What Is a Master?

By George A. Boyd ©2023

Q: What is a spiritual Master? Is there more than one order of Mastery? How is spiritual Mastery different than other forms of mastery?

A: A spiritual Master is someone who has (a) completed his or her spiritual Path, (b) dwells in the Presence of the Divine, and (c) is Divinely anointed and empowered to teach, guide, initiate, and minister to those aspirants and disciples, whom he or she accepts as students.

In Mudrashram®, we recognize nine orders of spiritual Mastery:

  1. Adept – this is an individual who has united the Soul and the Monad, and can work with aspirants and disciples throughout the Subtle and Planetary Realm.
  2. Adept Master – this is an individual whose Monad has risen up to assume an Office in the Planetary Hierarchy; the Planetary Logos anoints him or her to minister to humanity and to work on an aspect of the Divine Plan.
  3. Transplanetary Adept – this is an individual has gained Mastery on one of the planets in our Solar Chain or on one of the planets in one of the seven other solar systems of our Monadic Life Wave. This enables this individual to minister to those Monads that ascend into that planetary life stream. The highest stage of Mastery at this level is an Initiate who has merged into the Pleiadean Logos, and can work with Monads on every planet and solar system in the Transplanetary Realm.
  4. Yogi Preceptor – this is an individual who has unfolded their cosmic consciousness nucleus of identity into the Presence of the Lord of the Yogis (Yogeshwar), and is empowered to awaken and unfold the cosmic consciousness nucleus of identity in others. These Initiates are established on one of nine platforms in the First Cosmic Initiation that color the type of yoga they disseminate—for example, there are Yogi Preceptors that dwell on the Kundalini Yoga, Raja Yoga, Mantra Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Kriya Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Agni Yoga, and Guru Kripa Yoga platforms.
  5. Light Master – this individual has unfolded his or her cosmic soul awareness nucleus of identity into the highest level of the Cosmic Soul Awareness Subplane of the Second Cosmic Initiation, and can awaken this nucleus of identity and unfold it to the stage of the Liberated Ones in others; he or she can also guide the spirit on the fourth Domain to its origin.
  6. Cosmic Master – this individual has unfolded his or her Astral Soul and dwells in the Presence of the Cosmic Father God in the Cosmic Hierarchy. These Initiates awaken and unfold the Astral Soul and its vehicles of consciousness in others.
  7. Supracosmic Master (Guru) – this individual has returned the Supracosmic seed atom on one Supracosmic Path to awaken his or her Supracosmic Soul, and his or her Supracosmic Soul has ascended to the Guru Padam center above the Supracosmic brain chakra of that Path. The Supreme Guru anoints this individual to awaken the Supracosmic seed atoms of others on that Path, and to bring about Realization for those individuals, whose Supracosmic Soul dwells on that Path.
  8. Transcendental Master (Sat Guru) – this individual has returned their spirit to its origin on a Transcendental Path—particularly Transcendental Paths one through five—and whose ensouling entity dwells in the origin of the spirit. Rare individuals who reach this stage of development are Divinely empowered to lead the spirits of others that dwell on that Transcendental Path back to their origin.
  9. Multiplane Master (Adi Sat Guru) – this individual has awakened onto the highest Planes of the Bridge Path, or the sixth and seventh Transcendental Paths, and can minister to the spirit and ensouling entity in each Transcendental Path, in each Supracosmic Path, and throughout the Cosmic, Transplanetary, Planetary, and Subtle bands of the Continuum.

Other Forms of Mastery

In addition to spiritual Mastery, there are seven other major types of mastery that certain individuals demonstrate:

  1. Skill Mastery – this is the development of a skill to its highest degree, so that the Soul can express its ability through that conduit. This aspect of mastery activates the will current (Ichaichashakti).
  2. Knowledge Mastery – this is development of knowledge in one area of human endeavor to the highest degree, which confers genius and consummate expertise. This aspect of mastery activates the intuitive thread (Antakarana).
  3. Energetic Mastery – this is the development of the ability to heal and make attunements to minister to others. This aspect of mastery activates the stream of Divine Love and Compassion within the Soul (Karuna).
  4. Astral Mastery – this is the development of the ability to use the astral body to gather information and carry out remote ministry. At the highest level of this type of mastery, Initiates gain the ability to manifest a guide form to others (Kriya Shakti).
  5. Mastery of Cosmic Law – this is the development of the higher octaves of volition that permit activation of the spiritual powers on the higher Planes, which allow individuals to demonstrate supernormal abilities and miracles (Siddhi).
  6. Mastery of Faith and Surrender – this is the development of the capacity to make oneself a channel for a spiritual entity—for example, an angel, a spiritual Master, the Holy Spirit, or the Divine in one of Its Forms. Those who gain expertise in this type of mastery can channel the Light from this spiritual being, can speak on its behalf, and can bring forward guidance and teaching from this source (Gurumukh).
  7. Mastery of Manifestation – this is the development of the capacity to concretize what one intends and visualizes in human life and in the world. This is the form of mastery that allows one to get an idea and make it real; to conceive of a dream and to fulfill it; to have a desire and satisfy it.

Depending on where someone is working on the Continuum of Consciousness, different types of these other forms of mastery are featured:

  • Those who are operating on the Abstract Mind Plane focus upon developing types 1 and 2—skills and knowledge.
  • Those who work in the Psychic Realm highlight the initial development of types 3, 4, 6, and 7—performing attunement and healing, using their astral body, learning to channel, and learning to manifest.
  • Those who dwell in the First Exoteric and Mesoteric Initiation emphasize further development of types 3 and 6—employing the Light of the Holy Spirit to heal and comfort, and becoming a channel of the Holy Spirit to preach and prophecy.
  • Those who are undergoing the Second Planetary Initiation utilize the Mighty I AM presence to activate types 3 and 7—making attunements through the power of the spoken word (decrees and affirmation) and bringing out manifestation.
  • Those in the Third Planetary Initiation further develop types 3, 6, and 7—they learn to make attunements from the Manasic Plane; to channel the love, wisdom, and power of the Masters of the Planetary Hierarchy to humanity; and to concretize the aspects of their Soul Purpose in their human life.
  • Those in the First Cosmic Initiation practice types 5 and 6—they gain the ability to activate selected supernormal powers and they learn to channel the Light and Love coming from their Yogi Preceptor and the gods and goddesses of the Cosmic Causal Subplane.
  • From the Second to the Fifth Cosmic Initiation, types 3 and 6 are dominant—those disciples operating at these exalted levels learn to perform spiritual ministry and to receive the Light and Grace from their Supervising Initiate and the forms of the Divine of the upper Cosmic Sphere.
  • Those who are on a Supracosmic Path exercise types 3, 5, and 6—they minister to those who are on their Path; they operate the powers of that Path; and they become receptive to the ministry of the Guru of that Path and advanced Initiates.
  • Those who sojourn upon a Transcendental Path concentrate on types 3 and 6—they minister the Light to those spirits who are on that Path and they receive the guidance from their Sat Guru. Those who reach advanced levels on a Transcendental Path may also be trained in applying type 4, which enables them to manifest a guide form to the spirit of others on that Transcendental Path.

Spiritual Mastery underscores the migration of a spiritual essence into the Presence of the Divine at one level of the Continuum; these other forms of mastery represent the capacity to a spiritual essence to operate the love, wisdom, and power streams that are anchored on the levels of the Continuum of Consciousness that it has opened.

We encourage aspirants and disciples to contemplate the forms of spiritual Mastery and to notice which of the other forms of mastery they currently express—and the degree to which these other forms of mastery are developed. It is important to discern the differences between spiritual Mastery and these other forms of mastery:

To become a spiritual Master, one must transform their spiritual essence into the Presence of the Divine on their chosen Path, and receive anointing and empowerment to begin their ministry under the Aegis of the Divine Will.

To develop these other forms of mastery, one must specifically focus on obtaining the necessary education and training, and practicing this form of mastery until it becomes fully integrated into their ensouling entity.

Those who wish to learn to transform their ensouling entity and spirit—with the ultimate aim of reaching the shores of spiritual Mastery—can learn how to do this in our intermediate meditation classes, the by-mail and online Accelerated Meditation Program and the in-person Mudrashram® Master Course in Meditation.

The Seven Spiritual Activities of the Guru

By George A. Boyd ©2016

A spiritual Master or Guru is not just a conveyer of wisdom stories and sage advice, but is capable of seven spiritual actions that transmit the energy of the Living Divine Spirit to others. These seven actions are listed below:

  1. Darshan – In this state of consciousness, the Guru reveals the Presence of the Divine to others, and that he or she is established in the Divine Vortex to which disciples aspire.
  2. Teaching – In the teacher mode, the Guru gives wisdom teachings for the Soul, and activates the Illumined Mind of disciples.
  3. Facilitating Discernment – This posture of the Guru reveals the nature of the Soul beyond the dimensions of the mind, and confers Enlightenment and Gnosis.
  4. Acting as a Preceptor – Here the Guru reveals the nature of the Soul’s truth (Dharma), the Divine Law, and the Way. Jesus enunciated that he adopted this role, revealing that he embodied the Truth, the Life, and the Way. The Preceptor will also guide disciples to work with issues in the unconscious mind that hold them back from making spiritual progress.
  5. Guiding – In this role, the Guru shows the spirit and/or the attentional principle of disciples the content of their inner vehicles of consciousness, the inner Planes of Light, and the nature of their Soul.
  6. Awakening devotion – In this activity, the Guru creates yearning to meditate and make spiritual progress, to do service, and to love God. This can be conveyed through telling stories of the lives of saints, and speaking directly to the spiritual heart of the disciples, which awakens their love and yearning to make spiritual progress and attain the presence of the Divine.
  7. Bestowing Attunements and Transformation – This work of the Guru sends the Light to unfold the disciples’ potentials of the Soul, to awaken their vehicles of consciousness and spiritual essences, or awaken the energy of their awareness (Kundalini). In this activity, the Guru channels the Grace and Power of the Divine.

The Divine empowers a genuine Guru, which places him or her on a platform above the priest, who does sacred ceremonies or ritual invocation; or the cleric, who interprets the meaning of scriptures. The Guru is a Grace-Bestowing instrument that brings the Love, Wisdom, and Grace of the Divine to those who open themselves to receive this blessing.

Aspirants will benefit from identifying which of these activities their prospective spiritual teacher expresses. They need to be certain their spiritual teacher is truly established in the Divine Presence and empowered, and not merely surmising he or she is enlightened. The Presence of the Light and these seven activities is a key indicator that he or she is a real Guru, and not just a pretender.