SEVERAL YEARS AGO I JOINED A NEW AGE RELIGION CALLED ECKANKAR. THEY MADE SEVERAL CLAIMS. WOULD YOU PLEASE COMMENT ON EACH CLAIM. IT WOULD BE OF GREAT HELP TO ME. I HAVE BEEN FEELING UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE EFFECT THESE TEACHINGS HAVE HAD ON MY CONSCIOUSNESS . HOW CAN I RECEIVE ASSISTANCE TO PURGE MY CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE INFLUENCE OF THIS GROUP?

What Eckankar has done is personalize something that actually cannot be personalized. It is a transcendant experience that they have put in the process of a bridge of having someone embodied that they focus on to access this level of consciousness, not unlike the gurus of India or others who also establish themselves in human form as the link to something that is considered transcendant or beyond the usual reach or grasp of those in form.

Like the guru system, ones are beginning to realize that putting someone between themselves and that state of beingness can for a time, perhaps, be helpful as a way of linking up some of those old passageways that may have been lost or forgotten. However, after awhile there is a need for ones to choose for themselves to do so directly, and to continue to grow in the basis of only one guru or one alignment with that great state of being becomes very limiting. There are ways in which a single body of consciousness, however evolved it might be, carries certain pathways, but not all. Even Jesus did not carry them all. That has been the great illusion. As soon as one claims to carry all of the passageways to the great transcendant reality, to God, there is that which becomes limited immediately. 

THEY CLAIM THAT THEIR LEADER IS HIGHEST SPIRITUAL MASTER ON EARTH.

Not true.

THEY CLAIM THAT THEIR LEADER IS ORDAINED BY GOD TO SPEAK FOR HIM ON THIS EARTH, AND THAT THE LEADER'S SECRET DISCOURSES ARE THE "WORD OF THE ECK" (HOLY SPIRIT).

One of the people, perhaps, that God speaks through, but not the only one. Also, according to any human design there is the power of the consciousness that is embodied to infiltrate, filter, or contaminate that message, so discernment is still something that ones need to consider when listening.

THEY CLAIM THAT THEIR LEADER CAN CONNECT YOU TO GOD'S SPIRIT. THEY IMPLY, BUT DO NOT STATE, THAT YOU CANNOT CONNECT TO GOD'S SPIRIT DIRECTLY BY YOURSELF.

Of course you can directly make those passageways yourself. As we said earlier, there are those who can point the way and assist you to form certain maps to doing that for a time, but ultimately to do so for yourself one must embrace all of the ways and passageways that are necessary for the whole self to do so.

THEY REFER TO THIS PROCESS OF CONNECTION TO GOD'S SPIRIT AS AN INITIATION. ACCORDING TO ECKANKAR THERE ARE 8 LEVELS OF INITIATIOIN AVAILABLE WHICH CORRESPOND TO THE VARIOUS INNER PLANES (ASTRAL, CAUSAL, MENTAL, ETHERIC, SOUL, ETC.). THEY CLAIM THAT IF YOU QUIT ECKANKAR (THEY REQUEST A $120 PER YEAR "DONATION" TO REMAIN A MEMBER), WHATEVER INITIATIONS YOU HAVE RECEIVED WILL BE TAKEN AWAY.

Absolutely not true.

THEY CLAIM THAT IF YOU HAVE BAD KARMA COMING, SUCH AS SEVERE PHYSICAL SUFFERING AS COULD BE INFLICTED BY A CAR ACCIDENT, THAT YOU CAN "BURN OFF" THIS KARMA BY HAVING THE CAR ACCIDENT WHILE YOU ARE DREAMING.

That depends on the level of the thought-form and the matrix that it is held in. Karma is not so simple. In duality and in the whole of the matrix of separation there are certain levels of choice that cannot be burned off through dreaming. They have to be learned in a conscious sense and ritualized in some form or action.

AFTER PLAGIARISM WAS ALLEGEDLY DISCOVERED IN THEIR SPIRITUAL WRITINGS, SPECIFICALLY FROM THE WORKS OF A SHABD YOGA FOLLOWER NAMED JULIAN JOHNSON, ECKANKAR OFFICIALLY CLAIMED THAT THE PLAGIARISM WAS A MISCONCEPTION. THEY CLAIMED THAT PAUL TWITCHELL, THEIR FOUNDER AND THE ALLEGED PLAGIARIZER, GOT THE WRITINGS FROM A PUBLIC DOMAIN "ASTRAL LIBRARY" 30 YEARS AFTER JULIAN JOHNSON DID. TO ECKANKAR THIS MEANS THAT THE ALLEGED PLAGIARISM, EVEN THOUGH IT VIOLATES OUR LAWS AND IS A FORM OF STEALING, IS OK. ECKANKAR, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAS COPYRIGHTED ALL THEIR WRITTEN WORKS, INCLUDING THE ALLEGEDLY PLAGIARIZED ONES, AND VIGOROUSLY PURSUES LEGAL ACTION AGAINST ANYONE WHO TRIES TO COPY OR USE THEM WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION.

This is a sign of crystallization, which is one of the results of claiming to hold THE truth and the only way to God, and is to be looked at with a considerable amount of discernment by anyone who is looking at this institution, which is not unlike many other institutions that have become crystallized around a truth, law, dogma, or doctrine. As to whether or not they have done so based on stealing from others, which many have and then claimed it as the truth for them, well that has been done for such a long time that ones hardly consider there to be anything wrong. They do not see that in terms of acknowledging a Source beyond them. All of the consciousness that is coming now to the planet is coming very freely, such as what we do with you. To only have certain ones that are the dispensers of the truth becomes a way to capitalize or make money on truth.

ECKANKAR CLAIMS THAT THERE HAVE BEEN 973 "ECK" MASTERS SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME, AND THAT ECKANKAR IS AN ANCIENT RELIGION THAT IS THE ROOT OF ALL OTHER RELIGIONS AND SPIRITUAL PATHS. ECKANKAR CLAIMS THAT SOME OF THESE MASTERS ARE NAMED "REBEZAR TARZ", "FUBBI QUANTZ", "ZADOK", AND "GOPAL DAS". THEY CLAIM THAT THESE ARE REAL PEOPLE WHO ONCE LIVED AND NOW EXIST IN THE SPIRIT WORLDS.

Every religion has a certain kind of lineage that they proclaim in order to validate its existence. This particular religion has roots in the mystery schools, and mystery schools continue to have roots back in earlier ages. So, yes, they can trace their origins back into earlier times. The oldest religion is not one where there are masters, particularly male masters, but it is the earth, herself. The earliest one is one where there is great respect and relationship between all of creation, there is love, there is light, and there is equal sharing - all that is known to one is known by all. That is the nature of a mother with her children, and that has been forgotten when these mystery schools trace their origins through masters and lineages of those who have held special relationship with divine inspiration.

ECKANKAR CLAIMS THAT SATAN CREATED AND RULES THE EARTH.

That is not true. Satan did not create the earth. A dominant thought matrix was inserted into the earth after Pure Love begat this beautiful garden. It was the gem in the heart of the Source of Love, manifesting in a place that was to be the jewel in form, in manifestation of Love, and to breed, then, a universal child of consciousness out of this garden. 

That dominating matrix of consciousness which has been called Satan, evil, or anti-life, would like everyone to believe that earth is evil and earth is not who She truly is. It would also like you to believe that you are sinners or something “less than”, and that you need to be saved and you need to have a person or persons to do that for you. It would also like you to believe that your essence, your nature, is not part of or one with the beautiful love nature of this earth, but is only Spirit utilizing a body for only a very short period of time in order to learn a lesson. It has many things it would like you to believe. We and others like us would like to ask you to ask your heart, your body, and your soul to clarify the veils that have been put over your eyes by those that would claim authority and deny you that authority. 

ECKANKAR CLAIMS TO BE THE HIGHEST/MOST DIRECT (DEPENDS ON WHO YOUR ASK IN ECKANKAR) PATH TO GOD. THE FOUNDER, PAUL TWITCHELL STATED THAT ONLY MEMBERS OF ECKANKAR CAN EVER FIND THEIR WAY TO THE "HIGHEST GOD WORLDS".

That is not true.

As for what would assist you, what we would suggest is that St. Germaine would be one being that would be able to facilitate this removal of the matrix that they weave with all of those who are committed members. It is rather like a webbing through consciousness where there is a certain linkage of control that continues to broadcast, rather like group consciousness, throughout the whole of this group environment. St. Germaine is one who could be of assistance using the violet ray of transmutation.

We would also suggest that your own consciousness that has begun to doubt or question is truly strengthening from within, and to continue to trust your own instincts. Trust you own intuition, your own sense of what is true and not true, and let yourself listen more to that. Even if you have just a little feeling that something doesn’t feel right, listen to it. Even if you cannot articulate it right away, listen to it. That will continue to strengthen you.

Also ask the beautiful heart of this mother planet, earth, to assist you and your body to solidify your essence embodied, who you are here, so that your relationship with creation can be experienced more and more to experience love and magnify love in form, in manifestation. 
 

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