The volume of new religions founded in the mid part of the 20th Century has led to some being forgotten. Due to its’ star power and rather menacing air Scientology has often been focused on by the media. However, another interesting set of beliefs founded in the mid ’50s comes from The Aetherius Society.
The Society was founded by Englishman Dr George King. Though some have noted it is a tad tricky to locate where exactly he earned his supposed doctorate. Anyway, moving on from academic fraud. Dr. King seems to have been a bit of a trendsetter, taking up yoga in the mid-1940s and practicing for around 8-10 hours every day! This was alongside his full time job. That’s dedication. It was the next part of his spiritual journey which led to the formation of the society.
In 1954, Dr. King alleged that he experience what he later called ‘The Command.’ Whilst at home in London one Saturday morning Dr King claimed he heard the following:
Prepare yourself! You are to become the voice of interplanetary parliament.
King believed that his knowledge of Yoga helped him realise that this wasn’t just his imagination and that it was a genuine experience. To be frank, this vision is somewhat appealing. An ‘interplanetary parliament’ might be more successful than some governments these days. This experience was the start of Dr. King’s self declared position as a ‘Primary Terrestrial Mental Channel’. He passed on messages he reported to be from extraterrestrial gods. The being who gave the initial command was named Master Aetherius and thus the society was born.
On their website, the society set out their views on a wide range of matters. These include their belief that the earth is sacrificing itself in order to allow humans to live on it who are a ‘barbaric’ race. This rings true a bit. God isn’t one singular entity for the group, he exists everywhere and is crucial to any law of the universe. This message supposedly comes from extraterrestrial beings and the society also believe in UFOs. As a disclaimer, some of the society’s beliefs have been challenged by scientific experts.
The society offers many different services including pilgrimages, commemorations and spiritual healing. However, we are informed that these offer no guarantee of success. Their most important goal is the fulfilment of their cosmic missions, undertaken by cooperating with the extraterrestrial Cosmic Powers. Part of this includes taking part in vigorous prayer sessions. This is where believers meet and chant mantra towards one person who is praying towards a ‘spiritual energy battery’ with this energy being stored for harder times.
Despite Dr. Kings death in the 1990s the society is still ongoing and they have centres across eleven countries. The group doesn’t seem to cause a huge amount of controversy and their prayers sound quite energising. Let’s let them get on with it.
Leaving the peaceful Aetherius society alone, why not check out the cultish vibes that come out of the Church of Scientology.
