The Spiritual Hierarchy

The ascension teachings describe a great company of beings who have taken responsibility for the evolution of life on Earth. They call it the Spiritual Hierarchy. The word can sound cold and official. The beings themselves describe it more warmly, as a family: one in which the elder members serve the younger, and in which every member, without exception, is on the way to becoming what the eldest already are.

A Family, Not a Ladder

In ordinary human life, a hierarchy is usually a structure of command, in which those above direct those below and are served by them. The Spiritual Hierarchy is described as the reverse. Those who have attained the most serve the most. Each office exists to pass light and help downward, and each being in it is said to be eager for those below to rise and take their place.

The teachings also make clear that the Hierarchy does not override free will. Its members do not rule the Earth. They hold a pattern of what is possible, offer help when it is asked for, and wait with great patience for humanity to choose.

Names for the Hierarchy

The same family has been called by many names:

• The Great White Brotherhood. An old name, still widely used. The word white refers to the radiance of light around these beings, and has nothing whatever to do with race. The Masters come from every people on Earth. Nor does brotherhood exclude women. The Lady Masters are full members, and many students now prefer to say the Great Brotherhood and Sisterhood of Light.
• The Elder Brothers and Sisters of humanity. A name that emphasizes kinship rather than rank.
• The Communion of Saints. An older Christian phrase that many students find fits very well.
• The Councils of Light. A name often used today, especially when the beings speak together. See The Councils of Light.

From the Source to the Earth

The teachings describe a series of offices through which the light of the Source reaches the Earth. The table below gives them as they are most often described, from the most universal to the most near.

Office	Held by	Service
The Source	I AM THAT I AM	The one life from which all things come.
The Great Central Sun	Alpha and Omega, the Father-Mother God	The heart of the cosmos, from which the light of creation flows outward.
The Sun of this system	Helios and Vesta	The God and Goddess of the solar system, through whom the light reaches every world that circles our Sun.
The Builders of Form	The Seven Elohim	The great beings who build the forms of creation on the seven rays.
The Angelic Kingdom	The Archangels and Archeiai	Radiate the pure quality of each ray and direct the angels who carry it.
Lord of the World	Gautama Buddha	Keeps the flame of life for the whole planet at Shamballa.
Regent Lord of the World	Sanat Kumara	The first Lord of the World, now serving from Venus.
Planetary Buddha and Cosmic Christ	Maitreya	The great initiator, who holds the Christ consciousness for the Earth.
World Teachers	Kuthumi and Sananda	Responsible for the spiritual education of humanity in every tradition.
The Great Lord	The Maha Chohan	Represents the Holy Spirit, and oversees the seven Chohans.
The Seven Chohans	El Morya, Lord Lanto, Paul the Venetian, Serapis Bey, Hilarion, Lady Nada and Saint Germain	Administer the seven rays for the Earth and train those developing on them.
The Karmic Board	A council of eight Masters	Oversees the working of karma and dispenses mercy. See Karma and the Karmic Board.
The Ascended Masters	An open and growing company	Teach, sponsor and serve in countless ways.
The angels and the kingdom of nature	Countless beings	Serve every living thing, often unseen.

Different lineages arrange these offices somewhat differently, and some name offices that are not listed here. The arrangement above is the one used throughout this library. It is offered as a map, and like every map it is simpler than the territory.

Offices Change Hands

One of the most hopeful features of these teachings is that the offices of the Hierarchy are not held forever by the same beings. When a soul has grown able to carry an office, the one who held it is free to move on to wider service. Sanat Kumara held the office of Lord of the World alone for an immense time, until Gautama was ready to take it. Maitreya held the office of World Teacher, and passed it to Kuthumi and Sananda. Lady Nada took up the Sixth Ray from the Master Jesus.

The teachings draw a simple conclusion. The Hierarchy is not a closed circle. Every office in it is held, for now, by someone who was once where we are.

Masters of Earth and Beings From Beyond

Most of the beings described in this library either ascended from the Earth or belong to the angelic kingdom. The teachings also speak of cosmic beings: great souls who have never taken human embodiment on this planet and who serve it from beyond. The Venusian Council of Light belongs, in part, to this group, and so do the Elohim and the Sun beings Helios and Vesta.

Many modern sources go further and describe galactic federations, commands and fleets of craft. Our circle has never received anything of this kind, and we take no position on it. We would only say that the same tests apply to every source: whether it is loving, whether it is free of fear, flattery and command, and whether it leaves you more able to stand on your own. These tests are set out in Discernment and Protection.

Where You Belong in It

The Hierarchy is not something you look up at from outside. The teachings say that every person on the path is already part of it: at the beginning, perhaps, but within it. Every kindness you do is a small act of the same service the Masters perform. Every time you help someone a little younger on the path than you are, you are doing what they do. In their words, the Hierarchy is simply what love looks like when it is organized.

Questions People Ask

Related Entries

• The Ascended Masters
• The Seven Elohim
• The Councils of Light
• The Path of Initiation