Elizabeth Clare Prophet is a new age spiritual leader and author of more than fifty books which have sold more than a million copies and been translated into a dozen languages. She carried on a teaching and healing ministry for thirty-six years. She holds a degree in political science from Boston University. She began her spiritual quest in Christian Science and continued through The Summit Lighthouse, a group founded by her late husband, Mark L. Prophet, in 1958. His was one of several groups to promote the teachings of the ascended masters, a group of unseen saints and sages. Both Prophets were believed to receive messages from the ascended masters. After Mark's death in 1973, Elizabeth carried on her spiritual work through Church Universal and Triumphant, which she founded in 1975. Her lectures, sermons, and rituals are available on hundreds of audio- and videotapes. Her most popular books include "The Lost Years of Jesus" and "How to Contact Your Higher Self." She is the mother of five children and grandmother of nine. After being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1998, she retired in 2000. She currently lives in private home care in Bozeman, Montana.