LTC Channon believes the Army can be the principal moral and ethical basis on which politics can harmonize in the name of the Earth. Since “Earthkind” has grown from pack to village, to tribe, to territory, and then to nation, LTC Channon envisions going from nation to planet next, and thereby declares the First Earth Battalion’s primary allegiance to the planet. Making the planet whole requires the ethical use of force based on the collective conscience. In his operations field manual titled ”Evolutionary Tactics”, LTC Channon lists some of the important missions of the Earth Battalion as:

* Urban pioneers

* Counter hostage force

* Disaster rescue

* Eco pioneers

* Animal rescue

The First Earth Battalion will organize itself informally: uniforms without uniformity, structure without status, and unity powered by diversity, since its members will be multicultural, with each race contributing to “rainbow power.” As a guiding principle, members of the First Earth Battalion seek nondestructive methods of conflict resolution because their first loyalty is to the planet.

The Warrior Monk Ethos=

Service members of the First Earth Battalion would practice meditation, yogic cat stretches and primal screams to attain battle-readiness, and use tui na or shiatsu as battlefield first aid. First Earth Battalion trainees would learn to fast for a week drinking only juice and then eat only nuts and grains for a month. They would be able to: fall in love with everyone, realize the different paths of spirit, perceive the auras of living organisms, attain the power to pass through objects such as walls (phasing), bend metal by using the power of the mind (i.e. psychokinesis), walk on fire, operate based on spirit communications (e.g. mediumship), become a peacemaker, actually change a violent pattern in the world (e.g. the Maharishi Effect), organize a tree plant with kids, calculate faster than a computer, control their heart rate—including making it stop—with no ill effects, intuit information from the past (retrocognition) or future (precognition), have out-of-body experiences, live off nature for twenty days, be 90%+ a vegetarian, and be able to intuit other people’s thoughts and feelings via telepathy LTC Channon coined the term “warrior monk” for these new service members of the First Earth Battalion, which is anyone who has the presence, service and dedication of a monk and the absolute skill and precision of a warrior. In “The Warrior Monk’s Vision,” Channon imagines an Army made up of awakened warriors. Channon’s ideal warrior monk would be proficient at every level of force. The warrior monk will learn different self-defense systems of martial arts (such as taiji, aikido, etc.), which are based on the notion of using the force of their attackers against themselves. To alleviate negative stressors and promote healing in self and others, the warrior monk will employ various affirmation, relaxation and visualization techniques, as well as a number of methods like yoga qigong and reiki to help strengthen and improve the mind/body connection with spirit.

The Credo

According to the book ”Mind Wars” by Ronald McRae, each member of the First Earth Battalion is sworn to uphold the credo of “high commandos and guerrilla gurus:”

*I have the capacity and therefore the duty to contribute to the development of myself, my associates, and our planet, simultaneously, now!

*I will organize a self-supporting high commando group that will create and perform evolutionary breakthrough actions on behalf of people and planet. One people, one planet.

*I will then pass on this concept to others who are capable of generating further self-organizing commando teams.

*I will await the time when my group can connect naturally with others at higher and higher levels of awareness and performance—the Natural Guard.

”SAMURAI”

One highly emphasized teaching of the First Earth Battalion is known as the ”New Age Synthesis for a Samurai:”

*Seek your own spiritual path of God.

*Actively improve your physical condition.

*Master mental self control for combat.

*Understand others.

*Reinforce team interdependence.

*Actively serve people and planet.

*Indulge in happiness and humor.

Earth Prayer

In the operations field manual ”Evolutionary Tactics,” it states that members of the First Earth Battalion will practice non-denominational techniques for spiritual bonding. One spiritual practice of the First Earth Battalion is called the ”Earth Prayer”:

Adapted from the Wikipedia article First Earth Battalion, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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astral body is a subtle body posited by many religious philosophers, intermediate between the intelligent soul and the physical body, composed of a subtle material. The concept ultimately derives from the philosophy of Plato: it is related to an astral plane, which consists of the planetary heavens of astrology. The term was adopted by nineteenth-century Theosophists and neo-Rosicrucians.

The idea is rooted in common worldwide religious accounts of the afterlife in which the soul’s journey or “ascent” is described in such terms as “an ecstatic.., mystical or out-of body experience, wherein the spiritual traveller leaves the physical body and travels in his/her subtle body (or dreambody or astral body) into ‘higher’ realms”. Hence “the “many kinds of ‘heavens’, ‘hells’ and purgatorial existences believed in by followers of innumerable religions” may also be understood as astral phenomena, as may the various “phenomena of the séance room”. The phenomenon of apparitional experience is therefore related, as is made explicit in Cicero’s Dream of Scipio.

The astral body is sometimes said to be visible as an aura of swirling colours. It is widely linked today with out-of-body experiences or ”astral projection”. Where this refers to a supposed movement around the real world, as in Muldoon and Carrington’s book ”The Projection of the Astral Body”, it conforms to Madame Blavatsky’s usage of the term. Elsewhere this latter is termed “etheric&

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Astral body, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Theosophy

H. P. Blavatsky’s Theosophical teaching represented the convergence of 19th century Western occultism, Eastern philosophy, religion, science, and mysticism. ”The Secret Doctrine”, and ”The Key to Theosophy” combined the Vedantic concept of five koshas with Western esoteric traditions, (particularly Neoplatonism). She refers to a number of subtle bodies or vehicles of consciousness:

* ”Linga Sharira” – the Double or Astral body

* ”Kama rupa” – the “Desire Form”

* ”Manas” – the Mind, Lower and Higher

* ”Buddhi” – the Consciousness, Spiritual Soul (the vehicle of the Spirit)

The Linga Sarira or ”Linga Sharira”, which is part of the lower quaternary is the ”eidolon” of the Greeks, separated from the physical plane by a ”Laya center”. It is the invisible double of the human body elsewhere referred to as the etheric body, etheric double, doppelgänger or bioplasmic body and serves as a model or matrix of the physical body, which conforms to the shape, appearance and condition of this “double”.

The linga sarira can be separated or projected a limited distance from the body. When separated from the body it can be wounded by sharp objects. When it returns to the physical frame, the wound will be reflected in the physical counterpart, a phenomenon called “repercussion.” At death, it is discarded together with the physical body and eventually disintegrates or decompos

Theosophy was further systematised in the writings of C.W. Leadbeater and Annie Besant, who established the Adyar School of Theosophy or neo-Theosophy. They described seven bodies, but they divided Blavatsky’s higher and lower astral and Manas into two bodies each:

* Etheric body

* Astral or emotional body

* Mental body (concrete mind)

* Causal body (abstract mind)

Each “body” has its own

aura and set of chakras, and corresponds to a particular plane of existence. C.W. Leadbeater considered the astral body equivalent to the kama principle of Blavatsky’s septenary series. Annie Besant wrote that the Linga Sarira corresponds to the ”Etheric Double”, contrary to earlier theosophical teachings. The Linga Sarira is considered the vehicle of prana.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Subtle body, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Comparison with Theosophy

Theosophists are divided on their assessment of Alice Bailey’s writings. For instance, the noted contemporary Theosophical writer Geoffrey Hodson wrote a highly favorable review of one her books, saying, “Once more Alice Bailey has placed occult students in her debt.” Olav Hammer writes, “Her first book, ”Initiation Human and Solar,” was at first favorably received by her fellow theosophists. Soon, however, her claims to be recipient of ageless wisdom from the Masters met with opposition.” The conflict is understandable since her works contain some criticisms of Theosophy, and at the time of the break she voiced her criticism of what she saw as dogmatic structures within the society, while questioning the pledges of loyalty to Theosophical leaders that were required. “During the annual convention of 1920 in Chicago, there was a power struggle between forces loyal to Besant and the Esoteric Section and others who believed that the ES had become too powerful. Below the surface was a hidden controversy regarding Alice’s work with the Tibetan.” For a more recent example of Bailey/Theosophy division, see Theosophy in Scandinavia.

Campbell writes that Bailey’s books are a reworking of major Theosophical themes, with some distinctive emphases, and that they present a comprehensive system of esoteric science and occult philosophy, cognizant of contemporary social and political developments. Steven J. Sutcliffe points out that both Bailey and Blavatsky’s work evoke a picture of Tibet as the

Jon Klimo, in ”Investigations on Receiving Information from Paranormal Sources,” writes, “As with Blavatsky/Theosophical material, and more recent contemporary channeled material from other sources, we find in the Bailey work the same occult cosmological hierarchy: physical, etheric, astral, mental, causal, and higher inhabited levels of existence.” Olav Hammer, in the book ”Claiming Knowledge: Strategies of Epistemology from Theosophy to the New Age,” highlights Bailey’s Theosophical similarities as well as noting what he thinks are some differences between them: “To a large extent, Bailey’s teachings are a restatement and amplification of theosophy of the ”Secret Doctrine.” Bailey inherited from Blavatsky and Leadbeater a predilection for profuse details and complex classificatory schemes. … Her books have also introduced shifts in emphasis as well as new doctrinal elements.”

In contrast to the above, some Theosophical critics have contended that there are major differences between Bailey’s ideas and the Theosophy of Blavatsky, such as Bailey’s embrace of some mystical Christian terms and concepts and her acceptance of C.W. Leadbeater.

Nicholas Weeks, writing for the Theosophical magazine ”Fohat” in 1997, felt Bailey’s assertion that “… her teachings are grounded in and do not oppose in any fundamental way Theosophy as lived and taught by HPB and her Gurus” was false, claiming her books are in fact “rooted in the pseudo-theosophy pioneered by C. W. Leadbeater.” He claimed Bailey accepted Leadbeater’s “fantasy” of the return of Maitreya, and disparaged Bailey’s ”Great Invocation”, a prayer supposed to “induce Christ and his Masters to leave their hidden ashrams [and] enter into major cities” to lead the Aquarian Age. This contrasts with the Theosophy of Blavatsky, he says, which emphasizes reliance on “the Christos principle within each person”.

The Blavatskian theosophists.

Some critics and often followers of the so-called Blavatskian theosophy on Atma-Vidya refer to the following quotes. The theosophical Master K.H. was given by H. P. Blavatsky to say: “the Salvation Army by hypnotizing people and making them psychically drunk with excitement, is Black Magic”. And H. P. Blavatsky stated in contrast with Alice A. Bailey’s promotion of a Great Invocation arrival of a Maitreya Saviour in the flesh that: “(a) “the coming of Christ,” means the presence of CHRISTOS in a regenerated world, and not at all the actual coming in body of “Christ” Jesus; (b) this Christ is to be sought neither in the wilderness nor “in the inner chambers,” nor in the sanctuary of any temple or church built by man; for Christ—the true esoteric SAVIOUR—is no man, but the DIVINE PRINCIPLE in every human being. ” This can be compared with Alice A. Bailey.s “The Externalization of the Hierarchy”, p.& 590.

H. P. Blavatsky also said in a letter to the honourable Abbé Roca: ””In carnalizing the central figure of the New Testament, in imposing the dogma of the Word made flesh, the Latin Church sets up a doctrine diametrically opposed to the tenets of Buddhist and Hindu Esotericism and the Greek Gnosis. Therefore, there will always be an abyss between the East and the West, as long as neither of these dogmas yields.”” And further on she said, that a ””true Theosophists will never accept either a Christ made Flesh, according to the Roman dogma, or an anthropomorphic God, still less a “Shepherd” in the person of a Pope””. Alice A. Bailey wrote: ””We have fought over the historical Christ, and thus fighting, have lost sight of His message of love to all beings. Fanatics quarrel over His words, and fail to remember that He was ‘the Word made flesh.’”” Alice A. Bailey wrote: “They will prepare and work for conditions in the world in which Christ can move freely among men, in bodily Presence; He need not then remain in His present retreat in Central Asia. “

Another principle of Theosophy, the Law of Attraction was discussed in esoteric writings by Blavatsky, Annie Besant, William Quan Judge, and others; and was also discussed in the writings of Alice Bailey, including a whole chapter in one of her books. The term has been embraced, in a simplified form, by the contemporary New Age movement and was recently popularized in the film ”The Secret”.

The Seven Rays of energy

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)

In ”Esoteric Psychology I”, the first book of ”A Treatise on the Seven Rays”, Bailey writes that the “one Life sought expansion” resulting in seven aeons, or emanations, manifesting in the expression of life, becoming the “seven Rishis of all the ancient scriptures.”

She enumerates these seven as:

# The Lord of Power or Will

# The Lord of Love-Wisdom

# The Lord of Active Intelligence

# The Lord of Harmony, Beauty and Art

# The Lord of Concrete Knowledge and Science

# The Lord of Devotion and Idealism

# The Lord of Ceremonial Order or Magic

Although described as “Lords” and “persons”, Bailey states that these “great forces” are not to be understood in terms of human personality. She also cautions that any description of such things must be couched in terms of our particular planet, such that humanity can understand it, but that these “pure Being[s] … have purposes and activities in which our Earth plays only a minor part.”

In Bailey’s concept the rays and all things manifest in centers of energy and their relationships. All rays and centers are focuses of some type of evolving life or consciousness. (Jurriaance, p.& 35-52) This includes everything from atoms to centers or chakras in the human constitution, and upwards through the human aura to groups of humans as centers, and cities and nations as centers. (Jurriaance, p.& 79- 90 ) Humanity as a whole is conceived as a center of energy as are the masters of wisdom of which she writes. Likewise, planet Earth as a whole, with all its subsidiary centers of life, is viewed as a center of life within the large life or divinity of our solar system.

The concept of the seven rays can also be found in Theosophical works. Campbell writes that Bailey, “…was the first to develop the idea of the seven rays, although it can be found in germ in earlier Theosophical writings.” The seven rays also appear in Hindu religious philosophy.

The constitution of man

In line with previous Theosophical teachings, Bailey taught that man consists of a ”soul” of abstract mental material, working through a ”personality”—a technical term used to describe the physical, emotional, and less-abstract mental ”bodies” considered holistically. She uses traditional terms for these lower three “vehicles” or “sheaths”: ”etheric” body, ”astral” body and ”mental” body. These auric aspects of the human being are defined as partial emanations or expressions of the soul, which is itself synonymous with the evolving human consciousness. The mind is not conceived to be simply an ephemeral brain effect, but as the motivating energy responsible for the inner constitution of individuals, and which also manifest as the aura.

In Bailey’s writings, ”evolution” is defined as the process of bringing the “lower sheaths” into integration and alignment with the ”will” of the soul—the “at-one-ment” of the personality. It is this transformation that leads to “right human relations” and spiritual revelation or awakening. Discrete steps on the spiritual path are called ”initiations”, which is to say that the evolving consciousness is entering into new and wider fields of awareness, relationships, responsibilities, and power. In terms of her ray concept, the note of the soul is imposed (or superimposed) on the note of the personality.

The spiritual Hierarchy, Sirius, Venus, and Shamballa

Bailey wrote that behind all human evolution stands a brotherhood of enlightened souls who have guided and aided humanity throughout history. For Bailey, the evolution of humanity was intimately bound up with its relationship to this Spiritual Hierarchy. She believed that the stimulating and uplifting influences of religions, philosophies, sciences, educational movements, and human culture in general are the result of this relationship, and though in time humanity debases all these developments, they are all in their original impetus conceived as the result of the Spiritual Hierarchy working in concert with evolving human potentials.

Bailey associated the spiritual hierarchy and its branches with the system of Sirius, the planet Venus, and the mythical land of Shambhala (which she spelled “Shamballa”), the residence of Sanat Kumara, “Lord of the World”. Bailey wrote, “The energy of Sirius by-passes (to use a modern word) Shamballa and is focused in the Hierarchy. [...] The entire work of the Great White Lodge is controlled from Sirius….” Monica Sjoo, in an essay about the New Age movement, explained her interpretation that “Bailey taught that the Hierarchy of Masters exists in Shambhala and that Venusians founded this fabled city some 18 million years ago on the sacred Gobi island, which is now in the Mongolian desert.” It may be noted here that, in Bailey’s concept, “city” is figurative since she states that Shamballa is not physical in the common usage of that word but is rather located in “higher ethers.”

The Great Invocation

The ”Great Invocation” is a mantra given in 1937 to Bailey by Djwhal Khul. The mantra begins with “From the point of Light within the Mind of God, let light stream forth into the minds of men.” with the rest of the passage reinforcing this idea of men acting in accordance with the plan of God. It is well known by some followers of the New Age movement, where it is used as part of meditation, particularly in groups.

The invocation has been used in the Findhorn Foundation community since the 1970s. In response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Great Invocation was used as a central element of a new daily program at Findhorn known as the “Network of Light meditations for peace”. Findhorn’s use of the Great Invocation later spun off to various other groups they had influenced, including groups interested in new age UFO philosophies.

Rosemary Keller described the Great Invocation as a call for “the Christ to return to Earth” and wrote that Bailey-related groups purchased radio and television time to broadcast the invocation as part of their mission, and that often the invocation was recited in what Keller called “light groups”, to accomplish what Bailey’s disciples considered to be attracting and focusing “spiritual energies to benefit the planet”. Researcher Hannah Newman described what she found to be an antisemitic element in the Great Invocation. According to Newman, “the Plan” named in the invocation refers to the plan authored by “the Hierarchy”, that Newman states places “high priority on removing all Jewish presence and influence from human consciousness, a goal to be achieved by eliminating Judaism.”

Discipleship and service

Bailey elaborated the relation of humanity to the Hierarchy in her teaching on ”Discipleship in the New Age”. A ”disciple” is an accepted student, or chela, in the spiritual ashram of a Master. In this scheme, all awakening souls stand in some relationship—for a long time unconsciously, but eventually in full conscious awareness—to some particular Master. The integrated personality, coming under the influence of the soul, is simultaneously coming under the influence of this Master. This relationship is determined by karma, by evolutionary status, and (most importantly) by the aspirant’s capacity for work to be done on behalf of humanity. This ”service” aspect is strongly emphasized throughout Bailey’s writings. In her concept, the greatly increased (“stepped-up”) evolution of consciousness that results from this Master–pupil relationship is made possible ”only” in and through service to humanity.

Bailey’s writing downplayed the traditional devotional and aspirational aspects of the spiritual life, in favor of serving “the Plan of the Hierarchy” by serving humanity. According to her, this is primary, and everything hinges upon it. For Bailey, ”discipleship” means work—”service”—and the evolution of those sensitivities and powers that enhance that labor. Disciples will never gain such powers or awareness unless and until they will be used solely for unselfish service. (Bailey, p.& 38)

Unity and divinity of nations and groups

Underlying Alice Bailey’s writing is the central concepts of unity and divinity.

Although she often identified groups of people by their race, nationality, or religion, she said the key matter was not race or religion per se, but the evolution of consciousness that transcends these labels. In her writings about the races, she focused on the humanitarian concept of unity and stated that the source of human problems is the spirit of separation that causes individuals and groups to set themselves apart from the rest of humanity. (Bailey, p.& 375)

Ross describes Bailey’s teachings as emphasizing the “underlying unity of all forms of life”, and the “essential oneness of all religions, of all departments of science, and of all the philosophies.” Campbell notes that the New Group of World Servers was established for “… promotion of international understanding, economic sharing, and religious unity.”

On fanaticism and intolerance

Alice Bailey wrote strongly against all forms of fanaticism and intolerance. She saw this fanaticism in churches, in nationalism, and in competing esoteric schools. (Bailey pp.& 15 & 453) She associated this fanaticism with unintelligent devotion and holding on to old ways and ancient theologies. Bailey indicated that these problems were found mostly in the older generations, that their fanaticism would limit their personal growth and that they would mostly find a solution for that limitation through devotion, and the forward movement of spiritual evolution.

Racial theories

Bailey upheld theories of racial differentiation that posited a division of humanity into races that are on different levels in a “ladder of evolution”. These ‘races’ do not represent a national or physical type, but a state of evolution. For example, she states that the Aryans (or ’5th race’), as an “emerging new race”, are the most recently evolved people on Earth, although the term ‘Aryan’ as used by her has a quite distinct meaning from the separative and racist use of the word. It refers not only to Caucasian peoples, but to origins in Indo-Persia, and indicates a culture where thought and intellect is dominant. In her book ”Education in the New Age”, Bailey made predictions about the use of occult racial theories in the schools of the future, which she said would be based on the idea of ‘root races’ (originally vast prehistoric spans of time covering thousands of years when a particular human facet was being developed) such as ”Lemurians” (physically adept), ”Atlanteans” (emotionally adept), Aryans (mentally adept), and the ”New Race” with “group qualities and consciousness and idealistic vision.”. However, she holds that the forthcoming ‘sixth sub-race’ (evolving from various facets of current ‘fifth race’ intellectual culture) cannot reach its peak until the ‘sixth race’ proper (due many thousands of years hence), and may therefore not be the advance some of her New Age followers wish for. In her ”The Destiny of the Nations”, Bailey described a process by which this “new race” will evolve from Caucasians, after which “low grade human bodies will disappear, causing a general shift in the racial types toward a higher standard.”

Her writings in this area were criticized by Victor Shnirelman, a cultural anthropologist and ethnographer, who in a survey of modern Neopaganism in Russia, drew particular attention to “… groups [that] take an extremely negative view of multi-culturalism, object to the ‘mixture’ of kinds, [and] support isolationism and the prohibition of immigration.” He noted that a number of Bailey’s books, as well as those of her contemporary Julius Evola, had been recently translated into Russian, and said that “… racist and antisemitic trends are explicit, for example, in the occult teachings of Alice Bailey and her followers, who wish to cleanse Christianity of its ‘Jewish inheritance’ and reject the ‘Jewish Bible’ as a prerequisite for entering the Age of Aquarius.”.

Monica Sjöö, a Swedish-born British artist, writer, and supporter of the Goddess movement, wrote that Bailey, through her published teachings, had a “reactionary and racist influence on the whole New Age movement.” She also noted what she called Bailey’s (and Theosophy’s) “pro-fascist religious views”, such as the belief in a secret elite of “Masters” who control world events and human minds through occult means and attempt to bring about the evolution of an Aryan super-race (although this is an understandably modern misunderstanding of her teaching – ‘Aryan’ as used by Bailey is easily confused with the modern terminology, and the “Masters” are not an elite, but instead are ‘enlightened’ individuals originally introduced in Theosophy as having evolved beyond the human or “4th kingdom” into the 5th or “Kingdom of souls”, and who – in her view – guide the human race as a whole).

On the Negro race

Bailey stated that the Negro race contains a large number of “child souls”, leading lives of “physical activity motivated by the desire for satisfaction of some kind, and by a shallow “wish-life” or desire nature, and almost entirely oriented towards the physical life.” She also wrote of the need for the white races to train the Negroes of Africa so that they will be fitted for true self-government.

She described Negro people as “creative, artistic and capable of the highest mental development when taught and trained — as capable as is the white man;” and she emphasized the need for the white races to accord the Negro “the respect and the opportunity which is due him”, stating that “The future peace of the world depends today upon enlightened, farseeing statesmanship and an appreciation of the fact that God has made all men free.”

She wrote that what she described as “the Negro Problem” is divided into two areas: “the problem of the future of the African Negro and the problem of the future of the Negro in the western hemisphere.”

On “the Negro problem” in Africa

Bailey considered the indigenous people of Africa to be in the “embryonic stage” of evolutionary development, and wrote that, “Behind the many separative religious cults of that dark land, there emerges a fundamental and pure mysticism, ranging all the way from nature worship and a primitive animism to a deep occult knowledge and an esoteric understanding which may some day make Africa the seat of the purest form of occult teaching and living.” She said that “Right human relations must be firmly established between the emerging Negro empire and the rest of the world; the new ideals and the new world trends must be fostered in the receptive Negro consciousness and in this way darkest Africa will become a radiant center of light, ready for self-government and expressing true freedom.”

On “the Negro problem” in the Americas

Regarding the relations between the Negro race and other races in the Western Hemisphere, Bailey wrote that it “constitutes a very ugly story, seriously implicates the white man and provides an outstanding disgrace”, and that “The white people face a grave responsibility and it lies in their hands to change conditions.” She was a vocal advocate of humane treatment and equal rights for the Negro race, acknowledged that they had been subject to much cruelty and exploitation by the white race, but also said that good had come of this for Negroes, and described reason for optimism regarding their future prospects. She advocated improvement in the situation of the Negro in the United States, calling for the people of America to end discrimination, to accept the Negro population as brothers and friends and thereby bring about positive change. She also wrote that in the black peoples attempt to resolve their problem of separation in society, “the spiritual forces of the world are on the side of the Negro.”

On the Jewish people

Bailey wrote much about the Jewish people, referring to them collectively as a race, with group karma, characteristics, and behaviors. Specifically, she was of the opinion that Jews embody the characteristics of “materialism, cruelty and a spiritual conservatism” and the “separative, selfish, lower concrete mind.”

On the social characteristics of the Jews

Bailey described Jews as “the most reactionary and conservative race in the world”, explaining this as a result of their need to preserve their cultural identity as a wandering people under persecution. She wrote that, “People complain (and it is frequently true) the Jews lower the atmosphere of any district in which they reside. They hang their bedding and their clothing out of the windows. They live on the streets, sitting in groups on the sidewalks.”

She wrote that Jews “take what they want, to see to it that their children get the best of everything available, no matter what the cost to others”; they “blame the non-Jewish nations for their miseries”; and, “The Jew needs to recognize his share in bringing about the dislike which hounds him everywhere.”

She stated that even though the Jews are “possessed of great wealth and influence”, they create “dissension among the nations” and “almost abusive, demands for the Gentile to shoulder the entire blame and end the difficulty.”

On “the Jewish Problem”

Bailey said that what she called the “Jewish problem” was the result of negative karma accumulated by the Jews due to “acts and deeds there claimed by him as his racial acts and deeds (conquest, terrorism and cruelty)…” and wrote that the solution to this “problem” will come “…when the races regard the Jewish problem as a humanitarian problem but also when the Jew does his share of understanding, love and right action. This he [the Jew] does not yet do, speaking racially.”

Before World War II, she wrote: “The major racial problem has, for many centuries, been the Jewish, which has been brought to a critical point by Germany…”; that the Jews “constitute an international minority of great aggressiveness, exceedingly vocal”; and that while they are an ancient, civilized and cultured people, their problems as a “struggling minority” are the result of “certain inherent characteristics”, and the “untidy effect they have on any community”.

In 1939, as World War II began, Bailey wrote that “the Jewish problem, is definitely producing cleavage as a part of the divine plan… to bring humanity to certain realizations and decisions.”

In 1948, after the war and the Holocaust, she wrote that “there are eighty percent of other people in the concentration camps, only twenty percent Jews”, and that Jews have not only repudiated the Messiah, but they have forgotten their unique relation to humanity.

Bailey also wrote critically about hatred of the Jews and predicted a future in which Jews would “fuse and blend with the rest of mankind.” In her autobiography, she stated that she had been on Hitler’s “blacklist”, and she believed this had been because of her defense of the Jews during her lectures throughout Europe. She criticized the cruelty of “the Gentile” (non-Jewish people) for their treatment of the Jews, stating “great is his responsibility for wrong doing and cruel action.”

Bailey further stated that the Jews were themselves responsible for the bad treatment they received, “Changed inner attitudes are needed on both sides, but very largely on the side of the Jews.” She was aware of and accepted the controversial nature of her comments in this regard.

On interracial marriage

Bailey wrote regarding interracial marriage that “the best and soundest thinkers in both the white and black races at this time deplore mixed marriages. They mean no happiness for either party.” She also advised against intermarriage between Caucasians and Asians but said that children of interracial unions would be unavoidable following World War II due to the actions of what she called the “inevitable promiscuity” of the armies during that period. She wrote that “children of mixed race, as well as the half-castes and the Eurasians may be the answer to a large part of the problem. There will be hundreds of thousands of these children of mixed parentage, forming part of the world population in the next generation and immediate cycle and they are a group with which we will have to reckon.”

While she believed that intermarriage would not solve what she called “the Negro problem,” she implied this might change and on this issue, “I make no prophecy about the future.”

Her comments on the topic of interracial marriage are conflicting: On the one hand she suggested that mixed marriages have unhappy effects, on the other hand she seemed to view them as positive and contributing to the solution of racial tensions. Elsewhere she wrote that marriages are rooted in soul relationships, and that intermarriage in general is not a solution to racial problems, but that the solution lies in appreciation of the good qualites found groups other than one’s own and the killing out of the sense of racial superiority. Her contrary statements thus reflect the mixed and emerging views of the time in which she was writing.

On nationalism and nations

Bailey criticized national groups, based on what she believed were their violations of the spirit of unity and brotherhood. She believed that an individual’s primary allegiance is to humanity and not to any subgroup within it: “I call you to no organizational loyalties, but only to love your fellowmen, be they German, American, Jewish, British, French, Negro or Asiatic.”

On the United States and France

While praising the United States and France in some respects, Bailey saw in them political corruption. She regarded the talk about a free press as largely an illusory ideal and stated, “… particularly is it absent in the United States, where parties and publishers dictate newspaper policies.”

On Israel, Zionism, and the U.S.S.R.

Regarding the foundation of the modern nation of Israel after World War II, Bailey said that “The Jews, by their illegal and terrorist activities, have laid a foundation of great difficulty for those who are seeking to promote world peace.”

Bailey criticized Zionism, comparing it with the then-current Stalinist regime in the Russian-dominated Soviet Union, writing, “Zionism today stands for aggression and for the use of force, and the keynote is permission to take what you want irrespective of other people or of their inalienable rights. These points of view are against the position of the spiritual leaders of humanity, and therefore the leaders of the Zionist movement, and the group of men who direct and control the policies of Russia, are against the policies of the spiritual Hierarchy and are contrary to the lasting good of mankind. … The menace to world freedom today lies in the known policies of the rulers of the U.S.S.R. and in the devious and lying machinations of the Zionists.”

On the “present world crisis”

Bailey said, “We could take the nations, one by one, and observe how this nationalistic, separative or isolationist spirit, emerging out of an historical past, out of racial complexes, out of territorial position, out of revolt and out of possession of material resources, has brought about the present world crisis and cleavage and this global clash of interests and ideals.” In 1947, in listing the causes of world conflict, she citied the fight for oil, and the fight over Palestine, “[...] a fight which has greed and not any love of Palestine behind it, and which is governed by financial interests and not by the humanitarian spirit which the Zionists claim [...]“.

On organized religions

Bailey taught a form of universal spirituality that transcended denominational identification, believing that, “Every class of human beings is a group of brothers. Catholics, Jews, Gentiles, occidentals and orientals are all the sons of God.” She stated that all religions originate from the same spiritual source, and that humanity will eventually come to realize this, and as they do so, the result will be the emergence of a universal world religion and a “new world order.” Bailey described a world where there would be no separate religions but rather “one great body of believers.” She predicted that these believers would accept unified truths based on brotherhood and “divine sonship”, and would “cooperate with the divine Plan, revealed to them by the spiritual leaders of the race.” She wrote that this was not a distant dream but a change that was actually occurring during the time of her writing. (Bailey, p 140)

Despite her focus on unity of religion, Bromley and Hammond point out that Bailey and other “occultists” “…hammered home the central idea, ‘The East is the true home of spiritual knowledge and occult wisdom.’”

Author Steven Sutcliffe wrote that Bailey’s “World Goodwill” organization was promoting groups of “world servers” to, as he quotes Bailey, “serve the Plan, Humanity, the Hierarchy and the Christ.”

On Judaism

Bailey was highly critical of the religion of the Jews. She wrote: “The word ‘love’ as it concerns relation to other people is lacking in their religious presentation, though love of Jehovah is taught with due threats; the concept of a future life, dependent upon conduct and behavior to others and on right action in the world of men, is almost entirely lacking in The Old Testament and teaching on immortality is nowhere emphasized; salvation is apparently dependent upon the keeping of numerous physical laws and rules related to physical cleanliness; they go so far as to establish retail shops where these rules are kept – in a modern world where scientific methods are applied to purity in food. All these and other factors of less importance set the Jew apart, and these he enforces no matter how obsolete they are or inconvenient to others.”

Because of writings like these, the American Chassidic author Rabbi Yonassan Gershom wrote that Bailey’s plan for a New World Order and her call for “the gradual dissolution—again if in any way possible—of the Orthodox Jewish faith” revealed that “her goal is nothing less than the destruction of Judaism itself.” Gershom also wrote that “This stereotyped portrayal of Jews is followed by a hackneyed diatribe against the Biblical Hebrews, based upon the “angry Jehovah” theology of nineteenth-century Protestantism. Jews do not, and never have, worshipped an angry vengeful god, and we Jews never, ever call God “Jehovah.”

On Christianity

Bailey wrote of “the return of the Christ”, but her concept had little in common with that of mainstream Christian churches. Bailey almost always used the phrase “”the” Christ” when not referring specifically to the Christian idea. For her, the leadership of the Hierarchy is an “office” (so to speak), to be occupied by various Masters, including the Master Jesus, in the course of Their unfolding evolution. She saw the Christ as a great “Person”, embodying the energy of love, and His return as the awakening of that energy in human consciousness. She also introduced the ideas that the new Christ might be “of no particular faith at all”, that he may be from any nation, race, or religion, and wrote that his purpose of returning will be to “restore man’s faith in the Father’s love” in a close personal relationship with “all men everywhere”.

She stated that no one particular group can claim Him—that the New Age Christ belongs to whole world, and not to Christians alone, or to any nation or group. (Bailey, p 109) Bailey was highly critical of mainstream Christianity; she wrote that much of the Church’s teaching about Christ’s return is directly opposed to His own intentions and that “The history of the Christian nations and of the Christian church has been one of an aggressive militancy” (Bailey, p 110)

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Alice Bailey, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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There are many types of psychic readings practiced by those who claim to have psychic abilities. Although psychic readings might not incorporate the use of any tools, a professional psychic may have one or more specialized areas of expertise. Some of the more common readings include Tarot reading, palm reading, psychometry, aura readings, or astrological readings.

Astrology

Astrology readings are a form of divination based on alignments of the sun, moon, planets and fixed stars. Astrology is an ancient practice and pre-dates many scientific methods of astral observation. Astrology does not require psychic ability.

Aura reading

Aura readings involve the observation and interpretation of auras. The “aura” is a field of subtle, luminous radiation supposedly surrounding a person. Aura readers claim to have the ability to see or sense this aura and interpret its meaning to the individual.

Cartomancy or Playing Card Reading

Cartomancy is fortune-telling or divination using a deck of cards. Tarot readings are a form of cartomancy.

Distant readings

A distant reading, “traveling clairvoyance”, or “remote perception” can be conducted without the reader ever meeting the client. This includes email and telephone readings.

Lithomancy and crystallomancy

Lithomancy readings usually involve especially suitable gems or stones that are emersed in water, or tossed as a set and read by mutual proximity. Its origins are unknown, and there are numerous different methodologies used by various cultu

Numerology

Numerology is defined as the study of the occult meanings of numbers and their influence on human life. It is essentially a reading of an individual based specifically upon numerical values such as their date of birth, letters in their names, etc. Numerology can be used in psychic readings.

Palm reading

Palmistry is another popular method of psychic readings, involving characterization and foretelling of one’s future through the study of the lines, shapes, wrinkles and curves on the palm. Palmistry does not require psychic ability.

Psychometry

Psychometry is a form of psychic reading in which the reader claims to obtain details about another through physical contact with their possessions. Psychometry readers often ask the subject for their favorite and most meaningful objects, such as wedding rings, glasses, car keys, etc., for the reading. The belief is that objects which are in close proximity to a person for extended periods of time hold some of that person’s energy; energy which can be detected. This method has been used to try and locate missing persons.

Rune reading

Runes are an ancient alphabet used for divining the future. The runes are cast on a mat to discern future events or path a problem or issue will take. Runes are also considered magick and are used for spells and incantations by some witches.

Tarot reading

Tarot cards have been greatly popularized. Traditional decks are available in chain bookstores. New decks also frequently appear in New Age bookstores. Though not requiring psychic abilities, Tarot cards can be used as a psychic tool and Tarot readings are common at psychic fairs.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Psychic reading, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Thelma Moss, Ph.D. (January 6, 1918 — February 1, 1997) was an American psychologist and parapsychologist, best known for her work on Kirlian photography and the human aura.

Born Thelma Schnee, a native of Connecticut, she graduated from Carnegie Tech, and originally pursued a career in acting and in writing scripts for film and television. She was one of the earliest members of The Actors Studio; as a scriptwriter, her biggest success was the screenplay for the 1954 Alec Guinness film ”Father Brown”.

However, she struggled for years with persistent psychological problems, rooted in depression and grief at the loss of her husband (he died of cancer two days after she gave birth to a baby daughter). She survived two suicide attempts. For treatment for her problems, she underwent a course of LSD psychotherapy; she later published an autobiographical account of her treatment, ”My Self and I”, under the pseudonym Constance A. Newland; the book was a bestseller in 1962.

Moss returned to academia in the mid-1960s, studying at the Neuropsychiatric Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles and interning at the Wadsworth Veterans Hospital; she earned her Ph.D. in psychology from UCLA and became a professor at the same institution. For a time in the 1970s she led UCLA’s parapsychology laboratory (when such a place existed). She explored a wide range of specific subjects in parapsychology (hypnosis, ghosts, levitation, alternative medicine), though her research on Kirlian photography was the most significant theme in her work for the re

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Thelma Moss, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Below is a brief description of what a neophyte will learn during his or her first five years of affiliation with AMORC.

These teachings are part of the Rosicrucian Monographs.

These are not the only subjects covered by the Rosicrucian system. The list contained here, which should be perceived as unofficial, is adapted from the ”Rosicrucian Home Study Lessons” section of the Web version of the Mastery of Life published by the English Grand Lodge for the Americas.

You are advised to read the official and complete list at AMORC’s website: [http://www.rosicrucian.org/about/mastery/mastery06home.html Direct link to Rosicrucian Home Study Lessons section of the Mastery of Life]

The teachings are divided in the Neophyte section and the Temple section.

Neophyte section

Like in ancient times, if a person wanted to study the great mysteries of the world, they would have to petition for admittance as a student and become a Neophyte. The Neophyte would be granted admittance to the Atrium, or reception chamber to the temple. In the Atrium the Neophyte would receive the preliminary instructions and beginning teachings, before they would be allowed entry into the temple. Following ancient times the Rosicrucian monographs are called Atrium lessons, and beginning Rosicrucian students are called Neophytes.

Introductory lessons

Presents basic Rosicrucian concepts that can be applied in practical ways. One of the first things you will learn as a Neophyte is that you are a dual being. In addition to your five physical senses, you also

* Mystical Sounds

* Spiritual Alchemy

* Time and Space

* Human and Cosmic Consciousness

* Meditation

* Development of the Intuition

* Introduction to: Human Aura, Telepathy, Metaphysical Healing

First Atrium

The first Atrium explores consciousness as the organizing principle of matter and explains the composition and structure of matter and its vibratory nature. You’ll learn how the creative power of thought affects the material world. This power is demonstrated through exercises in the techniques of concentration, visualization, and mental creation. Topics include:

* Composition and Structure of Matter

* Power of Thought and Concentration

* Visualization

* Telepathy

* Mental Projection

* Law of the Triangle

Second Atrium

Your understanding of the connection between mind and matter will now be expanded to include the connection between the mind and the physical body. The second Atrium explores how your thoughts influence your health, the role of proper breathing in psychic development as well as health and vitality, and Rosicrucian healing techniques. As you develop your body’s psychic centres, you gradually awaken your psychic faculties, such as the ability to perceive the aura. You will also experience the mystical effect of sounds. Topics include:

* Origin of Diseases

* Influence of Thoughts on Health

* Mystical Art of Breathing

* Rosicrucian Healing Treatments

* Perception of the Aura

* Awakening the Psychic Consciousness

* Mystical Sounds

Third Atrium

The Third Atrium moves beyond the physical body and the psychic faculties into the realm of the mystical. As you become more attuned with your inner source of wisdom, you’ll become more receptive to the subtle inner prompting of intuition, inspiration and illumination. These lessons also explode the nature of Soul and spiritual evolution, reincarnation and karma, and the cycles of the soul. Topics include:

* Reincarnation

* Karma

* Free Will

* Good and Evil

* Intuition Inspiration and Illumination

* The Great Religious Movements

* The Nature of Soul

*Purpose of our Spiritual Evolution

Temple section

Having completed the lessons of the Neophyte section, you stand at an important milestone in your progress along the mystical path. You are now ready to enter the Temple. Your studies in the Neophyte section established the foundation for the lessons of the Temple Degrees. You have been introduced to the various elements of the Rosicrucian system and had the opportunity to practice many of the principles presented through simple experiments. Now the Temple Degrees will further develop these elements, providing additional depth and practical applications of the principles.

First Temple Degree (Zelator)

The First Temple Degree introduces the concept of polarity and its relationship to the subatomic world and its differing rates of vibration. It introduces the full spectrum of physical and non-physical manifestation. An understanding of these subjects gives you an appreciation for the system and order of the universe, the interconnectedness of all nature and how everything is governed by natural law. Topics include:

* Structure of Matter

* Positive and Negative as Vibratory Polarities

* Electricity, Magnetism, Electromagnetism and their ”Rosicrucian” definition

* Subatomic Particles

* Elements

* Material Alchemy

Second Temple Degree (Theoricus)

The Second Temple Degree explores the workings of the mind. You’ll learn how to use your various mental faculties to strengthen your will, eliminate bad habits and establish good ones, tap into the levels of your subconscious, reason more effectively, and integrate principles of psychology and mysticism to achieve your personal goals. Topics include:

* Cosmic Consciousness

* Our Objective and Subjective Consciousness

* Mental and Sensory Illusions

* Imagination and Memory

* Physical, Psychic, and Spiritual Influences on the Subconscious

* Autosuggestion

* Psychology and Mysticism

Third Temple Degree (Practicus)

The Third Temple Degree explores the meaning of life on many levels, including living and “non-living” matter, life on the cellular level, the mysteries of death and rebirth, and the eternal nature of the Soul. Topics Include:

* Cosmic Purpose of Life

* Vital Life Force

* Cellular Life

* Living and Non-Living Matter

* Incarnation of the Soul

* Transition of the Soul

* Initiatic Aspects of Death

Fourth Temple Degree (Philosophus)

The Fourth Temple Degree introduces Rosicrucian ontology (the study of the nature of being), and lays out the cosmological framework for all creation. It explores the meaning, understanding and use of symbols as the language of the subconscious. Topics include:

* Noumena and Phenomena

* Natural Symbols

* Artificial Symbols

* Mystical Symbols

* Sacred Architecture

* Vital Life Fource and the Living Soul

* Cycles of Life and the Constant States of Flux

Fifth Temple Degree (Adeptus Minor)

A mystic, by nature, is fundamentally a philosopher. In the Fifth Temple Degree, you will study excerpts from the works of classical philosophers. Your exploration of the ancient roots of Rosicrucian philosophy will demonstrate the timelessness of these principles. Thoughts of the following philosophers are presented:

* Thales

* Solon

* Pythagoras

* Heraclitus

* Democritus

* Empedocles

* Socrates

* Plato

* Aristotle

Sixth Temple Degree (Adeptus Major)

The Sixth Temple Degree presents the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual components of health and disease. You’ll learn specific Rosicrucian healing techniques. Topics include:

* Spiritual Demension of Food

* Breathing and Respitory Health

* Composition of Blood

* Cell Consciousness and Cellular Health

* Rosicrucian Therapy and Self Healing

* Personal Treatment to Restore your Psychic Equilibrium

* Autonomic Nervous System

* Physical and Mental Prevention of Disease

* Emotional and Spiritual Prevention of Disease

* Self-healing

Seventh Temple Degree (Adeptus Exemptus)

The exercises and experiments of all the previous Degrees have contributed to your gradual development, providing you with the necessary foundation for the advanced techniques of the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Degrees. In the Seventh Degree you will learn how to accomplish psychic projection, how to develop your personal aura and perceive other people’s auras and how to further develop your psychic centres and perception. You will also receive a thorough explanation of the physiological, psychic, and spiritual influence of specific mystical sounds. Topics include:

* The Psychic Body (compare with: Subtle body and Astral body)

* The Psychic Centres (compare with: Chakra)

* Nature and Symbolism of Dreams

* Psychic Projection (experiments) (compare with: Astral projection, out-of-body experience)

* Perception of the Aura (experiments) (compare with: Clairvoyance)

* Mystical Powers of Vowel Sounds and Mantras

Eighth Temple Degree (Magister Templi)

The Eighth Temple Degree explores in depth the theme of immortality – the mysteries of birth and death, reincarnation and karma and the evolution of the soul personality. Topics include:

* Universal Soul and Human Soul

* Divine Consciousness and Self Consciousness

* Spiritual Evolution of Humans

* Mastery of Karma

* Reincarnation of the Soul

* How to Remember your Past Incarnations (experiments) (See Reincarnation)

* The Mystery of Birth and Death

* Help to the Dying, Before and After Death

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Rosicrucian Monographs, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Kirlian photography refers to a form of photogram made with a high voltage. It is named after Semyon Kirlian, who in 1939 accidentally discovered that if an object on a photographic plate is connected to a source of high voltage, small corona discharges (created by the strong electric field at the edges of the object) create an image on the photographic plate.

Kirlian’s work, from 1939 onward, involved an independent rediscovery of a phenomenon and technique variously called “electrography”, “electrophotography”, and “corona discharge photography”. The Kirlian technique is contact photography, in which the subject is in direct contact with a film placed upon a metal plate charged with high voltage, high frequency electricity.

The underlying physics (which makes xerographic copying possible) was explored as early as 1777 by Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (see Lichtenberg figures). Later workers in the field included Nikola Tesla; various other individuals explored the effect in the later 19th and early 20th centuries.

Kirlian made controversial claims that the image he was studying might be compared with the human aura. An experiment advanced as evidence of energy fields generated by living entities involves taking Kirlian contact photographs of a picked leaf at set periods, its gradual withering being said to correspond with a decline in the strength of the ”aura”. However it may simply be that the leaf loses moisture and becomes less electrically conductive, causing a gradual weakening of the electric field at the drier edges of the leaf. In some experiments, if a section of a leaf was torn away after the first photograph, a faint image of the missing section would remain when a second photograph was taken. The Archives of American Art Journal of the Smithsonian Institution published a leading article with reproductions of images of this phenomenon. James Randi has suggested that this effect was due to contamination of the glass plates, which were reused for both the “before” and “after” photographs.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Kirlian photography, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Leadbeater remains well-known and influential in his work through his reputed clairvoyance with, for instance, his books ”The Chakras” and ”Man, Visible and Invisible” dealing with the human aura and chakras. Leadbeater’s reputed clairvoyance, however, was not without grave errors. In his book ”The Inner Life” he wrote that there is a population of human-like beings on the planet Mars.

His writings on the sacraments and Christian esotericism remain popular to this day, with a constant stream of new editions and translations of his opus magnum ‘The Science of the Sacraments’. His Liturgy book is still in use by many Liberal and Independent Catholic Churches across the world.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Charles Webster Leadbeater, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article Reiki, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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