The School of Practical Philosophy cult is still active and now advertising again. Katie Bloom did her research and has provided an update on SPP's activities. Enlightenment can be yours for just $10 The School of Practical Philosophy promises sustainable happiness at an affordable price, but what is it really selling? The Outline Katie Bloom
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

During World War II Zen Meditation was taught for this same purpose. The Soldiers Who Are Using Mindfulness to Reduce Stress and Become Better Killers By itself meditation is amoral...and can be used for anti social as well as pro social purposes.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The entertainment industry is a pressure cooker. Add in fame and it becomes much worse. This is the context in which cult recruiters operate. This discussion thread offers some background reading. Please add your own! 'We're not talking about this': actors spotlight industry's mental health stigma It is practically a professional requirement that actors be emotional
Forum: Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups

Those are worthy research questions. Quote Tim Guest’s mother spoke of how she had believed that the community would be a better parent than she could be. But according to Tim, he felt he spent his ‘whole life on tiptoes, looking for my mother in a darkening crowd’. This quotation is from an article 'The Lost Children" The article mentions this: QuoteOccasionally, I trawl
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

My rule of thumb is that if anything is powerful enough to have beneficial effects, it is powerful enough to produce unwanted side effects. That is why even a bottle of over the counter medication has a printed list of side effects. Thus if anyone claims meditation is good for everyone, that's to be taken as a red flag. It is also why meditation should *not* be made part of workp
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Covidiot Files: Trumper Yoga Studio in Pacifica Advertising ‘Mask Free’ Classes The MAGA-yoga connection apparently exists, and a hot yoga studio could be in hot water for “mask free” classes flouting health restrictions. Joe Kukura SFNews 12 October 2020 The Red Pill Overlap Why New Age Yogis Have Swallowed QAnon Conspiracies julian walker May 20 Medium
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Rajneesh/Osho was an expert hypnotist and quite the charmer. Sheela may have benefited from his tutelage.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Here are up front warning signs of a potentially unsafe group. Quote Warning Signs Print Email Potentially unsafe groups or leaders "come off very nice at first, they go for vulnerable people who are looking for answers, lonely, what you'd call 'normal people.' They're very good at what they do and can get people to believe anything. You might thi
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

You said there's a devotee who could go 5 days without sleep chanting rounds...abs water only? He could be putting his health at risk. The Haunting Effect of Going Days Without Sleep
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

From Oh The Things That I Have Learned! Steven J Gelberg Steven J. Gelberg was a member of ISKCON (the International Society for Krishna Consciousness) from 1970 through 1987 (ages 18-35). Corboy note: Gelberg's information must be taken seriously. Gelberg was an ISKCON devotee for seven consecutive years that Prabhupada was alive. He would have seen what ISKON was from its early days
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The Krishna outreach emphasizes yoga and meditation. What "intelligent persons" (ISKON-Speak for potential converts) are not told is that the smiling person facing them is a Hare Krishna recruiter who believes the non ISKON world is hell and women are only for housekeeping submission to the husband and birthing Krishna babies. The smiling recruiter will not inform you of ISKON dog
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteWe should start with the time John “Bloodclot” Joseph dressed up as a retarded, wheelchair-bound Santa Claus and scammed horrified Staten Island shopping-mall patrons on behalf of the Hare Krishnas. In his memoir, The Evolution of a Cro-Magnon, Joseph claims to have made $3,000 in just one week this way, mortified mothers flinging $10 bills at him if he’d just go away, while distraught,
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Here is a list of QAnon jargon and catchprases. 5D Consciousness Ascension Brainwashed Doctors COVID-1984 Deep State “Do your research” “Do your research” Disclosure “Don’t let yourself be ruled by fear” Down the rabbit hole “Enjoy the show” Forced penetration The Great Awakening Looking at all viewpoints “Mainstream media” (MSM) Mockingbird Media Microchipped “My body my
Forum: Hate Groups

Please forgive me for asking: Do Butler devotees have pictures of him in their houses? I had a friend in a strange little non Butlerite sect. She and her husband had a large framed picture of their guru in their bedroom on the wall facing the foot of their bed. (Corboy pauses to vomit)
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

(Corboy aside)In sophisticated groups you learn how to impersonate being smilingly serene and above it all, when challenged by an outsider or by outside information. After years of behaving this way, you risk becoming a performance instead of being a person.)
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

"...skip forward and you are mopping their floors and cooking and building websites and doing photography and helping at retreats all because apparently you are serving a pure devotee or a disciple of a pure devotee. "None of them have any contact with him by the way" (Quoted from article given below) The author of this post lives in another country and recently left a br
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Soggydog wrote: QuoteSince about a year after the Columbine shootings, I've been practicing what I've come to call 'random acts of deep listening as a spiritual practice'. It assures that I 'get my fix' most days, often with people I've never encountered before that moment. When I can remember to, I will listen to what people say and also to the silence bet
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I dont know if this will help. For me the deepest healing came when I found out what it was like to be connected and attuned with people in an ordinary, human way. Rarely had this growing up. When I feel connected enlightenment seems unnecessary. When I spend long periods examining my own aware ness I get isolated, unconnected w people, depression returns. When I rejoin with people thing
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Miracle stories are common currency in Vajrayana (aka 'Tibetan Buddhist) groups. Ditto for Gurdjieff groups. This readiness/will to believe would make it quite easy to pass from Vajrayana, to a Theosophical or Sufistic group, or any group which bonds through making and telling miracle stores. Here's an example of how personal hopes plus social context affect one's beliefs.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

This was written by a disciple a sect whose leader broke away from the Hare Krishna group. Change a few names and terms and it applies to theosophical and sufistic groups as well. In non Muslim sufistic (and even Muslim Sufi groups), social bonding comes when members and aspiring members hear and tell miracle stories about the masters, Babas, sheikhs, pirs, murshids. QuoteYou see, one has
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Almost My Entire Church Has Fallen For It
Forum: Destructive Churches

Urban Dictionary definition of "Catfishing" QuoteTop definition Catfishing The phenomenon of internet predators that fabricate online identities and entire social circles to trick people into emotional/romantic relationships (over a long period of time). Possible motivations: revenge, loneliness, curiosity, boredom by 2Sweet&Naive February 01, 2013 What are the t
Forum: Hate Groups

Search Engine: Google dot com Search Terms: cult kauai love has won ‘My Sister Is Running A Cult With A Bunch Of Followers,’ Woman Claims; Sister Denies Accusation Dr. Phil CBS•September 14, 2020
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Corboy: For many years, I have seen photos of Adyashanti. Calling it as I see it, Adyashanti's eyes have always looked flat and dead, like fish on ice that is no longer fresh. Its the kind of first impression that cults, Buddhism Lite and yoga society teach us to ignore. In the comments following this article by Matthew Remski, one reader wrote: QuoteIlona says: July 21, 2017 at 12:1
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Matthew Remski examines Adyashanti's 2016 Post Election Letter. Original source of A's letter is on Facebook First Remski gives us the screenshot text of Adyashanti's letter. Matthew Remski gives this overview after which he examines A's text point by point. (Remski) QuoteI don’t know how representative this is of the rest of Adyashanti’s work or writing.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Quotehated_in_the_nation 4 points · 1 year ago (specifically the New Apostolic Reformation, a coercive movement within Pentecostal/"Charismatic" Christianity that was the origin of pretty much both "Satanic Panics"). Damn, I wasn't familiar with this. Reading about it now. As someone who was raised in the Evangelical Church, I'm surprised (and also
Forum: Hate Groups

Quotelevel 5 kusuriurikun 9 points · 1 year ago I should clarify "Walkaway from a coercive religious group where a lot of QAnon's base beliefs were borrowed from extensively that has since wholeheartedly embraced QAnon" (specifically the New Apostolic Reformation, a coercive movement within Pentecostal/"Charismatic" Christianity that was the origin of pretty muc
Forum: Hate Groups

Very helpful post from someone who has recovered. QuoteI'm ex-pizzagate / right-wing follower, I want to help others understand how people in conspiracies feel There are a few posts on this subreddit from people who are ex-qanon. Even though I never followed this conspiracy, I used to be into pizzagate during Trump's first term around the time he was elected in 2016. I wanted
Forum: Hate Groups

Billion-dollar Lululemon under fire for promoting 'resist capitalism' event Clothing company went public in 2007 and is valued at $45bn Commenters mocked Canadian firm for hypocrisy Edward Helmore in New York Fri 11 Sep 2020 14.58 EDT
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Many Theosophical/Sufistic groups pull in persons who are affluent and socially sophisticated. It takes a lot of leisure time to pursue the demanding course work along with gardening, theatrical, musical and travel activities often required by such groups -- as well as dressing and decorating one's house to the luxurious standards demanded by fussy gurus. Not to mention making frequent dona
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"