Cosmology:
Theosophy as expressed through Alice Bailey and the Arcane School (an offshoot of the original Theosophists) posits the notion that humans evolve through a series of initiations, each of which are precipitated by having achieved and stabilized progressively “higher” or more expanded states of consciousness. Through many incarnations humans experience lifetimes where there is almost no awareness of anything but survival and self/ego gratification (what Gurdjieff might term as “man as machine”) through those in which choices for love, harmlessness and service plus practices of self-reflection, meditation, are the basis for a re-orientation of one’s everyday life (like Gurdjieff, the idea that one’s everyday life is the means of awakening to advanced Soul oriented life) toward one’s inner life – the life of the Soul (Gurdjieff – essence?). This process supports increasing levels of conscious awareness until “Cosmic Consciousness” (something akin to what Advaita might call Unity Consciousness or Oneness or full Self-Realization) is reached.
At this point there is an opportunity to transcend the need for human incarnation and to move to another planetary or dimensional system or, invoking might be called the Boddhisatva Vow (described by Blavatsky in her book Voice of the Silence) which is to choose to turn back and support humanity until all beings are free (in Advaita the term would be awakened to their True Nature).
This process takes many lifetimes with the 1st initiation being an awakening out of the slumber of automatic living based on fear, defense and selfishness into a deep desire to know one’s Self beyond the confines of the ego. This eventuates many lifetimes of work of resolving the results of “cause and effect” meaning balancing karma incurred from the inability to understand or to act according to Divine Principles or Laws.
Those that have moved beyond the need to incarnate and are still supporting humanity in this way are known as Ascended Masters. The Ascended Masters exist in higher dimensions as a group called the Great White Brotherhood (Gurdjieff knew about this) who include the essence of such beings as Buddha, Jesus, St. Germain, Mother Mary and others who were the source advisors for those who brought through their teachings as a guide for awakening humanity. Helena Blavatsky’s The Secret Doctrine, Alice Bailey’s 24 books including a Treatise on Cosmic Fire and others were the conduits for this material, with much of it becoming influential in the spiritualist movements that arose in the early part of the 20th century.
Those who have taken the first initiation (of which one is usually not aware, except for a gradual reorientation of one’s focus from outer to inner life) become part of the New Group of World Servers who, while still embodied, work on behalf of the awakening of Humanity through the medium of their own talents, abilities and areas of focus. The second and third initiations (these are non ceremonial and simply initiate -mostly through moments of sudden realization, or extreme emotional duress – more advanced levels of consciousness) require a great deal of inner work relinquishing beliefs, thought forms and emotional complexes that are at a lower vibrational frequency.
Inner Work consists of studying the teachings of those who have achieved mastery level of consciousness, meditation, daily self-reflection, acts of service, following the doctrines of harmlessness, love and cultivating inner equanimity and acceptance.
From the Voice of the Silence, Blavatsky:
Stanza 136. … Self-Knowledge is of loving deeds the child.
Stanza 137. Have patience, candidate, as one who fears no failure, courts no success. Fix thy soul’s gaze upon that star whose ray thou art, the flaming star that shines within the lightless depths of ever-being, the boundless fields of the Unknown.[4]