Romana’s Lemurian Fellowship: A Unique Approach to Religion and Life

 

By Chris Langton

The Romona Sentinel, December 26, 1974, page 10, Section B

 

      One of the things that makes Ramona unique is that it is the location for the world head­quarters of the few thousand followers of The Lemurian Philosophy.

      About five miles out of Ramona on Highway 67, the Lemurian Fellowship, a cor­poration set up for spreading the Lemurian Philosophy, car­ries on its work quietly from a small complex of buildings on its 60-acre site. Its work consists primarily of running a correspondence school for teaching the Lemurian Philo­sophy to its students.

      The Lemurian Philosophy appears to be a unique blend of religious, philosophical, ethical and historical ele­ments. Although it is not a religion in the orthodox sense, with regular services and congregational programs and all the trappings of organized re­ligion, its teachings include a concept of God and His uni­versal laws, and the termino­logy of the philosophy re­flects the influence of both eastern and western religious concepts.

      Also evident in the teach­ing is the mental discipline and basis on set principles found in philosophy, but with the emphasis on practicality and applicability in an indi­vidual’s experience found in ethics. In fact, students of the teaching say one of the main advantages to the philo­sophy is its practicality in dealing with their lives.

      “With our philosophy , we try to get people to approach the practical aspects of their lives, and to solve their pro­blems,” explains Reynolds

      G. Dennis, a member of the board of governors of the Le­murian Fellowship and a stu­dent of the Lemurian Philoso­phy for over 30 years. “Peo­ple that are too idealistic have trouble with it. We’re not a large organization, although we are world-wide, because we make some pretty stringent demands on people’s lives. To put the principles of the teachings to work requires asking people to make some sacrifices, getting them to change habits, which is hard. But one of the joys of our work is to see these princi­ples work and enable students to solve their problems.”

      The principles of the Le­murian Teaching were the revelation of Dr. Robert D. Stelle, who founded the Lemurian Fellowship In 1936 in Chicago. Headquarters for the fellowship moved to Mil­waukee for a time, then to Chula Vista and finally In 1941 to Ramona, Dennis said, to get away from the influence and pressure of the city to the quiet of the rural area, yet still be close to the advan­tages a major city has to offer.

      The system of teachings founded by Dr. Stelle is based on a cosmic hierarchy of exis­tence, which involves reincar­nation and evolution of the Ego (the term in Lemurian lexicon for one’s Identity) In a series of life experiences designed to teach one to handle every aspect of existence and thus to advance toward perfection and at-one-ment with God. Stu­dents say the principles incor­porated in the Lemurian Philo­sophy, when applied, will en­able one to better handle these experiences and to advance egoically.

      “We believe sincerely that man’s life and affairs are governed by cosmic, natural, universal law, God’s law,” Dennis said, in explaining the basis of the Lemurian teach­ings. “We’re committed to obey the laws of nature, and when we go contrary to them we experience unpleasant things, from which we learn.”

      “We will grow as we co­operate with these natural laws. We believe the Ego progresses, not just through one lifetime, and accumulates experience that will allow us to grow so we can master all aspects of human life.”

      Dennis said individuals are at different levels of egoic unfoldment or advancement, and that Dr. Stelle’s level of advancement was such that he was receptive to the revelation of the Lemurian Philosophy from the Elder Brothers, the Egos according to the Le­murian Philosophy who have advanced far enough That they no longer need to incarnate. The ultimate of the Lemurian teachings is for as many Egos as possible to reach the le­vel of advancement achieved by the Elder Brothers.

      The Lemurian Philosophy has its historical basis in the Mukulian civilization, a civilization that thrived on a continent named Mu claimed by followers of the philosophy to have existed in the area of the Pacific Ocean, Like the lost continent of Atlantis, this continent is said to have sunk into the ocean during a time when its civilization was fall­ing under the influence of cor­ruptive elements in the popu­lation. However, the Lemur­ian teaching holds that records of that civilization were pre­served and became the basis for the civilization of Atlantis.

      Some of the records, sci­entific data, thinking, art and culture of Atlantis and Mu was saved when Atlantis too was submerged, Lemurian students contend, and It is part of this wealth of knowledge that is passed along in the Lemurian Philosophy. The work of the Fellowship in teaching the philosophy is done with the hope of preparing stu­dents for a new age and a new society which will be the most advanced human society of all time, and will incorporate all the good of the previous civi­lizations of Mu and Atlantis, as preserved in the Lemur­ian Teaching.

      “Our Philosophy stems from the Mukulian civiliza­tion, associated with the area where the Pacific Ocean is currently,” Dennis said during an interview. “Evidence is being found more frequently today of a highly advanced civilization that submerged in the Pacific area.”

      “When the continent sub­merged, all the records and history of the civilization that grew out of it were preser­ved and brought together by the Great Brotherhoods. Mu was engulfed with selfishness and greed, which went against the laws of nature, and that is why it was destroyed. If we follow the teaching and live in accord with these laws, we can avoid such a catas­trophe.”

      Dennis said the followers of the Lemurian Philosophy are trying to take the good features of these lost civili­zations and build a new order and advanced human society from them.

      “That order is a long way off,” he said. “What we’re trying to do here is to live enough of the philosophy to be an example of what we teach. We have our short-comings, but we know we are w working towards a goal. and that makes it easier to stay on the right path.”

      What the Lemurian follow­ers teach Is contained in 12 basic lessons, each of about 30,000 to 40,000 words, al­though Dennis said these are presently being revised into more and shorter lessons. These lessons are sent to students for a monthly tuition fee, and are designed to train him step by step in the Lemurian Philosophy.

      The basics of the philoso­phy include natural laws for balanced living, Dennis said, such as the Law of Action and Reaction (Cause and Effect), Law of Precipitation, Law of Compensation, Law of Correspondence and the Law of Transmutation, which can be applied to an individual’s ex­perience to help him solve his problems. Questionnaires are included with each lesson to determine a student’s grasp of the teaching and his ability to apply it to his life.

      Lessons cover such topics as the origin of man, transi­tion (death), reincarnation, karma, marriage and relation­ships, health, the history of the Mukulian civilization, the Bible, the life of Christ, the New Order and the twelve virtues, The twelve virtues; according to Dennis, are most important to become a balanced individual.

      “We try to cultivate the 12 basic virtues (sincerity, dis­crimination, precision, ef­ficiency, patience, toler­ance, kindliness, charity, courage, forbearance, de­votion and humility) to, achieve a balanced character,” said Dennis. “We feel if we can balance each of the virtues we can do a better job of living in accord with cosmic law.”

      Upon completion of the basic study in the 12 lessons, an advanced training course may be taken which Dennis said allows the student to show a firmer grasp of the princi­ples taught in the basic course. Graduates of the advanced course are screened and about 90 per cent of them are invited to join the student organiza­tion known as the Lemurian Order. Membership in the Order is a mark of distinction to those who have shown they are dedicated to building a foundation for the coming new society, said Dennis.

      The Lemurian Fellowship receives only a few hundred applications yearly for its correspondence course, Den­nis said, and of these per­haps 10 to 15 percent are ac­cepted for the course. The correspondence work is han­dled by four or five teach­ers at the Ramona headquar­ters. Dennis said many peo­ple who begin the course embrace another religion at the time, and continue to practice that religion while they study the Lemurian Phil­osophy.

      “We have found that much an arrangement is satisfactory for a time, and that it depends solely on the level of ad­vancement of the individual,” he said. “We don’t require that they stop following ano­ther faith, although most people who continue with the Philoso­phy find, as they get more in­volved with it and understand it, that any other religion gra­dually loses its significance for them.”

      People come to the Lemu­rian Philosophy from all back­grounds and all religions, said Dennis. The only thing most have in common is their ori­entation towards practicality.

      “We have students from all backgrounds and all re­ligions,” Dennis said. “There’s no stereo-type for those who study the Lemurian Philosophy, But all of them are practical people, which They must be to be able to use the teaching. A desire to apply the rules of the teach­ing is requisite for one to become a student.”

      Another aspect of the Le­murian organization is the Lemurian Crafts, which Den­nis described as an expression of the Lemurian Philosophy in action, It is an effort by a handful of students of the Lemurian Order to make ar­tistic and useful products and market them.

      The work is carried on at the Fellowship’s other property in Ramona, a 200-acre site at the end of Montecito Way. Their main product at this time is custom archi­tectural hardware, mostly door-pulls for businesses. These are made of aluminum, brass and bronze, and design­ed and inlaid with semi-pre­cious stones, marble, ceramic tile and other materials.

      Dennis said the products are marketed through a firm in St. Louis, and the proceeds go to help maintain the Le­murian facility in Ramona. He said the work gives stu­dents an opportunity to prove the effectiveness of the teach­ing in living and working to­gether, and gives them a feeling of being part of the Lemurian program.

      Although followers of the Lemurian Philosophy claim it is a practical teaching, and can be used to achieve a more balanced life. It has appealed to relatively few since the founding of the Fellowship in 1936. Though the Lemurian Teaching is geared towards the establishment of a new order in society, Dennis said the philosophy is not for ev­erybody, as the numbers of students indicate.

            “We don’t say it’s the last word,” said Dennis,” and it may not be the answer for ev­erybody right now. But it’s something to which some of us want to devote our lives.”

      More detailed information on the Lemurian Fellowship may he found in their latest brochure, which may he obtained by writing to the Le­murian Fellowship, P, 0. Box 397, Ramona, Calif. 92065.