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RAMTHA SCHOOL OF ENLIGHTENMENT (RSE) HISTORY 1946 - Judith Darlene Hampton was born in Roswell, New Mexico. She later became known as Judy Zebra Knight, as a result of her preference for black and white clothing preferences or worldview, and then JZ Knight. 1947 – The famous UFO sighting in Roswell, New Mexico occurred. Knight was raised a fundamentalist Baptist, grew up in poverty; and her parents worked as migrant laborers. Knight married Chris Hensley, a high school acquaintance, and had two sons, Brandon and Christopher. The marriage ended after the second child, reportedly due to Chris’ alcohol abuse and infidelity Knight was enrolled briefly in a university and business college. She later worked in the cable television industry. Her work led her to move to Tacoma, Washington. 1977 - One day in February The One appeared before her. 1978 - Ramtha first spoke to the public in 1978. 1978-1988 Classes (or "dialogues") were held in 24 cities around the world. 1983 – First two volumes of Ramtha’s teachings were released. 1985 - Knight's popularity among the stars lead to her appearance on the Merv Griffin Show. 2000 – Estimated number of followers ranges from 3,000 – 6,000. MYTH JZ Knight Knight had several paranormal experiences early in her life Prior to her reported experience with Ramtha, she recounts visiting a locale fortune-teller and being informed that she might meet The One. When Ramtha appeared to Knight, he informed her that she was greatly loved, that she would be a source of enlightenment to the world, and that he would help her over the “ditch” of fear and limitation. Ramtha chose to channel through JZ rather than present himself in human form for several reasons. Ramtha The story of Ramtha is contained in Ramtha: The White Book, one of the principal texts in the RSE canon. Ramtha is a warrior who lived on Earth some 35,000 years ago. Ramtha lived only one life incarnate on this plane of existence. Ramtha was born into poverty, and his people were refugees from the continent of Lemuria who lived in poverty in the slums of Onai, a port city of Atlatia [Atlantis]. The Atlanteans worshiped the intellect and had built their society on science and technology, while the Lemurians developed their spiritual gifts, revering a power they referred to as the “Unknown God.” As a child, Ramtha witnessed his mother raped in the street, and both she and the child born of the assault later died. At age 14, Ramtha led an army of Lemurian slaves that defeated the Atlantians. He opened the granaries to feed the poor before burning the city to the ground. The size of his army grew and he was regarded as a great warrior. He was stabbed severely during one battle, but miraculously he did not die. Ramtha became enlightened over the next seven years as he was recovering from his wounds. In the beginning there was infinity of Thought, which is the equivalent of God. God was thought with form. God assumed a unique form when Thought contemplated Thought. A basic dynamic of the universe is that contemplation of thought expands Thought. The contemplation of Thought expanded into Light. Humanity came into being as “particums” of Light, with each particum becoming an individual being and a god, an individual representation of the Mind of God. The particums of Light in turn contemplated the idea of Light into matter, which produced the physical universe. The light beings also created all of the forms of life that inhabit Earth. The light beings decided to assume material form, becoming god-men who then evolved over time. Each individual, therefore, is a human manifestation of God, which allows the eternal expansion of Thought. Initially, light beings lived in their material bodies as immortal entities. As physical beings, however, the light beings began to lose touch with their divinity and experience limitations, confining them to material existence. When humans lost the power of the Gods, they fell into the "ditch of limitation." Traditional forms of religion have been one of the main forces in suppressing beings’ understanding of their divine nature by teaching that God and humanity are separate when in fact they are one. Once students learn that it is their own consciousness and energy that create the nature of reality, they are empowered overcome their apparent limitations and to express their actual divine nature. RITUAL During some time periods Ramtha took over her body for as much as half the year. During the channelling ritual Knight insists that when Ramtha is present, she is not. During the Dialogues at RSE Knight vacates her body and has no knowledge of what transpires during a session. When channeling Ramtha, Knight’s demeanor, vocal intonation, and facial expressions change, and her body seems to swell. Her clothes usually change; Ramtha wears more masculine clothing (e.g. baseball cap), looser clothing, and sometimes Indian styles. RSE are taught that they are in control of the reality they create. For example, beginning students learn to practice Consciousness and Energy (C&E®) through breath control and the visualization of positive changes they want to make in their lives. C&E practice is reinforced through practical exercises called “fieldwork.” In one exercise designed for beginning students participants draw an image representing something they desire for their lives. These cards are collected and fastened to a fence bounding one of the fields on the RSE property. Students are then led to the field and blindfolded. Beginning with the C&E breathwork, they are instructed to hold the image of their card while spinning around. Then, they are left to find their own card from among the dozens taped to the fence rails. When students make it to the fence, they are allowed to remove the blindfold and look at the cards directly in front of them. Success is indicated by a joyful shout and often an outpouring of emotion, while those continuing their search carry on blindfolded and in silence. Students are taught that they are not so much locating their card as creating its location in concert with their desires, then simply reaching out for their creation.
Knight insists that she is not a guru and not the leader of any kind of religious movement. Knight insists that RSE is not a church, not a religious organization, and not a faith. RSE is not about believing something, it is about knowing and experiencing for oneself the possibilities of that knowledge. Knight founded a short-lived religious organization, the Church I AM but closed it after a few years. RSE is organized as a tax paying corporation. Ramtha instructed her to charge a fee for attendance at channeling sessions—initially one hundred dollars per person. Later, am more extensive set of charge was established About 6,000 students currently attend the school annually. Between 1,000-3,000 people who attend RSE within a fifty mile radius of the school. Knight also runs the JZ Knight Humanities Foundation, which has donated over $1,000,000 to high school seniors to pursue higher education. Knight has achieved semi-celebrity status, appearing on U.S. television shows, such as Larry King Live and The Merv Griffin Show. She has attracted celebrity followers, such as Linda Evans and Shirley MacLaine. Knight appeared in the film, “What the Bleep Do We Know?”
Knight has faced competition from other channelers. She won a court case in Australia tha affirmed that she is the sole legal channeler of the entity Ramtha Knight has attracted criticism and opposition from a variety of well-known figures, such as magician James Randi, scientists Carl Sagan. A major report by ABC’s 20/20 attacked her as a fraud A former member, David McCarthy has formed an oppositional group, "Life After Ramtha's School of Enlightenment", which questions the authenticity of Ramtha. Members of the evangelical Christian countercult began to portray her as part of a vast satanic conspiracy.
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