Editing "I AM" Activity (section)

==Overview==
The "I AM" Activity was influenced by the teachings of [[Helena Blavatsky]] and [[William Quan Judge]], two of the founders of the original [[Theosophical Society]]. The movement also adopted elements of [[New Thought]]. To these spiritual movements, Ballard added a strong [[nationalist]]ic flavor, claiming a new [[golden age]] would emerge in the United States.<ref name=CCAA>{{Cite journal |last1=Celestini |first1=Carmen |last2=Amarasingam |first2=Amarnath |date=6 December 2023 |title=Reviving the Violet Flame: The New Age conspiratorial journey of Canada's Queen Romana Didulo |journal=Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses |volume=53 |issue=3 |pages=366–389 |doi=10.1177/00084298231209700 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

The Ballards also borrowed from [[William Dudley Pelley]]'s spiritual writings, with Edna allegedly attending several classes offered by Pelley. While there are no indications that Pelley was a member of I AM, Ballard early on recruited several members of his [[fascist]] organization, the [[Silver Legion of America]]. <ref name=CCAA/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Deveney |first=Pat |title=New Liberator |url=http://iapsop.com/archive/materials/new_liberator/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601050750/http://iapsop.com/archive/materials/new_liberator/ |archive-date=1 June 2023 |access-date=16 December 2023 |website=The International Association for the Preservation of Spiritualist and Occult Periodicals}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bryan |first=Gerald B. |url=http://www.orgonelab.org/PsychDict.pdf |title=Psychic Dictatorship in America |publisher=Truth Research Publications |year=1940 |location=Los Angeles, California |pages=24–25 }}</ref>

The movement believes in the existence of a group called the "ascended masters", a hierarchy of supernatural beings that includes the original theosophical masters such as [[Ascended master#Jesus|Jesus]], [[Morya (Theosophy)|El Morya Khan]], [[Maitreya (Theosophy)|Maitreya]], and in addition several dozen more beyond the original 20 [[Masters of the Ancient Wisdom]] of the original theosophists as described by [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky]].

These ascended masters are believed to be humans who have lived in a succession of [[reincarnations]] in physical bodies or cosmic beings (beings originated from the great central sun of light in the beginning of all times). Over time, those who have passed through various "embodiments" became highly advanced souls, are able to move beyond the cycles of "re-embodiments" and [[karma]], and attained their "ascension", becoming immortal. Ascended masters are believed to communicate to humanity through certain [[Amanuenses|trained messengers]] per Blavatsky, including Guy and Edna Ballard.<ref name="history"/><ref name="Partridge 2004" />{{rp|330}} Because Jesus is believed to be one of the ascended masters, making the "Christ Light" available to seekers who wish to move out of darkness, many of the members of the "I AM" Activity consider it to be a Christian religion.<ref name="Melton 1992">{{cite book |author-last=Melton |author-first=J. Gordon |author-link=J. Gordon Melton |chapter=The "I AM" Religious Activity |title=Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America |date=1992 |orig-date=1986 |edition=revised and updated |publisher=Gardland |location=New York |pages=58–67 |isbn=978-0-8153-1140-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KRTGzgpDvL4C |via=[[Google Books]] |access-date=2025-03-29 }}</ref>{{rp|63}} According to the ''[[Los Angeles Magazine]]'', Ballard said he was the re-embodiment of [[George Washington]], an Egyptian priest, and a noted French musician.<ref name="Thompkins 1997">{{cite magazine |first= Joshua |last=Thompkins |title=The mighty I Am |magazine=[[Los Angeles Magazine]] |date=April 1997 |pages=22–23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sl0EAAAAMBAJ |via=[[Google Books]] |access-date=2025-03-29 }}</ref>{{rp|23}}

Ballard died in 1939. In 1942, his wife and son were convicted of fraud,<ref name="scotus">{{Cite web |url=https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/322/78/ |title=United States v. Ballard, 322 U.S. 78 (1944) |website=Justia Law}}</ref><ref name="Thompkins 1997"/>{{rp|23}} a conviction which was overturned in a landmark [[United States Supreme Court|Supreme Court]] ruling (''[[United States v. Ballard]]'') which determined that the beliefs the Ballards espoused should not have been submitted to a jury regardless of their veracity.<ref name="scotus" />