Joshua David Stone
Encyclopedia
Joshua David Stone was an American author
and teacher
in the ascension movement. His father was Hal Stone
. Joshua had a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology
and was a Licensed Marriage, Family and Child Counselor
in California
.
and meditation
techniques. He also wrote a number of books on the topic of Spiritual Psychology
, and later enhanced his publications to an "Easy-to-Read Encyclopedia of the Spiritual Path" containing numerous volumes (see Bibliography). With the growing popularity of the World Wide Web
, he also composed one of the more comprehensive websites on spirituality
which has often been used as a point of reference on New Age
topics. Furthermore, he founded an academy
for spiritual studies by the name of Melchizedek
Synthesis Light Academy
& Ashram
(MSLA) (which then later developed into the I AM University). He served as a spokesperson for the planetary ascension movement. In this movement, his major contributions were the propagation of the concepts of "Cosmic Ascension" and "Integrated Ascension".
, California—annual spiritual gatherings that spawned a lot of interest in the New Age
movement, but also controversy. The last Wesak celebration hosted by Dr. Stone in Mount Shasta took place in 2004. The Wesak celebrations in Mount Shasta are still carried on today.
organization the I AM University, a "spiritual" university
to teach students how to integrate all walks of faith. In order to facilitate this, he composed a large number of study materials: 8 correspondence courses, a workbook, a 7 Year Daily planner, and a number of further resources (meditation tapes & CDs, videos, DVDs). After his passing away, the I AM University was relocated from central Coastal California
near San Luis Obispo to Salzburg
, Austria
where it continues to make the legacy of Dr. Stone available to serve students of spirituality
worldwide. Gloria Excelsias took over the leadership of Joshua David Stone's organization the I AM University after Stone's death in 2005. Paul McCarthy of the Sirius Temple of Ascension in Brighton, England, who channels the Sirian Masters, said in New Age thought to be a large group of beings from the planetary system
of Sirius
that include both humanoid and dolphinoid entities, is now also associated with the I AM University.
Tuella into his own teachings. Dr. Stone portrayed the "Master Ashtar" as commanding a space fleet of thousands of flying saucer
s watching over Earth
, with the extraterrestrial being Vrillon
functioning as his communications director. According to Stone, these flying saucers are based on several oblong artificial asteroids about 100 miles in diameter that function as mother ship
s for the flying saucer fleet, with a total population of millions of extraterrestrial
s, orbiting in the outer reaches of the Solar System
in the inner Oort cloud
. The saucers in Master Ashtar's flying saucer fleet are manned, he asserted, by both Venusians
and aliens from the Galactic Confederation based on the artificial asteroids. According to Stone, the Master Jesus
, under his "galactic" name of Sananda, works with Commander Ashtar, and is actually the Commander-in-Chief of the Ashtar Galactic Command flying saucer fleet, with his own command flying saucer. According to Stoen, another name used to denote Commander Ashtar's flying saucer fleet is The Airborne Division of the Great White Brotherhood.
Stone also pushed the boundaries of the ascended masters teachings by channeling entities dwelling farther out in our galaxy
than any other medium
had ever attempted to do before. He formulated a chart he called the "Cosmic Map", in which he, for the first time ever for any ascended master teachings teacher, detailed the structure of the ascended master hierarchy
within the Milky Way Galaxy. According to writings of Joshua David Stone, this sector of the Milky Way Galaxy—one twelfth of the total volume of the galactic disc—is governed by a cosmic being (Elizabeth Clare Prophet
's term—Stone himself uses the term cosmic master instead of cosmic being to denote ascended masters of extraterrestrial
origin) named Melchior working out of the constellation
of the Great Bear
(Alice A. Bailey stated that each of the Seven Rays is focused from the center of the galaxy through one of the seven star
s of the Big Dipper
). Working with "Melchior" on the governing council of this sector of the galaxy operating from Ursa Major is said to be the [Local galactic sector] cosmic being Melchizedek (not the same being as the terrestrial Master Melchizedek, said by Elizabeth Clare Prophet to be the ascended master that the Biblical Melchizedek became after his death [ascension] on Earth). According to Joshua David Stone, there is a powerful cosmic being functioning at the galactic core of the Milky Way Galaxy named Averran, whom he identified as the governing deity
of the Milky Way Galaxy and thus the personification in the ascended master teachings of what in conventional Theosophy
is called the Galactic Logos. Working with Averran at the galactic core under his authority are said to be the cosmic beings Vywamus, Lenduce, Adonis and Atlanto.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
in the ascension movement. His father was Hal Stone
Hal Stone
Hal Stone, Ph.D., , and Sidra Stone, Ph.D., , are American authors, psychotherapists and the creators of Voice Dialogue....
. Joshua had a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology
Transpersonal psychology
Transpersonal psychology is a form of psychology that studies the transpersonal, self-transcendent or spiritual aspects of the human experience....
and was a Licensed Marriage, Family and Child Counselor
Licensed Professional Counselor
Licensed professional counselor is a licensure for mental health professionals. The exact title varies by state, but the other most frequently used title is licensed mental health counselor . Several U.S. states, including Illinois, Maine, and Tennessee, have implemented a two-tier system whereby...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
1990s "Spiritual Psychology"
His most prominent topics were ascensionEnlightenment (spiritual)
Enlightenment in a secular context often means the "full comprehension of a situation", but in spiritual terms the word alludes to a spiritual revelation or deep insight into the meaning and purpose of all things, communication with or understanding of the mind of God, profound spiritual...
and meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
techniques. He also wrote a number of books on the topic of Spiritual Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, and later enhanced his publications to an "Easy-to-Read Encyclopedia of the Spiritual Path" containing numerous volumes (see Bibliography). With the growing popularity of the World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
, he also composed one of the more comprehensive websites on spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
which has often been used as a point of reference on New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
topics. Furthermore, he founded an academy
Academy
An academy is an institution of higher learning, research, or honorary membership.The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 385 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and skill, north of Athens, Greece. In the western world academia is the...
for spiritual studies by the name of Melchizedek
Melchizedek
Melchizedek or Malki Tzedek translated as "my king righteous") is a king and priest mentioned during the Abram narrative in the 14th chapter of the Book of Genesis....
Synthesis Light Academy
Academy
An academy is an institution of higher learning, research, or honorary membership.The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 385 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and skill, north of Athens, Greece. In the western world academia is the...
& Ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
(MSLA) (which then later developed into the I AM University). He served as a spokesperson for the planetary ascension movement. In this movement, his major contributions were the propagation of the concepts of "Cosmic Ascension" and "Integrated Ascension".
Wesak celebrations
In the 1990s, Dr. Stone initiated the Wesak celebrations at Mount ShastaMount Shasta
Mount Shasta is located at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California and at is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth highest in California...
, California—annual spiritual gatherings that spawned a lot of interest in the New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
movement, but also controversy. The last Wesak celebration hosted by Dr. Stone in Mount Shasta took place in 2004. The Wesak celebrations in Mount Shasta are still carried on today.
I AM University
In 2004, Dr. Stone founded the Ascended Master TeachingsAscended Master Teachings
The students of "Ascended Master Teachings" organizations believe that the Presence of Life/God - Individualizes as the "I AM", and incarnates throughout the created universes until it achieves The Ascension . The "Teachings" as all Religious Teachings.....
organization the I AM University, a "spiritual" university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
to teach students how to integrate all walks of faith. In order to facilitate this, he composed a large number of study materials: 8 correspondence courses, a workbook, a 7 Year Daily planner, and a number of further resources (meditation tapes & CDs, videos, DVDs). After his passing away, the I AM University was relocated from central Coastal California
Coastal California
Coastal California refers to the coastal regions of the US state of California. The term is not primarily geographical as it also describes an area distinguished by sociological, economical and political attributes...
near San Luis Obispo to Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
where it continues to make the legacy of Dr. Stone available to serve students of spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
worldwide. Gloria Excelsias took over the leadership of Joshua David Stone's organization the I AM University after Stone's death in 2005. Paul McCarthy of the Sirius Temple of Ascension in Brighton, England, who channels the Sirian Masters, said in New Age thought to be a large group of beings from the planetary system
Planetary system
A planetary system consists of the various non-stellar objects orbiting a star such as planets, dwarf planets , asteroids, meteoroids, comets, and cosmic dust...
of Sirius
Sirius
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. With a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46, it is almost twice as bright as Canopus, the next brightest star. The name "Sirius" is derived from the Ancient Greek: Seirios . The star has the Bayer designation Alpha Canis Majoris...
that include both humanoid and dolphinoid entities, is now also associated with the I AM University.
Innovations in ascended master teachings
In the mid-1990s, Dr. Stone became the first ascended master teachings teacher ever to admit a UFO related entity, Ashtar (whom he referred to as the Master Ashtar), to the ranks of the ascended masters, by incorporating the teachings of the mediumMediumship
Mediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
Tuella into his own teachings. Dr. Stone portrayed the "Master Ashtar" as commanding a space fleet of thousands of flying saucer
Flying saucer
A flying saucer is a type of unidentified flying object sometimes believed to be of alien origin with a disc or saucer-shaped body, usually described as silver or metallic, occasionally reported as covered with running lights or surrounded with a glowing light, hovering or moving rapidly either...
s watching over Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, with the extraterrestrial being Vrillon
Vrillon
The Southern Television broadcast interruption hoax was a broadcast interruption through the Hannington transmitter of the Independent Broadcasting Authority in the United Kingdom at 5:10 PM on 26 November 1977...
functioning as his communications director. According to Stone, these flying saucers are based on several oblong artificial asteroids about 100 miles in diameter that function as mother ship
Mother ship
A mother ship is a vessel or aircraft that carries a smaller vessel or aircraft that operates independently from it. Examples include bombers converted to carry experimental aircraft to altitudes where they can conduct their research , or ships that carry small submarines to an area of ocean to be...
s for the flying saucer fleet, with a total population of millions of extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
s, orbiting in the outer reaches of the Solar System
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
in the inner Oort cloud
Oort cloud
The Oort cloud , or the Öpik–Oort cloud , is a hypothesized spherical cloud of comets which may lie roughly 50,000 AU, or nearly a light-year, from the Sun. This places the cloud at nearly a quarter of the distance to Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to the Sun...
. The saucers in Master Ashtar's flying saucer fleet are manned, he asserted, by both Venusians
Venusians
In science fiction and ufology, a Venusian is a native inhabitant of the planet Venus.-Etymology:The word "Venusian" is simply a combination of the name of the planet Venus and the suffix -ian, formed on the analogy of "Martian" . It is usually pronounced or...
and aliens from the Galactic Confederation based on the artificial asteroids. According to Stone, the Master Jesus
Master Jesus
The Master Jesus in Theosophy and the Ascended Master Teachings, refers to the theosophical concept of Jesus as opposed to the Jesus Christ of the Christian religion.-Position in the Hierarchy of Masters of the Ancient Wisdom:...
, under his "galactic" name of Sananda, works with Commander Ashtar, and is actually the Commander-in-Chief of the Ashtar Galactic Command flying saucer fleet, with his own command flying saucer. According to Stoen, another name used to denote Commander Ashtar's flying saucer fleet is The Airborne Division of the Great White Brotherhood.
Stone also pushed the boundaries of the ascended masters teachings by channeling entities dwelling farther out in our galaxy
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
than any other medium
Mediumship
Mediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
had ever attempted to do before. He formulated a chart he called the "Cosmic Map", in which he, for the first time ever for any ascended master teachings teacher, detailed the structure of the ascended master hierarchy
Spiritual Hierarchy
Spiritual Hierarchy is a term often used in Neo-Theosophy, and the Ascended Master Teachings, a group of religions based on Theosophy. It represents the concept of a group of self-realised Masters of the Ancient Wisdom, referred to by those adherent to the Ascended Master Teachings as Ascended...
within the Milky Way Galaxy. According to writings of Joshua David Stone, this sector of the Milky Way Galaxy—one twelfth of the total volume of the galactic disc—is governed by a cosmic being (Elizabeth Clare Prophet
Elizabeth Clare Prophet
Elizabeth Clare Prophet was an American spiritual author and lecturer who was the leader of The Summit Lighthouse and Church Universal and Triumphant, a New Age religious movement which gained media attention in the late 1980s and early 1990s while preparing for potential nuclear disaster.During...
's term—Stone himself uses the term cosmic master instead of cosmic being to denote ascended masters of extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
origin) named Melchior working out of the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
of the Great Bear
Ursa Major
Ursa Major , also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. It can best be seen in April...
(Alice A. Bailey stated that each of the Seven Rays is focused from the center of the galaxy through one of the seven star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s of the Big Dipper
Big Dipper
The Plough, also known as the Big Dipper or the Saptarishi , is an asterism of seven stars that has been recognized as a distinct grouping in many cultures from time immemorial...
). Working with "Melchior" on the governing council of this sector of the galaxy operating from Ursa Major is said to be the [Local galactic sector] cosmic being Melchizedek (not the same being as the terrestrial Master Melchizedek, said by Elizabeth Clare Prophet to be the ascended master that the Biblical Melchizedek became after his death [ascension] on Earth). According to Joshua David Stone, there is a powerful cosmic being functioning at the galactic core of the Milky Way Galaxy named Averran, whom he identified as the governing deity
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
of the Milky Way Galaxy and thus the personification in the ascended master teachings of what in conventional Theosophy
Theosophy
Theosophy, in its modern presentation, is a spiritual philosophy developed since the late 19th century. Its major themes were originally described mainly by Helena Blavatsky , co-founder of the Theosophical Society...
is called the Galactic Logos. Working with Averran at the galactic core under his authority are said to be the cosmic beings Vywamus, Lenduce, Adonis and Atlanto.