Customer Reviews

400 Years of Imaginary Friends: A Journey Into the World of Adepts, Masters, Ascended Masters, and T

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400 Years Of Imaginary Friends: A Journey Into The World Of Adepts, Masters, Ascended Masters, And Their Messengers is a fascinating, detailed, definitive survey and study of why people get into cult-like groups, why they stay, and why they leave. Based upon extensive personal experience and research, Kenneth and Talita Paolini share their adventures among such groups as the "Church Universal and Triumphant", and follows the history of the concept of "Master" through Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, Spiritualism, New Thought, Theosophy, Agni Yoga, I AM, Bridge to Freedom, and The Temple of the Presence. An evolution of the belief system developed by Rosenkreuz, Swedenborg, Mesmer, Fox, Quimby, Eddy, Blavatsky, Leadbeater, Baily, Krishnamurit, Roerichs, Ballards, Innocente, Prophets, and Shearers are thoroughly and accurately presented. The Paolini's also explore a variety of possibilities for people's mystical encounters and conclude by offering ex-members of these various groups sound ideas on life after involvement with a "Masters" group. Well-researched, clearly written, 400 Years Of Imaginary Friends demystifies the web of assumptions, deceptions, and self-rationalizations that surrounds the Masters and the messengers.

It's been a long time since a nonfiction book kept me up all night reading, but I just could not put it down. Talita and Kenneth Paolini have crafted and launched a missles of truth into the "teachings of the ascended masters."

400 Years of Imaginary Friends is much more interesting to me than dry intellectual tomes produced by sociologists who write on cults.

My friends and I have all left Church Universal and Triumphant. A big thanks to the authors for giving us the lowdown on the other groups. There's something rotten in Denmark going all the way back to the first lie in these teachings.

What I can see, though, is why there is such a controversy.

The Paolinis call a spade a spade. There are many spades to be named, and they do it. Mental frou-frou is the name of the game with believers, and they don't like their precious Santa Clauses shown to be wearing no clothes and told that they don't exist.

The Paolinis show the deceptions, frauds, and lies from the beginning of these religious organizations and cover the soup to nuts of Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, I AM Activity, Spiritualism, Bridge to Freedom, New Thought, Church Universal and Triumphant, Theosophy, Agni Yoga, Temple of the Presence, Christian Rosenkreuz, Alice Bailey, Emanuel Swedenborg, Krishnamurti, Anton Mesmer, Nicholas and Helena Roerich, The Fox Sisters, Guy and Edna Ballard, Phineas P. Quimby, Geraldine Innocente, Mary Baker Eddy, Mark and Elizabeth Prophet, Helena Blavatsky, Monroe and Carolyn Shearer, Charles Leadbeater.

Read it and partake often.

Falene Jetrik

In today's world of new spiritual groups sincere seekers have many paths to choose from. Not all of these paths are harmless, as pointed out in this excellent book. "400 Years of Imaginary Friends". This book gives a broad historical view into many of these groups. Who are these messengers of ascended masters "channeling" information? Where does the information come from and how is it used in many cases to control followers of what appears to be well meaning groups? What is behind the beautifuly portrayed graphics and words of seemingly harmless groups? Read this book and find out. You will be glad you did. This book is important not only for seekers but for parents and relatives of those exploring these types of groups. I do not find it biased in any way and rate it 5 stars.

As one who has been personally involved in the teachings of theascended masters for many years I must say that this is an extremlyimportant book, it may actually save you years of cult entrapment.

The book provides the reader with insight into the inner workings of a classic cult organization. The authors have their reference mainly in The Summit Lighthouse. Especially interesting is the tales of Elizabeth Clare Prophet, head of the organization. Her activites and how she exercised detailed control over the staff members and chelas(diciples and students). The book is yet another blow, a direct and hard hit, against her self proclaimed guru status. Many people has come forward with their stories over the last few years and with the internet, new passages to truth has been formed.

Few people regard ECP as fault free, but as an agent of El Morya and the host of light she's always been right, regardless of what the outer consciousness may think. She has been the chosen one, the direct link to infallible masters. Many examples are illustrated in the book to show us how this total conviction of rightousness as a guru, has brought devastation to many, and which in the end has steered the Church itself into the ditch. Pride does go before the fall, belive it or not. She got that right.

All in all this is more than a story of CUT, it's the long sougth after book that sums up the teosophical tradition and how the myth is something like an Emperor without clothes. As a child you will see, and now the book is out, just for you.

Jay Z. Knight, Once a true beliver.

I spent 15 years in an ascended masters activity and belief system. I was told about 400 Years of Imaginary Friends by a family member who had been watching the changes I've gone through over the years.

The Paolinis have done a very commendable job in collecting the personal stories of many people who had been involved or are still involved. The way that the lineage of the belief system maninfested from historical times to the present is demonstrated well in the book.

This book helped me tremendously in sorting out the wheat from the chaff from my years as a chuch member. The writing is fast paced and written for understanding the content and the mish-mash of what this all means in the broader scheme of things.

400 Years of Imaginary Friends was a good read.

The Paolinis did a great job detailing their experience and the history of the groups that promote the teachings of the ascended masters.

I found this book to be an unflinching, critical look at the these groups. The Paolini's impeccable documentation of the goings on of the leaders, members, belief system, and organizations was exhaustive.

400 Years of Imaginary Friends is an insightful book. It delves into the belief system of the teachings of the masters, people like you and me who have balanced their karma and ascended into the higher planes. This religion and system of belief and thought goes back primarily to the rosicrucian and freemason times.

I was in CUT (no more, got off the lift entirely last year and happy to be done with it), the main group the Paolinis write about in the book. 400 Years of Imaginary Friends was a crucial piece of the puzzle in my exit from CUT. It took me four years to intensively read all about CUT, Theosophy and related off-shoots, I AM, and the teachings that all relate to the masters teachings. I got a degree in religious studies, my concentration was on new religions like CUT.

Those who read this book and want desperately to hold on to their precious set of beliefs, do anything to rationalize and criticize. Ex-CUT chela makes numerous factual errors in his or her review. I spent a lot of time researching the source material that the Paolinis reference in the book (13 pages of Bibliographic references) and found every citation to be linked to the correct sources and page numbers. The citations are solid and precisely referenced to the source works: author(s), title, edition, publisher, year, and page numbers.

The Paolinis answer the three main questions they set out to answer in writing the book: Why they joined, why they stayed in, and why they left CUT.

While I was researching these religions in school, I found that there is a mass of books and material to read. There is a great quantity of blowhard documentation from messengers, "masters," media articles, court documents, and members. I can appreciate what the Paolinis did in culling through this mountain of junk. They allude to this in the book, when they write that there could be a book on each of their chapters, there is such a mass of information in the knowledge base of these religions and beliefs and history. I have just finished a book that will be published early next year. My editors say that deciding what to leave out of a book is just as important as what to leave in. The Paolinis write of the same challenge. I wouldn't worry too much about missing every little jot and tittle of what each member finds to be most important to them or their interest.

Ex-CUT chela states, "Also, missing is the fact that Blavatsky claimed to channel "Aunt T" only to find out later that "Aunt T" was still alive."

The reviewer must have been tranced out when on page 171, 400 Years of Imaginary Friends you find:
"Later in life, Blavatsky stated that at eight or nine years of age, she began channeling the spirit of "Aunt T," which resulted in nearly ten volumes of dictated information gathered over the next six years. In her fourteenth year, Blavatsky discovered that Aunt T was still living, therefore could not possibly have been a spirit or have channeled anything to her. Blavatsky explained this six-year adventure by saying it was a product of her own child mind (Neff 18-21). This prelude to her future channeling activities shows that she was capable of self-delusion on a grand scale."

I could go on and dissect each and every point (and I could), but you get the idea. I don't want to completely embarrass the reviewer.

The Paolinis show a belief system that is flawed from day one all the way to the present. It is crystal clear that these are false prophets from the beginning to now.

Some members and ex-members have an ax to grind and it shows in reviews that betray their biases against this deeply thought out and executed book.

Jeff Benson
Whangamata, New Zealand

I found 400 Years of Imaginary Friends by the Paolinis to be an eyeopener into a cult experience. The section of the book that delves into the lineage of the religions and secret societies exposed me to history and ideas I did not know.

The previous reviewer may not know that Annie Besant was an atheist. Annie Besant wrote tracts and books on atheism. She did become a theosophist. She never repudiated her earlier writings as she dabbled in theosophy. This is well documented.

The Paolinis' book is one of those books that inspires polarization depending on which side of the fence you live on. Those who are into the new age religions will be challenged by the Paolinis' call to think carefully about what goes on with channelling, messengers, and claims made by adherents.

Overall, I found this book to be a laserlike look into the group they were in and analysis of its predecessors. You can't argue with the extensive documentation to works cited. I count 13 pages of bibligraphic references.

I have an extensive library of occult literature and I checked into various of the cites in the 400 Years of Imaginary Friends book. The cites were without flaws.

I have to say I love the title of this book, a very clever take on a whole slew of poseurs from the beyond. But there is an evident misunderstanding with the inclusion of Freemasonry in this whole matter. I acknowledge that the Paolini's work is written by them from a place of up- close- and -personal past experience with cultic tropes and unfortunate psychological pressures. They may see a whole realm of endeavor as tainted now. Having never been drawn to any of this type of thing, but having had a close relative who was, I can understand. However, Freemasonry has nothing whatsoever to do with any of this. In fact one of the central tenets of Freemasonry, the fight against fanaticism, is so utterly against the sense of mind-control endemic to these "faiths" that is could easily be said to be the antithesis of them.

What is the case is that Freemasonry, as a matter of principle, allows for freedom of belief.It does not rule out the occult side of human experience, but it is not a necessary part of the Masonic experience in any way. In this sense Freemasonry takes a rather high-style attitude towards all the Hermetic understandings of the past. If these ideas and patterns of thought can serve a current Brother's path to virtue, all the better. But I can say categorically that such understanding forms no requirement whatsoever for belief, ever in Freemasonry. So, the Paolinis' inclusion of Freemasonry here can only be a result of vague understanding. More to the point, I am going to hazard a guess that it comes from a phenomenon one sees in people who actually have been involved in cults for a long time. In the necessary process of individuation and self-differentiation that takes place after leaving the group there is the great need to affirm an independent understanding apart from the group. The sad part is that a more objective understanding would reveal that the whole gestalt of the person has been altered, at least in terms of understanding. The Ballards from the "I AM" Movement, and I am sure later developers of their ideas, had a very labyrinthine and fabulous view of the genesis of all sorts of occult phenomena. They wrapped Freemasonry in with a whole grab bag of other phenomena of which they understood very little. My point is that if you are going to extract yourself from a cultic understanding you have to do it by way of profound cultural understanding of the phenomena, and not just from the point of view of Post Traumatic Stress. Scholars such as Margaret Jacob have more accurately, and with intellectual acumen, located Freemasonry in a specifically Enlightenment context agonistic to fanatical or religious cultic understandings. The opposite seems to have happened specifically in the inclusion of Freemasonry here by the Paolinis, because it seems premised ironically on the very cultic misunderstanding of the likes of Guy Ballard or Elizabeth Prophet! A simple Who's-Who on these matters makes the point even more clearly. All these cults attract mostly nuts of no special distinction. Whereas Freemasonry counts amongst it membership some of the most distinguished people of the last few centuries. The facts speak for themselves in this regard.

Rhetoric does not fly. Facts do. There are some who can't seem to read a book. They see what they want to see. One example is below.

One reviewer writes, "Correction: Also, missing is the exact reference that Blavatsky claimed to channel "Aunt T" only to find out later that"Aunt T" was still alive."

Page 171 of Paolinis' book has the quote and the reference to Neff pages 18-21, the detail of which is found in the bibliography: Mary K. Neff, Personal Memoirs of H.P. Blavatsky. Wheaton, Ill,: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1967.

D'oh!

Rizzo