by Texe Marrs
Nature Teachings: Gnomes, the Earth Force, and More
In the future, Anthroposophy will no doubt experience growth. This seems to be an ideal form of New Age religion, and its extension into education through the Waldorf Schools will also likely prove a continuing success. As the environmental movement grows stronger, earth worship increases in popularity, and the goddess religion advances because of its connection with Gaia, the Greek earth goddess, and other pagan goddesses of nature, interest in Anthroposophy will also grow in tandem. This is because of Anthroposophy’s emphasis on nature and the spirits of the earth.
Anthroposophy claims that such nature beings as gnomes, salamanders, sylphs, and others are real and that man’s astral body is simply a part of the great “earth force.” A number of Anthroposophists practice a form of agriculture and farming which they call bio-dynamics. They believe this to be in tune with ecological awareness. Biodynamics is a type of organic farming. Steiner’s modern-day disciples also apply certain bio-dynamic rituals and physical preparations to their fields and crops. For example, they may use powdered quartz or cow manure as well as dandelion, nettle velarion., oak bark, and other natural substances to prepare the soil.
They also believe that gnomes, hidden below the earth’s surface, help plant roots to grow, and so they attempt to communicate with these gnomes to request their assistance. Moreover, it is believed that the astral aura of cows nourishes the gnomes. Just as for the Hindus, the cows are greatly venerated by Anthroposophists, for it is felt that cows provide the important spiritual functions of bringing cosmic forces down to earth. Birds are also greatly respected because it is taught that they carry earthly substance out into the cosmos.
All in all, it can be seen that Anthroposophy provides an eclectic and thoroughly absurd system of occultism; yet, absurdity seems to be no barrier among those who are bent on rejecting both scientific facts and the supernatural truth of God’s Holy Word, the Bible.
Chapter 7: THE ARCANE SCHOOL
In 1923 Theosophist Alice Bailey began the Arcane School. The purpose of the Arcane School is to promote the teachings of the spirit entities Dwjhal Khul, also known as “the Tibetan,” and “Master Koothumi.” The Lucis Trust, World Goodwill, and Triangles, three related organizations founded by Bailey, were also begun at the instigation of spirit guides. The inspiration for the Arcane School originally came from the spirit known as Master Koothumi (or Kuthumi) and from the teachings of Helena Blavatsky’s Theosophy. Indeed, in her book The Unfinished Autobiography, Alice Bailey remarked that the Arcane School had first been the vision of Helena Blavatsky in the 19th century, and Bailey felt that it was her task to carry out the vision of Blavatsky.
Like Dwjhal Khul (see “Lucis Trust") Koothumi is yet another of the shadowy Masters of Wisdom, members of a spiritual “Hierarchy” who supposedly exist in some kind of mythical land known as Shambala. These concepts are familiar to the occultists who are fans and admirers of the works of Theosophist Helena Blavatsky and especially her writings known as The Secret Doctrine. In effect, if we are to believe Alice Bailey and her husband Foster Bailey, co–founders of the Arcane School, and Mary Bailey, the more recent head of this school, their entire life’s work is based on the prodding of demonic spirits.
The Arcane School conducts classes and lessons “in occult philosophy and cosmic law” for “the disciples of the Great One... during that critical period of our present world history when we are transcending out of the piscean era into the aquarian age.” This comes from information provided by Foster Bailey in his article entitled The Arcane School—Its Esoteric Origins and Purpose. The teaching efforts of the Arcane School are necessary, said Foster Bailey, “to hasten the reappearance of the (New Age) Christ.” Its formal goal is as follows: “Training for New Age discipleship is provided by the Arcane School. The principles of the Ageless Wisdom are presented through esoteric meditation, study, and service as a way of life.”
If we are to believe the literature published by the Lucis Trust, the graduates of the Arcane School are privileged to become the elite of the New Age. Such initiates will become part of The New Group of World Servers, an unnamed and unidentified but powerful group of men and women in all walks of life who are said to be masters of occultism destined to lead the world into a New Age kingdom.
Headquartered in New York, but also with centers in Europe, the stated goal of the Arcane School is to train men and women so that they may take their next step upon the path of evolution. Alice Bailey taught that the Arcane School would enable students to recognize the fact of the Spiritual Hierarchy of the planet. (Christians of Course, would recognize this spiritual hierarchy as the demonic entities under the control of Satan.) Another primary teaching of the Arcane School is that the souls of men are one, again a cardinal New Age belief.
While the Arcane School claims to be non-sectarian and non-political, in fact, the school certainly does have a religious and political basis. Each student is a believer in occultism, although there is significant leeway and freedom as to the exact occult philosophies that may be held by the individual. However, no formal pledges or vows to obey are extracted from any student during the training. They are expected to voluntarily carry out the requirements, and most do since few enter such training without an occult foundation having already been laid in their individual lives.
The Plan and The Christ
The Arcane School also teaches students to understand what the New Age calls “The Plan for humanity.” They are led to understand that their loyalty and devotion to The Plan will promote their evolutionary progress. They are also made to understand the immediacy of the return of the New Age “Christ” who, in the worldview of the Arcane School, is not only the Christ of Christianity but also the Messiah for the Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, and Moslems.
In other words, the Arcane School teaches universality and harshly rejects any religious teaching of exclusiveness. For example, to teach that Jesus Christ is Lord of all would be a heresy not tolerated by the Arcane School and its teachers. Alice Bailey once stated:
In the Arcane School, we make a definite effort to counter the great heresy of separateness... and thus lay the foundation for that new world in which there will emerge a civilization based upon the belief that the souls of men are One.
In plain language, this means that Christianity is not unique and, moreover, any suggestion that it is unique or exclusive is a “great heresy” for students of the Arcane School.
Man is Divine
Another major teaching of the Arcane School is that within each human being is a point of light, a “spark of the one Flame.” Men, then, are themselves deities. Interestingly, Alice Bailey often attempted to invoke scripture to prove that man is his own god, pointing out for example that Paul spoke of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” To Bailey, this meant that there is a divine essence in each person, that man collectively is “God” as well as “Christ.”
Yet, ultimately, as a student delves into the deeply esoteric teachings of the Arcane School he or she will discover that in the occultism of Alice Bailey there is a master above all other masters—a great world teacher whom Alice Bailey mysteriously called “Sanat Kumara, the Great One.” Is Sanat merely a scrambling of the letters of the word Satan. It is my well–founded contention that Satan is indeed the lord of the Arcane School.
Chapter 8: ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH AND ENLIGHTENMENT (A.R.E.)
He was called the “sleeping prophet.” He gave over 16,000 readings to his followers. He is definitely one of the fathers of the New Age and has especially been influential in the area of New Age holistic medicine. Indeed, one of his biographers, Jeff Steam, called him the “Father of Holistic Healing.” His name was Edgar Cayce.
Born in 1877 on a farm near Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Cayce never had a formal education, dropping out of school in the sixth grade. At first, he took an interest in Christianity, even as a young boy reading the Bible and enjoying going to church regularly. It is claimed
that he made it a habit to read the Bible through at least once a year, and for his entire life he taught Sunday School at a local Presbyterian church. Yet, though he claimed to be a Christian, Edgar Cayce was one of the most occultic leaders the New Age has ever known.
Today, the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.), led by the late Cayce’s son, Hugh Lynn Cayce, has untold thousands of members. As many as 15 million persons worldwide have been influenced through his many writings. Recently I received a flyer from Books of Light, a New Age book club, which offered 18 different books about the work of Edgar Cayce by a variety of New Age authors. Some 600 medical doctors, chiropractors, psychologists, and other professional health workers are associated with the A.R.E. Most are listed in the A.R.E. annual directory.
According to A.R.E. statistics, small groups of people from all walks of life meet once a week in over 1,700 homes to study the Edgar Cayce readings. Their children are schooled in AR.E. Search For God programs. Across the nation, hundreds of seminars and lectures are held in almost every major city on a variety of A.R.E. topics, from astrology and Egyptian religion, to reincarnation and karma. Tens of thousands of seekers and researchers continually access the thousands of Edgar Cayce readings that are now contained in the A.R.E. library at Virginia Beach, Virginia. There they use an index for over 10,000 subjects.
A.R.E. also has a bookstore and publishes a periodic catalog of some 65 pages. Many of Cayce’s writings have been put into book form, particularly his prophecies gained from the spirit world on coming earth changes. His son, Hugh Lynn Cayce, has also authored a book, Earth Changes Update.
Cayce and Occultism
Edgar Cayce developed occultic tendencies quite early in life. He admitted later that as a child he had certain “play folk,” real spirit people, who would appear to him and talk with him. At the age of 13, an angelic being, Cayce claimed, appeared to him and asked him what request he would make of her. Young Edgar replied that he would like to help others. At that point the apparition dissolved.
Evidently, occultism ran in Cayce’s family. His father had a hypnotic control over snakes; his grandfather was a dowser and water witcher. At his home, magical stunts such as making tables move, causing brooms to dance, and the use of telepathic powers was commonplace.
One time, famed evangelist Dwight L. Moody passed through town. When Edgar shared with him the fact that he was receiving visions and hearing voices from a supernatural world, the great evangelist suggested to him that evil spirits could be responsible. But according to Cayce’s biography There Is A River, Moody also mentioned to Edgar that he might be a prophet, a legitimate prophet of God.
Cayce’s role as a professional New Age healer began when, as a young, budding salesman, Edgar developed laryngitis so acute that he could barely speak. Medical doctors could not cure him and he turned to “Dr.” Al Lane, a holistic healer who used magnetic devices and herbs to effect healings. Lane was a mail-order naturopath who also practiced hypnosis. He taught Edgar Cayce how to use self-hypnosis, and while Cayce was in his own hypnotic spell, an unconscious voice in his own mind diagnosed his throat problem and was able to suggest to Edgar what needed to be done. In fact, the healing took place immediately while Cayce was still under the hypnotic spell. Awakening, he found he was able to speak normally. This convinced the young man that mind powers and trance-like states were very significant to healing processes.
Cayce the Occultic Healer
Following this self-healing episode, Cayce then began a vocation of self-hypnotic trances during which he physically evaluated the health complaints of patients who had come to him having heard of his growing reputation. For these people he gave “health readings.” All that Cayce supposedly needed was to be given their name and address. Then, he claimed, he could tune in telepathically to that individual’s mind and body, clearly seeing the hidden medical problem or malfunctioning. Cayce then would dredge up some kind of supernatural knowledge from a spiritual realm and make the diagnosis as well as suggested treatment.
Cayce’s treatment suggestions made licensed medical doctors blink and despair because of their bizarre nature. It is because of these unorthodox treatments that Cayce today is the hero of alternative health quacks and New Age “healers” of all types. Cayce was especially big on raw, natural foods, including milk and honey; he advocated massage and manipulation, yoga exercises, tar soap, various salves, bile salts, home remedies of all kinds, patent medicines, olive oil, mutton tallow, mineral oil, brandy fumes, artichokes, numerous kinds of ointments, and even gems, crystals, and other healing stones. Regardless of the irregular nature of such treatments, Cayce was not shy about diagnosing and attempting to treat serious ailments that ranged from breast cancer tumors, to arthritis, detached retina, epilepsy, goiter, gonorrhea, gall stones, insomnia, and even mental retardation.
Finally, in 1936 Cayce’s widespread fame as a nontraditional healer got him in trouble when he was arrested in Detroit for practicing medicine without a license. Cayce professed astonishment. How could the good he was trying to accomplish be so misunderstood? he asked.
After this arrest, Edgar Cayce was more careful about his medical practice (or should we call it malpractice?). He began to turn his attention to another area—that of prophetic dreams. Eventually he was to make hundreds of prophetic predictions, many of which came true (his supporters claim 90 percent) and many of which turned out to be false prophecies. Here for example, is only one of many of Cayce’s predictions:
1958-1998 AD. The earth will be broken up in the western portion of America. The greater portion of Japan must go into the sea. The upper portion of Europe will be changed as in the twinkling of an eye. Land will appear off the East Coast of America. There will be upheavals in the Arctic and in the Antarctic, and eruptions of volcanoes in the torrid areas, and there will be a shifting then of the poles—so that where it has been frigid or semi-tropical, it will become the more tropical, and moss and fern will grow. And these will begin in those periods of 1958-1998.
Cayce predicted that eventually the sea would cover all of the western part of the United States and that the state of Nebraska will sometime in the next century be a coastal state on the Pacific Ocean.
Cayce and Past Lives
Cayce also began to give life readings to individuals, contending that these would help the individual to learn about his incarnations in previous lives and thus aid him to better understand his current life. For example, here are excerpts from a life reading Cayce gave to a 14 year old boy on August 29, 1927:
Before this, the entity lived in France when the people of that country were near to the rebellion, during the period of Louis XIII. The entity was then among those who would escort the protectors of that monarch; he was especially the one chosen to dress and change apparel for that ruler—though not in the capacity of the valet. Rather the entity was the one who set the style for the people. His name then was Neil...
Before that we find that the entity was in the land now known as Persia.... Then the entity as a physician in the court gained throughout the services rendered, even when persecutions came through invading forces. The name was Abiel....
Before that we find the entity was in the Egyptian land during the period when there was a division of the kingdom. The entity was among those people who were of the native folk, yet the one who brought much comfort to many people in providing for the application of truth... The name then is Isois....
Before that the entity was in the Atlantean land when the floods came and when destruction ruled in that land... The name was the Amiaieoulieb.
Cayce and The Bible
The occultic nature of Cayce’s readings and predictions were heightened after he met and became enamored of a man named Arthur Lammers, a wealthy printer from Ohio who had sought Cayce out after hearing of his fame. Lammers was extremely interested in metaphysical and psychic phenomena. He wanted to learn more about the mystery religions of Egypt and Greece, about yoga, Madame Blavatsky
and Theosophy, and the spirit world. In fact, Lammers was a devoted Theosophist. Cayce agreed to give Lammers a life reading during which he determined that this man had lived many past lives. Cayce himself then began to study reincarnation. Finally, he came to the conclusion that the Bible was flawed, that third century scholars had deleted all references to reincarnation from the Bible, and that current Bible versions were therefore of limited value.
Cayce’s spirit guides also taught him the following unholy and unbiblical doctrines: that the Bible is neither accurate nor authoritative; that Jesus was only one manifestation of Christ and that, in fact, Jesus had 30 other incarnations by the time he was born to Mary; that Jesus was not God with a capital “G"; that all of us were with God in the beginning and are now working our way back to a divine state through karma by repaying our debt in each lifetime. It will, however, take many lifetimes to make up the debt and return to union with God; God is not a judge and there is no hell; there is no need to be born again in the traditional sense of Christianity, but that all are Christians if we do good.
