Former devotees of Muktananda and Gurumayi refer to 'shakti' energy and have reported experiences similar to what you describe. Wonder if this Dharma Yoga stuff includes material from that set of toxic gurus?
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Any adult who distributes boxes of matches to excited children and turns them loose would be jailed and held responsible for fire damage and loss of life and limb. In my opinion, Poonja did the equivalent of this. We cannot trustfully assume that these gurus regard spiritual seekers as having human dignity and human rights as defined by Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 1
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I have zero respect for Poonja. He fired up and unleashed his disciple Andrew Cohen upon the unsuspecting general population of trustful seekers. Cohen turned into an abusive viciously cruel despot. A multitude of his former students have published blogs and memoirs. Andrew Cohens career was analyzed on a television program. "How I Created a Cult" Poonja set people on fire
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hey, Reepicheep, that's fascinating! Did the 23andMe report slip say 'Ashkenazi Jewish'? Or did it report by region such as Russian, Galician, German Jewish? Surprises abound My first cousin did 23andMe. He already knew he was Askenazi. His report indicated some Berber/North African descent. If your report included something like that, it indicates you may have Sephardi ance
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

DaWatcher wrote: "... the power of ones faith, spirit or quality of character must be proved. Words are not enough." It can be demonstrated by these actions too. Did or does Chris Butler do any of these small but important things? * If you demand that people arrive in time, do YOU arrive on time? If you are powerful demand punctuality and you keep people waiting, you are an
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I suggest that to be Butler's servant is to be worse off than to have been a servant to a Nazi overlord. The latter could still possess their own soul Here is a story: In Nazi occupied Poland Hans Frank was appointed governor, The Frank family lived in a mansion staffed by Polish servants. Frank's so Niklas, a boy of seven years at that time, has written memoirs. (Frank was lat
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

These Doctors Are Part of The Problem They take an oath to do no harm, but these doctors are spreading misinformation about the Covid vaccine By Rob Kuznia, Scott Bronstein, Curt Devine and Drew Griffin, CNN Updated 10:15 PM EDT, Tue October 19, 2021
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

According to this article on Vice Media Motherboard job sites are full of anti vaxx health care workers looking for work. These folks are gonna play the martyr card real good. Any time we hear of some future wellness guru inking his or her credentials, fact check them to see if they lost employment and or licensure due to vaccine refusal. Anti-Vaccine Job Boards Are Full of Laid-Off Medi
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The COVID-Denying, Tsar-Loving Russian ‘Cult’ That’s Too Extreme for Putin
Forum: Destructive Churches

They sue a sect that promised a better life to its members: mistreated them, took money from them and made them work as free servants
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Manhattan cult duped women into paying fee working for free: lawsuit New York Post/September 24, 2021 By Kathianne Boniello and Lee Brown Two ex-members of secretive NYC cult say they paid $400 a month to serve as assistants cooks and drivers for actress and founder who lived life of luxury at the Plaza Hotel Daily Mail, UK/September 24, 2021 By Adam Manno
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Plaza (Hotel) Denizens Ran a 'Secret Cult' Masquerading as a Study Group
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Our Lady of the Alt-Right: Catholic Traditionalism, Russian Orthodoxy, & the Theology of Nationalism
Forum: Hate Groups

HOW ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY BECAME THE SPIRITUAL HOME OF WHITE NATIONALISM (Excerpt) QuoteHeimbach is just the most visible of Orthodoxy’s new neo-fascist converts. An even cursory perusal of the “alt-right” web reveals a large and growing love affair between the threatening margins of our modern Western political discourse and the ancient Christian faith of the East. The double-headed ea
Forum: Hate Groups

He went down the QAnon Rabbit Hole for almost two years. Here's how he got out.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

"Smith’s then-boyfriend introduced her to QAnon. It was all he could talk about, she said. At first she was skeptical,... Soon, Smith was spending more time on fringe websites and on social media, reading and posting about the conspiracy theory. She said she fell for QAnon content that presented no evidence, no counter arguments, and yet was all too convincing." Quoted from articl
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Believing in conspiracy theories nearly sent me insane and almost ruined my life. I'm so glad I was able to rationalise before I got in too deeep
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteRick Ross, who's worked closely with families and people directly involved with the Love Has Won cult, said former members and their families told him that Carlson would "sexually exploit" her followers. "I would not say it if I hadn't heard it repeatedly," Ross said. "She would use people sexually. She would say, 'This person is ordained to be
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Corboy note: Following the discovery of the mummified corpse of Love Has Won's deceased leader, Amy Carlson, some members have formed splinter groups and remain active online. Love Has Won's two main offshoots, 5D Full Disclosure and Joy Rains, continue to offer similar products and services. Love Has Won - Archived Articles on Cult Education Institute website Abuse, ex
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Frozen Nick wrote: "...they entice other people with just some innocent meditation and health/lifestyle promises while they are in reality representing the sect of a sect of a sect. A tiny idiological branch, dedicated to an uneducated and dull psychopath, with a very narrow approach to the Vedas. "On top of that they advertise themselves as being highly educated in the Vedas and
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

A former devotee from a Hindu sect wrote: (Quote) Ironic, isn't it? Learning to love ... all of us are spirit, but after being bombarded with love, the new lamb will learn that there is a hierarchy in the group. Companions of the Guru, initiated serious, frivolous, sympathizers, etc. A separate respectable category are comets, which from time to time give a lot of money. They will be
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

3HO aka Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization - Archived Information Master of Deceit: How Yogi Bhajan Used Kundalini Yoga for Money, Sex and Power Be Scofield Genuine Sikhs whose guru is the Granth Sahib do not approve of Bhajan claiming himself to be Sikh:
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Inside the Dubious World of RA MA Yoga, and Its Girl Boss Guru to the Stars According to sources, founder Katie Griggs aka Guru Jagat exploited her loyal followers under the guise of improving “wellness” and facilitating “healing.” By Cassidy George July 13, 2021, 7:00am QuoteThe RA MA umbrella also includes a business school, non-profit foundation and a feminist group called the Aq
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

A long time ago, I wrote something about abusers methods of weaponizing humor and teasing. Here's a link for further reading. Please add your own questions and observations. There's not a lot of info available on this topic.
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

You are so right about this. I've read many a discussion about abusive gurus where people expended more time and attention trying to commiserate with the guru's burdens than with the predicament of the guru's victims. It seemed that the more compassion shown toward abusers the more this demonstrated superior spiritual attainment. Facet is right - contempt, dismay and disg
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

Researchers say they have unmasked a major QAnon influencer From the Logically website: EXCLUSIVE: Documentary Filmmaker Who Collaborated with Jordan Sather Tied to Major QAnon Influencer Accounts
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Researchers say they have unmasked a major QAnon influencer
Forum: Hate Groups

Dharma Lion, this is super valuable info. Could you add this same post to a CEI thread you wrote about your observations of Lenz and his group? The discussion can be found here. Former Lenz students are still recruiting into Lenzian groups. It's always a combo of Hinduistic and Buddhist stuff, billed as introductions to meditation, emphasizing meditation as a way to gain happiness,
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Yes, yes, yes to what too many suicides has written! It looks like Portugal's tourism industry is starting to revive - cautiously. American tourists still face restrictions on entry to Portugal - thanks to the anti science dweebs who influence our culture. Per US State Department website QuoteEntry and Exit Requirements Are U.S. citizens permitted to enter? No, U.S. citize
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The topic of this discussion is debunking Ascension Process, not affirming it There is no shortage of online venues for supporting people who believe in this material and pay for information about this material. Cult Education Institute provides a safe space for persona to exercise their First Amendment rights to express their opinion about AP and other belief systems or groups. So call
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups