The Cult of I AM : The WILD Story of Guy & Edna Ballard's New Age Religious Movement

CW : Anti-s*mitism, f*cism…and me ranting about capitalism (again).

The new age world is murky, filled with ascended masters, violet flames and people talking about their "I AM presence" - but where did all of that come from?

In the 1930's, Guy & Edna Ballard started their cult of I AM - a new age religious movement and offshoot of Helena Blavatsky's theosophical teachings, and the work of neo-theosophists like Alice Bailey and C.W Leadbeater. They were guided by the ascended masters - a group of spiritual advisors that Guy, Edna and their son Donald claimed to have direct contact with, including Jesus and St Germain.

But behind the brightly coloured charts and strangely aesthetically appealing artwork, lies a more sinister story, connecting this world of new age woo-woo directly to f*scists and right-wing ideology that's still very much present to this day.

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Special thanks to Triskaidekapho13ic for helping source archive materials & creating an amazing sources document for me...

SOURCES 📜
https://bit.ly/3O8OAXZ

CHAPTERS 🕮
00:00:00 INTRO
00:01:30 PART I: A Man, A Mountain & A Master
00:20:28 PART II : SILVER SHIRTS & SILVER TONGUES
00:38:49 PART III : TAKING THE SHOW ON THE ROAD
00:58:20 PART IV : FRAUD, FEDS & THE FINAL ASCENSION
01:14:59 PART V : THE MIGHTY I AM LEGACY

MUSIC
Part I : Godstar by Psychic TV
Part II : Nothing To Me by Sanford Clark
Part III : Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show by Neil Diamond
Part IV : No Money In My Pocket - Bobby Womack
Part V : I Am What I Am by Gloria Gaynor
Title : Moon Is Blue by Colourbox

OTHER STUFF
📷 Instagram 📷 @weirdreadsemilylouise
🐦 Twitter 🐦 @weirdreadsemily

P.S I'm sorry I disappeared for two months. This video took a LOT of research and reading to put together, and I actually filmed an entirely different version that I wasn't happy with. Thank you for watching and remembering I exist xoxo