2003 DECEMBER 14 #348
I had never heard of the "I AM Worldwide Religious Activity" when I found these records in a Savers a couple of years ago. Pressed on translucent blue and light green vinyl, and covered with cryptic statements like "The Great Divine Director is a Great Cosmic Being Who projects the Rays of Light, Substance, Energy and Perfection from His Ascended Master Body", they seemed like some kind of forbidden arcana, not meant for the eyes of mere mortals like myself. Little did I know that the "I Am Religious Activity" was once an organization that toured the nation, holding meetings that numbered in the thousands!
The "I AM Worldwide Religious Activity" was founded in 1932 by Guy W. Ballard (a.k.a.Godfre' Ray King) & his wife Edna (Lotus Ray King). A far more organized introduction to their complex philosophy than I could ever manage is found here: http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/iam.html
Of course, some of the success of the Ballards might be attributed to the fact that they promised the "I AM Presence" would provide the followers with an endless supply of money, something that must have sounded very tempting during the days of the Depression. Of course, a "Love Gift" ($$$) for the Ballards would help open the "channels of communication". This seemed plausible to the poor, who were desperate, and dazzled by the Ballard's display of wealth. A scathing expose, entitled "Psychic Dictatorship In America", was written by disgruntled former student Gerald B. Bryan in 1943. This excerpt from the first chapter describes the glamorous appearance of the Ballards at one of their meetings:
"Sweeping forward on the stage come the three individuals responsible for all this fanfare. The great moment is here! A woman, blond, radiant, and sparkling with jewels, dressed as for the opera, takes the center of the stage and showers the audience with her love.A gray-haired man of about sixty attired in a white tuxedo,smiles beatifically at the audience and bows with her. Diamonds flash from his hands and other parts of his person. A youth, dressed also in white, the son of this startling couple,stands at a sort of diffident attention on the stage while all this is going on. He seems for the moment not to be a part of the performance.
With the electric appearance of Saint Germain"s ""Accredited Messengers' on the stage all is changed. The audience comes to life. It is galvanized into action. Soon, led by this gorgeously gowned, throaty-voiced blond woman, who has taken the center of the stage, ""decrees' are being shouted in unison throughout the crowded auditorium. Staccato-like sentences are hurled into the atmosphere. . . .Hands are raised. . . . Thoughts are sent sizzling through the auditorium. One can imagine them going like projectiles to their destination.There is perfect timing and rhythm in the ""hurling forth' of these decrees. Certain it is that these people are in deadly earnest.The spirit of the mob prevails, orderly, but easily recognizable for what it is—mass hypnosis— concentrated and directed by one mind, one power, one overweening personality, psychic and unreasoning in its effect. And so amidst applause, blessings, and "decrees,' another "Mighty I AM' class is now well under way. It will run for ten full days, or perhaps seventeen, both afternoon and evening, and part of it will be broadcast to listening thousands beyond the big city"
Despite the debunking by critics, several court cases, and the Ballards' deaths, the Saint Germain Foundation is still very much alive today. The home page is found at: http://www.saintgermainfoundation.org/
The entire text of the book "Psychic Dictatorship In America" can be downloaded as an Adobe Acrobat .PDF file here: http://www.home.gil.com.au/~perovich/Ballards/PsyDict.pdf
- Jeremy Pisani, http://geocities.com/elefantplatte/
TT-13:19 / 12.2MB / 128kbps 32khz
""I AM" Memorial Invocation Album/Music Of the
Spheres (1938)
Composer: Frederick Landwehr
Saint Germain Press, Inc.
(Images courtesy of Jeremy Pisani)