The Secret Chiefs/Ascended Masters.

[devakxes]

What do people know about these beings?
What of the black and white brotherhoods?

[Dajai]

No personal knowledge but I would dearly love to make contact one day in the future if I ever find reason to do so.

I know of the secret chiefs through Crowley's writings and sketch of Lam but have yet to venture further in my reading of such beings.

[Gemnus32]

One of my Internet buddies from Canada had a series of jokes about, 'The Secret Cheese.' We all used to get a kick out of that.

Traditionally, the Secret Chiefs are a secret group of men and women (sometimes supernatural beings) who influence the world from behind the screen. You'll see mention of them in many of the Theosophical writings. Also, Blavatsky claimed to be in touch with a specific being who represented them, whom she called, 'the Tibetan.'

Some people would also associate the Secret Chiefs with the Rosicrucians. The history of, 'the Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross,' is complex. However, the Rosicrucians had a central, 'cell,' of eight men. According to the history of it, these eight men would find an heir to pass down the tradition of, 'the Eight,' to before they died. In terms of this history, the term, 'Secret Chiefs,' is used less than, 'the Grandmasters,' - if I'm remembering right.

There is also the classic, 'the Masters reside in Chesed,' which is a Kabbalistic statement. (Sepher Yetzirah? - if anyone knows in specific) Chesed is Hebrew for, 'Mercy,' and it seems that the basic idea is that the Masters of the Kabbalah's most important attribute is mercy. Also - the Sephirot do represent different states of being - so it might mean that the Masters live in the mercy of the Creator.

As for, 'the Black and White Brotherhoods,' what I see is the common reference in our language to, 'black,' as being, 'wicked,' and, 'white,' as being, 'pure.' I think that interpretation is superficial - not just because of race. The nighttime is also wonderful - and I'm more of a, 'night person,' anyway - so I take offense to the general metaphor.