Thanks Valma and Corboy,

It's difficult to remember exactly how I felt when I was under the influence of trance. One of my friends noticed that I hadn't answered her emails for 2 weeks, which was extremely unusual for me, and so she suspected something was wrong.

Otherwise, I was just really 'preoccupied' with what I thought were spiritual ideas- but this preoccupation came with mild confusion. I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere and I became ambivalent about a lot of everyday things. I was still able to function, mind you. It's just that I didn't see the point to doing things anymore... it was like I could stop doing everything and it would make no difference to my life.

Interestingly, I still had my usual 'identity', if you will. I was still definitely 'me' and felt myself to be the same 'me' as always.

I found an interesting article written by a person- Julian Knight, who grew up in a cult and has since become a hypnotist and and behavioral researcher. The article is about both hypnotism (trance) and thought reform, which the author stresses are two different things:


[www.quora.com]

A few quotes from this article:

"So thought reform, commonly known as ''brainwashing'' is not hypnotism. However the two can be used in conjunction. A typical environment in which a combination of some hypnotic techniques and some thought reform techniques are used in conjunction would be an evangelical or healing church community/congregation or a tribal spiritual ritual.
In these and similar controlled religious/spiritual environments a blend of crowd psychology and hysteria are used to place the audience into altered mental states conducive to trance and susceptible to thought reform."

Also:

"In any of these hypnotic states an individual becomes very open to behavioral
and belief alterations. While our critical faculties are held at bay we are not able to think for ourselves in a calculated manner and therefore we do not effectively analyze incoming information or protect our currently held notions, perceptions or beliefs. We become very child-like and vulnerable."

Here is the latest version of the Invitation they just put out:

[drive.google.com]

Finally, it is known the number of people, who attended the Lisbon intensive June, 2019 [www.youtube.com]. it was only around 250. It was confirmed by two persons, who were directly there in Lisbon satsang. It also explains why Mooji’s cams did not focus the whole hale in Lisbon with a capacity of between 2846 (seated) to 4000 people, depending on its configuration.[en.wikipedia.org]
It looks like, after anti-Mooji campaign at the beginning of this year, Mooji lost about ¾ paying followers. It has been a huge setback and loss for Mooji and his firm management. I think that most people realized Mooji is a false guru and his ashram is a delusional, untrue, cult-conspirative, and profit-oriented community.

The more money these guys get, the more arrogant and abusive they become with their followers who are mostly younger women. And as the numbers dwindle, the remaining cult members become more willing to hide the strange behaviors of the fake guru. Already see this happening at MS.

250 participants. That must have hurt them in more than one way. I doubt renting a venue housing three to four thousand people comes cheap. Gone are the Baarlo-days (Holland last year) when 1500 people paid good money to be on retreat.

I think one either leaves now or teams up with the heavily deluded around this false guru. Denying all critisism. Clinging to this illusion for dear life. So sad. MS is one place I wouln't want to find myself. Tension must be immense.

I remember him saying more than once that he never prepared anything before going on stage. Man, is that a lie. The looking around in the beginning, closing of the eyes at certain times, looking strait into the camera, the little-boy-lost-look at times,the talking more slowly at certain points, the endless repetitions, carefully planned "spontanious" stories and jokes. It's a well-staged performance by a showman. He knows what he is doing to people. And he is doing it deliberately.

I'm glad I can see it now. And it still hurts at times, this feeling of being fooled by someone I trusted. This whole thing has nothing to do with a mature teaching of spirituality. It's an emotional trap where those who are vulnerable get caught.

Saw some of the free for all footage from Lisbon. Boy, that was the shortest announcement ever given by Shree to my memory....

Wow, only 250 participants at the cult meeting in Lisbon? That is many less people than I thought. I doubt that could have been a financial success, but who knows?

I see on the official Mooji website that they are now promoting a new retreat at Zmar, coming up in October. It might be difficult for them to fill places at that gathering, too? We will have to wait and see.

[mooji.org]

I notice this from the information on the silent retreat on Moo' website:

* If you are attending the retreat with a partner or friend, you agree to not communicate with each other during the retreat in any way. Please respect the Satsang of your loved ones and other retreat participants.

Then we scroll down to the Zmar accommodation section, and we see that 2 people can share a room with a double bed- so you can sleep with your partner, obviously, but you just can't talk to them? How on earth will Moo's staff police that particular rule? Will they hide microphones under the beds to see if couples are talking to each other or not? The mind boggles!

I mean, quite obviously, people are going to be talking to each other! They are going to be talking about how cult-like the 'no talking' rule is.

According to the Moo website, you are not allowed to use your mobile phone, either. Yeah, sure. Except you need your phone to listen to Satsung trance indoctrination being translated into French, Spanish and German, so therefore I think we can safely assume that people are going to be responding to messages on their phones and using them in general as much as possible!

Snapping-out, I too was surprised at how little Shree had to say in her opening announcement at Lisbon. I wonder if she has given up and is planning to leave? Less than a year ago, she was admonishing the cult audiences with things like "Mooji does not want to hear your domestic questions- he is interested in questions about the 'Truth' only", in very harsh tones. Then more recently, while in India, she was actively trying to recruit people to fill jobs at Monte Sahaja- "positions are wide open - please come and work for us" -but now, poor Shree has so little to say? Hmmmm.

Have just taken a look at the Zmar-advertisement. I noticed mr. moo is not looking straight into the camera like he used to in the opening-picture. Guilty conscience perhaps? Can't look his "devotees" in the eye?
No more choice for meals that include meat or fish. Only vegetarian food. Just an occasional fish on the menu. There better not be herons around!
One is expected to complete the entire retreat and attend each and every satsang-session without exeption. Why? You are a paying guest of the resort. Zmar houses and feeds you. You pay for that! And pay 375 euro to sit in a tent being hypnotised and brought into a state of trance. You can do whatever you like! Skip that rediculous "laughing yoga-nonsense" for instance. Take a walk. Wifi is shut off at the resort, but you can get reception outside Zmar. It's a short walk to the entrance-gate.
"The quietude is taking you deeper into what is being pointed"? Not being able to communicate with others leaves you more vulnerable to the hypnotic influences is another way of looking at it.
There will "generaly" be two satsangs a day but..the schedule may change according to the "unique rhythm of this retreat". So no guarantee you even get what you pay for. Sounds like the moo-moos will do whatever they want, selling it as the "unique rhythm of the retreat". Whatever that may mean.
Sahara, there are rooms with a double bed but these rooms are always for one person only. You pay big money for them.
You pay big money anyway. The cheapest option apart from bringing your own tent is being cramped in a tiny room with two bunkbeds, sharing 4. Not very clean often. There is always a problem of some sort with appliances, keycards not working. Long queues at the helpdesk the first night . Once was in a house that had an unpacked bench in the middle of the decking that stayed there the whole time.
Apparently they now have proof that moo's Invitation is "an effective aid for true and lasting Self-discovery". That's huge.
They claim just moo's "loving and unfathomable presence (!?)" can trigger transformtion in one who is ready for awakening. That's even more of an arrogant and impossible to prove statement.
They urge people to hurry and sign up fast because places are limited. If Lisbon last month is anything to go by I would say: relax, more than enough space, plenty of time to decide....

Hi Snapping-out,

thanks for all that information! You have been there and you know the scene. Many of us are left wondering and guessing, like me.

Well, if the sleeping arrangements as are you describe, with only one person per double bed - then that wont suit Moo at all. Sounds like a lonely time for him.

What really concerns me is that it is compulsory to attend every single trance indoctrination session- without exception. In the same breath, they are telling us that Satsung can cause some problems with people who have repressed psychological trauma. Satsung can bring unpleasant and distressing emotions to the surface. So if this happens, and you are acutely distressed, will you be forced to attend the next trance session anyway?
From reading their website, you get the impression that you will be forced to go, even if you are not well!

As usual the cult have the same disclaimer - "we cannot provide you with any kind of professional support what-so-ever, if you experience any untoward psychological effects from immersing yourself in bullsh*it Satsung."

No support, no empathy, no interest: just hand us your money!

(And don't forget that the Moo Foundation is a registered charity, whose mission is it to actually help people, not take their money and fob them off!. Just saying.)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/13/2019 07:02AM by Sahara71.

Hello everyone!

I haven’t been posting anything for a while now, but I followed reading.
I‘m very happy that I could distance myself completely from the Moo crap, physically and emotionally and also the fury and disappointment ceased. Now it just seems as a bad dream, long ago that has no more weight in it. I‘m very thankful for that and especially to everyone here that contributed and continues to contribute to spreading the truth about such malevolent organizations.
It was shaking me to the core at first and then everything fell into place and I feel very relieved and absolutely at peace. Thank you!!!

I‘m very glad that the Lissabon retreat was not filling up the venue. It is a wonderful sign that people are stepping into their own power.
We must question everything without any exempt!

The Zmar retreat will unfold probably the same way as every time. In the past there were usually something between 800 to 1000 pax attending. And indeed, over the entire stay people won’t talk to each other at all!!!
Sometimes some couples are spotted meeting up and having a little chat, but they are immediately reported to the staff and quickly quieted. Most of the time the phrase is used about „missing the chance for freedom“.
Just say this to someone at the retreat and they will do anything you want in order not to „miss their chance for freedom“.

If you attend the retreat as a couple, there is no way that you can be in the same room.
The single rooms are to be booked and used only by a singe person! The shared rooms are only for same gender use and you will be assigned your place by the famous „lottery“ system. You will be surprised how for ex 4 persons sharing a room for a week, never talk a word to each other and afterwards part ways in silence again, not even knowing the other ones name. All „wordly“ and „identities“ are seen as obstacles for self realization and are completely shut down. Everything is shut down creating a complete feeling of isolation in the midst of hundreds of people, leaving you completely alone and vulnerable.
People give in to all those nonsense rules without questioning anything.

Yes, you must attend every satsang. If you are seen on the venue, you are escorted by the team inside the satsang tent. Unless you hide in your room and no one gets a hold of that. But you must know, that being exposed to that energy you will not really try not attending because you feel guilty of maybe missing your chance. That phrase is used all the time, Moo is using it many times during those retreats and this is a favorite manipulation phrase of the team. If someone wants to leave (from any retreat or Sahaja) they are immediately confronted „are you sure you want to miss your chance for freedom? This is your very chance! Do you really want to waste it?”
If you are in a confused, conflicted or distressed state, you might talk to the team, eventually you get to sit in the front row, close to Moo, that will keep an eye on you. You get the “benefit” of being in his very close proximity. But you have to attend!!! Because your distress is just a sign that you are “burping out” all that is not true. This is how Moo calls it.

There are people leaving the retreat, usually during the 1st and 2nd day. But it is a small percentage of the whole.

Let’s see how many will attend this time. Let’s hope that more and more will wake up and free themselves from this claws!

Joyfree Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hello everyone!
>
> I haven’t been posting anything for a while now,
> but I followed reading.
> I‘m very happy that I could distance myself
> completely from the Moo crap, physically and
> emotionally and also the fury and disappointment
> ceased. Now it just seems as a bad dream, long ago
> that has no more weight in it. I‘m very thankful
> for that and especially to everyone here that
> contributed and continues to contribute to
> spreading the truth about such malevolent
> organizations.
> It was shaking me to the core at first and then
> everything fell into place and I feel very
> relieved and absolutely at peace;


Joyfree, so glad to hear you are doing well; the process you describe above resonates with my own leaving the Moo's caravan.

I went to a Zmar retreat and can confirm most of what you and snapping-out describe. It is indeed true that nobody is allowed to talk to the point of being ridiculous when you share a small cabin with another participant and have practical issues to deal with; you are advised to write notes to not break the holy rule!!

There is benefit in having periods of silence. But see this context: people coming from all over the world, most not knowing each other, usually not sharing spiritual interest within their usual environment and those people now together are forced to not interact with each other for 7 days. The only possibility is given at the end to register for a Moo satsang group; in this manner they discourage private interaction outside of the Moo organization in order to put yourself under the exclusive influence of the guru-in-charge supposedly enlightened or divine. In other words, you are putting yourself entirely under influence of one human being in power of which you know very little, except what is claimed on his website and by his devotees. If you have any psychological issue, you will be put even more under his influence and convinced to stay or be "healed" by him;if not, it is legally your responsibility if you get in serious trouble. How cultish is that? Not to speak of the well-know advertisement strategy used in good old worldly business: hurry, places are limited, dont wait to register, as mentioned by snapping-out.