THE UPHEAVALS OF the early 20th century convinced many people of that era that the Judgment Day was at hand. Many Christians and mystics anticipated an imminent Second Coming of Christ. True to prophecy, it came. Heralding Jesus's "Second Coming" was the resurrected Count of St. Germain—the mysterious Brotherhood agent of the 18th century whose activities we followed in Chapter 26. After St. Germain's reported death in 1784, he was made to seem physically immortal. In the early 1930's, a man named Guy Warren Ballard claimed that St. Germain had spoken to him on a mountain in California. That conversation gave birth to an interesting new branch of the Brotherhood that would not only sponsor the return of St. Germain, but also the reappearance of "Jesus Christ." Guy Warren Ballard was a mining engineer. In 1930, he went on a business trip to Mount Shasta in northern California. Ballard had become interested in mysticism before his trip and he wanted to use his off-duty hours at Mount Shasta to unravel rumors about the existence of a secret branch of the Brotherhood called the "Brotherhood of Mount Shasta." The Shasta Brotherhood was said to have a secret underground headquarters inside the famous California mountain. The legends which had caught Mr. Ballard's interest began circulating before the turn of the century. Persistent rumors told of secret dwellers living inside Mount Shasta who practiced a profound mystical tradition. The secret dwellers were said to be descended from inhabitants of the ancient lost continent of "Lemuria" in the Pacific Ocean. Whatever the truth behind such legends may or may not be, it is unquestioned that Mount Shasta has long been a focus of mystical activity. Associated with that mystical activity has been a significant UFO phenomenon. For example, in the May 1931 issue of the Rosicrucian Digest (published in the year following Mr. Ballard's trip to Shasta and a decade and a half before UFOs were popularized in the media), we read the following description of a flying "boat" in an article about the Shasta mystics: Many testify to having seen the strange boat, or boats, which sail the Pacific Ocean, and then rise at its shores and sail through the air to drop again in the vicinity of Shasta. This same boat was seen several times by the officials employed by the cable station located near Vancouver, and the boat has been sighted as far north as the Aleutian Islands ..
1 According to the same article, the boat "has neither sails nor smokestacks."
2 Against this background, Mr. Ballard's experience on Mount Shasta takes on added significance. Mr. Ballard writes that he had hiked up the side of the mountain and paused by a spring. As he bent down to fill a cup with water, he felt an electrical current passing through his body from head to foot. Looking around, he saw behind him a bearded man who looked to be in his 20's or 30's. The stranger later introduced himself as the Count of St. Germain.*
As a result of this meeting, Mr. Ballard began a full-time career spreading the teachings of the new St. Germain. Ballard established the "I AM Foundation"— an organization with secret initiations and step-by-step teachings. Mr. Ballard claims that he had been introduced to members of the highest levels of the Brotherhood, under which the I AM was founded. The tales Mr. Ballard tells of his experiences with St. Germain are so extraordinary that many people have derided them as fantasy. Surprisingly, when we strip away the interpretations which both Mr. Ballard and his critics give to his experiences, we find that his stories present a picture not only consistent with the rest of history as we have been viewing it, but they add remarkable new claims with rather startling implications for our own time. The initial meetings between Ballard and "St. Germain" took place between August and October 1930. During the earliest of those meetings, St. Germain had Ballard drink a liquid which caused a strong physical reaction and made Ballard go "out of body." (This same out-of-body phenomenon is often reported by people taking strong drugs.) After imbibing this fluid on several occasions, Ballard said that he was able to go "out of body" without the drink. This testimony is consistent with other evidence indicating that once a person learns to go "out of body," it can become easy to do for a time. Ballard alleges that while he was in some of his "out-of- body" states, St. Germain, who was also "out of body," took him to some rather remarkable places. One locale was a mountain in the Teton Range of Wyoming—a mountain Mr. Ballard calls the "Royal Teton." According to Ballard, there was a sealed tunnel entrance near the top of the * The physical appearance of St. Germain on Mount Shasta was considerably different than the St. Germain of the 18th century. The earlier St. Germain was in his 40's, black-haired and clean-shaven. The Mount Shasta St. Germain is depicted as a younger brown-haired man sporting a beard. mountain that led to elevators. The elevators took their occupants to a location two thousand feet down into an underground complex of huge halls, storage spaces, and mines. In one of the large underground rooms, Mr. Ballard claims that he saw an All-Seeing Eye symbol on the wall. There was also a large machine, which Ballard described as: ... a disc of gold—*at least twelve feet in diameter. Filling it so that the points touched the circumferenceblazed a seven pointed star—composed entirely of yellow diamonds—a solid mass of brilliant golden
Light.
3 Around the main disc were seven small discs, which Ballard gave symbolic meaning to. Mr. Ballard quickly revealed, however, that this large machine was not a mere symbol:
As I learned later, at certain times for special purposes—Great Cosmic Beings pour through these discs—their powerful currents—of force.
4 "Great Cosmic Beings" was the term used by Ballard to denote leaders at the highest echelons of the Brotherhood. In his writings, Mr. Ballard claims that some of the Brotherhood's "Great Cosmic Beings" are of extraterrestrial origin. Ballard was told that the currents of force emitted by the machine were directed "to the humanity of earth."
5 The purpose? This radiation affects—the seven ganglionic centers [nerve centers outside the brain and spinal cord] within Ballard breaks up his sentences with dashes (—). I have included the dashes as they appear in the original texts. every human body on our planet—as well as all animal and plant life.
6 This is an astonishing claim, for it would mean that powerful electronics were used by the Brotherhood's "Great Cosmic Beings" to affect the human nervous system on a widespread scale. According to an I AM Foundation magazine, the purpose of the radiation was behavior modification designed to "consume and purify the vortices of force, produced by the discordant and vicious activities of mankind."
7 The idea of behavior modification through electronic radiation is by no means an absurd one. In recent years, the Soviet Union has been developing and using electronic tranquilizing machines to behaviorally affect large populations. Such devices are also being proposed for classroom use in the United States. We will discuss those devices in an upcoming chapter.
Although the alleged purpose of the Royal Teton radiation machine was to reduce discordant human activity, such radiation will usually have the opposite long-term effect because the emanations are actually irritants to the central nervous system, even if they do cause a superficial sedation. It is perhaps ironic that within less than a decade after Ballard wrote of his experience, the world exploded into one of its bloodiest conflicts: World War II. Either the machine of the "Great Cosmic Beings" did not work ... or it did.
In his first books, Mr. Ballard claims to have visited four secret underground locations altogether: two of them while "out of body" and two by regular human means. Interestingly, each location corresponded to a region in which there existed earlier in history a major civilization worshiping the Custodial "gods." The Teton location coincided with the ancient North American civilizations. A similar underground location in South America went hand-in-hand with the Incan civilization on that continent. A trip by boat and automobile resulted in a stopover at a reputed underground location on the Arabian peninsula, which matched the ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations. The fourth location in the mountains above the city of Darjeeling, India, corresponded to the ancient Aryan civilizations of the Indian subcontinent.
The underground locations were reportedly quite expansive and served a number of functions. In addition to holding electronic gadgetry, the caves were reportedly filled with enormous quantities of precious metals and ' gems. This is interesting because we know that most of the ancient civilizations worshiping the Custodial "gods" regularly made substantial offerings of gold, silver, gems, and other precious minerals to those "gods." Mr. Ballard alleged that the treasures he viewed came from some of those civilizations: In these containers, gold is stored from the lost continents—of Mu and Atlantis—the ancient civilizations of the Gobi and Sahara Deserts*—Egypt—Chaldea— Babylonia—Greece—Rome—and two others.
8 It has generally been assumed by historians that the ancient offerings went to the priest class. If, however, we take the existence of the Custodial "gods" seriously, it is more likely that the "gods" really did carry the stuff away. *The "ancient civilizations of the Gobi and Sahara Deserts" were major civilizations which are believed to have once existed respectively in the Sahara Desert of northern Africa and the Gobi Desert of east-central Asia. Like Mu and Atlantis, these two civilizations are said to have existed before Sumeria and are therefore relegated to the status of fiction by most historians. The Gobi and Saharan civilizations are said to have been technologically advanced, and the deserts on which they sat are believed to have once been lush with vegetation. The legends state that the Saharan and Gobi civilizations were destroyed in a cataclysmic war. Modern geologists have discovered traces of atomic explosion in those regions, but the traces are usually explained as being caused by the spontaneous combustion of natural radioactive elements a long time ago. Others believe that the traces are more likely the result of atomic weapons used thousands of years ago which destroyed the ancient civilizations and surrounding vegetation, causing the areas to become deserts. Mr. Ballard's testimony would indicate that a great many of the precious stones and metals were stored by the "gods" in inaccessible underground locations on Earth, perhaps to help finance Custodial activities and to keep the corrupted Brotherhood functioning. Precious metals and stones are expensive largely because of artificial scarcity. When Cecil Rhodes developed his near- monopoly on diamond mining in southern Africa, he was able to maintain the high price of diamonds by creating a very rigid channel through which his diamonds were sold. This is still true of the diamond trade today. According to Mr. Ballard, the "Ascended Masters" of the Brotherhood intended to keep precious metals and gems scarce. Said Mr. Ballard: If all this gold were to be released into the outer activity of the world—it would compel sudden readjustment— in every phase of human experience. At present—it would—not—be part of wisdom.
9 St. Germain reportedly stated -that the huge quantities of gold and treasure would be released into the outer world "when mankind has transcended its—unbridled— selfishness."
10 The implication is that these precious gems and minerals exist in sufficient quantities on Earth to cause a dramatic drop in their value if they should all be released into the public domain. A further implication is that they are hoarded and made scarce to preserve the wealth of the Brotherhood. If the treasures do indeed exist, then the Brotherhood is a sizable hidden economic power on Earth. According to Mr. Ballard, this hidden economic might does exist and has been used to influence human activities. During his tour of the Teton location, St. Germain reportedly told Ballard: No one—in this world—ever accumulated a great amount of wealth—without the assistance and radiation of some—Ascended Master. There are occasions— in which individuals can be used as a focus of great wealth-—for a specific purpose—and at such times—greatly added power is radiated to them— for through it—they can receive personal assistance. Such an experience is a—test—and opportunity—for their growth.11 It is certainly true that wealth has traditionally been concentrated in the hands of a small minority. It is also true that many members of that minority throughout history have been affiliated with the mystical Brotherhood network. The problem with this state of affairs would not be the narrow control of wealth, it would be that this control has so often been used to breed war and spiritual decay.
During his trips to the alleged underground locations, Ballard was also shown some radio-type gadgets. One such gadget could reportedly tune in on conversations taking place in various parts of the world—including in the offices of the Bank of England! As we recall, the Bank of England was one of the earliest institutions founded on the inflatable paper money system. That system was largely the creation of mystics and revolutionaries affiliated with the Brotherhood network. The Bank of England has continued to be a principle center of that system up until today. The alleged eavesdropping capability of Mr. Ballard's "Ascended Masters" is therefore remarkable because it would indicate a direct monitoring of a principle central bank in the international paper money system by top echelons of the Brotherhood. This becomes even more interesting in the next chapter when we consider the assistance that the Bank of England's director, Montague Norman, gave to Adolf Hitler and the German Nazi movement during the very time that this electronic snooping was reportedly occurring.
Earlier in this book, we noted the large-scale destruction of irreplaceable religious and historical records in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres by zealous Christians. Historians have been able to piece together much of human history anyway; but is that history complete? According to Mr. Ballard, it is not. Mankind lost additional records to Brotherhood leaders who had deliberately removed and hidden the writings. Ballard claims that he saw some of those ancient historical works inside the underground mountain complex north of Darjeeling, India. He added that the records would not be released to the human race until the "Ascended Masters" so ordered: These records are not brought forth into the use of the outer world at the present time, because of lack of spiritual growth and understanding of the people. The race has a restlessness and critical feeling, that is a very destructive activity,. .. the Ascended Masters of the Great White Brotherhood, have always foreseen such destructive impulses, and have withdrawn all important records of every civilization, and preserved them, then left the less important to be destroyed by the vicious impulse of the vandals.12
If true, the above quote is a stunning admission. Mankind's "lack of spiritual growth" has been caused by the very organizations to which these alleged "Ascended Masters" belong. It was the Brotherhood that turned spiritual knowledge into incomprehensible symbols, unfathomable mysteries, superstitious rites, savage apocalypticisms, and all of the other ills which ensue therefrom. In such circumstances, it is not surprising that human beings would experience a "restlessness and critical feeling." The "solution" of withholding knowledge would certainly not correct those human deficiencies. Such a "solution" can only deepen the problem. The claim that important records must be hidden to prevent their destruction is spurious. In Ballard's day, book printing was a well-established art. Any important records could be easily duplicated and mass produced with the originals safely stored away. If indeed such hidden records existed, we must conclude that the only purpose for hiding them was to keep mankind ignorant about the past.
The I AM movement created by Mr. Ballard preached a Judgment Day philosophy and strong anti-Communism. Despite attacks from the press and U.S. government, the I AM movement attracted a large following during the late 1930's and early 40's. The I AM taught that communism was the final evil in the world and that it would soon be destroyed by the Ascended Masters. Interestingly, no mention was made of Naziism, which was rapidly growing in Germany at the time. The "Ascended Masters" and their followers were clearly political creatures. According to Mr. Ballard, members of the Brotherhood were deeply involved in espionage and police organizations in the 1930's. Brotherhood members reportedly served in the American Secret Service, and Mr. Ballard claims that he had met agents of the French Secret Service (France's national intelligence organization) who were members of the Brotherhood and who called themselves "Brothers of Light." As if the reappearance of "St. Germain" in 1930 was not enough, the I AM movement hosted another most distinguished speaker: "Jesus Christ." Jesus was a featured guest in New York on October 24, 1937, and in Oakland, California on February 15, 1939. Whether this "Jesus" was actually a person claiming to be Christ or was simply Mr. or Mrs. Ballard acting as mediums to channel the "spirit voice" of Jesus, I have not been able to discover. Whichever it may have been, may I respectfully submit that this was as bona fide a "Second Coming" of Jesus as the Custodial religions will probably ever deliver? This "Second Coming" in the 1930's was sponsored by the same Brotherhood network which had sponsored and betrayed Jesus centuries before, and which has kept alive apocalyptic teachings predicting Jesus's return ever since. Naturally, this newest "Second Coming" did not result in a thousand years of peace and spiritual salvation. It merely helped set the stage for World War II. The I AM movement died down rather quickly after its peak in the 1940's. It is quite small today.
* It never gained the following or influence that so many other Brotherhood branches had attained. To most people, today's I AM Foundation is little more than a curiosity run primarily by retired people. Indeed, the I AM is not important to us for what it is now; it is significant for what it was in the 1930's and '40's. Was Ballard's I AM Foundation the concoction of blatant spiritual quacks offering a home-brewed spiritual elixir to people seeking a ray of hope in a world gone awry? Or did Mr. Ballard really meet someone that afternoon in 1930 on Mount Shasta? Was the I AM simply a bit of mystical razzle-dazzle designed to make money for the Ballard family as critics have maintained, or did Mr. Ballard's reported experiences offer a rare glimpse into some of the activities of the Brotherhood in the 20th century? It is a pity that Mr. Ballard is not here today to make his confession.
The I AM has inspired several splinter groups. One such group is the "Summit Lighthouse," which is currently the largest of the I AM groups, even though it is not recognized by, nor formally affiliated with, the original I AM organization discussed in this chapter. Headquartered in Malibu, California, the Summit Lighthouse is currently led by its cofounder, Elizabeth Claire Prophet, who, along with her late husband, Mark Prophet, had reportedly been a member of another I AM splinter group called the "Bridge to Freedom" before founding the Lighthouse. Like Ballard's I AM, the Summit Lighthouse believes St. Germain to be an Ascended Master. The Summit Lighthouse is worth mentioning because Ms. Prophet teaches that many UFOs are hostile to human well-being.
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