The Aetherius Society is wary of journalists. It has been burned before. At least that’s what Mark Bennett, one of its international directors, tells me over the phone, the night before I am due to attend an event on “the Joy of Sacred Mantras”.
Perhaps this is not surprising when you consider that its members believe that Jesus, along with Buddha, Krishna, Moses, and Gandhi, was an extraterrestrial sent down to better the human race. Still, I didn’t expect to be barred from the event and refunded my £8.50 admission fee.
In its own words, the Aetherius Society is “an international spiritual organisation dedicated to spreading, and acting upon, the teachings of advanced extraterrestrial intelligences”. It has outposts worldwide, from Liverpool and Nottingham to Los Angeles and New Mexico, and was founded in 1955 by an English taxi driver called George King. The Society believes King was contacted by an extraterrestrial intelligence known as “Aetherius” while he was living in London, which led to him quitting his job and devoting himself to its spiritual teachings. Much of its doctrine centres on cooperating with these beings from space and carrying out acts of spiritual service to humanity.
These acts are based on a collection of core beliefs: that there is advanced life on other planets; that The Mother Earth is a living goddess; that prayer radiates spiritual energy to those in need; that yoga can illuminate an individual’s “Divine Spark”; that life exists on other frequencies of vibration, called “planes” or “realms”; that reincarnation is real. And that’s just scratching the surface.
The Society’s European headquarters sit in the well-to-do London neighbourhood of Parsons Green. The street is much like any other, littered with Lime Bikes, bougie coffee shops and kebaberies. Their main building is painted a bright teal, with the Society’s symbol emblazoned in orange. The windows are decorated with books with titles like Deeper into Love: 7 keys to a heart-based spirituality; Workout for the Soul: 8 steps to inner fitness; and Prayer Energy: How to channel the power of the universe. A poster shows a man and woman placing their hands on the foreheads of two members beneath the heading “Spiritual Activities”. If you want to go inside, you must ring the doorbell.
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