Djwal Khul (variously spelled 'Djwhal Khul', 'Djwal Kul', the 'Master D.K.', 'D.K.', or simply 'DK'), is believed by some

Theosophists Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion ...

and others to be a

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...

an disciple in "The Ageless Wisdom" esoteric tradition. The texts describe him as a member of the ' Spiritual Hierarchy', or 'Brotherhood', of

Mahatma Mahatma (English pronunciation: , sa, महात्मा, translit=mahātmā) is an honorific used in India. The term is commonly used for Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who is often referred to simply as "Mahatma Gandhi". Albeit less frequen ...

s, one of the

Masters of the Ancient Wisdom The Masters of the Ancient Wisdom are claimed to be Spiritual enlightenment, enlightened beings originally identified by the Theosophy (Blavatskian), Theosophists Helena Blavatsky, Henry S. Olcott, Alfred Percy Sinnett, and others. These Theosop ...

, defined as the spiritual guides of mankind and teachers of ancient

cosmological Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosopher ...

metaphysical Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

, and esoteric principles that form the origin of all the world's great philosophies, mythologies and spiritual traditions. According to Theosophical writings, Djwal Khul is said to work on furthering the spiritual evolution of our planet through the teachings offered in the 24 books by

Alice Bailey Alice Ann Bailey (June 16, 1880 – December 15, 1949) was a writer of more than twenty-four books on theosophical subjects, and was one of the first writers to use the term New Age. Bailey was born as Alice La Trobe-Bateman, in Mancheste ...

of Esoteric Teachings published by The Lucis Trust (then named the Lucifer Publishing Company); he is said to have telepathically transmitted the teachings to Bailey and is thus regarded by her followers as the

communications director Director of communications is a position in both the private and public sectors. A director of communications is responsible for managing and directing an organization's internal and external communications. Directors of communications supervis ...

of the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom.

In Theosophy and the writings of Alice Bailey

Djwal Khul's name first appeared in the work of Madame Blavatsky, a co-founder of the

Theosophical Society The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, is a worldwide body with the aim to advance the ideas of Theosophy in continuation of previous Theosophists, especially the Greek and Alexandrian Neo-Platonic philosophers dating back to 3rd century CE ...

and author of "

The Secret Doctrine ''The Secret Doctrine, the Synthesis of Science, Religion and Philosophy'', is a pseudo-scientific esoteric book originally published as two volumes in 1888 written by Helena Blavatsky. The first volume is named ''Cosmogenesis'', the second ''An ...

", published in 1888, which was primarily written by Koot Hoomi and Morya, according to Blavatsky and others in the Mahatma letters. Bailey writes in August 1934, in the first person voice of DK: am"a Tibetan disciple of a certain degree, and this tells you but little, for all are disciples from the humblest aspirant up to and beyond The Christ Himself. I live in a physical body like other men on the borders of Tibet and at times (from the exoteric standpoint) preside over a large group of Tibetan Lamas, when my other duties permit." In some writings, his name was omitted and he was referred to by the abbreviation "Master D. K." or the appellation "The Tibetan". In 1919

(1880–1949), severed her links with the Theosophical Society for various reasons and later began writing books she described as being

telepathically Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic W ...

dictated to her by Djwhal Khul whom she referred to as "The Tibetan" (later associated with the initials ''D.K.''). According to Bailey, her D.K. was the main author behind Blavatsky's "The Secret Doctrine". Bailey stated that after initial resistance, she was eventually persuaded by the quality of what she had written in 'dictation' in the first few weeks work with DK to continue to write down the communications from this source. She wrote for 30 years, from 1919 to 1949. Bailey wrote that Djwal Khul's intention was the revelation of

esoteric Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas ...

teachings that were valuable for the continued training and teaching of spiritual aspirants in the 20th and early 21st century. She believed her work was done on behalf of the "spiritual hierarchy" of advanced beings, that included Djwal Khul, whose sole interest was to guide humanity towards the establishing of goodwill and right human relations, the vital first steps that would help prepare the way for the "Reappearance of the

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

" (called by Theosophists ''The Maitreya''). Alice Bailey's 24 books with DK were to be the second in a series of three revelations, after Blavatsky's "The Secret Doctrine", that were meant present the preparatory teachings that would serve to usher in the

New Age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars consi ...

referred to as the '' Age of Aquarius'', because the astrological sign of Aquarius will soon succeed this present Piscean cycle in the cycle of the

astrological age An astrological age is a time period in astrological theory which astrologers say, parallels major changes in the development of Earth's inhabitants, particularly relating to culture, society, and politics. There are twelve astrological ages corr ...

s. In a preface included in many of Bailey's books, Djwal Khul, in the dictations described by Bailey, refers to the fact that he has been reported to be an abbot of a Tibetan monastery and the spiritual preceptor of a large group of lamas. She wrote that he lived in Northern India, near the borders of

. Other than that the books do not include personal details about Djwal Khul and the dictated content focuses on his

teachings. Of the minimal personal details, Bailey writes that Djwhal Khul considers himself a disciple of a certain degree in the spiritual, non-physical, ashram of the Master

Koot Hoomi Koot Hoomi (also spelled Kuthumi, and frequently referred to simply as K.H.) is said to be one of the Mahatmas that inspired the founding of the Theosophical Society in 1875. In Theosophy it is believed that he engaged in a correspondence with tw ...

, who is considered by Theosophists and other students of Alice Bailey's books to be another member of the same "spiritual hierarchy" of advanced beings. C. W. Leadbeater claimed that he saw Djwal Khul teleport into a room in which he and Madame Blavatsky were sitting.

In other New Age movements

Bailey's work and her books with Djwal Khul were published by the

Lucis Trust Alice Ann Bailey (June 16, 1880 – December 15, 1949) was a writer of more than twenty-four books on theosophical subjects, and was one of the first writers to use the term New Age. Bailey was born as Alice La Trobe-Bateman, in Manchest ...

, an organization she set up with her husband, Foster Bailey. Over time, Djwal Khul's name has appeared in the writings about Ascended Masters (a phrase not used or sanctioned by either The Tibetan or Mrs. Bailey) of various

organizations (of debatable credibility according to some) such as the '' Ascended Master Teachings'' of

Elizabeth Clare Prophet Elizabeth Clare Prophet (''née'': Wulf, a.k.a. Guru Ma) (April 8, 1939 – October 15, 2009) was an American spiritual leader, author, orator, and writer. In 1963 she married Mark L. Prophet (after ending her first marriage), who had founded ...

, who claims that she has channeled Djwal Khul as well as the other Mahatmas, such as ''

'' and ''the Master El Morya'', among many others, resulting in dozens of volumes of transcriptions. The leaders of these groups described themselves as having direct contact with him and other "Masters of Wisdom", and to be working as their disciples on the physical plane. Within the Arcane School founded by Bailey, DK's works are studied along with other spiritual teachings of all ages. He is treated as a teacher and neither he nor his books have become objects of devotion.

Previous incarnation

According to

, one of Djwal Khul's previous incarnations was as Caspar, one of the

Three Wise Men 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 190 ...

(the one who gave gold to

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

Function in the spiritual hierarchy

It is believed by the followers of

Benjamin Creme Benjamin Creme (5 December 1922 − 24 October 2016) was a Scottish artist, author, esotericist, and editor of ''Share International'' magazine. He asserted that the second coming, prophesied by many religions, would come in the form of ''Ma ...

and the followers of the

teachings, that Djwal Khul coordinates the activities of the seven masters of the Seven Rays to advance the ''Plan of the Masters'' and functions as the

of the Ascended Masters since he is believed to have telepathically transmitted the teachings in the Alice A. Bailey material to Alice Bailey.

Criticism

The teachings of Djwal Khul, as conveyed through Bailey's many books in his name, contain and deal with many controversial topics, stating that there are widespread evils ingrained in popular ideas and statements about

nationalism Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

race relations Race relations is a sociological concept that emerged in Chicago in connection with the work of sociologist Robert E. Park and the Chicago race riot of 1919. Race relations designates a paradigm or field in sociology and a legal concept in the ...

, American isolationism, Soviet totalitarianism,

fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...

Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) i ...

, and

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

. The books include content critical of the then current 19th century and early 20th century ideas and views about people of African descent,

Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Isl ...

, the

Jewish people Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

and

Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

, and of

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...

and orthodox

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

and fundamentalist movements of both East and West.Shnirelman, Victor A. ''Russian Neo-pagan Myths and Antisemitism''
in ''Acta no. 13, Analysis of Current Trends in Antisemitism.'' The Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 1998. Retrieved 2007-08-22

Skeptical view

The scholar K. Paul Johnson maintains that the "Masters" that Madame Blavatsky wrote about and produced letters from were actually idealizations of people who were her

mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

s. Johnson asserts that the Djwal Khul was actually

Dyal Singh Majithia Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia (1848–1898) was an Indian banker and activist in progressive and social reform measures in Punjab. He established ''The Tribune'' newspaper in Lahore in 1881, and later remained founder chairman of the Punjab Nati ...

, a member of the ''

Singh Sabha The Singh Sabha Movement was a Sikh movement that began in Punjab in the 1870s in reaction to the proselytising activities of Christians, Hindu reform movements (Brahmo Samajis, Arya Samaj) and Muslims (Aligarh movement and Ahmadiyah). The move ...

'', an

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

organization and Sikh reform movement.Johnson, Paul K. Initiates of Theosophical Masters Albany, New York:1995 State University of New York Press Page 49 *

References

External links

Lucis Trust, publisher

Madame Blavatsky and other theosophists {{Authority control Theosophy Masters of the Ancient Wisdom