Friends Landing was a spiritual and personal development organization founded by Susan Kilborne Musumeci, who used several names during her career, including WhiteWind Swan Fisher, WhiteWind Weaver, and Anahata Graceland. She operated the group with her husband, Ben Fisher. Formally known as Friends Landing International Centers for Conscious Living, the organization maintained an office in downtown Eugene, Oregon, and a satellite facility in Walnut Creek, California. It offered personal development services that promised to help clients reach their personal and professional potential through stress reduction, meditation, hypnosis, trance sessions, and “dream coach” programs.
The organization also operated from a 60-acre property on Upper Camp Creek Road near Walterville in Lane County, Oregon. Purchased by Musumeci’s mother, Barbara Kilborne, in 1995, the agriculturally zoned property was known as Paulownia Farms, where members cultivated paulownia trees and bamboo behind an electrified perimeter fence. The site hosted an annual 12-day retreat called “World Dream Camp,” which charged participants $1,750 each. To continue holding the event, the Fishers applied for a temporary-use permit from Lane County.
Public attention intensified in the late 1990s as county zoning hearings brought the group’s activities under scrutiny. Neighbors opposed the permit, citing loud drumming, chanting, and a large bonfire that they said posed concerns in the heavily forested rural area. County planners also raised questions about building and sanitation issues related to housing retreat participants.
The hearings also introduced allegations from former associates and family members who described Friends Landing as cultlike. While supporters testified that the retreats promoted self-awareness and personal growth, critics alleged that Musumeci manipulated vulnerable young adults and encouraged them to distance themselves from their families. One of the most publicized disputes involved the son of a California dentist identified as Dr. B. The family traced his involvement with Friends Landing to late 1993, when, at age 16, he entered a California substance-abuse program called “New Connections.” His counselor, Martin Starr, was an active Friends Landing member who introduced him to meditation and what were described as ancient Native American traditions.
After Starr relocated to the Friends Landing property in Oregon, the young man enrolled at the University of Oregon and eventually moved onto the compound as an apprentice “wilderness spiritual walker.” His family became concerned after Musumeci reportedly argued with them over a $3,500 spiritual training course and instructed the young man to seek financial support from extended relatives.
Believing their son had been subjected to undue influence, the family arranged a three-day intervention led by anti-cult figure Rick Ross. Although the young man initially appeared receptive, he ultimately returned to Friends Landing, cut off contact with his parents, and married another member. He later filed a stalking complaint against his father, resulting in a settlement that barred unwanted contact.
Dr. B. maintained that Musumeci exercised excessive psychological influence over his son, who reportedly worked long unpaid hours in her various businesses to pay for unaccredited certificates while living under financial strain. In response, he launched a public campaign against Musumeci, distributing flyers in communities where she operated that compared her to Jim Jones.
Other firsthand accounts also described an insular environment centered on Musumeci’s authority. The young man’s mother attended the 1998 World Dream Camp in an effort to better understand her son’s lifestyle. She later described an atmosphere in which participants appeared highly deferential to Musumeci. According to her account, the retreat discouraged participants from following outside news or wearing watches in an effort to break down “conditioning.” Participants also described emotionally intense group exercises, pressure to conform, and occasions when Musumeci publicly criticized individual attendees as part of the training process.
Musumeci consistently denied allegations of brainwashing or cultlike behavior. She described herself as a “patchwork shaman” and said her practices reflected her personal heritage. Her attorneys argued that dissatisfied families were using the group’s religious beliefs to influence local land-use proceedings. Musumeci later sought to expand into Hayward, California, through a venture called “Spherical Reality,” although her previous litigation and zoning disputes continued to attract attention.
By the early 2000s, Friends Landing’s finances had deteriorated. In September 2003, Musumeci filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Oregon, listing $1,103,620.51 in liabilities and just $7,660 in assets. The bankruptcy discharged substantial unsecured debts owed to local professionals, a Quaker school, and institutional creditors.
More than $200,000 of the discharged debt was owed to friends and followers, including $141,495 to an early practitioner and $15,000 to Martin Starr. Musumeci attributed her financial difficulties to business sabotage, medical expenses, and problems in her marriage. Before beginning her spiritual career in Oregon, she had worked as a therapist in California, where a former patient sued her for medical malpractice and sexual battery.
Following the bankruptcy and the dissolution of Friends Landing, Musumeci moved with her adult daughter to an apartment in Rainier, Washington. She briefly attempted to establish a Boxer dog-breeding business on the Oregon property, promoting a proprietary “Witness Socialization Program,” which also drew criticism from opponents of her earlier activities.
After briefly attending JZ Knight’s Ramtha School of Enlightenment, Musumeci helped establish a new Washington business called The Art of Life Coaching. The venture soon became the subject of a copyright lawsuit filed by JZK, Inc., which alleged that she had improperly incorporated Ramtha’s spiritual teachings into her own commercial workshops.
Key Sources:
Gwartney, D. (1999, June 25). A McKenzie Valley retreat wants to keep operating on land zoned for farm use, but opponents cite noise and allege cult activity. The Oregonian.
Malliris, P. (1999, June 26). Retreat at Friends Landing appears uncertain — at least this year. The Springfield News.
McKinnon, J. (2003, January 27). Holistic healers flock to Hayward. The Oakland Tribune.
Teixeira, C. (2006, September 8). Flyer warns Rainier about new neighbor. The Nisqually Valley News.
Wright, J. (1999, July 27). Hearings official blocks “World Dream Camp.” The Eugene Register-Guard.