I knew Liz Gilbert back in 2002, when we happened to be on the same yoga retreat in Bali. This was her first trip, where she met Ketut Liyer for the first time, and she was sent by a magazine -- can't remember which -- to write an article. She was already divorced or split from her first husband, in a relationship with the guy who introduced her to Siddha Yoga, and already a devotee.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteThe AnticultThere are also some links at this site, Mobissimo. It looks like Reese Jones is Nicole's one and only MobiFriend. Press PEOPLE. Nicole Daedone and Reese Jones Same with Kandell and Reese Reese Jones and Robert Kandell Reese Jones Nicole Daedone There are some notable names from the Internet/tech world in Reese Jones's Mobissimo network. Jimmy Wa
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

It's the same old utopian enlightenment promise, in a sexualized form. Get and stay high all the time, transcend the pain and boredom of everyday non-enlightened human life, glorify the ego by focusing on one's "experience."
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

It's lengthy, but here it is in case anyone wants to have a look:
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteCreoleGuyI do not buy the Sednoa tapes and Cd's anymore but they did help me and the guy would send me a program and not even charge me. So, compared to Scientology and The Kabbalah Center in Beverly Hills-this program seems harmless. It is like meditation and you release astral energy from your mid-section, which is an Occult Technicque. It is almost like prayer. There is no harm in th
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Whatever. I've been reading and learning from your postings for years, but we'll have to agree to disagree on this one point.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Corboy, All I am saying is that I find the Enneagram useful as a general framework for understanding human personality and the people in my life. I'm not willing to trash the entire thing because of its connections with various unsavory types. But I'm not attached, as you put it. Of course it's untested and very much imprecise. It's really not that big a deal. And I am abou
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Wouldn't that be nine sizes fit all? Can't say the context where I learned the enneagram was all that giddy, and that goes for several prominent teachers. Certainly a very different environment than the ashram I lived in, or the LGAT's I took. Of course, the enneagram probably is presented in some of those context. Interestingly, the complaint of Patterson and others is very
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

It's actually William Patrick Patterson, who was heavy into the Gurdjieff work. As such, I would take anything he said with a grain of salt. A number of Orthodox Gurdjieffians were were absolutely horrified as to how the Enneagram was taken out of the context of their own highly dubious psychospiritual system developed by their charlatan guru. I find the Enneagram useful as a general fram
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Thanks, Anti-Cult and Corboy.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

A former member of the ashram I was a part of has become enamored of something called Mahamudra Meditation. It is being taught/promoted by Daniel P. Brown*, Ph.D, coauthor some decades ago of Transformations of Consciousness with Ken Wilber and Jack Engler. Engler, actually, was helpful over a decade ago when the Kripalu community went through its upheaval and booted the guru out. But that's
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Interesting to note that the large majority of BK facilitators are women. Just scanning the list I figure it's 70%. Typical of most newage (rhymes with sewage) modalities. As for Janey Hardy, she proudly lists her extensive training in $cientology as part of her fringe education. Yikes!
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Kripalu Center in Lenox, MA. We kicked the corrupt, philandering, lying guru, Yogi Amrit Desai, out in 1994. Kripalu continues on as a large retreat center a la Omega or Esalen, peddling a mix of useful activities and assorted newage (rhymes with sewage) nonsense. Desai continues on as a guru on a much smaller scale at his Amrit Yoga Institute in northern Florida.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I remember hearing stories about Milarepa and Marpa, the former being a great Tibetan Buddhist master who was a student of the latter. In these stories the latter would always be crazily abusive to the former. I could never get how I was supposed to find this inspiring for my own spiritual practice.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Stuart, dare I say it, may have something of a point. In the recovery process it can be helpful to take an honest look at what drew you to the cult in the first place. In my case it served a good purpose in finding a way of being taken care of without working too hard, and to avoid making tough decisions. This, of course, in no way gets the mind-controlling, power-hungry perps off.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The Anti Cult wrote re Byron Katie: >>What about money sloshing around to Amsterdam and beyond? I missed this one. What is this all about?
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

QuoteThe AnticultIt is interesting how Byron Katie seems to have a bit of a connection to some former Siddha Yoga devotees? Carol Skolnick is one. How many others? People should be much more careful, and not just jump from one abusive Guru cult thing, to another one, with the "love at first sight" salespitch put forward by Carol Skolnick on her many websites promoting Byron Katie.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

vlinden, are you aware of the book by Jon Ronson called "Them"? Mr. Ronson hangs out with various conspiracy nuts, and one of the best chapter is whne he and Alex Jones infiltrate Bohemian Grove.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteThe AnticultPPS: just noticed that the Bandler Neurosonics recordings are up on the torrents networks. Where would I find the torrents for these recordings? I'd like to try one or two out, just for the hell of it. I torrent tons of music, so am very familiar with how torrenting works.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Steve Salerno, author of SHAM: How the self-Help Movement Made America Helpless, is one our most effective critics of what he calls the SHAM -- Self-Help and Motivation -- industry. Yesterday on his blog he mentioned that he is preparing a post on Byron Katie. Some readers were so eager for that post that they started making comments about not only BK and "the work" but also Carol Skoln
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Quotejj52Quotevlinden I invite you all to inquiry, to your own marvelous death of the body (before it dies) as you understand it to be and to be born of who and what you are not to your mind and then to understand what you are in that, as that unknowable known. I hope that you have followed what I have just written, as so many of you who love The Work for so many months or years have been able t
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Someone, without my permission, reposted on Guruphiliac my post about how I had once corresponded with Carol Skolnick. That is totally uncool, and whoever did that owes me a major apology.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Some years ago I corresponded with Carol Skolnick, before she hooked up with Byron Katie. I met her via the various incarnations of the ex-SY lists. SY is Siddha Yoga, the Baba Muktananda and Gurumayi cult. I joined and mostly lurked on those lists as I had been part of a yoga-based guru-centered cult that shared some similarities with Siddha Yoga. Carol had been pretty badly burned in the cult a
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"