Personal Stories
While the Lemurian Fellowship offers instruction in metaphysics and Truth, its primary value lies in helping people from all walks of life and in everyday experiences. Perhaps in what is being shared in these
"personal stories" in the lives of Lemurian students, you may find something similar in your own life.
A Lemurian Christening
As I sat in the Chapel proudly watching my daughter and her husband participate in the beautiful, simple Lemurian Christening ceremony for their two young children – my grandchildren – I couldn’t help but recall the same ceremony my wife and I had celebrated with our two daughters 30 years before, and think how the Lemurian Philosophy had shaped my entire life and the lives of my family.
I am the third of five generations of Lemurians and have known nothing but the Lemurian Teachings since I was a small child. Its practical way of presenting spiritual information taught me to think in a logical and analytical way, and I found that when I got to college I didn’t have many of the spiritual uncertainties – Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose in life? – that troubled many of my classmates. As I undertook the Lemurian study, I learned about the Laws of Precipitation, Cause and Effect, Transmutation, and they gave me inner strength and the confidence that I could learn how to gain a measure of control over my personal environment. While at college, I met a girl who was searching for more down-to-earth answers to her spiritual questions than she had found in her church. Because she liked the practical explanations the introductory Lemurian literature provided her, she enrolled in the Lemurian study, as well. I ended up marrying that girl, and as we started our family we both moved through the Advanced Training, eventually becoming Lemurian Order members.
During that christening ceremony 30 years ago, my wife and I made a commitment to adhere to Lemurian principles and ideals in raising our two children. The same principles I was taught as a child were taught to my children, and they too went off to college with a strong spiritual grounding in who they were and what they wanted from life. So as I watched my grandchildren being christened that day, it was extremely satisfying to know that our Lemurian home had produced daughters who so recognized the importance of the Lemurian Philosophy in their upbringing that they desired to raise their own children the same way.
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Peace
It was a Saturday morning; I was enjoying a cup of coffee and watching as my daughter took her weekly horseback lesson. A mother of another rider asked: "Hey, what’re you doing?" "Just enjoying the peace," I replied. "Peace," she said, "What’s that?"
Wow, I thought. That was me just a few years ago. I was so caught up in so many directions that it is only now, reflecting back, that I see how my learning of the Lemurian Philosophy has truly enabled me to bring peace into my own life.
As I thought about it I sort of mentally set up a “before and after” look at all the things I have worried about that I now see more peacefully. Now I feel:
Peace from worrying about income The old me thought, was my job going to last? How would I pay for school? Will the economy go down the drain?
Peace from worry about my daughter handling the pains of growing up The old me wondered, was she falling in with bad friends? How was she going to get a scholarship with these grades? Will she do the right thing when I am not there to remind her?
Peace from commotion that was involved every time I saw my parents Here’s the old me wondering, did I go see them enough? Should I be concerned about them driving? I chose a different religious path than theirs. What are they going to think?
Peace during the passing of my mother-in-law The old me wondered, did we do the right thing by not putting her in a nursing home? The other brothers and sisters aren’t happy with all our decisions and are vocal about it. We paid all the bills, how are we going to have enough money to pay our own bills?
Peace when I received a threatening call from an attorney regarding an old business deal That was really tough. The old me worried, what if they try and sue me? Where will I get the money to defend myself? I did nothing wrong, why do I have to go through this?
Peace when my wife endures her prolonged illness The old me asked why does she have to suffer like this? What has she done wrong? Is this going to worry our daughter? Why do seemingly bad people enjoy good health while my wife suffers?
Peace from worrying that my daughter would fall off her horse I used to fear for her safety all the time and would wonder, if something happens would I be able to help her?
Am I 100% master of the worries and situations that come into my environment? I would be lying if I said yes. But I am much more in command of what does affect me because I have been learning how to work with the natural laws of God taught in the Lemurian Philosophy. They are laws I had heard about but barely knew existed as reality. Laws that I used to apply only when it worked to my advantage. Laws that I felt did not apply to me at times and rationalized myself around when it was convenient to do so. Sometimes I felt I was tough enough to live with the consequences of turning my back on these natural laws. But I’m not tough in that way. I can’t, in fact I don’t want to afford an infraction, because I never want to give up this feeling I enjoy now: PEACE
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My kids enjoy a good laugh at my expense as they chide their brother when he is strict with his kids, and tell him he’s acting just like I did. I am glad they can see the lighter side to their upbringing now, and that we are on good terms for it was not always that way. I, too, can laugh at myself and some of my parenting now, after:
My Kids Raised a Pretty Good Father
My wife and I had five children. Young and immature, I really was not thinking about the responsibility of bringing these human beings to adulthood. By the time I woke up to the challenge, some pretty difficult problems had set in. My wife was going through a serious, five-year illness, spending almost a year in hospitals. So I was working to support us, tending to her health and the children’s needs.
My children were hitting their own challenges. One son was arrested for burglary and, after the courts, lawyers and probation, was released into my custody. One daughter was hanging around with kids who left me with an uneasy feeling. As these things started happening, my fear for their safety escalated quickly, and anger and strict discipline were the only ways I knew to gain control.
We established a long list of rules – a time for them to come home at night, much earlier than their friends – and woe to the child who disobeyed. Punishment was swift and sometimes severe, and there were no excuses. There were some mixed motives for creating this rigid environment for my children. Sure I loved them. But there was deep fear, too, and a desire to protect them from the world I had grown up in, the mistakes I had made. Under stress, I tend to lose my control so there were times when my decisions were driven by the desire to win. Many experiences with my children became confrontational. For example, though it was a time of long hair, I insisted that my boys wear brush cuts. Events proved how important this was to the boys.
In the midst of this maelstrom, a friend introduced me to the Lemurian Philosophy. I grabbed the opportunity like a drowning man. As I progressed in my study, the Fellowship suggested I use the lesson material with my children. I came to understand that this very strict environment I had created was related to my fear, that fear only makes things worse, and that I really needed to get to know my children better. The study of Universal or God Laws, and the virtues, showed I needed to trust and respect others – especially my children – as the spiritual individuals they are.
To understand them better, my wife and I began having family meetings. You could say anything you wanted so long as you were willing to listen to what others said. I thought they would talk about their disagreements with each other, which were plentiful, and I would sort of referee. Was I surprised! The first request came from one of the boys: they wanted to let their hair grow long. At first, I felt trapped. Later, I had to laugh, realizing how my son had put me on the spot to get what his brother and he wanted so badly. I wanted these meetings to help my kids, but they turned out to help me, too.
I began to work with my children on the Lemurian Youth Training. I remained pretty dictatorial about their getting the lessons done. But it also gave me a chance to work with them on this spiritual learning. Slowly I gained respect for these young people as they tried to apply what they were learning in the lessons. They would each do nice things for the others as they learned the Law of Precipitation, think more of the other person as they followed the story of Prince Orlo in one of the lessons. I came to appreciate their sincerity and willingness to learn.
Gradually, between the things that happened at our family meetings, what the kids were learning in the youth training, and especially my own training, I became less rigid, more patient. For instance, one child took my confrontational approach as a personal challenge. Each situation with that child was painful no matter how small the incident. At the Fellowship’s suggestion, my wife and I began trying to help him see how hard he made it for us to do our job. If I lost my temper, I apologized and started again. Little by little, changes came about.
As my children grew up, I could see certain strengths begin to show up in these young men and women and my pride in them grew steadily. I came to understand my children, but also my fears of the awesome responsibility of parenting. I know now that we cannot shape a child into the “ideal” adult, any more than our parents could. Loving understanding and helpful guidance are the best preparation for life a parent can offer. I came to recognize my children were a blessing to my wife and me, and I love them and want only their happiness. I am grateful to that friend who introduced me to the Lemurian Philosophy, for I cannot imagine where I might have gone without the Philosophy and the patient guidance of the Fellowship.