"I got follower's that'll kill for me, and they lining up like a DMV"
- The Weeknd - "False Idols"
In 1978, there was Jim Jones in Jonestown.
But in these days and times, even the rapper Jim Jones likely has "Stans" willing to fight battles on behalf of him for none of the real spoils.
Whereas the seventies had an abundance of "high-demand groups" that met the stereotypical image of cults, namely the spiritual element (The Process Church, Scientology, Hare Krishna, etc), many these days revolve around capitalism (Company cult-ure, Multi-level marketing, "Stanning" of celebrities, etc.).
But both still exist.
And it'll help if you can see the warning signs before you find yourself possessed by unsavory individuals with malicious intentions.
The Signs of A Cult
Janja Lalich, Ph.D.'s 'Bounded Choice' model is as good as any when it comes to spotting a cult. The four dimensions she points to are:
1) Charismatic Authority (Often a leader that's very persuasive)
2) Transcendent Belief System (Myth or legend involved in the group)
3) Systems of Control (Rules that keep people in line)
4) Systems of Influence (Essentially, peer pressure)
Keith Raniere's NXIVM was (kind of still is) a modern-day cult.
The Dalai-Lama-co-signed-Keith-Raniere limited calories to reduce brain functioning and increase malleability in his cult members.
If you've ever done a multi-day fast, you can likely attest to the fact that it 'opens you up' a bit. It leaves you permeable. Your emotions can be heightened.
It's a reason why things like this can be found in Shamanic practices.
Large-Group-Awareness-Trainings (LGATs), which we'll touch on for positive reasons a little later, have also been known to limit, or at least discourage, eating, drinking, and bathroom breaks, in an attempt to create a physiological and pyschological gap in which to place their systems into minds.
Altered states can get you to a breakthrough, or just closer to a breakdown. Either way, they're knocking some kind of a wall down for you, wanted, or unwanted.
That's why who we're letting do such a thing to us is a decision we should not take lightly.
Because of this, let's get into how we might be able to avoid falling victim to the charisma, belief, control, and influence that could turn us into one.
How To Avoid Becoming A Cult Member
The easiest hard way to avoid being prey to some of the predators out there is to understand reality. You can do so by keeping in mind some of the following things:
- Realize we seek out the seemingly certain
- Realize that no one has all of the answers
- Realize that it's all interpretations, even with the seemingly certain (i.e. Realize that it's all "not-sure")
- Realize we crave convenience, and it's convenient to surrender to someone with "answers" that seem to "work" or sound "true"
- Realizing excessive uncertainty leads you to seek what seems certain. And what seems certain sometimes are courses/programs/systems that have definite steps and rituals and rave reviews
Beyond all of that: test what you hear, and read, and take what works while not giving up your response-ability to others.
And if we want to get into astrology, the placements I'd personally expect to more vulnerable are Pisces in the 1st house, 10th house, and Moon in Pisces.
My Experience In Getting Second-Hand Benefits From A Group That Has Many Detractors
As I was nearing 36, I ran into the teachings of a man known as Werner Erhard, who started the LGAT called Est, which later became the Landmark Forum.
Chuck Palahniuk, The Wachowskis, John Denver, and Yoko Ono, have all attended some version of the trainings, but I haven't.
And I probably never will.
But I did get what I'd call life-changing results from absorbing that groups teachings from the safety of my own home.
Some of the posts on this site are the result of my Buddhist beliefs, and magical practices colliding with my interpretations of the lessons that Werner Erhard teaches.
While I drank when thirsty during my research, I started to understand why bathroom breaks and eating and drinking are at the very least frowned upon by the group: Large-group-awareness-trainings are what I'd call "Self-Help Theater."
I wouldn't be surprised if some of the interactions between participants are scripted, amongst newcomers that wouldn't know the difference.
And even if they're all spur of the moment, the leaders know they're playing the role of a figurehead archetype that has all of the answers, and the power to strike down your objections.
They don't want anyone to break character, including the participants, and this is how they get you into the air, so you can hopefully flap your wings and learn to fly (at least until the next session that might cost a few hundred dollars).
If you keep in mind that it's all "Self-Help Theater" you'll be in a much better place to receive what they teach in a way that doesn't negatively impact you.
And if you're interested in diving into the same pool of thought that I did, here's my suggested reading list:
- 'Speaking Being': This is *the* book to read if you read no others. It's a transcript from a weekend Werner Erhard taught, and if you drown yourself in its pages, you can get a pretty effective simulation of what it's like to actually attend the program (says the person that's never attended the program)
- 'The Book of Est': This is very similar to 'Speaking Being' but it's from the days when The Landmark Forum was called Est, and had some different practices.
- 'Actualizations': This is a book written by a former leader of the Est program, and has its own pluses and minuses.
Articles
https://douglastoft.com/2021/09/12/notes-on-the-landmark-forum-a-personal-distinctionary/
https://douglastoft.com/2021/09/14/further-reflections-on-the-landmark-forum/
https://thefincheranalyst.com/articles/lgats-and-fight-club-dissecting-a-delusion/
https://forum.culteducation.com/read.php?4,116430
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/BrF3jGCHnNm9iCCxp/a-review-and-summary-of-the-landmark-forum
https://fortelabs.com/blog/a-skeptic-goes-to-the-landmark-forum/
https://nickgray.net/landmark-forum/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/inside-the-landmark-forum_b_90028
https://pdfcoffee.com/landmark-forum-training-notes-finaldoc-pdf-free.html
https://www.wikidoc.org/index.php/Landmark_Education
https://culteducation.com/group/1020-landmark-education.html
https://masscasualties.com/2011/04/11/landmark-education-forum-a-thorough-review/
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/08/landmark-42-hours-500-65-breakdowns/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-ways-i-benefited-from-doing-landmark-forum-june-21-avinash/
https://www.gq.com/story/landmark-forum-get-confident-stupid-gq-may-2005
Wrapping It Up
Many high-demand groups have a trail of pain behind them, but it'd be foolish to think that there aren't some positives that have come from groups that some would call cults.
But the surest safeguard protecting us from being their prey is our ability to understand reality, and understand ourselves.
The more we learn about our natural human biases, the better prepared we'll be when someone tries to exploit them.
In a world where social bonds are difficult to form, while follow buttons are easy to click, it's tempting to pursue a ready-made friend group (that might cost us hundreds, or thousands of dollars).
But I hope that what you've read here will get you some of the benefits without needing to bend over backwards for the faux benevolent.
Be your own advocate in a world that wants your unquestioned subordination.