I left the Russian Orthodox Church at a very young age, dissatisfied with the feeling of superiority I witnessed in many, that theirs was the true faith. Then, too, the dogma and ritual and strict adherence to the bible went against the very fabric of my inner being. Even the splendour and opulence of the services and the repeated injunctions to the faithful about the ten commandments and the constant aura of a god to be feared went against all that I subconsciously believed within.

As soon as I left the church I began to study Rudolf Steiner and his anthropomorphism, knowing nothing of what Mother had written about him. It was not the occult practices that attracted me but the sincerity of the people who lived in the small but vibrant community, Threefold Farms, in Spring Valley, New York, barely a stone's throw from the Russian Orthodox Church my parents attended.

Here I met Russian émigrés who cultivated the land with love and devotion and respect for the sacredness of the earth. They had built a small chapel of wood and joined pieces of various types of wood to form crystals. It was an amazing place, at once quiet and yet vibrating with force.

One day I met Dr. H.H. Koepf, a dedicated scientist who was a member of the group. He was a highly intelligent and well respected man yet spoke to me as an adult and treated me with kindness, inviting me into his laboratory where he showed me something I had never seen and would remain with me throughout my life.

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