How the School for Esoteric Studies Began
About the School:
The School for Esoteric Studies was founded in 1956 in New York City. The co-founders – Frank Hilton, Regina Keller, Florence Garrigue, Helen Hillebrecht, and Margaret Schaefer – had been trained in the Arcane School and had then worked closely with Alice and Foster Bailey on the staff.
After Alice Bailey’s passing in December 1949 and then the unexpected death of her handpicked successor, Barbara Enos, Foster Bailey continued functioning as interim director of the Arcane School. This was in addition to his other duties, among which was running the Lucis Publishing Company that publishes the books by Master Djwhal Khul and Alice Bailey. An advanced student and new staff member named Mary Turner provided much assistance to Mr. Bailey and, increasingly, influenced the direction the School would take as the future unfolded. In time, she became the official director and Foster Bailey’s second wife.
During the crucial five years after Alice Bailey’s death, two views surfaced among the leaders of the School concerning the future of esoteric training. Those staff members who espoused the view that the Hierarchy needed workers who were trained in the deeper and more advanced aspects of modern esoteric teaching turned out to be in the minority.
Rather than relinquishing this vision, several of the group resigned from the Arcane School, rented office space a few blocks away in Manhattan, and began to assemble the new lesson materials. They chose a name for the new school that, although it was rather long, reflected the purpose behind the founding impulse – in-depth study of the deeper teachings.
In 1996, the office headquarters of the School for Esoteric Studies relocated to Asheville, North Carolina, in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. From there, the School continues to bring the Ageless Wisdom teachings to a wider public via this website and to mentor students on the spiritual Path worldwide.