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Orientation When
a new member first joins The Stelle Group, he is confronted
with the necessity for making a number of major adjustments in his life.
These typically include moving to the Stelle area (often across hundreds and
even thousands of miles); finding a new home and job; searching out the
stores, banks, and services needed for day-to-day living; and getting to know
a whole new set of people in an unfamiliar situation. All this requires much
time, energy, and psychological stamina of the new member. None
the less demanding is the need to integrate a new way of life and
philosophy into one’s consciousness and daily living patterns. To help new
members become adjusted to The Stelle Group, and to
more quickly gain a basic understanding of the Lemurian philosophy as it is
practiced in Stelle, new members are required to participate in what we now
call the “orientation program. At
present there are twelve basic lessons held every other week. In the
alternate weeks between these lessons a discussion
is held on each of the ten Lemurian Laws. Thus, an orientation class meets
regularly for twenty-four consecutive weeks to cover both the lessons and the
law discussions. By the end of this period, the teachers and members have
grown to know each other much better and the new members seem to feel quite
at home in Stelle. During
this year the format used in orientation classes is changing somewhat. The
class outlines have largely been condensed to one
sheet of paper for each class section. They cover diverse topics such as
economics, government, history of Stelle, communications, etc. These outlines
are distributed to the class members prior to each
meeting. Members study them and any suggested reading material, arriving at
class with their questions and comments. The class period is
then used mainly for group discussion of points on which individuals
want clarification, or to answer questions, or even to help a person think a
problem through upon which he would like the group’s perspective. A direction
in which the program is moving is toward a more experiential orientation. The
new members of Stelle learn through experience how to precipitate, that
tithing benefits us all, how to methodically work at
learning the Great Virtues, and the like. The
orientation program of The Stelle Group continuously needs updating and
revision. Orientation teachers have been meeting regularly to make innovations; reorganize and edit the material, select and train new
teachers, assist the admissions committee in its work, evolve better methods
of presenting the material, and being of service to new members. The
orientation program is open to any ideas and suggestions
which will make the lessons more valuable in the lives of the class
participants. Evaluations from the program’s graduates are proving most
helpful in providing new ideas for improving the program, as are ideas the
group of orientation teachers evolve in their meetings together. They
conceive of the program as something which will
continually evolve and grow with time and experience. In this sense, their
work is never completed. It is an opportunity to serve Stelle and to get to
know the wonderful people who are entering Stelle weekly. |
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