CHAPTER XIII.

THE RODS OF INITIATION.
The Rods of Initiation are of four kinds : —
1. Cosmic, used by a Cosmic Logos in the initiations of a Solar Logos and of the three major Planetary Logoi.
2. Systemic, used by a Solar Logos in the initiations of a Planetary Logos. With cosmic initiation we have naught to do; it concerns expansions of realisation be- yond even the ken of the highest initiate in our solar sys- tem. With systemic initiations we are concerned only in trifling measure, for they are on so vast a scale that the average human mind cannot as yet envisage them. Man appreciates these initiations only is so far as they produce effects in the planetary scheme with which he may be con- cerned. Particularly is this so should the scheme in which he plays his microscopic part be the centre in the Logoic body receiving stimulation. When that is the case, the initiation of his own Planetary Logos takes place, and con- sequently he (as a cellular body) receives an added stimu- lation along with the other sons of men.
3. Planetary, used by a Planetary Logos for initia- tion purposes, and for the third, fourth, and fifth major initiations, with the two higher. At the planetary initia- tion the Rod of Power, wielded by the Solar Logos, is charged with pure electrical force from Sirius, and was received by our Logos during the secondary period of crea- tion, from the hands of that great Entity Who is the pre- siding Lord of the Lords of Karma. He is the repository of the law during manifestation, and He it is Who is the representative in the solar system of that greater Brother- hood on Sirius Whose Lodges are found functioning as
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the occult Hierarchies in the different planets. Again, He it is Who, with the Solar Logos to guide Him, invests the va- rious Initiators with power, gives to Them that word in se- cret which enables Them to draw down the pure electric force with which Their rods of office must be charged, and commits to Their keeping the peculiar secret of Their par- ticular planetary scheme.
4. Hierarchical. Used by an occult Hierarchy for minor initiations, and for the first two initiations of manas by the Boddhisattva.
When man individualised in Lemurian days, it was through the application of the Rod of Initiation to the Logos of our earth chain, which touched into activity cer- tain centres in His body, with their corresponding groups. This application produced literally the awakening of the life to intelligent work on the mental plane. Animal man was conscious on the physical and on the astral planes. By the stimulation effected by the electric rod this animal man awoke to consciousness on the mental. Thus the three bodies were co-ordinated, and the Thinker enabled to function in them.
All Rods of Initiation cause certain effects : —
a. Stimulation of the latent fires till they blaze.
b. Synthesis of the fires through an occult activity that brings them within the radius of each other.
c. Increase of the vibratory activity of some centre, whether in man, a Heavenly Man, or a Solar Lo- gos.
d. Expansion of all the bodies, but primarily of the causal body.
e. The arousing of the kundalinic fire (or the fire at the base of the spine), and the direction of its up- ward progression. This fire, and the fire of manas, are directed along certain routes — or triangles —
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by the following of the Rod as it moves in a speci- fied manner. There is a definite occnlt reason, un- der the laws of electricity, behind the known fact that every initiate presented to the Initiator is ac- companied by two of the Masters, Who stand one on either side of the initiate. The three of Them together form a triangle which makes the work possible. The force of the Rod is two-fold, and its power terrific. Apart and alone the initiate could not receive the voltage from the Rod without serious hurt, but in triangle trans- mission comes safety. We need to remember here that two Masters sponsor all applicants for initiation, and represent two polarities of the electric All. Part of Their function is to stand with applicants for initiation when they come before the Great Lord.
When the rods are held in the hands of the Initiator in His position of power, and at the stated seasons, they act as transmitters of electric force from very high levels, so high indeed that the "Flaming Diamond", at certain of the final initiations, the sixth and seventh, transmits force via the Logos from outside the system altogether. This major Rod is the one used on this planet, but within the system there are several such Rods of Power, and they are to be found in three grades — if it may be so expressed.
One Rod of Initiation is used for the first two initia- tions, and is wielded by the Great Lord. It is magnetised by the aprdication of the "Flaming Diamond", the mag- netisation being repeated for each new World Teacher. There is a wonderful ceremony performed at the time that a new World Teacher takes office, in which He receives His Rod of Power — the same Bod as used since the foundation of our Planetary Hierarchy — and holds it forth to the Lord of the World, Who touches it with His own mighty
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Rod, causing a fresh recharging of its electric capacity. This ceremony takes place at Shamballa.
The Rod of Initiation known as the "Flaming Dia- mond", is used by Sanat Kuinara, the One Initiator. This Rod lies hidden 'in the east', and holds the fire hidden that irradiates the Wisdom Religion. This Rod was brought by the Lord of the World from Venus, and once in every world period it is subjected to a similar process to that of the lesser Rod, only this time it is recharged by the direct action of the Logos Himself, the Logos of the Solar System. The exact location of this Rod is known only to the Lord of the World and to the Chohans of the Rays, and being the talisman of this evolution the Chohan of the second ray is — under the Lord of the World — its prime guardian, aided by the deva Lord of the second plane. The Buddhas of activity are responsible for its custody, and under Them the Chohan of the ray. It is produced only at stated times, when specific work has to be done. It is used not only at the initiating of men, but at certain planetary functions of of which nothing is at present known. It has its place and function in certain ceremonies connected with the inner round, and the triangle formed by the Earth, Mars, and Mercury.
The Purpose of the Rods of Power.
In the sceptre of a ruling monarch at this day is hidden the symbolism of these various Rods. They are duly recognised as symbols of office and of power, but it is not generally appreciated that they are of electrical origin, and that their true significance is concerned with the dyna- mic stimulation of all the subordinates in office who come under their touch, thus inspiring them to increased activ- ity and service for the race.
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The great Rod of Power of the Logos Himself is hid- den in the snn.
To recapitulate, the esoteric location of the various rods is as follows: —
1. The Rod of the Boddhisattva lies hidden in the "heart of the wisdom", that is, at Shamballa.
2. The Rod of the One Initiator is hidden in "the East", a definite planetary location.
3. The Rod of the Solar Logos is hidden in "the heart of the sun", that mysterious subjective sphere which lies back of our physical sun, and of which our physical sun is but the environing shield and envelope.
4. The Rod of the Cosmic Logos associated with our Solar Logos is secreted in that central spot in the heavens around which our solar system revolves, and which is termed "the central spiritual sun".
One Rod is charged anew at Shamballa for each new World Teacher; the Rod of Sanat Kumara is charged afresh at each recurring world period, and therefore seven times in the history of a planetary scheme. The Logoic Rod of Power is electrified at the recurrence of each new period of creation, or for each solar system through which the Logos manifests, as a man manifests through his phy- sical body life. The first two ceremonies take place at Shamballa, the sacred point of planetary manifestation, that central location in our physical planet which corres- ponds to the heart of a human being. Many of the places on the earth's surface, for instance, which are famed for their healing properties, are thus noted because they are magnetised spots, and their magnetic properties demon- si pate as healing influences. The recognition of these prop-
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erties by man is but the preamble of a later and more tangible recognition, which will eventuate when his etheric sight is normally developed.
These magnetic spots are magnetised in three ways : —
1. By Sanat Kumara working through the Manu. This occurs when it is desirable to form a central magnetic point which, by its attractive power, will draw into a coherent whole some race, nation, or large organisation. Every nation has its "mag- netic point", formed in etheric matter by the ap- plication of the "Flaming Diamond" to the ethers ; it is the national heart and the basis of the na- tional character. Usually the chief city of a na- tion is built up around it, but this is not invaria- bly so.
2. By Sanat Kumara working through the Boddhi- sattva, In this case, the electric force in the Rod is wielded in order to draw closer together those influences which demonstrate in the great reli- gions of the world. The lesser Rod of Power is used here in conjunction with the greater. By their means the attractive quality or keynote of any religion is struck, and of any organisation with a religious basis.
3. By Sanat Kumara working through the Mahacho- han. By the wielding of the Rod of Power the magnetic focal point of those great organisations which affect the civilisation and the culture of a people are brought into coherent activity.
All physical plane organisation — governmental, reli- gious, or cultural — is the working out of inner forces and causes, and, before they definitely appear in physical mani- festation, a focalisation — if it might be so expressed — of
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these influences and energies, takes place on etheric levels. The organisation of the Freemasons is a case in point. It has two magnetic centres, one of which is in Central Eur- ope. In all the cases cited, the Lord of the World was the officiating agent, as is ever the case in the founding of great and important movements. In all lesser movements for the helping of the race, initiated by the Masters work- ing through Their disciples, the aid of the Boddhisattva is invoked, and the lesser Kod of Power employed.
When disciples initiate a movement on a relatively tiny scale, the Master with Whom they work can similarly assist them, and though He wields no Kod of Power, He has methods whereby He can stimulate and cause to co- here the little endeavour of the faithful followers. Thus in all departments of human life the Eods of Initiation and the Words of Power are used. The entire world gov- ernment functions under law and order, and the whole scheme is interdependent.
To return to the subject of human initiation, and these Eods of Power. At the time of the Initiation ceremony, after the two great revelations there comes a moment of utter silence, and in the interim the initiate realises within himself the meaning of "Peace". He stands, as it were, in a void, or in a vacuum, wherein naught seemingly can reach him; he stands twixt earth and heaven for a brief second, conscious of naught but the meaning of things as they arc, realising his own essential divinity, and the part which lie must play when lie again returns to earth serv- ice from the Council Chamber of Heaven. He is conscious of no anxiety, fear, or doubt. He has contacted the di- vine "Presence", and has seen the1 vision. He knows what he has io do and how he musl do it, and peace and joy un- utterable fill his heart. This is an interlude of stillness before a period of renewed activity, which begins at the
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moment that the Eod is applied. Whilst he has been thus withdrawn within himself, with all his forces centred in his heart, the attendant Lodge of Masters have been per- forming certain ceremonies and chanting certain words, preparatory to the appearance of the Initiator upon the throne, and the wielding of the Rod. The Hierophant has hitherto been present, but the work has been handled by the Lodge and the Sponsors. He now ascends to the place of power, and the Rod is brought to Him by its legitimate custodians.
It is not possible here to publish the details of the next stage, beyond using the description as embodied in the words "fire descends from heaven'7. Through the ut- terance of certain words and phrases, which are one of the secrets of initiation, and which vary with each initiation, the electrical force to be employed descends upon the Rod, passing through the heart and the hand of the Initiator to the Three Who stand in triangular relation to the throne of office. They receive it in turn, and circulate it by act of will through Their hearts, thus passing it to the Spon- sors. They again, by an act of will, prepare to transmit it to that centre in the body of the Initiate which is (ac- cording to the initiation) to receive stimulation. Then succeeds an interesting interlude, wherein the united wills of the Hierarchy are blended in order to transmit that force which the Rod has put into circulation. The Hiero- phant utters the word, and the force is literally thrown into the initiate's bodies and centres, passing down through the centres on the mental plane, via the astral centres, to the centres on etheric levels, which finally ab- sorb it. This is the stupendous moment for the initiate, and brings to him a realisation of the literal absolute truth of the phrase that "God is a consuming fire". He knows past all gainsaying that fiery energy and electric
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force constitute the sum-total of all that is. He is literally bathed in the fires of purification ; he sees fire on all sides, pouring out through the Rod, circulating around the Tri- angle, and passing through the bodies of the two sponsor- ing adepts. For a brief second, the entire Lodge of Mas- ters and initiates, standing in Their ceremonial places with- out the Triangle, are hidden from view by a wall of pure fire. The initiate sees no one, save the Hierophant, and is aware of nothing but a fiery blaze of pure, blue-white flame, which burns, but destroys not, which intensifies the activ- ity of every atom in his body without disintegrating, and which purifies his entire nature. The fire tries his work, of what sort it is, and he passes through the Flame.
The effect of the application of the Rod.
A. Upon the Initiate's bodies: The effect is four- fold and lasting, but varies according to the initiation tak- en. The action of the Rod is most carefully and scienti- fically regulated, and at each succeeding initiation the voltage is increased, and the activity of the resulting fire and its heat intensified. By the application of the Rod the initiate finds : —
1. That the activity of each individual atom in his various bodies is increased, resulting in a greater degree of nervous energy and an elasticity and resistance which will serve him in good stead in the strenuous life of service ahead.
2. That matter of an undesirable type in his bodies is shaken loose, and the atomic* wall somewhal destroyed, making the atoms radio-active — if it might he so expressed — and therefore more easily eliminated.
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3. The fires of the body are stimulated, and the total energy of the three-fold lower man is co-ordinat- ed, so that there is less waste of energy and a greater coherence and uniformity in action.
4. The aligning of the various bodies in connection with the causal, or egoic body is aided, and thus continuity of consciousness, and receptivity to the behests of the Ego, become possible.
The initiate will find, when he returns from the cere- mony, and takes up his work in the world, that the stimu- lation received will bring about in his bodies a period of great activity, and also of strife. This strife, persisted in to the point of victory, will result in his taking out of his body undesirable matter, and building in new and better material; he will find that his powers for service are enormously increased, and his nervous energy intensi- fied, so that he can draw upon reserves of force in service hitherto unsuspected. He will find, also, that the response of the physical brain to the voice of the Higher Self, and its receptivity to the higher and subtler impressions, is greatly furthered. Eventually, through the work accomp- lished, he will succeed in eliminating all matter of a sub- atomic character, and will then build bodies of substance of the highest subplane on each plane; he will become aware that all his energies can be consciously and con- structively controlled, that he knows the real meaning of continuity of consciousness, and can function simulta- neously on the three planes with full inner realisation.
B. Upon the causal or egoic body.
It is only possible to touch very briefly upon the effect of the application of the Rod to the causal body of the initiate. The subject is immense, and will be more fully
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dealt with, in the Treatise on Cosmic Fire to be published later. There are just two ways in which, some idea of the fundamental truth will be conveyed to the mind of the student, which we might now consider.
First, the student should bear in mind, the interesting significance of the fact that he, on the physical plane, is a functioning personality, with known and realised char- acteristics, and yet withal, that he is a subjective Life, who uses that personality as a medium of expression, and who — through the agency of the physical, emotional, and men- tal bodies which comprise the threefold lower man — makes his contacts with the physical plane and thus develops. The same general idea of development must be now ex- tended to the Higher Self, the Ego on its own plane. This Ego is a great solar angel, Who is the medium of expres- sion for the Monad or pure spirit, just as is the personality for the Ego on the lower level. From the point of view of man in the three worlds, this Ego, or Solar Lord, is eternal; He persists throughout the entire cycle of incar- nation, just as the personality persists during the tiny physical life cycle. Nevertheless, this period of existence is only relatively permanent, and the day dawns when the life which expresses itself through the medium of the Ego, the Thinker, the Solar Lord or Manasadeva, seeks to loose itself from even this limitation, and to return to the source from which it originally emanated.
The life then, which manifested as a solar angel, and which, through inherent energy, held together through long ages the form egoic, withdraws itself' gradually, and the form slowly dissipates; the lesser lives of which it has been constituted, return to tin' general fount of deva sub- stance, plus the increased consciousness and activity which is theirs through the experience of being built into a form, and utilised by a still higher aspect of existence. Similar-
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ly, in the case of the personality, when the life egoic with- draws, the threefold lower self dissipates; the little lives which form the body of what has been called the lnnar self (in contradistinction to the solar self, being bnt its reflection) are absorbed into the general reservoir of deva substance of a lower vibration to that which composed the body egoic. Similarly, also, their evolution has been furthered through having been built into a form for the use of the Higher Self.
Through the application of the Rod of Initiation, the work of separating the spiritual self from the higher self is furthered, and the imprisoned life gradually escapes, whilst the causal body is slowly absorbed or dissipated.
This has led to the expression, sometimes used in oc- cult books, of "the cracking of the causal body" at each ini- tiation, and to the idea of the inner central fire gradually breaking through and destroying the confining walls, and also of the destruction of the Temple of Solomon through the withdrawal of the Shekinah. All these phrases are symbolic wordings, and are attempts to convey to the mind of man fundamental truth from different angles.
By the time the fourth initiation has been reached, the work of destruction is accomplished, the solar angel re- turns to his own place, having performed his function, and the solar lives seek their point of emanation, The life within the form mounts up then in triumph to the bosom of its "Father in Heaven", just as the life within the physi- cal body at the moment of death seeks its source, the Ego, and this likewise in four stages : —
1. By the withdrawal from the dense physical body.
2. By the withdrawal from the etheric body.
3. By a later vacating of the astral body.
4. A final leaving of the mental body.
Another way of emphasizing the same truth is to re-
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gard the egoic body as a centre of force, a wheel of energy, or a lotus, and to picture it as a lotus with nine petals, hiding within these petals a central unit of three petals; these in their turn secrete the central life, or the "jewel in the lotus". As evolution proceeds, these three circles of three petals gradually unfold, having a simultaneous effect on one or other of the central three. These three circles are called respectively the petals of Sacrifice, Love, and Knowledge. At initiation the Rod is applied to the petals in a scientific manner, and regulated according to ray and tendency. This brings about the opening of the central bud, the revelation of the jewel, the withdrawal of that jewel from the casket which has so long shielded it, and its transference to "the crown", as it is occultly called, meaning its return to the Monad whence it came.
We must clearly recognise that all the above is but an attempt, through the limiting agency of words, to describe the method and the rites whereby spiritual liberation is finally achieved in this cycle ; first, through the method of evolutionary unfoldment, or gradual development, and then in the final stages through the Rod of Initiation.