Ascended master

Guy Ballard used the original, late 19th to early 20th century Theosophical writings of C.W. Leadbeater to develop his own ideas. Ballard published his own writings in the 1930s and named them the "I AM" Activity, provoking a schism among Theosophists.[20][21] Up until this day, in fact, traditional Theosophists maintain that the concept of "ascended" masters is an exaggeration, if not a distortion, of their characterization of the Masters of Wisdom.[22]

Nonetheless, Guy Ballard asserted that the Unveiled Mysteries was a book dictated to him by the ascended master, St. Germain.[18][23] Additional Ascended Master Teachings followed later with: The Bridge to Freedom Journal (1951);[24] Mark Prophet and Elizabeth Clare Prophet's The Summit Lighthouse (1958) (reorganized as the Church Universal and Triumphant in 1975);[25] The Temple of The Presence (1995);[26] The Hearts Center (2005); the I AM University (2004); along with various, other organizations, such as The White Eagle Lodge (1936); The Aetherius Society (1955);[27] and the Aquarian Christine Church Universal (2006). (The ACCU emerged out of the book, The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ; this book has expanded what is known about the Gospels and the life of Jesus and has been attributed to Levi H. Dowling's research into the Akashic Records.)[28][29] In addition, Peter Mt. Shasta (who also claims to be channeling Saint Germain) has been releasing ancient teachings in a more modern and simplified form, while emphasizing that the Masters, by definition, work with all of those who have an open heart and the desire to benefit humanity.[30]

According to the Theosophist Alice Bailey, Initiation is simply the "process of undergoing an expansion [toward higher levels] of consciousness"[31] Over hundreds of thousands of lifetimes, one acquires the capacity to experience higher, deeper, and more sustained states of consciousness more frequently. C.W. Leadbeater, further extrapolated on the idea by emphasizing the role of service or sacrifice, which characterizes all initiates, "We try to develop ourselves not that we may become great and wise, but that we may have the power and knowledge to work for humanity to the best effect."[32]

Thus, throughout the Theosophical writings, is an emphasis on both evolutionary paths: 1) the necessity of enhancing one's level of consciousness; and 2) the imperative of outgrowing the small self through service (or charity). Such a thrust reveals Theosophical Thought to be a synthetic joining together of both Eastern and Western spirituality, rather than merely a set of esoteric beliefs flowing from East to West.

Helena P. Blavatsky, the founder of the Theosophical Society

One of the major tenets of Theosophy is that of the Law of Rebirth or reincarnation. Higher initiations are associated with: 1) a growing desire to sacrifice one's small self in service to all others; as well as 2) an impersonal form of love. Love is equated with higher states of consciousness.

Traditional Theosophists contend that negative karma is implacable, and, as such, must be worked out in the future (as individuals play shifting roles, such as victim, perpetrator or witness in repeating enactments until the energy and understanding of their own past actions has been thoroughly dissipated and transformed).

Extrapolating on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Alice Bailey (a prolific writer and proponent of Blavatasky's beliefs) wrote about karma and how the Law of Cause and Effect pervades the "Eternal Now":

It is seen that what we are today is the product of the past, and that what we shall be in the future is dependent upon the seeds either latent and hidden, or sown in the present life. That which has been sown in the past exists and nothing can arrest or stop those seeds from coming to fruition. They must bear fruit in this present life or be concealed until a more favorable soil and more suitable condition can cause them to germinate, unfold, grow and flower forth into the clear light of day. There is nothing hidden or concealed which shall not be revealed nor anything secret which shall not be made known. The sowing of fresh seeds, and the originating activities which must bear fruit at a later date is, however, a different matter and one more completely under the control of the man. By the practice of dispassion and of non-attachment, and by the strenuous control of the desire nature it becomes possible for the man to re-orient himself so that his attention is no longer attracted outward by the stream of mind-images but is withdrawn, and fixed one-pointedly upon reality.[33]

In contrast, the Ascended Masters Teachings focus not merely upon karma, but link this essential spiritual idea with the necessity of developing compassion. Unlike Blavatsky and Bailey, they insist that there is a purifying, all-loving, and dynamic force that can render negative karma harmless. For example, they contend that the "Violet Flame of Divine Love" transmutes and consumes the "cause, effect, record, and memory" of sin (i.e., human mistakes or negative karma). This "Flame of Forgiveness" or Divine Grace is said to be ever-arising out of the "Heart of God", the "Great Central Sun". Citing Deuteronomy 4:24 (KJV) and Hebrews 12:29 (KJV), they link the biblical phrase, "Our God is a Consuming Fire", with their own characterizations of a divine force called: the "Flame of Transmutation"; the "Flame of Mercy"; and the "Flame of Freedom", all of which are phrases they use when equating the "Sacred Fire of God" with forgiveness. (While the Ascended Masters Teachings emphasize the need for developing a heart-centered approach, traditional Theosophists argue for a more mental approach to one's problems, chiefly through the use of detachment, with the ultimate aim of growing mentally polarized.)[34][35]

In addition, both the traditional Theosophical writings and the Ascended Masters Teachings, like those of the Jains before them, recognize the importance of purifying one's vibration, as one's vibration is understood as one essential aspect of karma. (More evolved individuals' bodies radiate more light: They vibrate more quickly, hold a higher resonance, and their bodies are progressively composed of more and more light or less and less matter.)[36]

The purification of one's energy, as well as the pursuit of self-realization and self-mastery, is what is signified by the Path of Initiation. In contrast to the Ascended Masters writings focusing on love, forgiveness, and healing, the early Theosophists delineated a more arduous route to psychological and spiritual maturity. For traditional Theosophists, the primary task is to learn how to wrench one's self from the pull of matter, so that one can master one's body (e.g., through right diet, exercise, and not unduly focusing on the body's appearance nor pain). When the physical vehicle is mastered, one has achieved the First Initiation.[37]

It is through the practice of observing and detaching from one's ordinary, if not mechanical, reactions, that one works toward achieving the Second Initiation. Thus, by first coming to know one's likes and dislikes, yet choosing not to allow them to guide one's actions, one submits to a process of purification, and learns how to master one's emotional body or astral vehicle. Furthermore, through the repeated renunciation of one's personal, desirous self, one reorients one's self inward, and learns not to express negative emotions; in the process, one becomes harmless. In this way, one sacrifices the personal and subjective for a greater sense of knowing or objectivity.[37][38]

The Third Initiation revolves around learning to know, monitor, and control the contents and the workings of the mind (e.g., through self-remembering, detachment, meditation, invocation, voluntary suffering, harmlessness etc.). The manas or mind becomes still, "docile but alert."[39] Upon grasping the Buddhist principle that personal desires are endless and insatiable, one chooses to relinquish them, thus growing capable of states of great depth and equanimity. When adopting the stance of a detached, alert and engaged observer, neither positive nor negative karma hold sway over one's destiny any longer. One's life has grown less and less personal; one's desires are redirected or purified in nature; and one has matured spiritually beyond ordinary self-involvement.[39] This has been alluded to as the transfiguration. At this time, one is said to be a soul-infused person and able to stand (at death) on Shamballa before Sanat Kumara, the Lord of the World who acts as Hierophant.[40] Discussing how the imagery of the New Testament reveals the essence of the third initiation (with its enhanced livingness and its intimacy with All-That-Is), Alice A. Bailey states,

At the Transfiguration, Christ revealed the glory which is innate in all men. The triple lower nature — physical, emotional and mental — is there shown as prostrate before the glory which was revealed. In that moment, wherein Christ Immanent was in the physical form, wherein humanity was represented by the three apostles, a Voice came from the Father's Home [Shamballa] in recognition of the revealed divinity of the Sonship of the Transfigured Christ. On this innate divinity, upon this recognized Sonship, is the brotherhood of all men based — one life, one glory which shall be revealed, and one divine relationship.[41]

The Fourth Initiation entails renouncing everything that one understands as real, including the self. This is called the great renunciation, and was enacted by the Passion of Jesus, who demonstrated what it looks like when one fully accepts one's fate (i.e., does not resist one's karma).

Only through a process of engaged detachment from both one's lower self and the happenings of the world over many life-times does one achieve the Fifth Initiation. These methods are so rigorous that they have permitted only a small number of enlightened individuals throughout history to rise to the stature of Masters of Wisdom. (In fact, in 1984 when the human population was 4.767 billion, Benjamin Creme claimed that there were only 800,000 people who had taken the first initiation, 240,000 who had taken the second, 2-3000, who had taken the third, and 450 who had taken the fourth initiation living at that time.)[42] Arriving at the fifth initiation after many lifetimes of great challenge, such individuals have earned the privilege of becoming part of the Spiritual Hierarchy on Earth, which goes by various names, including the Great Brotherhood of Light, the Great White Lodge, or the Great White Brotherhood.[43][44][45][46][47][48][49]

Belief in the Brotherhood and the Masters is an essential part of the syncretistic teachings of various organizations that have taken the Theosophical concepts and added their own elements.[50] Examples of those believed to be Ascended Masters are: Sanat Kumara,[51] Buddha, Maitreya (previously known as Enoch), Jesus, Mary (the mother of Jesus), Confucius, Lord Lanto (Confucius' mentor), Saint Germain, and Koot Hoomi (Kuthumi).[44]

The Masters work telepathically as a group, and are collectively called the "Great White Brotherhood". The use of the term "white" refers to their advanced spirituality (in other words, that they have a white colored aura) and has nothing to do with race. In fact, Blavatsky revealed that many of the Masters were Tibetan or Indian (Hindu), not European in origin.[52] In addition, she alluded to their having had incarnated via diverse cultures and races throughout time (such as the "Greek gentleman", known as Hilarion).[53]

The last time that the Masters of Wisdom were said to roam the Earth was 98,000 years ago, prior to the destruction of Atlantis.[54] With the Return of the Christ, 14 Masters of Wisdom are said to have now incarnated, as the Spiritual Hierarchy recognizes the need to intervene at this momentous time, and acts accordingly, in response to humanity's prayers, or cries for help.[55][56]

There are considerable differences between the way the founders of Theosophy conceived of the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom and the current concept of Ascended Masters developed by Guy Ballard and Elizabeth Clare Prophet fifty-five years after the Theosophical Society was founded. For example, Ballard and Prophet claimed to have received subsequent dictations from an additional 200 ascended masters.[57]

According to Guy Ballard, an Ascended Master would not die but would take the body up with him. This teaching of ascension is in direct opposition to the Theosophical teachings. Mahatma K.H. refers to the idea disparagingly in one of his letters to Sinnett: "There was but one hysterical woman alleged to have been present at the pretended ascension, and ... the phenomenon has never been corroborated by repetition."[58]

Blavatsky also rejects ascension as a fact, calling it "an allegory as old as the world."[59] The Masters of the Wisdom are not like the Ascended ones, who are said to become Godlike, all-powerful beings beyond the laws of nature. Some Theosophical writers denied that such beings even existed. Mahatma K.H. wrote:

If we had the powers of the imaginary Personal God, and the universal and immutable laws were but toys to play with, then indeed might we have created conditions that would have turned this earth into an Arcadia for lofty souls.[60]

In their letters, the Mahatmas reflect on the "immutable laws" of the universe, while emphasizing that they can help humanity only within the limits of these laws. In fact, according to the Theosophical teachings, the more evolved the Initiate, the more he respects the Free Will of Humanity as sacrosanct:

The more spiritual the Adept becomes, the less can he meddle with mundane, gross affairs and the more he has to confine himself to a spiritual work ... The very high Adepts, therefore, do help humanity, but only spiritually: they are constitutionally incapable of meddling with worldly affairs.[61]

From a Theosophical viewpoint, the Masters do not pay attention to personal desires. As alluded to in ancient Buddhist writings, the early theosophists deem the psychological ego unreal, for the idea that we are this body, emotions, and mind is a mistaken perception and the source of sorrow. Both positive and negative vibrations (of the mind, and thus, succeeding karma) are meant to be stilled.[62] Real happiness comes only as an unsought for by-product of reducing rather than increasing one's attachment and identification with the personal. Blavatsky wrote that "Occultism is not... the pursuit of happiness as man understands the word; for the first step is sacrifice, the second renunciation."[63]

This accords with K.H's writings in his letters to Sinnett, when he stated: "We—the criticized and misunderstood Brothers—we seek to bring men to sacrifice their personality—a passing flash — for the welfare of the whole humanity."[64]

In the early days of the Theosophical Society, some members, misunderstanding the nature of the Mahatmas, would make personal requests of HPB, hoping she would relay their messages to the Masters. In a letter, Blavatsky clarified that this was wrong action:

The Masters would not stoop for one moment to give a thought to individual, private matters relating but to one or even ten persons, their welfare, woes and blisses in this world of Maya [illusion], to nothing except questions of really universal importance. It is all you Theosophists who have dragged down in your minds the ideals of our Masters; you who have unconsciously and with the best of intentions and full sincerity of good purpose, desecrated Them, by thinking for one moment, and believing that They would trouble Themselves with your business matters, sons to be born, daughters to be married, houses to be built. [65]

In contrast, Ballard and Prophet believed that this kind of interest is a very marked feature of the Ascended Masters. The Ascended Masters Teachings focus upon diverse means of attracting material or emotional possessions to a person's life, and also how to dissolve unpleasant karma — a perspective that traditionally-minded Theosophists have emphatically opposed. For example, K.H. wrote: "Bear in mind that the slightest cause produced, however unconsciously, and with whatever motive, cannot be unmade, or its effects crossed in their progress — by millions of gods, demons, and men combined."[66] While the Ascended Masters are portrayed as cosmic fathers who will take care of their followers' problems, Mahatma M. distinguished himself from those beings described in the Ascended Masters Teachings. For Mahatma M. encourages one to question one's self, including one's materialistic motives and undue self-involvement, while offering this corrective to anyone searching for an easy path to evolution: "We are leaders but not child-nurses."[67]

According to the post-1900 publications of Theosophy (specifically, the writings of Charles W. Leadbeater, Alice Bailey, and Benjamin Creme, as well as the Ascended Master Teachings of Guy Ballard, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, Geraldine Innocente, and Joshua David Stone), Sanat Kumara is a ninth degree initiate who is regarded as the Lord or Regent of Earth, and who dwells in Shamballa, a city said to be floating on the etheric plane above the Gobi Desert.[75][76]

Sanat Kumara was mentioned briefly by the theosophist Helena Blavatsky as the Logos who upholds the Plan on Earth.[77] She claimed He belonged to a group of beings, the "Lords of the Flame", whom Christian churches have mischaracterized in their writings about Lucifer and the fallen angels.[78] "I AM" Activity authors assert that Sanat Kumara is the original founder of the Great White Brotherhood, which is composed of: Fifth Degree Initiates or Masters of Wisdom; Sixth degree Initiates or Ascended Masters; Seventh Degree Initiates or Chohans and Bodhisattvas; as well as Eighth Degree Initiates or Buddhas. Joining the Earth's Spiritual Hierarchy are highly spiritually-evolved beings from other more spiritually evolved planets, all of whom have committed to advancing the spiritual evolution on Earth.[79][80]

It is said that souls, which are perfect in their own realm, sacrifice to incarnate on Earth, descending in consciousness in order to help spiritualize matter and further the Plan on Earth.[81] As embodied individuals, each person is deemed the outer expression of his God-Self in form, evolving over time, and ultimately reaching Ascension.

One example given of an Ascended Master was Serapis Bey, a being who was incarnated as a high priest in one of the "Temples of the Sacred Fire" on Atlantis, and who migrated to Egypt at the time of the destruction of Atlantis.[82] In 2 of his later incarnations, it was said that Serapis Bey had been born as the Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep III (who constructed the Temple of Luxor, dedicating it to the god Amon),[83] and also, according to the Agni Yoga books, as Leonidas, the King of Sparta,[84] who was killed in 480 BC defending the pass of Thermopylae against the invasion of Ancient Greece by Emperor Xerxes I of the Persian Empire.[85] Others listed as Ascended Masters are: St. Germain, Confucius, Gautama Buddha, Mary (mother of Jesus), Paul of Tarsus (a.k.a., Hilarion), Ashtar Sheran, Melchizedek, Archangel Michael, Metatron, Kwan Yin, Kuthumi and Jesus.[86]

According to Elizabeth Clare Prophet, the Prophet of the Church Universal and Triumphant (the Ascended Master Teachings group with the largest following), the Master Jesus incarnated twice as the Emperor of Atlantis, once in 33,050 BC and again in 15,000 BC.[87] She states that this was to aid the white magicians in the war of the white magicians and the black magicians that was going on in Atlantis at that time.

According to the Ascended Master Teachings,[88][89][90][91][92] Jesus had previously incarnated as Joseph of the Coat of many colors (between 1650 BC and 1550 BC), as well as King David (1037—970 BC), and Elisha in the 9th century BC.[93] According to Alice Bailey, the Master Jesus was previously incarnated as Joshua, the Hebrew military leader in the 13th century BC, and Joshua the High Priest in the sixth century BC.[94]

Among both Theosophists and those who pursue the Ascended Masters Teachings, Jesus is generally recognized as the Head of the Sixth Ray (i.e., he is in charge of certain types of cosmic energies pervading this planet). The Sixth Ray is called the Ray of Devotion or Abstract Idealism.[95][96]

While Elizabeth Clare Prophet agreed that the Master Jesus was "Chohan of the Sixth Ray", she maintained that Jesus held that office only until December 31, 1959. Prophet claimed that thereafter Lady Master Nada took on that Office, allowing Jesus to rise to the role of the World Teacher (along with Kuthumi) on 1 January 1956, thereby succeeding Maitreya, whom Prophet asserted took the office of "Planetary Buddha" and "Cosmic Christ" at that time.[97][98] Prophet's claims, however, are rejected by adherents of traditional Theosophy, for both the followers of Alice Bailey as well as those of Benjamin Creme believe that the Master Jesus continues as the Chohan of the Sixth Ray, while Maitreya is presently serving as the World Teacher.[99]

Maitreya is said to be here to help guide Humanity through the crises characterizing the end of this astrological age (i.e., the transition between the Age of Pisces and the Age of Aquarius). Jesus, moreover, is said to be now living in a Syrian body, working directly with the peoples of the Occident who are pursuing peace, and helping to purify the Christian churches. Both Jesus (a Sixth Degree Initiate) and Maitreya (a Seventh Degree Initiate) are said to possess a loving heart and an iron will; they collaborate closely together to this day.[100][101][102]

Maitri is Sanskrit for "loving kindness". The historical Buddha was reported to have said near the time of his death in the 4th century BC that in the future another Buddha would come who would be greater than himself, and who would embody "Maitri".

Maitreya is described in Theosophical literature of the late 19th-century and subsequent periods as one of the most advanced spiritual beings associated with this planet, the One who acts as the head of the Spiritual Hierarchy (i.e., the Fifth Kingdom, the Kingdom of Souls, or the Masters of Wisdom). Maitreya is said to hold the Office of the World Teacher or that of the Christ (which actually delineates a role, not a specific person). Theosophical texts posit that one of the major purposes of the Christ is to accelerate humanity's progressive, evolutionary trajectory.[103]

The Theosophical concept of Maitreya has many similarities to the earlier Maitreya doctrine in Buddhism, however they differ in important aspects, as Theosophy does not uphold the supremacy of any one religion. In fact, diverse religions are understood as a subset of, or expression of, spirituality.[104]

Benjamin Creme (1922-2016), the British, abstract painter and Theosophist who personally claimed to have a moment-to-moment relationship with a Master of Wisdom starting in 1959, stated that, "The basis of Maitreya's teaching is right relationship between man and man, between man and God, and between man and his environment, the planet. We will come to understand that man, Nature and God are One, and that a proper care of the planet (and all the kingdoms in it), is essential to the well-being of the Whole."[105]

Lecturing worldwide for 4 decades, Creme announced the advent of Maitreya, whom he said has been living in London since 1977 and working behind the scenes to further the work of the Group of New World Servers (i.e., those sacrificing their personal lives to better the world). Creme introduced Maitreya as the Teacher for the Age of Aquarius and the head of the Earth's Hierarchy, the predicted One who has come to usher in a new era — one based on peace, sharing and justice.[13]

According to Creme, Maitreya's full public Emergence is a gradual process, largely in part because the Masters are not permitted to infringe upon humanity's free will. This is due to Divine Law, and relates to the Law of Cause and Effect or not imposing one's self on others.[106]

Nevertheless, Maitreya has worked with some of the most advanced men and women, including the founders of many of the world's great religions, so that humanity as a whole could be elevated. For example, during the last three years leading up to Jesus' crucifixion, Maitreya is said to have been the teacher of Jesus, overshadowing this disciple (with Maitreya being represented as the dove coming down into Jesus' body during the Baptism, in both Medieval and Renaissance art).[106][107]

Jesus was said to be a 4th degree initiate when crucified. Jesus' teachings embody radical acceptance and love (as a state of consciousness), with the crucifixion occurring both as a historical event and a symbolic enactment about the nature of renunciation (i.e., the Fourth Initiation). By not resisting any aspect of his fate (i.e., his karma), Jesus revealed not only his spiritual maturity but how he had mastered himself, and thus, death, itself.

In his next incarnation, Jesus was named Apollonius of Tyanna (40-120 A.D), and it was during that life-time that he became a fifth degree initiate (i.e., one of the 63 Masters of Wisdom now serving this planet).[108] As Apollonius, he traveled throughout the Far East and India.[109]

He was widely recognized for his being and his stature, even during his 5-year period of silence. For example, once when Apollonius came upon a town where the people were starving and in the process of preparing to burn the governor alive. Although maintaining a restrained silence throughout, Apollonius was able to learn from the Governor that certain people were not only hoarding the town's corn stocks but also preparing the food for export. Somehow Apollonius was able to quell the crowd's anger and convince the people to give the governor a hearing, and, following that, to bring the guilty men alive before the crowd. Thus, after years of acting beyond the reach of any laws, these "monopolizers" were finally brought to justice by Apollonius, who, writing on a tiny chalkboard, confronted the men thus:

"Apollonius to the corn dealers of Aspendus. The Earth is mother of us all for she is just; but you, because you are unjust, have pretended that she is your mother alone; and if you do not stop, I will not permit you to remain upon her." They were so terrified by these words that they filled the market-place with corn and the city revived.[110]

In fact, diverse texts refer to Apollonius as "Issa", which is likely a shortened form of the honorific, "Rishi" (great sage). Although many Christians may be troubled by the idea of Jesus and the Christ being two separate personages, it is reported that Maitreya has made attempts to reassure those who hold strict beliefs, as when saying:

I come to tell you that you will see Me very soon, each in his own way. Those who look for Me in terms of My Beloved Disciple, the Master Jesus, will find His qualities in Me. Those who look for Me as a Teacher are nearer the mark, for that is what I am. Those who search for signs will find them, but my method of manifestation is more simple...Nothing separates you from Me, and soon many will realize this. I am with you and in you. I seek to express That which I am through you; for this I come.[111]

It is believed with the "fall of man" (at the time of Fourth Root Race and the Flood, or destruction of Atlantis), discord and injustices of all kinds pervaded the world. Previous to this time, humans were less evolved mentally, but the Masters roamed the Earth, openly sharing the secrets of moving huge monuments through sound, some which were used as astronomical instruments, others as specially shaped structures designed to enhance emotional development or for initiation rites. Over time, however, certain people misused the knowledge the Masters had freely given against the majority of the people with the intention of keeping them oppressed or enslaved. As a result, there was a Great War, in which Atlantis was submerged into the ocean. The Masters of Wisdom retreated from the physical world at that time, leaving humans to learn largely through trial and error.[120]

According to the Ascended Masters Teachings, the memory body is said to have become further divorced from the soul during this period, culminating in a sense of alienation from God. For the traditional Theosophists, the soul is considered the repository of all an individual has experienced over life-times. Up until the Fourth Initiation (when the soul is replaced by the Monad), an evolving individual seeks to subdue his personality and begins to make contact with his own soul. (This is accomplished largely through meditation and service.) The soul has many attributes that surpass the personality's identification with the material world (i.e., love of beauty, truth, virtue etc.). Benjamin Creme states, "Wisdom is an attribute of the soul and unfolds naturally as the soul manifests through the personality. Knowledge can be taught; wisdom is loving understanding or knowledge illumined by love. It proceeds from the buddhic level of consciousness."[121]

Although humanity has developed a sensitive emotional body and has significantly enhanced its mental faculties over the past 18.5 million years, many people have grown enthralled by the objects of the senses and are now largely focused on pursuing materialist aims (thereby endangering both their own evolution and life on this planet)[120] Nonetheless, certain Ascended Master Teachers believe that this situation is merely temporary, and that the world is destined to experience another spiritual renaissance, a so-called latent Golden Age, a "Heaven on Earth".[49]

In your beloved America, in the not so far distant future, will come forth a similar recognition of the Real Inner Self, and this her people will express in high attainment. She is a Land of Light, and Her Light shall blaze forth, brilliant as the sun at noonday, among the nations of the Earth. She was a Land of Great Light, ages ago, and will again come into her spiritual heritage, for nothing can prevent it...

The Divine Plan for the future of North America is a condition of intense activity in the greatest peace, beauty, success, prosperity, spiritual illumination, and dominion. She is to carry the Christ Light and be the Guide for the rest of the Earth, because America is to be the Heart Center of the "Golden Age" that is now dimly touching our horizon. The greater portion of the land of North America will stand for a very long time.[71]

During this time, freedom will be considered sacrosanct, but it will be defined differently from the freedom to act however one pleases (as this latter view is considered an attribute of someone who is enslaved by his desires). In order to foster the Initiation of thousands of people worldwide in a process known as Group Initiation (as the Age of Aquarius is the Age of Group Synthesis),[122] there will be a return to the Mystery Schools of Atlantis, Ancient Greece, and Early Christianity.[123]

Gradually the location of the various Mystery Schools, preparatory and advanced, will become known and many thousands of striving disciples will gravitate to them. There they will receive the training for the first two initiations, and enter the Sanctuary of Hierarchy...

In due course, the cities of the world will be beautified and transformed. The new Science of Light will transform industry and travel, and the movement of people will bring Unity to the world. People of all nations will work and team together in service to all. The advice of the Masters will be available, guiding men wisely with a gentle hand.

The presence of even a few Masters among them will have an electrifying effect on thousands of people anxious to serve the needs of the world, and the idea of service will become a new life aim for many. In this way, it can be seen that an enormous transformation can be accomplished in a relatively very short period of time. A mass programme of aid to the poor will achieve miracles in countries in Africa and South America, for example. An altogether new sense of the need for haste to rectify the wrongs of the past will ensure an intensity of help unknown today. Inspired by Maitreya and His group, hundreds of thousands of men and women will find their vocation in this way.

We, the Masters, aim only to teach and guide, to show the way for men and protect them from harm. War in all its forms must become a thing of the past but the decision to make it so must be man's alone. I repeat, Our task is to show the way, to outline the plans but man alone must embrace each step of the way. Have no fear; all will be achieved. The life ahead for men could not be more bright.[124]

In summary, over the last 150 years, various artists, writers and founders of spiritual groups have claimed that they have received direct messages from disincarnate, enlightened beings. Theosophical writings about such interchanges were recorded by, most notably, Helena Blavatsky (founder of Theosophy), Aleister Crowley (founder of Thelema), Alice Bailey (founder of the Arcane School), and later, Guy Ballard (founder of the "I AM" Activity), Geraldine Innocente (founder of The Bridge to Freedom), Mark L. Prophet and Elizabeth Clare Prophet (founders of the Church Universal and Triumphant) as well as, more recently, Benjamin Creme (founder of Share International).[125]

The early Theosophists emphasized the difficulties of entering onto a spiritual path while providing Westerners detailed instructions about what such an effort entailed. While the Ascended Masters' Writings recognized the need for forgiveness, including Divine mercy, traditional Theosophists underscored how addressing negative karma, itself, helps catapult one's spiritual development forward, as one grows exquisitely sensitive and aware. (Ultimately, as one evolves, one chooses to refrain from creating suffering for others — both for others' sake and for one's own). Thus, the Law of Cause and Effect must ultimately be deemed beneficent as it serves as both a form of Divine Justice and a guiding force: One's own life experiences provide a kind of mirror necessary both to recognize who one is (and who one has been in previous life-times), as well as the help to rectify negative karma. Rather than having one's sins merely erased through Divine Grace, traditional Theosophists claim that evolving individuals require precise, albeit painful, feedback about the consequences of their wrongful thoughts or actions. In this way, the Law of Cause and Effect might be considered not merely a form of divine tutelage about right action, but also, a means of acquiring the psychic strength necessary to come to know the suffering of the world in a detached manner, as well as to bear the sustained states of tension associated with heightened states of consciousness.

Because forgiveness is an active process, it is something not merely left to God and enlightened beings, but something ordinary individuals can strive to emulate and embody themselves as well. When discussing the importance of forgiveness, Benjamin Creme stated,

Forgiveness is one of the major laws that mitigate and lessen the force of karma. Karma is a Law and it acts impersonally. There are four great Lords of Karma Who manipulate that Law. It is an impersonal Law, but if forgiveness is present in the person who has been harmed, that can mitigate tremendously the result of the Law. Maybe not totally but it depends on the totality of the forgiveness. We are not all Jesus.[126]

Early theosophists, like Blavatsky and Bailey, were evolved enough to receive direct "dictations" from the Masters telepathically, which they transcribed and later published. Within Guy Ballard's group, however, ordinary members claimed that they, too, were being directly contacted by the Ascended Masters, with the Ballards serving as "Messengers" addressing large groups of people. Ascended Master Activities are said to involve, by definition, Ascended Masters, Cosmic Beings, Elohim, or Archangels, interacting directly with more and more people, thereby helping to transform the world.[72] Additionally, Benjamin Creme shared knowledge he contended he had received from his own Master and Maitreya Buddha when lecturing before public audiences, much in a similar vein. When people asked what humanity had done "to deserve the Coming of Maitreya", Creme answered, "Nothing. He comes as the leader of the Hierarchy of Masters in Their Externalization, and in answer to our cry for help."[55]

All of these diverse writers recognize that evolution is based on sustaining one's attention as well as restraint (i.e., the power of sacrifice), and that vulnerable humanity requires the help of more advanced beings to evolve spiritually. At the same time, the Masters exercise both love, as evidenced by their will, their higher consciousness and their restraint. As such, they refrain from intervening in any area where it would counter individuals' wishes. (They consider Human Free Will as sacrosanct.)[127] While the Masters model what is possible, it is up to each individual to come to understand what love, will and higher consciousness means, both as a quality and an experience. As Guy Ballard writes in the Unveiled Mysteries:

Truly the Great Ascended Masters are Gods. It is no wonder in the mythology of the ancients that their activities have been brought down to us in the guise of myth and fable. They wield Tremendous God Power at all times because they hold with unwavering determination to the Great God Presence and hence all Power is given unto them for they are All-Perfection...When Jesus said, "All these things I have done, ye shall do and even greater things shall ye do", he knew whereof he spoke...He came forth to reveal the Conscious Dominion and Mastery that it is possible for every human being to attain and express while still here on Earth.[71]

It is an esoteric principle that "the lower cannot see (i.e., recognize) the higher".[128] Therefore, what one commonly observes emanating from those who are disturbed by — yet stimulated by — the higher frequencies of the Initiates or Masters, is: ridicule; condemnation; and even, in some cases, murder (as the very lives and writings of high Initiates or Masters provoke difficult, if not very hard-to-attain, changes deeply within ordinary individuals, often thereby precipitating a period of crises upon them). [129] One such initiate was the Russian woman Helena Blavatsky, who took great risks to travel widely, and who studied directly with Tibetan high llamas that recognized her stature — as Blavatsky was a fourth degree initiate.[130]

Thus it should not be surprising that Blavatsky would attract the attention of certain men. For example, René Guenon wrote a detailed critique of Theosophy entitled Theosophy: history of a pseudo-religion (1921). In this book Guenon hypothesized that Blavatsky had gleaned all of her knowledge "naturally" from other books, not from any "supernatural" masters. Guenon attempted to prove this by merely stating that Blavatsky had frequented a New York library where she could have accessed the works of Jacob Boehme, Eliphas Levi, the Kabbala and other Hermetic treatises. Guenon also speculated that Blavatsky's writings had lifted passages from the Kanjur and Tanjur (translated by Sándor Kőrösi Csoma), published in 1836 in the twentieth volume of the Asiatic Researchers of Calcutta.[131]

Despite the long history of the Ageless Wisdom Teachings originating from India and Tibet, Paul Zweig accused Blavatsky of being a "fraud"in his October 5, 1980 New York Times piece, Talking to the Dead and Other Amusements.[132] This was followed by K. Paul Johnson's dismissal of the Masters as being merely idealizations of ordinary people Blavatsky had met during her life-time.[133] More recently, the scientific materialist Robert Todd Carroll mocked Blavatsky — along with all others who believe in God — when dismissing her as someone who made a practice of deceiving the Public with stories of imaginary beings that ordinary Westerners had never seen with their very own eyes.[134]

• Braden, Charles S. These Also Believe MacMillan Publishing Company 1960 (Reprint 2000). The classic study of minority religions in the United States of America. ISBN 0-02-514360-3
• Cranston, Sylvia. H. P. B. : The Extraordinary Life & Influence of Helena Blavastsky . G. P. Putnam's Sons 1993 ISBN 0-9662115-1-0
• Godwin, Joscelyn (1994). The Theosophical Enlightenment. SUNY Press. ISBN 0-7914-2152-X
• King, Godfre Ray. Unveiled Mysteries. Saint Germain Press 1934. ISBN 1878891006
• King, Godfre Ray. The Magic Presence. Saint Germain Press 1935. ISBN 1878891065
• Luk, A.D.K. Law of Life - Books I & II. Pueblo, Colorado: A.D.K. Luk Publications 1989, Summary of Ascended Master Teachings from 1934 - 1958 as released through The I AM Activity and The Bridge to Freedom.
• Milanovich, Norma & Shirley McCune. The Light Shall Set You Free. Athena Publishing 1996, 2004. ISBN 0962741752 Includes "quotes" from numerous Ascended Masters
• Leadbeater, C.W. The Masters and the Path . The Theosophical Publishing House 1925 (Reprint: Kessinger Publishing 1997). ISBN 1-56459-686-9
• Hall, Manly P. The Secret Teachings of All Ages "An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy Being an Interpretation of the Secret Teachings Concealed within the Rituals, Allegories and Mysteries of all Ages" H.S. Crocker Company, Inc. 1928 (Reprint: Tarcher 2003) ISBN 1-58542-250-9
• Partridge, Christopher ed. New Religions: A Guide: New Religious Movements, Sects and Alternative Spiritualities Oxford University Press, US 2004. Describes The I AM Activity, The Bridge to Freedom and The Summit Lighthouse. ISBN 0195220420
• Partridge, Christopher ed. New Religions: A Guide: New Religious Movements, Sects and Alternative Spiritualities Oxford University Press, US 2004. Describes the Theosophical Society, The I AM Activity, The Bridge to Freedom and The Summit Lighthouse. ISBN 0-19-522042-0
• Saint Germain Foundation. The History of the "I AM" Activity and Saint Germain Foundation . Saint Germain Press 2003 ISBN 1-878891-99-5
• Saint Germain. I AM Discourses . Saint Germain Press 1935. ISBN 1-878891-48-0
• Mt. Shasta, Peter. Apprentice to the Masters: Adventures of Western Mystic, Book II ISBN 978-0692570449

• Campbell, Bruce F. Ancient Wisdom Revived: A History of the Theosophical Movement Berkeley: 1980 University of California Press ISBN 9780520039681
• Johnson, K. Paul The Masters Revealed: Madam Blavatsky and Myth of the Great White Brotherhood Albany, New York: 1994 State University of New York Press ISBN 978-0791420645
• Melton, J. Gordon Encyclopedia of American Religions 5th Edition New York:1996 Gale Research ISBN 0-8103-7714-4 ISSN 1066-1212
  • Chapter 18--"The Ancient Wisdom Family of Religions" Pages 151–158; see chart on page 154 listing Masters of the Ancient Wisdom;
  • Section 18, Pages 717-757 Descriptions of various Ancient Wisdom religious organizations
• Melton, Gordon American Religious Creeds (Detroit: Gale, 1988; republished in three volumes, New York: Triumph Books, 1991) See chapter on the Ancient Wisdom group of religions. ISBN 978-0800730147

• Ageless Wisdom Teachings
• The Saint Germain Foundation, Original publisher of Ascended Master Teachings beginning in 1934