The 'purifications' Theon mentions have less to do with bodily cleanliness (though this is important too), but rather with the gradual sweeping away of wrong thinking and wrong ideas, leading to a clearer apperception of Truth in the mind of the candidate. Those who were unwilling or unable to divest themselves of their erroneous ideas were expelled from the Mysteries. This may seem harsh, but if you think about it you will see that it is actually a kindness. For there can be nothing more cruel and pointless than to instruct the unready and unreceptive. The 'reception of the sacred rite' means that after purification, which may last several years, the candidate receives instruction in the higher mysteries. Theon continues:

INITIATE | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary INITIATE | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

Pythagoras taught that each number enshrined a Divine principle, law or universal force, and that the essential principles are all contained within the first four numbers, symbolised by the famous 'Tetractys', since the remainder are formed by addition or multiplication. This echoes the Hermetic doctrine that "all is number, derived from no-number." Pythagoras further taught that the Monad acts as a creative Dyad. All manifestation proceeds from the Dyad, which combines the animating, masculine principle with the passive, feminine principle. Accordingly the Dyad represents the union of the Father-Mother God, which is in complete accord with the occult teachings the Samian Sage learned in the Temples of Egypt. Having seen what the Druid initiate was required to know, and how long it took him to gain this knowledge, it must be clear what initiation really is: instruction in the occult mysteries by a genuine Master. It is a process lasting many years during which the candidate gradually acquires all-knowledge and all-wisdom, insofar as this is possible on earth. There will then be no more problems of a physical, spiritual or philosophical nature which he cannot solve, and he will be in every way fully master of his fate and circumstances. That is initiation and there are no short-cuts to it. Nor can initiation be conferred from one to another, as you may have read or been taught, for it is primarily a matter of personal growth and inner transformation, or we might even say transmutation, which no outside agency, be it the greatest Adept who ever lived, can make. Only the initiate himself can bring this about through his own efforts. So passed the Soul of the mighty Sage from the world, to return to his own people on High. His murder was the signal for a 'democratic' revolution in Croton and the surrounding towns. Throughout Italy, the unfortunate disciples of the Master were hunted down and hounded from their schools and homes. Many were murdered, the rest went into hiding. Psychologists have proposed many different theories of motivation. The reality is that there are numerous different forces that guide and direct our motivations.How familiar this sounds, and how typical it is of the lives of all the great initiates, every one of whom had to wade through an ocean of unwisdom before they arrived at the sea of Truth which would illuminate and direct their future work on behalf of mankind.

The Initiates: A Comic Artist and a Wine Artisan Exchange

Bibractis, the mother of sciences, the soul of the early nations (in Europe), a town equally famous for its sacred college of Druids, its civilisation, its schools, in which 40,000 students were taught philosophy, literature, grammar, jurisprudence, medicine, astrology, occult sciences, architecture, etc. The third part is denominated epopteia, or reception. And the fourth, which is the end and design of the revelation, is (the investiture) the binding of the head and fixing of the crowns. . .whether after this he (the initiate) becomes a torchbearer, or an hierophant of the Mysteries, or sustains some other part of the sacerdotal office. But the fifth, which is produced from all these, is friendship and interior communion with God. And this was the last and most awful of all the Mysteries." initiate ( third-person singular simple present initiates, present participle initiating, simple past and past participle initiated) Now, you may ask what sort of questions were put to the candidate for initiation into the Mystic Rites of the Druids? It so happens that we know what many of these were, for they are preserved in some old Welsh manuscripts and histories of the early centuries of the Christian era. One example of this are the questions which the 6th century British Bard Taliesin mentions in his poem Mabgyvreu or 'Elements of Instruction', which you can find in the Mythology and Rites of the British Druids by Edward Davies. Rival of Thebes, of Memphis, of Athens and of Rome, it possessed an amphitheatre for gladiators, surrounded with colossal statues and accommodating 100,000 spectators, a capitol, temples of Janus, Pluto, Proserpine, Jupiter, Apollo, Minerva, Cybele, Venus and Anubis, and in the midst of these sumptuous edifices the Naumachy, with its vast basin, an incredible construction, a gigantic work wherein floated boats and galleys devoted to naval games; then a Champ de Mars, an aqueduct, fountains, public baths; finally fortifications and walls, the construction of which dated from the heroic ages."Extrinsic motivation arises from outside of the individual and often involves external rewards such as trophies, money, social recognition, or praise.

The Initiate - Wikipedia The Initiate - Wikipedia

This veiled confession shows that these Greek initiates enjoyed Theophany—saw visions of the Gods and of real immortal Spirits—as distinct from the illusory phantoms seen by so many modern psychics. Proclus, who lived many centuries after Plato, confirms the testimony of the Athenian Sage in his own account of his initiation: At the age of sixty, Iamblichus tells us Pythagoras married Theano, thus disproving the accepted dogma that initiates must remain celibate. We know almost nothing of their life together and not wishing to speculate, must pass over this time in the philosopher's life and conclude this afterword. But before we do so, we cannot resist quoting one anecdote attributed to Pythagoras' wife which should appeal to all our regular readers. One day Theano was asked what length of time should elapse before a woman was pure again after intercourse with a man. The Sage's wife replied: "If it is with her husband, she is pure all the time; if with another man, she is never pure." Religious bigots please take note! Improve your confidence. Research suggests that there is a connection between confidence and motivation. So, gaining more confidence in yourself and your skills can impact your ability to achieve your goals. There have been and are many different grades of initiates, and quite frankly such things can only be discussed and fully understood among those who are initiates, which we have never claimed to be, nor do we do so now. However, we can say that those who are worthy of this rank and honour possess certain knowledge denied to those below them, however accomplished they may be in other ways. This knowledge includes (but is not limited to) a complete understanding of the various subjects we discuss in our many articles, especially those we investigate in our occult studies course.

Pythagoras had heard of the great wisdom of Egypt and how the occult sciences were still preserved in the temples of the Nile by those who presided over the Sublime Mysteries of the Gods. He obtained a letter of recommendation to Ahmes, the ruler of Egypt during the 26th Dynasty. So we may say that he was born at just the right time to benefit from what remained of the great Wisdom of Egypt—wisdom already hoary with age in the 5th century B.C. In this afterword to our main article at left, we briefly examine the life and teachings of Pythagoras, one of the last great initiates in Europe According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master-builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon." initiate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. Initiates and initiation Dispelling the misinformation that surrounds the vexed topic of initiates and initiation It is our intention in this article to dispel some of the misinformation that surrounds the vexed topic of Initiates and Initiation, by presenting you with the true occult facts—not speculative fancies—about these misunderstood subjects.