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Alice A. Bailey (1880–1949), Twentieth-Century Sirian Channel

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Alice A. Bailey (1880–1949), Twentieth-Century Sirian Channel Winter 2018 Great Esotericists Alice A. Bailey (1880–1949), Twentieth-Century Sirian Channel Who Was Alice Bailey? method of obtaining spiritual information is of importance to all seekers in the Sirian tradition. spiritual leader and innovator within the Theosophical tradition established by Born Alice A. La Trobe-Bateman on June 16, A 2 famed nineteenth century occultist H.P. 1880, in Manchester, England, Alice Bailey Blavatsky, Alice Bailey was a prolific twentieth- was raised in an upper-class family and reared in century British metaphysical writer whose the Anglican or Episcopalian church. twenty-four works have done much to shape the Religiously inclined, Alice’s first marriage wed world of modern metaphysical spiritual her to fellow Englishman, Walter Evans, a literature. In fact, Bailey’s contribution to global former military officer who was to become an spiritual culture has been so great that the Episcopal clergyman. After marriage, Alice respected American scholar of religion, J. accompanied Evans to the United States for the Gordon Melton, has claimed that Bailey’s books completion of his theological training. Evans are the single most important source that set the was eventually assigned to a cleric’s position stage for the rise of the worldwide New Age in California, a geographical move which was Movement.1 Given the pervasive planetary to prove pivotal for Alice, for it was in extent of the New Age Movement and its California where Alice would make contact unparalleled effect on religion and spirituality, with the Theosophical Society and cement the this claim elevates Alice Bailey to the status of a course of her later life and works. In the leading figure in contemporary world religion meanwhile, Alice gave birth to three and spirituality. daughters. Even so, Walter Evans proved to be an entirely unsuitable husband and father, Throughout the twenty-four books published his ability to provide financial stability under the name of Alice Bailey, there runs the hampered by alcoholism and indulgence in theme of the star Sirius and its unmatched domestic violence. importance in the spiritual universe. For example, Bailey’s writings claim that energies At length, Alice was able to obtain a divorce from the star Sirius were instrumental in the and build her life anew in the second decade of appearance of the Human Kingdom, provided the 1900s. It was during this period that Alice the essential impetus for the establishment upon discovered the writings of Helena P. Earth of the mysteries of initiation and their Blavatsky, the nineteenth-century occult writer overseers, the Planetary Hierarchy, stood behind and co-founder of the Theosophical Society. the creation and rise of the mysterious and Alice became a member of the Theosophical powerful Masonic Order, are the source of the Society in California, rapidly progressing from Law of Karma, and result in the basic impulses the status of an avid student to that of a much which drive all phenomena of periodicity. sought-after teacher of Theosophical These representative statements are just a few of principles. Then, in November of 1919, she the astounding propositions revealed in the entered into a phase of her life that would literature of Alice Bailey in regard to the star dominate for the following thirty years: a Sirius. Bailey’s works to date represent the most clairvoyant or telepathic moment which comprehensive assessment of the influence of forever altered her life. As she has described this star available in metaphysical literature. For it, she experienced her first telepathic contact that reason, knowledge of Bailey’s identity and with the spiritual Master to whom she would Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly. 99 The Esoteric Quarterly later give complete credit for the content of all Bailey herself corroborated these assertions in of her books.3 The Unfinished Autobiography. There she recounted the story of a close acquaintance At about the same time, the Theosophical who, against her wishes, attempted three times Society arrived at circumstances that were to to find the Tibetan at his supposed location of have a decisive effect upon Alice’s destiny. A Shigatse, Tibet. Having traveled to the Tibetan split developed in the Theosophical Society hamlet of Gyantse in Tibet, some fifty miles between the forces of traditionalism and the southeast of Shigatse, the acquaintance was at forces of a more modern persuasion, and the long last rewarded with a visit from an aged more liberally minded Alice found herself cast Tibetan lama highly revered by the locals. to the edges of the group. Finding himself in This lama indicated knowledge of Bailey, her the same position was Alice’s husband-to-be, writings and work, and gave the visitor a gift American Theosophical figure Foster Bailey. of incense intended for Mrs. Bailey. The local The two were offered administrative jobs with authorities were reportedly astounded, citing the office of the Theosophical Society in New the exalted spiritual stature of the particular York City, where they each moved and later lama in question and the fact that he had never married. been known to have left his post in that As conditions within the Theosophical Society manner.5 Bailey recounted this vignette in continued to conflict with the Baileys’ beliefs, such a fashion as to indicate her certainty that and as Alice’s telepathic connection with the the visiting lama was indeed Djwhal Khul. hidden Master resulted in a growing list of Hence, it seems that Alice Bailey was aware of compelling published writings, Foster and the Tibetan as a definite, incarnated individual Alice Bailey joined forces in acting living in the Himalayan Range.6 The independently of the Theosophical Society to Theosophist, C.W. Leadbeater, also claimed to establish The Lucis Trust in 1922, and the have had direct physical knowledge of Djwhal Arcane School in 1923.4 The Trust and the Khul, whom Leadbeater described as distinctly School were formed in response to the world- of Tibetan body type and showing signs of wide interest evoked from the publication of age.7 Mrs. Bailey’s Initiation, Human and Solar, Mentioned in the above story are Gyantse and Letters on Occult Meditation, and A Treatise Shigatse, Tibetan place names used before the on Cosmic Fire, all transmitted telepathically Chinese invasion of Tibet. Today these two to Alice Bailey by the Tibetan adept known as locations appear on maps in Chinese form as Djwhal Khul, or the Tibetan. Gyangze and Xigatze (and related spellings). Who Was Djwhal Khul, Now well within Chinese territory, both are the Tibetan? located west of Lhasa, the former capital of Tibet. Gyangze is about 100 miles southwest he identity of the Tibetan Master Djwhal of Lhasa; Xigatze is about 125 miles west- T Khul is of critical importance to the nature southwest of the former capital. Darjeeling, of the information appearing in the books of India, lies approximately 175 miles almost due Alice Bailey. A statement regarding this issue south of Xigatze, and Calcutta is to be found appears in the front of most of the Bailey about 250 miles to the south. Mt. Everest is books now published by Lucis Trust. Titled not far away, about 125 miles southwest of “Extract from a Statement by the Tibetan,” it Xigatze. The general area is one of identifies the writer of the statement as a exceedingly rough terrain, with some of the “Tibetan disciple of a certain degree” who highest elevations of the Himalayan mountain lives in a physical body on the border of Tibet chain nearby. and who presides over a large group of Tibetan Other sources have also singled out Shigatse as lamas. Dated August 1934, the statement goes a location inhabited by extraordinary spiritual on to indicate that the Tibetan’s mission is the adepts. These include Theosophical literature8 teaching of perennial spiritual truths wherever and James Stephenson, who has stated that possible and the assisting of other Masters. 100 Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly, 2018. Winter 2018 H.P. Blavatsky identified Shigatse, Tibet, as Alexandra David-Neel’s Magic and Mystery in the residence of the Masters Morya, Kuthumi, Tibet, The Way of the White Clouds by Lama and Djwhal Khul.9 Sylvia Cranston, arguably Anagarika Govinda, John Blofeld’s The the best biographer of Blavatsky, reported Tantric Mysticism of Tibet, and The Tibetan credible indications that Blavatsky spent time Book of the Dead and Tibet’s Great Yogi in or near Shigatse, perhaps in association with Milarepa by W.Y. Evans-Wentz. In addition, what may have been a secret esoteric school the whole of Tibetan Buddhism is rife with located at the nearby Buddhist monastery of stories and traditions of extraordinary spiritual, Tashilunpo.10 Shigatse was also identified in mental, and psychic force generated from Bailey’s Initiation, Human and Solar as the lengthy dedication to sacred practices. Such residence of several Masters.11 To the extent sacred practices were well known in the high that these statements can be taken at face Himalayan culture that straddled the border value, it appears that significant agreement between southern Tibet and northern India exists regarding at least the one-time location together with its smaller northern neighbors. of certain advanced beings, Djwhal Khul It is out of this transcendent milieu that the among them, at Shigatse. influence of the Tibetan would therefore have However, the Tibetan also describes himself as emanated. A telling example of this coloring “a resident of northern India” in material first appeared in the Tibetan’s use of the term published in 1944.12 Given the fiendish “psychic gift waves.” The Tibetan used this Chinese invasion and decimation of Tibet phrase in at least four passages of his which was to begin in the early 1950s, such a transmissions to Bailey.
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