In ancient times, a person wishing to become a student of one of the great mystery schools was required to pass through a certain process of instruction in order to be initiated into the mysteries of that school. These preliminary instructions included two main lessons; the development of the Will and the understanding of the real self, the spiritual self.

One of the most important lessons was , and still is today, the training of a firm Will and a strong character. The Will is developed when one decides to do some particular thing for no other reason than to develop the Will. If, for example, the student, has the responsibility of doing some menial task, then he will use that task as a means to strengthen his Will.

If he could feel his spine, as a central "core" within his body, then he was thereby aware of the Will. If he became aware of the Will, the source of his individual strength, then he was allowed to go further. If he could not feel that spine, that "core," then he was considered to be an unfit candidate for the school. His Will was not yet adequately developed. He would be asked to go back into the outer darkness until he had developed his Will.

If, for example, he was a slave to his won sexuality, he would be asked to overcome that "slavery." He was not asked to overcome his sexual appetites, but he was expected to be their master, not their slave. It was not enough to understand the importance of Willpower. He had to feel the strength of his willpower in his spinal column, in that core. He had to carry that sense in his consciousness, it had to be uppermost in his thoughts and feelings during the day.

The will became a living part of him and it was used to encourage his own initiative. We need only think of our "New Year's resolutions" to realize how far most of us are from the ability to carry out a right action even when we know that it is to our benefit to do so. In these schools, right actions were an important part of the initial training of the student seeking initiation.

Once they demonstrated their Will, they were taught the first lessons concerning the reality of their own spiritual nature, and how to separate the essentials from the nonessentials. Unless the entering student could REALIZE his own spiritual nature, his own actual identity, his own "I," all other instruction was withheld from him. It was important that he not only understand that he had a unique identity, but he had to REALIZE that "I" within himself. He needed to realize the relationship between the "I" and that which, in western theology, was spoken of as the"I AM." In Eastern Christianity this was the "Logos," or "the Word" which existed from the beginning, and to which John refers in his Gospel.

If he could not do this, the masters believed that he would be unable to recognize the source of the power within him, and that power, whether originating from the Goddess Diana, Athena, or Vestal or from the God Hermes, Yahweh or Zeus, could not be understood apart from its source. One of the great master teachers, Dr. R. Swinburne Clymer said,

"The development of the Will is a firs requisite for the direction of Desire. Desire is the urge which if followed, will bring the result. Will cannot be developed without direction and the means for its development."

This power within was symbolized in the Caduceus, the staff that Mercury carried, which today is the symbol of the medical profession. While to the casual observer it appears to be a staff with a ball at one end and two spirals winding around it, to the Initiates it was a symbol of the spinal column, the head, and the two forces of life and death that govern all human endeavors. The student could not progress until he was able to feel that symbol within himself.

The intellect, symbolized by the ball at the end of the staff of the caduceus; and the emothions, symbolized by the two serpents that entwined the staff; one called "joy" and the other "sorrow," also needed to be developed and mastered. Yet, the student did not need to have a highly endowed mind mor did he need a vast spectrum of emotional sensibilities. What was needed was an awareness of that "core," an awareness of himself as manifested in his Will. Some students came to that realization on their own, prior to applying for admission. Others needed to undergo much arduous training before they were allowed to receive further instruction.

Each school, of course, had its own variations of the entrance requirements but the fundamentals of spiritual self-awareness and the developed Will were measured and evaluated by all of the true mystery schools. Whether it was with the Essenes - among which Jesus is believed to have studied during the years from the time he taught the elders in the temple until he began his ministry at age 30 - or at the center at Epheseus - where Paul converted the followers of Grecian Gods - the Will was considered to be the keystone to spirituality in all of the great schools. As Dr. R.Swinburne Clymer said in his book, Soul Consciousness:

"It is the development of a strong steady Will, ever obedient to the Christic ideal. I means to make certain that every thought shall be kind and exalting, radiating a helping, healing, uplifting, influence upon all coming within its radius, and the building of a wall against all evil, degrading, destructive influences from without."

The knowledge of the reality of who we are as spiritual entities is the basis for this contact with God, for Contemplative Prayer. We, as members of the human race, carry within us the many wonderful kingdoms that God has created on this earth. In our skeletal system we see evidence of the mineral kingdom; in our respiratory system we find our relationship to the plant world; in our circulatory system we see reflected our cousins from the animal kingdom. Yet, beyond those kingdoms, man stands as the absolute master of all the others.

Man is not an animal. Some men and women are closer to that kingdom than others but they are not of that kingdom. Few animals would rescue one of their kind from a raging river, or a violent fire. Only mankind is equipped with the capability to know his own soul. We can, if we wish to do so, become more aware than we are of that higher nature.

Having within our bodies all these wonderful things derived from the mineral, plant and animal kingdoms enables us to function. We use these things to stand and breathe and remain alive; but these things which now belong to us are not Us. Something you use is not You.

Martin Buber describes much of this when he speaks of I and Thou and It.

It is not I and it is not Thou....but more importantly; whatever is Not I, is Thou.

God has been conceived as a fire. The Eternal, which is "Thou" in all things, has manifested Himself or Herself as a burning bush, as a pillar of fire, or as tongues of flames on the brows of Jesus' disciples. This symbol is the best we have for the divine spark within us all, since a fire can give of itself without depleting itself. Approaching a bonfire with a twig, enables us to take some of the flame on the twig and to leave the bonfire undiminished. We are that small flame from the bonfire! It is from God and while we are not as God is, nevertheless we contain within us that same divinity, that same power and eternal presence that says "Thou."

The undeveloped human being is not aware of the potential within him for the unfoldment of his own spiritual nature. Such a one may be a highly educated scholar or a peasant from the most backward of countries. As one awakens to this potential and begins to understand the qualities that God has given to him, changes begin to take place and the person becomes Self-conscious, wherefore, he was only conscious of his wants and desires.

This latter consciousness is the highest attainable by the animals of our world. They are aware of their own desires and needs, but unaware of themselves as separate beings. This primitive mind, or as some regard it, this instinctive mind, is incapable of separating the "I" from the mind even in those individuals who have reached an awareness of the Self. Such persons regard the mind as the ultimate source of knowledge and wisdom. They stand in reverence, giving the mind a position well above its entitlement.

To the undeveloped man, the Body is the "I." The Body requires gratification of all its appetites. Everything that can be known to such a man comes to him through the sense organs of the Body. Then, at the next, come what higher stage, he feels that it is not the Body that is the throne of the "I," but rather it is the Mind itself. To this person his Mind and the "I" are synonymous.

This is a promising realization in the long run, for here the person comes to understand that there is something within hemself that is higher than the Body, (which can be forgotten during times when the Mind is in deep consideration of something deemed to be important to it.)

As one continues to grow in awareness, one comes to the place where the Mind offers more problems that it is capable of solving. The mind is not capable of solving or even understanding some of the paradoxes of the world around us. Most scholars are not "aware" of this because the Mind is very subtle and capable of dirty tricks; the most frequent of these is found in the "sense of humor." If we take a simple optical illusion like the one below, we see before us an unsolvable paradox.

Is the box facing left or facing right? The Mind knows that it can not be both. Yet it can not solve the puzzle from the information given to it by our eyes. So, the Mind tells us, "It's only a trick. Ha! Ha,!" and we dismiss the paradox. But, it is not only a trick! The box does face to the left and to the right at the same time. No trick. The Mind runs from that, muttering something similar to "Oh, that's not important anyhow."

The undeveloped man has very little conflict within him regarding ideals and ideas. His primary concern is his job, his meals and his love-life. He is often heard to say, "What difference does that make?" He is his stomach and his appetites. The Most advanced souls also have very little conflict with ideals and meaningful philosophy. But one who considers his mind to be himself rather than to be an instrument of himself, always ends up being dissatisfied with everything. "The government is terrible, the people who would change the government are terrible. The church is terrible and those who would try to improve it are just as bad. All politicians are crooks," etcetera.

If we now notice what has been happening to us on an inner level, we find that his Mind we are dealing with is separate from us who are dealing with it. We are using our Mind to understand the Mind and as we wrote previously, if I am using something, then that something can not be I. It is only one of the tools of the "I."

The final lesson, that which encourages the communion of the self, the "I," with God, which is called Illumination, the reception of the Holy Ghost or Christ consciousness, is the very basis for the study that the reader is pursuing. The ultimate goal of Contemplative Prayer is this communion between the soul and God! As R. Swinburne Clymer said:

"The spirit of man is divine, it is that which he brings with him to the great world of action. It will become the connecting link between his body and his soul. It is an offspring from the great invisible manifestation. It is always connected with its source and it will help to bring the soul to its Father."

If you can focus your attention and know that you are neither your body nor your mind, then the next step can be taken.
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