The Aetherius Society was founded by George King in the United Kingdom in the 1950s. Its founder claimed to have been contacted telepathically by an alien intelligence called Aetherius, who represented an “Interplanetary Parliament.” According to Aetherians, their Society acts as a vehicle through which “Cosmic Transmissions of advanced metaphysical significance” can be disseminated to the rest of humanity. These “transmissions” were recorded on magnetic reel-to-reel tape by persons present during each “telepathic transmission” as George King sat in a state of “Samadhi” and the “transmission” was “delivered” via his voicebox. In 1956 and 1957, and on occasion before a public audience, several of these “transmissions” forecast Flying Saucer activity in specific parts of the world on certain dates (You Are Responsible! Aetherius Society 1961).
Shortly after these dates, newspapers such as the Sunday Times and The Daily Telegraph reported sightings which coincided with the dates and locations forecast in these “transmissions”. As a spiritual teacher, George King taught certain Yoga practises, spiritual healing, eastern mantra and “dynamic prayer” – tools for spiritual self-advancement and service to the world – which the Aetherius Society is principally based upon.
The home of Urantia Foundation, 533 Diversey Parkway, Chicago, Illinois, was built in 1908. Prior to publication of The Urantia Book, the building was used for regular meetings of early readers of the transcripts. The entire estate was bequeathed to the Urantia Foundation in 1969. Today it consists of offices, a basement for storage and shipping operations, a ‘Forum room’ for meetings and study groups, and two residential apartments.
