***The Third Initiation involves Beginning Mastery of the Mind

The third initiation is also called the Soul merge, because it is here that one becomes directly merged and linked with the Higher Self, or Oversoul. It is here that both the Higher Self and inner plane Ascended Masters begin to work directly with the incarnated Soul. It is also at this initiation that the Monad or Mighty I AM Presence itself beings to influence the incarnated Soul.

The major challenge during the third initiation is learning to control and master our thinking to a beginning degree. This involves learning to master and control our own thoughts, rather than being victims of habitual lower-self thoughts, and keeping at bay the detrimental thought forms of mass consciousness.

Since the day we were born, our consciousness was filled with detrimental thoughts that were passed along to us by our parents, who themselves were victims of mass thought, and by the media, peers, advertising, and so on. So we have developed the habit to think negatively. Most people are not in charge of their minds and so they go about each day thinking fear-based and separative thoughts, unaware of the negative energy all their negative thinking creates. Remember, thoughts are things. And so negative thinking fills the atmosphere with psychic debris which in turn have a negative influence on ourselves and the people around us.

So how do we cleanse our mental world and atmosphere? We cleanse it by being vigilant over our thinking. And every time we are tempted to think a negative thought, we stop it and replace it with a positive thought. So for example, if you stub your toe, instead of cursing the chair start up blessing the chair. May sound a bit strange at first, but this greatly cleanses the mental atmosphere both around you and in the world.

Practicing this type of thinking that transcends lower-self thoughts with Higher-Self thoughts also protects you from other people’s negative thoughts. Because when you align yourself with the light and love of God, then other people’s negative energy will roll off you like water off a duck’s back.

One last thought on the subject: one does not need to achieve full mastery over the mind in order to move through this initiation. Mastery of the mind is a life-long process, however, a certain degree of mastery must be attained to pass the third initiation.

The Integrated Ascended Master realizes that mental self-mastery and purification is an ongoing process that extends into all the higher initiations as well. This is why he is ever working on purifying and mastering his mind to higher and higher degrees.