The Spiritual Hierarchy
A term that is used a lot in the Bailey books is “Hierarchy.” Unfortunately, this term by itself has turned many away from exploring the Bailey writings.
And why is this?
Because many in the alternative spiritual community see a hierarchy as an authoritarian system where those higher up give commands and those lower down must obey or be punished. Many equate hierarchy with a church or group that left a bad taste in their mouths. DK made a comment on this:
“This hierarchical structure is a basic and eternal reality, but the concept has been so distorted and so misused that it has evoked a revolt in humanity and has produced an almost abnormal reaction to a freedom and a license which are assuming undesirable dimensions.” Education in the New Age, Page 105
The important thing to understand is that not all hierarchies are equal, but they are necessary. You cannot find any successful human organization that does not have some kind of hierarchy whether it be a business, a lodge, a spiritual organization, or a school.
If a salesperson calls on any organization he has to ask: “Who’s in charge?” He cannot just corner the first person he meets and make a presentation.
The word is sometimes problematic because many on the spiritual path are strong believers in equality, and to them it seems that a hierarchy creates a situation where there is inequality.
It helps to understand that there are two types of hierarchy. The first is that system where those at the top exert strong authority and must be obeyed or else, as occurs in a powerful dictatorship or an authoritarian organization.
The second is a system where those with greater knowledge and ability see themselves as servants to benefit the whole.
The first hierarchy seeks to be served, but the second to serve and assist.
The second view of hierarchy is the one embraced in the Bailey writings. This hierarchy is not one of command and obey, but one governed by what DK calls “occult obedience.”
This occurs when the disciple has achieved a degree of soul contact and understands the plan as related by his leader. Because he or she supports the plan or direction as does the teacher the natural response is to fully cooperate through free will.
This second hierarchy could be called a living hierarchy for some type of understanding and occult obedience flows through any true living organism.
Even though there are many levels of hierarchy, just as there are many levels of life, most of the time when DK uses the term, he is referring to what is called the “fifth kingdom” in nature.
The first kingdom is the mineral, the second, the vegetable, animals are the third and humans are the fourth. The fifth is composed of those who have gone beyond human and are called Masters of Wisdom. They have a consciousness equated with the “kingdom of heaven,” and seekers who understand occult obedience will take any intelligence communicated by them seriously and try to abide by it as they follow their own path to mastery.
Instead of thinking of the Spiritual Hierarchy as being “better” than us it may be more accurate to think all of us as equal members of the same family who are traveling along a path to a very desirable destination. The problem is this path has many branches that can lead travelers to dead ends that cause much lost time. In addition, there are many hazards along the way.
The Hierarchy above us has merely traveled farther along the path than we have and can assist us by communicating the false detours and hazards. The fact that they can do this does not make them better, but helpful in that they can transmit to us useful knowledge.
This is not a perfect analogy, but it does point us the right direction in understanding the purpose of a true spiritual hierarchy.
DK puts it this way:
“This Hierarchy is composed of those Who have triumphed over matter, and Who have achieved the goal by the very self-same steps that individuals tread today. These spiritual personalities, these adepts and Masters, have wrestled and fought for victory and mastery upon the physical plane, and struggled with the miasmas, the fogs, the dangers, the troubles, the sorrows and pains of everyday living. They have trodden every step of the path of suffering, have undergone every experience, have surmounted every difficulty, and have won out. These Elder Brothers of the race have one and all undergone the crucifixion of the personal self, and know that utter renunciation of all which is the lot of every aspirant at this time. There is no phase of agony, no rending sacrifice, no Via Dolorosa that They have not in Their time trodden, and herein lies Their right to serve, and the strength of the method of Their appeal.” Initiation Human and Solar, Page 24
Then he adds this:
“The recognition of hierarchical status, which is, in the last analysis, the relation of the lesser to the greater, of the weaker to the stronger and of the more experienced to the less experienced. Thereby the sense of protection is developed, which is the working out of one form of the love aspect in the universe.” Education in the New Age, Page 129
That said, the natural question to be asked is what has been revealed about them? Fortunately, there are a few things of interest to students. For one thing, the numbers are few when compared to the number of humans. DK says this:
“The workers, or adepts, concerned with the evolution of the human family, comprise sixty-three, if the three great Lords are counted in making the nine times seven necessary for the work. Of these forty-nine work exoterically, if it might be so expressed, and fourteen esoterically, being more concerned with the subjective manifestation. Not many of Their names are known to the public, nor would it be wise in many cases to reveal Who They are, where They dwell, and what is Their particular sphere of activity.” Initiation Human and Solar, Page 51
We are thus told there are forty-nine who work exoterically,” in other words these entities are still in physical bodies. The other fourteen work in higher planes than the physical, but still focus on human evolution.
DK adds this about the forty-nine:
“The Hierarchy works also through the seven major Ashrams and their affiliated Ashrams, and these “seven which are the forty-nine” represent in their totality the seven rays with their subrays, and are the custodians, transmitters and distributors of the seven ray energies to the seven planetary centres and—via these seven centres—to those in the fourth kingdom in nature (as they gradually unfold over the aeons) and then, via these, to the seven centres in individual man.” Externalization of the Hierarchy, Page 527
These beings attained the status of a Master of Wisdom at the fifth initiation. At this point they “either preserve the old body in which They took the fifth initiation or else They build the “mayavirupa” or body of maya, of physical substance. This body will appear in the original form in which They took initiation.” Rays and Initiations, Page 705
The various masters have been in their physical bodies for different time periods, some reported as being quite ancient. Djwahl Khul, who says he is one of the younger masters, gives us an indication of his age:
“I am still utilising the same physical body in which I took the fifth initiation, nearly ninety years ago.” Externalization of the Hierarchy, Page 522
He stated this in 1946. Let us assume he was around 50 years old when he took the fifth initiation. That would have made him around 140 years old at that time. At the time of this writing the year is 2025. Assuming he is still in the same body he would now be well over 200 years old.
Since other masters are much older this would indicate that there is a rejuvenation that takes place when passing from the human kingdom into the spiritual. Few details are given on this, but a number of hints are found in the writings.
In the 1920’s it was said that there were 63 masters working with the human kingdom, but now over a hundred years has passed since that statement so there could be more than that at present – the number is not given.
During DK’s work with Alice A. Bailey there are 49 masters in physical bodies, but of these he listed thirteen for publication which includes the Christ and twelve that were linked to him, similar in number to his group in Palestine 2000 years ago.
The Hierarchy itself is on the ray of Love Wisdom and the Christ presides over this which corresponds to the Son.
Working with him on this aspect are A European Master, The Master KH and DK – the author of most of the material in the Bailey books.
The head of the first aspect, representing the Father, is one called The Manu. Under him works the Masters Jupiter and Morya
Then the third aspect, linked to the Holy Spirit, is presided over by one called the Mahachohan also called the Lord of Civilization. The Master Rakoczi has recently taken that job.
Under him are the Venetian Master, Serapis, Hilarion, Jesus and an unnamed replacement for Rakoczi who moved up to the Mahachohan.
This tabulation is found in Initiation Human and Solar, Page 49
It is interesting that there are billions of us on this planet in the fourth, or human kingdom, but DK only identifies a mere sixty-three in the fifth, or the Spiritual Hierarchy. The reason for the small amount in the fifth is that he is only counting members who have progressed there from the earthly human kingdom. From this standpoint the fifth kingdom is at its infancy, but this will be a temporary thing, as eventually large numbers of humans will attain the higher consciousness that links them with the Hierarchy.
It is notable that DK equates the Spiritual Hierarchy with the kingdom of God:
“Forget not that this kingdom or this aggregate of souls is what the Christian calls the Kingdom of God and the occultist calls the spiritual Hierarchy of our planet.” Esoteric Healing, Page 512
This fifth kingdom is also called the kingdom of heaven by DK, but has many more inhabitants than the sixty-three, according to scripture:
“But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.” Heb 12:22-23
This could be describing “innumerable” inhabitants in a spiritual sphere, not only from this age, but previous ages lost to history and not only this world, but from other worlds and previous systems.
Apparently the sixty-three work directly with the evolution of humanity in ways that other spiritual beings do not. This is because the higher lives have as a prime directive to let humanity solve its own problems relative to their progress. The story of the caterpillar turning into a butterfly illustrates this principle. If you help it escape from the cocoon it will die, but if it does it on its own it will live and transform. Thus the higher only directly helps the lower in exceptional circumstances, for the struggle to progress gives the various lives the strength to prosper.
Concerning those who have progressed from the fourth to the fifth kingdom we are told this:
“The Hierarchy might be defined as the sum total of those sons of men who are no longer centered in the individualised self-consciousness, but who have entered into a wider realisation, that of the planetary group life.” A Treatise on White Magic, Page 38
DK often speaks of a plan that enters us “into a wider realisation, that of the planetary group life.”
He says that “The Hierarchy is the Custodian of that aspect of the cyclic, planetary Purpose which is called the Plan.” Discipleship in the New Age, Vol 2, Page 223
There is “the Plan of the Hierarchy as a whole, though emphasising some appropriate aspect.” Discipleship in the New Age, Vol 1, Page 771
There is an appropriate aspect so important that it is emphasized in the Great Invocation and even capitalized:
“From the centre which we call the race of men
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out
And may it seal the door where evil dwells.
“Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.”
The Great Invocation gives a major hint as to which part of this Plan concerning the entering into group life that needs attention. Its intent seeks to “restore the plan on earth.”
A Plan that is restored is something that was once here. What could that be?
What was once here was a direct communication between humanity and the Spiritual Hierarchy.
“In these words I refer to an aspect of the amazing enterprise upon which the Hierarchy is embarked within this cycle: Its appearance, expression and activity upon the physical plane for the first time since it withdrew into the subjective side of life and focussed itself on the mental plane (instead of the physical) during the days of ancient Atlantis and after the war between the Lords of the Shining Countenance and Lords of the Dark Face, as The Secret Doctrine calls it. For millions of years, as a result of the triumph of evil in those days, the Hierarchy has stood in silence behind world events, occupied with the following work—a work which will eventually be carried on exoterically instead of esoterically.” Externalization of the Hierarchy, Page 519
There was a temporary defeat by evil forces that caused the Hierarchy to withdraw, but finally the time has arrived for them to externalize again and this is the plan which is to be restored.
“Thus the original Plan will be restored on Earth; this is symbolically referred to in the Bible as the Garden of Eden; the Angel with the Flaming Sword will no longer guard the Door of Initiation into the Kingdom of God, but will be transformed into the Angel of the Presence. Simultaneously, the door into the world of spiritual reality will open before mankind, and the door where evil dwells will be closed.” Discipleship in the New Age, Vol 2, Page 174
“The Hierarchy will eventually, under its Head, the Christ, function openly and visibly on Earth. This will happen when the purpose of the divine Will, and the plan which will implement it, are better understood.” Discipleship in the New Age, Vol 2, Page 149
But the way they will function will be more through groups than individual incarnation a noted in this mysterious quote:
“The Hierarchy incarnates on Earth again, and for the first time since its last incarnation in Atlantean days. It is, however, a group incarnation and not the incarnation of individual Members. This is probably a subtle point too difficult for you to grasp.” Rays and Initiations, Page 334
To this end many disciples throughout the world say the Great Invocation which ends with:
“Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.”
Don’t be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can’t cross a chasm in two small steps. – David Lloyd George
July 25, 2025
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