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| Credit: Robin A Smile/Vian |
A review of "A New Light on Ascension" by Diana Cooper.
Diana Cooper is a British
author on a wide variety of spiritually-related subjects. Her ideas are pretty
similar to those of Elizabeth Claire Prophet, suggesting a common source,
presumably “The I AM Activity” of Guy and Edna Ballard. I suppose Alice Bailey
might be another. Thus, we are dealing with a neo-Theosophical message, in
which humanity can “ascend” from its present material station through the
guidance of a bewildering number of Ascended Masters.
Cooper claims to be in touch with a master named Kumeka, and is privy to a lot of inside information about these highly evolved beings. Thus, we learn that Sanat Kumara is no longer Lord of the World, but has returned to Venus, his position being filled by his former deputy Maitreya. The switch took place in 1956. Lord Kuthumi is another important master, hardly surprising since he was Pythagoras, John the Beloved and Pharaoh Thutmosis III. Cooper even reveals the former incarnations of Jesus (actually a Venusian master named Sananda): Adam, Enoch, Jeshua (sic), Joshua, Elijah, Joseph of Egypt and Apollonius of Tyana. Alice Bailey's spiritual guide, Dwjhal Kuhl, was Johann Sebastian Bach in a previous life. And Diana Cooper herself? Well, she is not really part of our human evolution, but a incarnated alien from another universe!
OK, I admit it. Reading this kind of “information” is a guilty pleasure for yours truly…
However, “A New Light on Ascension” also contains less pleasurable sections. Despite her clairvoyance, Cooper is oblivious to the serious charges of misconduct against Sathya Sai Baba, calling him the Cosmic Christ and recommending a visit to his ashram! Sai Baba was still alive (and at large) when the book was published. Despite her talk about love and forgiveness, Cooper also has a New Thought/The Secret streak of magical prosperity thinking. Apparently, poor people are poor because they affirm their poverty and refuse to get rich! Cooper's view of God is also problematic: God can't experience love without resistance, and so sends out billions of “monads” on an evolutionary journey to experience evil and suffering. This makes God directly responsible for evil. Of course, none of this is peculiar for this author. It's all standard New Age fare, and I admit that I loath it, like cyanide wrapped in candy paper.
Cooper: “An abusive parent indicates that your great mission is to love unconditionally. Childhood abuse can sometimes be used as a basis for developing healing ability and it is also a challenge not to abuse others in your turn. Some brave souls even pass through abuse and neglect as a test of initiation which will give them the necessary experience to bring other abused people through into the Light.”
Does the author *really* believe that abuse of children is God's way of perfecting himself? Hmmm...
Perhaps good ol' Kumara did the right thing when he left the building and went back to Venus.
Cooper claims to be in touch with a master named Kumeka, and is privy to a lot of inside information about these highly evolved beings. Thus, we learn that Sanat Kumara is no longer Lord of the World, but has returned to Venus, his position being filled by his former deputy Maitreya. The switch took place in 1956. Lord Kuthumi is another important master, hardly surprising since he was Pythagoras, John the Beloved and Pharaoh Thutmosis III. Cooper even reveals the former incarnations of Jesus (actually a Venusian master named Sananda): Adam, Enoch, Jeshua (sic), Joshua, Elijah, Joseph of Egypt and Apollonius of Tyana. Alice Bailey's spiritual guide, Dwjhal Kuhl, was Johann Sebastian Bach in a previous life. And Diana Cooper herself? Well, she is not really part of our human evolution, but a incarnated alien from another universe!
OK, I admit it. Reading this kind of “information” is a guilty pleasure for yours truly…
However, “A New Light on Ascension” also contains less pleasurable sections. Despite her clairvoyance, Cooper is oblivious to the serious charges of misconduct against Sathya Sai Baba, calling him the Cosmic Christ and recommending a visit to his ashram! Sai Baba was still alive (and at large) when the book was published. Despite her talk about love and forgiveness, Cooper also has a New Thought/The Secret streak of magical prosperity thinking. Apparently, poor people are poor because they affirm their poverty and refuse to get rich! Cooper's view of God is also problematic: God can't experience love without resistance, and so sends out billions of “monads” on an evolutionary journey to experience evil and suffering. This makes God directly responsible for evil. Of course, none of this is peculiar for this author. It's all standard New Age fare, and I admit that I loath it, like cyanide wrapped in candy paper.
Cooper: “An abusive parent indicates that your great mission is to love unconditionally. Childhood abuse can sometimes be used as a basis for developing healing ability and it is also a challenge not to abuse others in your turn. Some brave souls even pass through abuse and neglect as a test of initiation which will give them the necessary experience to bring other abused people through into the Light.”
Does the author *really* believe that abuse of children is God's way of perfecting himself? Hmmm...
Perhaps good ol' Kumara did the right thing when he left the building and went back to Venus.
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