Initiation, Human & Solar: Treatise on Theosophy and Esotericism. Alice Bailey

Ego, and on higher levels still, with the Monad. The whole evolution of the human spirit is a progressive at-one-ment. In the at-one-ment between the Ego and the personality lies hid the mystery of the Christian doctrine of the Atonement. One unification takes place at the moment of individualisation, when man becomes a conscious rational entity, in contradistinction to the animals. As evolution proceeds successive at-one-ments occur.

      At-one-ment on all levels—emotional, intuitional, spiritual and Divine—consists in conscious, continuous functioning. In all cases it is preceded by a burning, through the medium of the inner fire, and by the destruction, through sacrifice, of all that separates. The approach to unity is through destruction of the lower, and of all that forms a barrier. Take, in illustration, the web that separates the etheric body and the emotional. When that web has been burned away by the inner fire the communication between the bodies of the personality becomes continuous and complete, and the three lower vehicles function as one. You have a somewhat analogous situation on the higher levels, though the parallel cannot be pushed to detail. The intuition corresponds to the emotional, and the four higher levels of the mental plane to the etheric. In the destruction of the causal body at the time of the fourth initiation (called symbolically "the Crucifixion") you have a process analogous to the burning of the web that leads to the unification of the bodies of the personality. The disintegration that is a part of the arhat initiation leads to unity between the Ego and the Monad, expressing itself in the Triad. It is the perfect at-one-ment.

      The whole process is therefore for the purpose of making man consciously one:—

      First: With himself, and those in incarnation with him.

      Second: With his higher Self, and thus with all selves.

      Third: With his Spirit, or "Father in Heaven," and thus with all Monads.

      Fourth: With the Logos, the Three in One and the One in Three.

      Man becomes a conscious human being through the instrumentality of the Lords of the Flame, through Their enduring sacrifice.

      Man becomes a conscious Ego, with the consciousness of the higher Self, at the third initiation, through the instrumentality of the Masters and of the Christ, and through Their sacrifice in taking physical incarnation for the helping of the world.

      Man unites with the Monad at the fifth initiation, through the instrumentality of the Lord of the World, the Solitary Watcher, the Great Sacrifice.

      Man becomes one with the Logos through the instrumentality of One about Whom naught may be said.

      The Work of the Hierarchy

       Table of Contents

      Though the subject of the occult Hierarchy of the planet is of such a profoundly momentous interest to the average man, yet its real significance will never be understood until men realise three things in connection with it. First, that the entire Hierarchy of spiritual beings represents a synthesis of forces or of energies, which forces or energies are consciously manipulated for the furtherance of planetary evolution. This will become more apparent as we proceed. Secondly, that these forces, demonstrating in our planetary scheme through those great Personalities Who compose the Hierarchy, link it and all that it contains with the greater Hierarchy which we call Solar. Our Hierarchy is a miniature replica of the greater synthesis of those selfconscious Entities who manipulate, control, and demonstrate through the sun and the seven sacred planets, as well as the other planets, greater and smaller, of which our solar system is composed. Thirdly, that this Hierarchy of forces has four pre-eminent lines of work:

      To develop selfconsciousness in all beings.

      The Hierarchy seeks to provide fit conditions for the development of selfconsciousness in all beings. This it produces primarily in man through its initial work of blending the higher three aspects of spirit with the lower four; through the example it sets of service, sacrifice, and renunciation, and through the constant streams of light (occultly understood) which emanate from it. The Hierarchy might be considered as the aggregate on our planet of the forces of the fifth kingdom in nature. This kingdom is entered through the full development and control of the fifth principle of mind, and its transmutation into wisdom, which is literally the intelligence applied to all states through the full conscious utilisation of the faculty of discriminative love.

      To develop consciousness in the three lower kingdoms.

      As is well known, the five kingdoms of nature on the evolutionary arc might be defined as follows:—the mineral kingdom, the vegetable kingdom, the animal kingdom, the human kingdom, and the spiritual kingdom. All these kingdoms embody some type of consciousness, and it is the work of the Hierarchy to develop these types to perfection through the adjustment of karma, through the agency of force, and through the providing of right conditions. Some idea of the work may be gained if we briefly summarize the different aspects of consciousness to be developed in the various kingdoms.

      In the mineral kingdom the work of the Hierarchy is directed toward the development of the discriminative and selective activity. One characteristic of all matter is activity of some kind, and the moment that activity is directed towards the building of forms, even of the most elemental kind, the faculty of discrimination will demonstrate. This is recognised by scientists everywhere, and in this recognition they are approximating the findings of the Divine Wisdom.

      In the vegetable kingdom, to this faculty of discrimination is added that of response to sensation, and the rudimentary condition of the second aspect of divinity is to be seen, just as in the mineral kingdom a similar rudimentary reflection of the third aspect of activity is making itself felt.

      In the animal kingdom this rudimentary activity and feeling are increased, and symptoms (if it might be so inadequately expressed) are to be found of the first aspect, or embryonic will and purpose; we may call it hereditary instinct, but it works out in fact as purpose in nature.

      It has been wisely stated by H. P. Blavatsky that man is the macrocosm for the three lower kingdoms, for in him these three lines of development are synthesised and come to their full fruition. He is verily and indeed intelligence, actively and wonderfully manifested; He is incipient love and wisdom, even though as yet they may be but the goal of his endeavour; and he has that embryonic, dynamic, initiating will which will come to a fuller development after he has entered into the fifth kingdom.

      In the fifth kingdom, the consciousness to be developed is that of the group, and this shows itself in the full flowering of the love-wisdom faculty. Man but repeats on a higher turn of the spiral, the work of the three lower kingdoms, for in the human kingdom he shows forth the third aspect of active intelligence. In the fifth kingdom, which is entered at the first initiation, and which covers all the period of time wherein a man takes the first five initiations, and that wherein he works as a Master, as part of the Hierarchy, the love-wisdom, or second aspect, comes to its consummation. At the sixth and seventh initiations the first, or will, aspect shines forth, and from being a Master of Compassion and a Lord of Love the adept becomes something more. He enters into a still higher consciousness than that of the group, and becomes God-conscious. The great will or purpose of the Logos becomes his.

      The fostering of the various attributes of divinity, the tending of the seed of selfconsciousness in all beings, is the work of those Entities who have achieved, Who have entered into the fifth kingdom and Who have there made Their great decision, and that inconceivable renunciation which leads Them to stay within the planetary scheme, and thus co-operate with the plans of the Planetary Logos on the physical plane.

      To transmit the will of the Planetary Logos.

      They act as the transmitter to men and devas or angels, of the will of the Planetary Logos, and through Him of the Solar Logos. Each planetary scheme, ours amongst the others, is a centre in the body Logoic, and is expressing some form of energy or force. Each centre expresses its particular type of force, demonstrated in a triple manner, producing thus universally the three aspects in manifestation. One of the great realisations which come to those who enter into the fifth kingdom is that of the particular type of force which