Marcus Lyle "Mark" Prophet (December 24, 1918 — February 26, 1973) was a controversial American New Age religious figure, self-proclaimed

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divinity, divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings ...

, orator, and husband of Elizabeth Prophet. He claimed to be a Messenger of the

Ascended Masters Ascended masters, also known as Mahatmas, are believed in several theosophical and related spiritual traditions to be spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans. Through a series of spiritual transformations, ...

and founded

The Summit Lighthouse The Church Universal and Triumphant (CUT) is a New Age religious organization combining elements of Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Theosophy, founded in the United States in 1975 by Elizabeth Clare Prophet. The church is headquartered near ...

organization on August 7, 1958 in

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Personal life

Marcus Lyle "Mark" Prophet was born on December 24, 1918, in

Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin Chippewa Falls () is a city located on the Chippewa River (Wisconsin), Chippewa River in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 14,731 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Incorporated as a city in 1869, it is the ...

. With his wife Phyllis Margaret Lee he had five children. In 1960, he met

Elizabeth Clare Prophet Elizabeth Clare Prophet (''née'': Wulf, a.k.a. Guru Ma) (April 8, 1939 – October 15, 2009) was an American spiritual leader, author, orator, and writer. In 1963 she married Mark L. Prophet (after ending her first marriage), who had founded ...

(born Wulf), whom he married in 1962 after divorcing his first wife. Mark and Elizabeth Prophet had four children.

Death

Prophet died of a stroke on February 26, 1973, in

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

. Upon his death, his widow Elizabeth took over the leadership of the organization, changing its name to

Church Universal and Triumphant The Church Universal and Triumphant (CUT) is a New Age religious organization combining elements of Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Theosophy, founded in the United States in 1975 by Elizabeth Clare Prophet. The church is headquartered near ...

in 1975, and built the new church into a worldwide movement which continues to the present day.Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark (as compiled by Annice Booth) ''The Masters and Their Retreats'' Corwin Springs, Montana:2003 Summit University Press, pp. 176–182 Master Lanello

Transition to an Ascended Master

Upon his death, Elizabeth Prophet taught that he became an

Ascended Master Ascended masters, also known as Mahatmas, are believed in several theosophical and related spiritual traditions to be spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans. Through a series of spiritual transformations, ...

known as the Ascended Master Lanello (the name comes from the combination of two of the names of his many asserted former incarnations, Sir Launcelot and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow). Adherents to the Church Universal and Triumphant and other

Ascended Master Teachings Ascendency or ascendancy is a quantitative attribute of an ecosystem, defined as a function of the ecosystem's trophic network. Ascendency is derived using mathematical tools from information theory Information theory is the mathematical s ...

believe that the Master Lanello was previously incarnated as a

high priest The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious organisation. Ancient Egypt In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many god ...

at the Temple of the Solar Logos in

Atlantis Atlantis () is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and ''Critias'' as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In the story, Atlantis is described as a naval empire that ruled all Western parts of the known world ...

;

Noah Noah (; , also Noach) appears as the last of the Antediluvian Patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5–9), the Quran and Baháʼí literature, ...

; Ikhnaton;

Aesop Aesop ( ; , ; c. 620–564 BCE; formerly rendered as Æsop) was a Greeks, Greek wikt:fabulist, fabulist and Oral storytelling, storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as ''Aesop's Fables''. Although his existence re ...

;

Mark the Evangelist Mark the Evangelist (Koine Greek, Koinē Greek: Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Mârkos''), also known as John Mark (Koine Greek, Koinē Greek language, Greek: Ἰωάννης Μᾶρκος, Romanization of Greek, romanized: ''Iōánnēs Mârkos;'' ...

;

Origen Origen of Alexandria (), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an Early Christianity, early Christian scholar, Asceticism#Christianity, ascetic, and Christian theology, theologian who was born and spent the first half of his career in Early cent ...

; Sir Launcelot;

Bodhidharma Bodhidharma was a semi-legendary Bhikkhu, Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th or 6th century CE. He is traditionally credited as the transmitter of Chan Buddhism to China, and is regarded as its first Chinese Lineage (Buddhism), patriarch. ...

, founder of Zen Buddhism;

Clovis I Clovis (; reconstructed Old Frankish, Frankish: ; – 27 November 511) was the first List of Frankish kings, king of the Franks to unite all of the Franks under one ruler, changing the form of leadership from a group of petty kings to rule by a ...

, first king of France;

Saladin Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known as Saladin, was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from a Kurdish family, he was the first sultan of both Egypt and Syria. An important figure of the Third Crusade, h ...

;

St. Bonaventure Bonaventure ( ; ; ; born Giovanni di Fidanza; 1221 – 15 July 1274) was an Italian Catholic Franciscan bishop, cardinal, scholastic theologian and philosopher. The seventh Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, he also serv ...

;

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

;

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include the poems " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and '' Evangeline''. He was the first American to comp ...

; and

Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia Alexei Nikolaevich (; – 17 July 1918) was the last Russian tsesarevich (heir apparent). He was the youngest child and only son of Nicholas II, Tsar Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse), Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna. He was bor ...

Works

* ''The Masters and Their Retreats'' (by Mark L. Prophet, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, Booth Annice (Editor) * ''Lords of the Seven Rays: Seven Masters: Their Past Lives and Keys to Our Future'' (by Mark L. Prophet and Elizabeth Clare Prophet) * ''Saint Germain on Alchemy'' (by Mark L. Prophet and Elizabeth Clare Prophet)

References

1918 births 1973 deaths 20th-century apocalypticists Founders of new religious movements New Age spiritual leaders People from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin Prophets American founders {{US-reli-bio-stub