[One other note about quotes below relating to "Jehovah": Readers will notice that I am quite careful about spelling "G-d" in such a way as to avoid writing it out.  Those familiar with Orthodox Jewish custom will understand it as a mark of reverence for the One we worship, and therefore may be confused by the fact that I spell out the name "Jehovah", assumed by many to be the phonetic Name of G-d.  According to rabbinic authorities, this is actually a misnomer based on an uninformed transliteration of the Tetragrammaton (G-d's four-letter Name in the Hebrew Bible has the vowels deliberately changed to avoid making the correct pronunciation available).  Because "Jehovah" is not the actual Name, I decided to quote it in this section as it appears - and because it is a name used only for the G-d of Israel, it serves us well here.]

New Age Religion is based on a blend of practically every religious and occult philosophy found in the world, rejecting only Torah-based Judaism and early (pre-Constantine, pre-gnostic, Judaic) Christianity. The blend is known as "The Ancient Wisdom" and harmonizes surprisingly well; it is outlined methodically in a 19th-century Western system called "Theosophy". Following are the spiritual principles by which NA groups can be identified, no matter which label they give themselves. [As elsewhere, I concentrate on Alice Bailey's writings, since she is the single most prominent NA theologian vis a vis the UN; those of Helena Blavatsky are a close second, since so many groups trace their worldview to Theosophy.]

1. The highest "God".
God is not the Creator (although there is a Creator, or perhaps two, as we will see). The Most High God does not "do" anything, He just is. The very title "God" is a misnomer which limits the concept; Theosophists prefer abstract Principles. The ultimate Divine has no name, no definition, and therefore no accessibility.  Man cannot begin to know "the God" of New Age thought; but for the purpose of indoctrination, NA missionaries will revert to the traditional title and attributes when dealing with the uninitiated.  However, the Jewish idea of one personal G-d who rules alone is so offensive that the knowledgeable NAer will not even pretend to be speaking the same language at that point.  Helena Blavatsky [HPB] called the "God of Abram, Isaac and Jacob" a "spiteful and revengeful" deity. ("The Secret Doctrine" I, p.439, footnote) [For a fuller description, see below.] The Divine has no personality or self-consciousness - hence, no revelation from Him is possible, let alone what the Jews have claimed to receive. [One might then question the very notion of "theosophy", which means "knowledge of God". The answer is that Theosophy identifies the individual created being as the "god" which needs to be known.]

He (It) is nothing more than an Energy Force which is everywhere (and nowhere), in everything (and in every non-thing).  Everything in the universe is God, and is destined to become God. (One might think that the first would eliminate the need for the second, but the former is a universal state of being, while the latter is an individual state of consciousness.)  This godhood includes people (with or without physical bodies), animals, objects, planets, stars and unseen energies, as well as "Nirvana" or the Great Void - where HPB says "all is absorbed in the spirit of the most Powerful," and individual consciousness and activity cease.

2. Who is the "Hierarchy"? NA history teaches that they appeared (the word used is "descended") on earth 18 million years ago, during the Lemurian Age, introducing themselves in both physical and etheric bodies [presumably apparitions] as "Brothers of Light".  They made their home in "Shamballa" (when on the spiritual plane) and (on the physical plane) in the Gobi Desert, Shigatse and the Himalayas. They are most often referred to as the "Hierarchy of Ascended Masters", and sometimes as the "Space Brothers" or just the "Brotherhood" - a group of ancient beings, many of whom once started out on our (earthly human) plane, but have now evolved to the level where they are no longer shackled by physical matter and can be considered divine (to be addressed as "great Lord" or "Master").

The flowchart for the Hierarchy is vast and very confusing, but to simplify the picture, Alice Bailey presents the Hierarchy in various geometric figures throughout her work "Externalisation of the Hierarchy". Directly under "The One about whom naught may be said", is a committee of 7 "Cosmic Logi", followed by 7 "Solar Logi", followed by 7 "Heavenly Men". There are also 7 "Rays" of pure energy emanations. The "Heavenly Man" in charge of earth's evolution is "Sanat Kumara". Although he is presented as several levels down from the Top, we have no way to make contact with this being's "colleagues" or "superiors"; Sanat Kumara is therefore considered the Head of the Hierarchy as far as earthlings are concerned (see more below).

2a. Upward Mobility on the Cosmic Ladder:  Judging by Bailey's multileveled flowcharts, these enlightened beings are more rank-conscious than any corporation on earth. [Just the name "Hierarchy" says it all.] When someone is initiated into the "Ageless Wisdom", he starts on a very long path (spelled out in detail by Bailey in "Initition, Human and Solar") which places a premium on self-propelled upward progress, measured by "service". [Please note that the NA concept of "service" is frequently misunderstood. It is not the volunteerism freely rendered out of compassion for the less fortunate, which rightly inspires admiration; NA "service" resembles the bonded conscription now outlawed in most societies - forced labor to get out of debtor's prison. In short, the motive for "service" on the part of better-informed NAers is (pardon the pun) intensely self-serving.]  At the 1st level, the task of the initiate is to serve the Plan as a tiny piece in the vast, huge Design, working off his karmic debt as it comes to him, without complaint. Most enlightened individuals cannot hope to advance beyond this level in their present lives. The few elite who become 2nd level initiates must dedicate all their efforts to serve their "group", working out their group karma as a team. Not much is said in "Initiation" about 3rd level initiates, who can be assumed to be working out racial karma (either individual or group service to their race, to bring them "enlightenment" by swelling the ranks of "world servers"). It is at the 4th level that the enlightened one (now ranked as a "Master") finally reaches the break-even point with human karma, and begins to help work off the "planetary" karmic debt. At the 5th level, the Master sheds the restraint of a physical body but still is bound to service: now to further the plans of the "three Logoi" (or simply "the Logos") who are at "Chohan" level (two of them at 6th level, and one at the 7th or "Buddha" level, a state "completely free in the one cosmic entity".

While this Logos trinity [see below] is considered the collective CEO for the Hierarchy on earth, around them are others which make up the "central esoteric group of Six, who, with the Lord of the World, form the heart of hierarchical effort." ("Initiation", p.30)  Below these are assorted "Solar Angels" or "Greater Builders", which Bailey says "from the Christian standpoint, are the Holy Spirit" ("Cosmic Fire", p.617). The fact that the Christians learned this "misnomer" and many other mistakes from the Jews is evidence of the need for Christianity to be "purged" of Jewish influences. [Curiously, in "Secret Doctrine" HPB expressly identifies "Solar Angels" as "fallen Angels", a uniquely Jewish/Christian idea derived from the Hebrew Nefilim, beings who were on earth in pre-Flood times - Genesis 6:4. "Fallen" denotes an abrupt involuntary movement downward... far from flattering, especially when presented as an unchanged position. Even more curiously, Bailey makes sure to footnote this quote in "Cosmic Fire", IID, p.953. Jewish influence is indeed hard to shake off.] There are also "Devas", "Pitris", "Builders", "Brothers of Light", and numerous other "Masters" - among the last are Kut Humi [NA uses a few variant spellings, sic in Bailey's "Initiation"], Morya, Rakoczi (alias St. Germain), Serapis, Jupiter, Jesus, Hilarion (alias St. Paul), Kryon, to name a few - with the most popular today being Bailey's own guide, "The Tibetan Master" or "Djwhal Khul" (also credited with dictating Blavatsky's "The Secret Doctrine").

2b. All Masters are carefully grouped by level of initiation, and are themselves dedicated to upward mobility. They are commissioned to teach others of lower rank who are ready to improve their own standing. It is to one or more of those at the Master levels that NA disciples appeal for enlightenment and empowerment. But except for the "teacher-disciple" label, the process more closely resembles a "Fortune 100" corporation than an educational or spiritual center. One may not choose his/her teacher; a disciple is approached by a Master according to his/her spiritual aptitude and experience, and the disciple's progress is monitored by the Master who submits regular "supervision reports to the Head of one of the three departments", noting when the learner is "nearing the Portal of Initiation" to the next level. His name is then submitted to the Brotherhood Lodge, and his "application" is decided by ballot vote. (p.110) Promotion to a higher degree of initiation entitles one to pass to a correspondingly higher Master. Initiates (those in a body or out) who perform exceptionally might attain to the "Inner, or Closed" circle, an elite power base hidden within each Brotherhood, becoming participants in a "Group Mind" which is not accessible to rank-and-file Brothers (this applies especially to "walk-ins" - see below). [In this context, I note that more than a fair share of NAers have claimed to be a disciple of Maitreya, and even his direct mouthpiece to humanity - as though he were an ordinary Master rather than part of the nearly-unapproachable Logos. But such presumption doesn't seem to faze those hungry for "divine transmissions". Even at the UN, where the Society for Enlightenment and Transformation regularly hosts channelers, this obstensibly knowledgeable group saw no incongruity in "Lord Maitreya" addressing a meager 40-member audience with no higher standing than the "UN Staff Recreational Council".... On the other hand, his "message" was so unoriginal and vague that it deserved the obscurity it received.]

3. The god who represents the Hierarchy to man: Maitreya the Christ. At the crucial times of new ages, such as the advent of a "subrace" [see Human History section], a spirit known as "Maitreya" or "World Teacher" - the most "highly evolved being" known to man - descends from a hidden high place or "power vortex" (variously identified as the Himalayas or outer space) and "overshadows" a chosen spokesman, who then relays his "transmissions", which are instructions from the Hierarchy to guide the human race into the next cycle of "evolution". Five times previously at a key "transition time" (one for each subrace), Bailey relates (through Djwhal Kuhl) that Maitreya chose Buddha, Hermes, Zoraster, Orpheus, and Jesus as his vehicles. [in spite of the Jews starring in the 4th subrace of Aries, there is no mention of Maitreya meeting Moses...]  In the early 1900s, it was predicted by Theosophical Society leader Annie Besant that Maitreya would inhabit a physical body this century; a young Hindu named Jiddu Krishnamurti was chosen in the 1920s as the vehicle. Although the "overshadowing" was reported to have taken place for a few moments ("The Theosophist" 47/4, Jan. 1926), conveying a message from the "Brotherhood", it failed to become permanent.  But the "descent" of Maitreya has been consistently expected by Theosophists and other NAers since those days.

More recently, Maitreya has chosen the British disciple of Bailey, Benjamin Creme, NA teacher and the figurehead of World Goodwill and Share International, to occasionally channel his instructions - or so Creme has been claiming since 1981. [Creme was the first since Krishnamurti to claim overshadowing from Maitreya, but he now has competition - the Lord Maitreya being entertained at the UN is not apparently channeled by Creme.]  Maitreya, according to Creme, has held the "office of Christ" for the last 2600 years. [Aha! that's why he never mentioned Moses - he missed him by about 1000 years... but then that means he also missed the earlier subraces which Bailey said he was supposed to guide...] Although the Christian title is used often, Creme and other NA spokesmen insist that Maitreya is the one all the world faiths are waiting for, including Jews who await the Messiah. At some point, Maitreya (by then in a physical body) will allow Lucifer to enter the human vehicle as well, when all are "freed from the unreasoning fear" of that latter name - an event which will usher in the "Luciferic initiation" [see in The Plan section]

4. The god who brings inner Light to man: Lucifer.
Lucifer is a Latin word meaning "light bringer", according to the Theosophical Society (Ina Belderis, "Some Light on Lucifer", "Sunrise Magazine", Oct/Nov. 1996). Bailey and her disciple Creme both identified him with the one the Jews called "helel ben shahar" (Isaiah 14:12), which they translate as "shining one, son of the morning" ("The Beacon", vol. XLVII, no 9, 1978, pub by Lucis Trust).  This is directly taken from Bailey's own title for Lucifer ("Esoteric Psychology I", p.395), where she acknowledges that he led a "war in Heaven" when "some of the sons of God fell from their high estate."   However, she dismisses the event as "a trifling incident" in cosmic terms, and urges us to "readjust your sense of values".  Belderis concurs that people have overreacted to this being's fall: "And yet it is this lucifer, the bright one or lightbearer, that came to be understood by so many as the name for Satan, Lord of Darkness."  Due to Christian tradition - originally drawn from Jewish tradition of course - Lucifer's activity and intentions have come to be deliberately slandered, whereby he was renamed "Satan", from the Hebrew "hasatan" or "the enemy". [This other name, however, didn't bother Helena Blavatsky in the least. See below.]  Lucifer is also identified by New Agers as "the anointed cherub who was in the Garden of Eden" (see Ezekiel 28:12-15), and honored for being the first "god" to offer to share godhood with mankind (appearing to Adam and Eve as the serpent).

But since many from the "old paradigm" are not able to accept his proper name, Lucifer allows men to call him "Krishna", "Buddha", or even "Christ/Messiah", and to honor him in a veiled symbolic form.  This being and his mission are indeed already symbolized in many cultures, say NAers.  Astrologically he is represented by the planet Venus, known as the Morning Star, "the first radiant beam that does away with the darkness of night. It is a symbol of the development of the divine light in man." (Belderis) Accordingly, "Morning Star" is the name of one of the more popular pieces by occultist composer Richard Wagner. The Grail legend, a tale full of Luciferic symbolism, was the theme for another of Wagner's works, "Parsifal" (see "Wagner's Parsifal" by Rolf May, where the Grail itself is "the stone which fell from Lucifer's crown as he plunged to earth [bringing] the mental principle to evolving humanity," or "as Wagner remarked, 'Grail consciousness'".) [For more on the Grail, see the Nazism section.]  The Greeks presented him as Prometheus, the gnostics as Ophiomorphos, the Norse legends as Loki, the Chinese as the Dragon.  Egyptians and Hindus worship the cobra, and many others the serpent, as forms which Lucifer has taken on to bring wisdom to man.  Witches worship Lucifer in the form of a goat-man, known in nature cults as "Pan" (the deity honored at Findhorn and credited with their miraculous agricultural methods; see "The Magic of Findhorn" by Paul Hawken). Findhorn leader Robert Ogilvie Crombie (or "Roc") claims that Pan appeared to him and "sadly" confessed that he is "the devil" of the Jewish-Christian tradition; concerning this "giant faun" Roc says: "For his purpose he had to find someone who showed no fear of him.... It is important for the future of mankind that belief in the Nature Spirits and their god Pan is reestablished and that they are seen in their true light." ("The Magic of Findhorn", p.217)

Lucifer is personally in charge of human evolution [see below].  As such, he presides over the coming "planetary initiation", the ultimate goal in the New Age "Plan". He, with the intermediary help of Maitreya, is credited by Creme (in various essays, interviews and lectures) as having "nourished" all the genius which humankind has produced, including Freud, Jung, Picasso, Mahatma Gandhi, Karl Marx and Einstein (all of these reaching a "2nd level" initiation). Lucifer arrived here 18-1/2 million years ago from the planet Venus, which became known by one of his names, "The Morning Star".

The number 666, revered by many occultists as Lucifer's sacred number, is to be used wherever possible to hasten his appearance.  According to Creme (see his radio interview with Art Bell, July 10, 1998), this number represents "the beast" or the "Antichrist energy", which is not to be feared but simply accepted and even welcomed as the "destructive aspect" of God himself. This energy is "deliberately released" to destroy the old and make way for the new. Creme also repeated Bailey's teaching that this destructive energy is "the Will aspect" of the Divine which worked through both the Roman emperor Nero and Hitler. [Creme gets a bit befuddled here as he tries to point out the beneficial service rendered by Hitler in destroying evil, while remaining politically correct in keeping Hitler on the side of evil.]  Among the other informative bits, Creme notes in his interview that this eradication of the "old conceptions" will hit Bible-based faith in particular: "The people who will find it probably hardest of all to accept Maitreya are the leaders of the Christian and - uh - the Jewish organizations." In the same breath, though, he makes it clear that he really means the Jews: "They had the same problem 2000 years ago when Jesus was there among them and they didn't recognize him." [It is standard NA tactic to fault the Jews for rejecting Christ, which both Jews and Christians fail to recognize as manipulation. Unfortunately, interviewer Bell chose not to pick up on the clear implications for how the Jews will fare in Maitreya's kingdom. His only reply was, "Yep, yep, I know."]

[This number 666 is not meaningful to Jews, but early Christian tradition, while still close to its Jewish roots, called it "the number of the beast", an evil being empowered by "the dragon" to make war against the Jews and Christians who refuse to worship him - see New Testament, Revelation 13. This creature corresponds to numerous Jewish aggadot (legends) describing "Armilus", an idol that Satan brings to life and that is accepted by the nations as "god" and "messiah"; he also makes war against Israel when they refuse to acknowledge him. As for Satan himself, the Jewish tradition refers to "Samael", which HPB inexplicably endorses. See below.]

4a. Lucifer and "Christ": One of the earliest outspoken promoters of Lucifer is David Spangler, one of the original leaders of Findhorn (in Scotland) and now a lecturer and author in the U.S. The back cover of one of his books promotes him as "the shaman of the New Age Movement". ("Emergence: The Rebirth of the Sacred", 1984)  Spangler, a staunch Bailey disciple, is noteworthy for his articulate weaving of the various NA concepts of Lucifer into a single presentation, a 1977 book with the interesting title, "Reflections on the Christ". The title, far from indicating confusion, emphasizes Spangler's conviction that Lucifer and the Christ are "twin sides" of the same "power" (see Spangler's recent book, co-authored with Professor William Irwin Thompson, "The Reimagination of the World"); therefore, Lucifer is to be considered literally a "reflection of the Christ", and vice versa.  This energy may or may not be personified, as the situation demands. In "Reflections" Lucifer is variously described (all in the same sentence) as "an angel, a being, a great and mighty planetary consciousness." (p.38) According to Spangler, "the light that reveals to us the path to the Christ come from Lucifer. He is the light giver." His task is to "prepare man in all ways for the experience of Christhood." (p.43) Conversely, "Christ is the same force as Lucifer but moving in seemingly the opposite direction." (p.38) [I would caution Jews not to apply this understanding to the Christian "Christ".  Spangler would be the first to agree that his "Christ" is not a Jew from the 1st century.]

4b. Lucifer, aka Satan, aka "Jehovah": Blavatsky, unlike later Theosophists, has no difficulty in reconciling Lucifer and Satan as the same being:  "Lucifer is the LOGOS in his highest, and the "Adversary" [Satan] in his lowest aspect - both of which are reflected in our Ego." ("The Secret Doctrine", II, p.162)  About Satan himself, HPB  ("SD" II, p.388-389) sets aside her contempt of orthodox Judaism long enough to cite the "Rabbins" [sic] and the Talmud which records that "'the evil Spirit, Satan, and Samael, the angel of Death, are the same' - (Babba Battra [sic], 16a)."  She also relies on "the Rabbins [sic] teaching that 'Kin [sic] (Cain), the Evil, was the Son of Eve by Samael, the devil who took Adam's place'".  These two rabbinic quotes are [somehow] seen by her to support a revised, "correct reading of verse 1 (chapter iv, Genesis) in the original Hebrew text" which proves that "Cain is identical with Jehovah".  HPB refers here to Eve's declaration, "Kaniti ish et Hashem", translated as, "I obtained a man with G-d".

[For the real rabbinic interpretation, see Rashi's simple comment, "b'zeh shutafim anu imo" - "in this [act of creation] we [Adam and Eve] are partners with Him [G-d]."  At any rate, it's strange that HPB should fuss over the "original Hebrew" when she writes, "The Hebrew Bible exists no more [except as] garbled falsifications."  Stranger still that the all-knowing "Masters" related to her that the "square letters Jews rely on are characters of an unknown, dead language" which cannot be traced farther back than "the fourth century A.D."  The discovery of the Dead Sea Scroll of Isaiah must have come as a nasty shock to the enlightened ones. Yet HPB has Israeli disciples studying at the Theosophical Society center in Tel Aviv.]

Confident of her line of reasoning, HPB then forms the following conclusion ("Doctrine" II, p.389): "It becomes easy to see that Jehovah (mankind, or 'Jah-hovah') [sic - a sample of HPB's Hebrew proficiency]  and Satan (therefore the tempting Serpent) are one and the same in every particular." [a sample of her blatant contradictions - or shall we say, those of the "Masters" who dictated to her. For her other comments on "Jehovah", see below.] She goes on: "Satan represents metaphysically simply the reverse or the polar opposite of everything in nature. He is the 'adversary', allegorically, the 'murderer', and the great Enemy of all, because there is nothing in the whole universe that has not two sides... But in that case, light, goodness, beauty, etc., may be called Satan with as much propriety as the Devil, since they are the adversaries of darkness, badness, and ugliness." Elsewhere, she neatly sums up:  "Lucifer is divine and terrestrial light, the 'Holy Ghost' and 'Satan', at one and the same time." (p.513) Interestingly, Blavatsky repeatedly quotes Jewish "Kabalists" who support the idea that Satan is to be honored as the "cosmic reflection of God". (p.234) [See more under Kabbalah in the Missionizing section.] However, she dismisses any enlightenment on the part of the Jews; they merely learned it "from the Chaldeans and Egyptians". (p.240)

In the end (p.513), however, HPB clings to a sort of monotheism of her own: "Satan is the god ofour planet, and the only god." (p.234, emphasis hers) She also resorts to the same labels later used by Alice Bailey: "And now it stands proven that Satan, or the Red Fiery Dragon... and Lucifer, or 'Light-Bearer,' is in us: it is our Mind... the emanation of the very essence of the pure divine principal Mahat (Intelligence), which radiates direct from the Divine mind."

5. The god who "created" man: Sanat Kumara.
NA messages to the public encourage "faith in the loving Creator" or "thanksgiving to the Lord of Creation", phrased to allow everyone his own interpretation. For themselves, however, the Creator is the head of the Hierarchy, known as Sanat Kumara [SK].  He has other titles as well: "Ancient of Days", "Lord of the World", "Youth of Endless Summers" and "The One Initiator" (ie, the one who initiates mankind to higher evolutionary levels). Bailey calls his "Council Chamber" by the term found in the Jewish book of Psalms, "the secret place of the Most High". ("Education in the New Age", p.62) SK is credited as the "founder and initiator of all the most important movements." Bailey claims ("Externalisation", p.465) that both Christians and Jews are actually worshiping him in their attempts to identify "God". [This shows her ignorance of Judaism; even while calling him "the Most High", she place SK far below the Ultimate God on her charts, automatically eliminating from him the central attribute of the G-d of Israel. On the other hand, it shows her intent to deceive, since elsewhere she writes that her "Lord of the World" is "totally otherwise" compared to the Adon Olam of the Jews - see "Externalisation", p.551] Although SK's level of enlightenment earned him the right to enter into "Nirvana", he instead made the "supreme sacrifice" of turning back to creation and taking the responsibility to create us into gods. Bailey relates that he "came down" to earth in the middle of the Lemurian age, taking physical form, and although he later returned to the spirit plane, he "has remained with us ever since." ("Initiation", p.28-29) [As we saw above, Bailey disciple Benjamin Creme makes identical claims for Lucifer, but this is not accidental, as we will see.]

6. The New Age Trinity, or Logos.
Sanat Kumara [SK], Maitreya the Christ [M], and Lucifer [L] are presented to the world as a trinity.  Known as the Planetary Logos, they administer 3 spiritual Energies: respectively, [SK] Shamballa, the planetary Head, with the principles of Will-Power-Plan; [M] Hierarchy, the planetary Heart, Love-Wisdom-Unity; and [L] Humanity, the planetary Throat, Intelligence- Self-Conciousness- Creativity.  Elsewhere (p.109) Bailey calls them "The Departmental Heads... three great Beings", using Hindu terms and assigning to them 3 respective spheres of activity: "Manu" (SK - matter, form, body, not-self; relating to governments and races), "Bodhisattva" (M- spirit, life, self; realized in religions and beliefs) and "Mahachohan" (L - intelligence, mind, soul; expressed in science, civilization and education). Notice that matter is equated with "not-self"; this follows the ancient gnostic idea that the physical must be destroyed to bring forth the true "self". Bailey affirms that Sanat Kumara's job is indeed to destroy, using the Shamballa energy, to make room for the new ("Externalisation" II, p.89).  She saw the devastation of the Nazis as an outworking of this destructive Shamballa force, calling it "right and good, provided we understand why it is taking place and by what it should be succeeded." ("From Bethlehem to Calvary" p.463)  Lucis Trust, the organization dedicated to distributing Bailey's writings, considers the Shamballa force to be "a demonstration of the beneficent will of God", in that it "tends to destroy all forms that hinder the emergence of a new and better world [especially in] the political field." (from Lucis Trust essay explaining Shamballa, Sept. 1999. They also expected a "release of the Shamballa force" in the year 2000.) [I would assume that if it happens, this would be triggered by a "new" UN. But since the "new UN" is way behind schedule, we needn't set our watches.]

6a. Who is the Head of the Logos? According to Bailey, Sanat Kumara is the only one known to man who attained the 7th initiation, placing him at the summit of the Logos pyramid as the one who "alone is self-sufficient". ("Initiation", p.92)  Bailey waxes eloquent in describing SK's purity and sinless state ("Initiation", p.28-29).  She characterizes him as the incarnation of "one of the 7 spirits before the Throne - the greatest of all Avatars".  She also borrows liberally from Christian imagery, even quoting New Testament passages to describe him.  In this passage, she even goes so far as to say that Sanat is "literally the Planetary Logos Himself", and describes the Logos as taking "the form of Sanat Kumara", the other two being "the outcome of the triple nature of the Planetary Logos."  These call into question whether Maitreya and Lucifer have a separate identity at all, or are to be considered emanations of Sanat Kumara.  For the sake of comparison [or confusion], when Bailey charts the "three great planetary centers" ("The Destiny of Nations - The Influence of the Rays Today", p.23-24) she lists "Humanity" (Lucifer's domain) as the first "expression of divine livingness", having been manifested "in the first solar system"; chronologically this makes Lucifer the senior partner in the Logos.  Then "Hierarchy" (Maitreya's responsibility) appeared "in the second solar system" (our present era) but is yet to "come into full manifestation upon the physical plane". "Shamballa" (Sanat's rule and "the directing center for the Hierarchy") is not due to manifest until "the next solar system"; however, for reasons unexplained, it is only now that the three "meet simultaneously at various stages of livingness."  Even more curious, "it is only through human beings that these centers can ever come into true functioning activity."  [From this it may be concluded that puny, unascended man is actually in control of the mighty Logos, who is/are dependent on his invitation and involvement in order to truly function.]

However, according to Bailey disciple Benjamin Creme, it is Maitreya who is the only being to have evolved to a 7th degree initiation, as opposed to Buddha (6th) or Jesus (4th/5th).  The lines between Maitreya, Sanat and Lucifer are even more blurred in the teachings of Creme, who has urged people to address the New Age messiah as either Maitreya or Sanat Kumara.  Since 1997, Creme has further revised his presentation of Maitreya on his websites.  Whereas Maitreya was always the name of the spirit speaking through Creme, whom no one was allowed to see "until he chooses to reveal himself", now a photograph of "Maitreya" is displayed, while the "master" now speaking through Creme "has a name known only to an inner circle" and goes by "Master """" [sic with a blank line], or the "Avatar [manifestation] of Synthesis".  Until recently Maitreya was the highest initiate (7th degree) in the cosmos; Creme now claims that Master """ is so much higher that his level cannot be revealed; "we wouldn't comprehend it." [This shift may be a stage toward uniting all the diverse titles and images mentioned above under the name Lucifer, a necessary step for the planned Luciferic initiation where allegiance to this name alone will be allowed.]  Creme still speaks of Maitreya, but his relationship to "Master """" is unclear.

Blavatsky is more direct in identifying the head of the Logos: for her it is "Satan". He is "one with the Logos" which is ultimately one force. He also bears the title "Kumara" and is the oldest and highest of the angelic gods. ("Doctrine" II, 103, 234-235) (For more on Satan's centrality in Theosophy, see HPB's chapter, "Satan, a Centripetal Force", p.245)

7. The NA gods "overshadowing" humans: from teachers to tenants.
Humans are gods, if only they knew it. But Creme clarifies that when people pray, they are not to pray to themselves, but to "the God within" or the "God immanent".  This is their higher god-self whom they do not yet know as their self.  God being in all, this higher self is in union, or "at-one-ment", with other selves higher up in their spiritual evolution - ancient spirits who have mastered their godhood and "ascended" into "a higher vibration" (no longer needing bodies).  These beings, who already know their higher selves as god, are divine from our standpoint. They know of our race's condition and have offered mankind their help in evolving into godhood.  So in practical terms, prayer is directed to these higher beings as though to "God", and responses are "transmitted" from them.  Since they are united with the Divine, the enlightened worshiper is expected to accept their every word as Divine Truth, even if it seems like nonsense or contradicts what they said yesterday.  If he does so, the recipient will gain knowledge, power, health and inner peace, and come closer to his own godhood.

In response to human need, some of these Masters become "Avatars" by occasionally taking up residence on the physical plane within a human host, known as "incarnation" (in their own body) or "overshadowing" (sharing the body with another soul). There are different degrees of overshadowing, ranging from divine impressions (resulting in channeling and dictation of "wisdom" literature) to the host actually "stepping out" of his body to allow the "master" full control. (see Bailey's "A Treatise on Cosmic Fire", p.756-757)  This last stage transforms the outwardly normal-looking person into a body hosting an alien resident; the human owner is known in NA parlance as a "walk-out", and the spirit-tenant is a benevolent "walk-in". [Interesting that not even the toughest NA cynics question the motives or integrity of these strangers who ask us to surrender our rightful property to them.  Is there such a thing as a spiritual "free lunch"?  Read on.]  A detailed explanation of the phenomenon is available in the landmark 1979 book: "Strangers Among Us: Enlightened Beings from a World to Come", by Ruth Montgomery, a walk-in enthusiast. [Although outdated, it is useful in presenting the basics of this belief.]  Montgomery, who claims to have received her information through channeling, writes: "Most Walk-ins zealously guard the secret of their altered identity, because people tend to fear" the phenomenon (p.47) and would launch "witchhunts" (p.125).  But walk-ins can be identified by their unusual powers, including mind-reading, the power to "forestall" human activity (p.30) and the ability to insert thoughts into a human mind which he thinks are his own (p.71). ["Star Wars" fans will recall the ability of the "Jedi knight" to do all of these.]  Montgomery was told that walk-ins number into the "tens of thousands [as of 1979]" (p.13), and she prophesies of a walk-in US President at some point (p.207).

It is common for disincarnate spirits to approach a human host and ask for entry.  But step-by-step instructions are provided in "Strangers" for people who don't want to wait to be propositioned.  Montgomery elaborates on the reasons a human host decides to "check out" of his body and permit an "exalted one" to move in: a reluctance to face "the coming holocaust" (p.71), being "discouraged or heartsick" (p.34), and "wishing for a long period of rest from worldly cares" (p.44).  These voluntary walk-outs will be exempt from the "bad karma" normally incurred by failing to fulfill one's life purpose, since they are contributing to the good of others. [What a deal.... Who doesn't want "a rest from worldly cares"??  As society becomes more chaotic, "walk-out volunteers" can be expected to increase exponentially.  How convenient for the disembodied spirits who admittedly crave a human vehicle - especially when other "walk-ins" have the power of thought control to induce a sense of discouragement into a desirable potential host!]

[No one seems disturbed at this peculiar situation.  Here are perfected beings, who "when unburthened [sic] of their terrestrial tabernacles, their freed souls [are] united forever with their spirits [and] rejoin the whole shining host." (Blavatsky, "Isis Unveiled" II, p.159)  Now they suddenly need a primitive vehicle again - and cannot acquire one by simple reincarnation, but insist on confiscating a body already inhabited.  As for the ostensible intention to help mankind, an ulterior motive for a spirit entering a human host is inadvertently identified: self-advancement in the "Brotherhood". See "Strangers" p.31, 94-95.]  The one queer exception to the "walk-in" possibilities is Mr. Logos himself, Sanat Kumara, who for all his great power is "not able" [or should that be, not permitted ?] to function in a physical body. (See "Initiation, Human and Solar", p.28.)  The take-over of spirits "entering directly into adult bodies" is apparently a ticklish maneuver and must be coordinated by certain "Brotherhoods" specializing in this service ("Strangers" p.96).

8. The "self-conscious unfoldment" leads to death of mind and personhood.
Strangely, what Bailey calls "the great plan [of the Logos] for the self-conscious unfoldment of life" ("Initiation", p.29), which starts with affirming our own godhood, is destined to end in "no-name-ness", as NA leader Dr. Jose Arguelles puts it. ("Meditation Magazine", published by the Intergroup for Planetary Oneness, Summer 1987)  To participate in the Group Mind requires the loss of everything that makes us unique - including the individual mind which NAers spend so much effort in developing, and all psychic powers they have labored to acquire.  According to Montgomery, the human mind is "vacated" so that "the entity slips in" ("Strangers" p.25).  But NA philosopher Manly P. Hall is more honest, calling it not a vacating process but a death: "The mind... must be ultimately sacrificed in order that the Great Work be accomplished.  By the death of the mind consciousness is released to complete perfection." ("Lectures on Ancient Philosophy" p.65) As Hall describes it, the only difference between Eastern and Western paths to godhood is that the latter teaches "the perfection of the mind before its rejection, whereas the Eastern schools are prone to regard the mind as a hindrance, to be discarded at the very beginning of spiritual growth."  The Eastern path "slays the mind", while in the Western path the mind comes to "a realization of its own insufficiency", and commits suicide "as a willing sacrifice." (p.67) [Don't look now, but the bottom just fell out of the NA "unlimited potential of the human mind".]  Bailey describes the loss of individuality as well, where "the lesser light... of the personality (personal self) is absorbed into the greater light of the Angel or soul." The original personality becomes only a "shell" which has undergone "the fires of purification". ("Glamour - A World Problem", p.269-270) The implication is that personhood is a defilement, an illusory "glamour" which blocks one from godhood. [So much for the popular conception that NA supports the quest for individual freedom... "I gotta be me" is the very antithesis of NA enlightenment.]

8. Masters of God-Men or of Puppets?  The Hierarchy promotes the idea that every possible universe is equally "real" in your mind, where as an enlightened person you can "create your own reality" at will.  But once the individual mind is "sacrificed" to oblivion as a "hindrance", where is reality to be found?  The answer must be that reality is being createdby other minds, pre-determined and presented for the now-mindless NA initiate to follow without alteration.  All NA plans for world domination (known in the UN under the euphemism "Global Governance") and all NA evaluations (who is "more highly evolved" than others, how one moves up, who is to be considered unsalvagable for the "quantum leap") are set exclusively by "revelations" from the above-mentioned "masters of wisdom".  These spirits have chosen certain physical spokesmen to transmit their knowledge to the world without critique; this is why they are known as "channelers".  (In Tenach days they were called witches, spiritists and mediums, and were unfairly persecuted by a few of the Jewish leaders and by many Christians but welcomed by many others.)  The New Age is densely populated with such human transmitters.  [When they are quoted throughout this series it should be kept in mind that they themselves do not take credit for their statements or books, and some even prefer anonymity.  Skeptics may insist that these channelers are conjuring up "messages" from their own minds, which is likely in many cases.  However, there are too many instances of such people conveying real, verifiable information that is not accessible to them on a human level; some are undeniably receiving knowledge from a source outside themselves.  The curious thing is that only one remarkable instance is enough to validate a channeler in the eyes of NA psychic-junkies: any subsequent mistakes or contradictory directives are excused, as well as outright transgression of noble NA principles. For examples, read on.]

Even global events were/are directed on the order of these unseen beings: World Healing Day, which John Randolph Price relates was in obedience to his spirit-guide's instructions to activate a "critical mass" for a "simultaneous global mind link."  Within a year, he enlisted support from over 500 million people in 77 countries, including political leaders, and by the appointed date (31/12/86), he estimated that one billion took part.  (It is possible that the warning of Ruth Montgomery's guides of a world war in 1987 provided extra motivation to rally around this particular date.)  Price also took direct dictation from his guide "Asher" in writing his books, "The Planetary Commission" (see "John & Jan's Excellent Adventure", "Earthlight Magazine", 1996) and "Practical Spirituality".  The "World Healing Meditation" written for World Healing Day, focuses on humanity's godhood and visualizes that "all false beliefs and error patterns are dissolved. The sense of separation is no more, the healing has taken place, and the world is restored to sanity." [It sounds great until we remember who is responsible for the "false belief" and "separation" in the world.]  The Prices are dedicated disciples of the "Ancient Wisdom Teachings", as was Alice Bailey, and they regularly teach at "Mystery Schools" around the world.  Hillary Clinton, US First Lady for two terms and candidate for New York Senator, revealed in 1996 that she regularly consults with "the spirit of Eleanor Roosevelt" for advice. ("The Skeptic Magazine", "Ten Years of Skeptism") [Hillary is solidly behind NA educational principles - see that section for details.]

Foundational documents which are attributed to dictation by the "ascended masters" are zealously studied by NA disciples. They include "The Urantia Books", "The Cosmic Gospel", "The Secret Doctrine" (actually a rewrite of the "Book of Dzyan"), "The Externalisation of the Hierarchy", "The Rays and the Initiations", to name only a few. You will remember that these are listed in the introduction with human authors, but each of the authors in question claimed to merely have taken dictation from "supermortal personalities".  Prime players were "El Morya" and "Master Kuthumi", both of them "5th degree initiates" who dictated "Isis Unveiled" to Helena Blavatsky - as claimed in a "direct testimony" attributed to the spirit (El Morya, "The Chela and the Path", p.122)  There are other works for which spirits are directly named as the authors: examples are "The Mahatma Letters to AP Sinnett" (Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, India); "A Message to the Members of the Theosophical Society from an Elder Brother" ("The Theosophist" 47/4, p.7).  Possibly the single most widely-read "ghost-writer" [sorry for the pun, it was irresistible] is the "The Tibetan Master", aka "Djwhal Khul" or just "DK", the source of all of Alice Bailey's books (except for "From Bethlehem to Calvary", which he did not dictate but fully endorsed).  Since these classic works were published, many more have been produced with credits given to spirit guides, through human authors like John Randolph Price (writing for "Asher"), Barbara Marx Hubbard (for "the elders"), David Spangler (for "John", "Pan" and simply "God") and Ruth Montgomery.

There is one all-inclusive document that does not exist on the physical plane, which occultists say may be briefly glimpsed only at the 'highest level of consciousness': this is called the "Akashic Record", said to be an imprint of all past and future events.

9. How good are the NA gods as Guides? A sample of their track record:
9a. Joint Cooperation and Responsibility - Although the "Masters" revealed to Blavatsky that they are "bound together in one spiritual solidarity of thought and deed," ("Isis Unveiled" II, p.159), their united deed does not always bring about the promised results. They have even admitted making errors in choosing their vehicles - repeatedly - after confirming the wisdom of their choices.  If these were indeed errors of judgment, not only is the specific "Master" to blame, but the entire Hierarchy, since "there is the closest co-operation in all departments... Owing to the Unity of consciousness of those who are free from the three lower planes, what transpires in one department is known in the others." (Alice Bailey, "Initiation Human and Solar", p.106) Yet when an earthly channel proves disappointing, it is not the infinitely more advanced god-entity who takes responsibility, but the hapless human who had previously been promoted as a Light to the enlightened.  For example, Krishnamurti was hailed as a true vehicle of Maitreya by the Theosophical Society, and he asserted with obvious devotion in 1927, "I am blending into the consciousness of the one Teacher... He will completely fill me." ("Krishnamurti: The Years of Awakening", p.241).  Only 5 years later, his "Teacher" publicly disowned him in a most humiliating manner: "It became all but impossible for him to be used any longer as my medium." ("Lord Maitreya", "Through the Eyes of the Masters: Meditations and Portraits", p.66)  Even Alice Bailey herself, who dedicated her life as a channel for the "Masters", got the ax nearly 30 years ago in a similarly ungrateful tone: "In the past we have had to withdraw our support from those who were given the opportunity to represent us.  The one who for a time had the opportunity of representing the master Djwal Kuhl soon lost that authority through intellectual pride and the brittleness of the lower mental body, which can never be the channel of the mind of God. Thus I expose to you the false teachings subtly woven into the work of Alice Bailey, whose failure to surrender totally rendered her unfit as an instrument of the Tibetan Master." ("Master Kuthumi", "An Expose of False Teachings", "Pearls of Wisdom" 19/5, Feb. 1, 1976, p.28)  [This is a warning to NA channels everywhere to expect no thanks for their years of service if they should fall from favor for any reason.  It also represents a crisis of confidence for those who base their lives on "transmissions from the Masters".  If Bailey's works are shot through with "false teaching", then the Hierarchy did not show a basic level of responsibility by stopping the UN, Lucis Trust, Robert Muller and all the other NA missionaries now spreading Bailey's teachings in their entirety.  On the other hand, if Bailey teachings are still valid, then there must be false Masters roaming about, feeding disinformation to gullible NA audiences... in which case one might ask why all transmissions and "Masters" should not be considered suspect.]

9b. Judging Human Development - The "Masters" have an iffy track record in prediction as well, even when they blame humans in advance for any potential error. Ruth Montgomery relayed from her "Guides" the warning that a nuclear World War III would take place in 1987, unless enlightened humanity banded together to "send forth the energies toward peace."  They gloomily predicted, however, that this war was "unlikely to be averted." ("Strangers..." p.191)  "Were there millions of Walk-ins working in unison, that catastrophe could perhaps be prevented, but in this present age of prosperity how many luxury lovers are likely to say to a disincarnate, 'Take my place.'" (p.53-54) [Here, compared to only 10 pages earlier, we see an abrupt switch from the compassionate offer to relieve discouraged individuals of their burdensome lives, to a guilt-trip laid on those who are not discouraged, castigating them as "luxury lovers" for not sacrificing their bodily rights for the Cause.] The "Guides" also predicted that the then-President Jimmy Carter would be succeeded by another Democratic president who would try to right things, "but this will come too late, as war will already have broken out." (p.195)  Although there was still no mass recruitment for the homeless walk-ins, 1987 came and went without World War III, and the White House did not see another Democratic president for the next three terms. [Perhaps this statement was not meant to be a prediction, but rather an attempt to instruct enlightened voters in America.  If so, it revealed both a misunderstanding of voter priorities and a powerlessness to influence human decisions.  If they cannot "guide the little wills of men" in such a minor issue, how can they be trusted to steer a safe global course?]

9c. The Masters' handling of the "Master Jesus" is of special interest to Jews, since their most famous son is the only Jew honored with the title of "Master of the Wisdom".  He is identified by Bailey as a 5th degree initiate. In "From Bethlehem to Calvary", she claims he attained it at his death, resulting in his release from physical restraints (what onlookers interpreted as a "resurrection").  For reasons unspecified, however, he was found unworthy of this level and was returned to the 4th degree, as evidenced by his later reincarnation in a teacher Bailey calls "Appollonius of Tyana" where he [again] received the 5th degree. ("Initiation" VI, p.56-57)  But even then, Bailey's (that is, Djwahl Kuhl's) description of him in the "The Lodge of Masters" marks him as something of a failure, in that "his pupils are frequently distinguished by... fanaticism".  [Summary: Jesus is the only "master" known to have been demoted from the 5th degree, and certainly the only "master" whose service is described with disapproval, be it ever so faint. This implies a grave error of judgment by the Masters who are responsible for promoting souls to a "Teacher" level.  Or it implies open prejudice against the only "master" with a Jewish background.  Neither possibility speaks well of the Hierarchy.]

9d. The War on Evil -  Since all is god, this includes good and evil, which are merely different sides of the Divine.  David Spangler ("Reflections on the Christ") labels them the "light side" and the "dark side," or "the Christ side" and the "Lucifer side," which are equally necessary for wholeness.  Spangler calls this union "the Luciferic initiation" (p.43). (The negative feedback Spangler received for being so outspoken back in 1977 apparently caused him to later downplay this comment, saying he had meant the Lucifer label "as a joke, really"; but he reaffirmed the need to unite with one's "shadowy side" to attain "balanced energies". See "Reimagination of the World", David Spangler and William Irwin Thompson, p.7)  Bailey wrote that the Atlantean war against the Black Lodge was in reality the Hierarchy's attempt to lead humanity into union of the cosmic opposites: spirit/matter, good/evil, light/dark, right/wrong. (See "Initiation, Human and Solar", IV, p.35)  Yet the Hierarchy has been carrying on a cosmic war with the "Black Lodge" for ages, and has every intention of continuing. [But why declare eternal war on an entity - and in "Externalisation" (p.76) even order their disciples to avoid any contact with the "efforts" of that entity - when by their own doctrines such an entity must be as much "God" as the Hierarchy are?  It appears that there is a place for the unforgivable cosmic sins of "fear" and "separation", when it suits the Hierarchy. What or Who could trigger such a fit of spiritual regression in these "perfect beings"?]

[We can understand it best in this way:  In NA reality, "evil" is clearly not a problem to eradicate if it is merely the "dark side" of the cosmos.  As we have seen, the "evil" which must be eliminated in the New Age is identified as "separation".  It is no accident that the Jewish concept of holiness means to "separate oneself" or "turn away" from evil deeds and evil men; as the Vilna Gaon and other sages pointed out, the ceremonial laws of separation in the Torah are symbolic of the spiritual separation which is the essence of holiness (see commentaries on Parashat Kedoshim).  The NA path to personal godhood requires the direct opposite: spiritual union with evil.  So it is actually holiness which is the evil targeted for elimination.]

9e. Ethics and Justice - Because karma has taken over the dispensing of reward and punishment, morality and victims are obsolete concepts from the old "dualist dispensation".  All injury and suffering is merited, whether the sufferer is aware of his offense or not.  On the other hand, since good and evil are both necessary for spiritual perfection, those who injure or wrong others need only to be taught that man is his own satan just as man is his own salvation, and that evil is not moral guilt but spiritual imbalance.  Evil energies, as Spangler says, are simply energies used out of timing or out of place, or just not suited to the needs of evolution.  In accordance with this idea, prisons and mental hospitals are investing heavily in "higher consciousness" training as rehabilitation.  Due to reincarnation, there is also no such thing as murder, so in the New Age no one can be prosecuted for being the instrument of karma in sending someone on to their next life; on the contrary, it can be counted a service. [All this being established NA doctrine, what of the NA groups working for "human rights"?  See the Humanity section which shows that "human rights" is interpreted as the rights of "humanity", not individual human rights.]

10. The "other" creator: the G-d of the Jews.
Gnosticism forms the base of Theosophical belief about the G-d of the Jewish Bible (discussed at length by HPB, "The Secret Doctrine", II p.243-244) She identifies him as a gnostic "Demiurgos" (a minor deity) named "Ilda-Baoth, whom several sects regarded as the God of Moses." Curiously, she goes out of her way to add that Ilda-Baoth is the "Demiurge of the Nazarenes" as well. [This is the historical term for the earliest disciples of Jesus, who were all Jews.] She describes him as "not a pure spirit, he was ambitious and proud, and rejecting the spiritual light of the middle space offered him by his mother Sophia-Achamoth, he set himself to create a world of his own." He successfully "created" the physical universe, but only with help from "Sophia", who immediately regretted her part in the endeavor.  HPB goes on to describe his creation of man as "a failure", resulting in "a monster, soulless, ignorant and crawling on all fours."  Sophia steps in again, and endows man with a soul, which fills Ilda-Baoth with "rage and envy" as he watches his creature set out to follow the divine ray within, aspiring to godhood.  In order to block man's ascension, the demiurge deliberately (and quite unfairly) leaves mankind ignorant of good and evil, the first initiation into spiritual awareness.  He leaves man with only materialistic life, "physical immortality - a kind of static immortality that would have transformed man into an undying 'Wandering Jew'." [Implied here is that the Jews, whom Bailey does not hesitate to label as still "wandering", are a living example of the uninitiated who have no place of "rest" in the new humanity.] One third of the angelic gods refused to go along with this creator's scheme to withhold enlightenment from his creatures; they "rebelled", and led by Lucifer, they approached man to offer him god-consciousness. (See more in her chapter, "The Secret of the Fall of the Angels", II, p.75)  "It is but natural," HPB concludes (p.243), "to view Satan, the Serpent of Genesis, as the real creator and benefactor, the Father of Spiritual mankind.  For it is he who was the 'Harbinger of Light,' bright radiant Lucifer, who opened the eyes of the automaton created by Jehovah, as alleged." [See how the Nazis adopted this idea, in that section.]

Bailey also describes the G-d of the Jews, but some effort is needed to identify Him beneath the occult terminology ("A Treatise on Cosmic Fire" D, p.947-951). In the abstract terms reserved for highly placed Entities, she first calls him a "great manifestation".  But, unlike the "manifestations" of the Logos, he was erroneously created by the mind of man - a misguided attempt which resulted in "distortions of the astral light". This manmade entity is also personified as "The Dweller on the Threshold", a being who is blocking the doorway to enlightenment, and who must be done away with. "A gigantic thought form hovers over the entire human family... energized by the insane desires and evil inclinations of all that is worst in man's nature, and kept alive by the prompting of his lower desires.... It is this piece of creative bungling, if so it might be called, which the Great Ones are occupied in destroying." While she at first refers to this "product of man's ignorance and selfishness" as though discussing a figment of the imagination, she finally calls Him the "evil entity". [We therefore have an "Entity War".  See Robert Muller's strategies in such a war.]  Moreover, the "Great Ones" are training humans to be "cooperators in the work of destruction," by directing the "interplanetary force" created by "certain mantrams and words" against this Being and against those who follow Him. [The Great Invocation is the most widely used example.]  This force in turn empowers the "solar Gods" [and here, either Bailey or the editor notes that these are identified in "The Secret Doctrine", II, p.287 as "the Fallen Angels"] to descend and manifest on the physical plane and wage a "war in heaven".  Finally, Bailey says, "The hated 'Dweller on the Threshold' thus gradually dies for lack of sustenance." [Here the true nature of the Hierarchy momentarily peeps out: their desire to destroy the "Dweller" has its source in hatred, an evil motive attributed to only the most unenlightened of humans.  Jews, for instance. It also betrays fear, another unenlightened attribute.]

Bailey names three things by which this evil Entity "is kept alive and vitalized": (1)"wrong" and "selfish" thoughts ["selfish" is translated as refusal to surrender one's identity to the Group]; (2)"the fostering care of the brothers of the shadow, and those representative of what may be called 'cosmic evil'"; (3)the energy remaining from "an earlier solar system, and an emanation form which is no longer considered in this solar system to be a principle."  Seeing that Bailey counts the current solar system as only the "second", we have only one other.  The race hailing from that system is clearly guilty for bringing their unwelcome "Emanation form" along with them - one who in that age was considered a "principle", in other words a God.  So when she relates: "Under the Law of Karma it [the entity] has to be dissipated by those who have created it," all NA disciples know exactly whose job it is to put to death this outdated "god thought".  In summary, the "Great Ones" have arrived to help mankind "break loose from the influence" of this "persistent vampire".  [Many kids' cartoons feature godlike villians who are "persistent vampires": for example the huge demon in the immensely popular "Dijimon" called "Myotismon" who keeps returning after being vanquished by the 7 energized spirit-guides.]

11. The Black Lodge, Repository of Cosmic Evil
Bailey's theories of human evolution and Jewish history have cosmic roots in the ancient war of the "Great White Lodge" against the [not so Great] "Black Lodge", the latter using the "Dark Force" as their power source. [Yes, look again at the "Darth Vadar" character of "Star Wars" fame.  In the most recent episode in this series, "Episode One: The Phantom Menace", we are taken back in time and introduced to him as a child who is identified as the "chosen one" who would "bring balance to the Force".  But, as we already know, he later turns to the "dark side" through events which will no doubt be revealed in a future episode.  As Bailey taught, the Jewish people were also "chosen" in the distant past, destined to "produce that balancing" in their pivotal position between the "Dark Forces" on one side and the Hierarchy-humanity alliance on the other ("Externalisation", p.74)  But they too turned to the Dark Side after rebelling against the "service of light", and were condemned to wander.]

It was the last round of this war between Light and Dark that ended the Atlantean Age and forced the Hierarchy, champions of the White Lodge, to withdraw into space and leave earth in the hands of the inexplicably victorious Black Lodge.  While great detail is devoted to the White Lodge, much information on the Black Lodge leaders is withheld: "They are not the problems of humanity but of the Hierarchy". ("Externalisation", p.74) The goals of these other "Masters", Bailey writes, "are as inscrutable to you as are the plans of the Ruler of Shamballa [Sanat Kumara]." (p.76)  [This places the Spirit(s) opposing the New Age at the same evolutionary level of the Logos, if not higher. Thus we are faced with a NA admission that it is possible for highly evolved beings to be evil - in spite of Blavatsky's statement that those who exist beyond the physical plane are perfected beings, united with "the whole shining host." (Blavatsky, "Isis Unveiled" II, p.159)  In light of such a situation, why should we accept that the Hierarchy is good simply because they exist at a higher plane?]  Although the Black Lodge remains nameless, their activities are described: "The Forces of Darkness are powerful energies, working to preserve that which is ancient and material.... They consequently block deliberately the inflow of that which is new and life-giving; they work to prevent the understanding of that which is of the New Age; they endeavor to preserve that which is familiar and old... to bring blindness to the peoples and to feed steadily the existing fires of hate, of separateness, of criticism and of cruelty." ("Externalisation" II, p.75) [How interesting that in a war waged in the name of freedom of thought, "criticism" must be considered every bit as evil as "hate". Also interesting is the fact that "familiar and old" disqualifies Judaism, but not Theosophy or the "Ageless Wisdom".]

The only ways NA disciples can fight the Forces of Darkness are to refuse to entertain any thoughts which their agents promote, to faithfully recite the Great Invocation, and to try to make contact with "the forces of Shamballa or of the Hierarchy." (p.73, 76)  Meanwhile, "the forces of separateness and of hate... use the Jewish race to stir up world difficulty." (p.77)  [Just how these tools of Darkness stir up trouble is detailed in the Views on Jews.]  It is only when "the mind aspect (the third [Lucifer] aspect of the personality) is more fully developed, then the focus of the effort of the Dark Forces will change and the problem of the Jews will disappear." (p.88) [Elsewhere, Bailey makes it clear that for the "problem of the Jews" to disappear, the Jews themselves have to disappear.]