Quote
Eric Dobbs
Hi Readers, so Serge's meat of choice is LAMB, well isn't that interesting!- Eric

Hi Eric,

Though they promote that the followers choose what they eat and do i know at the Retreats they only serve the foods that are Fiery....so much for them making their own choices.

Worth noting a couple of negative reviews creeping in to the reviews of "The Lighthouse" in the UK, where Universal Medicine holds many of its courses and retreats. The Lighthouse responds below one of the reviews that they do more than host the events. Worth noting the user photos for a large copy of the Mona Lisa on the wall of one of the rooms and the mention of 'healing symbols' on the pillows in one of the reviews.

[www.tripadvisor.co.uk]


[www.tripadvisor.co.uk]



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/2012 09:14AM by HerbertKane178.

Quote
HerbertKane178
Worth noting a couple of negative reviews creeping in to the reviews of "The Lighthouse" in the UK, where Universal Medicine holds many of its courses and retreats. The Lighthouse responds below one of the reviews that they do more than host the events. Worth noting the user photos for a large copy of the Mona Lisa on the wall of one of the rooms and the mention of 'healing symbols' on the pillows in one of the reviews.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g504128-d1899500-r136452266-The_Lighthouse-Frome_Somerset_England.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT


http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g504128-d1899500-r137107969-The_Lighthouse-Frome_Somerset_England.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT

It needs to be explicitly noted that Janet Williams, who wrote the response to the negative review and claimed that UM is merely a client of the Lighthouse, is in fact a longtime Serge devotee, so her statement that the Lighthouse are 'not about religion' is a lie. She is the author of the 'What If? Treatise', which was an essay singing the praises of UM and deeming Serge a 'divine messenger'. It used to be on the official UM website for all to read, but seems to have been taken down, probably for the best given the current efforts of UM to downplay the obvious fact that they are a cult.

Janet Williams also used to assist Serge with presentations, reading out certain examples of his writings at EDGs etc. This is now generally handled by Natalie Benhayon.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/2012 09:20AM by MacReady.

Quote
John lazuras

Quote
Eric Dobbs
Hi Readers, so Serge's meat of choice is LAMB, well isn't that interesting!- Eric

Hi Eric,

Though they promote that the followers choose what they eat and do i know at the Retreats they only serve the foods that are Fiery....so much for them making their own choices.

Hi John,

At the workshops lunch usually consisted of lamb curry or satay chicken on quinoa, with sides of vegetables and/or salad. Morning tea consisted of nuts, dried fruits and apples, so not everything served meets the 'fiery' classification. Apparently at the retreats, deserts are also served that would be lower down on the scale of desirability. Everything is gluten and dairy free, but that's about it.

Serge himself refuses to eat the food served at the workshops (and I assume at the retreats), and as a result, some of the more obsessive students do the same. I know of several students (some of whom fly from interstate) who bring their own meals pre-prepared and frozen to consume at the UM events.

Quote
MacReady

Quote
HerbertKane178
Worth noting a couple of negative reviews creeping in to the reviews of "The Lighthouse" in the UK, where Universal Medicine holds many of its courses and retreats. The Lighthouse responds below one of the reviews that they do more than host the events. Worth noting the user photos for a large copy of the Mona Lisa on the wall of one of the rooms and the mention of 'healing symbols' on the pillows in one of the reviews.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g504128-d1899500-r136452266-The_Lighthouse-Frome_Somerset_England.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT


http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g504128-d1899500-r137107969-The_Lighthouse-Frome_Somerset_England.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT

It needs to be explicitly noted that Janet Williams, who wrote the response to the negative review and claimed that UM is merely a client of the Lighthouse, is in fact a longtime Serge devotee, so her statement that the Lighthouse are 'not about religion' is a lie. She is the author of the 'What If? Treatise', which was an essay singing the praises of UM and deeming Serge a 'divine messenger'. It used to be on the official UM website for all to read, but seems to have been taken down, probably for the best given the current efforts of UM to downplay the obvious fact that they are a cult.

Janet Williams also used to assist Serge with presentations, reading out certain examples of his writings at EDGs etc. This is now generally handled by Natalie Benhayon.

It hasn't gone unnoticed.

[wordsonsergebenhayon.blogspot.com.au]

Looks like anyone involved with Universal Medicine is not adverse to a good old lie to get them out of trouble or keep them in their delusion.
I thought it was all about love, truth and integrity. Three strikes, they're out.

Hello all

I stayed at The Lighthouse "B&B" in Tytherington, Frome, Somerset, UK recently with my partner as we were passing through. On arrival, a few things made us feel that all was not as it seemed:

1. On check-in, a jar of "Esoteric Breast Massage Cream" was prominently displayed on the reception counter for purchase. It immediately struck us as very strange. When reception was unattended this was in a glass display case marked at 12.00 (UKP) for a "small pot", along with Esoteric Massage Cream, Meditation pillowcases, healing eye pillows and incense. Not your usual hotel shop stock.

2. We were given a card stating no alcohol was allowed on the premises, but no reason was given. Based on this, I wondered if we were staying in a rehab centre and it made me very curious.

3. In our room, we were bemused by large blue logo/symbols printed on our pillowcases. In fact when I saw them, I immediately joked that we were staying at a strange Cult's HQ. This was way before I even thought about googling; maybe I watched too much Dr Who in my youth.

4. When we asked for a cup of tea at their "Love in a Cup" Cafe, we were offered herbal teas and told that all were caffeine-free. That was ok, except that when we said we would like a normal tea with milk, we were abruptly told we couldn't have it, but no reason given. Also, the only milk we could have was Soy, Rice or Coconut (has anyone had tea with coconut milk?!!). Curries were available for meals (which we did not try). Breakfast was very simple and bland, again no dairy, caffeine or gluten, it included cereal and a few chopped fruit, eggs and gluten free toast. No bacon was available for breakfast, yet sausages were allowed (odd). I guess we did not like being told what we could and could not have when we were paying guests in a full-priced B&B. There was no explanation given for these dietary restrictions.

5. In the Library area (a sitting room on the ground floor, large pic of Mona Lisa on wall), Serge Benhayon's blue books were displayed plus a book on Leonardo da Vinci, one called "Bridging Foods", another called "Tuning In". No other books. The room directory informed us that books by Alice E Bailey were available too, but I did not see them. I looked at a couple of the blue books and was even more alerted to the strangeness of where we were staying.

6. B&B paying guests seemed to be tolerated and were almost ignored compared to some other people there, who were perhaps part of Universal Medicine or their "clients". I can only describe the staff as, "not with it" - no chat, banter or friendliness whatsoever; We felt extremely uncomfortable. Any requests were met with flat replies and not what you would expect in a service industry establishment.

I Googled Serge Benhayon and amongst other websites, found the Rickross forum; then subsequently saw the news coverage and investigation in Australia. I also saw they had bombarded Twitter with "Universal Medicine Officials Clear Rumors" spam during the Australian media attention.

The property in which the Lighthouse is based is big and clearly has had extensive renovation since its acquisition. It was previously called The Grange. However, paying B&B guests only have access to a small area of the main building (reception, the cafe, "library" and the outside pool area). The rest of the main building has blinds down and is marked "Private". A sign at the front says: Lighthouse, Education, Training (or similar, can't remember exact wording). Some rooms were visible showing massage tables and other non-specific equipment.


There is a "Creative Aquatics" indoor pool at The Lighthouse which seems to be run by Simone Benhayon (google her and you will find she is a swimming instructor, so one would guess this is a swimming school?). There was no literature to find out what it was about. The indoor pool was not mentioned to us (mere!) guests, although there is a list of daily opening times on the pool area door. We were told we could swim in the unheated outdoor pool (not likely, it was freezing and had a green hue to it!). In addition there is a fish stocked pond on the property, open to guests and outsiders for fishing, for a fee.

The B&B guest bedrooms are located in a stable block, all plainly decorated, adequate for their purpose but with a "cell-like" ambience due to the ceiling skylight being the only natural source of light/fresh air. In the room there was a schedule of healing services offered, but no prices. Also offered were "healing symbols": children's, Mini, and Adult, and under the heading "Universal Medicine": Massage Cream, House Clearing (??), Mineral Salts and Eye Pillows. No prices.

Overall we did not feel at all comfortable there, which is why I looked into it further on the internet. And, from what I have now read, I am not happy about unknowingly paying into this organisation via staying there for even just one night's B&B (and not cheap!). We were not coerced into anything (wrong target market I guess); I just saw and read and decided that none of it was for me. However I would be very unhappy if a friend or loved one became involved, and sympathise with those drawn in and their families.

I was going to leave a review for the Lighthouse, Frome on Tripadvisor, but I notice many "one reviewers" on there saying it is wonderful and the only people with genuine but negative comments received a brusque response from management. I decided not to leave the above review as I would be identifiable to them from my Tripadvisor name, they have my personal details and I don't trust this organisation. So I am leaving it here instead for others to make up their own mind.

I will continue to monitor this website and hope the above is helpful to someone.

Good luck to all those adversely affected.
Sincerely
Esocynic.

PS Incidentally, if Lighthouse claims UM are just a client (reply to 11 August review on Tripadvisor), then why is Universal Medicine a company registered there?
[www.companiesintheuk.co.uk]
And another link between the two
[company-director-check.co.uk]

Hi and welcome, Esocynic.

Thanks for your informative post. The Lighthouse is the UK headquarters for Universal Medicine, any claims to the contrary are patently false:

[www.universalmedicine.com.au]

[www.lighthouse-uk.com]

'Truth' and 'Integrity' in UM parlance seem to translate to the exact opposite in real world language.

How much did you pay to stay at this place?

As for the jar of Esoteric Breast Massage Cream you saw, here's the currency exchange:

Today, according to the currency conversion site xe.com

One jar Esoteric Breast Massage Cream

12.00 GBP = 18.2387 AUD = 19.0334 USD

Heh.. how large is the jar?

If this place is so idiosyncratic in its food offerings, plus the ban on alcohol and caffienated beverages, they should say so up front.

At least you got an idea of what it must be like to live under the orders of someone who is a UM devotee.

Quote
corboy
How much did you pay to stay at this place?

As for the jar of Esoteric Breast Massage Cream you saw, here's the currency exchange:

Today, according to the currency conversion site xe.com

One jar Esoteric Breast Massage Cream

12.00 GBP = 18.2387 AUD = 19.0334 USD

Heh.. how large is the jar?

If this place is so idiosyncratic in its food offerings, plus the ban on alcohol and caffienated beverages, they should say so up front.

At least you got an idea of what it must be like to live under the orders of someone who is a UM devotee.

Hi Corboy,

The massage cream jars are small (50g) and retail for $20AUD via UM:
[www.universalmedicine.com.au]

Yes I am not sure if any Esoteric person realizes his but Ecocynic summed something that any one who is non esoteric notices.

6. B&B paying guests seemed to be tolerated and were almost ignored compared to some other people there, who were perhaps part of Universal Medicine or their "clients". I can only describe the staff as, "not with it" - no chat, banter or friendliness whatsoever; We felt extremely uncomfortable. Any requests were met with flat replies and not what you would expect in a service industry establishment.

The fact is, committed Esoteric students are unpleasant to be around. They may be very nice people, and many I know/have met are, but as the fantasy sets in, they become distant, aloof, judgmental, cynical- basically the sort of person you want to avoid. Which runs counter to their claims everywhere of how they are more loving, how people around them respond to how they have improved and grown....

The deception that Janet Williams indulges in on her Trip Adviser response is very similar to other deceptions that members indulge in to keep themselves lock-step in the Grimm brother style fairy tale world of Serge and his coterie of followers and cheer leaders. In fact, we believe Serge had a share in Lighthouse, which he sold back via some charitable set up in some smoke and mirror act which alleviated up to a million or more pounds or more off his "non cult' students in the UK. They are not simply clients at all and Janet knows that all too well. It is their cult headquarters in the UK, which moonlights as a B&B to make a few extra bucks on the side- Strangely, Serge, ( described in a sycophantic way as an ascended master by Sara Williams in a recent email to the student body) says that Capitalism is evil. Yet they indulge in it freely and actively.

Serge and his family and followers own or co own 11 properties we know of around Lismore area- ( he told the media 3- must have forgot about RP data or the internet revealing all) He is currently trying to raise $750K+ by 'donation' at the moment to build a 'healing clinic/church' at Wollengbar near his current hangout. He will only take donations given in the right energy though so that makes it alright.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next round of denials and lies which are about to come.

thanks for the heads up Esocynic on the lighthouse. [wordsonsergebenhayon.blogspot.com.au]