Theos-Talk Archives (April 2006 Message tt00141)

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EMPEROR JULIAN ON INITIATION

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Dear Friends,

In HPB’s texts, as well as in Esoteric Philosophy as a whole, the value of 
words must be assessed according to the context.  The word “initiation”
is no exception to the rule.

Emperor Julian,  who was initiated in the Mithraic Mysteries, wrote about  
Diogenes the Cynic, who like Socrates of Athens chose not to be initiated:

“... having regard to the circumstances in which his lot was cast, and next 
paying heed to the commands  of the Pythian god, and knowing that the 
candidate for initiation must first be registered as an Athenian citizen, 
and  if he be not an Athenian by birth must first become one by law, it was 
this  he avoided, not initiation, because he considered he was a citizen of 
the  world; and moreover such was the greatness of his soul  that he thought 
he ought to associate himself with the divine nature of all the gods who in 
common govern the whole universe, and not only with those whose functions 
are limited to certain portions of it.” (1)

And also, on the same page:

“... he would not enslave himself to the laws of a single city and submit 
himself to all that must needs befall one who had become an Athenian 
citizen. For is it likely that a man who in order to honour the gods 
journeyed to Olympia, and like Socrates embraced philosophy in obedience to 
the Pythian oracle, – for he says himself that  at home and in private he 
received the commands  of  that oracle and hence came his impulse to 
philosophy  – is it likely I say  that such a man would not very  gladly 
have entered  the temples of the gods but for the fact  that he was trying 
to avoid submitting himself to any set of laws and making himself the slave 
of any one constitution?” (2)

According to Julian, Diogenes  knew very well  that –

“...the gods reserve their rewards without stint for those whose lives have 
earned them the right to be initiated,  even though they have not gone 
through the ceremony,  whereas the wicked  gain nothing by penetrating 
within the sacred precincts.” (3)

Thus we can see that the word “initiation” can be used at various and 
different levels of consciousness.  One’s personality can be initiated into 
something at the physical level.  But one’s true self does not need an outer 
 ceremony to expand into higher and higher perceptions of life and the 
universe.

As to one’s own progress, Helena P. Blavatsky wrote: “deserve, then desire”. 
That should be enough for us.

Best regards,  Carlos Cardoso Aveline.

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(1) “The Works of the Emperor Julian”, in “Loeb Classical Library”, Harvard 
University Press, Cambridge, Massachusets/ London, England, 1998, three 
volumes, see volume II, Oration VII,  p. 159.

(2) “The Works of the Emperor Julian”, in “Loeb Classical Library”, volume 
II, pp. 159-161.

(3) “The Works of the Emperor Julian”, in “Loeb Classical Library”, volume 
II, p. 161.


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