New Life at Gateway This New Year

As I dream of new life at Gateway, the image before me is strong and intense, and I am absorbed in the wonder of it:

There is a complete absence of discordant noises. No sound of car horns, no screeching of tires from sudden stops. Everywhere there is a leisurely ease that can be found only where genuine peace of mind is enjoyed.

I wake from my nap with a start. Through the window, I peer into the damp gloom of a typical winter day. Hmm, and I thought I was in heaven! The traffic is building up on a late Friday afternoon. The scramble to rush homeward for the weekend is in full swing, with the unspoken motto: “Get in my way at your peril.” Suddenly, in the street below, I see a young woman rush across the road as the rain falls relentlessly. A taxi bearing down toward her is slow to react. Thankfully, the moment passes safely, but the shock on the face of one, and the grimace on the other, betrays the unhappiness it brought.

As I turn from the window, my thoughts revert to the pleasure of my dream that wasn’t really a dream. It is a snapshot of a future reality, the outworking of a deeply held desire to live more thoughtfully and cooperatively.

I am preparing for a journey that will take me closer to the reality of my dream, into the new life at Gateway. I am on my way to Ramona, California, home base of the Lemurian Fellowship. It’s a long way from England, but a trip well worth the time and investment. The sunshine there is more than just in the sky, it’s evident in the peace and happiness found in the harmonious activities of those at the nearby sister property, Gateway.

New Life at Gateway
Order members planing a board for the Crafts in the old Long Shop

Here, ordinary men and women live and work together intelligently and positively, creating a new and modern world, full of freshness and promise, a timeless permanence that draws visitors’ attention.

When I am at Gateway, observations like these pass through my mind:

Others listen quietly and attentively when I have something to say.

Two or more Lemurians work harmoniously on the task before them.

There’s an evident interest in who I am and how I can contribute to the good of all.

The tranquility and peace of the place surrounds me.

I’m not claiming perfection. Those who live and work here will be the first to admit that they have their share of faults. But there is a sustaining desire for something better. To work on beautifying character. To try to match a lovely material exterior with noble character qualities. Here, a possible and purposeful goal is taking shape. We are working toward the fulfillment of the greatest promise ever made – what Christ called the Kingdom of God on Earth.

Every time I visit Ramona, the ‘dream’ become a little more refined. And as I return home afterwards I learn to translate more of the magic of Gateway into myself and my everyday environment. Does that sound good to you? It sounded good to me when I made my first visits. And it still does, as I continue happily to add my best to the mix.

2016 Comments You May Have Missed

Jewels You May Have Missed

Thought-provoking or reassuring comments that are posted on previous blog articles may slip by those who keep up with the newest articles week by week. So here’s a random selection of some from the past year that you may find interesting:

From Battling a Hoogwar at Home: “This reminds me of battles with my own Hoogwars. The more I fight and become impatient, the more stubborn and mentally tight I become trying to get things to work out the way I want. The turbulent atmosphere I create seems to make everything break down. It takes a concerted effort to set the problem aside and, guided by patience, turn to something else. When I’m more relaxed with my thinking trained in a different direction, the answer or insight I was looking for often pops into mind. It seems the mind needs some quiet time to process the issue and work out how to handle it. With greater calm and self-control, things fit together the way they should.” (Oleg)

From  Astral Plane, Astral Pilot?  “My father-in-law died suddenly while visiting us. Our son was the one who found him. It was an emotional time that was made so much better by my understanding from the Philosophy. I could help my children understand what had happened and how Grandpa had moved on to another life. Their acceptance and comfort was possible because of my family’s faith and trust in the Lemurian Philosophy.” (Ruth)

From Shangri-La in California: From one of the cooks: “We who have that privilege learn so much, even from the simple preparation of a meal, what harmony and peace can be. First the gardens, well planned and cultivated, providing delicious nourishing ingredients, all worked on in harmony by many of us. Whether main cook or helper, we enjoy the peaceful acceptance of our efforts, sometimes with encouraging instruction as needed. Sitting down together to enjoy the bounty is one of the proofs of the Lemurian way of life’s effectiveness, sometimes literally in the pudding!” (Angela)

From Extremes or Moderation and Balance? “When I find myself suffering from work deadlines and the needs of the family, if I just close the door physically and mentally and ask for help and guidance, a new sense of calm and not being alone comes to me. Sometimes I wonder if some part of me wants to be this busy and out of balance so I don’t have to look too deeply within or acknowledge that I don’t want to deal with what surfaces when I am alone with myself. When I do stop, sit with myself and ask for help and guidance, I understand that I am never really alone.” (Ted)

From Fellowship Letters – Guided Missives: “Each year I go back over past correspondence from my Fellowship teachers and I can appreciate more dearly the patience, understanding and kindliness they express when working with me. Those letters along with the help and guidance they provide are worth more to me that anything I could ever ask for. Thank you.” (Tracy)

From Extremes or Moderation and Balance? “I can remember a simpler and peaceful time when I was growing up. And I love the phrase in the article, ‘explore the wonders of quiet reflection.’ The world seems to be telling us to live life at 100 mph but I am happy to understand that quiet refection leads to greater peace and harmony within my being. The key could be to embrace the positiveness of the wonders of our modern technological world, but with inner calm and virtue.” (Richard)

 

Christmas Letter to the Great Ones

Christmas Letter to the Great Ones
Fellowship Staff Prepares for a Holiday Dinner

As Lemurians at the Fellowship and Gateway pause to observe Christmas in our own simple ways, we seek to be especially aware of the true meaning of this holy time of year, and increasingly grateful for our many blessings. In this Christmas letter it seems most appropriate that we express our thanks to the Great Ones for all the things we may sometimes take for granted, but that enrich our lives in so many ways. As we dedicate this letter to those who watch over us, may our sincerity be reflected in our thoughts, words, and deeds, not only at Christmas, but always.

To our beloved Elder Brothers and all those who so lovingly assist us in forwarding the Great Work:

Throughout this year we have asked for so many favors, so much help and so much consideration, not only for ourselves and the Great Work, but for those dear to us. Today we want to tell you how grateful we are for your help.

We want you to know how grateful we are for Dr. Stelle’s leadership and example that has been our guiding star and inspiration for these past 80 years.

You must shake your heads at times and your eyes must be sad as you look upon our foolish bickering, our selfish desires, our pride and the individualistic tendencies we have yet to overcome. We recognize how much help has been extended so we may experience a degree of tolerance from the others of our group. But we realize how much greater must be our efforts in the coming year. Thank you for the many times you have transmuted our errors into beneficial outcomes and our successes into something even finer and for our greatest good.

We know our expressions of thanks to each other for many kindnesses have been too infrequent. So in this moment we wish to convey our appreciation to all for thoughtful considerations so lovingly performed. We want to emulate you as we seek to demonstrate our love for each other. In the coming year we will strive to see more of the good qualities in each other and fewer of the faults that we all have in abundance.

We will try to be thankful for the idiosyncrasies of each of us, which ultimately strengthen our characters and increase our knowledge. And we are grateful for the experiences this year that were difficult to face, knowing we are stronger because of these tests.

We are happy to see the progress made in the Lemurian Crafts as well as in their cooperative endeavor. And we are grateful for material and spiritual improvements we have enjoyed this year and for the opportunity we’ve had to be of help to our fellow men.

We promise to do our best to expand our active student body for we well know that when we have done all we can, your help is inevitable. Most of all, we are thankful for the opportunity each of us has been given to be part of those privileged to build the foundation of the New Age Civilization.

Always will we try to maintain the peace and harmony we feel at this moment and be a credit to the ideals for which we aspire to stand.

In fellowship and service,

LEMURIAN FELLOWSHIP and Lemurian Order