Who is JZ Knight?

JZ Knight (in the spelling of her name she prefers no punctuation) is the founder and president of Ramtha's School of Enlightenment, the president of JZK, Inc. and the chairman of JZ Knight Humanities Foundation. She is the sole channeler for Ramtha. Ms. Knight is considered by most religious historians to be an icon of American New Age Doctrine and one of the most charismatic and controversial spiritual leaders in America. The following is a concise chronology of her life (For more detail see A State of Mind: My Story by JZ Knight):

1946: JZ is born on March 16, 1946 at the General Hospital, Roswell, New Mexico, to Charles and Helen Hampton; migrant farmworkers living in Hagerman, New Mexico. Her mother names her Judith "Judy" Darlene Hampton after Judith, the heroine of the book of Judith. She is the eighth child born to the impoverished Hamptons.

1946-1964: Soon after her birth, the family moves to Rockwall, Texas to work cotton fields owned by large landowners in the area. Her first spiritual experiences begin to have an influence on her character. When Judith is five years old, her mother moves the younger children to Artesia, New Mexico, leaving behind her abusive and alcoholic husband. Judith begins her education in the local schools, and with the marriage of her mother to a local businessman, Bill Angley, the family becomes stable. Judy graduates from Artesia High School in 1964.

1965-1976: An unsuccessful attempt to go to college in 1965 leads to her marriage and the birth of her two subsequent children, Brandy and Christopher. The marriage ended in 1969 and Judy moves her small family to Roswell, New Mexico. As sole provider and without child support, Judy, empowered by her strong faith in God, begins her business career in cable television, eventually moving to California. Judy gains the nickname of "Zebra" due to her ability to make black and white decisions; (this moniker was later to be abbreviated into the familiar "JZ"). Working her way up the corporate ladder, JZ becomes an extremely successful businesswoman. After landing cable television contracts in Bremerton, Seattle, and Tacoma, JZ moves to the Puget Sound area of Washington State, remarries, and settles in Tacoma.

February 1977: On the Sunday afternoon of February 20, 1977, JZ has her first encounter with an extraordinary being in her Tacoma kitchen. The being is Ramtha.

1978-1979: In November of 1978, Ramtha first "channels" through JZ. ("Channel" is a descriptive term made popular by Ramtha. See the category the channeling process, which follows.) JZ Knight holds sessions with Ramtha. She initiates nationwide forums called "Dialogues." Thus begins a long and enigmatic relationship in which the very physical JZ and the spiritual being, Ramtha, combine to bring a message of human divinity to the world.

1980-1987: She appears on numerous national television programs, accomplishes a partial world tour with Ramtha and his teachings, and tours nationally to promote her autobiography, A State of Mind: My Story, published by Warner books in 1987

May 1988: At Ramtha's request, JZ founds Ramtha's School of Enlightenment: The American Gnostic School. The school is started in Snow Mountain Colorado (May 22-28 with 532 attendees). Ramtha introduces a dynamic breath technique called Consciousness & Energy^TM. He also introduces quantum physics to the students, initiating what is later to become a synthesis of science and spirituality.

1988-1991: Weekend and weeklong workshops and retreats enable students to integrate teachings with personal experiences. Ramtha introduces new disciplines and provides hands-on training for such mind-over-matter exercises as remote viewing, field exercises, and the labyrinth.

1992-1993: The divorce case: A great deal of controversy about the school swirls about in the media maelstrom that was part of the famous reopening of the divorce case between JZ Knight and her ex-husband, Jeffrey Knight, now deceased. (It has already been mentioned that all references to "cult activity," "brainwashing," and "mind control" were tossed out by Pierce County Superior Court Judge Bruce W. Cohoe. What is not as well known is what the final decisions were. For the record, not only were these more controversial elements tossed, but also every argument advanced by Jeff Knight was rejected. The judge did award Mr. Knight seven hundred fifty thousand dollars in his controversial decision, which was based on the goodwill value of JZ's organization at the time of the initial divorce. This came as a surprise to both sides since it was not one of the original issues raised or argued by either side in the case. The Washington State Court of Appeals later reversed this decision.) Doug Kaukl states in a memo to Pavel Mikoloski on July 20, 1998 "The trial court did not award Jeff any money on his various "brainwashing" claims. All of those claims were thrown out as meritless. The award was instead based on the trial court's interpretation of the property settlement agreement between JZ and Jeff, an interpretation that was overturned on appeal.

1996-1997: JZ agrees to have the teachings studied by scholars over the course of a year, culminating in the conference held on February 8-9, 1997. Among the results are that JZ Knight and the students display a marked growth in their spiritual and mental abilities. Ramtha's School of Enlightenment enjoys a new level of acceptance in academic circles and with the public at large, largely due to JZ's perseverance and her twenty-year history with Ramtha.

1997: On April 22, the Austrian Supreme Court rules that JZ Knight is the only person allowed to channel Ramtha. In 1992, Julie Ravell, a Berlin woman, claimed to be the true channel for Ramtha. She held seminars in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, resulting in multiple instances of trademark infringement. JZ Knight in her desire to keep pure the teachings of Ramtha, brought a lawsuit against Ravell, and in 1995 an appellate court in Linz, Austria ordered Ravell to stop using Ramtha's name in conjunction with her channeling sessions and to pay JZ's court costs. Ravell appealed to the Austrian Supreme Court, but on June 6, 1997 the Supreme Court upheld the lower court's rulings.

1999: Ramtha's School of Enlightenment embarks on a 5-continent world tour.