I had a very near-miss with OT 10 years ago and got to see, up close, my own profoundly wounded sense of belonging and how easily that could be made into someone else's ATM-machine.
It took volunteering for "back-of-house" at an Intensive to fully grok that the Emperor Had No Clothes.
The appalling behavior of staff...including being berated for things like being within eye-shot of Nicole when she walked from the main house to her casita ("You must know where Nicole is at ALL times") and for not making the almond milk in their latte frothy enough for one of the staff...these were just a few of the moments that woke me up to the fact that I was trading my dignity for proximity to a mirage. I'd been spiritually glamoured by virtue of my emotional deficits. It triggered a lot of growth for me, which of course, OT would take full credit for. But it was the growth of 'that shit ain't right'-kind of spiritual and emotional discernment that you only really learn the hard way.
Looking forward to your next book (meaning 3.0?) and wondering is there any way to get updates on your community experiments in Colorado to replicate and experiment in Hawaii? Also #radicalmonogamy, that cracked me up. 🙈
If I was able to have a conversation with you, one of my off the record questions would be: Why many men in the wisdom circles I admire think Marc Gafni is wise? It’s frightening that even they aren’t picking up on something so blatant.
There was a lonliness I had to meet in myself when I realized that I only had myself to trust about who is trustable or not, since even men who appear wise and admirable, still seem to gravitate to the Gafnis of the world.
Too many of these red flags in my experiences, so hard to not become this, knowingly or unknowingly. Sacrifice, patience, commitment, grounding, humility, and answering to elders from within an earth-centered wisdom tradition does help. But the fogs are getting thicker and thicker. People who would never seem to fall down these fked up bunny holes seem to be tripping down them left and right. And the level of ridiculous just gets turned up higher and faster. We need to have these reminders, thank you for your clear naming of what fuckery ails us and fails us.
The documentary Orgasm Inc. sketches the rise of Daedone, a sharp-tongued seductress —a sex guru who became a Silicon Valley messiah—and the wake of human wreckage she left behind. Possibly worth 90 minutes of your life if you’ve got an anthropologist’s curiosity for cults, or just want to see how easily tech bros and other desperate folks trade logic for enlightenment when sex and pseudo-spiritual jargon are in the mix. We see the same seduction with psychedelics in those communities.
Allegedly, she cashed out for $12 million in 2017—just before the buyers (naturally) slapped on a shiny rebrand once the fan met the excrement. EST begat The Forum, etc. We’ve seen this movie before.
Interesting. Do you think people jumping into lynch mobs to come after whatever target is fashionable that week uses the same psychology that lures them into cults? I don't think it's called cancel culture anymore, but it still seems rife. And the band wagons are heaving.
Environmental lawyer Andrew Kimbrell refers to the secular "holy trinity" holding up our narratives of progress as the Cult of Objectivity, Cult of Efficiency, and Cult of Competition. Now, whether these culturally reinforced "absolute truths" are Cults, that is debatable but certainly they have some elements of them.
You are an excellent writer, man, whatever your lineage. 🙏 Thought I’d mention the 2011 documentary(?) Kumare: the true story of a false prophet. It doesn’t directly apply to this particular piece of yours, but kinda somewhat
Thanks for this, Jamie, which I find to be spot-on.
I think the four "reasons" you end with are especially helpful, and that the one-two-punch of "generational amnesia" juxtaposed with "digital influencer culture" to be particularly unhealthy.
Jamie, I can understand your disdain for OneTaste. But you still respect and endorse the Orgasmic Meditation practice detached from it's corporate steward, correct?
Cultic insanity well-summarized, as usual Jamie. The only potentially hopeful possibility of these chaotic and confused times is that we might reach a critical mass of suffering that creates enough cognitive dissonance and practical necessity for people to stretch beyond their cultic comfort zones. Right now we are definitely seeing a global splintering within and between Nations as the wars of mind escalate due to massive interconnectivity and a paucity of Wisdom.
As our own Idiocracy seem to be getting darker and crazier by the day, it is hard to imagine how much worse it will get before more American's begin to examine and repent of their own conventional cultic BS.
I had a very near-miss with OT 10 years ago and got to see, up close, my own profoundly wounded sense of belonging and how easily that could be made into someone else's ATM-machine.
It took volunteering for "back-of-house" at an Intensive to fully grok that the Emperor Had No Clothes.
The appalling behavior of staff...including being berated for things like being within eye-shot of Nicole when she walked from the main house to her casita ("You must know where Nicole is at ALL times") and for not making the almond milk in their latte frothy enough for one of the staff...these were just a few of the moments that woke me up to the fact that I was trading my dignity for proximity to a mirage. I'd been spiritually glamoured by virtue of my emotional deficits. It triggered a lot of growth for me, which of course, OT would take full credit for. But it was the growth of 'that shit ain't right'-kind of spiritual and emotional discernment that you only really learn the hard way.
Looking forward to your next book (meaning 3.0?) and wondering is there any way to get updates on your community experiments in Colorado to replicate and experiment in Hawaii? Also #radicalmonogamy, that cracked me up. 🙈
If I was able to have a conversation with you, one of my off the record questions would be: Why many men in the wisdom circles I admire think Marc Gafni is wise? It’s frightening that even they aren’t picking up on something so blatant.
There was a lonliness I had to meet in myself when I realized that I only had myself to trust about who is trustable or not, since even men who appear wise and admirable, still seem to gravitate to the Gafnis of the world.
mmm cuz they don't know how to use Google?
Too many of these red flags in my experiences, so hard to not become this, knowingly or unknowingly. Sacrifice, patience, commitment, grounding, humility, and answering to elders from within an earth-centered wisdom tradition does help. But the fogs are getting thicker and thicker. People who would never seem to fall down these fked up bunny holes seem to be tripping down them left and right. And the level of ridiculous just gets turned up higher and faster. We need to have these reminders, thank you for your clear naming of what fuckery ails us and fails us.
The documentary Orgasm Inc. sketches the rise of Daedone, a sharp-tongued seductress —a sex guru who became a Silicon Valley messiah—and the wake of human wreckage she left behind. Possibly worth 90 minutes of your life if you’ve got an anthropologist’s curiosity for cults, or just want to see how easily tech bros and other desperate folks trade logic for enlightenment when sex and pseudo-spiritual jargon are in the mix. We see the same seduction with psychedelics in those communities.
Allegedly, she cashed out for $12 million in 2017—just before the buyers (naturally) slapped on a shiny rebrand once the fan met the excrement. EST begat The Forum, etc. We’ve seen this movie before.
Interesting. Do you think people jumping into lynch mobs to come after whatever target is fashionable that week uses the same psychology that lures them into cults? I don't think it's called cancel culture anymore, but it still seems rife. And the band wagons are heaving.
Love the line about 'Generational Amnesia'. So true and cults ...isn't capitalism a cult? (Jus pondering :)
Environmental lawyer Andrew Kimbrell refers to the secular "holy trinity" holding up our narratives of progress as the Cult of Objectivity, Cult of Efficiency, and Cult of Competition. Now, whether these culturally reinforced "absolute truths" are Cults, that is debatable but certainly they have some elements of them.
You are an excellent writer, man, whatever your lineage. 🙏 Thought I’d mention the 2011 documentary(?) Kumare: the true story of a false prophet. It doesn’t directly apply to this particular piece of yours, but kinda somewhat
that's a great piece of performance art--and kinda chilling!
I agree. The reactions when he revealed himself in the end blew me away. Maybe they were also rehearsed? But for some reason I doubt it.
Thanks for this, Jamie, which I find to be spot-on.
I think the four "reasons" you end with are especially helpful, and that the one-two-punch of "generational amnesia" juxtaposed with "digital influencer culture" to be particularly unhealthy.
#fuckingmillennials
People who give you the answers are mistaken.
Answer your own questions with research. If it ain't a guide for your own discovery. It is a mind-manipulation KOOL-AID suppository for Jim Jones.
"you can always diddle your giblets for free!" All songwriters, particularly in Nashville, you have your idea and Chorus line right here.
I'm dying to know how your presentation about sex cults was received 😂
Absolutely loved reading this. Thank you
I nearly signed up for this back in the day 😅. Guess I'm susceptible to things like this!
Jamie, I can understand your disdain for OneTaste. But you still respect and endorse the Orgasmic Meditation practice detached from it's corporate steward, correct?
not really. its ergonomics are terrible!
Cultic insanity well-summarized, as usual Jamie. The only potentially hopeful possibility of these chaotic and confused times is that we might reach a critical mass of suffering that creates enough cognitive dissonance and practical necessity for people to stretch beyond their cultic comfort zones. Right now we are definitely seeing a global splintering within and between Nations as the wars of mind escalate due to massive interconnectivity and a paucity of Wisdom.
As our own Idiocracy seem to be getting darker and crazier by the day, it is hard to imagine how much worse it will get before more American's begin to examine and repent of their own conventional cultic BS.
to be in integrity is to be aware of so many variables, including the adage “with power comes responsibility “
one might also ask oneself: what is most desired? is it power? is it influence? is it liberation? is it love?
if it’s really one of the last 2, a situation will never wind up in cult status, or even cult status adjacency. 💃🏼
For me, you are at your best when discussing this domain. I am reminded of Jean Baudrillard
and audience capture. Audience capture is particularly pernicious. What's a budding Buddha to do?