The Bridge to Freedom, an Ascended Master Teachings religion, was established in 1951 by Geraldine Innocente and other students of the Ascended Masters after she received what was believed to be an "anointing" to become a "messenger" for the Great White Brotherhood.[1][2] This organization believed that their teachings had been given to humanity by the Ascended Masters. These were believed to be individuals who had lived in physical bodies, acquired the wisdom and mastery needed to become immortal and free of the cycles of "re-embodiment" and karma, attaining in this way their "Ascension". They considered the "ascension" to be the complete, permanent union of the purified outer self with the "I AM" Presence—meaning that true identity that is the unique individualization of God for each person.[3]