Great White Brotherhood
The Great White Brotherhood, or the Brotherhood of Light as it is often called, too, is a philosophical or ideological movement. Its members -though no formal membership exists- all are dedicated to "Service to Others," and to highest standards of impeccability and integrity. They want to assist and uplift others by offering them insight, knowledge, and sometimes logistical and material assistance. A lot of the members of the Great White Brotherhood can be found within the Federation of Planets, which is an organisation that subscribes to the same principles. Yet the members of the Great White Brotherhood can be found outside of the Federation, too. In fact, many people on Earth today that are dedicated to Service and Upliftment can be considered members of the brotherhood. Some present-day esoteric organisations here on Earth even use the phrase. Unfortunately, in recent years, the name has also been hijacked by self-proclaimed members who provide misinformation.
Unfortunately, some confusion seems to have risen with regard to the terminology. There are four terms that sometimes are used as synonyms, yet on other occasions aren't: "Great White Brotherhood," "Brotherhood of Light," "Asthar Command" and "Galactic Command." Some authors will use "the Ashtar command" and "the Great White Brotherhood" as synonyms, while others reserve either the term "Ashtar Command" or the term "Galactic Command" as the military wing of the organisation. Still other authors use the terms indiscriminately as synonyms. In reality, it's sometimes hard to draw the lines, but for reasons of clarity, let's just say that usually the "brotherhood" terminology covers the broader load. It is a movement, an ideology that does not require a formal membership, whereas the Ashtar command requires a membership. To use an analogy: when it comes to your political convictions, you can be a republican or a democrat, a liberal or a socialist, but that doesn't mean that you have actually joined the corresponding political party. It's the same with the Great White Brotherhood. You can be dedicated to Service and be part of the Great White Brotherhood movement, without being member of the Ashtar Command.