Breakfast at the bungalow

Mount Shasta 

"The Magic Presence" is the second book in the so-called Saint Germain Series, authored by Guy Ballard under the pen name Godfré Ray King. It´s arguably even worse than the first volume, "Unveiled Mysteries", and I frankly only skimmed it. Even that took hours! 

Ballard was the founder of a peculiar religious group in the United States, usually known as the Mighty I AM Activity. Later, it changed its name to the Saint Germain Foundation. The group still exists, but its activities have been eclipsed by the more well known "Church Universal and Triumphant" founded by Elizabeth Clare Prophet, which also claims the mantle of Ballard and Saint Germain. The best exposé of the Ballard group was published already in 1940, "Psychic Dictatorship in America" by Gerald B Bryan. 

In 1930, Ballard claimed to have met the "ascended master" Saint Germain at Mount Shasta in California, and later in the Tetons in Wyoming. These meetings are detailed in his first book, "Unveiled Mysteries" from 1934. "The Magic Presence", published a year later, is a kind of sequel. The real count of Saint Germain was a 18th century alchemist, but in the Ballardite scenario, the old joker has been transformed into a semi-divine and mystical being with supernatural abilities, of which immortality is the most obvious. The notion of Saint Germain as an ascended master comes from Theosophy, but at least in the main line version, he played a subsidiary role, whereas in Ballard´s group, the count takes centre stage. I´m not sure why, but perhaps his aristocratic background might have something to do with it? 

"The Magic Presence" is even more tedious and dragging than Ballard´s first book, and often comes across as a failed novel. It´s as if the author tried to develop a plot featuring everything from Arab sheiks to Communist spies, with some attempted murders thrown in for good measure, but lacking essentially any skill of the novelist, simply couldn´t take it beyond the bearest outline. Instead, the book is filled with interminable discourses on "the I AM Presence", delivered by Saint Germain or some other ascended master who appears out of thin air just for the occasion. But OK, it *is* supposed to be a sacred scripture, so perhaps I´m making too harsh demands on the writer?

It´s interesting to note that the milieux in which the story takes place are upper class. We get to meet American billionaires who own Arabian race horses and large bungalows, mine-owners used to the miners following their every order, accomplished singers and musicians, international diplomats, and the previously mentioned sheiks. Ballard (a former treasure hunter and mining engineer) seems infatuated with gold and gemstones. In the book, he gets the supernatural ability to find gold deep inside mountains. Another thing that struck me was that the main characters constantly eat sumptuous meals, including a seven-course dinner! It´s therefore ironic to read that Ballard advocated an ascetic lifestyle, combining a strict vegetarian diet with almost complete sexual abstinence... 

The message of the I AM Activity is somewhat more developed in this second book than in the first (if you can find it somewhere inbetween the gold coins and creamy coffee drinks). The goal of the activity is "Ascension", during which the "Electronic Body" unites with the "I AM Presence" (or Magic Presence) and becomes an imperishable body of Light, which can operate both outside time and space, and inside it. The Magic Presence is said to be situated above the head, and from this point divine energy pours down into the brain and body. I think it´s obvious that the I AM Presence is really kundalini. The goal, evidently, is to become a siddha. The point of vegetarianism and sexual abstinence is to hoard the life energy and use it for this end. While this suggests that Ballard was familiar with the kundalini concept, his "yoga" seems breath-takingly simplistic. Those who wish to ascend should visualize themselves surrounded by violet fire, while chanting certain "decrees". In this way, a mysterious force known as the violet flame can be called down and accomplish the ascension by burning away negative karma. The role of the ascended masters, apart from teaching, is to act as conduits of these supernatural forces. Saint Germain in particular is associated with the violet flame. Ballard even claims that there is a machine, known as the Atomic Accelerator, which can transform a human´s body into pure light. Unfortunately, only the ascended masters have access to this contraption in one of their subterranean cities. 

While the first book sounded more typically New Thought, this second volume thus comes across as more weird and mystical. The metaphysic is nevertheless similar to New Thought: God is pure love, and all suffering and limitation (including physical ageing and death) must therefore be the result of literal wrong-think. Ballard says that absolute forgiveness is necessary to attain the higher state, but both his books rather suggest that the author was more interested in power than compassion. Would-be assassins are stopped by supernatural force, spies are exposed by mind-reading, and so on. There is also a paranoid streak in the book, since the Great White Brotherhood (the good guys) operates in strict secrecy due to the risk of treason and infiltration. 

Of course, Ballard died in 1939 without ascending, which apparently created a crisis within the cult. During the preceding years, the Mighty I AM Activity had been relatively succesful, holding mass meetings in many American cities, but the 1940´s saw the rapid decline of the movement. Perhaps its fascistic sympathies also had something to do with it. 

I will probably not read the rest of this series...