Astara

Astara is a hermetic occult fraternity founded in 1951 by Robert and Earlyne Chaney, both former Spiritualists. As a young medium, Robert Chaney had been active in the Spiritualist community in the Midwest in the 1930s and 1940s and was one of the founders of the Spiritualist Episcopal Church in 1941. He became somewhat alienated from Spiritualism after reading theosophical and hermetic literature and accepting some ideas, such as reincarnation, he discovered there. Reincarnation was still a very controversial idea in Spiritualism at the time. Meanwhile, Earlyne Chaney, who had been a clairvoyant since childhood, had held conversations with a spirit being who called himself Kut-Hu-Mi. She later discovered this being described in theosophical literature. Kut-Hu-Mi told Chaney that she had been selected for a special task—teaching the ancient wisdom to the people of the New Age. The Chaneys resigned from their church in Eaton Rapids, Michigan, moved to Los Angeles, and founded Astara.

Astara's teachings are an eclectic body. They draw on Christianity, Spiritualism, Theosophy, yoga, and especially on the ancient Egyptian teachings of Hermes Trismegistus, who is believed to have organized the original mystery school from which all others ultimately derive. The Chaneys also have made themselves open to new insights from the world's religions and philosophies.

From Hermes, Astara teaches that God is the only uncreated reality and that he has emanated his seven attributes and all that exists. Hermes taught the seven laws beginning with the magical law of correspondence ("As above, so below"). The law concisely states that any part of the world reflects the structure of the whole. Other laws deal with basic observations concerning motion, polarity, cycles, cause and effect, gender, and mind. The acceptance of these laws leads to a number of spiritual practices. Central to Astara is Lama Yoga, a method of mind expansion originally taught to Earlyne Chaney by the masters. The law of vibration has led to the practice of reciting "Om," the Sanskrit word believed to encompass the creative energy of the universe. Along with other yogic and meditative techniques, Astara recommends a natural food diet that leans toward vegetarianism.

Astara is headquartered in a complex in Upland, California, where members congregate and regular Sunday services and a cycle of conferences and retreats are held throughout the year. Most members relate to Astara through a set of correspondence lessons, the Book of Life. The Book of Life lessons function as a guru to the student and replace any need for a personal teacher. Apart from the lessons, both Chaneys have written a number of books and shorter works. In 1988 there were approximately 18,000 students. Astara may be contacted at 800 W. Arrow Hwy., Box 5003, Upland, California 91785.

Sources:

Chaney, Earlyne. Beyond Tomorrow. Upland, Calif.: Astara, 1985.

——. Remembering. Los Angeles: Astara's Library of Mystical Classics, 1974.

Chaney, Earlyne, and William L. Messick. Kundalini and the Third Eye. Upland, Calif.: Astara's Library of Mystical Classics, 1980.

Chaney, Robert. The Inner Way. Los Angeles: De Vorss, 1962.

——. Mysticism: The Journey Within. Upland, Calif.: Astara's Library of Mystical Classics, 1979.