July/August 1988
Esoterically an adept is not a Master of Wisdom until He has achieved the fifth initiation or, in other words, until He has entered the spiritual plane and His consciousness embraces the fifth or spiritual kingdom. The Masters are members of that group of ‘Illumined Minds’ which is guided by love and understanding, and by deep compassion and inclusiveness towards humanity. They are striving towards a comprehension and translation of the Divine Purpose, and are illumined by knowledge of the Plan; They are also characterized by a readiness to sacrifice Their own immediate spiritual progress if thereby They can assist humanity in its upward struggle.
In comparison with earth-bound human beings, who are still far behind on the evolutionary path, the Masters have attained a relatively high state of development. But, as with all else in nature, Their status is only relative — in comparison with those already higher up the ladder, Their own position remains humble, and vast expansions of consciousness still lie ahead of Them on the Path of Higher Evolution, which will eventually take Them beyond planetary and solar spheres into cosmic consciousness.
On hierarchical levels there is naturally no oral communication, as the Masters do not avail themselves of physical organs. All communication on spiritual planes is telepathic.
To a lesser extent this also applies to selected senior disciples on the physical plane, although effective intercourse is often limited by a lack of sensitivity on the part of aspirants.
One of the major functions of the Masters is to convey the principles of the Plan to Their less evolved brothers. The usual technique employed for this purpose is impression. So far the Masters have not taught from public platforms, but have mainly worked on intuitive and mental levels, by telepathically impressing ideas on the minds of Their disciples. However, as more of these Masters make Their appearance among men, and recognition of Their powers and wisdom grows, it is possible that use will also be made of oral teachings, when They might avail Themselves of radio and television facilities.
Although the Masters have reached a stage of spiritual development far beyond that of man and, comparatively speaking, have achieved perfection, They should none the less not be considered infallible as They, at Their own level, are also engaged in the never ending process of evolution.
Those occasional Masters who for purposes of service are temporarily functioning in a physical body do not avail themselves of an emotional body, since They have complete conscious control over Their feelings and emotions. For Them the astral plane no longer exists, nor are They subject to any form of illusion or glamour. They are therefore completely liberated from material influences and reactions, as well as from every form of bewilderment to which the ordinary man is subject. This gives Them the freedom to enter the Centre of Pure Love, the Heart of God, and from that centre to spread the spirit of love and goodwill throughout mankind.
The sphere of service of many of the Masters does not concern humanity at all, as these Entities are often fully occupied with the application of the Will of God in other extensive fields in the lower kingdoms.
Thus far the Masters have normally functioned in etheric bodies on subjective levels. Should a Master, however, require a mechanism for contact with His disciples or the world of men, He can avail Himself of any type of physical appearance which may suit His particular requirements and circumstances. He can use or ‘overshadow’ an existing physical body, in which case such a body would no longer remain subject to astral and emotional limitations, or the mental restrictions of an ineffective brain — these He would be able to by-pass at will.
Usually, however, ‘a body of expression or manifestation’ is instantaneously created by His spiritual Will, and according to His special needs. As a rule this assumed body will resemble the human form which the adept occupied during His last initiation, although He is perfectly free to adopt any form which may suit His purpose.
Whatever type of body of expression the Master may assume, this will not encumber Him with a ‘personality’ to curb His activities or consciousness. He retains His divine nature, and the exterior through which He works is merely a created image and the product of His focused Will and creative imagination, and this may, when demanded by circumstances, also be instantly discarded, or as far as the human observer is concerned it may just fade away and disappear into nothingness. The body that He creates will therefore be of pure substance and radiant Light — it will be a perfect body, even though to outward appearances, and for the purposes of the Master, it might display a deformed exterior, perhaps even covered by the rags of a beggar. Such a body is therefore not the product of the Deva-builders, as these are only summoned by desire which, being an aspect of the astral body, no longer plays any role in the life of the Master.
Excerpted from the book Bridges by Aart Jurriaanse, ISBN 3-929345-11-0
