Ramtha and New Age Movements PDF

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Taught by Professor Langdon. 5th lecture of the Cults and new religious movements class. ...

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Ramtha and The New Age Outline I. Introduction II. JZ Knight and Ramtha III. Development of RSE IV. Beliefs and Practices of RSE V. Issue: A Dangerous Cult? VI. Assessing JZ Knight Introduction • JZ Knight channels Ramtha • 1980’s, world’s most famous trance channeler • What the Bleep do we Know?, 2004 • In Search of the Self: The Role of Consciousness in the Construction of Reality • Historians, psychologists, sociologists, invited to study Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment(RSE) • Channel, fraud, sufferer of dissociative state, or demonic possession? • For followers, Ramtha is real and transforming • Is RSE a dangerous cult? JZ Knight and Ramtha JZ Knight • Born in 1946, Judith Darlene Hampton in Roswell, New Mexico • Grew up in poverty • Plagued by issues of “self-worth and abandonment” • Found place in fundamentalist Baptist church • “I fell in love with God because I knew he created us equal” • “I was able to develop my love of God which was innate in me. And I heard a voice in my head as a child and I was able to keep hearing the voice since nobody wanted to know that I though anyway” • Rebuked for asking questions; turned off by legalism • Dropped out of college, married Chris Hensley who was an alcoholic and unfaithful. She eventually leaves him and becomes a single mother • “Judy Zebra” for local cable TV • Influenced by paranormal/new age movement - Mother claimed that a Yaqui women prophesied about infant - Seeing lights as a teenager - Fortune-teller predicted future - In 1977 experimented with pyramids, visions of Ramtha • JZ Knight begins channeling Ramtha after that Ramtha

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• • • • • • • • • •

Key to understanding cosmology of the movement Born into poverty 35,000 years ago in Atlantis Atlantean’s vs Lemurians Witnessed mother’s abuse/death, brother kidnaped Mountain retreat, ‘great sword’ to conquer himself Defeated Atlanteans, but became a tyrant himself His injury and death of older woman Rejected known religions and sought “unknown God” He got the message that he is “God” Series of out of body experiences, Ramtha’s body gradually changes and ascended “out of the density go flesh and into fluidness of thought”

Similarities Between Ramtha and JZ Knight • Witnessed abuse • Both born in poverty • Both looking for a higher meaning • Rejection of institutional religion Development of Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment (RSE) • Originally JZ contacted local clergy for help • Contacted Rev. Lorraine Graham, who was a spiritual medium • Channel vs. Medium • In 1978 she began channeling for others (eventually for money) • Met cowboy and dentist named Jeff Knight • “Ramtha Dialogues” • Presentation and interaction • Tours across country and begins channeling Ramtha on stage in places like hotel conference rooms • Selling of audio tapes and transcripts • Shortly lived, “Church I AM” • Travelled the world of channelling • In 1988, Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment (Yelm, Wash) • Bad local organizers and need a secure environment Beliefs and Practices of RSE • JZ only claims to channel Ramtha • Claims to vacate body with no knowledge of sessions • Similar to out of body experiences or near death experiences and tunnel experiences • “In the wisp of a moment I felt like a great hand had come and jerked me from my body. I faintly remember seeing the room from the ceiling…. The misted night filled the room, dancing and flashing like brilliant stones fired by lighting. I somehow felt and knew that I was part, yet all, of that light” • Gnostic system: hidden and esoteric knowledge

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• “I knew and understood all things completely in a fashion that transcended the logical and petty mind. I knew that what had left behind was a dream of the altered state of God: man” Cosmology • Essential nature of universe: “infinity of thought” • Contemplation of thought expands thought • Individual entities contemplated material universe into existence • As material beings, we have lost touch with origins • Humans are individual representations of God • Physical world is one of many levels of reality • Students learn their divinity and use their consciousness and energy to create reality Four Fundamental Beliefs 1. You are God 2. Mandate to make known the unknown 3. Consciousness and Energy creates the nature of reality 4. Challenge to conquer yourself • Obvious similarities in Hinduism • “God complex”: personality disorder grounded in narcissism • “School is about gnosis,knowing. It is about declaring that God does not live in heaven. That God is not a man, and he does not have a long grey beard. .. God is not Jehovah, no God lives in Jehovah; God lives in you. That’s why you’re here on earth. That’s why you’ve lived before” (Ramtha). • “Consciousness and Energy” or “C&E” • Kundalini and Charkas • Breath control and visualization • “Fieldwork” (e.g., index cards) • Active creating reality, not passive • ! Issue: A Dangerous Cult? • Eclectic, experiential and experimental • Ramtha’s School of Enlightenmen : • 3000 students enrolled, all ages majority women, middle class, university degrees, raised in a religion • Students look at experience positively • Non-confrontational, not classified as dangerous a. No claim to religious status b. No separation from society New Age Subcultures (Stark and Brainbridge) i. Audience cults:

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- Little or no organization - Membership is a consumer activity (DVDs, books, magazines, webinar) - JZ Knight, $600,000 mo., 1992 ii. Client Cults - Rudimentary organization, clients, fee-for-service - Ramtha dialogues iii. Cult Movements - Attempt to meet all religious needs of clients - Stronger distinction between movement and society - Evidence of some deeply committed to RSE, but none live on the property, not any churchlike service - NRMs that become become violent are generally movements • • • • • •

Nevertheless, media and religious critics of RSE “God complex” personality disorder, grounded in narcissism Grandiosity, need for admiration, lack of empathy Ramtha can give persona, financial and health advice Misusing science RSE successful on the “spiritual supermarket”, people choose this spiritual product

The New Age Movement Outline I. Introduction II. Precursors of New Age Movement III. Historical Context IV. Common Themes V. Sociological Progile VI. Jesus and The New Age Introduction • “New Age”: passing beyond traditional Christianity • “Imminent shift in world consciousness” • “Age of Aquarius” • Notoriously difficult to define and study • No one voice, creed, text, membership mechanism, institution, etc to represent the New Age • Short lived movement of 1970’s (S. Bruce) • Critical: “the sovereign consumer will decide what to believe” (Bruce) • Enough common elements to study and consider • Some elements of cult (not church or sect) • Fluid network of groups, cells, teachers, therapists, festivals and fairs (consumer phenomenon) • “Spiritual” and not “religious”

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• Common background, themes, context • Search for wisdom + dissatisfaction with religions alternative spirituality and consumerism Precursors of New Age Movement • Alternative spirituality: healing, mediums, ascended masters, mind power, esotericism, paranormal • Astrology: influence of stars on human life • Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772): “father of the New Age” - Visions, reinterprets scripture, nature of God • Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) - Nature mysticism, upanishads (you are that) anti-establishment, direct spiritual experience • Anton Franz Mesmer (1734-1815) - Magnetic forces, trances, paranormal abilities • New thought movement: healing through the powers of the mind (e.g., affirmations) • Theosophical society(1875): - grew from spiritualism (belief you could contact spirits). Those who were interested in mediumship adopted beliefs in buddhism and other similar religious and thus came the theosophical society - Reincarnation, mediumship, channeling - Comparative religion, secret teachings, Ascended Masters • Edgar Cayce(1877-1945) - Historically closer to the new age movement - Influenced JZ Knight - Christian, trance healing, out of body experiences, Akashic Records, Atlantic, crystals • New Age Movement drawing on these older ideas, but the the focus is on individual's spiritual search Common Themes • Non-mainstream spiritual and esoteric ideas I. We have lived before (reincarnation, escape) - Lives are places for learning and developing (life is a school) II. Communication with discarnate forms - Angels, loved ones, spiritual masters, extra dimension beings, extraterrestrial beings - Not concerned with proving life after death, but seeking ‘higher wisdom’ III. Human mind has extraordinary power and connects to a universal energy - An evolved person can make illness and poverty go away (evil is an illusion of mind) IV. We are in charge of our life and destiny - Beyond power of positive thinking - Negative experience is an opportunity for growth V. Spiritual truth comes from within - Mysticism of becoming a god (not escape or union); self-empowerment - Fits within culture of personal choice - Not concerned with proving life after death, but seeking ‘higher wisdom’

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Sociological Profile I. “Core” or “True” New Ager(smallest) - Believes new age is dawning, convinced of various beliefs and practices II. Spiritual Seekers (larger group) - ‘Suffering’ and experimenting as they seek truth - The quest is what is important III. Expressionist ‘looking for themselves’ (largest) - Authenticity, becoming “who they are” - Clients, consumers, and personal problems Jesis and The New Age Movement • Many new agers may reinterpret Christianity • Deepak Chopra, The Third Jesus, 2009 - (1)Jesus of History, (2)Church, (3)“consciousness of Jesus” • What about the missing years? • Nicolas Notovich, The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ, 1894 - Claimed that he is reproducing a manuscript he has discovered that is the missing parts of Jesus’ life • Jesus travelled east - Brahmins and Buddhists • India, Tibet, Persia, Assyria, Greece, etc • Jesus had a relationship with Mary Magdalene - Popularized in “The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail”, 1982 - Argued that the holy grail is not a thing but a lineage, which carries on today - Holy grail as bloodline, cup or Mary herself • “Christaquarians”: - Appreciation for new age movement hopes, music, NDE, angels - Critique: astrology, clairvoyance, channeling Conclusions • Seeking alternatives to “institution religion” • Lineage of occult, theosophy, alternate healing • Focus on human potential and power of mind • Experiential and experimental • • Future of movement is uncertain

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