hi, wondering if anyone here has any experience of frank moore (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Moore_%28performance_artist%29)? he presents himself as a "shaman" and "performance artist" but a friend of mine got sucked into his little commune and ended up spending 2 years living illegally in california, completely isolated from all friends and family, until she got out. before she went down (she was involved from a distance for a number of years before moving there to be a part of it), i remember her saying "it's not a cult, because they don't try to suck you in, it's hard to get in. they'll push you away if they think you're not serious" etc., which i wonder if it wasn't just some very clever reverse psychology...

they were all very nice/open/loving until they got her away from her partner (they'd been together for a solid decade or so) at which point they prevented her from being in direct contact - he was only allowed to communicate with frank - and persuaded her that he was an egotist (so not true) and "not ready" and "not on our level" and stuff.

the more ensnared she became, the more the hippy-love stuff peeled back to reveal an undercurrent of pure meanness.

she finally started waking up after being there two years, when an outsider (she worked under the table as a personal care assistant) gave her a gift (a book) and it was confiscated for inspection, and eventually all that was returned to her was the wrapping paper.

anyway i'm sure i'm remembering some of the details wrong, just wanted to get this out here though, just in case someone else is looking for spiritual guidance, and comes across frank moore's name, and decides to look him up. i want this part of the story to be one of the things they find.

My father and stepdad were musicians. They worked their asses off. They didnt go into it seeking or being promised "healing" or some psychospiritual "level" that cannot be defined.

Just curious:

Was your friend living in housing owned or co-habited by members of this group, as in a commune?

"gave her a gift (a book) and it was confiscated for inspection, and eventually all that was returned to her was the wrapping paper."

If you are given a gift, come home with it, and have it taken away, thats to be treated as a child. And it suggests your friend didnt have a private room of her own to go into with her present.

Did your pal get work entirely independantly of the group? At least then, she'd have had control over her job and income.

Or did your pal get this personal attendant job by arrangement via the group?

Persons who overstay tourist visas are in a vulnerable situation.

Ideally, a mentor would arrange a meeting with an immigration attorney who would know how to arrange a long term student or artist visa.

One cannot give ones best as an artist or student artist if one is perpetually anxious about one's living situation.

yep, it was a communal living situation. i believe she got her job through group connections, although i honestly don't remember. she had tried immigrating legally - her partner went back to school to finish his diploma, since it was in one of the job categories that allows easier entry to the states, they were supposed to move together - but when the whole process was taking too long frank encouraged them to just sneak into the country. the idea was that she would go first and her partner would follow - the group had a plan worked out and had "reasons" why it would be best for them to come one at a time this way - but as soon as she was there, she was isolated, convinced that her partner was "not ready" etc., and not allowed to contact him. he was devastated. at that point they'd given away most of their possessions and cats preparing for the move.