Most people fall naturally into two camps – those who wish to rush through the Grades on the back of intellectual fervour, and those that feel the need to “internalise” the Grade, or perhaps feel some effect or expected change as confirmation before moving on.
Both are in error to the discerning eye of an experienced teacher. The first because rushing through the Grades just flames the fire of the intellectual butterfly, that is wont to flit from one flower to the other. Intellect has served its purpose in the evolution of Nature – reinforcing intellectual endeavours will not serve the Adept (or Nature) further on the quest. Once this type of student has picked the low hanging fruit they are likely to leave for another group or system of training.
The approach of the second type of person is also in error because, as a novice, they assume they know what they are doing and that they will know when it is time to move on.
Amongst other more mundane things there are two factors a teacher will take into account in respect to the progress of their students. The first is Initiation – to initiate an action. This by its definition means to begin a process – not one that is exoteric, but an esoteric process that continues many years after its beginning. Each new Advancement to a higher Grade commences with a new Initiation current, at a higher octave as it were, while the previous initiations play out their natural course.
The second factor is momentum or rhythm – the timing between Grades and the need to prevent inertia from pulling the newly awakened Soul back down into slumber.
When the Order prescribes a minimum period to spend in each Grade, it intends to address the first type of person – the intellectual butterfly. As the system was never meant to be published and followed by the uninitiated, the Order has never needed to prescribe a maximum time to be spent in a Grade, as this was usually determined by the Demonstrator on a case by case basis. The Demonstrator, while looking for cues to progress each Candidate, was also mindful of the need to maintain momentum so that the candle lit at the Initiation (and subsequent Advancements) did not burn out before its allotted time.
2 to 3 years is a typical period of dedication required to progress from Neophyte to Portal.
What then of the appropriate time to spend studying the O.’s various Knowledge Lectures, papers and manuscripts? 1 hour per week is clearly not enough. Particularly so for the higher Grades where a lot of material is presented to the Candidate to learn. 20 hours per week is (less clearly) too much. Newton’s law applies here – for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. I have seen students spend too much time in zealous study only to be burnt out or to be overwhelmed by indifference or laziness. Experience has taught me that 4 to 5 hours a week is sufficient to pass an examination while treading a path of moderation so as to minimise Newton’s equal and opposite reaction. Zealous study is to be avoided as much as laziness.
And meditation? 20 minutes a day, 6 days a week is the required regime. Many people find this hard to maintain, but without this discipline the student cannot be of real service to the Order, or to Nature. Generally the best time of the day is in the morning, soon after waking. The mind is less likely to be full of clutter. Get up, go about ones ablution’s, then undertake the prescribed exercises and meditation. All up this should take between 40 to 60 minutes. Less time than many people spend travelling to and from work earning money to fulfill their mundane desires.
Leave the one day off each week from meditations to quietly read through one of the Ceremonies. If you have privacy, read some of the speeches out aloud. Soak into the atmosphere and actively imagine the movements and actions etc. If you have access to a Temple, undertake a meditation there at least one day each week.
Very few important things in life come without effort. This applies equally to the Mysteries.
Kasmillos
