A disciple, above all else, is pledged to do three things:

1. Serve humanity;

2. Cooperate with the plan of the great ones;

3. Develop the powers and follow the guidance of the soul and not the three lower-nature bodies (physical, astral, mental).

A disciple is a person who is beginning to change his/her focus from self to the group consciousness. A disciple is in the process of fully realizing the "essence" side of life and is not interested in the form side of life except as it relates to the full realization of the soul and spirit. The disciple is one who has begun to know him/herself as an outpost of the master's consciousness. The disciple has moved from personal to an impersonal consciousness.

The difficulties for a disciple come from two main sources. One is the lower self, or negative ego, which is rebelling at being transmuted and repolarized to the higher self. The second source is family and friends who misunderstand the disciple's growing impersonality. 

The disciple is one who takes responsibility for all that comes under his/her influence. He/She is able to discern between the real and unreal, truth and illusion, Christ consciousness and negative ego.

The disciple has four basic aims:

1. A sensitive response to the master's vibration;

2. A purely demonstrated life;

3. A freedom from worry, which comes from detachment, divine indifference and attunement to the soul;

4. Accomplishment of duty.

The path of the disciple is a difficult one, filled with obstacles at every step. In staying on the spiritual path and overcoming these obstacles one realizes mastership and is a server of humanity. 

There is a stage on the path of discipleship where the disciple might feel loneliness. This is a temporary transitory phase. The main work of the disciple is to control the lower self and eliminate material desire, so as to achieve an evenminded peace and joy at all times. The disciple achieves a point in consciousness where nothing can ruffle this inner calm because his/her consciousness is centered in the soul. The disciple also has great patience, perseverance and endurance.

The qualities that the disciple must overcome are selfishness, selfcenteredness, material desire, personal ambition, pride, lack of integrity, separativeness, criticism, irritation, fanaticism, being too laissez faire, violence, suspicion, oversensitivity.

The qualities that the disciple needs to develop are love, goodwill, forgiveness, sacrifice, responsibility, discernment, free will, humility, simplicity, detachment, impersonality, acceptance, serenity, selflessness, courage, perseverance, sharing, giving, harmlessness, balance, stability, sense of humor, solitude, devotion, joy, esoteric sense, higher psychic development and sensitivity, ability to be silent and listen, divine indifference and sincerity. 

In the beginning stage of discipleship when a master is investigating the newfound aspirant, he/she looks at basically three things:

1. The light in the head of the striving aspirant;

2. The karma of the aspirant;

3. The aspirant's service to the world.

The disciple is subjected to the forces coming from three main sources:

1. His/Her soul;

2. His/Her master;

3. The group of co-disciples with whom he/she is connected.

I would recommend not discussing your level of initiation with others, except in rare cases, when you really feel it is appropriate. The reason for this is that the sharing of this information tends to create competition, jealousy, criticism and claim-making. This information is between you (and maybe your spiritual teacher) and God.

The fact is that each person is the christ, no matter what his/her level of initiation, and that is how all should be seen. Using the term "disciple" for all levels of initiation creates this inherent quality, which is as it should be.

The masters are looking for aspirants and disciples who have clear vision, uncompromising adherence to the truth and an unceasing drive and focus to manifest this ideal. Most of all, the masters are looking for an enlarged channel from the soul or higher self, to the physical brain of the disciple via the mind. An enlarged channel indicates to the master that the aspirant can be utilized in the great work of redemption of humankind that needs to be done. The master is looking for the perfecting of the antakarana, or rainbow bridge. 

The three qualities that are needed to bring about individual and group purpose are: power, detachment and lack of criticism. The disciple also comes to realize the one life that pervades all forms and that there is no death, distress or separation. The disciple learns that the form life is just the veil that hides the splendor of divinity.

The soul knows no age and can use any incarnated personality of any age as long as the person makes himself/herself a suitable instrument. Djwhal Khul has stated, however, that by the age of forty-nine the disciple's pathway to service should be clearly defined. The masters have stated that if a fusion between the soul and personality has not been achieved by the age of fifty-six, it is usually not achieved after this, although it has been done. When reached before the age of fifty-six, unfoldment on the path of discipleship is totally possible. The sixty-third year in the life of all disciples will be one of crisis and supreme opportunity, according to Djwhal Khul.

The disciple is usually one who is in transition between the new and old states of being. He/She is moving from form identification to complete soul and spirit identification. The path of discipleship is one of synthesis, hard work, intellectual unfoldment, steady aspiration, harmlessness, spiritual orientation and the gradual opening of the third eye.

The inner command of every disciple is to obey the inward impulses of the soul. The disciple is guided to pay no consideration to the self-righteousness of worldly science and conventional earthly wisdom that sees life as a half-truth, seeing only the form side of life. It is only when the disciple is willing to renunciate everything in service to God that liberation is achieved. When this occurs the body of desire has been transmuted into the body of higher intuition. 

A great mobilization of disciples on this planet is needed now more than ever to help provide the final preparation for the reappearance of the Christ and the externalization of the Hierarchy. The disciple needs to focus all his/her energies, time and resources on behalf of humanity. This requires a renewed dedication and consecration of one's Self throughout life and forgetfulness of the self.

This forgetfulness of self leads to the letting go of all moodiness, personality desires, resentments, grievances and pettiness. This leads to an outer life that is totally focused on active service for humanity. It is through people on Earth who have taken these vows that the masters pour their love, light and guidance.

In the Alice Bailey book Esoteric Astrology, Djwhal Khul gave an interesting comparison of the three stages of the spiritual path that disciples have to move through. I think it serves as a good summation of the different phases of discipleship.

1. Path of evolution and probation

a. Unfoldment of intellect and of sensory perception;

b. Response to the center called humanity;

c. The mind takes control; personality functions.

2. Path of discipleship

a. Unfoldment of the love nature;

b. Achievement of illumination;

c. Response to the center called the Hierarchy;

d. Buddhi, or intuition, is in control; the soul functions.

3. Path of Initiation

a. Unfoldment of the will;

b. Achievement of synthesis;

c. Response to the center called Shamballa;

d. Dynamic purpose in control; the will-to-good, the monad functions.

In the beginning stages of discipleship, the disciple must do four things:

1. Inquire the way;

2. Obey the guidance of the soul;

3. Pay no attention to worldly concerns;

4. Live a life that serves as an example to others.

The disciple must also learn to distinguish between the following four polarities of the lower and higher self:

1. Instinct and intuition;

2. Lower mind vs. higher mind

3. Desire and spiritual impulse;

4. Selfish aspiration and divine inceptive and group consciousness.

© Dr. Joshua David Stone