Global Community Communications Alliance Member Profile
Fane
I begin this story on a sad note, having just learned of the suicide death of the son of my friend Randy of some forty years. I felt his loss deeply. More than anything, I felt a renewed connection to Randy. Our friendship started in the very early sixties when he auditioned for a band I was forming. He resurfaced and became a close friend as we studied to be television producers and directors some five years later. We then moved and worked together in a PBS television station in Cleveland. Although contact has diminished during the last twenty years, this recent tragedy has brought up many emotions in me that had not previously been touched on in depth. I know that our friendship goes back farther than this life. Some day I hope to find out what that friendship means in a cosmic sense. Even as we in turn took directions that the other did not totally understand, the connection remained, a sort of family connection. Kindred spirits, strangers in a strange land.
So it is with an even larger family of loyal souls who have lived, worked and loved together for the many renaissances on this planet and whose roots go back to their primal existence on nearby universes. I am part of that family and have been, again, reunited with them to do the work of God on this planet. My journey has led me to them again and this time we know who we are and why we are here.
It was my seeking for something better spiritually that I'm sure led Randy to believe I was crazy at times. I did go through many phases and seemed to get interested in anything spiritually new that I could explore. My root religion of this life was Catholicism. Although it was familiar to me, perhaps from past existences, I continually questioned in my mind its teachings and repetitious rituals. Many things made no sense, (which I later discovered was the result of 2,000 years of human leadership not always divinely inspired).
So I moved away from Catholicism as soon as I could and alternately either experienced a latent spirituality or looked for something more meaningful. My searches turned up nothing of substance. I briefly looked at "Jesus Freaks" as they were called in the seventies, and for a brief moment, Pentecostals. I maintained a love and understanding of Jesus, even though it was not actually practiced in ritual or prayer.
While my life as a musician, composer, and a TV producer/director whizzed by, spirituality got only a fleeting glimpse. When my seeking evolved to more metaphysical discoveries such as astrology and maybe even past lives, I'm sure my friend Randy wondered what I was doing. I now know I was just climbing the ladder of experience, subconsciously looking for the top rung which I think I have now found. We remained friends despite our differences and directions.
In 1978 I broke free of what was becoming a very boring job at the television station in Cleveland. I was way too comfortable there, and I didn't think I was learning anything new. It was time to advance my career and move forward to work in a production house in Pittsburgh. I said goodbye to Randy and my good friends in Cleveland. In Pittsburgh I worked on commercial productions, primarily, and learned much in this very professional atmosphere. But my existence in Pittsburgh soon became very lonely and unrewarding. The girlfriend I moved there with moved out, fearing I would dump her and leave her alone in a strange city. (Ironically she did to me what she feared I would do to her.)
My job soon took a downward turn as the promised position changed, and I worked at a job that was below my abilities, not being able to move up to where I should have been. This soon turned into depression and a lot of drinking and smoking. After four years, business slowdowns caused a lot of layoffs, myself included, and I struck out as a freelance director.
Changes also came in my personal life, for after twelve
years of enjoyable bachelorhood, I had begun to get the urge to settle
down. I had an opportunity to attend a superbowl party sponsored
by a singles club, and as I drove within blocks of the pub it was held
at, I almost turned the car around, thinking that I didn't want to go through
with this. I'm convinced the angels talked me in to it, for there
I met and befriended Sistianna, whom I married four months later.
Not long after we were married the next piece of the
puzzle was placed as I was recommended for a job in Minneapolis, even though
I was not looking for one. I ended up accepting, and as the stress
of getting the house ready to sell mounted up, I had my hand on the phone
to call and say I just couldn't do it. Fortunately I think the angels
stopped me. We moved to Minnesota and went on to make the vital connections
that eventually, several years later, brought six people to Divine Administration
and for me that top rung of the ladder I was seeking.
Soon after our first son Kalen was born, we decided we needed religion after a long spiritual drought for both of us. We started with the Episcopal church (much like Catholicism but with more insecurity and less guilt) and progressed to the Unity church where I loved the music and the anything-goes bookstore. When the musical director got fired and the minister resigned because of having an affair with a church member, I realized that it was all superficial. What I really was enjoying was the entertainment. I moved on too.
Our second son Chauldren was born, and I began to lean more to Native American spirituality and really paid attention to the coming earth changes. I read a lot of Tom Brown's survival books and even did a pilot for a television series with him. Survival was at the front of my mind. Little did I know that I was also seeking spiritual survival. I thought that the only way to survive the upcoming mess was to either homestead "off the grid" or be a part of a community.
With several people Sistianna and I had met at the New Thought church down the block, we joined a URANTIA Book study group and began to talk about forming a community. Eventually selfish interests evolved, and I knew it was not possible with these folks. Our loyal friends were down to CipPriAnkha and Menelik. Menelik was living in a teepee in our back yard with a French artist friend, and CipPriAnkha wanted to move into the house but we lacked closet space for her vast, colorful wardrobe. We had a mini community for a few seasons. I still had not strongly connected to The URANTIA Book at this point.
Finally it was time for Menelik to leave to find the locations for his peace trail around the planet. Sistianna and I had a Communities Directory and found one that was based on The URANTIA Book teachings. It was Global Community Communications Alliance. I remember my vision of what that community would be like. I visualized a tall man with long blond hair channeling beings from outer space. Sounded pretty new-agey in my mind. Little did I know. We gave Menelik that information and said good-bye.
Several weeks later Menelik's call to us was that this was the community we were looking for and that I should come to Global Community Communications Alliance and take a look. I hopped on a plane with CipPriAnkha, accompanied by Menelik's 4´ by 4´ painting of the Master Universe which now adorns Future Studios. During my visit, I tried to keep an open mind. My comment to Sistianna was that "the spirituality here is different than either of us has experienced, but I feel I need to stay open and not judge." I came away with a very positive experience. What I understand now is that I began to experience my cosmic family again. A subliminal familiarity and comfort was taking place which allowed me to take an open-minded look at this reality. I certainly didn't understand what was going on, but the Spirit of Truth was opening my eyes for me.
Sistianna visited several months later, and soon after that we brought the boys for a visit. Menelik, of course, had never left Global Community Communications Alliance. CipPriAnkha also moved here within the year. Sistianna and I made plans to sell our ancient unfinished house and for me to quit my job. I was greatly worried that no one would buy the old fixer-upper we lived in. The midwayers came through in a remarkable way, bringing 75 people through the house in one week and effecting an offer for the asking price at the end of the first week. I gave notice at work, where I was producing and directing television programs for major cable networks. They offered me a raise, but it wasn't about the money.
We were gone in less than a month. When God wants you to do something, hang on! An interesting side note on that process was that as a car nut I always had a "stable of cheap but unique vehicles." As I tried to whittle them down to one, an old 67 Volvo station wagon became a problem to sell. In a rust-free condition it had a value of maybe $3000, but I knew that it would take much time to get that amount. One day, while driving on the freeway, I was rear-ended in that car. At first I was very angry at the driver that had been tailgating me for miles, but that changed as events unfolded. As I negotiated with the insurance company, I realized that this too may have been a celestial setup to help me get out of town. The insurance money and the reasonable selling price I was able to get for it equaled the $3000 the car was worth. God works in interesting ways.
I have accumulated many areas of expertise over the years. I always felt that it was necessary to have two or three outlets available for artistic expression at any one time. So I was a photographer, an audio hobbyist, a television director and cameraman, a musician, a "shade tree mechanic" and knowledgeable car guy, and an amateur race driver. I now am able to use every one of these abilities, except the last, for Divine Administration.
As I was waiting to leave the community on my first visit, the Bright and Morning Star Band was warming up. I heard a saxophone being played, and that moment solidly re-awakened my musical interests. Though I had not played music for twenty years and sax for twenty-five, I felt a burning desire to take it up again and play with that band. I did and I am. The experience is magical and gets better every time we play the CosmoPop music of Gabriel of Urantia. I was also able to rekindle my audio interests and, with a lot of growth through God's help, apply them to recording and live sound for Aquarian Concept Community's various outreach activities with live performances.
The personal change in me these past seven years has been
significant, and my growth continues (mostly) in a positive direction as
I attempt to seek the perfect will of God, moment to moment. I guess
as a writer, I'm searching for an ending to this story, but as an ascending
mortal I know that ascension is an eternal process, and my story will go
on, as will yours.
Fane,
Minister
Vicegerent Second Assistant
to Gabriel of Urantia and Niánn Emerson Chase and the Mandate of the Bright and Morning Star