THE ROSICRUCIAN WINTER INITIATION:

SPECIAL TEACHINGS & PRACTICES

FOR DECEMBER 2012

with Dr. Robert J. Gilbert

CLASS 2

All contents copyright 2012 by the Vesica Institute.

Please do not copy or distribute this material.

Thank you!

WWW.VESICA.ORG
 TABLE OF CONTENTS: CLASS 2
3 STAGES OF UNDERSTANDING / PERCEIVING
PLANETARY FORCES & BEINGS! ! ! ! ! ! ! p. 1

THE 9 TYPES OF ANGELIC BEINGS (“SPIRITUAL HIERARCHIES”)! ! p. 3

ANGELIC HIERARCHIES AS ALCHEMICAL

STAGES OF CONSCIOUSNESS!! ! ! ! ! ! ! p. 4

RELATIONSHIP OF PHYSICAL SPACE TO NON-PHYSICAL BEINGS! ! p. 5

HOW SPIRITUAL BEINGS CONNECT TO AND INFLUENCE HUMAN BEINGS! p. 5

4 STAGES OF MANIFESTING / CRYSTALLIZING

OUR SPIRIT CORE (THE “I AM”)!! ! ! ! ! ! ! p. 6

COMMON MISTAKES ON THE PATH OF REMEMBERING

“WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE CAME HERE TO DO”! ! ! ! p. 7

TIMING CYCLES IN THE HUMAN LIFE

The Universal 7-year Planetary Cycles: Rosicrucian System!! ! ! p. 9

Other Planetary Cycles in the Human Life! ! ! ! ! ! p.10

The Individual “Karma Activation” Cycles: The Vedic Dasha System!! ! p. 11

THE VENUS INITIATION

Background to the Venus Awakening! ! ! ! ! ! ! p. 13

Aspects of the Venus Transformation! ! ! ! ! ! ! p. 16

SOME SIGNS OF CORE SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT /

SELF-TRANSFORMATION! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! p. 17

LEARNING TO SEE SPIRIT HIDDEN BEHIND / WITHIN MATTER:

THE “DISSOLVING” PRACTICE! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! p. 18

RECONNECTION TO THE GUARDIAN ANGEL EXERCISE!! ! ! p. 19

 STAGES OF UNDERSTANDING / PERCEIVING
PLANETARY FORCES & BEINGS

STAGE ONE: Anthropomorphic (Human-like) images of the overall planetary

being. This is the classical depiction of the Planets, each as individual human-like
Gods or Goddesses, often described in mythology as acting out dramas with other
Planetary Gods similar to the way human beings interact (while also demonstrating the
essential nature and function of each planet.)
! This is the way that teachings about the Planetary forces and Beings were
traditionally shared with non-initiates (the general public) in most traditions. For
example, the Greco-Roman God Mars / Ares is the same Planetary Being as Mangala
in the Vedic tradition; similarly Mercury / Hermes is the same as Buddha in the Vedic
tradition (not to be confused with Gautama Buddha or other Initiates in Buddhism,
although these Buddhist “Buddhas” are indeed esoterically linked to the Mercury
Planetary Sphere - hence their title “Buddha”, derived from the Sanskrit term for
Mercury).

! In later European Times the Planetary Beings were also represented by the 7
Planetary Archangels:
Archangel Michael - The Sun - Sunday
Archangel Gabriel - The Moon - Monday
Archangel Samael - Mars - Tuesday
Archangel Raphael - Mercury - Wednesday
Archangel Sachiel (Tzadkiel) - Jupiter - Thursday
Archangel Anael - Venus - Friday
Archangel Cassiel - Saturn - Saturday

! In some forms of more advanced esoteric work -- particularly aspects of the

Jewish Kabbalah -- the beneficial collective ruling Being (leader) of a Planetary Sphere
was given a specific individual name and was referred to as the “Intelligence” of the
planet; whereas the leader of the opposing / detrimental Beings of that Planetary sphere
also was given a specific name and was referred to as the “Spirit” of that planet. An
example of this is the Gematria (number - letter correspondences) esoteric system from
the Jewish Kabbalah used by St. John in Revelation: The Beast “666” is the Spirit
(leader of detrimental opposing Beings) of the Sun, the number 666 being the sum total
of a series of letters which gave the specific name of this anti-Sun forces Being. The
leader of the beneficial Sun Beings (i.e., the “Intelligence” of the Sun) also had a
numerical equivalence -- 111 - which was the total numerical value of his Angelic name:
Nakhiel.
! One very helpful method to understand and begin to perceive the Planetary
Beings at this first stage, is the study of Indian Vedic Astrology (which is a more detailed
esoteric system than Western Astrology; it also uses the actual Star positions -- the
“Sidereal Zodiac” -- rather than the Western “Tropical Zodiac” system which does not
reflect actual positions in the heavens but is based on a seasonal calendar.)

1
STAGE TWO: The Planetary Beings are recognized as being a group of Spiritual
Beings, older and more advanced than human beings. This is ancient knowledge,
carried forward in the West by the Jewish Kabbalah, and then brought into a
contemporary Western form by the text On the Spiritual Hierarchies by Dionysius the
Areopagite (a text which wrote down older teachings derived originally from St. Paul;
Paul was himself an Initiate of the Jewish Kabbalah who later transformed that
Kabbalistic knowledge into an esoteric Christian form.) !
! See the listing of the 9 Hierarchies and their associated Planetary Spheres in the
next section of this handout.
! The most advanced and esoteric contemporary teachings which develop our
understanding -- and direct perception of -- the specific Spiritual Hierarchies active in
each Planetary Sphere, is in the work of the Rosicrucian teacher Rudolf Steiner
(including in his masterwork, the 8 volumes of collected lectures entitled Karmic
Relationships, as well as in numerous other texts.)

STAGE THREE: Having learned to recognize the vibratory quality and inner nature of
the Planetary Beings and Spiritual (Angelic) Hierarchies, the Initiate then attains the
ability to identify specific individual Beings from that Planetary Sphere / Spiritual
Hierarchy group (ie the individuals from the Sphere/Hierarchy that the Initiate
personally encounters and interacts with - and in many cases, is being guided and
assisted by.) This recognition of the qualities of each Planetary Sphere/Angelic
Hierarchy often involves the Initiate consciously remembering their own passage
through the “7 Heavenly Halls” before birth, and oneʼs interactions with each of the
Spiritual Hierarchies / Planetary Spheres at that time. This recollection of the pre-birth 7
Heavenly Halls journey also allows the Initiate to remember who they are across
multiple incarnations, and for what specific purposes they chose to incarnate in their
current lifetime. (The nature of the 7 Heavenly Halls, and the method to go through this
Initiation process, is covered in the Vesica course entitled “Karmic Biography.”)
! Stage 3 allows both the identification of individual Beings as well as the
collective group they are a part of. This is a living and dynamic process, and is not
static or rigid. Spiritual Beings at higher non-physical levels can interpenetrate one
another and share the same spiritual space, if they have the same resonant vibration /
qualities. What appears to be one Being may at some time have multiple other Beings
split off from it, showing that what we first perceived as one Being was actually multiple
Beings in a unified form for a time (this quality of interpenetration and separation was
given the helpful descriptive term “combinessence” by Dr. Samuel Sagan, founder of the
Clairvision School.)
! The “Dissolving” practice taught in this course can be applied to the appearance
of a physical planet; when dissolved, the image reveals the non-physical Planetary
Sphere and Spiritual Beings which are active in and around that physical planet.
! The counterpart of the Dissolving practice is the “Crystallization” practice, in
which an invisible Being felt in oneʼs energetic field is given a crystallized form in our
conscious mind; the form seen in our mind may not be the true form of the non-physical
Being, but if done correctly the image reveals true aspects of the inner nature of the
Being.

2
 THE 9 TYPES OF ANGELIC BEINGS
(“SPIRITUAL HIERARCHIES”)
In Christian esotericism there are nine ranks of spiritual beings, referred to as the
ʻSpiritual Hierarchiesʼ. Human Beings are the 10th Hierarchy.
Each rank has a particular state of consciousness and specific activities which they
perform. They are also primarily (but not exclusively) found in the energetic spheres
around specific planets in our Solar system - whenever planets are spoken of in relation
to spiritual Beings, this needs to be understood as the Planetary Sphere as a spatial /
spiritual energy sphere around the physical planet and not just the physical planet itself.

1. SERAPHIM - “Spirits of Love”. Based in a spiritual realm close to the Godhead.

2. CHERUBIM - “Spirits of Harmony”. Based in the area beyond the Saturn Sphere,
and the fixed Stars.
3. THRONES - “Spirits of Will”. Based in the Saturn Sphere.
4. KYRIOTETES - “Spirits of Wisdom”. Based in the Jupiter Sphere.
5. DYNAMIS - “Spirits of Motion”. Based in the Mars Sphere.
6. ELOHIM - “Spirits of Form”. Based in the Sun Sphere.
7. ARCHAI - “Spirits of Time”, Spirits of Personality. Based in the Venus / Mercury
Sphere.
8. ARCHANGELS - “Spirits of Fire”. Based in the Venus / Mercury Sphere.
9. ANGELS - “Spirits of Life”. Based in the Moon Sphere.
10. HUMANS – “Spirits of Love and Freedom”. Based on the Earth.

Note: In Rosicrucianism, the relationships between the Venus and Mercury spheres in
terms of Angelic Beings are complex. For simplicity, we will for this training consider the
Venus and Mercury forces as overlapping in some respects.

3
 ANGELIC HIERARCHIES AS ALCHEMICAL STAGES
OF CONSCIOUSNESS
1. Human Being Stage: Attaining Self-Awareness. Awareness of our own patterns in
Thinking, Feeling, and Willing, and conscious optimization of these patterns through
positivity and equanimity (unbiased observation.)

2. Angelic Stage: Awareness of oneʼs own Spiritual Karma and Dharma, and that of
others at the individual level.

3. Archangelic Stage: Awareness of the Consciousness behind groups, nations, and

the formation of Space.

4. Archai Stage: Awareness of the Spiritual Consciousness behind Cycles of Time, and
the creation of time itself.

5. Elohim Stage: Awareness of the Spiritual Consciousness behind Spirit manifesting

into Form. This leads to the direct perception of the “Spiritual Blueprint”: Patterns of
Time and Space, i.e. Sacred Geometry (this blueprint manifests into Time through the
next level of the Archai, and into Space with the Archangels.)

6. Dynamis Stage: Spiritual Consciousness behind Forces of Motion, Action.

7. Kyriotetes Stage: Spiritual Consciousness behind Wisdom; expansion of oneʼs

energy field and all of oneʼs knowledge through profound Wisdom.

8. Thrones Stage: Spiritual Consciousness behind Divine Will; awareness of the

manifestation of the Divine Will within everything which has ever occurred from the
Beginning of Time to the Current Moment.

9. Cherubim Stage: Spiritual Consciousness behind the Harmonized activity of all

Beings and Worlds.

10. Seraphim Stage: Approaching Unity with the Godhead, Love as Union and Non-
Duality.

4
 RELATIONSHIP OF PHYSICAL SPACE TO
NON-PHYSICAL BEINGS

It is essential to understand that spiritual beings (particularly the higher hierarchies) are
not limited to one specific time/space location. Their consciousness and activity may be
present in multiple spatial locations at once. When we say that a particular group of
beings is located in a particular planetary sphere or cosmic location, this is to say that
they have either a primary or significant focus of their consciousness and activity in that
region; it does not mean that it is the only place one can find them. Understanding this
topic fully requires a much deeper penetration into the mysteries of true non-physical
spiritual reality than is common in most modern metaphysical circles (this is related to
the topic of “Occult Materialism” later in this handout).

HOW SPIRITUAL BEINGS CONNECT TO

AND INFLUENCE HUMAN BEINGS
Spiritual beings connect to us in a variety of ways, a few of the most common are:

- RESONANCE: Exchange of energy and consciousness through matching vibrational

states; this is not bounded by time and space, although it has effects in specific areas of
time and space.

- MOVING THROUGH THE ENERGY FIELD: Spiritual beings are constantly moving
through our energetic bodies, like fish moving through water. Their passing through our
energy field gives rise to specific states of energy, emotion, and consciousness within
us; for most of humanity, this happens below the level of awake consciousness, in the
deep subconscious. Initiates are aware of these passages and their effects, and higher
Initiates are also aware of the specific Being(s) passing through them -- including their
basic type (such as Luciferic, Ahrimanic, or Christic), their level of development
(Archangel, Archai, Kyriotete, etc.), and their specific function / quality (such as Raphael
embodying Divine Powers of Healing; or a Being manifesting the power of a particular
natural force, as was the case with the “Neters” of Ancient Egypt, etc.)

- CONNECTING THROUGH CORDS: Energetic connections are made to aspects of

the human body or energy field; this gives rise to specific internal experiences within us
which reflect the nature and activity of the spiritual being connecting to us. For the
average person this is completely subconscious, but Initiates are aware of the specific
Being and its various aspects as described above. Common areas of connection are
Chakras, Organs, Endrocrine Glands, centers in the Head and Neck, and the Central
Column of Energy (Pillar of Light.)

5
 4 STAGES OF MANIFESTING / CRYSTALLIZING
OUR SPIRIT CORE (THE “I AM”)
1. Pre-Personal Stage: Tribal / group identification. Placement of family name before
oneʼs personal name is an example of this stage.

2. Personal Stage: Awakening the Individual Human Spiritual Self-Awareness.

The 7 “I Am” Sayings in the Gospel of John are Mantras for crystallization of this stage,
which is that of the Microcosm.

I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life

I AM the True Vine

I AM the Good Shepherd

I AM the Door

I AM the Bread of Life

I AM the Light of the World

I AM the Resurrection and the Life

3. Trans-Personal Stage:
“Not I but Christ in Me”
is the Mantra for this stage, which is that of the Macrocosm.

4. Awakening the Divine Unity Consciousness:

“I and the Father are ONE”
is the Mantra for this stage, which is that of Unification with the ONE, the source of all
Being without separation.

6
 COMMON MISTAKES
ON THE PATH OF REMEMBERING
“WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE CAME HERE TO DO”

1. “OCCULT MATERIALISM”
This “temptation” comes from the influences of Ahrimanic spiritual beings, who lead us
to believe that matter is the basis of the world, rather than spirit. This takes many
forms, two of the most common being:

a) the inability to conceive of non-physical realities, reducing spiritual realities to lower

physical references.

b) Not understanding that everything in the world is conscious spirit, and all “laws of
nature” and “natural forces” are in fact spiritual beings or the expression of their
activities.

Other common manifestations include:

* Not recognizing the part of our perception of higher world and beings that is our
“clothing” of these non-physical realities in our own thoughtforms, so naively mistaking
our projections for the higher reality.
* Not being able to recognize specific spiritual beings, and only having the abstract
concept of “God”. This problem is epidemic in modern religious and metaphysical
circles. Without the fundamental ability to differentiate between an Angelic being
and the Godhead, there is similarly no ability to differentiate between different
types of spiritual beings.

One common variant on this is to have a simple “God” vs. “Devil” polar paradigm,
which for the more metaphysically inclined becomes a simple polarity between “Light
Beings” and “Dark Beings”. In reality, there are two polarized off-balanced tendencies
one can connect with, so that only a three-fold concept – of a center holding the balance
between two complementary/opposite polarities -- can accurately identify the nature of
the beings encountered. The two polarities are known in the Western Tradition as
“Luciferic” and “Ahrimanic”, and the center balance point between them (the “Middle
Pillar” or “Middle Way”) is known as the Michaelic (at the Archangelic level) or the
Christic (at a higher level.)

It should be understood that we are constantly being influenced by spiritual beings

active in our energy field, for good or for ill. Bringing these influences up to full
awareness, and not allowing them to guide us through the subconscious, is a
fundamental step in spiritual development and true Initiation. We are all continuously
interacting with Luciferic and Ahrimanic beings, and this needs a calm, non-
reactive understanding of the larger spiritual context we live in. Sensationalism,
fear, and reactivity must be avoided; these Beings have a purpose in being here,

7
which in a larger context is for our benefit and learning, including through the
process of developing true discernment: recognizing and not accepting many of
their influences.

2. “EGO INFLATION”

This primarily manifests as an inflated sense of one’s own spiritual significance. This
pride and ego-inflation leads to false or distorted “Remembering” of who we are and our
own spiritual importance and our true level of spiritual development.

This distorting of human perception can be accomplished in numerous ways, ranging

from simple sub-conscious or conscious suggestions on the part of the spiritual being
(this is enough for persons who are not very spiritually developed; for
some the mere idea is enough, for others a projected thought field provides the
inspiration), to uniting a person with the preserved astral body (or ‘astral shell’) of a
famous individual which confuses more discerning persons into believing they are the
reincarnation of that individual. In the latter method, we actually have the memories and
experiences of the famous individual, so it takes more discernment to determine if it is
not in reality our own individuality.

This temptation of Ego Inflation is also known esoterically as “Luciferic Inflation”,

because as the name suggests it often comes from the influence of Luciferic spiritual
beings.

Elements of Luciferic Inflation are highly prominent in many spiritual teachers of

both Western and Eastern schools, so much so that it is unfortunately often thought by
many novice seekers to be a “normal” and expected aspect of spiritual teachers.
Puffing up of oneʼs own ego, grandiose presentation of oneʼs own importance, and
overestimation of oneʼs true level of spiritual development are common pathologies
among many modern spiritual seekers and teachers.

8
 TIMING CYCLES IN THE HUMAN LIFE
Rudolf Steiner once noted that there is inside the cranium of every human being an
imprinted picture of the star positions at the time of their birth. He also noted that this
impression of starlight in our head is also imprinted into every cell of the human body,
and is passed on to all replacement cells the human body generates later in life.

To begin working with the timing cycles of the Planets and how they affect our
consciousness and spiritual development, we can learn the primary Universal
(Rosicrucian) and Individual (Vedic) timing cycles which guide our lives.

THE UNIVERSAL 7 - YEAR PLANETARY CYCLE:

ROSICRUCIAN SYSTEM
A specific Planetary force dominates every successive 7-year period of our life.
Seven is the primary number quality ruling time, with every seven cycles / orbits of the
Earth around the Sun (ie, 7 years) forming a primary cycle in the life of each human
being. Seven is also the ruling harmonic number of the Etheric Life body, which is also
known the “Time Body” of the human being [time rhythms being one aspect of its
function as the Life Body, a simple example of this is the circadian rhythms which
establish time cycles in human organic functioning].

9
1. Physical Body: Primary focus of first seven years of life: Moon Forces
2. Etheric (Life) Body: Primary focus of second seven years of life (7-14): Mercury
Forces
3. Astral Body (contains both the Emotional and Mental bodies) (14-21): Venus Forces
4. Ego (The 'I AM' spiritual essence): next 3 complete seven-year cycles (21-42): Sun
Forces
5. Spirit Self (This is the Astral Body transformed by the Light of the Ego) (42-49): Mars
Forces
6. Life Spirit (This is the Etheric body transformed by the Ego): (49-56): Jupiter Forces
7. Spirit Human (This is the Physical body transformed by the Ego) (56-63): Saturn
Forces
! The Ego is 3-fold, encompassing three successive seven year life periods:
1. Sentient Soul - Awareness based on desires and thirst for experiences (Age 21-28)
2. Intellectual Soul - Clear intellectual understanding (Age 28-35)
3. Consciousness Soul - Self-Aware, integrating the experiences and intellectual
understandings of the previous two stages into self-development and self-actualization
(Age 35-42)

OTHER PLANETARY CYCLES IN THE HUMAN LIFE

There are other important planetary cycles that occur when we reach specific ages;
these are the times that planets return to the same place they were in the sky at the
time of our birth. These “Planetary Returns” trigger karmic events related to the Planetʼs
basic nature, and is further affected by the Planetʼs placement in the Natal Chart.
A few of the more significant Planetary Return cycles are:
JUPITER RETURN: This occurs roughly every 12 years, and generally leads to
expansions of oneself into the world.
MOON NODE RETURN: This occurs roughly every 18.5 years, and is known to be a
strong karmic trigger.
SATURN RETURN: This occurs roughly every 29 years. This is often a time of severe
crisis and contraction, which however serves to remove karmic blockages and to allow
our “I” to integrate at a deeper level within us.

These Rosicrucian cycles are described in the Vesica Karmic Biography training.

10
 THE INDIVIDUAL “KARMA RIPENING” CYCLES:
THE VEDIC DASHA SYSTEM
Whereas the Rosicrucian 7 year life periods system is the Universal system for
human beings - clarifying the planetary evolutionary impulses which every
human being experiences every 7 years - the Indian Vedic tradition holds the keys
to the individual cycles which are unique to every human being.

There are multiple timing systems known in the Vedic Astrology system which show
exactly when “karmas will ripen” and specific things will come into a personʼs life. The
most important of these timing systems - called “Dasha” meaning “Direction” - is
Vimshottari Dasha. Vimshottari means “120”, as the full cycle spans 120 years, said to
be the ideal life span of a human being in the time of the writing of the Vedas. This is a
timing system based on the Moonʼs position at the time of birth. Each of the planets
rule specific time periods as the primary influence (called major Dasha periods of that
planet) and as secondary influences during sub-periods (referred to as Antar Dasha or
Bhukti). So as an example, a person may be in a Mars major Dasha and a Mercury
sub-period (Antar Dasha); there are also further sub-Dashas beyond this level, making
possible very precise karmic time activation calculations.

There are other important Dasha systems other than the Vimshottari Dasha which are
used in India; however this is the most commonly used system and the place to begin
understanding oneʼs own Dashas, which are hidden time currents that guide our lives.
The Dasha systems are NOT found in Western Astrology, only in Vedic Astrology.

The Dashas indicate the time that “karmas will ripen” in the time stream of oneʼs life.
This is an extremely powerful system for timing specific events in oneʼs life, or for
choosing the right time for particular activities. When used by a Vedic Astrology adept,
the clarity of reading oneʼs karma, and the accuracy of predictions, is remarkable.

As mentioned, the Vedic Dasha systems are particular to each individual person, and
must be determined through their unique birth (natal) chart. Not only is the timing of the
Dashas different from person to person, but also the effects of a given planetary Dasha
time period will vary greatly based on the placement of that planet in the natal chart.

If you would like a Vedic Astrology analysis of basic aspects of your chart and your
current Dasha period, here are two options (mention in your email to either person that
you are especially interested in learning about your current and upcoming Dashas, and
that Robert Gilbert sent you):

FOR A SIMPLIFIED OVERVIEW AT LOWEST COST

See David Hawthorneʼs website at www.astroview.com
David practices a simplified form of Vedic Astrology known as Systems Approach.
Unlike most Vedic Astrologers, he does not require a phone session to give a basic
chart analysis: he will create the chart and email it to his client, along with sending a

11
45 - 60 minute MP3 audio file of his reading of key points of the chart, for $100 (which is
quite inexpensive by Vedic Astrology standards.)

FOR A MORE DETAILED AND ESOTERIC READING

See Vaughn Paul Manleyʼs website www.lightonvedicastrology.com
Vaughn Paul is one of the few North American options for a reading based on the deep
research of K.N. Rao, who runs the largest astrology school in the world in India. Rao
teaches professionals (engineers, scientists, etc.) advanced forms of astrology which
are based on exhaustive research into what works and what doesnʼt in classical forms
of Vedic Astrology.

Vaughn Paul offers three levels of reading, all of which are done as phone consultations
(with MP3ʼs of the session emailed after the reading):

30 minute reading: $95

60 minute reading: $155
90 minute in-depth reading: $195

I suggest doing the 90 minute reading with Vaughn Paul rather than a shorter session -
he is able to accurately predict detailed aspects of oneʼs life and karma, using multiple
Vedic timing systems together.

Vaughn Paul also offers an excellent downloadable series of written training lessons in
Vedic Astrology on his website; they are very well done and offer valuable insight into
the methods used by the K.N. Rao school in India.

FOR DISTANCE LEARNING WITH VEDIC ASTROLOGY

Sam Geppi offers many different reasonably priced videos teaching aspects of Vedic
Astrology, as well as a “Gold Membership” to his website which gives you access to
weekly detailed reports of every dayʼs Vedic Astrology positions and influences (the
membership is around $40 a month, and worth it for the daily insights into planetary
influences from the Vedic Astrology perspective; I have found it quite accurate.)

Geppi also offers an occasional certification course in Vedic Astrology, which is less
expensive than many other certification courses and offers a wealth of instructional
videos and handouts.
www.samgeppi.com

Note: I have no financial arrangements with any of the above Vedic Astrologers; I
recommend them solely on the basis of my experience with their work.

12
 THE VENUS INITIATION

BACKGROUND TO THE “VENUS AWAKENING”

The cycles studied by the Mayan (and other Mesoamerican) people are particularly
focused on the movements of the Planet Venus, which is the source of an important 104
year sub-cycle within the larger time periods of the Mayan calendar.

One of the most important things for us to achieve in this time of the end of the Mayan
calendar cycle, is the mastery of the Venus Initiation.

With the challenges that come with times of transformation, the influences of the
Spiritual Beings of Venus can bring either misery or permanent happiness. The higher
nature of these Beings is Love and Beauty.

13
! For the instinctive human being, with a consciousness restricted to oneʼs own
instinctive drives not yet illuminated by the Mind and Spirit, the influence of Venus
brings us to seek happiness based on particular situations in the physical world.
Beauty, pleasure, romance, sex, art, are all gifts of Venus. However the desire for these
-- and for a life of ease -- can lead to an unquenchable thirst, and great pain when our
hopes for Venusian love and relationships are disappointed.

! Venusʼ influence on the instinctive human being is a highly conditional love,

common to most romantic relationships in the world today. This conditional love is
based on how well the other person fills our immediate needs, and how well they play
the psychological role we have assigned them (usually subconsciously) in our life. (The
Moon carries the power of unconditional love for the instinctive human being, however it
is based on subconscious foundations and not Divine Love at that initial stage of
consciousness.)

We are Spiritually Awakened in an important way by Venus.

This Venus Awakening usually goes through two distinct phases:

a) PERSONAL LEVEL: The awakening of Eros, with a powerful awakened inner

light and vibration illuminating our inner life and desires. This wakes up a deep
part of us, which is essential: however it also awaken deep subconscious processes
which can express themselves in chaotic ways in our life. At the start of this stage,
there are many projections onto other people, and a great desire for specific conditions
and experiences. Happiness is based on the fulfillment of physical world desires, and
misery results when these desires go unfulfilled in our life.
! The majority of human beings today have neither fully awakened through the
Venus forces at this initial stage, nor have they moved beyond it to a higher stage in
which they do not base their happiness on their physical conditions. The majority of
modern human beings are unhappy in their inner life, due to Venus disappointments.
! While this is a tragic situation, from a higher perspective it is an essential stage of
the awakening process, of our transformation to higher spiritual state of being.
The suffering of the personal level of Venus Awakening will be finite, the gifts we attain
on the other side of the experience will be with us forever - and the intensity of any
suffering becomes turned inside out through spiritual alchemy, becoming the fullness of
happiness and joy. As Kahlil Gibran stated in The Prophet, we are hollowed out with
sharp knives so that the space can be filled with joy in the fullness of time.

b) TRANSPERSONAL LEVEL: Eros transforms into an inner illuminating force of

higher consciousness, the energy of the lower centers circulating into and through the
higher centers of consciousness (note this can only fully happen through experience
and acceptance of our desire nature, and not by repression of the desire nature.)
! An important gift comes into the human life at this point: attaining a state
of happiness based on connection to the ONE through our own spirit core, and
no longer dependent on any external conditions. Relationships with other people
move out of the realm of neurosis and grasping desire, and into the free expansive
Venus energies of non-attached love and enjoyment of the other.

14
As known in the ancient mystery schools and brought into modern form by sciences like
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), the driving forces of the average person are our
pain and pleasure associations. Our associating specific activities with either pain or
pleasure is primarily subconscious in us, and drives what we choose to do in our lives.
These associations can build a beautiful life for us or they can completely destroy our
life, depending on what we associate with pleasure or pain.

Another aspect of this work is that we form “trance states” within ourselves, where we
fall into unfree “programmed” reactive mind states, rather than be fully conscious and
capable of free choice. These trance states are complex, and include many core coping
mechanisms: for example, we may deal with intimacy issues after being violated by
becoming numb in parts of our body or soul life, or we may take on a different persona /
split personality of being a wild party person separated from our submerged wounded
child personality, etc.

Happiness based on our connection to our own inner spirit core - which connects
to the Macrocosm and to the ONE - transforms our pain and pleasure
associations. The things which lead our spiritual evolution forward, attaining higher
states of energy and consciousness, are associated with pleasure regardless of the
immediate difficulties / work / suffering are involved.

Those things we previously associated with pleasure, if they are of lower vibration or
take us away from our spiritual goal, are now associated with pain.

For example, a person caught in the lower consciousness of the reactive mind
associates immediate gratification with pleasure, and delayed gratification with pain,
exactly as an animal does. Every human being goes through a process of reversing
these associations, so that they associate instead immediate gratification (in many
cases) with pain and suffering (when it causes destructive effects in their life due to
addiction etc.), and they then associate delayed gratification with pleasure when seen in
a larger spiritual context. This transformation of the driving forces of our subconscious
is one of the most important attainments in modern Initiation.

Critically, when this higher Venus is attained, one is capable of hard work and service
without any issues of obligation, or any feeling of being burdened and weighed down.
The service itself is the source of joy, and freely chosen without any external obligation
or guilt motivation.

Given the changes in the Earth, society, etc. that tend to accompany all transformative
time periods (and will continue to have brutal consequences as long as the majority of
humanity remains asleep), it is essential that our Initiation by the Venus Beings is
understood as a key goal - and achievement - in the modern science of Initiation.

Only then can we remain strong, happy, and positive in the face of losing
fundamental things we have come to depend on in the physical world.

15
 ASPECTS OF THE VENUS TRANSFORMATION
! The more we can get into touch with both our pain and pleasure associations
(through self-observation) and the energetic-emotional states which anchor them in our
body, the easier it is to start the transformation process.
! It is inevitable that when we start this initiation process we will experience what
Gurdjieff described as “the terror of the situation.” This is the realization that we - and
the vast majority of humanity - are rarely ever truly conscious. We are automatons
driven by our reactive mind and subconscious associations, creating destruction all over
the Earth and threatening our very existence. Gurdjieff taught a key practice he termed
“Self-Remembering”: to observe oneself during the course of the day, observing oneself
from the outside as a way of becoming conscious and not mired in our completely
conditioned reactive awareness. In doing so, we find that we may have times where we
are indeed awake and self-aware, but also very long stretches of time when we are
unconscious and acting completely out of our subconscious programming.
! Venus forces are linked initially to our personal stage of development, in which
we project our desires onto people around us, and we cast them into specific roles we
expect them to play in our own psycho-drama. At this stage, Love is very conditional,
based on how well people play the roles we have subconsciously assigned them, and
how much they satisfy our desires and needs.
! When we attain trans-personal awareness, we are able to attain unconditional
love, where we perceive the unique and beautiful individuality of a personʼs spirit core.
! Before this stage, we actually experience unconditional love through the Moon,
not the Venus forces. The Moon forces at the Personal Stage of development have
unconditional love that rises from a deep instinctive place, similar to the instinctive
desire nature of Venus at the Personal Stage. This Moon unconditional love is linked to
the Moon forces of incarnation, where the Moon beings assist human spirits to incarnate
into physical bodies and family bloodlines. The Moon unconditional love is similar to
that of a Mother for a child; it is very emotionally present and service oriented.

NOTES FOR ADVANCED ESOTERIC STUDENTS:

! The Venus forces are also important for us because Venus Beings are our
source of Resonance with the forces of Taurus (or as is said classically, Venus is the
Planetary Ruler of Taurus.) Within Taurus are the Pleiades, which according to many
traditions are either a home source of many human beings (Native American tradition)
and/or the spiritual destination of the human race when fully evolved into an
independent spiritual being (Rosicrucian / Steiner.)
! Through Resonance with Venus Beings, we can connect to this important “colony
of the Spiritual Beings” within the Pleiades. This is reflected in the classical Star
Wisdom teaching that Venus is the Planetary Ruler of Taurus.
! The Hathor (the Cow) mysteries of ancient Egypt are directly related to Taurus
(the Bull) and to the very kind Spiritual Beings of Venus.
! The Antares (Scorpio) - Aldebaran (Taurus) axis within the Cosmic Cross, is a
literal axis of energy within a great cosmic being. It is also a road the Initiate travels
from Spiritual Initiation in Scorpio in the “Flight of the Eagle” to Taurus and the Pleiades.

16
 SOME SIGNS OF CORE SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT /
SELF-TRANSFORMATION
- Increased internal peace and serenity (overcoming internal violence in thought and
feeling, and external violence in speech and action)

- Greater empathy and compassion for others who are unlike ourselves

- Greater acceptance of ourselves and others

- Greater mindfulness and calm observation (Greater non-reactivity)

- Feeling pleasure when being of service to others, without compensation

- Increased integration of all the powerful parts of our self together: our spiritual striving
integrated with our sexuality, our emotions, etc.

- Greater illumination and transmutation of energy blocks, traumas, trance states etc. in
ourselves

- Greater personal freedom of choice in our lives

- Greater joy in the heart (different from pleasure)

- Greater perception of the real spiritual beings and processes which govern our lives
(with a calm and matter-of-fact perspective, without sensationalism)

- Greater co-creation with beneficial spiritual forces

- Increasing understanding and tools to help transmute evil in people, beings, situations
etc. to the good (this is the Manichean Initiation)

- Increased sincere humility (and a decrease in the opposing internal states: Ego-
Inflation from Luciferic forces, and Desire for Power over others from Ahrimanic forces.)

17
 LEARNING TO SEE SPIRIT
HIDDEN BEHIND / WITHIN MATTER:
THE “DISSOLVING” PRACTICE
! In the Dissolving practice, we move from perception of the physical to perception
of the etheric life forces and the spiritual realities beyond. This is one application of the
alchemical ʻsolveʼ process, in the spiritual ʻsolve et coagulaʼ (dissolving and
crystallization) formula.
! When dissolving away the image of a human being, we let fade away the
physical aspect of the person to reveal their energetic and spiritual qualities - for
example:
- instead of the physical form, we see the quality of how the spirit holds and moves the
physical body, ie the personʼs typical posture and gestures
- qualities of light or darkness in their energy field
- radiance or absorption of energy in their field at different locations
- heaviness or lightness
- quality of the voice (tone, cadence, etc.)
! This first reveals the spirit hidden within matter, than at a higher stage becomes a
ʻred threadʼ we can follow to perceive the personʼs previous incarnations.
! We may also be able to perceive the spiritual beings influencing the person:
either through resonance, through being lodged within their energy field, moving
through the energy field, or externally connected to their energy field by cords.
! After working with this Dissolving Practice at the personal level, we can move up
to Planetary levels: for example dissolving away the image of the Moon to perceive the
Energy Sphere around the Moon and the Beings working within it. We perceive the
inner nature of these Beings, their state of consciousness, their activities, and how they
interact with and affect human beings.
As the physical planet disappears from our inner vision, the sphere of the planet
appears and is related to the size of the planetʼs ORBIT rather than the size of the
physical planet itself.

SPECIFIC “DISSOLVING” INITIATION PRACTICES:

a) Dissolving Words / Sacred Texts into Direct Experience of the Spiritual Realities
described by the words. This can be used for spoken words or for written texts.

b) Dissolving the Appearance of a Person into perception of their Spirit and Past Lives.
Note: this must be done with spiritual warmth and compassion, using forces of the heart
merged with the head centers, and not as an invasive and cold activity solely from the
Third Eye chakra. Dissolving the image of a person in front of you in order to see the
spirit within them is an excellent technique to use anytime, especially in group meetings;
when a person contributes to the group, put your awareness at the energy center above
their head to help perceive their higher self and Guardian Angel.

18
c) Dissolving the Appearance of an object in nature into perception of the Nature
Elementals and Angelic Beings (Ranks) working within it.

d) Dissolving the Appearance of Celestial Objects (Planets, Stars) into direct perception
of the spiritual spheres and Beings active within them. All Celestial objects are colonies
of spiritual beings; the Planets of our solar system are the anchor points for different
ranks of Angelic Beings, as was taught within the classical Hermetic tradition.

e) Dissolve memory images into direct perception of the spiritual and karmic forces
active in people during the events. This may begin with simply seeing the energetic
fields around people and how they shift, as these vibrational fields reflect the spiritual
forces active at higher levels. (This dissolving of memory images to perceive spiritual
forces is a higher level of the “Backward Review” practice taught in Class 1 of this
course.)
! Developing skill in the ʻDissolvingʼ of memory images opens the way to a critical
spiritual attainment: dissolving the memories of our present lifetime into a clear
remembering of our experiences in the 7 Planetary Spheres (classically referred to as
the “7 Heavenly Halls”) before our incarnation, as these pre-Earthly 7 Halls experiences
form the basis of what is played out physically during our Earthly life stages.
! By dissolving memories of our 7 year life periods discussed earlier, we can
directly access our experiences in the 7 Planetary Spheres and recall the influence on
us of the Angelic Beings in each Sphere. (This is discussed in detail in the Vesica
Institute Karmic Biography training.)

RECONNECTION TO THE GUARDIAN ANGEL

EXERCISE
The Guardian Angel is the Angelic being closest to us throughout our lifetime.
It knows all of our thoughts, feelings, and actions; nothing is ever hidden from it.
! It has complete knowledge of our past, present, and future Karma and guides us
on our path of development. It is the Guardian of our Higher Self, and holds this higher
knowledge for us until we mature enough to access and use it responsibly for ourselves.
! Contacting the Holy Guardian Angel was understood to be a fundamental
practice in Esoteric Christian Initiation during the Middle Ages.
! The Guardian Angel can be contacted consciously at the first major energy
center above our head. This center also connects us to the Holy Spirit, where the
Flame of the Holy Spirit appears at times of spiritual/alchemical ʻignitionʼ.

* We have three primary energy centers, located in the Belly (Will), Heart (Feeling) and
Head (Thinking).
* The Guardian Angel has its three energy centers shifted upward one step, as it is part
of the Angelic Hierarchy one step advanced beyond the Human stage.
! - Its Head (consciousness) can be contacted at the first center above our head;
! - Its Heart interpenetrates our Head and warms our Thinking;
! - Its Will interpenetrates our Heart and gives Will forces to our Feeling.

19