Alice Ann Bailey somewhat reluctantly agreed to attempt her own autobiography.  What finally decided her to write about her life was a letter from a friend who, she says, felt deeply that “I would really render a service if I could show people how I became what I am from what I was.  It might be useful to know how a rabid orthodox Christian worker could become a well-known occult teacher.”

From her conservative British background, Alice Bailey’s life led her in many directions, but always in one direction–towards the time when through drastic personal experience of many kinds she had acquired a synthesis of outlook and understanding, and an absolute conviction that one divine life pervades and animates the one humanity; that the Plan for man requires the cooperation and service of trained and dedicated human beings intelligently informed about world affairs, in collaboration with those who form the spiritual hierarchy, the inner government of the planet.  Her life work became an integral part of this synthesis and this realisation.  Without in the least losing any of her very human qualities and involvement, her soul took up its commitment to her Master, and her personality provided full cooperation in the field of her accepted service.

Basically the work developed as a duality–her discipleship service to her own Master, Koot Humi, which included the establishment of the Arcane School; and her initially reluctant agreement to work with the Tibetan, the Master Djwhal Khul, in the writing of a series of books presenting the next phase in the continuity of the Ancient Wisdom teaching for the present and the immediate future.

This work with the Tibetan Master started in 1919.  In his introduction to “A Treatise on Cosmic Fire”, Foster Bailey remarks: “The story of many years of telepathic work by the Tibetan with Alice A. Bailey is revealed in her Unfinished Autobiography published in 1951.  This includes the circumstances of the first contact with Him on the physical plane which took place in California in November 1919.  Thirty years work was planned.  When this had been accomplished and within 30 days after that period (in December 1949) Mrs. Bailey gained her release from the limitations of the physical vehicle.”

This quick release accounts also for the fact that the autobiography is unfinished.

As her work with the Tibetan developed, and as her own writing, lecturing and early Arcane School work began to demonstrate their usefulness, the Tibetan took advantage of his close telepathic link with AAB to establish certain activities required by the work of Hierarchy for humanity.  The Arcane School, although never controlled or supervised by the Tibetan, was used to anchor such service activitjes as Triangles, World Goodwill and the distribution of the Great Invocation.  Certain types of meditation work were also suggested by the Tibetan as a planetary service, particularly the Redemptive Meditations on Preparation for the Reappearance of the Christ and on Attracting Money for Hierarchical purposes; and the Arcane School in 1947 began a serious study of the basic problems of humanity based on his book of that title.

The Arcane School, therefore, as an increasingly useful and useable channel between hierarchy and humanity, was used by the Master DK with AAB’s consent and cooperation to anchor certain needed esoteric principles and realities firmly in human consciousness and to demonstrate the fact that esotericism is a way of life, and not an escape into vague, mystical abstractions.  Her whole life work, although devoted to two distinct services, demonstrated that synthesis of outlook and attitude characteristic of every world disciple.

In the words of Foster Bailey, included in the introduction to the Autobiogaphy:  “By far the greater part of her life work has always been subjective.  We have seen the outer effects, watched the outer comings and goings, helped her and loved her, sometimes criticised, sometimes complained, but always gone on with her, and because of her yet a little higher and a little better than would otherwise have been the case.  .  .  .  Her chosen path is on the line of the World Saviours.  She has gone back to her own Master KH for yet more daring work with Him and for the Christ.”