Occult Cosmology

Radical Awakening Versus Evolutionary Awakening Once the consciousness has been able to centre itself even sporadically upon the buddhic plane it becomes possible to engage these two forms of awakening. The buddhic plane is the mid-point of the system of seven planes and therefore the point of balance and of harmony. Most of the teaching given to consciousness beneath this point is dual in nature. It emphasises the soul over the personality, spirit over matter, light over dark. There is a reason for this. The consciousness of the disciple is already over-identified with the substance and experience of the lowest three planes and so it is necessary to emphasise the opposite in order to establish harmony.

Now it is possible but rare for radical awakening to begin beneath this point of development. Rare because on the lowest three planes the devic life is so strong that it generally overpowers the sense of identity. Another reason why it has not been useful to speak of this type of awakening in the Western tradition is because of the tendency for misinterpretation and the resultant build-up of erroneous thoughtforms. In the early stages of education about the soul, the personality interprets wisdom as another form of knowledge and believes that if it can acquire enough esoteric information it will become enlightened. This can serve as a hindrance to transcending the mental plane and the grip of the personal identity. Similarly the experience of identification cannot be understood in terms of a progressive series of initiations. Identification and Initiation describe two experiences as different from each other as Individualisation and Initiation or knowledge and wisdom. Evolutionary awakening is related to the path of Initiation. Radical awakening is related to Identification.

Individualisation refers to the establishment and development of a ‘self identity’ in a field of activity. It results in translation or mastery of a particular ‘plane’.

Initiation refers to the transformation of identity or the passage of the deeper self from plane to plane. Identification refers to the 48