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Are Our Religious Idea's Our Own?
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When you look into the microscope and the abundant life found there, all the way down to the particles themselves, we find worlds of sub-matter
working in symbiotic harmony with each other. Yet we also find hegemony of parasitic behavior in which sustainability is challenged and answered by
relocation to new hosts.
We take our eyes away from the microscopic world and look up to the macrocosm of stars and galaxies and cannot help but to expect the same order of life to have also taken root there as long ago as time itself.
It is no surprise that we currently entertain the notion of alien life with personalities and external structure that mirror our own. Some see alien life to be unfettered by such narrow visions and profess an extra-terrestrial existence of great diversity, rife with the same uniqueness that occurs naturally in our own backyard.
Whatever the case may be it is undeniable that for a parasitic species to survive it must have the ability to relocate in tandem with itself to new hosts. When we look at our own species we see a potential of being both “service to self“, and “service to others“. With the use of technology and diligence one could easily say that the human race could assume the role of service to others.
Yet like the parasite we seem to resemble the orientation of service to self, with lofty goals of moving towards the quid pro quo mentality in relationship to our host, the earth. This indeed could allow for sustainability without the need for relocation. Would this agenda result in a symbiotic relationship avoiding the “service to other” approach?
We all see conspiracy in the world today and our thirst for knowledge and objective truth has brought us here. One of my methods of discovery is to not defend my personal axioms and reality, but to attack it and dismantle it so that I can learn its weaknesses and open new doors of opportunity to learn.
I don’t recommend this path to those who prefer intellectual comfort or denounce self righteous hypocrisy because no matter how much I try I eventually find that most of my truths lead to unintentional errors, and it can be heart breaking to say the least. Yet it also allows me to hold onto conflicting paradigms without internal conflict. In short, I usually find no answers, just more data, and of course, more questions.
So if you disagree with my musings, well join the club, so do I. But don’t let that prevent you from giving me your opinions and/or corrections. I try to offer no answers here, only a perspective that creates even more questions. Some of the most difficult questions I have asked myself concerning my own path:
Is the movement we are now participating in, a self realized and self motivated movement, or was it engineered and or manipulated by the powers that be just like everything else we discuss here could be?
Is this great awakening of our age in which we are saving ourselves and this planet from our own irresponsibility, a creation by unseen shepherds who need a one world religion to unite humanity more efficiently?
Is it ourselves that are challenging old belief structures and world religions to replace it with a new and improved religion of a decentralized divine power structure, or are we being led to this ideology by the same unseen hands that are moving us into a global society?
Is the fear of unsustainability, being left behind in our 2012 ascension, or a lack of the Gaia mentality being the cause catastrophic repercussions, in any way comparable to the fear of God or his judgments against our sins?
Are we really waking up, or merely following a trail of manna by those who wish us to follow the path they have already chosen for mankind towards a new religion for the new golden age post 2012?
Is a new world religion emerging that will unite the world today, just like Christianity united parts of the ancient world?
To be quite honest, I do not know, so I am not trying to sell an idea here, just asking questions. In an attempt at answering these questions I have found some possible reasons to believe these things may be true, but you be the judge. A closer look at this new awakening and new age ideology described below certainly reflects some of my beliefs and paradigms I tend to operate from daily:
[edit on 14/11/2008 by _Heretic]
We take our eyes away from the microscopic world and look up to the macrocosm of stars and galaxies and cannot help but to expect the same order of life to have also taken root there as long ago as time itself.
It is no surprise that we currently entertain the notion of alien life with personalities and external structure that mirror our own. Some see alien life to be unfettered by such narrow visions and profess an extra-terrestrial existence of great diversity, rife with the same uniqueness that occurs naturally in our own backyard.
Whatever the case may be it is undeniable that for a parasitic species to survive it must have the ability to relocate in tandem with itself to new hosts. When we look at our own species we see a potential of being both “service to self“, and “service to others“. With the use of technology and diligence one could easily say that the human race could assume the role of service to others.
Yet like the parasite we seem to resemble the orientation of service to self, with lofty goals of moving towards the quid pro quo mentality in relationship to our host, the earth. This indeed could allow for sustainability without the need for relocation. Would this agenda result in a symbiotic relationship avoiding the “service to other” approach?
We all see conspiracy in the world today and our thirst for knowledge and objective truth has brought us here. One of my methods of discovery is to not defend my personal axioms and reality, but to attack it and dismantle it so that I can learn its weaknesses and open new doors of opportunity to learn.
I don’t recommend this path to those who prefer intellectual comfort or denounce self righteous hypocrisy because no matter how much I try I eventually find that most of my truths lead to unintentional errors, and it can be heart breaking to say the least. Yet it also allows me to hold onto conflicting paradigms without internal conflict. In short, I usually find no answers, just more data, and of course, more questions.
So if you disagree with my musings, well join the club, so do I. But don’t let that prevent you from giving me your opinions and/or corrections. I try to offer no answers here, only a perspective that creates even more questions. Some of the most difficult questions I have asked myself concerning my own path:
Is the movement we are now participating in, a self realized and self motivated movement, or was it engineered and or manipulated by the powers that be just like everything else we discuss here could be?
Is this great awakening of our age in which we are saving ourselves and this planet from our own irresponsibility, a creation by unseen shepherds who need a one world religion to unite humanity more efficiently?
Is it ourselves that are challenging old belief structures and world religions to replace it with a new and improved religion of a decentralized divine power structure, or are we being led to this ideology by the same unseen hands that are moving us into a global society?
Is the fear of unsustainability, being left behind in our 2012 ascension, or a lack of the Gaia mentality being the cause catastrophic repercussions, in any way comparable to the fear of God or his judgments against our sins?
Are we really waking up, or merely following a trail of manna by those who wish us to follow the path they have already chosen for mankind towards a new religion for the new golden age post 2012?
Is a new world religion emerging that will unite the world today, just like Christianity united parts of the ancient world?
To be quite honest, I do not know, so I am not trying to sell an idea here, just asking questions. In an attempt at answering these questions I have found some possible reasons to believe these things may be true, but you be the judge. A closer look at this new awakening and new age ideology described below certainly reflects some of my beliefs and paradigms I tend to operate from daily:
[edit on 14/11/2008 by _Heretic]
The New Age Movement:
This ideology should sound familiar to some of you and at least some aspects of this New Age Spirituality is a theological improvement to many who feel we need a spiritual “upgrade”. Can it be claimed as being brought forth by honest good folk who have humanity’s best interest at heart? Could this ideology have been planted into our reality just as we see new ideologies planted in our reality today via many channeled publications, and alleged alien contacts? Is it indeed original, just being remembered (past lives), or has it been taught to us by “tutors”?
The New Age Movement seems to have first emerged in the 1960’s counter-cultural movement based on love, peace, harmony, equality, and all of the “anti” leagues which watch-dogged and denounced the warmongering and manipulative government of the times. Does this not sound familiar? Are we still in that same movement now? Did we not see people become organized in expressing the ethos, aspirations, and dreams of the “hippie” population during that era, which changed the way we looked at our industrialized world and the threats inherited from it even today?
Can it be said that there is evidence that this new ideology was not new at all and some of it regurgitated rhetoric penned in the 1800s and early 1900s by well known names to new age researchers? Are these people the founders of some of the ideologies we take stock in today:
Emanuel Swedenborg (February 8, 1688–March 29, 1772) was a Swedish scientist, philosopher, Christian mystic, and theologian. Swedenborg had a prolific career as an inventor and scientist. At the age of fifty-six he entered into a spiritual phase in which he experienced dreams and visions. This culminated in a spiritual awakening, where he claimed he was appointed by the Lord to write a heavenly doctrine to reform Christianity. He claimed that the Lord had opened his eyes, so that from then on he could freely visit heaven and hell, and talk with angels, demons, and other spirits. For the remaining 28 years of his life, he wrote and published 18 theological works, of which the best known was Heaven and Hell(1758), and several unpublished theological works.
The New Age Movement/New Age Spirituality is a decentralized western social and spiritual movement that seeks Universal Truth and the attainment of the highest individual human potential. It combines aspects of spirituality, cosmology, esotericism, complementary and alternative medicine, various religious practices, humanism, collectivism, nature, and environmentalism. It is characterized by an eclectic and individual approach to spirituality with a general rejection of mainstream dogma and religion. The term New Age refers to the coming Astrological Age of Aquarius.
The New Age Movement first appeared as an entity in the 1960s and 1970s, although elements can be traced back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It gained momentum in the 1980s and strengthened with the Harmonic Convergence event of 1987. New Age practices and philosophies are found among many diverse individuals from around the world and range from atheism and monotheism to classical pantheism, including naturalistic pantheism or panentheism.
The New Age Movement includes elements of older spiritual and religious traditions combined with science, particularly ecology, environmentalism, the Gaia hypothesis, and psychology. New Age practices and philosophies sometimes draw inspiration from major world religions: Buddhism, Chinese folk religion, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, and Sufism; with particularly strong influences from East Asian religions, Gnosticism, Neopaganism, New Thought, Spiritualism, Universalism, and Western esotericism.
New Age Spirituality has led to a wide array of literature on the subject and an active niche market: books, New Age music, crafts, and services in alternative medicine are available at New Age stores, fairs, and festivals.
Additional phrases are used to describe The New Age Movement: Self Spirituality, New Spirituality, Mind-Body-Spirit, Cultural Creative, Everyone Is Equal, New Paradigm, and All Is One.
As a result of the large scale activities surrounding the Harmonic Convergence, in the mid 1980s, the term was further popularized by the American mass media to describe the alternative spiritual subculture, including activities all the way from meditation, channeling, reincarnation, crystals, psychic experience, to holistic health or environmentalism, or belief in anomalous phenomena, or for other “unsolved mysteries” such as UFOs, Earth mysteries and crop circles.
This ideology should sound familiar to some of you and at least some aspects of this New Age Spirituality is a theological improvement to many who feel we need a spiritual “upgrade”. Can it be claimed as being brought forth by honest good folk who have humanity’s best interest at heart? Could this ideology have been planted into our reality just as we see new ideologies planted in our reality today via many channeled publications, and alleged alien contacts? Is it indeed original, just being remembered (past lives), or has it been taught to us by “tutors”?
The New Age Movement seems to have first emerged in the 1960’s counter-cultural movement based on love, peace, harmony, equality, and all of the “anti” leagues which watch-dogged and denounced the warmongering and manipulative government of the times. Does this not sound familiar? Are we still in that same movement now? Did we not see people become organized in expressing the ethos, aspirations, and dreams of the “hippie” population during that era, which changed the way we looked at our industrialized world and the threats inherited from it even today?
Can it be said that there is evidence that this new ideology was not new at all and some of it regurgitated rhetoric penned in the 1800s and early 1900s by well known names to new age researchers? Are these people the founders of some of the ideologies we take stock in today:
Emanuel Swedenborg (February 8, 1688–March 29, 1772) was a Swedish scientist, philosopher, Christian mystic, and theologian. Swedenborg had a prolific career as an inventor and scientist. At the age of fifty-six he entered into a spiritual phase in which he experienced dreams and visions. This culminated in a spiritual awakening, where he claimed he was appointed by the Lord to write a heavenly doctrine to reform Christianity. He claimed that the Lord had opened his eyes, so that from then on he could freely visit heaven and hell, and talk with angels, demons, and other spirits. For the remaining 28 years of his life, he wrote and published 18 theological works, of which the best known was Heaven and Hell(1758), and several unpublished theological works.
William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognized during his
lifetime, Blake's work is now considered seminal in the history of both poetry and the visual arts.
From a young age, William Blake claimed to have seen visions. The first of these visions may have occurred as early as the age of four when, according to one anecdote, the young artist "saw God" when God "put his head to the window", causing Blake to break into screaming.
Blake claimed to experience visions throughout his life. They were often associated with beautiful religious themes and imagery, and therefore may have inspired him further with spiritual works and pursuits. Certainly, religious concepts and imagery figure centrally in Blake's works. God and Christianity constituted the intellectual centre of his writings, from which he drew inspiration. In addition, Blake believed that he was personally instructed and encouraged by Archangels to create his artistic works, which he claimed were actively read and enjoyed by those same Archangels.
Having informed painter-astrologer John Varley of his visions of apparitions, Blake was subsequently persuaded to paint one of them.(Langridge, Irene. William Blake: A Study of His Life and Art Work. 1904, page 48-9.)
Does this picture remind you of anything?
In a letter to John Flaxman, dated September 21, 1800, Blake writes:
In a letter to Thomas Butts, dated April 25, 1803, Blake writes:
Some of William Blake's books include:
All Religions Are One(1788), There Is No Natural Religion(1789),The Marriage of Heaven and Hell(1790), Visions of the Daughters of Albion(1793), America: a Prophecy(1793), Europe: a Prophecy(1794), Jerusalem: The Emanation of The Giant Albion(1804)
(Albion is the primeval man who fell into division)
Blake also had a problem with Newtonian physics and his famous painting "Newton"(1795) demonstrates his opposition to the "single-vision" of scientific materialism. Scientific materialism or naturalism is the core of the scientific method. Any method of inquiry or investigation or any procedure for gaining knowledge that limits itself to natural, physical, and material approaches and explanations can be described as naturalistic. Are we not throwing off the shackles of empirical science today to explain phenomenon that cannot be answered by the scientific method? Do Blake's beliefs sound familiar to you? Do they resonate?
Helena P. (Madame) Blavatsky and her magnum opus, The Secret Doctrine, synthesis of Science, Religion and Philosophy, was published in 1888. She was heavily influenced by only a few people and especially by the works of William Blake. Blavatsky claimed that its contents had been revealed to her by 'mahatmas' (Sanskrit for "Great Soul") who had retained knowledge of mankind's spiritual history, knowledge that it was now possible, in part, to reveal to humanity.
According to the Theosophical teachings, the Mahatmas (better known as Ascended Masters) are not disembodied beings, but highly evolved people involved in overseeing the spiritual growth of individuals and the development of civilizations. Blavatsky was the first person in modern times to claim contact with these Ascended Masters, especially the "Masters" Koot Hoomi and Morya. An exhaustive listing of new age religions existing today that promote the existence of Ascended Masters would be extraordinarily long.
Blavatsky's works had an influence on many leaders, thinkers, authors, artists and musicians and an exhaustive list can be found at Wikipedia, but here is a few: L. Frank Baum, Aleister Crowley, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Max Heindel, Adolf Hitler, James Joyce, Alfred Kinsey, Howard Philips Lovecraft, Guy Ballard, William Butler Yeats, Ekkirala Krishnamacharya, and Swami Sivananda.
She also has many books written about her. She is considered one of the most prominent influences in many areas of the movement we find ourselves witnessing today. Her books include: Isis Unveiled, a master key to the mysteries of ancient and modern science and theology(1877), From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan (1879-80), The Secret Doctrine, the synthesis of Science, Religion and Philosophy (1888), The Voice of the Silence (1889), The Key to Theosophy (1889), Nightmare Tales (1892), Personal Memoirs of H. P. Blavatsky. Autobiographic notes compiled by Mary K. Neff (1937)
From a young age, William Blake claimed to have seen visions. The first of these visions may have occurred as early as the age of four when, according to one anecdote, the young artist "saw God" when God "put his head to the window", causing Blake to break into screaming.
Blake claimed to experience visions throughout his life. They were often associated with beautiful religious themes and imagery, and therefore may have inspired him further with spiritual works and pursuits. Certainly, religious concepts and imagery figure centrally in Blake's works. God and Christianity constituted the intellectual centre of his writings, from which he drew inspiration. In addition, Blake believed that he was personally instructed and encouraged by Archangels to create his artistic works, which he claimed were actively read and enjoyed by those same Archangels.
Having informed painter-astrologer John Varley of his visions of apparitions, Blake was subsequently persuaded to paint one of them.(Langridge, Irene. William Blake: A Study of His Life and Art Work. 1904, page 48-9.)
Does this picture remind you of anything?
In a letter to John Flaxman, dated September 21, 1800, Blake writes:
I am more famed in Heaven for my works than I could well conceive. In my Brain are studies & Chambers filled with books & pictures of old, which I wrote & painted in ages of Eternity before my mortal life; & those works are the delight & Study of Archangels.
In a letter to Thomas Butts, dated April 25, 1803, Blake writes:
Now I may say to you, what perhaps I should not dare to say to anyone else: That I can alone carry on my visionary studies in London unannoy'd, & that I may converse with my friends in Eternity, See Visions, Dream Dreams & prophecy & speak Parables unobserv'd & at liberty from the Doubts of other Mortals; perhaps Doubts proceeding from Kindness, but Doubts are always pernicious, Especially when we Doubt our Friends.
Some of William Blake's books include:
All Religions Are One(1788), There Is No Natural Religion(1789),The Marriage of Heaven and Hell(1790), Visions of the Daughters of Albion(1793), America: a Prophecy(1793), Europe: a Prophecy(1794), Jerusalem: The Emanation of The Giant Albion(1804)
(Albion is the primeval man who fell into division)
Blake also had a problem with Newtonian physics and his famous painting "Newton"(1795) demonstrates his opposition to the "single-vision" of scientific materialism. Scientific materialism or naturalism is the core of the scientific method. Any method of inquiry or investigation or any procedure for gaining knowledge that limits itself to natural, physical, and material approaches and explanations can be described as naturalistic. Are we not throwing off the shackles of empirical science today to explain phenomenon that cannot be answered by the scientific method? Do Blake's beliefs sound familiar to you? Do they resonate?
Helena P. (Madame) Blavatsky and her magnum opus, The Secret Doctrine, synthesis of Science, Religion and Philosophy, was published in 1888. She was heavily influenced by only a few people and especially by the works of William Blake. Blavatsky claimed that its contents had been revealed to her by 'mahatmas' (Sanskrit for "Great Soul") who had retained knowledge of mankind's spiritual history, knowledge that it was now possible, in part, to reveal to humanity.
According to the Theosophical teachings, the Mahatmas (better known as Ascended Masters) are not disembodied beings, but highly evolved people involved in overseeing the spiritual growth of individuals and the development of civilizations. Blavatsky was the first person in modern times to claim contact with these Ascended Masters, especially the "Masters" Koot Hoomi and Morya. An exhaustive listing of new age religions existing today that promote the existence of Ascended Masters would be extraordinarily long.
Blavatsky's works had an influence on many leaders, thinkers, authors, artists and musicians and an exhaustive list can be found at Wikipedia, but here is a few: L. Frank Baum, Aleister Crowley, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Max Heindel, Adolf Hitler, James Joyce, Alfred Kinsey, Howard Philips Lovecraft, Guy Ballard, William Butler Yeats, Ekkirala Krishnamacharya, and Swami Sivananda.
She also has many books written about her. She is considered one of the most prominent influences in many areas of the movement we find ourselves witnessing today. Her books include: Isis Unveiled, a master key to the mysteries of ancient and modern science and theology(1877), From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan (1879-80), The Secret Doctrine, the synthesis of Science, Religion and Philosophy (1888), The Voice of the Silence (1889), The Key to Theosophy (1889), Nightmare Tales (1892), Personal Memoirs of H. P. Blavatsky. Autobiographic notes compiled by Mary K. Neff (1937)
Guy Warren Ballard (July 28, 1878 - December 29, 1939) was an American mining engineer who became, with his wife, Edna Anne Wheeler Ballard,
the founder of the "I AM" Activity.
Ballard was born in Burlington, Iowa and married his wife in Chicago in 1916. Ballard served in the U.S. Army in World War I, and then became a mining engineer. Both Edna and Guy studied Theosophy and the occult extensively.
Ballard visited Mt. Shasta, California in 1930, where he met another hiker who identified himself as Saint Germain. Mr. Ballard's experiences take place within the larger North American mountain ranges. Ballard provided details of his encounters in a series of books Unveiled Mysteries and The Magic Presence, using the pen name "Godfré Ray King."
Guy Ballard, his wife Edna, and later his son Donald became the "sole Accredited Messengers" of Saint Germain. Their teachings form the original nucleus for what are today called the Ascended Master Teachings.
The "I AM" Activity started from public lectures about these encounters and grew rapidly in the 1930s. Ballard lectured frequently in Chicago about Saint Germain's mystical teachings, in which America was destined to play a key role. By 1938, there were claimed to be about a million followers in the United States.
The "I AM" Activity describes itself as an apolitical, spiritual and educational organization financed by contributions from its members. Its parent organization is Saint Germain Foundation, with headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.
Does the idea of talking with higher beings seem all that odd to you anymore? Channeling higher beings and then studying their message of wisdom is now a common practice in some realms of the conspiracy world and prevalent in the esoteric, occult, and multidimensional genres of intellectual study. Is it a leap of faith to consider these messages? Are new paradigms required before being able to accept such profound axioms regardless of the controversial sources? Books say things like this have been happening for a long time. Perhaps it even goes back to ancient times and could be the source of prophecies, visions, and more. Are these Ascended Masters aliens? Have aliens been talking to us through our religions and revolutions, and if so, for how long?
Walter Russell (1871–1963) was an American polymath best known for his achievements in painting, sculpture, architecture, and for his controversial unified theory in physics and cosmogony. He posited that the universe was founded on the unifying principle of rhythmic balanced interchange. This physical theory, laid out primarily in his books "The Secret of Light" and "The Message of the Divine Iliad", continues to be rejected by mainstream academia. This is mainly due to the fact that scientists assume the existence of matter and Dr. Russell assumes the existence of mind. Russell was also accomplished in philosophy, music, ice-skating, and as a professor at the institution he founded, the University of Science and Philosophy. He is also credited for coining the term 'New Age', which did not become a mainstream term until much later.
The term "New Age" in its contemporary sense can be traced back at least to 1944. That year, American artist and philosopher Walter Russell published the essay "Power Through Knowledge" in which he discussed “…this New Age philosophy of the spiritual re-awakening of man…”
As a mystic and visionary of the type described in Richard Maurice Bucke's 1901 work, Cosmic Consciousness, Russell accepted Bucke's premise that not only the human body, but also human consciousness, has evolved in stages. Human consciousness periodically makes progressive leaps, such as that from animal awareness to rational self-awareness many millennia ago. Russell believed with Dr. Bucke that humankind is now on the brink of making another key, evolutionary leap in consciousness. The next cycle of human evolution, said Bucke, will be from rational self-consciousness to spiritual super-consciousness on the order of that experienced by the great sages, religious figures, and mystics of the past 2,500 years and on up to today.
The idea was not that everyone would suddenly become a Christ, a Mozart, or an Einstein overnight. Rather, Bucke held that with each passing generation, more and more human beings will become routinely aware of their primary transcendent relationship to God, eternity, and the all-powerful creative source of the universe. Generations from now, Bucke believed, this level of enlightened, saint-like consciousness will be as common as rational self-awareness is now. In 1901, Bucke estimated that the number of individuals who have achieved this cosmically-conscious level of existence was extremely small, but he speculated that their numbers were increasing steadily.
So it was that in 1947-48, Russell wrote: “This New Age is marking the dawn of a new world-thought. That new thought is a new cosmic concept of the value of man to man. The whole world is discovering that all mankind is one and that the unity of man is real – not just an abstract idea. Mankind is beginning to discover that the hurt of any man hurts every man, and, conversely, the uplift of any man uplifts every man” (Message of the Divine Iliad, vol. 2, p. 69). Russell’s predictions about what the New Age would bring included “a marriage between religion and science” (MDI p 257).
Russell appeared to believe that this "New Age" would begin in 1946, based on a vision he had in 1921. As well, his generation was the direct witness of the struggles of man that pinnacled through the World Wars, stirring greater query to the ways of men.
Russell's literary works can be found at the University of Science and Philosophy (The University of Science and Philosophy was a home-study educational institution founded in 1949 by Russell and his wife Lao Russell) and can found today at: www.philosophy.org...
His books include:
The Universal One, The Secret of Light, The Message of the Divine Iliad, vols. 1 & 2, A New Concept of the Universe, The Electric Nature of the Universe, The Secret of Working Knowingly with God, The Self Multiplication Principle, The Fifth Kingdom Man, The Immortality of Man
does any of this sound familiar to anyone?
Ballard was born in Burlington, Iowa and married his wife in Chicago in 1916. Ballard served in the U.S. Army in World War I, and then became a mining engineer. Both Edna and Guy studied Theosophy and the occult extensively.
Ballard visited Mt. Shasta, California in 1930, where he met another hiker who identified himself as Saint Germain. Mr. Ballard's experiences take place within the larger North American mountain ranges. Ballard provided details of his encounters in a series of books Unveiled Mysteries and The Magic Presence, using the pen name "Godfré Ray King."
Guy Ballard, his wife Edna, and later his son Donald became the "sole Accredited Messengers" of Saint Germain. Their teachings form the original nucleus for what are today called the Ascended Master Teachings.
The "I AM" Activity started from public lectures about these encounters and grew rapidly in the 1930s. Ballard lectured frequently in Chicago about Saint Germain's mystical teachings, in which America was destined to play a key role. By 1938, there were claimed to be about a million followers in the United States.
The "I AM" Activity describes itself as an apolitical, spiritual and educational organization financed by contributions from its members. Its parent organization is Saint Germain Foundation, with headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.
Does the idea of talking with higher beings seem all that odd to you anymore? Channeling higher beings and then studying their message of wisdom is now a common practice in some realms of the conspiracy world and prevalent in the esoteric, occult, and multidimensional genres of intellectual study. Is it a leap of faith to consider these messages? Are new paradigms required before being able to accept such profound axioms regardless of the controversial sources? Books say things like this have been happening for a long time. Perhaps it even goes back to ancient times and could be the source of prophecies, visions, and more. Are these Ascended Masters aliens? Have aliens been talking to us through our religions and revolutions, and if so, for how long?
Walter Russell (1871–1963) was an American polymath best known for his achievements in painting, sculpture, architecture, and for his controversial unified theory in physics and cosmogony. He posited that the universe was founded on the unifying principle of rhythmic balanced interchange. This physical theory, laid out primarily in his books "The Secret of Light" and "The Message of the Divine Iliad", continues to be rejected by mainstream academia. This is mainly due to the fact that scientists assume the existence of matter and Dr. Russell assumes the existence of mind. Russell was also accomplished in philosophy, music, ice-skating, and as a professor at the institution he founded, the University of Science and Philosophy. He is also credited for coining the term 'New Age', which did not become a mainstream term until much later.
The term "New Age" in its contemporary sense can be traced back at least to 1944. That year, American artist and philosopher Walter Russell published the essay "Power Through Knowledge" in which he discussed “…this New Age philosophy of the spiritual re-awakening of man…”
As a mystic and visionary of the type described in Richard Maurice Bucke's 1901 work, Cosmic Consciousness, Russell accepted Bucke's premise that not only the human body, but also human consciousness, has evolved in stages. Human consciousness periodically makes progressive leaps, such as that from animal awareness to rational self-awareness many millennia ago. Russell believed with Dr. Bucke that humankind is now on the brink of making another key, evolutionary leap in consciousness. The next cycle of human evolution, said Bucke, will be from rational self-consciousness to spiritual super-consciousness on the order of that experienced by the great sages, religious figures, and mystics of the past 2,500 years and on up to today.
The idea was not that everyone would suddenly become a Christ, a Mozart, or an Einstein overnight. Rather, Bucke held that with each passing generation, more and more human beings will become routinely aware of their primary transcendent relationship to God, eternity, and the all-powerful creative source of the universe. Generations from now, Bucke believed, this level of enlightened, saint-like consciousness will be as common as rational self-awareness is now. In 1901, Bucke estimated that the number of individuals who have achieved this cosmically-conscious level of existence was extremely small, but he speculated that their numbers were increasing steadily.
So it was that in 1947-48, Russell wrote: “This New Age is marking the dawn of a new world-thought. That new thought is a new cosmic concept of the value of man to man. The whole world is discovering that all mankind is one and that the unity of man is real – not just an abstract idea. Mankind is beginning to discover that the hurt of any man hurts every man, and, conversely, the uplift of any man uplifts every man” (Message of the Divine Iliad, vol. 2, p. 69). Russell’s predictions about what the New Age would bring included “a marriage between religion and science” (MDI p 257).
Russell appeared to believe that this "New Age" would begin in 1946, based on a vision he had in 1921. As well, his generation was the direct witness of the struggles of man that pinnacled through the World Wars, stirring greater query to the ways of men.
Russell's literary works can be found at the University of Science and Philosophy (The University of Science and Philosophy was a home-study educational institution founded in 1949 by Russell and his wife Lao Russell) and can found today at: www.philosophy.org...
His books include:
The Universal One, The Secret of Light, The Message of the Divine Iliad, vols. 1 & 2, A New Concept of the Universe, The Electric Nature of the Universe, The Secret of Working Knowingly with God, The Self Multiplication Principle, The Fifth Kingdom Man, The Immortality of Man
does any of this sound familiar to anyone?
Edgar Cayce (March 18, 1877 – January 3, 1945) was an American psychic. He is claimed to have demonstrated an ability to channel answers to
questions on subjects such as health or Atlantis, while in a self-induced trance. Though Cayce considered himself a devout Christian and lived before
the emergence of the New Age Movement, some believe he was the founder of the movement and had influence on its teachings.
Cayce became a celebrity toward the end of his life, and the publicity given to his prophecies has overshadowed what to him were usually considered the more important parts of his work, such as healing (the vast majority of his readings were given for people who were sick) and theology (Cayce was a lifelong, devout member of the Disciples of Christ). Skeptics challenge the claim that Cayce demonstrated psychic abilities, and conventional Christians also question his unorthodox answers on religious matters (such as reincarnation and Akashic records). He may have been the source for the idea that California would fall into the Pacific Ocean (though he never said exactly this)
Edgar Cayce has variously been referred to as a "prophet", a "mystic", a "seer", and a "clairvoyant". Other abilities that have been attributed to Cayce include astral projection, prophesying, mediumship (communication with the dead), viewing the Akashic Records or "Book of Life", and seeing auras. Cayce claimed to have become interested in learning more about these subjects after he was informed about the content of his readings, which he reported that he never actually heard himself.
His influence covers many aspects of what many now take for granted such as:
Origin and destiny of humanity: "All souls were created in the beginning, and are finding their way back to whence they came."
Reincarnation: Cayce's work teaches the "reality" of reincarnation and karma, but as instruments of a loving God rather than blind natural laws.
Astrology: Cayce accepts astrology on the basis that our souls spend time on other planets (or perhaps their spiritual counterparts) in between incarnations.
Universal laws: Souls incarnated on the Earth are subject to certain spiritual laws such as, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap" (karma) or "As ye judge (others), so shall ye be judged." Properly regarded, such laws represent an aspect of God's mercy whereby no matter what our circumstances, He has promised to guide us in our spiritual path. Cayce said that when you view it from the highest dimension there is no time and no space, nor any future or past, and that it is all happening in one fascinating expression and time is an illusion that has purpose.
Body, Mind, Spirit: Cayce often invokes these three terms, or their equivalents, to describe the human condition. "Spirit is the life. Mind is the builder. Physical is the result." (conflation of various readings). The concept has application not only to holistic health but also to the spiritual life.
Meditation: While Cayce sometimes described particular meditation techniques of sitting or chanting ("Arrr--eee-oommm" which is strikingly similar to popular Hindu mantra "Hari Om") the crucial element, he believed, is that of opening up to divine influences. The Search For God books say that "Through prayer we speak to God. In meditation, God speaks to us." Cayce's concept of meditation has some aspects in common with Hinduism or Buddhism (the chakras, kundalini) but is most similar to Christian versions of New Thought.
Extra-sensory perception: Cayce accepted psychic experiences and ESP as a natural by-product of soul growth. God may speak to us through dreams (many readings consist of dream interpretation), or through intuitions similar to the pangs of conscience.
Atlantis: The Cayce readings claimed the existence of Atlantis, a legendary continent with an advanced technology whose refugees peopled ancient Egypt as well as pre-Columbian America.
Egypt: Next to biblical times, the most significant era for the "life readings" was a pre-dynastic Egyptian civilization consisting of Atlantean refugees. Cayce purported to have been an Egyptian priest named "Ra Ta" who built a spiritually-based healing center (the "Temple of Sacrifice") and educational institution (the "Temple Beautiful").
Earth Changes: Cayce coined the term Earth Changes (later widely used in New Age writings), a reference to a series of cataclysm events which he prophesied would take place in future decades — notably including the Earth shifting on its axis, and most of California dropping into the Pacific Ocean following a catastrophic earthquake.
Dream interpretation: Cayce was one of the early dream interpreters who contradicted Freudian views by saying that dreams can be of many different kinds (including sexual) with many levels of meaning; that lack of interest is the reason for poor dream recall; that only the dreamer knows the meaning of his dream; and that a dream is correctly interpreted when it makes sense to the dreamer, when it checks out with his other dreams, and when it moves him forward in his life.
Call me a liar but this stuff is prevalent in modern culture and especially in many areas of conspiracy. Could this influx of new ideology have anything to do with the 60s counter culture and replacement religions emerging then? Was this ideology then meshed with new age ideology born in the 1800s to comprise a new thought? A new awakening?
Cayce became a celebrity toward the end of his life, and the publicity given to his prophecies has overshadowed what to him were usually considered the more important parts of his work, such as healing (the vast majority of his readings were given for people who were sick) and theology (Cayce was a lifelong, devout member of the Disciples of Christ). Skeptics challenge the claim that Cayce demonstrated psychic abilities, and conventional Christians also question his unorthodox answers on religious matters (such as reincarnation and Akashic records). He may have been the source for the idea that California would fall into the Pacific Ocean (though he never said exactly this)
Edgar Cayce has variously been referred to as a "prophet", a "mystic", a "seer", and a "clairvoyant". Other abilities that have been attributed to Cayce include astral projection, prophesying, mediumship (communication with the dead), viewing the Akashic Records or "Book of Life", and seeing auras. Cayce claimed to have become interested in learning more about these subjects after he was informed about the content of his readings, which he reported that he never actually heard himself.
His influence covers many aspects of what many now take for granted such as:
Origin and destiny of humanity: "All souls were created in the beginning, and are finding their way back to whence they came."
Reincarnation: Cayce's work teaches the "reality" of reincarnation and karma, but as instruments of a loving God rather than blind natural laws.
Astrology: Cayce accepts astrology on the basis that our souls spend time on other planets (or perhaps their spiritual counterparts) in between incarnations.
Universal laws: Souls incarnated on the Earth are subject to certain spiritual laws such as, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap" (karma) or "As ye judge (others), so shall ye be judged." Properly regarded, such laws represent an aspect of God's mercy whereby no matter what our circumstances, He has promised to guide us in our spiritual path. Cayce said that when you view it from the highest dimension there is no time and no space, nor any future or past, and that it is all happening in one fascinating expression and time is an illusion that has purpose.
Body, Mind, Spirit: Cayce often invokes these three terms, or their equivalents, to describe the human condition. "Spirit is the life. Mind is the builder. Physical is the result." (conflation of various readings). The concept has application not only to holistic health but also to the spiritual life.
Meditation: While Cayce sometimes described particular meditation techniques of sitting or chanting ("Arrr--eee-oommm" which is strikingly similar to popular Hindu mantra "Hari Om") the crucial element, he believed, is that of opening up to divine influences. The Search For God books say that "Through prayer we speak to God. In meditation, God speaks to us." Cayce's concept of meditation has some aspects in common with Hinduism or Buddhism (the chakras, kundalini) but is most similar to Christian versions of New Thought.
Extra-sensory perception: Cayce accepted psychic experiences and ESP as a natural by-product of soul growth. God may speak to us through dreams (many readings consist of dream interpretation), or through intuitions similar to the pangs of conscience.
Atlantis: The Cayce readings claimed the existence of Atlantis, a legendary continent with an advanced technology whose refugees peopled ancient Egypt as well as pre-Columbian America.
Egypt: Next to biblical times, the most significant era for the "life readings" was a pre-dynastic Egyptian civilization consisting of Atlantean refugees. Cayce purported to have been an Egyptian priest named "Ra Ta" who built a spiritually-based healing center (the "Temple of Sacrifice") and educational institution (the "Temple Beautiful").
Earth Changes: Cayce coined the term Earth Changes (later widely used in New Age writings), a reference to a series of cataclysm events which he prophesied would take place in future decades — notably including the Earth shifting on its axis, and most of California dropping into the Pacific Ocean following a catastrophic earthquake.
Dream interpretation: Cayce was one of the early dream interpreters who contradicted Freudian views by saying that dreams can be of many different kinds (including sexual) with many levels of meaning; that lack of interest is the reason for poor dream recall; that only the dreamer knows the meaning of his dream; and that a dream is correctly interpreted when it makes sense to the dreamer, when it checks out with his other dreams, and when it moves him forward in his life.
Call me a liar but this stuff is prevalent in modern culture and especially in many areas of conspiracy. Could this influx of new ideology have anything to do with the 60s counter culture and replacement religions emerging then? Was this ideology then meshed with new age ideology born in the 1800s to comprise a new thought? A new awakening?
Alice Ann Bailey (June 16, 1880 – December 15, 1949), known as Alice A. Bailey or AAB, was born as Alice LaTrobe Bateman, in Manchester,
England--at 7:32 AM GMT, according to Dane Rudhyar. She moved to the United States in 1907, where she spent most of her life as a writer and teacher.
She wrote on spiritual, occult, astrological, Theosophical, Christian and other religious themes.
Her works, written between 1919 and 1949, describe a wide-ranging system of esoteric thought covering such topics as how spirituality relates to the solar system, meditation, healing, spiritual psychology, the destiny of nations, and prescriptions for society in general. She described the majority of her work as having been telepathically dictated to her by a "Master of the Wisdom," initially referred to only as "the Tibetan," or by the initials "D.K.," later identified as "Djwhal Khul."
Her writings were influenced by the works of Madame Blavatsky. Though Bailey's writings differ from Theosophy, they also have much in common with it. She wrote about religious themes, including Christianity, though her writings are fundamentally different from many aspects of Christianity and of other orthodox religions. Her vision of a unified society includes a global "spirit of religion" different from traditional religious forms and including the concept of the Age of Aquarius.
At age 15, on June 30th, 1895, Bailey was visited by a stranger, "...a tall man, dressed in European clothes and wearing a turban" who told her she needed to develop self-control to prepare for certain work planned for her to do.[15] She supposed this individual was Jesus, but later she identified him as Master Koot Hoomi.
In 1923, with the help of Foster Bailey, Alice Bailey also founded the Arcane School (also part of Lucis Trust), which gave (and still gives) a series of correspondence courses based on her heterodox version of Theosophy, which accepted the basic Theosophical views on karma, reincarnation, masters, a divine plan, and humanity's achievement of their original divine status (Bailey, pp. 192–193).
The Lucis Trust website and Alice Bailey's autobiography also state that, together with Foster Bailey, she created the "World Goodwill" organization to promote what she called “Love in Action.” The stated purposes of World Goodwill, according to its sponsoring organization, the Lucis Trust, are: "To help mobilise the energy of goodwill; To cooperate in the work of preparation for the reappearance of the Christ; To educate public opinion on the causes of the major world problems and to help create the thoughtform of solution.
Underlying her writings is the idea that all is energy and that spirit, matter, and the psychic forces intermediate between them are forms of energy. This energy is life itself. From one essential energy, divinity, proceed seven rays that underlie and shape the evolution of human life and the entire phenomenal world. On a cosmic level these seven rays of energy are the creative forces of planets and stars. On a microcosmic level they are the creative forces conditioning the physical, psychic, and spiritual constitution of man. (Jurriaance, p. 73-152)
She had alot to say racially and I will not go into it here so as not to foster any "labelism" but her views are definatly mirrored in alot of conspiracy issues alive and well today, especially contemplation on what she labeled as "The Jewish Problem", and her views towards Ayran race, and the level of spiritual evolution in ralation to the worlds races. Her views along with Blavatsky has shaped the core of the new age religions that will take root in the 60s, and in retrospect could be affecting our views today.
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):
Initiation, Human and Solar (1922), Letters on Occult Meditation (1922), A Treatise on Cosmic Fire (1925), Light of the Soul: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (1927), A Treatise on White Magic (1934), Discipleship in the New Age — Volume I (1944), Discipleship in the New Age — Volume II (1955), Problems of Humanity (1947), The Reappearance of the Christ (1948), The Destiny of the Nations (1949), Glamor - A World Problem (1950), Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle (1950), Education in the New Age (1954), The Externalization of the Hierarchy (1957), A Treatise on the Seven Rays (1936-1960)
Credited to Alice A. Bailey alone (works in which Bailey claimed sole authorship of the material):
The Consciousness of the Atom (1922), The Soul and its Mechanism (1930), From Intellect to Intuition, and more.
Some of her works engage in the same mentality we now find in quantum theory. And she was a big mover and shaker in setting up established movements that are still alive and well today.
Manly Palmer Hall (March 18, 1901 - August 29, 1990) was a Canadian-born author and mystic. He is perhaps most famous for his work The Secret Teachings of All Ages: An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy, published in 1928 when he was 27 years old.
He was made a knight patron of the Masonic Research Group of San Francisco in 1953, although he was not raised until 22 November 1954 into Jewel Lodge No. 374 , San Francisco. He later received his 32° in the Valley of San Francisco AASR (SJ). In 1973 (47 years after writing The Secret Teachings of All Ages), Hall was recognized as a 33º Mason (the highest honor conferred by the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite), at a ceremony held at PRS on December 8th.
In his over 70-year career, Hall delivered approximately 8,000 lectures in the United States and abroad, authored over 150 books and essays, and wrote countless magazine articles.
In 1934, Hall founded the Philosophical Research Society (PRS) in Los Angeles, California, a non-profit foundation dedicated to the study of religion, mythology, metaphysics, and the occult.[6] PRS maintains a research library of over 50,000 volumes, and also sells and publishes metaphysical & spiritual books, mostly those authored by Hall.
Major Works
The Secret Teachings of All Ages (1928), Meditation Symbols In Eastern & Western Mysticism-Mysteries of the Mandala, The Philosophical Research Society,Inc.,1988.
Links between this movement and early secret societies?
Her works, written between 1919 and 1949, describe a wide-ranging system of esoteric thought covering such topics as how spirituality relates to the solar system, meditation, healing, spiritual psychology, the destiny of nations, and prescriptions for society in general. She described the majority of her work as having been telepathically dictated to her by a "Master of the Wisdom," initially referred to only as "the Tibetan," or by the initials "D.K.," later identified as "Djwhal Khul."
Her writings were influenced by the works of Madame Blavatsky. Though Bailey's writings differ from Theosophy, they also have much in common with it. She wrote about religious themes, including Christianity, though her writings are fundamentally different from many aspects of Christianity and of other orthodox religions. Her vision of a unified society includes a global "spirit of religion" different from traditional religious forms and including the concept of the Age of Aquarius.
At age 15, on June 30th, 1895, Bailey was visited by a stranger, "...a tall man, dressed in European clothes and wearing a turban" who told her she needed to develop self-control to prepare for certain work planned for her to do.[15] She supposed this individual was Jesus, but later she identified him as Master Koot Hoomi.
In 1923, with the help of Foster Bailey, Alice Bailey also founded the Arcane School (also part of Lucis Trust), which gave (and still gives) a series of correspondence courses based on her heterodox version of Theosophy, which accepted the basic Theosophical views on karma, reincarnation, masters, a divine plan, and humanity's achievement of their original divine status (Bailey, pp. 192–193).
The Lucis Trust website and Alice Bailey's autobiography also state that, together with Foster Bailey, she created the "World Goodwill" organization to promote what she called “Love in Action.” The stated purposes of World Goodwill, according to its sponsoring organization, the Lucis Trust, are: "To help mobilise the energy of goodwill; To cooperate in the work of preparation for the reappearance of the Christ; To educate public opinion on the causes of the major world problems and to help create the thoughtform of solution.
Underlying her writings is the idea that all is energy and that spirit, matter, and the psychic forces intermediate between them are forms of energy. This energy is life itself. From one essential energy, divinity, proceed seven rays that underlie and shape the evolution of human life and the entire phenomenal world. On a cosmic level these seven rays of energy are the creative forces of planets and stars. On a microcosmic level they are the creative forces conditioning the physical, psychic, and spiritual constitution of man. (Jurriaance, p. 73-152)
She had alot to say racially and I will not go into it here so as not to foster any "labelism" but her views are definatly mirrored in alot of conspiracy issues alive and well today, especially contemplation on what she labeled as "The Jewish Problem", and her views towards Ayran race, and the level of spiritual evolution in ralation to the worlds races. Her views along with Blavatsky has shaped the core of the new age religions that will take root in the 60s, and in retrospect could be affecting our views today.
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):
Initiation, Human and Solar (1922), Letters on Occult Meditation (1922), A Treatise on Cosmic Fire (1925), Light of the Soul: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (1927), A Treatise on White Magic (1934), Discipleship in the New Age — Volume I (1944), Discipleship in the New Age — Volume II (1955), Problems of Humanity (1947), The Reappearance of the Christ (1948), The Destiny of the Nations (1949), Glamor - A World Problem (1950), Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle (1950), Education in the New Age (1954), The Externalization of the Hierarchy (1957), A Treatise on the Seven Rays (1936-1960)
Credited to Alice A. Bailey alone (works in which Bailey claimed sole authorship of the material):
The Consciousness of the Atom (1922), The Soul and its Mechanism (1930), From Intellect to Intuition, and more.
Some of her works engage in the same mentality we now find in quantum theory. And she was a big mover and shaker in setting up established movements that are still alive and well today.
Manly Palmer Hall (March 18, 1901 - August 29, 1990) was a Canadian-born author and mystic. He is perhaps most famous for his work The Secret Teachings of All Ages: An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy, published in 1928 when he was 27 years old.
He was made a knight patron of the Masonic Research Group of San Francisco in 1953, although he was not raised until 22 November 1954 into Jewel Lodge No. 374 , San Francisco. He later received his 32° in the Valley of San Francisco AASR (SJ). In 1973 (47 years after writing The Secret Teachings of All Ages), Hall was recognized as a 33º Mason (the highest honor conferred by the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite), at a ceremony held at PRS on December 8th.
In his over 70-year career, Hall delivered approximately 8,000 lectures in the United States and abroad, authored over 150 books and essays, and wrote countless magazine articles.
In 1934, Hall founded the Philosophical Research Society (PRS) in Los Angeles, California, a non-profit foundation dedicated to the study of religion, mythology, metaphysics, and the occult.[6] PRS maintains a research library of over 50,000 volumes, and also sells and publishes metaphysical & spiritual books, mostly those authored by Hall.
Major Works
The Secret Teachings of All Ages (1928), Meditation Symbols In Eastern & Western Mysticism-Mysteries of the Mandala, The Philosophical Research Society,Inc.,1988.
Links between this movement and early secret societies?
Who or what are these ascended masters?
Ascended Masters and the Great White Brotherhood
Ascended Masters, in the Ascended Master Teachings is derived from the Theosophical concept of Masters of Wisdom or "Mahatmas". They are believed to be spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans, but who have undergone a process of spiritual transformation. The term "Ascended Master" was first introduced in 1934 with the publication of Unveiled Mysteries by Guy Ballard in The "I AM" Activity. This term was further popularized by others in books like The Bridge to Freedom (1951), The Summit Lighthouse (1958), The Temple of The Presence (1995), and various other organizations.
Esotericism is defined as the belief that secret societies and mystery schools possess advanced spiritual knowledge. Such beliefs are extremely ancient. This idea was re-introduced in the West by the Rosicrucians in the 17th century.
The founder of the Theosophical Society, H. P. Blavatsky, in the late 19th century brought attention to the idea of secret initiatory knowledge, by claiming her ideas were based on traditions transmitted to her by occult means from a group of highly evolved humans which she called the Mahatmas or Masters. These Mahatmas, she claimed, were physical beings living in the Himalayas, usually understood as Tibet.
".. they are living men, born as we are born, and doomed to die like every mortal. We call them “masters” because they are our teachers; and because from them we have derived all the Theosophical truths... They are men of great learning, whom we call Initiates, and still greater holiness of life."
While some of her critics believe the Masters are pure fantasy, other writers suggest that her changing stories were meant to hide the identities of real human teachers guiding her work. In assessing the veracity of Blavatsky's claim regarding the existence of these Masters, it is worth noting that at least 25 other people left a written account of having met the Mahatmas themselves during Blavatsky's lifetime. Blavatsky claimed that she personally met numerous Masters on countless occasions, and was also the guest of the Master Koot Hoomi while visiting the "Little Tibet" region of Kashmir.
The Masters are collectively called the "Great White Brotherhood" in Theosophical belief systems. The use of the term "white" refers to their advanced spirituality (i.e., that they have a white colored aura) and has nothing to do with race. Blavatsky described many of the Masters as ethnically Tibetan or Indian (Hindu), not European. She did, however, describe them as being from all cultures and races, such as the "Greek gentleman" known as Hilarion.
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, Confucius, Gautama Buddha, Mary the Mother of Jesus, Lady Master Nada, Enoch, Pope John Paul II, Kwan Yin, Saint Germain, Sanat Kumara, Kuthumi. 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.
Does this ideology sound familiar and could not the alien presence be in any way related? Are what we see today, in which a higher being with a higher understanding, perhaps a different "density" in any way elated to what these people were experiencing in early days? Could we easily replace the phrase "ascended master" with "alien intelligence". After all they are here to help humanity durring an upcoming "shift".
Ascended Masters and the Great White Brotherhood
Ascended Masters, in the Ascended Master Teachings is derived from the Theosophical concept of Masters of Wisdom or "Mahatmas". They are believed to be spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans, but who have undergone a process of spiritual transformation. The term "Ascended Master" was first introduced in 1934 with the publication of Unveiled Mysteries by Guy Ballard in The "I AM" Activity. This term was further popularized by others in books like The Bridge to Freedom (1951), The Summit Lighthouse (1958), The Temple of The Presence (1995), and various other organizations.
Esotericism is defined as the belief that secret societies and mystery schools possess advanced spiritual knowledge. Such beliefs are extremely ancient. This idea was re-introduced in the West by the Rosicrucians in the 17th century.
The founder of the Theosophical Society, H. P. Blavatsky, in the late 19th century brought attention to the idea of secret initiatory knowledge, by claiming her ideas were based on traditions transmitted to her by occult means from a group of highly evolved humans which she called the Mahatmas or Masters. These Mahatmas, she claimed, were physical beings living in the Himalayas, usually understood as Tibet.
".. they are living men, born as we are born, and doomed to die like every mortal. We call them “masters” because they are our teachers; and because from them we have derived all the Theosophical truths... They are men of great learning, whom we call Initiates, and still greater holiness of life."
While some of her critics believe the Masters are pure fantasy, other writers suggest that her changing stories were meant to hide the identities of real human teachers guiding her work. In assessing the veracity of Blavatsky's claim regarding the existence of these Masters, it is worth noting that at least 25 other people left a written account of having met the Mahatmas themselves during Blavatsky's lifetime. Blavatsky claimed that she personally met numerous Masters on countless occasions, and was also the guest of the Master Koot Hoomi while visiting the "Little Tibet" region of Kashmir.
The Masters are collectively called the "Great White Brotherhood" in Theosophical belief systems. The use of the term "white" refers to their advanced spirituality (i.e., that they have a white colored aura) and has nothing to do with race. Blavatsky described many of the Masters as ethnically Tibetan or Indian (Hindu), not European. She did, however, describe them as being from all cultures and races, such as the "Greek gentleman" known as Hilarion.
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, Confucius, Gautama Buddha, Mary the Mother of Jesus, Lady Master Nada, Enoch, Pope John Paul II, Kwan Yin, Saint Germain, Sanat Kumara, Kuthumi. 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.
Does this ideology sound familiar and could not the alien presence be in any way related? Are what we see today, in which a higher being with a higher understanding, perhaps a different "density" in any way elated to what these people were experiencing in early days? Could we easily replace the phrase "ascended master" with "alien intelligence". After all they are here to help humanity durring an upcoming "shift".
Three major religious societies were founded on the teaching of these Ascended Masters:
The "I AM" Activity is a religious movement founded in the early 1930s by Guy Ballard (1878–1939) and his wife Edna (1886-1971) in Chicago, Illinois. It is an offshoot of theosophy and a major predecessor of several New Age religions including the Church Universal and Triumphant. The movement had up to a million followers in 1938 and is still active today on a smaller scale. According to the official website of the parent organization, the Saint Germain Foundation, its worldwide headquarters is located in Schaumburg, Illinois and there are approximately 300 local groups worldwide under several variations of the names "I AM" Sanctuary, "I AM" Temple, and other similar titles.
The movement believes in the existence of a group called the Ascended Masters, a hierarchy of supernatural beings that includes Comte de Saint Germain, Jesus, El Morya, Gautama Buddha, Maitreya, and thousands more. These are believed to be humans who have lived in physical bodies, became immortal and left the cycles of "re-embodiment" and karma, and attained their "Ascension". The Ascended Masters are believed to communicate to humanity through certain humans, including Guy and Edna Ballard. Because Jesus is believed to be one of the Ascended Masters, making the "Christ Light" available to seekers who wish to move out of darkness, many of the members of the "I AM" Activity consider it to be a Christian religion.
The Bridge to Freedom was established in 1951 by Geraldine Innocente and other Students of the Ascended Masters, after she received what was believed to be an Anointing to become a Messenger for the Great White Brotherhood. This organization believed that their teachings had been given to humanity by the Ascended Masters. These were believed to be individuals who had lived in physical bodies, acquired the Wisdom and Mastery needed to become Immortal and Free of the cycles of "re-embodiment" and karma, and attained their "Ascension". They considered the "Ascension" to be the complete permanent union of the purified outer self with the "I AM" Presence - that True Identity that is the unique Individualization of God of each person.
The members of The Bridge to Freedom claimed that a Dispensation and Sponsorship was given by the Ascended Masters for this Ascended Master Activity to be an outer organization representing the "Great Brotherhood of Light", and a continuation of the previous efforts by the Ascended Masters to bring Illumination to mankind through Theosophy, Agni Yoga, and the "I AM" Activity.
The members of The Bridge to Freedom believed that Ascended Master El Morya contacted Geraldine Innocente in 1944 and asked her to make a certain application on a daily basis. The story was told that Morya returned one year later asking if she would consent to receive a series of Discourses from the Maha Chohan. Geraldine was said to have agreed, and then underwent years of training in preparation for her role in the 1950s as a Messenger for the Ascended Masters, Archangels, Cosmic Beings, Elohim, and Others of the Spiritual Hierarchy. She served officially in the capacity of Messenger in from the inaugural Vesta Dictation on July 17, 1951 until her transition on June 21, 1961.
The Summit Lighthouse (TSL) is an organization founded by Mark L. Prophet in 1958 and was later joined by his wife Elizabeth Clare Prophet. Their followers believe they are messengers of the Ascended Masters. This organization believes that their teachings have been given to humanity by the Ascended Masters. These are believed to be individuals who have lived in physical bodies, acquired the Wisdom and Mastery needed to become Immortal and Free of the cycles of "re-embodiment" and karma, and attained their "Ascension". They consider the "Ascension" to be the complete permanent union of the purified outer self with the "I AM" Presence - that True Identity that is the unique Individualization of God of each person.
Over the years, The Summit Lighthouse has evolved and comprises the following separate yet overlapping associations:
Church Universal and Triumphant was established in 1974 by Elizabeth Clare Prophet when the board of directors for the TSL incorporated the church to meet the religious needs of an expanding body of spiritual seekers.
Summit University is the educational branch of TSL. Founded by Mark Prophet in 1971, it served as a platform for the release of the original teachings of the ascended masters for nearly three decades. Its current mission is to organize the abundance of teachings into well-defined course of study for seekers worldwide.
Summit University Press is a leading publisher of books and audio on spirituality and personal growth. Founded in 1975, it has been a pioneer in practical spirituality.
Keepers of the Flame Fraternity is a non-denominational fraternity in the tradition of ancient spiritual orders. It was founded in Washington, D.C. by Saint Germain in 1961 as a way of uniting warriors of light who pledge to see this earth through a golden age of freedom, peace and enlightenment by keeping the flame of life.
It is a worldwide organization; branches of Church Universal and Triumphant appear in many cities across the globe. The headquarters of TSL are based in Gardiner, Montana, USA.
The "I AM" Activity is a religious movement founded in the early 1930s by Guy Ballard (1878–1939) and his wife Edna (1886-1971) in Chicago, Illinois. It is an offshoot of theosophy and a major predecessor of several New Age religions including the Church Universal and Triumphant. The movement had up to a million followers in 1938 and is still active today on a smaller scale. According to the official website of the parent organization, the Saint Germain Foundation, its worldwide headquarters is located in Schaumburg, Illinois and there are approximately 300 local groups worldwide under several variations of the names "I AM" Sanctuary, "I AM" Temple, and other similar titles.
The movement believes in the existence of a group called the Ascended Masters, a hierarchy of supernatural beings that includes Comte de Saint Germain, Jesus, El Morya, Gautama Buddha, Maitreya, and thousands more. These are believed to be humans who have lived in physical bodies, became immortal and left the cycles of "re-embodiment" and karma, and attained their "Ascension". The Ascended Masters are believed to communicate to humanity through certain humans, including Guy and Edna Ballard. Because Jesus is believed to be one of the Ascended Masters, making the "Christ Light" available to seekers who wish to move out of darkness, many of the members of the "I AM" Activity consider it to be a Christian religion.
The Bridge to Freedom was established in 1951 by Geraldine Innocente and other Students of the Ascended Masters, after she received what was believed to be an Anointing to become a Messenger for the Great White Brotherhood. This organization believed that their teachings had been given to humanity by the Ascended Masters. These were believed to be individuals who had lived in physical bodies, acquired the Wisdom and Mastery needed to become Immortal and Free of the cycles of "re-embodiment" and karma, and attained their "Ascension". They considered the "Ascension" to be the complete permanent union of the purified outer self with the "I AM" Presence - that True Identity that is the unique Individualization of God of each person.
The members of The Bridge to Freedom claimed that a Dispensation and Sponsorship was given by the Ascended Masters for this Ascended Master Activity to be an outer organization representing the "Great Brotherhood of Light", and a continuation of the previous efforts by the Ascended Masters to bring Illumination to mankind through Theosophy, Agni Yoga, and the "I AM" Activity.
The members of The Bridge to Freedom believed that Ascended Master El Morya contacted Geraldine Innocente in 1944 and asked her to make a certain application on a daily basis. The story was told that Morya returned one year later asking if she would consent to receive a series of Discourses from the Maha Chohan. Geraldine was said to have agreed, and then underwent years of training in preparation for her role in the 1950s as a Messenger for the Ascended Masters, Archangels, Cosmic Beings, Elohim, and Others of the Spiritual Hierarchy. She served officially in the capacity of Messenger in from the inaugural Vesta Dictation on July 17, 1951 until her transition on June 21, 1961.
The Summit Lighthouse (TSL) is an organization founded by Mark L. Prophet in 1958 and was later joined by his wife Elizabeth Clare Prophet. Their followers believe they are messengers of the Ascended Masters. This organization believes that their teachings have been given to humanity by the Ascended Masters. These are believed to be individuals who have lived in physical bodies, acquired the Wisdom and Mastery needed to become Immortal and Free of the cycles of "re-embodiment" and karma, and attained their "Ascension". They consider the "Ascension" to be the complete permanent union of the purified outer self with the "I AM" Presence - that True Identity that is the unique Individualization of God of each person.
Over the years, The Summit Lighthouse has evolved and comprises the following separate yet overlapping associations:
Church Universal and Triumphant was established in 1974 by Elizabeth Clare Prophet when the board of directors for the TSL incorporated the church to meet the religious needs of an expanding body of spiritual seekers.
Summit University is the educational branch of TSL. Founded by Mark Prophet in 1971, it served as a platform for the release of the original teachings of the ascended masters for nearly three decades. Its current mission is to organize the abundance of teachings into well-defined course of study for seekers worldwide.
Summit University Press is a leading publisher of books and audio on spirituality and personal growth. Founded in 1975, it has been a pioneer in practical spirituality.
Keepers of the Flame Fraternity is a non-denominational fraternity in the tradition of ancient spiritual orders. It was founded in Washington, D.C. by Saint Germain in 1961 as a way of uniting warriors of light who pledge to see this earth through a golden age of freedom, peace and enlightenment by keeping the flame of life.
It is a worldwide organization; branches of Church Universal and Triumphant appear in many cities across the globe. The headquarters of TSL are based in Gardiner, Montana, USA.
The last of the religious societies that were founded on the teaching of these Ascended Masters:
The Temple of The Presence was established in 1995 by Carolyn Shearer and Monroe Shearer, after they received an Anointing to become Messengers for the Ascended Masters, Archangels, Cosmic Beings, Elohim, and Others of the Spiritual Hierarchy. This organization believes that their teachings have been given to humanity by the Ascended Masters. These are believed to be individuals who have lived in physical bodies, acquired the Wisdom and Mastery needed to become Immortal and Free of the cycles of "re-embodiment" and karma, and attained their "Ascension". They consider the "Ascension" to be the complete permanent union of the raised and purified outer self with the "I AM" Presence - that True Identity that is the unique Individualization of the Most High Living God of each person.
Their mission statement is as follows:
"The goals, purposes, and objectives of The Temple of The Presence are to assist individual Lightbearers to become one with God through the Ascension; to proclaim and advocate the practice of the Ascended Master Teachings as a worldwide Faith and Religion; to foster a spiritual arena where Students, Lightbearers, Torch Bearers, Chelas, and Disciples can cooperate with the Ascended Masters’ initiative to sponsor an Activity operating directly under Their aegis, and where Lightbearers can actively engage in a greater level of World Service under the Masters’ direct participation and leadership; to foster an assembly of Disciples pledged to conscious cooperation with Saint Germain and His Plan to bring in the Golden Age; and to boldly uphold and proclaim the eternal Truth of Cosmic Law through the publication and dissemination of the Dictations and Discourses of the Ascended Masters in the written and spoken word, utilizing all available means to contact, nurture and enlighten Lightbearers throughout the world."
Does any of this remind you of the phrases and doctrines focused on today in this "new awakening"?
The Temple of The Presence was established in 1995 by Carolyn Shearer and Monroe Shearer, after they received an Anointing to become Messengers for the Ascended Masters, Archangels, Cosmic Beings, Elohim, and Others of the Spiritual Hierarchy. This organization believes that their teachings have been given to humanity by the Ascended Masters. These are believed to be individuals who have lived in physical bodies, acquired the Wisdom and Mastery needed to become Immortal and Free of the cycles of "re-embodiment" and karma, and attained their "Ascension". They consider the "Ascension" to be the complete permanent union of the raised and purified outer self with the "I AM" Presence - that True Identity that is the unique Individualization of the Most High Living God of each person.
Their mission statement is as follows:
"The goals, purposes, and objectives of The Temple of The Presence are to assist individual Lightbearers to become one with God through the Ascension; to proclaim and advocate the practice of the Ascended Master Teachings as a worldwide Faith and Religion; to foster a spiritual arena where Students, Lightbearers, Torch Bearers, Chelas, and Disciples can cooperate with the Ascended Masters’ initiative to sponsor an Activity operating directly under Their aegis, and where Lightbearers can actively engage in a greater level of World Service under the Masters’ direct participation and leadership; to foster an assembly of Disciples pledged to conscious cooperation with Saint Germain and His Plan to bring in the Golden Age; and to boldly uphold and proclaim the eternal Truth of Cosmic Law through the publication and dissemination of the Dictations and Discourses of the Ascended Masters in the written and spoken word, utilizing all available means to contact, nurture and enlighten Lightbearers throughout the world."
Does any of this remind you of the phrases and doctrines focused on today in this "new awakening"?
The 60s and counterculture
This is taken from a thread I read some time ago and it is derived from a lengthy article Laurel Canyon and the Birth of the Hippie Generation by Mr. McGowan at "The Center for an Informed American"
Many cults formed during the 60s and 70s during this counter culture that desired to break away from mainstream dogma and search for new ideologies that at made the attempts to answers many questions raised by ESP, Atlantis, past lives, reincarnation, karma. This counterculture took place in the same span as many new theosophical trends came into being, yet has roots in the latter part of the 1800s as epistemological individualism. Other religious figures broke away from tradition going new directions that most dogmatic religions went like the Unification Church. Some were successful while others ended in tragedy like the Jonestown massacre.
What to do with all these clues and information. It has been said that Christianity is a composite religion including ideologies from all over the world at the time. Some even say that Christ himself is a composite character to satisfy the many religions of the time.
Whether it is or not is not my concern because the message itself has ultimately transformed the world and her beliefs.
My question is, are we seeing a reunification of beliefs once again, in which many elements of the world religions are transformed into one religion, through the use of the concerns of the day like spirituality, cosmology, esotericism, complementary and alternative medicine, various religious practices, humanism, collectivism, nature, and environmentalism?
Or are we seeing an emergence of an ideology that has been taught to us through many of these prominent figures and their personal relationships with "higher beings". Are we not seeing this still emerging through all the channeled messages found all over the internet that are all teaching the same basic principles.
Should we consider the messenger, or judge the message by its merits alone.
Are Our Religious Idea's Our Own?
[edit on 15/11/2008 by _Heretic]
This is taken from a thread I read some time ago and it is derived from a lengthy article Laurel Canyon and the Birth of the Hippie Generation by Mr. McGowan at "The Center for an Informed American"
Tavistock (along with people such as Aldous Huxley) was behind the rise of the 60's counter-culture, and the Beatles were closely related to Tavistock. Their image and the way they were sold by the media was not simply some spontaneous creation as many believe. They were part of a massive social experiment that would give rise to what they would call "youth culture." There was a lot of money and effort behind this band from some very powerful people within the music industry and outside of the music industry, too. So yeah, Beatlemania was a total media-Tavistock creation, equipt with busses of screaming girls sent to their early gigs to get the whole media craze started so that everyone would want to become part of "the scene."
As far as the sound goes, the Beatles in and of themselves were not great musicians. However, they had some of the best equipment for that time period and were working with some of the best studio engineers and producers like George Martin. They played a pretty overlooked role in the Beatles' overall sound, especially on their post-1964 albums. The same holds true for many of the US producers.
We know Martin and others were heavily involved in techniques involving music and its relation with the mind, and how brain wave patterns are altered with certain types of music. They also worked closely with people like Gibson in the US on stereo and using what they call sequencing with the stereo. So to the average person listening, they would simply hear the instruments, when really there's actually sequences, which are pulses in certain songs that were conducive to certain mental states and brain wave patterns.
I mean, the Beatles started off as this squeeky-clean band that were playing pretty straight-forward music. Within about two years they were incorporating all these eastern influences and orchestral movements into their music with very interesting sequencing that seemed unlikely to be coming from guys who were only in their mid-20s at the time. So while I do not deny the talent of someone like John Lennon, who indeed was a brilliant person, I have no doubt the Beatles were given "a little help from their friends" along the way.
It is interesting to see how it all ties in and contrasts with the hippy scene here in the US, as McGowan points out in his articles the connections with these 60's California bands to the military and military intelligence. There is definitely a lot more to the picture than what the average person knows.
But just look at '___' and how this all ties in with it. We know that '___' was a CIA mind control drug YEARS before it became popular with the counterculture. And the flood of '___' witnessed around '65-66 was not made by some guy in his bathroom, but by the CIA, who introduced this into society to create a cultural sea change and a move away from the old age (based around traditional Judeo-Christian values), into the new Aquarian age (a return to pantheistic, earth-based religion). This was around the same time when all the eastern mysticism and new age stuff was being introduced to the public. Then we had the slogans... you know, "turn on, tune in, drop out," etc. being pushed by people like Leary, who admittedly was working for the CIA.
The fact is all culture and counter-culture comes from the top-down with an agenda unbeknownst to the general public. It doesn't matter if it's the hippy culture or the grunge culture, or even the rap culture. It's all put out there for a reason, for purposes of social engineering and moving people in a pre-determined direction. People parrot and mimic whatever is given to them as promoted by the media, which in turn fuels culture. That's how something becomes "popular." It is never just a grassroots thing that sprouts on its own, but rather is promoted into existence from the top.
Many cults formed during the 60s and 70s during this counter culture that desired to break away from mainstream dogma and search for new ideologies that at made the attempts to answers many questions raised by ESP, Atlantis, past lives, reincarnation, karma. This counterculture took place in the same span as many new theosophical trends came into being, yet has roots in the latter part of the 1800s as epistemological individualism. Other religious figures broke away from tradition going new directions that most dogmatic religions went like the Unification Church. Some were successful while others ended in tragedy like the Jonestown massacre.
What to do with all these clues and information. It has been said that Christianity is a composite religion including ideologies from all over the world at the time. Some even say that Christ himself is a composite character to satisfy the many religions of the time.
Whether it is or not is not my concern because the message itself has ultimately transformed the world and her beliefs.
My question is, are we seeing a reunification of beliefs once again, in which many elements of the world religions are transformed into one religion, through the use of the concerns of the day like spirituality, cosmology, esotericism, complementary and alternative medicine, various religious practices, humanism, collectivism, nature, and environmentalism?
Or are we seeing an emergence of an ideology that has been taught to us through many of these prominent figures and their personal relationships with "higher beings". Are we not seeing this still emerging through all the channeled messages found all over the internet that are all teaching the same basic principles.
Should we consider the messenger, or judge the message by its merits alone.
Are Our Religious Idea's Our Own?
[edit on 15/11/2008 by _Heretic]
Holy Novel Batman!
Is this your original work?
Starting back from the top (haven't read any yet).
Is this your original work?
Starting back from the top (haven't read any yet).
Damn! That's a lot to read in one sitting. Unfortunately it is late at night and I need to get some sleep right now. But tomorrow I will return to
read all this. As I was scrolling down I saw the lizard looking man in the painting from Blake. I then read up just a bit further and saw he believed
he was instructed, or inspired perhaps, to paint religious based paintings. I believe I have been inspired, nay, even instructed to paint religious
based paintings. And Christianity is the focal point from which I begin each painting. The end results are not always welcomed from the Christians
around here, resulting in people sometimes telling me they will pray for me. Is there a higher power that is pushing this New Age Religion agenda.
I think that is quite possible. Is it something that has been planned for along time, ages, even. Perhaps. I have always had this idea that religion
will continue to be updated and improved as humans are more able to digest the information and apply it to their ever evolving societies. Sometimes it
seems a religion comes along that appears to me to be a backward step. Perhaps because we all weren't ready to get on the last bus in the first
place. Anyway, looking forward to a great read on this thread.
I think religious ideas are natural outpourings of intuitive love for the Creation and/or Creator of life.
I think, as do the Hindus and Buddhists, that every life form wants to survive ... all scurry from pain.
However, in the West, we posit duality that Good resides here, and Evil resides there ...whereas in the East, we say that Good and Evil reside in all of us, and therefore they posit gods of creation and destruction .... whereas misguided westerners tend to believe "God is good" or "God is Love" --- whereas the enlighted soul realizes that "God is good AND evil" and "God is love AND hate".
Therefore, what we're left with is a battle of testosterone against estrogen ... the need for conquest and domination over the need for nurturing and sheltering.
There you have it.
I think, as do the Hindus and Buddhists, that every life form wants to survive ... all scurry from pain.
However, in the West, we posit duality that Good resides here, and Evil resides there ...whereas in the East, we say that Good and Evil reside in all of us, and therefore they posit gods of creation and destruction .... whereas misguided westerners tend to believe "God is good" or "God is Love" --- whereas the enlighted soul realizes that "God is good AND evil" and "God is love AND hate".
Therefore, what we're left with is a battle of testosterone against estrogen ... the need for conquest and domination over the need for nurturing and sheltering.
There you have it.
Originally posted by Lucid Lunacy
Is this your original work?
Strictly cut and paste from wikipedia, totally public domain. (except for the commentary)
I did get the Travistock/Beatle agenda from a great thread HERE
Upon investigating further into connections between the 60s revolution I found that other bands were involved as well although in different ways. Think of all the deaths of famous people during that period.
heres another cut and paste from Wikipedia showing a possible link between the spiritual revolutions of the 17th and 18th centuries and post WWII era new age ideologies.
List of new religious movements
This list of new religious movements (NRMs), lists groups that either identify themselves as religious, ethical or spiritual organizations, or are generally seen as such by religious scholars, which are independent of older denominations, churches, or religious bodies. Although there is no one criterion or set of criteria for describing a group as a "new religious movement", use of the term usually requires that the group be both of recent origin and different from existing religions.
Debate surrounds the phrase "of recent origin". Some authors use World War II as the dividing line, whereas others define as "new" everything after the advent of the Bahá'í Faith (mid-19th century) or even everything after Sikhism (17th century).
Buddhism-oriented
Main article: Schools of Buddhism
* Aum Shinrikyo (now known as Aleph)
* Friends of the Western Buddhist Order
* New Kadampa Tradition
* Share International
* True Buddha School
* Vipassana movement
Christianity-oriented
Main article: List of Christian denominations
* Branhamism
* Body of Christ
* The Brethren (Jim Roberts group), known as the "garbage eaters"
* Children of God
* Church of the Last Testament
* Endeavor Academy
* Foundation for A Course In Miracles
* Grail Movement
* Holy Spirit Movement
* Jesus Movement
* Legio Maria
* Love Family
* Lumpa Church
* Makuya
* Mama Tata
* Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God
* Peoples Temple
* The Living Word Fellowship
* The Process Church of The Final Judgment
* Understanding Principles for Better Living Church
* União do Vegetal
* Unification Church
* Universal Life
Hinduism-oriented
Main articles: Hindu revivalism and List of Hindu organisations
* Advance Party
* Ananda Marga
* Art of Living
* Brahma Kumaris
* Divine Light Mission
* Eckankar
* Sahaja Yoga
* Sathya Sai Baba movement
* Sant Mat
* Savitri Era
* School of Economic Science
* Swadhyaya
* Swaminarayan Faith
Islam-oriented / Quranic
Main article: Muslim sects
See also: Quranic religions
* Dances of Universal Peace
* Faradian Islam
* Nation of Gods and Earths
* United Submitters International
Judaism-oriented
Main article: Jewish denominations
* African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem
* House of Yahweh
Sikhism-oriented
Main article: Sikhism
See also: Category:Sikh groups and sects
Taoism-oriented
Main article: Taoism
* Cheondoism
* Jeung San Do
* Falun Gong
* Way of Former Heaven sects, including
o Daoyuan ("Sanctuary of the Tao"),
o I-Kuan Tao ("Way of Unity"),
o T'ung-shan She ("Society of Goodness"),
o Tien-te Sheng-chiao ("Sacred Religion of Celestial Virtue"),
o Tz'u-hui Tang ("Compassion Society").
Syncretic
Main article: Syncretism
Faiths created from blending earlier religions or that consider all or some religions to be essentially the same, often founded by Messiah/Buddha/Mahdi claimants who profess to fulfill several prophecies at once.
* Arès Pilgrim Movement
* Bwiti
* Cao Dai
* Church Universal and Triumphant
* Huna
* I-Kuan Tao
* Konkokyo
* Matrixism
* Modekngei
* Osho/Rajneeshism
* Santo Daime
* Seicho-No-Ie
* Tenrikyo
* Universal Life Church
* Vale do Amanhecer
Esotericism, New Age,Occultism, Spiritism
Main articles: Esotericism, New Age, Occultism, and Spiritism
* Church Universal and Triumphant
* Direct Worship of the Actual God
* Eckankar
* Kenja Communication
* Order of the Solar Temple
* Process Church of the Final Judgement
* Ramtha's School of Enlightenment
* Silva Mind Control
* Summum
* Church of Synanon
* Union Espiritista Cristiana de Filipinas, Inc.
* Universal Faithists of Kosmon
* Urantia
* Vale do Amanhecer
UFO religions
Main article: UFO religion
* Aetherius Society
* Avatar
* Chen Tao
* Heaven's Gate
* Raelism
* Universe people
* Unarius Academy of Science
* Scientology[2][3][4]
Seems like alot has happened recently in religious circles. Why such a change? What's with all the "upgrades"?
And concerning the theory of the CIAs involvement in the drug culture one has only to investigate the Iran Contra Affair and do the math. Were the 60s a launching point for these operations?
We must always remember to thank the CIA and the Army for '___'. That's what people forget. Everything is the opposite of what it is, isn't it, Harry? So get out the bottle, boy -- and relax. They invented '___' to control people and what they did was give us freedom.
Playboy Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono: 1980
Was all this manipulation going on in the 60s aimed at preventing an awakening or an attempt at creating one?
is there evidence of an intervention here, a self proclaimed divine intervention
upgrades brought to us by "beings" who have already "ascended" just like some are hoping to in 2012
other "upgrades" occurred in science around the turn of the 1900s. Cars, flight, telephones, electricity, and so much more. Were these men contacted too?
Who the hell is behind the curtain?
[edit on 15/11/2008 by _Heretic]
most likely by a bunch of enlightened individuals today (illuminati) who needed slaves to further their cause..built their walls and so on. the word
RE ligion is nothing but recycled beliefs way back from ancient civilization. nothing but a tool. as for whether there is a God or not. is just like
having to explain what happens after death.
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