By Gerald B. Bryan
As the antecedent history of the
Ballards has been largely one of their seeking for magical powers and gold
mines, it is no wonder that, living in need as they were, they should try to
sell these things to their friends and to the public.
In October of 1938, as an
aftermath of some old gold mine deals, Guy Ballard was sued in Chicago by a
woman who had years before looked upon him as a “Master,” and a high spiritual
teacher. The Chicago papers were full of it, devoting front-page headlines to
the suit and to his gold-mine stock-selling projects of a previous decade.
The writer has no desire to
reveal the mistakes of a man’s life just for the mere sake of showing up those
mistakes. God knows we all make enough of them. But here is a man who has made
unprecedented claims for himself. He has publicly proclaimed the great purity
of his life which caused him to be selected as the “Accredited Messenger” of
Jesus (!) and the other members of the Cosmic Host. He has sold his public on
these claims. They have bought his books and merchandise and have accepted his
teachings completely on the strength of the sincerity, honesty, and truth of
his claims.
It is conceivable that a man
previous to a certain spiritual revelation might have lived a very unprincipled
life, and then to have changed over completely. It would be manifestly unfair
for some one to rake over those mistakes and publicly reveal them for the mere
purpose of disconcerting this individual or turning people against him when he
was so sincerely trying to “live the life.”
The writer, for this reason, has
sought mainly to analyze the Ballard books and public utterances, feeling that
that alone should be sufficient to reveal the fraud and deception. But many
people are not analytically minded, and must have evidence of some personal
nature before they can recognize deception.
Besides, the Ballard movement has
made history, and is no longer a private, secret affair. It is part of a great
psychological wave of “escape mechanisms,” or “salvation straws,” both economic
and religious, which people have been and are still holding on to, to save
themselves from the tragic course of human events which now seems to engulf a
good part of the world.
Therefore, as this is a history
and study of the Ballard cult, it must deal with all phases of it, and
certainly there can hardly be eliminated from it those gold-mine activities
which have entered so dominantly into the affairs of this cult. When Ballard
boldly comes out and makes statements concerning the saintliness of all his
life in a last endeavor to keep his people buying his merchandise, then it
seems necessary to show the real facts regarding his earlier life as well as
more recent events and save additional people, if possible, from being deluded
further.
What can one think of two people,
whose history is known, who over their own signed names will make such a
statement as follows?
“Mr. G. W. Ballard has never done
a dishonest nor dishonorable thing in his entire life and never shall. We have
never asked any human being for a thing, not even a dime nor a student list.”
(p. 19, Nov., 1938, V.)
In 1932 their Saint Germain
assertedly said: “This beloved Sister and Brother have gone through thirty
years of strenuous, conscious preparation for this work.” (p. 244, D.)
It would appear from this
statement that Ballard and his wife have consciously been under the direction
of great Teachers since 1902, but we ask whether the factual record of Guy
Ballard’s earlier life, as already revealed and to be additionally shown, would
indicate any real direction from such great Teachers?
As further evidence that it does
not, we quote from a reliable source as follows:
“. . . His activities were first
in selling stock in an oil well in one of the southern states . . . He had a
dream that it was going to ‘gush’ in February and sold more stock, but many
Februaries have passed since then, and no gush. His victims were mostly women
“Seeing how gullible they were over buying imaginary things, he then sold
almost the same list on another well, so they could get the money lost in the
previous investment.
“Then Mr. Ballard joined with
some others and cooked up the “GOLD LAKE” in California, and practically the
same bit again . . .”
Now, this “Gold Lake” project in
California, which our correspondent mentions above, gives a most revealing
picture of the background of Ballardism.
On March 25, 1929 —about a year
and a half before Ballard said he met Saint Germain on the side of Mt. Shasta— Guy
Ballard was indicted in Chicago by the Cook County Grand Jury on charges of
“OBTAINING MONEY AND GOODS BY MEANS OF THE CONFIDENCE GAME.” We have a copy of
this indictment before us, and that is exactly the way it reads, capitals and
all.
There were two such indictments,
made on the sworn testimony of two women who had invested thousands of dollars
in this “Lake of Gold” in California. Warrants were issued for Ballard’s
arrest, but he was not apprehended, and did not stand trial.
Guy Ballard, during this time,
was in Los Angeles using the assumed name of Dick Gilbert. It was in this city
while on this enforced absence from Chicago that he gathered some of his
material for Unveiled Mysteries, which was later supplemented by Mrs. Ballard’s
literary talents when he eventually was able to get back to Chicago.
He was absent for two years or
more from his home town, during which time his book avers he was “traveling in
the Far East.” As a matter of fact, he was in the far west, on the Pacific
Coast, traveling around attending metaphysical lectures and still looking for
gold mines. There are a number of people in Los Angeles who knew him at that
time, and he was certainly not in India.
Referring more specifically now
to this “Lake of Gold” in California, which caused so many Chicagoans to lose
their money, we quote from an unsolicited letter written by a woman who had
invested in it:
Chicago, Ill.
Dec. 14, 1937
A friend, Mrs ______, showed me
your letter to her of recent date, and as I am one of the Ballards’ victims, I
am very glad to tell you a few things of how I have been treated . . .
I have known the Ballards for
years, first meeting him through a mining proposition called the Gold Lake, and
like everybody else I was fooled in the man. I borrowed $200.00 from a friend
to put in the Gold Lake, having already several hundred in it, and he begged me
to loan him that $200 for his personal use he was so up against it and he said
he would give me double the shares in the mine out of his holdings, etc.
It took me a long time to let him
have it, and I asked him especially if he would be sure and give me credit on
the books anyway so I would be sure to get my shares, and he promised, and which
he NEVER did . . .
I have letters in which he says
he does not owe me by ‘Divine right.’ . . .
A dear old lady in her 80’s then,
and has now passed away, felt so certain of this proposition going over she
gave her all, her last $100 Ballard went and took from her . . .
He went to see a couple of
elderly ladies, two sisters, one totally blind, and he got some money from them
presumably for the Gold Lake, and he gave a receipt but never put it on the
books.
(Signed) Miss ______
This woman has many times tried
to get Ballard to pay back the money he borrowed from her. In reply to one of
her early letters to him in regard to this loan, he wrote her a letter which
was postmarked Los Angeles.
Excerpts from this letter, which
was written in Ballard’s own handwriting, follow:
March 28, 1929
My dear Miss ______
God bless you most kind friend.
Your letter reached [me] after being forwarded twice, as I am changing about
all the time trying to get something accomplished. The mining deals I came out
here on did not work out . . .
I have been trying to secure
employment west, but so far have not been able to get work You do not seem to
understand (from your letter) dear friend the terrible sacrifice I made to try
to serve those people in that lake enterprise . . .
But some day God will place in my
hands money to pay back every dollar that anybody ever assisted me with. At
this time I haven’t a dollar to help any body . . .
When God sees fit to help me to
success, I will be so happy and grateful to return every dollar of kindness
that has been extended to me. Until then I am powerless to help.
. . . I know so well everyone who
condemns me will be consumed by their own hatred.
I am leaving for Nevada at once.
If anything comes into my hands to help, I will gladly do it. A friend is
trying to help me get on my feet again.
(Signed) Guy W. Ballard
This hand-written letter of Mr.
Ballard’s gives a very good picture of his life and wanderings just prior to
his alleged contact with “Saint Germain” on the side of Mt. Shasta.
Does that life, with all of its
admitted inability to cope with circumstances, seem to be good material for a
great “Master” to work with?
Why should this man, who
admittedly was duped in a mining deal, be selected out of one hundred and thirty
million people to “Save America” from all its economic and spiritual ills?
Why should this particular
“Messenger,” of whom, assertedly, Jesus himself says has “not made one single
mistake from the beginning,” a man who “for thirty years has been consciously
preparing for this work,” have been selected when there were records against
him of having made mistakes?
But let us see the sequel of this
correspondence.
This woman who was duped, hearing
Ballard was back in Chicago selling people on his “Mighty I AM,” and thinking
that the “I AM” would surely give him enough money to pay the small debt he had
so faithfully promised to pay, wrote him again.
His reply follows:
February 11, 1934
Miss _____,
Your letter received after some
delay, I have no money for myself, you or anyone else.
If you will remind yourself of
the thought and feeling of condemnation, hatred and the wish to take away the
liberty of God’s children, then you will understand why you have no position,
money or health. For what you think, feel and desire for another you draw with
invincible power into your own life and experience whether you believe it or
not . . .
When you joined others with the
intent to take away my freedom, you deprived yourself of every divine right of
any assistance from me.
However, at some future time
should abundance come into my hands I would gladly help you if only to return
good for evil. May God’s Love and Light ever enfold you.
(Signed) Guy W. Ballard
Not to be put off by any such
letter, this woman again wrote Ballard pointing out that his accusations in the
second paragraph were totally untrue, but that IF they were, the same thing
would apply in his case also and be the reason why he, too, had “no money for
himself, his creditors, or anyone else.”
Then referring to the third
paragraph in which Ballard had said, “You deprive yourself of every divine
right of any assistance from me,” she said: “Let me make this clear to you. By
DIVINE right you owe me the $200 which you borrowed in cold cash for your
‘personal use.’ I am not asking you for any ‘help,’ ‘assistance,’ or CHARITY .
. . I am asking for only what is mine . . . If you have not got the $200 to
send at one time, then pay by the week.” And what was the “Accredited
Messenger’s” reply to this righteous request? It is given below:
Miss _____,
Your second letter received. I
have informed you this outer form has no money to assist you and no income to
promise you or anyone anything definite.
In spite of reports to you, we do
not own a home and no money is being received for the instruction that is being
given. In regard to the letter that you sent me, I simply say God bless You.
(Signed) Guy W. Ballard.
Remember at this time (1934)
Ballard, for nearly four years had been under the special training of “Saint
Germain,” at least so he said, having met that gentleman on the side of Mt.
Shasta in 1930, and at that time this great “Master” for his amusement had
plucked a ten dollar gold piece from the mountain air with all the ease of a
frock-coated magician.
He had also shown Ballard an
entire room filled with coins and nuggets, and “Spanish gold lost at sea” — and
had presented him with a gold mine or two.
Yet, despite the magic of his
great “Master” and the wealth of “Spanish gold” and Colorado gold mines, this
man could not pay this poor, deaf, struggling woman the $200.00 he had borrowed
from her — not even a few dollars a week!
And this money has not been paid
to this day, despite the fact that these people and their “staff” tour the
country in princely style and life off the fat of the land.
How different is their front to
the world! How can they write and speak the consummate nonsense of their
saintliness and goodness that they do?
“Dear ones,” said Ballard through
his own vocal cords to his San Francisco audience on January 23, 1938, “the
Messengers should be a mighty example to you. They have never asked for a dime
in their lives.” (pp. 391-392, A.M.L.)
And yet in the city of Chicago
and elsewhere there are a number of people from whom Ballard has begged and
borrowed money. Despite this, he and his wife had the audacity to publish over
their own signatures the following moral instruction to their people — as
though they had lived up to it one hundred per cent themselves!
“Beloved Young America! . . . If
you borrow either money or things, FEEL your responsibility and see that you
return them to the one who was kind enough to accommodate you. Just because
someone is kind and willing to make things easier for you is no reason you
should fail to remember that the thing loaned to you should be returned . . .
Lovingly, Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Ballard.” (pp. 33-34, Feb., 1938, V.)
Ask the scores of people who
either lent money to Ballard or his wife, or invested it in the “Lake of Gold,”
whether these “Accredited Messenger of the Ascended Masters” have lived up to
precepts they so glibly give others.
(Psychic Dictatorship in America,
chapter 18)
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