Alice Bailey
Alice Bailey (1880–1949) was an English-born esoteric writer whose teachings developed a system known as the Ageless Wisdom.
Theosophy: A spiritual movement founded in the nineteenth century that combines religious, philosophical, and esoteric teachings. Bailey’s early involvement in the Theosophical Society shaped the vocabulary and ideas she later reworked.
Theosophical Society: An organization founded in 1875 to promote the study of religion, philosophy, and occult science. Bailey joined its English section before leaving to establish an independent teaching work.
Arcane School: An esoteric correspondence school founded by Alice Bailey to train students in meditation and spiritual service. It translated Bailey’s teachings into a structured course of study and practice.
New Age: A diverse modern spiritual movement emphasizing personal transformation, holistic thought, and alternative religious ideas. Bailey’s writings helped supply concepts and organizational models later associated with New Age spirituality.
Esotericism: The study and practice of teachings presented as hidden, initiatory, or accessible to a select group. Bailey framed her teachings as access to a concealed spiritual wisdom tradition.
Helena Blavatsky: A Russian-born occultist who co-founded the Theosophical Society and wrote foundational Theosophical works. Blavatsky’s writings provided a major precedent for Bailey’s synthesis of religions and esoteric cosmology.
Triangles (meditation): A group practice in which three people visualize and circulate spiritual goodwill through a network of triangles. Bailey promoted this practice as a way to distribute spiritual energy and goodwill.
Seven Mountain Mandate: A Christian dominionist strategy calling for influence over seven major areas of society. Its use of a sevenfold social framework contrasts with Bailey’s distinct esoteric doctrine of seven rays.
Ageless Wisdom: A spiritual tradition that Bailey described as the timeless source behind the world’s religions and philosophies. This is the name Bailey gave to the system developed across her writings.
The Unfinished Autobiography: Alice Bailey’s posthumously published account of her life and spiritual development. It records Bailey’s own account of her early life, Theosophical years, and claimed contact with Djwal Khul.