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THEOSOPHY

ALICE BAILEY

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Alice Bailey

Alice Bailey

1880 - 1949

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A prolific writer on mysticism and the founder of an international esoteric movement, Alice Bailey was born on 16th June 1880, in Manchester, the daughter of an engineer. After a cloistered upbringing she entered on a period of evangelical work with the British army, which took her to India. In 1907 she married Walter Evans, whom she had met while he was serving in the army in India, and they emigrated to America, where he became an Episcopalian minister. The marriage was not a success, and after the birth of three daughters she obtained a separation and later a divorce.

In America she discovered the works of Madame Blavatsky and became active in the Theosophical Society. The narrow, dogmatic Christianity which she had previously followed gave way to wider spiritual horizons, though the figure of Christ remained central to her beliefs.

Blavatsky's doctrine of occult Masters led her to identity a spirit that, she said, had guided her from the age of fifteen, with the Theosophical Kout Humi. In 1919 she said she was contacted by the spirit of another individual whom she called 'the Tibetan' and identified with the occult adept Djual Khool mentioned by Blavatsky. After some initial reluctance she agreed to be his amanuensis. The result was a series of books which she claims the Tibetan (whose name she spelt "Djwhal Khul") dictated through an inner voice, and which she wrote down word for word. The most popular is the weighty Treatise on Cosmic Fire, which contains some interesting cosmic diagrams. Some of these diagrams had originally appeared in earlier Theosophical literature, while others were original.

In 1920 Alice married another Theosophist, Foster Bailey, and in 1923 they started The Arcane School to teach disciples how to further the Great Universal Plan under the guidance of the inner hierarchy of spiritual masters led by Christ. After her death in 1949 the school was carried on by her husband. It still flourishes as a large international organization, and an organisation, the Lucis Trust, was formed to overlook the legal aspects of the School and the published books.

Alice A. Bailey's books were "channeled" between 1919 and 1949 by a spiritual entity (Djwhal Khul, the Tibetan), who presented himself as a Master of the White Brotherhood. This spiritual and invisible hierarchy is the same who is said to have initiated the Theosophical movement through Helena Blavatsky. In fact, the teaching of Djwhal Khul writes itself in the continuation of the Theosophy movement, of which he borrows the basis. It goes, however, much further, and its teaching isn't that easy to tackle with at first. A knowledge of theosophy basics is therefore virtually a must.

It isn't a simple task to summarize the teaching of Djwhal Khul, but it certainly is at the basis of what is known today as the New Age movement. It also is the background for groups such as "Share International", that promotes the return of "Maitreya", or the Christ, although Lucis Trust, the official branches of the Alice A. Bailey's movement, has dissociated itself from it.

The teaching of Alice A. Bailey is not only available through 25 books, but also in a more structured way through the Arcane school, which feature a mixture of theory, practices, meditations, and exercises. The Arcane school is free.

Members of the movement believe in group consciousness and influences, and therefore gather for full moon meditations and form meditation triangles. The reasons why group meditations are held at the full moon is because members believe that the benefit of the positive sun influence is at its most when the moon, a dead planet and negative influence, is the farthest in terms of interference between the Sun and the Earth.

Lucis Trust also promotes Good Will, not only in the general public, but among world leaders as well, which it believes are influenced and guided by the spiritual hierarchy. There are some indication that the work Lucis Trust pursued through the United Nations, near whom they have their office, have had some influence in bringing about the end of the cold war. Mikael Gorbachev, at least, has certainly been influenced by the type of ideas promoted by the movement and, overall, by the New Age concept of inter-dependence - "thinking globally, acting locally".

A relatively discrete and uncontroversial movement, it had thus a certain influence on world events and world thoughts. Probably a wider influence than may appear.

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