About J. Z. Knight
Judy "Zebra" (aka JZ) Knight (born Judith Darlene Hampton; March 16, 1946) is an American spiritual teacher and author known for her purported channelling of a spiritual entity named Ramtha. Critics consider her to be a cult leader. Knight has appeared on a variety of American television shows, including Larry King, MSNBC and The Merv Griffin Show, as well as in other media forms, such as Psychology Today. Her teachings have attracted figures from the entertainment and political worlds, such as Linda Evans, Shirley MacLaine, and Salma Hayek. Knight claims to bridge ancient wisdom and the "power of consciousness" with modern science. Some of the ideas are similar to those of MacLaine, which were criticized for being "kindergarten metaphysics" by mathematician and skeptic Martin Gardner. In her book Dancing in the Light, MacLaine claimed that she was the brother of Ramtha in their Atlantean past lives. Ramtha's teachings have been criticized by scientists and skeptics. The Southern Poverty Law Center has criticized Knight for "homophobic, anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic racist rants". Knight lives in a 12,800-square-foot (1,190 m2) French chateau-style home in Yelm, Washington, teaches courses, and runs Ramtha's School of Enlightenment. Knight has been married three times and is the mother of two children, both from her first marriage. The case was brought to the supreme court in Vienna and lasted over five years, at the end of which Austria's supreme court awarded copyright to Knight as the sole channeler of Ramtha, and Ravell was made to pay $800 in psychic damages to Knight.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.