The Fellowship of Friends Compound at Apollo (Oregon House, CA)

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Below, an aerial view of the roughly 1,260-acre Fellowship of Friends compound, known as Apollo, in Oregon House, California. (This same property was formerly known as The Farm, The Ranch, Mt. Carmel Monastery, Renaissance, and Isis.)

The Fellowship's uncompleted Renaissance Winery is the white structure in the bottom center of the image. Surrounding the winery (and west of Rice's Crossing Road) are olive orchards which supply Apollo Olive Oil. To the left, across a small lake is the Theatron, and to the left of that, the Galleria where Robert Earl Burton resides. Many of the 365 acres originally planted to grapes now lie fallow, the vines uprooted. (Click on the Google navigation buttons to zoom or pan the image.)

See also John Harmer's video capturing the changes in the Apollo landscape from 1998 to 2018.

In this circa 1990 view of the Fellowship's Apollo compound (formerly known as The Farm,
The Ranch, Mt. Carmel Monastery, Renaissance, Isis), Dixon Hill serves as Apollo's backdrop.
Photo: James Kline

Fellowship of Friends traveling show

[ed. - From RAHM Metaphysical Exploration Group.]

PRESENTATION

“I already knew that behind a thin film of false reality, there existed another reality from which for some reason we were separated.”  Peter Ouspensky

His search for the miraculous led Peter Ouspensky, a brilliant Russian mathematician, to George Gurdjieff, a Russian-Armenian mystic who expounded a new approach to spiritual evolution based upon the ancient “wisdom teachings” of the Sufis, Christians, and Hindus.  As a result of their fateful encounter, Ouspensky underwent a profound and radical transformation of his inner being, eventually translating his experiences into a practical system of spiritual development especially suited to Western minds, which he called “The Fourth Way.”  Intended to be practiced in daily life rather than in special situations, it contains at its heart the timeless concept of “self-remembering” - the Self remembering its divine origin, which has been veiled by a multitude of both inner and outer forces.

Gurdjieff insisted that you must “remember yourself, always and everywhere” and, in fact, all religions and esoteric traditions are focused upon this single idea: the burning quest of a man or woman to reconnect with the divinity within.  This search has been represented in fairytales, myths, symbols, parables, and works of art throughout the ages, but however different their outer form, all sacred teachings agree that without special and prolonged work on oneself, that divinity remains veiled.

What is this work?  What are the obstacles?  How can we lift the veil? What is awakening, and how can it become more than just a word in a book?  Is there a way to reach a state of consciousness that remains unaffected by events, time, or even death?

We will explore these ideas through examples drawn from the great spiritual and artistic traditions, as well as by sharing practical exercises and techniques of self-study.  In the end, we will see that the miraculous is closer than we think.

ABOUT JUDITH GRACE BASSAT

Judith Grace Bassat has been a student of the Fellowship of Friends, an esoteric school of the Fourth Way tradition, since 1976.  She has directed centers in New York, Paris, Nice, Milan, Rome, and St. Petersburg, as well as the central headquarters in Northern California, where she now lives.

Judith works as both a writer and editor.  For many years, she was editor of the Italian art magazine FMR, and translated several books into Italian, including Wendigen.  Her book, Goodbye My Fancy, about the last months of Walt Whitman’s life, was published in 2003.  She is also a poet and a playwright, with two produced plays The Conference of the Birds and Goodbye My Fancy, based upon her book.  In addition, she publishes a weekly esoteric newsletter The Apollo Miracle.

ABOUT MICHAEL GOLDING

Michael Golding has been a member of the Fellowship of Friends since 1986.  He has directed centers in London and Moscow, as well as the central headquarters in Northern California, and has also lived in New York, Paris, and Amsterdam.  As a member of the Fellowship Council, he has visited over 40 centers worldwide, leading meetings and workshops and counseling students on an individual basis.

Michael received his education at Duke, Oxford, and the University of California at Irvine, where he received the prestigious Gellman Founder’s award.  He began his career as an actor, appearing in numerous Off-Broadway shows and playing Romeo for a Joseph Papp production of Romeo and Juliet

In the late 1980’s, Michael turned to writing, and his first novel, Simple Prayers, was published in 1994.  A national bestseller, it has been translated into ten foreign languages and Martin Scorcese is executive producing the film version.  Benjamin’s Gift, his second novel, was published in 2000.  His translation of Alessandro Baricco’s stage play Novecento opened the 2002 Edinburgh Festival and his screenplay adaptation of the best-selling novel Silk, starring Keira Knightley, was a featured selection at the 2007 Toronto Film Festival.

TO CONTACT JUDITH

Email: jgrace@beingpresent.org

TO CONTACT MICHAEL

Email: michael.golding44@gmail.com