Outreach no. 221

              OUUTTRREEAACCHH
the newsletter of
7 etuicfr T ssfarecoctteueaet ieieteuuun
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MARCUS BACH founder no221
THE LETTER
dear friend of the fellowship
time is the tool of change and a change is planned for the future of FSU As you know we have long been
considering putting the best of OUTREACH material into book form under the title of LITTLE BOOKS
FOR LIFELONG LEARNING
here is the vision and the plan in place of monthly issues of OUTREACH there will be four books a
year utilizing the best of our past material and the best new material bound in attractive hardcover
professionally produced books they will have a permanency value and content that a monthly eight
or ten page offering can hardly support
this is not to underestimate the success of OUTREACH or the service it has performed ever since OUT-REACH
no 1 two hundred and twenty issues ago that covers more than 18 uninterrupted years
OUTREACH has been one of my major creative loves and I1
suppose that is why I1 have long been concerned about its per-manency
even though many of you have your copies in binders
have shared them with friends and used them in study groups a
monthly publication is like a magazine or a newspaper so to say
which as we all know do not have the immortality of a book
it is time for a change the book idea should be given a chance my hhooppeeaannddffaaiitthh is that we now get
our wealth of material past present and future into published form into the lives of a larger audience
into libraries into the literature rooms of churches wherever the action is and into our home library
shelves in the form of LITTLE BOOKS FOR LIFELONG LEARNING
people who catch on to our work and philosophy catch on to themselves that is true in many areas of
life we respond to a certain subject and the subject responds to us consider our recent issues on THE
BIBLE AND 1I there was an enthusiastic demand to see this in book form it isnt fair to let it slumber in
a filing cabinet with the growing methods of bringing words to life and books into being lets make our
books for lifelong learning an adventure in faith and works
to implement and effect this proposed change we are advising
our FSU members by way of this letter that we will be suspending
publication of OUTREACH after issue no 223 which will be in
approximately three months then we will need about two
months before the first book in our series can appear it will in
fact be appearing in the final quarter of this year and should be a
surprise for christmas and well in advance of that season
to clarify once more contributors to our fellowship for spiritual understanding our FSU family will
receive the quarterly books in lieu of OUTREACH now it is no secret that it was the monthly contri-bution
envelope in OUTREACH issues that kept us going just as it was the eexxttrraassppeecciiaall support of many
of you that made our entire work possible someone said to me will people contribute sufficiently to
make the transition to books possible if they dont have those monthly envelopes
74le 5z & ur4a& o
no 221
L IFELONG L EA RNING
manency
az
no 221 page 2
my hunches are not always perfect but my guidance has been substantiated through nearly twenty years
of FSU that if the program is in divine order it will be taken care of and if taken care of it is definitely
in divine order FSU has been the recipient of my tithing too and as you know we have only twice in all
these years ever staged a financial campaign we know the SOURCE it is implanted in peoples hearts
and we know the power of being resourceful that in fact is part of the philosophy and impact of
SPIRITUAL understanding perhaps our profile has been too low but that depends upon the angle
from which it is viewed
we want you not only to stay with us but ask you to share with us your ideas questions and continuing
support As you know the new study group program is off to a good start if you are interested in a
study group address a note to ruthi barnett in care of FSU you will find a vital personal response to your
inquiries in this field
on behalf of all of us who have put so much special effort into OUTREACH lisa lorena irv and
joyce radtke our indefatigable printers all of you readers writers and most of all yyyeeomwu our ffesuueerrss
please accept our unlimited blessings you are guidelines for this transition and represent a line of faith
for the future destiny of FSU and dont forget there are two more issues of OUTREACH still to come
so lets now turn to this issue no 221 which appropriately deals with a LESSON significantly titled
metamorphosis AND THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE
yours for the fellowship SL
THE LESSON
metamorphosis AND THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE
1
to think of metamorphosis in metaphysical terms is to think of butterflies to think of butterflies is to
think of caterpillars to think of caterpillars is to remember the popular cartoon that shows a weary worm-like
larva lifting dubious eyes to watch several winged creatures cutting capers in the sky groaningly the
caterpillar says youll never get me up in one of those things
then there is the other cartoon showing a cocoon dangling from a milkweed twig along comes a caterpillar
with his centipedic legs flipping impatiently and calling grumpily listen darling will you hurry up
ive got to change too
r
I1 learned aabboouul death and dying
a& ii
page 3 no 221
2
keeping in mind the message of both of these
philosophical insights will help us remember
that metamorphosis means not only the inevita-bility
of change in form shape and substance
but the need for meeting structural change with a
substantial change of mind for example as we
change physically from childhood to adulthood
it is not enough just to wear attire in keeping with
the bodily change but it is also imperative that
we develop a maturity of thought to match our
mental growth
in fact it could be that mind itself is the changer
especially when we think of our conscious and
unconscious states of mind as representing one
iinntteerrrreellaatteedd self what an interesting question to
ponder on when you have nothing better to
ponder about AM I1 GIVEN TO CHANGE OR IS
CHANGE GIVEN TO ME
to put it poetically think about it this way
am I1 given to change or is change given to me
what can I1 believe if im to be free
you cant get me up in one of those things
then why in the world am I1 growing these wings
we take chances in flying and yet we must go
A still silent voice keeps telling us so
there are flights quite beyond our vision and range
and thats the adventure the challenge of change
but why butterflies because there is a certainty
in their metamorphosis that gives courage to us
all and an insight into a much needed trust and
faith in the unseen
A power unseen is transforming a crawling earth
bound creature into a winged embodiment for
flight
can this have meaning for us in the challenge of
change
ask nancy knutson the oakland michigan press
carried her story in its sunday supplement a
bhanguep story by freelance writer chryl crandell
with photographs by kenneth irby
nancy is known as the butterfly lady and in
my correspondence and telephone talks with her
I1 could feel her conviction confirming what the
supplement story had said monarch butterflies
bring about a metamorphosis in the human mind
As a special education teacher at hHaavveennwyck hos-pital
wyck
in auburn hills michigan nancy knutson
with her interest in butterflies as a therapeutic
tool is reaching into many fields where the impact
of psyche upon psyche is being proved beyond the
shadow of a doubt I1 say psyche upon psyche be-cause
of the aristotelean insistence that psyche
referred not only to the soul but to the butterfly
as if in both instances immortality was assumed
if not assured
nancy began raising monarchs from the tiny
ppeeaarrlllliikkee eggs on milkweed pads straight through
the chrysalis stage she began using the concept
of metamorphosis as a visual aid to those who
needed faith and a strengthened wwiilllltobelieve
in
to
themselves
believe
and in that someone or something
higher and greater than themselves whatever the
POWER that governed the immutable cycle of
histolysis the transformation of a crawling
creature into a thing with wings that POWER
surely had the wish and the will to work this
1m9miriaraccllee to human lives
it didnt really become anything more than a
hobby until about 1972 said nancy when I1
was living in new jersey and I1 was very very sick
suddenly I1 realized I1 could identify with the
whole process the process of rebirth because
I1 didnt know what was going to happen to me
that statement got marvelously close to my con-tention
in the 1I MONTY book that it is during
the challenge of change that we discover we have
wings that is hidden resources unrealized
potentials innate capabilities it is a time for
recognition of the powerful insight that rebirth
is not necessarily aunn experience you have to die
for it is rather the recognition that old restrictive
things negative ideas limiting concepts fears
and frustrations are being histolysized to
make room for new thoughts and actions to live
by
nancy re-ported
in the nev story 1 I learned also about
m
92
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3 0M
fl iagghh t
19
lcooookkii ng
no221 page 4
grief therapy and I1 got involved with a hospice
in the community I1 would take a chrysalis to the
hospice I1 would take five or six of them at a
time and the nurses would pass them out to the
patients
when the butterflies emerged the patients set
them free the feedback that I1 got was that this
was one of the most meaningful things that had
ever happened for the patients
depending upon the religious persuasion of the
patients the symbolism would be discussed in
various ways people were fascinated by the beauty
of the chrysalis and by the CHANGE they
identified with the change they said my body
is changing my body is going to leave and
with the flight came the idea of rebirth they
always wanted more after they had released the
butterflies the release allowed them to talk
about what they were facing but outside of
themselves that was when I1 really started looking
at it all more seriously
4
why butterflies because they played an imperish-able
role in helping prepare planet earth for the
coming of the species called MAN butterflies
were able to live for eons without us it is doubtful
that we can live without them or others of their
kind
monty said 1 I dance from flower to flower
filling my lungs with fragrance and my body with
the intoxicating spell of nectar not quite knowing
why I1 am doing what I1 do until I1 feel the warm
touch of pollen on my wings
1 I see it rub off of one flower and rub on to
another and I1 know there is meaning in my life
though no one else might believe it or see it or
understand
1 I go from place to place and scene to scene
telling myself that but for me the flowers would
die and the world would fade and even the shadow
man and the teacher would have a hard time
keeping the earth lovely and alive were it not
for me that is how important I1 am in my life
and time
5
why butterflies because to
repeat they were among the first
inhabitants of mother earth for
some 50 million years before the
coming of the first hhuummaannlliikkee primate whose
advent science has estimated as emerging 12
million years ago they were there when tool
maker man emerged 3 million years ago they
were quietly wafting their wings when homo
sapiens stepped upright on stage some 2 million
years ago homo sapiens who still hasnt learned
to use his spiritual wings so as to construct a world
of peace and good will without risking the anni-hilation
of himself and his fellow man
why butterflies because the
unanswered questions and mys-teries
about the body structure
anatomy and mind of this
practically weightless creature are exceeded only
by questions still confronting the unfinished study
of the mysteries of the human mind itself
why butterflies because 100000
different species including moths
have been identified and their
metamorphosis so thoroughly
explored that the research has contributed more
to our metaphysical understanding of life and
death than has the metamorphosis of rocks and
plants and planets
why butterflies because they
are free though bound by love
and law
THE LEARNING
there is a strange mystique about butterflies
everyone feels their fascination and they are to be
found practically everywhere in the world they
offer a major challenge to our reasoning about life
and death since death often comes so suddenly
violently and unsolicited it sometimes loses its
meaning a meaning which freud spoke of as
the oldest strongest and most insistent wish of
mankind jung termed its meaning as the fulfill-ment
of lifes goal in its truest sense
no 221
hi
page 5 no221
in a way our outlook upon this fulfillment is what
it has always been we dismiss it from our mind
only to find that it keeps pushing back into the
deeper mind too much thought about death
and dying as lin yutang said is pathological
too little is unrealistic
in another way our attitudes bbuutttteerrffllyylliikkee have
changed the morbidity of death and dying the
ddaarrkkddrraappeedd wreaths black veils mourners gloves
tolling bells funeral music and cloying scent of
banks of flowers hysteria and exhibition have
softened as has the understandable display of
heartfelt grief
the sight of butterflies the thought of metamor-phosis
and the challenges of change suggest that
dying is not a part of death but an extension of
life not fully understood but deeply felt the
catharsis of grief finds its sublimation in the con-viction
that there is nothing more to grieve about
than there is when friends or lovers part at the
airport or ocean port or the station platform the
loss of fellowship the touch of the hand the break
in companionship are to be sure real enough to
any normal individual but as metaphysics so well
suggests there is no parting in spirit
there is no parting in spirit this is the spiritual
plateau toward which we should strive while yet
we live this is where the fragile creature with
wings intrigues us by its thousands of miles of
migratory flight its beauty its implicit innocence
its apparent faith its secret inner knowing and its
mysterious effervescence
fellowship like love of which it is a part exists
more in the mind or fully as much at least as in
physicality though this is not easily admitted or
fully understood yet emerson was quite right
when he said we are wiser than we know if we
will only not interfere with our thought but will
act entirely or see how the thing stands in gods
plan then we will know the particular thing and
everything and every person
and butterflies
the challenge of change
marcus bach
metamorphosis
its boring
this crawling
in milkweed patches
said caterpillar sam
1 I know im different
I1 must get away
to find out
who I1 am
I1 found a spot in this sunny grove
next to a big green leaf
I1 can dangle here
without a care
and find some sweet relief
from the voices loud
of the madding crowd
who say lifes all too brief
it may be true
for all I1 know
I1 really dont know
the score
im dying and yet
im being born
this shroud
Is an open door
the children down there
in the schoolyard
dont know what im
going through
theyre singing and dancing
and calling
hey monty hey monty
whats happening to you
that name reminds me of something
from out of the deep dark past
its true you really are monty
a butterfly at last
goodbye goodbye dear children
angels beckon from above
its time for me to leave you
and go to meet my love
marguerite beale
from her tMmaEemtaomroprhphoossiiss
and other poems
no 221
getaway
1
te 1
0.0
ppaaujllt
I1 stuck it on my typewriter table for
inspiration
bert rayko
lancaster california
I 1 am thrilled with your idea of the books and
would hope that especially THE BIBLE AND I1 be
put into book form you are todays emerson
baefore
reeyyeessrr
no221
READERS WRITE
you really have done it this time hanging us
in suspense awaiting the third installment of
your wonderful essays THE BIBLE AND 1I 1I read
both newsletters out loud to hazel and we both
would nod our heads at times and say thats
just the way I1 feel about THE GOOD BOOK
eagerly awaiting no 3
bill and hazel stewart
los angeles california
what an interesting newsletter no 219 it clari-fied
many things relating to religion for me I1 had
not realized that in many ways religion is like the
story of the elephant and the blind men whatever
part of the elephant touched he thought it like a
certain object that he knew that is the man who
felt the leg thought the elephant must be like a
tree the one who touched the elephants tail
thought the elephant must be like a rope etc it
seems that religion to most of us must be a part
of a larger religion that most of us have not grasped
thank you for helping us see the whole picture
and thank you for helping us realize that the reli-gion
we grew up with is just a part of a pattern of
religions that are interrelated and together make a
harmonious whole we do have a tendency to think
our religion is much superior to any other
mildred otter
fresno california
1 I found time today to rreerreeaadd the last two issues
of OUTREACH it is good to review thoughts and
feelings about the bible and to realize its obvious
importance to many many people all over the
world the gutenberg bible was on loan at one
time at the huntington library in pasadena and
we happened to be there at the time and were
privileged to see it
marion heric
sherman oaks california
it is a constant warm joy to look forward to the
next issue of OUTREACH each month inspiration
flows like a mighty clear river
grace grey
st pail minnesota
page 6
many thanks again for the OUTREACH which
I1 have received since its beginning all issues have
been greatly enjoyed some are outstanding as are
nos 218219 and 220 if you do print a series of
little books on lifelong living please put me on
the list for all of them I1 hope THE BIBLE AND I1
will be included with this small check I1 send
thanks love and a hug to you and all who help to
print OUTREACH to be able to say I
1 love you
to anyone and everyone is only one of the many
nice privileges of being 91 years old so 1I ilove
you
fern garner
stockton california
your BIBLE series is plum fascinating I1 shall
preserve it always ive said it before and I1 say it
again your newsletter is just like a personal letter
from a friend
gertrude kosier
sterling illinois
your new two column style is excellent and I1
would enjoy seeing it in future issues after THE
BIBLE AND I1 series is complete it seems in tune
with our times of incapsuled news mmiinniibbiittss of
summarized information for the busy person trying
to keep up with a staggering flow from all direc-tions
also perhaps it is a bit easier on the eyes
seniors and to a young young reader the text of
thhaatt heavy stuff might seem less formidable to
tackle on some adults well meaning recommenda-tion
but no matter how you package the treasure
OUTREACH provides gems of enlightenment for
all who can appreciate the finer things someone
just sent me a little magnet trimmed in lace
peace on the outside comes from knowing god
within
we need your interpretations
paula ohling
portland oregon
all rights reserved
no part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher
while copies of OUTREACH will be sent to anyone upon request your tax deductible contributions are invited additional
copies for use by organizations study groups etc are available write to fellowship FOR SPIRITUAL understanding
PO box 816 palos verdes estates california 90274 phone 213 33773322666699
no 221
218 219
ilove
t