Spiritual Research Society

The Spiritual Research Society was an early American New Age group founded by Edwin Cain, Sr., and his wife, Nellie Cain. The society can be traced to a psychic development circle that the Cains, both Spiritualists, organized in their home. During these sessions, Nellie began to channel messages purported to be from the Great White Brotherhood, the group of advanced beings believed by Theosophists to guide the destiny of the human race. These messages were compiled and published in 1965 as Gems of Truth from the Masters. A copy was sent to Merta Mary Parkinson, head of the Sisters of the Amber. Parkinson's group was an early representative of the Universal Link, the original New Age organization headquartered in England. As a result a relationship developed between the Cains and British New Agers such as Libbie Pugh.

The Cains were introduced to the prediction that a momentous event would occur near Christmas Day 1967. The day came and went with nothing momentous having occurred. The Cains later explained to the disappointed Link members that the predictions had been fulfilled in a somewhat unexpected manner. They stated that during the years before 1967, human life had been tried and tested at every level. During the 1960s, a visible network of spiritual groups had been established through the Universal Link. The late 1960s was a time to shift the emphasis to the invisible work of spiritual practice, which would spread the spiritual energy in the world. They suggested a program termed the Nuclear Evolution Operation, through which the invisible spiritual light would be radiated to humanity.

Sources:

Cain, Nellie B. Exploring the Mysteries of Life. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Spiritual Research Society, 1972.

——. Gems of Truth from the Masters. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Spiritual Research Society, 1965.