I'm looking for information on a group called "The Royal Way". Can anyone help here or tell me where to find some information on this?

if you go to this thread

[forum.culteducation.com]

You will find information from two other persons who have asked about this group.

You can e-mail Rick Ross and find out the best way to contact them, if they wish to be contacted.

Royal Way has also been known as 'Jacumba'. Former members have had difficulty getting information because it seems to be such a discreet, esoteric group and recruits in a highly selective manner, rather than being pushy and obnoxious.

And because this seems to be a fairly small group that has not been studied and catalogued in the databases of most cult awareness associations, former members have little information available when they leave and try to make sense of what they've been through.

I recommend going to the thread, reading and reflecting on the material, then check with Rick about whether he has a confidential procedure by which to pass your contact information on to the two other former members who posted queries on the thread.

Good luck, and welcome.

Two other persons have queried us about Royal Way/Jacumba and have given some information about it. You can read it on

[forum.culteducation.com]

(Apologies if this is a redundant post. I posted this info last night and it did not show up.)

Groups that recruit selectively, discreetly as this one does can last for decades. They dont generate the publicity or piss legions of people off with obnoxious recruiting tactics like more famous/infamous groups.

These esoteric groups function more like espionage operations--very elitist, very secretive--the secrecy is part of the thrill. They can take a long time recruiting you, and will wait until you're vulnerable before making their first overtures.

You may be worried that you were foolish. It is more likely that someone you trusted as a close friend, coworker or relative lied to you and exploited the relationship for recruitment purposes. Our two informants tell us that the group tends to recruit through pre-existing social ties and has only recently begun targeting younger people.

You were in what you thought was an honest game and were NOT told that the game was being played with marked cards and that only Michael can win that game.

Thanks for the information.....I have a family member that has been in this group for about 2 or 3 years. We are all very worried about him but very unsure if there is anything we can do. He recently married into a family where all the family members are in the group. Thank you again for the information.

good luck to you.

Key thing is try to stay in contact with him, and do what you can to keep him connected to activities that are genuinely agenda free, affectionate and FUN.

I dont mean 'fun' in the frivolous sense. I mean genuine playfulness. The first thing lost in cult life is play. Cults are heavy duty and serious. Cultic groups and leaders suck energy and they resent anything that distracts attention from them. Playfulness is the enemy of cult life.

To give a real life example, a woman who was once a member of a cult told us that she was injured in an accident while working on a cult related project. The group was cheap and didnt want to spend money on her medical care (she had a broken leg). And because she was injured, she was no use to them. So they shipped her home to her family to recuperate.

She told us her family very wisely did not attempt to argue with her about her beliefs or try to tell her how bad the group was. Instead, her family just included her in all the enjoyable things they'd always enjoyed.

'We played lots of games of Scrabble, because it was one of the few things I could do with my folks, despite being on crutches. It took quite a few Scrabble games before I began to realize that, for the first time in months, I was having fun. I could relax, laugh, let my guard down, be silly. I was with my family and I was safe, free to just be myself. I realized I didnt enjoy myself nearly so much in the cult.'

When she recovered, she never went back.

Someone once defined a Puritan as someone whose brain never takes a holiday. Its also a good definition of a cult leader--or cult member.

Try to find ways to help your loved one relax, be innocent, roll around in the grass, and laugh. If he wont loosen up, just continue enjoying yourself. Be human. Be normal. With any luck, your example may someday be contagious.

Many people ultimately quit when their bodies become too exhausted to repress doubts and misgivings.

Again, good luck. You sound like a very level headed person, not a 'borracho' at all.