Eckhart Tolle, mud, and blood: Part 1 Joseph Szimhart 2022-10-28 | I recently listened to video talk by Eckhart Tolle whose books I read 20 years ago. His reliance on New Thought and teachers like G. Gurdjieff and J. Krishnamurti I find troublesome and overvalued. The dog attack mentioned occurred 7 months ago. Dog is okay. This talk is in 2 parts.Critic of Tolle: siftingtothetruth.com/blog/tag/Eckhart+TolleTolle mentions Gurdjieff: youtube.com/watch?v=kElGPeqEaswen.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_WilberNon dual philosopher Shankara:en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Shankara
Eckankar and Karma Joseph Szimhart 2024-10-17 | Karma means action basically but historically it also means actions that cause other actions which can be good or bad. In The Tiger's fang by Eckankar's founder Paul Twitchell we find a rule to not interfere with other's karma, similar to that in early Theosophy al la Blavatsky. We look at how in the late 19th Century, Mary Baker Eddy and Christian Science disputed Blavatsky's idea of non-interference, but with Eddy's fanciful idea of using "mental healing" interference. NB: I mistakenly questioned whether there were human sacrifices at Tuluum in Central America among Mayans. There were!The Ramtha book by JZ Knight on Karmabooks.google.com/books/about/Truth_Gravity_and_the_Mystery_of_Karma.html?id=huEEnwEACAAJI reference a scholarly look at "The Vedic Origins of Karma" by Herman Tull. amazon.com/Vedic-Origins-Karma-Cosmos-Ancient/dp/8170302412Quote from Christian Science on karma and Blavatsky: marybakereddylibrary.org/research/what-did-eddy-say-about-theosophySri H Klemp of Eckankar on karma:eckankar.org/the-law-of-karmaThe Tiger's Fang by Twitchell: amazon.com/Tigers-Fang-Paul-Twitchell/dp/157043039X"Brer Rabbit with Tar Baby" illustration is by Edward W. Kemble around 1880.
Eckankar revisited Joseph Szimhart 2024-10-16 | Paul Twitchell wrote The Tiger's Fang in 1965 as his intro to his new religion he named Eckankar, a word transliterated from Ek Onkar or Ik Onkar of the Sikh and Sant Mat religions meaning "one supreme reality." I revisit the book and how similar cult leaders or authors used the same magical autobiography or spiritual adventure as a literary device to teach the reader about the "Truths" of "God" and his "Will." "Some scholars say ECK has been the most successful religion to emerge in the turbulent 1960s...Eckankar itself has also influenced numerous New Religious Movement offshoots. These offshoots include: the Movement of the Spiritual Inner Awareness (MSIA), Masterpath, The Ancient Teachings of the Masters (ATOM), The Divine Science of Light and Sound, the Sonic Spectrum, and the Higher Consciousness Society.According to scholar David Lane, “Each of the founders of these [NRM] groups was at one time a member of Eckankar, and they have incorporated many of the ECK terms into their respective organizations.”" https://religionsmn.carleton.edu/exhibits/show/eckankar/new-religious-movements/eckankarnrmFor a solid expose of Twitchell and his plagiarisms and sources, read David Lane's The Making of a Spiritual Movement. amazon.com/Making-Spiritual-Movement-Twitchell-Eckankar/dp/0961112468For a look at the ancient 2nd Century AD Greek prototype of this approach to fanciful memoir and adventurous spirituality, read The Golden Ass by Apuleius. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_AssAlso see The Coming Race by Bulwer-Lytton, 1873. broadviewpress.com/product/the-coming-race-2/#tab-descriptionand Unveiled Mysteries By G R King )Guy Ballard who began the I AM Activity in 1934goodreads.com/book/show/752325.Unveiled_MysteriesMasters of the Ear East series by Spalding amazon.com/Life-Teaching-Masters-Far-East/dp/0875165389Spalding claimed that he took his first journey to India in 1894 when in fact it was over 30 years later. Paul Brunton who was with him in India in the said that Spalding then claimed to have been there in his "astral body" only in the 1890s to meet the "Masters."
Eisegesis, Armstrongism, and fake prophecy. Joseph Szimhart 2024-09-25 | Herbert W Armstrong preached false doctrines about the end times and British Israelis that he derived from prior, flawed sources. Despite the appearance of scholarship in his approach, he essentially put himself above the Bible as the source of truth for Christians. He avoided sound exegesis all his life. Eisegesishttp://www.churchleadership.org/apps/articles/?articleid=67933gotquestions.org/exegesis-eisegesis.htmlBlood in the Face amazon.com/Blood-Face-Nations-Skinheads-Culture/dp/156025100XMilleritesen.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Miller_(preacher)British Israelismen.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_IsraelismMaking a soul or divine selfGurdjieffismgurdjiefflegacy.org/wpp/soul.htmquora.com/Is-it-true-that-we-create-our-own-souls-as-Gurdjieff-espoused-in-the-4th-way-of-his-philosophy-of-consciousnessFake exegesis in “Answers in Genesis”: reddit.com/r/Christianity/s/daRuoPfqg1
False Equivalency & Equivocation: Does E. Tolle compare to C. Manson? Joseph Szimhart 2024-09-02 | This is a short response to viewers who take issue with my critique of “soft” gurus like Meher Baba or Eckhart Tolle. I am not equating or equivocating, but I try to examine each group or teacher/leader/founder as unique, not as the stereotype many people associate with terms like cult or occult. Overvalued and obsessive attachments to gurus is what I am trying to examine and whether a guru has flaws that might be overlooked by eager advocates.Image I used is from catsinternational.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Comparing-tigers-to-our-cats1.pdf
Psychedelics, Entheogens, and religious experiences Joseph Szimhart 2024-08-25 | Most ancient religions and some new ones have a drug cult at their core or origin. Psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin are also known as entheogens or god-substances. I concentrate on the Vedic and Judaic origins in a kind of drug experience with very different outcomes. amazon.com/Cleansing-Doors-Perception-Significance-Etheogenic/dp/1591810086amazon.com/Mysticism-Sacred-Profane-Galaxy-Books/dp/0195002296archive.org/details/journeyintomadne0000thomamazon.com/Ecstatic-Religion-Shamanism-Spirit-Possession/dp/0415301246en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soma_(drink)archive.org/details/wormatcoreonrole0000soloamazon.com/Storming-Heaven-LSD-American-Dream/dp/0802135870
New thoughts on New Thought and Eddyism Joseph Szimhart 2024-08-25 | I’ve mentioned New Thought sects in several videos, but in this one I concentrate more on Christian Science and its founder, Mary Baker Eddy, who died of pneumonia in 1910. She taught that death was not real, but was a product of false belief or defective thought. I rely partly on a metaphysical healing friendly website:truthunity.net/courses/mark-hicks/background-of-new-thought/mary-baker-eddyen.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Thought
Shunning JW style and group narcissism Joseph Szimhart 2024-08-23 | Shun No More 2024 on Sept 13 in Washington DC is a protest of ex-members and others who want to bring attention to the serious harm some people experience due to rigidly and sometimes unfairly applied rules of religions and cults. The 1st Amendment protects many uncivil and harmful behaviors practiced by religions. Narcissism in groups betrays an insecurity at the core of the group identity protected with the armor of grandiosity and pseudo-perfect interpretation of texts. befreeprotest.com
Cult of the Cat (and a female candidate?) Joseph Szimhart 2024-07-26 | I reread a 1963 book by Patricia Dale-Green, Cult of the Cat, so I’ll discuss some of the content about Bastet, the cosmic Virgin cat, and how cats have been revered, reviled and persecuted and why. N.B:I posted this video about “Cult of the Cat” and responses are making Kamala Harris connections that I never intended, so I changed the title adding “and a female candidate.” J D Vance the chosen VP for the GOP tried to smear Kamala, who apparently likes cats, as one of the “childless cat ladies” in a 2021 interview that has resurfaced. indystar.com/story/news/2024/07/26/what-is-a-childless-cat-lady-jd-vance-kamala-harris-pete-buttigieg-taylor-swift-jennifer-anniston/74555145007amazon.com/Cult-Cat-Patricia-Dale-Green/dp/0517175002en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastet
Overvalued ideas in cult behaviors Joseph Szimhart 2024-06-27 | Overvalued ideas appear disguised as truths and real experiences in the minds of cult members as well as in people who claim to have occult or extrasensory powers. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6391600 goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/overvalued-ideareddit.com/r/Mcat/s/219ZQvqfdXOn TMhttps://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/using-the-relaxation-response-to-reduce-stress-20101110780tmdeception.com/tmd-blog/2019/12/5/yogic-flying-meditate-your-way-to-a-knee-replacementSteiner, Buddha, Martians rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA130/English/RSP1950/19121218p01.html
Magna Mater: mother cults, regression of adult devotees, and Auroville Joseph Szimhart 2024-06-26 | The great Mother goddess Cybele appeared among ancient Phrygians, later named Rhea among the Greeks. NB. The Wonder Woman T I have on was purely coincidental. Also, I meant Max Theon not “Leon” as I misspoke in the video. Theon, not his birth name, started an occult group, Cosmic Tradition, and he was married to the medium/channeler Madame Theon. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_TraditionThis concept of the cosmic mother emerges in major religions as well as smaller cults worldwide. We look into the Auroville commune in India founded on the Integral Yoga teachings of Sri Aurobindo 1872-1950 and Mirra Alfassa or “The Mother” who Aurobindo accepted as an equal in consciousness in 1914, thereafter calling her The Mother of his experiments in birthing a new species of human with higher or Krishna consciousness. Alfassa led the commune before and after Aurobindo died until she died at age 95 in 1973. Aurobindo’s own mother developed mental illness after the birth of her first child; he being the youngest of 3 never knew his mom as a stable person. In 1969, Alfassa declared the new “Superman”consciousness was born through guru Ram Lalji Siyag 1926-2017 who gained notoriety in the west as guru to celebrities including Brad Pitt. Auroville, the Integral commune falls far short of the predicted birthing of a super man in consciousness. slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/roads/2015/07/auroville_india_s_famed_utopian_community_struggles_with_crime_and_corruption.htmlCybele: study.com/academy/lesson/the-goddess-cybele-in-mythology.html#:~:text=Cybele%2C%20or%20the%20Great%20Mother,cult%20of%20the%20Roman%20Empire.amazon.com/Sri-Aurobindo-Mother-Experiments-Experiences/dp/1492200506Ram Lal Silag: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramlal_SiyagAmy Carlson cult: youtu.be/2PweoTaa_OA?si=-m2Wv__fltpgyDCk
Deprogramming: What is it? Joseph Szimhart 2024-06-15 | Deprogramming is a loaded word that emerged in the mid 1970s to indicate an intervention process that could break the spell or influence of a controversial group or belief. Deprogrammers at times would participate in interventions initiated by kidnapping or some other form of coercive restraint like “house arrest.”Members of alleged cults who hear or read my criticism of their group or leader often dismiss me through an ad hominem label as a “deprogrammer” thus unqualified. This simplistic maneuver might have some truth to it, but it has nothing to do with my qualifications or the content of what I discuss. Eg, I was acquitted after a month long trial of all charges by a jury in Idaho in April 1993 for helping in an alleged kidnap deprogramming. psywww.com/psyrelig/szimhart.htmculteducation.com/group/888-cult-deprogramming/5586-jury-acquits-two-in-deprogramming-case.htmlI refer to The Catalyst by Jonah Berger (2022) as a good way to grasp what intervention or deprogramming should look like and why it works. jonahberger.com/books/the-catalystWilla Appel 1983 book puts this era of early deprogramming into perspective:goodreads.com/book/show/1668310.Cults_in_AmericaThe New Vigilantes by Bromley and Shupe 1981 is critical of deprogramming in that era: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_VigilantesLarry Trapp 1991 deconversion from KKKhttps://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/jewish-cantor-and-his-family-resist-terrorism-convert-attacking-ku-klux-klan-leader-1991Ted Patrick. A documentary expose by Mia Donovan 2015: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt4543744
Doctrine of Signatures, Biosphere 2, cave art, and the “Pa” cult. Joseph Szimhart 2024-06-08 | The Doctrine of Signatures or magical correspondences or sympathetic magic has informed the way humans think, heal, and experience the environment since prehistoric times. Simply put, if a flower looks like an eye, use it to make a tincture for eye disease. Use liverwort, with liver shaped leaves, to treat the liver. Yes, it is not only fake medicine, it can kill you. I look at the emergence of prehistoric cave art, the Biosphere 2 “cult” debacle in the early 1990s, and a small cult run by Fred Saylor or “Pa” decades ago. Saylor used the Doctrine of Signatures to peddle bogus remedies internationally. amazon.com/Mind-Cave-Consciousness-Origins-Art/dp/0500284652Dreaming the Biosphere by Rebecca Reider unmpress.com/9780826346742/dreaming-the-biosphereen.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctrine_of_signaturesen.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noosphereen.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sathya_Sai_Baba
For exBiblecult members who still want to be Christian Joseph Szimhart 2024-02-18 | We look at 3 ways to be Christian for ex members of abusive Bible cults. One can be Christian, A Christian, or The Christian. The advice is that anyone can fulfill the Gospel to be Christian in the kingdom of heaven without having to announce being a Christian or being devoted to one dogma as The Christian. We look at the meaning of “do not let the left hand know what the right hand is doing” and at why Right hand is emphasized in the Bible.gotquestions.org/left-hand-know-right-hand-doing.html
On OBE, Simulations, the Matrix and occultists on the “Nature of Reality” Joseph Szimhart 2024-01-27 | Alisha Brache, Lisa M Harrison, Darius J Wright, “Athena” and hundreds of other psychics online are influencers who claim that humans live in a “simulation” or matrix controlled by dark forces or lower energies that keep us ignorant and trapped. I briefly explore the roots of this recurring theme through some history. I also suggest that every one of these influencers will trap you in a more constricted matrix or world of their own psychic construction while promising to help you escape the big matrix that they define for you. OBEs are nothing more than a disorder called dissociation whether you bring it on consciously through auto suggestion or it happens spontaneously from stress. Teaching people to dissociate to reach the “other side” is dumb and possibly dangerous.lisamharrison.com/nature-of-realityyoutu.be/GEOSsAFCxfM?si=6qZeVn2ub5wcY3dk Lisa and Darius on a podcast videoamazon.com/Cloud-Upon-Sanctuary-Karl-Eckartshausen/dp/0892540842
Jesus Solstice Christ? Conflation of myth Joseph Szimhart 2023-12-21 | Winter Solstice celebrations worldwide predate by millennia the establishment of Christmas December 25 in the 4rth Century as the birthday of Jesus. I comment on the faulty conflation of Mithra worship with the “Christ myth” popularized in the late 19th century and repeated by pseudo scholars like Acharya S. In any case, may all solstice and Christian celebrations at this time of year emphasize kindness to your sisters and brothers who view that time differently.worldhistory.org/Mithrahttps://www2.hao.ucar.edu/education/prehistoric-southwest/sun-daggeryoutu.be/JIV0tT1NQF4?si=ZaQX4G8uSQxs_s4MCeltic Women: O Holy Night
Ascended Master Blood and the Gold Standard Joseph Szimhart 2023-12-01 | Occultists and seekers worldwide yearn for a return or reemergence of the Golden Age of Perennial Wisdom or Satya Yuga. Current Ascended Master cults yearn for the same in a New Age and offer urgent teachings for self transformation to bring that about. This short talk is about Ichor and the golden amber fluid in the veins of Greek gods that somehow emerges in modern cults that teach that godlike Ascended Masters have that same amber golden fluid in their veins. Of interest is the correlation of this golden blood and golden age idol to arch-conservatives as well as flaky New Agers who believe that gold has sacred qualities and thus we should go back to a “gold standard” in our economies.ascensionglossary.com/index.php/Ascended_Masteren.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascended_masteren.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichor
GEOTRAN, Morphogenetic Fields, and Applied-Kinesiology Joseph Szimhart 2023-11-28 | We will look into a newer self-help and success guide called GEOTRAN that bases its reality on the pseudoscientific claims about “morphogenetic fields” by fringe scientist, Rupert Sheldrake. GEOTRAN also leans on Applied-Kinesiology invented in the 1960s by a chiropractor who claimed that his “muscle testing” technique will answer questions about health, spirituality, and life choices. GETRAN is popular with life coaches. It has similarities to The Silva Method from the 1950s, Scientology, Reiki, Radionics, acupuncture, and Ayurvedic medicines. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applied_kinesiologyen.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Sheldrakegeotran.comquackwatch.org/ncahf/articles/o-r/radionics
Twin Flames burn again on Netflix Joseph Szimhart 2023-11-11 | Responding to new Netflix series “ Escaping Twin Flames”, a very good documentary with keen insight into how cult leaders manipulate unwary cult members. netflix.com/title/81615919See my first twin flame videoyoutu.be/lFsJNp1aho4?si=BwcbxmBXiVeysf-1I refer to The Plato Cult by David Stove (1991) as a useful philosophical read to help ex members correct their bad thinking habits that likely got them into a cult like Twin Flames Universe. Forgive my errors. Eg, I called David Stove “Anthony”. NB: I am not endorsing David Stove’s “conservatism” as such. But reading him will challenge your thought process. Eg, Stove was a chauvinist critic of feminism when he said:In "The Intellectual Capacity of Women" (1990) he stated his belief that "the intellectual capacity of women is on the whole inferior to that of men".[9][10]
“Haunted” Pennhurst Asylum Joseph Szimhart 2023-10-31 | In this video, I mention that 41% of Americans believe ghosts and ufo aliens are real. I mistakenly said that’s 150 thousands of people. It’s 150 million. I reference the History Channel that today on Halloween aired a 2013 show on Pennhurst Asylum (where I worked in the early 1970s) that was closed in 1987, and in recent decades in empty buildings entrepreneurs host haunted house tours every Halloween season. We look at how skepticism properly applied should convince you that ghosts aren’t real autonomous entities. And aliens are not visiting us in spaceships. Boo Woo! phaneuf.net/blog/americans-believe-in-ghostsen.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennhurst_State_School_and_Hospital
Ramana Maharshi. Meher Baba, Paul Brunton, and banal mysticism Joseph Szimhart 2023-09-24 | Ramana Maharshi and Meher Baba have been touted as the most significant mystics of the 20th Century. Paul Brunton was a seeker who met and wrote about Ramana Maharshi, Meher Baba and there as truly enlightened yet criticized both as flawed human beings with flawed followings. Brunton himself was outed as a fraud or phony guru by Jeffrey Masson who grew up with “PB” living with his parents for 20 years. See links for more info. My point in this video is that claims of being one with God, the Absolute, Brahman, or the Oversoul may be true claims, but a rock can make the same claim of “unattachment” to human conscious and suffering. Too often, the ashrams and devotees surrounding gurus fall far short of the pure ideals spouted or presented by the guru. Dictionary of World Religions (Keith Krim editor. 1981)britannica.com/biography/Ramana-MaharshiMuch Silence (bio of Meher Baba) 1974 My Father’s Guru by J Masson, 1993amazon.com/My-Fathers-Guru-Spirituality-Disillusion/dp/0345452801The Sensitives by Paul Brunton amazon.com/Sensitives-Dynamics-Dangers-Mysticism-Notebooks/dp/0943914345
What is a “genuine” religion? Joseph Szimhart 2023-08-12 | One of my subscribers noted that I might be skeptical of all religion, therefore none are “genuine” in my view. Asking what is a genuine religion can get you into deep trouble. I briefly examine the roots of what genuine, authentic and true can mean. I use two ‘mushrooms’ to illustrate.
Apocalypse Christianity and Post-modern Art Are Similar Joseph Szimhart 2023-07-31 | I compare the edgy art of Basquiat (died 1988 at age 27) today selling in the tens of millions of dollars with Apocalyptic sects in Christianity based on 100 year old Fundamentalist ideas. To people uninitiated to modern art history, Basquiat art seems bizarre and atrocious. Why would anyone value it? The same remains true of Fundamentalism that to outsiders and many scholars appears as a disturbing distortion to faith. So, both fundamentalism and many aspects of modern art are “populist” or primitive in style. Basquiat appeared as a tag prophet from the graffiti streets to sell to collectors through major galleries. Most of fundamentalism came from populist itinerant preachers who, like Billy Graham sold it in major “galleries” raising radical evangelical ideas into lucrative political capital. I refer to American Apocalypse by Matthew Sutton. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Michel_Basquiathttps://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674975439
Nietzsche, Satori, Mushrooms Joseph Szimhart 2023-07-21 | A quote from Nietzsche introduces my novel “Mushroom Satori: The cult diary” published in 2013. I discuss Nietzsche’s ideas in relation to the book and to today, July 21, being my mothers 99th birthday. The significance of writing, freedom, suicide, and insanity are other themes. amazon.com/Mushroom-Satori-Diary-Joseph-Szimhart/dp/0985002697en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gay_Sciencehttps://www.faculty.umb.edu/gary_zabel/Phil_100/Nietzsche_files/Friedrich-Nietzsche-Twilight-of-the-Idols-or-How-to-Philosophize-With-the-Hammer-Translated-by-Richard-Polt.pdf
Jesus lost years in India conspiracy myths. Joseph Szimhart 2023-06-20 | All reliable sources say that the stories about Jesus traveling and perhaps dying in India are either fabricated lies or results of poor scholarship based on hoax manuscripts. My video was triggered by this 2016 Jesus in India presentation by Edward Martin at a Hindu center in Austin:youtu.be/xHPVHshW0hUWe look at the main source hoaxer N. Notovitch and another misguided cult leader, Ghulam Ahmad, who claimed in 1889 that Jesus did not die on the cross but lived and died in Kashmir at an old age. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_in_India_(book)Bart Erhman blog on this:ehrmanblog.org/did-jesus-go-to-india-a-modern-gospel-forgerySathya Sai Baba fake miracles http://www.exbaba.com/articles/p_holbach/dbbooke/cont.htm
Jung, the occult, and astrology of Liz Greene. Joseph Szimhart 2023-06-19 | Robert Ellwood in The Politics of Myth called Carl G. Jung along with Mircea Eliade and Joseph Campbell the “Midcentury Mythic Trinity.” I look into Ellwood’s account of Jung and his colleagues who “dallied” with fascism in the 1930s and why. Also, famous UK astrologer Liz Greene applies Jungian ideas to her astrological readings. We explore how Jung’s idea isIndividuating can lead to cultic participation. https://sunypress.edu/Books/T/The-Politics-of-Myth2en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liz_Greeneamazon.com/Jungs-Studies-Astrology-Liz-Greene/dp/1138289124theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/4505
Fred Rama Lenz, Carlos Castaneda. @AtrocityGuide Joseph Szimhart 2023-06-13 | Look at this story below by Atrocity Guide to get a clear idea of who Fred “Zen Master Rama” Lenz was: youtu.be/urMxgevzd4cMy short video adds information about the influence of Carlos Castaneda on Lenz whose character Master Fwap in his novel Surfing the Himalaya is modeled on Castaneda’s don Juan. Both Fwap and don Juan are fabrications by hoax writers of spiritual adventure fiction.
Liana Shanti court case: recommends to reveal her criminal history Joseph Szimhart 2023-06-06 | On June 5 US District Court in Hawaii recommended that Liana Shanti / Liane Wilson post weekly on all her social media accounts that she has a criminal record of fraud regarding bankruptcy and that she’s been on probation (not parole, as I say in video). I read from court transcript of the defendant Liane W admitting to a “panic disorder” after the judge asked her to stop “racing” in her speech during her rambling, unconvincing defense.
Proverbs 12:1 and cult leaders as braggart-dimwits. Joseph Szimhart 2023-06-03 | Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid. (Proverbs 12:1, New International Version of the Bible)Grandiose cult leaders tend to hate correction. That dim witted side is overshadowed by the braggart side that devoted followers want to see and hear. Critics are called losers, stupid, evil, etc. the latter occurs in conservative Christian homeschooling that, for example, uses a “rod” or spanking to discipline children who might question the “standards” of the ruling father. Proverbs 12:1 is weaponized in such cults reversing the noble intent of the Proverb.
Crystals, Pendulums, Sage: How real is the energy? Joseph Szimhart 2023-05-22 | Magical or spiritual power in objects, relics, and thought or prayer has a long, enduring history in human culture. Animals pay no attention to it. So, who is smarter? The answer is not simple. I address the use of crystals, pendulums, and the Bull Roarer.skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/19220/do-pendulums-have-any-explanatory-powerskepticblog.org/2008/12/19/pendulums
NRM or Cult? The Prosperos and Daughters of Bilitis Joseph Szimhart 2023-04-30 | Following up on last video comparing New Religious Movement with cult. Examples are The Prosperos led by Thane Walker (?1900-1989), a mix of New Thought, the Gurdjieff (died 1949) Fourth Way cult, astrology, theater, and elite teacher/student relationships. I read an article about 2 members of the first Lesbian advocacy group founded in 1955 who joined The Prosperos between 1965 -1970 and as ex members called it a “New Age sect or cult.” (Btw, i mispronounced Bilitis that should sound more like bi-lee-tis. Also, The Ladder ceased publication in 1972, not in the 1990s as I blurted out!)Walker’s group name was from the magician Prospero in The Tempest by Shakespeare. theprosperos.orgamazon.com/Bodies-Evidence-Practice-History-Oxford/dp/0199742731en.m.wikipedia.org/wikiThe_Ladder_(magazine)encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/walker-thane-ca-1890
Cult or New Religious Movement? Joseph Szimhart 2023-04-29 | Words have impact on awareness and help others grasp what we mean and intend. For the past century, there’s been a debate in how to define and what to call troublesome, high demand groups. Two major camps emerged, one in sociology that uses New Religious Movement and another among some academics but mostly in public discussion that uses Cult. My point here is that in the end we have to regard behavior and context first before we slap a label onto any group.
When Shadow Meets the Bodhisattva: Andrew Cohen and Hegel’s totalism Joseph Szimhart 2023-03-11 | Followup on previous comments on Andrew Cohen’s new book and evolution of consciousness project (cult?) called Manifest Nirvana. The latter project is based on two highly flawed if not outright false assumptions: that Andrew Cohen and company were ever “enlightened” and that “consciousness” evolves either according to K Wilber’s Spectrum of Consciousness scheme or in this generation’s lifetime. Quoting George Steiner from his slim collection of essays, In Bluebeard’s Castle (1971): “There are currently, particularly in the United States, some fashionable, silly theories about total revolution of consciousness. Mutations of internal structure do not occur at such a rate.” (In a Post-Culture, p 91).Manifest Nirvana is a hoax. The very language encourages techniques and religious strategies (hybrid Western Buddhism) to mentally force Nirvana or enlightenment. Darwin would be amused at this comical thought experiment as would Kierkegaard. See my take on Hegel via Kierkegaard youtu.be/mI0iv64FvIw#kenwilber#manifest.nirvanaBook review here:jszimhart.com/reviews/when-shadow-meets-the-bodhisattva
Disgraced guru Andrew Cohen and his comeback book Joseph Szimhart 2023-02-18 | Andrew Cohen, born to a secular Jewish family in 1955, claimed to be enlightened in 1986 in India, then started a movement with himself as guru. His motherLuna Tarlo became his disciple along with hundreds of others. I mention Cohen’s fall and that in 2013 hundreds of former cult members signed a document stating that Cohen should never teach again. Ken Wilber continues to endorse Cohen who this year released a new book. themotherofgod.compsychologytoday.com/us/articles/199803/crimes-the-soulcenterforintegralwisdom.orgamazon.com/When-Shadow-Meets-Bodhisattva-Transformation-ebook/dp/B09WQ7RRRR
Falun Gong and Fascism Joseph Szimhart 2023-01-28 | Brief look at Falun Gong with readings from its founder Li Hongzhi’s book Zhuan Falun, the group’s links to Epoch Times and the dance Troupe Shen Yun. Comparison of Li Hongzhi to Benito Mussolini. Criticism of Falun Gong and its leader does not mean you favor the Communist Party. newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/stepping-into-the-uncanny-unsettling-world-of-shen-yunFor an excellent video commentary,see this by JJ McCullough:youtu.be/1JaPzJKycxcSpy vs Spyyoutu.be/onR7PD3Grc0Marinetti and Fascist influence en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filippo_Tommaso_Marinetti#:~:text=In%20The%20Founding%20and%20Manifesto,for%20the%20importance%20of%20violence.
Three-Body Problem: social pressure personality disorder Joseph Szimhart 2023-01-14 | Cixin Liu wrote the trilogy that began with The Three-Body Problem written in Chinese in 2011. It was translated into English around 2015 and soon followed by sequels that became international best sellers. An entire media industry of podcasts, reviews, illustrations, and a film series erupted based on Liu’s brilliant science fiction. My interest here is in Liu’s inclusion in Death’s End of The Wave experiment run in 1967 by a high school teacher and in a “diagnosis” he introduces centuries into the future called “social pressure personality disorder.” See my article for further information:jszimhart.com/reviews/social-pressure-personality-disorder-in-deaths-end-by-cixin-liu
Narcissistic clusters, cults, and Aboriginal sand talk Joseph Szimhart 2023-01-07 | Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta (2020) inspired this look at cults as narcissistic clusters that in the extreme become, in my words, Narcissistic Cluster F*cks. Approaching governance through respect, connect, reflect, and direct can create a sustainable relationship with the land, people, and diversity. amazon.com/Sand-Talk-Indigenous-Thinking-World
Eckhart Tolle, mud, and blood: Part 2 Joseph Szimhart 2022-10-28 | I add information on another New Thought teacher, Wayne Dyer, and expand on my anecdote about the pit bull attack on my dog. The dog attack occurred 7 months ago. Dog is okay. I recently listened to video talk by Eckhart Tolle whose books I read 20 years ago. His reliance on New Thought and teachers like G. Gurdjieff and J. Krishnamurti I find troublesome and overvalued. This talk is in 2 parts.Critic of Tolle: siftingtothetruth.com/blog/tag/Eckhart+TolleTolle mentions Gurdjieff: youtube.com/watch?v=kElGPeqEaswen.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_WilberNon dual philosopher Shankara:en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Shankara
Stefan Molyneux, Liana Shanti, A Course In Miracles, and Garbage Eaters Joseph Szimhart 2022-10-09 | Stefan Molyneux, Liana Shanti, A Course In Miracles, and Garbage Eaters is a comparison video about how groups and group leaders influence followers and students to cut ties with family for specious psychological reasons and misinterpreted scriptures. I also show, despite Liana’s claim that ACIM is “”satanic,” that her approach to Jesus is quite similar to ACIM, using the same phobia indoctrination of end times prophecy.On ACIM:jszimhart.com/essays/project-one-tt3ykOn Garbage Eaters:en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Brethren_(Jim_Roberts_group)lianashanti.comOn Stefan Molyneux:en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan_Molyneux
Liana Shanti, Lemuria, Akashic Records, and Blavatsky. Joseph Szimhart 2022-09-28 | Liana Shanti along with hoards of common psychics claim to tap into Akashic Records and ancient wisdom from Lemuria. In LS’s case, she offers a “Lemurian Mystery School” initiation for a price. This video shows that the Lemurian civilization did not exist and that Akashic Records do not exist. Both concepts or fake memes were largely concocted by Madame Blavatsky in the late 19th Century. See:amazon.com/Masters-Revealed-Madame-Blavatsky-Great/dp/0791420647en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemuriaen.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akashaprograms.lianashanti.comOccult America by John Godwin (1972) p 132-133 on Blavatsky’s influence.
Liana Shanti and “I AM” Activity Joseph Szimhart 2022-09-24 | lianashanti.com is the topic Liana Shanti is an online enterprise as a dietary advisor, neo shaman, channel or seer for Jesus, astrology interpreter, ant-Covid vaxxer who critiques the “parent cult” and other bad influences that keep people wounded and from gaining their ascension to heaven like Jesus did. Links as reference:forum.culteducation.com/read.php?12,159923britannica.com/topic/I-AM-movementen.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramtha%27s_School_of_Enlightenmenten.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychianagoogle.com/search?q=courage+to+heal+bass+controversy&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS736US736&oq=courage+to+heal+bass+controversy&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i546j0i30i546j0i546l2.17681j0j4&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/322/78
Bias is as bias does. Am I biased? Joseph Szimhart 2022-08-02 | Over the years I’ve been a used of having a bias, so in this video we look at bias, why it’s necessary and how it can also be way off a reality base. We cannot make clothing without cutting fabric on a bias. The problem is that there is a bias but the the bias may be off, resulting in an unwearable product. We look at an example of extreme bias in tailoring as we regard the story of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Only enlightened people could see the naked emperor’s clothes. So, the errant bias in extreme points of view can lead to Totalism that demands that we either believe or remain stupid.
Padre Pio, fascism and healing Joseph Szimhart 2022-07-10 | I discuss a large shrine to St. Padre Pio I visited recently outside of Barto, PA. My sister who passed away from cancer in May of this year had lit a votive candle there last summer to plea for healing. I reference the historical analysis of Pio (1887-1968) by Sergio Luzzatto in his Padre Pio: Miracles and Politics in a Secular Age (2010).“A case of stigmata” in JAMA Psychiatry, and “The Stigmatics/science/The Guardian 2004 13 Oct.
Mars, Myth, and Musk Joseph Szimhart 2022-05-07 | In his 1964 novel The Simulacra, P K Dick offers a post WW3 world around 2050 ruled by authoritarian regimes but with an option to emigrate on “jalopies” for a no return trip to Mars where humans and androids live in rudimentary colonies. I look at various Mars quests through fiction (John Carter series by Burroughs), occultists (Rudolf Steiner, Elizabeth Prophet), and the failed Biosphere 2 project headed by cult leader Johnny Dolphin Allen. I mention Elon Musk’s SpaceX dream to colonize Mars within the coming decades.retroreport.org/transcript/biosphere-2-an-american-space-odysseyBuddha on Mars: rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA130/English/RSP1950/19121218p01.html
Brainwashing, Gravity, and Science Joseph Szimhart 2022-04-28 | Gravity and brainwashing theories are not based in science fact. No one knows why we have gravitational activity or what exactly defines brainwashing. I’ll examine how I use “orbiting” as a metaphor for how so-called brainwashing works. https://ncse.ngo/gravity-its-only-theory#:~:text=Universal%20Gravity%20is%20a%20theory,not%20even%20a%20good%20theory.Misunderstanding Cults by Zablocki & Robbinsjstor.org/stable/10.3138/9781442677302genius.com/Bob-dylan-ballad-of-a-thin-man-lyricsen.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_AnthonyNew Vigilantesamazon.com/New-Vigilantes-Deprogrammers-Anti-Cultists-Religions/dp/080391542XTed Patrickamazon.com/Let-our-children-Ted-Patrick/dp/0525144501
Karma, Economy, Koch and the Mont Pelerin Society Joseph Szimhart 2022-04-20 | Referring to Democracy in Chains by Nancy MacLean 2017 and to The Vedic Origins of Karma by Herman Tull 1989 to comment on how karma and economy are meant among followers of Mont Pelerin Society (established 1947 by libertarian economists who adhere to “public choice” theory as defined by James M Buchanan and Milton Friedman. Also refer to “Karma tastes rich in new, humane economy” by K Parker (Seattle Times April 17 2016. And to illustration by John Knott 1918 “It shoots further than he dreams”
John Birch, Elizabeth Prophet, Communist conspiracies. Joseph Szimhart 2022-04-09 | New book by Edward Miller: A Conspiratorial Life, Robert Welch, The John Birch Society, and the Revolution of American Conservatism (2021). I talk about parallels to Church Universal & Triumphant and my old cult leader, Elizabeth Prophet. Reference Church Universal & Triumphant (an apocalyptic movement) by Bradley Whitsel (2003).
Putin’s Brain 2: Traditionalism, Fundamentalism, end-times, and Kali Yuga. Joseph Szimhart 2022-04-01 | Another look at “Putin’s brain”, Traditionalism, and Fundamentalism. Referencing Mark Sedgwick’s book Against the Modern World (2004). Both Traditionalism and Fundamentalism want to see an end to modernity and progressivism even if it means an Apocalyptic bloodbath predicted in the Book of Revelations and the Hindu prophecies about the Kali Yuga.
Tucker Carlson and the Cult of Coronavirus Joseph Szimhart 2022-03-27 | On 7/28/2021 Fox News published a a Tucker Carlson opinion titled “Christianity is dying and being replaced by cult of coronavirus”I make some observations including correcting his mawkish claim that America was once a “Christian nation.”
Putin’s Brain and Traditionalism Joseph Szimhart 2022-03-05 | Response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. My Hungarian parents were refugees after WW2 and they met in a DP camp in Pocking, Germany where I was born in 1947. We arrived in America in 1951. My mother 97 finds the news about Ukraine painful to watch. I discuss the influence of Traditionalism grounded in the work of Rene Guenon, Martin Heidegger, and Julius Evola on Putin’s chief ideolog Alex Dugin, of Steve Bannon, and others on the Christian far right. I first read Guenon around 1981 with deep interest but years later rejection his Traditionalism as too authoritarian and wrongheaded. amazon.com/Against-Modern-World-Traditionalism-Intellectual/dp/0195396014newstatesman.com/ideas/2020/10/rise-traditionalists-how-mystical-doctrine-reshaping-righttheconversation.com/alexander-dugin-eurasianism-and-the-american-election-87367The Devil’s Bargain by Joshua Greenhttps://www.academia.edu/40386287/Mysteries_of_Eurasia_The_Esoteric_Sources_of_Alexander_Dugin_and_the_Yuzhinsky_Circle?email_work_card=view-paper
