Our Master & Our Teacher
An introduction to the Lord Maitreya and His work for the Earth, 
and to Ananda Tara Shan, Mother Founder of The Theosophical Fellowship 
Prepared by the President's Office, August 1995 - updated February 2021
 

1. Ananda Tara Shan wrote:

'The Lord Maitreya is the Risen Christ-Buddha and He is my Master Who I have learned to love and Who I now write about for you, Children of the Heart, to come to know and to love. For only if you know Him and love Him will you open your hearts to Him, take Him in, and thus redeem yourselves of your past, present, and future. For only if you know Him and love Him, will you make the strenuous effort of taking initiation before the Christed One and His two Christ assistants – Lord Jesus and Lord Kuthumi, and so become helpers of the Christ and support Him in the raising of the Earth’s vibrations from matter to matter inspirited, which will slowly result in the Earth becoming a sacred planet.

2. The Lord Maitreya is an energy that also may appear in a form, namely that of a Master strong of body, with radiant violet eyes and long red hair.

3. The Lord Maitreya has been the Bodhisattva – the Christ of Earth – since the Lord Gautama became the Buddha 2,500 years ago. The Lord Maitreya is a Great Son of God and, on the inner levels, is now also a Buddha; hence we should know Him as the Risen Christ-Buddha, Who will become the Buddha of Earth in 500 years, through an earthly embodiment for which a number of disciples, initiates, and Masters are now preparing. Whenever a Cosmic Avatar is to embody, 500 years before this event takes place, the final education and preparation of these souls is planned and carried out.

4. The Lord Maitreya has many titles and many names. He is an embodiment of the Second Aspect of the Solar Logos, the aspect of Love Wisdom, and His light and love not only flow all over the Earth, but are felt on all planets in the solar system.'
 

The Master, the Lord Maitreya
5. The Christ of Earth, also known as the Bodhisattva, is the Head of the Hierarchy – the inner spiritual government of Earth. This spiritual government is a group of enlightened, very advanced spiritual beings working on the Seven Rays, Who guide and govern the Earth and humanity on the path of evolution according to the Will of God.

6. The Office of the Christ is a very special and elevated position and one of great responsibility. The Master Who stands in that office is a Great Son of the Logos, and works with His or Her superiors, the Buddha and the Lord of the World, to guide and direct the efforts of the Hierarchy to help fulfill God's Plan for Earth.

7. This office within the Hierarchy is on the second ray, the ray of love and wisdom, teaching and education; and thus the Christ is also known as the World Teacher, the Teacher of Angels and Men, reflecting the great work of this office in the education of all beings.

8. The Lord Maitreya is the name of the Being Who is currently the Christ of Earth. He has been the Christ for the last 2,500 years – ever since He took over that work from the Lord Gautama when that great Master became the Buddha of Earth.
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9. We also speak of Lord Maitreya as the Christ-Buddha, or Maitreya Buddha, because He Himself is now moving out of the Christ Office and into the Buddha Office within the Hierarchy, and therefore has the radiation of both positions. Parallel to this process, the Christ Office is gradually being taken over by the Lord Jesus and the Lord Kuthumi, Who will work in that position together in the not so distant future.

10. The Lord Maitreya is a very great Master Who has walked as a human being on Earth, perfecting His human and spiritual self through incarnation after incarnation of human life. 'Maitreya' is the Sanskrit word meaning compassion, and the Lord Maitreya has taken that name because this is a very great quality that He possesses – gained through experiencing great suffering from developing His heart centre.

11. We are most familiar with the energy and presence of the Lord Maitreya from when He overshadowed Lord Jesus 2,000 years ago, to give of His particular energy to Earth and humanity. This is why we speak of that Being as 'Jesus Christ'. The Lord Jesus was a Master in His own right, and He let the Lord Maitreya, the Christ, step into His bodies to utilise them, in order to perform certain work needed on Earth.

12. When the body of Lord Jesus was crucified, it was the 'blood' of the Lord Maitreya that fell upon the Earth; and when His blood touched the Earth, the Spirit of Maitreya entered deep into the consciousness of this planet.

13. The Spirit of Maitreya has worked thus within the Earth for the last 2,000 years to help in the process of the sanctification of this planet, and the spiritual evolution of humanity. In the new phase which has commenced recently, this Spirit of the Lord Maitreya has risen from the depths of the Earth to become a new, living light that surrounds the Earth, a light which is visible as a gold and pink fire rising from within the planet and radiating from it.

14. This is why we also speak now of the Lord Maitreya as the 'Living Risen Christ'. The Christ has never been 'dead', and never will be dead upon this Earth. The death of the Christ as Christianity perceived it, and has taught it, was only an appearance from when the Spirit of the Christ descended and was concealed within the depths of the Earth. In this act, the Christ sacrificed Himself, through His boundless compassion, into the body of this planet to serve the great Plan of God in releasing the Earth from pain and suffering, and helping to lift it through the Portals of Initiation. The Earth itself is a living entity which evolves along the Path of Initiation, as do all living beings. Currently, the Earth is preparing for a higher initiation.

15. The Lord Maitreya seeks to inspire all living beings, especially humanity, to help in this process of healing the Earth; and The Theosophical Fellowship has a particular dharma to cooperate and help the Hierarchy in this work.

16. The Lord Maitreya has, as do other Masters of the Hierarchy, a retreat on Earth that is His abode and focus from which He works. This retreat is in the Himalayas. The Lord Maitreya's new and future abode is the New Himalaya Retreat in Australia, where the first Church of Maitreya for All Faiths has been built. The church is a shrine to this great Master, a focal point and anchor of His Light. It is from Australia that His plan – a plan which is to take place over the next 500 years – is to reach far into the Western world, and into all countries, to fulfill the next phase of God's Plan to unify East and West, and form a new spiritual pathway that all of humanity can follow.

17. The Lord Maitreya is a real living being, as are the other Masters, and He walks on Earth in a physical body. He does not walk amongst humanity because His Light is so intense it would cause disturbance and disharmony in the vast majority of people, as they are not purified enough, or mature enough in their spiritual consciousness or personality, to take such energy. You can imagine it as like trying to stand next to the sun.

18. However, when we believe in Him, we open our hearts to Him, and we can find and experience His presence and energy in our lives. This, in turn, helps us purify and mature spiritually so that we one day may walk in His presence. Although having a focus in Australia, the presence of the Lord Maitreya can be found everywhere in the world. His work is for the world, and His Spirit inspires all of willing heart and mind who would serve Him and the Cause.

19. By believing in the Lord Maitreya, by studying and learning about the Hierarchy and Their way of working (through the study of Theosophy), we may better cooperate with Their great work for this Earth. Every person can help, no matter the degree of spiritual development he or she has, because it is the great number of willing and open hearts that will help save the Earth from destruction. How much we believe in Christ the Lord Maitreya, and how much we pray and hope from within for His Light to be with us, and all people, and the Earth, will make our hearts willing in the work.

20. When we open to the energy of the Lord Maitreya, and pray that His presence shall reach into the countries of the world where there is warfare, starvation, natural catastrophes – His presence is there. When we pray that the suffering may be alleviated, that peaceful solutions be found and violence ended, that food and resources be shared so none shall starve, and especially that the children be cared for and loved so that they may grow and mature in His light and become the foundation for His New Age, the Age of Maitreya, we are contributing to the work of the Hierarchy.

21. Thus, every day we may help to further the Cause and the Lord Maitreya’s work with our thoughts, actions, prayers and meditations, and when we come together in service.
 

About Ananda Tara Shan,
Mother Founder of The Theosophical Fellowship
 
22. Just as the Lord Maitreya over-shadowed Lord Jesus to teach and reach a certain part of humanity 2,000 years ago, so does He work today. Older souls who have dedicated themselves to working for the Hierarchy can be overshadowed by the Lord Maitreya, radiating His light and love to a greater or lesser extent, depending upon the development and abilities of the soul and personality that is being overshadowed. The Lord Maitreya and the Hierarchy are, in this phase, utilising what is termed a group avatar*, which consists of twenty developed souls who each will contribute with his or her own special skills and experience, as each comes into the work over the next 500 years. 

23. Ananda Tara Shan accepted the opportunity given in this life to work directly with the Lord Maitreya as His disciple, which has enabled the Lord Maitreya to utilise her bodies in a special manner. His energy can be felt in the work of Ananda: through her writing, teaching, meditations, church services, through The Theosophical Fellowship, and within the Mother Church which is built upon His light.

24. It is very hard and strict to be a disciple of the Lord Maitreya. Every action, every manifestation must uphold His light, and this often necessitates much more time and energy being invested into the various projects than would at first seem necessary. However, it is vital that His laws be upheld, even if at times the personality would like things to happen differently, for it is in living by His laws that we can truly be of service to the Hierarchy. It is this that makes it so difficult for a disciple to really work for Maitreya:  decisions and work effort must be constantly looked upon, discussed, and often changed to give the work correctness and total truth.

25. The following paragraphs give a brief description of Ananda's life, the life of a disciple of unwavering dedication to the Hierarchy and the Lord Maitreya, from which we may gain inspiration and understanding of how we, in our own lives, may find hope and courage to serve the Hierarchy and the Lord Maitreya.

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26. Ananda's interest in spiritual matters was present from an early age, but became consciously directed in 1973 when she became a pupil of a teacher of meditation and healing. Ananda learned much from this teacher, and apart from the instruction she received, her own inner spiritual understanding and knowledge were stimulated and began to become more conscious in her own mind.

27. With her knowledge of esoteric psychology and Theosophy, and with the spiritual abilities she brought with her from past embodiments, Ananda began to do spiritual healing work in 1974. Very quickly she discovered she had a natural ability to see clairvoyantly – not only seeing the aura around the personality, but also the higher ability of soul clairvoyance that enabled her to see the soul of the person she was healing, which revealed much about that person's karma and dharma, and enabled her to offer appropriate guidance.

28. Ananda's interest in spiritual matters soon drew her to the Theosophical Society in Denmark, which she joined in 1975 believing that she had found people of kindred spirit who sought the same ways of serving the Hierarchy as she had inwardly come to understand; however, many changes were yet to unfold.

29. In June of 1977, a special phase of Ananda's life began. She and her family were on vacation when Ananda was asked by the Hierarchy to meditate in a particular fashion for two hours every day in order to facilitate certain specific work to be done in her inner consciousness. 

30. During this period of ten weeks, Ananda had very strong inner experiences where certain Masters of the Hierarchy came to her, and gave her instructions and training in preparation for work They had asked her to commence. Much work was done on her inner bodies to awaken her personality to her soul.

31. Following this period, Ananda's work for the Hierarchy commenced more definitely and consciously. She started to do Earth Healing Services using the Cosmic Service, the text for which was given by the Lord Kuthumi to Ananda and another soul mate. These Services, and other meetings, were initially held at a private residence.

32. At the same time in the late 1970's, Ananda was president of a rapidly growing lodge of the Theosophical Society, and was considering standing for election to become the General Secretary of the Society in Denmark.

33. Ananda believed that the members of the Danish Theosophical Society were progressive people who thought as she did, namely, how wonderful it would be to create a truly living Theosophical centre, bringing Theosophy to a practical level in such things as a kindergarten and school. However, Ananda found out that her work for the Masters had to take place outside of the Theosophical Society – in an organisation with a similar structure, but with certain changes that brought forth the Aquarian Age in its new way of working spiritually.

34. Ananda then commenced working on her own, with the group which had formed around her to do the work. Some of the members of this group were very close soul mates of Ananda, and they were able to renew their abilities to work together in a special way for the Hierarchy. It was from this time, for example, that the meditation book, The Seventeen Steps to Perfection, was written.

35. Unfortunately, as has also been the case since then, many of the soul mates working closely with Ananda at that time found the confrontations to the personality more than they wished to deal with, and left the Cause, creating much sadness in Ananda, who knew of their dharma to work together for the Hierarchy. 

36. Although suffering from many such setbacks over the years, Ananda was always able to continue by drawing upon the strength of her soul, and upon her unwavering belief in the Hierarchy and the need for Their work to be done for the Earth and humanity. Her continued dedication to serving the Hierarchy, to seeing the truth, and to sacrificing the personality self  gave her the courage to always work through those difficulties.

37. Throughout this time, the group in Denmark, initially called the Circle of Light, gradually grew. In 1979 centres were beginning to develop in different areas of Denmark, offering meditation, Earth Healing Services, courses, and training in healing.

38. In 1980 Ananda went with two co-workers, Pauli T. Pallesen and Annie Hasling, to visit America. On this journey Ananda had further very strong inner visions and experiences where her connection to H.P. Blavatsky (1831 - 1891, the founder of the Theosophical Society) was revealed to her, awakening many experiences and understandings from her own past.

39. With the group in Denmark well established, Ananda followed her inner guidance to move to Melbourne, Australia, to settle there with her family in October 1982. A small group of coworkers joined her there to help in the work. 

40. Upon the journey from Denmark to Australia, a short sojourn was spent in New York. It was here that Ananda asked to work directly under the Lord Maitreya as His disciple, as well as to continue to work under the Chohans of the Hierarchy Who she was more used to. This request, and the subsequent acceptance by the Lord Maitreya, changed the dharma and karma of Ananda considerably, making her Path much more difficult to walk.

41. In Australia, Ananda immediately commenced the work, running courses to teach people about the Hierarchy, the Seven Rays, healing techniques, and many other Theosophical teachings. The courses were well attended, and Ananda was also very busy giving individual sessions as a clairvoyant reader and healer. Gradually a group of people began to form in Australia who showed dedication to the Cause and a desire to give of their time and resources to this work for the Hierarchy.

42. For the first ten years of Ananda's work in Australia, similar effects occurred in the group as had occurred in Denmark – many people devoted themselves wholeheartedly, only to find that the resulting speed of spiritual development and opportunities to receive and give the Light within the organisation created confrontations to the personality that many did not want to face – despite Ananda's continued teaching and example of the joys that can be found when one truly opens to soul and surrenders the personality will.

43. Although many have stayed, many have also left – for many disciples who should have responded to the Call of Maitreya have chosen to close their hearts and minds to Him, preferring easier paths.

44. In 1984-85, the Hierarchy commenced a new way of working through Ananda, whereby certain beings within the Hierarchy would transmit energy through her in the form of words and prophecies sung or spoken during services and meditations. Many of these transmissions reveal much about the work to be done for the Earth and what humanity can and must do to help. In 1986, the Avatar of Synthesis (a great Cosmic Being, embodying the Will of God), commenced to utilise Ananda as a vehicle.

45. Also in 1986, Ananda added the name 'Ananda', which means 'blissful', to her other spiritual names, bringing down more of the Second Ray quality of her soul into her daily work.

46. In 1991, Ananda moved to the New Himalaya Retreat in Daylesford, a small country town ninety minutes northwest of Melbourne. The New Himalaya Retreat encompasses the Headquarters of The Theosophical Fellowship, and is where the Church of Maitreya for All Faiths has been built. The land upon which the Headquarters is built bears the name of Heart Glade, and is where Ananda lived with her husband, Pauli T. Pallesen, who is the President of the Fellowship.

47. Through Ananda's love for the work of the Lord Maitreya and the Hierarchy, together with the stimulation of her own soul, her spiritual development was very rapid. She had to work hard within the personality in this lifetime to help bring that initiated understanding down into the personality consciousness. The effects of this process as the soul light entered strongly into her personality were many, due to karma, and some physical problems occurred over the years.

48. Also, as the kundalini (the inner spiritual fire, located in the base of the spine) rose and became stronger and stronger, her spine was affected to the extent that it was unable to support her for any length of time. Hence, during this process, Ananda could walk very little, and used a wheelchair.

49. All of these symptoms were caused by the necessity to pay off rapidly a certain karma from the past that needed to be neutralised before higher soul initiations could manifest fully in the personality. Such disturbances to the physical body are usual for disciples of higher degree to experience in their development. When the karma is paid back, many of these physical disabilities disappear.

50. A member of the Hierarchy has been educated over many embodiments to become a Theosophical teacher. Ananda's education in this lifetime was simply a continuation of her past education to enable her to walk the Path and fulfil her particular dharma. Although many people may speak wise words, what can be felt in the teachings given by a true Theosophical teacher is not only the Ancient Wisdom, but also the great Love and Presence of the Master Who stands behind that teacher. 

51. Through the teachings given out by our teacher, Ananda Tara Shan, we can feel the Wisdom of the Ages and be uplifted into the great love poured out by her Master, the Lord Maitreya. 

52. Through the gift of these teachings, a door is opened to the whole new world that awaits us, the world of Maitreya, the world of the Children of the Heart – a world we can look forward to sharing together.
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*An avatar is a greater or lesser Cosmic Being Who embodies a purpose or quality to serve God's Plan on Earth. Examples of avatars on Earth are Lord Jesus Christ and Lord Gautama Buddha as Cosmic Avatars, and now the Avatar of Synthesis as the Avatar of Will, plus a number of higher and lesser avatars.