Founded in 1936 by a gold prospecting fiction writer and teacher named Dr. Robert D. Stelle, the Lemurian Fellowship is a nonprofit religious group located in the hills outside of San Diego. Rooted in twelve “lessons” or Lemurian teachings that can be traced back to civilizations on the lost continents of Mu and Atlantis, the fellows describe themselves as a school of universal philosophy that attracts “forward-thinking people around the world who long for a balanced, positive, meaningful way of living.” Initially supported by student fees, book sales and mail-order projects, the Fellowship began crafting high quality, hand-carved wood products as both a source of income, and as a hands-on way for students to practice their “work/worship” religion. Embracing the Modernist aesthetic in the early 1950s, Lemurian Crafts produced a line of sought-after and elegant designs including woodturnings, boxes, lamps, artwork and door and cabinet hardware. In 1952, the Museum of Modern Art in New York acquired a black walnut beaker for their permanent collection, and the Museum of Contemporary Crafts included a Lemurian vase in their 1965 Craftsmanship in a Changing World exhibition. The widespread success of their wood products lead to fruitful collaborations with mainstream designers including T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings and Allan Adler prompting the Lemurians to develop a line of custom architectural hardware using metal and semi-precious stones. By the 1970s, production slowed and the fellows returned to working exclusively in wood. Today, the artisan-students at Lemurian Crafts produce handsome music and instrument stands.
No organized society can hope to prosper permanently except as each member thereof prospers, and no individual member can hope to prosper permanently except as the group or society as a whole prospers.
Lemurian Teaching
