Cup in hand, I bent down to fill it, when an electrical current passed through my body from head to foot.

Ballard provided details of his encounters with St. Germain and other Ascended Masters in the books Unveiled Mysteries and The Magic Presence, using the pen name Godfré Ray King.

Ballard lectured frequently in Chicago about Saint Germain's mystical teachings, in which America was destined to play a key role.

Its parent organization is Saint Germain Foundation, with headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

Given the "I AM" Activity, old occult laws have been replaced including the teaching of Theosophy that, to become a master, a person would have had to ascend upon death to the fifth level of initiation.

They also believe that Edna Ballard became the "Ascended Lady Master Lotus", with previous incarnations including Joan of Arc, Elizabeth I of England, and Benjamin Franklin.