This book was prompted by requests to describe what it was like to participate in the birth of higher school on earth, the Fellowship of Friends. In my attempt to recall my experience of the inception of this school of awakening, which covers a two-year period of my life, I understood profoundly that at best all I could provide was an honest narrative; anyone looking for the truth in these pages will be highly disappointed. Each person who lived this journey with me may have a different tale to tell, which is as it should be. This book is based on my memory of events as I experienced them, and is written by the person who experienced them-not the person who could later comment or advise on the "errors of my ways." It is not a simple storytelling. Historical events can be documented, of course, but it is truly the relationships that comprise and inform the experiences of our lives. And to do justice to each experience, one must expand the definition of relationship. It cannot be limited to merely you and me. It needs to include six types of relationship: relationship to higher powers; relationship to time; relationship to the school; relationship to the teacher; relationship to other students; and, perhaps most importantly, relationship to the higher and lower parts of one's being. The way each layer interacts with each other paints a more authentic picture.
