abian Philosophy

It has been wisely said that the way to begin is to begin. This is one of the meanings of initiation—a form of just do it. There is another meaning that is often associated with religious rites whereby a candidate is initiated into the believing community. The sacraments of the Christian community are an example of this. There is still another meaning of spiritual significance that is subjective in nature and that indicates both a growth in understanding and a transformation of life style. In this latter, there is a fuller understanding of divine purpose, and a consequent giving of self to greater world service. In these examples, the move is from a more objective and manifest ceremony (the sacraments) to a more subjective and less manifest realization (spiritual transformation).

Sabian philosophy teaches that the seeking soul must till the soil of self by living a life of higher values and thus provide the ground upon which the spiritual transformation of initiation can take place. As this is a totally subjective experience there never need be any external sign of the new life within, other than that of greater service to one’s fellows.

This approach to creative living is based on Ibn Gabirol’s Fountain of Life Book III, Chapter 28. Here the Teacher shows by example that the higher the spiritual form, the less manifest it will be to the senses. The highest of these created spiritual forms is the light of reason. Right reason is likened (in modern terminology) to the beam of a flashlight in a dark room. The light makes manifest that upon which the beam falls; the rest remains in darkness. It is in this way, the Teacher maintains, that the highest spiritual form, by intelligent union with matter, can be made manifest in the world.

A practical application of the concept of initiation would be to do a good deed—a Boy Scout deed. Such a deed can be a symbolic reminder that any growth on the spiritual path is validated only by one’s actions in the world of every day.