400 YEARS OF IMAGINARY FRIENDS A JOURNEY INTO THE WORLD OF ADEPTS, MASTERS, ASCENDED MASTERS, AND THEIR MESSENGERS KENNETH PAOLINI TALITA PAOLINI PAOLINI INTERNATIONAL, LLC LIVINGSTON, MONTANA Copyright © 2000 Kenneth Paolini and Talita Paolini All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or use of the contents in whole or in part without permission of the publisher is prohibited. Published by: Paolini International, LLC 52 Cascade Lane Livingston, Montana 59047 U.S.A. (406) 333-4475 Internet: http://www.factsource.com E-Mail: [email protected] Manufactured in the United States of America First Edition Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication (Provided by Quality Books, Inc.) Paolini, Kenneth. 400 years of imaginary friends : a journey into the world of adepts, masters, ascended masters, and their messengers / Kenneth Paolini, Talita Paolini. - 1st ed. p. cm. Four hundred years of imaginary friends Includes biographical references. LCCN: 99-91181 ISBN: 0-9666213-0-1 1. Ascended masters. 2. Church Universal and Trium- phant--Controversial literature. 3. Occultism--History. 4. New age movement--History. 5. Paolini, Kenneth. 6. Paolini, Talita. 7. Spiritual biography. 8. Ex-cultists. I. Paolini, Talita. II. Title. III. Title: Four hundred years of imaginary friends BP605.I18P36 2000 299.93 QB199-500488 Dedication Kenneth: To Talita: wife, best friend, and coauthor. To Angela and Christo- pher, may you learn the necessary tools and techniques to avoid repeat- ing our mistakes. I also dedicate this book to Maurizio and Shirley Paolini; you taught me the value of family, truth, friendship, and the power of unconditional love. Talita: To my husband, Kenneth, who had the courage to speak the truth when it was unpopular, and who taught me that our love and marriage was more important than any person, guru, or event. In addition, I dedicate this book to all people who are seeking the truth about the masters. Contents Dedication........................................................................................ 3 Foreword—Joe Szimhart................................................................... 9 Preface............................................................................................. 12 1. The Dream.................................................................................. 15 Part I—Our Journey 2. Talita’s Story................................................................................ 20 Who is that Turbaned Man?..................................................... 24 I Find the Brotherhood............................................................. 27 Welcome to Camelot................................................................ 29 Living in a World Apart............................................................ 31 Through the Looking Glass...................................................... 34 Back in Santa Cruz................................................................... 39 Round Two............................................................................... 40 Row, Row, Row Your Boat . Life is but a Dream.................... 42 3. Kenneth’s Story............................................................................ 49 Summit University.................................................................... 57 Beer, Beer Everywhere, but Not a Drop to Drink!..................... 59 The Yellow Brick Road............................................................. 60 Cosmic Honor Guard: Training, Guard Dog, and Bulletproof Glass................................................................ 61 Sleep, Food, and Life in the Mystery School............................. 64 Sons and Daughters of Dominion............................................ 65 What is the Sound of One Hand Clapping, Grasshopper? or Is it Better to Marry than to Burn?................................. 67 Oops!........................................................................................ 68 Leaves, Leaves, and More Damn Leaves.................................... 70 Let Them Eat Cake, but Guru Food is Better........................... 72 The Second Set of Books.......................................................... 74 True Love................................................................................. 74 4. Together at Last........................................................................... 78 The Dating Game.................................................................... 78 Guns in the Basement.............................................................. 87 We Tie the Knot....................................................................... 87 And Baby Makes Three............................................................. 89 Alaska Bound . Then Again, Maybe Not!.............................. 94 Toil and Trouble....................................................................... 97 All You Need is Love............................................................... 101 The Final Straw...................................................................... 103 5. Life Without the Masters.......................................................... 106 6. Guns? We Don’t Have No Stinking Guns.................................. 113 7. The Boise Intervention.............................................................. 117 8. Free at Last!............................................................................... 123 Part II—The Masters and Their Messengers 9. The Masters.............................................................................. 126 10. Esoteric Tradition.................................................................... 129 11. Gnostic Roots of the Masters.................................................. 131 12. Occult Tradition of the Masters............................................... 135 13. Rosicrucianism........................................................................ 139 The Masters in Rosicrucianism............................................... 146 A Modern Rosicrucian Group................................................. 148 14. Freemasonry............................................................................ 151 15. Swedenborg’s Rings of Angels.................................................. 155 16. Mesmer and Animal Magnetism............................................. 157 17. The Birth of Spiritualism: The Fox Sisters............................... 160 Spiritualism Sweeps America................................................... 165 18. New Thought.......................................................................... 167 19. Theosophy............................................................................... 170 Blavatsky the Storyteller.......................................................... 170 The Founding of Theosophy................................................... 173 The Masters Appear................................................................ 174 Blavatsky’s Writings, Plagiarism, and the Mahatma Letters..... 179 The Masters............................................................................ 186 Another View of the Masters.................................................. 187 After Blavatsky........................................................................ 188 The Judge Affair..................................................................... 189 Leadbeater the Pedophile........................................................ 190 Krishnamurti.......................................................................... 192 Alice Bailey............................................................................. 198 Benjamin Creme..................................................................... 199 20. Phylos the Thibetan................................................................ 200 21. Agni Yoga Society.................................................................... 204 22. Mighty I AM.......................................................................... 207 The Ballards Before the I AM................................................. 207 I AM That I AM..................................................................... 209 Sources of Inspiration for the I AM Movement....................... 210 Baird T. Spalding.................................................................... 211 The Movement Grows............................................................ 212 Do as I Say, Not as I Do......................................................... 215 Writings and Teachings........................................................... 221 The Ascended Masters............................................................ 224 Decrees................................................................................... 227 Ballard Demise....................................................................... 231 A.D.K. Luk............................................................................ 235 23. Bridge To Freedom.................................................................. 237 24. Church Universal and Triumphant.......................................... 238 Life at La Tourelle................................................................... 243 Of Prophets and Kings........................................................... 246 All that Glitters....................................................................... 248 Church Universal and Triumphant is Born............................. 249 Staff, Summit University, and Decrees.................................... 250 Confessions