Fellowship Of Friends/Fourth Way School/Living Presence Discussion – Page 163 October 10, 2018
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Fellowship of Friends - Living Presence Discussion 
Let’s imagine the scene at Fellowship central on October 22nd 2018.
The sea has not risen, the land has not fallen, there are many students a little unsure of what comes next. A meeting is called.
Burton says “C influence and the Absolute have decided that I should be humbled again. It is because of my high role that they treat me thus. They carry a wand in one hand and a club in the other, and they have used the club on me again. I accept their will. Not my will but theirs. By separating from this latest shock I will be propelled into the beyond the beyond state, and will be able to intercede for you all at the final reckoning which is immanent. Those who hold fast to their work in the face of this play will be rewarded. Those who waver will be food for the moon. I must go now, and will let you all know in due course what the next step must be. To thy own self be true.”
Stunned silence from the bemused onlookers, as he drives off with his latest catamite.
Dear Apollo followers,
After the predicted deluge and in addition to the expected throng of desperate survivors crashing your gates to charge up their iPhones that you’ll be forced to shoot, you should also prepare yourself for the thousands of bloated dead bodies washing ashore on Rice’s Crossing Road by Sunday night, too.
Better stock up on the air freshener as well as bullets!
And just to be clear Apollo followers, if you have the slightest doubt about burton’s prediction that the fall of California into the ocean will happen on the morning of Sunday, October 21, 2018…be advised that those doubts are negative thoughts and feelings generated from your inner demon, your satanic lower self, and should not be believed or expressed to others, especially other followers, for your sake and theirs.
You need to blindly trust that ANYTHING burton says, asks you to do, not to do, or does to you or your husband or boyfriend behind closed doors in the dead of night is for your own good and your spouse’s, and your ticket to paradise in the afterlife.
According to burton, now the expression of negative thoughts is just as bad, if not worse, than the expression of negative emotions and will lead you out of the school and cause you to rot in hell like us.
It seems burton believes if you only think positive thoughts and express positive emotions about him, his actions, his failed predictions in the past, the cult, and the dire financial situation in which you find yourself having maxed out your credit cards on bathing suits and beach umbrellas, then you will have transcended duality and the binary intellectual center, although apparently burton has demonstrated that certain kinds of negative thoughts and emotions about non-members are ok.
And if any friends, family, or loved ones should slide into the ocean on October 21 along with most of California, don’t bother warning them; it’s their own damn fault not yours. Conscience is for sissies!
So, if I were to predict that indeed the fall of California will NOT happen on Sunday, October 21, 2018, it’s a big fat lie; you should absolutely not listen to me or any other cult survivor: for we all are just a bunch unconscious sleeping machines like the ENTIRE rest of humanity…who like to talk to each other, can’t keep a dirty secret, and fancy ourselves as masters of our own destiny.
So be forewarned, it’s highly likely and probable that your credit card debt will not disappear on Monday, October 22, and burton’s boy toys will still be on duty that night in the big house.
Nothing will really change in crazy town on October 21, and burton will still be mayor.
Whalerider,
Demonstrating how seriously Fellowship of Friends members take Robert Burton’s ominous fall of California prediction, Fellowship President Greg Holman and member Charles Sharp are shown here with 5th District Supervisor Randy Fletcher at the ribbon-cutting for Frenchtown Inn’s wine tasting room in Oregon House. No doubt, survivors of the flood will truly appreciate a glass of wine and a relaxing evening at the bed and breakfast.
Frenchtown Inn tasting room ribbon cutting
People who suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) often have unreasonable fears that bad things will happen if they do not perform certain rituals. One therapeutic method used to help people overcome this is to have the person look at the evidence both for and against a to support whether or not these bad things will happen. Let’s apply this method to the current prediction of catastrophe slated for Oct 21.
Evidence For:
We are in a very unsettled and turbulent time politically, socially and environmentally.
Major events can and do happen from time to time.
It is not outside the realm of possibility that a major event could happen on that day.
Evidence against:
The prediction is not based on any known scientific evidence.
Robert Burton does not have a stellar history of accurate predictions.
Robert Burton has made these kind of “nothing happens” predictions for decades.
Catastrophe predictions in general have a poor success rate to date.
Time spent worrying and preparing for something may prove to be a waste of time in the event nothing happens.
In the event of a major catastrophe much of what happens may not be within our control.
Belief in the ability to predict the future is an aspect of “Magical Thinking”
False Prophets
3. Tim Campion – October 11, 2018
Thanks, Tim!
File under Fun Facts:
If you go to the Frenchtown.com website that is referenced at the end of the Territorial Dispatch article you posted, then click on Tasting Room in the navigation bar, you’ll find:
Renaissance Vineyards and Winery – The Yuba Foothills “cult winery” (see the S.F. Chronical Article”)
Click on the charmingly misspelled link to visit the recently published S.F. Chronicle article,”THE LOST CIVILIZATION OF CALIFORNIA WINE”.
They 𝘢𝘳𝘦 “open” 𝘧𝘰𝘳 business!
R sick mind also needs ritual
predictions as ritual
mass murder ritual
all that “creative stuff” generated
all these followers, co-players
co-creating
in their sick minds –
(without knowing?)
the fall of California
a reminder/anniversary of the original fall
so long expected- of California in 1998.
Like the “no sex outside marriage” task
I was fully aware of the undercover agents… Apollo Police
After that prediction, heard some people saying
“I will have to adjust my understanding about -the teacher”
I say, what do you occupy your mind with?
5. Linda Jo – October 12, 2018
That link to the False Prophets page on The Cult Survivors Handbook is a good one. Thank you!
There is a link on that page (under the Rick Ross reference) to a fourthwayschool.org page that is excellent. “Errors on the Way” has a quick and dirty compendium of elements of the Fellowship of Friends experience, defining for example “Intentional Insincerity” and including a description specific to the Fellowship of Friends, as follows:
“Living Presence/Renaissance/Ark/Apollo Error
(subset of false awakening error)
Wolf in sheep’s clothing
Delusion that my group is the:
‘highest’
‘only’
‘true school’
‘conscious school on Earth’
‘conscious school since the time of Christ’
‘true representatives or heirs of the work’
that we are the:
‘chosen people’ led by a ‘god-man’ who is a ‘law unto himself’,
or that only my ‘school’:
will survive a soon-to-come destruction of civilization
has a divine mission to serve as an ark of culture and consciousness for humanity
will survive to establish a new civilization or renaissance on Earth
Usually such groups are predominantly white middle class with token people from other races; special preparations and efforts are made to recruit wealthy, well-known, powerful, or influential people; young people with little money are recruited for their free labour, especially those from countries that were part of the former Soviet Union.”
~ ~ ~
It’s clear that these days, any Fourth Way seeker that cares enough to exercise due diligence to research the Fellowship of Friends, will find a plethora of information that would cause them to hesitate joining up.
8. GoldenVeil
Burton is more insistent than ever these days, at nearly every meeting, dinner, etc.: The only 2 places in the entire universe where consciousness is to be found is in “Paradise” and at Apollo.
This from a shell of a human being who forgets thoughts in mid-sentence, reminisces endlessly, and needs constant prompting from Dorian just to make it through the event. In fact, Dorian is clearly leading all meetings now (4 per week and increasing) from his position right behind Burton’s left ear. Burton’s role, as always, is merely to flatter his followers and heap scorn on “life people.”
I guess a new way to verify that one is a Conscious Being is by one’s condescending attitude and behavior toward lowly, unconscious life. And Burton has been piling it on really thick these days.
Thanks Insider for this gem from Burton-
“The only 2 places in the entire universe where consciousness is to be found is in Paradise and at Apollo” absolutely priceless, they are laughing on Proxima Centauri B about this as we speak.
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
Only One Week Left Until Cult’s Major Buffering of Another Failed Prediction
Obscure Nothern California group making plans for apocalypse of reason.
Gorgon House, CA-Seasoned followers of Robert E Burton have already been stocking up on fresh supplies of excuses, rationalizations, and jokes about the impending doom of yet another of his failed predictions in order to lavish upon the newly recruited, unsuspecting neophyte followers who are currently descending from all over the globe to Apollo for next weekend’s “Bufferfest 2018”, a celebration marking the end of critical thought.
Long term, self-serving followers who over the years have been able to stomach Burton’s bizarre and delusional ideas of reference and magical thinking about hydrogen warfare, stock market crash, and most of California sliding into the sea are well-versed and prepared to gaslight newer members into exempting their leader from any responsibility with such tried and true thought reform aphorisms as: “Aren’t you glad so many millions of innocent men, women and children didn’t have to die in order to feed our teacher’s palatial ego?”…”Higher Forces are showing us how to be compassionate and caring of others less fortunate than us!”…”If you leave now, then you will miss out on the next failed prediction!”….and the all time favorite, “Maybe the gods are trying to tell us something!”
Insider sources who wish to remain anonymous have indicated that Burton and his inner jerk circle have secretly been stashing cash, caviar, and KY Jelly in the cult’s winter palace in Mexico to make a quick exit should the whole criminal enterprise go belly up when enough followers wise up to his charade and finally listen to their own inner gurus.
So here we are, headed towards the date of another prediction of catastrophe by the God–Emperor of Oregon House™.
I’ve been re–reading Leon Festinger’s book, “When Prophecy Fails”, co–written with Riecken and Schachte, and sub–titled, “A Social and Psychological Study of a Modern Group that Predicted the Destruction of the World”.
In 1954, the author and his students studied a UFO cult, starting a few months before the prediction of their version of ‘end times’ was due to occur, during those times, and then afterwards. This included actually joining the cult to make first–hand observations. These studies led to the publication of papers and eventually this book, and popularized the idea of ‘cognitive dissonance’, the ability to hold two or more contradictory thoughts in one’s mind without them clashing or causing discomfort. The group’s leader claimed she had been given special knowledge that the world would end in a great flood before dawn on December 21, 1954. True believers, however, would be rescued beforehand and taken up by a flying saucer…
From Wikipedia:
“In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort (psychological stress) experienced by a person who simultaneously holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values. This discomfort is triggered by a situation in which a belief of a person clashes with new evidence perceived by that person. When confronted with facts that contradict personal beliefs, ideals, and values, people will find a way to resolve the contradiction in order to reduce their discomfort.
In A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance (1957), Leon Festinger proposed that human beings strive for internal psychological consistency in order to mentally function in the real world. A person who experiences internal inconsistency tends to become psychologically uncomfortable, and so is motivated to reduce the cognitive dissonance, by making changes to justify the stressful behavior, either by adding new parts to the cognition causing the psychological dissonance, or by actively avoiding social situations and contradictory information likely to increase the magnitude of the cognitive dissonance.”
Sounds familiar? We all do it to some degree, but some group leaders and their followers do it wholesale.
My guess is that right now, for the nth time, followers are dusting out their well–worn lists of “buffers”, a.k.a. mental barriers necessary keep separate what is observed and their received knowledge and belief systems, and thus reduce the cognitive dissonance. Chief amongst these are:
“It’s only a metaphor, don’t take it literally”
“It’s just a test of our faith”
“The 45 angels move in mysterious ways, it up to us to help them and not hinder them or Robert by having doubts”
“It’s Robert’s unique way of teaching”
“What does it matter, it leads to being more present either way”
…and many, many others. Maybe there have been meetings led by luminaries such as Linda Tussilo/Kaplan/whatever©, or Kevin Brown©, or Nick Spaulding© to teach other “Neighborhood Group Leaders”™ what to say to followers who lack their profound experience with justifications and explanations for Burton’s failed prophecies. This would be especially needed in the case of foreign followers from distant Centers who are new to the game, and might not have been already fully trained to ‘disbelieve their lying eyes’, that is, the first–hand evidence of their senses, or ‘Lower Self’™.
From the latest Fellowship of Friends newsletter, “News from Apollo”©:
“It becomes ever clearer that this intense period is a special opportunity to raise our level of being, regardless of external events”.
And from the same edition, a future classic:
“We do not live for prophecies; we live for presence.” Love, Robert
Ha, ha, ha!
Right after the news of their preparations for the next performance of the ongoing saga, “The Fall of California”™:
“On September 29th the Neighborhood Group Leaders© met for the second time. Geoffrey Rowland© brought us up to date on efforts at Apollo to secure water and electricity in key locations. I Huai Hao© noted that we expect about 150 visitors during the month, and that a special third-line program for all students, called “Prepare Apollo” will be ongoing during October. Tim Quartly-Watson© patiently explained the workings of the radios that Group Leaders will use to communicate with Apollo Incident Command (IC) if normal communications lines are not available. In an emergency situation, Apollo IC plans to broadcast information every hour at a quarter past the hour, and Group Leaders can then pass the messages on to their Group members.”
In the meantime, I am sure that the Maximum Group Leader is also furiously passing on messages to his Group’s male members.
More from the Apollo Department of Psychological Buffoonery©:
“The pace continues to quicken™: an additional Monday meeting with Robert, new third-line octaves occurring each week to improve Apollo; chickens, puppies and sheep arriving at Apollo Farms; and multiple fundraising events to benefit preparation efforts. Apollo d’Oro© will be open more frequently in October, and the Fellowship Council is organizing extra dining opportunities for visitors in private homes. It becomes ever clearer that this intense period is a special opportunity to raise our level of being, regardless of external events.”
Oh yes, ‘the pace has been continuing to quicken’ for decades, it should be at about light speed by now. Yet, everything is frozen in exactly the same state, even the prophecies, the followers plodding within the same old, same old bubble, the same circular self–congratulatory stories being told over and over again to the same befuddled sheep. For crying out loud, can’t Burton come up with something fresh? How about dinosaurs bursting from a hidden kingdom at the center of the earth to gobble up all those who are unworthy?
And more from the Apollo Department of Metaphors©:
“At the homes around Apollo, our physical preparations are moving ever more swiftly; many of us are taking this as a third force to be in better householder, having necessary medicines and food on hand for up to thirty days. The mantra is: “Just buy stuff you are going to use anyway, eventually.” Water is the trickiest issue: some people have generators or solar well pumps or are acquiring them now; others may have to bring in water from neighbors or Apollo if there is a power outage.
Meanwhile, at the Apollo© property itself, water and electricity are the main focus of our preparations. We wish to purchase a generator that can be dedicated to our wells (right now the water system shares a generator with Apollo d’Oro™). In addition, we would like to have a good supply of repair parts on hand, should structures or parts of the water system get damaged in an earthquake (“just buy stuff you are going to use anyway”). We also hope to stockpile materials that would allow us to build outdoor showers at the Apollo Festival Hall™ and/or at the Winery, if needed.
And of course, no project (or Fellowship of Friends metaphor) would be complete without the need to raise money, so, from the Apollo Department of Metaphorical Fund–Raising©:
“These, along with projected needs for extra security and emergency medical response, have led us to appeal for help from students who can spare some extra cash. The Accademia Leonardo© has organized a series of fundraisers at Apollo and can also channel donations – any amount is welcome: just make your check out to F.O.F. and send it to Angela T_c_ _rdi© at PO Box 1112, Oregon House, CA 95962. You may have seen that the Apollo Farms© is also fundraising, and that is another channel you can use.
We hope to be able to keep Apollo d’Oro© open in an emergency, along with the Galleria©, Festival Hall©, the High Gate©, and an Emergency Command Office attached to the Winery. All the other buildings will have no electricity if there is a power outage.
Here we go … heading into the last 20 days!”
Some metaphor!
Note: I freely acknowledge the copyright and ownership of the Apollo Newsletter© and its contents by the Fellowship of Friends and/or that organization’s agents. That is why I have peppered my immortal prose with a plethora of ™s and ©s, in an effort to fend off lawsuits. Anyway, lawyers, I am quoting liberally from the latest edition solely for the purposes of education and enlightenment of the general public. And to have a bit of fun, since that is not (yet) illegal, although the DHS and other 3–letter agencies (not to mention the 45 angels) are no doubt working on that.
With all this attention on Burton and his shenanigans, let us not forget the ‘school’ organized by his long–time disciple, confidante, and co–inventor of ‘The Sequence’™, Asaf Braverman. It looks like Asaf is still running his ‘BePeriod’© ‘school’, both in cyber space and physically. I’m not privy to what goes on in the pages only open to members who join and pay dues, but there is no mention yet of “The Sequence” on publicly viewable pages. Rather, these seem a mixture of the usual Fourth Way basics as promulgated by Ouspensky and Asaf’s own interpretations of religious motifs, written and visual, from around the world. He introduced many of these novel interpretations while still a member of the Fellowship of Friends, before his fall from grace a couple of years ago. I have no idea if he still subscribes to or ‘teaches’ the full panoply of numerology and symbology so beloved by the arch–superstitious Burton. Really, it doesn’t matter.
It is apparent that the guy has a superb memory for Ouspensky’s words. And he likely has a strong belief that Burton’s previous claims that he, Asaf, was destined to become ‘conscious’ actually came true, and thus he is qualified to ‘teach’ the Fourth Way, including the essential transmission of energies that supposedly only someone who has ‘already escaped’ can pass on to the next generation of prospective escapees.
But there is no getting away from the milieu that he was submerged in for twenty years, the setting where the Fourth Way was distorted beyond recognition and twisted and shoe–horned into a religion with Burton featuring as the Founding God.
And there is no getting away from the fact that Asaf Braverman was anointed by Robert Earl Burton, the God–Emperor of Oregon House© as a “Future Conscious Being”™, and that he enthusiastically assumed the role of ‘leadership’ and ‘teaching’ and fundraising that reflected this important prediction, over many years.
So, he is no innocent bystander temporarily bedazzled by the Grand Charlatan, he shared Burton’s interests, beliefs, income (and possibly, bed), for decades. Not only that, he was centrally placed at the abandonment of the admittedly superficial study of the philosophy known as the Fourth Way and the turning instead to “The Sequence”, a philosophy of numerology, superstition, symbology and practice he co–invented with Burton. This means Asaf Braverman is totally unqualified to teach anything about the Fourth Way, rather, he actively helped Burton poison the well and continues to do so, no matter what he claims or infers—IMHO.
What does this truism say about Robert Earl Burton?:
Those who would predict the future
are not appreciated in their own time.
[Meaning, if they accurately predict the future,
it will be after their time when they will be
appreciated for their ability to do so.
Most people disbelieve predictions when they are
made; hence, not appreciated when made.]
Therefore,
Those who failed in their prediction of the future
are even less appreciated in their own time.
Of the billions of people on Earth a very, very
small number in FoF believe REB’s predictions.
After 21October18 there will be even less believers.
“No matter what has happened, is happening or will happen: Declare Victory!”
There must be quite a bit of turmoil going on beneath the tranquil waters over there at Intergalactic Headquarters™. When I say ‘tranquil’, I mean medicated (Thorazine, Valium, Xanax, etc.) or else enthralled/infatuated.
In 2016 there were 1565 members, so let’s take a stab at the numbers, which have been in a very slow decline for a number of years. How about a nice round 1500 right now? The newsletter I refer to above claims that a mere 150 visitors have arrived to partake in the circus. If the 2015 population has remained constant, there are approximately 600 members of the Fellowship of Friends who live in and around Oregon House. The inference is that there are about 750 followers, that is, half the membership who did not obey orders and roll up to celebrate the end of times under the guidance of Burton and Dorian Mattei and the rest of the management.
Why not? And what will happen to them? What is their spiritual status now that they have defied orders? Will they join the rest of us in the circle of the damned—imminent food for the moon?
Also: where is the Absolute©? Is ‘he’ hob–knobbing with Burton as they go over the plans for the drowning of tens of millions of Californians and the following extinction of the rest of mankind? What about the ‘45 angels’™? Is their job over now the Absolute© has taken a personal interest? Did they not do a good enough job? Have they been fired for not delivering clearer messages about the future than arranging mailbox numbers, ‘T’ shirts, and license plates in front of Burton? What about their 100% record of constant humiliations of Burton? Are they going to be punished? And what if the Absolute© ‘himself’ gets it wrong on October 21st? Is ‘he’ going to resign and let Burton take over?
Enquiring minds want to know.
Carl Sagan
(from his book, “The Demon–Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark”)
Are we under water yet?
Jeez, Bruce. You always were impatient. Just over four days to go.
Forgive me Robert.
It only fair, is only just, to let the people know, even the “Life People.”
https://robertearlburton.blogspot.com/2018/10/robert-burton-warns-followers.html
Forgive me Curtis.
I could not resist his sweet licks. “Faith is the key.”
yes Golden Veil, I have also shared with all my friends “Life People” around the world ….
Over at the invaluable Robert Earl Burton blog site, run by Tim Campion, I came across this reminder of Burton’s words:
https://robertearlburton.blogspot.com/2018/01/robert-earl-burtons-2018-prophecies.html
Robert Earl Burton, June 11, 1979
You damned fraud, Burton, and you really are damned for the immense damage you have caused over the decades—if there is any justice. You weren’t right about any of your claims, including those of your self–reported “consciousness”. Of course, your prophecies were non–falsifiable before their due dates, by definition, but they were exposed as lies and random firing of your damaged neurons the moment the dates passed. You yourself tied your prophecies to your other also mostly non–falsifiable claims, so you are condemned by your own mouth—which never ceases yabbling. You sound off endlessly about things you know nothing of, and can have no knowledge of, as if your “consciousness” (were it a fact) somehow made you some kind of polymath genius who knows everything about everything.
What a greedy narcissistic sociopath you are!
If any present members of the Fellowship of Friends happen to read this, know that I was once a mostly uncritical follower like you. I was there when he uttered the words quoted above. I put aside my power of thinking, and substituted faith, because thinking didn’t seem to have gotten me anywhere. Nevertheless, after many years, I was able to slip off the chains I had voluntarily put on by re–activating the gift of my birthright, the power of reason. You can do the same. At least gather together the remains of your dignity and make a decision to take the first step to independence. The Great Charlatan has no real answers, he is mired metaphorically and actually in shit up well over his head. His only interest is to keep you asleep, his only aim is to keep you enthralled, dependent on him for the rest of his life. His only tools are adoration and/or fear, to support his insatiable lust for money, sex, and gaudy trinkets in questionable taste.
Only you can find answers to your own questions, and you should have plenty if you have any awareness or remains of your curiosity at all. Be brave, start looking, and take responsibility for what you find. I can tell you, you will be so glad you took the plunge. And it is not as if I have arrived at some glorious destination myself, I’m just trying to become a decent ordinary human being who values the gift of this life rather than aspiring to some theoretical bliss in a ‘future lifetime’ bound to Burton’s fantasies. But wherever I am and you can be, however ordinary, is better than being a slave to a madman’s nonsensical whims. I know, it is an effort to start thinking for oneself again, but it’s worth it. Dumping the burden of Burton’s revealed (and hence, unverifiable) knowledge and its implications, however certain and alluring he sounds, is an incredible relief. And then begins some real work.
And for crying out loud, you surely aren’t going to transfer your fealty to someone like Dorian, are you? What an ass he is, spouting yet more nonsense with even less internal consistency than Burton. Sasha and Linda and Kevin and the rest of the sycophants who govern you lives, ditto. Have some pride, take the first step to freedom, right now!
If you are a seeker doing due diligence, looking for more information about the Fellowship of Friends and its Maximum Leader, Robert Earl Burton, have patience and look through some of these pages, or head over to:
https://robertearlburton.blogspot.com/2018/01/robert-earl-burtons-2018-prophecies.html
where much of the same information is gathered together in a much more organized fashion, sorted by categories, tags and dates, accompanied by many images that speak volumes in themselves. You will quickly learn enough to avoid the dangerous pitfalls inherent in joining the FoF or any of its numerous criminal offshoots, including such examples as, ‘The Spiral of Friends’ and Asaf Braverman’s BePeriod ‘school’.
Golden Veil (#23), thanks for that. I know for certain I’m an old fogey when I keep thinking that the music of my youth is so much better than that of today… but really, Jeff Beck could really play! And Rod Stewart, not too shabby either. IMHO.
And thanks for #22, as well. I’ve looked at it, and I think it is best with the sound off. That way, you can really pay attention to the body language. Look at the people surrounding Burton, supposedly ‘conscious’ beings, every one. Wooden, unfeeling, frozen. And yet, just one missed payment away from eternal damnation. ‘45 angels’ in the room there, constantly looking over their shoulders—but no pressure, huh? To think that this goes on for another 55 minutes! Glad that there is a limit on how long videos can be on Tim’s blog, yet sorry that there isn’t some record of the whole thing for future study by historians (with strong masochistic tendencies).
fyi Golden Veil/Ames. I have now been blocked from sharing the link on facebook. I shared it without problems 2 days ago but it is being blocked now … interesting …
Trying other channels now ..
Found another way…
fyi: response from Yuba Sutter News to my facebook message:
“Thanks for reaching out to us. One of our admins will be in touch with you soon. Thanks for supporting all things Yuba Sutter. There numbers have decreased and they have become more involved with the community. I will definitely watch closely”
.I asked if I could quote him/her on this and his/her response was:
“I would rather not be quoted. This was a private communication”
There has been no response from FEMA or other agencies … not that I believe in his latest predictions but I do believe he is a nutter that needs to be stopped.
This just in, thanks to one of our moles inside the organization:
A late announcement on Propylaea™, the Apollo© members–only web message board, from the leader of Inner Circle Squared™:
There will be a mandatory extra meeting 5:30 p.m. this coming Saturday at the Sir Michael Goodwin Festival Hall™, to be led by Linda Kaplan©, Kevin Brown©, and surprise guests—well, we don’t want to spoil the surprise, but if Leonardo or one of the other 45 angels were to whisper the names Greg Holman©, Ethan Harris©, Benjamin Yudin©, or Rowena Taylor© in your ear, you might well faint!
The subject will be, “The art of explaining tomorrow why the predictions made yesterday didn’t come to pass today”.
There will be forty blank accompanying slides carefully selected by the Research Octave© to illustrate the basic concepts.
Attendance at this meeting is a task from our Teacher, not a suggestion. Alex Horn© has indicated to Robert that all 45 Angels will be watching very carefully.
There will be opportunities following the meeting to be consciously and conspicuously photographed in the Presence of Linda ($5 cash donation), Kevin (who will pay you $4.50), or together with Robert’s personal cloudy crystal ball ($454.50), this last complete with certificate of authenticity and accuracy signed by Robert himself.
After that, there will be a silent auction to consciously raise funds for the vitally important redecorating of Robert’s Mexican hideaway for the 6th (Short Be) +4th (Long Be) time. Or is it the other way round? Whatever, The Sequence© explains all!
Goodies donated to the auction include:
• an actual mailbox imprinted “1996—oops!”
• a gold Lamé ‘T’ shirt imprinted “2012—I nearly got it right. Love, Robert” front and back
• one of Robert’s not–quite–new i-Pads programmed to chime at esoterically significant intervals throughout the year
• the exclusive rights to use Robert’s cloudy crystal ball yourself for one year
• and finally, the grand prize—a selection of Robert’s used silk underwear embroidered in exclusive crimson fiber woven from the pubic hairs of virgin caterpillars, depicting any two of Robert’s prophecies, your choice.
Reminder to visiting students: When you leave Apollo after the Fall, you should book all your flights from Reno, since most of California will be under water. Linda Kaplan/whatever© will be checking your travel arrangements on Saturday, and if you still have flights booked from Sacramento, San Francisco or Los Angeles at that time, she and C–Influence will take steps.
Nevertheless, the names all students attempting to leave Apollo for any reason whatsoever after October 21st will be recorded. Such acts of sheer willfulness and lack of faith will be noted by Robert and Alex Horn©, who have other plans for you.
28. linda whitworth,
Thanks for helping spread the alarm to all the forgotten (and sleeping) life people! If you have difficulty forwarding the link for that post, you might try using the blog’s homepage link, which should suffice:
https://robertearlburton.blogspot.com/
When The Yuba Sutter News contact stated the Fellowship’s numbers have decreased, they may have been referring to the recent San Francisco Chronicle article about Apollo and Renaissance, which stated:
The current membership is around 1,500 and has been fairly steady for around ten years now.
Thanks to ALL you bloggers who are turning out in this time of immense peril! It is your content contributions that serve as the primary source for that “other blog.”
(And, speaking of end times, don’t forget to vote!)
28. Thanks Tim, that is the link that is blocking me sharing on fb in a private message. I can do it via e-mail though….
More from our mole:
As previously noted, Robert has indicated that the gods wish funds raised at the Silent Auction tomorrow to be used for enhancements at his Mexican retreat. Money raised at this auction will be specifically dedicated to the purchase the world’s first “Lube Fountain”, to be fabricated and decorated by the great–grandson of Fabergé, or someone, at great expense.
Robert says, “This is the will of the gods, who have decreed an end to my decades of suffering—having to put up with cold lube. From now on, lube at my exact body exit temperature (which, I am excited to say, will be determined digitally) will be tastefully sprayed into an enameled bowl at the base of a richly jeweled gold fountain. Sasha and Dorian have assured me that there will be a hidden fifty–gallon reservoir, sufficient to last us through an entire Valentine Day’s celebrations. Stopping for refills and trying to unscrew stupid slippery caps the wrong way and throwing empty tubes at wastebaskets and always missing has been a major distraction and source of friction in a lifetime of evolving my students, but I have never complained.”
The official motto of the Silent Auction on Saturday has been revealed by Higher Forces© to be, “Let your wallet speak for you!”
Credit cards will be accepted until midnight, and of course you won’t have to worry about paying them off, so please bid up to your limit (found on every credit card statement, right at the top).
32. Ames Gilbert
Haha. Perfect.
As California slouches toward its private apocalypse, it is instructive to examine in detail the depth and profundity of Burton’s illumination of the mysteries hidden within such everyday objects as car number plates. His higher being can detect linkages ranging from incorrectly remembered commentaries on baseball games, sport fan songs and the global collapses of bee colonies, to his personal gift to humanity, the sequence. You’ve gotta laugh eh?
29. Ames Gilbert – October 18, 2018
“the grand prize—a selection of Robert’s used silk underwear embroidered in exclusive crimson fiber woven from the pubic hairs of virgin caterpillars, depicting any two of Robert’s prophecies, your choice.”… et al.
32. Ames Gilbert – October 19, 2018
“Money raised at this auction will be specifically dedicated to the purchase the world’s first “Lube Fountain”, to be fabricated and decorated by the great–grandson of Fabergé, or someone, at great expense.”… et al.
I
34. shardofoblivion – October 20, 2018
I don’t believe I’ve ever laughed at anything more than Ames Gilbert’s creative writing … until I watched the video clip (categorized as “Entertainment on YouTube”) that was posted by ShardofOblivion.
It certainly is entertaining and it’s hard to believe that it’s not Robert tongue-in-cheek riffing. And the music at the end… I am falling over! That was edited in, right?
Great to hear from you again and thanks for the laugh, Shard!
33. Ames LOL. 34. Not sure whether to laugh or cry for all those who still believe in THAT. Plse keep us updated as the hours countdown …..
I am compelled, out of pity, to offer metaphorical advice to the metaphor known as Jeffrey Ro_la_d©, Apollo Facilities Manager™, a selection of whose far–reaching metaphors were shared in the October issue of “News from Apollo©”, previously mentioned above.
The elevation of Colgate Power Station on the Yuba River is 577 feet above sea level. So when California falls tomorrow, and the sea level reaches 800 feet or so—oops, no power! Not to mention that the lines coming out of Colgate, passing tantalizingly close to Apollo on the Richard’s Ranch property next door on their way to Sacramento, have a potential of 220,000 volts. The other two lines from the station heading due north past Challenge and north east to Grass Valley are 96,000 volts. I suppose you were thinking of climbing up and attaching some long extension cords and run them to Apollo, huh? Oh dear, all the substations that power the lower voltage lines that run back up to the foothills, including Oregon House will also be flooded.
Or maybe you are trusting the ‘45 angels’ to provide a working oil well and a working refinery to run your generators and the factory to make spare parts for your generators, and mines and smelter to provide the material for your factory—not to mention the brain transplant you and your peers sorely need to acquire the knowledge to run all these and more—and to get the hell away from the loony Burton and his imaginary celestial helpers. No insult intended; as I said, I am only speaking in metaphors. Let him who has ears to hear…
Is all this just a result of bad planning by silly ‘angels’, ‘angels’ that can’t even get coherent messages through to the addled brain of the God–Emperor of Oregon House apart from re–arranging mailboxes and T-shirts for forty years? ‘Angels’ that are so dull and stupid themselves that it hasn’t occurred to them to use a different system or maybe try a more effective messenger to pass along instructions?
Or, maybe, just possibly, the God–Emperor Burton is wrong, wrong about everything, a mentally ill but incredibly dangerous asshole who has been making this shit up all along? Whether he actually believes the garbage he spouts or not, he has met a perfect match in his followers, huh?
According to our metaphorical spies, equipped with powerful telescopes overlooking Apollo, the gate–keepers are changing the messages on the signboard at the entrance to Apollo every morning now, instead of every week. Even through a telescope, the lettering is very hard to make out, so there may be minor errors. Apparently, recent gems include:
“Things Are Always Darkest Before They Go Completely Black”
“May all your Be’s be schlong. Love, Robert”
… definitely metaphors, IMO. What do other readers think?
It’s now 9:30am PDT. Less than 19 hours to go.
Some 700 Burton followers are now in Oregon House waiting for the big event. Or the big non-event.
Tomorrow’s meeting promises to be the largest since the early “Journey Forth” gatherings when meetings would be held at the Theatron. But which version is being planned? Post-apocalyptic, or coping with cognitive dissonance following another failed prophesy?
Even the most skeptical and cynical are no longer making Burton jokes or expressing anything “negative.” They have suddenly begun attending events again. Somehow, meetings are not all that bad, even if Burton continues to ramble mindlessly from one associative topic to another.
Every member is a believer, a supporter, and a defender of Burton. Only the degree changes from one person to another.
Now is not the time to express any doubts. You’re with us, or you’re against us. People have really tightened the ranks.
Well, off to the mountain top with my 30-day supply of cannabis and Oreo Cookies to enjoy the show.
Shard, thanks for a great laugh. And for emphasizing the nods of agreement/complicity on the faces of the nearby followers, that was perfect. I got the feeling that Dorian and Sasha had to restrain themselves from laughter as they hovered over Burton, and could barely contain themselves from hauling him off and taking over, right there and then. Have patience, Dorian, the keys to the kingdom will soon be yours! And then you can run things just the way you want—with the help of your trusty i-Pad. Such a pity Asaf Braverman has also gone bye–bye, he was able to do all this without smirking and without the help of an i–Pad, but Burton must needs make do with what he’s got.
An astute and objective observer, such as myself, seeing that chorus of nods whenever Burton let slip yet another non–sequitur, can empathize. Burton spouts some crazy, and the followers immediately start the process of supplying some wisdom, both individually and as a group. “This is what he really means…”. The automatic nods and exchange of knowing glances are the signals to the brains to get working on reconciling reality with the propaganda.
I’m sure that later, after Burton had been shuffled away by his keepers to his next stint of consciously evolving another bunch of young men that have caught his randy eye, that the rationalizations and re–interpretations were being voiced aloud, ordered and encapsulated in handy, tried and trusted truisms, soon to be sanitized and re–transmitted to those unlucky followers who did not score a winning ticket to that particular teaching event.
There is a word for this process, “groupthink”. Everybody of any importance or sufficient pushiness offers their thoughts into the communal bowl. The Older Students™ stir mightily, the contents are filtered, outlier thoughts are sifted and consigned to the trash heap, and then everyone drinks from the bowl through an authorized and sanctified straw. Groupthink, it happens to the best of us.
Up to the moment news from the Apollo Observation Team, trusty wielders of high–power telescopes on the behalf of the rest of humanity.
Great galumphing gumshoes, our spies have just reported that there is a big kerfuffle going on at the Apollo© gatehouse. Apparently, a huge stainless steel tanker truck hasn’t been able to make the turn onto the property, and harsh gestures in abundance are being exchanged between the armed gate–keepers and the driver. The tanker is easily identified, it belongs to the Astrolube™ Corporation, motto, “We provide the slip, you provide the slide”. Big blue letters, clearly visible from Ure Mountain.
Now the driver is backing away from the truck with his hands raised. Will sanity prevail? Will he be able to make the turn? Right now the rig is blocking both the exit and the entrance, and cars are piling up in both directions. Maybe the driver will just abandon the tank and hightail it down the hill?
Finally we can understand what Geoffrey Ro_la_d©, Apollo Facilities Manager™, means by being properly prepared. A 5,000 gallon emergency delivery of lube, sufficient to last for the first ten years of the New Civilization™, or at least until the new refinery can sort itself out and commence production of this vitally needed substance. Thank goodness someone kept calm amidst all the excitement, foresaw the need, wisely prioritized and has acted decisively to take care of the truly important things!
38. Insider. must be about 9 hours to go now …. sorryI am in the UK so not sure exactly … any more updates ?
Thank you Shard.
40. Ames Gilbert
Maybe if they lube the truck…
Oct 20, exactly 4:00 pm in Calif. Twelve hours to go to nothing. People have been having a great time. Seriously. In fact, if Burton keeps throwing bashes like this, followers will happily believe anything he says, do whatever he asks, and immediately forgive him for missing yet another prediction.
What almost no one in the Fellowship understands (or they would likely no longer be members) is that the prediction itself is irrelevant, and also whether it comes to pass or not.
The important point is that Burton’s grip on what the followers believe is tighter than ever. Having gotten rid of hundreds of members since 2006, many of whom still had a seed of objective reason, no one remaining has any inclination to challenge or question Burton, even to themselves. They are, in actual fact, under Burton’s spell (and now, more than ever), all the while thinking they are wide awake and in control of their beliefs.
Assuming the obvious, that zero will happen at 4:00 am tomorrow morning, the last bit of suspense is whether Dorian will be sainted at the meeting tomorrow, i.e. declared a “crystallized conscious being,” as Burton as been predicting for most of this year.
But whether this Dorian fraud happens tomorrow, later in the year, or in a future year, the masses will instantly accept it as true without pondering it even for a moment. And after that, they will readily begin “working” with Burton’s next set of doomsday predictions, possibly for 2020.
(Now, 4:30 pm. The minutes and hours are flying by. Is Burton beginning to sweat yet?)
I have spent hours (well, actually closer to five minutes, but it seemed like hours) poring over and analyzing the video mentioned above, the one of Burton surrounded by an uncritically adoring flock in the midst of a sea of gaudy, tasteless, useless and expensive decorations at a so–called ‘teaching dinner’.
For the purposes of scholarship and to educate future generations, I have divided the segment into the following categories:
• Amusing (97%) Note: for the purposes of this study, I have combined all sub–scores, ranging from ‘light laughter’ through ‘hilarity’ and up to and including ‘uncontrollable loud guffaws’.
• Banal (89%)
• Ridiculous (99.99999%)
• Paranoid (17%)
• Boring (289%)
• Repetitive (1520%) Note: I have combined the sub–scores for, ‘repetitive within this scene’ with, ‘we’ve heard this exact same thing before’ in countless other scenes over previous decades.
• Metaphysically sleep–inducing (1212%)
• Physically sleep–inducing (356%)
• Self–contradictory/circular (898%)
• Overtly stupid (no score because the needle hit the peg and broke off). Guesstimate: 4000%
Others, more open–minded and meticulous than I, have noted these additional categories:
• Reasonable (0.000000001%)
• Meaningful (0.00001%)
…which (though I strongly disagree with their conclusions) I will include, as a token of my admiration for their unbounded optimism.
Note: The percentages do not add up to 100% because there is so much overlap between the categories. And, any amounts above 100% are solely due to certain Higher Forces (you know who you are!) jiggering the math— with Leonardo at large and able to manipulate the laws of physics and logic, anything is possible.
Insider, thanks for your report, and I hope you scored some good stuff. And remember, however good you feel, don’t bogart that joint!
News Flash: the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers due to the 3 run homer in 6th inning by the number 66. Mins
Thus, California will dodge the catestrophy, because obviously devilish burton is a brewer of false prophecies!!
Here in the UK it’s almost 10:00 AM on a Sunday morning, and as yet, there’s been nothing on the News. Does anyone know if an actual time was given for the predicted catastrophic collapse of the US West Coast ? Btw, I have heard that Tsunami waves can cross Oceans at the speed of passenger Jets, and tend to follow in all directions away from their source. This being the case, it is not only California that would be affected, it would be everywhere Westwards, even thousands of miles away on the other side of the Pacific. In that case, it surely will be Bye Bye Baby alright, for the Eastern Coasts of Japan, China, Malaysia, the Phillipines, India, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa amongst others.
Just wanted to add, without belabouring the point, that the “Others” includes the inhabitants of the thousands of very low lying Pacific Island nations in Polynesia, Micronesia and Amnesia (not sure about that last one). Many of these places are barely tens of feet above sea level, and already feel existentially threatened by a sea level rise of a metre or so resulting from the effects of climate change. An 800 foot high Wave is going to take them of the Map completely.
I am in a true quandary. Look, I know I’m putting my reputation on the line, but I have to tell you what I know, and damn the consequences. Some of you may think I’m just another nutter; no matter, I still have to try to make you understand.
There is no gainsaying the truth. It happened. Yes, that’s right, IT HAPPENED. Burton was right and I was wrong. There, I admit it, I WAS WRONG!
California fell, just as he predicted. The water is lapping at the lower foothills, right at the 800’ elevation.
What? you say. C’mon, everything’s the same. Same coffee, same person across the table, same old breakfast, same boring lies about Russia on the news, Trump did this, Trump tweeted that, everything the same.
Yes, that’s true, but only apparently.
You see, the gods have chosen not to reveal the reality of what happened to the rest of humanity.
Yet.
So how come you know this, Ames? And what about the chosen 1500, do they know? And what about Burton and Dorian and Linda and Kevin, do they know?
Friends, I have to tell you what I know, I can only tell you what I know. Here are the facts as I know them. First, it did happen. Second, at 4 a.m. precisely, I was woken up to an immense feeling of gloating satisfaction emanating from the west. Thirdly, after padding into the kitchen for a cup of water, I felt a sharp jog at my elbow, and I spilled the water. After trying several times to refill the glass, and with a sharp jog at every attempt, I realized what was happening. It was Leonardo, trying to get my attention! As soon as I had that thought, words came pouring into my brain. Like, “You can’t know what a relief it is to communicate with someone directly after 45 years of trying to get some sense into the brain of someone like Burton. He was so fucking obtuse, just really stupid. But I can tell that you and I are going to get along fine.”
Well, to say I was shocked would be the understatement of the century. I said, “Well, it’s quite a privilege, I’m sure, and pleased to meet you finally. So how come you are communicating with me at all, huh?” When I said that, I was suffused with a deep sense of shame, and it took a minute to realize it wasn’t me, it was Leonardo. “You get right to the point, don’t you?” he said, “I might have known. Look, I’ve been demoted. I was point man with Burton, and I failed. Hey, if you knew what a blockhead he is, I mean really, really asinine, you’d see that no one could get through. Talk about a narcissistic goat, forget that, that’s an insult to goats. Anyway, it was an impossible task, I was set up, it was a practical joke by the rest of the gang. Very funny, I’m sure. Anyway, that’s not the point, what I’m trying to tell you that I’ve been taken off any official duties, so I’ve decided I’ll spend some time with you, explaining things.”
After I thanked him, he went on. “The Fall of California was a joke that went bad, I’ll fill you in later. But the Higher Ups got wind of it and decided to take steps. Basically, long story short, the fall has really happened, that was necessary to correct some serious missteps from long ago, but the decision was made to not let humanity know right now. Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything in due course, it’ll take time because I can’t just dump everything into your noggin at once, you’d overload. But that’s the basic message; it did happen, but you are one of the few that knows the truth”.
Well, of course I asked him if it would be o.k. to share it and he said, “Sure, tell anyone you want, but they probably won’t believe you. I mean, do you believe it, even though I’m speaking to you right now in your mind? Anyway, got to go, catch you later!”
I could see what he meant. It seems so involved. I mean, what is the nature of reality, anyway? If “it is all a dream” hypothesis was true before today, what does this say for the dream? So there is another dream inside the dream and maybe another inside that? Higher Forces are choosing what dream we dreamers are exposed to?
This is making my head spin.
Anyway, I’ll repeat: California DID fall, but higher forces have chosen not to reveal it to the majority of humanity yet.
And no, I don’t know if the 1500 know this or suspect this. Let alone Burton. Like I said, I distinctly felt a big wave of jubilation and Schadenfreude coming from that direction. I have no idea what that means, if anything.
From Wikipedia:
Schadenfreude is the experience of pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning of or witnessing the troubles, failures, or humiliation of another.
So, what I was probably sensing was 1,000 or so people feeling totally vindicated and jubilant that they were on the right side, and a sort of communal, “I told you so! Fuck you very much!” to humanity in general and especially to the departed 15,000 former followers who threw away their chances, and thought them stupid for staying on. But nothing since.
Hey, I’ll ask Leonardo for the exact details next time.
O.K., Leonardo came back just as I was finishing my coffee. I felt a kind of hovering presence, and first thing he said was, “I was waiting until you finished, didn’t want you to swallow your coffee the wrong way or spray it across the table!” I thanked him for his consideration, and asked him the question that you guys probably have burning topmost in your minds: What about the 1500 members of the Fellowship of Friends, and their Maximum Leader, Dorian, I mean, Burton?
Here’s the gist of what Leonardo told me. I have to explain, it all just comes together in one swoosh, all at once, a complete paragraph at a time. Anyway, I was right, when California fell, those guys and gals were partying like mad, and certainly not expecting anything out of the ordinary. That is, despite having almost total faith in Burton generally, the majority did not expect the Fall to actually take place. Once/twice/thrice burned, always burned, I suppose. Even the most faithful of lapdogs learn about abuse from their master eventually, I guess.
Anyway, at about 3:50 p.m. the music was turned off, and Dorian asked for silence (Burton was otherwise still occupied, evolving the evolution of certain young followers), and commenced the countdown. First, every minute, then in the last minute, a second by second countdown. Then bang! Right on time, California fell. Really big shaking, but not enough to cause damage (Leonard told me it took all their efforts to control the quake at the local level to ensure the survival of the 1,000 or so). When I asked him about the electricity, he just said, “We took steps, I’ll fill you in on the details later”, and continued. So the lights flickered, but stayed on. At first, no–one understood what had happened, apart from the shaking. Then Dorian stepped forward. He had a glassy stare and a hideous grin, and one could tell the words were being forced out of his mouth. Leonardo said that Walt was having to remote control him, he was a big doubter beforehand and needed to be directly manipulated. Anywaay, Dorian told the followers what had actually happened. First disbelief, then wild cheering and clapping. This went on and on for maybe fifteen minutes, until their throats and hands were raw. This is what I (Ames) was feeling, from as far away as Grass Valley, and it was pretty nauseating, I can tell you. No thoughts for the millions dead, already piling up on the shores of Loma Rica, just so glad they were saved.
Then someone fetched Burton, and he was there in a purple and gold dressing gown, bowing and grinning and drooling spit, and all the cheering started over.
This is when the Higher Ups stepped in. In a single moment, they took away all the understanding of the crowd, and made things as they were, or at least in the dream world of mankind. So everyone thinks, including the 1500 and Burton and the rest, that things are just as they were at 3:59 a.m.
I don’t know when the actual truth will be revealed, nor does Leonardo. The Higher Ups are really pissed, apparently. They have been increasingly worried about where humanity is headed, particularly about the treatment and misuse of Gaia, but were planning on a different timeline. Now their hand was forced, they are making do with Plan B until they have sorted out various problems caused by the Law of Unforeseen Consequences.
So, that’s it. On the surface, things are back to where they were. For the majority, the Fall didn’t happen, Burton failed again, the sheep are busy alleviating their cognitive dissonance, and so on.
But I, and now you, know what the actual truth is.
And I have a new friend who can explain this dream to me. It’s a bit frightening, but also very exciting to know how things really work, I can tell you! I can hardly wait for the next conversation!
Yet more secrets revealed by our mole in the Inner Circle Squared™.
Another message to the laity:
The names of all students showing signs of joy that California did not fall into the ocean on October 21st are being noted as being Sufficiently Unserious™.
Robert has indicated that those who are glad that the lives of millions of Life People™ were spared when California failed to fall have themselves failed to understand that this leaves even more of a mess for C–Influence to deal with when Armageddon (date to be announced) finally arrives.
Robert has asked us to pass on the following guidance:
“Leonardo has told me that the 45 angels will have the gigantic task of not only directing tens of thousands of nuclear–tipped missiles, but also tracking down and exterminating nearly seven billion humans on this fateful day. As well as erecting a protective screen around Apollo that is radiation–proof. As well as providing a functional oil well with a working refinery so we can travel the world and collect the best art of the previous civilization. And so many other miracles that will have to come to pass to pull this off. So, the additional burden of expunging all those extra Californians might well be ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back’.
Dears, instead of thoughtlessly and selfishly indulging the queens and jacks of hearts, make full use of our miraculous Sequence™ while at the same time attempting to appreciate all the extra trouble that I and Leonardo and Walt and Will and Alex and the other angels are going to be put through, jump–starting the Next Civilization™!
Now, please excuse me, I have to urgently accelerate the evolution of several new male visitors who Leonardo has kindly arranged to cross my path. We are fortunate, are we not?”
Quick live update:
Our mole from deep within the organization has shared Burton’s preliminary words from the Big Meeting today, the 21st October. They have been consciously interpreted by Dorian Mattei© and consciously edited by Linda Kaplan/whatever©, and now published live on the private members–only website, Propylaea©.
“Of course, I am deeply disappointed that California failed to fall, and that tens of millions of Life People survived to make further nuisances of themselves. Higher Forces have revealed that the failure of this prophecy is definitely not my fault, it is due to lack of faith on the part of my students. Yes, I cannot stress enough it is your lack of sufficiently sincere belief that California would actually finally, finally, finally fall after dozens of failed prophecies that is the cause of this humiliation, and the Dawn of the New Civilization™ has to be put off yet again.
I had been looking forward to retiring to my Mexican retreat and passing on the reins to Dorian, but this will also have to be delayed. As a punishment for Dorian’s lack of faith, Leonardo is refusing to reveal to him that he is conscious; yet he is, I can see it in all three eyes and fawning demeanor. And to compensate for your insufficient faith, I will continue to lead three meetings a day for the foreseeable future. Not only is attendance at all of these meetings mandatory, the donations requested will double; I have a lot of shopping to catch up on. This period of intense teaching will last until your faith deepens enough. However, there will be a break for those of you who are divinely inspired with fresh suggestions on how to calm any unrest among my students.
Dears, it is not enough that you verbally affirm or agree that California is going to fall, or blow up, or something. That may be sufficient to fool Linda, but not the gods, who can see into the inmost recesses of your hearts; nothing, not even your most secret thoughts, is hidden from their view. You must come to deeply believe that California will eventually fall, to the very core of your being, as I do.
Although your evolution is indeed constantly accelerating, and I am doing my best to hurry things along by transmitting my personal teachings to what may seem to be an unending stream of young men, nevertheless I am streaking ahead even faster, the first being to move beyond the speed of light. The Absolute© agrees, and this morning tendered His Resignation, such is His awe at My Accomplishments. I tried to resist his blandishments, but in the end I did reluctantly accede to his arguments, which were Absolutely Compelling™, as you might expect. The Absolute© did mention that my trick of going faster than the speed of light (something he has been unable to do Himself throughout all existence) is what opened His eyes to the truth of the situation; He can’t keep up, He is just past it.
I might also mention that there was a lot of thunder and lightning as He Passed the Mantle, and a chorus of a hundred thousand archangels sang in my honor.
Although each of you is indeed conscious, it is a sign of how far ahead I am of you that you did not even notice. Yet there is always hope, so take care to keep current with your donations—the alternative is thousands of lifetimes of being a rock boiled continuously in excrement, or something equally awful.
That was the bad news, dears. Now for the good news.
First, The Absolute© has agreed to stay on to help Me out as necessary to accomplish My Agenda. From now on, He will be My Main Advisor, since Leonardo did such a rotten job and has been fired. He has also kindly agreed to manifest as a Universal Credit Card with Absolutely© no limits, and that will be quite handy for shopping. I hereby declare October 22nd each year as a day of celebration, which we will call, “The Day the Absolute© Passed the Mantle”. We will celebrate this like Valentine’s Day, only more so.
Secondly, the Sex Exercise is modified yet again. Not only are orgies encouraged, they are now mandatory. The task of every student is to attend at least two orgies a month. Linda will be in charge of recording all the details, this suits her essence admirably. Dorian and Sasha will be in charge of payments, since they have so much being in that area.
Moreover, the institution of marriage will change. Previously, it was merely a Suggestion™ to try to marry as many students of the opposite sex as possible during this lifetime. Although there were many notable successes, we must step up the pace. This has now been changed to a Task™, which is to exchange partners once every two weeks. That way, everyone has a chance. The tanker of Astrolube© that C–Influence so recently and prudently arranged for our use has been towed to Shop 3, and will be available to aid in lessening any friction that arises with the new arrangements.
Excuse me, my i–Pad just chimed in a very significant manner. A long Be followed by four wordless breaths. This must be important.
Oh, I have just been notified by Dorian that the shelf life of this product is only six months, so we must all get going, 5,000 gallons is a lot to get through in such a short time. But, be assured that I will do my conscious best to assume my share of the burden. Also, the bill for the contents of that tanker is now due; the sum owed is $123,456, a good omen. Study of our beloved Sequence©, the supreme gift of the gods to us all, informs us that this number means, “The Bill of the Gods Must be Paid— or Else”. It will please the gods (and Me) if you dig deep when Sasha or Kevin ask you to contribute to defraying this unforeseen cost.”
Note: the meeting is not over, this was transmitted while they were having a break, so there may be more news worth sharing to come.
O.K., O.K., I have been getting requests from all over to explain certain things in very basic clear language. So this is a sort of distillation of all the answers to various questions, courtesy of Leonardo.
First, about ‘Leonardo’. O.K., it’s not really Leonardo. In his own words: “This energy form speaking to you is actually all the ‘45 angels’; we have banded together into a single entity in order to communicate with you. We have been horribly misused, misquoted and hassled by Burton and his demons (yes, you heard that right, demons and succubi) for decades, and have had enough. This form is not permanent, and will dissipate back to where it belongs in the fullness of time”.
Second: Yes, we are all dead, at least in one dream. Yup, me too. See next answer.
Third: There are many dreams/dimensions, but not an infinite number. The Higher Ups are running at least two parallel realities right now, in ‘experimental’ mode. In one of them, California fell and we are all dead. In another, things are as they were. For about twenty minutes, the two realities coalesced, starting at 4 a.m. today in both calendars. This was a Big Mistake, which will probably take quite some time to rectify. Someone got muddled when the two calendars coincided and accidentally allowed some of the stuff of one experiment to mingle with the other; ‘nuf said, you wouldn’t understand it anyway, I certainly don’t, and I have a feeling that ‘Leonardo’ doesn’t either, but he’s too proud to admit it.
Fourth: Only a few humans have the special knowledge of the existence of the parallel experiments. Natural law allows these few exceptions. Count yourself lucky!
Fifth: I’m not going to ask Leonardo to answer any more questions for the time being! As you can imagine, I’m completely tuckered out from all the excitement.
As a neighborhood coordinator, I was actively involved in the preparations for the 1998 prediction of the fall of California. During that time, the focus was on preparedness, such as it is this time around. Not at any time did I consider the amount of suffering that such a catastrophic event might cause millions of people, animals, and the devastation of the land. I experienced no fear but a sense of exhilaration, as though we were embarking on some Disneyland adventure. I did believe in the 1998 prediction and followed all the rules to make sure we were fully prepared. I even had an opportunity to talk to Burton and in my enthusiasm told him that we will be prepared. How foolish!
The past few days, I have felt an outburst of both fear and love for California. Not that I believed in Burton’s prediction, but, instead, because I have now regained my conscience and my humanness, and therefore care for others and their well-being.
P.S. Forgot to mention that I left FoF in 2008.
Sorry not to keep readers updated, but after a while not hearing from our mole, I decided to go out and attend to things like hewing wood and carrying water, and tuning up my Prius for its smog test tomorrow morning.
The mole is still out of contact, hope nothing bad has happened to him/her!
In the meantime, looking over my notes, I realize that there are a couple of things I’ve missed that might be of interest that I can pass on without bothering ‘Leonardo’ again.
So, continuing:
Sixthly: No, the ’45 angels’ never did work with Burton. Actually, the first any of them had heard of this charlatan and pretender was just before the Fall—except for Leonardo. That’s right, these libeled and abused beings only got together when Leonardo put out the word to them! Before that, Leonardo was working by himself to try to change Burton.
In his own words, “Think of me as being a kind of Celestial Animal Control. Here comes this rabid beast, and I volunteer to try to get it under control. I try for decades, but it just gets more and more mad. Of course, I tried to speak mind to mind, like I am with you now. No joy. Then I notice how superstitious he is, not stepping on the joints between paving stones, avoiding walking under ladders, you know. So I try numbers on mailboxes, stuff like that, just trying to get his attention. But no, he is so thick and willful, just a bundle of lusts and desires, he just interprets these to suit his own out–of–control desires.
This goes on and on, just me trying to do my best to coral him, and then he attracts some demons and succubae, and it’s hopeless. He’s winning and doing a heck of a lot of damage along the way. Finally, I had to ask for help. Even the shade of Alex Horn was appalled when he found out what was going on, and he was still doing our equivalent of penance for his own many sins while borrowing a body. So, it was just me up until almost the very end. He did get that right, some entity was indeed trying to communicate with him, though even that took a long time, he’s so dull. Anyway, like I said, we ‘45 angels’ are now working together, readying ourselves to try to put things right when the Higher Ups have worked out a solution. And of course, when Burton does finally kick the bucket, there will literally be Hell to pay, and we may have to help control the demons and succubae that have been feeding off him for so long. They are going to be really pissed when their energy supply is cut off!”
O.K., what was the other thing? Oh yeah:
Seventhly: people asked about these two ‘experimental time streams’. What that means is that both are provisional, so to speak. The Higher Ups will run them separately until the solution about how to best combine them presents itself. These time streams can’t run separately for very long, too many timing dichotomies between them to solve build up. But, the way I understand it, at some point the best of both time streams will be combined, and everything will proceed from there both backwards (to the split) and forwards in a unified way. This means that the Burton saga may be able to be erased in its entirety, together with all the consequences. Or at least maybe they’ll be able to head off the worst of it much earlier on, say 1971. This particular anomaly or symptom is somehow connected with the disastrous spread of mankind all over the planet without any sort of control over the last couple of centuries; apparently, it’s all part of some virus that has led to the failure of this version of the human experiment in our time stream. At least that’s the way ‘Leonardo’ explains it, but he doesn’t claim to have a full understanding himself, it’s a long story and a very complex problem to solve, he says.
So that’s it for now from Ames, I’m signing off, I’m really exhausted by this whole thing, but I wanted to leave you guys with the hope that something is being done on the larger scale, and some Big Minds are at work on the problems.
I’m sure ‘Insider’ will find out what else happened at the Big Meeting today, and keep us all updated.
P.S. Of course this whole thing of Burton having any sort of a relationship with the Absolute is sheer raving madness. According to ‘Leonardo’, even the Higher Ups very rarely interact with the Absolute, and it is likely that ‘he/she’ has no idea of the existence of this rather remote corner of the universe at all, let alone an insignificant criminal like Burton on an insignificant planet on a backwater star system; everything we can see and comprehend was all set in motion eons ago, and ‘she/he’ went on to bigger and brighter things, like how to bring a million galaxies into existence simultaneously as the backdrop to some grand drama on a scale we can’t imagine. So, it’s up to the local entities to sort out any messes, and that is where we can all help out.
34. shardofoblivion
WTF is with his voice? He sounds like an imbecile.
Tim, are we under water now. Am I just treading water for the rest of my life. Good thing I’m a good swimmer.
Around 7:00 pm PDT this evening, Oct 21, following up on earlier messages that “it” might still happen tonight, it was announced that, if California does not “fall,” Monday would be a work day to restore the galleria; and if California does “fall” tonight, there will be a meeting on Monday morning.
You can’t make this stuff up.
58. Insider
Actually, one does make this stuff up.
Thanks for the update, Insider. So it might have happened last night? I’ll have to consult ‘Leonardo’ to find out if it happened in the alternative time stream or not.
Seriously, isn’t this a reprise of the last time round in 1998? Didn’t Burton try to eke out his prophecy by moving the possible the date forward every few days after the initial failure, until he finally gave up about five tries later? I wasn’t taking much notice that time, but there were rumors…
58. brucelevy
Yup, anybody can make up anything they want. Even on this blog! It makes it so difficult for anyone trying to sort out truth from fiction, I can tell you. And over there in the compound of the crazies, metaphors are multiplying like rabbits.
Once again, in the starry words of one of Robert Earl Burton’s favored “44 Angels”, the now recurrent prediction of the Fall of California is 𝘔𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. [ William Shakespeare ]
Seeing the video clips of Burton’s barely coherent ramblings, I find myself wondering if he has perhaps been taking statin drugs for many years. Statins such as Lipitor, Lescol, Mevacor, Altoprev, Pravachol, Crestor, Zocor and Livalo are known for neurological side effects that include dementia-like symptoms. Perhaps Burton is taking statins for his heart condition and they are taking a toll on his ability to reason and express himself.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/its-not-dementia-its-your-heart-medication/
The body produces all the cholesterol it needs by digesting food and producing new cells on its own. What statins actually do is prevent the body’s natural production of good cholesterol, thus lowering the overall number in blood cholesterol tests. Stains do not prevent heart attacks.
Golden Veil & All
A few years ago, my stepdaughter gave me a little crystal ball (approx. 1 in. tall), which I carefully placed among many other meaningful mementos on the back porch table. Why did she give me that little crystal ball? Because I’d been joking around with my kids and saying: “When I look in my crystal ball (mind’s eye), this is what I see. . .” And they joked with me: “What do you see in your crystal ball about (so and so), Mom?”
Last week, when Ames mentioned Burton’s crystal ball here on the blog, I remembered my little crystal ball on the back porch. When I looked into it, I could clearly see the Grand Con Game – “Fellowship of Friends” Doomsday Prophesy, Profiteering Scheme and Scam – designed by the greedy hypocrite and grand larcenist, megalomaniac and serial rapist, blackmailer and gaslighter . . .
In any event, a false prophet and wolf in (tacky, tailor-made) sheep’s clothing is a voracious predator and thief. His false “prophesies” and “predictions” have always been a grand theft scheme, method and means of stealing and getting whatever he (who MUST be obeyed) wants from his prey – before, during and after “doomsday”.
Although Burton’s crystal ball is bigger than mine, I’ve learned you can’t judge balls by their size, or books by their covers.
A few days ago, we posted The Harmonious Circle (from cover to cover) at the end of False Prophets, Part III.
Feel free to call and write us.
Yours truly,
Linda & Sam Sapere
________
Remembering. . .
Joni Mitchell – Woodstock – 1970
Thoughts from the meeting on Sunday, Oct 21:
There was a new seating configuration on stage. Normally there are 7 seats, with Burton in the center and 3 followers on each side (plus Sasha and Dorian sitting behind Burton). For this meeting, there was a extra row of 6-7 seats behind Burton/Sasha/Dorian which were occupied by Burton’s harem.
Of course, the “fall of California,” predicted for 4:30 AM earlier that morning, did not happen. It was at least 30 minutes into the meeting before Burton actually mentioned a “failed prediction,” and he actually did so 2-3 times. But he framed it in terms of “Destiny,” which was the subject of the meeting. Once again, rather than admitting to being a failed and fraudulent prophet, he was the victim of “Destiny,” as in “My prediction was correct, just that the gods did not allow it to happen.”
Ever the optimist, especially when it concerns the possible death of millions of people, Burton handed out 2 more predictions for later that day: The “fall” would happen at 1:00 PM (best possibility) or at 5:00 PM. The reason there was a good chance of it happening at 1:00 PM was because the Los Angeles Rams and the SF 49ers had a football match with each other at that time, and Burton figured it would be poetic of the gods to destroy those 2 cites, and everything in between, at that time.
Burton made sure that everyone in the room knew where the exits were located, in case the “fall” happened during the meeting.
Overall (and I admit I may be reading too much into this) Burton seemed pretty low on energy, even confused. There were a number of long silent pauses where he did not know what to say next, until prompted by Dorian. He needed extra assistance from Sasha to stand up and walk out when the meeting was over.
Are there two Pyewackets on this site ? I didn’t submit the comment at #62.
64. Pyewacket
#62 sounds like Nigel stealing your handle.
insider 63
I feel a twinge of pity after reading your post… not for the end of a doddering, muttering old fool who has occupied center stage for these many years on the Follow Ship of Fools – the pity I feel is for those who have wasted their time and their lives believing in this charlatan.
66. ton2u
The Fellowship has been reduced to people who are satisfied with Burton’s religion, and with serving and adoring Burton. They are people who want to be flattered, and are willing to pay for it, with far more then just money.
How simple has Burton’s religion become? There is Paradise, and there is Apollo. In the entire universe, consciousness exists only in these 2 locations. Members of the Fellowship of Friends will be going to Paradise some day, and only FF members, but only if they don’t upset Burton.
How not to upset Burton? Primarily by giving him, or at least pretending to give him, the one thing he needs the most, but continues to look for in all the wrong places: Love and Respect.
(Those who upset Burton, who are no longer able or willing to reflect back to him what he so desperately needs, will be tossed out, and will lose their ticket to Paradise. Burton will see to that.)
Robert Burton is, in fact, a very unhappy person. He smiles only when he is on stage and the camera is running. A few years ago, he wanted a picture taken, and then shared with everyone, of him drying his breakfast dishes. I can’t describe how miserable he looked, how deeply in self-pity. The message accompanying the picture was this: “Because of the lack of people willing to work at the Galleria, Robert himself has to wash his own dishes. Shame on all of you.” Maybe it’s just me, but if Burton can’t find joy in the simple task of washing some dishes, maybe, just possibly, he is not what everyone imagines him to be.
Lacking a mature and healthy Self that would normally be completely satisfied with the Love that it, itself, is, Burton has no choice but to seek love and acceptance externally. And his “students,” having lost, if they ever had it, any possibility of personal responsibility, self knowledge, and objective reason, eagerly give Burton what he wants, in exchange for their regular “fix” of flattery (“Everyone here is a conscious being.”) and self-calming (“I will meet you when you enter Paradise.”) that Burton continues to dish out.
And in the end, everyone is happy, or so they imagine.
#67 I would love to see that photo of Burton drying his own dishes in a sulk.
Having watched the recently posted clip of Burton’s address to a meeting, and having to be prompted by the head dog’s body hovering over his left shoulder, my immediate impression was a recognition that he is showing symptoms of a degenerative dementia. Of course, this needs confirmation by a series of medical tests, as there are a number of conditions that can symptomatically present as one of the dementias that are actually treatable. I have some knowledge and experience of this in caring for my late Mother during her final years. It took well over a year to get the final diagnosis of mixed dementia, once everything else had been eliminated. My guess is that those who are physically caring for Burton are probably having a tough time of it, and feeling conflicted by having to care for their God-Man presenting as a blathering idiot.
WANTED: PERSONAL DISHWASHER NEEDED, for immediate placement in sanctimonious household, minimal life experience necessary, shared room provided and relocation expenses paid. Prospective candidates are perferably male, at least 17 1/2 years old, unmarried or willing to work on the down low, and must be punctual, circumcised, subservient, clean, cute, quiet, with a tight ass, dependency issues and no family or social ties, pathologically accomandating, willing to put in long hours for little praise on inadequate sleep, and comfortable with eating gourmet food scraps and sloppy seconds. Advancement is possible for those willing to overcome their gag reflex and swallow anything, including butt not limited to other unforeseen enhanced evolution techniques as deemed necessary or desired by your lord and new swinging master, who just so happens to possess only a tenuous grasp of reality.
Again, Insider, thanks for the update (#63).
Seekers trying to evaluate whether the Fellowship of Friends group is right for them should pay close attention.
Imagine the scene. Burton once again center stage, surrounded with gaudy trinkets, gold or marble statuettes, chandeliers, LED light strings. Dressed in one or another of his dozens of loud, loud, loud $10,000 suits and $200 silk underwear. Those around him wearing the same lavender, purple and cream outfits, often his hand–me–downs. Shoes to match.
And it’s all about him again, whether ‘humiliated by C–Influence’ once more, or supposedly ‘meeting with the Absolute’, whatever, he is always the central star of his little bubble, even when playing the victim. Spouting twaddle like, “My prediction was correct, just that the gods did not allow it to happen.”
Now with Viagra–hardened acolytes at his back, ready to do battle with any doubters.
I find it hard to summon up any pity for the individuals, if you can call them that, embroiled in this mess. Everyone there chose to give up all independence of thought and action to him, not understanding at first that this would become permanent. And now they are no longer interested or care. I feel pity for the situation, it is such a tragic waste of energy, resources and lives. Every one, those on stage, members of the harem, and every member of the audience had sufficient warning before it was too late. Maybe not before being ensnared, but certainly after they joined. Everyone is complicit, and responsible for their own plight and those affected by their complicity.
Most importantly, everyone is far more asleep in every aspect than when they signed up, despite all the parroted claims to have an exclusive lock on ‘presence’. Looking at the photographs and videos posted here and at the REB blog, does not the lack of animation stand out? This is an exhibition of the hive mind at work. The audience is completely passive, absorbing received knowledge, no questioning allowed, a one–way flow of energy from the superior to the inferior. Ordered to keep a self–hypnotizing, unblinking gaze on the source of, well, everything.
Even the blob having to be openly prodded by minders does not break the trance, as he mutters the same memes over and over, constantly affirming the groupthink.
With the resistance to change institutionalized, death came unnoticed. Now we can see rigor mortis setting in, leading to the inevitable and final process of fossilization.
Ames, reflecting for a moment upon the reason I expressed a degree of pity for those who continue to sleepwalk through life being hypnotized by a blathering Blobert and further self-hypnotized by group-think inside the hive-mind cocoon, somehow finding comfort in continued complicity in the charade…. I suppose maybe a better word than ‘pity’ might be sympathy or empathy… since I was once in the situation myself, I in some sense under – stand it and therefore can empathize with those who are still in thrall and feel sympathy for those who feel trapped and unable to escape… I realize how difficult escaping the cult can be. But you make a good point regarding complicity of those who stay even though they must see the horror-of-the-situation – the damage done, the wasted human potential. Some are simply not able to stand on their own as sovereign individuals and that seems to me a condition to be pitied – especially in cases where the person lacks the insight or intelligence to realize they unwittingly contribute to creating their own trap.
Yes, Ton, I may have come over as being judgmental, that was not intended, I was actually trying to describe the situation as dispassionately as possible. The leader has always been a dead man walking, and of course his disciples are following in his footsteps, their ambition and his wish perfectly matching. But it’s a death march. So much for the dynamics of the group as a whole.
Nevertheless, each human being within the group always had and still has a choice—to individuate or not. As the Fellowship of Friends’ own spokespersons, and apologists on this blog correctly claim, anyone can leave at any time. But as we know, it’s not so simple. The psychological bonds are incredibly powerful. And the strongest fetters are the more effective because the wearers think they have escaped, that they are free, and the very opposite of captives or slaves.
It’s a battle of belief systems. There are those who believe that Burton has the answers, generally and in the particular. And there are those who have experienced the cult and have broken away, who know both sides, who know the damage caused to themselves and others, and have taken responsibility for their lives, disappointments and joys and all. Any of the latter are going to have empathy and sympathy for the plight of a captive.
From what I can observe, there are many sub–categories in the group. There are those who have abdicated all responsibility for themselves, content and glad to leave their fate in the hands of Burton and his demons. There are those who are happy to have a position of authority, spiritual or temporal, within the organization, and this is their main satisfaction. There are those who knowingly prostituted themselves, accepted the bargain, getting a Green Card and some luxury in exchange for labor and sexual favors. There are those who had not been able to make their way previously and stumbled upon the organization and found respite and a home. There are those who were wounded, or needed a father figure. There are those who sought answers to the Big Questions, and are in the process of discovering that they are being fed pablum. There are those who are just plain tired, or are afraid of losing their circle of friends, or who are financially dependent on the organization. I can and do pity any one of these for the position they find themselves in. Yet no–one can take on the responsibility which is theirs and theirs alone.
If there is anyone from within the organization that is reading this, think about pride. Here in the western culture, pride is regarded as a sin—case closed. But I invite you to think of that aspect connected to self–respect and even self–love, the part of the psyche that takes care of the welfare of the Self. If you can observe and connect to that, then you can break the fetters and escape. You can hope—and act on that hope. It is a question of your survival, and it doesn’t matter if you are nineteen or ninety. You may be used to putting your faith in Burton and his claims, how about putting faith in yourself and taking the plunge into the unknown?
You are guaranteed interesting times, you will become alive in a totally different way, and every day will bring fresh adventures and surprises. Your days will no longer be scripted, and although you will probably miss some of those artificially induced highlights like concerts and ballets, your experiences will be genuine and yours alone to savor and learn from.
So, I encourage you to start respecting yourself and your potential and capacity for independence, and make the decision to break free.
#64 Pyewacket- Thanks for catching that. It has been taken care of.
Thanks for sorting it out fofblogmoderator. No offence taken on my part, nor damage done, apart from it could have sowed some seeds of confusion going forward. Anyway, imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery, as they say. Perhaps the perp, just succumbed to the predations of our solitary celestial satellite, as we all do from time to time.
It would be good to reflect upon the below in regard to the recent discussion:
From Wikipedia:
“Stockholm syndrome is a condition that causes hostages to develop a psychological alliance with their captors as a survival strategy during captivity. These alliances, resulting from a bond formed between captor and captives during intimate time spent together, are generally considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims. The FBI’s Hostage Barricade Database System and Law Enforcement Bulletin shows that roughly 8% of victims show evidence of Stockholm syndrome.
[Interesting that 8% is close to the retention rate that the Fellowship of Friends has; ~8% of those who join are still members.]
This term was first used by foreign media in 1973 as eponym when four hostages were taken during a bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden. The hostages defended their captors after being released and would not agree to testify in court against them. Stockholm syndrome is ostensibly paradoxical because the sympathetic sentiments captives feel towards their captors are the opposite of the fear and disdain an onlooker may feel towards the captors.
There are four key components that generally lead to the development of Stockholm syndrome:
– A hostage’s development of positive feelings towards their captor
– No previous hostage-captor relationship
– A refusal by hostages to co-operate with police forces and other government authorities
– A hostage’s belief in the humanity of their captor, for the reason that when a victim holds the same values as the aggressor, they cease to be perceived as a threat.
Stockholm syndrome is considered a “contested illness,” due to many law enforcement officers’ doubt about the legitimacy of the condition. Stockholm syndrome has also come to describe the reactions of some abuse victims beyond the context of kidnappings or hostage-taking. Actions and attitudes similar to those suffering from Stockholm syndrome have also been found in victims of sexual abuse, human trafficking, discrimination, terror, and political and religious oppression.”
One might also add to that last sentence: victims of cults.
You cannot change the past,
but you can change the story
you tell yourself about the past,
and thereby change the future.
Associated Press, thanks for the reminder about ‘Stockholm Syndrome’. Here in the U.S. the phenomenon entered the public awareness in a big way when Patty Hearst used this argument in her defense after she was prosecuted for her part in the actions of the Symbionese Liberation Army. She had been kidnapped and held hostage by the SLA, but then later appeared to be a full and willing participant in their bank heists.
You used the words,
“You cannot change the past, but you can change the story you tell yourself about the past, and thereby change the future.”
If you don’t mind, I’d like to offer that effectively “changing the story” means telling the unvarnished truth about one’s self, past and present, not the usual invention of a new twist on one’s usual narrative in order to protect one’s ego.
Only if one can confront and embrace that truth, can one be truly present, in my opinion. That is, I have to know where I am, and how I got here as the backdrop to being in the moment. If I don’t know where I really am ‘right now’, then I can have no idea about what I have to do in order to get to where I want to be. Even were I to have a decent map in my hand, it is of no help if I don’t know where I am!
Followers of Burton have substituted a bunch of feel–good fairy tales for the truth. Burton is the master of lying and manipulation, not the truth. Not only does he not know where he himself is, he never had a map at all. And instead of being a signpost, he is now the destination.
That is why so many of his followers never make any progress (except in their imaginary bubble), never see that they have been led into a blind alley—and never graduate.
77. Ames Gilbert: Well stated.
One context I could see for this:
‘You cannot change the past,
but you can change the story
you tell yourself about the past,
and thereby change the future.’
is the stigma of seeing oneself as a victim.
It is necessary to get beyond that in order to move forward to a better future.
How do Burton followers spend their “spiritual” time these days?
1. Pretending to be a “conscious being.” The gaze, the facial expression, the walk, the act of not being “identified.”
2. Getting Burton’s attention. Strategically crossing his path; sitting near his table; making nice with his boys and dogs.
3. Making sure everyone else notices when Burton gives them a scrap of attention. This reinforces #1.
Insider:
I remember what that felt like, to be so dependent upon burton for validation, a person who places himself above moral scrutiny, and it makes me sick to my stomach. It set the stage for my exploitation by a sexual predator.
How destabilizing! I was lead to believe that “self-remembering” in that context was somehow empowering, but clearly in retrospect the opposite is true.
I feel so sorry for burton’s victims, to be put in a position of trading sex for fleeting, temporary validation instead of an expression of love. That level of spiritual corruption is criminal IMHO.
Hopefully the shock of yet another of burton’s failed predictions will wake a few people up to his ruse and free themselves from his obsessive insanity.
Trump’s ascension to power is an excellent example of how successful a traumatizing narcissist can be at gaming the system with lies, fear mongering, and drama to feed his megalomania and fire up his base supporters who collude with his delusions.
Insider (# 79),
could there be a more perfect description of ‘spiritual materialism’?
Add that to the incessant purchasing of supposedly ‘spiritually significant’ art objects at great expense over the decades…
…not to mention the obsessive collection of ‘higher states’ into the personal albums of every follower in the hopes there will finally be enough to satisfy the gate–keepers of Paradise…
81. Ames.
And not to forget the $300K+ property tax refund for the Galleria because of its use in storing art objects used for spiritual practices.
(At least the refund was only half of what greedy Bob was trying to get.)
Greedy Bob…? part and parcel of the job of a charlatan…
Remembering the days of my youth, a song titled Spiritual Fantasy by Steppenwolf…
Humanity grew weary
Of it’s doubtful state of mind
So it summoned from far and near
All the wise men thought to be sincere
To heal it’s wounds and make it whole
And lead the way back to the soul
The charlatans they stayed behind
To count their bags of gold
And some stayed away as if to say
I know that my way’s the only way
Afraid to learn they may be wrong
They preach their nothingness at home
But the wise men came together with the hope to free mankind
Of the rubbish that had gathered in god’s name
To embrace and trust each other in the search for the supreme
And they found that all their teachings were the same
And when at last the word went round
That all were one and all
Many returned to seek the light
Nobody claimed that he was right
It’s sad to know it’s just a song
To dream and hope still can’t be wrong
ah… nostalgia!
re 80 Whalerider
I think Whalerider makes a good point:
“I remember what that felt like, to be so dependent upon burton for validation”
REB is not the only cookie out there that likes to set up their jungle so that others become dependent on him for validation of their work or themselves. You can find that this dynamic can creep into your workplace, in some or other social setting, where something feels off but you do not know why. And then you see, you are looking to this other authority for approval of wht you are doing or even of yourself.
I suppose these dynamics can be healthy student-teacher etc. But they feel less healthy when there is an element of long term total control.
Ironically -or I suppose it makes sense- these controlling people are sometimes people of great natural gifts or talents and have risen to the top through work and perseverance. It is unfortunate that the expression of their gifts then involves controlling others.
Apollo is so close to Paradise that you can see sparks. Mistaking Hell for Paradise.
Robert Earl Burton prediction of the fall of California on 21 October 2018, or there-abouts, does not seem to have happened. Yet disaster has hit very nearby Oregon House, CA, (where Fellowship of Friends headquarters is located (headquarters because that is where Robert Earl Burton is getting plenty of head with his young male heterosexually oriented members/followers)). Tragically, Paradise, California, has nearly been entirely destroyed and Robert Earl Burton did NOT predict that happening (that I know about). So, this bares reposting:
“66. Ill Never Tell – July 13, 2008
65. steve lang – July 13, 2008:
‘The town of Paradise California, about 100 miles from Oregon House has been on fire for almost a week. Robert always liked to refer to the town of Paradise- as if its proximity was just one more indicator that the FOF was a result of C-Influence. I wonder how he’s been interpreting the fires?’
vvvv?
Apollo is so close to Paradise that you can see sparks. (A play on the words of the illustrious master: ‘Reno is so close to Hell that you can see Sparks’ (as in Sparks, Nevada). Or, in other words, Apollo ain’t nowhere near Paradise. In fact it is very far from it. So far that the sparks of Hell can be seen – especially if traveling in the direction of Paradise. Or, maybe what is seen as Paradise is an illusion, a mirage, a light show, of the sparks of Hell. . .
why deliver on consciousness when life is so great fooling those idiot consciousness seekers? That’s what you call Hell on Earth.”
“70. Ill Never Tell – August 26, 2009
Dear FoF Blog companions. . .,
I have been silently on the sidelines for awhile. Some of the reason being the fire that passed through the O.H. zone. That was another close call. It is with deference to that event that I held back on this one:
You know what Robert is reported to have said regarding Reno, Nevada?: ‘Reno is so close to Hell that you can see sparks.’ Making humorous the proximity of Reno to its neighboring community, Sparks, Nevada. Perhaps, now, similar could be said of Fellowship of Friends headquarters, in Oregon House, CA, since there have been at least 3 significant wild fires in its neighborhood recently: ‘Apollo is so close to Hell you can see sparks; real sparks – plus smoke and flames.’ No joke. I even saw a pitch fork around them thar hills. Some say it was the McLeod fire fighting tool (look it up on the ‘net), but some guy named Poseidon, brother to Pluto (sometimes called Hades) – god of the underworld, was holding it.”
Paradise Lost
Crossroads, yes.
Isn’t Milton supposed to have been one of the ’45 angels’?
So, indeed this must be a message—Paradise is lost and out of reach for you, buckos.
Seriously, there is the history of four and a half decades of mistaken messages, and the penny still hasn’t dropped, for Burton or his followers.
But Burton is too thick and never learns.
Maybe the meta–lesson is that he is unteachable. So, he certainly can’t teach anyone else anything useful.
Though he can be an object lesson.
Which is, Burton is a fraud and his ‘messages’ are random firings of diseased and pharmaceutically overloaded neurons.
88 Ames
From what I recall, Milton wasn’t included in the pantheon of guiding lights, obviously he never made the cut, as they say, and when I was a member there were only 44. Who is the 45th ?
There was a list of the names on a notice board at the Hall Farm (London Centre) and on the literature side these were: Shakespeare, Blake, Dante, Omar Khayyam, Whitman, Cervantes, Ouspensky, Goethe and Kurt Vonnegut. Certainly don’t remember Milton’s name being on there. Incidentally, his cottage was quite near to Chorleywood, I went there once.
Pyewacket, you are so out of date! There may have been only 44 angels when you graced the Fellowship of Friends, but since then Alex Horn has kicked the bucket. After many moons, the news that he had done so reached Burton through the normal channels. Naturally, Burton immediately claimed that the shade of Horn was henceforward throwing his full support behind the criminal enterprise, so now 45. You would have thought that Leonardo would have updated Burton about Horn when he transitioned, but apparently he forgot, or wanted to humiliate Burton yet again, or something.
I had only a vague memory of Milton being one of the 44/45/whatever, but to be sure, I just now headed over to the invaluable robertearlburton.blogspot.com, and found the following:
“Wouldnt You Like To Know” offered this list in 2010:
Joseph (son of Jacob), Moses, Solon, Ezekiel, Lao-Tzu, Buddha, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Virgil, Horace, Jesus Christ, Peter, Paul, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Omar Khayyam, Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarca, Hafiz, Geoffrey Chaucer, Fra Angelico, Leonardo da Vinci, Michel de Montaigne, Elizabeth I, Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare, Rembrandt van Rijn, John Milton, Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach, Benjamin Franklin, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, William Blake, Hans Christian Andersen, Abraham Lincoln, Walt Whitman, Lewis Carroll, George Gurdjieff, Rainer Maria Rilke, Peter Ouspensky, Meher Baba, Rodney Collin.
Frankly, I’m pretty sure that all of these would be deeply insulted and ashamed to be on Burton’s list, were they to be in a position to know or care.
GEMS OF FOF HISTORY
Here are the first 4 minutes of a meeting led by Robert on October 30th, 2016, 9 days after the expulsion of Asaf from the Fellowship of Friends. Robert mentions that Asaf is “going from bad to worse”, that “he is controlled by the lower self” and that “he is going to the end of the Ray of Creation”. Robert also comments on a picture he received of a tombstone with the name “Pierce”, which is the last name of Asaf’s wife indicating that it is a “sign from C Influence”, implying that her departure from the FoF with Asaf is a sinister fact (he also stated a few months later that the death from cancer of Denise, the wife of a person in Italy named Fabrizio that left the FoF to join “Asaf’s school”, occurred because “she was involved in a nasty play” and sent her a personal message inviting her to rejoin the FoF “in order to be saved”). At the end of the video Robert notes the coincidence that the angel that was supposed to wake Asaf up was Abraham Lincoln, the same “secret messenger” that was supposed to wake Miles up, and ends saying that “when you talk about as many things as I do you don’t even have thoughts about gettig them all right”.
NOTE: Asaf was very close to Robert during the 18 years he was in the Fellowship of Friends — he was part of the “triumvirate” with Dorian and Alexandr (Sasha) and was the dean of the Fellowship of Friends until June 2016, 4 months before his expulsion.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/g96sntuqubhb18e/Mtg_Robert_103016.mp4?dl=0
#91 is a new contributor. Welcome, Cult Survivor. That’s one hell of a video you posted. Wow!
Somebody is filming a movie called “Breaking News in Yuba County” (see link to the script below) and no, it’s not about the FoF, but is a fictional story involving murder. Of all the counties in United States they had to chose Yuba County? A “sign from C Influence” perhaps?
http://scriptshadow.net/screenplay-review-breaking-news-in-yuba-county/
#92 Thank you, fofblogmoderator, glad to be here (survivors have a lot in common). “Hell of a video”, by the way, is quite accurate — isn’t hell what the end of the Ray of Creation is supposed to be?
Cult Survivor, welcome, and thanks for posting the movie. In my experience, this is one of his better, more coherent performances!
The wild–eyed lunatic presumes to instruct the sheep about Asaf Braverman’s removal somehow making the group ‘more conscious’ and ‘more loving’, etc.
Plus lots of other associative bullshit. And they lap it up.
Sigh!
Just for fun, I did a search on gravestone images with the name, “Pierce” on them. The first result led to 913 photos in Iowa alone! So, hardly uncommon. Any member of the infamous Fellowship of Friends ‘Research Octave’ could do the same in 30 seconds.
And they can do this with any random subject that the God–Emperor of Oregon House desires. Now add all the permutations and alterations possible in Photoshop, and one has a literally infinite number of ‘sources’ to back up any claim one might make, about anything.
Next, still having fun, I searched the Gravestone Photographic Resource online database (which I didn’t even know existed until a minute ago) for the name, “Burton”. 1223 entries for me to browse!
1223, I need hardly explain to readers steeped in Fellowship of Friends numerology, is the number of eons that Burton will be condemned to suffer being continuously boiled in vile lion excrement for his many sins. One million, two hundred twenty–three years, and counting…
Oops. I meant to say, one million, two hundred twenty–three thousand years, and counting…
It is important to be accurate when making predictions on this blog!
91. Cult Survivor
Dorian (the Burton whisperer) has been saying for years that, yes, Burton has stopped any form of overt teaching, and instead has been “demonstrating” something. Most people took that to mean demonstrating his “level of being” and the depth of his “consciousness.”
So what could Burton have been demonstrating at that meeting on 10-30-2016?
Compassion towards one of his student who has gone astray?
Acceptance of whatever the “play” brings?
Transformation of suffering (from losing a “dear friend”)?
Hope that his former favorite would eventually return?
Gratitude for the opportunity to see and learn something about himself?
Kindness?
Non-identification?
Understanding?
Divine “crystallized” consciousness?
The Being of the “brightest light” in 2000 years?
I wonder how much Burton’s followers paid for this demonstration at that meeting, and how many of them think they got their money’s worth.
The pettiness and vindictiveness Burton demonstrates in that brief video resembles what Donald Trump demonstrates daily. Two p’s in a pod. (“p” for psychopath, that is.)
Pyewacket, in #89 you include Kurt Vonnegut in a possible list of conscious beings, which made me smile. It would have broken the law of “this world’s not big enough for the both of us” that all cult leaders adopt. This is to avoid the paradox of two infallible beings contradicting each other, which can cause smoke to emerge from reality, as it struggles to contain such multitudes. But it also gives me a flimsy excuse to post the Bokonon prayer for the dying that is in Vonnegut’s 1973 novel Cat’s Cradle. Some jargon of Bokononism: A wampeter is our allotted task on earth, and our karass is a band of secret spiritual allies who help one on one’s way.
God made mud. God got lonesome. So God said to some of the mud, “Sit up!” “See all I’ve made! The sea, the hills, the sky, the stars!”
And I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me. Lucky mud! I, mud, sat up and saw what a nice job God had done. “Nice going, God!” “Nobody but you could have done it, God. I certainly couldn’t have!
“I feel very unimportant compared to you.”
“The only way I can feel the least bit important is to think of all the mud that didn’t even get to sit up and look around! I got so much and most mud got so little. Thank you for the honor.”
“Now mud lies down again and goes to sleep. What memories for mud to have! What interesting other kinds of sitting-up mud I met! I loved everything I saw.
“Good night. I will go to heaven now. I can hardly wait: To find out for certain what my wampeter was. And who was in my karass. And all the good things our karass did for you. Amen.”
I sent the “hell video” (post #92) to a current FoF member that I happen to have a casual/social contact and to my astonishment she replied “nobody loved Asaf more than Robert”. Amazing.
By the way, somebody pointed to me that there is a “hell letter”:
https://robertearlburton.blogspot.com/1980/03/hell-letter.html
100.
Yes until he noticed that Asaf was not coming to his meetings. Until Asaf ceased to orbit around him. Until Asaf no longer needed to be dependent on him. Until Asaf had nothing further to learn from him. Until his fairytale bubble was no longer what Asaf needed.
And then, nobody hated Asaf more than Robert.
Cult Survivor (#100),
In an awful, sick way your contact may be right.
No doubt Burton ‘loved’ Asaf Braverman when Asaf was his golden boy, supporting his master unconditionally and adding luster and glory to Burton’s image. This is the ‘love’ a narcissist showers on those that reinforce his delusions. So, Burton may well have ‘loved’ Asaf for eighteen or however many years. Certainly Asaf reaped the benefits, both psychological and material.
Asaf was the ideal reflection for a narcissist, being rather vain and proud himself, and no doubt their mutual esteem for each other fed the other and bolstered their respective world views. And of course, this was all happening with the admiring and uncritical approval of the laity, who thought it was just dandy and special and ever so ‘conscious’. My guess is that this narcissistic circle–jerk is what your contact fondly recalls in hindsight, through rose–tinted spectacles.
But the video demonstrates perfectly how quickly and easily this kind of ‘love’ turns into its opposite when ripples disturb the pool of the narcissist’s self–regard. The underlying unprincipled viciousness and will for revenge Burton openly displays is quite horrifying, really.
I’m still not sure of quite why Burton suddenly turned against Asaf, but others more knowledgeable have suggested that it was the result of a power play by jealous enemies who also had the ear of Burton.
Did Burton give Asaf a fair hearing when he was told about Asaf’s online ‘school’, which by then had been operating quite openly AFAIK for 18 months?
Somehow, I doubt it. Rowena or Dorian or someone knew just how to push Burton’s buttons, and when. And if the news about Asaf’s ‘school’ was couched as an attack on Burton’s supreme wonderfulness, I can easily imagine him acting impulsively and ruthlessly to eliminate the competition.
Still, though Asaf was lucky to have been ejected from the FoF for whatever reason, his insistence that he still has important things to ‘teach’ should be troubling to prospective followers doing due diligence.
IMHO, seeking and accepting and returning Burton’s ‘love’ must have been deeply and lastingly corrosive in important ways that he needs to study and understand. Asaf has obviously not taken much time to ponder and digest his experiences, because he has continued to ‘teach’ without a discernable pause.
In my opinion, he would do better to stop and ask himself about the nature of the ‘love’ he received and gave, why Burton petted him and elevated him to positions of power, the circumstances of his betrayal by those he trusted.
And of course, why he needs followers of his own so badly, why he cannot stop bullshitting about spiritual matters for even a week—and so on.
Here is a video of a meeting led by Dorian (most likely the future leader of the FoF after Robert “ends his task” or becomes too senile to function) on 10/26/18, 5 days after Asaf’s expulsion from the FoF. Dorian, Asaf’s “friend” and “brother”, judges him, condemns him and executes him in his own pontificating and convoluted way — 37 minutes of pure nonsense.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ndprgfwoxnq4pkv/Mtg_Dorian_102616.mp4?dl=0
CORRECTION: On #104, the date of the meeting was 10/26/16, not 10/26/18.
44 Dead in Paradise Fire
Not much blue sky in that neck of the woods lately…just the ashes of the dead.
On this 18-minute video, Girard explains at a meeting he was asked to lead on 11/02/16 why the situation with Asaf is a “play of crime”. For those of you that knew Girard, it could be a strong impression to see what he has been reduced to.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9so4m8kqcf0ewfk/Mtg_Girard_110216.mov?dl=0
Finally, on this 16-minute video from a meeting he led on 11/09/18 on the topic “Divine Assistance”, Alexandr (Sasha) comments on Asaf’s “play” in the same pontificating and judgmental way that Dorian did. He is a bit less convoluted than Dorian because he is, well, less intellectually gifted. A gem at the end of the video: “once you paid your teaching payment you actually made a contract with divine assistance” (add Russian accent).
NOTE: Alexandr (Sasha) was, with Dorian and Asaf, a member of the “triumvirate” selected by Robert to lead the FoF after he “ends his task”. Now that Dorian is gradually becoming the de facto leader Sasha is delegated to be in charge “the arts”.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/oz5oo2bqeh4rgfb/Mtg_Sasha_110916%28s%29.mov?dl=0
I’m posting these videos here in order to show somebody interested in joining the Fellowship of Friends which kind of damaging cult/asylum that organization is.
If you are considering joining the Fellowship of Friends please make sure you gather all the information that you can — ideally talking to somebody on this blog — before you make a decision.
CORRECTION: On #108, the meeting was on 11/09/16 (10 days after Asaf’s expulsion, not on 11/09/18 as my message states.
Cult Survivor, thank you very much for taking the trouble to find and post these videos.
This is an awful lot to absorb all at once.
But anyone who is thinking of joining the Fellowship of Friends, please take CS’s advice, look hard before you leap. If you join, you are taking the risk of ending up like these self–appointed intermediaries or more likely one of the followers you can see on each side of them.
You can do better, much better. Look elsewhere, and before you look, ask yourself the hard questions: why are you looking, is this some variety of escapism, why do you think that anyone else has the answers, what qualifies anyone else to be your spiritual guide, how do you discriminate, what is wishful or magical thinking, how many literally thousands of other groups are there out there each also claiming to have the only one true way. You must have answers to these and many other basic questions before you can safely navigate through the shoals.
Please, please, please take the time to arm yourself with thoroughly researched answers to these important questions before making any kind of commitment to any of these types of organizations.
Thank you cult survivor(s)!
Once I stifled my critical faculties, the first and last clips gave me a little sip of the jouissance I too would often experience in meetings, watching Girard was just pitiful.
A word of advice for anyone unfamiliar with cults viewing these clips: you might also get a taste of that feeling of ecstasy which is being labeled a “higher state”, being present”, “self-remembering”, or “seeing things the way they really are”, like the ecstatic experience of viewing profound art or in my case when hiking in the mountains, that hypervigilant state of mind which eventually is driven by the fear of the lower self (or any ‘other’), which is created, nurtured, and amplified in group experiences…can be addictive.
What is the endgame of addiction?…crisis.
The content of cults may vary, but chasing that feeling is the same as chasing a dragon. Sure, you may be able to grab a dragon’s tail for a few moments. Then it slips through your hands and disappears; such is the nature of feelings, and you will do anything, abandon anyone, spend down to your last kopeck, sell your body, go into debt…to have that feeling again.
What are the three unhealthy behaviors associated with addiction? Lying, cheating, and stealing. That is a play of crime.
Leaving a cult based upon lying, cheating and stealing…that is emancipation from slavery.
Thank you, Ames Gilbert, Insider, Tim Campion and WhaleRider, for your comments — I couldn’t have said it better and that confirms that we survivors have a lot in common. The FoF is basically a retirement home at the compound in Oregon House (the average age now is over sixty years); people who live there pay around 400 dollars per month plus special donations and events and put up with Robert’s delirium and his “successors” non-sense because they have nowhere to go. It’s more than sad – it’s pathetic. People in the so-called “centers” pay something like 50 dollars per month to basically attend a meeting per week as a social event, so they are not really “members”.
This blog should continue even if nobody joins the FoF (which may be probably the case, who would join and “make a donation to have a contract with divine assistance” to see the farce shown on the videos?) as a support group for cult survivors, not only for those that left the cult already but also for those that will leave en masse when the Great Prophet kicks the bucket and shit hits the fan.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-the-worlds-first-male-supermodel-escaped-an-abusive-doomsday-cult
The content of cults may vary…the lying, cheating and stealing is the same, based on the addiction to a feeling state.
#114. WhaleRider
This is very interesting, I was reading about this person today.
http://www.mainlinetoday.com/Main-Line-Today/June-2017/John-Hoyts-Journey-from-Male-Modeldom-to-a-Cult/
I found online a PDF of a paper called “Cult Formation” by Robert J. Lifton, MD (“The Harvard Mental Health Letter”, Volume 7, Number 8, February 1981) that some people consider a seminal work on cult psychology and MO. I apologize if this was posted here before, I am a recent survivor.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/co4j0u0na995np4/Robert%20J.%20Lifton%20-%20Cult%20Formation.pdf?dl=0
Dr. Lifton lists the 3 characteristics of cults:
1. A charismatic leader who increasingly becomes an object of worship as the general principles that may have originally sustained the group lose their power;
2. A process he calls “coercive persuasion” or “thought reform”;
3. Economic, sexual, and other exploitation of group members by the leader and the ruling coterie.
It’s evident that the FoF has the 3 of them and that BePeriod, Asaf’s “school”, doesn’t have number 1 because Asaf is not a charismatic leader (he couldn’t “learn” that from Robert because charisma is an innate characteristic). I find it very interesting that Robert intentionally selected 3 non-charismatic people for the succession “triumvirate” (Asaf, Dorian and Sasha) because he didn’t want any of them to replace him before his death or incapacitation. This shows that Robert is a cult leader par excellence — he has been coning people for almost half a century, and that would make amateurs like Jim Jones, Marshall Applewhite, Shoko Asahara, and David Koresh blush.
By the way, I would add a No. 4 to Dr. Lifton’s list:
4. Saying that people in the cult are the only ones that will survive an impending catastrophe, apocalypse or Armageddon.
Another sign of Robert’s mastery of cult domination.
Cult Survivor, you mentioned (#113), “a support group for cult survivors, not only for those that left the cult already but also for those that will leave en masse when the Great Prophet kicks the bucket and shit hits the fan.”
Actually there is a sort of support group, separate from sympathizers on this blog, and it’s called, “The Greater Fellowship”. It was formed in 2007 after one of the ‘get–togethers’ I helped organize, and is open to past and present members of the Fellowship of Friends.
It is a closed group, meaning someone who is already a member has to invite you in. Obviously I’m not going to give further details here, but if you ask around amongst other survivors you reach out to, you will almost surely find someone who can give you the invite.
Being closed to the general public ensures privacy, which is sorely needed when folks are unloading and sharing some of their memories.
On the site are details of hundreds of people you probably know (including a few present members), thousands upon thousands of photographs, and lots of interesting conversations.
After the first few years, interest has simmered down, and there is rather less activity nowadays. However, a small group of us is determined to keep it going until after Burton’s exit (it takes time and money to organize).
After that, we’ll see.
The Haven video (#107) showing the slide about ‘play of crime’ evoked some memories.
I am one of many accused of ‘the play of crime’ by Burton over the years. So Asaf and I have that in common at least, and I can certainly empathize if he felt turmoil on hearing about it.
Of course, the scale was vastly different; Asaf went from the very highest echelon, a future Lord of the Universe™, to the lowest dog shit staining Burton’s Gucci shoes—in one instant; whilst I devolved from merely insignificant to just a bad smell.
Nevertheless, this was a big shock for me at the time, and of course I immediately researched the literature about what this might mean.
Long story short, not much. Burton and his minions invented most of what I ever heard about the ‘process of crime’, based on what amounted to some reinterpretation by Rodney Collin of Ouspensky’s words. I found absolutely nothing from Ouspensky himself, Bennet, Gurdjieff, Nicol or any of the other 4th Way luminaries. That is, the word “crime” was never mentioned even once in connection with ‘triads’ or the ‘six processes’ in their works.
As far as I could tell, the phrase ‘play of crime’ itself was certainly invented by Burton, and invested with increasingly heavy meaning over decades by a sort of osmosis. That is, every follower who heard or used the phrase probably added their own interpretation, laced it with their own revulsion and condemnation, and somehow passed that thought–form on, like a large glob.
Actually, when one analyzes this phrase, it turns out to be meaningless. Semantic content, zero. It only means something to a member of the Fellowship of Friends, and it is only the learned connotations that give it a temporary situational meaning, the aura of horror and fear that is the learned response to the phrase. Once again and unsurprisingly, nothing to do with the Fourth Way and everything to do with controlling the flock.
Peter Bishop was tasked with not only with delivering the initial message that I was doomed, but also, over several months, with passing on Burton’s latest pronouncements about Ames. That is how I learned that Burton was calling my actions and efforts around that time ‘a play of crime’. It was also how I learned that I was the first person PB knew of that was expelled permanently; that is, I could not ever rejoin, that I had made the fatal mistake of thinking that Apollo was a community, and so on. As to why Burton felt compelled to keep me up to date, I have no idea. Eventually I had to actually ask PB to stop calling, because I was not interested in Burton’s mind games or opinions.
#118. Ames Gilbert
Thank you for the tip regarding the “Greater Fellowship” group, I’ll check it out.
#119. Ames Gilbert
That’s chilling.
119. Ames Gilbert
Rodney Collin discusses crime in
The Theory of Celestial Influence,
in many places, but particularly in
Chapter 13, The Six Processes in Man (II),
Corruption, here somewhat simplified and summarized:
(found on the internet)
“Crime
Finally we come to the order 312, which signifies the process of ‘crime,’ and includes disease, rebellion, and corruption. As in the process of work, the neutralising force comes first, but in this case it represents something wrong, like a poison, or a war. Suppose a war is declared. Then there will be bombs, active principles of warfare. And the bombs will seek out passive cities to destroy, unconscious of what they are destroying: this is a characteristic of crime and distinguishes it from the natural process of reduction. In general, crime leads to further crime. The declaration of war is itself the result of a prior process of crime in humanity.”
Whether this applies to your particular situation, Ames, is another story entirely.
A ‘play of crime’ in FoF terminology could be defined as a person (or persons) leaving the school/cult and attempting to bring others of the flock along to follow them.
118. Ames Gilbert
The Greater Fellowship is a closed group means that it is a private social networking website, not open to public access from the internet, such as searchability – so that material there is private to subscribers only.
There is a link to Greater Fellowship in the upper right corner of these FoF Discussion pages and people are welcome to join, especially if they are former FoF members.
The Sharon Gans Cult News Blog
http://sharongansrobertkleincult.blogspot.com/2018/07/gaslighting-part-whatever.html#comment-form
118. Ames Gilbert
122. Associated Press
Just for the sake of accuracy, Robert mentions on the Hell Video that the expulsion of Asaf is “like the body getting rid of some cells that it needs to shed” and, according to Rodney Collin, that’s the process of “elimination”, not of “crime”.
Not that it really matters…
Cult Survivor the problem with cults (and other form of belief systems) are groupthink mentality. So from one angle a leader is not needed.
Irving Janis: pioneered the initial research on the groupthink theory. He does not cite Whyte, but coined the term by analogy with “doublethink” and similar terms that were part of the newspeak vocabulary in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. He initially defined groupthink as follows:
I use the term groupthink as a quick and easy way to refer to the mode of thinking that persons engage in when concurrence-seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive ingroup that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action. Groupthink is a term of the same order as the words in the newspeak vocabulary George Orwell used in his dismaying world of 1984. In that context, groupthink takes on an invidious connotation. Exactly such a connotation is intended, since the term refers to a deterioration in mental efficiency, reality testing and moral judgments as a result of group pressures.[6]:43
He went on to write:
The main principle of groupthink, which I offer in the spirit of Parkinson’s Law, is this: The more amiability and esprit de corps there is among the members of a policy-making ingroup, the greater the danger that independent critical thinking will be replaced by groupthink, which is likely to result in irrational and dehumanizing actions directed against outgroups.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupthink
Hi Cult Survivor,
I was referring to the very first slide at the start of the Girard Haven™ presentation, which proclaims, “Robert
A play of crime never affects a real student—it is there to strengthen them.” and then subsequent explanations by Girard about Asaf Braverman’s ‘play of crime’.
Anyway, highlights of Girard’s presentation include (8:20 in the video)
Later on, Geoffrey Rowland™ points out that the information on the slide on Girard’s left is incorrect, Girard sort of acknowledges this, but quickly ends the meeting by saying that dwelling any further on the subject of crime would itself be criminal!
… and so it goes. Sigh!
Ironically, the slide displaying while everyone shuffles in at the beginning shows a bunch of clouds, with the word, “VERIFY” above it!
So, in other words, you can’t trust anything within you (and fuck conscience, that is just a collection of ‘I’s), you are a machine, so you must trust everything that Burton and his minions spout, even if you can’t understand the gibberish.
This is the result of 45 years of instruction by the Great Fraud. Girard Haven, Man Number Five, a conscious being, yet utterly unable to individuate and take responsibility for his life, unable to escape the thrall, incapable of taking back the will he was only supposed to surrender temporarily all those decades ago, unwilling to even entertain the concept of trying to live his life without training wheels. This is truly fucking sad…
I will give Girard credit though, he did entertain a question or observation from GR. So that is something.
____________________________________________
Note to anyone reading this who is thinking of joining the Fellowship of Friends: the Girard Haven featured in the video above (#107) is the crown jewel (thus far) of Robert Earl Burton’s work on earth, the product of 45 years of unremitting toil by a Man Number Eight + + + + and equal to the Absolute, to say nothing of the help of 45 angels, in order to produce at least one ‘conscious’ being to pass on the deepest esoteric principles and energies—supposedly one of the aims of a ‘Fourth Way school’. Another aim being to survive Armageddon and jump–start a new civilization.
Please consider the possibility that even if Burton was not a charlatan, his methods are incredibly inefficient, not to mention unbelievably expensive in time, effort, and treasure, not to mention incredibly dangerous for your spiritual well–being.
Still heavily smoked in from the Camp Fire, the one that burned down Paradise, and is now endangering Helltown.
So, inside for the last three days. Idle hands and minds…
…means more blethering from Ames. Feel free to skip!
Cult Survivor, you said (#116), “It’s evident that the FoF has the 3 of them and that BePeriod, Asaf’s “school”, doesn’t have number 1 because Asaf is not a charismatic leader (he couldn’t “learn” that from Robert because charisma is an innate characteristic).
I have never met Asaf, so I’ll take your word that he lacks charisma. And of course, your personal experience of Burton’s charisma far outweighs any opinions by Ames.
But still, your words beg the question: what is charisma, and does Burton really have whatever it is?
First, let me describe what I see happening right now with Asaf’s ‘school’, based only on what I, as a non–dues–paying–member, can access.
For example: after his first gathering of followers in Rome, he posted a public video showing some of the highlights. One starred him ‘explaining’ the esoteric significance of, IIRC, a stained–glass window in some church. This clip showed a monolog by him, his followers gathered around him looking suitably earnest and present. Others clips were in like vein. The message was what I would expect from someone trained by Burton. Which is, I know more than you, you are gathered together to absorb my superior knowledge, and this is very much a one–way flow.
One of his websites still refers to his two–year odyssey around the world to gather esoteric knowledge (enlightenment by absorption, I suppose) from assorted significant locations. So, he plays on this and claims authority. His followers then acknowledge this authority in two ways.
First, by agreeing to being his ‘students’ he becomes their ‘teacher’ and gathers the power they grant him.
And secondly, because this is an online Fourth Way ‘school’, and everyone who studies the Fourth Way comes to understand PDQ that ‘only one who has already escaped’ can instruct prisoners (of their own mental constructs) on how to escape in turn, they are at the very least acknowledging the possibility that he, Asaf, is ‘conscious’, whatever that means. If they stick around, then the possibility becomes a probability, and in due course, a certainty.
Sorry to be so long–winded, but I’m finally coming to the point. These followers have their own very strong effect on other followers or seekers. The more they invest in Asaf and his online ‘school’, the more they solidify Asaf’s authority and the structure and validity of the organization. In fact, I’m describing the formation of the foundational group–think. So, Asaf doesn’t have to have charisma per se, his followers imbue him with the necessary gravitas themselves, and this not only affects their peers and future newbies, but Asaf himself.
I put it to you: this is exactly what happened with Burton and the Fellowship of Friends. Far more than any charisma Burton may have, it is the psychological projection by his followers that is the main concentrator of his power. Plus, they gave up their power to him, at first for the duration, and then permanently. The history shows that Burton was not entirely sure of himself at the beginning (reference Jomo Pinata’s records of Burton renewing his ‘life’ teaching credentials in the first years). But as the group and the power relationships between members and Burton solidified, his authority and standing also solidified. And as the record shows, his claims grew ever more outrageous, he pushed harder at the boundaries, his followers acquiesced and justified, a new normal was constructed, rinse and repeat. Now the followers want and expect him to have all the answers, to have god–like powers, to take over every aspect of their lives.
And as an aside, how is Asaf, already vain and presumptuous, conditioned by years of manipulation and flattery by Burton and the unreal expectations of the FoF laity—how on earth is he going to resist eventually coming to agree with his followers?
Still, one can always hope for the best outcome for all concerned, and I do, sincerely.
During my waning days, I tried to see exactly what it was that Burton had. My conclusions then and now are, that he is really not that charismatic (I have since met business leaders who were way more ‘charismatic’, IMO). Rather, the whole setup inculcates fear or infatuation; in my case, fear. Burton can sense that, plays on that generally, and of course exploits individual weaknesses in particular, to bolster his position. He can certainly be charming when he tries (especially with rich followers), and can sometimes give the impression that one is important and has his whole attention; that I grant.
So these are just my thoughts, and once again, I acknowledge that your direct experience is what counts for you!
And as another aside, IMHO it was critical to the growth of the FoF and his power that he very early attracted that group of ‘older ladies’ down in Carmel, who fell in love with him, were charmed and cosseted by him, who added a vitally important veneer of solid respectability and sophistication to the project. Not just hippies, but solid middle– and upper–class folk like Anna Gold™ and Sheila Grunwaldt™, for example. They were also critical in ‘civilizing’ him, introducing him to classical music, the performance and visual arts, modelling ‘refined’ behavior. Not to mention they could provide much more $$ than hippies!
Later came the very able ‘explainers’, like Stella Wirk™. After that, the likes of ‘official hagiographer’ Girard Haven©, who provides heavy intellectual cover. Or how about ‘I’m only following orders’ Linda Kaplan©, or ‘the ends justifies the means’ Stephen Dambeck©, or ‘official interpreter’ Asaf Braverman©, and all the others of the “Inner Circle™” who did and still do their crucial work to buttress Burton and burnish his image.
There is so much knowledge about the Fellowship of Friends and the modus operandi of cults on this blog that it should be a reference not only for people considering joining the FoF but any so-called “religious group”.
Here are some bits of information about the Fellowship of Friends that I happen to know as a recent former-member that may be useful for somebody considering joining then organization:
• The real reason Robert Burton can’t travel to Europe is that there is an arrest warrant in the European Community for him, not that the long plane flight can be detrimental to his health, as current members are told.
• A close friend of mine that fixed Girard Haven’s laptop computer found in the browser’s history that he had visited several porn sites depicting girls that looked underage – this was also reported here on this blog several years ago by Clara Haven, his wife at the time, when she mentioned that Girard “was addicted to child pornography”. I saw the links to the sites on Girard’s computer myself, so this is not a rumor or a conjecture.
• There was a situation involving Dorian Matei and Mihai Algiu several years ago: While Robert was away in one of his travels, Dorian and Mihai invited several women to the Galleria (Robert Burton’s home) for a “higher state”, which turned out to be an euphemism for “threesome”. Three women went to the Galleria and experienced the “higher state”, including Carmina Nica, Dorian’s current wife and the mother of his two children. When one woman that refused to participate in the ménage à trois told her husband, he called Robert and when he was back from his trip he kept Dorian and Mihai in seclusion for 10 days but eventually let them out when the dust had settled. Dorian was rehabilitated and regained his position as the “éminence grise” of the FoF; Mihai was expelled several months later when he started a “meditation group” (another “play of crime”) and today is a marriage and family therapist in Grass Valley.
Paraphrasing Shakespeare, to say that “something is rotten in the Fellowship of Friends” would be a gross understatement.
126. Ames Gilbert
I was not referring to your comment (that was very accurate by the way), I was referring to the inaccuracy in Robert’s thinking. That’s why I said “not that it really matters” — the Old Prophet is not only delirious but is also senile.
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