Many people today speak of the Council of Light. Some mean the Venusian Council of Light, whose transmissions fill much of this library. Others mean, more generally, the whole company of Ascended Masters, Archangels and other beings who serve the Earth together. This page explains why the beings of light so often work as councils, names the councils most often described in the teachings, and offers a simple way of asking a council for help.
Why the Beings of Light Work in Councils
Each Ascended Master is a fully individual being, with a history, a ray and a manner of their own. And yet the teachings say that at a certain point in their service they choose to join their light with others, so that they can act as one. A council, in this sense, is not a committee that votes. It is a group of beings so closely united in purpose that they can think, feel and speak together.
The reason they give is service. Humanity is immensely varied: in its beliefs, its needs and its stages of awakening. A single being, however great, meets each person through one particular quality. A council can meet each person through whichever quality will help them most, the firmness of an Archangel, the experience of a Master or the gentleness of the Venusian frequency, while remaining one presence.
This is why transmissions from a council use the word we. Our circle has noticed that the Venusian Council's we is not a manner of speaking. When Maris Avenell receives them, she describes it as listening to a chord: many notes, one sound.
Councils Named in the Teachings
The Venusian Council of Light
Twelve seats around a rose-gold flame
The council of Venus, presided over by Lady Venus, with the Seven Holy Kumaras, emissaries to the angelic kingdom, to nature and to other worlds, and a twelfth seat held by a Master of the Earth as the Voice of Humanity. Its frequency is love, expressed as beauty and harmony. See The Venusian Council of Light.
The Council of Shamballa
The spiritual government of the Earth
The council that gathers around the Lord of the World at Shamballa. The teachings name Gautama Buddha, Maitreya and Sanat Kumara, who serves as Regent, among its members. It holds the pattern for the whole evolution of the planet.
The Karmic Board
Eight Masters who dispense mercy
The council that oversees the working of karma for the Earth, reviews the records of souls before birth, and grants dispensations of mercy. Its members include Kuan Yin, Lady Nada, Lady Portia and Pallas Athena. See Karma and the Karmic Board.
The Council of the Chohans
The Lords of the seven rays
The seven Chohans, meeting under the Maha Chohan, to coordinate the work of the rays. A related council is said to gather around El Morya at the Temple of Good Will, above the Himalayan foothills, concerned with the right use of will and with the guidance of those who lead.
The Solar Councils
Around Helios and Vesta
The councils of the Sun, around the beings the teachings call Helios and Vesta, the God and Goddess of this solar system. They are described as the source of the light that reaches all the worlds of our system, including Venus and the Earth. Little is said of them in detail, and our circle has received nothing from them directly.
One Family Working Together
It is easy, reading about so many councils, to imagine a complicated bureaucracy of heaven. The teachings describe something much simpler. All these councils are parts of one family, the Spiritual Hierarchy, and they work together without rivalry. A person who calls on the Council of Light, without naming any council in particular, is heard. The help that comes is shaped to what they need: sometimes it carries the firmness of an Archangel, sometimes the patience of a Master, sometimes the tenderness of Venus.
Councils Beyond the Solar System
Many modern sources speak of galactic councils and federations, of star nations and of beings from distant systems who are said to be assisting the Earth. Some of this material is thoughtful and kind. Some of it is frightening, dated or grandiose. Our circle has never received anything from such sources, and we take no position on them.
What the Venusian Council has told us is about themselves: that contact with them is inward, through the heart, that they do not travel in craft, and that they do not issue commands or give dates. We apply the same tests to every message, whatever its stated origin. They are set out in Discernment and Protection.
The Councils and Your Purpose
The teachings say that before each birth a soul meets with those who will help it, and agrees on the purpose of the coming life: the lessons it will learn and the service it will give. The Karmic Board is described as present at that meeting, and souls are said to be brought to the Temple of the Morning Star on Venus at such turning points. Many people who sense that they came here to do something particular, and cannot yet say what, are remembering that meeting.
The councils do not hand out missions from above. They help each soul to remember the purpose it has already chosen, and to find the courage and the circumstances to live it.
Asking a Council for Help
1. Be still
Sit quietly and bring your attention to the heart. Take several slow breaths.
2. Picture the circle
Picture a ring of tall, quiet figures standing around you, in soft light of whatever color comes to mind. You do not need to see faces.
3. Offer yourself
Say: Council of Light, I am willing to serve. Show me my part. The teachings say that the beings of light respond most fully to a willingness to help, rather than to a wish to be helped, though they gladly answer both.
4. Ask one question
Ask one clear question about your purpose or your next step. Then be silent.
5. Receive and record
Notice whatever comes: a word, an image, a feeling, a memory. Write it down without judging it.
6. Give thanks
Thank the council, and let the circle dissolve. Watch over the following days for the answer to arrive in other forms as well.
Is the Council of Light the same as the Venusian Council of Light?
Not exactly. The Venusian Council is one particular council, the one our circle has received since 2009. The Council of Light is a wider name, used for the whole company of beings who serve the Earth together, of which the Venusian Council is a part.
Can I channel a council?
Yes. Councils are often gentle to begin with, because their manner is courteous and unhurried. Begin with the guidance in Learning to Channel.
Why do councils speak as we?
Because they are, in the teachings' account, many beings acting as one. A message that claims to come from a council but sounds like a single opinion, or that commands, is worth testing carefully.