The purpose of esotericism is to hasten the evolutionary processes
in man, so as to produce a being who has surpassed
the limitations of human existence. The major human
limitation is mortality. Once the evolutionary process
has run its course and the human being has become
a Master, he can either preserve the body in which
he took the fifth initiation, or he can create a body
(the mayavirupa) by power of the mind and will, with
which to approach those who still dwell in the three
worlds if need should arise.
Physical immortality is not the objective of esoteric
development, it is simply one of the by products of
the process. Its important at the outset that beginners
realise that esoteric development is not simply a
philosophy or way of looking at the world. The objective
is to become a Master.
Within a few years of my search for esoteric teachings
I soon realised there were very few bodies of real
esoteric knowledge available in print.
This is not really surprising because there are only
a few thousand people in the world today who are able
and willing to make substantial use of these teachings.
The Hierarchy of Masters only give out that much of
the sacred wisdom that will be made use of in any
particular era. Teachings are always veiled in some
way to guard them from the profane, and this is done
in various ways.
They are spread out through many volumes of books
so that time and effort needs to be expended to find
the relevant information, and they are given out through
different authors whose work will to those who see
not, will seem unconnected, and thus important correlations
and correspondences will not take place. Time and
effort must therefore be expended if one wants to
obtain the complete picture.
Esoteric writings are veiled in other ways also.
In my view, one of the most complete systems of initiation
has been given in the 24 books by the Tibetan Master
Djwhal Khul, usually referred to as DK. In these
books the Hierarchy has given out a huge volume of
new information which has never been given out to
the public before during the 5th root race,
which is about 100,000 years old. Another important
system is the series of three books written by Franz
Bardon. The first of these three books gives a series
of practical exercises which enable the student to
gain complete control of her energy system. It’s not
a system for the beginner. When DK wrote his
24 books via Alice Bailey he was a Master, theres
no doubt about this; its highly likely that he is
now a Chohan of the 6th initiation. Franz Bardon,
was I believe, also a Master, probably of the 5th
initiation, he may also have taken the 6th initiation
by now. However, as far as I know, 6th degree initiates
generally do not take physical bodies and incarnate
among humans, it would be a waste of there energies
to do so. Therefore its more likely that he was only
a 5th degree initiate when he was functioning as Franz
Bardon during the first part of the last century.
The relative values of the writings of these two Master’s
may be a matter of debate, but in my view both are
needed. Missing out on either will leave a gaping
hole in ones spiritual education.
I believe the truly earnest student of esotericism
needs both teachings. Both systems cater for the advanced
student in different ways.
Bardon has given us one of the most extensive and
yet concise systems of practical magical training
I have ever come across. An absolute beginner could
take his first book (Initiation into Hermetics) and
train himself, step by step, in the practicalities
of magic and self mastery. It is a most concise manual
for self initiation. In theory it is all one needs
in terms of hands on exercises. In practice,
there are very few people who are able to complete
the first book (all ten steps) in their present incarnation.
It is an incredibly intense training system, and any
headway made in this life will be the platform for
further advances in the next and other lives. Those
who are able to complete the exercises in the first
book “Initiation to Hermetics” will have been working
along this path for many lives and are now ripe in
this one. They are drawing on skills hard earned in
other lives prior to the current one. I will be examining
the nature of incarnation cycles in other articles,
here I will simply state the fact that developmental
themes follow cycles of three seven and sometimes
eleven lives. Esoteric training follows the same time
periods, which is why it is impossible to do it all
in one life.
Bardon writes for the advanced student, DK writes
for both, and amazingly, the larger part of his work
can be read on all levels at once. It’s not possible
to see this until after some years of study. The beginner
will find what he needs, and will build on this in
later incarnations; while the advanced student will
also find that DK has given us a wealth of information
that has never been given out by the Hierarchy before.
Here are some of the topics covered although it is
in no way an exhaustive list. Detailed new information
on the seven centres, a mass of new information on
the seven rays, esoteric astrology, the various Laws,
(soul laws, the cosmic laws, the systemic laws), the
colors, various mantras, the science of the triangles,
esoteric history, meditation theory and forms, the
devas, time cycles of all lengths, personality, Soul
and Monadic incarnation cycles, 14 rules for aspirants,
14 rules for initiates, 15 rules for white magic,
information on the Cosmic paths followed after the
6th initiation (this is not found anywhere else),
a mass of information on the nine initiations, rules
for esoteric healing, commentaries on Patanjalis Yoga
Sutras, information on the plans for the Externalisation
of the Hierarchy, information on the reappearance
of the world teacher, the Creative Hierarchies, the
ten seed groups, the mineral, vegetable, animal, human,
and other kingdoms, a mass of information on our Solar
System, other Constellations and the source of extra
solar energies etc.
Both Bardon and the Tibetan have given a wealth of
information on the devas, but they explain it in a
very different way. Many exercises that DK (the Tibetan)
doesn't give, are given in plain language by Bardon.
But DK also gives a wealth of meditation work with
various forms, his letters with instructions and commentaries
to his students in the two volumes of Discipleship
in the New Age are a good example of this. A graded
series of meditations are given in these two books,
also there’s a huge volume of material on meditation
scattered throughout the various books.
DK has veiled somewhat the information he gives on
the significance and purpose of the letters of the
alphabet, whereas Bardon has given this information
in a totally open and straightforward manner. For
example, DK states, "It is the coming in of the "A"
sound which affects the severance or liberation of
the initiate from the three worlds." (Occult Meditation
154) Liberation from the three worlds takes place
at the 5th initiation so the "A" sound must come in
before that because it affects the liberation from
the three worlds. The letter "A" is connected with
the number one and therefore with Ray one. Students
of the seven rays know that the rays are associated
with time cycles. The first ray for instance, is associated
with all cycles such as 1, 10, 100, 1,000 years, 10,000
years or 1million years etc. The letter "A" then,
as a first ray letter must under the law of correspondences
be connected with these aforementioned ray cycles.
As far as I know this line of investigation has not
been pursued to date.
The following quote refers to the Cosmic path of Magnetic
work (the 2nd Path), one of the paths open to the
initiate after the 6th initiation. But why are these
four letters associated with this path? " The mystic Word is veiled by letters four - E, M, and A and O
- in the significance of their
numbers and the utilisation of their
colours is the smoke dissipated." (CF 1271) DK talks
very little about the letters, or their practical
application in magic, whereas Bardon, in his third
book, "The Key To The True Kabbalah" has given us
a very full explanation with instructions for using
the tetrapolar magnet, or YHVH also known as the “Tetragrammaton”.
This is the lost word. DK has said that it is only
the initiate of the third degree who can begin the
search for the lost word.
The following quote is further evidence of a direct
relationship between the letters, rays and time cycles.
"Comparatively few of the Members of our Hierarchy
have yet been able to reach the state or condition
of development which would warrant Their forming a part of the Great Council,
or which would enable them to respond
to the O, sounded out at intervals of one hundred
years by Sanat Kumara. It is this
sound which
gathers together the responsive Units into the Council...1725,
1825, 1925 etc." (RI 207)
As you can see, I think the Tibetan's
and Franz Bardon's books are complementary and should
be studied together, they are both core requirements
for a full esoteric education. In particular I believe
these two bodies of knowledge taken together will
reveal the connection between the cosmic letters,
the rays, and the ray cycles (time cycles).
ZACH
