efforts of the mind are often necessary to help in the unfoldment, and
the Masters so use it. The real knowledge, however, comes as a special
form of consciousness. The Candidate becomes "aware" of the real "I," and
this consciousness being attained, he passes to the rank of the
Initiates. When the Initiate passes the second degree of consciousness,
and begins to grow into a realization of his relationship to the
Whole--when he begins to manifest the Expansion of Self--then is he on
the road to Mastership.

In the present lesson we shall endeavor to point out to the Candidate the
methods of developing or increasing the realization of this "I"
consciousness--this first degree work. We give the following exercises or
development drills for the Candidate to practice. He will find that a
careful and conscientious following of these directions will tend to
unfold in him a sufficient degree of the "I" consciousness, to enable him
to enter into higher stages of development and power. All that is
necessary is for the Candidate to feel within himself the dawn of the
awakening consciousness, or awareness of the Real Self. The higher stages
of the "I" consciousness come gradually, for once on the Path there is no
retrogression or going backward. There may be pauses on the journey, but
there is no such thing as actually losing that which is once gained on
The Path.

This "I" consciousness, even in its highest stages, is but a preliminary
step toward what is called "Illumination," and which signifies the
awakening of the Initiate to a realization of his actual connection with
and relation to the Whole. The full sight of the glory of the "I," is but
a faint reflected glow of "Illumination." The Candidate, once that he
enters fully into the "I" consciousness, becomes an "Initiate." And the
Initiate who enters into the dawn of Illumination takes his first step