| Illuminati News | Evidence that Eckankar is a Covert Occult Organization and a Front for the Illuminati

hort Summary

Eckankar, a New Age religion with its worldwide headquarters in Minneapolis, is deceiving its members as to its true origin and purpose. It is not a spiritual organization but a disguised form of advanced Freemasonry. It was created by its founder, Paul Twitchell, in 1965, to promote worship of the gods of ancient Egypt. Not only did Twitchell plagiarize the writings of other authors to a shameless degree, but he deliberately concocted his teaching as a covert way of getting naive members of the public to worship the magical deities from the Old Kingdom period of ancient Egypt. Eckankar is therefore a disguised occult teaching with a hidden occult agenda. Most of its members appear to be unaware of this.

The words denoting the main ‘spiritual’ concepts in Eckankar – Sugmad, Mahanta, Hu, Eck and Eckankar – are all derived directly from the names of Egyptian gods and goddesses. The ‘EK’ symbol, which many Eckankar members wear on a ring or lapel pin, is actually a thinly disguised magic pentacle. The ‘Blue Star’ of Eckankar is nothing more than the magic hexagram revered by witches for centuries. The ECK Temple in Minneapolis is actually a temple to the Egyptian god, Hu, and embodies countless occult features, including a Babylonian ziggurat roof. The ‘Eck’ worshipped by Eckankar members is not the Holy Spirit but the Force worshipped by witches, magicians and Freemasons in the higher degrees. In over 50 books by its principal authors, Paul Twitchell and Harold Klemp, Eckankar does not even once reject Lucifer and all his works. Not even once.

Eckankar members are invited to ask themselves the questions listed at the end of this article.
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Introduction

Paul Twitchell

Eckankar, which is known to its followers as the Religion of the Light and Sound of God, was founded by an American named Paul Twitchell in 1965. Twitchell described himself as ‘The Living ECK Master’ and defined Eckankar as the Ancient Science of Soul Travel. After his death in 1971, he was succeeded as the Living ECK Master by Darwin Gross from Oregon, of direct German descent. Gross voluntarily relinquished the title of Living ECK Master in 1981 to Harold Klemp from Wisconsin, also of direct German descent. After a bitter court case in 1983, he ousted Gross from the organization and severed his ties with Eckankar. Klemp continues to serve as world leader of the organization.

Eckankar is believed to have 30,000 to 50,000 members, mostly in the United States. They look to the Living ECK Master as their spiritual guide and teacher. As an inner guide or angel, the Living ECK Master is known as the Mahanta, a state of conscious-ness which, according to Eckankar, supersedes all others, including Christ.

According to the Eckankar cosmology, creation comprises a lower and a higher level. The lower level (‘lower worlds’) is divided into five main levels, each presided over by a different deity. The higher level (‘pure positive God worlds’) comprises at least seven main levels or heavens, each with its own lord or deity. The supreme lord, in the ‘Ocean of Love and Mercy,’ is called the Sugmad.

Followers spend decades acquiring the many initiations given by the Living ECK Master which help them work off the ‘karma’ built up over ‘previous lives.’ These initiations help followers move into a higher state of consciousness so that, by the time they leave this world at death, they have broken the cycle of reincarnation and achieved ‘God-Realization.’

In his book, The Making of a Spiritual Movement (1993), Professor David Lane outlined the way the founder of Eckankar, Paul Twitchell, made copious use of the works of other authors when manufacturing the path of Eckankar. For example, he showed in considerable detail how the Eckankar teachings were taken directly from the Indian paths of Sant Mat and Radha Soami and how Paul Twitchell shamelessly plagiarised their writings.

Eckankar is very typical of the New Age paths described by Constance Cumbey in her book, The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow. Fritz Springmeier in his book, Be Wise As Serpents, lists Eckankar as one of the fronts used by the Illuminati to advance their agenda. However, he did not supply supporting evidence for this opinion. The information set out below would suggest that Springmeier was right and, furthermore, that Eckankar is one of the religious teachings that the Illuminati will allow to operate after the New World Order has been established.

We have not tried to present all the information available to us since it would be much too extensive. Our analysis is based mainly on the public writings of Eckankar, though we have managed to obtain, via former members and by purchase over the internet, some insider material, including copies of their ceremonies and their quarterly newsletter, The Mystic World. We have also benefited from information supplied to us by former members, including some in high standing, regarding the inner workings of the organization.

In presenting this analysis and raising a number of serious questions about Eckankar, we would stress that, as far as we can tell, the vast majority of Eckankar members are unaware of the true nature of Eckankar, namely its occult foundation or the role it plays in advancing the Illuminist agenda. In particular, they would likely be deeply shocked to learn of the parallels between their path and both Luciferian Freemasonry and Egyptian magic. By and large, Eckankar followers would appear to be sincere in their beliefs and to practice a high standard of ethics. It should also be noted that, unlike certain other New Age paths, Eckankar does not milk its members for large donations or charge for its seven ‘outer,’ or ceremonial, initiations.

Thus, in presenting this material, we are keenly aware of the pain our statements may cause some members. We sincerely request their forbearance and ask that they take the time to evaluate the evidence objectively.

The Illuminati

Before we set out our findings, it is first necessary to say a few words about the Illuminati. These are the powerful network of families who control most governments around the world and have a stranglehold over the global financial system. They are bound together by intergenerational blood ties and a deep commitment to the occult. Many are Satanists, which means they are directed by demonic forces over which they have no control. The Illuminati have been planning for centuries to establish a worldwide fascist government, to abolish private property (except among them-selves), and to impose a single worldwide system of Luciferian worship. Since this entails the destruction of Christianity, they must first lure millions of Christians away from orthodox Christianity and thereby weaken their defenses against occult attack.

This strategy has been vigorously pursued over the past fifty years or more by a variety of means, including the large scale promotion of narcotic drugs, the horrendous increase in pornography, the endless attacks on Christian values in the media, the wanton glamorisation of the occult by Hollywood and mainstream television channels, the promulgation of so-called scientific theories which are deliberately designed to undermine Christian faith in the Bible, and the creation of vast numbers of New Age organizations to cunningly promote and disseminate their occult beliefs. The creation of Eckankar in 1965 fits neatly into this last category, though its current leader, Harold Klemp, also takes regular swipes at Christianity and Christian values.

Now, in sections 1-30 below, we will show how they do this. Please be patient with our analysis since the full picture will emerge only gradually, but when it does it will stand out very clearly. The reader will be left in no doubt about the veracity of our claims.

1. Hexagram or six-pointed star / pentagram or five-pointed star
In his book, Cloak of Consciousness, the Living ECK Master, Harold Klemp, states the following:

“The ECK-Vidya, Ancient Science of Prophecy, mentions that a form with three points, the triangle, represents a highly creative energy. A form made up of two triangles, one pointing up and one pointing down, such as the Star of David or the six-pointed Star of ECK, is also a highly creative one. It indicates the balance between working in the spiritual worlds and the physical world at the same time. The individual who sees the six-pointed Blue Star of the Mahanta is able to draw on the inner experiences for use in his outer world, and vice versa.” (p.78)

Sri Harold Klemp

Students of the occult regard the hexagram as a powerful magical symbol. They also attach great importance to the star as a symbol of the occult. Oddly enough, the Blue Star of Eckankar, which features prominently in its Temple and its literature, is a combination of both these symbols. This makes it an unusually potent occult symbol (Photos of the Blue Star and the Temple of ECK may be seen on their official website, eckankar.org).

As James Davis notes in The Dream Weaver Chronicles, published by Eckankar, the six-pointed Blue Star (‘Star of ECK’ or ‘Blue Star of the Mahanta’) is the central image in the Temple of ECK in Chanhassen, a suburb of Minneapolis. He also states that the Temple itself is designed to embody the pentagram or five-pointed star, another powerful occult symbol. For example he says, “This is the Holy Fire of ECK which dwells in the temple of the human body and in the Temple of ECK. To me, the five-pointed star represents the Temple, the house wherein dwells the Holy Spirit.” (p.153.) (Please note that what Eckankar calls the ‘Holy Spirit’ is completely different from what Christians understand by it.)

He then goes on to say that, “I believe the number eleven signifies the union of Spirit (the six-pointed star) and its Temple (the five-pointed star), whether that temple be the human body or a stone edifice.” (p.154) [See section 7 below for further references to the number eleven and its significance in Eckankar.]

It should be noted that this Blue Star plays a major role in the inner life of each member of Eckankar, who is required to practice daily meditative techniques in order to perceive the ‘star’ within himself. As Paul Twitchell says, “Thus the Master appears often as the Blue Star, and sometimes as a misty, pale blue light.” (The Spiritual Notebook, 1971, p.75) The internalisation of this powerful occult symbol is a central element in the mind control exercised by Eckankar over its members.

2. The ziggurat roof on the Temple of ECK
Students of the occult place great importance on the pyramid and ziggurat as symbols of magic and hidden power. They also trace their teachings back to Sumeria, Assyria and Babylonia. In addition, they regard gold as a key symbol in Alchemy, a well-known system of magic. It is notable, therefore, that the Temple of ECK in Chanhassen has a pronounced ziggurat roof in a golden color (See images at the official Eckankar website, eckankar.org). This has been explicitly linked by Harold Klemp and James Davis to the ziggurat temples of Babylonia, Assyria and Sumeria. As one former member of the Illuminati has stated, the ziggurat temples on the plains of Babylon were profoundly occult in nature – see section 22 below.

3. Lincoln Memorial.
The Chanhassen ECK Temple design is very similar to an early design for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, a city built largely in accordance with a Masonic plan. It is well known that all the major monuments, plus the main street plans and many of the buildings, in that city were designed by Masons. This link between their Temple and the Lincoln Memorial was brought to the attention of Eckankar members in their quarterly newsletter, The Mystic World, in December 1997. It is noteworthy that the Eckankar leadership saw fit to highlight such a direct connection between it and Freemasonry.

4. Master Freemason
Freemasons describe a member of the 33rd degree as a master of his craft. In The Dream Weaver Chronicles, James Davis asks: “Who is the Dream Weaver? He is one of the many faces of the Mahanta, the Living ECK Master. And he is a Master of his craft.” (pages 38-39). Given that the book was published by Eckankar itself, this admission is remarkable in its audacity.

5. Field of Dreams
Davis compares the ECK Temple to a “magical field” and “a mandala.”

The Living ECK Master, Harold Klemp linked the building of the Temple with the movie ‘Field of Dreams,’ even citing twice a key line from the movie, “If you build it, he will come” (The Dream Master, p.154). Davis also refers to this connection, again quoting the line, “If you build it, he will come.” This begs the question – who is ‘he’? What is the significance of this entity in the context of the Temple? Given that the Temple is described as a “magical field” and “a mandala,” this is a major question for anyone looking at Eckankar.

6. Solar Temples
Many ancient temples, revered today by practitioners of the occult, were solar shrines, dedicated to solar gods. This meant they were built to celebrate the sun god and were linked in an occult manner to the power of the sun. These include the ziggurats of Mesopotamia, the Temple of Apollo (a sun god) at Delphi – which is described in very positive terms by Paul Twitchell in The ECK-Vidya – and the ziggurat temples of the Aztecs and the Incas.

In a chapter entitled ‘The Celestial Temple of ECK,’ James Davis states that the Temple of ECK in Chanhassen is linked directly to the sun and, by implication, to the rest of the solar system. He draws attention (p.133) to the cycle “where the whole solar system comes into a gravitational balance around the sun and which happens only a few times every thousand years.”

He also states that this phenomenon, whereby the sun aligns with the centre of the solar system, occurs only once every 179 years. Calling it “this great periodic balancing of our solar system,” he notes with enthusiasm that the latest “re-balancing” took place during the period that the Temple of ECK in Chanhassen, the ‘Celestial Temple,’ was being built (September 1989 to October 1990).

Davis also draws a direct parallel (p.133) between a famous Egyptian solar temple and the Temple of ECK: “Some investigators of the great pyramid of Khufu at Giza claim to have found in its measurements thousands of years of prophecy. I was shown how the Temple of ECK has its own prophecies built into it.”

He also highlights in chapter 7, ‘Field of Dreams,’ the link between the Temple of ECK and the number 9. While doing so he says, “I believe that the theme of Sri Harold’s mission and the Temple of ECK is to bring together Divine Spirit (the number nine) and the physical world...” (p.83) (Again, the reader is reminded that what Eckankar calls Divine Spirit is not the Holy Spirit of Christianity.)

Paul Twitchell linked the number nine with the solar power, as follows: “The number 9 is the sun-force and should be revered as that which uplifts the individual through the higher initiation.” (The ECK-Vidya, p.140) He underlined this connection between Eckankar and the sun gods when he said, “In Egypt, the Pharaoh of old was both a god and the son of a god...Many men have become gods and many gods have become men. But the Mahanta is the living Light, in the tradition of the ancient sun gods of Asia.” (The Spiritual Notebook, 1971, p.23)

From these unqualified declarations by Davis, Klemp and Twitchell, it is clear that the Temple of ECK in Minneapolis is of great occult significance to those who built it.

7. Numerology and Eckankar
The numbers 3, 7, 11 and 13, and multiples thereof, are very significant in the occult.

The Eckankar writings constantly emphasize the creative power of the number 3, while the book The Dream Weaver Chronicles highlights the role of the current Living ECK Master in achieving Consciousness 9, which Davis points out is 3 x 3.

The same book also draws particular attention to the significance of the number 11 in relation to the Temple of ECK:

“If this were a book on the sacred numbers of the ECK-Vidya, a chapter could easily be written on the number eleven and the Temple of ECK.” (p.70)

In addition to the quotation in section 1 above, where he linked the ECK Temple to the number 11, Davis goes on to cite some significant dates based on the number 11, including

(a) permission to build the Temple was given on 22 (2 x 11) May 1989;

(b) the groundbreaking at the Temple took place on 11 September 1989; and

(c) the dedication of the Temple took place on 22 (2 x 11) October 1990.

Students of the occult have independently drawn attention to the significance of September 11 (which also happens to be the date of the groundbreaking at the Temple of ECK), citing the following sinister events in recent history:

September 11, 1941 Groundbreaking at the Pentagon (which contains the
occult pentagram).

September 11, 1972 Murder of Jewish sportsmen at Munich Olympics.

September 11, 1973 Overthrow of President Allende in Chile.

September 11, 1990 President Bush Senior announced the New World Order
(which is the occult goal of the Illuminati).

September 11, 2001 Attack on Twin Towers in New York (which many
believe was orchestrated by elements within the
American government).

In the realm of magic, the date and time an event occurs is believed to have a marked bearing on how it develops subsequently. Eckankar asserts that this is the whole basis of the ECK-Vidya, their system of prophecy. As Paul Twitchell says in chapter two of The ECK-Vidya, Ancient Science of Prophecy:

There is one great rule that goes in the ECK-Vidya. “Whosoever, and whatsoever is born or done at a given moment of time has the qualities of that moment of time.”

Given the importance of this principle in Eckankar, the date and time of the groundbreaking at the Temple of ECK must have been thought out very carefully. And yet it took place on the morning of 11th September!

Occultists also ascribe great importance to the numerical link between names and numbers. The numeric value of names is computed by reference to the sequence of letters in the alphabet (a =1, b =2, etc). In light of this, we are entitled to ask why the Living ECK Master is known as Z, which is the 26th letter of the alphabet (2 x 13)?

While we are on this subject, we can also ask why the Temple of ECK has 52 columns (4 x 13)?

8. Owl Symbolism
In The Dream Weaver Chronicles, James Davis refers numerous times, each time in glowing terms, to the owl as a symbol of spiritual enlightenment. He also points out that it is the bird associated with the Greek goddess, Athena. The great horned owl happens to be the symbol of the Illuminati who assemble annually at Bohemian Grove in northern California to carry out their occult ceremonies and plan the next stage in their creation of the New World Order. The owl is also associated traditionally with the powers of darkness. Since it is referred to in the most positive terms throughout The Dream Weaver Chronicles, its occult significance in Eckankar is impossible to ignore.

While describing what he regarded as a revelatory experience from the Dream Weaver, Davis also suggested a connection between the cry of the great horned owl and the ‘holy’ word Hu, which figures prominently in Eckankar as a way of invoking a higher power: “After a few moments, he [the owl] cocked his head, leaned down a little, and gave a long “Whoooooooooo.” The Eckankar Dictionary (1973) says the charged word Hu should be pronounced hyoo or hoo.

9. New Age Religion
For a year or so, the Eckankar organisation began describing itself officially as the New Age Religion (This is also noted in The Dream Weaver Chronicles, p.27). This was clearly considered a step too far and, within a year, it switched to another, less revealing title, ‘Religion of the Light and Sound of God.’

10. Holy Fire
The ‘holy fire’ image, which appears a lot in the Eckankar writings, including the title of two important books for High Initiates, is also closely associated with Free-masonry, Theosophy and other branches of the occult. In an esoteric sense, it is used to denote the symmetry between the kundalini, sexual desire and the solar force.

Images and rituals linking fire and water also appear frequently in the occult. The text of three of the Eckankar ceremonies give prominence to fire and water imagery and both substances are included in their respective rituals. These are the ECK Consecration Ceremony, the ECK Rite of Passage, and the ECK Wedding Ceremony. It should be noted that, in the occult, the upward pointing triangle in the hexagram denotes fire, while the downward facing one denotes water.

11. Pallas Athene and Lucifer
The Eckankar writings speak highly of the Greek goddess, Athene, sometimes known as Pallas Athene, whose symbol is the owl. Paul Twitchell states in The Spiritual Notebook that she was an actual person, not a mythical figure, and that she had the power of ECK (The word ‘ECK’ or ‘Eck’ means the universal spirit force worshipped by members of Eckankar). Eckankar also gives high praise to her temple, the Parthenon in Athens, which was designed by Phidias, who is described as an ECK Master.

Masons of high degree are members of an inner organisation within Freemasonry known as the New and Reformed Palladian Rite, named after Pallas Athene. In Architects of Deception, Juri Lina says: “Palladism in effect became a demonic satanic cult. This cult or religion worshipped Lucifer as a god, which is shown by its oath: "The masonic religion should be, by all of us initiates of the high degrees, maintained in the purity of the Luciferian Doctrine." ” (p.190)

Lina also states: “Manly P. Hall, a 33rd degree freemason declared in his book The Lost Keys of Freemasonry or the Secret of Hiram Abiff that the freemason always has access to "the bubbling energy of Lucifer".” (p.130)

He notes also that “At meetings, the leading freemasons sing hymns to Satan. Only the highest degrees use the cross of Baphomet. Aleister Crowley, who practised black magic, used the cross of Baphomet in his signature. Baphomet was an evil spirit, a monstrous entity that the medieval Knights Templar worshipped and that is associated with Lucifer. Several defectors have revealed that the masonic leaders worship Baphomet. Albert Pike called Baphomet "the primary element of the great work (Freemasonry)".” (p.109)

Most members of Eckankar are unaware of the Masonic links between Eckankar, Pallas Athene and Lucifer.

It should be noted that the two writers quoted above by Lina are among the highest authorities on Freemasonry. Pike carried the title of Sovereign Grand Commander of Freemasonry, while Manly Hall was its most prolific modern author and is revered today by Masons the world over.

12. All-Seeing Eye and Trance Channeling
The Living ECK Master has his followers that seeing a single eye in contemplation or in their dreams is very significant (Ask the Master, Book Two, p.5 and Cloak of Consciousness, p.91).

In Cloak of Consciousness, where someone asks about seeing “a large eye,” Harold Klemp says: “The back of the American one-dollar bill includes an illustration of a very similar eye. Some of the [Masonic] lodges use it as a symbol, too. It’s a reflection of the Spiritual Eye.” (Cloak of Consciousness, p.77)

This symbol, sometimes called the Eye of Horus, is revered by practitioners of the occult. For example, they regard the single eye on the US dollar bill as a symbol of Lucifer and of great significance to Freemasons. In Architects of Deception, Juri Lina says, “The symbol of this was the all-seeing eye, an eye within a pyramid, which was the illuministic symbol of power. It was also known as "the evil eye", which symbolized Osiris. This symbol originated from the Brotherhood of the Serpent (Dragon) of ancient Egypt, at the same time proclaiming Lucifer as wisdom incarnate.” (p.173)

In How to Survive Spiritually in Our Times, Harold Klemp also gave a strong endorsement of Joan Grant’s books, including Eyes of Horus, which are set in ancient Egypt and deal with the struggle between opposing magical systems.

Regarding another Grant book, Winged Pharaoh (1936), which he praised very highly, Klemp says, “It could be an ECK book; the only thing missing is the word ECK.” In her autobiographical book, Many Lifetimes, Grant said that Winged Pharaoh was written in its entirety while she lay in a trance and dictated the material to her husband. This was done over some two hundred sessions of trance dictation and only when she finished the cycle was it possible to assemble the output from the sessions in their correct chronological sequence.

Harold Klemp also speaks well of Edgar Cayce, whom he studied: “...I began a private study that lasted a number of years through the different aspects of the occult, through different paths such as the Rosicrucians and Edgar Cayce, and through a whole lot of other information” (How to Find God, p.199). There is a large amount of Cayce-type material in Eckankar, including astral travel, which Eckankar calls soul travel. Like Grant, Cayce also gave his readings while in a trance. Significantly, he used the pronoun “we” (and not “I”) when vocalising his findings. Many commentators believe that Cayce was possessed by a demon, akin to the spirit of divination mentioned in the New Testament:

And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying. The same followed Paul and us, and cried, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, which show unto us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, “I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out the same hour. (Acts 16:16-18).

After he cast out the demon, the girl lost her ability to soothsay. Her owners were furious with St Paul, since they had lost a source of income, and brought him before the local magistrates.

In Shifting Shadows of Supernatural Power (2006), Loren, Johnson and Chavda state that: “The more Cayce gave himself over to the dissociative trance state, the more he found himself under the control of demonic spirits who sought to influence listeners into new ways of thinking rooted in Eastern religions and theosophical foundations.”

A former Illuminati trainer, who went by the name ‘Svali’ for her own protection, made the following comments regarding the Eye of Horus and the importance of the pyramid to modern practitioners of the occult:

The pyramid and the “eye of Horus” on the back of the dollar bill are Illuminati symbology. The pyramid is an ancient form based on the holiness of the number 3 to the ancient mystery religions (it, not 6, is considered the most spiritual number), and a pyramid was a structure used specifically to call up the demonic, or occult, a point of psychic activity.

The eye is the all seeing eye of Horus (remember the emphasis on Egyptian magical religious practices? The book of the undead, etc?) and the fact that no one can escape his magical reach. This eye is considered a demonic eye in the group, or the eye of the deity, and in Illuminati mythology is either open or closed, depending upon the spiritual time of year and the state of the person psychically.

[This quotation may be found on the website svalispeaks.wordpress.com]

It should be noted that the Eckankar writings claim (Those Wonderful ECK Masters, p.6.) that one of its leading adepts, the ECK Master known as Gopal Das, founded the Egyptian cult of Isis and Osiris, whose sacred text is The Egyptian Book of the Dead, a magical funerary text also known as Spells of Going Forth by Day.

Eckankar members are also reminded frequently that the inner side of the Living ECK Master, known as the Mahanta, sees everything they do, 24 hours a day, much like an all-seeing eye.

13. Shamanism and Animal Familiars
The use of animal familiars is a central element in witchcraft and shamanism. Practitioners believe the animal is possessed by an elemental spirit whose magical powers can be used to their advantage. The best known example of this is the witch’s cat. Communication with these animal familiars is thus an important skill. The Living ECK Master has recommended several books which deal with telepathic commun-ication with animals, including What the Animals Tell Me by Beatrice Lydecker and Kinship with all Life by J Allen Boone. In Kinship with All Life, Boone communicates at length with a fly – which occultists associate with the demon, Beelzebub.

The Living ECK Master has also recommended the book Medicine Cards: The Discovery of Power through the Ways of Animals by Jamie Sams and David Carson. This is a system of shamanic divination based on the selection, display and interpretation of cards depicting animals, rather like the system used by tarot card readers.

In the book which he co-authored with Brad Steiger, In My Soul I Am Free (chapter 19), Paul Twitchell gave many stories about a black cat that appeared to him frequently throughout his life in its astral body in order to protect him. This cat was called Jadoo which, according to Paul Twitchell, meant ‘Black Magic’ (The ECK-Vidya, p.140).

14. Paul Twitchell and the Occult
The founder of Eckankar, Paul Twitchell, was a public representative of Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, for about a year. It is well documented that Hubbard conducted frenzied black magic rites with a close colleague of Aleister Crowley known as John (or Jack) Parsons. These rites were designed to raise demons, especially the god, Pan (See the Wikipedia article on ‘Jack Parsons’). Crowley was known among Satanists as The Beast. The friendship and business association between Twitchell and a known Satanist (Hubbard) is very significant. The relationship must have remained amicable since Twitchell later gave favorable exposure to Hubbard’s work in his book, Letters to Gail, Volume Two (letter dated May 23, 1963), and actually acknowledged its source – something he hardly ever did.

In a biography which strongly endorses Paul Twitchell and his work, Doug Marman quotes an excerpt from an Eckankar magazine, The ECK World News (1976), in which a friend and associate of Twitchell, Dick Braun, says:

“I was constantly after him [Paul] as to how old he was. And he said he was not really of this particular world. And I said, “Well, what do you mean – world? Now we have to define ‘world.’ And how old are you?” He said he was 23,000 years old. And he was a Thetan. And he said that he had come from outside our solar system, but in the physical universe.”
[The Whole Truth, The Spiritual Legacy of Paul Twitchell, 2007]

Braun said this exchange took place sometime in the period 1959-1961. Anyone familiar with Scientology will know that this is exactly the kind of reply a Scientologist would give. In their philosophy, the immortal reality of the individual is described as a ‘Thetan.’

15. Amulets and Eckankar
Webster’s online dictionary defines an amulet as “a charm (as an ornament) often inscribed with a magic incantation or symbol to aid the wearer or protect against evil (as disease or witchcraft).”

In The ECK-Vidya, Paul Twitchell says:

“He [the child of ECK parents] may also be given an ECK-amulet which can be kept on his person during his lifetime.” (p.27)

“Often the ECKist will wear a charm and amulet for protection against certain forces and currents of the Kal force which could make him ill.” (p.38)

This would suggest that Eckankar endorses the use of magic amulets or charms inscribed with magic incantations.

16. Freemasons and HU
The initiatory book for Freemasonry is Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry by Albert Pike, Supreme Grand Commander of Freemasonry, published in Charleston, S Carolina in 1871. This book has been difficult to obtain until recently. It was given only to Masons of the 32nd degree and had to be returned from their estate when they died.

It is important to note that the higher degrees of Freemasonry deceive members in the lower degrees (chiefly those in the First, Second and Third degrees) as to the true purpose and nature of Freemasonry. Only those in the higher degrees receive full instruction in the craft. The higher degrees, notably those at and above the 19th degree, worship Lucifer as the true deity and call him the Light-bearer. In a famous passage, Pike says

LUCIFER, the Light-bearer! Strange and mysterious name to give to the Spirit of Darkness! Lucifer, the Son of the Morning! Is it he who bears the Light, and with its splendors intolerable blinds feeble, sensual or selfish Souls? Doubt it not!

Freemasons at this level believe in The Force, an impersonal universal energy. They do not believe in the Holy Spirit as taught in Christianity. The dark or evil side of this Force they call Satan, and the light or good side they call Lucifer. Those who are fully imbued with Lucifer are called Illuminati. The Illumined Ones stand in opposition to Christ and his teachings. Illuminism is based on the belief that men can become gods, which is the opposite of what Christ taught.

In his book, The Hidden Life in Freemasonry, C W Leadbeater, a 33rd degree Mason, refers to the Senior Deacon in Masonic rituals as one who takes on the role of Lucifer: “The SD [Senior Deacon] is the Lucifer, who bears the light to his fellow men.” He also refers to gigantic “Angels” taking over 33rd degree Masons (These facts are cited by Fritz Springmeier in his excellent work, Be Wise As Serpents). Thus practitioners at this level are willingly submitting to a form of demonic possession.

Given the way Masons advance along an initiatory path, getting ever closer to their union with Lucifer, the Light-bearer, the names used to denote the Force and the Deity at the higher degrees become especially important. Such names or charged words evoke the power that Masons seek. Repetition of these names increases their occult influence. Masons of the 28th degree, known as Knight of the Sun or Prince Adept, are given the “Ineffable Name” of God.

Here is what Pike says in Morals and Dogma:

The True Word of a Mason is to be found in the concealed and profound meaning of the Ineffable Name of Deity, communicated by God to Moses; and which meaning was long lost by the very precautions taken to conceal it. The true pronunciation of that was in truth a secret, in which, however, was involved the far more profound secret of its meaning. In that meaning is included all the truth than can be known by us, in regard to the nature of God.

He goes on to identify this “Ineffable Name of Deity” with the word IHUH.

So HUA-HIA, He-She, could properly be written HU-HI; or by trans-position of the letters, common with the Talmudists, IH-UH, which is the Tetragrammaton or Ineffable Name.

After discussing the philological derivation of the name IHUH, he goes on to say:

This was the great Mystery of the Ineffable Name; and this true arrangement of its letters, and of course its true pronunciation and its meaning, soon became lost to all except the select few to whom it was confided; it being concealed from common people, because the Deity thus metaphysically named was not that personal and capricious, and as it were tangible God in whom they believed, and who alone was within the reach of their rude capacities...

And this TRUE WORD is with entire accuracy said to have been lost; because its meaning was lost even among the Hebrews, although we still find the name (its real meaning unsuspected), in the Hu of the Druids and the Fo Hi of the Chinese.

Later he says:

All Categories whatever go forth from Hakemah; and in it are contained all things, unmanifested; and the aggregate of all things, or the Unity in which the many are, and out of which all flow, is the Sacred Name IHUH.

The supreme sacred name in Eckankar, as emphasized again and again in the Eckankar writings, is HU. This is the same as the IHUH of the Freemasons. Harold Klemp confirmed this when he said:

“The Masonic order speaks of the lost word. This lost word actually is the sound of HU, or the Sound of God. This is one of the sacred names of God, which is a charged word.” – How to Find God, p.89

Later in the same book he says, “There are many organizations, such as the Masons, that are very good in that they provide a classroom of spiritual education at a certain level where people can learn fundamentals.” (p.227)

The parallels do not end there. Not only is the supreme name of God basically the same in both Eckankar and Luciferian Freemasonry, but their supreme inner guides or angels are analogous: Where Freemasons look to Lucifer, the Light-bearer, members of Eckankar look to the Mahanta, whom they often describe as the Light Giver. References to the Mahanta as the Light Giver are scattered throughout the Eckankar writings. For example, their holy book, The Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad, states,

“The Mahanta, the Living ECK Master has other titles. He is the Godman, the Vi-Guru, the Light Giver...” (p.416);

“The initiation into Eckankar is the true way, and the radiant form of the Mahanta, the Vi-Guru, the Light Giver, lights up ever Soul who enters into it...” (p.461);

“The Mahanta, the Living ECK Master is the Vi-Guru, the Light Giver who lights up the worlds of God when he inherits the spiritual mantle of the title” (p.477).

17. Non-use of the term ‘Lucifer’ in Eckankar
The Eckankar leadership refers to the dark or negative force as Satan or Kal. But they never refer to Lucifer or to their stance as regards this entity. Despite hundreds of references to Kal in the Eckankar writings, and many to Satan, there would appear to be no reference whatever to Lucifer. For example, this entity is not referred to by name in the Eckankar holy book, The Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad by Paul Twitchell, the 16 books of the Mahanta Transcripts by Harold Klemp, the Eckankar Dictionary- Lexicon, or even the ECK Concordance (which lists all key words, terms and ideas in the public Eckankar writings – over 60 books). Thus there is no indication anywhere in the Eckankar writings that its leadership rejects Lucifer and his works.

18. Works of God versus works of Lucifer
In chapter 6 of his book, Soul Travelers of the Far Country, Harold Klemp asserts that the Church fathers were wrong to dismiss the wonders performed by Simon Magus and Apollonius of Tyana as sorcery. He says, “There were those in Christ’s day who could perform miracles as he did...In respect to miracles, Apollonius and Simon Magus resembled Christ more than did the apostles, who are credited with only a few miracles among the lot of them.” This extraordinary statement fails to make any distinction between the works of God and the works of Lucifer.

19. The Morning Star and Lucifer
Students of the occult give praise to Lucifer as the Morning Star. The Morning Star (in capitals) figures prominently in the marriage ceremony at the end of the book, The Drums of ECK, by Paul Twitchell and was used in the ECK Wedding Ceremony (1971) for two decades until it was removed in a revised edition published by Harold Klemp in 1991. We understand that no explanation for its removal has ever been given.

20. The annual Eckankar holy day
The most important date in the Eckankar calendar is 22 October. This is regarded as the true start of the new spiritual year. The first edition of their holy book, The Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad (Book One, Chapter 10) stated that “This date is considered the full moon of the celestial equinox.” Most Eckankar members are not aware that this statement was removed from the second edition published in 1987, probably because it plainly links the annual Eckankar cycle to the lunar calendar.

In the first edition of The Spiritual Notebook (1971), Paul Twitchell also states the following:

The departing Master always leaves on our calendar date of October 22nd, and in turn his successor always accepts the Rod of ECK Power on the same day, at midnight, in the full of the moon in the Valley of Shangta, in northern Tibet, near the Katsupari Monastery. (p.152)

In the second edition of this book, which was published in 1990, Harold Klemp removed the words “in the full of the moon.”

21. Eckankar endorsement of the Rosicrucians
Eckankar looks favorably on both Freemasonry and the Rosicrucian movement, despite their pronounced occult orientation. For example, in The Slow Burning Love of God (p.55), Harold Klemp says, “The Rosicrucians are a fine group; they try to teach people self-responsibility.” And in How to Find God (p.131) he says, “The Rosicrucians are a good step. I studied with them, too, for a while” and (p.199) “...I began a private study that lasted a number of years through the different aspects of the occult, through different paths such as the Rosicrucians and Edgar Cayce, and through a whole lot of other information.”

22. Eckankar in History
The Eckankar writings repeatedly say that Eckankar had no beginning, that it traces its origins back to the very dawn of time, and that its Masters have existed in an unbroken line from then until now. They also state that, while the name has changed, the teaching has remained the same. Compare this with the highly revealing comments made by Svali, a former member of the Illuminati:

I was taught that the Illuminati had its roots in the ancient practices that reach into the beginning of recorded time; that the Babylonians on the plains created ziggurats to their deities, whom the Illuminati worship. They were proud of the fact that it was supposedly an unbroken occult line from then until now. The names changed, the basic group was the same.

The ancient mystery religions of Egypt, heart of dark magic, were another forerunner, with adherents of Set, Osiris, Horus and Ra; and the Illuminists also believe their bloodlines have come down from the ancient kings of Egypt.

[This quotation may be found on the website svalispeaks.wordpress.com]

23. Satanic Music
Harold Klemp gives two live talks every year to his followers, one at the Springtime Seminar (held at Easter) and one at the World Wide Seminar (held a week or so before Halloween). Followers attach considerable importance to remarks and recommendations made by him at these two events. Recently, at one of these seminars, he strongly recommended the music of singer, Johnny Cash. Anyone familiar with the music of ‘the man in black’ will know how dark and depressing it is. However, most followers of Eckankar would not be aware that two of the last songs recorded by Cash were written by an avowed Satanist, Glenn Danzig. The songs were entitled ‘Thirteen’ and ‘Unchained’. Here are the lyrics to the former:

Bad luck wind been blowing at my back
I was born to bring trouble to wherever I'm at
Got the number thirteen tattooed on my neck
When the ink starts to itch, then the black will turn to red
I was born in the soul of misery
Never had me a name
They just gave me the number when I was young
Got a long line of heartache I carry it well
The list of lives I've broken reach from here to hell
Back luck been blowing at my back
I pray you don't look at me, I pray I don't look back.

Clearly, this is deeply occult. It is extraordinary that anyone purporting to promote true spirituality should recommend music of this nature. What is more, a very famous music video of Cash singing the song ‘Hurt’, made by director Mark Romanek, is exceedingly dark in tone and full of occult imagery. (We don’t recommend that you view this video, which is freely accessible on the internet, unless you are prepared to deal with its disturbing content.)

24. Dangers of deep hypnosis
Harold Klemp gave high praise to the work of master hypnotist, Michael Newton, author of Journey of Souls and Destiny of Souls. These books deal with ‘life between lives,’ the alleged activities of Soul as it moves from one ‘incarnation’ to another. Many Christian writers have warned of the dangers of hypnosis since, by surrendering his will and self-control, the subject can fall under demonic influence. These writers speak of the risks even in cases where the hypnotic process lasts only a few minutes. Incredibly, Michael Newton works on his subjects for three hours or more, taking them into ever deeper hypnotic states. The dangers for anyone submitting to this, whether sincere Christians or naive members of Eckankar, are considerable.

25. Occult connection with Egyptian Deities
We have already seen that Eckankar has many ties with ancient mystery religions from the Middle East, including Egypt, Greece and Babylon. The link with ancient Egypt is actually very strong. The sun god motif which is embodied in the Temple of ECK, as described by James Davis (see above), is linked to the Egyptian reverence for the sun god, Ra. Ra was accompanied at all times in the solar barque or sun-boat by the divine twins, Hu and Saa, who served as his bodyguard. The Egyptian god, Hu, was the god of divine utterance or divine command, while Saa was the goddess of wisdom. The first word uttered by Ra was Hu. Thus the primordial Eckankar name for god, Hu, is synonymous with the Egyptian deity, Hu.

The two twins were formed from the body of Ra, Hu from his tongue and Saa from his heart. Since Ra was often depicted as a hawk or an eagle, Hu is the Cry of the Hawk (which is revered by Eckankar), while Saa is the Heart of the Eagle. Together Hu and Saa were known as the Eyes of Horus. Working with Ra, their job was to bring order out of chaos.

Students of the occult and the dark world of the Illuminati will immediately recognize the ‘order out of chaos’ connection (In Latin, Ordo Ab Chao). This is linked to the Latin phrase beneath the Eye of Horus on the American one dollar bill – Novus Ordo Seclorum or ‘The New World Order.’ The term ‘order out of chaos’ is a well known slogan among Masons, a kind of battle cry.

This would suggest that the Temple of ECK in the greater metropolitan area of Minneapolis is actually a temple to the Egyptian god, Hu, and that it is ‘twinned’ with a second temple in the area which is dedicated to the corresponding Egyptian deity, the goddess Saa. The most obvious candidate is the imposing Triune Masonic Temple in St Paul, which is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places. This is located, fittingly enough, on Iglehart Avenue. Note that Iglehart and Eagle Heart, a reference to Saa, are phonetically equivalent, and that Minneapolis and St Paul are ‘twin’ cities.

26. Derivation of the name Sugmad
The topmost god in the Eckankar pantheon of gods is called Sugmad. The key to the etymology of this word may be found in Masonry.

The Masons are told the name by which they are to refer to their topmost deity when they reach a certain degree of initiation, known as the Royal Arch degree. This is to serve as the ‘Ineffable Name’ until such time as they reach the highest degrees, when they are told about IHUH or HU. The name imparted to Royal Arch Masons is ‘Jahbulon.’ It may seem nonsensical until it is broken down into its component syllables, as described by Stephen Knight in The Brotherhood (1983):

“In the ritual of exaltation, the name of the Great Architect of the Universe is revealed as JAH-BUL-ON – not a general umbrella term open to any interpretation an individual Freemason may choose, but a precise designation that describes a specific supernatural being – a compound deity composed of three separate personalities fused in one. Each syllable of the ‘ineffable name’ represents one personality of this Trinity:

JAH = Jahweh, the God of the Hebrews

BUL = Baal, the ancient Canaanite fertility god associated with
‘licentious rites of imitative magic.’

ON = Osiris, the ancient Egyptian god of the underworld.”

By the way, this is how Christian Freemasons are lured away from Christianity, by getting them to accept pagan deities and treat them on a par with the One True God.

When Saa and Hu created order out of chaos, the resulting order was known as Maat, another Egyptian deity (Note that Saa is sometimes spelt Sia). As the famous Egyptologist, Henri Frankfort, says in Kingship and the Gods (1948):

The king lives under the obligation to maintain maat, which is usually translated “truth,” but which really means the “right order” – the inherent structure of creation, of which justice is an integral part...Maat is, naturally, personified – a goddess, the daughter of the sun-god Re whose regular circuit is the most striking manifestation of the established cosmic order. Thus it is said of the king: “Authoritative Utterance (hu) is in thy mouth. Understanding (sia) is in thy heart. Thy speech is the shrine of truth (maat).”...“Hu, Sia, and Maat are with thee.”

Thus we have:
SAA = Goddess of wisdom, understanding and perception

HU = God of authoritative utterance or divine command

MAAT = God of truth, order, harmony and justice.

Putting these three deities together, Saa-Hu-Maat, we get Sugmad, Paul Twitchell’s cleverly anglicized version of the supreme god in the Eckankar pantheon. When this word, Sugmad, is chanted in the Eckankar style – a long drawn out breath – it is hard to distinguish from saa-hu-maat.

As with Jahbulon, Sugmad is not just a random term but, as Knight says, “a precise designation that describes a specific supernatural being.”

27. Derivation of the names Eck and Eckankar
The Eckankar Dictionary (1973) defines the term Eck as follows:

...all that is life...stream of life force...the thread that binds together all beings in all planes, all universes...the source of all; the creator of all things; the great forming force which works in a creative way...is everywhere; the essence of the SUGMAD.

Compare this term, ‘Eck,’ with the Egyptian god, Heka:

Heka is described as coming into being at the beginning of time at the will of the creator god...to provide a supernatural strength which would pervade the universe and enable deities and mankind to function.
– Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, G Hart, 2005

The only gods with him [Ra] in the boat [sun barque] are SA and HEKA, here the personifications of the intelligence and the word of power. The duty of SA is to make all plans for the god's journey, and HEKA will utter the words of power which will enable him to overcome all opposition. – Egyptian Heaven and Hell, W Budge, 1905

The "magical powers" (heka) which the king is also said to have "eaten," are the words and formulae, the utterance of which by him, in whatever circumstances he may be placed, will cause every being, friendly or unfriendly, to do his will.
– Egyptian Ideas of the Future Life, W Budge, 1899

These descriptions would suggest that, in addition to their phonetic similarity, the Egyptian god Heka and the term ‘Eck’ are broadly synonymous. The first quotation by Budge would even suggest that Hu and Heka may denote the same god.

The parallel between Eck and Heka are consistent with the way Twitchell settled on the words Hu and Sugmad as key terms in his philosophy, and even how he came up with the term Eckankar. This term is defined in the Eckankar Dictionary as “co-worker with God.” By examining this word as we did Sugmad and Jahbulon, we find that it is actually made up of three related ideas, as follows:

HEKA = word of power

ON = the sun god (as in Jahbulon)

KA = the Egyptian word for Soul.

Thus HEKA-ON-KA (or Eckankar) means ‘the power of Ra working through the individual.’ When the individual is in this state, he is a “co-worker with God.”

All of these Egyptian gods – Hu, Saa, Maat, Heka – travelled in the sun barque with the sun god Ra. As Herman te Velde (1977) says:

The god Re with the crew of his sun barque defends the cosmos against Apopis [Chaos]...These gods have a particular relationship with Re. As occupants of the ship each expresses an aspect of Re himself. It is clear that Hu and Saa, Maat and Heka are hypostases of [i.e. intrinsic to] the sun god, his authoritative word and insight, his justice and magic power.

These gods were fundamental to the Egyptian myth of creation as taught in the city of Heliopolis (also known as On) during the Old Kingdom, the same time period covered by Joan Grant in her Winged Pharaoh books. For some reason, the founder of Eckankar, like his successor Harold Klemp, had a pronounced affinity with this branch of Egyptian mythology. As a New Age religion, therefore, Eckankar can be regarded as an attempt to revive, in a disguised form, the worship of these occult deities and the sun-god religion of Heliopolis.

28. Derivation of the name Mahanta
Paul Twitchell began expounding his New Age religious philosophy in 1965 and published several books within a few years, setting out comprehensively its tenets and main ideas. However, a key term did not emerge until 1969. This was his concept of the Mahanta, the inner side of the Living ECK Master. Up to then he had used the term ‘Inner Master,’ but this did not prove sufficiently distinctive. He needed an esoteric term which would bind the followers of Eckankar with a single over-powering principle. So, having written and spoken extensively about Eckankar for more than three years, he suddenly introduced perhaps the most fundamental term in his religion, the all-powerful, all-seeing, all-knowing Mahanta.

We thought at first, as others had speculated, that he had manufactured this term from the Buddhist word for respected teacher, namely Mahant, but this completely lacks the occult punch that he wished to deliver. It turns out that the real origin of the word Mahanta is fairly obvious, once the ‘sun barque’ connection is understood. Just as he devised the words Eckankar and Sugmad by collating the names of Egyptian sun-barque gods, he came up with the term Mahanta in a similar fashion, as follows:

MAAT = God of truth, order and harmony – sometimes
spelt MAA, per Encyclopedia Britannica

ON = The sun god (as in Jahbulon)

PTAH = Ra as the rising sun, revered by Masons as the
Universal Architect.

This gives MAA-ON-PTAH or, in its anglicized form, Mahanta. It means, in effect, ‘the incarnate sun god who embodies truth, order and harmony,’ which in esoteric terms is what the Mahanta, the Living ECK Master is to members of Eckankar. It is also why he is called ‘the Godman.’

29. Origin of the ‘EK’ logo
As we have seen, Twitchell derived the term ‘Eck’ directly from the Egyptian sun-barque god of magic, known as ‘Heka.’ This is further borne out by the way he emphasized its magical character in the Eckankar ‘EK’ logo. This logo is protected by copyright and, we understand, may only be used by Eckankar members who have been given prior approval from the Eckankar headquarters in Minneapolis.

The EK logo, which is always enclosed in a circle, has two forms, a stylized one with slightly curved lettering and a version with simpler, linear lettering but with the upright arm of the ‘E’ curving with the circle and slightly foreshortened spokes in the ‘K’. This latter version is used on a lapel pin issued by Eckankar and worn by members around the world.

If the lapel pin logo is turned on its side, it can clearly be seen to denote a pentagram inside a circle. In other words, a magic pentacle! It is astonishing that members of a supposedly ‘spiritual’ organization should wear a pentacle on their lapels. What is even more surprising is that many members of Eckankar do not appear to be aware of its significance and would probably be shocked to learn that it is an occult amulet..

30. Geographical considerations
A lot of valuable material regarding the internal operations of the Illuminati in the United States was made available by former Illuminati members such as John Todd, Cisco Wheeler and a woman mentioned earlier who goes under the name of Svali. In her book, Breaking the Chain, Svali states, in a section entitled, ‘How the Illuminati are organized in the United States’:

“The Illuminati have groups in every major city of the United States. They originally entered the U.S. through Pittsburgh, Pa., and from there, spread across the US. There are 18 cities across the US, which are considered major "power centers" for Illuminati power and/or influence. These include: Washington, DC and the surrounding areas; Albany, New York; Pittsburgh, Pa; the "golden triangle" of the Winston Salem, Raleigh, NC area; Minneapolis, Minn; Ann Arbor, Mich; Wichita, Kan.; Phoenix, Az.; Portland, Or.; Flagstaff, Az.; Seattle, Wash.; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA. and surrounding areas; Atlanta, Ga.; New Orleans, La., Springfield, Miss. Other cities are important to the Illuminati, as well, but these cities funnel money for them, conduct research, and often regional councils sit within them.”

Many of these locations correspond with known concentrations of Eckankar members in the United States. For example, the world headquarters for Eckankar is based in Minneapolis and a large number of members live in what Svali calls “the golden triangle” of North Carolina (Winston Salem, Raleigh and Charlotte). Of the other cities mentioned by Svali, several – New York, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Houston and parts of Michigan – are believed to have an above average number of Eckankar members.

Conclusions

Again, we express our regret for making available material which we know will be unsettling for sincere, non-Illuminati, members of Eckankar. As Constance Cumbey, a Protestant commentator, points out in Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, the New Age movement is designed to lure sincere people away from Christianity, gradually providing ever greater inducements until they drift so far from the protection of Christ that they fall prey to demonic influences. Her research, which was conducted independently, is fully supported by the writings of Fr Seraphim Rose of the Russian Orthodox Church. There are countless warnings in the Bible about this terrible danger but they are ignored. As agents of Lucifer, the Illuminati are incredibly cunning. Few people would align themselves willingly with a Luciferian teaching, but if it is dressed up and disguised in the right way it can be highly seductive. The number of true Christians around the world is falling dramatically, while the number of adherents to disguised Luciferian teachings continues to grow daily.

The evidence set out in this paper shows that Eckankar is definitely not what it seems, that it was set up to lure sincere Christians away from Christianity and sincere Jews away from Judaism. In essence, Eckankar is a cleverly disguised form of high-degree Freemasonry and Egyptian magic. Its uninformed followers are being slowly drawn into an occult web from which it may prove extremely difficult to extract oneself. The end result is not spiritual freedom, but spiritual slavery, or worse.

Questions to ask oneself
The information in this paper should prompt Eckankar members to at least ask themselves the following:

(a) For what specific purpose was Eckankar created, given that it largely duplicates the Indian paths of Sant Mat and Radhasoami? Why did Paul Twitchell plagiarize so extensively?

(b) Why do the Eckankar writings and the Eckankar leadership never reject Lucifer (the Light-bringer) by name and all his works? Why are the dangers posed by Lucifer (as distinct from Satan/Kal) not even mentioned in the Eckankar writings?

(c) Why has the Temple of ECK in Minneapolis got so many elements that embody occult principles and Babylonian religious imagery, as set out in detail in The Dream Weaver Chronicles, published by Eckankar? What is the real purpose of the Temple of ECK?

(d) Referring to the building of the Temple of ECK, both Harold Klemp and James Davis state, rather obliquely, “If you build it, he will come.” Who is the ‘he’ being referred to? Davis also refers to the Temple as “a doorway between the inner and outer worlds” (p.79). Who or what does he expect to come through the doorway?

(e) Why are Eckankar members required to chant for at least a half hour every day a name, Hu, which the higher degrees of Freemasonry associate with Lucifer?

(f) Why does Eckankar endorse telepathic communication with animals, the wearing of magical amulets, and the use of Shamanic cards for divination?

(g) Why did the founder of Eckankar, Paul Twitchell, have a close association with the founder of Scientology, a known Satanist? Why did he describe himself as a Thetan, a term unique to Scientology?

(h) Why has the Living ECK Master, Harold Klemp, consistently referred to both the Freemasons and the Rosicrucians in positive terms?

(i) Why do members of Eckankar celebrate 22 October as the most important date in their annual calendar, a date which their holy book, The Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad, describes as “the full moon of the celestial equinox”? And why was this lunar connection edited out of their holy book in 1987 and The Spiritual Notebook in 1990?

(j) Why does the Living ECK Master, Harold Klemp, endorse deep hypnosis, despite the serious risks that its poses, including the risk of demonic possession?

(k) Why are Eckankar members not told that they are actually worshipping and invoking the magical gods of ancient Egypt?

(l) Why are there so many elements common to both Eckankar and the higher degrees of Freemasonry? These include:

– obeisance to an ancient line of ascended ‘masters’;
– a long series of initiations;
– belief in karma and reincarnation;
– emphasis on a physical temple as a doorway to the inner worlds;
– numerous solar motifs and sun-god references;
– countless positive allusions to the arcane knowledge of Egypt,
Greece, Babylon and the Cabala;
– describing the perfected man as the Master of his craft;
– numerous depictions of, and references to, one of the most powerful
occult symbols, the hexagram or six-pointed star, in their literature
and religious ceremonies;
– frequent use of fire and water symbolism in their ceremonies;
– observance of at least one date of occult significance (the ‘full moon’
date of October 22nd);
– worship of several Egyptian deities, including Ptah, Hu, Saa, Maat,
On and Heka;
– parallels between the structure of the Masonic word Jahbulon and the
words Sugmad, Mahanta and Eckankar;
– an emphatic rejection of countless elements of Christianity;
– a belief in many gods or deities;
– treatment of the Holy Spirit as an impersonal Force to be mastered;
– the practice of astral travel;
– a failure to clearly distinguish beween the works of God and the
works of Lucifer;
– a failure to warn of the dangers posed by Lucifer, the great deceiver;
– several positive allusions to Lucifer in his guise of Light-bringer and
the Morning Star;
– the attachment of special significance to the pyramid/ziggurat shape;
– many instances of occult numerology;
– repeated emphasis on the creative power of the number 3;
– an overriding belief that man can become a god.

A final word of advice
Please be patient with us (the authors), and with yourself, when you have read this article. We could have kept this information about Eckankar to ourselves, but we knew that most members would prefer to know the truth. Remember, there is life outside Eckankar, a beautiful and fulfilling life, despite the frightening picture painted in the Eckankar writings. If you feel you may need counselling to deal with the truth about this path, then it may be advisable to seek it out.

_____

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The Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad, Books 1 and 2, first edition, 1971
The Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad, Books 1 and 2, second edition, 1987
The Spiritual Notebook, first edition, IWP Publishing, 1971
The Spiritual Notebook, second edition, Eckankar, 1990.

Copyright 2008. This paper, or appropriate parts thereof, may be reproduced or circulated in any format without permission provided the authors are acknowledged and no changes of any kind are made to the text.

Authorship: The authors of this paper have researched Eckankar closely for many years. They are not affiliated with any Christian organization or group. For their own protection, they wish to remain anonymous.