Fellowship Of Friends/Fourth Way School/Living Presence Discussion – Page 195 August 15, 2023
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Fellowship of Friends - Living Presence Discussion 
Well, well well!
I did travel with Robert Earl Burton and build a few fountains and a soccer field.
What is wrong with that??
In the end, you get what you want!!
Robert is on a special diet.
He does not drink wine.
Well, well, well good for you!
We built the whole fucking vinyard.
As in the parable of the vinyard workers,
You get the same as everyone gets. No more, no less.
Some letters need to be repeated…
“Hello,
If you receive this letter today, it is that there was a bond of friendship and experiences shared during my 12 years in the Fellowship.
Today I feel the necessity to tell some of my friends why there was such a sudden departure, and also the need to understand why no one reached out, to understand, to know.
I joined the school the summer of my 18th birthday, being young, passionate and inspired by the beautiful and secure world the Fellowship had offered me and my family during all my childhood. I met Robert on my first trip to Apollo, I stayed two months, and some of you may remember, I felt completely bewildered by the beauty of the property and beyond everything else, the kindness of students, the charisma and authority of Robert: he gave me much attention, I felt privileged, chosen, and unique. After three weeks at Apollo Robert took me traveling with him and on the second night he asked me to come to his room to say goodnight, when I was with him he engaged in a sexual relationship with me. He explained to me that influence C had decided that this was the way to share conscious love between him and his chosen male students, that I was special and that there was no higher form of love, that it was sacred and brought to us by higher forces for attaining higher states. I was extremely disturbed and confused at first (I am heterosexual, I was only 18 and Robert 73 years old) yet somehow I believed Robert to his word, and as everyone around me in the school seemed to completely support this, I thought there might be in deed a sacred reason why I should be so close to the teacher and why I should give him my body. At the time, no one talked to me, no one told me that this relationship can lead to suffering and trauma, as it has with many young men before me.
The years went by and Robert became like a father, or a grandfather to me, I deeply loved him, sincerely, and was completely subject to his authority, I could say that my valuation had no reasonable boundaries. Yet the sexual aspect of our bond had become more and more difficult to bear, I experienced it as some kind of sacrifice, a payment, something I needed to accept. When at Apollo I always needed to be reachable by phone, I had to be physically close by, sometimes Robert would call me 3 to 4 times a day demanding sex and had me at his disposal during the nights. This kept on going for years, there were practices that profoundly hurt me, exhausted me, I would never go into details, but the sexual perversity of what I had to endure was numbing.
At some point I dissociated, the experience was too incomprehensible for my mind to understand and cope, on one part, a community of friends I had known; valued, trusted since my childhood, a spiritual system that seemed a miracle in a crazy world, the promise of attaining consciousness, of becoming “conscious” within the school, and on the other side, being used for the voracious sexual appetite of the teacher. I was not able to cope with all the contradictions in my mind, my heart, I lost understanding, I felt split, annihilated. I prefered to look elsewhere, resigned myself, I loved Robert indeed, but I loved him as my teacher, my Guide, why did it have to be this way? At the same time, Robert ordered me to keep distance with my family even if they were students at the time, justifying that biological bounds were instinctive. Robert also formally prohibited me from talking about our intimate relationship to anyone.
Last Year after my final trip to Apollo In May 22, I clearly showed Robert that I could not go on like this, but he ignored me and insisted that I satisfy his sexual needs. This broke me. I came back to [his native country] and a few months later I went through a major depressive episode, with violent suicidal behaviou[r]s, and I am now diagnosed with depression and generalized anxiety disorder. I left the School so as to save myself. My body gave me the ultimate, violent rebellious call that I had been sexually abused for more than 10 years, in the most horrible way, used with the promise of spiritual awakening, used through my deepest aspirations of truth deviated to turn me into a sexual creature for the teacher’s incomprehensible disease.
I am now taking care of my recovery, with the help of medical treatment, and support from my family and friends.
The only reason why I felt the utmost need to write this letter is that of a need to say the truth, to chose words over silence, there was so much hidden, dissimulated, I am not even sure if students did know, or if they knew, why did no one try to help, to engage, to prevent, to open dialogue, to speak, I was so young, how can everyone watch and let be? Why does this silence create such pain in all of us…Please, help young men not to fall into suffering, please play your part, there are too many young, naive men looking for something extraordinary, who will not be able to resist, who will be used like I was used, with the spiritual as cover for justif[y]ing manipulation and sexual abuse.
The mental damages done are unspeakable…yet there is no anger.
Yours sincerely,
[SM]”
Source:
About an abused young man by the actions of Robert Earl Burton (REB), leader of the Fellowship of Friends (FoF). Do not even think that REB’s old age and senility has slowed down his antics at all! Here is a copy of an open letter from the abused person [edited for anonymity]: At 194/6. WonderingWhosWatching – February 12, 2023 reported: “On page 193/96,
WonderingWhosWatching – January 15, 2023, reported: . . .”
In order to better engage Burkhard A Meier here on the Fellowship Of Friends/Fourth Way School/Living Presence Discussion some deep dive research was done:
Burkhard wrote:
Between 194/49 and 50 [Don’t know why his posts there are unnumbered]:
Burkhard A Meier – April 20, 2023
“Self-Remembering with the technical part of divided attention works for me.
German Rainer Maria Rilke talked of “Schreitende Alleen”.
I did not have those higher states while working in Renaissance for 7 years but they will always be with me!
I experienced them before and after Apollo!”
Google translate (check it for your self):
German: Schreitende Alleen : striding avenues
Dutch: Schreitende Alleen : crying alone
Searching for Rilke context (only one found):
German:
Das Stunden-buch
Zweites Buch
Das Buch von der Pilgerschaft
(1901)
1
Dich wundert nicht des Sturmes Wucht, –
du hast ihn wachsen sehn; –
die Baeume fluechten. Ihre Flucht
schafft schreitende Alleen.
Da weisst du, der vor dem sie fliehn
ist der, zu dem du gehst,
und deine Sinne singen ihn,
wenn du am Fenster stehst.
English:
The Book of Hours [Love Poems to God]
Second Buch
The Book of the Pilgrimage
(1901)
1
You are not surprised at the force of the storm,—
you have seen it growing;—
the trees are fleeing. Their flight
makes for swarming avenues.
For you know that He from Whom they flee
is the One toward Whom you move,
and your senses sing Him,
when you stand at the window.
Rainer Maria Rilke
4 December 1875 – 29 December 1926
So, he wrote the above early in his career,
age 26, and half way through his life.
Burkhard, what exactly do you mean by “Schreitende Alleen”?
Yeah…i’m kind of a dick.
Just tryin to help the wild goose from chasing after red herrings.
A fool’s errand.
So, we have the following phenomenon. Central to the scene is one Robert Earl Burton, an abject slave to his desires. Uncontrollable desire for sex, uncontrollable desire for copious amounts of semen, uncontrollable desire for bright, gaudy objects, uncontrollable desire for controlling every aspect of his followers’ lives, and uncontrollable desire for shopping.
With the unconditional and unlimited indulgence of his followers for over fifty years, he has tried in vain to satisfy those desires. He has had no success, because there are no limits, the compulsions and needs just grow and grow, always beyond the capacity to be satisfied.
Recently, Burton’s addled neurons have become fixated on antique clocks. He is helplessly compelled (rather, he claims, he is obeying the wishes of powerful angels) to go on another spree, buying clocks left and right, busy informing his followers of the esoteric significance of clocks—not to mention, simply by virtue of being ‘conscious’, he automatically becomes an all–knowing expert on clocks. Of course, for every buyer there has to be a seller, so the antique dealers, who assuredly have their own information networks, rub their hands with glee and triple their prices as Burton, the well–known mark, journeys forth by day after day on another obsessive–compulsive shopping orgy. Baroque clocks, as anyone with genuine esoteric leanings knows, are essential to the founding of the Next Civilization™. As were camels, only a short while ago. And palm trees before that. And Chinese furniture before that. And Meissen dishes before that, and Paul Storr silver before that, and …
His followers attend to him with slavish, unquestioning devotion, so they are slaves to someone who is a slave to his desires.
And there is third–order slavery: most of the followers, especially the naive newbies, hold the ‘older students’, or those imbued with authority from Burton, like Dorian or Sasha, in special regard and awe, and thereby enslave themselves to their opinions and suggestions as well.
Roll up, folks, you can join the Fellowship of Friends and become the slave to a slave to a slave!
A splendid opportunity for those who like to take orders, who crave certainty in all things, are averse to taking risks, are too lazy to think for themselves, and take comfort in being told what to do and when to do it, and what their world view should be! And who are assured they are already ‘conscious’, just by being over there at Apollo, mixing with the angels, and moreover close to Paradise, one branch of which is located, according to Burton, in Oregon House, California 95962—provided they continue to fork out the endlessly recurring entrance and attendance fees.
Burton pays for his hefty expenses by charging heavily for mandated ‘teaching dinners’, meetings, breakfasts, photo opportunities with Beloved Teacher and such. That means the majority of the sheep pay big time to go to yet another unfulfilling (literally) meal with Burton, one in an unending series, and occupy their time there looking forward actually eating something after the event is over. What a way to spend the limited moments of one’s life!
++++++++++
An outside observer can see Burton’s abject slavery quite clearly. It is beyond ironic that close–up, followers can persuade themselves that the opposite is true; for them, he is the exemplar of perfect freedom. That is, they believe because it seems he can do as he pleases, every second of every day, he must be ‘conscious’.
Yet, in actual fact, he spends his days in complete thrall to his desires. Driven by greed, and the consuming ambition to dominate the world within his bubble. He spends his days worshipping dick and planning how to get more—he is helpless against these urges. He spends his days micromanaging the lives of his followers—these impulses govern him. He spends his days planning and going on shopping expeditions, how to raise more money, or dressing members of his harem to mimic his tastes—he cannot do otherwise. And, decade after decade, he has shown he simply cannot control the need to vocalize his unconsidered opinion about, well, anything and everything.
* Behold, this is Dorian Mattei’s teacher, this is Sasha Shalapanov’s teacher, this is Nitzan Nitzan’s teacher, this is Asaf Braverman’s teacher…
* Names taken from Burton’s lists at one time or another of “future conscious beings”.
Regarding the substance of SM’s letter – There are no new revelations, what is unusual is that SM is Western European, middle class and has family who have been relatively prominent FOFers. When someone from a disadvantaged background becomes one of Burton’s boys – (or ‘Impressions’ as they used to be referred to by the insiders at the Galleria who groomed them), it is easy to see how they benefit – visas, eventual residency, travel, money, clothes, gold necklaces…. They seem glad to trade sex for a luxurious lifestyle, so one can ignore the way in which they are abused.
SM describes how he was abused by someone he loved and obeyed unquestioningly because he was his spiritual teacher. He also describes the institutional pressure to comply with Burton’s sexual demands and that his friends and family did not question what was happening to an impressionable young man who had been groomed by Burton and his organization for years prior to his 18th birthday.
One of the experiences that made me leave the FOF was bringing up Burton’s sexuality at a table at the Apollo Market, 5 people stood up abruptly and left.
How can it be that members of ‘real school’ that honors Socrates’ dictum ‘The unexamined life is not worth living’ are terrified of examining the leader, the institution and the possibility that the actual agenda of encouraging membership in poor countries is to traffic young men for Burton to sexually abuse. Advice from older students, especially Gerard Haven, is that you should avoid giving energy to ‘I’s that might take you out of the school. Staying in the school is the aim as influence C will do all they can to shake you off and those who pass the test will have had to not think about these things by an act of will.
There is no way to feel and think openly without dissent, without becoming a traitor and possibly being excommunicated. How can an 18 year old who trusts people who have allied themselves to such a culture be expected to protect himself. He is lost, even to his own family.
How can you consider the interests of such as SM if you have been ‘working’ to not be under what the Judeo-Christian false moralists call ‘Conscience’, which is just feminine dominance, whilst true morality is that ‘Nothing is sacred except your desire to awaken’. How can it be wrong to do whatever your teacher requires of you under such circumstances.
Maybe because SM is not a Romanian or Slav, his story might give some members pause for reflection. It is no coincidence that those who work their way into the innermost circle tend to come from countries where abuse and power go hand in hand. Those who rose to power in Romania – even modest power such as being the superintendent of an apartment building, had to prove themselves by hurting people and ignoring injustice, crime and abuse. Once they rose to positions of power they perpetuated the same system as it worked to safeguard the status quo and their interests. People like Mattei and Shalapanov instinctively know how to navigate such a system and the FOF has adapted to their abilities and the abilities of those like them and those that imitate them.
This goes some way to explain why we don’t hear the testimony of such people and that what SM wrote came to the open because he did not belong to that category of ‘corrupt’ person.
Isn’t this interesting? Wouldn’t such material be a rich trove of material if the FOF was what it purports to be, a psychological school. How can members not think and talk about the form of the school, the habits of the teacher, the institutional blindness of a self-serving structure.
Conscience has long been held as a unifying principle for what the 4th Way system would call Essence; as Honor has been held as a unifying principle for what was called Personality. If you act against your Conscience and against your Honor, you lose them. Once these are lost, you are far more easily persuaded that evil acts are justified and can become part of the conspiracy of an abusive institution. In fact, having lost these profound aspects of your identity, you are likely to seek to pervert and demean them in those around you. As an aside – wouldn’t this be a partial explanation of Burton’s conduct?
I hope SM finds some peace through understanding. He has been taken advantage of in a terrible way by all, not only his beloved teacher. How can anyone be expected to defend themselves against such an assault? I hope his friends and family are authentic enough to feel shame and horror at what they have enabled. Or is that the ‘conscience’ that is speaking will keep them from awakening…. seriously how can one believe such a crock of horse shit.
“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.”
― Voltaire
After 9/11 an FOF student unearthed a buried empty can of Rainier beer, (Rainier brewing company Seattle) from within the Fellowship compound in Oregon House. Burton proclaimed that this was a message indicating that Rainer Rilke orchestrated the attrocity of 9/11.
Quite a change of pace from poetry.
Ouspensky, who in childhood, along with his sister enjoyed and claimed to have been greatly affected by the childrens book. “Obvious absurdities” made clear to his students when his body was dying that the 4th Way should be abandoned. He said at the time, “We tried it and found that it didn’t work”.
Burton claimed that Ouspensky’s group did not have “C” influence, (unlike him of course). He also maintained for decades that Ouspensky, the leader of the group was a fully formed man number 7 i.e. a fully conscious influence.
Strikes me as an, “Obvious absurdity” how about you?
Magdalena (#8 above), thank you for your post.
My memories are fading, but I am aware of two distinct phases in Burton’s history regarding acquisition of sexual prey. Most of the young men he overwhelmed and abused in my era were from the U.S., later sprinkled with slowly increasing numbers from western Europe, especially Italy.
I can’t recall when the Fellowship of Friends started opening eastern European and Russian centers, but I wasn’t particularly aware of any prey from those areas before I left in 1994.
My wife and I carried on living in Oregon House for another four years before we moved to Grass Valley, and that is when the “Russian invasion” really picked up. I was told that Rowena T. was heavily involved in travelling to Eastern Europe and Russia, and undertook the responsibility of finding and personally ‘testing’ possible recruits for Burton’s pleasure. I heard there was a complete equivalent to the “underground railroad” of U.S. civil war fame, whereby religious visas, fake passports, money smuggling, and other unsavory activities were set in motion to bring over chosen candidates for Burton’s debauchery once he had analyzed their photos and reports of their various endowments.
Dorian Mattei and Sasha Shalapanov were amongst these, and obviously did well (in terms of how the Fellowship of Friends measures success). I think you are spot on regarding the circumstances of eastern Europeans and Russian young men versus those from the West. After the dissolution of the U.S.S.R., circumstances of most of the citizens of those countries took many turns for the worse, and the prospect of a path to the Beguiling West must have been very tempting. Hence the voluntary prostitution of the young eastern European men and also the frequent marriages with the aim of getting Green Cards.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Here’s my new word for the day: pleonexia
noun
1. Morbid greediness or selfishness.
2. Excessive or insatiable greed, avarice, covetousness, the desire to have more, a greedy desire for certain goods.
3. A psychiatric disorder characterized by greediness, an excessive desire for acquisition of wealth or objects.
Who does this remind you of?
Now I have learned more about Burton’s insatiable greed in so many areas over the decades, I would add to #2, “…a greedy desire for certain goods and pretty young men”, which would reflect the way he wants to exclusively own their beauty and sexuality, as if they were objects for his collection. I would also add a #4, “…an excessive desire for sexual stimulation”, i.e., satyriasis (out–of–control sexual behavior).
Hey Burkhard,
today, I read some words by Caitlin Johnstone, an Australian blogger. They uplifted me and provided much food for thought. The post was so dense with worth that it will take me days to get through and mull over. So, in effect, she elevated what I call my consciousness, made me a little more awake and thoughtful, and I appreciate the care she took. For me, in those moments, she was more ‘conscious’ than I, and she passed on some sort of gift, which in turn I appreciate and lets me send back gratitude into the universe. Some of which I hope she somehow receives.
But it doesn’t have to be so lofty. My wife greeted me this morning with the most perfect kiss and a smile, and this had the same effect, some aspect of her was more ‘conscious’ than I, and I know this because my consciousness was raised. My little dog greeted me this morning and many times throughout the day with delight and affection, and I couldn’t help but smile, and he wagged his tail faster, tuned into the positive energy. The sun shone through the oak leaves in front of the house, yet there was a black thunderstorm cloud silhouetted behind it in total contrast, and I was filled with wonder. I turned aside off the path outdoors and took a piss, and it was a truly glorious feeling. Each of these kinds of episodes has the chance of raising my awareness and reminding me to be grateful.
How was your day?
Caitlyn Johnstones blog ‘Capitalism is a Giant Scam’ is spot on.
It is appropriate for this conversation in that those (i.e. Trump, Burton etc.) who can trick and scam the best appear to succeed.
More obvious absurdities:
“I am getting closer to real I”
How do i attain Presence?
How do i get to the north pole?
Go to the north pole and head south.
Yes, it is understandable that the behaviors of cult leaders like burton (or trump) appear from a distance as “evil” and unrelenting, so much so that rather than bravely face the harsh truth about their own predicament, followers choose to live in perpetual denial of the obvious as the leader’s compounding illicit behaviors drive them deeper down the rabbit hole of delusion by demonizing groups of others and elevating the leader’s pathology.
What might drive such unethical, compulsive behaviors in leaders (beyond the pursuit of pleasure) and yet, cause their followers to continue to follow, despite all evidence to the contrary?
In my experience with clients uncovering the root cause of compulsive behaviors, it has consistently been in compensation for being made to feel deeply flawed or shamed in some way.
IMO, a cult leader like burton (or trump) is an expert in employing and promoting the defense mechanism of projection on a grand scale. They amplify the act of projection in their followers by instilling an “us or them” mentality, projecting their flaws onto others.
(burton takes it one step further and splits his follower’s psyche into “the upper against the lower self” {me or it}, an effective means of achieving psychological paralysis and dependence in his followers. The “problem” isn’t burton and his behavior, the “problem” is one’s “lower self”. Thus the follower incorporates burton’s projected flaw, unconsciously accepting it as his or her own.)
In burton’s case, one need only look into his personal history for the root cause.
After being made to feel “flawed” or a “damaged machine” for his homosexuality by his mentor, Alex Horn, and probably by others prior to his cult experience, including as a result of his brief tenure as an Elementary school teacher from which he was dismissed for his compulsion of inappropriately “hugging children” and possibly even having been shamed by his absent father, of whom, to the best of my knowledge, he has never spoken, during his upbringing in ultra-conservative rural Arkansas from which he eventually left or fled, as the case may be….IMO this could explain (but certainly not justify) burton’s compulsion of seducing heterosexual men in his cult…a revengeful behavior he has made into his religion-making others feel his shameful “flaw”.
I can honestly say that my experience with him wasn’t something that made me feel proud of myself!
We all have flaws, so question becomes (at least for myself): how to grow and transform a perceived “flaw” into a strength in a healthy manner, without the unconscious need to project and demonize others?
Given their circumstances, this would be virtually an impossible task for burton’s followers, and thus they are psychologically shackled by a double bind…damned if they do, damned if they don’t.
15. WhaleRider
“The ‘problem’ isn’t burton and his behavior, the ‘problem’ is one’s ‘lower self’.”
How very true. Burton has used this line so often that it has become a totally automatic and mechanical reaction for him.
Anyone who questions or challenges burton in any area is immediately told, “That was your lower self, dear.” (“Dear” designed to remind the “student” of burton’s “conscious love” for his flock.)
And burton is thus free of any responsibility for his decisions or behavior.
Cult Bans Barbie Movie
Bobbieland, CA~Followers of Bobbie Burton have been banned from seeing the amazingly popular film, “Barbie”, the first film in history directed by a woman, Greta Gerwig, to have grossed over one billion dollars in worldwide ticket sales.
The allegorical film portrays a live Barbie doll grappling with the existential meaning of life in the face of death, set against the backdrop of the inherent patriarchy she must struggle against when she escapes from her illusionary life in Barbieland.
One scene in particular has sent ripples of fear throughout the pink corridors of Bobbie Burton’s cult: when the entranced Barbies awaken from their delusion of perpetual servitude when each are confronted with the cognitive dissonance of their predicament.
For the delusion to remain firmly in place, followers must never ever become aware…that they are expected to be happy they are lucky enough to be in the cult but never laugh, to want something they already have, that confusion is a higher state of consciousness, that they are special but not special enough, that despite their best efforts they will not in this lifetime reach their goal, that although the body is the temple of the soul the body must be made to suffer, that no sense makes sense, that the apocalypse is going to happen soon but never does, that money is meaningless but they are expected to make as much as they can and give it all to the cult, that money can buy immortality, that they are taught to remember themselves but only certain parts, that they are supposed to be invisible but always wear expensive clothes they really can’t afford, that angels are hovering over the dinner table but nobody else can see them, that random coincidences have special meaning, that being awake means putting their conscience to sleep, that they can never have enough meaningless shiny things, that being present means forgetting the past and disregarding the future, that Bobbie’s bodily needs are more important than their own, that constructive criticism is a negative emotion…just to name a few.
17. WhaleRider – August 23, 2023
The last paragraph in your post is the most succinct description I have ever read of the Fellowship of Friends student experience. You and a few other former students are posting A+ work and are at the head of a class that might be described as an online seminar, Fellowship of Friends Cult Awareness. Kudos!
Checking out the current doings of former Fellowship of Friends student / Robert Burton’s right hand man Asaf Braverman via the autobiography on his website, https://beperiod.com/en/asaf-braverman/, I see that he continues to reflect upon his personal history with the cult, spinning his cult expulsion into positive growth experience and has even developed a unique interpretation of his study of the Fourth Way. He organizes the study of oneself into monthly steps of personal investigation.
“The end and crowning episode of my travels was the revelation of a calendrical system that lay at the base of all ancient teachings.” [Asaf Braverman]
The calendrical system he bases the form of his Fourth Way teachings on is called “Labours of the Months” and refers to “cycles in Medieval and early Renaissance art depicting in twelve scenes the rural activities that commonly took place in the months of the year. They are often linked to the signs of the Zodiac, and are seen as humankind’s response to God’s ordering of the Universe.” [Wikipedia]
Seeing photographs of his brave students on the Home page of the BePeriod.com website begs the question, could Asaf Braverman be the most successful former student of Robert Burton to start his own cult? He has a second domain, ggurdjieff.com (and perhaps more) driving traffic to his website. As the website Events page shows, Asaf Braverman continues with Robert Burton’s tradition of travel to ancient World Heritage sites and major European cultural centers like Florence and Amsterdam, I assume, without the sexual shenanigans. I recall a few other former students starting their own School, such as Miles Barth. Are there any others that are still living, helming their own cult? What about William Patterson? Wasn’t he an early student of Robert Burton before his involvement with the Gurdjieff Foundation? He seems to be quite the leader of his own School now.
Mervyn Brady, a former FoF member who has passed away, started a 4th Way school in London called the European Academy of Arts and Culture. There are now centers of his school/group in the USA and elsewhere. To me Mervyn’s teachings have a stronger emotional component than Asaf’s, which feels intellectually oriented. Whether these teachings or the FoF are legitimate 4th Way Schools per Gurdjieffian standards is debatable, as is the 4th Way system.
Thank you, truthorconsequences44.
Yes, I agree. One could ask if the Fourth Way system itself, let alone any Fourth Way schools are legitimate.
I now recall being aware of the European Academy of Arts and Culture years ago. Could I be confusing William Patterson with Mervyn Brady? I see that William Patterson published a book in 1998 challenging the legitimacy of the teachings of Robert Burton and others, titled Taking With the Left Hand: Enneagram Craze, The Fellowship of Friends, & the Mouravieff ‘Phenomenon.’ I wonder how William Patterson became familiar enough with The Fellowship of Friends to write a book labeling Robert Burton a charlatan and his teachings a distortion?
Cult Leader Breaks Silence About Former Student’s Teachings
Echotopia, CA~ Robert E Burton, the self proclaimed head of the one and only, bona fide, very very real, true, and I’m not lying, Fourth Way School of soon to be in some distant lifetime super lucky elite conscious beings, has finally spoken somewhat coherently about his formerly favorite student, Asif Braverman and Braverman’s brilliant deduction that the labors of medieval peasants coincided with the seasons of the year and the Zodiac signs.
For instance, during the Aquarian winter months, in the northern hemisphere that is, Braverman asserts that peasants were reminded to carry water since their wells were frozen, and in Pisces, were reminded to feed the fish, etc, and that was God’s will because the King says so, and God made him King.
Burton handily dismissed Braverman’s ideas as if they were “merely superstitious beliefs”, and reiterated his exclusive connection to the invisible beings hovering over the dinner table that nobody else can see who speak to him nightly in his sleep and referenced the important numerical messages on street signs and license plates he receives to provide his flock with where to direct their pointless labors regarding the prophecies and predictions that never happen.
Burton’s incredible revelation that Braverman’s “system” was “merely a means of mind control” and “nothing new under the sun”-which Burton claims refers to those below him-reportedly stunned his followers, who were more accustomed to Burton’s inane repetition of the same worn out aphorisms he borrows from others way smarter than him.
Reply to #20 (Golden Veil):
I read Patterson’s book. The chapter on the FOF is very superficial. It is clear from reading it that Patterson had no first hand experience with the FOF and was relying entirely on second hand accounts.
Thank you, Beelzebob.
A quick glance at the Gurdjieff Legacy Foundation website reveals some congruity between the teachings of William Patterson and Robert Earl Burton / the Fellowship of Friends. Burton has always emphasized the Fourth Way teachings of Ouspensky and Rodney Collin along with his own superstitious, outlandish beliefs, rather than focussing on Gurdjieff, but check out the following page on Patterson’s website. There may be some secondary source cross pollination going on. https://gurdjiefflegacy.org/wpp/soul.htm
Golden Veil (#23):
Per his website, Patterson was a student of Lord Pentland (probably in the 1970s). Pentland was in charge of the Gurdjieff Foundation in North America after Mr. Gurdjieff’s death in 1949. The Gurdjieff Foundation has always had a low regard for Ouspensky and takes no notice of Collin at all. The article you referenced is pure Gurdjieff.
Beelzebob, you’re definitely right about the Gurdjieff Foundation, not so much, I think, about William Patterson. I see much parity between R.E.B and W.P. They both set up their own organizations in Northern California with themselves in positions of authority and use the Fourth Way as a basis, mixing in Egyptian and Christianity theology and emphasizing concepts such as the necessity of growing a soul – as exemplified on the link I referenced above in post 23.
It is interesting that Lord John Pentland, who co-founded the first Gurdjieff Foundation center in New York after Gurdjieff’s death, studied with Ouspensky for many years yet with Gurdjieff less than a year, just prior to G’s death. I never met him, but I remember Lady Pentland; she continued to visit the Gurdjieff Foundation centers in the U.S. A key strength of Lord Pentland’s was as an editor and publisher of Fourth Way books and the journal Material for Thought through his Far West Editions, and his co-founder of the first center in New York, Jeanne De Salzmann’s special strength was as a transmitter of the Movements, as can be seen in Peter Brook’s film adaptation of Gurdjieff’s one truly accessible book, Meetings with Remarkable Men.
As R.E.B.’s physical and mental health decline, his minders do what they can to prop him up as the Fellowship of Friends figurehead. His students help compete with the Gurdjieff Foundation for the “magnetic centers” enthralled by the Fourth Way, casting a variety of nets for new members, with websites such as https://fourthwaytoday.org/.
I hear that though his teaching skills have lapsed, R.E.B. is still most particular that his underwear is ironed and his sexual needs fulfilled. Didn’t he once say that people will especially manifest their true essence as demonstrated by their interests that remain as they near death?
In 195/7. amesgilbert reports:
“Recently, Burton’s addled neurons have become fixated on antique clocks. . .”
So, besides REB fixation on cocks, he now has a fixation on clocks!
Golden Veil (#25):
I don’t know much about Patterson except that he is an ex-Foundation member who went “maverick” and formed his own group (and also that he writes bad books).
The concept of the necessity of growing a soul (as opposed to being born with one) is central to Gurdjieff’s teachings.
As I understand it, prior to his death in 1949 Gurdjieff appointed Lord Pentland to lead the Work in “America”, the principal centre of which was then (and still is now) in New York. Pentland took the remnants of the existing Gurdjieff groups in the New York area (amongst others, Madame Ouspensky’s group and the group led by Orage in the early 1930s and various people after that) and established the Gurdjieff Foundation of New York.
In contrast to the FOF, for most of its history the Gurdjieff Foundation assiduously avoided any kind of proselytizing. It was secretive – “magnetic centres” had to find it. I believe that has changed somewhat owing, amongst other things, to the “greying” of the membership and a resultant decline in numbers. It seems younger people don’t resonate with the “Quiet Work” (Madame de Salzmann’s invention) that the Foundation is still peddling.
Cult Celebrates New Features in Apple’s iPhone iOS 17 Upgrade
Moonie House, CA-Cult enthusiasts in Northern California not associated with Google are beaming at the newest features added to Apple’s iOS 17 upgrade.
Now by simply scrolling down in the Weather App, followers will no longer have to look up from the slavish grindstone to determine the phases of the moon and when to adjust their buffer zone!
Now followers can keep their heads down and will more easily be able to tell from their iPhone when to start blaming their irritability upon the “influence” of the moon and when they will have to project blame onto some other scapegoat, seamlessly continuing to abdicate all personal responsibility, and more efficiently compensating for the cognitive dissonance they must buffer as a result of their distorted thinking and superstitious beliefs, especially when confronted by the reality of their dire financial situation, impoverished intellectual state and emotional dependency.
As an added bonus with iOS 17, tech-savvy followers will now able to set multiple alarms in the Clock App instead of one at a time, methodically reminding them throughout their day exactly where they reside in the cult pecking order should their self-esteem haphazardly begin to rise or conscience rear its ugly head when performing tasks that compromise their personal integrity and dignity.
Followers will also be able to set a custom kaleidoscopic wallpaper design in ever changing, vibrant shiny colors on their home screen which they may use to induce a pleasant trance state, should their minds begin to drift onto thoughts of how they might improve their life circumstances by freeing themselves from the mental trap of oppressive cult indoctrination.
And as a final coup de grâce, when taking selfies or photographs of other followers, no matter how a follower might actually be feeling in any given moment, the Camera App will always supplant a good student smile on their faces, erasing the slightest hint of poor dental hygiene when a follower cannot afford to visit the dentist.
Hello folks. I was a member of the Fellowship 1971 to 1980. I’ve posted here a number of times under the screen name Tempus Fugit.
I was sexually abused by Robert Burton around 1973. I’m not homosexual and the impact was devastating. He lied brazenly about who he was and what he was doing and completely manipulated the “student teacher” relationship and my trust in him.
When I left the group I had severe PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Thank God I was able to recover but it has been a long, difficult process. I’m not sure if some of the trauma will ever completely heal.
I’m going through a new phase in my recovery. If anyone sees this who was also abused by Robert Burton during the same time period I would like to hear from you. Please contact me at the email below:
Abe.Tinker@proton.me
Given that Robert Earl Burton is a possible source of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) because of his sexual lifestyle, could this happen to him (and the Fellowship of Friends)?:
Houston pastor ordered to pay $2.45M after found liable for spreading genital herpes
https://www.fox26houston.com/news/houston-area-pastor-ordered-to-pay-2-45m-for-transmitting-genital-herpes
#29 Abraham Tinker
Abraham thanks for posting. It’s disturbing to hear yet again of Robert Burton’s disgusting and revolting behavior and I hope I never grow numb to it as the scale of the horror is slowly revealed. Burton is a grandiose, delusional, psychotic man who has been preying on the trusting and naive every day for more than 50 years now.
You joined in ’71 a year after the Fellowship was founded. The manipulation, the lying and the abuse was already rampant then and has only increased unabated, as his addiction and psychosis have worsened. All along he has been enabled and encouraged by the vain scumbags who comprise the so called, “inner circle.” those who share his psychosis and the nonsensical belief that he is almost Jesus, those who sincerely believe they are buying a stairway to heaven.
I’m sorry it happened to you and sorry it happened to the literally hundreds of others subjected to the same destructive, crazy making torture over decades. I wish you luck and continued progress in your now years long recovery from P.T.S.D., anxiety and depression caused by the sick fuck Burton and I still naively pray it is all brought to an end soon.
One of the saddest things I have ever read:
A book presented as a hagiography of Robert Burton by a devoted follower, which documents what to an impartial reader is heartless coercive and controlling behaviour.
…”yet another looking glass with which it is possible to see oneself.” ~claims a critical? review of Mueller’s book.
IMO, in searching for an external “verification” of so-called “higher consciousness” in another person-separate from the obvious nature of that person’s deeds-enmeshed cult followers become so focused over time on the cult leader’s every gesture, that eventually when they look into the mirror, so to speak, they only see who they wish to see, that is, their projection of the cult leader reflected back at them, sans the collateral damage the cult leader has left in his or her wake.
Thus, ardent cult followers feel compelled to write books lauding their cult leaders in a vain attempt to start their own cult and embody their projection, which sadly is only founded upon the subjection of others.
That is why when dealing with persons displaying sociopathic behaviors, always watch what their hands are doing, despite what they are telling you.
But wait: There’s more.
(Warning: Have the barf bag close at hand.)
Linda Kaplan: The Seeds of the Divine Beginning
“This book was prompted by requests to describe what it was like to participate in the birth of higher school on earth, the Fellowship of Friends. In my attempt to recall my experience of the inception of this school of awakening, which covers a two-year period of my life…”
Over 600 pages; 2 pounds (weight); 35 bucks
Regarding: “195/32. 44th Way – October 25, 2023
One of the saddest things I have ever read:
. . .
A book presented as a hagiography of Robert Burton by a devoted follower, which documents what to an impartial reader is heartless coercive and controlling behaviour.”
I do not see anything in that post, except the text, nor is the link any good; this is what it is about:
Bread Upon the Water Hardcover – January 1, 1999
by Guinevere Ruth-Mueller (Author)
That did not seem to work well either. Just search or Google the book title and author, then go to the Amazon listing where there are some reviews.
Here is another try of link:
A question: does anyone know why the Robert Earl Burton blogspot has been removed?
https://www.blogger.com/blogin.g?blogspotURL=https://robertearlburton.blogspot.com/1991/&type=blog&bpli=1
“37. 44th Way – October 26, 2023
A question: does anyone know why the Robert Earl Burton blogspot has been removed?”
Fellowship of Friends (FoF) claimed there was copyright infringement and made blogger[dot]com, a Google owned property, remove it. It may have been, hypothetically, a collateral damage in the legal conflict between FoF (and member(s)/company) and the Google settled lawsuit over employment discrimination that took place recently.
Here is the news headline:
“Ex-Google Contractor Settles Lawsuit Over Religious Sect
The suit claimed that the Fellowship of Friends, an obscure group based in the Sierra Nevada foothills, gained influence inside Google.” The New York Times Company, Cade Metz, Dec. 19, 2022
There were many other newsworthy coverages that have mostly been expunged, redacted, or otherwise compromised, of their more salacious content.
Whatever the case, the archived:
“Robert Earl Burton and The Fellowship of Friends
An Unauthorized Blogography of “The Teacher” and His Cult” can be reached using the “Robert Earl Burton Blog” link in the upper right corner of this blog’s pages.
Be aware that that may disappear from the internet, too, as time goes by and actions taken.
Or…get these titles and more from the likes of Girard Haven in the new anthology, ‘Writings from the Cave Wall’
“This book was prompted by requests to describe what it was like to participate in the birth of higher school on earth, the Fellowship of Friends……….anyone looking for the truth in these pages will be highly disappointed.”
Taken from the introduction to Linda Kaplan’s 600 page tome, “The seeds of the divine beginning”
At least she’s honest about one thing.
It is an easy claim to make since the truth can’t be found in ANYTHING that has EVER been written.
(except for this, of course)
600 pages…hmmm…i wonder if she put in the part about what a cunt she is. I remember one incident back in the day when i was 21 or so workinng 120 hrs a week, sleeping on the floor of the lodge, waking up at six in the morning to sit down at a table of 10-12 ‘students’.
There was one of those patio parties we used to have…everyone drinnking and hob-nobbin and i came up to her and gave her a hug. Probably exhausted it must have been a tad long and she pushes me away and says “Get your nasty little instinctive center off of me!”
What a bitch.
Blog moderator:
WonderingWhosWatching
wondering what happened to my last post from 2 days ago; has not appeared from presumed moderation!
#43 – WWW. I just checked and your post was hung up in the spam folder. I cleared it and it’s post #38 above
37. 44th Way – October 26, 2023
Yes, a great loss.
Could be collateral damage. The Fellowship of Friends was named in a lawsuit by a video producer / Google contractor, who sued Google and his employment agency. His unit supervisor was a Fellowship of Friends student who preferentially hired other Fellowship of Friends students for the video unit, bought Renaissance wines and hired Fellowship of Friends as wait staff for Google events. The lawsuit was settled about five months before Google took down the blog. It may or may not be a coincidence.
Here is a link to a recent (maybe the last) post from the blog at the Internet Archive Way Back Machine.
https://web.archive.org/web/20230411042318/http://robertearlburton.blogspot.com/
38. WonderingWhosWatching – October 26
What a goofball (me) – I somehow missed your excellent response to 37. 44th Way – October 26.
It seems we are of very similar mind!
What happens in a high control group like this is that it’s not just the leader who abuses the members, but in the end, everybody in a way, ends up being a perpetrator, because you’re groomed and trained to go after each other, to report on each other. The abuse becomes, in a sense, very widespread and very normalized.
Your experience is so common. It’s what we call moral injury. It’s like not only the things that were done to us but the things that, because we were part of that system, we had to do to other people. And the way I see it, everybody who is in a cult, in a sense becomes a perpetrator because you have to be. Like you have to do what the behaviors and practices are, and you have to pick on other people or report other people. And so that guilt kind of overwhelms you when you leave.
We need to keep gathering up evidence and just hope that one day, we can bring these MFers down.
So in a cult, the really diehard followers, the true believers, may not leave until something really big happens, like there’s a big public scandal and the leader gets arrested and perhaps sentenced to prison. And at that point, the top-level people and some of the true believers will finally leave.~ Dr. Janja Lalich from Escaping Twin Flames (2023) Netflix https://youtu.be/VePkIq4_q2k
I don’t want to hog the discussion, but I received an emailed message from the Lalich Center for Cults and Coercion only two days after the Escaping Twin Flames documentary series premiered on Hulu, saying that the center is “suspending all programs” and will “reassess how to best run a nonprofit successfully and in alignment with our values. This is important especially because we’ve been serving a vulnerable population – and we, ourselves, are also survivors. Please be assured that all of us are dedicated to working in this field and are by no means quitting!”
It cannot be easy to be a watch dog on large scale money-making cults and give support to survivors.
By the way there is a another earlier series on the same cult, Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe, on Amazon’s Prime Video.
#47 Golden Veil
“So in a cult, the really diehard followers, the true believers, may not leave until something really big happens, like there’s a big public scandal and the leader gets arrested and perhaps sentenced to prison. And at that point, the top-level people and some of the true believers will finally leave.” – Janja Lalich
Hard to visualise a “something big happening” for the Fellowship of Friends that would dislodge the true believer scum. Explicit details of Burton’s serial sexual abuse have been made public over and over and are still being made public regularly. The abuse is ongoing daily and has been a regular feature of Fellowship life for more than 50 years. These people know all about what goes on and don’t care about it, they are complicit in the supply and grooming of victims. They enable the abuse, encourage the abuse and attempt to cover it all up when the truth rears it’s ugly head using threats, intimidation, lies, banishment and legal action. Their livelihoods, (many draw salaries from the Fellowship), property and social status are too deeply intertwined and invested, in many cases they are themselves current and former victims of abuse who were long ago disempowered and emasculated and rendered little more than compliant sheep. The true believers share Burton’s psychosis. It’s a mental illness issue with them and by no means an easy thing to shake off or dislodge.
The next, “something big” I suspect will be Burton’s death. He’s 85 now, two thirds deaf one third blind, with heart disease, accelerating dementia and herpes. The stage is already being set for a handover of power when this inevitably occurs.
The true believers will try and keep the sad game going. At that point many current members will finally find an excuse to leave, only the ultra true believers will accept newly anointed man number five Dorian Matei as their next Spiritual master and interpreter of number plates, properties will be sold, especially since Oregon House is now increasingly at risk each year from devastating fires. The Fellowship population in Oregon House comprises many elderly people, they long ago severed any ties with family and former, “life” friends on the instructions of Burton. They have nowhere to go and no one to go to, they will be trapped and will be vulnerable prey of the psychotic new world order.
#47 Golden Veil
Note: Janja Lalich along with Margaret Singer (both of whom are experts on cults) The Los Angeles Times and others were sued by the Fellowship of Friends following printing of the Los Angeles Times article titled, “Trouble Taints a Cerebral Sanctuary” back in 1996. The Fellowship lost and the defendants were awarded costs.
You can find the Los Angeles Times article here, tame in comparison to what we’ve since learned and now know:
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-11-04-mn-61189-story.html
and details of the award of costs here, (scroll down):
https://web.archive.org/web/20230319025306/https://robertearlburton.blogspot.com/search/label/Janja%20Lalich
p.s. The web archive link above is truncated for some reason but still works if you click on it
diegoriverassquaretrouserleg:
Hold my beer.
Bobby, Bobby…
… if just your poor mother could see you…
… in your ridiculous gay outfit,
pretending to have breakfast with the Absolute,
pretending to know the future,
the Great Economic Desaster,
the Fall of California,
World War III,
pretending to have surpassed the rest of humanity,
endlessly celebrating your self-love,
your vanity,
your perversions,
your greed
for money,
for admiration,
for power,
for listening to yourself,
pouring from the empty into the empty
in your endless
boring
monologues…
… if just your poor mother could see you…
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/gregorian-bivolaru-france-yoga-guru-arrest-suspicion-rape-sexual-exploitation/
”Paris — French authorities arrested the leader of a multinational tantric yoga organization Tuesday on suspicion of indoctrinating female followers for sexual exploitation.
According to the French official, the investigation…began after reports of psychological manipulation and sexual exploitation within the organization. Former…members alerted authorities to the alleged abuses.
{The cult leader} is being charged with human trafficking, organized kidnapping, rape, and organized abuse of weakness by members of a sect, according to French authorities.“.
Hmmm…does anyone know if the FOF still has a “presence” in France?
Re: 195/55. Tim Campion – December 5, 2023
The text from the one page image (that does not display) provided by Tim Campion:
“SSS
SLATER SLATER SCHULMAN LLP
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 4, 2023
CONTACT: MACKENZIE JOHNSON
(310) 341-2086
MJOHNSON@SSSFIRM.COM
FORMER MALE MEMBERS OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF FRIENDS, A HIGH CONTROL GROUP (A.K.A. CULT) LED BY ROBERT EARL BURTON, FILE LAWSUIT ALLEGING SEXUAL ASSAULT
Marysville, CA – A lawsuit has been filed against the Fellowship of Friends and Robert Earl Burton by 6 men alleging sexual assault by Burton, the founder of the religious organization based in Oregon House, California.
The plaintiffs, represented by Slater Slater Schulman LLP, have come forward to seek justice and accountability for the alleged acts of sexual assault they endured while members of the Fellowship of Friends. The suit alleges that the organization functions as a cult and that, since 1971, Burton has abused his position of power to sexually harass, molest, and assault young male members of his organization.
Additional survivors of sexual misconduct perpetrated by Robert Earl Burton are encouraged to come forward by calling (310) 341-2806.
Slater Slater Schulman LLP is a prominent full-service law firm with over 40 years of experience representing survivors of catastrophic and traumatic events. Our nationally renowned attorneys are committed to ensuring the best results for our clients through persistence and zealous representation. Learn more at sssfirm.com.”
Try using Associated Press name above as link to image,
or, perhaps this URL will work:
Thanks Tim Campion and Associated Press.
Justice is long overdue.
The announcement from the law firm reads like a press release. I didn’t know that attorneys published announcements to promote their cases, do this sort of publicity.
Wait a minute, they are calling out for other men to step forward. This is a class action lawsuit. Finally!
“One of the key requirements for a class action lawsuit is that the claims of the representative plaintiff(s) must be typical of the claims of the entire class. This concept is known as the “typicality” requirement.”
No problem with qualification there, from what I have heard of REB’s pattern of fishing for men, grooming and seducing.
The case may involve human trafficking, member complicity, be quite complex.
This law firm has an impressive website. They are experienced in church sexual abuse class action cases.
195/56. Associated Press – December 5, 2023
195/57. Associated Press – December 5, 2023
These 2 posts, this paragraph/phone number corrected:
“Additional survivors of sexual misconduct perpetrated by Robert Earl Burton are encouraged to come forward by calling (310) 341-2086.”
I’ve been advised that, “anyone who wants in (as a plaintiff in the lawsuit) will have to sign on by December 31st, as the relaxation of the statute of limitations expires January 1st.”
“Additional survivors of sexual misconduct perpetrated by Robert Earl Burton are encouraged to come forward by calling (310) 341-2086.”
What about survivors of psychological or mental abuse and torture?
The tip of the iceberg
“Additional survivors of sexual misconduct perpetrated by Robert Earl Burton are encouraged to come forward by calling (310) 341-2086.”
Golden Veil (#18, above), I second that emotion. A model encapsulation of the whole sorry mess that is the Fellowship of Friends in one paragraph. Bravo!
To potential litigants in the Slater Slater Schulman LLP “lawsuit has been filed against the Fellowship of Friends and Robert Earl Burton”: Know that your identity can be protected and known only to your attorney. This can be discussed with them, or you can have your own attorney represent you in the same matter and join the case. You can be known as: John Doe #1, #2, etc. Your identity is sealed legally and protected under attorney-client privilege.
44th Way (#37 above), and others…
It’s amazing that the denizens of the FoF actually took the trouble to take down Tim’s website, let alone continually fight over the FoF Wikipedia entries. His website is a rather accurate record of objective facts and subjective opinions of those who have had actual experience of the FoF. But there you have it. The followers are misguided enough to fight hard to maintain their status as slaves to the God–Emperor of Oregon House, himself the most abject slave to his desires.
One would have thought that angels of unimaginable power, let alone the Absolute, could take care of such petty details themselves, but apparently they need their little helpers. Not to mention, we are told, they simply can’t do without a great deal of worship and fear and sacrifice—according to their self–appointed intermediaries and interpreters of their will.
195-xx (December 11, 2023) (not posted yet)
Thanks, Insider #34 above)for alerting us about Linda Kaplan’s book: The Seeds of the Divine Beginning
Published by none other than the renowned Apollo University Press…
To save readers time, here is her introduction:
“This book was prompted by requests to describe what it was like to participate in the birth of higher school on earth, the Fellowship of Friends. In my attempt to recall my experience of the inception of this school of awakening, which covers a two-year period of my life, I understood profoundly that at best all I could provide was an honest narrative; anyone looking for the truth in these pages will be highly disappointed. Each person who lived this journey with me may have a different tale to tell, which is as it should be. This book is based on my memory of events as I experienced them, and is written by the person who experienced them-not the person who could later comment or advise on the “errors of my ways.” It is not a simple storytelling. Historical events can be documented, of course, but it is truly the relationships that comprise and inform the experiences of our lives. And to do justice to each experience, one must expand the definition of relationship. It cannot be limited to merely you and me. It needs to include six types of relationship: relationship to higher powers; relationship to time; relationship to the school; relationship to the teacher; relationship to other students; and, perhaps most importantly, relationship to the higher and lower parts of one’s being. The way each layer interacts with each other paints a more authentic picture.”
From the back cover: “I stayed at Via Del Sol that first week of August, having found a certain rhythm to my days. Talk had begun about prospective student meetings and those who were in the process of joining. It was as if we were planting seeds to see if some would grow. We would give the water of knowledge and, combined with the fertilizer of personal sufferings, some may recognize their dilemma, while others may choose to content themselves with the angst or pleasure of living one’s life in sleep. This seemed to be the inner meaning of the Parable of the Sower in the Bible” –from Chapter 42
Linda Kaplan has dedicated her life to the pursuit of full awakening, while addressing the large and small demands of each day. She resides in the Sierra Foothills of Northern California.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
I’ll let those golden words soak in and percolate for a while. My comments will follow later…
Been a long time since I posted here. Hello again!
I just read through the entire 50 page complaint filed against FOF and Robert “Big Gums” Burton. It’s the real deal and also includes additional potential defendants (up to 100) referred to as “Does”, as in John Does, to be named later. These would be current and former board members and other FOF members with authority who stood by and enabled the alleged offenses committed under their watch and fiduciary duties. Round up the usual suspects. While I have chosen to personally stay out of this, it will be so interesting to watch unfold. Karma is a bitch, as they say.
Dick Moron, thanks for the update.
If the list includes every Board member, past and present, ditto for the ‘spiritual council’ (can’t recall the official name), and all the other hangers–on and lickspittles lent authority at one time or another by Burton, they may run out of John Does! But I’d be happy with the top 100.
As far as I can recall, almost every Board member, with the dazzling exception of Samuel Sanders, was a yes–man or yes–woman, selected specifically for their traits of compliance and obedience to Burton. SS stands out because he didn’t leave quietly, and later filed a lawsuit of his own, which was settled in his favor. And Miles Barth not only had a position of authority (and had even been declared a “conscious being”) , but left because his conscience told him to. And here were others who also resigned their positions and bowed out. Of these, some circulated letters as well, which were efficiently suppressed, both physically and with propaganda (which unfortunately I believed, at the time). But these noble few are far outweighed by the super–majority of Board members who unquestioningly followed, and still follow, Burton’s orders to the letter. Legally, of course, it is supposed to be the other way round, they are supposed to provide governance, supervise and control Burton.
The council of nonprofits.org has this to say:
Just as for any corporation, the board of directors of a nonprofit has three primary legal duties known as the “duty of care,” “duty of loyalty,” and “duty of obedience.”
Duty of Care: Take care of the nonprofit by ensuring prudent use of all assets, including facility, people, and good will.
Duty of Loyalty: Ensure that the nonprofit’s activities and transactions are, first and foremost, advancing its mission; recognize and disclose conflicts of interest; make decisions that are in the best interest of the nonprofit corporation; not in the best interest of the individual board member (or any other individual or for-profit entity).
Duty of Obedience: Ensure that the nonprofit obeys applicable laws and regulations; follows its own bylaws; and that the nonprofit adheres to its stated corporate purposes/mission.
Anyone who has been in the Fellowship of Friends can reel off dozens of examples of how the Board has miserably and wantonly and deliberately failed in each of these three categories. But, in the present legal case, examination of the ‘Duty of Care’ must loom large. The Board of the Fellowship of Friends sole purpose over the years has been to support Burton’s extravagant lifestyle, and to support his predatory sexual behavior.
And talk about a classic case of inurement, the benefiting to a private individual way and beyond what is a reasonable compensation! I know, I know, Burton the Superhuman has Superhuman needs, so the Board must unquestioningly indulge him whether he stays home or tours with his stable of young men, signing off on the bills for the best airline experiences, the best hotels, the best restaurants and the best shopping…
Dick Moron,
I’ve gone to both the Yuba County Municipal court in Marysville, and the YC Superior Court websites, tried many terms for searching, but zero results.
Would you be so good as to post a direct link, or at least tell us your search terms?
Thanks,
Ames
Ames,
The complaint was shared with me to read in case I wanted to become an additional plaintiff—I do not, but may become involved in other ways. I would suggest contacting the attorneys to request a copy of the complaint.
There are currently 6 plaintiffs, referred to as John Roe 1-6. Additional plaintiffs can be added until Dec. 31 of this year. As I understand this, additional defendants, or “Does” as in John Doe, could include companies owned by FOF or that benefitted from FOF resources as well as individuals.
I served on the board of directors of an international non-profit 501C Corporation for 12 years—4 as board president—so I am very familiar with the legal and ethical responsibilities and duties of a non-profit board member. It’s been over 25 years since I left FOF, but during the time I was in, it was common knowledge that the board found a way to get Burton—an employee— whatever he wanted. I wonder if they still have Directors and Officers liability insurance?
Dick,
thank you so much for your clear explanation.
It does my heart good to hear that you found a noble purpose after you left; you clearly succeeded in turning some important things around. Would that everyone who has passed through the Fellowship of Friends followed the same trajectory. Of course, even wounds that have healed may still bear scars, psychic cicatrices, so to speak.
Would it be your understanding that if victims of Burton’s predations signed up before the end of the month, they would be able to withdraw if circumstances or further thought guided them to that decision? Of course, at some point they would have to make a definite and irrevocable commitment, but I would assume that much legal work, motions back and forth, discovery, and so on could take some considerable time, allowing plaintiffs late to the process to learn more, reflect, digest and then come to a final conclusion.
What I’m getting at is, this whole effort has gained substance and direction over a very short time, and there are only two weeks left for other plaintiffs to come forward. If they felt that there was still able to withdraw after the deadline, more might come forward.
Your thoughts?
I wish all the plaintiffs the very best of luck, resolve, courage, calm, and confidence in their cause. And, my deep thanks to them all for stepping forward and taking on this task. I wish the same for Mackenzie Johnson and her team. Evil dies in the light.
195/70. Dick Moron – December 12, 2023
“I wonder if they still have Directors and Officers liability insurance?”
Good question; maybe, maybe not. After the mid 1990’s lawsuit (Buzbee) was settled, and insurance supposedly paid the multi-million dollar cost, no insurance company in their right mind would carry blanket coverage policy that would extend to Robert Earl Burton’s (REB) proclivities of sexual predation, that had nothing to do with his duties as chief minister of the Fellowship of Friends (FoF); a 501(c)(3) non-profit religious organisation. Or, if it could be found, the cost would be very expensive. Even restricted insurance that could be found, with the higher risk that REB/FoF represented, it would be very expensive and have its limitations. (Legal manoeuvres were also implemented to protect against future risks of a similar nature.) Individual “Directors and Officers” could have their own liability insurance, and, through this severability, protect themselves from the actions of others. That way they could serve with a little peace-of-mind, if you will.
Cult Leader Claims Immunity From Civil Lawsuit
Nut House, CA-In a bold move to avoid paying restitution which could exceed a billion dollars to literally hundreds of sexual exploitation and abuse survivors over the course of four decades that could bankrupt him and finally seal the pipeline to his rape factory, Mr Robert E Burton has petitioned the US Supreme Court to grant him immunity from any and all legal or civil actions due to his self-proclaimed status as a fully conscious, perfectly fine teacher of how to remember to think only for yourself and not others in the highest, most exalted “school” on planet Earth, and possibly the whole Galaxy.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs are eagerly awaiting their chance to get the pithy Burton on the stand.
Burton’s lawyers are arguing that all his actions no matter how mundane, insidious or gross are within his role as a pseudo-religious cult leader practicing “crazy wisdom” because that’s just what cult leaders do and so it’s your own fault if you don’t believe him, both he and his enablers can’t be held responsible for anything, including themselves.
“My students are like my naive children”, Burton has reported to have said on numerous occasions, “I am like their incestuous father and pet owner, I can do anything I want to them if they keep quiet. They need me and their green cards more than I need them. And if they don’t soon realize this, I will have them deported.”
In wordy effort to justify Burton’s shameless behavior to herself, in her recently self-published 600 page book on how to rationalize the behavior of a sociopath entitled, “Swallowing the Seeds of Divine Beginnings and Fertilizing Them”, long term ardent follower Linda Loveless Captain recounts her seminal personal experience of looking at Burton from across a room of glassy-eyed, highly caffeinated followers and thinking to herself, “I don’t know why, but this guy looks conscious to me, in for a penny, in for a pound,” and decides to sacrifice her critical faculties as well as several of her marriages on the altar of Burton’s perverted aim to seduce all the good-looking, straight young men of his flock. “I guess that’s why it is called ‘the Milky Way’”, she writes.
Survivors of Burton’s sexual exploitation and abuse with questions or concerns or who wish to join the lawsuit can call (310) 341-2086 and can withdraw from the suit at any time.
This section of the complaint refers to the yet unnamed potential defendants DOES 1-100. They seem to be casting a wide net.
———————————————
26. DOES 1-50 are, and were, at all relevant times, corporations or other business and/or service entities doing business within Yuba County, California.
27. The true names, identities, or capacities, whether individual, associate, corporate or otherwise, of Defendants DOES 1 through 100 are unknown to Plaintiffs who therefore sue said Defendants by such fictitious names. When the true names, identities, or capacities of such fictitiously designated Defendants are ascertained, Plaintiffs will ask for leave of Court to amend the complaint to assert the true names, identities, and capacities, together with the proper charging allegations.
28. Each of the Defendants designated herein as a DOE is responsible, in some manner, for the events and happenings herein referred to, thereby legally causing the injuries and damages to Plaintiffs as hereinafter alleged.
29. At all times herein mentioned, DEFENDANTS were the agents, servants, employees and joint venturers of each other and of their co-defendants and were acting within the course and scope of their employment, agency or joint venture.
30. Wherever appearing in this complaint, each and every reference to defendants, or any of them, is intended to include, and shall be deemed to include, all fictitiously named defendants.
Ames,
Yes, I have the scars that are vivid yet detached reminders. Like physical body scars they are always there to remind you of the trauma endured in the past— when you look at them.
I have not spoken to any of the attorneys, so I can’t answer the question about plaintiffs withdrawing from the case. Best for people to contact the attorneys to discuss if there is serious interest. A few more plaintiffs who were recruited overseas as members would no doubt bolster the Human Trafficking complaint.
Could the Fellowship of Friends have a kinder (or gentler) side?:
No joke, check out:
“Fellowship of Friends | Blogspot
Conscious Ways of Awakening the Self
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
How TIP Aids Children Following Tragic Events”
http://thefellowshipoffriends.blogspot.com/2017/04/how-tip-aids-children-following-tragic.html
Excerpt:
“Based in Northern California, Fellowship of Friends is a Fourth Way esoteric school founded by Robert Earl Burton over four decades ago. It utilizes practical exercises and methods in teaching the practice of living in the present. Fellowship of Friends also engages in community work by donating to charitable organizations such as the Orange County chapter of Trauma Intervention Program (TIP).
[tiporangecounty(dot)org]
Founded in 1985, TIP is a national non-profit composed of trained volunteers who provide emotional assistance to victims of traumatic events and their families, especially within the first few hours after such tragedies. These events can include the accidental death of a partner, violent crimes such as rape, and suicide attempts.
TIP volunteers aid victims regardless of age. For example, TIP has instituted a program called “TIP 4 Kids” . . .”
See more using link. Blogspot only active in 2017. Page has other links.
66. Ames Gilbert – December 11, 2023
An excerpt of an excerpt:
“We would give the water of knowledge and, combined with the fertilizer of personal sufferings, some may recognize their dilemma, while others may choose to content themselves with the angst or pleasure of living one’s life in sleep.”
~ Linda Kaplan, The Seeds of the Divine Beginning
Agent for an ostentatious, imperious narcissistic cult leader
70. Dick Moron December 12, 2023
Most Directors and Officers policies have exclusions that deny coverage for certain types of misconduct. There are two categories of misconduct exclusions:
1. For losses relating to fraudulent or criminal conduct
2. For losses relating to illegal profits or remuneration to which the insured was not legally entitled
The exclusions could come into play with any charge of human trafficking or the extravagant misuse of funds by an organization purporting to be a non-profit, tax exempt “church.”
https://cultnews.net/former-male-members-of-the-fellowship-of-friends-a-high-control-group-a-k-a-cult-led-by-robert-earl-burton-file-lawsuit-alleging-sexual-assault/
Is it possible for people who were 18+ to claim they were sexually abused when they were willing volunteers? I’ve known some who rejected the advances of RB.
If you did not see Wouldnt You Like To Know earlier post, 195/76, from a day or so ago, scroll to it. It was delayed by moderation.
Here is an interesting slide type presentation on the Fellowship of Friends (FoF) Cult by
Anna Ohotnicky and Colin Morini, Wed Oct 30 2019:
https://prezi.com/p/bdi2k06nzy4h/fellowship-of-friends/
Excerpt:
“Sexual Abuse in FoF
Sexual Assault
Though nearly everyone in the FoF were sexually abused in some capacity the target was mainly on young men, their role to Burton was to be seduced by him and to complete assigned sexual favors. If anyone was to quetion the morailty of the group or Burton they would be thrown out immediatly.”
Vinnie:
I would think “willing volunteers” are still current followers…seeking either to avoid deportation, being taken off salary, or being cast aside into the abyss of “life” and forever shunned, having turned their back on angels.
Anyone who said “no” undoubtedly left with their dignity and self-esteem intact.
Hi Vinnie,
good to have you back.
You ask, “Is it possible for people who were 18+ to claim they were sexually abused when they were willing volunteers?”. I know this question has been asked, and answered, many times before on these pages. I’m sure that the lawyers have also thought of this question, and how to answer it. It seems so basic to the whole enterprise. I’m also sure you will be excited to learn new things as the case proceeds, I know I will.
I’m told that some present members of the Fellowship of Friends regularly take it upon themselves to read this blog, despite “Conscious Person” Girard Haven’s admonition to not do so, so they may be greatly encouraged to know that an intellect as sharp as yours is hard at work. Maybe you can volunteer to appear as an expert witness on behalf of the FoF if this case proceeds to trial? Which is the first big obstacle; the plaintiff’s lawyers have to convince some authority that there is sufficient ‘meat’ to make a case, in other words, not waste everyone’s time. If the case does advance to trial, your question is answered.
79. Golden Veil:
Rick Allan Ross also posted a link on “X” (formerly Twitter):
Golden Veil, thanks for the Cult News link. I have forwarded it to the Sacramento Bee and Appeal-Democrat.
Also sent to San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times tip lines.
Thanks for your pleasant/bitter reply Ames.
Yes I’m excited to hear news of progress of the case.
86. Vinnie
Somehow, I don’t think “excited” is exactly the word you meant to use. If you are at all tuned to Burton’s reaction to the lawsuit, I think “scared shitless” is far more accurate. Yes?
Thanks for your concern and actions. I was in the FoF in the mid-70s and met Burton several times, but I cannot claim to be a party to this complaint.
Vinnie should know, and probably does, that things have drastically changed since the last lawsuit against RB as far as the understanding of “consent” in the eyes of a jury in a civil, or criminal trial. Just ask Harvey Weinstein.
I’m suspect this one will not be settled out of court.
Blog moderator:
Wouldnt You Like To Know
posted another message about a day ago that did not say it was in moderation; has not appeared. Would have been around #81 on current page.
Can you find it?
https://www.thedailybeast.com/fellowship-of-friends-and-robert-earl-burton-hit-with-sexual-abuse-lawsuit
“This could very well just be the tip of the iceberg,” attorney Mackenzie Johnson, who represents the plaintiffs, said. “It’s taken time for the world to understand that processing mental trauma, particularly trauma caused by sexual assault, takes time. Survivors often grapple with depression, self-blame, fear of not being believed, and sadly, suicidal ideation, before finally realizing that what happened is not their fault.”
Sexual assault happens not only physically…
“Additional survivors of sexual misconduct perpetrated by Robert Earl Burton are encouraged to come forward by calling (310) 341-2086.” – By Dec 31, 2023
https://www.thedailybeast.com/fellowship-of-friends-and-robert-earl-burton-hit-with-sexual-abuse-lawsuit
Somebody has to do a cult documentary on the fof for one of the streaming services. This is some ‘top shelf’ shit.
#70 Dick Moron: ” I wonder if they still have Directors and Officers liability insurance?”
When I was still a member we were asked to contribute to rebuilding ‘La Cucina’ after it burned down. Although I was still a believer, I declined to contribute because I felt that those responsible were not ‘in good householder,’ having failed to take out buildings insurance. I think that this was not an isolated incident, but that there was a general belief among students that somehow Influence C would take care of everything. So we’ll see.
#80 Vinnie the Fish: “Is it possible for people who were 18+ to claim they were sexually abused when they were willing volunteers?”
The prevailing view post-Weinstein is that you cannot assume consent where there is an imbalance of power. Part of the trauma suffered by child sex abuse victims is that they feel guilty for what happened, because they assented to it at the time, not taking account of the forces that made refusal impossible.
From the daily beast article it seems that one of the 6 initial plaintiffs is a Romanian born former member who has given interviews about how Burton operates. If it is the person who along with Dorian Matei occupied the top spot in the FOF for several years, then I find it disturbing. How does one consider the validity of a legal proceeding against the FOF by a person like that?
He might equally well be one of the defendants – in fact I think that those who became part of the system of sexual exploitation for personal gain knowing fully what was being done are far more culpable than some of the board members who were appointed because they were seen as relatively harmless and did not threaten the status quo.
#91- Wouldn’t You Like To Know. Yes, I just found your post in Spam. It is #81 above
Vinnie,
I prepared a detailed rebuttal of any notion of young men agreeing to sex with Burton on anything like equal terms, but realized that one sentence will do.
top spot – personal gain – knowing fully what was being done
Well known those two ambitious Rumanians since fresh arrival…
One perfectly positioned to continue, as of now
The other quit – years ago
Responsibility yes, then there are levels.
How does it apply to each one participant?
A lawyer weighs in:
“Just a heads up that the lawsuit Mackenzie Johnson has filed on behalf of the plaintiffs is not a class action suit. It’s just a multiple plaintiffs suit.
There’s a big difference. Class actions are where the plaintiffs are so numerous as to render wholly impracticable a series of lawsuits on behalf of them as individuals. Generally speaking a class is composed of many hundreds or thousands of people who meet a certain set of conditions. A class action binds ALL members of the class unless they have specifically opted out, and whether they know about the lawsuit or not. When a law firm which handles class actions settles such a beast, typically notices go out to all the thousands or millions of people who are potentially members of the class, and they get a check for, I dunno, three dollars or some such, where [say, Big Bank] snuck [surcharge] into their monthly statement deceptively.
A multiple plaintiffs suit just has more than one person as plaintiff. It doesn’t bind anyone but the parties. People have heard this term “class action,” but it’s a very specific thing, and it is not the suit Mackenzie brought.
The deal with the new California statute tolling the statute of limitations on sexual assault is, it’s complicated. There were some prior amendments to the statute which left sexual assault victims high and dry, so they were trying to fix that problem. If the assault(s) happened between 2009 and 2019, the plaintiffs can bring suit until 2026. If the assaults happened at ANY time, AND there was a coverup of the incident or prior incidents of this nature, the plaintiffs have until the end of 2023 to commence the suit.”
[Note: The Slater Slater Schulman case uses California Code of Civil Procedure section 340.16 subsection (e)(1), which revives adult sexual assault claims, from any point in time, and claims related to that sexual assault in nature, if they meet certain conditions, through December 31, 2023.]
I can’t speak for anyone else, but this is quite clear to me:
The Fellowship Friends is the exact opposite of a “School of Awakening”.
It is in fact a “School of Sleeping”.
That is, followers of Burton become more and more asleep, by blindly following the Sleeping Guru, the God–Emperor of Oregon House, the Most Abject of Slaves, as he descends into the abyss. As his joyless, circumscribed fantasy world shrinks around him, his followers tighten their own chains to match, all the while imagining that they are setting themselves free, simply because Burton says so, over and over again.
Merriam-Webster defines gaslighting as “psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories.” It’s when you attack someone’s perception of reality with such sustained aggression that the victim’s psyche just kind of gives up and assumes they’re not mentally competent enough to interpret reality for themselves.
If one abandons conscience or honor, then one is becoming more and more asleep, no matter how much one rationalizes the contrary. Burton said, in 1994, in answer to this most important question from a genuinely puzzled follower, “Robert, what is the purpose of conscience?” His reply:
… and that is exactly what he teaches his followers, by word and example . Moreover, Burton teaches that achieving “consciousness” requires that his followers use any means to do so, but any impartial observer quickly realizes that the ends never justify the means, rather the means shape the ends.
Robert Burton, has, by his words and a LIFETIME of example, demonstrated that he actually knows nothing and cares less about conscience; this is natural, since there is no evidence that he has one. Ergo, he has taught Asaf Braverman (for twenty years!)—or anyone else who claims lineage through Burton—nothing about conscience, and it follows that Asaf is not qualified, and never will be qualified, to teach others anything about recognizing or contacting their consciences; he has been at best misled and at worst corrupted by his completely corrupt teacher.
This is why the Fellowship of Friends is such a dangerous place to be and why Burton is a false teacher. Burton does not have a conscience, so why would he value conscience? Conscience, the higher emotional center in Fourth Way terms, is present in all of us—except for sociopaths. Of course, it may not be recognized as such, let alone valued, let alone acted upon. It is a ‘still, small voice’ after all. But Burton has no experience of it and cannot understand it, so he derides it and devalues it.
• I would most certainly agree with the part about leaving this dangerous ‘school’. Anyone who is in touch with their conscience has NO NEED whatsoever for Burton or the Fellowship of Friends/Pathway to Presence, and should leave at once.
-If the assault(s) happened between 2009 and 2019, the plaintiffs can bring suit until 2026.
-If the assaults happened at ANY time, AND there was a coverup of the incident or prior incidents of this nature, the plaintiffs have until the end of 2023 to commence the suit.”
by calling attorney Mackenzie Johnson (310) 341-2086
Mihai Algiu…
Remarkable reporting by the Appeal-Democrat, long regarded as treating the Fellowship of Friends favorably.
https://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/lawsuit-filed-against-yuba-county-cult/article_5b8da89e-9ee6-11ee-924a-1b2fb42f5a7f.html
Doomsday Cult Unprepared For Legal Apocalypse
Beach House, CA~Cult members who have been for decades prepping for a series of cataclysmic events around them predicted to make their insular Northern California compound, Apollo, the center of world culture are undoubtedly beginning to feel the sand shift beneath their feet as a looming legal tsunami is fast approaching the shores of their shameless rape factory.
“I don’t know anything about it”, said Bored President Greg Holeinthehead, “but the night is fine, do you admire the view? It’s all good. Just look at all the nice pretty things we bought.”
In an attempt to calm his followers, Robert E. Burton, the “alleged” perpetrator of the harm caused to the six men who filed the lawsuit,
and in a nod toward his obsession with shopping and numbers, recently commented to his flock not to worry just yet, because there are only “four horsemen of the apocalypse, not six”… or more.
With Earth’s first Clay They did the Last Man knead,
And there of the Last Harvest sowed the Seed:
And the first Morning of Creation wrote
What the Last Dawn of Reckoning shall read.
Omar Khayyam (original)
Edward Fitzgerald (translation)
(Didn’t Burton know that karma would eventually catch up with him?)
What was the name of the email discussion group that continued for a couple of years until Ivan Penfold posted that the ‘king of hearts’ is not actually real, which prompted Mark Laskin to tell Robert, who demanded that the group be shut down.
Hi- I’m wondering when this blog first started. I tried going back but it’s very difficult. Was it 2006 or even earlier? Thank you.
A Former Kid, greetings!
Go to the Blog Roll, on the top right–hand corner of this and any page.
Click on “Robert Earl Burton Blog”. This takes you to the last archived page of Tim’s blog, which was closed down without notice—and without recourse —by Google in March this year. His blog is called, “Robert Earl Burton and The Fellowship of Friends: An Unauthorized Blogography of “The Teacher” and His Cult”. The archive is part of the Wayback Machine enterprise run by Web Archive.org (BTW, drop a few dollars, if you can afford it, they provide a range of really valuable services as well as the Wayback Machine, a fantastic research tool).
Scroll down the page (or any other page of Tim’s website), and on the left hand side, you will come to a section called ‘Links’. The first three are links to the previous iterations of this blog.
A little history, if you are interested.
It was started by a fellow by the pen name of Pavel, who went to a ‘prospective student meeting’ in London, and it was odd enough that he decided to write about it. He posted that first item on April 16, 2006. The first reply was much later, on June 24th, but I’d guess that “Barbara” told a few friends…
When the blog took off, to the surprise of all, it became too cumbersome for that format after a while, so he changed to a new one. And when it became apparent that this second version was becoming overwhelmed by Fellowship trolls, Pavel realized that the site required moderation, so the format changed again, to its present organization. The final big change was when he stopped being interested, and sought and found the present moderator, Steve, who has done a really good job ever since, IMHO.
From my layman’s (I know, pop–psychology…) point of view, Burton is a malignant narcissist. I say this because his words and behavior over five decades show he thinks the world revolves around him. And that other beings exist only as living mannequins, and their only role and only value is to support his personal adventures and proclivities. Whalerider made an astute observation, in #73. above: Burton regards his victims, past, present and future, as ‘pets’. Which he owns. He even describes them as “gifts from C–Influence”. Meaning, various powerful angels have taken time from their important duties to select and convey victims for his especial delectation and enjoyment.
One can observe him dressing his ‘boys’ in identical clown suits (look through the archived version of Tim’s website to see actual bizarro photos—click on the link, “Robert Earl Burton, in eternal pursuit of youth” in the left sidebar for an example), or supervising their attire to the tiniest (usually loud and tasteless) detail, from hats to shoes and everything in between. Burton claimed, in my hearing, that he makes up to five hundred (!) similar decisions for members of his flock every day, and moreover that is a sign of his advanced consciousness. However, I see it as a sign of his obsessive need to control his environment (and equal fear of losing control), which includes the minions that inhabit it; in other words, a helpless compulsion that governs much of his behavior. Another aspect of Burton being a total slave to his needs and desires.
109. Ames Gilbert
Thanks Ames for explaining the origins of this discussion.
The WayBackMachine’s archive of the Robert Earl Burton blog has some weaknesses, including a failure to fully capture many links in the April 2023 archive. (When clicking a link, you may receive the message “The Wayback Machine has not archived that URL.”)
And since April, some links have expired and cannot be updated, as the archive is merely an image of the blog at that time.
But the material is still “out there.” For assistance navigating the archive, you may contact me at timtraveler at msn dot com.
The Los Angeles Times covers the lawsuit:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-12-21/six-men-allege-sexual-abuse-fellowship-of-friends
Wanted: Distraught Young Men to Participate in Doomsday Cult Fantasy
Soap Opera House, CA-Are you an attractive young man, circumcised or not, yet feeling alienated from your friends, family, job, or country’s current political situation?
Do you feel like something’s missing in your life, maybe like an aging sugar daddy figure who takes control of everything for you and makes you feel, oh la la, sooo very special when you agree to fund everything he asks you to do for him?
Are you ready to make shameless history and get the best blow job on the planet?
If so, then the Fellowship of Friends is for you!
Why suffer unnecessarily among the 12,000 unlucky mechanical machines who joined and then turned their backs on this once in a life time offer to enter the gates of paradise through slavish servitude to one man’s quest to rationalize his homosexuality with delusions of grandeur?
You, too, can become a disciple of our dear leader’s christ complex, learn to believe in ghosts, derive personal meaning from randomly appearing numbers, and stand on the very spot where he stooped over, waving his well worn asshole in the air for the camera to see, and kissed the imaginary feet of the Absolute!
But you must act fast, in this present moment and not think about the long-term consequences of abandoning your critical faculties, bankrupting your morals, or severing your support network, for that evil witch of a moon hovering overhead is hunting for you, ready to suck the soul out of your body when another of the many failed predictions that never happen comes and goes, and life journeys forth just like the day before, and you suddenly realize that you have wasted years of your life enthralled with shiny objects among self-absorbed people with whom you really know nothing about because of what they hide from you with each wordless breath, and who in reality don’t give a flying fuck about you anyway.
All major credit cards accepted.
REB made drudge today.
I suppose u get what u want.
Thank the lord for the rule of law or we would all be reduced to that.
How shall it all play out with REB & lieutenants?
This is the review I threatened (#66, above), of just the introduction and the back cover of Linda Kaplan’s book, The Seeds of the Divine Beginning
I think it is safe to assume from the poor style and matching grammar, that the rest of the 600 odd pages are equally tedious. Especially if one considers the extra care that an author would put into the introduction and words on the cover; after all, these are the all–important first impressions a reader would encounter. It is plain that Linda Kaplan badly needs a ruthless editor*, who would first entirely rewrite the introduction and then prune at least 200 pages from the 600 on the first run through, and likely many more later. But the horror has been born, and its future is clearly the remainder bin.
Kaplan starts off with a sleight of hand or misdirection well known to anyone that has encountered the Fellowship of Friends:
“This book was prompted by requests to describe what it was like to participate in the birth of higher school on earth, the Fellowship of Friends.”
She does not explain why obvious appeals to her considerable vanity should lead to an entire tome, where a few sentences would suffice. Or, what she means by her presumption of “higher school”. An unwary reader might assume some sort of spiritual and noble and uplifting organization, but the Fellowship, under the able misdirection of its leader, Robert Earl Burton, is very far from that.
Onwards…
She postulates six types of relationship “that comprise and inform the experiences of our lives”. Right here we can see that she has spent five decades under the tutelage of Robert Earl Burton, and taken to heart his disdain for important aspects of experience. I quote her list: “It needs to include six types of relationship: relationship to higher powers; relationship to time; relationship to the school; relationship to the teacher; relationship to other students; and, perhaps most importantly, relationship to the higher and lower parts of one’s being.”
Immediately, one can see that any relationships to those who are not ‘students’ are not worthy of her time and attention. Mere “life people”, worthless automatons all. One can also see that she does not particularly value her relationship to nature (including her physical body) and the earth, at least not enough to be worth mentioning. And she has taken as real Burton’s artificial division of one’s being into “higher” and “lower”, although there is no objective evidence or reason for such a division, except as a means of control.
The back cover…
If this is typical of the rest of the book, then Linda Kaplan has penned not just the uncontested winner of the “Most Turgid and Overwritten Book of the Decade”, but possibly of the millennium. In a few brief sentences, she manages to combine preening, smugness, judgement, superciliousness, and unctuousness into a sort of macédoine of patronizing soup.
Sigh! Linda through and through.
* hey, me too, but then I’m not expecting anyone to pay for the privilege of reading my words!
Are the rumors true about the next book Kaplan is writing?
* * * The Corpse of the Ignoble End * * *
It should be noted that, after the December 31st deadline for plaintiffs to sign on to the lawsuit, Slater Slater Schulman will continue seeking evidence and witness testimonies as they build the case against Robert Earl Burton, The Fellowship of Friends, Renaissance Vineyard and Winery, and “defendants Does 1-100.”
Thank you.
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