Now I wish to share my fond memories
of
Donald Ballard
I have said much about Guy and Edna Ballard on previous WebPages for they became the principle players in the Spiritual drama of the early part of the nineteen hundreds. Thus not so much is known about Donald Ballard who was much loved not only by his parents but also by the early students of the Ballard 'I AM' Activity.
His Mother, Beloved Edna Ballard was heard to say that 'when Don takes His Place as the Accredited Messenger, there will be no auditorium in the world large enough to hold the crowd. He has a terrific Power in His Voice.'
Edna Ballard believed that her son was a very great Life stream. And certainly She was validated in that belief by the descriptions of his former embodiments as spoken of in 'Unveiled Mysteries'. And there is no doubt that it was anticipated that he would succeed them as the third Accredited Messenger in the Spiritual work The Three of Them were doing.
During the years while all Three Ballards were giving Their Service in the large classes, they worked closely together. The picture in the previous article about them shows all three of them on the stage during one of the large classes where Ascended Masters dictated directly to Guy Ballard....and where one of the Three always gave a Chart explanation....the Chart being the painting showing the human form with the 'I Am' Presence standing directly above the individual...the individual surrounded by the Violet Flame ....and there was always an explanation about the Violet Flame given by one of the other two as well as other information such as this dedication to the song 'I Am Come' recorded by Don Ballard.
When Guy Ballard 'ascended' in 1939, Beloved Donald helped Edna Ballard work through the tremendous upheaval within the student body. Much changed as some students refused to be led by a woman and they left the group....and as hard as it is to believe, certain students brought unfounded charges of illegal actions against Beloved Edna and Donald which meant there were the court battles that had to be faced by the two of them.
Few today know anything of the really vicious legal battles that arose from these false allegations of mail fraud brought against Edna and Donald Ballard by truly evil and and callous students who were trying to destroy or to steal the Information and Format of the Ballard Organization ...and fewer know that finally after many years the legal battles ended in the Supreme Court where the Ballards were completely vindicated. All this can now be verified through articles that can be found on the Internet.
However while this legal situation was dragging on in the 1940s into the '50s, Don Ballard was drafted into the military. Only older students can now recall what was known then and seems to be forgotten now, of how miserably the military treated him.
If I might be permitted to theorize....I would venture to say that what we call the 'sinister force' knew very well Who Don Ballard was in the Bigger Picture, as in the military service He was almost physically destroyed. It is said He was given some of the very worst jobs. One story tells of his being given work among rotting corpses....and it is well known that his health was almost destroyed by the injections that were forced upon him at that time. And of course, when the military personnel found out He was the son of Guy and Edna Ballard He became the butt of cruel and even vicious jokes. He was cruelly criticized (why wasn't He walking on water, etc.) and suffered terribly at the hands of a critical Press who loved to ridicule the 'son of the Ballards'. In those days making fun of Don Ballard was a favorite pass time of many people....including the Press. When His military service came to an end He was physically.....and probably emotionally, too.... damaged as is the case with so many of our young people who are pressed into military service, then and now.
I'm sure it was those military experiences that caused Him to become what some people thought of as a little 'rough' on the outside....and over the years some students found Him hard to deal with....He matured and didn't 'suffer fools' easily especially those close to his mother....so that over time He found it easier to give His Christ Service away from the Center of action....and accordingly as time went by, he was treated less than cordially by those who took control of Beloved Edna's activity....students, lawyers and business managers, all working closely with her, giving guidance to Her up to the time of Her death.... he was with her at the Temple in Chicago as she made the 'change'.....
And of course, when he returned home from the military much had changed from the days when he had stood on stage alongside His Parents in the large classes in what had became known as the Ballard 'I AM' Movement. During the 1950s and 1960s I'm sure Beloved Edna was grateful for all the help he could give as She had her hands full with the burden of teaching big classes while participating in re-directing the students in new Study patterns developed to serve the needs of those who wanted Her to go on with the Ascended Master Instruction begun in 1932.
Donald Ballard's life was in many ways a difficult one.....and to some of us a sad one. We remember him as the engaging son of two powerful people....a handsome young man who struggled to live his life within that Spiritual Context....pampered and praised by the students on one hand and criticized and belittled on the other. I'm sure he never knew which way to turn as people in his life pulled him this way and that.
As already indicated He developed a somewhat testy and gruff reaction to people... and my personal sense was that He was able to see right through the hypocrisy of people in general.....and acted accordingly. That he was a very decent, caring human being I will attest to....as will my husband who had the opportunity to work closely with him on certain projects....they enjoyed each other's company.... as well, they worked well together .
My only interaction with him and one of my sweetest memories, came about one day while at the Guy Ballard Amphitheater at Mount Shasta. He and I happened to come face to face in a narrow passageway. I was in awe of him and my immediate reaction was to move aside and let him pass.
He, however, stopped right in front of me, smiled and though we had never been introduced, he greeted me cordially by name . I smiled and automatically held out my hand to shake hands with him....but to my surprise he took my hand, lifted it and kissed it very gently and sweetly. He asked me if I was enjoying myself at Mount Shasta and I said, yes, I was. There were several other comments and then we smiled at each other as he nodded goodbye. He, then made room for me to pass, we each going on our way and the brief encounter was over But I have never forgotten that moment. It is a precious memory to me.
When Edna Ballard ascended in 1971, it was assumed and desired by many students that Donald would take his place of Leadership. As it turned out this did not happen. And thus his role of Third Accredited Messenger appointed by Beloved Saint Germain, was lost for this time and it was a great disappointment to those who wanted to see him assume the role of succeeding Messenger. In. that capacity His Cosmic Duty would have been to lead the Ballard student body, world-wide, through this current 'final epic struggle' the whole world is currently engaged in.
It is thought by many that through Him the Ballard Activity would have had direct and continuing Communication with the Ascended Ones Who are guiding humanity at this time. Many students felt it was a lost Opportunity for both theMasters and the students in Light of today's world wide chaos.
My understanding of the moment is that Donald Ballard is now an unascended Master who will complete the Ascending Process when his Role as Accredited Messenger is completed.
We are told that the Lady Master Nada is His Twin Ray and that They work together. There are many interesting facts about His life....for example Beloved Edna Ballard explained that without his participation as Lafayette during America's struggle for Independence that effort would have failed.. I find that a powerful admission.
Regarding that....it is of interest that the Three of Them, Washington, (Godfre), Franklin (Lotus) and Lafayette (Don Ballard) working together then, lent their efforts to help to establish the United States of America. And in our time working together again, helping to bring in the New Golden Age.....helping to spread the Good News of Christ's Teaching.....helping to validate Cosmic Instruction directly from Ascended and Angelic Beings....Information that is required to bring this Planet and people into the next thousand year Cycle of Peace....hoping to spare the people the Third Episode of Washington's Vision.
In my most fervent plea and prayer
I, in the Name of My own Mighty 'I AM' Presence
invoke the Power of Almighty God
asking that Beloved Donald be allowed to work with us again in this time.
We call upon Him to Blaze His Powerful Ascended Christ Light upon America
as He gives the crucial 'Measure of Light' that once again saves this Nation .
Lois J. Crawford
2012-2016
Please enjoy this commentary by Bill Federer