CHAPTER VII.

THE PROBATIONARY PATH.
Preparation for Initiation.
The Probationary Path precedes the Path of Initia- tion or Holiness, and marks that period in the life of a man when he definitely sets himself on the side of the forces of evolution, and works at the building of his own char- acter. He takes himself in hand, cultivates the qualities that are lacking in his disposition, and seeks with diligence to bring his personality under control. He is building the causal body with deliberate intent, filling any gaps that may exist, and seeking to make it a fit receptacle for the Christ principle. The analogy between the pre-natal peri- od in the history of the human being and that of the de- velopment of the indwelling spirit is curiously interesting. We might look at it in this way : —
1. The moment of conception, corresponding to that of individualisation.
2. Nine months' gestation, corresponding to the wheel of life.
3. The first initiation, corresponding to the birth hour.
The Probationary Path corresponds to the latter period of gestation, to the building in the heart, of the babe in Christ. At the first initiation this babe starts on the pil- grimage of the Path. The first initiation stands simply for commencement. A certain structure of right living, thinking, and conduct has been built up. We call that form, character. It has now to be vivified and indwelt. Thackery has well described this process of building, in the words so often quoted : —
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"Sow a thought and reap an action ; sow an action
and reap a habit ; sow a habit and reap character ;
sow character and reap destiny." The immortal destiny of each and all of us is to attain the consciousness of the higher self, and subsequently that of the Divine Spirit. When the form is ready, when Solo- mon's temple has been built in the quarry of the personal life, then the Christ-life enters, and the glory of the Lord overshadows His temple. The form becomes vibrant. Therein lies the difference between theory and making that theory part of oneself. One can have a perfect image or picture, but it lacks life. The life can be modelled on the divine as far as may be; it may be an excellent copy but lacks the indwelling Christ principle. The germ has been there, but it has lain dormant. Now it is fostered and brought to the birth and the first initiation is attained.
Whilst the man is on the Probationary Path he is taught principally to know himself, to ascertain his weak- nesses and to correct them. He is taught to work as an invisible helper at first and for several lives is generally kept at this kind of work. Later, as he makes progress, he may be moved to more selected work. He is taught the rudiments of the Divine Wisdom and is entered into the final grades in the Hall of Learning. He is known to a Master, and is in the care (for definite teaching) of one of the disciples of that Master, or, if of rare promise, of an initiate.
Classes are held by initiates of the first and second degrees, for accepted disciples and those on probation, be- tween the hours of ten and five every night in all parts of the world, so thai the continuity of the teaching is com- plete. They gather in the Hall of Learning and the method is much the same as in (he big Universities, — classes at certain hours, experimental work, examinations, and a
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gradual moving up and onward as the tests are passed. A number of the Egos on the Probationary Path are in the department that is analogous to the High School; others have matriculated and are in the University itself. Graduation results when initiation is taken and the initiate passes into the Hall of Wisdom.
Advanced Egos and the spiritually inclined, who are not yet on the Probationary Path, attend instructions from disciples, and on occasions large classes are conducted for their benefit by initiates. Their work is more rudimen- tary, though occult from a worldly standpoint, and they learn under supervision to be invisible helpers. The in- visible helpers are usually recruited from amongst the ad- vanced Egos. The very advanced, and those on the Pro- bationary Path and nearing initiation, work more fre- quently in what might be termed departmental work, form- ing a group of assistants to the Members of the Hierarchy.
Methods of teaching.
Three departments of instruction watch over three parts of man's development.
First: Instruction is given tending to the discip- lining of the life, the growth of character, the de- velopment of the microcosm along cosmic lines. The man is taught the meaning of himself; he comes to know himself as a complex complete unit, a replica in miniature of the outer world. In learning the laws of his own being, comes comprehension of the Self, and a realisa- tion of the basic laws of the system.
Secondly: Instruction is given as to the macrocosm, the amplification of his intellectual grip of the working of the cosmos. Information as to the kingdoms of nature,
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teaching as to the laws of those kingdoms, and instruc- tion as to the working of those laws in all kingdoms and on all planes is given him. He acquires a deep fund of general knowledge, and when he reaches his own periphery- he is met by those who lead him on to encyclopaedic know- ledge. When he has attained the goal, he may not know every single thing that there is to be known in all the three worlds, but the way to know, the sources of know- ledge and the reservoirs of information are in his hand. A Master can at any time find out anything on any possi- ble subject without the slightest difficulty.
Thirdly : Instruction is given in what might be termed synthesis. This information is only possible as the in- tuitional vehicle co-ordinates. It is really the occult ap- prehension of the law of gravitation or attraction, (the basic law of this, the second solar system) with all its corollaries. The disciple learns the meaning of occult co- hesion, and of that internal unity which holds the system as a homogeneous unit. The major part of this instruction is usually given after the third initiation, but a beginning is made early in the training.
Masters and disciples.
Disciples and advanced Egos on the Probationary Path receive instruction at this particular time for two special purposes : — ■
(a) To test out their fitness for special work lying in the future, the type of that work being known only to the Guides of the race. They are tested for aptitude in community living with a view to drafting the suitable ones into the colony of the sixth sub-race. They are tested for various Lines of work, many incomprehensible to us now, but which will become ordinary methods of development as
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time progresses. The Masters also test for those in whom the intuition has reached a point of development that in- dicates a beginning of the co-ordination of the buddhic vehicle, or — to be exact— -has reached a point where mole- cules of the seventh sub-plane of the buddhic plane can be discerned in the aura of the Ego. When this is so They can go ahead with confidence in the work of instruction, knowing that certain imparted facts will be understood.
(b) Instruction is being given at this time to a spe- cial group of people who have come into incarnation at this critical period of the world's history. They have come in, all at the same time, throughout the world, to do the work of linking up the two planes, the physical and astral, via the etheric.
This sentence is for serious consideration, for it covers the work that a number of the newer generation have come to do. In this linking up of the two planes people are re- quired who are polarised in their mental bodies, ( or, if not polarised there, are nevertheless well rounded out and balanced) and can therefore work safely and with intelli- gence in this type of work. It necessitates primarily peo- ple in whose vehicles can be found a certain proportion of atomic sub-plane matter, so that direct communication can be effected between the higher and the lower via the atomic cross-section of the causal body. This is not easy to ex- plain clearly, but a consideration of the diagram in aA Study in Consciousness", by Mrs. Besant, page 27, may be helpful in explaining some matters that are apt to puzzle.
We must recognise two things in pondering the sub- ject of the Masters and Their disciples. First, that in the Hierarchy nothing is lost through failure to recognise the law of economy. Every expenditure of force on the part of a Master or Teacher is subjected to wise foresight and discrimination. Just as we do not put university profes-
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sors to teach the beginners, so the Masters Themselves work not individually with men until they have attained a certain stage of evolution and are ready to profit by Their instruction.
Secondly, we must remember that each of us is recognised by the brilliance of his light. This is an occult fact. The finer the grade of matter built into our bodies, the more brilliantly will shine forth the indwelling light. Light is vibration, and through the measurement of vibra- tion is fixed the grading of the scholars. Hence nothing can prevent a man's progress forward if he but attends to the purification of his vehicles. The light within will shine forth with ever greater clarity, as the refining process goes on, until — when atomic matter predominates — great will be the glory of that inner man. We are all graded, there- fore, if it may be so expressed, according to the magnitude of the light, according to the rate of vibration, according to the purity of the tone and the clarity of the colour. Who our Teacher is depends therefore upon our grading. Similarity of vibration holds the secret. We are frequent- ly told that when the demand is forceful enough the Teacher will appear. When we build in the right vibra- tions and attune ourselves to the right key, nothing can prevent our finding the Master.
Groups of Egos are formed: —
1. According to their ray.
2. According to their sub-ray.
3. According to their rate of vibration.
They are also grouped for purposes of classification:
1. As Egos, according to (he egoic ray.
2. As personalities, according to the sub-ray which is governing the personality.
All are graded and charted. The Masters have Their Halls of Records, with a system of tabulation incompre-
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hensible to us owing to its magnitude and its necessary in- tricacies, wherein these charts are kept. They are under the care of a Chohan of a Ray, each Ray having its own collection of charts. These charts, being in many sec- tions (dealing with incarnate, discarnate, and perfected Egos,) are again all under the care of subordinate guard- ians. The Lipika Lords, with Their vast band of helpers are the most frequent users of these charts. Many discarnate egos awaiting incarnation or having just left the earth, sacrifice their time in heaven to assist in this work. These Halls of Records are mostly on the lowest levels of the mental plane and the highest of the astral, as they can be there most fully utilised and are most easily accessible.
Initiates receive instruction directly from the Mas- ters or from some of the great devas or angels. These teachings are usually imparted at night in small classes, or individually (should the occasion warrant it) in the Master's private study. The above applies to initiates in incarnation or on the inner planes. If on causal levels, they receive instruction at any time deemed advisable di- rect from the Master to the Ego on causal levels.
Disciples are taught in groups in the Master's ashram, or classroom, at night, if in incarnation. Apart from these regular gatherings, in order to receive direct teach- ing from the Master, a disciple (for some specific reason) may be called to the Master's study for a private interview. This occurs when a Master wishes to see a disciple for com- mendation, warning, or to decide if initiation is desirable. The major part of a disciple's tuition is left in the hands of some initiate or more advanced disciple, who watches over his younger brother, and is responsible to the Master for his progress, handing in regular reports. Karma is largely the arbiter of this relation.
Just at present, owing to the great need in the world,
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a slightly different policy is being pursued. An intensified training is being given to some disciples by some Masters Who have not hitherto taken pupils. The press of work on the Masters Who do take disciples being so great, They have delegated some of Their most promising pupils to some other Masters, drafting them into small groups for a brief period. The experiment is being tried of intensify- ing the teaching, and of subjecting disciples, not initiates, to the frequent strong vibration of a Master. It involves risk, but, if the experiment proves successful, will tend to the greater assisting of the race.
CHAPTEK VIII. DISCIPLESHIP.
A disciple described.
A disciple is one who, above all else, is pledged to do three things : —
a. To serve humanity.
b. To co-operate with the plan of the Great Ones as he sees it and as best he may.
c. To develop the powers of the Ego, to expand his consciousness until he can function on the three planes in the three worlds, and in the causal body, and to follow the guidance of the higher self and not the dictates of his three-fold lower manifesta- tion.
A disciple is one who is beginning to comprehend group work, and to change his centre of activity from him- self (as the pivot around which everything revolves) to the group centre.
A disciple is one who realises simultaneously the relative insignificance of each unit of consciousness, and also its vast importance. His sense of proportion is ad- justed, and he sees things as they are; he sees people as they are ; he sees himself as he inherently is and seeks then to become that which he is.
A disciple realises the life or force side of nature, and to him the form makes no appeal. He works with force and through force ; he recognises himself as a force centre within a greater force centre, and his is the responsibility of directing the energy which may pour through him into channels through which the group can be benefitted.
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The disciple knows himself to be — to a greater or less degree — an ontpost of the Master's consciousness, viewing the Master in a two-fold sense: —
a. As his own egoic consciousness.
b. As the centre of his group; the force animating the units of the group and binding them into a homogeneous whole.
A disciple is one who is transferring his conscious- ness out of the personal into the impersonal, and during the transition stage much of difficulty and of suffering is necessarily endured. These difficulties arise from various causes : —
a. The disciple's lower self, which rebels at being transmuted.
b. A man's immediate group, friends, or family, who rebel at his growing impersonality. They do not like to be acknowledged as one with him on the life side, and yet separate from him where desires and interests lie. Yet the law holds good, and only in the essential life of the soul can true unity be cognised. In the discovery as to what is form lies much of sorrow for the disciple, but the road leads to perfect union eventually.
The disciple is one who realises his responsibility to all units who come under his influence, — a responsibility of co-operating with the plan of evolution as it exists for them, and thus to expand (heir consciousness and leach them the difference between the real and the unreal, be- tween life and form. This he does most easily by a dem- onstration in his own life as to his goal, his object, and his cent re of consciousness.
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The work to be done:
The disciple, therefore, has several things at which to aim : —
A sensitive response to the Master's vibration.
A practical purity of life; a purity not merely theoretical.
A freedom from care. Here bear in mind that care is based on the personal, and is the result of lack of dis- passion and a too ready response to the vibrations of the lower worlds.
Accomplishment of duty. This point involves the dis- passionate discharge of all obligations and due attention to karmic debts. Special emphasis should be laid, for all disciples, on the value of dispassion. Lack of discrimina- tion is not so often a hindrance to disciples these days, ow- ing to the development of the mind, but lack of dispassion frequently is. This means the attainment of that state of consciousness where balance is seen, and neither pleasure nor pain dominates, for they are superseded by joy and b]iss. We may well ponder on this, for much striving after dispassion is necessary.
He has also to study the Kama-manasic body (desire- mind body). This is of very real interest, for it is, in many ways, the most important body in the solar system, where the human being in the three worlds is concerned. In the next system the mental vehicle of the self-conscious units will hold an analogous place, as the physical did in the previous solar system.
He has also to work scientifically, if it may be so ex- pressed, at the building of the physical body. He must so strive that he will produce in each incarnation a body which will serve better as a vehicle for force. Hence there is nothing impractical in giving information anent
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initiation, as some may think. There is no moment of the day that that goal may not be visioned, and the work of preparation, carried on. One of the greatest instruments for practical development lying in the hands of small and great, is the instrument of SPEECH. He who guards his words, and who only speaks with altruistic purpose, in or- der to carry the energy of Love through the medium of the tongue, is one who is mastering rapidly the initial steps to be taken in preparation for initiation. Speech is the most occult manifestation in existence; it is the means of creation and the vehicle for force. In the reservation of words, esoterically understood, lies the conservation of force ; in the utilisation of words, justly chosen and spoken, lies the distribution of the love force of the solar system, — that force which preserves, strengthens, and stimulates. Only he who knows somewhat of these two aspects of speech can be trusted to stand before the Initiator and to carry out from that Presence certain sounds and secrets imparted to him under the pledge of silence.
The disciple must learn to be silent in the face of that which is evil. He must learn to be silent before the suffer- ings of the world, wasting no time in idle plaints and sor- rowful demonstration, but lifting up the burden of the world; working, and wasting no energy in talk. Yet withal he should speak where encouragement is needed, using the tongue for constructive ends; expressing the love force of the world as it may flow through him where it will serve best to ease a load or lift a burden, remember- ing thai as the race progresses, the love element between the sexes and its expression will be translated to a higher plane. Then, through the spoken word, and not through the physical plane expression as now, will come the realisation of that true love which unites those who are one in serviee and in aspiration. Then love between the
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units of the human family will take the form of the utilisa- tion of speech for the purpose of creating on all planes, and the energy which now, in the majority, finds expres- sion through the lower or generating centres will be trans- lated to the throat centre. This is as yet but a distant ideal, but even now some can vision that ideal, and seek — through united service, loving co-operation, and oneness in aspiration, thought, and endeavour, — to give shape and form to it, even though inadequately.
Group relationships.
The path of the disciple is a thorny one ; briars beset his every step, and difficulties meet him at every turn. Yet in the treading of the path, in the overcoming of the difficulties, and in a single-hearted adherence to the good of the group, with a proportionate attention to the in- dividuals and their evolutionary development, comes at length fruition, and the attainment of the goal. A SERVER of the race stands forth. He is a server be- cause he has no ends of his own to serve, and from his lower sheaths goes out no vibration which can beguile him from his chosen path. He serves, because he knows what is in man, and because for many lives he has worked with individuals and with groups, gradually expanding the range of his endeavour until he has gathered around him those units of consciousness whom he can energise, and use, and through whom he can work out the plans of his superiors. Such is the goal, but the intermediate stages are fraught with difficulty for all who stand on the verge of self -disco very, and of becoming the Path itself. Some practical advice might be of value here: — Study with care the first three books of the Bhagavad
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Gita. The problem of Arjuna is the problem of all dis- ciples, and the solution is eternally the same.
Stand ready and watch the heart. In the transferring of the fire from the solar plexus to the heart centre comes much pain. It is not easy to love as do the Great Ones, with a pure love which requires nothing back; with an inpersonal love that rejoices where there is response, but looks not for it, and loves steadily, quietly, and deeply through all apparent divergences, knowing that when each has found his own way home, he will find that home to be the place of at-one-ment.
Be prepared for loneliness. It is the law. As a man dissociates himself from all that concerns his physical, astral and mental bodies, and centres himself in the Ego, it produces a temporary separation. This must be endured and passed, leading to a closer link at a later period with all associated with the disciple through the karma of past lives, through group work, and through the activity of the disciple (carried on almost unconsciously at first) in gathering, together those through whom later he will work.
Cultivate happiness, knowing that depression, an over-morbid investigation of motive, and undue sensitive- ness to the criticism of others leads to a condition where- in a disciple is almost useless. Happiness is based on confidence in the God within, a just appreciation of time, and a forgetfulness of self. Take all the glad things which may come as trusts to be used to spread joy, and rebel not at happiness and pleasure in service, thinking it an in- dication thai all is not well. Suffering comes as the lower sell' rebels. Control that lower self, eliminate desire, and all is joy.
Have patience. Endurance is one of the character- istics of the Ego. The K^<> persists, knowing itself im-
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mortal. The personality becomes discouraged, knowing that time is short.
To the disciple naught occurs but what is in the plan^ and where the motive and sole aspiration of the heart are towards the carrying out of the Master's will and the serving of the race, that which eventuates has in it the seeds of the next enterprise, and embodies the environ- ment of the next step forward. Herein lies much of clari- fication, and herein may be found that on which the dis- ciple may rest when the vision is clouded, the vibration lower than perhaps it should be, and the judgment fogged by the miasmas arising from circumstances on the physical plane. With many, much arises in the astral body that is based on old vibration and has no foundation in fact, and the battleground is so to control the astral situation that out of present anxieties and worries may grow con- fidence and peace, and out of violent action and inter- action there may be elaborated tranquility.
It is possible to reach a point where naught that oc- curs can ruffle the inner calm; where the peace that passeth understanding is known and experienced, because the consciousness is centred in the Ego, who is peace itself, being the circle of the buddhic life; where poise itself is known and felt, and equilibrium reigns because the centre of the life is in the Ego, who is — in essence — balance; where calm rules unruffled and unshaken, because the di- vine Knower holds the reins of government, and permits no disturbance from the lower self; where bliss itself is reached that is based, not on circumstances in the three worlds, but on that inner realisation of existence apart from the not-self, an existence that persists when time and space and all that is contained therein, are not; that is known when all the illusions of the lower planes are ex- perienced, passed through, transmuted and transcended;
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that endures when the little world of human endeavour has dissipated and gone, being seen as naught ; and that is based on the knowledge that I AM THAT.
Such an attitude and experience is for all those who persist in their high endeavour, who count all things but naught if they may but achieve the goal, and who steer a steady course through circumstances, keeping the eyes fixed upon the vision ahead, the ears attentive to the Voice of the God within, that sounds in the silence of the heart ; the feet firmly placed on the path that leads to the portal of initiation ; the hands held out in assistance to the world, and the whole life subordinated to the call of service. Then all that comes is for the best — sickness, opportunity, suc- cess, and disappointment, the gibes and machinations of enemies, the lack of comprehension on the part of those we love — all is but to be used, and all exists but to be trans- muted. Continuity of vision, of aspiration, and of the in- ner touch, is seen to be of more importance than them all. That continuity is the thing to be aimed at, in spite of, and not because of circumstances.
As the aspirant progresses he not only balances the pairs of opposites, but is having the secret of his brother's heart revealed to him. He becomes an acknowledged force in the world and is recognised as one who can be depended upon to serve. Men turn to him for assistance and help along his recognised line, and he begins to sound forth his note so as to be heard in deva and human ranks. This he does — at this stage — through the pen in literature, through the spoken word in lecturing and teaching, through music, painting and art. He reaches the hearts of men in some way or another, and becomes a helper and server of his race. Two more characteristics of this stage might here be mentioned : —
The aspirant lias an appreciation of the occult value
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of money in service. He seeks nothing for himself, save that which may equip him for the work to be done, and he looks upon money and that which money can purchase as something which is to be used for others and as a means to bring about the fruition of the Master's plans as he senses those plans. The occult significance of money is little appreciated, yet one of the greatest tests as to the position of a man upon the Probationary Path is that which concerns his attitude to and his handling of that which all men seek in order to gratify desire. Only he who desires naught for himself can be a recipient of finan- cial bounty, and a dispenser of the riches of the universe. In other cases where riches increase they bring with them naught but sorrow and distress, discontent, and misuse.
At this stage also the aspirant's life becomes an in- strument of destruction in the occult sense of the term. Wherever he goes the force which flows through him from the higher planes and his own inner God produces at times peculiar results upon his environment. It acts as a stimulator of both the good and the evil. The lunar Pitris, or little lives which form the bodies of his brother and his own body, are likewise stimulated, their activity is in- creased and their power greatly aggravated. This fact is used by Those Who work on the inner side to bring about certain desired ends. This it is also which often causes the temporary downfall of advanced souls. They cannot stand the force pouring into them, or upon them, and through the temporary over-stimulation of their centres and vehicles they go to pieces. This can be seen working out in groups as well as in individuals. But, inversely, if the lunar Lords, or lives of the lower self, have been earlier subjugated and brought under control, then the effect of the force and energy contacted is to stimulate the response of the physical brain consciousness and the head centres
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to egoic contact. Then the otherwise destructive force becomes a factor for good and a helpful stimulation, and can be used by Those Who know how, to lead men on to further illumination.
All these steps have to work out on all the three lower planes, and in the three bodies, and this they do according to the particular ray and sub-ray. In this fashion is the work of the disciple carried forward, and his testing and training carried out. Thus is he brought — through right direction of energy and wise manipulation of force cur- rents— to the Portal of Initiation, and he graduates from the Hall of Learning into the Hall of Wisdom, that Hall wherein he gradually becomes 'aware' of forces and powers latent in his own Ego and egoic group, wherein the force of the egoic group is his for the using, for he can now be trusted to wield it only for the helping of humanity, and wherein — after the fourth initiation — he becomes a sharer in, and can be trusted with, some part of the energy of the Planetary Logos, and thus be enabled to carry for- ward the plans of that Logos for evolution.
It would be well to remember that disciples on the first ray understand discipleship largely in terms of en- ergy, or force, or activity, whilst disciples on the second ray understand it more in terms of consciousness or initia- tion. Hence the divergence of expressions in ordinary use, and the lack of comprehension among thinkers. It might prove useful to express the idea of discipleship in terms of the different rays — meaning by this, discipleship as it manifests on the physical plane in service :
1st Ray. .Force Energy Action The Occultist.
2nd Ray. .Consciousness. Expansion initiation The true Psychic.
3rd Ray. .Adaptation Development. . Evolution The Magician.
4th Ray. Vibration Response Expression The Artist.
5th Ray. Mentation Knowledge Science The Scientist.
6th Ray. Devotion Abstraction. . . idealism The Devotee.
7th Ray. Magic Incantation Ritual The Ritualist.
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Eemember carefully that we are here dealing with disciples. Later on as they progress, the various lines ap- proximate and merge. All have been at one time magicians, for all have passed upon the third ray. The problem now is concerned with the mystic and the occul- tist, and their eventual synthesis. A careful study of the foregoing will lead to the realisation that the difficulties between thinkers, and between disciples of all groups, con- sist in their identifying themselves with some form, and in their inability to understand the different points of view of others. As time elapses, and they are brought into closer relationship with the two Masters with whom they are concerned (their own inner God and their personal Master), the inability to co-operate and to merge their in- terests in the good of the group will pass away, and com- munity of endeavour, similarity of object, and mutual co- operation will take the place of what is now so much seen, divergence. We might well ponder on this, for it holds the key to much that is puzzling and, to many, distressing.