Pearls of Wisdom

Vol. 48 No. 16 - Mark L. Prophet and Elizabeth Clare Prophet - April 17, 2005

Psychic Thralldom

Part 3

[The Elohim Astrea contrasts the beauty of the ascended masters’ octave with the consciousness of the psychic realm:] “There are segments of the psychic world where a greater degree of order pervades, and this is in complete contradistinction to the disorder that pervades others. This is because the psychic world is the reflection of a cross section of humanity. There are among mankind transparent souls who on their own, although subject to a great deal of guidance from the light, have externalized, after a fashion, order and beauty in their personal lives and also to the benefit of society in general. Therefore, the sections of the psychic world that are inhabited by those individuals whose thoughts and feelings are apparently of a higher type represent a relative standard of organization in the ‘higher’ psychic world from which the lower belts of the psychic could profit—if it were possible.

“However, this is not the case; for we who have examined it for centuries, for aeons, can truly say that differing planes of consciousness usually remain fixed in a relative sense and people almost invariably gravitate to those sections with which they are most closely affinitized. Nevertheless, some are not content to remain in an uncomfortable atmosphere, and they struggle against almost insurmountable odds, straining to rise just a little higher to the next level of the psychic plane.

“How much better it would be for all concerned, blessed ones, if individuals would realize that there is a divine plan whereby the essence of the soul can release her perfume in the narrow room of self and clearly show forth the matrices of expanding reality. This design that God has envisioned for man is as beautiful as a flower in bud. The folds of the flower, prior to their full bloom, contain patterns caressed as gentle velvet and compressed into a center, which, when expanded, unfold the magnificence of the mature blossom that was hidden in the bud.

“The ascended masters’ octave is the quintessence of beauty because it is the realm of communication with the Most High God. There is no struggle there between egos seeking to exhibit control over those on earth who cannot see their flimsy, ghost-like forms. There is no power madness, no power complex, no power politics, but only the gentle child-like expression of the Christ expounding the Law to the doctors in the temple, at work in the carpenter’s shop of Nazareth, healing the sick, opening blinded eyes, loosening the tongues of the dumb, framing a world order, and showing forth the victory of the light that from the beginning has been Immanuel, ‘God with us.’

“This light that God commanded to shine forth in the beginning is not the darkness of the psychic world of which Jesus said, ‘If the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!’1 Nay, rather is it the eternal perfectionment in the ascended masters’ consciousness. Here is newness of life in its fullest sense. Here in the dazzling sun-presence of the light we see also by contrast the midnight hours surfeited with orgies of sex, of witchcraft and of the spirits that know their own nakedness; and the spirits that partook of the tree of good and evil and the knowledge thereof2 are seen as bone-white trees, stripped of Reality, extending their barren and unfragrant branches upon the black canopy of the night. This is the midnight hour of the psychic. It is always the realm of death and decay struggling to preserve some remnant of itself alive.

“God is not so. He is the spirit of the resurrection flame, of the victorious Christ consciousness, emerging from the grave of carnality. Coming forth from the rock-hewn tomb, having carefully folded the grave clothes (for he hath no longer need of them) he enters with the blue lightning of divine love into the world as the victorious presence that preserves, nourishes, expands and transcends that initial spark of life that God implanted within the soul.

“Man was not created in man’s image, for man’s image was created by man. Man was first created by God in the image of God;3 and man’s image was subsequently created by man.4 Again and again we must examine these eternal truths in order that the clean, crisp concepts of heaven may refute the long-entrenched theological speculations, arguments and dogmas that have bound man for centuries to misty concepts, nebulous and unformed. These have paved the way for the psychic activities of the world to invade all walks of life; all areas of endeavor, even the province of the Church—witness the rapid expansion of spiritualism in South America, even within the Catholic congregations. In this day and age, the religions of man are far too primitive, too provincial, too centered around the needs of men for creature comforts, for gregariousness, for the attainment of outer standards of conformity.

“Now we come to the place where the hidden man of the heart shall be revealed, where the pathway of the disciple with his craggy mane is seen etched upon the pages of the future, where each one can envision his own attainment as he pursues the divine discipline, cutting himself free from the rough-hewn state into the finished and highly polished stone made without hands (eternal in the heavens). Avoiding the psychic as the plague, he reaches up to the spiritual octaves of Reality, to that spirituality that lies dormant within his own being, to godliness, to the divine vision, to the unique but true sense of beauty that is the revelation of the light of His Presence. He sheds the skin of his ignorance—the cocoon from whose delusive silk threads the subtle ties of psychic entanglement have been created—and the garment, woven of the deep desire to express the divine sense, is fashioned day by day.

“Break now those bonds! Cut yourself free for all time and eternity from entanglement in the imagery and tracings of past embodiments as well as past wrong thoughts!...

“Stand with me, beloved hearts, and with the hierarchy as we take you safely through the labyrinth of life; for the light of God never fails, and that light is not darkness: It is God’s life, and it belongs to no other.”5

Accomplishments of Spiritualism

It is no wonder that the history of spiritualism (as well as that of all attempts on the part of the masters to reach mankind) has been plagued with deceit, degrading press reports and the persecutions of an ignorant and uninformed public opinion. For the darkness of entrenched systems and tradition-bound skepticism always opposes the forward movement of the light in the affairs of men.

The masters could not preconceive that mankind would do wrong with spiritualism and that it would open a Pandora’s box of wretchedness, a rupture into the astral world where marauding psychic entities would take over and obsess individuals with negativity and shadow and pain and all manner of lying releases that were not the truth of the LORD God of Hosts. But this is what happened.

After El Morya and Kuthumi stood before the Karmic Board and sponsored the early spiritualistic activities, these movements were taken over by people who did not have the integrity of the first experimenters in that field; and therefore the world today is plagued by any number of individuals who suppose that they themselves are messengers of God when, in reality, they are obsessed by forces of negation that have used them.

Jesus said to St. Peter, “Behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.”6 Also we read, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”7 “Be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”8 The devil seeks to devour mankind by those who are motivated by what they suppose is good, but they are tapping into the astral realm, the psychic realm; and the disturbing elements of creation put the signet of darkness upon their activities rather than the stamp of light.

Light is to illumine. Light is freedom. And light will give you buoyancy and joy and compassion for your neighbor. Darkness will involve you and enmesh you in the strategies of darkness, which cause every man to be turned against his neighbor and against his brother.

Saint Germain, El Morya and Kuthumi have never condoned what is taking place today in the name of spiritualism. It is no fault of the masters that spiritualism was immediately seized upon by the fraudulent and those who were looking for a ruse to deceive others in order to bolster their own sagging egos—not to mention those astral forces that are always ready for a heyday of adventure with the credulous.

However, no matter what may be said for or against the activities of spiritualists, no matter what evidences are brought to bear in defense of spiritualism, it must be acknowledged that the purposes of the masters in sponsoring this movement were accomplished:

  1. The door to the unseen world was opened for the first time, with unmistakable evidence to support the claims of not just one but many mediums. This evidence tended to dispel the aura of superstition and mystery that had previously surrounded spirit communication.
  2. The belief in personal survival after death and in the immortality of the soul was strengthened in thousands of people.
  3. The possibility of mental communication (telepathy) not only between embodied people but also between the embodied and the disembodied was acknowledged. Man’s innate powers of extrasensory perception were recognized at last.
  4. The way was cleared for ever-new and forthcoming revelations from successively higher planes of consciousness and more ethereal beings. Individuals on earth could now be trained by the hierarchy for the more critical task of bringing forth the Word of God exclusively from the ascended masters’ octave.

Death Not the Door to Deification

Enlightened students of the masters would ask this question of those who insist upon continuing their spiritualistic activities despite the warning of the hierarchs to stay away from all psychic phenomena: “Why talk to spirits who are subject to err and whose source of information is limited, when you can receive the infallible testimony of the ascended masters themselves on cosmic truth and the most up-to-date edicts of the solar hierarchies pertaining to the very fate of the planet and this system of worlds?”

Contrary to some popular opinion, it is incorrect to assume that an entity who is disassociated from the flesh has a wider outlook than one who is in the flesh. Nor should the hoped-for contact with genius be given undue credence. It is a fact that, for the most part, only the lowest specimens of humanity remain in the range of ordinary spirit communication. Under the latest dispensations of the Karmic Board, those more qualified to shed light on pertinent questions of life after death are usually taken immediately to etheric realms. There, in the retreats of the ascended masters, they prepare for succeeding embodiments or their ascension.

In a letter to his students, Kuthumi warned of unwholesome astral associations. He wrote: “Beloved students of light, death does not deify except it be the death in man of his old and corrupt nature. Those who are filthy before entering the halls of death are filthy still, and those who are holy are holy still.9 Final victory is not attained through death but through the transformation of the Adamic nature into the ‘quickening spirit’ of the Christ man ‘when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality.’10

“The tramps from the opium dens of China are as active in the astral world as are the dearly departed members of many people’s families. Flesh-and-blood ties are not nearly so important, in reality, as spiritual ties that link together men and women of holy purpose in God’s will. The flesh may bring to men strange bedfellows, for often father and son are as different as day and night, or mother and daughter as opposite as East and West. Yet, in the kingdom of God, a Christ may sit with the Buddha and find no wide difference in spiritual service to humanity.

“All advocates of love, whether from East or West, North or South, whether manifesting universal consciousness or the narrowness of creed or class, must, if they would be true to love itself, admit to the sacred precincts of their hearts those of diverse states of spiritual attainment. There has been for far too long a ‘holier than thou’ attitude on the part of many seekers after greater light. Beloved, to find a little of God’s light does not exalt men to ivory towers of wisdom. Where great wisdom truly manifests, greater love and service to one’s brothers is the natural tendency.

“We do not deny that discrimination ought to be practiced when determining from whom you shall accept instruction, for it is not wrong to ‘try the spirits and see if they be of God.’11 We do distinguish, however, between those who come to you seeking your love and those who would be your teachers. Be kind and receptive to those who need your help, but be firm with those who would misdirect you. But with neither be hasty.

“There is never any real need to greet any questionable doctrine with open arms or to immediately accept that which runs counter to the very nature of your being. If it is of Truth, time will prove its Reality—if discriminating love and wisdom are sought from God alone. If it be of error, you would do yourself disservice to accept it without due consideration. One of the greatest mistakes many students make is to accept the pressure that makes one feel the need to decide instantly upon the merits of each situation they encounter. The urgency of this feeling sometimes leads them into rejecting great assistance or, on the other hand, accepting that which will one day cause them regret.

“Remember, your consciousness has retained certain elements of proven truth, and these are the building blocks for future progress in the fruition of holy wisdom. Use them carefully to erect a flawless structure that will one day be made eternally secure in the knowledge of the whole Law and therefore a fitting memorial to the revelation of the Presence ‘face to face.’

“I am advocating that the dangers in all forms of contacting the so-called dead be understood. Just as you would not admit unrighteous men or thieves into your home when living, so all who have departed bearing the stamp of their own lack of holiness cannot be relied upon in the psychic world to do aught else than that which they practiced while yet in physical embodiment. Your own divine God or I AM Presence and your Holy Christ Self, together with the ascended masters, are always the fullness of divine authority. We will never counsel you except to lead you into paths of righteousness for his name’s sake (I AM).12

“I have sought to spell an end to misunderstandings about life and its continuity. There is never any doubt that just as life goes on while you sleep at night without your awareness of it, so life goes on between embodiments. Just as men dream while sleeping, so the consciousness that exists in internal self-awareness continues to have alternate periods of contact with the outer world of form and the inner astral planes.”

Kuthumi recommends that students seek to establish contact with their own God Presence, with their Christ Self and with the ascended masters, so that they might take the fullest advantage of the educational opportunities available in the temples of light:

“The most desirable state, and that to which men should aspire for themselves as well as for their loved ones, is to obtain entrée to our schools of light (both between embodiments and while their bodies are asleep), where men and women are given most blessed training in the spiritual arts of freedom as well as in the correct use of all spiritual power. Fortunately this can be accomplished while you are yet in your present physical embodiment, and by mastering the formula and practice, you will find it much easier to do so, should the need arise after the loss of your physical form.13

“Yet, above all goals, hold your own ascension the most wonderful, for it is the fulfillment of the entire law of your being and the commencing of the great journey to infinite goals of completion.”14

Mediumship versus Messengership

At this juncture it would be well to explain the difference between mediumship and messengership. A medium is a go-between who acts to facilitate astral-physical communication. A messenger serves with the ascended masters to bring forth truth from higher octaves of God’s consciousness and the knowledge of cosmic law that is dispensed in the retreats of the Brotherhood.

A medium has not necessarily dedicated his life to the expression of the highest divinity. A medium may be a person of any character, either good or bad, who possesses one or more of the faculties of extrasensory perception: clairvoyance, clairaudience15 or clairsentience.16

The faculty of extrasensory perception (ESP, or the sixth sense) is developed in some people and latent in others. Through the centuries many people have spent a great deal of time dabbling in ESP: magicians of past ages, medieval alchemists, advisers to kings, seers, astrologers, fortune tellers and others who practiced the arcane arts. They often developed the ability to penetrate the minds of others, to hypnotize, to mesmerize and in general to influence people. Frequently they accomplished their control over subjects by discerning or divining their thoughts and intents. The fact that a person has developed his extrasensory abilities has no more bearing on his spirituality than the fact that he possesses keen faculties of sight or hearing.

A medium is usually capable of performing very well in the extrasensory arts. Often he possesses an acute sense of psychology in the manipulation of others, making capital of their human frailties while conveying solace in time of difficulty. On the other hand, a messenger is a prophet, one who has received by divine appointment the gifts of prophecy and the discernment of spirits17 and the grace of communication with higher manifestations of God (such as cosmic beings, Elohim, archangels, angels, ascended masters and elementals).

The ability to communicate with the ascended masters directly and to act as their messenger in the world of form is not a technique that can be acquired through the development of any of the faculties of the physical or spiritual senses. The only preparations made by a messenger of God are total commitment to the Brotherhood, the consecration of his or her energies to the Holy Spirit, and the realization that “I of mine own self can do nothing; it is the Father in me who doeth the work.”18 Few are given this commission, and it is always directly under the guidance of the Great White Brotherhood and its various agencies such as the Darjeeling Council, the Council of the Royal Teton, the East Indian Council19 and other ascended master bodies connected with earth’s evolutions.

Messengers are ordained by God and by the Great White Brotherhood. The Karmic Board must also approve their commissions, which are personally sponsored by one or more of the ascended masters. Thus messengers hold a solemn responsibility to the spiritual hierarchy of this planet.

Continued in Part 4, published in Pearls of Wisdom, vol. 48 no. 17.

“The Summit Lighthouse Sheds Its Radiance o’er All the World to Manifest as Pearls of Wisdom.”

“Psychic Thralldom” is chapter 2 of Paths of Light and Darkness, Book 6 of Climb the Highest Mountain series by Mark L. Prophet and Elizabeth Clare Prophet. Parts 1-9 of “Psychic Thralldom” are published in 2005 Pearls of Wisdom Nos. 14-22. The publications listed in these notes are Summit University Press publications unless otherwise noted. For ordering information, go to The Summit Lighthouse online store.

1. Matt. 6:23.

2. Gen. 3:6.

3. Gen. 1:26.

4. Gen. 2:6, 7.

5. Astrea, “Freedom from the Psychic World,” in Keepers of the Flame Lesson 24, pp. 24-27.

6. Luke 22:31. (7) (8) (9)

7. II Cor. 11:13-14.

8. I Peter 5:8.

9. Rev. 22:11.

10. I Cor. 15:54.

11. I John 4:1.

12. Ps. 23:3.

13. This process is explained in Keepers of the Flame Lesson 7.

14. Kuthumi, Pearls of Wisdom, vol. 6, no. 39, September 27, 1963.

15. Clairaudience is the faculty, whether innate or acquired by occult training, of hearing all that is said at whatever distance.

16. Clairsentience is experiencing other realities or entities through the sense of touch such as the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end when a spirit touches you.

17. I Cor. 12:10.

18. John 14:10.

19. The ascended master Chananda is the chief of the Indian Council, which is concerned with the governing of the affairs of state of India and her people. The Council of the Royal Teton, headed by ascended masters Lanto and Confucius, is concerned with affairs of the United States of America. The ascended master El Morya is the chief of the Darjeeling Council, which was formed to assist the governments of the nations and the servants of those governments in following the will of God in their specific cultures and areas.

Prior Pearl
Next Pearl

Terms of Use

Copyright © 2005 Summit Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.

Pearls of Wisdom®, the Pearls of Wisdom® masthead, Keepers of the Flame®, The Summit Lighthouse® and The Summit Lighthouse® logo are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. All rights to their use are reserved.