J. Z. Knight

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J. Z. Knight bigraphy, stories - Founders

J. Z. Knight : biography

March 16, 1946 –

Judy Zebra Knight (born Judith Darlene Hampton on March 16, 1946, in Roswell, New Mexico), usually known as JZ Knight, is an American mystic teacher and author, and is known for claiming to be channel of a spiritual entity named Ramtha.

Knight has appeared on US TV shows, such as Larry King, MSNBC and The Merv Griffin Show, to offer spiritual insight and inspiration, as well as media such as Psychology Today. Her teachings have attracted figures from the entertainment and political world such as Linda Evans and Shirley MacLaine.

Knight claims to bridge ancient wisdom and the power of consciousness together with the latest discoveries in science. Some of the ideas are similar to those of Shirley MacLaine, which have in turn been criticized for being "kindergarten metaphysics" by mathematician and skeptic Martin Gardner. Ramtha’s teachings have further been criticised by scientists and skeptics around the world (see Controversy and Criticism below).

Knight lives in a French chateau-style home and, next door, teaches courses and runs Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment.

Knight has been married three times and is the mother of two children from her first marriage (Brandy and Christopher), which was ended in divorce due to her husband’s alleged alcoholism and infidelity.

Ramtha

Ramtha (the name is claimed to be derived from Ram and to mean "the God" in Ramtha’s language) is an entity whom Knight claims to channel. According to Knight, Ramtha was a Lemurian warrior who fought the Atlanteans over 35,000 years ago.JZK Publishing; Revised & enlarged edition (February 14, 2005), Language: English, ISBN 1-57873-045-7, ISBN 978-1-57873-045-2 Ramtha speaks of leading an army over 2.5 million strong (more than twice the estimated world population at about 30,000 BC) for 63 years, and conquering three fourths of the known world (which was allegedly going through cataclysmic geological changes). According to Ramtha, he led the army for ten years until he was betrayed and almost killed.

Ramtha says he spent the next seven years in isolation recovering and observing nature, the seasons, his army making homes and families, and many other things. He later mastered many skills, including foresight and out-of-body experiences, until he led his army to the Indus River while in his late fifties. Ramtha taught his soldiers everything he knew for 120 days, he bid them farewell, rose into the air and in a bright flash of light he ascended before them. He made a promise to his army that he would come back to teach them everything he had learned. JZ Knight says that in 1977 Ramtha appeared before her and told her that he had come to help her over the ditch. JZ Knight became his first student of what he calls the great work.

Teachings

Ramtha is the central figure (the "master teacher") of Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment, started by Knight in 1987 near the town Yelm, Washington. Classes (or "dialogues") had been held around the world for the previous ten years. There are currently over 6,000 students of Ramtha’s teachings and many more have been to retreats in the past.

A central theme of Ramtha’s teachings involves the internalization of divinity (God is in Us, You are God, Behold God). Ramtha is described as having brought his knowledge to many ancient civilizations in the world such as the Ancient Egyptians. The website also suggests that traces of the lineage of the original teachings and philosophies he taught 35,000 years ago have appeared throughout history in the schools of philosophers like Socrates, religions like Hinduism and Judaism, and the works of great minds such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

The four cornerstones of Ramtha’s philosophy are

  1. The statement ‘You are god’
  2. The directive to make known the unknown
  3. The concept that consciousness and energy create the nature of reality
  4. The challenge to conquer yourself

All of the above are similar to the list of common messages stated by claimed channelled entities written by Russell Chandler: