November 30, 1975

 

To:  all the participants of The Stelle Group

From:  Richard Kieninger

 

          I wish to share with you my thoughts on why I have taken leave of the Stelle area and moved to Texas. My private discussions with two of the new trustees and then with the whole board of trustees on November 16, 1975, have provided me with ample indication that there is practically no effective way for me to be of service to The Stelle Group because of the large proportion of participants who not only object to my presence on the site but who can no longer place credence in the verity of my mission or teachings. The trustees have suggested the possibility that I hire a hall privately and invite all participants of the group to hear what I might have to say, and perhaps half the membership might attend. I still believe, as stated in March 1975 at the General Meeting, that such instruc­tional sessions conducted outside the official sanction of the group could eventually split the group philosophically and also tend to create two authorities with possible polarization into two parties. Furthermore, what I have to teach does not lend itself to written lessons with questionaires to be submitted for grading. My assign­ment here would have required close involvement with the group in order to have continuous feed-back, discussions, counselling and re­visions in my own methods as the group would change and grow. The initial lesson of Citizenship Training has already been a practical immersion of the group into the problems of self-government and an awareness of political dangers. I was assigned in August 1974 to be the first Emissary to teach Citizenship Training, but such teaching would have involved a whole range of social revisions. I have quer­ied a number of participants of The Stelle Group as well as some trustees, and the consensus appears to be that what I might have to teach would probably not be accepted by at least half of the group or be properly understood for at least the next few years. One of the trends of the group seems to be that you intend to decide for yourselves all the directions you will pursue. And I detect consid­erable anxiety in some members that I might try to get into admini­stration positions again or try to influence the course of the group.

 

          The group’s determination that The Stelle Group shall no longer undertake the functions of a school points up the futility of my try­ing to instill necessary disciplines. When a person comes to a school, he does so with the understanding that he is going to follow the in­structions of his teachers. When, for instance, a man goes to a Zen monastary to undertake the training which will afford him the advan­tages of the goal he seeks, he submits to all the disciplines which will force him to take the paths he would not otherwise choose; but eventually he perceives their efficacy. He must trust his teachers when they impose disciplines the goals of which are not revealed to him. Were he to be told the purposes of some disciplines, he might tend to fake the desired ends instead of truly acquiring them. I re­cognize that I am not accorded the trust required for a teacher to reach his students, nor is the group in a mood to submit to discipline. The request that I turn over to the group all information that I pro­pose to impart so the group can pick out what it thinks is correct and what it chooses to accept is at total variance with the proven methods of all Brotherhood schools and Their traditional methods of instruction. The Stelle Group was intended to teach a way of life, and the Lemurian Philosophy is not a matter to be decided by vote. The distinction is still to be established between the school functions, on one hand, and the government of the community arid distribution of the assets of production, on the other hand, the latter being subject to self-determination through voting.

 

          Neither I nor the group deserved the undermining of my credi­bility by those who strove through every possible avenue to twist and cast doubt upon my personality, motives, and authority. But the damage is done, and I see no effective way I will be allowed to repair it. But neither has The Stelle Group evolved itself to an acceptable level of loving as called for in my letter of June 1974 explaining why formal Citizenship Training was being delayed. The fact that John called me the “first” Emissary leads me to suspect that I may have accomplished all that I can do here and that I will be informed at a later time of subsequent Emissaries to be sent to Stelle. Stelle remains the place where persons who have learned of the Lemurian Philosophy can continue to work together to prove its effectiveness in their lives, can develop the technological means for survival after the turn of the century, and can best lay the foundation for the advanced Civilization in the nation of God. Meanwhile, I have an explicit assignment to gather the resources for building Philadelphia; and recent experience has demonstrated that in order for me to guarantee that the funds I amass will be used for their intended purpose, I must maintain personal ownership of those assets. Were I to make available to Stelle the money in­tended for building Philadelphia as I accumulate it, there is a danger that I could be defamed again and told to get lost when I re­quested its return for its proper purpose.

 

          There are many good reasons, as I see them, for me to depart from this area for the benefit of Stelle. I have been informed that a person or persons in Stelle or formerly in Stelle have spread calumnies to all the farmers in the area against me; so my continued presence in the area embarrasses the group. Moreover, the fear and hostility I elicit from some participants counteracts your need to de­velop loving attitudes in your lives. And if I am not personally involved with Stelle, many of the persons who have accompanied the former trustees to Wisconsin can feel freer to return to Stelle as they discover for themselves the deceptions by which they have been victimized.

 

          The advantages to me in going to Texas is that I can resume the work I began last Summer before I was ordered back here to uncover the intentions of the former trustees. I’ve just been marking time here while supporting and encouraging the group to take responsibility for itself. Except for a handful of people who drop by to acquaint me with the latest news and to tell me their impressions of my situ­ation, essentially no one has consulted me for three months now. So everything seems to be moving forward to your satisfaction. I must quickly prepare during the short time remaining to survive the Depression. If you do have questions, it’s just as easy to telephone me in Texas as it is in Kankakee. You’re not being deserted in any way. I have my work and you have yours. Moreover, I cannot obtain a well-paying job to support myself in this area. As information comes to me from the Brotherhoods, I will pass it along to you. I am still held responsible for all the activities of The Stelle Group; so the trustees have promised to keep me supplied with monthly statements on the finances of the group and industries as well as with the proposals, discussions, activities and minutes of the group. However, I do not expect to interfere in Stelle’s affairs unless, of course, influences like those of the former trustees return to Stelle. I trust that you will strive to do the Brotherhoods’ Work over doing your own things and will be strong enough to resist dilutions and adulterations of the Lemurian Philosophy. I shall send you my ideas in written form from time to time, and I do not have anyone who is my spokesman. I speak for myself, and people who use bits and phrases of what I say to promote their own preferences are not of my doing.

 

          You have my love and great good will. I desire for you security, happiness, prosperity and Egoic advancement. It has been an honor working with you in the past.

 

 

My deepest regards,

 

Richard Kieninger

 

 

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