Alice Bailey

© Photo: The Lucis Trust
Alice A. Bailey, c. 1920

Alice Ann Bailey (June 16, 1880 – December 15, 1949) was born as Alice LaTrobe Bateman, in Manchester, UK, but moved to the United States in 1907 where she spent most of her life. She wrote twenty-five books, most of which she claimed had been telepathically dictated to her by a "Master of the Wisdom" whom she referred to as "The Tibetan". Writing on spiritual, occult, esoteric and religious themes, Bailey was among the first to popularize the terms New Age and Age of Aquarius, and her writings expound a system of esoteric thought that includes subjects such as meditation, healing, spiritual psychology, the destiny of nations, and prescriptions for society in general.

Bailey's writings have much in common with those of Madame Helena Blavatsky, a medium and spiritualist who claimed to have psychic powers. Bailey wrote about religious themes, especially Christianity, but her writings are contrary to many aspects of orthodox Christianity. Her vision of a unified society includes a global "spirit of religion" but is fundamentally different from traditional religious forms, which she regarded as largely divisive human creations.

Life

Alice Bailey was born to a wealthy British family, and, as a member of the Anglican Church, received a Christian education. She describes a lonely and "over-sheltered" childhood. She found herself uncomfortable in the "well-padded, sleek and comfortable world" of her youth and in a "Victorian" society that she was out of sympathy with and that she came to see as rooted in a false theology. She wrote that, at age 15, she was visited on June 30, 1895, by a stranger, "...a tall man, dressed in European clothes and wearing a turban." She says that she first supposed this individual was Jesus but later identified him as a theosophical master, Hoot Koomi.

"He told me there was some work that it was planned that I could do in the world but that it would entail my changing my disposition very considerably; I would have to give up being such an unpleasant little girl and must try and get some measure of self-control."

At age 22, Bailey did some evangelical work which took her to India where, in 1907, she met her future husband, Walter Evans. Together they moved to America where Evans became an Episcopal priest. However, this marriage did not last. She stated that her husband mistreated her and in one of his fits of temper, threw her down the stairs. Bailey divorced, and left with their three children in 1915. Then followed a difficult period in which she worked as a factory hand to support herself and the children. Bailey's break was not only with her Christian husband, but with Orthodox Christianity in general. In her autobiography, she wrote that “a rabid, orthodox Christian worker [had] become a well-known occult teacher.”

In the United States, in 1915, Bailey discovered the Theosophical Society and the work of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, and in 1918, she became a member of the Esoteric section of the society. While there, she claimed to recognize Koot Hoomi, the master that had visited her in her childhood, from a portrait she saw in the Shrine Room of the Theosophical Society. . Bailey wrote much about the “Masters of the Wisdom,” which she believed to be a brotherhood of enlightened sages working under the guidance of "the Christ." In part, she stated her writings were an effort to clarify the nature of these Masters. She rose to a position of influence in the American Section of the Adyar society, moving to its headquarters at Krotona in Hollywood. She became editor of its magazine, "The Messenger, and member of the committee responsible for Krotona."

Bailey claimed that, in 1919, she was contacted by an anonymous teacher she called "The Tibetan" (Later, she identified him as the Master Djwhal Khul):

“I heard what I thought was a clear note of music which sounded from the sky, through the hill and in me. Then I heard a voice which said, 'There are some books which it is desired should be written for the public. You can write them. Will you do so?' Without a moment's notice I said, 'Certainly not. I'm not a darned psychic and I don't want to be drawn into anything like that.'"

Bailey states that she was eventually persuaded to write down the communications from this source, and between 1919 to 1949 she wrote 24 books. .

In 1919, Foster Bailey (1888-1977), who was to be her second husband, became National Secretary of the Theosophical Society

The Theosophist, published the first few chapters of her first book, Initiation, Human and Solar, but then stopped for what Bailey believed was "theosophical jealousy and reactionary attitude." She objected to the neo-Theosophy of Annie Besant, and worked led, together with her husband Foster, a "Back to Blavatsky" movement. She outlined her vision for the Esoteric Section of the Theosophical Society, in an article annunciating ideals of tolerance and brotherhood. However, her efforts to influence the society failed, and she and her husband were dismissed from their positions.

In 1923, with Foster Bailey, Alice Bailey founded the Arcane School, which gives a correspondence course based on her books. They also organized an International Goodwill Movement.

Teachings

"...Bailey can only be described as a 'post-Theosophical' theorist... Her third book, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire (1925), is not only dedicated to Blavatsky but even reproduces the apocryphal 'Stanzas of Dzyan' upon which Blavatsky's own text had supposedly been based..."

Theosophists are divided about Bailey's writings; her first book, Initiation Human and Solar, was at first well received by other theosophists, but her claims to be the recipient of ageless wisdom from the Masters soon met with opposition. The conflict is understandable since her works voiced criticisms of what she saw as dogmatic structures within the Theosophical society, while questioning the pledges of loyalty to Theosophical leaders that were required.

In The Key to Theosophy,H. P. Blavatsky writes:

"In their origin and in eternity the three, like the universe and all therein, are one with the absolute Unity, the unknowable deific essence I spoke about some time back."

Bailey’s writings also emphasize unity. For example:

" I will endeavor, above all else, to demonstrate to you that all-pervading unity and that underlying synthesis which is the basis of all religions and of all the many transmitted forces"

She believed her works were part of an unfolding revelation of ageless wisdom, of which Theosophical teachings were the predecessor and preparation. Her writings have much in common with Theosophy, and both contain these ideas:

• Unity is the fundamental fact of spiritual life and realization
• The entire universe is alive—all is energy and energy expresses life
• Divinity is both transcendent and immanent
• Man lives within a hierarchy of spiritual lives
• Divinity unfolds through spiritual evolution
• All life is cyclic
• Man is a soul (consciousness) and reincarnates many times to gain experience
• Life is governed by the interplay of karma and free will
• Will, love, and intelligence are the essential attributes of the evolving soul
• Seven fundamental energies underlie all things—seven centers, seven planes, etc.

Underlying her writings is the idea that all is energy and that spirit, matter, and the psychic forces intermediate between them are forms of energy. From one essential energy, divinity, proceeds seven rays that underlie and shape the evolution of human life and the phenomenal world. On a cosmic level, she saw these seven rays as the creative forces of planets and stars. On a microcosmic level, she saw them as the creative forces conditioning the physical, psychic, and spiritual constitution of man. The concept of the rays can also be found in earlier Theosophical works.

Several themes distinguish her writings from Theosophy and related traditions. These include:

• A marked emphasis on the importance of service to humanity
• Emphasis on the importance of group consciousness and group service
• A shift away from personal devotion to spiritual teachers or masters
• A lengthy treatment of the seven rays as expressions of evolving life
• An elaboration of the glamours or illusions of the spiritual path
• Teachings on the return of the Christ or Christ consciousness
• Teachings on the importance of full moon cycles in relation to meditation

The constitution of man

In line with previous Theosophical teachings, Bailey taught that man is a soul working through a personality where the personality consists of mind, emotions, and body. Mind and emotions are conceived as psychical energies that are part of the aura or inner constitution of individuals. She uses the traditional Theosophical terms for these of etheric body, astral body and mental body. These auric aspects of the human being are defined as partial emanations or expressions of the soul. In her terminology, "Soul" is the synonym for evolving consciousness.

In Bailey's writings, evolution is defined as a process of personality integration and alignment of personality with soul, and it is this transformation that leads toward right human relationships and spiritual revelation or awakening. Steps on the spiritual path are "initiations," which is to say an evolution that is an entering into new and wider fields of consciousness, relationships, responsibilities, and power

The spiritual hierarchy

She wrote that, behind all human evolution stands a brotherhood of enlightened souls who have guided and aided humanity throughout history. For Bailey, the evolution of humanity is intimately bound up with its relationship to this spiritual hierarchy. The stimulating and uplifting influences of religions, philosophies, sciences, educational movements, and human culture in general are conceived by her as the result of this relationship.

Bailey elaborates on this in her teaching on "Discipleship in the New Age." In this scheme, all awakening souls stand in some relationship to a particular "Master of Wisdom." This relationship is said to be conditioned by karma, by evolutionary status, and by the potential for work to be done on behalf of humanity. This "service" aspect is particularly emphasized in Bailey's writings. She downplays the devotional and aspirational aspects of the spiritual life in favor of service or work on behalf of humanity. "Discipleship" in her thought means work, service, and the evolution of those sensitivities and powers that enhance that labor.

Unity and divinity of nations and groups

Underlying Bailey's writings are the concepts of unity and divinity. "Every class of human beings is a group of brothers. Catholics , Jews, Gentiles, occidentals and orientals are all the sons of God." She believed that an individual's primary allegiance is to humanity and not to any subgroup within it: "I call you to no organizational loyalties, but only to love your fellowmen, be they German, American, Jewish, British, French, Negro or Asiatic." She emphasized the equality of man: "World democracy will take form when men everywhere are regarded in reality as equal; when boys and girls are taught that it does not matter whether a man is an Asiatic, an American, a European, British, a Jew or a Gentile but only that each has an historical background which enables him to contribute something to the good of the whole, that the major requirement is an attitude of goodwill and a constant effort to foster right human relations." She believed that all religions originate from the same spiritual source, and that when humanity comes to realize this, it will result in the emergence of a universal world religion, "Then there will be neither Christian nor heathen, neither Jew nor Gentile, but simply one great body of believers, gathered out of all the current religions. They will accept the same truths, not as theological concepts but as essential to spiritual living; they will stand together on the same platform of brotherhood and of human relations..." Bailey sought to implement a World Goodwill movement and envisioned a "new group of world servers," a group of all races, classes and creeds who serve the Plan, humanity, the Hierarchy and the Christ.

On orthodox Christianity

Bailey believed in the return of "Christ" but her concept had little in common with that of the orthodox Christian churches. She saw Christ as essentially the energy of love and his "return" as the awakening of that energy in human consciousness. The new Christ might be "no particular faith at all"  :

"He may appear as an Englishman, a Russian, a Negro, a Latin, a Turk, a Hindu, or any other nationality. Who can say which? He may be a Christian or a Hindu by faith, a Buddhist or of no particular faith at all; He will not come as the restorer of any of the ancient religions, including Christianity, but He will come to restore man's faith in the Father's love, in the fact of the livingness of the Christ and in the close, subjective and unbreakable relationship of all men everywhere."

Bailey's new age Christ belongs to whole world and not to Christians or any nation or group. She was critical of orthodox Christianity, "..the so-called heathen have demonstrated historically less of the evil of vicious conflict than has the militant Christian world. These criticisms are part of a larger criticism of all forms of fanaticism and intolerance. She saw fanaticism as expressions of unintelligent devotion, and a mistaken hang on to the old ways and ancient theologies.

Races and politics

For Bailey, the matter of prime importance was not race or religion but the evolution of consciousness that transcends these She criticized many nations, groups and religions based on what she believed were violations of the spirit of unity and brotherhood. For example, while praising them in some respects, in the United States and France she saw political corruption. She regarded the talk about a free press as largely an illusory ideal and stated, "… particularly is it absent in the United States, where parties and publishers dictate newspaper policies." She believed the source of human problems is the spirit of separation that causes individuals and groups to set themselves apart from the rest of humanity, "We could take the nations, one by one, and observe how this nationalistic, separative or isolationist spirit, emerging out of an historical past, out of racial complexes, out of territorial position, out of revolt and out of possession of material resources, has brought about the present world crisis and cleavage and this global clash of interests and ideals."

Influence

Sir John Sinclair gives a commentary on the seminal influence of Alice Bailey, which he says underlies the consciousness growth movement in the 20th century. In Perspectives on the New Age we find, "The most important—though certainly not the only—source of this transformative metaphor, as well as the term "New Age," was Theosophy, particularly ... by the works of Alice Bailey."

In a book on history of the Bollingen Foundation and its pervasive influence on American intellectual life, William McGuire wrote:

"In 1928 Olga[1] built a lecture hall on her grounds, overlooking the lake, for a purpose not yet revealed to her, and a guest house which she named Casa Shanti in a Hindu ceremony. A year or two later, she went to the United States and sought out Alice A. Bailey, in Stamford, Connecticut, a former Theosophists who led a movement called the Arcane School. Mrs Bailey, whom Nancy Wilson Ross has described as a woman of great dignity, kindness, and integrity, aimed like Olga Froebe at the raising of consciousness and the bridging of the East and West. She lived with a mystic presence, ‘the Tibetan,’ presumably one of the Theosophical Masters, who used her as an instrument to write a number of books devoted to Higher Truth…”

Controversy

Bailey's writings stirred controversy because she spoke against orthodox Christianity, American isolationism, nationalism, Soviet totalitarianism, fascism, and Nazism. She believed Zionism was, "… contrary to the lasting good of mankind." (Bailey p. 680). In a passage dated 1947, in outlining the causes of world conflict, she she citied the fight for oil, and the fight over Palestine, "...a fight which has greed and not any love of Palestine behind it, and which is governed by financial interests and not by the humanitarian spirit which the Zionists claim and which would force them to accept the offers made by Great Britain, Canada, Chile, Belgium and many other lands.

At the same time, she spoke out against hatred of the Jews. In her autobiography, she stated that she was on Hitler's "blacklist," and believed it was because of her defense of the Jews during her lectures throughout Europe. Bailey also criticized the cruelty of the Gentile for his treatment of the Jews, "God has made all men equal; the Jew is a man and a brother, and every right that the Gentile owns is his also, inalienably and intrinsically his. This the Gentile has forgotten and great is his responsibility for wrong doing and cruel action." (Bailey, p. 401) Nevertheless, her criticism of what she saw as their separative nature evoked claims of antisemeticism For instance, Victor Shnirelman, a cultural anthropologist and ethnographer wrote that "… racist and antisemitic trends are explicit, for example, in the occult teachings of Alice Bailey (founder of the New Age movement)."

Prophecies and obscurity

Stephenson analyzed the prophecies contained in the Alice Bailey works, breaking them down into dated and undated prophecies, prophecies confirmed, and non-determinable. While some some her prophecies appear to have been accurate, others do not. For instance, Bailey states, "From the chair of the Pope of Rome, the Master Jesus will attempt to swing that great branch of the religious beliefs of the world again into a position of spiritual power and away from its present authoritative and temporary political potency."

Roberts criticizes Bailey's writings as not empirical, naturalistic or humanistic but rather romantic and symbolic with a bewildering variety of terms.

Conflicts with competing schools of thought

Writing from a Christian church perspective, Bromley says:

"After World War II, Eastern thought was filtered through (and more or less distored by) the likes of Manley Palmer Hall, Alice Bailey, Baird T. Spaulding, and Edwin Dingle. Possibly more important than their individual teachings, however, occultists as a group hammered home the central idea, 'The East is the true home of spiritual knowledge and occult wisdom.'

Bailey has been criticized by many religious writers who see her writings as contrary to Christianity.

Bailey's books have also been criticized by mainstream Theosophists who say that a great many of her ideas were borrowed from Theosophy while also including perspectives that were not part of the original teachings of Blavatsky.