59-536: Ashtar may refer to: Ashtar (extraterrestrial being) , an allegedly channeled alien with a flying saucer fleet that operates in the vicinity of Earth Malik al-Ashtar (died 658), companion of Ali Ibn Abi Talib, cousin of Muhammad, and Arab military commander alternate spelling of the Ethiopian Aksumite god Attar Ashtar, the Emperor of Darkness , an antagonist in
118-417: A controversial third volume of The Secret Doctrine was prepared from Blavatsky's papers and published by Annie Besant in 1897. The fourth volume is simply an index of the first three volumes, also prepared by Annie Besant. Blavatsky explained the essential component ideas of her cosmogony in her magnum opus , The Secret Doctrine . She began with three fundamental propositions, of which she said: Before
177-543: A large UFO Center. This became the most successful and well-known UFO meeting center of the time. As one of the founding "fathers" of the modern religious ufologies , Van Tassel also created arguably the most prominent UFO group established in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, although not as influential or well-known today. This was the "Ministry of Universal Wisdom" begun in 1953, which evolved out of two previous groups he had organized at Giant Rock in
236-515: A random event. Everything in the universe is informed by the potentialities present in the "Unknown Root," and manifest with different degrees of Life (or energy), Consciousness, and Matter. The second proposition is "the absolute universality of that law of periodicity, of flux and reflux, ebb and flow". Accordingly, manifest existence is an eternally re-occurring event on a "boundless plane": " 'the playground of numberless Universes incessantly manifesting and disappearing, ' " each one "standing in
295-666: Is "ashtar-sheran". With the advent of UFO religions , " Ascended Masters " from the esoteric teachings have been described as reappearing in space suits. The space concept was not entirely new however, as the more arcane teachings of Theosophy contained references to extraterrestrial masters. The concept of the Ascended Master is particularly clear in the Ashtar teachings. The very word "ashtar" appears in Helena Blavatsky 's The Secret Doctrine (1888). However, this reference
354-452: Is causeless and timeless, and therefore unknowable and non-describable: "It is 'Be-ness' rather than Being". However, transient states of matter and consciousness are manifested in IT, in an unfolding gradation from the subtlest to the densest, the final of which is physical plane. According to this view, manifest existence is a "change of condition" and therefore neither the result of creation nor
413-439: Is said to have been heavily influenced by occult and oriental works. L. Sprague de Camp , in his book Lost Continents , wrote that Blavatsky's main sources were " H. H. Wilson 's translation of the ancient Indian Vishnu Purana ; Alexander Winchell 's World Life; or, Comparative Geology ; Donnelly's Atlantis ; and other contemporary scientific, pseudo-scientific, and occult works, plagiarized without credit and used in
472-534: Is the name given to an extraterrestrial being or group of beings that a number of people claim to have channeled . UFO contactee George Van Tassel was the first to claim to receive an Ashtar message in 1952. After the introduction of Ashtar by Van Tassel, other mediums began to claim contact. At one point, dozens of people were claiming contact with Ashtar and presenting conflicting messages. The most widely publicized of these messages were met with failure when they predicted civilizations flourishing on
531-576: Is to the Sanskrit term ashtar-vidya, meaning the technology of advanced warfare of the type mentioned in the Mahabharata . Brenda Denzler observes that "in the long run, probably the most important person for the propagation and perpetuation of the contactee movement was George Van Tassel ". In 1947 Van Tassel moved to Giant Rock , near Landers in the Mojave Desert , California , where he established
590-538: The "first metaphysical superstar of the flying saucer age". Van Tassel also interpreted the Christian Bible in terms of extraterrestrial intervention in the evolution of the human race, and claimed that Jesus was a being from space. The Ministry of Universal Wisdom taught that all humans have the power to tap into the "Universal Mind of God", which facilitates evolutionary progress such as that exemplified by Jesus and Ashtar. Van Tassel also claimed that by accessing
649-566: The 1990 video game Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos Ashtar, an Iranian sniper rifle; see List of military equipment manufactured in Iran See also [ edit ] Ashtar-Chemosh , a Moab goddess in Middle East mythology Astar (disambiguation) Ishtar , an ancient Mesopotamian goddess possibly connected to Attar Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
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#1732885081873708-431: The Ashtar millenarian concepts involve a transformation of human beings, via these technologies, who will then return to the planet Earth to enjoy a golden millennium. Later, with the failure of these prophecies, teachings were modified to include a less material and more spiritual emphasis. In 1971, a British radio talk show devoted to UFOs received a strange call-in claiming to originate from outer space, which some of
767-434: The Ashtar message as channeled through Van Tassel was not a spiritual message as such but "an early contact account between extraterrestrials and humankind". It focused on intervention in human scientific development, and came from a real technological space being on an urgent interstellar undertaking. However, throughout the 1950s and 1960s, as many individuals in the spiritualist movement began to claim contact with Ashtar,
826-468: The Australian) had no Karma to work out when first born as men, as their more favoured brethren in intelligence had" (The Secret Doctrine, Vol. 2, p 168). She also prophesies of the destruction of the racial "failures of nature" as the "higher race" ascends: In The Secret Doctrine , Blavatsky states: "Verily mankind is 'of one blood,' but not of the same essence." Yet, she also said: "True, again, that if
885-511: The Command was helping the human race. Van Tassel also claimed that Ashtar had provided specific messages that he was expected to pass on to the U.S. federal government regarding the potential negative impacts of the proposed upcoming bomb tests. After the actual explosion of the H-bomb by the U.S. and Russian governments, the channeling claimed that the space forces had assisted the planet to survive
944-664: The Masters of Mahatmas of Tibet communicated with her and allowed her to read from the ancient Book of Dzyan . The Book of Dzyan was supposedly composed in Atlantis using the lost language of Senzar but the difficulty is that no scholar of ancient languages in the 1880s or since has encountered the slightest passing reference to the Book of Dzyan or the Senzar language. Scholars and skeptics have criticized The Secret Doctrine for plagiarism . It
1003-559: The Turanian with ample reservations. Semites, especially the Arabs , are later Aryans – degenerate in spirituality and perfected in materiality" (The Secret Doctrine, Vol. 2, p 200). She also connects physical race with spiritual attributes constantly throughout her works: According to Blavatsky, "The MONADS of the lowest specimens of humanity (the "narrow-brained" savage South-Sea Islander, the African,
1062-475: The Universal Mind he could receive messages not only from Ashtar but from humans who had died, such as Nikola Tesla . From Tesla he claimed to receive instructions to build the " Integratron " machine, which could extend lifespan and access knowledge from the past and future. Van Tassel's early purported messages from Ashtar contained a great deal of apocalyptic material, which focused on concerns regarding
1121-523: The alien races and humankind. This would lead to a radical transformation of the world as humanity was initiated into a higher level of existence. These prophecies furthered the continued fracturing and disappointment within the movement when they failed to occur. Despite these failures, during the 1980s a number of individuals began to claim contact with the Ashtar Command through channeling, and various small groups were formed to receive and disseminate
1180-517: The ape, or even from an ancestor common to both, but traces, on the contrary, some of the most anthropoid species to the Third Race man ." In other words, "the 'ancestor' of the present anthropoid animal, the ape, is the direct production of the yet mindless Man, who desecrated his human dignity by putting himself physically on the level of an animal." Blavatsky wanted to publish a third and fourth volume of The Secret Doctrine . After Blavatsky's death,
1239-527: The bomb tests. Although his purported method of communication with extraterrestrial intelligences resembled what is commonly referred to as "channeling", Van Tassel claimed to have established a new form of telepathic communication with these "sources", utilizing a method which included both natural human abilities and the use of an allegedly advanced form of alien technology, rather than the more traditionally religious , non-technological, spiritual medium -based approach taken by many other early channelers of
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#17328850818731298-424: The characteristics are accepted literally". (The Secret Doctrine, Vol. 1, p. 255). Historian Ronald H. Fritze has written that The Secret Doctrine presents a "series of far-fetched ideas unsupported by any reliable historical or scientific research." According to Fritze: Unfortunately the factual basis for Blavatsky's book is nonexistent. She claimed to have received her information during trances in which
1357-466: The collective ascension is being aided by large electronic grids deployed around the planet by the guardian ships. By the mid-1990s (and continuing up to the present) several of these channeling groups began to utilize the Internet in order to promulgate their beliefs and to attempt to unify the movement by establishing a single "authoritative" source for all Ashtar messages. This led to more prominence in
1416-587: The development of the soon-to-be-tested hydrogen bomb . It was claimed that on July 18, 1952, Ashtar entered the solar system as Commander in Chief of the Ashtar Galactic Command to warn humanity of the dangers of detonating the H-bomb, including the destruction of the planet. The messages stated the space command was determined that humans would not destroy the Earth through the wrong use of nuclear power and that
1475-497: The discoveries of "materialist" science had been anticipated in the writings of ancient sages and that materialism would be proven wrong. In this recapitulation of The Secret Doctrine , Blavatsky gave a summary of the central points of her system of cosmogony . These central points are as follows: The second half of the book describes the origins of humanity through an account of "Root Races" said to date back millions of years. The first root race was, according to her, "ethereal";
1534-523: The early 1950s, the concept of an "Ashtar Command" was appropriated for use by a number of prominent early contactees and channelers, based on the figure of Ashtar, originally promoted by Van Tassel . Robert Short (AKA Bill Rose), editor of the 1950s UFO magazine Interplanetary News Digest , was a member of Van Tassel's group. He began to popularize the messages, but as Van Tassel did not agree that other Ashtar messages were authentic, Short broke away and began his own group called "Ashtar Command". By
1593-526: The emphasis from a physical space fleet averting doom, to the more theosophical concept of an Ascended Master aiding spiritual advancement. He maintains that the Ashtar beliefs are best seen as a syncretism between the I AM movements and the UFO experience, a belief system which regards UFO experiences and sightings as the natural progression of the spiritual development of humanity. Though followers of Ashtar believe in his divine right and knowledge spread across
1652-541: The era. Van Tassel maintained that the method he utilized was not a paranormal or metaphysical activity, but required being "in resonance" with the messages being sent. It was an example of the application of an allegedly advanced extraterrestrial science, that anyone could implement with the proper training in meditation techniques. Van Tassel held weekly channeling sessions at Giant Rock at which people could "ask questions" and "channel answers" from extraterrestrials. According to Jerome Clark, these gatherings coalesced
1711-411: The guests believed to be genuine. This turned out to be the prelude for the 1977 Southern Television broadcast interruption , when a voice calling itself "Vrillon" of the Ashtar Galactic Command temporarily took over a television transmitter in southern England. Yvonne Cole, who claimed to be channeling Ashtar messages from 1986, predicted the destruction of all Earth civilizations and the arrival on
1770-460: The human race, he and others of his kind have yet to provide any physical evidence of their existence. The Secret Doctrine The Secret Doctrine, the Synthesis of Science, Religion and Philosophy , is a pseudoscientific esoteric book as two volumes in 1888 written by Helena Blavatsky . The first volume is named Cosmogenesis , the second Anthropogenesis . It was an influential example of
1829-489: The late 1940s. The organization investigated and encouraged the healing arts, but its prime focus was to collect and analyze UFO phenomena and interview contactees. Due to radio and television interest, Van Tassel became the most well-known promoter of contactee experiences and something of a celebrity in the 1950s. In 1952, Van Tassel claimed to receive messages via telepathic communication from an extraterrestrial and interdimensional being named "Ashtar". This source became
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1888-489: The messages. In 1994, a small group of Ashtar Command members claimed that an extraordinary event had taken place: "the lift-off experience". They communicated via the Ashtar Network that they had been placed aboard the "ships of Light" that were circling the planet. "The Galactic Fifth Fleet" had used "physical vibrational transfer" which involved the human consciousness (or, sometimes, the "etheric body") being raised from
1947-470: The mid-1950s, the concept of Ashtar and a galactic law enforcement agency preparing an imminent rescue of humanity had become well-established, and included various well-known, esoteric channelers of the era. For instance, Elouise Moeller predicted that a space fleet would arrive in the near future; and Adelaide J. Brown claimed that flourishing civilizations existed on the other planets in the solar system. However, as time and scientific knowledge progressed,
2006-465: The middle of the fourth root race. "The real line of evolution differs from the Darwinian , and the two systems are irreconcilable," according to Blavatsky, "except when the latter is divorced from the dogma of ' Natural Selection '." She explained that, "by 'Man' the divine Monad is meant, and not the thinking Entity, much less his physical body." "Occultism rejects the idea that Nature developed man from
2065-414: The millions of spaceships believed to be constantly in the vicinity of Earth would never interfere on the planet's surface unless there was a serious problem such as a third world war or an "astrophysical catastrophe". Helland observes that the emergent group was "noticeably more spiritually focused and less concerned with extraterrestrial spaceships and visitors". He states that very little distinguished
2124-591: The new Ashtar Command from other theosophically influenced groups, except that in 1994 a distinctive component, the Pioneer Voyage, was incorporated into the Ashtar worldview. Helland points out the failure of the July 1952 prediction channeled through Van Tassel that life on Earth will be destroyed "when they explode the hydrogen atom " because in November 1952 the first H-bomb was detonated with no such effect. However,
2183-457: The origin and evolution of the universe itself, in terms derived from the Hindu concept of cyclical development. The world and everything in it is said to alternate between periods of activity ( manvantaras ) and periods of passivity ( pralayas ). Each manvantara lasts many millions of years and consists of a number of Yugas , in accordance with Hindu cosmology. Blavatsky attempted to demonstrate that
2242-521: The other planets and an imminent landing of space ships on Earth. Due to his common depiction as a humanoid with blond hair and European features, Ashtar may be considered a Nordic alien . The Ashtar movement is studied by academics as a prominent form of UFO religion . An example of a religion incorporating Ashtar is the Czech Universe People who venerate Ashtar alongside Jesus and Krishna among others; one of their site domains
2301-457: The period of a devotee's meditative state and would later be revealed to the individual in some form of conscious recall. This eventually evoked "memory recall" from a core group of Ashtar Command members meeting in Australia who began providing accounts of their "time aboard the ships". Others followed suit. The time on the ships was claimed to be extensive even though the member's meditation period
2360-476: The physical dimension and transferred to the "Light ships". A second event was predicted for December 1994 in which over 250 people participated and which was declared by the leadership to have "opened a portal to the AC (Ashtar Command) ships for ever". It was claimed that in order to participate, a person's vibrations were raised through an eight step contemplative procedure; and that the Pioneer Voyage would occur during
2419-485: The physical level. One such law is the law of periodicity and cyclicity; another is the law of karma or cause and effect. In the second volume of The Secret Doctrine , dedicated to anthropogenesis , Blavatsky presents a theory of the gradual evolution of physical humanity over a timespan of millions of years. The steps in this evolution are called rootraces , seven in all. Earlier rootraces exhibited completely different characteristics: physical bodies first appearing in
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2478-504: The planet of various alien cultures in 1994. Cole claimed that governments were working with extraterrestrials to prepare for contact. According to Cole, the landing would be broadcast through the global media and include a message from the Ashtar Command. Due to "sensitization", most of humanity would accept the UFOs as part of humanity's continuing evolution, while Ashtar followers would be needed as advisors, ambassadors and peacekeepers between
2537-432: The public failure of these predictions had an enormous negative impact on the expansion of the Ashtar Command movement due to the lack of a central authority that could undertake damage control. Although Robert Short had spent a lot of time promoting the Ashtar message, he was neither the leader nor the only interpreter, as by this time dozens of Ashtar channelers were presenting conflicting messages. The initial account of
2596-657: The reader proceeds … it is absolutely necessary that he should be made acquainted with the few fundamental conceptions which underlie and pervade the entire system of thought to which his attention is invited. These basic ideas are few in number, and on their clear apprehension depends the understanding of all that follows… The first proposition is that there is one underlying, unconditioned, indivisible Truth, variously called "the Absolute", "the Unknown Root", "the One Reality", etc. It
2655-543: The relation of an effect as regards its predecessor, and being a cause as regards its successor", doing so over vast but finite periods of time. Related to the above is the third proposition: "The fundamental identity of all Souls with the Universal Over-Soul... and the obligatory pilgrimage for every Soul—a spark of the former—through the Cycle of Incarnation (or 'Necessity') in accordance with Cyclic and Karmic law, during
2714-462: The religious scene and significant membership. This cohesive response addressed the problem of conflicting, negative and failed prophecies which, after some effort, enabled the Ashtar Command to produce a single Ashtar worldview. Individual channelers espousing messages which differed and continued to focus on themes such as the destruction of Earth, conspiracies , extraterrestrial mass evacuations and general fear-mongering were declared invalid. It
2773-507: The revival of interest in esoteric and occult ideas in the modern age, in particular because of its claim to reconcile ancient eastern wisdom with modern science. Proponents widely claim the literature contains clues as to how the nature of prayer was 'covered' and expunged from common wisdom, except for those with a keen eye. The book has been criticized for promoting pseudoscientific concepts and for borrowing those from other systems. In Volume One, Blavatsky details her interpretation of
2832-458: The same message also stated that Ashtar was intervening to stop the destruction of the planet. After the explosion, ensuing messages claimed that various actions were taken by Ashtar's space fleet to repair damage. Helland notes that the Ashtar belief system is based on faith in an extraterrestrial celebrity, the concept of which has fared better than the individual messages. The main shifts in content seem due to failed prophecy, which has moved
2891-524: The scattered contactee subculture into a recognizable movement in January 1952. This led to the annual Giant Rock Spacecraft Convention organized by Van Tassel , which began in the spring of 1953 and continued for at least another 24 years. It marked Van Tassel's most important role in UFO history. In 1959 up to 11,000 people attended these conventions and heard channeled messages claiming to come from space. Most of
2950-538: The second root had more physical bodies and lived in Hyperborea . The third root race, the first to be truly human, is said to have existed on the lost continent of Lemuria and the fourth root race is said to have developed in Atlantis . According to Blavatsky, the fifth root race is approximately one million years old, overlapping the fourth root race and the very first beginnings of the fifth root race were approximately in
3009-517: The second rootrace and sexual characteristics in the third. Some have emphasized passages and footnotes that claim some peoples to be less fully human or spiritual than the "Aryans". For example, When discussing "sterility between two human races" as observed by Darwin , Blavatsky notes: Blavatsky also asserts that "the occult doctrine admits of no such divisions as the Aryan and the Semite , accepting even
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#17328850818733068-519: The space being began to play more of an Ascended Master role in the narratives. The Ashtar Command evolved into a movement that had a central authority for several decades up to the mid-1990s, and has been described by Robert P. Flaherty as "the common property of a diffuse New Age Spiritualist milieu". During this time the teachings claiming to be channeled from Ashtar varied immensely. Part of this movement metamorphosed when Tuella founded Guardian Action International. Guardian Action Publications
3127-506: The title Ashtar . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ashtar&oldid=1158277681 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Ashtar (extraterrestrial being) Ashtar (sometimes called Ashtar Sheran )
3186-446: The well-known UFO contactees attended these conventions as speakers and channelers. J. Gordon Melton states that almost all of the 1950s contactees became involved in the two ecumenical structures founded by either Van Tassel or Gabriel Green. Most of the early messages Van Tassel claimed to have received from Ashtar were first presented to the public at these events. As the weekly channeling sessions at Giant Rock continued through
3245-457: The whole term." The individual souls are seen as units of consciousness (Monads) that are intrinsic parts of a universal oversoul, just as different sparks are parts of a fire. These Monads undergo a process of evolution where consciousness unfolds and matter develops. This evolution is not random, but informed by intelligence and with a purpose. Evolution follows distinct paths in accord with certain immutable laws, aspects of which are perceivable on
3304-423: Was claimed that these channelers had been deceived by negative space beings who had rebelled from the Ashtar Command, made alliances with similar others, and begun operating on the "lower planes closest to Earth". Most significantly of all, the new, more unified movement declared that in future no new channels would be accepted unless they operated on the "level of the soul". As Christopher Helland points out, this
3363-454: Was crucial to the formation of an orthodoxy. Channeled messages from Ashtar would be accepted as valid by the new orthodoxy if they complied with criteria consisting of a set of twelve guidelines which outlined what the movement stood for and how Ashtar would interact with society. This had never been attempted before in the 45 years of channeling Ashtar, who was also presented as a divine figure similar to Jesus . The new framework claimed that
3422-442: Was founded by Tuella when Ashtar approached her with a special mission to publish several books through the 1980s. Andreas Grunschloss , who refers to the Ashtar Command as a worldwide network of several loosely organized groups, describes much of the Ashtar channeling as akin to cargo cults , due to the blending of spiritual ascension with new alien technologies and ecologically harmless energies. Grunschloss maintains that most of
3481-479: Was short. Helland notes that, despite an increase in complexity, the general themes have remained in accordance with the Australian reports. The claim is that the events are occurring on a spiritual or etheric dimension and not a physical one. The group claims that the purpose of the lift-off is for the ascension of the human race as a whole, to which individual ascension is a precursor and an aid. It also claims that
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