Baird Spalding’s New Thought works
QUESTION: Masters, Reading “The Life and Teachings of the Masters of the Far East” (Part 1, 2 and 3), I got somewhat confused by reading the several backgrounds of its writer Mr. Spalding. Some say that his writings are (mostly) fiction and that he never has been in the presence of the people he is referring to. The book continuously refer to Source (God) and invite the reader to turn to and rely on Source permanently and by doing so uplifting one’s frequency to higher levels of being. This sounds all very plausible to me. Could Masters acknowledge and / or comment on the fiction issue involved, if so? ~Wim, The Netherlands
ANSWER: During the time of Mr. Spalding, it was common to bring new thoughts on spirituality from Eastern lands into the West. Mr. Spalding never physically made the trip mentioned in his books. He never spoke with the Masters he refers to in his books in human form. That does not mean he never received information on the concepts contained in his writings from learned ascended masters.
Spalding’s interest in these teachings began with his membership in a group called New Thoughts, which began in the San Francisco area in the 1920s. He found a heartfelt connection to the teachings and wanted to share the materials with the world to show humans a new way to appreciate and understand their journey on Earth.
Being a writer, he understood the appeal to American readers of information from a human source originating in a mysterious, under-visited land. He took the teachings he obtained from the organization, plus help he received through his meditations, and wrote his books.
In other words, he did speak to, or was counseled by, ascended masters from the nonphysical world via channeling. Fearing that channeling was seen to be carnival fodder, he chose the travel story instead. He was renowned as a teller of tall stories, but that was never associated with his writing until after his death.
The importance of these writings is in the understanding the reader can glean from the words. The origin, fact or fiction, matters little; what matters most is the impact on the soul. These words open the vibration of the human body to a taste of the enlightenment of the unconditional love of Source.
The implementation into one’s life of these beliefs is at the discretion of the reader. You can take what you need and leave the rest.