Master Hilarion is one of the Perfected Beings called the Masters of the Great White Lodge who, having won his own freedom from rebirth to this Earth, stays close and encourages others to live a life free from earthly sorrows. He is Greek, seen by many in a very youthful appearance, and is of a beautiful countenance. He specifically influences the scientific world and the world of poetic writing, as well as the world of sound and color. He stresses positivity, as do all the Masters.

The Masters can only influence those who express happiness and joy while in the midst of earthly life. The Masters' criterion for choosing students to initiate and train is that those students possess an outward desire to help others in life, as do the Masters themselves. Few of the Masters are in a physical form, but they can manifest themselves before the chela, or aspirant, if it be necessary for the advancement or well-being of the student. Many people of higher consciousness or a sensitive nature go in their astral or dream bodies during sleep and study with these Perfected Beings. Often they are not aware of this because they are not yet able to remember their dream world. Master Hilarion began to teach me to go out of my body consciously, to enable me to remember the nightly teachings. As encouragement, he would say, "Where you are, we have been, and where we are, you someday will be. Life is continuously evolving from one state of consciousness to a higher one."

It is said that in Master Hilarion's last incarnation, he was the ancient Syrian, Iamblichus, founder of the School of Neoplatonism, and that he keeps this appearance. The writings of Iamblichus made it clear to me that they were from the same source as Master Hilarion. It is intimated that the main source of inspiration for the great prophet Nostradamus was the book De Mysteriis Egyptorum, written by Master Hilarion in his incarnation as Iamblichus. The prophecies of Nostradamus uphold this book, telling of the Golden Age to come, when the world will go back on its axis. The teachings of Master Hilarion were quietly becoming part of my inner thinking as a result of my nightly travels into places of study while I was out of the physical body in the dream world. Realizations were opening up within, realizations of the virtues by which we are united in ecstasy with the One.

That Master Hilarion was drawing me closer was confirmed one day when I had an inner urge to go to the bookcase in our house to look for something to read. I saw a strange-looking book which I had never seen before. I did not know how it had gotten into our library. I opened it. It was by Master Hilarion of the Masters of Wisdom.

I can never forget Master Hilarion's description of the new world in this book. It enlarged my perspective of life and its true meaning: that we are all wending towards the millennium, towards a whole and complete life. One part that enthralled me was the description of what our world will be like when it goes back on its axis. It would be years and years before this became a popular subject for discussion.

Hilarion said the new race that would emerge at that time would not be black, white, yellow or brown, but a synthesis of all - a golden-skinned people. There would be one religion inspired by the One God of All. The climates would change so that tropical conditions would exist in countries that are now snowy and frigid. He told of the goodness of humankind during this coming period. Love would be the prevailing force upon Earth, and humans would at last know freedom from fear, war and disease.

I could not put this book down. I took it everywhere - on ferryboats, trains, streetcars - as I traveled back and forth daily from San Francisco to Oakland. It was through this book that I developed the inner closeness to Hilarion, who was to be my guide through the labyrinth of inner experiences some call the dream world. When the book was well imprinted not only on my brain but in my heart, it disappeared as mysteriously as it had appeared. My inner door to the mysteries had been opened; I could now listen clearly to Master Hilarion and understand when he was in communication with me.

Soon after the discovery of this book, I was sitting in meditation when I felt an invisible presence in my room. A softness filled the air and the room became bright. Master Hilarion, in his etheric (spiritual) body, appeared.

"I will take you before the Masters. Go into deep meditation and prepare yourself," he told me. I was taken for an out-of-body experience in my etheric body to a great hall. I seemed to know many of the students who were there waiting for the Masters to appear, yet they were not people I knew on the Earth plane. I looked around and saw that the hall had a platform. The auditorium seemed to be large enough to hold about two thousand students. Suspense, almost a breathlessness, was in the air as we waited for the Master to appear.

When the particular Master who was training the chelas that evening arrived, he was dressed in splendor - with a beautiful cape and with jewels upon his delicate hands. What went through my mind that night was "How come the jewels?" In my desire to be spiritual, I had just given away some pearls and a few worthless rings with a "poverty is spirituality" attitude of self-righteousness. There before me on the inner etheric plane was a Great Being wearing rings. My mind wondered. I had yet to learn that this Master was on the ceremonial ray and that he used the power of stones as part of his ritual, as we now use crystals.

At the end of the meeting, I was taken into a small room to meet this Master. Humbleness entered my heart and I could not look into his face. His power of love and light was so intense that all I could look at were his beautiful feet. Later I was to be trained and taught by this Master, Count Saint Germaine, but that night he gave me only these instructions:

"You are on the last step of the journey. That last step could last an hour, a day or an eternity; it depends on your earnestness, intensity and the will power you exert. Hold fast, hold fast, hold fast. Be firm, hold steady, watch every thought, word and action, for you are to be tried and tested. The path ahead will be narrow for a time to come. Each side of the symbolic pathway will be slippery. If your foot slips from the middle, you will slip down the precipice. On one side of the valley below is hate, pain, fear, despair and depression. On the other side is the pleasure of the world: intense joy, likes, dislikes, attachments and uncontrolled emotions. On the narrow middle path called equanimity lies bliss, peace, love and perfection. Tread the path well, without slipping, and all at once it will widen into a smooth, sunlit road which will lead you on to the plateau of eternal bliss. There you will no longer be subject to the extremes of life that bring sorrow and clinging."

I felt myself slowly come into physical body consciousness, and I was again in my room. I saw Master Hilarion standing in a ray of light in my room. He had guided me back. He gently smiled at me as he quietly withdrew, but a fragrance and peace lingered on in the room. The memory of the Master Count Saint Germaine's feet and the beauty of the essence of peace I had felt remained with me continuously for many days.

I remembered the lesson; the message remained in my mind. It sounded ominous. Discipline! Discipline! I could understand why it had been said that few people make it to the mountaintop - why Perfected Masters were so few.

All my attempts at meditation were now for a new reason and had a new directive. Whereas before they had been for self-development, now I was meditating to prepare myself so that I could be clear and pure enough to share with others.

I was most anxious to start a class to teach the things I had been learning. I made a firm decision not to teach anything I had not experienced myself. I had seen the erroneousness of pseudo-teachers, pretenders, who did not live their message. I invited a handful of interested friends over one night for meditation. I was busy all day teaching dance in San Francisco; there had not been time to prepare a lesson. At the last minute, I ran into a bookstore to get something to teach. At random, I chose something by Krishnamurti and went home to share it with the group. This zealous attitude to help others did not go unnoticed by the Masters of Wisdom.

In the evening, after meditating and preparing myself, Master Hilarion's presence was felt in the room and he began:

"Daughter, we will begin by teaching you control of body. Control your thoughts and we will proceed. We your guides are planning to dictate to you some practical lessons of life to be published under the title The Golden Quest."

The following teachings were given to me by Master Hilarion, one of the Perfected Beings known as the Masters of Wisdom, who call themselves Brothers of Light.