It’s Conference Time Again

By Joanne Soraya

I don’t remember what year this happened, probably 1984, but it was at a July Class in the Heart. The evening session was to be recorded and shown as an episode of a show Mother was taping and making available to cable networks at the time. She would interview various guests and ask about their areas of expertise, there wasn’t much emphasis on the Church, though she might add her opinion. Because this was to be for the show, the stage was set so the altar was not visible and table and chairs were set up for Mother and the guests like any interview show in a television studio. That night’s guests were the South African Ambassador and a Russian General. In 1984, South Africa still was under apartheid and the Cold War was still on.

As it happened, the plane they were to arrive on was delayed and although they were supposed to be at the Ranch by 8 pm, it was 2 am before they arrived, but Mother wanted that show taped, so there we sat until they arrived.

Picture this: The plane lands at Bozeman. They are met and escorted to what was probably a four wheel drive vehicle, not that common in 1984. They take off in the dark and drive for a long time along a dark highway until they get off the Interstate at a small town and on to an evenly darker two lane highway. They go through a winding canyon and then off the highway, over an iron bridge, on to a gravel road, past a check point and then up a dark, bumpy gravel road into the mountain. I don’t know how much they knew about the organization that had hired them to speak at their gathering, but by this time they have to be totally disoriented and probably somewhat apprehensive. A strange, weird group in deep woods is waiting for them in the middle of the night? Paramilitary nut group? Not necessarily good.

At the end of the ride, they cross another little bridge over a creek and before them is a huge, glowing yellow and white striped circus tent. Inside, they find what appears to be a television studio. It’s even heated! Which is nice since by this time, on a mountain in Montana it’s pretty cold. They promptly start a microphone test. The Ambassador starts the traditional countdown, 1-2-3-testing — notes what appears to be a perfectly normal bunch of people sitting on folding chairs at 2 in the morning in a tent on a mountain in Montana, wearing perfectly normal clothes, no boots, no camo, no strange robes — and exclaims “WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE DOING HERE!?”

Unlikely as it seems, many of us still are. Probably, because there was a Messenger, there were Masters, there was a Teaching and there was a Path to the Ascension. And there still are.

I hope everybody had a good Conference this year too.