The Rays and the Initiations

by Alice A Bailey

  What is the effect of this ray upon humanity as a whole and at this time? The effect of these influences is very great and of supreme importance in this fifth root race, the Aryan race, in this second solar system. Again you can see the clarity of the correspondences which are emerging. I would have you note them again.

  1. Ray II, the Ray of Love-Wisdom; and Ray V, the Ray of Concrete Knowledge or Science.

  2. The second plane, the monadic plane; and the fifth plane, the mental plane.

  3. The second solar system of love; and the fifth root race, the Aryan race, of active intelligence.

  In all these basic relationships, that which is the fifth in order is destined to be the instrument, the vehicle or the implementing factor for the second. The Universal Mind, as it works through all the planes of our conscious planetary life, is the creative agent and the form-building factor which makes the revelation of love possible.

  Today in our Aryan age and race, we see the vital expression of this fifth ray energy. When I use the word “race” I deal not with man-made or pseudo-scientific differentiations of nations and races or types. I deal with a state of consciousness which is the Aryan or mental consciousness or state of thinking; this finds its exponents and [594] its “race members” in every nation, without any distinction or omissions. This I would have you carefully remember, for there is no new race in process of appearing, from the territorial angle; there is only a general distribution of those persons who have what have been called the sixth root race characteristics. This state of consciousness will find its expression in people as far apart racially as the Japanese and the American or the Negro and the Russian. It posits an ability to function with clarity upon the mental plane, to collate information, rightly to interpret and relate that information, and to create the needed thoughtforms or concepts for those interpretations.

  These thoughtforms fall into three major fields of thought or thoughtform areas of consciousness:

  1. Science. Under this word I include all that which the educational processes cover or are supposed to cover, and such a useful science as medicine.

  2. Philosophy, with its presentation of great conditioning ideas.

  3. Psychology, with its effort to account for humanity and to discover what man is essentially and how he functions.

  You will note that I have not included religion in this analysis. The reason for this is that IF the world religions were really controlled by concrete knowledge or science, they would not be the vague, speculative, mystical and glamour-controlled systems which they are at present. Some day the minds of men—illumined by the light of the soul—will formulate the One universal religion, recognisable by all. Then the Kingdom of God will be known for what it is, another kingdom in nature. Speculation, wishful thinking and hopeful aspiration will disappear. The science of occultism is the first step upon the way of true religion, and the scientific investigation of human psychology will greatly help toward this end.

  Today we find this ray energy expressing itself mainly through science—a science sadly debased and corrupted by materialism and human greed, but a science which (when [595] animated entirely by goodwill) will lift humanity on to higher levels of consciousness, thus laying the foundation for that time when humanity on a large scale can pass through the Transfiguration Initiation. Steps in this direction are already being laid and the existence of the press, the radio and the rapid means of transportation have done much to further the revelation of that unity and that Oneness which is the major characteristic of the Universal Mind.

  These developments can be regarded as the initial steps of the initiatory process for the third initiation—far ahead as that initiation may lie for the mass of men. It is unification and a growing sense of oneness which is required in order to take this initiation, and it is the integrated personality which takes it. The major sin of Russia, and that which has prostituted and warped the initial divine impulse underlying the ideology of that country, is the determination she demonstrates at this time to be separative and to shut the Russian people away from world contact, using the implements of deception and the withholding of information. It is not the totalitarian nature of the Russian government which is the prime disaster; it is the refusal to develop the universal consciousness. Many governments today are totalitarian in nature, either openly or subtly, but—at the same time—their peoples have free access to press and radio and are not kept in ignorance of world events. Russia is drifting into a pronounced expression of the great heresy of separateness. There lies her problem—a problem which is refused recognition by her rulers.

  The existence of a closed mind on a national scale is dangerous in the extreme, just as the individual is in a dangerous “state of mind” when he closes it to world contact, world news and world understanding, and when he refuses to admit new ideas and new modes of behaviour. Fortunately, the influence of this fifth ray energy—which is always present, whether the ray is in incarnation or not—is steadily leading humanity towards illumination. [596]

  This ray energy operates always in connection with the Law of Cleavages. Today, tremendous cleavages between the past and the present are in order. The importance of this statement is to be found in the fact that—for the first time in human history—humanity is aware of cleavage at the time it is being brought about. Hitherto cleavages have been noted during an historical retrospect. Today, all men everywhere are conscious of the fact that the old order, the old cultures and civilisations are rapidly passing away, and they are universally clamouring for the new. Everywhere men are laying the foundation for the new order, the coming of which is threatened only by one country, Russia, owing to its separativeness (and not because of its ideology), and by one world group in every country, those guilty of financial greed and consequent aggressiveness.

  Before humanity can pass through the Transfiguration Initiation the new world order must be functioning and the coming civilisation must be at its height. It is useless for me to consider with you this third initiation in connection with humanity as a whole, or its preparatory or subsequent initiatory process. All this lies too far ahead for even advanced humanity to consider; there are, however, senior disciples who are preparing for this initiation, just as there are a few who are passing through the initiatory process, prior to taking the fourth initiation.

  The outstanding expression of this fifth ray energy can be seen in the rapid formulating of the many ideologies which have taken place since the year 1900. Such words as Fascism, Communism, National Socialism, Socialism as the British accept it, and the names of many schools of psychology and philosophy, were unknown one hundred years ago; today they are the common talk and phrases of the man in the street. The inflow of this mental energy into the world of men, the attainment in consciousness of mental ability by many thousands, and the achievement of mental polarisation by aspirants all the world over, are all due to the activity of this fifth ray energy; this may be [597] regarded as preparatory work for the first and the second initiations. Some of this success is due also to a little-realised function of this fifth ray energy—that of telepathic interplay. Few people realise in the slightest degree how naturally telepathic every human being is or how impressionable are their minds; this again is an effect of fifth ray influence.

  The creation (and, I should add, the over-creation) of the millions of material things which men everywhere regard as essential to their well-being is also the result of the creative activity of the fifth ray consciousness. This is, of course, as it demonstrates upon the physical plane. When it demonstrates upon the mental plane, we then talk of ideas, concepts, philosophies and ideologies. When it demonstrates upon the astral plane, we are aware of the religious impulse, of mysticism and of the emotional and conditioning desires. All these aspects are present in the consciousness of men everywhere today. Everything is crystallising in human consciousness, and this takes place in order to make man aware of where he stands upon the ladder of evolution, and of what is wrong and what is ri
ght. All this again is due to the influence of fifth ray energy. This will begin to transform human living and human desires and also human affairs and attitudes, and will lead eventually (in the middle of the sixth root race) to the great Transfiguration Initiation in which the reality that lies behind all human phenomena will stand revealed.

  Let us now consider the effect of this ray energy upon the life of the individual, as he faces the third initiation. This third initiation is, as earlier said, the first initiation, from the angle of the Hierarchy; it is the one in which the spiritual man demonstrates his complete control of the personality. The physical body has been controlled through the medium of the physical disciplines; the emotional nature has been reorganised and made receptive to spiritual impression coming from the plane of pure reason (the buddhic plane) through the transforming processes of the mind or the fifth principle. In this connection, the mind has acted as an organiser of astral reaction and as a dispeller [598] of glamour. The disciple is now focussed in his everyday consciousness upon the mental plane, and the triangular relation of the three aspects of the mind upon this plane is now dominant. In the next initiation, the Renunciation, this relationship becomes a dual one instead of a triangular one, through the destruction of the soul vehicle which is no longer needed. Soul fusion with the personality is now completed.

  During the initiatory process preceding the third initiation, the mind works in a new manner. Its transmuting work with the physical body has been accomplished; its transforming work with the emotional nature has been successful, and now its transfiguring work with the personality as a whole is carried forward, making the initiation of the Transfiguration possible. It is of value to the student to consider these three activities of the mind. The transmuting agent in the first case is the lower or concrete mind; the transforming agent is the soul, whilst the transfiguring agent is the Spiritual Triad, working through the higher or abstract mind. You will here note the wonderful synthesis of the spiritual work. When this work is concluded, you have the initiation of the third degree made possible. This produces impelling and new contacts. It should here be remembered that when I use the word “new” I mean that which is new in consciousness, for the basic synthesis and fundamental relationship always exists in factual recognition, but is only progressively realised by the evolving spiritual man.

  It is well nigh impossible to differentiate the results of fifth ray energy in the various aspects of the personality, for the reason that the initiate is now functioning as a soul-infused personality, and therefore the three aspects of that personality are nothing more or less than agents of the soul, and thus are progressively responsive to the inflow of triadal energy. It might therefore be said that, as a result of the Transfiguration Initiation—the culminating point of strictly human unfoldment—the three types of energy which are expressed through the Spiritual Triad [599] man begin—only begin—to flow through the reflection of itself in the three worlds. Let me state this as follows:

  1. The directing energy of the higher mind is—as a result of the Transfiguration Initiation and via the antahkarana—thrown into the brain; therefore the man upon the physical plane is guided, directed and controlled by group purpose and by the hierarchical plan.

  2. The illuminating energy of pure reason, emanating from the buddhic plane, pours down into the clarified and organised body of sensitive response which is all that remains of what has been called the astral body. This produces complete freedom from glamour and the creation of “a limpid pool of such reasonable response to the love of divine relationship” that the initiate becomes a sensitive revealer of that love.

  3. The dynamic energy from the atmic plane (the highest aspect of the Spiritual Triad) pours into the mind and begins slowly to reveal the will-to-good, which is essentially the will of God.

  Behind these three differentiations which are all of them expressions or aspects of the divine or the universal mind, the initiate dimly senses or becomes consciously aware of what has been called the Monad or Spirit or Life. This is subtly revealed in the Transfiguration Initiation of the Master Jesus Who re-enacted all the five human initiations for the benefit of humanity. In this dramatic picturing of the third initiation, the three disciples (or the three vehicles of the personality) prostrate themselves upon the ground and the Master Himself (the glorified personality) is transfigured before them. At this climaxing point they hear that which is called “the voice of the Father” speaking to the transfigured Jesus.

  The personality is now possessed of knowledge, for fifth ray energy has done its needed work; the disciple is also aware that he is in possession of the wisdom which enables him to use knowledge in the furtherance of the Plan, and therefore to work as an illuminating factor in the world of men. He knows clearly what has been accomplished [600] and senses something of what lies ahead. The great principle of cleavage (which the fifth ray governs) is the dominating factor in his time sense; he now differentiates sharply between past and present and that which has to be ascertained in the future. Cleavage, in the sense of separateness, is finished for him and he now feels and knows something of the essential unity of all manifested life; therefore, from the angle of space, he has dominated and overcome cleavage and division; in the sense of time he has not. The great heresy of separateness no longer exists in his consciousness; the consciousness of the initiatory process is not yet over, however for that involves the recognition of time.

  During the initiatory process between the second and the third initiations, the initiate has to battle with illusion in exactly the same sense as he earlier had to battle with glamour. Illusion is, in the last analysis, the control of the mental processes by great and massive thoughtforms; this conflict persists from the moment that the disciple has achieved mental polarisation (at a midway point between the second and the third initiations) until he stands before the Initiator at the sixth Initiation of Decision, when the last illusion disappears. You will feel and comment that the Masters are therefore subject to illusion. This They definitely are, and there are great and basic illusions governing life within the Hierarchy. Nevertheless, they are illusions of such a high order that—for advanced humanity—they would signify achievement. I may not give you more than one instance of such illusion, but that should prove clear and sufficient. It is not until the sixth Initiation of Decision that the illusion of the planetary ring-pass-not finally disappears. The Master then knows that such a limitation is non-existent. For Him, the choice between the seven Paths becomes possible. This basic illusion constitutes for mankind a great hierarchical mystery and is based upon the Principle of Privation, by means of which the planetary Logos chooses to circumscribe His freedom and to limit His activities. [601]

  This curious freedom from successive limitations is experienced at the third, the sixth and the ninth initiations; these are, all three of them, related in a mysterious manner to each other. Transfiguration leads eventually to Decision, which culminates in due time with a final refusal to accept any planetary limitations whatsoever.

  It will be obvious to you that the higher the initiation, the less will any involved energy have a personality control or connection. Progressive and recognised fusions have taken place as one initiation after another is undergone; the effect of the energy involved will be noted in relation to humanity as a whole, to the work of the Ashram within the Hierarchy and to the planetary life. This must ever be borne in mind and must necessarily limit the scope of the teaching which I am able to give you.

  Let me now summarise the effects of this fifth ray energy in relation to humanity and to the individual initiate:

  1. I gave, first of all, fifteen items of information anent this fifth ray energy, or fifteen definitions of its activity. These will warrant careful study.

  2. The effect of this fifth ray energy upon humanity in this fifth root race was considered; it was noted that this Aryan effect was dominant and dynamic in the extreme and that it has greatly hastened human evolution.

  3. I
pointed out the close relation between love and mind, as follows:

  a. Ray II and Ray V

  b. Plane II and plane V

  c. Solar system II and root race V

  In all of these relationships, the fifth in order is the prime agent and the revealer of the second type of spiritual energy

  4. The fifth ray energy produces three major areas of thought, or three prime conditions wherein the thought-form-making energy expresses itself:

  a. Science ... education ... medicine

  b. Philosophy ... ideas ... ideals

  c. Psychology ... in process of modern development

  [602] 5. This fifth ray energy operates in connection with the Law of Cleavages.

  6. It is also responsible for the rapid formation of great conditioning ideologies.

  7. This fifth ray energy is the important factor in making possible the first major initiation, the Transfiguration Initiation.

  8. Fifth ray energy works in three ways in connection with the three aspects of the personality:

  a. As the transmuting agent ... the physical body

  b. As the transforming agent ... the astral body

  c. As the transfiguring agent ... the mental body

  This gives you much food for thought; it indicates the personality goal and the mode whereby it is attained. After the third initiation, we reach out in consciousness to higher expansions of consciousness and will then enter a realm of ideas which are not yet easy for the disciple to appreciate or to understand. Much that I will have to say anent ray energy and the higher initiations will mean little to many, but it will mean much to the initiate-consciousness. The world initiates will be coming into incarnation at this time, and will read my words towards the end of this century with great understanding.—

  Initiation IV. The Renunciation. Ray IV.