A Study of the Inner Circle Teachings

Meade Layne (1882-1961) was a lifelong student of psychical research, paranormal phenomena and UFOs. He was a connoisseur of both Eastern and Western esoteric traditions, having been a member of Dion Fortune´s Society of the Inner Light and began publishing articles on psychical research in the 1930s. Meade Layne was well acquinted with all types of paranormal phenomena and had in 1936 written an article, Experiments in Evoking Images, published in The Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research (vol 30, no 9). When founding the small newsletter Round Robin in February 1945 (later The Journal of Borderland Research) and circulating it among 15-20 friends he had no idea that within one year he would begin co-operating with a unique deep trance medium of unusual capacity – Mark Probert.

Irene and Mark Probert

Meade Layne discovered Mark Probert´s unusual gifts as medium in the Spring of 1946. Probert never channeled any ”space people” as so many of the other mediums in the 1950s and 60s. Instead the communicators claimed to be ordinary individuals who had lived on earth before. The group speaking through Probert were referred to as the Inner Circle and presented themselves with names such Charles Lingford, Ramon Natalli, Theresa Vandenberg, Professor Luntz and Yada di Shi´Ite. Information channeled by mediums is generally a bore to read, platitudes coupled with naive love-and-light mysticism, But the Mark Probert communications are different, of a definitely higher intellectual and cultural quality, with interesting discussions of science, philosophy and esotericism. Meade Layne and his associates worked for many years with Mark Probert and the results were published in Seance Memoranda.

Mark Probert

In 1953 Meade Layne wrote a summary of this work in Round Robin:

”For some seven years past we have had the volunteer services of one of the finest deep-trance mediums in the world (Mark Probert). Through him, some hundreds of the excarnate have spoken with us - and particularly an Inner Circle of some fifteen communicators, ancient and modern, from both East and West. This is not at all the kind of thing made familiar by spiritualism, and it serves no cult or creed or propaganda. Instead we have recorded thousands of pages of science, philosophy, psychology and history - three-fourths of which does not have the sanction of existing text books. And after hundreds of hours of free conversational exchange with these invisibles, we feel that we have come to know them intimately and well, and … · that they are honorable and highly informed persons, human and limited like ourselves but speaking from standpoints of immense advantage.”
(Round Robin, vol. 9, no. 1, May-June 1953 , p. 4).

Meade Layne

When the BSRF archive was donated to AFU in 2016 and 2018 a full set of the Seance Memoranda was found, most of these Memoranda have been digitized. I have made a study of the information and statements made in these seances. They are of interest especially as the views and data presented by the Inner Circle has influenced the UFO movement. Mark Probert was also one of hundreds of witnesses to the UFO observed over San Diego October 9, 1946.

Eugene Register-Guard, October 14, 1946

Members of the Inner Circle explain that they have trained Mark Probert for many years to be able to channel comunications from their group on the astral plane. Readers of the Seance Memoranda will probably find it unusual that the Inner Circle often allow various types of not very interesting individuals talk through Probert. We find a.o. a temple dancer, suicide victim, man killed in an air plane crash etc. Many of these communicators are confused, not knowing where they are. The Inner Circle mention that they also perform a sort of astral rescue work. Helping people who have recently died to understand their condition.

Yada Di Shi´Ite

Ramon Natalli

Professor Luntz

The leader of the Inner Circle, Yada Di Shi´Ite,  presented this explanation of their work:

”What is your particular interest in these meetings, asked John.
Yada Di Shi´Ite: ”My interest is in the Boy; first, because we have spent several years in developing him to this point where we can use his vocal cords to express our ideas. But please understand, we wish no following; we wish only to express some ideas that may be of help to those who care to listen. There has come a time now in your civilization where the teachings and ideas you have held as being true must be changed. There are many, many ways of bringing about these changes, and we do not classify ourselves as being great teachers with wisdom greatly superior to yours – not by any means. We only hope you will find what we say of some value to you in your own particular path as you go on in life.”
(Seance Memoranda, May 29, 1949, p. 16. BSRA No 10-D Previously Unpublished Series).

For blog readers to get some overview and estimation of what is discussed during the seances I have chosen a few subjects of interest to ufologists and students of the Esoteric Tradition.

UFOs
”Anonymous communicator came as formerly – repeated that ”Kareeta” really came from…  planet not in our vibration rate , and that K. could pass from one rate to another and materialize here, just as everything else on this planet is rooted in the invisible planes as source.”
(Seance Memoranda, 8-A, no 1, Nov. 3, 1946, p. 14.)

For some reason the communicator refer to the UFO observed over San Diego on April 9, 1946 as a Kareeta. Of significance is that the Inner Circle already in 1946 claimed that some UFOs were interplanetary visitors, but coming from a different level in the multiverse. This theory, advanced by Meade Layne and BSRF came to be known as the 4-D, etheric or interdimensional theory and influenced ufologists like John Keel, Jacques Vallee, Allen Hynek and many others, although they used different terms for the same idea.

”Ramakalo: Yes, these people come in peace – they are much more advanced than you are. Their bodies are similar to yours, but much lighter. These people would like to make a landing but they are afraid of their reception. They know they will not be understood…
(Seance Memoranda, Transcript 1, October 10, 1946, p. 10. BSRA No 8-A).

”Charles Lingford: Now, I want to add about the discs, we haven´t given any wrong information. The predictions of that woman, about the discs being of Russian origin, are incorrect. There is no new information at present. But the Russians source is ridiculous. I do know that they come from the etheric world.”
(Seance Memoranda, Transcript 4, July 13, 1947, p. 66. BSRA No 8-B).

”Ramon Natalli: The phenomena of the flying discs will continue and probably increase. And no doubt there will be some of your bold and devoted pilots who will pursue these phantoms of the skies – very foolishly, of course. … No, we do not change the interpretation of the discs as we first gave it to you. They do come from the Etheric world.

(Seance Memoranda, Transcript 5, Janury 24, 1948, p. 26-27. BSRA No 8-C).

”Yada: Space people from various planets have certain work to do here on earth…There are many hundreds of space people walking on this earth. They have ships that go to the bottom of the ocean; they go deeper into the bed of the ocean to test conditions there. The earth is heating up, you are not going to have another ice age, you are going to have a water age. The space people are testing the snow on the top of the mountains as well as rocks, the atmosphere, the changing conditions of the atmosphere and the rate of cosmic radiation.
(Seance Memoranda, Transcript 30, February 1956, p. 2. BSRA No 9-E).

This is an interesting and very early prediction that the earth is heating up and that we are going to have a ”water age”. Appears to be a correct assessment when looking at todays environmental problems. Regarding the 4-D interpretation even ufologist and iconoclast James Moseley had a few kind words commenting on BSRF:
”Borderland Sciences Research Foundation… claims to have come out with the ”4-D” explanation of UFOs back in 1946, quite a few years before ”4-D” became respectable or even acceptable in Ufological circles. Among those who used to snear at that sort of thing was yours truly. Now we aren´t sneering quite as loudly.”
(James Moseley, Saucer Muse, Non-scheduled Newsletter, vol 23, no 18, April 1, 1976, p. 1).

Epistemology
Epistemology is the study of the nature of knowledge. How do we know that we know. This question should have been asked more often to the members of the Inner Circle but I have found very few examples in the Seance Memoranda.

Charles Lingford: ”Marc´s hatred of Catholicism is due to the fact that he was a Lutheran and was put to death by the Inquisition, or at any rate by Catholics.”
(Seance Memoranda, Sept 29, 1947, BSRA 8-A, No 1, p. 4).

Professor Luntz: ”We greatly deplore the boy´s antagonistic feelings towards certain religious groups, but we understand the reason, because we know that in a former life he was percecuted and finally burned at the stake, so it is understandable that he would hold this feeling of resentment against this one church in particular.”
(Seance Memoranda, July 28, 1949, p. 8. BSRA No 10-E Previously Unpublished Series).

Meade Layne: ”How do you get hold of data like that?” (Marc Probert burned by the Inquisition in a former incarnation).
Charles Lingford: ”Well, it can be secured from the astral records, of course, but there are so many ways, on both sides of life, for learning things that it is hard to explain. We might say that the desire to learn sometimes creates a kind of telepathic or clairvoajant response, or draws in some way on universal knowledge and life. Names are often forgotten simply because they are not used.”
(Seance Memoranda, Sept 29, 1947, BSRA 8-A, No 1, pp. 4-5).

George Adamski

 "The story is in the main true. The Disc did land and Mr. Adamski did carry on a conversation with the operator of said ship. But brother Adamski was so excited he does not remember clearly all that was said. This particular ship was from the planet Venus. We would like to remind you however, that the intense heat on that body, due to its proximity to the sun and an atmosphere heavy with carbon dioxide, make it highly unlikely or impossible that beings with the same organic structure as earth-man could abide on its surface. The Venus beings live in the ether of this planet."
(Journal of Borderland Research, Jan-Feb. 1972, p. 20. Trance session December 1, 1952).

The Yada di Shi´Ite: ”New conditions are developing. You are verging upon a contact with these other beings. Certain persons in high official places have had this information already – in Scotland, Australia and the Andes. These have received definite contact, not through a medium or any psychic means, but in ordinary conversation, just as we converse sitting here. The Etherians, to use your word, were present in natural earth bodies. To turn first to our friend, Mr. Adamski – it is a Polish name with accent on the first syllable. This man, while somewhat excitable, is honest and sincere. These people from other time shave been among Earth people for many years, going and coming as you do, but unknown to you as different from yourselves.” 

(BSRA Release 12-A-52, Dec 1952, p. 1).

This confirmation of George Adamski´s contact in the California desert November 20, 1952 caused much dissension among ufologists and co-workers of Adamski as he always maintained that the space people had organic physical bodies like we. But the etheric interpretation is in accordance with the core Esoteric Tradition regarding people living on other planets in our solar system.

Impersonations
Meade Layne: ”The honesty of a medium is in itself no guarentee against deceit by the communicators. There have been occational impersonations, such as that of ”Sir Isaac Newton” who knew no mathematics and less Latin, but was a very smart fellow for allt that. And it is obvious that the true identity of Lo Sun Yat cannot be verified. All one can say is, that they are (very often) powerful, learned and fully integrated personalities, and that there is no reason to suppose them fictions of the subconscious etc. The RR Editor merely reports, from time to time, communications which seem of interest… He only entreats the sceptical-minded to suspend judgement, and above all to continue to investigate with patience, and growing knowledge, and with a critical but open-minded attitude.”
(Seance Memoranda, BSRA 8-A, No. 2, Jan. 5 – April 6, 1947, p. 28).

This is an interesting comment from Meade Layne. The Inner Circle in a few instances let people of dubious character talk through Mark Probert. They then made it clear that these were impersonations or simply pretended to be famous historical persons. Meade Layne discussed this problem in his booklet Mediums and Mediumship (1949):
”Much importance is attached, in some quarters, to establishing the alleged identity of spirit communicators. The question seems of little importance to the present writer, except when spiritism is considered only in its consolatory and religious aspects. The basic question is whether any intelligent and excaranate operator is present; and beyond this, the importance of the communication lies in its content, whether it is intellectually and morally profitable, and whether it conveys any information not easily aviable by normal means.” (p. 14)

Esotericism
Although the statements of the Inner Circle cannot, in philosophical and intellectual quality, be compared with the writings of Alice Bailey or Henry T. Laurency the core teachings is in accordance with the Esoteric Tradition. Mention is frequently made of Masters and the work of secret esoteric lodges on our planet. The weak point is the often referred Advaita mysticism and subjectivism adhered to by several members of the Inner Circle. A problem found in much of Eastern presentations of esoteric philosophy. Even Alice Bailey´s teacher, the Tibetan, was not always clear on this point. Esoterism is basically Hylozoism - all matter (forms) have consciousness at all levels of the multiverse. 

”Yada: Soon comes the day you think of as Christmas Day – this is the day of all the Christ minds, the day of all the great masters. By masters I mean those great individuals who through many life experiences finally came into the highly advanced state of awareness, and by a certain process which is sometimes called the mystical presence have finished, completed their final initiation here on earth which gave them the right of being free beings.”
(Seance Memoranda, Transcript 21, December 23, 1952, p. 9. BSRA No 9-D).

”The principal feature of this sitting was an anonymous communicator who declared that he was an Adept still having an earth body; that he had left his body in trance, in India, and was attending a meeting of Adepts on the Astral – that they were experimenting to see how well the medium could be controlled by an Adeptus who was still earth-living; that if the method worked out it might be of much use for spreading knowledge of occult facts, etc.”
(Seance Memoranda, Transcript 1, November 17, 1946. BSRA No 8-A).

”There is a certain secret work going on at present between the Etherians and certain high earth authorities (You understand, I suppose, that I do not use the word ”high” in the usual sense. I am referring to those belonging to some of the secret Lodges on Earth). This work has to do with the great possibility of the Earth´s destruction… These men have landed in Australia in a secret landing field. They have not only been to Scotland, but to high authorities in England, and to a few of your men and women here of high standing (I refer to the secret Orders).”
(Seance Memoranda, November 28, 1951, p. 30).

Secrecy
Yada Di Shi´Ite: ”Some things we are not allowed to say…”
(Mark Probert Seance, Oct 15, 1953. Clips, Quotes & Comments A9, Oct. 31, 1953).

A very intriguing statement by the Inner Circle, indicating they were part of a larger organization controlling what data could be given openly.

Mark Probert

Who were the Inner Circle?

The Inner Circle present themselves with names such as Ramon Natalli, Dr. Charles Lingford, Yada Di Shi´ite, Lo Sun Yat etc. Could these names be personas, fictional characters used by members of some of the secret lodges on earth? If this theory proves correct my guess would be the Yucatan Brotherhood mentioned by Charles Leadbeater, Annie Besant, Alice Bailey and Henry T. Laurency. This secret lodge created the first physical materialization phenomena that inspired the formation of the Spiritualist movement in the 19th century. Academic scholar Dr. Joscelyn Godwin has written several interesting articles seriously discussing this "The Hidden Hand Theory". He advances the theory that there was a "hidden hand" behind the spiritist phenomena in the 19th century, a secret group with the aim of changing the culture of the West. This is also stated as a fact by the Tibetan in the Alice Bailey books: "It is interesting to note that this movement (modern spiritualism)  was started by a secret society which has existed in the world since the last period of seventh ray dominance in Atlantean times."
(Alice Bailey, Esoteric Psychology, vol 1, 1970 clothbound ed., p.166-167).

Meade Layne´s meeting with Mark Probert was a seminal event in the history of Borderland Sciences Research Foundation and had a tremendous impact on the work and theories of BSRF. Whatever is the truth behind the Inner Circle teachings they have influenced a whole generation of ufologists and students of paranormal phenomena. After nine years of working with Mark Probert and the Inner Circle Meade Layne summarized his position:
”Mark Probert is one of the finest trance mediums now living, and the communications received through him have been of exceptionally high intellectual quality, mainly in the field of the sciences, metaphyscs and philosophy.”
(Meade Layne, Clips, Quotes, & Comments, B11, June 1, 1954, p. 10).