What I See in You

September 24, 2016 Lemfel 9 Comments

We don’t see things as they are; we see things as we are. – Robert D. Stelle

A man drove up to the Lemurian Fellowship and asked, “Will what I see in you convince me to study Lemurian Philosophy?” I didn’t feel I could answer that since we all look for different things in life. But we have a common need to feel secure, to be loved, and to be working toward meaningful goals. Obviously, this complete stranger could see no such things in me, and I understood his desire for some kind of proof. We’re sure people who talk to us often wonder, “Will what I see in you make a real difference to me?”

Even to try something that seems only good takes a leap of faith, and often we trust only our physical senses. Yet even this may not be enough. Many saw Christ heal the sick and the blind and raise a man from the dead, but didn’t go on to follow His word or His example. There is something deep within each of us we must get in touch with before we feel the driving urge to pursue the truth of God’s goodness and His help.

I tried to explain this sense of longing in those who are truly searching for the spiritual path that will fill their need. I felt that kind of longing when a friend suggested I could benefit from this study and I asked myself, “Will what I see in you lead me to the Lemurian study? What does this philosophy have that I need?” I decided it was at least worth trying, and how glad I am that I took that risk! I have been richly rewarded with peace, security, and the most worthwhile goals a person could hope for. Still, most people would probably not see or sense this about me, or my Lemurian friends, at a glance.

Lemurian students spend our lives striving to become ever better human beings, so of course we hope some of the worthy qualities we are trying to develop and express will become increasingly apparent to people. We hope you will find us friendly, helpful, and interested in you, for starters. And I hope that what I see in you is an earnest desire to explore the Lemurian path.

We sincerely want to answer your questions about what we do, how we live, and why you may want to look into this training in how to live more successfully. But answering these questions is often not easy, since people come to us from so many backgrounds and approaches and no one answer can satisfy everyone. But even if our answers raise more questions in your mind, that may be a good thing. You may not yet have come around to asking some of the questions the Lemurian Philosophy can help you answer.

We hope you will be patient with us if our first attempt to answer your question misses the mark. Because one of the truths taught in our Philosophy is that there is no such thing as an accident. There is a reason you have driven up the Fellowship driveway, taken the road to Gateway, struck up a conversation with a Lemurian student, or found us on Facebook or Twitter, Pinterest or Reddit. It’s one of those rare times of unusual opportunity, when your life could change in surprising and beneficial ways, as ours have. If we can give you a hint of that possibility, we will have accomplished what we hoped to do in talking with you, and the rest, of course, is up to you.

Lemurian Life

Working for the Great Ones

September 16, 2016 Lemfel 5 Comments

On the Lemurian Fellowship’s 80th Anniversary, a Special Tribute Written By the Fellowship Staff of the 1940s

Lemurian Fellowship staff picnic at Mt. Palomar, 1950s

Can you imagine the privilege of working for the Great Ones? We find a peace and tranquility in our work beyond our greatest hopes, beyond our ability to express. And we find in the others of our group the same hope that animates our own hearts.

Each of the Fellowship staff comes from a different background and environment, but all must live together in peace and harmony. This takes constant work on kindness, tolerance, sincerity and charity. The Golden Rule, moderation and balance are essential as each of us helps the others gain what’s deficient in their makeup, just as they help us.

Much of our work is correspondence with our students, but there are also meal preparation, landscaping and care of the grounds, housework and maintenance. There are personal interviews and visitors who are extended every courtesy, the many details of bookkeeping, reports, writing lessons and articles, and much more. We must be versatile in our ideas, creative in our approaches, like clay in the hands of a sculptor, receptive to the molding of our lives as the pattern grows clear.

Some ask us about jobs like housekeeping, seeming to think this sort of service holds no opportunity for advancement. They don’t realize we work at our self-selected tasks for the pleasure of serving, knowing we are working for the Great Ones to the best of our ability and gaining the spiritual advancement every Lemurian seeks. It doesn’t matter how we serve. In the early years, the office staff contributed much of their precious time in canning fresh fruit and vegetables.

If you have a big family, you may know what it’s like to have twelve or more for a meal. Our group comes from different parts of the country, with different eating habits and individual ideas. Yet, each fits into the group and becomes one great, loving family. To do this, we have to use all the virtues, or the harmonious, peaceful, and understanding consideration we enjoy would not be possible.

We have a most splendid example in our dear Dr. Stelle. We all turn to his ever natural and valuable counsel in our time of need. We have yet to find him too busy, impatient, or unwilling to help. He never seems to tire under his heavy burden, and we each try in our own way to repay him with the love and devotion he richly deserves. Maybe this will help you better understand the happiness and feeling of true brotherhood which makes our serving a source of endless joy, and helps our advancement along the Path.

Each day, as twilight beckons our family to the supper table, we find ourselves surrounded by smiling, happy faces, each a little more kindly than the day before, and each a little more appreciative of the others. I can think of no greater or more splendid wish for all who read this than that, someday, you too may find yourself in just such a haven of peace and loving understanding as our daily life here at the Fellowship.

We weave the thread of our desires into a pattern of beauty linking God, our brothers and sisters, and ourselves. This we gain from our work which feels like the velvety touch of Spring on the pure face of the apple blossom whose fragrance permeates the air so softly. And as evening shadows fall, a gentle breath of night air rustles through the trees and brings us closer to the time when all our dreams will become realities.

Overcoming Fear

Standing Up To My Father

September 10, 2016 Lemfel 6 Comments

One of the hardest things I ever did was standing up to my father and telling him he could not stay in my home.

I’d thought of courage as brave acts. But I came to see it as overcoming the fear of looking bad in others’ eyes.

After I married, Dad asked if he could stay with my husband and me while he was in our area. It seemed only sensible, but I had mixed feelings. He was an alcoholic, and the effects of this were fresh in mind. I knew the worry and fear when a parent can’t control himself, and his alternating self-pity and anger.

So I decided he couldn’t bring this problem into my home. I had to lay down one rule, hard as it was: he couldn’t drink in my home or come home drunk. I rehearsed, gathered my courage, standing up to my father and explained this to him. To my surprise he agreed and I sighed in relief, naively believing that would be the end of it.

When my father came in later, the slurred speech and familiar odor told me he’d gone back on his promise. I was surprised, then angry. This parent had expected me to follow basic rules of consideration he and my mom taught us, and he was ignoring the rules. How could I possibly handle this? My hands trembled and I shook with fear. My dad had been very strict with us and until this moment, I always tried to go along with him to avoid his anger or judgment.

Now, struggling to stand straight as he sensed my displeasure, he was ready to fight. It was the moment I had dreaded since I let him stay. I knew what I’d asked of him was right, and now had to stand by this decision or things would get worse. So I spoke a quiet prayer, blurted that he was drunk and he’d have to go to a motel.

He was more than upset. He used every argument in his lawyer’s arsenal, saying I was not upholding my Christian beliefs, he was alone and how could I turn him out? When he spoke of my beliefs, I felt an inner strength and knew in my heart I was doing the right thing. The Lemurian Philosophy had helped me deal with his alcoholism, not run from it, and now there was only one way to handle this very difficult situation, by standing up to my father. After a very tense moment, he left.

Later, Dad called to say he was proud of what I’d done. It would have been music to my ears if he’d been sober. But like so many times in my growing up years, he hadn’t changed. Yet my life changed forever. I would never accept my father’s drinking again. Until now, when I was afraid of what someone would think or say, or how they’d react, I’d bend the rules to avoid the upheaval I feared. But this experience helped me know I must do what’s right, even if it brings the reaction I fear most.

My relationship with my father changed. Though we never talked about that incident, he has treated me as an adult ever since, and never again has he expected me to accommodate his drinking. Having the confidence I needed for standing up to my father opened a bigger door, too. Today, when I feel something is truly wrong, I am not afraid to stand up and say no, no matter who appears to be in charge.

Virtue

How to Slow Down and Start Living!

September 3, 2016 Lemfel 13 Comments

Overlooking the Ramona Back Country

There is more to life than increasing its speed. – Gandhi

Facebook! Twitter! Instagram! The news, the internet, TV, radio, or just ask Siri! How to slow down and start living is the urgent need of our time.

With so much information at our fingertips and in our faces, it’s hard for people to get why they should investigate the Lemurian Philosophy, and even harder to slow down enough to actually try it. After all, if you’re interested in Mu, there are countless books and websites offering every shade of interpretation of this term, from the sublime to the ridiculous. So why turn to the Lemurian Philosophy?

Many of us got into this study because we were interested in Lemuria, Atlantis, or ancient Egypt, and we’ve learned a lot. But that isn’t why we decided to make this philosophy our way of life. That came from digging into the Lemurian information to understand its principles and appreciate its wisdom, then learning to use these with the Fellowship’s help until we discovered for ourselves what they can do for us.

Take the Lemurian virtues. Everyone thinks they know what virtues are, and so what? Why bother to be kind when many people aren’t, or even take advantage of your kindness? “I could be tolerant if I wanted to, but I don’t see the point.” Easy to say we could express a virtue if we wanted, but not so easy when you actually make the commitment to do it, no excuses. And you have to do it to find out what the point is.

If you’re like most of us, once you’re persuaded to improve your virtues, or at least try, you might decide to use patience for a day. You hold it in the back of your mind as you go to work. “Be patient” rings in your ears and you plan ahead for a couple of ways to be patient. But this takes a few tries, it turns out, because you keep running into people who need someone to set them straight, and others who clearly do not deserve your patience. But at last, you find the perfect conditions to wait twenty or thirty seconds longer before blowing your stack, and you feel a warm sense of accomplishment from using patience. That glow lasts about ten minutes, before some so-and-so does something to set you off again. But, no matter, that night you carefully document these events and, having conquered patience, set off next day to master kindliness.

At that point, of course, you’ve made only the barest start at developing the power of patience, but it was a start. You realize just reading about patience, no matter how spiritual it makes you feel, doesn’t confer the hard-won knowledge only using patience can bring. The patience to control ourselves and inspire others with confidence in us will never be ours until we pledge, “I really want to become a finer person, and I’m going to start with patience (or courage, or precision).”

There are eleven other virtues just as powerful and effective as patience to work on. But patience is a great one to start with, because it helps us slow the frenetic pace of our days so we can begin to recognize the wonderful possibilities, opportunities, sights, sounds and people around us. As much as anything, patience can help us learn how to slow down and start living, relax, and begin to truly enjoy the precious gift of life.