Serapis Bey

Serapis Bey, sometimes written as Serapis, is regarded in Theosophy as being one of the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom; and in the Ascended Master Teachings is considered to be an Ascended Master and member of the Great White Brotherhood. He is regarded as the Chohan (or Lord) of the Fourth Ray^[1] (see Seven Rays). C.W. Leadbeater wrote that Henry Steele Olcott was given occult training by Serapis Bey when his own master, Morya, was unavailable. ^[2] A series of alleged letters from Serapis to Olcott encouraging him to support Blavatsky in the founding of The Theosophical Society were published in the book Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom. ^[3]

Incarnations

It is thought that Serapis Bey was incarnated as a high priest in one of the "Temples of the Sacred Fire" on Atlantis who migrated to Egypt at the time of the destruction of Atlantis. ^[4] It is also believed that he was incarnated as the Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep III (who constructed the Temple of Luxor to the god Amon) ^[5] and also as Leonidas, the King of Sparta^[6], who was killed in 480 BC defending the pass of Thermopylae against the invasion of Greece by Xerxes I, Emperor of the Persian Empire.

Ascension

Adherents of the Ascended Master Teachings believe that Serapis Bey, after being killed as Leonidas in the battle of Thermopylae, immediately reembodied as Phidias (c.480 BC - c.430 BC), the greatest of all classical Greek sculptors. ^{[7] [8] [9]} He then attained his Ascension, becoming an Ascended Master about 400 BC. ^[10]

Identification with the Hellenistic deity Serapis

Serapis Bey has been identified by Theosophists and those adherent to the Ascended Master Teachings with the god Serapis who was the syncretic Hellenistic/Egyptian god created by King Ptolemy I to be the deity of his capital city of Alexandria. ^[11] Serapis was the patron deity of the Library of Alexandria. ^[12]

Function in the spiritual hierarchy

C.W. Leadbeater wrote that many artists are on the fourth ray of harmony and beauty, which Serapis Bey is said to oversee as Chohan. ^[2] In the teachings of Alice A. Bailey the fourth ray is called the ray of harmony through conflict^[1]. Ascended Master Teachings organizations consider Serapis Bey to be the Chohan of the Fourth Ray of Purity, Harmony, and Discipline.^[7]

Skeptical view

The scholar K. Paul Johnson maintains that the "Masters" that Madame Blavatsky wrote about and produced letters from were actually idealizations of people who were her mentors. ^[13]

Also see the article “Talking to the Dead and Other Amusements” by Paul Zweig New York Times October 5, 1980, which maintains that Madame Blavatsky's revelations were fraudulent.

Notes

Sources

• Leadbeater, C.W. The Masters and the Path Adyar, Madras, India: 1925 Theosophical Publishing House
• Prophet, Mark L. and Elizabeth Clare Lords of the Seven Rays Livingston, Montana, U.S.A.:1986 - Summit University Press

Further reading

This article's further reading may not follow Wikipedia's content policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive, less relevant or many publications with the same point of view.

• Campbell, Bruce F. A History of the Theosophical Movement Berkeley:1980 University of California Press
• Godwin, Joscelyn. The Theosophical Enlightenment Albany, New York: 1994 State University of New York Press
• Johnson, K. Paul The Masters Revealed: Madam Blavatsky and Myth of the Great White Brotherhood Albany, New York: 1994 State University of New York Press
• Melton, J. Gordon Encyclopedia of American Religions 5th Edition New York:1996 Gale Research ISBN 0-8103-7714-4 ISSN 1066-1212 Chapter 18--"The Ancient Wisdom Family of Religions" Pages 151-158; see chart on page 154 listing Masters of the Ancient Wisdom; Also see Section 18, Pages 717-757 Descriptions of Various Ancient Wisdom Religious Organizations