Having finished looking at the six stages of the development of the Antahkarana, we now need to turn out attention to how those stages can fit into our daily practices. It is difficult to talk about such a broad topic without being subject to generalisations. These simplifications are sound but may be erroneous in some specific details. Let us revisit the question of what is the goal of normal evolution. It is to bring Humanity to a point where there is a direct line of contact between the persona and the Spiritual Triad. This is achieved via the soul, or to be more precise, through the medium of soul consciousness. This all comes to its apex when the disciple takes the (i3). Let us now look at the Monad.
It is worth drawing your attention to the analogy between the persona and the soul, to that between the Triad and the Monad. This analogy works if you are looking at the subject from a consciousness standpoint, but not from a matter perspective. At the most advanced stages of development, there is a complete fusion of the unified persona and soul, with the unified Monad and Spiritual Triad.
Let us revisit the term “service”. What does it mean from an esoteric perspective? If we look at the lives of the aspirant and disciple, the immediate task ahead for them is to bring about the at-one-ment of the soul and body, through the medium of alignment. This we have discussed in some detail in previous presentations. The second task is to build the Antahkarana, using the six stages that have just been outlined. The objective of these six stages is to evoke a response from the Triad. As we move further into the presentation, hold the thought of Alignment-Invocation-Evocation in your mind.
In the past, the information that has been shared in this series of 19 presentations, so far, was esoteric in its truest sense. It is hidden from Humanity. The path to the Third Initiation (i3) has changed. This is due to the change in the vibration of Humanity itself. The Hierarchy has decided that it needs to overhaul how it teaches Humanity to approach divinity. This does not mean that what was taught in the past is no longer applicable, quite the contrary. What has happened is that what was once taught to a disciple is now available to aspirants and probationers. The emphasis at these earlier stages is focused on purification and the development of a sanctified form of living often called the Christ life. There is also now a focus on mystical vision and philosophy. Since the publication of The Secret Doctrine, much interest has been evoked, along with criticism and discussion, about all matters occult and esoteric. A large quantity of what has been transmitted has been distorted and misapplied. Is anyone ready to raise their kundalini in five minutes? YouTube says it is possible! Even, if for many, this has just been a distraction, it has allowed the aspirant to move forward on their path towards discipleship. The gaze of Humanity, as a whole, is towards a clearer vision of the soul, or a better way of living. It may focus on how to improve the economic situation of others or to harmonise interracial relationships. Now you may say that this vision has been distorted and is materially orientated, this is sadly true, but we are going forward. What society is prepared to think about today and grasp, would have been unimaginable a century ago. Thinking back one hundred years, it was only the intelligentsia and the elect of society that had the privilege to have a view of these higher truths. Today that vision is open to the whole of humanity. Well, maybe the whole of humanity is a bit of a stretch. I work in development and there is a lot of humanity that is still where we were one hundred years ago and some that are five hundred years further back than that! But the point is that there is an impetus moving Humanity, as a whole, forward now that is leading to a general increase in awareness of a range of spiritual and social issues. How did we get here? Well, it took two World Wars to achieve it. That may shock you but to align Humanity we needed to suffer the “sharp shears of sorrow” that were needed to separate the real from the unreal. This metaphor goes on to tell us we needed the “lash of pain to awaken the sleepy soul to excite life; wrenching away the roots of life from the soil of selfish desire, allowing us to stand free”. This viewpoint orientates from an old mystical stanza. This points to the close of the 5th Root Race. This is not the completion of the whole cycle, as we are only in the 5th sub-race, but it is the closing of the cycle of mental perfecting. The mind will then be used as an instrument of alignment, becoming the searchlight of the soul. It will also control the personality.
For Humanity in general, there is going to be a slow process of evolution, allowing the alignment of the soul with the form-matter of the 1st triad. This will lead to the blending of the consciousness principle with that of the principles of unity, often called the Christ principle. Do we have any evidence of this in our current environment? Some may shake their heads but there does seem to be emerging a universal concept of goodwill, which may in the future lead to peace on our planet. We still need to move away from selfish personal and national interests but there does seem to be a desire to see a happier world, where people are free to follow their own spiritual paths, based on higher values. There are humanitarian and welfare movements, championing human rights. There is also a widespread evocation of the human mind through the network of educational institutions.
That spirit of unity should not be seen through the lens of religion but through Humanity’s greater understanding of reality. We are ready to emerge from the self-imposed darkness that started when we banished the Hierarchy. This, unfortunately, has provoked a backlash from the forces of darkness, who have striven to arrest this forward momentum.
For the aspirants and probationary disciples among us, there has been a focus on directing the gaze of the consciousness towards the soul. This process, itself, falls into two stages. Firstly, there is an intensification of personal life. This leads to the development of the individual’s powers. The second stage is the movement forward into the light and of conscious soul contact. How is this done? Through the alignment process, we have discussed. This is a mode of focused and concentrated effort and is based on the ray and life purpose of the soul. Don’t just think of this as sitting on a mountaintop examining your navel. It may take the form of a focused application of a scientific endeavour or deep concentration on the spiritual work of the world. It could also align with a dedicated effort to advance some humanitarian cause. The mode of engagement is not important. The underlying impetus must be one of the betterment of Humanity, applied through extreme effort. As long as the motives are correct and good character has been developed, the aspirant or probationer will eventually succeed in establishing a definite soul relationship. The path of contact leads from the brain to the soul, via the mind. This is the first stage in the needed alignment process.
This is just the first step. When this is complete, the aspirant passes onto the Path of Discipleship and begins to undertake the six stages that have been outlined in previous presentations. So, we as Humanity, have reached a crucial juncture in our evolutionary path. We must, each, in our place, stand with the right orientation, undeterred by circumstances and then move forward unflinchingly.
Six methods of building the Antahkarana have been outlined. As these presentations proceed, there will be a need to refer back to these six stages frequently. They exist in text form on the website AdventuresoftheMonad.com, linked to each presentation. The ray methods that are about to be outlined, are linked to the seven major lines of emendatory energy. These are used in the six stages. All of these seven rays use the same building techniques of Intention, Visualisation, Projection, Invocation and Evocation, Stabilisation and Resurrection. Of these six stages, the first two, Intention and Visualisation, are uniform for all rays. Once the stage of Projection is reached, the ray techniques begin to differ. It is these techniques or methods of ray work, coupled with the seven Words of Power, which we are now in a position to start to consider.
See you at the next presentation.