Hi GreenLion, I'm sorry to hear about your friend. I had a similar experience recently with a friend of mine who I will call 'Jeff'. I am currently distancing myself from Jeff, because I don't think I can help him and I don't need to get involved. The thing with Jeff is that he has a partner who is also extremely concerned about him and is watching the situation. I
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Heythere101, I found the listing in Hawaii that you are referring to: I wonder if Old Tony knows that people are profiteering off his name? No doubt he would ask for a cut of the takings if only he knew!! Sounds like a great deal, too - you get to live in your own tent free of cost, as long as you work for 8 to 12 hours each week in the service of the greater good. Modern slavery,
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I found this comment on a social media site today: "I have personally found Mooji’s Satsang refreshing and felt drawn more towards his energy than any other spiritual teacher. I have heard all of these allegations and found it disappointing but also realize that Mooji is a man with human desires. I also see the challenges he faces and all the expectations people place on a “guru.” What
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Everyone, I saw on Facebook today a post about all the intimate relationships Tony Moo has had - There is a picture of some of the women Tony has allegedly been involved with. I'm not sure about the ethics of this 'over-sharing,' as the women themselves don't have any agency in this information being shared. Presumably, if they had wanted to come forward and reveal t
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Latest news - Jeff is confused, distracted and very stressed. He does not reply to my text messages, then when I do call him, we make plans which he promptly forgets! I invited him and his partner around to our house and he said he'd let me know once he'd asked his partner, but then I didn't hear a word. The date passed without word from Jeff. Then a late night text message from J
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi All, and thanks for the comments and support. The meditation group is taking a hiatus as Jeff's mother has fallen ill and will need his care. I think she ate something that disagreed with her over Christmas and things have gone down-hill from there. My partner and I are supposed to pay Jeff a social visit some time next week - nothing to do with 'the group' this time, but
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hello All, I went to my third meditation evening with 'Jeff' and the others. There were even more of them than ever before, the lounge-room at Jeff's place was crowded. We had to squash up together to fit in. Jeff was in fine form, I even wondered if he had not been viewing cult material on Youtube in order to perfect his weird persona. Possibly not, but I remain very cynical. He
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Everyone, thanks for your comments. I was going to skip this weeks meditation meeting, thinking that 'Jeff' now has plenty of people in the group and I won't be missed. But then I felt like I'd like to be there to see what happens next. "The Queen is head of an illegal international arms dealership" _- I know, right? That is the most bonkers thing I have
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Thanks Corboy, I believe you are I have been checking out the same content on Reddit! Fear of Covid has played a part in all this for sure.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Yes indeed, Shamrock. A lot of people are susceptible to this kind of thing. I even live in a relatively conservative area with an aging demographic. We are not talking about hippy-central here. The other thing which I forgot to mention is that during the second session, "Jeff" whipped around the circle to see what people took away from the first meditation session. Most people did
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I would like to share with everyone a very interesting personal experience, and I welcome any comments. Recently, a friend of mine - lets call him 'Jeff', started holding a meditation circle on his country property. I have know 'Jeff' for around 8 years and find him to be a very kind, gentle and caring person, but he has some very unusual political and spiritual views. Jus
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Sorry, it's Orson Welles and the novel 'War of the Worlds' was by H.G. Wells. Having a senior moment!
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Some very interesting thoughts, Zizlz! Q-anon is a little like a religion and a little like a radical political movement - and a dangerous one. (All the most zealous political movements have an ounce of religious fervor to them!) We live in very stressful times. Even during times of prosperity, there will always be people who will go off the deep end and take radical, violent action because of
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Yes, Zizlz, I guess it is power - but it's anonymous power. I suppose that could be gratifying for a certain type of person? But a lot of the revenue raised by selling the Q t-shits and posters and setting up the (now defunct) Facebook groups would be raised by others? Meaning that potentially anyone could be making money by jumping on board? Here, I don't really see much simila
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Everyone, I was just browsing Wikipedia this evening and took a nostalgic peek at the 'Mooji' entry. Under 'Teachings and Satung' it says: "One New York Times journalist who attended a satsang described being moved and confused as one young man approached Mooji onstage and buried himself in his lap.[12] Devotees compare Mooji to Jesus, and often line up to rec
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The thing with Q-anon is that it's already widely accepted as being a conspiracy theory. I can see that it shares some similarities with a cult, but there doesn't seem to be any kind of 'leader' that benefits form Q-anon - as in, is there anyone who is amassing power and influence and money as a result of Q-anon? Is there some kind of centralized organization that is asking
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Everyone, I found an interesting blog written by a Korean guy who has done a bit of research into the Good News Mission cult - He states: "Also, searching on Naver (Korea’s equivalent to Yahoo!) about Park Ock-Soo results in accusations of being cult plastered with harsh rebuke against such accusation and creepy adulations for Park. Park also sued a pastor who criticized him as a
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Just on a very personal note, Dis-illusioned, I think compassion is key. All the major spiritual traditions promote compassion - including self-compassion. Help other people if you can, but if you are not able to help, then at least have compassion for them in your heart. If you are at a point in your life where your capacity for compassion is low, then cultivate compassion for yourself, first
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Dis-illusioned, you are so right; it's not about Shwartz, its' about you. And it's about me. It's about all the people who have left exploitative spiritual organizations and who are now wondering how this could have happened to them in the first place. A lot of people who leave, don't tend to look back. They think "That group was not for me, it was too weird
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Dis-illusioned, I began following the saga of Swartz when this discussion first began here on CEI. Before that, I was in contact with a former student of Swartz' who wanted to warn me about him. She had a similar experience to you - her private emails to Old Swartz were published online without her explicit consent. She complained to him about it and he taunted and denigrated her! I
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Dis-illusioned, thanks for writing back. First Old Swartz says that he's not surprised that you have Asperger's, then he claims that everyone has Asperger's (when of course they don't), then he says that the idea that you have Asperger's 'has no legs'? Excuse me while I catch my breath from laughing! He is a freaking idiot. He is gas-lighting you.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I just wanted to add my two-cents worth. Dis-illusioned, I read your posts with interest. I think you mentioned something about that you might have Asperger's Syndrome? I actually used to work with people with Asperger's and have a very deep interest in psychology and neurology. (Although I am not a doctor and can only give advice here as a friend.) I checked out Swartz's
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I took a look at the website and the youtube channel of "Morgue" and I gotta say, it looks like a whole lot of bullshit to me. Here's quote from one of Morgue's books, called 'Ontological Mathmatics': "Ontological mathematics, is the study of the mathematical wave nature of existence. This is not a reality of matter, rather, it’s a reality mind, of though
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Ghostwhispers, I understand your concern. There are a lot of suspicious groups around who try to sell us all kinds of strange material, and sadly these groups tend to appeal to people with mental health problems. Some of these groups are entirely harmless, however it's difficult to tell exactly what they are up to, unless you get heavily involved in them and see for yourself. ( I don&
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Everyone, I read one of Tolle's books years ago - but I can't remember which one it was. I thought it was quite interesting, but right towards the end of the book, I was left asking myself "What is the practical application for all this stuff?" How do you apply these 'teachings' to everyday life? There was a question and answer section at the end of the book
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Andy.Mo18, I'm sorry to hear about your illness. There is a lot of information about Eckhart Tolle on this forum and the destructive effect his teachings can have on people's lives. Someone who called himself The Anticult was posting here years ago about Tolle and other similar teachers, and it is worthwhile doing a forum search under this name, 'The Anticult' and re
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

It has come to my attention that the U.K. comedian Russell Brand is now promoting Moo through a series of pod-casts. Russell Brand is quite possibly a certified lunatic himself, but never-the-less, people seem to like him. I strongly suggest that people who have had negative experiences with Mooji contact Russell directly and make him aware of the allegations against Moo in a short email.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Sorry, I believe that was Sefa's post I was referring to! Just wanted to say that I am not in any way promoting David Godman's book for any personal reasons and I have not read it myself, but I would like to read it.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Just as a quick follow-up to Zizlz's post: If you would like to read David Godman's book "Be as you Are - The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi" you can sign up for free at and download a PDF of the book there. This not-for-profit internet library resource is entirely free, and there many spiritual texts there that are difficult to obtain elsewhere.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Henri Jolicoeur's latest Youtube offering about Moo: At 1.20 Henri mentions that he has received a letter from the parents of of one of Moo's followers who committed suicide. He then goes on to mention the threats of legal action he has had against him for speaking out about the Moo cult. Henri later challenges Mooji to a debate about Advaita philosophy - now that I woul
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"