Editorial

200 years since the creation of the

UNIVERSAL ALLIANCE

1824-2024

It was created in London, 1824, and Berlin, 1856. Planned in 1864 in New York, Boston, Cairo, Benares, Tokyo, Paris and Jerusalem simultaneously. Legally constituted in Paris and Jerusalem, 1908. Established in Jerusalem and Benares, 1912. Reorganized in London, 1919, New York and Shanghai, 1922, Berlin, 1924, San Francisco, 1925, Havana, 1928, New York, 1945 and 1958, Amsterdam, 1962. By 1947 it was already registered in most civilized countries, establishing 33 different sections and fourteen delegations, with more than nine hundred thousand individual members and 137 different societies adhered to. Registered in several countries in the Americas, including Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Panama. 

It should be noted that it would be necessary to form an encyclopedia with a good number of volumes to record only very briefly the activities carried out by the UNIVERSAL ALLIANCE throughout its 200 years of existence, whose records and documentary collection are part of the WORLD MUSEUM OF THE LIVING HISTORY OF MAN, currently scattered in several countries of the world,  most of them are currently concentrated in Medellín, Colombia. In the Ariel Magazine www.revista-ariel.org,  a good collection of material that will enlighten the reader about this UNPARALLELED institution can be consulted.

From its genesis to the present day, the UNIVERSAL ALLIANCE has assumed different names in different countries, among which it is worth highlighting: UNIVERSAL SPIRITUAL UNION; SPIRITUAL UNION OF UNIVERSAL SERVICE; UNIVERSAL RELIGIOUS ALLIANCE; UNIVERSAL, CULTURAL, HUMANISTIC AND SPIRITUAL ALLIANCE; UNIVERSAL ALLIANCE, CULTURAL, HUMANISTIC, RELIGIOUS AND UNIVERSAL SPIRITUAL FOR MODERN TIMES, abbreviating it for practical purposes as UNIVERSAL ALLIANCE, and erecting itself yesterday and today as the Minor Vehicle of the GREAT WHITE UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD.

It was decided at the time that the American Section of the UNIVERSAL RELIGIOUS ALLIANCE Inc. which was established in 1925 would retain its legal title and continue its activities as usual, as a functioning world organization of United Religions, as well as with the traditional World Parliament of exclusively religious Organizations. Needless to say, this modification does not in the least mean a division or a schism, since it is merely a mere modality of efforts for more effective results in a highly changing world, since the challenges of tomorrow must be adequately addressed with prudence and foresight. None of these changes affected in the least the structure of the UNIVERSAL CULTURAL, HUMANISTIC, RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL ALLIANCE FOR MODERN TIMES Inc. because the Universal Religious Alliance stands like a branch of the same tree. The conditions of Members remain completely unchanged. In fact, a similar autonomous ramification took place in 1922, when numerous fraternal bodies, especially interested in maintaining their specific spirit, sought a more significant Union, on the basis of their special Initiatic interests.

The UNIVERSAL ALLIANCE is above all an organism of many educational, cultural, benevolent, fraternal, moral, ethical and spiritual organizations. It is absolutely non-denominational. Composed of sincere and healthy groups and individuals from all races, faiths, nations and continents, who are interested in living peacefully and nobly, applying the GOLDEN RULE for the benefit and advantage of all.  It excludes only those people who are not normally healthy and respectable, who would exclude themselves anyway. It does not hold any kind of artificial privilege or mystical pretensions. Above all: - does not expressly attempt to serve sectarian institutions or the exclusive interest of any particular person, race, religion, or nation. Therefore, it cannot – ever – be in any way the making or property of any particular person, faith, clan, sector or group. IT BELONGS TO ALL HUMANITY AND EXPRESSES THE IDEALS AND NEEDS OF HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS. Pr. OM Lind-Schernrezig. Düsseldorf, 25th May 1945.

The UNIVERSAL ALLIANCE is thus formed as a Confraternity, Confederation and World Community made up of independent cultural, humanist, educational, religious, mystical, fraternal, benevolent, artistic, spiritualistic, scientific research, philosophical and spiritual societies or movements legally established, peaceful, with noble and wisely inspired purposes and by people who yearn to serve the best interests of God, Truth and Humanity through the due application of the GOLDEN RULE, placing the universal and eternal above all ephemeral and limited designs. Peace with Dignity, Mutual Benefits, Human Excellence, Righteousness and Friendly Solidarity based on the Aristocracy of Culture and Spiritual Nobility.

But there is much more in the UNIVERSAL ALLIANCE that, in some way, is insinuated when we realize that great souls have left in it their wonderful imprints of moral dignity and magnificent wisdom and spiritual majesty, being able to mention among others: Thomas Blake, Havelock Hellis, G. Carpentier, Thomas A. Edison, H.P. Blavatsky, T. Mann, Anatole France, Anagarika Dhammapala, Tai Hsu, Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Dr. Alexis Carrel, Gardner Hunting, Victor Magnien, Prof. E. Westermarck, Dr. Charles Singer, Pr. Albert Marie, Prof. Frank H. Hankins, Swami Brahmananda, Dr. G. Tamakura, Pr. O. Lind-Schernrezig, H.G. Wells, William James, Dr. McPherson Lawrie, Lord Bulwer Lytton, Frank Buck, Leo Tolstoy, Maharishi Dorsaku, Cardinal Mercier,  Prof. Albert Einstein, The High Priest of Rewa, Maurice Magre, Maurice Maeterlinck, René Grousset, Leon Denis, The Gaekwar of Kapurtala, king Louis II of Bavaria, Richard Wagner, Anna Pavlova, Louis Bertrand, Sir Edwin Arnold, Mark Twain, Emerson, Thoreau, Rudyard Kippling, Jollivet-Castelot, Bauville d'Hostel, Hann Ryner, H. Chevillon, Jenny Lind, Otto Seemann, Miguel de Unamuno, John Lewis,  King Piang Lui of Muli, Brian Branston, Grand Priest Maduroa of Mu (Palau), Chief Mu Teoagi (Solomon Islands), Sir Zaden La, Marilyn Monroe, G.R.S. Mead, Kersey Graves, Gen. McAlrthur, J.P.Lundy, C.W. Kiing, Lord Kingsborough, Anna Kingsford, Godfrey Higgins, Dr. Franz Hartmann, Albert Pike, Gen. George Patton, Marquis Stanislas de Guaita, Eliphas Levi, Rt. Rev. Henri Duvernois, Prof.  Karl Bruner, Stefan Zweig, Romain Rolland, Mario Rosso de Luna. Goodwill, understanding, and compassionate kindness are here well combined with sincerity of purpose.

We could aptly describe our efforts and designs as a much-needed "New Age Civilization" as Thomas Blake used to claim.  But it was also called by Dr. R.T. Trall MD, HUMAN HYGIA and by E. Davis, a "PLANETARY REHABILITATION Movement". In 1920 the Illustrious Pr. OM. Lind described it as: "a UNIVERSIAN ennobling effort based on HUMAN AND COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS, stripped of all the illusions and trappings responsible for the horrible materialistic civilization that morally and biologically degrades as well as spiritually degenerates the human species."

Since 1959 he has been given up from establishing Universal Temples and Spiritual Shrines in different parts of the world because some Religions (Associate Members) claimed that it was their exclusive privilege to do so. The secular Spiritual Shrines also sought to avoid confusion, being Sacred Shrines of the Spiritual Traditions. Since then the worldwide core of the Universal Religious Alliance, then established in India, Cuba, America and France was transformed into the UNIVERSAL CULTURAL, HUMANISTIC, RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL ALLIANCE FOR MODERN TIMES, Inc. so as not to appear competing with the great Buddhists, Muslims, Christians. Jews, Taoists, Hermeticists, Jaimists, Confucians, Sikhists, Lamaists, Eleusinians, Pythagoreans, Incas, Masonics, Druze, Essenes, Gnostics, Spiritualists, Mithraics, Hindus and the Mayan traditions that honor us with their undivided collaboration for more than a century. For the same reason the Universal Spiritual Universities have added to their distinctive appellations "and Temple of Perennial Wisdom," in order to emphasize their total independence from any specific religion, theocratic orthodoxy, or worldly tradition.

This Universal Spiritual Mission existed in Cuba since 1925 and was legalized in 1928, under the direction of H.H. Pr. OM Lind Schernrezig, who, being a native of India, would assume Cuban citizenship and would become the soul and engine of all its activities for more than 40 uninterrupted years, leaving indelible marks in countless countries, on every continent of the planet. And it was precisely in Cuba where the greatest difficulties and hardships suffered in the two hundred years of existence would be suffered, marking a milestone too significant for the history of the Universal Alliance and its directors of the time, for which we will go into some details about it because of the disastrous consequences that derived from it.

Under the tyranny of General Batista, difficulties began to be experienced on the Cuban island due to the public protests made by the Alliance against the atrocities of this monstrous regime. After Fidel Castro came to power, we sympathized with the enthroned reforms that really responded to the social, educational and exclusively humanist needs of the people. Of course, at that time there was no indication that a communist regime was established. It was a new beginning for Cuba, which began on January 1, 1959.

During the months of October to December 1959 and January 1960 we held in Havana a Great Assembly of the WORLD CONGRESS OF MAN (Permanent World Parliament of all Religions, Faiths, Fraternities and Philosophies), one of the Sections of the UNIVERSAL ALLIANCE, the government of Cuba offering the main halls of the Capitol for these purposes, thanks to the timely and effective intermediation of Commander CAMILO CIENFUEGOS, months before his unfortunate death in October 1959 in an alleged plane crash that threw many doubts and questions. Certainly, the motive of the provision of locations and the respective procedures for entry and exit permits to all the delegates of the congress who arrived from different parts of the world had to do with the government's need for the influx of foreign tourists and for Cuba to be seen as a country that loves culture and freedom of thought and belief, all of which was fully compensated for the government by the showcase that was given with the large influx of delegates from multiple countries to the World Man Congress.

But since the beginning of 1960 we began to realize that Cuba would not be the paradise that was promised and expected, so it was decided to suspend all the activities of the Spiritual Mission, which included the WORLD UNIVERSITY OF RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL SCIENCE, the ORTHODOX THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, and the GREAT SPIRITUAL SANCTUARY OF ALL RELIGIONS. The UNIVERSAL RELIGIOUS ALLIANCE continued its interfaith and inter-religious cooperation. In the face of the facts, by the end of 1960, the revolution became extremely aggressive with all forms of religion, for which permission was requested to leave the island of Cuba, without ever getting a response from the Cuban authorities.

The year 1961 was marked by the unfortunate invasion of Cuba. From then the socialist and communist spirit was officially established, and the Universal Alliance Mission began to suffer all kinds of ill-treatment by government officials, for it became a major crime not to be a socialist or a COMMUNIST and even worse not to declare it publicly in the case of the Alliance. In August, a law was passed regulating the possession of money, the dollar account was confiscated, and we were denied permission to leave the country, at a time when Dr. Lind was very ill, under house arrest, and in need of surgery. For several months he and his secretaries Micheline Héraud, Blanche Ledran and Marie Peurozet, who had selflessly joined the directives since 1950, survived thanks to food parcels that arrived from abroad, since they were forced to starve and go into captivity until a public pronouncement in favor of communism was given by the missionaries of the Alliance, which was flatly rejected.

For several months, it was possible to inform the friends and collaborators of the Alliance abroad so that they could begin a campaign to make known to the world the terrible hardships and mistreatment that were being suffered. This resulted in a series of letters sent to the Cuban government requesting immediate release, and that all files and personal belongings be allowed to travel abroad. From India, Japan, Germany, and America, a series of protests were launched simultaneously at the United Nations Secretariat, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, the Organization of American States (OAS), and the human rights body around the world, and hundreds of religious, humanist, spiritualist, scholarly organizations,  philosophical and mystical organizations actively participated in this spontaneous expression of revolt against the ignominy of the Cuban revolution or international COMMUNISM.

The position taken by the officers of the UNIVERSAL ALLIANCE against COMMUNISM in Cuba continues to be a living example for all humanity. Now we want the whole world to know exactly what COMMUNISM is, so that this scourge can be avoided wherever it shows its ugly face.

Several days later, a telegram was sent to some friends in New York to visit Dr. U. Thant, Secretary General of the United Nations, which had the virtue of provoking the Cuban authorities to the extreme, so they sent us special enforcers to present us with the excuse of the revolutionary government for the undue delay in granting us permission to travel outside Cuba, but without practical results beyond promises. Meanwhile, the Cuban government received dozens of telegrams every week and hundreds of letters every month, demanding our release from captivity, as well as better human treatment and more respect for Spiritual Missionaries and religious ministers. The numerous telegrams and letters sent to the Organization of American States, the United Nations, UNESCO, etc., were also beginning to become widely known, and some governments showed deep solidarity with our case, offering to help us in some way.

Finally, on March 17, 1962, they were notified by Mr. Luis Sobral, a kind of Cuban Grand Inquisitor, saying that the government was deeply interested in giving us all the necessary guarantees and facilitating our departure from Cuba. Before long, a ship was leaving for Amsterdam, so in just two days the files and some of the belongings were piled up as best they could in 17 boxes, and the missionaries boarded a plane bound for Amsterdam on March 19. At the last moment, they were forced to abandon all those belongings that according to the law could not be removed without special permits. The Special Bank Account held by the Alliance was unfrozen, and the government deducted the travel tickets from it. They were informed that they would be given $2,000.00 in U.S. currency from the ALLIANCE's resources for travel expenses, but they were only provided with $50.00. In reality, their belongings were confiscated, which was very similar to a ransom payment that allowed them to enjoy freedom. They were put on a KLM plane without entry visas to the Netherlands or health papers, hurriedly, without customs inspection or weighing of luggage. Luckily, we were received in a friendly manner by the Dutch authorities.

It can be said that since the beginning of 1960 the mission of the UNIVERSAL ALLIANCE entered into a decline in its activities that was accentuated with the passage of time, since the ordeal experienced in Cuba until March 1962 would continue later when its spiritual missionaries would be subjected to the jungle of the law in relation to obtaining visas and legal documents to reestablish the headquarters of the ALLIANCE in some country A decent group of the world, far from the communist hosts, traveling from country to country with temporary permits, constituting in fact refugees without refuge. We are not going to dwell on this tragedy; those interested in delving into it can consult the REFUGEE WITHOUT REFUGE section published in www.revista-ariel.org.

At present, the UNIVERSAL ALLIANCE is based in several countries of the American continent with minimal activity. Its foundations, its designs and the Universal Plan for a New Age remain fully firm and will undoubtedly serve as inspiration and guide when there is a maturation in human consciousness that makes such achievements possible, on a planetary scale. The Universal Spiritual Union will long be the technical plan of Fraternal humanity, united to enjoy a peaceful, free and ennobling world.

The narrative of the 200th anniversary of the UNIVERSAL ALLIANCE should have been very different, and we cannot fail to express our deep sadness that endeavors such as this have suffered such a debacle since 1960 and for the loss of contact with so many institutions and personalities of the moment, most of them already deceased. Those of us who continue to stand defending its principles and foundations do so with the clear certainty that any effort made in this direction aims to raise the regenerative flag of humanity and that striving for such objectives is already in itself an immeasurable privilege only suitable for select souls in the human species.

The greatest problem confronted is man himself. Problems are man-made. If we wanted to build a better world, we would have to count on a better man. Therefore, the primary problem consists in this: TO MAKE NEW MEN, to regenerate the human species, a task that continues to be assumed by Section Two of the Universal Alliance, that is, the Spiritual Universities, which have never stopped their march to the extent of their possibilities, offering the Courses of Study that are available free of charge. Transform the person, and the world will be ipso facto improved.

"Human maturity is slow, and progress is not always one of advancement, of perfection, of achievements, of excellence or of spiritual conquests, which in summary are the only valid ones because they are eternal and indestructible. Nor are new spiritual paths achieved without a certain moral strength and ethical dignity. Hence the difficulty of the task of improving institutions or of evolving rationally. Until now it is the systems of force, tyrannies and reasons of blood and fire that have been imposed on the most dynamic sectors..." Pr. OM Lind.

"It is necessary to mature, certainly, but freeing oneself from vain illusions and throwing overboard all the symptoms of inhumanity. It is indispensable to renew the human being, but not only in ideas and postures, but in ideal substantiality, in dignity and in innate conditions so that it is a perpetual becoming of self-exaltation." Pr. OM Lind

The impartiality of the UNIVERSAL SERVICE UNION, its unprejudiced IDEALS, practical deeds in absolute tolerance and exemplary dignity, makes it the ideal foundation for a WORLD FEDERATION OR WORLD GOVERNMENT when mankind is truly ready for such a wonderful social achievement. However, we must remind people that this social achievement lies in Spiritual conquests, and not in petty daydreaming and futile practice. A World Legislation must be enacted first, and it requires morality for it, which the world is tragically in need of.

"It takes just two people to cause a misunderstanding and more or less as many to create a community or start a war. Even if the UNIVERSAL ALLIANCE comprised only two different organizations that were truly friendly, peaceful, and fraternal, instead of 750, it will continue to be real, effective, unique, non-stop, unsurpassed, and inimitable."

"The day when men are really all that they pretend, imagine or suppose themselves to be, truly devoted to their own beliefs and faithful in no way to their best designs, humanity will be more united, there will be a genuine UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD and the world will be freed from the greatest cause of infamies and wars:  fanaticism, self-love, superstition and finally the desire to believe oneself superior to others, wiser and better directed and therefore with more right than anyone else to see one's own ideas prevail over others" Swami Jñanakanda.

"A world where borders subsist, where prisons are necessary and where the police, the judge and the punishing law are de rigueur, does not deserve to be called a democracy, and as long as this is the case, it is a duty to strive to create a better civilization..." Pr. OM Lind.

Luis Eduardo Sierra S.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the UNIVERSAL ALLIANCE

Medellín, September 21, 2024