Illumination on the Mystical Path

by Matthew Martin

The Ancient Initiations are often misunderstood by many aspirants and skeptics alike. Throughout the ages, various mystical schools have established elaborate rites and rituals to signify and accompany these initiations. Frequently, the exoteric framework was mistaken for the actual inner reality taking place within the advancing human being, which is essentially a gradual and natural unfoldment process. By its very innate nature the whole being will grow and progress spiritually, as long as he seeks a reality greater then himself, the Creator of All.

The quest for the Divine in mankind is the goal of the mystic. Normally the mystic on the Christian Path follows the teachings of the Master Jesus Christ, who is designated as the Way-Shower to the Most Holy One, for he did say, AI and my Father are one.@ This profound statement is the culmination of the Initiations, or as the early mystics called it, Divine Union with God.

This Mystical Path begins with an initial Awakening, which eventually leads into Illumination if the aspirant is truly seeking and is receptive to the Light of Christ. Illumination on the Mystical Path is the experience of the Light of the Christos within the aspirant. Not only does he sense, feel, see, and experience the radiant Love and Light and Life of the glorious Christ within himself, but he has begun to step foot into the Spiritual World. His intuitive faculty is intensified along with his five physical senses. In fact these five will begin to perceive things in a spiritual way now. Ultimately, there is one sense as the human consciousness expands into deeper God Consciousness, but in this physical world this is perceived as the usual five, or six if you include intuition.

Traditionally, the aspirant may undergo the ritual of Baptism, which represents purification and inner connection, which prepares him for receiving the Light. Once the candidate has received the Illumination, he must maintain the unfolding inner Light, lest he enters a place of dormancy. He must persevere and continue the Inward Journey into the Light of Christ, for further and deeper realization and experience of Divinity. This is why he must continue the Spiritual Disciplines of Prayer, Meditation, Contemplation, and Retrospection on this Mystical Path.

Service is seen as an outer discipline that he must practice; service to God by serving mankind. He serves God by loving and worshiping Him, striving to obey God=s Will and to surrender whole-heartedly into this Divine Being. He serves mankind through love and compassion to others, so that he may help, assist, heal, teach, counsel others, or whatever he is guided to do from within, in order to bring his brothers and sisters into a higher place than they were before. Whether this is with a gentle smile, a warm hug, a listening ear, a task done for another, giving them food or shelter, etc., essentially you go forth to serve God by serving mankind, without thought of yourself or your own needs.

Realize that there is a time to go forth and serve the people, and there is a time to enter the silence, to practice your Spiritual Disciplines and devotions. On this Mystical Path, you practice the necessary Spiritual Disciplines that truly benefit you on your inward journey. Illumination on the Mystical Path is the way of entering the Divine Wisdom of God within, often called Gnosis, for here you will come to experience His Divine Presence and Being.

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The exterior process of Initiation has changed over thousands of years as we advance spiritually. For example, in the secret schools of Egypt nearly four thousand years ago, the candidate was confined to a sarcophagus, for his soul would pass beyond to become initiated into higher consciousness, and then return to his body as a reborn Initiate. Although some individuals were not ready, so they passed through transition, leaving their expired mortal coils behind.

Likewise, in the Ancient Tabernacle in the Wilderness, the high priest was not allowed to enter the Holy of Holies except once a year, upon the Day of Atonement, for he was not yet refined in spiritual unfoldment yet. His limited thinking caused him to be far too remote from God, for he truly believed God and mankind were separate. This was the limited dogmatic perception on the earthly level, however, it was not true on the Divine level. Actually, God is one with all things on all levels, for God is intrinsically IN all things; the problem lies in people's restrictive perception. This is why the process of Initiation is so important, in order to bridge the immense gap created by mankind=s limited thinking. For as long as he believes he is separate from God, you will not grow toward God, nor enter the sublime state of Divine Union.

In ancient times, mankind=s consciousness had begun to crystalize, and a new upliftment on the earth plane needed to be initiated. Many avatars, mystics, and teachers had contributed to this vibrational change in this dense world, but with the coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ, a new dispensation had been opened. The renting of the temple veil upon Jesus=s death on the cross of crucifixion was highly symbolic of opening the way of the Initiations to all mankind. The way of attainment through Initiations as practiced in the mystery schools before this time was held in utmost secrecy and hidden from the public eye, but now it had been introduced to the masses. Even the ritual of Baptism by Water that John the Baptist and Jesus Christ made public was a starting point for the greater initiations to be revealed to all. They had rejuvenated an old ritual, and made it open to the masses. John spoke of three forms of Baptism: by Water, by Fire, and by the Holy Spirit, and the last two he declared that only the Master could perform. This initiate obviously spoke of the higher initiations.

AI indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier then I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.@ --Matthew 3:11.

In certain schools of Christian mysticism, these three Baptisms signify the three common degrees of Initiation, which we can signify as Awakening, Illumination, and Self-realization. John the Baptist was able to initiate new seekers into the first degree, Baptism by Water, but the Master Jesus could initiate them into the higher degrees. It is also believed that these initiations, or three Baptisms, were used in the secret rituals of the Essene school, of which Jesus was an advanced member. For it is believed that Jesus and his mother Mary and Joseph were all members of the Essene Brotherhood, an obscure Jewish sect in those days. This is a traditional belief, so there is no empirical evidence for this, but many mystical schools will abide by this assertion.

The ritual initiations and the Initiator himself in the various mystery schools became important aspects of the aspirant’s inner attainment. However, as the souls of mankind c draw loser to the Divine as the centuries continue, these exterior constructs are swiftly falling into the background, although various schools even today may deny this. Certain schools continue to hold to the outer framework, but these will soon prove to become obsolete as we inwardly evolve spiritually. For an advancing journeyer on the mystical path will quite often experience Illumination without the need of a formal ritual or a physical Initiator. You may be sitting in meditation, taking a casual walk, doing some household chore, and so on, and you will experience the reality of receiving the Light of Christ. Perhaps souls who are less prepared or new to the Path may need the ritual and the Initiator, but many more advanced souls who have spent countless lifetimes on this spiritual journey will not need these exterior forms.

It has become far more common then previously expected for people of many walks of life to have a mystical experience, inner realization, Illumination, and so on. The fact is not everyone reports their inner experiences. Most people simply do not speak of these things. On the other hand, there are some that have spoken aloud. Many books have been written on these lines in the last hundred years which have revealed that these occurrences are more commonplace then most people realize, such as Maurice Bucke=s Cosmic Consciousness, who made a major breakthrough with his ideas at the turn of the 20^th Century.

Although certain schools may adhere to the practice of ritual initiation, it is becoming unnecessary as the evolving soul is more naturally unfolding spiritually as the consciousness of mankind steadily rises in vibration, which is essentially spiritual evolution. As Maurice Bucke describes it, we are ascending from a phase of self-consciousness to Cosmic Consciousness. This is our cosmic legacy from the Divine.