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.
For me, this reminds me that there are milestones in our lives. On a personal level, I can recognize being married for a set number of years. Or celebrating a relative’s birthday. I can think of decisions that changed my life for the better! And when I do this, I think of all the good and happy times.
I wasn’t around 80 years ago – but I too am happy to pause, think of the good and positiveness the Fellowship has achieved during this time, and how many lives have been touched for the better. And so, I too send my own quiet thoughts of appreciation and reflection. Thank you!
Devotion to the Great Ones is what permeates the Lemurian Fellowship. You can feel the peace and tranquility as soon as you enter the grounds. Seeing the Philosophy put to work on a day-to-day basis reassures you that someday it will be as prevalent as it was at the height of the ancient Lemurian civilization.
I like the mental picture of being a piece of clay being worked on by divine hands knowing that I have placed myself upon the potter’s wheel, I spin the wheel with my energy, and I calmly await the gentle hands of the Potter, trying hard not to resist the loving pressure of His fingers, praying that I will recognize the shape I need to become to fulfill my mission in the Great Work.
I am one of those fortunate enough to live at the Gateway. As the anniversary grew closer, I found myself going over my life and thinking about the many experiences I lived through which in many ways have prepared me for this wonderful adventure. The phrase “like clay in the hands of a sculptor, receptive to the molding of our lives as the pattern grows clear” truly described what I am living through. And the pattern growing clear is part of the continuing adventure. For as our Philosophy teaches, there is no such things as something for nothing, and I must be continually open to understand that pattern.
This article could have been written today or 10,000 years ago and the truth contained in it would be just as valid, fresh and important as then. In our current society where rapid change seems to be the norm , how valuable is that thread that does not change , only makes our lives and our world better. Thank you for safeguarding this and holding it for those who feel ready to share in it! – Tom
For me, this reminds me that there are milestones in our lives. On a personal level, I can recognize being married for a set number of years. Or celebrating a relative’s birthday. I can think of decisions that changed my life for the better! And when I do this, I think of all the good and happy times.
I wasn’t around 80 years ago – but I too am happy to pause, think of the good and positiveness the Fellowship has achieved during this time, and how many lives have been touched for the better. And so, I too send my own quiet thoughts of appreciation and reflection. Thank you!
Devotion to the Great Ones is what permeates the Lemurian Fellowship. You can feel the peace and tranquility as soon as you enter the grounds. Seeing the Philosophy put to work on a day-to-day basis reassures you that someday it will be as prevalent as it was at the height of the ancient Lemurian civilization.
I like the mental picture of being a piece of clay being worked on by divine hands knowing that I have placed myself upon the potter’s wheel, I spin the wheel with my energy, and I calmly await the gentle hands of the Potter, trying hard not to resist the loving pressure of His fingers, praying that I will recognize the shape I need to become to fulfill my mission in the Great Work.
I am one of those fortunate enough to live at the Gateway. As the anniversary grew closer, I found myself going over my life and thinking about the many experiences I lived through which in many ways have prepared me for this wonderful adventure. The phrase “like clay in the hands of a sculptor, receptive to the molding of our lives as the pattern grows clear” truly described what I am living through. And the pattern growing clear is part of the continuing adventure. For as our Philosophy teaches, there is no such things as something for nothing, and I must be continually open to understand that pattern.
This article could have been written today or 10,000 years ago and the truth contained in it would be just as valid, fresh and important as then. In our current society where rapid change seems to be the norm , how valuable is that thread that does not change , only makes our lives and our world better. Thank you for safeguarding this and holding it for those who feel ready to share in it! – Tom