By Gerald B. Bryan
The Ballard cult with its
distorted and fanatical view of sex has been a prolific cause of divorce and
unhappiness among its members, and has produced widespread repercussions among
non-members.
Sex, according to the Ballards
and their “Ascended Masters,” is absolutely taboo except for procreative
purposes, and even then they definitely discourage their members from bringing
children into the world. The “Ascension,” they say, is too near for that.
To properly take care of the
ever-growing sex and marriage problems among their students the Ballards
brought forth a new “lady Ascended Master” and called her the “Goddess of
Purity.” The “Goddess” thinks that I AM-ers, all and sundry, should get off the
earth by making their “Ascension” instead of settling down and rearing families
— a sort of race suicide of the elect. Let the others go through all the
trouble and bother of raising families. The Goddess wants none of it. Says she:
“. . . Those of today who have
the opportunity and the privilege of gaining their Freedom from human bondage
through their Ascension, should certainly not contemplate sex or family
relationship in that respect. You have served a long time in raising children,
in exercising undesirable sex force. Is it not time now that you might forget
it for a few years . . . ? There will still be enough of mankind left to take
care of the requirements of birth . . . You cannot seek another for the desire
of sex and expect yourself to be free!” (pp. 25-26, Nov., 1939, V.)
Despite the thumbs-down attitude
on marriage and the rearing of children the Ballard cult goes in strongly for
what they call “Twin Rays.” It must be explained that this had nothing whatever
to do with ordinary twins or quintuplets, but presents the idea that each
person is but half a human being — that somewhere in space is his other half,
wandering, as it were, like a loosened planetoid from the part from which it
was broken.
That is the deplorable condition
the general run of humanity is in today, it seems, but the Ascended Masters and
a few of the lucky I AM-ers have recovered their lost “halves” and are
presumably living blissful lives together.
The “Accredited Messengers” of
the Ascended Master Saint Germain are quite naturally one of those lucky
couples, each being the Twin Ray of the other. Saint Germain himself has
informed them that this is so.
Their book, The Magic Presence,
is full of the Twin Ray idea, the lady and gentlemen Ascended Masters and young
couples in it being paired off, for the most part, into blissful unions of Twin
Rays.
In this book, along with Saint
Germain’s other strenuous duties, he is revealed as a sort of Twin Ray
specialist. Though peculiarly never mentioning his own Twin Ray, he can spot
the Twin Rays of others most unerringly, and makes it his special Ascended Master
duty to draw the young people together and tell them about the laws of love,
marriage, and romance.
This all reads well in the
Ballard story books (albeit a bit too heavenly for plain-thinking earth
beings), but the sad fact remains that most of the Ballard students in the
outer world do not know where their other “half” is. Saint Germain, it seems,
is the only Ascended Master who is able to tell them — and he talks only
through Guy and Edna Ballard. The students, therefore, must get all their
information concerning 50% of themselves from two human beings who also have a
large and growing option on the other 50%.
It is sometimes difficult for the
Ballards to remember who-is-who in this Twin Ray business, and Guy Ballard at
least one time in his Messianic career made a deep and tragic error.
It seems that he had informed two
of his favorite staff members that they were Twin Rays; and this, as usual,
came from the great Saint Germain, the Twin Ray specialist, himself.
However, a little later on, the
“Great Divine Director,” not being a specialist in this particular field and
perhaps forgetful of what brother Saint Germain had said, severely startled a
little group of staff members and students one evening by saying that ALL the
staff members’ Twin Rays had ascended and were not to be found on the earth
plane.
That was a most grievous slip for
a Perfect Being to make, and it had the result, among other things, of getting
one of the “halves” of the combination out of the movement; and then Saint
Germain had to inform the other remaining “half” that he had to choose between
the “Light of God that Never Fails ” and his wife. The gentleman wisely chose
the latter, and so as a result of the Great Divine director’s slip the Ballard
organization lost both of Saint Germain’s favorite Twin Rays.
Twin Rays today in the Ballard
organization are almost as scarce as quintuplets. Even Donald Eros Ballard is
without his Twin Ray on the earth plane (“Saint Germain” told him so) — a
little matter which must have been fully realized by his wife in her recent
divorce suit against him.
As a result of an apparent
scarcity of Twin Rays among duly wedded I AM-ers, one or both of the partners
may be inclined to look for some imaginary Twin Ray or Rays out in space somewhere.
And sometimes it has not been an imaginary “Twin Ray” on some heavenly sphere
either, but some ecstatic earth love on this very mundane sphere. All of which
is quite understandable in this weird cult which teaches that each I AM-er is
only half an I AM-er, the other “half” being somewhere else — and may not at
all be the present spouse.
But the Twin Ray idea is not the
only reason for so many divorces among I AM-ers. Far from it. Complete
abolition of sex is taught by this cult, and although they formerly taught that
sex could be used to bring children into the world, they today teach quite
differently. As we have seen from the Goddess of Purity’s (?) statement, a
philosophy of race suicide is preached. No marriage, no children. Make the
“Ascension” instead. Leave the earth to the morons. What a wonderful chance for
the Dictators!
Despite the alleged “purity” of
this cult, a disguised but easily discernible eroticism plays through this
cult.
Guy Ballard, over and over again
on the public platform, referred to his so-called “Sex Law,” and seemed to take
delight in picturing the fearful consequences which would result for any
violation of it. At one of his early classes in Los Angeles (August 19, 1935),
he said:
“The sex urge was only to be used
for procreation. When it is used for so-called pleasure, mankind loses the
dominion of his physical form . . . When it is wasted, the body becomes
decrepit and helpless . . . Your aura becomes charged with the most vicious
entities you can imagine.”
Since then, with fanatical
persistence, the Ballards have constantly referred to the subject of sex. They
inject the strongest sort of fear-thought into the minds of their students
should any violation of their instruction take place. Time and again their
“Ascended Masters” come forth to keep this subject flaming before the minds of
their audiences.
“. . . To seek these classes,”
says their Great Divine Director, “to gain acquaintance and companionship for
sex desire is the most infamous thing ever on this earth! . . . There are those
who have been doing it . . . If you don’t stop it, I shall pick you out! . .
.You have been told repeatedly that unless you cease your sex desire, you
cannot gain your Freedom and Ascension . . . Do not be surprised if I release
the Fire, the Flame of Life to burn these desires out of you tonight.
(applause)” (pp. 18-19, April 1940, V.)
This sex taboo teaching has been
given indiscriminately in public for over five years among people of all walks
of life. It applies, they say, to all regardless of their circumstances,
conditions, beliefs, obligations, spirituality, or anything else. It is the
unalterable, inexorable “Law of Sex,” and will react upon all who disobey it,
producing degeneration of both mind and body.
Naturally, such extreme views
concerning the dominant, biological urge of sex, enunciated to people who in
their marital lives had built up certain habits in regard to it, had widespread
repercussions.
This sex teaching alone, has
resulted in an extraordinary number of divorces, separations, and disagreements
among married people, many of whom up to the time Ballardism entered their
homes had doubtless been living normal, sensible sex lives.
With the sudden introduction of a
fanatical religion into the home environment, with its rigid taboo of sex
expression in any form, a condition of affairs was brought about which
frequently became intolerable to the marriage partner who did not embrace the
religious fanaticism of the other partner.
The result was separation or
divorce in many homes which had formerly been happy and contented ones before
the arrival of Ballardism and its extreme sex teaching. The instructions from
the Ballards were to divorce the partner who desires marital relations, or
leave the movement.
Referring to the unhappiness that
has come to the I AM students as a result of this sex teaching, the Great
Divine Director encourages them to go on with the program, even though it
separates husband and wife, parent and child.
“I say to you blessed ladies of
the Light,” says he, “be not dismayed in the unhappiness that has come of your
search for and acceptance of the Light. Stand firm and unyielding . . .
Everyone of you must now stand by your ‘I AM Presence’ — I don’t care how much
you love your wives, husbands and children . . . If your home life has become
unbearable and you have severed it, don’t seek the companionship of other men .
. . Ungratified sex desires will make a human being the most vicious individual
ever known . . .” (pp. 21-22, April 1940, V.)
But sex was not the only thing
which broke up these homes. The general philosophy itself, with its devotion to
“Masters,” fanatical inhibitions and prohibitions, caused and is causing today
many intolerable conditions in the home environment, separating life-long
partners and estranging children and relatives.
Decrees which have to be uttered
the live-long day and half the night leave little time to devote to the duties
and obligations of home building. Children are neglected, the husband or wife
ignored, for this newer and more thrilling experiment of worshiping unseen
“Masters” and “Goddesses.”
A marriage partner who before the
advent of Ballardism was all that the other could reasonably expect, almost
overnight became neglectful of things which had produced happiness in the past
in a fanatical endeavor to follow this newer and more streamlined pathway to
happiness.
All this, and much more than we
have space to record, is the result of this teaching — in a land which the
Ballards assertedly came to “Save.”
Further, much of the alleged
“purity” and “morality” of this cult is puritanical and ridiculous. This is
readily seen from the following quotations.
“A gentleman Ascended Master” who
goes by the name of “Wondrous Harmony,” is responsible for the following gem of
thought:
“Married ladies and married
gentlemen,” admonished this disturbed gentleman, “if you want to save
yourselves grave danger, do not go anywhere alone with each other for any
reason whatsoever!” (p. 10, June, 1939, V., our italics.)
That was actually printed in the
Ballard official magazine! and “Wondrous Harmony,” warming up to his subject,
continued by saying:
“No married woman has a right to
go with another man that is married. No married man has a right to go with a
woman who is married and be with them except to transact business, and then
only in the presence of others.” (p. 10, our italics)
That is surely definite enough, but
it would look sort of silly to have to call in a chaperon to be present during
business deals with members of the opposite sex.
The Twin Ray specialist, just as
puritanical in thought as the Ascended Master “Wondrous Harmony,” on June 28,
1938, spoke to the members of the Ballard staff as follows:
“I ask in all kindness that no
one of the staff take any other married or unmarried man or woman to dinner
alone. No matter how innocent the individuals are, there are spies acting
everywhere . . . There can’t be anything hidden from me — I know every motive
and desire!”
The young people in particular
are warned against the slightest expression of affection, however innocent,
with members of the opposite sex.
“Remember,” says the Simon-pure
Saint Germain to the boys and girls assembled at the class at Los Angeles on
April 4, 1937, “you can love your friends more powerfully without your arms
around them.” (p. 270, A.M.D.)
And Sanat Kumara, another Ballard
“Master,” who hails paradoxically from the traditional planet of love, Venus,
says: “The greatest mistake of mankind today is to think that they must have
physical contact in order to express love.” (p. 8, Aug., 1938, V.)
The two Ballards themselves in a
special plea to the “Young People of America” say: “We ask ALL under this
Radiation to stop all practices of what the world calls necking, kissing and
hugging those of the opposite sex who are not your own relatives.” (p. 33,
Aug., 1938, V.)
To every good or bad rule,
however, there seem to be always exceptions, even among Ascended Masters and
Accredited Messengers, for the “Great Divine Director” in his great wisdom has
said: “Oh dear hearts, our beloved Messengers have stood forth before the
world; and if they feel the impulse to put their arms around a man or woman to
give encouragement, they do it!” (p.
15, April, 1937. V.)
Even Saint Germain, despite his
latter-day puritanism, is not altogether lacking in affectional responses. On
August 30, 1936, at the class in San Francisco, he came forth on the stage (at
least Guy Ballard said he did), and among other flattering remarks about the
smiling but unblushing Lotus, said:
“This Blessed One here —your
Little Dynamite— I have always held her in My Embrace of Light, many times in
My Tangible Form — in My Tangible Embrace of Light.”
And feeling a good response from
the audience, he added: “Do you notice how sort of chummy we are today? It is
wonderful!” (p. 13, Oct., 1935, v.)
Nevertheless, despite these
little occasional personal laxities and tolerances distributed properly among
their membership, the “Ascended Masters” are generally most insistent and
fanatical in their instructions to the married, unmarried, and would-be
married. Their students are held under the spotlight of strict
disciplinarianism, with the Ascended Master and Messengers claiming to know all
that is going on within their lives.
One of the reasons for such
puritanical sex teachings seems rather obvious.
In the failures of the average
student to fulfill these sex admonitions in all particulars, the Ballards have
a perfect alibi for the non-deliverance of their promised miracles. For the
reason why these poor struggling students do not make their “Ascension,” have
their “financial freedom,” achieve “radiant health,” and so on, is they have
not kept sufficient “emotional control” over their feelings!
Knowing their weaknesses, these
students blame themselves instead of the Ballards for the non-appearance of
promised miracles; and so the stress and struggle of killing out the “entity-demons”
within themselves —which they are assured are responsible for their
backsliding— still continues.
What complexes are built up, what
mental and physical reactions are brought about by such teachings, only time
and an intimate investigation into their lives will reveal.
But certainly within the lives of
students who go to such fanatical extremes, there are queer tangles of
suppressed desires . . . “Twin Ray” complexes . . . condemnation of self or
marriage partner for not being able to live up to the idea of a non-sexual love
. . . lurking fear of alleged mental and physical degeneration as a result of
giving in to the dominant biological urge . . . the spectre of divorce or
separation . . . and dozens of other reactions from such ill-advised and distorted
sex teachings.
There is consequently a sad need
for a sane consideration of the sex question among the Ballard students, a real
need for the psychoanalyst and psychiatrist to straighten out the tangles in
the lives of these people.
(Psychic Dictatorship in America,
chapter 25)
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