imparted the teachings of ECK to individuals
throughout history. Twitchell believed that he
was entrusted by these masters to disseminate
ECK teachings to the modern world. In 1965 he
proclaimed himself as the Living ECK Master and
the 971st Mahanta. He founded Eckankar later
that year and established its headquarters in Las
Vegas, Nevada.
Twitchell spent the next few years working
with his wife, Gail, to build a following for the
movement. He also wrote several books on the
teachings of Eckankar. In 1969 Twitchell published
Eckankar: The Key to Secret Worlds. During the same
period Brad Steiger wrote a biography on Twitchell
entitled In My Soul I Am Free. Both books increased
the popularity and notoriety of the movement.
Eckankar is an eclectic religious movement.
The Light and Sound of God has been described
as the science of soul travel, in which the soul
departs from the body in an ascent to invisible
worlds. ECK beliefs and practices resemble the
teachings of Radhasoami as well as the Western
occult teachings of Rosicrucians. The other fun-
damental teachings of ECK appear to be similar
to the teachings of KIRPAL SINGH (1894–1974),
teacher in the SANT MAT tradition.
It was revealed after his death that Twitchell
may have plagiarized teachings from Julian P. John-
son, a disciple of the Radhasomai Satsang. Eckan-
kar maintains in response that ECK teachings have
permeated various teachings throughout history,
and that Twitchell has made them more accessible
for the modern world. Twitchell also used different
terminology than Sant Mat. Eckankar teaches that
God is the source of all being flowing, from the
transcendent downward to the material world. The
Light and Sound of God (ECK) is the energy cur-
rent from which life flows and can be understood
as the Holy Spirit in Christian terms. The numer-
ous practices offered by ECK masters aim to guide
individuals to the realization of God and their
place as coworkers with God. A primary means
of attaining realization is through the chanting of
HU, an ECK name for God.
After Twitchell’s death in 1971, Gail Twitchell
announced Darwin Gross as successor and the
972nd Living ECK Master. The choice of Gross
was controversial. He was a recent inductee of
the movement and his eventual marriage to Gail
Twitchell fueled suspicion. Despite the loss of sev-
eral devotees (known as chelas), ECK continued
to grow. Headquarters were moved to Menlo Park,
California.
Gross relinquished his position as the Living
ECK Master in 1981 and named Harold Klemp as
the 973rd Mahanta. Gross’s status of ECK master
was revoked in 1984, and he is no longer affiliated
with Eckankar. Lengthy litigation over the use of
the name Eckankar ensued between Gross and the
organization, and Eckankar eventually prevailed.
Harold Klemp was born in 1942 in Wisconsin
and raised on a small family farm. He had a reli-
gious upbringing at a Milwaukee boarding school
and later attended college, where he studied reli-
gion. After enlisting in the U.S. Air Force he was
assigned to a military installation in Japan. It was
here that he first encountered Eckankar. Under
Klemp’s direction, Eckankar headquarters were
moved to its present location in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. In 1990, he established the Temple
of ECK, the spiritual center of the movement.
Klemp has authored over 40 books and routinely
attends Eckankar conferences and seminars. Since
his induction as Living ECK Master, Klemp has
redirected the emphasis of ECK teachings toward
divine love and service to others in daily life.
Eckankar maintains 164 centers in the United
States and over 360 worldwide. The organization
includes a publishing company called Illuminated
Way Press, located in Crystal, Minnesota. Publica-
tions include books by Twitchell, Klemp, and other
ECKists. An annual ECKANKAR Journal is also
published. Eckankar has the status of a nonprofit
religious organization and church with members in
130 countries. Its mission as an educational orga-
nization is to promote the knowledge of soul and
God realization. The organization offers courses in
dream interpretation, soul travel, and life service.Eckankar 145 J