THE MEMPHIS MAFIA/ELVIS is an original Project Astral series that focuses on the obscure tales of ELVIS.

The Initiation

Elvis Presley was born with talent and tragedy etched into his destiny.  His twin brother Jesse died at birth, leaving a lasting effect on Elvis’ personality.  Elvis’ mother, Gladys stated that Elvis had “the energy of two people.”  Throughout his life many people noticed that Elvis always searched for answers of the unknown; what exactly did Elvis seek-out and did he ever find it?

in 1964, Elvis’ hairdresser, Larry Geller initiated Elvis into the Self-Realization Fellowship.  The philosophies of Paramahansa Yogananda were inherent to his spiritual journey.  Paramahansa Yogananda was an Indian mystic who initiated Western civilization to meditation and Kriya Yoga (the most popular form of Yoga system).  Memphis Mafia associate Alan Fortas claims that Elvis was given the books and soon after began an odd spiritual quest that saw Elvis refer to himself as a “divine messenger” from God.

Elvis’ intrigue in the occult started around the same time The Beatles hit mainstream status.  In 1965 Elvis met The Beatles, although the meeting was awkward and didn’t consist of many conversations – it left Elvis with an admirable impression.  The Beatles’ trip to India in 1968 to take lessons into Transcendental Meditation left Elvis seeking more of the mysticism that he had longed for.

(Elvis’ Manager, Tom Park, Elvis, and Larry Geller)

(Paramahansa Yogananda)

Elvis’s wife Priscilla wrote in her book “Elvis and Me” that mysticism was key-part of his wife at the start of their marriage.   She didn’t like what it entailed and his connection to Larry Geller, in which she stated:

“Larry was a total threat to us all. He would spend hours and hours and hours with Elvis, just talking to him, and he wasn’t anything that Elvis represented; he didn’t represent anything that Elvis had believed in prior to that time… [Elvis] read books studiously for hours and hours. He had conversations with Larry for hours and hours — he was going on a search for why we were here and who we were, the purpose of life; he was on a search with Larry to try to find it.”

Elvis eventually submitted to her desires by burning his mystic and occult books.

Later Life

Ipsita Roy Chakraverti is a Wiccan priestess who dated Elvis in 1975, two years after he filed for divorce from his wife Priscilla.  She is known for her work out of India that incorporates feminist qualities while maintaining a connection to the mystical realm.

The final book Elvis read was “The Shroud of Turin” given to him by friend Larry Geller.  Elvis was reading the book while on the toilet when he died on August 16, 1977.  The Shroud of Turin is claimed to be the burial cloth that covered Jesus after his crucifixion.

After Life

Since Elvis’ death, he has risen to a music Saint of sorts.  Elvis’ name has ties to Sainthood as there is an actual St. Elvis.  The Angel Times portrayed him on the cover of one of their magazines, hundreds of thousands of fans flock each year to Elvis’ Graceland Mansion located in Memphis, Tennesee and his name/image are known worldwide.  Elvis Presley created a source of energy that people will forever connect to.

(Graceland Mansion)

This is an official PROJECT ASTRAL article.

– Color Pessoa