[The following article introduces some of the principal concepts of that body of spiritual teaching known as the Ageless Wisdom. For more in-depth explanation, along with further information about Maitreya and the Spiritual Hierarchy, see gopher sub-menu item entitled "The Ageless Wisdom Teachings -- Humanity's Spiritual Legacy."]The term 'spiritual', usually associated with some form of religion or religious practice, actually has a much wider connotation: All activity which drives the human being forward towards some form of development -- physical, emotional, intuitional, social -- if it is in advance of his present state, is essentially spiritual in nature. (*) By this definition, every word, thought and action is potentially spiritual and capable of improving the human condition.
From very ancient times, a body of spiritual teaching known as the Ageless Wisdom or 'esoteric philosophy' has been passed from generation to generation, usually by word of mouth, from teacher to pupil. It has been the well-spring for the arts and sciences of countless civilizations. It is also the common foundation of all the world's religions.
At times of major crisis, this teaching is released in a wider, more open manner. For the last 100 years, the Ageless Wisdom teachings have been released through individuals such as Helena Blavatsky, founder of the Theosophical Society, and later by Alice A. Bailey and Helena Roerich. In 1948, the imminent return of the Christ was revealed in Alice Bailey's book, THE REAPPEARANCE OF THE CHRIST.
Increasingly, the concept that all is energy, vibrating at some frequency, is being accepted on a wide scale and is changing many people's view of life. Scientists can now demonstrate that energy and matter are but different states of one reality.
Synthesizing both Eastern and Western philosophies, esotericism is the science of the evolutionary process in man and nature -- from the energetic and consciousness standpoint. It presents a systematic and comprehensive account of the energetic structure of the universe and of man's part within it. It is also the art of understanding and working with those energies which emanate from the highest sources.
Esotericism postulates that God is the sum total of all the laws, and all the energies governed by these laws, which make up everything in the manifested and unmanifested universe -- all that we see and cannot see.
Man, in turn, is a Spark of God, a spirit expressing itself through its Soul and a personality, composed of a mental body, emotional body, and physical body. Each one of us is essentially divine, but most individuals recognize and demonstrate this divinity only to a limited degree.
The process by which we gradually manifest this divinity is rebirth (reincarnation). Like children entering the school system at kindergarten, we began at a very basic level of human expression, not realizing our true spiritual heritage. Through the experiences of countless lifetimes -- lived in many countries, with different cultural and religious upbringings, in both male and female bodies -- we learn many lessons, through successes and failures, and move forward on our evolutionary journey back to our Source, the gains in each lifetime being carried over to the next.
The 'method' used in this educational system is the Law of Cause and Effect (or, in Eastern terms, karma) which the Bible would describe: "As you sow, so shall you reap." In terms of modern physics, the Law of Cause and Effect could be summarized as: "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." Every thought and action sets up a cause which inevitably leads to certain effects -- for better or worse. By understanding and working within this impersonal Law of Cause and Effect, we learn to make better choices and gradually take control of our own destiny.
The stages of this progressive self-mastery are marked by great expansions of consciousness known as initiations, which bring an ever- deepening and more inclusive vision and knowledge of the true nature of reality. The life of Jesus symbolically represented these initiations in His birth, baptism, transfiguration, crucifixion and resurrection.
An individual who takes the fifth (resurrection) initiation is called a Master, meaning that He has passed through all the experiences that life in this world offers and, in the process, has acquired total mastery over Himself. As such, He need no longer incarnate, but may return voluntarily as an act of service to humanity and to the Plan of God.
The Masters, together forming the Spiritual Hierarchy, are the custodians of the Divine Plan for this planet. They have inspired great human achievements throughout history, working from behind the scenes through Their disciples in all fields of human endeavor. The Masters guide and teach, but it is humanity itself, responding of its own free will to Their stimulus, which creates each new civilization.
Throughout history, when humanity reaches a major point of crisis, the Spiritual Hierarchy sends a Teacher to lead the way. There have been many of these great spiritual messengers; Krishna, Buddha and the Christ are but a few. Now, at this critical time, the Masters are returning to the outer world for the first time in countless millennia, along with the 'Master of all the Masters', head of the Spiritual Hierarchy, Maitreya. Humanity's response to this extraordinary stimulus will, in turn, create the new civilization to come.
In the esoteric tradition, the word 'Christ' is not the name of an individual, but of an office or function within the Spiritual Hierarchy of Masters. The present holder of that office, Maitreya, has been the Christ for the past 2,600 years and He will continue to hold that position for the entire age of Aquarius -- approximately 2,500 more years.
Maitreya is the 'eldest brother' in the human family, having perfected and fully manifested within Himself the divinity which is latent in each of us. He comes today to reveal a new aspect of God and to guide humanity through the next phase of its spiritual journey.
In Palestine 2,000 years ago, Maitreya worked through His disciple Jesus. From the time of Jesus' baptism in the river Jordan through His crucifixion, the consciousness of Maitreya overshadowed Him. This is a procedure sometimes used between Masters and Their disciples as a means of introducing a new teaching to humanity. With Jesus' full consent and cooperation, Maitreya was thus able to release into the world the great spiritual potency we call love. Jesus, who is now a Master Himself, has played an important role in preparing the way for Maitreya's return and will be one of the first Masters introduced to the world after the Day of Declaration.
According to the Ageless Wisdom, the anti-Christ is not one individual who lives at a certain point in time, but is an energy released before the advent of the Christ. It comes to pave the way for the building forces of the Christ by destroying the old crystallized ways that block new growth for society. While the anti-Christ is an energy, it does manifest through individuals and has done so at different times throughout history, most notably through the Emperor Nero in Roman times, and more recently through Hitler and some of his closest associates. With the defeat of the Axis powers during World War II, the work of the anti-Christ energy was completed for this age and will not manifest again for over 3,000 years.
(*) The Master Djwhal Khul through Alice A. Bailey