WP_20130407_002The Washington State Lottery gained a 35,000-year-old Egyptian warrior as its newest unofficial (and uninvited) spokesperson over the weekend when the Washington state-based spiritual organization Ramtha School of Enlightenment led by the self-proclaimed channeler J.Z. Knight ran a full-page ad in the Sunday edition of The Seattle Times with the claim that “Ramtha School students win big money at lotteries and casinos.”

The full-color full-page ad appeared near the end of the newspaper’s front section, just a turn of the page from the popular editorial and opinion pages.

“RSE teaches that luck is an illusion,” the ad copy reads. “The unusual frequency of winnings shows these occurrences are not luck.”

If the name of J.Z. Knight is familiar to our readers it may be because of a series of stories we published last October after videos surfaced showing Knight making slurs and bigoted remarks about Catholics, Mexicans, gays and even organic farmers.

“F— you, you Catholics!” Knight bellowed in one video clip and another clip documented Knight saying, “All Mexicans are not worthy of conscious thought.”

Knight responded in part by claiming that the statements were not hers but were, in fact, comments made by her transdimensional pal Ramtha, the aforementioned Egyptian spirit who Knight claims speaks through her to deliver his wisdom to “students” of the Ramtha School of Enlightenment headquartered in Yelm, Wash.

The release of the videos (since removed from YouTube due to copyright claims by Knight’s corporate entity) created a significant media attention when research revealed that Knight and the RSE had made substantial donations to the Washington State Democratic Party, to Democratic candidates for state office, and to Pres. Barack Obama’s re-election campaign.

So, since Knight’s gambling on politics paid off, why not move on to conquer the lottery as well? That is evidently where the RSEs advertisement comes in to help readers reach a conclusion so obvious it’s going to knock you off your chariot: Knight’s ancient North African warlord is also able to teach you to beat the lottery at its own game.

By stitching together a smattering of anecdotes and pictures – one photo is of a couple holding an oversized $50,000 Washington State Lottery winnings check – to tell the story of how RSE “students” are enjoying “an exceptional streak of fortune by cashing lottery tickets and casino winnings of $10,000 or more each.”

The subtext of the ad, of course, is a not-so-subtle call to action for desperate souls to make the pilgrimage to Yelm, fork over thousands of dollars for the privilege of hearing Knight perform bad astral ventriloquism.

At Knight’s RSE, the house always wins.

Update: A spokesperson from the Washington State Lottery told us that to their knowledge neither the use of the Washington State Lottery logo nor the implication that RSE teachings enhance a person’s chances of winning are violations of state law. State Lottery Director of External Affairs Arlen Harris cautioned, however, that “Washington’s Lottery does not endorse the claims of JZ Knight nor has the lottery promoted RSE in our marketing plan.”