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. 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.
The members of The Bridge to Freedom claim that a Dispensation and Sponsorship was given by the Ascended Masters for this Ascended Master Activity to be an outer organization representing the "Great Brotherhood of Light", and a continuation of previous efforts by the Ascended Masters to bring Illumination to mankind through Theosophy, Agni Yoga, and the "I AM" Activity.
The members of The Bridge to Freedom believe that Ascended Master El Morya contacted Geraldine Innocente in 1944 and asked her to make a certain application on a daily basis. The story is told that Morya returned one year later asking if she would consent to receive a series of Discourses from the Maha Chohan. Geraldine is said to have agreed, and she then underwent years of training in preparation for her role in the 1950s as a Messenger for the Ascended Masters, the Archangels, Cosmic Beings, the Elohim, and Others of the Spiritual Hierarchy. She served officially in the capacity of Messenger beginning with the inaugural Vesta Dictation on July 17, 1951, until her transition on June 21, 1961.