St. Germain’s identity has shifted from French courtier to Freemason and Rosicrucian to prophet, Hidden Master, and a citizen of the planet Venus
Saint Germain occupies a distinctive place in the spiritual mythology of Mount Shasta. Although stories about the mysterious Count of St. Germain originated in eighteenth-century Europe, later esoteric movements transformed him into an immortal spiritual teacher and Ascended Master. During the twentieth century, these traditions became closely associated with Mount Shasta, particularly through the teachings of Guy Ballard and the I AM Activity. Today, Saint Germain remains one of the central figures in the mountain’s modern esoteric history.
Who Was Saint Germain? Historical Figure and Esoteric Legend
The historical Count of St. Germain was an enigmatic eighteenth-century European adventurer whose origins remain uncertain. He moved among aristocratic circles and became known for his knowledge of languages, music, chemistry, and the arts. After his death, increasingly elaborate legends developed around him. Later occult and esoteric traditions associated Saint Germain with numerous historical figures and claimed that he had lived through multiple incarnations, eventually portraying him as an immortal spiritual teacher or Ascended Master.
Identities Attributed to Saint Germain
Over time, occult writers and esoteric movements attributed numerous identities and previous incarnations to Saint Germain. These associations vary considerably between traditions and should be understood as part of the developing Saint Germain legend rather than established historical biography.
- A member of the Illuminati and the Masons
- A conspirator in the French Revolution of 1789
- Rasputin (1769-1916)
- An Alchemist
- A Knights Templar (Active from c. 1119 – c. 22 March 1312)
- Christian Rosenkreuz (1378-1484)
- In psychic contact with Madame Blavatsky (1831-1891)
- One of the Seven Masters of Wisdom for Theosophists
- The son of Prince Francis Rákóczy of Transylvania (1676–1735)
- The bastard son of Queen Anna Maria of Spain (1606-1646)
- The grandson of King James II of England (1633-1701 )
- His real identity was made secret by the courts he worked, including Louis XV (1710-1774) and his mistress Marquise de Pompadour, of France (1721-1764)
The Real St. Germain?
In 1745, St. Germain turned up in London, where his music was published and performed. Twelve years later he was introduced into the Versailles court by Carechal de Belle-Isle (1684-1761) and remained in France from 1758 to 1760. St. Germain has also gone by the names of Surmont, Count Tsarogy and Count Welldone.
St. Germain was supposedly the pupil of Johan Georg Schrepfer (1738-1774) in Leipzig, who claimed to be a Mason, though he was not. Cagliostro (1743-1795) was rumored to be a pupil of St. Germain and also possessed the secret to immortality. St. Germain died, at least on one account, on February 27, 1784, from pneumonia. St. Germain was later sighted in Paris in 1835, and Napoleon III (1808-1873) kept a dossier file on him. Theosophist C.S. Leadbeater, in his Masters and the Path (1925), claimed to have met St. Germain in Rome. Theosophists claimed St. Germain was the incarnation of the goddess Venus, and Guy Ballard (1878-1939) of the I AM Movement claimed that St. Germain introduced him to visitors from Venus.
The Church Universal and Triumphant, led by theosophists Mark and Elizabeth Clare Prophet, produced a biography on St. Germain, claiming that he was the incarnation of an Atlantean, Merlin, Roger Bacon (c. 1220-1292), Francis Bacon (1561-1626), and Christopher Columbus (1451-1506).
Saint Germain and Mount Shasta
Saint Germain’s association with Mount Shasta developed primarily during the twentieth century. The connection became especially influential through Guy W. Ballard, founder of the I AM Activity, who described a transformative encounter with Saint Germain on Mount Shasta in the early 1930s. Ballard later published accounts of these experiences under the name Godfré Ray King, most notably in Unveiled Mysteries.
Through Ballard’s writings and the growth of the I AM Activity, Mount Shasta became an important sacred landscape within Saint Germain traditions. The mountain was portrayed not simply as a geographic location but as a place of spiritual power, hidden knowledge, and contact with Ascended Masters. These ideas contributed significantly to Mount Shasta’s developing reputation as a center of American esotericism.
Guy Ballard and the I AM Activity
Guy W. Ballard’s experiences at Mount Shasta became the foundation for the I AM Activity, a religious movement he established with his wife, Edna Ballard, during the 1930s. Ballard taught that Saint Germain was an Ascended Master who had revealed spiritual teachings to him during encounters on and around Mount Shasta.
The movement helped establish a lasting connection between Saint Germain and Mount Shasta in American esoteric culture. Through lectures, publications, and organized groups, the Ballards introduced thousands of followers to the idea of Mount Shasta as a place associated with Ascended Masters and spiritual revelation. These ideas developed within a broader esoteric tradition that was also influenced by Theosophy.
Further Reading
“The Bizarre True Story of The Count St. Germain” – website
Comments are closed.