Some ideas and thoughts on the Fellowship of Friends. Taken from the previous discussions, which are to be found here and on Animam Recro.
Collected and assembled by UnoAnimo.
January 20, 2008 by Pavel
Some ideas and thoughts on the Fellowship of Friends. Taken from the previous discussions, which are to be found here and on Animam Recro.
Collected and assembled by UnoAnimo.
Some possible ‘Headings’ for your postings ~
Fraud
Sexual harassment
Wrongful discharge
Negligence
Joint Negligence
Negligent Hiring
Intentional infliction of emotional distress
Negligent infliction of emotional distress
Negligent misrepresentation
Misdescription
Willful misconduct
Misapplication of funds
Misapplication of property
Misappropriation
Misbranding
Affirmative misconduct
Official misconduct
Malconduct in office
Corruption in office
Wanton misconduct
Fraudulent misrepresentation
Material misrepresentation
Violation of the False Claims Act
False advertising
False-association claim
False news
False impersonation
False pretences
Falsifying a record
Falsity
Discrimination
“Negligent Novation”
Fault of Omission
Favoritism
Contractual fault
Delictual fault
Violation of fiduciary duty
Breach of duty
Breach of covenant
Breach of the peace
Breach of trust
Breach of warranty
Child endangerment
“Fetus endangerment
A list of circumstances and convictions upon the Fellowship of Friends and Robert Burton that are as applicable now as they were 10 years ago.
Fellowship Of Friends-A Cult In Oregon House, California.
Another lawsuit filed against F.O.F/Renaissance Vineyard &
Winery, Robert Burton, Girard Haven, Abraham Goldman, Helga
Ruth Mueller, and Clair Bowen–directors of Fellowship of
Friends, Inc. The lawsuit brought by Troy Buzbee and filed
on April 29, 1996 in the County of Yuba.
Complaint for Damages is in Case # 060209
1. Fraud
2. Intentional infliction of emotional distress
3. Negligent infliction of emotional distress
4. Breach of fiduciary duty
5. Negligent supervision
6. Sexual misconduct with a minor
7. Sexual harassment
8. Wrongful discharge
9. Negligence
10. Failure to pay minimum wage
11. Battery
Fellowship Of Friends Cult – By Michelle M. Milligan
“Within the pages of the case are facts and details concerning sexual and perverted acts practiced by Burton, his philosophies and ideologies expected of the members.”
According to the case, Robert Burton, “The Teacher”, as referred to by members, began the corporation Fellowship of Friends in 1971.
The “Fourth Way philosophy is taught and practiced by the Fellowship of Friends. The location of The Fellowship of Friends herein referred to as the F.O.F. is in Oregon House, however the F.O.F. refers to their location rather as “The Renaissance”.
Troy Buzbee’s father became a member of the F.O.F. in 1976. Richard Buzbee’s son Troy was only seven years of age. Richard Buzbee was told that if he paid his teaching payments each month and followed the tasks and suggestions of the teacher, Robert Burton that he would
enter “the way,” become “conscious” and “immortal.” He was told that Burton was a “conscious being” and that he was “celibate.” He was told that he could trust Burton completely with his body and soul.
From 1976 through May 1994 Troy’s father was a member of the Fellowship of Friends. As Plaintiff Troy Buzbee grew up he regarded Robert Burton as a God.
According to the case distinction between Burton and Troy’s father were not clear to him at times. Troy Buzbee became a member on October 10, 1966 when he was 17 years of age, virgin.
After Defendant Burton and Defendant corporation Fellowship Of Friends, INC’s factual representations and undue influence caused Troy Buzbee to lose his ability to think independently, he became increasingly subject to the domination, control and undue influence practiced, implemented, and used by said Defendants.
In direct consequence of such deception, coercive persuasion, brainwashing and undue influence, Defendant Burton used Troy Buzbee, among hundreds of
other young men, for the partial gratification of his satyriasis, an uncontrollable compulsion to engage in sexual conduct with scores, if not hundreds, of men. In addition thereof, Defendant Burton exploited Troy Buzbee for the provision of cheap labor, well under the minimum
wage.
Said exploitation continued off and on until the time when Troy Buzbee terminated his membership with Fellowship of Friends, Inc., in August 1994.
Commencing in December 1986, Burton, would have “teaching dinners” during which he would ply Troy with alcoholic beverages. After one particular such meal in December 1986, Burton instructed Troy to come to Burton’s room and to shut and lock the door. Burton told Troy that
Burton was “an angel in a man’s body”, and the gods wished for Troy to be close to Burton. Defendant Burton then held in an embrace.
Defendant Burton said, “influence C wishes you to be close with me. “He repeatedly assured Troy that his “soul was not (his) body, and that the angels wished for (Troy) to be with (Burton).” Burton explicitly told Troy that the “angels” wanted Troy to disrobe, and the “angels” wanted Troy to submit to Burton’s sexual advances because Burton himself was an “angel”, a goddess in a man’s body.”
Burton said to Troy, “I promise you I am an angel in a man’s body.” “You have to remember that I did not write the play about Robert Burton.” Burton would kiss Troy on the forehead which he said represented the seat of the soul and then instruct Troy to “separate” from his body and just “let go”. Burton reminded Troy that Troy’s
body would soon decay while his soul was immortal.
Burton told Troy that he would talk to him after he died using the same soft voice he used at the time. Burton explained that for him the interaction with Troy went beyond conventional sex and into “supersex”, which was a
method characterological evolution.
Defendant Burton stated, “My
sexuality is on the level of Super-Sex.” From December ‘86–April ‘94, Troy submitted to Burton’s demands, which were: Drop out of college, provide Burton with sexual favors and provide hour long massages after Burton had been sexually serviced.
Burton used money from the corporation to pay other members for performing specific sexual acts. In denominations of $50 or $100.
The case mentions one case of “specific sexual acts” performed on Burton by Karl Feldman, Troy Buzbee’s best friend. Burton spoke openly about his sexuality in the form of jokes at the all-male dinners that he would often lavishly host at all-male, all-you-can-drink “symposiums.” He would boast that “one hundred boys would not be enough(for his sexual appetite).”
Troy worked at the gatehouse on F.O.F. property. Burton directed certain members who are “guards” to arm themselves with firearm-type weapons. Burton then had him become his “personal” guard. During the next four years Troy observed numerous men in Burton’s room in a single night. Troy was asked to massage Burton after his lovers left.
According to the case, Burton suffers from sexually transmitted diseases. He made no effort to tell Troy. As a consequence, Troy acquired viral herpes. In addition, Troy suffered from stomach ulcers.
Renaissance Vineyard & Winery, Inc. was built as a bomb-
shelter in obeisance to Defendant Burton’s prophecies regarding massive and wide-spread disaster and chaos in the near future.
Defendant Burton uses Renaissance Vineyard & Winery, Inc as his alter ego in the same way he uses Defendant Fellowship Of Friends, Inc.
According to the case…..
At all times mentioned herein Defendants Girard Haven, Abraham Goldman (also an attorney), Helga Ruth Mueller, and Clair Bowen were members of the board of directors of the Defendant corporation, Fellowship Of Friends, INC.
At all times mentioned herein all of the Defendants were acting as the agents and servants of each other and in doing the acts complained of acted within the scope of their agency and employment and at the direction and with the knowledge and ratification of the other Defendants.
The Defendant Burton at all times mentioned herein, dominated, influenced, and controlled, and does now dominate, influence and control the Defendant corporations and the directors and officers thereof, as well as the business, property and affairs of the Defendant corporations.
At all times mentioned herein, there existed and does now exist, a unity of interest and ownership between the Defendant Burton and the Defendant corporations; the individuality and separateness of said Defendant and Defendant corporations has ceased; and despite
knowledge of these facts, Defendant corporations and its officers and directors have had notice of acquiesced in and agreed, consented to, and ratified the conduct of Defendant Burton as herein alleged,
At all times since its corporation to the present time, the Defendant corporations have been and are now a mere shell and naked framework which the Defendant Burton has used and does now use as a conduit for the conduct of his personal business, property and affairs.
Defendant corporations are subject to a unity of control, and its corporate structure was created as an attempt to avoid payment of taxes and civil judgments and to confuse courts and those seeking redress for these Defendant’s acts. Due to the unity of personnel, commingling of assets, and commonality of business objectives, these Defendant’s attempts at separation of Defendant corporations and
Defendant Burton should be disregarded.
Defendant Robert Burton directs, controls and operates Defendant corporations and uses them to enforce his orders and carry out his attacks on groups, agencies or individuals, including the acts against Troy alleged herein, to the extent there is no separate identity between Burton and said Defendant corporations and any claim of such separate identity should be disregarded.
The Defendant corporations were created and are being continued and maintained pursuant to a fraudulent plant, scheme and device, created and operated by the Defendant Burton, whereby the benefits and
product of the income and revenue of the Defendant corporations are diverted to the use and enjoyment of the Defendant Burton through the Defendant corporations to himself while concealing the truth of his financial relationship with Defendant corporations.
Prior to the formation of F.O.F. and Renaissance Vineyard & Winery, Burton formed a conspiracy in concert between the corporations for the express purpose and intent of developing and implementing a plan and scheme which would permit Burton and co-conspirators to:
a. use, abuse and exploit the fiduciary relationship between the Defendant Burton and the Defendant corporation Fellowship Of Friends, INC,, on one hand and the members of and contributors to the Defendant corporation Fellowship Of Friends, INC,, on the other hand
for their own personal unlawful gain; and
b. to use, abuse and exploit the fiduciary relationship between the Defendant Burton, as ‘founding minister’, and selective members of the Defendant corporation Fellowship Of Friends, INC., for the express purpose and intent of performing unlawful and perverted sexual acts upon the persons of said members, including Troy, and by causing certain of the members, including Troy, to work for Defendant corporation Renaissance Vineyard & Winery, INC.,
and Defendant corporation Fellowship Of Friends, INC.
That all times pertinent hereto, the Defendant corporation Fellowship Of Friends, INC., and the Defendant Renaissance Vineyard and Winery, INC, were formed and operated by Burton and said other Defendants for their sole and exclusive aggrandizement and to create an ambiance of neo-religious import which was and is currently being used by Burton and the other Defendants to manipulate, unduly influence, and control the minds, bodies, and the assets of the members of the Defendant
corporations for the sole and exclusive purpose of 1) satisfying Burton’s satyriasis-his voracious appetite for perverted sexual pleasure and elegant life-style; and
2) diverting the contributions and donations of the membership to their own use and purposes.
Members of the Fellowship are required to donate ever-increasing sums of money as they become further and further vested as members of the Fellowship with the caveat that when donations required of them are
not timely and completely made their membership is either revoked or they become indentured servants of the Defendant corporation in residence at its principal place of business for nominal compensation and required to perform degrading menial tasks of a full-time basis
at the whim and caprice of the Defendant Burton
and other authorized representatives of the corporate Defendant Fellowship Of Friends, INC., and Defendant Renaissance Vineyard And Winery, INC.
All donations made by members of the Fellowship are devoted either to the continuing worldwide recruitment of new and replacement members with fresh money to contribute to “the cause,” or the acquisition of assets, including but not limited to, Defendant Renaissance Vineyard and Winery, INC,
which are ostensibly being acquired for the use and
benefit of the membership but which are in reality being acquired for the personal benefit and aggrandizement of Defendant Burton and some or all of the other individual Defendants named herein.
Meanwhile, Defendant Burton annexes free and unfettered use and enjoyment in and to the assets of the Defendant corporation Fellowship Of Friends, INC., Defendant corporation Renaissance Vineyard And Winery, INC., and the benefits to be derived there from, including, but not limited to, the provision money for bribes to young male members to prostitute themselves in an intensification of
Defendant Burton’s compulsion and demand for sexual servicing of his long-standing state of satyriasis.
The entire, purpose, scope and extent of the aforesaid plan and scheme as implemented by said Defendants is to effectively deny the members of the Defendant corporation Fellowship Of Friends, INC., not only the right to participate in its rituals and teachings on an ongoing basis but also, and of equal importance, to deny members of said Defendant corporation, including Plaintiff, of their just right to participate as beneficiaries entitled to use and enjoy
the property of said Defendant corporation.
Troy suffered from fright, horror, grief, shame, anger, humiliation, embarrassment, chagrin, disappointment, worry, self-loathing, self-betrayal and self distrust.
Haven, Goldman Mueller, Bowen knew of all these afore-mentioned practices of Burton.
They have agreed and abetted Burton in his efforts. They knew of Burton’s diseases and said nothing.
At all times pertinent hereto, Defendant Burton, and the other Defendants, caused Troy’s mental and emotional centers to become deceptively and coercively inculcated with the following tenets:
a. Defendant Burton communicated with “C-influence” which was provided by “44 angels” which were each individually named including, but not limited to, Jesus, “Benjamin Franklin,” “Lincoln” and “Bach,”
and that Burton was the Fellowship’s only connection with
said “angels.”
b. Defendant was and is the most important person on the planet since Christ.
Defendant Burton claims a numerology of consciousness where he has already advanced to a man number 7.3, with Christ being a man number 8.
Burton is above man-made laws, a moral law unto himself.
c. “C-influence” brought Troy to the Fellowship and Defendant Burton, and that Troy’s interactions with Defendant Burton would be the most important relationship that Troy could ever have.
d. Defendant Burton is assisted by “C-influence” to guide the spiritual evolution of the member “students” with “shocks” designed to help them “awaken”.
e. The members of the Fellowship are special, and set apart by higher forces for survival. Members of Defendant Burton’s “inner circle” must associate only among Fellowship members must disregard non-members, and demonize ex-members who are critical of Burton whom “the =gods” will “destroy.”
Such ex-members’ opportunities for growth and
development are terminated failing to submit to Burton.
f. Defendant Burton possesses gift of prophecy that is infallible.
g. In 1998 California will “fall” in huge earthquake whereupon people will die in massive numbers.
h. In 2006 there will be an Armageddon, where all humans everywhere except for members of the Fellowship will be expunged by higher forces.
i. Members of the Fellowship will inherit the world’s material goods and act as the “Ark” for a new civilization based on that of the Greeks of about 450 B.C., and are thus presently preparing themselves to bear the torch of civilization now and in the future.
j. By following Defendant Burton’s directives so as to gain “being” (depth of character) through separating from suffering and immersing themselves in culture, mostly Western art, classical music, opera and ballet, Fellowship members, including Troy, are preparing themselves
for being the “Ark”.
k. Everything the members of the Fellowship, including Troy, had learned since birth was “false” and caused him to exist in a kind of “waking sleep.”
The Defendant Burton informed Troy that in order
to “awaken”, he had to replace what was “false” with what was “true” which was defined as the system of ideas as The Fourth Way, including all the “new” knowledge that Burton had added to that system.
l. Defendant Burton stated, and states, to the general Fellowship and to Troy, that without “C-influence” Troy could not “awaken”.
m. Defendant Burton stated, and states, to the general Fellowship and to Troy, that to “awaken” was the only way to avoid having the purpose of his life be to provide “food for the moon.”
n. Defendant Burton stated, and states, that Troy’s people outside the group as “life-people,” he said were “tragedies.” Burton said Troy’s own mother was such a “life-person” and that the Fellowship was Troy’s “real” family and Burton was his “Father.”
o. Defendant Burton stated, and states, to the general Fellowship and to Troy, that any challenge to the extent of Burton’s excesses of greed and satyriasis to be a lack of understanding of his practice of “crazy wisdom” which he asserts that he must force himself to perform is forcing himself to live that way for the good of the members as a “lesson.”
_______________________________End Quote
Misappropriation
‘La Cucina’ the restaurant on the property that was burned down a couple of years ago. First, put aside the fact that it was originally paid for by FOF ( our donations ). The insurance money from the fire.Where is it? It was spent on gods knows what.
So, you will have been aware of the ‘auctions’ held over the past couple of years specifically to raise funds so that ‘We’ can rebuild our beautiful La Cucina. ….well over $100.000 was raised.Then it kind of ‘went quiet’ So, where is that money ? and where is the new restaurant ? ‘We’ have now paid three times over for a restaurant that does not exist.
Care to comment ?
16/17/Mole
This event was also used as a sales ‘gig’ by RVW for nearly 6 months; the sales calls by RVW Telemarketing would start off like this ~
“Oh, hello Mary, did you hear about it; Oh! No, don’t worry no one died, but… Can you please… We really need your help with rebuilding our restaurant, etc. RVW spun this story hundreds of times and by this dramatizing effect sold hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of wine… the proceeds never rebuilt anything concerning the restaurant… and although it was said that RVE lost the whole restaurant, this was not true, only 40% of the building was lost.
Misapplication of Funds
I can suggest where possibly is the money (at least some of it).
About a year ago me and a friend were walking through Galleria, just looking, admiring the beauty. I was showing him various rooms, kitchen, library… The door to the teacher’s room was wide open and I remember that it was OK in the past to simply walk in… So we did. There was no one there. I said: This is the teacher’s room…
And my friend noticed a bunch of brand new mens shirts laying by his bed… They were fancy looking, in their packaging… We noticed the price tags. Shirts were $ 1500 plus per each. We were… a bit shocked. These are the kind of shirts the “boys” wear…
Another true story: once at our house a “boy” got slightly drunk and carried away bragging to other students about his teacher’s many gifts to him. He was showing us his ring, tie, pants, shirt – and exclaiming: This is 1800 bucks, this is 900 bucks, this is 2400 bucks… He was going on and on. It was truly pathetic.
We heard enough and went away and my boyfriend said to me: This jerk over there is wearing 10 of my teaching payments!
Well if you think how many “boys” there are and the amount of expensive shirts, rings, pants, suits, etc they wear – it starts to makes sense where the Bistro money could possibly be.
16/23/Janna
This practice is ‘ancient’ amongst the FoF inner circle; hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent yearly on custom tailored suits, both for full time galleria staff and visiting students that had been ‘picked’ by Robert Burton upon his travels abroad to be his ‘possible lovers’ and by those ’scouting’ for him. Gifts of jewelry, the giving away of gifts Robert Burton has bought himself with fellowship proceeds to the boys and ‘courting boys’; when these courting rituals do not work out, the visiting student is often sent back to Russia or wherever ‘to think about it’, ‘to work on their King of Clubs denying force’ (physical, psychological and conscience repulsion of certain ‘things going on in the Galleria). Monies for shopping trips, plane tickets, housing, motel rooms, etc. all paid and invested in Robert Burton’s private pursuits in the name of the Fellowship of Friends; these actual expenditures are never shared with the Fellowship of Friends members, the exact annual amount spent and for what is not known by the body of the ‘church’ at large, although it is their money he is spending; donations that are not being regulated or monitored in any way by the church as a legal body to represent such expenditure directions of their money.
Misrepresentation
The idea of alchemy, as taught and practiced in the Fellowship of Friends, has been quite skewed towards external manifestations that require investing large sums of money, which is an extension of the Fourth Way as promulgated and sold by Robert Burton. Alchemy is esoterically about the transmutation of coarser energies into finer energies, as in Hydrogen 12. This may or may not have anything at all to do with the fine impressions that money can buy.
16/125/Nancy G
Misdiscription and Willfull Misconduct (among others)
Why was it essential for FOF-style evolution that Isis/Apollo/Renaissance be preserved as the seat of squalid, deeply entrenched poverty over decades? How can anyone in their right mind think Isis lifestyle is or ever was actually good for their children, YOUR children? How much more time out of your brief lifetime are you willing to throw away, your precious time bleeding away like good money after bad, because waking up from the FOF dream is just too unthinkable? When do the wives realize that their hubbies didn’t just have a few isolated experiences of sex with RB, but still do it every time they go to a wine cellar dinner? When does the young newlywed realize how at-risk she is of a nasty sexual disease from that gorgeous RB-boy import she snagged? When do we stop being mad and just become sad, because it is all too sad and pathetic and soul-sucking? Maybe that’s the whole question: RB sucked a lot of cocks, but what about the souls, your souls, that he continues to suck and suck…and suck?
16/152/Joseph G
Discrimination and Favortism
I’m sorry my language and tone offended you. Obviously you have not experienced the ultra-inner-circle verification of having RB “receive you.” Must be the lifetime thing I always heard about. You could have been one of those lower life-timers that RB would speak about. He was always positive about your possibilities, but, well– how do I say this without offending you– my feeling was he considered you all to be very well intentioned losers, less so if you could write a fat check. Or the clue to me should have been your nick, Fat Boy. You are probably not the right body type as well as being stuck in a lower lifetime. Still–Keep working on yourself!
16/141/Dick Moron
Discrimination and Favortism
Although I did embrace it (well, everyone told me I had a “golden” alchemy, so it was really easy to accept) now I see this “tool” as just another tool for judgment and condescending attitude towards others with so called “lower” alchemy. In a way, it’s almost RACIST. And you know that people DO use this “tool” to discriminate and judge, you know that, we all know, all did it. When this “tool” is used to confirm something about oneself – it strokes ones vanity. When it is used to blame or judge something or someone – it again strokes ones vanity and promotes a false sense of superiority.
16/162/Janna
Misrepresentation, False Pretenses, Breach of Duty
So, expensive clothes and furnishings is just one (questionable) way to get high, and not the cheapest. But it happens to be Teacher’s way of lifestyle, so he invented a “tool” to make it look like the “only” way.
16/162/Janna
Emotional Distress (not in the list above)
In layman’s terms, if you want to keep members of a group in line, you create an environment of anticipated reward, not actual reward, such as in the next lifetime or reserved exclusively for those in the ‘inner circle’, as well an environment highly sensitive to the aversive stimuli of negative emotions, which is how we learn ‘good-awake’ (=positive emotion) from ‘bad-asleep’ (=negative emotion). This will produce more dopamine in the member’s brains and inhibit learning from aversion by minimizing it.
16/178/Whalerider
Undue Influence (not in the list above)
Ni_k Spa_ldi_g (around) 192
Fat Boy
Simple Truth
(All others please ignor……..)
Dear Fat Boy & Simple Truth : and of course (Mole)
Let’s chill out together for a few esoteric seconds….
You know who I am and my email is listed…..
and meet me for a beer (coffee) and my usual
location (apollo d’oro)…..
Love to those who wish…..
************************
Current Fellowship members, show some backbone and post to the blog – if you’re not too frightened of the cult retaliation.
16/195/Graduates
Nick wrote this (and another) post; his reputation on the Fellowship of Friends Blog is that of the ‘FoF Police’ and ‘individual voice crusher’.
Misdescription, Misrepresentation, Fraud
When I first joined the Fellowship of Friends I was told that it was in direct lineage from Peter Ouspensky.
I find out years later that it was NOT in direct lineage. That its inception was founded on deception. That it continued producing half-baked, half-lies until it has descended into a quasi-religion based not only on half-baked, half-lies but pure and simple delusion.
Speaking again without permission from Vera-Mente we wants our money back. Not based on time contributed nor money donated but based on half-baked, half-lies, deception and delusion.
16/199/Arthur
Outrageous Conduct, Emotional Distress
From the ‘fact’ of multiple lifetimes, to the ‘fact’ that people who leave the Fellowship of conditional “Friends” are ‘food for the moon’, to the ‘fact’ that Burton is at a ‘higher level’ than anyone else on the planet, to the ‘fact’ that Beloved Teacher is the necessary intermediary between a student and higher forces, only able to ‘progress’ through Burton’s intervention, to the ‘fact’ that Burton is a goddess trapped in a man’s body (!), to the ‘fact’ that the Sequence represents the highest product of ‘higher schools’ stretching back to prehistoric times…
and on and on and on…
All designed to put one in the classic bind. No way out but to swallow and take a big gulp of “faith”, and watch one’s conscience shrivel away, a sacrifice to Burton, the gift he demands so one can stay safe in his shadow, nestling like chicks under his wings. But unlike real chicks, which must grow and fledge, choosing to stay chicks forever.
16/201/Ames Gilbert
Connivance (not on the list above), Joint Negligence
I have personally experienced the greedy, grabbing completely selfish ass ault of the “beyond feminine dominance”Queen of the hive and the blind eye and closed hearts of the procurer drones and their paradoxical judgement/envy.
While they watched the constant stream of situationaly compromised young and not so young men enter the heavily over loaded to one side arena of the Queen, with what seemed like the complacent attitude of, as long as my security isnt compromised, who cares if there are some casualties, if they leave then surely they were weak and unsuited to evolve thats why “C influence released them.
16/203/Cyclops
Sexual Harassment, Emotional Distress, Breach of Trust
Bruce 216: “Even though many of us lived together in the boy cottage, many of us were walking around in a daze asking ourselves “why was it happening to just me”. We were so shell shocked that none of us could assume it was happening to others. No one would speak of it. ”
16/216/Bruce
False Impersonation, Material Misrepresentation
His first conversations with Bonita, by her testimony, were composed of many lectures and some observations Robert Burton had gleaned from his studies. But even here, with her, were always the implicit lies. The first was that he had more being than she just because he ‘knew’ more 4th Way theory, and could convincingly regurgitate it. The second was that his method of teaching, a one–way authoritarian transmission from the ‘more knowledgeable’ to the ‘less knowledgeable’ was valid; in other words, that Bonita had nothing to teach him. His “teaching being” was exactly what he in turn had been taught, both by Horn, and by the educational system we have in our society; it was unmodified by actual experience.
16/228/Ames
Breach of Duty, Heedlessness, Recklessness (not up there)
Maintaining the First Lies for so many years, not going back over his life (in the Ouspenskian sense) to ‘repair the damage’ (tell the unvarnished truth, apologize, explain without self–justification, heal), clinging to his lie and building on it (squashing rumors, attacking whistleblowers as liars in public, pronouncing his ‘celibacy’ anew), all this clearly shows his being, and that is very very low, lower than any ‘student’.
16/228/Ames
Sexual Exploitation, Sexual Predator, Sexual Harassment, Enticement, Breach of Trust, Willful Tort, Negligent Tort
Worse, and this is important, living these lies dishonored the efforts of his students, made a mockery of their truths. Then on, ever downwards, the web of deceit was woven thread by thread. Countless times, Burton told the lie of celibacy in the morning and that same evening raped one of his students (fucked them against their will), used blackmail and further lies to complete the deed, used the Work language to serve his own base purposes. Used their shame as a weapon to ensure their silence. Bruce has told it, how isolated each of the ‘boys’ in the Blake Cottage were, each thinking they were the only one. This poison contaminated every aspect of the Fellowship. What do the grandiose dreams of good declared by Burton mean in the face of this? In the balance, far less than nothing, a negative amount. The horror outweighs any possibility of good.
16/228/Ames
Emotional Distress, Personal Indignity, Fault Liability
For me the last two years before leaving were extremely oppressive, and the weird thing is I was blaming myself for about 80% of this negative feeling, then blaming myself for not blaming myself for the other 20%. And if my soul was being sucked, who other than RB could have been the biggest soul-sucker, and how many others was he sucking – is he still sucking – all thinking (like me and Bruce?) that they were “the only one”?
16/230/Joseph G.
Fraud, Misapplication of Funds, Misapplication of Property
And then there is always “the property,” that magical place full of palm trees and gilded staues and banners and fountains. The place that is one’s true home. Home of the king of hearts. Paradise found; until it becomes paradise lost.
16/230/Joseph G.
_______________
Robert Burton Has spent millions upon millions of dollars of church goers money to surround himself in an oasis of personal ‘dreamscape’… All the while, for 37 years, has not ever had a church structure built, planned or expected.
Fraud
Did anyone who was around during the Age of the Cameo learn that their cameo appraised at exactly 1/3 the price they paid for it?
I decided to sell mine after I left. After I had it appraised by a reputable jeweler, I spoke with others who had the same experience, and the numbers were the same — the appraised retail value was 1/3 what was paid (to the FoF) for it.
I clearly remember being approached about buying it. “Robert would like to know if you feel ready to have a cameo.”
Gosh, golly, I sure didn’t want to say that I’m not ready for something the teacher thinks I should have.
I had the first one for about a week, then the same inner circle person approached me and said that Robert felt a different one would be more appropriate for me. The second one was nearly twice the cost of the first one.
I don’t remember the exact details about this next part, but there was some convoluted transaction with the exchange. I didn’t just exchange the cameos and pay more money. I think I gave the first one back, paid the entire amount for the second cameo, then received the cost of the first cameo directly from the student it was sold to next.
A receipt was included with the second one that appeared to be from a jeweler in Europe. The receipt said that it was made in the 1700s in England. When I had it appraised they told me it was made in Italy (showed me a mark that indicated this), probably in the 1920’s.
16/236/Kathleen W
Favoritism, Misappropriation of Funds, Breach of Duty, Undue Influence, False Pretenses
Ah, the cameo era. RB, the patron saint of shopping. Why not a cameo for every lady? Such a thrill to shop for someone else, with their money. This happened so much. Any student who happened to have a little money they were not using, and let RB know about it, can probably contribute a little story about how they were assisted in gradually blowing it on on pricey fashion accessories, fine leatherbound books encrusted with semi-precious stones, ostrich skin Hermes bags, shoes, belts, whips etc.. And, RB would select everything for them. I will never forget observing him slowly coerce a very adult professionally successful student into buying an expensive briefcase that the student did not like or want. Guess who won?
Does anyone remember the details of the time (during the cameo/tuxedo set era) that a member of the entourage neglected to declare some expensive jewelry purchased in Europe and RB and party were submitted to all kinds of searches by U.S. Customs.
16/241/Dick Moron
Fraudulent Marriage, Green-card Marriage, Clandestine Marriage, Breach of Duty, Sham Marriage
A story. (It could be good for the INS – let them figure it out)
I learned that Asaf who is Robert’s successor is actually married. No he doesn’t live with his wife and never did. The marriage is on paper only. (which kinda means illegal and against the law in this country.) His listed wife is E—ta and he was married to her for quite some time.
I guess Asaf needs a green card ASAP – otherwise how is he going to be our next teacher?
16/254/Purchasing Awakening
Fraudulent Marriage…. continued from above story
I thought Asaf was engaged to a very nice, very young daughter of followers, right at this moment. If what you say is correct, then there must be some very interesting conversations going on between the two affianced, the parents, the present wife, and Burton. I’m sure the phrase “C–Influence wants…” is being overworked as well. Adding the INS investigators and the INS judge to those conversations would certainly liven them up!
16/259/Ames Gilbert
Fraud, Misappropriation of Funds, Misrepresentation, Breach of Duty, False Advertising, False Pretense, Favoritism, Breach of Trust
So, you will have been aware of the ‘auctions’ held over the past couple of years specifically to raise funds so that ‘We’ can rebuild our beautiful La Cucina. ….well over $100.000 was raised.Then it kind of ‘went quiet’ So, where is that money ? and where is the new restaurant ? ‘We’ have now paid three times over for a restaurant that does not exist.
Another true story: once at our house a “boy” got slightly drunk and carried away bragging to other students about his teacher’s many gifts to him. He was showing us his ring, tie, pants, shirt – and exclaiming: This is 1800 bucks, this is 900 bucks, this is 2400 bucks… He was going on and on. It was truly pathetic.
We heard enough and went away and my boyfriend said to me: This jerk over there is wearing 10 of my teaching payments!
16/264/Somebody
Misappropriation of Funds, Fraud, Connivance, Tax Fraud
I have personally carried funds from outlaying centres in the form of teaching payments in cash to I’s I’s. Unregistered tax free cash flow.
I have personally experienced the dismay of newly wed young and not so young wives who asked me if their husbands were having sex with Burton as their husbands were lying to them and even then couldn’t bring myself to feed the lie to my female friends just to make them temporarily feel better.
16/264/Somebody
Misrepresentation, Fraud, Infliction of Emotional Distress
Back before RB was forced to “come out” of his idea of “celibacy” he was surreptitiously “doing” only one boy at a time. Even though many of us lived together in the boy cottage, many of us were walking around in a daze asking ourselves “why was it happening to just me”. We were so shell shocked that none of us could assume it was happening to others. No one would speak of it. Finally it became pretty obvious what was happening, that RB was living a lie. Yet RB still clung to the big lie until lawsuits etc. forced a change.
16/264/Somebody
Connivance, Misbranding, Discrimination, Breach of Duty, Breach of Trust, Breach of Covenant, Enticement of a Parent (A rare tort)
Prospect students are recruited. Young men’s pictures taken and send to Robert with or without measurements.
That is what I want to stop, stop, stop and I feel powerless and again angry at myself…
Yes I am still angry, now I think of it…of many more things, the way women and men were treated in the fellowship. Elena was right that women were treated like second rate citizen. How we were exploited and our money taken from us in the name of building a civilization ( Where? in the bedroom). For the children who were often second or third choice and will never feel like they were worth the love of their parents. The parents were busy, surviving, working to make ends meet, ooo I can go on, but I will stop.
16/264/Somebody
Illegal Structure, ‘Fraudulent Construction’, ‘Endangerment of Participants and Public’, (Totally unknown to Yuba County Officials from Beginning to Completion), Hidden from bank-loan-assessors by camouflaging with large canvas tarps and hundreds of palm trees in pots and wooden crates, soil, etc. prior to their visit to assess the value of ISIS property for a consolidation loan or new-mortgage loan.
And what about all the hundreds of thousands of dollars raised to build/finish that ridiculous Theatron that Robert coveted when he was enamoured of the Greeks? It seems to have been abandoned. Any one know how much was spent on it thus far?
I have been waiting to hear about the fund raisers for a pyramid. Who knows, Isis might even be taken over by a theme park operator some day.
16/268/Vena
Invasion of Privacy, Enticement of a Parent, Intensional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Child Endangerment, ‘Fetus Endangerment’ … See ‘Administration of Children and Families’. Inhumane Treatment of Animals
I learned that earlier in his reign Robert asked married women not to have kids and if they already did to give them away. Many apparently listened and obeyed. Apparently Linda was persuading pregnant women to have an abortion “to follow the will of the Teacher”. Gently ask older female students in FOF what happened to their kids.
Also teacher gave a task to students to euthanise or give away their non-pedigree canine companions. Many obeyed and killed or abandoned their dogs. Please read Stella’s story. Then not so long ago he ordered to kill all black cats around the property because of his superstitions (apparently he thought black cats bring bad luck and are connected to the devil).
16/273/Purchasing Awakening
Invasion of Privacy by intrusion, Intimidation, Inveiglement
There was also a time where hysterectomies were being suggested to women for birth control because once it’s done, that’s it, no more problem.
To my understanding some even took the advice.
16/276/Bruce
Enticement of Parent, Enticement, Invasion of Privacy,
When I got pregnant I was leaving at Renaissance and my husband was on salary. We did not have the money to go to a doctor and were worried about future hospital bills.
My husband called Robert, but not until years later did he tell me what the teacher had said in response to a request for financial help for the birth, namely, that we had missed an opportunity to oppose our catholic upbring by not having an abortion.
A student on salary with family later suggested we go to County Health Services. Fortunately I had excellent care.
BTW our child is an absolute delight, a gift beyond measure.
16/282/vera.mente
Invasion of Privacy, Connivance, Enticement of a Parent, Discrimination, Undue Influence, Undue Influence, Child Endangerment, ‘Negligent Eloignment’
I never understood the few, lovely, women I met who had left their children in the care of others at the behest of the FOF leaders. Please note that the directives may have come from Robert after Center Directors told him of situations that might threaten the student’s devotion and or payments. (Darn those silly outside influences.)
16/284/A Former female student from long ago
Recklessness, Prenatal Tort
I knew of a visit from Fran, an older women, who was sent to escort a happily married women to a hospital for a late term abortion of healthy twins. Why was this married student in a happy relationship guided to go to the hospital to abort two healthy fetuses? Robert loved the beautiful, handsome husband and it was during the mid/late 70s when the School could not afford to have students be distracted by the emotional or expensive aspects of children.
This potential mother and father were in in pain but followed Robert’s directives – it was not a pretty situation. Years later Robert got his guy back and the wife was left to earn money outside of Renaissance while her husband was on salary.
16/284/A Former female student from long ago
Invasion of Privacy, Intensional Infliction of Emotional Distress,
Tortious interference with contractual relations *a
The “exercise” of terminating friendships with those who left the school – is one of the most cruel and heartless expressions of Robert. It’s based on selfishness, fear and jealousy. I have a feeling this man has never experienced true friendship or love, regardless what he says.
Otherwise, how he could order lovers to separate, children to be given away, friendships to be cut off, pets to be killed?
16/287/Janna
____________
*a Virginia Jenkins was asked to leave her own home and property as part of a punishment/price laid out by Robert Burton; she came back after two weeks unable to survive away from her home, resulting in here having to dissolve all the renters (FoF students not allowed to be around her since she was on 6 month leave) who at the time were living on and about in caravans stationed on her property. She is also one of the few who defied Robert Burton in the early years and kept her child, Eli.
Negligent Misrepresentation, Fraud, Misdescription, False news, Falsifying a Record, Desecration
Quotations are frequently altered, or taken wildly out of context by the panel. For example, one quotation from Ibn Arabi: “If you do not see Him, he certainly sees You”. The ‘Him’ here is Allah, with the rough meaning that God/Presence is always available, two millimetres underneath the ’skin’ of Life. When the quote was used (frequently) by RB at meetings/events, however, ‘Him’ was mysteriously translated as the King of Clubs, with the idea ‘Be fearful, KC is always watching and waiting to pounce’. The difference in Life-attitude this change represents shouldn’t require any further comment!
16/297/Crouching Tiger
Wrongful Discharge
Consider this: those who disappeared in the past did so quietly and quickly, we never knew the exact reasons or details, so they went into the “silent” cubbyhole. Those who were louder, were “negative”, so we could put them in the “negative” cubbyhole. Now, the silence is broken, but the straw that will break this camel’s back is UNDERSTANDING.
16/299/Bass Ackwards
_______________________
Recently 8+ students of the Fellowship of Friends were asked to leave ‘the church’ based on the fact that they had attended lectures by another spiritual teacher in the Bay Area other than Robert Burton; they were forced to make a choice and choose ‘a teacher’, not to do both… There is nothing in the church canons to justify this, nor any mention of this ‘rule’ upon joining…
Many rules are quietly ‘made up’ as Robert Burton ‘changes his mind’, oftentimes the student is not given the benefit of the doubt that this ‘new rule’ came about through their ‘first offense of it’s sort’ and unwarranted expulsion as a result and is used to set an example for the rest.
Discrimination and Favoritism, Sexual Predator
How can you live with the fact that young men are recruited for Robert, by sending pictures and asking for the size? How does your conscience see this? You can not compare this with courting, with young adults R spins a web for his “younger, non homosexual men”. That is very unequal, out of wack. Not an example for a new civilization to my understanding.
16/304/Another name
Misappropriation of funds, Fraud, Corruption in Office, Wanton Misconduct, False Pretenses, Discrimination
How can you explain the disappearing of funds and sick people like J e-s-a, who can not afford medical treatment?
How do you live with the fact that Robert uses money from inheritances for different purposes then the original plan of the deceased student?
The way he lets students go especially the one who are not rich and do not have a lot of importance in art or the financial world is very cold and painful.
I encountered many students who were alcohol addicted and the pain they have/had. How do you live with this info?
16/304/Another name
Intentional & Negligent Infliction of emotional distress
Nearly 15 years after I left the Fellowship of Friends, I discovered I was very angry about what had happened to me there. In the intervening years, I had actively tried not to acknowledge it, mostly out of fear of some sort of divine retribution, I guess. After many years of chronic illnesses and chronic pain, things kind of came to a head, as they say. I acknowledged to myself that I was angry. It was quite shocking, actually how angry I was. I surprised myself.
I recommend: 1) a good therapist and 2) screaming into a pillow (to avoid upsetting the neighbors/family).
16/310/Innernaut
Intentional infliction of Emotional distress, Misappropriation of Funds, Negligent Hiring, Discrimination, Favoritism, Breach of Duty, Fraud
He uses the donations from the members (most of whom think the money is going to be spent for the common good) to buy outrageously expensive trinkets and clothes for his boy whores. Furthermore, most of those boys only give in to his advances because he says he is their conscious teacher, goddess, etc.
16/311/David B
Connivance
Forget morality, subjectivity, and all that. That’s just your way of justifying Robert’s behavior. What about just plain common sense? If a survey was conducted in the general public regarding the propriety of Robert’s behavior, how many do you think would approve? I doubt if a single person would. Why do you think that is?
16/311/David B writing to a current member of the FoF
Fraud, Misrepresentation, Falsifying a Record, False Pretenses, Desecration, Connivance, CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD, CONSPIRACY TO INFRINGE
And here is an example of visual distortion: an altered Tarot cards manufactured to fit the ‘keying’. A student was actually hired to redraw the original cards.
(I’ve included an original card with various animals and fake ones with sheep and goats)
http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/2881/sheepfx7.jpg
And here’s the description to confirm the lie (note that Robert doesn’t admit the card forgery in his ‘keying’):
16/320/Purchasing Awakening
________________________
All of those involved in the Fellowship of Friends ‘keying octave’; check your hearts, check your conscience; you may be considered players in a Conspiracy to Defraud.
Intentional and Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress,
Invasion of Privacy, Undue Influence, Outrageous conduct, Unprofessional Conduct, Wrongful act.
There are few stories from wives of RB boys for good reason – the shame involved is incredible. But, believe me, we are around in numbers. The shame is two fold, one at being a wife or serious girlfriend who’s beloved man is having regular sex with someone else. But the shame I most want to talk about is living with, witnessing, the man’s shame. My husband was with RB a long time ago and he is NOT homosexual and the sex was coerced (he was an ‘idiot’ type). He was shamed into it by not being a ‘high’ being as RB. After being shamed into the sex, it was incredibly shameful for him to have enjoyable physical sensations. It haunted him for years and impacted his manhood – his perception of his manhood. This is VERY IMPORTANT for a man, it goes to the very CORE OF HIS ESSENCE and has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with feminine dominance or morality. RB shit on these men a festering scum cloud deep into their core. It takes extreme measures to heal from that and clean it out. I feel very sorry for you and very sorry for a woman who loves you – your cloud is still festering.
16/331/That Girl
Sexual predator, Fraudulent Misrepresentation
As a parent, I can empathize with other parents, that if I would not want my child to be subjected to the perverted acts of Robert Burton, then by God I would not want any other parent’s child to be exploited by him either. Out of respect for my Mother, so she passes over to the next world in peace, I will never divulge to her what I experienced under Robert Burton’s sick tutelage.
16/339/Whalerider
Connivance, Collusion to Defraud, Joint Negligence, Negligent infliction of emotional distress
It makes the inner circle who has put layer over layer on top of it so much more responsible for our having payed endlessly for nothing and supported all the other abuses.
The degree to which their hands are filled with mud is shocking and so many things make so much more sense about the extent of their coldness. Cold and sick, my Girard, the lindas and Karens and even all those beautiful people like Dambecks and Gideons and the whole lot of us who ever participated in it going against ourselves because everybody else was doing it. But it wasn’t everybody else so much. It was the few in the inner circle who sold their soul and bent to make it look real. The few who’ve taken too much of what they wanted and can’t let go of it, to their own misfortune. Like monkeys that can’t let go of the coconut: Trapped in their own greed. Maybe not the money, but the power, the prestige……but what prestige when Robert stripped it from you against your own power so that he could justify being the only recipient of it and you accepted it in your guilt.
16/340/Elena
Fraud, Discrimination
And his actions? They SCREAM of lack of love and compassion, they show coldness, selfishness or just indifference! Oh, I saw it, I have experienced it, not once and not twice. Many people have verified his true “love”, so many stories, too many…
His “love” is purely conditional and it depends on his personal interest in you. If you’re useful to him in some way – here comes “love”(or clever manipulation). Not useful anymore – you’re dumped and don’t exist for him. If you cross him or object him, or (God forbid) compete with him for his boys – he hurts you so cruelly, without any human compassion…
Really, he simply DOESN’T CARE for any person but himself. Can’t you see this? When he hurts someone you know – what do you say to yourself? That it doesn’t matter? That this student was a jerk anyway? Or do you just close your eyes and repeat: “Teacher loves me now and forever”…
Where is his unconditional love to me now, after I spent over 10 active years in his school and paid him over 50K? My friends who spent over 20 years and gave him hundreds of thousands of dollars were cut off and forgotten, without good bye and thank you, and wouldn’t even be acknowledged as human beings by your loving teacher…
“I love you now and forever” – yeah, right.
16/342/Janna
Green-card Fraud, Religious-Visa-Fraud, Non-Profit Organization status Fraud, Fraud, Misrepresentation
There is no INS it is now part of Homeland Security and they might be very interested in Roberts importing male prostitutes using green cards as Church ministers.
What is important to think of is that we, those who have been participating on the blog did not not of many other parts of the play of crime until exposed to the information here. There are statutes specifically designed to combat interstate criminal conspiracies. Claiming to be a church for tax reasons then marketing the Fellowship as a 4th way school is fraud. Not giving members a copy of the Canons is fraud.The Fellowship just changed their own web site due to pressure from those who consistently challenged their wikepedia article to reflect their legal status as a church.
16/354/A former student
Negligent and Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Fraud, Misrepresentation, Invasion of Privacy, Defamation
Anyone remember a hair dresser amongst other things, Richard F. A sweet good looking gay guy who died of aids, contracted after having taken a walk on the wild side outside of the pseudo school. What a strange contradictory situation he must have found himself in, living in O house, in a sea of sex energy and being schooled by a rabid queen who was having sex with the frequency of a machine gun, as if the world was going to end tomorrow. Yet himself having to work with the no sex outside of marriage and especially no homosexuality exercise. Plus no gay marriage!
What the hell was he supposed to do? turn straight?
16/355/Cyclops
Sexual predator
Richard WAS one of the few gay students who RB did exploit sexually. It happened in the boy cottage while I was there, I remember being surprised by it, but if I remember correctly it was before he was diagnosed.
16/356/Bruce
Sexual Predator
It’s not that he didn’t like gay guys (Richard was very pretty, too much for RB to resist, and I don’t think it was often, and I don’t know exactly what occurred behind the closed doors, but I do remember Richard’s face when he walked out), but I think,for him, the power thing in relation to debauching straight guys was just another ego boost to his already sick psychopathology. Any gay can fuck a gay, but ALL STRAIGHT BOYS??? what a conquest.
16/364/Bruce
Intentional and Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress, Invasion of Privacy, Sexual Predator
I remember a few years ago one Russian woman was crying (she left FOF) because she was raising a baby while her husband was sleeping with Robert and “to smooth things over” RB gave her a gift – a Russian scarf… Plus demanded to wear it every time she was going out where he could see her. That was pure sadism!
16/389/Somebody
Wrongful Discharge, Fraud, Sham, Discrimination
OF COURSE Robert was nice to you! Were you nice to him in the bedroom??? This is exactly my point – he is “nice” when you’re nice. This is not the “unconditional love” that he announces all the time in public! But have you ever tried to question him, critique him, confront him or tell him straight something unpleasant but true? No, I don’t mean little boy’s prank that he didn’t punish you for. I mean – have you ever refused him your sexual services? Have you? Or have you ever stood up for somebody else that was hurt by his cruel actions? Have you? I know personally people who have been thrown away by him like garbage when they tried to stand up for themselves…
So your verifications are based on your own good and careful behavior. You “verified” what was safe for you to verify, what you wanted to verify to justify things for yourself. And you didn’t look where it was not pretty and didn’t ask uncomfortable questions – so not to ruin your positive verifications.
16/390/Janna
Sexual Predator, Invasion of Privacy
How do you know?
My first husband said “yes” to Robert.
My second husband said “no” and I can tell you that sometimes you get tired to play to hide and seek for years with your teacher. That is not the game we were supposed to come for.
16/411/ For the best_1
FRAUD
“And, guess what, he gets a huge salary for himself, and legal my friend.”
And guess what, he also has arranged for many of his closest devotees to get a huge salary on the books then cash their fake paychecks and give money to Robert to spend. In return for this service FOF pays their personal taxes. And this is very illegal my friend.
“And the money he raises at teaching event in my view is his money as far as I am concerned”, -
Firstly it is questionable if the church leader is allowed to earn personal income in such way. Secondly do you think he pays taxes on this? We are talking millions in personal income, my friend.
“but the fact is most of the donation money goes torward the infrastucture of FOF.” – Oh yes? How do you know that my friend? Do you have any idea how much Robert spends on himself and his harem?
I bet you that vast majority of the money goes to his personal spending.
The whole FOF thing is one big financial and tax fraud, my friend. It is a cleverly arranged business designed to build one twisted man’s dream with illegal cheap labor and illegal tax free income.
IRS will have a field day when they get to investigate it in detail and they will.
16/416/Purchasing Awakening
Sexual Predator
I was first herded into Robert Burton’s bedroom in the middle of the night after an exhausting 12 hour workday in the hot sun when my king of clubs and will was weakest-under the pretense of doing some ‘cuddling’. I understand only now, years later how numb and dis empowered I was from the layers of paralyzing psychological double binds systematically instilled in me by Robert Burton and the ‘form’ of the ’school’. When I lay down next to him, he put his leg across my groin area in direct contact with my penis.
16/422/Whalerider
RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
I repeat. The way is clear: we must fly from evil behavior. What will motivate us to take action to stop him? Horror? Tragedy? Will some poor soul need to choke to death on Robert Burton’s Viagra-enhanced penis before we take action? Will it be a STD inadvertently passed on to someone’s child from the ‘inner circle’? I willingly choose anger. Individuals standing up alone will not make a difference! Donald McD, Thomas E., Samuel S., Troy B., Miles B….. Only collectively will we make a difference.
16/422/Whalerider
Fraud, Breach of Fiduciary Duty, Sexual Predator
At the height of Robert’s abuse of me he persuaded me (at Clare Bradford’s house in 1973) to give him a blow job as a necessary step to achieve awakening. During that time he praised me daily for my talents and my great desire to awaken. But all such praise stopped once I refused to enter a bed with him. I thought then that Robert’s love was only as great as my usefulness to him but I ignored the thought.
It has taken great effort and many years for me to heal myself; to establish the proof within that a man’s worth to himself is greater that his usefulness to others. I don’t know if the Fellowship can heal itself of the same ills, but I do know it needs to. Someday members must face the truth about Robert. He is not all good and wise. Four to five hundred male students have been abused by Robert over the past twenty years. All have been led to believe that they would profit spiritually by succumbing to Robert’s advances. I have verified for myself that self remembering does not hinge on submitting one’s body to the desires of the teacher. I therefore cannot support attitudes and behavior in the Fellowship which justify such acts.
16/423/Ames Gilbert
CONNIVANCE
It is the aggrandizing of his faults along with his virtues that I object to. Idealistic and troubled young people are quite suggestible and very vulnerable. Robert has taken undue advantage of the young much too frequently while we older students just sat by and watched.
16/423/Ames Gilbert
Wrongful Discharge, Fraud
So—in response to all this I stepped out in the open, stated in no uncertain terms what my point of view is and asked for an apology. Robert, with his customary response of calling such actions instinctive, promptly called and asked me to leave the school. And of course he offered me no apology. He did admit, years ago, to molesting me but now as it was then, he felt it was his right to do so.
16/423/Ames Gilbert
Wrongful Discharge, Fraud, Connivance
I remember when he left. He (Thomas Easley) was spoken about in hushed whispers, with plenty of “C–influence has taken away his understanding” and “Those whom the gods wish to destroy…”, and “Food for the moon” angles.
16/424/Ames Gilbert
Misrepresentation, Desecration
One of RB’s sarcastic little jokes over the years was calling an “active force” an “active farce. In other words, be silent my beloved students. Be passive. Be compliant. Be submissive.
16/427/2b
Favortism
One rumor that is doing the rounds is that the property is now in AG’s name. It seems unlikely, but Graeagle (Robert’s old Sierra Nevada apartment) and the Palm Springs apartment are/were in the name of Abe G.
16/428/Critical Mass
Fraud, Misrepresentation, Defamation
“It’s the least you can do for your teacher”.
“Higher Forces wishes you to have this turmoil”
“I’m a princess in a man’s body”. (of course this one didn’t carry much weight)
“I’m insatiable. I share this with many of my students” (during the time I was avoiding him).
16/430/Bruce (Quotes from Robert Burton)
Sexual Predator, Breach of Fiduciary Duty
(Concerning Robert Burton’s method of sexual approach.)
And even then he doesn’t give up!
No, now he changes tack…and the veiled threats begin,
about how he has gone out on a limb for you
“we all know which limb”, how if you’re not able to help and support him then he wont be able to reciprocate.
God dammit he tries a huge arsenal barrage after barrage trying from every possible angle with all his knowledge of mechanics, he tries to appeal to your vanity your tramp your wish to awaken and if you stay resolute,
he can hardly contain his disgust with you.
Then you can feel like a piece of shit that has somehow materialized in front of him. Then you feel the coldness the iciness. There is an old saying hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Well one could re write it to …hell hath no fury like a queen in a large male body who is refused sex.
16/439/Cyclops
Sexual Predator, Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress
(Concerning the story of Brian Sisler)
I (Ames) went to nursing school, and caught TB from a patient. I couldn’t work as a nurse, we got into financial trouble, and moved to Sacramento. During our time there, we were told that Brian had been stabbed and was in hospital. The official story, given by the center director, was that he had been stabbed 44 times, that this was a signal from C-Influence, and that he had been ‘released’ from the Fellowship, and had returned to his family in the mid-west.
I found out that the 44 stab wounds were mythological, invented by Burton. There had in fact been five.
About six months ago, I heard the rumors that he was dead. I checked around, and they appeared to be true.
This is what I can piece together, but I stress I have no first–hand information. I hear he went to the FoF gatehouse, and asked to see Burton. Burton refused to see him. He made his way down to Marysville, checked into a motel, and hanged himself.
She describes their deep friendship and his emotional and physical pain as Burton brutalized him, how he lay groaning on the floor of the Blake Cottage for hours after a session with him. This went on for years. She had first–hand knowledge, her job was to clean the Blake Cottage around the comings and goings of Burton, —and to clean the soiled underwear. She recalls the perfuming of Burton and the air around to cover the sordid smells.
My understanding is that Brian was a schizophrenic. The “higher being” that is Burton took ruthless advantage of his weaknesses and used him as his personal property, to do with as he wished. There was no compassion, no love, no understanding, Brian was just an object for his gratification. And when things became too uncomfortable, he was thrown away, like a soiled tissue, and with as much compunction. Compost. I channel my anger about this and other things that have happened as best as I can, right now mainly through the blog, and hopefully in a constructive way. There are many other stories yet to be told, by many, many people; they are slowly being revealed, and Burton will be shown, once and for all, for the horror that he is. That is my hope.
16/446/Ames
Fraud, Enticement of a Parent, Intentional and Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress, Negligent Supervision, Discrimination, Invasion of Privacy, Sexual Predator
I loved James G. my first boyfriend in the fof, mid-70’s. We lived in a teepee up the hill with a red couch and carpets. James was a poet, a sweet gentle man who went head to head with Robert. I remember my confusion when I realized I was competing with my teacher for the affection of my boyfriend. Confusion, sadness, anger, uncomprehending shock. James left the group and I regret that I cannot access more clearly what happened. There is so much shame mixed in with the excitement of having found a “school of evolution”. I’m sure I did not talk about the shameful parts and just moved on with the “evolution” parts.
Being a female “second class citizen”, I settled for “second-best” closeness to rb, by getting involved with Thomas E. There was a big triangular struggle going on there, too, but again, the shame shrouding the situation did not allow us to talk openly about it and I remember just being very confused. Thomas and I fought often about it and eventually moved farther and farther apart. I remember calling him from the pay phone in the Lodge while he was traveling with rb to tell him I was pregnant and him telling me to just take care of it. I knew it wasn’t wanted, by him, by me, by Robert, so was shortly thereafter driven to Yuba City by Fran for an abortion. I know I’m leaving out the next chapter, but one step at a time.
I had permission to play the piano in the Goethe Academy during lunch when no one was there. It was one of the happiest hours of my days. When Robert would come smilingly back after lunch in the company of those from his entourage, his face would fall upon seeing me, and although it is not exactly the reptilian conversion Cyclops referred to in his powerful post above, that look of revulsion, disappointment, annoyance was one that I and many other women were on the receiving end on many occasions.
One other memory from my days of a woman in the company of men around the Blake Cottage/Goethe Academy was sadly watching while RB walked around and around the outside perimeter of the lawn trying to convince one of his wonderful young men that he and his lovely girlfriend/or wife, can’t remember the timing, must not have a child, and that in fact they must have an abortion. I had an opportunity to see this sad childless couple years later (when I was “out” and they still “in” thus we didn’t converse) and my heart has always gone out to them.
My tears are for you, Whalerider, Cyclops, THAT GIRL, Joseph G., Richard M, Elena, and many others who lost faith in themselves, were deceived, coerced, had abortions, gave their children away, shared their husbands with another, for all the suffering you experienced. They are for me, for the teenager I once was, for the world I’m leaving to my children. May tears of joy fall once again on us all.
16/447/If Memory Serves
Fraud, Discrimination
Dear Susan.
The moment of him seeing a woman in the academy that I was most shocked by, was when one day Mildred who normally came by and set out amazing floral arrangements was replaced by a younger perhaps more attractive young lady. His comment and the shocking vehemence out of proportion to the event is what I remember to this day it was ” who let that woman in here.”
Try to envision Clint Eastwood as dirty harry on amphetamine saying it and you will be closer to the energy of the situation. The poor girl was completely stunned.
Its shocking how we could let stuff like this just run of our feathers.
16/450/Cyclops
Fraud
I just talked with a friend who came after “his night on duty” from Robert. I heard in his voice zero complaints and a lot of endurance, embracing of suffering. He said: “How else you are going to awaken? This pain is necessary for transformation and awakening. What else did you expect from an esoteric school?”
Later he added that he understands prostitutes, that they are the closest people to the God on Earth…
The pain factory which makes me so angry is a preferred influence for him. What could I say? I don’t know…
16/457/Somebody
Fraud, Misrepresentation, Favortism
I thought it was real interesting the way your friend tried to justify his sexual submission to RB. You quote him as saying, “How else you are going to awaken? This pain is necessary for transformation and awakening. What else did you expect from an esoteric school?”
By that line of reasoning everybody in the FOF should be forced to have sex with Robert because they need all that pain so that they can transform it and awaken. What about all the unfortunate ones (most of the school) who don’t get this special “opportunity to transform suffering”? Isn’t Robert neglecting them? What a load of crap!
16/468/David B
Green-card-Fraud, Connivance (on part of the parents)
Crouching Tiger, thank you for your information. So it seems true that Asaf’s present marriage is indeed a sham designed to get a Green Card. I wonder how the current fiancée (who used to be really good friends with my daughter) and her parents ‘buffer’ that.
16/483/Ames Gilbert
Fraud
Yesterday I could not help my fellow RB’s boy to see what is wrong with his thinking. He was so deep in that world of suffering, “service”, using the pain etc., that it almost made me worried that I do not suffer. He was so convinced that if he will escape this painful “service” – he will fall asleep, fall in chaos, lose an amazing opportunity to be close to such an evil and powerful guy.
16/488/Somebody
Fraud, Misrepresentation
If prospective students were told that they are about to join Robert’s school (and not the 4th way school), who is a very powerful person and a perverted gay with love to luxury; that they are going to pay not 10% of their income but much more, they will have to spend a fortune on teaching payments, events, auctions, gifts, to support his lavish appetites; that if they are young handsome looking men they will be asked to serve Robert’s sexual needs regardless of their relationships, that they will be demanded to give up their will for the will of Robert and give up their common sense and morality, their careers, families, children, love and more. Then people still will join, but at least they will know what they are signing up for!
16/491/Somebody
Fraud, Misrepresentation, Misdescription
But the distinct preference for the epigram rather than the long quotation or story, ’soundbites’ if you like… the juggling or omission of contexts, the ’short thinking’ and straightforward reversals of meaning – irritating at first – became difficult obstacles to surmount. The negative reason that kept me going was Vanity – vanity at hearing one’s research being used by RB as a central quote at an event. But the veneer wears thin with misuse.
16/494/Crouching Tiger
Conspiracy to Defraud, Favoritism, Fraud, Discrimination
I did not hate him for that and worked with it but as I look back what I realize is that the management of individuality in the fellowship works. In as much as each student is required to work only on himself, respond for himself, we all develop a certain strength in our self trust that is then completely mined by the fact that at the same time, no individual is given any authentic, lawful, participation in what happens in the fellowship.
Yes, there is Girard and Steven and Grant and Linda and all the rest who have a bite in the pie but it is only a bite of a nothingness, only a bite in as much as they can be used. Not a bite for their own worth or sake.
It is an amazingly clever mechanism because while it powerfully strengthens the sense of “I managed to make something of myself, put myself in good householder, control my emotions to a certain extent”, it at the same time takes away anything one can do with the strength, beauty or understanding that one has amassed by taking away the possibility of fully participating in the community, school or society that one belongs to.
16/507/Elena
Intentional and Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress, Negligent Supervision, Discrimination (and later Defamation)
In relation to Brian Sisler’s story it would not surprise me in the least that Robert denied to see him and Nick is lying, so would any one of them protecting Robert.
In a similar desperate situation I called Robert twice from Colombia and wrote him a letter.
One of his assistants at the time called me back and told me Robert sent the message not to talk to him again for two years.
16/507/Elena
Fraud, Sexual Predator
(In relation to having a sexual role to ‘the teacher’ Robert Burton.)
Here’s my take. Your friend has truly been “brainwashed”. First, he is has accepted Burton’s subtle but far–reaching reinterpretation of the “Principle of Payment”. Secondly he has overlaid a layer of lunacy over his misunderstanding, by extrapolating payment to the infinite horizon. He imagines that consciousness is priceless in the material sense; this is spiritual materialism. Thirdly, he has been persuaded to abandon his “common sense”, given to protect him against exactly this kind of harm.
16/509/Ames
Sexual Predator
To young or even youngish men preparing to visit I’s I’s.
If you upon arriving are met by a group of young men, half of whom appear to be quite effeminite, be advised that your reactions to homosexuality are being probed.
Once you get to the property…..
If you are invited to stay behind after any function to meet “the Teacher” Be forewarned that it will more than likely end with him trying to get hold of your meat.
If you are invited to an intimate dinner, or any small gathering for that matter be advised that the same as above is likely.
If you are asked if you would like to do security work at night in the galleria….yep same eventuality.
If you are asked if you would like to take a tour anywhere even to a local restaurant, with “the Teacher” never mind abroad, then again be advised that you will be expected to pay in kind and if you refuse you will be shuttled back immediately and replaced.
After arriving back you might find yourself being demoted to working with some “octave” that you are less fond of.
If you find yourself in discussion with any “students” who have been there for a much longer time and it seems that they are trying to find out how you would react if you were to be propositioned by “the teacher” they probably are and you have probably been discussed much more than this before arriving.
Unless you actually wish to have sex with him then it is best to not get into any situation where you will be alone together.
It is best to politely refuse and to keep doing this every time, that way you can enjoy the company of your friends without the risk of compromising your own standards or being forced into a situation where you have to leave.
16/510/Cyclops
Fraud
Robert has failed on both counts. He has failed. It’s that simple. He has lied about every silly historical connection to support the magnitude of the sequence as an esoteric tool, and he has barely made an effort to actually teach his students how this tool really leads them to raised levels of consciousness. Moreover, and much much worse as has been dramatically demonstrated on this blog, even / especially during the past few days, he has knowingly caused severe psychological damage to many of his students over many many years, and has absolutely no compunction about continuing along this cruel path.
16/511/Joseph G
CONNIVANCE
I remember the mixed emotional messages I always got from Molly M., Frank A. and many more of the more upstanding and self contained citizens of the fof from that era who ALL KNEW FULL WELL WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH ROBERT! ‘Mature’, ‘responsible’ center directors/traveling teachers types WHO WERE SELF CONTROLLED ENOUGH TO KEEP THEIR MOUTHS SHUT ABOUT IT. They appeared to be your garden variety upper/middle, middle class people , the perfect poster children who looked like they would be OUTRAGED if indeed they knew such information about our leader! In retrospect it was a little club within the club. I wish more of them would speak on the blog.
-
When I married Thomas in 1981 I had no idea he had lived this nightmare. Non of my ‘girlfriends’ enlightened me and he never spoke about it. I saw only a hard working super energetic young man.
So, blogging on it all now I am more and more amazed at the silence. I already wrote about how I Linda T. enlightened me about RB in ‘82.
16/515/Shelley M
Fraud, Discrimination
Robert sent a message asking me to apply for a religious visa and to move to Isis, because he predicted that the apocalyptic event of 2006 would actually occur at some point later that month. When called by a friend at Isis about an application I explained that it would be impossible for me to move so quickly. I had a child and no means to do so.
I sent Robert a note thanking him for his attention and received back the message from him that my King of Clubs and Lower Self were holding me back… and I cared too much about my child and my apartment in Amsterdam. Robert’s diagnosis was not particularly shocking or mortifying to me. I considered what he said and tried to find the truth in it. Yes for sure I was in my Lower Self most of the time, and yes I didn’t hold my work in great esteem, but on the other hand I didn’t feel especially pre-occupied with lower things; I was immersed in the three lines of work and had never given any energy to the acquisition of material property.
At that moment I couldn’t in all honesty find a way to agree with his diagnosis; if I was going to be struck by the magnitude of his insights that would happen later. In the meantime I trusted that he would forgive any temporary lapse on my part.
During one such conversation a student MJ (who incidentally is very reserved and disarmingly beautiful) told us about a photograph that Robert had given her. She used to wash dishes in the Academy kitchen as often as possible so as to be closer to the heart of things. Her husband (who incidentally was an overtly sensual and extrovert type) saw her struggling through the task and massaged her shoulders in passing. Robert happened to walk through the kitchen, and a few moments later sent back a message to her stating that she was extremely lustful and that he did not want her to work in the Academy anymore.
Her story was well stunning. We sat there silenced for a moment; we did not allow ourselves to say his photograph was untrue, because we wanted him so much to be meaningful, yet we knew his diagnosis to be impossible, and his treatment of her so unfair.
I asked myself “Does Robert really know her? Does he really know me?” Quite suddenly a quiet space inside me had opened up in which it was possible to admit that Robert could not see things as they really were; that he could be wrong.
Cycling home one day MJ called saying that Charles and Angela Taylor had been asked to leave. Charles was a good friend, we had both joined in London, we had directed the centre in Hungary together. When I made my annual pilgrimage to Isis I would always seek him out, we would wrestle with the ideas and try to come to terms with aspects of Robert’s teachings which seemed obscure. He really wanted to understand, and his mental precision, his integrity, individuality and commitment had always been inspiring.
I called him immediately. He told me he had been called on Robert’s behalf because he had been attending meetings led by an Advaita teacher named Adyashanti who according to Robert was a “B influence virus” and Charles was asked to either stop seeing him or leave. Charles answered that he did not want to stop and was expelled.
I knew a fair amount about the ‘behind the scenes Robert’ because I had been in relationships with people in his entourage. Apparently in the 80’s and nineties he had been frequently depressed and negative, his energy was often very heavy. His state had dramatically changed when ‘the Russians’ joined his entourage; he had become electrified and invigorated and emerged from seclusion to begin teaching and travelling on a tremendous scale.
At the same time more and more items were arriving from my past and placing themselves in the foreground. First hand reports of his anger and his jealousy, his irrational rages, and punishments and banishments, orgies with young men who did not want them… Birthday treats of 60 men… and so on; they all arrived and settled in full view. The first time I heard these things I had not flinched; I had simply admitted that I did not understand them and re-focussed on ‘my own’ Work so as not to be pulled down by possible unpleasantness. But this time I did not change the subject…
It wasn’t that I was reveling in indignation or anything, in fact at the time, there was only one emerging memory that really hurt. It was the fact that Robert had said that he did not enjoy the meetings and the teaching events, and that he only did them so that he could be with the boys…
I saw people talking about their verifications and knew that they, as I had, were actually talking about their beliefs. I saw students quoting poetry from Conscious Beings instead of expressing their own beings, I heard them using work language to fortify frailties and inconsistencies in their own limited understanding, but I couldn’t say anything. I saw them using classifications such as Body Types and Centre of Gravity to avoid experiencing more fully the wholeness that was before them. I saw all these things in myself of course too, but bit by bit these tendencies were dropping away in me, not because of any new found virtuousness or strength, but because I didn’t want them anymore. I had seen my lies and it was repulsive to reproduce them.
In January a friend in the Council called on behalf of Asaf. He had heard rumours about TH and wanted to make sure that there was no danger of the Fellowship being sued. I reassured him, but was struck by the implicit assumption that I would not find this question tasteless and cold. For Theo’s parents his apparent madness was a tragedy akin to death: their beloved son who had been musical, bright, self-disciplined, energetic and with a wealth of potentials ahead of him had been reduced to a silent almost vegetable existence.
In February I received two messages from Robert. In the first he said that it was my King of Clubs and my Lower Self that were resisting the Sequence (this was a similar message to the one he had sent when he heard that it was painful for me that he was having sex with my husband). In the second message he sent me his love.
Is Robert interested in me? I asked myself, or is he simply attempting to align me, with the minimum possible personal involvement.
A farewell
Just before the end of the month I stopped all payments to the Fellowship. I could not bear to pay Robert another penny.
I did not feel anger towards him; I did not know who he was really. It was as if he had been some type of mirage. My teacher had been a dream, the sum the sum of my projections, my hopes and hopefulness.
I knew that he was not awake, but could not imagine him to be particularly malevolent: deluded seemed to be a better word, and hadn’t we all supported him in his delusion?
On May 28th I finally read the Sheik’s first report on the Fellowship. On May 29th I left.
16/520/Anna
End of Postings from Part 16
If anyone would like to take a Part; please let me know or
just go for it… If I see postings from Part 15 or any other, I will assume you’ve taken it upon yourself to do similarly what I have done here… You can copy, paste and Google the terms (headings) if need be…
Love to you all.
False Impersonation, False Pretenses, Wanton Misconduct
AG is the FOF lawyer. That’s it. You can make of it what you want, including an epic, if that’s your thing.
Otherwise, as long as he is in that position, there is no reason for his invitation to GF. Business is business. It’s conflict of interest. Period.
He himself said, you are right to ban me.
The exact quote from the correspondence” with William was:
“I asked Abraham if he could say something that would help people be less afraid of him. He did not say something like “I am here ONLY for personal reasons” or “Don’t worry, I have only good intentions for the group”. His honest answer was that it was wise to ban him.”
27 & 28/15/Bruce
Sexual Harassment, Hostile-environment sexual harassment, Quid pro quo sexual Harassment, Sexual Predator, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, False Pretenses and Misdescription
In the name of Religion ~ Church leader’s sexual trysts cause membership defections / The San Diego Union-Tribune/March, 1995 / By Gordon Smith – Staff Writer
Topics
Psychological trauma
Philosophy supports sex drive
Taken advantage of
Members nervous around leader
Departures create financial bind
OREGON HOUSE, Yuba County- Five months after he had a sexual encounter with Robert Burton, the founder and leader of the Fellowship of Friends, Richard Laurel wrote an open letter to his fellow members in the group.
The letter explained that Burton had asked Laurel to become a night guard at his chateaulike home at the Fellowship’s headquarters, called Apollo, here in the tiny foothill community of Oregon House. Among the duties of the guards, Laurel said, was to give Burton massages.
Like most members of the Fellowship, Laurel went on to say, he considered Burton to be practically a god, and someone whom he “could fully trust in every regard.”
So it surprised and shocked him, Laurel said, when during a massage, Burton pulled down his (Laurel’s) pants and, without a word, performed oral sex on him.
“I felt betrayed and used by the man who I thought was my spiritual father,” wrote Laurel, who prefers to be identified by the surname he used while in the Fellowship.
It bothered him even more when he found out that many other members, including his teen-age son, had been pursued for sex by Burton for years, added Laurel, who is married.
Laurel’s letter led to a wave of resignations and expulsions of longtime members of the group. The resulting loss of as much as $500,000 in annual dues may have in turn sparked a financial crisis, according to some former members.
But a spokesman for Fellowship denied that it’s in financial trouble.
And Abraham Goldman, Burton’s attorney, insisted that the sexual encounter between Burton and Laurel was consensual.
“It was not the only time they had physical affection with each other,” Goldman added. “Mr. Laurel’s letter doesn’t tell the full story.”
It did, however, lead some longtime members to question Burton s behavior-partly because Laurel’s complaint echoed charges made against Burton and the Fellowship in a lawsuit by former member Samuel Sanders in 1984.
Sanders claimed he felt betrayed when he discovered that Burton made a habit of having sex with rank-and-file members, most of them heterosexual males and many of them married.
38/15/Refresh your memory
Sexual Harassment, Hostile-environment sexual harassment, Quid pro quo sexual Harassment, Sexual Predator, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, False Pretenses and Misdescription
Philosophy supports sex drive
But he gradually came to believe that the philosophy was being used to support Burton’s personal desires for control and sex.
“I was needy for spiritual guidance, and I guess if you’re needy, you re willing to take certain things for granted more than you would if you’re not quite as gullible,” said Van Gaal. He began resisting Burton’s advances after getting married in 1990, and left the Fellowship last October, he said.
Attorney Goldman said Burton had a consensual sexual relationship with Van Gaal.
“I can’t say how long it lasted or how often it occurred. But there were times when Mr. (Van Gaal) initiated the meetings.” Goldman said. He pointed out that laws vary from state to state regarding whether sex between a religious leader and a disciple-or a doctor and patient, for that matter-is illegal.
“Mr. Burton has never abused his position of power or trust with a member, either involving a sexual relationship or any other aspect of his teaching,” Goldman added. A current Fellowship member who said he became one of Burton’s Lovers for a time while separated from his wife agreed.
“Robert’s in a position of power being the founder of the Fellowship… but I don’t think he misuses that position”, said the man, who asked to remain anonymous. “I’ve refused Robert sex,” he said, “If someone feels pressure to give in it’s basically their imagination.
“One thing that rules most of our lives is what people think of us,” he went on, “I feel I took a big step in the direction of being free from that” through having sex with Burton.
However Carl Mautz, a former lawyer for the Fellowship who helped defend the group during Sander’s lawsuit, said Burton’s sexual relationships with members are “an obvious abuse of power.” Like many other former members of the group, Mautz said he wasn’t offended by Burton’s homosexuality, but by the inherently domineering aspects of a leader having sex with his followers.
Taken advantage of
Not all members of the Fellowship are approached for sex by Burton, Mautz noted. But Johan Van Gaal “was completely taken advantage of.”
Goldman insisted Burton did not seduce Laurel or Van Gaal, “Sexual relations can arise from mutual attraction,” he said.
However the member who is currently Burton’s lover spoke of originally turning Burton down “when he first approached me,” and added, “It is always up to the person he, Burton, is propositioning to say no.”
The Fellowship is no exception.
Members are taught that Burton is a higher being with understanding they do not have, said Mautz. “People in the Fellowship who aren’t close to Robert act around him the way your ordinary 14-year-old would act around Michael Jordan,” Mautz said.
Members nervous around leader
“They’re nervous. They fumble for words. It’s a totally uneven playing field.” Joel Friedlander, a former spokesman and board member for the Fellowship who resigned last year, agreed.
“One of the teachings of the Fellowship is that doubts come from the false part of yourself. That’s an effective control mechanism,” he said. Cynthia Hill, the Fellowship’s director of public relations, insisted that while members strive not to express negative emotions, any topic can be discussed as long as it’s in “a neutral tone of voice.”
And longtime member Colin Lambert said the Fellowship has a teacher-student relationship that is based on established spiritual tradition and is difficult for many Americans, schooled in democratic principles, to understand.
“We do not believe that a teacher has to explain himself to his students,” Lambert said. “But you voluntarily enter this relationship, and take responsibility.”
Such ideas support Burton’s continued leadership and lifestyle. But as Lambert acknowledged, only those who trust the teacher stay in the group. Those who don’t, leave.
Charles Randall, the Fellowship’s former business manager, left last October in the wake of Laurel’s letter.
After 21 years in the group, he said, he came to believe Burton was effectively manipulating the minds as well as the bodies of members through a self-serving philosophy.
“I’m kind of humiliated by the whole thing,” said Randall.
“I thought it was the one true way, but as it turns out, it was just a cult.” He’s among about 100 members who resigned or were expelled in the aftermath of Laurel’s letter, according to Mautz.
Departures create financial bind
The changes could put financial pressure on the group, Mautz said.“That’s a huge amount of money” to lose in the form of annual dues, he explained (most members give 10 percent of their income to the group).
In fact, the Fellowship is in default on most of its 1994 property taxes, and owes more than $415,000 in ‘94-’95 taxes, penalties and interest. The 1,300 acres owned by the group are valued at nearly $21 million, said a spokesman for the Yuba County assessor’s office.
Hill said the Fellowship will initiate a payment plan later this year to cover taxes in arrears. “This situation is not unusual for businesses,” she said. “As often occurs with young wineries in particular, cash-flow difficulties may arise as production and sales become equalized.”
Others say that whatever the group’s finances, Burton’s predictions of a catastrophic earthquake followed by nuclear holocaust could lead to a crisis down the road.
Friedlander said he doesn’t think the Fellowship’s doomsday scenario will lead that far. “But you can’t rule it out,” he said. “‘The Fellowship certainly has the idea of gathering the faithful for the coming holocaust, of creating a self-contained community, and believing that former members are out to get them.”
Randall believes the Fellowship will almost certainly endure, as it did after the lawsuit by Samuel Sanders. Burton is unlikely to destroy the vehicle that enables him to indulge his whims, Randall said. And as doubters leave and loyalists stay. he pointed out, the group becomes more cohesive than ever.
39/15/More refreshment needed?
CONNIVANCE
So, why aren’t we all jumping out? Well, many have built their lives around the fof. Until recently it was a very rich experience up here in the hills. Much of our lives here revolved around the arts, in one form or another, and for a musician, painter or actor to be able to actively pursue their passion, well, that is a little like the searchers I mentioned earlier finally finding a group. Those of us who aren’t ‘artists’ (not many of us are really that great, but there are many who are competent) had a lot to do going to all the concerts, watching the plays, building the amphitheater, building the vineyard, etc. All of this was done with the hopeful goal of ‘awakening’ — that it was possible to have a rich life yet still achieve a spiritual goal. There were lots of other reasons for all we did, mostly added on by an Armageddon type of prophecy from the leader. As many took it seriously as didn’t just so you don’t think we’re all loopy. :)
Finally, a further reason why many hesitate to leave is because for a long time there has been a requirement of sorts (taken seriously by many) to not have contact with those who leave. This was not an invention of the fof — it was a requirement in Gurdjieff’s group. It had a purpose, and many (most?) of the current and former members now think it is no longer useful. This is yet another reason why the exodus is quite large now.
121/15/David
FRAUD
When I entered the fof I was in many ways a damaged person and running away from that. Damaged by….who knows…an incomplete essence….basic stupidity…some really bad crap from childhood…not being able to deal with it….attracting situations that reflected that bad crap which could help me. It helped me to come to a rejection of the horridness of the ‘leader’ …the ‘teacher’ and the thinking that was pervasive. For me, it was a way into first escaping, and then addressing some (some) of that bad crap.
After I left the fof I was so ashamed of ever being associated with a group such as that. And, I moved to Oregon where the criminal group of Rashnish had been located who actually tried to poison neighbors at a salad bar. Gross. Horrible. In spades.
That shame stayed with me for a year, then two then …..then…..then…. Now it has been 22 years since I left and the shame had become like background muzak and I never even noticed it – just didn’t “”””””share””””””” any of my life before moving here and being a ‘good person’. I was born just 17 and 1/2 years ago (hahahahahaha)
I wanted SO MUCH to be a ‘normal person’ (meaning I wanted to **feel** normal and good inside) and I have spent so much energy and time with it. That meant denying my real deep interests in these ideas and most of all, these folks —-this community. When I got connected with the noble Sheik’s blog – about two months ago – things started to unloose in me and frozen parts started to thaw. And, funny thing, it has been the ‘normal people’ like you both and all the wonderful breathing folks in my life who have shown me deep compassion. It is partly thru your accepting words that that I am able to start to not be ashamed of my life and of ever being in the fof. Thank you so much!
258/15/Ka
Sexual Harassment, Hostile-environment sexual harassment, Quid pro quo sexual Harassment, Sexual Predator, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, False Pretenses, Misdescription, Connivance, Fraud, Blackmail
I’m putting an excerpt from Zanymystic’s description of his life in the Fellowship of Friends, taken from his website. It is taken out of context; visit the link Tim Campion gave for the whole story, which I personally find rather remarkable.
http://zanymystic.tripod.com/id11.html
—Ames
______________________________________________
Life at “the Ranch” was a constant wonderland. One might go from pulling weeds to peeling carrots, to dressing in suit and tie to dine in the most magnificent room in California, the “Meissen Room”. Of course, that was over 27 years ago, and I suspect these descriptions are long outdated. Robert was truly “King” of this Empire, and everyone emulated his “self-effacing, humble walk”.
Tall, broad shouldered, he carried himself as if he was but a lowly servant, slightly hunched down with a peasant’s shuffle. Of course, he wore silk suits and magnificent rings, not unlike Liberace, but a tad more elegant and “discreet” about his obvious penchant for the Divine Feminine. His Queen was safely tucked away inside, for private consumption only. With student donations pouring in, and “special donations” ranging from $400.00 and up, the man raked it in. By now, he must be a billionaire several times over.
A day later, I was told “the Teacher wants to see you at the Lincoln Lodge”. Somewhat excited, yet apprehensive, I sat next to him in an overstuffed chair. He told me that my architect friend had asked if it was okay to have sex with another male and had spilled his guts. Bad idea. We were both given “the task” of not ever having sex with other males. Robert said, with a sweeping gesture in the air, “Can’t you see… there’s so much more…” and that was that. You didn’t argue with the Teacher. Period. Depressed, I felt that the school was be-coming “too restrictive”. Slowly, like a society that is being modified and controlled, it goes largely unnoticed – until it’s too late. I felt the school was turning into, or already was, a cult. I couldn’t see why being homosexual should limit my spiritual advancement. Not only that, I was one horny male, after years of celibacy. I told Randolph that I was going to leave. He hated to see me go, but understood completely. We embraced and said goodbye. It seemed “logical” to make my escape to San Francisco, a doomed failure and raging alcoholic.
Dealing with leaving a school, believing one is basically doomed, is a dark shadow from which to emerge. Many other students either left at that time, or were asked to leave, especially if they “knew too much”.
My good friends, Stella and Harold, who had opened a center in Amsterdam, were asked to leave, having disobeyed the “no smoking” rule. Several years later I got in touch with Stella, and the truth came out.
Robert had been blackmailing the straight male students, and their underage boys, into having sex with him. They were told point blank if they didn’t comply, they’d be out of the school. This had been going on from the beginning. Robert’s “inner circle” had nothing to do with level of consciousness. It had to do with who could do his bidding and keep their mouths shut. Those were the ones who ended up in “special positions” either traveling with him, sitting next to him at enormous meetings, or taking on “executive duties”.
One fellow was used as his “boy toy”, which left indelible scars. He worked through it to eventually become a well–known artist. Those at the top seemed a bunch of arrogant scoundrels. One of the men who sat in front was a Doctor, who I bumped into at the San Francisco baths one night. He cringed and left upon seeing me. I was delighted to have left the school on my own terms, having taken what I needed. “Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!” says Auntie Mame.
Stella, in the meantime, began a support group assisting those who left or were asked to leave. Many folks were suicidal. I joined the group, and more sordid details of Robert’s sexual machinations were revealed, including a class action lawsuit that ended up settling “out of court”.
_____________________________________________
276/15/Ames
Fraud, Discrimination, False pretenses, Fraudulent misrepresentation, Favortism
Which could be one reason I languished in the outer circle. Of course, other reasons might be the Lower Self, the King of Clubs, lack of valuation, poor householder, believing the ‘I’s, negative attitude, lack of refinement, lack of effort, using the wrong triad, wrong thinking, lack of being, lack of understanding, and basically just wrong everything. Bad, wrong, negative, weak, and so on.
285/15/2B
Fraud, Wrongful Discharge, Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress, Discrimination
I never met “the teacher” but did see him on stage with Stella at a large meeting at a Masonic Hall in San Francisco. And, I believe to this day that it was the original students and their influence that created the school and “the teacher”. His stuff I have since found out (unverified) was a lie.
I believe in the 4th Way reading material it states plainly that lying to “the teacher” is not good. Well, “the teacher” lying to the students is not good either.
I got the boot from FOF by a double lie. I didn’t spend a quarter century in it, but I did spend a quarter century in a mental state of unrest because of being booted.
When I first went “on-line” I searched for Gurdjieff and began finding “awful stuff” about FOF. I even went to the Stella Wirk site and saw a picture of her in her death bed. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and reading.
Then I found this blog in March or April and began reading with my mouth open. Jesus, did G. Haven do me a favor or not?
338/15/Arthur
Fraud, Negligent Misrepresentation (FoF), Connivance (?)
I am still a Fellowship member. Even though I am sick of the sequences and Robert’s criminal activity, of dysfunctional, delusional folks, alcoholics, “high society princesses” etc. – it is hard to leave now because:
1. my friends are my family, and the only family (I left my real family for the school many years ago)
2. I am a bankrupt ( due to practicing of “being in the moment” and going to the Robert’s events on my credit cards) and can not rent an apartment “in life” because they check your credit history.
3. I abandoned my career to move to Isis “to build the School” and I can’t find a reasonable job in the area – I don’t want to work in Starbucks in Marysville. I don’t fit with Marysville people…
4. I have a nostalgic feelings for Apollo d’Oro, when people could have a great time there – laugh, love and be in essence… plus
5. I feel responsible for people I love and care for – how can I leave them in this situation…
351/15/Somebody
Connivance, ‘Joint Negligence’
I´m learning how to be present more and more, and that is because I have a Teacher, that exist only for to help to wake up his students.
many of you are confusing many Ideas,
the work is simple, to try to be present one and another time, be carefull and don´t get lost with complicating and confusing to the people who is starting to learn.
If you does not want to make this work, why you dont move to the next thing?
Move to where you consider there is some oportunity to evolve “do something” instead to spend all your time in criticism, judge, expresing negative emotions,
Look for a school that you think is the right, and start to work.
352/15/Simple Truth
Fraud, False Pretenses, Misdescription
The single greatest force RB utilized whilst creating the fof was synchronicity. A force that, according to Dr. Carl Jung, Dr. Alice Miller, Dr. M. Scott Peck and Dr. Jean Shinoda Bolen, increases proportionally in frequency and depth according to a person’s desire to risk exploring the truth about their life and the relationships/people who influenced their becoming who they are.
388/15/Shaman
Fraud, Tax Fraud, Collusion (Possible application to Hearsay)
Rumored word has it from inside sources that several individuals close to Robert Burton get very high salaries (somewhere in the neighborhood of $30,000 – $50.000 a year, in monthly increments). This money is not kept by the individual, but is cashed, and the cash given to Robert Burton for his use.
The taxes , on this amount ,are then paid for by the Fellowship of Friends on the individuals behalf (so they do not incur any added expenses for their increase in income).
This is another method that re-directs money (made through teaching payments, or events) to Roberts pocket.
Of course, Robert makes good use of it, by, in turn paying young men who perform for him.
396/15/Howeird Carter
Fraud, Desecration
Founder: Robert Earl Burton
History: Founded as a non-profit church in 1971 by a former elementary school teacher and S.J. State alum, FoF members believe their leader is “an angel in a man’s body,” whose spiritual authority is trumped only by Jesus Christ. Followers also believe that Burton has the ability to speak with up to 44 other angels, including Benjamin Franklin. Burton is renowned for his strange rules (no swimming, smoking or jokes are allowed – and homosexuality was banned until 1993, despite Burton’s allegedly renowned appetite for men) and even stranger predictions (though he was wrong about predicting a 1998 earthquake that would destroy California, he sticks by his claim that a nuclear holocaust will ruin the earth in ’06 and only FoF members will be spared). More than 600 FoF members live on their infamous Y. County vineyard known as Apollo, where they produce up to 40,000 cases of wine per year under the R.V.W vineyard and Emery labels. Their award-winning wine is so respected in the industry that it has been served to the P. of Wales, former president G.H.W.B, at one of R.R’s birthday parties, and the Ritz-Carlton in S.F. sells the RVW Cabernet 1996 for $10 a glass.
Sex scandal: Though the church is more noted for tax evasion (they’re currently paying off more than $2 million in back taxes), the FoF was slapped with a $5 million lawsuit in 1996 by a former member who claimed he was brainwashed and sexually abused by Burton. The suit stated the church was a front for Burton’s “voracious appetite for perverted sexual pleasure and elegant lifestyle.” The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
400/15/Newspaper Article
Connivance, Collusion
For along time I thought that those who chose to remain in the school were simply misguided, wasting time and in denial about being complicit in something verging on the criminal. It seems that it may be much worse than that. I have been struck by how closed, furtive and disturbed a number of the older members (the major zealots and enablers) seem when I have encountered them out in public. These people are indeed struggling against conscience and it occurred to me recently that they were in danger of losing all possibilities for spiritual growth and development. It was a chilling perception and I felt a moment of genuine concern. How ironic when that is the very fate the Fellowship claims to befall those who find their way out of the madness.
405/15/Vena
Discrimination, Favoritism, Fraud
The play was such that I ended up becoming involved with one of Robert’s boys. Only then did the Teacher take center stage in my personal theater, and I was appalled at what I saw. This coincidentally happened at the same time as the Troy scandal, so I was outta there pretty fast.
441/15/Laura
Fraud, Tax Fraud, Collusion, Civil Wrong
“Rumored word has it from inside sources that several individuals close to Robert Burton get very high salaries (somewhere in the neighborhood of $30,000 – $50.000 a year, in monthly increments). This money is not kept by the individual, but is cashed, and the cash given to Robert Burton for his use.”
As I recall, this procedure has been happening for over 25 years to varying degrees of currency amount. Also, cash collected in European centers was often held until RB’s visits, so he would have spending money for his “ministerial duties”, such as buying mink fur-lined raincoats, gaudy trinkets, etc. I’m sure some of the former members who ran the financial & accounting part of FOF and were the center directors could elaborate further.
I remember years ago, when the collection of Meissen dish ware was being “sold” to various centers, where students had to cover to the cost, a cheeky Irish student asked RB if he thought it odd that students were asked to pay for something they had already paid for. I believe the answer was a simple “no.”
458/15/Dick Moron
Misrepresentation, Fraud
A teacher who creates a cult of personality has lost his way, and is no fit guide, is in fact the most danger to your internal work that you can have the misfortune to encounter. Any person who claims he is a necessary intermediary between you and your divine Self is a mere priest, a fraud and a thief.
459/15/Ames Gilbert
Collusion, Connivance
Looking beyond the current vintage, Beinstock says, “Our vision at Renaissance is to be amongst the leaders in the California wine world for wines that are truly uniquely expressive of their terroir. That is what I am proud of.”
“There is an endless amount of fine tuning to bring more balance and expression of the terroir,” says Beinstock, and he and fellow wine makers in the appellation appear up to the task.
==========================
Meanwhile, there’s no mention whatsover of the elephant in the room.
461/15/More Propaganda
Joint Negligence, Wrongful Discharge, Negligent infliction of emotional distress, Fraud, Malconduct in office, False Pretenses, Violation of Fiduciary Duty
For money you can always go back in. That’s the key to the door—money.
I needed something to push me not out but in. An incident happened Mr. Haven called me for a meeting and gave me 24 hours to leave. I didn’t because I had to make arrangements.
The push came and it was out. But, he did say for $2,500.00 I could have another meeting.
The next day the phone rang and it was Mr. Haven. I answered the phone because I was the only one in the house.
He said, “are you still here” and he chuckled.
I finally had everything prepared and had Ameila drive me in a borrowed Volkswagen to the Greyhound bus station.
468/15/Arthur
Fraud, Misappropriation of Funds, Falsity, Discrimination, Favoritism
If I had had a hint in these and directions, I would not have joined. I would not have lived a lie for so long….this hurts…to instead of supporting a spiritual community working towards consciousness, conscience, I supported a man to gratify his lusts. So many lies Prospect students are recruited. Young men’s pictures taken and send to Robert with or without measurements. That is what I want to stop, stop, stop and I feel powerless and again angry at myself…
Yes I am still angry, now I think of it…of many more things, the way women and men were treated in the fellowship. Elena was right that women were treated like second rate citizen. How we were exploited and our money taken from us in the name of building a civilization ( Where? in the bedroom). For the children who were often second or third choice and will never feel like they were worth the love of their parents. The parents were busy, surviving, working to make ends meet, ooo I can go on, but I will stop.
473/15/Another Name
Fraud, Collusion, Connivance, Desecration
There should be nothing to hide in a conscious school. A fourth way conscious school, should have been able to make all the effort of its participants return to them with creativity, solidarity and great love and it made of us nothing but people to be discarded, people willing to discard each other with the motto that IT IS ROBERT´S SCHOOL, my husband’s favorite sentence. That is why it is so difficult to leave, because we were indoctrinated to feel that we were discard-able, that if we lost the fellowship and stood on our own, we were not good enough, that we failed because we did not become conscious, because Robert did not give us a diploma of recognition, that nothing that we did was worth more than a grain of insignificant sand in Robert´s golden beach.
I struggle every day with the Is that think I am not good enough and am much tempted to try banning myself from the planet as I did before I joined the fellowship but I also struggle every day to make an effort that will connect me with the rest of a world that I can appreciate in its simple generosities. What is wonderful about not being in the fellowship, is not having to pay anyone for the right to not participate and realize that participation is free. Free to work, free to be, free to fight, free to die, free to suffer and acknowledge how far we are from being human or conscious beings and still feel the beauty of the sunset.
I am glad a few people are still thinking of suing because the fellowship is a FRAUD and there is no legitimate reason for it to continue.
There is nothing legitimate in sexual and economic abuse of people. If it goes down because of the taxes, may that level of matter stand up for the rest of us and those lucky ones that will not have to go through it for any number of years.
What you are asking from the rest of us, is the freedom to continue exploiting people emotionally, intellectually, sexually and economically and you cannot have that. NO, you cannot have that. You´ve already exploited too much of that from us but WE ARE STILL HERE at just the right distance from your power. The few of you that have enough money to support the game at nobody else´s cost can go and play where ever you like, run, but as long as it is at any one´s cost you are sick and corrupt inhuman beings and it is at your cost as long as you are paying for Robert to stand above your own being.
495/15/Elena
FRAUD
No one is seeking perfection…but let’s have a look at “verification”.
If you indeed went to the Ouspensky Office and asked to look at the books, and if indeed you were shown them, and if indeed you have at least done Accounting 101 at college and know what double entry book-keeping means, and were given and took the time to sit down with a calculator and check the arithmetic—I’d be very surprised.
If you then took the next step and looked at all the bank records, income statements, cash flow reports, credit card expenses of both the FoF and the vineyard/winery, and did your own trial balances to check, I’d be even more surprised.
If you did all this with a forensic accountant at your side, someone with the knowledge and authority to look at true copies of wage stubs, interview the FoF accountants and recipients of those wages separately, look at the bank account, credit card accounts, tax returns and financial activities of those receiving wages (including Burton) from both organizations, and then look through all the hard drives, backups through the years, searching specifically for evidence of a second set of books, then I’d agree you are on the road to verification.
If you continued and explored the financial connections of the companies that are “privatized” spin-offs from the two entities, such as Hans–Michael H’s marketing operation and the various others, with all their financial records (including loans and startup costs), reports and tax returns, together with the all relationships to Burton’s financial records including all bank accounts domestic and foreign—still under the guidance of the forensic accountant—then I would agree, you have verified the finances of the FoF.
If after all this, you could now look at the setup, both generally and specifically, of the FoF as a non–profit organization, at the FoF canons, and can tell me how Burton lives the lifestyle he does, spends as he does, and can still say with a straight face that the FoF is managed very efficiently, using standard financial terms such as “Rate of return on investment”, then we are indeed living in quite different realities here on the planet. I mean, $85 million or so input, assets $5 million at the most… But, I’m prepared to be surprised.
Look, here’s just one example. We know about Roger Greene’s estate, how he carefully and intentionally and in full generosity liquidated all his assets as his death approached in London. How he got together the quarter million dollars in cash. How he planned his gift, so the FoF could build a decent place to stay for visiting students. How he was led on, making plans for the building, playing “what ifs”, taking joy in the expectation that he was solving a practical problem, how he could express his love for his fellow students. How he made his farewells, how his son helped turn his wishes into reality at his death. How the cash was smuggled into the States against the law and brought to Renaissance—and how Burton spent most of it at the Toyota dealership on cars for the boys within two weeks, and the rest within the month. Do you know all this? Did you find out sleuthing through the books? Did the FoF CFO or Treasurer tell you?
508/15/Ames
Fraud, Desecration, False Pretenses, Collusion, Connivance, Violation of Fiduciary Duty, Breach of trust, Breach/Violation of contract, Misappropriation of Funds, Negligence
(Re-Posted for separate examination & a double take.)
Look, here’s just one example. We know about Roger Greene’s estate, how he carefully and intentionally and in full generosity liquidated all his assets as his death approached in London. How he got together the quarter million dollars in cash. How he planned his gift, so the FoF could build a decent place to stay for visiting students. How he was led on, making plans for the building, playing “what ifs”, taking joy in the expectation that he was solving a practical problem, how he could express his love for his fellow students. How he made his farewells, how his son helped turn his wishes into reality at his death. How the cash was smuggled into the States against the law and brought to Renaissance—and how Burton spent most of it at the Toyota dealership on cars for the boys within two weeks, and the rest within the month. Do you know all this? Did you find out sleuthing through the books? Did the FoF CFO or Treasurer tell you?
HERESAY *b
Since RVW has ceased being of interest to RB (soon after Karl W. death), and since it has been run by Gideon B, it is no longer a source of propaganda. If anything, RVW suffers from the negative publiciity FOF receives. It is run by a very small group of students, with very limited means and virtually no direct help (financial, volunteer or otherwise) from FOF. The vineyard has been considerably reduced in size to become more manageable and to allow specializing in the varietals that seem to do best locally. Student body no longer receives significant discounts and very few can afford the high prices that RVW has placed on its wines (by necessity), many of them very good. I have a lot of admiration for Gideon B. for what he is trying to accomplish, pretty much all by himself. Member of the inner circle, he certainly is not.
510/15/Opus 111
___________________
*b I am posting this because it may either be ‘hearsay’ or a Fellowship of Friends corruption of fact; being that the RVW vineyards are an intimate ‘part’ of ISIS (Robert Burton’s School); it is my opinion, any student or ‘person’ involved in harvesting from said ‘Burton area’, knowing the stories and facts contained in this ‘Res Ipsa Loquitur’ data and the Fellowship of Friends Blog at large, and continues to do so is in ’spiritual collusion’ with Robert Burton, The Fellowship of Friends and all that it stands for, does and proceeding results of such actions.
End of Postings from Part 15
Love to you all.
Fraud, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, False Pretenses
There is no justification under the sun for what Robert has done and continues to do to naive, young men and women who come with their hearts and minds open trying to find their truths.
5/14/Wake up little suzy wake up
Negligence per se ~ Breach of the Duty
“Renaissance Vineyard & Winery, has done “whatever it can to fill the cups of justice” for families of the victims.
No family members of the victims attended the plea hearing and sentencing, which was scheduled on short notice. ”
46/14/Bruce
Fraud
It is a crime for a human being to place himself in a position of a God and have another human being to be his subject. It is not a liberation, it is enslavement.
This puts all of of his “students”(subjects) in an inferior position (self-pity) out of which it is impossible to get out as long as one remains in this relationship of Student-Master.
It is very obvious after all these years many of us have experienced in the School that the Robert has no interest in our freedom. He is more interested in all the benefits he gets: sexual slaves, power, luxury, comfort, etc..
It is very easy to see the negative results of this corruption: the lack of common human
external consideration. A lot of students have given so much to Robert that they have no provided for they own basic needs.
Robert has no concern for this, however his personal desires and sick fantasies are fulfilled to extreme levels.
95/14/Normal Human Being
Fraud, Sexual Predator, Negligence, False Pretenses
Dear Howard Carter
I appreciate your postings. I like how you are keeping your line consistently and “in the kings”. I would sleep better if you were right and not the “rest of the blog”. All these “negative people”… But any time I think that for 38 years (and right now and will continue) RB is screwing the guys, my friends, damaging their essences, causing this never ending craze, FEAR. How he confuses them by lying to them, manipulating them, uses them and throws away – I can’t sleep anymore. I have a child and I don’t want anything bad to happen to him. I don’t want him to know about what is going on in this organization, were his mom belongs. I can hear the question of the child: “Why is Robert having sex with all these men?”
So, WHY? They don’t want it. They hate it. But they do it. Tonight is someone’s “visit time” after the dinner. And tomorrow. Can anyone, anything STOP THIS CRIME???
108/14/Confused
Fraud, Misdescription, Falsity, Fraudulent Misrepresentation
That is fine, but has nothing to do with the Fourth Way, which demands that you verify everything for yourself. You yourself have abandoned the Fourth Way and taken up the way of religion, which requires faith in the priest class. Good for you, but don’t pretend otherwise. In your Church of Robert Burton, the high priest has explicitly claimed that he is vital to your future spiritual welfare, and that any progress is due to his intercession. And it is noticeable that the self–appointed intermediaries do quite well for themselves in this lifetime, accumulating power, authority and often (and especially in the case of Burton) wealth. Why not, it’s a good gig, if you’re into that.
I have not verified that there are future lifetimes, so to put any energy at all into that idea, to alter my present life one jot to accommodate such a possibility, especially as some kind of spiritual ‘insurance policy’, as you and your co-religionists do, is completely wrong work for me, not to mention a waste of my time, the only capital I truly have. I studied the Fourth Way precisely because I could not make all the ‘leaps of faith’ required by the ordinary religions. You did not; from the beginning you must have mistaken the Fourth Way for some kind of new religion, because otherwise a simple comparison with your aims when you joined and the aims you have now would show you that you have deviated so much that you are now traveling in exactly the opposite direction.
126/14/Ames Gilbert
Fraud, Misdescription, Falsity, Fraudulent Misrepresentation
Burton is restricting your freedom in every direction; you may be happy with that, you may enjoy having your life managed, but the extra will you imagined might be possible (in a previous post) will remain out of reach, and also all the territory beyond the fence Burton has created for you. Above all, it places you in the peculiar situation where you simultaneously work very hard, yet are easily satisfied. You work in areas determined important by Burton, at things determined by Burton, for as long as Burton wants. At the same time, because whatever efforts you make are never enough in this lifetime (Burton says you’ll need the next lifetime or more to achieve your aims), you remain satisfied that the direction and amount of your efforts are enough to get you to the next lifetime, and even, and this is important, Howard, that these “efforts” are necessary at all.
126/14/Ames Gilbert
Fraud
On the other hand, he says some things which I cannot follow without becoming identified and losing hope. This is a problem, because I feel like I am going against him if I disagree with him. Furthermore, I feel like I am doing something wrong if I exist for myself rather than for him.
I want more to exist for what I know is right, rather than for a man. But that possibility is not a guarantee. I want to serve higher forces, to be sure, but it cannot always be on the basis of what someone else has told me. This sounds childish as I write it, but it will become large in the coming years. Eventually I have to exist on my own understanding of right and wrong.
I can see the effect of not doing so. It is eating me up, literally. If I compare my state now with the one I experienced before I inner-considered Robert, it is obvious that it is much worse now. Interesting that I wrote inner-considering so lightly. That is exactly what it was.
Is it right to look up to someone? I am beginning to think not. I think a person should only look up to God and not to any other man. Certainly it is not incorrect to admire greatness, but how so? It is very harmful to believe someone simply because he says something.
What do higher forces want from me is the question. And what do I want from myself. What I want from myself is to not live any lies — of any kind. I appreciate everything Robert has done, but somehow I feel he wants something from me — like he wants me to like, respect, or adore him. Rather, my ‘I’s want me to place him above me, to limit myself somehow. They want to exist for him, rather than for myself.
It must return to this my friend. You are born to this planet. You live among people. You try your hardest to determine what is right. You cannot know what is true about another person. It is blatantly obvious that the school is a real school, blatantly. This much you can know.
But you must pose this question to yourself. Can you expect to evolve and hold on to inner-considering, or, in other words, can you evolve if you compromise yourself based on what you experience being the reality that other people experience. You must live in the reality that you feel is closest to reality, even if this means not being understood.
128/14/From Rourke’s Journal
Fraud, Sexual Predator
There have been real schools that taught the use of physical sex in spiritual development. The Fellowship of Friends is not one. Robert Burton is not only addicted to the physical act of sexually violating read Raping his students but the negative emotional energy and shame that accompanies such an activity. Robert knows little about healthy sex and this which should be at the core of a real teaching is proof of his failure to achieve the consciousness he claims.
144/14/A Former Student
Undue Influence, Invasion of Privacy, Connivance, Collusion
To ask Howard Carter
Siddiq…and
GOlb (if they are truly
current students)
to discontinue posting to the blog.
Since my many efforts to find who they were had failed,
using the Shiek as a private go-between off the blog
itself, was the next step…….until seeing my name today….
My thoughts are these:
Dear Howard, Siddiq, and GOlb:
Please consider not participating in the blog….
Paraphrased:
Rodney Collin said that giving knowledge and attention
to issues esoteric, when someone is not asking for them,
violates the principles of esoteric transmission.
Robert has asked not to have discussion amongst
ourselves, about students who have left…This helps
to “leave their space clean.”
Robert has also asked that we avoid “unnecessary”
association with friends who have chosen to leave.
So, if you would consider that no one has been officially
asked to participate on the blog except probably the
legal people, and that considerable energy has gone
from you, into the blog that is confrontational and
provocative, maybe…. could you find it beneficial
to stand down?
Also, from the view that the blog may offer a doorway
to a place of peace and healing for pain and suffering
that you may consider real or imaginary, this is their
process, not yours. Give them their space. Generally,
people consult with those they trust before
making big decisions. If there were any confusions,
misgivings, or questions….they usually ask before
making choices……please consider “Hafiz, step
aside…It is you who are in the way.”
Also……Howard, Siddiq, and GOlb,
If you feel that the blog is a neutral space for discourse,
you may be naive…..
in addition to offering a doorway to peace and healing, it also
seems to offer another doorway to a “War Room” where
sincere and heartfelt plans for action are being made.
This truly being my first and last post……
229/14/N. Spaulding
Fraud
If a sufficient number complain to the government agencies like the office of the state attorney general or the United States atone for the Northern Ca. region then there can be a criminal investigation. If there is sufficient cause for an indictment and a trail then that material becomes available for a civil suit.
What grounds. Fraud, making false representations, violations of immigration laws, soliciting prostitution, embezzlement of funds, Falsifying financial records, conspiracy to defraud, make the whole board of directors libel.
The Fellowship is even a school of relative awakening. Robert Burton if he crystallized at all is a hasnamuss individual. The Fellowship still has devoted “students” whose whole life is centered on the belief in the divine consciousness of Robert Burton.
236/14/A former student
Collusion, Fraud
Saw Asaf in YC… Got me thinking…
What does that nice, talented & sincere young man tell his mother and father about his life? What a quantity of deception must be necessary. Asaf is not much older than my own son. What a terrible grief I would feel if Asaf’s play were his, and I lost my son to Robert, in the way that Asaf’s family must have lost him. What indescribably rage I would feel towards Robert, if my son were used as Asaf is used by Robert. Involvement with Robert necessarily separates parents and child: the need for lies and disconnection is absolute. Robert deliberately usurps the parental role, explicitly denigrates familial relations, engages his “boys” in a corrupting lifestyle that burdens them with the need for secrecy and falseness, effectively separating them from all, excepting those in the same predicament. What a f**king sad mad pathetic tragedy is going on here, embodied for me in the sight of that nice young man, Asaf.
I feel outraged now for all the parents that are “bereaved” of their sons…every boy that Robert consumes is somebody’s dear son — subject to debasement, emasculation, degradation, and other subtler psychic damage.
Those young men believe they do not need help – reminiscent of the syndrome in which victims eventually willingly collude with and protect their abusers – but their resistance only increases the pathos.
I wish I had known more, earlier. Would have left much earlier had the “school” maintained the proper transparency. Perhaps – like so many – I am guilty of intentional ignorance.
270/14/Parent
Sexual Predator, Fraud, Sexual Harassment, Violation of Fiduciary Duty, Fraudulent Misrepresentation, Intentional infliction of Emotional Distress, Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress, Joint Negligence (Robert and Dorian)
Hello Nicholas ~
You wrote ~
“If there were any confusions,
misgivings, or questions….they usually ask before
making choices……please consider “Hafiz, step
aside…It is you who are in the way.”
___________________
It’s very emotional for me to have started reading your first few paragraphs, then a profound shock at the end; I want to share this ’shock’ with you, because I think it will be useful, similar to my ‘Rumi post’ some days ago.
The Hafiz quote you quoted ~
That is the very exact quote Robert Burton used on a young man after he said ‘no’ to Robert’s wish to sodomize him.
He said, “Feelings? No, those are not yours; Hafiz said, ”
step aside (let me sodomize you)..It’s you Hafiz who are in the way.”
We are all saints and beggars in our disclosure of words.
309/14/Unoanimo
Collusion, Connivance, Joint Negligence, Fraud
∞ Sounds nice. But when I asked hard questions of “older students”, I was lied to by commission or omission, judged, reported to Burton, or given yet another ‘official angle’ that discouraged valid exploration and encouraged alignment with the institution—that is, sleep. This is useless or actively harmful for a genuine truth–seeker. Like KA, I wish I’d had something like this blog to consult.
The Hafiz quote is out of context. The FoF appears to specialize in quotes taken out of their original context, and put in a new context to suit official purposes; and, almost all are taken from dead authors who are not around to protest their misuse. In #14-306, Unoanimo gives a truly hideous example of this. The best interpretation I can put on this subject is that deliberate misuse is tantamount to a lie, and in Unianimo’s example, is high crime.
316/14/Ames Gilbert
DESECRATION
The intentional misuse of b-influence quotes to further one’s perversions…high crime as you say, Ames….sure feels like a ‘spiritual crime’ to me…yup, offending the spirit(s) of the quote…using it to abuse and manipulate someone in such a vulnerable state, your young ‘student’ follower (for goodness sake!) is a total desecration of the intent behind the poem!
By supporting the organization of the Fellowship of Friends, members are complicit in this play of crime. You pay, you play. There’s no middle ground, I am sorry to say.
You guys…its kinda like paying for an insane insurance policy that’s on acid…and the twisted nightmare is that you end up in servitude to freakin’ insurance agent…even having to pay to see or talk with him after you’ve signed your whole damn life off to him…and the trip just gets weirder and weirder…and you keep working harder and harder and paying more and more in hopes of building up some kind of credit in the ‘afterlife’ each time the light bulb of presence goes off in your head??? Which you realize way into it that it is a great deal for Robert, because he doesn’t have to pay out your policy until after you are dead…when you presumably…hook up with him or something?…in some other ‘limbo’ plane to get your credits?…or maybe he’s going to be there to vouch for you or something…but that’s starting to seem a little suspect since c-influence doesn’t appear to have a very high regard for him…cuz they kept showing him all those wrong ‘signs’ about everything…and you are really not sure one way or the other what’s going to happen in the end until it happens…
Well, sounds fishy to me…still does after 22 years.
322/14/Whalerider
Tax Fraud, Fraud, Violation of Fiduciary Duty
I think the majority of posters ‘in or out’ feel the FOF is a church based ‘loosely’ upon fourth way ideas. Those ‘in’ have to make the church argument to preserve the IRS non-profit status. Churches are for religions, are they not? Those who resent the direction that the FOF has taken over the years also claim it is now a religion, not a fourth way school, based on the definitions of the fourth way authors. So nobody is “deciding” anything here.
The issue is: there are no viable checks and balances in the FOF organization for Robert’s ‘activities’ because of fear of being excommunicated. Robert believes his ‘celestial’ morality trumps civilized society’s mundane morality; that is unethical, and in the case of sex with minors, unlawful. I don’t believe Robert is entitled to make such a distinction using the buffer (and lie) ‘‘the lower cannot see the higher’, no matter how exalted he claims to be.
351/14/Whalerider
Conspiracy to Defraud, Fraud, Negligent Misrepresentation, Misapplication of Funds, Misappropriation, Official misconduct, Corruption in Office, Collusion, Connivance, Desecration, False-association claim, Fraudulent Misrepresentation, False Impersonation, Contractual Fault, Violation of Fiduciary Duty, Breach of Trust.
It may not be easy but I will tell you rather than feeling bad, taking action against an injustice feels great. Its can be hard, take time and commitment and can leave you open to reprisals but not acting is worse. The best action those who are displeased with Robert Burton’s corruption, venality and arrogant abuse of his position is to take legal action. This does not need to be a lawsuit but can be in the form of complaints to the state and federal attorney’s as well as the IRS.
-Robert Burton is a criminal and those who support him are part of a criminal conspiracy to defraud. It might be possible for a federal prosecutor to use legislation designed for organized crime to investigate and prosecute an interstate conspiracy to defraud. If the Fellowship has not informed all prospective and present students of the Canons it is fraud. Advertising as a 4th way school and operating as a religion is fraud. Not revealing the true cost of membership is also fraud. Members should be able to make the minimum donations and have full rights other wise it is extortion. Members should be able to vote on the board members and major decisions. There should be a yearly report with a full and accurate accounting of all funds donated to the fellowship. There should be no separate funds available to Robert Burton. This is illegal.
To not seek legal action for the reasons you state is wrong. It indicates a lack of character a lack of conscience. These are characteristic of a Fellowship member. It is a form of institutionalization. Obviously leaving the Fellowship is not sufficient to free oneself from the programming.
354/14/A Former Student
COLLUSION & CONNIVANCE
If anyone really loved their Teacher they would have the courage to face him and say that his behavior is not acceptable.
354/14/A Former Student
Violation of Fiduciary Duty, Fraud, Intensional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Fraudulent Misrepresentation
Here is what Gurdjieff has to say about black magic:
“Black magic may be quite altruistic, may strive after the good of humanity or after the salvation of humanity from real or imaginary evils. But what can be called black magic has always one definite characteristic. This characteristic is the tendency to use people for some, even the best of aims, without their knowledge and understanding, either by producing in them faith and infatuation or by acting upon them through fear. ”
Here is what Gurdjieff has to say about a Hasnamus:
“One of the first things about a ‘Hasnamuss’ is that he never hesitates to sacrifice people or to create an enormous amount of suffering, just for his own personal ambitions. How a ‘Hasnamuss’ is created is another question. It begins with formatory thinking, with being a tramp and a lunatic at the same time. Another definition of a ‘Hasnamuss’ is that he is crystallized in the wrong hydrogens.”
359/14/Bass Ackwards
DESECRATION, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
#359 ‘So a real guru will encourage you to discover your own Conscience and will never estrange you from it.’
I have repeated it here because I think it is the key to understanding what is missing in the Fellowship under the direction of Mr. Burton, et al.
361/14/Wake up little suzy wake up
Sexual Predator, Desecration, Negligence, Fraud
Robert has to have sex with people and tell them he’s an angel at that moment to crystallize the thought in them. Then the victim is faced with a choice: believe that Robert is an angel or face the stark reality that they have been manipulated as a dehumanized object into fulfilling Robert’s perversions and satyriasis. Which would you chose?
So from one idiot to another…this is what I would have wanted someone to tell me back when I was lined up at Robert’s door.
363/14/Whalerider
Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress, Fraud
I stopped believing in the dream of anybody’s “permanent consciousness” long, long ago. I stayed for emotional and instinctive bonds, just as did many others. I didn’t join for a guru; I didn’t leave because of the guru (though he certainly helped!) – I left because my life in the FoF stifled me to the point of withering away to almost nothing, and my own hypocrisy in my silence about my perceptions of RB finally became too painful.
368/14/Sharon
Fraudulent Misrepresentation, Material Misrepresentation, Conspiracy to Defraud, Misdescription, ‘Wiseacring-Apollinaire’
Robert has pointed out that the task of our school is to gather all the expressions of the system historically, and that we have now come to the earliest expressions of the system in prehistoric times, before Egypt. He requested that the following message with accompanying images and quotations be sent to the School:
Although the prehistoric school did not use written language to transmit their knowledge, we can understand their images with the help of the writings of other traditions. In particular, our understanding of the Egyptian School is now serving as a bridge to help us understand the Prehistoric Tradition, as pre-dynastic Egypt is essentially the end of the Prehistoric Tradition. Below are three examples of Prehistoric images with accompanying quotes that help explain their keys:
369/14/Purchasing Awakening
Collusion, Connivance
The Fellowship is organized, unified under the command of RB, while those that in many cases bitterly oppose what is happening in the FoF are divided individually into their own subjective sense of reality that precludes the possibility of making any practical efforts to take responsibility for their convictions. Having dinner parties does not diminish the criminal activity of the FoF. Talking and complaining does not hurt the FoF, the marginal members might be drained off at first but then the hardcore Burton followers will become even more resolute and even more active at increasing their numbers through the seduction of new recruits from all over the world.
374/14/Graduates
Desecration, Collusion, Connivance
There is no conscience in a play of crime. All who support the criminal Burton are criminals. All those who earn a living off the Fellowship are vampires sucking the life force out of genuine seekers. The real crime of the Fellowship is the harvesting and abuse of magnetic centers.
Sure that’s one way to defend the Fellowship’s Criminal activities this apologist turns the tables so that victims who speak up become perpetrators on the poor innocents who might suffer.
391/14/A Former Student
SPECIFICATION (Fourth Way) *c
Gurdjieff on the First Initiation (and the real principle of payment):
You will see that in life you get back exactly what you put in. Your life is the mirror of what you are, it is your image. You are passive, blind, demanding. You take all, you accept all, without ever feeling indebted. Your attitude towards the world and towards life is the attitude of one who has the right to demand and take. Of one who doesn’t need to pay or gain. You believe that all things are due to you, only because it’s you! All your blindness is there. It doesn’t catch your attention. It is however what, in you, separates one world from another.
You have no measure to measure yourself with. You live only between ‘I like it’ and ‘I don’t like it’. Which means that you have appreciation only for yourself. You do not allow for anything above you – theoretically or logically maybe, but not in reality. This is why you are demanding and keep on thinking that everything should be cheap, and you can afford to pay for anything you want. You don’t recognize anything above yourself, or outside yourself or inside yourself. This is why, I repeat, you have no measure and live only to satisfy your whims.
Yes, your ’self appreciation’ makes you blind! It is the biggest obstacle to a new life. One has to be able to pass this obstacle, this threshold, before one can go further. It is the test that separates the ‘chaff’ from the ‘wheat’ in people. No matter how intelligent, how endowed, how brilliant a man is, if he doesn’t change his opinion about himself, he will be lost for inner development, for the work based on self-knowledge, for a real evolution. He will stay as he is all his life.
The first demand, the first condition, the first test for he who wants to work on himself is to change his appreciation of himself. He cannot just imagine, or simply believe or think, but actually see things in himself that he did not see before, really see them. Never will his opinion about himself change as long as he will not see inside himself. And in order to see, he has to learn to see: it is the first initiation of man into self-knowledge.
Before anything else, he has to know what to look for. Once he knows it, he has to make efforts, focus his attention, look constantly, with tenacity. By maintaining his attention on it, by not forgetting about looking, one day he may see. If he sees once, he can see a second time, and if this is repeated he cannot ignore seeing. This is the state to look for in our observation; it is from this that the true desire, the desire to evolve, will be born; from cold we’re becoming hot, vibrating; we will be deeply touched by our reality.
Today we have only the illusion of what we are. We overestimate ourselves. We do not respect ourselves. To respect myself, I have to have recognized in me a part which is higher than the other parts, and to which I show respect by the attitude I have towards it. In this way I will respect myself. And my relationships with others will be ruled by the same respect.
We have to understand that all other measuring units, talent, erudition, culture, genius, are changing units, units of detail. The only true measure, never changing, objective, the only real one, it is the measure of inner vision. ‘I’ see – ‘I’ see myself – and you have measured. With a higher, real part, you have measured a lower one, also real. And this measure, defining by itself the respective roles of each part, will bring you to self-respect. But you will find it is not easy. And it is not a bargain. One has to pay a lot. For the bad payers, the lazy, the losers, no chance. One must pay, pay a lot, pay immediately and pay in advance. Pay from oneself. With sincere efforts, wholeheartedly, without expectations.
The more you will be willing to pay without reticence, without cheating, without falsity, the more you will receive. And from then on, you will meet your true nature. And you will see all the tricks, all the dishonesty it goes to in order to avoid paying cash. Because you have to pay with all the gratuitous theories, all the deeply rooted convictions, all the prejudice, all conventions, all ‘I like it’ and ‘I don’t like it’. Without bargaining, honestly, not just make believe; trying to see while using fake money.
Try for a moment to accept the idea that you are not what you think you are, that you overestimate yourself, therefore that you lie to yourself. That you lie to yourself always, every moment, all day long, your whole life. That the lie rules you to the extent that you cannot control it anymore. You are its victim. You lie everywhere. Your relationships with others, lies. The education you’ re giving, your petty conventions, lies. Your learning, lies. Your theories, your art, lies. Your social life, your family life, all lies. And what you think of yourself, lies too.
But you don’t stop from what you’re doing or from what you’re saying, because you believe in you. You have to stop inside and observe. Observe without prejudice. While accepting for a time this idea of lies. And if you observe in this manner, paying of yourself, without self-pity, by giving all your false riches for one moment of reality, maybe someday you’ll see all of a sudden something you have never seen in you before.
You will see you are someone else from what you thought you were. You will see that you are two. One that is not, but takes the place and plays the other’s role. And the one that is, but so weak, so inconsistent, that just brought forth it disappears immediately. It cannot stand the lies. The smallest lie kills it. It doesn’t fight, it does not resist, it is vanquished in advance.
Learn to look until you have observed the difference between your two natures, until you have seen the lies, the impostor in you. When you can see your two natures, that day, in you, the truth will be born.
Intro to a meeting from September, 1941: Premiere Initiation, par G.I. Gurdjieff Question de Gurdjieff (no 50) ed. Albin Michel, 1989, p.34-35,/i>
402/14/Truth is Where You Find It
___________________________________________
*c I am posting this quote as a sort of ’stew ingredient’, not for a traditional theological comparison; rather, something to read and consider as your own, as if you wrote it in a trance and later ‘woke up’ to find it in front of you, then to consider the Fellowship of Friends, your own the same way; to sit awhile and let things brew around and see what happens. To me, if there was ever a Fourth Way Constitution, not about automatic & obvious liberties, rather pointing to The Work, this would be near the front of the back of the bus.
Violation of Fiduciary Duty, Fraud, False Impersonation
Part of my waking up and leaving the Fellowship was due to the palm octave. I recognized, not long after Robert had begun collecting palms, that I was noticing palms everywhere – Yuba City, Grass Valley – and they obviously had always been there, I just hadn’t seen them.
Having my attention managed by my guru made me notice something I had never seen before. Sitting atop a Chicago skyscraper as Apollo burned, I decided, through an appropriate ritual of liberation, to manage my own attention and direct it towards my own aims.
Startling what one can see, when one takes responsibility for one’s own attention. I began to see how much of Robert’s “charisma” was under my own power. The recent maligning of Robert as instinctively centered or as a criminal is a buffer to the realization that we, each of his “students”, were/are the ones providing the energy for his consciousness, charisma and power.
Of course he willingly accepted it, and took more if he could. Normal primate behavior, whether a priest, crook, or politician.
426/14/Walter Tanner
Connivance (depending on entire facts known & avoided)
WT: The recent maligning of Robert as instinctively centered or as a criminal is a buffer to the realization that we, each of his “students”, were/are the ones providing the energy for his consciousness, charisma and power.
Yes. On the other hand, it’s been much more common for all of us to avoid the notion that Robert is a criminal. And we also tend to avoid criticizing him in any way. That’s what we were taught in the Fellowship, and many of us (myself included) carried that into our time away from the Fellowship… “He’s really not that bad. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone.” and so on. Any criticisms of the School or Robert were almost always met with disapproval unless they were expressed in private settings.
Now, that’s a buffer.
However, I still really like your comment… It focuses the attention to something within our control — i.e., our own reactions. So, in this case, we obviously don’t have control over Robert’s behavior, but if we put more energy into our own response, something healthy can grow out of this.
429/14/2b
Sexual Predator, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
anyone who says ‘no’ to Robert Burton does get the “brunt”, though its a very subtle ‘conscious’ brunt and as cold as ‘The March of the Penguins.’
After hearing ‘no’ there’s lot’s of wiseacring from Robert Burton about loosing the possibility to have a relationship with a conscious being (not that 44 isn’t enough all ready),
statistical mish-mash concerning the mechanical-ness of being a heterosexual (ah, all homosexuals have real will and can do?),
lot’s of maternal (”Oh, is it a woman you’re with?!) disdain,
reminders of what you’ll be missing, i.e., complimentary galleria meetings, events, trinkets, etc.,
reminders of your non-existent (futile) feelings,
intonations of self-justifying “You don’t have to do me, you know.” talk…
He’s a real Man #4 when he hears ‘no’ and (for lack of a better word or maybe not) smears the student with it, then calls for his ‘emergency backups’ from the Slave Pit, to take the ‘No’s’ place as a ‘Yes’ ace…
437/14/Unoanimo
Desecration
The issue of negative emotions in the fellowship is one that merits looking into carefully and I think much relates to Sharon’s “being too darned polite”.
It is easy to become “too darned polite” if the indoctrinating “form” is to not express discontent faced with the abuse and the consistent control inside the fellowship. Not expressing negative emotions has been artfully used by Robert to do whatever he wants without being questioned.
Presently I don’t think there’s any need to express negative emotions no matter how often I fail to do that, but that does not mean that one has to stop feeling horrified by what is abominable. Expressing that horror is not a negative emotion but an affirmation of what one wishes to live by.
“There’s no justice in the world” may be in the system but it is interpreted and used in the fellowship against students when they question anything abusive. It may be true that one cannot understand a great deal of injustice unless one connects it to karmic conditionings but to use such an idea to justify the abuses in the fellowship, is abhorrent.
One of the difficulties in the fellowship is that for many years it sunk, into at least me, that everything negative that I felt should be transformed and when unable to do that there was guilt or self discontent. This is also an aspect of indoctrination and idolatry. It weakens people by turning the difficulty they are observing against themselves and not the object of discontent, be it a person or situation.
Wishing to live by anything different to Robert’s forms in the fellowship is questioned by thoughts such as, “what makes you think you are right and not the many of us that wish things to be just as Robert puts them?”
The more we look, the clearer the different forms of indoctrination become.
439/14/Elena
False Association claim, Material Misrepresentation, Fraud
From the email about the Tuesday meeting led by Peter Ingle “Peter explains the topic as follows: “The sequence comes to us as the objective science of awakening from schools of the past. Using it in the present, however, is a conscious art that must become deeply personal and practical.”
It is amazing to hear students talk about sequence as “the objective science from the past schools”.
3 meetings earlier Carlos Ca _ _ncho gave a following angle: “I asked Robert, why is that Asaf made up a sequence and we all have to do it? Robert replied: “You love me too much to blame ME for it?”
Isn’t it strange?
460/14/somebody
_______________________________
It still creates ‘awe’ in me to wrap my spirit around the idea that C. goes around quoting ‘let downs’ given to him and his family by ‘his teacher’ all the while carrying a sort of tongue in cheek smile, a sort of squirmy poor me sorta demeanor…
C.,
For me, I have verified that features are ‘real’, at least in their objective I-creator position in the mind; Robert Burton plays both sides of your card, i.e., Non-existence, Self Pity and the Vanity that’s created having had your strings played… I love you and your family with all my heart, your children are truly ‘gifts from the gods’… Please, get a grip, tear the strings from your harp and use it to plow a field, plant something all your own and stop letting M. watch Robert’s meeting videos, what happened to Pokemon? Geez.
Fraud, Conspiracy to Defraud
This is what I have been alluding to when I suggest that the FOF keeps one out of balance, forever doubting oneself, and never able to attain complete consciousness or higher centers (that which is already there anyway). One is kept striving for the unobtainable. That’s the narcissism that the FOF attracts in its followers. The level of ‘conscience’ that is ‘cult-ivated’ in the FOF follower is a foreboding feeling that one is inadequate, is not present enough and Robert always is. Robert just provides the unobtainable goals. Hence, one can only succeed in the ‘next lifetime’
It takes self respect to leave the FOF.
461/14/Whalerider
Fraud, Violation of Fiduciary duty, False Pretenses, Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress, Corruption in Office, Fraud in the Factum
I spent many years observing that Burton learns nothing from his students, except in a low, cunning way, how to control them or fleece them the better. You can tell this for yourself by following the “conversation” (read, “monotonous disjointed dialog”) at one of his dinners, or by studying the form of his pronouncements in publications such as “Thoughts from the Teacher”, or by his tens of thousands of arbitrary decisions made in order to control the lives of his followers in the minutest detail. Every one of these decisions is made to close down possibilities, to reduce his surroundings to always simpler terms that he can better monitor and control for deviance, and to satisfy his untrammeled desires.
See him raise the license plate in a meeting, purposing to draw admiration from the audience or transmit fear to it. See the members of the audience trying hard to get just the right sappy look on their faces, and at the same time memorizing gems like, “We are playing the master game, and C-Influence has chosen us all here in this room to be winners”. That is the source of your wiseacring, Eva, not your experience, not your being. How can I tell? Because there is nothing personal in your post, nothing to indicate the angle is yours, or how you made it so, or that you live it.
In a ‘win-win’ or co-operative situation, a teacher lights a fuse, and is delighted when the explosion of new possibilities in the student lights up the sky, including his own (the teacher’s) spiritual firmament. In contrast, the only movement allowed by Burton in the FoF is if it supports, glorifies, or magnifies his own position. Look at Girard, declared the sole fruit of 38 years of unremitting work by ‘44 conscious beings’ plus Burton himself, allowed to be a ‘man #5’ under the condition he stays the eternal student of Burton, subservient and obedient to the last, all his accomplishments and work dedicated to the glory of Burton, his whole being twisted to be merely a reflector of Burton’s supposed superhumanity. Burton has literally eaten him, negated all his potential (and that of many others)—a new Caligula. Look, I mean really look, at the rest of the high muckety-mucks; paler, bloodless versions of the same. This is your idea of a good game, Eva?
Trick indeed, he is the trickster and you are the tricked; he is the joker and the joke is on you.
462/14/Ames Gilbert
Fraud, Violation of Fiduciary duty, False Pretenses, Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress, Corruption in Office, Fraud in the Factum, Collusion, Connivance
The reason most people join the FOF is because they are interested in the Fourth Way ideas of Gurdjieff / Ouspensky. The FOF claims (or at least did until recently) to teach these ideas. Robert used the prestige of the Fourth Way to lure unsuspecting people and create his own cult. He claimed to be a highly evolved master of this way. It’s not so easy to prove or disprove that claim, especially when you might not even see him for a few years until after you join and all your information about him is filtered through center directors, etc. In the mean time, you’re meeting with other people – most of them quite intelligent and well-meaning, and you’re studying these ideas together and sharing your experiences with them. That part was usually okay. For myself, there was always an issue of differentiating between the teachings of Gurdjieff /Ouspensky, which, for me at least, were quite substantial and legitimate, and Robert’s own stuff, which was flaky and weird. Eventually most people reach the conclusion that there is something wrong with Robert and leave.
Why do people stay? Of course the vast majority don’t, but it takes a while to verify that Robert is fraudulent, especially if you don’t live close to him where you are privy to some of the weirdest of the weird stuff. Furthermore, any kind of scrutiny of Robert is totally frowned upon. If you persist in doubting and probing into the truth about Robert you will be alienated by the others and maybe even kicked out. In the meantime there are lots of interesting distractions, people you become involved with, ballets, operas, plays, etc. and you tend to buffer your doubts about Robert because of those other things. And you’re told things like: ‘those are just ‘I’s, don’t be identified, that’s negativity, etc.’. Basically distorting Work ideas to create an uncritical atmosphere.
But the good news is that, by means of this blog, Robert’s deceitful ways are coming to light and hopefully there will be fewer and fewer new members.
466/14/David B.
Conspiracy to Defraud
When Robert first mentioned how HE uses the sequence, I was very confused. Everyone I knew in the school talked about when Robert crystallized there was a bolt of lightning at the Academy or some such nonsense (whenever I hear stories like that I usually shut down right away. It does not compute) and I assumed that this guy was on such a different level- he was ALWAYS conscious. No need for no stinkin’ sequence. I mean how is it, that for 37 years everything BUT the sequence was the way to awakening. It wan’t that long ago that he had us counting how many times a day we “remembered ourselves”. Students all over the place were running around with those “clickers” that they use to count patrons as they enter a concert and keeping tabs on the number of times they remembered themselves. The goal was 100 times a day. Suddenly, one day the exercise disappeared.
487/14/Steve Lang
Fraud, Fraudulent Misrepresentation, Wrongful Discharge *d
“Robert said: The school never has lost a true student.
It `s that simple, C-influence has taken away their understanding, so they forget completely their own divine verifications, which have kept them all the years in the school.”
The greater question is: Is this a true school?
This once Fourth Way school, that said “religion was the sleep of the masses” is a now a center for “esoteric Christianity” .
And why, is the IRS/INS breathing so hotly on the Galleria, that Hallelujah we’ve all found religion?
The spinners keep spinning. Reinventing, rewriting with every succession to the pretender’s throne. Changing direction more times than a weather vane.
Extreme makeover indeed.
And why keep using the Fellowship of Friends? Why not be “true” The Fellowship of the Pretty, Full Pocketed and Those Still Able to do a Full Turn at the Plow.
Fellowship of Friends indeed.
Banishes its own when they become an unpleasant impression. Raises $62,000 for a garden expansion and leaves true students to raise money for medical treatment through private appeal.
And as far as C-influence goes, it seems far more beneficent, less vindictive that we were ever lead to believe.
When you walk out those gates every divine verification you every had walks right out with you.
488/14/Cake Please
____________________________
*d
This ‘wrongful discharge’ relates to the deeper picture of such lines as “Banishes its own when they become an unpleasant impression.”
For instance ~
Take the S. Milton situation; here’s a guy who has a legally classified ‘eye disease’, had been working outside for a large part of the day, went to one of Robert Burton’s lunches the same day, was facing the hot sun and had the need to close his eyes from time to time in order to rest them from the strain of looking with bright sunlight in his face…
Later, he was asked to leave the Fellowship of Friends for ’sleeping’ or ‘dozing off’…
I believe you can thank Asaf or some ‘boy’ for that hawk-eyed, un-conscience-able perception of S. Milton…
Who brought it to Robert Burton’s ‘attention’ is hearsay, yet, the fact of his dismissal on these grounds is not… stay tuned for the REST OF THE STORY; on a train coming to your neighborhood soon.
And, no, Steven D., your part won’t be left out of this story…stay tuned for a conscience near you.
Fraud, Fraud in the Inducement
Besides, do you know what puts you among the “chosen” in this case? No, not C-influence. It’s your monthly teaching payments, dude. Skip a month – and there goes your imaginary superiority and unconditional love of your teacher.
494/14/No person
False association-claim, Material Misrepresentation, Falsity, Negligent Misrepresentation, Fraud
More Sacred mad teachings by the most Beloved Teacher ever!
The funniest of them all by far!
Excerpts from few teaching events:
6 POOPS
http://img481.imageshack.us/img481/4222/rhinomammoth22pw6.jpg
A cave painting from Lascaux, dating from 15,000-13,000 BP, depicts a rhinoceros hunt. It represents the sequence being intoned in imagination by the rhinoceros—the lower self. The steward is lying on his back, and rather than having five fingers on each hand, he has only four fingers. This means that he is taking the four wordless breaths in imagination. The six stools represent the sequence in imagination. Everything is in imagination. “You will see fantasies rather than the truth.”
The rhinoceros, which is defecating, represents the sequence in imagination.
A cave painting in Lascaux, dating to 15,000-13,000 BP, depicts a rhinoceros defecating. The six stools represent the sequence in imagination. The steward has been thrown down, and has four fingers in place of five, signifying that the four wordless breaths are not in prolonged presence, but in prolonged imagination. He has attempted to slay the bison—another symbol of the lower self—but rather than piercing him in the heart, he has pierced him in the intestines, which are coming out. Nevertheless, the lower self still had the strength to overthrow the steward and to destroy the sequence.
495/14/Purchasing Awakening
__________________________________
Reckless Wiseacring (I had to post this one; this will go down in history as the final dung ball that broke the camels back or the Rhino’s, you choose.)
Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress, Inhuman Treatment,
Indignity, ‘Cruelty to the Dying’, Violation of Fiduciary Duty, Breach of Duty, Breach of Trust, Invasion of Privacy
“THE HELL LETTER”
Sharole Manering
Philadelphia Centre
Dear Sharole,
As you requested, herein are the angles the Teacher offered to you.
“Tell Sharole hello for me. And tell her to remember that she is working with Influence C and that she needs to be a good businesswoman with them. Tell her that she has held on this long and that there is no reason that she cannot hold on eternally; that is, until she becomes an angel. Remind her that this is C influence speaking directly with her through me. Remind her that this is their way of warning her and that she has to become current with her donations now or she will have to leave the Fellowship. Tell her that the only other place to go is hell.”
Those are his words, Sharole. Good luck to you.
Sincerely,
JB/dh
_____________________________
496/14/Veronicapoe (From a link embedded in the blog)
_____________________________
This message was sent to Sharole while she lay dying of terminal cancer.
_____________
I would also add CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY
Fraud, Fraudulent Misrepresentation, Collusion
IMO, people exposed to the FOF get stuck in feeling that they cannot possibly live up to the level they imagine that Robert is and the institutional manipulation of what they don’t talk about reinforces being mired in the beginning stages of work, which is the realization that most of the time we lack the will to believe in ourselves. By abdicating our higher centers to Robert, we get to be included in his group, and bask in the non-existence of ‘otium indignatis’.
At some point, hopefully you wake up (or grow up) to the fact that you have higher centers too, (whether you use the sequence or not), and you begin to see the truth of the situation in stark contrast to the backdrop of all the insanity that is being spewed out of the FOF these days.
IMO spiritual evolution is not about higher vs. lower; it’s about integration and wholeness. IMO the FOF is leading people away from integration and toward separation and compartmentalization within its followers in order to put up with Robert’s crap, and it’s not healthy. We have Robert as a prime example of the result of inner compartmentalization, and his cowering, spineless followers are partly to blame for his illness.
514/14/Whalerider
RECKLESSNESS
Dear Parent and other Parents,
I suspect that as a parent, you would be sick to your stomach if you found out that your handsome young son of 21 was called by Robert and was drawn into his perverted circle of young ment. Like “Parent” you would probably want to kill the SOB.
Soooo, I have to ask the question. What about the parents that have gorgeous young daughters ages18-25 that are getting into relationships and marriage with some of Roberts closest ‘consorts ‘ or ‘prostitutes’? Young girls, naive, who only want attention and love from ‘big daddy’ or because their boyfriends are in the ‘inner harem circle’. And that gives them some kind of ’status’ from the onlookers. Doesn’t that make you twitch? Aren’t you worried that they may come down with HIV because of the dozens going through the portals of Roberts bedroom? Aren’t you concerned that their lives are getting screwed up before they even begin? That these young girls have been conditioned to believe that sharing their boyfriends/husbands with Robert Burton at any time of day or night is NORMAL?
As a parent, if you think this is normal and fine, well, all I can ask is ” what ever has happened to your conscience and your common sense of parenting’?
526/14/Flying Free
Collusion, Connivance, ‘Fraudulent Representation’
When Abraham Goldman subpoenaed me in 1996 to get documents relating to the Troy Buzbee case, I enclosed this letter with the material he requested.
21 October 1996
Abraham,
One final appeal to your conscience. As the person best equipped in the Fellowship to bring the reign of madness of Burton to an end, you must act to do so. You are the only one with complete access to the information, to all the evidence accumulated through the years, and you have been Burton’s confidante for all these many years.
Please think back to when you joined the Fellowship. Surely, if you had by a miracle been given the knowledge of knowing then what you know now, you would have turned away. It cannot have been your ambition to end up catering to a charlatan and a pervert, covering for his mistakes and predations, wearying yourself to the bone with lies to cover his omissions and commissions? Surely you imagined a life of openness, not lies? Surely you imagined a life among true friends into whose eyes you could look with joy and honesty, knowing they could see the same in yours? Surely you did not imagine a life where your final defense against your own conscience would be, “I was only following orders”? Please, wake up and follow your conscience. Do not be afraid. There is so much love and help and forgiveness—if you wish. Face up to your responsibility. You could help so many people by telling the truth, now. You could save so many people so much heartache in the future. But, best of all, you could be helping yourself. You must have lain awake many nights struggling with the latest revelations of the day about Burton, and your heart must have ached to be in a place where none of this had anything to do with you. Such a place exists, both psychologically and physically. Look within. Act and forgive yourself, as all others with a good heart already have. Nothing can take away your responsibility for your past actions; you must face up to them yourself, but there is all the help you need if you ask for it.
You can make your life exactly as you wish it. You have done so until now, and will do so in the future. It is your gift from God, to do with as you please. If you wish to continue as you have done—thy will be done. If you wish to break away from this mess—thy will be done. It is up to you.
Know, that even if I personally am sometimes angry about the situation, I am not angry with you. You have your lessons to learn, and you have chosen your path. But, know that I believe you are strong enough to create joyful changes, if you wish. I send you loving wishes and encouragement. (signed) Ames Gilbert
577/14/Ames Gilbert
Fraud, Desecration
You wrote:
“how did you tell yourself it was okay for people to talk to others that way?”
Well, you have to understand that this is just the kind of stuff that FOF members say to each other to convince themselves that they are right for staying and the people who leave are making a mistake. While I was in the FOF, I often doubted the truth of such statements but would only say so to a few close friends who I knew I could trust and who probably shared my doubts. If you were to express doubt or criticism of these kinds of statements publicly you would risk becoming a pariah.
Although I’m sure many students have doubts about Robert and his teachings, very few have the courage to give voice to those doubts and risk being ostracized, especially when they have severed all their ties to the outside world and have nowhere else to go. I remember in the days right before I left the FOF, I wanted to confront the other members at a meeting (that was back when they still had meetings) and stand up and challenge them all on some of these things. I thought it would be good to stir things up and at least get people talking, and what did I have to lose, right?
I had already made up my mind to leave. But somehow I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. It was just too uncomfortable and, perhaps even frightening, being only one person against all the others. I suppose I was just still too close to it all and wasn’t sure enough about it. I certainly hope that those who are currently poised to leave will consider not going quietly. You will be amazed how many others are also having doubts about the emperor’s clothes.
The camaraderie was a big part of it for me. I wanted to be in a community of people who were dedicated to working on themselves and I was willing to tolerate a lot of Robert’s weird crap in order to have that. I remember wishing that Robert would just die or something so we could get rid of the weirdness and have a ‘normal fourth way school’. I have spoken with others who shared those sentiments. Of course that was naive and knowing what I know now I would never rejoin the FOF even if Robert were no longer there.
One other thing. In your post you refer to the “intelligent, spiritually motivated people” in the Fellowship. I think that is attributable to the quality of the fourth way teaching, not so much Robert. Probably most of the truly sincere and intelligent ones are there in spite of Robert, not because of him, and they will eventually leave when they figure it out.
579/14/David B.
FRAUD
While I agree that there are some mean voices on the blog from time to time (not all of them ex-students!), I think you are missing the point: most people are actually trying to help each other more than anything. (The blog has provided some unexpected healing for me.) Moreover, some people feel there is a grave danger within the dogma of the FOF (just read the “hell” letter for a hint of it) that needs to be confronted and eradicated, if not in the organization, then in the minds and hearts of people we’d still like to call friends. You can say that that was a long time ago or that you –or others– don’t believe that stuff but it’s undeniably there until officially acknowledged and revised by RB and/or the FOF that members are led to believe they will lose their soul/c-influence/chances at evolving, etc., if they leave the school. Using fear to psychologically entrap members is one definition of a cult.
You cite religious freedom along with freedom of expression in response to the charges of RB’s repeated sexual entanglements, to put it mildly (–the judges presiding in the several court cases about this issue in the past have no doubt used other language). Robert has a great deal of power over the men with whom he has sexual relations and to purport that it’s simply their choice to concede or leave is unconscionable. I ask you, is it not beholden for a “conscious being,” or to use less loaded language, a leader of a religious group, to not flagrantly use his powers –real or imagined– to meet his sexual needs with so many men, some of whom have been undeniably damaged by it?
593/14/Dare To Dream
End of postings from Part 14
;.)
Material Misrepresentation *e
It should be added that membership fees consist of 10% of income, two extra payments each year and payments for dinners, talks and presentations. The Fellowship of Friends is not a cheap business.
————————————————-
In other words it could be 25%-33% of your net income.
14/13/Chopsticks
________________
*e This also follows that most (if not all) students prior to joining the Fellowship of Friends are not shown the church’s canons; some who have been in the ’school’ for 10+ years do not even know that such canons exist… Rules and Regulations change without a consensus and monies are misappropriated on a large scale… There is no sharing of the Financial Statements, expenditures, etc., as to what the 2000+ members millions of dollars a month goes towards, no legal contracts, no legal fund raising forms, no legal papers binding the church and the ‘required to donate’ church goers, to pay, pay, pay; although the church holds the exclusive right to terminate the membership of anyone who cannot pay or refuses to ‘donate’ based on any set of critical circumstances, i.e., personal disagreements or questions of conscience going unanswered or treatment by the church towards a spouse or other member.
TAX FRAUD, COLLUSION, CONNIVANCE, FRAUD
I wonder what REB would say about a license plate that read ‘501c3′ that was on a car that sped off down the road and disappeared into the glow of the sunset and vanished forever?
U.S. Internal Revenue Code
501(c)(3) Exemption Requirements:
To be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated exclusively for purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3), and NONE OF ITS EARNINGS MAY INURE TO ANY PRIVATE SHAREHOLDER OR INDIVIDUAL. In addition, it may not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities and it may not participate in any campaign activity for or against political candidates.
Organizations described in section 501(c)(3) are commonly referred to as charitable organizations. Organizations described in section 501(c)(3), other than testing for public safety organizations, are eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions in accordance with Code section 170.
The exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3) are charitable, religious, educational, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition, and the preventing cruelty to children or animals. The term charitable is used in its generally accepted legal sense and includes relief of the poor, the distressed, or the underprivileged; advancement of religion; advancement of education or science; erecting or maintaining public buildings, monuments, or works; lessening the burdens of government; lessening neighborhood tensions; eliminating prejudice and discrimination; defending human and civil rights secured by law; and combating community deterioration and juvenile delinquency.
To be organized exclusively for a charitable purpose, the organization must be a corporation, community chest, fund, or foundation. A charitable trust is a fund or foundation and will qualify. However, AN INDIVIDUAL WILL NOT QUALIFY. The organizing documents must limit the organization’s purposes to exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3) and must not expressly empower it to engage, other than as an insubstantial part of its activities, in activities that are not in furtherance of one or more of those purposes. This requirement may be met if the purposes stated in the organizing documents are limited in some way by reference to section 501(c)(3). In addition, an organization’s assets must be permanently dedicated to an exempt purpose. This means that if an organization dissolves, its assets must be distributed for an exempt purpose, to the federal government, or to a state or local government for a public purpose. To establish that an organization’s assets will be permanently dedicated to an exempt purpose, its organizing documents should contain a provision insuring their distribution for an exempt purpose in the event of dissolution. Although reliance may be placed upon state law to establish permanent dedication of assets for exempt purposes, an organization’s application can be processed by the IRS more rapidly if its organizing documents include a provision insuring permanent dedication of assets for exempt purposes. For examples of provisions that meet these requirements, see Publication 557, Tax-Exempt Status for Your Organization.
An organization will be regarded as operated exclusively for one or more exempt purposes only if it engages primarily in activities that accomplish exempt purposes specified in section 501(c)(3). AN ORGANIZATION WILL NOT BE SO REGARDED IF MORE THAN AN INSUBSTANTIAL PART OF ITS ACTIVITIES DOES NOT FURTHER AN EXEMPT PURPOSE. For more information concerning types of charitable organizations and their activities, see Publication 557.
The organization MUST NOT BE ORGANIZED OR OPERATED FOR THE BENEFIT OF PRIVATE INTERESTS, SUCH AS THE CREATOR or the creator’s family, shareholders of the organization, other designated individuals, or persons controlled directly or indirectly by such private interests. NO PART OF A SECTION 501(c)(3) ORGANIZATION’S NET EARNINGS MAY INURE TO THE BENEFIT OF ANY PRIVATE SHAREHOLDER OR INDIVIDUAL. A private shareholder or individual is a person having a personal and private interest in the activities of the organization. If the organization engages in an excess benefit transaction with a person having substantial influence over the organization, an excise tax may be imposed on the person and any organization managers agreeing to the transaction.
http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/article/0,,id=96099,00.html
****** ****
Rumor has it that the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS – part of Homeland Security) is privately and individually interviewing fellowship members holding religious visas and/or ministerial status to find out exactly what it is that they do with their time and how they fulfill the above mentioned charitable and/or religious functions in service to humanity. Are they doing traditional and customary activities for those privileges? Seems the INS believes the Fellowship of Friends could be a bogus religion in service to a despot.
26/13/Eyes Wide Shut
DISPARAGEMENT, ‘Spiritual Fraud’
1. It is easier to have an independent, non-conformist and evolving relationship with the “School” when living at a distance from Isis. At Isis, at least when attending events, one is confronted repeatedly by conversations where you have to bite your tongue in response to “blissed out” (as Dara used to say) remarks, or risk some pretty heavy, uncomfortable energy. Just a small, unloaded example: I got quite a few sharp, appraising glances (as in “she must be leaving”) when I would admit that I didn’t enjoy the circus/ballet extravaganzas at the Theatron. Also, many students at Isis are quite insulated from ideas outside of the mainstream of Robert’s current “teaching”. Usually, one can only have more radical discussions in private.
2. An attitude that is prevalent at Isis, and encouraged by Robert, is that one need not have a responsible, caring, truthful level of integrity in regards to other people, friends (including other students), family, community, etc. – only the “School” matters. Which often means, only what Robert wants today matters. So if you have a business arrangement, or partnership, or contract, or appointment, or confidence, etc., it takes a low priority if Robert should want something that is even slightly at odds with that relationship. This encourages a certain sociopathic growth of callousness to all others. Many try to emulate Robert in his callousness – they call it “practical” or “intentional insincerity”, or the “aim is more important”, blah, blah. I do not think that it is possible to progress as a School community without a lot of deep work on our level of integrity towards each other. I don’t think many of the “inner circle” care to do that, or even admit the possibility. While I’m pretty sure that you, for example, do have a such a high level of integrity, there are lots of students one just can’t trust, even minimally. So what do we do with them in the improved school?
31/13/Sharon
Misdescription, Negligent Misrepresentation,
Fraud in the Inducement, ‘Spiritual Fraud’
One thing that you have not mentioned but which has become important to me is Robert’s division of almost everything into good and bad (good impressions vs bad impressions; lower self vs steward; 9 of hearts vs king of clubs etc.). For Robert, (I have heard him say this) anything that does not lead to presence is the lower self. Perhaps he does not intend it, but the overall impression from the current teachings is to view the sequence as good and most other manifestations as bad or some sort of wasted moment.
I notice that when I am present (in a higher state) the division between good and bad disappears. Everything reflects the miraculous creation.
Presence is not about ignoring, fighting against or suppressing the impressions that we don’t like (including our own suffering, feelings of wrongdoing and negativity) but about being present to them.
When we start to see everything that is not feeding presence as bad (lower self) we foster a simplistic morality. The division into good and bad leads to a split in our personality (good OldFish vs bad OldFish) which leads to hypocrisy and diminishes conscience. In one moment I am the good OldFish and I am proud of myself. I forget about the other side. In another moment I am the bad OldFish and I cannot see the good side and I go towards self deprecation.
Conscience is the part in us that can see all sides at once. The division into good and bad tends to make only one side visible at a time. This kind of thinking is dangerous.
41/13/Old Fish In The Sea
Narcissism prevents one from acknowledging others due to an overwhelming ego deficit. This is why RB seems like a black hole. This deficit makes him more inhuman or insincere. It is not intentional nor a conscious choice. He uses the work language to rationalize his illness. His ego deficit creates an insatiable vortex, requiring new impressions, multiple sex partners, and complete adoration to sustain his feeble ego. As we all know, he is no intellectual giant. He silences his competition (anyone else’s intellect) with the rigid emphasis on being present to one’s surroundings, effectively stopping thoughts and blunting development of the higher intellect in his students. The sequence is yet another manifestation of this dominance. It is the higher centers that make one independent of the group, something he cannot tolerate. The functioning higher centers make one a virtuoso mystic who can sustain oneself in any environment.
For me to successfully leave the FOF I had to make a conscious choice to pursue a profession that required me to be more in the moment. As I stated in my prior posts, that’s what I took away from being close to RB. I perceived that it was his role as a ‘teacher’ that kept him relatively dialed in and present. But he needs to be a teacher with a constant supply of students to keep him going. You cannot graduate from his school or he’s screwed. I had to find my own path without entertaining the idea that I had to duplicate what RB duplicated from Alex Horn. In RB’s perverted world, there are only four types of people, dead life people, ex-students, students, and himself as a teacher. So that leaves his students who want to evolve with only one choice, to become a teacher like him. And what a role model! That’s how he holds his students captive, along with the ‘lifetime’ trap.
So in my opinion, in order to evolve out of the FOF, you must abandon the FOF group format and create your own circumstances in your life to sustain your work, always keeping your aim in view. Trust that you will be helped in ways you cannot foresee.
156 Is from 97/14/Whalerider
FRAUD, FRAUD IN THE INDUCEMENT
FRAUD
Bass Ackwards, post 82, states:
” Our spiritual poverty exists in the Teacher not using his time to explain to us where we are going by using it, what it should feel like, how it feels to him in terms of states, inspiring us with his own profound understanding, etc…
This reminds me of something that always puzzled me in the school. In one of the journals once there was a quote by Robert, something to the effect that “I do not have time to explain myself.” I found this curious, as he always seemed to have plenty of time to do just about anything he wanted — eat, drink, play golf/tennis, watch football, travel the world, get everyone else to tend to his every need — essentially live a life of ease. But he didn’t have time to explain his actions … hmmm.
99/14/Innernaut
Connivance, Desecration, Joint Negligence, FRAUD
Still, I truly believe that when you say things like:
“Some people know the difference between the things they are capable of knowing and the things they cannot know”
and inappropriately apply these wise words to justify your Beloved Teacher’s despicable and very earth-bound behavior, you are causing our Lord Sovereign Endlessness to suffer some very verifiable pain. It’s really a bit of a blasphemy.
I am really thrown off by what Sharon referred to in a recent post as the “callousness” of your school’s group think. See, by labeling them “same old stories”, you seem to be allowing yourself to dismiss former students’ (and possibly old friends’) very human disclosures about Robert’s constant abuse of power, money, sex and glory, so that you don’t even have to try to delve for one moment of your precious life into the pain that each of these stories contains.
At least consider the possibility of listening to these tales more openly, as if they had nothing to do with your personal life, maybe read them aloud like stories you would tell at night to your grandchildren. Try not to label, buffer, judge. Try to feel.
Maybe Robert’s so-called consciousness, the “high” he emanates, is just the vibratory result of all the sex energy he constantly sucks in from all the lambs slaughtered on his altar.
146/14/Laura
Fraud in the Inducement
What you are offering about non-duality and advaita has uncovered a deeper understanding for me of why I was inherently dissatisfied with RB’s teaching: he is identified with his self-ascribed role as teacher and identified with the expression of his sexuality and that limits his consciousness and being.
It would be a conflict for the narcissistic personality to give up its attachment to the sense of itself (or its inflated self-importance), which is why RB continues to be so indulgent in his sexual behavior and consistently refuses to enable his students to graduate. Why should he? Narcissism values the accumulation of money for its own sake more than what the money can provide. And there can never be enough of those narcissistic tools or objects, the need is insatiable. This identification with his role and his sexual bodily functions keeps him from experiencing the non-duality and selflessness that exists in the fourth state, objective awareness. He acts as though his selflessness is determined by how many blowjobs he gives!
Thus, in my opinion, RB’s prior legacy of overemphasizing the third state of self-remembering illustrates the limitations of his consciousness and being. Self-remembering is only one step of the staircase, as one poster put it. That’s where he camped out for decades. He rarely, if ever talks about his experiences of the fourth state. Could he have mistaken an experience of the fourth state for his so-called ‘crystallization’?
To me, this is what advaita reveals: RB lacks being in the fourth state. The ultimate goal is not just the third state of ‘self’ remembering, but more being in the fourth state where the self does not exist. Thus, in my opinion, the fourth way is not lacking in the non-duality concept; it is RB’s teaching and being that is lacking. Does that coincide with your current understanding as well?
158/13/Whalerider
Fraud, Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress
REB is the expert at the fourth line of work (work ON other people) whilst all the time pretending to work on himself. He really believes that the sex burden he endures is his particular ‘intentional suffering’ visited upon him by the gods against his will. So, in turn, he does not hesitate to inflict his will upon others in like manner – hence the name Robert Earl Burden. [Ready to foist any kind of burden on anybody for fun, pleasure, and/or purpose.] All must endure this affliction and be unified in crime.
Criminals do it regularly: initiate their subordinates into ‘the life’ of criminal behavior so that they can join the ‘club’ (read: clubs, as in instinctive centered activity). This way all are loyal to the criminal way-of-life and have nowhere else to turn to due to shame, etc., and the fact that they can no longer function in ordinary life. Any criminologists out there who would like to comment? Some day the FBI will study REB as a classic example of certain type of criminal behavior…
“The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king.” WS
166/13/Prophet is a profit
Fraudulent Misrepresentation
In the new Fellowship of Friends website is written:
“Throughout the years, Robert’s spiritual teaching has never strayed from focusing on the practical moment-by-moment efforts necessary to awaken from sleep. He has taught the same message at all Fellowship gatherings, and has striven to be personally accessible to each member of the Fellowship. He has tirelessly sought new inspiration, introducing fresher approaches to each member’s internal efforts, and always providing loving guidance and support”
The biggest lie of all: “and has striven to be personally accessible to each member of the Fellowship”
189/13/The pearl of Great price
Conspiracy to Defraud, Collusion
Here’s my take on the re-vamped Fellowship of Friends website. As background, I managed a non-profit for some time and worked closely with the lawyers to make sure the website communicated the purpose of the organization such that no one could contest the tax exemption. There are many different ways to say the same thing. So I know of what I speak.
It’s clear to me that the Fellowship of Friends website is strongly aligning the organization with other “legitimate” churches and religions – raises a lot fewer questions than being a Gurdjieff-Ouspensky conscious school. Now, some may say that this is truly the direction the Fellowship of Friends “as it continues to evolve” but the timing of such dramatic changes is sure curious in light of the recent discussions and revelations on the blog, don’t you think?
194/13/mifis
Enticement of Parent, Invasion of Privacy, Negligence,
Child Endangerment
If memory serves, Mervyn Brady was in the London center in the early 1980s. An ambitious (power feature) youngish man clearly scavenging for some means to make himself into a guru. The Havens suggested that he and his wife (Melanie I think?) give up their 9 year old son for adoption because the boy was pretty out of control during meetings and a constant interruption to any adult conversation. (not kidding). I believe Melanie was from Spain and hardly spoke English so she couldn’t tell what was really going on. I was appalled at the adoption suggestion of the Havens and remember speaking to Melanie about what to do. This was around the same time the Anne Rodney articles came out in the London newspapers.
203/13/Shelley M.
They have given up their spiritual life to truthiness rather than exposing it to investigation and critical review. In fact, the attitude has only been reinforced by the Fellowship and by Robert Burton. Students at this stage go around saying things like “None of what the Teacher said made sense, but it was a beautiful experience anyway” and “It doesn’t matter what your many I’s say because they are just ‘I’s, the main thing is that you remain positive and keep trying to apply what Robert teaches”, and “While on some literal level the Teacher may be ‘wrong’, none of that is important as long as you are doing the sequence and being present – and anyway, it is emotional to think that ancient schools left messages for us”, and “It may seem like it’s not awakening me but that’s only because I’m not making enough effort, so I must learn to be more passionate about the sequence”. Rationality is beyond the ceiling of most of the Fellowship today. The school is about believing, uncritically accepting revealed truths so that you may be saved by doing the one right thing that will bring you the desired immortality.
The problem which arises is that in my feeling, nowadays there are many, many FoF students – those not completely trapped in the wheels of the political machinery and their public roles – who are eager to move beyond what they feel to be a spiritual kindergarten. Yet, since for years they have been programmed to believe that Robert is the highest ideal of conscious man, they consciously or subconsciously keep looking to Robert for permission, and when none is given, they unhappily strive to emulate him and to make his teaching compatible with their own understanding that sometimes far exceeds that of the Teacher. If I observed correctly, this is even true of Girard. Robert is stalling everybody…
204/13/Traveler
165
Sometimes it’s helpful to give ‘quotes’ to illustrate the ‘effects’ of the ’causes’…
FRAUD
Anyhow, let us accept your premise that RB is conscious, has a view of the truth unseeable from our perspective because he lives in a permanently higher state and we live in a lower state. This viewpoint reinforces the inbuilt desire in us as humans to follow an authority, rather than to rely on ourselves and look within ourselves and use our innate intelligence for finding the truth. Look around you and see that this is the human condition, everyone seeking outside themselves for someone, some group or religion or organization to align with and follow.
So RB is a higher being, he points the way by providing tools for students to use to reach higher states of prescence; do this exercise, stop imagination, practice the sequence, self remember…sometimes this seems to work in that moments of ‘prescence’ appear, at other times maybe not. All pretty benign and positive so far.
He also requests large monetary payments, lives like a king, has sex with many of his followers, and excommunicates followers who leave the organization, unless they wish to return in which case further large fees are demanded. He also reinforces the dependency that followers begin to form on the organization, by convincing them that this is a unique organization, and encouraging social and other forms of reliance on it. How can this be explained by the argument that he is a higher being? Does not your innate inner intelligence indicate to you that there is some discrepancy here?
Surely a genuine higher being would encourage you to find the higher in yourself, guiding you to more self reliance and true freedom, to a state where there is no conflict or battle, but a realization of what is true and right from the place which is within us all, but covered by layers of ‘thought’, ‘conditioning’ and ‘belief’.
Should a devoted follower admit the possibility that RB may be a charlatan, then they will naturally undergo a great deal of inner conflict, confusion and fear. It requires one to see that ones previously held beliefs or assumptions are flawed. As we invest our identity in our beliefs, this is naturally quite traumatic. However, continuing to rely on that which is beneath all thoughts, beliefs, assumptions, fears, concerns; our underlying innate being and intelligence, our awareness that we are, just as everyone and everything else is, allows us to let this go, and the scales that covered our eyes regarding the FOF fall away.
227/13/Lust for Life
EFFECT (Fraud in the Inducement)
Conversely, if your concept of ‘Influence C’ was mistaken, and Robert was indeed a deluded sociopath, then yes, the ranks of the school would be filled with those of lesser logic, correct? Isn’t that one of the main arguments from many on this blog? Once the lower self accepts a belief it will tend to deny all evidence to the contrary. This is lesser or irrational logic. At one time I accepted the belief that Robert had conscious being, yet once I experienced him up close and personal, my conscience would not let deny the mounting evidence to the contrary. I either had to sublimate my conscience to his will or take the hard road of leaving him with my conscience intact. Obviously, I chose the later, and I am eternally grateful that I did.
231/13/Whalerider
REFERENCE (Fraud)
In 1981 there was an exposé in one of the large London newspapers about RB’s homosexual behavior with students and the Fellowship as a cult. There was a connection between the article and the highly influential parents of a London student named Anne R. This article came out shortly after the article in the S.F. Chronicle. It caused a wave of “oh mys” in the London center, where Girard and Barbara were directors.
Linda T.R.K. visited London around that time and we went out to a pub together for a drink. I was telling her how horrible I thought the press was being and how absurd it was that ANYONE would accuse RB of deceiving us. She took pity on me and told me that everything in the article was TRUE. A chasm opened up from under my feet at that moment (wowie wooie, third state!) and the conflict between my experience with synchronicity, my friendships in the fof and the politics of the fof was born.
249/13/Shelley M
Fraud in the Inducement, Negligence, False Pretenses
I have a small example that illustrates the truth of the above two quotes from your post. About a year ago I was sitting with two very devoted students. One of them made the frequently heard comment that we are so lucky to be in the school because people in life are not interested in awakening. I very gently mentioned that there are, in fact, many people in the world now who are very interested in spiritual development and awakening. I pointed out that many in the school are unaware of this development and of all the wonderful resources that support spiritual growth because we refuse to acknowledge anything outside the Fellowship.
The student commented, “Well, that is not what Robert tells us and I intend to align my thinking with Robert’s.” Then the heavy silence that comes when someone questions or casts any doubt on RB or FOF enveloped us and I knew it was pointless to say anything else.
250/13/Vena
Collusion, False Pretences
It’s an interesting study to see how The FOF governing body makes it’s decisions. Governing body, of course, with RB in the CEO’s chair.
This realization first struck me back when the smoking exercise was first instituted. I was pretty close to the fire at the time and my “informed sources” said the idea came to fruition when RB was given an estimate of the amount of money spent by students each month on cigs, at the same time they were in a money crunch (which is pretty much all the time) and special donations were rising and coming more often.
251/13/Bruce
Fraud, Sexual Predator, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Negligent misrepresentation, False pretenses
You are buffering the fact that we clearly understand what is going there:
Foolofit) #595 Page 11
“The only thing you need to know is the R. does what he does and definetely doesn’t care if the student can actually digest or process the experience. Some of the guys that went with him were at their first experience with a man or a woman! R. was the first experience for them.
“Many of the young people left the school because it was the only way for them to stop traveling with R. I know the fof’ers will say that it was their choice. But then try to be a young solar-lunar(sorry for the language!) and resist your super-dominant teacher, very experienced in bending (figuratevely) people will …..
“As he said to someone (still traveling with him now) 13 years ago, that was trying to stop traveling after I stopped: “You are a gift from Influence C to me, don’t ever ask me again to stop, take a week off and come back”. His choice of course, but with a lot of manipulation”
“You are a gift…” He is telling this guy that he owns his body and can take it at will and the guy believes it. Anyone else see something more than sick in this “conscious” relationship.
All this talk of the higher ideals of “school” is obscene in the light of what goes on in the backrooms of “a conscious teaching.” Your teacher is a ruthlessly selfish cult dictator and the people around him are the weak-willed, weak-minded types that fall under the dominion of spiritual criminals, they only escape when all innocence within them has been destroyed. See…this is the reason they are not happy about their experiences once they get away. Only then do they completely realize that they were used with less than nothing in return.
307/13/Graduates
Joint Negligence, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
“For your information, Robert has not read a single line of this blog and it is unlikely he will. He has not tried to dissuade anyone from leaving and will not do so. More important there is no judgment from him about it, or about the students–he is simply not even thinking about it or about former students. This may seem different from years ago (and it is)–a sign of evolution, as I see it.” Siddiq
**************
From:
http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecenter/groups/f/fellowship/fmrmbr_statement.htm
“Finally, Robert Burton relished destroying anyone who had the temerity to leave FOF. He had his assistant call me after I had left to inform me that, in his words “I had died”.”
The theory is that Robert Burton is actually evolving, now he doesn’t bother to order a boy to call and inform you of your death when you leave.
321/13/Graduates
Fraud, Desecration *f
But, what has changed? In the last years there has been an increasing emphasis upon an almost compulsory attendance to Events along with their attendant high cost. While the Teaching itself grew less and less personally interesting, the image of ‘Our Beloved Teacher’ seemed to increase in importance. These and many other impressions have served to make the School a currently psychologically unpleasant and uninteresting experience for many students.
Another idea relative to the existence of a School is that it exists for it’s own purposes, that is, to fill some need for humanity. From that angle it can be seen as to be guided by someone who is clued in to Higher Centers and thus knows what is needed. Robert has always maintained that the Fellowship serves as an Ark for Humanity, guided (through him) by Influence C. It still may be that, which is how the Sequence and the Keys have emerged into a new formulation of our School’s Mission on Earth. To fully accept that mission means to accept that Robert is fully Conscious, that his Higher Centers are accurately reading the signs from Influence C and that Influence C is best revealed to students through understanding the Keys and the Sequence.
325/13/Bass Ackwards
___________________
*f
It is interesting to note that although Robert Burton considers and portrays the Fellowship of Friends to The Fellowship of Friends as an “ark for humanity”, he, simultaneously builds this ark on the premise that everything else ‘in life’ (humanity at large), not referential to what he is doing in the Fellowship of Friends, is “worthless, pitiful, moon-food, etc.”
I ask the Fellowship of Friends ~ How is it that you have an ark “for Humanity” built with nails labeled “Contempt for Humanity”, not to mention Robert Burton’s total lack of humane treatment of the dying, the ones who say ‘no’ to his (possibly diseased and hiding it) sexual predatory attempts, wives of his ‘be available on my demand, no matter what your wife or child needs in the moment’ ‘boys’, ?
Yet, further up on my list is the question above even those concerning Robert Burton, after all, he’s simply ‘one’, how is it that a thousand people can support such a movie projection being played upon their inner-screen?
You guys must have some pretty funky popcorn to go along with this show.
Joint Negligence, DESECRATION, Collusion, Misapplication of Funds, False Advertising, False Pretenses, Violation of Fiduciary Duty, Conspiracy to Defraud, Fraud
Hi everyone,
I was looking through my old e-mails from 2004 and 2005 and was shocked to see that I was actually getting 1 to 3 solicitation e-mails from Fellowship EVERY DAY prompting me to buy something. Bookmarks, ruffle tickets, trips with Beloved Teacher, dinners, “Thoughts” publications, items for auctions etc etc. Buy, buy, buy! Log on on Propylaia NOW!!!
I recall someone said on this blog (long ago) that there is no pressure in the school to buy things or events, or something like that. Boy, I wish this person looked in my mailbox! I don’t get as much commercial spam from anyone else… I think even used car dealerships pale in comparison with agressive sales tactics used in FOF…
Is there ever enough? How much money does one need to extract from his students in exchange for his teaching? What are we paying for? Where all this money go?
Here’s some excerpts from solicitation e-mails :
THE PREMIERE $25,000 HOLIDAY DINNER
Christmas Day is approaching…..the day Robert is to announce the CHOSEN ONE.
We had 290 Students today receive gift certificates to Robert’s “Premiere $25,000 Holiday Dinner”
We need 710 more responses by FRIDAY CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!! 1000 X $25 = $25,000
Go to Propylaia NOW!
***********************************
Incredible
500 Gift Certificates were sold since our announcement at the meeting yesterday. How wonderful for Robert and for us. World 12……. Let us sell the next 500 by Christmas Eve.
***********************************
You must ask for what you really want!
Method of payment: Send a dollars check made out to FOF to PO BOX 100, Oregon House, CA 95962.
Enter your credit card information on our web site.
Everything you see around you will one day disappear, except Love, which lasts forever. Hafiz
Remember I love you, now and forever. Robert
***********************************
WE ARE NOW AT $85,000! This leaves only $55,000 to be raised for Robert’s Crystallization Gift, so if you did not have time to contribute last week you can go to https://www.propylaia.org now to enter your gift amount.
************************************
On May 12 it will be Robert’s Birthday! This is our Precious gift to him for this year 2005 – with love! 30 diamonds – 30 work I’s – $30,000 to be raised by May 12th! “God will ask at the ressurection: Did ou bring me a present? Did you forget? Did you think you wouldn’t see me?” Rumi
***********************************
WE ARE ALMOST THERE…..200 MORE NAMES TO GO….
BUY ANOTHER TICKET!
***********************************
BUY ONE MORE TICKET – WE ARE ALL THE WINNERS – 100 TICKETS TO GO……
***********************************
Better late than never! Some of you perhaps missed the email about Robert’s Birthday Present!
Go to propylaia and let’s surprise him with more birthday gifts before he leaves Apollo next week!
***********************************
The price for this special holiday dinner is $1000.,
or $500 plus four full-day vouchers.
***********************************
“Now is the time to take what the Gods allow.” Robert
There are still 2 more days to contribute!
Purchase a $44 or $12 bookmark and we will enter you in the Prize Drawing.
*********************************
Have you bought your tickets for the Holiday Prize Drawing? We have only raised $5000 by now!
Looking forward to see you at the Live Auction,
Apollo Auction Team
********************************
Dear Friends, Did you know that 80 students have already purchased a Birthday bookmark, which automatically enters them in the Birthday Prize Drawing? We still need another 280 purchases to reach our goal of $17,000. Have you bought your bookmark? Have you considered purchasing another one?
********************************
Maharajah Tent Inaugural Dinner – $300/ $150
The Imperishable Stars Dinner – $250
Turkish Tea in the Oasis – $150
Sunrise Breakfast with Robert – $250
High Tea at your home with Robert – $4,400
Reception at your home with Robert – $4,400
Breakfast at your home with Robert – $4,400
Dinner at your home with Robert – $8,800
Family photo with Robert – $150
Apollo D’Oro Parking Space – $750/ $400
Galleria Parking Space – $650/ $400
********************************
Our Beloved Teacher will move with presence across the globe once again this time in September to Tel Aviv, Florence and London. Please see Propylaia for Early Reservation and Couples Discount until September 1st.
********************************
38 years of meeting C Influence, 38 years of dedication.
Would you all like to add a $38.00 contribution to your card, it would then become a gift in a Love message?
*********************************
AND JUST REMEMBER:
I LOVE YOU, NOW AND FOREVER. Robert
403/13/Purchasing Awakening
TAX FRAUD, ‘501 Fraud/Violations’
The month before I left, a Burton cell phone bill from one of his cars was over $4,000, and the FoF couldn’t pay it; so Burton just called around and had students put it on their credit card. How does an accountant deal with this? What column in the books does this go on? I’d guess that much of the accounting of the FoF is fraudulent to bypass the requirements of the canons and the intent of non-profit organizations (that they are specifically required to avoid benefit to the organizers). There may be even two sets of books… But to answer in terms of the broad picture, say ten percent for necessary overhead, ten percent for salaries, and the rest to indulging Burton’s every whim and fantasy. Just the costs of maintaining and transporting the on-demand sperm bank has to be over a million a year.
The new FoF website has made it crystal clear that it is now officially “The Church of Robert Burton”, complete with new religion. There is the hook of the Fourth Way link when doing a Google search, in that there are redirects to the new organization; too valuable to abandon.
420/13/Ames Gilbert
Conspiracy to Defraud, Coercion, Collusion, Negligence
Thanks for taking the time to present the ugly facts.
Contrary to false claims by Siddiq that FOF members are not reading the blog, well, they are and whats more many are still being slowly awakened to the reality of the FOF and Burton by continued exposure to it.
Some recent changes that can be directly attributed to it’s influence are the relaxing of the no fraternizing with ex members ‘Rule’ , the freedom to explore other ‘Teachings’ without being thrown out for it and as a measure of how desperate the FOf is becoming at the loss of members/revenue, many students who were backing out of the Fof by saying they cannot afford the donations are being given huge ‘Discounts’ and having there outstanding back payments waived just to keep them in. Also the unprecedented step has been taken of actually calling members who have left recently ( those that just let their subscription expire without any formal departure) to entice them to rejoin again with the dropping of outstanding back payments.
422/13/Mole
Joint Negligence, DESECRATION, Collusion, Misapplication of Funds, False Advertising, False Pretenses, Violation of Fiduciary Duty, Conspiracy to Defraud, Fraud
“BUY! BUY! BUY! More effort! More effort!” – that should be true FOF slogan…
Here’s some more e-mails for your reading pleasure. (2004-2005). This kind of stuff comes to our mail boxes every day, often 2-3 a day… Notice the last message from RVW – it speaks of interesting separation between “Robert’s funds” and the rest of the funds… Which Robert’s funds? It’s all the funds he makes from his dinners, meetings, travels, breakfasts and teas… That’s “his personal money”. These days it means mostly 2 events a day, 2 meetings a week… That adds up to a nice personal fund!
But wait a second… I thought the orgnization was NON PROFIT… So which personal fund are we talking about? And I bet he doesn’t pay any taxes on his personal funds… Hmmm…
We raised $11,000 in the Crystallization 2004
Jewelry Prize Drawing! Please see winners below:
**************************************
You can pay in up to FIVE TIME PAYMENTS. This is on the website when you “check out” – it gives you the opportunity to sign up for all of the events with the possibility to pay over 5 months. Robert has asked that each person try to sign up for at least two events. Remember – there is standing room!
*************************************
Do you see your name below?
Do you see your friend’s name?
Wouldn’t you like to go to to Vienna and be with your friends and your teacher?
*************************************
There are 206 students that live less than 1000 km from Vienna. 71 are signed up to go.
Why don’t the rest of you get on a bus and go! Sign up on Propylaia….
*************************************
1,000 Tickets To The Vienna Opera House
With Only 72 Left For Sale…Not Bad…Want One?
Did you know that we bought over 1,000 tickets
to fill the Vienna Opera House with students
for Robert’s arrival June 7 – June 14?
Let’s finish this octave…72 tickets to go…
**************************************
We (RVW) face a large payment of $290,000 due at the end of this month – our line of credit that must be repaid in full at the end of June. This year our aim has been to raise the full amount through our own efforts and to pay the loan
off permanently. We have already paid off one half of this amount and are trying to raise the remaining $145,000 over the next two weeks. We are within $30,000 of our goal. If we are short, the Fellowship will need to pay this on our behalf.
12 DAYS to raise $30,000 in sales from the Apollo community…
Every order brings us closer to our goal of meeting our own needs without drawing on the energy and resources of our Teacher.
So an RVW wine purchase not only helps build Apollo today by not diverting Robert’s funds – it also helps build Apollo in the future by improving our credit rating!
****************************************
425/13/Purchasing Awakening
FRAUD, Wrongful Discharge
He has been given enough benefit of the doubt, the time has been far more than adequate, the experiment that has used up half of some people’s lives is fraudulent, the man behind the curtains is a sham. One declaration relayed to me by Peter Bishop, by Burton’s specific request, “Conscience is just a collection of “I”s; anyone accumulating too much material there should leave the school”, tells it all (Note: I have the tape, literally; I recorded the conversation. Advice to all people in the FOF interested in graduation: carry recorders—discreetly, of course— so you can review important conversations and “meetings” later, in a more objective mode, outside the prevailing “belief field”).
So, he feeds and thrives on the power of his students. Gurdjieff called this power, haverno, the power of kingship.
429/13/Ames Gilbert
When we join a school we are asked to give up the illusion that we own our bodies. We find our way into a school looking for awakening, but we are unaware of the payment. When the payment is presented to us, some balk at
the ultimate cost. This is why awakening is called the Pearl of Great Price.
And why shouldn’t it be costly if it guarantees us eternity? All pay differently but all pay the same; they are asked to give up their particular illusions; one of the main ones being that we own our bodies.
EFFECT (Quote from current Fellowship of Friends Member)
It is all grace or the opposite of grace, often both; but the choice is not ours. Conscious Beings are the only ones who are qualified to serve as a go between for Influence C for those who are not awake. This applies to the FoF
and its students; and Influence C, as I know them, do not miss the mark. They, after all, invented the mark.
The methods used in our school to remove the illusions of students do not come from any person, teacher included, but from Influence C. People have every right to leave a school and resume the illusion that they own their bodies.
But if they want to remain in and influence C is intent on lifting that veil, it’s a conflict they won’t win. I’m sorry if these statements offend anyone; it’s a reality that many have verified in our school, as well as in previous ones.
434/13/HC
180
Data info glitch (coincidence?)
Title is ~
EFFECT (Quote from current Fellowship of Friends Member)
Connivance, Fraud, False Pretences, Willful Misconduct *g
I have learned how to self remember from Robert, as well a number of other important tools for waking up. This has changed my life and is changing it still. This is deeply empowering the right part of ourself. As has been said many times over, no one needs to participate in what you call the pathological parts of the school–rather this is where character is built or lost.
450/13/Siddiq
________________
*g
Many hundreds in the Fellowship of Friends are under this impression, that one can ‘pay for’ the “empowering” part, while not supporting the “pathological” part; this is simply untrue, especially when considering the Conspiracy to Defraud students who are lead to believe that they’re in a spiritual fourth way school whose funds are equally dispersed according to their collected needs and wills; again, this is simply untrue and has been for 37+ years under the subjective and reckless greed of Robert Burton.
The attitude above is one of the major ‘buffers’ which keep hundreds of students tuned into imagining Robert Burton’s characteristics and qualities; yet, like the facts concerning the Misappropriation of Funds and Violations of Fiduciary Duties, they are assuming all of the time; very little of the adulation given outwards to Robert Burton from his students is based on Conscience and Essence-verifications, common sense quality of life and humane treatment assessments of the organization as a whole and it’s leader… it is simply ‘wishful thinking’, ‘hope’ projected upon ‘a leader’ who smiles, having practiced to do so, and who uses the name of ‘C-Influence or The God’s’ to coerce and Intentionally Inflict Emotional Distress upon sex candidates who initially say ‘no’ to his advances, so to coerce them into complying, through fear of the gods, their social reputation in close-knit community of friends, their ‘immortal’ souls going to the moon and so on.
Collusion, Connivance, Sexual Predator, Joint Negligence, Conspiracy to Defraud, Negligent misrepresentation
In regards to ~ Howard Carter #433 wrote ~
“We don’t own our bodies; that’s one of the biggest myths mankind perpetrates on itself. Influence C owns them.”
______________
This is one of the biggest myths the FOF perpetrates upon its members and is an example of institutional complicity in Robert’s sexual predatory behavior. Anyone who promotes this belief supports the play of crime. The fourth way literature is quite clear on the origin of ‘c-influence’, influences derived from person to person contact with a living, breathing conscious being.
467/13/Whalerider
Conspiracy to Defraud, Collusion, Connivance
There seem to be a number of central, recurring themes on this blog. One of them is the willful disregarding of the evidence on every level, physical and psychological, internal and external. So, you “turned it off”; that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. When you bury your head in the sand, the world above the sand still goes on regardless. Hiding your eyes with your hands whenever you come across uncomfortable dichotomies and chanting “nah-nah-na-na-nah” doesn’t bring you knowledge, let alone wisdom. You say there is much that seems to go on fine without you, but you are still involved, still responsible; saying “no” to a small aspect does not absolve you of complicity in the rest.
Members of the board of the Fellowship of Friends, take note: Ignorance (especially willful) is no defense, so too “just following orders” is no defense.
Hey, someone should pass on this blog to a PhD candidate in psychology who is looking for a thesis… such rich material!
469/13/Ames Gilbert
Fraud, Corruption in Office *h
Question from current Fellowship of Friends member ~
“Whalerider and all who think that remaining in the school is the equivalent of and condones the “play of crime” etc., does this also mean leaving the USA for some other country when we see Bush commit his atrocities in the world? Can we do something about all the injustice everywhere, all at the same time? Or is there room to make the world a better place, one moment at the time?”
_____________
Answer from Fellowship of Friends Ex-member ~
Bush is not the god of this country like Burton is the god of the fellowship of friends. But, yes we are culpable in the practices of our leaders and if we choose we can try to get rid of Bush, Cheney and the lot and replace with better leaders. Can you do that in the fellowship of friends?
__________________________________________
*h There are no ‘checks & balances’ in this ‘official church of California’; no methods of putting their leader Robert Burton under any level of personal accountability or call for change; every change is seen as ‘official’ and not through personal cause & effect; leaving those with concerns no clear picture as to whether their ‘issues’ are being addressed or even considered… One such student, E., who had issue with the ‘teacher’ (Robert Burton) called him, spoke to one of his ‘boys’ and was later called back to be told not to speak concerning such areas of concern for the next two years… Robert Burton is both Plaintiff, Defendant, Judge, Jury, Guard and stenographer in his office with the Fellowship of Friends: if such things do occur that may hinder his illegal access to funds, like RVW becoming a separate legal entity from the Fellowship of Friends, Robert Burton simply ratchets up fund raisers, special donations, finds ‘needy issues’ (like the need to re-construct the fire damaged restaurant on Fellowship property) within this small, intimate organization to call for aggressive fund raisers, whose proceeds are not applied to said fund raiser cause.
185
472/473/13/Siddiq & KA
Discrimination, Desecration, Disparent Treatment, Fraud, Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress, Favortism
(This is about a CHOSEN ONE).
1. What is the Premiere $25,000 dinner?
C Influence will choose one student in the entire school to have a wine cellar dinner with Robert and Asaf for the Holidays.
Black tie. Candlelight.
The dinner will be a three course Galleria gourmet dinner accompanied by three wines from Robert&rsquos personal reserve.
Thank you to everyone who participated – we reached our goal of $25,000 …. $25, $25, $25, at a time….
Yesterday, Robert called the winner, XXX at Apollo and let him know that the dinner would be that same night!…
They were taken downstairs into the intimate wine cellar…
Robert spoke about the valuation of the whole school in the raising of the 25,000 dollars, and about the way C influence manifested through this event. …
Robert said that this dinner was worth doing because of the state we were sharing in the moment. …
As the winners were leaving the Galleria, an owl in the cypress tree called to them, “who, who, ‘are you’” reminding them of the great help they have – the owl remained until Robert was called and then the owl flew off. Robert remembered that on New Year’s last year there was also a shock of the owl in the cypress tree.
You are all winners.
480/13/Purchasing Awakening
EFFECT (Negligent Misrepresentation)
187
Note: The same type of owl was later found floating in the Fellowship of Friends ‘Poseidon Fountain’, the largest fountain directly stationed in front of Robert Burton’s home, the Galleria; it had broken it’s neck, having flown into the metal statue the night prior …
These sorts of omens rarely are ‘chosen by the teacher’ as they might upset his choosing which omens from the gods that put his ruling of the Fellowship of Friends in a divine light due to their positive affirmative tone (1/2 the picture he shows, the other half is kept on the dark side of the moon.)
Conspiracy to Defraud
DESECRATION, Conspiracy to Defraud
I am still reeling from your post, Howard! I am glad you finally got that out in the open…maybe now you can separate from it and grasp what you are actually saying!
“Conscious Beings are the only ones who are qualified to serve as a go between for Influence C for those who are not awake. This applies to the FoF and its students…”
Where in the hell did you get that idea? Gurdjieff is rolling in his grave! There is no work book that states that! The fourth way is for the mystic, not sycophant sheep. The fourth way is about gaining self-determination and will through contact with a conscious being and a school for a specific purpose and for a set amount of time! Mystics don’t rely solely on others to change their state or commune with higher forces for them! The fourth way is about personal evolution…creating one’s own connection with the conscious aspect of the Ray of Creation through development of the higher centers in oneself. IN THIS LIFETIME!! Robert only ‘qualifies’ himself; he is a self-proclaimed conscious being and self-appointed dictator of the FOF. Robert was only ‘qualified’ to teach grade school and tennis!
With your statement you separate the Fellowship of Friends from the fourth way tradition and relegate the FOF to a religion! Is this for the good of the members or to preserve your tax-exempt status and keep the money rolling in? For thousands of years religions have created a corrupt priest class who are the authoritative ‘middlemen’ for God and the ignorant believers. That’s NOT the fourth way, that’s the Catholic Church!
Yet you have only one high priest of your religion. He claims that his God commands him to have sex with his younger male students in order to be humbled and to help them in their evolution. Any other religion would ex-communicate a priest who performs his ‘duty’ in that manner. That is not the fourth way! Oh, I get it now…it must be the new fifth way!
BTW, stop lying to yourself and us. The reason you are so hip on obedience is because it is necessary for your own job security that you follow RB’s orders without question and not out of some ‘virtue’. You obey him to cover your own ass and keep your salary; you expect everyone else to do the same so nobody upsets the applecart and you can stay in business.
501/13/Whalerider
False Pretenses, False Advertising, Material Misrepresentation, Invasion of Privacy (no unsubscribe)
And apparently you missed the year 2006!!! The top has been raised, believe me… Thank you for your postings, I left just 4 months ago but I really needed this remainder! Unfortunately, I deleted them from my computer, otherwise I would paste some of them here.
I feel a kind of pain that it is still there…
Unsubscribing the mailing list was impossible (as No Person says, I suppose that there should be an “Unsubscribe” option, but in this case, you know, it was a “divine marketing”…), so the only option you had was buffering or marking the messages as spamming. Furthermore, the marketing messages were often coming from different senders, so you could not filter them in one single operation.
And one day before I left, a friend of mine who still in the Fellowship, told me that “the events do not cost anything…” Buffers?
504/13/Gabriella F.
Joint Negligence, Collusion, Connivance, Fraud in the Inducement, Fraud
What is really blowing my mind about this is that, yes, I used to receive these emails and, yes, I used to skim and delete them, and, no, they didn’t push me immediately out of the FOF – another verification of the deep hypnotism I was under. I still believed RB was a “conscious being” and separated that from the ghastly fund raising, which I blamed on Alison.
Fortunately the hypnotism gradually fell away and I started to see the FOF the way it actually is. You can’t separate RB from Alison’s activities, or any of their other absurdities. He encourages these things, he sets the tone, he’s directly responsible. Siddiq’s compartmentalizing is just another form of lying.
511/13/Rhino Neal
FRAUD IN THE INDUCEMENT
I must confess that I was probably buffering too when I was getting these solicitations years ago. I was quickly deleting them without thinking much about it. Sometimes I even donated money being crushed by ‘feminine dominance’ and ‘peer pressure’….
It was so shocking to see all these solicitations piled up in my Deleted items box. Now I can simply see it all for what it is: shameless money-squeezing scam designed to pay for a excessive life style of one greedy individual. Look they would sell anything – dinners, breakfasts, his published ‘thoughts’, his videos, tours, even pictures taken with him, even book signing! Every day there is a pressure to buy, buy, buy… What for?? And we fools were buying… And smiling… and going deeper and deeper in credit card debt…and declaring bankruptcy…and blaming c-influence… Could I be so gullible?
It’s humbling to see this now.
It’s amazing to see how much money these events were raising… Where did it all go? They say “Apollo belongs to all of us”. So what happened to ‘my part’ of it when I left?….
OK here’s more excerpts from 2004. Gabriella is right – things got worse in 2006… May be i’ll get to it too since I stilll have some from 2006. But let’s read some examples of ‘divine marteking’ of 2004 first…
Enjoy. (And YES it’s all real. I only copy and paste and shortened it a little to save space. Also I took out names and phone ## but I haven’t added a word.)
We have to raise $4,000 more to meet our $12,000 target.
So far, all tickets have been sold within Apollo. We’d like outlying centers to
purchase at least $2,000 for this auction.
************************************
There are 2 more days to enter the 4 July Prize Drawing!
You can be the winner of one of the pieces of jewelry or a trip to Apollo/ Athens. We have raised $8750 by now and
we have to raise $3250 more to meet our goal.
*************************************
Touch the Gods with our Teacher in Greece. (2004)
The ATHENA Tour with Robert – $2600 euros.
The POSEIDON Tour with Robert’s teachings – $650 euros.
Reception with Robert -35 euros
Lunch with Robert – 220 euros (seated)
Breakfast with Robert – 220 euros (seated)
Dinner with Robert – 300 euros (seated)
International meeting with Robert – 180 euros(first row), 150 euros (second row), 90 euros (general seating)
Buffet reception with Robert – 20 euros
Tea with Robert – 200 euros (seated)
Credit cards accepted
When should I book a ticket for Greece? RIGHT NOW!
***************************************
Let us return again and again to the state of effort, to the miraculous present! The glorious gifts of the gods are not to be cast aside. Homer
New prizes selected by our dear Teacher!
Please visit our website and go to the Jewelry Prize Drawing
and enter the drawing by purchasing a bookmark.
Price is $44 (36 euro).
***************************************
One of us could join Robert in his journey to Russia, October 9-13! Any of us can have a chance for only $10.
95 students have already entered and we look forward for the next 85 entries. To enter: Reply in this moment to …
Contact the raffle coordinator in your center or your regional raffle coordinator if you are in a center. Call … or email right now to … if you are in Apollo.
***************************************
Dear Friends,
The present moment can even bring you thoughts about
the Jewelry Prize Drawing.
Presence please.
Visit our web site:
and go to the Jewelry Prize Drawing to find out about the Special Prize.
Presence please. The bookmark price is $44 (36 euro).
***************************************
Because the Drawing for the Buenos Aires trip will take place this Sunday, November 7 at the Galleria before the meeting, you will need to buy your ticket now! Reply now to …
***************************************
This year’s Holiday “Remembrance” Auction already started with the Thanksgiving Prize Drawing (have you bought your bookmark yet?) to be drawn on November 25th. Robert is offering more Holiday gifts that will be included on the Christmas Prize Drawing to be launched right after the Thanksgiving.
***************************************
Dining with Robert – Here is Robert’s schedule:
Monday 22:Goethe Room-Breakfast-8:30 a.m.-$150.
Tuesday 23:Goethe Room-Dinner-7:00 p.m.-$200.
Thursday 25:Thanksgiving Breakfast-8:30 a.m.-$200.
Thanksgiving Dinner-3:30 p.m.-$350.
Friday 26:Goethe Room-Breakfast-8:30 a.m.-$150.
Saturday 27:Goethe Room-Breakfast-8:30 a.m.-$150.
Goethe Room-Dinner-7:00 p.m.-$200.
Sunday 28:Goethe Room lunch for 20 at 12:00 p.m. after meeting- $250-at table/$200 with partner/$100 standing
Monday 29:Goethe Room-Bon Voyage Breakfast-6:30 a.m. $150.
*****************************************
Can you help us reach the goal?
Robert’s goal for the Holiday Prize Drawing is $18000 and we have raised $2600 so far. Please purchase a $44 or $12 bookmark now and we will enter you in the Prize Drawing. The first 5 Holiday Prize Drawing winners will be chosen at the Live Auction on December 12!
Only 3 more days to enter!
Have you bought your tickets yet?
*******************************************
How wonderful to see so many students from all over the world visiting Apollo! Robert is teaching more than ever having THREE teaching events VERY DAY!
A group of students in Apollo have produced at Robert’s request video recordings of what he considers highest moments of his teaching. Keep up to date with Robert’s conscious teaching and take the opportunity to purchase a video! Have one of your friends visiting here bring it back to you!Purchase your favorite video by visiting our web site by login into propylaia and click on the Apollo Auction link.
*******************************************
Dear Friends,
Here’s a wonderful New Year’s Resolution for sustaining the New Man within you: Create or add to a personal Video Library of Robert’s Teaching Events.
This collection will provide nourishment for your higher centers for many years to come as well as help the School to grow by contributing much needed monies to our Projects Fund. It’s a win-win situation!
We offer you the following sale items to begin, or add to, your collection: Select 3 items for $100 or EU75
Select 4 items for $130 or EU100
Select 5 items for $150 or EU115
CD’s: Travelling with Robert – volume 1, 2, 3, Dinner with Robert – volume 1, 2, 3, Meeting with the Teacher – volume 1, 2, 3. Select 3 items for $44 of EU35
**************************************
Dear Companions,
As Robert has the first teaching events in Madrid this weekend,
Tel Aviv raffle, London raffle and another Milan Raffle are open for your entries from around the world!
New prices!
1 ticket $10.
3 tickets $20
6 tickets $30
12 tickets $40
24 tickets $50.
“When one gains, we all gain”. Love, Robert
*****************************************
Dear Companions,
The table of Love is the table of the magician.
We have seen enough of the lower centers, it is time to see world twelve. Join us this weekend and the coming weekend at the Teaching Events with Robert!
******************************************
Dear friends traveling to Milan,
Robert is offering to seat with you and sign a volume of a book chosen by you at the reception after the meeting in Milan.
If you would like to purchase a volume of “Best Thoughts” or “Thoughts from the Teacher”, please contact X in Milan. You can also purchase a volume at the Apollo Media Products table after the meeting. If you would like to bring your own volume of a precious book, please do so and contact X.
Book signing: EU 50
Dedication: EU 100.
513/13/Purchasing Awakening
DESECRATION, Fraud, Violation of Fiduciary Duty
This is very true for most of those on salary. But there is also something else more insidious and unhealthy that keeps things going. Many of the men close to Robert (not necessarily the young lovers but the roles do overlap) spent years groveling and ingratiating themselves to get there. They seem to have a desperate need for approval and exalt over any little crumb of attention thrown their way. It was embarrassing to observe. There is something very childlike and immature in this behavior and to see grown men behave this way is sad. Howard Carter is one of these. I could name a dozen others but most people here know the members that I am referring to.
It is also true of some of the women who have maneuvered their way to positions near RB but the dynamic is a little different. It doesn’t seem quite so pathetic.
514/13/Vena
Fraud, Collusion, Connivance
To Rhino Neal 510: I still believed RB was a “conscious being” and separated that from the ghastly fund raising, which I blamed on Alison.
Yes, me too! I believed in ‘kind loving Robert’ for long time…
But think: who is behind all this relentless pushing for money, who selects all the trinkets, fountains, lamps and other ‘projects’, luxuriously travels the world to see ballets and to cruise the Nile and forces community to pay for all this? Do you really think it’s those salaried students who are so eager to collect your money and therefore keep sending you up to 3 stupid solicitations per day? Do you think it’s their ‘initiative’??? Of course not.
It’s Robert himself all day long and his insatiable greed for money. He orders people to do what hey do… And they do…
519/13/Purchasing Awakening
Sexual Predator
(Whalerider wrote to Vena) Vena #512 wrote ~
“They seem to have a desperate need for approval…”
__________
That hit home! I have to admit that was me too, 25 years ago. I was a young neophyte seeker, quite vulnerable and spiritually immature. I was understood that to become more spiritually aware I must relinquish my false personality or ego and place my trust in a teacher. But Robert used this to his sexual advantage to satisfy his own personal desires at my expense like a film director uses his ‘casting couch’.
The spell wore off when I realized I was not the only one sharing my sex energy with Robert and he started pulling my strings and arbitrarily playing me like a trout. I would not let myself become emotionally dependent upon him. I didn’t join a school to play the role of a teacher’s sexual satellite.
Only when you respect yourself can you gain the respect of others.
522/13/Whalerider
FRAUD, Conspiracy to Defraud, Collusion, Connivance, Disparagement, Misapplication of Funds, Favoritism
I had enough of all the unpleasant reactions to the constant emails. My reactions that is. They were unpleasant because they were correct insights into a corrupt organization that I could not buffer sufficiently. All the Hard sells, lies etc.
For example, for Robert Burton’s birthday in 2005 we were offered the opportunity to contribute to purchasing a lovely humming bird broach for him. The broach was already part of his extensive multi-million dollar jewelry collection. It turned my stomach to have such a blatant lie in a ‘real school’.
You cannot believe emails that come out from the corrupt people who run the institution of the Fellowship of Friends. There is no integrity, only manipulation and deceit. If they are honest it is because they need to be somewhat honest in order to continue to retain power.
It is not because they are sincerely honest from within. It is all power and politics. This is normal and would not be a surprise in a ‘life organization’ where one at least has laws to keep criminality somewhat in check. However in what purports to be an esoteric school of Christianity with a conscious teacher it is unacceptable.
Remember Gurdieff made a sheep conscious? When asked what he did with the sheep he said they ate it as that is what one does with sheep.
I suspect that we have been domesticated and are being farmed as relatively awakened sheep who have become dependent on the farm, farm laborers and of course the top of the food chain – the farmer, who milks his inner circle lamb sausages as well as shearing all.
The only way to survive in the school is to separate from reason and discrimination and go with the attitudes that you have created to allow you to stay. There is no doubt in my mind that this is a form of sleep. Even if it feels good and holy and you feel part of something big and important.
Time to leave for me.
524/13/Newcomer
Discrimination, Favoritism, Disparent Treatment
Well, the Powers That Be soon caught wind of my flippant love of my fellow student, and total disregard of all that should be. I was demoted and my religious visa application questioned. But was I good student? Not in their eyes, but oh yes I was. Truly.
527/13/Cake Please
Fraud in the Inducement
Dear Siddiq,
with thousands of dollars I used to contibute each year basically to pay for R.’s entertainment, travels, gardens and statues around his house – the question “was it worth it?’ – heck, NO!
With 1-2 brief visits to Isis per year these are damn expensive “impressions” for those who don’t live there (and for those who live there too!)…
There is a national park 10 minutes from my house, amazingly beautiful, with lakes and mountains and admission is free… Metropolitan museum in New York is also basically free – you pay what you want, often just a quarter… It’s unforgettable, too.
There is just something called “GREED”. Incurable insatiable greed that people refuse to see in their “Beloved Teacher”.
Voluntary fund raising? Dear friend, have you ever been aggressively approached and lectured by authority figures why you MUST contribute? Often it is done in front of others (who already did). It is intimidating, humiliating and very pushy. One feels cornered. No, I would not call it “voluntary”.
One is under heavy pressure, constant never ending very heavy pressure to donate and buy.
You are lying if you deny this.
RB is so busy preparing his “Teaching events” because that’s what brings him money – lots of money. He is searching for stuff to sell to you, silly stories and unverifiable interpretations – and hypnotized people are eager to pay for this utter BS and call it a “teaching”!
When are you going to finally see? Wake up already.
528/13/No Person
Favoritism, Fraud, Misapplication of Funds
In relation to the pseudo teachers excesses, it wasn’t the big things that made me begin to doubt, it was small personal incidents. Like one day being told to go with the secretary and buy some new trousers. When I protested that I didn’t need new trousers and that I didn’t want to use the money that some poor student had scraped together to buy something I didn’t need, I was over ruled.
It occurred to me later that RB liked gift wrapping on his gifts from C inf, that the wrapping enhanced the pleasure.
Another time he and I went shopping alone and I saw how totally unused he was to someone saying no to him, when an old queen antique dealer, refused point blank to haggle with him he was completely helpless he became completely tongue tied and flustered. His lack of ability to separate from it got me thinking.
It is amazing how much I was able to internally readjust in order to accommodate these kind of things and it helps me understand the mental gymnastics and bending over backward that poor current students must go through. Cy.
538/13/Cyclops
Desecration, Fraud, Discrimination, Disparagement
Bruce, I wish you could see the interior of the Galleria now. You would hoot with disbelief. The ceilings have grotesque murals (technically well painted but artistically and esthetically impoverished) of nude students posing as mythological characters, even Julian Hart, completely recognizable, with an erection in the entry way. The back ground color of the mural sin the main salon is pepto-bismol pink. I am not exaggerating.
539/13/Vena
TAX FRAUD
As many here have expressed, a “church” that publicly lavishes its leader with extravagant gifts, vacations and travel, while creating a community dependent upon public welfare for health support may arguably be in violation of its IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.
It is a moral, if not legal abuse of the non-profit classification, and reflects a general lack of conscience within the Fellowship of Friends leadership.
Perhaps the next Greater Fellowship gathering should include a very public, and media-covered vigil outside the gates of Isis. After all, tax-exemption merely redistributes the tax burden throughout society.
In other words, we all pay for Robert’s indulgences.
546/13/Tim Campion
CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD, Joint Negligence, Collusion, Connivance, Fraud in the Inducement, False Pretenses
More ‘Divine marketing’ from FOF:
The Abundance Fountain (Feb. 2005)
It will be a gift to our Dear Teacher as a combined celebration of Valentine’s Day and his Crystallization. The cost of the Fountain is $140,000. In order to purchase the fountain for our city, Apollo, we need to raise $70,000 by next week. It means that we may have to go above and beyond what our instinctive centers would “allow” us to do. To meet this aim we established minimum “gift levels” of $50 for salaried students to $2500 for the rest of the school (these are only a minimum, so please be extremely generous).
Clarification of Per Student Gift Levels: $50 / $100/ $250 / $500 / $1000 / $2500 (Make up to four payments) Please make your contribution before February 14th, Midnight
To make your contribution go to Propylaia – ROBERT’S GIFT.
********************************************
Dear Friends,
Would you like to support Robert’s aim of growing even more palm trees for Apollo? You can help by enjoying the Apollo palm jam from the last harvest.
We will also be there with the Apollo Media Products and welcome your generous donation of beautiful objects for the coming Auction.
*******************************************
TEACHING EVENTS IN CAIRO – April 3rd 2005
5:30pm PHOTOS WITH ROBERT with Pyramids view
6:00pm RECEPTION WITH ROBERT CAIRO April 4th
6:30pm SPECIAL DINNER WITH ROBERT LUXOR – April 5th
5:30pm PHOTOS WITH ROBERT with Nile view
6:00pm RECEPTION WITH ROBERT LUXOR – April 6th
8:30am BREAKFAST WITH ROBERT LUXOR – April 7th
8:30am BREAKFAST WITH ROBERT
6:30pm DINNER WITH ROBERT LUXOR – April 8th
10:00am MEETING WITH ROBERT followed by reception
PHOTOS WITH ROBERT in the Garden
3:00pm TEA WITH ROBERT
NILE CRUISE – April 9th-12th
events on board (to be determined)
******************************************
Dear Friends,
The Teacher would like students throughout the School to know his travel plans for the coming year. (2005)
At Apollo :
April 20th – May 23rd
June 15th – July 25th
August 17th – September 26th
October 19th – November 28th
December 14th – January 9th
Traveling :
March 28th – April 20th
May 23rd – June 15th
July 25th – August 17th
September 26th – October 19th
November 28th – December 14th
*****************************
We have prepared a wonderful picture of Robert to celebrate his birthday and mark the beginning of our School’s study of the Egyptian mysteries. This picture shows Robert standing before the Nile River. The river appears in the background like a horizon, with our beloved Teacher appearing above it. Our Teacher will be sitting with you, before the Birthday Celebration dinner at Apollo d’Oro on Saturday May 14th, to sign your photo of him, allowing you to spend a few moments with him on this special day. Pictures without signature are also available. This photo is his way of contributing to the building of Apollo. Shall we join him? Please enter the Apollo Auction through Propylaia or contact us at 692-xxxx.
547/13/Purchasing Awakening
Conspiracy to Defraud, Connivance, Misapplication of Funds
As far as I can see, half his ‘working day’ seems to consist of phoning Alison or whoever, mentioning another ludicrous sum, dressing up the request with some gobbledygook about crystallization, “C-influence requests…” or whatever. Then off she goes to set the machinery in motion…
And this is imaged as a kind of private hobby—so he gets to keep all the gross proceeds and fob off fund raising expenses on the FoF. I’m sure the project is sold as him relieving some the burden of the cost of his lifestyle from the poor students—but they get to pay anyway, don’t they? I’d bet there is some tax dodge going on, as well, like transfers to students with lower tax brackets, payment of taxes at the lower rate, then a quick ‘gift’ back to the source. Hey Siddiq, could you do some research and tell me if I’m right or wrong?
553/13/Ames Gilbert
Fraud, Favoritism, Discrimination, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Invasion of Privacy, Collusion, Connivance, Violation of Fiduciary Duty, Disparagement
My tipping point.
Kind of slinky-like ring by ring, until there is no going back.
Relatively fast compared with some.
Somewhere between Journey Forth by Day, Bible Keys and Thirty Stars it began.
I was a dilettante working one day a week with the palm octave. It some how made no sense. These gentle women working in the most extreme conditions: mud to your ankles or 100 degrees in the shade to fulfill the will (whim) of the Teacher.
Did it really matter to him that this devoted student was still struggling to get legal status for her husband? So difficult because she did not make enough money on salary to support one of them, two was out of the question.
Or that the sweet Mexican student who suddenly disappeared. Catapulted to Europe because she and Robert loved the same man. And no one would say a word. They closed their eyes and shook their head. The will of the Gods. Please.
Something was definitely amiss.
But still last November, there I was at a small Intervention Dinner for a friend, who for all appearances headed out. Girard was the ringer, he was open and honest. But in the end it all went pie shaped.
My friend had more reasons to leave than most, but still he stayed, trying to make sense of it all.
Then he sent me the first links: one for Kiran, the other for the blog.
This is all so negative, and what are they talking about. Too late for me. I had already bitten the apple.
Question after question, my friends laughing in amazement that I was so clueless. So if ignorance is bliss, knowledge can be hell. But in the end it is the ultimate freedom.
So my tipping point, those I loved. And you, WhaleRider and those who took the courageous first step for all of us, the fearful and hesitant. Saying in the most gentle way, Wake up, fool your life is waiting for you.
And my com padre WhaleRider, I know it is so true
Still haven”t touched down
555/13/Cake Please
Fraud in the Inducement, Collusion, Connivance
As of nine months ago, when I left, Girard was doing the occasional fund raising dinner when RB was away. He had been pretty much marginalized. Asaf is the heir designate – he too leads fund raising dinners, and meetings, much more popular events than Girard’s.
I was a Girard supporter, being appreciative of his honesty, and would attend his events. It was generally the same small group of rather sorry people who couldn’t quite fit in with RB’s faith-based direction. Girard’s events chiefly consisted of him talking at length about obscure topics in a semi-comprehensible way, but it fulfilled some kind of need.
There was none of the excitement or glitz of RB events. For example, dinner service was usually a mess, the flowers would not have been changed since RB’s event a couple of days ago, and so on.
My last lunch at Apollo d’Oro was hosted by Girard. I asked him if he felt any of us were going to awaken in this lifetime. He said that if we made enough efforts we might awaken in our next lifetime. I said that this formulation seemed absurd to me and that I believed waking up in this lifetime was perfectly possible. He looked at me quizzically and changed the subject. I got up and left.
571/13/Rhino Neal
205
‘EFFECT’ is something I would like to add to this example.
Personally (somehow) I simply do not believe those are Girard’s words; so to speak, albeit he said them, they truly belong to the smoke stacks of the Robert Burton war-ship…(my opinion)
Fraud, Sexual Predator
About surrendering my will to Reb, I tried it and from trying it for a long time finally came to the conclusion that it was a mistake. He is not C influence, he is just someone so abnormal that he has you in awe for now.
His misuse of the trust of those young men who put themselves in his trust is an abomination and most definitely the process of crime. Please explain to me in detail how his interaction with them makes for any higher triad.
573/13/Cyclops
CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD
More stuff from 2005 marketing campaign:
Greetings!
This is the first in a series of bulletins that will be sent worldwide on the Journey Forth by Day events in August. (2005)
All of you have received a Journey Forth by Day kit. If this envelope is buried in a stack of papers on your desk, or sitting on the back seat of your car, now is the time to pull it out and use it – this is your Journey Forth workbook; it is very “user-friendly”. If you have put your poster on the wall, please take it down and look at the calendar. The little wallet-size card has all of Robert’s dining events on it. There are several very good reasons to register now: (reasons listed)
The revenue from our registrations will cover all the expenses for the 10 days, including 5 ballet performances. Which means that for the first time, Robert does not need to raise the funds himself.
At his Bon Voyage breakfast on Tuesday, Robert said simply that, after Paradise, Apollo was the most fortunate place to be in the Universe.
**************************************************************
We are here to announce a new Journey, a new quest for keys and understanding.
This coming November Robert will re-turn to Egypt.
We can follow him and witness the uncovering of great esoteric secrets.
***************************************************
“The Golden Pyramid Press is grateful for the opportunity to publish for the Fellowship ‘The Thirty Traditional Stars’ – a publication of the Thirty Precious Work ‘I’s which lead us to the Divine Present.
The prices are:
- $50 – regular copy;
- $100 – copy signed by Robert;
- $150 – copy dedicated by Robert.
**************************************************************************
Taste of Turkey!
FRIENDS
TRY YOUR LUCK AND YOU COULD BE ON YOUR WAY TO ENCHANTING ISTANBUL TO JOIN ROBERT FOR A WEEKEND OF TURKISH DELIGHTS. 23rd – 26th September.
1 TICKET $10
4 TICKETS $30
Winner drawn by Girard at the Sunday Meeting so enter Now!
******************************************************************************
Last Chance!
Florence has to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Enter the raffle and you could be there with Robert beginning September 30th.
The winner will receive a return flight, accomodation and a seat at Robert’s meeting.
1 ticket $10
4 tickets $30
*****************************************************************
Dear Friends,
We invite you to consider the extraordinary possibility of traveling with our Teacher in Egypt this coming November; not only during the seven days in Cairo and Luxor, but especially during the magical three days that will follow on board
a luxury ship sailing the Nile from Aswan to Luxor.
This experience is more than we can describe.
Our valuation is there. Our desire grows stronger each day.
*****************************************************
At each Auction, we renew our efforts to sponsor even more changes in the
future. We are aiming for $70K for the Project Fund at the Live Auction next
Sunday, October 9th.
Waver no more, think only of the Beloved. – Kabir
“I highly encourage students to purchase this package (Item #44) as it will surely be a keepsake that will continue to give back year after year. Not only is there the video of the Golden Moments, but also the July 4th Ballet, the final installment of the Robert in Egypt video, and the Theatron Meeting with Robert on the 30 Work ‘I’s. The price of the package is less than if you were to buy each video individually.” Linda T.
*****************************************************************************
Thank you to everyone who generously contributed to our Abundance Auction.
We raised $56k, which helps us to continue building the beautiful Park of Abundance.
We still need $24k more to reach our goal of $80k, however.
Won’t you consider purchasing one of
the following outstanding items that are available? Please take this precious moment to purchase at least one item. You can contribute for as little as $25.
****************************************************************************
FRIENDS!
Last chance!
Tomorrow at Robert’s meeting, we will draw another winner for the 7 day package!
We will have another drawing for the 11 day package, as soon as possible, after that.
So please try your chances again !
************************************************************
Dear Travellers to Egypt,
Do you remember Robert’s idea, initiated in 2001, to ‘Give a Gift and Buy a Gift’ to help build Isis by supporting the Auction?
Would you consider buying a quality item in Egypt and donating it to the Holiday Auction Faire that will be held daily at Apollo d’Oro starting on December 10?
********************************************
YES WE ARE GETTING THIS EVERY DAY. HUNDREDS OF THIS EACH YEAR. THIS IS WHAT THE SCHOOL HAS TURNED INTO.
BUYER, BEWARE!
590/13/Purchasing Awakening
VIOLATION OF FIDUCIARY DUTY, FRAUD
Cite the fourth way book that states one has to permanently give up one’s will to awaken. The only thing I recall one has to give up permanently is one’s false sense of oneself. The lower self has fractured wills and no main will other than self-preservation. Having an aim is what changes all that. (Basic fourth way.) I am not talking about the aim to be a good student the rest of one’s life. It is the aim to know thyself, to be true to thyself.
The main point we disagree on is the idea of giving up one’s will permanently and allowing Robert being the permanent guide. Do we need to be force fed our shocks or can we eventually learn to be self-sufficient and get our shocks from everyday life, our daily bread? To be or to follow (not to be), that is the question!
IN THE BEGINNING of work on oneself…it is necessary to give up one’s will. How is giving up your will and doing what you are told to do by a ‘higher will’ for fear of ex-communication more conscious living, especially if doing what you are told eventually goes against your conscience? (Remember that queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach?) When one is dependent upon another it creates a decidedly ungrounded, unbalanced state of mind. Don’t you think?
The REAL question, Howard, or whomever you are, is do you experience your higher centers or do you defer yours to Robert? I have been talking about mine for weeks now like a babe crying in the wilderness and nobody else seems to have the balls to talk about theirs. Can you?
BTW ‘c-influence’ doesn’t own our bodies, the Earth does. We just rent them.
591/13/Whalerider
TAX FRAUD, Disparent Treatment, Collusion, Connivance, Favoritism, Discrimination, Misapplication of Funds, Fraud
Purchasing awakening…
If what you posted is true, oh my god, RB is acting like a prostitute!
He seems to have a relentless creativity for getting money…
Here is a little true story:
Years ago RB was giving to some of the students in Renaissance his used luxury clothing items like shoes etc.
In the meantime these students had to re-pay RB back for the value of their gifts. How? A sum of 50 dollars was added to the already meager salary for a few months until the value of the gifts were repaid by the students themselves who had to write a check back to RB.
A way to make extra cash…. Obsessive compulsive disorder for sure.
RB’s defendants, please find a good excuse for this.
595/13/Vera.Mente
210
Another example of ’subtle negativity’… Besides the obvious points in this story; there’s also the fact that his students paid for the gifts in the first place: so they paid for them twice. In essence Robert Burton is asking TWICE for the same gift’s measure of intent…
Conscious Being…? Cheez Whiz!
DESECRATION, Misapplication of Funds
“Better late than never! Some of you perhaps missed the email about Robert’s Birthday Present!
Go to propylaia and let’s surprise him with more birthday gifts before he leaves Apollo next week!”
This one got my attention. Ha! The man never tolerated, much less, appreciated surprise gifts. Do you really think he would allow students to spend $30,000 on “surprise” birthday gifts the HE DIDN’T CHOOSE??
The concept of a gift as a symbolic gesture of affection and respect was not present in RB, as far as I could observe. He was a pure shopper in the mode of the character “Elle” in the movie “Clueless”. Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills sickens me to this day.
Looking at recent photos of RB, it would appear he shops at the “Super fly” boutique on Rodeo Drive. Who’s dat pimp??
602/13/Dick Moron
Fraud, Desecration
Howard Carter, Siddiq, et al, the Teacher you serve does things that hurt the Essence of other people, even or especially his students. He has no Conscience. And yes, a Teacher has all the right and necessity to destroy Personality (both False and True), and Nisargadatta was a master at it, but no, not Essence. Essence is where we start from, where we grow from. Only a damaged essence with no Conscience would think otherwise. Howard, I suggest you take a little time out and read some of Nisargadatta, he is the future of our School, if there is one to be had.
608/13/Bass Ackwards
Tim – the funniest thing about ‘gambling for enlightenment’ is that Robert himself issued an exercise ‘not to gamble’ few years ago.
You can’t gamble ‘in life” but please gamble away in the school! Every day there is some kind of raffle.
Don’t waste your money out there – bring it to me! We are all winners, remember? And I love you, now and forever…
What a joke…
619/13/Purchasing Awakening
_________________________
Thousands of dollars are spent each month at a chance for 1 or 2 people to have a ‘teaching dinner’ with Robert Burton; of course the ‘drawing’ is never ‘televised’… It would be a pity for some ‘not-so-good looking’ or ‘an outer circle member’ to win; it would be the India airport in miniature and at the galleria at that. (Hearsay? Go figure…)
214
False Advertising, False Pretenses, Favoritism, Discrimination
____________
! I just counted the initial list of culpable ‘offenses’ at the top of the page and by golly they equal 44 or $$… Well, now of course no one will ever believe that I didn’t plan that one, albeit I did not… Gives me a whole new (sorta new) idea of the meaning of 44 (I mean outside the $$ meaning)…
Let’s hear it for coincidences beyond Oregon House…
Conspiracy to Defraud, Sexual Predator
Let’s just say we will stick to spiritual laws for the sake of carrying on a discussion here…since sex with a minor is technically against the ‘other’ law… and technically a criminal offense. So anyone within the Fellowship at the time of the, shall we say, ‘Troy incident’ (excluding myself, gratefully) is complicit in that little play of crime due to your support of the institutional manipulation (i.e. form of the school, including the gossip exercise) that kept members in the dark about Robert’s predatory sexual behavior. I believe that very manipulation style was outlined in the civil complaint, making the board of Directors named in the suit culpable. One could argue that’s technically a conspiracy that includes anyone who ‘materially’ supported the FOF as well.
So why don’t you and I (and anyone else whom cares to) contemplate on what some spiritual laws are (that we could agree upon) and come up with some long thoughts about crime in that sense?
623/13/Whalerider
Conspiracy to Defraud, Material Misrepresentation, Misappropriation of Funds, Collusion, Connivance, Fraud in the Inducement, Violation of Fiduciary Duty, False Pretenses
He is paid to teach why not minimize his control over all aspects of Fellowship Life? Why not make him learn to work with a budget? Why not demand a say in “your school”. Has there ever been a vote on anything. Do you even know who is on the board. What difference if the condition for membership is Robert’s approval? Robert Burton has proven he is unable to prophesize anything. What will it take to gain a little common sense?
How much is spent on debt service monthly? Is there a yearly financial statement? Do you have access to the books? Why not? Shouldn’t an esoteric school have a sufficient level of being to be financially transparent or at least legal?
Have you seen the Canons? Do you know this is a legal contract that you agree to as a condition of membership? Do a search read the Canon’s Robert planned to control the Fellowship from the beginning and has driven out the real teachers like Miles Barth, Stella Wirk, Donald MacDonald and who knows how many others.
What Does Robert teach or do to help students understand the experience of higher centers? Shouldn’t this be one of the primary tasks for a conscious teacher-helping his students achieve a transition to man #4. He doesn’t do it because he doesn’t know how. He never reached the level of man #5 he has unresolved contradictions. This is not possible in a man#5. Man #5 is conscious of them selves. There is no way Robert did not know he was a predatory homosexual and to hide this from his followers is a crime.
To defend a crime is to be an accomplice. Being a fool is not a defense to this. The closer to Robert, the more one knows about his activities the more of an accomplice one is. Some who support the cocksucker for so many years with full knowledge like Linda Kaplan-whatever have no soul or possibility of developing one.
Those who truly want to develop have to find their own conscience and act on it. There is nothing to lose. What ever is real is yours forever. What ever is false is not worth clinging to. Robert had failed his followers in life what good will he be in death?
628/13/A Former Student
____________________
There is no authoritative body of persons above Robert Burton’s subjective, personalized will; it is his will that manipulates the taxes paid, the properties given to his ‘favorites’, the special financial gifts and loans to his ‘boys’, the illegal constructions, the illegal religious visa, the illegal green card marriages, the illegal discrimination of bringing ‘certain male students’ to ISIS free of charge while others are not ‘brought’ or (bought) to experience ISIS and there’s always the ‘payback price’, in which Robert Burton uses the fact that he brought so and so over, etc., in order to lean on them a sort of ‘abliged to return the favor’ deed/service.
There is no checking of the books, not financial statements; any inquiry into these official ‘concerns’, first result in a warning, secondly a leave of absence (resulting in a re-entry fee of $1500 – $2500 dollars) or complete exile from Oregon House and the Fellowship of Friends.
There is no such thing as demanding from Robert Burton; he is under the sway of an insatiable greed feature (redundant) and unlimited resources and power attached to his followers insatiable need to keep his ‘conscious-affirmative-impression’ seeming spotless, free, shinning and unlimited in it’s power to do anything he wishes, i.e., being ‘fully conscious’ means to the Fellowship of Friends, being fully able to use anyone and any set of circumstances for his will ‘not to be defeated’…
It is a notorious ‘crime’ at ISIS to defeat or imply defeating ‘the teacher’s will’, no matter what level of self-loathing or legal risk (Abraham G. being debarred for 6 months due to ‘not being formatory with Robert Burton’s needs) a person is implied to take; it also results in an inner panic and expression of impatience and a vehement negativity in the person asking on behalf of Robert Burton for you to please allow him to sodomize or do whatever he feels ‘he, as an angel in a man’s body’ has the ‘conscious right’ to do to you, regardless of your feelings, your wife’s feelings or that person’s asking on behalf of Robert Burton.
It is routine for Robert Burton (during weekly ‘52 a year’) receptions to send out his ‘boys of the inner circle’ into the crowd of new visitors and familiar faces to recruit them for the ‘after reception-reception’… This results in some pretty bizarre confrontations with unsuspecting peoples… another book in the making. _
Sexual Predator
I had at least expected one of you to tell us that such behavior as tearing the trousers off of students and performing fellatio upon them is a consciously chosen shock to help them to separate from their physical attachment to their body and their sexuality. That Robert takes no pleasure in it and suffers it and the consequences of it in a selfless way for the benefit of his beloved students. That he just couldn’t come up with any other way of creating shocks for them. Its a HARD job but someone has to do it. Oh and by the way, you do realize that according to the idea of ladders Everyone including you will eventually have to play that role! So get practicing!!!
629/13/Cyclops
EFFECT (Collusion, Connivance, Joint Negligence)
Most current members are too busy with real work on themselves to be busy reading the canons but since all that stuff is posted here, knock yourself out and keep repeating the same old insulting language. It is very arrogant for you to think you can determine the work of someone else, and beyond that, why do you think anyone should care about your anonymous opinion?
630/13/Siddiq
EFFECT (Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress)
I remember, while a student at my deepest level of commitment, developing a strange feeling of personal persecution by the “gods.” If something difficult was happening and I happened to see a 44, for example, I felt certain I was being singled out for suffering by Rilke or Queen Elizabeth. Surely this is a pathological state of mind, and one I have been glad to relinquish. But it is the inevitable state one arrives at when believing in the Fellowship’s peculiar world view.
635/13/Innernaut
220
It may seem that I am ‘grasping for straws’ on this one; yet, to me ‘friction’ is not something to be connected to being a ‘victim’ or ‘target’ of a god or by default ‘being one of Robert Burton’s students’… It is a deeply personal realm, untouchable by ego (although ego celebrates the effects of suffering) and truly inaccessible by others ‘objectively put’ definitions and say so concerning its origin and point of departure.
Robert Burton’s greed and dominance has even made it’s way into defining the origin and meanings of one’s suffering, from people dying for having broken the jazz-dance exercise to determining suicides by quadriplegics as ’spiritual crime’, a crime against the gods, the school, etc., with no relative description of the person’s circumstances, only a cult-bomb of contempt for the suicide event, as though it were an insult to his dominance that someone did something without his permission…
Certainly, in my opinion suicide is a ’spiritual something’, though exactly what, when the body and role of a soul is truly of very little relativity so far as it’s continued existence after the suicide; as all crimes seem to imply (excepting the ignorance of applying the dead sentence to the flesh and only crystallizing an aggravating aspect into the spirit even more so, upon its release) there is a chance of redemption;
there is no sense of redemption in Robert Burton’s school (excepting paying $1500-$2500 dollars to get back in, that is if he does not have an account with you; remember Paula’s story?) only suspended animation in paradise or digestible morsels for the moon, aka HELL.
EFFECT (Fraud, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress)
I remember when RB and I were at odds over his advances he’d drop shit like “George Gurdjieff is working personally with you” to make his repulsive overtures seem like a gift. Even now, thinking about it, the hairs on my neck stand up.
636/13/Bruce
REFERENCE (The Fellowship of Friends is a Fraudulent Spiritual ’school’, posing as a Fourth Way organization.) One of the original three main contributors to the Fourth Way establishment in the West is Rodney Collin, the author of the article below ~
Excerpts from The Theory of Celestial Influence
Chapter XIII THE SIX PROCESSES IN MAN (ii) \
I CORRUPTION
THE PROCESS OF CORRUPTION OR DISEASE ARISES WHEN FORM, breaking loose from its proper function, overcomes life, and reduces the whole to inertia and dead matter. The order of the creative agents in this fourth process is, form, life, matter…
To understand the corruptive process, we have to understand the idea of poison in a much wider sense than we are accustomed. There are physical poisons, intellectual poisons, emotional poisons. There are poisonous drugs, poisonous insects and poisonous men.
One may suffer from a poisoned finger, a poisoned mind or a poisoned society. And in every case the nature of the poison is that it undermines the unity of the organism, cuts off the part from the life-flow of the whole and leaves it to fester helplessly on its own.
In the world of men the process of corruption appears as crime. And its understanding provides a test by which different social conceptions of crime may be objectively judged. Real crime will be that in which knowledge, skill, understanding or forethought (form) are used to destroy higher possibilities (life) leaving the situation of the victim at a lower level than before (matter).
By this criterion society is right in regarding murder -in which man takes thought to deprive another of life, leaving only the inert matter of his corpse, as the classical crime. Intentional stealing, by which the victim is stripped of goods, savings, or possibilities, is also crime. But so too is wilful lying which leaves a situation corrupted, and others -previously open-hearted -now full of malice, suspicion, envy or distrust…
…forethought (form) are used to destroy higher possibilities (life) leaving the situation of the victim at a lower level than before (matter). By this criterion society is right in regarding murder -in which man takes thought to deprive another of life, leaving only the inert matter of his corpse, as the classical crime.
Intentional stealing, by which the victim is stripped of goods, savings, or possibilities, is also crime. But so too is willful lying which leaves a situation corrupted, and others -previously open-hearted -now full of malice, suspicion, envy or distrust.
Sometimes it is objected that stealing depends on the nature of our society, that if there were ample goods freely distributed there would be no stealing. This argument misses the chief characteristic of stealing, which is an attempt to get something for nothing.
Since it is a universal law that nothing can be had for nothing, that everything must sooner or later be paid for in one way or another, such an attempt must always be at someone else’s expense. In this sense robbery of money or goods, plagiarism of ideas, even the stealing of souls, are all of the same nature.
Whether it takes place in a back-street or in paradise, stealing is not innocent.
In this way, much that society regards as criminal is not really criminal at all, but at worst inadvisable or merely foolish. While on the other hand many things which society itself supports and justifies as ‘patriotism’, ‘loyalty’, ‘freedom’, ‘duty’, ‘responsibility’ and so on, may contain a strong criminal tendency.
To what other process, for example, can belong propaganda, which -ingeniously using the skill of the artist, the experience of the psychologist, and the technique of the scientist endeavors to put to sleep or destroy natural living judgment and replace it with a single standardized attitude, temporarily expedient from the point of view of a single policy, a single government or a single advertiser? In the modern world, the deliberate and often
official killing of individual judgment and conscience constitutes crime on such a large scale that it becomes invisible,
and men can not even imagine living under any other conditions. For in this way, the chief possibility of all -that of conscious development -may be destroyed for thousands and even millions of people.
Such people, who no longer possess individual judgment, individual conscience, individual remorse, or the power of reacting as living individuals to the circumstances and demands of life, may continue to the end of their days…
the process of corruption on the contrary results in the reduction of the living itself to inertia and to death.
659/13/A Former Student
__________________________________________
This whole description applies to the affirmative deeds of Robert Burton and The Fellowship of Friends.
CAUSE
I could do an analysis of the ideas in Collin’s description of crime but do a little thinking for your selfs. Robert’s actions clearly fir the definition of objective crime. His is the greatest of crimes to steal potential souls. He has become a “hasnamus” He attacks essence to take the highest potential of a human being and twist it and warp it through his own weaknesses. To tell a devoted student that he is a divine being sent to suck his cock is an absurdity so ridiculous we would not believe it possible yet it is true, even Robert admits it.
661/13/A Former Student
DESECRATION
During auction events Robert Burton’s ‘discards’, ‘throw backs’, ‘doesn’t fit anymore’, clothes, ties, cuff links, etc., are up for sale ‘under the auction tent’, quiet like, though out in the open, (including shirts that he bought for the boys; having bought a few extra for the auction (making a profit off students), shirts for anyone who they happen to fit that its luster bit (a hook perhaps?)
Now, there’s some crazy stuff, his own students buying back (he making a profit) what they themselves purchased in the first place… whew! What a ride…
Who needs Disney Land in the off season? Putt putt in Oregon House… I think it’s a Par 1 from the entrance to the Galleria entrance.
672/13/Unoanimo
FRAUD, False Pretenses, False Advertising, False Impersonation, Negligent Misrepresentation
Dear FOF,
thank you for removing the Gurdjieff-Ouspensky-Center pages from the net like I requested on the 10th of May. See my post:
http://animamrecro.wordpress.com/2007/04/28/the-fellowship-of-friends-discussion-part-8/#comment-10028
Remember to also stop advertising your organization as Gurdjieff-Ouspensky-Centers in the internet.
There are people who own the right to use Gurdjieffs name for their business, but the FOF does not have that right.
I ask you to please stop your Adwords campaign until July 15th.
675/13/A Friendtrademarker
REFERENCE (The Fellowship of Friends is a Fraudulent Spiritual ’school’, posing as a Fourth Way organization.) One of the original three main contributors to the Fourth Way establishment in the West is Rodney Collin, the author of the article below ~
From Rodney Collin, The Theory of Celestial Influence, pg. 239-240
“There is however a fourth way…this way consists in mastering instinctive, emotional and intellectual functions at the same time, in transmuting pain, fear, and thought into their higher counterparts of will, love, and understanding simultaneously…. And he (the student) tries to harmonize the work of these functions, to make them help each other, and serve the same aim…. (one’s own, not someone else’s) The fourth way is carried out in the conditions of ordinary life…The man going by this way has to carry out all his experiments and efforts in his usual surroundings, and all these experiments-apart from the inner results for which he works-must also yield external results which are reasonable and beneficial from an ordinary point of view.
For him, consciousness will not be dependent on special associations, but will be that which accompanies him always, fasting or drinking wine alone or in a crowd, laboring or meditating. It will be that which lights up all that happens….the fourth way (student) must learn to be brave, good, and wise at once. And if he fails to aspire to any one of these qualities, his work and development is help up precisely at that point.”
The fourth way is precisely what has helped me ‘yield external results’ that have benefited both me and my family. When I left Renaissance, I left with nothing more than a suitcase and my understandings for which I paid dearly. I strongly believe that the fourth way, when practiced in the manner in which it was intended can make you better at what you do. It must be practical for you or you are on the wrong path. The most important requirement: you need to believe in yourself.
The sooner those of you still ‘in’ take action based upon your understanding, exercise courage, love yourself, (including your ‘lower self’) get out and on your own, the sooner your development will commence.
Robert is where he is due to the role he created for himself. He has borrowed from others and looks for his validation outside himself in the form of ‘signs’ and synchronicities because deep down he is running on empty. I can tell you this based upon first hand experience, unless you are a ‘professional’, it is only safe to love a sociopath and pathological liar from a distance. They will eat you alive.
Robert would have you be stuck and dependent on the institution of the FOF for THE REST OF YOUR LIVES while he indulges himself at your expense. That’s the ‘fucking, sucking’ truth.
Your fate cries out…
677/13/Whalerider
REFERENCE (A Letter of Conscience) Concerning the Fellowship of Friends Conspiracy to Defraud
When Abraham Goldman subpoenaed me in 1996 to get documents relating to the Troy Buzbee case, I enclosed this letter with the material he requested.
21 October 1996
Abraham,
One final appeal to your conscience. As the person best equipped in the Fellowship to bring the reign of madness of Burton to an end, you must act to do so. You are the only one with complete access to the information, to all the evidence accumulated through the years, and you have been Burton’s confidante for all these many years.
Please think back to when you joined the Fellowship. Surely, if you had by a miracle been given the knowledge of knowing then what you know now, you would have turned away. It cannot have been your ambition to end up catering to a charlatan and a pervert, covering for his mistakes and predations, wearying yourself to the bone with lies to cover his omissions and commissions? Surely you imagined a life of openness, not lies? Surely you imagined a life among true friends into whose eyes you could look with joy and honesty, knowing they could see the same in yours? Surely you did not imagine a life where your final defense against your own conscience would be, “I was only following orders”? Please, wake up and follows your conscience. D not be afraid. There is so much love and help and forgiveness—if you wish. Face up to your responsibility. You could help so many people by telling the truth, now. You could save so many people so much heartache in the future. But, best of all, you could be helping yourself. You must have lain awake many nights struggling with the latest revelations of the day about Burton, and your heart must have ached to be in a place where none of this had anything to do with you. Such a place exists, both psychologically and physically. Look within. Act and forgive yourself, as all others with a good heart already have. Nothing can take away your responsibility for your past actions; you must face up to them yourself, but there is all the help you need if you ask for it.
You can make your life exactly as you wish it. You have done so until now, and will do so in the future. It is your gift from God, to do with as you please. If you wish to continue as you have done—thy will be done. If you wish to break away from this mess—thy will be done. It is up to you.
Know, that even if I personally am sometimes angry about the situation, I am not angry with you. You have your lessons to learn, and you have chosen your path. But, know that I believe you are strong enough to create joyful changes, if you wish. I send you loving wishes and encouragement.
(signed)
Ames Gilbert
I’ve reproduced this letter because I want to dedicate the ‘feeling tone’ of this letter to Girard Haven. Of all the sorry list of petrified “higher ups” in the FoF, I get the sense that you are in the most turmoil, and so have the most possibilities. Girard, if you left the FoF, and you should, all your work and efforts are still counted, they are not wasted. The goal you have sought for so long is attainable, it is literally a heart–beat away. There are guides available who are interested only in helping you make that one internal step from prison to freedom. Make the decision—leave now.
678/13/Ames Gilbert
EFFECT
Ames: “Girard, I’ve heard a vile rumor that you are calling yourself a man number five.”
Girard (after a long pause): “Well, yes, I’ve received certain indications there are changes that show that is a possibility.”
Ames: “Ohhh, Girard! If you become a mini-Robert, you’re digging a dark pit you’ll have great difficulty climbing out of.”
Girard: (!!)
(He looked pretty shocked, and I turned and walked away…)
685/13/Living the Questions
EFFECT (Conspiracy to Defraud)
I hope Girard is able to hear and consider your sincere wish for him. He will have alot of illusions to give up. He has had a role that required him to use his mechanics to explain anything that
Robert dreamed up. And he was always on que. His formatory apparatus was perfect for finding a way, no matter how illogical, to explain and justify Robert’s bizarre claims and actions. Unfortunately he seems to believe his own propaganda.
His book is a good example of this kind of reasoning. Almost every paragraph begins with something like “Thus we see”, “Therefore”, Consequently”, So it follows”, etc.
To Crouching Tiger #676:
‘I guess it comes down to how you see Robert’s connection to C Influence’.
It occurred to me years go that if he ever had such a thing it must be pretty faulty. Nothing that he has indicated that they have communicated to him has been correct. I was always amazed that he kept using this ploy and even more amazed that students kept buying it and even worse that some are still buying it. I once tactfully asked a student close to him if all the failed predictions didn’t make Robert question this alleged connection. The student was slightly taken aback that I would even suggest such a thing and the subject was dropped. Actually he uses Ouspensky’s idea of C Influence like a “boogie man” to keep students in line.
699/13/Vena
FRAUD IN THE INDUCEMENT
Siddiq,
Robert requires those monetary contributions and is fully responsible for all tacky solicitations. He is the ultimate authority and, despite all his snobby aspirations, resorts to begging for cash from beleaguered suckers.
(It would be interesting to know what “class” he was born in to. Probably middle class.)
Even if you have cut yourself off from the incessant solicitations, you are still beholden to them because it is an intrinsic part of acquiring consciousness under the rules of your school.
I remember all the twisted reasoning about making extra contributions and most times the extras were certainly NOT voluntary.
There is no doubt that the pressure and the members’ subsequent “willingness” to contribute was relative to the possibility of reaping the benefits of consciousness or not. There was no separation and there was an intrinsic threat that if one did NOT contribute, their goals toward consciousness would suffer.
There was always some sense of measurement of one’s commitment to the school and/or level of being and/or desire for consciousness in his or her willingness to eat Top Ramen for a few weeks in order to cough up the grocery money in exchange for gaining “consciousness”.
Any meeting I ever attended included the dreaded announcement about contributing for some statue or piece of art that the spoiled man desired and those requests increased over time. They did not mention these extras in the prospective student meetings.
I was, in no way, shape or form able to afford anything above and beyond the monthly payment. (I was young, living in NYC as an artist.) Still, I was told that most of the extras were mandatory, not voluntary.
Robert is a highly dubious figurehead, who requires cash in exchange for something that is free to anyone, anytime.
For heaven’s sake, I gave that man my pitiful coins, which probably payed for an occasional, but elaborate martini at a fine restaurant in Egypt. Sheer folly.
I no longer have any patience for anyone’s inability to see the contradictions. I can’t bear the pathetic, pitiful justifications. They entirely lack intelligence and reflect emptiness and desolation.
Siddiq, that now includes your stated awareness of the horrific nature of those incessant solicitations by virtue of the fact that you block them. Nevertheless, you are unable to see the crystal clear implication in those greedy, pathetic solicitations of corruption in your school and its teacher.
Why?
700/13/Laughing Love
REFERENCE – companion to 231
Whoever told you the “extras” were mandatory and not voluntary lied to you. We consistently and successfully resisted nearly every solicitation for extra donations – we simply said “no, thank you”. Never gave RB a Christmas gift, a birthday gift, a crystalization gift, never had my picture taken with him, wouldn’t buy a French gas street light, never bought raffle tickets after the first year or so (we don’t gamble, after all), and in the past 3 or 4 years, we went to maybe 1 event per year (they made me so depressed and disillusioned).
That said, we did have to say “no thanks” over and over and over and over…… and I wish that I’d had the courage to tell the fund raising crew to not bother us when we were having a conversation over potager lunch. Maybe wear a sign that said “No soliciting, please”. Ask if we could get on a “do not call” list. But that would have been subversive, “expressing negativity”.
701/13/Sharon
FRAUD IN THE INDUCEMENT
To Sharon (690)
I agree that all requests were not mandatory. It would also appear the the solicitations have increased ten-fold in the years since I departed.
Still, at the time in which I was a member, there were certain extra contributions that were mandatory and no one was lying. Of course the lines were blurred to further confuse and manipulate members.
More importantly and, as I tried to express in my post, there was a certain implication that one’s willingness to contribute monetarily was intrinsically related to one’s desire and willingness to work for consciousness.
That was my main point.
The idea of needing to sacrifice monetarily for consciousness was clear. Frankly, I don’t remember the language that was used, but it was manipulative and was clearly used to intertwine the desire for consciousness and the wilingness to open one’s bank account freely, irregardless of how plentiful a person’s means were.
In addition, and without a doubt, there is a hierarchy relative to economic status and an individual’s generosity or lack thereof.
Further, the implication is that a strong monetary contributor is a good student on a very happy path to the elusive goals.
Lastly, I had one experience in which I simply could not afford to make a DEFINITELY mandatory extra contribution for some faggy statue, and in my discussions with other students, they easily “photographed” my reluctance as a lack of commitment to my quest for consciousness.
(Sorry to use the word “faggy”. It is derogative, but somehow apt at the moment.)
Back in reality, I was simply a poor, young artist living in Manhattan. I wanted to create my own statues! I also really wanted to pay my rent and eat some food that would feed my tiny soul.
Best, LL
706/13/Laughing Love
FRAUD IN THE INDUCEMENT
Sorry, LL, I was not clear with you – I did not mean to imply that there was not a lot of manipulation and that it might feel like these extra payments were mandatory. Your point is very well taken. But, I’m pretty sure that we did not contribute to any statues. Maybe I misremember. Or, someone in your center might have been lying to you – I really wouldn’t be surprised – perhaps they wanted to be able to say that there was a 100% contribution level from the NY center, or wherever. Or Alison leaned on them to squeeze as much out of you all as possible.
Robert once made a comment at a Wordsworth room dinner that I took kind of personally, about “stingy Lunars” – yep! I’m quite stingy where superfluous trashy acquisitions, white elephant unusable huge Theatrons, flashy circus “ballet” galas and gaudy trips down the Nile are concerned. And yes, I got a lot of “photographs” from other, more devoted, students. Maybe it’s lucky for me that Robert’s taste is so different from mine – I might have been tempted to empty our pockets for a nice concert hall with excellent acoustics and decent backstage and practice rooms. (And then where would we have been when my husband lost his job partially due to his new boss reading so much about RB’s shenanigans on the internet. Declaring bankruptcy like some others?)
Anyway, we are really coming from a similar place, LL.
712/13/Sharon
FRAUD IN THE INDUCEMENT
To Sharon (701)
Are there reports of bankruptcies due to the expense of being a member?
I wouldn’t be surprised, but I’m curious.
Yes, perhaps I was lied to, or at best, pressed vigorously for a contribution.
I only know that I was constantly uncomfortable and felt that almost anything I did was wrong and certainly not right.
I was vulnerable, weak, strange and at odds with everything and everyone, most importantly, myself.
That was true despite the fact that I had heard of the pedophilia charges.
Pedophilia, from my perspective, is one of the most heinous acts any can engage in. It ruins the victim’s life.
One of my best friends was a victim of pedophilia and he can barely breathe, though his spirit is strong.
Sexuality is so complicated and beautiful. The idea of violating a youth’s privacy is abhorrent.
It’s strange that I felt guilty about not contributing to the purchase of a statue for a man who was violating at least one youth’s absolute essence.
I write on this discussion board because I know deeply in my heart that Robert Burton is not only a false authority, but a deeply disturbed human being.
I was deeply disturbed to believe in his circus and I deeply encourage any who is still involved to depart and find freedom from what is, clearly, tyranny. LL
715/13/Laughing Love
EFFECT (Misapplication of Funds, Collusion, Connivance)
Many students went bankrupt a few years ago. It was even fashionable. People would buy a new car and went to several events and then would sign for bankruptcy. I wish I would have made a list…
Maybe people can come forward ….There were more then two.
And I am sure there are many more…
Interestingly enough many of them were Americans…
What about medical care and insurance….many students had a play of needing medical care and were not able to pay. Several of them probably went bankrupt, one time or another. I know one person went bankrupt twice. Could be more.
Maybe some ex members dare to admit that they went bankrupt. The people who I mentioned above are all still in.
The roots of slavery are still silently noticeable and it is the “karma” of the US. It is what it is…we are all responsible from one point of view and yet we are not. Both is true.
722/13/More History Needed?
Fraud, Favoritism, Discrimination, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Invasion of Privacy, Collusion, Connivance, Violation of Fiduciary Duty, Disparagement, Negligent & Fradulent Misrepresentation, False Pretenses
“Howard Carter” and others have described Robert Burton as a “conscious being” and a conduit for “C-Influence”.
I have come to a different conclusion: Robert Burton is a seducer.
He is a seducer pursuing, first and foremost, his own instinctive gratification. The evidence overwhelmingly points to this simple conclusion.
When I departed the Fellowship of Friends twenty years ago, Robert was, for me, an enigma. I left it at that.
Only since being introduced to this blog several months ago have I been compelled to take up the subject of Robert once again and really consider it.
I am just beginning to realize how indebted I am to all who have contributed – on all sides of the debate (and to the Sheik and the Knight. Don’t forget the “PayPal”, folks.)
After thousands of comments, documents, exhibits, testimonials, and after reflecting upon my own experience, the above characterization is the only one I can logically arrive at.
Are Robert’s actions motivated by “consciousness”, as he states, something that eludes definition and, according to Robert himself, is beyond our verification?
Or, are they motivated by forces we can all readily recognize and identify? (I cannot allow the common “both are true” retort, since I’m questioning his overriding motivation.)
We must each judge for ourselves, and this is my judgment (helped along by so many of you.)
We all know about seduction and things that seduce. Beauty, power, wealth, fame and knowledge are glorified aspects of our popular culture, aphrodisiacs in a sense. Humans are drawn to pursue these ideals and to associate with those who possess such attributes. And Robert, of course, knows this.
Who here has not witnessed their own psychology manipulated by these influences, and experienced such a seduction? It is likely every one of us has at one time or another succumbed and probably at times knowingly exploited this human weakness. (More importantly, who, knowing the power to seduce, has resisted the temptation to use these influences for one’s self-gratification? What stopped us?)
Robert has surrounded himself by beauty (particularly youth), established his role as an omnipotent spiritual leader, presents himself in the image of one with substantial wealth and travels as few people can. He offers a mysterious system of “knowledge” that only he in his self-proclaimed consciousness and wisdom can fully comprehend and he surrounds himself with adoring “fans”.
It certainly has the appearance of a seduction.
And is there anyone here who does not recognize instinctive self-gratification? Is it not something that can be observed daily? Don’t we all seek instinctive comfort? Aren’t we all, in varying degrees, pursuing life’s instinctive pleasures?
So, I assume that each of us, to some extent understands seduction and self-gratification, and can recognize it when we see it in others.
From everything I have witnessed in this blog over the past four months, and from my own experience around Robert Burton, there is a consistent, dominant theme. It is not self-remembering, which is in effect a distraction. It is instinctive gratification. He is a slave to the very “brain” he derides as awakening’s foe.
Is there any instinctive pleasure Robert denies himself? It has been years since I have been around him, but from accounts herein, little has changed, and he continues to lavish himself with the finest foods, wines, clothing, jewelry, luxurious accommodations and amenities, music, art, and in the evening surrounds himself with his sexual conquests.
Robert remains the first and foremost beneficiary of the Fellowship’s wealth. Only to the extent others support his appetites are they welcome in his house.
Those in the Fellowship who view Robert as a “conscious being” and conduit for “C-Influence” would have us believe that Robert is not motivated by instinctive greed, rather consciousness and the “will of C-Influence”.
Apart from Robert’s personal claims, it is difficult to arrive at this conclusion when we cannot even define consciousness and C-Influence. Still, that does not seem to deter certain individuals.
We “know” (from Robert, of course) that “consciousness is not functions”. But the products of consciousness are transmitted and translated through functions. Thus we read the works of “conscious beings”, view their art, listen to their music, etc.
We talk about the hallmarks of consciousness or enlightenment. Consciousness may not be functions, but there are manifestations we attribute to an “enlightened” individual, if not a “conscious being”: love, conscience, compassion, selflessness, “external consideration”.
Where is the evidence that Robert is operating above and beyond an instinctive self-interest? How does his “consciousness” manifest?
Where are the observations, the testimonials to Robert’s manifestations of love for his fellow man, conscience, compassion, selflessness and “external consideration”?
We might expect there to be many thousands of such testimonials, given the “2,000” current members and over 10,000 former members. Where is the evidence of consciousness guiding his conduct? (Certainly, more than a handful of current students are reading this?)
And if in your search you should find something that might “look like consciousness”, ask yourself “is what I have observed merely an animal instinct in pursuit of its own gratification?”
We are told (by Robert) that “44 Conscious Beings” preceded him, and we have studied their works. Some speak of the path to “salvation” or “enlightenment”. Robert tells us he is the current incarnation of this lineage, and is personally guided by their influence,
Within the enormous body of work represented by these individuals, we might expect to find some hint, some suggestion, that through the indulgence of every instinctive desire, we shall thereby attain enlightenment and salvation.
You might expect some of them to counsel “accrue to yourself all the power, wealth, beauty and instinctive pleasure you can. Surround yourself with dazed and impoverished servants. This is the way to consciousness.” But I have not seen such advice.
The case for Robert’s enlightenment is expressed through Robert’s own words. The supporting evidence consists of Robert’s own words, with a bit of editorializing by such people as “Howard Carter”.
But according to Robert, “Howard Carter’s” personal conclusion that Robert is a “conscious being” guided by “C-Influence” cannot be verified or even understood by any person on earth, save Robert Burton, because, as Robert informs us “the lower cannot see the higher”.
In contrast, I suspect the conclusion I have come to can be understood by almost anyone reading this blog.
In this very public trial (Robert would likely characterize it a “crucifixion”), I feel like a judge who has been on the bench for months, listening to endless testimony, occasionally throwing in my “two cents”. (Abraham would have long ago had me tossed out for conflict of interest.)
But this is also my trial. I am the accused, the plaintiff, the judge and juror. I was a participant in the scheme, and it is a seduction.
So, what is the consequence of my conclusion? If Robert has misrepresented himself, I think it highly likely he has also misrepresented the product he is peddling, that is his personal path to enlightenment.
“Howard” once said that Robert very publicly made him the brunt of a joke. “Howard” realized later “the reason he did it was precisely because I was ‘mechanically’ devoted to him.”
He was probably correct. For the seducer, it is disconcerting if the seduction is too easy.
739/13/Tim Campion
EFFECT
A point brought up that I’d like to expand on is the one of ‘evidence’ as taken in the form of the lasting legacy and influence that a truly enlightened or ‘conscious’ being would leave upon the world at large. There are many examples of individuals who have been a huge benefit to their fellow man just by the way they conducted their lives. The notorious ‘44 ‘beings of Burton’s mythology for a start. But also Gurdjieff.I mention him especially as he is generally credited with introducing the 4th way to the west and there are usually some rumors plus a few written accounts of his somewhat shady dealings.From my investigation most of the badmouthing of Mr G comes from he himself ! he paints himself as a kind of rogue, fleecing people of their money to finance his various schemes, in several of his books, but it does not take much research and reading to find that he is generally very well respected by most who knew him and was a truly compassionate man who helped many,many people often entirely at his own personal expense and regardless of whether or not they were able to ‘pay’. All agree that he certainly did not carve out a life of ease for himself and worked tirelessly up to his death to spread the 4th way teachings.
Contrast that with the influence Robert Burton has had upon the world at large ,which by his own account he seems to despise.Even before the advent of this blog if one typed in Fellowship of Friends on the internet you would find nothing but dirt and scandals surrounding his name.Apart from the FOF’s own propaganda that is. Look how many of his former 10000 students have come forward to speak well of him here…
Ye shall indeed ‘know them by their fruits’
741/13/Gordon
CAUSE & EFFECT
The lower cannot see the higher. Hmmm…(No, he didn’t coin the phrase, but uses it to make some serious coin, that’s for sure.)
We all know this is Robert’s ace up his sleeve.
Yet….if that were true, how would Robert know those particular 44 people had awakened before his own crystallization? Did anyone ever actually think about that? Would Robert not have had to attain a higher level first in order to make at least a lateral ‘being to being’ assessment of any of the 44’s level?
So, presumably then the lower CAN see the higher by the trail of b-influence they leave behind. I should say, the quality of b-influence’, that is. Isn’t that how the ‘44′ were found?
So can we know if Robert speaks the truth? Is he who he says he is?
One might then ask, “What quality of b-influence is Robert leaving in his wake?” His book? The sequence? His apostles? An unfinished Renaissance/Apollo/Isis that long forgotten others built for him? His bank account(s)? The trail of tears? What actual impact has he had on civilization so far?
Excuse my candor, but there is no mystery here for me.
746/13/Whalerider
FRAUD (effect)
In regards to 732 vera.mente
right now the most workable approach is for currant or recently departed members to charge the Fellowship and Robert Burton with fraud. If you were not shown the canons and did not accept them upon joining but had them revealed and enforced after wards that is one aspect of fraud. A second is the constant abuse of Fellowship funds by Robert Burton for his personal use, what monies he pays out to the entourage , what he pays his lackies, his fund raising for his personal account, if he did not report this it is an IRS violation. The point here is that a relatively small action may be enough to get a county district attorney’s office , State Attorney generals office, federal attorney or the IRS to investigate. This should stir things up. If any of these go as far as discovery there may be material for a civil case. If any criminal case is pursued and is successful it becomes relatively easy to proceed with a civil case as conviction of a crime can be used as proof of damages.
753/13/A Former Student
UNDUE INFLUENCE, Fraud (FoF model in case)*2
Almost twenty years ago in California, the Unification Church was held legally responsible for deceptively recruiting people into a thought reform environment. The person who sued was named Molko.
Molko was recruited to get on a bus and go to Boonville to have dinner with a group at which politics, philosophy and other topical issues were to be discussed. Information was withheld from Molko about the group both at the time they were invited and for some time thereafter. Molko even asked whether the group was affiliated with a church and he was told no. When Molko got to Boonville he had dinner followed by other activities which lasted well into the night.
After too little sleep Molko was awakened early and ushered into an intensive program of calisthenics, doctrinal study, work, etc. Recruitees, including Molko, were never alone. After three weeks of this program disclosure was finally made to Molko and his peers that the group was affiliated with the Unification Church. By this time Molko lacked the ability critically to evaluate the significance of the information.
When people are lied to or deceived, and induced by specific and identifiable techniques to distrust their ability to think critically, they become unusually malleable. It is not just fraud; it is fraud combined with “undue influence.”
That is what is so pernicious about thought reform environments. One who is defrauded into affiliating with a group, who learns of the fraud, indignantly denounces it and gets out. One who is defrauded and unduly influenced in the group may learn of the fraud, but is unable to appreciate its significance, because he cannot evaluate the information critically. He may try to do so, but his own mind, applying the “sacred science,” says “don’t go there. These ‘I’s come from a part of you which is less real.” That’s how thought reform works.
758/13/Veronicapoe
______________________________________________
*2
Similarly, Fellowship of Friends ’students’ when joining are not shown the ‘church canons’; some, even after being in the ‘fourth way school’ for 10+ years do not even know it’s a non-profit-church with certain rules and guidelines, established to keep hierarchies (to some degree) like the Fellowship of Friends in check; nor are they told how fragile their ‘in or out’ circumstances are if they speak out against certain dubious treatment and are soon coerced into believing that it’s ‘the god’s will’, similarly as it was the god’s will to have all of Robert Burton’s predictions fulfilled and fail; in a cult, the leader never fails, the followers do not allow this and the cult leader knows how to spin the failure into a successful martyrdom. Everything in the above article (in principle) is applicable to the Fellowship of Friends, their panel of Board Members, made up of ‘Favorites of Robert Burton’, down to the ‘School Police’ who both create their own form of hypocritical gossip and report on others committing the same acts as to appear self-righteous and responsible for the opposite demeanor, while, in fact they are adding to the allurement to break rules and get caught… Like a host who kills it’s own food supply and thus dies having done so.
Examples ~ B.Y. & R.T.
EFFECT
“OK, so why stay in this corrupt money-making machine?”
I speculate:
Good student, on salary, many years. No marketable skills (doesn’t believe can earn living in the real world, doesn’t want to try). Owns no, or very little, personal property. No social/family connections outside FOF. Depends entirely on RB and the FOF for sense of self, life purpose, material sustenance. Severe cognitive dissonance–nay, TERROR!–arises at thought of abandoning this structure. Conscience atrophied. King of Clubs comfortably enthroned. Must stay until collapse forces hand. Hope s/he has Ace up sleeve.
770/13/Cathie
EFFECT (Savvy King of Clubs trumps Conscience)
I am so glad that this area has been researched and this is also one of the areas in the fellowship of friends that has been subdued, by the fact of not expressing negative emotions.
Not being able to express yourself is not healthy. In the fellowship of friends this has been out of balance and many friends/ students with the result of diminished health physical and psychological.
Emotions are expressions of your inner being/ spirit/ conscience, your soul, etc If you are not able to feel those emotions you can not stay intone with your inner being. Result is you can become more negative and confused. The fellowship of friends calls confusion a higher state. We believed it for a long time. Now with so much excess to more information that helps you to be who you are and connect with you inner being and not be dependent on a teacher there is more air to breathe and more health and joy. It is so much more simple.
The fellowship of friend has always discouraged meditation. To my understanding sitting down and be still (something that was undone in the fellowship of friends) is a path way to listen to your inner voice or called consciences. getting in contact with the spiritual path of yourself and makes me wonder what “damage ” Robert has evoke for many of us, by the exercises of not expressing negativity and discouraging meditation.
Being able to sit and breathe brings you closer to the part in yourself that can come to right work of centers. The next step is to become more attuned to making the right decisions for yourself without being dependent on an authoritarian figure. The sincere written letter from Siddiq is probably an inability to take responsibility for your own life and enjoy instead of listening to an authoritarian….
778/13/More History Needed?
Sexual Predator, Hostile Environment Sexual Harassment
It seems you have misunderstood what I covertly referred to as first force. The question put more directly is have you ever had sex with REB? Have you ever had him SUDDENLY grab your zip and frantically try to get your penis out in such a manner that the only way to stop him would be to actually hit him?
Can you try to explain what beneficial effect on a students evolution this might be expected to have? Where do you get your ideas on Celestial Morality from?
Do you find rape to be acceptable? Do you believe that in higher realms this would be the norm? How about all of the conscious beings who awoke without school, were they assisted by conscious influence?
782/13/Cyclops
EFFECT (Negligent Indoctrination based upon Fraudulent Misapplication of Spiritual Status as a Fourth Way School)*3
“I can accept as a theory that my body is a gift from higher forces to my soul, so as it can do what it needs to awaken, but where does it say our body is to be sacrificed to our teacher to satisfy his needs, let alone advance our evolution?”
Well, it doesn’t have to remain a theory (that our bodies/lives are a gift from Influence C) and to some it isn’t only a theory. And if it is a real teacher we are discussing your above statement and question does not represent
two separate realities, but are one and the same thing – Influence C working in harmony with their appointed agent.
A real teacher would not ask anything of a student that is detrimental to the student’s evolution. If this happens it simply means it was not a real teacher doing the asking.
A real teacher can and will ask of their students things the student does not wish to do. How can it be otherwise? If it could be otherwise, the students would be the teacher and the teacher the student.
There’s been a lot posted about “abuse of authority”.
It is a fact that teachers have the ultimate authority over students, more than earthly authority, as the needs of the spirit supersede those of the body. It is also a fact that the body’s “needs” (in most cases “wants”), are often
sacrificed for the spirit (including essence needs and wants, which are still part of the lower self).
People by the millions are prepared make the ultimate earthly sacrifice, to give their lives for their nations (and many actually do). Seekers of truth are asked to give up their identifications with the body. This is elemental.
Because real teachers know the situation and dilemmas they often place their students in regarding the ultimate authority they wield, they are very careful not to demand anything that would be against the student’s will.
This is a firm law. They only ask, suggest, explain why something is required, etc., but do not force or coerce. This is the real bottom line that many FoF critics do not like to hear. It squarely places the responsibility in any “teacher request” on the student; as it must.
Again, it bears repeating: a real teacher’s responsibility is to know precisely what it takes to further a particular aspirant’s journey. He/she cannot err in this regard, at least not to any significant degree. Influence C would not allow it.
It is up to the student to know if the teacher is real or not. If the student cannot know for sure that presents many problems. But at any rate, if they (the student) cannot know for sure they then run the risk of giving up
their will to a fraud. The other possibility is much more dire; that of not giving up one’s will to a real teacher.
It’s my understanding that people are deluding themselves to believe that a real teacher would not ask of students the things it has been suggested RB has asked for. There is no esoteric basis whatsoever for this conclusion.
It’s mistaking earthly morality for celestial morality, a very shortsighted approach.
To Cyclops – 13 # 571
“About surrendering my will to Reb, I tried it and from trying it for a long time finally came to the conclusion that it was a mistake.
He is not C influence, he is just someone so abnormal that he has you in awe for now.
His misuse of the trust of those young men who put themselves in his trust is an abomination and most definitely the process of crime.”
“Also you have not answered the question if you have personally experienced his FIRST force or if it is only vicarious.”
Your explanation is not the reality I am living.
I’ve personally experienced REB as a first force, at least I think I know what you are asking. From the time I verified the school was real and Influence C was indeed working with it, I told myself I would try to carry out any request REB would make of me.
Once he asked me to withdraw my energy from something that made me emotional and place it in another area I did not care about. I found myself answering him that I did not think it was possible for me to follow his request, my
reason being I did not think I could harness my emotions enough to do it.
He just smiled and never brought it up again. Later on he even acted as a third force to help me keep my energy flowing in the area I was emotional about.
This was the only time I ever “went against” a personal suggestion of his. If this same thing happened today I would probably have enough will to “try on” what he suggested.
I realize that this post just scratches the surface, as people’s motivations for doing what they do or thinking what they think are hidden deeply, mostly
from themselves. But people cannot act without some justifiable “cause”. The causes exist within a multi-dimensional reality.
Personally, I see the vast majority of posts lamenting the sex and money and abuse of power as a smoke screen, a pretext, whose real cause is more “forward” along the time line of events that lead to someone’s grand disconnection from REB/FoF. And those causes, in many cases, are wholly independent from the purported issues.
780/13/HC
__________________
*3 That ‘one liner’ is my opinion.
Sexual Harassment, Hostile-environment sexual harassment, Quid pro quo sexual Harassment, Sexual Predator, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, False Pretenses, Misdescription, Desecration
To Howard Carter – Post 758
In your post you wrote: “It’s my understanding that people are deluding themselves to believe that a real teacher would not ask of students the things it has been suggested RB has asked for… It’s mistaking earthly morality for celestial morality,.”
Are you aware of the allegations against RB? I’m not sure what you mean by celestial morality and I’m not sure you do either. Is it supposed to be the way beings in heaven treat each other or something? I mean, I have a pretty open mind but I never thought of heaven as a place where the angels and gods and whoever would be giving each other blow jobs, golden showers, fisting, and smearing shit on each other, etc.
And do you really think those boys are really all that “willing”. Have you read the statements made by those who experienced Robert’s so-called ‘teaching’ first-hand in his bedroom? Almost all of those young men were frightened, shocked, and disgusted. But they trusted him, probably because he made some outrageous claim such as his being a ‘goddess in a man’s body’ and they were too stunned to resist. After all, to resist your teacher (who presumably is acting in accordance with the will of C influence) would be wrong, of course! You wouldn’t have time in that moment to make all the necessary calculations (is he a real, conscious teacher?, what will he do if I push him away?, etc. )
And now most of those who ‘experienced RB’s teaching’ revile him for what he did to them. So, did those acts help their evolution, as you seem to imply? Or was Robert merely abusing their trust to gratify himself sexually? Come on, Howard, please!!! You’re brainwashed, dude! Try to see it. We’ve all been there – making excuses for Robert, trying to convince ourselves and so forth.
You should at least have the courage to confront Robert and the authorities at Isis about these allegations and see what the response is. I would think that would be enlightening. Good luck.
789/13/Ray Vaughn
Desecration, FRAUD, Collusion, Connivance, Negligence, Fraudulent Misrepresentation, Misapplication of Funds, Undue Influence, Fraud in the Inducement, Coercion
Yet, for the ‘conscious beings’ on Robert Burton’s list, we get the following deeds as wiseacred by Robert Burton, that ~
“Ouspensky was responsible for the OJ Simpson murders
and Rilke for the 911 Twin Towers falling.
Wooooo… we are having fun in paradise!
Yes, many took advantage of the 1998 prediction, in true “Fellowship of Friends of Robert Burton” form;
numerous people borrowed far beyond their means, bought new cars thinking that the dealerships and loan agencies would be under water;
built houses, etc.
Even after this ‘failed prediction fruition’, many students had ‘educated’ their damaged essences in the American system of bankruptcy’, borrowing large sums of money, buying new cars, building houses, then ‘fixing’ things in such a way that they would not loose these ‘investments’ once bankruptcy was filled:
the rules have changed for filing for Bankruptcy ~ Thanks in part to the version of non-formatory thinking by yours truly Robert Burton and Friends.
Hey, the ‘School’ is a complete ‘cosmos’ why not?
793/13/Unoanimo
Joint Negligence, Collusion, Connivance, Undue Influence, Child Endangerment, Breach of Trust, Favoritism, False Pretenses, Fraudulent Misrepresentation, Wanton Misconduct, Enticement of Parent, Desecration, Coercion
and, wow, Marry R., I heard about your little sing-along performance for the newcomer-girls, daughters of students who recently joined the school, welcoming them into the Fellowship of Friends and many of them into the arms of Robert Burton’s boys: whew, the red paint just keeps oozing…
794/13/Unoanimo
EFFECT ‘Desecration of Friendship’, Invasion of Privacy
One of the people I had spent the most time with when in charge of the New York group and afterwards was BenjaminY, and we became friendly. He attended one of the workshops that SandraC arranged to “experiment” with the “work ideas” and ideas from contemporary bodywork and psychology.
Right at the end of the weekend, BenjaminY told me that he had reported me to the FoF “authorities” for breaking the rule to not fraternize with ex members. It seemed he had changed since moving to the FoF property and was now quite happy in the role he was playing and the opportunities it opened for him. I was aghast at being treated that way by someone I felt I had nurtured, taught, counseled, and enjoyed as a personal friend for years. My response was this letter:
Benjamin, we have a deep connection going back almost 15 years, and through which I have learned to love you. In this instance I believe you were caught—as was often pointed out to you—between the sides of yourself that curry favor in the school, and the sides of you that relate to others purely as a warm, engaging and intelligent individual. It is this latter part that I love, but I fear it is the former that won out in this case. I do not reject you, the person whom I know and love, but this specific behavior. I sincerely hope you come to a different understanding of this incident. If you do, let me know.
797/13/Joel F.
EFFECT
Thanks for sharing that letter in #770, Joel. How ironic and deeply saddening that an organization called the Fellowship of Friends actually teaches its members to betray their friends…
“But at any rate, if they (the student) cannot know for sure they then run the risk of giving up their will to a fraud. The other possibility is much more dire: that of not giving up one’s will to a real teacher.” HC Quote
Again you employ the double bind, which reveals your hidden agenda, which is to neutralize critical thinking in your membership to reinforce the status quo. There is no real choice in this argument…dammed if you do, damned if you don’t, so you might as well stay. I am starting to feel Robert lurking in the shadows…
“