I am working with psychology academics, a therapist, and some apologetics authors in a study on New Religions Movements (NRM.) Part of this study is of an Organization Called the Church of Divine Man and Berkeley Psychic Institute.

Does anyone know anything or know anyone that has information about an organization called Berkeley Psychic Institute. The Berkeley Psychic Institute’s is owned and operated by the Church of Divine Man. The Berkeley Psychic Institute is what they call their seminary – probably for tax reasons. Lewis Bostwick founded both organizations in 1974. After his death in 1995, his wife, Susan Hull Bostwick, assumed spiritual leadership. It was my understanding that the conference or training seminar was part of their Clairvoyant Training Program. I know an individual in the program. She encouraged me to join a meditation class but after I did more research this group seems to follow occultist practices, I wish to avoid. However, I did learn some things about the group. The Clairvoyant Training Program is a yearlong training program (from their web site); this training “teaches techniques for reading an aura by running the soul essence or energy through the body and increasing the communication between the spirit and the body. The Lectures in the Program Include: Akashic Records, Genetic Entity, Chakras, Astral Body, Analyzer, Creative Rings.” It is also a paid program by the attendees but I am unaware of the precise cost. If you want more information, you can look at [www.berkeleypsychic.com] The Berkeley Psychic Institute has locations in Berkeley, Mountain View, Sacramento, and Santa Rosa. They get most people hooked via a Psychic Hotline, Psychic Fairs (that they sponsor up and down the west coast), and Meditation classes offered at the BSI offices. You can find much information at [www.berkeleypsychic.com.] They offer classes in Psychic Healing, Clairvoyance, Meditation, etc.

The Church has beliefs of alien possession, transcendental meditation, reincarnation, channeling, past lives, psychic healing, and something called the internal “Christ Force?”

I am working on a detailed study that will ready in two weeks. However, any help anyone can provide or recommendation of who has more information on this organization that would be great. Any input is appreciated.

Thank You for your time.

Michael D :

Try SCP in Berkely, CA. Tal Brooke, the president of this org. is knowledgable through study and experience( he spent time in the past living in India under a guru there) and cd. be a great help. He has also authored several books, a cpl. come to mind:
Avatar Of Night...experience in India under Guru Sai Baba.
Riders Of The Cosmic Circuit...a study of "consciousness."
In any case, they study new movements, spiritual/religious and cultural. It wd. be useful for you, in my opinion, to get a chance to dialog with Brooke. I have found them to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Pertinent info below:


[www.scp-inc.org...tele] # avail. on website
[www.scp-inc.org]

Respectfully,
Terry Huffman

Quote

Originally posted by deehester
I
The Church has beliefs of alien possession, transcendental meditation, reincarnation, channeling, past lives, psychic healing, and something called the internal “Christ Force?”

I am working on a detailed study that will ready in two weeks. However, any help anyone can provide or recommendation of who has more information on this organization that would be great. Any input is appreciated.

Thank You for your time.

I'll do some research too, but from what you told us here they seem to be basically a New Age type movement that goulashes ideas from non-traditional sources relative to Western culture. Also a lot of this seems to have roots in Hinduism and in Kabbala(reincarnation, past lives) and the Christ Force taps into Christianity.
All of this is hard to prove in terms of what is/isn't the truth. Some people believe in aliens and that the US gov't has been holding back info on aliens. I don't buy any of this stuff and I think it's a plot to dupe innocent victims and liberate money from the unsuspecting.
You know, this Christ Force thing may have been taken right out of the pages of Marvel comics. No joke. In Mighty Thor magazine, Odin (recently deceased), had command of a power called the Odin power or Odin force. And this concept was around for years. It was a type of energy that Odin had at his command that he could channel and augment his considerable physical strength and magical abilities.

Thanks for the feedback. Here is more information that I have dug up.

The Berkeley Psychic Institute’s is owned and operated by the Church of Divine Man. Both organizations were founded in 1974 by Lewis Bostwick. After his death in March of 1995, his wife, Susan Hull Bostwick, assumed spiritual leadership. Berkeley Psychic Institute offers classes in occult topics such as aura reading, Psychic healing, clairvoyance, and a hybrid meditation that combines aspects of Buddhism and Hinduism. The Church of Divine Man is a blended belief religion of Mysticism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and pseudo-Christianity. During my research academics, clergy, skeptics, and psychologists categorized the Berkeley Psychic Institute / Church of Divine Man differently. The three primary definitions were: 1) A blended belief “new age” pseudo-religion, 2) A pseudo-psychology mind science business, and 3) A psychic cult. However, I find this last label distasteful despite the organizations obvious occult practices. As of this writing, they seem physically harmless despite the practice of psychologically manipulative technologies of which psychological casualties can exist. However, there greatest injustice seems to be their selective blending and bending of multiple religious beliefs with little scientific, professional, or theological qualifications into a belief system that they market and vend as the truth with in a community unregulated. The greatest problem is to determine if they are a business, educational organization, or a religion. What was determined is just as they blend and bend belief they likewise do the same organizationally. They blend as it suits them.

Brief Organizational Structure

They consist of five sub groups all of which fall under the umbrella of the Church of Divine Man. These organizations are: 1) Berkeley Psychic Institute, 2) Deja Vu Psychic Hotline, 3) Deja Vu Travel, and 4) Publishing of the Psychic Reader periodical and Deja Vu educational material on tape, finally, 5) CDM Psychic Institute, formally known as the Washington Psychic Institute.

I will post more information as I discover it during research. Please if anyone has any information on this group please post it. Thank you.

- deehester

All our science, measured against reality is primitive and childlike and yet it is the most precious thing we have. - Albert Einstein.

I know all the secrets about Berkeley Psychic Institute because I attended a sister school - The Midwest Psychic Institute - from 1999 - 2001.

I would be open to being interviewed on the phone about their specific teachings, however, I don't want to post anything here for privacy sake (sorry, still a bit paranoid from my experience).

I will say this, however. The most striking thing about the organziation is how I could walk in, and they would make psychic pronouncements about me or my life that there was know way they could know. For instance, I told one of my teachers I was getting a new dog and they said, "Is it a so-and-so?" and they were exactly right. Now, how the hell would they know that?
This is one small example, because there are numerous examples, and some with a lot more weighty information about me.

But then I started to realize that even if they were right about the information they gave me, it was intrusive that someone should know so much. Also, the teachers gossip a lot about the students and each other. Plus, the director has been known to hit on the women, and there aren't a lot of other men around (only 1 or 2 male teachers, and 1 of them is gay). Some of the women also fight over the director's attention, and there seems to be a lot of jealousy and competition for "Daddy," if you get my drift.

I can't deny that there have been a lot of positives, but at this point, I just want my life back.

If anyone wants to send me a private message or post here, please do and I will respond. The only research I found was a really damaging article on a school similar to BPI out in San Jose or something (Spiritual Rights Foudation?) Here is the link:
[www.metroactive.com]

If anyone has any words of wisdom or support, please post or email me private. I am undergoing treatment, but sometimes it feels like not enough :(

Ana

I was a member for two years and am intimately familiar with their teachings.

I am starting to understand that their teachings are Scientology based, that Lewis Bostwick had a falling out with Ron Hubbard (which is why BPI is now on Scientology's black list), and that criminality abounds:

[www.metroactive.com]

If anyone want to contact me for a phone interview I would be willing. I am also looking for research others have done - please email me privately or post here. I am dying to find others for support. I have a therapist but something is still missing (perhaps the hole that this cult-like environment filled).

Ana

anastasia_2023,
Thanks for your input. It is important that those that understand the darker side of BSI and CDM let others know.

I agree that illegal activity exists. I have found what seems to be two such items and have let the authorities know.

One was a volition of zoning in Pleasanton CA, where they were not filing the proper paper work and submitting to police background checks and finger printing to get a license to practice fortunetelling. This was at the Hilton and I notified the city attorney and Hilton Corp, they were thankful and sent them a warning.

The second was that they seem to be practicing psychic surgery. I went to a public meeting of the Berkeley Psychic Institute titled “Your are not Crazy you may be Psychic.” At this meeting, they tried to convince me to join a trip to the Philippines for the benefits of tumor removal by Psychic Surgery. I also noticed an aid for this in their Psychic Reader Magazine later that night but they called it a "Psychic Healing trip;" however during the public meeting Dr. Susan Bostwick called it Psychic Surgery and said that it healed medical problems, tumors, Bladder infections, STD's etc. by removing tumors and other material with out cutting the skin. This seemed like fraud to me. I did a little research and found that in 1974, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Senate Subcommittee on Health and Long Term Care held hearings on psychic surgery. In these hearings, the FTC concluded that psychic surgeons were defrauding patients by palming bags containing blood and tissue. However, the Berkeley Psychic Institute charges for travel to the Philippines to continue the fraudulent practice of psychic surgery. Consequently, I notified The American Medical Association and the Medical Board of California Central Complaint Unit.

I am sure this is not the only criminal activity they do.

Thanks so much for sharing. I currently have three loved ones involved in this group and I am very much concerned.

If you could give your description of the Clairvoyant Program, it would be of much help to readers of this thread. Thank you and hang in their.

Rick Ross may be able to point you in their direction if you cant find contact info on the net. They are: Margaret Thaler Singer Ph.D, emeritus professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and Janja Lalitch Ph.D, Dept of Sociology, Cal State Chico. Singer is one of the foremost authorities in the world on cults, and Janja Lalitch is also coming into her own as a first class scholar on the subject.

If you check the resource articles on Rick's site, there is another UCBerkeley scholar named Ofshe, who may also be up on them. My hunch is if anyone is likely to know, it will be Singer and Lalitch.

See too if anything has been published in the East Bay Express--there have been accounts of concerned parents whose ex partners are still in the BPI and the demands of the cult led to the divorces when one parent refused to support BPI. The parents are worried that the children are being exposed to hypnotic trance induction. The parents who remain with the BPI have the full resources of the group to back them up--tough situation. So run a Google in BPI 'parents' and 'custody' and see if that churns anything up..

I am positng this reply again since my first post did not show up.

anastasia_2023,
Thank you for your post. Yes, our research also indicated that Lewis Bostwick was a Scientologist but became unhappy because he wanted more power and money and decided to build his own religion using the same psychological methodology that L. Ron Hubbard made-up but he just changed the names of the methods used.

Our research also supports your statement that “criminality abounds.” We have discovered possible illegal actives and have notified authorities. If you encounter possible illegal activity, the best advice is to notify the authorities.

The one was a evading zoning laws in Pleasanton CA. The law stated that any fortunetellers must register with the police fore background test and finger printing and they closed their Pleasanton office but just moved their meetings to the Hilton in Pleasanton. We notified the City Attorney.

Another was their "psychic surgery” trips to the Philippines. Recently at a public meeting of the Berkeley Psychic Institute called, “You are not Crazy you may be Psychic” and at this meeting, they tried to convince attendees that if they were sick, that a Psychic Surgeon could remove tumors that are causing problems. The printed ads called it a Psychic Healing; however, Susan Bostwick called it Psychic Surgery and said that it healed medical problems, tumors, Bladder infections, STD's etc. by removing tumors and other material with out cutting the skin. This seemed like fraud to us since in 1974, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Senate Subcommittee on Health and Long Term Care concluded that psychic surgeons were defrauding patients by palming bags containing blood and tissue. Consequently, we informed the Medical Board of California Central Complaint Unit and The American Medical Association.

I recommend a few books. They are not light reading but they helped me better understand New Age Religions and why people join them but then fall out over time. Some our Christian based some our Skeptic and other Scientific but together they create a larger picture of the views that help better understand New Age Religions such as BSI/CDM and how and why be believe.

1) The Demon-Haunted world - Carl Sagen.
2) Confronting the New Age - Douglas R. Groothus.
3) Guide to Cults, Religions, and Spiritual and Beliefs - by Bruce and Stan
4) Mind Abuse by Cults and Others - Adrian & Anne Greek
5) Why God Wont’ Go Away – Brain Science and the Biology of Belief
6) The Faith Healers – James Randi (also visit his web site for information on Cold Reading)
7) Why People Believe Weird Things – Michael Shermer
8) The Science of God – Gerald L. Schroeder

If you wants to contact me, E-mail me privately or post here. I would enjoy listening to you and to learn more of your experience. I am very happy you broke free of BPI/CDM.

-d
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I hope this posts.

Thanks for your responses.

Deehester, I can tell you what the folks at BPI are telling your loved ones about you. The teachers and staff are telling them that you are in "resistance" to them getting their space.

What that language means is that
you are being blamed as preventing your loved ones from having their experience of freedom as spirit in a body, and that you are trying to control them or cord into them with energy cords into the chakra. So they will then direct them to while they are in trance to visualize a rose, imaging your energy going into it, and blowing it up. Then call back their energy from you.

I myself have done this meditation (as well as a whole slew of "psychic" techniques for over two years). The startling thing is the biochemical changes. I really did feel better and refreshed by doing it. BUt i had to keep doing it in order to feel better, like a drug. I've complained to my teachers about feeling enslaved and they say, oh, it's just a "mental image picture" (Scientology), you can blow it up.

Whatever.

I know, it sounds crazy. It's a whole other world in there.

Ana