By Gerald B. Bryan
In the good old horse and buggy days, before more modern
methods of teaching children were in vogue, the favorite pastime of some
parents for making their rambunctious youngsters obey was to scare them into
thinking the “bugaboo man” would get them if they “didn’t watch out.”
Just who and where the bugaboo man was nobody would tell,
and that made the subject even more dark and mysterious. But nevertheless it
was all very real to little country children who were sent to bed in dimly
lighted rooms where an old lamp or tallow candle cast strange and eerie shadows
on the walls.
Now, in a very real sense, the Ballard psychology has
played upon such primitive fears of the human race — fears that came in the
childhood of the race which civilized people take for granted they have long
since outgrown. To perpetrate such bugaboo stories on grown-up intelligent
people in an era of incandescent light seems the height of absurdity and
unreality, yet, that is the exact psychology which lies back of the Ballard
control over their people. It shows to what extent childlike credulity and fear
are still governing factors in lives of people today.
In the Ballard system, the bugaboo man masquerades under
many different guises. Sometimes, he is of seeming high character, even an
“Ascended Master,” who, despite his professed love for his “beloved children,”
will scare them into unquestioning and abject obedience. At other times the
Ballard bogey is really bad — an evil “astral entity,” or, worse, a “black
magician,” who will cast a spell over his victim or take possession of his body
if he doesn’t watch out. Between these two types of bogey-men the “I AM”
student is caught, and is made to obey — or else.
It is this psychological domination of unseen “Masters”
and imaginary bogeys upon the minds of superstitious people that holds so many
to the Ballard cult. Like the Trojan horse of the Spartans, these ideas have
been placed within the gates of the citadel of the mind, and when reason
slumbers, they issue forth to do their mischief.
So long as the Ballards can keep their psychologized
students believing that Saint Germain is a great “Cosmic Being,” and not their
“man Friday,” they can no doubt maintain their weird dictatorship. But once
their students begin to lose faith in their invisible hierarchy of “Ascended
Masters,” they will see the “Accredited Messengers” as they really are, and
will throw the Trojan horse and all its mischief makers from out the high
citadel of the mind. It is this psychological danger which so greatly permeates
the Ballard movement. Its leaders seek in every way possible to keep students
from thinking for themselves. They try constantly to prevent people from
reading anything that seeks to tell the truth about their movement. They inject
into the minds of their students thoughts of terrible consequences that will
result should they dare criticize or question one little thing concerning this
“Ascended Master” instruction.
When the author published his first analytical brochure
on the absurdities of this movement back in 1936, entitled: The “I AM”
Experiences of Mr. G.W. Ballard, the collective Ballard wrath knew no end, and
students were urged to burn every copy they could get their hands on — but
without reading it first.
Some of the more fanatical ones literally carried these
instructions out. They rushed down to book stores and bought these books with
good American money; and then to show their faithfulness to the Ballards and
the approving “Ascended Masters,” they consigned the collection to ashes. They
conducted book-burning parties, and with proper ceremonies these “terrible
books” were burned with the fanaticism of a witch-burning rite, reminiscent of
a former age of bigotry and superstition.
These book-burning parties, however, unfortunately for
the author, did not continue. Saner moments —or perhaps the Scotch in some of
the students— told them that this kind of thing would be too expensive to
continue, and that so long as Saint Germain permitted the printing presses to
run, these books would appear. So the bonfires were discontinued for lack of
fuel and at a saving of the pocketbook, and the presence of these books which
had brought so much fear to the leaders had to be accepted in the same way as
the students accept the existence of astral entities and black magicians.
However, like good warriors, they still do battle against such things.
“Saint Germain,” as might be expected, was particularly
incensed about any form of criticism — particularly when he was the object and
not the dispenser of it, and he developed a well-defined persecution complex,
imagining certain organizations were “spying” on him or his work.
“. . . Every source,” says the irate Saint Germain,
“whether it is Unity, Christian Science or whatever it is, that attempts to
bring disgrace upon This Work or condemns or criticizes It, will fail utterly
and their churches will be empty!” (p. 55, A.M.D.)
Some months later the long-haired “Tall Master from
Venus” took up Saint Germain’s fight against the organizations, but as the
memory of this Venusian “Master” is as short as that of earth mortals, he
forgot which one of his numerous “Ascended Master” brethren made the above
prediction, and erroneously stated:
“The Great Divine Director [!] said many months ago that
if the Christian Scientists did not stop opposing this work they would empty
their churches; if the orthodox world did not stop it they would empty their
churches. Well my dear ones, if I were to tell you, tonight how many churches
have already been emptied and closed you would be astonished.” (p. 25, Oct.,
1938, V.)
We hope that the information given by the Tall Master
from Venus concerning the “emptying of the churches” is as faulty as his
memory.
For the benefit of those who are uninformed as to the
manner in which the numerous Ballard “Masters” contact this earth plane of ours
we will say that it is all done through the vocal chords of their senior
Messenger. Guy Ballard appears on the platform and informs the audience that
the “God Himalaya,” or some other great “Ascended Master” would that day have
the dictation. Then, just as easy as you please, Ballard repeats the discourse
which is flashed to him, he says, in “living letters of Light,” while the
“blessed ones” in the audience try their best to see this great “Master” and
his flaming letters.
Some, quite naturally and inevitably, hypnotize
themselves into doing this rather well. The easily observable fact that all
these numerous “Gods,” “Masters,” and even fair “Goddesses” say the same
things, use the same phraseology, slang, and idiom, doesn’t seem to reveal the
fake to these trusting, heaven-bent souls.
Quite often, too, Guy Ballard, at the receiving end of
the line, is a little forgetful. Unconsciously, in the midst of his “Ascended
Master” discourse, he sometimes takes out his watch to see how much longer the
“Ascended Master” has to talk, quite forgetting that the great and all-wise
Being who is supposed to be talking should know what time it was himself!
Catching himself one day in the act of taking out his
watch, while none other than the great “Cosmic Master Ray-O-Light” was
delivering the discourse, he had that great Being lamely apologizing for his
absent-mindedness by saying: “. . . Seeing the Messenger look at his watch, I
take it for granted that he is still recognizing time and space. Perhaps in
this instance, it is quite justifiable.” (p. 19, Oct., 1939, V.) With all of
which we are inclined to agree.
While this may either be amusing or disgusting to the
unbeliever in such nonsense, to the poor student it is all mighty serious
business. These students fear the terrible power which the “Accredited
Messengers” and their “Masters” assertedly wield. Many fear to talk to, or have
anything to do with, former members of the movement who were once their most
cherished friends. Such are ostracized and condemned as “vicious” because they
have had the courage to withdraw from the movement. Cowed and even terrified,
some fear to withdraw even though they have more than a suspicion that all is
not gold that glitters in this “Light-of-Godthat-Never-Fails” movement.
Early in the work, Saint Germain, through the Ballards,
appointed eight “Messengers” who were to take orders from the three and only
“Accredited” Messengers. Six of the eight, for various and sundry misdemeanors,
have all been fired or have voluntarily withdrawn from the movement.
When some one of these messengers or other prominent
member was to be fired, Saint Germain was usually called in from weighty
European problems to officiate in that capacity. A little diversion which he no
doubt accepted with his usual grace.
In 1937 one of the eight original messengers had incurred
the divine displeasure and was to be fired. In due time he received one of the
characteristic “Saint Germain letters” written on Edna Ballard’s little
typewriter.
This man’s wife, who also was numbered among the original
eight, was not guilty of any crime against the holy set-up, but nevertheless
she was fired at the same time because she just happened to be his wife! A sort
of vicarious criminality, as it were.
Saint Germain’s (?) letter is herewith reproduced in
part. It was sent from a Philadelphia hotel, where the Ballards were staying,
and signed “SAINT GERMAIN” — on the typewriter. The spelling, punctuation,
etc., is that of its creator.
May 18, 1937
11 A. M.
Mr._____, Mrs. _____
Owing to your continued spreading of vicious falsehood,
concerning My Work and the Magnificent Dictations of Discourses by many of the
Ascended Masters, your compel Me to withdraw your Messengership, which I gave
you represent Me and My Work.
It is unfortunate that Mrs._____ [this man’s wife] must be
included in this, as her Light is bright and her heart is right; but being
associated with you, I am compelled to withdraw the Messenger-ship from her,
also.
If you could realize your great mistake in this attitude
to My Work, you could call on the Law of Forgiveness and thus avoid the
conditions you must meet in your next embodiment . . .
You have built up a vicious hate entity that is surely
destroying you . . . You shall not any longer represent Me, or have privilege
of selling the books . . . This you have brought upon yourself . . .
May your Mighty I AM Presence release you from the tragic
danger you are in.
SAINT GERMAIN
This document with its threats of “tragic danger” and
“destroying entities,” even unto this poor man’s “next embodiment,” would have
been more convincing if it had been written in Saint Germain’s own “beautiful
script” (p. 73, U.M.) and had been stamped with the grand seal of Saint
Germain’s secret retreat in the Wyoming mountains. But, no, it evidently came
fresh and hot, and none too accurate, from Mrs. Ballard’s typewriter at their
hotel room in the City of Brotherly Love.
(Psychic Dictatorship in America, chapter 6)
OBSERVATION
My numerous years of research have led me to conclude that most likely many of the revelations that esotericism makes, such as: the existence of masters, black magicians, subtle entities, etc., are real, but the Ballards distorted these revelations to invent a lot of falsehoods that helped them manipulate their followers.
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