Ascended Masters, in the Ascended Master Teachings

Ascended 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.....

 is derived from the Theosophical concept of Masters of the Ancient Wisdom

Masters of the Ancient Wisdom

The Masters of the Ancient Wisdom are reputed to be enlightened beings originally identified by the Theosophists Helena Blavatsky, Henry S. Olcott, Alfred P. Sinnett, and others. These Theosophists claimed to have met some of the so-called Masters during their lifetimes in different parts of the...

 or "Mahatmas"

Mahatma

Mahatma is Sanskrit for "Great Soul". It is similar in usage to the modern Christian term saint. This epithet is commonly applied to prominent people like Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Jyotirao Phule and Branch Rickey...

, though they differ in important aspects. They are believed to be spiritually enlightened

Enlightenment (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...

 beings who in past incarnation

Incarnation

Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial....

s were ordinary humans, but who have undergone a process of spiritual transformation originally called Initiation

Initiation (Theosophy)

Initiation is a concept in Theosophy that there are nine levels of spiritual development that beings who live on Earth can progress upward through. Within these levels, there are four basic levels of spiritual development that human beings on Earth progress through as they reincarnate, although...

in Theosophy but in the Ascended Master Teachings it is referred to as Ascension. The term "Ascended Master" was first introduced in 1934 with the publication of Unveiled Mysteries by Guy Ballard

Guy Ballard

Guy Warren Ballard was an American mining engineer who became, with his wife, Edna Anne Wheeler Ballard, the founder of the "I AM" Activity....

 in The "I AM" Activity.