Hello from Down-Under!

My original post on 12 April on this forum was to provide some perspective as a Universal Medicine student. My intention was to post once, however as there have been some questions (and criticisms) raised then I feel a responsibility to respond to those.

As you noticed on my initial post I was quite upfront to declare who I am and not hide behind a pseudonym. Why? Because I have nothing to hide. There is nothing more special about me or UM students than anyone else in this world.

To Frodobaggins

So first I’ll respond to Frodobaggins...is it ok I call you Frodo for short? Your comments first – then my responses.

Thanks for the post Rod! My question to you is.... What makes Serge "know it all" What makes him more connected then the other thousand "gurus" out there who claim to know the answer.

I can’t answer that question. Surely that is a question you would have to ask Serge.

Very arrogant to assume UM members live with integrity and the rest of us don't.

I’m afraid that is your assumption – not mine. My words were: "The students are a group of people who are learning lessons about life and energetic integrity – yet still have their ‘stuff’ and issues like anyone else does." Does that imply that you or anyone else does not have integrity Frodo...of course it doesn’t.

Lets look at Serge issue with alcohol. Lets take a grape and then we ferment it and then it becomes wine ( a basic description). It comes from nature and the wine isn't the issue in the end. I have Many friends who can enjoy a glass of wine over dinner and don't turn into drunks. You don't need to follow UM to know that binge drinking is bad for you and why do those who choose to enjoy a single beer have to endure such scare mongering. I must note that i am a non drinker for my own personal reasons however i certainly don't judge or think my friends lack integrity because they enjoy a wine occasionally over dinner or lunch.

A wise man once said, “God forgives.” A wiser man said, “God does not forgive because he doesn’t judge in the first place”.

Because a person makes a decision not to drink alcohol, that does not extrapolate to mean they judge others who do...after all, how could they judge another for something that they had previously done in their life. It’s like an ex-smoker criticising a smoker – hypocritical.

And I agree, you don’t need to follow Unimed to know about the affects of alcohol. In my case, Unimed’s presentations gave me more understanding about the energetic affects of alcohol on my body, which in turn made it easier for me to give up and stay away from it. There is no scaremongering involved here.

By the way...I love the contention that wine’s ok because it’s natural. So is grape juice. Other natural based products are heroin, tobacco, marihuana and cyanide. And why don’t we give wine to kids (well perhaps some do)...because we know it’s bad for them.

All I’m doing here is pointing out some truths...without judgement.

So Serge has an issue with wine because it possesses bad energy! Hypocritical because UM members still eat Lamb.

Lets look at a cute little lamb. We shove it in a cage.... stunned by electric shock and then we slit its throat and then 1 week later its on our dinner plate.

If UM's mandate is to be "all loving" then why is it ok to eat lamb yet not drink wine? Surely killing an animal is BAD energy is it not?

I am actually a meat eater but this is only ONE of the hypocrisy's of UM.

I’m a meat eater too, including lamb...and have never had a hangover from it :)

And Rod i know as do many others first hand what happens when you don't join your partner in following Serge's baseless belief structure. You say your encouraged to stay integrated into society yet in the same sentence you explain you don't go anywhere there is alcohol.

You have misquoted me Frodo. I did not say I don’t go anywhere there is alcohol. Here’s the quote I think you’re referring to: "In my case there was some resistance from a couple of relatives but after a while they got over it and we all got on with it. We also noticed that party invitations dropped off when some realised we had stopped drinking (grog). That’s life."

Does that say I don’t go anywhere there is alcohol? Two weeks ago I was invited to a comedy night at a fundraiser at a local school where there was a bar set-up and people were drinking grog. Big deal...I didn’t take it on. A couple of months previously I attended a lunchtime function which related to my work where most people were drinking alcohol that was included in the price. Although I wasn’t drinking it didn’t stop me from having an enjoyable evening and shock, horror...I even spoke to many of those people. However, my preference is not to go to the pub or club anymore…I’d prefer to see a movie or go to a restaurant or catch up with friends.

There are many UM students who work in restaurants, bars and as airline stewards whose jobs involve serving and pouring alcohol. We don’t run away from life...we embrace life and get out there amongst it. How could you serve if you are insular or secluded? That goes against all UM teachings.

I also discovered that changing my sleeping patterns (where I now like to be asleep by 9pm and get up around 4am) is much more beneficial for me and I am more productive with my life. If I occasionally stay up later (e.g. the comedy night) it’s not an issue. Learning about the benefits of these sleeping patterns was a great lesson from Unimed.

So when a friend invites you to a BBQ or dinner your partner chooses not to come because people will be drinking. UM doesn't like sporting competition so when you want to go and watch a sporting event your partner won't come because of this stupid belief that competition is bad energy. I could go on and on and continue to point out the flaws in this cult.

This is a difficult one Frodo and certainly not confined to UM students. When a partner decides to make changes in their life it can be difficult for the other and taken personally, as a rejection. I guess there’s a choice to either accept the choices the partner makes or to reject their choices. With the latter, it would probably make living arrangements difficult. For what it’s worth, my advice if someone did not want to separate from their partner would be to go to the barbecues alone and enjoy friends’ company and simply let them know that their partner had chosen not to be around when people are drinking alcohol. Couples don’t have to live in each other’s pockets.

It’s the same with sport – continue to go and enjoy it. I do, even though my wife isn’t into sport. But I must admit I don’t watch as nearly as much as I used to because I find a lot of sport now is quite repetitious (like Groundhog Day).

Finally, why would anyone trust a guy to deliver the "truth" who claims to be 3 times reincarnated ( of course all famous people) and claim to have the power to interpret your dreams. Surely that ALONE would ring alarm bells with people.

I trust Serge...but then again I believe I’ve reincarnated many times over and will continue to do so. If that makes me wacky, then so be it.

To MacReady

Hi Macready...hope you don’t mind me calling you Mac.

Incidentally, when I was about 13 living in a small country town called Cootamundra, I had a sheep called Mac – a Merino-Border Leicester cross that used to like to butt me. Perhaps there’s a parallel here :)

Hello Rod and thank you for sharing your experiences with UM. A few points if I may:

As you say, in all religions there are truths that have been altered by men to suit their needs. Possibly so, but this critique applies equally to Serge's belief system, since it consists of a grab-bag of second-hand Buddhist ideas, deities from the Hindu pantheon, mixed up with Alice A. Bailey's bizarre New Age concepts, but all altered just enough for him to copyright it as his own and rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. All with zero evidence that any of the elements he has chosen from said religions are indeed the 'true' parts, as they are no more or less provable or far-fetched than any other part.

You are correct...so much cannot be proven and that’s what makes these discussions interesting because you or I or anyone else cannot categorically stand up and say “this is absolute truth”. It’s really an individual’s choice about what they believe in or feel is for them. I feel truth in the lessons from UM – others don’t, however I respect other's choices.

Regarding 'God being within' and 'Not needing a building, rituals or readings to access', I have no problem with these assertions, but they don't really apply to UM despite all the rhetoric. If they did, nobody would need Serge's clinics, workshops and retreats, they wouldn't need his convoluted religious writings, his magical healing symbols, the ritualistic lifestyle recommendations (sleep only between certain hours, UM approved yoga, UM approved meditation, UM approved exercise, UM approved music, UM approved dance etc). Essentially you wouldn't need Universal Medicine.

With God within, nobody ‘needs’ any of these things. However I have found that the workshops and retreats have been very beneficial to my life and given me a greater awareness and understanding about myself and, more importantly, how I can be of service to others. The modalities taught by UM (which have been formally approved) have benefitted many people who have no association with UM.

As for the claim of there being 'no adoration of Serge' this is far from the truth. At the workshops there were always some students hovering around him (including children) for a chance to give him a hug.

I have to pull you up on this one Mac. Most people who hover around Serge after meetings are there to ask a question...or to debate something that has been brought up. As a by-product they might havahug. To that I say “fantastic”...there should be lots more hugging in this world, rather than people holding back their love from others.

The homes of every student I met were full of Serge's magical healing symbols (which only work because it was Serge who 'brought them through' from the Hierarchy), Da Vinci's artwork (which Serge claims to have painted in a previous life), Serge quotes on walls and doors, Serge's books and health products. Moreover, every person I know who adheres to the UM belief system cannot go long without dropping a Serge quote in conversation or otherwise speaking of him in adoring terms. They also all imitate his phrasing and terminology. I've never heard any UM follower apply any serious critical questioning or logic to any of his claims. Ever. His every word is accepted as indisputable divine fact.

You know I’ve been to houses that have crosses on the wall, Jewish and Muslim symbols and Buddhist statues (there’s a happy Buddha right next to me). Is it really that important? And if someone likes another does that really matter.

The above negates the assertion that 'the claim that UM is a cult is completely false'. If all it consisted of were some healthy lifestyle recommendations, his clinic and the healing/massage techniques taught in the workshops you might have a point. However, given that everything UM presents is based on the claim that Serge is a multi-reincarnated holy messenger (in communication with a parliament of heavenly spirit Lords living in Shamballa who have a divine plan for humanity), and the only living human being presenting the true path to God, the contention that UM is a cult is quite accurate.

Mac, I’m not here to debate the various teachings of UM and who Serge is or was because that would be far too time consuming - but I do accept the teachings unreservedly. And the books and recordings are quite accessible to all.

But how can an organisation that does not tell you what to do and encourages free-will to make thoroughly informed choices be a cult? So many very intelligent people have changed their lives for a whole lot better as a result of Unimed. Are they brainwashed? Do you really think a professor of university or a whole lot of other PHD holders along with so many lawyers, doctors and professionals can be tricked?

Mac, obviously you reject UM, so it’s easy to build a case by carefully selecting what you believe will justify your convictions...and that’s ok. It’s quite easy to do the same for any religion or organisation (we don’t have to search far on Google to see that).

And while I respect our differences of opinion, I find it is unfortunate throughout this forum that there are many inaccuracies, misrepresentations and false assumptions made about UM. This has even happened with the single post I lodged (as I pointed out earlier).

But at the end of the day, if you want to go through all the various temporal definitions of a ‘cult’ and you can categorically say that Unimed is a cult...then so be it.

The work that is being done on culteducation.com does expose evil, corruption and sinister organisations. The true question that has to be asked about an organisation is: does it harm or does it heal. A look at Universal Medicine with an open heart will reveal the latter.

Now that I’ve addressed the comments from Frodo and Mac I’d like to share a story with you.

A few years ago my stepdaughter broke up with her boyfriend (his choice) and she was devastated. Her friends supported her and they all said how he was a bastard to do that to her. When my stepdaughter told her mother (my wife) this, her mother said to her ‘no he isn’t a bastard…the reason he broke up with you was because you treated him so badly’. My stepdaughter reacted and said ‘how can you possibly say that…you’re my mother and you’re supposed to support me like my friends do’. Her mum said, ‘no, I’m here to tell you the truth so you can learn from that’.

The reason I mention this is because I see in this forum resentment towards UM because some people are bitter because their partners have left them and they have looked for something else to blame…hence Unimed is a great target.

I don’t like to see a relationship falling apart…it’s difficult for both involved. But if you are holding that bitterness within your body and not letting it go, it will eat away at you and manifest sometime down the track as an illness or disease. Nobody should have to deal with that if it’s preventable...so why not look after yourself?

Is there a sense of belonging and support within Universal Medicine? Yes there is. And is there a sense of belonging and support within this forum? I suggest there is. We’re not very far removed from each other gentlemen and I do wish you well.

But now it’s time for me to let go and remove myself from this forum. Thank you for the opportunity to express my opinion.

Perhaps we’ll catch up again one day…if not this life, then maybe the next one :)

With love…
Rod Harvey

RodH:

There is already an existing Universal Medicine thread.

See [forum.culteducation.com]

This thread is closed.