I. Group Profile

1. Name: The Aetherius Society

2. Founder: Sir George King

3. Date of Birth: Jan. 23, 1919

4. Birth Place: Shropshire, England

5. Year Founded: 1954

6. History: "The Aetherius Society was first visualized into existence by Saint Goo-Ling, who is considered by the Aetherians to be an Ascended Master in the Spiritual Hierarchy of Earth and a member of The Great White Brotherhood" (The Aetherius Society, intro). The Great White Brotherhood, or the Brother/Sisterhood of Light, "is a multi-dimensional, interplanetary, intergalactic organization of beings who choose to serve the divine cosmic plan in this universe" (SpiritWeb, Spirit/masters). Ascended Masters, believed to have been such historical figures as Jesus, St. Germain, El Morya, and Lord Buddha, make up the higher order of the Brotherhood (SpiritWeb, Spirit/masters). Members of the Society believe that George King was chosen by the Brotherhood to become the next spiritual prophet.

   In 1954, George King was researching the field of radionics while practicing an intense regimen of yoga, when he received a message during a meditative trance. He later identified the voice as The Cosmic Master Aetherius (The Aetherius Society, bio). During this contact with Master Aetherius, King claims that he was appointed to become the Voice of the Interplanetary Parliament, headquartered on Saturn, for Earth (Melton: 676).

   George King has been described as a "mystagogue" by Roy Wallis, or someone "who performs magical and/or sacramental actions to promote salvation" (Lewis: 223). George King became interested in spirituality at a young age, first exploring orthodox Christianity and, later, going on to study psychic phemonena and spiritual healing. After receiving the command to become a channel for the Cosmic Masters, King mastered the sciences of Raja, Gnani, and Kundalini Yoga which allowed him to consciously attain the state of Samadhi (The Aetherius Society, bio). This power allowed King to communicate with beings from other spiritual energy spheres. In this state of consciousness, King was able to receive many teachings from the Cosmic Masters which the Aetherius Society believes will guide humanity to spiritual enlightenment. George King founded the Aetherius Society in 1955. King was named the "Primary Terrestrial Mental Channel for the Cosmic Masters" while his followers bestowed the mediator with the full title of Sir George King, OSP, PhD, ThD, DD, Metropolitan Archbishop of the Aetherius Churches, Prince Grand Master of the Mystical Order of St. Peter, HRH Prince De George King De Santori, and Founder President of the Aetherius Society (Pick'n Mix Spirituality).

   After recieving his call, King gave up his research and materialistic pursuits in order to publish The Cosmic Voice, a transcript of his communications with the Cosmic Masters, and Spiritual Healing Bulletin. He also began giving lectures around England telling about his spiritual experiences (Melton, 677). On May 21, 1959, BBC broadcasted King while in a Samadhic trance, allowing a huge audience to witness this yoga master's skills (The Aetherius Society, bio). In 1960, King expanded the Society to the US and established a center in Hollywood, CA where it was treated as a non-profit religious, scientific, and educational organization (Dir. of International UFO). Since the 1960's, the Society has opened another branch in Detroit, MI and continued to expand until it now reaches every continent in the world (Melton, 677).

7. Sacred or Revered Texts: Between his first contact with extraterrestrials in 1954 and his death in 1997, George King received over 600 transmissions from the Cosmic Masters. Three of the most important of these are, in the order they were received, From Farewell to Freedom, The Twelve Blessings, and The Nine Freedoms. The first of these was transmitted by Master Aetherius in King's initial contact with the Cosmic Masters. This lesson explains man's present position in the cosmos and the path humanity must take in order to find its way back to God. "The Twelve Blessings" were recieved on consecutive Sundays between July 27 and Oct. 12, 1958. These teachings are believed to be sent by the Master Jesus who is now residing on Venus and appear to be an extension of the Sermon on the Mount (The Aetherius Society, 12blsgs). The last of these transmissions was sent in 1961 by the Lord of Karma from Mars Sector Six. These writings detail the major steps one must take in the journey towards Cosmic Consciousness (The Aetherius Society, Nine Freedoms).

8. Cult or Sect:
Negative sentiments are typically implied when the concepts "cult" and "sect" are employed in popular discourse. Since the Religious Movements Homepage seeks to promote religious tolerance and appreciation of the positive benefits of pluralism and religious diversity in human cultures, we encourage the use of alternative concepts that do not carry implicit negative stereotypes. For a more detailed discussion of both scholarly and popular usage of the concepts "cult" and "sect," please visit our Conceptualizing "Cult" and "Sect" page, where you will find additional links to related issues.
9. Size of the Group:Although I could find no studies of The Aetherius Society that had pin-pointed an an exact number of members, in 1993 it was reported that 650 copies of The Cosmic Voice were being published, giving us a rough estimate of the extent of King's following (Melton, 677).

II. Beliefs of The Aetherius Society

The Aetherius Society is an international UFO organization dedicated to world peace and enlightenment. The society's religious beliefs encompass the root teachings of world religions, relying heavily on the Theosophical tradition, scientific findings and developments, and a cosmic concept of humanity which they claim to have received from the extraterrestrials whom they refer to as the Cosmic Masters (Wallis, 1984:38). The society's religious belief "presupposes an order of spiritual beings between the human and ultimate reality, with which one can have conversational and disciplic relations" (Ellwood: 394).

The society believes that we each exist within our consciousness and that, therefore, we will continue to exist even after our physical bodies are gone. Once the soul/consciousness leaves the body, its energy level intensifies and it is transported to the astral plane where it will remain until it is ready to be reincarnated into a new physical body. George King was able to connect with this other level of existence by tapping into the universal consciousness, as were many other practitioners of yoga, meditation, and various altered state exercises. Aetherius Society members believe that the Cosmic Masters on other planets are beings who have learned to control the vibratory rate of their energy level and have chosen to exist on a higher realm of consciousness permanently (The Aetherius Society, intro).

The Cosmic Masters are believed to be far more technologically and spiritually advanced than ourselves, allowing them to avoid detection from Earth's telescopes and radar until they choose to let their presence be known, as has happened repeatedly in the past fifty years. Aetherians explain that the aliens can decrease their vibratory rate and assume physical bodies at will as easily as they can increase their energy level. When asked why the Masters choose to visit us, the Society responds that they are benevolent beings who wish to guide mankind in its evolution. They define the evolution process as the journey back to God the Creator. Once a soul masters its lessons on Earth, it leaves the cycle of rebirth and moves on to a more subtle and lasting body. This is described as an inward journey toward the "Spark of God" within us (The Aetherius Society, cosmic).

Not only do the aliens act as spiritual guides, but they also protect us from both internal and external forces. They prevent ecological disasters as well as cosmic warfare. The Aetherians believe that there are flying saucers hovering constantly around the Earth protecting us from evil and warning us about imminent attacks (Lewis: 28). At one point, The Cosmic Masters went so far as to devise an invisible barrier around the planet to shield it from destructive forces (36). Earth is believed to be presently under attack by "The Black Magicians" who wish to enslave the inhabitants of Earth (Melton, 1996: 677).

Those souls which achieve enlightenment but choose to stay on Earth to help mankind become members of "The Great White Brotherhood" in the spiritual hierarchy of Earth. Those souls that leave may choose to begin a life on other planets within our solar system to learn new lessons and to help new civilizations. At some point in our infinite existence, the Aetherius Society believes we will merge with other life forms and become the moons, planets, stars, et cetera. Aetherians believe that all life forms, including Mother Earth , are sentient and alive. These great beings contain the deepest wisdom and closest unity with God as they exist closely within the Law of Karma (The Aetherius Society, plan).

The Law of Karma, as interpreted by the Lord Buddha, states that "action and reaction are opposite and equal." Similar teachings are found in many religions, including Christianity. The Aetherians believe that mankind is severely out of karmic balance and, therefore, is teetering once again on the brink of total self-destruction. According to the Aetherians, this is an event which has taken place twice before on Earth. The first fall occurred in what is known as Lemuria, or Mu, and was followed by the chaos during the time of Atlantis. Even before man's existence on Earth, our race is believed to have lived on the planet Maldek, once found between Mars and Jupiter. The Aetherius Society tells us that this planet was abolished in a global war which left only an asteroid belt in its wake (The Aetherius Society, intro).

The Aetherians predict the end of mankind on Earth will come as a result of advanced technology and increased materialism. Our only hope is to begin focusing on the development of our higher selves and to learn how to practice science within the Law of God. In order to restore balance between technological and spiritual growth, the Cosmic Masters have been given permission to increase their help to mankind. They both guide us towards God with the teachings they have sent through George King and boost our spiritual energy by sending large amounts of positive, healing energy towards Earth at certain times of the year in what are called Spiritual Pushes (The Aetherius Society, plan).

Now that George King has "moved on," the Cosmic Masters have prophesized that the next Master will come to replace him. The following is the Cosmic Prophecy from the Lord Karma sent November 23, 1958 that details when the next Master will arrive and how to identify him:


There will shortly come Another among you. He will stand tall among men with a shining countenance. This One will be attired in a single garment of the type now known to you. His shoes will be soft-topped, yet not made of the skin of animals. He will approach the Earth leaders. They will ask of Him His credentials. He will produce these. His magic will be greater that any upon Earth - greater than the combined materialistic might of all the armies. And they who heed not His words, shall be removed from the Earth. This Rock is now Holy - and will remain so for as long as the World exists. Go ye forth and spread My Word, so that all men of pure heart may prepare for His coming.

III. Practices of The Aetherius Society

The Aetherians believe that service is the key to man's salvation. This passage from The Nine Freedoms delineates the importance of service in spiritual growth:


Serve - and the might power of kundalini will rise in natural, unforced fashion and open the chakra jewels in your higher bodies. In will pour inspiration and you will be standing on the verge of the initiation into Adeptship.


In its desire to serve mankind, The Aetherius Society has organized several world missions. One ongoing mission within The Aetherius Society is Operation Prayer Power which began in 1973. The purpose of this mission is to store prayer energy created by dynamic prayer, eastern mantra, and mystic mundras in order that it may be sent out in a highly concentrated form to areas that are in need. This healing energy is controlled by cooperating Cosmic Masters who use a device called the Spiritual Energy Radiator to redirect the prayers (The Aetherius Society, mission).

A second mission, called Operation Starlight began in 1958 and was completed in 1961 by George King with the aid of the Cosmic Masters. In this mission, King climbed to the tops of eighteen out of nineteen mountains where he transmitted a charge of spiritual energy from the Cosmic Masters. The energy has been stored in the mountains so that others make pilgrimages to these sites and send out their prayers and healing. According to Saint Goo-Ling, the most potent spiritual practice available to humans is to perform The Twelve Blessings in one of these sacred places during a Spiritual Push or the Magnetization Period (holymtns).

A third mission performed by The Aetherius Society is Operation Sunbeam. This mission is directly concerned with the welfare of Our Mother Earth. Members of the society use energy which would otherwise have been used for humanity and send it directly to the Earth. King discovered this by directing the energy that had been stored in the nineteen mountaintops through certain psychic centers of the Earth. The first transmission of energy to the Earth occured on Sept. 24th, 1966, and, since then, over 600 further transmissions have been completed. The Aetherius Society believes that each of these selfless acts performed by its members helps to balance mankind's Karma and, therefore, brings us closer to God (mission).

IV. Links to Aetherius Society Web Sites

The Aetherius Society
This is the official homepage of the Aetherius Society. It contains detailed info concerning the beliefs, practices, and history of the group and its founder.
http://www.aetherius.org

The World View of the Aetherius Society
This is an excellent analytical essay by Professor John A Saliba that is published in the online journal Marburg Journal of Religion. http://www.uni-marburg.de/religionswissenschaft/journal/mjr/saliba.html

SpiritWeb
This web site provides a massive amount of information concerning all aspects of spirituality, including an indepth section on UFO phenomena. http://www.spiritweb.org

Directory of International UFO Organizations
This site gives some mundane but useful information concerning the Aetherius Society's core beliefs and practices.
http://www.seflin.org/phenomena/ufo.5.html

V. Bibliography

Ellwood, Robert S. 1995.

"UFO Religious Movements." in America's Alternative Religions. Timothy Miller, ed. Albany, NY: State University of NY Press. 393-400.

Keneipp, Brian. 2000.

Operation Earth Light: A Glimpse Into the World of the Ascended Masters. Hollywood, CA: Aetherius Society.

King, George and Richard Lawrence. 1996.

Contacts With the Gods from Space : Pathway to the New Millennium. Hollywood, CA: Aetherius Society.

Lewis, James R. 1995.

The Gods Have Landed. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Melton, J. Gordon. 1996.

Encyclopedia of American Religions. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, Inc. Fifth Edition: 676.

Melton, J. Gordon, and George M. Eberhart. 1995.

"The Flying Saucer Contactee Movement, 1950-1995: A Bibliography," in The Gods Have Landed, James R. Lewis, ed. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. 251-332. Section on Aetherians: 270-272.

Moller, Rene K. 1993.

SpiritWeb. http://www.spiritweb.org.

Saliba, John A. 1999.

"The Earth is a Dangerous Place -- The World View of the Aetherius Society," in Marburg Journal of Religion. 4:2 (December) 10pps.

Wallis, Roy. 1974.

"The Aetherius Society: A Case Study in the Formation of a Mystagogic Congregation," in Sociological Review. Vol 22 (February). 27-44. Reprinted in Roy Wallis, Sectarianism London: Peter Owen, 1975. 17-34

Wallis, Roy. 1975.

"Reflections on When Prophecy Fails." in Zetetic Scholar. 4:4-14.

Wallis, Roy. 1984.

The Elementary Forms of the New Religious Life. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.

Created by Shelley Perdue
For Soc 257: New Religious Movements
University of Virginia
Fall Term, 1998
Last modified: 07/17/01