earth along the invisible magnetic pathways to higher realms. Many mystery schools to this day still operate in this way. There are massive shifts of energy occurring on the planet today, and humanity is once again waking up to its true divine nature. It is time once again to live in an enlightened society. The Modern Mystery School believes in giving everyone th right to choose to pursue the path of initiation into the Light, by creating the opportunity and opening its doors to all who seek it.

We are ready to take the next step forward in our evolution, that we embrace our divinity here in the physical. There are 7 Ancient Mystery Schools on the planet. Six of which are closed to the public. The journal focuses on topics that are related to the sciences, history, the arts, mysticism, and spirituality—especially interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary inquiries that traverse and lie beyond the limits of different fields of study. Fountains, exotic plants and trees, statuary and Egyptian-style buildings add to the special ambience of Rosicrucian Park.

Rosicrucian members may attend convocations and other activities in the Grand Temple, including sessions of the Council of Solace healing meditation. Guests are welcome to stroll through the Park grounds and take in the special atmosphere. The museum offers an exciting chance to travel back in time and discover the mysteries of ancient Egypt.

Rosicrucian members, along with one guest, receive free admission to the museum. The planetarium is complimentary to all. The Rosicrucian Peace Garden is an educational garden dedicated to the Rosicrucian ideals of peace and tolerance. Based on examples of gardens from the city of Akhetaton now called Amarna , the garden contains plants and architecture authentic to the Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt, including medicinal plants, beautiful flowers, a reflection pond for relaxation and contemplation, a small outdoor temple, and a grape arbor. The Research Library contains a remarkable collection of books and other research materials on most esoteric subjects, as well as cultural, scientific, and other fascinating material.

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