Two Programs: Great Quest & Quest Universal

• The Great Quest stream with a lighter workload. The Great Quest is a two year program, and consists of two courses – The Preparation for the Great Quest (6 months), followed by the Great Quest. “Preparing for the Great Quest” is a course designed to help students gain a solid grounding in esoteric meditation, and an overview of the occult principles of the Ageless Wisdom.  (An outline of the courses are provided below.)

• The Quest Universal stream of study consists of a five-year program with a heavier workload consisting of four or more courses running simultaneously and is targeted for those with some background in the ageless wisdom teachings and Alice Bailey books in particular. Quest Universal begins with a class group each Capricorn ingress, 21st of December, and is divided into the first half of the year (through to June) where the student reports monthly on intensive study. The last six months of the year the student creates final projects for each course, which are reviewed by the mentor and course faculty. One may, however, enter the Quest Universal Stream at any time of the year, and the option to self-pace throughout the courses is available. More information about this comprehensive program may be found at Morya Federation website, where the invitation and applications are also found.

OUTLINE OF PREPARATION FOR THE GREAT QUEST COURSE (6 months course)

Preparing For the Great Quest Outline of monthly studies.

Basic Propositions and Meditation: Concentration

The primary focus in this first month, is upon meditation, and particularly upon the concentration aspect of meditation. This is vital and foundational – meditation is extended concentration. So students are encouraged to make the most of this month and the exercises which have been set. The student is also introduced to Basic Propositions – governing principles of the universe, and of humanity; and the Constitution of Man. These are vast subjects, and the purpose of this section is just to give the student a tiny sketch or overview of these topics.

Seven Planes of the Cosmos

This month we examine the planes of the solar system in relation to the consciousness of man. Man’s task is to raise or evolve his consciousness from the lowest plane to the highest, and we study an overview of this process.

In meditation study, we examine the very important meditation technique given by the great Vedanta teacher Patanjali, as the basis for true occult meditation. Students are encouraged to commit to memory the various highlighted passages, and so gain a good understanding of how the technique works and what it is designed to achieve.

The meditation set for this month focuses on the purification of the physical-etheric body. Exercises are given, and the student is encouraged to make an effort to bring about a greater degree of physical plane ”purification” in this densest body.

The Path of Purification and Creative Visualisation

This month our focus turns to the spiritual Path, specifically the Probationary Path or Path of Purification. This is the point of evolutionary development where many thousands of people (perhaps milions) in the world are entering at this time. We also examine the differences between mystics and occultists.

In our inner work we examine the purpose of creative visualisation, which is a very powerful instrument in creative work. Magicians – both black and white, are master visualisers. And continuing our meditation study, we examine Contemplation and Illumination. Then in the practise of meditation our focus is upon the purification of the astral nature. For aspirants this is a tremendous task, and it covers many lives, but we spend this month applying techniques which will assist this process.

Initiation and the Dangers of Meditation

We touch upon two major themes this month. Firstly  we examine the process of “forced” spiritual developmen called “initiation”, which is simply the expansion of consciousness, the entering into a wider world of seeing and being. Looking at the topic another way, the various initiations measure the degree to which consciousness is less ego driven or earth-bound, and the degree it has opened up to the streams of light, love, wisdom and spiritual power, emanating from divine sources.

Secondly we study the dangers of meditation which are very real. Occult meditation opens up the floodgates to the “fire” of the mental plane. As this fire courses through lower mind, with residual impact upon the whole nature, problems can arise if due preparation has not been made. Students have been asked to keep the entire meditation period to fifteen minutes throughout the course to help avoid this problems. Meditation focus this month is upon the mind. The great initiate Helena Blavatsky said that “the mind is the slayer of the real”, and this is so in ordinary mankind. The task before students is to begin the task of disciplining the mind, and an exercise is provided to this end. It is equally important when going into this work, that the healthy functioning of the mind is not impaired by the use of an over strong will, misapplied. The advice in the workbook - the Inhibition and Atrophy of the Mental Body section, should be carefully followed.

The Spiritual Hierarchy and the Antahkarana

The spiritual Hierarchy is a gathering of the most spiritually advanced Beings upon our planet – “Masters”, initiates and their disciples, who carry out the will of God on Earth, by wise and loving means. We examine the personnel of the Hierarchy, and the Spiritual Government of our planet.

The antahkarana or bridge of light is also examined. The four-step meditation technique which Patanjali gave – and which is practised in this course, was cleverly designed to help the student cross the physical, astral, and mental planes – and enter the buddhic plane field of experience, if correctly applied. The mental-analytical stage in particular, is that part of the technique which trains the student to build the “bridge of light” across the higher reaches of the mental plane. Mind concentration and the building of a bridge of lighted thoughts from the particular to the universal, is the key

The Solar Angel and Essay Writing

We complete our meditation work in this 6-step course at the level of the soul and with the Solar Angel. The Angel is the great teacher, who guides man through the whole process of the evolution of consciousness. Poetically we could say that the Angel constantly bathes our auric field with divine love and wisdom, and cultivates these qualities within us. The ultimate result is that we are enabled to grow into our full spiritual heritage, and stand forth as fully awakened souls ourselves.