Introduction


Robert Earl Burton founded The Fellowship of Friends in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1970. Burton modeled his own group after that of Alex Horn, loosely borrowing from the Fourth Way teachings of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky. In recent years, the Fellowship has cast its net more broadly, embracing any spiritual tradition that includes (or can be interpreted to include) the notion of "presence."

The Fellowship of Friends exhibits the hallmarks of a "doomsday religious cult," wherein Burton exercises absolute authority, and demands loyalty and obedience. He warns that his is the only path to consciousness and eternal life. Invoking his gift of prophecy, he has over the years prepared his flock for great calamities (e.g. a depression in 1984, the fall of California in 1998, nuclear holocaust in 2006, and most recently the October 2018 "Fall of California Redux.")

According to Burton, Armageddon still looms in our future and when it finally arrives, non-believers shall perish while, through the direct intervention and guidance from 44 angels (recently expanded to 81 angels, including himself and his divine father, Leonardo da Vinci), Burton and his followers shall be spared, founding a new and more perfect civilization. Read more about the blog.

Presented in a reverse chronology, the Fellowship's history may be navigated via the "Blog Archive" located in the sidebar below.

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

How to improve your status in the FOF Harem

Asaf Braverman and Robert Earl Burton "perform" at Fellowship of Friends cult meeting
Asaf Braverman reads a quotation at a Fellowship of Friends meeting (Photo: "mcorolli")

"WhaleRider" wrote on the Fellowship of Friends Discussion blog, July 15, 2020:
 
How To Improve Your Status in the FOF Harem
 
Are you a young male follower who thinks he deserves that fresh new pair of Ferragamo shoes and all expense paid trip abroad, so others will be jealous of you instead?

Sick and tired of working those long grueling hours in the rain or hot sun during the day and then having to demean yourself at night for a few fleeting moments of physical pleasure…just to avoid being deported? 

Want to experience what really goes on during those exclusive, all night wine cellar symposiums you’ve heard about?

You too can enjoy the exalted status of a royal FOF consort with all the privileges of the “chosen few” in Burton’s inner circle, if you take these time-tested steps:
 
  • Leave your wife or girlfriend BEFORE Burton gets rid of her for you 
 
Remove any obstacle that might get in Burton’s way or whom might question why you are out so late, or better yet, don’t get involved with women at all no matter how many FOF women offer to have sex with you. Burton views women as competition and the evil source of “feminine dominance”. To him, women are like dolls who are to be adorned with tacky cameos and regarded simply as background “impressions”. Remember this is a guy who wouldn’t even attend his own mother’s funeral. 
 
  • Make known your wish to move to Apollo as soon as possible 
 
Although it may rock your world, one blowjob at an outlying center means nothing to him. Burton has a voracious sexual appetite for “new meat”, so your chances of getting in on the action after hours at Apollo are of course greatly improved by proximity. If you happen to be young and attractive enough, you may be given the opportunity to be trafficked to Apollo for free if you are also destitute and cannot afford the plane ticket, so have your passport up to date and ready. But once there you must be patient and stay put in order to prove your loyalty. Don’t be discouraged when you learn there are quite a number ahead of you. Mark your calendar and make sure you are always available on Valentine’s Day and Burton’s birthday.
 
  • Smile demurely whenever among others, and say yes to everything you are asked to do, no matter how bizarre or inconsistent with your morals 
 
Your reputation for being compliant is crucial! Never show your teeth when smiling, tell jokes, or laugh out loud You will be tested for any inkling of “willfulness” by Burton’ and his sadistic pimps, so be prepared to dispense with your dignity, abandon all critical thinking, shovel camel dung, and max out your credit cards. After all, you can’t put a price on paradise and immense debt makes the heart grow fonder.
 
  • Maintain personal hygiene, decorum, and always adhere to the FOF’s strict dress code 
 
Appearances are everything in the FOF, no matter how shallow. Only wear gold jewelry, even if it’s fake. Make sure your clothes are pressed and spotless, your shoes remain polished even when picking grapes or olives, brush your teeth often, and always chew food with your mouth closed. Never burp, fart, or hiccup in Burton’s presence and always leave at least half or more of the delicious food on your plate at the end of dinner, no matter how hungry you are.
 
  • Volunteer to be a server at his dinners or events 
 
Once Burton has had a few glasses of wine your chances of eventually being on the menu increase exponentially. Keep silent, move slowly, and nod your head with a look of awe at everything Burton says. Hang around afterward and thank him profusely for the opportunity to be so subservient. He probably won’t remember your name, but he will remember that.
 
  • Repeat and practice everything you have been told about what makes a “good student” 
 
It is imperative that you be regarded as a “good student” by others in the FOF hierarchy. Never ever criticize anything, unless you read it on the blog. See the “hand of higher forces” in anything that happens or that Burton does, regardless of how destructive, cruel or meaningless. That also means informing on others who break the rules, and most importantly, always talk about how lucky you feel for having joined. 
 
  • Memorize quotes of conscious beings 
 
The more pithy quotes you can rattle off, the more you will be able to cover for Burton’s dementia, and the more he will want you hovering around him outside his bedroom, especially when he is “teaching”. Never correct Burton if he says something stupid.
 
  • Be on the look out to recruit others 
 
Once you get close to Burton, you will be expected not only to keep him informed of young males who recently joined the group, but actively seek and recruit naive, desperate, young males to whet his sexual appetite. You will be handsomely rewarded the more people you place in the pipeline of his rape factory.
 
Practice these helpful tips, and years later, when you are finally at the top of the heap, you will one day be asking yourself…“OMG, what kind of person have I become??”
 

"brucelevy" wrote on the Fellowship of Friends Discussion blog, July 15, 2020:
 
49. WhaleRider [above]
 
Nailed it.

Thursday, July 2, 2020

The London Fourth Way Centre and The New Age host Zoom meeting

[ed. - The Fellowship of Friends United Kingdom centers turn to hosting Zoom meetings.]

The Fellowship of Friends London Fourth Way Centre and The New Age host Zoom meeting


[ed. - The London Fourth Way Centre is also promoting an e-book, in Italian:]
Dear friends,

'A Matter of Presence: Working in a Spiritual School', is officially available in e-book format on the Amazon Books platform.
Here's the link:

https://www.amazon.it/dp/B08BQ6L46S

A practical text about spirituality in a fourth-way school, dedicated to those who are looking for real change. It was born in this very group, reworking four years of topics, debates and comments that emerged here.

The progression from magnetic center to school work is described; from the first observation exercises, to the meeting with a master and with the C Influence . It represents a complete introduction to school work, both for those who are familiar with fourth street ideas and for those who don't know them, but have an interest in the spiritual world.

317 pages, 47 illustrations and a glossary.

It is divided into six sections:

- The magnetic center
- The man according to the Fourth Way
- The cosmos according to the Fourth Way
- The Work
- Presence
- The Master

https://www.amazon.it/dp/B08BQ6L46S

I prepared a video book presentation on Youtube. Here's the link: https://tinyurl.com/y7yjmuxh