Olympian Community I_AM

My childhood was saturated with Greek Mythology, Greek culture, Greek history, Greek language, Greek philosophy, Greek literature, and Greek religious thought - thanks to eight years of private Greek schooling. I grew up in a Greek household, learned to speak Greek before I ever spoke a word of English, and absorbed Greek customs, superstitions and ways of viewing the world. The Sword & Sandal films were popular during my early childhood and served to further reinforce my Greekness. I also learned that being Greek is a full-time job, that we are the descendants of gods and heroes, and that it is our personal responsibility to Hellenize the non-Greek world.

Though I rebelled against most of this social programming in my early teens, some of it remained very dear to me and actually helped define me as an individual. Greek Mythology in general, and Hercules in particular, remained very much a part of who I was. Theosophia, the esoteric and universal divine wisdom that transcended culture, and Theurgia, the actions that anchored and channeled divinity directly into our world, provided a direction, and a context to my journey beyond the confines of my conditioning. In my early teens I started dressing up like the peplum-flick Hercules, sometimes even to class, and I also started writing school-plays where I could reenact his mythic adventures.

By the mid-1970s, while still in my teens, I was serving as the primary channel (deep-trance medium) for a small spiritual group in New York City. The group did not have a name, but was actively engaged in the 'Work', which involved continuously communicating and consulting with Spirit Guides, building strength of character, and helping people (incarnate or discarnate) apply some Ancient Wisdom to their existential challenges.

The group was Theosophical in its beliefs, Spiritualistic (that is to say, partially Theurgic) in its practices and very liberal in its incorporation of material from a wide variety of sources. It was an offshoot of George Wehner's circle in Brooklyn. George was good friends with Talbot Mundy and together they wrote a book called The Curious Life. His group included many artists and celebrities, such as Natatcha Rambova and Rudolph Valentino.

George, wearing a tall black Navajo hat and tribal jewely, also happened to be one of my Spirit Guides. Since early childhood he visited me astrally quite often. I used to ask my mother to make him coffee whenever he dropped by. She often indulged me, even though he was invisible to her. George is a Greek name, and very common in my family, so it did not set off any superstitious or religious alarms.

I recognized George in an old photo and inquired about him. The group directed me to his sister and his star- student, both of them quite old and living together in Brooklyn. Though George and I never met in the flesh, they were told to await me years previously and handed me two items he had asked them to give me: A zodiac bracelet and a mandala tapestry depicting heavenly realms and personages.

This, coupled with the strength and clarity of my connection with the Ascended and other Celestial personages, and my intuitive understanding of the Devic and Elemental Kingdoms made me the group's prime candidate for a messianic figure they were expecting to appear in or around 1975. Heady stuff for a teen, and quite flattering, but deep down I did not feel that their assessment was correct.

And something was mysteriously missing from the group's bigger picture, something from my heritage which I felt was somehow of vital importance to my purpose on this planet. It involved Hercules and Athena, the Olympians, and the primal Forces of Nature as much as it did the Ascended Ones. My personal spirituality, even way back then, rested quite firmly on mythic foundations. And Hercules, my divine ancestor, Higher Self, tutelary spirit, operant archetype, Overshadowing Entity, Exemplar, role model etc had no place in their World Teacher schema.

It also had something to do with the Celestial Chariots we knew as UFOs. The group tried to steer me away from this lore, and it did evoke feelings of vague dread within me, but some of the books in their forbidden library were by UFO contactees and our popular culture was flooded with information on flying saucers, so I made it a point to soak it all in.

For these, and several other reasons, I left the group in 1980 and began my sojourn into the 'World', a deranged spiritual wasteland devoid of any real merit or meaning, according to the group's teachings. The image of Steve Reeves, as Hercules, informing the Oracle that he wished to live like other men, have a wife and family, was a recurring image in my mind's eye as I took this important developmental step.

I devoted myself to helping others through the Human Services and personally experiencing human life's many ups and downs. I felt that understanding and embracing the human condition would provide me with the insights I needed before I could devote my life more fully, and openly, to the Work. I made many mistakes and had many misadventures but developed a keen appreciation of how difficult it truly was to be human.

Time passed. Though I would not serve again as a channel for decades, I managed to built a rock-solid career in the Human Services and Education, which lasted until 2012. For a few years I shared my insights on NJN (the PBS of New Jersey) and in mall-kiosks throughout the Garden State.

Additionally, in my 20s I began experimenting with living mythology. In my 30s I began teaching metaphysical topics again. By my 40s I had established contacts with a handful of organizations who worked with the Ascended Ones and started producing mythic fringe media. By my 50s I had gone public as Hercules, established a great relationship with several groups, and finally figured out the missing pieces of my Herculean puzzle. Oddly enough, my first public lecture at the United Lodge of Theosophists in 1979 contained the seeds of everything it took me so long to piece together. And I also discovered that the gifts I inherited from George Wehner were far from arbitrary.

In addition to my own studies and inner insights, groups such Mark-Age contributed much to my understanding, and helped set the stage for the writings of other I AM Activity groups. Brotherhood inspired organizations, like the Unarius Academy of Sciences, also shed much needed light and fellowship.

These groups, like the unnamed group I myself belonged to, though unique in their individual pedigrees and particulars, were the successors of modern Theosophy, as introduced by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, and modern Spiritualism, which had matured past its humble beginnings with the Fox sisters and developed into a religion.

In much of the I AM Activity, Hercules and Athena (called Amazonia) are deemed Elohim, or Creator Gods, who designed and guide our earthy sojourns. Theirs was a Heroic Path and they incarnated among us repeatedly to gain an understanding of what we faced. The Seven Mighty Elohim Speak, based on Bridge to Freedom material that preceded my birth, actually contained a workable version of teachings that had slowly come to me over decades. Other 'White Books' further elaborated and collectively contained a non-scholarly and very practical system of Theosophy. The 'Green Books' of the Saint Germain Foundation, which hark back as the early 1930s, further expanded my understanding.

Though George Wehner's group pre-dated the I AM Activity of Guy Ballard by about a decade or so, and lasted well into Geraldine Innocent's Messengership, I could see that all were inspired by the same Source and were part of the same Mahatmic Mission. George's followers were certainly familiar with the works of others and efficient with integrating whatever worked, especially after his passing.

Having located this wonderful body of knowledge makes my life-work a lot easier. Since it is already out there and readily available, I need not formulate or articulate it. I can simply point people directly to it for their own exploration and fully focus on tasks of special relevance to my Herculean Higher Self.

Though I prefer working with the more ancient, and heavily Hellenic, forms of Theosophia and Theurgia, I feel greatly enriched by experiencing their more modern manifestations and can now draw deeper insights from both spiritual streams in their totality.

Onwards!

Hercules Invictus

Larger Than Life Living in the World Today