Alice Ann Bailey (June 16, 1880 – December 15, 1949) was a writer of more than twenty-four books on
theosophical
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 a ...
subjects, and was one of the first writers to use the term
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 conside ...
. Bailey was born as Alice La Trobe-Bateman, in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, England. She moved to the United States in 1907, where she spent most of her life as a writer and teacher.
Bailey's works, written between 1919 and 1949, describe a wide-ranging neo-Theosophical system 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 a ...
thought covering such topics as how
spirituality
The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...
relates to the
Solar System
The Solar SystemCapitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Solar S ...
,
meditation
Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...
,
healing
With physical trauma or disease suffered by an organism, healing involves the repairing of damaged tissue(s), organs and the biological system as a whole and resumption of (normal) functioning. Medicine includes the process by which the cells i ...
, spiritual psychology, the destiny of nations, and prescriptions for society in general. She described the majority of her work as having been
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 a Master of Wisdom, initially referred to only as "the Tibetan" or by the initials "D.K.", later identified as
Djwal Khul Djwal Khul (variously spelled 'Djwhal Khul', 'Djwal Kul', the 'Master D.K.', 'D.K.', or simply 'DK'), is believed by some Theosophists and others to be a Tibetan disciple in "The Ageless Wisdom" esoteric tradition. The texts describe him as a membe ...
.Bailey 1951 p.1. From the Preface by Foster Bailey. Her writings bore some similarity to those of
Madame Blavatsky
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, uk, Олена Петрівна Блаватська, Olena Petrivna Blavatska (; – 8 May 1891), often known as Madame Blavatsky, was a Russian mystic and author who co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875 ...
and are among the teachings often referred to as the "
Ageless Wisdom
The perennial philosophy ( la, philosophia perennis), also referred to as perennialism and perennial wisdom, is a perspective in philosophy and spirituality that views all of the world's religious traditions as sharing a single, metaphysical trut ...
". Though Bailey's writings differ in some respects to the Theosophy of Madame Blavatsky, they have much in common with it. She wrote on religious themes, including
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 ...
, though her writings are fundamentally different from many aspects of Christianity or other orthodox religions. Her vision of a unified society included a global "spirit of religion" different from traditional religious forms and including the concept of the
Age of Aquarius
The Age of Aquarius, in astrology, is either the current or forthcoming astrological age, depending on the method of calculation. Astrologers maintain that an astrological age is a product of the earth's slow precessional rotation and lasts for 2 ...
.Jenkins 2000. p.87. "Writers of the 1920s and 1930s presented themselves as advocates of a New Age of occult enlightenment, and Alice Bailey did much to popularize the dual terms 'New Age' and 'Aquarian'"
Biography
Childhood and early life
Bailey was born to a wealthy middle class British family and, as a member of the Anglican Church, received a thorough Christian education.
Her autobiography states that at the age of 15, on June 30, 1895, Bailey was visited by a stranger, "...a tall man, dressed in European clothes and wearing a
turban
A turban (from Persian دولبند, ''dulband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Communities with promine ...
" who told her she needed to develop self-control to prepare for certain work he planned for her to do.}Keller 2006. p.65. This turned out to be the creation and publication of 19 books together with educational and meditation work that reached into "practically all the countries of the world".
At the age of 22, Bailey did
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
work in connection with the
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...
and the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
. This took her to India where, in 1907, she met her future husband Walter Evans. Together they moved to America, where Evans became an
Episcopalian
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...
priest.Keller, Rosemary Skinner. ''Encyclopedia of Women and Religion in North America''. Indiana University Press. 2006. p 762 The marriage did not last and Bailey pushed for and received a divorce. She left with their three children after formal separation in 1915. Then followed a difficult period in which she worked in a sardine factory to support herself and the children.
With the Theosophical Society
Bailey discovered 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 the work of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. The Theosophical Society states that Bailey became involved in 1917. Theosophist Joy Mills states that in 1918 she became a member of the Esoteric Section of the society. Theosophist Bruce F. Campbell notes, "She quickly rose to a position of influence in the American Section of the Adyar society, moving to its headquarters at
Krotona
Krotona was one of three important Theosophical centers in the United States during the early part of the 20th century. Originally built in Hollywood during 1912, the colony was eventually relocated to Ojai, California in 1926, where it operates t ...
in
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
. She became editor of its magazine, ''The Messenger,'' and member of the committee responsible for Krotona." In 1919, Foster Bailey (1888–1977), who was to be her second husband, became National Secretary of the Theosophical Society. They married in 1921.
The Theosophist published the first few chapters of her first work, ''Initiation, Human and Solar,'' (p. 762) but then stopped for reasons Bailey called "theosophical jealousy and reactionary attitude".Campbell, Bruce, F., ''Ancient Wisdom Revived, a History of the Theosophical Movement'',
University of California Press
The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...
, Berkeley, 1980, p. 151 Bailey "objected to the 'neo-Theosophy' of
Annie Besant
Annie Besant ( Wood; 1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was a British socialist, theosophist, freemason, women's rights activist, educationist, writer, orator, political party member and philanthropist.
Regarded as a champion of human f ...
" and worked with Foster Bailey to gain more power in the American Section. According to Theosophist Josephine Maria Davies Ransom, she became part of a progressive "Back to Blavatsky movement, led mainly by Mr. and Mrs. Foster Bailey". She outlined her vision for the Esoteric Section of the Theosophical Society; however, her efforts to influence the society failed, and she and her husband were dismissed from their positions.
According to historian of religion Olav Hammer, Bailey's early writings of communications with the Tibetan were well received within the society, but society president Annie Besant questioned Bailey's claims of communications with "the Tibetan" and allowed the Baileys to be expelled from the organization. According to Bailey, she had come to see the society as
authoritarian
Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic votin ...
and involved with "lower psychic phenomena".
Lucis Trust
Alice and Foster Bailey founded the Lucis Trust in 1922. Its activities include the Arcane School, World Goodwill, Triangles, a quarterly magazine called The Beacon, and a publishing company primarily intended to publish Bailey's many books. The Arcane School gives instruction and guidance in meditation, via correspondence, based on the ideas in Bailey's books. World Goodwill is intended to promote better human relations through goodwill which they define as "love in action". That "action" included support of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
. The "Triangles" are groups of three people who agree to link up in thought each day and to meditate on right human relations, visualizing light and love pouring into human minds and hearts, followed by the use of the
Great Invocation
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 ...
. It is not necessary for each person to link in thought at the same time each day and need only take a few moments of time.
Alice and Foster Bailey founded "Lucifer Publishing Company". ("' Lucifer' and 'Lucis' come from the same word root, ''lucis'' being the Latin genitive case meaning ''of light''.", After the first two or three years, the name was changed to "Lucis Publishing Co." (The Theosophical Society also used the name "Lucifer" for its early magazine.) In 1923, with the help of Foster Bailey, Alice Bailey founded the Arcane School, which is part of Lucis Trust. This school provides educational correspondence, meditation instruction, and guided study based on her writings.
Bailey continued to work up to the time of her death in 1949.
Main ideas
The seven rays of energy
Bailey's writings includes a detailed exposition of the "seven rays" which are presented as the fundamental energies that are behind and exist throughout all manifestation. They are seen as the basic creative forces of the universe and emanations of Divinity that underlie the evolution of all things. The rays are described as related to human psychology, the destiny of nations, as well as the planets and stars of the heavens. The concept of the seven rays can be found in Theosophical works. Campbell writes that Bailey, "...was the first to develop the idea of the seven rays, although it can be found in germ in earlier Theosophical writings." The seven rays also appear in Hindu religious philosophy.
Esoteric astrology
Esoteric
astrology
Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of Celestial o ...
is part of Alice Bailey's "Ageless Wisdom" teachings, which she said were relayed by her Tibetan Master Djwhal Khul.
The esoteric astrologers who follow the teachings of Bailey typically base their work on her five-volume ''Treatise on the Seven Rays'', particularly volume three which focuses on astrology. Her esoteric astrology deals with the evolution of soul consciousness and the obstacles to that evolution.
Esoteric healing
Bailey's teaching on healing primarily concerns the relationship of soul to personality, of the spiritual to the material nature. In her view, all disease has its ultimate root in some type of blocked or inhibited soul life. Therefore, healing consists of releasing the soul, that is the establishing of a right relation between the soul and the personality where the personality is defined as the instrument of soul expression. Eliminating obstructions and congestion, the source of a major part of disease. The whole process of healing is directed by thought, the mind of the healer and sometimes emotional synergy to inhibit causes of disease. Healing becomes automatic where the practitioner no longer is directed by energies, currents, centers, that include the nadis as one area of focus, the abstract is related back to the practices where appropriate but healing is directed without effort.
The constitution of man
In line with previous Theosophical teachings, Bailey taught that man consists of
# Monad (spark of God, true Self)
# Soul (higher mind, Love nature, higher consciousness)
# Personality consisting of three aspects
#* Lower mind (intellect)
#* Emotions or astral nature
#* Physical and etheric body
Each of the three aspects of the lower nature is described as a "body" or aura of energy and seen as partial expression of the real self or soul. The soul is regarded as the reflection of the real self that works through or uses the three aspects of personality.Bailey, Alice A. ''Esoteric Healing.'' Lucis Trust. 1953 p 564 She also speaks of these as "vehicles" or "sheaths", and alternately as the "mental body", "astral body", or "physical body". The "etheric" body is most directly related to physical health and is seen as the vital energizing agent for the individual while in physical incarnation. (p. 172) (p. 33) See also:
Subtle body
A subtle body is a "quasi material" aspect of the human body, being neither solely physical nor solely spiritual, according to various esoteric, occult, and mystical teachings. This contrasts with the mind–body dualism that has dominated We ...
. The mind and emotional nature are seen as auras. or energy fields of which brain activity is a secondary effect. (p. 411)
The Great Invocation
The Great Invocation is a mantra given in 1937 by Bailey. The mantra begins with "From the point of Light within the Mind of God, let light stream forth into the minds of men..." with the rest of the passage expressing the ideas of love, the return of
The Christ
Christ, used by Christians as both a name and a title, unambiguously refers to Jesus. It is also used as a title, in the reciprocal use "Christ Jesus", meaning "the Messiah Jesus", and independently as "the Christ". The Pauline epistles, the ...
(
Maitreya
Maitreya (Sanskrit: ) or Metteyya (Pali: ), also Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha, is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. As the 5th and final Buddha of the current kalpa, Maitreya's teachings will be aimed at ...
) and of men acting in accordance with the plan of God.
It is well known by some followers of the New Age movement, where it is widely used as part of meditation, particularly in groups. For instance, the invocation has been used in the
Findhorn Foundation
The Findhorn Foundation is a Scottish charitable trust registered in 1972, formed by the spiritual community at the Findhorn Ecovillage, one of the largest intentional communities in Britain.''The Dictionary of Alternatives: Utopianism and Org ...
community since the 1970s. In response to the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
(2001), the Great Invocation was used as a central element of a new daily program at Findhorn known as the "Network of Light meditations for peace". Rosemary Keller described the Great Invocation as a call for "the Christ to return to Earth" and wrote that Bailey-related groups purchased radio and television time to broadcast the invocation as part of their mission, and that often the invocation was recited in what Keller called "light groups", to accomplish what Bailey's disciples considered to be attracting and focusing "spiritual energies to benefit the planet".
Alice Bailey's writings have a theme that generally advocates replacement of the old with the new and this occurs in connection with the Great Invocation as follows: "This new Invocation, if given widespread distribution, can be to the new world religion what the
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...
has been to Christianity and the
23rd Psalm
Psalm 23 is the 23rd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The Lord is my shepherd". In Latin, it is known by the incipit, "". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a bo ...
has been to the spiritually minded Jew."
Discipleship and service
Bailey's writings downplayed traditional devotional and religious aspects of the spiritual life, in favor of a life of meditation, service to humanity, and cooperation with "the Plan of the Hierarchy". "One of the three fundamental requirements of the training in the School is "occult meditation" and disciples are taught to "cooperate with the Plan of Hierarchy" elaborated in the writings of Alice Bailey. Serving "the Plan" by serving humanity is central to the esotericism which forms a practical way of life for disciples and prepares them for "service in the Aquarian age". ('' ootnote in situ' from the Arcane School brochure supplied by the Triangle Center, Wellington NZ. The Aquarian Age is the "New Age" issued in under the astrological sign Aquarius.)" In her thinking, service, "...is a soul instinct ... innate and peculiar to soul unfoldment. It is the outstanding characteristic of the soul, just as desire is the outstanding characteristic of the lower nature..."
Unity and divinity of nations and groups
Ross describes Bailey's teachings as emphasizing the "underlying unity of all forms of life", and the "essential oneness of all religions, of all departments of science, and of all the philosophies". Campbell notes that the New Group of World Servers was established for "...promotion of international understanding, economic sharing, and religious unity".
Comparison with Theosophy
Theosophists are divided on their assessment of Alice Bailey's writings. For instance, the noted contemporary Theosophical writer
Geoffrey Hodson
Geoffrey Hodson (12 March 1886 in Lincolnshire, Retrieved 2013-06-04. – 23 January 1983 in Auckland, New Zealand) was an occultist, Theosophist,Co-Freemason, mystic, Liberal Catholic priest, philosopher and esotericist, and a leading lig ...
wrote a highly favorable review of one her books, saying, "Once more Alice Bailey has placed occult students in her debt." Olav Hammer writes, "Her first book, ''Initiation Human and Solar,'' was at first favorably received by her fellow theosophists. Soon, however, her claims to be recipient of ageless wisdom from the Masters met with opposition." The conflict is understandable since her works contain some criticisms of Theosophy, and at the time of the break she voiced her criticism of what she saw as dogmatic structures within the society, while questioning the pledges of loyalty to Theosophical leaders that were required. "During the annual convention of 1920 in Chicago, there was a power struggle between forces loyal to Besant and the Esoteric Section and others who believed that the latter had become too powerful. Below the surface was a hidden controversy regarding Alice's work with the Tibetan." For a more recent example of Bailey/Theosophy division, see Theosophy in Scandinavia.
Campbell writes that Bailey's books are a reworking of major Theosophical themes, with some distinctive emphases, and that they present a comprehensive system of esoteric science and occult philosophy, cognizant of contemporary social and political developments. Steven J. Sutcliffe points out that both Bailey and Blavatsky's work evoke a picture of
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 people, ...
as the spiritual home of the Masters and that Bailey claimed a more-or-less direct lineage to Blavatsky. He describes Bailey as a 'post-Theosophical' theorist, reporting that Bailey received instruction from "former personal pupils of Blavatsky" and notes that her third book (''A Treatise on Cosmic Fire'') not only reproduces Blavatsky's apocryphal
Stanzas of Dzyan
The ''Book of Dzyan'' (comprising the ''Stanzas of Dzyan'') is a reputedly ancient text of Tibetan origin. The ''Stanzas'' formed the basis for ''The Secret Doctrine'' (1888), one of the foundational works of the theosophical movement, by Helen ...
but is dedicated to Blavatsky, as well.
Parallels between Theosophy and Bailey are many, for instance, one principle of Theosophy, the Law of Attraction was discussed in esoteric writings by Blavatsky,
Annie Besant
Annie Besant ( Wood; 1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was a British socialist, theosophist, freemason, women's rights activist, educationist, writer, orator, political party member and philanthropist.
Regarded as a champion of human f ...
, William Quan Judge, and others; and was also discussed in the writings of Alice Bailey, including a whole chapter in one of her books. The term has been embraced, in a simplified form, by the contemporary
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 conside ...
movement and was popularized in the 2006 film '' The Secret''.
Jon Klimo, in ''Investigations on Receiving Information from Paranormal Sources'', writes, "As with Blavatsky/Theosophical material, and more recent contemporary channeled material from other sources, we find in the Bailey work the same occult cosmological hierarchy: physical, etheric, astral, mental, causal, and higher inhabited levels of existence." Olav Hammer, in the book ''Claiming Knowledge: Strategies of Epistemology from Theosophy to the New Age'', highlights Bailey's Theosophical similarities as well as noting what he thinks are some differences between them: "To a large extent, Bailey's teachings are a restatement and amplification of theosophy of the ''Secret Doctrine.'' Bailey inherited from Blavatsky and
Leadbeater Leadbeater is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Anne Leadbeater, Australian trauma recovery specialist
* Barrie Leadbeater (born 1943), English first-class cricketer and umpire
* Benjamin Leadbeater (1760–1837), British naturali ...
a predilection for profuse details and complex classificatory schemes. ... Her books have also introduced shifts in emphasis as well as new doctrinal elements."
Some Theosophical critics have contended that there are major differences between Bailey's ideas and the Theosophy of Blavatsky, such as Bailey's embrace of some mystical Christian terms and concepts and her acceptance of
Charles Webster Leadbeater
Charles Webster Leadbeater (; 16 February 1854 – 1 March 1934) was a member of the Theosophical Society, Co-Freemasonry, author on occult subjects and co-initiator with J. I. Wedgwood of the Liberal Catholic Church.
Originally a pr ...
.Campbell, Bruce, F., ''Ancient Wisdom Revived, a History of the Theosophical Movement'', University of California Press, Berkeley, 1980, p. 153
Nicholas Weeks, writing for the Theosophical magazine ''Fohat'' in 1997, felt Bailey's assertion that "...her teachings are grounded in and do not oppose in any fundamental way Theosophy as lived and taught by HPB and her Gurus" was false. Her books are in fact "rooted in the pseudo-theosophy pioneered by C. W. Leadbeater." He stated Bailey accepted Leadbeater's "fantasy" of the return of Christ and disparaged Bailey's ''
Great Invocation
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 ...
'', a prayer supposed to "induce Christ and his Masters to leave their hidden ashrams ndenter into major cities" to lead the
Aquarian Age
{{nihongo, Aquarian Age, アクエリアンエイジ, Akuerian Eiji is an out-of-print Japanese collectible trading card game. It is marketed and produced by Broccoli, which produces games and Anime-related goods.
In the game, the player take ...
. This contrasts with the Theosophy of Blavatsky, he says, which emphasizes reliance on "the Christos principle within each person".
Ideas about races and evolution
Bailey described a concept of racial differentiation that posited a division of humanity into races that are on different levels in a "ladder of evolution". These '"races" do not represent a national or physical type but a stage of evolution. For example, she states that the
Aryan
Aryan or Arya (, Indo-Iranian *''arya'') is a term originally used as an ethnocultural self-designation by Indo-Iranians in ancient times, in contrast to the nearby outsiders known as 'non-Aryan' (*''an-arya''). In Ancient India, the term ' ...
root race (or '5th race'), is an "emerging new race" and so a relatively new evolutionary phenomena. She stated that this newer type is forming in every land but primarily in lands where Caucasian peoples are found and indicates a culture where thought or intellect is dominant. She stated that as evolution proceeds, things are accelerated and humanity will soon be predominantly distinguished by the Aryan consciousness. "I speak not in terms of the Aryan race as it is generally understood today or in its Nordic implications."
In her book ''Education in the New Age'', Bailey made predictions about the use of this esoteric racial concept in the schools of the future and that these schools would incorporate the idea of "root races". These "races" are a way of conceptualizing evolution as it occurs over vast prehistoric spans of time, and during which humanity developed body (Lemurian), emotion (Atlantean), and mind (Aryan). She states that there is now being developed a "new race" with a spiritual dimension that expresses as "group qualities and consciousness and idealistic vision". She stated that this new development may take many thousands of years and may therefore not be the quick advance some of her
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 conside ...
followers wish for. In her ''The Destiny of the Nations'', Bailey described a process by which this "new race" will evolve, after which "very low grade human bodies will disappear, causing a general shift in the racial types toward a higher standard."Penn, Lee, ''False Dawn: The United Religions Initiative, Globalism, and the Quest for a One-World Religion'', p. 264, Sophia Perennis, For Bailey, the evolution of humanity was intimately bound up with its relationship to this Spiritual Hierarchy. She believed that the influences of religions, philosophies, sciences, educational movements, and human culture in general are the result of this relationship.
Criticism of her ideas on races
Bailey's ideas about race were criticized by Victor Shnirelman, a cultural anthropologist and ethnographer, who in a survey of modern
Neopaganism
Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various Paganism, historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of No ...
in Russia, drew particular attention to "...groups hattake an extremely negative view of
multi-culturalism
The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for " ethnic pluralism", with the two terms often used interchang ...
, object to the 'mixture' of kinds, ndsupport isolationism and the prohibition of immigration." Shnirelman saw some of Bailey's ideas on race as similar to the racism he perceived in the writing of
Julius Evola
Giulio Cesare Andrea "Julius" Evola (; 19 May 1898 – 11 June 1974) was an Italian philosopher, poet, painter, esotericist, and radical-right ideologue. Evola regarded his values as aristocratic, masculine, traditionalist, heroic, and defiantly ...
, saying that "...racist and antisemitic trends are explicit, for example, in the occult teachings of Alice Bailey and her followers, who wish to cleanse Christianity of its "Jewish inheritance" and reject the "
Jewish Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach" ''
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.
Shnirelman's view was echoed by Isaac Lubelsky who criticized not only Bailey, but Blavatsky, Steiner, and others. In Lubelsky's view, racists ideas were common to the whole "Theosophical family".
Monica Sjöö, a Swedish painter, writer and a radical anarcho/
eco-feminist
Ecofeminism is a branch of feminism and political ecology. Ecofeminist thinkers draw on the concept of gender to analyse the relationships between humans and the natural world. The term was coined by the French writer Françoise d'Eaubonne in h ...
wrote that Bailey, through her published teachings, had a "reactionary and racist influence on the whole New Age movement."Sjöö, Monica of the 1960s onward ''The Racist Legacy of Alice Bailey'' in ''From the Flames – Radical Feminism with Spirit'' issue 22. Winter 1998/1999. Retrieved August 23, 2013. She also noted what she called Bailey's (and Theosophy's) "
pro-fascist
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
religious views", such as the belief in a secret elite of "Masters" who influence world events and human minds through occult means and attempt to bring about the evolution of an Aryan race (although this is an understandably modern misunderstanding of her teaching – 'Aryan' as used by Bailey is easily confused with the modern terminology, and the "Masters" are not an elite, but instead are 'enlightened' individuals originally introduced in theosophy as having evolved beyond the human or "4th kingdom" into the fifth or "Kingdom of souls", and who – in her view – guide the human race as a whole).
Controversy has arisen around some of Bailey's statements on
nationalism
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...
,
American isolationism
United States non-interventionism primarily refers to the foreign policy that was eventually applied by the United States between the late 18th century and the first half of the 20th century whereby it sought to avoid alliances with other nations ...
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 ...
,
Zionism
Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a Nationalism, 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 ...
,
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) in Na ...
,
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 ...
, Africans, Jews, and the religions 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 the ...
and Christianity.
Yonassan Gershom
Yonassan Gershom is a Rabbi and writer who was ordained in the Jewish Renewal movement during the 1980s, and is now a follower of Breslov Hasidism. He was associated with the early days of the B'nai Or movement, a forerunner of Jewish Renewal, ...
and others have claimed that her writings contain racist material.
The American
Chassidic
Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...
author
Yonassan Gershom
Yonassan Gershom is a Rabbi and writer who was ordained in the Jewish Renewal movement during the 1980s, and is now a follower of Breslov Hasidism. He was associated with the early days of the B'nai Or movement, a forerunner of Jewish Renewal, ...
wrote that Bailey's plan for a New World Order and her call for "the gradual dissolution—again if in any way possible—of the
Orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...
faith" revealed that "her goal is nothing less than the destruction 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 the ...
itself." Gershom also wrote that "This stereotyped portrayal of Jews is followed by a hackneyed diatribe against the Biblical Hebrews, based upon the "angry Jehovah" theology of nineteenth-century
Protestantism
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
. Jews do not, and never have, worshipped an angry vengeful god, and we Jews never, ever call God 'Jehovah'."
Researcher Hannah Newman described what she found to be an
antisemitic
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
element in the Great Invocation. According to Newman, "the Plan" named in the invocation refers to the plan authored by "the Hierarchy", that Newman states places "high priority on removing all Jewish presence and influence from human consciousness, a goal to be achieved by eliminating
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 the ...
."
On organized religions
Bailey taught a form of universal spirituality that transcended denominational identification, believing that, "Every class of human beings is a group of brothers. Catholics, Jews, Gentiles, occidentals and orientals are all the sons of God." She stated that all religions originate from the same spiritual source, and that humanity will eventually come to realize this, and as they do so, the result will be the emergence of a universal world religion and a "new world order".
Author Steven Sutcliffe wrote that Bailey's "World Goodwill" organization was promoting groups of "world servers" to, as he quotes Bailey, "serve the Plan, Humanity, the Hierarchy and the Christ".
Despite her focus on unity of religion, Bromley and Hammond point out that Bailey and other "occultists" "...hammered home the central idea, 'The East is the true home of spiritual knowledge and occult wisdom'."
Influence
Groups founded by Bailey or her followers
The Arcane School, founded by Alice and Foster Bailey to disseminate spiritual teachings, organizes a worldwide "Triangles" program to bring people together in groups of three, for daily meditation and study. Their belief is that they receive divine energy through meditation and that this energy is transmitted to humanity, so raising spiritual awareness. John Michael Greer's ''New Encyclopedia of the Occult'' states that the school "seeks to develop a New Group of World Servers to accomplish the work of the Hierarchy of Masters, under the guidance of its head, the Christ." Twelves is a modern continuation of Triangles and many members of Lucis Trust and other respected orgs are members today.
Influence on the New Age movement
Bailey made extensive use of the term "
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 conside ...
" in her books and some writers have described her as the founder of the New Age movement, although ''
The New Age
''The New Age'' was a British weekly magazine (1894–1938), inspired by Fabian socialism, and credited as a major influence on literature and the arts during its heyday from 1907 to 1922, when it was edited by Alfred Richard Orage. It published ...
'' was used as the title of a Journal of Christian liberalism and Socialism, published as early as 1894, predating Bailey's use of the term.
James R. Lewis and J. Gordon Melton, in ''Perspectives on the New Age'' wrote, "The most important—though certainly not the only—source of this transformative metaphor, as well as the term "New Age", was Theosophy, particularly as the Theosophical perspective was mediated to the movement by the works of Alice Bailey."
Sir John Sinclair, in his book ''The Alice Bailey Inheritance'', commented on the seminal influence of Alice Bailey, which, he said, underlies the consciousness growth movement in the 20th century.
Influence on neopaganism
Several writers have mentioned the affinity of some of Bailey's concepts with modern expressions of
paganism
Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christianity, early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions ot ...
.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the
neopagan
Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of North Afric ...
author and ceremonial magic ritualist Caroll Poke Runyon published a magazine called ''The Seventh Ray,'' its name taken from the writings of Alice Bailey. Three volumes of collected articles from the magazine were published as ''The Seventh Ray Book I, The Blue Ray'', ''The Seventh Ray Book II, the Red Ray'' and ''The Seventh Ray Book III, the Green Ray''.
In contrast to this, Daren Kemp in ''Handbook to the New Age'' sees critical differences between neopaganism and New Age movements and indicates that it is a mistake to conflate them.
Influence on women in religion
Author
Catherine Wessinger
Catherine Wessinger () is an American religion scholar. She is the Rev. H. James Yamauchi, S.J. Professor of the History of Religions at Loyola University New Orleans where she teaches religious studies with a main research focus on millenniali ...
wrote that Bailey was a liberated woman "...sixty years before it became popular" and that Bailey's books expressed a similar "millennial view" to the works of Annie Besant. Wessinger stated that they were "an important source of the contemporary New Age movement."
According to the ''Encyclopedia of Women And Religion in North America'', several leaders of New Age philosophy have further developed Bailey's teachings, including the well-known personalities
JZ Knight
Judy Zebra "J. Z." Knight (born Judith Darlene Hampton; March 16, 1946) is an American spiritual teacher and author known for her purported channelling of a spiritual entity named Ramtha. Critics consider her to be a cult leader.
Knight has ap ...
(who channels the entity known by the name
Ramtha
Judy Zebra "J. Z." Knight (born Judith Darlene Hampton; March 16, 1946) is an American spiritual teacher and author known for her purported channelling of a spiritual entity named Ramtha. Critics consider her to be a cult leader.
Knight has ap ...
),
Helen Schucman
Helen Cohn Schucman (born Helen Dora Cohn, July 14, 1909 – February 9, 1981) was an American clinical psychologist and research psychologist. She was a professor of medical psychology at Columbia University in New York from 1958 until her retir ...
(author of
A Course in Miracles
''A Course in Miracles'' (also referred to as ''ACIM'' or the ''Course'') is a 1976 book by Helen Schucman. The underlying premise is that the greatest "miracle" is the act of simply gaining a full "awareness of love's presence" in a person's ...
through the process of telepathic dictation she called "scribing"), and Elizabeth Clare Prophet (who published what she referred to as "dictations from Ascended Masters"). These developments have been referred to by other sources as "spin-offs" and splinter groups." (p. 65) (p. 557) The differences between Theosophy, Bailey and Elizabeth Clare Prophet can be noted in connection with Elizabeth Clare Prophet's radical concepts of catastrophic change and survivalism, including the building of fall-out shelters. (p. 81) The validity of the Elizabeth Clare Prophet's writings was "...disputed by Theosophical writers".
The many claims and teachings of the spin-off groups underscores their divergences, for example there appears to be a widespread confusion about the phrase and meaning of "Ascendant Master" in that it was adopted by Mark and Elizabeth Prophet but not by Theosophists or Alice Bailey. (p. 111) The concepts and language have been conflated in the popular mind.
Influence on psychotherapy and healing
In 1930, with the patronage of English-Dutch spiritualist, theosophist and scholar
Olga Froebe-Kapteyn
Olga may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Olga (name), a given name, including a list of people and fictional characters named Olga or Olha
* Michael Algar (born 1962), English singer also known as "Olga"
Places
Russia
* Olga, Russia, ...
, Bailey established the short-lived "School of Spiritual Research" located on Froebe-Kapteyn's estate, Casa Gabriella, in Switzerland. (In 1932 the school was closed because of personal conflict between Bailey and Froebe-Kapteyn, at which time Froebe-Kapteyn replaced it with the
Eranos
Eranos is an intellectual discussion group dedicated to humanistic and religious studies, as well as to the natural sciences which has met annually in Moscia (Lago Maggiore), the Collegio Papio and on the Monte Verità in Ascona, Switzerland sinc ...
group.)
Roberto Assagioli, founder of Psychosynthesis, was a lecturer at School of Spiritual Research. He continued a close association with Bailey during the 1930s; some of his writings were published in Bailey's magazine ''The Beacon''; and he was a trustee of Bailey's organization, the Lucis Trust. He had developed his approach to psychology, called Psychosynthesis, beginning in 1910; his methods were later influenced by some elements of Bailey's work. However, authors John Firman and Ann Gila write that Assagioli kept what he referred to as a "wall of silence" between the areas of psychosynthesis and religion or metaphysics, insisting that they not be confused with each other.
Roger J. Woolger said, in a paper presented to the "Beyond the Brain" Conference held at
Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
in 1999, "In
Tansley
Tansley is a village on the southern edge of the Derbyshire Peak District, two miles east of Matlock.
History
Tansley is recorded in the Domesday Book as Taneslege, and its name comes from the combination of the Old English elements ''tān'' a ...
as in
Brennan Brennan may refer to:
People
* Brennan (surname)
* Brennan (given name)
* Bishop Brennan (disambiguation)
Places
* Brennan, Idlib, a village located in Sinjar Nahiyah in Maarrat al-Nu'man District, Idlib, Syria
* Rabeeah Brennan, a village located ...
you will find descriptions of a hierarchy of subtle bodies called the etheric, emotional, mental and spiritual that surround the physical body. (Tansley attributed the source of his model to Alice Bailey's theosophical commentary on The ''
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
The ''Yoga Sutras of Patañjali'' is a collection of Sanskrit sutras (aphorisms) on the theory and practice of yoga – 195 sutras (according to Vyāsa and Krishnamacharya) and 196 sutras (according to others, including BKS Iyengar). The ' ...
'', the ''locus classicus'' of Hindu teaching.)"
Bailey's influence can be found in therapeutic communities with which she was never directly involved, such as the
Human Potential Movement
The Human Potential Movement (HPM) arose out of the counterculture of the 1960s and formed around the concept of an extraordinary potential that its advocates believed to lie largely untapped in all people. The movement takes as its premise the be ...
. She was also cited in ''THERAPEUTIC TOUCH: Healing Science or Psychic Midwife?'' by Sharon Fish.
Influence on UFO groups
Alice Bailey makes no reference to
unidentified flying object
An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...
s. This is not surprising since Alice Bailey's books were written between 1919 and 1949 and "the emergence of religion specifically focused on UFOs is a post-1947 phenomena." But she did speak of Masters as having evolved beyond the human level, and expounded a cosmology of a living universe in which even planets and stars are regarded as living entities. These ideas may partially account for an association in minds of some between Bailey, and others of the Theosophical schools, and UFOs. For instance, Christopher Partridge wrote of this association as "easily transferred". The connection does exist in the sense that there is a subset of persons interested in both esoteric writings and UFOs and who link them as shown by the fact that some books that cite Alice Bailey or Theosophy also cite UFOs.
Christopher Partridge wrote that the works of Bailey, Rudolf Steiner, and Theosophy in general all influenced what he called the " UFO religions". Pages 8 – 9 He explained that "...Theosophy has several prominent branches, and, strictly speaking, the branch which has had the most important influence on the UFO religion is that developed by Alice Bailey". Partridge also quoted Gordon Melton, who suggested that the first UFO religion was
Guy Ballard
Guy Warren Ballard (July 28, 1878 – December 29, 1939) was an American mining engineer who, with his wife Edna Anne Wheeler Ballard, founded the "I AM" Activity.
Ballard was born in Newton, Kansas and married his wife in Chicago in 1916. ...
's
"I Am" Activity
The "I AM" Activity Movement is the original ascended master teachings religious movement founded in the early 1930s by Guy Ballard (1878–1939) and his wife Edna Anne Wheeler Ballard (1886–1971) in Chicago, Illinois.Saint Germain Found ...
, (which Bailey described as a "cheap comedy".)
Professor Robert S. Ellwood of the University of Southern California investigated a wide range of religious and spiritual groups in the United States during the 1970s, including a nationwide group of UFO believers called Understanding, Inc., which had been founded by a
contactee
Contactees are persons who claim to have experienced contact with extraterrestrials. Some claimed ongoing encounters, while others claimed to have had as few as a single encounter. Evidence is anecdotal in all cases.
As a cultural phenomenon, c ...
named
Daniel Fry
Daniel William Fry (July 19, 1908 – December 20, 1992) was an American contactee who claimed he had multiple contacts with an Nordic aliens, alien and took a ride in a remotely piloted alien UFO, spacecraft on July 4, 1949. He was born in Verdon ...
. He reported that, "There is no particular religious practice connected with the meeting, although the New Age Prayer derived from the Alice Bailey writings is used as an invocation."
George D. Chryssides
George D. Chryssides (born 1945) is a British academic and researcher on new religious movements and cults, has taught at several British universities, becoming head of Religious studies at the University of Wolverhampton in 2001. He is an hono ...
of the
University of Wolverhampton
The University of Wolverhampton is a public university located on four campuses across the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire in England. The roots of the university lie in the Wolverhampton Tradesmen's and Mech ...
, cited Bailey's influence on the ideas of the
Order of the Solar Temple
The Order of the Solar Temple (french: Ordre du Temple solaire, OTS) and the International Chivalric Organization of the Solar Tradition, or simply The Solar Temple, is a cult and religious sect that claims to be based upon the ideals of the K ...
and related UFO organisations.
In popular culture
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...
of
the Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...
was a devoted reader of Bailey's work, especially her book ''A Treatise on White Magic'', which he urged on others. Author Ryan H. Walsh suggests that book had an influence on the Velvet's second album, ''
White Light/White Heat
''White Light/White Heat'' is the second studio album by American rock band the Velvet Underground. Released on January 30, 1968, on Verve Records, it was the band's last studio recording with multi-instrumentalist and founding member John Cale ...
.''
In 1975,
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...
released an album titled ''
Initiation
Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformation ...
'' which has a song called "Initiation" on side one. The title of the album is apparently based on the Theosophical concept of
Initiation
Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformation ...
, taught by Alice A. Bailey and C.W. Leadbeater. The entire second side of the album is taken up by a song called "A Treatise on Cosmic Fire"; the three parts of the song are listed as: "I. The Internal Fire, or Fire by Friction; II. The Fire of Spirit, or Electric Fire; The Fire of Mind, or Solar Fire." The second parts of these three phrases are taken directly from Alice A. Bailey's book ''A Treatise on Cosmic Fire''. Also in 1975, Rundgren released an album by his side-project
Utopia
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...
titled "
Another Live
''Another Live'' is a live album by the progressive rock band Utopia. It was recorded in August 1975 and released in 1975 on Bearsville.
The record was the band's first fully live album, the first Utopia album to include future mainstays Powel ...
". This album contained a song titled "The Seven Rays" (see reference above). Finally, in 1977, Rundgren followed up with another Bailey reference with a song entitled "Love in Action" from the Utopia album
Oops! Wrong Planet
''Oops! Wrong Planet'' is the third studio album by American rock band Utopia. It delivers a markedly trimmed down, pop-oriented direction for the band following the progressively influenced previous album, '' Ra''.
''Oops!'' peaked at #77 on t ...
. Love in Action was the concept promoted by Bailey's and Foster Bailey's "World Goodwill" organization.
In 1982, Bailey's influence appeared in
pop culture
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* Pop (Gas al ...
, with the release of
Van Morrison
Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards.
As a teenager in t ...
's album '' Beautiful Vision'', in which he directly referred to the teachings and the Tibetan in the lyrics of the songs " Dweller on the Threshold" and "Aryan Mist". Morrison also used the phrase "world of glamour", reminiscent of Bailey's ''Glamour: A World Problem'', in the songs "
Ivory Tower
An ivory tower is a metaphorical place—or an atmosphere—where people are happily cut off from the rest of the world in favor of their own pursuits, usually mental and esoteric ones. From the 19th century, it has been used to designate an e ...
" and "Green Mansions". The song
Ancient of Days
Ancient of Days (Aramaic: , ''ʿatīq yōmīn''; Ancient Greek: , ''palaiòs hēmerôn''; Latin: ) is a name for God in the Book of Daniel.
The title "Ancient of Days" has been used as a source of inspiration in art and music, denoting the cre ...
from the 1984
Sense of Wonder
A sense of wonder (sometimes jokingly written sensawunda) is an intellectual and emotional state frequently invoked in discussions of science and biology, higher consciousness, science fiction, and philosophy.
__TOC__
Definitions
This entry fo ...
album appears to be a reference to a Bailey concept found in such books as ''
The Externalization of the Hierarchy
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...
''. Alice A. Bailey and the Tibetan's ''Glamour: A World Problem'' is also directly cited in the liner notes to Morrison's album ''
Inarticulate Speech of the Heart
''Inarticulate Speech of the Heart'' is the fourteenth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1983. Morrison said he arrived at the title from a Shavian saying: "that idea of communicating with as little artic ...
''.
The Wikipedia article on
José López Rega
José López Rega (17 November 1916 – 9 June 1989) was an Argentine politician who served as Minister of Social Welfare from 1973 to 1975, first under Juan Perón and continuing under Isabel Perón, Juan Perón's third wife and presidential su ...
, Argentina's Minister of Social Welfare during the Peronist government, cites his interest in esoteric studies. Apparently, these included the writings of Alice Bailey: "Also found in his home were 12 volumes by Alice Bailey on telepathy and Cosmic Fire..."
Bibliography
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 ...
Publishing Company and the Lucis Press Limited are the official publishers of Alice Bailey's books.
Credited to Alice Bailey
Works containing the prefatory ''Extract from a Statement by the Tibetan'', generally taken to indicate the book was a "received" work.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* '' A Treatise on the Seven Rays'':
**
**
**
**
**
Credited to Alice A. Bailey alone
Works in which Bailey claimed sole authorship of the material.
*
*
*
*
* ''Between War and Peace.'' 1942. (No ISBN. Published by Lucis Publishing Company)
*
*
Annie Besant
Annie Besant ( Wood; 1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was a British socialist, theosophist, freemason, women's rights activist, educationist, writer, orator, political party member and philanthropist.
Regarded as a champion of human f ...
Esoteric cosmology
Religious cosmology is an explanation of the origin, evolution, and eventual fate of the universe from a religious perspective. This may include beliefs on origin in the form of a creation myth, subsequent evolution, current organizational form ...
Esoteric healing
Esoteric healing refers to numerous types of alternative medicine which aim to heal disease and disability, using esoteric means, either through faith and human will, or by using pseudoscientific processes. It was first published in the 1950s and ...
*
List of spirituality-related topics
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to spirituality:
Spirituality may refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality, an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being, or the "de ...
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 ...
*
Magic and religion
Magical thinking in various forms is a cultural universal and an important aspect of religion. Magic is prevalent in all societies, regardless of whether they have organized religion or more general systems of animism or shamanism. Religion and ...
Planes of existence
In esoteric cosmology, a plane is conceived as a subtle state, level, or region of reality, each plane corresponding to some type, kind, or category of being.
The concept may be found in religious and esoteric teachings—''e.g.'' Vedanta (Adva ...
*
Reincarnation
Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...
Western mystery tradition
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 a ...