Spiritual Hierarchy

Spiritual Hierarchy is a term often used in Neo-Theosophy, and the Ascended Master Teachings, a group of religions based on Theosophy. It represents the concept of a group of self-realised Masters of the Ancient Wisdom, referred to by those adherent to the Ascended Master Teachings as Ascended Masters, who are ranked at various levels, and their disciples, invisibly helping humanity from behind the scenes on the higher spiritual planes (although according to Alice A. Bailey and Benjamin Creme, they are now allegedly planning to making their existence more known on the physical plane).Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Definition of the Spiritual "Hierarchy" Page 537
Another term used for this idea include Great White Brotherhood; other terms used less often for this concept are: the Communion of Saints (where the "saints" are thought of as being the Masters), the Elder Brothers of the Race, the Council of Light, the Society of Illumined Minds, the Planetary Center of Love-Wisdom, The Kingdom of the Gods, the Spiritual Kingdom, the Kingdom of [Advanced] Souls, the Secret Chiefs, or the Mystical Body of Christ (when used in a New Age sense centering on Maitreya and not in the Roman Catholic sense). The Hierarchy is, according to Benjamin Creme, "... made up of the Masters and Initiates of all degrees and whose purpose is to implement the Plan of God",Share International--Background of Teachings (Benjamin Creme): referred to by Alice A. Bailey as the Plan of the Masters.
Neo-Theosophy and the Ascended Master Teachings are syncretic religions which combine religious concepts from and deities from primarily Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism and to some degree from other religions, as well their own unique deities.
==Spiritual hierarchy in comparative religion==
The spiritual hierarchy of Theosophy is the basis for many New Age religions. It was a Theosophist, Alice A. Bailey, who popularized the term New Age. Just about all "New Age" religions believe in reincarnation. New Age Ancient Wisdom teachings other than Theosophy and the Ascended Master Teachings, such as Anthroposophy, Rosicrucianism, most UFO religions, and the teachings of many New Age independent gurus assume the existence a spiritual hierarchy similar to the spiritual hierarchy of Theosophy within which human souls rise upward as they reincarnate, although the details may differ.Melton, J. Gordon Encyclopedia of American Religions 5th Edition New York:1996 Gale Research ISBN 0-8103-7714-4 ISSN 1066-1212 Chapter 18--"The Ancient Wisdom Family of Religions" Pages 151-158; also see Section 18, Pages 717-757 Descriptions of various "Ancient Wisdom" religious organizations
==Possibility of changing positions within the hierarchy==
According to the Ascended Master Teachings (but not according to Theosophy), beings in the Spiritual Hierarchy can change their positions within the Hierarchy within the brief time span of a few human generations. According to the Ascended Master Teachings as given by Elizabeth Clare Prophet (but not according to Theosophy), Maitreya, formerly considered to be the World Teacher, now holds the "Office" of "Planetary Buddha" and "Cosmic Christ", while the head of the Spiritual Hierarchy for Earth is the Lord of the World, an "Office" currently believed by those adherent to the Ascended Master Teachings to be held by Gautama Buddha, and the former Lord of the World, Sanat Kumara, is believed to now be the "Regent Lord of the World".
However their specific positions in the Hierarchy are described, both Theosophists and those adherent to the Ascended Master Teachings believe that Maitreya, Buddha, and Sanat Kumara, the three highest beings in the Terran planetary division of the Spiritual Hierarchy, continue to work for the benefit of humanity from their headquarters in Shamballah on the etheric plane.
==Levels of the spiritual hierarchy==
===Terminology===
Within the spiritual hierarchy, it is believed that there are two broad classes of beings within the hierarchy. 
Ascended Masters, or as they are called in Theosophy, the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom, are beings that have incarnated on Earth and ascended to a high level of Initiation on THIS planet. They are defined by Elizabeth Clare Prophet as those who have balanced at least 51% of their karma.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Glossary--Page 11 Ascension
Cosmic Beings are defined as those ascended masters who are of extraterrestrial origin.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Glossary--Page 534 Cosmic Being
A shorthand term used by both Theosophists and those adherent to the Ascended Master Teachings to denote both Masters of the Ancient Wisdom (Ascended Masters), as well as Cosmic Beings (Cosmic Masters) is to refer to them all simply as Masters (with a capital "M").
===Ascended masters (masters of the ancient wisdom)===
The lowest level of ascended masters is the common run of ascended masters, that is, those Masters who have attained the fifth level of initiation. These include such Masters as Confucius, Lord Ling, Lanello, Lady Master Magda, Kwan Yin, Zoroaster, the Great Divine Director, Johannes (Pope John XXIII), Padre Pio and many dozens more. Elizabeth Clare Prophet has identified, named, and received dictations from at least 200 ascended masters at this level.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press "Profiles of the Ascended Masters"--Pages 13-394 More than 200 "Ascended Masters" are listed However, traditional Theosophists do not recognize any of the new beings identified by Elizabeth Clare Prophet as masters of the ancient wisdom. 
C.W. Leadbeater named a Master called Master Jupiter who lives in India, and is involved with overseeing the people, government, and development of India, that is functioning at level five.Leadbeater, C.W. The Masters and the Path Adyar, Madras, India: 1925--Theosophical Publishing House Page 33 (In the Ascended Master Teachings, the Master Jupiter is referred to as Chananda.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Chananda Pages 54-55) It is believed by Theosophists that the Master Jupiter directs a side branch of the main Himalayan Lodge of the Great White Brotherhood called the South Indian Lodge ("South" in this usage meaning that part of India south of the Himalayas) whose Masters operates openly on the physical plane (In the Ascended Master Teachings, this organization, said to functioning under Chananda, is called the Indian Council of the Great White Brotherhood. Its Masters that operate on the physical plane are called unascended masters.). Masters associated with this occult Lodge are said to include, among others, Babaji, a Master purportedly many centuries old who is said to live in the Himalayas, one of Babaji's disciples Paramhansa Yogananda Crème, Benjamin Maitreya’s Mission Amsterdam:1997 Share International Foundation Page 680 , and Guru Dev, the guru of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Crème, Benjamin The Great Approach: New Light and Life for Humanity Amsterdam: 2001 Share International Foundation Page 183. 
Alice A. Bailey identified as Masters the Master P., who is said to help St. Germain (referred to by Bailey as The Master Rakoczi or the Master R.) bring about the Age of Aquarius in the Americas, and two different English Masters (English Master #1 and English Master #2), one of which is said to have inspired the labor movement.Bailey, Alice A. The Externalisation of the Hierarchy New York:1957—Lucis Press (Compilation of earlier revelations by Alice A. Bailey) Master P. Page 682; See numerous references to "English Master" in Index In addition to these three, she identified the three Lords of Liberation--(Lord of Liberation #1, Lord of Liberation #2, and Lord of Liberation #3). According to Alice A. Bailey, the three Lords of Liberation formulated the slogan Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, and this slogan will be the keynote of the New Age. Finally, Alice A. Bailey also identified the three Lords of Karma (Lord of Karma #1, Lord of Karma #2, and Lord of Karma #3). These three beings are said to live in Shamballah and help Sanat Kumara decide where and when souls are going to incarnate in their next life.Bailey, Alice A. The Externalisation of the Hierarchy New York:1957—Lucis Press (Compilation of earlier revelations by Alice A. Bailey) "Lords of Liberation" (In the Ascended Master Teachings, there are seven of these beings, all identified by name, and they are referred to as the Karmic Board.) Benjamin Creme identified two previously unidentified Masters at this level in 2001—he stated that there is a Master in Moscow Creme, Benjamin The Great Approach: New Light and Life for Humanity Amsterdam:2001 Share International Foundation Page 179 and a Master in Tokyo,Creme, Benjamin The Great Approach: New Light and Life for Humanity Amsterdam:2001 Share International Foundation Page 177 but did not give their personal names. 
The middle level of ascended masters (masters of the ancient wisdom), recognized by both traditional Theosophists and those adherent to the Ascended Master Teachings, are those who have attained the sixth level of initiation. These include the seven "Chohans" ("Lords") of the Seven Rays - El Morya (1st ray), Kuthumi (2nd ray), Paul the Venetian (3rd ray), Serapis Bey (4th ray), Master Hilarion (5th ray), Master Jesus (6th ray), and the Master Rakoczi (7th ray), referred to in the Ascended Master Teachings as St. Germain; as well as their coordinator and communications director Djwal Khul.Leadbeater, C.W. The Masters and the Path. Adyar, India: Theosophical Publishing House 1925 "The Chohans of the Rays" Pages 236-240 According to the Ascended Master Teachings, on January 1, 1956, the Master Jesus advanced to the seventh level of initiation and the Lady Master Nada (a lady Master recognized in the Ascended Master Teachings but not in Theosophy) advanced from the fifth level to the sixth level and replaced the Master Jesus as the chohan of the sixth ray.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Page 240
The highest level of ascended masters (masters of the ancient wisdom) include the four Masters who in traditional Theosophy are regarded as being at the seventh Level of Initiation— the Chakshusha Manu (referred to as Lord Himalaya in the Ascended Master Teachings), the Vaivasvatu Manu, the Maha Chohan, and Maitreya.;Bailey, Alice A. Initiation, Human and Solar New York: 1922--Lucis Publishing Chart--Page 49 and the four Masters at the eighth level of initiation, Gautama Buddha himself, and The Three Pratyeka Buddhas (the task of these three Buddhas is to focus the Seven Rays from Sanat Kumara through Djwal Khul to the chohans of the Seven Rays).Leadbeater, C.W. The Masters and the Path. Adyar, India: Theosophical Publishing House 1925 "Diagram 5--The Spiritual Hierarchy"--Facing Page 248 In the Ascended Master Teachings, it is believed that on January 1, 1956, Maitreya advanced from the 7th level to the 8th level, and Buddha advanced from the 8th level to the 9th level, becoming co-equal with Sanat Kumara.
===Cosmic beings===
A cosmic being is an Ascended Master who has never incarnated in a human body. Cosmic beings are believed by adherents of these religions to be ascended masters that are of extraterrestrial, or even extragalactic or extracosmic origin. The Ascended Master Teachings teacher Joshua David Stone and George King of the Aetherius Society used the term cosmic master to describe a "cosmic being".
====Cosmic beings stationed at Shamballa====
Sanat Kumara, who is said to be at the ninth level of initiation, is the being that is believed in Theosophy and the Ascended Master Teachings to be the governing deity of Earth (ruling from a mythical city called Shamballa on the etheric plane of Earth about five miles above the Gobi Desert), is classified by definition as a cosmic being in these belief systems because he is a Nordic alien regarded as having originated on the etheric plane of Venus,Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Pages 322-329 Sanat Kumara (It is stated that Sanat Kumara is a "cosmic being") on which it is believed by Theosophists and those adherent to the Ascended Master Teachings that a civilization exists that is hundreds of millions of years more advanced than our present civilization on Earth. According to the Ascended Master Teachings, Sanat Kumara has a "twin flame" (celestial wife) named Lady Master Venus, as well as a daughter named Lady Master Meta, both functioning at the ninth level, and a grandson named Master Cha Ara who is half mortal and who just recently became a Master, therefore meaning he is functioning at the fifth level.
Coming to visit Sanat Kumara from time to time, it is said in the Ascended Master Teachings, is another cosmic being, Omri-Tas, the Ruler of the Violet Planet.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Pages 249-253 Omri-Tas, Ruler of the Violet Planet
====Cosmic beings said to be patrolling near Earth====
In the traditional writings of Theosophy (except for Benjamin Creme), and in the mainstream Ascended Master Teachings of Guy Ballard and Elizabeth Clare Prophet, no mention is made of UFOs or flying saucers.
However the Ascended Master Teachings teacher Joshua David Stone in his teachings began, beginning in 1993, by incorporating the teachings given in the early 1980s by the medium Tuella into his own teachings, to refer to Ashtar, believed by some UFO enthusiasts to be the commander of a flying saucer fleet that operates near Earth (crewed mostly by Venusians), as a Master along with the more traditional ascended masters. He continued to include Ashtar on his list of ascended masters that he mentioned he received dictations from when speaking at his yearly Wesak Festival Mount Shasta gatherings that began to be held in 1996. Stone also taught based on the teachings of Tuella that the Master Jesus, under his galactic name Sananda, is the Commander-in-Chief of the Ashtar Galactic Command flying saucer fleet and rides in his own command flying saucer with Pallas Athena in addition to the flying saucer of Commander Ashtar.Stone, Joshua David Cosmic Ascension: Your Cosmic Map Home (March 1998) (Book 6 of the multi-volume series, The Easy-To-Read Encyclopedia of the Spiritual Path) ISBN 0-929385-99-3Joshua David Stone: “The Ashtar Command—The Airborne Division of the Great White Brotherhood”:Ashtar--A Tribute by Tuella (these teachings of Tuella were incorporated into the Ascended Master Teachings in the teachings of Joshua David Stone): Also flying with the Ashtar Galactic Command flying saucer fleet is Vrillon, the communications director of the fleet. According to the teachings of the Universe people, a UFO religion in the Czech Republic, Ashtar has a "twin flame" (celestial wife) named Ester.
====Cosmic beings on Venus====
According to both Theosophy and the Ascended Master Teachings, millions of years ago the immortal Seven Holy Kumaras, the governing council of the Venusians, chose one from among themselves, Sanat Kumara, to go to Earth and guide its spiritual evolution. That leaves the Six Holy Kumaras as cosmic beings still residing on Venus as Masters.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Seven Holy Kumaras Page 339-341 So far, no Ascended Master Teachings teachers have identified the personal names of nor channeled any of these six cosmic beings.
George King, founder of the Aetherius Society, believed in the existence of the traditional Theosophical masters of the ancient wisdom and identified a new Master named the Master Aetherius, who he claimed spoke to him telepathically from Venus. According to the Aetherius Society, the Master Jesus spends a lot of time on the higher planes of Venus with the Master Aetherius.King, George, (1996) Contacts With The Gods From Space, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, The Aetherius Society
Noted Theosophist Benjamin Creme was the vice president of the Aetherius Society between 1957 and 1959.Barrett, David V. The New Believers 2001 ISBN 0-304-35592-5, page 347-349Encyclopedia of Esoteric Groups--Aetherius Society: In 1958 Creme personally met George Adamski and Creme says he can personally vouch for the authenticity of Adamski's close encounter of the third kind with the cosmic being Orthon.Creme, Benjamin The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of the Wisdom London:1980 Tara Press Page 13 According to Benjamin Creme, there are hundreds of thousands if not millions of flying saucers based on the etheric plane of Venus. The Venusians have mother ships up to four miles long that can hold multiple individual flying saucers.Creme, Benjamin The Great Approach Amsterdam:2001 Share International Foundation Page 133 According to Joshua David Stone, the vast majority of the large number of cosmic beings that function as the crew of the Ashtar Galactic Command flying saucer fleet are from Venus, and thus they are Nordic aliens as is everyone from Venus. 
According to Elizabeth Clare Prophet, there are two cosmic beings from Venus who are androgynous hermaphrodites named Victory, "The tall Master from Venus", and its twin flame (celestial consort) Justina. Devotees can issue decrees toward these two beings and achieve Victory over whatever life circumstances or karma they need to be victorious over.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Victory Pages 381-382; Justina Pages 150-151--In the section on Justina, on page 150, Elizabeth Clare Prophet specifically states that both Victory and Justina are androgynous cosmic beings
Since both Theosophists and those adherent to the Ascended Master Teachings believe that a civilization exists on the etheric plane of Venus that is hundreds of millions of years more advanced than our present civilization on Earth,Powell, A.E. The Solar System London:1930 The Theosophical Publishing House (A Complete Outline of the Theosophical Scheme of Evolution) See Planetary Evolution chart on Page 13 there must be many more Masters on Venus that have not yet been identified and channeled.
====Cosmic beings attendant to the Sun====
According to Theosophy and the Ascended Master Teachings, there are seven solar archangels (In Theosophy they are also referred to as the seven spirits before the [solar] throne.). The Ascended Master Teachings also add seven additional beings attendant to the Sun called the seven solar elohim.Note: The word "elohim" is used with an initial small letter preceded by "the" if it is used as a plural noun to represent groups of higher angels or deities, and it is used with an initial capital letter when it is used as a singular noun to mean "God". Each solar archangel and solar elohim transmits one of the seven rays. According to the Ascended Master Teachings, each of these 14 beings has a twin flame (celestial wife), making a total of 28 of these beings in all, all of whom live in the solar corona. It is believed in the Ascended Master Teachings that Hercules, the elohim of the first ray, helped Helios and Vesta (see below) organize the solar system from the solar nebula when it was first forming.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Page 127 According to Elizabeth Clare Prophet, Mary, the mother of Jesus, became the twin flame of the Archangel Raphael (that solar archangel that transmits the fifth ray) after her assumption, thus becoming one of the very few examples of a human ascended master who celestially married a cosmic being.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Page 211 Sometimes Mary comes back to Earth to serve with the Master Jesus at the "resurrection temple", a temple on the etheric plane located above Jerusalem.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Page 144 It is believed in the Ascended Master Teachings that all the archangels, elohim, and their twin flames all have android replicas composed of etheric matter that serve at their various etheric retreats scattered over the globe on the etheric plane.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Page 412
====Cosmic beings functioning within the Sun====
The being that inhabits the Sun is referred to as the Solar Logos in traditional Theosophy. According to Theosophy, the actual body of the Solar Logos is a four dimensional hypersphere, the intersection of which with the third dimension we see as the physical Sun.Powell, A.E. The Solar System: A Complete Outline of the Theosophical Scheme of Evolution London:1930 The Theosophical Publishing House Chapter VII--"The Solar Logos" Pages 28-35 In terms of the Galaxy as a whole, the Solar Logos is referred to as the Stellar Logos of Sol. 
The Solar Logos, the Sun God, is personified as the cosmic beings Helios In the Roman Empire, Helios was referred to as Sol Invictus. and his twin flame (celestial wife) Vesta, the "God and Goddess of this solar system", in the Ascended Master Teachings.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Helios and Vesta Page 126 
In the theosophical teachings of Alice A. Bailey, there is a powerful being living inside the sun serving the Solar Logos called the Avatar of Synthesis.Bailey, Alice A. The Externalisation of the Hierarchy New York:1957 Lucis Publishing Co. See "Avatar of Synthesis" in the Index Its job is to transmit the seven rays from the heart of the sun through the seven spirits before the throne to all the life waves of the solar system. According to Benjamin Creme, the Avatar of Synthesis is functioning at the 17th level of initiation.Creme, Benjamin Maitreya's Mission--Volume III Amsterdam:1997 Share Foundation Page 72 In the Ascended Master Teachings, this being is called Ray-O-Light.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Ray-O-Light Page 301 This being directs and supervises the activities of the thousands of Masters originally from all the planets of the Solar System called the Staff Corps of the Solar Logos Gardner, E.L. The Web of the Universe London:1936 The Theosophical Publishing House Page 97 that live in etheric cities in the solar core. In the Ascended Master Teachings, the Staff Corps of the Solar Logos are called the Solar Lords.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Helios and Vesta Page 346 The function of the Staff Corps of the Solar Logos is to in turn orchestrate the activities of the solar angels. The Solar Angels are swarms of millions of devas living inside the Sun who often visit the various planets—their task is to direct the evolution of the soul life waves on all the planets of the solar system (According to both Theosophy and the Ascended Master Teachings, life on all the planets in the solar system except Earth functions on the etheric plane.Planetary Schemes of Our Solar System According to Theosophy:).
====Cosmic beings from Sirius====
The being inhabiting the star Sirius is called in Theosophy the Stellar Logos of Sirius. It is believed in Theosophy that every star in the universe has its own indwelling spirit, called its Stellar Logos (plural: Stellar Logoi). If a giant star dies by going supernova and becoming a black hole, or if a white dwarf dies and becomes a black dwarf, its stellar logos reincarnates in another newly formed star, either in this Cosmos or another Cosmos. 
The Sirian Masters are said in many New Age teachings to be a large group of cosmic beings from the planetary system of Sirius that include both humanoid and dolphinoid entities. In the Ascended Master Teachings of Paul McCarthy, he claims the ability to channel these entities at his organization the Sirius Temple of Ascension in Brighton, England. McCarthy has identified the Lady Master Isis as one of the Sirian Masters. He has not yet identified by name any of the dolphinoid Masters. When these dolphinoid Masters travel in space, they travel submersed in tanks of water inside specially equipped flying saucers piloted by humanoid Masters. (Paul McCarthy took over Joshua David Stone's organization the I AM University after Stone's death in 2005 and moved the headquarters from California to Austria).)McCarthy Paul From Self Love to Christ Consciousness: The Guided by the Light Series 2005Sirius Temple of Ascension website: According to Benjamin Creme, Sai Baba was an avatar of one of the Sirian Masters. Creme, Benjamin Maitreya's Mission--Volume II Amsterdam:1993 Share International Foundation Page 74--Creme states that Sai Baba is "a cosmic avatar"--when this is stated by Creme, it means in his teachings that the being in question is an avatar of one of the Sirian masters. Also according to Creme, Lao-Tse (technically not a cosmic being since he is from Earth) has now graduated to the status of a Sirian Master. Creme, Benjamin Maitreya's Mission Amsterdam:1986 Share International Foundation Page 303--Creme states that Lao-Tse is "no longer on this planet"--when this is stated by Creme, it means in his teachings that the being in question has gone on to the planetary system of Sirius. Robert Anton Wilson often mentioned the Sirian Masters in his writings. According to Wilson, the Sirian Masters revealed to the Dogon people the existence of the companion of Sirius. Scientific note: The Sirian planetary system is only 230,000,000 years old and thus there has not been enough time for intelligent life to have evolved there. Therefore, any beings that may live in that planetary system must have colonized it from somewhere else.
====Cosmic beings governing our sector of the galaxy from Ursa Major====
According to writings of the Ascended Master Teachings teacher Joshua David Stone, this sector of the Milky Way Galaxy--one twelfth of the total volume of the galactic disc—is governed by a cosmic being (Stone uses the term Cosmic Master for Ascended Masters of extraterrestrial origin) named Melchior from the constellation of the Great Bear. Working with him on the governing council of this sector of the Galaxy is said to be [Local galactic sector cosmic being] Melchizedek (not the same being as the [Earth ascended master] Melchizedek, said to be the being that the Biblical Melchizedek became after his death on Earth).Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Page 219-222 The [Earthly] Melchizedek
====Cosmic beings governing the Milky Way Galaxy from the galactic core====
In traditional Theosophy, the being that governs our Milky Way Galaxy is called the Galactic Logos. In terms of the Cosmos as a whole, the Galactic Logos is referred to as the Galactic Logos of the Milky Way Galaxy. 
Sometimes Alice A. Bailey and the Theosophist Douglas Baker would poetically refer to the Galactic Logos in their writings as The One Whom Naught May Be Said. 
In the Ascended Master Teachings of Joshua David Stone, there is a powerful cosmic being functioning at the galactic core of the Milky Way Galaxy named Averran who is the governing deity of the Galaxy. In the New Age Mayanist teachings of Jose Arguelles, inventor of the Dreamspell calendar, Averran is referred to as Hunab Ku. This is a personification of the Galactic Logos of Theosophy. Stone uses the term cosmic master to denote what Elizabeth Clare Prophet calls a cosmic being. 
According to Stone, working with Averran under his authority are three cosmic beings named Vywamus, Adonis and Atlanto. Another cosmic being named Lenduce is the ambassador to our galaxy from the Great Central Sun (see below).Stone, Joshua David Cosmic Ascension: Your Cosmic Map Home (March 1998) (Book 6 of the multi-volume series, The Easy-To-Read Encyclopedia of the Spiritual Path) ISBN 0-929385-99-3]"The Galactic Core and Cosmic Masters" by Joshua David Stone:
The Ascended Master Teachings teacher Mussarat Rahman of Bradford, England (originally from Kashmir), who began teaching in 2005, has identified and channeled an additional seven cosmic beings on the governing council of our galaxy, whom she identifies as Zoltec, Voltar, Vulcun, Valentino, Valcor, Anturion, and Vulcrum. Added to the three cosmic beings above identified by Joshua David Stone, Vywamus, Adonis and Atlanto, this makes a total of ten cosmic beings so far identified on the Galactic Council of our galaxy under Averran. Since important groupings of Theosophy/Ascended Master Teachings deities within the spiritual hierarchy normally come in sets of three, seven, or twelve, this makes it seem highly likely that there are an eleventh cosmic being and a twelfth cosmic being on the "Galactic Council" , both of whom are as yet unidentified and unchanneled. Presumably all twelve cosmic beings on the Galactic Council plus Averran himself all have twin flames (celestial wives), but so far, only one of these twin flames has been identified by Rahman—Valencia, the twin flame of Voltar. The twelve members of the Galactic Council and their twin flames along with Averran himself and his twin flame would make a total of 26 cosmic beings functioning at the top of the spiritual hierarchy of the Milky Way Galaxy. Rahman has also identified and channeled four additional cosmic beings who are intergalactic ambassadors from other galaxies in the Local Group to the court of Averran—Karkite, Arkavite, Andromedus, and Malaki. Presumably, Andromedus is the ambassador from the Andromeda Galaxy. According to Rahman, all of these cosmic beings live on a planet on the etheric plane called Andromeda located in the galactic core that functions as the spiritual capital of the Milky Way Galaxy.Ascended Master Teachings of Mussarat Rahman of Bradford, England regarding cosmic beings governing the Milky Way Galaxy:
====Cosmic beings governing the Cosmos from the Great Central Sun====
In traditional Theosophy, the being that governs our particular Cosmos is called the Cosmic Logos.
According to Elizabeth Clare Prophet, the woman who was the head of the Church Universal and Triumphant, the largest of the Ascended Master Teachings religions, the two deities that are the most powerful deities in this Cosmos—personifications of what in Theosophy is called the Cosmic Logos -- are Alpha, the Heavenly Father and Omega, the Heavenly Mother.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Page 20
Alpha and Omega
Alpha and Omega are said to live in the Great Central Sun, a hyperspherical body said to be located in the fourth dimension (i.e., in hyperspace) at a location regarded in the Ascended Master Teachings religions and in some UFO religions as being situated at the central point from which the expansion of the universe issued forth and from which the cosmic hologram is projected.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Glossary--Page 531 The Great Central SunMichael, Allen The Everlasting Gospel Berkeley, California:1975 Industrial Church of the New World Comforter "Is the Universe a Hologram?" Jacob Bekenstein Scientific American August 2003 In the eschatology of the cosmological physicist Frank J. Tipler, the central point is referred to as the Alpha Point when viewed from the perspective of the Big Bang and as the Omega Point when viewed from the perspective of the Big Crunch. See Tipler, Frank J. The Physics of Immortality 1994 
The term Great Central Sun' was originated by Guy Ballard, taking it from Madame Blavatsky, who had referred to it as the “Central Sun”.
According to Elizabeth Clare Prophet, Alpha and Omega work with three lesser deities that are their assistants: Maximus, who, in the name of Alpha and Omega, is said to have issued forth the logos that created the cosmic egg Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Glossary--Page 535 Cosmic Egg from which, in turn, issued forth the big bang;Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Pages 217-219 Maximus The Mighty Cosmos, a being who is said to be responsible for the transmission throughout the Cosmos of five additional rays in addition to the usual Seven Rays (Prophet said that knowledge of the five secret rays will be released on Earth during the Age of Aquarius), as well as for infusing in mundane beings throughout the Cosmos the Electronic Presence, the means through which they are enabled to contact higher beings;Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Pages 65-68 The Mighty Cosmos and the Nameless One from Out of the Great Central Sun about whom little is known since Elizabeth Clare Prophet received only one dictation from this being, but it is said he is responsible for “placing a seed of light in the crown chakra of those who will accomplish the path of mystical union with God in this flesh they now wear”.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Page 241 The Nameless One from Out of the Great Central Sun
====Cosmic beings governing Nirvana====
In Theosophy is it believed that the final highest heaven that souls (Buddhism: pudgala [a bundle of tendencies that impels one to reincarnate]) go to from all the different cosmoses after the billions or trillions of years of their cycle of incarnations is over is called Nirvana.Various Levels of the Afterlife in Theosophy:
According to Theosophist Alfred Percy Sinnett, Nirvana is governed by the Five Dhyani Buddhas.Sinnett, A.P. Esoteric Buddhism, London 1883 It is believed in Buddhism that all of these five Buddhas and their consorts are originally from cosmoses (called in Buddhism "world systems" or "chiliocosms") other than our own. The highest ranking Dhyani Buddha is Vairocana (Japanese: Dainichi Nyorai (9th century CE Image):
(13th century CE Image):
Source of images of Dainichi Nyorai—Japanese Buddhist Images and Statues:)
and under him of equal rank to each other are Akshobhya, Amitabha, Ratnasambhava, and Amoghasiddhi. Nirvana is divided into different realms called pure lands, each region supervised by one of these Buddhas. 
The tantric consort (also called shakti), (“twin flame” in the terminology of the Ascended Master Teachings), associated Dhyani bodhisattva, pure land, and seed syllable for each of these five buddhas are given in the chart below.
Buddha (Skt) 	Consort 	Dhyani Bodhisattva	Pure Land 	seed syllable
Vairocana 	White Tara or Dharmadhatvishvari 	Samantabhadra 	central pure land Akanistha Ghanavyuha	Om
Akshobhya 	Locana 	Vajrapani 	eastern pure land Abhirati 	Hum
Amitabha 	Pandara Pandara The Shakti of Amitabha 	Avalokiteshvara 	western pure land Sukhavati 	Hrih
Ratnasambhava	Mamaki Mamaki The Shakti of Aksobhya 	Ratnapani 	southern pure land Shrimat 	Trah
Amoghasiddhi 	Green Tarachart of the Five Buddhas and their associationsSymbolism of the five Dhyani Buddhas	Visvapani 	northern pure land Prakuta 	Ah
In the Japanese Vajrayana Buddhist sect of Shingon Buddhism, Vajrasattva is the pupil of Dainichi Nyorai who spreads the Dharma as taught to him by Dainichi Nyorai and the other four Dhyani Buddhas; likewise, in the Ascended Master Teachings, Vajrasattva is regarded as the spokes-buddha for the Five Dhyani Buddhas--he is metaphorically referred to in these teachings as the sixth Dhyani Buddha. Elizabeth Clare Prophet recorded dictations from Vajrasattva. Devotees of the Ascended Master Teachings are encouraged to chant his mantra Om Vajrasattva Hum.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press--Vajrasattva Buddha Pages 379-380
==God==
The Deity that governs the entire Omniverse and all its Multiverses is called in Theosophy the Universal Logos and is regarded as a pantheistic Deity. Like the early Christian Church Church Fathers, based on Ancient Greek philosophy, Theosophists with a Christian background think of the Universal Logos as having three aspects, the nous, the logos, and the pneuma, identified by the Church Fathers, respectively, with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Theosophists with a Hindu background identify the three aspects with Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Theosophists with a Buddhist background identify the three aspects with the dharmakaya, the samboghakaya, and the nirmanakaya. Thus, for Theosophists, the nous is equivalent to Brahma and to the dharmakaya, the logos is equivalent to Vishnu and to the samboghakaya, and the pneuma is equivalent to Shiva and to the nirmanakaya. 
This Deity is referred to in the Ascended Master Teachings simply as God and is regarded as a traditional theistic Deity according to the Nicene creed, i.e., three in one, composed of God the Father (identified with the nous), God the Son (identified with the logos), and the Holy Ghost (identified with the pneuma). In Hinduism, Ishvara (Sanskrit: The Lord) is used as a collective name for the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, meaning the personal god, and thus can also be used, according to Elizabeth Clare Prophet, in the Ascended Master Teachings as a synonym for God.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press--Ishvara Pages 140-141
According to both C.W. Leadbeater (who was a bishop of the Liberal Catholic Church as well as a Theosophist) and Elizabeth Clare Prophet, God the Father’s representative on Earth is regarded as Sanat Kumara, God the Son’s representatives on Earth are regarded as the Master Jesus and Maitreya, and the Holy Ghost’s representative on Earth is regarded as the Maha Chohan.
Leadbeater, C.W. The Masters and the Path Adyar, Madras, India:1925 The Theosophical Publishing House Page 255Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) The Masters and Their Retreats Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press Page 200
Universal Logos	nous 	logos 	pneuma
Buddhist 	dharmakaya	samboghakaya	nirmanakaya
Christian 	Father 	Son 	Holy Ghost
Hindu 	Brahma 	Vishnu 	Shiva
==See also==
* Ascended Master Teachings
* Great chain of being
* Great White Brotherhood
* Hierarchy
* Initiation (Theosophy)
* Round (Theosophy)
* Secret Chiefs
* Seven Rays
* Shambhala
* The All
==References==
==Further reading==
* Campbell, Bruce F. A History of the Theosophical Movement Berkeley:1980 University of California Press
* Godwin, Joscelyn The Theosophical Enlightenment Albany, New York: 1994 State University of New York Press
* Johnson, K. Paul The Masters Revealed: Madam Blavatsky and Myth of the Great White Brotherhood Albany, New York: 1994 State University of New York Press
* Melton, J. Gordon Encyclopedia of American Religions 5th Edition New York:1996 Gale Research ISBN 0-8103-7714-4 ISSN 1066-1212 Chapter 18--"The Ancient Wisdom Family of Religions" Pages 151-158; see chart on page 154 listing Masters of the Ancient Wisdom; Also see Section 18, Pages 717-757 Descriptions of various Ancient Wisdom religious organizations
==External links==
*The Saint Germain Foundation , Original publisher of Ascended Master Teachings beginning in 1934
* Theosophical Society, The original source of information about the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom
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