Encouraging Psychological Growth

As a result of the challenging "social workshop" environment created by its members, life in Adelphi takes on many exciting perspectives. One of these is the increasing awareness on the part of members of a few years residence that they are enjoying the benefits of added psychological maturity. One way we see this evidenced is by the success and smoothness with which they move among others. The opportunity for such growth is a primary "raison d'etre" of the communities that have been founded to live by the principles recorded in The Ultimate Frontier. Such inner growth is especially important in view of the present scarcity of such active institutions. This article points out how the philosophy of the Brotherhoods, in contrast with many twentieth-century mores, offers men ways to more effectively use their tools of brain and mind. Through cultivating practical attitudes, Adelphi and Stelle Members are attaining the psychological and spiritual growth that is so vital to man's sanity and mental health.

From the standpoint of the Brotherhood's cosmology, psychology might be defined as the ways in which the human brain, in concert with the mind, responds to events in life so as to maximize the acquisition of Soul knowledge in accordance with the design of our Angelic Creators. Man is Mind; but those who have not yet arrived at Adeptship (at least the eighth degree of Brotherhood) still have the task of mastering the physical plane. This mastery includes learning all the physical sciences and becoming highly skilled at living and working with our fellow man. Both areas are mastered only through extensive "on the job" training; and so until an Ego reaches Adeptship, advancement comes only during physical incarnation. When an Ego incarnates, his mind acts essentially as the "driver" of his animal vehicle, or body. The Angels associated with our planet very painstakingly designed the physical vehicle now used by man to be an optimum tool for converting experience gained on the physical plane into lasting Egoic knowledge. The human body contains many marvels both mechanical and chemical, and all of these are governed by the brain. The human brain along with the central nervous system comprises a sort of central computer, which in turn is under the control of the Ego using the body for his incarnation. By means of this command and control chain, an Ego's thoughts on the mental plane may be translated into physical action. The effects of such actions return to the Ego which initiated them, due to the functioning of God's Laws, and act as a stimulus for that Ego to relate cause and effect. The value of an incarnation often rests on how accurately this is done. The interface between the brain/mind of man is arranged so that Egoic control and physical experience react to provide the Ego with accurate feedback, which he may then use to improve his environment by uplifting the quality of his thoughts and actions.

In many respects the brain, to extend the computer analogy, is only as effective as the "programming" fed into it during the course of an incarnation. Conditioning by one's parents during the early years of incarnation is by far the most potent and direction-setting input the brain ever receives, since most conscience-forming and morality are firmly established by age five or six. An incarnating Ego thus entrusts a tremendous responsibility to his parents. To a great extent, all future learning is contingent on the early training that he receives as a child. It is during these years, that the brain absorbs unquestioningly any and all data sent to it through the senses.

Understanding the applications of this amazing fact, were pioneered by the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia, PA. Because of "Institutes" research, parents, and parents-to-be, are equipped with a great deal of information on how to assist their small child in proper training of his built-in propensity to store vast quantities of data. All of the small child's senses are extra-sharp, their memory is near-photographic, and information flows in as quickly as it can be presented. In the low-anxiety atmosphere, which is being carefully cultivated within Adelphi, the child's intellect is allowed to grow at a rate only limited by the parents'. We have learned that anxiety, produced whenever a child is placed in competition with others or made to feel that his acceptance or being loved depends upon his scholastic performance, acts as a block to further learning. Most children are unable to remember or think under stress; and if this is compounded with punishment for failure, children can block their ability to learn for a whole lifetime. In Adelphi we have consciously adopted the policy of always extending unconditional love to the little ones in our midst; and furthermore, every adult tries to be watchful for any opportunity to "lovingly assist" a child in learning whenever the chance arises. Children quickly interpret this attitude to mean that learning is fun and rewarding, and this outlook will stand them in good stead into their adulthood. Happily, the child who is well equipped intellectually at an early age also develops a strong sense of self-esteem. This is clear evidence of the fact that a newly incarnated Ego's primary goal is to achieve mastery of his new body as rapidly as possible. In Adelphi, the child's intellect and psychological health are promoted through early education, as was done in Lemuria. Although it is not required of applicants to Adelphi that they be Brothers, we will simulate very closely the conditions and advantages that an Ego would enjoy who is able to incarnate to parents who are Brothers.

The concept of the "extended family" is very central to the philosophy in Adelphi. In Lemuria, households often consisted of much more than the usual "nuclear" family familiar to Americans of this century. As many as forty individuals, ranging from grandparents, aunts and uncles to the children shared a large, many-roomed hacienda. Children grew up with the love and attention of many adults, which fulfilled the need of all children for security. This arrangement provided the Lemurian child with many opportunities to form loving linkages with other elders as well as peers. Such a diversity of emotional relationships is a major psychological need; it's importance may be gauged by the contrasting lack of such relationships in current Western culture and the resultant alienation and "cast-adrift" feelings common to so many people. Life in Adelphi is not communal, nor will residences in the city be likely to differ outwardly from quality housing elsewhere. However, the absence of fences will typify the close-knit nature of all of Adelphi's residents, and children will be welcome at any door on their street. The obvious wealth of practical experience available from a pool of many surrogate "aunts" and "uncles" and "grandparents" will be of great educational value for everyone's children.

The importance of the primary roles of the parents is recognized in Adelphi and Stelle. During the child's first years, parental nurturing is used to advantage so that a child has developed a strong sense of being loved. He will also have been taught the basic rules of fair play, and have developed the ability to read and write by age four. The small child is eager to experiment (provided the safety of his mother's arms is always in view) with his store of knowledge in the context of others as a means of testing its validity and usefulness. It is in this context especially that adults are constantly called upon to assist the child in the development of a proper code of conduct. Children naturally perceive their needs as coming first, but with encouragement easily adapt their behavior into the habit of give-and-take. As the child enters preadolescence, his need for good role models increases, particularly as they help him differentiate between masculine and feminine traits. Herein lies the value of the favorite uncle who teaches the nine-year-old boy archery, or the "big sister" that shares her skill in ballet. Such extra-familial relationships encourage the youngster’s self-esteem and help them understand other facets of human relationships such as those that arise during the classic family tensions. It will undoubtedly take many generations to arrive at an optimum childrearing pattern. But, even in this generation, the advantages of widespread acceptance, love, and support by the child's immediate community can be seen.

In Adelphi, the practical application of psychology to optimal childrearing includes recognition of the child's need for much physical affection. Many studies, including an extensive cross-cultural survey using hundreds of individual cultures, have proven that peaceful, sane societies typically provide their children with plenty of cuddling and love. They recognize that natural needs for pleasure increases through adolescence and must be met. The development of healthy, outgoing attitudes precludes any and all guilt engendering practices towards the children. Instead the young ones are taught courtesy and respect of others' rights, and their elders extend the same courtesy to the children. Thereby they all become easily able to establish lasting, positive relationships throughout their lives. The teenager's increasing awareness of the opposite gender marks a new phase of consciousness. As he begins exploring his social skills in this new arena, it is especially important that his earlier feelings of self-esteem and acceptance engendered by loving support of the community continue. In Adelphi, we realize that human’s bodily and mental health depend upon human closeness as well as continued intellectual growth, and we encourage both. Social functions in Adelphi are occasions of much interpersonal warmth, and the evolving community customs will certainly provide excellent examples for the youngsters as they mature into young adulthood.

It is always necessary to keep in mind the fact that members of Adelphi and Stelle have arisen mainly from within the strongly patriarchal context of current Western civilization. Although these Egos had assistance in choosing the best parents they could in terms of minimizing the risks inherent in coming into our decadent world, the ubiquitous yet unconscious parental transmission of cultural "garbage" has left few of us unscathed by neurosis. These psychological handicaps can seriously hamper a person's attainment of a sane, non-aggressive outlook that will allow early Initiation into the Brotherhoods. Aspirants to the Nation of God who are now building the city of Adelphi often face a "de-conditioning" process that can take decades. The majority of men in our world never perceive the pandemic "emotional plague", let alone take any steps to counteract it. Adelphi is unique in not only having a view that encourages self-searching and the replacing of neurotic attitudes with virtue, but we also make available many tools that can hastening such growth. Tools such as those that specifically teach the individual to get in touch with areas of his psychological and energetic nature are especially valuable. They can quickly point out where and individual’s development may have been arrested or slowed due to a (now repressed) early trauma, either physical or emotional. Such traumas ordinarily cause a person to encapsulate emotions which, under more natural conditions, would be consciously understood and discharged. Our society, which typifies the self-centered nature of the child, suffers acutely from the tremendous number of the populace so afflicted These techniques seem to be uniquely effective in promoting the individual's awareness level over a short period of time. Further refinement of these tools, plus the high level of emotional support and rapport which exists within the community, will increase individuals' attainment of the emotional and psychological maturity prerequisite for being a Brother. In addition to the above areas of personal development, the real opportunity for growth in Adelphi lies in learning the best ways to relate to other people. It is here that the philosophy of the Brotherhoods so perfectly dovetails with the best observations of modern psychology. As it is stated in the author's preface to The Ultimate Frontier:

"The student of many years was likely to have become regarded by his friends as an inexplicable but wonderful isle of wisdom, humaneness, and peace in this vast sea of frightened, grasping mankind."

Perhaps the most telling aspect of the Lemurian Philosophy is its emphasis on self-responsibility. Most of the individuals attracted to The Adelphi Organization have already discovered for themselves the advantages of being a doer, and molding their environment to their liking by initiating the right actions. Such self-reliance usually pertains to business and ownership of property, since our culture is so heavily slanted toward the Apollonian or practical side of life The Brotherhoods point out that the same techniques which bring a person wealth may also be utilized to steadily build Egoic growth. The Law of Cause and Effect operates dramatically in the complex areas of human emotions, behavior and motivations. As members take increasing responsibility for the quality of the physical and spiritual aspects of their lives, they forge ahead in a balanced way to Initiation. Adelphi is well suited for people to take responsibility; Richard's teachers have made it clear that the Remnant shall have to build the Nation of God themselves. In the interim community of Adelphi, members are learning all the skills and trades needed to build a city from scratch. The tremendous interchange of abilities and information, and plain hard work involved, make for many opportunities to practice Christ's Eleventh Commandment to Love one another. Adelphians are subject to the same frustrations concerning time and money as everyone; but the Brotherhoods have provided a set of guidelines for dealing lovingly with one another even under hardships. These are the twelve great virtues, and practice of them is the tool which elevates man's mind toward the perfection of Mastership. The degree of cooperation needed for achieving success in the task of building a new nation is an effective catalyst for accelerating members' Egoic growth. We live in a world where competition is heralded as the measure of a man or woman. In Stelle and Adelphi we have the chance to form many close friendships while working side by side as we undertake the culmination of a great project begun by Christ over six millennia ago. The weekly work parties at the Adelphi site as well as planning and business meetings provide avenues towards creating an extended-family environment. The invisible but tangible sense of well-being and mutual respect which accompanies being in Adelphi is proof enough to it's members that we are heading in the direction of positive psychological growth.

Although many thousands of colleges and universities exist in America, very few even begin to address the important challenge of Egoic growth. However, in Adelphi, the membership feels a strong need to systematically present to new postulants the wealth of basic philosophy and group directions which had become operative in the group's history. The Orientation Program was the first of the adult education programs having been started in 1981. The Orientation Program emphasis psychological growth with topics such as emotional maturity, developing self-esteem, and positive mental attitude. These are designed to show the Postulant techniques for changing his life by changing his attitudes. The most valuable information gleaned from the orientation classes remind everyone how powerful the mind is, and stimulate the individuals to test out the proven roads to personal success. The goal of such teaching is to point out those areas where the current culture has failed to encourage (or has even discouraged) psychological growth, and to provide ways of filling in the gaps.

The fact that the Brotherhoods' cosmology is unfamiliar to the majority, in addition to the centuries-old societal bias against independent experimentation, makes the community of Adelphi very necessary beacons for those who would rise above the status quo. Numerous 'social workshop' communities have arisen in the Americas since the dawn of the Aquarian age, but very few combine the balance of culture and technology recognized as essential by the Brotherhoods. As the end of the century draws near, those Egos who recognize the need for preserving culture and excellence will be drawn in increasing numbers to the prototype community. Experience in Adelphi has shown the excitement and dynamic exchange of each person's thinking will in itself be an ongoing boost toward psychological maturity and advancement.

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