An accepted disciple is one who:
- Has accepted the fact of the Hierarchy with the implications of loyalty and cooperation which that acceptance involves.
- Has accepted the fact that all souls are one and who has, therefore, pledged himself to seek expression as a soul. The service to be rendered is the awakening and stimulation of all souls contacted.
- Has accepted the occult technique of service. His service to humanity determines all his activities and subordinates his personality to the need of the time. Note that phrase. Cultivate insight and a fluid response to the immediate need and not a sensitive reaction to a distant goal.
- Has accepted the Plan, as indicated by the Teachers of the race. He seeks to understand the nature of that Plan and to facilitate its manifestation.
Other points (of a more individual nature) could be enumerated, but I would have you lay the emphasis upon the acceptances which have or should have motivated your attitude and I would ask you not to emphasize so unduly in your private thoughts this idea of being “accepted by a Master.” This thought and its teaching by many esoteric groups has been productive of much error, much misunderstanding, much pain and much disillusionment. A disciple is trained in certain important matters and not in his relation to a Master. These factors of importance to a disciple are:
- The whole subject of humanity – its present status, its problems and the opportunity immediately presented. A disciple is one who seeks at all times to aid humanity and to further the processes of evolution as well as to develop that deep love of mankind which is the distinguishing mark of the initiate and of the Master.
- The subject of initiation. A study of this subject will lead to a consideration of its secondary development and its basic objective of a progressive identification with the soul of the disciple, with the soul of the group, with the soul of humanity as a whole and with the soul in all forms.
- The subject of service. This is not service as it is usually understood. The ordinary connotation has largely lost its significance through wrong emphasis. The initiate considers service as the spontaneous, easy expression of a definite soul contact, brought down on to the physical plane and giving insight, practicality and inspiration to the disciple as he works on the outer plane of expression. Most disciples are occupied vaguely with achieving inspiration but know nothing of the earlier stages of insight, leading to the practical and wise expression of the met need upon the level of daily living. One of the major undertakings of the accepted disciple (or, as I would prefer to term it, the accepting disciple) is to transform himself from a well-intentioned idealist into a man of action on behalf of humanity.
