A Theosophical Mahatma

Djwal Khul (also spelled 'Djwhal Khul', 'Djwal kul' etc.), is supposed by some Theosophists and others to be a Tibetan Master in the tradition of ancient esoteric spirituality. According to adherents, he is a member of the 'Spiritual Hierarchy', or 'Brotherhood', of Mahatmas, who are the spiritual guides of mankind and the guardians of ancient cosmological and metaphysical teachings. These esoteric teachings form the origin of all the world's great philosophies, mythologies and spiritual traditions. As a Mahatma, Djwal Khul works mentally for the furthering of spiritual evolution on our planet, using his highly developed powers of meditation, or siddhis. At the same time, he often leads an outwardly normal life among ordinary human beings. Members of the esoteric Brotherhood were said to be the hidden founders of the Theosophical Society in 1875.

Role in Neo-Theosophy and New Age

Early in the 1920s, the cook at the American Theosophical headquarters café, Alice A. Bailey (1880-1949), began writing Neo-Theosophical literature which she claimed to be receiving telepathically from a Master later to be revealed as Djwal Khul (spelled by her 'Djwhal Khul'). This Master, she said, was the one responsible for the revelation of esoteric truth in our time. In the past, he had worked through Madame Blavatsky, a co-founder of the Theosophical Society, to whom he had dictated substantial portions of the material presented in her magnum opus, The Secret Doctrine (1888). Now it was the 'disciple' Alice Bailey's turn. Her work for the Hierarchy of advanced beings, to whom Djwal Khul belonged, would help prepare the way for the 'Reappearance of the Christ', and would be the second in a series of three revelations meant to usher in the New Age, the Age of Aquarius.

In a preface statement attached to Mrs. Bailey's books, Djwal Khul ('The Tibetan' or D.K.) describes himself as an abbot of a Tibetan monastery and the spriritual preceptor of a large group of Lamas. He lives in Northern India, near the borders of Tibet. Other than that he seems reluctant to give out any personal details; his books are clearly about the alleged esoteric truth of his teachings and not about his own personage. Without entering into a discussion of the specifics of this vast teaching, it can be mentioned that Djwhal Khul is a Master on the 'Second Ray of Love-Wisdom', an Initiate of the at least the fifth degree, and an advanced disciple in the spiritual (i.e., non-physical) Ashram of the Master Koot Humi (K.H.). He is said to be engaged currently in setting up his own 'Second Ray' Ashram.

As the name of Djwal Khul became more widely known through the work of Alice Bailey and her group, the Arcane School, he became often mentioned as of the Ascended Masters of the various New Age sects and movements. Like Mrs. Bailey, the leaders of these groups may claim to be in direct contact with him and other 'Masters of Wisdom', and to be working as their disciples on the physical plane. They also give out new information about the Master, such as the identity of his previous incarnations (Lao Zi, one of the Three Wise Men etc.). This said, Djwhal Khul is more often than not a comparatively modest figure in the 'pantheon' of groups not directly connected with the Arcane School. And within the Arcane School itself, he is treated (by his own insistence) as a teacher and not an object of devotion.

Tentative Etymology

The origins of his name are uncertain. Although khul is a Tibetan word meaning 'region, jurisdiction etc.', the name does not seem to be of that language. 'Djwal' may perhaps represent the Sanskrit jwala-, meaning 'light, flame or illumination', while 'khul' might be a rendering of the word kula- 'group, family or community'. Treated as a Hindi name, the final a's of both words would be silent; thus jwal kul. These are, however, mere speculations.

Source: wikipedia