The Initiation Blueprint
To undergo an initiation is to become aware of your spiritual essence. Whether or not the process is accompanied by a ritual, or marked by it afterward, an initiation involves a profound shift in perspective. Afterward, whatever life challenges you face, the internal change you’ve experienced will ensure that you can engage these challenges differently.
Understanding What Initiation Is
Initiation expands your identity beyond “me” to “me, as part of the we that has always been and always will be.” A spiritual initiation ushers in what has been called rebirth, enlightenment, or a peak experience.
Humans naturally yearn to reconnect with their sacred nature and realize they are not confined to one particular time and physical body, but eternal spiritual beings that are connected to all other beings, to the cosmos, and to all consciousness. This longing may be thought of as a quest for connection and belonging, for purpose and for healing.
Initiation takes place within our minds but also within the great mind of the cosmos. In the early twentieth century, Carl Jung identified a collective unconscious, of which we are all a part and which we all contain within us. He also identified the existence of archetypes, the energies that influence our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. We can think of initiation, then, as an archetype or archetypal energy.
But the idea of archetypal forces is actually not unique to Jung. There are similar concepts in ancient wisdom traditions. Indigenous medicine men and women of old as well as shamans of today believe we are all connected to each other and to all that exists, and that energies in forms such as spirit animals affect our very being.
You might think of initiation as being a shift in experiencing a great matrix that intertwines all of creation, and which consists of energy and consciousness. Imagine that you, like everyone, is just one expression of this creative, divine force. An initiation reminds you of your connection to the matrix and permanently expands your ways of seeing and operating in your everyday life.
Initiations can take various forms. An initiator might transmit knowledge or energy to the initiate. The initiate might also receive this wisdom and energy directly from Source. You can consciously invite Source to initiate you, opening yourself to whatever form and timing the initiation might take. Initiation might also happen to you serendipitously, such as by a dream or chance encounter.
Encounters with Source and your spiritual essence may take place in your rational, conscious mind but also in the unconscious, in transpersonal realms that all can access. Initiatory experiences might occur when you are in the most ordinary of places, such as a stairwell, a car, or a lawn in front of a rehabilitation hospital, when time seems to stand still, and your sense of spirituality awakens.
If you are seeking an initiatory experience, reduce the activity of your conscious mind so that your unconscious mind can reveal its wisdom. Sit in a quiet place, free of distractions. Then, focus on the sensation of your breathing until you feel yourself relaxing.
Next, cleanse your energy field: Imagine that as you inhale, you are bringing in a brilliant light that infuses your body and the space around it. As you exhale, imagine your breath clearing any dark, heavy, or painful areas of your body or your personal energy field. Make yourself an empty vessel that is as clear and as receptive as possible to receive the transmission of initiatory energy.
At this point, you can energetically bridge this world and the world of Source by opening yourself to a sacred experience—what some call opening sacred space. You can do this by being clear on your intention to connect with this great matrix of unconscious wisdom. Another way to open sacred space is to say a prayer of invocation, calling on Source, Spirit, or God to help you achieve your intention—in this case, to experience your spiritual nature and become open to transformation. The invocation acknowledges that you are consciously setting an intention to experience the numinous. Opening sacred space by invoking Source is a way to connect with and honor the vibratory, energetic essence of the universe and all that is in it, including yourself. You can also call on energies from the world of the sacred—including the forces of nature, renewal, infinity, timeless connections to spiritual beings, and new possibilities—to help you experience a spiritual transformation.
You might experience a very intense, profound shift as you open up to initiation, or the experience might be quite subtle as you sense that you are being filled with replenishing, cleansing energy. It may take more than one session to feel an intense opening and reconnect with your energetic, spiritual nature.
After you have opened yourself to initiatory energy and remained present long enough to feel an energetic shift, your intuition will tell you when it’s time to close sacred space. Thank Source for working with you. No matter the method of initiation, ultimately it is Source who initiates us into a new frequency of being.
A true initiation facilitates greater awareness and connection to Source so that you can live your life more fully and be energetically attuned with nature and Source. By becoming more aware, you are better able to choose what to give attention to, and you can jettison that which no longer serves you. You gain the freedom to choose new possibilities. Old identifications die as you differentiate from them and then are reborn within you in fresh configurations as you integrate the new. If you feel called to take action or explore something in your personal story that you haven’t thought about before, follow it.
Consciously choose to ensure that the initiatory energy does not dissipate. Commit to regularly acknowledging your spiritual nature and altering the quality and content of your internal conversations with yourself. Try to find ways to live your everyday life differently as a result of your initiatory experiences. You may find your life transforming in ways you might not have thought possible.
You will also enjoy Carl Greer: Change Your Story, Change Your Life
Carl Greer, Ph.D., PsyD, is a practicing clinical psychologist, Jungian analyst and shamanic practitioner and the author of the multiple-award-winning books Change Your Story, Change Your Life and Change the Story of Your Health. He teaches at the C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago and is on staff at the Replogle Center for Counseling and Well-Being. Learn more at www.CarlGreer.com<
