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May 3, 1976
To: Members of The Stelle Group
From: Board of Trustees
In mid-May 1974, soon after
Richard Kieninger’s first departure from Stelle, David Cysewski wrote an
article entitled “Casualties of Crisis” wherein he pointed out how a change
in “reference points” usually causes a corresponding questioning of goals and
directions in The Stelle Group, what he called a time of “waking sleeping
dogs.” Since that time, most, if not all, of us have been deeply and almost
continually involved in a re-evaluation of Stelle, its purposes, and our
places in it. Such questioning is basically healthy and can only serve the
good of the group, when tempered with good will and a steady devotion towards
doing the best for all concerned.
Again, we are passing
through another change in our “reference point”: Richard appears to be
settling down in Texas to nurture and develop Adelphi, his new organization
and attendant community. The questions many in Stelle are now asking in
relation to Richard’s actions are, ‘What does this mean for Stelle?—Is Stelle
still part of the Great Plan?—Does Stelle still have contact with
the Brotherhoods?—ls Stelle ‘real’?”
Richard’s authenticity
and the role of Stelle have been questioned many, many times before. Such
will always be the case when we human Egos must deal with information, while
attempting to transform it into knowledge. Endowed with a generous dose of
curiosity, man pursues the goal of knowledge from every angle he can
conceive, and seizes upon every shred of data or evidence that can help him
build his “case.”
Keeping faith with what we
know we don’t know is a basic human dilemma, and it will probably be with us
all the way to God. In order to prevent information held with faith from
solidifying into dogmatic belief, constant questioning, testing, and
evaluating is required. As for knowledge, let us examine the belief in the
idea of God, for example. Who among us can say that they really KNOW that God
exists? Isn’t any belief or non-belief basically an educated guess based on
whatever rationale a particular individual Ego feels comfortable with? For
some, the belief in God may be based on purely intellectual grounds (too many
authors and other sources seem to be saying the same thing); for others the
basis for the belief may be more emotional; for others, more intuitional—in
most cases it is probably a blend of these three and other modes of “knowing”
that finally “add up” to a belief—however relative—one way or the other. One
cannot remain on the fence forever, wavering between “Yes’ and “No.”
Eventually, if one is to get anything accomplished in life, a direction must
be chosen, a goal must be established, and then one’s energies must be set to
the task of fulfilling that goal. To get things done, we must thus weigh the
evidence available, using our God-given mental powers of reason, intuition,
and conscience, in order to make a decision of which way to go. After this
first step, the trick is to be flexible enough to make a change along the way
when new data warrants it.
Carlos Castaneda relates
how his teacher Don Juan implored him to “choose a Path with Heart.” Implied
in this statement is the principle that we are all Creators, we create our
own realities. The poet Blake wrote, “Eternity is in love with the
productions of time” and this same idea is expressed in the old English
saying, “Man proposes, God disposes.” Each individual Ego must consciously
take his life into his own hands and create and sustain his own “world.” Thus
do we meet Christ’s definition of man, “Ye are as Gods” and enter into a full
Sonship with Christ.
Now, what has this to do
with Stelle, and Richard? Just this: Many people have decided to make Stelle
and its goals their “Path with Heart”; they have decided to make this reality
their reality. What is that reality? Quite simply, The Stelle Group was
specifically formed to fulfill the purposes outlined in The Ultimate Frontier, which boiled down to the basics are:
1. To provide a setting conducive to Egoic growth and
the pursuit of excellence;
2. To provide a place where those Egos who are going to
build Philadelphia can gather together and unify themselves in terms of
language, customs, goals, etc., before moving to the island;
3. To provide a place for the gathering and development
of the technology to be used to help civilization survive Armageddon.
Stelle then is this proposed place, it is this specified setting where these goals
are supposed to be fulfilled. But the question still remains, who can say
that they KNOW Stelle is “real”? Who can say that they KNOW that we who are
building these houses and factories and streets are indeed engaged in
fulfilling the Great Plan? Who can say that they KNOW Richard Kieninger is
who he says he is and was and will be? Etc., etc., etc.! If someone is quite
honest with himself, he must admit that he KNOWS very little indeed. Thus,
without the rock of surety, we must each individually weigh the current
evidence and make our own subjective decisions and commitments. When someone
fills out the application form to join The Stelle Group, that Ego is saying,
“I have weighed the evidence as best I can and I am deciding to make Stelle
my Reality, my ‘Path with Heart.’ “ Later, when offered a membership and he
accepts, he says in effect, “I have tested and evaluated and questioned and
experimented with my Stelle ‘hypothesis’ and I am hereby reaffirming it and
committing myself to it. This is the Path I am choosing.”
But the matter doesn’t end
here; new data will continue to come in, new experiences will be lived and as
with the current situation with Richard, we must, associates and members all,
review our “reality constructs,” again adding in the new data and readjusting
our conclusions. For some, it may well be that the evidence no longer “adds
up.” In that case, the original decision and direction must be modified, for
effective further action.
However, for the Trustees,
those who are invested with the trust and funds of those who join and support
The Stelle Group, this much must remain: Stelle is still the specific place
for the pursuit of the particular goals outlined in The Ultimate Frontier, “true” or “not true” as the case may be.
In effect it is true for those who
have decided to “believe” it to be, and they are the ones to be gathering
here to share and reinforce that reality.
This is not a moral
judgment—no one is saying that Stelle is better or more important or more
“real” than any other group or enterprise. We in Stelle are gradually coming
out of the closet of seclusion and realizing (or remembering) that there
indeed is a world filled with beautiful people all around us, and that there
are many, many paths to God. It also seems reasonable to assume that the
Brotherhoods are working all over the Planet to prepare for the culmination
of Christ’s Great Plan, and Stelle is but one part of these activities. But
just as each Ego is a distinct individual, with a distinct character and set
of goals and desires, so it is necessary to affirm and reaffirm that Stelle
too is a distinct “individual” with a distinct character and set of goals. If
someone no longer can believe that Stelle is what it has been said to be,
there is no need for him to change Stelle’s goals and principles. The more
valid and responsible course is to search out what enterprise can now suit
his changed needs and beliefs.
One lesson we seem to be
learning in Stelle is the importance of self-reliance and self-determination in
regards to Egoic growth and direction. So it must be on a Group level also.
It has been repeatedly pointed out that no one will build the city but
ourselves. Ask yourself, “How much have we really received from the
Brotherhoods?—Do we really need an Emissary to grow?” When we get right down
to brass tacks, the sum of all that the Brother; have tangibly done for The
Stelle Group is to say to Richard, “Build a city.” This is not to deny that
They may be helping us behind the scenes”; but rather to point out that no
Brother is going to take anybody by the hand to build this place. That’s our
problem, and Stelle will only be built if we decide to do it.
Thus it’s time once and for
all to turn away from worrying about our “contact” with the Brotherhoods, and
instead to concentrate on the tasks at hand. If there are Brotherhoods and if
there is a Plan (which those who have committed themselves to Stelle have
decided is reasonable to believe is so) and if we are doing our best to
fulfill the Plan as we see it, then we can hopefully assume that we are “in
contact.” To see if this is so, each individual should look to his or her own
life and see whether or not the necessary conditions for growth and
advancement have appeared. Any one of us in Stelle can instantly affirm that
a wealth of information and opportunity has been laid before us—and we needed
no outward contact with Brothers or Emissaries to attract it into our
environments. As Christ promised:
“Ask, and it
shall be given to you;
Seek, and
you shall find;
Knock,
and it shall be opened to you.”
Conceive your reality,
decide to believe in it with all your heart, and then watch it grow before
your very eyes. This is the way to the answers of the questions we pose; this
is the way in which Stelle will become “real.” It is time for us to turn to
ourselves, to our own Minds and hearts, for the guidance we need; and, for
those who can to reaffirm our commitment to Stelle,, and its goals in order
that we might faithfully carry out our part in the Great Plan and create the
best that we can conceive and believe.”
George C. Watson
For the Board of Trustees
Excerpt from Minutes of Meeting of the Board of
Trustees of The Stelle Group - April 27, 1976:
Malcolm
said that many persons had been expressing to him in one form or another
their feelings of doubt of the basic credibility of Richard, and that Malcolm
is beginning to realize that his personal ideas are not necessarily going to
be the desire of the membership. He asked for the feeling of the Board as to
continuing the “Friends of Stelle” program with Richard representing us to
the public. John Alexander, Gene Duda, and George Watson felt it is no longer
appropriate to consider using Richard in these functions, and that we should
represent ourselves. As to future
meetings of Richard with the membership, since we can no longer use the
factory for this purpose anyway due to Stellwood, it was felt that the
trustees should not seek to provide further meetings although any of the
membership who are interested in doing so would be welcome to secure a hall
for this purpose. As to continuing to use Richard’s “Observations” in the
newsletter, the general opinion was that if Richard sends a good article, it
could be printed, but that here again we may want to rely on our own talent
and open this column for contributions from persons in the group. Since this
represents a change in direction on the part of the trustees, it was felt
that a statement or letter to the membership advising of this outlook on the
part of the trustees would be appropriate. George will draft a proposed
letter.
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