Friday, February 20, 2009
Instruction Of The Initiate
"Know thyself"
- Inscription above the entrance of
the Temple of Apollo at Delphi
(This article is Part 2 of: "The Ancient Initiate")
Upon being admitted into an Ancient Mystery School, the Initiate
was trained and Instructed in the Lessons and Disciplines that
govern our Physical and Spiritual Worlds. These Lessons and
Disciplines took the form of Spiritual and Physical Instruction
which took many years for the Initiate to Master.
Spiritual Instruction: These were the Lessons that helped to
develop the Initiate's Internal World: The World of Wisdom.
Through these Lessons the Initiate learned how to focus his,
or her, mind through the Disciplines of Silence and Meditation.
Silence taught the Initiate how to listen for, hear and communicate
with their God Within, their Atman. Through Silence the Initiate
mastered the power of Intuition which acted as the Initiate's Inner
Guide.
Spiritual Instruction also involved the Discipline of Meditation.
Meditation taught the Initiate how to focus on Symbols, Mantras
and Silence.
It was through Meditating on Symbols that the Initiate was able to
un-Veil their secret, esoteric meanings. It was through Meditating
on Mantras (sounds and phrases) that the Initiate was able to
understand the Hidden Meanings and Harmonies contained within
these Sacred Sounds and Phrases. It was through Meditating on
Silence that the Initiate learned the art of Calming and Grounding
oneself.
Physical Instruction: These were the lessons that helped to
develop the Initiate's External World: The World of Knowledge.
Although other Lessons were involved, the Initiate's Physical
Instruction mainly focused on the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences,
which are: Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry, Music
and Astronomy.
Grammar taught the Initiate how to use Symbols and letters to
form Words.
Rhetoric taught the Initiate how to use Words to form
sentences which could be used in communicating with others.
Logic taught the Initiate how to use sentences in order to debate
and evaluate arguments and ideas.
Arithmetic taught the Initiate the use of numbers.
Geometry taught the Initiate how to use numbers to measure the
shapes and angles that prevail in the universe. These are the same
shapes and angles that are used in the science of engineering and
construction.
Music taught the Initiate how to recognize and appreciate Harmony.
For what better way is there to understand Harmony than by
hearing a well-composed piece of music?
Astronomy taught the Initiate how to understand, measure and
predict the movements of the heavens. This included the
movements and appearances of planets, comets, eclipses and
seasons; along with all the other celestial phenomena.
Once the Lessons of the Spiritual and Physical Disciplines were
completed, the Initiate was recognized as a Master of both their
Inner and Outer Domain. At this time the Initiate was Elevated to
the well-earned Title of Master Teacher. It was at this point that
this new Master Teacher was able to Instruct other Initiates in the
Secret and Sacred Mysteries of the Physical and Spiritual Universes.
This was how knowledge was passed down, from generation to
generation, since the earliest beginnings of Time.
The Ancient Mystery Schools, along with their method of teaching,
faded into history somewhere near the end of the Age of Ares and
the Beginning of the Age of Pisces (about 2,100 years ago).
However, although these Mystery Schools no longer exist, their
Knowledge and Wisdom can still be found in the Mythologies,
Symbols and Sacred Teachings found everywhere on our planet.
These Timeless Mysteries, that lie all around us, simply await
some modern-day Initiate (Seeker) to uncover and awaken their
Secrets.
Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
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Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.
© copyright Joseph Panek 2009
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