Q:  What does it mean to be an initiate of the Mystical Traveler?  

In his book called  "Q&A from the Heart", John-Roger has explained that "to be an initiate of the Traveler is to devote yourself to the God within you, to devote yourself to Spirit, to returning to your home, the Soul, from which you originally came before you incarnated onto this earth. It means devoting yourself to working out the karma you've accrued while being here and to releasing yourself from that karma through grace and your good works, so that you are free to rise into the heart of God."  

Q:  What does it mean to be ' initiated ' in MSIA?  

Students in MSIA are initiated through the Mystical Traveler Consciousness into the Sound Current. There are five initiations within MSIA: the astral (dealing with the imagination), the causal (dealing with the emotions), the mental (dealing with the mind), the etheric (dealing with the unconscious), and the Soul (which is who you truly are).

The astral initiation happens in the night travel (the dream state) after a person has in some way come in contact with the Mystical Traveler; it is not anchored physically at that time. For the four other levels of initiation, the person is given the name of God on that realm to chant inwardly. These initiation "tones" are charged with spiritual energy by the Traveler Consciousness for each person individually, and the Traveler assists the student in clearing enough karma on one level to be initiated into the next level. There are also twenty-seven levels of initiation above Soul realm, although there are no physical initiations given for those levels of initiations.

Before being initiated into the causal realm, a person needs to have studied Soul Awareness Discourses for at least two years. The Discourses are filled with useful and interesting information, and, more important, if a person is studying towards initiation and has written to the Traveler stating that, the Traveler works with the person to clear karma and to prepare them for initiation.

Discourses and spiritual exercises are two of the main ways (physically) that the Traveler works with people in MSIA. Doing spiritual exercises involves chanting "Ani-Hu" either silently or aloud. ("Hu" is an ancient word for God, and "Ani" evokes the quality of empathy.) "Hu" can also be chanted by itself, and both these tones can help bring you into attunement with Spirit.  It's a good idea to take time each day for this spiritual attunement through spiritual exercises and to use these two tones often during your first two years of study in MSIA. Building up a strong habit of chanting and spending time with the Spirit within you can do much to prepare a place for the tone that is given at the time of initiation. And for more on initiation, you could listen to John-Roger's seminar called "Initiation, Molding the Golden Chalice", which has excellent information.

Q:  What is the Sound Current?  

The Sound Current is the basis of all life.  It is the audible stream of energy that comes from the heart of God.  The Sound Current is mentioned or studied in many religions.  In the Christian Bible, it is referred to as "the Word."  There is a yoga tradition that focuses on the Sound Current called Shabda Yoga. In MSIA, the sacred tones chanted in spiritual exercises are in harmony with the Sound Current of God.