Rules For Spiritual Initiation

Zachary Lansdowne, author of earlier books on the Ageless Wisdom, reveals the esoteric significance of fourteen symbolic rules that were originally published by Alice A. Bailey. He shows that the symbols in each rule have both an outer and inner meaning. The outer meaning describes an objective in character building, and the inner meaning describes a stage in the process of meditation. The initial sequence of seven rules provides elementary instructions for the path of probation, leading to the first spiritual initiation, and the next sequence provides advanced instructions for the path of discipleship, leading to the second and third initiations. Lansdowne also discusses the close relationship between these rules and the typology of the seven rays. The end result is an easytounderstand guidebook to the various stages of the spiritual path.

The Revelation of St. John, the last book of the canonical Bible, has been a mystery since it first appeared. No other part of the Bible has caused more controversy. Traditional interpretations of the book fall into one of three categories: the major prophecies that are supposed to have been fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.; the historical view that Revelation predicts the course of human events from the founding of Christianity to the end of the world; or the futurist view that Revelation predicts events that will occur at the end of the world.It's actually none of the above, writes Zachary F. Lansdowne, a leading expert in the field of spiritual initiation. In the Introduction to this rich and complex interpretation, he writes, "According to its own verses, the Revelation is concerned with the present time, which is whatever time we happen to be reading it, and contains information that we can apply immediately to become blessed."This is not a book about "end times" or Armageddon and when it might come. This is a book written entirely in symbols, concealing a path for early Christians, and for the contemporary reader. Lansdowne has applied a unique psychological method of interpretation that takes each symbol as depicting some aspect of human consciousness rather than an eternal event, thus showing that the Revelation is actually a detailed instruction for the spiritual journey--a map to the wakening of higher consciousness. Moreover, while the Revelation appears in the great lineage of Judeo-Christian tradition, Lansdowne shows that its instruction can be appreciated and applied to seekers from any tradition.Lansdowne's line-by-line and verse-by-verse interpretation--presented here in an easy-to-read side-by-side format--is a manual for the true seeker who would follow teachings of Jesus as they were and are laid out, rather than as they have been interpreted by theologians and biblical historians. The Revelation of St. John, when unlocked by the key of psychological methodology, is revealed to contain ideas from many diverse wisdom traditions and philosophies--archangels in Judaism, chakras and kundalini in Hinduism, Buddhist mindfulness, the redemptive power of love in Christianity, and absolute standards of comparison in Platonic philosophy. Zachary Lansdowne's revelatory text makes these teachings of the path to true soul initiation available to seekers from every spiritual tradition.

The final volume in this treatise on the seven rays contains the fundamental spiritual structure on which the next presentation of the Ageless Wisdom teaching will build. The book is in two parts; the first part enumerates and details the Fourteen Rules for Group Initiation. These are the rules for disciples and initiates, paralleling on a higher turn of the spiral, the rules for applicants contained in the book Initiation, Human and Solar. The second part of this volume is concerned with the Rays and the Initiations, those nine major expansions of consciousness through which the initiate becomes progressively liberated from the various forms of our planetary life, ultimately proceeding upon his chosen Path of development and service within the universe. One of the outstanding principles unfolded through the pages of this book is that of the growth of the group idea - group service, group responsibility and group initiation. The possibility of group initiation seems to be one of the new emerging developments of the Aquarian era; therefore, the profound value to the disciple of the Fourteen Rules for Group Initiation. consciousness expands with the acceptance of occult obedience, and the meeting of all requirements on the Path of Initiation in a group penetrating together towards the centre of an ashram, and into the heart and will of the presiding Master. Because the way to the innermost sanctum is the way of outer service, and because initiation is the effect of an increasing capacity to intuit the Plan, to register ashramic purpose and to act accordingly, these rules are in reality great Formulas of Approach ...approach to a specific section of the Path and not approach to the Initiator. I would have you reflect on this distinction. The initiate is becoming increasingly aware of the dynamics of the Science of the Service of the Plan. This distinctive realisation can only come when his fused and blended personality and soul expression of will has disappeared in the blazing light of the Divine Purpose. is invaluable in expanding the mind to contemplate the larger patterns and processes in which the individual function may be viewed in perspective. In dealing with such abstruse matters, the author again demonstrates a marvelous capacity to relate the deepest and most profounds aspects of the Master's teaching to the life and the consciousness of the aspirant in the world today. Since there is no separation in life, and since the aphorism As above so below applies in every particular throughout the cosmos, and recognisably within the solar and the planetary lives, there is great value in the clear delineation of continuity. Revelation concerns Oneness and nothing else. The practical nature of this truth is only recognised when the disciple attempts to do two things: To realise it individually and to bring the nature of planetary unity and of non-separateness to the minds and into the lives of men everywhere. The books of Alice A. Bailey, written in cooperation with a Tibetan teacher between 1919?1 teaching handed down from ancient times in a form which is always suitable to each period. Intended to precede and condition the coming era, the Alice A. Bailey writings offer an unparalleled spiritual approach to such subjects as the teaching on Shamballa and the Path of spiritual evolution; the spiritual Hierarchy; the new discipleship and training in meditation as a form of service; the teaching on the seven rays and the new psychology of the soul; the teaching on esoteric astrology; and the new world religion, which emphasizes the common thread of truth linking all the major world faiths.

Initiation, Human and Solar is book by Alice Bailey in which is explained her theory of the hierarchy of sacred entities, and the part initiation plays in that system. Initiation is presented as a growth of perception which serves as a guide to revelation and elucidation.

A guide to personal spiritual initiation through the transformation of habitual patterns, apathy, and resistance • Based on the Native American medicine wheel, the Vedic wheel, and the universal initiatory mandala • Enables readers from any tradition to initiate themselves through practices of thought transformation, narrative medicine, meditation exercises, rituals, and journaling • Facilitates breaking through personal and societal illusions that perpetuate resistance and apathy Intentions and spiritual principles, meditation and contemplation, ritual, and risk-taking are the conditions that comprise an initiated life. Regrettably, in modern society we do not have rites of initiation that break through the personal and societal illusions that instill and perpetuate negative habits that keep us in states of resistance. Lacking initiation practices, we often remain trapped in ways of being in the world that were formed by our past conditions and attachments. We tend to identify too strongly with the status quo, which must be challenged to prevent stagnation and to encourage happiness and authenticity. Julie Tallard Johnson shows how to become initiated into an authentic life through practices of thought transformation, cultivating attention, journaling, storytelling, and rituals found in the four directions of the universal mandala. She begins the Wheel of Initiation in the South, where initiates set their intentions; then moves into the West, where they free themselves from habitual patterns and core beliefs; then into the North, the direction of cultivating attention and unity; and finishes in the East, the direction of regeneration and initiation. Drawing upon the life experiences of those who have successfully navigated the wheel, Johnson demonstrates that once fears, assumptions, and ingrained beliefs are confronted and transformed, initiates emerge ready to reenter society with renewed energy and vision that will enrich their own lives and their communities.

In this book, Alice Bailey explains the hierarchy of spiritual entities, initiation, discipleship, rules for applicants, and more. Bailey's wisdom ranges from insights about the human experience all the way up to the vistas of infinite vistas of cosmic consciousness.

Rudolf Steiner was a philosopher, social thinker, architect, and esotericist. His philosophical work, which he termed spiritual science, sought to provide a connection between the cognitive path of Western philosophy and the inner and spiritual needs of the human being. In The Way of Initiation, Steiner details the exercises and moral qualities to be cultivated on the path to a conscious experience of 'supersensible' realities. This short but powerful book is intended as a guide for achieving spiritual vision.

The first part of this volume contains the Fourteen Rules for Group Initiation, an extension of the teachings given in Initiation, Human and Solar on the Fourteen Rules for Applicants. The second part of the book is concerned with the nine initiations by which the disciple progressively achieves liberation from the various forms of our planetary life. The possibility of group initiation is a development of the present era. This volume emphasises the growth of the group idea, group service, group responsibility.