Crossed Lines: Ascended Masters and the Kiwis who channel them

Bronwyn Rideout - 5 February 2024

Master DK and Bruce Lyon: Hopefully, the final instalment of a three part series

**For an island nation with a population of 5.3 million, I would hazard that we have more than our fair share of pākehā with a hotline to millenia-long dead Asians. And by more I mean a non-zero number, because mediumship is a paranormal practice/belief that has failed to provide any empirical evidence for its efficacy.

In this edition of Crossed Lines, I close the book on Alice Bailey and try to take Bruce Lyon at his word, as we look at his early writings and his own collaboration with Master DK.**

As I threatened two weeks ago, in this edition of the Skeptics Newsletter I’ll explore the contemporary activities of the Lucis Trust, what Bailey’s teachings were once she was free of the shackles of the Theosophy Society, and the influence this may have had on an early iteration of Highden Temple, located outside of Palmerston North.

When assessing Bailey’s post-theosophy achievements, the adage “Fortune favours the prepared mind” is apt. Bailey certainly wasn’t an overnight success (her capabilities in organising and income generation are rarely mentioned), but she wasn’t workshy - as evidenced by her time as an evangelist in India (the ethics of doing so, on the other hand, is another article for another time), and working in a sardine factory. Furthermore, Bailey and her husband were not the sole causes of the schism in the Theosophy Society that would eventuate in their departure; many ex-members were attracted to Bailey’s work as an alternative to Annie Besant and Charles Leadbeater.

Charles Leadbeater, circa 1914

But what may have kicked things off for Bailey were the actions of a man named Jiddu Krishnamurti. Krishnamurti was born in 1895, in the Madras province of what was then British India. Krishnamurti came from a theosophy family, and his father worked as a civil servant before becoming a clerk for the Theosophy Society at their headquarters in Adyar. In the Wikipedia article, it states that Jiddu survived malaria and suffered from recurring bouts throughout his life; he was seen as alternately dreamy, vague, and dim-witted. Even Jiddu admits that he wasn’t much of a thinker. Jiddu’s life would change drastically in 1909, though, when he met the recently reinstated Charles Leadbeater at a beach owned by the Theosophy Society. Leadbeater was instantly taken with Krishnamurti, believing him to not only have the potential to become a great spiritual leader, but also to be the possible vehicle for the World Teacher, and one of the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom, Lord Maitreya.

Jiddu Krishnamurti in 1910

The identification of Jiddu as a vehicle for Maitreya was significant, as Maitreya is something of a messianic or Christ-like concept within the belief system that Blavatsky had formulated, and Leadbeater had built upon - this hidden spiritual hierarchy that is the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom oversees humankind’s evolution. Maitreya in turn holds the Office of the World Teacher, and has the specific task of transferring knowledge from the Masters through to humans; this transfer may require taking on a body in the human realm. Blavatsky alludes to a potential timing for such transfers in the 1889 publication, The Key to Theosophy.

First, she writes:

“Scarcely. But I must tell you that during the last quarter of every hundred years an attempt is made by those “Masters,” of whom I have spoken, to help on the spiritual progress of Humanity in a marked and definite way. Towards the close of each century you will invariably find that an outpouring or upheaval of spirituality ―or call it mysticism if you prefer―has taken place. Some one or more persons have appeared in the world as their agents, and a greater or less amount of occult knowledge and teaching has been given out. If you care to do so, you can trace these movements back, century by century, as far as our detailed historical records extend.”

Followed by:

“If the present attempt, in the form of our Society, succeeds better than its predecessors have done, then it will be in existence as an organized, living and healthy body when the time comes for the effort of the XXth century. The general condition of men’s minds and hearts will have been improved and purified by the spread of its teachings, and, as I have said, their prejudices and dogmatic illusions will have been, to some extent at least, removed. Not only so, but besides a large and accessible literature ready to men’s hands, the next impulse will find a numerous and united body of people ready to welcome the new torch-bearer of Truth. He will find the minds of men prepared for his message, a language ready for him in which to clothe the new truths he brings, an organization awaiting his arrival, which will remove the merely mechanical, material obstacles and difficulties from his path. Think how much one, to whom such an opportunity is given, could accomplish. Measure it by comparison with what the Theosophical Society actually has achieved in the last fourteen years, without any of these advantages and surrounded by hosts of hindrances which would not hamper the new leader. Consider all this, and then tell me whether I am too sanguine when I say that if the Theosophical Society survives and lives true to its mission, to its original impulses through the next hundred years―tell me, I say, if I go too far in asserting that earth will be a heaven in the twenty-first century in comparison with what it is now!”

Lofty ideas, if I do say so.

Both Besant and Leadbeater placed a lot of emphasis on the concept of Maitreya’s return, and the possibility that this could happen before 1975. It was certainly a big part of the theosophical milieu when Bailey joined in the late 1910s.

Of course, we can’t consider Leadbeater’s discovery of Krishnamurti without addressing the elephant in the room. Charles Leadbeater was a direct pupil of Blavatsky, and climbed high both within the society and in garnering favour with the various hidden masters. Leadbeater also served as headmaster at the school the Theosophy society founded in Ceylon, and during his time there (and while Blavatsky was away in Europe) he started to develop clairvoyant abilities. Leadbeater was a prolific writer for the society, and was one of its most well known speakers (he even visited New Zealand). In 1906, Leadbeater fell afoul of the Theosophists due to advice he gave to boys under his care to engage in masturbation to deal with obsessive sexual thoughts. Leadbeater resigned in 1906, but after the death of Theosophy founder Henry Olcott in 1907, the General Secretary of the American Section, Weller van Hook, gave a stirring defense of Leadbeater. Van Hook claimed that his defense was dictated to him by one of the masters, but one has to wonder if Leadbeater designating van Hook’s son as the World Teacher might have been a bigger driver. Leadbeater was reinstated into the society by 1908, but not before several hundred members left. Leadbeater largely based himself in India but, by 1915, charges of indecent acts with minor boys drove him to Australia. He would remain in Australia until his death in 1934, with similar accusations following him there. An investigation was conducted by the Police, but no charges were laid.

As Andrew Paul Woods notes in his book Shadow Worlds, the declaration of Krishnamurti as not just Maitreya, but a reincarnation of Jesus Christ, bothered many theosophists. Annie Besant and Leadbeater stepped into the parenting/guardianship role of Krishnamurti and established the Order of the Star in the East to support him in his transformation into the World Teacher. Krishnamurti’s father became uneasy with this arrangement, and attempted to annul the guardianship agreement in 1912 and included the accusations against Leadbeater in his case. Besant would win custody of not just Krishnamurti but of his brother and travel companion, Nitya, as well. The two boys lived a life of privilege and comfort provided by various patrons, supporters, and the Theosophical elite. Between 1922 and 1925, Krishnamurti had several physical and psychological experiences that made many believe that the second coming was imminent.

Jiddu Krishnamurti circa early 1920s

That all came crashing down in 1925, when Nitya died. Despite having a period of poor health due to TB, Krishnamurti had been reassured that the masters would not allow his brother to die. While he still wrote and gave talks about Theosophy, Krishnamurti’s works were becoming distinct from it and, by 1929, when he was 31, he dissolved the Order of the Star of the East, arguing that he wanted the set man free from all cages and that by following a person, one stopped following the truth. Leadbeater denounced Krishnamurti, saying of the debacle “…the Coming had gone wrong”. Now, Krishnamurti never claimed to not be Maitreya, but it appears he did do the honourable thing and returned money and properties donated to the Order back to their donors.

And the rest, you could say, is history. Bailey certainly benefited (and learned) from this humiliation of the Theosophy Society, while still remaining embedded in the theosophical belief system. In an article called Theosophy, New Thought, and New Age Movements, the authors point out that one of Bailey’s differences to Theosophy was her focus on the spiritual evolution and dawn of a new age being a moment that could be achieved by a network of people, free of man-made hierarchy; whereas the Theosophists sought a physical human. Within Bailey’s organisation, the network that would help bring about the new age were formalised into different groups with different tasks, Triangles and World Servers. The Triangles are three-people teams who “…agree to link in thought each day” and, using the great invocation, uplift goodwill throughout the world while simultaneously intersecting with other triangles worldwide. World Servers, on the other hand, are individuals whose works improve humanity; They may or may not know that they are world servers, but those with the ego to identify as such may have formal meditation gatherings of their own. In the same article, Bailey also leaned more heavily on her evangelical roots, while also incorporating Buddhist and pagan elements in her works. Bailey’s views on race, and orthodox judaism in particular, are problematic and, quite sadly, fall back into fashion now and again.

Referring to Wikipedia and other sources, Bailey is often seen as an influential figure in the new age movement because her efforts and sizable printed output made Theosophical ideas accessible to the masses in terms of understanding it, as well as being active participants in it; thereby allowing for the advancement and adaptation of concepts like Esoteric Astrology, esoteric healing (where all disease is due to a blockage or obstruction in the human soul), Light workers, and the very popular seven rays. With the seven rays ideology, each ray is a different creative force by which human beings can be classified. Each ray is associated with a different colour, planet, astrological sign, ascended master, and personality trait; they can also direct the type of service one gives to the world as a world server.

Summary of the attributes of each of the seven rays.

If this chart is a bit dense, maybe Todd Rundgren can help. He wrote more than one song inspired by Alice Bailey.

But Bailey’s chief contribution to the new age movement is precedent set by her contact with Master DK in defiance of Annie Besant’s edicts. This practice has been the blueprint by which many groups and solo new age practitioners have hung their shingle on.

Which leads us to next year, 2025. Bailey herself wrote in The Externalisation of The Hierarchy,

“Thus a great and new movement is proceeding and a tremendously increased interplay and interaction is taking place. This will go on until A.D. 2025. During the years intervening between now and then very great changes will be seen taking place, and at the great General Assembly of the Hierarchy—held as usual every century—in 2025 the date in all probability will be set for the first stage of the externalisation of the Hierarchy. The present cycle (from now until that date) is called technically “The Stage of the Forerunner”. It is preparatory in nature, testing in its methods, and intended to be revelatory in its techniques and results. You can see therefore that Chohans, Masters, initiates, world disciples, disciples and aspirants affiliated with the Hierarchy are all at this time passing through a cycle of great activity.”

In Esoteric Psychology, Bailey also mentions the formation of a World Federation of Nations by 2025:

“The inner structure of the World Federation of Nations will eventually be equally well organised, with its outer form taking rapid shape by 2025. Do not infer from this that we shall have a perfected world religion and a complete community of nations. Not so rapidly does nature move; but the concept and the idea will be universally recognised, universally desired, and generally worked for, and when these conditions exist nothing can stop the appearance of the ultimate physical form for that cycle.”

As we know, not everyone is excited by the prospect of this supposed New World Order.

The modern Lucis Trust had published that:

“…The ageless wisdom suggests that in the 25th year of every century there is a gathering on the subtle planes of all Masters, Saints, Rishis and Enlightened Beings, and over time this is followed by significant changes in humanity”

And further:

“This might mean people who have achieved some measure of spiritual enlightenment emerging as leaders in all manner of human affairs, uniting the hundreds of thousands of world servers from every part of the planet, initiating a renaissance in global culture and civilization. Prophecy even suggests the emergence, at some undefined time, of a Christ-like figure recognized by people of spiritual inclination in all faiths.”

This prophecy about 2025 is not an end times prophecy in the style of Harold Camping but, maybe philosophically, it can be interpreted as an optimistic end-of-life-as-we-know-it, as humankind takes a giant leap in its spiritual evolution.

I guess that is something to keep us busy when the Internet Apocalypse happens that same year.

Interest in 2025 also has significance to the wider New Age community, but especially to those who are acolytes of the ascended masters. It is important to keep a skeptical eye on national and international chatter of just who is trying to sell themselves as a World Server, or even that Christ-like figure. There are already Facebook Groups and websites that are either gathering so-called world servers, seeking evidence for the reappearance of Christ/Lord Maitreya, or following other predictions from Bailey’s works.

So, what do Bruce Lyon and Highden Temple have to do with this?

The earliest online evidence connecting Bruce to the teachings of Alice Bailey is a listing of a recorded panel from a 1997 conference held by the University of the Seven Rays (U7R). The U7R granted degrees in esoteric subjects, and is part of the Morya Federation, which bases its curriculum around the book Occult Meditation. Co-presenting with Bruce on a panel about founding occult colleges was Lance Bracewell, a New Zealand-based astrologer whose name appears in multiple places when it comes to Bruce’s early work at Highden, and Dr. Finn Andersen. If you recall in my earlier essays, Dr. Andersen was the actual buyer of Highden Manor when Bruce tried to establish the Highden school, and also had a very controversial practice of treating cancer patients with alternative therapies.

In fact, Finn gave a second solo presentation titled Esoteric and Alternative Approaches to the Treatment of Cancer at the same conference, which was described as:

“Dr. Andersen presents a remarkable number of effective alternatives to standard cancer therapy, ranging from mistletoe injections (an ancient European remedy), to electric therapy, to esoteric healing as presented by the Tibetan.”

When Andersen purchased Highden, it was reported that he intended to establish a hospice/alternative cancer care centre in New Zealand that was similar to his facility in Denmark, the Humlegaarden clinic. It was also included on an early Highden website that “…There will also be health care services and education on site, coordinated internationally by those with www.humlegaarden.dk and local professionals”

However, Bruce claims that his connection to unknown and unseeable forces occurred much earlier. In Journey to Shamballa Land, Lyon reports that he received a series of symbols during meditation, on the same date in October, at three year intervals between 1987 and 1999.

Between 1998 and 1999, there are intermittent references to the new occult schools and to Master DK/Alice Bailey, but through to late 2000 the connection between Highden and the criteria listed for a Mystery School as laid out in Occult Meditation is clear. Like, copy-and-pasted kind of clear. In 2023, Lyon self published Raiding the Inarticulate, which does some exploration on what good government requires, and around moving from the 6th to 7th ray.

Most relevant to this article is the 2003 publication of Mercury: The Mercury Transmissions. Lyon wrote that he has been studying Bailey and the esoteric tradition since 1988. In 2000, he noticed an inner presence, which he believed to be Master DK, that wanted Bruce to write a book about revelations that were prophesied for the early 21st century. Bruce describes such a collaboration as more of a meeting of souls, in which DK impresses archetypes onto Bruce’s mind and then gives words to describe and define them. DK also gifted Bruce with a series of books, to be completed over a period of 25 years. Bruce further revealed that the process of forming the esoteric school at Highden was guided by DK’s fellow masters Master Morya and a seventh ray master who was under Master R/Comte St. Germain. Surprising that, unlike other occult and new age leaders, Lyon claims a student of Master R, rather than Master R himself, as an influence.

Bruce’s early writings and claims to DK draw significant similarities to Alice Bailey’s autobiographical account. As best as I can tell, this channelling is unlike Blair Styra and others, insofar that there is no available evidence that Bruce is using the DK persona to provide individualised guidance or support. However, in the book Sex Shamans, Kamaladevi McClure recounts a period of deteriorating health and seizures during a time of extreme stress. During her recovery, she comments that “…I reunited with ISTA and Bruce Lyon who showed me that my seizures were a sign of my body reaching for more soul.” Exactly what that entailed is not described.

The transmissions believed to be from the ashram of Master DK continued between 2001 and 2003 (or 2001-2005, depending on which book you read). Of course, like Blair Styra, Bruce had to address September 11th. Without testimony or documentary evidence from this time, it is difficult to corroborate what was printed in Mercury Transmissions.

On May 9th, 2001, Lyon wrote:

“Preparation for the Decision is everywhere. The Wesak has been used to precipitate the crisis that allows decisions to be made. Something is happening behind the scenes which will bring a clear choice to many. It has to do with the world financial system, which is all I can tell you for now. Vulcan is impacting Venus. The archetype is impressing itself. The Hammer is coming down and causing the re-evaluation of values. What is more important?

Everywhere that question is being asked and the answer wrought out in individual and group lives will result in the hierarchical arrangement of the groups for the future. There are not right or wrong choices, merely choices and consequences of those choices. This year will prove a watershed in the history of the planet from the inner side. Seeds are being planted. Seeds of destruction as well as seeds of construction. Endings and beginnings upon the outer plane will all be able to trace their roots back to this time and the decisions being made ‘today’”

Then the day after September 11th:

“First of all I want to give a Hierarchical perspective on the events of the day. America has long stood for democracy and the principle of freedom in the world. Admittedly that freedom has often been misinterpreted at a personal level and taken to Sixth Ray extremes, but it must be remembered that the principle is still there nonetheless and that this principle represents the height of what humanity is collectively able to demonstrate of this evolutionary energy. The events of today will make it clear to thinking men and woman everywhere that this principle of freedom is under threat. That there are complex issues underlying the attack are undeniable—the result of it however will be a clear delineation in people’s minds and hearts between those who stand for the liberation of the human spirit and those who are attempting to enslave it.

America today is facing the biggest crisis of her history—greater even than the Civil War and the World War, because in this current conflict extra-planetary forces are at play. In particular the energy of Freedom as it streams in from Sirius. The decisions that this nation makes over the next month will be critical for the whole of humanity and for the purpose that the human kingdom is designed to serve within the solar system and beyond. Will the American nation be able to demonstrate a high level response to this tragedy? A response that comes from the higher solar plexus and indeed the heart, rather than a response from the lower solar plexus of quick revenge and retaliation driven by the energies of anguish and fear. Will they take the path of grieving for that which they could not control, followed by reflection and considered response?”

Lyon also makes multiple mentions to the year 2025 in his book Mercury. While Master DK is working cooperatively with other Masters, his particular responsibility is apparently to be a messenger between the spiritual hierarchy and us mere humans, which he saw concluding in 2175. 2025 was to be the transition point between the period of 1925-2025, where Bailey’s work informed teachings from the ascended masters, to the period of 2025-2175. What this final period looks like, and who will lead it, is unknown. With the exception of the externalisation of the hierarchy, which I guess is a big deal in its own right.

Bruce’s follow-up work was first published in 2005. In the preface, again, the telepathic impressions were presumed to be from DK, and were received by a core group at the Shamballa School during the early Highden years. Similar to Mercury, the influence of Alice Bailey is entrenched. In Bruce’s 2007 book Working with the Will, it seems that Bruce is writing in his own voice, as no mention is made about transmitting with DK - whereas 2013’s Occult Cosmology, assumedly written after DKs last transmission in 2007, has Bruce taking a side seat as a collaborator, while DK leads the introduction and the “writing”.

DK went quiet from 2007 until early in the 2020 pandemic, when he transmitted a whole new set of teachings to help the world prepare for the shamballa impact of 2025. Notable within these new transmissions is the inclusion of casually sexier language, and the outright absence of a works cited list. Although minimal, Occult Cosmology does contain more references to sexual energy, goddesses, and breasts than earlier texts. It’s not a huge amount (goddess/es appear twice, breasts once, and sexual energy seven times, compared to zero in Mercury and a short, metaphor-laden description of the mystery of sexuality in Group Initiations). It may be relevant that 2009 was the first publicly documented year that Bruce and Baba Dez crossed paths and, in 2010, Bruce’s interest in ISTA and incorporating sexuality into his work reportedly grew. Lyon’s contribution to Sex Shamans may partially explain some of this, stating that when he first established Highden he had an explicit rule against sexual activities between teachers and students, but then started to struggle and be dissatisfied with that position. The years between 2007 and 2020 brought on a series of changes (including ISTA), which instigated a major change in his social network.

I stop short of calling the absence of a reference list in the 2020 transmissions Bailey erasure, if there was ever such a thing, but there is a growing disconnection between Bailey’s collaboration with DK and DK’s collaboration with Bruce. Which is to be expected, given the changing influences and activities of Bruce’s life. While the early iteration of Highden/Shamballa school was cheap as chips, in accordance with the writings on Occult Meditation, the current six week temple training costs $6750 USD. Still, echoes of Bailey’s work persist. In the 2020 transmissions, 2025 is still a cornerstone year for Lyon. It remains to be seen if Bruce returns to Mt Kailas and the Wesak valley in 2024 with 24 people, as he planned in 2018. Singularity, a side project of Bruce’s led by frequent collaborator Jon Eden Khan, also aligns with Bailey’s tepid prophecy of a world federation of nations.

Will DK return in 2024/2025 to make sure we don’t embarrass ourselves in front of the other ascended masters? Will Bruce travel to Tibet this year? Rest assured, I will be writing a 10-page spread with everything I do and do not know, if there are developments.