@masterraalkivictorieux Master Ra’al Ki Victorieux

#Adept: A highly skilled individual in occult disciplines. In Theosophy, they bridge the physical and spiritual realms, guiding humanity’s evolution 🌱. Are you on the path of knowledge and transformation? ✨ https://wp.me/p3JLEZ-6A7

The Role of Adepts in Spiritual Evolution and Knowledge. MRKV. AtmaUnum.com

Adept is a word that comes from the Latin adeptus, meaning “obtained, attained”, sometimes interpreted as ‘one who has attained’ (the secret of transmuting metals). A. E. Waite recounts the use of the term in alchemy in his 1926 book, The Secret Tradition of Alchemy. It is commonly used to describe a highly skilled person; an expert in a particular discipline.

An adept is an individual identified as having attained a specific level of knowledge, skill, or aptitude in doctrines relevant to a particular occult discipline, such as alchemy or magic.

According to magical tradition, adepts stand out from others due to their enhanced abilities. All human qualities are developed in them, including intelligence and spirituality. According to Theosophist Charles Webster Leadbeater, anyone can become an adept through spiritual development and self-improvement, though others insist that initiation or esoteric transmission into a magical organization or tradition is a necessary preliminary.

Adepts in Theosophy

In Theosophical literature this term is employed in connection with the Occult Science and the Esoteric Philosophy. The word is used to define a wide variety of degrees of knowledge of Occultism, from relatively advanced students to Masters of the science. The term does not imply high spiritual and moral development, since there is mention to “white” and “black” Adepts, meaning those who use the occult powers for unselfish and selfish purposes respectively. The high Adepts working for the welfare of humanity are also known as Masters of Wisdom, Mahātmas, Arhats, or simply “Brothers”.

In Alice Bailey’s body of writing she outlines a hierarchy of spiritual evolution and an initiatory path along which an individual may choose to advance. In her works an Adept is defined as a being who has taken five of the seven initiations.

Madame Blavatsky makes liberal use of the term adept in her works to refer to their additional function as caretaker of ancient occult knowledge. She also mentions their great compassionate desire to help humanity and also documents other powers of the adept such as being able to take active control of elemental spirits as well as the physical and astral conditions of non-adepts.

H. P. Blavatsky explained the general meaning of the term Adept as follows:

An Adept is therefore an individual who is versed in some art or science, having acquired it in one or another manner. It follows that this term can be applied just as well to an adept in astronomy, as to one in the art of making pâtés de foies gras. A shoemaker as well as a perfume-maker, the one versed in the art of making shoes, and the other in the art of chemistry, are both “adepts.”

In Theosophical literature, this term is generally applied to a Master of the occult science:

In Occultism, one who has reached the stage of Initiation and become a Master in the science of Esoteric philosophy.

Despite the fact that in this definition Blavatsky implies that Adepts are Initiated, this is not always the case, and the term “adept” can also be applied to pre-initation stages of occult development. As she wrote:

Every Initiate must be an adept in occultism; he must become one before being initiated in the Greater Mysteries. But not every adept is always an Initiate.

Therefore, one can think of those who have been initiated as higher Adepts:

In the Theosophical literature the high Adepts are Initiates of various degrees, of which there are seven.

It is using this sense of the term that Mahatma K.H. wrote: “The adept is the rare efflorescence of a generation of enquirers.” For this reason, there are few Adepts in occultism in the world. As Mme. Blavatsky’s stated: “Were adeptship easy of attainment many would achieve it, but it is the hardest task in nature”.

Adepts and Masters

The word “Adept” was used by Mme. Blavatsky as a general term to denote people with a varying degree of occult knowledge and initiation. This term does not necessarily imply a person with a high spiritual evolution, and it was sometimes used even to denominate black magicians. Thus, there are good and evil Adepts, of a high or low order.

The term Master or Master of Wisdom, however, seems to be reserved to high adepts who work in line with the evolutionary movement. This idea is expressed to a certain extent by Charles Johnston in his published interview to H. P. Blavatsky:

Then she told me something about other Masters and adepts she had known – for she made a difference, as though the adepts were the captains of the occult world, and the Masters were the generals. She had known adepts of many races, from Northern and Southern India, Tibet, Persia, China, Egypt; of various European nations, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, English; of certain races in South America, where she said there was a Lodge of adepts.

Women Adepts

There are many testimonies of Adepts visiting H. P. Blavatsky and other Theosophists. Most of them were male figures. However, Col. Olcott’s sister, Isabelle Olcott Mitchell, witnessed the visitation of a woman whom Blavatsky stated was one of the “Brothers.” Mrs. Mitchell lived for nine months in an apartment in the same building where the famous “Lamasery” was, and it is there that she experienced the following:

One other day I was sitting by her [Blavatsky’s] dinner table when the door bell rang, and immediately there passed up the private hall a figure that seemed to glide rather than walk. She turned to me and said, “You have desired to see one of the Brothers, and you are to be gratified. As you pass the room on your left look in.” So I did. I saw a figure of a woman sitting beside a table. A straw bonnet fastened by a pink ribbon that was tied under her chin, her shoulders wrapped in a plaid blanket shawl, were all that I gathered in a hasty glance. For all my attention was claimed by a pair of coal-black eyes that held in their depths such a weird, unearthly expression that the eight years which have since passed have not had power to efface, and that leaves with the memory no desire to see just such another pair.

The sex of the body that an Adept wears has little influence on him/her. In a review about a novel of “deep philosophical and occult truths” written by Franz Hartmann, Blavatsky writes:

The hero follows, and finds he is brought to a “theosophical monastery,” in a hidden valley of the most gorgeous description. Therein he meets, to his surprise, with adepts of both sexes; for, as he learns later:
“What has intelligence to do with the sex of the body? Where the sexual instincts end, there ends the influence of the sex.”

In May, 1880, Col. Olcott wrote an article in The Theosophist in answer to a claim by Dr. George Wyld, who stated that no woman had become an Adept. The Colonel wrote:

It is equally incorrect to say that no woman has become an adept. Not to mention one example which will immediately recall itself to every Theosophist, I may say that I personally have encountered in India two other initiated women, and know of a number of others in the East.

In June, 1889, C. S. Stockholm sent a few questions to the editors of the Theosophical Journal Lucifer. One of them was about the existence of Women Adepts:

Has any woman ever attained to Adeptship proper? Will her intellectual and spiritual nature and gifts permit it, even while supposing that her physical nature might endure the hardships therefrom indispensable?

To this, H. P. Blavatsky answered:

Woman has as good a chance as any man has to reach high Adeptship. Why she does not succeed in this direction in Europe is simply due to her early education and the social prejudice which causes her to be regarded as inferior to man.

T. Subba Row, considered by Mme. Blavatsky to be her equal in occultism, wrote:

There are instances of females becoming the greatest Adepts. Whether an individual is male or female depends upon temperament as much as anything else. (…) There is one woman who still stands in the list of the Mahachohans of one of the greatest Rays -that to which H… belongs. She is not merely a great Adept of that Ray, but had made many original discoveries… There is a Ray specially adapted to women; it is sometimes called “the body of love”. Its Logos is rather a female than a male; it belongs to the magnetic pole of the universe.

In The Theosophist, October, 1883, “An Inquirer” asked:

Will you kindly let me know whether females can attain to adeptship, and whether female adepts exist at all?

To this, Damodar K. Mavalankar, a chela of Mahatma K. H. wrote:

It is difficult to see any good reason why females should not become Adepts. None of us, Chelas, are aware of any physical or other defect which might entirely incapacitate them from undertaking the dreary ordeal. It may be more difficult, more dangerous for them than it is for men, still not impossible. The Hindu sacred books and traditions mention such cases, and since the laws of Nature are immutable, what was possible some thousand years ago must be possible now… In Nepal, we all know, there is a high female Adept. And in Southern India, flourished at a recent date, another great female Initiate named Ouvaiyar. Her mysterious work in Tamil on Occultism is still extant. It is styled Kural, and is said to be very enigmatically written, and consequently inexplicable. In Benares too lives a certain lady, unsuspected and unknown but to the very few…

Mme. Blavatsky added an interesting perspective about the possibilities of high women adepts. In talking about the divine virgin figures such as the Gnostic Sophia she wrote:

Śakti being a female principle, it is fully manifested through a woman, although, properly speaking, the inner man is neither male, nor female. It is only the preponderance of either of the two principles (positive and negative) which determines the sex. Now, this preponderance is determined by the Law of Affinity; and hence in a woman is manifested abnormally the occult power represented by Śakti. She is moreover gifted with a wonderfully vivid imagination —stronger than man’s. And as the phenomenal is the realization or rather the manifestation of the IDEAL, which can be properly and strongly conceived only by a powerful IMAGINATION —a WOMAN-ADEPT can produce high occultists— a race of “Buddhas and Christs,” born “without sin.” The more and the sooner the animal sexual affinities are given up, the stronger and the sooner will be the manifestation of the higher occult powers which alone can produce the “immaculate conception.” And this art is practically taught to the occultists at a very high stage of initiation.

Understanding the Stages of Consciousness in Theosophy

In the teachings of Theosophy, we encounter profound insights into the nature of existence and consciousness.

1. The Stage of Identification with Form

At this initial stage, the soul is enmeshed within the confines of form, matter, substance, time, and space. This entrapment signifies a deep identification with the physical and material aspects of existence. Here, individuals function primarily through their limited form of consciousness, which is centered on the ego and personal identity. The experiences and perceptions are filtered through the senses, leading to an existence that is reactive and dictated by external circumstances. This stage represents the conventional understanding of life, where consciousness is intertwined with the fluctuations of the material world.

2. The Stage Beyond Form

This stage signifies a radical shift in consciousness—a transition from the confines of form to the boundless realm beyond it. In this state, one begins to identify with all that transcends physical expression. Such enlightened states are fully comprehended only by exalted beings like the Christ, the Buddha, and other divine figures residing within the Hierarchy of Lives. They embody a wisdom that reflects unity, transcending duality and separation. In this liberated consciousness, the individual realizes that true existence lies beyond the physical realm, embracing a more profound connection with the universal consciousness.

The Role of the Adept in Initiation

An adept—a highly advanced practitioner on the spiritual path—works diligently through initiations to navigate the passage from the first to the second stage. The process of initiation is transformative, serving as a means to unlock deeper spiritual truths. Upon completing major initiations, the adept enters a state of consciousness so elevated that traditional language becomes inadequate for true expression.

This experience transcends all definitions and labels, embodying a state of No-thing and Non-ego. The concept of the individual ego dissolves, replaced by a heightened awareness of Being that is neither confined to the self nor limited by the dualistic nature of existence. In this enlightened state, the adept operates from a place of non-individuality, integrating the cumulative knowledge of their past while fully embracing the vastness of the macrocosmic life. The center of consciousness shifts, reflecting a profound understanding that transcends personal identity, allowing the adept to exist harmoniously within the greater whole of existence.

In essence, the journey of the adept exemplifies the transformative power of consciousness, moving from the limitations imposed by form to the expansive awareness of divine unity, where all distinctions are dissolved in the light of spiritual awakening.

Insights on Human Existence and Spiritual Chain of influence

I present the profound truths regarding the interconnectedness of all life and the energies that bind us.

The Ocean of Energies

Human beings are not isolated entities; we exist within an ocean of energies that flow throughout the cosmos. Ourselves, too, are intricate congeries of energies—interconnected streams of life vitality. This unified energy constitutes the anima mundi, or world soul, which serves as the fundamental source of life on this planet. Just as each wave in the ocean is both individual and part of the whole, so too are we. Our every thought, emotion, and action reverberates through this vast network of energy, shaping and being shaped by the entirety of existence.

The Etheric Body and Divine Substance

It is essential to understand that the etheric body exists as an essential part of the substantial essence of the Divine. This is not merely the dense physical form that we perceive; rather, it encompasses what esotericists identify as the form-making substance. When we refer to “God,” we signify the One Life—an omnipresent essence animating each form in the objective world. Every expression of creation is therefore an extension of this Divine will, underscoring the sacred bond shared among all existence.

Interrelatedness of Etheric Bodies

The etheric energy body of each human being is intrinsically linked to the etheric body of our planet and, by extension, to the greater solar system. This connection enables each individual to be related to all expressions of the Divine Life. The etheric body functions as a medium that receives energetic impulses, activating within us streams of force emanating from their originating sources. Consequently, mass humanity unconsciously responds to the Universal Mind and the collective consciousness, heavily influenced by contemporary ideas and public opinion as they evolve.

The Inner Group of Thinkers

Within our human family lies a select group of Thinkers who influence and guide the spiritual evolution of the mass. These Thinkers operate from the subjective realm, channeling the divine plan and purpose into the world. They can be categorized into seven primary divisions, presided over by three great Lives: the Manu, the Christ, and the Mahachohan. These beings, through their influence, guide adepts and disciples, helping manifest the grand Plan. The connection among disciples has traditionally been quiet, revealed more through karmic ties than open communication.

As humanity grows increasingly coherent and integrated, the Masters will facilitate the alignment of individual lives with the group dynamic. Each adept will experience trials and tests, that serve as transformational steps through evolving time.

Adepts Life

Desire to participate in the collective endeavor of the adept group is commendable; however, the challenge lies in aligning one’s personal vibration with that of the group. The journey of discipleship, often termed the Probationary Path, demands a commitment to the guiding principles set forth by the group. This adherence must be anchored in understanding and intent, rather than rigidly following rules. A delicate balance between flexibility and clarity is necessary, enabling engagement without falling into inertia or confusion.

The Master’s group of disciples, on a spiritual level, operates as a cohesive organism powered by mutual love and life. Together, we nurture an environment of understanding, support, and spiritual growth, allowing us to rise above individual concerns and contribute to the greater tapestry of existence.

In these truths, we find a guiding light toward our spiritual evolution, encouraging us to embrace the interconnected nature of life and the divine purpose that unfolds through our shared existence.

Adepts in Western esotericism

Those who practice esoteric arts such as theurgy and Kabbalah are familiar with the word ‘adept.’ In the traditions of esoteric Christianity and ceremonial magic, an adept is one who is skilled or profound, but not a master in these arts. Various magical organizations have steps in which an initiate may ascend in their own system. Some call these steps degrees or grades.

Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

In the initiatory system of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an adept is one who has taken the oath of the 5–6 grade and has been granted the title Adeptus Minor (this grade system was taken from the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia). Symbolically this degree represents a spiritual aspirant who, having mastered the union of the four elements under an upright and balanced spirit, is allowed passage from the Portal of the Vault of the Adepti into the tomb of Christian Rosenkreutz in the center of the Rosicrucian Mountain of Initiation, Abiegnus, at the center of the universe. The grade of Adeptus Minor and subsequent grades, Adeptus Major, and Adeptus Exemptus form the Second Order of the Golden Dawn, also called the Rosæ Rubeæ et Aureæ Crucis (The Ruby Rose and Golden Cross). These grades correspond to the kabbalistic sephirah of Tiphereth, Geburah, and Chesed respectively.

The oath of the Adeptus Minor includes a provision to “unite myself with my higher and Divine Genius”, a process which is sometimes equated with “Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel.” To undertake this process the Adeptus Minor must reconfirm the work of earlier grades (Zelator through Philosophus) with their newfound knowledge before passing to the Adeptus Major degree, as a full-fledged adept.

References:

Blavatsky Helena Peltrova (1973), The Theosophical Glossary. Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House.
Sven Eek, (1965) Damodar and the Pioneers of the Theosophical Movement (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House.
Tallapragada Subba Row, (1931) Esoteric Writings (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House.
Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence No. 2 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993)

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