Ramtha's School of Enlightenment (RSE) is an American New Age spiritual sect near the city of Yelm, Washington, U.S. The school was established in 1988 by J. Z. Knight, who claims to channel a 35,000-year-old being called Ramtha the Enlightened One. The school's teachings are based on channeling sessions. Critics consider the organisation to be a cult.

History

In 1988, J. Z. Knight founded Ramtha's School of Enlightenment (RSE), then called Ramtha's School of Enlightenment: The American Gnostic School, on her estate in Yelm, Washington. A division of Knight's company JZK, Inc., the school had around 80 staff members . RSE's private, fenced compounds are only open to staff members and students, not to the public.

In 2004, various Ramtha school leaders joined community groups to strongly oppose a proposed 75,000-seat NASCAR racetrack in Yelm. The proposal was withdrawn. In 2007, Knight's profits from the school's activities and from sale of books, tapes, CDs and DVDs had reportedly been around $2.6 million. In 2008, lessons were given to the public in more than 20 countries, including the Czech Republic, Romania and Chile for the first time. In 2012, videos of this were placed on the Internet by ex-students of Knight's and by the Freedom Foundation.

Teachings

thumb|upright=1.4|Gate to Ramtha's School of Enlightenment northwest of [[Yelm, Washington]]

The school teaches that human beings have the capacity to utilize their inner wisdom, focus their brains, and create their own reality. Although the school has been criticised for being a cult (see below), Knight and her followers deny such claims and say that the school is neither a religion nor a cult.

Ramtha's School of Enlightenment teachings have been described as part of the New Age movement (the school itself claims to be outside it).

Lessons in the school's compounds sometimes include wine drinking,

Knight paid the travel expenses and stipends for the conference presenters,

Controversy and criticism

Ramtha's School of Enlightenment is considered to be a cult by various people, including her former husband Jeff Knight, former personal bodyguard Glen Cunningham, former students of the school (such as David McCarthy or Joe Szimhart Melton's book, which denies the school's status as a cult,

thumb|right|320px|Sign along [[Washington State Route 510|WA 510. The entrance to Ramtha's School of Enlightenment is in the background on the left.]]

Former students of the school have accused the RSE of practicing brain-washing and mind-control, as well as using intimidation and fear techniques to keep students in the school. David McCarthy, a student of the RSE between 1989 and 1996, calls Knight a "spiritual predator", and he mentions various parts of the teachings which had an intimidative character, such as the prophecy that unless students remain faithful to Ramtha, they will become prey of the "lizard people", and that the ancient figure of Jehovah would return to earth accompanied by lizard people, in a spaceship.

In 2004, three members of the RSE produced a controversial film that combined documentary interviews and a fictional narrative to posit a connection between science and spirituality, called What the Bleep Do We Know!?. The film has been criticized by the scientific community due to its misrepresentation of quantum physics, and an unnecessary connection to consciousness.