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Thanks to films like "300," the Spartan Agoge is commonly viewed today as a brutal -- not to say savage -- training in which boys and youths were taught nothing but survival skills by sadistic instructors. Yet the sad truth is we do not have a single authentic Spartan source that describes this vital institution. Everything that we know about the "agoge" comes from foreigners -- many of whom never visited Sparta -- and most of whom wrote 200 to 800 years after the period of Sparta's glory -- the Archaic and Classical Ages.Thus, practically everything we think we know about the Spartan educational system, the agoge, is based on sources describing not the agoge of Archaic and Classical Sparta but rather a Roman spectacle, an elaborate theater in Archaic costumes, designed to entertain Roman tourists.When attempting to understand the Spartan educational system commonly referred to as the "agoge," it is important to understand that this unique word -- about which Professor Cartledge makes a great fuss because it is also used for raising cattle -- is in fact an invention of the 3rd Century BC. It is not used in any earlier source about Sparta -- an alarm signal that ought to warn scholars that the entire "agoge" itself is largely a fiction, an artificial creation of a post-classical Sparta.Nigel Kennel is his comprehensive and seminal work The Gymnasium of Virtue notes: "The story of the Spartan education system is far more complex than has hitherto been appreciated. Its single constant was change, as the system adapted to meet different historical situations." (1)What we think we know is based on a large number of works by foreign writers purporting to describe the Spartan state and its institutions, most of which were written as much as 800 years after Thermopylae and Sparta's days of glory. Only one source, Xenophon, actually wrote in the classical era, lived in Sparta and sent his sons to the agoge. Yet even Xenophon's account, as Kennel notes, already "has a palpably nostalgic, utopian air about it."(3) By the time he was writing in the 4th century, Sparta was already in decline, and its institutions were no longer what they had been in the Early Classical and Archaic periods.All other surviving sources were written by authors with no direct experience of Sparta and living at a much later date. The bulk of these were theoretical tracts attempting to compare and contrast systems of government. They were tools for political debate, not records of observed facts. The most famous of the later writers, because his writings are particularly detailed and vivid, is Plutarch, who lived between 46 and 120 AD. Please note: that is roughly 600 years after the death of Leonidas at Thermopylae. In other words, he was as far removed from Classical and Archaic Sparta as we are from the 13th and 14th centuries. Pausanias, another "ancient" source full of colorful details, lived even later, between 110 and 180 AD.But the situation is made even more complex and deceptive by the fact that these later commentators thought they knew Sparta and its agoge very well. Indeed, they had personally visited and studied in a place called Sparta, a city on the same location of the ancient city of Sparta, yet arguably only marginally related to the Sparta of Leonidas because by this time Sparta had been governed by different laws for generations. Fatefully for us and our understanding of Sparta, they saw a "Spartan agoge" in practice, but it was not the same "agoge" that had operated in the Archaic and Classical periods.At the very latest, that ancient agoge had ceased to exist by 244 BC, but it had been in decline long before that. Already in the fourth century BC, Sparta's famed military was humiliated, and the loss of Messenia had destroyed the Spartan economy. In short, Sparta had already become moribund, and it is inconceivable that the agoge was not impacted by these changes.Certainly, the public system of education had collapsed by the time King Cleomenes III came to power in 235 BC with a powerful "reform agenda" that included "restoration" of the agoge. However, as Kennel puts it, "under the guise of revival," he invited an Athenian stoic philosopher to develop a system of education for Sparta.(3)This man, Sphaerus, consciously introduced his own ideas of what made a good education into Cleomenes' new school-system. While Sphaerus pretended that his innovations were nothing but a "restoration" of the ancient agoge, in fact his philosophy of education was not based Sparta's past or the intentions of Sparta's archaic lawgivers.Thus, while the outward dressing or facade was "Archaic and Laconian," the content was Athenian stoicism. This was consistent with Cleomenes other reforms that he styled as a "return to the ways of Lucurgus," while butchering the Lycurgian constitution. Thus, for example, he blithely abolished both the dual kingship and the ephorate, and radically altered the the nature of the Gerousia by reducing the term of members to a single year.Nor did the distortions end with Cleomenes and his Athenian stoic philosopher. Cleomenes agoge was suppressed after just 39 years. Sparta (after a series of poor alliances, rebellions and much intrigue) was eventually defeated by and submitted to the Achaean League, losing its very independence. It was forced in this period to give up its constitution altogether and adopt Achaean laws and customs. That included eliminating the agoge.Thus the agoge that Plutarch and Pausanias visited and described was yet another "revival." This agoge had been created under Roman hegemony in or about 146 BC -- or more than 200 years since the Battle of Leuctra had shaken Sparta to its foundations and more than 340 years since Thermopylae. The "agoge" that was now established, however, could not function -- even if it had wanted to -- as the agoge of the classical period because it no longer had a Spartan society, or a Spartan army, to support it. The Spartan culture and laws that had created and fostered the agoge in the age of Chilon and Leonidas had been obliterated. In their place was a Roman provincial city without any unique laws or ethos. The agoge created in this state, Kennel argues, was nothing more than "a sort of tableau vivant of Spartan culture in the midst of a society little different from those of its neighbors."(4)The Roman agoge included the infamous spectacle of youth lining up at the altar of Artemis Orthia to be whipped until they collapsed -- or died. Although we have no documented cases of youths actually dying under the lashes, most ancient commentators claimed to have "heard" that youths "sometimes" died. One can see that for a society that thought it was fun watching men kill each other or get devoured by beasts and saw burning humans alive as suitable entertainment for an imperial party, watching youths passively submit to flogging until they collapsed was a huge tourist attraction. The city dignitaries of Sparta apparently did very well in the department of tourist revenues. The connection to ancient Sparta, the Sparta of Leonidas, Chilon and Lycurgus, however, is exactly ZERO -- NOTHING.The same is true of almost everything Plutarch and other Roman and Byzantine sources tell us about "the agoge." They are describing a Roman invention, a Roman theater dressed up in Laconian costumes, or, perhaps we should call it, one of Rome's famous and elaborate spectacles.(1) Kennel, Nigel, The Gymnasium of Virtue: Education and Culture in Ancient Sparta. University of North Carolina Press, 1995, p. 143.(2) Ibid, 135.(3) Ibid, 147.(4) Ibid, 116For those of you who like “visualizing” how thing might have been, I’ve devoted the entire first book in my three-part biography of Leonidas to the agoge. You can find out more about the book at: Novels by Helena P. Schrader set in Ancient Sparta

The Brotherhood of Light is the ultimate source of spiritual guidance.(image by the author)Lucis Trust offers the following brief summary of The Brotherhood of Light:Throughout time, the idea of a group of wise and enlightened beings working behind the scenes to guide our planet has been conveyed in spiritual teachings, in literature and myth. The group has been known by many names, including the spiritual Hierarchy, the Masters of the Wisdom, the Elder Brothers , the rishis of India, and the Communion of Saints. During times of crisis in human affairs great teachers have emerged from the Hierarchy into the world of time and space. These have included Socrates, Shri Krishna, Mohammed, the Buddha and the Christ.The Spiritual Hierarchy can be understood as reservoirs of lighted, loving energy on the inner side of life – a presence in the higher reaches of consciousness. They are the substance of what is often referred to as the Kingdom of God. Mystics and seekers of every faith have always known this. It is these energies and these Beings that shape the evolving sense of purpose and direction in human affairs, and that are awakening us now as a species to a new understanding of oneness.A Preliminary ClarificationI see that Erasmo Parra gave us a lengthy response to the question and he cited three sources: Alice Bailey, H.P. Blavatsky, and the “Ascended Master” concept or teaching. I think his his answer is commendable with one key exception, namely that the “Ascended Masters” teaching, as I explain below, does not really belong with the other two. The Blavatsky and Bailey Teachings are the primary sources for the teaching on The Brotherhood of Light, though there are numerous other secondary sources that support them including the Rosicrucian, the esoteric side of Freemasonry as well as many individual writers.However, the Bailey and Blavatsky sources also resulted in numerous imitators whose teachings are in the nature of a distorted reflection with irrelevant and erroneous things being inserted and essential things being left out. The phrase “Ascended Master” originated in the “I AM” movement about which Bailey wrote:The Masters brought before the general public by such movements as the I AM movement are a travesty of the reality. The Masters portrayed in the many theosophical movements (since the time of H.P.B.) are not distinguished by intelligence and show little judgment in the choice of those whom the organizations claim are initiates or important members of the Hierarchy. https://www.lucistrust.org/books/alice_bailey_books/my_workLikewise, in the Theosophical tradition that Blavatsky originated, Pablo Sender offers the following insightful critique of of “Mahatmas versus Ascended Masters.”DefinitionThe phrase “Brotherhood of Light” has a number of synonyms and these include: Hierarchy, Spiritual Hierarchy, The Masters, and The Lodge. This Brotherhood or Light or Spiritual Hierarchy is the original source that inspired all of the great religions and cultural evolutions of humanity. Behind the evolution of the world is a brotherhood of light. Behind humanity, events, nations, cycles of history, is a mysterious source of inspiration. It is the Hierarchy of Love and intelligence, a brotherhood of enlightened souls who lead and who are the goal and guiding light of humanity. Ralph Waldo Emerson spoke of it as, "...that lofty and sequestered class who have been its prophets and oracles, the high priesthood of the pure reason, the Trismegisti, the expounders of the principles of thought from age to age." They are transcendent; participants in super-nature, "...the privilege of this class is an access to the secrets and structure of nature, by some higher method than by experience".They were and are men, yet now more than that. Through many lives, they came by way of natural human evolution. They are called "Masters," because they have mastered nature and achieved vast knowledge inclusive of yet transcending all the accumulated knowledge of all humanity. The Masters are human, yet not limited by human faults. They are divine, but not all-powerful. They are masters of wisdom, mediators of powerful spiritual energy, of divine love and intelligence. The Hierarchy, as a brotherhood of knowledge and enlightenment, are instrumental in the evolution of life, including but not limited to human life. They manifest spiritual luminosity; a mastery of self--of all things physical, emotional, mental.We understand life as unfoldment of consciousness. So man, by evolution, transcends the animal, and the spiritual Hierarchy of our world, by evolution, transcends the human. Hierarchy is true consciousness, and by our approach to it we come to understand what it means to be awake, to be alive, to be truly conscious. So, humanity becomes a future Hierarchy. Hierarchy is a unity, a collective light behind and through the foundations of all things benevolent. The existing good in human arts, sciences, and societies, the good of all human creativity in the world, is in reality a blend of human with Hierarchical light. The light of world civilizations, seen from space, is the symbol of both our light and theirs. The collective aura of humanity grows luminous in the approach of Hierarchy. Their visitations support the long march of human history. Their power--in concert with our best efforts--stands as guard and guide in struggle of light with darkness.Hierarchy is an integral part of the aura of the Earth, and the soul of humanity, that slowly awakening light, is also integral to that same aura. So, behind the scenes, members of this Brotherhood are active in fostering the spiritual and cultural life of nations.They rarely come before the public eye, and when they do are not generally not recognized other than by those closely affiliated with their work. People usually see--not the members of Hierarchy--but their agents or disciples. These disciples work in the world by intuition, being spiritually impressed and often without conscious knowledge that they are disciples fulfilling a mission. Others are partly or fully conscious and clearly know that their labor on behalf of humanity is under the guidance of Hierarchy.The work of Hierarchy and their agents in the world is not limited to what people usually call spiritual or religious work. Rather the entire field of human evolution is their field of service. Their activities embrace the light of right government, education, and all the sciences and arts that constitute human culture.These true teachers guide, inspire and educate, but do not coerce or force humanity. Individual freedom, especially mental freedom, is never infringed. A key consequence of this is that their disciples can make mistakes in the way they represent themselves, their teachings, and the nature of Hierarchy itself. To attempt to correct all mistakes would itself be a violation of human freedom. So, Hierarchy is not an imposition, but a bridge to the future.(The above “Definition” is adapted from my script for the video:Spiritual Hierarchy--Its Nature and Relation to History and the Cultural Evolution of HumanityAdditional SourcesThere are, as indicated above, numerous narratives in history about the role played by The Brotherhood, but perhaps the most notable example where we have a detailed record is relate in the book The Comte de St. Germain: Isabel Cooper-Oakley. Another good narrative on the history of this can be found here The Count of Saint-Germain.Among the secondary narratives there is also What is the Spiritual Hierarchy? by Barbara Y. Martin and Dimitri Moraitis. They offer the following well written definition:Every society has had its belief in divine support. Angelic beings have been a running theme throughout the Bible as messengers of God… devas, dynasties, and divine incarnations. Taoists have their pantheon of gods and divine ones. The gods and sacred beings of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt played a central role in those societies. The Orphic and Elysian mysteries, with their mythology of the gods, were indispensable in the development of classical Greek culture and its golden age. In more recent times, mystics such as Helena Blavatsky, Max Steiner, Alice Bailey, Rudolf Steiner, and others helped reawaken an understanding of the spiritual hierarchy. Today, with the blossoming spiritual renaissance, many are taking a closer look at our relationship to the Holy Ones.Whether religious or secular, the concept of invisible spiritual beings is part of humanity’s cultural heritage. They are a source of comfort, solace, and inspiration. Countless sages and mystics have claimed direct contact with these Holy Ones. And the ancient spiritual training centers of the world—the mystery schools and ashrams—shared a common goal of helping the aspirant achieve a direct connection to the divine. Today, with the material scientific perspective, some look at the subject of the spiritual hierarchy as outdated myths or folktales. To them, angels and archangels are not relevant or a worthy subject for the modern mind. Yet this is the furthest thing from the truth. As we better understand the physical world we live in, it becomes even more essential to understand the spiritual roots that support and sustain our physical life. Of all the aspects of metaphysical study, the spiritual hierarchy can be one of the most difficult to approach in a clear and levelheaded way. Part of our challenge in understanding the spiritual hierarchy is that there is much confusing and conflicting information, depending on which system you follow. Various religious and metaphysical schools have their own interpretation of the hierarchy order, and sometimes these schools will be in apparent conflict or even antagonistic to each other. This is often due to centuries of less inspired hands reinterpreting ancient revelations. The approach in this book will be syncretistic. As the Rig Veda states, “The One Truth the sages call by many names.” By understanding the common thread that runs through the various spiritual systems, we can better appreciate how the Holy Ones are universal for all of us. There are three ways to define the spiritual hierarchy that we will explore in this book:• A network of celestial beings under God• The hierarchical order of life• The hierarchy of Divine LightA Network of Celestial Beings under God The spiritual hierarchy is the administrator of God’s divine plan. They are responsible for carrying out the various duties of creation. This holy order ranges from advanced souls in the human kingdom to glorious angels, archangels, and planetary leaders. We will pay particular attention to angels and archangels, yet there are other aspects of the Higher that exert an enormous influence as well.These Holy Ones have been on the spiritual path for a long time, many for eons, and have evolved enormously. They work to uplift humanity and form the evolutionary link connecting us to God. These exalted beings work on different levels of unfoldment, which is why it’s called a hierarchy, yet all work in perfect harmony with one another. Together, they form the evolutionary chain that links all life from the simplest amoeba to the most radiant archangel. We need these great beings as they are our link to God, and God works through these wonderful beings, guiding and steering the entire process of evolution.

Openness and down-to-earth pragmatism.For those who espouse mistaken beliefs or simply haven’t heard, this is what the New Age is really all about.From: Inner Quest - Aquarian Conspiracy“The start of the Age of Aries coincided with the appearance of Abraham whose central message was the certain existence of the One God of all. The Age of Pisces brought Jesus, who clarified and upgraded the Mosaic and Jewish laws and provided us with true insights pertaining to Heaven from whence he came and to which he returned. And now in the Age of Aquarius, it is widely believed that Christ will come again to continue our spiritual education. Every new age brings with it its own progressive teachings.The spiritual component of the New AgeThe old Eastern teachings have resurfaced affording us another opportunity to understand them better. Yoga physical disciplines hone the body and make it more easily responsive to the will of the spirit. Yoga practices relating to doing the right thing and serving our brothers directly develop our spirituality. Meditation, like praying the rosary, clears and focuses the mind and opens it to divine inspiration. Reincarnation, the doctrine of successive lives, and Karma, the law of cause and effect, sowing and reaping, are the twin principles the operations of which guarantee our continued evolution and spiritual perfection through individual merit.Questions and objections regarding Papal infallibility, celibacy, veneration of images, saintly interventions, birth control, abortion, euthanasia and others are being disputed by Catholics and Protestants, even among their own ranks. Eventually, all that are false will be discarded and only those that are true will remain.Theosophy and Lobsang RampaMiracles, supernatural healings and apparitions amaze everyone and new explanations are offered. At about 1850, to call our attention to the more spiritual aspects of our being and commence the necessary preparations for the coming new age, two important major movements drawing extensively from supernatural sources were initiated, one by the Great White Brotherhood, the other by the Spirits of Truth. Eastern and Western, they constitute two seemingly different approaches, but each complements the other and both are working for the same goals. There is only One God and one Truth.By 1875, the great libraries had all been razed to the ground or ravaged by war and almost all of the old sacred books and records were destroyed. To reintroduce the Wisdom Teachings of the ancients, the Great White Brotherhood commissioned the services of their “chela,” Madame Helena P. Blavatsky. With the use of her spiritual faculties highly developed from past incarnations, she clairvoyantly accessed the lost information from the Akashic Records and compiled them all in ‘The Secret Doctrine.’ She also founded the Theosophical Society to oversee the dissemination of these ancient teachings and prepare candidates for “chelahood,” a state where candidates have qualified for acceptance as a student of the Masters, henceforth meriting direct and personalized guidance and instruction. Theosophical studies cover the origin and development of the cosmos and human development in all the planes of being from its beginning to its end.Following in this tradition a century later, the Tibetan lama, Lobsang Rampa, was tasked to further simplify, clarify and upgrade the Eastern teachings. Adept at soul travelling, highly clairvoyant and telepathic, he recounts his experiences and provides us with startling revelations relating to the Unseen World. Highly evolved himself, he understands the divine teachings more completely and he teaches and explains them in his books which became bestsellers.Guidance by the Holy SpiritsAs early as 1850, the Spirits of Truth with the spirit guides and guardian angels had already initiated their own work in the Christian context. Their primary objective then was to provide proofs of the survival of the spirit. Countless Spiritualist mediums in Europe and America now began to manifest all sorts of magical and highly entertaining phenomena. Tables rapped messages, so did Ouija boards convey information from beyond. Ghosts and apparitions regaled and frightened. Objects flying all over the place appeared and disappeared from view. Much of these manifestations were subsequently proven to be false, but enough of the genuine articles convinced those with open minds that there is a greater reality, another world beyond ours.After the more thoughtful among the people got over their fascination and wonder, they began to question why all the fuss, what does it all mean. This time, the Spirits chose a Frenchman, Leon-Denizarth-Hippolyte Rivail, a member of several learned societies and a scientist-researcher well known in scientific circles to disseminate their explanations and teachings. Through various mediums and countless séances, a special team of Spirit teachers, among them the Apostle John and St. Augustine, communicated to Rivail the beginning basis of the promised revelations, the All Truth referred to by Jesus, the many things kept hidden since the foundation of the world, which in Jesus’ time, the people would not have been able to understand.Rivail included all these revelations in his books, ‘The Spirits’ Book’ and others under the penname of Allan Kardec, according to the instructions of the Guides. They later formed the underlying teachings of Spiritism, which term simply means guidance by the Holy Spirit. In the Philippines and in Brazil in the mid-1900s, psychic surgeons belonging to this school performed their barehanded and painless operations and attracted large followings. In the United States today, Channeling has taken over from Spiritualism. Each addition to the series brings new insights and reveals deeper aspects of the same eternal Truths.To provide Scriptural support to the New Teachings, the Spirits of Truth allowed an American, Levi (Levi H. Dowling), to transcribe directly from the Akashic Records. The fifth gospel account, ‘The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ,’ provides us with a fuller account of the life and teachings of the Lord, which includes reincarnation and contains a complete record of the lost eighteen years so strangely silent in the New Testament.Edgar Cayce and reincarnationIn the early 1900s under the control of the same Spirits of Truth, one of America’s greatest prophets, the sleeping Edgar Cayce, revealed useful information during his sleep. Initially, the readings addressed physical complaints and ailments and detailed unorthodox and unknown cures which proved very effective. Soon after, the life readings which over time numbered some 2,500 turned to more important spiritual concerns with reincarnation as their central theme. From the details of past lives bearing on the present situations, invaluable guidance was provided and the increased understanding enabled many to resolve their most difficult and pressing problems.The contributions of the Christian churchesThe Catholic Church has its own important contributions to the coming New Age. At Lourdes, Fatima, Garabandal, Akita, Medjugorje, in Egypt and Africa, Mary asked for prayers and enjoined the people to live holy lives. Padre Pio and many lesser-known saints and healers effected miraculous healings. Cursillos, life in the spirit seminars, couples for Christ outreaches, youth mobilizations and mass prayer rallies continue to sustain the interest and devotion of the faithful. To revitalize and prepare the Church for the advent of the Third Millennium and reverse the trend of Protestant conversions, a New Catechism was just recently promulgated.Revival has erupted everywhere. Protestant preachers and televangelists, the likes of Billy Graham, Benny Hinn and Pat Robertson, with his unique long distance healing by “word of knowledge” over the airwaves, are actively targeting all the nations of the world for evangelization. The lame walk, the deaf hear and the blind now see. And the old Gospel message is preached to all nations.Peripheral and hugely popular New Age studiesNew Age schools are raising the consciousness of many. Thoughts are things and thought creates. We are what we think we are. It is possible if we think that it is possible. What we can visualize, we can materialize into being. Therefore, we should concentrate only on what is good and think positive.Psychic development courses are well attended. They being our natural and inherent properties, we can if we so choose begin to develop our faculties of clairvoyance, psychometry, astral traveling, telekinesis and healing. They will afford us true insights and personal, undeniable proofs of spiritual realities. In the Age of Aquarius, we are no longer to be limited to our five physical senses. Alternative healing classes teach vegetarianism and proper dieting, stress control, herbal medicine, pyramid and crystal powers, and magnetic and pranic healing.Scientific evidencesFor the scientific minded, more recent researches done by Dr. Raymond Moody on persons who suffered near death experiences tend to prove survival. Dr. Ian Stevenson’s 2,000 researched cases and the hypnotic regressions conducted by Dr. Helen Wambach support reincarnation.But all these did not come easily. There were massive opposition every step of the way and they are not expected to dissipate anytime, soon. After all, we really need to ferret out mistakes and weed out false concepts before we can arrive at the correct conclusions. Hence, opposition to new ideas should be considered healthy and necessary, and to be expected.The Truth marches onIn addition, the upgrading of previous instruction is ever continuing. To spirits, there is infinite progress and no end to learning. Therefore, any new knowledge is not to be feared. Instead, this should be scrutinized, analyzed and tested with our minds open. How else can we go forward? So let us be more courageous. Let us venture out into uncharted territories and learn new things. Further down the road, our trust in God will ensure that the Truth will triumph in the end.”Read all > Inner Quest - Aquarian Conspiracy