The Great White Brotherhood

The Great White Brotherhood, when mentioned, evokes thoughts of a group of supernatural beings with extraordinary powers who exert influence over religions, spiritual organizations, and the very fabric of civilization. Ever since the stories of Theosophical Society, through the beliefs of various “New Age” thinkers, it has been believed that various religious leaders and spiritual guides were deeply under the influence and guidance of the Great White Brotherhood – and many who publicly exposed themselves claimed that they personally received mystical and mysterious messages, instructions, and teachings whose source was this Brotherhood and its Hidden Masters.

The idea of a secret organization of enlightened mystics guiding the spiritual development of the planet and the human race “first” appeared in the late eighteenth century in Karl von Eckartshausen’s book The Cloud Over the Sanctuary, in which this society of mystics was described as a group of those who remained active on Earth even after their physical death, forming the “Council of Light,” which consisted of both living and deceased mystics and sages, even calling them the Community of Saints. This book significantly influenced certain concepts of understanding and behavior among secret societies and their enlightened adepts who were particularly inspired by the ideas of the Rosicrucians and Illuminati.

In the nineteenth century, the Letters from the Mahatmas were published, allegedly transmitted by a certain secret master, Koot Hoomi, through Alfred Percy Sinnett, revealing that members of this organization communicate telepathically and have their headquarters in India and Tibet. The letters also advocated the then-controversial ideas of reincarnation.

In Helena Blavatsky’s book The Secret Doctrine, it is stated that her teachings originate from such a mysterious source, and that certain Mahatmas – Masters of the Hidden Brotherhood – conveyed teachings through the physical plane, and that Madame Blavatsky had physical encounters with these Secret Masters, although she received her knowledge through mediumship. Her teachings were further elaborated upon through the Theosophical Society by C.V. Leadbeater, Alice Bailey, and Helena Roerich.

The idea of a secret assembly of sages existed in that assembly various names were given within the milieu of the nineteenth-century esoteric scene. Arthur Edward Waite, in his book The Book of Black Magic and Pacts, noted the existence of such a group of initiates who transmit Truth and wisdom to those deemed worthy and deserving. Waite’s and Eckartshausen’s books greatly influenced the occultist Aleister Crowley, and his books and teachings often allude to the existence of Secret Masters who govern the systems of Initiation – a belief that was inherited through his membership in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, believed to represent the visible part and material branch of the Great White Brotherhood.

The name “Great White Brotherhood” was promoted in Leadbeater’s 1925 book The Masters and the Path, and since then, this “coinage” has become synonymous with a certain circle of initiates who have achieved the highest spiritual knowledge and accomplishments, directing the work of adepts and the human race itself according to their intentions and plans, emphasizing that they are benevolent towards their “younger brothers,” but not aligning with or favoring any particular earthly organization.

In Western mystical tradition, among “ritual magicians,” there is a concept in which the “Great White Brotherhood” is referred to as the “Great White Lodge,” implying the existence of a hierarchical structure somewhat similar to Freemasonry. Gareth Knight describes these “Masters” as “Adepts of Inner Plans” who have gained experience upon which they act on Earth as well as on higher levels and spheres. Some make distinctions between the Brotherhood and the Lodge, mentioning that the Great White Brotherhood is a school, while the Great White Lodge is a community of those on the spiritual Path. Following the example of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Aleister Crowley, whose influence on the twentieth-century esoteric tradition is immense, adopted the concept that the supreme Order, associated with the supreme triad of the “Qabalistic” Tree of Life, represents the Brotherhood of Secret Masters and enlightened Magi, whose, according to tradition, the name “ Order of the Silver Star” was passed, pointing the gaze of mystics towards the stars and the Gnosis that emanates from the celestial vault of the goddess Nuit, whom Crowley deeply revered. Crowley portrayed himself as one of these Secret Masters, and considering the depth and breadth of his teachings and the influence of his books, there is almost no doubt about it. However, what characterizes his “knowledge” also comes from a mysterious source through which he “received” his most influential magical work – The Book of the Law.

Peter Deunov, a Bulgarian, led his organization, the “Universal White Brotherhood,” for which he was excommunicated from the Christian church as a heretic, and his follower, the Macedonian Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov, formally established an organization with this name that exists to this day.

In the 1930s, the term “Great White Brotherhood” became even more established through Guy Ballard’s writings in his book Unveiled Mysteries, where the Brotherhood is presented as a company of Immortal Saints and Sages who have undergone Initiations of Transfiguration, Rebirth, and Resurrection, further promoting the teachings of the “Ascended Masters,” which were then transmitted to societies such as the Bridge to Freedom, Summit Lighthouse, and Temple of Presence.

In later times, beliefs emerged that the concept of the opposition and polarity of light and darkness, white and black, represents limiting concepts of earlier moral and philosophical beliefs, and many religious groups completely reject the ideas, beliefs, and teachings of such a Brotherhood.

The Great White Brotherhood is also known as the Great Brotherhood of Light, believed to be led by Ascended Masters who are part of the hierarchy involved in the organization of the evolution of our world.

This Brotherhood includes Jesus, Confucius, Gautama Buddha, Mary Magdalene, Hilarion, Archangel Michael, Enoch, Paul of Venice, Saint Germain, and these names have been added to with mediumistically received names of other “secret” masters – Kuthumi, Morya, Maitreya, Sanat Kumara, and others, all of whom had the characteristics and qualities of “bodhisattvas” – beings who have reached the highest state of enlightenment and have renounced it to help “sentient beings.”

Later, through literature and the beliefs of various branches of followers of this idea of the Great Brotherhood, names were added, such as Laozi, Krishna, Thoth, Moses, Dionysus, Muhammad, To Mega Therion, Hermes, Pan, Priapus, Osiris, Melchizedek, Kem, Amun, Mentu, Heracles, Orpheus, Odysseus, Vergil, Catullus, Martial, Rabelais, Svinbern, Apollonius of Tyana, Simon Magus, Mani, Pythagoras, Basilides, Valentinus, Bardesanes, Hippolytus, Merlin, Arthur, Camulot, Parsifal, Carolus Magnus, William of Sirena, Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, Roger Bacon, James Burgundus Molensis, Christian Rosenkreuz, Ulrich von Hutten, Paracelsus, Michael Maier, Roderic Borgia, Pope Alexander VI, Jakob Boehme, Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam, Andrea, Robertus De Fluctibus, John Dee, Sir Edward Kelley, Thomas Vaughan, Elias Ashmole, Molinos, Adam Weishaupt, Wolfgang von Goethe, Ludovicus Rex Bavariae, Richard Wagner, Alphonse Louis Constant, Friedrich Nietzsche, Hargrave Jennings, Karl Kellner, Forlong Dix, Sir Richard Payne Knight, Paul Gauguin, Sir Richard Francis Burton, Dr. Gerard Encausse, Dr. Theodore Reuss, and finally, Aleister Crowley himself. By naming these “Secret Masters,” they weren’t so secret anymore, and it’s possible to perceive the reality of such inclusion in the “list” of Wise Men and Saints and their concrete influence on civilization.

It’s worth noting that in Martinist Orders, which were once powerful proponents of Western Hermeticism, there are indeed degrees of Secret Superiors in the hierarchy. It’s also a fact that it was precisely through the Martinists that the influence and flourishing of “Western Hermeticism” began under the mysterious influences of their Master Philippe of Lyon.   The main idea and teaching of the Great White Brotherhood is to help humanity in its spiritual development, to inspire and direct it towards the path of spiritual enlightenment, transformation, and ultimately, Ascension. They are believed to be guiding and assisting humanity in overcoming its challenges, both individually and collectively, and in raising the consciousness of the planet.

There is a belief that the Great White Brotherhood existed as far back as ancient Sumer, and its presence is said to have been noticeable in Egypt through the followers of Horus. From there, it was secretly transmitted, first through the sect of the Therapeutae, disciples of Tubal-Cain, and then through the followers of Moses, Jesus, and John, moving more towards Europe. There are beliefs that the spiritual centers of the Great White Brotherhood are located in India, in the Gobi Desert, in Tibet near Mount Kailash, in the ‘Samadhi Caves,’ and at one time, there was a dissolved center on Mount Sinai where a temple producing Mana – Shibolet, the food of the gods, was situated. In more modern times, large cathedrals built across Europe are often mentioned in connection with these centers of power. There is a belief that the power centers of this civilization are connected to the mythical Agartha and Shambhala – about which various stories are told, including one stating that there are twenty-two Masonic Lodges dedicated solely to spiritual work, and these Lodges communicate directly with the leader of the Great White Brotherhood – the King of the World – ‘Rex Mundi.’

It is believed that the Great White Brotherhood has bestowed upon humanity, through its chosen ones, the most significant books of wisdom – Enuma Elish, the Bible, the Quran, the Rigveda, the Bhagavad Gita, the Popol Vuh, and others. Certain symbols are believed to represent the influence and presence of the Great White Brotherhood – especially the Caduceus, the Owl, the Ouroboros, the Star, and the All-Seeing Eye in the Triangle.

To the concept of the Great White Brotherhood, people have attached all possible diverse ideas of spirituality, virtues, and superlative morality.

People believe… they hope…

All of these ideas and stories are generally true and practically accurate because the Great White Brotherhood represents both the structure and the spiritual body, i.e., the society composed of those on the spiritual path of self-realization and those who have attained the Highest Knowledge, and they carry out their actions through public or secret activities.

The structure itself is known to us and is transmitted through hermetic levels stemming from the Order of the Silver Star, which represents the “occult” center and the emanator of spirituality in our time – under that name. When this becomes clear, it is evident that the instructions and writings of the Great White Brotherhood, as well as the structure and work in the external world, are completely known. What is not known is the membership, i.e., those who constitute the very core of spirituality in this and other worlds.

The Great White Brotherhood represents All, as once Master Ab-Ul-Diz conveyed to humanity. It teaches about Nature, Man, his qualities as the true manifestor of Divinity, about the inner and outer worlds, about the connections between man and the outer world, about man’s higher nature, and how man can rise to the realization of his divinity by remembering his immortality. It also touches upon how illusions and limitations have affected man’s state, that nature is not just matter, the existence of golden ages and how times and man’s state within them change, about sin, about the transmission of tradition both through books and through teachers and guides of spiritual currents, about sacred scriptures and the perception of their truths in the times of their manifestation as well as in the present day. 

It delves into the responsibilities that man holds, as well as his rights, the idea that man is his own savior, the structure of spirituality and the universe in which man lives, that man completes the divine creation through his life in the spirit, the keys to realization, and that man is a mirror of the divine image and wonders, about the light of beings from other realms and the darkness of personal ignorance, about the universal plan and assistance in the new birth of the universe, about birth, life, and death, about the work and accomplishments that must be achieved in life and on the spiritual path, about the efforts, causes, and consequences of man’s efforts, intentions, and activities.

It also discusses man’s captivity and his longing for freedom, visible and invisible matter, special magnetism, and the subtle love that is the ether of all that exists, about failures in work, man, ancestors, and humanity, about the development of civilization, about natural laws and principles, about the states and processes of human and universal nature, about the inhabitants of different spheres of existence, about the destruction of the universe and rebirth, about the destiny of humanity, about the pains and sufferings of existence, about the joys of existence, about all polarities and relationships within and beyond man.

It touches on human knowledge, the Word, which is the Name of man, which opens the doors of realization and the light of the soul, about habits and desires of man, about the spectrum and a single light that makes man, about the spirit, about the messengers of the spirit and their mission and truth and revelation, about hidden generations and universal brotherhood, about the origin of man and his destiny in the universe, about desires and will, about the unity of divine will and human desire, about the covenant between God and Man, about proportions and relationships of beings, about all knowledge of how to achieve realization and awakening in the spirit, about the chosen ones, about the guided, about the lazy, about the progressive, about the blind and the dead, about crimes and punishments, about judgment and destiny, about curses of intentions and will, about the action of God and the action of man, about achievement on earth and achievement in the light, about talent and inspiration, about the vibrations of the world, about the fall and ascent, about the elements, planets, and heavens of the universe, about the meaning of existence and the meaning of cessation of existence, about ways of cessation of existence in sad and joyful ways, about rulers and servants, and war and peace, about the continuity of existence, about virtues and determination in beliefs, about man’s relationships and connection with the outer and inner worlds and the spirit, about the fact that All is One and that as much as man is, so is the Universe, about prophecies, about expulsion from paradise and from Earth, about lies and natural laws, about the spiritual kingdom, about sacrifice, about animals and beings of nature and subtle spheres, about faith, religion, beliefs, and hopes of man, about reality, about the flood and salvation, about survival, about circumcision, about leaders of the world, about success, about the order of things in the world, about first and later laws of the world, about messiahs, saviors, and other impostors, about the secret unity of all divine laws, about one law, about man’s hiding and revealing himself to himself, about man’s divine image, about innocence and corruption of man, about progress and development, about evolution, about the vagueness of the perception of nature, about the truth that dismantles illusions and enchantments, about liberated souls and trials they went through on the path of liberation, about deviations, about delusions, about the human mind, about man’s seed and birth, about deeds and accomplishments, about the end of the world, about gods who govern for the One God, about their messengers, angels, archangels, and others, about the language that all understand, about the courage and weaknesses of man, about the fruits of existence, and branches that connect the great tree of the world’s permanence, and many other details or great truths that we no longer need to mention.

Why? Because there are countless lessons of knowledge as there are questions in the human mind, and there are countless spheres through which a person is scattered until they arrive at one realization – that they are One with God and the Universe.

To prevent this scattering and getting lost in the attempt to determine how many angels can fit on the head of a pin, the Great White Brotherhood has birthed a certain structure through which it was able to perceive all other structures. This structure is nothing but a projection of the universe in the human mind, so the Masters could, without distinction, direct religious movements, occult brotherhoods, as well as scientists and unbelievers, the irrational and the common people, according to their intentions and impulses. Being One with everything, the Great White Brotherhood does not favor anyone over another, and everyone is given the opportunity to embark on a spiritual path according to their personal spiritual beliefs and convictions.

The structure of the Great White Brotherhood is clearly outlined in specific writings, but some mediums claim that it is possible to communicate with the Brotherhood and receive guidance through subtly conveyed teachings. Who knows? However, what is certain is that a person must come to know their essence within themselves and that there is no other savior besides themselves.

On their path, a person is first taught the basics, no matter which spiritual system they enter on the path of self-discovery. This involves understanding their personal nature and its characteristics, both externally and internally, while seeking an understanding of their own spiritual state and the determinants that make up their personal nature. The universal exaltation that comes through the expansion of understanding and the widening of consciousness leads to a stage where a person becomes receptive to subtle realms, levels, and energies, and the influx of pure light into the devotion of self-realization. Spiritual guardians and guides never leave a person alone – these helpers are hidden elements within the person themselves – who, at the moment of ultimate realization, comprehend and understand that they are One with everything, that they are in the One, and that the One acts through them.

At the end of the spiritual path, there is no belief and hope; the one who has walked the spiritual path is a manifestation of Divinity and nothing less than one of the Masters of the Great White Brotherhood.

The Great White Brotherhood is All.

Who are you?

The Great White Brotherhood teaches humanity the goals of true religious and spiritual aspirations through real spiritual experiences. The supreme experience, Truth, is unique and can be universally recognized through its manifestations.

Although the entire population of humanity may not have insight into the possibilities of aspiration and spiritual upliftment through and towards the Great White Brotherhood, certain circumstances in life lead each individual with their inner spiritual light that exists in everything. Without using specialized terminology from different systems, the Brotherhood is able to perceive the condition, aspirations, possibilities, and achievements of each Being and guide them onto the appropriate path to understand their true nature. Religions have been established for the masses in all their diversity in form and belief concept. Nevertheless, behind every religion, there are spiritual principles that reveal the Path of true devotees. These principles are known and can be revealed and confirmed through personal religious experience. In essence, religions contain the fundamental principles of “Yoga” or “Magic” used to transmit their special Knowledge and guide humanity. The internal and real methods of spiritual achievement are truly based on scientific foundations, and the only goal is Religion – the reuniting of Man and God.

In every religious system, there is an initiation system through which a person can reach and know the Highest. Such initiation systems have been established by the Great White Brotherhood through its messengers and teachers who have undertaken the task of serving the evolution of humanity in the spiritual regions of the universe. The first and fundamental message and principle is:

Know Thyself!

Recognizing that those who have achieved this dwell in a certain Beauty, Bliss, and Consciousness, which can only be approximately described as “Light,” people tread the paths that have been presented to them as systems of work and achievement of that elevated spiritual state.

As in earlier times, so almost now, the Great White Brotherhood has often been portrayed in literature and esoteric writings of initiatory systems by its initiates:

A∴A∴

These initiates were given various names and designations, such as “Arcana Arcanorum,” “Astrum Argentum,” “Astron Argon,” “Aster Argos,” “Anutarra Amnaya,” “Arcadia Academia,” “Alchemia Arcanorum,” “Alta Astra,” which contained specific messages about the ways and methods of transmitting knowledge and initiatory practices, as well as distinctive indications of the sources from which a certain spiritual flow draws and conveys its influences. However, A∴A∴ represented the Hidden Core of every initiation system, and thereby the real and invisible Order of those who “managed” these initiation systems. The existence of such a Secret Society during known history is evident. Nevertheless, each initiation system was not inseparable from this core, and often the teachers and administrators themselves, due to the needs of the time and the social circumstances in which humanity dwelled, found new ways of expression and meaning in the transmission of spiritual teachings. Due to this secrecy and hidden identity of these teachers and conveyors of Gnosis, because of their hidden identities and mysterious ways of operating, people referred to them as Secret Masters, Invisible Superiors, Invisible Guardians. Furthermore, it should not be forgotten that the Great White Brotherhood is not a society or organization resembling mundane associations of people – it is a state of consciousness and permeation of the entire human race, in interrelation with the whole of nature and the universe. This brotherhood often states of itself that it is the “All-Light in Expansion” and as such represents the Essence of Humanity – „Ateh ha Adam.”

The general characteristic of all initiation systems that originate from the Great White Brotherhood is that there are specific units or “schools” that are divided into external, internal, and supreme, which, at their intermediate stages, presuppose real spiritual experiences – the attainment of knowledge and communication with the Holy Guardian Angel for each aspirant and initiate, as well as the achievement of “crossing over” a certain spiritual Abyss that separates the material and limited from the real spiritual state of man. The Brotherhood explains this by stating that the universe is built on these cosmic principles, and that man as the Microcosm is interwoven with the Macrocosm, being an image and likeness of Unity, and thus everyone, without exception, contains these universal components and potentials of real achievement and reaching the highest consciousness – Light.

The Great White Brotherhood is the Essence of Humanity and the Light in Expansion.