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Short 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
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.)
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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.
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:
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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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:
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.
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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.
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.
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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).
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.’
“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.
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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.
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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);
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“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).
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.”
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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.”
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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.)
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.
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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.”
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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.
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:
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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.
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.’
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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..
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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.
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(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;
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– 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.
_____
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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.
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