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Self-Study Guide
Teachings of an Initiate
by Max Heindel

Introduction

  This study guide is intended for use with Teachings of an Initiate by Max Heindel. The guide contains two groups of questions for each section in Teachings if an Initiate. The first group of questions for a section are questions whose answer may be found somewhere in the section. The second group of questions are labeled as "thought questions." The answers to these questions are not given in the section, but rather can be answered by relating what was said in the section to one's own experience and by using one's creative imagination.

  In using the study guide it is recommended that one first read an entire section from Teachings of an Initiate to get an overall picture of the topic being discussed. Then answer the questions below, referring back to the text as needed.

  It is hoped that this study guide will help the reader clarify and make more precise the understanding of esoteric Truths, so that he or she may tred the path with a more certain step.

Section 1

1-1] Choose from each parentheses the word or phrase which correctly completes the sentence.

It is normal (air pressure, gravity) which holds the vital body within the dense body. When a person is falling, the pressure below the body (increases, decreases) and the pressure above the body (increases, decreases). This initially causes the two (higher, lower) ethers to flow into the region of (increased, decreased) pressure. If the fall continues, the two (higher, lower) ethers may also be forced out. At high altitudes the etheric forces tend to rush (in, out) of a person's body because of the (higher, lower) amount of (air pressure, gravitational force) there, but the flow can be checked by use of (electric fans, weights which are properly placed, will power). If a projectile passes a person, the (higher, lower) pressure behind it may (force inward, draw outward) some of the ether of the person's vital body.

1-2] If some of the two higher ethers of a person's vital body are temporarily dislodged from their normal position, what will that person experience until those ethers are again fitted inside the dense body?

1-3] If all four of the ethers are dislodged from the dense body, what will the person experience?

1-4] From each parentheses choose the world or phrase which correctly completes the sentence. From the time of ancient Atlantis to the present time, the density and pressure of the atmosphere have (decreased, increased) and the physical bodies of humans have become (less, more] dense, and the amount of the two higher ethers in the vital bodies has (decreased, increased).

1-5] At the second coming of Christ it is said that there will be a "voice ... like the sound of mighty thunder peals." What will these mighty sounds accomplish?

1-6] At the second coming of Christ what will happen to a) those people who have well-developed soul bodies, b) those people who do not have well-developed soul bodies?

Section 2

2-1] What quality must one possess in order to be able to see the "sign of the Master"?

2-2] What animal is designated by the name Jonah? What is represented by this animal in biblical symbology?

2-3] Jonah spending three days inside a whale describes symbolically mankind during what three periods of time? What was mankind doing during these three periods, that makes them well represented symbolically by Jonah being inside a whale?

2-4] In Matthew 12:38 Christ is recorded as saying, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."

2-5] In the development of the "Stone of the Sage" from which the "house of heaven" is built, what turns the hard rough rock into a polished stone?

Section 3

3-1] Are prayer and meditation necessary for soul growth?

3-2] If prayer is to be effective, how must it relate to the rest of one's life?

3-3] When one's duties in life conflict with one's prayer time, which should be given precedence?

3-4] What determines whether a particular type of work is spiritual or material?

3-5] What do we need to do to make all our work spiritually uplifting?

Section 4

4-1] What is the mission of the Rosicrucian Teachings?

4-2] Do students of the Western Wisdom teachings work to disclose errors in other religions? Why?

4-3] Should students of the Western Wisdom teachings work to disclose errors in other religions? Why?

4-4] What must be combined with knowledge if one is to attain wisdom?

4-5] What type of life do we need to live 24 hours a day if we are to be successful in spreading the teachings?

Section 5

5-1] In the past, a craftsman would produce a complete article from start to finish. Since the invention of engines and machinery, workers tend machines which produce only parts of articles.

Thought Question:

5-2] Of what spiritual value is money?

Section 6

6-1] What is the literal meaning of the word "sacrament"?

6-2] What are the effects of the abuse of the creative function on

6-3] Correctly complete each sentence by inserting in each blank one of the following words: bodies, souls, spirits.

__________ are sparks from the Divine, without beginning and without end. At the beginning of the Great Day of manifestation, present humanity had no __________ or __________. Then the __________ crystallized ___________ about themselves. Living in the __________ gives rise to the development of __________. Evolution depends on the dissolution of the __________ and the extraction of the __________ from them, and amalgamation of the __________ with the __________.

6-4] What is the path or bridge by which soul is transmitted to spirit?

6-5] In each blank insert one of the following words to correctly complete the sentence: mind, personality, spirit.

When the __________ is focused on worldly pleasures and attainments, all activities are centered in the __________. If one is to rise above earthly things, then the __________ must be sacrificed. If the __________ is so firmly enmeshed with the lower vehicles that the __________ refuses to sacrifice itself for the __________, then the bridge of __________ may finally be broken. The __________ then stands naked, as it has no seed atoms wherewith to create further bodies.

Thought Questions:

6-6] Why are sacraments of importance?

6-7] Why is sacrilege a serious sin?

Section 7

7-1] Next to each item on the left put the letter of the item on the right which is most closely related:

The Taurean Age _____ A. Catholicism
The Aryan Age _____ B. Judaism
The Piscean Age _____ C. Worship of the Bull
The Aquarian Age _____ D. Western Wisdom Teachings

7-2] In the Aquarian Age what will be the fountain of faith?

7-3] In the Aquarian Age, what will be the nature of the atmosphere of the earth, and what effect will this have on human vision?

7-4] What knowledge are students of the Rosicrucian Teachings charged with spreading concerning mankind's ability to know about life after death?

7-5] What effect will etheric sight have on a) the work of medical doctors, b) the work of criminals, c) social relations?

Section 8

8-1] How do people who are not students of the Western Wisdom Teachings form their opinions about the teachings?

8-2] How can we best show the world the value of the teachings of the Elder Brothers?

Section 9

9-1] If two nations fight one another, and if the victor treats the vanquished in such a way that hate remains, what is likely to happen when the peoples of these nations reincarnate into two later nations?

9-2] When two individuals fight one another, if the hate is not resolved, what is likely to happen in a future incarnation?

Section 10

10-1] Many people on earth are asleep to what part of reality?

10-2] If one is a materialist during earth life, then this attitude is likely to persist when one enters the Second Heaven after death. What, there, is the materialist likely to neglect to do?

10-3] How can the death of soldiers in a war help awaken people to spiritual reality?

10-4] What type of actions result in the awakening of the vital body to spiritual vibrations?

10-5] How does war lead to the awakening of the vital body?

Section 11

11-1] Next to each item on the left put the letter of the item on the right which is most closely related:

A food which contains much ether _____ A. Alcohol
A food which is easily worked
upon by the emotions _____		 B. Flesh food
A food which fosters ferocity _____ C. Milk
A food which blinds people's
spiritual vision _____		 D. Vegetable food

11-2] Why do people need to abstain from flesh foods before they can be trusted with great knowledge?

Thought Question:

11-3] Why should we not eat meat?

Section 12

12-1] What may people learn from taking part in a war against an aggressor?

Thought Question:

12-2] What benefits may result from seeking and finding something for which to be glad and thankful, no matter what happens?

Section 13

13-1] Correctly complete each sentence by entering in each blank one of the words: spring, summer, fall, winter.

The spiritual ray sent out by the Cosmic Christ enters the earth in the __________ and leaves the earth in the __________. Thus the __________ is a time for spiritual activities, and the __________ is a time for material endeavor.

Thought Question:

13-2] Should we share with others our knowledge about spiritual things? Why?

Section 14

14-1] In each blank enter a word which correctly completes the sentence.

Death permits us to construct for ourselves a new and better __________, and to prepare a new __________ which will give us new opportunities for growth.

Section 15

15-1] How does a complete picture of our environment and our actions get drawn into our bodies during life.

15-2] When this record has been drawn into our bodies, where is it stored?

Section 16

16-1] When do most people review and evaluate the record of their life which was stored in their body during life?

16-2] When this retrospection is performed, what is retrospected first, the earlier part of one's life or the later part of one's life? Why?

16-3] In the evening exercise of retrospection, what happens to the record on the seed atom provided the remorse for wrongs is sufficiently intense?

16-4] If one has persistently and thoroughly performed the exercise of retrospection, what then may one do in the time after death which otherwise would have been spent in retrospection?

Thought Questions:

16-5] Give an example of something which is occurring now, which is the effect of some earlier cause.

16-6] How does retrospecting each evening speed up the process of soul growth?

Section 17

Thought Questions:

17-1] What goal are you aiming at attaining during your life?

17-2] Do you sometimes forget about your goal? What happens then?

Section 18

18-1] a) For what purpose if the Initiate expected to use his spiritual power?
b) What type of life must one live if one is to give evidence that when spiritual powers are attained they will be used rightly?

18-2] Choose from each parentheses the word or phrase which correctly completes the sentence. In order to achieve health one must know the laws of (etiquette, God, society) on the (physical; physical and moral; physical, moral and mental) level or levels and must (live according to them, learn to bypass them).

18-3] How can astrology be of use to the healer?

Thought Question:

18-4] Why is it desirable that spiritual counseling accompany physical healing remedies?

Section 19

19-1] Choose from each parentheses the word or phrase which correctly completes the sentence.

When a thought form is projected toward someone, that person will only respond if the thought (agrees, disagrees) with his own natural tendencies. Thoughts of a low, selfish nature cause (low and selfish, high and altruistic) beings to respond.

19-2] Next to each item on the left put the letter of the item on the right which is most closely related:

The cross _____ A. Life progresses in alternating
cycles of birth and death.
A living rose climbing up a
cross _____		 B. Matter
The rose is dormant in winter
and active in summer _____		 C. Mankind needs to cleanse its
passion filled blood, and
inaugurate the immaculate
conception.
The rose is red but pure.____ D. Evolving life climbs to greater
heights by its manifestation in
matter.

Section 20

20-1] What invisible thing preceded every visible object in the universe?

20-2] What did the Elder Brothers predict would be the major sins of the present time?

20-3] How can man escape the necessity of external restraint?

20-4] Why do the Rosicrucians exhibit the tenderest care for their dense body, and aim to heal those who are sick?

20-5] Why is it dangerous to leave the body consciously when one is ill?

Section 21

21-1] Why do the Teachers of the Rosicrucian order never demand obedience or command their pupils to do this or that?

Section 22

22-1] Between incarnations, when the Ego withdraws for a time into chaos, what are then the only possessions of the Ego?

22-2] When the Ego descends from Chaos into the Region of Concrete Thought, what there sets the seed atoms into vibration?

22-3] What are the sources of the "music of the spheres"?

22-4] What do the seed atoms do when the planets form vibrating patterns which the seed atoms do not need or cannot respond to?

22-5] What may be the physical effect of spiritual inharmony within a person?

22-6] How can it be determined what spiritual inharmonies may be present within a person?

22-7] When the cause of a disease is determined and remedied, then what will become of the disease?

22-8] When Christ sensed an inharmony in the planetary vibrations within a person, what was He able to do to heal the person?

22-9] Under what circumstances may a person deserve having a disease lifted from him before destiny, cold and hard, would decree that it might be done?

22-10] Choose from each parentheses the word or phrase which correctly completes the sentence.

During disease the Spirit's consciousness may become so focused on (its own bodies, the outer world) that it may lose touch with (its own bodies, the outer world). Then the disease may (continue, promptly disappear) when the planetary inharmonies which caused the disease having passed by. Then the spirit may only be set free by (death, a change in planetary configurations) or by a spiritual outpouring of a special kind.

Thought Question:

22-11] Can prayer be used in promoting healing? If so, how?

Section 23

23-1] a) What happens at the end of the school year if a student has not learned what he was supposed to during the year?
b) In evolution, there are times when humanity in general is given the opportunity to take a major step forward. What happens to those people who are not sufficiently evolved to take such a step along with the others?

23-2] What exercises do we have which can help prepare us to take the next evolutionary step which humanity will encounter?

23-3] In order to be able to perceive the Christ at his second coming, what will we need to learn to attune ourselves to?

Section 24

24-1] Why could people not see rainbows during the early Atlantean Epoch?

24-2] From each parentheses choose the word or phrase which correctly completes the sentence.

One must look (away from, toward) the sun and (away from, toward) a rain cloud to see a rainbow. In life, it is only when one is turned (away from, toward) the pleasures of the world and becomes (aware of, blind to) the sorrows and troubles of the world that one begins to seek (a higher, a more material) way of life. One must look (up at the sky, down at the ground) in order to see a rainbow. One must have (fear, hope) if one is to climb toward God.

Section 25

25-1] From each parentheses select the word or phrase which correctly completes the sentence.

Animals (are, are not) subject to the physical cause-effect laws, and (are, are not) held responsible for the moral effects of their actions. Humans (are, are not) subject to the physical cause- effect laws, and (are, are not) held responsible for the moral effects of their actions.

25-2] After each of the following put "L" if it is a legitimate use of one's spiritual powers, and put "I" if it is an illegitimate use of one's spiritual powers.

25-3] What is the only satisfactory and proper reason for the quest of knowledge?

Thought Question:

25-4] In what ways could having more knowledge help you serve better? Try to make your answer as specific as possible.

Section 26

26-1] Next to each item on the left put the letter of the item on the right which is most closely related:

Adam and Eve ate of the
tree of knowledge. _____		 A. Humanity lost the ability
to heal itself.
Adam and Eve were separated
from the Tree of Life. _____		 B. Humanity learned to procreate
at will.
The Original Semites passed
through the Red Sea. _____		 C. In time mankind will enter
the New Jerusalem.
Manna descended from heaven and
was carried in the ark through
the wilderness. _____		 D. Man can not settle
permanently anywhere during
pilgrimage through matter,
but must go from one
environment to another.
The staves in the ark were
never removed so it was always
ready to be carried further._____		 E. Man has spiritual power
latent within himself.
The rod of Aaron was contained
within the Ark. _____		 F. Some people left Atlantis
Eventually the promised Land
was reached. _____		 G. The Ego came down from higher
spheres and must travel in
his bodies from place to
place in the material world.

26-2] Why, at the present time, would it not be good for humanity in general to have access to the healing powers?

26-3] Law helps use gain control of which of our bodies?

26-4] What do we need to do in order to develop the spiritual power which is symbolized by Aaron's rod?

26-5] When we have stored up a sufficient quantity of spiritual power, how will we find out how to liberate and use that power?

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