Ascended masters, also known as Mahatmas, are believed in several
theosophical and related spiritual traditions to be spiritually
enlightened beings who in past
incarnation
Incarnation literally means ''embodied in flesh'' or ''taking on flesh''. It is the Conception (biology), conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic form of a god. It is used t ...
s were ordinary humans. Through a series of spiritual transformations, or initiations, they are said to have achieved a higher state of being.
Although the terms ''
mahatma'' and ''ascended master'' are often used synonymously, the Ascended Master Teachings define them differently, associating "ascended master" with a higher level of spiritual attainment, specifically the Sixth Initiation or Ascension. This contrasts with "Masters of Light", "Healers", or "Spiritual Masters", who are said to have taken the Fifth Initiation and reside in a fifth dimension.
The term ''ascended master'' was first used by
Baird T. Spalding in 1924 in his series of books ''Life and Teachings of the Masters of the Far East'' (DeVorss and Co.).
Godfre Ray King (Guy Ballard) further popularized this concept of spiritual masters who had once lived on the earth in his book ''Unveiled Mysteries'':
Definition
Adherents of the ascended master Teachings hold that the beliefs surrounding ascended masters were partially released by the
Theosophical Society
The Theosophical Society is the organizational body of Theosophy, an esoteric new religious movement. It was founded in New York City, U.S.A. in 1875. Among its founders were Helena Blavatsky, a Russian mystic and the principal thinker of the ...
beginning in 1875, by
C.W. Leadbeater and
Alice A. Bailey, and began to have more detailed public release in the 1930s by the ascended masters through
Guy Ballard in the
I AM Activity.
[King, Godfre Ray. ''The Magic Presence''. Saint Germain Press 1935. page 89, 95] However, theosophists maintain that the concept of an ascended master is an exaggeration and corruption of the more modest theosophical concept of "Master of the Ancient Wisdom".
Guy Ballard said his work ''Unveiled Mysteries'' was dictated to him by the ascended master
Saint Germain.
[King, Godfre Ray. ''Unveiled Mysteries''. Chicago, Illinois: Saint Germain Press, 1934, p. vii: "The time has arrived, when the Great Wisdom, held and guarded for many centuries in the Far East, is now to come forth in America, at the command of those Great Ascended Masters who direct and protect the evolution of mankind upon this Earth."][Saint Germain Foundation. ''The History of the "I AM" Activity and Saint Germain Foundation''. Schaumburg, Illinois: Saint Germain Press, 2003.] Other Ascended Master Teachings are contained in ''The Bridge to Freedom'' (1951),
[''The Bridge to Freedom Journal'' (1951-1961) Reprinted by Ascended Master Teaching Foundation, 1989.] Mark Prophet and
Elizabeth Clare Prophet's The Summit Lighthouse (1958) (reorganized as the
Church Universal and Triumphant in 1975),
[Lewis, James R. ''Church Universal and Triumphant in Scholarly Perspective'' Center For Academic Publication 1994.] The Temple of The Presence (1995),
[''White Paper - Wesak World Congress 2002''. Acropolis Sophia Books & Works 2003] The Hearts Center (2005), the
I AM University (2004), and various other organizations such as
The White Eagle Lodge (1936) and the
Aquarian Christine Church Universal (2006).
[ Braden, Charles S. ''These Also Believe'', MacMillan Publishing Company 2000, pp. 257–307.]
Peter Mt. Shasta, who met the ascended masters Saint Germain, Kuthumi, and El Morya, has been releasing the ancient teachings in a more modern and simplified form, emphasizing the teaching that the masters can work with those who have an open heart and the desire to benefit humanity.
Beliefs about ascended masters
The term ''ascended master'' was first introduced in 1934 by
Guy Ballard with the publication of ''Unveiled Mysteries'', a book which he said was dictated to him by the ascended master
St. Germain. Other Ascended Master Teachings are contained in
The Bridge to Freedom (1951),
The Summit Lighthouse (1958) (known also as The
Church Universal and Triumphant),
The
Aetherius Society
The Aetherius Society is a new religious movement founded by George King in the mid-1950s, also in the " Marburg Journal of Religion"link to the article/ref> as the result of what King claimed were contacts with extraterrestrial intelligences, w ...
(1955), The Temple of The Presence (1995),
the I AM University (2004), the
White Eagle Lodge (1936) and the Aquarian Christine Church Universal, Inc. (2006).
In Ascended Master Teachings there is also mention of Serapis Bey, a being who was incarnated as a high priest in one of the "Temples of the Sacred Fire" on
Atlantis
Atlantis () is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and ''Critias'' as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In the story, Atlantis is described as a naval empire that ruled all Western parts of the known world ...
, and who migrated to
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
at the time of the destruction of Atlantis. It is also believed that he was incarnated as the Egyptian
Pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...
Amenhotep III
Amenhotep III ( , ; "Amun is satisfied"), also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent or Amenhotep the Great and Hellenization, Hellenized as Amenophis III, was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty. According to d ...
(who constructed the
Temple of Luxor to the god
Amon
Amon may refer to:
Mythology
* Amun, an Ancient Egyptian deity, also known as Amon and Amon-Ra
* Aamon, a Goetic demon
People Mononym
* Amon of Judah ( 664– 640 BC), king of Judah
* Amon of Toul ( 375– 423 AD), second recorded Bishop of ...
) and also as
Leonidas, the King of
Sparta
Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...
, who was killed in 480 BC defending the pass of
Thermopylae
Thermopylae (; ; Ancient: , Katharevousa: ; ; "hot gates") is a narrow pass and modern town in Lamia (city), Lamia, Phthiotis, Greece. It derives its name from its Mineral spring, hot sulphur springs."Thermopylae" in: S. Hornblower & A. Spaw ...
against the invasion of
ancient Greece
Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically r ...
by Emperor
Xerxes I
Xerxes I ( – August 465 BC), commonly known as Xerxes the Great, was a List of monarchs of Persia, Persian ruler who served as the fourth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 486 BC until his assassination in 465 BC. He was ...
of the
Persian Empire
The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, it was the larg ...
.
Other beliefs about ascended masters
Belief in the ascended masters and their
Great White Brotherhood is an essential part of the beliefs of various organizations that have continued and expanded the concepts released in the original Saint Germain instruction in the 1930s through
the "I AM" Activity. Examples of those believed by the ones proposing these teachings to be ascended masters would be the Master Jesus,
Confucius
Confucius (; pinyin: ; ; ), born Kong Qiu (), was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Much of the shared cultural heritage of the Sinosphere originates in the phil ...
,
Gautama Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),*
*
*
was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...
,
Mary the mother of Jesus, St.
Paul of Tarsus
Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...
(
Hilarion
Hilarion (291–371), also known by the bynames of Thavata, of Gaza, and in the Orthodox Church as the Great was a Christian anchorite who spent most of his life in the desert according to the example of Anthony the Great (c. 251–356). While ...
),
Ashtar Sheran,
Sanat Kumara,
Melchizedek
In the Hebrew Bible, Melchizedek was the king of Salem and priest of (often translated as 'most high God'). He is first mentioned in Genesis 14:18–20, where he brings out bread and wine and then blesses Abraham, and El Elyon or "the Lord, Go ...
,
Archangel Michael
Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second ...
,
Devante Smith,
Metatron
Metatron (Mishnaic Hebrew: ''Meṭāṭrōn''), or Matatron (), is an angel in Judaism, Gnosticism, and Islam. Metatron is mentioned three times in the Talmud, in a few brief passages in the Aggadah, the Targum, and in mystical kabbalah, Kabba ...
,
Kwan Yin, St. Germain and
Kuthumi.
Jesus
Jesus is believed to be one of the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom in
Theosophy
Theosophy is a religious movement established in the United States in the late 19th century. Founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and based largely on her writings, it draws heavily from both older European philosophies such as Neop ...
and is one of the ascended masters in the Ascended Master Teachings. The Master Jesus is regarded by Theosophists as the Master of the
Sixth Ray.
[Bailey, Alice A, ''A Treatise on Cosmic Fire'' (Section Three - Division A - Certain Basic Statements), 1932, Lucis Trust, 1925, p. 1237.]
It is believed by Ascended Master Teachings organizations that the Master Jesus was "Chohan of the Sixth Ray" until December 31, 1959, when, according to Elizabeth Clare Prophet, Lady Master Nada fully took on the Office in the Spiritual Hierarchy in his place. According to Prophet, Jesus became World Teacher, along with Kuthumi, on January 1, 1956, succeeding Maitreya, who took the Office of "Planetary Buddha" and "Cosmic Christ".
According to Elizabeth Clare Prophet, Prophet of the Church Universal and Triumphant (the largest Ascended Master Teachings religion), the Master Jesus incarnated twice as the Emperor of Atlantis, once in 33,050 BC and again in 15,000 BC.
According to Alice Bailey, the Master Jesus was previously incarnated as
Joshua
Joshua ( ), also known as Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' Literal translation, lit. 'Yahweh is salvation'), Jehoshua, or Josue, functioned as Moses' assistant in the books of Book of Exodus, Exodus and ...
, the Hebrew military leader in the 13th century BC, and
Joshua the High Priest in the sixth century BC.
According to the Ascended Master Teachings, Jesus was also incarnated as
Joseph
Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...
of the
coat of many colors
In the Hebrew Bible, the coat of many colors or () is the name for the garment that the Bible, Biblical Joseph (Genesis), Joseph owned; it was given to him by his father Jacob in Vayeshev (Book of Genesis, Genesis 37).
Biblical narrative
Jose ...
in the 17th century BC/16th century BC (approximately between 1650 BC and 1550 BC), as well as
King David
David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament.
The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Damas ...
(who lived until around 970 BC), and
Elisha
Elisha was, according to the Hebrew Bible, a Jewish prophet and a wonder-worker. His name is commonly transliterated into English as Elisha via Hebrew, Eliseus via Greek and Latin, Ełishe (Yeghishe/Elisha) via Armenian or Alyasa via Arabic, a ...
in the 9th century BC.
Sanat Kumara
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,
Joshua David Stone, and other Ascended Master Teachings teachers), Sanat Kumara is an "advanced being" of the Ninth Initiation (the highest initiation possible on planet Earth) who is regarded as the Lord or Regent of
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...
and of
humanity, and the head of the
Spiritual Hierarchy of Earth who dwells in
Shamballah.
It is believed by these authors that he is the founder of the Great White Brotherhood, which consists of Masters of the Ancient Wisdom (Fifth Initiation), ascended masters (Sixth Initiation), Chohans and
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...
s (Seventh Initiation), Buddhas (Eighth Initiation), and highly spiritually-evolved volunteers from other worlds, who have all joined to advance spiritual evolution on Earth.
Sanat Kumara was mentioned briefly by the theosophist
Helena Blavatsky
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (; – 8 May 1891), often known as Madame Blavatsky, was a Russian-born Mysticism, mystic and writer who emigrated to the United States where she co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. She gained an internat ...
. She claimed he belonged to a group of beings, the "Lords of the Flame", whom
Christian tradition
Christian tradition is a collection of traditions consisting of practices or beliefs associated with Christianity. Many churches have traditional practices, such as particular patterns of worship or rites, that developed over time. Deviations from ...
have misunderstood as
Lucifer
The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology.
He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...
and the fallen angels.
Sanat Kumara gained greater prominence when her follower Charles W. Leadbeater wrote that Sanat Kumara was the "King" or Lord of the World, and the head of the Great White Brotherhood of Mahatmas who had revealed the principles of theosophy.
Maitreya
Initiation
According to C.W. Leadbeater, Initiation is a process by which "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."
[Leadbeater, Charles W. ''The Masters and the Path'', Adyar, Madras, India, Theosophical Publishing House, 1925, p. 166.] According to Alice Bailey, Initiation is the "process of undergoing an expansion of consciousness"
Periodization
The fall of man
It is believed that since the "fall of man" during the time of the incarnation of the
fourth root race, imperfection, limitations and discord increasingly entered into the world. The memory body is considered to have become known as a "soul", and this temporary personality has taken on the sense of a self that is separated and not connected to God. It is believed that a "Dictation" from Maitreya further clarified this matter through the "Messenger",
Geraldine Innocente, on September 27, 1954, when what occurred during the time of the fourth root race was described:
Dawning Golden Age
Students of the Ascended Master Teachings believe that this world is destined to again have a
Golden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...
, a "Heaven on Earth", that will be permanent, unlike previous Golden Ages millions of years ago.
[King, Godfre Ray. ]
Unveiled Mysteries
'. Saint Germain Press 1934. pages 42, 97, 136–137, 142, 167–168, 171–172, 225–226, 228, 236
The Great White Brotherhood
The
Great White Brotherhood, in belief systems akin to Theosophy, are said to be supernatural beings of great power who spread spiritual teachings through selected humans.
The members of the Brotherhood may be known as the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom or the Ascended masters.
Various people have said they have received messages from these beings, including most notably Helena Blavatsky (Theosophy),
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley ( ; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, novelist, mountaineer, and painter. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...
(
Thelema
Thelema () is a Western esotericism, Western esoteric and occult social or spiritual philosophy and a new religious movement founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), an English writer, mystic, occultist, and ceremonial ma ...
), Alice Bailey (
New Group of World Servers), Guy Ballard (
"I AM" Activity), Geraldine Innocente (The Bridge to Freedom),
Mark L. Prophet & Elizabeth Clare Prophet (Church Universal and Triumphant) and
Benjamin Creme (
Share International
Share International Foundation is a non-profit organization in London founded by Benjamin Creme (1922–2016) with sister organizations in Amsterdam, Tokyo, and Berkeley, California. From their 'about us' page, Share International describes the gro ...
).
The Masters are collectively called the "Great White Brotherhood" by various theosophists and esotericists. 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. Blavatsky described many of the Masters as ethnically
Tibetan or
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n (
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
), not
European. She did, however, describe them as being from all cultures and races, such as the "Greek gentleman" known as
Hilarion
Hilarion (291–371), also known by the bynames of Thavata, of Gaza, and in the Orthodox Church as the Great was a Christian anchorite who spent most of his life in the desert according to the example of Anthony the Great (c. 251–356). While ...
.
[Sisson, Marina Cesar]
''Helena Blavatsky and the Enigma of John King''
originally published as ''Informativo HPB'', No. 3, 4 and 5 English translation.
Belief in the Brotherhood and the Masters is an essential part of the
syncretistic teachings of various organizations that have taken the Theosophical philosophical concepts and added their own elements. Examples of those believed to be ascended masters by these organizations are: Jesus, Sanat Kumara, Buddha, Maitreya,
Confucius
Confucius (; pinyin: ; ; ), born Kong Qiu (), was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Much of the shared cultural heritage of the Sinosphere originates in the phil ...
,
Lord Lanto (Confucius' historical mentor), Mary the mother of Jesus, Lady Master Nada,
Enoch
Enoch ( ; ''Henṓkh'') is a biblical figure and Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch prior to Noah's flood, and the son of Jared (biblical figure), Jared and father of Methuselah. He was of the Antediluvian period in the Hebrew Bible.
The text of t ...
,
Kwan Yin, Saint Germain, and
Koot Hoomi (Kuthumi), to name but a few.
[''I AM Ascended Master Dictation List'', Saint Germain Press Inc., 1995, Listing of those who are claimed to be Ascended Masters by The I AM Activity] It is believed that all of these put aside any differences they might have had in their Earthly careers, and unite instead to advance the spiritual well-being of humanity.
Dictations
Within "The I AM Activity" (founded by Guy Ballard in the early 1930s), claimed contact and cooperation with the ascended masters became a central part of each member's life. Through the Ballards as "messengers", the ascended masters were believed to have regularly communicated with the students of "The I AM Activity". These supposed addresses (known as "Dictations") were delivered before gatherings of members in Conclaves held throughout the United States of America, and published in the monthly periodical ''The Voice of The "I AM"'', and some were collected and reprinted in the "green books" of ''The Saint Germain Series''. In all, 3,834 claimed Dictations from the Masters were received through Guy and Edna Ballard. Other "Ascended Master Activities" believed that the ascended masters, cosmic beings, Elohim, and Archangels continued to present a program for both individual development and spiritual transformation in the world.
[Partridge, Christopher ed. ''New Religions: A Guide: New Religious Movements, Sects and Alternative Spiritualities'' Oxford University Press, USA 2004. Describes the religious organizations based on a belief in the Ascended Master Teachings, such as The I AM Activity, The Bridge to Freedom and The Summit Lighthouse. pages 330–334] They believe that further instruction from the ascended masters and the rest of the spiritual hierarchy continued through new Dispensations with new Messengers, such as the Bridge to Freedom,
[''The Bridge to Freedom Journal'' 1951 - 1961 Reprinted by Ascended Master Teaching Foundation 1989] the Summit Lighthouse, and the Temple of The Presence.
The Aquarian Church
The Aquarian Christine Church Universal, Inc. (ACCU) is a denomination founded in 2006 based on ''
The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ
The ''Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ'' (full title: ''The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ: The Philosophic and Practical Basis of the Religion of the Aquarian Age of the World and of the Church Universal'') is a book by Levi H. Dowling. ...
'', said to be transcribed from the
Akashic records by
Levi H. Dowling. The Aquarian Christine Church actively promotes Ascended Master Teachings and shares many beliefs in common with the I AM Movement, White Eagle Lodge and New Thought and Theosophical groups. The book "Initiations of the Aquarian Masters: The Theosophy of the Aquarian Gospel" by ACCU founder Jacob L. Watson, expounds on the church's teachings which draw heavily from the writings of A.D.K. Luk (pen-name of Alice Beulah Schutz) (1905–1994), the Saint Germain Series published by the Saint Germain Press (The Saint Germain Foundation), and especially from "The Lost Years of Jesus" compiled by Elizabeth Clare Prophet and published by The Summit Lighthouse.
Criticism
René Guénon
René Jean-Marie-Joseph Guénon (15 November 1886 – 7 January 1951), also known as Abdalwahid Yahia (; ), was a French intellectual who remains an influential figure in the domain of metaphysics, having written on topics ranging from esoterici ...
wrote a detailed critique of Theosophy titled ''Theosophy: history of a pseudo-religion'' (1921). In the book Guenon speculated that Blavatsky had acquired all her knowledge naturally from other books not from any supernatural masters. Guenon points out that Blavatsky spent a long time visiting a library at New York where she had easy access to the works of
Jacob Boehme,
Eliphas Levi Eliphaz is one of Esau's sons in the Bible.
Eliphaz or Eliphas may also refer to:
* Eliphaz (Job), another person in the Bible
* Eliphaz Dow (1705–1755), first male executed in New Hampshire
* Eliphaz Fay (1797–1854), fourth president of Wate ...
, the
Kabbalah
Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of Mysticism, mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ...
and other
Hermetic treatises. Guenon also speculated that Blavatsky had borrowed passages from extracts of the ''
Kanjur'' and ''
Tanjur'', translated by the eccentric orientalist
Sándor Kőrösi Csoma
Sándor Csoma de Kőrös (; born Sándor Csoma; 27 March 1784/811 April 1842) was a Hungarian people, Hungarian philologist and Orientalist, author of the first Standard Tibetan, Tibetan–English language, English dictionary and grammar book. H ...
, published in 1836 in the twentieth volume of the ''Asiatic Researchers of Calcutta''.
K. Paul Johnson suggests in his book ''The Masters Revealed: Madame Blavatsky and Myth of the Great White Brotherhood'' that the Masters that Madam Blavatsky claimed she had personally met are idealizations of certain people she had met during her lifetime.
Robert Todd Carroll in his book ''The skeptic's dictionary'' (2003) speculates that Blavatsky used trickery into deceiving others into thinking she had paranormal powers. Carroll further speculates that Blavatsky had faked a materialization of a tea cup and saucer as well as written the messages from her masters herself. The article "Talking to the Dead and Other Amusements" by
Paul Zweig, ''New York Times'' October 5, 1980, also speculates that Madame Blavatsky's revelations were fraudulent.
[Zweig, Paul. "Talking to the Dead and Other Amusements", ''The New York Times'', 5 October 1980.]
See also
*
Abdal
*
Avatar
Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...
*
Hodgson Report
* ''
K.H. Letters to C.W. Leadbeater''
*
Khidr
Al-Khidr (, ; also Romanized as ''al-Khadir, Khader, Khidr, Hidr, Khizr, Kezr, Kathir, Khazer, Khadr, Khedher, Khizir, Khizar, Khilr'') is a folk figure of Islam. He is described in Surah Al-Kahf, as a righteous servant of God possessing great w ...
*
Khwajagan
*
Master Morya
*
Obadiah Archer
*
Qutb
The term () means 'axis', 'pivot', or 'pole'. Qutb can refer to celestial movements and be used as an astronomical term or a spiritual symbol.
In Sufism, a is the perfect human being, ''al-Insān al-Kāmil'' ('The Universal Man'), who leads ...
*
Sakadagami
In Buddhism, the Sakadāgāmin (Pali
Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language ...
*
Satguru
*
Sarmoung Brotherhood
The Sarmoung Brotherhood was an alleged esoteric Sufi brotherhood based in Asia. The reputed existence of the brotherhood was brought to light in the writings of George Gurdjieff, a Greek- Armenian spiritual teacher. Some contemporary Sufi-rela ...
*
Secret Chiefs
In various occultist movements, Secret Chiefs are said to be transcendent cosmic authorities, a spiritual hierarchy responsible for the operation and moral calibre of the cosmos, or for overseeing the operations of an esoteric organization that ...
*
Shambhala
Shambhala (, ),Śambhala m. (also written Sambhala): Name of a town (situated between the Rathaprā and Ganges, and identified by some with Sambhal in Moradabad; the town or district of Śambhala is fabled to be the place where Kalki, the last ...
*
Shangri-La
Shangri-La is a fictional place in Tibet's Kunlun Mountains, Uses the spelling 'Kuen-Lun'. described in the 1933 novel '' Lost Horizon'' by the British author James Hilton. Hilton portrays Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, gently ...
*
Xian
Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...
Citations
General and cited references
* Braden, Charles S. ''These Also Believe'' MacMillan Publishing Company 1960 (Reprint 2000). The classic study of minority religions in the United States of America.
* Cranston, Sylvia. ''H. P. B. : The Extraordinary Life & Influence of Helena Blavastsky'' . G. P. Putnam's Sons 1993
*
Godwin, Joscelyn (1994). ''The Theosophical Enlightenment''. SUNY Press.
* King, Godfre Ray. ''Unveiled Mysteries''. Saint Germain Press 1934.
* King, Godfre Ray. ''The Magic Presence''. Saint Germain Press 1935.
* Milanovich, Norma & Shirley McCune. ''The Light Shall Set You Free''. Athena Publishing 1996, 2004. Includes "quotes" from numerous Ascended Masters
* Leadbeater, C.W. ''The Masters and the Path'' . The Theosophical Publishing House 1925 (Reprint: Kessinger Publishing 1997).
* 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)
* 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.
* 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.
* Saint Germain Foundation. ''The History of the "I AM" Activity and Saint Germain Foundation'' . Saint Germain Press 2003
* Saint Germain. ''I AM Discourses'' . Saint Germain Press 1935.
* Mt. Shasta, Peter. ''Apprentice to the Masters: Adventures of Western Mystic, Book II'' .
Mt. Shasta, Peter. My Search in Tibet for the Secret Wish-Fulfilling Jewel
Mt. Shasta, Peter. Lady Master Pearl, My Teacher
Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari. The Incredible Life of A Himalayan Yogi: The Times, Teachings and Life of Living Shiva, Baba Lokenath Brahmachari, Lokenath Divine Life Mission. 2004.
Further reading
* Campbell, Bruce F. ''Ancient Wisdom Revived: A History of the Theosophical Movement'' Berkeley: 1980 University of California Press
*
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
*
Melton, J. Gordon ''Encyclopedia of American Religions'' 5th Edition New York:1996 Gale Research 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.
Externa
links
The Saint Germain Foundation Original publisher of Ascended Master Teachings beginning in 1934
* The Church of the Seven Rays https://www.i-am-teachings.com/church-of-the-seven-rays.html, Publisher of Ascended Master Teachings as given to Peter Mt. Shasta.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ascended Master
Ascended Master Teachings
Entering heaven alive
Esoteric cosmology
Masters of the Ancient Wisdom
Spiritual evolution
Theosophical philosophical concepts
Theosophy