There are basically three levels to a “Mystery School”, like primary, secondary and post-secondary schools (wonder where they got the pattern?)
The primary level of the Mystery School is the Initiates. They are taught the foundation “stories” in order to preserve them and pass them down. These are the allegories taught as fact. Different instances of the Mystery School have different “interpretations” of the “facts” behind the allegories, and adherents follow them so rigidly as to be willing to kill each other over the differences.
The secondary level are the Adepts. These are the ones who showed promise and are given some of the deeper meanings behind the allegories. These are the ones who begin to learn how to “work” the “Mysteries”.
The post-secondary level are the Masters. These are the ones who are given the actual truth behind the deeper meanings behind the “how to work” the “Mysteries”.
The problem with it all is that the “Masters” have been corrupted, once the requirement to have a Twice Born experience was removed as qualification for the “Grand Master” and above levels…which are the top layers of the post secondary…the PhD’s if you would.
This pattern has been spread to all areas of society along with the corruption.
The Churches are a bit different in that the Adept level has been gutted. The reason behind this is that the general Initiates are more likely to have a moral base which would have them exposing the corruption at the Master level with too high of a frequency.
The Initiates are squeezed against a “glass ceiling” of sorts which breeds frustration, which is exactly where the corrupt Masters want them. It is far easier to lead a frustrated Initiate into war over the differences between the branches of the School. It really is “one School”.